Flight Safety Information - May 10, 2021 No. 093 In This Issue : Incident: PSA CRJ9 at Wilkes Barre on May 7th 2021, spoiler fault : Incident: Trade A320 at Ljubljana on May 9th 2021, bird strike : Incident: Aerosucre B732 at Bogota on May 8th 2021, rejected takeoff due to nose gear problem : Incident: Jiangxi B738 enroute on May 4th 2021, cracked windshield : Incident: Azul E195 at Sao Paulo on May 5th 2021, smell of smoke, bleed air fault : Air India senior pilot, engineer succumb to Covid : Another brawl breaks out at Miami International Airport. It’s part of a national trend : NTSB Proposes Changes to Accident Notification Form : US Airlines Increase Flights to European Countries Welcoming Vaccinated Americans : DFW Airport worker shortage threatens to crimp the summer travel recovery : Aircraft will soon be voice-controlled in the next step towards self-flying planes : China Airlines Grounds Cargo Flights as COVID Outbreak Amongst Pilots Widens : RCAF turns to foreign pilots to help with shortage as commercial aviators stay away : SpaceX launches and lands a Falcon 9 rocket booster a record 10th time : Royal Aeronautical Society - Maintaining Wellbeing: Opening up in the maintenance environment: 17 May 2021 - 18 May 2021 - Virtual Conference : ESASI Annual Seminar : Graduate Survey Incident: PSA CRJ9 at Wilkes Barre on May 7th 2021, spoiler fault A PSA Airlines Canadair CRJ-900 on behalf of American Airlines, registration N583NN performing flight AA-5176 from Charlotte,NC to Wilkes Barre,PA (USA) with 79 people on board, was descending towards Wilkes Barre Scranton Airport when the crew reported a maintenance issue and requested delay vectors to work on the issue. The crew subsequently declared emergency advising they had maintenance message regarding their flight spoilers. The aircraft landed safely on runway 22 about 15 minutes after the first request for delay vectors. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 2:20 hours then departed for the return flight and reached Charlotte with a delay of 90 minutes. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e726d29&opt=0 Incident: Trade A320 at Ljubljana on May 9th 2021, bird strike A Trade Air Airbus A320-200, registration 9A-BTH performing flight 8P-125 from Ljubljana (Slovenia) to Funchal (Portugal), was climbing out of Ljubljana's runway 30, when the crew stopped the climb at about 5000 feet reporting a bird strike causing an engine (CFM56) to perform poorly, the crew decided to return to Ljubljana without requesting any assistance. Tower subsequently advised that a harrier had been found on the runway. The aircraft landed safely on runway 30 about 8 minutes after departure and taxied to the apron. A replacement A320-200 registration 9A-BTI reached Funchal with a delay of about 2 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Ljubljana about 7 hours after landing back. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e723e40&opt=0 Incident: Aerosucre B732 at Bogota on May 8th 2021, rejected takeoff due to nose gear problem An Aerosucre Boeing 737-200 freighter, registration HK-5026 performing a flight from Bogota to Mitu (Colombia), was accelerating for takeoff from runway 13R when the crew rejected takeoff due to a problem with the nose gear. The aircraft came to a stop at the end of the runway and was disabled. Aeronautica Civil de Colombia reported the aircraft presented a problem in the nose gear, rejected takeoff and came to a stop at the end of the runway. The southern runway needed to be closed while the aircraft was being removed. The Colombia Accident Investigation Department opened an investigation. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e72378d&opt=0 Incident: Jiangxi B738 enroute on May 4th 2021, cracked windshield A Jiangxi Air Boeing 737-800, registration B-1557 performing flight RY-8984 from Korla to Zhengzhou (China) was enroute at 10100 meters (approx FL331) when the left hand windscreen emitted a glow shortly followed by the outer pane cracking. The crew initially descended to 8400 meters (FL276) then descended to 3900 meters (FL128). The aircraft continued to Zhengzhou for a safe landing about 65 minutes after leaving 10100 meters. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e7198af&opt=0 Incident: Nordwind A321 at Moscow on May 7th 2021, nose gear malfunction A Nordwind Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration VQ-BOD performing flight NW-134 from Simferopol (Ukraine) to Moscow Sheremetyevo (Russia), was descending through about FL285 towards Moscow when the crew reported a nose landing gear malfunction. The aircraft continued to Sheremetyevo for a safe landing on runway 24R about 28 minutes later. The aircraft was towed off the runway about 15 minutes after landing. Rosaviatsia reported the crew reported a nose gear malfunction while descending through FL285 and needed to be towed off the runway. The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 20.5 hours after landing. The status of Crimea and Simferopol is disputed. According to international law and United Nations the Crimea belong to the Ukraine although Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e718793&opt=0 Incident: Azul E195 at Sao Paulo on May 5th 2021, smell of smoke, bleed air fault An Azul Linhas Aereas Embraer ERJ-195, registration PR-AXA performing flight AD-4540 from Sao Paulo Viracopos,SP to Rio de Janeiro Galeao,RJ (Brazil) with 97 passengers and 5 crew, was climbing out of Viracopos' runway 15 when the crew stopped the climb at FL140 reporting smell of smoke on board following by an "BLEED 1 FAIL" indication. The aircraft returned to Viracopos for a safe landing on runway 15 about 25 minutes after departure. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e7006ec&opt=0 Air India senior pilot, engineer succumb to Covid MUMBAI: Air India lost two of its employees, senior commander Capt Amitesh Prasad, who was hospitalised with Covid early this month and Johnson Tirkey, a Kolkata-based aircraft maintenance engineer, both of whom passed away on Sunday morning. Though Air India pilots and employees worked right through lockdown last year and continued to do so in the following months, operating Vande Bharat Mission flights to bring in Indians stranded in other countries, the staff were not put on the priority list for Covid vaccination. Despite being front line workers, several pilots, cabin crew, engineers and other ground staff are still to get vaccinated for Covid, even as they go about their daily duties at airports. The 57-year old, Mumbai-based Capt Prasad, a commander on Boeing 777 aircraft breathed his last at 1.30 am in K J Somaiya Hospital, Sion, said a message that was circulated among Air India pilots group. Captain Prasad’s wife too is hospitalised with Covid. Even as grief and disbelief spread among Air India pilots, other news of deaths due to Covid did rounds on employee groups. ``Retired Air India pilot, Capt Farooq Nawaz from Kolkata is no more,’’ said a message. ``We have also lost Johnson Tirkey, a Kolkata based aircraft maintenance engineer due to Covid related complications..” said another message. The 41-year old passed away at 6.15 am on Sunday morning. Neither were the pilots nor other ground staff like engineers, airport staff given priority vaccination. Indian Commercial Pilots Association, an Air India pilots’ union threatened to stop work last week over this issue. Air India announced that the airline had been planning a vaccination drive and waited till May 1 so that all employees, including those under the age of 45 years, could qualify for the shots. The airline said that it plans to complete vaccination for its employees by May end. According to airline sources, several Air India pilots and cabin crew have been testing positive for Covid in the past few months. “We are in no position to continue risking the lives of our pilots without vaccination,” stated the letter sent by Captain T Praveen Keerthi, general secretary, Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association (ICPA), to Capt R S Sandhu, AI director (operations), last week. “Many crews have been diagnosed Covid positive and are struggling to get oxygen cylinders. We are left to fend for ourselves for hospitalization...” The Covid deaths are not limited to Air India employees. In the past few weeks, there has been news of pilots and engineers working for private airlines too succumbing to Covid. Said a senior commander: ``Airline staff have been carrying out critical jobs since the outbreak last year. During the lockdown, our pilots flew to foreign countries, risking their lives, to bring in Indians stranded abroad. We operated freighters to transport medicines and now vaccines, oxygen concentrators. Air transport is such an essential service during these times. Pilots working with private airlines have been transporting vaccines, oxygen concentrators, medicines on domestic flights. While the government has been all praises about Vande Bharat Mission flights and other flight operations during the pandemic, there was not a single word on vaccinating the people who risk their lives to operate these flights. We are losing our pilots, engineers and ground staff now to Covid. ” https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/air-india-senior-pilot-engineer-succumb-to-covid/articleshow/82495653.cms Another brawl breaks out at Miami International Airport. It’s part of a national trend Just mere days after a huge brawl at Miami International Airport, another massive fight broke out in the terminal Tuesday night. The mayhem was captured in cellphone footage taken by multiple onlookers at Gate G-15 by the Southwest Airlines counter. One person ended up arrested. ‘I hope you get eaten by an alligator!’ Man kicked off plane in Florida for no mask The fight is part of a troubling trend airports across the nation are seeing, now that many people have resumed traveling. Recently, videos have surfaced showing face-mask confrontations, seat disagreements and personal space arguments. Clashes between passengers on planes have spilled over into airports. “Airports nationwide are facing an unprecedented increase in unruly passenger behavior this year,” Lester Sola, the director and CEO of Miami International Airport, said in a statement. Citing a Federal Aviation Administration report this week, Sola said incidents of unruly passenger behavior are up from 100 to 150 formal cases in an average year to 1,300 so far in 2021, nationwide. At MIA, which falls under the Miami-Dade Police Department Airport District, there have been 81 unruly passenger incidents and five arrests since January, said Major Jesus Ramirez, who runs the unit. The arrests include charges of disorderly intoxication, resisting arrest and assault and battery. From January 2020 through the end of the year, there were 69 incidents and two arrests. “We are not isolated,” Sola said. “The national trend has affected us.” Indeed, incidents are up, despite traffic being down. According to MIA spokesman Greg Chin, MIA’s total passenger numbers from Jan. 1 through April 30 were significantly down compared to the previous two years. In 2019, 15,917,744 people passed through the airport during this period, compared with 10,534,018 in 2020 and 8,884,231 in 2021. Airport fights According to an airport police report, officers responded to a disturbance call Tuesday regarding a fight among passengers who were forced to deplane from Flight 3522 to Chicago-Midway due to a woman who “refused to comply” with in-flight regulations. The flight was delayed by two hours as a result of the incident. A woman with long blond braids who is seen at the center of the melee was taken into custody for alleged disorderly conduct and breaching the peace. In a video taken by a passenger while the plane was still on the tarmac, the 25-year-old suspect, Alexus Beaty, of Chicago, can be heard loudly complaining. Mile-high meltdown: Woman arrested for attacking flight attendants on flight from Miami In the explicit, curse-laden clip, you can hear Beaty yelling that she is not in the seat that she paid for. The next part of the clip shows that the entire flight was kicked off for her behavior. Beaty is seen still yelling and getting into other passengers’ personal space. Soon, a man who appears to be her travel companion gets into a physical altercation with another male passenger, and then all hell breaks loose. According to the police report, cops responded to the gate and upon arrival, contact was made with a Southwest employee who stated that “the defendant was fighting and yelling on board the aircraft with other passengers,” causing them all to deplane. The officer attempted to escort the woman out of the area “in order to calm the crowd down and she refused and resisted by ducking down and pulling away toward other passengers,” said the report. The woman was then arrested and escorted out of the area, according to the police report, which noted “a new flight crew was assigned and reboarded without further incident.” “MIA does not promote or tolerate this type of behavior,” Sola said. “MDPD responded immediately, quelled the situation, and made an arrest.” Beaty was transported to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center and released after posting a $500 bond, records show. Southwest declined to comment on the incident. On April 25, one person was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after a large fight broke out by Gate D-14. Fines by FAA On Wednesday, the FAA announced plans to fine four individuals between $9,000 and $32,750 for incidents that occurred from Dec. 22 to Feb. 7. In two of the cases, the passenger allegedly assaulted flight attendants. In January, FAA Administrator Steve Dickson announced a zero tolerance policy after seeing a “disturbing increase in incidents where airline passengers have disrupted flights with threatening or violent behavior.” “This dangerous behavior can distract, disrupt and threaten crew members’ safety function,” Dickson said in a video posted to YouTube by the FAA. “As a former airline captain, it’s extremely concerning to me.” At MIA, Ramirez said the unit “consistently monitors the trends and the intelligence information we receive both from the airlines and/or from our law enforcement partners and we adjust our personnel accordingly to ensure the highest level of safety.” “Seeing this national trend going on, we’ve adjusted the deployment of our personnel to ensure that we include our gate areas,” he said. The unit also works closely with the Transportation Security Administration and other agencies to enforce face mask and other COVID-19 rules. Last week, TSA extended its mask requirement for transportation systems through Sept. 13. Ramirez said one of the biggest issues is making people understand that the “see something/say something mentality doesn’t only apply to a catastrophic case or event.” ‘Disruptive incident.’ DJ Drama kicked off flight out of Miami — and he took live video “In today’s environment, because we are seeing the increase in unruly passengers, we are asking people instead of taking out your cellphone and recording, the first thing you should do is call 911,” he said. Ramirez also had a request for passengers: “We ask everybody to be courteous and to be patient and to be kind to each other.” https://news.yahoo.com/another-brawl-breaks-miami-international-190204283.html NTSB Proposes Changes to Accident Notification Form Revisions have been proposed to the NTSB’s accident notification form 6120.1, the document required to be filed with the Safety Board by the pilot, operator, or representative of an aircraft involved in an accident or incident that meets the reporting criteria of NTSB Part 830. Notably, the NTSB is proposing to update the form’s certification statement to include that, by signing the document, the pilot/operator consents to the public release of the information contained therein. The agency is also requesting additional information in several other sections of the form. Because the NTSB may investigate accidents involving unmanned aircraft, the agency is adding "Certificate of Authorization" (COA) to the list of type of ATC services provided in the flight itinerary information section at the time of the mishap. The COA is an authorization issued by ATC to a public operator for a specific unmanned aircraft activity. In the weather information section, the agency is adding "Electronic Flight Bag (EFB)—Application" as an option followed by a space to specify the name of the EFB. Also, the agency will include "BasicMed" to the list of options in the medical certification section. Comments on the proposal are due July 6, 2021. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2021-05-07/ntsb-proposes-changes-accident-notification-form US Airlines Increase Flights to European Countries Welcoming Vaccinated Americans After more than a year of relative inactivity, it looks like U.S. air travel to Europe is starting to make its comeback—as evidenced by the fact that major U.S. carriers Delta and United Airlines are adding summer service to those European countries that are opening their borders to fully vaccinated or COVID-19 tested-negative Americans. The Continent is collectively doing its best to ensure that its travel sector can safely allow for foreign visitors when the 2021 summer season arrives. The European Union (E.U.) is already developing a shared digital vaccination certification to help facilitate cross-border travel within the 27-block, though this has yet to be released. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has also indicated she anticipates that fully vaccinated U.S. tourists will be welcomed in the E.U. sometime this summer. Certain E.U. members that are more dependent on foreign tourism markets to support their economies, like Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Croatia, are especially eager to bring back visitors. With countries like Greece and France set to start lifting travel bans this month, it’s looking likely that Transatlantic flights will soon resume on an even larger scale. In fact, a new smarTours survey discovered that Europe is Americans’ most-desired destination for 2021. And, though the post-Brexit United Kingdom (U.K.) won’t align its own policies with E.U. regulations, it has lately established a roadmap for reopening to international travel, starting May 17. As things currently stand, U.S. travelers would need to fulfill pre- and post-travel testing requirements, plus complete a 10-day quarantine, in order to visit the U.K. New Routes: According to Business Insider, Delta Air Lines is set to debut new service between New York and Croatia, which opened to Americans in April, starting July 2. This will be Delta’s first-ever nonstop route to the Southeast European country. Service will consist of four-times-weekly departures from New York’s JFK Airport to Dubrovnik Airport (DBV), with return flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. United Airlines will launch its own service to Croatia on July 8, running thrice-weekly flights between Newark Liberty International Airport and Dubrovnik. Departures will run on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, with return flights on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Both Delta and United are also introducing routes to the other two prominent European nations welcoming American travelers: Iceland, which reopened to fully vaccinated foreign visitors on March 18; and Greece, opening to vaccinated or tested PCR-negative travelers on May 15. United will start flying to Reykjavik, Iceland from Newark on June 3 and Chicago on July 1. Delta currently flies from New York to Reykjavik, and will also begin serving the Icelandic capital city from Boston on May 20 and Minneapolis on May 27. United is set to resume its routes from Newark to Athens on June 3 and start flying from Washington, D.C. to Athens on July 1. Delta will resume its route from New York to Athens on May 28 and initiate a new route between Atlanta and Athens on July 2. https://www.travelpulse.com/news/airlines/us-airlines-increase-flights-to-european-countries-welcoming-vaccinated-americans.html DFW Airport worker shortage threatens to crimp the summer travel recovery Store and restaurant owners say they need hundreds of workers this summer or there will be long lines for food and retail goods. The summer travel recovery may be cramped by a critical shortage of workers on the ground. Restaurants and retailers at DFW International Airport say they are struggling to hire workers for concessions that were closed during much of the pandemic, echoing the employment squeeze happening in the broader economy just as the airline industry is hoping to surge this summer. A mixture of enhanced unemployment benefits, pandemic fear and a child care shortage is making it tough to hire workers despite rising wages and hiring bonuses of up to $800, according to restaurant and store owners. The hiring problem extends beyond the retailers serving travelers. The Transporation Security Administration said it plans to hire 6,000 screening agents nationally this year in preparation for the peak summer travel season, but so far hiring is far behind pace. By summer, DFW Airport could be operating at 85% of the passenger traffic levels it recorded before the pandemic, but it will need hundreds of workers to fill understaffed restaurants and stores that help those travelers get to their final destination. Otherwise, long lines at restaurants and shortened hours at stores could crimp a key summer travel season for financially ailing airlines. Dozens of airport stores and eateries remain closed, even as passenger traffic recovers. The problem could be heightened by limited food and drink service being offered on commercial airlines. “It’s never been so hard to get people to work,” said Gilbert Aranza, president and CEO of Star Concessions, which had to bring office staff to help work at four new restaurants that opened at DFW on Thursday. “We’ve tried everything we can think of.” Business owners are struggling to recruit new workers and bring back those laid off or furloughed when airport passenger traffic plunged during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even when airport traffic did start to recover in the fall, fewer people were eating at restaurants. Shop and restaurant owners say they are sympathetic to the challenging issues facing employees who are skeptical about returning to work. Enhanced federal unemployment benefits are giving workers up to $300 a week through Sept. 4, or roughly $7.50 an hour on top of state unemployment pay. Other workers with health complications are reluctant to work in close quarters with other employees and interact with hundreds of passengers from across the globe. Some, particularly women, are struggling to find child care with daycares still closed and school ending in a few weeks. SAt DFW, the nation’s second-largest airport last year, Star Concessions said it needs to hire as many as 350 employees by Memorial Day to hit targets. Star Concessions, which operates about 20 businesses at DFW and eight at Dallas Love Field, raised starting wages to about $13 an hour. It also boosted starting wages for cooks to more than $15 an hour, but many of those workers have been lured away by the booming construction industry facing historic demand for new housing. Aranza scrambled Thursday to get workers to open his set of restaurants, themed after the popular Trinity Groves eatery collection in Dallas, at the airport’s new expanded Terminal D. High-profile restaurants he operates at DFW, such as Rio Mambo, are still closed until they can find enough servers, cooks and bartenders. In all, DFW Airport’s retail and restaurant staff numbers are down 25% to 35% compared to 2019, said airport spokesman Bill Begley. The problems are no different at Dallas Love Field, a smaller airport with fewer restaurants and stores. Love Field spokesman Chris Perry said there are “big issues” with restaurants and stores needing more workers, with shortages forcing businesses to open late and close early. “Business was slow and then all of a sudden it just came back in March,” said Michael Bugatti, owner of Bugatti Ristorante in Dallas and four restaurants at DFW Airport. “Now we need people to work, and they don’t want to come back.” Bugatti pleaded for lawmakers not to extend enhanced unemployment benefits any further or even change those benefits to encourage workers to return. The airline industry as a whole is scrambling to bring back furloughed workers and restart hiring again after a year when carriers tried to cut costs to avoid financial catastrophe. American Airlines recently announced plans to start hiring pilots again after asking for thousands to take early retirement during the pandemic. The company will likely need to start hiring other types of workers, too, President Robert Isom said last month. Frankel Howell, who manages dozens of restaurants at DFW, said a critical test is coming up for airport restaurants and stores. “Memorial Day is only a few weeks away,” he said. “The airports want us to stay open longer for passengers, but there is nothing we can do without people to work.” https://www.dallasnews.com/business/airlines/2021/05/06/dfw-airport-worker-shortage-threatens-to-cramp-the-summer-travel-recovery/ Aircraft will soon be voice-controlled in the next step towards self-flying planes — here's how engineers are actively working to make it reality • Researchers and engineers at Honeywell Aerospace are working on aircraft systems that can be controlled by voice. • Pilots will be able to give commands and have a virtual assistant perform tasks to reduce pilot workload. • It's the latest step towards fully autonomous self-flying aircraft that experts say will roam the skies by 2050. "Hey Siri, fly me to Los Angeles." Voice-controlled technology is continually advancing and just as Apple's Siri and Amazon's Alexa have seamlessly become part of consumers' daily lives, one company is seeking to do the same with voice-controlled aircraft. Engineers and researchers at Honeywell Aerospace are currently working on new cockpit systems that will allow pilots to control their planes with voice commands. It's the latest effort that seeks to reduce pilot workload by increasing automation in the cockpit. The idea is that pilots can give simple commands like tuning to a radio frequency or turning to a heading, while also spending less time on tedious and time-consuming tasks like researching weather. https://www.businessinsider.com/how-engineers-are-working-to-make-voice-controlled-aircraft-reality-2021-5 China Airlines Grounds Cargo Flights as COVID Outbreak Amongst Pilots Widens China Airlines has been forced to ground a slew of cargo flights after a major COVID-19 outbreak took one-sixth of the airline’s pilots out of action. The outbreak is linked to a quarantine hotel used specifically for airline staff at the Novotel hotel at Taipei’s Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan. Only 12 of the airline’s pilots are confirmed to have been infected with COVID-19 since the outbreak first took hold on April 20 but containment efforts have led to 200 flight crew being placed into quarantine – around 1/6 of China Airlines’ entire pilot workforce. The Novotel hotel cluster has also spread to flight attendants and hotel workers, as well as some of their friends and family. The outbreak has caused alarm in a country that has, until now, done incredibly well at keeping the pandemic at bay. The hotel has since been shut down and everyone moved to a government-run quarantine facility. Around 700 non-quarantined pilots were recalled for mandatory testing at which point more cases were detected, with some believed to have been exposed during training. One infected pilot and a flight attendant have also been fined by health officials after socialising in a packed bar soon after arriving home from a trip abroad and when they should have been avoiding mass gatherings. On Friday, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said it would fine the airline 1 million yaun (USD $155,400) for the “improper management” of the crew quarantine hotel. China Airlines has already been forced to cut a number of passenger services due to the outbreak but had hoped to keep its profitable cargo operation running at full pace. The airline now says it will completely ground cargo flights to Dallas (DFW), Atlanta (ATL) and New York (JFK) for between two and three weeks. Cargo services to other North American and European destinations will also be curtailed for several weeks, although a spokesperson for China Airlines says it is still “working out a new schedule“. In a statement released on Friday, the airline said it hoped mass-vaccination would prevent further outbreaks: “China Airlines has set up a vaccination station in the China Airlines campus and arranged for flight crew members to give priority to vaccinations. It is hoped that pilots and their families can be vaccinated as soon as possible to protect the health of themselves and their families.” https://www.paddleyourownkanoo.com/2021/05/09/china-airlines-grounds-cargo-flights-as-covid-outbreak-amongst-pilots-widens/ RCAF turns to foreign pilots to help with shortage as commercial aviators stay away OTTAWA — Canada should open its doors to military pilots from other countries as it seeks to address a critical shortage of experienced aviators to fly its helicopters and planes, according to the head of the Royal Canadian Air Force. OTTAWA — Canada should open its doors to military pilots from other countries as it seeks to address a critical shortage of experienced aviators to fly its helicopters and planes, according to the head of the Royal Canadian Air Force. In an interview with The Canadian Press, Lt.-Gen. Al Meinzinger said the military is currently working with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to facilitate and streamline the enrolment of seasoned pilots from overseas. “We would not be in a position to influence ... or demand certain outcomes,” he said. “But I do think it’s a valuable opportunity space for us to continue to leverage individuals who want to come to Canada and want to serve still as an air force member.” The initiative is the latest in a long list of moves by the air force in recent years as it has scrambled to make sure it has enough experienced pilots to both train new recruits and lead air missions at home and abroad. The seriousness of that pilot shortage has been repeatedly noted by military officials and others such as the federal auditor general, prompting concerns about the short- and long-term impacts on Canada’s defence and security. Meinzinger said there has been some progress in addressing that shortage. The air force is supposed to have about 1,500 pilots and was short around 225 at the end of December 2019. Currently, Meinzinger said, the air force is short about 130. Yet most of that progress can be traced to a reorganization that saw about 60 unfilled pilot positions reclassified into what the air force calls “air operations officers,” which are responsible for planning and co-ordinating missions rather than flying them. “We're short 130 pilots,” Meinzinger said. “But if you add 61, you're really at a number closer to 195. ... So there's been a small improvement in the aggregate.” The progress has been less than the military and government had hoped. Efforts to retain experienced personnel have been underway since 2018. They include providing better supports for military families, tapping reservists to help with basic maintenance work and creating the air operations officer position to keep pilots in the air rather than working desk jobs. There was also optimism at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic that the financial difficulties facing commercial airlines would result in an influx of former military pilots who had left for private-sector gigs but were now furloughed or unemployed. Despite a dedicated unit in his office responsible for reaching out to former air force personnel and an advertising campaign touting the benefits of re-enlisting, however, Meinzinger said only about 15 pilots have decided to put their uniforms back on. “It’s not a significant number,” he acknowledged. “I would rationalize it in that individuals may have already transitioned into a civilian job and they're probably trying to ascertain whether they can maybe get their old job back or in some cases, individuals have been furloughed.” It is in this context that Meinzinger is hoping to ensure pilots who have flown with other militaries and now want to fly for Canada aren’t blocked by bureaucratic red tape or other technical barriers. The air force commander suggested the majority of those who would be interested in putting on a Canadian Armed Forces uniform are from NATO or European countries, but may also hail from others such as India. “Of course, we would value that clearly because often they have thousands of hours of experience and it's a great opportunity,” he said. The push for more pilots comes amid challenges in the military’s entire recruiting and training systems caused by the global pandemic. Acting chief of the defence staff Lt.-Gen. Wayne Eyre has said recruitment was down by two-thirds last year. Meinzinger said that decline has had an obvious impact across the air force, which was exacerbated by the closure of various training institutions due to the pandemic. “That will be a challenge for us,” he said. “We will strategically have to manage that demographic issue.” https://www.nsnews.com/national-news/rcaf-turns-to-foreign-pilots-to-help-with-shortage-as-commercial-aviators-stay-away-3763131 SpaceX launches and lands a Falcon 9 rocket booster a record 10th time SpaceX has launched another 60 Starlink satellites — making 180 delivered to orbit in under two weeks — but the launch early Sunday morning was more notable because it set a new, key record for Falcon 9 rocket reusability. This marked the 10th flight of the first-stage rocket booster used for the launch, which sets a record for re-use for SpaceX as the rocket booster with the most successful mission under its belt. The launch took place at 2:42 AM EDT, flying from Cape Canaveral in Florida. SpaceX also successfully returned the booster to its drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean for a tenth successful landing for the rocket, too, making it a record-setter in that regard as well, and setting up the possibility that it could fly yet again. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has said it could be "possible" for a Falcon 9 booster to fly "100+" times with servicing and component replacement. This Falcon 9 has previously flown on missions including the original uncrewed demonstration mission of Crew Dragon, SpaceX's astronaut spacecraft, and seven prior Starlink launches. SpaceX has shown just how reusable its rockets are with its aggressive Starlink launch schedule, most of which have employed rocket boosters that have flown a number of missions before, including other launches for the broadband internet megaconstellation. Since SpaceX is both launch provider and customer on Starlink, it's actually crucial for the company to realize as many cost savings as possible during its frequent flights building the network of low Earth orbit satellites. Re-use of the boosters is a key ingredient, and one where the cost savings definitely accrue over time. Musk has previously said that the economics are such that for its external customer flights, it's at about "even" on the second use of a booster, and "ahead" in terms of costs by the third. During its Starlink launch program, SpaceX has repeatedly set and broken its own reusability records, indicating a key means of keeping the costs of building out its in-space satellite infrastructure is using flight-proven boosters as much as possible. This is the 27th Starlink launch thus far, and SpaceX has another planned just six days from now on May 15, with at least one more likely in the works for later this month after that. The company hopes to have its broadband network built out to the point where it has global reach by the end of this year. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/spacex-launches-lands-falcon-9-102010177.html Maintaining Wellbeing: Opening up in the maintenance environment 17 May 2021 - 18 May 2021 Virtual Conference 13:30 - 17:00 BST Ever since the tragic Germanwings accident in 2015 there has been growing interest in the mental health and wellbeing of pilots, even to the extent that EASA has recently introduced new rules on the mental fitness of aircrew. Of course, pilots are not the only aerospace professionals whose wellbeing has a direct impact on safety. There are many humans in the chain equally vulnerable to the stresses and strains of modern life, and not least aircraft maintainers. However, are their needs being recognised, never mind being addressed? Following a successful recovery from an airborne incident the passengers and crew are rightly given every assistance to get over the traumatic experience, but what about the engineers worried that something they might have done was the cause of the incident? They are frequently the ones who have to immediately recover the aircraft, perhaps without a thought by anyone as to how they might feel about it and the impact this could have on their performance. This Conference takes a unique look at wellbeing and mental health from the maintainers point of view. What are the specific challenges faced by aircraft engineers and the business case for addressing these challenges? How widespread is the problem? Individual and organisational coping mechanisms will be discussed and we will hear thoughts from the CAA. This is a significant opportunity to shine a light on the challenges faced by maintainers who can often be taken for granted. Your attendance would help us to start a new conversation at a time when arguably the need is at its greatest. Please do see the full programme below using the blue button. Delegate fees: RAeS Member: £40+VAT Non Member Engineers special offer 50% off £40+VAT Non Member: £80+VAT RAeS Corporate Partner: £60+VAT RAeS Student/Apprentice Affiliate Member: £20+VAT BOOK NOW View the full programme now Call for Nominations For 2021 Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- The Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Foundation is now accepting nominations for the 2021 Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award, honoring a leader in global aviation safety. The Award is scheduled to be presented during Flight Safety Foundation’s annual International Air Safety Summit (IASS). Presented annually since 1956, the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award recognizes notable achievement in the field of civil or military aviation safety in method, design, invention, study or other improvement. The Award's recipient is selected for a "significant individual or group effort contributing to improving aviation safety, with emphasis on original contributions," and/or a "significant individual or group effort performed above and beyond normal responsibilities." Mechanics, engineers and others outside of top administrative or research positions should be especially considered. The contribution need not be recent, especially if the nominee has not received adequate recognition for their achievement. Nominations that were not selected as past winners may be resubmitted for consideration in subsequent years. Please note that self-nominations will not be considered. The Award Board, composed of leaders in the field of aviation, meets each year to conduct a final review of nominees and selection of the current year's recipient. Please help us identify and honor this year's most deserving recipient. Nominations, including a 1-to-2-page narrative, can be submitted via the Laura Taber Barbour Foundation website at http://ltbaward.org/the-award/nomination-form/. Nominations will be accepted until June 4th, 2021. For more information, including a complete history of Award recipients, see www.ltbaward.org. About the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Foundation and Award The Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award's story dates back 75 years. On April 14, 1945, after visiting family in Pittsburgh, Laura Taber Barbour was aboard a Pennsylvania Central Airlines DC-3 when it crashed into the rugged terrain of Cheat Mountain near Morgantown, West Virginia. All passengers and crew were killed. In 1956 her husband, Dr. Clifford E. Barbour and son, Clifford E. Barbour, Jr., in close association with The Flight Safety Foundation, established the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award in her honor. For the past 65 years, this long distinguished award recognizing crowning achievements in aviation safety worldwide has been presented at Flight Safety Foundation’s International Aviation Safety Summit. In 2013, The Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Foundation was formed as an independent, non-profit, charitable organization composed of members of the Award Board, the aviation community, and the Barbour family. In addition to annual presentation of the Award, in 2019 the Foundation initiated a scholarship program that provides tuition support to worthy students pursuing professional aviation studies leading to a career. As the Foundation broadens the scope of its intent, the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award will continue to spotlight those champions who pioneer breakthroughs in flight safety. For more information on the Foundation, the Award, and past winners, visit http://LTBAward.org ESASI Annual Seminar Dear ESASI Members and Friends, The ESASI Committee has decided to convert the ESASI Annual Seminar into a webinar. The dates remain the same. It will be held on Zoom on the afternoons of the 1st and 2nd of July 2021. The ESASI Committee has been working with our hosts in Hungary to organize ESASI 2022 in Budapest in Spring 2022. CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS • Challenges faced by air safety investigators. • The environment, and culture, that air safety investigators operate in. • Practical experience of applying investigation techniques. • New techniques to aid the investigation. • Investigating UAVs. • Investigating accidents involving manned spacecraft. • Topical cases studies. Details of proposed presentations should be sent to Thorkell Agustsson and Brian McDermid by the 14th May 2021 at presentations@esasi.eu Best regards Steve Hull - ESASI Secretary Graduate Survey My name is Pierre DION, I am an airline Captain and student at City, University of London doing an MSc in Air Safety Management. Department of Mathematics of City, University of London We are looking for volunteers to participate in a study of "Artificial Intelligence in Safety Management System". As a participant in this study, you would be asked to answer 18 questions for an anonymous questionnaire. Your participation would involve one session of approximately 10 minutes of your time. Please follow the link below. Thank you. Survey Link: https://cityunilondon.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4UCz8cT2NDRdIxg Thank you. Pierre DION Curt Lewis