Flight Safety Information August 27, 2020 - No. 174 In This Issue Incident: Rusline CRJ1 near St. Petersburg on Aug 22nd 2020, generator failure Incident: Bridge Cargo B748 at Moscow on Aug 22nd 2020, engine shut down in flight Incident: Aliansa DC3 at San Jose del Guaviare on Aug 26th 2020, runway excursion on landing Incident: Summit Charter AT72 at Yellowknife on Aug 21st 2020, engine shut down in flight Incident: Azul A20N enroute on Aug 20th 2020, hydraulic failure Incident: Rossiya B744 at Moscow on Aug 19th 2020, engine trouble Cessna T210N Turbo Centurion - Fatal Accident (Colorado). Beechcraft C90A King Air...- Gear Collapse (Brazil) Passenger at Seattle airport tramples gate agent after being told to wear mask Plus One Air Joins the ACSF and ASAP...Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) A small aircraft was forced to land on a busy North Carolina interstate Measures to regain Malaysia's air safety ranking back to Category One Europe air safety regulator to start 737 MAX flight tests from September 7 EASA Expands A380 Trent 900 Inspection Order Airline ramp workers are busier than ever...Ironic twist in demand shifts work from bags to cargo Airlines may need to retool routes with decline in business travel Cessna makes history by taking off and landing with no one aboard. Here's how AR glasses speeding up repairs of aircraft HealthNet, CAMC add helicopter to medical aircraft stable "Gray-haired Turkish pilots" seen flying in Greek airspace, suggesting retired pilots are recalled Elon Musk now has another lavish Gulfstream private jet in his arsenal Boeing plans second Starliner test flight in December or January Delta 4-Heavy likely heading for geosynchronous orbit with top secret payload 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 SURVEY:...GA PILOTS AND PIREPs. Graduate Research Survey (1) Incident: Rusline CRJ1 near St. Petersburg on Aug 22nd 2020, generator failure A Rusline Canadair CRJ-100, registration VP-BVC performing flight 7R-9518 from Moscow Vnukovo to Murmansk (Russia), was enroute at FL320 about 240nm eastnortheast of St. Petersburg when the crew decided to divert to St. Petersburg due to a generator failure. The aircraft landed safely in St. Petersburg about 45 minutes later. The aircraft returned to service about 46 hours after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4dbd24e3&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Bridge Cargo B748 at Moscow on Aug 22nd 2020, engine shut down in flight An Airbridge Cargo Boeing 747-800 freighter, registration VQ-BRJ performing flight RU-558 from Shenzhen (China) to Moscow Domodedovo (Russia), was descending towards Moscow when the crew needed to shut engine #1 (GEnx, outboard left hand) down. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Domodedovo's runway 32L. The aircraft returned to service about 44 hours after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4dbd2227&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Aliansa DC3 at San Jose del Guaviare on Aug 26th 2020, runway excursion on landing An Aliansa Douglas DC-3, registration HK-2006 performing a flight from Pacoa to San Jose del Guaviare (Colombia) with 3 crew on board, landed on San Jose del Guaviare's runway 19 at 16:20L (21:20Z) but veered left and went off the runway coming to a stop with all gear on soft ground left off the runway about 660 meters/2160 feet past the runway threshold. There were no injuries, the aircraft sustained minor damage. Colombia's CAA reported the Douglas DC-3 of Aliansa, a passenger and cargo airline, suffered a runway excursion and came to a stop in the runway safety area while landing at San Jose del Guaviare at 16:20L arriving from Pacoa. The three crew members on board did not receive any injuries, the aircraft sustained minor damage. The airfield was closed, a commission of the CAA has travelled to San Jose del Guaviare and opened an investigation. A local observer reported it appeared there was a problem with the landing gear causing the runway excursion. The aircraft was subsequently towed back onto the runway. No weather data are available for San Juse del Guaviare. http://avherald.com/h?article=4dbd1e66&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Summit Charter AT72 at Yellowknife on Aug 21st 2020, engine shut down in flight A Summit Air Charter Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-200, registration C-GJPY performing flight SMM-7142 from Diavik,NT to Yellowknife,NT (Canada) with no passengers and 3 crew, was descending towards Yellowknife when the crew observed fluctuating parameters for the left hand engine (PW124B) and shut the engine down as precaution. The aircraft continued for a safe landing in Yellowknife. The Canadian TSB reported company maintenance is investigation the cause of the engine fluctuations. http://avherald.com/h?article=4dbcce79&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Azul A20N enroute on Aug 20th 2020, hydraulic failure An Azul Linhas Aereas Airbus A320-200N, registration PR-YRD performing flight AD-4334 from Sao Paulo Viracopos,SP to Recife,PE (Brazil) with 123 passengers and 6 crew, was enroute when the crew received indication, that the yellow hydraulic system had failed with low quantity and low pressure. The crew worked the related checklists and decided to continue the flight to destination, where the aircraft landed safely without requesting urgency or assistance. The aircraft returned to service about 12 hours after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4dbcc0a7&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Rossiya B744 at Moscow on Aug 19th 2020, engine trouble A Rossiya Boeing 747-400, registration EI-XLE performing flight FV-5861 from Moscow Sheremetyevo (Russia) to Antalya (Turkey), was climbing out of Moscow when the crew stopped the climb at FL300 due to abnormal parameters shown by the engine #2 (CF6, inboard left hand). The crew reduced the engine to idle, when the crew subsequently attempted to increase thrust again the engine indications didn't change. The crew reduced the thrust lever to idle again and decided to return to Moscow Sheremetyevo, where the aircraft landed safely about one hour after departure. A post flight inspection did not reveal any obvious damage. A replacement Boeing 747-400 registration EI-XLH reahced Antalya with a delay of about 4 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Moscow 7 days later. http://avherald.com/h?article=4dbca631&opt=0 Back to Top Cessna T210N Turbo Centurion - Fatal Accident (Colorado) Date: 26-AUG-2020 Time: c. 11:30 Type: Cessna T210N Turbo Centurion Owner/operator: Private Registration: N64EM * C/n / msn: 21063032 Fatalities: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Category: Accident Location: SE of Meadow Lake Airport (FLY/KFLY), Colorado Springs, CO - United States of America Phase: Approach Nature: Unknown Departure airport: Colorado Springs Municipal Airport, CO (COS/KCOS) Destination airport: Meadow Lake Airport (FLY/KFLY) Investigating agency: NTSB Narrative: The aircraft impacted the terrain in El Paso County southeast of Meadow Lake Airport (FLY/KFLY), Colorado Springs, Colorado, and a fire ensued. The airplane was destroyed during the accident sequence and the sole pilot onboard received fatal injuries. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/240514 Back to Top Beechcraft C90A King Air - Gear Collapse (Brazil) Date: 26-AUG-2020 Time: 10:08 LT Type: Beechcraft C90A King Air Owner/operator: Costa Nobre Transporte Aéreo e Logística - EIRELI Registration: PR-EVA C/n / msn: LJ-1642 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Minor Location: São Paulo-Campo de Marte Airport, SP (SBMT) - Brazil Phase: Landing Nature: Unknown Departure airport: Destination airport: São Paulo-Campo de Marte Airport, SP (SBMT) Narrative: A Beech 90 King Air suffered a right-hand main gear collapse while landing at São Paulo-Campo de Marte Airport, SP (SBMT). Nobody on board was hurt. The airplane suffered minor damage to the right wing and propeller. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/240505 Back to Top Passenger at Seattle airport tramples gate agent after being told to wear mask • Alaska Airlines worker hospitalized after 'highly disruptive' passenger knocked her down A "disruptive" passenger sent an airline employee at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to the hospital and ended up in jail earlier this week. The California man was waiting to board an Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to Alaska on Monday afternoon, according to an airline spokesperson. He had previously approached the gate and then walked away after an airline gate agent told him he needed to put on a mask, local TV station KIRO reported. Alaska Airlines has been requiring all passengers to wear face masks as one of its coronavirus safety precautions. The man returned to the gate wearing a mask. But airline staff decided he was too intoxicated to fly, according to the report. Soon after, he and two other people "became highly disruptive," the airline spokesperson said, and the man knocked a female gate agent to the ground. The passenger then pushed past and over the woman toward the jet bridge to the plane, according to an airport representative. The gate agent was taken to the hospital for evaluation and was recovering at home as of Wednesday, an airline spokesperson confirmed. A representative for the airport said police arrested the disruptive passenger, who was charged with fourth-degree assault, a misdemeanor. As a result of the pandemic, meanwhile, the number of airline passengers traveling each day is down significantly compared to the same time period a year ago. On Tuesday, the TSA counted 523,186 travelers who passed through its security checkpoints; exactly one year earlier, there were more than 2 million travelers. https://www.foxnews.com/travel/passenger-seattle-airport-gate-agent-wear-mask Back to Top Plus One Air Joins the ACSF and ASAP Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) Washington, DC, August 26, 2020 -Florida-based air charter provider, Plus One Air, has joined the non-profit aviation safety organization, Air Charter Safety Foundation and its Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP). The recently founded Plus One Air enterprise is based in Fort Pierce, Florida. The ACSF now encompasses more than 240 member companies, and provides an array of programs to its members, enabling them to achieve the highest levels of safety in personal, charter and business aviation. Robert Koch, the President of Plus One Air, is highly enthusiastic about his company's decision to join ranks with the ACSF. "The reason we did so is because we value constant improvement, not only within Plus One Air, but throughout our industry," he noted. "Equally important, our participation in the Aviation Safety Action Program allows us to improve our safety profile even further, through non-punitive reporting, and with a cooperative, community-driven approach." The ASAP is administered by the ACSF in partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Plus One Air's membership enables its employees to voluntarily report significant safety concerns, non-compliance with regulations and other unusual events. Each report is investigated, and corrective actions are determined based on a non-disciplinary approach to flight safety. "On behalf of our membership, I'm pleased to welcome Plus One Air to the foundation," said ACSF President Bryan Burns. "Their participation in the ASAP program reinforces their commitment to provide the safest aircraft and flight crews for their clients." https://www.aviationpros.com/aircraft/business-general-aviation/press-release/21151972/air-charter-safety-foundation-acsf-plus-one-air-joins-the-acsf-and-asap Back to Top A small aircraft was forced to land on a busy North Carolina interstate - here's why pilots train to land on highways when they're in trouble • Pilots prefer landing on highways to fields, where ditches and other hazards can present issues. A small aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing on Interstate 40 in North Carolina on Saturday after experiencing engine trouble. Drivers made room for the approach and landing, with no injuries reported in the aircraft or on the ground. Pilots train for potential emergency landings, and highways are often preferable when an airport isn't nearby since they're paved. A remote stretch of Interstate 40 in rural North Carolina became a runway on Saturday evening when a light aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing on the busy highway while dodging passing cars, according to McDowell County Emergency Management. Motorists had their eyes on the skies when what appeared to be a World War II-era Aeronca Chief piston aircraft steadily dropped, briefly swayed from side to side, and eventually touched down on the four-lane roadway. Local law enforcement officials reported numerous 911 calls were placed by witnesses on the ground claiming to have heard the aircraft experiencing engine issues just before the daring landing. Dashboard camera video from a car below the aircraft, posted by the Charlotte Observer, recorded the final stages of landing. Traveling just slightly faster than the cars, the aircraft came into view and within seconds had its two main wheels on the pavement. The Aeronca Chief's tail-wheel configuration - where the nose is held in the air after landing until the rear wheel can rest on the surface - complicated the landing and the plane hit the side rail. No injuries were reported, however, and the pilot walked out of the damaged aircraft unscathed. Why landing on a highway is the last resort Though the preference is always an airport, low-flying general aviation aircraft don't always have enough time or altitude available to glide to the nearest runway during an engine failure. Pilots often have to make do with the nearest usable flat surface when catastrophe strikes. From the first days of training, pilots learn to be on the constant lookout for a suitable landing spot, whether a field or a busy highway. "Pilots are constantly simulating emergency scenarios," Andrew Treulich, an FAA-certified flight instructor, told Business Insider. "We train students for engine failures in multiple different phases of flight because it most often happens when you least expect it." Landing on a highway - while still dangerous given the hazards such as moving cars, signage, and overhead power wires - can often be preferable to landing in a field. "A grass field is not guaranteed to be smooth and could contain ditches and other hazards that can cause damage to the aircraft or injury to the pilot," Treulich said. As long as the emergency situation warrants the highway landing, no laws are broken as the pilot is trying to protect life and property, according to Treulich, though care still needs to be taken to avoid injuring those on the ground below. General aviation aircraft are typically traveling at speeds similar to cars on an interstate and by flying low before landing, they can signal to drivers that they'd better clear a path. It's always a last resort in case of an engine failure - as pilots will attempt to restart the engine while navigating the emergency descent - but pilots are trained and ready to execute the scenario at a moment's notice. Engine issues or failure can occur in any stage of flight, including in the seconds after the aircraft leaves the ground. Air traffic control is often the last to know an emergency is occurring in general aviation aircraft flown by one pilot, as the priority is finding a place to land and configuring the aircraft to get the best ratio of speed and altitude loss. Pilots are taught to aviate, then navigate, then communicate. And once on the ground, they can figure out how to get their aircraft back to the airport. https://www.businessinsider.com/landing-highway-in-north-carolina-why-planes-land-on-roads-2020-8 Back to Top Measures to regain Malaysia's air safety ranking back to Category One • "The focus, among others, will be on three aspects, which is licensing, air ordinance, and flight operations. KUALA LUMPUR: A Transport Ministry task force has listed 28 measures to regain the Category One rating from the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Its minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong said the task force, formed on Nov 18 last year, was looking into the 33 issues raised by the FAA. The 28 measures, he said, were made for the consideration of the Civil Aviation Authority Malaysia (CAAM), which include transforming CAAM administration and management, and identifying and training CAAM inspectors with international bodies. "The focus, among others, will be on three aspects, which is licensing, air ordinance, and flight operations. "The FAA came to Malaysia in April last year for audit and came back in July for their second audit. "In the beginning, there were 55 weaknesses identified and it was reduced to 33 during their second visit," he told the Dewan Rakyat today. He assured action was being taken, including increasing the number of aeroplane inspectors from 30 to 48 and adding flight inspectors from nine people to 21. Wee said as a result of Malaysia's air safety rating downgrade, the country's carriers were restricted from having new routes to the US or have code sharing with US airlines. "Thirdly, any Malaysian products related to flights cannot be sold as we are ranked in Category Two. "The government is in the process of getting advice and technical support from the FAA through a memorandum of agreement between the body and CAAM." Wee said this in response to a question from Anthony Loke (PH-Seremban), who had asked on CAAM's efforts to regain Malaysia's air safety ranking back to Category One. He said the ministry was targeting for all correction measures to be in place by the end of 2021. https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2020/08/619596/measures-regain-msias-air-safety-ranking-back-category-one Back to Top Europe air safety regulator to start 737 MAX flight tests from September 7 (Reuters) - The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said on Thursday it plans to commence flight tests for Boeing Co's (BA.N) 737 MAX plane in Vancouver, Canada, in the week starting Sept. 7. EASA's test flights come more than two months after the U.S. regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration, and Boeing completed certification test flights on the 737 MAX, a move viewed as a key milestone toward its return to service. The MAX has been grounded since March 2019 after two fatal crashes in five months killed 346 people. "While Boeing still has some final actions to close off, EASA judges the overall maturity of the re-design process is now sufficient to proceed to flight tests," the agency said. EASA has been working with the FAA and Boeing to schedule the flight tests, a process which was hindered by COVID-19 travel restrictions between Europe and the United States. Boeing told analysts in late July that MAX deliveries would resume in the fourth quarter, a timeline that raises the prospect that the aircraft's U.S. return to service could slip into 2021. https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-boeing-737-max-easa/europe-air-safety-regulator-to-start-737-max-flight-tests-from-september-7-idUKKBN25N1P8 Back to Top EASA Expands A380 Trent 900 Inspection Order Sean Broderick EASA plans to mandate Rolls-Royce-recommended on-wing inspections of certain Trent 900 interstage spacers to find cracked parts in the Airbus A380 engines before they trigger in-service incidents. A draft airworthiness directive issued Aug. 25 calls for repetitive on-wing borescope inspections of spacers between intermediate pressure compressor (IPC) stage 2 and stage 3 disks at specific intervals, based on the affected module's condition. The maximum interval is 500 flight cycles or 5,000 flight hours, whichever occurs first. The checks expand an existing program, mandated in a February EASA directive, that requires checks of the spacers during shop visits. Rolls recommended the initial inspections after finding two instances of cracked spacers between stage two and stage three IPC disks. "This condition, if not detected and corrected, could lead to IPC rotor shaft failure, possibly resulting in release of high-energy debris," EASA noted. Since the original recommendation and related mandate were issued, "it was decided that repetitive on-wing inspections are necessary," EASA said. Rolls told operators of its plan to add on-wing checks to its inspection recommendations on Aug. 19. The updated service bulletin is pending. EASA said the "investigation is on-going to identify the cause of these cracks." Aviation Week Intelligence Network Fleet Data lists 112 Trent 900-powered A380s in the global fleet-most of them with Emirates Airline. But only 18 of them were in service as of early August, with 93 listed as being in long-term storage-defined as idle for at least 90 days-or parked. The proposed EASA directive, no. 20-124, is open for public comment until Sept. 22. https://aviationweek.com/mro/aircraft-propulsion/easa-expands-a380-trent-900-inspection-order Back to Top Airline ramp workers are busier than ever • Ironic twist in demand shifts work from bags to cargo Airline ramp workers are busier than ever with cargo, less so with passenger bags due to flagging demand. Airline ramp workers are the hard-working folks fliers see outside plane windows loading and unloading checked baggage, providing pilots with directional help, and doing the physically demanding "below wing" jobs that get an airplane ready for its next flight. Despite the downturn in air travel, airport ramp workers at some airlines are busier than ever. Why? While the number of passengers flying has dwindled to historic lows due to the coronavirus pandemic, commercial U.S. airlines have tried to make up some of that lost revenue by transporting a lot more cargo on passenger flights, and an increasing number of "cargo only" flights. At many carriers, the loading and unloading of time-sensitive freight on these special flights have become the purview of ramp workers. Passenger demand may be down, but many carriers said their cargo business has been one of the few bright spots on their balance sheets. "We're pretty darn busy actually," said Monika Gablowski, the ramp services director at United Airlines' San Francisco hub. "I would say what's really changed is not that visible to the public eye. We've become more of a cargo transport company." Much of the action is happening away from the passenger terminals at United's SFO cargo hangar. That's where ramp employees are loading shrink-wrapped pallets and aluminum cargo cans into the bellies of empty Boeing 777s and 787s on flights to Asia and Europe. Shipments moved by air are critical and time-sensitive, Gablowski said. They can run the gamut from cherries, peaches, and grapes from farms in California's Central Valley to urgently needed medical supplies, personal protective equipment, and high-tech Silicon Valley shipments. United has operated about 500 cargo-only flights out of SFO since March, moving 30 million pounds of freight. On some flights, cargo is even loaded into the passenger cabins to maximize carrying capacity. Ramp workers fill seats with cargo and secure packages with seatbelts for safety. Sometimes, packages are stowed in overhead bins. Other U.S. carriers are also carrying cargo in the passenger compartment. Earlier this year, a team of 40 Alaska employees helped transform five Boeing 737-900s into cargo-only jets that are crisscrossing the country, with the planes loaded top to bottom with freight. Delta Air Lines received special permission from the FAA in April to begin flying shipments in the overhead bins of its cargo-only flights, and has said it will consider removing seats from the passenger compartment to make room for more cargo space. Don't miss a shred of important travel news! Sign up for our FREE weekly email alerts. Given the shifting responsibilities, United has put employees through additional skills training to get more people certified to operate specialized heavy-duty cargo equipment. United employs about 1,300 ramp workers at SFO. COVID-19 mandatory mask and hygiene policies have made this type of work more challenging. The airline is urging ramp workers to socially distance whenever possible. Airline ramp workers are busier than ever with cargo, less so with passenger bags due to flagging demand. Masks are mandatory, particularly when workers are within close proximity to one another. Employee dining tables have been moved outdoors so lunch can be eaten outside. Big group huddles that used to take place inside conference rooms now happen in small groups or over via videoconferencing. Poor air quality brought on by the recent Bay Area wildfires has added another layer of difficulty. "Wearing a mask and being in the pit of an aircraft, these guys have really stepped up," Gablowski said. "People are taking care of each other more. The team has come together more. The team has bonded in so many ways." "They have become so flexible and can do anything," she added. https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/Airline-ramp-workers-15516865.php Back to Top Airlines may need to retool routes with decline in business travel • Business travelers have outsize influence on airlines, generating around half of the industry's revenues, according to analysts. U.S. airlines are warning of major job cuts if federal aid isn't re-upped past its October end date. American Airlines said it would cut 19,000 jobs by October. Delta Airlines may furlough around 2,000 pilots, with another 1,800 taking early retirement. Air travel is still down about 69% from last year, and while a vaccine or effective treatment for the virus could turn things around for tourism, business travel may never be the same. Before COVID-19, Samuel Chu enjoyed his weekly business trips from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., for his work as an advocate for several human rights nonprofits. Now he misses it so much he's been switching his pillow occasionally to simulate sleeping in a different bed. "So much of my mental biological clock is sort of wired that way," Chu said. Business travelers have outsize influence on airlines. They often buy more expensive and profitable tickets, generating more than half of the industry's revenues, according to airline analyst Henry Harteveldt, president of Atmosphere Research Group. "Business travel is almost as important to airlines as jet fuel," Harteveldt said. But many companies have now adapted to doing more virtually, said airline consultant Jay Sorensen. "That is a reflex that has been trained and will not go back to what it once was," Sorensen said. He said that may mean that common business travel routes, like New York to D.C. or LA to San Francisco, could be cut back, and some flights might become more expensive. https://www.marketplace.org/2020/08/26/covid-19-airlines-business-travel/ Back to Top Cessna makes history by taking off and landing with no one aboard. Here's how • These Companies Are Working on Flying Cars In September 2019, a Cessna 172-a four-seat, single-engine plane that is among the most common aircraft model in existence-taxied to a runway at an airport south of San Jose, took off on its own, flew for 15 minutes, and then landed at the same airport, all without a single person on board. The aviation milestone-believed to be the first complete civilian unmanned flight over a populated area-was revealed in a video released today by Reliable Robotics, a Mountain View, Calif., startup founded by two former employees of SpaceX and Tesla that emerged from three years of "stealth" operation. The flight, for which the Federal Aviation Administration had cleared the company back in December 2018, came several months after the August 2019 flight of a different unmanned small Cessna model, a 1968 Cessna 206, conducted by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory and the technology company Dzyne Technologies. But that flight took place over the remote Dugway Proving Ground in Utah, not a populated area. Reliable Robotics also announced that it has now installed the same autonomous-flying software on a larger single-engine Cessna 208 Caravan-which is often used for short-haul cargo deliveries and passenger flights-and, in June, landed that airplane autonomously for the first time. The revelations come a week after another California-based autonomous aviation company startup, XWing, also came out of stealth mode and revealed that it had conducted the first full autonomous flight of a Cessna 208 Caravan, although in XWing's case, a human pilot was onboard ready to take back control of the plane in the case of an emergency. Reliable Robotics is the brainchild of Robert Rose, who was once director of flight software at Elon Musk's rocket company, SpaceX, and later developed autopilot technology at Musk's Tesla, and Juerg Frefel, who designed the computing platforms used for SpaceX's Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Dragon space capsule. The two founded the company in 2017 with the vision of trying to get airplanes flying autonomously as quickly as possible. One of the biggest impediments to self-flying planes is regulation, so the two founders tried to figure out how they could convince the FAA to approve unmanned flights without having to modify any existing regulations. Their conclusion was that while most other autonomous-flying companies are pursuing brand-new aircraft designs that often look like oversize consumer drones-with four or more electric rotors that allow the aircraft to take off and land vertically and hover in place. It would be easier to gain FAA certification if they simply converted a tried-and-true existing airplane for robotic flight. The Cessna 172 debuted in 1955 and the Cessna 208 was FAA certified in 1984. They have well-known safety and reliability records. This way the government agency would have to certify only the company's software and safety plans, not the airframes and engines. Rose, who is Reliable's chief executive officer, says the company's business plan is to equip a fleet of Cessna 208 Caravans with its self-flying systems and use them for air freight deliveries. He predicts the company will be able to begin commercial autonomous cargo deliveries in the U.S. within two years. Rose says the company's ultimate goal is to fly passengers autonomously too, but getting FAA approval to do so will take more time-and probably will require additional rule-making by the agency. This plan closely tracks that of Reliable Robotic's rival XWing, which also plans a fleet of autonomous Cessna 208 Caravans for hauling cargo as a stepping-stone to passenger flights. The company, which has purchased a small Texas air freight company to acquire an FAA air cargo license, says it plans to begin real cargo delivery flights "within months" to further hone its systems, although these flights will also carry human pilots for safety. XWing has raised about $14 million in venture capital to date. Reliable Robotics has raised more than twice that amount-$33.5 million, including a $25 million Series B round in March 2019 lead by Eclipse Ventures, which was also publicly announced Wednesday. Reliable Robotics employs about 35 people. So far, Reliable has had to have an observer on the ground directly watching its airplane fly because of FAA rules that stipulate civilian drones must be flown within direct line of vision of a human operator. But Rose believes this regulatory barrier can also be overcome to let autonomous aircraft fly far greater distances. "I believe it can all be done within the existing regulations," he says. Rose says that when the company begins autonomous cargo flights, its aircraft will have a human pilot monitoring them from a ground control station and talking to air traffic control. This pilot will use Reliable's software to issue high-level commands to the aircraft, like hitting a button that tells it to complete a takeoff sequence, for instance, rather than directly manipulating the airplane's controls from afar, as is the case with most drones today. He says this will enable a single pilot to conduct many more cargo flights per day than is currently possible, significantly reducing costs for air freight carriers. "Today, with the concept of operations and the patterns in which they fly the aircraft, the pilot is grossly underutilized," he says. Billionaire venture capitalist Peter Thiel famously knocked the level of ambition in Silicon Valley with the line, "They promised us flying cars. Instead, we got 140 characters." But in the past five years, there's actually been a lot of companies trying to build flying cars. They include startups like Kitty Hawk, which is backed by Google founder Larry Page, as well as Skyrise, and two German startups, Lilium and Volocopter, that have attracted plenty of venture funding, not to mention Uber, as well as aviation industry giants like Airbus, Boeing, and Sikorsky. But the majority of these companies are working on brand-new, often exotic, aircraft designs. And while most of these companies say they eventually hope to create vehicles that can fly themselves, without a human pilot, they are starting off with a human in the cockpit to help minimize the risks involved with developing experimental new aircraft and getting government approval to carry passengers. Another group of companies are working on autonomous drones to solve "last mile" delivery of packages. These include startups like Zipline, which has used drones to deliver medical supplies to remote spots in Africa, as well as behemoths like Amazon, which has built delivery drones that can carry payloads of up to five pounds as far as 15 miles, as well as rival delivery companies, like UPS and FedEx. There's even another subset of businesses, such as San Francisco startup Elroy Air, that are designing new, massive vertical takeoff and landing drones that can lift far heavier cargos and carry them much further. In many ways, what Reliable Robotics and XWing propose to do with unmanned flight is less revolutionary. But as a result, it might just have a better chance of becoming reality in the near term. https://fortune.com/2020/08/26/space-x-tesla-reliable-robotics-autonomous-airplanes/ Back to Top AR glasses speeding up repairs of aircraft An augmented reality (AR) app was launched in Shanghai on Wednesday to improve the efficiency of aircraft repairs and reduce flight delays caused by malfunctions. China Southern Airlines' Shanghai branch released smart AR glasses along with a remote technical support platform developed by the airline's engineering department. Wearing the AR glasses, maintenance personnel at the city's Hongqiao and Pudong international airports can receive real-time guidance and malfunction diagnoses from experts based in the carrier's headquarters in Guangzhou. Experts can mark the suspected glitch and send back to the smart glasses of maintenance staff on site. Most common malfunctions can be solved quickly with the guidance of the experts, said Xia Jing, an official with the aircraft repair factory of China Southern Shanghai. "A group consultation can also be held among multiple experts to solve difficult problems together," Xia told a press conference on Wednesday. "The experts can also help to monitor and double check the work of the on-site maintenance staff." The AR glasses and platform can spot basic wrongly installed accessories on aircraft automatically, while an upgraded version, which is already under research, can spot more varieties and complicated safety risks, he said. Most domestic carriers still rely on telephone consultations to fix problems found by maintenance staff. Sometimes, experts have to be sent to the site to solve the issues. "Many flight delays or cancellations are caused by the traditional measures that waste a lot of labor cost and time," Xia said. The new technology is expected to be promoted to other branches of China Southern across the nation and lead reform on the aircraft repairs, the airline said. China Southern also launched virtual realty (VR) glasses in Shanghai, which will be widely used on the training of maintenance staff. Details of common aircraft types such as the Airbus 320 and engines have been copied into VR scenes in the glasses. Staff will be trained by wearing VR glasses, which can help to reduce the training costs and ensure safety, an official with the carrier said. China Southern has a wide variety of aircraft types along with flight simulators. The VR technology will be further expanded to solve training difficulties, the official added. https://www.shine.cn/news/metro/2008264940/ Back to Top HealthNet, CAMC add helicopter to medical aircraft stable CHARLESTON, W.Va. - There's a new medical helicopter in the stable for West Virginia based HealthNet and Charleston Area Medical Center. On Wednesday, the two parties held an unveiling ceremony for a new EC145e helicopter that will serve the hospitals of CAMC. U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), CAMC CEO David Ramsey, and HealthNet CEO Clinton Burley delivered brief remarks before touring the helicopter. Thomas Reed, a flight paramedic for HealthNet for more than 30 years, told 580-WCHS that this will be a big help because helicopters save time and that saves lives. "Whether it is talking about a trauma patient getting to surgery, that's where they are going to get healed. With rural West Virginia, the mountainous roads and inclement weather, these are all factors that make flying a straight line at 140 mph a true benefit," Reed said. This aircraft will be stationed in Beckley in support of CAMC, according to officials. The new helicopter features two patient transport capability, Instrument Flight Rules capability (ability to fly in and above the clouds), and the ability for specialty transports such as newborn and pediatric intensive care patients, Capito's office said. In 2019, CAMC set aside $7.3 million for the purchase of the EC145e helicopter. Reed said that HealthNet has 10 aircraft located around the state. He said he is looking forward to getting into the aircraft as soon as possible to help West Virginia citizens. "My heart still races every time the aircraft fires up. It is a thrill, joy and the edification that you get in the job I have is instantaneous when you can see the patient get better or pain-free or when you have rescued that patient," Reed said. https://wvmetronews.com/2020/08/26/healthnet-camc-add-helicopter-to-medical-aircraft-stable/ Back to Top "Gray-haired Turkish pilots" seen flying in Greek airspace, suggesting retired pilots are recalled There has been an obvious change in the behavior of the Turkish air invaders noticed during these days of crisis with the Turkish Oruç Reis research vessel. The Greek Air Force, all this time was (and still is) in full operational readiness, with its aircraft "loaded" with their weapons and crews on alert. The composure, the professionalism and determination of Greece's F-16, F-4 and Mirage pilots made the difference, especially because these days strange things happened in the skies of the Aegean that were dangerous. For example, in the many dogfights that took place, Turkish pilots often dropped flares to escape the clutches of Greek fighters or to escalate tensions. Both Turkish F-16s and CN-235 naval co-propeller helicopters have recently dropped flares. What exactly happened? A senior Greek military official explained to To Vima that the launching of flares by Turkish aircraft's is usually done to save the Turkish pilots from being intercepted by the Greek fighter jets. "It's a sign of panic," he said. An interception usually starts from high in the air, continues lower and when there is a virtual air battle then the intercepted Turkish aircraft descends low to the surface of the sea to avoid the worst. Another strange fact observed by Greek pilots flying the F-16 and Mirage-2000-5 fighters is that a small number of older Turkish pilots, with "gray hair" as the pilots say, often appear in the Aegean. The Turkish Air Force has actively recalled retired pilots, who were either demobilized by Turkish President Recep Tayyp Erdoğan himself as suspects in the failed 2016 coup attempt and reinstated, or demobilized due to age. Some of the gray-haired pilots may have worked in civil aviation, particularly with Turkish Airlines, before being drafted. But the strangest thing that happened in the Aegean sky in recent days was the new orders that Turkish pilots received from their superiors. They were told that due to the crisis of Oruç Reis violating Greece's continental shelf and the fact that the fleets of the two countries were facing each other, they need to spend as as much time as possible in Greek airspace, even when Greek fighter jets stop them from staying. Thus, there were incidents where Turkish pilots remained illegally in Greek airspace until they almost ran out of fuel and searched in a rush for a Turkish coastal airport to safely land in before crashing. Another strange incident is that for several days Turkish naval cooperation helicopters were looking for something in the sea area near the Greek island of Rhodes. No one knew what the Turks had lost. According to one version, a Turkish submarine for an unknown reason stopped sending a sub note and they were looking for it. Eventually the submarine activated its signal and the Turks found it. What matters is that Greece is not alone in this whole process. In addition to four UAE F-16s and the support aircraft that came to Souda for joint exercises with Greek F-16s, other U.S. warships also appeared. To Vima were informed that the USS Philippine and US Winston Churchill were coming to Souda. There will also be other exercises in the Eastern Mediterranean and in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Cyprus. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Greek Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos held talks with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, as part of the European Union Defense Ministers' Meeting. Relations between Greece and Turkey are tense, especially as Athens does not accept one NATO member country provoking and threatening another, as Ankara does on a daily basis. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis recently pointed this out, and the Minister of Defense also pointed it out. https://greekcitytimes.com/2020/08/27/gray-haired-turkish-pilots-seen-flying-in-greek-airspace-suggesting-retired-pilots-are-recalled/ Back to Top Elon Musk now has another lavish Gulfstream private jet in his arsenal Elon Musk now has another private jet in his arsenal, FAA records show. Falcon Landing, an LLC connected to SpaceX and Tesla, registered a second Gulfstream plane in August. Musk has been putting plenty of miles on the first plane jetting between California and SpaceX's Texas launch site. Elon Musk is known to put plenty of miles on jets, and now he's got another in his arsenal. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO now has access to a second lavish Gulfstream aircraft for jetting between car factories, rocket launch sites, and everywhere in between. Falcon Landing LLC, a shell company with ties to SpaceX's Hawthorne, California headquarters, recently registered a new Gulfstream G550 jet alongside its larger G650. According to its broker listing, the new jet has space for 17 passengers that can be re-configured into a sleeping configuration. The registration was first spotted by Protocol, which pegs the jet's price around $14 million. Business Insider was unable to confirm this number. SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment. The new jet doesn't appear to have made any Tesla or SpaceX-related flights yet, though the previous G650 frequently flies between California and the Texas coast where the company has eyes on building a private village complete with hotel rooms, recreation options, and parties - and is buying out current residents to make it happen. According to the Washington Post, Musk put more than 150,000 miles on the plane in 2018, including pet projects and vacation in addition to running the two companies. Now, with Tesla building a new car factory in Texas, it's likely that Musk will be travelling even more. https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-spacex-acquire-second-gulfstream-private-jet-faa-records-2020-8 Back to Top Boeing plans second Starliner test flight in December or January Boeing said Tuesday it is "making excellent progress" toward launching a second unpiloted test flight of its Starliner crew capsule to the International Space Station by the end of this year or in early January, setting the stage for the first Starliner demonstration mission with astronauts in mid-2021. The upcoming test flight is the second launch of a Starliner capsule into orbit after a first Orbital Flight Test was cut short in December 2019 due to a software error that caused the spacecraft to consume too much propellant soon after arriving in orbit. The high-than-expected fuel usage prevented the Starliner spacecraft from docking with the International Space Station. Working under contract with NASA, Boeing is preparing for a second unpiloted Starliner test flight to validate corrections to the spacecraft's software and prove out the ship's ability to dock with the station. Officials decided to add a second unpiloted test flight earlier this year before moving on to the Starliner's Crew Flight Test, which will carry Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson and NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Nicole Mann to the space station. Boeing and NASA officials aimed to launch the Crew Flight Test by mid-2020 if the Starliner spacecraft completed a successful Orbital Flight Test in December 2019. In a statement Tuesday, Boeing said the Crew Flight Test is now expected in the summer of 2021. "We are making excellent progress toward launching our second uncrewed flight test, Orbital Flight Test-2, by the end of this year or in early January, pending the completion of upcoming milestones on both the software development and test hardware production efforts," Boeing said. "After a successful OFT-2, Boeing and NASA will fly Starliner's first crewed mission, the Crew Flight Test, in the summer of 2021, with the first post-certification mission, Starliner-1, tentatively scheduled for the following winter." Industry sources said NASA and Boeing managers have recently discussed possible launch dates in December or early January for the OFT-2 mission. The Starliner spacecraft is designed to lift off on top of United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rockets. At the end of each mission, the Starliner returns to Earth under parachutes for an airbag-cushioned landing in the Western United States. Despite the software issues encountered on the first Orbital Flight Test last year, the Starliner capsule safely landed in New Mexico. Boeing plans to fly the reusable capsule again on the Crew Flight Test with Ferguson, Fincke and Mann, while a different spaceship is assigned to the OFT-2 mission. Assuming the OFT-2 and Crew Flight Test missions go well, NASA will certify the Starliner spacecraft to begin regular crew rotation flights to the space station. NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Josh Cassada were assigned to the first "post-certification" Starliner flight in 2018. NASA announced Tuesday that astronaut Jeanette Epps will join Williams and Cassada on the mission. The mission will be the third spaceflight for Williams, and the first for Cassada and Epps, who were selected for NASA's astronaut corps in 2013 and 2009, respectively. Epps will become the first Black woman to be part of a long-term space station crew. A fourth crew member - likely from one of NASA's international partners - is expected to be assigned to the Williams-led Starliner crew. "The Boeing team is honored that NASA assigned astronaut Dr. Jeanette Epps to the crew of Starliner-1, Boeing's first operational mission to the International Space Station," Boeing said in a statement. "Jeanette will be a part of an important and history-making flight, and we're excited to welcome her to the Starliner team. Jeanette's crewmates, Suni Williams and Josh Cassada, are regulars at our Florida facilities and are training in Houston. We're looking forward to getting to know her just as well as we progress toward this flight." While astronauts train for future Starliner missions, Boeing and NASA engineers are working to address 80 recommendations issued by an independent review team charged to probe software issues, a communications problem, and management oversight shortfalls in oversight that contributed to the problems on last year's test flight. NASA in 2014 selected Boeing and SpaceX to develop and fly commercial crew capsules, awarding multibillion-dollar contracts to each company for the Starliner and Crew Dragon spacecraft. Employing a new public-private partnership contracting scheme, the commercial crew program was established to end U.S. reliance on Russian Soyuz crew ferry ships after the retirement of the space shuttle in 2011. SpaceX won a $2.6 billion contract to build, test and fly the Crew Dragon spacecraft, and the Elon Musk-led company completed its first Crew Dragon test flight with astronauts Aug. 2, capping a 64-day mission to the space station with NASA space fliers Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken. NASA plans to formally certify the Crew Dragon spacecraft in the coming weeks, ahead of the first "post-certification" Crew Dragon launch in October with a four-person crew to kick off a long-duration, six-month expedition on the space station. But Boeing, which received a $4.2 billion NASA contract in 2014, has fallen behind SpaceX in the commercial crew program. NASA wants both companies to provide regular crew transportation services to and from the space station, giving the space agency two independent U.S.-owned systems to deliver astronauts to low Earth orbit for the first time. https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/08/25/boeing-plans-second-starliner-test-flight-in-december-or-january/ Back to Top Delta 4-Heavy likely heading for geosynchronous orbit with top secret payload If you would like to see more articles like this please support our coverage of the space program by becoming a Spaceflight Now Member. If everyone who enjoys our website helps fund it, we can expand and improve our coverage further. The top secret intelligence-gathering payload for the U.S. government set for launch on top of a Delta 4-Heavy rocket is likely the next in a line of sensitive eavesdropping satellites designed to intercept radio signals and other communications traffic from adversaries around the world. The 235-foot-tall (71.6-meter) rocket will arc toward the east from Cape Canaveral following a liftoff from pad 37B set for 2:12 a.m. EDT (0612 GMT) Thursday, according to standard pre-launch warning notices released to pilots and mariners to help them steer clear of downrange drop zones under the Delta 4-Heavy's flight path. The launch period Thursday extends until 6:25 a.m. EDT (1025 GMT), according to United Launch Alliance, the Delta 4's builder and operator. Public information about the Delta 4-Heavy's easterly trajectory suggests the rocket is heading for a high-altitude circular geosynchronous orbit more than 22,000 miles (nearly 36,000 kilometers) above Earth and closely hugging the equator. Reaching such an orbit requires a rocket to follow one of the most challenging flight profiles in the launch business, with three burns by the Delta's upper stage to deploy its satellite payload at the targeted altitude. Four previous Delta 4-Heavy launches in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2016 followed similar trajectories after taking off from Cape Canaveral, each carrying a classified cargo for the National Reconnaissance Office. Independent analysts believe all delivered top secret NRO eavesdropping satellites to space. The NRO, part of the U.S. government's intelligence community, says it owns the payload on the Delta 4-Heavy rocket set for launch Thursday. The mission is codenamed NROL-44. In a "press kit" released before the launch, the NRO said the NROL-44 mission supports the agency's "overall national security mission to provide intelligence data to the United States' senior policy makers, the intelligence community and Department of Defense." Following the agency's typical practice of minimal disclosure, the NRO released no further information about the classified payload set for launch Thursday. But the satellite is likely related to the NRO's fleet of "Advanced Orion" or "Mentor" signals intelligence stations flying in equatorial geosynchronous orbits. The Advanced Orion-series satellites began launching on Titan 4 rockets in 1995, following a pair of earlier NRO Orion payloads that launched in the 1980s on space shuttle missions. The NRO began using Delta 4-Heavy rockets for the Advanced Orion missions in 2009, following the retirement of the Titan 4 booster. Like the previous Delta 4-Heavy launches with Advanced Orion satellites, the launch time moves around four minutes earlier each day. "The use of the Delta 4-Heavy, the eastward trajectory, and the four minute per day earlier time of liftoff, point to the launch of the eighth Advanced Orion satellite," said Ted Molczan, an authoritative skywatcher who tracks satellite activity. "This signals intelligence spacecraft is so large, that when seen from Earth, it shines with the brightness of an 8th magnitude star, making it easily visible with small binoculars." Before the launch in 2010 of a suspected Advanced Orion satellite, then-director of the NRO Bruce Carlson called the payload the "the largest satellite in the world." The satellites are believed to carry giant antennas that unfurl to a diameter of up to 100 meters, or 328 feet, once in space. The antenna can likely be tuned to listen in on telephone calls, collect data transmissions, and eavesdrop on other communications among U.S. adversaries. The geographic coverage area for the satellite set for launch Tuesday is unknown, but the Advanced Orion spacecraft span the world, flying at just the right altitude to orbit the Earth at the same rate the planet rotates. That allows the satellites to remain fixed over the same region of the planet. It's also not known whether the new satellite will replace an aging member of the Advanced Orion fleet, or expand the network's coverage. The Advanced Orion satellites require the combination of the Delta 4-Heavy rocket's lift capability, long-duration upper stage, and huge 65-foot-long (19.8-meter) trisector payload fairing. Three RS-68A main engines, each built by Aerojet Rocketdyne, will ignite five seconds before liftoff. The engines will consume three tons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants per second to power the Delta 4-Heavy rocket off the pad with 2.1 million pounds of thrust, equivalent to 51 million horsepower. With its center engine throttled down to conserve fuel, the Delta 4-Heavy will surpass the speed of sound about a minute and 18 seconds later and soar toward the east over the Atlantic Ocean. At T+plus 3 minutes, 56 seconds, the rocket's 15-story-tall side boosters will shut down their RS-68A engines, then separate from the Delta 4 two seconds later to fall into the Atlantic. The center booster will ramp up thrust to full power to burn for another minute-and-a-half. The core stage will exhaust its propellant at T+plus 5 minutes, 36 seconds, allowing the booster to drop away from the Delta 4's upper stage six-and-a-half seconds later. At T+plus 5 minutes, 55 seconds, the upper stage's Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10B-2 engine will ignite with 24,750 pounds of thrust. After climbing into the rarefied upper layers of the atmosphere, the Delta 4 will release its nose cone to shed weight and reveal the NROL-44 payload. The trisector fairing, designed especially to accommodate large NRO and military satellites, jettisons from the launcher in three pieces rather than in two halves like payload shrouds used on most other other rockets. At that time, the mission will enter an NRO-ordered news blackout. ULA will end its live coverage of the launch, and the rest of the launch sequence will occur without any real-time updates on the progress of the flight. Three firings of the RL10 upper stage engine will be needed to place the NROL-44 payload into its targeted geosynchronous orbit. The first burn will put the rocket into a preliminary low-altitude parking orbit, and a second burn will raise the apogee, or high point, of the orbit to more than 20,000 miles to reach an elliptical geosynchronous transfer orbit. After a coast of several hours, the rocket will reignite the RL10 engine to place the NROL-44 payload into a near-circular path around Earth, and nudge the satellite into an orbit with an inclination near the equator. Confirmation that the mission was successful is expected to be released by ULA and the NRO around seven hours after liftoff, once the spacecraft separates from the Delta 4's upper stage. The launch Thursday will mark the 12th flight of a Delta 4-Heavy rocket, and the 41st launch of a Delta 4 vehicle since 2002. It will be the 385th flight of a Delta rocket since 1960. After Thursday, four more Delta 4-Heavy rockets are scheduled for launch through 2023, when ULA plans to retire the Delta rocket family in favor of the next-generation Vulcan Centaur launcher. All four remaining Delta 4-Heavy missions will loft NRO payloads - two from Cape Canaveral and two from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/08/26/delta-4-heavy-likely-heading-for-geosynchronous-orbit-with-top-secret-payload/ 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 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