November 11, 2019 - No. 088 In This Issue Ex-Chicago city official moonlighted for red-light camera contractor that's part of federal probe 3K aviation staff to face breath analyser test in next 50 days West Star Aviation Provides Falcon 2000 Baggage Modification Install. Door Almost Ripped Off From Qantas Airbus A380 Los Angeles County Fire Department Air Operations receives Humanitarian Service Award Davis-Monthan Air Force Base aircraft boneyard keeps planes for parts or possible reuse Aviation safety doubt as another Korean plane makes emergency landing United A319 Rejects Takeoff Due To Bird Strike In Vancouver. Financial pressures lead to 'gradual drift' from safety among small-aircraft operators, TSB finds BNA Launches Innovative Apprenticeship Program Japan's Revolution in Aviation SpaceX set to launch another 60 Starlink internet satellite Ex-Chicago city official moonlighted for red-light camera contractor that's part of federal probe When drivers get red-light camera tickets in Matteson, a portion of their fines has been going to a recently retired deputy Chicago city aviation commissioner who's at the center of a political corruption investigation, records obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times show. Bill Helm - a $125,000-a-year deputy aviation commissioner overseeing airfield maintenance at O'Hare Airport until he quit in August - also was a paid sales representative for SafeSpeed, LLC, while on the city payroll, the records show. SafeSpeed paid Helm, who'd held the city aviation post since 2014, a commission on red-light tickets written in Matteson and also Glendale Heights, the records show. Glendale Heights ended its affiliation with the red-light camera operator in 2018, officials said. Matteson and Glendale Heights officials said they hadn't heard of Helm and were unaware he was being paid under their contracts with SafeSpeed. Helm didn't disclose the outside work to City Hall, as required for any "secondary employment," a spokesman said. Nor did he inform the Chicago Board of Ethics of outside income. SafeSpeed and Helm have been named in federal search warrants and subpoenas served on several southwest suburbs and on the offices of state Sen. Martin Sandoval, D-Chicago, the Sun-Times has reported. Helm, who hasn't been charged with any crime, has hired a criminal defense lawyer and is believed to be a target of the federal investigation, sources have told the Sun-Times. Authorities questioned Helm on Sept. 26 and seized his phone. Helm, 55, wouldn't comment. Nor would a spokesman for SafeSpeed, whose co-CEO Nikki Zollar was an aide to Gov. Jim Edgar and has served on the Chicago State University board and Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. Last month, the Sun-Times reported Helm has ties to several people who've drawn scrutiny in the ongoing probe, including gambling magnate Rick Heidner. Helm was moonlighting to get bars and other establishments to use Heidner's video gaming machines. SafeSpeed also employed two other politically connected sales consultants: Patrick Doherty, chief of staff to Cook County Commissioner Jeff Tobolski, and John O'Sullivan, a former state representative who's the Worth Township supervisor. Doherty has said he gets a "small percentage" from "every ticket that's paid" in certain communities that use SafeSpeed's red-light cameras. A Sept. 10 email from SafeSpeed to Helm indicates he had a similar arrangement. For July 2019, it says Helm was owed $4,156 - 3.5% of $118,766 in "SafeSpeed fees" that month from Matteson. The email also says Helm was due 4% of company fees from Glendale Heights. That came to just $1.40 for July - such a small amount because the DuPage County community ended its contract with SafeSpeed a year earlier, so the only revenue was from collections on old tickets. Asked about Helm's commission, Glendale Heights police Chief Douglas Flint said that, had village officials known of his involvement, "That would have been a certain revocation of our contract." Glendale Heights and SafeSpeed "mutually parted ways" in 2018, after one year, according to Flint, in a contract dispute. In Matteson, village spokesman Sean Howard said, "Mr. Helm's name was never raised in any discussions nor within the written contract between SafeSpeed and the village of Matteson." Sheila Chalmers-Currin, Matteson's village president, said she never heard of Helm. She noted that SafeSpeed got its original contract before she was elected in 2017, though she was a village trustee. Her predecessor, Andre Ashmore, said he wasn't involved in the negotiations and didn't recall Helm's name. Matteson extended its contract with SafeSpeed last year but rejected a request to put red-light cameras at more intersections, Howard said. Helm was named in search warrants served on the offices of Sandoval and Tobolski, a political ally of Helm. Tobolski also is mayor of McCook. Records show Sandoval invited Helm to his son's wedding and that Helm emailed Sandoval about a federal lawsuit filed by two O'Hare truck drivers who said Helm pushed them to do political work for, among others, former Mayor Rahm Emanuel and ex-Ald. Patrick O'Connor while on the job for the city. "Marty, just goes to show that this whole lawsuit is BS!," Helm wrote Dec. 8 to Sandoval. "Just wanted to let you . . . know, this will be exhibit A for dismissing this frivolous lawsuit. Give me a call when you can. Thanks for everything!" The attachment Helm referred to appears to be a letter to union members written by then-Teamsters Local 700 leader Becky Strzechowski that effectively took management's side and backed Helm in the dispute. Strzechowski resigned earlier this year, seven months before her mentor, longtime Chicago Teamsters boss John Coli Sr., pleaded guilty in an extortion case involving Cinespace Chicago Film Studios. Helm was hired by the Emanuel administration, and records show the mayor's top aides and O'Connor signed off in February 2016 on an "unscheduled" $5,000 pay raise for Helm. https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/11/8/20951972/ohare-airport-bill-helm-safespeed-red-light-cameras Back to Top 3K aviation staff to face breath analyser test in next 50 days Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) plans to conduct breath analyser (BA) tests on around 3,000 aviation employees in the next 50 days to check instances of staff reporting to work after consuming alcohol. According to DGCA data, 10 airports in the country reported 18 cases since October (till Friday) where aviation staff failed breath analyser tests. Three cases were reported from Mumbai airport and two from Delhi. The DGCA had announced in September that it will conduct BA tests on airside workers besides pilots and cabin crew. To improve the safety standards in civil aviation, the DGCA, in October and November, implemented BA test for detection of alcohol on air traffic controllers (ATCOs); communications, navigation and surveillance (CNS) personnel; aircraft maintenance engineers (AME); aerodrome operation personnel; fire and rescue personnel; vehicle drivers (including catering and refuelling vehicles); ground equipment operators; ground handling personnel, and flight dispatchers. The test would be carried out at the top 10 civilian airports of the country - Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Cochin, Lucknow and Guwahati. The DGCA said 14 aviation employees tested positive in October and four in November. According to their data, Mumbai saw three such cases on October 18, 29 and November 2, whereas in Delhi two such cases were reported on October 10 and 21. The highest number of BA positive cases were reported from Bengaluru airport (four). A statement issued by the DGCA, "We reiterate our commitment to complete this journey by implementing BA test at all the licensed airports of the country by 31st of December, 2019. As per our estimate, it will involve around 30 thousand employees largely working on the airside of the airports." https://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/3k-aviation-staff-to-face-breath-analyser-test-in-next-50-days/story-cMjQZY69X66mIT97WR07AJ.html Back to Top West Star Aviation Provides Falcon 2000 Baggage Modification Install West Star Aviation has been granted STC approval to install the Falcon 2000 baggage modification. This modification allows West Star to create usable baggage space in the Aft unpressurized area. The forward servicing compartment (FSC) panel enclosure will feature a 21.75 sq.ft. footprint, and 73.5 cu.ft. of usable baggage space. The installation weight of this modification is 115 pounds and can accommodate 185-275 pounds while still allowing access to all common service and maintenance items with no additional fire detection or suspension needed. "This installation provides FAA-approved stowage provisions, as it converts existing space into usable and much needed baggage and storage space. It will provide structural restraint for security while still retaining existing aircraft equipment stowage provisions including tow bar, ladder, engine inlet cover tool and the fly-away kit," said Eric Kujawa, vice president Falcon product development. This modification is available to over 500 Falcon 2000 aircraft models and will have a minimal impact on weight and c.g. balance. https://www.aviationpros.com/aircraft/maintenance-providers/mro/press-release/21113700/west-star-aviation-west-star-aviation-provides-falcon-2000-baggage-modification-install Back to Top Door Almost Ripped Off From Qantas Airbus A380 A door on one of Qantas' flagship A380s was just about ripped off the aircraft while it was being rolled out of a hangar at Sydney Airport (SYD). The incident occurred when the double-decker Airbus A380 registration number VH-OQB was being taken out of hangar 96 at Sydney Airport following routine maintenance. According to reports, the aircraft was being towed out of the hangar when its door got caught up on scaffolding and was almost completely ripped off the aircraft. A Qantas flight to Dallas had to be canceled due to the incident The accident occurred last Friday and caused the cancelation of Qantas flight number QF7 on Saturday from Sydney to Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) in Texas. The return flight to Australia, Qantas QF8 which was scheduled for today, Sunday, November 10th, 2019 also had to be canceled. Qantas released a statement about the flight cancelations carried to the Brisbane Times. It said that they confirmed that the aircraft door of the A380 sustained some damage inside the hangar during maintenance. "We are working to minimize impacts to our customers and we apologize for any delays." Passengers who were booked on flights QF7 and QF8 were put on alternative flights. Qantas has 12 Airbus A380s The Airbus A380 is the jewel of the Australian airline's fleet, of which it has 12 aircraft. Currently, two of the planes are out of service undergoing refurbishment in Brisbane and Abu Dhabi. The A380 that was damaged in Sydney now needs to have its door replaced, with engineers saying it should be able to re-enter service in around two weeks. This latest maintenance issue comes after Qantas grounded three of its Boeing 737 fleet after having found cracks in the pickle fork. This is a device that reinforces the join between the aircraft's wings and the fuselage. Qantas inspected all 33 of its Boeing 737 aircraft for pickle fork issues more than a week ago. Then it took three planes out of service despite Boeing and airline regulators saying pickle fork cracks did not pose an immediate safety risk. Qantas always put safety first When Qantas was asked by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) about the pickle fork issues Australian national flag carrier issued a statement that read: "We have found one example of cracking in an aircraft with just under 27,000 cycles (take-offs and landings), and this aircraft has been removed from service for repair." "None of Qantas' 737s have reached the 30,000 cycle mark. However, out of an abundance of caution, we will have inspected 33 aircraft with more than 22,600 cycles by the end of the week rather than the seven months required." "Detailed analysis by Boeing shows that even when a crack is present, it does not immediately compromise the safety of the aircraft, as indicated by the timeframe given by regulators to perform the checks." According to aviation consultancy firm IBA, it costs around $188,000 (USD) to fix pickle fork cracks per aircraft. Qantas went on to reiterate that there was no immediate safety risk posed by cracks in the aircraft's pickle forks. "Qantas would never operate an aircraft unless it was completely safe to do so," Qantas said. Having looked at a photo of the mangled door, it is hard to imagine how they could tow the aircraft out of the hanger. This is without first checking to see that there were no obstructions in the way. https://simpleflying.com/qantas-door-ripped-off/ Back to Top Los Angeles County Fire Department Air Operations receives Humanitarian Service Award Helicopter Association International (HAI) announced November 8 that the Los Angeles County (California) Fire Department Air Operations Sikorsky S-70 Firehawk helicopter teams are the 2020 recipient of the Salute to Excellence Humanitarian Service Award. The award honors the person or persons who best demonstrate the value of helicopters to the communities in which they operate by providing aid to those in need. The award will be presented January 29 at HAI's Salute to Excellence Awards luncheon at HAI HELI-EXPO 2020 in Anaheim, California. As wildfires once again burn throughout Southern California in 2019, this award recognizes the efforts made by the flight and ground crews of the four S-70 Firehawk helicopters while battling the 2018 Woolsey Fire, the largest wildfire on record in Los Angeles County. The fire destroyed nearly 97,000 acres, with 1,643 homes lost and more than 295,000 people evacuated at its peak. The Woolsey Fire began midafternoon on Nov. 8, 2018, just outside of Simi Valley near the borders of Ventura County, Los Angeles County, and the City of Los Angeles. The four S-70s joined multiple other aircraft and ground crews battling the conflagration over the next four days. While the flight and ground crews rotated as necessary, the helicopters themselves were shut down only for refueling and inspection. This resulted in the four LACFDAO helicopters totaling 119.4 flight hours in the first three days-equivalent to almost an entire month's worth of flying and maintenance in one week-completing more than 350 water drops amid winds ranging from 40 to 70 knots. Operating on the leeward side of the flames due to high winds, LACOFD helicopters and crews were often the only aircraft working the lines. The winds kept the smoke low across the terrain and homes, forcing the crews to fly and refuel within the smoke as they realized that the only way to attack the fire was to become engulfed in it. Flying conditions quickly became almost nightlike because of the reduced visibility. In addition to the efforts of the flight crews, the maintenance and support crews worked tirelessly on the ground. Operating in 24-hour shifts, the maintainers kept the aircraft available for every launch, ensuring they were always safe and ready to go. A majority of the 20 people on the maintenance team volunteered into the night and weekend to ensure that routine maintenance was performed efficiently and safely. https://fireaviation.com/2019/11/08/los-angeles-county-fire-department-air-operations-receives-humanitarian-service-award/ Back to Top Davis-Monthan Air Force Base aircraft boneyard keeps planes for parts or possible reuse TUCSON, Ariz. - As boneyards go, this place is pretty lively. Before many Tucsonans have even started their morning commute, a pair of aircraft mechanics are already crouched over the open cockpit of an F-18 fighter jet, disarming the ejector seat and removing the explosives. Nearby, a towing crew pulls a Navy P-3 anti-submarine aircraft over to the "flush farm" to be drained of its fuel. Then they hook up to a different F-18 and haul it to the "wash rack" for perhaps the last thorough cleaning it will ever get. Meanwhile, about a mile away, a small army of specialty painters fans out to spray protective coating on row after row of mothballed C-130 transport planes. Welcome to a typical morning at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, Tucson's most famous parking lot with roughly $34 billion worth of military might. The people who work here generally refer to the place by its acronym, or "A-marg" as they call it. Most everyone else - here and around the globe - knows it as the airplane graveyard, or simply the boneyard. But that nickname only tells part of the story. Though the boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base is the final destination for most of the warplanes that end up there, some do return to the sky. In May, AMARG restored a B-52 bomber to active duty after more than a decade in storage. Now workers at the facility are preparing dozens of retired F-16 fighter jets to fly again, this time as full-sized, "drone" aerial targets piloted by remote control. They also help get surplus military machines ready for delivery to U.S. allies, like the six helicopters sent to Greece earlier this year and five more to be sold to Israel. "Any day that you come here, there's a really wide variety of things we could be working on," says Air Force Col. Jennifer Barnard, now in her third year as group commander. Arguably the boneyard's most important mission is to serve as a giant, open-air parts warehouse for the U.S. military and others. During the past fiscal year alone, AMARG "reclaimed" 5,744 different parts from the aircraft in its collection, saving taxpayers an estimated $405.9 million in replacement costs. And as the only facility of its kind in the nation, the boneyard is often the only place to find the parts needed for certain types of older aircraft. Barnard says simple, high-priority orders can be filled the same day, but larger, hard-to-reach parts can take weeks or months to harvest and deliver. "We've done special cuts on aircraft, where we'll cut a piece of an airplane and send it to somebody who needs it," she says. One of the C-130s that services the science stations in Antarctica sports a tail section that once soaked up the sun in Tucson. "That's kind of why we get looked at as an air power reservoir," Barnard says. "Our guys take a lot of pride in preserving these aircraft and taking really good care of them. They know they might be needed again, whether it's a whole airplane or just its parts." Roughly 95 percent of aircraft arrive at the boneyard under their own power. They land and taxi through a gate at the southeastern end of the runway to be prepped for slumber. Their first stop is the "flush farm," where defueling supervisor Dale Pace and his crew can service up to six aircraft a day, depending on the type. Pace says the task takes longer for large airplanes with multiple engines like the massive C-5 Galaxy transport. "That takes us forever and a day to defuel," the former Air Force mechanic says. It works a little like a blood transfusion. All of the aviation fuel is pumped out and replaced with a special oil, similar to the stuff used in sewing machines, that coats the tanks and fuel systems to protect them from corrosion. The only way to do that is by firing up the engines. On this recent Thursday, the crew is working on the Navy P-3, which arrived at AMARG the week before and was towed to the flush farm earlier in the morning. Two members of Pace's team climb behind the controls of the retro-looking airplane and spin up all four props to burn off the last of the jet fuel and draw the oil into all the places that need protecting. Pace stands outside the aircraft, watching the engines for the telltale sign that the exchange is complete. As soon as he sees puffs of white smoke, like at the Vatican, he motions to the men in the cockpit to cut the power. To coat all the necessary engine parts in an F-15 or an F-18, the fighter jets have to be lashed to the ground and run with their afterburners on, creating a rumbling sound that echoes across Tucson. The next stop is the wash rack, where men in protective rain gear give a Coast Guard C-130 transport plane a nose-to-tail scrubbing before it flies off to be outfitted to fight wildfires. The aircraft has already been painted with the U.S. Forest Service name and logo. Nearby, other members of the six-man crew use high-pressure sprayers and industrial degreaser to clean A-10 wings and landing gear pods recently "brought in from the desert." The parts will be refurbished in a shop at AMARG and used to extend the life of the Air Force's fleet of ground-attack jets, a mainstay at Davis-Monthan and in the skies above Tucson. Wash rack supervisor Mike Sherry says that on average his crew cleans about four airplanes and 50 refurbished parts each week. The men bake all summer in their rubber suits, then spend the cold winter outside soaking wet. "It's miserable work," Sherry says. "It's one of the hardest jobs at AMARG." It's also an important one. Cleaning the aircraft and their components makes them more resistant to decay, Sherry says. The boneyard was established in 1946 to store World War II bombers and transports. Tucson was chosen for its dry desert air - perfect for preventing corrosion - and hard caliche soil capable of supporting heavy airplanes without the need for thousands of acres of concrete. It became the nation's primary storage center for military aircraft in 1964, when about a thousand Navy planes were transferred to the site from a depot near Phoenix. The facility's inventory hit an all-time high of 6,080 aircraft in 1973, as the Vietnam War was winding down. Today, AMARG is home to about 3,280 aircraft of 80 different varieties, from small helicopters to some of the world's largest military cargo planes. As Pace, the flush farm supervisor, puts it, "Everything for everyone ends up out here." Each branch of the military is represented, as are the Coast Guard, Border Patrol, FBI, Forest Service, NASA, the National Science Foundation and several allied governments. The atmosphere at AMARG is businesslike but decidedly unstarched. Roughly 700 people work at the boneyard, and almost none of them are required to salute anybody. Barnard is one of only three active duty Air Force personnel assigned to the operation. The rest are civilian Defense Department employees and government contractors. A lot of the employees have military backgrounds and many of them served as aircraft mechanics. Before he ended up as AMARG's wash rack supervisor, Sherry used to maintain fighter jets at Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix, among other places. Some aircraft show up with personal notes written on them by the last people to fly them. Sherry points to the F-18 that was just brought to his crew for a wash. There on the nose cone, a pilot with the call sign "Dude Bro" has left his goodbye in black Sharpie: "Thank you for your service ol' girl." Sherry says AMARG occasionally invites pilots out to watch when one of their old airplanes is ready to be retired for good, once all the usable parts have been harvested and the thing is about to be cut up and crushed into little pieces. "We try to find the pilots who had the last flight on them. To watch them get choked up, it's heart-wrenching," he says. Dean Clark and Gary Chartier play a crucial role at the boneyard. They're the ones who make sure no one gets blown up or launched into the sky while working on one of the mothballed warplanes. Today they are disarming the ejection system on an F-18. Standing at the top of some rolling metal stairs, Clark reads the steps off a checklist as Chartier leans down into the cockpit to disconnect and remove the explosive charges. Clark says the process usually takes three to four hours, depending on the age of the aircraft. Older F-18s are the worst, he says. "There's a bunch of springs and wires. It's annoying." This is the last step in the "induction" process before an airplane gets towed out to what boneyard workers call "the desert," though it isn't a desert at all. The storage area actually sits on roughly 2,600 acres of hard-packed dirt dotted with weeds, crabgrass and anthills. There, the airplanes are parked in neat rows and loosely grouped based on their status, which can range from ready to fly to soon to be scrapped. Generally speaking, "anything that's east of Kolb (Road), it will never fly again," says Leo Bernier, a storage services work leader. The far east end of the property is also where AMARG stores about 280,000 pieces of aircraft production tooling, just in case a defense contractor wants to fire up its factory again and start churning out new airplanes or parts. Anything in the boneyard that still has wings - unless it's an actual quail or owl - quickly gets lashed down with cables. "Airplanes by nature like to fly, so when the wind blows you want them to stay on the ground," Barnard says. The final step in the storage process belongs to what everyone still calls the "Spraylat crew," even though the boneyard doesn't use that particular brand of spray-on latex coating anymore. Using a "sealing diagram" supplied by the owner of the aircraft, the painting crew will cover every window, access panel, seam and opening with easy-to-peel paint and a reflective thermal coating to help keep the inside of the aircraft cool while protecting the machine from the elements. The workers start the way any house painter might - by marking off parts of the aircraft with a special type of painter's tape that pulls off easily without damaging the vehicle's finish or leaving behind any sticky residue. Then they spray on two to three coats of black latex paint, followed by two coats of white vinyl similar to the flexible coating found on the flat roofs of many Tucson homes. It's "not really rocket science," but it is exacting, says Bernier, who leads one of the painting crews. Each coat is measured down to the millimeter to make sure it is thick enough to do the job but can easily be peeled off later if necessary. Coating a C-130 requires roughly 3,000 square feet of sealant that can take five to six days to apply. Your standard fighter jet usually takes four to five days. Certain helicopters have to be completely cocooned, which can eat up a full week. The coating is designed to last five years, so Bernier and company have to reapply it to some of the aircraft that are stored for longer than that. This is the most visible part of the operation, the part of AMARG the general public probably recognizes from looking at aerial photos or driving past the base. To some people, all those idle but expensive airplanes represents an enormous waste - acres upon acres of needless military expenditures collecting dust in the desert sun. But Bernier sees the boneyard like a bank account. Every part of every aircraft they can save and pull back out later is one less part that needs to be bought or built somewhere else. "We're saving billions of taxpayers' dollars," Bernier says as he stands in the shadow of a C-130 in the middle of its paint job. "That's what it comes down to." https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2019/11/10/aircraft-boneyard-keeps-planes-for-parts-or-possible-reuse/ Back to Top Aviation safety doubt as another Korean plane makes emergency landing A Singapore-bound Asiana Airlines aircraft carrying 310 passengers made an emergency landing in the Philippines on Saturday after its right engine stopped in midair. No one was injured in the emergency landing. But it has fueled already heightened safety concerns about Korean airlines following a series of accidents in recent months. An investigation is under way. Passengers were taken to Singapore on another flight. Asiana said a disruption in fuel supply to the engine was the most likely cause of the incident. The troubled aircraft - an Airbus A350 (OZ-751) - took off from Incheon International Airport at 4:20 p.m. on Saturday (KST). About 3 hours and 50 minutes into the flight, the right engine stopped. The captain decided on an emergency landing at the closest airport, touching down at Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport in the Philippines about 10 p.m. (KST). "We offered hotels to the passengers and promptly offered an alternative Airbus to minimize their inconvenience," an Asiana official said. "We also sent an aircraft maintenance mechanic to the Philippines to repair the dysfunctional Airbus." It was the most recent safety incident to tarnish the reputation of Korean airlines. In October, a Jeju Airlines Boeing 737 NG made an emergency return 40 minutes after leaving Gimhae International Airport in Busan, allegedly because of autopilot defects. In June, another Jeju Airlines flight, bound for Seoul, made an emergency return to its departing airport in the Philippines after a safety alarm went off. An investigation is under way. https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/tech/2019/11/774_278491.html Back to Top United A319 Rejects Takeoff Due To Bird Strike In Vancouver A United Airlines aircraft was evacuated after preparing for take-off on Friday 8th November 2019. This was due to the plane reportedly hitting a bird while accelerating. According to The Aviation Herald, the crew aborted take-off on flight UA-1184 after striking a large bird. The aircraft was heading to Denver, Colorado from Vancouver, British Columbia. Registration N818UA, one of United Airlines' Airbus A319-100 aircraft had accelerated for take-off on Runway 08R in Vancouver. However, it soon hit a bird that was later thought to be a crane. Subsequently, the aircraft braked safely and all 121 passengers disembarked onto taxiway D05. Thereafter, a staircase was brought to the side of the aircraft to allow passengers to safely leave. However, due to the nature of the incident, the crew requested emergency services to inspect brakes on the left-hand side of the airplane. At the time of the incident, a spokesperson for United Airlines told CTV News: "...we'll have our maintenance crews on the ground thoroughly inspect the aircraft, and depending on the severity of any sort of maintenance issue, we may likely take it out of service. When we do get a new aircraft, we'll work to get those customers to their destinations." The brakes were then sprayed by emergency services and the aircraft was grounded. United Airlines did not reveal the extent of the damage, or how long the aircraft was out of action. However, The Aviation Herald reported the aircraft had been grounded for 23 hours after the incident. It then took off again today, according to Flight Aware. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Unfortunately, due to the nature of sharing airspace with animals, bird strikes happen quite often. Thee incidents normally happen during takeoff or landing, and they can be quite dangerous, often causing aircraft damage. Last month, a British Airways aircraft suffered burst tires after returning to the ground post-bird strike. This was after a Ural Airlines flight crashed into a cornfield after experiencing engine failure after a dual bird strike in August. Bird strikes cost in the region of $610 million each year in aircraft damages. Issues normally arise from the forward-facing elements of an aircraft. Notably, aircraft nose damage will be less problematic than a bird strike on the wing or ingestion into the engine. Bird strikes on the canopy can be problematic since cracks in this area can result in depressurization of the aircraft cabin. For that reason, they almost always result in an emergency landing. But of course, emergency landings also carry their risks. They can further damage aircraft parts, including tire damage and strain on the brakes. Emergency landings also necessitate a safe place for the aircraft to touch down. Which may not always be possible. The United Airlines birdstrike could have been a lot worse and thankfully none of the 121 passengers nor five crew members were harmed. https://simpleflying.com/united-a319-birdstrike-vancouver/ Back to Top Financial pressures lead to 'gradual drift' from safety among small-aircraft operators, TSB finds 'Gradual drift' away from safety regulations occurs due to financial pressures, investigation finds Small-aircraft operators in Canada have fallen into a trap of accepting too many safety risks and it has to stop before more people are killed or injured, the Transportation Safety Board warned Thursday. TSB senior investigator Glen Whitney said so-called air-taxi operators that carry fewer than 10 passengers in fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, often in remote areas, don't flagrantly break regulations as a general rule. But over time, many have become complacent about the safe operation of their aircraft as they come under pressure to cut costs, Whitney said, as the board released its findings from an investigation of the industry launched in May 2015. The investigation looked back on 15 years of data. 'Gradual drift that occurs over time' "I'm not talking about flagrant rule violations,'' Whitney told an Ottawa news conference. "I'm talking about a gradual drift that occurs over time with every successful, though not necessarily safe, flight.'' The board analyzed more than 700 incidents that occurred between 2000 and 2014, involving aircraft used to ferry a small numbers of passengers - everything from helicopters used by utilities to fixed-wing turbo-prop airplanes that service some of the most isolated regions of the country. Over the years, investigators have released 22 recommendations to Transport Canada on how safety can be improved on such aircraft, including implementing seat belts with chest harnesses and ensuring the availability of safety belts designed for children. Just last month the safety watchdog called for clearer regulations around seatbelts as a result of its investigation into a 2017 crash in eastern Ontario that killed four men who were in a Hydro One helicopter. More fatalities than all other sectors The TSB issued four new recommendations Thursday, including a call on Transport Canada to educate pilots and service operators about the risks of accepting unsafe practices. All too often, aircraft operators facing economic challenges put pressure on pilots to fly under unsafe conditions, such as flying overweight or with minimal fuel reserves, or by delaying scheduled maintenance, said TSB chair Kathy Fox. "Although these vital air links have helped build Canada and sustain its population, air-taxi operations are at higher risk,'' said Fox. "The air-taxi sector continues to have more accidents and more fatalities than all other sectors of commercial aviation combined.'' The TSB also called on industry associations to share tools and data that can be used to implement best safety practices. Investigators found a wide array of safety standards have been adopted by air-taxi operators across the country, with some going above and beyond current safety regulations while others comply with the bare minimum. Transport Canada should review the gaps in safety standards to ensure they are up to date, the board said. It also called on the government to require all commercial operators to report aircraft data, such as the number of hours flown, to better calculate accident rates and ensure that current safety strategies are working. Transport Canada has 90 days to respond to the TSB's recommendations. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/small-aircraft-safety-1.5352815 Back to Top BNA Launches Innovative Apprenticeship Program Nashville International Airport (BNA) today announced the launch of its innovative Maintenance Apprenticeship Program. Structured as a partnership with the Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) Murfreesboro/Smyrna, the program will offer practical, hands-on experience at BNA, along with formal classroom training and books at no cost, all while providing a competitive salary and benefits to participants. The program is currently open to applicants interested in becoming a licensed electrician. Later programs will include carpentry, HVAC mechanic, plumbing, equipment mechanic and equipment operator. No prior experience is necessary or required to enter the program. Applicants must have a high school diploma or equivalent and a valid driver's license. Learn more about the program in this video: https://youtu.be/vdAgkykrTOQ "BNA's Maintenance Apprenticeship Program is a rare opportunity for individuals looking to jump-start their careers as a skilled tradesperson," said Doug Kreulen, BNA president and CEO. "By partnering with the Tennessee College of Applied Technology Murfreesboro/Smyrna, we can offer an unparalleled experience with a program that covers the cost of tuition and books and provides real-world, on-the-job training at BNA with a full-time salary and benefits. It's a wonderful opportunity for those interested in embarking on this work path, which is in high demand, and a great way BNA can foster personal advancement." Benefits of BNA's Maintenance Apprenticeship Program include: • Paid training while working toward becoming a skilled tradesperson • No student debt; BNA will cover the cost of tuition and books, as well as pay trainees a salary while in class • On-the-job training • Apprentice with a skilled mentor • Full employee benefits "When BNA reached out for assistance to start a skilled trades apprenticeship program, we welcomed the opportunity to collaborate on creating a pilot and model program for businesses across Tennessee to emulate," said Nathan Garrett, assistant vice chancellor for Economic and Community Development, Tennessee Board of Regents. "BNA's forward-thinking approach to hiring is exactly what will help boost skilled trades professionals across our state." BNA's Maintenance Apprenticeship Program offers a competitive base salary with pay increases offered after the completion of each apprentice classification, an additional 1,000 hours of on-the-job training, and an additional six months of service. https://www.aviationpros.com/airports/press-release/21113682/bna-nashville-international-airport-bna-launches-innovative-apprenticeship-program Back to Top Japan's Revolution in Aviation The aviation industry is currently facing a significant challenge in its operation. The main reason for this is that the number of customers significantly rising. Aviation firms are seeking to provide more advanced services to satisfy the growing demand for passenger and cargo services. Thus, they are focusing on cutting-edge planes plus new choices that deliver safety, convenience, and comfort. However, the sophistication of these planes is challenging, especially with limited time, costs, and resources. The aircraft industry is being revolutionized by the emerging trends in technology such as automation and artificial intelligence by offering various new solutions. Yet, introducing new tech into an intricate industrial process is integrally disruptive and poses new challenges to the industry. In almost four decades of his presence in Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group (MHI), Takaoki Niwa claims not to have come across solutions to such challenges. However, Kaizen is a highly effective method that can unlock numerous opportunities. Kaizen refers to the Japanese industry's attitude to making continuous improvement. As changes in technology continue to advance, syndicates in every business must be consistently resourceful and responsive. Kaizen can, therefore, solve the existing aviation challenges if implemented. What we learn from Kaizen is that by frequently looking for developments in systems and procedures, the rewards are satisfying. It aided in building and running a new 1-billion-dollar facility engineering 787 airplane wings in Nagoya, Japan. Within three years, the same philosophies assisted cut fabrication lead times and operational costs in India's MHI power plant industrial unit. Kaizen implementation has been fruitful in the UK and Denmark. MHI Vestas Offshore Wind, a turbine blade factory crew, attained production capacity and target cost within a year. Regional air travel increasing demand is stimulating the industry to manufacture more proficient planes fast and more cost-efficiently. The need is alongside client prospects on price and environmental performance. By 2037, regional air travel is expected to rise to 1.3 billion passengers in the US alone. This will represent a rise from 2017's 819 million. Thus, everybody working in maintenance and manufacturing, repair, and overhaul (MRO) should implement Kaizen while using new technology. Fortunately for the aircraft industry, we live in a dynamic technological revolution. Executing a culture of continual advance isn't easy because change faces resistance. However, gradually implementing Kaizen will create a change that can be controlled. With a demonstration of the impact of Kaizen, which improves production rate spending the same assets, adapting to the new changes becomes easy. Predicting the future is impossible, but maintaining improvement is essential. https://www.wingsjournal.com/japans-revolution-aviation Back to Top SpaceX set to launch another 60 Starlink internet satellites A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a thrice-flown first stage and a previously used nose cone fairing is poised for blastoff Monday on a Veterans Day flight to boost 60 Starlink internet relay satellites into orbit. It is the second batch in a planned constellation of thousands intended to provide broadband service around the world. With an 80 percent chance of good weather expected, liftoff from pad 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is targeted for 9:56 a.m. ET Monday. In keeping with SpaceX's drive to lower costs by re-flying its rocket hardware, the Falcon 9's first stage will be making a record fourth flight - following two missions in 2018 and another earlier this year - to launch two large communications satellites and a set of 10 Iridium satellite telephone relay stations. In another first, the nose cone protecting the Starlink satellites and their deployer will make its second flight after an April launch atop a Falcon Heavy rocket. For Monday's mission, the SpaceX droneship "Of Course I Still Love You" will be stationed several hundred miles northeast of Cape Canaveral to serve as a landing pad for the Falcon 9's first stage. Two other ships, "Ms. Tree" and "Ms. Chief," will be standing by with large nets to capture the two halves of the payload fairing as they descend under parachutes. The flight plan calls for the 60 solar-powered Starlink satellites, each weighing 573 pounds, to be released into a 174-mile-high orbit about one hour after launch. After tests and checkout, the satellites will be boosted into their operational positions using on-board ion thrusters. SpaceX has regulatory approval to launch nearly 12,000 Starlink relay stations in dozens of orbital planes. With multiple satellites within line of sight from any point on Earth's surface, the relay stations are designed to seamlessly hand off internet traffic, using satellite-to-satellite "cross links," to provide uninterrupted service. Monday's launch, along with 60 satellites launched in May and another four batches planned for the next year or so, will put about 360 satellites into orbit, providing coverage over much of the United States and Canada in 2020. Twenty four launches - more than 1,400 satellites - will be needed to provide global coverage starting in 2021, but SpaceX plans to continue boosting the total to provide additional bandwidth. The total number of satellites that might ultimately end up in orbit is not yet known. Astronomers raised concerns after the first Starlink launch in May, saying sunlight reflecting off the satellites could interfere with sensitive observations. SpaceX officials say they are taking steps to minimize reflectivity and ensure problem-free observing. Astronomy aside, the Starlink network is designed to provide "high-bandwidth, low-latency connectivity, ideally throughout the world," SpaceX founder Elon Musk said earlier this year. "This would provide connectivity to people that don't have any connectivity today or where it's extremely expensive and unreliable." The Starlink system will also serve "people who may have connectivity today in developed areas of the world but it's very expensive," he added. "This will provide a competitive option for them." https://www.cbsnews.com/news/spacex-launch-spacex-set-to-launch-another-60-starlink-internet-satellites-2019-11-11/ Curt Lewis