Flight Safety Information December 4, 2018 - No. 245 In This Issue Incident: ABX B762 at Cincinnati on Dec 3rd 2018, cabin did not pressurize Incident: Republic E175 near Montgomery on Dec 1st 2018, loss of cabin pressure Incident: SAS A321 at Gran Canaria on Dec 1st 2018, cabin did not pressurize Incident: United A319 at Dallas on Dec 1st 2018, bird strike causes loss of airspeed indication Accident: Spirit A320 at Las Vegas on Dec 1st 2018, flight attendant injured in turbulence Boeing 737-8KN (WL) - Runway Incursion (Russia) Hunt after drone flies near plane at Perth Airport Northern aviation companies welcome proposed float plane regulations European Aviation Safety Agency approves SriLankan Engineering Arkia Airlines Of Israel First To Fly Long-Range Airbus A321LR Expectations, Desires and Realities of Buying an Airplane First commercial flight for aircraft New IFALPA Website Strengthens the Global Voice of Pilots SpaceX launches 64 "smallsats" in record flight International Accident Investigation Forum 2019 - Singaore - 10 - 12 April 2019 Incident: ABX B762 at Cincinnati on Dec 3rd 2018, cabin did not pressurize An ABX Air Boeing 767-200, registration N752AX performing freight flight GB-2015 from Cincinnati,KY to Salt Lake City,UT (USA), was climbing through 9000 feet out of Cincinnati's Northern Kentucky Airport when the crew stopped the climb at 9000 feet due to problems with the cabin pressure. The aircraft returned to Cincinnati for a safe landing on runway 27 about 25 minutes after departure. The aircraft was able to depart again after about 2.5 hours and rached Salt Lake City with a delay of 3.5 hours. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/ABX2015/history/20181203/0630Z/KCVG/KSLC http://avherald.com/h?article=4c11712e&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Republic E175 near Montgomery on Dec 1st 2018, loss of cabin pressure A Republic Airways Embraer ERJ-175 on behalf of American Airlines, registration N101HQ performing flight MQ-4672/AA-4672 from Charlotte,NC to New Orleans,LA (USA), was enroute at FL380 about 50nm eastnortheast of Montgomery,AL (USA) when the crew initiated an emergency descent to 10,000 feet due to the loss of cabin pressure. The aircraft diverted to Montgomery for a safe landing about 30 minutes later. The airline reported the aircraft diverted to Montgomery for maintenance. The passengers were taken to hotels. A replacement Embraer ERJ-175 registration N434YX reached New Orleans with a delay of 9 hours. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/AAL4672/history/20181202/0350Z/KCLT/KMSY http://avherald.com/h?article=4c116fda&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: SAS A321 at Gran Canaria on Dec 1st 2018, cabin did not pressurize A SAS Scandinavian Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration OY-KBE performing flight SK-7736 from Las Palmas,CI (Spain) to Billund (Denmark), was climbing out of Las Palmas when the crew stopped the climb at about 8000 feet due to problems with the cabin pressure. The crew decided to return to Las Palmas, entered a hold to burn off fuel and landed safely back about 100 minutes after departure. The aircraft remained on the ground in Las Palmas for 24 hours, then departed again for flight SK-7736 and reached Billund with a delay of about 27 hours. http://avherald.com/h?article=4c116e52&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: United A319 at Dallas on Dec 1st 2018, bird strike causes loss of airspeed indication A United Airbus A319-100, registration N815UA performing flight UA-2169 from Chicago O'Hare,IL to Dallas Ft. Worth,TX (USA), was on final approach to Dallas' runway 17L when a bird impacted one of the pitot probes causing the loss of associated airspeed indication. The crew initiated a go around and landed safely on runway 17L about 22 minutes later. The FAA reported the aircraft sustained minor damage when a bird impacted one of the pitot probes causing the loss of airspeed inciation. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/UAL2169/history/20181201/2150Z/KORD/KDFW http://avherald.com/h?article=4c116cf5&opt=0 Back to Top Accident: Spirit A320 at Las Vegas on Dec 1st 2018, flight attendant injured in turbulence A Spirit Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration N632NK performing flight NK-1069 from Cleveland,OH to Las Vegas,NV (USA), was on approach to Las Vegas when the aircraft encountered moderate turbulence causing injuries to a flight attendant. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Las Vegas' runway 26L about 10 minutes later. The FAA reported the flight attendant received serious injuries, a broken ankle, the occurrence was rated an accident. Metars: KLAS 020356Z 20004KT 10SM FEW080 11/M02 A2970 RMK AO2 SLP054 T01111017= KLAS 020256Z 21006KT 10SM FEW080 12/M02 A2972 RMK AO2 SLP060 T01171017 53006= KLAS 020156Z 21011KT 10SM CLR 12/M02 A2968 RMK AO2 SLP048 T01221017= KLAS 020056Z 21007KT 10SM FEW070 FEW250 13/00 A2969 RMK AO2 SLP049 T01280000= KLAS 012356Z 19009G17KT 10SM FEW070 SCT250 13/M01 A2970 RMK AO2 SLP054 T01331011 10161 20117 56020= KLAS 012256Z 23014G22KT 10SM FEW070 SCT250 15/01 A2971 RMK AO2 SLP055 T01500011= https://flightaware.com/live/flight/NKS1069/history/20181201/2220Z/KCLE/KLAS http://avherald.com/h?article=4c116bf3&opt=0 Back to Top Boeing 737-8KN (WL) - Runway Incursion (Russia) Date: 02-DEC-2018 Time: 06:54 UTC Type: Boeing 737-8KN (WL) Owner/operator: flydubai Registration: A6-FEQ C/n / msn: 40267/5117 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: None Location: Moskva-Sheremetyevo Airport (SVO/UUEE) - Russia Phase: Take off Nature: International Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Moskva-Sheremetyevo Airport (SVO/UUEE) Destination airport: Dubai Airport (DXB/OMDB) Narrative: Flydubai flight FZ918 aborted the takeoff at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport after commencing the takeoff without clearance. At the same time, another aircraft was crossing the runway. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, taxied onto runway 06R at 06:54 and began rolling for takeoff. At the same time Aeroflot flight SU151, an Airbus A330-243 (VQ-BBF) was crossing the runway via taxiway A4. The aircraft had just landed on runway 06C after a flight from Havana, Cuba, and was taxiing to the terminal. Since the tower controller had not yet issued a clearance for takeoff, flight FZ918 was instructed to abort. The aircraft then vacated the runway via taxiway A3 and taxied to a parking spot on the apron, where it arrived at 07:26 UTC. About 09:00 UTC the aircraft left the parking spot and taxied to runway 06C, from where it took off normally at 09:27 UTC. Taxiway A4 crossed runway 06R at 2770 m from the runway threshold. At the time of crossing, there was a separation of about 2050 m between the two aircraft. Weather about the time of the incident (0654Z) was poor with visibility decreasing from 4000 m at 0630Z to 1700 m at 0700Z due to snowfall: UUEE 020700Z 14004MPS 1700 1400NE R06C/1700D R06R/1700D SN OVC013 M06/M07 Q1021 R06C/450130 R06R/450130 NOSIG UUEE 020630Z 14005MPS 4000 -SN OVC012 M05/M07 Q1021 R06C/450130 R06R/450130 NOSIG https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=218938 Back to Top Back to Top Hunt after drone flies near plane at Perth Airport A drone was spotted flying over Perth airport yesterday Australia's aviation watchdog and the Australian Federal Police are hunting the operator of a drone that flew over Perth Airport yesterday. The drone was seen at 7.38am by a pilot in a plane taking off and then by an airport worker near the runways to the Qantas terminal. In the departing plane, the pilot was alerted by the reflection of the sun off the white drone. He reported it to air traffic control after take-off. "It was to our left as we started our roll and moved over the Qantas terminal as we rotated (took off)," the pilot said. Air traffic control alerted all pilots. Perth Airport reported the incident to the Federal Police and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. The AFP could not find the drone or anyone acting suspiciously. The aviation safety authority said it was investigating the incident, which carries a penalty of up to $10,000 and possibly two years in jail if a plane was put in danger. It is illegal to fly a drone within 5.5km of an airport. Authority spokesman Peter Gibson said this sort of activity was taken seriously and posed a significant danger to aviation. He urged anyone with information relating to the incident to contact CASA or police. CASA is working on a registration scheme for drones weighing more than 250g. In 2009, an operator who flew a radio-controlled model plane at Perth Airport that came within seconds of it and a 160-seat Virgin Blue 737 colliding avoided a jail term but was fined $3000. A video camera was attached to the remote-controlled model plane, which was flown from a park under the flight path of a runway. The video was posted on YouTube, showing the plane twisting and turning and then the Virgin Blue 737 flashes past before the model plane turns to follow the jet and crashes. https://thewest.com.au/news/aviation/hunt-after-drone-flies-near-plane-at-perth-airport-ng-b881038738z Back to Top Northern aviation companies welcome proposed float plane regulations Transport Canada proposed regulations years ago but they've yet to come into effect Alasdair Martin, the president of Yellowknife based-Air Tindi, said all passengers and crew on his company's float planes wear life preservers. 'It just makes sense,' he said. (CBC) Float plane operators in the North say they generally support proposed changes to float plane safety rules from Transport Canada, even though those rules have yet to come into force. In 2016, Transport Canada proposed changes that would make it mandatory for passengers and crew to wear personal flotation devices (PFDs) and for pilots to receive extra training on how to evacuate their aircraft in an emergency. But those changes have not yet been implemented, prompting criticism from the Transportation Safety Board, among others. Float planes are a vital lifeline into remote corners of Canada's North during the summer months. Ted Grant, the owner and chief pilot of Simpson Air in Fort Simpson, N.W.T., said that he's torn over whether everyone should wear PFDs on a plane. "Sometimes having them on can help, but every situation is different," he said. "Sometimes a life jacket may be a hindrance and get in the way when you're trying to get out." But Yellowknife-based Air Tindi is already requiring all crew members and passengers to wear PFDs, explained Alasdair Martin, the company's president. That policy began during this summer's flying season. "It just makes sense," he said, adding that it hasn't been an issue for passengers and employees. "If you've ever tried putting a life jacket on once you're in the water, it's very, very hard. It's almost impossible," he said. "People think they can but, really, to have it on as you go in the water is going to make the difference." Hal Logsdon, the president of the Northwest Territories Float Plane Association, said he believes making life preservers mandatory is a good idea, but they should be those that can be inflated after a person has left the plane. (CBC) Hal Logsdon, the president of the Northwest Territories Float Plane Association, said making wearing PFDs mandatory is a good idea, but believes only a certain type of flotation device would be beneficial: the kind that inflate after being activated by the user. An already-inflated life preserver could prevent someone from getting out of a plane, if it was sinking and upside down, he said. Gerd Mannsperger, chief pilot for Alpine Aviation in Whitehorse, said in a phone interview from Vancouver that he also agrees passengers having PFDs attached to them is a good idea, and it will help in some situations. "It's definitely going to be a challenge that we'll have to meet as an industry," he said. Emergency training for pilots underway Logsdon said he's helped set up a training course on emergency exits before. It costs participants a few hundred dollars and was popular among pilots, he said. "I would urge all people who operate float planes, whether they're commercial or private, to invest in an [emergency exit] course whether it's mandatory or not," he said. "I think it's money well spent. I don't think too many people who've taken the course would argue with me." Mannsperger said more training for pilots is always beneficial, including learning how to quickly escape an aircraft in an emergency situation, such as an aircraft sinking upside down in water. "It gives them, really, a heads-up to understand why it is so important to brief the customers properly and really put that extra effort in," he said. Alasdair Martin shows off an example of one of the life preservers that are worn on his company's float plane flights in the summer months. (CBC ) Martin said Air Tindi has, for years, made sure its float plane pilots have received that training. In the wake of the a 2009 seaplane crash in B.C., Transportation Safety Board investigators recommended rapid emergency exits, such as pop-out windows, be mandatory in the country's more than 700 commercial seaplanes. Grant said one of his two planes has those kind of windows, and though they won't help in every situation, they're good to have. He said he doesn't plan on adding them to his other plane, given the minimum $10,000 cost he estimated. "It's just way too expensive to even try it out," Grant said. Mannsperger said adding those windows would be "simply not workable" for a lot of planes because of the added frames, which would reduce the size of the windows, limiting the number of people it's able to fit through. Mannsperger and others said one of the most significant challenges for crew members is getting passengers - namely those excited to go on a vacation - to heed pre-flight safety demonstrations. "They don't want to hear about safety stuff because they feel they're safe," Mannsperger said. "You know, 99.9 per cent [of the time] we are, but ... you've got to stop for a second and pay attention." https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/float-plane-safety-rules-changes-1.4928679 Back to Top European Aviation Safety Agency approves SriLankan Engineering The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has approved SriLankan Engineering to carry out Base Maintenance operations on Airbus A330 aircraft as per EASA Part-145 regulations. SriLankan Engineering is the aircraft Maintenance-Repair-Overhaul (MRO) arm of SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier of Sri Lanka. This certification completes the requirements for SriLankan Engineering to conduct base maintenance operations on the A320, A321 and A330 families of aircraft of all airlines operating to Colombo's Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA). This includes the entire SriLankan Airlines fleet, which is comprised of A320, A321 and A330 aircraft. Earlier this year, EASA certified SriLankan Engineering as an MRO approved for EASA Part-145 Base Maintenance operations for Airbus A320 aircraft. EASA is the aviation regulatory arm of the European Union with authority over airline industry matters, and maintains the highest global standards for airlines to comply with. Vipula Gunatilleka, Group Chief Executive Officer of SriLankan Airlines, said: "SriLankan Engineering is an important department of our airline and this new certification will undoubtedly enhance its capabilities and ability to contribute more actively to the bottom-line of the company." D.A.G.Jayasuriya, Chief Technical Officer of SriLankan Airlines, said: "SriLankan Engineering has undergone a considerable transformation over the past two years to enhance and upgrade its facilities, organizational structure, and professional capabilities. We possessed these certifications for many years, but took a decision to voluntarily suspend the certifications while we carried out our upgrading programme, as it required the full attention of our staff and involved construction activities in some of our hangar facilities that restricted their availability for aircraft related work." A team of auditors from EASA monitored the enhancements and carried out a fullaudit prior to reinstating the certifications.During the period of upgrading, SriLankan continued to hold all necessary certifications of the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL), which is the licensing authority for SriLankan's own fleet. SriLankan also possesses EASA certifications for its Line Maintenance and Engineering Workshops, including type certification of aircraftoperated andEASA certified Part 147 Training. The enhancements included enlargement of the floor area in SriLankan Engineering's Main Hangar to allow more aircraft to be served simultaneously; and enclosing of the Main Hangar with the installation of a new hangar door. Similar enhancements were completed earlier this year on SriLankan Engineering's smaller hangar that is dedicated for A320 aircraft. http://www.dailynews.lk/2018/12/04/business/170212/european-aviation-safety-agency-approves-srilankan-engineering Back to Top Arkia Airlines Of Israel First To Fly Long-Range Airbus A321LR The first Airbus A321LR to enter service with launch customer Arkia Airlines of Israel.AIRBUS Aircraft manufacturers serving the airline industry today seems to have a small business building big aircraft, but a big business building small aircraft. For example, the last passenger version of the Boeing 747 was delivered to Korean Airlines in August 2017. Airbus received just one A380 order in 2018, for 16 aircraft with an option for an additional 20 from Emirates. Meanwhile, several returned-lease A380s are slated for scrapping, Virgin Atlantic formally canceled its order for six A380s, and there are rumblings that Air France will dump half of its ten A380s. Fortunately, the news for both Airbus and Boeing is much better on the smaller side of the aviation spectrum. Each manufacturer has huge backlogs on the fuel-efficient twin-engine, single-aisle planes that both established and start-up airlines crave. Although much of the press on this aircraft class has gone to the Boeing 737 MAX, the new Airbus A321LR is a formidable contender. It offers a remarkable mixture of fuel economy, the ability to pack in 200 or more passengers, and a range of more than 4,000 nautical miles. If deployed in transatlantic service from the US, non-stop flights like Boston to Paris (3,435 miles) are possible, no stop in Iceland necessary. In April, an A321LR test flight covered 4,750 miles, which Airbus claimed as a long-distance record for a single aisle, twin jet aircraft. In mid-November, the Israeli airline Arkia took delivery of the first commercial Airbus A321LR (Long Range) aircraft at a brief ceremony at an Airbus facility in Hamburg, Germany. Launch customer Arkia Israeli Airlines is an interesting buyer in its own right. Founded in 1949 for internal transport within Israel, more recently Arkia has focused on international leisure destinations. The airline is currently owned by the American Jordache company, well-known for its jeans and other clothing products. Surprisingly, Arkia was not the original launch customer for the A321LR. That distinction was supposed to go to Primera to fulfill its transatlantic dreams. However, the "Nordic" carrier ignominiously imploded in October, stranding thousands of passengers and crew. The A321LR is a member of the A321neo family, itself a derivative of the popular A320 line. The A321neo (new engine option) line was launched in 2010. According to Airbus it is "the world's best-selling single-aisle aircraft with over 6,100 orders from 100 customers." Airbus claims that by utilizing a new generation CFM International LEAP-1A engines and an innovative cabin design, the A321LR can deliver up to 20 percent fuel cost savings. An even longer-range version, the A321XLR, is rumored but not confirmed by Airbus. The A321LR is reportedly aimed at replacing the Boeing 757 in various markets, such as the 757-300 Arkia is currently flying. The A321LR is both shorter and lighter than the aging 757, last manufactured in 2004. The Netherlands - August 10, 2015: Arkia - Israeli Airlines Boeing 757-300 taxing on the Polderbaan runway to the main terminal of Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. Photo credit: GettyGETTY From the airline perspective, it's also much easier to fill a relatively small aircraft like the A321LR with passengers than a large craft like the 55- seat Airbus A380 or even the 295-seat Boeing 757-300. The Arkia A321LR fleet, for example, will each have 220 seats in a single class layout. Each seat will reportedly have a 31-inch seat pitch. Arkia's chief executive Nir Dagan told industry publication FlightGlobal "The A321LR is the first time we've found an aircraft that is more efficient than the 757-300. It's one of a kind." Arkia's first A321LR routes will most likely be to Europe. While the entire continent will be in range (Tel Aviv to Moscow, for example, is 1641 miles, or 2641 km) Arkia reportedly plans to use the flexible A321LR for everything from half-hour jaunts to Cyprus to four or five-hour flights to London, Paris, and Spain. Other vacation destinations are in easy range with the aircraft as well, like Zanzibar and Seychelles. Even long flights like Tel Aviv to Nairobi, Kenya, (2307 miles or 3713 km away), or Tel Aviv to Mumbai, India (2524 miles, or 4061 kilometers) are possible with the A321LR. The first A321LR in service may soon be joined by dozens or hundreds more. But just how many is a complicated question, as existing A321neo orders could well be converted to A321LR orders (as Arkia did) before the new aircraft entered production. Airbus says the current backlog on the A321neo line is more than 2,000 aircraft, while there are currently have 110 orders from 10 operators for the A321LR. For now, Arkia seems happy to be putting the first A321LR off the production line to work. As airline CEO Dagan told Flight Global, "We know it is going to be a great aircraft." https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelgoldstein/2018/12/03/arkia-airlines-of-israel-first-to-fly-long-range-airbus-a321lr/#244ddce91e2c Back to Top Expectations, Desires and Realities of Buying an Airplane There are a few lessons to be learned from one aircraft owner's saga. In my fast and sexy Beech Premier, I once saw a groundspeed of 577 knots. The old man was seduced. There is no other way to put it. He was intrigued at first, then tempted, then smitten, and finally, all in. Against all rational thought, he was totally taken by the sexy 18-year-old. That old man was me. "She" was a 2000 Beechcraft Premier 1. In these days of carefulness about anything suggestive of inappropriate behavior, sensitivities about how men and women relate to each other and, God forbid, old-fashioned sex appeal, I am hesitant, no reluctant, actually, to use this metaphor. But it is the closest I can come to describing this past year of aviation adventure for me. There are a few lessons in this saga. I did not invent the term "high maintenance." I was looking for a CitationJet, maybe a CJ1. I had 1,000 hours or so in the CJ3, and the airplane looked like a comfortable fit. Those on the market were more expensive than I thought they should be, but my preconceptions led me comfortably to Cessna. Then I saw some Premiers for sale. The Premier 1s were no more expensive than the CJ1s, yet the airplane was 80 knots faster, didn't burn much more fuel and had a massive ramp presence. I was intrigued when a New Hampshire friend showed me his Premier 1A. It was gorgeous; he loved it, and thereafter, so did I. With the help of a meticulous broker, Mike Shafer, of Mercury Aircraft Sales, I bought 323CM, a beauty with everything: new paint, XM weather, charts and single-point refueling. I was in proverbial heaven. Not all marriages are made in heaven, I have learned. The first sign of trouble came before I even took possession. At closing, I learned that Williams International demanded 150 hours' worth of payment per year for the engine program, not 125. This was more than I had budgeted and more than I could possibly fly. It didn't matter. There were a few other ongoing costs, such as maintenance tracking programs and insurance for the Collins Pro Line 21 avionics - also more than expected. I took a deep breath, looked out the window at this beautiful airplane on the ramp, all shined up and ready, and signed every piece of paper put before me without hesitation. I was marrying the plane of my dreams. The type rating was the next sign of disaster. Rather than simulator training in an established training center, I opted for in-aircraft training. This ends up costing as much or more than the sim and puts time on your airplane. The instructor was all business; no sense of humor was evident. But ground school and in-airplane training seemed to go well. The training company's owner was the designated examiner, and when he finally showed up, he radiated an attitude I hadn't experienced while getting four other type ratings. He flunked me on the first approach, a coupled ILS in a 40-knot crosswind, during which he "failed" an engine. I thought it was totally bogus, but he had the badge and I didn't. I sought another training company and passed easily. Several other pilots subsequently told me that they too had been failed by this examiner - one thought this event had kept him from being hired by Southwest Airlines after a good interview. This left a bad taste; I was not accustomed to failing. On the day I picked the Premier up in Wichita to fly it to New Hampshire, I got a "roll fail, speedbrake fail" warning light. Eight months and $20,000 later the problem was not fixed. For all her speed (I saw a groundspeed at one point of 577 knots) and looks, she had this flaw that could not be cured. I got a sinking feeling every time I climbed through Flight Level 300, wondering when that light was going to come on and force me to read the checklist one more time for the flaps-up, ref+20-knots landing. My wife, Cathy, found this new girlfriend to be intimidating and scary. Not a comfortable flyer, she's been ever supportive of my flying addictions throughout our marriage. I did not want this troubled vixen to come between us. Parts pricing started to startle me. A blow-down actuator, which might have been the culprit for our woes, was going for $36,000. A friend said he couldn't find a pitch-trim actuator until he was willing to pay $50,000. Whoa. This is different from what I had heard while researching this airplane. Talk about the price of good looks. And then one fateful day, five friends and I set out from Tampa, Florida, for New Orleans for a night out. We hit a pelican at 5,000 feet while climbing out at 250 knots. The dent didn't look that big, but a spar had been injured and no fix could be found. Plastic surgery wasn't going to be the answer. I spent a lot of time at Textron Aviation. Though they had tried to fix the roll fail problem, I still owed a lot of money and had no airplane to show for it. Almost four months later, I got a check from our insurance company for the insured value of the airplane. This isn't to say I didn't love her, or that I regret buying her. I met some fabulous Premier owners, saw some great groundspeeds, dealt with and learned from some great maintenance folks in Rockford, Illinois (Emery) and Sacramento, California (Mather) and was especially well treated by Tucker Dieter, of Wenk Aviation Insurance, and Mitch Kallet, of Kern Wooley PC, when it came time to make a claim. Now I'm looking at CJ1s. They cost more than some Premiers. They are like sensible shoes, 80 knots slower and way less impressive on the ramp. For the long haul, a Cessna may just be more my speed. Properly seasoned, a good marriage evolves. If this doesn't work, I'm going back to a Cessna 210. https://www.flyingmag.com/expectations-desires-and-realities-buying-an-airplane Back to Top First commercial flight for aircraft Fiji Airways executive general manager Shaenaz Voss with other crew members in front of the New Boeing 737 MAX 8 at Fiji Airways hanger in Nadi yesterday. Picture: BALJEET SINGH THE Island of Kadavu will make its first commercial flight to Adelaide, Australia, says Fiji Airways Board chairman Rajesh Punja. He said the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was expected to service various routes from Fiji to Australia and New Zealand. "In the next few weeks, Island of Kadavu will be making its first commercial flight, and I'm pleased to confirm that Adelaide will be the first to see this beautiful new aircraft," he said. "It will be followed by flights to Brisbane; a first flight to New Zealand flying to Wellington, followed by Sydney later that week. "In no time, our guests will be able to enjoy this wonderful new aircraft. "Four more MAXs will join the fleet between now and December 2019." He added that the inclusion of the new aircraft was also an indication of the airline's move towards a sustainable future. "Fiji Airways have launched an organisational-wide commitment to reducing waste, water consumption, energy, fuel, and plastics in a bid to be more ecological. "This started with Fiji Link shifting to an on-request water service a few months ago. "You will see more of these changes happen progressively on our international flights." https://www.fijitimes.com/first-commercial-flight-for-aircraft/ Back to Top New IFALPA Website Strengthens the Global Voice of Pilots MONTREAL--(BUSINESS WIRE)--2018 marks the 70th anniversary of the International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations (IFALPA). This is an exciting time for the Federation, an occasion to celebrate a legacy of innovation and achievement, and to advance a guiding vision for the next 70 years. The Federation's Strategic Plan establishes a clear goal to advance its mission and the interests of its Member Associations worldwide. As the plan states, "Improving aviation safety at all levels is a key element of the Federation's Strategy." "Improving aviation safety at all levels is a key element of the Federation's Strategy." The Federation invites you to explore the all-new ifalpa.org. More than just a fresh look, the site offers valuable new features to both the public and Member Associations: A vast library of technical publications laying out decades of IFALPA Positions, crucial safety information, and regional coverage - available to the public, volunteers, and all aviation industry stakeholders and decision makers, Advanced search functions facilitating the exploration of publications by resource topic, publication type, date, or key word, A clear point of contact for media inquiries and archive of IFALPA Press Releases, Mobile responsiveness, so nothing will be missed from a telephone screen, An intuitive design for a beautiful, user-friendly experience across the site. IFALPA's messages are more accessible than ever. The tireless work of IFALPA volunteers and subject matter experts yields crucial reports that have, and will continue to, change the face of aviation safety worldwide. Please visit and explore ifalpa.org. A better website means a stronger Global Voice of Pilots! Note to Editors: The International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations represents more than 100,000 pilots in nearly 100 countries around the globe. The mission of IFALPA is to promote the highest level of aviation safety worldwide and to be the global advocate of the piloting profession; providing representation, services and support to both our members and the aviation industry. Federation website www.ifalpa.org https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181203005744/en/New-IFALPA-Website-Strengthens-Global-Voice-Pilots Back to Top SpaceX launches 64 "smallsats" in record flight Launch & Landing of SpaceX Falcon 9 and SSO-A Mission A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket using a first stage making a record third flight vaulted away from the California coast Monday, boosting 64 small satellites into orbit for a wide variety of government, academic and private-sector users -- including artists -- in a commercial launch chartered by Seattle-based Spaceflight. The Falcon 9's well-traveled first stage returned to Earth and safely landed on an off-shore drone ship -- the "Just Read the Instructions" -- to chalk up SpaceX's 32nd recovery of a spent booster, the first to have flown three times. SpaceX founder Elon Musk says the new "block 5" stages are designed fly dozens of times with minimal refurbishment between launchings, a key element in the company's drive to lower launch costs by recovering and re-flying the Falcon 9's first stage. SpaceX's recovery record now stands at 20 successful drone ship recoveries, 11 on land at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and one at Vandenberg Air Force Base northwest of Los Angeles. Presumably, the latest recovered stage will fly a fourth time, but SpaceX has not yet provided any details. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base Dec. 3, 2018, boosting 64 small satellites into orbit. The rocket's first stage was making its third flight, a new SpaceX record. SPACEX During the 69th International Astronautical Congress in Bremen, Germany, Oct. 3, Hans Koenigsmann, vice president of flight reliability for SpaceX, said multiple reflights will soon be the rule, not the exception. "Beginning soon, we will start flying a booster three times, and then take it to four times, five times, an so on and so forth," he said. "We have obviously to be very careful in evaluating boosters that come back after multiple flights. We want to make sure that we don't see wear and tear in the wrong spots." SpaceX also deployed a second recovery ship, the "Mr. Steven," equipped with a giant net to catch one or both halves of the Falcon 9's protective nose cone fairing. There was no immediate word on whether the fairing recovery was successful. With the Vandenberg launch out of the way, SpaceX engineers at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida made final preparations to launch a brand new Falcon 9 Tuesday to deliver 5,600 pounds of equipment, supplies and science gear to the International Space Station aboard a Dragon cargo ship making SpaceX's 16th operational supply run. Cameras on the Falcon 9 beamed back spectacular views of the California coast dropping away as the rocket climbed toward orbit. SPACEX Earlier Monday, the Russian space agency Roscosmos launched a Soyuz crew ferry ship from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, carrying a veteran cosmonaut, a NASA astronaut and a Canadian flight engineer to the station. It was the first crewed flight of a Soyuz FG booster since a dramatic launch abort Oct. 11. Monday's flight went smoothly and the crew reached the station about an hour before the Falcon 9 blasted off from Vandenberg. Assuming an on-time Dragon launch Tuesday, the station crew will welcome the cargo ship to the lab complex Thursday, using the station's robot arm to pull the spacecraft in for berthing. Monday's Falcon 9 flight got underway at 10:34 a.m. PST when the Falcon 9's nine Merlin first stage engines ignited with a rush of flame and steaming exhaust, pushing the slender 130-foot-tall rocket away from pad 4-East at Vandenberg. Liftoff came five days late, first because of predicted high winds and then an additional day to allow unspecified inspections of the Falcon 9's second stage. But it was clear sailing Monday with an on-time launch and a spectacular southerly climb out of the thick lower atmosphere. The first stage shut down and fall away about two minutes and 24 seconds after liftoff. The single Merlin engine powering the second stage then ignited for a seven-and-a-half minute burn to complete the trip to a 375-mile-high orbit around Earth's poles. The first stage, meanwhile, flipped around and re-ignited three of its engines to slow down for the plunge back into the lower atmosphere. Falling tail first, the booster used four titanium "grid fins" at the top of the rocket to maintain the proper orientation as it fell tail first toward the "Just Read The Instructions" stationed well off the coast of California. As it neared the landing deck, a single engine was restarted, four landing legs deployed and the stage settled to a picture-perfect touchdown on the automated droneship. It will be hauled back to port, offloaded and shipped to SpaceX's Texas flight test facility for inspections and whatever refurbishment might be required. But as always, recovering the first stage was a secondary objective. Two minutes and 15 seconds after launch, the Falcon 9's second stage reached the planned orbit and about four minutes after that, a custom deployer built by Spaceflight began releasing its multiple payloads. Spaceflight booked the Falcon 9 to launch 64 small so-called "smallsats" provided by 34 government and private-sector companies and organizations representing 17 nations, including the U.S. Defense Department, the Earth-observation company Planet, universities and even two art museums. One sponsored a balloon that will inflate in orbit and be visible from the ground while the other reportedly supplied a small sculpture depicting African American test pilot Robert Lawrence, who was selected as an Air Force astronaut in 1967. He was killed in a plane crash six months later. In a split-screen view, the Falcon 9's first stage can be seen standing on the deck of the drone ship "Just Read The instructions" after a pinpoint landing while the rocket's second stage engine is visible to the right, still firing to put the 64-satellite payload into the planned orbit. SPACEX The Falcon 9 purchased by Spaceflight was the first fully dedicated to a smallsat "rideshare" mission using a single rocket to carry dozens of spacecraft to orbit that otherwise might have difficulty finding a ride to space. While the 64 launched Monday was a U.S. record, an Indian PSLV rocket carried 104 spacecraft to orbit earlier this year. A Spacelight statement said the Falcon 9 mission "signifies the company's first dedicated rideshare mission to a sun-synchronous low-Earth orbit. It also represents the company's purchase of an entire Falcon 9 to accommodate the growing number of domestic, international, government and commercial customers seeking affordable rideshare options to launch their spacecraft into orbit." Monday's launching marked SpaceX's 19th flight so far this year and the company's 64th Falcon 9 launch, the 65th counting the February debut of the three-core Falcon Heavy. Thirteen of the flights so far this year used previously flown first stages. Koenisgman said the Falcon 9's first stage, from its nine engines to its propellant tanks and plumbing, was designed with reusability in mind. To make that strategy economically viable, he said, "you've got to have the rocket recovered and reused with minimal refurbishment." "Minimal is probably, in the beginning, more like an inspection and maintenance thing," he said. "But as you go along, there should be less and less, and you should basically learn what you see and improve the rocket at the same time." One major concern is is fatigue. "You've got to watch the life cycle on components," he said. "They vibrate, basically, and you've got to have an eye on fracture control and make sure that you don't have any fractures on those components. That is actually not new. Helicopters do this right now. They are basically vibration machines, and they track, actually, the number of cycles, and they know exactly when they have to go into maintenance or preventive maintenance. "Something similar is what we can do here on the rocket. We can basically record the flight load, and then log this to the history of the part, and we can figure out when the part has to be exchanged, if it actually has to be exchanged. Ideally, you do not want to change parts." Most of the work involved in readying a Falcon 9 first stage for another flight is making sure the rocket's engines are in sound shape. "Most of it is actually parts that are not qualified for the next flight, so we just swap the parts," he said. "It's not actual damage. It's a preventive maintenance kind of thing, where we know this part may fail the next time, so we just don't take the risk and we swap it." There are other issues, but overall "it's actually not that bad. In terms of refurbishment and building a new rocket, it's way cheaper to refurbish." https://www.cbsnews.com/news/spacex-launches-64-smallsats-satellites-in-record-flight/ Register Here Phone: (231)720-0930 (9-6 EST) Curt Lewis