Flight Safety Information October 16, 2018 - No. 210 In This Issue Incident: Skywest CRJ2 at Burbank on Oct 14th 2018, engine problem Incident: Transavia B738 at Rotterdam on Oct 13th 2018, flaps problem Incident: Blue Panorama B763 near Warsaw on Oct 12th 2018, engine fire indication Incident: Nordwind A321 at Ufa on Oct 13th 2018, hydraulic failure Incident: Avianca B788 at Buenos Aires on Oct 14th 2018, slats problem Accident: Frontier A319 near Denver on Oct 12th 2018, turbulence injures flight attendant 115 left stranded after Air India cancels Trichy-Singapore flight delayed by 24 hrs (India) Tools left on Surabaya runway damaged Wings Air ATR 72 NTSB: Pilot's use of drugs factor in fatal Beech 300 takeoff accident at Tucson LIBIK Fire Suppression Kits for the Cabin and Flight Deck EASA extends conflict zone warning for Iraqi airspace Airlines impose cannabis ban on pilots and cabin crew (Canada) Pentagon clears most of the grounded fleet of F-35 jets to fly following crash Thailand To Devise Safety Master Plan Air Canada employees feared reprisal for reporting safety concerns, Transport Canada found Australia Publishes GA Safety Briefing Bulletin PNG, FSM Sign Aviation Safety Agreement EBASCON 2019: New Venue and Date Announced for the Ninth Annual European Business Aviation Safety Coference NBAA: Loss of control in flight continues to plague business aviation EASA Proposes Airworthiness Standards for VTOL Aircraft FlightSafety and University of Southern California to Offer New Series of Courses for Maintenance Microsoft Billionaire and Aviation Entrepreneur Paul Allen Dead at 65 Kuwait Airways Inks $2 Billion Aircraft Order With Airbus GE Goes Supersonic With Lockheed, Aerion For This First-Of-Its-Kind Jet Luxury-jet market is so hot, even used planes are selling EAA announces scholarship for young pilots-to-be VisionSafe Tackles Airborne Smoke and Fire GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Business Aviation Safety Consortium (BASC) Meet and Greet at NBAA, BACE 10/17/18, 0800 Air Traffic Control Investigation from SCSI Position Available: Deputy Director of Safety Medallion Foundation - PROVIDING ASSURANCE IN YOUR SYSTEMS MITRE SMS December Courses HIGH ALTITUDE FLYING: WHAT EVERY PILOT NEEDS TO KNOW - Course Incident: Skywest CRJ2 at Burbank on Oct 14th 2018, engine problem A Skywest Canadair CRJ-200 on behalf of United, registration N946SW performing flight OO-5197/UA-5197 from San Francisco,CA to Burbank,CA (USA), was descending towards Burbank when the crew reported a problem with the right hand engine (CF34) and decided to divert to Los Angeles,CA (USA). The aircraft landed safely on Los Angeles' runway 24R, queried with tower whether they saw anything unusual with the engine, tower replied in the negative, the aircraft vacated the runway, stopped between runway 24R and 24L for a check by emergency services and subsequently taxied to the apron. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/SKW5197/history/20181014/2100Z/KSFO/KBUR http://avherald.com/h?article=4bf0379b&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Transavia B738 at Rotterdam on Oct 13th 2018, flaps problem A Transavia Boeing 737-800, registration N739MA performing flight HV-5244 from Lisbon (Portugal) to Rotterdam (Netherlands), was on approach to Rotterdam's runway 24 when the crew initiated a go around from about 2000 feet due to a technical issue. The crew subsequently advised they had a flaps problem and would need to divert to Amsterdam for a landing at a higher speed than normal, however, no assistance on the ground was needed. The aircraft diverted to Amsterdam for a safe landing on runway 18R at a higher than normal speed (about 170 knots over ground) about 30 minutes after the go around. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Amsterdam for about 7 hours, then positioned to Rotterdam and resumed service, however, suffered a similiar problem later the day again, see Incident: Transavia B738 at Rotterdam on Oct 14th 2018, flaps problem. http://avherald.com/h?article=4bf032a9&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Blue Panorama B763 near Warsaw on Oct 12th 2018, engine fire indication A Blue Panorama Boeing 767-300, registration EI-GEP performing flight BV-471 from Warsaw (Poland) to Bologna (Italy) with 120 passengers and 8 crew, was enroute at FL360 about 70nm southsouthwest of Warsaw when the crew reported an engine (CF6), shut the engine down and decided to return to Warsaw requesting runway 33. The aircraft landed safely on runway 33, vacated the runway and stopped for an inspection by emergency services. No trace of fire or smoke was discovered. The airport reported the aircraft returned due to an engine fire, after landing no fire whatsoever was found. http://avherald.com/h?article=4bf03161&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Nordwind A321 at Ufa on Oct 13th 2018, hydraulic failure A Nordwind Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration VQ-BOD performing flight N4-5816 from Antalya (Turkey) to Ufa (Russia) with 227 people on board, was descending towards Ufa when the crew reported a hydraulic failure. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Ufa's runway 32L and was towed to the apron. The aircraft returned to service about 21 hours after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4bf02e91&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Avianca B788 at Buenos Aires on Oct 14th 2018, slats problem An Avianca Boeing 787-800, registration N786AV performing flight AV-88 from Buenos Aires Ezeiza,BA (Argentina) to Bogota (Colombia), was climbing out of Ezeiza's runway 29 when the crew reported problems with the slats, stopped the climb at FL150, dumped fuel and returned to Ezeiza for a safe landing on runway 35 at a higher than normal speed (about 170 knots over ground) about 75 minutes after departure. The flight was cancelled. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 23 hours, then positioned to Bogota. http://avherald.com/h?article=4bf02c72&opt=0 Back to Top Accident: Frontier A319 near Denver on Oct 12th 2018, turbulence injures flight attendant A Frontier Airlines Airbus A319-100, registration N926FR performing flight F9-190 from Denver,CO to Austin,TX (USA), was climbing out of Denver when the aircraft encountered severe turbulence causing injuries to a flight attendant. The crew stopped the climb at FL270 and returned to Denver for a safe landing about 50 minutes after departure. The FAA reported the flight attendant broke his/her ankle when the aircraft encountered severe turbulence. The occurrence was rated an accident. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 65 minutes, then departed again and reached Austin with a delay of about 2 hours. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/FFT190/history/20181012/1435Z/KDEN/KAUS http://avherald.com/h?article=4bf02802&opt=0 Back to Top 115 left stranded after Air India cancels Trichy-Singapore flight delayed by 24 hrs (India) The passengers who chose to fly were accommodated on another plane after the flight was cancelled. In the second incident involving an Air India flight at the Trichy airport, 64 passengers of a Singapore-bound flight were airborne on Monday evening after a 24-hour delay, an airline official said. He said the Sunday flight to Singapore with 115 passengers was cancelled after a 24-hour delay due to a technical snag. "Of the total, 40 passengers cancelled their tickets and got a full refund. Of the remaining 75 passengers, 11 got tickets for different dates. The others were flown to Singapore on Monday evening in our flight," the official said. The Sunday flight was cancelled as the air-conditioning system was not functioning properly. According to the Times of India, the passengers were onboard and the plane was ready for takeoff, when passengers complained that the air conditioning was not working. However, the technical team which was called in could not fix it. Just days earlier on Friday, an Air India Express flight from Trichy to Dubai with 136 passengers on board hit the Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower and the compound wall during take-off. The reason for the accident was suspected to be the lack of a sufficient runway length at the Trichy airport. Plans to expand the runway in the airport have been in the offing for a decade now, but cannot be completed due to want of more land. The plane is said to have overshot the runway. Pictures taken at the site showed that a part of the compound wall of the airport broke due to the impact. This indicates that the flight was just taking off when it grazed the compound wall of the ATC, which led to it crumbling down due to the speed of the aircraft. "In a recent review on airline safety, I have ordered to put in place a third party professional organisation to look into various safety aspects at @airindiain. In order to have continuous attention towards air safety, I have also ordered concerned officials to put in place a regular "safety compliance report" of all airlines. Safety of the passengers is of paramount importance for us. We will take all that's required to put safety on top of aviation agenda. Growth can't be at the expense of safety," Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu tweeted on Friday. https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/115-left-stranded-after-air-india-cancels-trichy-singapore-flight-delayed-24-hrs-90025 Back to Top Tools left on Surabaya runway damaged Wings Air ATR 72 Tools left on the runway of Surabaya's Juanda International airport after maintenance work caused damage to the lower fuselage of a Wings Air ATR 72-600 as it was landing there on the morning of 11 June 2014. In its final report on the accident, Indonesia's National Transport Safety Committee (NTSC) found that the tools - a chisel, a compressor hose, and a jackhammer - were left on a 100m section of runway 10/28. The tolls appear to have been left following maintenance on the runway which closed the runway between 01:00 and 05:00. Although a runway readiness check was undertaken at 04:05 local time, repair work continued for 45 minutes after that, before the was completed 45 minutes later. The airport then reopened at 05:00. The ATR 72-600, registered PK-WGK, was operating flight IW1861 from Lombok with 55 passengers and four crew on board. While landing in Juanda at 06.20 local time, the crew "heard impact noises", and reported the incident to Juanda tower. After taxiing to its bay, an inspection of the aircraft showed punctures of varying sizes on the lower fuselage, between the nose gear and the main landing gear. None of the passenger nor crew were injured in the incident. In its investigation, the NTSC found that four aircraft - including the Wings Air turboprop - reported foreign objects on the runway between 06:09 and 06:22. The runway was only closed for an inspection at 6:23. All images by Indonesia NTSC The NTSC believes that due to a lack of information from the pilots initially reporting the foreign object presence, air traffic controllers may have considered "the consequences of the reported object to the runway operation was less severe". It also noted that some personnel involved in the repair work were not qualified for airside work, while the person who undertook the inspection was also not trained to do so. Juanda airport also began operations an hour earlier than its stated opening time of 06:00, and there was no notice to airmen or update to operating procedures on this. In its safety recommendations, the investigator called on Juanda to develop procedures on hazard identification and risk assessment, and runway inspections. It also called for the operator to ensure its operating manual are kept updated. It also called for air navigation services provider Airnav Indonesia to develop an action procedure for air traffic controllers when they receive information on the presence of foreign objects that could hinder aircraft safety. https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/tools-left-on-surabaya-runway-damaged-wings-air-atr-452670/ Back to Top NTSB: Pilot's use of drugs factor in fatal Beech 300 takeoff accident at Tucson Status: Final Date: Monday 23 January 2017 Time: 12:33 Type: Beechcraft 300 Super King Air Operator: KAAZ LLC Registration: N385KA C/n / msn: FA-42 First flight: 1985 Total airframe hrs: 9962 Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-60A Crew: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 Passengers: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 Total: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 Aircraft damage: Destroyed Aircraft fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Tucson International Airport, AZ (TUS) ( United States of America) Phase: Takeoff (TOF) Nature: Private Departure airport: Tucson International Airport, AZ (TUS/KTUS), United States of America Destination airport: Hermosillo-Gen Pesqueira Garcia Airport (HMO/MMHO), Mexico Narrative: A Beechcraft 300, N385KA, was destroyed when it impacted terrain during takeoff from Tucson International Airport (TUS), Arizona, USA. The pilot and the passenger were fatally injured. A witness observed the airplane takeoff from runway 11L and rapidly pitch up in the initial climb. At an altitude between 100-150 feet above the runway, the airplane suddenly yawed to the left while maintaining a nose-up pitch attitude. The airplane then appeared to slow down such that he believed it was about to stall. The left wing dropped, and the airplane rolled left and continued as the nose dropped and the airplane struck the ground inverted. Another witness described the airplane yawing from left to right while climbing. The airplane then rolled left and eventually became inverted, in a manner he described as similar to a barrel roll. The airplane then exited his field of view. After impact, the airplane slid about 650 feet across the ramp on a 060-degree magnetic heading before it collided with an 8-feet tall concrete wall. No evidence was found of any preexisting mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. Toxicology testing revealed the pilot's use of multiple psychoactive substances including marijuana, venlafaxine, amphetamine, pseudoephedrine, clonazepam, and pheniramine. The wide variety of psychoactive effects of these medications precludes predicting the specific effects of their use in combination. However, it is likely that the pilot was impaired by the effects of the combination of psychoactive substances he was using and that those effects contributed to his loss of control. The investigation was unable to obtain medical records regarding any underlying neuropsychiatric disease(s); therefore, whether these may have contributed to the accident circumstances could not be determined. Probable Cause: PROBABLE CAUSE: "The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack during takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's impairment by the effects of a combination of psychoactive substances." Accident investigation: Investigating agency: NTSB Status: Investigation completed Duration: 1 year and 9 months Accident number: WPR17FA057 Download report: Final report https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20170123-0 Back to Top Back to Top EASA extends conflict zone warning for Iraqi airspace The Baghdad FIR roughly follows the Iraqi border On October 15, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) extended the validity of Conflict Zone Information Bulletin CZIB 2017-04R3 to 15 April 2019. The risk is described as: Due to the presence of various weaponry including MANPADS (man-portable air-defence systems), it is advised to be cautious with the risk associated to civil aviation. The risk to operations at all altitudes is assessed to be HIGH, except for airways UM688 and UM860. The highest airspace risk is estimated to be along the entire Iraq/Syrian border. https://news.aviation-safety.net/2018/10/15/easa-extends-conflict-zone-warning-for-iraqi-airspace/ Back to Top Airlines impose cannabis ban on pilots and cabin crew (Canada) OTTAWA-Don't even think about flying high. That's the rule Canada's airlines have laid down for pilots, mechanics and other front-line personnel in advance of Wednesday's legalization of recreational marijuana use. Air Canada, WestJet and Jazz are among the airlines that have imposed a ban on cannabis use for employees who are directly involved in flight operations. Air Canada, WestJet and Jazz are among the carriers that have imposed a blanket ban on cannabis use for many employees directly involved in flight operations as Transport Canada warns that cannabis is a "potential threat" to aviation safety. "Employees working in safety-critical areas at the company, including flight operations and aircraft maintenance, will be prohibited from using cannabis and cannabis products at all times, both on-duty and off-duty," Air Canada spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick said in an email Monday. That includes those in the air, such as pilots and flight attendants, and personnel on the ground involved in operations, such as mechanics and flight dispatchers. Other Air Canada employees will be prohibited from using cannabis while on-duty or in the workplace. "We are acting out of an abundance of caution based on current understanding of the effects of these drugs, including their after-effects and the potential they can linger in the human system. This policy will be reviewed regularly and updated to include new information related to recreational cannabis use," Fitzpatrick said. https://www.thestar.com/news/cannabis/2018/10/15/airlines-impose-cannabis-ban-on-pilots-and-cabin-crew.html Back to Top Pentagon clears most of the grounded fleet of F-35 jets to fly following crash More than 80 percent of the single-seat, single-engine jets have resumed their flight operations. Sailors prepare a F-35B Lightning II A aircraft for launch aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Essex as part of the F-35B's first combat strike, against a Taliban target in Afghanistan on Sept. 27, 2018.US NAVY / via Reuters More than 80 percent of the military's F-35 fighter jets have been cleared to fly after the entire fleet was grounded last week for inspection after a September crash in South Carolina. The F-35 Joint Program Office said Monday the majority of the single-seat, single-engine jets have resumed their flight operations after an enterprise-wide inspection was ordered on the engine's fuel tubes. If the jet was found to have no problems with its fuel tube, it could resume flying. If an issue was found during the inspection, the tube was removed and replaced, the Pentagon said. There are collectively more than 240 F-35s among the Marines, Air Force and Navy. Officials ordered the inspection following a nonfatal crash on Sept. 28 in Beaufort, South Carolina, involving a U.S. Marine Corps F-35B. It's believed the cause of the crash was the result of a faulty fuel tube. The pilot of the jet was able to safely eject before it crashed. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/pentagon-clears-most-grounded-fleet-f-35-jets-fly-following-n920191 Back to Top Thailand To Devise Safety Master Plan A Thai Airways Boeing 777-200 takes off from Tokyo Narita International Airport. (Photo: Flickr: Creative Commons (BY) by lkarasawa) As part of its effort to meet international safety standards, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has embarked on a Safety Master Plan (SMP) to review and revise regulations and procedures. According to the director general of CAAT, Chula Sukmanop, the authority will finish its work by 2022. Chula said the new SMP will feature key performance indexes that Thai-registered airlines and all local aviation authorities will have to meet. "When implemented, the authorities concerned would be compelled to inform CAAT of any oversight they make or face the consequences," Chula pointed out. To assist Thai civil aviation in moving forward the government has appointed the UK Civil Aviation Authority's technical division-CAA International (CCAI)-to review, draft, and implement new International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) compliant aviation regulations and procedures. Under the second phase of the exercise, which has just commenced, CAAI will review all of CAAT's regulations against ICAO's. It also must review its practices and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) standards. CAAI will redraft CAAT's regulations to align with the local aviation industry's requirements and operations and assist in the development and preparation of the procedures manuals. It will also develop and prepare checklists for the respective sectors of the industry for implementation and enforcement of regulations and procedures. CAAI started working with CAAT on the first phase in 2016. Chula acknowledged that CAAT's present policies were outdated and needed review and changes to meet international standards and requirements. ICAO continues to watch the Thai regulatory body closely to eliminate the risk of oversights and accidents. In October 2015 ICAO issued a warning to Thailand after it found safety concerns and organizational issues in the local industry. The international body then barred Thai carriers from introducing new routes. Two months later the Federal Aviation Administration downgraded Thailand to Category 2 with a stern warning that the country had fallen short in terms of pilot qualifications. In 2017 ICAO lifted sanctions after the agency carried out an audit. According to ICAO's latest audit list, Thailand ranks below the global average in all eight effective implementation categories. Thailand counts 27 airlines operating under its authority, including 13 full-service and low-cost carriers and 10 charter outfits. Four freight companies operate in the country. In a separate development, CAAT plans to introduce a new law that will permit only Thai funds to hold shares in local carriers. Fund managers must also be Thai. Chula said the CAAT will submit the proposal to the Cabinet for approval. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2018-10-15/thailand-devise-safety-master-plan Back to Top Air Canada employees feared reprisal for reporting safety concerns, Transport Canada found Air Canada employees feared they would be punished by managers if they reported safety concerns, according to a never-before released report from a 2013 government inspection of the country's largest airline. The finding by Transport Canada raises questions about the strength of the airline's internal system meant to flag risks before they become safety problems. Transport Canada inspectors in 2013 found that some Air Canada employees feared they would face reprisal if they reported safety concerns to management. The airline said the inspection report "references isolated observations" and no employee has ever been disciplined for filing a safety report. But the public is only learning about the five-year-old inspection results now because Air Canada had taken the federal government to court to try to block portions of the records from being released through Access to Information legislation. The airline said disclosure would be "misleading" and bad for business. "Some employees felt uncomfortable about submitting a safety report because of the possibility of being interviewed, for the purpose of safety report investigation, by the same person who had the authority to take disciplinary measures," inspectors found in a October 2013 audit of the airline's internal safety management system, obtained by the Star. In April, a federal court judge ruled that Air Canada failed to show how public disclosure could result in material financial harm to the airline. The records were finally released in late September. Air Canada said in a statement that the inspection report "references isolated observations and is not representative." "No employee has ever been disciplined for filing a safety report at Air Canada," spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick said. "Air Canada actively encourages safety reporting by all employees." Last year, the airline's staff filed nearly 26,000 internal safety management system reports, covering anything from a tripping hazard in a hangar to a plane taking a "go-around" because the conditions are not right for a landing, Fitzpatrick said. "(This is) evidence that our employees are highly engaged safety professionals," he said. Large airlines in Canada must have a safety management system (SMS) to internally monitor potential safety hazards. As part of its regulation of the aviation industry, Transport Canada increasingly relies on airlines' self monitoring, which the regulator audits with periodic inspections. However, a key component of SMS is that all employees - from maintenance workers to pilots - feel comfortable flagging potential problems, and Transport Canada's findings at Air Canada raise concerns about whether the airline's self-monitoring can be trusted, critics say. Behind Air Canada's never-before released inspection reports "(If) there is real potential it's not working because people won't report (problems), the wheels fall off a bit," said Mark Laurence, national chair of the Canadian Federal Pilots Association. Air Canada said its safety management system is effective. "We safely operate nearly 1,600 flights daily, or more than one flight every minute of the day on average, and in 2017 we carried 48 million people, more than the entire population of Canada, who arrived safe at their destinations," Air Canada's Fitzpatrick said in a statement. Air Canada went to federal court in March 2017 to block the disclosure of portions of two surveillance reports: an October 2013 assessment of Air Canada and a June 2014 inspection of its low-cost subsidiary, Air Canada Rouge. Though the details of these government surveillance reports are not public, they are obtainable through Access to Information legislation. Transport Canada had initially planned to release the Air Canada reports in response to a 2016 Access to Information request seeking the latest inspection reports for several major Canadian airlines, but Air Canada appealed the decision to federal court. Retired judge Virgil Moshansky, who presided over an inquiry into the 1989 plane crash in Dryden, Ont., said the new "explanatory note" attached to government inspection reports of airlines is "double speak" that appears more concerned with protecting the reputation of the companies than standing by the findings of its inspectors. During the original inspections, federal agents found both Air Canada and Rouge were non-compliant in areas of "safety oversight" and "training, awareness and competence." (The non-compliance found in the reports relates to the airlines' own safety monitoring systems, not the safety of the planes themselves.) During the Air Canada Rouge assessment, Transport Canada saw two cabin safety instructors incorrectly demonstrating emergency procedures during a training session. "In both instances, the partner instructor did not recognize their partner's error. The errors were pointed out by the students attending the class," the surveillance report found. Air Canada said in a statement that these findings were from more than four years ago, and the company acted immediately "to reconcile differences in interpretation and, most importantly, to address the issues raised" by Transport Canada. Both airlines' safety management systems were reinspected: Air Canada's in 2015 and Rouge's in 2016. Again, Transport Canada found neither was compliant in the areas of "safety oversight" or "quality assurance." Neither Air Canada nor Rouge has any outstanding safety compliance issues, the regulator said. Transport Canada says the country has one of the safest, most secure air transportation systems in the world. The reports contain summaries of the problems flagged by inspectors, which range from "minor" administrative issues to "major" findings described by the government as system-wide failures that will take more time and effort to fix. The two findings described in this article - employees being fearful of reporting safety problems and instructors giving incorrect safety demonstrations - are classified as "moderate," which Transport Canada says would likely be corrected with a "simple modification to a process." Air Canada said keeping inspections of airline's internal safety systems confidential encourages employees to be more candid when reporting concerns. In court filings, an Air Canada managing director warned that the technical documents could be misconstrued without proper context, causing the airline's reputation to be unfairly damaged. "It is highly prejudicial to an airline's competitive position for its safety record to be questioned on the basis of information that is inaccurate or is otherwise misleading," the director said. To avoid potential misunderstanding, the judge suggested Transport Canada release the reports with an "explanatory note." The note, published under Transport Canada letterhead, was the product of a back-and-forth between lawyers from the airline and government. The final copy reads, in part, "A finding of non-compliance should not be understood to mean an airline does not comply with regulatory requirements. Rather, a finding of non-compliance may indicate that the airline could implement better practices and procedures that are viewed by inspectors as being a better means of implementing regulatory requirements." This language is concerning for Virgil Moshanky, a retired judge whose inquiry into a 1989 plane crash near Dryden, Ont., led to sweeping changes of Canada's aviation safety system. The note, he said, suggests the regulator is more concerned with protecting the reputation of the airlines than standing by the findings of its inspectors. "It's double speak. It doesn't make any sense," he said. https://www.thestar.com/news/investigations/2018/10/15/air-canada-employees-feared-reprisal-for-reporting-safety-concerns-transport-canada-found.html Back to Top Australia Publishes GA Safety Briefing Bulletin Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has published a bulletin aimed at all private and air-taxi registered aircraft that conduct passenger-carrying operations without a cabin crew. The authority said the notice provides "guidance on how to conduct a briefing to increase passenger situational awareness and enhance any response to an emergency or abnormal event." Regulations require that before takeoff, the flight deck or cabin crew ensure passengers are made familiar with the location of emergency exits, operation of seat belts, harnesses and doors, and use of safety equipment. The rules also call for the stowage and security of loose articles, and the need for aisles, passageways, and exits to be clear of obstructions. The bulletin is divided into three sections-airplanes, helicopters, and hot air balloons-with each section containing briefing items unique to the type of aircraft There is also an attachment to the bulletin that can be printed out, laminated, and used to conduct pre-flight passenger briefings. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2018-10-15/australia-publishes-ga-safety-briefing-bulletin Back to Top PNG, FSM Sign Aviation Safety Agreement PAPUA New Guinea And The Federated State Of Micronesia Have Agreed To Share Information On Aviation Safety. PAPUA New Guinea and the Federated State of Micronesia have agreed to share information on aviation safety. They agreed to do this by signing a memorandum of understanding between the PNG Accident Investigation Commission and Micronesia's department of transportation, communication and infrastructure (TC&I) in Port Moresby last Friday. Chief Commissioner for PNG AIC Hubert Namani said the purpose of the understanding was to facilitate assistance and cooperation between the two countries "in the exercise of our shared aviation safety investigation functions for the enhancement of aviation safety". https://postcourier.com.pg/png-fsm-sign-aviation-safety-agreement/ Back to Top EBASCON 2019: New Venue and Date Announced for the Ninth Annual European Business Aviation Safety Conference SOURCE: EUROPEAN BUSINESS AVIATION SAFETY CONFERENCE (EBASCON) Brunnthal/Munich, October 15th 2018 - EBASCON, the industry's key European Business Aviation Safety Conference announced that the 2019 conference is to take place in Zurich (Switzerland) from February 26 to 27, 2019. The annual conference covers all aspects of flight safety and offers a wealth of opportunities to hear and learn about current developments in the aviation industry. The circle of participants includes a wide range of business aviation professionals, government officials and research agents. The theme of the EBASCON 2019 is "Working safely for a rewarding Tomorrow" which will be reflected throughout the two conference days in the lectures and workshops held by international top speakers. Delegates and attendees are invited to share best practice examples and ideas while benefiting from the opportunity to network and build connections during the conference. The organizer of the EBASCON, Christian Beckert said, "EBASCON is the only two-day conference in Europe dedicated exclusively to safety issues in business aviation. Our broad experience and intensive exchange with participants at previous conferences resulted in defining the motto for 2019: Working safely for a rewarding tomorrow. In this context we will focus on safety aspects around the increasing digitization as well as innovative aspects in Human Factors, ATC, Aviation Training and more." Registration for EBASCON 2019 has opened, for more information and to register please visit: www.ebascon.eu https://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12433368/ebascon-2019-new-venue-and-date-announced-for-the-ninth-annual-european-business-aviation-safety-conference Back to Top NBAA: Loss of control in flight continues to plague business aviation Business aviation's safety Achilles heel, like that of the airlines, seems to be loss of control in flight (LOC-I). That was true in 2016 and 2017, and it looks as if this year - with three months yet to run - is going the same way too. LOC-I is not the most common category of business and corporate aviation accident, but it is the cause of the most serious crashes - almost inevitably fatal. This year so far, the USA, in particular, has seen several business aviation LOC-I accidents, and Latin America suffered several the previous year. European business aviation, on the other hand, has had a particularly safe year in all categories, according to EASA's annual safety review for 2017. Meanwhile, an unusual event in Utah suggests business aviation safety is no more immune from the effects of pilot mental instability than airlines are. On 13 August this year, a corporate pilot working for construction company Vancon Holdings illegally took the company Cessna 525 CitationJet from its base at Spanish Fork-Springville airport, Utah, and, according to the police, deliberately crashed it into his own home in Payson. The police had recently charged him with domestic violence. A woman and child in the damaged home were physically unharmed by the impact. Arguably, operators of all kinds should take a security lesson from the Spanish Fork event, especially when combined with the fact that two days before, at Seattle-Tacoma airport, a mechanic stole a Horizon Air Bombardier Q400 that he normally worked on, took off, flew aerobatic sequences in it, and eventually crashed the aircraft fatally. Nobody on the ground was hurt and the police have discounted any terrorist motive. Globally, however, 2017 was an "average" year for business aviation safety performance, according to FlightGlobal's Business Aviation Safety and Losses report. Accident rates for the year were slightly up compared with 2016 and the raw numbers for fatal accidents and fatalities were slightly above the long-term trend. But the "average year" judgement is justified by the fact that the figures for 2017 fall within the bounds of the annual peaks and troughs in fatal accident numbers over the past decade or so. Year on year, the numbers of fatal accidents both to jets and turboprops in 2017 was up compared with the previous year, but then 2016 was a particularly good year. The respective figures in 2017 were six compared with four for jets, and 15 against nine for turboprops. That turboprop figure is the worst since 2012, and was last equalled in 2013, but a small growth in aircraft numbers means that the turboprop fleet fatal accident rate has actually decreased slightly compared with the 2013 figure. SLOW IMPROVEMENT As for business jet fatal accident rates (accident numbers judged against the number of aircraft in service - see graph), rather than simple accident numbers, in 2017 the rate was one fatal accident per 3,350 aircraft in service, whereas in 2016 it looked much better at one fatal accident per 5,000 aircraft in service. But the exponential curves applied to both business jet and turboprop fatal accident rates continue to show a shallow downward trend, although they are levelling. For perspective, however, a glance back to the 2000s shows the business jet fatal accident rate was one crash per 1,600 aircraft, and in the 1990s it was one per 900 airframes. The rates for fatal business turboprop accidents leapt up in 2017 from one fatal crash per 650 aircraft, compared with one in 1,100 aircraft the previous year. Again, for perspective, the annual average for the 2000s was one fatal mishap for every 525 aircraft, compared with the 1990s figure of one per 430 airframes. There has always been a disparity between the figures for turboprops and jets, mostly believed to result from the fact that business jets are more likely to be flown by professional pilots - often a crew of two, whereas many company turboprops are predominantly flown by a single pilot who is often also the aircraft owner. FlightGlobal director of air safety Paul Hayes reports that, despite the fact that safety performance in both categories is improving over time, the safety performance disparity between jets and turboprops is growing. He explains: "In round numbers, the fatal accident rate for business jets is now about three to four times better than that for turboprops, and this difference in rate has been steadily increasing. In 1990, the business jet fatal accident rate was about twice as good as that for the turboprops." In recognition of this, the National Business Aviation Association has been running a "single pilot safety stand-down" at its annual convention for the past 10 years and will also be running one at the show this year. In terms of loss of life, the two most disastrous business aircraft accidents in the period from the beginning of 2017 until now both involved sophisticated business jets: a Venezuelan government-operated Gulfstream III in August last year and a corporate Bombardier Challenger 604 over Iran in March this year. In both cases the crew declared a technical problem. In the case of the Gulfstream the crew reported a hydraulic fault during their descent towards their destination, and said they were having problems with the controls. The aircraft crashed into the sea, killing all nine people on board. The Challenger crew did not describe the technical problem but requested a lower altitude. The aircraft was seen to climb a couple of thousand feet from its cruising level at 36,000ft, then entered a rapid descent to impact, and all eleven people on board died. AWAITING FINDINGS Apart from the observation that LOC-I accidents are proving just as much a scourge in business aviation as they are for the airlines, it is difficult at this stage to see a causal pattern in the recent crashes because final reports are, in almost all cases, still awaited. The airline solution, apart from providing refresher training in upset prevention and recovery for pilots, includes looking for ways of boosting crew "resilience" in the face of distractions. The distractions could be technical problems, or factors like weather, but the concern is that so many of the LOC-I events have started with a distraction, often at night or in instrument meteorological conditions, and resulted in apparent crew disorientation or loss of situational awareness, leading to the loss of an aircraft that could have been controlled. https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/nbaa-loss-of-control-in-flight-continues-to-plague-452134/ Back to Top EASA Proposes Airworthiness Standards for VTOL Aircraft The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has opened a public consultation period on its proposal for airworthiness standards that will enable the certification of small vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft. The agency said the aim is to "develop the first component of the regulatory framework to enable the safe operation of air-taxi and electric VTOL (eVTOL) aircraft in Europe." In the absence of certification specifications for VTOL aircraft, the agency has developed a set of dedicated technical specifications in the form of a special condition to its existing rotorcraft certification regulations. The unique features of a VTOL aircraft that significantly differentiate them from traditional rotorcraft or airplanes and therefore necessitate this dedicated special condition include the fact that distributed lift/thrust units are used to generate powered lift and control, and although hover flight may be possible, the aircraft might not be able to perform an autorotation or a controlled glide in the event of a loss of lift/thrust. The new standards will be limited to VTOL aircraft with a passenger seating configuration of five or fewer and a maximum certified takeoff weight of 4,400 pounds or less. The proposal is open for comments until November 15. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2018-10-15/easa-proposes-airworthiness-standards-vtol-aircraft Back to Top FlightSafety and University of Southern California to Offer New Series of Courses for Maintenance Department Leaders NEW YORK (October 15, 2018) - FlightSafety International and the University of Southern California, Los Angeles campus, enter into an agreement to provide a comprehensive series of courses for aircraft maintenance department managers. "We are pleased to now offer our Customers a new series of Human Factors, Safety Management and Accident Investigation courses through the University of Southern California," said Steve Gross, Senior Vice President. "USC is known as the premier provider of aviation maintenance soft skill training." The courses include Human Factors in Maintenance, Human Factors in Aviation Safety, Aviation Safety Management Systems, Gas Turbine Accident Investigation, Helicopter Accident Investigation, Aircraft Accident Investigation, Safety Management for Aviation Maintenance, Safety Management for Ground Operations and Accident/Incident Response Preparedness. They can be taken at the USC campus in Los Angeles or onsite at the Customer's location. All these courses will be electives for the FlightSafety Master Technician-Management Program and can be taken under a FlightSafety Event-based agreement. "The USC Aviation Safety and Security program was established at USC in 1952 as the first Aviation Safety program at a major research university. Since that day over 60 years ago, we have striven to develop and present the most advanced and relevant aviation safety courses available to all segments of the aviation community," said Thomas Anthony, Director USC Aviation Safety and Security Program. "Our instructors are skilled educators with extensive industry experience. Because FlightSafety International and USC are both leaders in their respective aviation roles, we look forward to the dynamic synergy that will come from this partnership." https://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12433450/flightsafety-and-university-of-southern-california-to-offer-new-series-of-courses-for-maintenance-department-leaders Back to Top Microsoft Billionaire and Aviation Entrepreneur Paul Allen Dead at 65 Microsoft co-founder and aviation entrepreneur Paul Allen died Monday after a struggle with cancer. He was 65. Allen is well known in the tech industry as a co-founder of Microsoft in the 1970s, along with Bill Gates. But he had wide ranging interests including major business ventures in aviation, most recently the Stratolaunch multi-engine jet designed as an airborne launching platform for orbital payloads, a project that's expected to enter service in 2020. Allen also had a prized collection of military aircraft housed at the Flying Heritage Collection in Everett, Washington. The collection total 31 aircraft and includes a Spitfire and a MiG-29. In an interview with Business Insider, Allen said he had a lifelong interest in aviation. "I'd spend hours reading about the engines in some of those planes," Allen told Forbes. "I was trying to understand how things worked - how things were put together, everything from airplane engines to rockets and nuclear power plants. I was just intrigued by the complexity and the power and the grace of these things flying." In addition to his technical expertise and aviation interest, Allen was also an accomplished guitarist and even established his own museum dedicated to Rock 'n Roll. https://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/Microsoft-Billionaire-and-Aviation-Entrepreneur-Paul-Allen-Dead-at-65-231693-1.html Back to Top Kuwait Airways Inks $2 Billion Aircraft Order With Airbus Kuwait Airways has inked an agreement with Toulouse-headquartered aircraft maker Airbus to buy eight A330-800neo airliners, in a deal valued at more than $2 billion based on the jet's list price of $259.9 million. The Gulf airline expects the deliveries to take place between 2019 and 2026, it said in a post on Twitter. The deal follows an existing order Kuwait Airways has with Airbus for 25 aircraft. Meanwhile, Kuwait's Wataniya Airways also has new Airbus jets scheduled to enter service. In July 2018, Golden Falcon Aviation, the aircraft provider of Wataniya Airways, confirmed an order for 25 Airbus A320neo family aircraft, following an agreement announced at last year's Dubai Airshow. The 2017 edition of the Dubai Airshow featured a slew of deals struck by global and local aerospace industry players. The biennial trade exhibition saw more than $90 billion committed to aircraft orders alone. The included Emirates Airlines signing a $15.1 billion order for 40 Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners, flydubai committing to a $27 billion order for 225 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft and EgyptAir linking up with Bombardier for 24 CS300 jets. After Boeing scored a number of deals with regional carriers at the Dubai Airshow, in January 2018 Emirates announced it planned to acquire up to 36 A380 aircraft from Airbus, in a deal valued at $16 billion. Earlier in October, Airbus picked insider Guillaume Faury as its future CEO, replacing outgoing top executive Tom Enders. https://www.forbesmiddleeast.com/en/kuwait-airways-inks-2-billion-aircraft-order-with-airbus/ Back to Top GE Goes Supersonic With Lockheed, Aerion For This First-Of-Its-Kind Jet General Electric (GE) has completed initial designs for an engine that will power the world's first supersonic business jet, which could take flight in five years and slash trans-Atlantic travel times by several hours. GE Aviation is designing the engine for the AS2 supersonic jet, which will seat just 12 passengers. Nevada-based startup Aerion is building the jet with Lockheed Martin (LMT), and the collaboration expanded to include Honeywell (HON) this year. Lockheed is helping design and produce Aerion's supersonic jet, with Honeywell developing advanced cockpit systems. "We're on track to fly in 2023, and before that year is out cross the Atlantic at supersonic speed, which will be the first supersonic crossing since the Concorde's retirement 20 years earlier," Aerion said in a statement. The jet is scheduled to enter service in 2025. GE stock closed down 1.4% at 12.15 on the stock market today, falling further below its 50-day line. Lockheed shares rose 1.1%, and Honeywell ended flat. The Aerion supersonic jet contrasts with the Concorde, which seated 92-128 passengers and was the first supersonic jet to enter commercial service. With the AS2 supersonic jet, Aerion hopes to address the limitations of the Concorde: limited range, noisy flight and high fuel consumption. Unlike the Concorde's delta-shaped wings, the Aerion wing design has a modestly swept leading edge, which reduces drag over the wing by as much 60%. Lower drag means that the plane can use smaller, more efficient engines and still achieve top speeds above water of up to Mach 1.4, 40% faster than the speed of sound, or about 1,000 miles per hour. However, the Concorde's maximum speed was more than twice the speed of sound, at Mach 2.04. Above land, the AS2's special design could allow it to break the sound barrier without a sonic boom - the loud sound set off by shock waves caused by an aircraft traveling faster than the speed of sound - reaching the ground. Many countries banned breaking the sound barrier because of sonic booms. Those booms and engine noise led in part to the end of the Concorde supersonic jet. The AS2 jet is being designed to save as much as three hours across the Atlantic and more than five hours across the Pacific. Since 2003, Aerion Supersonic has been working on new technologies to make supersonic flight practical and efficient. It describes AS2 as a steppingstone to larger and faster jets for both business aviation and commercial airliners. https://www.investors.com/news/supersonic-jet-engine-ge-aviation-lockheed-aerion/ Back to Top Luxury-jet market is so hot, even used planes are selling Only about a dozen used Dassault Aviation Falcon 7X planes are on the market, down sharply from early 2017, an aircraft broker said. (Dassault Aviation) Buying a used business jet is getting harder, and that's a sign of a long-awaited shift in the market for luxury planes. Only a dozen or so pre-owned Dassault Aviation Falcon 7X planes are on the market now, down from about 35 a year and a half ago, says Steve Varsano, an aircraft broker in London. When a client wanted to buy one, the tightening market pushed him to bid sight unseen on a plane in India. Going that far afield would have been unheard of until recently, so he was surprised to find three other bidders vying for the same plane. Varsano came up empty. "The tables have turned," said Varsano, founder of the Jet Business in London. Just last year, the person running the sale "would have been calling me every day saying, 'Hey, when are you coming over?' " The private-plane market is finally tilting toward sellers after years in which a glut of used jets enabled buyers to call the shots. Bolstered by the strong economy and U.S. tax cuts, companies such as Emerson Electric Co., NextEra Energy Inc. and Anadarko Petroleum Corp. are fueling a rebound of purchases. Good timing The timing couldn't be better for planemakers, including Bombardier Inc., Embraer, Textron Inc. and General Dynamics Corp.'s Gulfstream unit, which are all rolling out new models. New aircraft deliveries are poised to rise 8% next year after being flat or down since 2014, according to JetNet IQ, an advisory and forecasting service. "People are flying, the economy is strong, corporate investments are taking place across the entire aerospace industry sector and for businesses that fly business jets," Michael Amalfitano, head of Embraer's private-aircraft unit, said Monday at an industry conference in Orlando, Fla. "These are all positive signs for growth in regards to the fundamentals of our business." The United States is driving the rebound while demand from emerging markets has flagged, said Rolland Vincent, a consultant in Plano, Texas, who produces JetNet IQ in conjunction with researcher JetNet. About 70% of the new aircraft deliveries have gone to the United States, which is home to about 60% of the world's private-jet fleet. In the United States, the reduction of corporate tax rates - to 21% from 35% - has given companies more cash. The fiscal overhaul also included a rule change to allow full depreciation of capital investments in the first year, which has increased the incentive to buy private aircraft, Vincent said. New models always attract buyers, he said, and a lot of planes are making their debut: * Bombardier is awaiting certification from the U.S. and Europe to begin deliveries of the Global 7500, the largest purpose-built corporate jet. * Gulfstream, whose G650 is the current holder of the biggest-jet crown, delivered a somewhat smaller plane, the G500, in September. It expects another model, the G600 to begin service early next year. * Cessna, a unit of Textron, is awaiting certification of its Citation Longitude. The midsize jet is bigger than the company's existing Citation Latitude plane. * Not to be outdone, Embraer is increasing the range and improving cockpit controls of its similarly sized Legacy planes and giving them a new moniker: Praetor. * Switzerland's Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. began deliveries this year of its first jet aircraft, the PC-24. Demand is also picking up for factory-fresh planes based on older designs. Anadarko, an oil driller, took delivery last month of a 2018 Gulfstream G550, according to Federal Aviation Administration registration records. That was a precursor of the G650 and is still prized for size and range. Anadarko didn't respond to a request for comment. Corporate buyers Synovus Financial Corp., a regional bank in Columbus, Ga., went in with a partner on a 2018 Embraer Legacy 500. NextEra, the owner of Florida Power & Light Co., acquired the same model. NextEra and Synovus declined to comment. Emerson, a maker of air-conditioner compressors and automation equipment, purchased a pre-owned 2013 Falcon 7X in September. "Emerson is retiring an aging corporate aircraft," the company said in an email. "The 30-plus-year-old plane is significantly less efficient than the 2013 plane, which will offer better fuel efficiency and a much improved range to access global facilities." Stepped-up demand for used planes is important for the overall market because increased purchasing has helped stabilize prices after several years of declines. That feeds into the market for new aircraft as well. Tighter market "Inventory is getting picked over," said Barry Justice, president of Corporate Aviation Asset Professionals, a consultant near Dallas. "Good airplanes with high-quality avionics and interiors in good condition are getting harder to come by." The increase in sales of new planes will, in turn, help restore pre-owned inventories as buyers trade in older jets, Justice said. There are still risks. Last week's stock sell-off served as a reminder that the market won't rise forever. Moreover, the U.S. business cycle will eventually turn. The U.S. economy hasn't been in a recession since the big one that ended in 2009, which threw the jet market into a downward spiral. "There's one bogeyman hanging out there, and that's how long can this U.S. expansion go," said Brian Foley, a business-aircraft consultant who spent 20 years as marketing director for Dassault's North American jet unit. But for now, with the used-jet market tightening, buyers are adjusting their expectations, said Janine Iannarelli, founder of Par Avion, a plane brokerage in Houston. They have to wait longer for the plane they want to become available or consider buying a fixer-upper jet. "There are plenty of airplanes out there that are projects," she said. "Now, you have to help your client rethink. Let's go buy that airplane that requires upgrades." Honeywell survey Pre-owned inventory is down 13% from a year ago, said Gaetan Handfield, senior manager for market research for Honeywell International Inc.'s aerospace unit. For jets less than 10 years old, inventory has decreased 30%. The decline bodes well for new sales. Honeywell estimates deliveries of 7,700 planes over the next decade, based on an annual company survey of more than 1,500 aircraft operators. More than 60% will be large jets. Planemakers pared production in recent years to avoid oversupplying the market while demand was weak. Now that sales are turning around, manufacturers should be careful not to ramp up output too quickly, Handfield said. "Down the road, the manufacturers will have to be careful not to overproduce," he said, "so they don't end up in the same situation where they have too many young aircraft in the pre-owned market." http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-luxury-jets-20181015-story.html Back to Top EAA announces scholarship for young pilots-to-be OSHKOSH, Wis. (WBAY) - EAA announced a new scholarship fund to get more young people into flight training. The Ray Aviation Scholarship will provide up to $10,000 for an initial class of 90 to 100 students. The Ray Foundation provided $1 million to get the scholarship off the ground. The goal is to improve the success rate of flight training from the current 20 percent to 80 percent. The foundation was created in the name of James Ray, an EAA lifetime member who passed away in April 2017. https://www.wbay.com/content/news/EAA-announces-scholarship-for-young-pilots-to-be-497642791.html Back to Top VisionSafe Tackles Airborne Smoke and Fire Long known for its EVAS cockpit smoke system, VisionSafe is now addressing onboard fires from lithium-ion battery-powered devices. Any kind of fire in an aircraft is extremely dangerous, and VisionSafe offers products that help mitigate smoke and fire issues in both flight decks and cabins. The company pioneered a way for pilots to be able to see through smoke with its Emergency Vision Assurance System (EVAS). And with lithium-ion battery-powered devices proliferating throughout the aircraft, VisionSafe is recommending the Highwater Innovations PlaneGard Lithium Battery Box for containment of a lithium-ion battery fire. The EVAS looks deceptively simple, consisting of an inflatable bag with see-through windows that allow one of the pilots to view the instrument panel and see through the windshield in a smoke-filled flight deck. The bag inflates, powered by its own set of alkaline batteries, and a fan fills the bag with air and holds it firmly against the instrument panel and windshield. The pilot, wearing an oxygen mask, pushes his or her face against the clear window of the EVAS, which allows a clear view through the smoke-free bag. Fire Containment Case How the EVAS works is easier to understand after watching a demonstration at the VisionSafe booth (763), where a dummy cockpit fills with smoke and a "pilot" sits inside and shows how the bag enables a clear view of the instrument panel and windshield. The EVAS is STC'd in a number of business aircraft and airliners and is a factory option on jets such as the Gulfstream G450, G550, and G280 and standard on the G650. The G280 STC was issued last month. All of Dassault's in-production Falcon jets are approved for the EVAS as well as out-of-production models such as the Falcon 50. More than 5,000 EVAS units have been sold, 60 percent for business aircraft, with 30 percent for airlines and 10 percent for government/military aircraft. "Recent news and recommendations from the FAA have highlighted the importance for cockpit smoke protection to ensure the safety of pilots and passengers," said VisionSafe vice president Jonathan Parker. "Since 1992, the FAA has recommended that aircraft are certified to a higher standard for pilot vision protection in smoke." EXTINGUISHING DEVICE FIRES VisionSafe took on representation of the PlaneGard system because customers had been asking what to do about fires in the cabin due to growing numbers of lithium-ion battery incidents. A few weeks before the NBAA show, VisionSafe hosted a demonstration of a lithium-ion battery thermal runaway in the parking lot at Signature Flight Support West at Teterboro Airport. Although the demo included containment of the fire using a PlaneGard box, the purpose of the demo was to show flight crew the risk of carrying lithium-ion batteries on aircraft. So many passengers and pilots carry multiple mobile devices on board, and lithium-ion battery chemistry has become the go-to power product for manufacturers that want to deliver a lot of features and capabilities. For the demo, an old laptop powered by the ubiquitous 18650 lithium-ion batteries was set up with wires attached that would heat the batteries slowly to 300 degrees F. Although the laptops contain six of these battery cells, for the demo only two cells were installed. The laptop was placed behind a Plexiglas barrier, and viewers were encouraged to wear face masks to mitigate toxic fumes emitted by the burning batteries. It took about five minutes for the batteries to heat up enough to burn, and when they did, a jet of flame shot out of the laptop. This happened twice, once for each cell. The flame was at least two feet long. PlaneGard's George Brilmyer took the PlaneGard box and held it over the smoking laptop, then opened the box fully and lowered it onto the laptop and pushed the sides together to contain the fiery debris. He wore heat-resistant gloves and a pair of protective goggles, which are included with the PlaneGard box, along with a grabber device that can be used to flip a burning device onto a flat surface where it is in position to be contained with the box. Once contained, the smoke remained in the box and didn't leak out. The PlaneGard box includes a port for adding water, which the FAA recommends for putting out lithium-ion battery fires, but Brilmyer said water isn't necessary because the box fully contains any flames and smoke. The box is lined inside with heat-absorbing tile material. Once the fire is contained, the flight can continue to its destination, and the PlaneGard box handed over to airport firefighters. VisionSafe and PlaneGard don't recommend using insulated bags to contain lithium-ion battery fires because of the risk of leakage of smoke and toxic fumes. During a second demonstration, the burning laptop was placed in one such bag, the type with a hook-and-loop seal. Smoke escaped from the bag during this demo. Of course, there are other bag systems with double containment that includes a sealed zipper, but that type of system wasn't part of the demonstration. The companies' recommendation regarding bags has more to do with the safety of handling a burning device. The FAA has issued a Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO 09013) that addresses the handling issue, warning that "Transferring a burning appliance into a burn bag may be extremely hazardous." Until all the cells in a device burn out, there is a possibility of a cell exploding or shooting flames, and this could injure a person trying to pick up the device to put it in a bag. The SAFO still does recommend water for fighting lithium-ion battery fires: "Fighting a fire that contains either disposable or rechargeable lithium battery cells requires extinguishment of the fire and cooling of the remaining cells to stop the thermal runaway. Water is the most effective coolant." PlaneGard comes in three sizes, and prices start at $2,500. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2018-10-14/visionsafe-tackles-airborne-smoke-and-fire Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY I am a grad student at City University of London and am completing work on my Masters in Aviation Safety. In my thesis I am trying to determine what the competencies are for being an airline Captain. This is to complement the 9 competencies That ICAO identifies for training pilots. My ultimate goal is to identify the relevant competencies and determine if they are trainable from a flight education standpoint. The first step is to determine the state of Captain/Command training in the United States. The link provided for a survey via survey monkey that hopefully will help me establish a baseline of where we are at in the industry in the US. Thank you for your consideration. Regards, Captain Jeff Kilmer FDX 901-651-6070 https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/58SMR3B Back to Top Business Aviation Safety Consortium (BASC) Meet and Greet at NBAA, BACE 10/17/18, 0800 Meet members, the Standardization Board, founder, and interested folks to get more information and "gas up" before the show! You have heard about us! Now you can meet us! Just before you head into the show on October 17, stop at the Dunkin' Donuts (just up the road from the Convention Center at 9898 International Drive, Orlando, FL 32819-8103) around 0800, and let us fill up your tank with coffee and/or breakfast, as you get to meet other awesome folks continually striving to achieve excellence! We will be there no later than 0700, and will stay until the last BASC member or interested party is satisfied. If you are tired of substandard safety initiatives, run by folks that could care less about you and your workload, and after many weeks and unnecessary "gyrations" provide a drab certificate that delivers little or no value, come check us out! As a team, we are OPERATIONAL, literally all over the world. We know what works, and we know what it is like to be in your shoes. We can be your twelfth man on the field to help you achieve your SMS and operational goals, develop an anchored proactive and predictive safety culture, and provide the confidence that you need to continue leaning forward at the cutting edge of safety and operational excellence! Welcome Home! ### About the Business Aviation Safety Consortium (AviationConsortium.com, LLC or BASC): Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, BASC serves as a logical partner for SMS, regulatory, and operational excellence verification for high performing business aviation organizations. BASC was founded in 2016 and accepted the first member in January of 2017. For more information, visit http://www.aviationconsortium.com Back to Top Back to Top Deputy Director of Safety Overview: The Deputy Director of Safety is responsible for supporting the association's existing aviation safety programs and developing new safety initiatives to benefit HAI's membership. Essential Functions of the Position Include, but Are Not Limited To: • Providing auxiliary support to the Director of Safety • Serving as the HAI safety representative on various industry, government, and international boards, task forces, and meetings • Providing feedback for the association's response to proposed safety-related regulations and legislative initiatives • Collecting, researching, and analyzing safety and accident data for subsequent statistical reporting • Developing and implementing new HAI industry safety initiatives • Routinely interacting with aviation related agencies and organizations in support of the rotorcraft industry • Supporting all aspects of HAI's accreditation programs (IS-BAO & HAI APS) that assist helicopter operators in reducing incidents and accidents, while improving industry safety culture • Providing safety supervision for flight activities at the association's annual trade show and exposition, HAI HELI-EXPO® • Responding to requests for rotorcraft safety assistance from HAI members and the general public • Serving as staff liaison for assigned HAI committees • Contributing content for use in HAI's printed and electronic publications • Making safety presentations on behalf of HAI as necessary • Other duties as assigned The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities. Desired Qualifications for the Position Include: • College or advanced degree related to aviation safety and/or management • Five or more years of related helicopter safety background, training, and experience • Certificated helicopter pilot and/or maintenance technician • Previous experience with helicopter or other aviation-related organization • Prior international experience preferred • Experience with auditing protocols and accreditation programs • A passionate commitment to the promotion of helicopter safety • Highly motivated, able to work independently and in a team environment • Excellent written and verbal communication skills with prior experience in creating and delivering written proposals and public presentations • Research, data analysis, and report writing experience • Proficiency with the Microsoft Office Suite • Detail oriented, self-starter, with strong organizational and time management skills • Ability to travel The above qualifications are representative, but not all-inclusive, of the experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the position. APPLY HERE Register Here Phone: (231)720-0930 (9-6 EST) Curt Lewis