Flight Safety Information August 31, 2020 - No. 176 In This Issue Incident: Avianca Cargo A332 over Northern Ireland on Aug 29th 2020, electrical degradation Incident: China Airlines B744 at Taipei on Aug 29th 2020, burst tyre on departure Incident: Kalitta B763 at Vancouver on Aug 17th 2020, flaps problem on approach Accident: Omni B763 at Bucharest on Aug 28th 2020, left main gear collapse on landing Incident: Azul AT72 at Sao Paulo on Aug 24th 2020, low fuel level indication Incident: Swiss B773 near Dublin on Aug 28th 2020, fresh water indication More Details on the FAA's Fix-It List for the 737 MAX FAA faults Chicago for jet that skidded off slick runway Rocket's engine blast caused Su-27 jet's crash in Crimea in March 2020 How pilots deal with fuel leaks Boeing's 737 MAX will be one of the safest aircraft in history Delta to install hand sanitiser stations on every aircraft Some Disinfectants Can Damage Airplanes FAA Proposes Penalty Against Bluefin for Illegal Charter Intelsat in talks to buy Gogo's commercial aviation business American Airlines slashing flying capacity by 55 percent in October Billionaire Adani to Buy Mumbai Airport in Bold Aviation Bet Lufthansa Cargo welcomes its eighth Boeing 777F aircraft NOAA's newest hurricane hunter pilots her way through record breaking forecast season Private jet firms are buying dozens of new planes and hiring furloughed airline pilots SpaceX launches first polar orbit mission from Florida in decades Rocket Lab returns to flight with Capella Space launch Position Available:...AS350 Pilots 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: Avianca Cargo A332 over Northern Ireland on Aug 29th 2020, electrical degradation An Avianca Cargo Airbus A330-200 freighter, registration N331QT performing flight QT-4046 from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Miami,FL (USA), was enroute at FL340 about 60nm west of Belfast,NI (UK) when the crew decided to return to Amsterdam reporting a minor technical problem. The aircraft descended to FL180 for the way back. On approach to Amsterdam the crew descended the aircraft to FL100, the crew advised they needed no assistance and no emergency services, they just had an electrical degradation in their aircraft preventing the Oceanic crossing. A short time later the crew advised, their company was requesting them to divert to Madrid,SP (Spain), the aircraft climbed to FL230 and diverted to Madrid for a safe landing about 4 hours after aborting the approach to Amsterdam and about 5.5 hours after the decision to turn back to Amsterdam. The aircraft is still on the ground in Madrid about 20 hours after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4dbf9613&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: China Airlines B744 at Taipei on Aug 29th 2020, burst tyre on departure A China Airlines Boeing 747-400 freighter, registration B-18725 performing freight flight CI-5198 from Taipei (Taiwan) to Los Angeles,CA (USA), was climbing out of Taipei's runway 05R when the crew stopped the climb at FL290 after being informed that tyre debris had been found on their departure runway. The aircraft dumped fuel and returned to Taipei for a low approach to runway 05R to have the tyres inspected from the ground, which confirmed a blown tyre. The aircraft positioned for another approach and landed safely on runway 05R about 2:15 hours after departure. A replacement Boeing 747-400 registration B-18717 departed about 7 hours after landing of B-18725. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Taipei about 13 hours after landing back. http://avherald.com/h?article=4dbec4fe&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Kalitta B763 at Vancouver on Aug 17th 2020, flaps problem on approach A Kalitta Boeing 767-300, registration N764CK performing flight K4-1917 from Seattle,WA (USA) to Vancouver,BC (Canada) with 2 crew, was on approach to Vancouver, when the crew selected the flaps to 30 degrees however received a trailing edge flaps disagree warning message. The crew initiated a go around, worked the related checklists and landed safely on second approach. The Canadian TSB reported maintenance observed an issue with the right hand wheel well flap drive unit when the flaps transitioned between 20 and 30 degrees. The drive unit was serviced. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/CKS1917/history/20200817/1316Z/KSEA/CYVR http://avherald.com/h?article=4dbe2a4c&opt=0 Back to Top Accident: Omni B763 at Bucharest on Aug 28th 2020, left main gear collapse on landing An Omni Air Boeing 767-300, registration N423AX performing flight OY-703 from Kabul (Afghanistan) to Bucharest Baneasa (Romania) with 49 passengers and 15 crew, landed on Baneasa Airport's runway 07 with all gear struts down at 14:53L (11:53Z) and locked but about two seconds after smooth touchdown suffered the collapse of the left main gear. The aircraft skidded along the runway on its right main gear, aft belly and left engine cowl, nose gear lifted off the ground again, to a stop on the center line of the runway. The aircraft was evacuated via slides. No injuries are being reported. The aircraft was supposed to continue on to the USA following the stop in Bucharest to refuel. Romania's AIAS (Civil Aviation Safety Investigation and Analysis Authority) reported the left main gear failed during roll out. AIAS have appointed an investigation commission. A preliminary report can be expected in 30 days. http://avherald.com/h?article=4dbdfa02&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Azul AT72 at Sao Paulo on Aug 24th 2020, low fuel level indication An Azul Linhas Aereas Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-212A, registration PR-AKA performing flight AD-4592 from Sao Paulo Viracopos,SP to Sao Jose Do Rio Preto,SP (Brazil) with 70 passengers and 4 crew, was climbing out of Viracopos Airport when the crew stopped the climb at about 5000 feet due to a low fuel level indication. The aircraft returned to Viracopos Airport for a safe landing about 8 minutes after departure. Brazil's CENIPA reported the crew received a "LH TANK FUEL LOW LEVEL" indication. A post flight examination revealed the indication was false. http://avherald.com/h?article=4dbe17fe&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Swiss B773 near Dublin on Aug 28th 2020, fresh water indication A Swiss International Airlines Boeing 777-300, registration HB-JNC performing flight LX-14 from Zurich (Switzerland) to New York JFK,NY (USA) with 118 passengers and 13 crew, was enroute at FL340 about 30nm southeast of Dublin (Ireland) when the crew decided to return to Zurich due to a fresh water indication. The aircraft descended to FL310 and landed safely back on Zurich's runway 14 about 3:15 hours after departure. The airline reported an erroneous indication regarding the fresh water tanks occurred. A replacement aircraft is going to take the passengers to New York. A replacement Boeing 777-300 registration HB-JNE is currently estimated to reach New York with a delay of about 6 hours. http://avherald.com/h?article=4dbe1577&opt=0 Back to Top More Details on the FAA's Fix-It List for the 737 MAX • Boeing has its work cut out for it to get the troubled plane back into active service. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has given Boeing preliminary approval for its proposed fixes for the troubled 737 MAX-along with an airworthiness directive that the plane maker must comply with if it wants its planes back in the air. Updated Flight Control Software The agency will require that Boeing install a software patch to the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) that implements new safeguards. The patch significantly alters the reliability of data the MCAS receives, the parameters under which the system will activate, and how the MCAS performs once it's been triggered. The MCAS is an anti-stall measure intended to activate only when the plane is at low speed, under manual pilot control, climbing with the flaps up, and the system detects that the aircraft is angling too high and at risk of stalling. However, on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 and Lion Air Flight 610, the MCAS software kicked in at the wrong time: when the aircraft were taking off under manual control. In these cases, the MCAS forced the planes downward because it assumed the aircraft were stalling-when in fact they were operating safely. All passengers and crew were lost on those tragic flights, and the global MAX fleet has been grounded since-for almost two years. Under the FAA's proposed changes, the MCAS would now be governed by new flight control software, and the software would use new rules that send commands to the aircraft's flight control surfaces, such as flaps, based on input from sensors or pilot actions. In the case of the two crashes, the MCAS received faulty information from an angle-of-attack (AOA) sensor that told the system the plane was stalling when it was not. The MCAS then overrode the system and overpowered the crew, pushing the planes' noses down into fatal dives. The new flight control software would contain the following four new measures to prevent such tragic occurrences from being repeated: 1) More Than One Angle-of-Attack Sensor The FAA requires that the MCAS rely on at least two AOA sensors. Many commercial jets rely on multiple AOA sensors; but typically, a 737 MAX relies on only one. These sensors are vulnerable to damage and malfunction-from sources such as lightning, bird strikes, freezing and faulty installation. In the case of the two downed planes, black box data indicated that the aircrafts' lone AOA sensor sent erroneously high input to the flight control system. This led the software to conclude that the planes were stalling, and triggered the MCAS-which repeatedly commanded the horizontal stabilizer to push the planes' noses down. Going forward, the flight control software would pull data from both sensors, significantly reducing the risk of a damaged sensor sending the wrong signal to the MCAS. 2) MCAS Disabled on Severe AOA Disagreement To further strengthen the system against faulty AOA sensor readings, the updated flight control software would also compare the inputs from the two sensors to identify when a sensor is malfunctioning. If the difference between the readings of the two sensors is above a certain threshold, the speed trim system-which includes the MCAS-would become disabled for the remainder of the flight. That threshold would be based on "the magnitude of the disagreement and the rate of change of the AOA sensor position values," according to the FAA. In addition, Boeing would be required to add an "AOA disagree" indicator in the cockpit to inform the flight crew of a potential sensor malfunction or failure. This should be a welcome addition for pilots: among other criticisms, Boeing has also been called out for not making an AOA disagree indicator light standard in the cockpit-a vital piece of information for a crew that was relying on a sole AOA sensor. That indicator would have been even more important considering that Boeing had removed reference to the MCAS in its 737 MAX training materials, so many pilots-most notably the ones flying the downed aircraft-were not even aware that the MCAS existed. 3) One MCAS Activation per AOA Incident The MCAS on board the Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air planes were reacting to faulty sensor readings-and triggered repeatedly, which was too much for the pilots to handle. It appears that the pilots were briefly able to wrestle back some control of the aircraft-only to be overpowered by the MCAS activating again. The new software would limit the MCAS to trigger only once during a high AOA incident-eliminating the repeated activations that contributed to the two crashes. This would allow the MCAS to properly carry out its original function as an emergency anti-stall measure. It also means that, should the MCAS be overridden by either a faulty sensor reading, or activate during a genuine stall situation, the pilots will be unable to rely on the system for any further stall scenarios for the rest of the flight-they'll have to handle it by themselves. But given the extensive training of most pilots, this seems like an acceptable consequence. 4) Less Aggressive MCAS When Triggered Finally, should the MCAS kick in during a flight, its power would be significantly limited so that it can't overpower the pilots. The new software would keep a comparatively short leash on the MCAS, permitting it to activate and send signals to the flaps-while allowing the flight crew to retain pitch control, using the control column to maintain level flight, climb and descend. No longer would the anti-stall system be able to grab control of the aircraft away from the pilots: it would instead defer to their commands. ... But Wait, There's More While the software is the main focus of the fixes, the FAA will require additional corrective measures. A revised flight manual-this one actually mentioning the MCAS-would be required for all 737 MAX operators to use. Each plane's AOA sensors would need to be tested, and each aircraft would have to undergo an operational test flight before it can be brought back into service. And finally, the wiring for the jet's horizontal stabilizers will need to be reconfigured to comply with FAA standards. Lots on the Line The crashes brought both Boeing and the FAA under intense global scrutiny and scathing criticism for their repeated oversights in designing, manufacturing and certifying the 737 MAX. So a lot is riding on these proposed fixes: the airworthiness of one of the world's most popular aircraft, Boeing's reputation and bottom line, the legitimacy and authority of the FAA--and the confidence of travelers around the world. If the plane maker and the regulator don't get this right, the consequences could be severe for both-and could cause more chaos in an aerospace market already reeling from the MAX's grounding and the COVID-19 pandemic. Boeing will have to make significant changes to its best-selling plane. The FAA is accepting public comment on the proposed fixes for the MCAS until September 21, 2020. If recertification goes as anticipated, we could be seeing 737 MAXs take to the air again by Halloween ... but global confidence in the MAX could take much, much longer to recover. https://www.engineering.com/AdvancedManufacturing/ArticleID/20579/More-Details-on-the-FAAs-Fix-It-List-for-the-737-MAX.aspx Back to Top FAA faults Chicago for jet that skidded off slick runway WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal safety officials want to fine Chicago nearly $1.6 million after a plane slid off a slick runway at O'Hare Airport last November. The Federal Aviation Administration says the Chicago Department of Aviation failed to maintain safe operations during snowy and wet runway conditions. The FAA says a city plan requires the airport to take certain safety measures if crews on two consecutive flights report poor braking conditions while landing. The FAA says that happened three separate times before an Envoy flight slid off an O'Hare runway on Nov. 11, 2019. https://www.walls102.com/faa-faults-chicago-for-jet-that-skidded-off-slick-runway/ Back to Top Rocket's engine blast caused Su-27 jet's crash in Crimea in March 2020 • On March 25, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that a Su-27 fighter jet, which was performing a routine flight, vanished off the radars over the Black Sea some 50 km off Feodosia MOSCOW, August 30. /TASS/. An engine blast of an air rocket after it was launched during a training mission caused the crash of Su-27 fighter jet on March 25, 2020 over the Black Sea near the Crimean coast, the head of the Russian Armed Forces flights safety service told Zvezda TV channel, citing the conclusions of the investigators. "The commission's conclusions are clear. The cause of the air crash was the explosion of the rocket's engine on the trajectory of its descending," Sergei Baynetov said. On March 25, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that a Su-27 fighter jet, which was performing a routine flight, vanished off the radars over the Black Sea some 50 km off Feodosia in Crimea. During the search operation conducted on March 25-27, the pilot was not found. The search effort involved vessels of the Black Sea Fleet, the Border Service as well as civilian vessels and helicopters. https://tass.com/emergencies/1195247 Back to Top How pilots deal with fuel leaks This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page. This time in 2001, an Air Transat A330 pushed back from the gate in Toronto for a routine flight to Lisbon. Just a few hours later, it would run out of fuel mid-Atlantic and be forced to glide 75 miles and land at Lajes in the Azores. All onboard evacuated the aircraft safely. During the cruise, the crew had noticed an imbalance between the wing fuel tanks and took action to remedy the problem. Unfortunately, this would end up causing both tanks to run dry, resulting in both engines shutting down. So how did a modern airliner manage to get into such a frightening situation and how do we as pilots stop this from happening? Air Transat flight 236 Just before 9 p.m. Toronto time, the two-year-old A330 took off from Toronto with 293 passengers and 13 crew. In the fuels tanks was 46.9 tons of fuel, more than enough to complete the trans-Atlantic flight safely. Around four hours into the flight, whilst cruising at 39,000 feet, unbeknown to the crew, a fuel leak began in the pipe taking fuel from the right-hand wing tank to the right-hand engine. A few minutes later, the crew noticed low oil temperature and high oil pressure indications in the right hand (number two) engine. At this stage, there was no indication that these were the result of a fuel leak so the crew reported these as spurious to the maintenance control center who asked the crew to monitor the situation. Around 30 minutes later, the aircraft monitoring system alerted the crew to a fuel imbalance - the fuel in the right-wing tank was lower than the fuel in the left. Thinking that there was just an imbalance and not a leak, the crew actioned the fuel imbalance checklist, without reference to the QRH (quick reference handbook). This procedure involves turning on the fuel crossfeed system and turning off the fuel pumps on the side where there is less fuel - the right-hand side. This results in fuel flowing from the left hand tank to feed the right-hand engine. Unfortunately, all this did was to allow even more fuel to escape through the leak in the pipe. Realizing the gravity of the situation, the crew decided to initiate a diversion to Lajes in the Azores. Half an hour later, as the fuel in both tanks ran out, one engine shut down, shortly followed by the other. By this point, the aircraft was close enough to the Azores to allow the crew to glide the aircraft down to the runway, ensuring the safety of all those on board. How we manage fuel Before I continue, I must make it clear that the number of times a commercial airliner has run out of fuel are incredibly small. I can only think of one other, where a fuel loading error on an Air Canada Boeing 767 caused the aircraft to run out of fuel. They, too, glided to a runway and landed safely. The reason why this event is so unlikely to happen is partly from lessons learned from these two incidents. Aviation is one of the best industries in the world at learning from mistakes and doing all that is possible to stop them from happening again. Before departure Before we report for duty, the planning department in the airline's operations center will create a flight plan specific to our flight. They will take into consideration atmospheric conditions, airspace restrictions and aircraft performance factors, to name just a few variables. From this information, they can create the most fuel-efficient route for that flight on that date. This is why you may notice that your geographic route may often be different if you fly regularly between two cities. Once the route has been decided, the fuel required to get there is then calculated. For a given distance, this will vary depending on aircraft weight, planned cruising altitudes, wind velocity and air temperatures. This magic number is known as the "trip fuel" or the "burn." In other words, the amount of fuel which the aircraft will use just to take off from the departure point and land at the destination. However, errors are always possible and as the pilots, we are the final layer of protection to prevent an error becoming an accident. As a result, we always carry out a gross-error check on the fuel figure published on the flight plan. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner uses roughly five tons for fuel for every hour of flight. If the flight time is 10 hours, we should need roughly 50 tons of fuel. With the fuel loaded into the tanks and the en route winds loaded, we then check that the predicted fuel on arrival, as calculated by the flight management computer, ties up with the figure printed on our paperwork. This way we ensure that we get airborne with enough fuel to complete the flight. In-flight fuel checks It will normally take around 30 minutes for a heavy 787 Dreamliner to climb from the runway to its initial cruising altitude. During this time, we normally do very little except concentrate on flying the aircraft and talking to ATC. Once level in the cruise, we can start to divert our attention onto other tasks. The first is to make a fuel check. As part of our preflight procedure, we check the flight plan issued to us by the company's operations department. Not only does this gives us information as to how much fuel we will need for the entire flight, but it also breaks it down into how much fuel we require at any given stage of the flight. Passing the first waypoint after the top of the climb, it is the pilot monitoring's (PM) job to make a fuel check. They will look at the fuel system display and write down on the flight plan what the actual fuel on board is. By comparing the amount of fuel actually in the tanks against what we need to reach our destination as per the flight plan, we can calculate how much fuel we expect to land with. The time check also enables us to see whether or not the flight is progressing as expected. Losing time may indicate that the tail winds are not as strong as expected. Fuel and time checks are then completed every 30 minutes for the rest of the flight. By keeping a vigilant eye on the fuel we can determine if we are using fuel faster than expected. If so, we need to work out why. Quite often, it's because of stronger headwinds or because ATC is keeping us at an altitude lower than our optimum. For these fairly regular cases, we always carry a certain amount of contingency fuel. Rarely - and I mean very rarely - a discrepancy in the fuel checks may be the result of a fuel leak. In this situation, there is a regimented checklist that we must follow to ascertain if there is indeed a fuel leak. Dealing with a potential fuel leak If the fuel checks start to show a discrepancy either between the fuel tanks or in the estimated fuel on arrival, we must take prompt action to rectify the situation. There may be a legitimate cause for the discrepancy, for example, one engine being older than the other and using more fuel per hour. Or, the APU (which uses fuel from the left tank) has been left running for the flight for technical reasons. Whatever the cause, we must understand why there is a discrepancy and take action to ensure the safety of the aircraft and its occupants. This may even involve diverting to a nearby airport. Fuel imbalance The first sign of a fuel leak will most likely be an imbalance between the two main wing tanks. The fuel system on the 787 Dreamliner is quite straightforward. There is one center tank and then one main tank in each wing. The fuel from the center tank is used first before the main tanks continue to feed their respective engine. If the fuel quantity between the two main tanks differs by a certain amount, the FUEL IMBALANCE alert message is shown. The fuel balancing system is designed to pump fuel from the tank with the higher quantity into the tank with the lower quantity. However, before doing this, we must make sure that the imbalance is not due to a fuel leak. The fuel balance system in operation on the 787 Dreamliner due to the usage of the APU in flight. (Image by Charlie Page/The Points Guy) The fuel imbalance checklist alerts us that a fuel leak should be suspected if any one of the following is true: The total fuel remaining is less than the planned fuel from our in-cruise fuel checks. An engine has excessive fuel flow. The totalizer fuel (sum of the individual tank quantities) is less than the calculated fuel (fuel in tanks on engine start minus fuel used). If a fuel leak is suspected, attempting to balance the tanks could result in even more fuel being lost through the leak, as happened in the Air Transat case. Instead of continuing with the fuel imbalance checklist, we must instead go straight to the fuel leak checklist Fuel leak The fuel leak checklist acts as a logic tree to initially ascertain if we do indeed have a leak. From here we can then narrow down exactly where the leak is coming from - the center tank, the main wing tank or from the engine. (By "engine" I mean anywhere in the pipework after leaving the main tank). The first step in the checklist is to turn off the balance switch and crossfeed switches if they were already on for any reason. This isolates the individual tanks and stops any extra fuel from being lost through a potential leak. The center tank pumps are then switched off so that each wing tank is feeding its respective engine. We then note the fuel quantity in each tank and the time. If there is a change in fuel imbalance between the two main wing tanks of 1,110 lb in 30 minutes or less, a leak on the side with less fuel can be confirmed. However, we still don't know if the leak is from the tank itself or from the pipework to the engine. Once we have confirmed the leak, we can then shut down the engine on that side to prevent any further fuel loss, if it is indeed an engine leak. The aircraft will continue to fly safely on the other engine, however, we may have to descend to a lower altitude to be able to maintain a safe speed. As we have now confirmed a leak but do not know the severity of it, at this stage we will begin a diversion to a suitable nearby airport to land. With the engine shut down, we can now determine whether the leak was from the engine or from the tank itself. Instead of looking at the totals in the tanks themselves, we now look at the totalizer and calculated fuel figures in the flight management computer (FMC) mentioned above. As a potential leak from the engine has been ruled out due to it being shut down, if the difference between these two values continues to increase, it means that the fuel is leaking from the tank. If the difference does not change, the leak is from the engine. This brings us to a useful conclusion. If the leak is from the engine, all the remaining fuel in that tank can be used for the remaining engine. To do this, we use the fuel imbalance checklist again. However, if the leak is from the tank, we can restart the engine to expedite our diversion to land. As all the fuel will be eventually lost anyway, it makes sense to use what we have whilst we can. Bottom line Once we are airborne, we only have a finite amount of fuel. There's no in-flight refueling for commercial airliners. As a result, we must monitor our fuel usage and quantity closely throughout the flight. If we notice any discrepancies in the fuel levels, either between the tanks or to our estimated fuel on arrival, we must handle the situation carefully and methodically. When diagnosing the problem, it's better to try and prove that we do not have a fuel leak rather than prove that we do have one. If we decide to start transferring fuel from one tank to another, and particularly from one tank to the other engine in the case of a crossfeed, we must be absolutely sure that there is no leak. The misfortune of the Air Transat crew losing both engines due to a fuel leak has improved the safety of airline operations around the world today. https://thepointsguy.com/news/how-pilots-deal-fuel-leaks/ Back to Top Boeing's 737 MAX will be one of the safest aircraft in history There is no question that the Boeing 737 MAX when it returns to the skies later year will be one of the safest commercial aircraft in history. But the question is will the flying public embrace the tarnished 737 MAX. No commercial aircraft has ever been subjected to such intense scrutiny as the 737 MAX, fueled by extraordinary misinformation in the media both mainstream and social. Certainly, there was some fault at Boeing in its safety analysis in assuming a level of pilot competence and training that doesn't exist in some parts of the world. As the FAA said before US Congress, the pilots of both airlines involved in the tragic crashes did not perform as would be expected. In the case of the Lion Air crash the co-pilot who was flying "didn't understand the concept of a stall at high or low level," according to his simulator trainer's report. A well-respected retired Airbus training captain, told AirlineRatings.com quite simply that the first officer (co-pilot) "could not fly". "The (training) report on the FO is an eye-opener as he is constantly very poor in all phases of operating an aircraft," the training captain said. "The report indicates a lot of additional training in standard operating procedures and emergencies and this was repeated on almost every subsequent training session but the problems were never resolved. "There is a continual mention of a very poor instrument scan which was also never resolved. Even more deeply troubling was that, according to the pilot reports, the first officer didn't understand and had difficulty handling aerodynamic stalls, a fundamental of flying." "That FO could not fly and I wonder why the Lion Air trainers didn't cull him as his performance at proficiency checks are all fail items." Podcasts by the Flight Safety Detectives former NTSB crash investigators Greg Feith and John Goglia are extraordinary in their detail and very sobering and highlight multiple failures of maintenance and serious pilot deficiencies at Lion Air related to the 737 MAX accident. Feith and Goglia are considered among the most respected safety analysts in the industry. Last year Feith was highly critical of the Indonesian NTSC report and the primary conclusion that the MCAS software caused the crash of LionAir Flight 610 in October 2018. Feith, said the Indonesian NTSC 322-page report, issued in October, into the LionAir 737MAX tragedy presents an in-depth account of the "factual" information developed during the course of the investigation. However, Feith said of the report, "there are so many flaws in logic, failures to properly analyze the facts, and failures to hold persons or organizations accountable and much more. They (NTSC) obviously reverse-engineered the "facts" to support their preconceived conclusions that the airplane and MCAS are to blame." Lion Air "The NTSC stated the pilots, especially the First Officer, had significant training deficiencies and lacked basic flying skills. These same deficiencies occurred during the accident flight. These two pilots had no business being in the cockpit and the airplane should not have been operated because of all the maintenance issues that began at the beginning of October and were not corrected, making the airplane unairworthy," Feith told Airline Ratings. The mistake Boeing, and all manufacturers, have made is to assume that the pilots flying their aircraft are well trained and competent and will follow instructions and obey warnings. A perfect example of this involves the loss of a Pakistan Airlines Airbus A320 flight PK8303 on May 22, 2020, which killed 97. The pilots made a completely unacceptable approach according to Juan Browne, a 777 pilot (blancolirio on Youtube), who said that the Flighradar 24 data showed that the pilots of the A320 descended at twice the normal rate and went across the runway threshold at 210kts (388km/hr) well above the recommended 140kts (259km/hr). The pilot also ignored air traffic control instructions to perform orbits to lose altitude and ignored multiple speed and undercarriage warnings to land with the undercarriage retracted. The A320 bounced twice on its engines before the pilots applied more power and went around only to crash when the damaged engines failed. The question is how does Airbus or Boeing design an aircraft to prevent such utter reckless incompetence. In the wake of this disaster, it was revealed that in Pakistan 262 pilots have fake pilot licenses. Pakistan International Airlines sacked 150 of its pilots. Very little of the above has had widespread exposure and the majority of passengers believe Boeing is totally to blame for the 737 MAX crashes. The whole debate has been muddled by grandstanding politicians, union issues, disgruntled employees, grossly inaccurate reporting not to mention trade disputes. 737 MAX The 737 MAX itself is virtually a new plane from the perspective of flight control and systems and has been exhaustively tested over the last 18 months. The US FAA has employed 40 engineers, inspectors, pilots, and technical support staff in 60,000 hours of work to tick off the changes. Those numbers are however minor compared to the effort Boeing has made to build multiple layers of protection to make the 737 MAX the safest it can possibly be. Helping to achieve that Boeing has held 20 conferences with over 1,100 participants from 250 organizations and has involved 565 pilots from 141 airlines to gain feedback on design changes. Both the FAA and the Canadian regulators have test flown the 737 MAX with all the changes and next week the Europan regulator EASA will start its evaluation. The Canadain and Europe approvals are seen as critical. Boeing then faces a massive advertising campaign to assure the public that the MAX is one of the safest commercial aircraft they can step aboard and the tick off of all aviation regulators and governing bodies is essential. There are 387 737 MAXs delivered to airlines and stored and Boeing has another 400 built and stored and all these aircraft have to be modified and brought back into service. Beyond that Boeing has orders for another 3,700 but has suffered cancellations of over 700. https://www.airlineratings.com/news/boeings-737-max-will-one-safest-aircraft-history/ Back to Top Delta to install hand sanitiser stations on every aircraft Delta says it is to be become the first US airline to offer hand sanitiser stations on all of its aircraft. The carrier will install Purell Advanced Hand Sanitisers near the boarding doors and toilets on all aircraft. Up to five sanitisers will be available depending on the size of aircraft, with Delta's B757-200s the first to introduce the product. "Over the past few months, our customer satisfaction scores have skyrocketed by double digits, including those for onboard lavatory cleanliness," said Bill Lentsch, chief customer experience officer. "But that's not stopping us from going even further to make sure customers feel safe and comfortable when they travel with Delta." Over 130 of the carrier's aircraft also now feature hand-washing reminders in their toilets, with the remainder of Delta's fleet set to follow. The airline has already partnered with Purell for its passenger care kits, which include a disposable face mask, Purell hand sanitiser gel pouches, and an information card "detailing measures in place that are helping Delta transform the industry standard of clean". In June the carrier established a new Global Cleanliness division dedicated to innovating and evolving cleanliness standards in the light of Covid-19. And Delta has also partnered with the makers of Lysol, to develop new cleaning and disinfecting solutions for high-touch areas at the airport and onboard such as airplane lavatories, departure gates, and the airline's airport lounges. https://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/2020/08/30/delta-to-install-hand-sanitiser-stations-on-every-aircraft/ Back to Top Some Disinfectants Can Damage Airplanes AOPA is warning aircraft operators to be careful in choosing the disinfectants used to keep aircraft COVID-19 safe. A Florida flight school had to remove the instruments and switches and resurface the panels of two Cessna 172s after a well-meaning renter used ethanol-based sanitizer to clean the yokes of the aircraft. The overspray hit the panel and damaged the paint on the panel of the aircraft owned by Atlas Aviation in Tampa. The client got the disinfectant from a distillery and used it despite the school supplying safe disinfectant wipes and instructions on how to use them, according to AOPA. Ethanol can play havoc with rubber seals, shellacked surfaces and plastic parts in airplanes and vehicles and is not recommended for those uses. Many items used by pilots can be harmed by ethanol, including tablets, portable GPSs and touch screens. Avionics manufacturers recommend using disinfectants that use isopropyl alcohol and don't contain any ammonia. https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/some-disinfectants-can-damage-airplanes/ Back to Top FAA Proposes Penalty Against Bluefin for Illegal Charter In its continuing campaign to combat illegal charter operations, the U.S. FAA has proposed a $576,400 civil penalty against Bluefin Aviation Services of Opa-Locka, Florida, alleging such activity. According to the agency, Bluefin allegedly conducted at least 26 illegal for-hire flights using a Cessna 402B piston twin in September and October 2019, transporting passengers or cargo between airports in Florida and the Bahamas. "The flights were illegal because Bluefin did not hold an air carrier or operating certificate, or operations specifications issued by the FAA," the agency alleged. Further, the FAA said the flight crew had not passed the requisite written or oral tests, nor had they completed competency checks and flight checks for such operations. "The flights were careless or reckless so as to endanger lives or property," it added. Bluefin Aviation was not available for comment at press time, but has asked to meet with the FAA to discuss the case. The proposed enforcement action is the latest in a series of actions the agency is taking to clamp down on illegal charter. Enforcement actions have been proposed against business jet, turboprop, and piston operators alike, including those which have conducted operations for major sports teams. These actions have accompanied community meetings and an education campaign. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2020-08-28/faa-proposes-penalty-against-bluefin-illegal-charter Back to Top Intelsat in talks to buy Gogo's commercial aviation business: Report Intelsat could spend as much as $500m for the acquisition, according to Bloomberg. Satellite operator Intelsat is reportedly in talks with in-flight broadband internet service Gogo to buy its commercial aviation business. Intelsat could spend as much as $500m for the acquisition, according to Bloomberg. Intelsat already supplies Gogo with satellite coverage and connectivity to Gogo-equipped aircraft around the world. Earlier this month, Gogo reported that the consolidated revenue of $96.6m in Q2 2020, a decline of 55% from Q2 2019, due to the impact of Covid-19 on demand for both domestic and international air travel. Net loss of $86m increased from a net loss of $84m in Q2 2019. In August, Gogo confirmed it is looking to sell its Commercial Aviation (CA) division. "While Covid-19 has significantly impaired global commercial aviation travel and our results for the second quarter, we are encouraged by the strong recovery in business aviation as well as the beginnings of a recovery in global commercial aviation which has continued into August," said Gogo CEO Oakleigh Thorne. "Going forward, we are focused on maintaining the strength of our franchise and realising the value of CA through a potential sale of the division." https://satelliteprome.com/news/intelsat-in-talks-to-buy-gogos-commercial-aviation-business-report/ Back to Top American Airlines slashing flying capacity by 55 percent in October American Airlines will slash its flying capacity by 55 percent in October in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic's disruptions on the travel industry. The airline plans to operate at 45 percent of its October schedule, compared to last year, an American Airlines spokesperson told The Hill. The airline is reducing its operations as demand for travel continues to slump due to the pandemic and a slower season approaches with summer vacations coming to an end, Bloomberg News reported. Since March, travel has fallen to less than a third of the level in 2019, according to Transportation Security Administration screenings. American Airlines is adding more than 20 seasonal routes for customers seeking to travel to warmer climates as fall comes, including Miami, Phoenix and Mexico, the airline said in a statement. These flights will mostly occur on Saturdays. American Airlines announced earlier this month that it was stopping flights to 15 U.S. cities starting on Oct. 7 without additional federal aid, an action other airlines might follow, Bloomberg News noted. Several airlines received federal assistance from the government by agreeing not to lay off any employees until Oct. 1. But talks for additional funding in Congress have stalled, leading airlines to prepare for massive job cuts. American Airlines said it expects to cut 19,000 jobs in October after the federal aid expiration date, following the announcements from Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines warning of thousands of layoffs. https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/514333-american-airlines-slashing-flying-capacity-by-55-percent-in-october Back to Top Billionaire Adani to Buy Mumbai Airport in Bold Aviation Bet (Bloomberg) -- Adani Enterprises Ltd. is seeking a controlling stake in Mumbai's international airport as billionaire Gautam Adani continues his aggressive push into what was until recently the world's fastest-growing aviation market. Adani Airport Holdings Ltd. will acquire the debt of GVK Airport Developers Ltd., the holding company of GVK Power & Infrastructure Ltd., according to an exchange filing Monday. Adani will also buy the 23.5% stake held in Mumbai International Airport Ltd. by Airports Co. South Africa and Bidvest Group Ltd., and then work to acquire control. It's a high-stakes bet on an industry that's been brought to its knees by the coronavirus pandemic. The outbreak in India is only gathering pace, sickening more than 78,700 people on Sunday alone, a one-day record. And while budget carriers mushroomed across the South Asian nation as people took to the skies for the first time, poorer economies with rickety infrastructure and a reliance on natural resources have been hit much harder by Covid-19, casting doubt on the ability of consumer-led sectors to quickly bounce back. Still, the airport in Mumbai, India's second busiest with 46 million annual passengers in the 12 months through March, has been a prized possession for GVK and it's fought hard to retain control, even attempting to buy out minority partners to ward off Adani. However high debt levels -- GVK's airports business had obligations of 57.5 billion rupees ($781 million) as of March 2019 -- and a string of government investigations into financial irregularities mean the group has lost much of its bargaining power. Adani, meanwhile, has shown his ability to navigate tricky political waters. The 58-year-old billionaire, who's built his empire around the heavily regulated businesses of coal mining, electricity and ports, has been eyeing a slice of Mumbai airport for several years. This latest move catapults Adani Enterprises into the major league, pitting it against GMR Infrastructure Ltd., which controls the international airport in New Delhi, India's busiest. Agreed to Cooperate Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been seeking private funds to repair and grow the nation's creaking infrastructure, including its airports. Adani recently won other bids to operate six smaller airline hubs in the country. GVK holds a 50.5% interest in Mumbai international airport, and a 74% share in a second international airport for India's financial capital that's under construction. "The aviation industry has been severely impacted by Covid-19, setting it back by many years and has impacted the financials of Mumbai International Airport," GVK Chairman GVK Reddy said in a statement. "It was therefore important that we bring in a financially strong investor in the shortest possible time." GVK added it had agreed to "cooperate with Adani" and set out various steps in the transaction. They involve Adani acquiring debt from lenders including Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and HDFC Bank Ltd. Adani will be allowed to convert that debt into equity in GVK's airport business, and will inject funds for the project. Gautam Adani is India's fourth-richest man with a net worth of about $16.3 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. A pugnacious dealmaker, his companies maintain a focus on "nation building through infrastructure," he told Bloomberg News in a rare interview last year. GMR, which operates airports in Hyderabad and Cebu, is also selling a 49% stake in its airports business to a consortium led by India's Tata Group, a unit of Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC Pte and SSG Capital Management. GVK will separately terminate a $1.1 billion investment agreement with Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, the Public Sector Pension Investment Board and National Investment & Infrastructure Fund, it said in another filing. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/billionaire-adani-buy-mumbai-airport-053431991.html Back to Top Lufthansa Cargo welcomes its eighth Boeing 777F aircraft Lufthansa Cargo inducted its eighth Boeing 777 aircraft at Frankfurt Airport (FRA) on Aug 31. The cargo aircraft with registration D-ALFH was in flight for 9 hours and 24 minutes after its take-off from Everett Airport (PAE) in Washington State, USA. "The investments in our fleet are a significant contribution to the sustainable improvement of our economic and ecological efficiency. We want to make air cargo as fast, safe and environmentally friendly as possible," said Peter Gerber, CEO and chairman of the executive board of Lufthansa Cargo. Also Read:Lufthansa Cargo unveils pharma hubs in Munich and Chicago The new aircraft bears the name 'Namaste India', which it has taken over from an aircraft with the registration D-ALCJ that has already been taken out of service. Lufthansa Cargo had announced the purchase of two brand-new cargo aircraft in November 2019. The next aircraft is expected in a few weeks. The new arrivals are part of a fleet modernization program that began in 2014 and will be completed next year. The twin-engine Boeing 777F is around 20 percent more efficient and emits less CO2 than the previously used three-engine MD-11F. The new model also meets the strict noise protection requirements of ICAO Annex 16, Volume I, Chapter 14. https://www.stattimes.com/news/lufthansa-cargo-welcomes-its-eighth-boeing-777f-aircraft-air-cargo/ Back to Top NOAA's newest hurricane hunter pilots her way through record breaking forecast season • Lt. Commander Danielle Varwig is the NOAA's newest hurricane hunter pilot. Lightning flashed on either side of the large jet carrying a team of hurricane hunters as they surveyed what was then Tropical Storm Laura last Monday night. The threat of convection tightened the insides of Lt. Cmdr. Danielle Varwig, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's newest hurricane hunter pilot. The 36-year-old pilot took a breath, kept her cool and guided the Gulfstream IV, lovingly referred to as "Gonzo," away from Laura's turbulent winds, concluding the seven-hour surveillance flight mission and landing at Lakeland Linder International Airport, an hour south of Orlando. Upon landing, a flood of relief washed over her in completing her third tropical system mission ever, in about as many days. Eargos are the hearing aid no one will know you're wearing. But they're so sleek, you just might be tempted to show them off... "Walking away from the aircraft, I turned my phone on, texted my husband 'I'm alive,'" Varwig said and laughed. Varwig joins the team of 14 pilots, during a memorable hurricane season where NOAA issued a record-breaking forecast for the rest of season predicting a total of 19 to 25 named storms before Nov. 30 - the highest its ever predicted in a single season. Already there have been 13 named storms and four hurricanes. A typical season has about 12 named storms. Flying with the hurricane hunters excites Varwig, who is the mother of a 4-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son. Despite the adventurous aspect of the job, Varwig's recent flights over Laura and Hurricane Marco have her defying 13 years worth of piloting instincts. "Everything I've been taught tells me to fly away from this," Varwig said. "I feel like, hurricane hunters, at least for me, we're the opposite of a hurricane. We are on the outside of this mass of calm and cool air, and collecting at our core there's this uncertainty, a little bit of fear, but that fear drives us forward like the eye of the storm. It keeps us moving forward on our mission. I'm nervous, I get anxious, but I just go back to my basics - put trust in my training." Varwig grew in Queens, New York, in a home near to an arrival and departure corridor of John. F. Kennedy International Airport where planes were always overhead. She didn't want to be a pilot then, but smiles looking back at the memory now. Having always been interested in science, Varwig attended school in Pennsylvania State University within its Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, graduating with a major in mechanical engineering. She joined the U.S. Air Force, and later received her pilot certificate in 2008. She served 13 years with the Air Force flying a number of different missions providing surveillance all over the world and even Afghanistan. While trying to figure out where to fly after serving her commitment to the Air Force, a friend mentioned NOAA's Aircraft Operations Center in Lakeland - a perfect location as Varwig was looking for a place to move in Florida where her family was. "I was instantly intrigued. Although, being honest. I knew nothing about NOAA," Varwig said. "But I mean, how amazing is [the Aircraft Operation Center]. They're the hurricane hunters. What could be more exciting as a pilot? I had no interest in joining an airline. I wanted to do fun flying. I didn't want to fly from point A to point B. I wanted to have true purpose." Varwig's transfer request is considered an inter-service transfer, which typically take about a year to process. Varwig's transfer, however, processed three months ahead of schedule. She officially joined the crew in February. Not only was her transfer quick, Varwig joined NOAA's AOC as the first Air Force inter-service transfer to be placed in the Gulfstream IV jet. Plus she's the second Air Force inter-service transfer to the hurricane hunters. The last person to do so was in the 1990s who worked as a navigator, according to NOAA records. Usually transfers come from the U.S. Navy because of their experience in flying P-3 Orion aircraft. The hurricane hunters were looking for an additional pilot for its Gulfstream IV and Varwig's experience flying large jets made her an ideal candidate. Her first big test came at 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 22 when she took Gonzo and a team to survey Hurricane Marco. At times, she couldn't see much except overcast clouds surrounding from all sides. "My initial thoughts were, I'm doing exactly what I've been taught to avoid," Varwig said. A combination of navigation tools and the on board meteorologists were able to assist her in flying blind away from the storm. "Flying into a hurricane or convective activity, it's unsettling but as long as the aircraft is doing what I'm asking it to do, I feel good. And flying over [Marco], it was amazing, to get to be part of a mission like that." Varwig flew four missions in three days earlier in the week and is feeling exhausted. Varwig knows with such an active hurricane forecast, she'll probably not be getting much rest between now and the end of November - the end of hurricane season. But the way she sees it, as the new kid on the block, this gives her more time to get used to flying over strong storms. "It's disheartening to know that there could be many hurricanes this season meaning a higher risk of destruction, but that makes this job all the more important," Varwig said. "I have a very unique experience. I'm hoping to offer perspective or a different point of view to the team with my Air Force background. Ultimately I'm hoping that by me doing this, I'll be reaching out to other little girls who realize they can do this too." https://www.orlandosentinel.com/weather/hurricane/os-ne-hurricane-hunters-newest-pilot-danielle-varwig-20200828-j4t6k4spv5dndinxymgreplymm-story.html Back to Top Private jet firms are buying dozens of new planes and hiring furloughed airline pilots as demand in the industry skyrockets back to normal • Private aviation firms are expanding as executives believe they're approaching the end of a V-shaped recovery. Private aviation is expanding with firms buying new aircraft and hiring more pilots during one of the worst downturns for aviation since the 2008 economic crisis. Wealthy new flyers have kept the industry afloat with traffic levels for this summer only around 20% less than last year's summer. A full recovery timeline is still uncertain but industry executives are convinced that now is the time to scale up to get a piece of the new market created by the pandemic. The private aviation industry is rapidly expanding with firms trying to get as many planes and pilots as they can to serve the new generation of private flyers. Approaching what they believe to be the end of a V-shaped recovery for the industry, executives are determined to grow despite contractions in aviation. Fueling their enthusiasm is a busier-than-expected summer travel season and a McKinsey & Company study revealing a vast untapped market of high-net-worth-individuals that the pandemic is driving away from the first class cabin. Despite lingering uncertainty surrounding the future of travel, firms are scaling up now in preparation for the impending recovery. "In March and April, we weren't really looking at the recovery as much as it was - how do we survive this downturn and position ourselves to be better and capture a market in the future?" Kevin Thomas, chief operating officer and president of XOJET Aviation, told Business Insider. March saw travelers rushing to booking aircraft to fly home as countries closed their borders to the world and April traffic levels dropped up to 100% for some operators. Those that didn't ground their fleets entirely only flew a fraction of what would be normal. As lockdowns eased in the US, signs of recovery started showing in May. The slump was short-lived, as many executives predicted it would be when speaking to Business Insider in April, and the summer has been kinder with most of the same companies reporting a return to near-normal following the crippling spring. The fear of flying on a commercial airliner and a heightened focus on health and safety has been encouraging the wealthy to dig deeper into their wallets when arranging air travel, executives say. The relatively meager exclusivity of a first class cabin isn't cutting it anymore with travelers wanting peace of mind throughout the entirety of their journeys. The new buzz phrase when booking an aircraft is now "health and safety" as opposed to "smallest and cheapest," with the wealthy now having new cost justifications to fly private. Even firms that haven't fully recovered yet are eyeing expansion with Omaha, Nebraska's Jet Linx acquiring Meridian Air Charter and its 23 managed aircraft in July. Jet Linx CEO Jamie Walker told Business Insider that his firm's traffic numbers for the summer were about 10% off from normal but new memberships have soared thanks to an influx of first-time flyers. Some operators are even having a better summer season this year than in 2019 as XOJET Aviation reported flying more hours this year than last. "We have returned in terms of a utilization perspective and exceeded pre-COVID numbers," Thomas said. This summer season saw the operator - with a fleet of 40 eight and nine-seat super-midsize aircraft - fly more each month than it did the same months in 2019. XOJET's dynamic pricing model is still catching up with the new normal and despite more flying, this summer's margins haven't topped last summer's. But that's not stopping XOJET from expanding its fleet with more aircraft and pilots. Expansion is largely measured in new planes, with firms taking advantage of the industry downturn to acquire new aircraft at more favorable terms and prices. Firms with more aircraft can boast greater flexibility to clients and offer more popular one-way flights. XOJET is planning a fleet expansion that will see it operate up to 50% more aircraft in the next 18 months. Already flying a fleet of 40 aircraft strong, the firm is actively searching for 10 to 20 additional Cessna Citation X and Bombardier Challenger 300 aircraft to add to its lineup, while upgrading the cabins of its existing planes. "Our plan is a long-term plan and the opportunity in a soft market to add to the fleet in a cost-effective and intelligent manner, makes sense for us to do it right now," Thomas said. On the West Coast, California's Jet Edge also used the downturn to expand its super-midsize fleet, growing to nearly 30 aircraft comprised mainly of Bombardier Challenger 300/350 and Gulfstream G200/280 aircraft. These aircraft will also "float" around the country, picking up one-way trips that are more cost-effective for new flyers. Jet Edge CEO Bill Papariella told Business Insider that his firm had been planning a gradual expansion but the demand he saw for the aircraft throughout the summer allowed for those plans to be accelerated. "We built a 12-plane fleet of supermids in 15 days," Papariella said. Year-over-year, the super-midsize category of aircraft flew at only a slightly lesser rate in 2020 of -7.2% for June and -4.7% in July, compared to 2019, according to Travis Kuhn, vice president of market intelligence for aviation safety auditor Argus, in an interview with Business Insider. Private aviation has long been languishing under a pilot shortage that's seen talent opt for cushy airline jobs instead of catering solely to the wealthy on private jets. It's a different lifestyle in the private sector that sees pilots take on additional roles such as greeting passengers in the terminal, helping load bags, and staging catering orders, among others. "Pre-pandemic, it was hard to find a 10,000-hour pilot who wanted to go and fly a G200 again because of the dynamic of the pilot shortage taking place," Walker said. A typical trajectory would see new pilots fly private aircraft until they reached the 1,500-hour mark required to qualify for an airline transport pilot license. On the opposite end, some more experienced pilots would opt for private flying jobs only after decades in the airlines. But with major airlines furloughing thousands of pilots due to the pandemic, resumes are flooding into the HR departments of private jet firms and there are more experienced pilots than there are planes to fly them. "I think the last I looked, we had something like 4,000 resumes applying for XOJET Aviation," Thomas said. "That puts us in a unique position to be able to buy effectively and to add really qualified, talented people." It's no longer uncommon to see a pilot with thousands of hours flying a 150-seat Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 family jet apply to fly an eight-seat private jet. "The wealth of opportunity in terms of talent pool and available aircraft - and the cost at which we can complete our refurb of the fleet - it's just been a tremendous opportunity for us despite the downturn in the market," Thomas said. https://www.businessinsider.com/private-jet-firms-buying-new-planes-hiring-pilots-during-downturn-2020-8 Back to Top SpaceX launches first polar orbit mission from Florida in decades Vaulting away from Cape Canaveral on an unusual southerly trajectory, a Falcon 9 rocket dodged stormy weather and successfully placed an Argentine radar observation satellite into an orbit over Earth's poles Sunday on SpaceX's 100th launch. Scattered thunderstorms across Central Florida threatened to prevent the launch from happening Sunday, but weather criteria were acceptable as the countdown ticked through the final minutes before liftoff of the 229-foot-tall (70-meter) Falcon 9 rocket at 7:18:56 p.m. EDT (2318:56 GMT). SpaceX aimed to launch two Falcon 9 rockets from Cape Canaveral Sunday - a feat unmatched since 1966 - but preparations for the other flight fell behind schedule due to poor weather. That rocket is loaded with 60 Starlink broadband satellites, and is now scheduled to take off at 9:29 a.m. EDT (1329 GMT) Tuesday from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Nine Merlin engines flashed to life seconds before launch, and clamps opened to allow the 1.2-million-pound rocket and Argentina's SAOCOM 1B radar remote sensing satellite to climb away from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Instead of launching toward the northeast or east, the Falcon 9 darted through a cloudy sky and arced to the south-southeast from Florida's Space Coast, then made a right turn to fly along the east coast of Florida over Fort Lauderdale and Miami on the way to a polar orbit. The launch Sunday was the first from Cape Canaveral to fly on a southerly track since 1969. Since then, most U.S. launches into polar orbit have departed from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, which has an open range over the Pacific Ocean that does not require rockets to make an in-flight turn, or "dogleg" maneuver, to avoid flying over land. The nine Merlin engines on the Falcon 9's first stage shut down about two-and-a-half minutes after launch, then the booster - reused from three previous missions - separated and flipped around to begin thrusting back toward Cape Canaveral. After firing engines to slow down, the booster extended landing legs and returned to Landing Zone 1 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station about eight minutes into the mission, touching down as a powerful sonic boom rippled through an atmosphere thick with humidity. It was the 18th time SpaceX has landed a Falcon 9 booster at Cape Canaveral since 2015, and the 59th successful recovery of a Falcon 9 first stage overall, including landings on SpaceX's ocean-going drone ships. During the booster's descent, a single Merlin engine on the Falcon 9's upper stage injected the 6,724-pound (3,050-kilogram) SAOCOM 1B satellite into orbit roughly 380 miles (610 kilometers) above Earth. The Argentine-built satellite, equipped with a sophisticated radar imaging instrument, separated from the Falcon 9's upper stage about 14 minutes into the mission. Two smaller rideshare payloads - named GNOMES 1 and Tyvak 0172 - deployed from the Falcon 9 about 45 minutes later. The GNOMES 1 microsatellite is the first of a planned fleet of around 20 small spacecraft being developed by a Colorado-based company PlanetiQ to collect radio occultation data by measuring the effects of the atmosphere on signals broadcast by GPS, Glonass, Galileo and Beidou navigation satellites. The information can yield data on atmospheric conditions that are useful in weather forecasts. Tyvak 0172 is a small spacecraft built by Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems. Details about its mission have not been disclosed by SpaceX or Tyvak. SpaceX launches first polar orbit mission from Cape Canaveral since 1969 The rideshare payload separations wrapped up the first launch into polar orbit from Florida's Space Coast in more than 50 years. Before Sunday, the last polar orbit launch from Cape Canaveral was on Feb. 26, 1969, when a Delta rocket launched the ESSA 9 weather satellite. After skirting South Florida, the Falcon 9 rocket flew over Cuba and Central America, then soared over the Pacific Ocean west of South America. The bend in the rocket's track a few minutes after launch ensured the instantaneous impact point - where debris might fall of the launcher failed - did not cross over Florida after departing Cape Canaveral. By the time the rocket reached Cuba, it was flying too high to be a safety concern, according to officials from the U.S. Space Force's 45th Space Wing and the Federal Aviation Administration, which are charged with ensuring public safety during rocket launches from Cape Canaveral. Range safety officials studied whether the the southerly launch trajectory from Florida might be resurrected after wildfires at Vandenberg Air Force Base - the primary U.S. polar orbit launch site in California - threatened launch and payload processing facilities in 2016. It turned out SpaceX's ability to return first stage boosters to controlled landings - rather than having them plummet unguided back to Earth downrange - and the Falcon 9's use of autonomous flight safety system made the polar launch trajectory from Cape Canaveral feasible. "What we came up with after we analyzed is SpaceX should be able to do it because of two things," said Wayne Monteith, associate administrator of the FAA's office of commercial space transportation. "No. 1, booster flyback, and No. 2, even more important, is autonomous flight safety because going south, the way the architecture of the command destruct systems are set up terrestrially, you'd be looking right up the plume, and you get signal attenuation, and you may not be able to ... send command destruct. "So with autonomous flight safety and booster flyback, we were able to provide for them what appeared to be a notional safe corridor from a safety perspective," said Monteith, a former commander of the 45th Space Wing. The State Department is charged with notifying other countries of a rocket flight over their territories. Those notifications were made for the SAOCOM 1B mission, according to Brig. Gen. Doug Schiess, the current commander of the 45th Space Wing. A satellite launching from Cape Canaveral targeting a polar orbit in 1960 suffered an in-flight failure and spread debris over Cuba, reportedly killing a cow and prompting protests at the U.S. Embassy in Havana. SpaceX elected to use the southerly polar launch trajectory on the SAOCOM 1B mission to allow the company to reduce staffing levels at Vandenberg during a period with few launches there, Gwynne Shotwell, company's president and chief operating officer, told reporters last year. The company plans another launch from Vandenberg in November with the Sentinel 6 Michael Freilich oceanography satellite, a joint project between NASA, NOAA, the European Space Agency, and other European institutions. Another Falcon 9 launch into a polar sun-synchronous orbit is planned from Cape Canaveral in December on a rideshare mission with numerous small satellites. Scott Higginbotham, a mission manager from NASA's Launch Services Program, confirmed the mission - which SpaceX calls Transporter-1 - is slated to launch from Cape Canaveral. NASA has booked a small payload to fly on the Falcon 9 rideshare launch. SAOCOM 1B joins twin in orbit Developed by Argentina's space agency, CONAE, and the Argentine aerospace contractor INVAP, the SAOCOM 1B satellite joins a twin radar imaging spacecraft that launched on a previous Falcon 9 flight in October 2018. The SAOCOM 1B spacecraft will scan the Earth with an L-band steerable synthetic aperture radar, enabling all-weather imagery of the planet day and night. Radar imagers can see through clouds and are effective 24 hours a day, but optical cameras are hindered by clouds and darkness. Among other objectives, the SAOCOM satellites are designed to measure soil moisture and collect data for users in Argentina's agricultural and forestry sectors. The SAOCOM 1B satellite weighs around 6,724 pounds (3,050 kilograms) and is identical to SAOCOM 1A, according to Raúl Kulichevsky, executive and technical director of CONAE. Kulichevsky said the Falcon 9 will place SAOCOM 1B into a 385-mile-high (620-kilometer) orbit, where it will double the observing capacity of SAOCOM 1A. The SAOCOM satellites work in tandem with Italy's COSMO-SkyMed satellites to survey the same regions with L-band and X-band radar imagers. "One of the main targets of the SAOCOM satellites is to provide information for the agriculture sector because one of the things we develop is soil moisture maps, not only of the surface, but taking advantage of the L-band capabilities, we can measure the soil moisture 1 meter the surface of the land," Kulichevsky said. "This is very important information." The entire SAOCOM project cost about $600 million, including two satellites, two launches, a new ground tracking station, and industrial improvements, Kulichevsky told Spaceflight Now in an interview. Team members pose with the SAOCOM 1B radar imaging satellite before it was shipped from Argentina to Cape Canaveral earlier this year. Credit: CONAE SAOCOM 1B was previously scheduled for launch in March, but Argentine officials called off the mission due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. Engineers placed SAOCOM 1B in storage at Cape Canaveral until early July, when engineers returned to Florida from Argentina to finish readying the spacecraft for liftoff. The launch of SAOCOM 1B was again delayed from late July because the range was not available for the launch, according to SAOCOM 1B team members. Sources said the delay was caused by range safety and overflight concerns with the classified payload mounted on top of United Launch Alliance's Delta 4-Heavy rocket at a neighboring launch pad. The southerly trajectory required for the SAOCOM 1B mission took the Falcon 9 rocket on a track closer to the Delta 4 pad than for a typical launch toward the east. The overflight range safety concerns associated with the Delta 4's NRO payload appeared to suddenly evaporate without explanation Saturday, when range safety officials agreed to permit the SAOCOM 1B launch to go ahead. https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/08/31/spacex-launches-first-polar-orbit-mission-from-florida-in-decades/ Back to Top Rocket Lab returns to flight with Capella Space launch WASHINGTON - Rocket Lab successfully launched a radar imaging satellite for Capella Space Aug. 30 in the first flight of its Electron rocket since a failure nearly two months earlier. The Electron lifted off from the company's Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 11:05 p.m. Eastern. It deployed its payload, the Sequoia radar imaging satellite for Capella Space, about an hour after liftoff into a 500-kilometer orbit at a 45-degree inclination. The launch, called "I Can't Believe It's Not Optical" by the company, was the first for the small launch vehicle since a failed mission July 4. On that earlier launch, the rocket's upper-stage engine shut down nearly six minutes after liftoff, preventing its payload from reaching orbit. A subsequent investigation concluded that an "anomalous electrical connection" in the upper stage caused a loss of power in many systems, including the electric turbopumps that power the engine. The problem with the connection was not seen in earlier flights and also was not detected during acceptance testing on the ground. "I liken it to stacking up 20 slices of Swiss cheese and having all the holes line up perfectly," Peter Beck, chief executive of Rocket Lab, said of the failure in a pre-launch interview. Rocket Lab changed its testing procedures to be able to catch the problem before the launch. The company also used the investigation to revise other vehicle development processes. "We made quite a few changes to system processes and quality checks," he said. "There's no hardware changes, but certainly we've added some quality improvements. The vehicle coming up the line now will be even more reliable than vehicles prior to it." With the return to flight of Electron successfully completed, the company's next major milestone is to perform its first launch from Launch Complex 2 in Virginia. Rocket Lab previously estimated that the launch would take place about a month after the return-to-flight mission. Beck said in the interview that the schedule is pending approval by NASA, which operates the Wallops Flight Facility where the new launch site is located, of the vehicle's autonomous flight termination system. "There's a very long certification process that, quite frankly, we probably underestimated how long it would take," he said. Everything needed for the launch from Virginia, including the vehicle and payload, are ready, he said. "It's difficult to predict when the certification will be complete," he said. "We're 100% ready to fly other than the paperwork." The payload on this launch, Sequoia, is the first operational satellite for Capella Space, a startup developing a constellation of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites to provide high-resolution imagery. The "100-kilogram-class" satellite, which follows a demonstration satellite called Denali launched in late 2018, is designed to produce SAR imagery with a resolution as sharp as 0.5 meters. Capella Space previously planned to launch Sequoia as a secondary payload on the Falcon 9 launch of Argentina's SAOCOM 1B, a larger radar imaging satellite, in March. However, the coronavirus pandemic and the disruptions it caused for international travel forced a delay in the SAOCOM 1B launch. Capella, which purchased an Electron launch earlier in the year for a future satellite, elected to use that contract for the launch of Sequoia because of the uncertainty of when SAOCOM 1B would launch. By chance, SAOCOM 1B launched on a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, less than four hours before the Electron launch. https://spacenews.com/rocket-lab-returns-to-flight-with-capella-space-launch/ Back to Top Position Available: AS350 Pilots Posted: 2020-08-30 Position: Pilot-Rotary Wing Job Description: Serving Northern British Columbia since 1989, Bailey Helicopters continues to offer its employees diversified and challenging work, while promoting from within and securing opportunities for company growth. Our fleet consists of Bell 206's, AS 350 (B3's, B2's, and BA's), and a Bell 212. We are seeking motivated and energetic AS350 Pilots with Animal Capture and Longline experience, that are looking for an excellent schedule, competitive wages, benefits and to be part of our great team. Safety is our number one priority; if you're an Astar Pilot that feels the same way, Bailey Helicopters would be a good fit for you. Status - Permanent Location - Fort St. John, BC Rotation - 2 weeks on/2 weeks off Company: Bailey Helicopters Ltd Location: Fort St. John British Columbia, Canada Requirements: Responsibilities: Participation in our Safety Management System Program.Fly single engine helicopter to transport passengers and freight in Northern BC.Be familiar with all available flight information, including weather, and applicable NOTAMs where available, and determine fuel and oil requirements.Ensure all required aircraft maintenance work has been completed.Calculate aircraft weight and balance.Complete VFR Flight Itinerary and Flight Risk Assessment, as applicable.Complete the aircraft preflight inspection before each departure.Supervise and carry out the loading and securing of passengers, freight or external loads.Complete all post flight duties, including filing arrival reports and confirmation to the company of whereabouts of the helicopter when operating away from the base, recording flight times and any defects.Maintain documents and equipment while on the baseLiaise with clients to ensure their needs are satisfied.May perform other duties, assigned. Qualifications/RequirementsCurrentCanadian CPL (H) or ATPL (H) and Medical.Valid Driver's Licnesne and PassportPersonal GPS unit and mandatory flight helmetPersonal cell phonePre-employment drug and alcohol testing is required.Minimum 2000 hours total time on Helicopters.1000 hours minimum Pilot-in-Command time on Helicopters.50 hours on type.Wildlife experience is an asset (surveys, capture, and telemetry).Heli Skiing experience is an assetBC approved Mountain Course is required.Mountain and vertical reference is required.ACP considered an asset.Training experience considered an asset.Class D certification considered an asset.BC Hydro certification considered an asset.Current and valid H2S Alive, Level 1 First Aid is required.Work Conditions; We offer an exceptional work environment with an ethical, approachable, and accountable Management Team. Effort is rewarded and job safety is a primary focus for everyone. Home life is encouragedCompetitive employee benefits packageExcellent remuneration.Opportunities for advancementThis position will involve frequent travel and rotational shifts.Locations at base or touring are both possible.Fast paced environment, attention to detail, hand-eye coordination.Supportive of continual safety and quality improvements.Additional AssetsPost-Secondary EducationStrong work ethic and able to work efficiently as part of a team, flexibility with changing requirements regarding work hours/days, location and travel.Maintain a high standard of conduct; be respectful of clients, visitors, coworkers and managers.Interested applicants should forward a cover letter and resume to careers@baileyhelicopters.comPlease refer to the job posting title in your email subject. We thank all applicants for their interest but only those selected for an interview will be contacted. APPLY HERE https://www.verticalmag.com/careers/as350-pilots/ Back to Top 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