Flight Safety Information - December 22, 2021 No. 254 In This Issue : Incident: Aeroflot B773 at Phuket on Dec 18th 2021, rejected takeoff due to engine failure : Incident: Gol B738 at Vitoria on Dec 12th 2021, captain's and first officer's instruments differ : Cessna 208B Grand Caravan - Fatal Accident (Texas) : Passengers get trapped on plane for five hours for pilot’s false positive Covid report in cockpitBuzz : Boeing and Airbus urge a delay in 5G wireless service over safety concerns : Mask rules leading cause of air rage incidents in 2021, Transport Canada data suggest : Safety Leadership’s Critical Function in SMS : The UK Has Designed a Liquid Hydrogen-Powered Aircraft : Mississippi Man Faces Prison Time For Targeting Aircraft With A Laser : US Approves $1.3B Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch for France : Launch of NASA's new space telescope delayed until Christmas Day : Business Aviation Safety Consortium (BASC) launches RampInspectionPrograms.com : ISASI 2022 Seminar - Survey : mba is currently seeking USA-based IOSA Flight Auditors! : Position Available - Internal Evaluation Program Evaluator I : Director of Safety – Bloomington, MN : PhD Research Survey Request Incident: Aeroflot B773 at Phuket on Dec 18th 2021, rejected takeoff due to engine failure An Aeroflot Boeing 777-300, registration VQ-BQE performing flight SU-275 from Phuket (Thailand) to Moscow Sheremetyevo (Russia), was accelerating for takeoff from Phuket's runway 27 when the crew rejected takeoff at low speed (about 60-70 KIAS) due to the failure of the left hand engine (GE90). The aircraft slowed safely and returned to the apron. The aircraft is still in Phuket (Standing Dec 22nd 2021). Rosaviatsia reported the crew did not shut the engine down, both were kept running. The reason for the engine failure was identified to be the failure to reach takeoff mode and associated drop of fuel pressure. http://avherald.com/h?article=4f201cd3&opt=0 Incident: Gol B738 at Vitoria on Dec 12th 2021, captain's and first officer's instruments differ A Gol Transportes Aereos Boeing 737-800, registration PR-GUZ performing flight G3-1395 from Vitoria,ES to Sao Paulo Guarulhos,SP (Brazil) with 176 passengers and 6 crew, was climbing out of Vitoria when the crew stopped the climb at about FL290 due to different indications on the captain's and first officer's instruments. The aircraft returned to Vitoria for a safe landing about one hour after departure. Brazil's CENIPA did not state, what indications were different between left and right side. The occurrence was rated an incident. http://avherald.com/h?article=4f1cba1b&opt=0 Cessna 208B Grand Caravan - Fatal Accident (Texas) Status: Preliminary Date: Tuesday 21 December 2021 Time: 09:25 Type: Cessna 208B Grand Caravan Operator: Martinaire Registration: N1116N MSN: 208B0417 First flight: 1994 Engines: 1 Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114A Crew: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 Total: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 Collision casualties: Fatalities: 1 Aircraft damage: Destroyed Aircraft fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Fulshear, TX ( United States of America) Phase: En route (ENR) Nature: Unknown Departure airport: Houston-George Bush Intercontinental Airport, TX (IAH/KIAH), United States of America Destination airport: Victoria Regional Airport, TX (VCT/KVCT), United States of America Flightnumber: 685 Narrative: Martinaire flight 685, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, crashed near Fulshear, Texas, killing the pilot. The aircraft departed Houston-George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Texas at 09:10 on a flight to Victoria Regional Airport, Texas. It reached an altitude of 4800 feet at 09:22 and remained at that altitude until it entered a sudden sharp descent at 09:25, according to ADS-B data. The Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office reported that the aircraft had collided with a (powered) paraglider. The paraglider was found dead about 5 km south of the location where the Cessna crashed. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20211221-0 Passengers get trapped on plane for five hours for pilot’s false positive Covid report in cockpitBuzz The flight was scheduled for Barbados from LondonThe flight was delayed after it was announced the pilot had tested positive for coronavirusAfter spending 17 hours in transit. the passengers came to know the report was a false positive A group of passengers was trapped on a British Airways flight for over five hours after their pilot tested positive for Covid-19. But it turned out to be a false positive. The flight, which was on its way to Barbados from London, was grounded just before take-off after the pilot received his Covid test report while he was in the cockpit. As passengers were buckled to their seats and awaiting take-off, an announcement was made about the development. Darcy Bourne, a professional hockey player, managed to record the announcement. She later shared it on TikTok. The 20-year-old said she had become agitated as the flight was already delayed by two hours. Eventually, she and her co-passengers were told they couldn't leave the flight as the pilot had tested positive for Covid-19. "What we're currently doing is looking for another pilot to take my place and that process is ongoing, but it's not going to happen quickly and at the moment we have got people in the process of trying to find someone," the pilot announced Darcy actually shared multiple videos to chronicle the chain of events. In an update, she said all the passengers were ejected after five hours and handed some food vouchers. The waiting period was long but the passengers were allowed to board the plane once again. The flight was actually for nine hours. Due to the delay, the passengers were stuck in transit for 17 hours. But there was a cruel twist in the tale. The flyers were later informed that the pilot's Covid report was a false positive. "We apologised and thanked customers for their patience and understanding while our teams worked hard to replace a pilot at short notice so that they could continue their journey," British Airways said in a statement. When the passengers landed in Barbados, they were handed a bottle of Caribbean rum as an apology for the delay. https://www.timesnownews.com/the-buzz/article/passengers-get-trapped-on-plane-for-five-hours-for-pilot-s-false-positive-covid-report-in-cockpit/842598 Boeing and Airbus urge a delay in 5G wireless service over safety concerns The heads of the two largest commercial jet makers, Boeing and Airbus, are warning against a plan to deploy new 5G wireless networks starting next month, saying interference from the upgrade could pose a danger to vital aircraft systems. In a statement emailed to NPR, Boeing said the aerospace industry was "focused on fully evaluating and addressing the potential for 5G interference with radio altimeters." "We are collaborating with aviation authorities, government leaders, airlines, and industry groups to ensure the continued operational safety of aircraft throughout the aviation system worldwide," it said. According to Reuters, Boeing Chief Executive Dave Calhoun and Airbus Americas CEO Jeffrey Knittel have called for postponing a planned Jan. 5 rollout of the new technology by AT&T and Verizon Communications. "5G interference could adversely affect the ability of aircraft to safely operate," the executives wrote in a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, adding that this could have "an enormous negative impact on the aviation industry." The companies have expressed concern that 5G, which operates on a frequency close to that used by aircraft systems such as radio altimeters, could cause interference. They've warned of possible flight delays in snowstorms and low visibility if 5G is deployed. Last year, the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics, or RTCA, a nonprofit that studies aircraft electronic systems, issued a report concluding that interference from 5G was a legitimate concern and potential safety hazard. And earlier this month, the Federal Aviation Administration issued airworthiness directives echoing those concerns. "[R]adio altimeters cannot be relied upon to perform their intended function if they experience interference from wireless broadband operations," the FAA said, adding it would require "limitations prohibiting certain operations requiring radio altimeter data when in the presence of 5G C-Band interference" for both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. Airlines are also worried. Southwest CEO Gary Kelly told a Senate hearing last week that the industry's top near-term concern "is the deployment of 5G." In November, AT&T and Verizon delayed the launch of C-Band wireless service by a month, and in an effort to break the stalemate, they also reportedly offered to limit power levels emanating from 5G towers for six months to give regulators a chance to assess whether the new technology would cause problems for aircraft. https://www.npr.org/2021/12/21/1066240779/boeing-airbus-5g-wireless-delay-aircraft-safety-concerns Mask rules leading cause of air rage incidents in 2021, Transport Canada data suggest TORONTO -- Many refused to wear a mask, others were intoxicated or caught vaping. Another passenger ran onto a runway, some threatened fellow passengers and crew, and a handful were taken into police custody. One reportedly pretended to sneeze on another passenger. Some flights had to return to the gate, while others had to be diverted. These are just some of the unruly behaviours reported on flights within Canada, according to a CTVNews.ca analysis of 2021 incident reports. There has been a clear increase in confrontations since air travel resumed according to one union representative, but these incidents are likely underreported. Airlines, the global trade magazine for the International Air Transport Association (IATA), recently reported that the rate of unruly passenger incidents doubled in 2020 and was a trend that continued in 2021. One airline member reported more than 1,000 incidents in a single week, IATA said. Coronavirus Coverage Tracking every case of COVID-19 in Canada Tracking variants of the novel coronavirus in Canada Quebec shuts down schools, bars, gyms, theatres as COVID-19 cases soar New COVID-19 restrictions in effect for parts of Canada; some productions cancelled COVID-19 booster shots: Will you need more than one? Early data reveals how effective vaccines are against the Omicron variant Canada receives more than 1M additional child COVID-19 vaccines: procurement minister Definition of 'fully vaccinated' not changing to three doses, for now, PHAC says Lab study suggests those who survive breakthrough COVID-19 infection may have 'super immunity' Omicron spreading and infecting the vaccinated: WHO Dramatic incidents of air rage captured on video have made headlines this year, with the most high-profile incidents -- like the man who was duct-taped to his seat over the summer -- taking place on U.S. flights. In-flight mask requirements due to pandemic health and safety protocols have been a particularly contentious flashpoint. In the U.S., more than 5,400 reports of unruly passengers have been made as of November 30, with nearly 4,000 of them involving masks, according to data put out by the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority. In addition, 1,017 investigations were launched so far this year, compared to the 182 initiated on average each year between 1995 and 2020. But Canada too has experienced its share of tense confrontations in the air, many of them involving masks. From January until October, the latest month for which data is available, Transport Canada’s monthly aviation security report on interim orders related to COVID-19 recorded 1,093 incidents of passengers refusing to comply with mask-wearing during a flight. Over the summer when air travel picked up, close to 200 incidents were reported each month in July and August -- roughly four times more than in April and May and double that of June. The number of reports tapered off in the fall, but remained at levels far above the first half of the year. Eighty-three passengers had to disembark the plane and at least 21 administrative monetary penalties were handed out, the security report shows. Still, not every mask incident escalates to the criteria of an unruly passenger, Transport Canada spokesperson Sau Sau Liu told CTVNews.ca. As of December 6, 2021, WestJet has issued travel bans to 118 customers this year for refusing to comply with mask requirements, a spokesperson told CTVNews.ca. The bans last for 12 months. WestJet has a three-step, zero-tolerance mask policy for each flight that begins with cabin crew asking a passenger to wear their mask. Unco-operative passengers are then given a warning that masks are required and compliance is necessary. The final warning involves giving a passenger notice that non-compliance will result in being notified that they will be placed on a no-fly list for 12 months. “With cases of non-compliance representing less than 0.02 per cent of all our guests flown, WestJetters have been working diligently to keep our operation safe throughout the pandemic,” WestJet media relations adviserMadison Kruger said via email. “A lot of travellers are out of travel practice and haven’t been on an airplane in more than 19 months, which we believe speaks more to the challenges and small percentage of unruly situations we are encountering, not unlike other industries.” VAPING AND SHOVING CABIN CREW A search of Transport Canada’s Civil Aviation Daily Occurrence Reporting System (CADORS) found 54 incidents reports involving unruly passengers in Canadian airspace this year, and another 10 involving Canadian airlines or flights that were departing or landing in Canada, but were outside Canadian airspace. Transport Canada cautions that while it aims to ensure CADORS data is accurate, the information should be treated as preliminary and subject to change. CTVNews.ca examined each report and found that the RCMP or local police were reportedly called in to meet the passengers in the vast majority of cases. In some cases, authorities made arrests or had to board the plane. More than half of the incidents occurred on “approach” or “descent,” while more than a dozen occurred while the plane was parked or taxiing. In each case where the plane was taxiing, the aircraft was forced to return to the gate where the disruptive passenger was offloaded. “You always want to take care of problems before the plane’s in the air. That's part of the training, right?’ said Troy Winters, the senior health and safety officer at CUPE, in a phone interview. Canada’s largest union represents more than 15,000 flight attendants across nine Canadian airlines. “Because once you're in the air it gets very complicated, but it's also extremely pricey. If once you take off you have to turn around and land that plane or land at a different airport -- nobody wants to do that.” That’s what happened to a flight in September out of the Washington-Dulles Airport for Frankfurt, Germany: a disruptive passenger forced the Airbus A330 to divert to Montreal, where police and ambulance were reportedly notified. Flights from or to Calgary International Airport saw the most number of incidents, followed by those arriving or departing from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. In at least 25 reports, refusal to wear a mask was specifically noted as the reason a passenger (or a family of passengers in at least one case) was being disruptive. In one report, a traveller leaving from Prince George, B.C. was described as rude to check-in agents, shoved flight attendants to access the flight deck, refused to mask, and sat in the first row, which was not their assigned seat. The aircraft, which was headed to Vancouver, was still parked. The RCMP was called in when the passenger refused to leave due to their behaviour, according to the report. PRETENDING TO SNEEZE In other reports, masks were not mentioned, but implied as the passengers were vaping on board and ignoring the flight attendants, for example. In one case, a passenger on flight from Calgary to Halifax was reported as likely intoxicated, not wearing a mask, and pretending to sneeze on other passengers. The individual also touched a cabin crew member and threatened another passenger, the report said, with crew labelling the offender as “level 3 unruly.” The passenger was handcuffed and taken into custody on arrival. Level 3 is defined by Transport Canada as “an incident where the safety of passengers or crew members is seriously threatened.” Only major security incidents such as credible threats of death in an attempt to gain control of the aircraft, sabotaging or attempting to sabotage an aircraft ranks higher. Not all events involve masking, however. SHAKING AND BANGING THE SEAT One passenger on a flight from Edmonton to Calgary “began shaking and banging the seat in front of them, and causing a disturbance,” according to one report. Staff called the police when the passenger did not stop, and the aircraft had to return to the gate where the passenger was asked to leave. Another incident involved two travellers who were escorted off their flight by police after an undeclared air pellet gun was found in their checked luggage. In remote northern Quebec, a passenger being escorted by two agents reportedly escaped and ran onto the runway. In a flight from Vancouver to Toronto, a traveller tried to open the flight deck door “while screaming that the aircraft was going to crash,” another report said. The tense situation was eventually defused with the help of other passengers and “no restraints were used.” In that particular incident, the lead flight attendant was also assaulted, which is not quite as rare as one might expect, Winters says. Hitting and spitting are the most common physical aggressions he hears about from airline staff, but not everything gets formally reported due to the complex and detailed forms that need to be filled out, according to Winters. “There's a lot of paperwork that happens when that kind of incident takes place. So we know for 100 per cent sure that there's a massive underreporting,” he said. CUMULATIVE STRESS FOR FLIGHT CREW Dealing with unruly passengers over masks has been an added layer of stress for airline staff, many of whom were already under enormous pressure from pandemic lay-offs. But the last thing companies and their employees want are outbreaks of COVID-19 on flights that could ground the industry again. “They didn’t sign up to be the mask police...They weren’t sitting around saying, ‘oh, I can’t wait to get a job where I can just yell at people to put their masks on,’” said Winters. “That's the thing that really wears down and really stresses them out. Because every time you start that conversation, you're bracing yourself for, ‘how are they going to respond?’” Winters said flight attendants are required to enforce the rules not only for their own safety, but importantly, for the safety of those on the aircraft. Even if they are vaccinated, they may be immunocompromised and not even know it, he added. But the cumulative stress from repeated confrontations can add up. “Even when there is no incident -- every time you have to walk down the aisle … you always have to be on guard and always have to be worried about things that you normally wouldn't be,” he said. “I'm not going to say it's every flight, but I'm going to say it's definitely by far the majority of flights where they have to have a conversation at least once.” The increase in incidents have also coincided with the increase in vaccinations, according to Winters, adding that he has never witnessed passengers becoming belligerent over being asked to wear their seatbelt or put their chair back up. “We're super stoked that everybody on the plane is vaccinated, but it's had this unfortunate effect of, ‘Well, I'm vaccinated, I don’t need to wear this mask anymore,’” he said. “We're as sick of this pandemic as everyone else. And we just ask folks to just be respectful and just treat everybody nice...at least be generally respectful and we'll all get through this. The end is coming. We’ve just got to all get there together.” https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/mask-rules-leading-cause-of-air-rage-incidents-in-2021-transport-canada-data-suggest-1.5699244 Safety Leadership’s Critical Function in SMS The presence of deliberate leadership in a safety management system may mean the difference between a system that works to bring risk under organizational control and one that is relegated to a manual that sits on the shelf collecting dust. Jason Starke Baldwin Aviation When an organization embarks on implementing a safety management system (SMS), it is very careful that the policies, processes and procedures to support the four components and 12 elements are developed and addressed. Project plans are developed and a champion(s) is assigned to ensure not one single item is missed in fear of creating a system that is ineffective or incomplete. Likewise, for those organizations that have already implemented safety management, great lengths are gone to through self- or external evaluation to ensure all components and elements are being addressed through the implemented framework. However, even with careful attention paid to the promulgated SMS framework, an important element seems to be missed – leadership. This may be difficult to resolve as leadership is not a discrete element on an SMS implementation plan or SMS evaluation, but is critical to the success of a functioning and effective system to manage safety. In reality, leadership is implied in the SMS framework under two of the four components. In the first component – safety policy and objectives – leadership is a substantial part of management commitment. Under this element, leadership is called out to provide critical resources, establish risk tolerability, hold managers accountable to safety management responsibilities, establish safety objectives for the organization, and develop a positive safety culture in the organization (ICAO, 2018). Under the fourth component – safety promotion – leadership is charged with engendering engagement in the safety management system through the provision of training resources and supporting rich communication across the organization (ICAO, 2018). In other words, leadership – specifically, what can be referred to as safety leadership – is a critical part of the safety management system that should not be overlooked if the organization wants to implement and maintain a robust SMS. Before diving into how leadership impacts the safety management system, it is first important to state that leadership is not the same as management. Management is a function where resources are guided/allocated/procured to accomplish tasks in support of the overall mission of the organization. Management is a function of position in the organization and usually comes with status and privileges commensurate with the position. Leadership, on the other end, is not a function of position but rather influence (Bass et al., 2008; Northouse, 2019). Leadership is about influencing and rallying followers to perform in support of understood and accepted organizational goals. There are many approaches to leadership that have been researched in academia to determine the impact on performance each one has, but the important point here is what leadership is and the importance of leadership in sustaining a safety management system. The presence of deliberate leadership in the SMS may mean the difference between a system that works to bring risk under organizational control and one that is relegated to a manual that sits on the shelf collecting dust. Regarding leadership approaches, there is one that is very counterproductive to developing and sustaining a robust SMS. This leadership style is referred to as Laissez-faire leadership, which is a hands-off approach in terms of influencing and guiding. While this leadership style may be acceptable, and even preferred, as a general leadership style in some of the more “hip” organizations, this approach can be detrimental to the development and sustainment of a robust SMS. A safety management system needs deliberate, hands-on leadership to thrive. This is not an invitation to micro-management – remember leadership and management are two different things – but rather a call for intentional engagement. However, worse than Laissez-fair leadership would be leadership that actively did not care about the SMS or is even antagonistic about the SMS. Where Laissez-fair suggests hands-off, leadership that is contra to safety management efforts is hands-on in a negative way. However, whether leadership is not present in developing and maintaining the SMS or leadership is not accepting and opposed to safety management, something called a SWAMP safety culture can develop. I first heard this term from Terry Yeomans, IS-BAH director, while working at IBAC and it stands for safety without management practices; and like in a real swamp, this is a bad place to be. In a SWAMP environment, the following are present in the organization: • Safety responsibility/accountability is not accepted and perceived as a burden • Accidents are accepted as part of the business — think of the last time a leader said, “it is not a question of if, but when” • There is minimal to no strategic planning for safety • Organization communications are siloed, and information is not shared • There is a lot of finger-pointing and blaming • This is a scary place to be, right? While some of these traits may be in any organization, in those with a SWAMP safety environment these traits are pervasive. What a safety management system needs is good, solid, deliberate safety leadership to not only ensure the work of safety management is done effectively but to build the culture to sustain safety management efforts. So, what are some traits of a good safety leader in the organization? According to Sperry (2013) and cast in a safety leadership light, the following are some characteristics of a good safety leader: • Identifies the safety vision and mission of the organization and communicates them widely • Creates a safety strategy for the organization including the development of safety objectives • Builds shared values regarding safety in followers (think safety culture) • Is engaged in organizational safety management efforts • Take a moment to reflect on the safety leadership in your own organization. Are some of the above traits apparent? If so, do you see how it ultimately influences safety performance in your organization? The traits listed above imply the deliberate practice of leadership in regard to safety. Add to that the last trait is explicit in defining a leader’s position in relation to the SMS – engaged. Earlier I stated that there are many approaches to leadership and that a given approach isn’t necessarily as important as the deliberate act of leadership. However, academic research has shown that there are two proven approaches to leadership in relation to safety. These two approaches are transactional leadership and transformational leadership. Specifically, transactional leadership has been proven effective in inspiring compliance with safety regulations and standard operating procedures (Clarke, 2013) while transformational leadership has been proven effective in instilling and maintaining a positive safety culture (Mullen et al., 2017; Zohar, 2002). Safety leaders have used both of these approaches in tandem, but I feel that effort should be put into an approach that inspires a passion for safety in the organization which ultimately leads to creating safety citizens — a topic for another article. The transformational leadership approach is perfectly suited to do this. Transactional leadership is effective in that the leader will provide something to the follower in exchange for something given by that follower. For example, if you – the follower – comply with the rules and don’t have an incident, you will get a reward from me – the leader. Or, it could be that the leader provides the follower with the tools to be safe with the expectation that the follower will use those tools to improve safety. This leadership approach is effective for instilling compliance-based behaviors, however, it is very shallow. In other words, since the behavior depends on a transaction, the behavior is based on extrinsic actions and/or rewards. What I feel we want in our organizations are followers who are intrinsically motivated to be safe and improve safety in the organization. Transformational leadership has been shown to influence followers at the deeper level of motivation (Muchiri et al., 2019). This is accomplished through the four facets of transformational leadership which are: • Inspirational motivation • Idealized influence • Intellectual stimulation • Individual consideration • A transformational safety leader casts the vision of safety and what needs to be done to support it (inspirational motivation), sets the example regarding safety behavior (idealized influence), encourages follower participation in developing safety solutions and risk controls (intellectual stimulation) and always remembers that the safety management system is not a mechanized group of processes and procedures, but is comprised of people. As such, the transformational safety leader will coach individuals who doubt safety management and gently hold individuals accountable for his/her safety management obligations (individual consideration). So, what does deliberate leadership result in with relation to the safety management system? The presence of robust safety leadership will experience rewarding safety objectives being set and resources committed to achieving them, giving safety practitioners a “seat at the table” and holding line managers accountable for safety management responsibilities. Importantly, however, is that leadership will be actively engaged in the safety management of the organization. An absence of leadership – or even an antagonistic leadership approach – can lead to safety without management practices. A quid pro quo approach to safety leadership will get you compliance, but provide a transformational experience to change hearts. This will instill an innate sense of wanting to improve safety in the organization and set the tone for the organization in terms of safety. Finally, and importantly, leaders need to stay engaged. Be present, be accessible, lead deliberately and shepherd your organization into safe operations. Jason Starke currently serves as the director of standards for Baldwin Aviation. Prior to this, he served as the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) operations manager, working with both the IS-BAO and IS-BAH programs. He joined IBAC from Universal Weather and Aviation where he led efforts to develop an SMS software solution and SMS training for Universal’s business aviation clients. He also served as a part-time simulator instructor for FlightSafety International in the CL-601 and HS-800XP training programs. He has an Airline Transport Pilot certificate and is rated in the CE-500, CL-600, and HS-125. Starke started his career as a satellite systems operator in the U.S. Air Force and has a B.S. in Meteorology from Northern Illinois University and a Master of Aviation Science from Everglades University. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership at Northcentral University. Starke also teaches aviation safety and SMS at the University of Southern California, Viterbi School of Engineering. https://www.aviationpros.com/ground-handling/ground-handlers-service-providers/ramp-operations-training/article/21247671/safety-leaderships-critical-function-in-sms The UK Has Designed a Liquid Hydrogen-Powered Aircraft The search for alternatives to gas-powered aircraft has resulted in several concepts, including battery-powered aircraft and those with hydrogen fuel. The Aerospace Technology Institute, a British government-funded research organization, has finalized its design for a hydrogen-powered plane that could theoretically travel halfway around the world without needing to refuel. The “FlyZero,” as it has been dubbed, would be mostly identical to existing passenger planes, boasting 279 seats and operating within existing airlines. However, the plane’s major selling point would be its ability to fly without producing carbon emissions—a major concern, as aviation is a substantial contributor to climate change. Consequently, the plane has been advertised as a practical green alternative to existing air travel. The search for alternatives to gas-powered aircraft has resulted in several concepts, including battery-powered aircraft and those with hydrogen fuel. However, although small battery-powered planes exist, battery-powered commercial aircraft are not currently practical at scale, as a pound of batteries contains far less energy than a pound of jet fuel. Hydrogen, on the other hand, contains far more than gasoline at the same weight, but far more difficult to store, as it is ordinarily a gas. The solution to this problem has usually been to liquefy the hydrogen by substantially lowering its temperature, storing it in cryogenic fuel tanks during the flight. The ATI’s proposed aircraft would have a 54-meter (177-foot) wingspan, with two turboprop jet engines, one underneath each wing. It would have its hydrogen stored in cryogenic tanks, each kept at minus 418 degrees Fahrenheit, along the rear fuselage of the plane, as well as two smaller ones along the forward fuselage for balance. Unlike burning jet fuel, which releases carbon dioxide and other dangerous fumes, the only waste created by burning hydrogen is water. Hydrogen’s current shortcoming against gasoline is that it is more expensive to operate. Additionally, while infrastructure for refueling with jet fuel is already widely adopted around the world, it is nonexistent for liquid hydrogen and would be difficult to create from the ground up. Despite this, the ATI claimed in its press statement that the plane would have “superior operating economics compared to conventional aircraft from the mid-2030s onward,” as investments in green technology and infrastructure lower the cost of hydrogen. The firm has raised 1.95 billion pounds, or $2.6 billion, in funding since its establishment in 2013. Of that, an estimated 15 million pounds, or roughly $20 million, was spent on the FlyZero project. https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/uk-has-designed-liquid-hydrogen-powered-aircraft-198312 Mississippi Man Faces Prison Time For Targeting Aircraft With A Laser A Mississippi man is facing federal charges related to months of instances of pointing a laser at aircraft inbound to Memphis (Tennessee) International Airport, just a few miles from the state line. The 52-year-old resident of Benton County, Mississippi, could be sentenced to up to five years in prison with fines of up to $25,000 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee. The investigation began on July 15, when the FAA informed the FBI that airplanes inbound to Memphis International Airport were being targeted by green laser beams. According to an airport news release, 49 aircraft were targeted in the first seven months of the year, most of them operated by FedEx. The lights appeared to originate from the area of Hardeman County, Tennessee, and Benton County, Mississippi. On Aug. 11, a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation aircraft overflew Hardeman County with surveillance cameras and “almost immediately began reporting laser strikes originating from the south and southwest of their position,” according to the agency. With laser-like accuracy, the cameras “pinpointed an individual standing in front of a residence,” where they saw him pointing the laser at aircraft inbound to the airport. Agents dispatched on the ground observed the man as he pointed a laser at an incoming aircraft. They later found a green laser pointer in the front-yard trash can of the house. The suspect admitted that he had been targeting airplanes for several months, and now faces prison time and a stiff fine. https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/mississippi-man-faces-prison-time-for-targeting-aircraft-with-a-laser/ (Photo Courtesy: US Navy) US Approves $1.3B Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch for France The US State Department has tentatively approved the sale of the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) to France at an estimated $1.3 billion. The potential foreign military sale includes Advanced Arresting Gear and related equipment for France’s next-generation aircraft carrier, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency stated. “Implementation of this proposed sale will require the assignment of approximately 40 US government and contractor representatives to France for 10 weeks per year in calendar years 2033-2038, to support shipboard system installation, commissioning, certification, aircraft compatibility testing, flight deck certification, and sea trials,” the agency added. Advantages Over Steam Catapult France and the US have been in talks over the General Atomics system acquisition since 2018. The system has several advantages over the traditional steam catapult, such as launching a greater variety of aircraft, from heavy fighter jets to lighter unmanned aircraft, thanks to its greater launch control. The EMALS is lighter than a steam catapult, occupies less space, and requires 25 percent less staffing and maintenance. Moreover, it requires less freshwater than a steam catapult, reducing the demand for energy-intensive desalination. The construction of France’s next carrier, Porte-Avions de Nouvelle Génération, is expected to begin in 2025. It will enter service in 2038, the year the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle will be retired. The 75,000-ton nuclear-powered carrier will have a fleet of Rafale M fighters and the sixth generation Future Combat Air System. It will have the capacity to launch 60 sorties a day thanks to the three EMALS expected to deploy. https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/12/22/us-aircraft-launch-for-france/ Launch of NASA's new space telescope delayed until Christmas Day (Reuters) - Liftoff of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, designed to peer farther than ever into the universe, has been delayed until Christmas Day at the earliest, due to poor weather at the launch site on South America's northeastern coast, the space agency said on Tuesday. The 24-hour weather delay at the Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana follows a two-day postponement from an earlier Dec. 22 targeted launch window caused by electronic communications difficulties between the launch vehicle and its payload, according to NASA. Encapsulation of the powerful infrared telescope inside the cargo bay of an Ariane 5 rocket was completed on Dec. 17. The rocket is now poised for blastoff between 7:20 a.m. and 7:52 a.m. EST (1220-1253 GMT) on Saturday. If all goes according to plan, the $9 billion instrument will be released from the rocket after a 26-minute ride into space. It will then take the Webb telescope a month to coast to its destination in solar orbit roughly 1 million miles from Earth - about four times the distance from the moon. By comparison, Webb's 30-year-old predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope, orbits the Earth itself from 340,000 miles away. Named for NASA's chief during most of the 1960s, Webb is about 100 times more sensitive than Hubble and is expected to revolutionize astronomers' understanding of the universe and our place in it. Webb mainly will view the cosmos in the infrared spectrum, allowing it to gaze through clouds of gas and dust where stars are being born, while Hubble has operated primarily at optical and ultraviolet wavelengths. The new telescope's primary mirror - consisting of 18 hexagonal segments of gold-coated beryllium metal - also has a much bigger light-collecting area, enabling it to observe objects at greater distances, thus farther back into time, than Hubble. That advance, astronomers say, will bring into view a glimpse of the cosmos never previously seen - dating back to just 100 million years after the Big Bang, the theoretical flashpoint that set in motion the expansion of the observable universe an estimated 13.8 billion years ago. Webb's instruments also make it ideal to search for potentially life-supporting atmospheres around scores of newly documented exoplanets - celestial bodies orbiting distant stars - and to observe worlds much closer to home, such as Mars and Saturn's icy moon Titan. The telescope is an international collaboration led by NASA in partnership with the European and Canadian space agencies. Northrop Grumman Corp was the primary contractor. The Ariane launch vehicle is part of the European contribution. https://www.yahoo.com/news/launch-nasas-space-telescope-delayed-022758645.html FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Business Aviation Safety Consortium (BASC) launches RampInspectionPrograms.com Data collecting website, provides latest need-to-know data regarding RIP, SAFA, and Ramp Checks Worldwide! RampInspectionPrograms.com, a BASC company, was launched today amidst considerable fanfare, as a FREE portal to aid aviation professionals’ preparation for interaction with Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) inspectors and personnel. The website provides an avenue to report the important details of Ramp Inspection Program (RIP), Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft (SAFA), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and other various Ramp Inspections worldwide. Equally important, there is a search function that allows flight crew to search for recent or archived CAA activity at their destination airport. The site and data are flight crew centric and gather answers to questions that aircraft crew want to know. Specific metrics and amplifying information are provided for each interaction including: airport, FBO, time of day, time required to complete inspection, demeanor/professionalism of the inspector, areas of emphasis, documentation shared to satisfy requests, SMS queries, and general recommendations. Crews having experienced a RIP, SAFA, or FAA Ramp Check are incentivized to report by the desire to help their fellow professionals, as well as, receive a gift for each report. The submitter of any type of inspection that has occurred in the past two years, that can be accurately described and accounted, is eligible for a free gift. Rick Malczynski, the Founder and President of BASC, is extremely excited about the project. Extensive polling conducted by BASC in 2019, that accounted for dozens of SAFA checks revealed that hanging your hopes on a piece of paper to have a successful interaction was not an acceptable plan. Further polling revealed that over 80% of respondents believed that the biggest factor in determining a successful Ramp Check was the level of preparation of the operator. BASC focused on that area and methods of preparation via the quarterly BASC Continuing Education/Safety Round Table series, and during external and internal auditing. There still remains some anxiety and uneasiness, despite the RIP checklist and supporting/training documents that are available on the Agency’s website. Malczynski commented, “We have been watching these compliance processes evolve since well before BASC’s existence, and being operational ourselves, we understood the trepidation of some of the teams of being confronted with this situation. Any tool we can provide to aid in preparation, and reduce concerns, is a winner. Personally, I knew that if I was in Brussels and after landing, a gentleman with horned-rim glasses and plaid vest was waiting to come aboard the aircraft, …after the basics, we were likely to have a conversation about Dangerous Goods. Although our manuals did not follow ICAO requirements in the exact order, I was prepared to share where the required elements and documentation could be found. This approach laid the foundation for a more professional and pleasant experience. The website and service are at no cost, available to all of aviation, and you get a gift for sharing an inspection experience. Being a pilot myself, I can vouch that flight crew have a penchant for free stuff. This is a no brainer!” If you have had any type of interaction with a Civil Aviation Authority in the past two years, teams are requested to submit their experience as soon as possible. The new website is RampInspectionPrograms.com. ### About the Business Aviation Safety Consortium (AviationConsortium.com, LLC or BASC): Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, BASC serves as a logical partner for SMS, regulatory, and operational excellence verification for high performing business aviation organizations. BASC was founded in 2016 and accepted the first member in January of 2017. For more information, visit http://www.aviationconsortium.com. Apply Now! mba is currently seeking USA-based IOSA Flight Auditors! Do you have over 5 years of aviation experience, 2 years’ experience in Flight Operations, and have completed Auditor Training? Then submit your resume to mba@mba.aero for an opportunity to join our IOSA Audit Team! *IOSA is a registered trademark of the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Internal Evaluation Program Evaluator I LAS VEGAS, NV /SAFETY & SECURITY – COMPLIANCE /FULL-TIME Summary Perform evaluations in accordance with department schedule and special evaluations as directed by the Director of Internal Evaluations. Visa Sponsorship Available: No Minimum Requirements A combination of Education and Experience will be considered. Must be authorized to work in the US as defined by the Immigration Act of 1986. Must pass a Criminal Background Check. Education: High School Diploma/GED Years of Experience: Minimum one (1) year of working knowledge of SMS, DOD principles, and the FAA SAS DCTs. Preferred Requirements • Bachelor's degree in a related field. • FAA Commercial Pilot or Airline Transport Pilot Certificate, Airframe & Powerplant Certificate, or Aircraft Dispatcher Certificate. • One (1) year of auditing experience. • Working knowledge of IOSA standards and recommended practices. • Work experience in 14 CFR 121 air carrier operations; stations, training, quality control, maintenance, operations, safety, or a combination thereof. • Previous experience maintaining and enhancing corporate safety standards and safe operational practices. Job Duties • Performs scheduled and special evaluations, including identifying and defining issues, reviewing and analyzing evidence, and documenting findings and concerns. • Collects objective evidence necessary to substantiate findings or concerns. • Prepares evaluation reports. • Recommends solutions to findings or concerns. • Monitors the development and implementation of corrective action plans. • Maintains and updates internal evaluation files. • Verifies the implementation of solutions and corrective action plans. • Other duties as assigned. Physical Requirements The Physical Demands and Work Environment described here are representative of those that must be met by a Team Member to successfully perform the essential functions of the role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the role. Office - While performing the duties of this job, the Team Member is regularly required to stand, sit, talk, hear, see, reach, stoop, kneel, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer, keyboard, printer, and phone. May be required to lift, push, pull, or carry up to 20 lbs. May be required to work various shifts/days in a 24-hour situation. Regular attendance is a requirement of the role. Exposure to moderate noise (i.e. business office with computers, phones, printers, and foot traffic), temperature and light fluctuations. Ability to work in a confined area as well as the ability to sit at a computer terminal for an extended period of time. Some travel may be a requirement of the role. COVID-19 Vaccination National Mandate Allegiant requires all team members to complete a record in Allegiant’s Vaccination Tracking Tool. Team Members may opt to provide records documenting their fully vaccinated status or agree to comply with weekly COVID-19 testing and reporting. Requests for medical and religious exemptions for those who cannot be vaccinated will be considered with substantiating documentation. Essential Services Provider Allegiant as a national air carrier is deemed an essential service provider during declared national and state emergencies. Team Members will be required to report to their assigned trip or work location during national and state emergencies unless prohibited by local, state or federal order. EEO Statement Equal Opportunity Employer: Disability/Veteran For more information, see https://allegiantair.jobs People of color, women, LGBTQIA+, immigrants, veterans and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. APPLY HERE Director of Safety – Bloomington, MN Who Are We: Life Link III is a premier, nationally recognized air medical transport company, known for our clinical excellence, superior aviation program, and reliable response in providing care to critically ill or injured patients. Our priority is to do everything possible to give every patient their best chance for the best possible outcome – demonstrated by our unwavering commitment to providing the highest level of care to our patients while on-board safe, state-of-the-art aircraft. We continually focus on innovation and work 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 serve. We do this work while living out our core values of safety, customer focus, excellence, integrity, innovation, and collaboration. Position Summary: At Life Link III, we believe that safety is interwoven in everything we do. We look at our leaders as agents of change, investing their talents to push the boundaries of the status quo and strive for excellence in air medical transport. The Director of Safety is a key leadership position and ideal for an experienced visionary, looking to utilize their experience and skill set in safety and apply to an industry-leading air medical program. This position engages directly with Life Link III’s CEO, Board of Directors, consortium members, while also serving as a trusted resource and safety advocate for all employees. The primary focus of the Director of Safety is the promotion of a strong safety culture and 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). The ideal candidate will be a collaborative leader who embodies 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, PhD Research Survey Request This survey aims to understand whether a gap exists between the regulatory authorities' expectation of Crew Resource Management training curriculum (FAA outlines this in AC 120-51E) and the current training offerings across all facets of the industry. If a gap does exist, the study aims to understand which topics are under or inaccurately trained, measure the baseline level of understanding of these topics, and the perception of relevance-to-safety by industry pilots. To make it easy, I’ve created a posting that you’re welcome to modify and personalize or completely ignore and make your own. :) ----------------- Calling all pilots: A pilot and Ph.D. student is conducting cognitive science research on Crew Resource Management. Would you please help them by taking this survey? https://forms.gle/pkXH3cH1BYbvSoGz5 It’s 34-questions of mostly multiple-choice and shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes. Your input is anonymous and very much appreciated! Participation in this survey aids in the ongoing research on aviation human performance, human factors, and safety culture. -------------- Thank you, in advance, for your support. Kimberly Perkins Captain I Researcher I Writer Ph.D. Student University of Washington Doctoral Research: The Impact of Cognitive Biases on Aviation Safety Curt Lewis