Flight Safety Information September 10, 2020 - No. 184 In This Issue Incident: United A319 near Norfolk on Sep 4th 2020, forward cargo smoke indication Incident: Azul B734 at Manaus on Sep 7th 2020, could not retract landing gear Incident: Azul AT72 at Aracaju on Sep 2nd 2020, engine shut down in flight Incident: PIA A320 at Islamabad on Sep 8th 2020, rejected takeoff twice due to misreading sensors 'What in the World?' NTSB Details What Pilots Said Before Deadly Addison Plane Crash Report: A320 struck runway edge lights on landing, Calicut, India Government Watchdog Questions FAA's BasicMed Oversight Test flights for redesigned Boeing 737 MAX begin in Vancouver (Transport - Canada) WestJet cancels flight because of mask dispute with child Qatar Airways fits 100th aircraft with 'Super wifi' A Guide to Pilot School and How to Become a Pilot United is shifting its strategy as it rebuilds its flight schedule Amazon Air Hires ATSG To Fly Six More Freighters New Chinese Space Plane Landed At Mysterious Air Base, Evidence Suggests WBAT Safety's Virtual Training Conference Free Webinar: Securing Our Skies through Counter-UAS Measures 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: United A319 near Norfolk on Sep 4th 2020, forward cargo smoke indication A United Airbus A319-100, registration N802UA performing flight UA-2333 from Newark,NJ to Miami,FL (USA) with 129 passengers, was enroute at FL360 about 30nm southwest of Norfolk,VA (USA) when the crew received a forward cargo smoke indication and decided to divert to Norfolk. Descending towards Norfolk the crew reported the indication had extinguished. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Norfolk's runway 05 about 16 minutes after leaving FL360 and stopped on the runway, shut down both engines and requested emergency services to check for any thermal signatures. Following inspection by emergency services the aircraft taxied to the apron on own power. The FAA reported on Sep 8th 2020 the aircraft diverted to Norfolk due to a fire in the forward cargo hold. The occurrence was rated an incident, the damage is still unknown. A replacement A319-100 registration N889UA reached Miami with a delay of about 5:15 hours. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 27 hours, then positioned back to Newark, where the aircraft remained on the ground for another 43 hours before returning to service. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/UAL2333/history/20200904/1210Z/KEWR/KMIA http://avherald.com/h?article=4dc5b839&opt=0 Back to Top Back to Top Incident: Azul B734 at Manaus on Sep 7th 2020, could not retract landing gear An Azul Linhas Aereas Boeing 737-400 freighter, registration PR-AJY performing flight AD-2002 from Manaus,AM to Fortaleza,PE (Brazil) with 2 crew, was climbing out of Manaus' runway 11 when the crew stopped the climb at 4000 feet due to being unable to retract the landing gear. The aircraft returned to Manuas for a safe landing on runway 11 about 20 minutes after departure. The aircraft was able to depart to Belem,PA (Brazil) about 100 minutes after landing and climbed to FL330. Brazil's CENIPA reported the aircraft returned due to being unable to retract the landing gear. http://avherald.com/h?article=4dc66f28&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Azul AT72 at Aracaju on Sep 2nd 2020, engine shut down in flight An Azul Linhas Aereas Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-212A, registration PR-AQM performing flight AD-4437 from Aracaju,SE to Recife,PE (Brazil) with 70 passengers and 4 crew, was climbing out of Aracaju when the crew stopped the climb at FL150 due a problem with the left hand engine (PW127M). The crew shut the engine down and diverted to Maceio,AL (Brazil) for a safe landing about one hour after departure. The airline confirmed a technical problem with the aircraft. The aircraft landed normally, the passengers disembarked safely. On Sep 9th 2020 Brazil's CENIPA reported the crew received an "ENG1 OVER LIMIT" and "ENG1 OUT" messages, worked the related checklists and secured the engine. The aircraft diverted to Maceio for a safe landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4dc32341&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: PIA A320 at Islamabad on Sep 8th 2020, rejected takeoff twice due to misreading sensors A PIA Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration AP-BLZ performing flight PK-325 from Islamabad to Quetta (Pakistan) with about 100 people on board, was accelerating for takeoff from Islamabad's runway 28L when the crew rejected takeoff at about 72 knots over ground. The aircraft slowed safely and returned to the apron. The aircraft attempted a second takeoff from runway 28L about 16:42L (11:42Z) but rejected another time at about 94 knots over ground. The flight was postponed to the next day, a replacement A320-200 registration AP-BLU reached Quetta with a delay of 24 hours. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Islamabad for about two hours after the second rejected takeoff, then departed for flight PK-319 to Karachi (Pakistan). The aircraft is still on the ground in Karachi about 19 hours after landing in Karachi. The airline reported flight PK-325 was cancelled due to malfunctioning/misreading sensors in the aircraft computer systems. The passengers were taken to hotels over night, a rescheduled flight departed the following day. http://avherald.com/h?article=4dc663e7&opt=0 Back to Top 'What in the World?' NTSB Details What Pilots Said Before Deadly Addison Plane Crash • Investigators release 438 pages of evidence in 2019 crash that killed 10 More than a year after a plane crash in Addison killed all 10 people on board, the National Transportation Safety Board released a factual summary, detailing what led to the deadly incident. A pilot asked, "What in the world?" and his co-pilot responded, "You just lost your left engine" immediately before a plane crashed in Addison last year, killing 10 people in the deadliest aviation disaster in North Texas in decades. The conversation was recorded on the plane's cockpit voice recorder and the transcript was released by federal investigators who also noted that the plane had an unexplained, ongoing issue with burning oil -- in the same engine the co-pilot said had failed. Separately, the pilot failed to perform a "checklist" and other safety procedures like computing the weight and balance before taking off, the National Transportation Safety Board said. In a 438-page factual summary, investigators detailed their evidence but reached no conclusion. The final report is expected within months. The plane, a Beech BE-300 King Air, crashed into a hangar seconds after it took off from Addison Airport on June 30, 2019, killing the pilot, co-pilot and eight others who were headed to St. Petersburg, Florida, on a pleasure trip. Nobody on the ground was injured. Cockpit Voice Recorder: 'What in the World?' The charred cockpit voice recorder was recovered from the wreckage and revealed what was going on inside the doomed plane before the crash. More than an hour before takeoff, at 7:49 a.m., an unidentified person was heard discussing an oil issue with the pilot. "Mechanic says you have a (burn) issue with the number one engine," the person said. "The mechanic says you need to monitor that... We're not seeing any excess blowing out, but uh, it's something that you probably need to keep your eyes on, keep a log on, keep notes. He's been checking the plane out every time you guys go out." At 9:03 a.m., the engines started. Two minutes later, the first officer radioed the tower that they were ready to taxi and they were instructed to use runway 15. At 9:09 a.m., the tower cleared the plane to take off. One minute later, almost immediately after taking off, the pilot said, "What in the world?" The co-pilot responded, "You just lost your left engine." A stall warning started sounding and continued until the recording stopped, the NTSB said. At 9:10 a.m., the first officer said, "Holy s---," the report said. Two seconds later -- the sound of impact. Investigators interviewed several acquaintances of the pilot, Howard Cassady, 71, who agreed he "was bad about using checklists." A former business partner told investigators Cassady had been fired from a company years earlier after passengers complained he scared them when he flew into a storm. But others, including a flight instructor, said Cassady seemed professional and seasoned. Cassady logged a total of 16,450 hours of flying time, the report said. Chris Kilgore, a Dallas attorney representing Cassady's estate and widow, declined comment. Several lawsuits have been filed by the families of those killed and are still pending in Dallas County District Court. A trial date has not been set. Possible Throttle Issue Noted Investigators also asked questions about a phenomenon known as throttle lever migration, described as the tendency for power levers to spring back towards idle in flight. The NTSB noted that other King Air pilots who were interviewed were aware of the issue or had experienced it personally. The report provided no evidence that a problem with the power levers may have caused the crash other than to point out it had been an issue in that model plane. Items Found in Wreckage Investigators recovered several cellular phones in the wreckage. They were partly charred but still functioned. They could not be accessed, however, because they were locked and nobody had the passcodes. The victims of the crash were Cassady, the pilot; Matthew Palmer, the co-pilot; Brian Ellard, Ornella Ellard, Alice Maritato, Dylan Maritato, Stephen Thelen, Gina Thelen, John Titus and Mary Titus. The plane was registered to EE Operations LLC, a subsidiary of a family-owned business, Ellard Family Holdings LLC, according to the NTSB. Cassady operated the aircraft through a separate company, S&H Aircraft. https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/what-in-the-world-ntsb-details-what-pilots-said-before-deadly-addison-plane-crash/2440988/ Back to Top Report: A320 struck runway edge lights on landing, Calicut, India Date: 21-JUN-2019 Time: 05:10 LT Type: Airbus A320-232 Owner/operator: Etihad Airways Registration: A6-EIT C/n / msn: 5791 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 124 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Minor Category: Incident Location: Calicut International Airport (VOCL) - India Phase: Landing Nature: Passenger - Scheduled Departure airport: Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH/OMAA) Destination airport: Kozhikode-Calicut Airport (CCJ/VOCL) Investigating agency: GCAA UAE Narrative: An Etihad Airways, Airbus A320-232, registration A6-EIT, operated a scheduled passenger flight EY250, from Abu Dhabi International Airport, the United Arab Emirates, to Calicut International Airport, India. There were 124 persons onboard, comprising 116 passengers, two flight crewmembers, and six cabin crewmembers. During the ILS approach to runway 28, the flight crew initiated a go-around due to heavy rain over the runway as reported by air traffic control (ATC). Approximately 16 minutes later, the flight crew initiated a second instrument landing system (ILS) approach to runway 28. On landing, the aircraft touched down to the right of the runway centerline, and the right main landing gear then struck five runway edge lights. The commander was able to steer the aircraft to the centerline and continue the landing roll uneventfully. The Air Accident Investigation Sector of the United Arab Emirates (AAIS) determines that the cause of the Incident was that after crossing the threshold, the aircraft drifted towards the right side of the runway due to a slight but continuous roll input to the right. The aircraft touched down almost at the runway edge line, and this was followed by an increase in lateral deviation towards the runway edge due to the application of an ineffective flight control recovery technique. The aircraft then struck and damaged five runway edge lights as the right main landing gear entered the runway shoulder. (a) The presence of a moderate intensity rain shower over the runway during the landing affected visibility after the Aircraft crossed the threshold. (b) The lack of runway centerline lighting. (c) The situational awareness of the Commander, as the pilot flying, was adversely affected by his expectation that the Aircraft would remain aligned with the centerline until touchdown, since the Aircraft was aligned when he overflew the centerline at the threshold. The alignment deviation occurred because of the reduction in visibility over the threshold, and the lack of runway centerline lighting that resulted in a loss of visual references. (d) The several unintentional roll inputs to the right applied due to a subconscious action, since the pilot flying focused more on the Aircraft pitch attitude during the flare and the reduction in pilot flying situational awareness. (e) Control inputs to re-align the Aircraft were not affirmative in that only incremental left rudder inputs were made without an associated left roll. A continuous increase in the Aircraft lateral deviation movement was a result of the ineffective flight control technique, and this was due to the existing high workload and the surprise effect of the unexpected Aircraft lateral deviation position such that the pilot flying overlooked the approved flight control technique before touchdown. (f) The recovery action to take the Aircraft back to the centerline by applying right rudder input after touchdown, was relatively late due to the high workload. Initially the pilot flying applied an incorrect continuous left rudder input after touchdown. (g) Despite his awareness of the deviation to the right of the runway centerline, the Co-pilot, as the pilot monitoring, did not intervene to attract the attention of the Commander. This was not in compliance with standard operating procedures. Sources: GCAA https://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/ey250#20f8dcb7 Accident investigation: Investigating agency: GCAA UAE Status: Investigation completed Duration: 1 year and 2 months Download report: Final report https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/241082 Back to Top Government Watchdog Questions FAA's BasicMed Oversight The FAA lacks processes to verify compliance with the BasicMed program and does not have sufficient data to fully assess the ramifications on safety, a U.S. government watchdog found. In a recent report prepared for Congress, the Department of Transportation Office of the Inspector General (OIG) recommended that the FAA improve its procedures for verifying a pilot's eligibility for the BasicMed program, as well as its measurements of the effects on aviation safety. At the behest of Congress, the agency released the BasicMed program in 2017, providing an alternative for FAA medicals for certain pilots who fly recreationally. The program requires participants to get a physical exam with a state-licensed physician and complete an online medical course. About 55,000 pilots are now enrolled in the program. The OIG is concerned, though, that the FAA does not have processes to confirm the pilots meet eligibility requirements, including whether or not they carry a valid U.S. driver's license. Pilots who register for BasicMed authorize the FAA to conduct a driving record check with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's National Driver Register, but that check is limited to records for violations for driving under the influence (DUI), driving while intoxicated (DWI), and substance abuse. The OIG said the check does not cover 100 other possible violations such as those resulting in fatal accidents or reckless driving. In addition, the OIG questioned a lack of ability to verify that state-licensed physicians are conducting the medical examinations. Congress did not require the FAA to do so, the OIG said, but noted an FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine found that 3 percent of pilots' medical examinations were performed by medical providers who did not appear to qualify as state-licensed physicians. "As a result of these issues, FAA cannot have reasonable assurance that pilots meet BasicMed eligibility requirements," the OIG said. Further, the watchdog acknowledged that the FAA formed the BasicMed Reporting and Analysis Working Group with plans to monitor safety issues such as whether the risk varies between pilots operating under BasicMed compared with pilots with active medical certificates. "However, FAA told us that it may take several more years until there is sufficient data to identify trends and evaluate the rule's safety impacts, due in part to the lengthy process for accident investigations," the OIG said. "Moreover, FAA cannot make a meaningful comparison between the BasicMed rate of accidents and fatalities to those occurring among pilots holding a medical certificate because the agency does not collect data on BasicMed pilots' flight hours. Without these data, FAA's ability to accurately and fully assess whether BasicMed has impacted safety may be limited." Rep. Sam Graves (R-Missouri), the ranking Republican of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and a strong proponent of the BasicMed program, welcomed the report. "Third-class medical reform and the implementation of the BasicMed program are of immense importance to the general aviation community throughout the United States," Graves said. "As a professional pilot and member of the Transportation Committee, I championed this important reform for many years and was proud to see it signed into law in 2016. I appreciate the IG's review and the FAA's commitment to ensure we get this right." https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/general-aviation/2020-09-09/government-watchdog-questions-faas-basicmed-oversight Back to Top Test flights for redesigned Boeing 737 MAX begin in Vancouver (Transport - Canada) A Boeing 737 MAX jet has returned to the skies over Vancouver this week as part of an effort to determine if it's safe for the model to begincarrying passengers again after two fatal crashes. A 737 MAX landed at Vancouver International Airport on Tuesday to be used in test flights conducted by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, agency spokesperson Jagello Fayl told CBC in an email. "We have been working steadily, in close cooperation with the FAA [U.S. Federal Aviation Administration] and Boeing, to return the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to service as soon as possible, but only once we are convinced it is safe," Fayl wrote. "While Boeing still has some final actions to close off, we judge the overall maturity of the redesign process to be sufficient to proceed to flight tests." Vancouver was chosen as the site for the test flights because of COVID-19 travel restrictions between Europe and the U.S. The MAX was grounded in March 2019 after two crashes killed 346 people. An Ethiopian Airlines flight crashed outside the capital Addis Ababa killing all 157 people onboard. Five months earlier, a MAX owned by Lion Air plunged into the Java Sea after taking off from Jakarta, killing 189 people. In both crashes, investigators found faulty sensors activated the plane's automated anti-stall system, known as MCAS, that repeatedly pushed the jetliner's nose down. Pilots tried to fight the system, but eventually lost control. Foreign regulators have been scrutinizing proposed software changes and training revisions for the aircraft, which may only return to service in 2021. • Transport Canada posed questions about Boeing's 737 Max as early as 2016, documents show Transport Canada began performing test flights in August at Boeing's facilities in Washington state as part of an "independent review" on whether to validate Boeing's proposed changes. The FAA, which is tasked with certifying the aircraft, began test flights earlier this summer. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/boeing-737-max-test-flights-vancouver-1.5718103 Back to Top WestJet cancels flight because of mask dispute with child A Canadian flight was cancelled and police were called because a child was not wearing a mask. Safwan Choudhry says WestJet wanted his 19-month-old to wear a mask, but the baby girl would not stop crying. The airline says the issue was not with the infant, who is below the age required to wear a mask, but with Mr Choudhry's three-year-old. Tuesday morning's Flight 652 from Calgary to Toronto was stopped, and all passengers were ordered to disembark. "It's unlike anything I have ever witnessed, let alone experienced," Mr Choudhry told the BBC. Mr Choudhry told the BBC his oldest daughter, who is three, was eating a snack before take-off when flight attendants approached them asking that both their children wear a mask. He said he and his wife were masked. He said he asked if his daughter could finish her snack, but that they said they had a "zero tolerance policy" and would not close the airplane door without her wearing a mask. Mr Choudhry said he agreed to put one on immediately. "Most children you have to kind of ease them into it, which is a code word for let me get the iPad out," he told the BBC. He says the three-year-old did put on a mask, after some fussing. "But my younger one had a very difficult time, she was basically hysterical." Mr Choudhry says she was so upset she vomited. He says WestJet was aggressive, and told them that because his youngest daughter was not wearing a mask, and was too upset to wear a mask, the whole family would have to leave. He says they told them that if they did not leave, they could be arrested, charged and receive prison time. Mr Choudhry says he and his wife were respectful. They ultimately agreed to leave. He later learned that according to Canadian transportation policy, only children over two are required to wear a mask, and thus his 19-month-old did not have to put one on. What does WestJet say? WestJet disputes that the three-year-old put a mask on. The airline said in a statement: "Due to non-compliance of the parents to place a mask on their older child who is over the age of two, our crew informed the adults of the regulations we are required to follow. "Our crew requested the presence of the authorities after the guests refused to comply with Transport Canada's interim order and subsequently refused to deplane the aircraft." A video taken with Mr Choudhry's phone shows his older daughter wearing a mask on the plane, after police arrived on board. He says while some passengers were very irritated with his family, "overwhelmingly" people on the plane supported them. Many spoke up in defence of the family, as their youngest cried, he says. That was when flight staff called police, he says. They de-boarded the plane, and the flight was eventually cancelled and rebooked for the next day. "Due to the rapid escalation of the situation on board, our crew felt uncomfortable to operate and the flight was subsequently cancelled," WestJet said. In a video, a police officer explains to them that while the mask issue with the eldest was "resolved", "the behaviour of the other passengers left the rest of the crew feeling unsafe". Some passengers can be heard in video of the incident heckling the police and air crew. The officer later confirms that when he arrived, the oldest child was wearing a mask. Police did not file any charges. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54096061 Back to Top Qatar Airways fits 100th aircraft with 'Super wifi' Qatar Airways has reached the milestone of 100 aircraft fitted with its 'Super wifi' service. The carrier began fitting the GX Aviation technology in 2018, and the latest aircraft to see it installed was an Airbus A350-900. The airline says it now offers "the largest number of aircraft equipped with the most superior high-speed broadband on board in Asia, the Middle East and North Africa". Passengers travelling on flights fitted with 'Super wifi' are entitled to one hour's free access, with full-flight access also available for purchase. Commenting on the news Qatar Airways' Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker, said: "As a leader of innovation within the global aviation industry, Qatar Airways already operates one of the youngest and most technologically-advanced fleet in the skies. Where other airlines are reducing their wifi offering, Qatar Airways is expanding it. "With connection to our loved ones and friends now more important than ever during these challenging times, we are delighted to work with Inmarsat and its GX Aviation technology to bring high-speed Super wifi broadband to passengers on board our fleet as part of Qatar Airways' exceptional five-star service." https://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/2020/09/10/qatar-airways-fits-100th-aircraft-with-super-wifi/ Back to Top A Guide to Pilot School and How to Become a Pilot • U.S. airline pilots frequently earn six-figure salaries, according to federal government data. MEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE intrigued by the possibility of flying an airplane for a living should consider attending a pilot school and becoming a professional pilot. Here is a guide for aspiring pilots, which includes some key considerations when evaluating this career option. The Talent and Training Necessary to Become a Pilot Pilot educators and professional pilots say that a flight-based career path isn't right for everyone, because flying a plane requires a high degree of courage, competence and confidence. A well-trained pilot can quickly and calmly react to an emergency situation that arises, aviation experts say. Pilots must be able to address and overcome breakdowns in airplane machinery at a moment's notice, experts explain, and they also need to be able to safely navigate unanticipated storms. The lives of every passenger on an airplane rely upon the plane's pilot, so he or she has to be both highly skilled and very trustworthy. Patrick Smith, an internationally renowned pilot who runs the Ask the Pilot advice blog and website, says that a person who intends to work for a major airline should understand that achieving this career goal will require them to obtain many flight hours. "In the United States, the typical major airline applicant already possesses thousands of hours of flight time (including various FAA licenses and supplemental ratings) and a college degree to boot," Smith wrote in an email. "Accumulating that prior experience requires that a pilot choose one of two paths early on: civilian or military." He notes that there are pros and cons to both military training and civilian training. "Advantages to the military route include having your training costs covered by the government," Smith explains. "Drawbacks include intense competition and mandatory service time lasting several years. The civilian route, which is the one I took, is long, unpredictable, and extremely expensive. You'll need to accrue a series of FAA licenses and ratings, plus hundreds or even thousands of flight hours before your resume becomes competitive." The FAA has reduced flight time requirements for graduates of certain flight schools that it has deemed to be of exceptionally high quality, and they are listed on its website. How Much Does Pilot School Cost? The price of civilian pilot school depends upon the school. Anyone who hopes to fly for a major airline should understand that those employers typically require pilots to have bachelor's degrees, which means that four years of tuition dollars are generally necessary in order to reach the pinnacle of the flight field, flight sector experts say. Parker Northrup, a former U.S. Air Force pilot who is now the flight department chair at the Arizona campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - a renowned flight school with multiple campuses - suggests that aspiring pilots "recognize that flight training is an expensive endeavor." "It varies obviously by school, and there's a difference between a private university and a public school," he adds. "They need to approach it as an investment in their future careers." Northrup says that because pilot salaries are frequently generous, the return on investment for a pilot education tends to be solid. He estimates that flight fees at a private aviation undergraduate institution usually range from $60,000 to $80,000, a cost that is added on top of whatever tuition a nonflight aviation student might pay. Pilot Earning Potential and Job Prospects The median annual salary among U.S. airline pilots, co-pilots and flight engineers was $147,220 in May 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, it's important to note that not every professional pilot works for an airline, and salaries for commercial pilots - whom the BLS defines as pilots who are "involved in unscheduled flight activities, such as aerial application, charter flights, and aerial tours" - are considerably lower than for airline pilots. The median yearly pay among commercial pilots, as of May 2019, was $86,080, according to BLS figures. Regional airlines typically pay significantly less than major airlines such as Delta Airlines Inc., American Airlines and United Airlines, according to aviation industry experts, who note that it isn't always feasible to switch from a regional airline to a major one. Moreover, an airline pilot's salary is highly dependent on his or her level of seniority within a particular airline. That seniority status doesn't transfer over from one airline to another, which discourages pilots from switching between major airlines, according to experts. Flight sector experts note that the coronavirus pandemic has had a devastating impact on the aviation industry, so the short-term job prospects for pilots aren't quite as usual. "The often-discussed pilot shortage is, for the time being, a thing of the past," Smith says. "Looking long term, however, the situation brightens, and it's likely the world's airlines will be hiring tens of thousands of pilots over the next decade or two. As gloomy as the current environment is, now could be the ideal time to embark on an aviation career." How Long Is Pilot School and What Are the Admission Requirements? The length of an aspiring pilot's education depends on whether or not he or she pursues a bachelor's degree, since it is possible to work as either a commercial pilot or a regional airline pilot without a four-year undergrad degree, aviation experts say. However, a four-year college degree is mandatory for aspiring major airline pilots, according to experts. Northrup notes that flight school applicants are not expected to have any type of flight experience in order to gain admission. He notes that he had no flight experience and had never even been on a plane prior to his admission into the U.S. Air Force Academy. The first time Northrup boarded a plane, he says, is when he headed to college. The true test for whether someone would make a good pilot arrives when he or she takes a test flight, Northrup says, noting that this sort of immersive learning experience usually happens early in an aviation undergraduate's college journey, so students can gauge whether they'd like to fly planes or do something else related to planes. How to Apply to Pilot School or Flight School According to Northrup, the process of applying to an aviation undergrad program isn't so different from applying to another type of college. However, he says it is prudent for prospective aviation students to speak with individuals actively working within the aviation industry to gauge whether this sector is one in which they wish to work. One common misconception, Northrup says, is the idea that an aspiring pilot needs to be solely focused on science, technology, engineering or math - STEM subjects - as opposed to humanities-related academic disciplines in order to qualify for an aviation undergraduate institution. Though individuals who "enjoy working within machines and technology" tend to thrive in aviation, someone who excels in a liberal arts field such as music can be a viable candidate for an aviation college, and people with artistic inclinations can become pilots, Northrup emphasizes. The primary quality necessary to be a great pilot is to be determined to excel within the field, "because it is a challenging career field, for sure," Northrup explains. What Is it Like to Be a Pilot? Experienced pilots say there is something absolutely thrilling about being in the cockpit of a plane. The legendary aviator Amelia Earhart, the first female pilot to fly alone across the Atlantic Ocean, once stated that "the lure of flying is the lure of beauty" and that "the reason flyers fly, whether they know it or not, is the esthetic appeal of flying." "It's just pure joy," says Northrup, who has been piloting for more than 30 years. "It's just fun, but the reality is that it is a disciplined, thoughtful path to be a pilot because you're going to be trusted or entrusted with several hundred people who want to get from New York to LA." Northrup notes that a pilot needs to have the type of "professionalism" that makes people comfortable putting their lives in his or her hands. He suggests that aviation is a very important form of transportation. "Every day there is a requirement to transport more people, more objects, more packages," he says. "The great thing about it is it's an unending industry. Somebody is always flying in the United States for some reason or another." https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/a-guide-to-pilot-school-and-how-to-become-a-pilot Back to Top United is shifting its strategy as it rebuilds its flight schedule, targeting new pockets of demand in Africa, India, and Hawaii "We're using this time to re-envision the network to build back, not necessarily the network that we had, but to build the network for the future of United Airlines," said the airline's head of international route planning. United Airlines announced new routes on Wednesday, adding service connecting the continental US to Africa, India, and Hawaii. The new routes represent a shift in strategy for United as the airline seeks to capture bright spots in an otherwise weak travel market, and to reposition its network for the post-pandemic world. In an interview with Business Insider, United's head of international network planning explained how the new routes reflect three distinct approaches. United Airlines announced a range of new long-haul routes on Wednesday, targeting pockets of demand as it rebuilds its international network. The airline will launch thrice-weekly service from Washington, DC to Accra, Ghana and Lagos, Nigeria in late-spring 2021, as well as daily service from Newark, NJ to Johannesburg, South Africa. The airline currently operates seasonal service to Cape Town, South Africa, from Newark. United will also launch a new flight from San Francisco to Bengaluru, India, next summer. The airline will expand its service to New Delhi, India, in December of this year, adding a nonstop flight from Chicago. (The airline already flies to New Delhi from Newark.) Finally, United announced new service to Hawaii, adding flights from Newark to Maui and from Chicago to Kona. The new routes represent three distinct strategic moves as United rebuilds capacity that it slashed amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, United's head of international route planning, Patrick Quayle, told Business Insider. The three new Africa flights target travelers who are visiting friends and relatives ("VFR" travelers, in tourism parlance). While Quayle said that there is some business travel demand for those cities, flying for work remains severely depressed due to the pandemic. So the airline is making a play for those lower-yield VFR travelers, along with "premium leisure" vacationers. "It's a different traveler than what you find flying to London Heathrow or Tokyo," Quayle said. "There's a strong dynamic of people going home or people who live there coming to United States to visit relatives who are here." As business travel does slowly resume, United sees strength in the tech sector, which explains the San Francisco-Bengaluru service. Twitter, IBM, Amazon, Cisco, Deloitte, Dell, Accenture, and other tech companies have offices in the southern Indian city, which is also known as Bangalore. American Airlines had announced a flight to the city from Seattle, which was scheduled to begin in October - that route has since been delayed. Quayle said United built its Bengaluru route separately from American's plans. "We made our business case independent of what the competition is doing," Quayle said. "I would say if you look at the market and if you look at where the traffic is, there is substantially more traffic in San Francisco than there is in Seattle." The Hawaii flights represent United's bet that as leisure travel demand continues to recover, travelers who aren't visiting friends and relatives will feel more comfortable flying domestically, making Hawaii an obvious appeal ling vacation spot. "People are wanting to get away and wanting to stay within the United States in case there are border closures, or health issues, or anything like that," Quayle said. "We're just making it easier to get to places like Maui and Kona." As airlines continue to rebuild for post-COVID era, Quayle said that United is taking the opportunity to rebuild its overall approach. "We're using this time to re-envision the network to build back, not necessarily the network that we had, but to build the network for the future of United Airlines." https://www.yahoo.com/news/united-shifting-strategy-rebuilds-flight-150000413.html Back to Top Amazon Air Hires ATSG To Fly Six More Freighters Air Transport Services Group (NASDAQ: ATSG) will operate six more medium-size freighters for Amazon Air, operationalizing a lease agreement struck in late May, the company announced Wednesday. ATSG subsidiary Air Transport International will fly the six Boeing 767 converted freighters under a preexisting contract with Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) to provide crew, maintenance and insurance. Amazon is leasing the planes for 10 years from another ATSG company, Cargo Aircraft Management (CAM), part of a deal this summer for 12 aircraft. The first leased freighter began operating under the Amazon banner in May, with the remainder scheduled to start work next year. With the new flight award, ATSG projects that its airlines will operate 38 767s for Amazon Air by April 2021, 36 of which CAM leases to Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN). A higher work tempo for Amazon due to increased e-commerce sales helped ATSG achieve a 20% increase in second-quarter pre-tax earnings. Amazon's chartered fleet numbers nearly 70 aircraft, but now it appears to have taken ownership of its first aircraft. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's aircraft registry database shows that Amazon.com Services registered a 767-300 on Aug. 31. It has also reserved four more registration numbers for future aircraft, FreightWaves confirmed. https://www.yahoo.com/news/amazon-air-hires-atsg-fly-194658335.html Back to Top New Chinese Space Plane Landed At Mysterious Air Base, Evidence Suggests China may have landed a new space plane on Sept. 6 at a secretive air base, located in China in the desert near an old nuclear testing ground. A commercial satellite photo may reveal a new Chinese space plane just moments after it landed at a remote site on the western side of China. The photo, which is too low resolution to be conclusive, was snapped by the San Francisco-based company Planet. It shows what could be the classified Chinese spacecraft on a long runway, along with several support vehicles lined up nearby. Terse statements by China's official Xinhua news agency said only that a Long March 2F rocket had carried a "reusable experimental spacecraft" into orbit and that the launch and landing were successful. The landing took place on Sept. 6 at almost the exact time the photo was snapped by the passing satellite. "I'm reading a lot into a few little dots," admits Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer with the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, who diligently tracks spacecraft and satellites. But, he says, the photo, combined with other circumstantial evidence, such as the new spaceship's orbital path, strongly suggests that China has launched and landed a small, uncrewed, space-shuttle-like vehicle. "The information sort of all hangs together now that this was a test of something, probably a space plane, that made a winged reentry and landed on the runway," he says. The new spaceship took off on Sept. 4 under unusually heavy secrecy compared with other recent Chinese space missions. "They didn't give a launch time. They didn't give any more details," McDowell says. The U.S. military picked up the new spacecraft on its tracking network, and McDowell and others quickly plotted its orbit. When they did so, they found that China's new craft passed over a secretive military facility: an area called Lop Nur where China once tested its nuclear weapons. In 2016, China constructed an enormous 5-kilometer (3.1-mile) runway at the site. The new spacecraft's orbit passed directly over the runway, which was aligned with its path. On Sept. 6, China announced that the spacecraft had returned to a "scheduled landing site." "The ground track around the time of landing suggested that it might have landed at this mysterious new air base," McDowell says. Sure enough, McDowell found that the spacecraft would have been able to land on the runway at around 10 a.m. local time (2 a.m. UTC). The fuzzy Planet image, snapped at 10:11 a.m. local time, would have been taken just moments after such a landing. The new spacecraft is likely much smaller than the U.S.'s space shuttle, which launched using rockets and then glided back to Earth. Instead, McDowell and others think the new Chinese vehicle probably resembles a robotic spacecraft called the X-37B. The X-37B has been operated by the U.S. Air Force for about a decade. So why might China now be getting into space planes? "It's a great question," says Brian Weeden, director of program planning for the Secure World Foundation, which advocates for the peaceful use of space. "We're not even really sure why the U.S. military is pursuing a space plane." The U.S. X-37B program remains highly classified. Weeden says he believes it is being used to test new sensors and systems for the military. "If you can fly some of that technology in space, let's say in the payload of a reusable space plane, that could give you a better feel for how it might react [once it's in orbit for good]," Weeden says. Other possibilities include the ability to launch satellites quickly and to test robotic systems for autonomous maneuvers and landings. McDowell says that space planes, which reenter Earth's atmosphere at many times the speed of sound, could also potentially aid the development of hypersonic weapons. But he believes China's motivation could be as simple as wanting to duplicate U.S. military capabilities. " 'If the Americans have one of those, there's got to be a good reason for it, so we better get one too,' " he says. Such thinking drove the Soviet Union to develop a copy of the U.S. space shuttle in the 1980s, though it never got much use. The landing of this space plane - or whatever it was - is just the latest success for China. It recently completed its own satellite navigation system, and it has a robotic mission going to Mars and several probes on the moon. "China is firing on all thrusters in space," McDowell says. "I think that this is just one more reflection of that." https://www.npr.org/2020/09/09/911113352/new-chinese-space-plane-landed-at-mysterious-air-base-evidence-suggests Free Webinar: Securing Our Skies through Counter-UAS Measures Wednesday, 9/16, 1pm ET Join RTCA and experts from Aerospace Industries Association, US Air Force, Skydio & Indra Defence and Security for a panel discussion and audience Q&A on the current state of Counter-UAS, the status of RTCA's SC-238-Counter UAS Standard, and challenges related to ensuring the safety of the National Airspace System. Our panelists discuss why it is so critical that we get it right. REGISTER https://bit.ly/3gUbgt4 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