Flight Safety Information July 30, 2018 - No. 152 In This Issue Incident: Finnair A320 near Helsinki on Jul 28th 2018, generator failure Incident: Wizz A320 near Milan on Jul 29th 2018 ,smell of smoke in cabin Accident: Spirit A321 near Myrtle Beach on Jul 26th 2018, burning odour on board EVAS - Cockpit Smoke Protection Incident: Blue B738 at Birmingham on Jul 28th 2018, suspected tail scrape on departure Accident: Vietnam A321 at Hanoi on Jul 28th 2018, temporary runway excursion on landing Accident: Vanuatu AT72 at Port Vila on Jul 28th 2018, engine fire, runway excursion, collision Accident: Atlas B763 at Portsmouth on Jul 27th 2018, hard landing Accident: SCAT B752 at Almaty on Jul 26th 2018, tail strike on go-around Incident: Tianjin A320 near Wuhan on Jul 26th 2018, hail strike Air Kasai Antonov An-2 crashes near Kamako, DR Congo; five feared dead Cargo plane with blown tire makes safe landing at JFK Airport Narita airport shuts one runway as plane enters wrong taxiway LIBIK Fire Suppression Kits for the Cabin and Flight Deck. MH370 Was 'Manipulated' Off Course to Its End, Report Says Air marshals secretly monitored US passengers for years Drunk passengers warned of hefty fines in UK aviation campaign Airbus launches new cadet pilot program Icon Aircraft Creates Managed Fractional Program Pilot Shortage Also Extends to the Rotary World Airbus Profit Doubles as Jet-Delivery Delays Begin to Ease 2018 DFW ISASI Chapter Dinner What's on Your Runway? ISASI 2018 2018 CHC SAFETY & QUALITY SUMMIT October 2nd - 4th, 2018 PROVIDING ASSURANCE IN YOUR SYSTEMS Incident: Finnair A320 near Helsinki on Jul 28th 2018, generator failure A Finnair Airbus A320-200, registration OH-LXM performing flight AY-1471 from Helsinki (Finland) to Vienna (Austria), was enroute at FL380 about 130nm south of Helsinki when the crew decided to return to Helsinki due to the failure of the left hand generator (engine CFM56). The aircraft landed safely back in Helsinki about 30 minutes later. A replacement A319-100 registration OH-LVI reached Vienna with a delay of 3:40 hours. The occurrence aircraft returned to service 36 hours after landing back. http://avherald.com/h?article=4bbb7b3d&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Wizz A320 near Milan on Jul 29th 2018 ,smell of smoke in cabin A Wizz Air Airbus A320-200, registration HA-LYA performing flight W6-3401 from Cluj (Romania) to Madrid,SP (Spain) with 146 passengers and 6 crew, was enroute at FL370 about 120nm east of Milan Bergamo (Italy) when the crew reported smell of smoke in the cabin and decided to divert to Milan Bergamo. During the descent the crew cancelled the emergency but continued the diversion and safely on runway 28 about 25 minutes after leaving FL370. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 2:20 hours, then continued the journey, reached Madrid with a delay of 1.5 hours and continued service. http://avherald.com/h?article=4bbb76fa&opt=0 Back to Top Accident: Spirit A321 near Myrtle Beach on Jul 26th 2018, burning odour on board A Spirit Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration N675NK performing flight NK-779 from New York La Guardia,NY to Fort Lauderdale,FL (USA) with 228 people on board, was enroute at FL320 about 130nm northeast of Myrtle Beach,SC (USA) when the crew decided to divert to Myrtle Beach reporting a strange odour on board, several passengers and cabin crew were becoming ill. The aircraft landed safely in Myrtle Beach about 25 minutes later. Emergency services reported 10 people were transported to a hospital with headaches, respiratory and stomach problems. Passengers reported there was a burning odour like burning plastics. The local hospital reported they received 10 patients, decontaminated, treated and released them. The airport reported all passengers except those transported to a hospital were able to board a replacement aircraft and continued their journey. A hazmat team boarded the aircraft and checked the aircraft however did not find any hazardeous materials. The FAA reported: "Spirit Airlines Flight 779, an Airbus A321 aircraft, la nded safely at Myrtle Beach International Airport at about 10 p.m. onJuly 26 after the pilot declared an emergency and reported an odor in the aircraft. The flight departed from from LaGuardia Airport and was flying to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport when it diverted. The FAA is investigating." A replacement A321-200 registration N661NK reached Fort Lauderdale with a delay of 5.5 hours. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Myrtle Beach for about 12 hours, then positioned to Fort Lauderdale and returned to service about 18 hours after landing in Myrtle Beach. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/NKS779/history/20180727/0038Z/KLGA/KFLL http://avherald.com/h?article=4bba4ce7&opt=0 Back to Top Back to Top Incident: Blue B738 at Birmingham on Jul 28th 2018, suspected tail scrape on departure A Blue Air Boeing 737-800, registration YR-BMF performing flight 0B-152 from Birmingham,EN (UK) to Bucharest Otopeni (Romania), departed Birmingham's runway 15 and was climbing out when the crew suspected the tail might have contacted the runway surface. Nonetheless, the crew decided to continue the flight, climbed to FL350 enroute and landed safely in Bucharest about 3 hours after departure. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Bucharest about 30 hours after landing in Bucharest. A replacement aircraft continued the schedule of the occurrence aircraft. Romania's Boardingpass Aviation News Service reports, maintenance is going to replace the tail skid assembly after verifying a tail scrape had occurred. http://avherald.com/h?article=4bbb7446&opt=0 Back to Top Accident: Vietnam A321 at Hanoi on Jul 28th 2018, temporary runway excursion on landing A Vietnam Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration VN-A336 performing flight VN-1544 from Hue to Hanoi (Vietnam), landed on Hanoi's runway 11R at 20:48L (13:48Z) but temporarily went off the runway and returned onto the runway. The aircraft taxied to the terminal without further incident, the passengers disembarked normally. The airline reported the aircraft landed in adverse weather conditions and temporarily went off the runway, the aircraft taxied to the apron normally. There were no injuries, the aircraft sustained substantial damage however. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Hanoi about 25 hours after landing. VVNB 281500Z 03004KT 9999 FEW013 BKN030 26/26 Q1004 NOSIG= VVNB 281430Z 06003KT 9999 FEW010 FEW027CB BKN040 26/26 Q1004 NOSIG= VVNB 281400Z 11008KT 080V150 2700 +TSRA SCT006 BKN022 FEW027CB 26/26 Q1003 BECMG FM1420 6000 -TSRA= VVNB 281330Z 04005KT 9999 FEW012 BKN022 27/26 Q1003 TEMPO FM1350 TL1430 3000 +RA= VVNB 281300Z 02003KT 340V050 9999 BKN018 27/26 Q1002 NOSIG= VVNB 281230Z 06004KT 020V080 9999 FEW022 27/26 Q1002 NOSIG= VVNB 281200Z 09005KT 9999 FEW030CB BKN043 27/26 Q1001 NOSIG= VVNB 281130Z 09008KT 9999 FEW020 FEW030CB BKN038 28/25 Q1001 NOSIG= VVNB 281100Z 09006KT 9999 TS FEW019 FEW030CB BKN036 28/27 Q1001 BECMG FM1120 NSW= VVNB 281030Z 04007KT 9999 -TSRA FEW017 SCT023 FEW030CB 28/27 Q1001 BECMG FM1040 NSW= VVNB 281000Z 05007KT 020V080 8000 -RA VCTS SCT015 BKN022 FEW030CB 27/27 Q1000 BECMG FM1030 NSW= The aircraft seen at the apron: http://avherald.com/h?article=4bbb586b&opt=0 Back to Top Accident: Vanuatu AT72 at Port Vila on Jul 28th 2018, engine fire, runway excursion, collision with 2 other aircraft An Air Vanuatu Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-212A, registration YJ-AV71 performing flight NF-241 from Tanna to Port Vila (Vanuatu) with 39 passengers and 4 crew, was enroute about 20 minutes prior to estimated landing when smoke entered the aircraft and fire appeared at the right hand engine prompting the crew to shut the engine down and discharge the fire bottles. The smoke continued until landing on Port Vila's runway 29. During the roll out the aircraft veered off the runway and collided with two other aircraft. There were no injuries, the damage to the ATR-72 is being assessed, a Unity Airlines Britten Norman BN-2 Islander received damage beyond repair, an Air Taxi Britten Norman BN-2 Islander received substantial damage (vertical stabilizer separated). Passengers reported flames became visible at the lower part of the right hand engine, smoke entered the cabin. The crew shut the engine down and continued to Port Vila where the aircraft landed less than 20 minutes later, but went off the runway and collided with two other aircraft. The airline reported the aircraft lost power in one engine about 20 minutes prior to landing. In the last stages of the landing roll the aircraft veered left off the runway into a parking area and collided with other aircraft. There were no injuries. Emergency services reported there were no injuries, however, 13 passengers reported discomfort due to smoke inhalation and received additional medical assessment. No weather data are available for Port Vila. The three aircraft seen after the collision (Photo: Ondrej Fiala): http://avherald.com/h?article=4bbaba28&opt=0 Back to Top Accident: Atlas B763 at Portsmouth on Jul 27th 2018, hard landing An Atlas Air Boeing 767-300, registration N641GT performing flight 5Y-8601 from Frankfurt/Hahn (Germany) to Portsmouth,NH (USA), landed on Portsmouth's runway 34 at 04:52L (08:52Z) but touched down hard. The aircraft rolled out without further incident and taxied to the apron. A post flight inspection revealed creases around the fuselage and substantial damage to the aircraft. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Portsmouth about 29 hours after landing. Metars: KPSM 271056Z 00000KT 10SM FEW070 FEW250 21/20 A2995 RMK AO2A SLP144 T02070197= KPSM 270956Z 00000KT 10SM FEW070 FEW250 19/19 A2993 RMK AO2A SLP137 T01910189= KPSM 270856Z 00000KT 10SM FEW070 FEW250 19/19 A2992 RMK AO2A SLP134 T01920189 50004= KPSM 270756Z 00000KT 10SM FEW060 FEW250 20/19 A2991 RMK AO2A SLP130 T02030189= KPSM 270656Z 27003KT 10SM CLR 21/19 A2991 RMK AO2A SLP132 T02070192= KPSM 270556Z 23004KT 10SM CLR 21/20 A2991 RMK AO2A SLP132 T02140198 10239 20210 50007= KPSM 270456Z 25004KT 10SM CLR 22/21 A2989 RMK AO2A SLP125 T02160212 402680216= https://flightaware.com/live/flight/GTI8601/history/20180727/0114Z/EDFH/KPSM The creases around the fuselage (Photo: U.S Army W.T.F! moments): http://avherald.com/h?article=4bbab491&opt=0 Back to Top Accident: SCAT B752 at Almaty on Jul 26th 2018, tail strike on go-around A SCAT Airlines Boeing 757-200, registration UP-B5705 performing flight DV-5038 from Hurghada (Egypt) to Almaty (Kazakhstan) with 233 passengers, touched down on runway 23L at 22:28L (16:28Z) but struck its tail onto the runway surface and went around. The aircraft positioned for another approach to runway 23L and landed without further incident about 25 minutes later. There were no injuries, the aircraft sustained substantial damage. Kazakhstan's Civil Aviation Authority reported there were no injuries, the CAA opened an investigation. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Almaty about 37 hours after landing. Related NOTAM: K3736/18 NOTAMN Q) UAAA/QMRLC/IV/NBO/A /000/999/4321N07703E005 A) UAAA B) 1806220300 C) 1809221000 E) RWY 05L/23R CLSD. METARs: UAAA 261800Z 16002MPS 9999 FEW100 SCT200 17/06 Q1012 R23L/CLRD65 NOSIG= UAAA 261730Z 16003MPS 9999 FEW100 SCT200 17/07 Q1012 R23L/CLRD65 NOSIG= UAAA 261700Z 16003MPS 9999 FEW100 SCT200 17/07 Q1012 R23L/CLRD65 NOSIG= UAAA 261630Z 16002MPS 9999 FEW100 SCT200 18/08 Q1012 R23L/CLRD65 NOSIG= UAAA 261600Z VRB01MPS 9999 FEW100 SCT200 19/08 Q1013 R23L/CLRD65 NOSIG= UAAA 261530Z VRB01MPS 9999 SCT100 BKN200 20/08 Q1013 R23L/CLRD65 NOSIG= UAAA 261500Z 13002MPS 9999 SCT100 BKN200 22/08 Q1012 R23L/CLRD65 NOSIG= UAAA 261430Z 12002MPS 9999 SCT100 BKN200 23/06 Q1012 R23L/CLRD65 NOSIG= UAAA 261400Z 07002MPS 360V090 9999 SCT100 BKN200 24/05 Q1012 R23L/CLRD65 NOSIG= UAAA 261330Z 03003MPS 9999 SCT100 BKN200 25/04 Q1012 R23L/CLRD65 NOSIG= UAAA 261300Z 02004MPS 9999 FEW100 BKN200 26/04 Q1011 R23L/CLRD65 NOSIG= The tail seen after landing: http://avherald.com/h?article=4bba375f&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Tianjin A320 near Wuhan on Jul 26th 2018, hail strike A Tianjin Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration B-1052 performing flight GS-7865 from Tianjin to Haikou (China), was enroute at 9800 meters (about FL321) about 160nm north of Wuhan (China) when the aircraft encountered hail damaging both outer windshields and aircraft nose. The crew decided to divert to Wuhan for a safe landing about 30 minutes later. A replacement A320-200 registration B-8069 reached Haikou with a delay of 7 hours. The airline reported the aircraft accidentally encountered hail while enroute which caused the rupture of the outer left hand windshield and damage to the radome. The aircraft diverted to Wuhan. Windshield damage: http://avherald.com/h?article=4bba3b2e&opt=0 Back to Top Air Kasai Antonov An-2 crashes near Kamako, DR Congo; five feared dead Status: Preliminary Date: Friday 27 July 2018 Type: Antonov An-2 Operator: Air Kasai Registration: registration unknown C/n / msn: First flight: Crew: Fatalities: / Occupants: Passengers: Fatalities: / Occupants: Total: Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 7 Aircraft damage: Damaged beyond repair Location: 3 km (1.9 mls) from Kamako ( Congo (Democratic Republic)) Phase: Unknown (UNK) Nature: Passenger Departure airport: Kamako Airstrip, Congo (Democratic Republic) Destination airport: Tshikapa Airport (TSH/FZUK), Congo (Democratic Republic) Narrative: An aircraft operated by Air Kasai was destroyed when it crashed and burned 3 km from Kamako, Democratic Republic of the Congo. There are said to have been seven persons on board the aircraft. The pilot and passenger survived the accident. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20180727-0 Back to Top Cargo plane with blown tire makes safe landing at JFK Airport JAMAICA, Queens (WABC) -- A plane with a blown out tire landed safely Sunday night at JFK Airport. Atlas Air reports that the Boeing 747 took off shortly after 5:30 p.m. from JFK. The air traffic control tower then told the crew that the freighter aircraft had a blown tire. In the interest of safety, the crew made an emergency landing just after 6 p.m. There were no injuries. The airline says the aircraft will be inspected by their safety and technical operations teams before returning to service. Port Authority released a statement saying, "The incident involved a blown tire on an Atlas Air cargo plane. Plane landed safely. Towed to a maintenance hangar. No passengers and no impact on airport operations." http://abc7ny.com/cargo-plane-with-blown-tire-makes-safe-landing-at-jfk-airport/3845745/ Back to Top Narita airport shuts one runway as plane enters wrong taxiway CHIBA, Japan (Kyodo) -- Narita airport east of Tokyo closed one of its two runways on Monday after an Air Canada plane entered a wrong taxiway upon its arrival. The aircraft from Montreal-Trudeau International Airport mistakenly entered the taxiway under construction and stopped there at around 3:45 p.m., the airport's operator said, adding that there were no reports of injuries. Due to the closure, flight schedules were affected, apparently forcing some planes to arrive at different airports. http://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20180730/p2g/00m/0dm/095000c Back to Top Back to Top MH370 Was 'Manipulated' Off Course to Its End, Report Says • Difficult to attribute sudden turns to system failure: report • Plane missing since March 2014 is aviation's biggest mystery Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, missing since 2014, was probably steered off course deliberately and flown to the southern Indian Ocean, according to the Malaysian government's safety report into the disaster. MH370 vanished on March 8, 2014, en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur with 239 people on board. Investigators have never been able to explain why the jet abandoned its route shortly into the flight, traversed Malaysia and then cruised south over the Indian Ocean. It's difficult to attribute the change in course to any system failure, according to the report released Monday. "It is more likely that such maneuvers are due to the systems being manipulated," the report said. Experts mapped the Boeing 777's course only after picking through hourly data hookups with a satellite. Extensive sonar searches of remote waters off Australia's west coast failed to locate the wreckage. Monday's 449-page report offered little to solve modern aviation's biggest mystery -- and stopped short of apportioning specific blame. There's nothing to suggest the plane was evading radar, or evidence of behavioral changes in the crew, it said. Significant parts of the aircraft's power system, including the autopilot function, were probably working throughout the flight, the report said. "We are unable to determine with any certainty the reasons that the aircraft diverted from its filed planned route," Kok Soo Chon, chief inspector of the MH370 investigation team, told reporters in Putrajaya, outside Kuala Lumpur. "The possibility of intervention by a third party cannot be excluded." Without the help of cockpit data recorders, search teams could only guess what happened in the flight's final moments. Analysis by the Australian government suggested MH370 ran out of fuel before plummeting -- at as much as 25,000 feet a minute -- into the water. Other investigators speculated that a person was at the controls until the very end, gliding the plane into the ocean beyond the furthest limit of any search area. Monday's report didn't support either theory explicitly, but struggled to come up with a mechanical explanation for the aircraft's deviations. No Bodies "The change in flight path likely resulted from manual inputs," it said. Similarly, the plane's loss of communications before veering off track was more likely due to systems "being manually turned off or power interrupted to them" than a malfunction, it said. A few pieces of wreckage from MH370 did wash up in Africa but no bodies have ever been recovered. A fresh underwater search this year by U.S. exploration company Ocean Infinity ended without success. The jet's disappearance produced a slew of safety recommendations aimed at preventing a repeat of the tragedy. New aircraft must broadcast their locations every minute when they're in trouble, but only from January 2021. A gradual tightening of requirements starts in November, when airlines must track planes every 15 minutes under regulations adopted by the United Nations' International Civil Aviation Organization. MH370's cargo included 221 kilograms (487 pounds) of lithium batteries and 4.6 tons of fresh mangosteen fruit, according to its manifest. After extensive tests, Monday's report ruled out smoke or fire caused by those goods mixing in the plane's hold as a cause of the tragedy. The report documented shortcomings among Kuala Lumpur air traffic controllers: they were too slow to initiate emergency procedures and there was no evidence to suggest they were continuously monitoring radar displays, it said. The report recommended better training to handle emergencies. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-07-30/mh370-investigation-unable-to-determine-cause-of-disappearance Back to Top Air marshals secretly monitored US passengers for years Travelers walk through Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) in Washington, D.C. Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg News Federal air marshals have for years been quietly monitoring small numbers of U.S. air passengers and reporting on in-flight behavior considered suspicious, even if those individuals have no known terrorism links, the Transportation Security Administration said on Sunday. Under a sensitive, previously undisclosed program called "Quiet Skies," the TSA has since 2010 tasked marshals to identify passengers who raise flags because of travel histories or other factors and conduct secret observations of their actions - including behavior as common as sweating heavily or using the restroom repeatedly - as they fly between U.S. destinations. The Boston Globe first revealed the existence of the Quiet Skies program on Sunday. In response to questions, TSA spokesman James Gregory offered more details of the program's origins and goals, comparing it to other law enforcement activities that ask officers to closely monitor individuals or areas vulnerable to crime. "We are no different than the cop on the corner who is placed there because there is an increased possibility that something might happen," Gregory said. "When you're in a tube at 30,000 feet ... it makes sense to put someone there." The TSA declined to provide complete information on how individuals are selected for Quiet Skies and how the program works. According to the TSA, the program used travel records and other factors to identify passengers who will be subject to additional checks at airports and, sometimes, be observed in flight by air marshals who report on their activities to the agency. The initiative raises new questions about the privacy of ordinary Americans as they go about routine travel within the United States and about the broad net cast by law enforcement as it seeks to keep air travel safe. Gregory said the program did not single out passengers based on race or religion and should not be considered surveillance because the agency does not, for example, listen to passengers' calls or follow flagged individuals around airports. But during in-flight observation of people who are tagged as Quiet Skies passengers, marshals use an agency checklist to record passenger behavior: Did he or she sleep during the flight? Did he or she use a cellphone? Look around erratically? "The program analyzes information on a passenger's travel patterns while taking the whole picture into account," Gregory said, adding "an additional line of defense to aviation security." "If that person does all that stuff, and the airplane lands safely and they move on, the behavior will be noted, but they will not be approached or apprehended," Gregory said. He declined to say whether the program has resulted in arrests or disruption of any criminal plots. Hugh Handeyside, senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union's National Security Project, called on the TSA to provide more information about the program to passengers. "Such surveillance not only makes no sense, it is a big waste of taxpayer money and raises a number of constitutional questions," he said. "These concerns and the need for transparency are all the more acute because of TSA's track record of using unreliable and unscientific techniques to screen and monitor travelers who have done nothing wrong." The TSA, which was created soon after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, screens on average more than 2 million passengers a day. While the agency is tasked with a weighty public safety mission, it has at times been publicly rebuked for being intrusive and abusive at airport checkpoints. It has been accused of doing little to enhance security while subjecting passengers to searches or questioning. In 2015, the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general found that undercover agents were able to slip fake bombs past TSA screeners about 95 percent of the time. A year later, the flying public was in an uproar over long lines to move through security screening. But TSA officials have said that ensuring public safety while keeping passengers moving has made their work difficult. "We have a no-fail mission," former TSA administrator Peter Neffinger told Congress in 2015. The agency has also been criticized for its treatment of Muslims and other minorities who have complained of being profiled while traveling. Earlier this year, media reports revealed that the agency had compiled a secret list of unruly passengers. Passengers may be selected for Quiet Skies screening because of their affiliation with someone on the government's no-fly list or other databases aimed at preventing terrorist attacks. "This program raises a whole host of civil liberties and profiling concerns," said Faiza Patel, co-director of the New York University School of Law's Brennan Center for Justice. Critics say the TSA's databases are overly broad and include incorrect information. The no-fly list, for example, grew from about 16 people in September 2001 to 64,000 people in 2014. But Patel, an attorney, said that law enforcement officials are generally free to surveil individuals as long as they do not do so based on criteria such as ethnicity. http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/air-marshals-secretly-monitored-us-passengers-for-years/article_e520106f-bd79-57ec-9189-dac1d97333dc.html Back to Top Drunk passengers warned of hefty fines in UK aviation campaign • Behaviour that causes plane to be diverted can lead to prison term or fines up to £80,000 Early morning bar openings and duty free sales at airports have been blamed by airlines for a series of costly and potentially dangerous incidents in the air. Drunk passengers have been warned they could face fines of up to £80,000 should a plane have to divert because of disruptive behaviour. Ministers have backed a campaign from the aviation industry to tackle problem drinking, which airlines say shows no sign of abating, despite previous initiatives. Early morning bar openings and duty free sales at airports have been blamed by airlines for a series of costly and potentially dangerous incidents in the air. The One Too Many campaign, which highlights the problems a drunk passenger can cause, will target holidaymakers at airports across Britain this summer. As well as reminding passengers they can be denied boarding if inebriated, an offence on a plane, it warns that penalties could include up to two years in prison and being banned from future flights, as well as hefty fines for diverting a plane. The campaign was launched by the aviation minister, Lady Sugg, on what was expected to be the busiest day of the summer for UK air travel, with almost 9,000 departing flights. Sugg said on Friday: "Disruptive passengers have the potential to ruin other people's flights, and this campaign is an important new step to ensure all passengers are aware of the consequences they face if they behave disruptively after drinking before or on board a flight." Civil Aviation Authority figures showed 417 flights were affected by serious passenger misconduct last year. Rafael Schvartzman, of the International Air Transport Association, said: "While we should remember that disruptive passenger incidents are still relatively rare, they rank in the top three concerns of cabin crew, and any incident is one too many. Airlines have a zero-tolerance approach to unruly behaviour and cabin crew and passengers have a right to a flight free from disturbance and harassment. The party should be at the destination, not on the plane." However, some airlines said the campaign did not go far enough. Phil Ward, the managing director of Jet2.com, said he welcomed the initiative but said similar public awareness campaigns launched in the last few years had not reduced incidents of drunken, disruptive passenger behaviour. "Although our crew and colleagues are highly trained and do a fantastic job in often difficult circumstances, it is unacceptable that they must be left to manage the consequences of excessive alcohol consumption. At the same time, customers travelling on well-earned holidays should not be subjected to this behaviour," he said. Ward called for sealed bags preventing the illicit consumption of duty free alcohol, and more rigorous licensing standards in airports. A week ago, three Scottish passengers were arrested off a Jet2 flight landing in Crete after drinking a bottle of duty free gin and threatening to "do in" staff. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/jul/27/drunken-passengers-warned-of-hefty-fines-campaign-plane-divert-prison Back to Top Airbus launches new cadet pilot program Airbus has launched an ab initio pilot training program as the airline industry faces the prospect of a growing deficit of trained flight deck personnel in coming years. The "Airbus Pilot Cadet Training Programme" is being launched in partnership with Escuela de Aviacion Mexico (EAM), located close to the Airbus Mexico Training Centre. After completing their initial training with EAM, cadets will qualify at the center to become Airbus A320 pilots. EAM trains 200 cadets per year. It is located in Mexico City and Guadalajara with flight bases in Acapulco, Cuernavaca and Atizapán. The new Airbus program will be open to young people over 18 who have graduated from high school; candidates will undergo screening tests both online and on-site. The first batch of cadets should start training in January 2019, graduating in July 2020. Airbus said it plans similar partnerships worldwide in coming years. Cadets will follow an integrated Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL) program built on Airbus' standards and experience in pilot training. The manufacturer said the cadet training program aims to equip cadets with the skills and mindset required to become operationally ready pilots. Airbus also provides a bridge course from local license to European Aviation Safety Agency license standard, allowing cadets to widen their attraction to future employers. In its latest Global Services Forecast Airbus predicts that 540,000 new pilots will be needed over the next 20 years. With this in mind, the manufacturer has tripled its training locations worldwide in the last few years. http://atwonline.com/training/airbus-launches-new-cadet-pilot-program Back to Top Icon Aircraft Creates Managed Fractional Program Hoping to attract more owners for its A5 LSA amphib, Icon Aircraft announced a managed fractional ownership program at AirVenture this week. The program is called Icon Fleet Access and the company is launching it at several locations in 2018, including Tampa and Miami, Florida, and in Northern and Southern California. It also said the program-contingent on its success-will be accessible for potential buy-in starting in 2019 in Texas, the Northeast, the Great Lakes region and in other locations in the Northwest and Southeast. The deal looks like this: For a 1/2 share in a new A5, you pay $225,000 plus a $1500 monthly management fee. Then, it's $75 per hour (dry) and you can fly the A5 a total of 150 days per year (including 40 weekend or "peak" days). Remote access (using the plane at any of the available locations) is free and additional users include one family member and one non-family member-or two family members. Additional users pay $350 per month. There's a five-day maximum booking duration (you get four max bookings) and you can book it 12 months out. The term is for three years where you can either renew or sell the share at fair market value. For a 1/4 share, put $125,000 down and pay $900 per month and $75 per hour. You can fly it a total of 75 days per year, including 20 weekend or peak days. If you want remote access, it's another $300 per month. The 1/4 share program allows for one family member to fly the aircraft, plus $350 for additional users. You can book the aircraft six months in advance and are allowed two maximum bookings (five days with the aircraft). Like the 1/2 share deal, you can renew or sell at fair market value. The management fee includes Icon-authorized schedule maintenance, insurance, storage, cleaning and line services. Basically, show up to fly it and then park it when you're finished with it. The current fully equipped Limited Edition A5 is priced at $389,000 and Icon says delivery is available in early 2019. At AirVenture 2018, the company was including a $38,500 amphib trailer for free with a $5000 deposit and commitment to sign a purchase agreement by Aug. 31, 2018, for a Q1 2019 delivery. Icon's CEO Kirk Hawkins told AVweb in an interview at AirVenture that the assembly line for the A5 at the Vacaville, California, headquarters is active and the company is currently seeking flight instructors and service partners. Visit www.iconaircraft.com. https://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/Icon-Aircraft-Creates-Managed-Fractional-Program-231285-1.html Back to Top Pilot Shortage Also Extends to the Rotary World • Scholarships are available to help students with the cost of flight training. Southern Utah University SUU's Cedar City location provides a perfect training location for new helicopter pilots. When the Boeing forecast released last month gave a hint of the number of pilots and mechanics needed in the next two decades, it included some bare-bones figures, 43,000, for the helicopter industry worldwide. Within the U.S., however, the number of active helicopter pilots sits at about 15,000 according to Robbie Paul, assistant chief flight instructor at Southern Utah State University in Cedar City, Utah. SUU offers both fixed wing and a rotary wing flight training. Paul told Flying that the need for helicopter pilots is actually greater than for the fixed wing marketplace. "We're going to be about 7,500 pilots short over the next 18 years and in an industry that only has about 15,000 active pilots, that represents a huge, huge shortage." He said one of the problems the university faces are that, "It's easier to grow the fixed wing flight training side because people know there's a shortage there, but there hasn't been much talk about the helicopter side. A recent HAI study delves into the specifics of the actual helicopter pilot shortage that should prove eye opening to perspective rotary pilots. When it comes to solutions to the pilot shortage and to finding jobs for the university's new helicopter pilot graduates, Paul said, "We're trying to get pilots into the emergency medical service (EMS) world by working with one of the largest EMS operators in the U.S. We've been working on getting the hour requirement down for that first job, but it still takes about 1,000 total time to make that leap to the first helicopter flying job." While training costs are a big problem on the fixed wing side, Paul admitted the costs are even larger for helicopter training. SUU operates a fleet of Robinsons as well as two Bell Long Rangers. To help shave some of the financial burden from students, he said "what we need are more scholarships. Here at EAA we just announced an agreement with Whirly Girls, a group that's been around for 63 years promoting women flying helicopters and SUU to provide three $20,000 scholarships to come learn to fly helicopters." SUU is working on agreements with other organizations as well. Because SUU is based at Cedar City Utah, field elevation 5,600 Msl, the location provides the perfect training location for new helicopter pilots with longline and bucket flight training in the Bells and hi-altitude training in all helicopters. On a hot day when the density altitude climbs close to 9,000 feet, Paul said, "We're often operating near the helicopter's limits which make it perfect to teach students power management." In order to earn the associate degree at SUU, the curriculum requires pilots to earn a rotary flight instructor certificate that makes those students perfect candidates to remain after graduation and teach new students until they're ready for their own job outside of the training industry. Paul added that, "Some big helicopter companies have reduced their flight time requirements considerably due to the shortage. Pilots also don't need an ATP to fly helicopters commercially like they do on the Part 121 airline side of the industry." https://www.flyingmag.com/pilot-shortage-also-extends-to-rotary-world Back to Top Airbus Profit Doubles as Jet-Delivery Delays Begin to Ease • Shares jump as A320neo handovers exceed those of older version • CEO Enders warns that production target still 'challenging' An engine of the Airbus SE A320neo Photographer: Luke MacGregor/Bloomberg Airbus SE's second-quarter profit doubled as deliveries of its best-selling jetliner picked up, overcoming delays at engine providers. The stock rose the most in five months to a record Thursday after Toulouse, France-based Airbus said adjusted earnings before interest and tax rose to 1.15 billion euros ($1.35 billion) from a restated 572 million euros a year earlier. Payments for re-engined A320neo narrow-body planes had been held up by a halt in handovers of Pratt & Whitney turbines, which have been dogged by a series of glitches, and manufacturing issues concerning aircraft powered by General Electric Co.-led CFM International. Airbus has since made headway in paring the number of idled jets, with 110 Neos delivered in the first half. "Our operational focus in commercial aircraft remains squarely on securing the production ramp-up," Chief Executive Officer Tom Enders said. Neo deliveries surpassed those for the original A320 model in the second quarter and the company stood by a goal of 800 handovers across its full aircraft lineup for 2018 as a whole, while adding that the target remains challenging. Shares of Airbus, which said it's assessing how to split additional costs from parked narrow-bodies with engine suppliers, rose as much as 6 percent, the biggest intraday gain since Feb. 15, hitting a new high of 111.16 euros. They traded 4.9 percent higher as of 9:53 a.m. in Paris and have added a third in value this year, valuing the company at 85 billion euros. A350 Boost The A350 wide-body program has shown strong progress, Airbus said in a statement, with the "cost curve" improving as output is increased toward 10 planes a month by the year's end. Combined with higher asking prices as the jet exits its launch phase, when more bargains are on offer, that helped account for the bulk of earnings improvements in the first half, though Enders said it's still too early to decide on further production ramp-ups. Analysts had expected an adjusted Ebit of 1.05 billion euros, based on six estimates. Airbus confirmed plans to lift the full-year figure by about 20 percent to 5.2 billion euros before the integration of the new A220 plane acquired from Bombardier Inc. It also still expects free cash flow before disposals and acquisitions of approximately 3 billion euros. Demand for Airbus's planes remains strong, the company said, with more than 430 orders and commitments worth in excess of $62 billion booked last week at the Farnborough air show in England, the year's biggest industry expo. Airbus booked a 98 million-euro provision against price escalation on the delayed A400M military transport program, together with costs of 21 million euros from its H160 helicopter and 40 million euros in compliance and merger expenses. At the same time it had a 157 million-euro gain from the sale of assets in its defense and space division. The CEO clarified comments published at the weekend on a possible combination of Airbus's military aircraft assets with those of BAE Systems Plc, saying he "was not suggesting" an outright merger of the businesses but that their parallel next-generation fighter programs should "converge." https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-07-26/airbus-profit-gains-as-planemaker-begins-to-clear-delayed-jets Back to Top Back to Top FAA ACAC Experts to Address Construction Safety and Signage 25th Annual AAAE/FAA Airfield Safety, Sign Systems and Maintenance Management Workshop August 28-29, 2018 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Robert Berlucchi, Air Traffic Manager, West Palm Beach Air Traffic Control Tower/TRACON, and David Siewert, Air Traffic Manager, JFK Air Traffic Control Tower, of the FAA's Airport Construction Advisory Council (ACAC) will address construction safety and signage during their session "What's on Your Runway," at the 25th Annual AAAE/FAA Airfield Safety, Sign Systems and Maintenance Management Workshop, to be held August 28-29, 2018, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The ACAC is a volunteer group of air traffic managers around the U.S. who help identify potentially dangerous situations during airport construction projects. The ACAC has partnered with runway safety, airport mapping, flight standards, and many other groups to ensure all construction projects run smoothly and safely. Read more about the speakers and register to attend today! Back to Top ISASI 2018 Intercontinental Hotel, Festival City, Dubai. 30 October to 1 November, 2018 "The Future of Aircraft Accident Investigation" ISASI is pleased to announce that the preliminary Technical Program for ISASI 2018 is now posted. It is, of course, subject to change between now and the end of October. All up to date information, including registration forms for the seminar and a reservation link for the hotel can be found at http://isasiannualseminar.com/ We look forward to seeing all of you in Dubai. Curt Lewis