Flight Safety Information - August 25, 2021 No. 171 In This Issue : Incident: Canada A320 near Winnipeg on Aug 16th 2021, electrical problems : Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet - Accident/Fire (MI) : American Airlines flight forced to return to SRQ with windshield issue : Why Is the Pentagon Sending Commercial Airliners to Afghanistan? : Woman drank, vaped, refused mask on flight to Charlotte. Now she’s been fined $17,000. : Unruly passengers risk flight safety, FAA warns : Los Alamos warns drone pilots about flights in restricted airspace : BWI Airport opens in-house medical center offering urgent care, free COVID-19 vaccines and tests : Russian Helicopter Looted at Kabul Airport – Airline : United CEO: Mandating COVID vaccine was a no-brainer : SWISS Air Mandates Vaccination for Pilots, Cabin Crew Because Running an Airline is Too Complicated : Delta variant socks world airlines : NTSB Blames 2019 Plane Crash Near Kokomo on Wrong Fuel : The Ohio State University Selects USI Certifications : Japan Airlines Now Has Ten Airbus A350s In Service : Delta Air orders 30 A321neo jets from Airbus : Israel Aerospace, Etihad to open aircraft conversion site in Abu Dhabi : China launches twin radar satellites for 3D mapping : The Fifteenth Safeskies Aviation Safety Conference is scheduled to be held in Canberra, Australia in September 2022 Incident: Canada A320 near Winnipeg on Aug 16th 2021, electrical problems An Air Canada Airbus A320-200, registration C-FGKH performing flight AC-263 from Toronto,ON to Winnipeg,MB (Canada) with 151 people on board, was enroute over Lake Superior when the right hand engine's (CFM56) generator suffered a fault and went offline. The crew worked the related checklists and activated the APU. The APU however went automatically offline again after about a minute. The crew informed ATC and continued to Winnipeg for a safe landing. The Canadian TSB reported the crew advised ATC of their equipment failure and performed a normal approach and landing into Winnipeg. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/ACA263/history/20210816/1610Z/CYYZ/CYWG http://avherald.com/h?article=4ec35bb0&opt=0 Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet - Accident/Fire (MI) Date: 24-AUG-2021 Time: c. 19:00 Type: Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet Owner/operator: N1GG Registration: N1GG MSN: 0202 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Category: Accident Location: Capital Region International Airport (LAN/KLAN), Lansing, MI - United States of America Phase: Take off Nature: Unknown Departure airport: Lansing-Capital Region International Airport, MI (LAN/KLAN) Destination airport: Investigating agency: NTSB Narrative: The aircraft was partially consumed by fire subsquent to a departure runway excursion at Capital Region International Airport (LAN/KLAN), Lansing, Michigan. The four occupants and a dog were not injured. ATC records show that after being cleared to takeoff, the ATC advised of windshear alert, the airplane existed the runway, crashed through the airport fence, and then the pilot reported that they were in the grass. A post crash fire ensued. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/267081 American Airlines flight forced to return to SRQ with windshield issue SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - An American Airlines flight from Sarasota Bradenton International Airport to Washington, D.C. was forced to return to Sarasota shortly after takeoff Tuesday because of a cracked windshield, airport officials said. Airport CEO Rick Piccolo told ABC7 the flight, which the airline’s website identifies as American Flight 4789 to Reagan National Airport, took off at it’s normal time of 11:46 a.m., when pilots discovered a crack in the windshield of the Embraer 170 twin-engine jet. Piccolo said the pilots followed standard procedure and returned to the airport, after burning off fuel before landing. Piccolo said the aircraft, crew and passengers were never in danger. The crack was not thought to be caused by a bird strike or other collision, he added. The flight resumed at 3:06 p.m., and was scheduled to land at Reagan National at 5:23 p.m., according to the tracking website FlightAware. https://www.mysuncoast.com/2021/08/24/american-airlines-flight-forced-return-srq-with-windshield-issue/ Why Is the Pentagon Sending Commercial Airliners to Afghanistan? • On Sunday, the U.S. military activated the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) to shuttle evacuees from Afghanistan out of the Middle East. • CRAF is a 69-year-old program designed to provide the Pentagon with passenger aircraft in emergencies. • The program allows the military to avoid buying its own passenger jets, relying on commercial airliners and aircraft instead. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin activated the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) on Sunday, drawing commercial airline companies into the evacuation from Afghanistan. The CRAF allows the Pentagon to quickly call up passenger jets in emergencies without the expense of buying planes of its own. The jets, drawn from six airlines, will not enter Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport, but will instead act as a bridge between bases in the Middle East and beyond. So far, the Department of Defense (DOD) has activated Stage 1 of the CRAF program. It involves 18 airliners so far, including "three each from American Airlines, Atlas Air, Delta Air Lines and Omni Air; two from Hawaiian Airlines; and four from United Airlines," according to a DOD press release. The move comes amid increased tensions at Kabul's airport. On Tuesday, the Taliban announced that it will no longer allow Afghan civilians to evacuate the country. "We are not in favor of allowing Afghans to leave," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told reporters during a news conference Tuesday. Depending on how the Taliban plans to enforce this position, the group could place airplanes in danger, and the civilian aircraft enacted under CRAF lack defensive countermeasures, such as anti-missile flares, to ward off surface-to-air missiles. Instead, Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transports will continue to fly evacuees out of Kabul to a regional air base. From there, evacuees will board CRAF airliners to their ultimate destinations, either in Europe or the United States, but typically somewhere outside the Middle East. Military plane enthusiasts have identified many of the 18 aircraft activated under Stage 1 of CRAF, including Boeing 767s and 777s, as well as Airbus A330s. It's likely that those folks will identify all 18 planes over the next few days. The Civil Reserve Air Fleet Program was born as a result of World War II, when civil aircraft worked for the U.S. Army Air Forces. The Army Air Forces downsized after the war, but in 1948, the Soviet Union closed off ground access to the West German city of Berlin. Rather than abandon the city to the Soviets, NATO air forces mobilized their air transport fleets to keep the city supplied by air. The unexpected surge of the Berlin Airlift was a challenge for the newly formed U.S. Air Force. In response, the Pentagon established CRAF in 1952 as an inexpensive way to quickly surge airlift capability. The fleet was primarily designed to support a war against the Soviet Union, when up to 100,000 U.S. Army troops would have flown into Western Europe in a single week. CRAF airliners would have carried up to 95 percent of personnel and 25 percent of all cargo, underlying how important the program was even to the world's largest military air transport force. The program works like this: U.S. airlines sign up for the CRAF program with the Pentagon, identifying specific aircraft in their fleets that would get called up in emergencies. It's not clear how many airplanes are currently enrolled in the program, but in 2014, the Air Force stated that 553 airplanes across 24 air carriers were earmarked for CRAF. Meanwhile, those earmarked planes (and crews) go about their daily business like usual, plying their daily air routes and making money for the airline. The Pentagon has only activated the program three times in its history, so most of the planes involved over the past 69 years were never called up for service. In the meantime, if the military needs only a handful of passenger jets at a time—perhaps to fly U.S. Army troops to the peacekeeping mission in the Sinai—it may charter jets from U.S. commercial carriers. CRAF is broken down into three stages. Stage 1, which Secretary of Defense Austin enacted over the weekend, involves activating planes for "DOD operations in support of, but not confirmed to, counterinsurgency activities and localized emergencies." Stage 2 is a broader effort that activates more planes "in support of, but not confined to, limited wars." The President of the United States must authorize Stage 2. Stage 3 is the most serious of all and involves "major military engagements involving U.S. forces (limited or general war)." The Secretary of Defense can activate Stage 3, presumably since the President might be incapacitated during a general war (read: nuclear war). The Pentagon activated CRAF for the first time in 1990, when U.S. troops were flown into the Middle East to respond to Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait. In 2003, it enacted CRAF a second time for the invasion of Iraq, ferrying troops to staging areas in Iraq and Kuwait, while military airlifts from the Air Force's Air Mobility Command flew in their heavy equipment. The 2021 Afghanistan evacuation is only the third time the Pentagon has activated CRAF. The program is a success story for both the Pentagon and commercial air carriers. CRAF allows airlines to double-dip, using designated jets for normal business operations, while collecting retainer fees from the Department of Defense. In return, the Pentagon pays out modest fees every year and avoids the hassle of buying, crewing, and maintaining a large fleet of airliners it doesn't actually need most of the time. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/why-pentagon-sending-commercial-airliners-205300064.html Woman drank, vaped, refused mask on flight to Charlotte. Now she’s been fined $17,000. A woman who was kicked off her flight to Charlotte in February for drinking alcohol, trying to vape and refusing to wear a mask has been hit with a $17,000 fine by the Federal Aviation Administration. The woman was flying from Key West, Fla., to Charlotte on a Republic Airways flight on Feb. 28, according to the FAA. The agency says it has seen a nearly 300% increase in cases of unruly passengers so far this year compared to the number of incidents reported for all of 2020. The penalty was among more than $530,000 in fines the FAA announced against 34 passengers on Thursday. The latest slate of fines means the agency has now fined unruly passengers more than $1 million in 2021. According to the FAA, the woman was drinking alcohol that wasn’t served by the airline, interfering with crew members, not complying with the federal face mask mandate and trying to use a vape pen on the plane. The aircraft returned to the gate at the Key West airport and she was removed from the plane, according to the FAA. In a letter sent to airports in early August, FAA Administrator Steve Dickson asked airport leaders to cut down on passengers bringing “to go” cups of alcohol onto planes. FAA regulations prohibit the consumption of alcohol that is not served by the airline aboard aircrafts, Dickson said in the letter. Many of the cases of unruly behavior investigated by the FAA are fueled by alcohol, according to the agency. NC flight attendants learn self-defense, as reports of unruly passengers rise by 300% The FAA launched a “Zero Tolerance” campaign against unruly passenger behavior in mid-January. Previously, the agency had dealt with unruly passengers by using warnings, counseling and civil penalties. Effective in mid-January, the agency stopped addressing those cases with warnings or counseling. The agency has initiated nearly 700 investigations into passenger behavior in 2021. That’s a huge jump from last year’s tally of 183 and 2019’s tally of 146. And the agency has received 3,988 reports of unruly passengers. Nearly 3,000 of those reports were related to face masks. https://www.yahoo.com/news/woman-drank-vaped-refused-mask-154934378.html Unruly passengers risk flight safety, FAA warns (CNN) — Federal authorities want passengers to know that thousands of violent outbursts on commercial flights are not only a problem for flight attendants, but they distract pilots from keeping the entire flight safe. In a Tuesday public service announcement video released first to CNN, the Federal Aviation Administration says, "You don't want your pilots distracted. Unruly behavior doesn't fly." The FAA says the dramatic video features actual recordings of flight crews informing air traffic controllers of emergency situations in the passenger cabin, interspersed with audio of in-flight scuffles that continue to surface on social media. "We've got a disruptive customer in the back," says the voice of one unidentified flight crew in the video. "Declared an emergency, we'd like to divert." 'Unruly behavior doesn't fly' The new video comes as the number of unruly passengers on board commercial flights continues to soar. New FAA numbers released Tuesday show there have been 3,988 reports by flight crews this year, an increase of 99 reports in the last week. More than 73% of the reports are over the federal transportation mask mandate, which was just extended to remain in place through January 18, 2022. "The moment that it happens in the back, the attention of the whole crew goes to that," American Airlines' Captain Dennis Tajer, of the Allied Pilots Association, told CNN. "The first thing you want to do is not distract from your primary duties," chief of which is "keeping this airplane safe." Steep fines The FAA instituted a zero-tolerance policy against unruly passengers at the start of this year, and so far has proposed more than $1.2 million in fines. Unions representing pilots and flight attendants have called on the Justice Department to step in and pursue criminal charges. "Making these prosecutions public will put a spotlight on the serious consequences when breaking the law and will act as an effective deterrent against future onboard disruptions," the unions wrote in a letter this summer also signed by three groups representing airlines. House Transportation Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio said DOJ prosecutions "would take some of the load off the FAA," while also showing passengers and crewmembers that the incidents are taken seriously. https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/faa-unruly-passengers-psa/index.html Los Alamos warns drone pilots about flights in restricted airspace Scientists at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) have issued a warning that people are not to fly drones over the restricted airspace, The Associated Press reported. In a press release Monday, the lab said pilots will lose their drones if they are flown in their restricted airspace, adding that they will protect their assets from unauthorized drone flights that could pose a threat, the news release said. “The drone flying public should be reminded that all airspace over the Laboratory is protected against unauthorized drone or UAS [unmanned aircraft system] flights,” LANL Senior Director Unica Viramontes said in the statement. “We can detect and track a UAS, and if it poses a threat, we have the ability to disrupt control of the system, seize or exercise control, confiscate, or use reasonable force to disable, damage or destroy the UAS,” Viramontes added. Federal Aviation Administration rule states that drones are prohibited from flying in restricted areas that are designated as national security-sensitive facilities. LANL, famed for being the birthplace of the atomic bomb, also warns of collateral interceptions of drone flights that could occur at the airspace. https://thehill.com/policy/defense/homeland-coast-guard/569227-los-alamos-warns-drone-pilots-about-flights-in-restricted BWI Airport opens in-house medical center offering urgent care, free COVID-19 vaccines and tests BWI Marshall Airport unveiled a new in-house medical center this week that will offer urgent care, first aid, as well as COVID-19 vaccines and tests at the airport. The FirstCall Medical Center, opening Aug. 26, is located inside Concourse C before security at BWI and will provide emergency and everyday medical services on top of COVID testing and vaccines. The center’s five patient rooms and range of services are open to the general public as well as travelers and airport employees. Dr. Ron Elfenbein, medical director and owner of FirstCall Medical Center, said plans for the center have been in the works for five years, but the pandemic sped up the process. “I reached out to the airport and said ’we got to get this moving,’ and they were in agreement. We really did try to light the fire to get this going because we realized the need,” Elfenbein said. Starting Thursday, any visitors who log on to airport Wi-Fi will receive a notification for medical and COVID resources available at the center. The center is open daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and offers self-pay options for uninsured patients. Ricky Smith, executive director/chief executive officer for BWI, said he is excited the center will help provide services for the airport’s thousands of employees and daily passengers. “The airport is a small city in and of itself,” Smith said. During the grand opening of the center Tuesday, Gov. Larry Hogan said he hopes the facility will help Maryland maintain its high vaccination rate. “Having this new urgent care facility inside BWI Marshall sends a powerful message to promote safe and healthy travel for Marylanders and all those visiting our region,” Hogan said in a statement. Before the center’s official opening, it began serving medical needs for U.S. military members and a few patients, serving more than 30 people between Aug. 23 and 24. Based on how much demand the airport sees for the center’s services in the coming months, Smith said the airport is looking to expand the currently 1,600 square-foot medical center into a larger-scale facility. “It’s probably smaller than will be needed down the road,” Smith said. Gary Gilliard, vice president of Fraport Maryland, the managers in charge of retail projects at BWI, said an expansion would be likely in the next 16 to 18 months. https://www.baltimoresun.com/coronavirus/bs-tr-bwi-medical-center-20210824-qhqceebgkvfydm6z3jvusnffla-story.html Russian Helicopter Looted at Kabul Airport Unidentified individuals looted the Mil Mi-8MTV helicopter two days after Kabul fell to the Taliban and the Afghan government fled the country.utair.ru A Russian transport helicopter was looted at the Kabul airport during the chaotic scramble to flee Taliban militants following the group's sudden takeover of Afghanistan, the aircraft's operator UTair confirmed to The Moscow Times on Wednesday. Unidentified individuals boarded the Mil Mi-8MTV helicopter on Aug. 17, two days after Kabul fell to the Taliban and the Afghan government fled the country, said Natalya Melekhova, a spokesperson for Russia's third-largest airline UTair. “They opened a container with airborne rescue equipment, which contained tools and unopened food supplies. The inner lining was also damaged. Our engineering staff put things back in order on board and performed the work necessary to guarantee safe departure,” Melekhova said. She added that the helicopter and all UTair personnel were moved to a secure location on Aug. 22. The Russian Telegram channel Baza had reported earlier Wednesday that unknown individuals stole the Mi-8MTV helicopter’s oxygen masks, bulletproof vests and portable radio station as well as its emergency axe, fire extinguishers and documentation. “The robbers stole everything they could carry,” the outlet wrote on its Telegram social media channel. “Even the flight attendant’s seat headrest was stolen.” The Telegram channel did not indicate whether the Mi-8MTV helicopters were part of the evacuation aircraft that the Russian Defense Ministry had earlier announced it would deploy to evacuate 500 people from Russia and other former Soviet countries. UTair’s website states that its fleet consists of 56 Mi-8MTVs which are capable of carrying up to 4 tons of cargo and passengers. Baza, which is believed to have ties to the Russian security services, reported on the looting after Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister said two of its evacuation aircraft had been hijacked at the Kabul airport. The ministry spokesman later denied that the hijackings took place, though Ukrainian media reported, citing unnamed sources, that wealthy Shiite passengers had bribed pilots to reroute the evacuation flight from Ukraine to Iran. Russia has said it would provide civil aircraft to evacuate anyone who wishes to leave “to any foreign countries that show interest in receiving and accommodating them.” https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2021/08/25/russian-helicopter-looted-at-kabul-airport-reports-a74891 United CEO: Mandating COVID vaccine was a no-brainer United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby tells Axios that his early decision to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for all of his nearly 67,000 U.S. workers was an easy one: He's already seen too many employees die. What he's saying: “For me, the fact that people are 300 times more likely to die if they’re unvaccinated is all I need to know," Kirby said. "It's about saving lives." Why it matters: United so far is the only major airline to require vaccines for its workers (although Delta requires it for new hires). But Kirby expects many more corporations will do so following the Food and Drug Administration's decision this week to fully approve the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus shots for people 16 and older. "It eliminates one of the last substantive hurdles for vaccine hesitancy," he tells Axios. "And because of that, it makes it easier for leaders to require vaccines." "The more companies that do it, the harder it will be to not require it." Kirby became emotional when he told Axios about the dozens of United employees who had died from COVID — "and 100% of them are unvaccinated." "Yesterday, we had an employee die. He was only 53, and he spent eight days in the emergency room, waiting for his spot in the ICU in Houston, because it’s full of COVID patients." "But he died before he ever got there. I’m tired of that happening. It’s tragic and it’s unnecessary. And that’s why we mandated the vaccine.” What they're doing: United announced the policy on Aug. 6 and says it has been helping employees find and schedule shots in their area. It's also hosting onsite clinics, where more than 10,000 United employees, friends and family members have gotten vaccinated. The company is hosting information sessions with medical experts to address vaccine hesitancy. Full- and part-time employees who upload their CDC vaccination card to a company database before Sept. 20 will receive an extra day's pay. What to watch: It will be up to the Federal Aviation Administration to decide whether passengers should be vaccinated before traveling, Kirby said. If most employers require it, the population will increasingly be vaccinated anyway, he noted. The bottom line: Demand for air travel has slowed lately — upending the industry's nascent recovery — amid a surge in COVID infections. Widespread vaccinations are the only way to ensure a permanent recovery, Kirby said. "We usually don't have a silver bullet. But this time we have a silver bullet, and it's the vaccine." https://www.axios.com/united-airlines-ceo-scott-kirby-vaccine-mandate-employees-b258f84b-7831-419c-b502-95f24f198707.html SWISS Air Mandates Vaccination for Pilots, Cabin Crew Because Running an Airline is Too Complicated SWISS International Airlines has become the latest carrier to make COVID-19 vaccination compulsory for all pilots and cabin crew. Flying personnel will have until November 15 to get fully vaccinated or risk being dismissed. But aside from the obvious public health argument, SWISS admitted it was introducing its vaccine mandate because it was becoming too complicated to run an airline with vaccinated and unvaccinated crew. An increasing number of countries and territories are bringing in vaccination rules for travellers and while crew are mostly exempt from these rules, these exemptions look likely to be removed very soon. SWISS says it was forced to act when Hong Kong imposed vaccination requirements for crew with immediate effect. “A separate organizational management of vaccinated and unvaccinated crew members and the resulting increased complexity of the rostering involved would make it impossible to ensure continued robust and reliable flight operations in the longer term,” a statement from the airline explained. “Some destinations and regions could no longer be served, and this in turn would seriously diminish the effectiveness of the SWISS hub system.” SWISS chief executive Dieter Vranckx said the airline was forced to take action now or face cancelling flights. Provisions within collective labour agreements at the Lufthansa-owned airline make it possible to bring in the vaccine mandate. Many airlines already mandate the yellow fever vaccine for flying personnel because it would otherwise be impossible to operate flights to sub Saharan Africa. Mandating the COVID-19 vaccine when it is being administered under emergency use approval has, however, proved controversial. United Airlines became the first U.S.-based carrier to introduce a vaccine mandate for all existing employees. Yesterday’s decision by the FDA to grant the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine (Cominarty) full approval brings forward the deadline for United staffers to get vaccinated to September 27. Frontier and Hawaiian Airlines have also introduced similar vaccine mandates, while Alaska Airlines is poised to bring in compulsory vaccine following the FDA decision. A slew of airlines around the world have brought in their own vaccine mandates including Cathay Pacific and Malaysian Airlines. https://www.paddleyourownkanoo.com/2021/08/24/swiss-air-mandates-vaccination-for-pilots-cabin-crew-because-running-an-airline-is-too-complicated/ Delta variant socks world airlines The delta variant of covid-19 is scything through aviation just as key markets were getting back on their feet. In the U.S., Southwest Airlines Co. is blaming the delta strain for a rash of canceled bookings and a slowdown in demand that may push it and several others to quarterly losses. After leading the industry's recovery for much of last year, China is in retreat with airlines offering the fewest seats in six months as authorities attempt to stamp out an outbreak. Australia's carriers are also in reverse with more than half of the country in lockdown. "There is every chance the delta variant will dampen any recovery," said John Grant, chief analyst with Official Aviation Guide of the Airways. If there is progress, it will be "stop-start" as outbreaks make governments nervous about opening borders, he said. A rare bright spot is Europe, the only place where so-called vaccine passports are widely used. The continent was an aviation laggard for most of 2020 as it floundered under infection waves, but airlines such as Ryanair Holdings Plc are now capitalizing on high inoculation rates and providing more flights. Here's how the highly-contagious delta variant has affected major markets: • U.S.: Hopes are fading that a summer recovery, where passenger traffic reached 80% of pre-pandemic levels, will extend into the fall as a surge in infections spooks travelers and investors. The Bloomberg Americas Airlines Index last week tumbled 5.6% to its lowest level since February. Southwest warned on Aug. 11 of a slowdown in bookings and rising cancellations, and said it will be difficult to replicate July's profit over this quarter. Low-cost airlines Frontier Group Holdings Inc. and Spirit Airlines Inc. have also said they may report losses for the three months through September. The delta variant is putting the brakes on corporate demand, too. Office reopening delays of up to 90 days are causing "a bit of a pause" in the recovery of domestic business travel, Delta Air Lines Chief Executive Officer Ed Bastian said in an interview with Fox Television on Aug. 9. The carrier is close to 50% of its 2019 level for U.S. business travelers. • China: Chinese airlines plan to operate 360,509 flights in August, the fewest since February, according to data from Cirium, which tracks air traffic. That follows the country's latest covid eradication campaign, which included traffic shutdowns at airports in places such as Nanjing, Beijing and Yangzhou. On Monday, China reported zero local transmissions, a promising sign that its slump in travel will be short-lived. In an interview with Bloomberg Television on Monday, Hong Kong Commerce Secretary Edward Yau said covid must be kept at bay before borders can fully reopen. The tight controls are piling pressure on the city's Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd., which has suffered without a domestic market. "It is extremely difficult to plan and operate with the constantly changing environment," Cathay Chairman Patrick Healy said on Aug. 11, when the carrier reported a $976 million first-half loss. • Europe: Freer borders and looser quarantine requirements are helping fill planes in Europe during the peak summer season, when carriers bring in revenue to see them through the winter months. Regional airline capacity is now about two-thirds of 2019 levels, compared with roughly a third as recently as April. Discount airline Ryanair expects to post a profit this quarter and is opening 250 new routes for winter to keep the momentum going. Rival Wizz Air Holdings Plc sees capacity returning to pre-covid levels this month, a feat few carriers anywhere have achieved. Deutsche Lufthansa said in early August that North American routes could open up from late summer, with Asia next from the end of 2021. Air France-KLM has predicted a return to profit this quarter, when capacity will reach as much as 70% of normal levels. • Australia and New Zealand: A spiraling delta outbreak has thrust Qantas Airways' recovery into reverse. New South Wales and Victoria, Australia's two most populous states, are in lockdown as authorities rush to accelerate a sluggish vaccination program. The prolonged clampdown -- Sydney's late-June lockdown runs until at least the end of September -- has forced Qantas to furlough an additional 2,500 workers, taking the total to 9,500. Qantas' domestic flying in July fell from 90% of pre-pandemic levels to less than 40%. Air New Zealand is running a skeleton schedule of services after a nationwide lockdown was extended until Friday. The restrictions follow the country's first community covid-19 case since February. New Zealand reported 35 cases Monday, taking the current outbreak to 107. https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2021/aug/25/delta-variant-socks-world-airlines/ NTSB Blames 2019 Plane Crash Near Kokomo on Wrong Fuel The National Transportation Safety Board released a report Tuesday saying a 2019 plane crash was caused by a dual engine failure after the aircraft received the wrong fuel. KOKOMO, Ind. (AP) — The National Transportation Safety Board released a report Tuesday saying a 2019 plane crash was caused by a dual engine failure after the aircraft received the wrong fuel. The twin-engine Piper Aerostar 603P crashed in a central Indiana soybean field in October 2019, killing pilot Daniel Greenwald, 59, of Tampa, Florida, after his plane was filled up with Jet A fuel instead of Avgas. That resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent loss of control of the plane shortly after takeoff, it said. Greenwald's inadequate supervision of the fuel servicing at Kokomo Municipal Airport was a contributing factor in the crash, the report said. Greenwald was the sole occupant of the plane. Greenwald’s estate received $700,00 in a lawsuit settlement with the city of Kokomo earlier this year. That amount is the maximum allowed under Indiana’s tort claim laws. https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/florida/articles/2021-08-24/ntsb-blames-2019-plane-crash-near-kokomo-on-wrong-fuel The Ohio State University Selects USI Certifications The Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), (a/k/a “drone”) marketplace is experiencing significant growth that is translating into a need for a large number of qualified UAS pilots to support this growth. The Ohio State University (Ohio State) has a long track record of preparing manned pilots for careers in aviation and is focused on ensuring that their UAS pilots are industry ready upon graduation. Ohio State has identified the USI Certification Structure for UAS pilots as the most recognized and respected, independent source for verified UAS pilot knowledge, experience, and proficiency. USI’s incremental Certification Structure provides potential employers with immediate insight on each pilot’s actual and verified UAS knowledge, experience, and proficiency. Brian Strzempkowski, the Assistant Director of Ohio State’s Center for Aviation Studies stated, “Commercial UAS is a rapidly developing industry, and careers will exist for remote pilots in areas we have not thought of yet. While it is hard to prepare for all possibilities, we know that safety will be the most critical aspect to operating the unmanned aircraft. USI’s program focuses on instilling safety as a fundamental concept in its remote pilot training and that is something that our students can take with them for life. We believe that having a safety-first mindset will allow our students to advance in their careers and be productive leaders in this emerging industry.” “We are honored to partner with The Ohio State University on this important initiative”, added USI President, Josh Olds. “Ohio State’s incredible reputation in Academics in general, and specifically within the collegiate aviation community, speaks volumes as to their commitment to producing industry-ready graduates. USI’s knowledge and experience working with industry on setting “Best Practices” for UAS operations will ensure that Ohio State’s UAS program produces the kind of applicants that are needed as UAS operations continue to scale in both size and complexity”. Ohio State will be offering the USI Safety Certification Level 1 and 2 beginning in the Fall of 2021 and plan to expand into other more complex ground and flight offerings in the future. The State of Ohio, Dept. of Education recently recommended USI’s Safety Certification Level 1 and Visual Line of Sight System Operations for inclusion to the 2022-2023 Industry Recognized Credential List at 6 points each. About The Ohio State University Center for Aviation Studies The mission of the Center for Aviation Studies is to incorporate engineering, business and behavioral philosophies into a multidisciplinary approach to the many components of the aviation industry. The center supports premier flight education programs, academic degree programs, research initiatives and outreach activities on local, regional, national and international levels. https://aviation.Ohio State.edu/ About the Unmanned Safety Institute The Unmanned Safety Institute (USI) is the industry’s most widely recognized leader in flight safety solutions for individuals, academia and organizations focused on integrating and operating UAS for civil or commercial purposes. The Unmanned Safety Institute provides UAS flight safety training and certification to operational standards based on the adoption and modification of time-honored aviation safety practices. With more than 200 instructors and over 10,000 customers around the world, including several Fortune 500 enterprises and nearly 200 schools in over 30 states, USI is the global leader in commercial and academic UAS training and certification, delivering the most highly regarded training program of its kind. Programs include the Small UAS & Advanced Safety Certifications, Visual Line of Sight Systems Operations™ (VSO) and Professional Remote Operator™ (PRO) certifications and Unmanned Connect™ workforce development initiative. USI’s training and certification programs are endorsed by major aviation insurance providers and incorporated into aviation association professional development programs and have been evaluated and recommended for college credit by the American Council on Education. Discover more at www.UnmannedSafetyInstitute.org. https://uasweekly.com/2021/08/25/the-ohio-state-university-selects-usi-certifications/ Japan Airlines Now Has Ten Airbus A350s In Service The tenth Airbus A350-900 was handed over to Japan Airlines last week. JA10XJ was ferried from Toulouse to Tokyo Haneda on Thursday. Japan Airlines hasn’t wasted any time with their newest plane. Already, the airline is putting the plane to work. The delivery of JA10XJ leaves three A350-900s outstanding on an order that dates back to 2013. Like many airlines, Japan Airlines has trimmed the original order as market dynamics shifted. But in June 2019, the first A350-900 (JA01XJ) landed in Japan, and since then, Japan Airlines has taken receipt of a further nine at a steady clip. Given the challenges facing Japan Airlines, it is notable all ten A350-900s are in the air. The planes are based at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport and are exclusively flying domestic routes. Here’s a snapshot of what’s going on what JAL’s A350-900 fleet today. Japan Airlines sets its Airbus A350s to work on domestic sectors The first A350-900, JA01XJ, flew from Osaka (ITM) to Okinawa’s Naha Airport (OKA) on Wednesday morning. The plane is a regular on this run. JA02XJ has sat at Tokyo Haneda (HND) since Monday after flying in from Naha. The cities of Tokyo, Osaka, Naha, Fukuoka, and Chitose/Tomakomai are all regular destinations on JA02XJ’s flight roster. JAL’s third A350-900, JA03XJ, is also in Haneda, also having sat there since Monday and operating a flight up from Naha. The fourth A350-900 to arrive at Japan Airlines, JA04XJ flew into Haneda on Wednesday morning from Chitose/Tomakomai (CTS). The 2019 A350-900 deliveries are rounded off with JA05XJ. On Wednesday morning, it flew from Haneda to Naha. After flying up to Fukuoka (FUK) on Tuesday evening, JA06XJ has returned to Tokyo Haneda on Wednesday morning. JAL’s seventh A350-900, JA07XJ, was delivered in November 2020. It has a busy Tuesday, operating three return services between Tokyo Haneda and Chitose/Tomakomai. But mid-morning on Wednesday in Tokyo, JA07XJ remains on the ground at Haneda. JA08XJ also traveled the well-worn corridor between Tokyo Haneda and Naha on Wednesday morning. The ninth A350-900, JA09XJ, has just returned to Haneda after operating a morning flight up to Fukuoka and back. Finally, the most recent arrival, JA10XJ. After operating a return flight to Naha on Tuesday, JA10XJ left Haneda at 10:30 Tokyo time on Wednesday and, at the time of writing, is soon to land in Chitose/Tomakomai. Domestic flying an odd fate for A350s? Relegated to short-haul domestic flying might seem an odd fate for a fleet of new mid-sized aircraft, but these planes were never destined for long-haul flying. The idea was when the first A350s landed in 2019, they would fly the hordes of foreign tourists visiting for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics around Japan. Well, we all know how that plan panned out. Japan Airlines has a history of using widebody aircraft on short-haul domestic routes. Historically, these are some of the densest and busiest airline routes in the world. Beyond the ill-fated Olympics, JAL’s strategy was to gradually swap out older Boeing 777-300 and 777-200 aircraft used on domestic routes for the fresher A350s. Sharing Japan’s domestic skies are JAL’s Boeing 767-300s who do a mix of domestic and intra-Asian regional flying. While the smart A350s would no doubt make a good impression further afield, these days, Japan Airlines leaves the bulk of its long-haul international flying its Boeing Dreamliner fleet. Despite its clear capabilities, Japan Airlines chooses to fly the A350-900s on home turf. https://simpleflying.com/japan-airlines-10-airbus-a350s/ Delta Air orders 30 A321neo jets from Airbus Aug 24 (Reuters) - Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) said on Tuesday it had added 30 A321neo narrowbody aircraft to its order book with Airbus (AIR.PA), as the U.S. carrier upgrades its fleet and prepares for a rebound in travel. The newly ordered jets bring its outstanding orders to a total of 155 A321neos, which are powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1100G turbofan engines. "Adding these aircraft strengthens Delta's commitment to replacing older fleets with more sustainable, fuel-efficient jets," said Mahendra Nair, senior vice president of fleet and techops supply chain at Delta. The airline expects to take delivery of its first A321neo in the first half of 2022. https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/delta-air-orders-30-a321neo-jets-airbus-2021-08-24/ Israel Aerospace, Etihad to open aircraft conversion site in Abu Dhabi JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) said on Wednesday it signed an agreement with Etihad Engineering to establish a facility in Abu Dhabi that will convert Boeing 777-300ER passenger planes into cargo aircraft. The new facility, which will operate as the company's maintenance centre in Abu Dhabi, aims to meet the growing demand for large cargo jets. "Not only do we see the demand, but we view it as a greener, more profitable, highly innovative solution for our airline customers, and an excellent way to drive value for our business," Tony Douglas, chief executive of Etihad Aviation Group, said in a statement. Demand for cargo plane conversions has been on the rise with the increase in ecommerce and the decline in value of used planes during the COVID-19 pandemic. State-owned IAI currently converts Boeing 737, 747 and 767 passenger aircraft for cargo use. It has said it is currently developing a conversion method for the Boeing 777 and expects to finish the licensing process in 2023. The deal comes a year after Israel and the United Arab Emirates agreed to normalise relations under the U.S.-sponsored Abraham Accords. Over the past year, Israeli firms have forged a number of deals in the UAE. In March, IAI said it would jointly develop an advanced drone defence system with the UAE's state-owned weapons maker EDGE. Yossi Melamed, head of IAI’s Aviation Group, said the latest deal adds a "significant tier to the relations between Israel and the Gulf States" and that "additional agreements with companies in the region will arrive, and they will economically benefit all sides involved." IAI already operates cargo conversion sites including an existing line at its headquarters at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv. Etihad Engineering is one of the largest commercial aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services providers in the Middle East, and the centre in Abu Dhabi will be the largest and most advanced in the Middle East, IAI said. It noted the facility will be certified by the UAE Civil Aviation Authority, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, and the European Aviation Safety Agency. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/israel-aerospace-etihad-open-aircraft-061212070.html China launches twin radar satellites for 3D mapping It was China's 29th orbital launch of the year. China conducted its 29th orbital launch of a busy year to boost the country’s remote sensing and satellite mapping capabilities. A Long March 4B rocket lifted off from Taiyuan, north China, at 6:32 p.m. EDT August 18 (2232 GMT, 6:32 a.m. local August 18) rising into foggy skies. Insulation tiles were illuminated as they fell away from the rocket body and close to the rocket plume. U.S. space tracking data reported that the two Tianhui-2 (02) satellites into a near-polar orbit around 318 miles (511 kilometers) above the Earth. Little information about the satellites was released prior to nor following launch. Chinese state media said the pair were for “scientific experiments and research, land and resources surveying, and geographic surveying and mapping.” A paper published in the Journal of Surveying and Mapping states that the Tianhui-2 satellite system is China’s first microwave surveying and mapping satellite system. The two satellites will orbit in formation, mapping the Earth so that their respective data can be combined to create 3D maps with a resolution of around 9.8 feet (3 meters). The paper also compares the system to the German TanDEM-X and TerraSAR-X combination launched in 2010 and 2011 respectively. A Chinese Long March 4B carrying two Tianhui-2 radar-mapping satellites.lifts off from Tiayuan on Aug. 19, 2021 local time to deliver the twin satellites into orbit. Both the Tianhui-2 (02) satellites and the Long March 4B rocket were developed and manufactured by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST), a major subsidiary of China’s giant state-owned main space and defense contractor, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). A previous pair of Tianhui-2 satellites (01 group) were launched in April 2019 and were likewise described as for scientific experiments, land resource survey, geographic survey and mapping. The country has launched 29 times so far in 2021, with more than 40 planned for the year by China's state-owned space sector. Major missions have included the Tianhe space station module and the Shenzhou 12 crewed mission. A new space station cargo mission, Tianzhou 3, is being prepared for launch in mid-September to provide supplies ahead of the Shenzhou 13 mission in October. Private and commercial companies are also planning their own launches. https://www.space.com/china-launches-twin-tianhui-2-radar-satellites The Fifteenth Safeskies Aviation Safety Conference is scheduled to be held in Canberra, Australia in September 2022 Safeskies 2022, 15th aviation safety conference. Canberra, Australia. September 20 to 22, 2022 Sir Reginald Ansett Memorial Lecture and Dinner, Federal Parliament House, Great Hall. Evening of 20 September. Conference sessions. 21 and 22 September, Hyatt Hotel Canberra. Details on the website as they become available. www.SafeskiesAustralia.org Curt Lewis