Flight Safety Information - October 11, 2021 No. 204 In This Issue : Incident: Blue B735 near Bucharest on Oct 10th 2021, loss of cabin pressure : Incident: Southwest B737 at Chicago on Oct 8th 2021, anti-skid failure : Incident: Flyegypt B738 at Paris on Oct 9th 2021, burst tyre on landing : Let L-410UVP-E3 - Fatal Accident (Russia) : Going to NBAA 2021? Here’s What You Should Do : Southwest Airlines flight woes continue: 1,000 Sunday cancellations … and counting : Southwest Pilots Blame 'Poor Planning' for 3,500-Plus Delays, Cancellations This Weekend : NBAA Safety Committee Targets Preventable Accidents : NTSB Prepares to Recover 50-Ton Section of Crashed Jet : Pilots’ errors upon descent led to fatal T-38 crash in February, Air Force says : Texas Among Top States for Airplane Laser Strikes in 2021 : TSA officers confiscate another gun at Pittsburgh International Airport : Transition To Digitized Aircraft Records Happening Slowly : With NASA partnership, Orlando begins planning for air taxis, flying cars : Blue Origin postpones William Shatner’s space flight by a day : PhD - Graduate Research Survey Request (1) Incident: Blue B735 near Bucharest on Oct 10th 2021, loss of cabin pressure A Blue Air Boeing 737-500, registration YR-AME performing flight 0B-180 from Prague (Czech Republic) to Bucharest Otopeni (Romania), was enroute at FL350 about 140nm northwest of Bucharest when the crew initiated an emergency descent due to the sudden loss of cabin pressure. The aircraft descended to 7000 feet and continued for a safe landing on Bucharest's runway 08R about 30 minutes after leaving FL350. Passengers reported the oxygen masks were released following a strange sound in the back of the aircraft, an air rush was being felt. http://avherald.com/h?article=4ee7e97f&opt=0 Incident: Southwest B737 at Chicago on Oct 8th 2021, anti-skid failure A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration N7867A performing flight WN-659 from Orlando,FL to Chicago Midway,IL (USA), was on approach to Chicago Midway maintaining 5000 feet when the crew reported they had an anti-skid inop light and in the current weather conditions could not land at Midway Airport. The crew climbed the aircraft to 12000 feet and diverted to Milwaukee,WI (USA) for a safe landing. A replacement Boeing 737-700 registration N424WN reached Chicago with a delay of 10.5 hours. http://avherald.com/h?article=4ee7d2c3&opt=0 Incident: Flyegypt B738 at Paris on Oct 9th 2021, burst tyre on landing A Flyegypt Boeing 737-800, registration SU-TMG performing flight FEG-1801 from Hurghada (Egypt) to Paris Charles de Gaulle (France), landed on CDG's runway 08R but burst, shredded the inboard right main tyre on roll out. The aircraft was instructed to keep on rolling and taxied to the apron. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 4 hours, then departed for the return flight and reached Hurghada with a delay of about 2.5 hours. http://avherald.com/h?article=4ee73574&opt=0 Let L-410UVP-E3 - Fatal Accident (Russia) Status: Preliminary Date: Sunday 10 October 2021 Time: 09:11 Type: Let L-410UVP-E3 Operator: DOSAAF Registration: RF-94591 MSN: 871826 First flight: 1987 Engines: 2 Walter M-601E Crew: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 Passengers: Fatalities: 14 / Occupants: 20 Total: Fatalities: 16 / Occupants: 22 Aircraft damage: Damaged beyond repair Location: 1,7 km (1.1 mls) E of Menzelinsk Airport (Russia) Phase: Approach (APR) Nature: Parachuting Departure airport: Menzelinsk Airport (UWKP), Russia Destination airport: Menzelinsk Airport (UWKP), Russia Narrative: A DOSAAF Let L-410UVP-E3 crashed near Menzelinsk, Russia, killing 16 occupants. There were 20 skydivers and two pilots on board. Shortly after takeoff from runway 20 at Menzelinsk Airport, the pilot reported the failure of the no.1 (left) engine, stating his intention to turn back Menzelinsk Airport. The aircraft was observed flying downwind until it descended and impacted the ground. It crashed onto a concrete wall segment and a pile of logs. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20211010-0 Going to NBAA 2021? Here’s What You Should Do • NBAA-BACE - 10/12/2021 to 10/14/2021 We curate a list of the things we’re excited to see and experience at the show. The aircraft display at NBAA-BACE takes over a significant part of the Henderson Executive Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada, during the week of the show. Julie Boatman First—we can all be glad we’re headed back to Vegas. In 2019, when the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) last held its Business Aviation Convention and Expo (BACE), the optimistic mood and clear, warm weather belied the storms that lay ahead in 2020 for the aviation industry—and the world. Between keynotes, education sessions, owner-pilot forums, new products, and networking opportunities, it can be hard to focus on the best path to take at a comprehensive—and extensive—event such as NBAA-BACE. But we can help you avoid FOMO with these tips. Before You Go 1. Take a look at the NBAA app and browse the sessions and forums for the days you plan to attend. Sometimes it helps to search by speaker to find those thought leaders you follow or want to learn more from. 2. Pack clothes that help you put your best foot forward—and make sure that outfit includes comfortable shoes. And though the Las Vegas Convention Center is air-con’ed to the hilt, the desert lies just outside and at the aircraft display at the Henderson Executive Airport. Think warm days and cool nights. 3. Budget time in your schedule to meet up with people you encounter at the show. Breaks for food and refreshments will also keep you energized. Day One Highlights (Tuesday - 10/12/2021) 1. The association always attracts interesting influencers and personalities to its events—and 2021 offers several treats. The first of those is opening keynote speaker Rob Riggle at 8:30 am Tuesday,. He’s joined by Steve Dickson, FAA administrator, Martine Rothblatt, chairperson & CEO of United Technologies, and Teddy Tzanetos, project lead on NASA’s Mars Ingenuity Helicopter. That’s a starry lineup! 2. The 2021 Business Aviation Sustainability Summit kicks off at noon on Tuesday, providing a critical platform for this segment of the aviation industry to address policymakers, leaders, and key stakeholders toward reducing aviation emissions and stimulating other initiatives. 3. The YoPro Networking Reception at 5:30 pm brings together young professionals in a promising session to share ideas, make connections, and help us move the needle into the future. Day Two Highlights (Wednesday - 10/12/ 2021) 1. Lindsay Vonn, Olympic alpine skier joins Dr. Sian Proctor, astronaut and geoscientist in Wednesday’s keynote session, starting at 9:30 am. Proctor was the mission pilot for Inspiration4—and Vonn has continued to inspire with a bestselling book and 2019 documentary on her storied career and amazing comebacks. 2. A focus on advanced air mobility courses though Wednesday afternoon, with sessions on the future of UAS, the regulatory environment needed to enable AAM, and maintaining secure operations in the decades to come. 3. Aviation loves to give back—and that’s the focus of the Corporate Angel Network Fund reception at 5:30 pm on day two. The event raises critical monies for CAN, which transports cancer patients to treatment centers around the U.S. through its network of corporate flight departments and donors. Day Three Highlights (Thursday - 10/13/2021) 1. If you haven’t made it out to KHND, Thursday morning is your chance, and you’ll be able to browse a wide range of the latest models—and pick the next one for your fleet or your company’s flight department. Check out the Owner/Single-Pilot Pavilion to network with peers if your operations lie within this segment. 2. NBAA hosts Collegiate Connect Day on Thursday morning from 9 to 11:30, with students and faculty invited to attend the conference and sessions focused on workforce development and community engagement. Guest speakers U.S. House Representative Dina Titus (D-1-NV) and U.S. House Representative Sam Graves (R-6-MO) will kick off the event. 3. NBAA hosts its National Safety Forum on Thursday morning as well, bringing together air safety inspectors from the National Transportation Safety Board, and sessions on professionalism, safety leadership, and a panel discussion on hot topics. How to Go You can still register for NBAA-BACE, which runs from October 12 to 14 in Las Vegas, Nevada, at this link. https://www.flyingmag.com/story/news/nbaa-2021-preview/ Southwest Airlines flight woes continue: 1,000 Sunday cancellations … and counting Kathleen Miller was sleeping when the text from Southwest Airlines arrived at 1:18 a.m. Sunday. Her 7:30 a.m. flight from Phoenix to Dallas was canceled. The Pennsylvania woman didn't see the text until she was at the airport, where Southwest representatives directed her to a snaking rebooking line next to the ticker counters. She stood in line for 45 minutes and left with a less-than-satisfactory rebooking option: a Tuesday flight. "Luckily we have relatives here in the city,'' Miller said. Stranded Southwest passengers across the country are struggling with a second day of mass flight cancellations by the nation's largest domestic airline. Southwest has canceled 1,018 Sunday flights as of 2 p.m. ET, according to flight tracker FlightAware. That's 28% of the the airline's scheduled flights and the highest of any U.S. airline by a wide margin. American Airlines has canceled 63 flights, or 2% of its operation, while Spirit Airlines canceled 32 flights, or 4% of its flights, according to FlightAware. The U.S. airports with the the heaviest flight cancellations for departures and arrivals Sunday are all big Southwest “hubs,” even if the airline doesn't refer to them as such: Denver, Baltimore, Dallas Love Field, Las Vegas and Chicago Midway. Southwest's Sunday cancellation are on top of 808 cancellations on Saturday, or nearly one in four flights. This during a busy travel weekend given a federal holiday on Monday. The airline blamed the problem on air traffic control issues and weather. In a statement Saturday the airline expressed optimism its operations on Sunday would improve, not worsen. "We experienced significant impact in the Florida airports yesterday (Friday) evening after an FAA-imposed air traffic management program was implemented due to weather and resulted in a large number of cancellations. We are working hard behind the scenes to minimize challenges and fully recover the operation as we take care of displaced crews and customers as quickly as possible. We will continue to reset our network today and hope to return to close to normal operations as we move into Sunday.'' On Sunday, the FAA responded to Southwest's statements blaming air traffic control issues and weather — without naming the airline — and said those issues were limited to Friday afternoon. “No FAA air traffic staffing shortages have been reported since Friday,” Steve Kulm, FAA spokesperson, said in a statement. "Flight delays and cancellations occurred for a few hours Friday afternoon due to widespread severe weather, military training, and limited staffing in one area of the Jacksonville Air Route Traffic Control Center.'' “Some airlines continue to experience scheduling challenges due to aircraft and crews being out of place,” the statement continued. “Please contact the airlines for details about current flight schedules.” Southwest has not commented on speculation about other possible causes, including opposition to a vaccine mandate the airline announced a week ago following the federal vaccine mandate announced in mid-September by President Joe Biden. “Southwest Airlines must join our industry peers in complying with the federal government’s COVID-19 vaccination directive,” Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said on Oct. 4. Casey Murray, president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA) blamed the flight woes on staffing and a “poorly run operation.” He said the rate of pilots calling in sick has not spiked this weekend. He said nearly three out of four pilots working Saturday had trips rerouted due to the flight woes. In a statement posted to its website Saturday, the union said: "SWAPA is aware of operational difficulties affecting Southwest Airlines today due to a number of issues, but we can say with confidence that our pilots are not participating in any official or unofficial job actions. "Our pilots will continue to overcome SWA management’s poor planning, as well as any external operational challenges, and remain the most productive pilots in the world. They will continue to be focused on their highest priority — safety.'' The fall travel troubles for Southwest follow a rough summer for the airline's operation. The airline's executives have repeatedly said their top priority is getting Southwest's operation back on track. The airline is hiring thousands of workers to help with a staffing shortage. https://www.yahoo.com/news/southwest-airlines-flight-woes-continue-150820206.html Southwest Pilots Blame 'Poor Planning' for 3,500-Plus Delays, Cancellations This Weekend Southwest Airlines pilots blamed poor planning for thousands of flights being delayed or cancelled over the weekend, resulting in massive frustration among passengers. No other airlines faced a large number of delays or cancellations. Twenty-eight percent of Southwest flights were cancelled Sunday, totaling to 1,019, while another 691—or 19 percent—were delayed by 5:30 p.m., according to FlightAware, a service that tracks commercial flights. On Saturday, the airline had 808 cancelled flights and 1,187 delayed flights. The company, for its part, pointed to air-traffic control problems and poor weather in Florida. "ATC issues and disruptive weather have resulted in a high volume of cancellations throughout the weekend while we work to recover our operation. We appreciate your patience as we accommodate affected Customers, and Customer Service wait times are longer than usual," Southwest Airlines said Saturday. In a memo obtained by The Wall Street Journal, Alan Kasher, Southwest's executive vice president of daily operations, said, "To protect our overall network from compounding issues, additional cancellations are occurring today." The FAA responded in a tweet on Sunday, not naming Southwest Airlines, saying that there were "no FAA air traffic staffing shortages" reported since Friday. "Flight delays & cancellations occurred for a few hours Friday PM due to widespread severe weather, military training, & limited staffing in one area of the Jacksonville en route center," the FAA said in the tweet. "Some airlines continue to experience scheduling challenges due to aircraft and crews being out of place." In a statement Saturday, the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA) pointed to poor planning as the actual cause of the cancellations. "Our Pilots will continue to overcome SWA management's poor planning, as well as any external operational challenges, and remain the most productive Pilots in the world," the union said in a statement. "They will continue to be focused on their highest priority—safety. SWAPA Pilots are true professionals and will always maintain the highest level of responsibility to their crews, their passengers, and our airline." The union said the pilots were "not participating in any official or unofficial job actions." It also blamed a schedule that leaves no margin for recovery when things go wrong, The Wall Street Journal reported. The airline flew a busier schedule than many other airlines, making it difficult for it to recover following the bad weather and technical issues. Only 4 percent of American Airline flights were cancelled Sunday, with 11 percent being delayed. Less than 1 percent of Delta flights—three in total—had been cancelled, with 10 percent being delayed by 5:10 p.m., according to FlightAware. The cancellations come at a difficult time for the Southwest due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Southwest said in August that it no longer expected to make a profit in the third quarter due to a poor travel outlook, as rising COVID cases fueled by the highly-contagious Delta variant halted many peoples' travel plans. The company was profitable during both June and July without government assistance, for the first time since the pandemic began. In the first half of 2021 alone, U.S. commercial airlines reported $4.3 billion in pre-tax losses, according to Airlines for America, an airline industry advocacy group. In an October 8 report, the organization warned, "After several months of steady increases, new ticket sales have subsided in large part due to a resurgence of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations." Some Southwest workers have recently voiced concern over the airline's vaccine mandate, with the pilots union filing a lawsuit and authorizing its workers to demonstrate against the mandate. The union has also authorized $1 million in support of those protests, which could begin this fall. Newsweek reached out to both Southwest Airlines and the pilots union for comment Sunday afternoon but had not heard back by publication. This story will be updated with any response. https://www.newsweek.com/southwest-pilots-blame-poor-planning-3500-plus-delays-cancellations-this-weekend-1637422 NBAA Safety Committee Targets Preventable Accidents NBAA’s Safety Committee recently issued its annual update to its list of major safety concerns. One area of the committee’s 2021/2022 focus is preventable accidents, which the committee has broken down into three primary categories: loss of control in flight (LOCI), runway excursions (RE), and controlled flight into terrain (CFIT). Searching through NTSB records, AIN chose these accidents as representative of those categories: Loss of control in flight: On July 26, 2021, the crew of a Bombardier Challenger 605 lost control while conducting a midday circling approach to Runway 11 at California's Truckee Tahoe Airport (KTRK) following the RNAV GPS Runway 20 approach. The Challenger caught fire on impact, claiming the lives of its two pilots and four passengers. Skies at Truckee were mostly clear, but visibility was just four miles. Westerly winds prevailed at 11 knots with gusts to 16. Although the aircraft operator held a Part 135 certificate, this flight was flown under Part 91. Early in the arrival sequence, the crew requested and received permission from Oakland Center to circle to Runway 11 despite a possible tailwind component and a southeasterly downslope on the runway. As the aircraft passed the LUMMO waypoint about 10 miles north of KTRK, the tower controller offered the crew the option of crossing over the field and entering a left downwind for Runway 29 or continuing to Runway 11. The crew stuck with their original choice of Runway 11 and reported that it was in sight. A tower controller cleared the flight to land on Runway 11, noting that ATC did not have the jet in sight. The flight crew’s acknowledgment of the clearance was their final radio communication. ADS-B flight path data showed that the Challenger overshot the Runway 11 centerline at low altitude and appeared to be trying to correct back at the time of the crash. One eyewitness recalled noticing the aircraft's low altitude and abnormal flight path. Another said the airplane was in a nose-down attitude and steep left turn during its final few seconds of flight, while a third—located about 50 feet from the accident site—reported that it came from the northwest, about 20 feet above the trees, and appeared to be intact. The airplane entered a steep left turn and banked erratically before it impacted trees and then the ground. Three surveillance videos captured the flight’s final movements and were all consistent with the witnesses’ accounts. The NTSB said the initial point of impact was with a tree that stood about 70 feet high and was about 120 feet west of the main wreckage. Portions of the right and left wings and control surfaces were found fragmented along the debris path. Additional airframe fragments were collocated with the main wreckage, which consisted of both engines, the empennage, and fuselage remnants. Runway excursion: The Aug. 19, 2019, mid-afternoon crash of a Cessna Citation Latitude some 600 feet past the end of Runway 24 at Elizabethton (Tennessee) Municipal Airport (K0A9) following a highly unstabilized VFR arrival. That arrival became noteworthy as the jet crossed a ridgeline northeast of the field at an altitude low enough to trigger a terrain warning. On approach, both pilots commented that the aircraft was traveling much too fast at the time. Approximately two minutes before touchdown, the pilot pulled the throttles to idle, where they remained for the rest of the arrival. “In an attempt to slow the airplane for landing, the pilot partially extended the speed brakes when the airplane was below 500 feet agl, which is prohibited in the airplane flight manual (AFM)," the NTSB said in an accident report. "Five seconds before touchdown, the airplane's descent rate was 1,500 feet per minute (fpm), which exceeded the maximum allowed for landing per the AFM of 600 fpm.” Additionally, the aircraft was approaching some 18 knots faster than the calculated Vref speed. The result was that the jet bounced four times on the runway before it finally left the paved surface. At touchdown, the pilot did not extend the speed brakes as recommended but instead attempted to deploy thrust reversers. The reversers did not deploy because the aircraft was in mid-bounce and the command could not be executed due to the system’s logic. These bounces and the pilot’s attempt to first open, then stow, the reversers created a system oscillation of sorts that left the engines unable to accelerate with the reversers still open. During the fourth bounce, the right main landing gear collapsed, and the aircraft left the pavement, finally stopping 600 feet past the runway threshold. The passengers and crew evacuated safely, but a post-crash fire destroyed the Latitude. Controlled flight into terrain: Details are still being gathered about the Aug. 5, 2021, crash of a DHC-2 Beaver Mark 1 floatplane into a mountain near the Misty Fjords National Monument some 10 miles northeast of Ketchikan, Alaska. The flight was being operated as a VFR sightseeing tour for passengers of the Holland America Line cruise ship Nieuw Amsterdam, which was docked at Ketchikan, where the flight was scheduled to end. The accident occurred just before midday and destroyed the Beaver while also claiming the lives of the five cruise ship passengers and one pilot aboard. A U.S. Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk crew that located the wreckage reported weather at the site as light rain and mist with moderate winds and two-mile visibility. Alaska Public Media (APM) said that 21 people have perished in sightseeing tour accidents in the Ketchikan area since 2015. APM noted that the NTSB determined the probable cause of a 2015 tour accident that killed nine people to be the pilot’s decision to continue the flight in the face of deteriorating weather. In 2017, the NTSB asked the FAA to create more conservative rules for the Ketchikan air tour industry. The board has since launched the Alaska Aviation Safety Initiative to determine what more can be done. Because the NTSB is just beginning its investigation into the July 5 accident, details of the Beaver pilot’s experience have not yet been made public. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2021-10-09/nbaa-safety-committee-targets-preventable-accidents NTSB Prepares to Recover 50-Ton Section of Crashed Jet The NTSB is getting ready to recover the submerged wreck of a jetliner from the ocean floor off Honolulu, Hawaii, including one very large fuselage segment. The aircraft is a Boeing 737-200 freighter, TransAir Flight 810, which ditched in Mamala Bay shortly after takeoff from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu on July 2. The aircrew reported that both engines failed shortly after takeoff, and they crash-landed after about 11 minutes of flight. Both pilots - the only two occupants onboard - were injured but survived the water landing. The wreckage came to rest on an ocean shelf at a depth ranging from about 350-450 feet, according to NTSB. The Eclipse Group-operated research ship Bold Horizon and a Curtin Maritime-owned crane barge will deploy to the site to conduct the recovery. According to Eclipse's vessel specifications, Bold Horizon has a six-ton A-frame on the stern for lifting, a deck crane and a 15-ton trawl winch. She also carries a work-class ROV for deep-water submerged operations, and this will be essential for rigging up wreckage for lifting. The mission's targets include the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, which should be located within a quarter-mile-long linear debris field. The salvors will also recover the aircraft's engines, which weigh about 3,000 pounds each, and two segments of the fuselage. A crane mounted on the barge will handle the heavier fuselage sections, and the heaviest segment weighs nearly 100,000 pounds, NTSB Senior Air Safety Investigator Lorenda Ward said in a briefing Saturday. Sea state allowing, the operation to bring in the engines should take several days, and the fuselage sections should take another week, Ward said. About 40 people will be involved in supporting the operation. Rhoades Aviation Inc., a division of Hawaiian freight line Transair, was the operator of Flight 810. It has ceased operating its remaining Boeing 737-200 aircraft because the Federal Aviation Administration revoked its license for aircraft inspection, citing maintenance deficiencies. The company's turboprop aircraft operations, which are housed under a separate division, have continued unaffected. https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/ntsb-prepares-to-recover-50-ton-section-of-crashed-jet Pilots’ errors upon descent led to fatal T-38 crash in February, Air Force says Instructor and student pilot error alike caused the fatal T-38C training jet crash Feb. 19 in Alabama, the Air Force found in an investigation published Thursday. The instructor, 24-year-old 1st Lt. Scot Ames of the 50th Flying Training Squadron at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi, was described as well-respected but inexperienced. Ames lost situational awareness on the final approach for landing and failed to take timely and necessary actions as a dangerous situation developed,” the investigator wrote. The student, 25-year-old Capt. Renshi Uesaki of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, who had language difficulties, also “substantially contributed” to the crash when he became overwhelmed in air traffic and left the throttles idling for too long at 18 seconds. “This undetected and uncorrected action, coupled with [Uesaki’s] additional flight control inputs to align with the runway, resulted in insufficient airspeed and altitude and an increased angle of attack and sink rate, and placed the [aircraft] outside the parameters for safe flight,” the investigation report said. Ames and Uesaki were flying into Montgomery Regional Airport on their way to Florida around 4:40 p.m. that afternoon when the student pilot undershot the final turn on his approach into the airport, also known as Dannelly Field, according to the investigation. The instructor told Uesaki to slow down and bank 40 degrees, so the student pushed the throttles to idle and turned left toward the runway — but ended up flying too slowly. Ames tried to intervene, taking control of the T-38C to level its wings, pitch up and fire the maximum afterburner. It was too late: The plane had slowed to 155 knots and was falling 1,100 feet per minute. The T-38C flew through 70-foot-tall power lines, a lighting tower and a grove of trees before it hit the ground within seconds, “approximately 1,800 feet from the approach end of runway 28,” the report said. Both men died instantly without trying to eject. Alabama Power Company employees near the mishap site dialed 911, and local civilian and military fire departments arrived at the scene about 30 minutes later. T-38Cs are supersonic jet trainer aircraft primarily used to prepare airmen to fly fighter and bomber planes. Circling approaches like the one Uesaki attempted can create an “insidious descent” if the pilot banks too hard, the Air Force noted. During those approaches, a pilot must not fly lower than a particular circling altitude and maintain a consistently lower speed as they align with the runway. Once they properly lined up and safe to land, the pilot can slow to their final airspeed and fully open the flaps to create the most drag. “The pilot must remain vigilant for stall indications and have the discipline to execute a go-around or stall recovery when required,” the report said. “The circling approach presents a potential sink rate problem in the T-38C that may not be accompanied by a stall warning.” Airmen labeled the flight to Alabama high risk because it required an inexperienced instructor and international student to fly over water into an unfamiliar airfield, amid low clouds and the possibility of light ice. The squadron commander approved the sortie nonetheless. Ames was up-to-date and qualified to fly the T-38C, “respected by his leadership and fellow instructors and had great rapport with his students,” the investigation said. “He had a reputation as one of the best and hardest working first assignment instructor pilots in the squadron.” Uesaki had flown the Talon since July 2020 but was deemed at least slightly below average in the airframe, the Air Force said. Still, he was known as a “very respectful, hard-working, diligent student who studied long hours in preparation for his sorties,” the service said. “He was also known to help other student pilots prepare for their sorties.” Uesaki’s instructors found that he had trouble speaking and understanding English despite completing language training in August 2019. That “directly impacted his ability to receive and process instruction as well as listen and talk on the radios,” the report said. “This challenge was exacerbated while flying instrument sorties, which required more frequent communications with” air traffic control. https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2021/10/10/pilots-errors-upon-descent-led-to-fatal-t-38-crash-in-february-air-force-says/ Texas Among Top States for Airplane Laser Strikes in 2021 The Federal Aviation Administration has announced that pilots reported more than 130 laser strikes on aircraft over the weekend of Oct. 1 to Oct. 3. This year, as of September 30, the FAA said it has received 6,723 laser strike reports from pilots, very close to the 6,852 total reports for 2020. Here are the top 10 states with laser strikes as of Sept. 30, 2021: • California 1,167 • Texas 605 • Florida 434 • Tennessee 377 • Indiana 306 • Washington 296 • Illinois 263 • Utah 203 • Georgia 202 • Colorado 187 According to FAA officials, people who shine lasers at aircraft face fines of up to $11,000 per violation and up to $30,800 for multiple laser incidents. The FAA said pointing lasers at aircraft creates a serious safety risk to pilots and may damage their vision. https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/texas-among-top-states-for-airplane-laser-strikes-in-2021/2762354/ TSA officers confiscate another gun at Pittsburgh International Airport Transportation Security Administration officers confiscated a gun in a passenger’s purse at Pittsburgh International Airport on Saturday. TSA officers found a loaded 9mm firearm in a purse belonging to a 39-year-old female passenger. The gun was located at an alternate security checkpoint, officials said. TSA officers alerted Allegheny County Police, who were able to determine that the woman had a valid concealed carry permit. The FBI was also notified. Allegheny County Police took possession of the gun. Charges are not expected to be filed by county police. Passengers who bring firearms into an airport checkpoint can face federal civil fines from the TSA of up to $10,000. Repeat offenders could face fines of up to $13,910. This comes as federal authorities recently promised to crack down on those who bring guns to TSA checkpoints. This year, TSA agents have caught 29 guns in carry-on baggage at Pittsburgh International Airport, with agents stopping five guns in six days in late September into early October. The Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office has agreed to revoke gun permits in some situations for individuals trying to bring guns to the airport checkpoints. https://triblive.com/local/tsa-officers-confiscate-another-gun-at-pittsburgh-international-airport/ Mission Aviation Fellowship Dedicates New Aircraft for Service in Africa GUELPH, Ontario, Oct. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) dedicates a new airplane that will serve isolated people in the African country of Angola. The airplane, a Cessna 208EX Grand Caravan, is currently being prepared for service, before it will be flown across the Atlantic sometime in early in 2022. • VIDEO “This new airplane will be replacing the oldest currently operating Caravan in MAF’s global fleet,” says Lowell Deering, MAF Canada’s VP of Operations. “It’s nicknamed ‘Wings of Hope (WOH)’ because of its registration. WOH is the 18th Caravan built of more than 2600 manufactured to-date, and has served in Africa since 1989 including Angola for over 30 years.” MAF Canada President & CEO Brad Bell says, "WOH provided faithful service in Angola for over 30 years, and is leaving a legacy of Hope. Imagine the legacy that this new aircraft is going to have. Its work will continue to make an impact for generations to come.” Purchased new, the Cessna Grand Caravan retails for roughly $3.6 million with all the equipment MAF needs to operate in remote areas. “This particular airplane really was a God-send,” says Bell. “It was built for another operator who was unable to take possession of it, so we were able to negotiate roughly $800,000 off the purchase price, which is unheard of for a plane with only 12 hours of flight time.” “The Cessna Caravan has been central to the work we’ve been able to do for 30 years in Angola,” says Bell. “There are no roads in or out of many of the communities we work in, and the ones that do exist are often unusable during the rainy season. We’re able to provide our ministry partners in Angola with a safe and timely alternative to days of overland travel, and sometimes, the only access that exists at all.” The new aircraft can carry up to 12 passengers, or a useful load of 1400 kgs. The plane will be used for medical evacuations, delivering doctors, healthcare workers, and national pastors, as well as carrying vaccines and medical equipment to remote clinics when time is critical. In particular, MAF is instrumental in elevating the status of women in community, by providing flights for hundreds of fistula patients each year. MAF is also key to the success of HALO Trust, an organization dedicated to eliminating the estimated 10 million landmines left behind by Angola’s 27-year old civil war. Since 1945, Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) has been using aviation and technology to reach isolated communities in the farthest corners of the earth. Today, we partner with over 1500 organizations to deliver support, hope, healing, spiritual care, and community development to thousands of communities where flying is not a luxury but a lifeline. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/10/08/2311389/0/en/Mission-Aviation-Fellowship-Dedicates-New-Aircraft-for-Service-in-Africa.html Transition To Digitized Aircraft Records Happening Slowly While digitizing maintenance records has received a lot of attention in the business aviation industry and led to the creation of companies that specialize in that area, many flight departments, Part 135 operators, and individual owner/operators still keep their records—including aircraft logbooks—on paper. Too many aircraft owners and flight departments have also suffered financial and operational losses from poor recordkeeping practices, according to the Foundation for Business Aircraft Records Excellence. In most instances, those situations were avoidable, it added. “It’s time we take the same care with the aircraft’s records as we do with the actual aircraft,” said the foundation’s executive director, Larry Hinebaugh. “Until we change the way things are done in the aviation industry, the state of aircraft records is unlikely to improve. Inertia is on the side of the status quo.” Education and technology awareness, Hinebaugh argued, will improve the state of aircraft recordkeeping, starting with “infiltrating aviation training and education programs at universities, colleges, and technical schools.” An aircraft’s logbook is one record that an owner doesn’t want to be incomplete or lost because it can “severely” affect the airplane’s value, according to Jared Hasty, director of sales and key accounts for aircraft brokerage Ogarajets. “We could give extreme examples where you’re talking 10, 20, 30, 50 percent of the value of your airplane is tied up in logbooks,” Hasty said during a recent ATP (Booth 1133) webinar. “I think if people were reminded of that more often, they would probably take better care of them, storing them better, keeping them more organized.” When the time comes to sell a business jet, its logbook and associated records should be complete, or else the transaction may be in danger. “You want to make sure everything is up to date and traceable,” said Philip Rushton, president of international jet sales consultancy Aviatrade. During the due diligence phase of a business jet acquisition, an inspection of its records “becomes a forensic exercise...[that] is the best term for it,” Rushton said. “You’re not looking for what’s there. You’re looking for what’s not there.” The founders of Bluetail (Booth 3026), a business aircraft record digitization platform launched nearly two years ago, said apathy about aircraft recordkeeping is probably one of the company’s biggest hurdles. Still, the company now supports business aircraft valued at more than $1 billion and has raised more than $2.1 million in a Series A investment round that closed this summer. “I think it's maybe not being aware that your logbooks, unlike your airplane, are not insured,” said Stuart Illian, who along with CEO Roberto Guerrieri founded Bluetail. “The people that keep their logbooks on a bookshelf…are probably our top challenge in educating the market as to why you really need this.” Generally, Bluetail recommends that clients scan aircraft logbooks, supplemental type certificates, airworthiness directives, and service bulletins, as well as delivery, maintenance, customs, legal, and financial documents, and “anything for the safety, compliance, or operation of that aircraft,” Illian said. He suggested even digitizing weight and balance records and “old 8130s”—FAA Authorized Release Certificate/Airworthiness Approval Tags. “It doesn't cost you much to scan, and [digital] storage is so cheap,” Illian said. “And with the tools that we’re building around search and auto organization, why wouldn’t you have everything in one place? Because you never know when you’re going to need that one little bit of information from 12 years ago. And rather than having to look through binders or filing cabinets, why not have it all in there, especially if it’s easy to find?” At Bluetail, the process of digitizing records begins with a subscription. Plans start at $69 a month per aircraft for owner/operators and $99 a month per aircraft for flight departments. Bluetail assesses how many records there are to scan—a banker’s box, for example, can include between 1,700 and 2,500 “images”—and then lets clients decide how to get the records to one of 120 U.S. scanning centers with which Bluetail has contracts. All of these centers are SOC 2 compliant, the criterion for managing customer data based on security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. The company can provide a bonded courier for transporting the records, or the client can take them directly to the scanning center nearest them. “We’ve tried to pick locations that are around major cities or business aviation hotspots,” Illian said. He estimates that 80 percent of Bluetail's clients choose the courier option. The rest request to have their records scanned at their business by a “mobile team” made up of airframe and powerplant technicians from Bluetail. “Some people, under no circumstances, will let those records leave the hangar,” Illian explained. “Obviously, that's going to cost a little bit more [to do the scanning there for the client].” It usually takes Bluetail about four weeks to scan a couple of banker’s boxes, he said. Illian added that while Bluetail provides clients with an estimate of how long it will take to scan and process their aircraft records, it consistently tries to beat that estimate. Guerrieri noted that as in other industries, the shift to digital recordkeeping in business aviation will take time. “While I’m not from the aviation space—but I’ve come a long way in two years—I’ve been with several companies in the [software as a service] world and have actually been a part of some big digital transformations,” he said. “I see the digital transformations happening in the aircraft records space, and a tipping point is coming," he added. "I don't know where or when, but we’re starting to see a groundswell of interest. The transformation’s happening...so that's what encourages us every day.” https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2021-10-10/transition-digitized-aircraft-records-happening-slowly With NASA partnership, Orlando begins planning for air taxis, flying cars ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando is preparing for when flying cars are an option for those who want to soar over congested highways or between nearby cities. And they may arrive far sooner than 2062, as “The Jetsons” predicted. The city has signed onto a partnership with NASA to develop strategies for welcoming electric oversized drones, which take off vertically from landing pads called vertiports. The city’s first vertiport, to be built by the German company Lillium, is planned for the Lake Nona area. Though officials suspect the mode of transportation could take off in coming years, so far the Federal Aviation Authority hasn’t approved any such vehicles for use. But a recent study found that a piece of a projected $2.5 billion market could be in play for early adopters of the technology. “We’ve heard from different operators that their hope is to be in operation with passengers sometime in the 2024-2025 time frame,” said Jacques Coulon, an Orlando transportation planning projects coordinator. “For us, that means they’ll want to have a vertiport in place and so we’ll need to have regulations set and full understanding of what those impacts are before then.” Nancy Mendonca, a NASA official working with Orlando and other governments in the partnership, said the agency has heard from the FAA that companies are already applying for certifications for potential air taxis. Local governments play a key role in charting the path for so-called “advanced air mobility” because city codes determine things like zoning rules for vertiports, economic development surrounding the stations and other important rules and infrastructure. Coulon said there could be several vertiports throughout Orlando soon, as the technology becomes more mainstream. Last year, Lillium reached a deal with the City of Orlando and Tavistock Group, Lake Nona’s developer, to build its vertiport, which could be the first in the United States. The city agreed to pitch in about $1 million over 10 years in the form of property tax rebates if the company complies with job creation and wage requirements. It’s estimated to cost about $25 million for the port with two landing pads and the ability to charge eight vehicles. Lillium’s planes are battery-powered and have 36 engines, officials said at the time. At first, trip costs would rival a luxury flight but could decline to rates similar to a car trip in about a decade, a Lillium official speculated. The city’s plan is expected to include a review of positive and negative economic, environmental and community impacts. Coulon also said it will focus on equity, in hopes of paving the way for vertiports to eventually be spread around the city so they’re accessible to people of all neighborhoods and income levels. The initiative, part of Mayor Buddy Dyer’s “Future-Ready City” priority, drew criticisms from some Central Floridians frustrated with the region’s lacking transportation infrastructure on the ground. Sam Gallaher, who advocates for transit upgrades and bicycle infrastructure, acknowledged it’s good for the city to have an eye toward the future. But he said Orlando has more pressing needs. “They haven’t really got a grasp of what is on the ground right now and that really needs to be a priority in general for the city,” he said, citing the need for bike lanes and complete streets. “We’re consistently ranked the most dangerous for people walking.” After a tweet from the city’s account promoted the NASA partnership last month, a few dozen accounts responded with criticisms of the city’s lack of downtown bike lanes and a train system that doesn’t run on the weekends. “I love you Orlando, but we haven’t even mastered pedestrian safety or public transportation and I highly doubt a working class mom who works at the airport would benefit from this,” State Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, tweeted. “Let’s be a present-ready city first.” Mendonca, NASA’s Deputy Advanced Air Mobility Mission Integration manager, said cities’ interest in planning reflects a lesson learned from scooters, which were criticized when they rolled out in many cities in recent years with limited regulation. In Orlando, the city learned after launching them it needed parking infrastructure and better instructions for where their use was allowed. “I think there have been some lessons learned there,” she said. “I think it’s great that the cities are starting to lean forward and look ahead.” Coulon said the work will be advantageous in the coming years when air taxis become more than science fiction. “We saw this coming to our backyard and we just didn’t want to wait and see what happened,” he said. “They’re going to come most likely whether we do anything or not, so for us, we want to plan for them.” https://www.pressherald.com/2021/10/10/with-nasa-partnership-orlando-begins-planning-for-air-taxis-flying-cars/ Blue Origin postpones William Shatner’s space flight by a day Still boldly going, just a little later than planned • William Shatner is heading to space on October 13th Jeff Bezos’ spaceflight company Blue Origin said Sunday it will postpone the flight that is slated to fly William Shatner to space due to forecasted high winds at its launch site. The flight of the company’s New Shepard spacecraft is now scheduled for 9:30AM ET on October 13th, a day later than originally planned. It’s targeted to lift off from Blue Origin’s Launch Site One in Texas. A statement on Blue Origin’s website said New Shepard NS-18 has met all mission requirements, and the astronauts have started their training. “Weather is the only gating factor for the launch window,” according to the statement, which is signed with the company motto “Gradatim Ferociter” (Latin for “step by step, ferociously”). The company officially announced last week that Shatner, best known as Captain James T. Kirk from Star Trek, will join the crew of New Shepard for its second crewed flight. Shatner, 90, will be the oldest person to fly to space. New Shepard’s first crewed flight in July brought Bezos, his brother Mark, aviator Wally Funk, and teenager Oliver Daeman to space. Shatner will be joined by Chris Boshuizen, a former NASA engineer and co-founder of satellite company Planet Labs, Glen de Vries, the co-founder of software company Medidata and vice chair of life sciences at a French software company, and Audrey Powers, Blue Origin’s vice president of mission and flight operations. https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/10/22719454/blue-origin-postpones-william-shatner-space-flight-new-shepard 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 Curt Lewis