Flight Safety Information August 21, 2020 - No. 170 In This Issue Incident: Sprint AT72 at Ljubljana on Jul 31st 2020, smoke in cockpit Incident: Lufthansa A321 near Vienna on Aug 16th 2020, computer trouble Incident: Eurowings A319 at Dusseldorf on Aug 19th 2020, bird strike Incident: France A319 at Lisbon on Aug 17th 2020, runway excursion after landing Incident: Europa B738 at Paris on Aug 17th 2020, bird strike Beechcraft 200 Super King Air...- Fatal Accident (Chicago) AAIB Report: Airbus A320-216, Aircraft descended during go-around Delta will keep blocking some aircraft seats through early January to calm travelers Pilot flew airplane under Mackinac Bridge packed with hundreds of cars, Coast Guard says PPE vending machines now at Tucson airport Canada To Test Fly The Boeing 737 MAX Next Week TSA names industry members to aviation security committee FAA Celebrates 100 Years of Flight Service Honeywell Gains FAA Nod for 3D-printed Flight-critical Parts Air ambulance service partners with aeronautics company to produce compact medical aircraft Ryanair's Spanish pilots accept pay cuts to limit job losses Germany becomes first country to add Airbus A350 as government jet NASA Takes Delivery of GE Jet Engine for X-59 NASA investigating small air leak on International Space Station 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 SURVEY:...GA PILOTS AND PIREPs. Graduate Research Survey (1) Incident: Sprint AT72 at Ljubljana on Jul 31st 2020, smoke in cockpit Sprint Air Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-200 freighter, registration SP-SPE performing flight P8-1905 from Ljubljana (Slovenia) to Cologne/Bonn (Germany) with 2 crew, was in the initial climb out of runway 12 when the crew stopped the climb at about 2700 feet reporting smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft performed a tear drop procedure and returned to land on runway 30 about 5 minutes after departure. Emergency services checked the aircraft and subsequently escorted the aircraft to the apron. The aircraft returned to service about 40 hours after landing back. On Aug 20th 2020 Slovenia's AAIIO reported the occurrence was rated a serious incident and is being investigated. The crew reported smoke in the cockpit while climbing through 1500 feet, informed the controller they were returning to the airfield, performed a right hand turn for a visual approach to runway 30. After taxiing to the stand the crew shut down both engines and all electrical systems using the QRH procedures. http://avherald.com/h?article=4dac14e6&opt=0 Back to Top Back to Top Incident: Lufthansa A321 near Vienna on Aug 16th 2020, computer trouble A Lufthansa Airbus A321-200, registration D-AIDE performing flight LH-2558 from Munich (Germany) to Tbilisi (Georgia), was enroute at FL330 about 10nm west of Vienna (Austria) when the crew decided to turn around and return to Munich due to a fault indication with the landing gear control interface unit #1 (LGCIU #1). The aircraft landed safely on Munich's runway 08R about 40 minutes later. A replacement A321-200 registration D-AISX departed the following morning and reached Tbilisi with a delay of about 10 hours. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 60 hours before returning to service. http://avherald.com/h?article=4db88e24&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Eurowings A319 at Dusseldorf on Aug 19th 2020, bird strike An Eurowings Airbus A319-100, registration D-AGWJ performing flight EW-9090 from Dusseldorf to Munich (Germany), was in the initial climb out of Dusseldorf's runway 23L when the crew stopped the climb at 4000 feet reporting a bird strike and returned to Dusseldorf for a safe landing on runway 23L about 15 minutes after departure. A replacement A320-200 registration D-ABZI reached Munich with a delay of about 2:45 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Dusseldorf about 23.5 hours after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4db88c3a&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: France A319 at Lisbon on Aug 17th 2020, runway excursion after landing An Air France Airbus A319-100, registration F-GRHO performing flight AF-1624 from Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) to Lisbon (Portugal), landed on Lisbon's runway 21 at 14:32L (13:32Z), slowed and vacated the runway to the left about 1600 meters past the (displaced) runway threshold and about 300 meters short of high speed turn off HS. The aircraft taxied to the apron with no further incident. The aircraft departed for the return flight AF-1625 on schedule about 90 minutes after landing. According to AIP Portugal as well as satellite images of 2019 the aircraft taxied across soft ground, only satellite images past March 2020 begin to show the construction of a new high speed turn off just where the aircraft vacated the runway. At 16:49Z about 3:15 hours after landing Lisbon Airport released a new NOTAM: A2480/20 NOTAMN Q) LPPC/QMYXX/IV/NBO/A /000/999/3846N00908W005 A) LPPT B) 2008171649 C) 2008312359 EST E) RWY 21 NEW RAPID EXIT TAXIWAY 1600 METERS FROM THR NOT AVAILABLE YET. FIRST RAPID EXIT TAXIWAY AVAILABLE IS HS, 1910 METERS FROM THR. REF AIP SUP 011/2020. According to AIP Portugal there is no indication of any taxiway or taxiway under construction at that point. A Supplement 11/2020, still not showing the taxiway under construction but only telling about the construction of a new rapid turn off somewhere between Jan 2nd 2020 and end of August 2020, provides information about taxi routes and construction traffic etc. during the 4 construction phases. http://avherald.com/h?article=4db88927&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Europa B738 at Paris on Aug 17th 2020, bird strike An Air Europa Boeing 737-800, registration EC-MXM performing flight UX-1026 from Paris Orly (France) to Madrid,SP (Spain), was climbing out of runway 24 when the crew reported they possibly had received a bird strike but want to continue the flight. The crew was handed off to departure and continued the climb asking for a runway inspection, they weren't sure whether the bird may have hit their landing gear. The runway inspection found two dead pigeons on the runway. Climbing through FL120 the crew reported engine trouble with the left hand engine (CFM56), the engine was reduced to idle. The aircraft returned to Orly for a safe landing on runway 25 about 25 minutes after departure. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 21 hours, then positioned to Madrid and remained on the ground in Madrid for another 22 hours before returning to service. http://avherald.com/h?article=4db8817c&opt=0 Back to Top Beechcraft 200 Super King Air - Fatal Accident (Chicago) Date: 20-AUG-2020 Time: Type: Beechcraft 200 Super King Air Owner/operator: Registration: C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Category: Accident Location: Chicago/Rockford International Airport (RFD/KRFD), Chicago/Rockford, I - United States of America Phase: Take off Nature: Unknown Departure airport: Rockford-Greater Rockford Airport, IL (RFD/KRFD) Destination airport: Investigating agency: NTSB Narrative: A Beechcraft 200 Super King Air, was destroyed following a takeoff accident at Chicago/Rockford International Airport (KRFD), Chicago/Rockford, Illinois. Preliminary information suggest that the plane was taking off at runway 1 when it veered off and caught fire. There was one pilot onboard. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/240313 Back to Top AAIB Report: Airbus A320-216, Aircraft descended during go-around An Airbus A320-216 (EC-KLT) made two approaches above the correct descent profile, on each occasion leading to a missed approach, 26 August 2019. From: Air Accidents Investigation Branch The aircraft, an Airbus A320-216 (EC-KLT) made two approaches above the correct descent profile, on each occasion leading to a missed approach. On the second missed approach the aircraft initially continued descending and was not configured appropriately, reaching an angle of attack at which the alpha floor1 energy protection mode activated to increase engine thrust. The aircraft made a subsequent approach, landing without further incident. During a subsequent event, involving the same operator and aircraft type (but different flight crew), the aircraft remained above the correct approach descent profile initially but descended below it later in the approach and performed a missed approach. The pilots in this case managed the vertical profile manually using a flight control mode with which they were not familiar. In both cases the pilots appeared not to have understood when to commence the final descent to follow the vertical profile of the approach. The operator's safety department has recommended improvements in approach training and strategies to assist situational awareness. The operator and air traffic services provider are working to gain a better understanding of each other's approach requirements. Read the report. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/aaib-report-airbus-a320-216-aircraft-descended-during-go-around Back to Top Delta will keep blocking some aircraft seats through early January to calm travelers nervous about virus • Delta is planning to continue limiting aircraft capacity through early January. • The planes will fly 75% full starting in October, compared with 60% currently. • Delta and other airlines have been looking for ways to calm travelers nervous • about flying during the pandemic. Delta Air Lines will continue to limit the number of passengers it allows on each flight through early January in an effort to win over potential customers worried about flying during the coronavirus pandemic, the carrier said Thursday. Delta had previously said it will limit capacity to 60% of of its main cabin through the end of September. But after that it will raise the limit to 75% of its main cabin, blocking some middle seats, and will continue to do so through "at least" Jan. 6 in the hopes that holiday travelers will choose the carrier over competitors. It said it would reevaluate the capacity limits at the end of October. Carriers, facing weak demand as concerns about the virus keep many travelers home, have scrambled to find ways to convince customers that flying during the pandemic is safe. Airlines' physical distancing policies on their flights have differed, with Delta, JetBlue and Southwest among the airlines temporarily limiting capacity while American and United do not have limits. The capacity caps come at a time of severely depressed demand so blocking some seats this year isn't as difficult as last year's peak summer season. All U.S. airlines each require that passengers wear face coverings like masks onboard and have banned some travelers who failed to comply. They have also increased aircraft cleaning and put up physical barriers in some of their airport facilities. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/20/coronavirus-travel-delta-will-limit-aircraft-passengers-through-early-january.html Back to Top Pilot flew airplane under Mackinac Bridge packed with hundreds of cars, Coast Guard says ST. IGNACE, MI - The U.S. Coast Guard and Michigan State Police are seeking information about a pilot who flew a small plane underneath the Mackinac Bridge last month. Both agencies are investigating the incident, which occurred about 2:50 p.m. on Sunday, June 28, as many were traveling north ahead of the Fourth of July weekend. Michigan State Police Detective Sgt. Gary Demers said hundreds of cars were on the bridge when the incident took place. "This was extremely reckless behavior on the part of the pilot, and it imperiled the safety of everyone on the bridge that day," Demers said. "We hope that someone can come forward with information to help us make sure it doesn't happen again." Specifically, detectives from the State Police and Coast Guard are looking for clear photos, video, or other information that might help them identify the aircraft. A Coast Guard small boat crew captured video of the incident from a distance. The Coast Guard is involved in the investigation because of its authority over bridges spanning navigable waterways, said CGIS Special Agent Josh Packer, Coast Guard Sector Sault Ste. Marie. - People with information about the case are urged to leave an anonymous tip using the Coast Guard Investigative Service's CGIS TIPS app, available free on Apple's app store for iPhones and iPads, as well as on Google Play for Android devices. Tips can also be sent directly online or by calling the Michigan State Police at 906-643-7582. Video of the incident can be seen below. https://www.mlive.com/news/2020/08/pilot-flew-airplane-under-mackinac-bridge-packed-with-hundreds-of-cars-coast-guard-says.html Back to Top PPE vending machines now at Tucson airport TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - The Tucson Airport has you covered for safe travels with personal protective equipment vending machines. There are two PPE vending machines near the front entrances just in case you need to grab something before going through security. The Tucson Airport tweeted that the vending machines have more than masks, they have various hygiene essentials. https://www.kait8.com/2020/08/20/ppe-vending-machines-now-tucson-airport/ Back to Top Canada To Test Fly The Boeing 737 MAX Next Week The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was the first regulatory body to test flight system revisions of the beleaguered Boeing 737 MAX. Now, Canada's air travel regulator, Transport Canada will be conducting its own series of checks to certify it will be safe flying in to, out of, and through Canada's airspace. The activities will begin next week - something that carriers Air Canada and WestJet should be eagerly anticipating. The first non-US regulator According to Reuters, Transport Canada will be conducting flight test activities next week in order to validate Boeing's 737 MAX for flight in Canada. The aircraft has been grounded for nearly one and a half years, with many airlines anxiously waiting for re-certification - at least this was the case before the recent global crisis. Transport Canada will be the first non-U.S. regulator to conduct such activities. This follows nearly two months after the FAA's series of certification flights; these took place at the end of June. Air Canada has already taken delivery of 24 Boeing 737 MAX jets. It canceled part of its outstanding order by 11 aircraft, leaving 26 still to be delivered. Photo: Getty Images What will Transport Canada be testing? While the FAA had its own list of issues, regulators in Europe and Canada have identified their own desired changes. In June, the Seattle Times reported on what the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and Transport Canada will be focusing on. There is one issue, in particular, that has reportedly bothered Transport Canada specifically: a "stick shaker" stall warning that cannot be turned off even when clearly erroneous. Advertisement: Present on the 737 MAX, this alert system 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. The stick shaker is said to have been triggered erroneously by a faulty Angle of Attack signal in both the 2018 Lion Air crash and the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines crash. For this upcoming testing, there was nothing specific mentioned by Transport Canada and thus it is unclear whether this 'stick shaker' stall warning has been remedied by Boeing and will be part of tests. However, the civil air regulator tells Reuters that these Canadian tests are part of its "independent review" to validate proposed changes by Boeing to the aircraft. As such, many tests will be conducted to confirm the FAA's test results. As for the EASA, it had issued the following statement to the Seattle Times: "[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...By themselves, these would not create a safety critical issue... It's when they come together with something critical at the same time that it's a major issue." -Janet Northcote, Head of Communications, EASA What's next? The regulatory body goes on to say that it is preparing to participate in the U.S.-led Joint Operational Evaluation Board (JOEB). Reportedly planned for mid-September, JOEB's purpose will be to evaluate minimum pilot training requirements with partners from Europe and Brazil. Transport Canada also informed Reuters that said it would be "premature" to reveal details about the design configuration, training requirements, and flight crew procedures, before the completion of validation activity. With these upcoming tests, do you think Transport Canada will find anything new that was not flagged by the FAA? Let us know your thoughts in the comments! Simple Flying reached out to Boeing, Transport Canada, Air Canada, and WestJet regarding these upcoming test flights. At the time of publication, Boeing responded, telling us that comments may come tomorrow. No other responses were received. https://simpleflying.com/canada-737-max-test-flights/ Back to Top TSA names industry members to aviation security committee The Transportation Security Administration on Thursday announced the addition of four private citizens to its Aviation Security Advisory Committee and the reappointment of 15 members. The ASAC is a congressionally mandated committee of industry stakeholders that advises the agency on aviation security policies, programs, rulemakings and directives. The standard term is two years, with members. The new ASAC members are: Alex ander Rodriguez, director of air cargo operations at MSA Security. The company provides a full suite of security services to government and corporate clients, including bomb-sniffing dogs for air cargo applications. Elaine Dezenski, founder and managing partner at LumiRisk, an international risk advisory firm. Dezenski served as deputy and acting assistant secretary for policy at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from 2004-2006. More recently, she spent five years at the World Economic Forum, where she headed the organization's anti-corruption initiative and risk response network. Jason Byers, assistant police chief, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Eric Lipp, executive director of Open Doors Organization, a nonprofit that serves the disability community. The ASAC has 33 members who meet quarterly. https://www.freightwaves.com/news/tsa Back to Top FAA Celebrates 100 Years of Flight Service The United States' civil aviation governing body, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), on Thursday celebrated 100 years of Flight Service, according to a statement published on the FAA's website. Flight Service works with pilots to provide briefings, flight plans, inflight advisory services, search and rescue, aircraft emergencies and Notices to Airmen. Per the FAA's website, the purpose of Flight Service is to provide world-class service and value to users of the National Airspace System (NAS), including new entrants; leverage advanced technologies to safely and efficiently deliver flight services in the contiguous United States (CONUS), Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Alaska; and support the ATO's System Operations Services with innovative, collaborative solutions to complex operational problems. Flight Service began on Aug. 20, 1920, to "ingest and interpret weather and aeronautical information" and pass that information to pilots. Flight Service Stations were originally called "air mail radio stations" since they were located along transcontinental airmail routes that were essential to postal delivery across the country. Since, Flight Service has become an integral part of the flight planning process. Many pilots use it as their go-to source for comprehensive preflight briefings, and the service has become an integral part of flight training programs. Since its inception, Flight Service has been available to pilots in the air via radio or on the ground over the phone. Today, Flight Service also offers pilots online weather and aeronautical information on its website, which allows pilots to access updated information in a graphical format before, during and after a flight. Though many Flight Service practices are standardized across the contiguous 48 U.S. states, Hawaii and Puerto Rico, special Federal Certified Professional Controllers offer service in Alaska. The FAA is investing in an Alaska Flight Service Initiative to "modernize and enhance the effectiveness of Flight Service in Alaska for future generations," per the FAA's article. Alaskan pilots also have access to the Aviation Weather Camera Program, which offers pilots access to a "near-real-time" video of weather conditions across the state, for 20 years; that program is being expanded to Colorado as of spring 2020. Looking ahead, in addition to the Alaska Flight Service Initiative, the FAA is looking at introducing Voice Over Internet Protocol radios to enhance the effectiveness of Flight Service. Flight Service is also developing the Future Flight Service Program to adapt to changes in pilot behavior, developing Flight Service to meet the needs of future aviators across the country. https://airlinegeeks.com/2020/08/21/faa-celebrates-100-years-of-flight-service/ Back to Top Honeywell Gains FAA Nod for 3D-printed Flight-critical Part Honeywell paved new ground in additive manufacturing with its first FAA approval of a flight-critical engine part. The part, the #4/5 bearing housing, is a structural component for the ATF3-6 turbofan used on the Dassault Falcon 20G maritime patrol aircraft operated by the French Navy. (Photo: Honeywell) Honeywell has received its first FAA approval for a flight-critical engine part produced through additive manufacturing, marking a step forward in the rapidly advancing field of 3D printing. The part, the #4/5 bearing housing, is a structural component for the ATF3-6 turbofan that powers the Dassault Falcon 20G maritime patrol aircraft operated by the French Navy. The ATF3-6 engine was certified in 1967, and only about a dozen are still flying, making parts sourcing difficult. Complicating matters, Honeywell said, is that production of the #4/5 bearing housing through traditional means is a complicated process, requiring expensive specialty tools and molds. This drives up the cost of replacement, particularly given the low order quantities. Additive manufacturing, however, enables parts to be made more quickly and in smaller quantities, without the need for expensive tools. Honeywell's process involves the use of a laser that fuses layers of powdered metal into the part form. "Though there aren't many in service, Honeywell is responsible for supporting and maintaining these engines. We had to find a way to address these supply-chain issues and keep these aircraft flying," said Jon Hobgood, v-p of manufacturing engineering for Honeywell Aerospace. "We were able to use our expertise in additive manufacturing to produce the qualified part much faster, reducing our lead time from approximately two years to two weeks." Because the #4/5 bearing housing is considered "safety-critical" or "flight-critical" from a regulatory standpoint, it must always function properly and must be approved by regulatory organizations. The FAA has expanded its regulatory and research efforts in the area of additive manufacturing and has worked with Honeywell on the development and certification of multiple components. Honeywell said this collaboration enabled the approval of the flight-critical component through delegated authority. "This is a major milestone for Honeywell because it demonstrates the maturity of our additive manufacturing operations and paves the way for us to print more certified flight-critical parts," Hobgood added. "It also is a major win for the additive industry, as flight-critical parts face heavy scrutiny and high standards for qualification and installation on aircraft, but this shows it can be done." With the approval in hand, Honeywell is stepping up production of the housing, anticipating the completion of dozens by year-end. Honeywell began exploring additive manufacturing in 2007 through its lab in Phoenix and has since produced hundreds of aircraft components. It has further expanded those efforts to operations in China, Europe, India, and the U.S. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2020-08-20/honeywell-gains-faa-nod-3d-printed-flight-critical-part Back to Top Air ambulance service partners with aeronautics company to produce compact medical aircraft The CityHawk EMS vehicle will be designed to easily navigate and land in busy cities NEW YORK - A U.S. air ambulance company has partnered with an Israeli aeronautics company to produce a compact medical aircraft designed to navigate and land in busy cities. New York-based Hatzolah Air signed a memorandum of understanding with Urban Aeronautics to help develop, produce and market Urban Aeronautics' CityHawk aircraft for EMS applications, according to a press release. The CityHawk is a compact vertical takeoff and landing aircraft with an internal rotor and no external wings or rotors. A previous military-use prototype of the internal rotor design has completed more than 300 successful unmanned test flights, according to Urban Aeronautics. "We are excited to partner with Hatzolah Air on the development of our CityHawk EMS vehicle," said Urban Aeronautics CEO Rafi Yoeli in a statement. "Its compact size will enable it to land in the middle of a busy city street, making it a perfect fit for medical evacuation missions by dramatically decreasing the time it takes to arrive on-scene, treat and transport sick or injured patients to appropriate medical facilities." The CityHawk will accommodate a pilot, two EMS providers, a patient and companion, and a complete package of life support equipment, according to the press release. Engineers will work closely with Hatzolah Air to tailor the aircraft to the ambulance service's needs. "Based on our initial estimates, we foresee a potential market of at least 800 CityHawks for Hatzolah and other EMS operators, with the possibility to save thousands of lives every year," said Hatzolah Air President Eli Rowe in a statement. Urban Aeronautics estimates the CityHawk will be ready for production after completing its development and FAA certification within three to five years. https://www.ems1.com/ems-products/specialty-vehicles/articles/air-ambulance-service-partners-with-aeronautics-company-to-produce-compact-medical-aircraft-EzPyGdiw5evfZY5p/ Back to Top Ryanair's Spanish pilots accept pay cuts to limit job losses DUBLIN, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Ryanair's Spanish pilots accepted on Thursday a 20% pay cut and work practice changes, the latest deal the Irish airline has struck with trade unions in exchange for a pledge to minimise job losses. Europe's biggest budget airline warned it would have to cut up to 3,000 jobs if it could not agree pay cuts with pilots and cabin crew after the COVID-19 crisis grounded 99% of its planes from April to June and continued to hit business thereafter. Ryanair had reached agreements with 85% of its pilots and 75% of cabin crew by the end of July, including in other major markets such as Britain, Ireland and Germany. However, it said on Thursday it had failed to strike a deal with Spanish cabin crew unions USO and SITCPLA, making job losses among their members more likely. Ryanair this week reduced its capacity by a further 20% during September and October after a reimposition of some travel restrictions led to weak bookings. Criticising Ireland's strict restrictions that allow unencumbered travel to and from just 10 European countries, Ryanair Group Chief Executive Michael O'Leary warned on Wednesday of more jobs losses in its Irish operations. While bookings were continuing to build in Germany, Italy and most other European countries, they were "terrible" in Ireland and certainly down 50% year-on-year, O'Leary told Irish national broadcaster RTE in an interview. https://www.reuters.com/article/ryanair-spain/ryanairs-spanish-pilots-accept-pay-cuts-to-limit-job-losses-idUSL8N2FM3W2 Back to Top Germany becomes first country to add Airbus A350 as government jet Germany has become the first country to receive an Airbus A350 as a governmental jet. The new plane was delivered to the German Air Force on Thursday. The A350-900, registered as 10+03, will now undergo further test flights through the Air Force's arm for governmental operations before being ready to enter service towards the end of this year. German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (AKK) was present during the delivery ceremony in Hamburg. While the plane was built by European aircraft manufacturer Airbus in Toulouse, it received its cabin from Lufthansa Technik at Hamburg Airport (IATA: HAM). The German Air Force (Luftwaffe) is now both the first ever governmental as well as non-commercial operator of an Airbus A350 aircraft. It has two further planes of the type on order, set to be delivered in 2022. Three A350-900 are replacing two previously used Airbus A340-300. In late-2018, Germany's Air Force received criticism after a series of reliability issues with the older A340s. One incident led to German Chancellor Angela Merkel having to take a scheduled Iberia flight via Madrid to Argentina for G20, where she ended up arriving late. The Defence Ministry responded by announcing an uncommonly short-notice order for newly built Airbus A350s in February 2019. https://www.ifn.news/posts/germany-becomes-first-country-to-add-airbus-a350-as-government-jet/ Back to Top NASA Takes Delivery of GE Jet Engine for X-59 Mark the big one-of-a-kind engine, designed and built just for NASA, as delivered. Nearly 13 feet long, three feet in diameter, and packing 22,000 pounds of afterburner enhanced jet propulsion, the F414-GE-100 engine is now at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base in California. There it will be checked out and inspected before it is transported to nearby Palmdale for eventual installation into NASA's X-59 Quiet Supersonic Technology airplane, which is now under construction at Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works factory. "Taking delivery of the engine from General Electric marks another exciting, huge milestone for us in building the X-59," said Raymond Castner, the propulsion lead for the X-59 at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. In fact, two engines were delivered. One to serve as the primary engine and the other to be used as a backup when needed. "This just adds even more anticipation as we look forward to seeing that big flame come out the back of the aircraft as it takes off for the first time," Castner said. Assembled and initially tested at GE Aviation's Riverworks facility in Lynn, Mass., the engine will power the X-59 on missions to gather information about how the public will react to the quieter sonic booms the aircraft is designed to produce - if they hear anything at all. Data collected will be shared with federal and international regulators to help them set new rules that may allow supersonic flight over land and enable a whole new market for commercial faster-than-sound air travel. "It's important to note that neither the X-59, nor this particular engine, are prototypes for a future commercial supersonic airliner," Castner said. "This hardware is just for proving the airplane can produce quiet sonic thumps and measure community response." SuperSonic Technology X-plane (QueSST) in flight, aiding in NASA's Low-Boom Flight Demonstration mission to demonstrate the ability to reduce the loud sonic boom associated with supersonic flight to no more than a gentle thump. This technology may open the door to future supersonic flight over land on a commercial level. Procuring the power As preliminary designs for the X-59 were put together several years ago, the initial plan was to power the aircraft with the same jet engines used by NASA's F/A-18 research jets based at Armstrong. "We had an inventory of spare engines and parts and thought we could use the engines we already owned, but that didn't pan out," Castner said. The problem was the engine - GE's model F404 - couldn't generate enough thrust to achieve the flight performance goals for the X-59. As designed, it took two of the engines to power the F/A-18, but the X-59 only had room for a single engine. Working with GE, the solution was found in adapting the F404's next-generation improvement, the F414 engine, into a configuration that would both satisfy the X-59's power needs and physical size. Anthony Hazlett, GE's X-59 demo model engineer at the Lynn facility, was responsible for leading the group that came up with the unique engine design for the experimental supersonic airplane. "We had developed a single-engine version of the F414 for Sweden's Saab JAS 39E Gripen fighter that we determined would work for the X-59 with some modifications, so we derived a new engine model, the F414-GE-100," Hazlett said. "The tried and true guts of the engine, all the turbomachinery, are the same or very similar. But the engine's external design and the way the engine operates was upgraded." That included something as complicated as writing new control systems software so the engine and X-59 could talk to each other, and something as relatively simple as adding plumbing in new places so fuel could flow from the airplane to the engine. Some assembly required Although not considered a big deal, another difference between the X-59 engine and the Gripen jet engine it was originated from is the installation method. But that doesn't mean the process will be any easier. "There is still a significant chunk of effort that lays in taking something that's well known and installing it into a new aircraft," Hazlett said. "So, we'll have a team from GE present to help Lockheed Martin with the process." What's the difference? Versions of both the F404 and F414 engines have included track hardware to assist in installing the powerplant. Either the engine is put on a cart and placed at the back of the aircraft to roll it right in, or it's placed underneath the airplane and a lift is used to raise the engine into place - in both cases using the track hardware as a guide. But to save weight and space, the X-59's version of the F414 does not have the tracks, so the engine - which will be placed underneath the aircraft and lifted - will rely on human eyeballs and hands to manually guide it into place. Once mechanically bolted in place, electrical, fuel, and various other lines will be hooked up and the whole engine/aircraft combination system tested. That will lead to the first time the engine is fired up within the aircraft as it remains in place with brakes on and restraining tethers fastened. "This whole process will take several months to perform as various tests are scheduled within certain windows that are available to us as assembly on the airplane continues," Castner said. Factory fresh Although the engine is based on the design of the Gripen's engine - known as the F414-GE-39E - GE did not just take a 39E engine in stock and modify it for NASA to use on the X-59. "This is a whole brand-new engine birthed from raw metal," Hazlett said. "The NASA team is getting a new engine straight from the dealership floor." As part of that manufacturing process, the engine already has undergone more than eight hours of successful operations on a test stand in Massachusetts to prove it would be capable of supporting the way the X-59 is expected to fly. A typical fighter mission will see the pilot move the engine throttle a number of times, with short bursts of high power between periods of average thrust. This affects the engine's overall durability and design lifetime of its parts in a way that is fully understood. "With the X-59 we looked at how it will be flying, which is different from a fighter. It will have longer duration missions at high altitude with high power - often with the afterburner firing to reach supersonic speeds," Hazlett said. Putting the X-59's engine through its paces at a GE test cell in Lynn showed it could handle the high afterburner usage and demonstrated all other design upgrades, such as the newly designed control software, would work as expected. "It's been a great challenge for our design team to prove our assumptions and boundary conditions are still good, and we've met that challenge in every way," Hazlett said. With plenty of work to do on other programs, many in support of the U.S. military - and notwithstanding the additional challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic - GE had no problem keeping an appropriate focus on the NASA work to achieve that goal. The opportunity to work on a NASA X-plane - the first of its kind in three decades - was a big reason. "X-59 has a mission unparalleled in terms of its cool factor. There's been no shortage of folks who want to help and work on this program. It's something that GE is extremely proud to be a part of," Hazlett said. From NASA's perspective, Castner concurs. "Working with GE to make this engine available has been fantastic. They have been an invaluable partner in all of this. We are very fortunate to have them as part of the team." https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-takes-delivery-of-ge-jet-engine-for-x-59 Back to Top NASA investigating small air leak on International Space Station There's no threat to crew safety, NASA officials stressed. NASA is tracking down the source of a minor air leak on the International Space Station. Crewmembers of the station's current Expedition 63 are in no immediate danger and will spend the weekend in the orbiting laboratory's Russian segment, inside the Zvezda service module, NASA officials said in an update today (Aug. 20). Astronauts can work in a shirtsleeve environment inside the station, but the orbiting lab is never completely airtight; a little bit of air always leaks over time, requiring routine repressurization from nitrogen and oxygen tanks that are sent up during cargo missions, NASA added in the update. The leak was first spotted in September 2019, but it did not interfere with normal operations. Nor was the rate of air loss accelerating or high enough to cause alarm; as such, NASA monitored the situation and focused on other station priorities before addressing the leak, agency spokesman Dan Huot said in an email to Space.com. The last few months were very busy at the station. NASA and SpaceX completed the first crewed commercial mission to the orbiting lab, known as Demo-2, and agency astronauts finished several complex spacewalks to repair a broken dark-matter detector and to upgrade batteries for the station. The batteries will be needed to power the station through its planned end of life in 2024, which could be extended to 2028 or later if all partners agree. "Now that we have a relatively quiet period in the operations - spacewalks, vehicle traffic, additional crew members can all result in fluctuations - the crew will be shutting the hatches to every single module so the ground can monitor each module's pressure to further isolate the source" of the leak, Huot said. "It's the most effective means we have of finding the leak, as it is so small," he added. "We don't know definitively if the leak is in the U.S. or Russian segment, and won't until we're able to review the data from this weekend's tests." While the leak rate is higher than usual, it is still within specifications for the station and poses no immediate danger to the crew, NASA officials emphasized. (Agency representatives did not answer questions about the rate of the current air leak, the normal leak rate, how much air the pressurized compartment usually holds, and what nitrogen and oxygen supplies are like right now on the space station.) Astronauts deal with leak simulations during training for their stays on the space station, which typically are about six months long. In terms of crew time and disruption, NASA said there should be minimal changes to their schedule. Only NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy has personal items outside of the Russian segment, as his sleeping quarters are housed in the Harmony module of the orbiting lab. "All the crew is doing is shutting the hatches between the different modules and isolating themselves in the Zvezda service module in the Russian segment," Huot said. "There are some associated cargo ops [operations] for Chris Cassidy to move some of his supplies over for the weekend, but that's the extent. All of the pressure monitoring is done on the ground by flight controllers." Cassidy and his Russian crewmate cosmonauts, Ivan Vagner and Anatoly Ivanishin, will stay in the Russian Zvezda service module from Friday night to Monday morning (Aug. 21 to Aug. 24). The three astronauts will have "plenty of room," NASA officials said in today's update, noting that Zvezda was where crews first stayed when the ISS was under construction in the early 2000s. Further, the Expedition 63 crew will have access to the Poisk mini-research module and their Soyuz MS-16 crew ship while staying in Zvezda. The current leak investigation is not the first that space station team members have performed. And NASA officials emphasized that this leak is smaller than the one that astronauts encountered in 2018. In August 2018, a small air leak was discovered in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft attached to the station, and Expedition 56 crewmembers eventually found an 0.08-inch-wide (2 millimeters) hole in the Soyuz hull. Russian officials investigated the cause of the leak, although as of September 2019 media reports indicated they were not prepared to publicly share what happened. "The main point we want to get across is, this is not a leak in the same neighborhood as the one detected in the Soyuz spacecraft back in August 2018, or one that poses any immediate or even long-term risk to the safety of the crew," Huot said. "The station is fully capable of maintaining normal operations with the current leak rate, but we now have an opportunity to try and isolate it." There have been other minor air leak events over the long history of the station, whose first modules were sent into space in 1998. For example, in November 2004, NASA astronaut Michael Foale found a small air leak that had been puzzling controllers for three weeks, according to a report from NBC. He found the leak at a main window at the U.S.-built Destiny laboratory, in a flexible cable called a vacuum jumper. The cable normally was used to assist with equalizing air pressure in the window, which had several panes. But Foale spotted signs of a leak in the area where the hose connected with a steel harness at the window's edge. NASA also briefly troubleshot another small air leak in 2007, shortly after the station's then-new NASA-managed Harmony module was installed. https://www.space.com/nasa-investigates-air-leak-on-space-station.html Back to Top The USC Aviation Safety & Security Program Will Offer Online Classes This Fall The following upcoming courses, including NEW Safety Performance Indicators course, will take place in our virtual Webex classrooms. 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 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 Back to Top 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 SURVEY: GA PILOTS AND PIREPs "Dear GA pilot, Researchers at Purdue University are seeking general aviation (GA) pilots to participate in an online study, partially funded by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) NextGen Weather Technology in the Cockpit (WTIC) program. The goal of this study is to evaluate opportunities for speech-based or other "hands-free" technologies that GA pilots might use to submit PIREPs. If you are able and willing to participate, you will be asked to review a set of 6 weather-related flight scenarios and record PIREPs as if you are flying. The study will last approximately 20 minutes and can be completed using a laptop or desktop computer. Participation in this study is completely voluntary. You can withdraw your participation at any time during the study for any reason. If you agree to participate, you will be asked to acknowledge your voluntary participation. Then there are 4 questions about your flight history, 6 weather scenarios, and 4 questions about PIREPs. Responses to the survey will be completely anonymous. We ask that you complete the study in a quiet location free from background noise. You must be at least 18 years of age or older to participate. When you are ready to begin, please click here: https://purdue.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6lZhv409DcoV8KF and follow the instructions in Qualtrics. Please feel free to share this link with other pilots you know. Email any questions or concerns to Mayur Deo and Dr. Brandon Pitts at nhance@purdue.edu." 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 Curt Lewis