Flight Safety Information [October 23, 2020] [No. 215] In This Issue : Accident: Vietjet A321 at Dong Hoi on Oct 16th 2020, hard landing at +4.27G : ProSafeT - SMS, Quality & Audit Management Software : WYVERN - JOIN OUR ONLINE AVIATION SAFETY COURSES : Incident: Delta A333 near St. John's on Oct 22nd 2020, smoke in cockpit, possibly from wildfires : Incident: Azul E195 enroute on Oct 19th 2020, wing anti ice leak : Learjet 60 - Runway Excursion (Illinois) : NEW ‘NALL REPORTS’ INDICATE CONTINUED DECREASE IN ACCIDENT RATE : Japan Airlines offers discounted coronavirus tests to travelers : International alignment key to recovery and safety of aviation : IATA: COVID Aviation Impacts Have Cost The World Over $1.75 Trillion : American Airlines retires its last Airbus A330, goes all-Boeing for wide-body jets : Which US Airlines Are Still Blocking Middle Seats? : Commercial Aircraft Production Uncertainty Persists : Israel's first female F-35 pilot made deputy commander of 116th squadron : Cathay pilots union tells Hong Kong-based members not to sign new pay-slashing contracts : Automated Technology Allows Unparalleled Space Exploration from Moon, to Asteroids, and Beyond : Impact of COVID-19 on Aviation & Fatigue Survey (Round 1) : PIREP SURVEY Accident: Vietjet A321 at Dong Hoi on Oct 16th 2020, hard landing at +4.27G A Vietjet Air Airbus A321-200, registration VN-A639 performing flight VJ-260 from Ho Chi Minh City to Dong Hoi (Vietnam), landed on Dong Hoi's runway 29 but touched down at about 4.27G. The aircraft rolled out without further incident and taxied to the apron. A post flight inspection revealed substantial structural damage also visible by creases in the fuselage skin. Nose wheel attachment bolts were missing. The aircraft is still on the ground in Dong Hoi 6 days after the occurrence. No Metars are available, sources report the runway was wet, the winds were from 020 degrees (90 degrees crosswind from the right) at 23 knots gusting up to 33 knots. The airline announced on Oct 17th 2020, that a number of flights to the central region of Vietnam including Dong Hoi were cancelled due to deteriorating weather in the region. On Oct 16th 2020 Tropical Depression Ofel made landfall in central Vietnam causing extensive floodings and 10 fatalities on the ground, maximum wind speeds at the time of landfall in Vietnam between Dong Hoi and Da Nang were estimated by Weather services at around 20-25 knots with moderate vertical windshear. http://avherald.com/h?article=4de30ef4&opt=0 For more information, contact WYVERN at Info@wyvernltd.com www.WYVERNltd.com Incident: Delta A333 near St. John's on Oct 22nd 2020, smoke in cockpit, possibly from wildfires A Delta Airlines Airbus A330-300, registration N806NW performing flight DL-30 from Atlanta,GA (USA) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was enroute at FL390 about 260nm west of St. John's,NL (Canada) when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit and decided to divert to St. John's, the crew requested (and was cleared for) runway 29. While in contact with Gander Center (Canada) the controller reported they have had four or five reports of smoke in the cockpit with Moncton Center, smoke from the Colorado wildfires had gotten into the jet stream and it may be just that for DL-30 too. The crew acknowledged and continued the diversion landing safely in St. John's with emergency services on stand by about 45 minutes after leaving FL390. Emergency services inspected the aircraft and found no trace of fire, heat or smoke. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 3.5 hours, then continued the journey and is estimated to reach London with a delay of 3.5 hours. http://avherald.com/h?article=4de3850a&opt=0 Incident: Azul E195 enroute on Oct 19th 2020, wing anti ice leak An Azul Linhas Aereas Embraer ERJ-195, registration PR-AXA performing flight AD-4071 from Vitoria,ES to Rio de Janeiro Santos Dumont,RJ (Brazil) with 105 passengers and 5 crew, was enroute at FL240 when the crew received an indication "ANTI ICING - WING 1 LEAK". The crew worked the related checklists and decided to divert to Rio de Janeiro's Galeao International Airport, where the aircraft landed safely. Brazil's CENIPA rated the occurrence an incident and did not open an investigation. http://avherald.com/h?article=4de3005f&opt=0 Learjet 60 - Runway Excursion (Illinois) Date: 21-OCT-2020 Time: c. 23:55 LT Type: Learjet 60 Owner/operator: Super Star Jets LLC Registration: N1128M C/n / msn: 60-222 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 9 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Minor Location: Chicago Executive Airport (PWK/KPWK), Wheeling, IL - United States of America Phase: Landing Nature: Passenger Departure airport: Cuyahoga County Airport, OH (CGF/KCG) Destination airport: Chicago-Executive Airport, IL (PWK/KPWK) Narrative: Upon landing, a Learjet 60 veered off the runway after landing at Chicago Executive Airport (PWK/KPWK), Wheeling, Illinois, hit a fence with the starboard wingtip and came to rest in grass area. There were no injuries to the nine POB and the aircraft received minor damage. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/244297 NEW ‘NALL REPORTS’ INDICATE CONTINUED DECREASE IN ACCIDENT RATE The AOPA Air Safety Institute’s just-released editions of the Joseph T. Nall Report note a continued decrease in overall accident rates. The overall accident rate in 2017 was 4.81 per 100,000 flight hours and 4.56 in 2018. The fatal accident rate also decreased to 0.76 per 100,000 hours in 2017 and 0.74 in 2018, based on available data. The Air Safety Institute released findings from the twenty-ninth and thirtieth editions of the Nall Report. The data show that 2017 saw a decrease in total accidents from 2016, but 2018 saw an increase in total accidents. However, the overall and fatal accident rates continued downward trends. These latest editions of the long-running and respected report arrive with several unique enhancements. The Air Safety Institute has completed a major overhaul of the report to provide near-real-time accident data analysis as the data are updated on a rolling 30-day cycle. “I am excited that this major effort has significantly accelerated the accident analysis process. This allows us to release the twenty-ninth and thirtieth Joseph T. Nall Reports, which provide a snapshot in time for 2017 and 2018 data, respectively,” said Air Safety Institute Senior Vice President Richard McSpadden. “In addition, the new interface allows anyone to select accident analysis graphs for multiple years, from as far back as 2008 to preliminary data trends for 2020. The NTSB takes approximately two years to issue its final findings for accidents, so as we move into 2021, initial accident data rates will also begin populating for the year 2019.” The Air Safety Institute’s summaries for a given period provide insight and comparisons of selected dates versus previous years. Review the summaries for a detailed analysis of trends and rates for noncommercial and commercial fixed-wing operations, noncommercial and commercial helicopter operations, and sport/experimental operations. The Air Safety Institute is funded by charitable donations to the AOPA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization. https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2020/october/22/new-nall-report-indicates-continued-decrease-in-accident-rate Japan Airlines offers discounted coronavirus tests to travelers Japan Airlines Co. began offering discounted coronavirus tests to travelers Friday after teaming up with a medical institution in Tokyo, in a bid to ease concerns about infections and encourage customers to travel amid the pandemic. Travelers booked on tour packages with the airline can take a polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, test from 11,000 yen ($105) prior to their trip, as opposed to the 30,000 yen to 40,000 yen typically charged to those without health insurance coverage. They can obtain a certificate for a negative test result for an additional 5,500 yen. Travelers who have not signed up for a JAL tour package can also request a testing kit through the airline's official website from 14,850 yen. Applicants are sent a saliva testing kit, which is then returned to the medical facility. Travelers are notified of their results within 24 hours by email. Public health centers will be informed in the event of a positive test result. https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2020/10/57fba77b2fe7-japan-airlines-offers-discounted-coronavirus-tests-to-travelers.html International alignment key to recovery and safety of aviation Many States face resource challenges in this regard, especially regarding qualified technical personnel and Civil Aviation Safety Inspectors. However these professionals are needed more than ever now in order to ensure that mitigation measures don’t erode established safety risk controls. MONTREAL - Ensuring that States coordinate and sufficiently resource their aviation strategies will underpin both the continued safety of flight and the global recovery of the aviation network as a whole, ICAO Council President Mr. Salvatore Sciacchitano and ICAO Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu declared at Flight Safety Foundation 2020 International Air Safety Summit. “There should be no misconceptions regarding the dependence of the ultimate speed and effectiveness of our sector’s recovery on the degree of international coordination we establish,” the President said. “It will also be dependent on the measures we pursue being compatible with safety and security requirements; proportionate to the improvement of public health; flexible where possible to allow for a viable economic recovery; and safeguarded not to distort markets.” “While we saw some slightly positive trends in passenger figures over the summer travel season, with ‘second waves’ of the pandemic now emerging we should have no illusions about how quickly the global recovery will take place,” the Secretary General highlighted. “This highlights that we must now pay extra close attention to new types of systemic and organizational risk which may arise, and notably due to the financial situations of service providers. States and industry also face the challenge of having to balance operational safety risks with pandemic risks, all while protecting the health of passengers, crew members, and other aviation personnel.” ICAO’s leadership pointed to the raft of support that the UN agency has delivered to States and operators throughout the pandemic to achieve this, with a special focus on the recommendations prepared by the ICAO Council Aviation Recovery Taskforce (CART), and the enduring Global Aviation Safety Plan (GASP). Both of these documents support the global alignment and harmonization of States’ efforts. “The CART guidelines have all been developed with all key sectoral priorities in mind, and at the end of October we are expecting the new Phase II of this guidance to be adopted through Council,” Mr. Sciacchitano declared, noting that “some of its new provisions are being designed to help countries evaluate new testing options, and notably as a means to alleviate the current traveler quarantine requirements which are so significantly impacting passenger enthusiasm and confidence globally.” “Among its key objectives, the GASP calls for the implementation of State Safety Programmes and Safety Management Systems. These are needed more than ever today,” stressed Dr. Liu, pointing to a variety of concerns that have been reported to ICAO by States. These concerns include crews lacking proficiency due to lapses in recurrent training, the airworthiness of aircraft removed from service for long periods, the effects of flying almost empty cabins on overall aircraft performance and pilot handling, flight crews flying long past their duty times, and passengers becoming more disruptive in the face of the multiple health-related restrictions that can vary from the airport to the aircraft. “The GASP also calls for each State to develop a national aviation safety plan which is aligned with its global targets and policies. Initiatives in these national plans augment State capabilities to oversee industry and to manage operational safety risks. Key operational risks, such as runway incursions or mid-air collisions, remain very high on our list of priorities, and must be managed pandemic or not,” the Secretary General added. Many States face resource challenges in this regard, especially regarding qualified technical personnel and Civil Aviation Safety Inspectors. However these professionals are needed more than ever now in order to ensure that mitigation measures don’t erode established safety risk controls. Yesterday’s Summit also provided ICAO with a platform to call on governments to assure sustainable funding for these critical CAA functions. Throughout, the President and the Secretary General underscored the importance of ensuring unwavering commitment to aviation’s primordial and foundational value: safety. “Our resilience will continue to derive, now more than ever, from our ability to adapt, but also to maintain and improve upon our industry’s impressive record for safety performance while restoring public confidence in air travel,” concluded Dr. Liu. https://www.traveldailynews.com/post/international-alignment-key-to-recovery-and-safety-of-aviation IATA: COVID Aviation Impacts Have Cost The World Over $1.75 Trillion Economic forecasts from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) suggest that the impact of COVID on aviation will cost the world more than $1.75 trillion in GDP. Airlines are expected to burn through cash at an astounding rate in the second half of 2020, and without support from government, the association says that the hope of a strong economic recovery could slip through our grasp. $1.75 trillion lost from global GDP While the aviation industry is reeling from the impact of COVID-19, the wider economic shock is yet to really hit home. Governments around the world have been forced to plow money into their communities, to save jobs and keep people housed and fed. That’s something that will take time to build back from. Aviation will be a key driver in the economic recovery from COVID. Already we’ve witnessed a shrink of airlines, from fleets to staff, and that in itself is going to add to the economic mess that the world is facing. But what will the economic impact of COVID be in terms of GDP related to aviation? The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is one of the foremost authorities when it comes to air transport and economics. At a recent press briefing with IATA, I asked the Chief Economist from IATA Brian Pearce what the impact on global GDP was currently estimated to be. Referencing figures from ATAG, Pearce commented, “The sector would typically, including all of the firms in the value chain and the ecosystem, it would typically support something like three and a half trillion dollars of GDP globally. The expectation is that that has halved.” Halving aviation’s $3.5 trillion contribution to global economies means the world has lost out on $1.75 trillion in GDP already, as a result of COVID’s impact on the industry. However, Pearce went on to explain that this is not the full extent of the impact we’re likely to see. He said, “What that doesn’t take into account is the service airlines provide in transporting trade and traveler doesn’t take into account the importance of business travel as well. But trade is missing from that estimate. In terms of the direct jobs supported by the industry, that’s probably halved, but governments shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that this industry plays a really critical role in economic recovery, because of its role in transporting trade and supporting global supply chains.” Supporting aviation will support economies Worldwide, aviation directly supports 65.5 million jobs. Its contribution to global GDP is estimated to be around 3.6%. In fact, if aviation was a country, it would rank 20th in size by GDP. It is equivalent to the GDP of Switzerland or Argentina, according to research by Forbes. Of course, as Pearce commented, that’s just the direct impact of aviation on economic activity. The benefits run far deeper than that, when we consider its contribution to tourism, trade and industry. In some countries, particularly tropical islands, their economies rely disproportionately on tourism, and on aviation to deliver that tourism. More widely, aviation is lent upon to transport some of the world’s most high value, perishable goods. Only 0.5% of global goods are moved by air, but those goods make up an incredible 34.6% of the value of transported goods. Already IATA has begun revising down the passenger traffic forecasts for parts of the world. For example, just this week, it changed its prediction for passenger traffic to, from and within the Middle East from 45% of 2019 levels to just 30% for 2020. That’s a trend that is playing out around the world, and without support, airlines will simply not survive. While governments have been instrumental in avoiding airline failure to date, IATA is calling on them to step up with more support to see them through the difficult winter period. Chief Executive Alexandre de Juniac commented, “The crisis is growing longer and deeper than anybody could have imagined. The months ahead are traditionally the weakest for airlines. Normally they survive on the cash cushion from the busy peak travel period in July and August. We did not get that boost this year. “Airlines did receive $160 billion in support from governments. That was a lifeline. We would have seen many more bankruptcies and job losses without it. Now, most of those programs are ending. So it is time to ask governments to take extra measures to replace or extend them into the longer term. The potential for failures and job losses in the coming months is enormous.” IATA estimates that airlines will burn through cash at a rate of $300,000 a minute during the second half of the year, losing some $77bn before the year is out. Given the importance of healthy airlines to healthy economic recovery, more government support is required to avoid catastrophic airline failures in the coming months. https://simpleflying.com/iata-covid-aviation-impacts-have-cost-the-world-over-1-75-trillion/ American Airlines retires its last Airbus A330, goes all-Boeing for wide-body jets The changes to American Airlines fleet continue as the coronavirus pandemic resets flying. The Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier has retired its 15 Airbus A330-200s, officially making it an all-Boeing wide-body operator of 777s and 787s, American said Thursday. The A330s have been in long-term storage since May. The move brings the number of jets retired by American to 114 during the pandemic. Gone are its Airbus A330s — both the -200s and -300s — Boeing 757s and 767s and Embraer E190s, as well as the Bombardier CRJ200s flown by its regional affiliates. “We now only have for aircraft types in our mainline fleet,” said American chief financial officer Derek Kerr during a quarterly earnings call on Thursday. “The operating efficiencies on the crew, maintenance and schedule are permanent.” Kerr added that the aircraft retirements “accelerated” the airline’s long-term fleet plans. American’s mainline operations now consist of Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 family narrow-bodies and 777 and 787 family wide-bodies. In a report Thursday, Raymond James analyst Savanthi Syth estimated that American has removed roughly 10% of the seats it flew in 2019 with the A330 retirements. Delta Air Lines has removed roughly 22% of 2019 seats and United Airlines none having not officially retired any jets. Related: American Airlines won’t fly an Airbus A330 again for at least two years American is due to take delivery of around 39 new mainline jets in 2021 after reaching an agreement with Boeing to defer up to eight 737 MAX deliveries. The new planes include 16 A321neos, 10 737 MAX 8s and 13 787s. All of the new aircraft have financing commitments in place, Kerr said. The fleet changes come as American posted a $2.4 billion net loss in the third quarter. The critical cash burn measure — or how much it loses on a daily basis — averaged $44 million a day during the three months ending in September. The airline’s daily losses are far higher than those at its competitors. Southwest Airlines achieved a burn of just $16 million a day, Delta Air Lines $24 million and United Airlines $21 million in the third quarter. However, each airline calculates the burn rate differently making direct comparisons difficult. American hopes to reduce daily cash burn to $25 million to $30 million in the fourth quarter that ends in December. https://thepointsguy.com/news/american-airlines-retires-airbus-a330s/ Which US Airlines Are Still Blocking Middle Seats? Airlines have been blocking out the middle seat for the last few months on narrowbody aircraft to prevent passengers’ proximity. However, this recommendation has changed in the last few days, and some airlines have now removed the middle-seat block. Which airlines have updated their policies and which still have an empty seat in the middle? This year, airlines took a proactive measure to ensure passenger comfort and blocked out the middle seats onboard aircraft. This generally means on a narrowbody plane with a 3-3 configuration, two seats on each row would be blocked out and left empty. This is very expensive for the airline (1/3 of all seats can’t be sold), and many struggled with the cost vs. benefit. Like United and American Airlines, airlines that decided not to do it were reprimanded by passengers on social media. Whether or not this measure is actually needed, we will leave to the experts, as it’s almost impossible to social distance onboard an aircraft anyway. With other health measures such as sanitizing after each flight and HEPA filters, planes are one of the safest places to be. Southwest is selling the middle seats for Christmas Now, airlines are re-evaluating if they can have passengers back in the middle seats. Southwest was one of the first to open up the seats to be sold for the Christmas period, confident that its health measures would be enough to mean social distancing attempts won’t be necessary. “This practice of effectively keeping middle seats open bridged us from the early days of the pandemic, when we had little knowledge about the behavior of the virus, to now,” the airline said in a statement Thursday. “Today, aligned with science-based findings from trusted medical and aviation organizations, we will resume selling all available seats for travel beginning Dec. 1, 2020. Other airlines never did block the middle seat, or not for very long at least. American Airline and United, for example, have been selling to capacity, although they will let passengers know if the plane is getting full to give them the opportunity to switch flights. There are only a few other carriers reluctant to open up the seats as fast. Delta believes that it will maintain its blocked seat policy well into next year. “We’re one of the few airlines in the world still that’s blocking the middle seat and capping the load factors on our plane at somewhere around two-thirds of the normal capacity,” Delta CEO told FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo on “Mornings with Maria.” Alaska Airlines also intends to extend the seat block policy until after the Christmas period. This is even though the airline is burning through four million a day – it could really use the revenue a middle seat would provide. JetBlue is not blocking middle seats, but is trying to give passengers some space. The airline is using predictive algorithms and data analysis to give solo travelers a free seat next to them where possible, but to seat families and groups together to allow it to sell more seats. https://simpleflying.com/us-airlines-blocking-middle-seats/ Commercial Aircraft Production Uncertainty Persists Fitch Ratings-New Delhi/Sydney/Singapore-22 October 2020: Fitch Ratings expects continued downward pressure on passenger airplane deliveries and production rates from Airbus SE, the Boeing Company, and other original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) because of a slow recovery to pre-pandemic traffic levels, damaged airline financial profiles, travel restrictions, and uncertainty about traveler behavior. Fitch estimates demand for aircraft deliveries will most likely be lower than those suggested by OEM production rates. However, in most scenarios downside production rate risk is lower than the magnitude of the already announced cuts. Fitch believes production will need to decline or OEMs will need to build up aircraft inventory for the market to reach equilibrium. Either path will create additional cash flow headwind for OEMs. Fitch's forecast is derived by comparing pre-pandemic global capacity (seats) with projected capacity at YE 2023, which is Fitch's base case estimate for return to 2019 traffic levels. The analysis is highly sensitive to assumptions about traffic recovery and aircraft retirements. Fitch estimates more than 4,700 passenger aircraft (those with more than 100 seats) would be produced through 2023 based on announced production rates and possible rate increases. This compares with the top end of Fitch's delivery base case range of approximately 4,300 passenger aircraft, with downside risk based on a variety of factors. We believe production is unlikely to return to pre-pandemic levels until 2025 or 2026. Fitch expects 3,000-4,200 passenger aircraft could be retired or remain in long-term storage through 2023. More than 25% of the retirements are likely to be widebodies. Fitch believes the trend toward shorter aircraft life spans will be confirmed by the pandemic. Environmental concerns could also support accelerated retirements. Fitch expects narrowbody capacity could rise and widebody capacity could fall compared with 2019. The full report can be found at www.fitchratings.com or by following the link above. https://www.fitchratings.com/research/corporate-finance/commercial-aircraft-production-uncertainty-persists-22-10-2020 Israel's first female F-35 pilot made deputy commander of 116th squadron Prior to flying F-35s, Capt. S. flew F-16s, and soon began flying the advanced stealth fighter jet for the 116th, based out of Nevatim in the South. Captain S., the only female pilot in Israel to fly one of the F-35 fighter jets, has been appointed as deputy commander of the IAF's 116th "Southern Lions" F-35 squadron, Israel's second F-35 squadron, the IDF said in a statement. The 26-year-old Capt. S., whose name and face have been classified, graduated from the pilot's course in 2016, and flew F-16s during her time with the 107th "Knights of the Orange Tail" squadron. Prior to flying F-35s, flew F-16s, and soon began flying the advanced stealth fighter jet for the 116th, based out of Nevatim in the South. While there are several female F-35 pilots in the United States Air Force, it is believed that Capt. S is only the second woman to fly the advanced fifth-generation stealth fighter jet in combat, and is certainly the first woman in Israel to do so. While the US was the first to fly the fighter jet, and whose Air Force Capt. Emily “Banzai” Thompson was the first to fly it in combat, Israel was the first to use the jet in combat at all. This took place in 2018, just months after it declared operational capability and, according to foreign reports, continues to use the jet for a range of missions. By November, the IAF will have 27 F-35i Adir aircraft out of a total of 50 planes set to land in the coming years, to make two full squadrons by 2024. The IAF announced in August that as part of changes to make the force more efficient and better able to contend with regional threats, a third F-35i Adir squadron will open next year. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/israels-first-female-f-35-pilot-made-deputy-commander-of-116th-squadron-646599 Cathay pilots union tells Hong Kong-based members not to sign new pay-slashing contracts • The union, which represents about 2,200 pilots in the city, is vowing to defend its members’ existing contracts • In the wake of massive lay-offs at Cathay, remaining pilots are facing salary cuts of up to 60 per cent Cathay axes record 5,300 Hong Kong jobs and closes regional airline After seeking legal advice, Cathay’s pilots union has asked its 2,200 Hong Kong-based members not to sign salary-slashing new employment contracts handed out in the wake of massive job cuts, with the airline’s pilots based outside the city also facing an uncertain future. The Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association (HKAOA) in a letter to members on Thursday night vowed to defend its pilots’ existing contracts, as the city’s flag carrier seeks to rein in what it sees as inflated pay and generous conditions as part of a dramatic cost-cutting effort aimed at weathering the coronavirus pandemic. “In terms of the broader legal strategy, our lawyers are considering any and all angles, including any injunctive relief for actions taken by the company. All options are on the table at this stage,” union chairman Tad Hazelton said in the message to members. On Wednesday, Cathay announced it would be getting rid of 8,500 positions, with 5,900 existing jobs cut – most of them in Hong Kong – and thousands of other unfilled roles eliminated. Cathay Pacific’s regional carrier, Cathay Dragon, was also shut down with immediate effect as the airline sought to move its remaining Hong Kong-based pilots and cabin crew onto cheaper contracts. “The HKAOA has obtained legal advice on your contractual rights and protections pursuant to your COS (Conditions of Service),” a previous memo to unionised pilots said. “We suggest you refrain from making a commitment” until more substantive legal guidance was received, it added. The union could not be reached for comment on Thursday. Under the new terms, more experienced pilots are facing a 40 to 60 per cent pay cut, and should they refuse, they will be terminated, not made redundant – a measure the union said it was also seeking legal advice on. Pilots who sign within a week will be allowed to keep the bulk of their accommodation and education subsidies for two years. Those who sign within two weeks will keep the benefits for one year. Chris Kempis, Cathay Pacific’s director of flight operations, told pilots on Thursday that if they declined to accept the contracts, the official reason for their termination would be the “absence of consent to the new terms offered”. When asked a “hypothetical question” about future pilot redundancies, Kempis said the possibility was “hopefully one which will not materialise.” Cathay axes record 6,000 Hong Kong jobs and closes regional airline 23 Oct 2020 “Based on our current forecasts, we believe we are right-sized, but if headcount reductions are needed in the future we will take decisions at the appropriate time, bearing in mind operational needs and taking into account the interest of our pilots,” he added. If pilots did not sign the new contracts, the airline said it would immediately start backfilling positions from pilots who were made redundant, depending on the type of plane and pilot rank required. Aside from the pay cuts, one of the most significant changes to the new contract is the removal of the “last in, first out” policy, or LIFO, which pilots fear could pave the way for making more costly pilots redundant in the future. A “last in, first out” approach was adopted in the latest lay-offs to determine who would be let go, with more junior pilots losing their jobs ahead of more experienced ones. Cathay Pacific Airways announces its largest job cuts in history Separately, Cathay’s pilots in overseas “bases” such as Britain, Australia, US and Canada – an estimated 400-600 pilots – were warned they would come under scrutiny in due course. “While it is likely we will need to review the basing strategy in future we have not yet commenced any process at this time,” the airline’s flight operations department said in a list of questions and answers sent to pilots. Overseas bases had not yet been reviewed due to the “urgent action to reduce costs” in Hong Kong, where most of the pilots were employed. A subsequent review could lead to a handful of outcomes, including cutting the number of pilots at each base, or closing them while offering overseas pilots the chance to relocate to Hong Kong. Before the wider announcement of the company’s restructuring on Wednesday, Kempis had told senior pilots that bases “may” be reduced in size. Cathay must be sure to follow the requirements of the employment ordinance, or face legal actions by those pilots Some 5,300 Hong Kong-based employees lost their jobs on Wednesday, more than 600 of them pilots. New data shows 103 cockpit crew jobs were lost at Cathay Pacific, and 535 at Cathay Dragon. There were around 3,800 pilots employed across the two airlines before the redundancies. Cathay said its remaining pilot population was considered its “optimal number” for managing its operations. The pilot reductions factored into the closing of Cathay Dragon, with Pacific slated to eventually take on some of its shuttered sister brand’s flights and routes using single-aisle jets. University of Hong Kong law professor Rick Glofcheski, who specialises in the field of employment, said: “I can say that Cathay cannot unilaterally vary the terms of the contract, and Cathay requires the consent of the pilots to accept reduced terms. “That [unilateral variation] would effectively be a constructive dismissal, giving rise to remedies under the employment ordinance.” But he added it was open to Cathay to terminate their roles by either giving the contractual or statutory notice of termination or payment in lieu, making the pilots’ status “not very secure”. On the distinction between redundancy and termination, he suggested the company was taking the position that those who refused to accept the reduced terms were not being made redundant on the basis their posts still existed. He added: “Ultimately, such a legal conclusion would be for the court to make, and not for the employer, but Cathay’s view may be a reasonable assessment of the situation nonetheless. “If Cathay does choose to terminate the pilots who do not sign the reduced contracts, Cathay must be sure to follow the requirements of the employment ordinance, or face legal actions by those pilots.” https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3106702/cathay-pilots-union-tells-hong-kong-based-members Automated Technology Allows Unparalleled Space Exploration from Moon, to Asteroids, and Beyond When landing Apollo 11 in 1969, astronauts looked out the window for distinguishing features that they recognized from maps of the Moon and were able to steer the lander to avoid a disastrous touchdown on top of a rocky area. Now, 50 years later, the process can be automated. Distinguishing features, like known craters, boulders, or other unique surface characteristics, provide insight into surface hazards to help avoid them while landing. NASA scientists and engineers are maturing technology for navigating and landing on planetary bodies by analyzing images during descent – a process called terrain relative navigation (TRN). This optical navigation technology is included on NASA’s newest Mars rover, Perseverance, which will test TRN when it lands on the Red Planet in 2021, paving the way for future crewed missions to the Moon and beyond. TRN is also being used during NASA’s upcoming Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resources Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission Touch-and-Go (TAG) event to collect samples of the asteroid Bennu in order to better understand the characteristics and movement of asteroids. Since reaching Bennu in 2018, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has mapped and studied its surface, including its topography and lighting conditions, in preparation for TAG. Nightingale crater was chosen from four candidate sites based on its great amount of sampleable material and accessibility for the spacecraft. On Oct. 20, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will navigate to asteroid Bennu’s surface for its first sample collection attempt. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfGJzjSGSM8&feature=emb_logo Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Scientific Visualization Studio This video is in the public domain and can be downloaded from the Scientific Visualization Studio. Engineers routinely use ground-based optical navigation methods to navigate the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft close to Bennu, where new images taken by the spacecraft are compared to three-dimensional topographic maps. During TAG, OSIRIS-REx will perform a similar optical navigation process onboard in real-time, using a TRN system called Natural Feature Tracking. Images will be taken of the sample site during TAG descent, compared with onboard topographic maps, and the spacecraft trajectory will be readjusted to target the landing site. Optical navigation could also be used in the future to minimize the risks associated with landing in other unfamiliar environments in our solar system. NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has acquired images from orbit since 2009. LRO Project Scientist Noah Petro said one challenge to preparing for landed missions is the lack of high-resolution, narrow-angle camera images at every lighting condition for any specific landing site. These images would be useful for automated landing systems, which need the illumination data for a specific time of lunar day. However, NASA has been able to collect high-resolution topographic data using LRO’s Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA). “LOLA data, and other topographic data, let us take the shape of the Moon and shine a light on it for any time in the future or past, and with that we can predict what the surface will look like,” Petro said. Using LOLA data, sun angles are overlaid on a three-dimensional elevation map to model shadows of surface features at specific dates and times. NASA scientists know the position and orientation of the Moon and LRO in space, having taken billions of lunar laser measurements. Over time, these measurements are compiled into a grid-map of the lunar surface. Images taken during landing are compared to this master map so that landers that may be used as part of the Artemis program have another tool to safely navigate the lunar terrain. The lunar surface is like a fingerprint, Petro said, where no two landscapes are identical. Topography can be used to determine a spacecraft’s exact location above the Moon, comparing images like a forensic scientist compares fingerprints from crime scenes to match a known person to an unknown person – or to match a location to where the spacecraft is in its flight. After landing, TRN can be used on the ground to help astronauts navigate crewed rovers. As part of NASA’s lunar surface sustainability concept, the agency is considering using a habitable mobility platform like an RV as well as a lunar terrain vehicle (LTV) to help crew travel on the lunar surface. Astronauts can typically travel short distances of a few miles in an unpressurized rover like the LTV so long as they have landmarks to guide them. However, traveling greater distances is much more challenging, not to mention the Sun at the lunar South Pole is always low on the horizon, adding to visibility challenges. Driving across the South Pole would be like driving a car straight east first thing in the morning – the light can be blinding, and landmarks can appear distorted. With TRN, astronauts may be better able to navigate the South Pole despite the lighting conditions, as the computer may better detects hazards. Speed is the key difference between using TRN to land a spacecraft and using it to navigate a crewed rover. Landing requires capturing and processing images faster, with as short as one second intervals between images. To bridge the gap between images, onboard processors keep the spacecraft on track to safely land. “When you move slower – such as with rovers or OSIRIS-REx orbiting around the asteroid – you have more time to process the images,” said Carolina Restrepo, an aerospace engineer at NASA Goddard in Maryland working to improve current data products for the lunar surface. “When you are moving very fast – descent and landing – there is no time for this. You need to be taking images and processing them as fast as possible aboard the spacecraft and it needs to be all autonomous.” Automated TRN solutions can address the needs of human and robotic explorers as they navigate unique locations in our solar system, such as the optical navigation challenges faced by OSIRIS-REx for TAG on Bennu’s rocky surface. Because of missions like LRO, Artemis astronauts can use TRN algorithms and lunar topography data to supplement images of the surface in order to land and safely explore the Moon’s South Pole. “What we’re trying to do is anticipate the needs of future terrain relative navigation systems by combining existing data types to make sure we can build the highest-resolution maps for key locations along future trajectories and landing sites,” Restrepo said. “In other words, we need high-resolution maps both for scientific purposes as well as for navigation.” https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/automated-technology-allows-unparalleled-space-exploration-from-moon-to-asteroids-and-beyond Impact of COVID-19 on Aviation & Fatigue Survey (Round 1) As a longitudinal survey, we will send you links to shorter follow-up surveys each month as the industry adapts to changes in regulations and public demand. For more information about the survey, please contact Dr. Cassie Hilditch at cassie.j.hilditch@nasa.gov or see below for FAQs. We thank you for your time and support of this survey addressing the effects of this unprecedented time in aviation history. All the best, Cassie Hilditch FAQs Overall purpose of the survey To assess the impact of operational changes related to the COVID-19 pandemic on fatigue in US commercial pilots. Any additional background on the study Discussions with airline representatives and pilots have highlighted several unique changes to operations as the industry attempts to adapt to reduced demand and travel restrictions. Many of these changes are unprecedented, therefore, understanding how they impact crew fatigue is important in order to manage the impact of such changes and potentially recommend safeguards to their implementation. Who will have access to the raw data? Only staff from NASA Ames Fatigue Countermeasures Research Laboratory approved by the Institutional Research Board will have access to the raw data. All data will be stored anonymously, with a unique ID code assigned to each participant to track responses over time. Who will make the final conclusions? NASA Ames Fatigue Countermeasures Research Laboratory staff will summarize and analyze the survey responses. Where will the information be published? We hope to publish the results as a NASA Technical Memorandum, and also in safety-focused peer-reviewed journals and industry newsletters to reach a wide range of audiences to maximize the learning opportunities from this survey. We also aim to present the results at relevant scientific and industry conferences where possible. Cassie J. Hilditch, PhD Senior Research Associate Fatigue Countermeasures Lab SJSU Research Foundation NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA 94035 PIREP SURVEY Greetings, Please consider participating in our online survey on PIREPs available at this link, https://fit.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6y8tcXQXgr1Q6lT. The survey will take approximately 10-minutes. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Florida Institute of Technology & Purdue University Dr. Debbie S. Carstens, PMP Graduate Program Chair & Professor, Aviation Human Factors College of Aeronautics|321.674.8820 Faculty Profile: https://www.fit.edu/faculty-profiles/2/debbie-carstens/ Curt Lewis