April 2, 2020 - No. 024 In This Issue ABARIS TRAINING Online Aviation Degree Launches At K-State Polytech EBAA and GAMA Issue Action Plan to Safeguard Business Aviation GE Aviation Requests to Assist in COVID-19 Fight, Rebuke Layoffs AAR and Sumitomo Corporation announce joint venture to provide aviation aftermarket supply chain solutions FAA Withdraws Permission for the Collings Foundation Aircraft to Carry Passengers ST Engineering in Pensacola closes facility after employee tests positive for COVID-19. Aviation Clean Air Ramping Up Production of Aircraft Interior Purification System. NATA, NBAA Seeks Clearer Guidance for CARES Act Aid Embraer Reinforces Preventative Actions and Resumes Essential Activities in Brazil NASA's famous 'worm' logo crawls back into action on SpaceX rocket Online Aviation Degree Launches At K-State Polytech Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus is expanding its aviation offerings to include an online bachelor's degree geared for students who have previously earned aviation-related certificates, ratings, licensures or college credit. This spring, a Bachelor of Science in aeronautical technology with a professional aviation option has launched at Kansas State Polytechnic. The online program combines a business and leadership emphasis with an aviation area of concentration in which the student already has experience. It is designed to provide a pathway for students to build on their training, advance their skills and complete a bachelor's degree. "We wanted to offer a degree that would give students the opportunity to accomplish their professional goals by maximizing the value of the college credit or certifications they have already achieved," said Troy Brockway, aviation professor at Kansas State Polytechnic. "The professional aviation degree is convenient with its online option and is comprehensive by welcoming a variety of transferrable aviation specialties. It also will enhance students' employability and will assist with their upward mobility in the industry." Students can transfer in up to 60 credit hours with up to 35 of those hours being in an aviation focus, such as professional pilot, aviation maintenance, air traffic control, airport management, unmanned aircraft systems, avionics and aviation safety. The degree utilizes the students' aviation focus by connecting it with classes in management, leadership and business, including Aviation Law, Practices of Industrial and Labor Relations, Managerial and Project Economics, and Supervisory Management. Those who consider the professional aviation degree could include students who have obtained flight ratings at a different university or at an airport fixed-base operator, an A&P aircraft maintenance technician, an air traffic controller, members of the military, and an aviation-focused associate degree holder. Once students have graduated with this bachelor's degree, they can expect to seek careers in every facet of aviation including sales, management, operations, maintenance and safety. To learn more about the new professional aviation degree option, contact Kansas State Polytechnic's admissions office at 785-826-2640 or polytechnic@k-state.edu. https://www.ksal.com/online-aviation-degree-launches-at-k-state-polytech/ Back to Top EBAA and GAMA Issue Action Plan to Safeguard Business Aviation The European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) has called on European governments to take urgent steps to safeguard the future of the industry, while ensuring that in the short term it can continue to support efforts to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. In an open letter sent jointly with the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) and national industry groups, EBAA presented an action plan including relaxation of some travel restrictions, the extension of pilot licenses and airworthiness certificates, and financial aid through guarantees, credit, and the suspension of taxes and fees. They pointed out that business aircraft are being used for essential operations such as providing medical services and the repatriation of displaced people to their home countries. EBAA urged authorities in the European Union (EU), Switzerland, and the UK to be more flexible over travel restrictions and even suspend bans on flights that meet the requirements of the World Health Organization. The associations said they support the efforts agreed by the European Aviation Safety Agency and national authorities to grant extensions to licenses and certificates. They stated that many business aircraft pilots cannot currently travel to the simulators they need for recurrent training since many of these are located outside Europe. According to EBAA, the continent's business aviation companies urgently need help ensuring financial liquidity to protect the estimated 374,000 jobs directly and indirectly associated with the industry. It also asked for "maximum flexibility" from regulators on aircraft maintenance requirements, including extensions to intervals and certificates, as well as fast-tracking of approvals for staff. In the letter, the industry groups pointed out that estimated revenue losses for small and medium-sized business aviation enterprises range from around 50 to 90 percent. They referred to Eurocontrol data from the last week of March showing a 72 percent decrease in business aviation traffic in Europe. The proposed plan also called for national governments to provide financial support to companies to cover the costs of staff who are unable to work. It also urged governments to suspend other regulatory initiatives that could undermine the sustainability of business aviation during the crisis, such as the EU energy taxation directive and non-urgent consultation and rule-making activities. The letter was signed by EBAA secretary general Athar Husain Khan and GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce. It was endorsed by national business aviation groups in France, Germany, Spain, Israel, Switzerland, Malta, and the UK, as well as by the Air Charter Association. "The measures detailed in our letter today aim at the same objective-helping safeguard as many companies as possible in our sector," said Khan. "Business aviation has a vital role to play in the fight against Covid-19 and the post-crisis European recovery." Bunce commented: "The general and business aviation industry pays tribute to all those working tirelessly to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. Our industry stands ready to work in partnership with the EU institutions and national governments to continue to support relief work, deliver medical supplies, and to implement the measures outlined in this letter, which will help pave the way for recovery both in terms of health and the economy." https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2020-04-02/ebaa-and-gama-issue-action-plan-safeguard-business-aviation Back to Top GE Aviation Requests to Assist in COVID-19 Fight, Rebuke Layoffs In determination to save both its work and help stop the spread of coronavirus, the employees of General Electric staged a protest on Monday to support bringing back furloughed employees and help convert the shuttered GE buildings for ventilator production. The company's aviation side has been focused on as areas in which would benefit from ventilator work. General Electric employees have highlighted the drop in usage in aviation facilities in Winfield and Lynn, Kan. as a way to use the facilities to make ventilators. In a comment to Vice, the local union president of the Winfield facility stated how 52 percent of the workforce had been laid off and now there was unused space. He included saying, "If GE trusts us to build, maintain, and test engines which go on a variety of aircraft where millions of lives are at stake, why wouldn't they trust us to build ventilators?" Both the Lynn facility and Winfield facility focus on both aircraft maintenance, repair along with overhaul and engine tooling and testing, which has seen a rapid drop in demand as the COVID-19 pandemic has crippled the aviation sector and dropped the demand for overhaul as aircraft are parked. This protest also comes as fellow branch GE Healthcare announced they would quadruple ventilator production in their Madison, Wis. location. The GE Healthcare line is currently operating at a breakneck pace and a 24-hour operating period in hopes of keeping up with the exponentially increasing amount of coronavirus patients. The patient-orientated branch of General Electric has already teamed up with Ford for increasing ventilator production as well. But Communications Workers of America President Chris Shelton says a vital resource could be right in front of GE to help with production. In a comment to Boston Business Journal, he mentions, "our country depends on these highly skilled workers, and now they wonder why they are facing layoffs, instead of having the opportunity to use their unbelievable skills to help save lives." The call for more ventilator construction comes as America tops 100,000 cases and pressure mounts on President Donald Trump to use the Defense Production Act of 1950 to increase medical supplies in the United States. The President has only used the Defense Production Act on car manufacturer General Motors, ordering them to begin production of ventilators and other medical supplies as of March 27. The President had been critical of General Motors days before decreeing what the company should do, citing the abandoned Lordstown Assembly plant in Ohio has a location they could use after suspending work on the Chevrolet Cruze in 2019. Due to the economic slowdown, some companies, such as Ford, have begun moving their work to more healthcare-focused fields in the fight against coronavirus. While GE Healthcare already aids in this effort, the GE Aviation members feel there is more the company can do to combat this current situation. Alongside the calls for increased ventilator production, there were also calls for increased security measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at GE facilities. The workers believe that additional time to wash hands during the day, custodial staff to spot and intervene if they find someone infected and paid leave for those infected would help the company. https://airlinegeeks.com/2020/03/31/ge-aviation-request-to-assist-ge-healthcare-in-covid-19-fight-instead-of-layoffs/ Back to Top AAR and Sumitomo Corporation announce joint venture to provide aviation aftermarket supply chain solutions to Japanese defense and global commercial markets WOOD DALE, Illinois, March 31, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AAR (NYSE: AIR), a leading aviation services provider to commercial airlines and governments worldwide, and Sumitomo Corporation, a top Japanese trading company, are launching a joint venture - AAR Sumisho Aviation Services. This Chicago-area-based joint venture will distribute aircraft parts and offer aviation logistics management solutions to the Japanese defense market. Additionally, the partnership will distribute parts from OEMs based in Japan to the global aviation aftermarket. This business initiative builds upon the parties' successful, long-standing relationship, under which AAR has served as a stocking distributor for OEM factory-new parts to Japanese defense customers via Sumitomo Corporation since 2012. "We look forward to partnering with AAR to serve our Japanese customers and make our services more accessible to customers around the world," said Eiji Ishida, Sumitomo Corporation Executive Officer and GM of the Lease, Ship & Aerospace Business Division. By combining AAR's global network and competitive expertise in aviation supply chain and parts distribution with Sumitomo's logistics specialization and large footprint in the Japanese market, AAR Sumisho Aviation Services will be equipped to provide quality services to our Japanese defense customers, as well as play a key role in the export of parts from Japanese OEMs. "This new venture with Sumitomo presents a tremendous opportunity to further expand our market reach and capabilities in Japan, a highly strategic market for us," said John Holmes, AAR President and CEO. "Both of our companies have a proven track record within the international defense industry, and we look forward to joining forces to become a leading aircraft parts distributor and provider of services to the Japanese defense market and global aviation aftermarket." We expect to form the joint venture following receipt of regulatory clearances. For more information on AAR Parts Supply and Integrated Solutions, visit aarcorp.com. # # About AAR AAR is a global aerospace and defense aftermarket solutions company that employs more than 6,000 people in over 20 countries. Headquartered in the Chicago area, AAR supports commercial and government customers through two operating segments: Aviation Services and Expeditionary Services. AAR's Aviation Services include Parts Supply; OEM Solutions; Integrated Solutions; and Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) Services. AAR's Expeditionary Services include Mobility Systems and Composite Manufacturing operations. Additional information can be found at www.aarcorp.com. About Sumitomo Corporation Sumitomo Corporation ("SC") is a leading Fortune 500 global trading and business investment company with 110 locations in 66 countries and 22 locations in Japan. The entire SC Group consists of more than 900 companies. SC conducts commodity transactions in all industries utilizing worldwide networks, provides related customers with various financing, serves as an organizer and a coordinator for various projects, and invests in companies to promote greater growth potential. SC's core business areas include Metal Products, Transportation and Construction Systems, Infrastructure, Media and Digital, Living Related and Real Estate, Mineral Resources, Energy, and Chemical and Electronics. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/03/31/2009615/0/en/AAR-and-Sumitomo-Corporation-announce-joint-venture-to-provide-aviation-aftermarket-supply-chain-solutions-to-Japanese-defense-and-global-commercial-markets.html Back to Top FAA Withdraws Permission for the Collings Foundation Aircraft to Carry Passengers The FAA last week ruled the Collings Foundation could no longer accept money from people who wanted to ride on the organization's World War II aircraft. The ruling included a critical look at the NTSB and the agency's finding following the October 2, 2019, crash of the foundation's B-17G, "Nine O Nine" at Bradley International Airport (KBDL) in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. Though the NTSB conducted the investigation at the accident site last year, the notice immediately rescinding the foundation's exemption to carry paying passengers came from the FAA. The agency's action also halted a Collings Foundation request to renew its current exemption, an action required every two years. The accident occurred shortly after the WWII bomber took off from KBDL about 9:45 am local time. At 9:50 am, one of the B-17 crewmembers told the tower they were experiencing an engine problem and would return to land on KBDL's Runway 6. The crippled aircraft never climbed higher than 500 feet agl. The B-17 crashed on short final to Runway 6 and burst into flames after striking the airport's deicing facility. The accident killed five passengers as well as the two pilots. Another six people aboard were injured. The Collings Foundation fleet was operating under Exemption 6540P of the federal regulations that allow certain vintage aircraft with either an experimental or a limited category airworthiness certificate to carry passengers as part of the living history flight experience. The FAA "historically found the preservation of US aviation history to be in the public interest. Organizations offered to provide short in-flight experiences in exchange for compensation, leading to the term nostalgia flights and later living history flight experience and provided a means for private civilian owners to offset the considerable restoration, maintenance and operational costs." The FAA said the Collings Foundation failed to comply with a number of the exemption's requirements as its reason for the enforcement action. One dealt with the crew chief assigned to the B-17. Crew chiefs are required to assist the pilots with a number of duties on each flight and require extensive training before being allowed serve in that position. The crew chief on the accident flight-who survived-later testified he'd never received any training on the aircraft. He also said he had no knowledge of what his duties should have been while aboard the flight. The Collings Foundation was required to have established and maintained a safety management system for the entire operation. A safety management system is designed to promote a culture of safety and allow any employee-without fear of retribution-to feed important safety information back to a central source to ensure problems are resolved. The crew chief stated he had no knowledge that the foundation even had an SMS. The investigation uncovered numerous unresolved maintenance squawks on the B-17. The PIC of the accident flight, Ernest "Mac" McCauley, had flown "Nine O Nine" for 20 years and had logged more time on the model than any other pilot. McCauley held an A&P certificate and served as the foundation's director of maintenance. The NTSB discovered magneto and ignition failures on the B-17's number four nine-cylinder radial engine. "Inspection and testing of engine 4 left magneto revealed the movement of the safety-wired lead caused grounding to the case, which rendered the magneto lead inoperative," said the FAA report. The right magneto was also "unserviceable." The point gap on the magneto's points was less than half of what was called for in service documents that led to the right mag delivering "weak or no spark" to four of the nine cylinders. All spark-plug gaps on the number three engine were also found to be significantly out of tolerance, making it likely neither engine on the right side was producing normal power. Witnesses reporting seeing the aircraft flying right wing low as it attempted to return to KBDL. Finally, the investigation found the aircraft's maintenance records lacked key pieces of information that made it impossible to verify whether some required maintenance had ever been performed on "Nine O Nine." Though the FAA did not ask for comments to the Collings Foundation exemption renewal, the agency said it received more than 1,500. "Most were from individuals who cited the historical and sentimental value of allowing living history flight to continue." The comments are believed to have been received before the FAA published the list of alleged violations against the Collings Foundation aircraft and the depth of its issues became known. https://www.flyingmag.com/story/news/faa-withdraws-collings-permissions/ Back to Top ST Engineering in Pensacola closes facility after employee tests positive for COVID-19 PENSACOLA, Fla. -- ST Engineering Aerospace in Pensacola shut down its facility Tuesday after learning Monday evening that one of its employees tested positive for COVID-19. The individual had not been at the facility since March 18, the company says. The facility is set to reopen on Wednesday. "The company will use this shut-down period to clean and disinfect the facility," St Engineering says in a statement. "This cleaning and disinfection process is in addition to the company's implementation of all CDC, Coronavirus Task Force, and other guidance regarding the relevant hygiene and workplace precautions." ST Engineering Aerospace, which provides aircraft maintenance services for a variety of customers, says it will resume operations in accordance with Federal and State guidance to help the country get through the COVID-19 crisis. "Specifically, the Department of Homeland Security CISA memo, released on March 19th, identified workers who conduct a range of operations and services that are essential to critical infrastructure viability, including staffing operations centers, maintaining and repairing critical infrastructure, operating call centers, construction among others," the statement reads. "The critical industries they support include medical, telecommunications, aviation and transportation, as well as others." Escambia County is currently at 88 coronavirus cases. https://weartv.com/news/local/st-engineering-in-pensacola-closes-facility-after-employee-tests-positive-for-covid-19 Back to Top Aviation Clean Air Ramping Up Production of Aircraft Interior Purification System Aviation Clean Air (ACA) is experiencing increased interest and an uptick in orders for its Ionization Purification System. The patented system is certified for aircraft installation by both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The ACA product is a proactive system that immediately improves interior air quality, eliminates odors and kills pathogens in the air and on surfaces wherever they live throughout the cabin and cockpit of the aircraft. The system, which operates through the aircraft's existing environmental system (ECS) is a proactive, natural purification process that produces no harmful ozone or chemicals and requires no maintenance with filters to be changed or charged plates to clean. "We began manufacturing our Ionization Purification System in 2014 and it is currently installed on a variety of aircraft models," said Howard Hackney, ACA managing member. "The system is proven to effectively purify the air and surfaces throughout an aircraft's interior." The ACA system functions electronically by creating positive and negative ions that form from hydrogen and oxygen molecules in the water vapor present in the air and work as a cleaning agent to purify the air and surfaces. The technology replicates and accelerates nature's cleaning process that successfully inactivates airborne and surface viruses. "We have a very large number of our systems installed on aircraft flying throughout the world," added Hackney. "The increased demand shows us that more aircraft operators and passengers are appreciating what those currently flying with the system already know and have experienced." ACA recently partnered with International Aero Engineering to manufacture and distribute a portable ground unit to clean and disinfect aircraft interiors while on the ground. The Ion Distribution Unit for Ground Use Only utilizes the same proven technology as ACA's airborne system. https://www.aviationpros.com/tools-equipment/chemicals-solvents/cleaners-polishes/press-release/21132380/aviation-clean-air-ramping-up-production-of-aircraft-interior-purification-system Back to Top NATA, NBAA Seeks Clearer Guidance for CARES Act Aid Concerned that guidance released on obtaining grants and loans specified in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) were crafted for commercial airlines and other large operations, NBAA and NATA jointly appealed to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin for additional guidance addressing general aviation operations that also qualify for the aid. Both Part 135 operators and certain FBO and maintenance organizations qualify for portions of the nearly $80 billion in grants and loans designated for the aviation industry. "The scale and business operations of general aviation air carriers and FBOs are significantly different than those of scheduled passenger and cargo air carriers," the associations told Mnuchin in a letter. This scale presents unique challenges in meeting the guidance since it is tailored for scheduled airlines. "For the air carrier loan program, general aviation operators generally do not track available seat miles, revenue per seat mile, and cost per available seat miles as they conduct on-demand operations," they told the secretary. "We welcome the opportunity to work with you on developing additional measures to more accurately measure the service provided by a general aviation air carrier." They pointed out several other differences, including the fact that general aviation businesses typically are not publicly traded companies and have limited liquidity. "When evaluating the taxpayer and financial protection provisions under the CARES Act, we request that you provide flexibility to these companies in meeting the goal of protecting taxpayer dollars." In addition, most charters to not submit salary and benefit reports to the Department of Transportation, NBAA and NATA added. The associations stressed the importance of the business and general aviation industry, saying it supports 1.2 million jobs and $247 billion in economic impact and is able to reach 5,000 airports conducting critical missions such as air ambulance flights and organ delivery. "These companies need both near and medium to long-term relief to survive and continue providing service," they said. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2020-04-01/nata-nbaa-seeks-clearer-guidance-cares-act-aid Back to Top Embraer Reinforces Preventative Actions and Resumes Essential Activities in Brazil As the transportation sector plays an essential role in combatting COVID-19, Embraer will resume critical operations in order to meet the needs of customers, public services and the global population. Essential roles have been defined by Embraer's management team during the temporary plant shutdown period in Brazil and are those priority services that should not be interrupted during this global crisis. Some examples are customer support, aircraft maintenance and manufacturing. In many cases, Embraer products are responsible for transporting health supplies and the professionals who provide care to patients with the disease caused by COVID-19 in Brazil and around the world. Additionally Embraer has established a new working group to increase the availability of equipment and solutions, including manufacturing parts for the respirator industry, to combat COVID-19. During the temporary shutdown of company units in Brazil, Embraer completed several projects, including adapting the workstations and common areas, intensifying cleaning procedures, adapting cafeterias and work areas to ensure social distancing and reinforcing communications tools with precautions and preventative actions. The measures adopted are in accordance with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines and seek to ensure that employees perform their roles with guidance from the company's health and safety teams. Employees responsible for critical functions who can work remotely will work from home. Employees responsible for non-critical functions will be on collective vacation from Apr. 1 to Apr. 9. These employees are scheduled to return to work on Apr. 13. https://www.aviationpros.com/aircraft/business-general-aviation/press-release/21132387/embraer-embraer-reinforces-preventative-actions-and-resumes-essential-activities-in-brazil Back to Top NASA's famous 'worm' logo crawls back into action on SpaceX rocket If you've been suffering from worm withdrawal, relief is finally in sight. NASA's famous "worm" logo, which was retired in 1992, is roaring back to help celebrate the return of orbital human spaceflight to American shores. The iconic, very 1970s red-text emblem has been stenciled on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that will launch the Demo-2 test flight, agency officials announced today (April 2). Demo-2, which is scheduled to lift off in mid- to late May, will send NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to and from the International Space Station (ISS) aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule. It will be the first crewed orbital trip to depart from the United States since the retirement of NASA's space shuttle fleet in 2011. (That drought doesn't extend to suborbital space, however; Virgin Galactic launched crewed suborbital test missions from California in December 2018 and February 2019.) If Demo-2 goes well, SpaceX will be clear to start flying operational crewed missions to and from the ISS for NASA. Elon Musk's company holds a $2.6 billion contract with the space agency to complete six such missions with Crew Dragon and the Falcon 9. Boeing has a similar contract with NASA's Commercial Crew program, which the aerospace giant plans to fulfill using a capsule called CST-100 Starliner. But it's unclear when Starliner will be ready to fly astronauts; the Boeing capsule failed to rendezvous with the ISS as planned during the uncrewed Orbital Flight Test (OFT) mission this past December, and analysis of data from that mission revealed several serious software issues that need to be addressed. (SpaceX aced its version of OFT in March 2019.) NASA's first logo was the famous "meatball" - a blue, star-speckled circle pierced by a red chevron, along with the agency's name encircled by an orbiting spacecraft. But it was tough to print this complex symbol using 1970s technology, NASA officials said, so the sleek and simple worm, created by Richard Danne, came onto the scene in 1975. The worm and the meatball coexisted for 17 years, until the worm was buried in the early 1990s. But agency officials have now decided that there's room for both icons once again. There's "a good chance" that the worm will be featured in multiple ways on Demo-2 and in the future, NASA officials wrote in a statement today. "The agency is still assessing how and where it will be used, exactly," they wrote in the statement. "It seems the worm logo wasn't really retired. It was just resting up for the next chapter of space exploration. And don't worry: the meatball will remain NASA's primary symbol." https://www.space.com/nasa-worm-logo-is-back-spacex-demo-2-rocket.html Curt Lewis