November 26, 2018 - No. 093 In This Issue Airbus strengthens aviation training capacities in China Veteran Mechanics, Avionics Troubleshooters In Highest Demand Obsolete Aircraft Part Caused F-16's Engine to Catch Fire Shortly After Takeoff IBA Group Secures $2.5 Million Ex-Im Bank Contract CINEC Aviation embarks again Deal Awarded for First Permanent US F-35 Jet Facilities in Europe The Electric Airplane Revolution May Come Sooner Than You Think Russian Helicopters to Establish MRO Centre in Shenzhen, China Boeing to Hold Regional Meetings With Airlines on 737 MAX, While Execs try to Reassure Employees Elon Musk Denies That SpaceX's Mars Colony Will Be a Ticket Out for the Rich Airbus strengthens aviation training capacities in China BEIJING, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Hua Ou Aviation Centre in Beijing has become Airbus' second training hub for aircraft structure maintenance besides its headquarters in Toulouse, said Airbus China Friday. Airbus is committed to further strengthening its aviation service capacities in China, targeting to serve the country's increasing demand of professionals alongside the growing aviation market, said Airbus China. Airbus has launched its new aircraft structure training courses to line mechanics, maintenance controllers, structure specialists and engineering staff in Hua Ou Aviation Centre. The center is a joint venture between Airbus and China Aviation Supplies Holding Company (CAS). Since its founding in 1997, more than 39,000 aviation professionals from more than 50 airlines worldwide have received training there. China is the largest civil aircraft market for Airbus, representing about one-quarter of its global sales. In 2017, Airbus delivered 176 aircraft to China. http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-11/24/c_137627433.htm Back to Top Veteran Mechanics, Avionics Troubleshooters In Highest Demand The biggest challenge in recruiting U.S. aircraft mechanics is getting ones with the experience that younger mechanics just do not have, according to Stephen Wallace, president of LAUNCH Technicians, a division of LAUNCH Technical Workforce Solutions. "The older ones are starting to retire. Finding young people who are interested is not tough, but finding experienced ones is much tougher," Wallace explains. As a result, LAUNCH has seen unprecedented increases in pay. In 2018, pay for its contracted mechanics has increased as much as 40% in some cases, and average pay went up 15%. These wage pressures have been especially hard on third-party MROs, as their airline customers seek both fewer hours and reduced hourly rates, Wallace says. Avionics technicians are in the highest demand, as are mechanics who can work with electrical and software systems. Wallace says it is not too difficult to find workers who can install avionic components, but it is difficult to find ones who can troubleshoot them."People who can lay wire are not hard to find, but finding guys who understand why it is not working is much harder. There is very high demand for these." And anyone who has an aviation maintenance technician license can pretty much pick the place they want to work and how many hours they work. Airlines, which generally pay the highest wages and benefits, get first pick of available mechanics, and independent MROs come next. Furthermore, airline onsite staff can spot the best mechanics and managers in their outsource shops, and there is no way shops can prevent their airline customers from stealing these top workers. Wallace thinks it is important for somebody to invest in training mechanics. Airlines used to do it, but now independent shops are much more important, yet they may not have sufficient profit margins to invest in training. Shops that can offer plenty of overtime once had an advantage in recruiting. But in today's busy market, Wallace says overtime is "a qualifier, not a distinguisher." And no matter what benefits are offered, "Cash is going to rule everything," the LAUNCH recruiter says. "If the guy down the street is paying 20-30% more, they will go there.' https://www.mro-network.com/maintenance-repair-overhaul/veteran-mechanics-avionics-troubleshooters-highest-demand Back to Top Obsolete Aircraft Part Caused F-16's Engine to Catch Fire Shortly After Takeoff Nov. 21--An outdated aircraft part caused a U.S. fighter jet's engine to overheat and catch fire shortly after takeoff earlier this year near Misawa Air Base, Japan, Pacific Air Forces announced Monday. The incident forced the pilot of the F-16 Fighting Falcon, which was conducting routine training during the Feb. 20 incident, to jettison his external fuel tanks into nearby Lake Ogawara, which is popular with local fishermen. The aircraft then landed safely at Misawa, and there were no injuries. An Air Force Accident Investigation Board report blamed an obsolete turbine frame forward fairing, which failed during takeoff and blocked air needed to cool the engine. "Without the cooling air, the exhaust liner and the downstream components were exposed to temperatures beyond their heat and tolerance, resulting in a fire," the report said. The aircraft suffered about $987,000 in damage, it added. "Haphazard" maintenance practices led to the obsolete part being installed on the aircraft in 2012, the report said. Poor enforcement of standard maintenance protocols created an environment that allowed failures such as the improper completion of paperwork to account for parts, serious disorganization at the shop and the improper handling of parts, the report said. Improvements have been made since then, the Air Force said. "Multiple organizational and managerial changes and expansions of the 35th FW Propulsion Flight storage areas were made over the course of the last six years to improve organizational capabilities and ensure the safety and reliability of aviation operations at Misawa AB," the Air Force statement said. The 35th Fighter Wing has checked all its engines, including the spare ones, and confirmed they have the new fairing installed, said a statement from Japan's Defense Ministry. A local association banned fishing at the lake shortly after the incident. Fishermen said they were greatly affected by the ban, since they could not fish during the height of their freshwater shellfish season. They are seeking compensation for losses suffered during the shutdown, and Japanese officials are reviewing the claim, a Tohoku Defense Bureau spokesman said Wednesday. https://www.aviationpros.com/news/12437555/obsolete-aircraft-part-caused-f-16s-engine-to-catch-fire-shortly-after-takeoff Back to Top IBA Group Secures $2.5 Million Ex-Im Bank Contract UK-based IBA Group is one of four companies that has been selected to perform audit work for the U.S. Export-Import Bank's (Ex-Im) portfolio of around 1,250 commercial aircraft, business jets and helicopters. Under the five-year $2.5 million contract, IBA will perform routine inspections, checking maintenance records of Ex-Im backed aircraft, as well as the operational integrity and financial stability of the airlines that operate them. A typical sample inspection from a 50-aircraft fleet would be eight to 10 aircraft, while the minimum number from a smaller fleet would be three. Owen Geach, chief commercial officer at IBA Group, describes this as the "good housekeeping" part of the Ex-Im work. "We form a view on whether there are any concerns," he said. The contract also has a "rapid response" element - covering unscheduled maintenance inspections in the event of accidents, incidents, payment defaults, or reported handbacks - which can extend to aircraft repossessions and remarketing. "We can't speak for unscheduled events, because they're obviously market driven, but in terms of scheduled events, Ex-Im expects us to cover roughly 80 operators within their portfolio and, over the five-year term, they expect us to perform a routine inspection at every operator," he said. Four companies have been selected by Ex-Im, allowing the worldwide portfolio to be audited within the five-year term. "There are a lot of airlines and aircraft to go around," Geach said. "The idea of having four is that, on the rare occasions when there might be a conflict of interests, there is always a Plan B." A senior Ex-Im official confirmed that several companies, including IBA, have been awarded the contract. However, they added: "Ex-Im cannot release the names of the other companies until all of the contracts have been signed." Geach values the IBA portion of the work to be at least $2.5 million over five years, but this could increase, depending on the wider financial climate. "That's really going to be driven by the uncertain times that we're in. If we're not in the start of a down cycle, then there are certain signs there that we could be. It only takes a few ingredients, such as a spike in oil price, increase in terror events, a financial downturn, or employment issues. We've seen half a dozen bankruptcies in Europe in recent weeks. How the contract develops will be largely driven by market forces." IBA has already been asked to submit a list of airlines where they see potential risk for Ex-Im. This would include, for example, operators that have had recent accidents, reports of financial problems, countries that have been through an FAA downgrade and airlines that are on the EU blacklist. The team will also monitor Ex-Im's entire fleet for unusual ground time. "That's often a very clear early warning sign that an airline might be parking an aircraft in order to cannibalize it, to provide spare parts of other aircraft within the fleet," Geach said. This is not the first time IBA has been selected by Ex-Im. In fact, IBA has won the audit contract every five years since 1994, but over the last few years Ex-Im has not had a long-term contract in place. Ex-Im offers export-credit guarantees for US-manufactured goods sold overseas, including aircraft. However, political opposition caused Ex-Im's authorization to expire altogether for five months in 2015. Since resuming operations later that year, the bank has lacked the three-board-member quorum required to approve transactions over $10 million, ruling out involvement in most Boeing commercial aircraft orders. There are currently four Ex-Im board nominations pending confirmation by the Senate. Once the board is restored, Ex-Im will be able to return to deals in excess of $10 million. "Because of the shut-down, there hasn't been an official contract in place for asset-management oversight for three years. All they were able to do was react in the event of a bankruptcy or default," Geach explained. Between contracts, the Ex-Im official said the portfolio was inspected on an unscheduled basis, as needed, and there were no aircraft repossessions during that period. Despite the lack of quorum, the Ex-Im portfolio has remained stable at around 1,250 aircraft, because of the long-term nature of aircraft financing. Geach said Ex-Im resumed its search for long-term contractors in April 2018, assessing would-be suppliers based on their experience and technical competence, as well as their ability to scale-up and react. IBA was selected in October and the agreement was finalized at the beginning of November. "My hope is that other major aviation-lending banks will also start to take a more proactive view over the management of their assets and set up their own oversight programmes. We use the analogy of a smoke detector. It doesn't cost a lot to do a routine inspection, but if it goes wrong and you do need to repossess, it's very expensive," Geach said. Although IBA is UK based, it has previously inspected Ex-Im aircraft in Brazil, India, Indonesia, Korea, Mexico, Russia, Senegal, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Zimbabwe, among others. "As you can see from that list, it's truly a worldwide reach," Geach said. IBA has a core in-house technical team of 10 licenced engineers and inspectors, three employed staff in India and approved contractors in Australia, China, North America and Russia. Around 40% of IBA's turnover comes from asset and technical management activities, like the Ex-Im contract, while the remainder comes from valuations, data and advisory work. Geach said IBA typically weathers industry cyclicality well, because technical work - such as aircraft inspections - traditionally picks up during a downturn. https://www.mro-network.com/maintenance-repair-overhaul/iba-group-secures-25-million-ex-im-bank-contract Back to Top CINEC Aviation embarks again By consistently staying ahead of development taking place in International Civil Aviation, CINEC Campus has attained the position of being a catalyst for the industry in being able to develop new programs that are not readily available elsewhere in the country. A batch of aviation students from CINEC have set forth to fulfil the licensing requirement on their On-the-Job Training (OJT) at Air Works India (Engineering) Ltd. for a period of two years. Air Works India (Engineering) Ltd. is a Maintenance Repair Organization (MRO), servicing a fleet of Airbus A320, Boeing 737-800 and ATR. Air Works is the first Indian Airline MRO service provider to be EASA certified and the first to be accredited with EN9110 aerospace standards in South East Asia. They have presence across 16 locations in India, offering 24/7 support to more than 20 airlines, handling over 18,000 flights annually, making them among the largest Airline MROs in the region. The Aircraft Maintenance Engineering program gives students an in-depth theoretical and practical knowledge required to become Aircraft Maintenance Engineers. This program at CINEC is conducted over a period of two years (2400 hours) under the License category B1.1 (Aeroplane Turbine) which is fully approved by CAASL (Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka), Approval Number AI/147/05 and is also being conducted according to the EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) syllabus. Moreover, CINEC is the only recognised International Examination Centre of CAA-UK (Civil Aviation authority of United Kingdom) for EASA part 66 licensing examination in Sri Lanka. With applications currently open with a limited number of 28 students for the November intake, interested candidates can get further details about the course by calling 0774465632 or info@cinec.edu. Aspiring to be a leading aviation training centre in Asia, CINEC is currently the benchmark in the country, in their best practices. http://www.ft.lk/shippingaviation/CINEC-Aviation-embarks-again/21-667544 Back to Top Deal Awarded for First Permanent US F-35 Jet Facilities in Europe Nov. 20--RAF LAKENHEATH, England -- The British government has awarded a 160-million pound ($205 million) contract for construction work at RAF Lakenheath to prepare the base for the arrival of U.S. F-35A Lightning II stealth jets. The deal is the first in a much bigger program to support Air Force operations in the U.K., with a further $1 billion expected to be in invested in the U.K. over the next seven to 10 years, according to the British Defence Infrastructure Organisation. It signed the contract with the Kier-VolkerFitzpatrick joint venture on Monday. Work on the base, the first permanent facility for U.S. Air Force F-35s in Europe, will start in summer. The first F-35s are scheduled to arrive in 2021. "For more than one hundred years now our armed forces have fought in defence of our common values and interests. Our two countries have developed the deepest, broadest and most advanced relationship of any two nations," Defense Minister Tobias Ellwood said in a statement. Engineers will modify the base's current infrastructure and build new squadron parking aprons, two new hangars, a new dual-squadron operations and aircraft maintenance facility, and a flight simulator networked with other simulators throughout the U.K. About 700 contractors are expected on base at the height of construction. Once complete, it will welcome an additional 1,200 U.S. airmen and 48 aircraft to the U.K. "This is an exciting milestone for the 48th Fighter Wing and for all our partners. We're transforming RAF Lakenheath together, and the work we do today is critical to the future security of the United States, the United Kingdom and the NATO Alliance," Col. Will Marshall, 48th Fighter Wing commander, said in a statement. The Royal Air Force currently has nine F-35s in its inventory, stationed nearby at RAF Marham. https://www.aviationpros.com/news/12437557/deal-awarded-for-first-permanent-us-f-35-jet-facilities-in-europe Back to Top The Electric Airplane Revolution May Come Sooner Than You Think An all-electric mini-airliner that can go 621 miles on one charge and replace many of the turboprops and light jets in use now-flying almost as far and almost as fast but for a fraction of the running costs-could be in service within three years. But this isn't another claim by another overoptimistic purveyor of electric dreams. It's using current technology, and the first planes are being built right now. In fact, the process of gaining certification from aviation regulators for what would be the world's first electric commuter plane has already started. The pressurised Alice from Israeli company Eviation is a graceful-looking composite aircraft with one propeller at the rear and another at the end of each wing, placed to cut drag from wingtip vortices. Each is driven by a 260 kW electric motor, and they receive power from a 900 kWh lithium ion battery pack. Alongside its 650 mile range, the pressurised $3 million-plus Alice can carry nine passengers and two crew, and cruise at 276 mph - up there with the speed of the turboprops that are widely used in the commuter role, if not anywhere near that of jets. But crucially, says Eviation chief executive Omer Bar-Yohay, "operating costs will be just 7 to 9 cents per seat per mile," or about $200 an hour for the whole aircraft, against about $1,000 for turboprop rivals. An illustrious list of blue-chip companies has been assembled to support the project. The electric motors are from Siemens, the propellers from Hartzell, the avionics from BendixKin, and the fly-by-wire control system from Honeywell. The lithium-ion batteries are from Kokam, a South Korean company. The company is currently building two aircraft and aims to have one flying early next year. A full-size plane will feature at the 2019 Paris air show (June 17 through 23)-a one-third demonstrator was at the French event last year. "Certification is expected in 2021," says Bar-Yohay. The benefits of electric aircraft are not just in slashed costs, pollution, and maintenance needs. Much quieter than jets, electric planes could open up city-centre airports to greater use. And the fact that the Alice has been designed as optionally piloted opens up another area of cost saving-when the public is ready to take the step of flying without pilots sitting at the sharp end. https://robbreport.com/motors/aviation/eviation-alice-electric-airplane-revolution-sooner-than-you-think-2830522/ Back to Top Russian Helicopters to Establish MRO Centre in Shenzhen, China Russian Helicopters and United Aviation Technology have unveiled plans to establish a maintenance and repair centre for Ka-32A11VS and Mi-171 helicopters in Shenzhen, China. The two companies are also in talks about upgrading the maintenance, repair and overhaul base in Tianjin to carry out similar work. The deal for the Shenzhen MRO centre is expected to be finalised by the end of the year. Andrey Boginsky, CEO of Russian Helicopters, said, "Currently, Russian Helicopters and United Aviation Technology are considering the draft general contract for creating a maintenance and repair centre for the Ka-32?11VC and Mi-171 helicopters in Shenzhen and the draft contract for technical audit at the aircraft maintenance and repair base in Tianjin." With over 300 aircraft currently in operation, China is one of the largest operators of Russian-made helicopters. "The Mi-8/17 and Ka-32A11BC helicopters are successfully operated throughout the PRC, in particular, in regions with difficult terrain and harsh climate conditions," said Anatoly Serdyukov, industrial director of the aviation cluster of Rostec. "The creation of a centre for maintenance and repair of Ka-32A11BC and Mi-171 helicopters in Shenzhen is an essential infrastructure project that will increase the competitiveness and export potential of our helicopter technology." http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news18/2611-RussianHelicopters.shtml Back to Top Boeing to Hold Regional Meetings With Airlines on 737 MAX, While Execs try to Reassure Employees Nov. 21--Boeing scratched a planned Tuesday conference call with airlines to reassure them about the safety of the 737 MAX, and will replace it with a series of regional meetings and conference calls with airlines "early next week in close proximity to our customers." The switch is "to allow for more attendance, more time for Q&A and to accommodate different time zones," Boeing said. "These meetings will be hosted by Boeing Field Service Representatives who are located regionally with our customers." The planned meetings are intended to allow Boeing engineering and maintenance staff to answer technical questions from their airline counterparts. The original teleconference call was arranged in response to queries from airlines after the disclosure of a new automated flight-control system introduced on the MAX that may be implicated in the fatal Oct. 29 crash of Lion Air flight JT610. A Boeing spokesman said it proved difficult to find a time that worked for all participants around the world. Separately, Boeing is offering reassurance internally to employees. Boeing Chairman and Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg sent an email to all employees Monday expressing confidence in the safety of the MAX and disputing some media reports. Muilenburg's message begins by saying the loss of the Lion Air jet "is weighing heavily on our collective hearts and minds" and expressing sympathy with the families of the 189 people killed. He went on to emphasize the central importance of aviation safety to the company. "I have supreme confidence in all of you and our products, including the 737 MAX, but when it comes to safety our standards can never be too high," Muilenburg wrote to the employees. "I know you feel the same way." He then tried to counter what he called "false assumptions" and speculation. "First, the 737 MAX is a safe airplane designed, built and supported by skilled men and women," he wrote. "Customers continue daily global operations of the aircraft with confidence." More than 240 of the airplanes are flying passengers around the world today. Secondly, Muilenburg disputed specific reports in some media related to the MAX's new automated flight-control system -- called MCAS, for Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System. That system was introduced because the MAX's new engines, which are larger, heavier and tilted more forward and higher on the wing, make the plane less stable in a potential stall situation than the previous 737 model. MCAS is designed to kick in without pilot action if a sensor on the fuselage indicates a high angle of attack, meaning the plane's nose is too high and threatening a potential stall. In such extreme circumstances, MCAS will automatically swivel the horizontal tail in such a way as to push the nose downward and will repeatedly do so as long as the angle of attack measure remains high. The Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee indicated that the Lion Air flight computer received false angle of attack data on the fatal flight, which may have led MCAS to repeatedly force the nose of the plane down uncommanded by the pilots, according to a service bulletin Boeing sent out to airlines soon after the Lion Air crash. The 737 pilot manuals don't mention MCAS, and some pilot unions expressed concern last week that they were not made aware of it before the Lion Air crash. In particular, they said one handling difference with earlier 737 models should have been called out: that pulling back on the control yoke won't stop the nose-down pitch movement. A message from Southwest Airlines to its pilots on Nov. 10 indicates that Boeing believed it unnecessary to describe MCAS to pilots because they wouldn't encounter it in normal flying, while in an emergency approaching a stall it would simply kick in and help the plane recover. However, though the manual omits mention of MCAS, it does describe exactly how a pilot should deal with uncommanded and unwanted movements of the horizontal tail, whatever the cause may be. An emergency checklist describes a short procedure needed to cut off automated signals to the tail and stop the nose-down movements. So in Muilenburg's message, he specifically denied reports in some media outlets that the procedure pilots need to deal with such uncommanded movements was not in the 737 pilot manual and that pilots were not trained on how to handle it. "That's simply untrue," Muilenburg said. His message ended by saying that Boeing will not debate details in the media so as not to "violate the integrity of the investigation." Boeing Commercial Airplanes chief Kevin McAllister also reaffirmed in a video message to employees Monday that the jet maker is actively supporting the Lion Air crash investigation. https://www.aviationpros.com/news/12437556/boeing-to-hold-regional-meetings-with-airlines-on-737-max-while-execs-try-to-reassure-employees Back to Top Elon Musk Denies That SpaceX's Mars Colony Will Be a Ticket Out for the Rich As Mars colonization inches ever closer to becoming a reality, some have argued that the ability to afford a ticket to the Red Planet is a luxury afforded only to the wealthiest members of society. Billionaire Elon Musk has said it'll run potential Mars inhabitants traveling with his company SpaceX hundreds of thousands of dollars to get there. But in a new interview, he rebuffed the assertion that a one-way ticket to Mars is an easy ticket out for the rich. The comments were part of an interview with the SpaceX and Tesla CEO that will air Sunday evening in the final episode of Axios' four-part limited documentary series on HBO. In a clip from the interview, Elon Musk hinted that advancements by his company for Mars colonization have been notable and said there's a "70 percent" chance that he heads to the Red Planet himself. "We've recently made a number of breakthroughs that I am just really fired up about," Musk said, who added he's considering moving to there. Asked whether a Mars colony will end up being an "escape hatch for rich people," Musk responded: "No. Your probability of dying on Mars is much higher than Earth." Musk reasserted that a trip to Mars with his company would be likely be priced at a "couple hundred thousand dollars," which is certainly an exorbitant amount of money for the average person but relatively low for space travel. But in spite of the reported thousands of people who are already vying for an opportunity to colonize the planet, Musk pointed to the harsh conditions under which any Mars inhabitants would be expected to live and insinuated it wouldn't be the cush existence that might appeal to the wealthy. The SpaceX CEO noted the intense working conditions for early Mars settlers, claiming that anyone who makes it through the initial trip has "nonstop" work ahead of them in order to help build the base. Musk said there will be little in the way of time for leisure, and even if Mars inhabitants can tough it through the initial trip and daily work, there's still a chance that the conditions on Mars could result in death. There's also the possibly those who travel to Mars may never return to Earth. "Does that sounds like an escape hatch for rich people?" Musk asked. Speaking at the International Astronautical Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico last year, Musk said that he aimed to base the cost of the trip around the median price of a house in the U.S. "You cannot create a self-sustaining civilization if the ticket price is $10 billion per person," he said. "If we can get the cost of moving to Mars to be roughly equivalent to a median house price in the United States, which is around $200,000, then I think the probability of establishing a self-sustaining civilization is very high. I think it would almost certainly occur." Musk also said that sponsorships could come into play and suggested that the average person could squirrel enough away to eventually afford the trip. "Not everyone would want to go. In fact, probably a relatively small number of people from Earth would want to go, but enough would want to go who could afford it for it to happen," he said. "People could also get sponsorship. It gets to the point where almost anyone, if they saved up and this was their goal, could buy a ticket and move to Mars-and given that Mars would have a labor shortage for a long time, jobs would not be in short supply." Gizmodo reported in April of last year that some people were already working with financial planners to save for their trips the Red Planet. Dan Egan, the VP of behavioral finance at online investing service Betterment, told Gizmodo at the time the idea was that "over time, the price of [space travel] will come down, and if our customers start saving, they're going to be able to afford that." Be that as it may, 200,000 clams is still a hefty and unattainable sum of money for most-even for those already saving. https://gizmodo.com/elon-musk-denies-that-spacexs-mars-colony-will-be-a-tic-1830640399 Curt Lewis