Flight Safety Information - December 22, 2020 No. 257 In This Issue : Incident: Alitalia A320 at Rome on Dec 16th 2020, rejected takeoff due to conflicting departure : Incident: Caledonie A339 at Tokyo on Dec 18th 2020, flaps problem : Incident: Maleth A346 over Atlantic on Dec 15th 2020, turbulence triggers oceanic contingency : Raytheon Hawker 800XP - Landing Accident (New York) : Two passengers leave plane by emergency slide before takeoff from NYC : US charges alleged bomb-maker in Pan Am Flight 103 Lockerbie terrorist attack : Pilot blamed for Taiwan's first local Covid transmission since April : United Promises to Leave No Covid-Infected Pilot Behind : FAA Picks Leidos to Revamp Safety System : Dozens of airline passengers in Canada hit with fines, warning letters for refusing to wear a mask : U.S. set to boost FAA oversight of new planes after Boeing 737 Max crashes : Oops: Nepalese Airline Flies Passengers To The Wrong Destination : Boeing Ordered to Adopt Safety Policies in Big Spending Bill : Curtiss-Wright Receives EASA Certification for Imaging Multi-Purpose Flight Recorder : FAA Now Wants To Fine Violators of Face Mask Mandate : Vaccine brings hope to airlines : Air India’s New Owners Allowed To Fire Employees, Sell Airplanes To Make Profit, Reduce Loss : EasyJet defers Airbus aircraft deliveries : Airbus proposes detachable hydrogen propulsion pods for aircraft : Jet Linx Hires First Cadets From Innovative Pilot Recruitment & Training Program In Conjunction With Southwest Airlines & CAE : U.S. airlines prepare employee recalls as relief nears; United calls them 'temporary' : NTSB - Position Available - Transportation Disaster Assistance (TDA) Specialist : HUMAN FACTORS ANALYSIS AND CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM - Online Course : 2021 Aircraft Cabin Air Conference Incident: Alitalia A320 at Rome on Dec 16th 2020, rejected takeoff due to conflicting departure An Alitalia Airbus A320-200, registration EI-EIC performing flight AZ-204 from Rome Fiumicino (Italy) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was accelerating for takeoff from Fiumicino's runway 25 when the crew observed a flock of birds, believed to be gulls, sitting on the runway and preparing for departure. The crew rejected takeoff at low speed (about 74 knots over ground), the birds flew up and departed, while the crew brought the aircraft down to taxi speed, vacated the runway avoiding a bird strike, returned to the threshold runway 25 and departed without further conflict, from a then unoccupied runway, about 17 minutes after the rejected takeoff. The aircraft landed in London without further incident about 10 minutes past schedule. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e0b4cea&opt=0 Incident: Caledonie A339 at Tokyo on Dec 18th 2020, flaps problem An Air Caledonie International (also known as Aircalin) Airbus A330-900N, registration F-ONET performing flight SB-800 from Noumea (New Caledonia) to Tokyo Narita (Japan) with 173 people on board, was on approach to Tokyo when the crew stopped the descent at 4000 feet reporting problems with the flaps. The aircraft entered a hold at 4000 feet, in between also 5000 feet, while the crew worked the related checklists and prepared for landing. The aircraft subsequently landed on Narita's runway 34L at a higher than normal speed (160 knots over ground) about 35 minutes later. The aircraft is still on the ground in Tokyo about 16.5 hours after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e0aa2f7&opt=0 Incident: Maleth A346 over Atlantic on Dec 15th 2020, turbulence triggers oceanic contingency A Maleth Aero Airbus A340-600, registration 9H-PPE performing flight DB-221 from Bournemouth,EN (UK) to New York JFK,NY (USA) with 5 people on board, was enroute at FL380 over the Atantic Ocean when the crew reduced their speed in preparation for predicted moderate turbulence. About 660nm eastnortheast of Goose Bay,NL (Canada) the turbulence increased to severe making it impossible for the crew to type a descent request into the CPDLC (Controller-Pilot Data Link Communications), the crew was also unable to establish contact with Gander Oceanic on HF radio. The crew therefore performed oceanic contingency procedures, broadcast a PAN PAN call and descended to FL340. Gander Oceanic subsequently acknowledged and cleared the flight for FL340, the crew cancelled PAN PAN and continued to destination without further incident landing at JFK about 4 hours later. The Canadian TSB reported there were no injuries. After landing the quick access recorder was downloaded, analysis of the flight data showed the loads on the aircraft had remained within limitations. An inspection of the aircraft did not find any faults. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/MLT212/history/20201215/0951Z/EGHH/KJFK http://avherald.com/h?article=4e0ab993&opt=0 Raytheon Hawker 800XP - Landing Accident (New York) Date: Sunday 20 December 2020 Time: 20:35 Type: Raytheon Hawker 800XP Operator: Talon Air Registration: N412JA C/n / msn: 258516 First flight: 2001 Engines: 2 Garrett TFE731-5BR Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 Aircraft damage: Substantial Location: Farmingdale-Republic Airport, NY (FRG) ( United States of America) Phase: Landing (LDG) Nature: Unknown Departure airport: Miami-Opa locka Executive Airport (OPF/KOPF), United States of America Destination airport: Farmingdale-Republic Airport, NY (FRG/KFRG), United States of America Flightnumber: TFF941 Narrative: A Raytheon Hawker 800XP, N412JA, performing Talon Air flight TFF941, suffered an accident during landing on runway 14 at Farmingdale-Republic Airport, New York, USA. Both occupants sustained minor injuries. At 20:32 local time the flight was cleared for an ILS approach to runway 14. The Tower controller reported wind calm and stated that the aircraft that landed five minutes prior had reported that the cloud base was at minimums. She then reported that visibility had dropped to 1/4 mile in fog, indefinite ceiling with a vertical visibility of 200 feet. The aircraft landed at 20:35 and subsequently radioed: "Mayday, Mayday, Mayday Talon Air 941 crash-landing runway 1-4, we're still occupying, send vehicles out." Emergency services reported that there was damage to the nose radome and that the main and nose landing gears had collapsed. The aircraft had come to a stop at or near taxiway A, which runs to the right of and parallel to runway 14. The portion of the taxiway between A4 and A5 was Notammed closed after the accident. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20201220-0 Two passengers leave plane by emergency slide before takeoff from NYC Two passengers forced open the cabin door on their Delta flight and fled down an emergency slide shortly before takeoff Monday at LaGuardia Airport, the airline said. The passengers, who were not identified, were on a flight bound for Atlanta when they opened the aircraft’s cabin door. The plane, an Airbus A321, was taxiing at the time and returned to the gate, the statement said. Other passengers were placed on alternative flights, the airline said. Maintenance crews evaluated the plane, and it was scheduled to return to service Monday, the airline said. It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the hasty exit. The police department at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The New York Times, citing another passenger on the flight, identified the pair as a couple with a service dog who had switched seats several times before takeoff. The passenger, Brian Plummer, said the man stood up as the aircraft began moving and ignored a flight attendant's order to sit down. Plummer told The Times that he didn't see the man open the cabin door, but the flight crew alerted passengers after the plane came to an abrupt halt. After the man had forced open the emergency exit, the couple left with their dog, the newspaper reported. https://www.yahoo.com/news/two-passengers-leave-plane-emergency-043142996.html US charges alleged bomb-maker in Pan Am Flight 103 Lockerbie terrorist attack The Justice Department has announced charges against a Libyan man who is alleged to have constructed the bomb that brought down Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988, killing 270 people. Charges were filed against Abu Agela Mas’ud Kheir al-Marimi, 32 years to the day after the attack on the Boeing 747 en route from London to New York in the run-up to Christmas. It is one of the final acts as head of the department by the attorney general, William Barr. When he informed Donald Trump of his resignation last week, Mr Barr asked to delay his departure by a week so that he could announce the Lockerbie charges, CNN reported. During his earlier stint in government under George HW Bush, Mr Barr tasked the then head of the Justice Department’s criminal division, Robert Mueller, to investigate the bombing. The two men have appeared at annual remembrance ceremonies over the years with the families of the victims. During the Bush administration, Mr Barr announced charges in 1991 against two other Libyan intelligence-linked men, Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi and Al-Amin Khalifah Fhimah. The US accused them of placing explosives in a portable cassette player packed inside a suitcase on the plane. Because of the difficulty in bringing them to the US for trial, they were instead tried by a specially convened Scottish court in the Netherlands. Mr Fhimah was acquitted, but Megrahi was convicted and sentenced to 27 years in prison. Following a cancer diagnosis, Megrahi was released in 2009 and died in 2012. Mr Mas’ud is in custody in Libya. It is not yet known if he will be brought to the US for trial. Mr Barr said at the press conference on Monday that he expects the current Libyan government to turn him over. “I would like to publicly and personally express my deepest thanks to the Lord Advocate of Scotland, James Wolffe QC, for the tireless efforts of his dedicated prosecutors from the Crown Office and investigators from Police Scotland," said Mr Barr. "These charges are the product of decades of hard work by investigators and prosecutors who have remained resolute in their dogged pursuit of justice for our citizens, the citizens of the United Kingdom, and the citizens of the other 19 countries that were murdered by terrorists operating on behalf of the former Muamar Qaddafi regime when they attacked Pan Am flight 103. “As to all the victims and the families, we cannot take away your pain from your loss, but we can seek justice for you. Our message to other terrorists around the world is this – you will not succeed. If you attack Americans, no matter where you are, no matter how long it takes, you will be pursued to the ends of the earth until justice is done.” The criminal complaint filed today charges Mr Mas’ud with destruction of an aircraft resulting in death, as well as destruction of a vehicle by means of an explosive resulting in death. An affidavit in support of the criminal complaint says that the External Security Organisation (ESO) was the Libyan intelligence service through which Libya conducted acts of terrorism against other nations and repressed the activities of overseas dissidents. Mr Mas’ud worked in various capacities for the ESO, including as a technical expert in building explosive devices from approximately 1973 to 2011. He is also charged in connection with the 5 April 1986 bombing of the La Belle Discotheque in West Berlin, Germany, which killed two US service personnel and a Turkish woman, and seriously injured many more. Lockerbie remains the worst terrorist atrocity to befall the UK, and America’s second worst after 9/11. All 243 passengers and 16 crew on the airplane were killed, as well as 11 residents of the town of Lockerbie. Of those who died, 190 were American. In a statement, the director of the FBI, Chris Wray, said: “Today’s announcement should remind the world that when Americans are harmed, the FBI and the United States government will never stop pursuing justice for our citizens, no matter where that takes us, how long it takes us to get there, or how difficult the road might be.” https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-charge-alleged-bomb-maker-145024964.html Pilot blamed for Taiwan's first local Covid transmission since April Taiwanese woman had contact with New Zealand Pilot who had flown flights to US Taiwan’s world-leading run of 253 days since its last local Covid-19 infection is over, after the diagnosis of a close contact of a foreign pilot who visited Taipei while infectious. Health authorities said a woman in her 30s had tested positive, the first case outside of hotel quarantine since 12 April. She was confirmed as a close contact of the pilot, a New Zealander in his 60s working for a Taiwanese airline, whom authorities had announced as a quarantined case on Sunday. The health minister, Chen Shih-chung, said the pilot had not “truthfully declared” his contacts and activities. Statements from health authorities suggest they believed the pilot contracted the virus in the US before flying three more flights between the US and Taiwan, and breaching quarantine in Taipei. The Centers for Disease Control said on Sunday the pilot flew a Taiwanese airline cargo plane to the US on 29 November before returning to Taiwan on 4 December. While Taiwan has strict 14-day quarantine requirements for the vast majority of arrivals, pilots are only required to isolate for three days. Authorities said the pilot visited several establishments in Taipei including department stores between 8 and 12 December, before flying back to the US with two co-pilots who later tested positive. Health authorities said he was coughing on the 12 December flight, but not wearing a mask. He returned to Taiwan on 15 December and was tested on 18 December, when he was considered a close contact of one of the sick co-pilots. The pilot faces a fine of up to NT$300,000 (£8,500). Taiwan has a population of 24 million people and lies just off the coast of the People’s Republic of China, where Covid-19 originated. Its government took quick action when reports emerged of an outbreak in Wuhan, enacting travel restrictions, enforcing the wearing of face-masks, and other measures that successfully contained the virus. Taiwan has recorded just 770 cases, the vast majority of which were diagnosed in new arrivals staying in quarantine. Seven people have died. Mask-wearing has remained mandatory on public transport in Taiwan all year, and was recently expanded to include other public places in anticipation of the flu season. Border restrictions are also in place, but quarantine times were reduced for certain business travellers and flight crew. On Tuesday Taiwan’s health authorities said flight crew and cabin crew would now have to undergo 14 days in a quarantine facility or government-run hotel. In response to the new strain of the virus detected in the UK, they also said they would be reducing by half the number of flights between the two places, effective at midnight. All flights would be operated by China Airlines, after all EVA Air flights were cancelled. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/22/taiwan-confirms-first-local-covid-case-in-more-than-250-days United Promises to Leave No Covid-Infected Pilot Behind Ordinarily, an airline might refuse to transport a passenger with Covid-19. But airlines know they need to repatriate crew members who develop Covid-19 abroad. If they do not, crew members might refuse to fly the trips, and airlines would lose revenue. United Airlines has developed a comprehensive plan to “extract” sick, or possibly sick, pilots from foreign countries using airplanes without passengers, so pilots need not quarantine or receive treatment abroad unless absolutely necessary, according to an internal United employee memo on December 14 seen by Skift. The memo was titled “International extraction procedure – COVID affected crew member.” As a giant pandemic rages, repatriation of crew members is a thorny issue at many passenger and cargo airlines. Pilots and flight attendants fear they might get stuck in a foreign country, at a subpar hotel, or worse, at a hospital or detention center. Pilot unions worry a crew member may test negative for Covid-19 before departure and then positive shortly after landing abroad. The Air Lines Pilots Association, which represents pilots at United, Delta Air Lines and Federal Express, among others, did not comment for this story, but it has been vocal about this danger. In July, the union said, three Federal Express pilots were “forced into mandated hospital facilities,” in Hong Kong after testing positive for the virus, while “several” others “were put into government camps under extremely difficult conditions.” At around the same time, United and American Airlines stopped flying to Hong Kong, after pilots made complaints about the type of Covid-19 testing used on arrival. After airlines had had similar troubles in Shanghai, United stopped flying nonstop from San Francisco. Carriers generally have been receptive to pilot union concerns, because they don’t want to get in a position where pilots refuse to fly the few remaining lucrative long-haul routes. MOST AIRLINES HAVE SOME PLANS Most global airlines have plans to evacuate flight crew during coups, wars and terrorist attacks, and after natural disasters. But the United Covid-19 extraction plans seen by Skift are specific to this global pandemic, describing in detail where sick crew members may sit on board, which bathroom they may use, how they can eat during flights, and where they should dispose of their garbage. United has assigned an “extraction team,” to handle logistics, the memo states. The memo also shares what is perhaps the most important rule: Crew members can not be evacuated on passenger flights. “If no United aircraft and/or crews are available to conduct the flight … the airline will advise of an alternative extraction, or quarantine-in-place plan,” the memo said. The two other U.S.-based global airlines, American and Delta Air Lines have similar plans for crew members, airline representatives said. “If any of our crew members are exposed or develop symptoms abroad, we follow local requirements and closely coordinate with the CDC to safely get these team members home,” an American spokeswoman said. “I can confirm we have [a plan] but out of many safety and security considerations, I’ll decline to provide further detail,” a Delta spokesman said. A United spokeswoman declined to comment. UNITED’S PLANS The five-page memo to pilots lays out how the airline is repatriating crew members. While United has made it clear it does not want passengers flying if they believe they have Covid-19, the airline said it can safely extract its own crew members from abroad, so long as planes have no other passengers. United’s policy kicks in as soon as a crew member tests positive, or fears a positive test, or reports close contact for at least 15 minutes with someone who tested positive, the memo states. The crew member is supposed to get in touch with Medaire, a company that provides health guidance to airlines. Next, the crew member should contact United’s chief pilots office where teams will “coordinate logistics and advise affected crew member of next steps and extraction flight details.” However, if a jurisdiction does not permit extractions or Medaire believes the pilot should stay put, the memo states, the pilot must quarantine. Regardless, once the pilot fears infection, the person should stay in place. “Pilots should not go to the airport, or leave the hotel, until advised by the extraction team,” the memo said. At the airport, crew working the flight are supposed to wear N95 masks while the ill, or potentially ill, United employee boards the airplane. “After readying the aircraft, all operating crew members should ensure they maintain a safe distance of 6 feet or greater from affected crew members beginning with boarding, and at all other times during the extraction.” Once on the airplane, the memo states, operating crew members are not supposed to go to the rear of the aircraft unless necessary for operational or safety reasons. The sick, or possibly sick, crew member can only sit in certain zones of the airplane. On narrow-body jets, the affected crew member must seat in economy class, while on wide-body jets, the person can sit in the one of the rear-most seats in business class. Each airplane has an imaginary red line near the front of the aircraft the sick person may not cross cross, except in an emergency. The person being extracted may eat, and may use one of the aircraft’s galleys to prepare food. The person may also use designated bathrooms. “After using the galley for food/beverage prep or trash disposal, affected crew members are asked to disinfect their preparation and/or contact areas using alcohol-based sanitizer,” the memo states. Once at the destination, the sick or potentially sick crew member is supposed to be the last person off of the airplane. The pilots memo was sent out just as United is dealing with an incident in which a passenger died last week on an Orlando-to-Los Angeles flight reportedly with Covid symptoms. The airline, which would not confirm the passenger had Covid, said it was contacted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about the death. “At the time of the diversion, we were informed he had suffered a cardiac arrest, so passengers were given the option to take a later flight or continue on with their travel plans,” United said in a statement. After the flight was diverted to take the passenger off the plane, it continued on to Los Angeles. https://skift.com/2020/12/21/united-promises-to-leave-no-covid-infected-pilot-behind/ FAA Picks Leidos to Revamp Safety System Science and technology company Leidos has been awarded a new prime contract by the Federal Aviation Administration to modernize its safety analysis tools and capabilities through the development of the Operational Analysis and Reporting System, or OARS. This single-award contract has an approximate total value of $64 million and includes a 4-year base period with two 2-year options. Work will be based out of Gaithersburg, Maryland, and Morgantown, West Virginia. “Leidos is proud to work with the FAA to modernize their safety systems,” said Fran Hill, senior vice president of Leidos Transportation Solutions. “By leveraging our team’s vast safety knowledge, cloud modernization experience and innovative technologies, the FAA will accelerate their vision for the future.” OARS will support the Air Traffic Organization’s Safety Management System by proactively defining, identifying, assessing, treating and tracking the mitigation of safety risks. Through this contract, Leidos will leverage its robust capabilities, including cloud adoption framework, SecDevOps and continuous integration and continuous delivery processes to migrate and enhance safety services. https://washingtonexec.com/2020/12/faa-picks-leidos-to-revamp-safety-system/#.X-HglFVKiUk Dozens of airline passengers in Canada hit with fines, warning letters for refusing to wear a mask • More incidents involved Alberta than any other province: Transport Canada data Transport Canada has handed out fines and warning letters to dozens of people who refused to wear a mask on a plane during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Vince Warburton/The Associated Press) Dozens of passengers on Canadian airlines have been slapped with fines or warning letters by Transport Canada in recent months for refusing to wear a mask on board a flight, with more incidents involving Alberta airports than any other province. A review of Transport Canada data by CBC News reveals that WestJet passengers have been the hardest hit — with 50 of the 72 incidents, or nearly 70 per cent, involving passengers on the Calgary-based airline. WestJet passengers were issued eight of the nine fines, known as administrative monetary penalties, meted out since June. The ninth fine was to a passenger who flew from Vancouver to Whitehorse on Air North in August. Transport Canada has issued 12 warning letters to passengers on Air Canada flights, two to Jazz passengers and two to people on Air Transat flights, while Air North, Calm Air, Flair, KLM and Swoop each had one passenger who received a warning letter. While Transport Canada provided information in September on the amounts of the first two fines levied — one in June for $1,000 and another in July for the same amount — it would only provide ranges for the amounts of most of the fines. Overall, two people were fined between $100 and $500, five received fines ranging from $501 to $1,000, one passenger was handed a fine that ranged from $1,001 to $1,500 and another was hit with a fine of between $1,501 and $2,000. Another 63 passengers have received warning letters. While the warning letters don't lead directly to fines, Transport Canada spokesperson Sau Sau Liu said they can result in higher fines for a second offence. "Based on Transport Canada's graduated approach to enforcement action, when warranted by the results of an investigation where mitigating factors are taken into consideration, a first offence may result in a letter of warning," she said. WestJet to remove unmasked passengers from flights and ban them for a year Holiday travel through Vancouver's airport down as much as 90 per cent, officials say "The letter serves as a reminder of the consequences the offender may face should the infraction be committed again in the future. Should a second or subsequent violation occur for the same offence/violation, Transport Canada's process would trigger an enhanced level of enforcement action, which could result in a penalty of up to $5,000." But if there is evidence of "aggravating factors, such as blatant and repeated refusals to comply," combined with such things as disrespectful or abusive language, physical or verbal threats, a first offence can result in a fine and even criminal charges, Liu said. WestJet has 'zero-tolerance' mask policy While Alberta has 11.5 per cent of Canada's population, 36.8 per cent of the incidents occurred on flights to or from an Alberta airport. Calgary's airport — which is a WestJet hub and is Canada's fourth largest — was involved in 37 incidents, while Edmonton's airport was involved in 14. In Ontario, which has 38.2 per cent of the country's residents, incidents on flights to or from the province's airports made up for 23.6 per cent of the total. According to the data, Toronto's Pearson International Airport, which has more traffic than any other Canadian airport, was the departure or arrival point in 30 incidents. British Columbia was involved in 19.4 per cent of incidents. While 18 incidents involved flights going to or from Vancouver International Airport, there were also incidents involving flights that visited Kelowna (4), Kamloops (1), Abbotsford (3), Comox (1) and Terrace (1). Only five incidents involved passengers flying to Canada from international airports — two from London's Gatwick Airport, two from Paris and one from Israel. 2-year-olds are getting kicked off planes for refusing to wear a mask. Is that fair? Garneau expands required use of face masks on planes, trains, ships and transit WestJet spokesperson Morgan Bell said the airline adopted a zero-tolerance policy on mask-wearing in September. "Our approach is zero-tolerance, as Canadian travellers and all of our WestJet Group employees are counting on us to keep them safe," she said, pointing out that WestJet has flown more than 28,000 flights and more than a million passengers since the pandemic began. "Travellers must understand if they choose to not wear a mask, they are choosing not to fly our airlines." Bell said WestJet has issued 34 red cards to passengers who refused to wear masks on board — barring them from flights on WestJet, WestJet Encore and Swoop for a year. Another 121 passengers received yellow warning cards. Should you travel on an airplane? Here's what one infectious diseases doctor has to say Air Canada spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick said the airline has complied with reporting obligations and worked with Transport Canada during its investigations. Air Canada was one of the first airlines to require face coverings and recently strengthened its policy to improve the safety of passengers and crew members, he said. "For customers eligible for a face-covering exemption, as of Dec. 15, 2020, they will also need to present a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours from departure, at the airport check-in and/or prior to boarding the flight," he wrote in an email. "They may need another negative COVID-19 test for their return journey if the departure of their return trip exceeds 72 hours from the time the initial test was taken." Wesley Lesosky, president of the Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, said he hears from his members almost every day about cases where a passenger didn't want to wear a mask. "It's a health and safety concern to all, but it's their work environment, and they need to be safe when they're in their work environment. And if they feel unsafe because somebody doesn't have a mask, they're not required to put themselves in that particular situation." https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/airline-passengers-masks-fines-covid-1.5850825 U.S. set to boost FAA oversight of new planes after Boeing 737 Max crashes • The measure repeals the industry’s authority to self-certify new airplanes and creates new safety reporting channels for FAA employees. • The reforms aim to address shortfalls exposed by the two 737 Max crashes in five months that killed 346 people and led to plane’s worldwide grounding for 20 months that was only lifted by the FAA last month. • The legislation, intended to be included in a Covid-19 relief package, requires an expert review panel evaluate Boeing’s safety culture. Boeing and the FAA have declined to comment. U.S. lawmakers are expected to vote Monday to approve landmark reforms on how the government certifies new airplanes are safe in the wake of two fatal Boeing 737 Max crashes, according to a summary made public Monday. The measure, whose inclusion in a year-end legislative package was first reported earlier on Monday by Reuters, would boost Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) oversight of aircraft manufacturers, require disclosure of critical safety information and provide new whistleblower protections. The measure repeals the industry’s authority to self-certify new airplanes and creates new safety reporting channels for FAA employees. The reforms aim to address shortfalls exposed by the two 737 Max crashes in five months that killed 346 people and led to plane’s worldwide grounding for 20 months that was only lifted by the FAA last month. The legislation, intended to be included in a Covid-19 relief package, requires an expert review panel evaluate Boeing’s safety culture. Boeing and the FAA have declined to comment. Boeing did not initially disclose the existence of a key safety system tied to both fatal crashes known as MCAS to pilots. The legislation requires manufacturers to disclose to the FAA, airlines and pilots “all safety-critical information related to an aircraft.” The FAA must review Boeing employees performing duties on behalf of the FAA to ensure they meet minimum qualifications. The FAA must also report to Congress on the status of its implementation of various recommendations issued after the 737 Max crashes. The moves include increasing civil penalties, providing resources for the FAA to build highly qualified staff and requiring reviews of pilot-training standards. It also requires system safety assessments for all significant proposed design changes and requires FAA approval of all Boeing employees conducting certification tasks for the FAA. Last month, the Senate Commerce Committee unanimously passed a bill to reform FAA airplane certification and the U.S. House unanimously passed a similar bill. On Friday, Senate Commerce Republicans released a 102-page report that found Boeing officials “inappropriately coached” test pilots during recertification efforts for the MAX. The committee said it appeared FAA and Boeing officials “were attempting to cover up important information that may have contributed to the 737 Max tragedies.” https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/21/us-set-to-boost-faa-oversight-of-new-planes-after-boeing-737-max-crashes.html Oops: Nepalese Airline Flies Passengers To The Wrong Destination On December 18th, passengers on a Buddha Air flight from Kathmandu to Janakpur landed in Pokhara instead of their intended destination. The reason for landing at the wrong airport? Human error. This mix-up was due to a lack of communication between ground staff and the flight crew arising from weather issues and flight changes. Let’s take a look at what happened. • The aircraft involved in the incident was an ATR 72-500. Flight details Buddha Air was set to fly from Kathmandu (KTM) to Janakpur (JKR) on December 18th as flight U4505. Onboard the aircraft were 69 passengers that day. The flight was delayed in taking off but was due in Janakpur at 15:15 local time. While the pilots were certain that they had arrived at the right airport, passengers must have been confused as they stepped off the plane and found themselves at the wrong airport. The aircraft had landed in Pokhara (PKR), some 255km away (157mi) from Janakpur. So what exactly happened? According to the Kathmandu Post, Buddha Air has admitted to serious lapses on the part of its staff. On the day of the flight, weather conditions were rather unfavorable for flights (described as ‘breezy‘). Several services had already been delayed because of this, and as a result, airlines were doing their best to capitalize on the limited weather windows available for takeoff. One of these was Buddha Air’s U4505 to Janakpur. “There was miscommunication between the ground staff and the pilots…The flying pilots also did not look at the passengers’ manifest.” – Buddha Air official via Kathmandu Post Having seen the preliminary report, the Post notes that weather issues permitted flights to Pokhara until 15:00 under visual flight rules (VFR). The airline then changed flight numbers and ground staff re-assigned the 69 passengers to flight U4607 rather than U4505. This was done ‘on paper.’ Adding to the confusion was the fact that the difference in flight schedule between Janakpur and Pokhara was 15 to 20 minutes. The airline stated that everything was in the right order on paper. However, Buddha Air’s ground staff and flight attendant failed to brief the flight’s captain and co-pilot that the flight’s number had been changed. “Paperwork was fine,” said an airline representative, adding, “there were weather conditions also so the pilots were more focused on flying.” The second incident in Nepalese aviation history Tri Ratna Manandhar, former director-general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, tells the Post that this is only the second incident of its kind in the country’s entire history of aviation. “The Buddha Air incident happened due to miscommunication. It’s not part of safety lapses but it’s a serious lapse on the part of management. Such lapses cause passengers to suffer. On the other hand, airlines too have to bear losses.” Manandar notes. The first was in 1993 when a Twin Otter of then Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation landed at Simara airport rather than Bharatpur airport. As for Friday’s incident, the airline’s managing director told the Post that a committee has already been formed to investigate what happened. As for the passengers, the airline says that they were flown to Janakpur directly from Pokhara later in the day. What’s your reaction to this story? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment. Simple Flying has attempted to contact Buddha Air to obtain a statement directly from the airline. However, at the time of publication, no response has been received. https://simpleflying.com/buddha-air-wrong-destination/ Boeing Ordered to Adopt Safety Policies in Big Spending Bill By Alan Levin • Measure would tighten controls in wake of 737 Max crashes • Lawmakers also seek possible enforcement case against Boeing Sweeping aviation safety measures that would require aircraft manufacturers such as Boeing Co. to enact new safety policies, shield employees from company pressures and toughen government enforcement are included in legislation Congress is poised to approve. The Federal Aviation Administration reform bill, the most significant aviation safety legislation in the past decade, was a last-minute addition Monday to massive year-end legislation and is expected to pass soon. It is designed to address failures uncovered after two fatal crashes of 737 Max jetliners. It would require all planemakers to add robust internal safety systems, mandate an external review of the organization within Boeing that uses its own employees to review designs and direct FAA to more closely monitor manufacturers’ processes, according to a summary provided by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “Our bipartisan deal is the result of nearly two years of intense investigation in my committee, multiple public hearings on both sides of the Capitol, and countless conversations with the families of the victims and the aviation community,” said Representative Pete DeFazio of Oregon, the Democratic chair of the House Transportation Committee. The legislation adds protections against whistle-blower retaliation, creates an FAA whistle-blower ombudsman and shields employees of aviation manufacturers if they come forward with safety issues. In an unusual move, the bill also directs the FAA to take possible enforcement action against Boeing. The “FAA should hold Boeing fully accountable for any failure to meet the conditions of its 2015 settlement agreement with the FAA,” said a bill summary. Boeing didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. After multiple safety lapses unrelated to the Max, Boeing agreed to pay $12 million and make internal improvements, but recent investigations have uncovered other possible violations that could trigger additional penalties. Multiple investigations have found that Boeing’s own employees signed off on the final design of the system that went haywire in two crashes that killed 346 people without fully explaining to regulators how it had changed. The system repeatedly dove the planes as a result of a malfunction and pilots in both cases lost control and slammed to the ground. While the legislation stops short of ending the practice of allowing manufacturers to use their own employees to assess the safety of designs -- as some family members of victims have sought -- it reverses a decades-long process of expanding such programs. Another provision would add $27 million a year to help FAA recruit experts in the kind of issues highlighted by the crashes, such as how pilots interact with complex failures and software design. It also requires the agency to bolster anonymous complaint reporting and improve employee training. It also contains requirements to ensure the FAA requires new airliners to have improved safety alerting systems. All newly designed jetliners have such systems, but the updates to the 737, which was first flown in the 1960s, don’t have them. The House had passed a version of the bill earlier this year. The Senate was considering a similar package, but hasn’t passed it. The Max crashes occurred off the coast of Indonesia in 2018 and shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa in 2019. They resulted in a worldwide grounding that is only now being lifted after the FAA and other regulators around the world required multiple changes to the plane. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-21/boeing-will-need-to-adopt-new-safety-policies-under-legislation Curtiss-Wright Receives EASA Certification for Imaging Multi-Purpose Flight Recorder On Dec. 21, Curtiss-Wright’s Defense Solutions division announced that it has received European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Technical Standard Order (TSO) certification for the imaging multi-purpose flight recorder (iMPFR), cockpit area camera, cockpit area microphone and imaging cockpit control unit elements of the ISSKOR flight recorder system supporting Irkut Corporation’s MC-21 aircraft platform. The EASA certification is also recognized by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) and other regulatory bodies. The ISSKOR system integrates all of the major components required to gather and store critical flight data (parametric, voice, cockpit image, display data, and datalink) in crash protected memory based on Curtiss-Wright’s industry-leading Fortress flight data recorder solutions. The iMPFR supplied for use on the MC-21 exceeds 25 hours recording capacity for parametric flight data and datalink information. It is also capable of recording more than two hours of 4 channels of digital voice and cockpit image data. "We are very pleased to have received EASA TSO certification for the iMPFR and other components used in the ISSKOR flight recorder system selected by Irkut for their exciting new MC-21 twinjet airliner program,” said Lynn Bamford, president, defense and power segments. “We are uniquely positioned to provide our aviation customers with complete data recording system solutions, fully integrated and tested, leveraging our best-in-class Fortress cockpit voice and flight data recorder solutions.” Curtiss-Wright designs and manufactures its flight recorder products at its Bournemouth, UK and Dublin, Ireland facilities. https://www.aviationpros.com/aircraft/defense/press-release/21203520/curtisswright-corporation-curtisswright-receives-easa-certification-for-imaging-multipurpose-flight-recorder FAA Now Wants To Fine Violators of Face Mask Mandate It’s one thing for airlines to ban passengers who violate the face mask mandate on planes. It’s another to hit them in the pocketbook. But that’s what the Federal Aviation Administration is looking to do. The FAA said it is seeking civil fines of $15,000 and $7,500, respectively, against two airline passengers who were recently accused of assaulting flight attendants who asked them to wear a face mask. The agency did not identify the passengers, one of whom repeatedly screamed obscenities at a flight attendant on an Allegiant Air flight and then hit him and grabbed his phone while he was telling the captain about the passenger's behavior. The FAA is looking to fine that man the $15,000. The other incident happened on a SkyWest Airlines flight from Atlanta to Chicago when a man allegedly removed his face mask, bothered other passengers and grabbed a female flight attendant’s buttock according to ABC News. Combined, the airlines are fast approaching 1,000 banned passengers because of face mask issues, if they haven’t reached that dubious milestone already. Federal law provides for criminal fines and jail terms for passengers who interfere with an airline crew member's duties, but those must be filed by law enforcement agencies. The FAA cannot unilaterally impose a fine on its own. Both passengers have 30 days to respond to enforcement letters from the FAA. https://www.travelpulse.com/news/airlines/faa-now-wants-to-fine-violators-of-face-mask-mandate.html Vaccine brings hope to airlines Like many businesses, the airline industry has seen a decline in customers due to the pandemic, but recently-released Covid vaccines are providing a glimmer of hope. Scott Wardwell, Director of the Presque Isle International Airport, says the Covid vaccine is key to the airline industry returning to normal. “There’s a lot of optimism in the industry now that that vaccine or vaccines are - are being rolled out. And - and - and certainly the quicker that that gets into the general public and we start seeing these numbers go down significantly, hopefully that’ll be in time for the big summer travel season,” says Scott Wardwell, Director of the Presque Isle International Airport. Wardwell says the availability of rapid testing has helped some, eliminating the need for extended quarantines when traveling. He says it’s the vaccine that the industry is counting on now to make the real difference to ensure saver travels for the flying public. https://www.wagmtv.com/2020/12/22/vaccine-brings-hope-to-airlines/ Air India’s New Owners Allowed To Fire Employees, Sell Airplanes To Make Profit, Reduce Loss Bad news coming in for thousands of Air India employees, who had hoped that the new management will take better care of them. As per reports coming in, Govt has allowed the new owners to not only sell their assets such as airplanes but also fire employees, in order to reduce losses and make profits. This means that no job is secured for any Air India employee. Brace for impact? Air India’s New Owners Allowed To Fire Employees Since regular flights are not operational as of now, most of the Air India airplanes are grounded. When the new owners of Air India take over the state carrier, they can have the liberty to sell off these grounded aircrafts, and thus, fire employees who are no longer needed. This has been confirmed by an unnamed Govt official, who said, “Looking at the prevailing conditions acting as an overhang on the aviation sector, the new entity acquiring AI will be allowed to sell a few aircraft or return them to the lessor. They are anyway grounded due to lack of demand. With some aircraft sold, the manpower requirement, too, will drop. Proportionately, there can be some layoffs..” Note here, that as per the current disinvestment rules, the new owners of Air India cannot fire any employee till the first year ends. But after that, layoffs are possible. How Many Employees Can Be Fired This Way? At Air India, on average, there are 133 employees per aircraft. At Air India Express, there are approximately 55 employees per aircraft. In case the new owners of Air India decided to sell off, say 10 aircrafts, then it will means firing of 1330 employees directly. The official said, “If demand doesn’t improve, it will be unviable to operate those aircraft. Hence, such relaxation is likely to be given to the bidder,” Now, there will be definitely an upper limit to the extent to which assets can be sold off. As per a note by Department of Investment and Public Management, the new owners can be allowed to sell off 10-26% of the overall assets of the company. As of now, Air India has a total of 121 aircrafts: 78 narrow-body Airbus A320s and 43 wide-body Boeing 777s and 787s. https://trak.in/tags/business/2020/12/22/air-indias-new-owners-allowed-to-fire-employees-sell-airplanes-to-make-profit-reduce-loss/ EasyJet defers Airbus aircraft deliveries LONDON (Reuters) - British airline easyJet, whose finances have come under severe pressure during the COVID-19 pandemic, has agreed with Airbus to defer the delivery of aircraft, it said on Tuesday. European travel has been at very low levels for more than nine months, forcing easyJet to take on more debt, tap shareholders for cash and sell dozens of aircraft to boost its finances to survive until flying recovers. Last month it reported a 1.27 billion pound ($1.7 billion) loss. The airline said the delivery of 22 aircraft will be deferred from 2022-2024 to 2027-2028. In addition 15 delivery dates within the period 2022 to 2024 will move to more closely match forecast seasonal requirements. EasyJet said that under the terms of its 2013 agreement with Airbus the future aggregate cash price of the aircraft subject to deferrals will increase. The airline also had the option until Dec. 31 2020 not to take up to seven aircraft scheduled for delivery between 2022 and 2026. It has now agreed with Airbus to reallocate the aircraft to which this option applies, to seven planes due for delivery in 2025 to 2026, with the deadline to exercise this option amended to December 2021. The changes will result in easyJet taking no deliveries in 2021, eight in 2022, seven in 2023 and 18 in 2024. EasyJet has also retained options to increase its deliveries in 2023 to 30 aircraft. "In this period of uncertainty, this flexibility is even more valuable, as it will enable us to quickly flex our fleet size in response to customer demand," CEO Johan Lundgren said. Shares in easyJet, down 47% this year, closed Monday at 757.2 pence, valuing the business at 3.47 billion pounds. ($1 = 0.7453 pounds) https://finance.yahoo.com/news/easyjet-defers-airbus-aircraft-delivery-073410215.html Airbus proposes detachable hydrogen propulsion pods for aircraft Multiple independent powertrains allows excellent redundancy and fast swap-out maintenance With the move towards electric aviation comes new opportunities to explore what a powertrain looks like, and Airbus is experimenting with a new design that builds entire hydrogen propulsion units, tanks and all, into detachable pods along the wings. Each of the six pods along the wings of the ZEROe concept includes a liquid hydrogen tank, a cooling system, a fuel cell, power electronics, electric motors, an eight-bladed lightweight composite propeller and all the necessary auxilliary equipment to run it as a standalone propulsion unit. Interestingly, there's no mention of a buffer battery, but then conventional aircraft like this use power in a constant and predictable fashion, so a little lag between throttle and props as the fuel cell catches up might not be an issue. Not only can these pods detach easily from the wings (not too easily, hopefully), but the ZEROe team wants to make them highly modular, so they can be pulled apart quickly for maintenance, testing and simple component swap-outs. Why hydrogen? Well, we can see a few advantages. With liquid hydrogen comes an energy density that rivals, or even exceeds jet fuel for long-range flights, but with zero local emissions and the potential to fill up on carbon-neutral renewable energy. It's a no-brainer for manufacturers to be looking ahead at hydrogen for clean aviation. Each pod has its own complete powertrain, commanded electronically from a flight controller Why removable pods? Well, moving to an electric system gives you the opportunity to separate out the propulsion systems into independent units, offering excellent redundancy. If something goes wrong with one propulsion pod, you can shut it down completely or even jettison it over water, letting the flight controller re-balance thrust across the remaining pods. It also frees up considerable space in the cabin; airline companies love to fill hollow tubes with as many people as possible, and moving the fuel tanks and the entire powertrain outside that hollow tube means extra seats and extra cargo capacity. And of course, making each one a complete powertrain makes them ultra-swappable, so any issues can be handled at the operator's leisure without having to pull the plane out of service. Just stick a spare one on while the other one's in the workshop. While Airbus has already taken out patents on this design, it's just one of many concepts the company is evaluating for the ZEROe program. "This ‘pod’ configuration is a great starting point to nurture further inquiry into how we can scale up hydrogen technology to commercial aircraft," says Glenn Llewellyn, Airbus VP of Zero-Emission Aircraft. “This is one option, but many more will be conceptualized before we make a final selection, a decision that is expected by 2025." Source: Airbus https://newatlas.com/aircraft/airbus-detachable-hydrogen-propulsion-pods/ Jet Linx Hires First Cadets From Innovative Pilot Recruitment & Training Program In Conjunction With Southwest Airlines & CAE OMAHA, Neb., Dec. 21, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Jet Linx, the country's leading private jet management and jet card membership company, today announced it has welcomed the first cadet out of the groundbreaking Destination 225° career pathway program for pilots. Cameron Hise is the first cadet to be hired out of the program, who joins the Company as Second-in-Command on a Lear 45 XR based at Jet Linx Chicago. The announcement was made by Jamie Walker, President and Chief Executive Officer of Jet Linx. Created in partnership with Southwest Airlines, the nation's largest domestic carrier, and CAE, a global leader in pilot training for civil aviation, Destination 225° is the first and only program that provides a defined career path for pilots from initial training through retirement. "We are thrilled to welcome Cameron to the Jet Linx family and celebrate this milestone together," said Mr. Walker. "Destination 225° was designed to offer a lifecycle solution for pilots that not only facilitates entry into the aviation industry, but provides opportunities for pilots to begin, elevate and extend their careers. We have been working closely with Southwest Airlines and CAE to ensure the successful implementation of Destination 225°, and the first hire in the program represents a significant achievement. We look forward to welcoming even more pilots from the program in the future." Launched in August 2019, Destination 225° provides motivated and capable candidates with a career path that seamlessly bridges all three segments of the industry, from initial training, to private aviation (Part 135) and to commercial airlines (Part 121). Functioning as a pipeline between Southwest Airlines and multiple flight partners, the program offers several career paths for candidates, including the Cadet Pathway for individuals with little to no experience, University Pathway for college students, Military Pathway for men and women exiting service and Employee Pathway for current Southwest employees. Participating Destination 225° organizations offer their most talented pilots the opportunity to move from one organization to the next, without having to leave the Program. Mr. Hise arrived to the Destination 225° program via the University Pathway after graduating from Southeastern Oklahoma State University's Aviation Science Institute, one of the top aviation institutes in the country and one of four schools included in the program. Mr. Hise was invited to participate in a series of rigorous screening tests at Southwest's headquarters in Dallas, followed by an in-person interview conducted his college campus by a Southwest representative. After being accepted into the University Pathway, Mr. Hise began applying for positions with the program's private aviation partners and was subsequently hired by Jet Linx following numerous interviews. "The Destination 225° program has been an encouraging and motivating experience, from the initial application to the actual interview and hiring process," said Mr. Hise. "I am extremely grateful to be part of a program that allows me to start my career with such a distinguished operator while also developing a working relationship with Southwest at a young age. Not only will I be gaining hours while flying at Jet Linx, I will be receiving hands-on, in-depth experience that would not have been available at a typical regional operator. This is a goldmine of an opportunity for young pilots needing quality of hours, not just quantity." Added Brian Goodman, Jet Linx Chicago Base President: "What strikes me about this program is the consistent high-quality candidates coming through. Destination 225° has so many layers of interviews and hurdles – only the best of the best make it to us." An additional component of Destination 225° is an Ab-Initio training program that CAE will lead in cooperation with ARGUS International, Inc., a company specializing in aviation safety risk management. Ab-Initio is a Latin term meaning "from the beginning" and is a process that takes a student pilot from the beginning of training, mentors them throughout pilot training, and ensures the pilot an airline career upon being rated and certified in a particular type of jet aircraft. CAE will be training and mentoring these pilots throughout the Program. Shortly following the first cadet hire, Jet Linx welcomed a second Destination 225° team member to the Company. Pilot Brooke Basinger has joined the Washington D.C. Base as a Second-in-Command on a Beechjet 400. Basinger represents the first female cadet to come through the program, and the first to arrive at Jet Linx via the CAE Pathway. In addition to pursuing industry initiatives such as Destination 225°, Jet Linx is committed to delivering the highest safety standards in the private aviation industry, with extensive safety certifications including IS-BAO Stage 3, ARGUS Platinum and Wyvern Wingman. Jet Linx has become the preeminent jet card membership and private jet management company in the United States due to its unique and innovative business model that offers a more personalized approach to guaranteed private jet travel solutions through individual, city-specific, local services that are supported by a national operation and robust technology platform. For more information on Jet Linx, please visit www.jetlinx.com. About Jet Linx Aviation Jet Linx Aviation is a locally-focused private jet company founded in Omaha, NE in 1999 as a more personalized approach to national private jet companies. Jet Linx offers two different ways to experience private aviation — a guaranteed jet card and private jet management program — providing its clients with an all-encompassing, local solution to all of their private jet travel needs. Jet Linx is an IS-BAO Stage 3, ARGUS Platinum and Wyvern Wingman safety rated operator, an accomplishment earned by less than one percent of all aircraft operators in the world. In 2019, Jet Linx became the only Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star trained and accredited private aviation company in the world. In addition to establishing the independent global rating system's preeminent and unparalleled service standards for the in-flight experience, Jet Linx also collaborated with Forbes Travel Guide to develop their own customized, proprietary Jet Linx standards of service excellence. Jet Linx is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska and has base locations in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Ft. Worth, Houston, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Nashville, New York, Omaha, San Antonio, Scottsdale, St Louis, Tulsa and Washington D.C. For additional information, please visit the Jet Linx website (www.jetlinx.com). SOURCE Jet Linx https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jet-linx-hires-first-cadets-from-innovative-pilot-recruitment--training-program-in-conjunction-with-southwest-airlines--cae-301196831.html U.S. airlines prepare employee recalls as relief nears; United calls them 'temporary' • Vaccine airlift delivers shot in the arm for airlines CHICAGO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -American Airlines and United Airlines said on Monday they were preparing to recall tens of thousands of furloughed employees as they awaited lawmakers' approval of a fresh $15 billion in payroll support under a broader COVID-19 relief package. But in a staff memo, United executives warned that it expects the recall will be "temporary" as travel demand remains depressed. The relief would cover employee payroll costs until March 31, 2021. "The truth is, we just don't see anything in the data that shows a huge difference in bookings over the next few months," CEO Scott Kirby and President Brett Hart said in the memo, released by United. Wrestling with a sharp downturn in travel demand amid the pandemic, American and United together furloughed more than 32,000 workers in October, when an initial $25 billion to cover six months of airline workers' salaries expired. The House of Representatives and Senate were aiming to pass a bipartisan $900 billion coronavirus aid package before the end of the day. The $15 billion earmarked for airlines requires all furloughed workers to be recalled and receive their full salaries from Dec. 1 through March 31, 2021. "We are already starting to work through the details of how we will bring back team members, but we’re not over the finish line yet," American CEO Doug Parker and President Robert Isom said in a memo, adding that they hoped employees would receive paychecks by Dec. 24. The terms of the new assistance program mirror the initial package passed by Congress in March, which required larger airlines to repay 30% of the payroll grants over time and offer the government warrants. It also requires airlines to resume flying to some routes stopped after the first package expires, and gives the Transportation secretary authority until March 1, 2022 to require flights to small and remote communities that airlines served before the pandemic. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/american-united-prepare-recall-thousands-221733987.html NTSB - Position Available - Transportation Disaster Assistance (TDA) Specialist The NTSB hiring a Transportation Disaster Assistance (TDA) Specialist in our TDA division. TDA works closely with federal, state, local, and volunteer agencies, as well as the transportation carrier, to coordinate disaster response activities following a transportation accident. Our team focuses on meeting the needs of transportation accident victims and their families during this difficult time. TDA specialists engage directly with victims and family members to address questions and provide investigative updates during the on-scene phase, and throughout the course of an NTSB investigation. Our ideal candidate will bring working knowledge of: · family assistance response operations following transportation accidents, natural disasters, criminal events, or other critical incidents or traumatic events; · domestic and foreign air carrier emergency response and family assistance operations, to include the development of family assistance programs and the interface with alliance and code-share partners, and airports in the implementation of family assistance response plans; and · U.S. civil airport emergency response operations with a specific focus on passenger and family assistance operations. Our ideal candidate will have experience in: · project or case management of victim or family assistance in the aftermath of transportation accidents, natural disasters, criminal events, or other critical incidents or traumatic events. To learn more about this opportunity and what we’re looking for, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/586748300 2021 Aircraft Cabin Air Conference Registration Now Open ** With over 500 registrants in just 10 days - the sponsors have extended the free registration to the first 1000 registrants ** 2021 Aircraft Cabin Air Conference 15 to 18 March 2021 1500 to 2000 GMT daily via Zoom (0700 to 1200 PST) Four online days of powerful talks given by industry and subject matter experts. Registration is open and FREE for the first 1000 registrants. https://www.aircraftcabinair.com/ Following on from the success of the 2017 and 2019 Aircraft Cabin Air Conferences, the 2021 conference will be an essential four-day free modular online event via Zoom. Providing an in-depth overview or update for all those seeking to understand the subject of contaminated air, the flight safety implications, the latest scientific and medical evidence investigating the contaminated air debate and the emerging solutions available to airlines and aircraft operators. The 2021 conference will be the biggest conference ever held on the issue. Who should participate? Airline Management - Aircraft Manufacturers - Safety equipment providers - Health & Safety Regulators - Maintenance Companies - Airline Safety Departments - Air Accident Investigators- Crew & Unions - Policy Makers- Press & Media - Aircraft Insurers - Leasing Companies - Scientists - Occupational Health Professionals - Academics & Researchers - Engineers Register Curt Lewis