Flight Safety Information June 9, 2020 - No. 115 In This Issue Lockheed C-130H Hercules - Runway Excursion (Iraq) Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II - Gear Collapse on Landing (Utah) Air Transport. The EU Air Safety List updated The US Army Has Grounded the Two Pilots Who Flew Low Over DC U.S. safety board wants to strengthen air transport rules for prototype lithium batteries Downloading, decoding of black box of crashed Pakistani airplane complete: French investigators To bail out or not: Governments decide whether to aid Asia's embattled airlines Mitsubishi Aircraft closing Renton headquarters, cutting flight test operations in Moses Lake Emirates Laying Off Flight Attendants & Pilots Bombardier To Cut 2,500 Jobs To Counter Business-Jet Slump France announces $16.9 billion in aid for aviation industry NASA Taps Northrop Grumman to Build Lunar Gateway Hab Module ProSafeT Successfully Implements Innovative Safety & Audit Management System for Sun Country Airlines Ship-based Helicopter Management Aviation Safety Survey GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Today's Photo Back to Top Lockheed C-130H Hercules - Runway Excursion (Iraq) Date: 08-JUN-2020 Time: 22:10 LT Type: Lockheed C-130H Hercules Owner/operator: US Air Force (USAF) Registration: 94-6706 C/n / msn: 5398 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 33 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Camp Taji Airbase, near Baghdad - Iraq Phase: Landing Nature: Military Departure airport: Ali al Salem Air Base, Kuwait? Destination airport: Camp Taji Airbase, near Baghdad Narrative: Upon landing, the Wyoming ANG aircraft suffered a runway excursion and crashed into a concrete wall. On board were 7 crew and 26 passengers. Four occupants were injured. There was a post crash fire. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/236844 Back to Top Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II - Gear Collapse on Landing (Utah) Date: 08-JUN-2020 Time: 10:45 Type: Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Owner/operator: US Air Force (USAF) Registration: C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Substantial Location: Hill Air Force Base (HIF/KHIF), UT - United States of America Phase: Landing Nature: Military Departure airport: Destination airport: Ogden-Hill AFB, UT (HIF/KHIF) Narrative: Upon landing, the landing gear of a Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II, operated by the 388th FW, collapsed. The pilot survived the crash. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/236846 Back to Top Air Transport. The EU Air Safety List updated Following the opinion of the aviation safety experts from the Member States who met under the auspices of the EU Air Safety Committee (ASC), on 2 June 2020 the Commission updated the EU Air Safety List, a list of air carriers which do not fulfil the necessary international safety standards and which, therefore, are subject to operational restrictions within the Union. Introduced in order to ensure the highest level of air safety for Europeans and all other passengers travelling within the Union, its rules apply to all air carriers irrespective of their nationality and only to commercial air transport, i.e. to air transport of passengers and cargo for remuneration or hire, while private and non-commercial flights are excluded. More particularly, if the Commission or a Member State confirm evidence indicating serious safety deficiencies on the part of an airline or its oversight authority, the list will be updated to include such airline or all the airlines of such country. However, being included into the list is not permanent, inasmuch as states and air carriers can be removed by addressing a request to the Commission and by providing evidence of a sufficient capacity to implement international safety standards. Following the latest update, which added all airlines certified in Armenia and reviewed the list of those certified in Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Nepal, and Sierra Leone, the list includes now 96 airlines which are banned from European skies. Furthermore, three additional airlines are subject to operational restrictions and can only fly to the Union with specific aircraft types. https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=9e2e03d1-576c-4997-ac71-68d79cf7ea2d Back to Top The US Army Has Grounded the Two Pilots Who Flew Low Over DC Active duty soldiers in the nation's capital will also be returning home. Two U.S. Army National Guard helicopter pilots who flew at rooftop level over the heads of protestors on Monday night have been grounded pending the outcome of an investigation, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told reporters on Friday. McCarthy also said members of the active military who had been deployed near Washington, D.C., are heading back to their home bases. He said the pilots were grounded as part of the normal procedure during an Army investigation. He declined to speak in great detail about the incident, citing the investigation, which they said they hoped to have completed by mid-June. Footage of the event suggests that maneuver, conducting by a helicopter with medical markings, was intended to disperse a crowd with rotor wash. The maneuver was widely condemned, especially since the helicopter was marked with medical insignia. But on Friday, President Trump tweeted his support for the pilots and described the action as appropriate. The problem is not the very talented, low-flying helicopter pilots wanting to save our city, the problem is the arsonists, looters, criminals, and anarchists, wanting to destroy it (and our Country)! - Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 4, 2020 On Saturday, The New York Times reported that top Pentagon officials had ordered the National Guard to use helicopters to provide a "persistent presence" to disperse protestors. The report does not elaborate on what a "persistent presence" entails. On a Sunday call with reporters, McCarthy explained that he personally had "authorized the utilization of the asset," but said that commanders on the ground would then "apply that mission to observe and report based on the situation." To be clear. I did not authorize the use of MEDEVAC helicopters for an observe and report function. I did however, authorize the use of air assets to support operations in accordance with established rules. - SecArmy (@SecArmy) June 7, 2020 Also on Friday, Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser asked Trump to withdraw active-duty troops deployed to the city during the protests. McCarthy said that the presence of the troops was to provide backup to National Guardsmen and law enforcement if needed. That was based on what McCarthy described as a high level of violence that occurred on Sunday night near Lafayette Square. Five Guardsmen were injured by flying bricks in interactions with protestors that night, he said. McCarthy said that active-duty troops that had been stationed in or around the nation's capital would indeed be returning to their home bases. The 2nd Battalion of the 504th Infantry Division went back to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Thursday night around midnight. On Friday, Defense Secretary Esper ordered the 91st Military Police Battalion to return to New York's Fort Drum. McCarthy said that members of the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment, or Old Guard, based out of Fort Myer in Arlington, Virginia, would be returning home soon as well. "It is our intention to turn that off as soon as possible." "We've had four peaceful days in a row, projecting a fifth," he said. "We are in a very good posture because we've been able to generate enough personnel from a National Guard standpoint to support the operations at present." https://www.govexec.com/defense/2020/06/us-army-has-grounded-two-pilots-who-flew-low-over-dc/165983/ Back to Top U.S. safety board wants to strengthen air transport rules for prototype lithium batteries WASHINGTON, June 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Monday urged strengthening air cargo shipping requirements for prototype and low-production lithium-ion batteries after a 2016 FedEx delivery truck fire in Canada, saying existing rules pose a "danger to all those involved in the transportation of these batteries, on the ground and in the air." The four large custom-made batteries were transported by FedEx Corp from Tampa, Florida, to Indianapolis, Indiana, and then on to Toronto, Ontario. The batteries ignited about 10 hours after being offloaded at the Toronto airport. The NTSB said the batteries may have qualified for an exemption in international shipping standards that allows for air transport of "prototype" or "low-production" batteries without passing some safety tests and called on U.S. regulators to remove the exemption. https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-aviation-safety/u-s-safety-board-wants-to-strengthen-air-transport-rules-for-prototype-lithium-batteries-idUSL1N2DL0ZT Back to Top Downloading, decoding of black box of crashed Pakistani airplane complete: French investigators Islamabad, Jun 6 (PTI) The downloading and decoding of the black box of the Pakistani airplane that crashed in a densely populated area last month has been completed, the French investigators have said. The Airbus A320 aircraft of the national carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) had 91 passengers and a crew of eight when it crashed into the Jinnah Garden area near Model Colony in Malir on May 22, minutes before its landing at Karachi''s Jinnah International Airport. Ninety seven passengers died in the crash. Eleven people on ground were injured. A 13-year-old girl who was injured on the ground died this week, taking the death toll in the accident to 98. An 11-member team of experts from an Airbus facility in the French city of Toulouse arrived in Pakistan after the incident to conduct an independent probe into the crash involving its aircraft. The French Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA) on Friday said in a tweet that downloading and decoding of the flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR), the two components of the PK-8303 black box, "has ended. Analysis will continue." It further said that the Pakistan''s Aircraft Accident and Investigation Board (AAIB) "will publish at a later date a preliminary statement on the event based on downloaded data/ Pakistan''s AAIB is leading the investigation/current communication on their behalf." According to a report in the Dawn newspaper, Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan had already announced that the preliminary report of the plane crash would be tabled in the Parliament on June 22. The experts team had earlier this week left for France along with the FDR and CVR of the aircraft. AAIB President Air Commodore Usman Ghani also accompanied the French team, the report said. The FDR records time, altitude, airspeed, heading, and aircraft attitude and other in-flight characteristics. The CVR is a device used to record the audio environment in the flight deck for accidents and incident investigation purposes. It records and stores the audio signals of the microphones and earphones of the pilots' headsets and of an area microphone installed in the cockpit. The team of foreign experts, which included Airbus company representatives and members from France, Germany, the UK and other countries, had visited the crash site and inspected the debris of the aircraft and the runaway. Meanwhile, Pakistan''s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said in a letter on June 2 to the PIA that the pilot of the crashed aircraft did not follow the instructions of the air traffic controller (ATC). The letter said the duty approach controller had raised a non-compliance report in respect of the pilot of PK-8303. It claimed that the pilot was warned twice about his speed and high altitude for approach but he did not follow. PTI SH RS RS https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/downloading-decoding-of-black-box-of-crashed-pakistani-airplane-complete-french-investigators/1858017 Back to Top To bail out or not: Governments decide whether to aid Asia's embattled airlines Few sectors have been hit harder by the economic fallout of the pandemic than the airline industry. Asia is expected to see the steepest drop-off in passenger revenue, with airlines in the region forecast to lose an estimated $113 billion this year. Air traffic there plunged 98% in April compared to the year before. "Governments need to ensure that airlines have sufficient cash flow to tide them over this period," Conrad Clifford, regional vice president for Asia-Pacific for IATA, said in an April 3 statement. Clifford called for "direct financial support" from governments to airlines, loan facilitation, and tax and levy waives. "[Countries] need to act now-and urgently-before it is too late." Several governments have heeded that advice, rushing to help cash-strapped carriers; other have so far failed to act, leaving some airlines to flounder. Cathay Pacific On Tuesday, the Hong Kong government announced it will spend almost $4 billion to bail out the city's flagship airline, Cathay Pacific. The airline had a net loss of $581 million in the first four months of 2020. Travel restrictions and border closures have battered Cathay particularly badly since, unlike other regions, it has no domestic flight routes to restart ahead of international borders opening. The coronavirus was a second crisis for the embattled Cathay. It saw its revenue drop 3.7% year-on-year in 2019 after months of protests in Hong Kong, which prompted Cathay employee strikes, cancelled flights, and several countries issuing travel warnings for Hong Kong. Singapore Airlines To get itself through the downturn, Singapore Airlines announced on Monday that it has raised more than $7 billion from credit lines and a rights issue, with backing from Singapore government state fund Temasek Holdings, which owns 55% of the airline. Temasek also announced a $13.3 billion funding package for Singapore Airlines in late March. Thai Airways Last month, the Thai government said it would submit a rehabilitation plan-similar to filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S.-for Thai Airways, Thailand's national carrier, eschewing a previous plan to loan the airline $1.81 billion. Thai Airways could take as long as seven years to complete rehabilitation, its legal advisor said on Monday. The carrier had already been struggling financially before the coronavirus hit and grounded its entire fleet on April 4, save a few repatriation flights. Air Asia Malaysia-based Air Asia Group, Southeast Asia's biggest low-cost airline, is slashing its 20,000-person workforce by up to 30% and cutting staff salaries by as much as 75% in an effort to save money in lieu of government financial aid. IATA named Malaysia as one of the countries that "[has] yet to take decisive and effective action" to support its aviation industry. Air Asia founder Tony Fernandes, who said in April he was talking to the government about a possible loan, may also sell a 10% stake in the discount carrier to raise cash, the Nikkei Asian Review reported on Friday. Air Asia shares rose the highest in three months on Tuesday after the Malaysian government said it would allow domestic tourism to resume from Wednesday. Australian airlines Australia's biggest airlines have shifted tactics now that government assistance is drying up. After the Australian government stopped subsidizing international flights for Qantas and Virgin Australia, the two airlines halted flights abroad. Qantas will resume 15% of domestic flights by the end of June, which the government said it would continue to subsidize until September. Virgin Australia, meanwhile, has been up for sale since April, when it went into voluntary administration after the pandemic forced it to ground its fleet and led it to financial collapse. Chinese airlines Early signs of recovery for air travel in China-the first country to endure a coronavirus outbreak and the first to restart its economy-may offer hope to the rest of the region's beleaguered airlines. China's three biggest airlines-Air China, China Eastern, and China Southern-suffered losses of more than $697 million each in the first quarter of 2020, but domestic travel started to pick up from March onwards, as China emerged from its coronavirus lockdowns earlier than the rest of the world. The future of air travel The next step for the aviation sector after domestic travel rebounds may be international flights by way "travel bubbles" or designated zones encompassing several countries that have largely contained their COVID-19 outbreaks. Australia and New Zealand hope to launch a "Trans-Tasman" travel bubble by September, and some Pacific island nations desperate for tourism income are also clamoring to join it. Japan plans to talk with Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, and Vietnam about potential bubbles for business travel. Such bubbles would open up more opportunities for regional air travel and provide much-needed economic respite for struggling airlines. https://fortune.com/2020/06/09/government-airline-bailout/ Back to Top Mitsubishi Aircraft closing Renton headquarters, cutting flight test operations in Moses Lake SEATTLE (AP) - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is cutting hundreds of jobs in Washington state and shuttering its U.S. operations for the troubled SpaceJet project, the company said Friday. "Due to the budget directives, Mitsubishi Aircraft will close its overseas locations and consolidate activities at its headquarters in Nagoya, Japan," company spokesman Jeff Dronen told The Seattle Times via email. "This will impact the majority of our employees in the United States." The Mitsubishi Aircraft U.S. headquarters in Renton will close, and flight test operations in Moses Lake will cease, he said. Dronen said Mitsubishi will retain "a small crew" at Moses Lake to store and maintain the four flight test aircraft there. Mitsubishi is still working out the details of its budget cuts and did not disclose the number of employees affected nor whether severance packages will be offered. Dronen said management "will provide this information directly to employees in the coming weeks." The program had at one point supported about 400 jobs flight testing the initial M90 model in Moses Lake, along with 200 jobs in Seattle at Mitsubishi's U.S. partner AeroTEC, which provided testing, engineering and certification support. "We have had to make difficult decisions that will significantly reduce our global activities and will have a major impact on our organization," Dronen said. The news comes after the Japanese industrial giant announced last week an overall loss of $275 million for the fiscal year ending in March. Management deemed that not acceptable as it faces the pandemic-driven downturn affecting all of Mitsubishi's aviation operations, including its supply of major parts for Boeing jets. Last week's financial results showed the SpaceJet bleeding cash, with development costs of $1.3 billion in the last fiscal year. The aircraft was launched as the Mitsubishi Regional Jet in 2008 with a sleek new design and a roomy passenger cabin. The goal was to enter service five years later. After setbacks, it began flight tests in 2015 in Japan, then in 2016 moved the flight testing to Moses Lake in eastern Washington. Mitsubishi last year rebranded the plane as the SpaceJet and revamped the concept, but has continued to face setbacks. https://www.kxly.com/mitsubishi-aircraft-closing-renton-headquarters-cutting-flight-test-operations-in-moses-lake/ Back to Top Emirates Laying Off Flight Attendants & Pilots A few weeks ago I wrote about the rumors that Emirates Airline would start laying off employees, and was considering grounding much of the A380 fleet permanently. While we don't know more yet about the future of the A380 fleet, Emirates is informing a significant number of flight attendants and pilots today that they're being terminated. In this post: • Emirates begins mass layoffs • Other Emirates employees get 50% pay cuts • Bottom line • Emirates begins mass layoffs • A couple of weeks ago Emirates laid off newly hired flight attendants and pilots, who had either recently completed training, or were still being trained. Today the airline has taken job cuts to the next level, including laying off many employees who had been at the company for a long time. Based on my sources, late last night emails were sent to many flight attendants and pilots, informing them that they had to attend mandatory meetings today at the Emirates training college. It seems that the airline has essentially engaged in group firings. As people arrived at the training college their names were checked off a list and they were assigned a room. Once the room filled up there was a quick meeting informing everyone that they were being terminated: There was no mention of the possibility of being rehired in the future The managers responsible for the firings said they had no detailed insights into the reason, and that they were just the messengers It's my understanding that layoffs were largely targeted at those who had previously received warnings, those with high sickness, and those who failed training courses in the past Upon conclusion of these meetings, employees received letters outlining what the process of being terminated will look like: • There is a 90 day notice period • There is no right of appeal against the redundancy decision • Since the company issues UAE work visas, there's a 29 day "grace period" beyond the 90 day notice period, and by that time people have to leave the country • For situations where employees can't leave the country due to border closures, those visas can be extended • Those who must remain in the country will continue to receive housing, and will receive 25% of their base salary • Upon separation with the company, employees will receive any outstanding renumeration, the value of unused annual leave, and an end of service benefit • Emirates is moving forward with more pilot & cabin crew layoffs Other Emirates employees get 50% pay cuts The news this week for Emirates employees goes beyond those being terminated. Many employees at the company who still have jobs are getting a 50% pay cut of their basic salary between July 1 and September 30, 2020. For the past couple of months the company has reduced pay for many frontline employees by 25%, but now that amount is increasing. For flight attendants the real pay cut is more than 50%: • The basic salary is being cut by 50%, but then flight attendants also ordinarily get paid for the hours that they fly • With most flight attendants flying very little (if at all), they're also missing out on their flight pay • That means for many flight attendants the pay cut is more along the lines of 60%+ • Emirates BarEmirates is also reducing pay for many employees by 50% Bottom line My thoughts are with all of those at Emirates today who are losing their jobs. It's especially tough when you get laid off after moving somewhere for a job, without an option to stay. Many people have built lives in Dubai, are now forced to leave them behind. Ultimately we don't know how many people Emirates has laid off, and we may not know for a while. Furthermore, odds are that we'll see more layoffs in the coming weeks, since it would appear that they're doing layoffs in stages. First they laid off those still in training, then they laid off those who had some performance issues, and who knows what group is next... https://onemileatatime.com/emirates-layoffs/ Back to Top Bombardier To Cut 2,500 Jobs To Counter Business-Jet Slump Bombardier Inc. plans to eliminate 2,500 jobs at its aviation division following a slump in demand for business jets. Manufacturing operations in Canada will bear the brunt of the cutbacks, to be carried out this year, Bombardier said in a release Friday. Overall, the group employs nearly 60,000. Bombardier shares slipped 2.1% at 9:58 a.m. to trade at 47.5 Canadian cents. They have fallen more than 75% this year. Two years of selling assets has left Bombardier particularly exposed to the vagaries of the private-jet market amid a wide-reaching recession. Demand in that market is forecast to drop 30% because to the pandemic, Bombardier said. The Montreal-based company said it would give an update on its outlook Aug. 6. "Bombardier must adjust its operations and workforce to ensure that it emerges from the current crisis on solid footing," the release said. Cash Burn Weakening markets are raising the pressure on recently installed Chief Executive Officer Eric Martel as the company exits its operations in commercial planes and rail equipment. Bombardier burned through $1.6 billion of free cash flow in the first quarter, with as much as half of that coming from slow orders for planes and trains, temporary factory shutdowns and the inability to deliver aircraft amid government travel restrictions. Bombardier, which got its start building snowmobiles in Quebec in the 1930s, announced the sale of its train unit to Alstom SA in February in the face of more than $10 billion in debt. The company is seeking to reduce debt to about $4 billion by the end of this year, it said at the time. The decision to sell its transportation unit to Alstom, valuing the business at $8.2 billion, remains a key underpinning for its financial risk profile amid the uncertainty of coronavirus, which has disrupted operations and contributes to cash burn that may approach $3 billion this year, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Matthew Geudtner wrote in a note last week. The company saw its junk bonds rise to their highest levels in about six weeks amid a wider market rebound. Bombardier's bonds have returned 20% this week and are among the top performers in the Bloomberg Barclays high-yield index, which is up about 2%. Bombardier notes are still down 24% this year. https://www.fa-mag.com/news/bombardier-to-cut-2-500-jobs-to-counter-business-jet-slump-56189.html Back to Top France announces $16.9 billion in aid for aviation industry PARIS (AP) - France's government is pumping 15 billion euros ($16.9 billion) in rescue money into the pandemic-battered aerospace industry, in hopes of saving its hundreds of thousands of jobs and keeping plane maker Airbus and national airline Air France globally competitive. In exchange for aid, companies will be required to invest more and faster in electric, hydrogen or other lower-emission aircraft, as France aims to make its aviation industry the "cleanest in the world." The deal was negotiated with unions, who said they would stay vigilant about job guarantees. Some environmental activists expressed skepticism about green ambitions for such a high-emission industry. "We will do everything to support this French industry that is so critical for our sovereignty, our jobs and our economy," Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said, unveiling the plan alongside the ministers of transport, defense and environment - a sign of how important the aeronautic sector is in France. As travel restrictions grounded most flights to keep the virus contained, the fallout cascaded across the industry, from airlines to airports to engine makers, maintenance contracts and spare parts suppliers. Airlines around the world have filed for bankruptcy or sought bailouts to survive the near-shutdown in their activity, and officials predict the industry will take years to recover. The French aid money includes direct government investment, subsidies, loans and loan guarantees. It also includes a special fund jointly financed by the government, Airbus and other big manufacturers to support small suppliers. It includes 7 billion euros in loans and loan guarantees that the government had already promised to Air France, whose planes were almost entirely grounded by the virus. And like a similar multibillion-euro plan to save the French car industry announced last month, the aviation bailout requires more investment in clean energy - and puts pressure on manufacturers to avoid layoffs. It will aim at modernizing the production chain and preserving European aviation know-how, Le Maire said. "We must save our aeronautical industry. We must avoid any decline in the coming months with regard to the American giant Boeing and the Chinese giant Comac," he said. "We won't let the world aeronautical market be shared between China and the United States. France and Europe will retain their position." The government will help Air France buy Airbus planes, and pledged to order 600 million euros worth of refueling tankers, drones and helicopters from Airbus' defense arm. In addition to dominating the global passenger aircraft market alongside Boeing, Airbus is also a major supplier of military aircraft to European governments. The rescue plan includes investment in developing the successor to Airbus' widely used mid-range A320, a new hybrid or hydrogen regional plane, and a new light helicopter. The government is also working with unions on a long-term, short-work scheme that would allow the industry to preserve jobs as it slowly ramps production back up. As a result of the virus lockdown, Airbus said it is cutting production by 35% to 40%, and Boeing announced that it would cut 10% of its 161,000-person work force through attrition, early-out offers and layoffs. "The recovery will be long," Le Maire warned. The government predicted it will be 2023 before the industry reaches pre-crisis levels. Among bailouts elsewhere, major U.S. airlines reached agreements with the Treasury Department for billions of dollars in grants and loans, Lufthansa won a $10 billion German government rescue and Cathay Pacific announced Tuesday it's seeking $5 billion from the Hong Kong government to survive. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/france-announces-16-9-billion-075008003.html Back to Top NASA Taps Northrop Grumman to Build Lunar Gateway Hab Module Northrop was always going to win this one, and now we know how much it won for phase one. In August, NASA announced that blue chip aerospace giant Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) would be the only company allowed to compete for a sole-source contract to build a "minimal habitation module" to accommodate astronauts serving aboard its planned Lunar Gateway space station orbiting the moon. At the time, NASA had not technically awarded the contract to Northrop, but with no one else allowed to bid, the contract appeared to be Northrop's by default. And now it is. The contract win was announced last week. NASA artist's depiction of HALO Lunar Gateway in orbit around the moon. Image Courtesy of: NASA. NASA describes the habitation and logistics outpost (HALO) as "the pressurized living quarters where astronauts will spend their time while visiting the Gateway." Derived from the Cygnus cargo capsule that Northrop already builds for supply runs to the International Space Station, the HALO is described as "about the size of a small studio apartment," and is designed to be used in tandem with the Orion spacecraft that carries astronauts to the Gateway. On Friday, NASA confirmed that it had awarded the HALO contract to Northrop. For an initial $187 million, Northrop will "design the habitation and logistics outpost (HALO) for the Gateway." Subsequently, and presumably for much more money, Northrop Grumman will actually build the HALO. Preliminary design work (the first contract) is expected to wrap up before the end of this year. Construction of the HALO, and its integration with the Gateway's power and propulsion element (PPE) that Maxar Technologies is building, should happen by the end of 2023. Then the unified spacecraft would be launched to the moon that same year. NASA has not yet chosen a contractor to conduct the launch, but that decision should also be reached before the end of this year. https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/06/08/nasa-taps-northrop-grumman-to-build-lunar-gateway.aspx Back to Top Contact: Rene Lopez Phone: 818-912-2904 Email: rene.lopez@prosafet.com FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ProSafeT Successfully Implements Innovative Safety & Audit Management System for Sun Country Airlines California, June 8th, 2020 - Leading aviation technology company, ProSafeT, successfully implemented its state-of-the-art Safety and Audit Management System at Sun Country Airlines (Sun Country). Sun Country, a US based low cost carrier with the eleventh largest passenger count, will now have access to Modules within ProSafeT's Safety and Audit solution which will allow Sun Country to further enhance its operations, improving employee and passenger safety. By switching to ProSafeT's platform, Sun Country will centralize and significantly upgrade its safety and audit systems. ProSafeT's solution will replace various disparate systems and will provide Sun Country with one intuitive solution that manages its entire safety and audit programs. This consolidation along with the new platform's intuitive design will bring many benefits including streamlining of processes and closing gaps in communication. As Sun Country's mission states "One passion guides every Sun Country employee and every flight - to safely and effectively help people connect with each other, to create memories that matter." With implementation of ProSafeT's Safety and Quality Management System, Sun Country looks to uphold its mission by strengthening its safety and audit operations. ### About ProSafeT ProSafeT is a US based aviation technology company that provides the industry's most advanced safety and audit platform. ProSafeT has created the best-in-class SMS and Audit platform with state-of-the-art software that is creating a paradigm shift in the aviation industry. ProSafeT's leadership has a proven track record of excellence when it comes to aviation safety automation and compliance. With over 100 aviation clients across three continents, ProSafeT has expertise in providing software solutions exclusively for the aviation industry. ProSafeT strives to foster and maintain continuous innovation within the aviation community. About Sun Country Airlines Sun Country Airlines is a privately held company based in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Sun Country has been in business for over 35 years and has earned a reputation for offering world-class service at an affordable price. Sun Country is a leader in leisure travel, offering scheduled passenger service on more than 85 routes to more than 50 popular destinations in the U.S., Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Back to Top Back to Top New Insomnia Treatment Developed for Pilots Set To Shake Up The Billion Dollar Sleep Industry Blenheim, New Zealand-May 25th, 2020 For Immediate Release Today, Allan Baker, well known aviation psychologist, has announced the release of his new book, "BLIS™ For Insomniacs", which provides details on the new treatment he has developed which helps insomniacs and others with sleep problems to actively bring on sleep when they need it, rather than waiting passively for sleep to 'happen to them'. This is a breakthrough How-To-Get-To-Sleep technique and guide for anyone who doesn't get enough sleep. Working with long haul airline pilots over the past 15 years, Allan has had to help them cope with the effects of too little sleep due to the nature of their work-changing time zones, flying at night, frequent layovers in new cities and hotels. Finding that existing insomnia treatments simply did not provide adequate results, and knowing that pilots could not resort to using sleeping pills and other medications which would impair their performance, he set about trying to find a better solution. "The problem is," he says, "most sleep therapies are simply rehashes of things that sleep professionals have been expounding for years, with limited success-until now there's been no significant breakthrough technique that addresses all the body's prerequisite conditions for sleep to occur, as a whole." Extensive research through the relevant scientific literature, particularly that around the effective treatment of PTSD, and an ability to think outside the box, has meant that Allan has been able to join-the-dots and make a discovery that appears to have eluded other sleep researchers. Simply put, the two main existing treatment paradigms, 'sleep hygiene' and cognitive behavioural treatment, as just two legs of the sleep stool, deal only with some of the conditions that must be met for sleep to occur. Allan's new technique, coined BLIS - for bilateral induced sleep - completes what he refers to as the third leg of the Sleep Stool, by providing an easy to learn and use method which helps the brain make the shift from emitting the high frequency Alpha waves of wakefulness, to the lower frequency Delta waves seen when we sleep. "I've discovered from knowledge of other areas of therapy, that it's possible to easily train your brain to shift from emitting alpha waves to delta waves, and when the brain emits delta waves, it basically brings on sleep." Allan notes that the sleep industry worldwide is worth tens of billions of dollars, primarily because so many people struggle to get the sleep they need. "The downstream effects of disturbed sleep on health are massive," he says. "If you're getting a couple of hours less sleep a night than you should, on average you're shortening your life by seven and a half years. Sleep is very important in keeping your immune system working well." "The breakthrough came from treating getting to sleep as a skill that can be trained. My new technique has been very effective with many of the pilots I've worked with, and I'm hoping that by releasing this book, I'll now be in a position to help many other sleep deprived people get the rest that they need and crave." BLIS™ For Insomniacs (ISBN: 978-0-473-52117-2) is available as a downloadable PDF eBook for US$14.99 from the mySleepSwitch website at: www.mysleepswitch.com. A sample chapter of the book is available for free download. About Allan Baker Trained as a military pilot in the Royal New Zealand Air Force, and is a registered psychologist. Allan has had a psychology career spanning over 45 years, and for the past fifteen years has worked exclusively in the field of Aviation Psychology. This has led to his deep understanding and interest in the area of sleep, which is so critical for commercial pilots and air crew. He is the current holder of the Jim Collins Memorial Award for Outstanding Contributions to Aviation Safety. Allan was presented with this award in 2017 for his significant contribution to the development of the New Zealand Air Line Pilots Association (NZALPA) Peer Assistance Program, and in particular his furthering of a better industry understanding in the specialist area of pilots' mental health. Press Contact: Golden Micro Solutions Ltd, Box 590, Blenheim, New Zealand, publisher of the book. For more information: E: admin@mysleepswitch.com T: +64 21 900 461 TO ALL PROFESSIONAL PILOTS, AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS, members of their Management, Regulators and related organizations (airplane, helicopter, civil or military) WE REQUEST YOUR SUPPORT FOR A JOINT AVIATION SAFETY SURVEY (JASS) ON: "AERONAUTICAL DECISION-MAKING, INCL. MONITORING & INTERVENTION IN PRACTICE" Dear aviation colleague, you are invited to participate in a research project conducted by the department of Psychology at City, University of London, which aims to elicit your views and thoughts on Aeronautical Decision-Making, including Monitoring and Intervention in normal operation,by which we mean routine line flights without any incidents or technical malfunctions. The questions deal with teamwork and decision-making issues in various Pilot-roles, e.g. the role of the Pilot Monitoring (PM), Pilot Flying (PF), Pilot in Command (PIC) and Co-Pilot, and respectively in the Air Traffic Controller (ATCO)-roles of the coordinating and radioing/radar ATCO as well as pilot's and controller's training and occupational picture. This survey is completely anonymous - no identifying information will be requested or collected - and all responses will be treated as strictly confidential. The survey is approved by City's research and ethics committee (Approval Code: ETH 1920-1414). The introductory section of the survey will provide you with further information and the informed consent. Please click here to access the survey or copy the survey-link below into your browser. https://cityunilondon.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6n7cxeunMyfy0fz By completing the questionnaire, you can - in addition to supporting aviation safety research - even do more good as we will donate a minimum of €2 for the first 1000 fully completed responses to the UNICEF COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund which helps to care for vulnerable children and communities all over the world. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us via email: aviationsafety@city.ac.uk or tom.becker.1@city.ac.uk or via phone: +49 172 7178780. We thank you very much in advance. Your support is truly appreciated. Best regards, Capt. Tom Becker Prof. Peter Ayton Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Dear Participants, You are being asked to participate in a research study of your opinions and attitudes about stress and mental health. This research started almost two years ago. The purpose of this study is to examine mental health issues in aviation, specifically Part 121 airline pilots. During this study, you will be asked to complete a brief online survey about your opinions on various life circumstances, stress, and mental health topics. This study is expected to take approximately 15 minutes of your time. In order to participate, you must possess an FAA issued Airline Transport Certificate (ATP) and you must also be currently working as a pilot for a Part 121 air carrier that is headquartered within the United States. Participation in this study is voluntary and data will be collected anonymously, stored confidentially, and you may choose to opt out of the study at any time. We sincerely appreciate your consideration and time to complete our study, as it is another small but important step towards increasing safety in aviation. Please click on the link below to complete the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7ZG6M6L For more information, please contact: Tanya Gatlin - Student Researcher Gatlint1@my.erau.edu 281-924-1336 Dr. Scott Winter - Faculty Advisor winte25e@erau.edu 386-226-6491 Curt Lewis