Flight Safety Information - March 30, 2021 No. 065 In This Issue : Accident: Piedmont E145 near Charlotte on Mar 28th 2021, turbulence injures passenger : Incident: Batik B739 at Semarang on Mar 28th 2021, hydraulic fault : SpiceJet Airlines passenger attempts to open emergency exit mid-flight: report : United States Airlines Making Good Progress In COVID Recovery : IATA: Safety took a ‘step back’ in 2020 : Korean Air’s Asiana Airlines Merger Should Be Completed In 2024 : Birds vs. Planes: Embry-Riddle Students Conduct Study of Aircraft Wildlife Strikes : Airline Pilots to be Trained at Angelo State : U.S. Air Force Graduates First Class of XPW Pilots : Rolls-Royce Begins Building The World’s Largest Aircraft Engine : Two space fans get seats on billionaire's private flight Accident: Piedmont E145 near Charlotte on Mar 28th 2021, turbulence injures passenger A Piedmont Airlines Embraer ERJ-145, registration N650AE performing flight AA-6142 from Tri-Cities,TN to Charlotte,NC (USA), had been enroute at FL170 and was descending towards Charlotte when the aircraft encountered severe turbulence causing injuries to a passenger. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Charlotte's runway 18C. The FAA reported: "AIRCRAFT ENCOUNTERED SEVERE TURBULENCE INJURING A PASSENGER, CHARLOTTE, NC." and reported the passenger received minor injuries. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/AAL6142/history/20210328/2022Z/KTRI/KCLT https://avherald.com/h?article=4e51e55e&opt=0 Incident: Batik B739 at Semarang on Mar 28th 2021, hydraulic fault A Batik Air Boeing 737-900, registration PK-LBI performing flight ID-6355 from Semarang to Jakarta (Indonesia) with 120 passengers and 6 crew, was climbing out of Semarang's runway 31 when the crew stopped the climb at about 7000 feet and decided to return to Semarang. The aircraft landed safely back on runway 13 at a higher than normal speed (175 knots over ground) about 30 minutes after departure. The airline reported the crew returned because certain components of the aircraft were not in their proper position due to technical problems with a hydraulic system. A replacement A320-200 registration PK-LZJ reached Jakarta with a delay of 3:50 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Semarang about 32 hours after landing back. https://avherald.com/h?article=4e51d757&opt=0 SpiceJet Airlines passenger attempts to open emergency exit mid-flight: report Passengers and crew members subdued the man and restrained him until the plane landed Airplane doors are meant to stay shut during the flight. Passengers and crew members on a SpiceJet Airlines flight subdued a man who allegedly tried to open the emergency door of the plane mid-flight. The suspect was handed over to authorities when the plane eventually landed. The incident occurred Saturday on a flight from Delhi to Varanasi in India. The incident occurred Saturday on a flight from Delhi to Varanasi in India, Tribune India reports. The suspect reportedly exhibited abusive and aggressive behavior shortly into the flight, and started roaming the aircraft after takeoff, Simple Flying reports. He was also seated near one of the plane's emergency exits. After attempting to open the emergency door, he was subdued and restrained to his seat. The pilot requested priority at the plane’s destination in Varanasi, and landed without incident just before 4 p.m. local time. "On March 27, a passenger traveling on SpiceJet flight SG-2003 (Delhi-Varanasi) tried to open the emergency door of the aircraft in an abusive and aggressive state while the aircraft was airborne," the airline confirmed in a statement obtained by Tribune India. "The aircraft landed safely in Varanasi where the passenger was handed over to the local police by CISF and SpiceJet’s security staff," the statement continued. This isn’t the first time a passenger has attempted to open an airplane’s door mid-flight. Just last week, Spirit Airlines confirmed a similar incident occurred on a flight from Cleveland to Los Angeles. The airline did not offer an explanation as to why the passenger became unruly, but confirmed the traveler unsuccessfully attempted to open an exit door. The flight was diverted to a nearby airport and the passenger was removed from the plane. The spokesperson did say, however, that it would be impossible for someone to actually open a door mid-flight due to the pressurized cabin. https://www.foxnews.com/travel/spicejet-airlines-door-open-midflight-india United States Airlines Making Good Progress In COVID Recovery Airlines bosses across the United States are starting to smile again as domestic travel begins to rebound strongly. The big carriers like United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and American Airlines are all enjoying strong bookings and forward demand. But underscoring the sunny forecast is an ongoing warning against traveling and the possibility of further waves of COVID-19. Yesterday, Simple Flying’s Jay Singh reported domestic travel bookings at American Airlines earlier this week were running at 90% of 2019 levels. Seat utilization across American’s domestic flights last week was also good, averaging 80%. Airline database RadarBox.com paints an even more positive picture. In the week between March 26 and April 1, American Airlines is scheduling an average of 4,034 domestic flights a day. In the same week in 2019, the airline scheduled an average of 3.039 domestic flights a day. Over at Delta Air Lines, the outlook is equally good. Between March 26 and April 1, Delta is running an average of 3,694 domestic flights a day. In the same week last year, the airline operated just an average of 1,345 flights a day. In the same week in 2019, well before COVID-19 struck, Delta ran an average of 3,267 domestic flights a day. United Airlines is also running above its 2019 domestic flight levels this week, if by a smaller margin. Between March 26 and April 1, United is operating an average of 2,438 domestic flights a day. Across the same week in 2019, the airline flew an average of 2,341 domestic flights a day. Just one year ago, United was running an average of 843 domestic flights a day. Similarly, Alaska Airlines is also storming back, operating an average of 975 domestic flights a day this week. Over the same week in 2019, the Seattle-based airline flew an average of 736 domestic flights a day. This time last year, Alaska was flying just 551 domestic flights a day. Interestingly, neither Southwest Airlines nor Hawaiian Airlines is performing so well. Hawaiian Airlines is running 32.34% fewer domestic flights this week than in the same week in 2019. Likewise, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines is also operating substantially fewer domestic flights this week than it did in the comparable 2019 week. However, Southwest Airlines is now running more domestic flights than it did this time last year. Is this good run going to be sustained? What to make of this? On the surface, it’s great news. It’s not just last-minute bookings either. United States-based airlines are reporting booking periods are starting to widen again, and they are even contemplating a return to yield management. From these perspectives, it’s a reassuring sign some normality is returning. “In the past six weeks, we’ve seen that move-out, so that bookings that are beyond 60 days are almost flat to 2019 levels, just down a few points”, CAPA quotes Delta’s Glen Hauenstein saying recently. But the threat of COVID-19 continues to lurk in the background. According to the CDC, over 95 million or nearly 29% of the United States population have had their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination. 52.6 million people, or nearly 16% of the population, have had both doses. The rollout of the vaccination program in the United States and its takeup have been good. That’s driving confidence, and that’s getting people back into the air. But there’s no guarantee the vaccination will work against any new COVID variants. That is a key threat that may yet derail aviation’s rebound. And while the vaccination rate is good, it’s still a long way shy of total vaccination, and the CDC continues to warn against travel. That warning will deter some travelers and may have insurance implications. But overall, it’s good news for America’s airlines. The airline’s CEOs will be crossing their fingers and hoping the rebound continues beyond the short term. https://simpleflying.com/us-airline-covid-recovery/ IATA: Safety took a ‘step back’ in 2020 The International Air Transport Association (IATA) recently published its 2020 Safety Report which showed that while accident numbers overall decreased in 2020, the accident rate actually rose above the five-year average. The data showed: The total number of accidents decreased from 52 in 2019 to 38 in 2020. The total number of fatal accidents decreased from 8 in 2019 to 5 in 2020. The all accident rate was 1.71 accidents per million flights. This is higher than the 5-year (2016-2020) average rate which is 1.38 accidents per million flights. IATA member airlines’ accident rate was 0.83 per million flights, which was an improvement over the 5-year average rate of 0.96. Total flight operations reduced by 53% to 22 million in 2020. Fatality risk remained unchanged compared to the five-year average at 0.13. With a fatality risk of 0.13 for air travel, on average, a person would have to travel by air every day for 461 years before experiencing an accident with at least one fatality. On average, a person would have to travel every day for 20,932 years to experience a 100 percent fatal accident. “Flying is safe, although the industry did take a step back on performance in 2020. The severe reduction in flight numbers magnified the impact of each accident when we calculate rates. But numbers don’t lie, and we will not allow this to become a trend. We will have even sharper focus on safety during this period of reduced operations and as flight schedules are rebuilt when the world reopens,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s outgoing director general and CEO. For the first time in more than 15 years there were no Loss of Control Inflight (LOC-I) accidents, which have accounted for the largest share of fatalities since 2016. “The lack of any such events in 2020 was a positive development. Nevertheless, based on the initial reports from the investigation into the tragic loss of Sriwijaya Air SJ 182 early in 2021, we must continue to learn and improve,” said de Juniac. 2020 2019 5-year average (2016- 2020) All accident rate (accidents per one million flights) 1.71 or 1 accident every 0.58 million flights 1.11 or 1 accident every 0.9 million flights 1.38 or 1 accident every 0.75 million flights Total accidents 38 52 52.4 Fatal accidents(ì) 5 (3 jet and 2 turboprop) with 132 fatalities(ìí) 8 with 240 fatalities 7.6 with 222.4 fatalities Fatality risk 0.13 0.9 0.13 Jet hull losses (per one million flights) 0.21 which is equal to 1 major accident for every 4.8 million flights 0.15 (one major accident for every 6.6 million flights) 0.20 (one major accident for every 5 million flights) Turboprop hull losses (per one million flights) 1.59 (1 hull loss for every 0.63 million flights) 0.69 (1 hull loss for every 1.45 million flights) 1.07 (1 hull loss for every 1.0 million flights) Jet hull loss rates by region of operator (per 1 million departures) The global average hull loss rate rose slightly in 2021 compared to the five-year average (2016-2020) despite improvement in five regions. Region 2020 2016 – 2020 Global 0.21 0.20 Africa 0.00 0.28 Asia Pacific 0.62 0.30 Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) 1.37 1.20 Europe 0.31 0.14 Latin America and the Caribbean 0.00 0.39 Middle East and North Africa 0.00 0.34 North America 0.00 0.10 North Asia 0.00 0.03 Turboprop hull loss rates by region of operator (per 1 million departures) Six regions showed improvement or no deterioration in the turboprop hull loss rate in 2020 when compared to their respective five-year averages. Accidents involving turboprop aircraft represented 29% of all accidents and 40% of fatal accidents in 2020. Region 2020 2016 – 2020 Global 1.59 1.07 Africa 13.02 4.93 Asia Pacific 0.00 0.58 Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) 0.00 13.75 Europe 0.00 0.00 Latin America and the Caribbean 2.35 0.73 Middle East and North Africa 0.00 1.44 North America 0.00 0.30 North Asia 0.00 0.00 Safety in Africa Airlines based in sub-Saharan Africa experienced six accidents last year, two of which were fatal, both involving turboprop aircraft. This is the same number of fatal accidents that occurred in 2019, nevertheless the fatality risk increased owing to the fact that there were fewer flights last year. There were no hull loss accidents involving jet aircraft in 2020. The focus in Africa continues to be on accelerating the implementation of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) safety-related standards and recommended practices (SARPS). At year-end 2020, some 28 African countries (61 percent of the total) had at least 60% SARPS implementation, unchanged from 2019. “While we recognise the extraordinary challenges in 2020 that touched on all aspects of aviation, we hope that we will see additional movement in this number as the pandemic recedes,” said de Juniac IATA also continues to work closely with all key stakeholders in the region. IATA and African Airlines Association (AFRAA) joined forces with the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) on a three-year safety project to provide technical support to the African air operators of states party to the Single Africa Air Transport Market (SAATM) to ensure they achieve and maintain global aviation safety standards. Safety in CIS Airlines based in the CIS region experienced no fatal accidents in 2020, which was a significant improvement compared to 2019. The jet hull loss rate for CIS airlines in 2020 improved compared to 2019 but declined compared to the five-year average 2016-2020 and was the highest among regions. CIS airlines experienced no turboprop hull loss accidents in 2020, a significant improvement over 2019 and the five-year average. IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) The all accident rate for airlines on the IOSA registry was nearly three times better than that of non-IOSA airlines for 2020 (1.20 vs. 3.29). The 2016-2020 average of IOSA airlines versus non-IOSA airlines was more than twice as good (0.99 vs. 2.32). All IATA member airlines are required to maintain their IOSA registration. There are currently 438 airlines on the registry, of which 142 are non-IATA Members. https://asianaviation.com/iata-safety-took-a-step-back-in-2020/ Korean Air’s Asiana Airlines Merger Should Be Completed In 2024 Korean Air has delayed its merger with Asiana Airlines until 2024, according to a post-merger integration (PMI) plan submitted to Korea Development Bank (KDB). The airline still plans to purchase Asiana Airlines in 2022, but the two airlines will not be fully integrated until 2024. The delay is said to be related to issues acquiring antitrust approval from several authorities worldwide. An integrated Korean airline by 2024 Korean Air’s PMI plan has revealed its vision for a single, integrated Korean airline by 2024. The airline is set to acquire Asiana Airlines by the end of 2022, but the two carriers will still operate as separate entities for two years before a merger in 2024. Korean Air originally planned to acquire Asiana by June 30th, 2021 but has delayed the acquisition process until next year. Once Korean Air has acquired Asiana Airlines, it plans to make the smaller carrier a subsidiary before a complete merger. Korean Air is itself a subsidiary of holding company Hanjin KAL. This would make Asiana Airlines a sub-subsidiary, and its own subsidiaries, including Air Busan (44.2%), Air Seoul (100%) and Asiana Sabre (80%), will become ‘sub-sub-subsidiaries’ of Hanjin KAL. According to Korean law, a holding company’s sub-subsidiaries must have a 100% controlling stake in their own subsidiaries. Otherwise, they are forced to sell their stakes within two years of acquisition by a holding firm. However, if Asiana Airlines is fully integrated into Korean Air, it will be exempt from this rule. Over the two-year transition to full integration, staffing, business operations and routes will be evaluated to maximize efficiency. Earlier in March, Korean Air raised 3.3 trillion won ($2.92 billion) by issuing new shares, which will go towards financing the 1.5 trillion won ($1.35 billion) Asiana deal. Part of the deal will also involve $730 million funding from state lender KDB. Waiting for approval from antitrust authorities Factoring into the delays are potential antitrust issues. Korean Air’s 63.9% stake in Asiana is undergoing review with antitrust authorities from eight different countries. Only one of those countries, Turkey, has so far granted approval, but others, including Korea, the European Union, the U.S, and China, are yet to disclose their decisions. For the merger to go ahead, Korean Air will need approval from a minimum of four antitrust authorities, excluding the host country. If the carrier fails to receive sufficient approval, it could be banned from flying in certain countries. The merger threatens to disrupt Star Alliance codesharing on several US routes, which US antitrust authorities may factor into their decision. Korean Air relying on international travel With international travel operating at just a fraction of its usual levels, Korean Air has been hit particularly badly due to its reliance on international routes. While many airlines globally have been able to bank on domestic aviation as a revenue source, Korea’s relatively small domestic market has brought little joy for Korean airlines. https://simpleflying.com/korean-asiana-merger-2024/ Birds vs. Planes: Embry-Riddle Students Conduct Study of Aircraft Wildlife Strikes There were more than 227,000 wildlife strikes to aircraft between 1990 and 2019 in the United States, and the rate of the strikes to commercial aircraft per one million aircraft operations is increasing. As an instructor at the Brazilian Air Force Academy, Flavio Antonio Coimbra Mendonça was flying in formation when one of his colleagues experienced a bird strike to the leading edge of his aircraft’s right wing. It was a relatively minor incident — not nearly as dramatic as the U.S. Airways Flight 1549 landing on New York’s Hudson River following a bird strike in 2009 — but it got Mendonca wondering about ways to reduce wildlife collisions with aircraft. The problem of wildlife strikes to aircraft is huge and growing. According to a 2021 study, there were more than 227,000 wildlife strikes to aircraft between 1990 and 2019 in the United States, and the rate of the strikes to commercial aircraft per one million aircraft operations increased from 22.78 in 2011 to 37.30 in 2019. Most of the strikes involved birds, and most happened during arrival (approach and landing roll). So, after joining Embry-Riddle as an assistant professor of Aeronautical Science in 2020, Mendonça proposed a pilot study using unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to help identify wildlife species that pose a threat to airplanes, as well as the land features that attract wildlife to airports, such as wetlands and landfills. The study will be focused on New World Vultures, a top threat to airplanes and a family of species that more than doubled in number between 1990 and 2018. “The general idea is to collect pilot data on using UAS safely to identify wildlife in and around the airport environment, and it would have several benefits, including better access to difficult terrain, cost savings and time savings,” said Mendonça. “Our goal is then to market the project and get collaboration with an airport and the FAA.” For four undergraduate students involved in the study, who are all in the UAS program on Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach Campus, the project will provide hands-on experience in identifying the most effective drone sensors to observe and predict the presence of wildlife at airports, structuring plans for exactly how to employ UAS technology for this purpose, and mitigating the risks associated with UAS operation at an airport. Matthew Schwarz, a senior who is planning to go on to a master’s program at Embry-Riddle, said the project is giving him wide-ranging experience that will be helpful as he moves toward his career. “This study gives me experience in multiple aspects of UAS data collection, such as product management, operation, site planning and documentation,” Schwarz said. Taylor Rogers, a senior whose interest in UAS is leading toward a career in building drones, said the airport wildlife project is providing her with valuable background on the issue, as well as experience working with a group. The four students are working with Qualified Airport Wildlife Biologist Robert Sliwinski -- of Christopher B. Burke Engineering in Rosemont, Illinois – who will provide them with instruction free of charge on such skills as identifying the land features and habitats that could attract New World Vultures to airports. His work often involves studying the wildlife at an airport over a 12-month period, including two daylong visits per month and evening visits to look for deer and coyotes. “During the day, I will do three bird surveys at designated locations, typically taxiways and runways,” Sliwinski said. “I stay in one location for five minutes and count and log in as many birds as I can see and provide what behavior they’re exhibiting, whether they are loafing or flying or perched. I put that all in a database to formulate some decisions about trends happening over time.” Sliwinski said he is intrigued by the possibilities of UAS in assisting the surveys, which are known as Wildlife Hazard Assessments (WHA) and are required whenever wildlife strikes occur at or near an airport. “UAS could provide a bird’s-eye perspective on what is happening on the ground,” Sliwinski said. “When I’m doing a WHA, I am on the ground at all times, and my perspective is somewhat limited. When a bird is flying over the landscape, there are certain signatures such as water that provide the bird with an indication that there is water there. With UAS, it could be possible to see other signatures such as land configurations and slope that could attract them.” The project will employ a DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise drone, which has high-resolution thermal and visual cameras, and the PIX4Dmapper photogrammetry software for mapping. The project’s operations will occur at the Daytona Beach Campus. “The students are developing a concept of operations as if they were flying in the airport environment,” said Mendonça. “We are not expecting students to have any conflicts with aircraft, even though they are planning to do data collection as if they were in a Class C (airport) airspace.” https://news.erau.edu/headlines/birds-vs-planes-embry-riddle-students-conduct-study-of-aircraft-wildlife-strikes Airline Pilots to be Trained at Angelo State SAN ANGELO, TX — Two degree plans to prepare students for a career in aviation operations will be offered through Angelo State University’s Norris-Vincent College of Business starting the Fall 2021 semester. Called a bachelors in commercial aviation, or BCA, there are two tracks. One track will be for students wanting to become airport managers, fixed base operators, or airline or air freight back office managers called Flight Operations and Management. The other track is to graduate as a licensed pilot called Flight Operations. The Flight Operations track will cost in the neighborhood of $75,000 for the four-year, 250 flying training hour program. Upon graduation, the student will have obtained the following FAA certifications: • Private pilot single engine • Private pilot multi-engine • Instrument pilot • Commercial pilot • Certified flight instructor • Instrument instructor • Dr. Don Topliff, who is also a general aviation pilot, as the provost and director of academic affairs, is the point man on the new degree plans. He described a pilot training operation similar to the US Air Force’s Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training program except this one uses piston-powered propeller airplanes, not T-38s or T-1s. The primary feature is the Air Force’s use of newly minted graduates to teach the incoming students. For the graduate of Air Force pilot training, this is called getting FAIPed and FAIP stands for First Assignment Instructor Pilot. “Some of the graduates will be hired by the school to teach the next round of student pilots,” he said. Doing so provides a steady flow of able Certified Flight Instructors with Instruments, or CFIIs. Flying as an instructor provides graduates with means to build hours to be competitive for an airline job. Most regional air carriers require 1,000 hours of flying time to be hired. For example, Envoy, the regional carrier for American Airlines that serves San Angelo, requires 1,500 total flying hours, but that requirement is reduced to 1,000 hours if the applicant graduated from a 4-year aviation university program like Angelo State’s. The Aviation program will require ground school that can be accomplished in current ASU buildings on campus, but to provide the hands-on flying, the University is turning to an already operational FAA Part 141 flying school at San Angelo’s Mathis Field. But Angelo State isn’t purchasing the school. Instead, yet-to-be-named investors are purchasing Skyline Aviation and ASU’s program will operate under that flight school’s FAA Part 141 designation. Topliff would not name the proposed new owners pending finalizing of the purchase contract that should be complete this week. When the ASU aviation program was announced, two benefactors donated around $800,000 for simulators. Topliff said two Diamond DA40 aircraft, manufactured by the Austrian company, will be the initial primary trainers. There are plans to add a twin-engine Diamond DA62 or similar as the program matures. Skyline already uses two single-engine Diamond aircraft for its flying training program. Diamond is known for its excellent safety record and highly efficient airframe design. Angelo State received approval from the Texas Tech University System to inaugurate the aviation degree programs in May 2020. To sell the program to the regents, ASU used a study that claimed the global market will require 800,000 new pilots over the next 20 years. Other federal studies indicate the Air Force, Marines and Navy are all suffering from a drastic shortage of pilots. Traditionally, military pilots feed the commercial aviation pilot needs. Less military pilots leaving the services for commercial aviation jobs means civilian pilot pipelines will be necessary. Adding to those issues is the impending retirement of up to 60,000 civilian pilots over the next five years. According to a report from the economic modeling company, EMSI, there will be a need for 87 pilots trained every day for the next 20 years to meet the projected need. In summary, the ASU aviation program will graduate FAA licensed CFII pilots and some of those graduates selected will work in the ASU program training more pilots until obtaining enough hours to qualify for a commercial or business aviation job. Generally, obtaining an additional 750 hours after graduation will take about two years, depending on the flying training hours available. Topliff admitted the $75,000 price tag was steep but not out of line with other programs elsewhere. He added that ASU’s financial aid and scholarship programs can help finance each student. https://sanangelolive.com/news/education/2021-03-29/airline-pilots-be-trained-angelo-state U.S. Air Force Graduates First Class of XPW Pilots The Jayhawk—such as this 99th FTS example—is the U.S. Air Force’s primary multi-engine trainer. Under the traditional UPT program students destined for multi-engined types fly the single-engined T-6 basic trainer before progressing to the Jayhawk. The U.S. Air Force has graduated the first class of seven pilots to complete its innovative new “Accelerated Path to Wings” (XPW) program. The first pilots graduated on March 12, and their new assignments include flying the C-17 Globemaster III from Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, and the KC-135 Stratotanker from McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas. Many air forces are finding it hard to get new pilots into front-line cockpits quickly enough to meet their requirements, and the XPW course is part of Air Education and Training Command’s ongoing pilot training transformation effort. Traditional UPT (Undergraduate Pilot Training) consists of a three-phase program that graduates pilots in 12 months. The XPW program consists of two phases and graduates student pilots in just seven months. Pilots arrive at the 12th Flying Training Wing at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, for the XPW course having completed their initial flight training or with a private pilot’s license. The first phase in XPW includes academics and then simulator training with the 12th Training Squadron, after which they are certified as proficient in the aircraft. Students then proceed to the 99th Flight Training Squadron to fly the Beechcraft T-1 Jayhawk, skipping the traditional basic flying training phase altogether, and missing out on flying the T-6 Texan II. “This is a great program for students who want to go fly heavy aircraft in Air Mobility Command, or who want to go fly certain aircraft in special operations or in Air Combat Command," said Lt. Col. Eric Peterson, commander of the 99th Flying Training Squadron. Guest speaker at the graduation ceremony, Col. Robert Moschella, commander of the 12th Operations Group, added, “The XPW program is a great way to capitalize on T-1 capacity to produce high-quality pilots for the Air Force. These students had a great attitude throughout the program and showed an unrelenting willingness to learn and earn their wings.” https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2021-03-29/us-air-force-graduates-first-class-xpw-pilots Rolls-Royce Begins Building The World’s Largest Aircraft Engine Industry-leading British aerospace manufacturer Rolls-Royce has announced that it has begun constructing the world’s largest aircraft engine. Having already developed the popular ‘Trent’ engine family, it has also made a start on the demonstrator for its new ‘UltraFan.’ It hopes that the 140-inch (3.5 m) wide engine will be complete by the end of the year. Construction begins Rolls-Royce confirmed today that it has started to build the demonstrator engine for its upcoming ‘UltraFan‘ family. This will be the world’s largest aircraft engine, with the fan measuring 140 inches (3.5 m) wide. With support from both the British and German governments, parts are under construction in Bristol and Dahlewitz. These will be delivered to its DemoWorks facility in Derby. Rolls-Royce President Chris Cholerton stated: “This is an exciting moment for all of us at Rolls-Royce. (…) It is arriving at a time when the world is seeking ever more sustainable ways to travel in a post-COVID-19 world, and it makes me and all our team very proud to know we are part of the solution.” The news comes just over two months after Rolls-Royce announced that it had completed the first engine run on its new £90 million ($125 million) testbed. Known as Testbed 80, this is the largest facility of its kind in the world. Once the UltraFan demonstrator is complete, Rolls-Royce will run data-driven tests of the engine on this facility. Targeting efficiency and sustainability Rolls-Royce’s goals for the new engine are largely centered around its efficiency and sustainability. For example, it wants the UltraFan family to “deliver a 25% fuel efficiency improvement compared with the first generation of Trent engine.” Interestingly, the company is hoping to see these powerplants deployed on both narrowbody and widebody aircraft. Regarding the drive for a more sustainable aviation industry, it states: “UltraFan’s efficiency will help improve the economics of an industry transition to more sustainable fuels, which are likely to be more expensive in the short-term than traditional jet fuel. The first test run of the engine will be conducted on 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel.” Data-driven testing As well as the engine’s advantages in terms of efficiency and sustainability, it will also offer engineers numerous technological advantages. These will be prevalent even during the testing phase of the engine’s lifespan. Rolls-Royce notes that: “Each fan blade has a digital twin which stores real-life test data, allowing engineers to predict in-service performance. When on test at Rolls-Royce’s new £90m Testbed 80 facility, data can be taken from more than 10,000 parameters, detecting the tiniest of vibrations at a rate of up to 200,000 samples per second.” The availability of such a wealth of data during testing will help Rolls-Royce to further develop the engine over the course of this process. This represents a strong investment on the company’s part in the future of engine technology. It will be fascinating to see how construction pans out, not to mention the completed demonstrator by the end of the year. https://simpleflying.com/rolls-royce-ultra-fan-construction/ Two space fans get seats on billionaire's private flight CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — (AP) — A billionaire’s private SpaceX flight filled its two remaining seats Tuesday with a scientist-teacher and a data engineer whose college friend actually won a spot but gave him the prize. The new passengers: Sian Proctor, a community college educator in Tempe, Arizona, and Chris Sembroski, a former Air Force missileman from Everett, Washington. They will join flight sponsor Jared Isaacman and another passenger for three days in orbit this fall. Isaacman also revealed some details about his Inspiration4 mission, as the four gathered Tuesday at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. He's head of Shift4 Payments, a credit card-processing company in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and is paying for what would be SpaceX's first private flight while raising money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Their SpaceX Dragon capsule will launch no earlier than mid-September, aiming for an altitude of 335 miles (540 kilometers). That’s 75 miles (120 kilometers) higher than the International Space Station and on a level with the Hubble Space Telescope. Isaacman, 38, a pilot who will serve as spacecraft commander, still won’t say how much he’s paying. He's donating $100 million to St. Jude, while donors so far have contributed $13 million, primarily through the lottery that offered a chance to fly in space. Hayley Arceneaux, 29, was named to the crew a month ago. The St. Jude physician assistant was treated there as a child for bone cancer. That left two capsule seats open. Proctor, 51, beat out 200 businesses and nabbed the seat reserved for a customer of Isaacman's company. An independent panel of judges chose her space art website dubbed Space2inspire. “It was like when Harry Potter found out he was a wizard, a little bit of shock and awe,” Proctor told The Associated Press last week. “It’s like, ‘I’m the winner?’” Sembroski, 41, donated and entered the lottery but wasn’t picked in the random drawing earlier this month — his friend was. His friend declined to fly for personal reasons and offered the spot to Sembroski, who worked as a Space Camp counselor in college and volunteered for space advocacy groups. “Just finding out that I’m going to space was an incredible, strange, surreal event,” he said. Proctor, who studied geology, applied three times to NASA’s astronaut corps, coming close in 2009, and took part in simulated Mars missions in Hawaii. She was born in Guam, where her late father — a “Hidden Figure” in her mind — worked at NASA’s tracking station for the Apollo moonshots, including Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s. She plans to teach from space and create art up there, too. “To me, everything that I’ve done ... has brought me to this moment.” https://www.wokv.com/news/two-space-fans-get/QCMMY6ZPMJAU7TK7EFUUUU4ZII/ Curt Lewis