Flight Safety Information - June 10, 2022 No.111 In This Issue : Biden Expected To Nominate Phillip Washington For FAA Administrator : NTSB: Pilots At Fault For Fatal Hawaii Air Tour Crashes, But So Is FAA : Laser danger: A rise in reports of lasers pointed at pilots : Medway Air Ambulance Renews Its EURAMI Accreditation, Earns a NAAMTA Accreditation, and Achieves an ARGUS Platinum Rating : Bogus Parts Could Indefinitely Ostracize Russian Air Transport : FAA launches campaign to recruit next generation of air traffic controllers : Lufthansa Unveils the First Certified 3D-Printed Metal Part for Aircraft Engines : Vistara Now Has 50 Aircraft In Its Fleet : NASA joins the effort to explain UFO sightings by military pilots : Position Available: Heavy Maintenance Vendor Inspector : APSCON 2022 / APSCON Unmanned 2022 in Reno, NV : July 25 - 30, 2022 : GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Biden Expected To Nominate Phillip Washington For FAA Administrator The Biden administration is planning to nominate Phillip Washington as the next FAA administrator, according to a report from The Seattle Times. Washington is currently serving as CEO of Denver International Airport (DEN), a position he has held since July 12, 2021, and his first aviation-related role. Before taking over at DEN, he worked as CEO of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) and CEO of the Denver Regional Transportation District. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Washington served in the U.S. Army for 24 years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Columbia College, a master’s in management from Webster University and is a graduate of the Harvard University Kennedy School for Senior Executives in State and Local Government. In addition, Washington led the Biden administration’s transportation team during the presidential transition. As previously reported by AVweb, former FAA Administrator Steve Dickson announced plans to resign last February and officially stepped down at the end of March. Billy Nolen, who previously worked as associate administrator for aviation safety, is serving as the agency’s acting administrator until a new administrator is chosen. If nominated for the role, Washington will need to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate prior to stepping into the five-year position. https://tinyurl.com/2tv4esdw NTSB: Pilots At Fault For Fatal Hawaii Air Tour Crashes, But So Is FAA The National Transportation Safety Board analysts are raising concerns about small plane and helicopter pilots taking greater risks when they encounter bad weather. The decision by an experienced Kauai pilot to fly his helicopter and six sight-seeing passengers into fast-deteriorating weather during his last scheduled flight of the day — weather that three other tour pilots chose to avoid — clearly played a role in the 2019 crash that killed everyone aboard, federal investigators say. But the National Transportation Safety Board also lays much of the Safari Aviation crash’s blame on the agency that regulates Hawaii’s air tours and their pilots: the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA has failed to take key steps in response to previous fatal crashes in Hawaii that would make local tour flights safer, the board says. “Real safety change comes when our recommendations are implemented, and in this case we talk about several recommendations we’ve issued that could have prevented this accident,” NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said bluntly last month during the group’s meeting to discuss the agency’s findings into the crash. The scathing Kauai report, released late last month, comes amid a decades-long tug of war between the NTSB and FAA over how strict the rules governing air tours and skydiving should be. Neither the FAA nor local tour operators responded to requests for comment this week. Industry insiders, however, have previously said that the FAA must consider impacts to tour operators’ ability to stay in business while the NTSB, as an independent investigator, doesn’t have to consider those financial consequences when it issues safety recommendations. Yet, local tour crashes continue to occur fairly regularly. On Wednesday, Hawaii saw its latest air tour accident when a Paradise Helicopters tour crashed in a lava field on the Big Island, near South Point. No fatalities were reported but authorities say all six people on board were injured, two of them seriously. The pilot was trapped in the wreck but was later “extracted.” It’s not yet clear what caused the accident. From 2000 through 2019, Hawaii saw 11 fatal helicopter tour crashes resulting in 45 deaths, according to NTSB records. Six of those fatal crashes were weather-related, NTSB staff said at the board meeting held in May. For the Safari accident, the NTSB’s final report points to nearly a dozen previous recommendations to the FAA that it says could have helped prevent the Airbus AS350’s crash into the remote Kokee terrain that had been blanketed in late-afternoon clouds and rain. The wreckage was found about a half-mile off the standard course to Na Pali Coast. Those recommendations include installing and maintaining weather cameras at critical locations across the island state, where the local conditions can turn on a dime, so that tour pilots can watch for potentially dangerous changes in real time. The FAA has installed several cameras around the state but still has a long way to go to install all 26 that are planned, officials say. Only two have been installed on Kauai and neither of them are in the northwest part of the island where the Safari helicopter crashed, according to the NTSB. The independent agency has also been pushing for more than a decade for the FAA to develop a specialized “cue-based” training program customized for tour pilots in Hawaii. That program, similar to one that already exists in Alaska, would teach local pilots to watch for the signs of bad weather so that they can avoid it before the situation gets dangerous. Several of those recommendations, including one for cue-based training, stemmed from a similar weather-related helicopter tour crash on Kauai in 2004 — the Bali Hai Helicopters accident in Kalaheo that killed five people. The Kauai report follows another recently released report into a separate fatal air tour crash in 2019 – the Novictor crash in a densely populated Kailua neighborhood that killed the pilot, 28-year-old Joseph Berridge, and his two passengers. For that accident, the NTSB found that the pilot, who had been hired by Novictor to fly its Robinson R44-model helicopters just two and a half weeks prior to the crash and had logged only three days flying the local tours, was flying faster than he should have been when the helicopter ran into heavy storm gusts. “Excessive flapping” caused the main rotor blade to hit the cabin, and the helicopter broke apart mid-air, according to that report, landing on a busy residential street. “Those recommendations still haven’t been implemented and as a result more lives were lost,” Homendy said of the 11 total previous recommendations flagged in the Kauai report. An ‘Overwhelmed’ FAA Field Office The NTSB, which is responsible for investigating civil transportation accidents across the U.S., further found that at the time of the deadly 2019 accident on Kauai, the FAA’s Honolulu field office only had two fully trained investigators out of six total positions. It had two trainees helping, and the remaining two positions were vacant. The field office relied on mainland field offices to help with its oversight. Its manager lacked any operational flight or maintenance experience, according to NTSB investigators. “This person was set up to fail, in my view.” — NTSB Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg “This person was set up to fail, in my view,” NTSB Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg said at the May meeting. “I find it hard to believe that the FAA can with a straight face say that they were effectively overseeing the safety of any and all flight operations in Hawaii.” NTSB staff described the FAA’s Honolulu field office as overworked, overwhelmed and unable to attract sufficient staff in part due to the islands’ cost of living. That’s made it difficult, they say, to oversee tour flights that the NTSB conservatively estimates carry some 200,000 people around the Hawaiian Islands each year. In 2020, an FAA whistleblower said that he was denied a travel request to inspect Safari Aviation weeks before the crash. That whistleblower, Joseph Monfort, further alleged inappropriately close ties between local FAA managers and Novictor, the company whose helicopter crashed in Kailua. A ‘Drift’ Toward Risky Behavior? In their report on the Kauai crash, NTSB analysts raise concerns that amid the lack of robust FAA oversight local pilots in the industry are gradually taking greater risks during flights when they encounter bad weather. The pilot who took that flight, 69-year-old Paul Matero, was Safari’s chief pilot and he may have misjudged the severity of the weather because such thick, cloudy weather usually descends on Kauai from the northeast, not the northwest, the report said. He may have concluded that the atypical weather front was relatively minor, or he was “overconfident in his abilities,” the report said. He might not have realized that the flight was in trouble until it was too late, the report said. In 2010 Matero had his pilot license revoked when he tested positive for drugs but got a new one the following year when he was eligible again. NTSB investigators ruled out any impairment due to drugs, alcohol or a medical condition as a cause in the crash. Safari helicopter crash air tours NTSB Footage taken from another helicopter at the time of the 2019 Safari crash shows thick clouds developing north of Waimea Canyon. It also shows other nearby helicopters, such as the one circled, violating a Hawaii air tours rule to maintain at least three miles of visibility, investigators say. National Transportation Safety Board Because there was no flight data recorder or black box — and no special on-board equipment to track the helicopter’s path through steep terrain — there’s no way to know whether Matero had control of the chopper when it crashed into a slope, the NTSB added. Helicopter video footage shared with NTSB investigators of Waimea Canyon’s northern rim at the time of the 2019 crash showed a blanket of clouds moving into the area. Other tour helicopters nearby diverted from their path and avoided the same, ill-fated route as the Safari chopper. Nonetheless, the footage also showed that those helicopters, from two companies other than Safari, violated a Hawaii air tours rule that requires pilots to maintain at least three-miles of visibility around them, agency board members noted. “They were getting way too deep in,” Landsberg said of the helicopters in the footage. “We know that the rules say three miles, and yet helicopters (are) being surrounded by fog and clouds and rain and pilots (are) pushing and pushing and pushing and then finally they say, ‘whoops we’re over our heads.’” Chances For Legislative Change The NTSB’s report on the 2019 Kauai crash doesn’t mention the Kailua one that occurred earlier that year, but “the theme is still there,” U.S Rep. Ed case said last week. In each situation the pilot “got himself into a problematic situation” that he didn’t anticipate and then wasn’t able to adjust to avoid catastrophe. Case has spent much of his latest term in Congress scrutinizing air tours and the noise and safety concerns voiced by locals on the ground in Hawaii. His Safe and Quiet Skies Act, introduced in 2019 to help reform the industry, has thus far failed to gain traction. However, Case sees an opportunity to codify the key provisions in that bill, which include forcing the FAA to adopt NTSB recommendations, when the FAA comes up for reauthorization before Congress in 2023. “That’s your opportunity, that’s your opening — and that’s the purpose of reauthorization,” Case said. The state Legislature this year also passed a measure that would require air tour operators to file monthly reports with information on all of their flights, including disclosures of any aircraft that deviate from their flight plans and fly over sensitive areas. The bill now awaits a decision from Gov. David Ige on whether it should become law. A Decades-Long Tug Of War Homendy made the long-standing tensions between the NTSB and FAA clear when she traveled to Hawaii in June 2019 — about six months before the Safari crash — to survey the wreckage of a skydiving plane at Dillingham Airfield that killed all 11 people aboard. NTSB Member Jennifer Homendy made the long-standing tensions between the NTSB and FAA clear when she traveled to Hawaii in June 2019. Addressing reporters at Ala Moana Hotel, Homendy implored the FAA to impose stricter maintenance, inspections and pilot-training standards on the skydiving industry. “Are we trying to put the FAA on notice on this? Yes,” Homendy said during the press briefing. Historically, the NTSB has issued at least 138 recommendations aimed at making air tours safer. It considers the FAA’s response to at least 29 of those unacceptable, including several that stem from Hawaii crashes. In the 2019 Safari crash, 47-year-old entrepreneur Amy Gannon, Gannon’s 13-year-old daughter, Jocelyn, and a family of four from Switzerland all died along with Matero. Gannon’s husband, Mike, and their 16-year-old son, Aaron, did not join that tour, which occurred during the Wisconsin family’s vacation on Kauai. Mike Gannon later told the Wisconsin State Journal that he and Aaron had planned to fly on a tour several days later. “Jocelyn really wanted to go first,” Gannon said. https://www.civilbeat.org/2022/06/ntsb-pilots-at-fault-for-fatal-hawaii-air-tour-crashes-but-so-is-faa/ Laser danger: A rise in reports of lasers pointed at pilots The FAA is urging the public to help cut down on the number of incidents with lasers being pointed at pilots New dangers for pilots roaming the skies inside cockpits, a rise in lasers sending blinding lights straight into their eyes. Chief Warrant Officer-4 Andrew Wickland knows the danger posed by a laser strike on aircraft. In 2020, he was piloting a Wisconsin National Guard Blackhawk helicopter above protest marches in Milwaukee, when his chopper was hit multiple times by a laser shined from a neighborhood below. "Every time we'd make a circle it seemed over one area, we'd get a green laser that would come up to the aircraft," Wickland said. "You could tell they were targeting the aircraft." A 12 News search of FAA records shows a dramatic rise in the number of aircraft laser strikes. After a few years of declining cases, there was an 8% increase in laser incidents nationally in 2019 — ion 2020, a 12% rise. In 2021, there was an alarming 42% jump to a record high of 9,723 reported laser strikes on aircraft. "It pretty much blocks out your vision," Wickland said. "When the laser comes in and hits you in the eye, you can't see anything." The greatest danger comes when planes are taking off or landing. "Basically an entire glow around the windshield," flight instructor John Turzenski said. "And that runway you saw just a few seconds ago might be completely disappeared." WISN 12 News investigated and found that it is a problem here in Wisconsin. There has been a total of ten reported incidents so far this year — in Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay and La Crosse. Pointing a laser at an aircraft is a federal crime, punishable by up to five years in prison. In 2020, 12 News spoke with Jeremiah Belen of Milwaukee. He pled guilty and apologized for his actions. He was sentenced last September to one-year probation. Now, the FAA wants your help to help stem the surge in laser strikes. It's encouraging the public to report any laser incidents they witness. "Are you surprised that the instances of this are increasing?" Kent Wainscott asked. "I am. It's not funny," Turzenski said. "There's nothing fun and games about it. It just shouldn't be happening." "We take this very seriously, and we hope it doesn't continue into the future at the rate it is," Wickland said. You can report any laser incidents here. https://www.wisn.com/article/laser-danger-a-rise-in-reports-of-lasers-pointed-at-pilots/40246618# Medway Air Ambulance Renews Its EURAMI Accreditation, Earns a NAAMTA Accreditation, and Achieves an ARGUS Platinum Rating Medway Air Ambulance is a leader in the air medical transport industry, providing domestic and international medical flights for neonatal, pediatric and adult patients. LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga., June 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Medway Air Ambulance is now one of the only fixed-wing air ambulance providers in the country to earn a dual accreditation for air medical transports, including individual endorsements for its adult patient transfers, Neonatal and Pediatric expertise, and commercial medical escorts. Medway's FAA Part 135 aviation program also earned the prestigious ARGUS Platinum certification, the highest possible rating for aviation safety and service. Medway's elite accreditations and its extensive 22-year history of service solidify its role as a leader in air medical transport. "Earning both the EURAMI and NAAMTA accreditations this year highlights Medway's ongoing commitment to excellence in patient care," stated Medway's Vice President of Business Development, Mark Chapman, RN. "Our achievement assures healthcare professionals, patients, and families worldwide that the Medway team is trained and equipped to successfully handle complex transports." The accrediting agencies, European Aero-Medical Institute (EURAMI) and National Accreditation Alliance Medical Transport Applications (NAAMTA), each set strict air medical transport quality and safety standards for domestic and international flights. The independent audits verify that Medway excels in its medical practice and documentation, quality management system, and safety protocol for international and domestic transports. Both EURAMI and NAAMTA awarded Medway their full air ambulance accreditation, specifically recognizing its specialty Neonatal and Pediatric transport capability. Medway is a contracted provider for pediatric Centers of Excellence, routinely providing medical flights for the best children's hospitals nationwide. In addition to the validation of Medway's medical expertise, Medway is certified for operational excellence in aviation. The ARGUS International Base Operations Audit and Rating Program awarded Medway the coveted ARGUS Platinum rating for aviation. The elite distinction is based on a comprehensive audit of the aircraft maintenance, pilot training program, emergency response plan, and safety management system. Independent accreditations and certifications are especially helpful to consumers who seek safe, high-quality air medical transports for their loved ones. "Our entire organization is built on a foundation of safety. Protecting our patients and our crews is at the heart of every decision we make," said Matt Kinney, Medway's Vice President of Flight Operations. "The ARGUS Platinum rating reflects our determination to ensure Medway is the safest air ambulance program in the country." About Medway Air Ambulance Since 2000, Medway Air Ambulance has provided thousands of medical flights for neonatal, pediatric, and adult patients. With 24/7 air medical transport coordination, Medway delivers responsive service and international flight capability. Medway is one of the largest in-network and contracted air ambulance providers in the country, working with travel assistance programs, workers' compensation plans, and health insurance companies. Medway also partners with world-renowned children's hospitals to provide neonatal and pediatric transports using its specialized medical team and equipment. Medway, a Part 135 air carrier, owns and operates its aircraft from its headquarters in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Contact: Medway Air Ambulance Office: 800-233-0655 570 Briscoe Blvd. Lawrenceville, GA 30046 Website: http://www.medwayair.com/ https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/medway-air-ambulance-renews-its-eurami-accreditation-earns-a-naamta-accreditation-and-achieves-an-argus-platinum-rating-301565000.html Bogus Parts Could Indefinitely Ostracize Russian Air Transport The Sukhoi SSJ100 contains many components made by Western suppliers now prohibited from exporting parts to Russia. United Aircraft Corporation continues development of a "Russianized" SSJ using locally made components to counter the effects of the sanctions. An influx of unapproved aircraft parts fitted to Western airliners in Russia seems set to further destabilize relations with the global air transport industry. Earlier this week, Kremlin-backed news agencies confirmed that the country's aviation safety regulator Rosaviatsiya has issued certificates to five Russian aerospace groups to develop parts for imported aircraft, including widely used Airbus and Boeing models. According to independent data and analytics group GlobalData, Rosaviatsiya also has waived requirements for Russian airlines and their maintenance organizations to only use parts certified by FAA and EASA. Analyst Harry Boneham said the unilateral measures will further “poison the well” for relations between the Russian industry and foreign finance groups and suppliers, and seriously undermine the asset values of any aircraft fitted with unapproved hardware. “The installation of Russian improvised parts will likely compromise the airworthiness of modified aircraft in the eyes of Western regulators,” said GlobalData in a report issued this week. “Furthermore, Western parts manufacturers may take legal action against their Russian counterparts due to copyright infringement, which could delay or deter regulators from certifying Russian-made parts. As a result, Russia’s extensive Western-made fleet is unlikely to be certified in Europe and the U.S. in the medium term. Even if the war abates and the sanctions are removed, Russians will be kept in a form of de facto isolation due to a lack of certified aircraft.” Airbus and Boeing aircraft account for almost three-quarters of Russia’s airliner fleet, with equipment such as the Superjet SJ100 made by government-controlled domestic manufacturer United Aircraft Company (UAC) supplying almost all the other aircraft. Boneham told AIN that UAC is urgently redesigning its new MC-21 aircraft, scheduled to go into series production in 2025, to replace all Western-supplied equipment and systems. Initially, the production certificates hastily issued by Rosaviatsiya cover less safety-critical components such as seats and galleys, but GlobalData has seen a leaked report from the Russian transportation ministry suggesting that the scope of unapproved parts manufacturing has extended to items such as brakes and thermal pipes. Boneham said that the Russian air transport industry likely will start to cannibalize foreign aircraft for parts. As the use of unapproved parts increases, the integrity of aircraft operated in Russia will now be very hard to guarantee. “For leasing companies, it will be hard to trace what parts are installed and even if they can recover the aircraft [from Russia] it will be hard for them to get them back to [Western-certified] airworthiness because of the [unapproved] parts they will have in them,” Boneham explained. While in the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the sanctions it triggered, owners of Western aircraft rushed to get their equipment aircraft out of the country, GlobalData said the worsening situation has prompted aircraft owners instead to consider writing off the assets altogether. “The prospect of international lessors recovering the approximately 500 aircraft leased to Russian operators is now even more remote,” GlobalData reported. “Sanctions ordered many lessors to terminate their agreements with Russian carriers and halted any attempts to recover their aircraft from Russia. Despite this, hundreds of foreign-owned aircraft have been flying Russian domestic routes, after a law change allowed operators to re-register an aircraft in Russia without first obtaining proof of deregistration from the previous registry. This is a move that has irrevocably damaged the relationship between lessors and Russian operators.” In March, Valery Kudinov, who at the time led Rosaviatsiya’s airworthiness maintenance department, confirmed that China had refused to supply Western-approved components for Russian aircraft. The official said that the Russian industry would likely turn to countries such as India and Turkey, which have continued to back the Putin administration, to source parts through unofficial channels. Boneham explained that traceable bar codes on parts mean that Airbus and Boeing should be able to detect abnormal usage patterns that might suggest which customers are supplying Russian operators. In his view, Russia is a relatively small market for the Western airframers in global terms and so they likely will prioritize the preservation of good relations with customers outside the country. As Russia’s airlines increasingly depend on bogus parts to keep their fleets airborne, Boneham said that government-backed manufacturers like UAC will look to accelerate domestic production rates. Since aircraft owned by Western companies can no longer even be flown to friendly states such as China using the mechanism of dual registration, he sees the Russian fleet becoming increasingly home-built and assets that he characterized as effectively “stolen” consigned to boneyards waiting to have any remaining serviceable parts stripped for illicit reuse. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2022-06-09/bogus-parts-could-indefinitely-ostracize-russian-air-transport FAA launches campaign to recruit next generation of air traffic controllers The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that it is launching a recruitment campaign targeting the next generation of air traffic controllers. Called ‘Be ATC’, the campaign aims to target diverse organizations, work with social media influencers, and host Instagram Live conversations in order to encourage more applications from women and other underrepresented groups. “We know that different perspectives add value to any organization, so it is important that we attract people with a wide range of backgrounds to help enhance our safety mission,” Virginia Boyle, vice president for system operations services in the FAA’s air traffic organization said in a statement. “It’s a challenging job, but it’s also rewarding. At the end of the day when you get home and look up at the sky, you know that what you’ve done makes a difference,” said Jeffrey Vincent, vice president for air traffic services in the FAA’s air traffic organization. The FAA said that applicants must be U.S. citizens, speak clear English and be no older than 30 years of age (with limited exceptions). They must also have either three years of general work experience or four years of education leading to a bachelor’s degree, or a combination of both. Applicants must also pass the Air Traffic Skills Assessment (ATSA). Individuals who are selected are also required to pass all pre-employment requirements, including a medical examination, security investigation, and a drug test. The application window will be open from June 24-27, 2022 for all eligible U.S. citizens. Full requirements and details regarding the application process can be viewed here. Eurocontrol is hoping to encourage young people to think about a career as an air traffic controller https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/31257-faa-launch-be-atc-campaign-hire-next-generation Lufthansa Unveils the First Certified 3D-Printed Metal Part for Aircraft Engines 3D printing has proven its efficiency in the aerospace industry, and a recent milestone confirms that there are still many interesting applications to explore. This small metal component is no ordinary spare part but the first 3D-printed load-bearing metallic part approved for aerospace use. Lufthansa has obtained certification for the industry's first 32-printed A-Link Lufthansa and Premium Aerotec have developed a 3D-printed A-LinkLufthansa and Premium Aerotec have developed a 3D-printed A-LinkLufthansa and Premium Aerotec have developed a 3D-printed A-LinkLufthansa Aircraft EngineLufthansa Aircraft EngineLufthansa Aircraft Engine In order to be protected from ice buildup, an aircraft engine needs something called an “A-Link.” According to Lufthansa, several of these A-Links are used as essential components for the ring-shaped hot air duct in the engine's inlet cowl, but due to the intense vibrations, they usually need to be replaced after just a few years. Together with Premium Aerotec, an expert in additive manufacturing, Lufthansa has developed an innovative A-Link for its IAE-V2500 engine. Instead of manufacturing it through a forging process, this metal spare part was built layer by layer in a 3D printer. Because no molds are required, this innovative process called Laser Power Bed Fusion (LPBF) saves precious material. The component that was obtained through this process is not only as efficient as a conventional A-Link, but it seems to be even better in terms of tensile strength. Premium Aerotec has been using additive manufacturing since 2016 but mostly producing plastic components for the aircraft cabin. This collaboration with Lufthansa proved that this technology can be just as useful for making metal parts that are used outside the cabin. This 3D-printed A-Link developed at Lufthansa’s Additive Manufacturing (AM) Center received official certification from EASA (the European Union Aviation Safety Agency), giving Premium Aerotec the green light to start producing it for Lufthansa at its site in Varel, Germany, with the help of a 3D printer. Lufthansa is the second customer to which Premium Aerotec has provided spare parts obtained through additive manufacturing. Until now, Airbus has been the only one. The main goal was to reduce costs for this particular component without compromising its efficiency. But the success of this innovative process encouraged both the German operator and Premium Aerotec to explore the future possibility of extending it for other metal parts as well. https://www.autoevolution.com/news/lufthansa-unveils-the-first-certified-3d-printed-metal-part-for-aircraft-engines-190817.html Vistara Now Has 50 Aircraft In Its Fleet The airline has seen a significant fleet expansion in the last couple of years. India's full-service airline Vistara celebrated another milestone this week – expanding to a 50 aircraft strong fleet. The latest addition (an Airbus A321neo) was unveiled at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport, with some of the company's top bosses, including CEO Vinod Kannan, in attendance. 50 aircraft strong fleet On June 9th, Vistara unveiled its latest Airbus A321neo airplane at Delhi's IGI Airport and celebrated having a 50+ aircraft fleet. The airplane, registered VT-TVE, flew in from Airbus’ Hamburg facility on June 1st and is yet to fly its first commercial flight for the airline. Vistara, a 51:49 joint venture between India's Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, launched operations in 2015 and has carried more than 30 million passengers over the years. Now, in its eighth year of operations, it enjoys a fleet of mostly new A320 family of aircraft, two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, and a bunch of older Boeing 737 jets, which it plans to phase out with more aircraft coming in. Growth story In 2018, Vistara kick-started its major expansion plans by ordering 50 Airbus A320neo family aircraft and 6 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. Until then, it was already operating 21 Airbus narrowbodies for its domestic operations. The 50 aircraft deal included a letter of Intent (LoI) for 13 A320neos and an additional 37 A320neo family aircraft from lessors. In 2019, it picked up nine Boeing 737-800s, which previously flew for Jet Airways to provide the capacity it needed while it was awaiting its new planes. Only five of these remain in its fleet, which are on their way out, with more Airbus narrowbodies joining in. Some of Vistara's other fleet milestones include receiving its first widebody aircraft – Boeing 787-9 – in February 2020 and its first owned Airbus A320neo (VT-TQE) in May 2021. A320neo_Vistara 1 (2) The airline has taken deliveries of five aircraft in 2022 so far. Even as airlines around the world halted growth during the pandemic, Vistara continued developing its fleet and network in the last two years, having received 26 airplanes since 2020, five of which have been delivered this year alone, according to ch-aviation. Since April 2020, the airline has expanded its fleet by over 25% while significantly growing its global network to ten international destinations. With the induction of two Dreamliners, Vistara also started flying long-haul to London, Paris, Frankfurt, and for a short while, Tokyo. Way forward The airline's CEO, Vinod Kannan, is confident that by the end of 2023, Vistara will have 70 airplanes in its fleet. While most of these will be single-aisle Airbus aircraft, it would also include the remaining four Dreamliners from Boeing that have been delayed due to certification issues. Vistara 787 Vistara could lease widebody aircraft until Boeing delivers its remaining four Dreamliners. Earlier this year, Kannan commented on Vistara's fleet development, saying, “There is a requirement since we are utilizing the aircraft better. Last two years, even though the fleet count increased, the utilization of aircraft was lower... so there was no need to scale up. That process has now commenced and is in full swing.” Kannan has said that the carrier could lease widebody aircraft to meet demand until Boeing delivers the remaining Dreamliners, and that Vistara could also look towards Air India in the future for procurement of parts. https://simpleflying.com/vistara-50-aircraft-fleet/ NASA joins the effort to explain UFO sightings by military pilots WASHINGTON - NASA is joining the hunt for UFOs, a top space agency official said Thursday, forming a team that would examine “observations of events that cannot be identified as aircraft or known natural phenomena.” The space agency would bring a scientific perspective to efforts already underway by the Pentagon and intelligence agencies to make sense of dozens of such sightings, Thomas Zurbuchen, the head of NASA’s science mission directorate, said during a speech before the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. He said it was “high-risk, high-impact” research that the space agency should not shy away from, even if it is a controversial field of study. The announcement comes just weeks after a rare and historic hearing before Congress on sightings of what the Defense Department calls Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, more commonly known as UFOs, and a report issued last year by the director of national intelligence that catalogued more than 140 flying objects that officials were not able to identify. The nine-page report and the congressional hearing, however, were short on specifics and did not draw any definitive conclusions on what the flying objects were, many of which were spotted by naval aviators. Officials said they did not find any evidence that the objects were some sort of advanced aerospace technology developed by China, Russia or other nations. There was also no evidence that they came from extraterrestrial sources. The limited number of such observations makes it difficult “to draw scientific conclusions about the nature of such events,” NASA said in a statement. The agency said it was concerned not just about national security but also the safety of flying in the air. It also said, “There is no evidence UAPs are extra-terrestrial in origin.” Still, NASA said it wants to apply scientific rigor to a vexing issue that has been a fixation for generations. Studying UAPs fits into the agency’s mission of looking for signs of life beyond Earth, from studying water on Mars to exploring the moons of Saturn and Jupiter, the agency said. “NASA believes that the tools of scientific discovery are powerful and apply here also,” Zurbuchen said in a statement. “We have the tools and team who can help us improve our understanding of the unknown. That’s the very definition of what science is. That’s what we do.” NASA’s effort will be led by David Spergel, president of the Simons Foundation in New York City and previously the chair of the astrophysics department at Princeton University, and Daniel Evans, the assistant deputy associate administrator for research at NASA’s science mission directorate. The study will last about nine months, NASA said, and be independent from efforts by the Pentagon. “There are potential national security and counterintelligence [impacts], that that’s not what we do for a living. And we’re not going to get into that at NASA,” Zurbuchen said. But the agency does study the atmosphere and aeronautics, he said, and there is a concern that “the air space is increasingly crowded with many different types of air vehicles.” The report released by the director of national intelligence found that “some UAP appeared to remain stationary in winds aloft, move against the wind, maneuver abruptly, or move at considerable speed, without discernible means of propulsion,” the report found. “In a small number of cases, military aircraft systems processed radio frequency (RF) energy associated with UAP sightings.” Testifying before the House Intelligence subcommittee on counterterrorism, counterintelligence and counterproliferation last month, Ronald S. Moultrie, the undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security, said the Pentagon is collecting eyewitness accounts of mysterious flying objects that appear to defy the laws of physics. “We know that our service members have encountered unidentified aerial phenomena,” he told the bipartisan panel. “We are committed to an effort to determine their origins.” In an interview with The Washington Post last year, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said he had seen the classified UAP report when he was serving in the Senate. “The hair stood up on the back of my neck,” he said. https://www.adn.com/nation-world/2022/06/09/nasa-joins-the-effort-to-explain-ufo-sightings-by-military-pilots/ Position Available: Heavy Maintenance Vendor Inspector Job Description At Republic Airways, our vision is to be America’s regional airline of choice, and our 6,000 associates work together each day to achieve that by providing a safe, clean and reliable flying experience. Whether the role is on the aircraft or in the office, every person at Republic contributes to our success and our family-oriented work environment. Since our founding in 1974, we’ve grown to become the world’s largest operator of the Embraer 170/175 jet, flying more than 1000 flights daily for our partners, American Airline, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines. Beyond our operations, we’re focused on sharing our time, talents and treasures with our community—both locally and globally. Join Republic Airways where you will find opportunities, reach new heights and be part of something bigger than yourself. Republic Airways, opportunity elevated. #WhyRepublic POSITION PURPOSE Provides oversight of outsourced Essential Maintenance Providers (EMP) in completing heavy maintenance/C-Check and structural maintenance on company owned aircraft. ESSENTIAL DUTIES To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. · Oversees heavy maintenance operations of outsourced C-Check and structural maintenance. · Provides accurate and timely status of maintenance check, emphasizing critical path items. · Reviews non-routine service generated by the Essential Maintenance Provider (EMP) to approve or decline estimates when required by contractual agreement. · Continuously reviews active EMP processes and ensures the EMP is adhering to all policies and procedures for the heavy maintenance program. · Ensures upon delivery that the aircraft meets the standards set by the Company. · Attends daily maintenance conference calls and all necessary meetings to communicate changes and updates to EMP. · Coordinates engineering requests and subsequent responses between engineering and the EMP. · Coordinates Operation Check Flight (OCF) requirements with applicable Company departments. · Ensures the aircraft meets the Republic Airways appearance standards. · Reviews and completely understands the Company GMM, Vendor’s RSM and Ops Spec D091. Reviews and applies the Airworthiness Agreement document generated with the EMP. · Provides technical leadership to team and department members. Leads through example; monitors, influences and trains others, including on the job training. · Performs other duties as assigned or required. REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability necessary to perform this job. EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE. · High school diploma or equivalent with an FAA Airframe and Powerplant license with at least 3 years of related experience. · Experience using a computer to look up information and input data. · RII certificate. PREFERRED EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE · Previous experience as an A&P mechanic or airline experience. · Associate’s degree preferred. · Previous supervisory experience. · Non-Destructive Testing license. · Quality assurance experience. OTHER REQUIREMENTS · Possess a stable employment history. · Must have and maintain a valid Driver’s License and a clean driving record. · Must possess the required tools. · Able to work both in a team setting and individually. REGULATORY Able to pass an FAA required 10-year work history review and pass criminal background and fingerprint checks. Willing to submit to and pass FAA and Company mandated random drug and alcohol tests. LANGUAGE SKILLS Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively and be understood before groups of associates of the organization. REASONING/PROBLEM SOLVING ABILITY Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several variables in standardized situations. DECISION MAKING Possess decision making skills. Makes limited decisions and determines best methods to solve problems by referring to established precedents and policies. Impact of decisions is moderately low. PHYSICAL DEMANDS The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. · Able to stand, walk, use hands to finger, handle and feel, reach with hands and arms at least 90% of the time. · Able to climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch and crawl up to 60% of the time. · Able to lift up to 50 pounds at least 35% of the time. · Able to lift or move 75 pounds over 70% of the time. · Must be able to see to perform work and to see approaching vehicles, aircraft and machinery. WORK ENVIRONMENT The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. · Work near moving mechanical parts, work with fumes or airborne particles over 90% of the time. · Work in high, precarious places up to 50% of the time. · Work around toxic or caustic chemicals up to 30% of the time. · Withstand risk of electric shock and work with explosives up to 10% of the time. · Work in outdoor weather conditions inside and outside an open-air hangar as well as the airport terminal up to 100% of the time. · The work environment can be very loud. · Able to wear a respirator and protective equipment for testing and regular duties. This includes minimal facial hair in order to ensure proper fit in of respirator in accordance with OSHA regulations. · Able to work nights, evenings, weekends and holidays to support 24-hour operations. TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS Able to travel up to 100% of the time, including overnight stays. APPLY HERE GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Dear Participant, When you know that, during a conference on cybersecurity organized by the US Air Force, hackers succeeded, at the invitation of the Pentagon, in infiltrating the control system of an F-15, you understand the importance of cybersecurity issues, particularly in the aviation industry. As today's world becomes more and more digital, the contemporary aircraft is equipped with semi-autonomous computer systems which make aviation one of the first sectors potentially vulnerable to cyberattacks. You are being asked to participate in a research study on cybersecurity threats in aviation. This study is expected to take approximately 10 minutes of your time. In order to complete this study, you must be at least a student pilot and at least 18 years old. You may choose to opt-out of the study at any time. Please click on or copy and paste the URL below. We appreciate your time in completing the study. Link : https://forms.gle/VpADSAhXuoeY6hNP7 Curt Lewis