Flight Safety Information - June 3, 2021 No. 111 In This Issue : Incident: ABX B763 near Cork on Jun 2nd 2021, navigation system failure : Incident: Alaska B739 near Las Vegas on Jun 1st 2021, cracked windshield : Incident: Wasaya DH8A near Fort Severn on May 21st 2021, weight on wheels in flight : Boeing 777-360ER - Taxiway Excursion (Lagos, Nigeria) : Airlines limit alcoholic beverages amid bad passenger behavior : FAA’s top safety official retires; Ali Bahrami was criticized over Boeing jet : Warning over pilots’ mental health as planes return to skies : FAA records on pilot's medical certificate clash with documentation from church : Safety agency urges EU nations to ban use of Belarus airspace : NTSB's Landsberg Stresses Need To Overhaul Notams : Need a job? United Airlines is looking to hire 75 people. Here’s how you can apply. (Houston) : United Adding Supersonic Speeds with New Agreement to Buy Aircraft from Boom Supersonic : Bombardier Learjet lands nearly half-billion aircraft contract from U.S. Air Force : SpaceX will launch four private astronaut missions to the Space Station through 2023 Incident: ABX B763 near Cork on Jun 2nd 2021, navigation system failure An ABX Air Boeing 767-300 freighter, registration N220CY performing freight flight GB-984 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Chicago O'Hare,IL (USA), was enroute at FL300 about 100nm westsouthwest of Cork (Ireland) when Shannon Center (Ireland) called the crew advising them Shanwick had cancelled their onward routing following a message received from the flight deck, that they had lost one of their navigation systems and were probably returning to Heathrow, being unable to go Oceanic if they couldn't restore the system's function. The crew at this time was still working their checklists and about to decide what to do, the information from Shanwick accelered the decision to return to Heathrow. The aircraft descended to FL150 to burn off fuel and landed safely on Heathrow's runway 09L about 2:40 hours after departure. The aircraft is still on the ground in Heathrow about 5 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=4e853dda&opt=0 Incident: Alaska B739 near Las Vegas on Jun 1st 2021, cracked windshield An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-900, registration N263AK performing flight AS-203 from Puerto Vallarta (Mexico) to Seattle,WA (USA), was enroute at FL360 about 130nm eastsoutheast of Las Vegas,NV (USA) when the crew decided to divert to Las Vegas due to a cracked windshield. The aircraft descended to FL240 for the diversion and landed safely on Las Vegas' runway 26L with emergency services on stand by about 25 minutes after leaving FL360. The remainder of the flight was cancelled. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Las Vegas about 20 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=4e8536c0&opt=0 Incident: Wasaya DH8A near Fort Severn on May 21st 2021, weight on wheels in flight A Wasaya Airways de Havilland Dash 8-100, registration C-FABA performing flight WT-815 from Pickle Lake,ON to Fort Severn,ON (Canada) with 3 crew, was descending towards Fort Severn when the crew stopped the descent at 12,000 feet following a weight on wheels light, the master caution activated. The crew worked the related checklists and decided to return to Pickle Lake requesting emergency services on stand by for their arrival. The aircraft landed safely in Pickle Lake about 3 hours after departure. The Canadian TSB reported maintenance cleaned all landing gear proximity switch connections, tested the sensors, but found no fault. The Proximity Switch Electronics Unit codes were checked and reset. The aircraft was returned to service. https://avherald.com/h?article=4e852f25&opt=0 Boeing 777-360ER - Taxiway Excursion (Lagos, Nigeria) Date: 03-JUN-2021 Time: 10:29 UTC Type: Boeing 777-360ER Owner/operator: Ethiopian Airlines Registration: ET-ASL MSN: 44551/1312 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: None Location: Lagos-Murtala Muhammed International Airport (LOS/DNMM) - Nigeria Phase: Taxi Nature: Cargo Departure airport: Addis Ababa-Bole Airport (ADD/HAAB) Destination airport: Lagos-Murtala Muhammed International Airport (LOS/DNMM) Narrative: Ethiopian Airlines flight ET3905, a Boeing 777-360ER, became stuck after the left-hand main gear ran off the taxiway after landing at Lagos-Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Nigeria. The aircraft was finally towed 3 hours after the incident. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/263566 Airlines limit alcoholic beverages amid bad passenger behavior Travelers won't be able to take the edge off with a drink on many flights, as United Airlines becomes the latest carrier to limit its alcohol policy due to unruly passengers. Southwest and American announced last week they would extend previous suspensions on alcohol service. United announced it will offer beer, wine and hard seltzer only on domestic flights longer than 800 miles or from hub to hub after previously stating they'd resume service for flights longer than 200 miles. American, meanwhile, will not serve alcohol in the main cabin for the time being. Many airlines had suspended alcoholic beverage service last year amid the coronavirus pandemic. The moves were made in part as a way to reduce the opportunities for passengers to remove their face masks and keep flight attendants from having to interact with passengers more than necessary. The recent suspensions, however, are related to passenger behavior. "Given the recent uptick in industry-wide incidents of passenger disruptions inflight, we have made the decision to pause the previously announced re-start of alcohol service onboard June (Hawaii flights) and July," said Southwest in its announcement. A Southwest flight attendant who was assaulted by a passenger last month lost two teeth during the violent encounter, according to the union representing Southwest's flight attendants. "We realize this decision may be disappointing for some customers, but we feel this is the right decision at this time in the interest of the safety and comfort of all customers and crew onboard," the airline said in its Friday announcement. The move comes amid an ongoing uptick in bad behavior by travelers. The Federal Aviation Administration has received roughly 2,500 reports of unruly behavior since the beginning of the year, the administration announced last week. Those include about 1,900 reports of passengers refusing to comply with the federal face mask mandate. "We've never before seen aggression and violence on our planes like we have in the past five months. Already, reports of these incidents in less than five months are more than 20 times the amount in a typical year. But these are just the incidents reported," said Sara Nelson, president of Association of Flight Attendants-CWA International, which represents nearly 50,000 flight attendants at 17 airlines. "The constant combative attitude over wearing masks is exhausting and sometimes horrific for the people who have been on the frontlines of this pandemic for over a year." The FAA adopted a stricter policy for dealing with reports of bad behavior in January, and has since issued eye-popping fines to passengers accused of assaulting crew members. Many of the recent incidents for which the agency has requested fines, including two $15,000 fines announced last week, have involved alcohol. In a February 22 incident, a passenger on a JetBlue flight from Miami to Los Angeles allegedly shouted obscenities at and assaulted a flight attendant for taking away champagne, a headset and food the main-cabin passenger had gotten from a first-class passenger. The flight had to be diverted. A passenger on a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Los Angeles JetBlue flight on January 10 allegedly twice drank his own alcohol after flight attendants told him it was prohibited, talked on his cellphone during the flight and repeatedly yelled at the flight attendant. The agency also announced a total of $29,500 in fines for three separate incidents related to face masks. https://www.yahoo.com/news/airlines-limit-alcoholic-beverages-amid-020236275.html FAA’s top safety official retires; Ali Bahrami was criticized over Boeing jet The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday that its top safety official will retire at the end of June. Ali Bahrami had come under sharp criticism from lawmakers and relatives of passengers who died in the crashes of two Boeing 737 Max jets, who accused him of being too cozy with Boeing. Bahrami has led the FAA’s aviation safety office since 2017 and previously was a manager for FAA in the Seattle area, overseeing approval of Boeing planes. He left FAA for a time to become an executive with a trade group, the Aerospace Industries Association. The FAA said its deputy associate administrator for safety, Chris Rocheleau, will lead the safety office on an interim basis while the FAA searches for a long-term replacement. Hundreds of relatives and friends of passengers who died in the Max crashes wrote last month to President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, demanding that they oust Bahrami and three other FAA officials, including Administrator Stephen Dickson. “Bahrami’s departure is needed for the FAA to regain credibility, escape capture by industry, and put safety first,” Michael Stumo, whose daughter Samya died in the second Max crash, said Wednesday. Stumo and relatives of other passengers blamed Bahrami and other FAA leaders for not grounding the plane after the first crash five months earlier. An investigation led by House Transportation Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio said Bahrami didn’t know details about an FAA analysis after the first crash that predicted more accidents if a key flight-control system wasn’t fixed. The problem wasn’t addressed until after the second crash. Bahrami repeatedly defended the FAA’s practice of delegating much safety analysis to Boeing. However, Bahrami was not working at FAA when the agency certified the Max, and a former colleague said he has been treated unfairly. “This was a professional who had a long, distinguished career in aviation, and this position was a capstone to that career,” said former FAA chief counsel Arjun Garg. “A problem got thrust on him that was not of his own making, but he ended up being the face of complaints about the FAA from the families and from Chairman DeFazio.” In an internal memo to FAA employees Wednesday, Bahrami, who is in his mid-60s and started his career as an aircraft engineer, said retiring “was not an easy decision,” but that he wants to spend more time with family “and focus on my next chapter.” Among the accomplishments he cited were returning the Max to service after a 20-month grounding. https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/02/faas-top-safety-official-retires-ali-bahrami-was-criticized-over-boeing-jet.html Warning over pilots’ mental health as planes return to skies Researchers say industry practice should change to encourage workers to seek help when they need it Airlines are overlooking the mental health and wellbeing of pilots and other aviation workers in their scramble to get planes flying again, according to researchers. Many aviation workers experienced anxiety, stress and depression during Covid-19 lockdowns, but they report feeling discouraged from acknowledging problems or seeking help, creating potential safety hazards and health problems. The warning this week from the Lived Experience and Wellbeing Project – a Trinity College Dublin hub that studies aviation worker wellbeing and the impact on performance and flight safety – came as airlines across the world increase flights and start rehiring pilots and crew. A total of 1,841 flights were scheduled from UK airports to France, Spain, Italy and Greece for the two weeks from 17 May, a rise of more than 300% compared with the previous fortnight. Airlines in the US inaugurated hundreds of new routes last week. Aviation workers will welcome the chance to regain their salaries and reboot their careers, but survey data suggests many will feel depleted as they return to cockpits and cabins, said Paul Cullen, a commercial airline pilot and research associate with the Trinity College team. “We can’t sweep this under the carpet or dress it up. The data says a certain number of pilots were struggling pre-Covid but they wouldn’t disclose a mental health issue to their employer because of the stigma and fear of losing their license and perhaps losing their salary.” Just as airlines have procedures to ensure mothballed planes are airworthy, humans need attention too, said Cullen. “You need to do the same for the crew to make sure they’re airworthy.” The team conducted a survey of more than 1,000 pilots worldwide in 2019 and found that 18% had moderate depression and 80% moderate burnout. More than three quarters of the respondents said they would not disclose such issues to employers and 81% said they did not feel valued by employers. A second survey of more than 2,000 aviation workers – mostly pilots, cabin crew, air traffic controllers and engineers – in August 2020 found they suffered more than the general population during the pandemic. A fifth of pilots and 58% of cabin reported moderate depression, compared with 23% for the Irish and UK populations as a whole. Many aviation workers lost incomes during the pandemic, and some had faced having their homes or cars repossessed, said Cullen. “Once back at work those workplace hazards that were an issue pre-Covid will come back. But individuals’ resilience won’t be as strong as before, and this could potentially impact on flight safety.” After the pilot Andreas Lubitz deliberately crashed a Germanwings plane in 2015, killing all 150 people onboard, the European Commission ordered airlines to assess pilots psychologically before recruitment. The rules seek to prevent a similar tragedy by offering pilots access to a support programme in case of mental health problems. The industry, however, does not gather data on wellbeing and some pilots fear reporting mental health problems or accepting help, for instance peer support programmes, lest they lose their licence to fly, said Joan Cahill, the Trinity team’s principal investigator. Wellbeing is a factor in safe performance and employers need to do more than offer access to gyms and yoga, said. “They need to provide support for their staff – mental health awareness training, peer support, access to counselling. The regulations are not for forcing airlines to do this, and it’s driving pilots with wellbeing issues underground.” Flexible rosters and crew pairing processes, along with practices to encourage openness, can protect crew wellbeing and airline safety, she said. “Given current licensing requirements and cultural norms, aviation workers are unlikely to acknowledge problems and seek support/help. When somebody is ill, we want them to put their hand up and acknowledge this and seek help.” Niven Phoenix, a commercial pilot who heads Kura Human Factors, a company that trains pilots and advises airlines, said some were “wilfully blind” to wellbeing because it was inconvenient. “There is a whole host of evidence out there that organisations don’t want to listen to. Aviation is very, very safe but it is so unforgiving.” More focus on staff wellbeing would protect licences, livelihoods and lives, he said. “Awareness is the key to change.” Janet Northcote, a spokesperson for the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, said the industry and regulators worked with aviation psychology representatives and other specialists to enhance workers’ wellbeing and help them cope with any “wellbeing degradation” before it became a safety hazard. Peer support groups, training and awareness activities take place regularly across Europe and the agency had flagged the potential degradation of skills during the pandemic as part of a Return to Normal Operations project, said Northcote. “It has focused also on the impact of Covid-related events (isolation, losing loved ones, being unwell yourself or having sick relatives) on the wellbeing of crew members, and suggested ways to mitigate these potential hazards.” The International Air Transport Association said airlines and aviation stakeholder organisations were increasingly adopting wellbeing and mental health supports. It cited the International Civil Aviation Organization’s mental health working group, which continued meeting during the pandemic. “As a consequence of these and related activities, we are seeing people becoming more confident to report their own experiences,” it said in a statement. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jun/02/pilots-mental-health-planes-covid-airlines FAA records on pilot's medical certificate clash with documentation from church News4 Investigates has confirmed that the only person on board qualified to pilot the plane, according to FAA records, had an expired medical license. Our Chief Investigative reporter Jeremy Finley confirmed this today NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) - The pilot of the plane that crashed Saturday, killing all seven people on board, was flying on an expired certificate that confirms whether a pilot is healthy enough to fly, FAA records show. But a spokeswoman for the pilot’s church, Remnant Fellowship Church, disputes those records, saying Joe Lara did have an active medical certificate. Robert Katz, a commercial pilot and aviation instructor who consults with News4 Investigates after plane crashes, said the medical certificate is required by the FAA to show that a pilot is in good enough health to fly. “A medical certificate must be renewed periodically to determine a pilot's fitness and mental fitness to operate an airplane on a continuing basis,” Katz said. The FAA’s records show that Lara’s medical certificate was earned in November 2017, and federal records show for pilots older than forty years old, that license must be renewed every two years. The FAA records indicate his medical license would have expired 17 months before the crash. The medical certificate provided by the church shows it was earned in November 2019, which means it would still be active at the time of the crash. News4 Investigates received a copy of the medical certificate from the church and sent it the FAA for clarification. A FAA spokeswoman referenced our questions to the NTSB. A NTSB spokesman said they have not reached the paperwork portion of their investigation yet. The medical certificate provided by the church does cite the signature of Dr. Bruce Hollinger, a Nashville-area senior aviation medical examiner, as the examiner. A representative from Hollinger's office emailed in response to our questions, including they had been instructed to forward all questions to the FAA. When asked if the FAA database is not kept up to date, their spokeswoman responded in an email that the database is up to date and "generally accurate." Katz said too often, pilots allow their medical certificates to expire. “That is the worst problem that occurs in general aviation today - it is the most common occurrence committed by pilots today. It's typically a conscious decision,” Katz said. Rob Day, a longtime church member, said Lara was an attentive, spiritual pilot. “There wasn’t a moment when I didn’t get in a plane with him that he stopped and prayed,” Day said. Day also said Lara was meticulous in the inspection of his aircraft. https://www.wsmv.com/news/faa-records-on-pilots-medical-certificate-clash-with-documentation-from-church/article_323bcf82-c32b-11eb-ba7e-0bd6b6b92a3f.html Safety agency urges EU nations to ban use of Belarus airspace Europe's air safety regulator upgraded a safety warning over Belarus airspace on Wednesday, urging its 31 mainly European Union nations to instruct their airlines to avoid overflying Belarus in the wake of the forced landing of a Ryanair jet. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which oversees regional safety but lacks the authority to issue an operational ban directly, last week issued a recommendation to airlines but updated this with a new directive to governments. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/safety-agency-urges-eu-nations-ban-use-belarus-airspace-2021-06-02/ NTSB's Landsberg Stresses Need To Overhaul Notams National Transportation Safety Board vice-chair Bruce Landsberg kicked off the Flight Safety Foundation’s 66th Business Aviation Safety Summit (BASS) on Tuesday stressing a need for the FAA to wrap up its two-decade-long effort to overhaul the notam system, calling the necessary changes a “safety of flight issue." Speaking during the opening session of BASS, which was held in concert with NBAA, Landsberg also highlighted the need for business aircraft operators to embrace safety management systems (SMS) and flight data monitoring (FDM). Landsberg questioned why there are so many notams and why they are so cryptic. "The teletype isn’t coming back. It’s been dead for 20 years, yet we still act as if we have to do everything the same way,” he said. He pointed to the July 2017 incident in which an Air Canada Airbus A320 nearly landed on a taxiway lined with four passenger aircraft at San Francisco International Airport. The crew had missed the notam of a closed runway and lined up incorrectly. Noting “we almost had the big one,” Landsberg said the notam was buried within a stack of notams and was overlooked. He questioned not only the volume of notams but also a massive amount of acronyms used in them and said, “it’s time we did something different.” Notams should be accessible in one place and improved in coordination with stakeholders and other groups, including internationally, he said, adding, “I think we can do this.” Landsberg also said he is regularly checking in with the FAA on the issue. He also noted that his agency recently asked the FAA to consider SMS and FDM requirements for Part 135 and 91 for-hire operations (such as local sightseeing flights). He cited a handful of accidents over the last several years involving Part 135 and 91, such as the October 2019 crash of a B-17 in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, that was on a living-history Part 91 flight and the January 2020 Part 135 crash of an S-76B in Calabasas, California, that killed Kobe Bryant and eight others. These accidents showed issues involving areas such as maintenance, management, professionalism, and training, he said, adding that in these crashes, “It could be foreseen that some of this could have been done much better.” Many industry organizations may respond “we’ve never had a problem; we have a perfect safety record,” he noted. But the Safety Board vice-chair said, “The challenge with that is you don’t have crashes until you are having them. Everything is perfect behind you, but it is the next flight that is the most important.” SMS is designed to take a deeper look into finding unforeseen issues, he said. “The SMS approach is let’s report it, let’s figure out what the problem is, let’s not repeat it, and let’s be a hero.” He acknowledged that changes still need to be made to fully adopt a “just culture” and move away from an enforcement-only approach to one focused on compliance. Landsberg expressed concern that relatively few Part 135 operators were deemed fully compliant with the FAA’s own SMS program, but he noted that it was unknown how many more were involved with SMS programs outside the FAA. He commended those efforts but said a concern is whether the organizations were practicing and fully implementing those programs. He further acknowledged concerns of smaller operators and said much of SMS has been focused on processes and terms such as scalability. “One size does not fit all,” he said. “The FAA should be providing guidance and some examples of how they think this should work and keep in mind that it needs to be simple, it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money, and it doesn’t need to have a huge amount of paperwork.” As for FDM, “We know it works really well in Part 121,” he said. But he also acknowledged that there are cost/safety benefit concerns when looking at all operators and said, “It seems there should be a sweet spot. Do we want to be reactive or do we want to be proactive?” While one standard of safety doesn’t really apply to all operators, there are things that airlines do that work well, he said. Basic measuring devices will help from oil analysis to engine monitoring, he contended. “If we’re measuring things, it allows us to modify our behavior for optimal outcomes. That’s entirely what flight data monitoring is all about. The devices don’t have to be super complicated. Does it work? Absolutely.” https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2021-06-02/ntsbs-landsberg-stresses-need-overhaul-notams Need a job? United Airlines is looking to hire 75 people. Here’s how you can apply. (Houston) HOUSTON – Know someone in need of a job? United Airlines is hiring and hosting two job fair sessions Wednesday. The airline is looking to hire about 75 new full-time and part-time team members for various roles and responsibilities in its Catering Division at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. The job fairs will be held at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the Sheraton, Houston Airport located at 15700 JFK Blvd. Registration will be in the Mezzanine. Roles that are currently available include: Food Agent Transportation Agent Security Agent And other positions For more information on these roles, go here. https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2021/06/02/need-a-job-united-airlines-is-looking-to-hire-75-people-heres-how-you-can-apply/ United Adding Supersonic Speeds with New Agreement to Buy Aircraft from Boom Supersonic First U.S. airline to sign commercial agreement with Boom Supersonic New aircraft will cut travel times in half and operate on up to 100% sustainable aviation fuel CHICAGO and DENVER, June 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- United Airlines today announced a commercial agreement with Denver-based aerospace company Boom Supersonic to add aircraft to its global fleet as well as a cooperative sustainability initiative – a move that facilitates a leap forward in returning supersonic speeds to aviation. Under the terms of the agreement, United will purchase 15 of Boom's 'Overture' airliners, once Overture meets United's demanding safety, operating and sustainability requirements, with an option for an additional 35 aircraft. The companies will work together on meeting those requirements before delivery. Once operational, Overture is expected to be the first large commercial aircraft to be net-zero carbon from day one, optimized to run on 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). It is slated to roll out in 2025, fly in 2026 and expected to carry passengers by 2029. United and Boom will also work together to accelerate production of greater supplies of SAF. "United continues on its trajectory to build a more innovative, sustainable airline and today's advancements in technology are making it more viable for that to include supersonic planes. Boom's vision for the future of commercial aviation, combined with the industry's most robust route network in the world, will give business and leisure travelers access to a stellar flight experience," United CEO Scott Kirby said. "Our mission has always been about connecting people and now working with Boom, we'll be able to do that on an even greater scale." Capable of flying at speeds of Mach 1.7 – twice the speed of today's fastest airliners – Overture can connect more than 500 destinations in nearly half the time. Among the many future potential routes for United are Newark to London in just three and a half hours, Newark to Frankfurt in four hours and San Francisco to Tokyo in just six hours. Overture will also be designed with features such as in-seat entertainment screens, ample personal space, and contactless technology. Working with Boom is another component of United's strategy to invest in innovative technologies that will build a more sustainable future of air travel. "The world's first purchase agreement for net-zero carbon supersonic aircraft marks a significant step toward our mission to create a more accessible world," said Blake Scholl, Boom Supersonic founder and CEO. "United and Boom share a common purpose—to unite the world safely and sustainably. At speeds twice as fast, United passengers will experience all the advantages of life lived in person, from deeper, more productive business relationships to longer, more relaxing vacations to far-off destinations." About United United's shared purpose is "Connecting People. Uniting the World." For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter and Instagram or connect on Facebook. The common stock of UAL is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol "UAL." About Boom Supersonic Boom Supersonic is redefining commercial air travel by bringing sustainable, supersonic flight to the skies. Boom's historic commercial airliner, Overture, is designed and committed to industry-leading standards of speed, safety, and sustainability. Overture will be the first commercial aircraft to be net-zero carbon from day one, capable of flying on 100% sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) at twice the speed of today's fastest passenger jets. Overture's order book, including purchases and options, stands at 70 aircraft, and Boom is working with the United States Air Force for government applications of Overture. XB-1, a demonstrator aircraft, rolled out in 2020, and its net-zero carbon flight test program is underway. The company is backed by world-class investors, including Bessemer Venture Partners, Prime Movers Lab, Emerson Collective and American Express Ventures. For more information, visit https://boomsupersonic.com. SOURCE United Airlines https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/united-adding-supersonic-speeds-with-new-agreement-to-buy-aircraft-from-boom-supersonic-301304669.html Bombardier Learjet lands nearly half-billion aircraft contract from U.S. Air Force WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – The U.S. Air Force has awarded Learjet a $464.8 million contract for the purchase of up to six Bombardier Global 6000 aircraft and completion of work. The work will be performed in Wichita and is expected to completed in May 2026. After the modification work is complete, the aircraft will look like the one below stationed at an Air Force base in Massachusetts. https://www.ksn.com/news/business/learjet-lands-nearly-half-billion-aircraft-contract-from-u-s-air-force/ SpaceX will launch four private astronaut missions to the Space Station through 2023 SpaceX is going to be providing more rides to the International Space Station for private astronauts, on top of the previously announced mission set to take place as early as next January. All four of these flights will be for Axiom, a private commercial spaceflight and space station company, and they're set to take place between early next year through 2023. SpaceX's Crew Dragon and Falcon 9 spacecraft make up the first commercial launch system certified for transporting humans to the ISS, and they've already delivered three groups of NASA astronauts to the orbital lab, including one demo crew for its final qualification test, and two operational crews to live and work on the station. In May, Axiom and NASA revealed the details of their AX-1 mission, the first all-private launch to the ISS, which will carry four passengers to the station on a Crew Dragon to live and work in space for a duration of eight days in total. NASA and SpaceX will be providing training to all four of the Axiom crews set to make the trip to the station. And while neither SpaceX nor Axiom has shared more details yet on what the other three missions will entail, or when they're set to take place, four missions in two years technically absorbs all the existing capacity NASA has allocated for private astronaut missions, which is set at two per year, for 2022 and 2023. Axiom Space and NASA detail first fully private human launch to the Space Station, set for January 2022 One private astronaut flight to the ISS is already set for 2021: Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa booked a ride to the station aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket for early December. Maezawa booked through Space Adventures, which has already provided a handful of trips for deep-pocketed private astronauts over the course of the past couple of decades. Axiom meanwhile envisions a somewhat less niche, and more continually active, future for commercial orbital space stations. The company is already working on a commercial module to be added to the existing ISS, and has designs on building a fully private successor to the station in future. Booking four trips with multiple crew members in two years goes a long way towards showing there's more than just very sporadic demand from eccentric rich people for this kind of offering. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/spacex-launch-four-private-astronaut-154621521.html Curt Lewis