Flight Safety Information May 2, 2019 - No. 089 In This Issue U.S. FAA directive enshrines changes to Boeing 787 Dreamliner Airlines instructed to inspect some Boeing 737 Max engines after Southwest emergency landing Incident: PSA CRJ7 at Philadelphia on May 1st 2019, spoiler problems Incident: Canada Rouge A319 near Raleigh Durham on Apr 23rd 2019, fumes on board EVAS - Cockpit Smoke Protection Incident: Austrian E195 enroute on Apr 28th 2019, fuel quantity indication problems Beechcraft T-6 Texan II - Accident (Texas) Piper PA-46-350P Malibu - Accident (Canada) Cabin Air Safety Act: Lawmakers introduce legislation in House, Senate 'Recent incidents reveal state of aviation safety in Nepal' Largest independent flight attendant union calls on FAA to implement 'key' safety measures New mathematical approach tested for the search of flight MH370 Scientists making 'aviation fuel of the future' in Scotland Lack of spare parts keeping military services' fleet of F-35 aircraft grounded Blue Origin to Launch Test Flight of Its New Shepard Spacecraft Thursday! How to Watch ISASI - DFW Regional Chapter Meeting GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Last Chance to Take HOT-STOP Survey - Win $100 Gift Card Position Available: Regulatory Compliance Manager - Maintenance Program Call for Nominations For 2019 Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award U.S. FAA directive enshrines changes to Boeing 787 Dreamliner SEATTLE (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday said it was mandating new flight control software and parts to Boeing Co's 787 Dreamliner to address what it called an unsafe operating condition of certain products on the plane. The FAA's airworthiness directive to plane operators makes compulsory changes Boeing outlined in service bulletins in 2017 and early 2018 for certain areas in 787's tire and wheel "threat zones" that may be susceptible to damage, the company said. Boeing's carbon composite 787, of which there are nearly 800 in service, mostly competes with European rival Airbus' A350. These widebody planes represent hundreds of billions of dollars in sales over 20 years. "This issue has been long since resolved with system improvements that have been incorporated into production for all 787 models," Boeing said by e-mail. The FAA said damage to the 787's tire and wheel "threat zones" could result in the loss of braking and steering power on the ground at certain speeds. The FAA said it requires installing hydraulic tubing, a pressure-operated check valve and new flight control software. The work has been completed on existing 787s and incorporated into the manufacturing process, Boeing said. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/faa-mandates-changes-boeing-787- 153342221.html Back to Top Airlines instructed to inspect some Boeing 737 Max engines after Southwest emergency landing In recent weeks, engine maker CFM instructed several airlines including American and Southwest to inspect a total of 25 engines on their grounded Boeing 737 Max fleets. The order follows a March 26 incident involving a Southwest Airlines 737 Max 8 plane where pilots had to shut down an engine shortly after taking off from the Orlando International Airport. Sources say the investigation into that incident revealed signs of "coking" around at least one fuel nozzle on the 737 Max's CFM Leap 1B engine. Coking, a byproduct of combustion, essentially involves a tar-like gunk that can build up. According to the FAA, coking can restrict fuel flow to some nozzles and causes greater amounts of fuel to flow into nozzles empty of the tar, thus creating a dangerous and uneven heating in the engine. Those initial findings prompted Southwest Airlines to inspect 12 engines from its fleet of 34 Boeing 737 Max jets parked in Victorville, California since the worldwide grounding. Southwest said in a statement its maintenance team completed those inspections on April 10 and has submitted the results to the engine maker, CFM. The inspections were described by a source familiar with the situation as "exploratory in nature." On March 26, a Southwest crew was ferrying a 737 Max 8, without passengers, from Orlando to Victorville for long-term storage. Shortly after takeoff, pilots experienced what was described at the time as a "performance issue" with the No. 2 engine, leading to an engine overheat. The plane returned to Orlando and landed safely and the incident is still being investigated. Southwest Chief Operating Officer Michael G. Van de Ven said, "The working theory on that particular airplane was that there was coking around the fuel nozzles and it created a variance in the hotspots and cold-spots in the engine." Southwest CEO Gary Kelly told an analyst he believes this is a "break-in issue" with the new CFM engines. "It's not unusual for an engine to have some break-in things happen and the engine for the most part has performed in line with our expectations, especially with the fuel efficiency," Kelly said. "It's a great quiet ride and it's a good engine." American Airlines said it "conducted a borescope inspection of three aircraft engines, at the request of the engine manufacturer, without any findings." CFM requested American change nozzles on two engines despite the lack of findings. Engine maker CFM is a joint venture between GE Aviation and Safran Aircraft Engines. "We're being very proactive with all the LEAP-1B operators during the grounding to ensure a smooth reentry into service when the time comes," GE Aviation Spokesman Perry Bradley said in a statement. "The activity centers on providing proactive guidance and recommendations to properly preserve the engines, complete any outstanding inspections and to pull forward any scheduled maintenance activities or Service Bulletin recommendations." This is the second maintenance issue to make headlines for Boeing recently. During a shareholders meeting in Chicago Monday, Boeing admitted an indicator light that could have alerted pilots to incorrect Angle of Attack (AOA) sensor readings that trigger the MCAS anti-stall system to override pilot controls was supposed to be standard feature but was not operational on all 737 Max jets "as intended." This admission came as a surprise to federal regulators. The failure to activate the AOA disagree light on all 737 Max aircraft will now be part of a review that began on Monday focused on the approval of the plane's automated flight control systems. The faulty AOA sensor readings and MCAS system are being investigated as the causes of two Boeing 737 Max crashes in recent months, an Ethiopian Airlines flight in March and an Indonesian Lion Airlines flight in October, that resulted in 346 total deaths. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/boeing-737-max-8-airplane-engines-ordered-for- inspection-on-southwest-airlines-american-airlines-aircraft/ Back to Top Incident: PSA CRJ7 at Philadelphia on May 1st 2019, spoiler problems A PSA Airlines Canadair CRJ-700 on behalf of American Airlines, registration N702PS performing flight AA-5015 from Dayton,OH to Philadelphia,PA (USA), was on short final to runway 35 when the crew initiated a go around a low height after receiving a master caution concerning the ground lift dumpers (ground spoilers). The crew subsequently advised ATC they needed to run a couple of checklists, after completing the checklists positioned for another approach and landed safely on runway 09R about 25 minutes after the go- around. A passenger reported the aircraft went around from very low height, almost over the runway threshold, repositioned and landed on a different runway. There was no turbulence, the approach looked stable. No communication occurred from the cockpit. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/AAL5015/history/20190501/1006Z/KDAY/KPHL http://avherald.com/h?article=4c764d3c&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Canada Rouge A319 near Raleigh Durham on Apr 23rd 2019, fumes on board An Air Canada Rouge Airbus A319-100, registration C-GKOB performing flight RV-1803 from Kingston (Jamaica) to Toronto,ON (Canada) with 135 passengers and 5 crew, was enroute at FL330 south of Raleigh/Durham,NC (USA) when the crew noticed an odour similiar to dirty socks on the flight deck. The odour dissipated but returned with even stronger intensity when the aircraft was about 60nm northeast of Raleigh/Durham. The crew donned their oxygen masks, declared PAN PAN and diverted the aircraft to Raleigh/Durham for a safe landing about 25 minutes after leaving FL330. The Canadian TSB reported maintenance found the APU intake and plenum soiled and cleaned them, the APU condensers and pack #2 were found contaminated as well and were replaced. Both engines were washed. http://avherald.com/h?article=4c766a93&opt=0 Back to Top Back to Top Incident: Austrian E195 enroute on Apr 28th 2019, fuel quantity indication problems An Austrian Airlines Embraer ERJ-195, registration OE-LWJ performing flight OS-521 from Vienna (Austria) to Venice (Italy), was enroute at FL320 about 130nm southsouthwest of Vienna, about to enter Slovenian Airspace, when the crew decided to turn around and return to Vienna. The aircraft landed safely back in Vienna about 50 minutes after departure. A replacement A320-200 registration OE-LBM reached Venice with a delay of 2.5 hours. The airline told Austrianwings the return was prompted by a technical problem with the fuel quantity indicators. As no Embraer maintenance staff was available in Venice, the crew opted to return to Vienna in consultation with Austrian's Maintenance Department. The occurrence aircraft underwent extensive technical assessment in Vienna and was able to return to service the same day. OE-LWJ remained on the ground in Vienna for about 5 hours before returning to service. http://avherald.com/h?article=4c7645a7&opt=0 Back to Top Beechcraft T-6 Texan II - Accident (Texas) Date: 01-MAY-2019 Time: c. 14:00 Type: Beechcraft T-6 Texan II Owner/operator: United States Air Force (USAF) Registration: C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: near Waurika Lake, Jefferson County, OK - United States of America Phase: Unknown Nature: Military Departure airport: Wichita Falls-Sheppard AFB, TX (SPS/KSPS) Destination airport: Narrative: A Beechcraft T-6 Texan II crashed at Waurika Lake, Jefferson County, Oklahoma c40 miles from its base. The aircraft was destroyed and the two pilots ejected without apparent injury. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=224567 Back to Top Piper PA-46-350P Malibu - Accident (Canada) Date: 01-MAY-2019 Time: c. 07:23 Type: Piper PA-46-350P Malibu Owner/operator: Southern Aircraft Consultancy Inc Trustee Registration: N757NY * C/n / msn: 4636657 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Unknown Location: East of Makkovik, Labrador - Canada Phase: En route Nature: Unknown Departure airport: Goose Bay Airport, NL (YYR/CYYR) Destination airport: Narsarsuaq Airport (UAK/BGBW) Narrative: The aircraft crashed under unknown circumstances in Makkovik. The RCMP is searching for the aircraft. The airplane was located east of Makkovik in Labrador. The two pilots onboard survived with unspecified but apparent serious injuries. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=224575 Back to Top Cabin Air Safety Act: Lawmakers introduce legislation in House, Senate Washington - Legislation introduced in both chambers of Congress is aimed at enhancing the safety of the air supply on commercial aircraft to protect crew and passengers from the harmful effects of toxic cabin air. On April 10, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced the Cabin Air Safety Act of 2019 (S. 1112) in the Senate. Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA) introduced an identical bill (H.R. 2208) in the House. The legislation would require carbon monoxide detectors to be installed on commercial aircraft and monitored during flights. In addition, flight attendants, pilots, airplane maintenance personnel, airport first responders and emergency response teams would have to undergo training on how to respond to incidents on aircraft involving smoke or fumes at least once a year. The Federal Aviation Administration would be directed to develop a standardized form for flight attendants and other personnel to report details of incidents involving smoke or fumes. Investigations would have to take place no more than seven days after an incident to identify the cause and repair any replaced, worn, missing, failed or improperly serviced components of the aircraft. The agency also would have to develop a website to make the data collected available to the public. An FAA safety alert issued in March 2018 advises airlines to enhance their operational procedures to minimize onboard exposure to smoke and fumes. It also recommends they assess "[policies] and procedures regarding odor, smoke, and/or fumes recognition, differentiation and mitigation." A key source of onboard fumes, according to the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, is the cabin air supply system when engine oil and hydraulic fluid contaminate air ventilation. "Most Americans go to work with the expectation of breathing clean air," AFA International President Sara Nelson said in an April 10 press release. "Flight attendants don't have this guarantee, and it is past time for that to change. Our workspace is the public's travel space, and in that space today, crews and passengers are breathing toxins and it has to stop." S. 1112 was referred to the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on April 10, and H.R. 2208 was referred to the House Aviation Subcommittee on April 11. https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/18367-cabin-air-safety-act- lawmakers-introduce-legislation-in-house-senate Back to Top 'Recent incidents reveal state of aviation safety in Nepal' In this undated image, passengers wait for flights to Lukla, at Manthali Airport in Ramechhap district. Photo courtesy: Angela Essex-Hans/ Facebook The recent landing incident involving a Tara Air Do-228 at Ramechhap airport where the aircraft carrying foreign tourists impacted the airfield fencing and landed short of the runway has once again laid bare the state of aviation safety in Nepal, according to stakeholders. In contrary to the claims of significant improvements in Nepali skies made by the head honchos of the aviation regulator as well as the airline operators, this serious incident, essentially implying a disaster narrowly averted, neither inspires confidence in the claims made by the safety regulator about their achievement in getting Nepal off the red-list of the International Civil Aviation Organisation nor does not bode well for Nepali aviation, when Nepal gears up to host the annual jamboree of air safety regulators of the Asia-Pacific region in August, a senior captain with Nepal Airlines said. "For it must not be forgotten that just a little while ago a runway excursion by a Summit Air Turbolet 410 aircraft that collided with helicopters parked in the adjacent helipad and resulting in the deaths of airport security personnel as well as the co-pilot of the aircraft and the minister for civil aviation perished with his entourage in an unflattering helicopter accident in Taplejung earlier," the captain explained. Lying to the north-east of Kathmandu, the Ramechhap airport with limited infrastructure to cater for occasional flights has been presently designated a temporary forward operating base for flights to Lukla. The number of daily flights currently often exceeds 50 as Tribhuvan International Airport undergoes nightly runway resurfacing delaying airport operations till 8:00 am. Besides, the deaths of the police personnel in the Lukla crash due to contact with the aircraft also portrays a dismal picture of the state of aerodrome operations safety practices. "Clearly, the police personnel posted at aerodromes trained on basics of aviation security are never trained on aerodrome operations and associated hazards by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal that also serves as the aerodrome operator," a senior CAAN official shared, "It is unlikely that the Nepal police personnel have been issued a training certificate on aerodrome operations." For effecting regulation of air operators, individual safety inspectors from CAAN flight safety department are assigned to specific air operators for performing oversight of areas like flight operations, aircraft maintenance, according to him. "This practice, in line with international practices, and intended to enforce accountability at individual inspector's level has clearly fallen short of achieving its safety objectives, as despite the rapid succession of air crashes none of the safety inspectors have ever been known to be transferred to another department as disciplinary action let alone face suspension for gross negligence leading to a loss of lives and nations' reputation," the official admitted. If one could get away with crashes by solely blaming the operator, the European Commission would have no reason to ban all airlines under the safety oversight of CAAN and grill the regulator's top honchos at Brussels air safety meetings, another captain with the private airlines said. On the contrary, the safety inspectors are rewarded by the CAAN management by being frequently deputed on foreign tours in the garb of training, inspections and audits, all at the operators' expenses, he said. "In fact, the influential operators are known to lobby on their behalf with the director general for their pet inspectors, as it is a fairly symbiotic relationship." No wonder, even in the aftermath of deadly crashes, the operators were never ordered to suspend operations pending a thorough review of operations and maintenance, as their influence was known to be far-reaching, an aviation expert said. "This contrasts sharply with earlier times when in the aftermath of the twin crashes of Thai and PIA in 1992 the director general of department of civil aviation Lalit Bikram Shah was sacked by the then GP Koirala-led government even though the operators were foreign-based," he added. https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/recent-incidents-reveal-state-of-aviation-safety- in-nepal/ Back to Top Largest independent flight attendant union calls on FAA to implement 'key' safety measures passed 6 months ago The largest independent flight attendant union in the United States is calling on the Federal Aviation Administration to implement what it considers "key safety provisions" approved six months ago. In a letter to the FAA, Association of Professional Flight Attendants President Lori Bassani said it appears "little has been done" by the agency to put the safety measures in place. The flight attendant union wants the FAA to implement the reauthorization bill passed in October, which includes increasing the amount of time flight attendants are given to rest in between shifts from 8 hours to 10 hours. "Eight hours is just not enough time to get a full night's rest when you factor in transportation to the hotel, taking a shower, getting a meal," Bassani told The Dallas Morning News. She said it also presents a passenger safety issue. "Travelers deserve flight attendants who are at their best should the worst occur," said her the letter to FAA Acting Administrator Dan Elwell. The union also wants to see the FAA address plane cabin air quality issues it says pose a threat to flight attendants, pilots and the flying public. Recent studies have shown that repeated exposure to the air on planes can cause significant health problems. According to the union, the FAA has missed several deadlines to implement portions of the bill. In a statement, the FAA said it was "in the process of initiating rulemaking on the flight attendant duty and rest rules," and that the agency has to "go through the traditional rulemaking process to revise the rules." The agency added that airlines can adopt the new rest requirements on their own, and that it is drafting a notice for the industry regarding the fatigue risk management plans required by the bill. The letter comes at a time when the federal agency's reputation is at stake following the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max 8, and amid an ongoing investigation into whether regulators allowed Boeing too much sway in the certification of its own jets. APFA was founded in 1977 and represents 28,000 flight attendants at American Airlines. https://www.dallasnews.com/business/airlines/2019/05/01/largest-us-flight-attendant- unioncalls-faa-implement-key-safety-measures-passed-6-months-ago Back to Top New mathematical approach tested for the search of flight MH370 The Indian Ocean is covered of boxes forming the Markov chain models constructed using satellite-tracked drifter buoys to describe the motion of marine debris produced by the crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370. Credit: Philippe Miron The 2014 disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 remains ones of the biggest mysteries in aviation. More than $150 million has been spent so far to identify where the plane carrying 239 passengers crashed into the Indian Ocean, with no success. Recent efforts combining satellite data with a new mathematical approach aim to make headway in the search for plane crashes. An international team of researchers has developed a new mathematical approach to analyzing how debris moves around the ocean that has been able to identify a potential crash site. Using what are known as Markov chain models, they have narrowed down a potential crash location substantially north of the region where most search efforts have concentrated. A Markov chain model predicts the behavior of complicated systems by determining the probability of each outcome from the current state of what is being studied. They have been used to power Google search algorithms and model financial markets. In the study, reported in the journal Chaos, the group used data from the Global Drifters Program, a publicly available dataset that uses satellites to track spherical buoys as the ocean's currents, waves and wind push them along paths over time. In true Markovian fashion, each aimless buoy's next turn is an independent event from every other movement it has made in the past. The buoys were then placed on a grid with more than 3,000 virtual squares to simulate where plane debris would float to. One issue is that very little debris has been found so far. "Surprisingly, after more than three years, there is only a handful of confirmed debris recovered from the airplane," said Philippe Miron from University of Miami and the lead author on the paper. "This increases the errors of the model." Seasonal variation in the Indian Ocean also required the team to develop three separate models to accurately predict debris movement during the protracted search effort. "The monsoon in the Indian Ocean has important effects on the circulation of the region," Miron said. After the analysis, the team's estimated search area was from 33 to 17 degrees south latitude along the arc of the last satellite to contact the downed plane, whose northern edge has remained largely unscrutinized. Miron said he hopes the group's approach will encourage future efforts to deploy more trackable devices in the ocean to provide more data to solve similarly vexing problems. He looks to use mathematical models to further understand how drifting objects move in the ocean, including the flow of hydrocarbons following undersea oil spills. https://phys.org/news/2019-04-mathematical-approach-flight-mh370.html Back to Top Scientists making 'aviation fuel of the future' in Scotland One of the components, carbon monoxide, is created from wooden pellets in a gasification unit The aviation fuel of the future could be made in Scotland - with scientists working to create an environmentally-sustainable replacement. The fuel is made from waste wooden pellets which are heated, turned into a gas and mixed with other ingredients. A team from Heriot-Watt University is close to working with a major airline on piloting the biomass fuel. It comes as Scottish and UK ministers prepare to receive fresh advice on when to aim for net-zero carbon emissions. The Edinburgh-based university is one of three which are through to the finals of a British Airways competition to create a green fuel which can carry 300 passengers on a long-haul flight. After creating small amounts of the low-carbon jet fuel, scientists headed by Prof Mercedes Maroto-Valer are looking at how they scale it up Prof Mercedes Maroto-Valer, who is leading the project, told BBC Scotland's The Nine: "We are really addressing global challenges and finding solutions for decreasing carbon dioxide emissions. "The aviation sector in particular is increasing its CO2 emissions and what we want is to help them to find the fuels of the future that will be sustainable. "What we have demonstrated over the last three years is that our process is viable, that it actually works and produces aviation fuel lower in CO2 emissions than current fuels, and we're now ready to jump into the next stage." The competition was launched by the airline in November and various rounds of judging have placed Heriot-Watt in the final three. It is competing with University College London and The London School of Economics for the £25,000 prize and a commitment to help develop the solution further. Only a small quantity of the fuel has been created so far with the lab equipment available, but vast quantities would be needed to make the long-haul journey. Global leadership Associate Professor Dr John Andresen said: "There will be no difference between the jet fuel you have today and the jet fuel we have from our process. "The only thing is that when you fly with our jet fuel you will actually save the planet, where if you fly with crude oil you will not save the planet." In basic terms, the biomass pellets are heated to 600 degrees through a gasification process to make carbon monoxide. Separately, waste carbon dioxide is put through an electrolyser to create a second gas. Jet fuel is created when these two new gases are combined and turned into a liquid. The green alternative is unlikely to entirely replace oil-based aviation fuel, but the hope is that it can significantly reduce the industry's carbon footprint. Alex Cruz, chairman and chief executive of British Airways, said: "The UK can lead the world in the development and production of sustainable alternative fuels, which will play a key role in decarbonising aviation, as well as delivering benefits for employment, exports and waste reduction. "As an industry we need to explore a range of options to reduce our emissions. "Some of the best scientific minds in this field are based in the UK and are brilliantly equipped to develop a pathway for the UK to achieve global leadership in the development of sustainable alternative aviation fuels." Technologies like this will be studied closely by politicians who are examining our contributions to climate change. On Sunday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon declared a "climate emergency" and said we must do what we can to avoid it. The influential Committee on Climate Change will publish fresh advice to ministers this week on what can, and should, be done to limit the impact from global temperature rises. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-48097897 Back to Top Lack of spare parts keeping military services' fleet of F-35 aircraft grounded The military services' fleets of operational F-35 aircraft are continuing to grow, and pilots say the fifth-generation fighter is a game changer. But it's spending a lot more time on the ground than commanders would like. According to the Government Accountability Office, only 27% of the operational aircraft are completely ready to perform all their missions. The problem, by and large, is a lack of spare parts. Diana Maurer, director of defense capabilities and management at GAO, joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to discuss the root causes of the shortage of parts, which are managed as a global pool for three U.S. services and about a dozen foreign partners. https://federalnewsnetwork.com/federal-drive/2019/05/lack-of-spare-parts-keeping- military-services-fleet-of-f-35-aircraft-grounded/ Back to Top Blue Origin to Launch Test Flight of Its New Shepard Spacecraft Thursday! How to Watch This will be test flight number 11 for the reusable vehicle. Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket and capsule stand atop a West Texas launchpad ahead of a Jan. 23, 2019 launch carrying experiments for NASA. Blue Origin will launch its reusable New Shepard 2.0 spacecraft on a suborbital flight from a West Texas test site on May 2, 2019. It is the second flight this year for the spacecraft. Blue Origin's New Shepard suborbital vehicle will launch on its 11th test flight Thursday morning (May 2), and you can watch the spaceflight action live. The reusable rocket-capsule combo is scheduled to lift off from Blue Origin's West Texas testing ground at 9:30 a.m. EDT (1330 GMT; 8:30 a.m. local Texas time). The uncrewed flight will carry 38 microgravity research payloads to suborbital space and back, company representatives announced via Twitter today (May 1). You can watch live here at Space.com, courtesy of Blue Origin, or directly via the company's website. New Shepard is named after NASA astronaut Alan Shepard, who in May 1961 became the first American to reach space. Shepard's mission was a suborbital one, unlike that of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, who had reached Earth orbit a few weeks earlier. New Shepard is designed to carry paying customers, offering them great views of Earth against the blackness of space and a few minutes of weightlessness (for a price that remains unknown; Blue Origin has not divulged how much a seat will cost). The first crewed flights of the vehicle could come as early as this year, Blue Origin representatives have said. But New Shepard will also serve scientific purposes, carrying payloads up and back for researchers. Indeed, there are nine different NASA studies riding on tomorrow's flight. They include a 3D printing test that could help space manufacturing for future moon bases, a suborbital centrifuge for life-science studies and an investigation into the behavior of space and moon dust. Those studies are just the latest NASA experiments to fly on New Shepard. On the vehicle's recent NS-10 test flight, which lifted off in January, toted multiple experiments for the space agency. That mission lasted 10 minutes and 15 seconds and reached a maximum altitude of 66 miles (107 kilometers), Blue Origin officials said at the time. New Shepard's rocket comes back to Earth vertically, slowing its descent via engine firings like the first stages of SpaceX Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets do. The suborbital craft's capsule comes down under parachute. New Shepard will be a stepping-stone toward much bigger things, if all goes according to plan. Blue Origin's long-term vision involves helping to get millions of people living and working in space, company founder Jeff Bezos has said. And Blue Origin already has a number of other projects in the works, from big rockets called New Glenn and New Armstrong to the Blue Moon lunar lander. https://www.space.com/blue-origin-new-shepard-ns-11-launch-webcast.html Back to Top Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Dear Aviation Professionals, My name is Marta Delbecchi. I am an MSc student in Organisational Psychiatry and Psychology from King's College London, andas part of my degree requirements I am conducting a research study entitled: The wellbeing of air, marine and rail accident investigators. I am carrying out this research study with the support of Cranfield University's Safety and Accident Investigation Centre. I am looking for current or retired civil air accident investigator to complete an online survey. The purpose of the survey is to learn more about the health and wellbeing of personnel who investigate the causes of accidents and serious incidents in the air, marine, and rail transportation modes. Your participation would be a very important contribution to the current paucity of scientific literature and understanding concerning the psychological and emotional wellbeing of accident investigators. Completing the survey should take no more than 35 minutes of your time and participation in this research study is entirely voluntary and anonymous. All your responses will be treated in the strictest confidence, and you will be able to withdraw from the survey at any time. If you are able to assist by completing the online survey then please email me directly at marta.delbecchi@kcl.ac.uk and I will forward you an information sheet and a link to the survey. Thank you for your kind consideration, Marta Delbecchi Department of Psychosis Studies, PO63 Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience King's College London De Crespigny Park London SE5 8AF Back to Top Back to Top Regulatory Compliance Manager - Maintenance Program POSITION PURPOSE: Continuously reviews Republic Airways policies and procedures for regulatory compliance and system safety, working with local FAA to satisfy compliance questions and issues. ESSENTIAL DUTIES : To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 1. Collaborates with appropriate management to ensure compliance or implement global improvement correction action when instances of non-compliance or identification of needed improvement areas. 2. Develops and maintains database for tracking compliance with regulations. 3. Analyzes airline industry regulations in anticipation of changes that may affect policies and procedures. 4. Uses independent judgment to evaluate revisions to policies and procedures for regulatory compliance and system safety prior to submittal to the FAA for acceptance/approval. 5. Researches Code of Federal Regulations for the Company to ensure that any new operations are FAA compliant. 6. Works closely with the FAA and participate in teamed inspections. 7. Assists and conducts internal audits as needed. 8. Travels to all maintenance bases and contract vendor facilities to conduct audits as needed. 9. Provides administrative assistance maintaining legal filings by assisting regulatory agencies. 10. Provides assistance during inspections conducted by outside agencies (IOSA, DoD, etc.) 11. Acts as liaison with the FAA to investigate, correct and finalize regulatory issues. 12. Participates in Maintenance ASAP ERC meetings as needed. 13. Fosters the Company's core values and culture throughout the work environment. 14. Performs various other duties as required. REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability necessary to perform this job. EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE. * Bachelor's degree or equivalent with at least 3 years of previous Internal Evaluation or Quality Assurance experience. * A&P Certificate * Knowledge of the Code of Federal Regulations and FAA Advisory circulars. * Strong experience in Microsoft Office applications is a must. PREFERRED EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE * Bachelor's degree in Aviation or related field with at least 5 years of previous experience. Previous supervisory experience. * Dispatcher License and/or Pilot Certificate. * Auditor Certification and Training; CQA, ISO, CASE and IOSA Auditor. LANGUAGE SKILLS Ability to read, analyze, and interpret common scientific and technical journals, financial reports, and legal documents. Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from customers, regulatory agencies, or members of the business community. Ability to effectively present information to top management, public groups, and/or boards of directors. REASONING/PROBLEM SOLVING ABILITY Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables. DECISION MAKING Makes decisions daily use of resources, performance and budgets. Decisions could require additional expenditure of resources if not sound decisions. PHYSICAL DEMANDS The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Able to move about the work environment. Frequently required to stand, walk, sit, talk and hear. WORK ENVIRONMENT The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Outdoor weather conditions up to 35% of the time. TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS Ability to travel up to 25% of the time, including overnight and weekend travel APPLY HERE Back to Top Call for Nominations For 2019 Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- The Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Foundation is now accepting nominations for the 2019 Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award, honoring a leader in global aviation safety. The Award will be presented during the 72nd Annual International Air Safety Summit, taking place Nov 4-6 in Taipei, Taiwan. Presented since 1956, the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award recognizes notable achievement in the field of civil or military aviation safety in method, design, invention, study or other improvement. The Award's recipient is selected for a "significant individual or group effort contributing to improving aviation safety, with emphasis on original contributions," and a "significant individual or group effort performed above and beyond normal responsibilities." Mechanics, engineers and others outside of top administrative or research positions should be especially considered. The contribution need not be recent, especially if the nominee has not received adequate recognition. Nominations that were not selected as past winners of the Award can be submitted one additional time for consideration. Please note that self-nominations will not be considered. The Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award's story dates back 74 years. On April 14, 1945, after visiting family in Pittsburgh, Laura Taber Barbour was aboard a Pennsylvania Central Airlines DC-3 when it crashed into the rugged terrain of Cheat Mountain near Morgantown, West Virginia. All passengers and crew were killed. In the years following, her husband, Dr. Clifford E. Barbour and son, Clifford E. Barbour, Jr., established the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award in her honor. The Award Board, composed of leaders in the field of aviation, meets each year to conduct a final review of nominees and selection of the current year's recipient. Please help us honor this year's most deserving recipient. Nominations, including a 1-2- page narrative, can be submitted via the Laura Taber Barbour Foundation website at http://ltbaward.org/the-award/nomination-form/. Nominations will be accepted until May 10, 2019. For more information, including a complete history of Award recipients, see www.ltbaward.org. ABOUT THE LAURA TABER BARBOUR AIR SAFETY AWARD: The Award was established in 1956 through early association with the Flight Safety Foundation and from its founding has enjoyed a rich history of Award Board members, nominees and Award recipients. In 2013, the non-profit Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Foundation was formed from members of the Award Board, the aviation community and the Barbour family. As the foundation plans to broaden the scope of its intent, with great purpose, the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award will continue to spotlight those champions who pioneer breakthroughs in flight safety. CONTACT: Philip Barbour, 205-939-1700, 205-617-9007 Curt Lewis