Flight Safety Information - September 3, 2021 No. 178 In This Issue : Incident: Canada B788 enroute on Aug 31st 2021, cracked windshield : Accident: Eva A321 at Guam on Aug 14th 2021, tail strike on balked landing : Cessna 560 Citation XLS+ - Fatal Accident (CT) : Major Airlines Are Now Banning This One Type of Mask : Associated Aircraft Group Renews ACSF Industry Audit Standard Registration : FAA Investigates If It's Safer to Leave Cellphones On : FAA Bans Specific Apple MacBook Pro Model on US Flights | Find Out Which Model : Emirates will receive the last Airbus A380 ever in November. : GE Aviation Secures Potential $1.65B Contract for Navy F/A-18 Engine Component Support : Top Two Airline Unions Beat Back Raid On American Airlines Mechanics : KLM asks pilots to help with baggage chaos : The World’s Largest Business Jet Just Set Two Transatlantic Speed Records : Alaska Airlines pushes employees toward vaccination : FAA temporarily grounds Virgin Galactic ship while investigating 'mishap' during July 11 flight : POSITION AVAILABLE: Decision Science Lead, Flight Safety : POSITION AVAILABLE: FOQA Specialist Incident: Canada B788 enroute on Aug 31st 2021, cracked windshield An Air Canada Boeing 787-8, registration C-GHPV performing flight AC-410 from Toronto,ON to Montreal,QC (Canada) with 150 people on board, was enroute at FL310 about 100nm east of Toronto when the first officer's windshield cracked. The crew declared PAN PAN and continued to Montreal for a safe landing about 35 minutes later. The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 29.5 hours after landing. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/ACA410/history/20210831/1610Z/CYYZ/CYUL http://avherald.com/h?article=4eca84f7&opt=0 Accident: Eva A321 at Guam on Aug 14th 2021, tail strike on balked landing An Eva Air Airbus A321-200, registration B-16227 performing flight BR-20 from Taipei (Taiwan) to Guam (Guam) with 146 passengers and 12 crew, touched down on Guam's runway 06R at 15:35L (05:35Z) when the tail struck the runway surface and the crew rejected landing and went around. The aircraft climbed to 3000 feet, positioned for another approach to runway 24L and landed safely about 20 minutes after the balked landing. The aircraft was unable to continue schedule and perform the return flight. The return flight was cancelled. The aircraft remained on the ground in Guam until Aug 22nd 2021, then positioned to Taipei and is on the ground in Taipei since (standing Sep 2nd 2021, 11 days after the positioning flight). The airline confirmed the aircraft struck its tail onto the runway surface while landing at Guam, the crew fortunately was able to get the aircraft airborne again and perform a landing without further incident. The aircraft needed to be taken out of service. A replacement aircraft is going to be dispatched to Guam the following day. On Sep 2nd 2021 Taiwan's ASC reported a tail strike was suspected while landing and going around on runway 06R. The aircraft performed another approach and landed without further incident. Maintenance found marks on the tail bottom skin of the aircraft. The occurrence is being investigated by the ASC. http://avherald.com/h?article=4ebc4e37&opt=0 Cessna 560 Citation XLS+ - Fatal Accident (CT) Status: Preliminary Date: Thursday 2 September 2021 Time: ca 10:00 Type: Cessna 560 Citation XLS+ Operator: Brook Haven Properties LLC Registration: N560AR MSN: 560-6026 First flight: 2009 Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada PW545 Crew: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 Passengers: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 Total: Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 Aircraft damage: Destroyed Aircraft fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: 0,4 km (0.3 mls) N of Plainville-Robertson Airport, CT ( United States of America) Phase: Unknown (UNK) Nature: Unknown Departure airport: Plainville-Robertson Airport, CT, United States of America Destination airport: Manteo-Dare County Regional Airport, NC (MEO/KMQI), United States of America Narrative: A Cessna 560XL, registration N560AR, was destroyed when it impacted a commercial structure in Farmington, Conneticut. All four on board have died. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20210902-0 Major Airlines Are Now Banning This One Type of Mask YOU MAY NOT BE ALLOWED ON YOUR NEXT FLIGHT As a number of COVID restrictions have come and gone and come back again, one has remained consistent: You must wear a mask on airplanes. This requirement was instituted by many airlines early in the pandemic to keep air travel safe, and government agencies around the world have doubled down on this with their own mandates. Airlines have issued fines, pulled passengers from planes, and even canceled entire flights as a result of people flouting mask rules over the last year. Now, some companies are taking their mandates even further by banning one type of mask altogether. Read on to find out what face covering could keep you from being allowed on future flights. Some major airlines have banned cloth masks on planes. Cloth masks have been widely used by people around the world since the beginning of the pandemic, becoming particularly popular when medical masks were in short supply for frontline workers. But this type of face covering may no longer cut it in certain situations. According to Travel + Leisure, many major international airlines now ban masks made from cloth fabric, including Finnair, Air France, Lufthansa, Swissair, Croatia Airlines, and LATAM Airlines. These airlines are only allowing other, more effective masks, such as N95 masks, KN95 masks, surgical masks, and respirators without exhaust valves. Airlines say that cloth masks are not sufficiently protective. Finnair is the most recent airline to have banned cloth masks on Aug. 13, stating that the face covering is not protective enough. "The safety of our customers and employees is our first priority. Fabric masks are slightly less efficient at protecting people from infection than surgical masks," Finnair said in a statement. A recent study being peer reviewed for publication in the journal Science and pre-printed early on Aug. 13 backs this up. Researchers for this study analyzed more than 340,000 adults from 600 villages in rural Bangladesh, finding that cloth masks did not perform in the same way as surgical masks. The study authors said that while they found "clear evidence" that surgical masks are effective at reducing symptomatic COVID, they could not say the same for cloth masks. According to the study, surgical masks had a filtration efficiency of 95 percent, while cloth coverings were only 37 percent effective. "While cloth masks clearly reduce symptoms, we cannot reject that they have zero or only a small impact on symptomatic COVID infections," the authors wrote. "Surgical masks have higher filtration efficiency, are cheaper, are consistently worn, and are better supported by our evidence as tools to reduce COVID-19." No U.S.-based airline has banned cloth masks yet. It's not yet clear whether any major U.S.-based airlines will follow suit in banning cloth masks, but it might be worth preparing for, according to Fast Company. In fact, there are various types of face coverings already not allowed by some of these airlines. Although Delta Air Lines states that "cloth masks with tightly woven fabric are still permitted," it currently prohibits passengers from wearing bandanas, scarves, masks with exhaust valves, and any mask with slits, punctures, or holes. United Airlines says that bandanas are not permitted, and notes that a "face shield alone does not count as a face covering." Both Southwest and American Airlines have also banned balaclavas, bandanas, and scarves. The TSA recently extended its federal mask mandate. U.S. airlines could implement a ban on cloth masks some time this year, as the federal mask mandate for airlines has been extended. This order was first implemented in January and set to expire on May 11 before being extended to Sept. 13. But on Aug. 20, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced that it would be extending the federal face mask requirement once again, this time through Jan. 18 of next year. "The purpose of TSA's mask directive is to minimize the spread of COVID-19 on public transportation," a spokesperson for the administration told Business Insider. https://bestlifeonline.com/airlines-banning-cloth-masks-news/ Associated Aircraft Group Renews ACSF Industry Audit Standard Registration IAS is an extensive audit program specifically created for on-demand operators by a committee of Part 135 and 91K industry leaders. The Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF.aero) announces that the Associated Aircraft Group (flyaag.com), based in Wappingers Falls, New York, has renewed its status on the ACSF Industry Audit Standard registry. According to ACSF, the ACSF Industry Audit Standard (IAS) is the first and only extensive audit program specifically created for on-demand operators by a committee of Part 135 and 91K industry leaders. It is conducted every 24 months and is in-depth in its evaluation of regulatory compliance and the operator’s Safety Management System (SMS), against both Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and international standards. ACSF President Bryan Burns congratulated the aviation company on its successful IAS renewal. “The Associated Aircraft Group has once again demonstrated its continued commitment to high standards by renewing its status on the IAS Registry,” he said. “The Associated Aircraft Group recognizes the critical importance of providing the highest level of aviation safety,” noted John Gow, the company’s president. “We’ve built our corporate culture around continuous improvement of our safety systems, and we use the ACSF audit as a benchmark that we strive to elevate each time our company is evaluated.” https://www.aviationpros.com/aircraft/business-general-aviation/press-release/21236960/associated-aircraft-group-renews-acsf-industry-audit-standard-registration FAA Investigates If It's Safer to Leave Cellphones On 4G and 5G signals might help warn pilots when their GPS is being spoofed The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been quietly funding tests with live cellphones in light aircraft cockpits as a possible counter-measure to GPS spoofing attacks, Spectrum has learned. The series of tests, which occurred this summer in the skies over Virginia, used commercial smartphones connecting to standard 4G and 5G wireless networks operated by AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, according to documents filed with the Federal Communications Commissions (FCC). The phones were running an app developed by the Mitre Corporation's Center for Advanced Aviation Systems Development, a federally-funded research center that provides the FAA with advanced technical capabilities in systems engineering, mathematics, and computer science. The app leverages a feature of wireless networks called timing advance, which is designed to minimize uplink collisions between cellphones in motion and the base stations to which they are connecting. But it's well known that the same data can also be used to calculate a rough range from a cell tower to a handset. "We can then check that the range is coherent with the position from the [phone's] GPS system and not way out of whack," said Rick Niles, a Mitre project manager, in a phone interview. The app could never provide navigation or an exact location for the plane but it could issue an alert if there is a mismatch with the GPS data. Such a warning would be useful because GPS is far from perfect. The unencrypted signals from orbiting navigation satellites are extremely weak, and relatively easy to overpower or even fake (called "spoofing"). A Spectrum investigation earlier this year discovered that GPS interference events are far more prevalent, particularly in the western United States, than had previously been thought. "While it hasn't become a major threat yet, the biggest interference we've had in the US has been our own military," said Niles. "It's a hint as to how it could potentially be worse in the future." Light and private aircraft, known as general aviation, are particularly vulnerable because they often lack the backup navigation technologies found on commercial jets. "There are certain phases of flight, like approaches in bad weather, where you are relying on your GPS to keep you from finding rocks in the clouds," said Jim Chadwick, a senior Mitre researcher and a pilot himself. "You need to be warned if that GPS signal is leading you astray." An advantage of using wireless networks to provide that warning is that cellphones are very cheap and now almost ubiquitous. A disadvantage is that turning them on in a plane, whether as a pilot or a passenger, is still illegal. Historically, there have been fears (and some evidence) that cellphones could interfere with aircraft systems or cause network congestion by connecting to multiple phone towers below. The risk of either is considered small these days, and the Mitre Corporation eventually got permission from both the FCC and the FAA to conduct its Virginia test flights this summer. Mitre's flights in a light aircraft, with Niles at the control and a safety pilot beside him, began in the state's capital Richmond and spanned hundreds of miles of urban, rural and mountainous terrain. "We flew relatively low and incremented it up in steps until we got to higher altitudes where we knew cell phone reception would get very weak," said Niles. The Mitre team is still analyzing the test data but they did notice differences between urban and rural areas, and between different wireless carriers. They also found dropouts in reception at higher altitudes in "many areas." "That's not entirely bad because the spoofing that's really dangerous is the one on approach to an airport," said Todd Humphries, director of the Radionavigation Laboratory at UT Austin and an expert in GPS spoofing. "This isn't a silver bullet but it's exactly what I would hope the FAA would look at. It's cheap, it's somewhat unconventional, and it could be effective." At the end of September, Mitre will submit its report on the flight tests to the FAA, which will then decide whether to fund more research to develop the technology further. "We're hopeful but first we need to figure out whether it's going to work or not," said Niles. "Even if it does, there a lot of regulatory things would have to happen in order for this to eventually become an approved system." When and if the technology is approved, it would be used by pilots—not passengers on commercial flights. In other words, don't hold your breath for a pre-flight instruction to fasten your seatbelt, put your tray in the upright position, and ensure that your cellphone is turned… on. https://spectrum.ieee.org/cellphones-turned-on-for-flight#toggle-gdpr FAA Bans Specific Apple MacBook Pro Model on US Flights | Find Out Which Model The FAA is now banning a specific 2015 15-inch Apple MacBook Pro that reportedly had defective batteries on US flights. For those that own 2015 MacBook Pros or aren't sure of the model, there's a simple way to check. FAA Bans Dangerous Devices on Airplanes Samsung has suffered some backlash over the Galaxy Note 7 being banned from US flights once the device exploded on a Southwest Airlines flight, according to PCWorld. Apple had also attracted similar attention after Bloomberg reportedly quoted a statement that came from the United States Federal Aviation Administration that confirmed that the 2015 15-inch MacBook Pros that had defective batteries were banned from US flights. The FAA statement also follows a "voluntary" recall for the devices that Apple reportedly issued in June which followed the discovery that the batteries were actually a fire risk due to them being prone to overheating. The recall also applies to a number of variations of this model made from September 2015 to February 2017. The exploding Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was recalled in the past as early as 2017 for its exploding batteries. MacBook Pro Hasn't Caught Fire Yet There have also reportedly been no reports of one of these MacBook models catching fire just yet on a flight. The ban has technically been in place ever since Apple issued its recall. On July 10, 2021, the FAA quote-tweeted a certain post by Digital Trends with photos of the reportedly affected MacBook with the reminder that the recalled batteries do not fly. According to the story by MacWorld, this is the FAA's policy for all batteries that are recalled, although it's actually quite rare for them to publicly call out everything. Bloomberg's report notes that the main difference, in this case, is that the FAA actually alerted the airlines regarding the recall and also issued a statement. EU Aviation Safety Agency Makes Moves So far, the EU Aviation Safety Agency has reportedly only told airlines to make sure that all of the affected MacBooks are turned off and are not used when on flights. The model has also already been banned on four cargo carriers namely Thomas Cook Airlines, TUI Group Airlines, Air Italy, as well as Air Transat. Other products that have been recalled in the past include Intel smartwatches for burning wearers. For those that don't know if their model was recalled, click on the Apple icon located on the top left corner of the macOS menu bar and click on About This Mac. If the Overview Menu notes "MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid2015)," this could mean you have an affected model. How to Check if Your MacBook Pro Model has a Recall Copy the serial number of the unit and plug it into the Apple recall site to know for sure. After that, owners will have to take the device either to a nearby Apple Store or at least an Apple Authorized Service Provider nearby to have the model replaced for free. Owners can also check on the official Apple support page in order to mail it in, but the whole process could take up to two weeks. Once again, it would be better to keep safe and replace the model instead of waiting for something bad to potentially happen. https://www.techtimes.com/articles/264947/20210903/faa-bans-specific-apple-macbook-pro-model-on-us-flights-find-out-which-model.htm Emirates will receive the last Airbus A380 ever in November. The Airbus A380, which made its first test flight on April 27, 2005, is the largest passenger airliner in the world. However, Airbus announced production of the jumbojet would end at the end of 2021 due to low demand from carriers. In November, Emirates will receive the last three A380s produced, marking the end of an era for the double-decker jet. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. The end is near for the Airbus A380 production. Emirates announced Wednesday that Airbus will deliver the final double-decker aircraft to the carrier in November, officially ending the program. Emirates is the biggest buyer of the A380 making up nearly half of the 251 orders. Currently, the airline has 115 A380 aircraft in its fleet but will grow that to 118 after the final delivery. Initially, the carrier was supposed to receive its last A380 in June 2022. The airline plans to keep the A380 in its fleet for at least another 20 years, offering comfortable long-haul travel on the modern, spacious jet. The A380 took its maiden flight in 2005, and was an impressive feat of engineering at the time, but has since become one of Airbus' biggest failures due to its high operating costs and inefficiency in the modern era. However, the jet wasn't the game-changer Airbus envisioned, especially on the financial front. For much of the plane's life, Airbus has struggled to find airlines willing to put the A380 into service. With a price tag of $445.6 million, the A380 is one of the most expensive and lavish airplanes ever built, with room for as many as 800 passengers. Thus, the program ends with just 251 planes. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the plane's death knell, with airlines around the world grounding their fleets and some outright retiring the jet. https://www.yahoo.com/news/end-near-airbus-a380-superjumbo-160500380.html GE Aviation Secures Potential $1.65B Contract for Navy F/A-18 Engine Component Support The aviation unit of General Electric (NYSE: GE) has secured a potential five-year, $1.65 billion contract to repair, update or replace engine components for the U.S. Navy’s F/A-18 aircraft fleet. GE Aviation will support 17 F414 turbofan engine parts under the performance-based logistics contract from Naval Supply Systems Command, the Department of Defense said Wednesday. The company will receive a $77 million initial delivery order while the service branch plans to commit an additional $26 million for contractor services from Sept. 1 to Dec. 21, 2021. DOD noted that the noncompetitive contract has no options. Ninety percent of work will take place in Lynn, Massachusetts, and the rest in Jacksonville, Florida. https://www.govconwire.com/2021/09/ge-aviation-secures-1-65b-award-to-support-navy-f-a-18-engine-components/ Top Two Airline Unions Beat Back Raid On American Airlines Mechanics The International Association of Machinists and the Transportation Workers Union have beaten back an outsider union’s attempt to raid American Airlines 14,402 mechanics. The failure of the attempted raid by Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, known as AMFA, was revealed Thursday in an 18-page ruling by the National Mediation Board, which considered 19 AMFA challenges regarding which workers should be included in the bargaining unit. Currently, American mechanics are represented by an association of the TWU and the IAM. Before a 2013 merger between American and US Airways, TWU represented American mechanics and IAM represented US Airways mechanics. AMFA, which began its raid in November 2019, represents only mechanics, while IAM and TWU represent not only mechanics but also fleet service workers, flight simulator engineers, cleaners and other groups. AMFA argued that limited representation is better for workers, while IAM and TWU said more workers provide unions with more power in negotiations. “If organized labor had a court of justice, bottom feeding-AMFA would be charged with high crimes and treason against workers,” TWU President John Samuelsen said late Thursday. “This is a victory for blue collar workers and also for the security of U.S. airline passengers, because if AMFA had succeeded, a lot of maintenance work would soon be done on foreign soil,” said Samuelsen, referring to an AMFA negotiating practice of trading off some union jurisdiction in return for higher wages. “AMFA is full of rhetoric but offers nothing concrete,” Pantoja said. “We knew from the beginning they didn’t have enough support. They never had enough support on the US Airways and American (properties) and they never will.” Bret Oestreich, AMFA national director, did not immediately respond to a phone call or an email. In the ruling, NMB did not specify how many signatures AMFA obtained during its organizing drive. For NMB to conduct an election, AMFA would have needed to obtain signatures from 50% plus one member of the bargaining unit. The effort came just months after the TWU/IAM association negotiated an industry leading $4.2 billion contract covering 31,000 American workers. AMFA began its raid in November 2019 and, because signatures are only valid for a year, faced the risk of losing some if it did not file by November 2020. In its conclusion, NMB wrote, “The investigation established that AMFA failed to support its application with the required number of authorization cards from the employees in the craft or class. Therefore, the board finds no basis upon which to proceed in this matter and the application is hereby dismissed.” Besides raising jurisdiction questions, AMFA also alleged that American Airlines interfered in its card collection effort. But the NMB said that “except in extraordinary circumstances, the NMB will only investigate allegations of election interference when filed by participants after the tally,” and that “No extraordinary circumstances are present in this case.” The NMB investigator found 14,403 potential eligible voters. Despite AMFA’s various objections, the investigator removed just one employee from the list that American submitted. Perusal of the NMB ruling makes clear some of the complex intricacies of labor law. On Dec. 4, 2020, American filed a list of 13,213 potential eligible voters, the ruling said. Two names were duplicative, so the number was reduced to 13,211. Then TWU/IAM challenged the list, saying it should include about 2,000 additional workers, including 656 fleet service employees who worked preponderantly in the mechanic craft; 496 furloughed employees; 397 employees who were on “pay continuation status” after selecting a future separation date; 158 employees on authorized leaves of absences; 135 flight simulator engineers and 28 terminated employees who still had pending grievances. Most of the investigator’s decisions went in favor of TWU/IAM. One of the jurisdictional disputes involved deceased workers. Of 13 workers alleged to be deceased, one died before the cut-off date, resulting in an uncounted vote, but eight died after the cut-off date, so they remained on the list. Others said that “the mechanics and related craft or class,” as defined by labor law, includes 250 “tow team” employee, engaged in aircraft movement; 177 fleet service workers engaged in deicing work, and 90 fleet service employees engaged in lavatory service. The NMB generally defined who is included in the mechanics and related employee class in a 1947 case involving National Airlines. In the past 74 years, little about the definitions has changed, the ruling noted. https://www.forbes.com/sites/tedreed/2021/09/02/top-two-airline-unions-beat-back-raid-on-american-airlines-mechanics/?sh=349be4863c7e KLM asks pilots to help with baggage chaos KLM pilots have been asked to lend a hand in baggage handing at Schiphol due to acute staff shortages, according to the Telegraaf. This summer has seen scenes of reported ‘chaos’ due to a lack of handlers and last month staff at budget airline Transavia formally complained to airline bosses. Although staff from Groningen Airport Eelde airport have been asked to help, apparently now the pilot team of KLM has been asked to employ its handling skills on the ground. The airline has had a series of redundancies, particularly for people working flexibly, due to the pandemic, however this summer has been unexpectedly busy at Schiphol airport. KLM told the Telegraaf that it has asked its entire staff to help with the baggage, including the pilots, and around 30 people have volunteered. https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2021/09/klm-asks-pilots-to-help-with-baggage-chaos-telegraaf/ The World’s Largest Business Jet Just Set Two Transatlantic Speed Records VIDEO Savannah, Ga., to Doha, Qatar, may not sound like much, until you consider it was the G700's first nonstop, 13-hour flight at 675 mph. Announcing an air-speed record from Savannah, Georgia, to Doha, Qatar, might sound trivial or even a little absurd. Until you consider the context: This was the world’s largest business jet flying 6,711 nautical miles nonstop at Mach 0.88, or 675 mph, for 13 hours and 16 minutes, on its first international flight. Then it becomes a corporate milestone. Gulfstream’s new G700 then set another city-pair record from Doha to Paris, flying 2,953 nautical miles at an average speed of Mach 0.90 (690.5 mph) for 6 hours and 15 minutes, before returning to headquarters in Savannah. Beyond the “records,” the transatlantic flights of Gulfstream’s new ultra-long-range jet shows the business-jet world—and potential buyers—that the aircraft lives up to the publicity it has attracted since first being announced in 2019. Plus, visiting the capital of Qatar was more than Gulfstream just throwing a dart at the map: Qatar Airways Group is its launch customer and plans to take delivery of the first G700, which has a list price of $78 million, next year. The flight gave Qatar Executive a chance to show off the Gulfstream flagship—with a fully outfitted interior—at a press conference in Doha. The second flight to Paris was also about giving new customers a chance to see the aircraft, but also provided an opportunity for a little nose tweak of its Paris-based rival, Dassault, which this year announced its own ultra-long-range business jet, the Falcon 10X. The G700, Bombardier’s Global 7500 and the Falcon 10X will soon be competing in private aviation’s farthest, fastest and most expensive category of business jets. Gulfstream President Mark Burns said the flight went “exceptionally well,” noting that it flew on a blend of low-emissions aviation fuel (SAF). Powered by twin Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engines, the G700 has a range of 7,500 nautical miles at Mach 0.85. Burns also pointed to the cabin, which is currently the largest in business aviation. “Not only did the aircraft prove its speed and distance capabilities,” Burns said, “the fully outfitted cabin is also receiving rave reviews with its impressive size, environment, quality and flexibility.” Robb Report did a tour of a full-scale G700 mockup interior at Gulfstream’s headquarters in Savannah. The thought that went into the design was impressive. Its length of 57 feet and 8-foot width were populated by subtle curves, spacious seating, and a “grand suite” in the rear of the aircraft which serves as a bedroom. The G700’s circadian lighting, which helps reduce jet lag, an extra-large galley and 20 large oval windows are all important differentiators. Qatar Executive will be adding the G700 to its fleet of business jets. “Qatar Executive grew exponentially during the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways Group, in a statement. “The average monthly block hours reserved grew by 76 per cent year-over-year and the booking enquiries increased by more than 100 per cent.” Qatar Executive operates seven Gulfstream G650ERs, and is expecting delivery of eight more in the next ten months. It also has three Bombardier Global 5000s, one Global XRS and Airbus A319CJ. It will take delivery of the G700 at Gulfstream’s Savannah headquarters next year. https://robbreport.com/motors/aviation/gulfstream-g700-jet-sets-speed-records-1234633827/ Alaska Airlines pushes employees toward vaccination Applying an undisguised shove to its unvaccinated employees, Alaska Airlines leadership is imposing restrictions on those not vaccinated and providing a $200 bonus to those who are, the company announced internally and in a press statement. Like Southwest, American and Delta, Alaska is stopping short of requiring vaccination as a condition of employment, the step taken by United Airlines. Instead, its new policy will monetarily reward those who are vaccinated and penalize those who refuse. “We believe having as many people as possible vaccinated is the best path for protection against COVID-19, and we will continue to strongly encourage our employees to be vaccinated,” Alaska said in a statement. Though 75% of Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air employees have so far provided proof of vaccination, the airline said “we have more work to do.” And so it is “implementing new measures designed to increase vaccination rates.” Since the end of July, three unvaccinated Alaska Airlines employees have died of COVID-19, including Capt. Eric Moss, a healthy 53-year-old pilot who died just five days after coming down with the infection. Those deaths spurred management to move more aggressively. Alaska Air CEO Ben Minicucci gave employees the rationale for the new policy in a memo Thursday. “Vaccinated people contract and spread COVID at a much lower rate than those who are unvaccinated,” he wrote, citing the consensus among national medical experts. Under the new policy, unvaccinated employees must be regularly tested, starting November 1. They must also participate in a vaccine-education program and sign a document that lays out the safety protocols to be followed and acknowledges the risks of being unvaccinated. In addition, unvaccinated employees won’t be paid for absences due to COVID-19 exposure or infection. If exposed, defined as being within six feet of an infected person for more than 15 minutes over a 24-hour period, they must quarantine for two weeks. For such an absence or time off sick with infection, they may use sick leave or vacation time if they have it; otherwise, it will be unpaid time off. In contrast, vaccinated employees will not have to quarantine if exposed. And if they get a breakthrough infection, they will have paid time off. The carrot to go with the sticks is a $200 payment to employees who provide proof of vaccination by Oct. 15. In addition, vaccinated employees will be permitted to remove their masks if virus rates decline and company policy along with federal, state and local laws allow. Unvaccinated employees must wear a mask at all times, regardless of federal, state and local requirements. Finally, Alaska said all new hires must be vaccinated, effective immediately. The new policy is already generating opposition among some employees who are choosing not to vaccinate. One such flight attendant, who asked that her name be withheld, complained about the new rules. “I am AT work; and if I am exposed from another employee or passenger on my airplane then I should be paid since the company will not allow me to work for 2 weeks!!!,” the flight attendant wrote in an email. She added that the removal of pay protection for unvaccinated employees who are exposed to the virus “will make flight crew members say NO they haven’t been in contact, which won’t be productive.” Alaska’s West Coast employee base in Washington, Oregon and California is largely pro-vaccination. However, the airline has a significant number of employees in the state of Alaska, a more conservative state where the vaccination rate is significantly lower at less than half the population. Alaska Air management may have stopped short of a vaccination mandate for fear that resistance to outright coercion could result in employees leaving at a time when the carrier is already understaffed. “I know there are many strong feelings on this issue,” Ben Minicucci told employees Thursday. https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/alaska-airlines-pushes-employees-toward-vaccination/ FAA temporarily grounds Virgin Galactic ship while investigating 'mishap' during July 11 flight Virgin Galactic may not fly its spaceplane until officials investigate a possible violation during its July 11 voyage. The Federal Aviation Agency said it is investigating a "mishap" that occurred during the spaceflight company's mission, confirming Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo “deviated from its Air Traffic Control clearance” and flew beyond designated airspace. "The FAA is overseeing the Virgin Galactic investigation of its July 11 SpaceShipTwo mishap that occurred over Spaceport America, New Mexico," the agency said in a statement. "SpaceShipTwo deviated from its Air Traffic Control clearance as it returned to Spaceport America." “Virgin Galactic may not return the SpaceShipTwo vehicle to flight until the FAA approves the final mishap investigation report or determines the issues related to the mishap do not affect public safety,” the statement added. A report published Wednesday detailed the historic flight, which made Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson the first billionaire to travel into space. Pilots Dave Mackey and Mike Masucci received warning messages about a minute into the flight indicating their flight path was too shallow, according to the New Yorker. The yellow-lighted caution message then turned red, and the pilots were forced to correct the issue immediately or abort the mission. Mackey and Masucci chose the former but not without flying outside their designated airspace for a minute and 41 seconds during the process, the outlet reported. Virgin Galactic reportedly acknowledged the company did not immediately notify the FAA of the plane's venture into unapproved airspace and asserted the incident didn't pose a risk to civilians. "Although the flight’s ultimate trajectory deviated from our initial plan, it was a controlled and intentional flight path that allowed Unity 22 to successfully reach space and land safely at our Spaceport in New Mexico," a Virgin Galactic spokesperson told the Washington Examiner. "At no time were passengers and crew put in any danger as a result of this change in trajectory, and at no time did the ship travel above any population centers or cause a hazard to the public. "FAA representatives were present in our control room during the flight and in post-flight debriefs," the spokesperson added. The company's July flight was hailed a success after the fact, with Branson saying it marked the "dawn of a new space age." The Virgin flight — which included Branson, three Virgin Galactic employees, and the two pilots — was followed days later by another trip to space operated by Blue Origin, the rocket company founded by Jeff Bezos. It's unclear whether the FAA's grounding SpaceShipTwo will be lifted in time for Virgin Galactic's next scheduled spaceflight test, which the company plans to initiate between late September to early October. https://www.yahoo.com/news/faa-temporarily-grounds-virgin-galactic-215300058.html POSITION AVAILABLE: Decision Science Lead, Flight Safety Atlanta, GA This position will support the delivery and continued evolution of products based on the safety data, classifications, and models built with Flight Safety metrics and data science. The Technical Lead will help develop the safety data best practices for adoption and training within Flight Safety as well as Corporate Safety, Security and Compliance. This requires a deep knowledge of aviation safety metrics and models, classification models, statistical processes, and core data science/data engineering skill sets. This role will report directly to the Manager, Data and Decision Science. Primary responsibilities: • Bridge the gap between data collected from operations and the risk analysis needed for Delta to make informed decisions about areas of flight safety risk. • Design, develop and implement software products based on data science/machine learning models. • Help develop best practices for flight safety data architecture, data stewardship, and data presentation. • Define and execute the data modeling roadmap. • Build data sets from multiple data sources, both internally and externally. • Partner with Operational data analysis teams to optimize and enhance the data environment for addressing known safety risks and applying methods to discover potential new risks. • Work with operational leaders to ensure that the data products are produced with optimal efficiency and best practices. • Leverage emerging technologies and identify efficient and meaningful ways to disseminate data and analysis in order to satisfy the business' needs. • Provide technical leadership to the Flight Safety department and Corporate Safety. • Practice safety-conscious environment resulting in employee safety and well-being. • Embraces diverse people, thinking and styles. What you need to succeed: • Master’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics, or equivalent experience. • Must have at least 2 years of relevant analytical/project management experience. • Must have a working knowledge of Flight Operations and Flight Safety metrics. • Proficiency in working with relational databases and query authoring (SQL). • Proficiency in data visualization best practices and commercially available tools (e.g. Tableau). • Proficiency in Python, Bash script or other basic functional programming tools. • Strong written, oral communication, and interpersonal skills. • A natural curiosity towards constant improvement. • Strong project management, organizational, and prioritizations skills. • Must be able to interact and collaborate at all levels within Corporate Safety, Security and Compliance, Flight Operations, cross-divisional working groups and outside entities. • Must be performing satisfactorily in current position. What will give you a competitive edge: • PhD degree/candidate preferred. • Working knowledge of statistical/machine learning tools (e.g. scikit-learn) preferred. To apply, please visit: https://delta.avature.net/careers/JobDetail/Decision-Science-Lead/6087 APPLY HERE FOQA Specialist (NJUS) Purpose of Position The FOQA Specialist processes day-to-day Flight Operational Quality Assurance (FOQA) data using the Ground Data Replay Analysis System (GDRAS) and performs routine data analysis. The FOQA Specialist creates weekly and monthly deliverables in addition to working with Gatekeepers and other members of Safety and FOQA Management Team (FMT). Tasks and Responsibilities · Supports the FOQA Program Manager with daily administration of the FOQA efforts to ensure analysis of flight data for improved flight safety including validation of FOQA events, identification of events for Gatekeeper contacts and identification of events for Maintenance reporting. · Performs data analysis, root cause analysis and determines corrective actions of digital flight data to determine adverse events, trends in flight and maintenance operations. Coordinates and validates aircraft specific event definitions. Maintains and identifies new FOQA events, and manages documentation supporting these functions. · Prepares flight operations trending analysis charts and reports. Compiles and presents FOQA data summaries to enhance training, maintenance, flight operations. Performs specialized studies and fulfills special data requests. Assists in the creation of safety and FOQA department publications. Prepares reports, presentations, and statistical data required to identify trends for safety enhancement. · Oversees data collection process of aircraft fleet in conjunction with Maintenance. Education Bachelor's in Aviation or Engineering Certifications and Licenses Years of Experience 0-2 years of experience Core Competencies Adaptability Collaboration Curiosity Service-Oriented Strives for Positive Results Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Other (KSAOs) · Basic computer programming and statistical methods experience · Strong work ethic, ability to work in a fast-paced environment and a positive attitude toward teamwork · Previous experience maintaining and enhancing corporate safety standards and safe operation practices · Extensive working knowledge of Microsoft Office Programs, including spreadsheet and database applications · Travel up to 10% of the time, including overnight stays · FAA Commercial Pilot License or higher preferred · Prior experience with Austin Digital or equivalent GDRAS platforms preferred · Knowledge of aircraft flight data recorders preferred · Previous work experience, preferably in 14 CFR Part 121 or 135 air carrier operations; quality control, maintenance, operations, safety or a combination of these areas. APPLY HERE Curt Lewis