Flight Safety Information - January 6, 2021 No. 004 In This Issue : Incident: American B738 near Miami on Jan 4th 2021, fuel imbalance, fuel pump failure, missing fuel : Incident: American B738 at Nashville on Jan 2nd 2021, rejected takeoff due to something on runway : Incident: THY B738 near Graz on Jan 3rd 2021, cracked windshield : Incident: Wisconsin CRJ2 near Elmira on Jan 4th 2021, engine problem : Pilatus PC-12/45 - prop strike upon landing (Arizona) : Beechcraft B300 King Air 350i - Bird Strike on Landing/damage (Florida) : Airlines warned over safety as jets return from pandemic storage : NTSB: Crash of small plane off Cape May coast was a suicide : Woman charged for punching mom on flight to PDX over kids’ seat kicking : Upheaval in the Aviation Sector: Challenges for the Biden Administration : The Netherlands Loans $3 Million To Caribbean Airline Winair : These 2 big airlines may shock everyone and merge in a bid to survive COVID-19 pandemic: analyst : China’s COMAC Flies High With Record ARJ21 Deliveries in 2020 : Amazon Expands Its Air Delivery Fleet After Buying 11 New Planes : Boeing says its composites R&D center will be turned to other purposes, ending an era : Virgin Orbit targets launch window opening January 10 for next orbital flight attempt : SCSI Online SMS Certificate Courses : Call for Papers – ISASI 2021 : 2021 Aircraft Cabin Air Conference Incident: American B738 near Miami on Jan 4th 2021, fuel imbalance, fuel pump failure, missing fuel An American Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration N843NN performing flight AA-2307 from Miami,FL (USA) to Puerto Plata (Dominican Republic) with 64 people on board, was enroute at FL390 about 230nm southeast of Miami when the crew decided to return to Miami due to issues with the fuel system. Miami Center declared emergency for the flight. The crew subsequently reported they had a fuel pump failure, a developing fuel imbalance and they were losing about twice the amount of fuel they had estimated to burn, therefore they suspected a fuel leak somewhere. The aircraft descended to FL380 for the return and landed safely on Miami's runway 30 about 40 minutes after leaving FL390 and turning around. Attending emergency services did not see any leaks from the outside of the aircraft. The aircraft taxied to the apron with emergency services in trail. A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration N929NN reached Puerto Plata with a delay of 3.5 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Miami about 24 hours after landing. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/AAL2307/history/20210104/1600Z/KMIA/MDPP http://avherald.com/h?article=4e1676ed&opt=0 Incident: American B738 at Nashville on Jan 2nd 2021, rejected takeoff due to something on runway An American Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration N813NN performing flight AA-785 from Nashville,TN to Dallas Ft. Worth,TX (USA), was accelerating for takeoff from Nashville's runway 20C when the crew rejected takeoff. Tower reported it appeared there was white smoke coming from the right hand side of the aircraft, the crew reported there was something on the right hand side of the runway, tower queried whether they meant the runway was contaminated. The aircraft returned to the apron. The aircraft was able to depart 80 minutes later and reached Dallas with a delay of about one hour. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e166db0&opt=0 Incident: THY B738 near Graz on Jan 3rd 2021, cracked windshield A THY Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration TC-SBV performing flight TK-7738 from Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen (Turkey) to Munich (Germany) with 93 passengers, was enroute at FL400 about 14nm north of Graz (Austria) when the crew initiated an early descent reporting the captain's windshield had cracked. The aircraft continued to Munich for a safe landing on runway 26L about 30 minutes later and taxied to the apron. The return flight TK-7739 was cancelled. The aircraft is still on the ground about 52 hours after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e16698f&opt=0 Incident: Wisconsin CRJ2 near Elmira on Jan 4th 2021, engine problem An Air Wisconsin Canadair CRJ-200 on behalf of United, registration N429AW performing flight UA-3788 from Washington Dulles,DC to Syracuse,NY (USA) with 46 passengers and 3 crew, was enroute at FL210 when the crew decided to divert to Elmira,NY (USA), about 66nm southwest of Syracuse, advising of an engine problem. On approach the crew further advised, no emergency services were needed, it would be a normal landing, the crew however was concerned about icing conditions and to stay clear of those icing conditions. The aircraft landed safely on Elmira's runway 24 about 35 minutes after leaving FL210. Passengers were offered a bus ride to Syracuse. The FAA reported the crew diverted due to an engine problem. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e16674f&opt=0 Pilatus PC-12/45 - prop strike upon landing (Arizona) Date: 04-JAN-2021 Time: 20:45 Type: Pilatus PC-12/45 Owner/operator: Guardian Flight LLC Registration: N238VM C/n / msn: 238 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Unknown Location: Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX/KPHX), Phoenix, AZ - United States of America Phase: Landing Nature: Ambulance Departure airport: Yuma MCAS/Yuma International Airport, AZ (YUM/KNYL) Destination airport: Phoenix-Sky Harbor International Airport, AZ (PHX/KPHX) Narrative: The aircraft experienced a prop strike upon landing at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX/KPHX), Phoenix, Arizona. The airplane sustained unspecified damage and the three crew onboard were not injured during the incident. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=246493 Beechcraft B300 King Air 350i - Bird Strike on Landing/damage (Florida) Date: 04-JAN-2021 Time: 13:36 Type: Beechcraft B300 King Air 350i Owner/operator: Wheels Up Registration: N856UP C/n / msn: FL-1029 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Minor Location: Coral Creek Airport (FA54), Placida, FL - United States of America Phase: Landing Nature: Private Departure airport: Hickory Airport, NC (HKY/KHKY) Destination airport: Coral Creek Airport, FL (FA54) Narrative: The aircraft experienced a bird strike on final approach to land at Coral Creek Airport (FA54), Placida, Florida. The airplane sustained minor damage and the three occupants onboard were not injured during the incident. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=246492aining!" Airlines warned over safety as jets return from pandemic storage Regulators, insurers and experts are warning airlines to take extra care when reactivating planes left in extended storage during the Covid-19 pandemic, citing potential pilot rustiness, maintenance errors and even insect nests blocking key sensors. The unprecedented number of aircraft grounded as coronavirus lockdowns blocked air travel - at one point reaching two-thirds of the global fleet - has created a spike in the number of reported problems as airlines return them to service. Regulators, insurers and experts are warning airlines to take extra care when reactivating planes left in extended storage during the Covid-19 pandemic, citing potential pilot rustiness, maintenance errors and even insect nests blocking key sensors. The unprecedented number of aircraft grounded as coronavirus lockdowns blocked air travel - at one point reaching two-thirds of the global fleet - has created a spike in the number of reported problems as airlines return them to service. The number of “unstabilised” or poorly handled approaches has risen sharply this year, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Such mishaps can result in hard landings, runway overshoots or even crashes. Worried by IATA’s data, insurers are questioning airlines about whether they are doing extra pilot training to focus on landings, said Gary Moran, head of Asia aviation at insurance broker Aon PLC. “They want to know about the circumstances of the training,” he said. Approaches and landings place significant demands on crew for which training and regular experience are seen as vital. According to aircraft maker Airbus SE, the largest category of fatal accidents can be traced back to the approach to an airport, while the largest number of non-fatal accidents happen during landing. In May, a Pakistan International Airlines jet crashed after an unstabilised approach, killing 97 people, while 18 died in an Air India Express crash on landing in August, also after an unstabilised approach. Insects in tubes Training is not the only concern. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has reported an “alarming trend” in the number of reports of unreliable airspeed and altitude readings during the first flight after a plane leaves storage. In some cases, take-offs had to be abandoned or the aircraft had to return to base. In most cases, the problem was traced back to undetected insect nests inside the aircraft’s pitot tubes, pressure-sensitive sensors that feed key data to an avionics computer. In June, a Wizz Air Holdings PLC jet halted take-off after the captain found the airspeed was reading zero. Examination of the plane found insect larvae in one of the pitot tubes, with the aircraft having been parked for 12 weeks before the flight, the U.K. Air Accidents Investigation Branch said last month. No passengers were on board. Insects blocking a pitot tube contributed to the 1996 crash of a chartered Birgenair plane in the Dominican Republic that killed all 189 people on board. Kate Seaton, a Singapore-based aerospace partner at law firm HFW, said flight crews need to be aware of potential defects that might not have been identified properly as planes return to service after an unprecedented grounding. “We are in new territory - the industry must take steps to mitigate the risks but need to be prepared for the unexpected,” she said. Honest assessment EASA said last month that issues found after prolonged parking included an engine shutdown in flight after technical problems, fuel system contamination, reduced parking brake pressure and emergency batteries losing their charge. “We’ve got people returning to work who are quite rusty, which is a big issue,” insurer Aon’s Moran said. Airlines have developed training programmes for pilots re-entering service ranging from theory refreshers to multiple simulator sessions and supervised in-flight checks, depending on the length of absence. Australia’s aviation regulator said on Nov. 30 its inspectors would beef up surveillance on Covid-19 related risks involving the re-entry into service, pilot training and safety risk management for the remainder of the year through to June 30, 2021. Pilots also need to make an honest assessment of their skills and confidence upon returning to work, International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations representative Peter Meiresonne said at an industry webinar in October. They may need to turn down offers like shorter landing approaches from air traffic control if they do not feel ready, he said. “Maybe now is a good time to say, ‘We are not able today’ or ‘Give us a six- or 10-mile lineup rather than a four-mile lineup’, which you might accept when you are more proficient and (flight experience is) more recent,” he said. https://www.hindustantimes.com/travel/airlines-warned-over-safety-as-jets-return-from-pandemic-storage/story-C0JI0Xu0YW6SPSltnUHlmI.html NTSB: Crash of small plane off Cape May coast was a suicide CAPE MAY - The crash of a small plane off the coast here in May 2019 was “an act of suicide,” according to the National Transportation Safety Board. But an obituary for the pilot, 58-year-old Lawrence Klimek of Howell, said he died "doing what he loved best, flying a Mooney M20J aircraft" In a recently released final report on the incident, the NTSB says Klimek's single-engine plane was seen flying low over the ocean when it made contact with the water near the Cape May Lighthouse. A witness said the four-seat plane then made a steep climb of 100 to 200 feet before stalling, turning downward and plunging "almost straight into the water," says the report. An examination of the wreckage found “no pre-impact mechanical deficiencies that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane," it says. The state medical examiner classified his death as a suicide, says the Dec. 3 report. An obituary for Klimek said the pilot "loved anything that was adventurous," noting he enjoyed sky-diving, skiing, driving fast cars and riding motorcycles. The obituary also described Klimek as a religious man with a wife, a daughter and four stepchildren. "He had a deep desire to draw closer to God and a sincere repentance in his heart for his past actions," the obituary said. According to the NTSB, multiple people reported seeing Klimek's plane flying along beaches on a southbound course toward Cape May. “Witnesses reported that the airplane would dive to the surface, fly low along the beach and climb again,” said the agency’s Dec. 3 report. One onlooker provided video of the plane skimming the ocean near Diamond Beach, about five miles north of the crash site. She reported the sound of the engine was "smooth and continuous" as the plane flew by under clear skies. “When I first saw the plane, it was flying toward me parallel to the beach,” a witness to the May 29 crash, identified only as David Ferguson, told an NTSB investigator. Ferguson said he walked away from the water’s edge when the plane first struck the ocean “because it looked like he might crash into the beach where I was.” The witness said the plane then climbed steeply, before plummeting into the sea around 500 feet from shore. “We watched the crash site for any sign of the pilot or debris but saw nothing,” Ferguson said, according to the report. An underwater salvage operator recovered the mangled wreckage and Klimek’s body on June 1. The plane, which began its flight at Trenton-Robbinsville Airport, was owned by a flight school, the report says. According to the NTSB, the plane's owner said Klimek had "returned" to flying in October 2018. He had received 17 hours of dual instruction and had 44.1 total hours of flight experience since that time, the report says. https://www.courierpostonline.com/story/news/2021/01/05/cape-may-klimek-small-plane-crash/4136008001/ Woman charged for punching mom on flight to PDX over kids’ seat kicking PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A woman is charged with assault after allegedly punching a fellow passenger aboard a Spirit Airlines flight that landed at PDX on Sunday. Court documents show 29-year-old Daydrena Jaslin Walker-Williams became annoyed with passengers sitting behind her – a mother and two kids – when the kids, ages 3 and 7, kicked her seat. She told officers she told the mother to tell her kids to stop but was ignored. She claims the mother then hit her on the shoulder; however, officials said no witnesses saw this. Walker-Williams then admitted to punching the mother two to three times in the face. The victim had a bloodied lip and a bump on her head, the responding officer reported in the court documents. Spirit Airlines flight attendants also reported witnessing the assault and said the victim did not fight back and they didn’t see her hitting the defendant in the shoulder. When the officer told the defendant that no one saw the victim hit her, she replied, “you do what you got to do.” Walker-Williams is charged with felony assault in the fourth degree and harassment. It’s unclear if she has an attorney. https://www.koin.com/news/crime/woman-charged-for-punching-mom-on-flight-to-pdx-over-kids-seat-kicking/ Upheaval in the Aviation Sector: Challenges for the Biden Administration Holland & Knight LLP The COVID-19 pandemic has had a particularly pronounced effect on the aviation sector. Passenger carriers have grounded their aircraft and slashed their schedules, cargo carriers scrambled to maintain healthcare and other critical supply chains while dealing with travel restrictions and the challenge of keeping their workers safe, and airports rushed to introduce new health and safety measures while dealing with plummeting passenger traffic and revenues. While the human, commercial and operational impacts of this crisis have been profound, the entire industry has grappled with a patchwork quilt of inconsistent regulatory requirements. While predictions are risky even in the best of times, here are a few (cautious) predictions about the likely aviation priorities of the Biden Administration and of Peter Buttigieg, a former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who is expected to be nominated to become the next Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Mask Mandates and Public Health Initiatives During the early stages of the pandemic, a labor union and consumer group petitioned DOT to require that persons traveling in federally regulated transport facilities be required to wear masks and other face coverings.1 The Trump Administration's DOT denied those petitions on the grounds that "there should be no more regulations than necessary," leaving air carriers and airport operators to apply their own policies or requirements, or to apply requirements contained in state or local laws, to the extent applicable.2 Given the frequency and emphasis of President-Elect Joe Biden's recent statements about the importance of wearing masks, it is anticipated that the DOT/ Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will quickly move to require passengers and others accessing federally regulated transportation facilities to wear masks. Industry observers also expect Secretary Buttigieg to promote other public health initiatives, such as seeking greater consistency of preventive health measures across many different modes of transportation. Infrastructure Investment and Spending Secretary-Designate Buttigieg has made several statements about the importance of travel and transportation to the national economy, and the need to make infrastructure spending a priority. President-Elect Biden has promised increased funding for the Airport Improvement Program, and has voiced strong support for implementing next-gen technology, which will modernize the national airspace and also improve aviation fuel usage and efficiency. Given the sharp drop in passenger revenues, expect airports to seek greater flexibility under the FAA's revenue-use requirements to use and deploy their airport assets for non-traditional aviation purposes to mitigate their revenue shortfalls. Consumer Regulations and Enforcement In contrast to the Obama Administration, which issued several new aviation consumer regulations, the Trump Administration has made it a priority to reverse and repeal these policies. For example, the Trump Administration last month issued a regulation that narrowed the definition of "unfair and deceptive" practices which are prohibited by air carriers,3 and raised new barriers to the imposition of new consumer protection rules. While it is not expected that DOT will reverse these measures per se, it is believed that the agency will place greater emphasis on airline consumer protection, with controversies concerning the obligation of air carriers to make refunds for canceled flights a likely focus. Continued Focus on Supply Chains The surge in online retailing and spike in demand for medical supplies and goods has led many passenger carriers to reconfigure their fleets to provide additional cargo capacity. The FAA has issued short-term exemptions that allow passenger carriers to transport cargo in airline seats when no passengers are onboard,4 and those approvals will likely be extended into the new year. In addition to traditional transport modes, retailers and others continue to explore and consider the deployment of drones and other new technology to respond to changing market conditions. The Trump Administration last week issued new Final Rules pertaining to Remote Identification of Unmanned Aircraft Systems and to Operation of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Over People,5 and further regulatory advances are expected for this sector. Other Issues to Watch Airport slot usage requirements. The FAA has extended its suspension of its airline slot usage requirements, which apply to certain highly congested airports, through the end of this winter season.6 While certain parties have petitioned for the extension of this relief, certain U.S. low-fare carriers have indicated that the FAA should not continue to extend these waivers (and preserve the status quo) if there are carriers seeking to accommodate recovering demand.7 Revision of Cuba flight bans. Under the Obama Administration, DOT permitted not only humanitarian charter operations to Cuba, but also other types of charters, and limited scheduled passenger operations to this previously restricted destination. The Trump Administration banned all leisure passenger travel to Cuba, and last summer sharply limited charter operations as well.8 While any change in policy may be driven by broader diplomatic issues, carriers and travel groups might seek a return to a more relaxed policy. https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/upheaval-in-the-aviation-sector-7074530/ The Netherlands Loans $3 Million To Caribbean Airline Winair On December 31, the Dutch Government announced a US$3 million mortgage loan to Windward Islands Airways (Winair), a small regional airline based in Saint Maarten. The loan will help the struggling carrier to survive the current crisis and keep the Caribbean Islands connected. A necessary loan In the Caribbean, the plane is the most comfortable and sometimes only means of transportation. Therefore, air connectivity is essential to keep the economies in the region up and running. Unfortunately, due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the airlines in the Caribbean are in jeopardy. Currently, one of the regional carriers is in some sort of financial reorganization. In June, the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda announced the liquidation of LIAT. After years of net losses, LIAT’s history seemed to have come to an end. But, a few months later, it came back to life, relaunching operations on November 30. To avoid this up-and-down turmoil, the Dutch Government decided to provide a rescue line to Winair. The loan of US$3 million has a market-based interest rate, announced Cora van Nieuwenhizen, the Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management. What’s the small print of the loan? The Dutch Government has a minority share in the airline. According to The Daily Herald, the Netherlands owns 7.95% of Winair, while the St. Maarten Government owns 92.05%. In a letter sent to the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament, van Nieuwenhizen said, “The issuing of this loan is based on the necessity of maintaining the air connectivity with the Caribbean Netherlands islands. The support is provided in the form of a mortgage loan with a repayment term of 18 months, which can be extended to a maximum of six years with mutual approval.” Winair will put its building at Princess Juliana International Airport in St. Maarten as collateral. Additionally, the Dutch Government imposed some conditions for the airline to receive the loan. The main concern is to keep the connectivity along the Caribbean, especially between the Netherland Antilles. Winair must keep flying between St. Maarten, St. Eustatius, and Saba during the loan duration, said Van Nieuwenhuizen. The airline must operate two flights per day between these islands as soon as the COVID-19 travel restrictions are lifted. A brief history of Winair Winair started operating in 1961. Since the beginning, the main goal of the airline was to provide safe and efficient air transportation in the Caribbean. Due to the nature of the Netherland Antilles, Winair has required, historically, small aircraft. Therefore, it currently has a fleet of seven planes. It is composed of four De Havilland Twin-Otter and three ATR 42-500/62, according to its website. Nevertheless, Winair doesn’t operate the ATR fleet. Instead, the French carrier Air Antilles does so. Both airlines are close partners and have codeshare agreements. Currently, Winair has 16 destinations. According to its website, it flies to: • Antigua • Aruba • Bonaire • Curacao • Dominica • Guadeloupe • Haiti • Nevis • Saba • San Juan (Puerto Rico) • Santo Domingo (the Dominican Republic) • St. Barths • St. Eustatius • St. Kitts • St. Maarten • Tortola https://simpleflying.com/winair-3-million-dollar-loan/ These 2 big airlines may shock everyone and merge in a bid to survive COVID-19 pandemic: analyst The Big Four in the airline industry — long known as Delta (DAL), American Airlines (AAL), United Airlines (UAL) and Southwest Airlines (LUV) — may look a little different at some point this year as executives pull the trigger on mergers to consolidate costs as the slog from the depths of the pandemic stretches on. “We’re expecting M&A to occur. You could see United Airlines buying JetBlue (JBLU). United is going back to JFK [airport] after an absence of a few years and it [JetBlue] has a big presence there,” long-time airline industry analyst Helane Becker of Cowen told Yahoo Finance Live. Becker has Market perform ratings on both United and JetBlue. Added Becker, “You can see Allegiant, Frontier and Spirit merge. Those three airlines have a 3% market share, maybe a little more now since they are so domestic. They would be a really terrific competitor to the Big Four because they are so low cost and their so domestic and leisure focused.” Becker rates Allegiant (ALGT) at Market perform and Spirit (SAVE) at Outperform. Becker said, however, that depressed stock prices make doing a big airline deal now problematic. In other words, because of the toll the pandemic has had on air travel and airline cash flow, the stock prices are crazy low and unattractive in trying to fund a deal. Shares of the Big Four airlines are down on average 36% over the past year, according to Yahoo Finance Premium data. Moreover, most airlines lack the cash on the balance sheet to do a splashy deal. Cash is primarily being used to fund the losses being driven by the plunge in demand and high structural costs (see airplane maintenance, unionized employees, etc.). But to Becker’s point, some airline executives with the better balance sheets and stomachs of steel may be the reason they have no choice but to strike now on a target. By getting larger, any airline would be better able to spread out costs. And, it would also put itself in a position to be a market share consolidator in the post-pandemic recovery. To be sure, the outlooks for the airlines this year remain horrible even as vaccines start to flow globally. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said last November the airline industry will lose $157 billion in 2020 and 2021. Previously, the IATA had forecast $100 billion in losses for the two-year period. But that number — which was eye-popping when released — may be conservative. Since that forecast, fresh pandemic-related lockdowns have swept the globe amid rising infections and deaths. Concerns over new strains of the coronavirus have amplified the concerns on travel demand. According to data from the TSA, December passenger demand declined 62.4% year-over-year, cited by Becker. “We don’t think any of the big U.S. airlines are in danger of bankruptcy at this juncture,” Becker adds. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/these-2-big-airlines-may-shock-everyone-and-merge-in-bid-to-survive-covid-19-pandemic-analyst-205740633.html China’s COMAC Flies High With Record ARJ21 Deliveries in 2020 China’s attempts to take on Boeing and Airbus with a viable homegrown jet has received a boost. Deliveries of the ARJ21 regional jet hit new highs in 2020. The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) said they delivered 24 ARJ21 aircraft to customers over the year. That brings the total number of ARJ21s delivered to 46. Chinese news agency Xinhua says the regional jets have gone to various Chinese carriers, including Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Chengdu Airlines, China Express Airlines, Jiangxi Air, and Genghis Khan Airlines. Since first flying in 2017, the jets have flown 1.6 million passengers without an incident. According to COMAC, the ARJ21 is China’s first short- to medium-range turbofan regional aircraft built to international aviation standards. The aircraft has a layout of 78 to 90 seats, and a range of 2,225 to 3,700 kilometers. COMAC says it has taken a total of 616 orders for the plane from 23 airline customers. In addition to the ARJ21, COMAC has produced test prototypes of a larger aircraft called the C919. The aircraft type had an initial test flight in 2017 but is still a couple of years off flying paying passengers. Also on the boards but not yet in the air is a widebody jet known as the C929. COMAC competes against regional jet powerhouse Embraer As Simple Flying’s Justin Hayward reported yesterday, state-backed aircraft manufacturers can be an attempt to break up the cozy aircraft manufacturing duopoly enjoyed by Airbus and Boeing. To date, the Chinese Government has sunk at least US$45 billion into this exercise. However, while COMAC sticks to the ARJ21, the direct competition is the dominant regional jet manufacturer, Embraer. In contrast to COMAC, Brazil’s Embraer delivered 28 jets in the three months to September 30, 2020, and 59 jets in the nine months to September 30. While Embraer might seem to have the upper hand in the regional jet market, they point out how disruptions to labor markets and supply chains in 2020 can impact aircraft deliveries. In certain contexts, having a homegrown aircraft manufacturer can make sense. That’s certainly the case with the United States canvassing sanctions against COMAC, potentially barring United States-based suppliers from supplying the company. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, sanctions remain a live option. However, the most likely outcome of doing so will be to lock in COMAC’s ongoing viability in China and turn Chinese airlines away from Boeing. Long term trend towards smaller aircraft in China Embraer also notes that while China’s aviation market is now dominated by larger jets, it is moving towards more point to point connectivity, meaning the demand for regional jets in China will increase. If Embraer’s analysis is correct, that puts COMAC in the box seat to reap the benefits. Cirrum says while Boeing and Airbus will continue to dominate the industry over the next two decades, there will be US$400 billion worth of orders for smaller manufacturers like COMAC and Embraer. They expect passenger traffic to grow by 6% annually in China over the next two decades and the regional jet market to be worth US$175 billion. It’s potentially rich pickings for COMAC. COMAC has not said how many ARJ21s they plan to deliver in 2021. However, the aircraft manufacturer did say the pace of deliveries was accelerating as production issues got ironed out. https://simpleflying.com/comac-arj21-2020-deliveries/ Amazon Expands Its Air Delivery Fleet After Buying 11 New Planes • This marks the first time the e-commerce giant has purchased rather than leased its planes. Amazon.com's (NASDAQ:AMZN) air cargo ambitions are taking a new flight path after the e-commerce giant announced it was buying, not leasing, 11 used Boeing aircraft from Delta Air Lines and WestJet Airlines. The purchase marks the first time Amazon has not leased any airplanes for its Prime fleet. It expects to have 85 planes in service by the end of next year. On a wing and a prayer Amazon leases most of its cargo aircraft through Air Transport Services Group, which provides the fleet with 767s, and Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, which supplies 737s and 767s. Amazon has taken an ownership stake in both companies. It also leased 15 737s through General Electric's GE Capital Aviation Services, but in September went off in another new direction that hinted at the purchases to come when it directly registered one of its aircraft under its own name. That plane was also from WestJet. Under the new acquisition, Amazon will be getting Boeing 767-300 aircraft. Sarah Rhoads, vice president of Amazon Global Air said in a statement: "Our goal is to continue delivering for customers across the U.S. in the way that they expect from Amazon, and purchasing our own aircraft is a natural next step toward that goal. Having a mix of both leased and owned aircraft in our growing fleet allows us to better manage our operations, which in turn helps us to keep pace in meeting our customer promises." Amazon has emerged as a major threat to FedEx and UPS. A recent study suggested the e-commerce leader could grow into a major aircraft carrier with as many as 200 planes in the next seven or eight years, at which time it would be close in size to UPS. https://www.fool.com/investing/2021/01/05/amazon-expands-its-air-delivery-fleet-after-buying/?source=eptyholnk0000202&utm_source=yahoo-host&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=article Boeing says its composites R&D center will be turned to other purposes, ending an era Boeing says it’ll be repurposing the Seattle-area facility that has served as the focus for research into the composite materials used in aircraft ranging from the B-2 Stealth bomber to the 787 Dreamliner. In an emailed statement, Boeing said much of the work being done at the Advanced Developmental Composites Center, situated across the street from Seattle’s Museum of Flight, will be distributed to other Boeing facilities — mostly in the Puget Sound region. Other work, unrelated to Boeing Commercial Airplanes, will continue to be done at the 600,000-square-foot facility. Boeing cast the move as a cost-saving and efficiency-enhancing measure. “We continue to take comprehensive action across the enterprise to adapt to our new market reality and transform our business to be leaner and more sustainable for the future,” the company said in its statement. “This is one of several steps we’re taking to streamline our operations and make more efficient use of our facility space. Boeing continues to invest in development of advanced composites for future products, and going forward this will take place in other local Boeing facilities.” The change in operations was first reported in The Seattle Times. A decade ago, the Times reported that Boeing was putting 900 employees to work at the center to boost the company’s composite production capabilities for the 787 Dreamliner. Since then, however, composites have gone mainstream. Composites account for 50% of the weight of the Dreamliner, and in 2016, Boeing pushed the frontier even further with a billion-dollar composite wing facility for the 777X at its factory in Everett, Wash. The Times quoted a spokesman for Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, Bill Dugovich, as saying that 29 union members currently work at the center — and that the union was seeking more information about the center’s fate. The word from Boeing is that the transition is expected to unfold over the course of 2021, and that the potential employment impact has already been factored into the company’s outlook for the year. Boeing has had to scale back its R&D ambitions on other fronts as well, due to the financial impacts of the 737 MAX crisis and the coronavirus pandemic. Last June, Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems dialed down their engineering support for Aerion Supersonic’s business jet — and last September, Boeing said it was putting its air mobility initiative on pause. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/boeing-says-composites-r-d-051128751.html Virgin Orbit targets launch window opening January 10 for next orbital flight attempt Virgin Orbit is wasting no time in 2021 getting back to active flight testing: The company has a window for its next orbital demonstration launch attempt that opens on Sunday, January 10, and that continues throughout the rest of the month. This follows an attempt last year made in May, which ended before the LauncherOne rocket reached orbit — shortly after it detached from the Cosmic Girl carrier aircraft, in fact. While that mission didn’t go exactly as Virgin Orbit had hoped, it was a significant milestone for the small satellite launch company, and helped gather a significant amount of data about how the vehicle performs in flight. LauncherOne was able to briefly light its rocket booster before safety systems on board automatically shut it down. The company had been looking to fly this second test before the end of last year, but issues including COVID-19 meant that they only got as far as the wet dress rehearsal (essentially a run-through of everything leading up to the flight with the vehicles fully fueled). This next mission will once again attempt an orbital launch, and this time, the stakes are somewhat higher because actual customer payloads from NASA are on board. They include a number of small satellite science experiments and demonstrations, and while they’re specifically selected for the mission profile (meaning it’s not a tremendous loss if the launch fails), it still would make everyone happiest to actually get them to their target destination. The nature of the launch window means that Virgin Orbit will likely wait for conditions to be as good as possible before taking off from the Mojave Air and Space Port in California, so take that January 10 date as the earliest possible launch time, but not necessarily the most likely. If successful, Virgin Orbit will join a select group of private small launch vehicles that have made it to orbit, so the industry will definitely be watching the next time Cosmic Girl takes off with LauncherOne attached. https://techcrunch.com/2021/01/05/virgin-orbit-targets-launch-window-opening-january-10-for-next-orbital-flight-attempt/ Call for Papers – ISASI 2021 Aug 30 – Sept 2, 2021 With “Staying Safe: Moving Forward” as our theme, we are excited to announce that ISASI 2021 will be a VIRTUAL EVENT. This will be a fully interactive platform so attendees can engage in a Q&A session and provide feedback. If you have no experience with this type of presentation do not be concerned, we will be providing assistance on the technical and delivery aspects once papers are selected. While many of the papers chosen for ISASI 2020 are expected to be on the program, the 2021 Committee is inviting interested individuals to submit abstracts for papers that address NEW investigations or technology. Presentation topics that support the theme may include, but are not limited to: • Recent accident/incident investigations of interest. • Novel investigation techniques for aircraft, helicopter, and drone accidents. • Data investigation methods, techniques and future developments. • Airport investigation methods and techniques. • Future investigator selection criteria and training needs. • Future of aircraft data capture and retrieval and protection of safety information. • Future developments in underwater wreckage recovery. • Future evolution of Family Assistance. Abstracts should include the author’s current CV [1 page only please] and be sent to isasi2021papers@shaw.ca Important dates: March 20th, 2021 – Last date for receipt of abstracts. May 8th, 2021 – Presenters informed of acceptance and provided with additional instructions. May 22nd, 2021 – Draft program for the 2021 Seminar Technical Program will be published. July 10th, 2021 – Last date for receipt of completed paper and PowerPoint presentation. Any papers not received by this date will be removed from the program and replaced by another speaker. If you have questions related to the paper topics or any other inquiries about the program, please contact the ISASI 2020 Program Chair at avsafe@shaw.ca 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