Flight Safety Information - January 21, 2021 No. 016 In This Issue : Incident: ANA B773 at Chicago on Jan 20th 2021, engine vibrations : Incident: Azul A20N near Salvador on Jan 20th 2021, engine shut down in flight : Incident: ASL Ireland AT72 at Prague on Jan 19th 2021, runway incursion forces go around : West Atlantic Boeing 737-400 cargo plane damaged in hard landing at Exeter, U.K. : Indonesia halts search for victims of Sriwijaya Air crash : Boeing Jet’s Throttle Becomes Focus in Indonesia Crash Probe : Turkish pilots, official face 12 years jail for Ghosn flight : President Biden Makes Mask Wearing Mandatory On Aircraft : Man who refused to wear mask on airplane in Japan gets arrested four months later : A Permanent Ban Is the Only Way To Get Through To Disruptive Passengers : CAE partners with The LOSA Collaborative to enhance pilot training and aviation safety : What Does The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Do? : airBaltic has Performed Seven Airbus A220-300 C Checks : FAA Opens Mx, Pilot Workforce Development Grant Program : SpaceX may have purchased 2 oil rigs off the coast of Texas that could be turned into 'floating' Starship launchpads : 2021 Aircraft Cabin Air Conference Incident: ANA B773 at Chicago on Jan 20th 2021, engine vibrations An ANA All Nippon Airways Boeing 777-300, registration JA794A performing flight NH-8549 from Chicago O'Hare,IL (USA) to Tokyo Narita (Japan), was climbing out of Chicago's runway 28R cleared to climb to 15,000 feet when the crew stopped the climb at 12000 feet due to problems with the left hand engine (GE90) and requested and was cleared to enter a hold. After about 20 minutes in the hold at 6000 feet the crew advised they had now been able to stabilize the engine parameters and were ready to dump fuel. The aircraft was being vectored over Lake Michigan while dumping fuel, the left hand engine is kept at idle power. While holding over Lake Michigan the crew reported they had left engine high N1 vibrations. The aircraft landed safely on runway 22L about 95 minutes after departure. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/ANA8549/history/20210120/2145Z/KORD/RJAA http://avherald.com/h?article=4e1eec18&opt=0 Incident: Azul A20N near Salvador on Jan 20th 2021, engine shut down in flight An Azul Linhas Aereas Airbus A320-200N, registration PR-YYC performing flight AD-4840 from Cruz,CE to Sao Paulo Congonhas,SP (Brazil), was enroute at FL380 about 300nm west of Salvador,BA (Brazil) when the crew needed to shut the left hand engine (LEAP) down. The aircraft drifted down to FL230 and diverted to Salvador for a safe landing on runway 10 about 55 minutes after leaving FL380. Passengers reported the captain explained there were on one engine only while diverting to Salvador. The airline reported a mechanical fault prompted the diversion to Salvador. The aircraft landed normally, the passengers were rebooked onto other flights. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e1ee901&opt=0 Incident: ASL Ireland AT72 at Prague on Jan 19th 2021, runway incursion forces go around An ASL Airlines Ireland (former Air Contractors Ireland) Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-212A freighter, registration EI-GUL performing flight ABR-1RG from Prague (Czech Republic) to Paris Charles de Gaulle (France) with 2 crew, was taxiing for departure and had been told to hold short of runway 24, however, crossed the hold short line at 22:02L (21:02Z). An ASL Airlines Belgium Boeing 737-400 freighter, registration OO-TNQ performing flight 3V-4091 from Brno to Prague (Czech Republic) was on final approach to Prague's runway 24 descending through about 450 feet AGL about 1.25nm before the runway threshold when tower noticed the ATR was crossing the hold short line and instructed the Boeing to go around. The Boeing went around, climbed to 4000 feet MSL, positioned for another approach to runway 24 and landed safely about 15 minutes later. About 6 minutes after the go around the ATR departed runway 24 and arrived in Paris without further incident. Prague's ATC confirmed the incident reporting the ATR of Irish carrier Air Contractors crossed the hold short line while taxiing to runway 24 due to a pilot error thus violating the runway protected zone. The controller therefore instructed the 737 on short final to go around. A report has been filed with Czechia's UZPLN (aircraft accident investigation). http://avherald.com/h?article=4e1ebdea&opt=0 West Atlantic Boeing 737-400 cargo plane damaged in hard landing at Exeter, U.K. Date: Tuesday 19 January 2021 Time: 02:34 Type: Boeing 737-4Q8 (SF) Operator: West Atlantic (UK) Registration: G-JMCY C/n / msn: 25114/2666 First flight: 1994-10-20 (26 years 3 months) Engines: 2 CFMI CFM56-3C1 Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 Aircraft damage: Substantial Location: Exeter Airport (EXT) ( United Kingdom) Phase: Landing (LDG) Nature: Cargo Departure airport: East Midlands Airport (EMA/EGNX), United Kingdom Destination airport: Exeter Airport (EXT/EGTE), United Kingdom Flightnumber: NPT05L Narrative: West Atlantic UK flight NPT05L, a Boeing 737-400 cargo plane, suffered substantial damage during a hard landing at Exeter Airport, U.K. The aircraft operated on a flight from East Midlands Airport and touched down on runway 26 at 02:34 hours. After parking on the apron, significatn wrinkling of the fuselage skin was noted on just behind the overwing emergency exits on both sides of the fuselage. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20210119-0 Indonesia halts search for victims of Sriwijaya Air crash JAKARTA, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Indonesian authorities said on Thursday the search for victims of a plane crash that killed all 62 people on board had been halted, but the hunt would continue for the Sriwijaya Air jet's cockpit voice recorder (CVR). "Search operations have been closed, but we will continue to search for the CVR," said Bagus Puruhito, who heads the country's search and rescue agency. He told reporters that the rescue team had collected more than 324 bags of body parts and plane parts. Flight SJ 182 crashed into the Java Sea on Jan. 9 four minutes after take-off from Jakarta. Divers last week retrieved from the seabed the other so-called black box, the flight data recorder, of the 26-year-old Boeing Co 737-500 jet. The Sriwijaya crash was the biggest airline disaster in Indonesia since October 2018, when 189 people were killed onboard a Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX that also plunged into the Java Sea soon after take-off. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/indonesia-halts-search-victims-sriwijaya-111932784.html Boeing Jet’s Throttle Becomes Focus in Indonesia Crash Probe By Alan Levin and Harry Suhartono • Device that sets 737-500’s speed had problems prior to crash • A malfunction in engine power could lead to a loss of control Indonesian investigators probing the Jan. 9 crash of a Sriwijaya Air flight are looking at the possibility that a malfunctioning automatic throttle could have led to the pilots losing control, according to a person familiar with the investigation. The autothrottle was producing more thrust in one of the Boeing Co. 737-500’s two engines than the other shortly before the plane carrying 62 people crashed into the Java Sea, said the person, who isn’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly. The device had been having problems on previous flights, the person said. Issues involving the autothrottle on the 737 have led to incidents in the past and a similar malfunction on another aircraft model was a cause of a fatal crash in 1995 in Romania. Nurcahyo Utomo, the lead investigator at Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee, confirmed that a malfunctioning throttle was “one of the factors that we are looking at, but I can’t say at this point that it’s a factor for the crash or there was a problem with it.” Utomo’s team is working with engineers from Boeing to review the data from the aircraft’s flight-data recorder that was retrieved from the seabed last week. Rescuers are still trying to locate the memory module of the plane’s cockpit-voice recorder, which broke apart upon impact. Search Challenge The debris from Sriwijaya Air Flight 182 is spread over an area of about two kilometers Unequal thrust from the engines can cause a plane to turn or even roll onto its side and descend abruptly, if it’s not handled properly. Pilots must compensate by manually setting the power or taking other actions. If the autothrottle failure proves central to the probe, it’s likely to put the focus on pilot actions and training as well as how the airline maintained the plane. “Large thrust asymmetry is rare, but pilots are trained to notice this and prevent loss of control,” Jakarta-based aviation analyst Gerry Soejatman said. “Investigators will determine to what extent asymmetry occurred and look into other factors that let it become a loss of control situation.” Sriwijaya Air Flight 182 abruptly nosedived more than 10,000 feet (3,050 meters) in about 15 seconds just minutes after takeoff in heavy rain from Jakarta, according to tracker Flightradar24. All aboard died. Boeing’s 737-500 model first flew in 1989 and, according to tracking website Planespotters.net, the particular aircraft that crashed earlier this month entered service in May 1994. The family of jets belongs to an older model than the 737 Max that was involved in two other deadly accidents, including one off the coast of Indonesia, in 2018 and 2019 and that led to a global grounding. Indonesia’s NTSC hasn’t issued any details about what may have led to the crash. It said Tuesday it was planning on releasing preliminary findings within 30 days of the accident. Both engines appear to have been functioning prior to the plane hitting the water, according to the NTSC. Indonesian publication Tempo reported in recent days that there had been recurring malfunctions of the plane’s auto-throttle system prior to the crash. Like an autopilot, an autothrottle on the 737-500 can be used by pilots to set the speed automatically, thereby reducing their workload and wear on the engines. Twin-engine jetliners such as the 737 are designed to fly on a single engine during an emergency, so an autothrottle failure that produced unequal thrust shouldn’t have been enough to take down the plane by itself. However, a severe case of unequal thrust can cause a variety of issues with a plane’s controllability. If an aircraft is in clouds or pilots aren’t closely monitoring the plane’s condition, it can get severely out of control before crews respond. In 2001, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration ordered operators of the family of jets including the 737-500 to replace the autothrottle computer after reports of unequal thrust. While there’s no indication this specific issue occurred in the recent accident, it illustrates how it could create a safety hazard. Boeing had years earlier issued instructions for how pilots should correct the problem -- known as a procedure -- but multiple incidents continued to occur in which crews failed to recognize what was happening soon enough and FAA said more specific repairs were needed. “This procedure does not take into account human factors that may result in the flightcrew failing to recognize an abnormality that develops over an extended period of time, resulting in an excessive bank angle for the airplane,” the FAA said in the 2001 notice to pilots. Out of eight incidents in which pilots didn’t respond properly, two aircraft rolled more than 40 degrees, according to the agency. Unequal thrust on an Airbus SE A310 and a pilot’s inadequate response caused a Tarom airlines flight to crash near Bucharest in 1995, according to Romanian investigators. All 60 aboard died. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-20/faulty-automatic-throttle-eyed-in-indonesia-jet-crash-probe Turkish pilots, official face 12 years jail for Ghosn flight ISTANBUL – Turkish prosecutors on Wednesday sought the maximum possible 12 years in prison each for a Turkish private airline official and two pilots accused of smuggling the former Nissan Motor Co. chairman out of Japan, Turkey’s state news agency reported. In the third hearing in the trial of seven people over Carlos Ghosn’s dramatic escape in 2019, prosecutors also requested that the court acquits two other pilots of the charge of “illegally smuggling a migrant,” Anadolu Agency said. They recommended instead that the two — who flew him from Istanbul to Beirut — be tried on charges of failing to report a crime. Delivering their final opinion on the case, the prosecutors also demanded that charges against two flight attendants be dropped. The trial was adjourned until Feb. 24, when the court in Istanbul could deliver verdicts. Ghosn, 66, who was arrested over financial misconduct allegations in Tokyo in 2018, skipped bail while awaiting trial there. He was flown by pilots Noyan Pasin and Bahri Kutlu Somek from Osaka to Istanbul on a private plane and then transferred onto another plane for Beirut, where he arrived Dec. 30, 2019. He is believed to have been smuggled inside a large, foam-covered music box. All four pilots and two flight attendants have denied involvement in the plans to help Ghosn flee, insisting that they did not know that he was aboard the flights. During the opening hearing, airline official Okan Kosemen claimed he was made aware that Ghosn was on the plane to Istanbul only after it landed. He admitted helping smuggle Ghosn onto the second, Beirut-bound plane, but claimed he was threatened and feared for his family’s safety. Turkish airline company MNG Jet has admitted that two of its planes were used illegally in Ghosn’s escape, flying him to Istanbul, and then to Beirut. The company said its employee had admitted to falsifying flight records so that Ghosn’s name didn’t appear on them. Ghosn, who has French, Lebanese and Brazilian citizenship, led Japanese automaker Nissan for two decades. He is wanted on charges of breach of trust in misusing company assets for personal gain, and violating securities laws in not fully disclosing his compensation. He has said that he fled because he could not expect a fair trial in Japan. Lebanon has no extradition treaty with Japan. In addition to his trial in Japan, the businessman is facing a number of legal challenges in France, including tax evasion and alleged money laundering, fraud and misuse of company assets while at the helm of the Renault-Nissan alliance. https://www.clickorlando.com/business/2021/01/20/turkish-pilots-official-face-12-years-jail-for-ghosn-flight/ President Biden Makes Mask Wearing Mandatory On Aircraft Yesterday, new United States President Joe Biden signed an executive order, requiring the public to wear face masks on all federal property and during interstate travel on public transport. Therefore, as part of the “100 Day Masking Challenge,” passengers are now expected to wear coverings while on board an aircraft by federal law. Urgent action Biden previously expressed his strong support for wearing a mask to help tackle pandemic. He said there would be a significant reduction in coronavirus cases if every person in the country wore a covering. At the beginning of last month, he declared that he would ask everyone to wear a mask for 100 days on his first day as president. Biden said the following, as reported by the BBC: “The first day I’m inaugurated […] I’m going to ask the public for 100 days to mask. Just 100 days to mask, not forever. One hundred days. And I think we’ll see a significant reduction if we occur that, if that occurs with vaccinations and masking to drive down the numbers considerably.” Subsequently, Biden stayed true to his word and took action on the day of his inauguration. The president said the following, as reported by the Wall Street Journal: “I thought there’s no time to wait. Get to work immediately.” An ongoing saga Since the start of the pandemic, the wearing of face masks on an aircraft has sparked debate across the aviation industry. All major US airlines require those on board to wear coverings. However, there have been several passengers banned due to refusal to wear one. Conflicts over the topic have resulted in threats and even attacks on flight attendants. By the first week of September, airlines had already banned over 700 passengers from their respective services due to mask refusals. Moreover, just earlier this month, 14 passengers were banned by Alaska Airlines after their unruly behavior surrounding the wearing of coverings on the aircraft. Following this, airline labor unions expressed safety concerns. Therefore, the Air Line Pilots’ Association, International (ALPA) shared its support for Biden’s order. The group said that voluntary implementation leaves too much risk of virus exposure for those on the frontline. ALPA supports @POTUS’s call for a 100-day mask mandate for airline passengers. Voluntary implementation leaves too much risk of #COVID19 exposure for #frontline #aviation workers. — Air Line Pilots Association (@WeAreAlpa) January 20, 2021 A joint effort Nonetheless, even before this order, certain officials have been keen to clamp down on issues surrounding masks. Last week, FAA Administrator Steve Dickson approved an order to fine unruly passengers or those who assault, threaten or intimidate crew members. These fines can reach up to $35,000, and the ruling is effective until March 30th. Moreover, offenders could be imprisoned for up to 20 years. Altogether, authorities and airlines are on the same page regarding the mandatory wearing of face masks. The government, carriers, and passengers will be keeping a close eye on conditions over the next few months following the rollout of the vaccine. Perhaps requirements could change after a reduction in cases throughout the year. https://simpleflying.com/biden-aircraft-mandatory-masks/ Man who refused to wear mask on airplane in Japan gets arrested four months later Airline apparently did not forgive or forget. Back on September 7, Japanese airline Peach Aviation had to suddenly divert one of its flights due to an unruly passenger. The trouble started before takeoff, when 34-year-old Junya Okuno was asked by cabin crew to put on a mask, which he refused to do while demanding that the request be made in writing. He didn’t become any more cooperative after the flight took off from Kushiro Airport in Hokkaido, either. When cabin attendants once again asked Okuno to put on a mask, he became belligerent, shouting and twisting the arm of one of the female staff, inflicting minor injuries. In accordance with Japan’s aviation regulations, the pilot deemed Okuno to be a safety risk, and so he diverted the plane to the nearest viable airport for an unscheduled landing so Okuno could be removed. That turned out to be Niigata Airport, some 600 kilometers (373 miles) away from the flight’s intended destination of Kansai Airport in Osaka. Following Okuno being taken off the plane, which was accompanied by applause from several other passengers, the flight resumed, with its 124 travelers finally reaching Kansai Airport two hours and 15 minutes later than scheduled. Even if Japan has a saying that “The customer is god,” there’s still a limit to the behavior that can be overlooked, and on Tuesday the repercussions for Okuno’s temper tantrum came literally knocking on the door of his home in the town of Toride, Ibaraki Prefecture. Doing the knocking were officers from the Osaka Prefectural Police, who placed him under arrest for his conduct onboard the flight. Okuno wasn’t arrested specifically for not wearing a mask, but under the broader “forced obstruction of business operations,” a designation commonly used in charges related to disruptive behavior that creates an intimidating atmosphere in shops, restaurants, and mass transit vehicles. That would also explain why it was the Osaka cops who took him into custody, since Osaka is both where the flight was initially bound for and also where Peach is headquartered. So really, Okuna hasn’t been arrested so much for refusing to wear a mask, but for being a jerk about how he did so. Hopefully the newest development will encourage him to rethink his criminally poor manners, and if nothing else, he can at least take solace in the fact that he got to complete more of his intended flight than another anti-masker. https://soranews24.com/2021/01/21/man-who-refused-to-wear-mask-on-airplane-in-japan-gets-arrested-four-months-later/ A Permanent Ban Is the Only Way To Get Through To Disruptive Passengers Here at TravelPulse, we call them ‘naughty passengers,’ and we have a whole list of folks who have caused upheaval on an airplane. These stories used to be fairly benign. Somebody trying to sneak a smoke on the plane, perhaps. A couple joining the Mile High Club in the restroom. An argument over reclining seats, maybe. But ‘naughty’ might be a misnomer now. ‘Naughty’ suggests something almost glib, something we might even chuckle over. But this phenomenon is no laughing matter anymore. Now, just like the polarized, divisive country we’ve become, disruptive passengers are nasty, combative, belligerent and have even resorted to physical assault. So when Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian sent his employees a memo outlining a plan to place a permanent ban on unruly passengers, my first thought was not about whether it was legal – it is – or whether it was moral or whether it was ethical or whether it was even a smart thing to attempt. My first thought was…Yup. It’s the only deterrent that’s going to get through to some of these people. In fact, if Bastian goes ahead with his plan, I would urge him to share any information on banned passengers with other airlines to prevent travelers from simply using another carrier. Is that extreme? Maybe. But the situation has become extreme. Some of these people are like petulant children, and what’s the best way to take care of petulant children? You take away what they love the most, like their phone, or video games or, you know, the right to fly. Something that will make them appreciate what they had by losing it. Or in the case of adults, hit them where it hurts the most – in the wallet. Imagine living in Atlanta or Detroit, hub cities for Delta, and not being to fly on Delta? Good luck with that when the airlines get back to normal in a year or so. Flying is not a right, it’s a privilege. And just like any other business, you must abide by their rules. See, that’s the misconception people have, especially – as I’ve said before in print – the “I don’t have to wear a face mask, you’re violating my personal freedoms and civil liberties!!” crowd. Um, Karen? Yes. Yes, you do have to wear a mask on a plane, and at the grocery store, and 7/11, and Macy’s and the bowling alley. See, going into a place of business is like owning a home. I highly doubt you, as a homeowner, are going to allow someone to come into your residence and not abide by your rules, right? I think we can safely assume you’re not going to allow guests of any kind to waltz in, start moving furniture around, walk around in muddy shoes or discipline your kids. Well, it’s the same with any place of business. A store, whether it’s a small bodega or a Walmart SuperStore, is its own entity. Contrary to your beliefs, they can make their own rules. Sort of like ‘No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service.’ A business owner gives you, the consumer, tacit approval to enter its brick-and-mortar structure for the purpose of conducting commerce. If they say you can’t wear blue, well, sorry, you can’t wear blue. If they say you can’t have blonde hair, well, sorry, you can’t have blonde hair. Those are outrageous examples, of course. But asking somebody to behave themselves on an airplane isn’t so outrageous. Bastian used phrases like ‘respect’ and ‘basic civility.’ Really, is that too much to ask for? “Those who refuse to display basic civility to our people or their fellow travelers are not welcome on Delta,” he wrote. “Their actions will not be tolerated, and they will not have the privilege of flying our airline ever again.” And don’t think it’s just going to be Delta. As we have seen throughout history, aviation and the airlines can oftentimes piggyback off one another. There’s no doubt in my mind the other U.S. carriers will come back with a similar policy. So I say ‘bravo’ to Bastian and Delta. If a passenger is going to act like an idiot, expect to be treated like one. https://www.travelpulse.com/opinions/column/a-permanent-ban-is-the-only-way-to-get-through-to-disruptive-passengers.html CAE partners with The LOSA Collaborative to enhance pilot training and aviation safety CAE has announced a partnership with The LOSA Collaborative to enhance its evidence-based training offering. Through an exclusive service agreement, The LOSA Collaborative will perform line operations safety audits (LOSA) of CAE customer-operators. The insights and data gleaned from the safety audits, combined with CAE’s training data, will allow CAE to offer tailored pilot training programs and benchmarked operational and training performance insights to operators. “We are thrilled to continue to shape the future of pilot training with partnerships like the one we now have with The LOSA Collaborative. This partnership brings safety auditing expertise to our customers and will also reinforce our CAE Rise Training System,” said Nick Leontidis, CAE’s group president, Civil Aviation Training Solutions. “Collecting data and insights from line operations and training is key to the development and assessment of pilot competencies. We are bringing pilot training full circle by closing the loop between operations and training data. This enables us to further build a robust data-driven training ecosystem that will support continuous improvement, provide a true measure of the effectiveness of training, and have a positive impact on aviation safety worldwide.” “The LOSA Collaborative’s audit findings from 85 airlines, helicopter, and military operators around the world combined with CAE’s training data will allow operators, instructional systems designers, safety and quality practitioners to focus their work on data driven threats to aviation safety,” said Dr. James Klinect, the founder and CEO of The LOSA Collaborative. “With our partnership with CAE, we are formally bridging the gap between proactive safety data and training solutions. There is nothing else like it in the aviation industry.” https://verticalmag.com/press-releases/cae-partners-with-the-losa-collaborative-to-enhance-pilot-training-and-aviation-safety/ What Does The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Do? The everyday traveler may not be aware of the International Civil Aviation Organisation. However, without it, global commercial air travel would most certainly be a chaotic hotchpotch of varying regulations. Born out of the consequences of World War II, it sets standards on everything from altitude measurements and border-crossing procedures to biometric passports. The Chicago Convention The Convention on International Civil Aviation, more commonly known as the Chicago Convention, was drafted in 1944 by 54 nations. Coming off of the technological advancement in flight and the global logistic networks spurred by the Second World War, parameters needed to be agreed upon to transition them to the civilian realms of operations. Thus, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) was established. Before we talk about exactly what the ICAO does, let us take a moment to note what it does not do. It is not an arbitrary international aviation regulator. The ICAO does not have the authority to overrule national aviation regulatory bodies. It cannot restrict sovereign airspace, shut down a route, or condemn airlines for poor safety records or service. The ICAO is a specialized agency within the umbrella of the United Nations (UN). It is funded and directed by 193 governments of its Member States. These are all the UN members – apart from Lichtenstein, which lacks an international airport, and with the addition of the Cook Islands. Consensus facilitator Its core function is to facilitate diplomatic cooperation between these states in the field of civil aviation. It also researches new standards, on which it then advises the Member States. When consensus is achieved among all 193 nations on new policies, they are then adopted by those same countries to coordinate national regulations globally. This includes aviation infrastructure such as communication rules and navigation. It also standardizes measurements for air and ground speed, pressure, altitude, temperature, etc., as well as issue three-letter codes for airports specific to radio communications. The organization has also set the system for aircraft registration and the abbreviate version of an aircraft’s identification, such as B738 for the Boeing 737-800. Furthermore, it has designated the size of airports and which type of aircraft they can take according to a scale from – think ten-seater turboprops – to F, which could take A380s, 747-8s, and the Antonov An-124. It also sets practices for flight inspection, border-crossing procedures, and prevention of unlawful interference. Additionally, the ICAO has issued standards for machine-readable and biometric passports. Organizational structure The ICAO Secretariat heads the organization. Its Secretary-General is Dr Fang Liu, who has held the post since 2015 and is currently on her second term. The Secretariat consists of five bureaus: the Air Navigation Bureau, the Air Transport Bureau, the Technical Co-operation Bureau, the Legal Affairs and External Relations Bureau, and the Bureau of Administration and Services. The ICAO Assembly is comprised of all 193 Member States. It meets no less than once every three years. The Assembly elects the Council, which consists of 36 countries, for a three-year term. Its President is currently Mr Salvatore Sciacchitano, whose term began on January 1st, 2020. Suffice to say; he may have had the most turbulent time of any president since the inception of the organization itself. There are also regional offices of the ICAO worldwide to provide support and coordination to national regulators. These are located in Bangkok, Cairo, Dakar, Lima, Mexico, Nairobi, and Paris. https://simpleflying.com/icao/ airBaltic has Performed Seven Airbus A220-300 C Checks Latvian airline airBaltic has successfully continued its maintenance program, completing C check on the first seven of its Airbus A220-300 aircraft, and planning to do four more C checks soon. In 2019, airBaltic became the first airline entitled to provide a full scope of maintenance for Airbus A220-300 aircraft type. Andris Vaivads, SVP Technical Operations of airBaltic said, “With each C check, our Airbus A220-300 aircraft also receive a number of additional modifications, further improving efficiency and reliability of the most aircraft. As a carrier operating only the A220-300, we are also unique in being able to perform full scope of maintenance on the aircraft type.” A C check is a part of the aircraft maintenance program that has to be performed on all commercial aircraft after a certain time of usage. For Airbus A220-300, the manufacturer has defined that a C check has to be performed every 8,500 flight hours. Overall, 40 people work on a single C check. airBaltic currently employs more than 120 technicians. Since May, airBaltic operates all of its flights with a single aircraft type – Airbus A220-300, thus minimizing the complexity and benefiting from the additional efficiency provided by the aircraft. Since introduction of the Airbus A220-300 aircraft in late 2016, airBaltic has carried over 5,600,000 passengers on the aircraft. Thus far, most passengers have been carried to such destinations as Amsterdam, Paris, London and Moscow. Airbus A220-300’s have completed close to 60,000 flights and flown over 141,000 block hours. The Airbus A220-300 has performed beyond the company’s expectations, delivering better overall performance, fuel efficiency and convenience for both passengers and the staff. This aircraft offers an excellent flying experience with such benefits for passengers as wider seats, larger windows, more hand luggage space in the cabin, improved lavatories and much more. The Airbus A220-300 has a high-quality air filtering system equipped with High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) type filter that provides the best level of filtration currently available for recirculated cabin air from the very beginning of boarding, during entire flight and until all passengers have left the aircraft. The quality of cabin air is carefully controlled and is recirculated with ventilation rates that provide a total change of air 20-30 times per hour. In addition, the new aircraft is also considerably quieter – with a four times smaller noise footprint. Moreover, at the moment it is the greenest commercial aircraft in the world, as it is the first aircraft to have a transparent declaration of the life-cycle environmental impact, helping to reduce CO2 and NOX emissions by 20 percent and 50 percent respectively. https://www.aviationpros.com/aircraft/maintenance-providers/mro/press-release/21206674/airbaltic-airbaltic-has-performed-seven-airbus-a220300-c-checks FAA Opens Mx, Pilot Workforce Development Grant Program The FAA is soliciting applications for maintenance and pilot workforce development grants. Aircraft Pilots Workforce Development Grants of between $25,000 and $500,000 are available for programs that are designed to expand the pilot workforce and educate students to become pilots, aerospace engineers, or unmanned systems operators. Similar Aviation Maintenance Technical Workers Workforce Development Grants are available for programs that prepare an inclusive base of aviation maintenance technicians. Applications will be accepted through March 22. The estimated total funding for each program is $5 million. Both grant programs were created under a measure included in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018. Industry groups, grappling with looming workforce shortages, had strongly supported the measure. “These grant programs will not only ensure our workforce is properly skilled to operate and maintain the safest aviation system in the world, but will also provide important re-training and re-skilling opportunities for workers who have been displaced during the Covid-19 pandemic,” said National Air Transportation Association president and CEO Timothy Obitts. “Our industry has eagerly awaited the launch of these programs—prime examples of public-private partnerships leveraging federal investment. We are pleased to see the funding made available as we start the new year.” https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2021-01-20/faa-opens-mx-pilot-workforce-development-grant-program SpaceX may have purchased 2 oil rigs off the coast of Texas that could be turned into 'floating' Starship launchpads SpaceX appears to have acquired two oil rigs that it may transform into launch platforms for its forthcoming Starship rocket system, NASASpaceflight reported. The floating "spaceports" would add to SpaceX's operations in Boca Chica, Texas, which are under a new environmental review. Launching rockets from the water should be less disruptive for nearby residents. You may know Deimos and Phobos as the names of Mars' moons. But now they're also the newly christened names of two oil rigs off the Texas coast. These rigs will likely be transformed into launchpads for SpaceX Starship rockets, NASASpaceflight reported on Tuesday. In December 2020, Insider reported that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk had moved from California to Texas, an increasingly common trajectory for tech CEOs looking to save on state income taxes. Since then, Thomas Burghardt and Michael Baylor of NASASpaceflight identified public records showing the August 2020 sale of two oil rigs off the Texas coast from now-bankrupt oil company Valaris. Both rigs sold for $3.5 million, Baylor's records requests show. NASASpaceflight identified the buyer as Lone Star Mineral Development LLC, which shares executive Bret Johnson with SpaceX. The LLC was incorporated in June of 2020. While SpaceX has yet to confirm it's involved in the purchase of the oil rigs, it wouldn't be a surprise. Further fueling that idea is a tweet identified by Baylor that Musk sent in June 2020, a week before the LLC's incorporation, in which the CEO alluded to building launch 'floating' spaceport platforms on the ocean. Back on land, the SpaceX site in Boca Chica previously hosted prototype launches for the company. The first launch of the Starship prototype, which the company hopes will eventually lead to the first commercial spaceflight to Mars, occurred in December 2020. The rocket exploded, Insider reported, but the company still considered the test successful. SN9, a new iteration of the prototype, will likely be launched this week, weather permitting. The proposed SN9 launch will be beachside, not on the Phobos and Deimos rigs. SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether it purchased the oil rigs or any plans for them. Floating launchpads would offer some distinct advantages over land-based launching sites, such as a decreased risk for those living nearby and less noise. The future of these potential rigs-turned-launchpads and SpaceX's Texas operations more broadly is still an open question. In December 2020, the Federal Aviation Administration released a call for public input about the SpaceX launch site in Boca Chica. Musk has said that he hopes SpaceX will begin sending passenger flights to Mars by 2026. https://www.yahoo.com/news/spacex-may-purchased-2-oil-204626746.html 2021 Aircraft Cabin Air Conference Registration Now Open ** Thanks to our generous sponsors, registration is currently free, so book today! ** 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 currently FREE, so book today! 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