Flight Safety Information - July 2, 2021 No. 132 In This Issue : Incident: UTAir AT72 at Sochi on Jul 1st 2021, rejected takeoff due to low engine oil pressure : Incident: Azur B752 near Antalya on Jul 1st 2021, hydraulic leak : Texas hot air balloon crash victims’ family frustrated with slow-moving safety changes nearly 5 years later : 5 Guns Found AT BWI Airport Security Checkpoints In June : Columbia native leaving NTSB after 15 years : IBAC, French DSAC Collaborate on Data-sharing Trial : AOPA FOUNDATION’S HIGH SCHOOL AVIATION STEM CURRICULUM EARNS IMPORTANT ACCREDITATION : Airplane mechanic shortage opens opportunities for students : Wally Funk was supposed to go to space 60 years ago. Now she’s going with Jeff Bezos. : Rolls-Royce Close to Resolving Costliest Jet-Engine Issue : New Saudi airline plan takes aim at Emirates, Qatar Airways : NASA Is Sending Realistic Dummies on a Trip Around the Moon : Position Available: Specialist - Flight Safety Investigations : Incident: UTAir AT72 at Sochi on Jul 1st 2021, rejected takeoff due to low engine oil pressure A UTAir Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-212A, registration VQ-BLJ performing flight UT-294 from Sochi to Krasnodar (Russia), was accelerating for takeoff from runway 24 when the crew rejected takeoff due to a low oil pressure indication. The aircraft slowed safely and returned to the apron. A replacement ATR-72-212A registration VQ-BMA reached Krasnodar with a delay of about 2:45 hours. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 8 hours, resumed service but suffered the same problem again, see Incident: UTAir AT72 near Sochi on Jul 1st 2021, engine low oil pressure indication. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e9ba0d8&opt=0 Incident: Azur B752 near Antalya on Jul 1st 2021, hydraulic leak An Azur Air Boeing 757-200, registration VQ-BQA performing flight ZF-474 from Antalya (Turkey) to Astrakhan (Russia), was enroute at FL360 about 250nm northnortheast of Antalya when the crew received indication of decreasing left hydraulic quantity and reducing left hydraulic pressure. The crew decided to return to Antalya, descended to FL330 initially and landed safely back in Antalya about 90 minutes after departure. A replacement Boeing 757-200 registration VP-BYC reached Astrakhan with a delay of 5 hours. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in Antalya for about 12 hours, then returned to service. http://avherald.com/h?article=4e9b9ff8&opt=0 Texas hot air balloon crash victims’ family frustrated with slow-moving safety changes nearly 5 years later AUSTIN (KXAN) — This week, Patricia Morgan looked up to the sky above her son’s Colorado home to see a hot air balloon. “On the side it said: ‘Bucket List,'” she said. “That was on my daughter’s bucket list.” Morgan remembers her daughter and granddaughter as the “dare devils” of the family, which is why they boarded a hot air balloon in Lockhart, Texas on a July day in 2016. ORIGINAL STORY: 16 killed in hot air balloon crash near Lockhart “It’s no longer the same,” she cried. This month marks five years since Morgan lost both women in the deadliest hot air balloon crash in United States history. They were two of the 16 people, including the balloon pilot, who were killed in a fiery crash. An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found the pilot was “as impaired as a drunk driver” when he flew the balloon into a power line. They said Alfred “Skip” Nichols had taken a mixture of prescription medications such as Prozac, Valium and oxycodone. Morgan joined forces with federal lawmakers to push for changes to the way balloon rides are regulated. In the fall of 2018, U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) both worked on bipartisan legislation to require medical and physical exams for commercial balloon pilots, similar to what’s required for commercial airline pilots. The legislation passed, but as the five-year anniversary of the crash approaches, Morgan is frustrated to see the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) hasn’t put any rules or regulations on the issue into practice. “The FAA has delayed and delayed, even after the law, which I thought was explicit. They now claim they need a regulation before they can do anything,” Rep. Doggett explained. “Just a spirit of indifference.” The NTSB is an independent government agency, which investigates accidents and crashes. They also make safety recommendations to the federal agency that regulates the aircraft industry, the FAA. Just a few months ago, the NTSB submitted brand new safety recommendations targeting hot air balloons and other paid passenger operations, such as vintage aircraft flights and parachute jump flights. They asked the FAA to consider requiring more oversight into the safety management of these operations. IN-DEPTH: Hot air balloon crash history in Texas At a board meeting in March, the NTSB said “these operations, which carry thousands of passengers for compensation or hire each year, are not held to the same maintenance, airworthiness, and operational standards as air carrier, commuter and on-demand, and air tour operations.” A spokesperson for the FAA sent KXAN documents acknowledging the latest NTSB recommendations. The document states it “will assess the feasibility of these safety recommendations.” It said the agency would provide an update by the end of the year. “When we first started working and looking into this, we realized the FAA was slow,” he said. Representative John Cyrier (R-Lockhart) lives about four miles from the crash site and represents the area at the state legislature. He said there wasn’t much he could do to make change here in Texas, since the industry is regulated at the federal level. Cyrier is an airplane pilot and flight enthusiast himself, so he said he knows how important physical competence is to being a pilot. He said he was “shocked” in 2016 to find out there weren’t requirements already in place for balloon pilots. “When you do hear of other accidents that are very similar, it’s another reminder that people have lost their loved ones,” he said. Less than a week ago, five people died in a hot air balloon accident in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Officials said the balloon hit the power line — separating the balloon-like part of the vessel, called an envelope, from the gondola where passengers stand. Bystanders captured video of the envelope as it floated in the sky after the crash, and KXAN’s media partners in Albuquerque report one man even tried using a fire extinguisher to help put out the basket when it was on fire. The FAA spokesperson told KXAN the pilot in the Albuquerque crash did have a medical certification, like the 2018 legislation would require. Authorities are still investigating this crash. “I don’t know how many more lives may be lost, because they have delayed and ignored the recommendation of the National Transportation Safety Board,” Doggett said. He emphasized the medical certification was “just the start,” but urged the FAA to take action on the latest NTSB recommendations, as well. “It was just like re-living the accident all over again,” Morgan said, noting the similarities in the two crashes — aside from the state-of-mind of the pilot. “That angers me, because nothing gets done,” she said. “Unfortunately, I just don’t think FAA understands the horrific impact this has on everybody: all the families, the victims, everybody involved in the balloon industry. I continue to say, ‘The FAA shirks their responsibilities,’ and the NTSB has been on them for years and years and years. Still to this day, nothing’s getting done.” https://www.kxan.com/investigations/texas-hot-air-balloon-crash-victims-family-frustrated-with-slow-moving-safety-changes-nearly-5-years-later/ 5 Guns Found AT BWI Airport Security Checkpoints In June LINTHICUM, Md. (WJZ) — BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport announced that five guns were found at security checkpoints throughout the month of June raising the total to 12 for the year. Officials said the guns were found inside of carry-on luggage by TSA officers that were staffing the checkpoint x-ray monitors. The bags were pulled and inspected by Maryland Transportation Authority Police. The weapons were confiscated and the individuals were detained for questioning. They were all arrested and cited on weapon charges. Each person faces a federal penalty. Nationwide, TSA has detected 3,257 firearms on passengers or in carry-on luggage at checkpoints last year. Officials want to remind passengers that firearms can travel in a checked bag if they are cleared at the airline ticket counter. They must be unloaded, packed in a locked hard-sided case and separate from ammunition. Travelers should also contact their airline as they may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition. More information can be found on the TSA websiteTSA website. https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2021/07/01/5-guns-found-at-bwi-airport-security-checkpoints-in-june/ Columbia native leaving NTSB after 15 years Robert L. Sumwalt III is the only South Carolinian to ever serve on the five-member National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). He is stepping down as chairman at the end of June. A native Columbian, he is a graduate of Dreher High School and UofSC. He earned a master’s degree from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. He has served almost 15 years on the NTSB as a board member, vice chairman, and now chairman. He brought a lifetime of dedication, education, talent and experience to transportation safety at NTSB. His grandfather, Robert L. Sumwalt, became the University Of South Carolina’s acting president in 1957 then president in 1959 continuing to 1962. After 36 years of service to the university, he retired and was employed on the professional staff of the Senate Post Office and Civil Service Committee. Sumwalt began a career of aviation advocacy when he was a freshman at the University of South Carolina organizing and managing the first USC Flying Club. Sumwalt later served as the first chairman of the Richland County Airport Commission. As a commissioner, he served on the committee that reoriented the runway at Hamilton Owens Airport to make the airport safer. Sumwalt was manager of aviation for eight years for the SCANA Corporation. For 24 years, Sumwalt was an airline pilot with Piedmont Airlines and then U.S. Airways. He received extensive experience as an airline captain, airline check airman, instructor pilot, and air safety representative. From 1991 to 1999, Sumwalt conducted aviation safety research as a consultant to NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System, studying various issues including flight crew performance and air carrier de-icing and anti-icing problems. He worked on special assignment to the U.S. Airways Flight Safety Department from 1997 to 2004, where he was involved in the development of numerous airline safety programs. Sumwalt served as a member of the Air Line Pilots Association’s (ALPA) Accident Investigation Board from 2002 to 2004, and chaired ALPA’s Human Factors and Training Group. He was a cofounder of that organization’s Critical Incident Response Program, which provides guidance to airline personnel involved in traumatic events such as accidents. He co-authored a book on aircraft accidents and has written extensively on aviation safety, having published more than 85 articles and papers in aviation trade publications. In 2003, Sumwalt joined the faculty of the University of Southern California’s Aviation Safety and Security Program, where he was the primary human factors instructor. In recognition of his contributions to the aviation industry, Sumwalt received the Flight Safety Foundation’s Laura Taber Barbour Award in 2003 and ALPA’s Air Safety Award in 2004. Sumwalt was sworn in as the 37th Member of the National Transportation Safety Board in August 2006. President Bush designated him as vice chairman of the board for a two-year term. He has been the board’s on-scene representative at 36 accidents, including the 2015 crash of an Amtrak train outside Philadelphia and the 2018 emergency landing of a Southwest Airlines plane that lost one of its engines, killing one person after debris shattered a window. Not many high school seniors may be inspired to take flying lessons after visiting the scene of a plane crash or spend their free time in college combing through accident reports by National Transportation Safety Board investigators. But Robert L. Sumwalt said he became curious at a young age about how such systems operate and what could be done to make them safer. Sumwalt said the NTSB’s investigations and recommendations have increased safety across transportation systems, ranging from planes to subways to pipelines. He said the agency must stay on top of new technology, including self-driving cars, to ensure they are safe for the public. When asked, “Is there anything that you think is unfinished? What do you see going forward for the NTSB?” Sumwalt responded, “There are a number of safety issues that need to be done. And as far as the agency itself, I feel like we’re leaving the agency in a really good position with the management team we put in place. I think we built the foundation for the agency to be stronger. “One of the things we’re working on is the timeliness of reports. You know there’s always that tension between how fast can we get it done and do we sacrifice quality? So we put in place measures to try to use data to see where the bottlenecks are and address those. We’ve got accountability and better tracking systems so we can track the progress of each investigation. So I think we’ve put in place measures to help the agency to be more effective and more efficient.” https://www.thecolumbiastar.com/articles/columbia-native-leaving-ntsb-after-15-years/ IBAC, French DSAC Collaborate on Data-sharing Trial The International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) has signed a memorandum of cooperation with the French Directorate for Civil Aviation Safety (DSAC) to share data in an effort the association hopes will demonstrate the value of the IS-BAO. One of the ultimate goals of the “experiment” would be to enable EU ramp inspectors to focus on operators that do not have a recognized safety management system, IBAC said. SMS is at the core of the IS-BAO standard. The signing marked a step forward in the joint trial, clearing the way for IBAC to provide information on participating operators to DSAC. Then DSAC will be able to compare this data with its own and assess the value of IS-BAO Stage 2 and 3 audits. In return, DSAC will provide IBAC with aggregated, de-identified data based on the results of the ramp checks. This information would enable IBAC to better identify trends that could be addressed with the business aviation community, it said. IBAC noted that a number of business aircraft operators had already volunteered to participate in the demonstration project before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. “We are very grateful for all your inputs. For the first time, IBAC could connect hundreds of aircraft registrations with dozens of air operators from several continents,” said Daniel Devraignes, IBAC audit manager/acting IS-BAO program director, in a recent update to operators. However, IBAC was not able to share any collected data with DSAC until the memorandums were signed. “With the return to operations progressing well, the project with DSAC can finally enter the next phase,” Devraignes said. IBAC is moving forward on the data collection and encouraged operators to ensure their information is up to date. It also hopes to continue to expand the number of operators participating in the trial. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2021-07-01/ibac-french-dsac-collaborate-data-sharing-trial AOPA FOUNDATION’S HIGH SCHOOL AVIATION STEM CURRICULUM EARNS IMPORTANT ACCREDITATION STEM.ORG RECOGNITION VALIDATES AOPA’S EFFORTS TO INTRODUCE AVIATION SKILLS, CAREERS TO HIGH SCHOOLERS The AOPA Foundation’s High School Aviation STEM Curriculum received two accreditation honors from the prestigious independent credentialing and education research organization STEM.org. The high school curriculum and corresponding materials were vetted during a rigorous and thorough process, earning two Trustmarks that are indicative of meeting a range of standards set by STEM.org experts which include: • Develop critical thinking, collaboration, and communication skills. • Promote science, technology, engineering, and math skills that prepare students for the future of aviation and aerospace. • Strengthen the STEM skills students need for twenty-first century careers. • Support the development of STEM skills future-focused employers desire. STEM.org is the leading exclusive third-party validator of STEM books, videos, and other print and digital learning resources. Since 2001, its leadership has assisted with key initiatives that have been critical to the overall growth and proliferation of the movement, including work with the STEM Congressional Caucus. Other organizations that have received STEM.org Trustmarks include The Walt Disney Co., Staples, the NBA, and The New York Times. “The opportunity to become accredited through STEM.org is something that will elevate the AOPA Foundation’s curriculum to new heights,” said AOPA You Can Fly Program Executive Director Elizabeth Tennyson. “Many students don’t realize that being a pilot is an option for them and it really is very accessible. AOPA works hard to make it even more accessible and gives students the exposure and tools they need to pursue a career in aviation.” As AOPA previously reported, “the science, technology, engineering, and math curriculum features six courses in two pathways—pilot and drones—for students in grades nine through 12 and can be used in public, private, charter, or parochial high schools. It is also available for home school co-op programs at the high school level. Schools may choose to use a single course or a four-year career and technical education program.” More than 8,000 students participated in the AOPA Foundation’s STEM curriculum for the 2020-2021 school year. By the end of the two pathways, students have learned the material needed to pass the FAA private pilot or remote pilot knowledge tests. The AOPA Foundation’s curriculum was used in more than 200 schools across 38 states in the 2020-2021 school year and will expand in the coming years. The curriculum is also attracting more students from backgrounds that are currently underrepresented throughout the aviation field, with 20 percent of the students in the curriculum being female, and 45 percent people of color. The need for more professional pilots is expected to increase following a slow but steady recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic nearly crippled the airlines. According to the Boeing Pilot and Technician Outlook, “As tens of thousands of pilots, technicians and cabin crew members reach retirement age over the next decade, educational outreach and career pathway programs will be essential to inspiring and recruiting the next generation.” The outlook predicts that North America alone will need more than 200,000 pilots between 2020 and 2039. According to FAA data, the United States has seen a 36-percent increase in student pilot certificate issuances between 2016 and 2020 and a 41-percent increase in private pilots within the same time period. Schools that use the AOPA Foundation’s curriculum are accepted through an application process, and schools interested in applying for the 2022-2023 school year are encouraged to contact AOPA’s high school curriculum specialists. The curriculum is provided to schools for free because of generous donations made to the AOPA Foundation. https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2021/july/01/aopa-foundations-high-school-aviation-stem-curriculum-earns-important-accreditation Airplane mechanic shortage opens opportunities for students BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (WOOD) — As the aviation industry rapidly recovers from the pandemic, the need for aviation maintenance technicians is growing. Western Michigan University’s College of Aviation has been working to expand its capacity with forecasts predicting a high number of job openings. Raymond Thompson, the associate dean of the college, says even if you average estimates from Boeing and Airbus, the numbers are staggering. “Soon we’ll be entering a technician shortage,” Thompson said. “About 700,000 positions will be needed over the next 20 years and that’s worldwide, a lot of growth in Asia, here in the U.S., we’re looking at almost 200,000 of those.” It is not just the openings that make these jobs appealing, but also the pay. “Top level technicians make well over $100,000 a year. It can be a very lucrative profession, often come with flight benefits, if you’re working for an airline,” Thompson said. Greg Dellinger with AAR Aviation Services says retirements and growth in its business are fueling the demand. “You are absolutely seeing elevated demand for leisure travel and slowly business travel, and of course that requires literally an army of aviation maintenance technicians,” Dellinger said. The company services planes for major airlines around the world and is ramping up hiring. “We do a day-to-day analysis to ensure that AAR, that our wages, are competitive and then you look at all of the different benefits that go into it, including tuition reimbursement,” Dellinger said. The company has a partnership with WMU to match graduates with open positions. For Western students like Jace Arnold that will soon enter the workforce, the growing job prospects are seemingly endless. “It’s very exciting because right now with the job market, everything is very open, like I can go anywhere in the country I want to and work,” Arnold said. https://www.woodtv.com/news/kalamazoo-county/airplane-mechanic-shortage-opens-opportunities-for-students/ Wally Funk was supposed to go to space 60 years ago. Now she’s going with Jeff Bezos. At 82, the “Mercury 13″ pioneer is poised to become the oldest person to reach space when the first crewed Blue Origin rocket takes flight this month Wally Funk, one of the “Mercury 13,” holds a photo of herself at the International Women’s Air and Space Museum in Cleveland in 2019. The aerospace pioneer will join Jeff Bezos when one of his Blue Origin rockets heads to space later this month. (Handout/Reuters) By most accounts, Wally Funk should have been to space by now. In 1961, Funk was the youngest member of the “Mercury 13,” a group of 13 women privately tested and trained by a team of aviation medical experts for NASA’s astronaut program at the height of the space race. But the program, which put the women through the same rigorous testing as the Mercury 7, NASA’s all-male team of original astronauts, was canceled. Sixty years later, Funk, 82, is poised to become the oldest person to reach space. Jeff Bezos announced in an Instagram post Thursday that Funk would be joining him, his brother, Mark, and the unnamed winner of an auction aboard Blue Origin’s first crewed spaceflight on July 20, the anniversary of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969. A seat to fly with Jeff Bezos to space sells at auction for $28 million Funk is a pioneer in aviation: She was the first female Federal Aviation Administration inspector and first female National Transportation Safety Board air safety investigator. She has logged 19,600 hours of flight time and taught more than 3,000 people to fly, she said in Bezos’s Instagram video. “Everything that the FAA has, I’ve got the license for,” Funk says in the video. “And, I can outrun you!” In the Instagram video, Bezos describes the plan for the New Shepard’s journey to a wide-eyed Funk, down to the moment when the rocket returns to the desert surface and its doors open. “We open the hatch, and you step outside. What’s the first thing you say?” Bezos asks Funk. She does not hesitate. Jeff Bezos announces he’ll be on first crewed spaceflight of Blue Origin rocket “I will say, ‘Honey, that’s the best thing that ever happened to me!’ ” Funk declares, pulling Bezos into a bear hug. Funk is Bezos’s “honored guest” on the flight, which will also be joined by the winner of Blue Origin’s auction for his company’s nonprofit foundation. Nearly 7,600 bidders from 159 countries participated in the auction, which topped out at $28 million. (Bezos, the founder of Amazon, owns The Washington Post). Blue Origin has said travelers must be able to endure three times the force of gravity for two minutes on ascent and 5½ times the force of gravity for a few seconds on the way down. Participants must be between 5 feet and 6-feet-4-inches tall and weigh between 110 and 223 pounds. As a young girl, Funk used to jump off the roof of her parents’ barn in a Superman cape, pretending to fly. She loved to build model planes and ships, became an “expert marksman” at 14 and skied competitively for the United States in slalom and downhill races. She has been flying since 1957. She is also an antique car enthusiast and “avid zipliner,” according to her website. When NASA finally opened its programs to women in 1976, Funk applied three times and received three rejections. But she has never been the type to let anything stand in her way, she says in the video. “I like to do things that nobody has ever done,” Funk said. The July 20 flight would have made Bezos the first of the billionaire “space barons” to go to space, a significant milestone for him and Blue Origin, which lags behind Elon Musk’s SpaceX in the competition for billions of dollars in NASA and Pentagon contracts and which flies a more powerful rocket capable of taking people and supplies into orbit. But hours after the announcement that Funk would be on the flight, Virgin Galactic’s Richard Branson, who will turn 71 July 18, announced that he plans to be aboard his company’s space plane on its next test flight, now scheduled for July 11. That would place him in space ahead of Bezos. Bezos has long been fascinated with space. An avid science fiction reader and big “Star Trek” fan as a child, he has called watching the Apollo 11 moon landing a seminal moment for him, even though he was just 5 years old at the time. He chose “Goddard” as the middle name for one of his sons in homage to Robert Goddard, the founder of modern rocketry. The New Shepard is named for Alan Shepard, who became the first American to go to space in 1961. Like that first suborbital flight, New Shepard shoots straight up, flying past 60 miles to reach the edge of space before falling back to Earth. The flight takes about 10 minutes in all, with a few minutes of weightlessness in space. Neither Musk nor Virgin Galactic’s Richard Branson have ridden on their companies’ rockets, though there is speculation Branson may be trying to beat Bezos with a secretive launch in the coming weeks. In late June, Virgin Galactic won FAA approval to take customers to space, making it the first spaceline to cross that hurdle. In 2010, Funk put down $200,000 for a future Virgin Galactic flight. She has spent years waiting and visiting Spaceport America, anticipating what she thought would be her first trip to space. But by the time she gets to cash in that ticket, she will already be an astronaut. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/07/01/wally-funk-jeff-bezos-blue-origin-space/ Rolls-Royce Close to Resolving Costliest Jet-Engine Issue • Engineering chief sees final fixes to Trent 1000 this year • Blade cracks in the XWB are not a major concern, Rolls says Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc is increasingly optimistic that it can move beyond the jet-engine issues that have cost it billions of pounds and provided an unwelcome distraction during years of restructuring work. Final fixes to a litany of glitches that have plagued the Trent 1000 turbine used on Boeing Co.’s popular 787 Dreamliner should be made this year, engineering and technology director Simon Burr said in an interview. Blade cracks in the Trent XWB that powers Airbus SE’s rival A350 wide-body have turned out not to be a major concern. “After a difficult three or four years, I feel confident about the durability of the engines and the future,” Burr said at Rolls-Royce’s main manufacturing base in Derby, England. “We have learned a lot.” Issues with the Trent 1000 have been the biggest cash drain on Rolls, with the cost set to reach more than 2 billion pounds ($2.8 billion) through 2023. The U.K. firm has also lost market share to General Electric Co., which offers a rival 787 engine. Coming to grips with the problems would help the company draw a line under a saga that’s also soured relations with major customers like British Airways, leaving it in a better position to rebound from the coronavirus slump. Dreamliner Fix Chief Executive Officer Warren East said in February last year that the company had all but completed required design changes on the Trent 1000. The only work still outstanding involved improving the high-pressure turbine blades, which were deteriorating faster than expected. Rolls-Royce is currently testing the high-pressure turbine, focusing on replicating the stresses bearing on the engine during ascent to cruising altitude, which Burr said is more exacting for a modern airliner than takeoff itself. “The temperatures inside the engines stay very high during the climb so we have changed the way we test,” he said. “The test cycle is now longer to reflect climb conditions. We are very pleased with the results so far.” Engines are being subjected to 500 simulated flights and will be checked again after 1,000 and then 2,000 trips to “give us absolute confidence in the fixes.” Since the tests involve durability and regulatory and certification tests have already been completed, no further sign-off will be required from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, a Rolls spokeswoman said. The company will carry the fixes through to the Trent 7000 engine that powers Airbus A330neo aircraft and is based on the Trent 1000. A350 Engines Problems with the XWB used on the A350 were disclosed last August, stirring further concerns about the durability of Rolls engines. The questions were particularly acute since the enginemaker’s finances were dealt a severe blow by the grounding of flights after the Covid-19 outbreak. Burr said there have been no in-flight incidents with the XWB, and that the scope of the problem afflicting compressor blades on engines in service for four or five years hasn’t spiraled. A fix is set to be tested later this month. “We feel quite confident we can put this problem to bed,” he said. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-02/rolls-royce-close-to-resolving-costliest-jet-engine-issue New Saudi airline plan takes aim at Emirates, Qatar Airways DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia plans to target international transit passenger traffic with its new national airline, going head-to-head with Emirates and Qatar Airways and revving up regional competition. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is pushing economic diversification to wean Saudi Arabia off oil revenues and create jobs, announced a transportation and logistics drive on Tuesday aimed at making the kingdom the fifth-biggest air transit hub. Two people familiar with the matter said the new airline would boost international routes and echo existing Gulf carriers by carrying people from one country to another via connections in the kingdom, known in the industry as sixth-freedom traffic. The transport ministry, which has not released details of the plans, did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. The strategy marks a shift for Saudi Arabia whose other airlines, like state-owned Saudia and its low cost subsidiary flyadeal, mostly operate domestic services and point-to-point flights to and from the oil-rich country of 35 million people. The Saudi expansion threatens to sharpen a battle for passengers at a time when travel has been hit by the coronavirus pandemic. Long-haul flights like those operated by Emirates and Qatar Airways are forecast to take the longest to recover. "Commercial competition in the aviation industry has always been fierce, and regional competition is heating up. Some turbulence in regional relations is on the horizon," said Robert Mogielnicki, resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute. Dubai, the world's largest international air travel hub, has announced a five-year plan to grow air and shipping routes by 50% and double tourism capacity over the next two decades. Any airline requires substantial start-up capital and experts warn that if Saudi Arabia's ambition is to compete on transit flights it may have to contend with years of losses. Emirates reported a record $5.5 billion annual loss last month with the pandemic forcing Dubai to step in with $3.1 billion in state support. Etihad Airways has scaled back its ambitions after it spent billions of dollars to ultimately unsuccessfully compete in building a major hub in United Arab Emirates capital Abu Dhabi. Riyadh has already moved to compete with the UAE, the region's business, trade and tourism hub. The Saudi government has said that starting 2024 it would stop giving contracts to firms that do not set up regional headquarters in the kingdom. Prince Mohammed is trying to lure foreign capital to create new industries including tourism, with ambitions to increase overall visitors to 100 million by 2030, from 40 million in 2019. People familiar with the matter said the new Saudi airline could be based in the capital Riyadh, and that sovereign wealth fund PIF is helping set it up. PIF did not respond to a request for comment. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/exclusive-saudi-airline-plan-takes-101754287.html NASA Is Sending Realistic Dummies on a Trip Around the Moon In 1972, Apollo 17 Mission Commander Eugene Cernan left the Moon’s surface for the final time. At the time, few would have thought by 2021 he’d still be the last person to have stood on our celestial neighbor. That won’t be true much longer though. NASA is getting ready to send astronauts back. But before the space agency does, it will send a dummy there first. The space agency is using anatomically correct mannequins on an unmanned flight around our lunar partner. NASA has announced (in news we first heard about at DesignTAXI) it is sending a fake human for a trip around the Moon. When the Orion spacecraft takes off for its first mission around the Moon, it will carry a suited “manikin” onboard. “Commander Moonikin Campos” will rest in the commander’s seat of the Artemis I flight. Campos will come equipped with two radiation sensors. And it will wear a first-generation Orion Crew Survival System suit. It’s the same “spacesuit astronauts will wear during launch, entry, and other dynamic phases of their missions.” The seat itself will also have two sensors. One under the headrest, another located behind the chair. They will measure acceleration and vibration during the mission. All of the sensors will “provide data on what crew members may experience in flight” when they depart on Artemis II, the first mission of the program that will feature actual people. Considering astronauts will “experience 2.5 times the force of gravity during ascent and four times the force of gravity at two different points during the planned reentry profile,” the extra information will go a long way to keeping them safe. “It’s critical for us to get data from the Artemis I manikin to ensure all of the newly designed systems, coupled with an energy dampening system that the seats are mounted on, integrate together and provide the protection crew members will need in preparation for our first crewed mission on Artemis II,” said Jason Hutt, NASA lead for Orion Crew Systems Integration, in a statement. That’s also why five additional accelerometers inside Orion will give NASA data it can use to compare vibration and acceleration between the craft’s upper and lower seats. When Orion splashes down in the Pacific, “all accelerometers will measure impact on these seat locations for comparison to data from water impact tests at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia to verify accuracy of pre-flight models.” Campos isn’t going alone though. Sort of. Two female-bodied model human torsos, known as phantoms, will also take the trip. Named “Zohar” and Helga,” they will “provide data on radiation levels during lunar missions.” So Eugene Cernan’s title as the last person to stand on the Moon is safe for now. But someday soon some other person will hold that title. And they’ll have a fancy dummy to thank for making it possible. The post NASA Is Sending Realistic Dummies on a Trip Around the Moon appeared first on Nerdist. https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/nasa-sending-realistic-dummies-trip-175909993.html?.tsrc=fp_deeplink Specialist - Flight Safety Investigations UNITED STATES, GEORGIA, ATLANTA CORP. SAFETY, SECURITY & COMPLIANCE 28-JUN-2021 REF #: 7579 HOW YOU'LL HELP US KEEP CLIMBING (OVERVIEW & KEY RESPONSIBILITIES) The Specialist - Flight Safety Investigations reports to the Manager - Safety Investigations and functions as a member of the Flight Safety Accident/Incident Investigation Team. In that capacity, the Specialist will be the primary safety investigator on-call for Delta Air Lines with an on-call rotation every three to four weeks. As the investigator on-call, the Specialist will generally lead all Flight Safety investigations and NTSB coordination efforts during their on-call period. In addition to acting as an investigator, the Specialist will be a primary point of contact in Flight Safety for safety-related issues. The Specialist practices safety-conscious behaviors in all operational processes and procedures. Job Responsibilities: • Acts as a primary investigator for operational accidents, incidents, irregularities, and trends. • Acts as investigator or assisting investigator, on an as-needed basis, for other operational accidents, incidents, irregularities, and trends. • Acts as ICAO Annex 13 airline representative, or assisting representative, for accident, incident, and irregularity investigations. • Develops and publishes Flight Safety investigation reports. • Regularly reviews operational reports and data to identify incidents and irregularities for follow-up investigation. • Develops safety recommendations in conjunction with all operational divisions. • Interfaces with Line Safety Coordinators during applicable safety investigations. • Reviews, develops, and coordinates the publication of safety articles. • Reviews and evaluates applicable research material and results of industry seminars of interest to Flight Safety and Corporate Safety, Security, and Compliance. • Acts as an alternate Investigation Team Coordinator and assists the Manager - Safety Investigations with coordinating Investigation Team activities. • Provides assistance to the NTSB during non-Delta Air Lines local or national investigations. • Provides technical assistance to Delta Air Lines partners and personnel regarding investigation procedures and techniques. • Practices safety-conscious behaviors in all operational processes and procedures. • Develops both strategic & tactical plans that create a safety-conscious environment resulting in employee safety & well-being. WHAT YOU NEED TO SUCCEED (MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS) • Must possess a Bachelor’s degree, or higher, or have compatible work experience. • Should have a general understanding of the operational divisions of a Part 121 major air carrier, including Flight Operations, Technical Operations, In-Flight Service, Airport Customer Service, and Cargo Operations. • Should have an understanding of the role of a Flight Safety department at a Part 121 major air carrier. • Must have a detailed understanding of NTSB accident/incident investigation procedures and techniques. • Must be able to efficiently and effectively investigate major air carrier accidents and incidents. • Should be able to write clear, concise, technical reports, and articles. • Should be able to speak effectively to diverse audiences. • Should be able to work effectively with fellow employees as well as outside agencies and organizations. • Should have PC-based computer skills, including the use of common database and Microsoft Office software. • Must be able to travel worldwide at short notice. • (If applying Internally) Must be performing satisfactorily in present position. • Where permitted by applicable law, must have received or be willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine by date of hire to be considered for U.S.-based job, if not currently employed by Delta Air Lines, Inc. WHAT WILL GIVE YOU A COMPETITIVE EDGE (PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS) • Should have successfully completed an accredited training course in safety, or compatible work experience, that includes accident investigation procedures and techniques. • Hands-on experience during NTSB, ICAO Annex 13, or military accident investigations is desired. • FAA pilot certificate, maintenance certifications, or equivalent military experience are desired. APPLY HERE Curt Lewis