November 08, 2018 - No. 088 In This Issue Bombardier Presents the 22nd Safety Standdown Award to an Aviation Maintenance Professional Air Canada Airlines is going paperless with TRAX MTU Maintenance Zhuhai's Joint Venture Contract Extended by 20 Years Australia Moves on New Genav Maintenance Rules Collaboration Key To Cracking Skills Conundrum In India Amid the Global Shortage of Aircraft Mechanics, Students Flock to L.A.'s Top Training Program Lion Air Crash Investigators Probe Faulty Airspeed Readings Uzbekistan Airways Technics wants to break free from its parent airline Brisbane to emerge as Australasia's aviation hub SpaceX to Build 'Mini BFR' Version of Mars Rocket to Fly on Falcon 9, Elon Musk Says Bombardier Presents the 22nd Safety Standdown Award to an Aviation Maintenance Professional for the First Time Wichita, November 5, 2018 - Bombardier announced today that Martin G. Grier, Senior Manager, Aircraft Maintenance for The Home Depot Aviation Department, has been recognized for his exceptional commitment to aviation safety at the 22nd annual Safety Standdown seminar, held from October 30 - November 1, 2018, in Wichita, Kansas. Mr. Grier is the first-ever maintenance professional to be recognized with the award. Since 2012, the Safety Standdown award was presented to pilots, safety board members, directors of safety, and safety advisors. "Marty truly embodies aviation professionalism," said Jeff Wofford, Chief Pilot & Director of Aviation from CommScope. "His depth of experience in aircraft maintenance, modifications, specification and completions is directly tied to how he leads, nurtures and grows a strong safety culture. He sets an exceptional example for others to follow." Nominated by his peers for his impeccable commitment to aviation maintenance and safety, Mr. Grier has more than 40 years of experience in the aviation business, including three decades in business aviation maintenance. Having held multiple positions of increasing responsibility, Mr. Grier has distinguished himself as a leader of high-performance technical teams. In addition to his professional accomplishments, Martin volunteers to help military personnel ease the transition back into civilian life and workforce through the American Corporate Partners (ACP) Mentoring Program. This year's Safety Standdown seminar was an overwhelming success with more than 500 aviation professionals attending the workshops and general sessions. The increasing number of attendees demonstrates the expanded focus within the industry to engage and develop aviation professionals to continuously seek safety knowledge, integrate new information into everyday operations, and share new findings and best practices with their industry peers. "For over two decades, the Safety Standdown seminar has attracted a growing number of aviation professionals, eager to acquire the most up-to-date tools and information to reduce aviation safety risks," said Andy Nureddin, Vice President, Customer Support, Bombardier Business Aircraft. "Year after year, Bombardier is proud to support aviation safety and professionalism through knowledge- based pilot safety training and the promotion of high standards and best practices for the industry." Next year's Safety Standdown seminar will be held from October 30 to November 1, 2019, in Dallas, Texas. About Safety Standdown Originally conceived in 1996 as a human factors safety-training event for the Learjet flight demonstration team, the conference quickly garnered a reputation for excellence beyond Bombardier's customer base. In 1999, in response to growing interest within the industry, Bombardier opened the seminar to all pilots. In 2010, Safety Standdown expanded beyond the seminars into a year-round global human factors program offering online resources. Since 1996, more than 10,000 corporate, commercial and military aviation professionals have attended Safety Standdown seminars around the world, live and through the webcast, including in Brazil, Canada, China, Mexico, Switzerland and USA. About Bombardier With over 69,500 employees across four business segments, Bombardier is a global leader in the transportation industry, creating innovative and game-changing planes and trains. Our products and services provide world-class transportation experiences that set new standards in passenger comfort, energy efficiency, reliability and safety. Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, Bombardier has production and engineering sites in 28 countries across the segments of Transportation, Business Aircraft, Commercial Aircraft and Aerostructures and Engineering Services. Bombardier shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD). In the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, Bombardier posted revenues of $16.2 billion. News and information are available at bombardier.com or follow us on Twitter @Bombardier. https://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12435983/bombardier-presents-the-22nd-safety- standdown-award-to-an-aviation-maintenance-professional-for-the-first-time Back to Top Air Canada Airlines is going paperless with TRAX MIAMI, Nov. 7, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- With the success of their TRAX eMobility QuickTurn app implementation under its belt, Air Canada Airlines (ACA) now plans to deploy the TaskControl app next. Line and Hangar maintenance employees will use the QuickTurn and TaskControl apps for defect management, routine task cards and picklists, recording A/C P/N transactions, and other related activities. The Apps are integrated with the existing TRAX system and are fully offline capable to synchronize data when reconnected. AMEs in the hangar can use the TaskControl app to complete work assignments. Resource planners can assign line work or heavy checks through the web-based Line Control and Production Control apps. QuickTurn is designed to resolve an aircraft's defects on landing through recording the completion of the work or the deferral and its troubleshooting. Additionally, the related dashboard shows a layout display of aircraft soon to land and depart with a countdown timer along with access to the associated defects. This connectivity has led to reduction in total time required to resolve mechanical issues, thus minimizing ground time. The result is fewer cancellations and delays, more hours in the air, and happier customers. ACA plans to press ahead with its paperless plans and improvements in key technology areas. The company is growing its fleet -- adding 787 Dreamliners and 737 MAX aircraft -- and is simultaneously advancing its connectivity to support its maintenance operations and achievement of its 5 star excellence program goals. About TRAX TRAX provides comprehensive software solutions designed to cater to all aspect of aircraft maintenance management. With over 170 customers, TRAX is the best-of-breed global provider of aviation maintenance mobile and cloud products in the market today. TRAX products support digital signatures, paperless Workpacks and manuals, RFID-capability for logistics, Biometric security, offline capability for mobile apps, web-based applications and the ability for users to work anywhere with easy access to real-time information. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/air-canada-airlines-is-going-paperless-with-trax- 300745918.html Back to Top MTU Maintenance Zhuhai's Joint Venture Contract Extended by 20 Years Zhuhai, November 6, 2018 - MTU Aero Engines AG and China Southern Airlines have extended their joint venture contract for its joint engine MRO facility, MTU Maintenance Zhuhai, by 20 years to 2051. "MTU Maintenance Zhuhai is the number one engine shop in China and the largest narrowbody engine shop in Asia," says Michael Schreyögg, Chief Program Officer, MTU Aero Engines. "We plan to build on this success long-term and this is a clear signal to the market that MTU is committed to Asia." MTU Maintenance Zhuhai is also in the process of expanding the facility by 50 percent for the second time in less than ten years. Capacity will be increased from 300 to 450 shop visits per year by 2021. MTU Maintenance Zhuhai is a 50-50 joint venture between the two companies and was set up 2001. It services V2500 and CFM56 engines and the 2,500th engine through the shop, a V2500 has just been redelivered. Launched with an initial investment of 189 million USD and a capacity of 200 engines per year, the company is spread over 156,000 square meters of land in the Zhuhai Free Trade Zone, close to Hong Kong and Macao. MTU Maintenance Zhuhai is equipped with a state-of-the-art machine pool and a highly modern test cell accommodating engines up to 150,000 pounds of thrust. The shop holds roughly 20 approvals, amongst others from the CAAC (Civil Aviation Administration of China), the European EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency), the US-FAA (Federal Aviation Authority) and the by JCAB (Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau). About MTU Aero Engines MTU Aero Engines AG is Germany's leading engine manufacturer, with core competencies in low- pressure turbines, high-pressure compressors, turbine center frames, manufacturing processes and repair techniques. MTU plays a key role in the new engine market through its partnerships in many international development, manufacturing and sales programs, to which it contributes its high-tech components. One third of the global fleet of passenger airliners relies on components supplied by MTU. MTU is one of the world's top 5 providers of maintenance services for commercial aircraft engines and industrial gas turbines. These activities are combined under the roof of MTU Maintenance. In the military sector, MTU Aero Engines is the lead industrial partner for almost every type of engine flown by the German armed forces. MTU operates affiliates around the globe; its corporate headquarters are based in Munich, Germany. In fiscal 2017, the company had a workforce of some 10,000 employees and posted consolidated sales of approximately five billion euros. https://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12435967/mtu-maintenance-zhuhais-joint-venture- contract-extended-by-20-years Back to Top Australia Moves on New Genav Maintenance Rules An analysis of feedback on a proposal to rewrite maintenance regulations for Australian-certified general aviation (GA) aircraft resulted in an overwhelming majority of comments saying that the new rules should be modeled after those of the U.S. FAA. Earlier this year, the Civil Aviation Safety Agency (CASA) asked respondents to identify current challenges they experienced in GA maintenance and opportunities to improve Australia's regulatory system. Respondents were also asked to consider how the U.S., New Zealand, Europe, and Canada approach GA maintenance. All respondents identified issues with the existing regulations and indicated support for change to a simpler, more understandable, set of rules. Of the 63 industry respondents who indicated a preference for an international rule set, 49 respondents (78 percent) preferred the U.S. regulations and seven respondents (11 percent) stated a preference for the New Zealand regulations (which are broadly based on the U.S.). "We will now work with an industry technical working group appointed by the CASA aviation safety advisory panel to work with the agency to determine the most effective way to proceed with development of the new regulatory structure," the agency said. The draft of the proposed final rulemaking is scheduled to be issued for comments in the first quarter of next year. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/general-aviation/2018-11-06/australia-moves-new- genav-maintenance-rules Back to Top Collaboration Key To Cracking Skills Conundrum In India SINGAPORE--Greater industry cooperation and better workforce incentives are possible solutions to help bridge India's technician shortage, says an executive of airframe and line maintenance provider GMR Aero Technic. India's MRO segment is estimated by Aviation Week forecast data to grow at an impressive 9.4% compound annual growth rate each year over the next decade, but a shortage of technicians could potentially hamper the country's growth ambitions, believes Girish Deshmukh, chief marketing officer of GMR Aero Technic. Speaking at MRO Asia-Pacific on Nov. 7, he says the volume of aircraft being regularly inducted by Indian carriers such as Indigo, SpiceJet and Jet Airways is not supported by the supply of certified manpower. This scenario, according to Deshmukh, results in negative factors such as a drop in skill levels as airlines have to turn to available technicians and engineers not possessing the necessary experience. Another pejorative outcome is the creeping of maintenance errors, Deshmukh says. "If there is a maintenance error from a certified aircraft because of the non-availability of an expert, the work will need to be re-done and this will result in delays," he says. "This increases downtime and the cost of operations will certainly go up." Deshmukh believes there is much to do for the industry to reverse the technician shortage. "We can't simply be sitting idle and looking at the problem, but we need to actively be trying to solve that problem," he says. One solution lies in using effective methods to retain technicians on the workforce. Overtures from MROs in the Middle East, which benefit from being able to offer higher technician salaries, is another challenge facing India's MRO segment. "A problem in India is we train technicians, give them licenses and nurture them before an airline in the Middle East takes them overseas," he says. Deshmukh feels raising salaries to be more competitive is one solution. "If we give technicians more licenses then we need to pay them qualification pay--this is an attraction of working for an MRO rather than an airline where they would have less licenses." Deshmukh also believes more collaboration is needed across the industry to better attract young people into the aviation industry, with GMR Aero Technic typically taking between 30 to 40 graduate engineers annually. "We are all guilty of not having done enough to attract aircraft maintenance engineers into the profession," he says. "We need to explain to young people how advanced aircraft are, both in terms of technology and digitally." The country's regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, also has a "very active and significant role to play," Deshmukh believes. "To our dismay, we've found regulators haven't been able to keep pace with developments in the aviation industry," he says. "They will pass laws where endorsements for technicians will only be granted after a high volume of tasks have been conducted on an aircraft. MROs, airlines, regulators and aircraft maintenance schools should all work together as stakeholders with contributions from OEMs also." https://www.mro-network.com/maintenance-repair-overhaul/collaboration-key-cracking-skills- conundrum-india Back to Top Amid the Global Shortage of Aircraft Mechanics, Students Flock to L.A.'s Top Training Program for Hands-On Learning and Promise of High-Skilled Jobs (Los Angeles, Calif. - November 5, 2018) Across the nation, airframe and power plant (A&P) mechanics are retiring faster than they can be replaced. However, for the 150 aspiring maintenance professionals enrolled at theVan Nuys Airport's Aviation Center (AV-Center) - operated by the Los Angeles Unified School District's Division of Adult and Career Education - opportunities are climbing, especially for women. According to the Aviation Technician Education Council (ATEC), while new entrants to the field make up 2 percent of the aviation maintenance technician pipeline annually, 30 percent of the workforce is at or near retirement age. And, the aircraft mechanic population is projected to decrease by 5 percent over the next 15 years. To address the looming workforce shortage, there is significant opportunity to attract more women to the field, who currently make up only 2.3 percent of the nation's approximately 286,000 certificated A&P mechanics. (Source: http://www.atec- amt.org/uploads/1/0/7/5/10756256/atec-pipelinereport-20171211.pdf ) Gearing students for high-skilled, high-paying jobs in the aviation industry, Clay Lacy Aviation is awarding more than $10,000 in scholarships to aspiring A&P mechanics to attend the AV-Center - the only program of its kind in California that is located at an airport and open to high school students. An impressive 10 percent of those enrolled in the program are female, topping the national average for women employed in this profession. "Promoting and supporting prosperous careers for students in aircraft maintenance is critical for the future success of the aviation industry," said Clay Lacy Aviation President and CEO Brian Kirkdoffer. "Graduates will have great opportunities for exciting jobs and careers in commercial, military and corporate aircraft fields. We look forward to having many of them join the Clay Lacy Aviation team!" Since 2015, Clay Lacy Aviation has awarded $40,800 in financial assistance to 100 students to defray the costs of tuition, books, tools and certification exams at the AV-Center. This includes 20- year-old Monica Hernandez, a native of Sun Valley, Calif. and former customer service representative for Clay Lacy Aviation. "I know this education will take me far and that I will always have a good income," said Hernandez, who is slated to graduate at the end of November. "In high school, I remember a counselor telling our class that college is not for everyone and to invest time in discovering what you're good at. I attend class full-time, Monday to Friday, and also work as a technician at Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Even though I get only four hours of sleep a night, I feel so grateful for this opportunity. Tuition is affordable, so I won't have any student debt when I graduate." Founded in 1973, the AV-Center holds both day and evening classes, and is open to adults and students over age 16. It offers a combination of classroom lecture and shop-oriented projects, with facilities that allow students to work on propeller aircraft, helicopters and jets - including a retired Learjet 24 and Gulfstream GIISP donated by Clay Lacy Aviation. Annual tuition is $1,200 for full- time students, who can complete the program in two years. Classes are held during the day, Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and evening, Monday to Thursday, from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Graduates who pass the required Federal Aviation Administration licensing examination in General Airframe and Aircraft Powerplant Mechanics enjoy an over 95 percent job placement rate. Many land positions with major and regional airlines, corporate flight departments, and aerospace products and parts manufacturing companies. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay for aircraft mechanics is nearly $30 per hour or $61,260 per year. (Source: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/installation-maintenance-and-repair/aircraft-and-avionics-equipment- mechanics-and-technicians.htm ) "The AV-Center plays a critical role in helping to address demand for certificated A&P mechanics amid the global shortage, and we are grateful to Clay Lacy Aviation for benefitting our program so significantly," said Rosario Galvan, Administrator of the Division of Adult and Career Education for the Los Angeles Unified School District. "This is truly an exciting time in adult education as we prepare members of our community for successful careers in the aviation and aerospace industries." This year's scholarship recipients will be announced on Thursday, Nov. 8, at 11:30 a.m. during the AV-Center's annual Veteran's Day barbeque, 16550 Saticoy St., Van Nuys, 91406. For more information about the aircraft mechanic program and Clay Lacy Aviation scholarships, visit nvoc.org . https://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12435859/amid-the-global-shortage-of-aircraft- mechanics-students-flock-to-las-top-training-program-for-hands-on-learning-and-promise-of-high- skilled-jobs Back to Top Lion Air Crash Investigators Probe Faulty Airspeed Readings Readouts of the flight data recorder (FDR) recovered from the sunken wreckage of Lion Air Flight JT 610 show evidence that that the Boeing 737 Max 8 experienced faulty airspeed readings during its last four flights, but investigators have yet to determine any connection between the instrument anomalies and the October 29 crash that killed all 189 onboard. Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) chairman Soerjanto Tjahjono revealed the development during a press conference on November 5. The FDR contained more than 1,790 parameters spanning 19 flights over some 69 hours. Despite incurring heavy damage due to the force of impact, the FDR's data recording module remained operable, allowing investigators to confirm the airspeed indicator had indeed malfunctioned on four separate flights. While the KNKT has yet to conclude any connection between the faulty instrument and the crash, investigators continue to work with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Boeing to conduct a detailed inspection of the airspeed indicator. The KNKT's sub-committee head for air accidents, Nurcahyo Utomo, said investigators now are trying to determine whether the malfunction stems from the indicator's computer system, device, or sensor. Investigators have begun reviewing maintenance logs and questioning pilots and technicians about the aircraft's three previous flights. Revelations of a faulty airspeed indicator come days after authorities revealed ADS-B data from the airliner's October 28 evening flight indicated erratic variations in altitude and airspeed. On October 31, Indonesian transport minister Budi Karya Sumad ordered the temporary suspension of Lion Air technical director Muhammad Asif along with a number of technicians who cleared JT 610 for operation. The transport ministry, which has appointed Muhammad Rusli as acting technical director, continues intensive ramp inspections on 40 percent of Lion's in-service fleet. Search-and-rescue teams have yet to recover the cockpit voice recorder (CVR), believed embedded in the muddy seabed, northeast of Jakarta, where the 737 Max 8 crashed 13 minutes into its flight. On November 5, navy divers recovered the emergency locator transmitter from a depth of 98 feet. Searchers have also retrieved parts of the airplane's landing gear and fuselage from the Java Sea. Meanwhile, dangerous sea currents continue to hamper recovery of the wreckage and the victims. In a tragic turn of events, an experienced Indonesian diver died on November 2 during search-and- rescue efforts. As the search continues, Lion Air has pledged nearly $90,000 in compensation to each of the victims' families and $100,000 to the families of JT 610's eight aircraft crew. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2018-11-06/lion-air-crash-investigators- probe-faulty-airspeed-readings Back to Top Uzbekistan Airways Technics wants to break free from its parent airline Uzbekistan Airways Technics (UAT), the structural MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) division of Uzbekistan's national carrier, is gearing up for a reform, which could see it become an independent entity. UAT is hopeful that fundamental changes and the addition of new capabilities will help it win more third-party customers, especially from Asia. In the first stage of the separation, scheduled for next year, parent carrier Uzbekistan Airways is planning to loosen its control over its maintenance division's financial performance. "Whereas until now our headquarters has been in control of all of our income and expenditures, now it is letting us navigate by ourselves," Oleg Volokitin, deputy general manager of UAT's western jet maintenance centre has revealed to ATO.ru, Russian Aviation Insider's sister publication. "The control will stay, but not the [financial] oversight," he continues. "So this will afford us more flexibility in decision making, because we won't have to coordinate our expenditures so rigidly." At its Tashkent International Airport base, UAT performs line and base maintenance on Boeing 757/767 and Airbus ?320 family aircraft. For heavy checks it uses the 17,300-sq m hangar, which can accommodate three wide-body aircraft simultaneously. Volokitin also claims that the company's personnel have now been trained to handle the entire spectrum of maintenance and engineering procedures for the Boeing 787. The company has temporarily reconfigured its big hangar, which is able to accommodate Boeing 747-sized aircraft, for the smaller Dreamliner, but plans to build a dedicated facility for two 787s within the next three years with financial support from the state budget. All the required documentation for that project is already in place, Volokitin insists, and at this point the company is also working on the creation of a spare parts warehouse at the new facility. UAT has been expanding its infrastructure primarily for the maintenance needs of its parent airline Uzbekistan Airways, which operates a fleet of some 30 airliners, including three Boeing 787-8s. Three more Dreamliners are due to be delivered in late 2019 and 2020. In the meantime, the maintenance station is also in the process of obtaining new approval for the Boeing 737, allowing it to add both Classic and NG versions to its menu, making it the first type not operated by its parent airline. Its first 737 customer has a scheduled shop visit in the first quarter of 2019. UAT is hopeful that these reforms and the addition of new capabilities will help to grow its share of the third-party market. Previously, a couple of Russian airlines have sent their aircraft to Tashkent for maintenance, including Ural Airlines and the now defunct VIM Airlines, which left the market in October 2017. But today, Volokitin reveals, UAT is primarily targeting the Asian market. Among its regular customers are Kazakhstan's SCAT Airlines and Tajikistan's Tajik Air and negotiations are going on with Turkmenistan Airlines. Although UAT is still making an effort to attract airlines from Russia, such as Azur Air, for example, Russia's own maintenance market is developed enough to "rid local operators of the necessity to ferry their aircraft to Uzbekistan," says Volokitin. Last year the Uzbek maintenance company completed 20 C-checks and some 150 A-checks for its parent airline. In addition, it won contracts for maintenance services on five aircraft operated by third-party carriers. But this year the number of outsourced contracts is expected to reach 12. Local regulations have favoured the development of aircraft maintenance services in Uzbekistan, Volokitin admits, including some amendments recently made to the Customs code. "Whereas three years ago the Customs clearance of an aircraft arriving for a shop visit could last between two and three days, today it takes 15 minutes," he says. http://www.rusaviainsider.com/uzbekistan-airways-technics-break-free-parent-airline/ Back to Top Brisbane to emerge as Australasia's aviation hub Brisbane will host the inaugural aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) exhibition in the Australasia region in 2020, which will focus on the region's growing role in the aerospace industry. Titled Australasia MRO, the inaugural event was announced by Aviation Week Network at the Queensland Pavilion at MRO Asia-Pacific in Singapore, the largest annual conference and exhibition in the region dedicated to the $28 billion aircraft MRO market. Taking place on 11 and 12 March 2020, MRO Australasia will be the latest in a global series of aviation industry MRO events run by Aviation Week Network. "Australia is a rapidly growing aviation hub and the aviation MRO industry is booming in the region," said Greg Hamilton, president of Aviation Week Network. "We are excited to bring our MRO event to the region. Our events are recognised as the premier industry conferences and exhibitions and we know that the response for MRO Australasia will be tremendous." Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the state's growing role in the industry made it a natural choice for the event. "With Queensland's growing reputation as a major aviation hub of the Asia-Pacific, there is no better place in Australasia to discuss aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul than Queensland. "Our state boasts considerable civil and military aviation strengths - our depth of capability, our world-class expertise and our strategic location," Palaszczuk said. The premier said that hosting the event would further boost the industry's development in Queensland. "This is a huge win for Queensland and further demonstrates the Queensland government's commitment to increasing our share of the lucrative aircraft manufacturing and repair services industry," she said. "In 2015-16, Queensland's aircraft manufacturing and repair businesses generated around $1.2 billion in revenue and contributed $565 million to Queensland's economic growth, as well as providing over 4200 jobs across more than 300 enterprises." http://www.manmonthly.com.au/news/brisbane-host-inaugural-mro-australasia-2020/ Back to Top SpaceX to Build 'Mini BFR' Version of Mars Rocket to Fly on Falcon 9, Elon Musk Says SpaceX aims to start flight-testing key design components of its Mars-settling spaceship next year, company founder and CEO Elon Musk said. The plan involves upgrading the upper stage of SpaceX's workhorse Falcon 9 rocket "to be like a mini BFR Ship," Musk said via Twitter Wednesday (Nov. 7). "Aiming for orbital flight by June," he said in another tweet. The BFR, or Big Falcon Rocket, is the giant, reusable launcher SpaceX is developing to help settle Mars and perform a variety of other spaceflight feats. Each rocket will be topped by a 100-person spaceship (the BFS), which will be capable of completing many roundtrip journeys to the Red Planet, Musk has said. The upcoming Falcon 9 modification will apparently help SpaceX better understand some of the more demanding flight regimes the BFS will experience. "Ultra light heat shield & high Mach control surfaces are what we can't test well without orbital entry," Musk said in another tweet. The newly redesigned upper stage won't make a propulsive landing here on Earth, as about 30 Falcon 9 first stages have done to date (and as the BFS will do on the surface of Mars, the moon and other cosmic destinations), Musk said. "I think we have a handle on propulsive landings," he tweeted. In yet another tweet, he added that SpaceX is building a "BFR dev ship to do supersonic through landing tests in Boca Chica, Texas." That site in South Texas will be the company's hub for BFR and BFS testing, SpaceX representatives have said. If everything goes well with BFR-BFS development, the duo could begin carrying people to Mars by the mid-2020s, according to Musk. The long-term goal is to help establish a million-person city on the Red Planet - ideally, within the next 50 to 100 years. SpaceX envisions handing over all of its spaceflight work to the BFR and BFS eventually. The system will be able to do all that SpaceX asks of it, from launching satellites to Earth orbit to cleaning up space junk to ferrying people on superfast "point to point" trips here on Earth, Musk has said. https://www.space.com/42375-spacex-mini-bfr-launch-on-falcon-9.html Curt Lewis