Flight Safety Information August 6, 2020 - No. 158 In This Issue Frontier Airlines Takes Safety to a Whole New Level with ProSafeT Incident: Jazz DH8D at Iles de la Madeleine on Jul 29th 2020, flaps problem Incident: Jazz CRJ9 near Halifax on Jul 28th 2020, fuel anomalies FAA proposes $1.25 million in civil penalties against Boeing for pressuring FAA designees Alabama woman cited after bringing two handguns on airplane Italy threatens Ryanair flight ban for alleged Covid-19 violations FAA Striving For Balance in Supersonic Regs. More than a dozen GOP senators join call to extend airline bailout program as job losses loom Honeywell Creates a Blockchain 'Search Engine' for Aircraft Parts Data The race is on to replace NATO's early-warning aircraft fleet American Airlines pilots can work every other month or take leave to avoid job cuts Airbus and Boeing Will Keep Making Jets That Airlines Can't Buy Armstrong's record-breaking jet donated to museum XTRAirways selects Vistair to provide Document Management Business Aviation Safety Consortium (BASC) announces new Standardization Board Members ALS Aviation Courses offered during August / September 2020 The USC Aviation Safety & Security Program Will Offer Online and In-Person Classes This Fall Trinity College Dublin and EASA Air Ops Community Survey on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on aviation workers Swinburne University Capstone Research Projects 2020 - Airline pax preferences Study Swinburne University Capstone Research Projects 2020 - UAM/RCO Study Graduate Research Survey (1) Graduate Research Survey (2) GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY (3) Incident: Jazz DH8D at Iles de la Madeleine on Jul 29th 2020, flaps problem A Jazz de Havilland Dash 8-400, registration C-GGND performing flight QK-734 from Fredericton,NB to Iles de la Madeleine,QC (Canada) with 39 people on board, was on approach to Iles de la Madeleine when the crew received a FLAP POWER indication and could not extend the flaps beyond 17 degrees. The crew declared PAN PAN, stopped the descent at 2500 feet and diverted the aircraft to Halifax,NS (Canada) where the aircraft landed safely about 70 minutes later. The aircraft had performed flight QK-8734 from Montreal,QC to Iles de la Madeleine but had diverted to Fredericton. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/JZA734/history/20200729/1535Z/CYFC/CYGR https://avherald.com/h?article=4dae47a9&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Jazz CRJ9 near Halifax on Jul 28th 2020, fuel anomalies A Jazz Canadair CRJ-705, registration C-FKJZ performing flight QK-8011 from St. John's,NL to Toronto,ON (Canada) with 10 people on board, was enroute at FL380 when the crew received an AUTO XFLOW INHIB message followed by a XFLOW PUMP caution message. The crew worked the checklists to correct a 300lbs fuel imbalance using gravity cross flow. While continuing to monitor the fuel quantities the crew observed the left fuel quantity was reducing more than by the engine fuel burn and consulted with maintenance. When the aircraft was about 160nm north of Halifax,NS (Canada) the crew decided to divert to Halifax where the aircraft landed safely about 30 minutes later. The Canadian TSB reported maintenance found a fuel quantity gauging computer fault and faulty left hand primary ejector crossfeed fuel line. The faults were corrected. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/JZA8011/history/20200728/2230Z/CYYT/CYYZ https://avherald.com/h?article=4dae4981&opt=0 Back to Top FAA proposes $1.25 million in civil penalties against Boeing for pressuring FAA designees 6 August 2020 The FAA proposes two civil penalties totaling $1.25 million against Boeing for alleged violations in the program that allows the aircraft manufacturer to perform certain functions on behalf of the FAA. The FAA alleges that Boeing managers exerted undue pressure or interfered with the work of FAA designees at the company's plant in South Carolina. The first civil penalty, for $1,066,655, alleges Boeing implemented an improper structure of its FAA-approved Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) program. The ODA program authorizes Boeing to perform approved functions on behalf of the FAA, including inspecting aircraft and issuing airworthiness certificates. Between November 2017 and July 2019, employees in two ODA units reported to managers who were not in approved ODA management positions. Boeing failed to ensure ODA administrators were in a position to effectively represent the FAA's interests, the FAA alleges. The FAA further alleges that between September 2018 and May 2019, non-ODA Boeing managers exerted undue pressure or interfered with ODA unit members. The second civil penalty, for $184,522, alleges Boeing on Feb. 26, 2020 failed to follow its quality control processes and subjected ODA members to undue pressure or interfered with an airworthiness inspection of a Boeing 787-9. In both cases, the FAA found that despite the alleged undue pressure or interference from Boeing managers, the ODA unit members fulfilled their FAA responsibilities to ensure aircraft were conforming and in a condition for safe operation prior to issuance of their airworthiness certificates. Boeing has 30 days after receiving the FAA's enforcement letters to respond to the agency. https://news.aviation-safety.net/2020/08/06/faa-proposes-1-25-million-in-civil-penalties-against-boeing-for-pressuring-faa-designees/ Back to Top Alabama woman cited after bringing two handguns on airplane • The guns were a beige .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun and a purple .38 caliber revolver. Both weapons were not loaded. NORFOLK, Va. (WWBT) - The Transportation Security Administration says an Alabama woman was stopped and cited for bringing two handguns onto an airplane at Norfolk International Airport. On Aug. 4, TSA officers notified airport police after the guns were detected in the woman's carry-on items through the checkpoint X-ray machine. The guns were a beige .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun and a purple .38 caliber revolver. Both weapons were not loaded. Airport police responded and confiscated both weapons and detained the woman for questioning. The TSA says the woman was cited on weapons charges. Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are properly packaged and declared. Firearms must be unloaded, packed in a hard-sided case, locked, and packed separately from ammunition. Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality. https://www.nbc12.com/2020/08/05/alabama-woman-cited-after-bringing-two-handguns-airplane/ Back to Top Italy threatens Ryanair flight ban for alleged Covid-19 violations • Airline says it is complying fully with anti-virus measures • The Italian regulator warned that if the breaches continue, it would consider suspending Ryanair flights to and from Italy. Ryanair has clashed with Italy's air travel regulators, who have threatened to ground the airline's flights for breaches of Covid-19 safeguards. Enac, Italy's civil aviation authority, confirmed on Wednesday that it wrote to Ryanair for violations of its anti-Covid health regulations on board the Irish carrier's craft. Ryanair called the claims "factually incorrect" and said it complied fully with all anti-virus measures set by the Italian government and was doing everything to protect its passengers' health. Enac warned that if the breaches continue, it would consider suspending Ryanair flights to and from Italy. The Italian regulator also said that it has raised the issue with the Irish Aviation Authority, the Republic's air travel watchdog. Italy has allowed airlines to derogate from social distancing rules if they take other steps to protect passengers from coronavirus instead. Enac's statement points out that airline crew must enforce safeguards, including wearing face masks, on board each craft. Consistent The safety body described Ryanair's breaches as consistent. It also warned that it would remove the derogation from the carrier, forcing it to sell only half the seats on its craft. Ryanair said that its procedures were in line with those set out by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC). "All passengers are encouraged to check-in online, and the boarding process is now contactless to avoid unnecessary contact at airports," the airline said. "Ryanair has also implemented specific boarding procedures to avoid unnecessary gathering of passengers both at boarding gates and onboard the aircraft." The company added that it limits carry-on baggage to further limit passengers from congregating, offers limited inflight service and accepts only contactless payments on board. "All Ryanair passengers and crew must wear face masks at all times throughout the flight," the airline pointed out. It noted that aircraft have air filters that remove airborne particles at the same rate as those used in hospitals. Passenger protection "Ryanair complies fully with the measures set out by the Italian government and our customers can rest assured that we are doing everything to reduce interaction on both our aircraft and at airports to protect the health of our passengers when flying Ryanair," the airline said. Eddie Wilson, chief executive of Ryanair Designated Activity Company, the group's biggest subsidiary, told Irish politicians last week that the airline operated strictly to the guidelines set out by the EASA and ECDC. He was arguing the case for the Government to lift its current travel restrictions and add all EU states and the UK to its "green list" of safe travel destinations. Italy is one of the countries on the list. The EASA and ECDC jointly published the guidelines in May to aid airlines in restarting flights after Covid-19 travel bans across the EU had grounded them for months. The Republic's restrictions, which include a 14-day quarantine for travellers arriving into the State, and giving their locations to officials, are among the strictest in the EU. Ryanair restarted flying 40 per cent of its schedules across Europe a month ago. It hopes to increase this to 70 per cent by the end of the year. https://www.irishtimes.com/business/transport-and-tourism/italy-threatens-ryanair-flight-ban-for-alleged-covid-19-violations-1.4323049 Back to Top FAA Striving For Balance in Supersonic Regs The FAA is placing a priority on supporting the emergence of supersonic technologies, but the agency must apply appropriate regulatory and environmental safeguards, said a key agency official. "Our focus...has been how we can support the reemergence of supersonic aircraft from a regulatory perspective to ensure that, as technology advances, the FAA is putting in place the necessary regulatory changes," said Kevin Welsch, executive director of the FAA's Office of Environment and Energy during a recent American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Aviation Forum. For years, certification projects remained steady and "looked similar," he said. But in the last few years, "all of a sudden that space has exploded in terms of the types of regulations we are doing... It is a lot of work for government agencies to catch up with innovation. That's one of our major focuses," Welsch said. Welsch pointed to the two primary regulatory activities underway on supersonic, one involved with enabling certification fight testing and another establishing certification noise landing and takeoff standards. The agency is now sorting through comments on both proposals as it shapes a final rule The proposals have been in the works for several years, he said, and will mark "a really big step" for supersonic aircraft development. "The challenge was to both provide enough flexibility to this emerging industry and market to allow continued development while also addressing considerations about noise exposure," Welsch said, adding the agency is "trying to find a balance." Assessing environmental tradeoffs against aircraft technologies "is at the core of what my office does," he said. "We spend a lot of resources in modeling those impacts and assessing them." He acknowledged that in the supersonic realm, there will be organizations that simply have the policy to oppose development, and said it is difficult to work through issues with those who are not open to dialog. However, the FAA is looking at how to mitigate effects and hopes to communicate that what is proposed from a noise standpoint is consistent with the majority of aircraft currently in production. "On emissions, it's going to be very difficult," he conceded. "It's going to be something that the industry needs to address very seriously." Regulatory requirements need to address that as well. However, there are options, Welsch added, such as carbon offsets and sustainable fuel use. Those rulemakings must "connect back" to international standards. "Ultimately, any standards that we put in the U.S. are good domestically, but these aircraft...need to be able to fly to other places," he said. The rules must be harmonized, he added, noting the agency is working intensively with the International Civil Aviation Organization on a standards-setting process that could gain global acceptance. "To do this, there's a lot going on. It's a really important piece," he said. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2020-07-29/faa-striving-balance-supersonic-regs Back to Top More than a dozen GOP senators join call to extend airline bailout program as job losses loom Airlines have warned that they could lay off tens of thousands of employees come Oct. 1 Sixteen Senate Republicans on Wednesday called on congressional leaders to extend a program that provides money to support airlines' payrolls in exchange for prohibiting them from laying off employees during the coronavirus pandemic. The $25 billion payroll support program was passed as part of March's massive economic relief package known as the Cares Act and is set to expire on Oct. 1. Airlines have warned that they might have to lay off more than 74,000 employees after that date as they continue to experience deeply depressed demand for flights due to the pandemic. In a letter to colleagues, the senators wrote that they "support a clean extension of payroll support for passenger air carrier employees included in the Cares Act to avoid furloughs and further support those workers." The letter's lead signer was Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), and it was also signed by Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), who chairs the committee that has responsibility for aviation. The senators join more than 223 members of the House, mostly Democrats, but also a few Republicans, in signaling their support for the program, boosting its chances of being included in a final deal on a second round of coronavirus relief. Securing the program has been a priority for labor unions representing workers in the aviation industry. Airline leaders have said they support the idea, while emphasizing that the effort is being led by the unions. As airline workers face steep job losses, unions call on Congress to extend $25 billion rescue package Sara Nelson, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, which represents 50,000 flight attendants at 19 airlines, said her members had "burned up congressional phone lines over the past week" to obtain support for extending the program. "This provision is the most successful jobs program of covid relief and maintains service to all of our communities," Nelson said in a statement. The Cares Act was passed before the country went into its period of tightest lockdown to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, and air travel all but ceased. But neither Democrats in the House nor Republicans in the Senate included an extension of the airline payroll program in their opening proposals for the next round of relief. Democrats passed their version in May, when it looked as though demand for air travel might recover well before October. But as the virus has persisted in the United States and some governors have required visitors from hot-spot states to quarantine, the growth in passenger travel has stalled at about 30 percent of last year's levels. On Tuesday, the Transportation Security Administration screened 543,000 people, compared with almost 2.4 million on the same day last year. Airline executives say they expect a long, uneven recovery and that the industry will be smaller for years to come. Jobs are not under threat across the industry: Southwest Airlines has said it doesn't anticipate layoffs. But United Airlines has warned of the largest layoffs, saying some 36,000 employees could be let go. American Airlines has warned of about 25,000 layoffs. Joe DePete, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, International, said Congress must act to save those jobs. "Unless we all act now, this aid, and the strong labor protections attached to it, will expire Oct. 1 - even though the virus is not under control and the travel industry remains devastated," he said in a statement. https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2020/08/05/more-than-dozen-republican-senators-join-call-extend-airline-bailout-program-job-losses-loom/ Back to Top Honeywell Creates a Blockchain 'Search Engine' for Aircraft Parts Data Aerospace giant Honeywell will use a blockchain system to streamline the documentation of aircraft parts and services. Honeywell International Inc has created a blockchain-based system to solve the complex documentation and data storage processes of the aerospace industry. The company announced that its blockchain subsidiary GoDirect Trade will integrate the aircraft record generation process into its blockchain system. Doing so will allow Honeywell customers to search aerospace parts and service data through its interface. Making data handling more efficient In its present state, data related to aerospace parts and services are scattered across computer systems and hard copies. This results in airline companies and operators sometimes losing important documents that are crucial for proving the legitimacy of parts. GoDirect Trade general manager Lisa Butters said that by using blockchain, Honeywell intends to record all data related to the thousands of aerospace parts it manufactures and repairs every day, adding: "In aerospace, this is a game-changing technology that will simplify and transform recordkeeping for aircraft owners and airlines around the world." By recording all data on a single ledger, Honeywell expects to ease the process of searching and accessing aircraft-related data and make data handling more efficient for its customers. Honeywell claims that, in the case of missing documents, customers will now be able to reconstruct the aircraft part's data and document by inputting the part number and serial number on their application. To that end, Butters said: "Honeywell's offering is like a search engine, but it works for anything and everything related to aircraft parts and service." https://cointelegraph.com/news/honeywell-creates-a-blockchain-search-engine-for-aircraft-parts-data Back to Top The race is on to replace NATO's early-warning aircraft fleet WASHINGTON - On June 29, a solicitation titled, "NATO International Competitive Bidding (ICB): Alliance Future Surveillance and Control (AFSC) Project-Risk Reduction and Feasibility Study," popped up on Beta.Sam.Gov, a U.S. government contracting site. The appearance of the notice represented an early, but important, step in a long process of finding a replacement for NATO's fleet of airborne early warning and control AWACS planes, which have seen increased usage over the past five years. "What you've spotted online is the U.S. government preparing U.S. companies for this upcoming call for bids," a NATO official, speaking on background, explained to Defense News. "Allies will then need to decide what form [the new design] should take." Currently, 18 nations participate in NATO's early-warning-and-control force, which operates 14 E-3As: Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The planes are based at NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen, Germany. NATO plans to spend $1 billion for a final service life extension of the aircraft, which would keep it flying until 2035. Any delays in the decision-making process will likely increase the cost for the fleet, meaning there is heavy pressure to hit key milestones for an alliance that rarely buys military gear as collective. As of July, six consortia from across the alliance have delivered concept studies to NATO leadership; Brussels is "currently assessing" those concepts with the goal of defining a "more narrow scope" for requirements before the end of 2020, per the NATO official. That will be followed in 2021 by another round of responses from industry, and a 2023 deep dive by NATO which is likely to set up the final requirements. Overall, the development stage through 2023 has a budget of EUR 118.2 million ($139 million). NATO is still yet to decide whether a single platform or a system of systems will replace its E-3A AWACS fleet of surveillance planes. In the U.S., expect Boeing and Northrop Grumman to be in the running, while the likely European contenders would be Saab and Airbus, according to Doug Barrie, senior military air analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank in London. "With all the usual caveats, the most likely outcome is that it is U.S., perhaps with some European add-ons," Barrie predicts. Richard Aboulafia, an analyst with the Teal Group, agrees that a "U.S. prime, and lots of European mandates for local sustainment, support, and upgrade work" is a likely outcome. "The European industrial role is a bit complicated by the fact that Airbus has zero experience here," Aboulafia argued. "Saab certainly can do the job, but GlobalEye simply doesn't have the capabilities of a higher-end system, which means Boeing, or, just conceivably, Northrop Grumman/Lockheed Martin." Firms that end up as second-tier suppliers may still end up with a strong work share, depending on how the project shapes up. The official NATO line on the program follows the "system of systems" approach currently popular inside the U.S. Air Force, with the idea that a single platform may not be the optimal solution. "The replacement for the AWACS aircraft could include different combinations of systems in the air, on land, at sea, in space and in cyberspace," the NATO official said. "The aim is for the solution to be ready by 2035, when the AWACS aircraft reach the end of their service life." Barrie sees costs and benefits to either approach, noting that a distributed system "is less vulnerable overall to kinetic attack but is heavily reliant on connectivity," while a traditional setup "is more vulnerable to physical attack, but if there is onboard command and control less reliant overall on wider connectivity and off-board analysis." Adds Aboulafia, "That system-of-systems approach is a good talking point, but creating the broader architecture is quite complicated. Also, creating a system is kind of a given for airborne early warning, but there needs to be a central platform doing the bulk of the heavy lifting. Thus, the teams will need to revolve around a platform prime." While the overall price of the program will depend on the final design, Aboulafia predicts everything put together could cost in the $10 billion range to buy an equivalent of the original 17-aircraft NATO purchase. And that money may well be worth it for the alliance, according to Barrie. "It's been a practical and a symbolic asset," he said, "and in the current European security environment air surveillance and C2 isn't becoming any less important." https://www.defensenews.com/smr/nato-air-power/2020/08/06/the-race-is-on-to-replace-natos-early-warning-aircraft-fleet/ Back to Top American Airlines pilots can work every other month or take leave to avoid job cuts American Airlines has reached a deal with its pilots union designed to reduce the number of job losses in October as the airline shrinks because fewer people are flying during the pandemic. American had previously offered early retirement to pilots and other employees. But, Senior Vice President Kimball Stone said Tuesday, "we still had many more people than necessary to run our operation." The agreement with the Allied Pilots Association would let pilots work every other month through next May, or take leave while receiving training so they could be rehired if travel demand recovers. It is the latest among a number of deals negotiated by airlines and their unions to limit or avoid job cuts in October. That is when federal relief for airline labor costs and a ban on layoffs end. Congress is considering giving passenger airlines another $25 billion to avoid layoffs shortly before the Nov. 3 election. Last month, American, which is based in Fort Worth, Texas, warned 25,000 employees, including about 2,500 pilots, that they could be furloughed, or laid off with rehiring rights. More than 800 American pilots took early retirement. Delta Air Lines, which sent furlough warnings to more than 2,500 pilots, got 2,200 to take early retirement. United Airlines warned 36,000 employees that they could lose their jobs. A hoped-for recovery in air travel leveled off in June and July as the number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. surged. Passenger traffic is down more than 70% from a year ago. https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-american-airlines-coronavirus-pilot-jobs-20200805-6vdqdt6fpzcbnf4or3r223e6ba-story.html Back to Top Airbus and Boeing Will Keep Making Jets That Airlines Can't Buy • The airplane makers plan to continue production even as their customers struggle to survive. For decades, the competition between Airbus SE and Boeing Co. has centered on issues such as which could build the biggest jumbo jet or log the most multibillion-dollar sales each year. Then the coronavirus hit. Now the world's two dominant plane makers will battle to see which one can best weather an unprecedented downturn in air travel that's emptied the wallets of the airlines that buy their planes. With new orders dormant, the challenge is to cut costs and protect cash while keeping factory systems and global webs of suppliers operating at a high enough pace to retain essential skills and be ready to bounce back when the crisis passes. Getting the balance right will be tough, given that Airbus and Boeing together employ almost 300,000 people and sell aircraft that typically take a year to build. Walking this tightrope is also expensive: In the second quarter, Boeing burned through $5.6 billion in cash; Airbus, $5.2 billion. And things are set to get tougher, as a fresh surge in infections prompts new travel restrictions worldwide. Airbus and Boeing are sharply reducing output, announcing plans to reduce staff and trimming costs in research. They've also entered into what Airbus Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Faury calls "difficult" discussions with customers, negotiating to stretch out delivery schedules while prodding airlines not to walk away from commitments. That risks creating a dynamic that pits the plane makers against ailing carriers, as they try to get them to honor contracts and accept jets they can't afford and don't need. If they don't press carriers to pay for at least some of the planes ordered during flush times, then the airframe manufacturers will have to burn more cash to keep their operations humming. But if they push too hard, they could further hobble some customers financially-endangering future sales or even driving them toward bankruptcy, jeopardizing existing contracts. "It's more about finding ways to deal with the situation together," Faury says. Even at lower production levels-a roughly 40% drop at Airbus alone-it's unclear whether the market will be able to absorb the jets the two companies will churn out in coming years. Neither wants to cut too quickly, out of fear of ceding business to its archrival, according to Sash Tusa, an analyst with Agency Partners in London. He says they're also reluctant to lower production rates until after airlines have agreed to pay the costs associated with deferring deliveries of aircraft often ordered many years earlier. "Airbus and Boeing are now playing a potentially damaging game of chicken," Tusa says. At the end of the second quarter, Airbus had 145 finished jets awaiting delivery. Boeing has about 450 of its 737 Max jets ready to ship once regulators clear the plane to fly again. Deliveries have been frozen since March 2019 following two deadly crashes; the go-ahead from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is expected by the end of fall. By Tusa's count, more than 1,600 planes are scheduled to enter or reenter service next year-on par with the industry's production peak in 2018. While airlines retiring some older, fuel-guzzling planes from fleets will help, each plane maker is taking the calculated risk of continuing to produce jets faster than the market can absorb them. Airbus is set to complete 51 aircraft a month, despite delivering only 74 in the entire second quarter. Even as Boeing scales back its production plans, it wants to get back to producing 31 of its 737 Max jets a month by early 2022. The monthly build rates for its widebody 787s and 777s were at 19 pre-Covid and are coming down to a combined 8 jets a month next year. The U.S. manufacturer is pushing to hand over at least half of the grounded 737 Max aircraft in the first 12 months after the plane's return to service. But delivery delays related to the grounding have given customers extra leverage to demand flexibility on when they accept the jets. "Both are very focused on minimizing cash burn, and part of that strategy is ensuring you don't build a lot of airplanes that sit on the ramp," says Bloomberg Intelligence analyst George Ferguson. "Airbus is being less cautious than Boeing, trying to build through the downturn in hopes that as things fade, the customers will come and get their airplanes." By continuing to produce more than it can deliver, Airbus would provide greater support for its cash-strapped supplier network and more jobs for its own workforce, something Faury has flagged as a priority. The danger is that if the recovery comes later than expected-a growing possibility as areas in Europe and elsewhere see a flareup in Covid-19 cases-Airbus will be stuck with even more planes it can't push on the airlines. The company has matched its adjustments as closely as possible to the downturn "in a way that is sustainable and brings back stability, not only for the company but also the wider supply chain, too," says Chief Operating Officer Michael Schöllhorn. It can cut back further if needed, he says. Airlines are sounding an increasingly cautious note. Air France-KLM said on July 31 that it will continue to take aircraft only if it has financing. Air Canada in July threatened to cancel Boeing and Airbus orders, including for Airbus's Quebec-made A220 narrowbody jet, if it doesn't get support from the Canadian government. Willie Walsh, CEO of British Airways owner IAG SA, said airlines that treat the crisis as temporary are "misguided." A further downturn in demand could force more drastic measures. Boeing is already considering consolidating production of its 787 widebody, which is built at factories in North Charleston, S.C., and Everett, Wash., into a single plant. Hard decisions lie ahead, CEO Dave Calhoun said on an earnings call: "I don't want to predispose any answers, because we don't have any." For Airbus, which assembles planes in China, Europe, and North America, the options are more limited. The company has ruled out closing factories in the short term. And dismissing more workers, after it already announced plans for 15,000 cuts, would risk a run-in with European labor unions. Still, standing firm could pay off, allowing Airbus to scoop up a bigger share of the market, says Bloomberg Intelligence's Ferguson. He says the company is better positioned to bet travel will bounce back because of state support and a healthier narrowbody program-but it might not be enough. "Cutting production is the most important lever to pull to get through the downturn," Ferguson says. "I don't see any other good responses." BOTTOM LINE - New orders at Airbus and Boeing have stalled thanks to the pandemic. Now the future of 1,600 planes set to enter or reenter service next year seems increasingly at risk. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-08-06/airbus-and-boeing-make-more-jets-as-airlines-struggle-to-survive Back to Top Armstrong's record-breaking jet donated to museum WAPAKONETA - The Learjet 28 that Neil Armstrong broke five records in took its last flight Wednesday morning, coming to a rest at Neil Armstrong Airport on what would have been Armstrong's 90th birthday. The jet, flown in by former NASA astronaut and two-time shuttle pilot Gregory H. Johnson, will permanently be displayed at the Armstrong Air and Space Museum. "When visitors come to the museum, there isn't much about what's after Apollo 11, so this is a fantastic artifact that really anchors that post-Apollo 11 part of Neil Armstrong's career," said Dante Centuori, the museum's executive director. "It's not just the fact that this is the only aircraft he ever set world records in, the other world records were space records ... it shows his passion for being a pilot and that really was something he enjoyed his whole life. This helps us interpret that and tell that story." In February 1979, Armstrong, who served on Learjet's Board of Directors, and co-pilot Pete Reynolds set Fédération Aéronautique Internationale and National Aeronautic Association records for time to climb to 15,000 meters and altitude. The jet was donated by Kevin Hayward, president and CEO of Ox Industries in Pennsylvania, though it was technically purchased for $1 by the museum. "Knowing the noise regulations were going into effect in 2016, the plan was going to need a lot of alterations that would have changed the historical value or the makeup of the airplane," Hayward said of his decision to donate it. Hayward originally reached out to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. "I had a contact there but they have an extensive Neil Armstrong exhibit, they had a Learjet - it didn't feel as poignant as what it would be as at other exhibits," Hayward said. He then reached out to the University of Cincinnati's aeronautical engineering department where Armstrong taught from 1971-79. He was directed to Mark Stear, a student of Armstrong's at UC, who helped connect Hayward to Armstrong's hometown. "I feel fortunate to be able to be a small part, a nanosecond in history of this plane and this community, and I look forward to coming back and seeing it," Hayward said. Centuori said the next steps are for the museum to get the jet decommissioned and ready for display usage, so he's not quite sure when visitors will be able to see it on display. "The other part is the interpretation and figuring out how we want to display it on museum property," he explained. "We have to ask 'What's the story we want it to tell?' With an aircraft like this, every part of its lifetime tells a story. Do we give it the paint job it had when Neil set the world record? Do we leave it the way it is now to show what it was in its final state? These are the decisions that we'll need to make." https://www.sidneydailynews.com/news/182354/armstrongs-record-breaking-jet-donated-to-museum Back to Top Back to Top Back to Top posted on August 4, 2020 08:00 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Business Aviation Safety Consortium (BASC) announces new Standardization Board Members Four industry leading professionals accept leadership roles in fast growing organization! The election for one Business Aviation Safety Consortium (BASC) Standardization Board seat and two supernumerary positions ended at the close of business on July 31, 2020. As in previous elections, it was a tight race and the supernumerary candidates actually tied in votes. Fifty percent of BASC members participated. The election process highlights one of the founding premises of BASC, where Board members are current operational experts in their field. It was determined where similar Boards appoint figure heads, vendors, and dignitaries, that succumb to outside pressures and special interests, are generally not very successful in serving and responding to the needs of the end user. The end user was the primary focus of BASC since inception, and the resulting growth and success is attributed to that philosophy. The BASC nation thanked Chris Keaney, of IBM Flight Operations, and Amanda Zeigler, of Quality Resources, for their contributions to the Board and BASC. Chris (a retired USMC veteran) was credited with keeping the Board focused on real world applications. Amanda served in a Quality Assurance role, and insured all checklists, documentation, and regulatory compliance updates remained accurate, timely, and effective from the BASC internal and external audit program's inception. Both will transition to "Past (Board) Member" status and continue to help guide the Standardization Board and BASC. Andrew DeLaTorre of Blue City Holdings, and Ken Giuffre of IAC/Expedia Global, were elected to supernumerary positions. The first Board seat was filled by the Safety Manager of Jackson National Life, Mary Poirier. Poirier was serving as a BASC Standardization Board supernumerary. She is an experienced and accomplished aviation and safety professional who was previously recognized as a NBAA "Business Aviation Top 40 Under 40". The Director of Aviation of MB Aviation, Ed White, was elected to the second Board seat. White has earned a well-deserved reputation in business aviation, and has actively served in many high level industry positions. He has also been recognized as a client-focused IS-BAO auditor for over twelve years. All positions are effective August 31, 2020. The BASC Standardization Board will now consist of Poirier and White, as well as, Greg Burris, Safety Manager of Masco; Sean Cannon, Safety Team Member of Richardson Aviation; Mark Chaffinch, Director of Aviation of Norfolk Southern Corporation; Aaron Hempel, Safety Manager of Koch Industries; and Rick Malczynski, Founder and President of BASC. ### About the Business Aviation Safety Consortium (AviationConsortium.com, LLC or BASC): Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, BASC serves as a logical partner for SMS, regulatory, and operational excellence verification for high performing business aviation organizations. BASC was founded in 2016 and accepted the first member in January of 2017. For more information, visit http://www.aviationconsortium.com Back to Top TheUSC Aviation Safety & Security ProgramWill Offer Online Classes This Fall The following upcoming courses, including NEW Safety Performance Indicators course, will take place in our virtual Webex classrooms. Software Safety Philosophies and methods of developing software, analyzing software, and managing a software safety program. Online Course August 17-20, 2020 4 Days Tuition: $2250 SeMS Aviation Security Management Systems Managing and implementing aviation security measures at medium to small size aircraft operators, all airports, and Indirect Air Carriers, with emphasis on risk assessment and cyber security. Online Course August 17-21, 2020 4.5 Days Tuition: $2650 Accident/Incident Response Preparedness This course is designed for individuals who are involved in either preparing emergency response plans or responding to incidents and accidents as a representative of their organization. This updated course has been extended to four full days to integrate communications in the digital age. Online Course August 24-27, 2020 4 Days Tuition: $2250 Human Factors in Aviation Safety This course presents human factors in a manner that can be readily understood and applied by aviation practitioners in all phases of aviation operations. Emphasis is placed on identifying the causes of human error, predicting how human error can affect performance, and applying countermeasures to reduce or eliminate its effects. Online Course August 24-28, 2020 4.5 Days Tuition: $2650 Aviation Law & Aviation Dispute Resolution This course provides information on the legal risks inherent in aviation operations and an overview of the legal system as it relates to aviation safety. The course also provides an understanding of the various legal processes relating to aviation and discusses ways to engage aviation authorities in a responsible and successful manner. The judicial process, current litigation trends, legal definitions, and procedures are also covered. Online Course August 31-September 3, 2020 4 Days Tuition: $2250 Safety Management for Aviation Maintenance This course provides supervisors with aviation safety principles and practices needed to manage the problems associated with aircraft maintenance operations. In addition, it prepares attendees to assume safety responsibilities in their areas of operation. Online Course August 31-September 4, 2020 4.5 Days Tuition: $2650 Threat and Error Managment This course provides students with sufficient knowledge to develop a TEM program and a LOSA program within their organizations. Online Course September 9-11, 2020 2.5 Days Tuition: $1375 Aviation Safety Management Systems Providing the skills and practical methods to plan, manage, and maintain an effective Aviation Safety Management System. Special emphasis for safety managers, training, flight department and maintenance managers and supervisors, pilots, air traffic controllers, dispatchers, and schedulers. Online Course September 14-25, 2020 9.5 Days Tuition: $3750 Hazard Effects and Control Strategies This course focuses on underlying physical, chemical, and biological characteristics and effects, and hazard control strategies. The following hazards are specifically addressed: electrical hazards, electrostatic discharge, toxicity, kinetic hazards, ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, thermal hazards, noise, fire and explosion, high pressure, etc. Online Course September 14-15, 2020 2 Days Tuition: $1200 Damage Assessment for System Safety Sophisticated mathematical models and methods have been developed to estimate the level of impact of a hazardous condition. This course provides an overall understanding of these methods to help managers and system safety analysis reviewers understand the analysis conducted and results obtained by the experts in the field. Specifically, methods for modeling the impact of fire and explosion, debris distribution from an explosion, and toxic gas dispersion are discussed. Online Course September 16-18, 2020 3 Days Tuition: $1625 Safety Management Systems for Ground Operation Safety This course provides airport, air carrier and ground service company supervisors and managers with practices that will reduce ground operation mishaps to personnel and equipment. It provides an understanding of how ground operations safety management is an essential part or an airport's or air carrier's SMS. Online Course September 21-23, 2020 2.5 Days Tuition: $1375 Safety Performance Indicators This course teaches how SPI's are developed, monitored, analyzed and modified in order for an organization to correctly know its safety performance. The course utilizes guidance provided in ICAO Annex 19 and the ICAO Safety Management Manual Doc. 9859. Online Course September 24-25, 2020 2 Days Tuition: $1200 Earn Credit for FlightSafety International Master Technician-Management Program Students taking the following USC courses will earn elective credits towards FlightSafety International's Master Technician-Management Program • Human Factors in Aviation Safety • Gas Turbine Accident Investigation • Helicopter Accident Investigation • Safety Management for Aviation Maintenance • Safety Management for Ground Operations Safety • Accident/Incident Response Preparedness Earn Credit for National Business Aviation Association Certified Aviation Manager Exam Students taking the following USC courses will earn two points toward completing the application for the National Business Aviation Association Certified Aviation Manager Exam. • Aviation Safety Management Systems • Accident/Incident Response Preparedness • Human Factors in Aviation Safety • Aircraft Accident Investigation • SeMS Aviation Security Management Systems For further details, please visit our website or use the contact information below. Email: aviation@usc.edu Telephone: +1 (310) 342-1345 Photo Credit: PFC Brendan King, USMC Swinburne University Capstone Research Projects 2020 - Airline pax preferences Study Airline Passenger Carrier Preference Research Project 2020 The Low-Cost Carrier (LCC) business model has disrupted the aviation industry. It has generated new passenger demand, provided passengers with more choice and created many competitive challenges for the traditional Full-Service Carriers (FSC). As the global airline market continues to change and adapt to new challenges, airline passenger preferences and intent to travel may also change. As part of our undergraduate research project at Swinburne University of Technology we are conducting a survey on passenger preferences regarding the decision to fly between LCC and FSC airlines. This survey asks for your views on various issues associated with airline choice and seeks to better understand passenger risk perceptions and the perceived value offered by each airline model. You will be asked to complete an online questionnaire, which also includes an explanatory statement. The study takes approximately 20 minutes to complete. To access the survey, please go to the following link: https://swinuw.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3wwfJDvc7chU3Cl Participants who complete the study will be eligible to enter a draw to win an iPad. This research project is being supervised by Peter Renshaw at the Department of Aviation, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia. If you have any questions, please contact Peter at prenshaw@swin.edu.au *** Image from: Uphues, J. (2019). Full service carrier vs. low cost carrier - What's future-proof? Retrieved from https://www.inform-software.com/blog/post/full-service-carrier-vs-low-cost-carrier-whats-future-proof Back to Top As part of our Swinburne Bachelor of Aviation undergraduate research project, we have constructed a survey for members of the aviation industry and those who have not worked in aviation to provide feedback on their attitudes and opinions about Urban Air Mobility and single-pilot and/or autonomous airline operations. If you are an active participant in the aviation industry as a passenger or through employment, we invite you to take part in this survey to help give the industry a better understanding of the general sentiment towards these emerging technologies and operational concepts. To participate please follow the link below to our online survey: https://swinuw.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9zRhPPbCfnsHH3T It should take approximately 20 minutes to complete. Participants who complete the survey will be eligible to enter the draw to WIN AN iPad. Thank you very much for your time. This research project is being supervised by Peter Renshaw at the Department of Aviation, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia. If you have any questions, please contact Peter at prenshaw@swin.edu.au Back to Top Graduate Research Survey (1) Stress and Wellbeing for Global Aviation Professionals Dear colleagues, I am inviting you to participate in a research project on wellbeing in the aviation industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. This situation has affected aviation professionals around the world, and this research seeks to identify wellbeing strategies that work across professions, employers, families, and nations. All responses to this survey are anonymous. The findings of this research will inform future work by the USC Aviation Safety and Security Program and the Flight Safety Foundation to improve wellbeing for aviation professionals during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey should take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Please click or copy the link below to access the survey, and please share it with any interested colleagues. https://usc.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cC2nlWEAazl22TX This research will support a treatise towards a Master of Science in Applied Psychology degree at the University of Southern California's Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences. The researcher is also on the staff of the USC Aviation Safety and Security Program. Thank you, and please contact us with any questions, Daniel Scalese - Researcher scalese@usc.edu Michael Nguyen - Faculty Advisor nguyenmv@usc.edu Back to Top Graduate Research Survey (2) Critical Evaluation of the Gaps in SMS Debriefing Tools and Development of Potential Solutions I am inviting you to take part in a study of Feedback within Aviation Safety Management Systems. An airline/organisation Safety Management System (SMS) relies on pilot safety reports (ASAP or ASR) or data (FOQA, FDM) to discover hazards and threats in the operation. In return, the pilots depend on up to date information from the airline's safety department to make sound decisions regarding safety. The safety department can accomplish that by debriefing or giving feedback on the safety reports or data. A literature review of safety report feedback/debrief within Safety Management Systems showed that safety reports are not fully debriefed. This survey aims to gather data regarding pilots' perspective of safety report/safety data debriefing. In addition, the survey also aims to find out the opinions of a potential solution. This study is undertaken as part of a thesis for an Air Safety Management Master of Science degree at City, University of London. https://cityunilondon.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8eadW14UUZYaurj Bengt Jansson Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY (3) 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