Flight Safety Information October 19, 2018 - No. 213 In This Issue Accident: Argentinas A332 near Rio Branco on Oct 18th 2018, severe turbulence causes 10-15 injuries Incident: Joon A320 near Milan on Oct 17th 2018, suspected fuel leak, engine shut down in flight Incident: Southwest B737 at Houston on Oct 14th 2018, flaps failure Incident: Copa E190 near Mexico City on Oct 18th 2018, autopilot failure Incident: Canada B763 enroute on Oct 6th 2018, plastics and ovens don't go together EVAS - Cockpit Smoke Protection Sikorsky MH-60R Sea Hawk Accident (USS Ronald Reagan - Pacific Ocean) Russian military jet crashes, 2 pilots missing EASA extends conflict zone warning for Syrian airspace LIBIK Fire Suppression Kits for the Cabin and Flight Deck Time to Upgrade Airline Black Boxes, Says Safety Board Air Transport Growth in India Threatened by Safety Lapses Researchers show what can happen when a drone collides with an airplane HAI names new director of safety EASA sets new safety goal Saudi aviation chief calls to encourage, train industry's next generation Is Supersonic Aviation Getting its Groove Back? Asia-Pacific airlines assemble in Korea to discuss key issues After Cobalt, will any more European airlines go bust? Textron (TXT) to Sell 325 Cessna Citation Aircraft to NetJets Russian Engine for Irkut MC-21 Wins Certification Pilot job fair to be held in Atlanta GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Upcoming USC Aviation Safety Courses Air Traffic Control Investigation from SCSI Medallion Foundation - PROVIDING ASSURANCE IN YOUR SYSTEMS HIGH ALTITUDE FLYING: WHAT EVERY PILOT NEEDS TO KNOW - Course Accident: Argentinas A332 near Rio Branco on Oct 18th 2018, severe turbulence causes 10-15 injuries An Aerolineas Argentinas Airbus A330-200, registration LV-FNK performing flight AR-1303 from Miami,FL (USA) to Buenos Aires Ezeiza,BA (Argentina) with 192 passengers, was enroute at FL390 about 90nm north of Rio Branco,AC (Brazil) deviating around thunderstorm cells when the aircraft encountered severe turbulence causing an altitude deviation of more than -700 feet and +1500 feet around about 18:25Z, the ADS-B transponder reported climb rates in excess of 2200 fpm and sink rates in excess of 2700 fpm. The captain subsequently reported 10 to 15 injuries on board of the aircraft and requested medical services available upon arrival in Buenos Aires. The aircraft continued to Buenos Aires for a safe landing about 3:55 hours later. Medical services already awaited the aircraft and treated the injured, 8 passengers were taken to a hospital. The airline reported the aircraft was in cruise flight when it encountered turbulence causing minor injuries to 15 passengers, 8 of which were transported to a hospital for further checks after arrival in Buenos Aires. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/ARG1303/history/20181018/1340Z/KMIA/SAEZ Scenes on board: http://avherald.com/h?article=4bf25918&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Joon A320 near Milan on Oct 17th 2018, suspected fuel leak, engine shut down in flight A Joon Airbus A320-200 on behalf of Air France, registration F-GKXY performing flight AF-1605 from Rome Fiumicino (Italy) to Paris Charles de Gaulle (France), was enroute at FL320 about 70nm south of Milan Malpensa (Italy) when the crew reported they suspected a fuel leak on one of the engines (CFM56) and shut the engine down. The aircraft diverted to Milan Malpensa, the airport temporarily suspended all departures and landings on both runways while preparing for the arrival of the aircraft. The aircraft landed safely on Malpensa's runway 35R about 22 minutes after leaving FL320, vacated the runway. Departures and landings on runway 35L resumed immediately after F-GKXY was on the ground, runway 35R returned to service soon after following a runway inspection. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 16 hours then returned to service. http://avherald.com/h?article=4bf2321a&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Southwest B737 at Houston on Oct 14th 2018, flaps failure A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration N7717D performing flight WN-5421 from Omaha,NE to Houston Hobby,TX (USA), was on approach to Houston's runway 13R cleared to descend to 2000 feet and for a visual approach, when the crew reported a flaps failure and aborted the approach stopping the descent at 3000 feet. The aircraft entered a hold at 3000 feet while the crew was working the checklists, however without being able to resolve the flaps issue. The aircraft subsequently positioned for another high speed approach to runway 13R and landed safely (touchdown at about 187 knots over ground) about 45 minutes after the aborted approach. The aircraft slowed safely, vacated the runway and stopped, the crew requested emergency service to have a look at the hot brakes. A replacement Boeing 737-700 registration N213WN continued the next sector to Albuquerque. The occurrencè aircraft returned to service 24 hours after landing. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/SWA5421/history/20181014/1620Z/KOMA/KHOU http://avherald.com/h?article=4bf22efa&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Copa E190 near Mexico City on Oct 18th 2018, autopilot failure A Copa Airlines Embraer ERJ-190, registration HP-1565CMP performing flight CM-156 from Monterrey (Mexico) to Panama City (Panama) with 69 passengers and 5 crew, was enroute at FL350 about 90nm east of Mexico City (Mexico) when the crew decided to divert to Mexico City reporting the failure of the autopilot. The aircraft landed safely in Mexico City about 35 minutes later. The aircraft is still on the ground in Mexico City 7 hours after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4bf22c96&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Canada B763 enroute on Oct 6th 2018, plastics and ovens don't go together An Air Canada Boeing 767-300, registration C-FPCA performing flight AC-10 from Calgary,AB to Toronto,ON (Canada) with 218 people on board, was enroute when a burning plastic odour emanated from an oven in the mid galley. The crew turned the oven off, the odour dissipated and the flight continued to destination for a safe landing. The Canadian TSB reported the source of the odour was identified to be plastics that was in contact with an oven coil. The oven was replaced. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/ACA10/history/20181006/1840Z/CYYC/CYYZ http://avherald.com/h?article=4bf2293d&opt=0 Back to Top Back to Top Sikorsky MH-60R Sea Hawk Accident (USS Ronald Reagan - Pacific Ocean) Date: 19-OCT-2018 Time: 09:00 a.m. Type: Sikorsky MH-60R Sea Hawk Owner/operator: US Navy Registration: C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: USS Ronald Reagan - Pacific Ocean Phase: Take off Nature: Military Departure airport: Destination airport: Narrative: The helicopter crashed upon takeoff on the flight deck of the USS Ronald Reagan. Several crew members were injured. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=216395 Back to Top Russian military jet crashes, 2 pilots missing The Russian military says one of its training jets has crashed and two pilots are missing. The Defense Ministry said the L-39 aircraft went down Thursday during a regular training over the Sea of Azov. It said the pilots bailed out and a search for them is underway. The L-39 is a Czech-made jet trainer first developed during the 1960s. Thousands have been used by multiple countries around the world. Russia continues to use them at its flight schools. https://www.kansas.com/news/nation-world/article220233120.html ************ Date: 18-OCT-2018 Time: 17:00 LT Type: Aero Vodochody L-39 Albatros Owner/operator: Russian Air Force Registration: C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Sea of Azov, Dolzhanskaya, Krasnodar Territory - Russia Phase: En route Nature: Military Departure airport: Yeysk Destination airport: Narrative: A Russian military trainer jet crashed under unknown circumstances. "Today, at about 5 p.m. Moscow time, when performing a scheduled training flight near the village of Dolzhanskaya of the Krasnodar Territory, an L-39 jet trainer crashed and fell into the water," the ministry said. Both pilots are presumed dead according authority. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=216379 Back to Top EASA extends conflict zone warning for Syrian airspace Damascus FIR (Syrian airspace) On October 18, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) extended the validity of Conflict Zone Information Bulletin CZIB 2017-03R3 to 18 April 2019. The risk is described as: Due to the hazardous security situation, with the presence of terrorist organisations and ongoing high intensitymilitary operations, there is a risk of both intentional targeting and misidentification of civil aircraft. The presence of a wide range of ground-to-ground and dedicated anti-aviation weaponry poses a HIGH risk tooperations at all flight altitudes. https://news.aviation-safety.net/2018/10/18/easa-extends-conflict-zone-warning-for-syrian-airspace/ Back to Top Back to Top Time to Upgrade Airline Black Boxes, Says Safety Board By Alan Levin The ubiquitous black boxes on airliners - designed to capture the sometimes gruesome words and sounds leading up to crashes - need an upgrade, U.S. accident investigators say. In too many cases, the current two hours of sound on the cockpit voice recorders hasn't been enough to aid investigations, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a recommendation posted to its website Thursday. The board cited several dozen instances in which the recorders were overwritten before they could be brought into the lab. Investigators want the requirement to be increased to 25 hours of sound, and are seeking retrofits for current aircraft by 2024. The 2017 case of an Air Canada flight that came within feet of striking other planes on the ground in San Francisco illustrates the issue. In that case, the plane's black box recorders weren't pulled immediately, so the potentially critical recording of the incident was lost, hampering the NTSB's probe. In a 2009 case, after pilots on a flight to Minneapolis from San Diego went silent for more than an hour and flew past their destination, the recording device provided little help because the relevant portion was recorded over later in the flight, NTSB said. The crew said they became distracted, but the recording would have shed more light on what happened. Investigators cited 34 cases from 2002 to the present in which longer recordings might have helped investigators. "Data continue to be overwritten and are unavailable for safety investigations," NTSB said in a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration. The NTSB recommendations follow a similar effort in Europe, where the European Aviation Safety Agency will require larger airliner models to have 25-hour recorders by 2021. https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2018/10/19/505052.htm Back to Top Air Transport Growth in India Threatened by Safety Lapses India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) awaits a visit by a Federal Aviation Administration team from the U.S. on October 31 and November 1 to review compliance of safety oversight following an audit carried out a few months ago. If the Indian regulator hasn't addressed major oversights, it risks a downgrade to Category 2 status, similar to that issued in 2014. Such an outcome would result in a grim deceleration in growth plans of domestic carriers with ambitions to fly to the West. Recent incidents include an Air India Express Boeing 737-800 flying for four hours in a severely damaged state after clipping a perimeter wall and instrument landing system antennas at the airport in Tiruchirapalli on takeoff. Others include a case of a technician getting sucked into an engine, near midair collisions, and many bird strikes. Release of investigation reports generally takes at least a year. Now the urgency has become apparent. Late last month, following several injuries resulting from a fall in cabin pressure aboard a Jet Airways 737-800 due to flight crew error, minister of civil aviation Suresh Prabhu ordered a safety audit of all scheduled airlines and airports. The authorities plan to release the report by October 25. India has gone through at least four FAA and ICAO safety audits in the past four years. In 2014, the FAA downgraded it to Category 2 over issues such as lack of adequate numbers of flight inspection safety officers and training of officers for airworthiness. In July this year the FAA, under its International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) program, found similar problems. "The increase in incidents has put a focus on training and compliance," said Vishok Mansingh, CEO of Indian low-fare carrier Trujet. Mansingh said as the average age of the workforce falls and more qualified people retire, regulators will need to practice still more vigilance. Meanwhile, the government has delayed plans to establish an independent civil aviation authority with its own budget. "We need an autonomous body to handle such imminent issues," said Mansingh. Matters of major concern to the FAA include the poor financial state of airlines, midair engine failures, a shortage of flight operations inspectors (FOIs), and lack of type-trained instructors. According to a senior ministry official, of the 85 FOIs required, the DGCA employs 75. "The workforce shortage is a result of funds not being enough," he said. "We require ministry approval for everything. The process is slow in coming." As competition gets tougher and fares hit their lowest levels in years, yields suffer along with the financial health of carriers such as Jet Airways and Air India. Some 20 Air India aircraft sit grounded as the airline cannibalizes them for spare parts and Jet Airways counts at least six AOGs for the same reason. The DGCA, meanwhile, recently released its 2018-2022 five-year National Aviation Safety Plan "supporting prioritization and continuous improvement of aviation safety," according to a statement in a report from civil aviation director general B.S. Bhullar. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2018-10-18/air-transport-growth-india-threatened-safety-lapses Back to Top Researchers show what can happen when a drone collides with an airplane A team at the University of Dayton Research Institute has created a video showing what can happen to an airplane when it collides with a drone. They have presented their findings along with the video at this year's Unmanned Systems Academic Summit. Because of the vast difference in size between small civilian drones and commercial airplanes, many might assume that a collision between them would be minor. But that might not be the case, as the team at UoD showed. They have practical experience studying a similar hazard-birds in flight striking airplanes. Their findings are used by aircraft designers. Noting that a bird can break windows and cause injuries in the cockpit and damage engines, the researchers wondered what might happen with drones. To find out, they collaborated with a team at Sinclair College National UAS Training and Certification Center. Together, the two groups set up a mounted Mooney M20 single-engine plane wing on a ground station and then "fired" a drone at it at a speed approximate to a flying aircraft. This effectively simulated a plane colliding with a drone. The video made by the team clearly shows the dangers presented by such a collision. Rather than disintegrating, bouncing off, or offering a glancing blow, the drone tears through the skin of the wing and its interior parts, causing extensive damage inside of it-more damage than that caused by a large bird strike. More specifically, it caused damage to the main spar-an internal wing structure that carries the weight of the plane. Damage to the spar could cause the plane to crash. The video also offered a hint of what would happen if the collision site were the cockpit instead of the wing. The researchers suggest that more testing needs to be done with different drone sizes and different aircraft to learn more about the potential risks involved. They note that such collisions appear to be a near certainty, pointing out that a collision occurred between a civilian quadcopter drone and a military helicopter last year. In that instance, a rotor was severely damaged, though the copter was able to make it back to its base safely. The researchers suggest that next time, pilots or passengers might not be so lucky. Risk in the Sky? https://techxplore.com/news/2018-10-drone-collides-airplane.html Back to Top HAI names new director of safety Helicopter Association International (HAI) has announced the hiring of Chris Hill as director of safety. Hill comes to HAI with more than 32 years of rotary-wing and operational aviation safety experience.Hill comes to HAI with more than 32 years of rotary-wing and operational aviation safety experience. HAI Photo In this position, Hill is responsible for managing the association's existing aviation safety programs and for developing new safety initiatives to benefit HAI's membership and the international helicopter community. "We are grateful to find someone of Chris's caliber to fill our director of safety position," said HAI president and CEO Matthew Zuccaro. "I have no doubt that our members will see the same value in his experience that we do. I'm looking forward to working with Chris to confront the safety issues affecting our industry." Hill comes to HAI with more than 32 years of rotary-wing and operational aviation safety experience. After serving as a helicopter pilot in the U.S. Army and Coast Guard, he served in numerous roles supporting Coast Guard aviation safety, operations, logistics, and acquisitions. He also has extensive commercial offshore experience operating from multiple platform and vessel types in the Gulf of Mexico. For the past five years, Hill served at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, DC, as the service's civilian aviation safety manager. He served as a safety officer, flight standardization officer, and instructor pilot in three operational assignments. He has an ATP helicopter rating with more than 5,000 flight hours in 12 commercial and military rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft. "I am honored to be a part of the HAI team, working with our members, operators, and safety professionals around the world," said Hill. "As the director of safety, my primary focus will be to help enhance and integrate safety cultures and leading practices that can benefit all industry stakeholders. "I will be serving as the staff liaison for the Safety Committee. As we work together to continue improving our safety programs and services, I really look forward to getting creative ideas and constructive feedback from our industry committees, members, and others to ensure that we continue to address the highest priority safety issues and concerns." A native of California and Texas, he graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with a bachelor's in professional aeronautics in 1989 and a master's in aeronautical science in 1998. https://www.verticalmag.com/press-releases/hai-names-new-director-of-safety/ Back to Top EASA sets new safety goal The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has set a new objective for helicopter safety in its jurisdiction - a 50 percent improvement within the next 10 years. When certified, the Bell 525 Relentless will be the first commercial fly-by-wire helicopter. EASA's Trevor Woods touted the safety benefits of fly-by-wire technology, among many other systems, during a presentation at Helitech 2018. Bell PhotoWhen certified, the Bell 525 Relentless will be the first commercial fly-by-wire helicopter. Such technology has the potential to help improve the industry's overall safety record, said EASA's Trevor Woods. Bell Photo While that goal has yet to be clearly defined in terms of baseline and indicators, EASA wants the enhancement to be perceptible sooner. It says it will "make positive and visible changes to the rotorcraft safety trends within the next five years." EASA certification director Trevor Woods stated the new goal at Helitech International in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on Oct. 16. In 2006, the International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST) gave the industry 10 years to cut the accident rate by 80 percent, but failed to reach its ambitious target. While IHST statistics do show a downward trend, the reduction has been slow and erratic. Woods referred to the success of terrain awareness and warning systems (TAWS) in eradicating "controlled flight into terrain" (CFIT) accidents from fixed-wing commercial aviation. "There has been zero CFIT accident after 2005," he pointed out. Meanwhile, CFIT still happens with helicopters. Woods is eagerly awaiting the mandatory implementation of TAWS in helicopter offshore operations from January next year to measure its impact. Rather than trying to lessen the prevalence of many types of accidents, "we want to eliminate one risk, like CFIT," he said. Another tool he is counting on is light flight simulators. They might democratize training devices that have proved their worth but remain expensive. The advent of virtual-reality goggles may make light simulators "something cheap and simple," in Woods' view. Fly-by-wire controls (to be introduced in civil helicopters with the Bell 525) are a "fantastic opportunity to reduce pilot workload." Moreover, operators are encouraged to use light flight recorders. But the key is to use a vast array of technologies, as opposed to focusing on one, Woods added. He is nevertheless adamant EASA wants to alleviate the regulatory burden on operators. "The typical complaints we hear are 'we are getting too many audits; high-risk operations are not well defined and change from country to country,' " he said. He pledged a "more risk-based approach." Woods says the main measure in the new effort will probably be serious injuries and fatalities. https://www.verticalmag.com/news/easa-sets-new-safety-goal/ Back to Top Saudi aviation chief calls to encourage, train industry's next generation SAC is considered one of the best known aviation clubs in the world. (SPA/File) • Prince Fahd said that the industry will experience remarkable development in the coming years • The size of the global market is expected reach $4.4 trillion JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia needs to establish more clubs and academies to educate and train young men and women for the expanding aviation industry, said Prince Fahd bin Mishaal bin Saud, vice-chairman of the Saudi Aviation Club (SAC). During a speech at the Prince Fahd Symposium titled "Aviation is a Way of Life," he added that one of the aims of the SAC is to help spread a culture of aviation. Prince Fahd said that the industry will experience remarkable development in the coming years and that "aviation today and tomorrow will be a way of life, a human need and not a luxury." He added: "There is a lot of research to develop transport technology, such as the Hyperloop, the so-called bullet trains, electric cars and many more. But no matter how advanced these techniques are, air-transport techniques will always be ahead of them because the secret is simply in the air and above the ground. It shortens the distance and accelerates access." Therefore, there are great opportunities open to young men and women, he said, but they must seize them now. According to a report from Boeing, he said, airlines in the Middle East are expected to take delivery of 3,310 new aircraft at a cost of $770 billion by 2035, more than double the number of existing aircraft. In addition, according to a 2017 report by the International Air Transport Association, the Middle East achieved the world's highest growth rate in passenger traffic, at 11.8 percent. Prince Fahd said the size of the global market is expected reach $4.4 trillion, with the Middle East accounting for 5 percent of this total, a figure calculated before the recent announcements of the Neom and the Red Sea projects. He pointed out that in the next 20 years "we will need 64,000 pilots, 66,000 technicians and 97,000 air-service crews. Despite these large numbers which we aspire to reach, we are still late in the qualification outputs and we do not have enough academies, institutes and clubs." These are needed to motivate more young men and women to enter the field of aviation, he said. Another obstacle is that it costs a lot of money to join existing academies, he said, adding: "Therefore, we must seek urgent solutions to attract them." http://www.arabnews.com/node/1390226/saudi-arabia Back to Top Is Supersonic Aviation Getting its Groove Back? GE and Aerion reveal the engine that'll power the supersonic AS2 to Mach 1.4 when it flies in 2023. GE Affinity Aerion AS2 Photo: Courtesy of GE It's easy to be skeptical of aviation start-ups that promise to achieve great things with new technology. History is littered with wreckage (actual, virtual, and metaphorical) from personal jets, flying cars, jetpacks, and plenty more. But Aerion Supersonic, a start-up with a dream to bring back supersonic flight for civilian travelers, has been different from the start-well-funded by deep-pocket investors and tapping into the leading edge of industry expertise. In 2015, Aerion partnered with GE-one of the world's top manufacturers of civilian and military jet engines-to develop an all-new supersonic engine. This week, the companies debuted their design, at the annual meeting of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), in Orlando. The super-powerful new Affinity engine will drive Aerion's AS2 jet to Mach 1.4 (about 1,000 mph). It's the first all-new supersonic engine in more than 50 years, and the first ever designed specifically for a business jet. Aerion says the engine will power the AS2 for its first flight, in 2023. GE Affinity Supersonic engine Supersonic engine Photo: Courtesy of GE Officials from GE say the turbofan engine makes optimal use of GE's commercial airline technology, with billions of hours of reliable flight time. It can operate efficiently at altitudes up to 60,000 feet, and will meet current noise requirements and emissions standards. The company also plans to maximize the use of advanced additive design and manufacturing techniques to optimize the engine's weight and performance. Aerion is collaborating with industry leaders Honeywell and Lockheed Martin on the cockpit computers and aircraft design. The 12-passenger AS2 will be ready for deliveries in 2025, the company says. It will cut three hours from transatlantic flights and five hours across the Pacific. Aerion CEO Tom Vice says the AS2 is just the beginning; the company plans to move on to bigger and faster designs, for both corporate jets and commercial passenger flight. https://robbreport.com/motors/aviation/supersonic-aviation-aerion-ge-engine-nbaa-2823669/ Back to Top Asia-Pacific airlines assemble in Korea to discuss key issues The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) director general Andrew Herdman said one key area AAPA members must discuss at this week's 62nd Assembly of Presidents in Jeju, Korea is the handling of mass service disruptions, along with passenger rights legislations, as the region faces increased natural events such as Typhoon Jebi and the Hokkaido earthquake in Japan. Speaking ahead of the assembly, which begins Oct. 19, Herdman said current passenger rights legislations are written for isolated service failures, which does not apply to mass disruptions, and there is a need to look at handling these events at a system-level approach with airlines, authorities and airports. "The industry is good at reacting to disasters in one form or another. The system is complex and is also very resilient, but it can always do better," he said. "Contingency planning and establishing relationships with other stakeholders prior to the onset of these events has paid off in the past, and we will have a lot to discuss about that." The 15-member organization will be covering other mainstay topics, such as safety and security, but will also touch on relatively newer areas like infrastructure, environmental sustainability and cybersecurity. AAPA has been advocating the need for greater infrastructural improvements across the region to tackle slots constraints, and the usage of new technology to maximize current systems. It estimates $1.5 trillion worth of infrastructural development will be needed over the next 20 years, mostly in airports. Herdman is overall bullish about the growth of commercial aviation in the region, although he noted some issues-such as oil prices and trade disputes-could eventually affect airlines profitability as well as consumers' confidence. He added that trade disputes and related tariffs are detrimental to transportation sector, including air cargo, although the effects have yet to be felt as most affected goods are currently not carried by air, such as metals. He noticed small burst of growth in the air cargo sector as businesses rush to ship goods out from the affected countries prior to the onset of tariffs. http://atwonline.com/airlines/asia-pacific-airlines-assemble-korea-discuss-key-issues Back to Top After Cobalt, will any more European airlines go bust? The Cypriot carrier has gone the way of Primera Air and Monarch. What is going on in Europe's aviation industry? A departure board displays cancelled Cobalt flights at Larnaca airport, Cyprus. Photograph: Yasmine Canga-Valles/AFP/Getty Images Cobalt has become the latest European budget airline to go bust, following Danish carrier Primera Air, which ceased trading earlier this month. While the Cypriot airline had only two years of flying behind it, after stepping into the breach left by the failure of the national carrier Cyprus Airways, Primera had flown for 14 years. Both carried a fraction of the passengers of British holiday airline Monarch, which collapsed last year. Are other airlines on the brink? The big players in Europe have long warned that smaller airlines would go bust, arguing that consolidation - them snapping up the minnows - was the way forward for the industry. British Airways parent IAG eyed Norwegian, which has defied predictions from a year ago and kept aloft, but still sustained losses. Perennial struggler Flybe issued a profits warning this week, sending its share price tumbling. What are the problems? The big one is rising fuel costs. The unexpected bonus of plunging oil prices saw airlines' jet fuel bills drop dramatically from $120-$140 (£92-£107) a barrel for much of the decade to a low of $40 in early 2016. That led almost all airlines to finally make a profit. But now the price is back at nearly $100. Some airlines loosened the purse strings and committed to aircraft purchases or leases that the industry could ill afford overall: analysts talk of overcapacity, which can be good news for passengers in the short term with lower fares to fill seats, but may not prove sustainable. What else? For some, Brexit - or at least the tumbling pound since the referendum. Fuel and aircraft are bought in dollars, but a large proportion of the revenue for IAG, Ryanair and others is in sterling. Poorer sterling exchange rates also deter Britons from travelling, and the UK punches above its population weight for air travel. Cobalt was heavily reliant on the UK routes, including Heathrow and Gatwick - almost 30% of air traffic to Cyprus came from the UK last year. The uncertainty surrounding Brexit continues to affect confidence: Wizz Air has become the second scheduled airline, after Ryanair, to put a clause in its conditions disclaiming liability for flights grounded due to Brexit after 29 March next year. Whether Brexit-related or not, several airlines have identified falling consumer demand and forecast overall revenues to decline. Are bigger airlines immune to the problems? Share prices are slumping across the sector, at almost three times the rate of the overall FTSE fall in the last month. So no, probably not. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/oct/18/cobalt-cyprus-european-airlines-explainer Back to Top Textron (TXT) to Sell 325 Cessna Citation Aircraft to NetJets Textron Inc.'s (TXT - Free Report) unit Textron Aviation Inc. announced an agreement with NetJets® Inc., a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. , to sell a fleet of aircraft. Per the deal, the NetJets has an option to purchase up to 175 super-midsize Cessna Citation Longitude® aircraft and up to 150 Cessna Citation Hemisphere® aircraft. NetJets has the choice to take the first deliveries of the Citation Longitude during the second half of 2019 with additional options on Longitude aircraft exercised over the following 10-15 years. Textron's Robust Commercial Aviation Fleet Textron commands a solid presence in diverse areas including business jets and other general aviation aircraft, helicopter, aircraft engines, golf carts, turf maintenance equipment, electronic test equipment and blow-molded fuel tanks. Textron continued to witness strong order growth in second-quarter 2018 along with solid delivery figures. Textron Aviation delivered 48 jets, up from 46 last year and 47 commercial turboprops, up from 33 last year. In fact, the company consistently saw an improved order flow across its jet and commercial turboprop product lines with greater strength coming from the international markets. Going ahead, the company expects positive demand in the commercial space with a sturdy representation across all its existing models. While Textron's legacy product portfolio steadily expands its well-established footprint across the globe, the company has been innovating new items to capture more shares in the market place. To this end, the company is progressing well toward achieving Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification for its Citation Longitude aircraft. As a result, new products coming in coupled with strong order growth for existing commercial jets will boost the company's top line substantially in the upcoming quarters. https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/329319/textron-txt-to-sell-325-cessna-citation-aircraft-to-netjets Back to Top Russian Engine for Irkut MC-21 Wins Certification The PD-14 turbofan began flight trials aboard an Il-76 test bed in 2015. Russian civil aviation authority Rosaviatsiya has issued type certification for an indigenous engine alternative for the Irkut MC-21 narrowbody known as the PD-14, the country's Ministry for Industry and Trade announced Thursday. A pair of MC-21 prototypes powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1431G geared turbofans now engage in flight testing, but PD-14 certification marks an important advance for the Kremlin-ordered Import Substitution program, aimed at achieving Russian independence in the commercial aviation domain. "In fact, the PD-14 winning the type certificate means that this engine is ready for delivery and commercial operation," said minister for industry and trade Denis Manturov in a statement. "This enables us to assert that the first turbofan engine for commercial jets in the history of modern Russia has successfully been created." Next, schedules call for the PD-14 program to gain validation with the European Air Safety Agency next year. Manturov expressed a hope that the MC-21 will soon commence testing with the indigenous powerplant following the planned shipment of three operable engines by the end of this year. The minister insisted that the PD-14 and MC-21 schedules "had been synchronized." Compared with previous-generation Russian commercial turbofans, the PD-14 offers a fuel burn decrease at typical cruise of 15 percent, while featuring a bypass ratio of 8.5:1 as opposed to more commonly achieved ratios of 5:1 or 6:1. Its specifications call for fuel consumption comparable to that of the Pratt & Whitney PW1000G series and CFM International's Leap family. Given that, the PD-14 claims its place as the world's third engine purposely designed and certified for use on next-generation narrowbody jets. Preliminary studies into a next-generation turbofan began in Russia at the turn of the century. In 2008 Vladimir Putin made the decision to provide state funding for the project. Bench testing began in 2012 and flight trials in 2015 on an Il-76 testbed. Developed under the framework of the federal program dubbed "Development of Russian Aviation Industry 2025," the PD-14 program started with a budget of 80 billion roubles ($1.22 billion) covering development and production setup. Perm-based ODK-Aviadvigatel leads the development effort while ODK-Perm Motors performs final assembly line in the city of Perm. The PD-14 marks the first commercial engine project executed under the umbrella of the United Engine Corporation (Russian acronym ODK), a government-controlled organization formed by the merger of Russian companies involved in powerplants, gearboxes, and other subsystems for applications in commercial and military aviation. As a result, the government distributed work packages to ODK members to cut development and production preparation cycles. In terms of technology as well, the PD-14 represents a drastic departure from the previous generation PS-90A. Using hollow wide-chord blades for the fan and blisks in the compressor, the newer engine weighs about three tons and develops 14 tons of thrust at takeoff. Engineers designed the baseline engine specifically for the 180-seat MC-21-300, but its derivatives can power both larger and smaller airplanes. The developer announced three versions of the PD-14-the PD-14A, PD-14, and PD-14M--featuring the same 1900 millimeter fan diameter. Intended for the 150-seat MC-21-200 "shrink" variant, the PD-14A produces 11 percent less thrust and resembles the baseline model but with a compressor pressure ratio of 38:1 rather than 41:1 for higher thermal margins. The PD-14M for the Il-96-400M and MC-21-400 develops 12 percent more maximum thrust. It features an additional stage in the compressor, resulting in an increase in pressure ratio to 46:1 and a drop in bypass ratio from 8.5:1 to 7.2:1. The developer also plans a higher-thrust derivative, known as the PD-18, incorporating a geared fan for maximum thrust of 18- to 20 tons; smaller versions designated PD-7 and PD-10 feature a reduced fan diameter for various Sukhoi Superjet variants. Meanwhile, plans call for use of the PD-14's core in the PD-12 turboshaft, and for a larger PD-35 intended to power the Sino-Russian CR929 widebody. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2018-10-18/russian-engine-irkut-mc-21-wins-certification Back to Top Pilot job fair to be held in Atlanta A pilot job fair is planned for Atlanta this Saturday, with airlines hiring qualified pilots and a forum for aspiring pilots. The job fair will be held Oct. 20 by Future & Active Pilot Advisors (FAPA) at the Hilton Atlanta Downtown at 255 Courtland Street NE. From 9 a.m. to noon, companies including Air Wisconsin, Delta Private Jets, Envoy Air, ExpressJet, GoJet, Mesa, Piedmont, Republic, Silver Airways, SkyWest and others are expected to be recruiting. Qualified pilots can register at FAPA.aero/Jobs and see a list of airlines. From 1 to 6 p.m., FAPA will host a future pilot forum for students, other aspiring pilots and school counselors who want to learn about pathways to a pilot career. The forum will include round-table discussions with airlines and a showing of the National Geographic documentary Living in the Age of Airplanes. https://www.ajc.com/business/pilot-job-fair-held-atlanta/rJsSxjFDlqrFpvNzam2wVI/ 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 Upcoming USC Aviation Safety Courses Safety Management Systems for Remotely Piloted Aircraft Current Operational Conditions for Remotely Piloted Aircraft, Including Live Flight Exercises October 29 - November 2, 2018 5.0 Days Human machine interface theory and problems Unique characteristics of RPA operational environments SMS requirements and guidance Organizational risk management for RPA Special consideration for RPA accident investigation Using RPA for accident investigation FARs and Legislation International Organization Standards & Participation Tuition: $2500 Safety Management Systems for Managers Providing Priciples and Vision for Managers in an SMS November 29 - 30, 2018 1.5 Days Management Roles, Responsibilities, and Accountability Change Process Management Audits and Safety Reviews Motivating Safe Behavior Safety Culture and Climates Just Reporting System Accident/Incident Costs Obstacles to SMS Tuition: $1000 Threat and Error Management Development Integrating Threat and Error Management into a Safety Management System December 17 - 19, 2018 2.5 Days Introduction to threats and errors Performance and loss of situation awareness Threat recognition and error avoidance Building barriers to error Distraction and interruption management SOPs role in threat and error management Tuition: $1250 Earn Points Towards NBAA CAM Program Students taking the following USC courses will earn two points towards completing the application for the National Business Aviation Association Certified Aviation Manager exam. Aviation Safety Management Systems Accident/Incident Response Preparedness Human Factors in Aviation Safety Safety Management for Aviation Maintenance Aircraft Accident Investigation SeMS Aviation Security Management Systems For further details, please visit our website or use the contact information below. Email: aviation@usc.edu Telephone: +1 (310) 342-1345 Register Here Phone: (231)720-0930 (9-6 EST) Curt Lewis£ ¨¨