Flight Safety Information - April 19, 2022 No.077 In This Issue : Incident: TUI Nederland B788 near Curacao on Apr 17th 2022, cracked windshield : How software saved a stealth fighter jet—and its pilot—from crashing in Alaska : Sleepy pilots is the No. 1 safety issue, say pilots : PILOTS PUSH FOR HELICOPTER WAKE-TURBULENCE AWARENESS : Some major U.S. airlines are dropping mask mandates for travelers : Cape Air reaches deal to buy Eviation’s 75 all-electric aircraft : NetJets Europe Marks Milestone Jet Delivery : Call for Nominations For 2022 Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award : Safeskies Australia - 2022: Call for papers Incident: TUI Nederland B788 near Curacao on Apr 17th 2022, cracked windshield A TUI Airlines Nederland Boeing 787-8, registration PH-TFL performing flight OR-703 from Bonaire (Netherlands Antilles) to Amsterdam (Netherlands), was enroute at FL390 about 150nm east of San Juan (Puerto Rico) and about 490nm northeast of Curacao (Curacao) when the crew decided to divert to Curacao due to a crack in the windshield. The aircraft landed safely on Curacao's runway 10 about 90 minutes after turning around. The airline reported the captain noticed a crack in the windshield and decided to divert to Curacao. All hotels in Curacao are busy, about a hundred passengers could not be immediately be accomodated, the airline is applying all resources to find shelter for the passengers, they even tried an empty nursing home. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=4f79a065&opt=0 How software saved a stealth fighter jet—and its pilot—from crashing in Alaska The 2020 incident occurred in an F-22 and involved software called Auto GCAS. Plus, what to know about two additional incidents in the same aircraft type. In June of 2020, a pilot flying an F-22 in Alaska reportedly became disoriented, and the aircraft likely would have crashed were it not for the intervention of a software system on the fighter jet. The F-22 in question had departed Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson in Anchorage, and was operating in “Instrument Meteorological Conditions” or IMC, which is when weather and visibility require the pilot to fly using their instruments. The incident, according to a short summary of the event provided to Popular Science by the Air Force Safety Center, occurred due to the pilot’s “spatial disorientation.” The pilot of the stealth fighter jet “was focused on their situation display and over-banked the aircraft to 135 degrees angle of bank and began to accelerate rapidly as the nose continued to fall,” the Air Force Safety Center reported. When the aircraft was at an altitude of 13,520 feet above sea level, with its nose pointed downwards, traveling at a speed of about 600 mph, a software system onboard the aircraft “initiated an automatic fly-up” and steered the fighter jet out of its descent. The aircraft was also reportedly inverted at the time that the software activated. The plane was about 2,600 feet above the ground by the time the system had finished recovering the jet from its plunge. The previously unreported F-22 event highlights the role of the software, called the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System, or Auto GCAS, and also represents the only completely confirmed save of a stealth fighter jet with this software, meaning that the pilot likely owes their life to the system. Here’s what to know about the Auto GCAS software, the ways in which spatial disorientation can be a threat for pilots, as well as two additional incidents in F-22s that also involved the Auto GCAS system. Auto GCAS and spatial disorientation Auto GCAS is not on every fighter jet. It is, however, on 100 percent of active F-22s, nearly 100 percent of the F-35A models that the Air Force flies, and roughly two-thirds of F-16s, according to the Air Force Safety Center. The F-22 is a stealth fighter jet known as the Raptor. It predates the Air Force’s more modern stealth fighter jet, the F-35. The Air Force would like to retire 33 of the Raptors, leaving 153 of them remaining in the F-22 fleet. Lockheed Martin officially credits the software with saving 11 pilots in F-16s, and now one pilot in an F-22 due to that June 2020 event. Spatial disorientation can happen in fighter jets, helicopters, or other aircraft if the pilot flying the machine becomes tricked by their senses. For example, the semicircular canals in a pilot’s inner ears can be fooled into “thinking motion is occurring when it’s not, or the vice-versa,” says Brian Pinkston, who is a physician with an expertise in aerospace medicine and former flight surgeon in the Air Force. A pilot in an aircraft that’s banking in bad visibility could, after a bit, stop noticing that the plane is banking because their “inner ear becomes habituated to that movement,” Pinkston says. In brief: An airplane can be gradually banking, but the pilot might not feel or notice that it’s doing so. The way to avoid being tricked by the inner ear when visibility is poor is to rely on the aircraft’s instruments for the ground truth “every single time,” Pinkston says. “And that’s the problem—the thing in fighters is, you’re a single person, and you may have multiple inputs coming in.” With a myriad of factors to juggle, it’s still possible for a pilot to still get disoriented. Over the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Another incident in an F-22 also involved Auto GCAS and took place over the Gulf of Mexico in a Raptor that had flown out of Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida on December 6, 2016. Like with the Alaska incident, the Air Force Safety Center also attributes this event to spatial disorientation. In this case, an alert from the software informed the pilot of trouble. The aviator in question “did not recognize a nose-low attitude while rolling to 45 degrees angle of bank and descending below 2,000 feet MSL [mean sea level] over water,” the Safety Center said. At 1,540 feet above sea level, the alert sounded in the cockpit and the pilot was able to recover the aircraft on their own, even though it had been dropping at an indicated rate of 9,400 feet per minute. The Safety Center said: “It was determined to be a save because the pilot was spatially disoriented and unaware of the altitude and attitude of the aircraft at the time of the Auto-GCAS alert and likely would have flown below the 1,000 feet floor or impacted the water without the aural warning.” The plane reached a low altitude of 1,430 above sea level. [Related: The Air Force wants to modernize air refueling, but it’s been a bumpy ride] While that incident took place more than five years ago, another one in an F-22 occured over the Pacific on March 2 of last year. The pilot, who had departed out of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in California, was practicing basic fighter maneuvers with another aircraft. While executing a specific dogfighting move, “the pilot lost sight of the other aircraft,” according to a summary of the incident provided by the Air Force Safety Center. From there, the pilot tried to find the other plane, but “inadvertently flew the aircraft into a nose-low acceleration toward the water,” the Safety Center said. When the aircraft was 4,520 feet over the water, with its nose angled down by 42 degrees, and traveling some 800 miles per hour, Auto GCAS took over control of the jet and righted it, according to the Safety Center. The F-22 got within 1,730 of the ocean below during the dive. In basic fighter maneuvers like what the F-22 pilot was practicing in the March incident, “probably the most dangerous thing that the pilot has to worry about is the other aircraft, because it’s moving relative to him or her,” Pinkston observes. In this case, it was reportedly the process of searching for that other aircraft that resulted in the pilot’s dive towards the ocean below. An incident like this one can “happen very easily,” says Cheryl Lowry, also a physician with a speciality in aerospace medicine and former flight surgeon with the Air Force. (Together, Pinkston and Lowry run a company called Kinetic Medical Consultants.) In incidents in which the “air speed is very fast, there’s a lot going on, you’re trying to watch that guy and potentially lock on him; you’re trying to navigate, you’re trying to use the radio communication equipment, and all of the distractions in the cockpit. And sometimes it’s easy to get target-fixated on that one thing, which is ok, ‘where is he? Where is he? Where is he?’” In this case, Lowry adds, it “sounds like the Auto GCAS worked as advertised—that’s exactly what it’s for.” How software saved a stealth fighter jet—and its pilot—from crashing in Alaska A Lockheed Martin illustration of how Auto GCAS works. It functions differently in an F-22 compared to F-16s and F-35s. Lockheed Martin A differing analysis Of the three incidents in 2021, 2020, and 2016, defense contractor Lockheed Martin—which developed the software along with NASA and the Air Force Research Laboratory—only considers the Alaska event in 2020 to be definitely a save that is attributable to the Auto GCAS software, while the Air Force Safety Center considers all three events to be software-based saves. The differing analysis of the events stems from a couple factors. One of them has to do with what are apparently different conclusions reached internally at the Department of Defense. In a statement, Lockheed Martin said: “Lockheed Martin’s ‘one confirmed save’ [in an F-22] number is based on guidance from DoD’s Safety department, i.e. Force Safety & Occupational Health division, which conducted an internal analysis for all three referenced incidents using available data from the resulting Class E Mishap Reports as well as pilot interviews and concluded that only the June 2020 event was an actual Auto GCAS save.” Meanwhile, the Air Force Safety Center says that all three F-22 incidents do have the software to thank for saving the aircraft and pilot. The Safety Center said: “The Air Force Safety Center and the F-22 Program office thoroughly reviewed the three F-22 incidents and consider all three of them to be Auto-GCAS saves.” A related reason why the analysis of the events differs is because of slightly varied ways that the software works on F-35s and F-16s as compared to F-22s. In the Raptor, the ground-collision-avoidance software “uses a minimum altitude set by the pilot as an artificial floor,” the Air Force Safety Center explained. Meanwhile, the other two jets employ a system that’s more dynamic in regards to the terrain below, allowing the “system to automatically set a recovery altitude that changes throughout a flight to ensure the aircraft does not enter a buffer zone above the terrain which prevents ground impact.” In short, the F-22’s software employs a static “line in the sky” below which the jet shouldn’t go, whereas the software in the other aircraft allows for more variation. Lockheed Martin said in a statement: “Due to the limited availability of related Line-in-the-Sky on-board algorithm data, Lockheed Martin was unable to conduct the typical Auto GCAS analysis (as is accomplished for F-16 activations) for the referenced three F-22 incidents.” The Air Force Safety Center also says that because of the different way the software on the F-22 functions, it “allows for more variation when interpreting whether a reported event is considered a valid save.” The human, the machine, and trust In the past, Auto GCAS has been credited with saving the lives of fighter pilots who have passed out while flying—here’s footage of one such event. A phenomenon called GLOC (G-induced loss of consciousness) can occur when a pilot, experiencing the pull of Gs as they maneuver, passes out because blood drains away from their brains. While both a physical exercise called the Anti-G Straining Maneuver and a piece of equipment called the G-suit on the jet can help an aviator avoid this potentially deadly problem, it still does happen. Incidents like these highlight the complex relationship between high-performance aircraft and the relative physical fragility of the humans who pilots them; they also highlight the question of when or whether software should take over in aircraft if needed, and how much trust the pilots might have in that software, an issue that’s even been the topic of academic research. “Things like Auto GCAS are definitely a life-saver, and will continue to advance as we look forward to newer fleets of fighter aircraft, and perfect this technology so that it continues to act as advertised, despite the growing speed and capability of our new-generation fighters,” says Lowry. “It’s not a negative that humans have to rely on systems like this—in fact it’s a testament to our ingenuity.” https://www.popsci.com/technology/f-22-agcas-save-alaska/ Sleepy pilots is the No. 1 safety issue, say pilots If you have plans to fly this spring or summer, file what I’m about to tell you under: “Man, I wish I didn’t know that.” Pilots at Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines say pilot exhaustion is the No. 1 safety issue facing air travelers as cockpit crews grapple with staffing shortages and long hours. “Fatigue, both acute and cumulative, has become Southwest Airlines’ number-one safety threat,” the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, or SWAPA, said in a letter to the carrier. Pilots say they’re whipped, stressed and generally run down by flight cancellations and rising demand for air travel. CNN, citing data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, says the top airlines are about 3,000 employees short of staffing levels seen prior to the pandemic. This is due in part to thousands of pilots retiring either because of mandatory age limits or because they’re just sick of the whole thing. “A lot of our delays and issues that we’re having have to do more with scheduling and connecting pilots with airplanes,” SWAPA President Casey Murray told CNN. “It is inefficient scheduling processes that are affecting when we work in a very dynamic environment.” Federal rules say pilots can fly 30 hours each week and must receive a minimum nine hours of rest between shifts. But pilots say their shifts have become more stressful because of staffing issues, cancellations and bad weather. Pilots from all carriers filed dozens of reports of mistakes or other incidents involving fatigue to the federal Aviation Safety Reporting System last year. “Both of us were yawning and eye rubbing halfway through our 6+ hour flight,” one captain wrote in November. “I was physically unable to keep up.” I think we can all agree that this isn’t acceptable for the people responsible for keeping nearly 500 tons of aircraft cruising 30,000 feet above the ground — with, by the way, hundreds of passengers hoping for the best. https://ktla.com/news/money-smart/sleepy-pilots-is-the-no-1-safety-issue-say-pilots/ PILOTS PUSH FOR HELICOPTER WAKE-TURBULENCE AWARENESS A group of helicopter pilots and aviation safety professionals have come together to research and share the importance of helicopter wake-turbulence safety with the aviation community. Helicopters generate powerful vortices when generating lift that can pose a risk to nearby aircraft that get too close to a helicopter, particularly one that is taking off, landing, or otherwise operating at low altitude near a runway. While long known to exist, the aerodynamic details of helicopter wake turbulence are not fully understood, or documented. Recent accidents and incidents inspired a new push to educate all pilots—both fixed-wing and rotorcraft—about the hazard created for nearby aircraft when helicopters are generating lift near runways and taxiways. The wake-turbulence safety group consists of Ned Parks, founder of Aegis 360 Consulting and former Army helicopter pilot, EMS pilot, and fixed-wing instructor; Gordon Harwell, aviation safety manager at PHI Air Medical; Greg Brown, director of education and training services at Helicopter Association International; and Bruce Webb, director of aviation education and communication at Airbus Helicopters. On September 18, Parks and Harwell witnessed a fatal accident at Wadsworth Municipal Airport in Ohio involving a Rans S–20 Raven and a Sikorsky S–76 helicopter. According to the NTSB report, “The helicopter was on the approach to runway 2, while the accident airplane had taxied to the end of the runway. Shortly after the helicopter passed the airplane, the airplane taxied onto the runway and started its takeoff roll. Moments later, just after the airplane became airborne, the airplane rolled inverted and impacted the runway. The airplane did not appear to contact the helicopter. A post-crash fire engulfed the airplane.” The report found that the vortices from the rotor blades are violent enough to upset light aircraft. “This started a whole conversation especially for those of us that are dual rated,” Parks explained, “This is just not a conversation that’s been talked about by anybody, anywhere. We’ve certainly taught wake turbulence, departing landing heavy aircraft…there’s just little to no conversations about this at all…There’s been other research done, mostly with helicopters at a hover…This [report by the FAA] is the only one I’ve found so far that talks about forward flight.” In their research, Parks and the team have watched multiple videos that captured incidents involving aircraft flying into helicopter wake turbulence. Parks said, “when you see those, it really gets your full and upright attention. I’d never seen them before and when I saw them it just woke us up and here we are as a working group, trying to educate the flying community.” Parks said much of what is known comes from a 1996 FAA research document, “the only one, so far, that I found [that documented wake turbulence generated by helicopters in] forward flight, and what they discovered in there was pretty amazing.” The report included data from tests performed on wake turbulence from a Bell UH-1, Boeing CH-47 Chinook, Sikorsky CH-53, and a UH-60A Blackhawk. Using the smoke flow visualization technique, they attached smoke to all four helicopters and paired them with an American Champion Super Decathlon and a Beechcraft T–34 Mentor flown by experienced aerobatic pilots. Parks told AOPA that, “in one report, the T–34 experienced a roll-rate up to 60 degree bank in a second.” Another section of the report indicated that on two occasions the Decathlon pilots abandoned a run while flying “in the wake of the CH-53E at a high speed because of an unexpected ‘shudder’ or apparent flapping of the wings.” Parks went on to share that the FAA has written that to avoid experiencing hazardous wake turbulence (one that induces a roll rate beyond 30 degrees unabated by pilot in a fixed-wing aircraft) one should not operate closer than 3 nautical miles. “Ironically,” Parks continued, describing a night flight with a student practicing instrument approaches in calm wind conditions, with a Eurocopter EC–135 helicopter practicing instrument approaches to the same airport. “I was tracking them on ADS-B, we were 4.2 nautical miles in trail and I was picking up his wake turbulence .... And they were in a descent.” Park’s referenced a March 5, 2022 incident involving two elderly woman in the United Kingdom who were blown over by a helicopter landing at a hospital while walking on a footpath; one of the pedestrians was killed. “People that don’t know, don’t know, and why would they? They’re walking across a parking lot, why would they think that they’re in danger?” The group has been presenting at events like HAI’s Heli-Expo as well as virtual presentations to other smaller groups to get the word out. In addition to raising awareness through presentations, the group is also seeking grants to perform additional studies of the effects of helicopter wake turbulence on fixed-wing light aircraft. https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2022/april/18/pilots-push-for-helicopter-wake-turbulence-awareness Some major U.S. airlines are dropping mask mandates for travelers Following the news of a federal judge in Florida ruling against the Biden administration's mandatory mask mandate for travelers onboard airplanes and other forms of public transportation, airlines are reacting by lifting mask mandates. On Monday, some of the major U.S. airlines — Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, American Airlines and Alaska Airlines — say that masks are now optional for travelers on their aircraft. In a statement to NPR, United Airlines says that masks are no longer required on domestic flights and select international flights. "While this means that our employees are no longer required to wear a mask — and no longer have to enforce a mask requirement for most of the flying public — they will be able to wear masks if they choose to do so, as the CDC continues to strongly recommend wearing a mask on public transit," the company said in its statement. A spokesperson for the airline says they will continue to "closely monitor the situation" in the event of changes from health officials. Delta said in a statement that masks are also optional onboard, but cautioned travelers that they may experience "inconsistent enforcement" over the next 24 hours as the news is more "broadly communicated." "Communications to customers and in-airport signage and announcements will be updated to share that masking is now optional — this may take a short period of time," Delta said in its statement. Similarly, Alaska Airlines said that masks for customers are now optional, but emphasized for passengers to be patient with the change in policy. "Even as more pandemic protocols and policies ease, our team will remain vigilant and prepared for whatever may come next," the airline said. "Safety remains our top priority." Alaska said they will be ready to respond if the U.S. is faced with another COVID-19 surge or even a new variant of the virus. TSA will no longer enforce travel mask mandate after a federal judge strikes it down POLITICS TSA will no longer enforce travel mask mandate after a federal judge strikes it down "Please remember to be kind to one another and that wearing a mask while traveling is still an option," the statement adds. Meanwhile, Southwest said in a statement that both employees and passengers could choose whether they would like to wear a mask and are encouraging those to "make the best decision to support their personal wellbeing." "We appreciate the cooperation and compliance efforts of our Customers and Employees as policies have evolved. We'll continue to monitor public health guidance, and federal requirements, while always keeping safety as our uncompromising priority," according to Southwest. American Airlines, too, is following suit and is ending its mandatory mask requirement for travelers and staff at U.S. airports and on domestic flights. The airline says that face masks may still be required in some places, based on local ordinances or when traveling to and from international locations. U.S. airline CEOs call on President Biden to end the federal mask mandate on planes NATIONAL U.S. airline CEOs call on President Biden to end the federal mask mandate on planes Just last week, the CDC extended the transportation mask mandate (which had been set to expire originally on April 18) through May 3 — allowing officials to take more time to study the BA.2 subvariant of COVID-19. However, on Monday, U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle ruled that the federal mask mandate on planes, trains, buses and other modes of public transportation is "unlawful." The federal travel mask mandate will not be implemented as the Biden administration reviews a Mizelle's ruling against it. https://www.npr.org/2022/04/18/1093451075/masks-optional-airlines-travel Cape Air reaches deal to buy Eviation’s 75 all-electric aircraft The agreement between the two companies brings zero-emission air travel closer to reality. Eviation's all-electric Alice aircraft can accommodate nine passengers and two crew members. Credit: Eviation / PRNewswire. US-based company Eviation Aircraft has signed a letter of intent (LoI) with Massachusetts-based Cape Air to sell 75 all-electric Alice commuter aircraft. Claimed to be one of the largest commuter airlines in the US, Cape Air aims to have a fleet of electric fleet and enabling the company to step into the sustainable era of aviation. Each day, the company is said to operate more than 400 regional flights across 40 cities in the Northeast, Midwest, Montana and the Caribbean. By having a fleet of all-electric Alice aircraft, the aim is to lower carbon emissions and operational and maintenance costs, while enabling quieter air travel. The agreement between the two companies brings zero-emission air travel closer to reality. Cape Air president and CEO Linda Markham said: “Cape Air remains committed to sustainability, growth, and innovation, and our partnership with Eviation allows for these commitments to become a reality. “Our customers will be at the forefront of aviation history and our communities will benefit from emission-free travel.” Eviation said that its all-electric Alice aircraft has the capacity to carry nine passengers along with and two crew members. The company noted that its electric-aircraft can fly 440 nautical miles on a single charge at a speed of 250 knots. Eviation Sales vice-president Jessica Pruss said: “Truly sustainable aviation not only reduces the impact of air travel on the environment but also makes business sense. “We are proud to support Cape Air, a recognised leader in regional air travel, to chart a new path in delivering innovative solutions that benefit airline operators, passengers, communities and society.” https://www.airport-technology.com/news/cape-air-eviation-electric-aircraft/ NetJets Europe Marks Milestone Jet Delivery 1. NetJets Europe marked the delivery of its 100th aircraft—a Cessna Citation Latitude— in Cascais, Portugal. NetJets has taken delivery of the 100th aircraft for its European fleet—a milepost that comes as part of the fractional aircraft provider's €2.2 billion ($2.36 billion) investment in its global fleet. The milestone aircraft is a midsize Cessna Citation Latitude, the delivery of which was marked with a celebration and water cannon salute in Cascais, Portugal. “I am thrilled to be celebrating the further expansion of our European fleet with this latest aircraft delivery,” said NetJets Europe executive director Christian Luwisch. “NetJets is proud of its unwavering commitment to safety, service, and unmatched global access. This landmark achievement is a testament to all at NetJets continuing to deliver exceptional service and access to our owners.” Globally, NetJets has more than 800 business jets in its fleet, ranging from the Embraer Phenom 300E light twin to the ultra-long-range Bombardier Global 7500. The company’s fleet investment calls for the addition of more than 130 business jets by the end of this year. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2022-04-18/netjets-europe-marks-milestone-jet-delivery FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | March 28, 2022 CONTACT: Philip Barbour, 205-939-1700, 205-617-9007 Call for Nominations For 2022 Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- The Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Foundation is now accepting nominations for the 2022 Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award, honoring a leader in global aviation safety. The Award is scheduled to be presented during Flight Safety Foundation’s annual International Air Safety Summit this fall. Presented annually since 1956, the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award recognizes notable achievement in the field of civil or military aviation safety in method, design, invention, study, or other improvement. The Award's recipient is selected for a "significant individual or group effort contributing to improving aviation safety, with emphasis on original contributions," and a "significant individual or group effort performed above and beyond normal responsibilities." Mechanics, engineers, and others outside of top administrative or research positions should be especially considered. The contribution need not be recent, especially if the nominee has not received adequate recognition. Nominations that were not selected as past winners may be resubmitted for consideration in subsequent years. Please note that self-nominations will not be considered. The Award Committee, composed of leaders in the field of aviation, meets each year to conduct a final review of nominees and selection of the current year's recipient. Please help us identify and honor this year's most deserving recipient. Nominations, including a 1-to-2-page narrative, can be submitted via the Laura Taber Barbour Foundation website at http://ltbaward.org/the-award/nomination-form/. Nominations will be accepted through June 3, 2022. For more information, including a complete history of Award recipients, see www.ltbaward.org. About the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Foundation and Award The Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award's story dates back more than 75 years. On April 14, 1945, after visiting family in Pittsburgh, Laura Taber Barbour was aboard a Pennsylvania Central Airlines DC-3 when it crashed into the rugged terrain of Cheat Mountain near Morgantown, West Virginia. All passengers and crew were killed. In 1956 her husband, Dr. Clifford E. Barbour and son, Clifford E. Barbour, Jr., in close association with The Flight Safety Foundation, established the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award in her honor. For the past 65 years, this distinguished award recognizing outstanding achievements in aviation safety worldwide has been presented at Flight Safety Foundation’s International Aviation Safety Seminar. In 2013, The Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Foundation was formed as an independent non-profit charitable organization composed of members of the Award Board, the aviation community, and the Barbour family. In addition to the annual presentation of the award, in 2019 the Foundation initiated a scholarship program that supports worthy students pursuing professional aviation studies. As the Foundation broadens its scope, the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award will continue to recognize those who significantly contributed to aviation safety. For more information on the Foundation, the award, and past winners, visit http://LTBAward.org Curt Lewis