Flight Safety Information June 25, 2020 - No. 128 In This Issue U.S. FAA finalizes Boeing 737 MAX inspection directive Preliminary report on PK8303 issued: gear-up landing after unstabilized approach preceded crash Almost 1 in 3 pilots in Pakistan have fake licenses, aviation minister says Pakistan airline says 150 pilots grounded after crash probe Emails reveal a year after fatal crash, concerns over northern Sask. air safety lingered IATA Proposes Alternatives to Quarantine A special order: TSA requires food be removed from carry-on bags at airport security Delta Airlines CEO says 500 employees have tested positive for COVID-19 and 10 died Foreign regulators demand substantial new changes to Boeing 737 MAX flight controls FAA Won't Require Face Masks, Even as Airlines Increase Enforcement Air France To Operate One Final Airbus A380 Flight On Friday NATA Announces 2020-2021 Board of Directors Mongolian Airlines Operates First Non-Stop Flight To The US Paris Orly Airport Reopens Friday After Being Closed For 3 Months Emirates to modify 10 passenger aircraft to expand cargo capacity Fourth MC-21 flight-test aircraft emerges from painting Should the government buy airplane seats so passengers can social distance? Jet It Sees Silver Lining Amid Covid Crisis A NEW APPROACH TO FLIGHT AUTOMATION Relativity makes deals with Vandenberg AFB and Iridium for California launches NASA aims for early August splashdown for Crew Dragon SCSI Slovenia Fall Course Series BATTLESHIELD - FREESTANDING SHIELD Book: GROUNDED - Can we ever fly again? AVIATION SAFETY SURVEY GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY U.S. FAA finalizes Boeing 737 MAX inspection directive WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Wednesday finalized a directive requiring airlines to complete inspections of a key component of Boeing 737 MAX airplanes that, if faulty, could result in a loss of power to the engines. The FAA, in response to a service bulletin issued by Boeing in December, proposed an airworthiness directive in February to mandate inspections. The directive addressed concerns that some 737 MAX exterior panels on top of the engine may not have electrical bonding necessary to ensure adequate shielding of underlying wiring from the electromagnetic effects of high-power radio frequency transmitters and other sources. That, the FAA warned, "could potentially lead to a dual-engine power loss event and/or display of hazardously misleading" data. The agency added that the issue could result in a "forced off-airport landing." The 737 MAX, Boeing's best-selling plane, has been grounded since March 2019, after crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed 346 people. Boeing said it supports "the FAA's airworthiness directive, which makes our recommended action mandatory" to address the possible impact of electrical energy on the plane. The FAA said in February the directive would also address the potential safety risks of lightning strikes, but Boeing told the agency that was not accurate. The FAA agreed in its final directive to remove the reference to lightning, saying it had conducted further analysis since February. Boeing said in December the issue affected airplanes built between February 2018 and June 2019, and as a result "the protective foil inside the composite panels may have gaps." After the inspections, airlines will replace any excessively reworked panels and modify an assembly to ensure adequate electrical bonding. Reuters reported on June 10 that Boeing is aiming to conduct a key flight certification test in late June. That test could take place as early as next week or could be set for early July, a person briefed on the matter said. https://www.yahoo.com/news/faa-finalizes-inspection-directive-boeing-142315842.html Back to Top Preliminary report on PK8303 issued: gear-up landing after unstabilized approach preceded crash Status: Preliminary - official Date: Friday 22 May 2020 Time: 14:40 Type: Airbus A320-214 Operator: Pakistan International Airlines - PIA Registration: AP-BLD C/n / msn: 2274 First flight: 2004-08-17 (15 years 9 months) Total airframe hrs: 47124 Cycles: 25860 Engines: 2 CFMI CFM56-5B4/P Crew: Fatalities: 8 / Occupants: 8 Passengers: Fatalities: 89 / Occupants: 91 Total: Fatalities: 97 / Occupants: 99 Ground casualties: Fatalities: 1 Aircraft damage: Destroyed Aircraft fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: 1,4 km (0.9 mls) E of Karachi-Jinnah International Airport (KHI) ( Pakistan) Phase: Approach (APR) Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Lahore-Allama Iqbal International Airport (LHE/OPLA), Pakistan Destination airport: Karachi-Jinnah International Airport (KHI/OPKC), Pakistan Flightnumber: PK8303 Narrative: Pakistan International Airlines flight 8303, an Airbus A320, crashed on approach to Karachi-Jinnah International Airport (KHI), Pakistan. The airline stated there were 91 passengers on board and 8 crew members. Officials involved in the rescue operation reported that 97 bodies have been recovered and that two passengers have survived the accident. The flight departed Lahore at 13:05 hours local time (08:05 UTC) and was expected to arrive at Karachi about 14:45 (09:45 UTC). Departure from Lahore and cruising flight were uneventful. The flight crew did not follow standard callouts and did not observe CRM aspects during most parts of flight. According to the Pakistani Aviation Minister, the crew were engaged in conversations related to the coronavirus. The controller at Karachi East Area Control cleared the flight for the Nawabshah 2A arrival procedure, and advised to expect an ILS approach for runway 25L. The flight was later cleared at pilot's discretion to report direct MAKLI, a waypoint 15 nautical miles at a radial of 075 from the Karachi VOR, and descend to FL100, and later re-cleared for FL50. The aircraft changed over to the Karachi Approach controller and was cleared to descend down to 3000 ft, before reaching MAKLI. The aircraft ended up higher than the required descend profile. At MAKLI the aircraft was at 9780 ft and at about 245 knots IAS. In order to manage the descent and lose the additional height, the OPEN DES mode was selected via the FCU, both autopilots were disengaged and speed brakes were extended. Karachi Approach inquired "confirm track mile comfortable for descend" and later advised to take an orbit, so that the aircraft could capture the required descent profile. No orbit was executed and the effort to intercept the glide slope and ILS localizer was continued. At 7221 ft at around 10.5 NM from runway 25L the undercarriage was extended. Karachi Approach advised repeatedly about the excessive height but the flight continued the approach. At an altitude of 1740 feet and at a distance slightly less than 5 nautical miles from runway 25L the undercarriage as raised. At this time, the aircraft had intercepted the localizer as well as the glide slope. Flaps 1 were selected at 243 knots IAS. Over-speed and EGPWS warnings were then triggered. Since the approach to land was continued, Karachi Approach instead of changing over the aircraft to the Tower controller, contacted Karachi Tower by phone to request landing clearance. The Tower controller confirmed clearance to land without observing the abnormality that the landing gears were not extended. Karachi Approach then cleared the aircraft to land. At 500 ft, the airspeed was 220 knots IAS at a slat/flap configuration 3, and a descent rate of 2000 ft/min. Several warnings and alerts sounded in the cockpit, such as overspeed, landing gear not down and ground proximity alerts. The landing was carried out with landing gears retracted. The aircraft touched the runway surface on its engines. The flight crew applied reverse engine power and initiated a braking action. Both engines scraped the runway at various locations causing damage to both of them. The Tower controller observed the gear-up landing and contacted the Karachi Approach controller by phone. Subsequently Karachi Approach did not relay this to the flight crew. The landing was discontinued and a go-around was executed. At 14:35 the flight crew radioed that they were going around and requested another ILS approach to runway 25L. The controller instructed the flight to turn left heading 110 and climb to 3000 feet. Four minutes later the flight reported they had "lost engines" and subsequently declared a Mayday. The controller cleared the flight to land with both runways (25L and 25R) available. Both engines failed one by one and subsequently the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) deployed to power the essential aircraft systems. The aircraft was not able to reach the runway and crashed about 1340 meters short of runway 25L in a residential area named Model Colony. It was a slow speed impact with a high angle of attack The aircraft broke up and a large post-impact fire erupted. A total of 12 houses and multiple cars suffered major damages due to the crash. One person on the ground died of her injuries on May 31. Accident investigation: Investigating agency: CAA Pakistan Status: Investigation ongoing Duration: 33 days (1 months) Accident number: prelim report Download report: Preliminary report https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20200522-0 Back to Top Almost 1 in 3 pilots in Pakistan have fake licenses, aviation minister says Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN)More than 30% of civilian pilots in Pakistan have fake licenses and are not qualified to fly, the country's aviation minister revealed Wednesday. Addressing Pakistan's National Assembly, Ghulam Sarwar Khan said 262 pilots in the country "did not take the exam themselves" and had paid someone else to sit it on their behalf. "They don't have flying experience," he said. Pakistan has 860 active pilots serving its domestic airlines -- including the country's Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flagship -- as well as a number of foreign carriers, Khan said. PIA has grounded all its pilots who hold fake licenses, effective immediately. "PIA acknowledges that fake licenses is not just a PIA issue but spread across the entire Pakistani airline industry," spokesperson Abdullah Khan said, adding that some of the fake pilots also fly for foreign carriers. The results of the investigation were announced Wednesday as part of a preliminary report into a plane crash that killed 97 people in the southern city of Karachi on May 22. The PIA plane crashed after taking off from Lahore, killing all but two of the passengers and crew on board. Khan did not clarify if the two pilots on flight PK 8303 held fake licenses. According to the report, the pilots were chatting about the coronavirus and repeatedly ignored warnings from air traffic controllers before the plane went down in a residential area near the airport. "The pilots were discussing corona throughout the flight. They were not focused. They talked about the coronavirus and how their families were affected," Khan said, adding that the pilots were "overconfident." According to Khan, the pilots were told three times by air traffic controllers that the plane was too high and they should not attempt to land, "but the captain did not pay any heed to these instructions." The pilots proceeded with trying to land -- without lowering the landing gear. "The aircraft touched the runway surface on its engines," the report said. The engines scrubbed the runway, causing sparks and irreparable damage. The pilots pulled the plane back into the air, but the damaged engines failed and caused the plane to crash, according to the report. https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/25/business/pakistan-fake-pilot-intl-hnk/index.html Back to Top Pakistan airline says 150 pilots grounded after crash probe ISLAMABAD (AP) - Pakistan's state-run airline announced Thursday it would ground 150 pilots on charges they obtained their pilot licenses by having others take exams for them. Abdullah Hafeez, a spokesman for Pakistan International Airlines, said the decision comes after a probe into last month's PIA crash that killed 97 people in the city of Karachi. Hafeez, without sharing specific details, said a process to remove the 150 pilots who possessed tainted licenses had been initiated. "We will make it sure that unqualified pilots never fly aircraft again," he told The Associated Press. The move by PIA to ground the pilots comes a day after the country's aviation minister, Ghulam Sarqar Khan, said 262 out of 860 pilots in the country had "fake" licenses. He made the revelation while presenting preliminary findings to parliament of a probe into the May 22 Airbus A320 aircraft crash in Karachi. https://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/2020/06/25/pakistan-airline-says-150-pilots-grounded-after-crash-probe/ Back to Top Emails reveal a year after fatal crash, concerns over northern Sask. air safety lingered More than a year after an airplane crashed in northern Saskatchewan and months after the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) announced recommendations related to the crash, it appears concerns remained about planes taking off from northern airports without following rules for de-icing aircraft. The crash happened in December of 2017 when a West Wind Aviation plane taking off for Stoney Rapids crashed less than a kilometre from the Fond-du-Lac runway. One person died while several others suffered serious injuries. In December of 2018, the Transportation Safety Board investigation issued two recommendations: ensure adequate de-icing and anti-icing equipment is available and ensure compliance with regulations. Email correspondence obtained from the province's justice ministry through a freedom of information request by CTV News reveal that in April 2019, concerns still lingered about the de-icing of aircraft, four months after the TSB had issued its recommendations. The provincial government uses air service to transport staff and personnel to northern locations for court hearings and other matters. An email from April 2019, outlines concerns raised about a flight departing out of Meadow Lake a month or two earlier in snowing conditions, alleging no efforts were made to de-ice the plane. "This is not only dangerous, but illegal in terms of violating the Transport Canada Air Regulations regarding the 'clean aircraft concept,'" reads a portion of the e-mail. Another email was sent by someone identified as an airline transport pilot license holder detailing a specific concern about de-icing on the morning of February 20th, 2019 but indicated the issue had been a problem for a while. "However, as I indicated, I have yet to see an aircraft being de-iced in accordance with the procedures I outlined in my email," the email's author said in response to questions about how often a lack of de-icing was noted. A source with experience in the air travel industry in Saskatchewan, who spoke to CTV News on the condition of anonymity, says concerns have come up in the past about de-icing on northern flights and suspects there may have been a range of issues at play including pressure on pilots to get planes in the air. "If you work for a company that maybe doesn't have a lot of cash to burn, there may be pressures on pilots to not de-ice because it's expensive and it increases your turnaround times." According to the source, there can be a delicate balancing act between business and safety. "I believe there are operators who have purchased lots of equipment, but it's very clear to the pilots that they should use as little de-icing fluid as possible. And I suspect that whether the pilots infer pressure or whether it's more overt than that, I think there is still pressure on pilots out there." Meeting with Transwest Air in 2019 The emails show the issue was raised with Transwest Air, an airline which is owned by West Wind Group of Companies. In April of 2019, the Director of Flight Operations of Transwest Air wanted to set-up a conference call involving the airlines Flight operations team and any justice ministry employees or others who might have had concerns about de-icing. Emails show the conference call took place on April 29th, 2019, and the concerns were addressed. "Although the meeting started off a bit heated, I think the issues of de-icing was satisfied." reads an email from a justice ministry employee the day after the meeting 'in the upper echelon in terms of safety focus' Transwest Air President and CEO tells CTV Stephen Smith joined the board of West Wind last year and is now President and CEO of West Wind Group of Companies. "I've been at, at least five different carriers, and of the carriers I've been at, West Wind, Transwest Air are in the upper echelon in terms of safety focus." In an interview with CTV, Smith says West Wind has undertaken several steps to ensure de-icing equipment is available and used whenever needed, and even sent CTV photos of the equipment. He adds the airline will not even fly into airports unless they know there is adequate de-icing equipment working and available. Smith says other work has been done since the TSB issued their recommendations. He says the company and Transport Canada both did audits last year to ensure employees were trained and had equipment and that regulations were being adhered too. And Smith says pilots are encouraged to report concerns whenever they arise. "That plane does not move one inch until the pilot says 'I'm satisfied that I have a clean wing. Or the clean surfaces that I need in order to take off." Smith says safety is number one and always comes first. The TSB says it's satisfied with Transport Canada's plan to implement their recommendations, though the deficiency file remains active. The investigation into the crash in 2017 is still ongoing with a final report still to come. https://saskatoon.ctvnews.ca/emails-reveal-a-year-after-fatal-crash-concerns-over-northern-sask-air-safety-lingered-1.4995549 Back to Top IATA Proposes Alternatives to Quarantine International Air Transport Association (IATA) Geneva - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) urged governments to avoid quarantine measures when re-opening their economies. IATA is promoting a layered approach of measures to reduce the risk of countries importing COVID-19 via air travel and to mitigate the possibility of transmission in cases where people may travel while unknowingly being infected. "Imposing quarantine measures on arriving travelers keeps countries in isolation and the travel and tourism sector in lockdown. Fortunately, there are policy alternatives that can reduce the risk of importing COVID-19 infections while still allowing for the resumption of travel and tourism that are vital to jumpstarting national economies. We are proposing a framework with layers of protection to keep sick people from traveling and to mitigate the risk of transmission should a traveler discover they were infected after arrival," said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA's Director General and CEO. IATA encourages a layering of bio-safety measures in two areas: Reducing the Risk of Imported Cases Via Travelers • Discouraging symptomatic passengers from traveling: It is important that passengers do not travel when ill. To encourage passengers to "do the right thing" and stay home if they are unwell or potentially exposed, airlines are offering travelers flexibility in adjusting their bookings. • Public health risk mitigation measures: IATA supports health screening by governments in the form of health declarations. To avoid privacy issues and cut the risk of infection with paper documents, standardized contactless electronic declarations via government web portals or government mobile applications are recommended. Health screening using measures such as non-intrusive temperature checks can also play an important role. Although temperature checks are not the most effective screening method for COVID-19 symptoms, they can act as a deterrent to traveling while unwell. Temperature checks can also shore-up passenger confidence: in a recent IATA survey of travelers, 80% indicated that temperature checks make them feel safer when traveling. • COVID-19 testing for travelers from countries perceived to be "higher-risk": When accepting travelers from countries where the rate of new infections is significantly higher, the arrival authority could consider COVID-19 testing. It is recommended that tests are undertaken prior to arrival at the departure airport (so as not to add to airport congestion and avoid the potential for contagion in the travel process) with documentation to prove a negative result. Tests would need to be widely available and highly accurate, with results delivered quickly. Test data would need to be independently validated so as to be mutually recognized by governments and securely transmitted to the relevant authorities. Testing should be for active virus (polymerase chain reaction or PCR) rather than for antibodies or antigens. Mitigating Risk in Cases Where an Infected Person Does Travel • Reducing the risk of transmission during the air travel journey: IATA encourages the universal implementation of the Take-Off guidelines published by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Take-Off is a temporary risk-based and multi-layered approach to mitigate the risks of transmitting COVID-19 during air travel. The comprehensive Take-Off guidelines are closely aligned with the recommendations of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). These include mask wearing throughout the travel process, sanitization, health declarations and social distancing where possible. • Contact tracing: This is the back-up measure, should someone be detected as infected after arrival. Rapid identification and isolation of contacts contains the risk without large-scale economic or social disruption. New mobile technology has the potential to automate part of the contact-tracing process, provided privacy concerns can be addressed. • Reducing risk of transmission at destination: Governments are taking measures to limit the spread of the virus in their territory that will also mitigate the risk from travelers. In addition, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Safe Travel protocols provide a pragmatic approach for the hospitality sector to enable safe tourism and restore traveler confidence. Areas of the industry covered by the protocols include hospitality, attractions, retail, tour operators, and meeting planners. "Safely restarting the economy is a priority. That includes travel and tourism. Quarantine measures may play a role in keeping people safe, but they will also keep many unemployed. The alternative is to reduce risks through a series of measures. Airlines are already offering flexibility so there is no incentive for sick or at-risk people to travel. Health declarations, screening and testing by governments will add extra layers of protection. And if someone travels while infected, we can reduce the risk of transmission with protocols to prevent the spread during travel or when at destination. And effective contact tracing can isolate those most at risk without major disruptions," said de Juniac. There are some hurdles to being able to implement the full suite of measures. "Data transmission, required for health declarations, testing and tracing, raises privacy concerns. And mutually recognized standards would be needed for testing. Governments have a common interest in finding solutions. The rapid agreement by governments to ICAO's Take-Off guidelines demonstrates that progress on complex issues is possible where there is the political will to do so," said de Juniac. There is every economic incentive to make a layered approach work. WTTC estimates that travel and tourism accounts for 10.3% of global GDP and 300 million jobs globally (direct, indirect and induced economic impact). Mandatory quarantine measures stop people from traveling. Recent public opinion research revealed that 83% of travelers would not even consider traveling if quarantine measures were imposed on travelers at their destination. And analysis of trends during the lockdown period shows that countries imposing quarantine saw arrivals decrease by more than 90%-an outcome that is similar to countries that banned foreign arrivals. "A layered approach to safety has made flying the safest way to travel while still enabling the system to function efficiently. That should be an inspirational framework to guide governments in protecting their citizens from the terrible risks of both the virus and joblessness. Quarantine is a lop-sided solution that protects one and absolutely fails at the other. We need government leadership to deliver a balanced protection," said de Juniac. https://www.aviationpros.com/airlines/press-release/21143453/international-air-transport-association-iata-iata-proposes-alternatives-to-quarantine Back to Top A special order: TSA requires food be removed from carry-on bags at airport security In this pandemic age, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration is giving new meaning to the term "takeout." At Pittsburgh International Airport and others across the country, the TSA is now requiring travelers to remove any food they have in their carry-ons and place it in a bin to be screened at the security checkpoint. The agency recommends that travelers put the food in a clear plastic bag at home before setting it in a bin at the airport • Another pre-flight check: Pittsburgh airport to require all travelers, employees to wear face masks The change is just one of several that the TSA has made at checkpoints in an effort to combat COVID-19, keep travelers and employees safe, and quicken the pace. In a press release, TSA Administrator David Pekoske said the agency is "committed to making prudent changes to our screening processes to limit physical contact and increase physical distance as much as possible. "We continue to evaluate our security measures with an eye towards making smart, timely decisions benefiting health and safety, as well as the traveler experience," he said. While air travel has been decimated by the coronavirus, there have been signs of a reawakening in recent weeks. On Sunday, the TSA screened 590,456 passengers nationwide. While that is nowhere near the 2.7 million it did on the same day last year, the number is the highest since March 20. At Pittsburgh International, the TSA on Thursday reopened the alternate checkpoint on the airport's ticketing level for the first time since March 18, though only from 4:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. Thursday through Monday. "It was opened due to increased demand," airport spokesman Bob Kerlik said. The Findlay airport also has been experiencing a bit of a comeback, with 92,500 people using the facility in May compared to 32,400 in April. On Friday, 5,000 people boarded planes there - the most since mid-March. • For first time in more than a decade, TSA to allow larger bottles of hand sanitizer on planes In response to the increased demand, the airport plans to reopen its long-term parking lot Thursday for the first time in nearly three months. The only one that has been open during the pandemic is the short-term garage. The extended-term lot will remain closed. As travelers return, they will be facing requirements to wear masks, to practice social distancing, and to remove food from their carry-ons to be screened. The reason for the latter is that food can trigger an alarm while bags are being examined at the checkpoint. Food tends to be organic, as are some of the materials used to make explosives, TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein explained. By removing food from the carry-on, it lessens the chances a TSA officer will have to open the bag, she noted. "This requirement allows social distancing, reduces the TSA officer's need to touch a person's container of food and reduces potential for cross-contamination," the agency added in a statement. Another big change is that travelers no longer are being asked to hand their boarding passes to a TSA officer at the checkpoint. Instead, they should place the boarding pass on the boarding pass reader themselves and then show it to the officer for a visual inspection. That way, the officer does not have to touch the pass or the cell phone displaying it, Ms. Farbstein said. Other changes that travelers will see are increased distancing within the checkpoint and staggering the use of lanes when feasible. At Pittsburgh International, travelers are required to wear masks throughout the airport. TSA officers also are using face coverings and gloves. In addition, plastic shielding has been installed at checkpoints. While not required, it might be wise to put pocket items like keys and cell phones into a carry-on bag so they don't have to be placed in and removed from a bin, Ms. Farbstein said. "It reduces a touchpoint," she noted. The TSA also is reminding travelers to keep liquids, gels and aerosols brought in carry-ons to 3.4 ounces or less. The exception is hand sanitizer, which can go up to 12 ounces. However, it must be removed from the carry-on bag at the checkpoint. Frequently touched surfaces within the checkpoint are routinely being cleaned and disinfected. The airport is doing the same throughout the complex. https://www.post-gazette.com/business/development/2020/06/25/Pittsburgh-International-Airport-security-checkpoint-TSA-food-carry-on-bags/stories/202006220103 Back to Top Delta Airlines CEO says 500 employees have tested positive for COVID-19 and 10 died 'Breaks my heart' Delta CEO said of the employee deaths Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian delivered some hard news Friday during a shareholders meeting announcing that approximately 500 Delta employees have tested positive for COVID-19. "The vast majority have recovered, thankfully. Unfortunately, we have lost 10 employees to the disease," Bastian said, according to Newsweek. A spokesperson for the company told Newsweek the number of infected employees represents the total number of reported cases "since March out of our 90,000 employees worldwide." Be aware of new strict restrictions when traveling into Mexico The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, also reported that Delta had 500 employees test positive and noted that Bastian said the rate of infection in employees is lower than "any national average" he'd seen. Delta is partnering with Mayo Clinic and Quest Diagnostics to get all employees tested, according to the AJC. Every employee death "breaks my heart," Bastian said according to a transcript from the shareholder meeting, which was conducted via phone. "We have stayed [in] very close contact with all of our employees, those that have contracted the disease." https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2020/06/24/delta-airlines-ceo-says-500-employees-have-tested-positive-for-covid-19-and-10-died/ Back to Top Foreign regulators demand substantial new changes to Boeing 737 MAX flight controls Aviation safety regulators in Europe and Canada have demanded design changes to the flight control systems on Boeing's 737 MAX that go beyond fixing the flawed system that ultimately brought down the aircraft in two fatal crashes. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has told Boeing it must come up with design upgrades to satisfy these concerns. Yet all three regulators have agreed Boeing will be required to make these additional design changes and retrofit the worldwide fleet only after the MAX returns to service. The required changes to the flight control systems highlight weaknesses in the 737's inherited avionics systems. The fixes could add substantial cost to the MAX program and might slow the ramp-up of deliveries Boeing needs to recover its cash flow. Boeing has already developed a fix for the new MAX flight control system that was the main cause of the two crashes: the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS). Janet Northcote, head of communications at the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), said while MCAS "absolutely needs to be fixed for the plane to be recertified as airworthy ... there are other issues in some way related to the sensor problem" that triggered MCAS and these also require correction. "By themselves, these would not create a safety critical issue," Northcote said. "It's when they come together with something critical at the same time that it's a major issue." All three regulators will allow the MAX back into service without the additional fixes in place, officials said in interviews this week. Boeing has proposed that when the MAX initially starts flying again, it will be enough to make changes to the flight manual and pilot training, so crews are aware of the potential problems and know how to respond. EASA believes this "provides adequate mitigation in the short term." "However, further down the road, we think design enhancements are needed," said Northcote. Boeing has made some proposals for permanent fixes that the regulators are currently reviewing. Tight schedule for MAX retrofits The push by the Europeans marks a new assertiveness by foreign regulators. After two crashes that killed 346 people and the consequent close scrutiny that uncovered new problems with the MAX one after another, they aren't prepared to just follow the FAA. EASA has identified three issues that will require substantial redesign. Transport Canada has focused on one. The FAA declined to comment on its ongoing review of the proposed design changes. However, a person familiar with the FAA's deliberations said the U.S. agency will require Boeing to come up with a fix for all three of the issues raised. Two sources familiar with the discussions said regulators want the permanent design changes done on a relatively tight timetable. "We are looking for this to be implemented at the latest by the time of the certification of the 737 MAX 10," said one. The second source verified this as the target. The first MAX 10, the final and largest model in the MAX jet family, rolled out last November and its delayed first flight is expected later this year, which would typically imply certification late in 2021. If the system design changes are required to be on the MAX 10 from the moment it enters service, that might further delay the schedule for the MAX 10. Once the changes are finalized and approved, they "would then be retrofitted to the MAX in-service fleet as soon as practicable," Northcote said. She added that EASA, the FAA and Boeing haven't made a final determination on a schedule for implementing the design changes and that it's possible the logistical problems posed by COVID-19 could extend it. Boeing declined to address details of its proposed design changes, but in a statement said the company is "committed to addressing all of the regulators' questions and meeting all certification and regulatory requirements. " Angle of Attack sensor problems EASA's biggest concern is with Boeing's proposed solution to the Angle of Attack problem that initiated the two 737 MAX crashes. In both crashes, MCAS was triggered by a single faulty Angle of Attack signal. Boeing's redesign of MCAS uses both Angle of Attack sensors on the MAX during any given flight instead of only one. MCAS won't operate unless both sensors agree. However, while this fixes MCAS, the Angle of Attack sensors feed into multiple other systems. EASA's concern is that if the two sensors disagree, the flight control computers have no way of telling which is the correct reading. The Europeans doubt having two sensors is good enough to make the system sufficiently robust. Northcote said EASA considers the system used by Airbus, which has three Angle of Attack sensors on the rival A320 jet, a good design. The agency wants Boeing to develop a new system "that in some way matches that, but doesn't necessarily have to be a third sensor." The alternative to a third physical sensor is what's called a "synthetic" sensor, a system that provides an additional, indirect AOA calculation using a variety of different sensors and inputs. Boeing's latest all-new jet, the 787 Dreamliner, for example, has a system called Synthetic Airspeed that takes input from the Angle of Attack sensors and various data points that indicate the plane's attitude in the air. This system serves to cross-check the signals from the other sensors and enables the flight control computer to identify a false data signal. In the original development of the MAX - as documented in an ethics complaint by Boeing engineer Curtis Ewbank and in controversial emails by Chief Technical Pilot on the MAX, Mark Forkner - Boeing rejected the addition of Synthetic Airspeed to avoid the need for simulator training for MAX pilots. To add a synthetic system to the MAX now would be costly. All its interactions with existing systems would have to be tested and certified, and Boeing will have to convince regulators the information it produces is as reliable or better than a physical sensor. According to the person familiar with the FAA's deliberations - who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the ongoing discussions between the regulators - EASA's demand for the equivalent of a three-sensor system arises from a fundamentally different design philosophy between Airbus and Boeing. Airbus jets are all designed so that when a pilot adjusts the controls, that action is sent via the computer to move the airplane's control surfaces on the wings and tail. This requires multiple layers of redundancy to make sure no glitch in the software produces a faulty signal. In contrast, on Boeing jets the main control surfaces are directly connected to the pilot controls by cables, giving the pilot a physical tactile connection that offers a sense of what the plane is doing that's absent on an Airbus jet. "For Airbus and EASA, three Angle of Attack sensors is just what you do," said the person. "For Boeing and the FAA, it's not necessary, because in addition to the two Angle of Attack sensors, you have that physical connection with the aircraft." Still, the FAA has told Boeing it must address EASA's concern. After the two MAX crashes, Boeing's longstanding reliance on pilot capabilities as the ultimate assurance of safety has been brought into question, especially in modern cockpits that are largely automated and computer-controlled. Confusing cockpit warnings The second issue for which EASA is demanding a design change stems from investigations that have established the pilots on both crash flights were confused by a cacophony of warning alerts going off simultaneously. On the MAX, multiple warning lights on the instrument panel and computer-generated aural alerts can be triggered by a single bad sensor. It's unclear what Boeing will propose to address that, but it has to come up with something to satisfy EASA. The third issue that needs a design fix is one that has particularly bothered Transport Canada: a "stick shaker" stall warning that cannot be turned off even when clearly erroneous. This is the alert system on the MAX that makes the control column vibrate forcefully in the hands of the pilot if the plane is pitched too high and is slowing toward a stall - meaning the plane is about to lose lift under the wings and will begin to drop. In both MAX crash flights, the stick shaker was triggered erroneously by a faulty Angle of Attack signal. On Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 that crashed in March 2019, killing 157 people, the stick shaker vibrated throughout the six-minute flight, indicating the plane was going too slow and close to a stall, while simultaneously a loud clacker was sounding in the cockpit - warning the pilots they were going too fast. To avoid such severe distraction and confusion, Transport Canada wants Boeing - before the MAX's return to service - to include in the flight manual instructions for how to pull circuit breakers to stop the stick shaker. The circuit breakers are in an overhead panel in the 737 cockpit. Transport Canada said it will require Boeing to add "collars" to the stick shaker circuit breakers to distinguish them from others in the vicinity so they can be quickly identified in an emergency. According to two people with knowledge of the FAA's view of this, the U.S. agency doesn't favor pilots having to reach up to pull circuit breakers in an emergency. "Typically, pulling circuit breakers is not something we'd encourage. Those are supposed to be for maintenance, not for operating the airplane," said an FAA safety engineer, who spoke without authorization and cannot be identified. "It's a short-term solution," he added. Annie Joannette, a spokesperson for Transport Canada said Boeing is working on an alternative fix. "Boeing has been discussing the possibility of a post-return-to-service modification that would allow the stick shaker to be deactivated by means other than pulling the circuit breaker," she said. "If this modification was made available, then the circuit breaker pull procedure in the approved Aircraft Flight Manual would be an interim measure." It's unclear if that interim option for pulling the circuit breakers will be included in all MAX flight manuals or only in those for Canadian pilots. Seeking regulator harmony Existing U.S. certification requirements don't mandate the enhancements EASA and Transport Canada are requiring. The FAA's stance in agreeing that Boeing must nevertheless address the three specific issues raised is aimed at achieving harmony among the main aviation regulators, which at earlier points in the discussions over the MAX crashes have been unusually at odds. Concerned at how the glaring flaws in the original MCAS design slipped through the MAX's initial certification, the Europeans and Canadians have insisted on conducting their own independent safety assessments of the MAX recertification rather than automatically following the FAA lead. Yet addressing the issues raised by EASA is not a point of contention. "There's no dispute. EASA and the FAA will each require it," said the person familiar with the FAA's deliberations. "Boeing has to come up with a path to address the concerns." As a result, U.S. sources now expect the Europeans will clear the MAX to fly passengers again within a week or so of the FAA doing so. The next important milestone on the way to the MAX's return to service is required certification flights, when pilots for the FAA and other regulators conduct flights to thoroughly test the new upgraded software that fixes MCAS. Because of travel restrictions due to COVID-19, travelers from European Union countries cannot currently enter the United States, and Northcote said this has so far prevented EASA from scheduling its MAX recertification flights. However, sources within Boeing and the FAA say the FAA's recertification test flights, which will take about three days of flying, could begin as early as next Monday. If that happens, the MAX will be on track to win FAA clearance around mid-September. That would be the signal for pilot training to begin, so U.S. airlines could be flying the MAX again before year end. The design changes demanded by the foreign regulators will then be Boeing's next challenge. https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/foreign-regulators-demand-substantial-new-changes-to-boeing-737-max-flight-controls/ Back to Top FAA Won't Require Face Masks, Even as Airlines Increase Enforcement The FAA says it will be up to airlines to enforce face mask policies. As major airlines have been enforcing stricter policies regarding the use of face masks for employees and passengers, Stephen Dickson, chief administrator for the Federal Aviation Administration said they won't require the wearing of face masks on commercial planes, instead leaving it to the discretion of individual airlines. Dickson spoke to the Senate committee last Wednesday and said that it was the job of the CDC to implement safety precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, not the FAA. "Our space is aviation safety, and their space is public health," he said. The pronouncement comes as major airlines and industry organizations are uniting to step up enforcement of the policy. Airlines for America, the industry trade organization representing the U.S. airlines, announced that its member airlines, including Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines, will implement stricter enforcement of facial covering policies for passengers. "U.S. airlines are very serious about requiring face coverings on their flights. Carriers are stepping up enforcement of face coverings and implementing substantial consequences for those who do not comply with the rules," said A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio. "Face coverings are one of several public health measures recommended by the CDC as an important layer of protection for passengers and customer-facing employees." American Airlines reportedly removed a passenger from a flight for refusing to wear a face mask, and United Airlines is placing passengers who don't comply with the policy on an internal travel restriction list, banning them from flights for a period of time. And while the FAA isn't enforcing mandatory face mask policies, Dickson said the masks should be worn "for their own protection and the protection of those around them. Face coverings are especially important in situations where social distancing is not feasible." https://www.travelmarketreport.com/articles/FAA-Wont-Require-Face-Masks-Even-as-Airlines-Increase-Enforcement Back to Top Air France To Operate One Final Airbus A380 Flight On Friday The era of the Air France A380 is coming to an early but definite end. The airline is choosing to mark the occasion with a special two-hour farewell flight over France on Friday, June 26th. The nine remaining Airbus A380s in the Air France fleet were supposed to see another two years of air time before being sent into retirement. However, the spring of 2020 and a pandemic that sent shockwaves throughout the world of commercial aviation had other plans. Flight AF380 In order to commemorate the early exit of the superjumbo from its fleet, Air France will operate one final farewell flight with the aircraft on Friday. Alas, no paying passengers will be on board, but Air France-KLM CEO Ben Smith and Air France CEO Anne Rigail will reportedly join Air France crew, employees, and hand-picked guests on the goodbye mission. Air France shared with Simple Flying that the flight will be operated as AF380. It will be flown by F-HPJH, which will take off from Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) on Friday, June 26th, around 15:30. It will then circle around France for a little over two hours before returning to CDG at approximately 17:45. The airline also said it would be sharing some moments from the flight on its social networks, using #AF380. Averaging less than ten years F-HPJH, the double-decker granted the honor to mark the occasion, joined the fleet in May 2012. It is just 8.7 years old. On average, the Air France A380 fleet hit 9.3 years. That is "hit" in past tense, as the carrier announced the retirement of the model on May 20th, effective immediately. Air France said that the move was in line with its plans to operate a more competitive fleet with a smaller environmental footprint. As previously stated, it intended to phase out its A380s by 2022, even before the pandemic wreaked havoc on passenger demand. The airline had already sent the first one, namely F-HPJB, to the scrapyard back in February this year. • The first of Air France's A380s was sent into retirement and dismantled in February this year. First European carrier to operate the A380 The French flag-carrier has had a complicated relationship with the double-decker plane. It received its first of the type in 2009, and it was the first European airline to offer passengers the opportunity to fly on the engineering marvel. The first Air France A380 commercial flight took off from Paris CDG to New York JFK on November 23rd, 2009. However, it was not the success the airline had hoped for, and the initial enthusiasm quickly faded. "It's a tough airplane. At airports to board and to deplane takes a long time with special bridges required to accommodate the size. It takes a long time to get your bags, it uses more fuel. Operationally, it's not the best airplane to use," Air France-KLM CEO Ben Smith commented at an IATA conference last year, almost exactly ten years after that first CDG to JFK flight. The final A380 commercial flight was operated by the carrier on March 23rd this year, flying from Johannesburg to Paris CDG. By then, Air France had operated nearly 40,000 flights with the superjumbo, carrying almost 18 million passengers. https://simpleflying.com/air-france-last-airbus-a380-flight/ Back to Top NATA Announces 2020-2021 Board of Directors National Air Transportation Association (NATA) On June 23rd during its first-ever virtual Annual Meeting, the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) announced changes to its Board of Directors. Curt Castagna, President and CEO of Aeroplex/Aerolease Group (Long Beach, CA), was reelected to serve an additional term, as well as extending his service as Chairman by one year. Larry Wade, President of Golden Isles Aviation, has also been reelected to the Board for a second term. Clive Lowe, the Senior Vice President of Business Development for Atlantic Aviation (Arlington, VA) will continue in his appointed role as Vice Chair for one additional year. Two Members left the Board after their terms came to an end. Dennis Fox, Senior Vice President of Flight Operations and Director of Training for Executive Jet Management, has served on the Board since June of 2017. Guy Hill, CEO of Hill Aircraft and Leasing Corporation, is leaving the Board after having served two terms, beginning in April of 2014. During his terms, Guy Hill acted as Treasurer to the Board. Finally, Don Haloburdo had left the Board following his departure from Jet Aviation. NATA President & CEO Tim Obitts stated, "We are pleased to have Curt Castagna serve as Board Chairman for another year. The past year has held many changes for NATA and the business aviation community as a whole. During these trying times, maintaining a sense of continuity is critical to moving forward in a positive direction." Newly appointed to the Board for a term of three years are David Best, Senior Vice President, Jet Aviation; Joe Gibney, Chief Operating Officer, TAC Air; Josh Hochberg, President, Sonoma Jet Center; and John King, President, Solairus Aviation. "NATA is excited to appoint these new Board members who have been great supporters of the Association for many years. Their close ties to the Association, as well as their well-rounded perspectives on the aviation business community will ensure that the Board of Directors' input will continue to result in NATA's ability to respond successfully to legislative and regulatory issues and help ensure the industry's safety and success as NATA enters its 81st year of service," Obitts concluded. For the full list of NATA's Board of Directors, please click here. https://www.aviationpros.com/education-training/trade-associations-events/press-release/21143566/national-air-transportation-association-nata-nata-announces-20202021-board-of-directors Back to Top Mongolian Airlines Operates First Non-Stop Flight To The US History was made on Sunday when a MIAT Mongolian Airlines Boeing 767-300 aircraft operated the first ever non-stop flight to the United States from Mongolia. Let's take a look at this historic flight. The Independent reports that a MIAT Mongolian Airlines flight landed at Seattle International Airport on Sunday, 21st June. With this, it became the first ever non-stop service between any city in the United States and Mongolia. The flight lasted just under 11 hours in the direction departing Mongolia for the US, and just over 11 hours on the way back to Ulaanbaatar. It was not a passenger service, but a cargo one; its purpose was to deliver 60,000 items of personal protective equipment (PPE). This PPE cargo load was a donation made by the Mongolian government to the United States. In particular, it was sent to the Navajo Nation indigenous community, which has been hit particularly hard by COVID-19. The community has had 7,000 confirmed infections, for a population size of 175,000. This makes it one of the highest rates in the US, and indeed in the world. The aircraft that MIAT Mongolian Airlines sent to the US for this purpose is a seven-year-old Boeing 767-300, of which Mongolian has two in its fleet. The registration of the one that operated this flight is JU-1021. Interestingly, this aircraft carries the name Chinggis Khan. This is an alternative spelling of Genghis Khan, the notorious 12th-century ruler of a vast territory across central Asia. On the way back, the aircraft flew to Ulan Bator with over 200 Mongolian citizens on board, who had, until recently, been stuck in the United States due to travel restrictions. It also carried back multiple crates of dinosaur fossils that belonged to Mongolia. Mongolian Airlines has ambitions for scheduled USA flights Simple Flying previously reported that MIAT Mongolian Airlines has applied for permission to launch scheduled passenger services between Mongolia and the United States. Despite having an active fleet of just seven aircraft, the airline has expressed an interest in launching a single route between the US and Ulaanbaatar. This could perhaps really happen once MIAT Mongolian Airlines receives its first Boeing 787-9 in 2021. Similar to this rare sighting, there have been many other unusual sightings of aircraft across the world. An Ethiopian Airlines Cargo 777 flew to Banja Luka, a relatively tiny town in Bosnia and Herzegovina, to deliver medical cargo earlier this year. https://simpleflying.com/mogolian-airlines-us-non-stop-flight/ Back to Top Paris Orly Airport Reopens Friday After Being Closed For 3 Months When a plane takes off Friday for Portugal, it will mark the first flight from Paris Orly Airport since it closed on March 31 due to the coronavirus pandemic. While service is resuming, it will remain quite limited for now. Travelers will be able to catch flights to 25 destinations. But there will only be 70 takeoffs and landings daily compared to the typical 600 before the pandemic, according to the Agence France-Presse. That first flight will carry passengers to Porto, Portugal when it takes off at 6:00 AM local time. Airport officials have said they project about 8,000 travelers daily when service resumes, compared to the typical 90,000. How quickly air travel recovers in the coming months will depend on external factors France can't control, such as how quickly other countries subdue their coronavirus outbreaks and how quickly they re-open their airports for travel. Still, airports and airlines are a critical topic in France, and not just because it is traditionally the most-visited country. Airlines such as Easy Jet and Air France are among the largest employers in France. And more broadly, aerospace giants such as Airbus, based near Toulouse, have a huge economic impact in the country. Airbus in particular has been devastated as the pandemic has not only shut down orders but is also likely to have a long-term impact on travel. https://www.forbes.com/sites/chrisobrien/2020/06/25/paris-orly-airport-reopens-friday-after-being-closed-for-3-months/#4006a2425228 Back to Top Emirates to modify 10 passenger aircraft to expand cargo capacity The removal of seats on 10 Emirates aircraft will allow each of them to transport an additional 17 tonnes of cargo Emirates said that Emirates SkyCargo will be operating 10 modified Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. In response to strong demand for cargo, Dubai's Emirates has removed economy seats on some Boing 777-300ER to boost capacity, the airline said on Thursday. In a statement, Emirates said that Emirates SkyCargo will be operating 10 modified Boeing 777-300ER aircraft that are capable of transporting 132 cubic metres - or 17 tonnes - of cargo, in addition to the 40 to 50 tonnes that can be held in the aircraft's belly hold. The modified aircraft are being deployed on routes to "key" production and consumer markets, the airline said. "Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Emirates SkyCargo has taken very seriously its responsibility of connecting people and businesses across the world with the commodities that they urgently require," said Nabil Sultan, Emirates divisional senior vice president, cargo. "To this end, we have been working flat out, first to re-connect a global network of more than 85 destinations and then to introduce capacity options that fit what our customers demand from us including passenger aircraft flying only with belly hold cargo and loading cargo in the overhead bins and on passenger seats," he added. Modifying aircraft, Sultan added, will allow Emirates "to transport even more cargo per flight, allowing for more cargo to reach their destination faster and for more efficient cargo operations." Seven of the aircraft have already been modified at Emirates' engineering facilities in Dubai, with the other three due to be ready by mid-July. More than 3,000 seats have been removed. https://www.arabianbusiness.com/transport/448732-emirates-to-modify-10-passenger-aircraft-to-expand-cargo-capacity Back to Top Fourth MC-21 flight-test aircraft emerges from painting Irkut's fourth flight-test MC-21-300 has emerged from painting in Ulyanovsk and returned to join the rest of the certification fleet in Moscow. The aircraft, numbered 73056 and fitted with Pratt & Whitney PW1400G engines, was transferred to Moscow's Ramenskoye airfield on 25 June. Aircraft 73056 bears the flight-test fleet number '004' It features a cabin with a layout equating to a 211-seat all-economy configuration, with wider seats and narrower aisles, although only 172 are installed to make room for test workstations. "This maximum-density configuration has been chosen to carry out certification tests of the passenger cabin, including emergency exit tests," says the airframer. Irkut will test the aircraft with an all-economy layout of 211 seats Irkut says the workstations and other equipment will be removed, and a full seat layout fitted, before these tests are conducted. It states that the high-density layout is intended to appeal to the low-cost airline market. Irkut says it has overall orders for 175 MC-21s. https://www.flightglobal.com/air-transport/fourth-mc-21-flight-test-aircraft-emerges-from-painting/139000.article Back to Top Should the government buy airplane seats so passengers can social distance? American Airlines pilots think so American Airlines Group Inc.'s pilots called on the U.S. government to pay for enough jetliner seats to enable social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic, saying the move would help support carriers through the worst collapse in industry history. The estimated cost of the proposal would be about $1.9 billion a month for the 10 largest U.S. carriers as they operate an average 40% of their normal flying capacity, the Allied Pilots Association said in a statement Wednesday. That would rise to $3.8 billion when the airlines reach 80% of normal schedules and decline as immunity to the virus rises, the union said, adding that actual costs of the program are likely to be lower. The plan furthers calls to expand federal aid for devastated U.S. airlines, which already have received $25 billion for payroll costs and can borrow another $25 billion from the Treasury Department. As the pandemic gutted demand, carriers slashed flying, shrank fleets and encouraged workers to take leave or early retirement. Yet the risk of mass job losses looms when restrictions tied to the federal support expire after September. "We're still in an absolutely critical zone when traffic is just over 20% of what it was in 2019," union President Eric Ferguson said in an interview. "It's still quite dire." The largest U.S. airlines have limited the number of tickets they sell on each flight to allow middle seats to remain open, although some only do so when demand allows. The limits are designed to help prevent spread of the virus. But carriers have said that forgoing the sale of as much as 40% of seats per plane isn't sustainable. Under the APA proposal, "the government would purchase enough seats on each flight to eliminate the need for any passenger to sit next to a stranger," Ferguson said in the statement. "Passengers would be encouraged to fly more, airlines would be encouraged to operate more flights, and the government would ensure the preservation of critical transportation infrastructure and associated jobs." Lawmaker Discussions Payments would be based on the previous year's cost to fly each seat a mile to ensure "a level playing field," the APA said. The union said it has begun discussing the proposal with lawmakers. "We can appreciate the APA's resourcefulness in devising an idea designed to support the recovery of air travel," said Matt Miller, an American Airlines spokesman, though the carrier doesn't plan to lobby for additional support. The Treasury and Transportation departments didn't respond to requests for comment. The proposal follows a call Tuesday by the National Air Carrier Association for an extension of existing federal payroll support as airlines wait for more passengers to resume flying. The group represents discounters such as Spirit Airlines Inc. and Allegiant Travel Co., as well as smaller air cargo carriers and charter operators. Larger airlines haven't sought additional federal assistance, according to their trade group, Airlines for America. The Air Line Pilots Association, the largest labor group representing aviators, didn't comment directly on the APA proposal. Such a plan isn't among its current lobbying efforts, which include an extension of the federal payroll support program or similar efforts "to ensure the stability of the airline industry and a robust rebound," ALPA said by email. While domestic leisure travel has risen slightly, in some cases producing crowding on the smaller number of flights available, airlines have said that a full recovery could take as long as three years. https://fortune.com/2020/06/24/social-distancing-on-airplanes-us-government-buy-tickets-american-airlines-pilots-coronavirus/ Back to Top Jet It Sees Silver Lining Amid Covid Crisis Founded in 2018, fractional HondaJet operator Jet It is seeing growth, and expects to triple its fleet of HondaJet Elites to 15 over the next few years. While the Covid-19 pandemic has affected all sectors of aviation, for some it has provided opportunities. Among them is fractional aircraft provider Jet It, which launched in 2018 and operates only HondaJet Elites. With the small-to-midsize business jet segments seeing a stronger comeback due to the constraints on international travel and a renewed increase in private travel and the peace of mind it can afford, the company has seen growth. "We kind of consider now a very interesting time," said company CEO and co-founder Glenn Gonzales. "Our business model affords the market that's looking for private means of travel, more autonomy, and more control. Especially in today's environment with the pandemic, our business model coupled with that market is a great opportunity." Currently, the largest share the company will offer is a half, for $3 million. "We will not sell the whole airplane, we leave that to Honda," said Gonzales, a Lieutenant Col. in the USAF reserves who previously served as the airframer's regional sales manager for the Northeastern U.S. Other shares available range from the smallest of a tenth to a sixth, fifth, quarter, and third. "We've closed three shares in the last four weeks," said Gonzales. Different than most fractional operators, Jet It uses days rather than hours in its accounting, with a half share equating to 130 days use of the aircraft and stepping down depending on the size of the share. "If you call us in advance when you want to fly, the airplane shows up with your crew," Gonzales told AIN. "Essentially it's your airplane for the day-you can fly as many hours as we can squeeze into a normal crew duty day." The company's research indicates its typical niche mission involves 2.7 passengers and an average flight time of 90 minutes. With HondaJets currently based in North Carolina, Virginia, Delaware, and Florida, Jet It's operating model is predicated on the airplane returning to its base each night, offering its customers the ability to sleep in their own beds at the end of a day's travel. That isn't to say owners can't use their shares for one-way travel. "If you so choose, there's no reposition cost to come back and pick you up three or four days later," said Gonzales. In addition to a monthly maintenance fee to cover necessities such as insurance and Wi-Fi-which for a half share totals $13,000 monthly and is prorated for lesser shares-owners pay only the direct operating costs for the HondaJet, which currently tallies at $1,600 an hour, a price significantly lower than that for similar-sized aircraft. Currently, Jet It's fleet consists of five of the six-passenger light twinjets, four of which are fractionally-owned, while the fifth is leased. Gonzales confirmed it is currenty out of inventory and has a one-aircraft-per-five-owner ratio. When the aircraft are not required by their owner, Jet It is free to make them available through charter. Because of this, it expects to put approximately 800 flight hours a year on each aircraft. According to the company, by mid-June, it had already exceeded its charter quota for the month, while owner flying was increasing to approximately 70 percent of the pre-Covid-19 levels. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, near the HondaJet factory, the company, which has a tagline of "Private, Fast, Smart," has a firm order for 10 additional Elites and expects the next delivery in August. That aircraft will be based in the New York City area, the company said. "Over the next couple of years, we anticipate that we will bring those airplanes on fairly quickly," noted Gonzales, while describing plans for the remainder of 2020. "We should get another four here domestically and we are expanding into Canada." Further expansion through sister-company JetClub into Southeast Asia has been delayed by the pandemic, but plans are to install a HondaJet there as soon as the crisis subsides. Included in the owner package is concierge use, which can arrange for ground transportation via the company's preferred and vetted vendor, and for meals to be delivered to the owner on the road from trusted caterers. "It's essentially having your own executive assistant in house, and there is no additional charge for that," said Gonzales. He is especially proud of another unique benefit available through his company's fractional plan. "Being a pilot and aviator myself, flying fighters to Gulfstreams and the HondaJet, it is important to me to also have an opportunity to offer our program to owner-pilots that may have an interest in transitioning and flying their own airplane," Gonzales explained, adding such owners would still be responsible for their training and maintaining their medicals. "You have to fly with one of our captains on board, but it's an opportunity to fly your own private jet." https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2020-06-24/jet-it-sees-silver-lining-amid-covid-crisis Back to Top A NEW APPROACH TO FLIGHT AUTOMATION By Captain Shem Malmquist Every new jet relies heavily on state of the art computerized systems. Automation has been the "name of the game" for several decades now as designers layer on new software and hardware. Pilots are now accustomed to operating aircraft that contain flight automation that manages nearly every aspect of flight. This has led to well known phrases such as "the children of the magenta line," referring to pilots who are focused on just following the automation, and more technical terms such as "automation dependency" and similar concepts. We all know what these terms mean but are they accurate? Are pilots handicapped by a lack of basic stick and rudder skills or is something else afoot? Certainly, nobody would argue that stick and rudder skills do not become weaker as automation ramps up, but is that really the problem that is leading "automation dependent" pilots to loss of control events? As a training pilot and accident investigator I do not see pilots that are unable to fly the airplane. What I do see is pilots that keep messing with the automation in an attempt to "fix it" until it does what they want (hopefully). It could be that they realize they grabbed the wrong knob, for example, the airspeed instead of the heading, in response to an ATC clearance, or, for whatever reason, the autopilot was not intercepting an altitude that was set. In the process they get distracted, lose focus and end up in unexpected scenarios. The key here is really ensuring strict discipline. The pilot-flying must focus on flying the airplane. The pilot-monitoring must ensure the pilot-flying is doing what they are supposed to do. The pilot-monitoring is, literally, the "control" (to use system theory parlance) for the pilot-flying. My suggestion would be to teach both pilots to focus only on the aircraft path during any dynamic situation. Any changes to configuration, turns, initial climb and descents, altitude capture, etc., should involve both pilots focusing on flight instruments. Further, if something is not going as expected, immediately degrade the automation to a point where both pilots know with certainty what it will be doing next. That may involve turning off all automation. That brings us to the second problem no one is talking about. As we've learned from the two Boeing 737 Max accidents, pilots must have a fundamental idea of what computers are really doing, and what they are not doing. We tend to think of computers integrated into our aircraft as another hardware component. Either it does the job, or it has failed. Unlike an analog braking system or an altimeter, computers are fundamentally different Attempts to personalize computers with such terms as "machine intelligence" misses the point. Computers are not living, but they do interact with the world around them as they were designed to do. They are hooked up to sensors to "sense" the factors that the people who designed them deemed important and react the way the designers enabled and designed them to do. The computer might, therefore, be missing vital information critical to an alarming scenario simply because beyond the designer's imagination. Assuming that the data is all being collected as designed, it flows into the computer which uses a "process model" to decide what actions to take. The programmer has attached the computer output to various systems the computer is, literally, controlling. Unlike a living organism, a computer is totally unable to deviate from its programming. It cannot come up with a new or novel solution, it just simply follows its instructions. "I know xyz" and based on values of xyz I perform abc and that is all. There is no nuance here. Depending on the challenge at hand this can be useful or it can create new problems. One way problems can begin is when the data is accurate but the computer process model is flawed. This can be analogous to a person being trained to do the wrong thing. An example might be a person who is not following a checklist because they had an instructor insist that they followed that instructor's "technique" instead. Problems can also begin when the data coming in is flawed. Here the computer does exactly what it was programmed to do, no more, no less. If the designer anticipated the exact data problem the computer should do something rational. For instance, it might stop all further actions and alert the pilot that it cannot do its assigned job. However, if the designer did not anticipate a problem then there is no way for the pilot, in real time, to be certain of what the computer might now do. Yes, any person with software knowledge could look at the code and the data and tell you what it might do in that scenario. That doesn't help when an new scenario is suddenly discovered mid-flight. Now recall the data inputs on an aircraft system, say a flight control computer. It needs airspeed, angle of attack, flight control positions, flap positions, it might need CG, g-loading (Nz), mach numbers and more. It takes that information in, and then, based on what commands are given to it by the pilot (inputs), runs it through a process model and then out to the control surfaces, engines and other items it might managing. These can include elevators, ailerons, spoilers, rudders, flaps, slats, trim, etc. The output is dependent on the input coupled with the programming, which becomes the process model. OK, hold that thought for a moment. What is your procedure if something happens on takeoff that is not in the books? No QRH, or at least, no immediate action items. Let's say a sensor failure, a loss of angle of attack, a loss of the g-force or even the inability of the computer to read a flight control position. You have some sort of fault indication (maybe) right after V1, what would you do? Most training programs would have you to continue the takeoff, positive rate, gear up, get to a safe altitude, clean it up, then troubleshoot (maybe), or perhaps just continue to the destination. All nice, except for one little problem. Remember that computer process model? The computer's process model is now flawed due to bad data. The computer is unable to "know" the correct actions. Changing any aspect might result in an unexpected outcome as the computer mixes the new details of your changes with bad data. All that goes into the software for a new "decision" on what output to perform. This is, in a nutshell, what occurred on the Max accidents. Pilots retracted the flaps and BANG, MCAS was activated. A change was coupled with a bad input in a scenario not anticipated in the design. The rest is now aviation history. MCAS is not the only "gremlin" out there like this. There are others lurking. For example, something as seemingly innocuous as the pilot giving the computer commands in a way that was not anticipated by the designer can yield unexpected outcomes. So what can a pilot do? One suggestion is to consider the way computers work. If the airplane is flying ok, maybe it is worth considering not changing anything. No change to the configuration, no change to anything that is within the pilot control. Just keep it flying, and when any changes are made, be prepared for an unexpected outcome. In a traditional legacy airplane this was no problem. Changing the flaps or the landing gear would be unlikely to entirely change the way the airplane handled. Changing the flaps would not suddenly trigger secondary systems in unexpected ways. That is no longer true. There is simply no way to train pilots to understand all the possible ways that every system might react to every circumstance. Arguably (and based on what we have seen) even the designers might not have considered all these possibilities. So I would argue that our procedures are not keeping up with the changes to our aircraft architecture. Until they get caught up, pilots need to have a much better understanding of how computers work and how they interact with the world around them. Captain Shem Malmquist’s new book GROUNDED: Can We Ever Fly Again with Roger Rapoport is available for preorder from Curt Lewis Aviation Books. Back to Top Relativity makes deals with Vandenberg AFB and Iridium for California launches Relativity Space, a startup that was born in Seattle but grew up in Los Angeles, says it has signed an agreement to develop launch facilities at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, and a contract with Iridium to launch satellites from those facilities. The flurry of announcements marks a significant expansion for a company that barely existed five years ago but has raised $185 million since then. Relativity is gearing up to build rocket parts using giant 3-D printers in Southern California, testing rocket engines at NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi and creating a launch complex at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The first launch of its Terran 1 rocket is scheduled for late next year at the Cape. Florida is well-suited for launches into low- and mid-inclination orbits - the kinds of orbits that have been traced by space shuttles and the International Space Station. But Vandenberg is tailor-made for the pole-to-pole orbits used for the satellites in Iridium's telecommunications constellation. The newly announced right-of-entry agreement with the Air Force clears Relativity Space to assess its options for conducting launch operations from Vandenberg's Building 330 and adjacent areas. If the project proceeds as planned, Relativity would be ready to start launching satellites into polar and sun-synchronous orbits from its California launch pad in 2023. "Expanding to two launch sites is a huge step for us as a company, continuing our momentum and growth," Jordan Noone, Relativity's co-founder and chief technology officer, told GeekWire. Col. Anthony Mastalir, commander of Vandenberg's 30th Space Wing, said in a news release that his unit "takes great pride in supporting the next generation of leaders in space." "We are impressed by Relativity's innovative approach to reinventing aerospace manufacturing via 3-D metal printing and robotics, paired with an executive team of seasoned aerospace leaders," Mastalir said. The schedule for setting up the Vandenberg launch site meshes with the timetable for Relativity's Iridium contract - which calls for up to six dedicated launches starting no earlier than 2023. The second-generation Iridium NEXT constellation was delivered to low Earth orbit by eight SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches over the course of two years. Each launch sent up a batch of as many as 10 satellites. Iridium's current constellation consists of 66 operational satellites and nine on-orbit spares. Six spare satellites remain in ground storage, and those are the spacecraft that Relativity would launch on an as-needed basis. "The upgraded Iridium satellite constellation is operating incredibly well, but it's prudent to have a cost-effective launch option available for future spare delivery," Iridium CEO Matt Desch said in a news release. "Relativity's Terran 1 fits our launch needs to LEO well from both a price, responsiveness and capability perspective." Financial terms of the agreement weren't disclosed. Noone said the Terran 1's ability to send up to 2,000 pounds of payload into a pole-to-pole orbit was a good match for Iridium's 1,500-pound satellites. That particular payload capacity is a relatively open market niche in the launch industry. Rocket Lab, Virgin Orbit and Astra are targeting the lower end of the spectrum, while the bigger players - including Arianespace, Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman, SpaceX and United Launch Alliance - are going after the higher end. Noone said Relativity Space and Firefly Aerospace, another startup that hasn't yet gotten off the ground, were shaping up as the U.S.-based launch providers of choice for 2,000-pound (1,000-kilogram) payloads. "The last rocket to be flying consistently at that size was the Delta 2," he said. Noone and Relativity's other founder, Tim Ellis, have rocketry roots that connect up with Blue Origin, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' space venture. Before Relativity, Ellis worked on propulsion development and 3-D printing at Blue Origin. Noone was a Blue Origin intern, then went on to work at SpaceX as a propulsion engineer, and then joined up with Ellis in 2015 to get Relativity started in Seattle. "We had our first office in the WeWork [co-working space] in South Lake Union," Noone recalled. "The world is a very different place from what it was five years ago - for us, the world in general and for WeWork." Relativity relocated to the Los Angeles area by the time it came out of stealth. Thanks to 3-D printing technology, the company's Terran 1 rocket is designed to be built in less than 60 days, with a target launch cost of $10 million. Future customers include Seattle-based Spaceflight Inc., the Canadian satellite operator Telesat and space startups Momentus and mu Space. The company's rapid growth has been fueled by high-profile investments from Bond, Tribe Capital, Playground Global, Y Combinator, Social Capital and billionaire tech entrepreneur Mark Cuban. One of the more recent investors is former Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff. The funding has allowed Relativity to assemble a team of about 165 employees who include some high-profile hires, such as Zachary Dunn, SpaceX's former senior vice president of propulsion and launch. In addition to the deals with the Air Force and Iridium, Relativity announced today that Muhammad Shahzad has joined the company as its chief financial officer. Shahzad, who most recently served as CFO for The Honest Company, brings more than 15 years of experience in finance and capital markets to Relativity. "We've always had a really strong ability to hire top talent from other companies," Noone said, "and that's preparing the company for the next phase of growth." https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/relativity-makes-deals-vandenberg-afb-130049057.html Back to Top NASA aims for early August splashdown for Crew Dragon Space station commander Chris Cassidy and Robert Behnken plan to float outside Friday for the first of up to four spacewalks needed to complete the replacement of aging batteries in the lab's solar power system. NASA managers hope to get the work done in time for Behnken and crewmate Douglas Hurley to return to Earth aboard their Crew Dragon capsule around August 2, officials said Wednesday. When the SpaceX capsule blasted off atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket May 30, NASA managers had not specified a return date. But flight controllers now are "looking at landing in the early August timeframe," Steve Stich, manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, told reporters during a spacewalk preview teleconference. "The earliest would be around the second of August," he added. "We're working those opportunities with the space station program." An early August splashdown for the SpaceX capsule would give engineers time to thoroughly evaluate the spacecraft's first piloted test flight, known as Demo 2, before clearing the decks for an operational, full-duration mission with four astronauts in the mid-September timeframe. That flight is known as the Crew One mission. "Right now, we think we need about six weeks of time to review all the data from the landing and the undocking, and then go through the review process to get to the Crew One launch," Stich said. "So there's kind of a six-week iron bar, if you will, between the Demo Two landing and the Crew One launch, and that's going to be a factor as we look at launch dates later on for Crew One." Since docking at the space station the day after launch, the Crew Dragon has spent most of its time powered down in a sort of electronic hibernation. But flight controllers wake it up every Wednesday to collect engineering data and evaluate its performance. So far, 25 days into its mission, the capsule is performing in near flawless fashion. One question mark going into the flight was how the spacecraft's solar cells might be affected by atomic oxygen in the space environment. Engineers expected their performance to degrade over time but as it turns out, the system has been performing above pre-flight predictions. "The vehicle is doing extremely well," Stich said. "We're learning a lot about the vehicle. Nothing that's of any concern, learning how to manage the systems, the heaters and thermal performance as we go through the changes in the orbit. Also, we've been watching the power generation (and) Dragon's generating more power than we expected." Hurley and Behnken will end their mission with NASA's first ocean splashdown since the Apollo-Soyuz mission in 1975. Going into the flight, NASA was focused on landing zones off Cape Canaveral or Jacksonville with a backup site in the Gulf of Mexico near Pensacola. Stich said mission managers now are evaluating additional sites off Panama City, Tallahassee, Tampa and Daytona Beach to provide more options in the event of stormy tropical weather. The Crew Dragon carries enough on-board supplies for about three days of flight after leaving the space station. Stich said depending on when the ship actually departs and which landing site is selected, the trip home could be as short as six hours or could stretch to a full day or even longer. "It looks like the first opportunity to undock and come home would be around August 2," Stich said. "We'll just have to sort of see how the EVAs go." The space station's four huge solar wings feed power into eight electrical channels, originally relying on 48 nickel-hydrogen batteries, six per power channel, to supply electricity when the station is not in direct sunlight. In a multi-year project, spacewalking astronauts have replaced 36 of the 48 older batteries, installing 18 smaller and more efficient lithium-ion powerpacks and circuit-completing adapter plates in their place. Behnken and Cassidy, who launched to the station April 9 aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, plan two spacewalks, one Friday and the second next Wednesday, to install three of the final six new batteries and adapter plates in power channel 1B and to store the six batteries they will replace. Two more EVAs will be needed to install the final three batteries in channel 3B. https://www.yahoo.com/news/nasa-aims-early-august-splashdown-010309613.html 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