Flight Safety Information [November 13, 2020] [No. 230] In This Issue : Accident: Volga-Dnjepr A124 at Novosibirsk on Nov 13th 2020, overran runway after uncontained engine failure and communication failure : Incident: Emirates B773 at Brussels on Nov 12th 2020, hydraulic problem : Incident: Fedex A306 at Memphis on Nov 11th 2020, avionics smoke indication : PILOTS WEIGH IN ON RECORDS DATABASE PLAN : Union Claims That UPS Pilots Experiencing Significant Increase in Virus Cases : Hawaiian Airlines letting customers redeem miles for COVID-19 testing kit : FSF Honors John Goglia, Stuart Matthews : Korean Air seeking to buy Asiana Airlines : Emirates airline posts first loss in more than 30 years : Etihad flags more cabin crew job cuts, Airbus A380s grounded : Nasa's new 'megarocket' set for critical tests Accident: Volga-Dnjepr A124 at Novosibirsk on Nov 13th 2020, overran runway after uncontained engine failure and communication failure A Volga-Dnjepr Antonov AN-124, registration RA-82042 performing positioning flight VI-4066 from Novosibirsk (Russia) to Vienna (Austria) with 14 people and no cargo on board, departed Novosibirsk's runway 25 at about 12:08L (05:08Z) and was in the initial climb through about 1800 feet MSL when the transponder signal as well as radio communication was lost. The crew returned the aircraft for a landing on Novosibirsk's runway 25 but overran the end of the runway on landing by about 200 meters/650 feet. There were no injuries. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to wings and the landing gear, engine #2 (D-18T, inboard left hand) is missing its engine inlet following an uncontained failure according to photographic evidence (see below), the inboard left wing slats as well as the left hand fuselage were penetrated by debris at multiple locations near the wing root. According to local sources the aircraft went off the runway by about 200 meters (650 feet). Local emergency services reported the aircraft departed and immediately returned in emergency running off the runway during landing. The airport reported there were no injuries as result of the runway excursion. Ground witnesses reported engines 3 and 4 (both right hand, D-18T) were trailing smoke on departure, communication with the aircraft was lost, the aircraft managed to return to the airport and went off the runway coming to a stop with collapsed gear. Other ground witnesses reported a part fell off the aircraft and damaged the roof of a house. West Siberia's Transport Prosecution Office have opened an investigation into the accident. According to Mode-S and ADS-B data the aircraft departed runway 25, climbed out, began turning right, reached 1825 feet MSL before the signal disappeared about 3.5nm past the runway end. http://avherald.com/h?article=4df212c7&opt=0 Incident: Emirates B773 at Brussels on Nov 12th 2020, hydraulic problem An Emirates Boeing 777-300, registration A6-EBI performing flight EK-181 from Dubai (United Arab Emirates) to Brussels (Belgium), was descending towards Brussels when the crew advised of a hydraulic indication for the center system and advised they would stop at the end of the runway and needed an escort. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Brussels' runway 25L, rolled out, vacated the runway at the end and stopped on the parallel taxiway where emergency services inspected the aircraft. The aircraft remained stationary at that point for at least 25 minutes. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 5 hours, then departed for the return flight EK-182. http://avherald.com/h?article=4df1b3a5&opt=0 Incident: Fedex A306 at Memphis on Nov 11th 2020, avionics smoke indication A Fedex Federal Express Airbus A300-600, registration N661FE performing freight flight FX-241 from Calgary,AB (Canada) to Memphis,TN (USA), was descending towards Memphis when the crew declared emergency reporting they had received an avionics smoke indication, the crew added it might be nothing, but they'd just take it and get down as quickly as possible. The aircraft landed safely on Memphis' runway 36L about 10 minutes later. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Memphis for 26 hours, then resumed service. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/FDX241/history/20201111/1516Z/CYYC/KMEM http://avherald.com/h?article=4df1cad9&opt=0 PILOTS WEIGH IN ON RECORDS DATABASE PLAN Pilots and company flight departments surveyed about the FAA’s proposed electronic Pilot Records Database expressed a range of concerns from the burden of added recordkeeping to the inclusion of check pilots’ comments in pilots’ individual qualification files or information disputed by the pilot. The proposed rule would require owners and/or operators with two or more aircraft that require a type rating and who employ pilots to enter information about their pilots' currency and backgrounds in the database, for use by air carriers and other entities during the vetting of prospective hires. The survey was sent to all members of the National Business Aviation Association, and all AOPA members who hold commercial pilot certificates or airline transport pilot certificates, generating 1,219 responses. The survey data will supplement the associations’ formal comments on the Pilot Records Database plan, which the FAA proposed in March “to facilitate the sharing of pilot records among air carriers and other operators in an electronic data system managed by the FAA.” On becoming a final rule, the proposal would require “air carriers, specific operators holding out to the public, entities conducting public aircraft operations, air tour operators, fractional ownerships, and corporate flight departments” to enter the mandated data about their pilot employees, making the information electronically accessible. Air carriers and other entities would be required to “evaluate the available data for each pilot candidate prior to making a hiring decision.” In formal comments filed in June, AOPA concurred with the need for air carriers to have a means to ascertain accurate training records of pilot candidates. But we noted concern that the proposal “expands beyond what is statutorily required, does not accept industry recommendations, and does not provide a clear process for the lifetime of the pilot to have errors on their record corrected.” The seven-page letter of comments argued for narrowing the range of air service organizations subject to the rule and excluding Part 91 operators—many of whom are sole practitioners with only one or two aircraft—from recordkeeping requirements. AOPA urged the FAA to ensure that all FAA-certificated pilots have free access to their database records, and opined that the agency should consider stakeholders’ comments made “with safety and the future growth of the next generation of pilots and aviation professionals in mind.” The survey examined data in two pools of respondents, measuring overall pilot sentiment and a group consisting of those with two or more type-rated aircraft. According to the survey, all respondents were skeptical about the Pilot Records Database plan, noting concerns about added recordkeeping burdens and the possible pitfalls of including comments made by a check pilot on a pilot’s qualification history. Among respondents with two or more type-rated aircraft, 56 percent opposed including check pilot comments in the database; about 20 percent agreed with including the comments. On recordkeeping changes, respondents estimated that entering data into the electronic database “would add a significant time burden but would not be a significant improvement over the current paper-based reporting system.” Respondents with two or more type-rated aircraft said they expected to spend significantly more time on administrative chores under the plan. In both groups, few thought the Pilot Records Database would “streamline” the hiring process for pilots and employers. One in three respondents thought the system would improve on the existing paper-based Pilot Records Improvement Act system. “AOPA strongly believes that the Pilot Records Database must include a clear process for correcting erroneous information, with the FAA responsible for evaluating and correcting inaccuracies if a pilot’s employer is unwilling or unable to do so,” said Murray Huling, AOPA vice president of regulatory affairs. “The need to provide pilots with transparency and convenient access to their records is why we also recommend giving any holder of an FAA-issued pilot certificate the opportunity to inspect their information on file in the database.” Noting the robust pilot community response to the survey, AOPA and NBAA believe that the research would serve as “an excellent guide to perceptions of flight departments, organizations, and pilots who likely will be required to transition” to the proposed electronic database. https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2020/november/12/pilots-weigh-in-on-records-database-plan Union Claims That UPS Pilots Experiencing Significant Increase in Virus Cases • Union representing UPS pilots concerned about steep increase • UPS pilots face Covid-19 challenge as several quarantined in foreign countries More than 100 pilots have contracted COVID since the start of the pandemic and between 30 and 70 are in quarantine at any given time, Brian Gaudet, spokesman for the Independent Pilots Association said. The union chief suggested that a spike in COVID cases could disrupt UPS’ operations during the peak shipping season. In response, UPS Airlines spokesman Mike Mangeot said; “These union claims are baseless,” During a call with analysts to discuss UPS’ earnings, the carrier said that they are concerned about the recent rise in COVID cases around the world and that any outbreak among pilots would be “a real problem,” adding “we haven’t seen that, but we’re just watching this very, very closely.” The union wants the airline to expand pilot access to testing — both before and after flight assignments — greatly improve the way it conducts contact tracing and utilize specialized medical evacuation flights, if necessary, to expedite the safe return home of pilots testing positive for COVID abroad, the IPA said. The Atlanta-based parcel carrier is not following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for contact tracing and notifying employees when they’ve had exposure to someone who has tested positive for COVID, the IPA also complained. “The widespread perception among UPS pilots is that the company’s contact tracing efforts are flawed, inconsistent, and more geared to keeping flights moving rather than basing quarantine decisions on objective medical standards. At a minimum, the company’s actions in this regard lack transparency, and therefore generate no confidence among pilots that UPS is acting in the best interest of their health and safety,” Travis said. On the other hand, unions have been known to take advantage of external issue to buttress their positioning on labor contracts. The IPA in March agreed with UPS on a two-year extension of their labor contract. Whether there are underlying decisions the union is trying to influence beyond health issues is unclear in the absence of a contract dispute. Travis acknowledged that UPS has been able to repatriate sick crew members in many cases, but said it needs to use its clout to secure the release of an asymptomatic pilot who tested positive and is now hospitalized in Hong Kong against his will. The pilot is sharing a small room with a very sick COVID patient who is being placed on a ventilator, according to the IPA. “As part of UPS’s culture of safety, we have gone to tremendous lengths to keep our pilots safe during the coronavirus pandemic. We have equipped crewmembers with face masks, gloves, hand sanitizer and thermometers, educated them on social distancing on health protocols in areas where they fly, and enhanced cleaning protocols for our buildings, vehicles and aircraft,” Mangeot said. “We have allowed our pilots to request alternate flight schedules, provided them with free, rapid COVID-19 testing, and worked with government entities to ensure our crews’ safe and healthy transit through nations around the world. https://metroairportnews.com/union-claims-that-ups-pilots-experiencing-significant-increase-in-virus-cases/ Hawaiian Airlines letting customers redeem miles for COVID-19 testing kit HONOLULU - Hawaiian Airlines will let its customers redeem frequent flier miles for a COVID-19 test kit before traveling. The U.S. carrier said Thursday that members of its loyalty program can use 14,000 HawaiianMiles to order a mail-in test kit by Vault Health. The program is “for a limited time only.” The test kit is available for travelers of all ages, including children. Customers will self-collect their saliva sample with help from a testing supervisor in a video call, the airline said. The kit is then express-shipped to a lab, with results expected electronically within 24 hours of receiving the sample. “We remain dedicated to making testing for our guests as convenient and accessible as possible, so we’re incredibly pleased to extend our partnership with Vault Health to allow our HawaiianMiles members to purchase their at-home test kit with miles,” said Avi Mannis, senior vice president of marketing at Hawaiian Airlines. Hawaiian Airlines is among several U.S. carriers that have announced testing programs for Hawaii-bound travelers prior to flying. Those who test negative for the novel coronavirus within 72 hours before their flight to Hawaii can avoid a mandatory 14-day quarantine in the state. Travelers must show proof of a negative test result from one of the state’s “trusted testing and travel partners,” which it lists here. United Airlines offers a rapid test at the airport or self-collected, mail-in test for customers flying from San Francisco International Airport to Hawaii. The carrier will also soon offer free COVID-19 testing to travelers on select flights between Newark Liberty International in New Jersey and London’s Heathrow Airport as part of a four-week pilot program. All passengers over age 2 on select flights between the two destinations will be given free rapid tests, part of the carrier’s effort to boost passenger confidence about the safety of flying amid the global pandemic. Those who do not wish to be tested will be able to change their flight in advance without change fees, United said. Roughly one-fourth of the U.S. passenger airline fleet has been inactive for at least 30 days, according to Airlines for America, a trade representing major U.S. airlines. The group said that despite a recent uptick in air travel, passenger volume remains down 65%. https://www.fox29.com/news/hawaiian-airlines-customers-can-redeem-miles-for-covid-19-testing-kit FSF Honors John Goglia, Stuart Matthews The Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) recently honored former U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) board member, airline maintenance professional, and safety advocate John Goglia with its Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award. Goglia was recognized during FSF‘s 73rd annual International Air Safety Summit (IASS) held virtually. The organization further presented an honorary Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award to former FSF president and CEO Stuart Matthews. FSF said the award “recognizes and celebrates original and remarkable worldwide contributions─in method, design, invention, study or other advancement─in the field of aviation safety, be it civil or military.” Goglia, who is an AIN contributor, was the first, and to date only, airframe and powerplant mechanic appointed to become an NTSB board member, serving from August 1995 to June 2004. During his time, he participated in numerous investigations, including of TWA flight 800 in 1996, the crash of Alaska Airlines flight 261 in 2000, and the April 1996 ValuJet crash. He joined the board with some 30 years of experience as an airline mechanic, union flight safety representative, and owner of an aircraft service company. Since his time at the NTSB, he has remained active in aviation safety initiatives, serving as senior v-p with JD Aviation Technology Solutions and then with his own firm, John Goglia LLC. In these capacities, he has been a teacher, researcher, consultant, author, and mentor, FSF noted. Matthews, who became a pilot at age 17, served as president and CEO of FSF between 1994 and 2006. Before that, he had served on the FSF board of governors since 1989, including as chairman. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2020-11-11/fsf-honors-john-goglia-stuart-matthews Korean Air seeking to buy Asiana Airlines Korean Air is seeking to acquire Asiana Airlines with the support of the Korea Development Bank, according to the airline industry on Friday. Industry sources said Asiana Airlines’ creditor KDB is considering mergers and acquisitions of the two nation’s largest airlines in a way to support Hanjin Group, which owns Korean Air. The most likely option is that the KDB invests in Hanjin Kal, the holding company of Hanjin Group, through a paid-in capital increase method allocated to a third party, and Hanjin Kal buys a 30.77 percent stake in Asiana Airlines. The industry expects that Hanjin Group will send a letter of intent to Asiana Airlines next week. The KDB said, “We are reviewing it among various options, but nothing has been confirmed.” Asiana Airlines is under creditor control following the failure of the acquisition talks with HDC Hyundai Development. Asiana has already used up 3.3 trillion won ($2.9 billion) supported by state-run banks and recently received additional support of 240 billion won from the government. The possible merger between the nation’s two largest airlines will, however, face antitrust issues. If Korean Air acquires Asiana, it is expected to hold more than 75 percent of the market share on passenger routes to the Americas and major cargo routes. Later in the day, private equity fund KCGI, a shareholder of Hanjin Kal, released a statement opposing the merger plan. “It is reasonable to suspect that KDB’s consideration of acquiring Asiana Airlines by funding Hanjin Kal is a measure to preserve the position of the current management, ignoring the rights of other shareholders.” It added that, “The purchase of Asiana Airlines, which is facing its worst financial crisis, without any specific concerns about industrial synergy, could lead to damages for customers. Therefore, it is necessary to go through a sufficient review and transparent consultation process.” Currently, Hanjin Kal is owned by a three-way alliance led by KCGI -- alongside Bando Engineering & Construction, and Cho Hyun-ah -- which has a 46.71 percent stake and Hanjin Chairman Cho Won-tae, who has a 41.4 percent stake. http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20201113000594 Emirates airline posts first loss in more than 30 years Dubai-based Emirates airline on Thursday posted a $3.4 billion half-year loss, its first in more than three decades, saying it had been badly hit by the coronavirus lockdown that brought air transport to "a literal standstill". "In this unprecedented situation for the aviation and travel industry, the Emirates Group recorded a half-year loss for the first time in over 30 years," the airline's chairman and chief executive, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said in a statement. The airline, which was forced to temporarily suspend operations earlier this year before building back its vast network, saw revenue fall 75 percent to $3.2 billion. Over the half-year to September, it carried just 1.5 million passengers, down 95 percent from the same period last year. The carrier, the Middle East's largest, said that its bottom line found some support with a "strong cargo business" as it repurposed its fleet to accommodate the need for supplies around the globe, including medical equipment. "As passenger traffic disappeared, Emirates and (air services arm) dnata have been able to rapidly pivot to serve cargo demand and other pockets of opportunity," Sheikh Ahmed said. "This has helped us recover our revenues from zero to 26% of our position same time last year." https://www.yahoo.com/news/emirates-airline-posts-first-loss-081454284.html Etihad flags more cabin crew job cuts, Airbus A380s grounded DUBAI (Reuters) - Etihad Airways told cabin crew on Wednesday there would be layoffs this week, an internal email showed, and a company source said the airline's Airbus A380 superjumbos have been parked "indefinitely" after a slower than expected recovery in demand. In the internal email seen by Reuters, cabin crew were told those affected would be notified within 24 hours, without saying how many would lose their jobs. The notice was sent out two days after a letter gave pilots at the Abu Dhabi state carrier similar news. Etihad has already cut jobs and salaries as its losses widened this year. Staff were told in the email that Etihad believes it will become a much smaller airline as air travel demand has not recovered quickly enough, leaving the carrier with a larger workforce than needed. A company source said up to 1,000 cabin crew job cuts are expected, including senior cabin staff and cabin managers. The airline employed around 4,800 cabin crew as of February. In a second email sent on Wednesday and seen by Reuters, Etihad told the remaining staff it still has a surplus of cabin crew. However, the airline will manage that with an unpaid leave programme, it added. The source said that Chief Executive Tony Douglas had told staff its A380s would continue to be parked "indefinitely". They have been grounded since March because the pandemic has greatly reduced air travel demand. An Etihad spokeswoman told Reuters the A380s would remain grounded unless demand increased sufficiently. She did not respond to questions about the planned job losses. The International Air Transport Association has said that inconsistent border rules have hampered the airline industry's recovery, making it difficult for airlines to plan. A new wave of infections and lockdowns across Europe and elsewhere has added to the uncertainty for the aviation industry as it faces its worst ever crisis. Etihad this week said it would push ahead with plans to shrink the airline into a mid-sized carrier concentrating on its wide-body fleet, raising questions about the future of its 30 narrow-body Airbus A320 jets. https://www.yahoo.com/news/etihad-flags-more-cabin-crew-120226175.html Nasa's new 'megarocket' set for critical tests Nasa has been developing a "megarocket" to send humans to the Moon and, eventually, Mars. The last critical tests of the giant launcher's core section are expected to take place within the next few weeks. Sometimes compared to the iconic Saturn V, can the Space Launch System (SLS) help capture the excitement of lunar exploration for a new generation? In southern Mississippi, near the border with Louisiana, engineers have been putting a remarkable piece of hardware through its paces. A giant orange cylinder is suspended on an equally imposing steel structure called the B-2 test stand on the grounds of Stennis Space Center, a Nasa test facility outside the city of Bay St Louis. Measuring 65m (212ft) from top to bottom - longer than the Statue of Liberty - the cylinder represents the core of a space vehicle more powerful than anything the world has seen since the 1960s. It's called the Space Launch System (SLS) and it consists of the liquid-fuelled core stage - with four powerful RS-25 engines at its base - and two solid fuel boosters which are strapped to the sides. The fully assembled vehicle provides the massive thrust force necessary to blast astronauts off the Earth and hurl them towards the Moon. Under Nasa's Artemis programme, the next man and the first woman will be despatched to the lunar surface in 2024. It will be the first crewed landing on Earth's only natural satellite since Apollo 17 in 1972. It may use technology developed for the space shuttle, but in many ways, the SLS is a modern heir to the Saturn V, the gigantic rocket that lofted all of the Apollo missions. After a decade of development, the SLS is now approaching a critical stage. A year-long programme of testing for the core stage is coming to an end. Called the Green Run, it's designed to iron out any issues before the rocket's maiden flight, scheduled for November 2021. On 12 January this year, the first SLS core stage was shipped to Stennis on a barge from the New Orleans factory where it was assembled. It was then lifted by cranes and installed in a vertical position on the B-2 test stand. Ryan McKibben, SLS Green Run test conductor at Stennis Space Center, told BBC News: "When you actually see the real deal, with the real avionics, the real tanks - the liquid hydrogen tank which holds 500,000 gallons and the liquid oxygen tank with over 200,000 gallons - it is an incredible vehicle." The Green Run is split into eight parts - or test cases. Since the beginning of the year, engineers from Nasa and Boeing, the rocket's prime contractor, have been working through these individual tests. They have included powering up the avionics (flight electronics), evaluating the performance of different systems and components, and simulating problems. "We're very fortunate to be able to put it through its paces: power it up, do leak checks, even pressurise some systems," says Ryan McKibben. "One of the test cases, test case five, we ended up gimballing the engines - that's when we move them around hydraulically so that you can do course corrections during flight. It's been a lot of fun." During its first mission next year, known as Artemis-1, the SLS will launch an uncrewed Orion capsule on a loop around the Moon. It will allow Nasa to evaluate the capsule before astronauts are allowed on. The remaining two core stage tests are crucial. Number seven, known as the wet dress rehearsal (WDR) involves a full loading of the core stage tanks with liquid hydrogen (LH2) - the rocket's fuel - and liquid oxygen (LOX), which makes the fuel burn. Together, these are known as propellants. A waterway snakes through the grounds of Stennis Space Center, linking it to the nearby Pearl River. This allows heavy equipment and hardware to be shipped between different Nasa sites. A total of six barges carrying LH2 and LOX will be docked near the B-2 test stand during the wet dress rehearsal. The cold (cryogenic) propellants will be piped from these barges to the core stage tanks. This is relatively easy with hydrogen - a very light gas, but oxygen is heavy, and has to be pumped. The loading will take place over about six-and-a-half hours. After the tanks are full, they will be continually topped up, because the propellants are at temperatures of several hundreds of degrees below zero and boil off over time. Engineers will gather data and compare it against mathematical models to check that the entire system behaves as expected. The Stennis teams will simulate a launch countdown during the WDR, taking things up to the T-minus (time remaining) 33 seconds mark. "We'll spend about two weeks looking at the data to make sure all the systems behaved as expected," John Shannon, vice president and SLS programme manager at Boeing, told journalists last month. "We'll go out and inspect the vehicle, make sure there are no surprises." The eighth and final test, called the engine "hotfire", will pick up from the 33-second mark. With the core stage anchored to the stand, the hotfire will see its four powerful RS-25 engines fired together for the first time. "It's a full duration burn - that's what we're targeting," said Mr McKibben. "It's exciting to light more than one off at the same time... We haven't done that for close to 40 years at the site." Aside from the engineering data it will generate, the test will demonstrate the awesome power of the SLS. The engines - the same ones that powered the now-retired space shuttle orbiter - will generate a whopping 1.6 million pounds of thrust. That's roughly the same as six 747 airliners at full power. Although the propellants are at hundred of degrees below freezing when they're fed to the RS-25 engines, the exhaust that emerges is 3,315C (6,000F) - hot enough to boil iron. "We fire down into a bucket that has a lot of water going into it. The water keeps it from burning straight through the test stand," said Ryan McKibben. Hundreds of thousands of gallons of water are directed into the flame bucket to cool the exhaust. In addition, tens of thousands of gallons will be used to create a water "curtain" around the engines to suppress the noise generated when they fire for 8.5 minutes. This is done to protect the core stage from vibrations while it is anchored to the stand. "We are definitely excited, because you don't get to try out a new space vehicle very often," says McKibben. Engineers have recently been troubleshooting an issue with a pre-valve, which supplies liquid hydrogen fuel to the RS-25 engines. But Mr McKibben says this is "something we're more than capable of handling". The testing has largely proceeded smoothly, but there was a five-week stop due to Covid-19. In addition, work at the site also had to be shut down six times due to tropical weather, given the particularly active hurricane season. Originally scheduled to take place in early to mid-November, the wet dress rehearsal and hotfire are now expected to take place with the next six to three weeks. Teams are conscious of meeting a January timeline for delivering the core stage to Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it will undergo final processing and preparations for launch in November 2021. McKibben says he believes teams can still meet this schedule, but adds that it depends on how the core performs during WDR. The SLS has long been a lightning rod for those who would prefer Nasa to hand over more of its activities to commercial companies, and those who believe the government rocket, designed specifically to carry humans and based on proven technology, is the best option for deep space exploration. The SLS will have cost more than $17bn by the end of this year, but without significant modifications, no existing commercial rocket can send Orion, astronauts and heavy cargo to the Moon in one go. There is no clear sign as yet of the direction in which a Joe Biden administration might take the human spaceflight programme. The Artemis effort enjoys bipartisan support. But some Capitol Hill lawmakers may not necessarily be as wedded to the timeline, announced last year by Mike Pence, of landing humans on the Moon by 2024. There's no doubt that the Moon programme has recaptured some of the excitement of the Apollo era. Mr McKibben says he is in awe of what the Saturn V engineers did back in the 1960s. It's not lost on him that the B-2 test stand was built to test the five engines of the Saturn's first stage. Going mobile with his laptop, Mr McKibben shows me a car he owns: a navy Dodge Dart from 1969 - the year Neil and Buzz touched down in the Sea of Tranquility. "It's something an old test guy that would have been testing the Saturn V would have driven," he tells me. "I'm kind of a nostalgic person." https://www.yahoo.com/news/nasas-megarocket-set-critical-tests-102727141.html Curt Lewis