Flight Safety Information - July 12, 2021 No. 138 In This Issue : Incident: Transavia B738 near Amsterdam on Jul 9th 2021, problems with electrical trim : Incident: Brussels A333 near Bordeaux on Jul 11th 2021, hydraulic failure : Incident: UPS B763 at Helsinki on Jul 9th 2021, rejected takeoff twice due to takeoff configuration warning : Incident: KLM B737 at Amsterdam on Jul 8th 2021, electrical rubber smell in cockpit : Incident: British Airways A20N near London on Jul 9th 2021, hydraulic fault : Beechcraft C90 King Air -Fatal Accident (Arizona) : American Airlines bars bodybuilder from Dallas-Fort Worth flight over ‘offensive’ outfit : Wreckage located of Boeing cargo jet that made emergency landing off Hawaii : Foreign pilots allege mistreatment by Korean Air during pandemic : New Zealand Air Line Pilots' Association calls for faster vaccination of all Kiwis : How the airline industry still refuses to accommodate disability : Woman apparently duct-taped to seat after trying to exit plane midflight : AOPA BLASTS FAA FLIGHT TRAINING DIRECTIVE : FAA Throttles Bizjet Traffic To Idaho Billionaires’ Conference : Avionica CEO Talks Exiting GE Aviation Joint Venture : You can order in-flight food, upload your passport. New airline app does it all. : Delta Air Lines Returns to Its Used-Jet Roots : SpaceX cargo capsule splashes down in Gulf of Mexico : FDM / FOQA Training : Position Available: Specialist - Flight Safety Investigations Incident: Transavia B738 near Amsterdam on Jul 9th 2021, problems with electrical trim A Transavia Boeing 737-800, registration PH-HZJ performing flight HV-6307 from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Beirut (Lebanon), was climbing through FL340 out of Amsterdam when the crew reported problems with the electrical trim and decided to return to Amsterdam requesting a slow descent at 500fpm. The aircraft entered a hold indicating they wanted to burn off fuel for about 90 minutes. The aircraft landed safely on Amsterdam's runway 27 about 2 hours after stopping the climb just above FL340. A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration PH-HXC departed the next day with a delay of 24 hours. The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 17 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=4ea27a59&opt=0 Incident: Brussels A333 near Bordeaux on Jul 11th 2021, hydraulic failure A Brussels Airlines Airbus A330-300, registration OO-SFG performing flgiht SN-241 from Brussels (Belgium) to Freetown (Sierra Leone), was enroute at FL350 about 10nm east of Bordeaux when the crew decided to return to Brussels reporting hydraulic problems as result of loss of pressure from the yellow hydraulic system. The aircraft climbed to FL360 for the return and landed safely on Brussels' runway 25L about 80 minutes after the decision to return. The aircraft remained on the ground in Brussels for about 2:10 hours, then departed again, is estimated to skip Freetown and instead fly direct to the second destination Monrovia (Liberia). https://avherald.com/h?article=4ea270d3&opt=0 Incident: UPS B763 at Helsinki on Jul 9th 2021, rejected takeoff twice due to takeoff configuration warning A UPS Uunited Parcel Service Boeing 767-300 freighter, registration N392UP performing flight 5X-291 from Helsinki (Finland) to Cologne (Germany), was accelerating for takeoff from Helsinki's runway 04L when the crew rejected takeoff at low speed (around 50 knots over ground) due to a takeoff configuration warning. The crew attempted another takeoff from runway 04L about 10 minutes later but again rejected takeoff due to another takeoff configuration warning. The aircraft returned to the apron, the takeoff cobfiguration warnings were identified false. The aircraft was able to successfully depart about 2 hours after the second rejected takeoff and reached Cologne with a delay of about 2 hours. https://avherald.com/h?article=4ea1c84e&opt=0 Incident: KLM B737 at Amsterdam on Jul 8th 2021, electrical rubber smell in cockpit A KLM Boeing 737-700, registration PH-BGL performing flight KL-1358 from Prague (Czech Republic) to Amsterdam (Netherlands) with 83 people on board, was descending towards Amsterdam's runway 18C when the crew donned their oxygen masks, declared PAN PAN reporting an electrical rubber smell in the cockpit. ATC immediately offered runway 27 which the crew accepted. The aircraft landed safely on runway 27 about 9 minutes later, vacated the runway and stopped clear of the runway for an inspection by emergency services. The aircraft returned to service about 15 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=4ea1c097&opt=0 Incident: British Airways A20N near London on Jul 9th 2021, hydraulic fault A British Airways Airbus A320-200N, registration G-TTNF performing flight BA-621 from Larnaca (Cyprus) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was descending towards London when the crew declared PAN PAN reporting the loss of a hydraulic system. The crew requested emergency services to meet the aircraft upon landing and inspect the aircraft for any leakages. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on Heathrow's runway 27L about 25 minutes later. The aircraft is still on the ground in London about 25 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=4ea1c51d&opt=0 Beechcraft C90 King Air -Fatal Accident (Arizona) Date: 10-JUL-2021 Time: c. 12:00 Type: Beechcraft C90 King Air Owner/operator: Registration: MSN: Fatalities: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Category: Accident Location: 14 miles NE of Wikieup, Mohave County, AZ - United States of America Phase: Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) Nature: Fire fighting Departure airport: Destination airport: Investigating agency: NTSB Narrative: The fire fighting aerial reconnaissance aircraft was destroyed after a reported structural failure and ground impact near Wikieup, Mohave County, Arizona while working the Cedar Basin Fire. The two occupants received fatal injuries. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/265327 American Airlines bars bodybuilder from Dallas-Fort Worth flight over ‘offensive’ outfit A bodybuilder was not allowed to board her flight at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport Thursday because American Airlines crew found her clothing offensive, according to media reports. Deniz Saypinar is a professional bodybuilder from Turkey. On Thursday, she posted on her Instagram story to her nearly 1 million followers that airline staff refused to let her board her flight to Miami because of what she was wearing. The post was not longer available on Sunday since Instagram stories are only posted for 24 hours. “I like to wear feminine clothes that reveal my femininity, but I never dress in a way that will offend anyone,” she wrote in the post, according to the Dallas Morning News. “I’m mature and civilized enough to know what I can and cannot wear.” American Airlines did not immediately respond to requests to comment Sunday, but confirmed the incident to the Dallas Morning News. In the statement, a spokesperson said customers must dress appropriately for flights. Saypinar was rebooked on a subsequent flight to Miami, according to the statement. In regards to dress code, American Airlines’ website says that “bare feet or offensive clothing” aren’t allowed for passengers. Saypinar, who was first woman in Turkey to ever receive International Federation of BodyBuilders status, said in the Instagram story that flight attendants told her that her style “disturbed other families” at the airport, according to the Daily Mail. Saypinar was also the first non-American citizen to win the US National Bikini Fitness Competition in 2021. A screenshot of the post shows Saypinar wearing a brown cropped shirt, denim shorts and a white jacket tied around her waist. She also wrote in the post that she moved from Turkey to the U.S. to “be free as a woman.” “I feel insulted. They wouldn’t let me on the plane because I wore these shorts in the United States,’ Saypinar said in the post. https://www.yahoo.com/news/american-airlines-bars-bodybuilder-dallas-204532109.html?.tsrc=fp_deeplink Wreckage located of Boeing cargo jet that made emergency landing off Hawaii WASHINGTON, July 9 (Reuters) - Investigators have located a Boeing (BA.N) 737-200 cargo jet that made an emergency water landing off the Hawaiian island of Oahu in the Pacific Ocean on July 2, the National Transportation Safety Board said on Friday. Transair Flight 810 was found approximately 2 miles offshore from Ewa Beach. The major components of the airplane -- the aft fuselage including both wings and tail along with both engines, and forward fuselage -- were located on the sea floor at depths between 360 and 420 feet, the NTSB said in a statement. The plane components were located with a Side Scan Sonar and Remotely Operated Vehicle, the NTSB said. The NTSB said the wreckage is too deep to deploy divers for recovery of the flight data and cockpit voice recorders. The investigative team is developing plans to recover the aircraft. The safety board said fuel samples from another airplane fueled on the same night were tested and no irregularities were found. The agency released photos of airplane components located on the ocean floor. The two crew members on Transair Flight 810 were injured after being forced to land in the Pacific Ocean. One was taken to a hospital by helicopter and the other was rescued by boat. The Boeing cargo plane was built in 1975. The crew reported engine trouble and plans to turn back shortly after taking off at 1:33 a.m. local time from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu. The plane was en route to the Hawaiian island of Maui. The NTSB said its investigators have completed more than a dozen interviews including the flight crew, other Transair personnel, and Federal Aviation Administration employees. https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/wreckage-located-boeing-cargo-jet-that-made-emergency-landing-off-hawaii-2021-07-10/ Foreign pilots allege mistreatment by Korean Air during pandemic South Korea’s largest airline accused of discriminating against foreign pilots for past 16 months Foreign pilots have accused Korean Air of mistreating them ever since the pandemic began early last year and forcing them to leave their belongings behind in South Korea. A former B777 captain at the airline, who wished to stay anonymous, told The Korea Herald he had been placed on unpaid leave for the last 16 months and kept in the dark about his future, while his Korean colleagues had been given the choice to go on paid leave. “They obliged us, in the real sense of the word, to sign this unpaid leave agreement,” he said. “If not signed, they said they would have furloughed (staff),” he added. By invoking a force majeure clause, the pilot said, the airline could avoid taking “any social responsibility,” including having to offer severance pay after cutting contracts short, and foreign pilots’ belongings were still stranded at a hotel in Seoul. A force majeure clause allows a company to depart from the terms of a contract because of circumstances beyond its control, such as a natural disaster. “I didn’t like the way they treated me, and indirectly my family, because leaving people without any news, hope, financial aid or support is really not functional or like the first world country such as Korea,” the pilot said. Korean Air has so far managed to deliver operating profit in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic -- a rare achievement in the aviation industry, which is among those hit hardest by the pandemic. But with many foreign pilots yet to return to work, the pilot said he feels “forgotten.” “You cannot declare that you have an amazing financial status during 2020 and 2021 and forget about the people who have been producing this kind of income,” he said. Foreign pilots at Korean Air are recruited through a third-party agency on a contract basis, which means they may be subject to different employment rules than Korean staff. Employment retention subsidies helped major Korean airlines survive through the pandemic by allowing them to put staff on rotating shifts. They are, however, designed for those with employment insurance coverage, which is optional for foreign nationals hired by Korean companies. Another pilot, whose contract was cut short by a few months as the pandemic hit the industry early last year, said he was treated unfairly by the airline. “They treated us like something you can throw away without respecting the contract,” he said, adding that the airline terminated his contract through a force majeure clause. Though Korean staff received 70 percent of their salary while on paid leave every other month for a period of time last year, the airline pushed foreign pilots to agree to unpaid leave without offering severance pay, the former Korean Air pilot said. “We are all the same. We still have family at home and a contract to honor,” the second pilot said. Korean Air said foreign cargo pilots have now returned to work, though passenger jet pilots have not, citing low air travel volume as a reason. “With foreign pilots having to quarantine for two weeks when visiting their home country or returning to Korea, it is difficult for them to be recalled to the workplace,” a representative of Korean Air said in a statement. “When demand for air travel recovers, we plan to bring foreign pilots back to work,” the representative said. This is not the first time a Korean carrier has been accused of mistreating its foreign staff. Last year a group of foreign pilots alleged discrimination by Asiana Airlines, saying they were placed on unpaid leave for months while their Korean colleagues worked 15 days out of every month and earned half their regular monthly salary. Both Korean Air and Asiana Airlines have made headlines during this pandemic for being among the few airlines in the world to achieve operating profit after pivoting to the cargo business and receiving government subsidies. http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20210711000070 New Zealand Air Line Pilots' Association calls for faster vaccination of all Kiwis They say protection at the border isn't enough. The New Zealand Air Line Pilots' Association (NZALPA) says the government needs to accelerate the speed at which all New Zealanders are being vaccinated, rather than singling out border workers. "Mandatory vaccination of all border staff is not a 'silver bullet'. Vaccinations should not be mandatory, but they are highly recommended for personal protection, herd immunity and to slow the spread of the virus," NZALPA President and international pilot Captain Andrew Ridling said in a statement. "What we need is a quicker and more fully vaccinated New Zealand," he said. "Around 95 percent of our pilot members are already vaccinated, and my family and I are personally grateful to be inoculated shortly after the vaccine was available here in New Zealand." Captain Andrew Ridling went on to say that since the start of the pandemic, the NZALPA has been "very clear that our members take our transmission risk responsibilities very seriously". "Now the government's own research released today showed that New Zealanders are overall motivated by a sense of duty and a desire to 'follow the rules.' We urge the government to take this opportunity to bring forward the roll out of vaccinations for everyone in Aotearoa. "As well as keeping our people safe, it will also send an assurance message to those airlines and international tourists looking to return, including providing employment to those thousands in the aviation industry who've lost their jobs, lived on reduced wages and have done it tough over the unprecedented last 16 months. "We need to work together to make sure all New Zealanders are kept safe as well as helping revive our part in the international market. The most clear and obvious thing to do is speed up vaccination rollout. Otherwise, we risk our economy being left behind." https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/travel/2021/07/new-zealand-air-line-pilots-association-calls-for-faster-vaccination-of-all-kiwis.html How the airline industry still refuses to accommodate disability It will probably be years before we see a wheelchair seat on an airplane. When her wheelchair was severely damaged during her flight on Delta Airlines from Minneapolis to Newark, New Jersey, the model and influencer Bri Scalesse took to TikTok and recorded a video that quickly went viral. "Today my freedom and independence was taken away," she said. "I don't know how I'm going to live my life." Pretty much no one looks forward to airline travel. But if you're a wheelchair user, flying isn't just an inconvenience; it can be devastating. Airlines were reported to have lost or broken 10,548 wheelchairs or scooters in 2019. In 2018, 36,930 disability-related complaints were made to airlines. Airlines were reported to have lost or broken 10,548 wheelchairs or scooters in 2019, more than 1 out of every 100 they handle, yet little has been done to address the problem. A disability rights group called All Wheels Up is trying to change that by fighting for the Air Carrier Access Amendments Act, co-sponsored by Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I. The act would require new airplanes to meet accessibility standards and existing aircraft to make modifications to accommodate disabled passengers. According to a report last year by the Transportation Department, airlines damage about 29 disabled travelers' wheelchairs every day. No data are available from before 2019, because airlines weren't mandated to report or track how many wheelchairs they lost or damaged before that. "My wheelchair is my freedom, a part of me," Scalesse told MSNBC. "I was devastated." Because wheelchair damages or losses are so common, flying is just not a privilege that equally extends to the disability community. "Eighty percent of the wheelchair community does not fly because of a risk to their physical selves or a loss of their wheelchair due to damage," said Michele Erwin, the founder and president of All Wheels Up. The organization lobbies for wheelchair users "to independently maneuver themselves onto the plane with dignity and safety" and to make "air travel fully accessible for millions of people who use Wheelchairs around the world." It’s about respecting human rights — but it’s also about recognizing the disability community as consumers. Erwin says that along with the organization's vice president, Alan Chaulet, she successfully got airlines to start reporting the number of mobility devices they compromise and to commit to making flying accessible to the disability community. Erwin and Chaulet emphasize that it's about respecting human rights — but it's also about recognizing the disability community as consumers. "Flying is tough, but thanks to the Americans with Disabilities Act, most destinations are accessible and so are many more around the world," Chaulet said. "People with disabilities have money to spend." Airlines aren't just losing money on wheelchair repairs, replacements or flight reimbursements or by offering future travel vouchers for disgruntled disabled travelers; they're also missing out on the business of potential customers who stay away from flying for fear of becoming another headline. And it's also not just wheelchair losses and damage — it's delays like the one that forced disability rights activist D'Arcee Charington to crawl out of a Delta flight in 2015. Bathrooms on planes aren't accessible to people with most mobility issues. While trains and buses are forced to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and create accessible wheelchair spots and restrooms, planes have been exempt from complying with the law because they are still following the Air Carrier Act, which was passed in 1986, before the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law. While some airlines seem to be showing interest in All Wheels Up's research, education and training programs, the pace of chance is slow. "They are taking those steps," Erwin said of the airlines. "I just wish they were taking more aggressive steps. ... Unfortunately, we are still a few years away from the implementation of a wheelchair spot on airplanes." That's because the Federal Aviation Administration has failed to approve wheelchairs on flights. All Wheels Up claims it is the only organization funding and conducting crash-test studies on wheelchairs to help make that certification happen. Erwin also said most airlines don't have evacuation strategies for disabled travelers in emergency landings. "There is no plan for you if you are a disabled traveler," she said. "If you're someone with reduced mobility, the only suggestion that has been given to the flight attendants is to literally carry them out of the airplane." Most airlines don't have evacuation strategies for disabled travelers in emergency landings. All Wheels Up provides disabled travelers with a tool it calls ADAPTS, which stands for A Disabled Passenger Transfer Sling, which can help carry a disabled passenger in an emergency. The sling was designed by an anonymous flight attendant. Erwin hopes airlines integrate them so the burden isn't on the disability community to figure out how to survive emergency landings. Since the program launched in January, 30 ADAPTS slings and special CARES harnesses (supplemental double shoulder straps to help passengers with disabilities safely get into their seats) have been handed out. Erwin says she is waiting on grants to keep going through a waiting list of disabled travelers who have applied for the devices. To get the tools at no cost, disabled travelers must email contact@allwheelsup.org with their names, email and home addresses, phone numbers and ages and explain why the tool would help them have a safer flight experience. All Wheels Up, which powers all of its work through donations, is organizing a virtual 5K fundraiser. It also has a petition lobbying the FAA to add wheelchair-designated spaces on planes. When it comes to air travel, as is often the case, it feels like disability is just not a priority. "It's ridiculous that airlines can safely transport dogs and other pets under the plane keeping them alive but are incapable of not breaking wheelchairs, which are durable by design," Dylan Bulkeley-Krane, the disability rights policy coordinator for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign, told MSNBC. "Airlines are also capable of transporting larger luggage, like skis or surfboards, without problems but won't develop clear protocols to keep wheelchairs safe during transportation," Bulkeley-Krane said. The fact that passengers can board their flights with their ducks but not their wheelchairs should make all of us ashamed of the ableist laws that still govern the airline industry. "We don't want to be afraid to fly, travel, experience joy," Scalesse said. "A serious change needs to be made to the way airline industries treat and store chairs. I want my chair to be treated as an extension of my body." Wheelchairs aren't a luxury item; they're a lifeline. Forcing disabled travelers to part from their wheelchairs is like forcing them to lose a part of themselves. And it shouldn't be incumbent on disabled passengers to make sure they are treated as such. https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/how-airline-industry-still-refuses-accommodate-disability-n1273650 Woman apparently duct-taped to seat after trying to exit plane midflight A woman who allegedly had a meltdown midflight and tried to open an airplane door was duct-taped to her seat, to the consternation of passengers who saw her as they exited the craft. It happened on an American Airlines flight Friday, TMZ reported. “While in flight from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to Charlotte (CLT) on July 6, the crew on board American Airlines flight 1774 reported a potential security concern after a customer attempted to open the forward boarding door and physically assaulted, bit and caused injury to a flight attendant,” American Airlines told TMZ. “For the safety and security of other customers and our crew, the individual was restrained until the flight landed at CLT and could be met by law enforcement and emergency personnel.” While American didn’t specify the type of restraint used, at least one passenger snared some video of a woman duct-taped to a seat, and posted it on TikTok. The video, since made inaccessible, showed an unidentified woman in a first-class seat with duct tape around her chest and mouth, Business Insider reported. She was apparently attempting to scream at departing passengers. The video poster, TikTokker @lol.ariee, said the fracas began about halfway through the two-hour flight. “All flight attendants were running up and down the aisles, frantically kind of like whispering to each other,” she wrote, according to Insider. Crew were locking bathroom and grabbing bags from the overhead bins but didn’t clue passengers in, she said. As the plane touched down, a flight attendant explained that a woman had had an apparent mental breakdown and had attempted to leave the plane. Taken to a hospital upon landing, she is now on American Airlines’ no-fly list, Insider said. https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-woman-mental-health-episode-duct-taped-plane-seat-midflight-meltdown-20210711-vtqjxe32tndljfi3zf6sau3eoi-story.html AOPA BLASTS FAA FLIGHT TRAINING DIRECTIVE URGES IMMEDIATE WITHDRAWAL OR DELAY In light of the recent and short-sighted FAA directive governing flight training for compensation in certain categories of aircraft, AOPA President and CEO Mark Baker sent a strongly worded letter to FAA Administrator Stephen Dickson on July 11, asking the agency to immediately withdraw or delay the rule, which is scheduled to take effect on July 12, 2021. An FAA directive effective July 12 will require owners of thousands of experimental aircraft (including this Lancair Mako), or their flight instructor, to obtain a letter of deviation authority before flight instruction can be provided for compensation, a significant and disruptive change imposed without public comment. The letter followed a phone call between Baker and Dickson on July 11 and stated: “We urge the FAA to withdraw or invoke an immediate stay of the recent ‘notification of policy’ for flight training in experimental, primary and limited category aircraft. This directive is simply unacceptable to the general aviation community and, together, we will pursue all options available to bring much needed clarity and common sense to this issue.” The FAA’s notice allowed for no public comment, a process required by the Administrative Procedure Act, Baker noted. He also reminded the agency that it has issued numerous legal interpretations about compensated flight training and operation of an aircraft for compensation, which the FAA chose to ignore. “The FAA’s stated mission is to ‘provide the safest, most efficient aviation system in the world’,” said Baker. “With this notice, the FAA appears to have made a 180-degree turn on this position, and has placed a bureaucratic hurdle ahead of the need for safety.” Baker made it clear that the GA community is united and that he has spoken with the leaders of the Experimental Aircraft Association, General Aviation Manufacturers Association, and other GA groups, and that numerous aviation organizations are expected to join in objection to this notice and efforts to correct it. The directive was also was ill-timed, put in place just two weeks before EAA AirVenture, the world’s largest general aviation fly-in. Many of the owners and pilots of the more than 39,000 registered experimental, limited, and primary category aircraft fly to this airshow, and would be negatively impacted by this bureaucratic exercise that does nothing to enhance safety. Baker explained that the rule will impose nightmarish administrative requirements on thousands of aircraft owners, pilots, and flight instructors, and simply overwhelm FAA and create even more confusion. A requirement to complete “a new FAA invoked paperwork process to simply obtain ‘approval’ to do what pilots have already been doing safely for years is simply mindboggling,” Baker added in the letter. This broad directive, now impacting thousands of aircraft owners, instructors and pilots, arose from a narrowly defined case involving Florida-based Warbird Adventures, and a handful of other very specific cases involving limited category aircraft, a category that includes approximately 400 warbirds. Despite caution from AOPA and others, the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on April 2 allowed an FAA emergency cease-and-desist order to stand against Warbird Adventures, a company that was providing flight instruction in a limited category warbird without an exemption. As a result of that decision and a request for clarification from the agency regarding its position on flight training for compensation, the FAA on June 4 provided a letter that opined that a flight instructor who receives compensation from a student for providing instruction in a limited category aircraft is acting contrary to federal regulation, even if that compensation is not for carriage or transportation, without an exemption. Furthermore, the FAA’s letter stated that similar prohibitions may extend to an instructor providing flight training in an experimental or primary category aircraft. The general aviation community, including AOPA, reacted negatively to the new characterization of compensated flight training and hurdles to accessing training, and noted the potential impact on tens of thousands of pilots. The FAA attempted to clarify its position on July 8 with an eight-page “policy” that, among other things, requires owners of experimental aircraft and flight instructors providing flight training in those aircraft to apply electronically for a letter of deviation authority (LODA) “that will permit flight training for compensation in experimental aircraft when no compensation is provided for the use of the aircraft.” Such a rule would put new barriers in place for owners seeking instruction in their own aircraft and discourage flight instructors qualified in various experimental aircraft from providing training, jeopardizing safety. The FAA directive also puts additional burdens on owners of limited and primary category aircraft, despite the FAA’s previous rulemaking statements such as “it is appropriate to use primary category aircraft” for flight instruction. Bottom line, the rule means that starting July 12, anyone paying for flight instruction in their experimental, limited, or primary category aircraft must have completed the LODA process. While the new “policy” does not affect flight training in standard category aircraft, the change for other categories is seen as a slippery slope that could lead to more changes for those flying typical certified aircraft. FAA officials have heralded their electronic application process as a simple solution to the issue, but, as Baker pointed out in his conversations with Dickson, it is a solution to a problem the FAA has needlessly created—and one that does nothing to advance the mutual goals of improving safety and reducing barriers to resources that increase pilot proficiency. https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2021/july/11/aopa-blasts-faa-flight-training-directive FAA Throttles Bizjet Traffic To Idaho Billionaires’ Conference Ground stops are nothing new during busy travel periods but last week the FAA instituted holds all over North America for aircraft headed to a small airport in Idaho. There were so many business jets headed to the 38th annual Allen and Company conference in Sun Valley that the agency had to throttle traffic to Friedman Memorial Airport, which is 13 miles south of the famed resort town. The Allen and Company conference is sometimes called “summer camp for billionaires” and attracts some of world’s highest net worth people. Like many small mountain airports, Friedman has a single runway (13/31 7550X100) and while that seems ample, it’s also at 5318 feet. Idaho is also in the middle of an historic heat wave so density altitude has been a lot higher than that during the heat of the day. Despite the constraints, dozens of aircraft, from Citations to Global 7500s were funneled into the facility and crammed onto the ramp. Keynote speaker was Bill Gates, who delivered a speech on climate change. It’s not clear how Gates got to Idaho but he has defended his use of private aviation (he recently bought a pair of G650ERs) saying he uses sustainable fuel and has purchased carbon offsets to mitigate their contribution to the problem that he talks about every day. He has also complained about the cost of those offsets. “…it was amazing to me how expensive that was, that cost to be green… we’ve got to drive that down.” Gates told Fox News’s Chris Wallace in a February interview. https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/faa-throttles-bizjet-traffic-to-idaho-billionaires-conference/ Avionica CEO Talks Exiting GE Aviation Joint Venture Avionica has exited its joint venture with GE Aviation and is operating as an independent company again. (Avionica) In May 2018, Avionica established a joint venture with one of the most successful companies in the history of the aviation industry, GE Aviation, in an effort to take aircraft parts and engines data analysis to new levels of efficiency. Three years later, the Miami, Florida-based avionics maker is an independent company again, supplying miniaturized aircraft data collection and wireless data transmission technology to commercial airlines. Avionics International recently caught up with Avionica CEO Raul Segredo on a Zoom call from his South Miami office to discuss how they were able to exit the joint venture with GE, and how he sees their relationship as avionics supplier of aircraft data acquisition and interfacing systems to airlines becoming more of a service-based model in the next few years. “Before we struck this deal, I saw, as the engineer that I am, General Electric as a paragon of technical brilliance. Now, having been part of GE for several years, I can attest to you that that’s the absolute truth,” Segredo said. “GE simply knows how to do things that no other company in the world can do and countries aspire to replace and to duplicate. We didn’t duplicate what they did, but we took their best ideas and distilled it into very small, lightweight avionics.” The 2018 joint venture was an expansion of the partnership Avionica first established with GE in 2016 when the engine manufacturer announced it would be using Avionica’s avSYNC aircraft data transfer service for health management of CF34-3 engines on Bombardier 600 jets. In an interview with GE at the time, the company said it specifically chose Avionica because of the adaptability of its quick access recorder technology. “At the time, [former GE Aviation CEO] David Joyce’s lure to Avionica was that he wanted to be able to collect data about his engines so that operators could be alerted to problems that could impact their ability to keep their engines on wing. You have to remember, their business is all razors and blades, with the engines being the razors and the maintenance or support services the blades. They don’t make money when the engine isn’t working, especially under power-by-the-hour contracts. We have the means and [supplemental type certifications] STCs and equipment to capture data on practically every Part 25 aircraft produced, but the key was making it affordable to customers,” Segredo said. A little more than one year into the new joint venture, a major new deal was revealed involving hardware supplied by Avionica and data analytics and services from GE. At the 2019 National Business Aviation Association annual conference and exhibition, a new program called Smart Link Plus was announced by Bombardier featuring Avionica’s onboard network system (ONS), aviONS, installed in the electric equipment bay of older Challenger and Global jets. The aviONS box is an all-in-one remote data concentrator, airborne data loader, quick access recorder (QAR) and server with up to one terabyte of storage for aircraft and flight operational data. GE licensed the product’s intellectual property and provided it to legacy Challenger and Global operators as a free upgrade and the enabler of their associated digital aircraft health management and data services. The deal served as a prime example of what their JV could offer the industry. Small easily upgradable data processing systems capable of serving as onboard network servers, quick access recorders, and aircraft interface devices from Avionica and GE’s analytics software to optimize the way fleet operators acquire, analyze and store operational data. However, just six months after the Smart Link Plus announcement, the COVID-19 global pandemic would park nearly half the world’s fleet of passenger-carrying airplanes. Airlines and aviation OEMs shed thousands of jobs and lost millions in revenue amid historic lows in passenger air travel. “Everybody in the industry was laying people off. General Electric was laying people off, Honeywell was laying people off, everybody was laying people off, and that was just contrary to everything that I wanted to accomplish. So, we didn’t do that at Avionica. It was at some peril that we did that. But as I told the people that were leading me at that point in time, I said, I can’t get my mission accomplished, and lay people off. Aside from the fact that you know, it would destroy everything that I’ve been working on, for the last 29 years,” Segredo said. Segredo said that one of his earliest goals in starting Avionica was to grow the company to 1,000 or more employees, and although that will prove difficult even if the commercial airline industry is able to return to pre-pandemic 2019 levels of international passenger air travel, it drove him to approach GE and re-purchase the company. A new graphic provided by Avionica showing their revamped "3.0" team, with CEO Raul Segredo a the top, as the company approaches 30 years in operation. (Avionica) “When this pandemic started, my objective of getting to a thousand livelihoods was really dimming in a big way. We were very blessed that they gave me the opportunity to buy the business back,” Segredo said. “I’m very pleased to say that we’re coming out of this pandemic at full strength. Avionica has its full team in-tact ready to serve our customers.” The Avionica founder said that they’re focusing on business jets, regional carriers, and the air cargo market at the moment since those are among the most active sectors on the commercial side of air transportation. The first half of 2021 proved to be an active one for the company. Air France Hop, a regional subsidiary of Air France, is currently in the process of upgrading its ATR, Bombardier, and Embraer fleet with their onboard network server, and they’re also in talks with several other undisclosed regional carriers. In March, a new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Supplemental Type Certification (STC) approval for their satLINK MAX was achieved for the Airbus A320 family. Avionica also established a new partnership with SmartSky Networks on June 1, which will exploit their onboard data collection technology by coupling it with SmartSky’s in-flight connectivity (IFC) network and Skytelligence platform. Within the next few years, Segredo believes that the use of cloud computing, data analytics, and digital services will become increasingly important in how operators ultimately invest in their aircraft electronics systems for flight operational quality assurance (FOQA) and other aircraft health-related programs or applications. “We’re not aspiring to just sell quick access recorders to operators in the future. We’re aspiring to sell their access to the data on a timely basis for them to accomplish their mission. We’re envisioning equipment on the aircraft that has multifunction, and there will be no need for a federated quick access recorder, flight data recorder, and aircraft interface device,” Segredo said. “One of the things that our engineers are innovating around is how to mix those separated functions into that same small box. How do we mix the QAR, AID and even the [Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System] ACARS data together in a tiny little box so that we make it easier for airlines from a spares and equipment perspective?” https://www.aviationtoday.com/2021/07/06/avionica-ceo-talks-exiting-ge-aviation-joint-venture/ You can order in-flight food, upload your passport. New airline app does it all. United's Travel-Ready feature puts numerous functions at travelers fingertips Anthony Cozzi, United Airlines director of digital products, demonstrates the airlines new Travel-Ready feature of its app. Travel-Ready allows flier to upload documents, get information and pre-order meals from a phone, tablet or airline website. Airline apps aren’t a new thing. Most airlines offer apps to make boarding and checking-in at the airport into a seamless process, especially after the coronavirus pandemic where less human contact is better. Others help with flight booking and ticketing. And many third parties offer apps to help travelers find the best fight price. But a new app that is part of the “United Next” program that was announced on June 29 might be the app that does it all, from pre-ordering meals to uploading passport and vaccination info to learning about the latest pandemic restrictions. United Airlines new app has lots of company, with 39 official airline apps offered on Google Play and probably double the number of third party apps. Got a problem? This app will also hook travelers up with an “agent on demand” in the airport to help. “All these features (Agent on Demand and Travel-Ready Center) are fully integrated into United’s award-winning mobile app and United.com, which is a first among airlines and give customers everything they need to know to navigate evolving COVID-19 travel restrictions all in one place,” said Robert Einhorn, a United spokesman. Agent on demand allows passengers to get help from a live United agent by video, text or chat. These are actual agents in the airport and not people working in an off-shore call center, said Maria Walter, a United spokeswoman, who demonstrated the app at a June 29 event at Newark Airport. Demand is likely to increase as the airline announced the addition of 150 flights this fall, including 25 daily flights from New York/Newark to Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Florida, Savannah, Georgia and Barbados. All airlines are reporting steady increases in leisure travel as it rebounds from pandemic lows. “The idea is not to have to stand in line,” Walter said about the app. “You can access the app from your living room.” The Travel-Ready feature is beneficial for those flying internationally. It unites many functions and stores documents and information in one place. “The hardest thing is understanding what you need for international travel. Every location is different,” said Anthony Cozzi, United director of digital products. “We take the guess work out.” United Travel-Ready feature reminder. A demonstration of United Airlines new Travel-Ready feature at Newark Airport reminds a traveler they need to do several tasks before traveling to Paris. Travelers can upload their information, such as rapid COVID-19 test results, vaccination information, entry forms for a particular country, passport and visa information to the Travel-Ready center and have it validated, saving time in the airport, he said. The app also tells travelers what tests are required to enter a country and allows them to schedule a rapid COVID test. The closest resource that offers some similar functions is the Airports Council International’s Check and Fly app, available on an app or online. It provides health and safety information for 300 airports. A redesign also added check-in on the app to provide a one-stop experience, he said. Hungry? The app has a meal ordering function which can be done pre-flight or on-board the aircraft. Obviously, pre-ordering guarantees the meal of your choice. But the app also helps flight attendants fill orders and get the correct meal to the right seat, Walter said. Customers who buy food and beverages on the plane can pay with a contactless tap and pay system, provided they’ve uploaded credit or debit card information. Missing a connecting flight due to delay or other issues is one of the unavoidable, but frustrating parts of air travel. United’s connection saver analyzes weather conditions that could delay one flight, how many passengers are on board who have a connecting flight and if it is possible to briefly hold that flight. If there are strong headwinds, delaying one flight, Connection saver helps officials decide if a connection flight can take off five minutes later, she said. “We are the only airline doing this,” Walter said. “It’s meaningful for (travelers on) the last flight of the day.” https://www.nj.com/news/2021/07/you-can-order-in-flight-food-upload-your-passport-new-airline-app-does-it-all.html Delta Air Lines Returns to Its Used-Jet Roots The pandemic has encouraged the airline giant to reconsider aspects of its fleet strategy. • Delta added numerous used aircraft to its fleet in the years after the Great Recession in order to limit capital expenditures. • In recent years, the airline shifted its focus to simplifying its fleet with modern, fuel-efficient jets. • The COVID-19 pandemic has created opportunities for Delta to snap up cheap used jets while continuing to make progress on its fleet simplification plan. A decade ago, Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) became known as a savvy acquirer of used aircraft. However, as its fleet aged and its cash flow surged toward the middle of the past decade, Delta began ordering brand-new jets in increasing numbers. By late 2019, management was talking about a new fleet strategy focused on fleet simplification and a shift to new-technology aircraft. However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused Delta to rethink its fleet strategy once again. The airline has regained interest in used jets and has reportedly finalized at least two deals for used aircraft recently. Why Delta used to love used aircraft Delta exited the Great Recession with a weak balance sheet and plenty of aircraft in need of replacement: most notably, 71 DC-9s that were 35 years old on average. It also needed to expand its fleet over the following years to take advantage of the recovery in air-travel demand. The airline solved this conundrum by scouring the globe for out-of-favor jets that it could buy or lease cheaply. These included a slew of MD-90s acquired from various foreign airlines and 88 Boeing 717s subleased from Southwest Airlines. Delta's experienced maintenance organization gave it a competitive advantage in managing the resulting operational complexity. By leaning on cheap used aircraft for most of its growth and replacement needs in the five years after the Great Recession, Delta was able to generate solid free cash flow despite the slow economic recovery. That allowed it to steadily pay down debt, bolstering its balance sheet. More recently, Delta changed strategies. First, cash flow soared beginning around 2014, giving Delta the flexibility to ramp up capital spending. Second, it became difficult to find parts for MD-90s a few years ago, exposing a drawback of buying "orphan" aircraft that were produced in small numbers. As a result, Delta has been spending billions of dollars a year on new jets recently and buying few (if any) used aircraft. The calculus has changed The pandemic changed management's perspective in three key ways. First, the full-service airline accelerated the retirement of hundreds of jets last year in order to simplify its fleet and reduce costs. Second, the pandemic caused Delta to burn billions of dollars of cash, making balance sheet restoration a key priority for the next few years. Third, used aircraft values have tumbled due to the sharp drop in air travel demand -- particularly outside the U.S. and China. Once again, used aircraft represent an elegant solution, allowing Delta to replace the jets it plans to retire in a cost-effective manner. It has agreed to lease seven Airbus A350s from AerCap, according to The Air Current (subscription required). These jets were previously operated by LATAM, which decided earlier this year to permanently eliminate the A350 from its fleet, even though its oldest A350s were delivered in 2016. The Air Current also reports that Delta has reached a deal to buy 29 Boeing 737-900ERs that Asian budget carrier Lion Air previously operated. And the airline could potentially expand its used aircraft plans further, depending on market conditions. A new take on an old strategy While Delta appears poised to scoop up dozens of used jets, it hasn't actually reverted to its fleet strategy of a decade ago. The used jets it is pursuing this year are quite young: particularly the A350s. Moreover, they fit with the airline's fleet simplification plans. Delta has 130 737-900ERs in its fleet today, averaging less than five years of age. It also has 15 A350s, plus orders for 20 more. Despite pursuing relatively modern aircraft this time around, Delta is likely to secure big discounts relative to pre-pandemic prices, as the supply of used jets continues to outstrip demand by a wide margin. Thus, it will be able to continue modernizing and simplifying its fleet -- and reaping the associated cost savings -- while keeping capex in check. Investors got a glimpse at the alternative last month, as United Airlines ordered 270 new jets to update and expand its fleet. This boosted United's capex commitments by more than $12 billion to a staggering $35.9 billion. Delta's move to capitalize on the availability of cheap, modern used jets looks far more shareholder-friendly and will enable the company to fix its balance sheet much faster than rivals. https://www.fool.com/investing/2021/07/11/delta-air-lines-returns-to-its-used-jet-roots/ SpaceX cargo capsule splashes down in Gulf of Mexico If you would like to see more articles like this please support our coverage of the space program by becoming a Spaceflight Now Member. If everyone who enjoys our website helps fund it, we can expand and improve our coverage further. Wrapping up a 36-day mission to the International Space Station, a SpaceX Cargo Dragon capsule splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico Friday night with biomedical experiments, spacewalk equipment, and other hardware returning from orbit. The unpiloted spacecraft made a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico south of Tallahassee, Florida, at 11:29 p.m. EDT Friday (0329 GMT Saturday). SpaceX confirmed the capsule’s splashdown in a tweet as recovery teams converged on the Dragon spacecraft in the Gulf of Mexico. SpaceX’s “Go Navigator” recovery ship was on station near the splashdown zone to pull the capsule out of the sea. Once the Dragon capsule is on the deck of the recovery ship, teams will open the hatch and retrieve time-sensitive research specimens for delivery by helicopter to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where scientists will begin analyzing the experiments. The recovery ship will bring the capsule back to Cape Canaveral for refurbishment and reuse on a future cargo mission. The Cargo Dragon spacecraft undocked from the space station at 10:45 a.m. EDT (1445 GMT) Thursday, two days later than originally planned. Managers ordered the delay to wait for Tropical Storm Elsa to move away from Florida. The unpiloted supply ship spent 33 days at the space station since docking there June 5, two days after launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission was SpaceX’s 22nd round-trip cargo delivery flight to the space station since 2012. NASA has contracts with SpaceX and Northrop Grumman to fly commercial resupply missions to the station. On the trip up to the space station, the Dragon capsule delivered more than 7,300 pounds (3,300 kilograms) of cargo, including experiments and upgraded solar arrays. Astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Thomas Pesquet installed and unfurled the roll-out solar arrays on three spacewalks last month. After unpacking the ship’s pressurized cargo cabin, the station astronauts loaded some 5,300 pounds (2,400 kilograms) of research specimens, experiments, and other equipment for return to Earth, according to a NASA spokesperson. Experiments returned to Earth included a pharmaceutical investigation from Eli Lilly and Company looking at how gravity affects freeze-dried materials. On Earth, freeze-drying medications for long-term storage results in layers with structural differences, and scientists want to know whether specimens freeze-dried in microgravity on the space station have a different structure. The Dragon capsule also returned an experiment evaluating how gravity affects the structure, composition, and activity of oral bacteria. The data could help design treatments to combat oral diseases on long-term space missions to the moon and Mars, according to NASA. Leah Cheshier, a NASA spokesperson, said the Dragon capsule was also loaded wih with spacewalk equipment, including a pistol grip tool, torque wrench, cooling garments, water sampling kits, and spacesuit components, such as gloves. “I want to say thanks to all the SpaceX and NASA teams and all the scientists, engineers, and researchers who have equipment on this vehicle,” Kimbrough said after the Dragon spacecraft departed the station Thursday. “It was a great vehicle. It kept us busy for this past month doing a bunch of great science.” The Dragon spacecraft jettisoned its disposable trunk section at 10:41 p.m. EDT Friday (0241 GMT Saturday). The unpressurized trunk hosts the ship’s power-generating solar arrays. The capsule next fired its Draco thrusters at 10:45 p.m. EDT (0245 GMT) for a nine-minute deorbit burn to slow the craft’s velocity enough to drop back into the atmosphere. After plunging through the atmosphere with a heat shield to protect against scorching temperatures, the Dragon capsule deployed its parachutes a few minutes before splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. This mission was SpaceX’s second resupply flight to use the company’s upgraded Cargo Dragon spacecraft, which is based on the design of the human-rated crew Dragon spaceship. The new version of the Dragon spacecraft is designed to be flown at least five times, up from three missions on the earlier configuration. It can also carry more cargo than the first-generation Dragon spacecraft. https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/07/10/spacex-cargo-capsule-splashes-down-in-gulf-of-mexico/ 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