Flight Safety Information August 26, 2020 - No. 173 In This Issue Incident: American B738 at Dallas on Aug 24th 2020, instruments disagree Kaman K-1200 K-Max - Fatal Accident (Oregon) NTSB Illuminates Pilot Performance in AW139 Fatal NTSB: Lawmaker in plane crash flew despite vision problems UN's ICAO to conduct another audit of India's air safety readiness Why Automation Will Soon Make Flying an Aircraft Simpler and Safer Free traveler safety kits available at Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport Airport Owner Urges Congress to Ease Restrictions Around Presidential TFRs US TSA installs acrylic barriers at Las Vegas McCarran Airport Ethiopian Will Be The Last Airline To Resume 737 MAX Flights Ethiopian Airlines' flight suspended by CAAC Pakistan's PIA tenders for widebody charters to the EU The pandemic's financial impact on airlines will be worse than the 9/11 attacks Kenya Airways Pilots Win Reprieve From Court in Jobs Clash Spirit Airlines, pilots reach agreement to avoid 600 furloughs New Air Cargo Security Standards Could Gum Up e-Commerce Exports Cobwebs And Corrosion: Reactivating Parked Aircraft Requires Extra Care Boeing May Be Quietly Rebranding the 737 MAX Space station crew spend extra night in Russian segment as air leak investigation continues 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: American B738 at Dallas on Aug 24th 2020, instruments disagree An American Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration N315PE performing flight AA-884 from Dallas Ft. Worth,TX to Denver,CO (USA), was climbing out of Dallas' runway 18L when the crew requested to level off at 9000 feet reporting flight instruments disagreed, subsequently explaining both airspeed and altitude disagreed. The crew reported they were level at 9000 feet, ATC confirmed that he was showing them at 9000 feet, too. The aircraft returned to Dallas Ft. Worth for a safe landing on runway 17R about 20 minutes after departure. A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration N921NN reached Denver with a delay of 2 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Dallas about 23 hours after landing back. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/AAL884/history/20200824/1555Z/KDFW/KDEN http://avherald.com/h?article=4dbbf437&opt=0 Back to Top Kaman K-1200 K-Max - Fatal Accident (Oregon) Date: 24-AUG-2020 Time: c 17:50 LT Type: Kaman K-1200 K-Max Owner/operator: Central Copters Inc Registration: N314 C/n / msn: A94-0032 Fatalities: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Category: Accident Location: 20 miles west of Warmic, OR - United States of America Phase: Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) Nature: Fire fighting Departure airport: Destination airport: Investigating agency: NTSB Narrative: A Kaman K-1200 K-Max helicopter crashed during firefighting bucket operations. The pilot was killed. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/240461 Back to Top NTSB Illuminates Pilot Performance in AW139 Fatal The NTSB's recently released accident docket of the July 4, 2019, Leonardo AW139 crash in the Bahama's points to pilot performance and lack of situational awareness. However, the NTSB has yet to issue a final report or conclude a probable cause of the accident. According to the NTSB, the AW139 crashed shortly after lifting off from a private helipad in the Bahamas shortly before 2 a.m. on a private medical evacuation flight to Fort Lauderdale, killing the pilots and five passengers. The NTSB's performance study indicates that one minute and two seconds into the flight, the helicopter hit the water at a speed of 141 knots. The study concludes: "While longitudinal input was not initially different from the prior 10 flights, the combination of high collective input and increasingly forward longitudinal cyclic inputs lead to significant nose-down attitudes during the flight that led to losses of altitude. A calculation of apparent pitch showed that it was possible for the pilots to have misinterpreted the helicopter's nose-down attitude to be nose up for the entirety of the flight." Other documents contained in the docket, including the transcript from the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and human factors report, fashion a mosaic of two pilots with marginal training performance, still unfamiliar with key systems of their aircraft, and a lack of crew resource management. The accident PIC was faulted for a basic lack of skills and knowledge during initial and recurrent training in 2017 and 2018. During 2018 recurrent training, "progressive training/checking was halted and changed to traditional 61.58 training due to the applicant not reaching the required proficiency and failed more items than required." Meanwhile, during the SIC's initial training, instructors noted that he struggled with the FMS and had crew resource management "issues;" could be "overwhelmed" with weather, ATC, and flying; and did not always use a checklist, which led to "momentary loss of situational awareness during the flight." Similar to the PIC's 2018 recurrent training, the SIC's training reverted to 61.58 due to failures. He also scored below average for Category A takeoffs and use of the flight director. His instructor noted, "The SIC was not trained or he received substandard initial training for all the maneuvers he failed." Additional training led to a proficiency check pass. Before the accident, the PIC and the SIC had flown together 14 times between November 2017 and February 2019. Ten of those flights were daylight, the other four could not be determined. On all flights, the PIC was always the pilot flying. Twenty-three seconds before impact, the PIC appears to recognize and momentarily recover from pitch down attitude, acknowledging, "Yeah, we were diving," before reinitiating it. Fifteen seconds before impact, against the background of multiple electronic voice terrain warning alerts, the SIC remarked, "There was a fatal accident in the UK and this is exactly what happened there." https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/general-aviation/2020-08-25/ntsb-illuminates-pilot-performance-aw139-fatal Back to Top NTSB: Lawmaker in plane crash flew despite vision problems An Alaska state lawmaker who was involved in a July midair collision that killed seven people was piloting his plane even though his medical flight certification was denied eight years ago because of vision problems, a federal agency reported Tuesday. Alaska State Troopers identified the pilot as state Rep. Gary Knopp, 67, of Kenai, who was flying a Piper PA-12 when it collided with a de Havilland DHC2 shortly after both planes had taken off in the area of Soldotna, Alaska, on the evening of July 31. Both airplanes crashed, killing Knopp, the other pilot and five passengers who were being flown to a remote lake for a fishing trip. The de Havilland was flown by a local pilot and carried a guide from Kansas and four people from South Carolina. The National Transportation Safety Board, in a preliminary report on the crash issued Tuesday, wrote that a witness to the crash told investigators the northbound Piper hit the westbound de Havilland on the left side of the fuselage toward the back of the aircraft. The unidentified male witness said he saw what he believed was the de Havilland's left wing separate from the aircraft, and the airplane went into an uncontrolled spin toward the ground, the report said. Investigators found dark green paint from the Piper on the rear fuselage of the de Havilland, according to the report. The crash occurred around 8:30 a.m. at about 1,175 feet with clear skies up to 8,500 feet, the report stated. The de Havilland, which was equipped with floats to land on water, took off from a nearby lake about the same time as Knopp's plane left the Soldotna Airport. The NTSB wrote that information on file with the Federal Aviation Administration's Civil Aeromedical Institute showed that Knopp was denied medical certification in June of 2012 by the Alaska Regional Flight Surgeon because of vision problems. The denial was appealed and upheld a month later. Knopp's plane also had an invalid registration number, the NTSB said. The plane had a valid number that was registered to Knopp, but a different number was on the plane's exterior. That number had been reserved by Knopp but was not valid, the report said. Troopers said six of the seven people were pronounced deceased at the scene of the accident. The seventh person died while being transported to a hospital. Besides Knopp, troopers identified the other six people killed as pilot Gregory Bell, 57, of Soldotna; guide David Rogers, 40, of Kansas; and Caleb Hulsey, 26; Heather Hulsey, 25; Mackay Hulsey, 24, and Kirstin Wright, 23, all of South Carolina. Bell was one of the owners of High Adventure Air Charter in Soldotna, which offers bear viewing adventures, fishing and hunting trips and glacier tours, according to its website. The two planes collided about 2 miles northeast of the Soldotna Airport, the FAA statement said after crash. The FAA sent two investigators to the crash site, which is about 150 miles (241 kilometres) southwest of Anchorage. Knopp, a Republican, left the House GOP caucus and served in a coalition of Democrats, independents and GOP lawmakers that comprised the House Majority. That left the remaining House Republicans in the minority. Knopp was first elected to the state House in 2016. He served for years before that on the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly. He was born in Whitefish, Montana, and moved to Alaska in 1979. He eventually settled in Kenai and worked as a general contractor. His hobbies included flying, diving, hunting, golfing "and enjoying life in general at home on the Peninsula," according to his legislative biography. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/ntsb-lawmaker-plane-crash-flew-204624896.html Back to Top UN's ICAO to conduct another audit of India's air safety readiness Global aviation watchdog's audit comes in the aftermath of Air India Express crash in Calicut which claimed 20 lives "We changed the system and now DGCA has almost completed licensing all 2,500 ATCO officials," the official said." The UN's aviation watchdog International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has decided to conduct another safety audit of India's air safety readiness. The audit, which was pre-planned, assumes significance as it comes in the aftermath of the Air India Express crash in which 20 people were killed, including the pilot and the co-pilot, and several others were injured when the flight from Dubai with 190 people onboard overshot the runway at Calicut airport and fell into a valley. "An ICAO team was supposed to come for an audit in November, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic and border closures, the audit has been postponed to January. ICAO team will check safety aspects of airlines, airports, ground handling firms, regulatory bodies to ascertain that they are upto the international standards," said an official aware of the development. ICAO had carried out the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme for India in November 2017, followed by a second audit in February 2018. The audit result showed that the country's score declined to 57.44 per cent from 65.82 per cent earlier, placing India below Pakistan, Nepal and many other nations. However, subsequently, the civil aviation ministry and aviation regulator DGCA took steps, following which the score improved to 74. During its audit, ICAO looks at eight areas. These include primary aviation legislation and civil aviation regulations, civil aviation organisation, personnel licensing and training, aircraft operations and airworthiness of aircraft. The outcome of the audit score is crucial for Indian airlines as it could impact their international expansion plans. During its audit in 2012, ICAO had placed India in its list of 13 worst-performing nations. This triggered an audit by US aviation regulator, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2014, which downgraded the country's ranking, citing a lack of adequate regulatory oversight. Indian airlines were not allowed to add new routes to the US or sign commercial agreements with US airlines during this period. The rating were restored one year later. "Naturally when there has been an accident where lives were lost, an ICAO audit is significant, but we are well prepared. The accident investigation is also taking its own course and by the time ICAO is here, it will be completed. We are also keeping ICAO updated about the progress in investigation," the official said. The primary issue pointed out during the 2017 and 2018 audit by ICAO was to make DGCA licensing authority for ATC officers. Earlier, Airports Authority of India (AAI), which is also ATC service provider, had been licensing ATCOs. ICAO considered it a conflict of interest for the service provider to be its regulator as well. In fact, India was the only big aviation market where the safety regulator did not have authority to license ATC officers "We changed the system and now DGCA has almost completed licensing all 2,500 ATCO officials," the official said. https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/icao-to-conduct-another-safety-audit-of-india-s-air-safety-readiness-120082501484_1.html Back to Top Why Automation Will Soon Make Flying an Aircraft Simpler and Safer While automation is inevitable, it will take time and FAA certification before flying an aircraft involves pushing a button and taking off. But aviation experts say it's coming. Autoland Garmin Imagine a day when pilots heading into a busy airport can look through a set of augmented-reality goggles that lets them see air traffic, making aircraft 1,000 feet above-even hidden by storm clouds-appear visible to the naked eye. Such capabilities, called simple vehicle operations (SVO) technology, are not only coming to aviation, but in some instances they have already arrived. "SVO is really about applying technologies that can perform better and more reliably than pilots," says Dustin Kilgore, an aviation systems team leader at Garmin. "We view SVO as a framework that allows automation and technology to either replace or reduce the pilot training required to safely and proficiently operate an aircraft." Kilgore's comments were part of a recent webinar organized by the National Business Aviation Association to discuss SVO. The webinar was hosted by Brad Hayden, CEO of Robotic Skies, and chair of NBAA's emerging technologies committee. Skyryse SVO goes beyond mere avionics to encompass communications, navigation and even user interface, all with the aim of reducing the pilot's workload. "There are a bunch of ways we can simplify the aircraft's operations," says Ben Klein, the general counsel at Skyryse. "Automation could bring about greater safety and utility to the general-aviation fleet." Freeing the pilot of some of the mundane tasks of flying can improve performance, but SVO systems also increase safety by introducing features that include anti-stall measures, controlling speed at various levels of takeoff and landing, and even smoothing out turns. Several systems already offer such tech, but only as alerts and nudges to pilots rather than by actually taking action. Skyryse has been working towards simplifying "vehicle operations" by establishing automated systems on a Robinson R44 helicopter that is currently using in flight tests. "An aircraft like this is well-situated to benefit from SVO, given the rotorcraft's inherent stability," says Klein. Robotic Skies The technology to take the next step already exists, but regulatory protocols have not caught up. "The eVTOL market must have these systems in order to fly, so they're sort of forcing the issue with regard to vehicle certification and pilot training," says Lowell Foster, the director of innovation and engineering at the General Aviation Manufacturer's Association (GAMA). Electric virtual takeoff and landing aircraft are expected to begin appearing in city skies by 2023, and become commonplace as air-taxis and cargo transportation by the end of this decade. Lowell says that SVO is the "only path forward for very dense airspace." That includes urban centers, if the eVTOL revolution takes place, or busy metropolitan airports. "Automation is at an inflection point," adds Lowell. "We can go backwards with manual operation or move forward with automation. Gama's vision for safety is to move forward." He says his group is working with NASA to create a "long-term vision" for practical uses for SVO on aircraft. Older planes will benefit, too. "SVO is a package of hardware and software, and we will have the ability to have packages that can be retrofitted to a large part of the fleet," said Klein. • In a decade, the automated cockpit may relieve pilots of multiple functions, so pilot certification will be much faster and more widespread. Skyryse While SVO will make it easier for more people to fly, training and safety will always come first. "There has to be a balance," says Kilgore. "We need to make sure that the automation is appropriate and the delineation needs to be clear about what the pilot's duties are and what the automated functions are. We want to make sure that as you increase automation, you do not reduce safety." "SVO needs to be certified fail-safe," adds Klein. "We're never going to have a reversionary mode, where a pilot who has been trained to be an SVO pilot all of a sudden has to know how to be a traditional pilot." Conventional flying won't go away, but SVO can create a new type of flying machine that will attract a new breed of flyboy (or flygirl). "Some craft need SVO and some don't," says Kilgore. "But, in general, it will benefit the entire industry." https://robbreport.com/motors/aviation/automated-aircraft-blade-runner-2946008/ Back to Top Free traveler safety kits available at Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport • Just before entering TSA Checkpoint at the Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport there is a table with traveler safety kits available to passengers AMARILLO, Texas (KVII) - A number of Amarillo businesses have started a community-based initiative aimed at helping folks who fly out of the Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport feel more secure during the Covid-19 pandemic. It's called "Amarillo Proud." "No matter where you are it makes you a little safer to have a mask on," said Mikel Williamson, President/CEO of Happy State Bank. Especially when you're in an airport or on an airplane. Mikel Williamson is the President and CEO of Happy State Bank. The idea to make people feel safer as they board an airplane came about when local business people were discussing how to increase flights in and out of the Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport. "The airport has done so much to sanitize all the customer areas," said Williamson. "I know they're extra cleaning the entire place but a lot of people just felt safer if they have a mask." No federal law requires passengers to wear a mask instead the airlines set their own rules. Inside each kit contains a couple of items that you may forget to pack or have on you as you rush to the airport. "There's a couple of masks in here so you can have a fresh mask while you're there," said Tazia McCracken, traveler. "The hand sanitizer will come in handy as well." The staff at the airport checks on the supplies every two hours to make sure there are enough free kits for all the passengers. The travel kits will definitely come in handy for folks who have a connecting flight once they reach their destination in Houston, Dallas, Denver or Las Vegas. "If there are delays, if we're stuck on a plane a little bit longer or if we're stuck in an airport for a period of time we're helping them," said Williamson. "The airport is getting help and we're helping our fellow travelers." Complaints about airline service shot up during the Covid-19 pandemic. The US Transportation Department reports an increase of 1,500% in April of 2020, compared to April in 2019. The vast majority of the problems are with delays and cancellations. Which is why it's best to call the airline to check on your reservation. Don't travel if you are sick and don't travel with someone who is sick. Besides airports, bus stations, train stations and rest stops are all places travelers can be exposed to Coronavirus either in the air or on surfaces. "Amarillo Proud" is put together by community partners. https://abc7amarillo.com/news/local/free-traveler-safety-kits-available-at-rick-husband-amarillo-international-airport Back to Top Airport Owner Urges Congress to Ease Restrictions Around Presidential TFRs • After years of regular shutdowns, the owner of Somerset Airport pleads for action. Somerset Airport With VIP TFRs occurring frequently at the Somerset Airport, signs are placed at the airport to alert pilots that they must remain grounded.Courtesy Somerset Airport If you live in a sizable American city, you have likely experienced the frustration of presidential temporary flight restrictions. While there are some variations, presidential TFRs generally limit operations within a 30-nautical-mile circle, where the inner 10 miles often prevents all general aviation operations. For a day or two, you can't take your airplane out for a flight because the president is in town for an event-generally a meeting, fundraiser or rally. While these occurrences are frustrating, they typically only last for a day or two. Imagine the frustration for pilots and operators who live near the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey; and the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, where President Trump visits regularly. As a result, general aviation operators in those areas are often prevented from flying and businesses have suffered great losses. One such business is the Somerset Air Service at the Somerset Airport in Bedminster, New Jersey-a privately owned, full-service airport that has been in operation since 1946. For the past four years, Steven E. Parker, owner/operator of Somerset Airport, along with other operators in the area, have worked to mitigate the effects of the VIP TFRs that have plagued his business. "When President Trump was elected, it became obvious he would spend significant amounts of time at Mar-a-Lago in Florida and his Bedminster New Jersey Golf Club. Mid Atlantic Aviation Coalition (MAAC) and the New Jersey Aviation Association (NJAA) promoted the idea of using the existing rules governing the three Maryland airports near Washington, D.C., shut down initially after 9/11," Parker said in a letter to Flying. This is called the Maryland Three Program, and it allows pilots to fly-after being screened and issued a personal identification number-to, from and between College Park Airport, Potomac Airfield and Washington Executive Airport/Hyde Field, which are located inside the Washington, D.C. Special Flight Rules area and the Flight Restricted Zone. "This program has been successful for nearly 20 years and the background check process has promoted aviation and ensured security around our nation's capital," said Parker. Congress responded to the request from the MAAC and NJAA by including a provision in the 2018 FAA Reauthorization Act that required the FAA to study the issue and publish the results by October 1, 2019. Nearly 11 months past that due date, no study has been published and GA operators in the area continue to be crippled by frequent VIP TFRs. "To be fair, Congress did allocate some money to compensate airports for their lost revenue during the Trump administration, but it didn't nearly cover the losses in fuel sales and aircraft/businesses that moved away from these airports over the past four years," Parker said. "A better plan is to allow safe operations rather than a bailout from the taxpayers." Parker isn't just seeking a solution for his own current problem, but a program that can work for future administrations as well. "The time for action is now," he said. "The FAA needs to publish their report, and Congress needs to act and solve this problem for the flying public in a manner that provides safety and security for our leaders. The roadmap is in place, it is proven to work. I urge they implement the 'Maryland Three Rules' for all future presidents." https://www.flyingmag.com/story/news/easing-presidential-tfr-restrictions/ Back to Top US TSA installs acrylic barriers at Las Vegas McCarran Airport The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in the US has installed acrylic barriers at security checkpoints throughout Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (LAS) in Nevada. The move was part of the agency's ongoing efforts to reduce Covid-19 contagion risks among airport personnel and passengers. Overall, 72 acrylic barriers were installed at places where TSA officers usually interact with passengers. • It includes the travel document checkpoints and areas where the passengers prepare their luggage for X-ray screening. TSA Nevada federal security director Karen Burke said: "The recent addition of clear barriers should instil an additional layer of confidence among travellers departing Las Vegas McCarran International Airport. "TSA will continue to identify and implement changes to the security checkpoint environment and security procedures to protect the health and wellbeing of the travelling public, our employees and the larger airport community." In June, TSA awarded a contract for 1,230 acrylic barriers, which will be installed at 37 priority airports in the US. The installation work is expected to be completed soon. Next month, new contracts are expected to be awarded to procure additional barriers. Following the Covid-19 crisis, TSA launched its 'Stay Healthy. Stay Secure' campaign in a bid to restrict the spread of the disease. The campaign encourages social distancing, rigorous cleaning and disinfection of the security checkpoints at the airports, and the use of personal protective equipment by TSA officers. Earlier this month, TSA started using credential authentication technology (CAT) at Baltimore / Washington International-Thurgood Marshall Airport. This technology authenticates the identity and confirms the flight information of passengers. https://www.airport-technology.com/news/acrylic-barriers-las-vegas-mccarran-airport/ Back to Top Ethiopian Will Be The Last Airline To Resume 737 MAX Flights The Boeing 737 MAX may be inching forwards in the process to get it back in the air, but there's one airline that isn't planning to start scheduling it in anytime soon. Esayas WoldeMariam, acting Chief Commercial Officer at Ethiopian Airlines, has told Simple Flying that Ethiopian will be the last airline on the planet to fly the type. He says that the airline has been "traumatized" by what happened last year. 737 MAX must be 'tried, tested and trusted' It's been almost a year and a half since an Ethiopian Boeing 737 MAX crashed on route to Kenya. In a situation that was strikingly similar to that of the Lion Air crash just months before, the pilots had fought with the aircraft before they were overcome by the automated system we now know as MCAS. Nobody survived the accident. Simple Flying had the opportunity to talk to Esayas WoldeMariam, acting Chief Commercial Officer at Ethiopian Airlines, about his thoughts on the Boeing 737 MAX, and whether there is still a place for it in the African airline's fleet. Esayas explained that Ethiopian plans to take a cautious outlook when it comes to the 737 MAX. He said, "What I can tell you about MAX is that Ethiopian Airlines wants to be the last airline to start flying it, after everybody has. "After it is tried, tested and trusted, we will be the last one to start flying it because we really value the life of our customers. "We have been traumatized with what has already happened. So, we would be the last one to start flying it." Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX The airline has been left traumatized by what happened last year. Photo: Getty Images Although the FAA is pressing ahead with testing and recertification, other regulators wish to undertake their own scrutiny before allowing it to fly. Transport Canada has already begun to examine the aircraft, and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has noted that it wishes to perform its own tests. In Africa, multiple aviation authorities exist; 37 in all. Ethiopian Airlines' relevant regulator would be the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority. However, their approval would only permit the type to fly in Ethiopia, and not into other African nations. To date, no African regulator has requested scrutiny of the 737 MAX, so it's likely the authorities will simply follow the FAA. Nevertheless, Ethiopian's stance is clear. The airline may well operate the 737 MAX again, but not until it is 100% certain that it is safe to fly. Stay informed: Sign up for our daily aviation news digest. And what about the outstanding order? At the time of the grounding, Ethiopian operated just four of the type. However, it had pinned its hopes on the 737 MAX for its future narrowbody fleet, with an outstanding order for 27 more aircraft. Back in May last year, when the airline was still raw from the fatal accident involving ET302, CEO Tewolde GebreMariam said he didn't know if it would ever come back into the fleet. He expressed concern that the airline would struggle to convince its pilots and the traveling public to fly it again. But now, after more than a year of scrutiny and still no firm date for the aircraft to be ungrounded, Ethiopian appears to be taking a more pragmatic approach. Esayas commented, "Well, depending on if it has a positive comeback, then definitely, after everybody has been assured, we will be taking it. Otherwise, we'll also look for equivalent narrowbody original, something like the Airbus A220." Ethiopian Airlines previously said it hoped to secure compensation for the 737 MAX accident and subsequent grounding of its fleet by July. As yet, no official confirmation of compensation being agreed has been shared. https://simpleflying.com/ethiopian-last-to-fly-737-max/ Back to Top Ethiopian Airlines' flight suspended by CAAC An Ethiopian Airlines' flight from Addis Ababa to Shanghai will be suspended for a week from August 31 after passengers tested positive for COVID-19, China's civil aviation authority said on Wednesday. It is the seventh suspension of international flights to Shanghai by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) in two weeks. Flights of four international and domestic airlines have been suspended for one to four weeks. Six passengers on Ethiopian Airlines' flight ET684 tested positive on arrival at Pudong airport on August 19, the CAAC said. According to CAAC policy, if all inbound passengers on an airline test negative for three weeks in a row, it will be allowed to increase its number of flights to two per week. If five passengers test positive, the airline's flights will be suspended for a week. The suspension will be four weeks if at least 10 passengers on the same flight test positive. Etihad Airways's flight EY862 from Abu Dhabi to Shanghai was suspended for one week from August 17. The suspension was prolonged for another week from August 24 as more imported COVID-19 cases were detected. China Eastern's flight MU212 from Manila to Shanghai has been suspended twice by the CAAC for a total of two weeks from August 17 through 30. Other airlines punished were SriLankan Airlines and Shanghai-based Juneyao Airlines. SriLankan's flight UL866 from Colombo to Shanghai was halted for four weeks from August 17 after 23 passengers tested positive for COVID-19 on August 7. Nationwide, over 10 flights have been suspended since the policy was introduced on June 4 to contain the spread of the virus. The city reported four more imported novel coronavirus cases on Tuesday. So far, of all the 544 imported cases, 470 people have recovered while 74 are still in hospital, Shanghai Health Commission said on Wednesday morning. https://www.shine.cn/news/metro/2008264921/ Back to Top Pakistan's PIA tenders for widebody charters to the EU PIA - Pakistan International Airlines (PK, Islamabad Quaid-e-Azam Int'l) has launched a pre-qualification procedure for the chartering in of widebody aircraft for flights to and from the European Union. PIA was banned by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in late June 2020 after around 150 pilots at the airline were suspended for allegedly using fake licences. The ban was imposed for at least six months. In its prequalification request, PIA is looking for aircraft that seat over 250 passengers in a two-class configuration, are built no earlier than 2008 (i.e. 12 years of age as per local law), and available immediately until March 2021. PIA said it would charter the aircraft whenever the need arises. However, it is not currently looking to engage in a long-term wet-lease but rather only to build a list of available aircraft from which it could draw on on an ad-hoc basis. Prospective operators have until September 25, 2020, to submit offers. Since the start of the EASA ban, PIA has chartered in A330-200 capacity from Wamos Air (EB, Madrid Barajas) and A330-300 capacity from Hi Fly Malta (HFM, Malta Int'l). Both ACMI specialists operated flights on behalf of PIA under their own codes. https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/94496-pakistans-pia-tenders-for-widebody-charters-to-the-eu Back to Top The pandemic's financial impact on airlines will be worse than the 9/11 attacks Covid-19 will impact the US airline industry even more than the terrorist attacks on September 11th. Planes have been grounded and the financial impacts of the pandemic will change the industry and air travel for the foreseeable future. As a result of the pandemic, losses in the first half of 2020 have been unprecedented. For example, Delta Air Lines, the most profitable US airline in recent years, saw its revenues plunge 56% and its operating margin flip from a healthy 14% to negative 40%. And the current outlook for the third quarter is not much better. By contrast, after the terror attacks, Delta's revenues dropped 25% in the second half of 2001 and its margin was negative 22%. Airlines have also slashed costs more than previously thought possible in recent months, which has reduced losses -- Delta (DAL) and United Airlines have each reported that they cut operating costs by more than 50% in the second quarter. Lower fuel prices have helped, but not much when there are fewer planes in the air. Voluntary employee retirements and furloughs are trimming labor costs, and many airlines are warning that more layoffs are coming when federal payroll aid ends September 30 -- Delta, for example, just announced that it plans to furlough almost 2,000 pilots in October. The federal $50 billion aid package for passenger airlines has served as a crucial lifeline. The combination of cash grants, unsecured loans and secured loans have boosted market confidence enough to attract billions more in new loans from investors. Several big airlines are reporting cash and borrowing capacity of more than double their normal levels. Delta claims, even if its cash outflow as of the end of June ($27 million a day) doesn't diminish, it could last 19 months with its current cash and borrowing capacity. Still, airlines will, at best, scrape by this year and emerge from the effects of the pandemic in 2021 or 2022 with more debt and reduced earnings capacity. S&P Global Ratings has lowered its ratings on all US airlines, and only one of them -- Southwest Airlines -- currently remains investment grade. Possible bankruptcies But what if this spring was only the first wave of the virus, with worse waves to come later this year? While most airlines theoretically have cash to last into next year, they typically don't wait until cash is exhausted before filing for bankruptcy. When American Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2011 after pilot contract talks broke down, the company had ample cash ($4.1 billion) but it saw no point in waiting; American wanted to be sure it would have sufficient resources to reorganize. Might some weaker airlines choose a similar path if the recovery fizzles and widespread vaccination remains on the horizon? For US airlines historically, Chapter 11 has provided a way to renegotiate uncompetitive labor contracts, shift pension obligations to others, wipe out unsecured debt and trim secured debt. With labor contracts, pensions and unsecured borrowing currently not too onerous and significant cost restructuring already underway for most airlines, the incentives to file may be less compelling. But if cash is running short and a recovery in air travel is uncertain, they may see no other option. There won't be many big mergers Similarly, we do not foresee a wave of industry mergers, since combining airlines does not address the fundamental problem of weak demand and regulators might block mergers between large airlines on antitrust grounds. Still, selected combinations involving smaller airlines are possible and airline liquidations will leave the survivors with increased market share. International and business travel won't recover quickly The outlook for airline passengers is also uncertain, at least in the short term. The threat of infection is compelling new restrictions and procedures at airports and on board. Unlike anti-terrorism security, these may be tightened and relaxed depending on the perceived threat. However, given what we've learned from how coronavirus spreads around the world, governments may be quicker to shut down air travel in response to any new outbreak. Business travel has been hit particularly hard and will take years to recover. There is currently a lively discussion as to whether videoconferencing (and corporate cost cutting) will permanently replace a large share of corporate travel. The trips for marketing or relationship purposes should mostly recover, but the hurdle to justify other corporate travel, particularly internationally, will no doubt be higher. We are more optimistic on leisure travel, especially domestically. Visiting family and escaping the confinement of quarantine remain compelling reasons to travel. And many of the younger generation have grown up viewing both domestic and international vacation trips as normal. Covid-19 will destroy several years of growth and leave a smaller and poorer global travel industry, but air travel will eventually get back on the path toward an upward trend. https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/25/perspectives/airlines-pandemic-9-11/index.html Back to Top Kenya Airways Pilots Win Reprieve From Court in Jobs Clash • Court halts planned job cuts pending determination of case • Airline set for government takeover moves to cut costs A court ordered Kenya Airways Plc to stop a plan to fire some pilots pending the determination of a case challenging the move, according to a ruling by Judge Onesmus Makau on Tuesday. Sub-Saharan Africa's third-largest airline said not being able to proceed with the cuts imperils the viability of the airline. Kenya Airways is facing financial troubles that have partly set it up for full nationalization, and were exacerbated by the coronavirus fallout. The Kenya Airline Pilots Association claims the redundancy notices that the airline sent to its members are irregular, and asked the court to void them. The coronavirus outbreak has battered airlines around the world as governments imposed travel restrictions to curb the spread of the virus. The International Air Transport Association has warned many will be bankrupted. Kenya Airways projects it will require 258 of its 414 pilots for reduced operations, even after travel restrictions are lifted. The company has 4,660 workers with an annual wage bill of about 14.4 billion shillings ($133.2 million), about 45% of which goes to pilots. The cuts could save the East Africa nation's carrier 4 billion shillings a year, according to court fillings.The first phase of job cuts in June affected 650 employees on contract and the next would be a redundancy process for 590 staff. The pilots want any planned job cuts to wait for the government's takeover, which may involve buying out Air France-KLM and a group of lenders who converted their debt into equity. Job cuts may be unnecessary in the end depending on the new growth plan, according to the pilots' association. The airline's employees belonging to unions won an interim injunction in a separate case against redundancies earlier, and the matter was referred to a conciliator. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-08-25/kenya-airways-pilots-win-repieve-from-court-in-jobs-clash Back to Top Spirit Airlines, pilots reach agreement to avoid 600 furloughs • Spirit Airlines pilots' union said it agreed to work fewer hours to avoid furloughs. • Airlines have warned more than 75,000 employees that their jobs are at risk when federal aid expires in October, Spirit Airlines pilots' union on Tuesday said it reached an agreement with the company that will avoid involuntary furloughs of around 600 pilots when federal aid that has helped protect airline jobs runs out in October. About half of Spirit's more than 2,500 pilots would work fewer hours, a reduction in costs that helps the company avoid involuntary cuts, said the Air Line Pilots Association, their union. Spirit had said it could furlough about 2,500 people throughout the company but the "actual number will be a small fraction of that," thanks to volunteers that signed up for voluntary leaves. Earlier Tuesday, American Airlines said it is planning to cut 19,000 jobs - including 1,600 of its 15,000 pilots - in October, unless it gets more federal aid. JetBlue Airways' pilots are also set to avoid furloughs until at least May thanks to a cost-cutting agreement between the company and its the pilots' union. Southwest Airlines has said it doesn't plan to furlough any workers this year because so many opted for voluntary leaves of absence or buyouts. Delta Air Lines and its pilots' union are sparring over potential solutions to avoid job cuts. The Atlanta-based carrier on Monday said it plans to furlough 1,941 pilots this fall unless the two parties can agree on a plan. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/25/spirit-airlines-pilots-reach-agreement-to-avoid-600-furloughs.html Back to Top New Air Cargo Security Standards Could Gum Up e-Commerce Exports The U.S. supply chain industry appears divided over how the government should implement new international security standards for cargo carried on freighter aircraft and whether certain exporters get special treatment to minimize associated cost increases. Some worry there could be shipping delays if the Transportation Security Administration doesn't figure out a plan well before the standards take effect July 1. At issue is whether the TSA will recognize the security controls of e-commerce fulfillment centers, warehouses and other shippers as sufficient rather than require them to pay costs associated with 100% screening of their air cargo shipments. In either case, shippers will face increased costs and responsibility for securing their export cargo. The debate could pit the likes of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT), FedEx Corporation (NYSE: FDX), United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE: UPS), airlines and freight forwarders against each other over what qualifies as a level playing field. "If the e-commerce carriers are going to lock a few doors and check a few IDs and then deem their cargo secure for all-cargo flights, that's not real security," Brandon Fried, executive director of the Airforwarders Association, said in an interview. Under the new international standards scheduled, all cargo on freighter aircraft must be screened for explosives as done the past decade for cargo moving on passenger planes. The U.N. agency responsible for supporting aviation wants to harmonize air cargo screening and make it more rigorous by phasing out "known shipper" programs whereby carriers and freight forwarders are responsible for vetting customers to ensure their cargo is safe to transport. The U.S. known-shipper program is an extra layer of security to keep anonymous packages off passenger aircraft. Governments can offer two ways to avoid physical screening of cargo by the carrier or regulated freight agent prior to loading: a voluntary, "known consignor" program allowing businesses that ship goods to demonstrate they have secure facilities and common security protocols to prevent tampering, which could serve as a substitute for physical detection; and allowing businesses to screen shipments themselves or use certified third parties. The latter method already exists in large measure. The TSA established the Certified Cargo Screening Program (CCSP) in 2010 as a less expensive option to prevent backlogs of cargo at passenger airline facilities. Warehouses, ground handlers and independent security companies that meet strict criteria can screen cargo upstream from the airport using various technology, including X-ray and explosive trace detection. They must send shipments directly to the airline by trucks that can verify an unbroken chain of custody. More recently, the TSA has declared canines an approved method of explosives detection and certified several companies to do the work. The U.S. hasn't followed other countries in using the known consignor concept because it doesn't meet the same level of security controls as the CCSP. "Congestion at the airports is already an issue, and will only be exacerbated by this change if not properly managed," said Aaron Ambrite, director of global compliance at AIT Worldwide Logistics, via email. Securing shipments or supply chains? The TSA is considering development of a new regulatory program for warehouses, e-commerce fulfillment centers, third-party logistics providers or other facilities that process cargo for air transport. Industry comments on how to shape an alternative framework that aims to screen the supply chain, rather than shipments themselves, are due Thursday. Whether the agency and industry can work together on an alternative framework that meets all the requirements is an open question. Two camps are forming over how to meet the international standards. On one side are logistics intermediaries and security experts who argue the same structure for passenger cargo security should apply to the all-cargo sector. That would be cheaper for exporters than a known consignor program, which they say would need to be layered with additional screening requirements for air shipping. They note many U.S. all-cargo carriers already screen export cargo, without significant disruption in service, because some countries require the checks for all aircraft types before departure. And airlines such as Lufthansa and Qatar Airways find it easier to screen cargo for their freighters to the same standard as cargo going on their passenger jets. Others say it makes sense to allow large retailers, manufacturers and distributors to become known consignors and have their facility security deemed equivalent to shipment screening. The concept somewhat resembles the U.S. Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, a voluntary program that vets import supply chains against baseline standards in exchange for expedited processing, but which TSA says doesn't meet standards for air cargo security. Given a choice, retailers and other exporters ultimately will decide which system best maintains smooth shipment flow and whether to take on the additional cost of meeting new requirements, either as a regulated party or as a known consignor. Online retailers and other shippers that consider themselves already secure for their own commercial or regulatory reasons might opt to participate in a known consignor regime if they believe screening will make it difficult for them to meet service deadlines, said an airline industry official involved in regulatory affairs who asked not to be identified because the conversation with a reporter was not authorized by higher-ups. Opponents of the known-consignor model say another cargo-security program would force direct and indirect air carriers to deal with multiple handling and administrative requirements for accepting freight, leading to extra work and potential mistakes in a fast-moving environment. "If you've got a program that allows a shipper to do something that's less than screening cargo, that puts it at risk. And, it also adds a big window of opportunity for confusion" about which cargo gets different treatment and how to make airport transfers from all-cargo to passenger aircraft, Douglas Brittin, who was responsible for creating the CCSP as head of TSA's air cargo division, told FreightWaves. Brittin, who also served as secretary general of The International Air Cargo Association, said in formal comments to TSA that a layered security approach is necessary because background checks aren't sufficient to stop a disgruntled, or extremist, employee from tampering with shipments or manipulating data. Carriers already process shipments with different levels of security, countered the airline industry representative. "I don't think it's a problem for any competent entity, frankly," the source said. "You already have to segregate 'known shipper' from unknown shipper cargo if it's going to go on a passenger plane. You already have to segregate secure cargo from unsecure cargo in your warehouse. And you already have to segregate at cargo acceptance what's already been screened. They have these systems in place." And, said Steve Alterman, president of the Cargo Airline Association, there is so much material moving through large distribution centers "there is no way a terrorist will know whether something will go on a plane or truck" or its ultimate destination. Supporters of physical screening urged the TSA to modify and expand the CCSP and third-party K-9 programs to accommodate more shipments designated for freighter aircraft. "While many shippers have existing facility security programs, most are primarily focused on inventory theft prevention and not aviation security specifically. ... [They] do not adequately address the possibility of the introduction of improvised explosives into the box, pallet or container about to be shipped," the Airforwarders Association said in its filing. "Many shipper warehouses and distribution centers are simply 'pass-through' or temporary storage facilities where containers are stored and prepared for transit. The insertion of destructive material can take place before the shipment arrives at the shipper's facility or while in the care and custody of the shipper." Economic impact Raising security levels to the air standard would require shippers to make substantial investments that they previously have been unwilling to make, critics of a special shipper program say. Extra expenses would likely include additional personnel and supervisors, extensive employee background checks and government credentials, training, screening technologies that can range in price from $30,000 to $250,000 per unit plus maintenance, and creating a physically secure area in the warehouse for screening. Shippers are eligible to join the CCSP, but relatively few have joined, preferring to outsource screening functions to their logistics providers for a reasonable price and avoid more government oversight, proponents of an expanded CCSP approach say. Or shippers could save money by insourcing inspections and packing boxes with trained personnel in a fully secure warehouse screening area, as is the current practice at many CCSP seafood, fruit-packing and pharmaceutical facilities. Physical search and the K-9 program both reduce the cost of entry into the CCSP. "TSA should not seek to develop a new and separate program for the possible benefit of some shippers with a goal of perhaps saving them pennies a pound, but which could potentially place all-cargo flight crews and personnel, as well as other employees across the air cargo supply chain at high risk," Brittin wrote the agency. "By doing so, TSA risks giving the appearance that the safety and security of air crews and personnel in the all-cargo sector are of lesser value than those in the passenger carrier environment." A combination of more CCSP shippers and expansion of K-9 usage by forwarders and all-cargo carriers should easily handle the issue, without having to create something new and, arguably, less safe, he said in the interview. The direct and indirect air carriers easily screen large configurations of cargo, even unit load devices, with the canine program at very low cost and can pass that back to shippers. Brittin recommended carriers and forwarders step up contracts with third-party K-9 companies to ensure there are enough trained teams in place by next July. Industry experts warn that TSA can't develop a rulemaking for a new shipper security program, with an impact study and public comment period, by the International Civil Aviation Organization's deadline, making the CCSP a likely fallback. "My concern is the industry would be stuck with a 100% screening when they're not in a position to do it because they had been counting on an alternative framework," said Alterman, noting there are only eight cargo K-9 providers. And if other countries don't like the alternative to 100% screening, there is a danger they could impose restrictions on inbound shipments from the U.S., he added. Hong Kong is far ahead of the U.S. in implementing the new air cargo security requirements. Since January, airlines and ground handlers there began inspecting a quarter of all shipments, with inspection levels stepping up in phases to 100% by next June. https://www.yahoo.com/news/air-cargo-security-standards-could-145933305.html Back to Top Cobwebs And Corrosion: Reactivating Parked Aircraft Requires Extra Care Parking planes during the pandemic doesn't mean technicians ignore them until airlines are ready to fly again. A great deal of mechanical support work, including electrical checks and engine starts, takes place to keep aircraft serviceable. Even when approved maintenance schedules are followed, there are threats to the safe return of aircraft from extended downtime. The U.K. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) recently issued a safety notice addressing the potential hazards of bringing aircraft out of storage as airlines resume more flights. The agency said it found examples of incomplete maintenance and other faults associated with lengthy storage of aircraft, including two cases involving loose engine ports and a missing access panel to a wing flap. In another recent case, mechanics found insect larvae in instruments that help determine an aircraft's airspeed even though the probe's covers had been used and the system flushed according to the manufacturer's guidance. The CAA also alerted operators that inappropriate dosage of the fuel biocide Kathon could lead to engines idling too slowly and to be on the lookout for unexpected corrosion of certain safety systems, such as the engine bleed air valve on the Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) 737 Next Generation. Other unforeseen technical snags airlines and repair organizations have identified include water ingress with Airbus A350 pressure release shut-off valves, emergency battery failures across various types of aircraft and problems with air conditioning packs, said Andrew Doyle, director of market development at data analytics and air travel research firm Cirium, on a recent webinar he hosted. To avoid those types of problems, Cathay Pacific recently announced it will be transferring about a third of its fleet from hot and humid Hong Kong to a dry, desert field in Australia to help preserve them and keep moisture from forming in the fuel tank. Hibernating planes Airlines placed most of their fleets in a state of hibernation when COVID-19 spread worldwide in March and travel demand evaporated. Precautions include sealing up the engines and sensors to keep out dirt, birds and insects. Engineers frequently check wings and landing gear areas for wildlife. Rodents can damage wires and hydraulic lines. The top three storage locations are in the U.S.: Roswell International Air Center in Nevada; Pinal County Airpark in Arizona; and Victorville Southern California Logistics Airport, with about 900 planes combined, according to Cirium. The percentage of passenger jets in storage continues to fall, but a third of the global fleet remains grounded. As of Aug. 10, Cirium classified a total of 8,750 widebody, narrowbody and regional jets in storage status, while nearly 17,500 were in service. During the spring, more than two-thirds of the global feet was in storage. Recent outbreaks and the end of summer vacations are dampening bookings and forcing airlines to slow their restart campaigns. Airlines are bringing back their newest aircraft first because of better operating efficiencies. Cirium said that fewer than half of passenger jets built prior to 2013 were used for commercial flights two weeks ago. The most active aircraft were built in 2017. The grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX fleet left fewer 2018 aircraft available for service, it noted. Airlines are also prioritizing narrowbody aircraft because most of the uptick in travel demand is on shorter domestic and regional routes. Only 29% of the global fleet remains inactive, while 37% of regional jets and 43% of wideobodies have yet to return to duty, Cirium said. The maintenance status of an aircraft dictates which aircraft airlines fly, said Rob Morris, global head of consultancy at Cirium."Aircraft that are close to a major check or an engine shop visit are clearly going to be less attractive to bring out of store because the cost of returning them to service will be significant." The longer aircraft are in storage, the more likely they are to require heavier maintenance work before they can return to service, ranging from software and technical updates to following airworthiness directives and service bulletins, said Johan Bank, senior consultant at VZM Management Services. Chris Markou, head of operational cost management at the International Air Transport Association, noted that"there are licenses expiring and certifications that are going to be outdated. Inspectors and mechanics cannot access aircraft due to quarantine measures, travel bans and other restrictions." https://www.yahoo.com/news/cobwebs-corrosion-reactivating-parked-aircraft-150123470.html Back to Top Boeing May Be Quietly Rebranding the 737 MAX The aircraft manufacturing giant is deemphasizing the "MAX" part of the 737 MAX. Aircraft orders have been few and far between for Boeing (NYSE:BA) this year. And as of the end of July, the 737 MAX family -- which accounts for the vast majority of Boeing's backlog but has been grounded for 17 months following two fatal crashes -- had not rung up a single order in 2020. That finally changed last week, as the aerospace giant announced a small 737 MAX order from Enter Air, a Polish charter airline. Notably, the wording of the press release suggests that Boeing may be trying to gradually rebrand the 737 MAX family to address its poor reputation. Finally, a sale Under the deal announced last Wednesday, Enter Air placed a firm order for two 737 MAX 8 jets, with options for two more. In conjunction with the purchase, Boeing agreed to revise the delivery schedule for jets Enter Air already had on order. The agreement also specified the compensation that Enter Air will receive to cover costs and lost earnings related to the long-running 737 MAX grounding. This deal marked the first 737 MAX sale of 2020. That is a remarkable commentary on the combined impact of the type's grounding and the COVID-19 pandemic on 737 MAX demand. Boeing had booked hundreds of firm orders for the 737 MAX year after year for most of the past decade. The sale itself isn't very significant for Boeing. During the first seven months of 2020, the company's commercial jet division booked just 59 new orders, offset by nearly 900 aircraft that were removed from the backlog either due to order cancellations or financial distress of the would-be purchasers. Two firm orders and two options won't make a dent in the backlog erosion Boeing has experienced this year. What was more notable about the press release announcing the deal was that it seemed to herald a subtle rebranding of the 737 MAX family. Taking the MAX out of the 737 MAX While Boeing's order announcement used the term "737 MAX" several times, it was titled "Enter Air to Purchase up to Four Boeing 737-8 Jets." The aircraft model being ordered was also described as the 737-8 in three different places within the press release. The 737-8 designation isn't new. Internally, Boeing has referred to the variants of the 737 MAX as the 737-7, 737-8, and 737-9 (and more recently, 737-10) for many years, predating the 737 MAX crashes. However, in previous order announcements and other news releases, Boeing had consistently referred to those models as the 737 MAX 7, 737 MAX 8, 737 MAX 9, and 737 MAX 10. In short, it seems that Boeing is finally coming around to the idea of rebranding the 737 MAX, but in a very subtle way. For now, at least, it is still using the MAX designation to describe the aircraft family as a whole, while removing "MAX" from the names of each individual model. The right way to (possibly) rebrand The idea of rebranding the 737 MAX isn't new. Indeed, last April -- just a month after the second fatal 737 MAX crash -- President Donald Trump tweeted that Boeing should rebrand the 737 MAX "with a new name" once it had fixed the troubled jet family. However, introducing a completely new name would have been dangerous. Dramatically changing the name to something like Boeing 838 could have made it seem like Boeing was trying to cover up what it was selling. Other companies have gotten away with this sometimes, but Boeing's position as one of the most prominent industrial companies in the U.S. and the widely reported problems with the 737 MAX would have made it difficult to slip this kind of bold rebranding past consumers. By contrast, dropping "MAX" from the individual model names is more likely to succeed. It doesn't look like Boeing is trying to pull a trick on the flying public, but it deemphasizes the 737 MAX as an aircraft family distinct from the prior-generation 737-700, 737-800, and 737-900ER jets that have operated safely throughout the world for many years. Back in January, Steven Udvar-Hazy -- widely considered the creator of the aircraft leasing industry -- urged Boeing to make exactly this change to its naming scheme. It looks like Boeing is taking his advice, renaming the 737 MAX in an effort to save it. https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/08/24/boeing-may-be-quietly-rebranding-the-737-max/ Back to Top Space station crew spend extra night in Russian segment as air leak investigation continues But there's nothing to worry about, NASA officials stressed. Update, Aug. 25, 9:45 a.m.: The trio of astronauts currently living and working on the International Space Station reopened the hatch between the Russian and American sides of the station this morning, according to NASA spokesperson Dan Huot. Support staff will continue to evaluate the situation and determine any tasks for the crew to complete over the course of the week. Original story: Astronauts spent another night in the International Space Station's Russian segment Monday (Aug. 24) while ground controllers continue to search for the source of a small air leak on the orbiting lab. NASA's Chris Cassidy, commander of the station's current Expedition 63, and Russian cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner have been confined to the orbiting lab's Zvezda service module since Friday (Aug. 21) as ground teams investigate the leak, which NASA officials stress poses no threat to the spaceflyers. The original plan called for the trio to have the run of the full station again by Monday. But ground teams need a little more time to conduct their work, so Cassidy, Ivanishin and Vagner will extend their sleepover by at least a day, NASA announced this afternoon. "All of the orbiting lab's hatches will remain closed until Tuesday morning to give ground specialists additional time to collect data and monitor pressure readings in each module," agency officials wrote in an update. "The rate is still well within segment specifications and presents no danger to the crew or the space station." Air slowly leaks from the International Space Station over time, and the orbiting lab is regularly repressurized using nitrogen tanks brought up by cargo craft. In September 2019, NASA and the station's other partner agencies noticed that the normal background leak rate was slightly elevated. The International Space Station's Expedition 63 are isolating themselves in the outpost's Russian segment as engineers work to isolate a small air leak in another module. From left: Cosmonaut Ivan Vagner of Roscosmos, NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin. "Because of routine station operations like spacewalks and spacecraft arrivals and departures, it took time to gather enough data to characterize those measurements," NASA officials wrote in today's update. "That rate has slightly increased, so the teams are working a plan to isolate, identify and potentially repair the source." Cassidy, Ivanishin and Vagner remain comfortable within Zvezda, which also gives them access to a mini-research module called Poisk, the Russian Progress 76 cargo craft and the Russian Soyuz crew vehicle that carried them to the station this past April. The trio "mainly focused on Earth photography Monday," NASA officials wrote in today's update. "The station's Russian segment has a variety of windows the crew can look out with advanced camera gear for their Earth-observation activities." https://www.space.com/space-station-leak-investigation-continues.html Back to Top 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. 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 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