Flight Safety Information - March 2, 2021 No. 044 In This Issue : Accident: Aliansa DC3 at Monfort (Vaupes) on Feb 28th 2021, accident at landing : Incident: United B752 at Orlando on Feb 28th 2021, smoke in cockpit and cabin, hydraulic indication : Beechcraft B300 King Air 350i - Fatal Accident (China) : China moving 'step by step' in recertifying Boeing 737 MAX : New NATA Safety 1st Training Center Course Enhances SMS Success : Building Strong Safety Culture with Human Factors Training : Polaris Aero’s New VOCUS SMS Aviation Safety Software to Replace Vector SMS : Czech Airlines insolvency petition outlines scale of financial burden : Rolls-Royce completes taxiing test of all electric aircraft : United expands order for Boeing 737 Max aircraft : A shortage of pilots could keep the airlines from making a real comeback : Saudia plans to order 70 Airbus, Boeing jets: report : Rocket Lab debuts plans for a new, larger, reusable rocket for launching satellite constellations : SCSI Slovenia in-person and virtual Air Safety Investigation courses : Position: Air Investigator : ERAU - Research Study : ISASI - 2021 ISASI Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship Accident: Aliansa DC3 at Monfort (Vaupes) on Feb 28th 2021, accident at landing An Aliansa Aerolineas Andinas Douglas DC-3, registration HK-2006 performing a flight from Mitu to Monfort Vaupes (Colombia) with 3 crew, suffered an accident while landing at Monfort at 15:07L (21:07Z). There were no injuries, the aircraft received substantial damage however. Colombia's Aeronautica Civil reported the aircraft "crashed at the time of landing on the Monfort runway." There was no harm to the 3 crew on board (there were no passengers), the aircraft however was substantially damaged. An investigation has been opened, investigators travelled on site. No further information is currently known. The distance between Mitu and Monfort is about 46nm, Monfort located at the border to Brazil and to the southeast of Mitu. https://avherald.com/h?article=4e3c2e0d&opt=0 Incident: United B752 at Orlando on Feb 28th 2021, smoke in cockpit and cabin, hydraulic indication A United Boeing 757-200, registration N57111 performing flight UA-2728 from Roswell,NM to Orlando,FL (USA) with 2 crew , was on approach to Orlando maintaining 7000 feet when the crew reported they had smoke in cabin and cockpit, they also had a hydraulic indication and were now an emergency aircraft. The aircraft received vectors for an immediate intercept of the localizer runway 18R, requested emergency services to be on standby for landing and landed safely on runway 18R about 8 minutes after reporting the smoke and hydraulic indication. The aircraft vacated the runway and stopped on the adjacent taxiway for an inspection by emergency services. The aircraft taxied to the apron about 10 minutes after landing. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Orlando about 35 hours after landing. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/UAL2728/history/20210228/1710Z/KROW/KMCO https://avherald.com/h?article=4e3ca8d6&opt=0 Beechcraft B300 King Air 350i - Fatal Accident (China) Date: Monday 1 March 2021 Time: 17:19 Type: Beechcraft B300 King Air 350i Operator: Beidahuang General Airlines Registration: B-10GD C/n / msn: FL-1014 First flight: 2015 Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-60A Crew: Fatalities: / Occupants: Passengers: Fatalities: / Occupants: Total: Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5 Aircraft damage: Destroyed Aircraft fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Ji'an County ( China) Phase: Unknown (UNK) Nature: Agricultural Departure airport: ? Destination airport: ? Narrative: A Beechcraft B300 King Air 350 on a cloud seeding flight crashed into a residential area in Ji'an County, China. All five occupants of the King Air were killed. Three houses were damaged, and one villager suffered minor injuries. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20210301-0 China moving 'step by step' in recertifying Boeing 737 MAX BEIJING (Reuters) - China's aviation regulator said on Monday its major safety concerns with the Boeing Co 737 MAX had to be "properly addressed" before conducting flight tests but it was studying a plan with U.S. planemaker for clearing aircraft to fly. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) conducted comprehensive and in-depth technical scrutiny of the Boeing 737 MAX, the agency's vice head Dong Zhiyi said, giving the regulator's stance on the plane which China grounded in early 2019. The U.S. and several other regulators have already cleared the plane to fly again. "We'll conduct flight tests in a planned and step-by-step way once our major safety concerns are properly addressed," Dong said, adding that cooperation between FAA and Boeing had been positive. China was the first country to ground the 737 MAX in March 2019 following two fatal crashes. At the time, more of the planes had been operating in China than anywhere else in the world. China makes up about a quarter of MAX sales. The CAAC has outlined three principles for the jet to return to service, including certified design changes, proper training for the pilots and specific findings into the crashes. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted its flight ban on the aircraft in January. It was followed by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and several others. Australia said on Friday it would lift a ban on flights. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/china-studies-recertification-plan-boeing-082706838.html New NATA Safety 1st Training Center Course Enhances SMS Success National Air Transportation Association (NATA) Washington, DC, March 1, 2021 – The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) introduced a Safety 1st Training Center course providing foundational knowledge of Safety Management Systems (SMS). “Intro to Safety Management Systems (SMS001)” covers the evolution of aviation safety, the core components of SMS, and the role of each employee in ensuring the success of an organization’s SMS. "SMS is vital to the future of our industry, providing a framework for the way companies integrate safety into their organizational culture. The new ‘Intro To Safety Management Systems’ course provides an important tool for aviation businesses to grow and develop their teams, while also broadening their understanding of the components and process involved in SMS,” stated Michael France, NATA Managing Director of Safety and Training. “Intro to Safety Management Systems,” which includes an online lesson, digital exam and on-the-job resources, complements NATA’s successful in-person Air Transport Safety Manager certification course, next offered on April 12-16, 2021. Existing Safety 1st Training Center subscribers can immediately access this new course. “As SMS positively impacts all segments of business, it is imperative for every employee to have a stake in safety management success. NATA’s training programs and courses walk aviation businesses and employees across-the-board through every step of their journey toward achieving this success,” added NATA Senior Vice President Ryan Waguespack. NATA’s Safety 1st Training Center utilizes exciting features, content, and flexibility – shifting the focus of training programs from simple compliance to true employee learning and development. Providing standardized training and support, NATA Safety 1st® is the leading resource for preparing individuals to safely handle general and business aviation aircraft. https://www.aviationpros.com/education-training/press-release/21212148/national-air-transportation-association-nata-new-nata-safety-1st-training-center-course-enhances-sms-success Building Strong Safety Culture with Human Factors Training Safety Culture may be one of the hottest, yet least understood, topics in aviation safety. What does it mean? Often when we talk about aviation safety, we’re talking about physical safety. We’re talking about transporting people or boxes from A to B without incident. But a lack of incident isn’t the only metric for a good safety culture. WELL-ESTABLISHED SAFETY SYSTEMS Safety Management Systems (SMS) is a valued and established set of protocols and processes to enhance the safety of an organization. From it, the industry has learned that trust is the fundamental building block for a positive safety culture. But, how do we build trust? Crew Resource Management (CRM) implores us to use effective communication and all available resources. But, it doesn’t tell us how to effectively communicate nor does it explain how to maximize our human connection. Many pilots are comfortable with the tactical style of communication; we train for that in the simulator. Yet that style of communication does little to foster human connection, empathy, or inclusion. The protocols, audits, and checklists of SMS and CRM have provided teams with important tactics for upholding physical safety. However, these systems are left vulnerable because they fail to educate on the “human” aspect of human factors training. Genuine human factors training would include elements of neurobiology, cognitive science, epistemology, emotional intelligence, and leadership strategy. Each one of these facets would provide insight into how humans think, respond, and interact. Ultimately, we would learn that all humans want to be seen, heard, and valued. We want to feel safe to be our authentic best selves while also feeling a sense of belonging as a valued team member. ON BEING SEEN Think about this sentence: “The pilot was unhappy with the catering.” What image do you get? My brain thought of a middle-aged, white, male pilot in the left seat being handed his lunch that he didn’t like. My brain visualized the flight deck and I could see that the airplane was in cruise flight. From the one sentence, my brain filled in a lot of details. Stay on the leading edge of the business jet industry with AIN's free daily newsletter. Email Address Now, let me change one thing about the sentence. Think about this one: “The flight attendant was unhappy with the catering.” Now, what image do you get? I visualized a young female flight attendant hunched over poorly packaged food that she would later have to serve. I could see that the airplane was on the ground and she was in the galley sorting through catering boxes. Take a moment and compare the images you got from the two sentences. By changing just one thing about the sentence (flight attendant versus pilot) my brain created a completely different story. And, I’m guessing yours did too. Our brains are constantly filling in a lot of details even though those details weren’t part of the original sentence. That’s called bias, and it’s normal. Our brains receive 11 million bits of information per second. But, we can only process about 40 bits per second, which means 99 percent of the information we receive, we cannot process consciously. Our brain makes mental associations and forms prototypes as a way of processing data more quickly. These subtle cues and associations were important in our evolution. They helped our brains make quick decisions on whether someone was a friend or foe and helped trigger the fight-flight-freeze response. The prototypes and mental associations we unconsciously create can influence how we view other people. Our mental models try to tell us how people should think or should act. But, we know that not everyone fits perfectly into our subconsciously created prototypes. So if we don’t question our own bias, we may end up perpetuating antiquated models or outdated stereotypes. We can do this by approaching the topic with an open mind and curiosity. In meetings, is there a certain type of person you cut off more frequently? Or a certain type of person you give more eye-contact to? How about a type of person you’d rather mentor, promote, or hire? If so, why? We want to feel seen. But the first step in seeing others is to admit we all have biases. ON BEING HEARD When we feel safe to show up as our authentic best selves, we have a high level of psychological safety. Psychological safety is defined as “being able to show and employ one’s self without fear of negative consequences of self-image, status, or career.” It means we feel comfortable speaking up with our original thoughts even when they fall outside of the groupthink model. Psychological safety is fundamental to safety culture. When we don’t feel safe to be ourselves or speak up, our brain shifts from critical thinking and logical processing to defense mode. When an individual senses danger (real or perceived, physical or emotional), our amygdala gets triggered. The amygdala is the part of our brain responsible for triggering the fight-flight-freeze response when a threat is observed. When triggered, our cognitive functioning is impaired. Our attention shifts from pro-safety team behavior to one of defensive self-protection. Over time, low psychological safety also affects us physiologically through stress, burnout, low morale, and fatigue. The incidents that go unreported, the disgruntled employee that overlooks protocols, the subtle noncompliance, and the costly employee burnout all lead to a reduction in safety and a deterioration of safety culture. Conversely, psychological safety enhances safety culture because it allows people to ask tough questions and share their mistakes without fear of embarrassment or punitive repercussions. SMS refers to this culture as a “just” culture. However, psychological safety, built on trust, is the keystone to establishing a just culture. Psychological safety enhances safety because it creates a learning environment where employees feel engaged and free to express themselves. It is fueled by group trust and is paramount to healthy, high-functioning teams as it allows employees to feel heard. ON BEING VALUED We hear a lot about inclusive leadership strategies. Forbes found that inclusive groups were more productive and made better decisions 87 percent of the time. The business case has already been made: inclusive leadership leads to more creativity, increased productivity, and a higher level of safety. Yet, how do we create inclusive teams? Part of the puzzle rests in understanding an individual’s unique experiences and by looking at our differences as an asset. Many people believe that aviation is a meritocracy, which means that everyone is on an equal playing field. In a meritocracy, the harder you work, the more successful you become. We all want to believe in that type of system because it sounds fair and it embodies the American spirit. Unfortunately, it’s far too simplistic and negates recognizing the individual hurdles each person experiences. Let’s think about this. You fly your G650 from LAX to TEB. That flight takes four hours. Now, you turn around a fly back to LAX. This leg takes five hours. We all understand these phenomena as headwinds and tailwinds. You can’t argue with physics. The same concept can be applied to individuals. Let’s say we have two pilots that start flight training at the same time. Pilot A is not financially burdened. This pilot can take extra classes to finish sooner, fly whenever the weather cooperates, and attend after-school networking events. Meanwhile, Pilot B works after school to pay for flight training. Pilot B cannot take extra classes, has a less malleable schedule, and misses those evening networking events. Pilot B is fighting a relative headwind while Pilot A is enjoying a relative tailwind. Pilot A completes flight training more quickly, makes more connections, and can establish relatively ahead within the industry because of those tailwinds. There’s nothing wrong with this, but it’s important to understand that some people have tailwinds and some have headwinds. Now, a decade later Pilot A and Pilot B apply for the same job. Likely, the resume shows Pilot A completed flight school quickly, has more flight time, and has more connections within the industry. Doing a quick resume comparison without understanding their personal headwinds and tailwinds, you might want to hire Pilot A. But, maybe Pilot B could be a better choice because they had to work harder fighting those headwinds. We must understand that some people overcome significant headwinds while others enjoy tailwinds. And, despite how much we want it to be, our industry is not a meritocracy. These relative headwinds and tailwinds help create our uniqueness and authentic selves. Understanding these individual characteristics help leaders create cohesive teams where people feel valued as individuals while also creating a sense of belonging in an inclusive group. SAFETY CULTURE—A COLLECTIVE TERM Culture is a collective term, meaning a singular individual cannot create it. Culture is observed through the social norms and behaviors of the individuals comprising a group. Within aviation’s SMS, we can measure the culture quantitatively through safety reports and qualitatively through employee surveys. The culture of the team is dependent on the psychological safety of the individuals that comprise it. Employees who do not feel comfortable speaking up will not fill out safety reports. Those that do not feel valued will not honestly answer the qualitative surveys. Burnout and low morale are direct indicators of a poor safety culture. The building blocks of your organization’s safety are comprised of protocols, processes, and most importantly, the individuals upholding them. When one building block crumbles from an employee’s low psychological safety, the whole team’s safety is reduced. No person, title, or position is exempt from the negative effects of low psychological safety. Its relevance is prolific at all levels. The micro-culture of your organization or the macro-culture of the industry lies heavily on the psychological safety of the individuals that comprise it. Creating psychological safety is strongly dependent upon leadership; and, it is critical for high-performing individuals and teams. Trust is the bedrock of psychological safety. Leaders can build trust by utilizing inclusive leadership strategies. This includes admitting we all have biases, understanding employees' headwinds and tailwinds, and valuing employees for their uniqueness. We must find strength in our differences to maximize the benefits of inclusive leadership and create a genuine positive safety culture. Safety culture is not a singular, check-the-box element of SMS. It is something to improve upon daily. The tone for the organization is set by leadership but everyone plays a role. As an industry, we invest in new technologies, pilot training, and emergency training. We are always learning and always striving to do better. We can do this collectively by investing in aviation's most important asset—its human capital. It starts with a deep dive into more comprehensive human factors training. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2021-03-01/building-strong-safety-culture-human-factors-training Polaris Aero’s New VOCUS SMS Aviation Safety Software to Replace Vector SMS VOCUS SMS Aviation Safety Software Insights Dashboard on Ipad by Polaris-Aero Polaris Aero has just launched its next-gen aviation safety software, VOCUS SMS, which among many new features offers a new safety insights dashboard and which makes it more engaging and easier to track information dynamically and understand what’s happening at a glance Polaris Aero, the Ariz.-based safety software company, released its new aviation safety management system application, VOCUS SMS, which will replace Vector SMS. VOCUS SMS will help flight departments document not only the ‘whats,’ but also help them understand the ‘whys,’ through root cause analysis and the implementation of more effective risk controls.”— Chris Connor, Co-founder and CEO of Polaris AeroSCOTTSDALE, AZ, UNITED STATES, March 2, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Polaris Aero (polarisaero.com), a leading aviation safety software company based in Scottsdale, Arizona, has announced the release of its new aviation safety management system (SMS) software application, VOCUS SMS. Polaris Aero’s VOCUS Safety Intelligence platform will now encompass the company’s two software programs, FlightRisk and VOCUS SMS. VOCUS SMS replaces the preceding software program, Vector SMS. “The biggest change we made when overhauling Vector SMS is that we completely redefined the risk management process to better track, trend, and analyze data,” explained Chris Connor, Co-founder and CEO of Polaris Aero. Connor went on to explain that VOCUS SMS is far more robust than its predecessor. “We’ve improved its capability of helping flight departments document not only the ‘whats,’ but also help them understand the ‘whys,’ through root cause analysis and the implementation of more effective risk controls. By understanding causal factors and associated costs of safety-related events, senior managers can allocate scarce financial resources more effectively and empower world-class safety programs.” The new features and benefits of Polaris Aero’s VOCUS SMS application include: • User-friendly dashboard. Makes it easy to track information dynamically and understand what’s happening at a glance. • Graphical user interface. Makes the app more engaging and easier to use. • Cost tracking system. Enables safety managers to pinpoint the organizational expense related to safety issues, including time, lost revenue, equipment damage, or impact to the mission. • Logical wizard-based workflows. Allow users to document and process issues via workflows specific to a proactive concern or reactive safety event. • Expanded taxonomy. Helps users categorize, sort, and analyze data, making it easier to turn insights into action, as well as to share data in the future. • Improved safety performance indicators. Help users to simplify the safety investigation process and transform safety data into actionable insights. • Task management system. Enables users to assign tasks to individuals or groups. “VOCUS SMS is the culmination of several years of research, development, and listening to our customers,” said Connor. “Our tech-savvy clients are passionate about safety and don’t want a system that simply digitizes forms-based safety processes.” Instead, Connor said, Polaris Aero clients are seeking an innovative solution to help them create simple user flows and capture data in meaningful ways. “These software improvements benefit not only the safety manager, but also organizational leadership within a flight department or aviation organization,” he added. Trent Fox, Co-founder and COO of Polaris Aero, noted that one of the challenges safety managers face is the difficulty in defining the cost of safety. “The changes in VOCUS SMS show the associated costs to safety issues. For example, one missed flight for a charter operator could have a negative cost impact of $50,000.” All Vector SMS users will automatically be transitioned to VOCUS SMS within the next few months, with no loss of previous data. Polaris Aero will offer train-the-trainer training and webinars for users. To learn more about VOCUS SMS or to schedule a demonstration, call 1-480-999-3301 or visit polarisaero.com/solutions/vocus-sms. About Polaris Aero Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, Polaris Aero is an aviation software company specializing in risk analysis and safety management systems (SMS). Through the firm’s VOCUS Safety Intelligence platform, users have centralized access to all Polaris Aero applications, including FlightRisk and VOCUS SMS. By transforming data into actionable insights, Polaris Aero helps aviation professionals learn valuable lessons before an accident occurs. Thus, they can achieve and maintain the highest level of organizational safety, while improving operational effectiveness and meeting international requirements. For more information, or to request a software demonstration, visit polarisaero.com. https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/535758213/polaris-aero-s-new-vocus-sms-aviation-safety-software-to-replace-vector-sms Czech Airlines insolvency petition outlines scale of financial burden Czech Airlines’ insolvency petition sets out the scale of the company’s financial problems, which it partly attributes to the inability to source rescue funding from the Czech government. The company has 266 creditors, with the total liability to suppliers amounting to Kc809 million ($37.1 million) as of 25 February, its petition to a Prague municipal court states. But the petition, seen by FlightGlobal, adds that there is a debt of nearly Kc1 billion to “hundreds of thousands” of passengers who are owed for the cancellation of flights. “[Czech Airlines] is unable to meet these obligations owing to a lack of liquid funds,” the petition states, adding that the company’s liabilities exceed the value of its assets. “For this reason the [company] is also in a state of over-indebtedness.” Czech Airlines has been restructuring but says it is unable to obtain state support It is blaming the need to file the petition on a combination of the impact of the pandemic, an absence of support from the Czech government, and the competitive pressure from other better-funded carriers. “Virtually all of the [airline’s] competitors have received significant state aid,” it says. The petition puts the company’s revenues last year at Kc1.69 billion compared with Kc8.5 billion in 2019 and over Kc9 billion in 2018. Czech Airlines says it has tried to reduce its operating costs to a “sustainable minimum” since the beginning of the crisis, and sought the necessary scope for restructuring through a court moratorium on its property obtained in August 2020, and extended for three months in November. The company states that it used this temporary protection “from the outset” to start to stabilise its business, improve efficiency and cut losses. Czech Airlines reduced its aircraft fleet, terminated a number of contracts, optimised the use of infrastructure with parent Smartwings Group, and trimming headcount by 200 personnel between March 2020 and January 2021. But the petition insists that – while further savings from the workforce might be necessary – any suggestions that the company will dismiss all its employees or shut down are “not true”. It says continued operation is a “priority” and this requires maintaining adequate employment. The petition says the airline has started renegotiations with Airbus’s Canadian division over a contract for the delivery of new aircraft – the carrier has four A220-300s on order. “These negotiations are still continuing,” it adds. The carrier also has orders for three A321XLRs. Czech Airlines is in discussions over its order for A220s Czech Airlines has “repeatedly” attempted to discuss conditions for compensation or financial support from the Czech government and individual ministries, the petition claims. It says the “historically unprecedented” crisis resulting in a “significant decline” in sales and “zero compensatory state support” – in contrast to “generous” assistance to competitors – has left the company unable to extricate itself from its difficult position without protection from creditors. While the airline has faced “understandable” pressure from creditors during the moratorium, the creditors “in the vast majority of cases” have respected the company’s situation and “sought to find compromises” to ensure its survival, the petition says – although it also says it has “struggled” with demands from some individual creditors and potential seizure of its assets. Smartwings Group controls 97.7% of Czech Airlines. The parent company is, in turn, 49.9%-owned by Hong Kong-based Rainbow Wisdom Investments. Three Prague-based entities collectively hold the balance, comprising EH Group with 25%, UG Jet 2 with 13.8%, and Unimex Group with the remaining 11.2%. https://www.flightglobal.com/airlines/czech-airlines-insolvency-petition-outlines-scale-of-financial-burden/142693.article Rolls-Royce completes taxiing test of all electric aircraft Aircraft engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce has successfully completed the first runway taxiing test of its all-electric ‘Spirit of Innovation’ aircraft. According to Rolls-Royce, the plane is said to become the world’s fastest electric aircraft. Taxiing is a critical test of the integration of the aircraft’s propulsion system, which is conducted prior to actual flight-testing. During the taxi test, the aircraft’s 500HP (or 400kW) electric powertrain and new battery technology powered it along a runway. Spirit of Innovation is scheduled to perform the first flight later this year. The company plans to achieve a target speed of more than 300mph (480km/h) at full power early next year. The Accelerating the Electrification of Flight (ACCEL) programme is part of Rolls-Royce’s commitment towards net-zero carbon by 2050. Rolls-Royce electrical director Rob Watson said: “Electrification of flight is an important part of our sustainability strategy as we aim for net-zero carbon by 2050. Taxiing of the ‘Spirit of Innovation’ is an incredible milestone for the ACCEL team as we progress to the first flight and the world-record attempt later this year. “For the first time, the plane propelled itself forward using the power from an advanced battery and propulsion system that is groundbreaking in terms of electrical technology. This system and the capabilities being developed will help position Rolls-Royce as a technology leader offering power system to the Urban Air Mobility market.” Key partners of the programme include electric motor and controller manufacturer YASA and aviation start-up Electroflight. Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) and the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and Innovate UK provided half of the funding for the project. https://www.aerospace-technology.com/news/rolls-royce-taxiing-aircraft/ United expands order for Boeing 737 Max aircraft United Airlines is expanding its order of Boeing 737 Max airplanes and taking some deliveries sooner as it ramps up for an anticipated increase in travel demand. Chief Operating Officer Andrew Nocella said in a memo on Monday that the company placed an order for 25 new 737 Max aircraft for delivery in 2023. United has also moved up delivery of 40 previously ordered 737 Max planes to next year and five 737 Max to 2023. That’s in addition to the 24 737 Max aircraft the company is already set to receive in 2023. “We’ve now put ourselves in a position to not only survive the crisis, but thrive as an airline, elevate our product for customers and emerge as a stronger, better United Airlines,” Nocella wrote. While United announced furloughs last week, Nocella said that the airline must place orders more than a year before taking delivery of aircraft. “And as the end of the pandemic nears and vaccines continue to roll out, today’s fleet announcement helps position us to meet the demand we expect to see in 2022 and 2023 and puts us on a path toward more opportunities for our employees in the future,” he said. The 737 Max has been under heavy scrutiny for a while. Aviation authorities around the world grounded 737 Max aircraft in March 2019 following deadly crashes involving the plane model in Ethiopia and off the coast of Indonesia, which occurred within five months of each other. https://triblive.com/news/wire-stories/united-expands-order-for-boeing-737-max-aircraft/ A shortage of pilots could keep the airlines from making a real comeback Opinion by Geoff Murray and Taylor Cornwall for CNN Business Perspectives An important question facing the airline industry is not whether it will face a pilot shortage, but when it will begin. With the number of flights reduced to a fraction of what they were before the pandemic, it's hard to imagine that there could be a pilot shortage on the horizon. As of February, global airlines were only flying at about 47% of pre-Covid capacity, based on our own analysis of data from OAG and the International Air Transport Association. But by 2025, after global demand in domestic and international travel expands beyond 2019 levels, we expect a worldwide shortfall of at least 34,000 commercial pilots — almost 10% of the total workforce. That gap, which will begin to be felt as early as next year, is based on a modest recovery scenario. If we were to see a more rapid recovery, that shortage could reach 50,000. The danger: A pilot shortage could ultimately limit industry growth later in the decade by as much as 10% to 12%, according to our analysis. And thanks to the pivotal role air transport plays in the global economy — aviation accounts for about 4% of global gross domestic product — slower industry recovery could temper economic growth worldwide. While it will be close to two years before passenger volume globally returns to pre-pandemic levels and longer than that for revenue to fully recover, demand for pilots isn't determined by passenger volume. It's linked to flight hours and the number of planes flying, and airlines are already bringing aircraft back into service faster than expected to stimulate demand. Initially, airlines will be able to draw from the ranks of furloughed pilots and the approximately 100,000 pilots still on carrier payrolls who are not flying full schedules or who are on voluntary company leave. But especially in North America, many experienced pilots took early retirement and are unlikely to come back. Younger pilots, who have the least experience and will be among the last to be called back, may enter new professions. The looming pilot shortage is the product of a number of converging trends, most of which predate the pandemic. In North America, the impending shortfall reflects an aging workforce approaching the mandatory pilot retirement age of 65 and fewer pilots to recruit from the military because of the move toward unmanned aircraft as well as the armed services' own difficulty recruiting pilots. in the 1980s, two-thirds of commercial pilots were ex-military; today, only one-third are. Add to that trend a heavy reliance on early retirement offers by US airlines to cut costs once the pandemic struck. Based on our research and public reports, we estimate that as many as 10% of US pilots took early retirement during the crisis. Based on these trends, we expect North America to face one of the earliest and most acute shortages. The gap may reach over 12,000 pilots by 2023 — around 15% of the total supply. At this level, some airlines may not find enough pilots to operate at capacity. Even before the pandemic struck, several regional airlines in the United States — including Great Lakes Airlines and Republic — shut down or restructured because of challenges recruiting pilots. In some parts of the world, shortages are a result of rising demand for air travel — driven by a burgeoning middle class. That's the case in the Asia-Pacific region. Because of the region's success containing the coronavirus, airlines in China especially were able to return to 2019 levels of operation at the end of 2020 and avoid furloughs and forced retirements. Still, the high rate of air travel demand growth in those nations is likely to result in a 22,000-pilot gap by 2029. One possibility: Asia may get bailed out by emigrations of unemployed or furloughed pilots from other slower-growth regions, such as Europe and Latin America, which could create supply challenges in those regions. For airlines, a pilot shortage has many ramifications. Too few pilots could translate into fewer routes and lower frequency. Nonstop flights to smaller cities may be dropped from airline networks, and the number of nonstop flights per week may be reduced across the board. It could also mean higher fares to make up for the drop in revenue because of fewer flights and the slow return of business travel, which normally produces a big percentage of airline revenue. A supply shortage might also mean higher pilot salaries. Even before Covid-19, the latest round of contract negotiations between airlines and the pilot union saw upward pressure on salaries. The higher cost would be a heavy burden for airlines at a time when financials are not looking strong. Cumulatively, airlines worldwide lost almost $120 billion in 2020 and are expected to lose close to $40 billion this year, according to the International Air Transport Association. For those carriers looking to be proactive, there are three approaches that could help. The first two are rethinking crew operations to make them more efficient so fewer pilots will be needed and extending more financial support for training programs for new pilots — subsidies some airlines under financial pressure have contemplated cutting. The third is increasing engagement with pilots. In our Flight Operations surveys, airlines have consistently told us they see pilot engagement as one of their biggest challenges and staying in touch during a pandemic is surely more challenging. A competition among airlines may in fact develop as they recall pilots, given that furloughed pilots start at the bottom of seniority whether they return to their former carrier or they switch to a new one. Airlines can't create new pilots overnight, but they can make sure they lose as few as possible. Those that try to engage may have a leg up. In the past, global shocks, like the pandemic, have discouraged potential candidates from becoming pilots. Annual pilot certifications fell as much as 50% for years after both the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the 2009 global financial crisis, according to data collected by the Federal Aviation Administration. When certification numbers are released for 2020 this spring, we expect the pandemic to take a further toll. While there are many challenges to overcome before the pilot shortage hits, airlines — and possibly the economy — are likely to pay a price if the industry waits until the problem is on top of them. https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/02/perspectives/pilot-shortage-pandemic/index.html Saudia plans to order 70 Airbus, Boeing jets: report DUBAI (Reuters) - State-owned Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) plans to order 70 airliners from Airbus and Boeing, Saudi news outlet Maaal reported on Monday, citing unidentified sources. Saudia is in talks with local banks to raise 11.5 billion riyals ($3.07 billion) to partly finance an order for Airbus A321 narrow-bodied jets and Boeing 777 and 787 Dreamliner wide-bodies, Maaal said. The report did not breakdown how many aircraft of each type Saudia was planning to purchase. A banker, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters that Saudia was in the market to raise debt for an order of around 70 new jets. The airline's fleet of 144 aircraft already includes A321, 777 and 787 jets. Saudia said it "has no further information on this matter at this time". An Airbus spokeswoman said the planemaker was always in talks with its customers on their fleet requirements, declining comment further. Boeing declined to comment. Company documents reviewed by Reuters showed that the airline received at least $7 billion in direct payments and other financial support in 2019 and 2020 from the government, as the carrier struggles with losses and the impact of the pandemic. ($1 = 3.7505 riyals) https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/saudia-plans-order-70-airbus-101931722.html Rocket Lab debuts plans for a new, larger, reusable rocket for launching satellite constellations Because news of its SPAC-fueled public market debut wasn't enough, Rocket Lab also unveiled a new class of rocket it has in development on Monday. The launch vehicle, called Neutron, will be able to carry eight metric tons (around 18,000 lbs.) to orbit, far exceeding the cargo capacity of Rocket Lab's current Electron vehicle, which can host only around 660 lbs. Neutron will also have a fully reusable first-stage, designed to launch on an ocean landing platform, not unlike SpaceX's Falcon 9 booster. Rocket Lab says that Neutron will be designed to service increased demand from customers launching large multi-satellite constellations. The heavier lift will mean that it can take more small satellites up at one time to get those constellations in orbit more quickly. Its cargo rating also means it should be able to deliver up to 98% of all currently forecasted spacecraft launching through 2029, according to Rocket Lab, and provide resupply services to the International Space Station. Rocket Lab also says it'll be capable of human spaceflight missions, indicating an ambition to make it the company's first human-rated spacecraft. Neutron could significantly expand Rocket Lab's customer base, and it'll also improve costs and economics versus what Electron can do now, thanks to a design focused on efficiency and reusability. The rocket will launch from Rocket Lab's Wallops, Virginia facility, and since there's already a launch pad in place for it, the company expects it'll be able to fly Neutron for the first time by 2024. In addition to its LA-based HQ and the Wallops launch site, Rocket Lab anticipates it'll be building a new Neutron production facility somewhere in the U.S. to build the new rocket at scale. While it won't have the launch capacity of SpaceX's Falcon 9, it's still intended to be a rocket that can also carry smaller payloads to the moon and even deep space beyond. The medium-lift category in general is generating a lot of interest right now, given the projections in the amount and variety of constellations that both private and public organization are expected to put into orbit over the next decade. Constellations are offering advantages in terms of cost and coverage for everything from communications to Earth observation. Another rocket startup, Relativity Space, just unveiled similar plans for a larger launch vehicle to complement its first small rocket. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/rocket-lab-debuts-plans-larger-122322061.html Position: Air Investigator · Continue your air safety career · Apply your flying expertise · Central Wellington location The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) investigates significant aviation, rail, and marine accidents and incidents with a view to avoiding similar occurrences in the future. The Commission has set a visionary goal of "No Repeat Accidents - Ever!". Highly skilled accident investigators are pivotal to the Commission's successful performance. To complement the team, we're seeking an experienced commercial pilot to join them as an Air Investigator. It's likely you'll have around ten years of commercial flying experience, and importantly, demonstrable experience or interest in air safety. Ideally, you'll have investigation reporting and evidence analysis experience. In addition, you will be able to bring to the role: · excellent communication skills - and be able to write to a high standard · strong problem solving skills · analytical capability, with very strong attention to detail and accuracy · an innate ability to think logically, anticipate risk, and identify solutions · proven project management skills · outstanding relationship management skills · energy and vigour, balanced with diplomacy and tact. Given the nature of this work, you must be medically and physically fit, and have the emotional and psychological maturity to handle stressful and emotionally difficult circumstances. Accident investigation is a highly specialised and time critical task involving expertise in a wide range of disciplines, and the successful candidate will undergo extensive and highly regarded long term training to become a skilled accident investigator. In return, you can further your accident investigation career in a supportive and development focused environment, within an internationally regarded organisation clearly focused on the avoidance of repeat accidents. Applications close at 5pm on Monday, 15 March 2021. If you are interested in the position please visit our website www.peopleandco.nz and search on the keyword 19631 under the Jobs tab. All applications will be acknowledged electronically. For further information contact Jacaleen Williams on 0064 4 931 9450 quoting job number 19631. To be eligible to apply you must have the legal right to live and work in New Zealand and meet any entry requirements if you're outside the country. For advice on obtaining a New Zealand work or residence visa and our entry requirements visit www.immigration.govt.nz ERAU - Research Study Dear Pilot, You are being asked to participate in a research study of your opinions on urban air mobility. This study is expected to take approximately 10 minutes of your time. In order to participate, you must be at least 18 years old, a resident of the U.S., a certified pilot, and have piloted with the last 5 year. Participation in this study is voluntary, and you may choose to opt out of the study at any time. If you choose to opt out, your data will be immediately destroyed. We appreciate your consideration and time to complete our study. Please click on or copy and paste the URL below: https://forms.gle/PMY7C4fh9LL3VWUa9 For more information, please contact: Dr. Scott R. Winter scott.winter@erau.edu We appreciate your interest and participation! ISASI - 2021 ISASI Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship Are you a full-time student in a collegiate aviation program? Do you know a full-time student in the aeronautical/aerospace engineering, aviation operations, aviation psychology, aviation safety and/or aircraft occurrence investigation fields? Applications are now being accepted for the 2021 ISASI Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship! This award includes funded attendance at the ISASI Annual Seminar. An award of $2,000 will be made to the student(s) who meets the eligibility criteria and is chosen by the Scholarship Fund Committee based on the contents of the application package including an essay submission. The 2021 annual scholarship award will function a bit differently than past awards. This year the award includes funded attendance at the ISASI Virtual Annual Seminar. Additionally, all remaining funds from the scholarship award will be used to cover costs for the seminar registration fees, travel, and accommodation expenses for either the 2022 or 2023 in-person seminar. Please see eligibility requirements and an application attached. We look forward to receiving your applications and reviewing your essays! Thank you, ISASI Scholarship Fund Committee Application Form: https://tinyurl.com/11hf7onq Curt Lewis