Flight Safety Information - October 1, 2021 No. 198 In This Issue : Incident: Algerie AT72 at Algiers on Sep 30th 2021, runway excursion on landing : Incident: United B764 at Honolulu on Sep 29th 2021, fuel pump problem : Incident: United A319 at New York on Sep 29th 2021, bird strike : Incident: Srilankan A333 near Colombo on Sep 18th 2021, both windshields shattered : Incident: Kalitta B744 at East Midlands on Sep 30th 2021, engine malfunction on roll out : Airbus A320-214 - Engine Failure (Croatia) : Feinstein introduces bill to require COVID vaccination or negative test for domestic flights : Suspect in alleged assault on Hawaiian Airlines flight attendant to remain in custody : FAA Releases Special Conditions for Electric Engine Airworthiness : A380s Bite The Dust: Singapore Airline To Dismantle 2 More Jets : NASA awards $253M to two companies developing electric propulsion tech for aircraft : FAA’s LAANC offers instant night flight approval for Part 107 commercial drone pilots : Bombardier gets $534 mln order for 20 Challenger 3500 jets : What other carriers can learn from IndiGo, the upstart that became India’s favorite airline : Blue Origin employees say they wouldn't feel safe riding the company's rockets, and it's 'lucky' nothing has happened : PhD - Graduate Research Survey Request (1) : PhD - GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY REQUEST (2) : Position Available - Director of Safety : Position Available - Tenure-Track Faculty Position with a focus on Unmanned Systems Incident: Algerie AT72 at Algiers on Sep 30th 2021, runway excursion on landing An Air Algerie Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-212A, registration 7T-VUW performing flight AH-6133 from Bechar to Algiers (Algeria), landed on Algiers' runway 09 at 16:30L (15:30Z) but veered right off the runway and came to a stop almost perpendicular to the runway with the nose gear on soft ground and the main gear on the runway surface. There were no injuries. The passengers disembarked through the aft main door onto the runway and were taken to the terminal. The airport was closed for about 2 hours as result (runway 05/23 was closed due to work in progress). The airline reported the aircraft suffered a technical incident and came to a stop with the nose gear off the runway. There were no injuries and no damage. http://avherald.com/h?article=4ee08fbb&opt=0 Incident: United B764 at Honolulu on Sep 29th 2021, fuel pump problem A United Boeing 767-400, registration N76064 performing flight UA-2840 from Honolulu,HI (USA) to Newark,NJ (USA), was climbing out of Honolulu when the crew stopped the climb at 10,000 feet and decided to return to Honolulu reporting a left forward fuel pump message. The aircraft dumped fuel and landed safely on Honolulu's runway 08R about 40 minutes after departure. The aircraft is still on the ground in Honolulu about 18 hours after landing back. http://avherald.com/h?article=4ee0918e&opt=0 Incident: United A319 at New York on Sep 29th 2021, bird strike A United Airbus A319-100, registration N4888U performing flight UA-743 from Washington Dulles,DC to New York La Guardia,NY (USA), was on final visual approach to La Guardia's runway 31 when the crew initiated a balked landing reporting birds. The aircraft positioned for another approach to runway 31 and landed safely about 14 minutes after the balked landing. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in New York about 17.5 hours after landing. The FAA reported: "AIRCRAFT STRUCK SEVERAL BIRDS ON LANDING AND POST FLIGHT INSPECTION REVEALED DAMAGE TO THE NOSE CONE, NEW YORK, NY.", rated the damage minor and the occurrence an incident. http://avherald.com/h?article=4ee07648&opt=0 Incident: Srilankan A333 near Colombo on Sep 18th 2021, both windshields shattered A Srilankan Airbus A330-300, registration 4R-ALM performing flight UL-1265 from Colombo (Sri Lanka) to Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), was climbing through FL340 out of Colombo about 180nm northwest of Colombo when both captain's and first officer's windshields were shattered. The crew returned the aircraft to Colombo for a safe landing on runway 22 about one hour after departure. A replacement Airbus A330-300 registration 4R-ALQ reached Riyadh with a delay of about 3:15 hours. Sri Lanka's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) reported captain's and first officer's windshields shattered due to suspected hail storm while climbing through FL340. The aircraft returned to Colombo for an overweight landing. The occurrence was rated a serious incident and is being investigated by Sri Lanka's CAA. http://avherald.com/h?article=4ee071e0&opt=0 Incident: Kalitta B744 at East Midlands on Sep 30th 2021, engine malfunction on roll out A Kalitta Air Boeing 747-400, registration N741CK performing freight flight K4-330 from Leipzig (Germany) to East Midlands,EN (UK), landed on East Midlands' runway 27 when shortly after touchdown and after engaging spoilers and reverse thrust the #3 engine (CF6, inboard right hand) emitted streaks of flames and a loud bang. The aircraft rolled out without further event, emergency services responded, the aircraft vacated the runway and taxied to the apron with the engine still running. Emergency services performed a runway inspection focussing on the area of the touch down zone runway 27. Ground observer Tony Johnson reported the #3 engine obviously ingested something on landing and went bang. The aircraft is still on the ground in East Midlands about 17 hours after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4ee0f084&opt=0 Airbus A320-214 - Engine Failure (Croatia) Date: 30-SEP-2021 Time: 15:30 Type: Airbus A320-214 Owner/operator: Air Cairo Registration: SU-BPV MSN: 2966 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 125 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: None Location: Near Zagreb - Croatia Phase: En route Nature: Passenger - Scheduled Departure airport: Hurghada Airport (HRG/HEGN) Destination airport: Düsseldorf International Airport (DUS/EDDL) Narrative: Air Cairo flight SM2980, an Airbus A320-214, diverted to Zagreb Airport, Croatia, after is suffered an engine failure while en route from Hurghada to Düsseldorf. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/268230 Feinstein introduces bill to require COVID vaccination or negative test for domestic flights Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) introduced a bill Wednesday that would require people to be fully vaccinated, have recently tested negative, or have recovered from COVID-19 to fly domestically. Driving the news: Some airlines — like United, Frontier and Hawaiian — have already begun requiring their workforce, but not passengers, to be vaccinated against the virus. Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free. What they're saying: "Ensuring that air travelers protect themselves and their destination communities from this disease is critical to prevent the next surge," Feinstein wrote in a news release. "This bill complements similar travel requirements already in place for all air passengers... who fly to the United States from foreign countries." "It only makes sense that we also ensure the millions of airline passengers that crisscross our country aren’t contributing to further transmission, especially as young children remain ineligible to be vaccinated." The proposal follows a bill introduced by Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) earlier this month that would require people to provide proof of vaccination or a recent negative test before traveling by air or Amtrak. Worth noting: NIAID Director Anthony Fauci, who serves as Biden's top medical adviser, has previously said he would support vaccination requirements for air travel. https://www.yahoo.com/news/feinstein-introduces-bill-require-covid-000057716.html Suspect in alleged assault on Hawaiian Airlines flight attendant to remain in custody Oct. 1—The 32-year-old man accused of punching a Hawaiian Airlines flight attendant twice on a Sept. 23 flight was ordered to remain in custody by a federal judge today. U.S. Magistrate Judge Rom Trader held a detention hearing this morning for Steven Sloan Jr. at Honolulu federal court via telephone from the Honolulu Federal Detention Center on charges of assault and interference with a flight crew. Trader ordered Sloan remain detained to mitigate any risk of danger he may pose to the community or to himself. During the hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Darren Ching said Sloan should be detained, citing the suspect's mental health issues and drug use. "Given the defendant's current situation and this is based on the fact that the government is alleging that this this was an unprovoked attack as well as the defendant's mental health issues which included at least admissions that he's been hearing voices for the last two weeks and that there's reporting that someone who knows him also said that he's been hearing voices for the last four weeks. Given his drug use and the safety issues which I won't detail that are contained in the pretrial services report with regard to him as well as the safety of others, the government agrees that at this time, he should be detained, " Ching said. Federal public defender Salina Kanai pointed out that Sloan has no criminal history nor any history of violence. "I do understand the court may have some things that give it pause, " Kanai said. "There's recent use of drugs. There's some mental issues potentially and of course the nature of the allegation. But I think those three things alone should not be barriers in a case where this is a non-presumption case." Kanai noted there are conditions of release that can be fashioned to mitigate the risks such as a substance abuse treatment program, mental health counseling and GPS monitoring, if necessary. The alleged unprovoked attack occurred on Hilo-bound Flight HA 152 on the morning of Sept. 23 shortly after its departure from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. The flight attendant was walking down the aisle to collect trash when Sloan, who was seated in a sixth-row aisle seat, punched him in the chest, according to an FBI affidavit. Soon after, Sloan arose from his seat and pulled his right hand back as if he was going to punch him again. The flight attendant attempted to cover his body when he felt a punch to the back left side of his head. Sloan then sat back down "as if nothing had happened, " the affidavit said. The flight carrying 80 passengers and five crew members was diverted back to Honolulu, where deputy sheriffs boarded the plane and arrested him. Born in Hawaii, Sloan has been living in Molokai for the past 10 years where he has family members who currently live there. During today's hearing, Trader said there are factors that may be appropriate for his release such as his lack of a criminal record and ties to the community. "The court however is very concerned with his current situation, in particular, most importantly his current mental health condition. That coupled with admitted substance abuse issues really gives the court a significant amount of concern as to whether or not he can safely be released into the community, " he added. "While the circumstances of this offense are alarming, what's most concerning is the sort of unprovoked nature of the alleged conduct in this case." Sloan's next hearing is scheduled for Oct. 14. Meanwhile, pretrial services will be asked to address the possibility of a dual diagnosis treatment setting for Sloan. https://www.yahoo.com/news/suspect-alleged-assault-hawaiian-airlines-064300647.html FAA Releases Special Conditions for Electric Engine Airworthiness The Federal Aviation Administration has released final special airworthiness conditions for electric engines created by magniX, the agency announced on Sept. 27. The special conditions, which go into effect Oct. 27, will account for the certification of magniX’s magni350 and magni650 model engines that use an electric motor, controller, and high-voltage systems as their propulsion systems. “These engines have a novel or unusual design feature when compared to the state of technology envisioned in the airworthiness standards applicable to aircraft engines,” according to the FAA’s rule. “This design feature is an electric motor, controller, and high-voltage systems as the primary source of propulsion for an aircraft. The applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for this design feature. These special conditions contain the additional safety standards that the Administrator considers necessary to establish a level of safety equivalent to that established by the existing airworthiness standards.” During a panel at the Vertical Flight Society’s Electric Aircraft Symposium on July 21, Gary Horan, an aerospace controls systems specialist at the FAA, spoke about the agencies work with magniX on this special condition. “We are working at the FAA...to get a special condition issued for the first project to certificate an electric engine,” Horan said. “This special condition is written around one particular company and their product, and to be honest with you, we don't know if they'll be the first ones to cross the finish line, but, you know, we had to pick a horse and that's what we did.” MagniX applied for the type certificate in April 2019. The special condition is based on the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard and is a mix of 14 CFR Part 33 standards and special conditions. The proposed special conditions were published in the Federal Register on November 19, 2020 and received comments from 11 organizations and two individuals including Wisk Aero (Wisk), Rolls-Royce North America (Rolls-Royce), GE Aviation (GE), Ampaire Inc. (Ampaire), Textron Aviation (Textron), Associacao Das Industrias Aeroespaciais Do Brasil (AIAB), Safran Electrical & Power (Safran), Airbus Commercial Aircraft (Airbus), magniX USA, Inc. (magniX), Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA), and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). On Sept. 30, magniX was one of two companies—the other being GE Aviation—selected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, support its Electric Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) that will rapidly mature Electrified Aircraft Propulsion (EAP) technologies through ground and flight demonstrations. The total combined value for the awards is $253.4 million and the work will be conducted over the next five years. Through the EPFD program, NASA seeks to introduce EAP technologies to U.S. aviation fleets no later than 2035, supporting short-range and regional commercial air travel, as well as single-aisle seat transports, according to the agency. https://www.aviationtoday.com/2021/10/01/faa-releases-special-conditions-electric-engine-airworthiness/ A380s Bite The Dust: Singapore Airline To Dismantle 2 More Jets Singapore Airlines is set to scrap two of its previously retired Airbus A380 aircraft in its home city. According to FlightGlobal, parts from the two jets, and a Boeing 777-200ER jet, will be used as spares for the airline’s remaining fleet. Singapore Airlines has retired 12 of its A380 jets, leaving it with 12 jets, although none are currently operational. Singapore Airlines, Airbus A380, Scrapped Singapore Airlines is to dismantle two of its Airbus A380s. While nowhere near Emirates’ impressive 123 firm orders for the Airbus A380, Singapore was the second-largest Airbus A380 customer by a margin of ten aircraft. German flag carrier Lufthansa came third with its order of 14 jets which are unlikely to return to the skies. Two A380s to be scrapped in Singapore Singapore Airlines was the first airline to retire the Airbus A380, with five aircraft leaving the fleet after a decade in service. Around a year ago, the airline revealed that a further seven aircraft wouldn’t be returning to service with the rest of the fleet following the fleet’s return. According to FlightGlobal, two of the aircraft that won’t return to service as 9V-SKG and 9V-SKH. According to the publication, the airline’s engineering division will turn the two aircraft into spare parts at the Changi Exhibition Centre adjacent to Singapore Changi Airport. A third aircraft, a Boeing 777-200ER registered as 9V-SQJ, will meet a similar fate. It is expected to take around two months to turn the aircraft into spare parts and recyclable/upcyclable materials. Singapore Airlines will use the spare parts to maintain the airline’s other Airbus A380 aircraft. This could include the Trent 900 engines, landing gear, cockpit components, seats, and more. More of the aircraft will go to Singapore Airlines’ recently launched upcycling project. About the aircraft being scrapped According to data from ch-aviation.com, the two Airbus A380s set to be scrapped are among the oldest in the Singapore Airlines fleet and the global Airbus A380 fleet, for that matter. 9V-SKG carries the serial number 019 and first flew on November 7th, 2008. As such, the aircraft is now almost 13 years old. The jet has clocked 51,391 flight hours across 6,540 flight cycles and has a current market value of $34.38 million. The story is relatively similar with 9V-SKH, bearing serial number 021. The plane first flew the same year on December 10th. Since then, it has flown slightly less, amassing 50,284 hours across 6,368 cycles. It is listed with the same value as SKG. Singapore Airlines hasn’t flown passengers on the A380 for over a year. The Boeing 777-200ER set to be scrapped is significantly older. Having first flown on May 30th, 2002, it is now 19.35 years old. The jet has completed 61,688 flight hours across 15,796 flight cycles. With 391 economy seats and 24 premium economy seats, the aircraft was primarily used for shorter flights and is listed with a value of $8.71 million. Few Airbus A380s actually scrapped By now, most people know that the majority of the global Airbus A380 fleet is inactive. However, only a handful have actually been scrapped to date. Most of these jets also came from the Singapore Airlines fleet. Three other Singapore Airlines A380s have been scrapped to date. 9V-SKA, 9V-SKB, and 9V-SKE have all been scrapped at Tarbes in France. Like SKG and SKH, they have also been upcycled in part, with Aviationtag turning fuselage from each into a limited edition run of tags for bags and keys. Air France’s F-HPJB has also been scrapped in Knock, Ireland, following its last commercial flight in late 2019. https://simpleflying.com/singapore-airlines-a380s-scrapped/ NASA awards $253M to two companies developing electric propulsion tech for aircraft NASA has chosen two U.S. companies to develop electric propulsion technologies for aircraft, with the aim of introducing this tech to U.S. aviation fleets by 2035. The two companies, GE Aviation and MagniX, will conduct their work over the next five years. That includes ground and flight test demonstrations, as well as collaborations with other NASA projects focused on electric propulsion, data analysis and flight test instrumentation. The awards, granted under the agency’s Electric Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) program, have a combined value of $253.4 million. Of that, $179 million was awarded to GE Aviation, with MagniX receiving $74.3 million. “GE Aviation and MagniX will perform integrated megawatt-class powertrain system ground and flight demonstrations to validate their concepts, and project benefits for future [electrified aircraft propulsion] aircraft configurations,” NASA’s Gaudy Bezos-O’Connor, EPFD project manager explained in a statement. “These demonstrations will identify and retire technical barriers and integration risks. It will also help inform the development of standards and regulations for future EAP systems.” The EPFD project is part of a larger NASA program called Integrated Aviation Systems, which conducts research and development to turn next-gen tech into real-world operational flight systems. There are many companies working on electric flight propulsion systems, but these are generally found in emerging air taxi markets, where the flights are shorter and the weight of batteries is mitigated by the overall small size of the aircraft. As TechCrunch’s Devin Coldewey explains, needing to generate lift and the weight of batteries have been the “fundamental conundrum” that has held back electric planes. Perhaps these public-private partnerships will finally crack the puzzle. The NASA project aims to develop tech for short-range and regional air travel, as well as narrow-body, single-aisle aircraft. https://techcrunch.com/2021/09/30/nasa-awards-253m-to-two-companies-developing-electric-propulsion-tech-for-aircraft/ FAA’s LAANC offers instant night flight approval for Part 107 commercial drone pilots Onboard navigation systems are not the only thing in the aerial world increasingly benefitting from automated capacities. Now Part 107 certified drone pilots requesting approval for commercial night flights in restricted zones can receive quasi-real-time authorization from providers of Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) processing services. That and related changes arise from the September 30 expiration of a provisional arrangement inaugurated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in March. The previous procedure called for Part 107 certified drone pilots to obtain LAANC approval for commercial day flights in restricted areas, then subsequently secure a National Authorization stipulating night time operation. Practically speaking that often meant first getting a pair of automated LAANC okays for a period covering two days (one for each date) using web or app platforms; then obtaining the National Authorization for night time operation. Now, those two steps are bundled in the same LAANC request, with responses to both virtually instantaneous. Though the streamlined procedure was only formally announced by the FAA Thursday, it has been available since late August through a number of approved LAANC providers like Aloft, Airspacelink, and Wing. But the changes involved are also accompanied by others that will give Part 107 certified drone pilots even more liberty of aerial movement. According to the announcement, for example, craft operators “will have more areas they can fly in since the FAA has divided the airspace into smaller segments.” Of course, the price of increased freedom – and a streamlined, immediate request and approval setup for nighttime flights under 400 feet in restricted areas – requires some qualifying work up front. The service is limited to Part 107 certified commercial drone pilots who have also completed FAA night flight training, and have equipped their craft with anti-collision lights visible for at least three miles. Flights of recreational craft in restricted areas after dark remains forbidden. For those qualified to request authorization for such missions, the process is relatively easy. Just download the app from one of the FAA’s approved LAANC service providers, select the controlled airspace involved, provide altitude details, and hit “add” to get a sub-menu containing data fields for LAANC requests. https://dronedj.com/2021/10/01/faas-laanc-offers-instant-night-flight-approval-for-part-107-commercial-drone-pilots/ Bombardier gets $534 mln order for 20 Challenger 3500 jets Sept 30 (Reuters) - Bombardier Inc (BBDb.TO) said on Thursday that it had received a firm order worth $534 million for 20 units of an upgraded variant of its Challenger 350 aircraft, marking its biggest business jet deal this year. The refreshed jet, named Challenger 3500, was launched earlier this month as Bombardier vies to protect its dominant share of the market and capitalize on higher demand for private flying during the pandemic. read more Bombardier, which has focused on paying down debt after facing a cash crunch in 2015, is under constant pressure to upgrade its expensive business jets in a market where wealthy buyers demand the latest features. The Challenger 3500 seats up to 10 passengers and comes with voice-controlled cabin systems for a number of functions like lighting and multimedia. It is also equipped with a smaller version of the chaise lounge seats found on the flagship Global 7500. The jet, expected to enter service in the second half of 2022, will list for $26.7 million, the same price as the 350, the company has said. The company did not disclose the name of the buyer. https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/bombardier-gets-534-mln-order-challenger-3500-jets-2021-09-30/ What other carriers can learn from IndiGo, the upstart that became India’s favorite airline A low-cost domestic airline has become a formidable player in the toughest period in Indian aviation. With international travel having been banned for more than a year, and domestic flights still only operating with limited capacity, IndiGo has emerged as India’s largest passenger airline—by far—with a market share of 57%. “In a country like India, it is imperative to offer competitive pricing schemes and innovative loyalty services to attract and maintain a loyal customer base,” explains Nishant Pitti, CEO and co-founder of travel portal EaseMyTrip. “In this cut-throat sector, carriers need to show immense resilience and the ability to economize further without losing out on the revenue pie.” IndiGo appears to have fared well in all these factors. What has worked for IndiGo? The 15-year-old airline has succeeded in a marketplace that killed off rivals like Kingfisher and the soon-to-be-revived Jet Airways. The company says it’s been able to adapt quickly to challenges, such as a public spat between two senior figures in 2019, and especially the pandemic. IndiGo has been fairly adept as a company in changing from long-term planning to capitalize on quick short-term opportunities,” the airline’s spokesperson told Quartz. The spokesperson elaborated that the airline’s decision-making evolved from a methodical, analytical approach to crisis mode, and lists several changes: the airline started behaving “like a charter carrier instead of a scheduled airline;” and increased use of technology, including customer service via WhatsApp. Indigo’s balance sheet remains strong In July, despite larger than expected net losses, the airline reported a surge of 292% in operations revenue on yearly basis. “We conserved cash while simultaneously exploring every possible avenue for generating revenues through charter flights, cargo, and expansion into smaller cities,” the spokesperson said. Meanwhile, its rivals have been struggling. Vistara’s losses broadened to more than 1,800 crore rupees ($270 million) in the financial year ended on March 31, 2020, compared to Rs400 crore four years earlier. For the year ending March 31, 2021, the airline turned things around a little as post-pandemic travel began to resume, before India’s devastating second Covid wave in April—losses fell to just over RS1,600 crore. Likewise, SpiceJet, the other low-cost airline, is facing losses and finding it to manage expenses after the pandemic hit its operations. IndiGo’s formidable fleet size will also help in fending off competition. Currently, the airline has 274 aircraft, overtaking Air Asia last year. Will IndiGo continue to get clear skies? India’s aviation sector is still reeling from the damage done by Covid. But as the recovery tentatively begins, experts believe that the pandemic outbreak has come as a blessing in disguise for low-fare airlines such as IndiGo. Pitti of EaseMyTrip told Quartz that low-cost carriers will be the most preferred option for Indian travelers, and their lower operating costs will work as an advantage, especially in these “unprecedented times.” The airlines with financial resilience such as IndiGo will be able to enjoy the privilege of first preference at airports. “We are keen on working with commercially healthy and strong airlines,” said Christoph Schnellmann, CEO of the upcoming Noida International Airport told Quartz, “and also believe we can support them with efficient processes, low-turnaround costs and seamless transfer facilities.” https://qz.com/india/2065910/what-made-indigo-such-a-successful-airline-in-india/?utm_source=YPL Blue Origin employees say they wouldn't feel safe riding the company's rockets, and it's 'lucky' nothing has happened • Twenty-one Blue Origin employees published a whistle-blowing open letter on Thursday. • Some employees said they wouldn't ride a Blue Origin rocket due to safety concerns. One said it's "lucky" nothing has happened. • No federal agency regulates passenger safety on private spaceflights. In a scalding open letter, a group of current and former Blue Origin employees said they would not fly aboard the company's rocket because they don't think it's safe enough. Jeff Bezos, who founded the company in 2000, launched to the edge of space aboard its New Shepard rocket in July. Since that flight, Blue Origin has opened ticket sales, and four customers are scheduled to launch on October 12. But the new letter says that Blue Origin's leadership has ignored employees' safety concerns in favor of "making progress for Jeff" and accelerating New Shepard's launch schedule. The only named author on the letter is Alexandra Abrams, who used to head Blue Origin's employee communications. She published the essay on the website Lioness on Thursday, but says that 20 other current and former Blue Origin employees co-wrote it. None of those co-authors were named, but CBS News has spoken with five of them. The letter also made claims of a culture of sexism, harassment, and intolerance to dissent at Blue Origin. New Shepard has flown successfully 15 times without people on board and once with passengers, when Bezos went. The rocket has an emergency system that can jettison the passenger capsule away from a failing rocket if necessary. However, the letter said: "In the opinion of an engineer who has signed on to this essay, 'Blue Origin has been lucky that nothing has happened so far.' Many of this essay's authors say they would not fly on a Blue Origin vehicle." Two former Blue Origin employees confirmed to CBS News that they would not feel comfortable riding a Blue Origin spacecraft. In a statement emailed to Insider, Blue Origin said that Abrams "was dismissed for cause two years ago after repeated warnings for issues involving federal export control regulations." Abrams has denied that she received any such warnings. At least 17 top engineers and leaders have left Blue Origin this summer, many of them in the week after Bezos's spaceflight, CNBC reported in August. The reasons for their departures aren't clear, though Glassdoor ratings suggest that just 19% of Blue Origin employees approve of its CEO, Bob Smith. That's compared to a 92% approval rating for SpaceX's Elon Musk and 77% for United Launch Alliance's Tory Bruno. Blue Origin's statement also said: "We stand by our safety record and believe that New Shepard is the safest space vehicle ever designed or built." But the open letter said that safety was "the driving force" behind the decision to publish it for many of its co-authors. It also said that in 2018, when someone new took over one particular team, the manager discovered that the team had documented "more than 1,000 problem reports" related to the company's rocket engines. None of those reports had been addressed, the letter said. What's more, the letter added that Blue Origin has frequently denied requests "for additional engineers, staff, or spending," while adding more responsibilities to teams that are too small to handle them. "Employees are often told to 'be careful with Jeff's money,' to 'not ask for more,' and to 'be grateful,'" the letter said. Commercial rocket passengers fly at their own risk Spaceflight is always risky. About 1% of US human spaceflights have resulted in a fatal accident, according to an analysis published earlier this year. "That's pretty high. It's about 10,000 times more dangerous than flying on a commercial airliner," George Nield, a co-author of that report, previously told Insider. Nield formerly served as the Federal Aviation Administration's associate administrator and led its Office of Commercial Space Transportation. "In order to learn how to do this safer, more reliably, and more cost effectively, many people believe we need to keep gaining experience by having more and more of these flights," he added. Currently, no federal agency regulates the safety of passengers on private commercial spaceflights. For now, the Federal Aviation Administration's job is only to ensure that rocket launches are safe for people on the ground and don't pose a threat to other aircraft. But in a statement emailed to Insider, the FAA said that it was "reviewing" the open letter. "The FAA takes every safety allegation seriously, and the agency is reviewing the information," the statement said. https://www.yahoo.com/news/blue-origin-employees-wouldnt-feel-231922480.html PhD - Graduate Research Survey Request (1) Calling All Pilots (and Non-Pilots) My name is Kurt Reesman and I am an Adult Education Ph.D. candidate teaching in the Department of Aviation at Auburn University. I invite you to participate in my research study entitled Training the Emerging Pilot Workforce: Does Generation and Gender Influence Curriculum Development? With your help, I will learn more about the following three questions: 1. Do non-pilots and pilots have different learning styles or preferences? 2. Do pilots in the Baby Boomer, Generation X, Generation Y (Millennials), and Generation Z generations have learning styles or preferences that differ from each other? 3. Do male pilots and female pilots have different learning styles or preferences? You may participate if you are 18 years or older. I am asking that you take 5-10 minutes of your time to complete an anonymous, on-line survey that asks you to provide basic demographic information and then answer 44 questions that only have 2 possible answers each. These questions are from the Felder and Solomon Index of Learning Styles questionnaire. If you are interested and eligible to participate, click the link below to begin the survey. If you would like to know more information, or have any questions about this study, you can send an email to Kurt Reesman at klr0051@auburn.edu or my advisor, Dr. James Witte at witteje@auburn.edu. Thank you for your consideration, Kurt Reesman, Lt Col, USAF (retired) Ph.D. Candidate / Lecturer Department of Aviation Auburn University Survey Link: https://auburn.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_88HSBAVREFUHLE1 Director of Safety – Bloomington, MN Who Are We: Life Link III is a nationally recognized leader in air medical transport. Our top priority is to put cutting edge technology and education in the hands of our flight medical crew, pilots, mechanics, operational control specialists and communication specialists so we can provide uncompromising care to the communities we live and work in. We do this work while living out our core values of safety, customer focus, excellence, integrity, innovation, and collaboration. Position Summary: Life Link III’s Director of Safety emphasizes innovation, collaboration, and safety in their approach to realizing Life Link III’s mission and values. The Director of Safety reports to the Chief Executive Officer or designee. The primary focus of the Director of Safety is the prevention of harm to people, property, and the environment. The Director of Safety will be expected to lead in areas of Safety Policy, Safety Risk Management, Safety Assurance, and Safety Promotion. To accomplish this, the Director of Safety will provide technical assistance in identifying, evaluating, and controlling hazards in a variety of contexts throughout the organization. The Director of Safety is responsible for the continuous development & implementation of the Life Link III Safety Management System (SMS) and administration of Life Link III Safety Management Programs (SMPs). A qualified candidate will embody the Mission and Values of Life Link III. Position Highlights: • Under the direction outlined by the SMS – assist in implementation, management, modification, and additions to SMP. • SMP implementation, oversight, management, and training, including day-to-day management of the following components: • Hazard Recognition - identify conditions or actions that may cause injury, illness, or property damage. • Inspections/Audits - assess safety and health risks associated with equipment, materials, processes, facilities, or abilities. • Fire Protection - reduce fire hazards by inspection, layout of facilities and processes, and design of fire detection and suppression systems. • Regulatory Compliance - ensure that mandatory safety and health standards are satisfied. • Maintain knowledge and awareness of all safety components of the FAA, OSHA (MN, WI, and Federal), EPA, airport authority, CAMTS, EMSRB, WI DHS, and others as applicable. • Serves as the safety liaison for regulatory and accreditation site surveys. • Health Hazard Control - control hazards such as noise, chemical exposures, radiation, or biological hazards that can create harm. • Ergonomics - improve the workplace based on an understanding of human physiological and psychological characteristics, abilities, and limitations. • Hazardous Materials Management - ensure that dangerous chemicals and other products are procured, stored, and disposed of in ways that prevent fires, exposure to or harm from these substances. • Environment - control hazards that can lead to undesirable releases of harmful materials into the air, water, or soil. • Accident and Incident Investigations - determine the facts related to an accident or incident based on witness interviews, site inspections and collection of other evidence. Record keeping - maintain safety and health information to meet government requirements, as well as to provide data for problem solving and decision making. • Review incident reports of a safety nature. • Track, trend, and analyze data to identify concerns. • Appropriately triage risk of concerns identified and proposes actionable plans for correction. • Assist in development and regularly review site emergency plans for all Life Link III locations, including, but not limited to hangars, crew quarters, administrative offices, supply rooms. • Emergency Response-Manage, administer, and facilitate the exercise of Life Link III’s Emergency Response plan. • Collaborates and engages across all departments and with external stakeholders for plan accuracy and plan updates. • Facilitates across departments for drill planning, drill execution, and evaluation. • Manage, administer, and provide training for the emergency notification software platform. • Security - identify and implement design features and procedures to protect facilities and businesses from threats that introduce hazards. • Identify opportunities, gap analysis, and facilitate cross departmental collaboration about SMP. • Training - provide employees and managers with the knowledge and skills necessary to recognize hazards and perform their jobs safely and effectively. • Provide content for annual safety training for all Life Link III locations including, but not limited to, hangars, crew quarters, administrative offices, supply rooms. Document and provide senior leaders updates about annual training. • Attend new employee orientations and provide an overview and expectations of safety at Life Link III. • Participate in safety education to external stakeholders such as hospitals, law enforcement, and EMS agencies. • Collaborate with Marketing and Outreach to coordinate consistent messaging of a safety nature to external stakeholders. • Coordinate with Clinical Services, Operations, Human Resources, or others as needed to assure that action plans are carried out when appropriate. • Create, maintain, and updates policies as appropriate. • Outline and update procedures appropriately to reflect current practices. • Coordinate and lead safety sub-committee meetings. • Coordinate the enterprise safety meeting. • Ensure accountability and consistency of area and base representatives and/or designees. • Lead the selection of base safety representatives, provide work direction and feedback. • Maintain good working relationships with internal and external stakeholders. • Provide safety related education and/or materials as requested or needed. • Promote a culture of safety through collaboration and partnerships that maximize the success of the program. • Serve as a liaison on a wide range of safety related issues, and partner with content experts to ensure quality in the guidance given. What We Are Looking For: • Bachelor's degree in safety, industrial engineering, quality or emergency management, aeronautics, registered nursing or similar. • 7+ years of experience in coordinating safety and loss prevention activities in a setting translatable to the services provided by Life Link III. • Professional or equivalent safety certification (i.e. ASP or CSP) • Proven success collaborating across an organization to implement change • Experience leading collaborative teams, committees, or other working groups with internal and external stakeholders. • 5+ years demonstrated leadership progression in enterprise-wide safety role(s) • Ability to adjust tasks quickly as circumstances dictate • Ability to communicate clearly and effectively • Ability to travel on short notice within the Life Link III system • Ability to respond to emergency events with limited notice Preferred Qualifications: • Master’s Degree preferred • Experience with rotor and/or fixed wing operations • Emergency Medical Services experience • Certification(s) in CPPS and ARM What We Offer: • We are committed to developing your talents through engaging work and access to an annual Professional Development Fund. • Opportunity to grow • Competitive salary • Competitive Health Benefits • Employer Matching HSA on qualified plans • Employer Matching Retirement Plan with no vesting schedule • Competitive Paid Time Off to foster a work/life balance To Apply Please Go to https://www.lifelinkiii.com/careers/job-openings/ Covid-19 Vaccination Requirements: To maintain the health and well-being of our fellow co-workers and the patients we serve; all Life Link III employees are required to be vaccinated against Covid-19 prior to their first day of employment. Compliance/HIPAA: Must perform work in the manner prescribed by documented work process in order to ensure compliance with all rules and regulations, accreditation standards and laws that apply. Tenure-Track Faculty Position with a focus on Unmanned Systems in the School of Graduate Studies, College of Aviation, Daytona Beach The School of Graduate Studies in the College of Aviation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) invites applications for a nine-month tenure-track, open rank position, with strong preference in background and expertise in Unmanned Systems and related areas. The department offers a primarily online Ph.D. in Aviation with specializations in Aviation Safety, Aviation Human Factors, Aviation Operations, and Interdisciplinary. It also offers an MS in Aviation, MS in Occupational Safety Management, and MS in Unmanned Systems in a traditional on-campus format. The candidate will be expected to teach courses in the Ph.D. and/or master’s degree programs and act as the chair and/or member of Ph.D. dissertation or thesis committees. Typical teaching load is 3 courses per semester. In addition to teaching responsibilities, the candidate is required to meet continuing scholarly growth requirements that include publishing scholarly work, actively pursuing and obtaining externally funded research, and presenting work at professional conferences. The candidate will be expected to fulfill service responsibilities to the university and the profession. Faculty for this position will be located on the Daytona Beach campus. The candidate is required to provide instruction through traditional classroom format. Required Qualifications: The position requires a doctorate with relevant experience in aviation, safety, operations, or unmanned systems. Those candidates currently pursuing a doctorate may be considered. Preferred Qualifications: Preferred qualifications include a Ph.D. in a closely related field, FAA Part 107 certificate, FAA pilot certificates, FAA flight instructor certificates, industry safety experience, and/or industry unmanned systems experience. Candidate materials should be submitted online by applying at https://embryriddle.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/External/job/Daytona-Beach-FL/Tenure-Track-Faculty-Position-of-School-of-Graduate-Studies--College-of- Aviation--Daytona-Beach-Campus-_R300653. Candidates must submit the following for consideration: · Current CV. · A letter of application, with emphasis on ability to teach courses on unmanned systems. · Copy of Ph.D. transcript. · Teaching philosophy (one page). · Research plan (one page), including research interests, strategies, and research plan. Consideration of applications will begin on September 15, 2021, and will continue until the position is filled. Curt Lewis