Flight Safety Information July 3, 2019 - No. 133 In This Issue The Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max crash could warrant historic punitive damages against Boeing Incident: Spicejet B738 at Kolkata on Jul 2nd 2019, temporary runway excursion on landing Incident: Lufthansa Cityline CRJ9 at Nuremberg on Jul 1st 2019, smoke in cockpit and cabin Incident: Allegiant A320 at Asheville on Jul 1st 2019, hydraulic failure Incident: Jazz CRJ2 at Fredericton on Jun 20th 2019, engine problem Saab 340A - Ground Collision (Bahamas) Plane audio reveals confusion, engine trouble seconds before Addison crash, NTSB says UN Aviation Agency to Review Global Pilot Training in Shadow of 737 Max Crashes Why can't Israeli pilots get a GPS signal? DGCA issues 'Air Safety Circular' for airlines (India) EASA Issues Special Condition To Govern VTOL Aircraft FAA to streamline fire regulations for cargo compartments Why Did American Airlines Cancel Their Airbus A350 Order? I OPTED OUT OF FACIAL RECOGNITION AT THE AIRPORT-IT WASN'T EASY Flexjet Selects GE Aviation for Digital Flight Operations Technology Mitsubishi's new jet faces sales challenges in slow market Hedge Funds Are Tracking Private Jets to Find the Next Megadeal NASA is working on 12 projects ahead of 2024 moon mission GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY(1) GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY(2) Position Available: Adviser - Investigations Manager MITRE - SMS Course - September 2019 Human Factors in Accident Investigation AVIATION COMMUNICATION: STRATEGY AND MESSAGES FOR ENSURING SUCCESS AND PREVENTING FAILURES Join us in Washington, D.C., on July 15-18 for ALPA's annual...Air Safety Forum The Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max crash could warrant historic punitive damages against Boeing George Kabau's family remembers him as a dedicated professional with unflappable geniality, innate warmth, and remarkable resourcefulness. The 29-year-old was an engineer with General Electric in Kenya and was among 157 people who died on the crashed Ethiopian Airlines flight in early March. Four months after the plane plunged into a field in Bishoftu town minutes after take-off from Bole international airport, the family says they are yet to reconcile with how their loved one perished. One of five siblings-three lawyers and a banker-George was a source of pride amongst them and had a bright future ahead of him. In April, the Kabaus became the first Kenyan family to sue Boeing in the US, seeking to hold the manufacturer liable for the crash. The Ethiopian crash, along with the Lion Air plane that fell in Indonesia last October, were both linked to bad sensor data triggering an automated anti-stall system in the Boeing 737 Max model which directs the plane sharply downward. Through their lawyers, the family said they wanted to force the company to release documents related to the troubled 737 Max 8 model, admit that it prioritized profits over safety, failed to properly inform pilots about the dangers and risks associated with the MCAS, and call on juries to impose punitive damages. "This was a deliberate death caused by recklessness," says Tom Kabau, George's brother and a lawyer based in Nairobi. Tom and Esther Kabau-Wanyoike, the brother and sister of George Kabau. The case is indicative of the legal showdown about to commence between families and the world's biggest commercial aircraft manufacturer. The lawsuits lodged over the Ethiopian Airlines crash also posit a challenge for attorneys, who will have to decide with families whether to face-off with Boeing publicly and seek damages exceeding simple compensation or reach out of court settlements. There's also the question of time, and if the proceedings could protract beyond the two-year threshold attorneys expect-especially if Boeing puts a strong defensive strategy against much-publicized cases like Kabau's. There's also the quandary about how the facts of the cases filed in the early weeks have changed and might need to be amended, especially as new details emerge about the 737 Max's flaws. For families of the deceased, this might mean "further court processes, significant delays, and greater expenses," says Joseph Wheeler, the founder and legal practice director of the Brisbane firm International Aerospace Law & Policy Group (IALPG) in Australia. In late June, Wheeler's firm filed a class action lawsuit against Boeing on behalf of over 400 pilots from a major international airline they are currently keeping anonymous. The case will be heard in October, he said. American families including those of consumer activist Ralph Nader's great niece, have sued Boeing, along with a Rwandan family. Shareholders have also sued Boeing accusing it of concealing safety deficiencies in its 737 MAX planes. Given the popularity of the Addis Ababa-Nairobi route, and the number of prominent professionals who died on ET 302, many more families are expected to take legal action against the Chicago-headquartered manufacturer too. Passengers from 35 countries were on board the Ethiopian flight. Kenya suffered the largest number of casualties, with the deceased 32 people including university professors, an ex-sports administrator, hotelier, and business directors. Seeking punitive damages If Boeing fails to get the complaints out of US territory, as it has succeeded in the past, juries might consider awarding punitive damages. Courts usually grant these hefty damages as a way to tell defendants their conduct was so egregious as to shock the conscience. Yet punitive damages are often unavailable or limited when it comes to aviation lawsuits, says founder of the Chicago-based aviation law firm PMJ, Patrick Jones. But if plaintiffs can show there was willful or wanton misconduct or reckless disregard for passenger safety, that could warrant compensation. In this scenario, Jones says that could run into hundreds of millions of dollars on top of the basic claims. "I think Boeing is going to be more entrenched in this case than they ever have been [or] that any defendant has been," he says. For Boeing, the severity of the 737 Max grounding, the canceled orders, dropped shares, reputational loss, besides the demands for compensation from airlines over lost revenue only "gives them more fire to defend," says Kenneth Rukunga, a compensation lawyer in Perth, Australia. Rukunga, a Kenyan, has already been to Nairobi along with Wheeler seeking to work with families whose members died in the Ethiopian crash. While some cases might be resolved quietly, he says, the planemaker will defend against the public litigations and even appeal if they get a decision commanding them to pay punitive damages. Honoring George As they wait for their day in court, George Kabau's family is establishing a foundation in his name to help youngsters study engineering and science. Through their case, they also hope to push Boeing to change how it operates and be accountable for its actions. "Our concern here is that business will not override human rights," Tom Kabau says. "This justice is not only for George but all of us." https://qz.com/africa/1657068/boeing-could-face-punitive-damages-in-ethiopian-airlines-crash/ Back to Top Incident: Spicejet B738 at Kolkata on Jul 2nd 2019, temporary runway excursion on landing A Spicejet Boeing 737-800, registration VT-SYI performing flight SG-275 from Pune to Kolkata (India), landed on Kolkata's runway 19L at about 14:33L (09:03L) but veered right and contacted a number of runway edge lights before the crew managed to steer the aircraft back onto the center line. The aircraft taxied to the apron. The airline confirmed the aircraft veered right to the runway edge due to heavy rain and the wet runway. The crew took corrective action and returned the aircraft onto the center line. 4 runway edge lights were damaged. The passengers disembarked normally. The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 7.5 hours after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4c9e7156&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Lufthansa Cityline CRJ9 at Nuremberg on Jul 1st 2019, smoke in cockpit and cabin A Lufthansa Cityline Canadair CRJ-900, registration D-ACKI performing flight LH-144 from Frankfurt/Main to Nuremberg (Germany), was on approach to Nuremberg when the crew reported smoke in cockpit and cabin. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Nuremberg's runway 28, stopped on the runway and performed a rapid disembarkation onto the runway. The passengers were bussed to the terminal, the aircraft was towed off the runway. The return flight was cancelled, the occurrence aircraft positioned back to Frankfurt after about 4 hours on the ground and has not yet resumed service about 11 hours after landing in Nuremberg. http://avherald.com/h?article=4c9df08d&opt=0 Back to Top Back to Top Incident: Allegiant A320 at Asheville on Jul 1st 2019, hydraulic failure An Allegiant Airbus A320-200, registration N261NV performing flight G4-1202 from Asheville,NC to Denver,CO (USA) with 180 people on board, was climbing out of Asheville when the crew received indication of a hydraulic failure, stopped the climb at 8000 feet, burned off fuel, advised ATC they were going to stop on the runway to have the landing gear doors inspected and returned to Asheville for a safe landing on runway 35 about 75 minutes after departure. The aircraft returned to service about 8.5 hours after landing back. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/AAY1202/history/20190701/1514Z/KAVL/KDEN http://avherald.com/h?article=4c9e6e17&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Jazz CRJ2 at Fredericton on Jun 20th 2019, engine problem A Jazz Canadair CRJ-200, registration C-FFJA performing flight QK-8797 from Fredericton,NB to Ottawa,ON (Canada) with 35 passengers and 3 crew, was climbing through 900 feet AGL out of Fredericton when the crew received a master warning for the right hand engine's (CF34) 14th stage duct. The crew stopped the climb at safe altitude 7000 feet MSL, worked the related checklist which did not extinguish the indication, the crew reduced the engine power to idle, declared PAN PAN and requested to return to Fredericton. The aircraft landed safely on Fredericton's runway 09. The Canadian TSB reported maintenance replaced the #2 bleed air leak control and the isolation shutoff valve. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/JZA8797/history/20190620/0935Z/CYFC/CYOW http://avherald.com/h?article=4c9e6c88&opt=0 Back to Top Saab 340A - Ground Collision (Bahamas) Status: Date: Friday 28 June 2019 Time: 06:30 Type: Saab 340A Operator: Western Air Registration: C6-VIP C/n / msn: 340A-098 First flight: 1987-06-30 (32 years ) Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Aircraft damage: Substantial Location: Nassau-Lynden Pindling International Airport (NAS) ( Bahamas) Phase: Standing (STD) Nature: - Departure airport: - Destination airport: - Narrative: A Western Air Saab 340A ground crew was preparing the aircraft for re-positioning at the Nassau-Lynden Pindling International Airport, Bahamas. During its run up checks, the wheel chocks did not restrain the aircraft resulting in a collision with a covered walkway. The nose landing gear collapsed and several propeller blades on the no.1 prop were severed. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20190628-0 Back to Top Plane audio reveals confusion, engine trouble seconds before Addison crash, NTSB says The audio recording from onboard a plane that crashed into Addison Airport revealed confusion among the pilots and signs of engine trouble in the moments leading up to the accident. The small plane crashed seconds after takeoff Sunday morning, smashing into an unoccupied hangar and killing all 10 people aboard. The National Transportation Safety Board held its last formal press briefing on the crash Tuesday. A cockpit recording captured two hours of audio from the plane leading up to the crash, NTSB Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg said at Tuesday's press conference. The plane was cleared for takeoff about a minute before the recording ended. Twelve seconds before the plane crashed, "crew comment consistent with confusion" was recorded. Landsberg said he could not elaborate on what specifically was said by the crew. Crew comment regarding a problem with the left engine was captured about eight seconds before the end of the recording. Three automated alarms sounded, warning pilots the plane was banked too sharply to one side, about three seconds before the recording ended. The plane, a twin-engine Beechcraft 350 King Air, was flying a private party of people to St. Petersburg, Florida. Experts will continue to analyze the recording in Washington, D.C., Landsberg said. The group will release a written transcript when the majority of reports are completed in the investigation. NTSB will release a preliminary report in about two weeks, Landsberg said. A factual report will be released in 12 to 18 months and will be followed by a probable cause of the crash. The NTSB is analyzing video of the crash, records for the pilot and co-pilot and maintenance of the plane. A pilot who previously flew with the King Air's pilot told NTSB everything was normal during their flight several weeks ago, Landsberg said. In this photo taken Sunday, June 30 2019 in Addison, TX is the cockpit voice recorder from a Beechcraft BE-350 that crash into a hangar at Addison Airport shortly after takeoff. ALL 10 PEOPLE ON THE PLANE IDENTIFIED The plane had a maximum capacity of 11 people. Ten people were onboard: eight passengers and the pilot and co-pilot. All of them have been identified through the Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office or other sources. On Tuesday, the Medical Examiner's Office identified the flight's pilot as 71-year-old Howard Hale Cassady, of Fort Worth. Sources have told the Star-Telegram that Cassady had extensive flight experience, and records say he was rated for a dozen different types of aircraft. PLANE OWNERSHIP LINKED TO FAMILY OF 4 WHO DIED The aircraft was owned by a business connected to a family of four who died in the accident, records show. Brian Ellard, who died along with his wife and two teenage stepchildren, is connected to the business that purchased the aircraft this year from a private charter company in Chicago, according to public records. Todd DeSimone, the general manager of Chicago-based jet charter company Planemasters, said Monday that he sold the plane to a company based in Addison called EE Operations LLC. EE Operations has an address in the 4900 block of Keller Springs Road, which is blocks away from the airport. The same address is also registered to Ellard Family Holdings LLC, a business that is registered in Nevada and is owned by Ellard, and to NTA Life Management Inc., of which Ellard was the president and chief executive officer, according to public records and Ellard's LinkedIn Account. Another tail number - also known as an N-Number - has been reserved on another aircraft registered to the Ellard Family Holdings LLC business, according to the FAA Registry. Alice and Dylan Maritato were killed in the crash, along with their mother and stepfather, Ornella Ellard and Brian Ellard. Alice, 15, attended John Paul II High School in Plano and Dylan, 13, was a middle school student at All Saints Catholic School. CO-PILOT The NTSB hasn't yet clarified whether the aircraft was on a private flight or a chartered event, which would require two pilots to be on duty. A co-pilot on the flight had an expired medical certificate, government records show, although there's no evidence that his health contributed to the crash. Matthew John Palmer, 28, of Fort Worth, who was identified as the co-pilot of the propeller plane, had a first class commercial pilot license. A check of FAA records shows that Palmer's last medical certificate was dated April 2018. Several sources said a pilot with his credentials would have needed to re-certify his medical fitness every 12 months. "If he was due in April and he was flying, it appears he was flying with an expired medical certificate," said FAA spokesman Lynn Lynsford. "The valid medical is a no-go. If you're not valid, you're not supposed to be flying. You can't have any authority over the controls at all." But Ladd Sanger, a lawyer who specializes in aviation law, said the co-pilot's medical status wouldn't be a major factor if the trip was solely a private affair. Federal law only requires one pilot for those flights. If the flight was commercial, two pilots would have been required. OTHERS KILLED IN THE CRASH Steve Thelen, 58, and his wife, Gina, 57, also died in the crash, according to JLL real estate in Dallas, where Thelen was the managing director. Also killed were Mary Titus, 60, and her husband, John Titus, 61. The Tituses and Ornella and Brian Ellard were part of the same Dallas tennis group, of which Mary Titus was the captain, according to records from the United States Tennis Association. CRASH HISTORY Sanger said four other crashes involving Beechcraft 200 and 300 series models all occurred during takeoff, and in each case a question was raised about whether a power lever had either been incorrectly positioned by pilots, or crept back into a less powerful position after the pilot set them. He also said that if the aircraft loses one of its two engines, it can still take off. But, he added: "If you rotate the airplane and become airborne below the single-engine speed, you can't control the airplane in a loss of engine power." The crash was one of the deadliest in Dallas-Fort Worth aviation history. In 1985, Delta Air Lines flight 191 crashed while trying to land during a violent thunderstorm at DFW Airport, killing 134 of the 163 people on board. In 1988, Delta flight 1141 crashed shortly after takeoff at DFW, killing 14 people and injuring 94 others. https://www.star-telegram.com/news/business/aviation/article232191732.html Back to Top UN Aviation Agency to Review Global Pilot Training in Shadow of 737 Max Crashes FILE - Boeing 737 Max aircraft are parked at the airport adjacent to a Boeing Co. production facility in Renton, Wash., April 8, 2019. MONTREAL - Global regulators will meet in Montreal next week to review pilot licensing requirements, the U.N.'s aviation agency said, as part of a discussion that has gained urgency following two fatal crashes of Boeing 737 Max aircraft in the past year. It is the first time that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which sets global standards for 193 member countries, will undertake such a broad review on training requirements. While the meeting was not called in response to the Max crashes in Indonesia last October and in Ethiopia in March, it coincides with a larger debate on whether increasingly automated commercial jets are compromising pilot skills. The 737 Max has been grounded worldwide and could not be back in service for months yet. Most attention surrounding the two 737 Max crashes that killed a total of 346 people focuses on suspected flaws in an automated stall-prevention system called MCAS, which Boeing implemented to make the Max perform like previous 737 models. But the training given to pilots to allow them to handle such problems smoothly is also under scrutiny, expanding an industry debate over pilot skills that has been raging for years as crews spend less and less time flying aircraft manually. "Recently, with current events, people are discussing whether the minimum requirements or experience are still valid, [or] should we review that?" ICAO's chief of operational safety Miguel Marin told Reuters. In addition to regulators, representatives of a global pilots group are expected to attend the July 8-12 meeting, Marin said. Marin called the meeting a "first step," with any eventual change up to regulators. Training hours In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration increased the number of required training hours for commercial pilots from 250 to 1,500 in 2013, a move that some players have criticized as excessive, particularly as the industry grapples with future pilot shortages. At the Montreal meeting, regulators will discuss flying hours and competency-based training, where pilots demonstrate skills like landing an airplane, as opposed to focusing on learning to fly and accumulating hours regardless of aircraft type. ICAO's multi-crew pilot license created in 2006 focused on competency-based training, where pilots need 240 hours to become first officers on a single aircraft type. "What we're seeing in highly automated aircraft, it's not how to manage the airplane if things are OK. It's those unexpected malfunctions that throw the airplane off," Marin said. "We think that can only be addressed with a different type of approach to training rather than just saying, give them more hours." https://www.voanews.com/economy-business/un-aviation-agency-review-global-pilot-training-shadow-737-max-crashes Back to Top Why can't Israeli pilots get a GPS signal? The International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations (IFALPA) reported the disruptions on June 25 and the Israel Airports Authority (IAA) confirmed the following day. (Stephan Rathke/Getty Images) Israeli pilots have reported the loss of a GPS signal near Tel Aviv for nearly three weeks and officials believe Russia could be to blame. The International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations (IFALPA) reported the disruptions in a June 25 press release. The Israel Airports Authority (IAA) confirmed the reports June 26. The Israeli Defense Forces radio station, Galei Tzahal, then reported that previously unknown interruptions in the GPS signal were coming from Russia, according to a June 27 BBC article. This sentiment was later confirmed to C4ISRNET by Todd Humphreys, a professor at the University of Texas studying satellite navigation, autonomous systems, and signal processing. Humphreys said his research found that for the past year Russia has been broadcasting a unique combination of jamming and spoofing signals from Syria which he calls "smart jamming." "What's going on in Israel is not that Israel is the target of Russian aggression, it's that it is simply collateral damage," Humphreys said. This report comes as U.S. military leaders have become increasingly concerned about not having access to accurate position, navigation and timing capabilities. The GPS interruption can deter rudimentary aircraft that rely on civilian GPS signals, said Humphreys. He suspects that the Russian military has made improvements to their transmitters and the change has led to the interruption. "The intent not to fool the servers but to deny service," Humphreys said. "My suspicion is that the broadcasts they have been making for the last year and a half out of Syria are primarily designed to deter drones and incursions into airspace they wish to control." Humphreys said his guess is that the signals are coming out of Khmeimim Air Base in Syria. He said he knows signals are coming from this base because he can track the signal from space using a GRID receiver on the International Space Station owned by the Naval Research Lab, Cornell, University of Texas, and Aerospace Corp. According to a BBC report, Russia has denied responsibility in the attacks and called them "fake news." At the same time, Dana A. Howard, the president of Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation, said his group and 14 other maritime organizations sent a request to the U.S. Coast Guard June 25 requesting an international resolution against GPS jamming and spoofing. "Jamming and spoofing of GPS is clearly a hazard. These signals are relied upon for navigation and when they are interfered with...then they can pose a real hazard to safety of life," he said. Howard said this resolution does not ask for nations to abstain from interfering with GPS signals, but for more transparency when they do. The resolution asks for notification if service was to be disrupted. While the resolution applied only to maritime purposes, Howard said he believes it should apply elsewhere as well. While the interruptions from Syria have been taking place for more than three weeks, no immediate solution to stop these signals appears evident. Yoab Zangvil, chief technology officer and co-founder of Regulus Cyber, a senor security company in Israel, said his firm is working to detect these attacks so it can notify the appropriate parties when they are being spoofed. While the reports coming out of Israel are solely related to civilian technology, Humphreys said the Russians have shown the ability to block military grade equipment in the past. In 2018, NBC News reported the Russian military to be jamming signals to U.S. drones effecting military operations in Syria. In addition, Gen. Raymond Thomas, the former head of Special Operations Command, said in 2018 at the annual GEOINT symposium in Flordia "Right now in Syria we are operating in the most aggressive EW [electronic warfare] environment on the planet." https://www.c4isrnet.com/global/mideast-africa/2019/07/02/why-cant-israeli-pilots-get-a-gps-signal/ Back to Top DGCA issues 'Air Safety Circular' for airlines (India) Keeping in mind the upcoming monsoon season in the country the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday issued an "Air Safety Circular' for all airlines. "Aircraft operations during monsoon season poses challenges, which of late have resulted in a number of occurrences. Keeping the above in view, operators are advised to adhere to precautions while planning operations during the monsoon conditions," the circular by DGCA read. The instructions to the airlines include, "Emphasis should be laid on conducting stabilised approach criterion as specified in Operations Circular 3 of 2017. The crew should be encouraged to Go-Around when approach becomes unstabilised or in case of any condition which reduces visual references to enable a safe landing. It must be ensured that the crew is aware of the lighting system available at the airport including the coded lighting system. The crew rostering should factor in the fatigue element associated with the operations during the adverse weather conditions." It also talks about taking the weather conditions into consideration for the dispatch planning and crew awareness. "While adhering to the minimum cockpit experience laid down by DGCA. the operators should carry out their own risk assessment before conducting operations during the adverse weather conditions and make available sufficiently experienced crew in the cockpit," it added. It has also disallowed assisted flying during the period. https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ani/dgca-issues-air-safety-circular-for-airlines-119070201460_1.html Back to Top EASA Issues Special Condition To Govern VTOL Aircraft The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) today published the Special Condition document that will govern development and certification framework for hybrid- and electric-powered vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft. These new rules will apply to small VTOL aircraft with lift/thrust units to generate powered lift and control. The small category is for aircraft with nine or fewer passenger seats and maximum takeoff weight up to 3,175 kg (7,000 pounds). The VTOL Special Condition also establishes a direct correlation between the airworthiness requirements for these aircraft and the type of operations for which they will be used. An enhanced category will apply to operations in which passengers are being flown on a for-hire basis over congested areas with a view to protecting third parties, including people on the ground. Lighter requirements will apply to non-commercial flights over uncongested areas under the basic category. "We are actively engaging with the industry to develop the right technical requirements to take benefit of the new technologies bringing safety and environmental benefits to the community," said EASA executive director Patrick Ky. "The establishment of a common set of conditions for the certification of these new concepts of vehicles will enable a fair competition on the European market, as well as clarity for future manufacturers and their investors." Announcing the new Special Condition, which was subject to public consultation initiated in October 2018, EASA said it will be "the first building block" to enable the safe operation of VTOL aircraft. The agency is now the wider rulemaking process will be guided by the Special Condition document to take full account of the new technologies and operational air transport concepts emerging in the fast-growing VTOL sector. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2019-07-02/easa-issues-special-condition-govern-vtol-aircraft Back to Top FAA to streamline fire regulations for cargo compartments Federal regulators want to simplify regulations meant to protect cargo compartments from fire hazards in a proposal they say will be a net savings for aircraft manufacturers. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposal, scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on July 3, would apply to manufacturers of U.S.-operated "transport category" airplanes - such as Boeing [NYSE: BA] - and would include both commercial passenger jets and cargo-only freighters. However, the proposed changes would not apply to cargo containers, "even though the National Transportation Safety Board has recommended improved flammability standards for cargo containers," the FAA pointed out in the proposal. "Unlike the cargo compartments that house them, cargo containers are usually not part of the airplane type design, and so are not directly affected by the requirements," the agency said, noting that it is conducting a separate ongoing analysis of potential regulatory changes for cargo containers. The FAA proposes converting flammability regulations for manufacturers applying to certify planes in the U.S. "from detailed, prescriptive requirements into simpler, performance-based standards." It would divide the regulations into two categories: those designed to protect the airplane and its occupants from in-flight fires, and those designed to protect against hazards caused by post-crash fires. "In addition, this proposal would remove test methods from the regulations and allow applicants, in certain cases, to demonstrate compliance either without conducting tests or by providing independent substantiation of the flammability characteristics of a proposed material," according to the FAA. "This action is necessary to eliminate unnecessary testing, increase standardization and improve safety." Over a 19-year period of an analysis of the regulation, the FAA estimated the present value costs of the proposal at $71.1 million and total cost savings of $119.8 million, for a net savings of $48.7 million over the period. The agency explained that because fewer post-crash flammability requirements currently apply to airplanes designed to carry 19 or fewer passengers, much of the streamlining would only apply to larger airplanes. "For the same reason, for airplanes designed to carry 19 or fewer passengers, fewer in-flight flammability tests would be eliminated by meeting post-crash flammability test requirements. Thus, applicants for type certification of airplanes with 19 or fewer passengers might not benefit from the same degree of simplified testing," it stated. While the regulations do not apply directly to the airline operators, any costs or savings could potentially be passed down. Steve Alterman, president of the Cargo Airline Association, which represents all-cargo airlines such as UPS [NYSE: UPS] and FedEx [NYSE: FDX], said that he is still assessing the potential effects of the proposal but agrees generally with the federal agency's regulatory approach. "The FAA has moved in a direction of describing the outcome that needs to be reached rather than putting in prescriptive rules, and consulting with the industry to see how that can be done," Alterman told FreightWaves. "I think it's best when industry and government can work together to make regulations safer." A 90-day comment period will follow after the regulation is published. https://www.freightwaves.com/news/faa-to-streamline-fire-regulations-for-cargo-compartments Back to Top Why Did American Airlines Cancel Their Airbus A350 Order? Back at the beginning of 2018, American Airlines decided to cancel their order for 20 Airbus A350s. This was a bit of a surprise, because the carrier had the type on order since 2005 and didn't seem to have the right motivation for this move. Airbus A350 American Airlines had the A350 on order for many years. Photo: Airbus Why did American cancel their long-standing order of A350s and was it the right move for the carrier? What are the details? The original order for 20 Airbus A350s came from US Airways back in 2005, after they merged with America West Airlines. The choice of the A350 made sense, as the merged fleet had a weighting of A320s and A330s. According to Flight Global, there was also the matter of a $250m loan from Airbus to assist with company restructuring. Essentially, they had no choice than to order the type from Airbus if they wanted to survive as a carrier. Doug Parker, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of the newly merged US Airways, said in an Airbus statement, "When we restructured the airline, we knew we would need a new aircraft to grow with us, and the A350 truly fits the bill. As both halves of our heritage include Airbus fleets, we have great confidence in the brand, and look forward to an airplane that meets our needs for range, economy, and comfort, while offering our crews technology with which they are already experienced." Airbus US Airways A350-800. Photo: Airbus It was planned that US Airways would become the launch customer of the A350 in 2011. These plans fell apart when Airbus decided to take the A350 back to the drawing board to redesign it, in order to better compete with the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner. When Airbus came back to the table in 2007 with their A350 XWB, US Airways expanded their order to 22 A350s, a mix of many of the smaller A350-800 and a few of the larger A350-900. Longtime readers will know that ultimately the A350-800 would not be built, but we will get to that later. The date set for the first delivery was now 2014, three years later than originally planned. Why did American cancel their order? By 2009, US Airways had deferred the delivery of their first aircraft by three years to 2017. When the early 2010s rolled around, American Airlines was now aggressive integrating US Airways into their brand. Whilst they had been a merged company for some time, they had operated as different brands until being granted a single AOC by the FAA in 2015. Thus, when American Airlines looked at the US Airways order book, their heavy Boeing fleet match (which included the Boeing 787) didn't make sense in their eyes. They did not want any more long-range Airbus aircraft. American Airlines decided to switch all the orders of the A350 from the -800 type to the -900 type, causing Airbus to drop the variant completely. This did not impress the management of American Airlines, who pushed back on the capacity of the aircraft and did not want to commit to the purchase at that time. They also pushed back delivery again, to 2020 onwards. Eventually, American Airlines decided to cancel the US Airways order outright, and order Boeing 787 aircraft instead. Why did American Airways cancel the order? Apart from the Boeing heavy fleet listed above, American also stated that they were "avoiding adding complexity to the fleet" and "from a commonality standpoint and an operations standpoint", as described by AA's Chief Financial Officer Derek Kerr on a Podcast. American Airlines is on a mission to reduce the scale and complexity of its fleet. They want one type of medium haul, one type of short-haul, etc, and not to have different variants across the fleet. This will reduce maintenance costs, and allow more flexibility with pilot deployment. American Airlines would go on to order the A321XLR at the Paris Air Show. https://simpleflying.com/american-airlines-a350-cancelled/ Back to Top I OPTED OUT OF FACIAL RECOGNITION AT THE AIRPORT-IT WASN'T EASY THE ANNOUNCEMENT CAME as we began to board. Last month, I was at Detroit's Metro Airport for a connecting flight to Southeast Asia. I listened as a Delta Air Lines staff member informed passengers that the boarding process would use facial recognition instead of passport scanners. Allie Funk is a research analyst for Freedom on the Net, Freedom House's annual country-by-country assessment of internet freedom. She focuses on developments in the US and Asia. As a privacy-conscious person, I was uncomfortable boarding this way. I also knew I could opt out. Presumably, most of my fellow fliers did not: I didn't hear a single announcement alerting passengers how to avoid the face scanners. To figure out how to do so, I had to leave the boarding line, speak with a Delta representative at their information desk, get back in line, then request a passport scan when it was my turn to board. Federal agencies and airlines claim that facial recognition is an opt-out system, but my recent experience suggests they are incentivizing travelers to have their faces scanned-and disincentivizing them to sidestep the tech-by not clearly communicating alternative options. Last year, a Delta customer service representative reported that only 2 percent of customers opt out of facial-recognition. It's easy to see why. As I watched traveler after traveler stand in front of a facial scanner before boarding our flight, I had an eerie vision of a new privacy-invasive status quo. With our faces becoming yet another form of data to be collected, stored, and used, it seems we're sleepwalking toward a hyper-surveilled environment, mollified by assurances that the process is undertaken in the name of security and convenience. I began to wonder: Will we only wake up once we no longer have the choice to opt out? Until we have evidence that facial recognition is accurate and reliable-as opposed to simply convenient-travelers should avoid the technology where they can. The facial recognition plan in US airports is built around the Customs and Border Protection Biometric Exit Program, which utilizes face-scanning technology to verify a traveler's identity. CBP partners with airlines-including Delta, JetBlue, American Airlines, and others-to photograph each traveler while boarding. That image gets compared to one stored in a cloud-based photo-matching service populated with photos from visas, passports, or related immigration applications. The Biometric Exit Program is used in at least 17 airports, and a recently-released Department of Homeland Security report states that CBP anticipates having the ability to scan the faces of 97 percent of commercial air passengers departing the United States by 2023. This rapid deployment of facial recognition in airports follows a 2017 executive order in which President Trump expedited former President Obama's efforts to use biometric technology. The Transportation Security Administration has since unveiled its own plan to improve partnership with CBP and to introduce the technology throughout the airport. The opportunity for this kind of biometric collection infrastructure to feed into a broader system of mass surveillance is staggering, as is its ability to erode privacy. Proponents of these programs often argue that facial recognition in airports promotes security while providing convenience. But abandoning privacy should not be a prerequisite for achieving security. And in the case of technology like facial recognition, the "solution" can quickly become a deep and troubling problem of its own. For starters, facial recognition technology appears incapable of treating all passengers equally at this stage. Research shows that it is particularly unreliable for gender and racial minorities: one study, for example, found a 99 percent accuracy rate for white men, while the error rate for women who have darker skin reached up to 35 percent. This suggests that, for women and people of color, facial recognition could actually cause an increase in the likelihood to be unfairly targeted for additional screening measures. Americans should be concerned about whether images of their faces collected by this program will be used by companies and shared across different government agencies. Other data collected for immigration purposes-like social media details-can be shared with federal, state, and local agencies. If one government agency has a database with facial scans, it would be simple to share the data with others. This technology is already seeping into everyday life, and the increased regularity with which Americans encounter facial recognition as a matter of course while traveling will reinforce this familiarity; in this context, it is easy to imagine content from a government-operated facial recognition database being utilized in other settings aside from airports-say, for example, monitoring peaceful protests. There are also serious concerns about CBP's storage of this data. A database with millions of facial scans is extremely sensitive, and breaches seem inevitable. Indeed, CBP officials recently revealed that thousands of photos of people's faces and license plates were compromised after a cyberattack on a federal subcontractor. Once this sort of data is made insecure, there is no hope of getting it back. One cannot simply alter their face like they can their phone number or email address. Importantly, there have been some efforts to address facial recognition in airports. The government's Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board recently announced an aviation-security project to assess privacy and civil liberties implications with biometric technologies. Members of Congress have also shared similar concerns. Nevertheless, the Biometric Exit Program needs to be stopped until it prioritizes travelers' privacy and resolves its technical and legal shortcomings. At the state and local level, public opposition has driven cities and states to consider-and, in some cases, enact-restrictions on the use of facial recognition technology. The same healthy skepticism should be directed toward the technology's deployment at our airports. Congress needs to supplement pressure from travelers with strong data protection laws that provide greater transparency and oversight. This should include strict limits on how long companies and government agencies can retain such intimate data. Private companies should not be allowed to utilize data collected for business purposes, and federal agencies should not be able to freely share this data with other parts of government. Policymakers should also ensure that biometric programs undergo thorough and transparent civil rights assessments prior to implementation. Until measures like these are met, travelers should be critical when submitting to facial recognition technology in airports. Ask yourself: Is saving a few minutes worth handing over your most sensitive biometric information? https://www.wired.com/story/opt-out-of-facial-recognition-at-the-airport/ Back to Top Flexjet Selects GE Aviation for Digital Flight Operations Technology AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Most Accurate Data and Analytics Promotes Culture of Safety and Efficiency Fleet modernization with wireless QAR and cellular services for instant data delivery Flexjet and GE Aviation have implemented a comprehensive safety and fleet modernization project including flight operations quality assurance (FOQA), quick access recorders (QARs) and cellular data services. The equipment will monitor Flexjet's fleet of 150 aircraft including Embraer Phenom 300 and Legacy 450, Bombardier Challenger 300, 350, Global Express and the Gulfstream G450 and G650. "By combining GE's experience in flight safety analysis and flight analytics with wireless mini-QAR technology from our Avionica joint venture, we will help Flexjet to advance their fleet with the latest flight safety analysis techniques in the airline environment," said John Mansfield, chief digital officer for GE Aviation. FOQA (Flight Operations Quality Assurance) is a powerful data analytic tool, based on flight data recorded during each flight. Airlines and operators that adopt FOQA are better able to identify and eliminate potential safety hazards in flight operations. "We were able to customize the QAR firmware to include Flexjet-specific flight events by using the roughly 4.5 million data points collected per wireless transmission the equipment sends immediately after landing of every flight," said Flexjet Chief Safety Officer Todd Anguish, who has also worked as a pilot, flight instructor, and an A&P Mechanic for nearly 27 years. "The comprehensive data we can gather immediately allows us to ensure safer operation of our fleet with real-time flight data monitoring to address any potential flight safety concerns immediately." GE Aviation's Event Measurement System (EMS) which powers their flight analytics services and FOQA systems are being used on more than 9,000 aircraft. GE's flight analytics service integrates data sources like flight information, weather, navigation, flight plans, and other operational data to provide valuable insights for airline customers around fuel use and operations. "Flexjet has been a customer of our C-FOQA product for many years," continued Mansfield. "Since they've experienced considerable growth in their fleet, this agreement upgrades their safety solution to our eFOQA, the standard in large-operator FOQA programs worldwide." Since its introduction in the airline industry more than 20 years ago, FOQA has been widely credited with reducing incident and accident rates at airlines where it has been adopted. In its 2017-2018 Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Enhancements, the NTSB encourages aircraft operators to improve safety oversight of their aircraft by routinely reviewing recorded flight data in a structured program such as eFOQA. About Flexjet Flexjet first entered the fractional jet ownership market in 1995. Flexjet offers fractional jet ownership and leasing. Flexjet's fractional aircraft program is the first in the world to be recognized as achieving the Air Charter Safety Foundation's Industry Audit Standard, is the first and only company to be honored with 20 FAA Diamond Awards for Excellence, upholds an ARG/US Platinum Safety Rating and is IS-BAO compliant at Level 2. Flexjet's fractional program fields an exclusive array of business aircraft-some of the youngest in the fractional jet industry, with an average age of approximately six years. In 2015, Flexjet introduced Red Label by Flexjet, which features the youngest fleet in the industry, flight crews dedicated to a single aircraft and the LXi Cabin Collection of interiors. To date there are more than 25 different interior designs across its fleet, which includes the Challenger 350, the Embraer Legacy 450, Global Express, the Gulfstream G450, G500 and G650, and the Aerion AS2 supersonic business jets. In addition, the overall jet collection includes the Embraer Phenom 300 and Bombardier Challenger 300. Flexjet is a member of the Directional Aviation family of companies. For more details on innovative programs and flexible offerings, visit www.flexjet.com or follow us on Twitter @Flexjet and on Instagram @FlexjetLLC. About GE Aviation GE Aviation, an operating unit of GE (GE), is a world-leading provider of commercial and military jet engines, avionics, digital solutions and electrical power systems for aircraft. GE is the world's Digital Industrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive. With people, services, technology and scale, GE delivers better outcomes for customers by speaking the language of industry. www.geaviation.com/digital https://finance.yahoo.com/news/flexjet-selects-ge-aviation-digital-160500569.html Back to Top Mitsubishi's new jet faces sales challenges in slow market PARIS - Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp., which is developing the first domestically produced passenger jet, laid out a new strategy aimed at winning more orders at the International Paris Air Show, the largest aviation trade show in the world, which was held from June 17 through 23. However, the aircraft market is slowing down amid uncertainties over the global economy, making the future of Mitsubishi Aircraft's target market unclear. Serious about sales Mitsubishi Aircraft, which changed its jet's name from Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) to Mitsubishi SpaceJet, showed off the design and interior of a new model aimed at the U.S. market. At a press conference, Mitsubishi Aircraft President Hisakazu Mizutani said: "In terms of performance, we can take on any competitor. We are looking forward to receiving active business offers [for our jets]." The aircraft on display was painted white with "SPACEJET" lettering on the side. This was the public's first look at the 70-seat type, which can have up to four seats per row and allows for first and business class seating. The company aims to have it on the market in 2023. The firm first developed a 90-seat type, but its delivery date has been pushed back five times. The company now aims to start delivery in mid-2020, about a year from now, and is putting out a serious sales effort. No new orders Usually at the International Paris Air Show, manufacturers vie to reveal big orders and there are numerous announcements of negotiations over orders for hundreds of planes at a time. Things are slow this year though. On the show's first day, Airbus SE of Europe got an order for about 100 planes and Embraer SA of Brazil won one for about 40 planes. In its proposals, Mitsubishi Aircraft has been telling the airlines, "If you fly the SpaceJet on this new route, you can expect this much profit." However, the firm has yet to announce any new orders. The airlines are skittish about a global economic slowdown due to factors such as mounting friction between the United States and China. In North America, the world's largest market, "interest rates are rising and airline companies, which hate increased costs, are staying away from purchases," an industry source said. Shot at victory Mitsubishi Aircraft is aiming at the market for "regional" jets that have less than 100 seats. Worldwide, there were about 2,400 such aircraft in operation as of the end of 2018. Demand for about 5,000 new regional jets is expected in the next 20 years. Yet, the bigger companies in the world are withdrawing from the sector. Embraer is transitioning to the market for jets with 100 or more seats, which offers larger profits. Bombardier Inc. of Canada is planning to withdraw from the passenger plane business. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., Mitsubishi Aircraft's parent company, has agreed to buy Bombardier's passenger jet business for $550 million. Mitsubishi Aircraft is expected to spend more than ¥800 billion on development and needs steady orders to get the business on track. "Companies that deal in regional [jets] are all in difficult management straits," Katsuhiko Sugiyama, an industrial analyst who is an expert on the industry, said. "Mitsubishi is the only one developing in the 70-seat class. It has a chance to break into the market." http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0005821206 Back to Top Hedge Funds Are Tracking Private Jets to Find the Next Megadeal Where there's a plane, there's a data trail. A private jet takes off from Jackson Hole Airport in Grand Teton National Park, Wyo., on June 13, 2019. If you have a meeting with Warren Buffett in Omaha and you want to keep it a secret, consider driving. The airports are being watched. In April, a stock research firm told clients that a Gulfstream V owned by Houston-based Occidental Petroleum Corp. had been spotted at an Omaha airport. The immediate speculation was that Occidental executives were negotiating with Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. to get financial help in their $38 billion offer for rival Anadarko Petroleum Corp. Two days later, Buffett announced a $10 billion investment in Occidental. Where there's a jet, there's a data trail, and several "alternative data" firms are keeping tabs on private aircraft for hedge funds and other investors. The data on the Occidental plane came from Quandl Inc., which was acquired by Nasdaq Inc. in December. (Bloomberg LP, which publishes Bloomberg Businessweek, provides clients with reports from another company called JetTrack.) There's some evidence that aircraft-tracking can be used to get an early read on corporate news. A 2018 paper from security researchers at the University of Oxford and Switzerland's federal Science and Technology department, tracked aircraft from three dozen public companies and identified seven instances of mergers-and-acquisitions activity. "It probably shouldn't be your prime source of investing information, but as a feeder, as an alert of something else what might be going on, that's where this work might be useful," says Matthew Smith, a researcher at Oxford's computer science department and one of the authors. Whether that's enough to give investors an edge is another question; as alternative data becomes more available, it's more likely to be rapidly reflected in stock prices. At the same time, some owners of private jets are doing their best to get their flights back into stealth mode. Online aviation trackers that focus on commercial traffic, including FlightAware, allow anyone to see the position of thousands of airborne planes, based on in part a raw data feed provided by the Federal Aviation Administration. What's not visible are 28,000 private craft, from small, single-engine turboprops to large, intercontinental business jets. An FAA policy lets these owners request that their plane's identities be blocked from public display. But the FAA isn't the only data source. Many planes are equipped with a technology called Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B), which transmits an aircraft's transponder code, call sign, model type, position, and airspeed. As of Jan. 1, 2020, the FAA will mandate that any aircraft flying in most U.S.-controlled airspace be equipped with ADS-B. Anyone with the right antennas can pick up ADS-B data and observe virtually all passing air traffic. A co-op called ADS-B Exchange takes information from a network of antennas around the world and makes it freely available. Such information isn't useful for only hedge funds. Dictator Alert tracks airplanes registered to or owned by authoritarian leaders-mostly in the Middle East and Africa-into and out of Geneva Airport in Switzerland, and posts the information using a Twitter bot. The service was begun by two journalists and operates with a private ADS-B antenna near the airport. In the U.S., the National Business Aviation Association has pressed the government for stricter blocking measures. "A businessperson should not have to give up her safety, security, and privacy or business confidentiality just because they get on an airplane," says NBAA spokesman Dan Hubbard. The association is working with the FAA and others in the aviation industry to develop new tools for more effectively blocking data on private aircraft in the era of ADS-B coverage. "Claims that this information is secret or 'sensitive' do not hold water," ADS-B Exchange says on its website. "Any member of the public with $100 and the ability to order parts from Amazon can receive this data." Just getting planes' basic information isn't enough for someone trying to track them for investing purposes. Figuring out who owns a particular aircraft, or is likely to be flying in it, can be tricky, given the common use of shell companies and foreign registrations. Paid services may task employees with the chore of following a jet's paper trail as far as possible to suss out which aircraft are worth watching. It seems unlikely that flying will ever be completely private again. "The technology to track these aircraft is cheap and widely available," says David White, vice president of business development at Cirium, an aviation data and analytics firm. Even if public data sources mask more data about flights, companies with hedge fund clients could "pick and choose the business hubs" where private aircraft movements would most likely yield cues about corporate activity, White says. "It's not rocket science, that's for sure." https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-07-02/hedge-funds-are-tracking-private-jets-to-find-the-next-megadeal Back to Top NASA is working on 12 projects ahead of 2024 moon mission One of them is a rover called MoonRanger. NASA has been putting the Artemis program together over the past months in hopes of returning to the moon by 2024. After picking the first three commercial moon landing service providers, NASA has now chosen the 12 science and technology projects they're bringing to Earth's faithful companion. All 12 will help us study the moon in preparation for our return in a few years' time -- a rover called MoonRanger, for instance, will create 3D maps of the lunar surface. Astrobotic has signed a $5.6 million NASA contract to build the lightweight autonomous rover, which will also demonstrate a long-range communication system for lunar exploration. Another project called Heimdall is, as you might be able to guess from the name, a camera system that'll help us understand the moon's geological features a lot better. It will also keep an eye out for potential landing and traffic hazards for our spacecraft and vehicles. Most of the other instruments will look more closely into the moon's composition, heat flow and other properties. The Lunar Environment heliospheric X-ray Imager, however, will capture images of the solar wind. Some of the instruments will also use components from previous missions. The Lunar Magnetotelluric Sounder will use a magnetometer made for the MAVEN spacecraft to study the electric and magnetic fields of the moon. Meanwhile, the Lunar Surface Electromagnetics Experiment will use repurposed hardwave from MAVEN and other missions to monitor the electromagnetic phenomena on the surface of the moon. All 12 projects will make their way to the lunar surface on future flights through NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services project as early as 2021. Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington, said: "The selected lunar payloads represent cutting-edge innovations, and will take advantage of early flights through our commercial services project. Each demonstrates either a new science instrument or a technological innovation that supports scientific and human exploration objectives, and many have broader applications for Mars and beyond." https://www.engadget.com/2019/07/02/nasa-moon-instruments-artemis-program/?yptr=yahoo Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY(1) I am a retired pilot and I am finishing my PhD in business. My dissertation is on the different leadership styles pilots have and how they influence safety. I do feel there is a massive lack of research in aviation on how important the different leadership styles are and their influence on safety. Although multiple industries are studying the outcomes of different leadership styles in different aspects of business, aviation is not. Therefore, I feel my research will truly help the industry. Any assistance here would be a huge contribution to aviation. Below is the link to my research survey for your review: https://ncu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9BomOpXQJw5tKL3 Regards, Carlos Guillem 469-688-3174 CarlosGuillem@yahoo.com C.Guillem6197@0365.ncu.edu Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY(2) Dear Pilots, My name is Lakshmi Vempati. I am a doctoral candidate in the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University PhD in Aviation program, and I am working on my dissertation under the guidance of Dr. Scott Winter. We are interested in understanding pilot perspectives for operating in unmanned aircraft system (UAS) integrated airspace and airports. You can help this research by participating in this electronic questionnaire. The study is anticipated to take approximately 15 minutes to complete. In order to participate, you must be 18 years of age, and a current civilian pilot with any rating, and experience level who has flown within the last six months. Participants will have an opportunity to participate in the drawing to win a DJI Tello Quadcopter Drone. If you have any questions regarding the study, or the questionnaire in particular, please contact the researcher, Lakshmi Vempati, at vempatil@my.erau.edu or the dissertation committee chair, Dr. Scott Winter, at winte25e@erau.edu. Please find the electronic questionnaire at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LVPilotSurvey Please feel free to forward the link to other pilots who you think might be interested in participating. Sincerely, Lakshmi Vempati, Doctoral Candidate ERAU PhD in Aviation ISASI 2019 is pleased to announce that the technical program is now posted on the seminar website at www.isasi2019.org Choose the "Program" page and "Program Review" for the most up to date information. It will be necessary for you to click on the program icon to open the full program. Dates to remember: July 28 - Final date for registration for the MH 17 Master Class. Please register for the seminar first and then contact Daan Zwart at D.Zwart@vnv.nl for more information. July 28 - Final date for Early Bird pricing. August 4 - Deadline for hotel reservations. After this date we will not be able to guarantee the seminar rate. We look forward to seeing many of you in The Hague! Back to Top Join us in Washington, D.C., on July 15-18 for ALPA's annual Air Safety Forum Curt Lewis