Flight Safety Information July 12, 2019 - No. 140 In This Issue Head of Boeing's 737 MAX program to retire: company memo Incident: United B738 at San Jose on Jul 11th 2019, tail scrape on departure Accident: Canada B772 over Pacific on Jul 11th 2019, turbulence causes 35 injuries Accident: Spirit A321 at Tampa and Atlanta on Jul 7th 2019, fumes injure crew Incident: Smartwings B734 at Budapest on Jul 11th 2019, tyre damage on departure Incident: ANA B737 near Fukuoka on Jul 11th 2019, engine shut down in flight Incident: Montenegro F100 near Moscow on Jul 10th 2019, captain incapacitated Yeti ATR 72-500 suffers runway excursion on landing in heavy rain at Kathmandu DGCA suspends two AirAsia India pilots for violations House panel to hold July 17 hearing on aviation safety As Technology Advances, The Best Defense Against Clear Air Turbulence Injuries Is Still Analogue New research highlights why sleep loss poses an insidious threat to flight safety FAA Recommends Upping Braking Performance Margins Baylor Institute for Air Science Partners with Universal Flight Concepts to Provide Training Breaking Sound and Gender Barriers: An A-10 Pilot Is Now the First Female F-35 Test Pilot SONEX REVEALS TWO-SEAT JET Air China to buy 20 A350-900 wide-body aircraft from Airbus 40 Years Ago, NASA's Skylab Space Station Fell to Earth FAA Safety Briefing - JUL/AUG 2019 GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY(1) GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY(2) Upcoming USC Aviation Safety & Security Program Courses Aircraft Cabin Air Conference Join us in Washington, D.C., on July 15-18 for ALPA's annual...Air Safety Forum Head of Boeing's 737 MAX program to retire: company memo The head of Boeing-737 program will retire as the company prepares to persuade regulators to allow the plane to return to service following two deadly crashes (AFP Photo/Jim WATSON) New York (AFP) - The head of Boeing's embattled 737 MAX program plans to retire, the company said Thursday, just as it gears up to persuade regulators to return the plane to the skies after two deadly crashes. It was the most high profile departure of a senior executive since the aircraft was grounded in mid-March following two crashes that claimed 346 lives. Eric Lindblad, who has led the MAX program since August 2018, will step down and work with his successors on a transition, Commercial Airplanes President Kevin McAllister said in a staff memo. Boeing apologized following the two crashes and acknowledged falling short in communications with regulators. But top officials, including chief executive Dennis Muilenburg, have kept their jobs amid the crisis. "These are unprecedented times for us, as our primary focus remains the safe return of service for the 737 MAX and driving quality and safety in all that we do," McAllister said. The company has been widely criticized over its development of the 737 MAX, which included a flight handling system called the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System that has been seen as a factor in both crashes. McAllester praised Lindblad for "strong leadership and timeless drive" since assuming the 737 program less than a year ago. Lindblad "shared with me his desire to retire last year, and we will now begin to embark on a thoughtful and seamless transition plan," McAllister said. Mark Jenks, a 36-year company veteran, will replace Lindblad. Jenks has been leading Boeing's effort to develop a new midsized commercial plane. The memo did not specify the timing of the transition. McAllester also said Boeing executive Mike Sinnett, an executive in product strategy and future airplane development, will assume Jenks' duties while continuing work to restore the MAX to service. Sinnett "will also continue to play a pivotal role in our stakeholder and customer outreach efforts on the MAX certification and return to service efforts," McAllister said. Boeing has developed a software upgrade for the MCAS. But the jet has not yet been cleared by regulators to resume flights. The Federal Aviation Administration late last month identified a fresh problem during simulator testing, further clouding the outlook for the plane's return to service. https://www.yahoo.com/news/head-boeings-737-max-program-retire-company-memo- 220311792.html Back to Top Incident: United B738 at San Jose on Jul 11th 2019, tail scrape on departure A United Boeing 737-800, registration N86534 performing flight UA-1079 from San Jose (Costa Rica) to Newark,NJ (USA), departed San Jose's runway 07 when the tail skid assembly was compressed upon departure. The crew stopped the climb out of the runway at FL190, descended to 9000 feet to burn off fuel and returned to San Jose for a safe landing on runway 07 about 2:45 hours after departure. The tail skid assembly was found compressed into the red indication, the aft drain mast showed minor damage. The aircraft is still on the ground in San Jose about 5 hours after landing back. http://avherald.com/h?article=4ca41601&opt=0 Back to Top Accident: Canada B772 over Pacific on Jul 11th 2019, turbulence causes 35 injuries An Air Canada Boeing 777-200, registration C-FNNH performing flight AC-33 from Vancouver,BC (Canada) to Sydney,NS (Australia) with 269 passengers and 15 crew, was enroute at FL340 over the Pacific Ocean about 900nm southwest of Honolulu,HI (USA) when the aircraft encountered turbulence causing a number of injuries on board. The crew decided to turn around and divert to Honolulu, where the aircraft landed safely about 2:15 hours later. The airline reported 35 passengers received minor injuries as result of the severe clear air turbulence encounter about 2 hours past Honolulu. The passengers were taken to hotels in Honolulu until another aircraft can be dispatched. Passengers reported fellow passengers literally went flying within the aircraft and hit the ceiling of the cabin. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/ACA33/history/20190711/0700Z/CYVR/YSSY http://avherald.com/h?article=4ca4118b&opt=0 Back to Top Accident: Spirit A321 at Tampa and Atlanta on Jul 7th 2019, fumes injure crew A Spirit Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration N658NK performing flight NK-942 from Tampa,FL to Atlanta,GA (USA), was taxiing for departure when the crew was advised they needed to wait due to weather. The aircraft stopped on the taxiway, one engine was shut down and the crew permitted passengers to use the lavatories on board. A strange odour began to develop on board, passengers began to cover up their noses and mouths and overheard flight attendants suspecting the odour originated from the lavatory. About 30 minutes after stopping the aircraft was able to depart, the fumes disappeared during takeoff but returned during initial climb and became even stronger, passengers commented the odour reminded of old dirty socks. Again noses and mouths were covered. Flight attendants felt visibly increasingly unwell, whispered together suspecting a fume event, the flight deck was informed. The flight crew attempted to shut down on the air conditioning packs, however, the odour remained. The crew then shut down the other air conditioning pack, but again the odour remained. The flight continued to destination, the odour remained present throughout the flight. The Aviation Herald learned family members later took a number of the crew of the flight to hospital because the crew members were ill. The event was written up in the tech log of the aircraft. The FAA told the Aviation Herald: "Flight Attendants reported fumes in the cabin. After the flight landed landed in Atlanta, maintenance workers determined that too much oil was used to service the auxiliary power unit (APU) causing the odor. Workers cleaned, inspected and tested the APU according to the technical service manual, and determined that it was operating properly." The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 9.5 hours, then resumed service. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/NKS942/history/20190708/0040Z/KTPA/KATL http://avherald.com/h?article=4ca40dd7&opt=0 Back to Top Back to Top Incident: Smartwings B734 at Budapest on Jul 11th 2019, tyre damage on departure A Smartwings Boeing 737-400, registration UR-CNP performing flight 7O-5298 from Budapest (Hungary) to Hurghada (Egypt) with 151 passengers and 9 crew, was enroute at FL330 about 40nm southwest of Plovdiv (Bulgaria) when the crew decided to return to Budapest upon being informed about possible tyre/gear damage. The aircraft descended to FL320 for the return and landed safely on Budapest's runway 31R about 90 minutes after the decision to turn around. Emergency services checked the aircraft and reported both right main tyres/wheels damaged. Tower instructed the crew to shut the aircraft down on the runway. The airline reported the aircraft's landing gear was damaged. http://avherald.com/h?article=4ca40a40&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: ANA B737 near Fukuoka on Jul 11th 2019, engine shut down in flight An ANA All Nippon Airways Boeing 737-700, registration JA03AN performing flight NH-876 from Hong Kong (China) to Nagoya (Japan) with 53 people on board, was enroute at FL410 about 150nm south of Fukuoka (Japan) when the crew needed to shut the left hand engine (CFM56) down. The aircraft diverted to Fukuoka for a safe landing on runway 34 about 45 minutes later and taxied to the apron. Japan's Ministry of Transport reported Fukuoka's runway was temporarily closed as result of the emergency landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4ca40649&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Montenegro F100 near Moscow on Jul 10th 2019, captain incapacitated A Montenegro Airlines Fokker 100, registration 4O-AOM performing flight YM-610 from Tivat (Montenegro) to Moscow Domodedovo (Russia) with 85 passengers and 5 crew, was descending towards Moscow when the captain felt sick and became unconscious. The first officer took control of the aircraft and diverted the aircraft to Kaluga (Russia), about 70nm southwest of Moscow Domodedovo, where the aircraft landed safely. The captain regained consciousness after landing, was treated at the airport but did not need to be taken to a hospital. The aircraft remained on the ground in Kaluga for about 9 hours, then "hopped" over to Domodevo airport and arrived with a delay of 9.5 hours. http://avherald.com/h?article=4ca38301&opt=0 Back to Top Yeti ATR 72-500 suffers runway excursion on landing in heavy rain at Kathmandu Date: 12-JUL-2019 Time: 11:05 Type: ATR 72-500 (72-212A) Owner/operator: Yeti Airlines Registration: 9N-AMM C/n / msn: 749 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 69 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Unknown Location: Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM/VNKT) - Nepal Phase: Landing Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Nepalganj Airport (KEP/VNNG) Destination airport: Kathmandu-Tribhuvan Airport (KTM/VNKT) Narrative: A Yeti Airlines ATR 72-500, flight YT422, suffered a runway excursion on landing at Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport, Nepal. At the time of the incident, it was raining heavily as a thunderstorm was active over the airport. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=227042 Back to Top DGCA suspends two AirAsia India pilots for violations Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has suspended flying licences of two pilots of AirAsia India for violating procedures that caused damage to the wing sharklet of an aircraft, according to a senior official. According to the official, the responses given by the pilots to the regulator's show cause notices were not satisfactory.(File photo) Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has suspended flying licences of two pilots of AirAsia India for violating procedures that caused damage to the wing sharklet of an aircraft, according to a senior official. The left hand wing sharklet of an A320 aircraft that was to fly to Bengaluru was damaged while negotiating a turn from the runway at Bagdogra airport on February 15. A sharklet is a wing-tip device that helps improve aerodynamics of an aircraft as well as reduce fuel burn. The official told PTI that two pilots of AirAsia India -- M Indra Gandhi and Vishal Agarwal -- have been suspended for violating laid down procedures. The six-month suspension for the two pilots would be effective from February 15, the date of the incident, the official added. According to the official, the responses given by the pilots to the regulator's show cause notices were not satisfactory. Investigation found that the pilots violated "laid down procedures and initiated 180 degrees turn from the runway during backtracking and damaged LH (Left Hand) wing sharklet of the aircraft", the official added. AirAsia India's response was awaited. https://www.indiatoday.in/business/story/dgca-suspends-two-airasia-india-pilots-for- violations-1567178-2019-07-11 Back to Top House panel to hold July 17 hearing on aviation safety WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. House of Representatives panel will hold a hearing next week on aviation safety in the aftermath of two deadly Boeing Co 737 MAX crashes since October. The July 17 hearing by the House Transportation Committee's subcommittee on aviation will include Paul Njoroge, who lost his wife, three children and his mother-in-law on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 that crashed in March, the committee told Reuters. Witnesses scheduled to testify include Dana Schulze, acting director of the National Transportation Safety Board's Office of Aviation Safety, and officials from the Air Line Pilots Association, Association of Professional Flight Attendants, Professional Aviation Specialists and Transport Workers Union. A committee official said the hearing will cover the overall state of aviation safety, including airports, runways, aircraft certification, and new entrants. Boeing did not immediately comment on the hearing. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-aviation-safety/house-panel-to-hold-july-17- hearing-on-aviation-safety-idUSKCN1U62S9 As Technology Advances, The Best Defense Against Clear Air Turbulence Injuries Is Still Analogue The Clear Air Turbulence (CAT) injuries suffered by dozens of passengers onboard Air Canada flight to Australia, is a reminder that this category of turbulence continues to pose a threat to aviation safety. Studies show that climate change will make these incidents more common and potentially more dangerous. While technology is advancing to make this invisible turbulence easier to detect, the best defense is still to wear your seatbelt at all times, no matter what the seatbelt light says. Air Canada-Diverted Passengers from an Australia-bound Air Canada flight diverted to Honolulu Thursday, July 11, 2019, after about 35 people were injured during turbulence, stand in line at the Air Canada counter at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport to rebook While airlines and pilots plan their flight paths to avoid weather systems that could cause a risk to passengers, CAT is difficult for pilots to avoid because it is invisible. That is why passengers and crew on the Air Canada flight had no forewarning. CAT is also more likely at high altitude, during the cruising phase of flight. This is the time when, normally, the seatbelt light goes off and passengers are free to move around the cabin. It's also when cabin crew are carrying out meal service. All these factors make it more likely that passengers and crew will be seriously injured. Unfortunately, climate change could make these incidents more common. A 2017 study conducted by Dr. Paul Williams, Professor of Atmospheric Science at the University of Reading, predicts that invisible turbulence at 39,000 feet could become much more common by 2050-2080. Turbulence incidents could increase on North Atlantic routes by as much as 180%, over North America by 110%, and over Asia by 60%. But don't let the far-off dates fool you, air turbulence is increasing now. "Air turbulence is increasing across the globe, in all seasons, and at multiple cruising altitudes," Williams said. "This problem is only going to worsen as the climate continues to change. Our study highlights the need to develop improved turbulence forecasts, which could reduce the risk of injuries to passengers and lower the cost of turbulence to airlines." Airlines are well aware of the risks to passenger and crew, as well as the costs resulting from damage to aircraft and flight diversions, and they are working on the better forecasts that Williams recommended. Last year, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced the launch of a new crowd-source technology solution to help airlines lessen the risks of encountering turbulence. The new Turbulence Aware Platform will gather data from participating airlines to paint a risk map that pilots and dispatchers can use to see turbulence that might otherwise be invisible. The system will also rely on aircraft sensor data for consistent measurements of the intensity of turbulence. IATA Turbulence Aware Viewer. Color-coded turbulence reports are presented on a map. Turbulence Aware will need many airlines contributing data to work best but IATA already has some of the world's leading airlines taking part, including American Airlines, Delta, Southwest and United. Delta Air Lines also has its own advanced turbulence predicting technology-the Flight Weather Viewer app installed on pilots' electronic flight bag tables. But the best protection against clear air turbulence is already installed on every plane. While turbulence might make you feel like you're on a roller-coaster, your seat belt was designed to keep you safe in a crash. Aircraft seats and seat belts are tested to withstand 16Gs of force-that's sixteen times the force of gravity. According to the NTSB, even extreme turbulence will generate less than or up to 2Gs of vertical acceleration. The best turbulence safety strategy is to keep your seatbelt fastened whenever you're seated and to stay seated as long as you can when you fly. https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisagarcia/2019/07/12/as-technology-advances-the- best-defense-against-clear-air-turbulence-injuries-is-still-analogue/#2fa09b2f6be7 Back to Top New research highlights why sleep loss poses an insidious threat to flight safety Sleep-deprived pilots suffer several impairments in mood and cognition, according to new research published in the scientific journal Biological Rhythm Research. The findings provide more evidence that sleep deprivation poses a serious threat to flight safety. "I began by researching the effects of sleep loss on endurance cyclists. As I explored the area further, I got a greater appreciation and understanding of the effects of sleep on performance whether in a sporting, professional or personal capacity," said study author Anna Donnla O'Hagan, a postgraduate researcher at Dublin City University. "At the time, there was increasing concern for the impact of long working hours and extended periods of wakefulness on commercial airline pilots with a relatively limited amount of research being done in the area. I therefore decided to further investigate this area." In the study, 7 commercial airline pilots completed multiple rounds of testing over the course of several days. In their final testing session, the participants had been continuously awake for 24 hours. The participants completed surveys assessing their mood along with several tests of cognitive performance. They also used a high-fidelity flight simulator, in which they were tasked with flying a holding pattern for about 30 minutes. During the simulated flights, the participants were required to conduct a fuel calculation and complete other aviation-specific mathematical calculations. Some aspects of the pilots' flight performance - such as their ability to maintain the proper flight path - were not significantly impaired by sleep deprivation overall. That may sound like good news. But the researchers observed that performance on almost all the psychological measures and cognitive performance tasks were significantly affected by the lack of sleep. "Sleep loss and fatigue pose an insidious threat to flight safety which manifests itself in different ways such as reductions in vigilance, impairments in judgments and increases in reaction times. Everyone is susceptible to the effects of sleep loss and fatigue regardless of skill, knowledge, or training," O'Hagan told PsyPost. Both the accuracy and speed of aviation-specific mathematical calculations started to decline after 15 hours of continuous wakefulness. There was only one exception: the accuracy of fuel calculations was not significantly impaired. As they became more sleep deprived, the pilots also had a harder time answering mid- flight situational awareness questions. Loss of situational awareness is a frequent cause of accidents. "The number of serious accidents as a result of operator error in various industries due to sleep loss and fatigue is large and appears to be increasing," O'Hagan said. "Enhancing our understanding and identifying and mitigating sleep deprivation and fatigue among operators through implementation of safe and effective working regulations and real-time indicators of working performance will aid in promoting health and safety." The new research adds to a growing body of evidence that indicates sleep deprivation harms aviation performance and compromises safety. For instance, in another study, 10 current and qualified F-117 pilots were deprived of one night of sleep and then were tested on precision instruments. Despite their experience and training, the pilots suffered a "clear-cut loss of basic flight control skill." "Loss of sleep is a common occurrence in modern civilisation. Humans are the only animals who opt to achieve less sleep than is required by their biological clocks and their sleep needs. In today's society and culture, sleep loss is considered a norm as opposed to an exception with value placed on the attempt to reduce sleep time," O'Hagan told PsyPost. "The notion prevails that loss of sleep is not important and can be overcome by force of will. However, these inferences are unsafe and perilous with loss of sleep found to significantly impair behavioural, physiological and neurocognitive functioning and as a result, negatively impact performance. It is vital that sleep loss is further explored and understood to promote and enhance safety and well-being." The study, "Flying on empty - effects of sleep deprivation on pilot performance", was authored by Anna Donnla O'Hagan, Johann Issartel, Aidan Wall, Friedrich Dunne, Patrick Boylan, Jaap Groeneweg, Matthew Herring, Mark Campbell, and Giles Warrington. https://www.psypost.org/2019/07/new-research-highlights-why-sleep-loss-poses-an- insidious-threat-to-flight-safety-54030 Back to Top FAA Recommends Upping Braking Performance Margins Recent data indicates that applying a 15 percent safety margin to calculate wet runway stopping distance, as recommended by previous guidance, may be inadequate in certain conditions to prevent a runway excursion, according to a new safety alert for pilots (SAFO 19003). This new alert replaces the guidance in previous SAFO 15009. "Several recent runway-landing incidents/accidents have raised concerns with wet runway stopping performance assumptions," according to this new alert. "Analysis of the stopping data from these incidents/accidents indicates the braking coefficient of friction in each case was significantly lower than expected for a wet runway." These mishaps occurred on both grooved and un-grooved runways. Takeoff and Landing Performance Assessment (Talpa) procedures implemented by the FAA on Oct. 1, 2016, added new insight as to how flight crews can evaluate runway braking performance before landing. Talpa defines a "wet runway" as damp to 1/8-inch depth or less of water, while a "contaminated runway" is a surface covered with "greater than 1/8-inch of water." The FAA recommends that airports report "wet" conditions, but that is not required. Further, an airport may not be able to generate an accurate report from sudden rain showers that result in water on the runway more than 1/8 of an inch in depth ("contaminated"). The alert concludes that because "Rainfall intensity may be the only indication available to the pilot that the water depth present on the runway may be excessive, it is recommended that pilots use landing performance data associated with medium to poor braking." However, the FAA notes that using all available data to prevent a contaminated runway excursion is moot when the landings involve delayed touchdowns, improper application of deceleration devices and landing with a tailwind. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2019-07-11/faa- recommends-upping-braking-performance-margins Back to Top Baylor Institute for Air Science Partners with Universal Flight Concepts to Provide Training The Baylor Institute for Air Science has entered into an agreement with UHI, INC./Universal Flight Concepts to provide flight training for the aviation sciences program starting in Fall 2019. Photo courtesy of Baylor Aviation Sciences. WACO, Texas (July 11, 2019) - Baylor University and the Baylor Institute for Air Science have entered into an agreement with UHI, INC./Universal Flight Concepts to provide flight training for the aviation sciences program starting in Fall 2019. Baylor University offers an undergraduate degree in aviation sciences with a professional pilot concentration. This collaboration will allow students to experience a one-of-a-kind integrated pilot training system with modern Tecnam aircraft and Tecnam-specific simulators throughout the entire fleet, an environment that will be unique in the world of collegiate aviation with one manufacturer providing three different aircraft models for training. Trey Cade, Ph.D., director of the Baylor Institute for Air Science, said the program has been working with the Texas State Technical College pilot training program since 1991, and that relationship will continue. "This new flight school will add more versatility and room to grow our program to meet national demands for trained pilots," Cade said. "We also believe that this collaboration will set the standard in collegiate aviation." "We are grateful and excited for the opportunity to help this prestigious university train their aviation students to the highest level," said Gordon Jiroux, Ph.D., president and CEO of Universal. "We share in Baylor's belief that all student training must be innovative and comprehensive, with complete dedication to safety." Universal has distinguished itself over the past decade as one of the largest FAA Part 141 Flight Training Companies in the world and is the only contracted flight training provider for the helicopter degree program at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, the world's largest aviation university. They have had a strong presence in Texas for more than five years with locations at Waco TSTC airport and Dallas Executive Airport, and now have made a long term commitment at Waco Regional Airport, leasing 9,000 square feet of office and 32,000 square feet of hanger space. Baylor's aviation sciences program houses about 80 students. The program offers an aviation sciences major, with either a professional pilot concentration or aircraft dispatch concentration, and an aviation administration major. The program leverages real-world experience in airport management, aircraft accident investigation, aviation law, master flight instruction, commercial aviation, corporate aviation, military aviation and weather analysis and forecasting. The Institute for Air Science was created in 1991 to advance Baylor University's mission through research, public service and the education of a new generation of pilots. In the same year, the institute initiated the Bachelor of Science in Aviation Sciences (B.S.A.) degree and graduated its first class in 1995. https://www.baylor.edu/mediacommunications/news.php?action=story&story=211188 Back to Top Breaking Sound and Gender Barriers: An A-10 Pilot Is Now the First Female F- 35 Test Pilot "I really do appreciate the perspective that I can bring coming from the A-10 and the F- 16 to hopefully bring some influence from that perspective." A routine F-35 flight test mission marked a significant event in U.S. Air Force (USAF) history at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB), Dec. 14, 2018. Maj. Rachael Winiecki, 461st Flight Test Squadron (FLTS), took off that morning in her F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and was later greeted by members of the squadron after she completed the first flight test mission led by a female F-35 developmental test pilot. "I may be the first female developmental test pilot (in the F-35), but (test pilots) are just one small part of the test enterprise," Winiecki said in the USAF news release. She said that although aviation tends to be a male dominated field, the number of women in flight test is increasing. Winiecki said that there are several female test directors, test conductors, discipline engineers, and flight test engineers at the 461st FLTS, in addition to those serving in engineering, maintenance and support functions. Namely, she spoke about her crew chief for the mission, Airman 1st Class Heather Rice, of the 412th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. "It was great having Airman Rice there," Winiecki said. "I am very proud of the work she does on the line, and I'm glad that she is part of our team." Before joining the 461 FLTS, Winiecki commissioned through the Reserve Officer Training Corps. Upon completion of pilot training, she flew the A-10C operationally including deployments to Southwest Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Pacific theater. She then graduated from the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards and was previously assigned as an F-16 test pilot with the 416th FLTS. According to Lt. Col. Tucker Hamilton, 461st FLTS commander, Winiecki's experience with the A-10 was one of the factors to her being selected as an F-35 test pilot. "Major Winiecki was selected to become an F-35 test pilot based on her exceptional flying ability and the important voice she brings to the F-35 development as a prior A- 10 pilot," Hamilton said. Winiecki said that having the ability to bring the A-10 mission sets to the 461st FLTS, such as close-air-support, combat search and rescue and forward air controller, is important so the focus is not just on the air-to-air capabilities of the F-35 but also the air-to-ground capabilities. "I really do appreciate the perspective that I can bring coming from the A-10 and the F- 16 to hopefully bring some influence from that perspective. As testers, the contacts we have back in the Combat Air Force are valuable," she said. "We can reach out to our networks to solicit feedback, solicit information on how we could and should accomplish our mission sets in the future. That's really where we can open doors. I can reach back to my friends and contacts in my previous community just like other test pilots here." As a member of the 461 FLTS, Winiecki will be part of a team that oversees developmental testing of all variants of the F-35 JSF. https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/breaking-sound-and-gender-barriers-10-pilot- now-first-female-f-35-test-pilot-66451 Back to Top SONEX REVEALS TWO-SEAT JET Sonex Aircraft announced July 10 it is developing a two-seat variant of its SubSonex Personal Jet, with a target cost (built and flown) of under $140,000. The SubSonex JSX-2T will have side-by-side seating that will enable it to be an effective trainer for the single-place jet, the company said. It will have similar wing loading and handling as the single-seat JSX-2, and it will use the same engine, the PBS TJ-100 turbojet. An optional more powerful PBS TJ-150 will be available. The jet will have a wingspan of 21.8 feet and will carry 50 gallons of fuel and 40 pounds of baggage, with a useful load of 970 pounds. Its estimated cruise speed is 200 mph, with a never-exceed speed of 275 mph and an estimated stall speed of 65 mph. Sonex announced its single-seat JSX-2 in 2009. AOPA Pilot Editor at Large Dave Hirschman flew the jet in 2015, and called it an aircraft "designed for personal challenge, fulfillment, and fun." Sonex will host an open house and fly-in just ahead of EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The July 21 event at Sonex headquarters at Wittman Regional Airport will start at 10 a.m. and feature a presentation about the jet's projected development timeline. The JSX-2 made its fully aerobatic airshow debut in 2015 at Sun 'n Fun International Fly-In and Expo in Lakeland, Florida. Bob Carlton, who helped Sonex finalize the integration of the PBS turbojet (which produces 250 pounds of thrust) and test-flew the JSX-2 before launching it on the airshow circuit, likened the experience to performing a "Thunderbirds solo act." The JSX-2 has also flown at the National Championship Air Races in Reno, Nevada. https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2019/july/10/sonex-announces-two- seat-jet-project Back to Top Air China to buy 20 A350-900 wide-body aircraft from Airbus The Airbus logo is pictured at Airbus headquarters in Blagnac near Toulouse BEIJING/PARIS (Reuters) - Air China Ltd, China's flagship carrier, will buy 20 A350-900 jets from Airbus SE , both companies said, bolstering the European planemaker's order book for wide-body jets against Boeing Co amid Sino-U.S. trade tensions. Air China on Thursday said the order is worth $6.54 billion, based on list prices, and that deliveries were scheduled from 2020 through 2022. It also said it has the right to swap five of the 20 jets for the larger A350-1000. Airbus, in a statement to Reuters, confirmed the order was new. That means Air China's total order for the aircraft type now stands at 30 planes, helping Airbus narrow a deficit in wide-body orders against its U.S. rival. Boeing won a positive total of 61 wide-body orders in the first half of this year against Airbus' negative tally of 35 jets, meaning the European planemaker had more cancellations than orders in the period for twin-aisle aircraft. Air China's latest order comes as the Chinese and U.S. governments continue a year- long trade dispute which has disrupted global supply chains and rattled financial markets. The recent U.S. blacklisting of Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei Technologies Co Ltd [HWT.UL] prompted speculation of retaliation against American firms. China said it would not discriminate against foreign companies. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/air-china-plans-buy-20-101437487.html Back to Top 40 Years Ago, NASA's Skylab Space Station Fell to Earth America's first orbital outpost dropped some big pieces on Western Australia. The Skylab Orbital Workshop experienced a failure that led to a replacement shield to protect against solar heating.Skylab, America's first space station, launched in May 1973 and came crashing back to Earth on July 11, 1979.(Image: © NASA) Apollo 11's 50th isn't the only big human-spaceflight anniversary this month. Forty years ago today (July 11), NASA's defunct Skylab space station came crashing back to Earth, dropping big hunks of hardware into the Indian Ocean and across Western Australia. The fall marked the official end for America's first crewed orbital outpost - and famously prompted the Aussie town of Esperance to charge NASA $400 for littering. Skylab leveraged Apollo hardware that was left over after the final three missions of the moon program were canceled in the early 1970s. (NASA also used some of this gear for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, a historic 1975 joint space mission with the Soviet Union.) Skylab itself was a modified third stage of a Saturn V moon rocket, and it launched atop a Saturn V on May 14, 1973 - the final mission for the storied booster. Astronauts traveled to and from Skylab in the Apollo command and service module, which was lofted by the Saturn 1B, the Saturn V's smaller cousin. NASA's Skylab plans called for three crewed missions, each lofting three astronauts. The first crew launched just 11 days after Skylab itself did, taking flight on May 25, 1973. The three astronauts - Charles Conrad, Paul Weitz and Joseph Kerwin - stayed aloft for 28 days, setting a record for the longest continuous in-space stint. (The old record, 23 days, had been set in 1971 by cosmonauts aboard the first-ever space station, the Soviet Union's Salyut 1.) The first Skylab crew spent a fair chunk of their time repairing the outpost. Skylab had incurred serious damage during its launch, losing both its sun shade-micrometeoroid shield and one of its solar panels. So the astronauts installed a parasol-like sun shade through the station's scientific airlock to keep it from overheating. They also performed several spacewalks to make further fixes. The second crewed mission launched in July 1973 and lasted 59 days. The third lifted off that November and touched down in February 1974, racking up 84 days in orbit. And that was it. No more crews visited Skylab, and the station's orbit steadily decayed over the next few years, bringing it closer and closer to a fiery death in Earth's atmosphere. NASA considered ways to boost Skylab's orbit using gear launched aboard the space shuttle, but the winged orbiter didn't come online until 1981. And Skylab couldn't stay up that long. Related: Skylab: How NASA's First Space Station Worked (Infographic) Ground controllers did their best to bring the 85-ton (77 metric tons) station down over the Indian Ocean, where its broken-apart pieces couldn't hurt anyone. "Despite this effort, the debris dispersion stretched from the Southeastern Indian Ocean across a sparsely populated section of Western Australia," Roger Launius, who served as NASA's chief historian from 1990 to 2002, wrote in a 2013 blog post. "In reality, while NASA took sufficient precautions so that no one was injured, its leaders had learned that the agency could never again allow a situation in which large chunks of orbital debris had a chance of reaching the Earth's surface," he added. This checkered ending notwithstanding, the Skylab program was a success overall, NASA officials have said. Skylab showed that astronauts could live and work in space for long durations, paving the way for the International Space Station (ISS), which has hosted rotating crews continuously since November 2000. ISS astronauts generally serve six-month stints, though NASA's Scott Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Korniyenko stayed aboard the station for 11 months, from March 2015 through March 2016. Skylab's science contributions were also substantial, NASA officials have said. "All three expeditions produced a vast study of the Earth - its crops, weather and changes in environment," NASA officials wrote in 2013. "They also completed a revealing study of the sun, while crews manufactured alloys, grew perfect crystals and learned to work in space." And that $400 littering fine? California radio DJ Scott Barley paid it in 2009 after collecting donations from his listeners. https://www.space.com/skylab-space-station-fall-40-years.html Back to Top 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 Back to Top Photo Credit: Glen Grossman, Los Angeles Police Department Air Support Division Upcoming USC Aviation Safety & Security Program Courses Safety Management for Aviation Maintenance Safety principles and practices needed to manage the problems associated with aircraft maintenance operations. August 5-9, 2019 4.5 Days Tuition: $2575 Data for Safety Management Collection and analysis of flight data to contribute to safety management and improve safety performance. August 5-9, 2019 4.5 Days Tuition: $2575 SeMS Aviation Security Management Systems Applying SMS fundamentals to aviation security and cyber security. August 12-16, 2019 4.5 Days Tuition: $2575 Software Safety Identifying, understanding, and preventing software hazards and their root causes, with lessons on methods to create and document a software safety case. August 12-15, 2019 4 Days Tuition: $2125 Aviation Law & Dispute Resolution Legal processes, trends, and practices affecting aviation safety, accident investigation, and aviation regulation. This is the successor to the previous Legal Aspects of Aviation Safety & Role of the Technical Witness in Litigation courses. August 19-22, 2019 4 Days Tuition: $2125 Safety Management Systems for Ground Operation Safety Practices and methodologies for the identification and mitigation of hazards in all phases of airport ground operations. August 19-21, 2019 2.5 Days Tuition: $1300 Accident/Incident Response Preparedness Planning for the complex, challenging, and stressful investigation, legal, family response, and communcations situations after an accident. August 26-29, 2019 4 Days Tuition: $2125 Human Factors in Aviation Safety Theoretical and practical knowledge of Human Factors in aviation operations. August 26-30, 2019 4.5 Days Tuition: $2575 Earn Credit for FlightSafety Master Technician- Management Program Students taking the following USC courses will earn elective credits towards FlightSafety International's Master Technician-Management Program * Human Factors in Aviation Maintenance * Human Factors in Aviation Safety * Gas Turbine Accident Investigation * Helicopter Accident Investigation * Safety Management for Aviation Maintenance * Safety Management for Ground Operations Safety * Accident/Incident Response Preparedness Earn Points Toward NBAA Certified Aviation Manager Program Students taking the following USC courses will earn two points toward completing the application for the National Business Aviation Certified Aviation Manager Exam. * Aviation Safety Management Systems * Accident/Incident Response Preparedness * Human Factors in Aviation Safety * Aircraft Accident Investigation * SeMS Aviation Security Management Systems For further details, please visit our website or use the contact information below. Email: aviation@usc.edu Telephone: +1 (310) 342-1345 Join us in Washington, D.C., on July 15-18 for ALPA's annual Air Safety Forum Curt Lewis