February 7, 2019 - No. 011 In This Issue FAA investigators assessing mechanics' complaints may be interpreting regulations differently, CBS News investigation finds PEMCO Conversions Announces Deal with Chisholm Enterprises for Full Freighter Aircraft Conversion Program Aviation Industry Urges Full Funding for New Workforce Programs Jetworx Expands Mx Work, Facilities at VNY Germania adds to long list of aviation bankruptcies AAR efforts aim to attract the next generation of aviation maintenance technicians Airbus, Helisim Break Ground On Texas Training Center BOSA Launches Thailand-Based MRO Joint Venture Industry Needs Pilots, Mx Techs Now, Says NBAA Chief SpaceX, Boeing (and NASA) Push Back 1st Test Launches of Private Spaceships FAA investigators assessing mechanics' complaints may be interpreting regulations differently, CBS News investigation finds Mechanics' unions are strongly criticizing American and Southwest Airlines after an eight-month CBS News investigation raised questions about the oversight of aircraft maintenance. In interviews with 26 airline mechanics at Southwest and American Airlines, all expressed concerns about undo pressure to cut corners or not write up issues to get planes back in service faster. The claims are consistent with FAA whistleblower complaints and at least 32 anonymous industry-wide reports since 2015. A 2015 FAA whistleblower investigation substantiated allegations that American Airlines managers pressured six Chicago mechanics to "not record discrepancies, take short cuts... or improperly sign off on work which was not actually completed," warning: "it also appears the concerns may be much more prevalent across American's organization." Twenty-one FAA follow-up investigations were launched, relying, in part, on the airline's own internal reviews. Two resulted in letters of correction, reports CBS News correspondent Kris Van Cleave. Gary Santos, an American Airlines mechanic in New York, said he's risking his job by speaking to us on camera. The FAA's role as regulator "Do you feel like the FAA is doing enough in its role as the oversight here to be policing these maintenance issues?" Van Cleave asked Santos. "They're in an unenviable position because they have to both police the airline and promote the airline. The fact that the mechanics can be harassed and it's not considered a regulatory violation - that's a problem," Santos responded. Mechanics can file complaints with their airline, their union or the FAA, but the FAA office investigating whistleblower complaints can only recommend other offices take follow-up action. CBS News has found indications that FAA investigators may be interpreting regulations differently. Complaints to the FAA alleging mechanics were pressured were substantiated -- essentially confirmed -- at American. But when different investigators found similar behavior at Southwest, it was not substantiated despite those investigators noting, "the motivation behind management questioning [mechanics]... when they discover anything outside the scope of a maintenance task...appears as a tool used to influence the relaxing of standards, to look the other way." "Shouldn't the FAA all be on the same page about what the regulations are?" Van Cleave asked former NTSB member John Goglia. "That's the hope," said. "There was efforts 25 years ago to try to get the FAA personnel consistent... there's still inconsistency, even today. The FAA was putting a lot of faith in the safety management systems... of the airlines." U.S. aviation is currently experiencing an unparalleled period of safety, but in the last few years, the FAA changed how it regulates airlines. In 2015 the FAA moved from focusing on enforcement to compliance and relying heavily on the airline's own safety programs to meet FAA standards. Since 2014 the number of enforcement actions against airlines has dropped roughly 70 percent. "Do you think there's a willingness by the FAA to come down hard on an airline?" Van Cleave asked. "The inspectors in the FAA are out there doing their jobs when they can do it, but then you've got the oversight or the control of the top of the FAA, saying we're not going to persecute, we're not going to fine," one mechanic said. American and Southwest are currently in contract negotiations with mechanics. Both said they do not tolerate a hostile work environment and the FAA oversight system is working. "It's important that everybody understand at American if it's not safe, it's not flying," American Airlines senior vice president David Seymour said. "I have the highest confidence in the work that... our mechanics do. And also that any issue that's brought up, any issue, is dealt with appropriately," Southwest Airlines senior director of safety management Dave Hunt said. Several American mechanics agreed to speak on camera but asked we protect their identity for fear of retaliation. "They do retribution against mechanics that find problems," one mechanic told CBS News. "Sooner or later, somebody's not going to see something because yesterday they were intimidated by what a manager or a supervisor might have said to them," another said. The FAA declined our interview request, but in a statement to CBS News said: "The nation's aviation system is safer than ever. Commercial aviation remains the safest form of travel because multiple and redundant levels of safety are built into the system. Safety enforcement is never static. The FAA constantly works to improve consistency, safety data collection, and risk analysis. The U.S. has the largest, most diverse, and most complex airspace system in the world. Oversight is a dynamic process that requires the FAA and the airline industry to constantly strive for safety improvements. We welcome any opportunity to enhance what already is the safest aerospace system in the world. The FAA's enforcement is designed to identify and mitigate potential risks before they affect safety. We investigate all allegations of safety standards violations, regardless of the source. We continue to be involved in investigations related to both American and Southwest Airlines. If those safety allegations are substantiated, we will take swift and appropriate action. We cannot discuss specific details until those investigations are complete." The DOT inspector general is currently investigating the FAA's oversight of maintenance programs at Allegiant, Southwest, and American. The Transport Workers Union (Local 591) and Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association released a joint statement in response to CBS News' report. See Southwest Airline's statement to CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/airline-mechanics-pressured-faa-investigators-interpreting-regulations-differently-cbs-news-investigation/ Back to Top PEMCO Conversions Announces Deal with Chisholm Enterprises for Full Freighter Aircraft Conversion Program FRANKFURT, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PEMCO Conversions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Airborne Maintenance and Engineering Services, has announced a Boeing 737-700 Next Generation aircraft Passenger-to-Full Freighter conversion program. Chisholm Enterprises will be the launch customer. "We're excited to work with Chisholm Enterprises to develop the Full Freighter conversion," said Mike Andrews, Director, Conversion Programs for PEMCO Conversions. "As we developed the B737-700 FlexCombi conversion, our understanding of their requirements grew, allowing us to implement comprehensive solutions that enhanced our vision of the B737-700 Full Freighter, making Chisholm the ideal launch customer for this conversion." Chisholm Enterprises is an internationally recognized provider of tailored aviation and business solutions in the Middle East. Its subsidiary, Texel Air, a non-scheduled cargo airline and maintenance repair organization, intends to operate the B737-700F from Bahrain International Airport. "Over the past 10 years, we have partnered with PEMCO to successfully deliver numerous aircraft designed specifically to meet our unique business requirements, the FlexCombi being one such example. With their proven expertise and insight into our business, they were our natural first choice service provider for the addition of a Next Generation (NG) Full Freighter to our fleet," shared Chisholm Enterprises CEO George Chisholm. "We are excited to work with PEMCO again and to see our NG fleet grow to support Texel Air's expanding operations in Bahrain." PEMCO Conversions will induct a B737-700 for Full Freighter modification at its headquarters in Tampa, Florida during the second quarter of 2019. The company will amend its pending application with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration for the B737-700FC supplemental type certification (STC) to accommodate the full freighter conversion, streamlining the approval process. After initial FAA approval, PEMCO Conversions plans to certify both B737-700 conversion programs with the European Aviation Safety Agency and the Civil Aviation Administration of China. The Full Freighter will be the second Next Generation conversion for the PEMCO Conversions team. The first was the B737-700 FlexCombi™ in 2018 (STC pending), which offers three flexible configurations. The Full Freighter maximizes freight capacity with a main deck designed for 45,000 pounds of payload and 3,844 cubic feet of total volume, and offering nine (9) pallet positions accommodating 88" x 125" or 88" x 108" pallets. Brady Templeton, President, Airborne Maintenance and Engineering Services, said: "Building relationships with our customers and understanding their needs is the driving force behind our innovation and STC development. In this case, we are designing a great product, at a sensible price, based on knowledge developed as the market leader in the B737 passenger to freighter conversion market. The response and interest in our FlexCombi positioned us to deliver an additional model to satisfy demand in the narrowbody conversion market." About PEMCO Conversions PEMCO Conversions, a division of Pemco World Air Services, serves customers from airlines to private operators. They have developed over 70 STCs and modified over 350 aircraft plus have conversion partnerships in China, Costa Rica and Canada. Their cargo conversion program is the global leader in narrow-body passenger-to-freighter aircraft conversions. Pemco World Air Services and Airborne Maintenance and Engineering Services, wholly-owned subsidiaries of Air Transport Services Group (NASDAQ:ATSG) and separately certified repair stations, offer 320,000 sq. ft. of hangar space in Tampa, Florida and 315,000 sq. ft. of hangar space in Wilmington, Ohio, providing a range of services to the aviation sector including: heavy maintenance, line maintenance, cargo conversions, engineering services, material sales and manufacturing. For more information, please visit PEMCOAIR.com or AIRBORNEMX.com. About Air Transport Services Group ATSG is a leading provider of aircraft leasing and air cargo transportation and related services to domestic and foreign air carriers and other companies that outsource their air cargo lift requirements. ATSG, through its leasing and airline subsidiaries, is the world's largest owner and operator of converted Boeing 767 freighter aircraft. Through its principal subsidiaries, including three airlines with separate and distinct U.S. FAA Part 121 Air Carrier certificates, ATSG provides aircraft leasing, air cargo lift, passenger ACMI and charter services, aircraft maintenance services and airport ground services. ATSG's subsidiaries include ABX Air, Inc.; Airborne Global Solutions, Inc.; Air Transport International, Inc.; Cargo Aircraft Management, Inc.; Omni Air International, LLC; and Airborne Maintenance and Engineering Services, Inc., including its subsidiary, Pemco World Air Services, Inc. For more information, please see www.atsginc.com. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190206005086/en/PEMCO-Conversions-Announces-Deal-Chisholm-Enterprises-Full Back to Top Aviation Industry Urges Full Funding for New Workforce Programs More than three dozen organizations representing a cross section of the aviation industry are urging the Trump administration to make aerospace workforce development a priority in the president's 2020 budget. In a letter sent to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney on Feb. 5, the coalition of 40 associations and unions urged the administration to seek full funding for the aviation technician and pilot recruitment and education programs created by Sec. 625 of last year's Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization law. The coalition - which includes organizations representing airlines, maintainers, manufacturers, general aviation, airports, mechanics, pilots and communities with prominent aviation sectors - cited numerous studies pointing to a severe shortage of pilots and aviation technical workers to support maintenance. Boeing, for example, projects that in North America alone, 206,000 new pilots and 189,000 new technicians will be needed over the next two decades. The shortage of pilots and technicians threatens to undermine the growth and competitiveness of one of the most important sectors of the U.S. economy, the letter said. The organizations are asking the administration to request Congress appropriate the full $5 million authorized for each of the two new grant programs, which are designed to facilitate collaboration between schools, state and local government entities, businesses and labor organizations to attract and educate technicians and pilots. Under the new law, aviation technical workforce grants could be used for scholarships, apprenticeships, establishing new training programs, purchasing equipment for schools and supporting career transition for members of the armed forces. The new grant program for pilot education would support the creation and delivery of curriculum designed to provide high school students with meaningful science, technology, engineering, math and aviation education. The letter was coordinated by ARSA and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and was signed by the following additional organizations: Aerospace Industries Association Aerospace Maintenance Council Aircraft Electronics Association Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association Airlines for America Air Medical Operators Association Airports Council International - North America Allied Pilots Association American Association of Airport Executives Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International Aviation Council of Pennsylvania Aviation Suppliers Association Aviation Technician Education Council Cargo Airline Association Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations Experimental Aircraft Association Flight School Association of North America General Aviation Manufacturers Association Greater Miami Aviation Association Helicopter Association International International Air Transport Association International Brotherhood of Teamsters International Council of Air Shows Modification and Replacement Parts Association National Agricultural Aviation Association National Air Carrier Association National Air Transportation Association National Association of State Aviation Officials National Business Aviation Association National League of Cities NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots Professional Aviation Maintenance Association Recreational Aviation Foundation Regional Air Cargo Carriers Association Regional Airline Association South Florida Aviation Maintenance Council Veterans Airlift Command Westchester Aircraft Maintenance Association https://www.aviationpros.com/education-training/trade-associations-events/press-release/21060179/aeronautical-repair-station-association-arsa-aviation-industry-urges-full-funding-for-new-workforce-programs Back to Top Jetworx Expands Mx Work, Facilities at VNY California-based Jetworx has added maintenance capabilities to its FAA Part 145 repair station certificate and relocated to a new facility at Van Nuys Airport (VNY) with plans for further expansion this year. "We have continued to invest heavily in new tooling and equipment as well as several new strategic hires with incredibly strong maintenance and avionics experience so that we may better serve the private aviation community," said Jetworx general manager Louis DeLorio. Specifically, the company has added Embraer EMB 135-including Legacy 600 and 650-and Gulfstream GIV-X and G450 twinjets to its FAA Part 145 repair station certificate, as well as Hamilton Sundstrand T-62T-40 Series APUs. It also has added limited instrument and radio ratings as it broadens its airframe maintenance capabilities to cover avionics troubleshooting, testing, and repair, including FAR 91.411 and 91.413/RVSM recertifications. Jetworx added technicians and made other key personnel hires to accommodate the additional work. The seven-year-old maintenance provider also relocated to a new 55,000-sq-ft hangar at the northwest corner of the airport and plans further expansion in an adjoining hangar some time this year. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2019-02-06/jetworx-expands-mx-work-facilities-vny Back to Top Germania adds to long list of aviation bankruptcies The long list of aviation bankruptcies in the European low-cost airline market grew on Tuesday as Berlin-based Germania ceased operations. The company collapsed as it was unable to secure financing to fund itself after a difficult year that included high fuel prices and unexpected aircraft maintenance. Karsten Balke, Germania's chief executive, said: "We very much regret that, consequently, our only option was to file for insolvency." Germania is one of a rapidly growing list of European airlines to fail in the past two years. In 2017, three large European carriers went bankrupt in quick succession: Monarch in the UK, Air Berlin, and Alitalia. Then, last autumn, a number of smaller airlines failed: Latvia-based Primera Air, Cobalt Air of Cyprus, Germany's Azur Air, Lithuania's Small Planet Airlines and the Swiss SkyWork. The failures have led to a wave of consolidation. On Monday, Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary warned that the European airline industry faced more consolidation and bankruptcies as his Irish-based group recorded its first quarterly loss in five years. Germania, which has 37 planes and flew 4m passengers last year, had announced in January that "unforeseeable events", such as 2018's rise in fuel prices and the euro weakening against the dollar, had been "major burdens". Founded in 1986 by Hinrich Bischoff, it was sold to a private owner in 2014. The company's Swiss and Bulgarian subsidiaries were not affected by the bankruptcy, it said. The news came after underwhelming results from Europe's largest low-cost carriers, with Ryanair on Monday reporting a "disappointing" €22m loss for the third quarter, its first loss since 2014. In its first-quarter trading update two weeks ago, easyJet said revenue per seat at constant currencies, for the six months to the end of March, was now expected to fall by "mid to high single digits", compared with an earlier forecast of a low to mid-single digits fall. Pre-tax profits at Wizz fell 90 per cent to €1.8m in the three months to December against €14.6m the year before. And Norwegian announced an emergency multibillion rights issue last week as worries increased about the low-cost carrier's finances. Although each company has its own difficulties, they are all facing downward pressures on seat prices as capacity in the European low-cost sector expands. In the final quarter of 2018, capacity at Europe's low-cost carriers - as measured by the number of seats - grew 11 per cent, according to analysis by Barclays, even after many airlines had trimmed their growth. At Ryanair, the average fare fell 6 per cent to less than €30 as a flood of seats depressed prices. Another problem has been rising fuel costs. The price of a barrel of jet fuel peaked at $86 in early October, having been on the rise since early 2016, when it was below $30. Some airlines were unable to hedge their exposure to fuel, as in the case of Germania, while Ryanair's hedging - at too high a level - was "poor", according to Andrew Lobbenberg, analyst at HSBC. However, among the airlines that failed, there were two common themes, said Alex Paterson, analyst at Investec. First, airlines including Air Berlin, Monarch and Germania "were charter airlines which have been trying to reinvent themselves as scheduled airlines - and have not been successful". Second, some of the bankruptcies were of younger airlines, which did not have sufficient scale to achieve low unit costs or enough capital to see them through. https://www.ft.com/content/c92e45de-295c-11e9-a5ab-ff8ef2b976c7 Back to Top AAR efforts aim to attract the next generation of aviation maintenance technicians AAR has released a new report, EAGLE Pathways: Bridging the Middle-Skills Gap to Careers in Aviation, exploring ways to boost the number of aircraft maintenance technicians and repair personnel entering the industry. The report cites research that estimates demand for 189,000 new AMTs in North America through 2037. The number of AMTs nearing retirement is 30% while new hires represent just 2%. AAR says the way forward is through public-private partnerships, targeted recruitment and career pathways that are designed using stackable credentials toward advancement. The report calls for recruiting to focus on the estimated 6.5 million discouraged or underemployed US workers, military veterans and underrepresented groups including women, African Americans and Latinos. Another target is students who favor a less expensive two-year degree or industry skills certifications as a pathway to a good job. AAR has been working across the USA to build partnerships with cities, states and schools to grow the pipeline. For example, since October 2018, AAR has introduced the EAGLE Career Pathway program at colleges in Kalamazoo, Michigan; Chicago and Rockford, Illinois, and Duluth, Minnesota. On January 31, 2019, AAR and Indiana's Vincennes University announced an expansion of its training partnership under the program. Students will be able to earn stackable credentials that lead to several careers at AAR. They'll experience job shadowing and mentoring and get academic support. Those who pursue their FAA aircraft mechanics certificate are eligible for up to US$15,000 in tuition reimbursements from AAR. "One of our top priorities is to increase training and job prospects not just for AAR but across the aviation industry," said John Holmes, president and CEO at AAR. "We believe more people will choose aviation if they are aware of the training opportunities and the favorable job prospects in this exciting industry." The report also cites the industry's success at lobbying for updates to FAA training protocols and bipartisan support, led by Senator Jim Inhofe, for provisions aimed at growing the aviation workforce included in the FAA Reauthorization Bill passed by Congress in October 2018. "The aviation maintenance industry offers high-paying jobs all across the nation to workers with the right skills," said Inhofe. "The programs I authored in the FAA Reauthorization last year will help develop innovative ways to recruit and educate the next generation of America's aviation workforce. I appreciate efforts by all stakeholders to invest in their workforce and look forward to AAR expanding these efforts to other cities where they maintain a strong presence." https://www.businessjetinteriorsinternational.com/news/recruitment-training/aar-efforts-aim-to-attract-the-next-generation-of-aviation-maintenance-technicians.html Back to Top Airbus, Helisim Break Ground On Texas Training Center Airbus Helicopters and Helisim broke ground Tuesday on a $40 million, 23,000-sq-ft helicopter pilot and maintenance crew training center in Grand Prairie, Texas. Helisim is a joint venture of Thales and Airbus Helicopters. Christian Cochini, Helisim's CEO, said the new facility will "be able to provide unparalleled training solutions to North American customers." The center will house new Thales Reality H level-D full-motion flight simulators for the Airbus H145 and H175 twin-engine helicopters. It will also incorporate Airbus Helicopters' existing training facility-including its H125/AS350 full-flight simulator and H135/H145 training device-and eventually include the simulator for the new H160 twin once that helicopter is certified and put into production. "This training center will advance safety for the thousands of men and women who operate and fly in our helicopters every day," said Anthony Baker, vice president of customer support for Airbus Helicopters. Airbus expects the new center to bring several thousand pilots and maintenance personnel to Grand Prairie every year, sometimes for two weeks or more. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/general-aviation/2019-02-05/airbus-helisim-break-ground-texas-training-center Back to Top BOSA Launches Thailand-Based MRO Joint Venture BOSA has just launched its first business in the Asia-Pacific region under the Royal Thai Government's Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) initiative. BOSA-Thayaan Aircraft Service (BTAS), a joint venture (JV) between BOSA and Thailand-based Thayaan Aviation Consultants Group, will commence line maintenance operations at U-Tapao Airport (UTP). The EEC initiative is seeking to create a "Thailand 4.0" through investment incentives in 10 key sectors, including aerospace. The goal for "EEC Aeropolis" is to build a regional aerospace hub anchored by UTP that includes facilities for MRO, cargo logistics, manufacturing and aviation training. One such MRO facility will be a JV between Airbus and Thai Airways International, which is hoping to be operational by Q1 2020. BTAS was officially approved for EEC incentives to conduct operations in September 2018 after 14 months of negotiations with the Thai government. According to a spokesperson for BOSA, the company decided to pursue the JV after learningabout the EEC's development plans for the Thai region and receiving positive feedback. The JV, which offers capabilities such as A checks, ETOPS and night stops, can perform line maintenance on nearly all aircraft types aside from the Airbus A350 and A380. Currently, there are eight workers employed at BTAS and the company says it is working on growth and expansion of operations at UTP. BTAS holds Part 145 maintenance certifications from BCAA (Bermuda), EASA (Europe), FAA (U.S.), GCAA (United Arab Emirates), QCAA (Qatar) and TCCA (Canada). According to the company's spokesperson, BTAS is targeting non-Thai airlines operating in the region that are looking for the accreditations it offers. "Our launch customer was TUI Airways, and since the launch we have had a lot of engagement and are currently in discussions with other airlines in the region," he adds. In addition to its growth at UTP, BTAS is looking at expanding MRO operations within Thailand and Southeast Asia. The company is currently in negotiations with an unnamed regional airport authority to bring its line maintenance capabilities to the location in the near future. https://www.mro-network.com/maintenance-repair-overhaul/bosa-launches-thailand-based-mro-joint-venture Back to Top Industry Needs Pilots, Mx Techs Now, Says NBAA Chief With the ATC privatization fight now in the rearview mirror, NBAA plans to focus this year on business aviation's acute workforce shortage, association president and CEO Ed Bolen said this morning at the NBAA Regional Forum in West Palm Beach, Florida. "Our industry is growing, but there are bottlenecks; there is a shortage of pilots and maintenance technicians, and we need them now!" Due to this urgency, NBAA is targeting college students since they will be entering the workforce in the near term, while "still keeping the people we have" in the industry, according to Bolen. "But the challenge in attracting new people is how do we make an industry that has purposely flown under the radar more publicly known and accessible?" On this front, NBAA is using lessons learned from the ATC battle, namely tapping into the industry's grassroots to find what's working and best practices, and then packaging that at the national level to redeploy for use at local levels. "We need to share who we are as an industry to young people, much like we've done with politicians in the past," Bolen emphasized. He also said business aviation's attributes align well with millennials' desires. "Today's college students want experiences-see the world, meet new people-love technology, want to give back and have a higher purpose, have an opportunity for lifelong learning, and want to be part of a community," Bolen noted. "Business aviation offers all of this and more." To promote business aviation as a career choice to young people, NBAA is providing tools for classrooms and fostering career days, as well as reaching out to the community on internships, mentorships, and best practices, Bolen said. He also noted that 250 students are being brought into today's regional forum to see the 30 aircraft on static display and interact with the more than 150 exhibitors. "We as an industry need to capture young people looking for a career and an opportunity to lead," concluded Bolen. "We want them to come back to this regional forum in 10 years and say someone brought them into this industry." https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2019-02-06/industry-needs-pilots-mx-techs-now-says-nbaa-chief Back to Top SpaceX, Boeing (and NASA) Push Back 1st Test Launches of Private Spaceships SpaceX's new astronaut taxi won't make its inaugural trip to the International Space Station (ISS) this month after all. SpaceX and Boeing are developing commercial space capsules - calledCrew Dragon and CST-100 Starliner, respectively - to carry NASA astronauts to and from the orbiting lab. SpaceX had been targeting Feb. 23 for Crew Dragon's shakeout cruise to the ISS, an uncrewed flight called Demo-1. Starliner was scheduled to perform a similar mission in March. But launch dates for both flights have just been pushed to the right, NASA announced today (Feb. 6). "The agency now is targeting March 2 for launch of SpaceX's Crew Dragon on its uncrewed Demo-1 test flight. Boeing's uncrewed Orbital Flight Test is targeted for launch no earlier than April," NASA officials wrote in the status update. "These adjustments allow for completion of necessary hardware testing, data verification, remaining NASA and provider reviews, as well as training of flight controllers and mission managers," they added. The next big box to check after these demonstration flights will be tests of the private vehicles' emergency escape systems, which would get the capsules away from danger if a problem arose during launch. Boeing plans to run this test in May, and SpaceX will perform its version in June. Then will come huge milestones - crewed test flights to the ISS. Astronauts haven't launched to orbit from American soil since July 2011, when NASA retired its space shuttle fleet. Since then, the space agency has been dependent on Russian Soyuz rockets and spacecraft to perform this taxi service. "These adjustments allow for completion of necessary hardware testing, data verification, remaining NASA and provider reviews, as well as training of flight controllers and mission managers," they added. The next big box to check after these demonstration flights will be tests of the private vehicles' emergency escape systems, which would get the capsules away from danger if a problem arose during launch. Boeing plans to run this test in May, and SpaceX will perform its version in June. Then will come huge milestones - crewed test flights to the ISS. Astronauts haven't launched to orbit from American soil since July 2011, when NASA retired its space shuttle fleet. Since then, the space agency has been dependent on Russian Soyuz rockets and spacecraft to perform this taxi service. https://www.space.com/43250-spacex-boeing-commercial-crew-test-launches-delayed.html Curt Lewis