Flight Safety Information SEPTEMBER 24, 2019 - No. 192 In This Issue FAA chief seeks support for agency's review of Boeing jet Accident: India A321 enroute on Sep 20th 2019, turbulence causes injuries to flight attendant Incident: Sunstate DH8D at Cairns on Sep 23rd 2019, engine shut down in flight Accident: British Airways A320 at London on Sep 23rd 2019, smoke in cabin FAA misled Congress on inspector training for Boeing 737 Max, investigators say The Making Of A Captain: How Airlines Train Their Pilots To Take Command British man becomes first person to fly around the world on a gyrocopter Forty aircraft recruited to repatriate Thomas Cook customers Air Line Pilots Association applauds House Transportation Committee effort to crack down on flag-of-convenience carriers Lessors scramble to recover dozens of jets from Thomas Cook NASA taps Lockheed Martin to build six more Orion crew capsules GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Technical and Training Manager Register for the 72nd International Air Safety Summit (IASS 2019) GET THE FACTS ABOUT IS-BAO Aircraft Accident Investigation from SCSI FAA chief seeks support for agency's review of Boeing jet FILE - In this May 8, 2019, file photo a worker stands near a Boeing 737 MAX 8 jetliner being built for American Airlines prior to a test flight in Renton, Wash. Boeing is working on new software for the 737 Max that will use a second flight control computer to make the system more reliable, solving a problem that surfaced in June with the grounded jet, two people briefed on the matter said Friday, Aug. 2. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File) The head of the Federal Aviation Administration is defending his agency's approval of a troubled Boeing plane while leaving open the possibility of changing how the agency certifies aircraft. Stephen Dickson made the comments Monday in Montreal, where he and other top FAA officials briefed aviation regulators from around the world on the agency's review of changes that Boeing is making to the 737 Max. The FAA said a senior Boeing official also gave a technical briefing. Dickson, who was sworn in last month, said again that the FAA has no timetable for considering Boeing's changes to the Max. The grounding of the plane has increased scrutiny around the FAA's oversight of companies it regulates, Dickson said. He said FAA took the same thorough approach that has consistently produced safe planes. But, he added, the process and regulations that FAA uses "are continuously evolving." He invited other regulators to make suggestions on FAA's review of the Max and its certification system. The plane has been grounded since March after the second of two accidents that killed 346 people in Indonesia and Ethiopia. Chicago-based Boeing is nearing completion of its changes to the plane, including an update to an automated flight-control system implicated in both crashes. The FAA was the last regulator to ground the plane and is likely to be the first to let it fly again. However, the likelihood of a long gap between FAA action and approval by other regulators seems to be easing, which would be a victory for Dickson and the FAA. Patrick Ky, head of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, told a French aviation publication that a European decision could follow within a few days of an FAA approval and under the same conditions. Just a few weeks ago, the European agency was suggesting that it might make demands on Boeing beyond what the company is planning, including requiring additional sensors, which could delay the plane's return in Europe. The Wall Street Journal reported that in a draft report, Indonesian authorities investigating the Oct. 29 crash of a Lion Air Max off the coast of Java have homed in on design and oversight failures. The newspaper, citing anonymous sources, said investigators are also pointing out pilot errors and faulty maintenance as factors. Boeing declined to comment. In Montreal, Dickson said, "Accidents in complex systems rarely are the result of a single cause. Rather, they often happen due to a complex chain of events and interaction between man and machine." Safety improvements should cover aircraft design, production, maintenance and operation, he said. Some of Dickson's comments were strikingly similar to language used by Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg in the weeks after the March 10 crash of an Ethiopian Airlines Max soon after takeoff from Addis Ababa. "As in most accidents, there are a chain of events that occurred," Muilenburg said in late April. "It's not correct to attribute that to any single item." Some critics viewed that as blaming pilots in two developing countries. "Boeing's strategy may be, 'This wouldn't have happened in the United States or the Western world because the pilots are so well-trained,' and, 'Yeah, it may have been a problem with the aircraft, but it was also bad pilots,'" said Brian Kabateck, a Los Angeles lawyer suing Boeing on behalf of families who lost relatives in the Lion Air crash. Separately, a $50 million fund for compensating families of people killed in crashes of Boeing 737 Max planes began taking claims Monday, with a deadline of Dec. 31 for families to submit applications. Boeing is providing money for the fund, which works out to nearly $145,000 for each person who died in the crashes. Dozens of families are suing the Chicago-based company, which said relatives won't have to drop their lawsuits to get compensation from the fund. https://komonews.com/news/local/faa-chief-seeks-support-for-agencys-review-of- boeing-jet Back to Top Accident: India A321 enroute on Sep 20th 2019, turbulence causes injuries to flight attendant An Air India Airbus A321-200, registration VT-PPH performing flight AI-48 from Kochi to Thiruvananthapuram (India) with 172 people on board, was enroute at FL190 when the aircraft encountered severe turbulence. The aircraft continued to Vijayawada for a safe landing about 30 minutes after departure. There were injuries at least to one flight attendant. The airline reported the aircraft encountered turbulence between Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, there were no injuries to the passengers, the aircraft sustained minor damage causing a delay of about 4 hours to the return flight. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/AIC48/history/20190920/1626Z/VOCI/VOTV http://avherald.com/h?article=4cd2d759&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Sunstate DH8D at Cairns on Sep 23rd 2019, engine shut down in flight A Sunstate de Havilland Dash 8-400 on behalf of Qantas, registration VH-LQJ performing flight QF-2301 from Cairns,QL to Townsville,QL (Australia), had departed Cairns' runway 15 and was enroute at FL120 about 30nm south of Cairns about 10 minutes into the flight when the crew turned the aircraft around to return to Cairns, the aircraft maintained FL120. The crew subsequently shut the left hand engine down and landed safely on Cairns' runway 15 about 50 minutes after departure. The airline reported the crew received an oil indication and shut the engine down as a precaution. The passengers were rebooked onto other flights. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/QLK2301/history/20190922/2045Z/YBCS/YBTL http://avherald.com/h?article=4cd2c759&opt=0 Back to Top Accident: British Airways A320 at London on Sep 23rd 2019, smoke in cabin A British Airways Airbus A320-200, registration G-EUYB performing flight BA-709 from Zurich (Switzerland) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was just established on the localizer Heathrow's runway 27L when the crew declared PAN PAN reporting smoke in the cabin. While ATC sent a number of aircraft already released from the holding patterns for approach back into the holding patterns, the aircraft continued for a safe landing on runway 27L about 4 minutes later, emergency services were in their stand by positions. The aircraft vacated the runway and stopped on the parallel taxiway for about an hour, emergency services boarded the aircraft through the forward right hand door via a mobile stair and examined the aircraft. The passengers disembarked via the stairs. A number of passengers and cabin crew required medical attention for smoke inhalation. A BA Lounge was cleared to accomodate the passengers of the aircraft and their families. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in London about 12.5 hours after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4cd2de19&opt=0 Back to Top Back to Top FAA misled Congress on inspector training for Boeing 737 Max, investigators say Throttle controls in the cockpit of a grounded Lion Air Boeing 737 Max 8 in Indonesia. The Federal Aviation Administration has come under scrutiny after two new 737 Max jets it had certified as safe crashed in Indonesia and Ethiopia. (Dimas Ardian/Bloomberg News) Investigators examining a whistleblower complaint have concluded that safety inspectors who worked on training requirements for Boeing 737 Max pilots were themselves "underqualified" - and that the Federal Aviation Administration provided misleading information about the issue to Congress. The findings of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, which independently investigates whistleblower complaints, have added to questions about the effectiveness and transparency of safety oversight at the FAA, which has come under scrutiny after two new 737 Max jets it had certified as safe crashed in Indonesia and Ethiopia, killing 346 people. [With its ties in Washington, Boeing has taken over more and more of the FAA's job] Boeing and the FAA have faced intense criticism for failing to make sure pilots had the information and training necessary to handle any problems with a new automated safety feature on the Max, known as the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, or MCAS. Investigators say the feature, fed by faulty data from a sensor, repeatedly misfired, forcing the nose of both planes down before they crashed. In a letter to President Trump on Monday, Special Counsel Henry J. Kerner wrote that the "FAA's official responses to Congress appear to have been misleading in their portrayal of FAA employee training and competency." Information provided by the FAA "obfuscates" concerns about the preparation of safety inspectors and "diverts attention away from the likely truth of the matter: that they were neither qualified under agency policy to certify pilots flying the 737 Max nor to assess pilot training on procedures and maneuvers." "The FAA is entrusted with the critically important role of ensuring aircraft safety," Kerner added in a statement. "The FAA's failure to ensure safety inspector competency for these aircraft puts the flying public at risk." [Long before the Max disasters, Boeing had a history of failing to fix safety problems] In a statement, the FAA said: "We are reviewing the Special Counsel's letter. We remain confident in our representations to Congress and in the work of our aviation safety professionals. Aviation safety is always our foremost priority, and we look forward to responding to the concerns that have been raised." On April 2, Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, queried the acting FAA administrator about claims from whistleblowers "that numerous FAA employees, including those involved in the Aircraft Evaluation Group (AEG) for the Boeing 737 Max, had not received proper training and valid certifications." Wicker also wrote that some of those employees may have been part of an FAA group, known as a Flight Standardization Board, formed to "develop minimum training recommendations" - specifically for the new Max jets - and ensure that pilots have all the necessary information to safely fly them. Wicker wrote that the FAA "may have been notified about these deficiencies as early as August 2018" and that the committee "is led to believe that an FAA investigation into these allegations may have been completed recently." [Changes to flawed Boeing 737 Max were kept from pilots, DeFazio says] There had indeed been an investigation by the FAA's Office of Audit and Evaluation, which considers whistleblower cases and other internal and external reports of aviation safety violations. That office is meant to provide an "independent venue for the conduct or oversight of objective, impartial investigations and evaluations," according to the FAA, and it reports to the FAA's top official. On April 4, then-acting FAA administrator Daniel K. Elwell responded to Wicker, saying, "we can confirm that all of the flight inspectors who participated in the Boeing 737 Max Flight Standardization Board certification activities were fully qualified for these activities." In a letter dated June 3, the Trump administration's top lawyer at the Transportation Department, Steven G. Bradbury, wrote to Kerner saying that the "FAA has confirmed" that qualifications of Max inspectors were not an issue. Bradbury said the whistleblower's "allegations have already been investigated." But Kerner, whom Trump appointed in 2017, said his investigators "obtained internal FAA communications and conducted employee interviews, which adduced credible information directly contradicting the [FAA's] assertions" to the Senate Commerce Committee. [FAA and Boeing defend oversight of 737 Max] The information "specifically concerns the 737 Max and casts serious doubt on the FAA's public statements regarding the competency of agency inspectors who approved pilot qualifications for this aircraft," wrote Kerner, who served on the House Oversight Committee under Republican chairmen Darrell Issa (Calif.) and Jason Chaffetz (Utah) and worked on investigations for the late senator John McCain (R-Ariz). Kerner wrote that emails reviewed by his office "show serious concerns" within the Office of Audit and Evaluation "regarding the veracity of the agency's public statements, particularly after the FAA's final response was transmitted to the Committee." The FAA's Office of Audit and Evaluation "determined" that safety inspectors for the Max "had not met qualification standards. Specifically, these [inspectors] had not received formal classroom training as required by" two FAA orders, Kerner wrote. Another FAA division agreed with that interpretation, but "this information does not appear in the final" Office of Audit and Evaluation report on inspector training issues, according to Kerner. An attorney with the Office of Special Counsel said the office "will not speculate as to why this information does not appear." [European pilots say FAA, Boeing moving too fast toward lifting Boeing 737 Max ban] A point of disagreement has been whether FAA orders require aviation safety inspectors to have both formal classroom training as well as on-the-job training to do their jobs. Elwell, for example, had argued that there were "ambiguities in the FAA's policy" regarding training requirements for safety inspectors and said the whistleblower's concerns "provided the FAA with an opportunity to improve our internal systems and procedures." An April memo prepared for Elwell by Ali Bahrami, the FAA's top safety official, argued that while FAA officials at a key division "believe formal training should be required, the current guidance language allows either formal training" or on-the-job training. The Office of Audit and Evaluation reported in February that it had reviewed training records for all aviation safety inspectors assigned to an office in Seattle, where the Boeing 737 Max was evaluated, and in Long Beach, where questions about inspector training were first raised by the whistleblower concerning a separate Gulfstream aircraft. The FAA auditors "found 16 of 22 (73%) have not completed the required formal training course. Worse yet, at least 11 of the 16 do not qualify to enroll in the course because they do not hold a Certified Flight Instructor certificate," they wrote. Among those lacking needed classroom training were the three members of the Flight Standardization Board for the Boeing 737 Max, according to the Office of Special Counsel. As the investigations into the Max crashes continue, the FAA met Monday in Montreal with dozens of international aviation regulators. Although U.S. officials had hoped for broad global agreement on when to allow the plane to fly again, FAA Administrator Stephen Dickson seemed to acknowledge that will come in phases, saying the agency is primed to help "as you make your own decisions about returning the Max to service." https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/faa-misled-congress-on- inspector-training-for-boeing-737-max-investigators-say/2019/09/23/05e9f986-de08- 11e9-be96-6adb81821e90_story.html Back to Top The Making Of A Captain: How Airlines Train Their Pilots To Take Command Kristy Kiernan -Contributor I teach and conduct research in unmanned systems and aviation safety. Close up of captain's epaulettes in the cockpit of commercial airplane The scope of what airline captains have to handle is wider than ever before, and the way airlines train their captains has had to expand accordingly. "Fifteen to 20 years ago, we focused on scenarios like, 'There I was on a dark and stormy night,' " says Captain Mark Hoog, director of United Airlines' captain upgrade training. Now, in addition to dealing with engine failures and mechanical problems, captains have to be prepared to resolve customer disputes, deal with in-flight medical emergencies, and calm nerves in the tense situations resulting from more crowded skies and cabins. "The question now is much larger than just 'do I know how to fly?'" Hoog says. While soothing aggressive customers and knowing when a passenger needs to be removed from a flight are not lessons taught in flight school, early training in aeronautical decision-making builds the skills students will need later as captains. Ken Byrnes, chairman of the flight training department at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, describes the training approach he uses. "From day one, we focus on developing our students into master aviators," Byrnes says. "Our students aspire to be tomorrow's captains, so in addition to all the flying skills, we focus on building strong decision-making skills." These skills are then honed over thousands of hours of flight time, so that by the time pilots get hired by the major U.S. airlines, they already have a wealth of experience. New airline pilots then fly thousands more hours as first officers before they earn an upgrade to the captain's seat. "The question now is much larger than just 'do I know how to fly?'" Captain Mark Hoog, director of United Airlines' captain upgrade training At this point, it would be reasonable to ask why these highly experienced aviators need any more training. "Becoming a captain is a huge change," says Captain Lee Kinnebrew, director of Training and Standardization at Southwest Airlines. "For years, whenever you encountered a problem or an issue, you looked to your left and saw your captain. Once you upgrade, you look to your left and you see your own reflection. It's very humbling." "You feel nothing but excitement when you finally get your captain bid," says United's Captain Hoog, "but at some point in upgrade training, you step into the simulator and instead of climbing into the right seat, you find yourself staring at the captain's seat, and the light shining down on it, wondering am I good enough to do this, to be more than just a pilot?" Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 airplanes Los Angeles airport aerial view Each flight is one part of a system that captains need to understand. Aerial view of Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 airplanes at Los Angeles airport, April 14, 2019: GETTY To prepare their first officers for this transition, airlines have extensive captain upgrade training programs that involve ground school, simulator training, and check rides, followed by supervised passenger carrying flights. But for many, it is the preparation in leadership and decision-making that is the most valuable part of the training. "In addition to regular captain training on the ground and in the simulator," explains Rob Strickland, head of Human Factors and Pilot Development at United, "we have a four day course where we don't even talk about technical subjects. We help our pilots understand the weight of command, and encourage the transformation of their perception of themselves and the impact they can have on passengers and the airline." During this course, captains learn about 'space optimization', which Captain Hoog describes as the ability to use team building, conflict resolution, and leadership skills to challenge and inspire the whole team, in the cockpit and beyond. Southwest's captain transition program also focuses on the leadership and communication skills that will allow captains to solve ambiguous and difficult problems, both on and off the flight deck. "You can't write a procedure for everything," said Southwest's Captain Jennifer Wise, "so instructors concentrate on giving new captains the tools they need to make decisions with safety, service, and efficiency in mind." New captains also return to Southwest's training center after six months of flying to review their experiences and consolidate what they've learned as leaders. At most major airlines, new captains also visit their airline's operations center, where hundreds of people work around the clock to orchestrate the elaborate dance of keeping thousands of flights per day on time despite weather, congestion, or mechanical issues. Experiencing the operations center helps build what Southwest calls the 'two flight view', or the ability to see your own flight as part of a series of flights, and to predict the impact of your flight on the next flight, and the system as a whole. Many airlines, including Southwest and United, also have captains meet with senior executive leadership, often the CEO or COO. Southwest's Captain Kinnebrew explains, "We want to share our expectations, encourage our new captains, and show them that our whole team is working to support them in their new roles." "A lot of times you don't think about it, but every time that door closes, I'm responsible for hundreds of people." Captain Kelly Strong Even after years of experience, senior captains still feel the weight and privilege of being in command. "Every day, I use my 32 years of aviation experience, and more specifically, my 26 years as a captain, to make sure we all get to our destination safely," says Kelly Strong, a retired Coast Guard pilot and now a captain at a major U.S. carrier. "A lot of times you don't think about it," Strong adds, "but every time that door closes, I'm responsible for hundreds of people." "It's an honor to be a captain," says Captain Wise, "We want to be thought of as someone you can trust with your life." Next time you board a commercial flight, take a moment to think about the wide range of training and experience it takes to become a captain. Keep that in mind, and you might just be able to sit back, relax, and enjoy your flight. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kristykiernan/2019/09/24/the-making-of-a-captain-how- airlines-train-their-pilots-to-take-command/#49df020db104 Back to Top British man becomes first person to fly around the world on a gyrocopter (CNN) - A British adventurer has become the first person to circumnavigate the globe on a gyrocopter, completing a six-month journey that saw him narrowly escape a lightning strike on Sunday. James Ketchell traveled 24,000 nautical miles on the miniature aircraft, whose cockpit is exposed to the elements. He landed at an airport in Hampshire, England on Sunday in front of a crowd of well- wishers. The 37-year-old's aircraft had a range of just 700 nautical miles and a maximum speed of 70 knots, meaning his journey was completed in several short installments. He traversed mainland Europe and Russia before crossing into Canada and the United States, flying over Greenland and Iceland and stopping for the final time on the Faroe Islands, north of Scotland. "It's quite overwhelming, it's magical," Ketchell told the PA news agency after landing. "I have seen many amazing sights over the last six months. Probably one of the best is flying into Popham," he said, referring to the airport at which his journey began and ended. "It's an incredible feeling and I just hope that I manage to achieve my challenge and inspire as many people as I can," he added. The journey is far from Ketchell's only feat. He has already rowed across the Atlantic Ocean, climbed Mount Everest and cycled 18,000 miles around the world, according to a press release from his representatives. A gyrocopter, also known as a gyroplane or an autogyro, is a small helicopter-like aircraft powered by a propeller on its rear rather than blades on its top. Ketchell's journey allowed him remarkable bird's eye views of sites across the globe. He shared some of the most remarkable fly-bys on his social media profiles -- including an image of him floating over the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. But the journey also featured a handful of hairy moments. "I was almost struck by lightning and had to attempt an emergency landing on the road," he told PA of an incident in Canada. The explorer added that he was pleased it was raining when he landed for the final time. "It shows people that it's not that simple, flying around the world," he explained. "People had a slightly better understanding about what I have been trying to achieve." Ketchell has raised more than £9,000 ($11,000) for two charities with the journey. https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/james-ketchell-gyrocopter-flight-scli-gbr- intl/index.html Back to Top Forty aircraft recruited to repatriate Thomas Cook customers Leisure firm Thomas Cook's collapse has triggered a huge repatriation effort to ensure that over 150,000 holidaymakers will be able to return. All Thomas Cook flights have been cancelled as a result of the firm's failure. The UK Civil Aviation Authority says it has recruited about 40 aircraft for the programme - named 'Operation Matterhorn' - describing it as the "biggest-ever peacetime repatriation". Similar claims were made two years ago when leisure carrier Monarch Airlines ceased operations, but the CAA says number of customers affected by Thomas Cook's collapse is far greater. "We have launched, at very short notice, what is effectively one of the UK's largest airlines, involving a fleet of aircraft secured from around the world," says CAA chief executive Richard Moriarty. The repatriation - running from 23 September to 6 October - will involve bringing passengers back from about 18 countries. It will not offer travel on outbound flights. Alternative commercial flights from a small number of destinations, it adds, will transport a certain number of affected travellers. "This repatriation is hugely complex and we are working around the clock to support passengers," says the CAA. "The nature and scale of the operation means that unfortunately some disruption will be inevitable." Passengers booked on Thomas Cook flights returning after 6 October will have to make their own travel arrangements. "We know that a company with such long-standing history ceasing trading will be very distressing for its customers and employees," the CAA states. "Due to the significant scale of the situation, some disruption is inevitable, but the CAA will endeavour to get people home as close as possible to their planned dates." It adds that it will be launching a service to manage all refunds to customers by 30 September, aiming to provide refunds within 60 days. https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/forty-aircraft-recruited-to-repatriate- thomas-cook-c-461013/ Back to Top Air Line Pilots Association applauds House Transportation Committee effort to crack down on flag-of-convenience airlines The U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee last week advanced the Fair and Open Skies Act to consideration on the floor, and the pilots union known as the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA) is applauding the move. The bill proposes prohibitions on the U.S. Department of Transportation from issuing permits to flag-of-convenience airlines, which are airlines established in countries other than their home country to avoid the regulations of that country, labor standards included. Further, it makes the USDOT ensure any new foreign air carrier permit issued to a European airline is consistent with fair labor standards and fair competition requirements of the recently passed U.S.-E.U.-Norway-Iceland Air Transport Agreement. "The Fair and Open Skies Act enables the Department of Transportation to prevent airlines with flag-of-convenience business models and other atypical employment practices from serving the United States," ALPA said in a statement. "These venue- shopping efforts allow airlines to undermine workers' pay, benefits, and work rules. In addition, they also threaten to erode the proactive safety culture that we have fostered here in the United States." Europe has made moves to cut down on these operations, and groups like ALPA want to see the same protections brought to the United States. "ALPA calls on Congress to put a stop to these business schemes that undermine labor rights, safety, and the competitiveness of the U.S. airline industry and pass the Fair and Open Skies Act to help level the playing field and keep our skies safe," ALPA said. https://transportationtodaynews.com/news/15404-air-line-pilots-association-cheers- house-transportation-committee-effort-to-crack-down-on-flag-of-convenience-airlines/ Back to Top Lessors scramble to recover dozens of jets from Thomas Cook (Reuters) - Aircraft leasing companies are launching moves to recover dozens of Airbus passenger planes after the collapse of British travel group Thomas Cook, market sources said. The overall group operates a fleet of 85 Airbus planes and 31 Boeing jets, or a total of 116 aircraft based across Europe, according to data from UK-based aviation consultancy IBA. All except five are leased from a total of 38 leasing companies or investment vehicles led by top names in aviation finance. The fleet includes 63 Airbus aircraft that are potentially directly affected by the collapse. They are operated by three 100% Thomas Cook subsidiaries in the UK, Scandinavia and Spain. A fourth airline, Frankfurt-based Condor, in which bankrupt Thomas Cook Group owns fractionally less than 50%, according to the British company's annual report, says it will keep flying. Condor's fleet includes an Airbus A330 that doubles as a reserve aerial refuelling tanker for the Royal Air Force, leased with a crew from UK consortium Air Tanker, according to IBA. Here is a summary of the aircraft operated by Thomas Cook Airlines via four affiliated carriers (source: IBA). Thomas Cook Airlines Ltd (UK, 100%-owned by Thomas Cook) -------------------------------------------------------- Airbus A320-200 3 Airbus A321-200 35 Airbus A330-200 8 Total 46 Thomas Cook Airlines Scandinavia (Denmark, 100%-owned) ------------------------------------------------------ Airbus A321-200 8 Airbus A330-300 3 Total 11 Thomas Cook Airlines Balearics (Spain, 100%-owned) -------------------------------------------------- Airbus A320-200 6 Total 6 Condor Flugdienst (Germany, 49.996%-owned*, still operating) ----------------------------------------------------------- Airbus A320-200 7 Airbus A321-200 14 Airbus A330-200 1 Boeing 757-300 15 Boeing 767-300ER 16 Total 53 Grand total 116 *Source: Thomas Cook annual report, other data supplied by IBA https://www.yahoo.com/news/factbox-lessors-scramble-recover-dozens- 182227714.html Back to Top NASA taps Lockheed Martin to build six more Orion crew capsules Artist's illustration of an Orion spacecraft at the moon. Credit: Lockheed Martin NASA announced Monday it will order at least six reusable Orion crew capsules from Lockheed Martin for $4.6 billion to fly astronauts to the vicinity of the moon in the 2020s, and the agency said it plans to purchase hardware for up to 12 Orion vehicles by 2030. The Orion Production and Operations Contract, or OPOC, sets up a production line for Orion spacecraft to support NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the lunar surface in 2024, a deadline set by the Trump administration earlier this year. "This contract secures Orion production through the next decade, demonstrating NASA's commitment to establishing a sustainable presence at the Moon to bring back new knowledge and prepare for sending astronauts to Mars," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine in a statement. "Orion is a highly-capable, state-of-the-art spacecraft, designed specifically for deep space missions with astronauts, and an integral part of NASA's infrastructure for Artemis missions and future exploration of the solar system." The Orion vehicles will ferry astronauts to a mini-space station, or Gateway, in orbit around the moon, where crews will transfer to a different spacecraft to take them to the lunar surface. The lander will bring the astronauts back to the Gateway once their surface missions are complete. Astronauts will leave the Gateway in their Orion spaceship and return to Earth for a splashdown at sea. After the Artemis program's first moon landing, NASA plans a series of follow-on missions at a rate of about one per year with expanded exploration capabilities, with the objective of demonstrating technologies and techniques for a future human expedition to Mars. The Orion spacecraft is a centerpiece of NASA's lunar exploration program, along with the Space Launch System, a heavy-lift rocket built by Boeing and Northrop Grumman. The SLS will boost the Orion crew capsules toward the moon. NASA selected Lockheed Martin to develop the Orion spacecraft in 2006, when the capsule was part of the Constellation moon program launched by President George W. Bush. The Constellation program was canceled in 2010, but the Orion spacecraft survived and became part of a new deep space exploration initiative under that Obama administration that focused on a human mission to Mars. Sometimes called the "multipurpose crew vehicle," the Orion spacecraft and its SLS launcher have been retargeted toward the moon under the Trump administration. Before the new agreement announced Monday, NASA had contracted Lockheed Martin to build two Orion spacecraft capable of flying to the moon. The first lunar-capable Orion spacecraft will launch on the Artemis 1 mission, an unpiloted test flight set for launch on the first flight of the Space Launch System heavy-lifter. The Artemis 1 mission will likely be ready for launch in 2021, followed by the Artemis 2 flight in 2022 or 2023 with four astronauts on-board. Artemis 2 will launch on a trajectory that will take the Orion crew around the moon and back to Earth. The first of the new batch of Orion crew capsules will launch on the Artemis 3 mission, which NASA has tapped to attempt the first landing on the moon by astronauts since Apollo 17 in 1972. Mike Hawes, Lockheed Martin's Orion program manager, said Monday that the company's new contract with NASA will include crew modules, complete launch abort systems, and adapters to connect the Orion crew modules with their European-made service modules. The contract also covers parts of the European service modules procured by Lockheed Martin, such as auxiliary rocket engines and network interface cards, Hawes said. The construction of the European services modules themselves is separately funded by the European Space Agency. Airbus Defense and Space is the prime contractor for the Orion service module. Buying Orion vehicles in groups of three allows Lockheed Martin and its subcontractors to achieve production efficiencies and cost savings, he said. "The contract is structured as what NASA calls IDIQ, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity, so they can order as many as they see fit," Hawes said. "Three is what were able to show NASA was a good break point in terms of being able to get good cost savings by ordering all at once." The first set of three Orion vehicles purchased by NASA for $2.7 billion on Monday will come with an average cost of $900 million each. NASA says it plans to order an additional three Orion vehicles in fiscal year 2022 for $1.9 billion, or $633 million per mission. "I am pleased that Administrator Bridenstine has heeded my calls and is taking significant steps to ensure that Johnson continues to grow with the exciting future of manned exploration that lies ahead," said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in a statement. "More needs to be done, and I look forward to production ramping up in the weeks and months to come and to more opportunities with NASA." The NASA announcement of the Orion production contract included statements from Cruz and other Texas lawmakers lauding the role of the Johnson Space Center in Houston, where NASA manages the Orion program. Lockheed Martin's Orion production line is located at the Operations and Checkout Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Orion spacecraft for the Artemis 1 mission, an unpiloted test flight around the moon expected to launch in 2021, is undergoing final outfitting at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida before shipment to Ohio later this year for environmental testing. Credit: NASA/Radislav Sinyak "We will heavily reuse all of the components from flight to flight, and we will also reuse full structures, vehicles," Hawes said. "Some things, like the crew module adapter, since it's on the service module and gets thrown away each flight, that will be new each flight. The launch abort system, since it gets thrown away each flight, that will be new each flight. But one of the advantages that we have in that second order is we start to see the power of reuse and the price comes significantly down." According to NASA, internal computers and electronics, as well as crew seats and switch panels, from the Artemis 2 mission's Orion spacecraft will be re-flown on Artemis 5. The entire Artemis 3 crew module will be reused on Artemis 6. "We have doing qualification testing for internal components to five uses," Hawes told Spaceflight Now in an interview. "Things like the avionics, the flight computers, the communications gear, those kinds of things we anticipate that we will be able to get five uses. The primary structure, for sure two (uses), and we'll continue to work with NASA to demonstrate the data that we get out of our flight experience. I think we will continue to revise how much we'll be able to use the structures. But we're planning for two, at least." "That's the theme," he said. "Once we demonstrate the capability, then three flights later, that vehicle could fly again." The Orion spacecraft can accommodate up to four astronauts for standalone missions lasting up to 21 days. Missions that dock at an in-space destination, such as the Gateway, could last longer. NASA could order hardware for as many 12 Orion missions from Lockheed Martin under the new production contract, but Hawes said that does not mean the 12 crew modules will be built. "NASA talks about up to a total of 12 missions," Hawes said. "That phrase is a little nuanced because with the reuse plan that we've the entire time we've been planning for this contract, we certainly will not build 12 spacecraft." "It's anticipated that those (6 additional) orders will utilize the full suite of reuse capabilities," he said. "So those missions NASA will contract with us for, and they may be characterized as light reuse, meaning the components, versus heavy reuse, meaning the structure. We expect when we get the request for proposal for those follow-on missions, that it will actually come with an assumption about what the reuse (plan) for each one of those missions is." NASA is ordering the first six Orion vehicles through a "cost-plus-incentive-fee" scheme, a type of contract that treats the Orion spacecraft still as a work in progress. NASA said it will negotiate "firm-fixed-price" orders for follow-on Orion missions, once the spacecraft "design stabilizes and production processes mature." "One of the challenges that we have is that we have this first order, we have to make it at this time to meet the Artemis 3 schedule, but we haven't finished the design of some of the critical systems, like the full life support and the crew controls and displays," Hawes said. "Those are the biggest pieces that get added. And then in 2022, we anticipate that second ... three-mission order ... but we will still have not flown Artemis 2, most likely. "So that's really the risk factor of those first few flights, is we just haven't completed and demonstrated the full development task," Hawes said. "And then from that point on, because of reuse, we see a good (cost) reduction in that second order, and then the follow-on orders will be firm-fixed-price, and we will expect to continue to see price savings. "We've done lots of things in terms of the vehicle to bring price down," Hawes said. "The bulk ordering is one of the big things that we've worked on. We've continued to work on advanced technologies, more 3D printing. We actually use augmented reality now in some of our build processes, so a lot of the things that we have been learning over the last couple of years, we're actually fully putting into place with this new contract." Meanwhile, Airbus has delivered the first European service module for the Artemis 1 mission, and production of the second unit for Artemis 2 is well underway. ESA has authorized Airbus to begin procuring hardware for a third Orion service module for the Artemis 3 mission, and European officials have expressed interest in providing additional service modules well into the 2020s. The service modules provide propulsion, propellants, electricity, water, oxygen, nitrogen and thermal control for the Orion spacecraft. In a congressional hearing last week, a senior NASA official said the agency aims to have a similar production contract in place for the Space Launch System in about a year. NASA has spent more than $16 billion on Orion spacecraft development since the program's start under the George W. Bush administration. When NASA announced Lockheed Martin as the Orion prime contractor in 2006, the first Orion mission with humans on-board was planned in 2014, followed by a crewed lunar landing in 2020. The development of the Space Launch System started in 2011. At that time, NASA said the first SLS test flight could take off by the end of 2017. But political redirections, technical problems, poor contractor performance and NASA mismanagement have slowed advancement on the SLS and Orion programs. In a report released in June, the Government Accountability Office wrote that "contractor performance to date (on the SLS and Orion programs) has not produced desirable program cost and schedule outcomes." The GAO also identified "significant disconnects" between contractor performance and award fees NASA has paid to Boeing and Lockheed Martin, despite continued delays and cost growth. The GAO has also "found that NASA has made programmatic decisions - including establishing low cost and schedule reserves, managing to aggressive schedules, and not following best practices for earned value management - that have compounded technical challenges that are expected for inherently complex and difficult large-scale acquisitions." "As a result, NASA overpromised what it could deliver from a cost and schedule perspective," the GAO reported. https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/09/23/nasa-taps-lockheed-martin-to-build-six-more- orion-crew-capsules/ Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Dear Fellow Aviators, I kindly invite you to take part in a short online survey concerning the Psychological Assessment of Pilots in Commercial Airline Operations. This is part of my dissertation towards the award of a master's degree in Air Safety Management from the City University of London, U.K. I am currently an Instructor and Training Captain for a leading international airline, flying the Boeing 777 and 787. The survey is specifically meant for Commercial Airline or Business/ Corporate pilots. The survey is an important element of the project as it ascertains Airline Pilot views and opinions about Mental Health. It has been four years since the Germanwings crash and there has been very little done in terms of testing and support of mental health issues of aviators. The survey is available at the following link and will take less than 20 minutes to complete. All responses are completely anonymous and no data including IP addresses are collected. https://forms.gle/jWBYaV5AGArhEVtC7 More information on the survey is included in the Introduction section. Thank you in advance for your invaluable time and insights. I can be contacted on sanjay.rao@city.ac.uk for any further clarifications. Blue skies and safe flights, Capt. Sanjay Sakaram Rao Back to Top Technical and Training Manager Flight Safety Foundation l BARS Melbourne, Australia An exciting role for a high-performing aviation expert as Technical and Training Manager with Flight Safety Foundation. Flight Safety Foundation is a non-profit organization staffed and managed by a small group of specialists in aviation safety and aviation communications. Operations are overseen by a board of governors, with primary guidance by a foundation governance council. The board is composed of executives from all segments of the global aviation industry to provide as broad a view of issues as possible. In addition, several standing advisory committees and ad hoc study groups provide focused, detailed direction and assistance in identifying and addressing opportunities for the continual improvement of aviation safety worldwide. Founded in 1947, today, membership includes more than 1,000 organizations and individuals in 150 countries. The Foundation is based in Alexandria, Virginia, USA and has a regional office in Melbourne, Australia. The predominant purpose of the Melbourne office of FSF is to run the BARS Program. The BARS Program is made up of a suite of risk-based aviation industry Standards with supporting Implementation Guidelines. There are dedicated Standards for Contracted Aviation Operations, Offshore Helicopter Operations, Aerial Mustering and Remotely Piloted Aerial Systems. The role of Technical and Training Manager has been created to support the Managing Director in the delivery of the BARS Program objectives and support the Technical team in the function of the Audit Program delivery and quality control. We are seeking to appoint a candidate with the following credentials: - Relevant tertiary qualifications in Business and/or Engineering, * Extensive experience (10-15+ years) in either flight operations (pilot or flight engineer) roles or a maintenance & engineering role. * Aviation background and knowledge-based leadership (through aviation technical expertise) is critical to the success of the role * The ability to lead and coach the Technical team by developing and educating them in areas of aviation safety. * Deep understanding of Safety Management Systems (SMS) (ICAO Annex 19 and Doc 9859) and Quality principles (ISO 9001:2016 or ISO 9000). * Experience in delivering training in a classroom environment. * Excellent written skills to undertake data analysis and prepare reports. * Excellent communications skills and the ability to confidently present at Public Speaking events * Strong analytical skills to interpret complex data * Strong organisational and project management skills * Competent with Microsoft Office - Word, Excel PowerPoint and Outlook * Tableau or Power BI would be an advantage * Prepared to travel domestically and internationally regularly (unrestricted passport) * Pilots - Accident free record This role will be based in Collins Street, Melbourne, Australia For a confidential discussion about this role or to receive a copy of a detailed Position Description, please contact Jennifer Galvin-Rowley on +61 410 477 235 or email jen@galvinrowley.com.au Applications should be made online by visiting www.galvinrowley.com.au Back to Top Register for the 72nd International Air Safety Summit (IASS 2019) in Taipei and join over 400 people as we discuss top safety issues in aviation. Held Nov. 2 - 4, IASS 2019 brings together aerospace and aviation professionals from around the globe to exchange information and propose new directions for further risk reductions. This three-day event features 11 sessions with speakers from NASA, International Air Transport Association, Taiwan Transportation Safety Board, UK Flight Safety Committee and more. IASS 2019 will take place at the Mandarin Oriental, a five-star retreat in the heart of Taipei. The Foundation has secured a block of sleeping at a special group rate. Register and reserve your room by Tuesday, Oct. 8, to take advantage of the discount. Link: https://flightsafety.org/summit-seminar/72nd-iass/ Curt Lewis