Flight Safety Information March 8, 2019 - No. 050 In This Issue Incident: LATAM Brasil A320 at Brasilia on Mar 7th 2019, bird strike Incident: Easyjet A320 at Glasgow on Mar 7th 2019, suspected hydraulic leak Incident: GoAir A20N near Lucknow on Mar 7th 2019, engine shut down in flight Incident: LATAM Cargo Brasil B763 at Sao Paulo on Mar 1st 2019, flaps panel stayed home CAL aircraft damaged while taxiing Airbus A320 - Engine malfunction - Diversion (India) Bombardier Learjet 35A - Runway Excursion (Argentina) Boeing 737-37Q -...suffered a shimmy damper failure on landing (Bolivia) American Airlines takes jets out of service, cancels flights due to overhead bin problem NTSB: Pilot averted disaster in U-M plane mishap Seattle law firm sues Boeing for deadly Lion Air crash NTSB Still Analyzing Recorders from Houston Cargo Plane Crash Customs officer shoots his hand in Vegas airport locker area Vietnam lacks aviation safety inspectors Kuwait to send students to Britain for aviation training United fires 35 employees accused of abusing family travel perks Boeing 797 Jet Is 'Full Speed Ahead,' Air Lease Says, As Dow Giant Plays It Cool China's space station gets the green light in surprise announcement Angle of Attack - Book Aviation Innovations Conference: Cargo Airships...March 14 - 15, 2019...Toronto, Canada ISASI-Mid-Atlantic Regional Chapter (MARC) Dinner/Meeting--2 May 2019 ISASI 2019 - Call For Papers Incident: LATAM Brasil A320 at Brasilia on Mar 7th 2019, bird strike A LATAM Brasil Airbus A320-200, registration PR-MYX performing flight JJ-3711 from Brasilia,DF to Sao Paulo Congonhas,SP (Brazil), was climbing out of Brasilia's runway 11R when the left hand engine (CFM56) ingested a number of birds prompting the crew to level off at 7000 feet and return to Brasilia. The crew indicated they expected a normal landing though above maximum landing weight and performed a safe landing on runway 11R about 25 minutes after departure. Maintenance inspected the left hand engine after landing back. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Brasilia about 14 hours after landing back. The airline reported the engine had indeed ingested a bird. A replacement A320-200 registration PR-MYV reached Congonhas with a delay of 2 hours. http://avherald.com/h?article=4c51a930&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Easyjet A320 at Glasgow on Mar 7th 2019, suspected hydraulic leak An Easyjet Airbus A320-200, registration G-EZUO performing flight U2-464 from Glasgow,SC to Belfast Aldergrove,NI (UK), was climbing out of Glasgow's runway 05 when the crew stopped the climb at FL160 after being told by ATC, that hydraulic fluid had been found on the taxiway. The aircraft returned to Glasgow for a safe landing on runway 05 about 30 minutes after departure. Emergency services inspected the aircraft, however, found no trace of a leak. Later, while the aircraft taxied to the apron, the crew advised of smoke on board of the aircraft. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Glasgow about 9 hours after landing back. http://avherald.com/h?article=4c51a57b&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: GoAir A20N near Lucknow on Mar 7th 2019, engine shut down in flight An GoAir Airbus A320-200N, registration VT-WGT performing flight G8-150 from Patna to Delhi (India) with 128 passengers, was enroute at FL380 about 30nm eastsoutheast of Lucknow (India) when the crew received indication of a malfunction of the left hand engine (PW1127), shut the engine down and diverted to Lucknow for a safe landing on runway 27 about 30 minutes after leaving FL380. The airline reported the aircraft diverted to Lucknow due to a "technical snag". Alternate arrangements were made for the 128 passengers. http://avherald.com/h?article=4c51a3ed&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: LATAM Cargo Brasil B763 at Sao Paulo on Mar 1st 2019, flaps panel stayed home A LATAM Cargo Brasil Boeing 767-300, registration PR-ABD performing flight M3-8460 from Sao Paulo Viracopos,SP to Manaus,AM (Brazil), departed Viracopos' runway 33. While climbing to cruise level the crew was informed the crew of another aircraft had observed something falling off the aircraft during the takeoff run. The crew continued the flight to Manaus for a safe landing. Brazil's CENIPA reported a post flight inspection revealed an upper skin panel of the left hand outboard trailing edge flap was missing. The occurrence was rated an incident, no investigation has been opened. http://avherald.com/h?article=4c51888d&opt=0 Back to Top CAL aircraft damaged while taxiing A Caribbean Airlines aircraft hit a wall at Piarco Airport last night while the aircraft was being sent to the maintenance area, Newsday Tobago was told by an eyewitness. The aircraft was empty and no one on the ground was injured, but the plane's nose was badly damaged. A witness who wished to remain anonymous said the incident occurred around 10.30pm. "It was maintenance that ran the aircraft into the building wall near the baggage makeup area, hitting an Airport Authority sign. It looked like maintenance was taking the aircraft into the hanger. What we saw is the aircraft lost power, the propeller cut off immediately and the aircraft started to drift on the runway and it seemed like they weren't getting brakes." CAL said in a release at about 11.15 last night a plane was being taxied from the ramp to a hangar when it crashed into a wall of the terminal building. The plane was not in service, meaning there were no passengers aboard, and no employee of CAL was injured. CAL said the extent of damage to the plane is being assessed and the plane is out of service. Investigations are in progress and the airline said to assure all stakeholders that the airbridge will operate as usual. https://newsday.co.tt/2019/03/07/cal-aircraft-damaged-while-taxiing/ Back to Top Airbus A320 - Engine malfunction - Diversion (India) Date: 07-MAR-2019 Time: c. 12:15 UTC Type: Airbus A320-271N Owner/operator: GoAir Registration: VT-WGT C/n / msn: 8382 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 128 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Unknown Location: near Lucknow - India Phase: En route Nature: Domestic Non Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Patna Airport (PAT/VEPT) Destination airport: Delhi-Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL/VIDP) Narrative: GoAir flight G8150, an Airbus A320neo suffered a no.2 engine (PW1127G) malfunction and diverted to Lucknow, India. The aircraft was en route between Patna and Delhi at FL380 when the crew decided to divert. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=222703 Back to Top Bombardier Learjet 35A - Runway Excursion (Argentina) Date: 07-MAR-2019 Time: 19:30 LT Type: Bombardier Learjet 35A Owner/operator: Baires Fly Registration: LV-BNR C/n / msn: 35A-373 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Unknown Location: Aeroparque Jorge Newbery (CABA) - Argentina Phase: Landing Nature: Ambulance Departure airport: Destination airport: Aeroparque Jorge Newbery (CABA) Narrative: The plane made an runway excursion under unknown circumstances, 2 pilots and one paramedic were on board. They were not injured. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=222726 Back to Top Boeing 737-37Q - suffered a shimmy damper failure on landing (Bolivia) Date: 07-MAR-2019 Time: Type: Boeing 737-37Q Owner/operator: Boliviana de Aviación (BoA) Registration: CP-3020 C/n / msn: 28537/2904 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Unknown Location: La Paz-El Alto Airport (LPB/SLLP) - Bolivia Phase: Landing Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Cochabamba-J Wilsterman Airport (CBB/SLCB) Destination airport: La Paz-El Alto Airport (LPB/SLLP) Narrative: Boliviana de Aviación flight OB614, a Boeing 737-300, suffered a shimmy damper failure on landing at La Paz Airport, Bolivia, causing vibrations of the left-hand main undercarriage. The aircraft was disabled on the runway and all passengers had to deplane on the runway using airstairs. ARFF services had meanwhile sprayed the undercarriage with foam. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=222732 Back to Top American Airlines takes jets out of service, cancels flights due to overhead bin problem * American Airlines says it took 14 jets out of service due to an issue with newly installed overhead bins. * The Boeing 737-800 planes were recently remodeled to include more seats and bigger overhead bins. * The carrier has more than 300 737-800s in its fleet. An American Airlines Inc. Boeing Co. 737-800 plane is displayed during an event at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Fort Worth, Texas. American Airlines has taken more than a dozen of its Boeing 737 jets out of service after some newly installed overhead bins wouldn't close, leading the airline to cancel about 40 flights. American is in the process of remodeling the interiors of its Boeing 737-800 planes to add more seats as well as bigger overhead bins and electrical outlets at each seat, a plan known as "Project Oasis." The airline is one of several carriers adding more seats to planes in order to increase revenue for each flight. American flies 304 Boeing 737-800s and said it found "an issue with the quality of work conducted on overhead bins on two of these Boeing 737-800 aircraft," which it said was installed by a third- party vendor that is licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration. Under federal rules, the doors to overhead bins must be closed before the plane can depart. Other problems such as loose bolts were detected after the overhead bin issue arose, said Gary Schaible, president of Transport Workers Union Local 591, which represents about 4,800 American Airlines mechanics. "It's the definition of shoddy work," said Schaible, who added that the new work was done by Everett, Washington-based Aviation Technical Services. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. American Airlines CEO: Demand for air travel strong globally, domestically American Airlines CEO: Demand for air travel strong globally, domestically 14 Hours Ago | 03:08 The work on two aircraft "was not up to our standards," American said in a statement. The airline said it took 12 more of these jets out of service "out of an abundance of caution" to evaluate the recently completed work. So far, American has remodeled close to 70 of the 304 Boeing 737-800s it has in operation, spokesman Ross Feinstein said. "Though the issue did not impact the safety of flight of these aircraft, we are working with our vendor and the FAA to immediately address this issue," American said. The FAA is in contact with American and monitoring the issue, said spokesman Gregory Martin. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/07/american-airlines-overhead-bins-leads-to-flight- cancelations.html?__source=yahoo%7Cfinance%7Cheadline%7Cstory%7C&par=yahoo&yptr=yahoo Back to Top NTSB: Pilot averted disaster in U-M plane mishap A plane carrying the University of Michigan basketball team in 2017 had already reached the critical speed at which pilots could no longer stop it on the runway. The captain abandoned the takeoff anyway, surprising the pilot in the next seat. The plane hurtled 950 feet past the end of the runway, tore through a chain-link fence and crossed a paved road before stopping. The captain's last-second decision to abort the takeoff in the incident might have prevented a disaster, safety officials said Thursday. "These two pilots did everything right after things started to go very wrong," said Robert Sumwalt, the chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board. In its report on the accident in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan, the board determined that a jammed part prevented pilots from tilting the nose of their MD-83 jet upward during takeoff. The pilots, however, had no way of knowing that until they were speeding down the runway at 158 mph, the board concluded. Investigators for the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday that a jammed part prevented pilots from tilting the nose of their MD-83 jet carrying the University of Michigan basketball team upward during takeoff. Melanie Maxwell/The Ann Arbor News via AP The 110 passengers and six crew members used emergency chutes to escape, although one slide failed to inflate. One passenger suffered minor injuries. The plane, operated by Ameristar Charters, was heavily damaged. After the accident, the pilots faced criticism for aborting the takeoff after the plane reached the speed at which pilots must commit to take off -- or almost certainly overshoot the runway even with heavy braking. The captain, Mark Radloff, told investigators that when he tried to tilt the plane upward it felt heavy, as if there were a stack of bricks on the nose. "This thing is not flying," Radloff said to Andreas Gruseus, who was instructing Radloff on the plane. Radloff saw a chain-link fence in the distance and didn't think the plane could clear it. "Abort, abort, abort," he called out. Later, Gruseus told Radloff he wasn't supposed to abandon the takeoff at such a high speed. "I know, but I had nothing, I had absolutely nothing to get the nose up," he said. Ameristar said the NTSB's 134-page report vindicated Radloff's decision. "With a different pilot on this airplane, there might have been people hurt or even killed," Ameristar vice president Stacy Muth said in an interview. "All we lost was the airplane." The NTSB said the plane was properly maintained, but components in an elevator -- a part that pilots adjust to change the pitch or nose direction -- jammed because the plane was parked outside a hangar for two days during windy weather. The board recommended that aircraft maker Boeing modify DC-9 and MD-80-series jets to prevent ground wind from causing elevator components to jam. Investigators also said Boeing should develop procedures to help pilots check for jammed elevators before takeoff. The Ameristar pilots would have needed a boom or to climb on the plane's tail to inspect the parts. Boeing declined to comment. The Willow Run Airport, about 30 miles west of Detroit and used mostly for charters and private planes, added a 1,000-foot (300-meter) runoff area during work from 2006 to 2009. The NTSB said the safety feature, which it recommended and the Federal Aviation Administration promoted at many airports, probably prevented a worse outcome for the incident on March 8, 2017. http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/26171664/pilot-averted-disaster-u-m- plane-mishap Back to Top Seattle law firm sues Boeing for deadly Lion Air crash SEATTLE -- A Seattle law firm has filed a lawsuit against Boeing, alleging that the company's faulty equipment and failure to inform pilots about the dangers of a new automated system led to the Lion Air crash in Indonesia that killed 189 people. The Herrmann Law Group is representing the families of 17 victims, according to a news release from the law firm. The plane, a new Boeing 737 MAX 8, was carrying 181 passengers, six cabin crew members and two pilots. It was heading for Pangkal Pinang on the island of Bangka when it crashed on Oct. 29, killing all 189 people on board. A preliminary report into the crash released by Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee in November found that the Lion Air pilots engaged in a futile tug-of-war with the plane's automatic systems after taking off. Data retrieved from the flight recorder showed the pilots repeatedly fought to override an automatic safety system installed in the Boeing 737 MAX 8 plane that pulled the plane's nose down more than two dozen times. About 12 minutes after take-off, the plane went into a steep dive, crashing into the ocean 45 seconds later at 500 mph, according to the Herrmann Law Group. "Boeing did not include any mention of the new system in the Aircraft Flight Manual, which pilots rely upon. Further, the system activates automatically with no notice given to the pilot," the news release states. According to the preliminary report, a different flight crew experienced the same issue on a flight from Denpasar to Jakarta the previous day. However, that crew turned off the automatic safety feature, known as the maneuvering characteristics augmentation system (MCAS), and took manual control of the plane. The feature is new to Boeing's MAX planes and automatically activates to lower the nose to prevent the plane from stalling, based on information sent from its external sensors. Indonesian investigators have already pointed to issues with the plane's angle-of-attack (AoA) sensors, which had proved faulty on earlier flights. The lawsuit also targets the Federal Aviation Administration. Attorneys maintain that the FAA is partially responsible for the crash because it certified Boeing's Air Flight Manual without requiring adequate instruction and training on the new system. Canadian and Brazilian authorities did require additional training. "Years of experience representing hundreds of victims has revealed a common thread through most air disaster cases," said Charles Herrmann, the principal of Herrmann Law. "Generating profit in a fiercely competitive market too often involves cutting safety measures. In this case, Boeing cut training and completely eliminated instructions and warnings on a new system. Pilots didn't even know it existed. I can't blame so many pilots for being mad as hell." Former Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Lindquist, who joined the Herrmann Law Group in January, is working on the case with Herrmann. They met with victim families in Indonesia earlier this year. More family members are expected to join the lawsuit. "These families are heartbroken. They deserve vigorous representation," said Lindquist. "As a prosecutor for 23 years, I was committed to justice, accountability, and helping people. That's my focus in this case as well." https://q13fox.com/2019/03/07/seattle-law-firm-sues-boeing-for-deadly-lion-air-crash/ Back to Top NTSB Still Analyzing Recorders from Houston Cargo Plane Crash The agency reported the airplane's crew were in communication with air traffic control and were being provided radar vectors for the runway 26L approach into George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Crew communications consistent with a loss of control of the aircraft began approximately 18 seconds prior to the end of the recording. The National Transportation Safety Board provided an update March 5 on its investigation of the Feb. 23 crash of a Boeing 767-300 cargo jet into the marshland of Trinity Bay, about 40 miles from the aircraft's destination of Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Engineers at the agency's Office of Research and Engineering Vehicle Recorder Division completed an initial review of the Atlas Air Flight 3591 cockpit voice recorder (CVR) Saturday evening and recovered the plane's flight data recorder (FDR) Sunday. The impact killed the three people aboard the aircraft -- two pilots for the flight and a non-revenue jump-seat pilot -- and destroyed the airplane, which was carrying cargo for Amazon and the U.S. Postal Service from Miami to Houston. The CVR initial review revealed information that is preliminary and subject to change as the investigation continues, according to NTSB. The length of the recording is approximately two hours and was obtained from a download of a solid-state type cockpit voice recorder. While the recording includes the final portion of the flight, the quality of the audio is poor. The agency's news release said the airplane's crew were in communication with air traffic control and were being provided radar vectors for the runway 26L approach into George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Crew communications consistent with a loss of control of the aircraft began approximately 18 seconds prior to the end of the recording. The March 5 release said NTSB recorder investigators were verifying and validating the FDR data, and NTSB plans to provide a summary in an investigative update in a few days. Technical experts in the CVR group will convene in the coming week to review the entire recording and produce a transcript of the accident recording; according to the release, "it will be a time-consuming process to complete the transcript." https://ohsonline.com/articles/2019/03/08/ntsb-still-analyzing-cvr-from-houston- crash.aspx?admgarea=news&m=1 Back to Top Customs officer shoots his hand in Vegas airport locker area LAS VEGAS (KSNV) - Authorities say a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer wounded himself in the hand when he accidentally fired his gun in a locker area at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. Airport and Las Vegas police officials said Thursday that no one else was injured in the shooting about 6:40 p.m. Wednesday in a secure area of Terminal 3, an international arrivals building. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Jaime Ruiz in Los Angeles calls it a work-related accident and says the officer is in good condition. His name was not made public. Airport spokeswoman Christine Crews says the locker area is not accessible to the public. Officer Larry Hadfield says police determined the shooting wasn't a criminal act. https://news3lv.com/news/local/customs-officer-shoots-his-hand-in-vegas-airport-locker-area Back to Top Vietnam lacks aviation safety inspectors HANOI, 20 February 2019: As Vietnam's tourism and airline business expands by double digit growth rates, there are concerns the country needs to invest more on its safety check inspectors. Aviation safety checks, carried out by the country's civil aviation authority, could ultimately be hampered by an acute shortage of qualified inspectors. Last week, Vietnam was awarded the ICAO recognised Category 1 rating and completed the first ever successful assessment by the US FAA. It will open the way for Vietnam Airlines to start a direct flight to the US, although the airline has still to clarify its intentions on a proposed launch of services later this year. A VnExpress report highlighted future challenges arguing that Vietnam, now that it has gained Category 1 status it should urgently hire more inspectors, pay them competitive salaries and ensure checks are carried based on strict schedules. To gain US FAA recognition, Vietnam had to comply with the International Civil Aviation Organisation safety standards, the global agency that grants nations a Category 1 rating. "Acquiring this rating is hard, keeping it is going to be even harder," Dinh Viet Thang, head of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV), told VnExpress Monday. Category 1 status was confirmed by a US FAA assessment of the safety oversight provided by Vietnam's CAA and based on the country's civil aviation authority complying with ICAO standards. With the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) Category 1 rating, Vietnamese air carriers that are able to secure the requisite FAA and DOT authority, can establish services to the US and carry the code of US airlines in codeshare agreements. CAAV currently has just 30 aviation safety officers and can only meet 30% of the checks scheduled. To reduce the backlog it has to outsource hiring inspectors from private airline companies. The US FAA requires CAAV to recruit all of its safety officers and end outsourcing by 2025. But aviation safety officers are paid a fraction of what they earn if they work for private airlines and the CAA is calling on the government to increase its budget to train more officers and pay them a competitive salary to work for the agency. Inspectors are supposed to make spot checks on airlines and failure to conduct the required checks over a period of time could ultimately result in downgrading the country from category 1 to 2. A downgrade to category 2 is highly damaging for a country, as it cannot fly airline services direct to the US or increase services or destinations. In the past, Thailand Indonesia and the Philippines had to deal with a category downgrade that caused problem for the tourism industry as flights and plans to launch new routes were reduced or frozen. There is also the knock-on impact from downgrades as other countries such as Japan and Korea follow suit causing a freeze on new services to a much wider geographical area. State-owned Vietnam Airlines, budget airline Vietjet and start-up Bamboo Airways have all expressed interest in ultimately flying to the US although Vietnam Airlines is the probably best prepared to take the commercial gamble. But expanding flights to China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan are priorities to tap the boom in travel from East Asia. Vietnam's aviation industry is driving visits with the growth in arrivals by air increasing 14.4% in 2018 to deliver 12.5 million. Overall visitor arrivals by land, sea and air reached 15.5 million in 2018. https://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2019/02/vietnam-lacks-aviation-safety-inspectors/ Back to Top Kuwait to send students to Britain for aviation training KUWAIT CITY, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait will send a number of aviation students to Britain for training, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Higher Education said on Thursday. At a ceremony held at the British embassy in Kuwait, Wafaa Hussain, scholarship director at the ministry of higher education of Kuwait, said that the ministry signed a protocol with Kuwait Airways to send 180 aviation students to Britain, where expenses are fully covered. "The new scholarship plan will provide a number of aviation students and assistants that Kuwait Airways needs over the next three years," she said. Michael Davenport, British ambassador to Kuwait, said that the students will be trained in cooperation with the Kuwaiti Ministry of Higher Education and the Britain L3 Aviation Academy. He expressed his pleasure to send the aviation students to Britain to be trained in the best aviation academies, noting that sending those students to Britain emphasizes the strong ties between the two countries. Abdul Halim Zaidan, assistant chief operating officer of Kuwait Airways, said that the 180 students will be flown to Britain to study aviation during the next three years where L3 Aviation Academy will teach the next generation of Kuwait Airways pilots the latest aviation technology and information. http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-03/07/c_137876611.htm Back to Top United fires 35 employees accused of abusing family travel perks An United Airlines plane takes off at Chicago O'Hare International Airport in January. The airline has fired 35 workers for allegedly abusing the employee travel benefits program. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune) When airlines say employee travel benefits that allow nearly free flights are for friends and family, they mean it. United Airlines has fired 35 employees who were allegedly involved in a "brokering scheme" involving the sale of travel privileges that employees get as a perk of working for the carrier, according to a notice the airline sent employees on Wednesday. Chicago-based United didn't say how often it catches employees flouting rules governing standby travel benefits intended for immediate family members, or friends flying on more limited "buddy passes." But such programs are a common perk in the airline industry and abuse isn't unique to United. A recent Chicago-area Craigslist ad from a person claiming to be a Delta Air Lines employee offered a year's worth of travel for $2,000, or one-time buddy pass trips at $300 for domestic flights and $500 for international. United's recent investigation into abuse of the program started with a group of nine flyers who were traveling overseas on passes but couldn't name the employees who provided their tickets, the airline said in its Wednesday warning to employees. United said the passengers reported paying $3,500 to $4,000 per person for a year's worth of travel. Some of the employees involved falsely registered buyers as their stepparents or domestic partners, United said. Some received payment for their passes while others gave them away, thinking they were going to a co-worker's friend or relative. That's still against the rules. "Enjoying flying privileges is a unique and special advantage of working at an airline, and it is intended only for our employees and their friends and family. We have clear rules on flying privileges so we can all fairly enjoy this benefit," the airline said in a statement Thursday. https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-united-airlines-employees-selling-travel-perks- fired-20190307-story.html Back to Top Boeing 797 Jet Is 'Full Speed Ahead,' Air Lease Says, As Dow Giant Plays It Cool Air Lease (AL) said Boeing (BA) is pushing ahead with its new midrange jet to replace its aging 767 and 757 jets and counter market-share gains by the narrow-body Airbus' (EADSY) 320neo. But the Dow Jones aerospace giant is staying quiet for now. "Boeing is signaling full speed ahead but there's still a lot to be decided in these programs," Air Lease CEO John Plueger said at a conference Wednesday, according to Reuters. Delta Air Airlines (DAL) CEO Ed Bastian said earlier this week that he was interested in a new plane to replace 200 Boeing 757 and 767 aircraft, Reuters reported. No Boeing 797 Decision Yet While airlines and leasing firms are excited about the prospect of a new twin-aisle plane, Boeing has maintained that it was in no rush to announce a new jet and is still considering the business case of a new midrange jet. In January, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg said he expects a decision this year on whether to tentatively offer the new plane to airlines to test demand. But a final launch decision that would begin actual development won't come until 2020, he said. That was a delay from prior estimates. But there are signs that Boeing is serious about the new plane. Boeing has already trademarked the 797 name and has appointed managers and engineers to develop plans for the possible program. Shares of the Dow Jones component fell 0.5% to 422.38 on the stock market today. Boeing stock has edged lower since hitting a record high on Feb. 29. Delta stock retreated 0.2%. Air Lease stock fell 1.8%. Airbus' U.S. listed stock sank 2.2%. A Boeing 797 jet would counter gains by the narrow-body Airbus' 320neo. Airbus is reportedly planning a brand-new narrow-body jet and a re-engined A350 to counter Boeing's new jet. Air Lease is set to meet with Airbus on Saturday to likely discuss Airbus' proposed jet to compete with Boeing. https://www.investors.com/news/boeing-797-jet-full-speed-ahead/ Back to Top China's space station gets the green light in surprise announcement Long March-5B carrier rocket In a surprise move, the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO) announced it will be starting the process of building its own space station sooner than expected. It expects to launch the first mission imminently and aims to have a space station completed by 2022. Although China has made its desire to build a space station well known, aiming for a first launch this year is faster than was expected. It was only in 2016 that China's Tiangong-2 space lab was launched, and the lab will de-orbit in July. In the meantime, the Chinese are expected to launch a commercial-grade rocket similar to those used by SpaceX, but one designed to be cheaper. But first, they will have to perform drills and joint tests which they expect to begin in the latter half of this year and to select and train their astronauts in a process that has already begun. Lift-off soon for China's space station mission The aim is to create a space station which can hold up to three astronauts at a time and which will last for 10 years. The station will consist of three modules (one cabin and two labs), and its purpose is to host research into topics like life sciences and biotechnology. Surely it is also hoping to be a competitor to the International Space Station, which China was not involved in. The announcement was made through Xinhua News Agency, China's state-run news service, and it could have a serious impact on the international politics of space programs. However, China does plan to share the facilities of the station with other countries: "China is committed to making the country's space station an international platform for scientific and technological cooperation, according to the CMSEO," the Xinhua News Agency said. As part of this aim of co-operation, the CMSEO "will work with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs to complete the application selection of China's space station and launch a number of co-operation projects." The next key data in the project will come at the end of 2019 when the "Long March-5B" carrier rocket will perform its maiden voyage in preparation for the space station mission. https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/china-space-station-announcement/ Back to Top Back to Top Aviation Innovations Conference: Cargo Airships March 14 - 15, 2019 Toronto, Canada www.aviationinnovationsconference.com https://www.facebook.com/events/1842427552533870/ Curt Lewis