Flight Safety Information November 8, 2019 - No. 230 In This Issue Boeing boss gives up bonus following plane crashes Incident: American B789 at Tokyo on Nov 6th 2019, tyre pressure indication Incident: Republic E175 at Atlanta on Nov 6th 2019, trim runaway, severe control problems, stalling Incident: France B772 near Azores Islands on Nov 5th 2019, burning odour on board Incident: Canada B788 at Vancouver on Nov 3rd 2019, autoland fault and low fuel indication Democratic lawmakers question FAA decisions on Boeing safety issues Pilot in Schiphol security scare was instructing a trainee at the time Ask the Captain: How easy is it for a pilot to enter a hijacking code by mistake? Families of Kerrville plane crash victims file suit against pilot's estate Airline Struggles to Explain Why Plane's Cracked Window Was Fixed With Tape Federal investigators cite FAA failures in 2018 floatplane crash near Ketchikan Transportation Safety Board releases new safety recommendations for small aircraft Qatar Airways, new client of CEFA Aviation! Florida Aviation Firm Settles Over Engines 'Wet Leased' to Sudan Airways Qatar Airways CEO Covets More Access to India What's Hot In Airline Avionics Upgrades Airbus extends lead over Boeing with 415 jet sales in October GE unit orders 25 Airbus jets including 12 Rolls-powered A330neo Elon Musk says building the first sustainable city on Mars will take 1,000 Starships and 20 years CABIN CREW FATIGUE RESEARCH PROJECT Flight Data Solutions Applied International Aviation Meteorology" course - Nov 2019' Position: MEL Administration Manager Position Available: Audit Production Manager; Air Carrier Boeing boss gives up bonus following plane crashes Boeing's boss Dennis Muilenburg will not take a bonus this year following two crashes involving the firm's 737 Max plane which killed 346 people. Boeing's chairman David Calhoun said Mr Muilenburg had made the suggestion. Mr Muilenburg recently faced US lawmakers who accused the firm of building "flying coffins" and engaging in a "pattern of deliberate concealment". But Mr Calhoun said Mr Muilenburg "has done everything right". Mr Calhoun, who took over as chairman after Mr Muilenburg was stripped of the role last month, told CNBC that the chief executive retained the confidence of Boeing's board. For 2018, Mr Muilenburg's pay included a $13m (£10.1m) bonus on top of his $1.7m salary. His total pay package rose 27% from 2017. Last October, a Boeing 737 Max operated by Lion Air crashed, killing all 189 people on board. Five months later an Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed, killing 157 people, after which the entire 737 Max fleet was grounded. At last week's hearing with US senators, families of people who died in the crash told the BBC that they felt Mr Muilenburg was evasive and should resign. "I want him to say unequivocally that he takes responsibility for the deaths of 346 people because the crashes were preventable," said Paul Njoroge, who lost five family members in the Ethiopian Airlines crash. Adnaan Stumo, whose sister Samya died in the Ethiopian Airlines crash, said Mr Muilenburg should step down "and go to jail". Senators also criticised the regulatory process, saying there was excessive "cosiness" between the firm and safety officials at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Mr Muilenburg told the hearing that the firm supported "strong oversight" but declined to support increasing the authority of the FAA, which has been criticised for delegating too much of its oversight to company officials. Speaking to CNBC on Tuesday, Mr Calhoun said that the company did not have any plans to change the name of the 737 Max. Since the grounding of the 737 Max fleet in March, Boeing has said it is fixing the model's software and has overhauled its review procedures. In April, Boeing reduced production of the plane by almost a fifth. Mr Calhoun said the company was not expecting to make any further production cuts. Separately, the head of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said regulators should co-operate in assessing the airworthiness of the 737 Max rather than pursuing their own approval processes. Alexandre de Juniac told Reuters that taking an individual approach was "a big, big, big mistake". "We have built the safety of this industry on the single certification decision and the mutual recognition and it has worked very well." https://www.bbc.com/news/business-50304343 Back to Top Incident: American B789 at Tokyo on Nov 6th 2019, tyre pressure indication An American Airlines Boeing 787-9, registration N834AA performing flight AA-27 from Los Angeles,CA (USA) to Tokyo Haneda (Japan) with 263 people on board, was on approach to Tokyo when the crew reported a low tyre pressure indication. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on runway 34R and stopped on the runway for an inspection. The airline reported there was no anomaly with the tyres. The occurrence aircraft departed for the return flight on schedule. http://avherald.com/h?article=4cef3631&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Republic E175 at Atlanta on Nov 6th 2019, trim runaway, severe control problems, stalling situation A Republic Airways Embraer ERJ-175, registration N117HQ performing AA-4439 from Atlanta,GA to New York La Guardia,NY (USA) with 6 people on board, was climbing out of Atlanta's runway 09L when the crew declared emergency reporting they had a trim runaway, the crew stopped the climb at about 14,000 feet and positioned for a return to Atlanta's runway 10. The crew subsequently reported, while cleared for a right downwind to runway 10, they were in a stalling situation and subsequently added they couldn't get their pitch down, they were trying to descend nonetheless. ATC offered runway 08L, 10 or 09R, ATC could clear anyone out of the way. The crew advised they were able to take a turn and received vectors to runway 10. Instead of descending the aircraft began to climb again, then descended, the crew advised they got a system warning to cut out, got the problem under control and were now okay, they had been fighting with the aircraft for a while. The aircraft joined the final for runway 10, ATC again offered runway 10 or 09R, "your call", and cleared the aircraft to land either runway. The aircraft landed safely on runway 10 about 19 minutes after departure and about 15 minutes after the emergency call. The aircraft is still on the ground about 18 hours after landing in Atlanta. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/RPA4439/history/20191107/0204Z/KATL/KLGA http://avherald.com/h?article=4cef2f7b&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: France B772 near Azores Islands on Nov 5th 2019, burning odour on board An Air France Boeing 777-200, registration F-GSPA performing flight AF-852 from Paris Orly (France) to Cayenne (French Guiana) with 299 people on board, was enroute at FL350 about 530nm southwest of Lajes (Azores Islands, Portugal) when the crew decided to turn around due to a burning odour in the cabin and divert setting course towards the Canary Islands about 900nm southeast of their position. Over the Canary Islands the crew turned again to return to Paris. The aircraft landed safely on Charles de Gaulle's runway 26L about 6 hours after the decision to turn around and about 10:15 hours after departure. According to information The Aviation Herald received about 25% of the inflight entertainment video screens became inoperative and the IFE control panel became inoperative. http://avherald.com/h?article=4cef3b61&opt=0 Back to Top Back to Top Incident: Canada B788 at Vancouver on Nov 3rd 2019, autoland fault and low fuel indication An Air Canada Boeing 787-8, registration C-GHPQ performing flight AC-125 from Toronto,ON to Vancouver,BC (Canada) was on a visual approach to runway 08L when the crew initiated a go around due to low visibility and requested and was granted an ILS CAT 3 approach to runway 08L. On short final to runway 08L the crew received a "NO AUTOLAND" message and went around again, during the go around an "insufficient fuel" advisory was displayed. The crew declared PAN PAN in order to receive a straight in approach to one of Seattle's runways 16 while runways 34 were in use. The aircraft landed safely on Seattle's runway 16L. The Canadian TSB reported the aircraft landed with 2800kg of fuel remaining, 800 kg above minimum fuel. The occurrence aircraft continued to Vancouver the following day after about 15 hours on the ground in Seattle. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/ACA125/history/20191104/0025Z/CYYZ/CYVR http://avherald.com/h?article=4cef2cad&opt=0 Back to Top Democratic lawmakers question FAA decisions on Boeing safety issues WASHINGTON - Two Democratic U.S. lawmakers said on Thursday the Federal Aviation Administration overruled agency technical specialists on two Boeing Co safety issues involving the 737 MAX and the 787 Dreamliner jets that they said could be "potentially catastrophic." The issues involve the 737 MAX rudder cable and lightning protection for fuel tanks on the 787 Dreamliner. Representative Peter DeFazio, who chairs the House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Representative Rick Larsen, who chairs the aviation subcommittee, said in a letter to FAA Administrator Steve Dickson that FAA management ultimately overruled the technical specialists after Boeing objected. That action raises "questions about how the agency weighs the validity of safety issues raised by its own experts compared to objections raised by the aircraft manufacturers the FAA is supposed to oversee," the lawmakers said in the letter. The lawmakers, who have been probing two deadly 737 MAX crashes, demanded a list of detailed answers from the FAA by Nov. 21. Boeing spokesman Gordon Johndroe said the manufacturer is aware of both issues and "confident that each was properly considered and addressed by Boeing, thoroughly reviewed with and approved by the FAA, and handled in full compliance with the processes governing review and disposition of such issues." An FAA spokesman said the agency would respond directly to the lawmakers. The letter said the committee had information and documents "suggesting Boeing implemented a design change on its 787 Dreamliner lightning protection features to which multiple FAA specialists ultimately objected." The letter also raised concerns that Boeing "reportedly produced approximately 40 airplanes prior to the FAA's approval of the design change. If accurate, that is an astonishing fact that suggests either willful neglect of the federal aviation regulatory structure or an oversight system in need of desperate repair." The FAA safety office rejected Boeing's lighting protection change in February but was overruled in March by FAA management, the lawmakers said. The other issue involves the adequacy of rudder cable protection on the Boeing 737 MAX "from an uncontained engine failure and the possibility of severance of the cable and a potentially catastrophic loss of control," the letter said, citing a 2014 memo from an FAA manager that suggested Boeing had not incorporated adequate protection following a deadly 1989 United Airlines engine failure accident in Iowa. The letter said Boeing objected to making design changes to the 737 MAX rudder cable arguing they "would be impractical and noting the company's concern about the potential impact on 'resources and program schedules.'" The letter comes as many in Congress want to reform the longstanding practice of designating new airplane certification tasks to the manufacturer. An October report by aviation regulators said the FAA had 45 people in an office overseeing 1,500 Boeing's Organization Designation Authority employees and faulted the FAA's oversight, saying it did not have enough staffing and found "signs of undue pressure" on Boeing employees performing tasks for the FAA. https://www.todayonline.com/world/democrats-question-faa-decisions-two-boeing-safety-issues Back to Top Pilot in Schiphol security scare was instructing a trainee at the time The pilot who sparked a security scare at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport on Wednesday night was giving a trainee instructions when he accidently gave a hijacking alert, airline Air Europa has confirmed. The pilot activated the hijacking alert code as priority passengers were boarding, putting D pier into lockdown and launching a high-profile military police operation which generated news coverage around the world. No disciplinary measures will be taken against the pilot because there is nothing to blame him for, the airline told broadcaster NOS. Meanwhile, one of the 26 passengers on board the plane said they only realised the extent of the scare when they were allowed to leave the aircraft. 'My family rang when I was in the plane because they heard it had been hijacked,' Javier Domingo told the Parool. 'They had seen these messages about people with knives on board but none of it was true. We were just sitting talking. Some people were watching films on their iPad.' Only on leaving the plane, where they were photographed and searched, did passengers realise what had been going on, he said. When the passengers were finally let back on board, the pilot was standing in the doorway. 'He offered every passenger his apologies on behalf of Air Europa,' Domingo said. 'But he did not say that it was he himself who had caused it.' https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2019/11/pilot-in-schiphol-security-scare-was-instructing-a-trainee-at-the-time/ Back to Top Ask the Captain: How easy is it for a pilot to enter a hijacking code by mistake? John Cox - Special to USA TODAY An Air Europa pilot accidentally entered the hijacking code while teaching procedures to a junior pilot before flying from Madrid to Amsterdam, setting off the security protocol at the Dutch airport. Question: On Wednesday, a pilot accidentally triggered a hijacking alert at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport by keying in the code in error. How easy is it to do that by mistake? And how do flight crews act when it's not a false alarm? Answer: For security reasons, I can't go into too much detail; however, there are special codes that pilots send to air traffic controllers if they have specific problems, such as an emergency, loss of communication or a potential hijack. These codes alert the controllers, who then notify the proper authorities. The codes, assigned by air traffic control, are unique to each flight. If the pilot erroneously inputs one of the critical codes, it can cause the controller to believe there may be a real emergency. False alarm: Airline apologizes after pilot accidentally set off hijack alert at Amsterdam airport In the Air Europa case, the pilot entered the hijacking code by mistake while teaching a junior pilot. Normally, the first action by the controller is to verify the code is real; however, media coverage did not indicate whether the verification occurred. Security officials are aware that critical codes may get entered erroneously. But until they determine that is the case, they approach the aircraft carefully and treat the onboard threat seriously. The authorities in Amsterdam reacted properly and thankfully, it turned out to be a false alarm. John Cox is a retired airline captain with US Airways and runs his own aviation safety consulting company, Safety Operating Systems. https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2019/11/07/amsterdam-hijacking-false-alarm-how-do-pilots-enter-alarm-codes/2516275001/ Back to Top Families of Kerrville plane crash victims file suit against pilot's estate The wreckage of a twin-engine Beechcraft BE58 is seen Monday, April 22, 2019 in an aerial image. All six people on the plane were killed in the crash that occurred about 6 mile northwest of the Kerrville Municipal Airport about 9:00 a.m. Monday. Photo: William Luther, Staff / Staff photographer The families of three of the Houston residents who died when the small plane they were traveling on crashed in Kerrville earlier this year have filed wrongful death lawsuits against the pilot's estate. The plane crashed in rocky terrain about 70 miles northwest of San Antonio on April 22 after taking off from Houston. The crash killed the pilot, philanthropist Jeffrey Carl Weiss, and all five passengers. In separate suits, the families of Mark Scioneaux, 58, Marc Tellepsen, 45, and Scott Reagan Miller, 55, alleged that Weiss was negligent and failed to properly operate the twin-engine plane before the crash roughly 6 miles from its destination, Kerrville Municipal Airport. The two other passengers were Stuart Roben Kensinger, 55, and his wife, Angela Webb Kensinger, 54. The three cases were filed in Harris County Probate Court this week. While they were filed separately, attorneys said it's likely the cases will be consolidated for at least the discovery phase. Ladd Sanger, a Dallas-based aviation attorney representing Ann Christensen, Miller's widow, said the way the plane crashed indicates there might have been fuel issues. Weiss' Beechcraft Baron 58 crashed in what's called a "flat spin," Sanger said, in which the plane is horizontal and not pointing downward. That is an indication there might have been some sort of power interruption on at least one engine, according to Sanger. That sentiment was echoed by Richard Mithoff, the lawyer representing Scioneaux's husband, along with Tellepsen's widow, Jennifer, and parents, Kathleen and Tom. "All the indications at the present time point toward onboard fuel issues, and we are looking at all potentially responsible parties, as well as any possible component part failures," said Mithoff. Gus Tamborello, the court-appointed administrator of Weiss' estate, declined to comment on the lawsuits Thursday. "It's a horrible tragedy all the way around," said Tamborello. Weiss, 65, had logged more than 5,000 flight hours and had four decades of flying experience. The plane took off from West Houston Airport around 7:30 a.m., and flight data showed it suddenly dropped altitude and speed around 9 a.m. Data from FlightAware, which tracks takeoffs and landings, showed the plane's speed dropped from 204 mph to 117 mph in less than a minute, continuing to drop over the ensuing eight minutes before the crash. Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board said engine data would provide more insight, but that it did not look like Weiss was trying to land the plane at the time of the crash. NTSB has not yet issued its final report on the crash. Those reports are typically expected between 12 and 18 months after the crash. Sanger said the suits would be limited until the findings from the investigation are available. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Families-of-Kerrville-plane-crash-victims-file-14817639.php Back to Top Airline Struggles to Explain Why Plane's Cracked Window Was Fixed With Tape SpiceJet, a domestic airline in India, is apologizing to customers after a passenger snapped and tweeted a photo of a cracked window seemingly fixed with clear tape. Hariharan Sankaran sat down in his window seat on a flight from Mumbai to Delhi this week and saw the window was cracked and covered with cello tape. He then tweeted at the airline asking, "Isn't it a major safety concern? Anyone listening?" Spicejet flight SG8152 (VT-SYG) Mumbai to Delhi flying (5 Nov 2019) with a broken window stuck with cello tape. Isn't it a major safety concern? Anyone listening?@flyspicejet @DGCAIndia The airline responded to the tweet writing, "Hi Hariharan, at SpiceJet, safety is our utmost concern and at no point in time does the airline compromise on the same." It added, "We shall surely convey this to the concerned head for necessary action. The inconvenience caused is regretted." Sankaran followed up with the observation that, "If there is a cello tape pasted, means someone has seen it and aware of the situation." Cello tape is a heavy duty adhesive tape that is pressure-sensitive. But, SpiceJet replied, once again assuring customers that though it looked jarring, the plane was never in danger. "The purpose of the inner pane is to protect the window from scratches. The inner pane doesn't carry structural pressurization loads. Please be assured that at no point in time was safety compromised," the airline said, adding that the window was repaired in the same day. If by a very slim chance, the plane's window had cracked mid-air, things would have gone south very quickly for passengers. As The Independent explained, above 10,000 feet the plane would depressurize and there would be an immediate drop in oxygen for passengers. The plane would also become increasingly cold and, without immediate action from the pilots, could cause severe harm to passengers very quickly. A similar event did occur in 2018 when a window on a Southwest flight cracked mid-air and partially sucked a passenger out the window, killing her instantly. Though, again, an event like this is exceedingly rare. Still, if you see something that makes you uncomfortable on a flight alert crew members immediately. https://www.travelandleisure.com/airlines-airports/spicejet-india-apologizes-after-cracked-airplane-window-fixed-with-tape Back to Top Federal investigators cite FAA failures in 2018 floatplane crash near Ketchikan In this July 10, 2018 photo, Coast Guard Air Station Sitka MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crews rescue people after a floatplane crashed southwest of Ketchikan on Prince of Wales Island. (U.S. Coast Guard via AP) Back in July 2018, a passenger on a flightseeing plane that had just left a Prince of Wales Island lodge folded his arms so he wouldn't try to grab the controls from the pilot next to him. Heavy rain and clouds descended around the floatplane as it threaded through steep peaks and fjords en route to Ketchikan. The passenger, who'd taken a few flight lessons, later said he kept thinking the pilot must have a plan. He spotted a plane sitting on the water near a resort, as if its pilot had landed to get out of the weather. Then the Taquan Air de Havilland Otter smashed into the side of Mount Jumbo. Remarkably, all 11 people aboard survived, though six passengers were seriously hurt and four reported minor injuries. Now a new National Transportation Safety Board report that includes passenger interviews also notes that the Federal Aviation Administration allowed Taquan to keep an operations director who was at times too busy to oversee flight safety because another aviation job took him out of Ketchikan. The report, which includes links to hundreds of pages of documents, is basically "a factual data dump" of everything the NTSB team discovered during the investigation, said Clint Johnson, the agency's Alaska chief. "One of the areas we look at is FAA oversight," Johnson said. An FAA spokesman said Thursday the agency was just seeing the report and couldn't immediately respond to questions. Pilot Mike Hudgins, 71 at the time, picked up his passengers and headed to Ketchikan before 8 a.m. that day. Passengers said foggy weather apparently delayed the flight that was supposed to leave at 6:30 a.m. Another pilot reported a mountain portage as "wide open" and Hudgins described steering away from rainy skies and spotting good visibility ahead, according to the report. Navigating through mountains at about 1,100 feet altitude, he told investigators that visibility suddenly dropped. Turning back toward Hydaburg, Hudgins spotted what he thought was water for landing below but realized too late it was snow, he said. He saw the mountain in front of him and pulled up into an emergency climb. The plane stalled and dropped onto the rocky slope, slamming into boulders at 75 mph. The near-tragedy was reminiscent of the 2015 crash of a Promech Air flightseeing plane that killed the pilot and eight cruise-ship passengers aboard. Both floatplane pilots got disoriented in low-visibility weather that can arise quickly in Southeast Alaska, where tourists and residents alike rely on air service. Hudgins wasn't using a warning system meant to prevent sudden collisions with terrain. Like many pilots, he'd switched it off to avoid the constant alerts that he was flying too low as he cruised beneath the cloud ceiling. That was another similarity to the Promech crash, in which the "terrain awareness and warning system" was also switched off. The NTSB in 2017 recommended FAA find ways to modify the devices for low-flying single-engine charters. The plane crashed on its belly, wings drooping but with little front-end damage. Rescuers hoisted everyone aboard to a landing area, then flew them to Ketchikan. A damaged Taquan Air de Havilland Otter that smashed into Mount Jumbo near Ketchikan, Alaska, in 2018 is shown in a hangar afterward. All aboard survived. (National Transportation Safety Board photo) Taquan was operating about 60 flights a day at the time, with a director of operations who had moved to Anchorage after getting the chief pilot job at Grant Aviation, a larger operator of commuter flights, according to the report released Thursday by the National Transportation Safety Board. The operations director is responsible for making sure policies are followed. Taquan did not have a director of safety. The operations director hadn't been down to visit Taquan in a month or maybe two, employees told investigators. Taquan's chief pilot told them that, along with a workload that got heavy in summer, he was handling a lot of the operational duties as well because the operations director was in Anchorage. Working for two such carriers at the same time is prohibited by FAA regulations that bar managers for commuter services from also working for other carriers. The operations director said FAA inspectors for Grant and Taquan both knew he worked at the two companies, according to the report. He had resigned from Taquan but agreed to stay on when they couldn't find a replacement. "My understanding was, it's much better to have you in that position doing what you do rather than have nobody in that position. And that was the FAA's position," he said in an interview with federal investigators. A Taquan Air de Havilland Otter that smashed into Mount Jumbo near Ketchikan in July 2018 is shown. All aboard survived. (National Transportation Safety Board photo) But one FAA maintenance inspector based in Ketchikan said she warned managers she had concerns about the dual jobs, given the size of Taquan's operation and the director's integral role in operations the summer before. Taquan had told the agency it was adding two Otters to its fleet. "That's another 20 people being moved each round ... of flights," she said in an interview with investigators. "So that's increased risk, increased operation, increased number of people. I think that was part of the conversation, if I remember right." She heard nothing in the way of follow-up, the inspector told the investigators. The FAA office in Juneau at the time was struggling to hire inspectors, officials told NTSB. A manager described job candidates laughing at the salary. The report describes Taquan's FAA inspector as overwhelmed, assigned to oversee 33 federally regulated air services. The inspector started in that position about three months before the crash and described "very little conversation" with the prior inspector about the operations he'd oversee. The FAA approval on Taquan's training program was expired but the inspector didn't realize that, federal investigators learned. The federal safety investigators found that lower-level flight coordinators were making operational decisions -- like whether to fly -- in the absence of the Anchorage-based director. The coordinators also filled out preflight forms weighing various risks including turbulence, the pilot's condition, and the weather at the time of the trip. Pilots interviewed by investigators said they never changed the form based on their own observations. "One pilot viewed the form as 'just a piece of paper with some ink on it' and based go/no go decisions on his experience and research instead," lead investigator Brice Banning wrote in a summary. The risk reports used numerical scores to weigh the dangers of any particular flight. Taquan considered anything under 20 relatively routine. Still, the crash flight's score of 13 -- based on distance from Ketchikan and several other factors, none of them weather -- was high enough to fall into a "caution" zone that required manager involvement. The flight coordinator, pilot and chief pilot signed off. Several pilots praised Taquan's positive safety culture and conservative decision making when it came to canceling flights, according to the report, which also criticizes the now-defunct Medallion Foundation for failing to require air carriers to incorporate Medallion safety materials into federally approved manuals. Hudgins lived in Key West, Florida, when he wasn't in Ketchikan. He had logged more than 26,700 total flight hours at the time of the crash, according to the report. He had 2,700 hours of time flying in Alaska. A Taquan representative last year said Hudgins was no longer flying for the air service. https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/aviation/2019/11/07/federal-investigators-cite-faa-failures-in-2018-floatplane-crash-near-ketchikan/ Back to Top Transportation Safety Board releases new safety recommendations for small aircraft The 4 recommendations are aimed at cutting down the number of small aircraft accidents More than a dozen northern aviation companies, like Air Tindi, could be impacted if Transport Canada chooses to adopt the new TSB recommendations. (James Mackenzie/Canadian Press) The Transportation Safety Board released four new recommendations Thursday for the operators of small aircraft in Canada. The recommendations stem from 14-years of data the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) analyzed - from 2000 to 2014. The board looked at more than 700 incidents involving aircraft carrying fewer than 10 passengers, also known as air taxis. Investigators have put forth 22 recommendations to Transport Canada on how safety can be improved on these aircraft, such as implementing seat belts with chest harnesses and ones designed for children. Thursday's announcement is aimed at eliminating the acceptance of unsafe practices, like flying overweight or in bad weather. Investigators say economic pressures to fly has made operators complacent and has put pressure on pilots to fly under unsafe conditions. A de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver float plane is one of the air-taxi models under the new TSB recommendations. (Sydney Seaplanes/ATSB) "Although these vital air links have helped build Canada and sustain its population, air-taxi operations are at higher risk," said TSB chair Kathy Fox during a press conference in Ottawa Thursday. "The air-taxi sector continues to have more accidents and more fatalities than all other sectors of commercial aviation combined." The first recommendation calls on Transport Canada to collaborate with industry associations to develop tools and education programs to cut down on the acceptance of unsafe practices. "I'm not talking about flagrant rule violations, I'm talking about a gradual drift that occurs over time with every successful, though not necessarily safe, flight," said TSB senior investigator, Glen Whitney. "For instance, flying overweight, or flying into marginal weather or flying with minimal fuel reserves." The TSB also calls on industry associations like the Northern Air Transportation Association to share best safety practices, tools and data specific to air taxis. Investigators also interviewed air-taxi operators around the country and found that companies often have very different safety standards. Some go above and beyond the current safety regulations, while other operators simply comply with the bare minimum regulations. In its recommendations, the TSB calls on Transport Canada to review those gaps and to update the current safety standard. It also calls on Transport Canada to require all commercial operators to report aircraft data like the number of hours flown. The TSB says this data will allow it to see if current safety strategies are working and will be used to calculate accident rates. Transport Canada now has 90 days to respond to how it will implement the four new recommendations. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/tsb-safety-recommendations-small-aircraft-1.5351498 Back to Top Qatar Airways, new client of CEFA Aviation! • The renowned Qatari flag carrier Qatar Airways, operating more than 250 aircraft, have signed up with the flight data animation company CEFA Aviation to better analyze its flights • The safety department of the airline will recreate flights quickly and easily thanks to the CEFA FAS software based on the data from the flight recorders • The purpose is to better understand selected portions of flights in order to cope with difficult routes and airport approaches by creating videos that can demonstrate the do's and don'ts to pilots - thereby enhancing training CEFA FAS, a key feature in enhancing flight safety "At Qatar Airways, we are uncompromising when it comes to safety," says His Excellency, Mr. Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Ashish Jain, Senior Vice President Group Safety and Security of Qatar Airways, added: "That is why we invest in the latest technologies to guarantee our passengers' comfort not only within the cabin, but also in the interest of safety. CEFA FAS is a key feature in enhancing flight safety." Qatar Airways was the first airline in the world to achieve the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Operational Safety Audit certification in 2003 and have successfully renewed this certification every two years since. Making the sky safer by animating the data of Qatar Airways aircraft, including cargo operations Dominique Mineo, CEO and founder of CEFA Aviation, underlines that "Qatar Airways is a new first rate client for us. We are proud to deliver animations through our premium software for the complete airline fleet, including its cargo operator - the world's second largest. We are proud to support the company to make the sky safer together." Serving more than 29 million passengers annually, the airline handles more than 212,000 flights connecting 160 destinations. Qatar Airways is famous for being an airline of choice for passengers, which is testified by its many awards and accolades earned, becoming one of an elite group of airlines worldwide to have earned a 5-star rating by Skytrax. https://www.avweb.com/press-releases/qatar-airways-new-client-of-cefa-aviation/ Back to Top Florida Aviation Firm Settles Over Engines 'Wet Leased' to Sudan Airways A Florida-based aviation company agreed to settle a case over allegations that three of its engines were installed on Sudan Airways aircraft when the airline was under U.S. sanctions, the U.S. Treasury Department announced on Thursday. Apollo Aviation Group, which is now known as Carlyle Aviation Partners Ltd., leased engines to a United Arab Emirates-based company that then subleased them to a Ukrainian airline, which installed the engines on aircraft "wet leased" to Sudan Airways, according to the Treasury. Sudan Airways, which was sanctioned at the time of the leases, was delisted by the U.S. government in October 2017. "This enforcement action highlights the importance of companies operating in high-risk industries to implement effective, thorough and on-going, risk-based compliance measures, especially when engaging in transactions concerning the aviation industry," the Treasury said. Apollo by the end of 2015 had reported $2.5 billion in aviation assets under management, and had offices in the U.S., Ireland and Singapore, according to the Treasury. The Carlyle Group acquired Apollo in a deal that closed in December 2018, and the Treasury's enforcement notice said The Carlyle Group was not involved in the violations. Carlyle Aviation Partners did not have a comment posted to its website about the Treasury settlement. Two Apollo engines, leased to the UAE company in 2013, were installed by the Ukrainian airline on aircraft wet leased to Sudan Airways and used from November 2014 to February 2015; they were returned a month later to Apollo, according to the Treasury. A third engine leased by Apollo to the UAE company also was subleased and installed on a Sudan Airways aircraft, but this leasing occurred before Apollo learned about the Sudanese involvement in the earlier leases, the Treasury said. The third engine was removed from the Sudan Airways aircraft at Apollo's request, the Treasury said. Apollo's leasing agreements did contain provisions prohibiting the lessee from maintaining, operating, flying or transferring the engines to U.S. and United Nations-sanctioned jurisdictions, but the company did not monitor adherence to the agreements and it only learned where the engines flew after they were returned, according to the Treasury. A wet lease is an aviation leasing arrangement in which the lessor operates the aircraft on behalf of the lessee, while the lessor provides the aircraft, as well as its crew, maintenance and insurance. In its settlement, Apollo agreed to pay $210,600 to settle the case. No Apollo personnel had knowledge of the conduct that led to the sanctions violations, and the company implemented a number of remedial measures, including improved know-your-customer screening procedures and enhanced employee training on U.S. export-controls laws, according to the Treasury. It also began obtaining export compliance certificates from lessees and sublessees, the Treasury said. https://brief.kharon.com/updates/florida-aviation-firm-settles-over-engines-wet-leased-to-sudan-airways/ Back to Top Qatar Airways CEO Covets More Access to India Slamming the Indian government for not opening new air services to Qatar for the past decade, Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker called India "one of the most restricted regimes in the world" on the sidelines of a signing ceremony in Delhi marking a new one-way codeshare with IndiGo. He stressed that aviation served the government's intent to increase economic growth and create jobs. "Every flight you operate increases jobs," he said. The new agreement with IndiGo will allow Qatar to place its code on the Indian discount carrier's flight between Doha and Delhi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad, marking "the first baby step" towards strengthening cooperation between the two successful airlines and allowing Qatar to introduce additional seats into India. On a query from AIN on the Indian government having internally expressed its disappointment with Qatar for not investing in India, a reason for withholding air services talks with Qatar, Al Baker expressed characteristic candor. "Let me be honest with you regarding investment," he said. "Qatar has invested in India and sometimes it is not made public...India is also a large trading partner with Qatar." However, he said, bilateral air service agreements should not depend on the existence of trade agreements. "India has so many bilaterals with nations with whom it has zero trade," he said. "Connectivity facilitates jobs and creates demand for exports and imports." Qatar Airways operates 102 weekly flights to 13 destinations to India. "Our goal is to work in partnership with Indian authorities to offer more flights, frequencies, and more routes," said India-educated Al Baker. IndiGo CEO Ronojoy Dutta explained the codeshare would expand once his airline put in place Navitaire IT systems. "We know it's a cold dark hostile world out there and we need friends in faraway places," he quipped. "You never go to war alone." He added that eventually, a full codeshare would take people beyond Doha to European destinations. Al Baker said he harbored no interest in buying a stake in debt-ridden national carrier Air India, divestment of which the government hopes to initiate soon. "We are only interested in [an equity stake in] IndiGo," he reiterated, adding he wouldn't worry about future plans regarding the Indian airline until it resolved a conflict between the two founders on corporate governance. "We will wait," he concluded. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2019-11-07/qatar-airways-ceo-covets-more-access-india Back to Top What's Hot In Airline Avionics Upgrades Airlines' avionics upgrade efforts target obsolescence with enhanced vision and connectivity to support predictive maintenance. The major push toward installation of automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) is nearing important milestones if not the finish line. All U.S. commercial aircraft are expected to meet the FAA's Jan. 1 deadline, and about 75% of Europe's airliners are expected to have ADS-B by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency's (EASA) June 7 deadline. Elsewhere, progress on ADS-B is highly uneven, and data are patchy. Aircraft in Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, New Zealand, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Taiwan have at least partially met requirements for equipage. Collins Aerospace Marketing Manager Michael McDowell cites an upcoming mandate for ADS-B in China. Latin American regulators have not required ADS-B but are starting to follow U.S. and European requirements. ADS-B also has not been mandated in Africa, but a group of African nations has agreed to use Aireon's space-based ADS-B, so they likely will move toward installation. "Asia is well-equipped, mostly because a lot of new aircraft have been delivered," McDowell notes. Middle Eastern carriers tend to follow European requirements and also have newer fleets. A Boeing 787 flight deck with head-up displays from Collins Aerospace. Meanwhile, there is more going on in avionics than just ADS-B. Upgrades tend to be specific to the needs of each carrier and depend on the age and type of aircraft. They also reflect national regulators' decisions on which avionics equipment will be rewarded with eased operational rules for specific aircraft types so equipped. Express-delivery aircraft seem to be good candidates for upgrades because they tend to be old and yet must meet rigorous schedules. But the most common trend in upgrades is to include any hardware or software that will increase connectivity between the ground, aircraft and cockpit, mostly for maintenance purposes. FMS Upgrades Universal Avionics Director of Airline Sales Scott Campbell divides his avionics prospects into several segments: flight management systems (FMS), data link systems, cockpit voice and flight data recorders, and Elbit Systems' Clearvision line of enhanced-vision products, which Universal sells. Campbell is seeing record FMS sales for business aviation and regional airline aircraft, with the strength of this market clearly related to the FAA's ADS-B "Out" mandate. Universal's FMS include a key element of ADS-B Out: a GPS with a satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS). "Our customers are either installing or updating their FMS for ADS-B," Campbell says. These FMS are applicable to regional aircraft like Bombardier Q400s, some Embraer regional jets and ATR models. They also can be installed on older mainline aircraft like Boeing 737 Classics, DC-9s and MD-80s. One DC-9 fleet is now getting the devices. "We still have quite a bit of activity, and a significant backlog of orders from Europe and the U.S.," Campbell reports. One example of FMS equipage on older regional aircraft is Envoy Air's, a project that is close to completion. Envoy removed FMS/GPS Model UNS-1Ks that were more than 20 years old and did not meet the accuracy requirements of ADS-B Out, replacing them with Universal's new UNS-1LWs. The units were installed on 169 aircraft, taking four days each. "All active ERJ 140s and 145s were modified," Envoy spokesperson Minnette Velez-Conty says. During Envoy's FMS installation, ADS-B Out transponders also were upgraded. Skylens goggles are designed to provide the same benefits as fixed HUDs and vision displays. Universal FMS also are being installed on Canadian regional aircraft that fly to the U.S., and it is expected they will be added to aircraft on Canada's domestic routes before the country's own ADS-B mandate begins to take effect in 2021, Campbell notes. And there should be more FMS-for-ADS-B business around the world. "Mexico is falling in line with U.S. requirements, some others already have ADS-B in Asia, and there is some discussion of it in parts of Africa," he says. One South African carrier is upgrading with a Universal FMS, but Campbell is not sure if it is for ADS-B or other purposes. "It might be operational," he adds. The Universal FMS also enables localizer performance with vertical guidance (LPV) approaches, the most precise GPS instrument approach without special training such as required navigation performance (RNP). "You can fly LPV down to 200 ft. like ILS [instrument landing system]," Campbell explains. Universal's data-link solution, UniLink, has been "gaining momentum," he says. It complies with both U.S. and European data communication requirements and has been installed on a number of fleets, including Cargo Air's 10 737-300 and -400 freighters. Enhanced Vision Elbit's Clearvision system uses a multispectral camera to see at night and through fog, haze and other light obstruction. FAA guidance allows carriers equipped with such capabilities to perform approaches and departures that would not be possible, as the naked eye alone could not see runways. It thus provides significant operational advantages, and Campbell is seeing "positive feedback" on the upgrade. Universal is working on a Clearvision supplemental type certificate (STC) for the 737NG, expected to come out in Summer 2020. Another major market that interests both Elbit and Universal is China. The Civil Aviation Administration of China has mandated that aircraft be equipped with head-up displays (HUD) by 2025. The HUD itself might show only flight data and symbols on a clear panel in front of the pilot so he or she need not glance down at lower displays during landings. But adding enhanced-vision technology to the HUD yields even bigger advantages, including the ability to see through, and thus land in, the heavy smog that is common in fast-industrializing China. "We are promoting enhanced vision and HUDs worldwide," Campbell says. One edge Universal and Elbit may have in this effort is Skylens, a set of head-worn pilot goggles that provide the same benefits as fixed HUDs and have vision displays on them, according to Campbell. "The software meets all the requirements of a fixed HUD and for retrofits; fixed HUDs are a nightmare of ripping and tearing, while Skylens has a small footprint and is simple to install," he says. Clearvision is being offered as an optional line-fit on new ATR aircraft. Universal's enhanced vision system (EVS) is installed on thousands of business aircraft, and work is proceeding on more STCs. Campbell says he is getting "positive feedback" on this upgrade as well, whether in a fixed HUD or wearable Skylens form. FedEx has installed an early Elbit EVS on all its Boeing 757s, 767s and 777s, and MD-10s and MD-11s. Dan Allen, FedEx managing director of flight technology and regulatory compliance, says HUDs with enhanced vision enable its pilots to conduct approaches in some low-instrument-flight-rules conditions when other aircraft must hold or divert. "We've seen numerous examples where FedEx is the only aircraft able to land," he says. When will all the positive feedback on Universal's data link and enhanced vision turn into orders and installations? "I think some airlines will take a break and breathe a little after ADS-B," Campbell predicts. "That was a major headache for them." GPS and Obsolescence Joseph Gallo, Collins' director of marketing for commercial avionics, also sees many opportunities for upgrades. For example, the OEM's latest GPS landing units (GLU) were designed for software-only upgrades so they will be able to handle signals from the multiple positioning-satellite constellations that will be operating by the middle of the next decade. These upgrades will be most attractive for widebody aircraft that fly across several regions, where use of specific satellites may be mandatory, and in South America, Africa and Southeast Asia, according to McDowell. "Less so in the domestic U.S. or Europe," he adds. Universal Avionics flight management systems are seeing record sales due to the FAA's ADS-B mandate. Relatively low fuel prices are keeping older aircraft in fleets longer and thus raising obsolescence issues. "Radar systems and older communication and radios will need to be upgraded," Gallo says. And cathode-ray-tube (CRT) flight displays are getting old and less satisfactory. If an airline plans to keep an old aircraft with CRT in service for only 3-5 years, a simple swap-out of liquid-crystal displays (LCD) for CRTs may suffice. Delta Air Lines is doing this on its 757s and 767s. But Gallo argues that flying an aircraft longer, up to 10 years, justifies a "full-up" upgrade with new LCD and input-output connections. Collins' LCDs come with these connections, which allow both fuller and clearer displays of data. Upgrades have been made on FedEx 757s and 767s, and Collins is talking to LATAM about retrofitting 10-year-old 767s. UPS has installed ADS-B Out on its fleet and is now replacing CRT monitors with Collins LCDs on all its 757s and 767s. By early fall, 35 757s were reequipped, as were nine 767s, says spokesman Jim Mayer. The express carrier also has contracted with Airbus for major upgrades of 52 A300 cockpits. The aircraft will get new FMS, GPS, weather radars and aircraft communications addressing and reporting systems (ACARS). Upgrades also include the latest enhanced ground-proximity warning systems, new standby instruments and a new central maintenance system to increase maintenance information. LCDs with better vertical situation displays will replace older versions and enable future applications such as synthetic vision, Mayer notes. Gallo says HUDs are common in the U.S., on more than three-quarters of its 737s. China will require HUDs by 2025, several Indian airlines are interested, and Gallo recently has seen some interest in Europe. The attractiveness of HUDs and the possible addition of EVS derives chiefly from regulation. The FAA offers lower landing visibility minimums for HUD-equipped aircraft and even lower ones for those with enhanced vision. Gallo says Europe has adopted these U.S. rules, triggering carrier interest in HUDs and enhanced vision, and he hopes China will also. Collins helps airlines project how much they can increase their completion rates with the upgrades, given weather conditions at their airports and the eased rules offered by their regulators. McDowell says Collins plans to offer its LPV retrofit by 2022, and India will soon require this capability. In addition to enabling more efficient landings at ill-equipped airports, LPV allows more flexibility in approaches than standard ILS, he notes. Only the Airbus A220 comes with LPV now, but the Collins executive thinks the capability may become more popular. Boeing and Airbus have told customers that SBAS to enable LPV will be available on new aircraft in 2020. Widebodies that fly into major airports are not considered good candidates for LPV, but smaller aircraft in some regions may be. "Connectivity is a hot topic," Gallo stresses. More carriers are becoming more interested in data ownership, getting data off of aircraft, moving it around on the ground and doing preventive maintenance. Collins has an on-ground network inherited from ARINC and its IntelliSight aircraft interface device to collect aircraft data and distribute it to the ground, via cabin Wi-Fi, radio, ACARS or cellular nets after landing, all according to customer instructions. EFBs and Connectivity Greg Francois, avionics product sales manager at Honeywell Aerospace, agrees with Gallo, saying the biggest single upcoming trend in avionics is the use of electronic flight bags (EFB) and wireless connectivity for EFBs into and out of the cockpit. Honeywell offers satellite communication products like JetWave and Aspire for this market. More generally, Gallo sees upgrade opportunities, even in the newest jets. Even the Boeing 787 began its design journey 15 years ago, a much different age in the electronics world. "Smaller, cheaper, lighter and more digital is the direction we are heading," he predicts. Alexander Krause, product sales manager for avionics, flight deck modifications and base maintenance at Lufthansa Technik (LHT), says the company has investigated EVS, especially for the Chinese market. "In contrast to HUDs, we estimate that enhanced vision will offer merely qualitative advantages for flight operations and therefore will be less attractive to our customers," he notes. Krause sees concern about the coming obsolescence of aircraft equipped with old CRTs. "Operators seek LCD plug-and-play solutions, which can be intermixed, meaning old CRTs and new digital LCDs operated in one cockpit simultaneously. This way, CRTs can be replaced by attrition," he says. And, like Collins and Honeywell, LHT is seeing a strong demand for improved EFBs, with state-of-the-art software, integration of flight data parameters via aircraft interface devices and customized connectivity to meet each airline's specific demands for data, both in flight and on the ground. Krause says each airline increasingly follows its own digital and data concepts, so LHT must provide tailored solutions. But however they obtain it, more and more airlines want complete access to flight data to support predictive maintenance. https://www.mro-network.com/avionics-instruments/what%E2%80%99s-hot-airline-avionics-upgrades Back to Top Airbus extends lead over Boeing with 415 jet sales in October FILE PHOTO: The Airbus logo is pictured at Airbus headquarters in Blagnac near Toulouse, France, March 20, 2019. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau PARIS (Reuters) - Airbus (AIR.PA) had 415 airplane orders in October, including its largest ever from a single airline, extending a wide lead over Boeing, which has been hit by the grounding of its 737 MAX. The European planemaker also announced on Thursday deals including 12 orders for its A330neo passenger jet from an unidentified buyer. The Airbus deals, including a record order for 300 aircraft from India's IndiGo announced last week, brought the January-October total to 718 aircraft or a net 542 after cancellations. Boeing (BA.N) has reported 170 orders through end-September, the latest period for which data is available, or a net total of 54 after cancellations. After an accounting adjustment representing jets ordered in previous years but now thought unlikely to be delivered, Boeing's net total sank to a negative 84 airplanes. Airbus, which last week cut its annual delivery target by 2-3% to 860 aircraft, said it had delivered 648 aircraft in the first 10 months of 2019. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-airbus-orders/airbus-extends-lead-over-boeing-with-415-jet-sales-in-october-idUSKBN1XH2IO?utm_source=applenews Back to Top GE unit orders 25 Airbus jets including 12 Rolls-powered A330neo - sources A General Electric (GE) sign is seen at the second China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai PARIS (Reuters) - Leasing giant GECAS, the aircraft leasing subsidiary of General Electric , has ordered 25 Airbus aircraft including a rare purchase of jets powered by GE's rival engine maker Rolls-Royce, two people familiar with the matter said. The order includes 12 Airbus A330neo jets, for which Rolls-Royce is the sole engine supplier, and 13 A321XLR long-distance narrow-body jets. It was included in a new Airbus order tally but the name of the buyer was not immediately disclosed. Airbus and GE both declined to comment. If confirmed, the decision by the world's second largest aircraft leasing company to invest in the A330neo would be a key endorsement for the A330neo programme which has been clawing its way back from a period of weak sales and some cancellations. GECAS has traditionally prioritised aircraft powered by engines made by its parent company General Electric. Decisions to invest in rival technology highlight competition to diversify portfolios in the leasing industry, even though GE is perceived as more closely aligned in the wide-body market with Airbus rival Boeing . The A330neo is a 250-300 seat upgrade of Airbus's most-sold wide-body aircraft, the A330, which is offered alongside the slightly larger Airbus A350 family. Both aircraft are exclusively powered by engines from Rolls-Royce. In 2015, GECAS invested in the first A350 by buying the aircraft immediately after its delivery to Qatar Airways and then renting it back to the airline in a sale-and-leaseback deal. But it remains rare for the GE subsidiary to buy Rolls-Royce-powered aircraft directly from the manufacturer. Rolls and GE compete fiercely for engine sales and the A330neo airplane has in turn faced intense competition from the newer Boeing 787, which offers both GE and Rolls-Royce engines. GECAS is widely seen as a candidate for potential sale as GE overhauls its balance sheet through disposals. It has said it aims to invest in aircraft to keep down the average age of its portfolio to 5.5 years from 6.8 years by 2024. In a statement with its monthly order update on Thursday, Airbus said an "unidentified customer ordered 13 A321XLRs in a transaction that also included 12 A330-900 highly efficient wide-bodies". It is common for aircraft deals to be posted on an anonymous basis before the buyer goes public, often using the publicity surrounding air shows. Planemakers are gearing up for the Dubai Airshow from Nov. 17 which could feature confirmation of demand from leasing companies including GECAS, industry sources said. https://www.yahoo.com/news/ge-unit-orders-25-airbus-082011708.html Back to Top Elon Musk says building the first sustainable city on Mars will take 1,000 Starships and 20 years SpaceX CEO Elon Musk went into a bit more detail about the timelines and vehicle requirements to not only reach Mars, but to set up a sustainable base on the Red Planet that can serve as an actual city, supporting a local population. That's the long-term vision for Musk and his space technology company, after all -- making humans an interplanetary species. The timeline that Musk discussed today, replying to fans on Twitter, might be incredibly impressive or incredibly ambitious, depending on your perspective. Addressing a question about comments he made earlier this week at the U.S. Air Force startup pitch day event in California, Musk said that his stated launch cost of only around $2 million per Starship flight are essentially required, should the final goal be to set up a "self-sustaining city on Mars." In order to make that city a reality, he added, SpaceX will need to build and fly around 1,000 Starships according to his estimates, which will need to transport cargo, infrastructure and crew to Mars over the course of around 20 years, since planetary alignment only really allows for a realistically achievable Mars flight once every two years. Musk addressed more near-term potential for Starship as well, including how much payload capacity Starship will provide for Earth orbital transportation. Starship's design is intended to maximize re-use, and in fact Musk noted that ideally it can fly up to three times per day. That amounts to more than 1,000 flights per year per Starship, which means that if they end up with as many Starships as they currently have built Falcon rockets (around 100) and those can each transport as much as 100 tons to orbit, then on an annual basis, SpaceX will be able to launch upwards of 10 million tons to orbit per year. To put that in perspective, Musk points out that if you take all cargo-bearing spacecraft currently in operation into account, the total payload capacity is just 500 tons per year -- with Falcon series rockets from SpaceX itself making up around half of that. That's a lot of payload; in fact, it's probably more than there will be demand for in any near-term time scale. But it's also true that Musk envisions a future where orbital space is a much busier place, and a staging ground for orbital cargo transfer and refueling as Moon and Mars-bound spacecraft ready themselves for the outward journey. Of course, to set up a permanent, sustainable city on Mars, we first have to get there with a crewed flight. There's another step between now and then, which is landing astronauts back on the Moon. NASA has set 2024 as its goal for that milestone, and SpaceX has said it hopes to land Starship there by as early as 2022 to help with staging in preparation for that landing. In the past, Musk has discussed crewed Mars mission also taking place as early as 2024, but that goal seems mighty aspirational (as do most of his timelines) from where we sit today. https://www.yahoo.com/news/elon-musk-says-building-first-231336685.html Back to Top CABIN CREW FATIGUE RESEARCH PROJECT Fatigue is a pervasive issue that affects all airline cabin crew. Fatigue may impede cabin crews' ability to consistently and effectively manage passengers from safety, security and service perspectives. As part of our undergraduate research project at Swinburne University of Technology (Melbourne, Australia), we are conducting a survey of international cabin crew primarily engaged in long-haul (LH) and ultra long-haul (ULH) flight operations. This survey asks cabin crew for their views on various issues associated with work-related fatigue and stress. We also seek your views on the availability and effectiveness of various fatigue countermeasures. If you are working as LH or ULH cabin crew, you are invited to participate in this study. You will be asked to complete an online questionnaire, which also includes a consent form. The study takes approximately 20 minutes to complete. To access the study, please go to the following website: https://swinuw.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8qBLCKgmpWlraxT Participants who complete the study will be eligible to enter a draw to win the latest iPad (6th Generation). This research project is being supervised by Peter Renshaw at the Department of Aviation, Swinburne University of Technology. If you have any questions, please contact Peter at prenshaw@swin.edu.au Back to Top Contact: info@scaledanalytics.com Back to Top Contact: info@wxriskmanagement.com Back to Top MEL Administration Manager POSITION PURPOSE Serves as the subject matter expert (SME) of the Minimum Equipment List (MEL) and manages the development, content, administration, compliance and control of Republic Airways MEL, Configuration Deviation Lists (CDL), Non-essential Equipment and Furnishings (NEF), and policy letters. ESSENTIAL DUTIES To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. • Manages the current MEL, CDL, and NEF items and procedures consistent with the FAA MMEL, MMEL Policy Letters and Manufactures Dispatch Deviation Procedures Manual. • Analyze and assess processes of MEL, CDL and NEF items to improve administration, productivity and efficiency during operations. • Coordinates with FAA Flight Operations Evaluation Board (FOEB) and aircraft manufacturer for MMEL proposals. • Attends FOEB meetings and industry workshops; establish networks with other MEL Administrators and benchmarking best practices. • Coordinates with FOEB and engineering to incorporate relief for items installed under a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC). • Collaborates with lead airline and FOEB for MMEL industry solutions. • Serves as the MEL subject matter expert and provides MEL, CDL, and NEF user support. • Revises MEL, CDL and NEF program to reflect current company changes (e.g. Engineering, Operations, Inflight, and Dispatch). • Provides supporting documentation for all MEL, CDL, and NEF Program changes and coordinates with Republic Airways Technical Publications department to produce temporary and regular revisions. • Schedules and facilitates meetings with the FAA concerning every aspect of the MEL, CDL, and NEF Program temporary and regular revisions. • Oversees all updates of SABRE with MEL, CDL and NEF item information during revision periods. • Coordinates with Flight Operations and Dispatch for all MEL, CDL and NEF related changes. • Perform other duties as assigned. REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability necessary to perform this job. EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE • High school diploma or general education degree (GED). • FAA Mechanic Certificate with Rating of Airframe and Powerplant. • 5 years related experience. • Previous experience with MEL/CDL/NEF. • Previous experience in aircraft maintenance. • Experience on E170/175 series aircraft or completion of E170/175 Aircraft Systems Maintenance Course. • Microsoft Office skills are required. • Understands and is able to apply Company policies and procedures. LANGUAGE SKILLS Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of organization. REASONING/PROBLEM SOLVING ABILITY Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations. DECISION MAKING Makes limited decisions and determines best methods to solve problems by referring to established precedents and policies. Impact of decisions is moderately low. PHYSICAL DEMANDS The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an associate to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Able to move about the work environment. Frequently required to stand, walk, sit, talk and hear. WORK ENVIRONMENT The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Typically not exposed to extreme environmental conditions. TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS Ability to travel up to 10% of the time, including overnight and weekend travel. Curt Lewis