Flight Safety Information - August 19, 2022 No.159 In This Issue : Incident: American B38M at Boston on Aug 16th 2022, bolt causes flap damage : Incident: Enter B738 at Gdansk on Aug 15th 2022, engine shut down in flight : Accident: Angara AN24 at Ust-Kut on Aug 17th 2022, wing tip strike on landing : Incident: Ethiopian B738 at Addis Ababa on Aug 15th 2022, pilots asleep : Incident: ITA A332 at Rome on Aug 16th 2022, brakes fracture on departure : Cessna 340A - Mid-Air Collision, Fatal Accident (California) : Flying Is the Safest Way to Travel, But It Wasn’t Always. How a USC Program Helped Change That : Aviation Safety: FAA Should Strengthen Efforts to Address the Illegal Practice of Intentionally Aiming Lasers at Aircraft : Australia Launches General Aviation Safety Campaign : 2022 ICAO Safety Report presents positive results : Emirates airline suspends all flights to Nigeria as it struggles to repatriate funds : Hawaiian Airlines Working To Solve MRO Technician Shortage : UK Software Startup Helping Pilots Fly More Efficiently : American Airlines honors first African-American woman to earn pilot’s license with historic all-Black female crew : CHC Helicopter Completes $500,000,000 Recapitalization : RTCA Webinar: Airspace Integration, Sustainable Aviation Fuels with NBAA Incident: American B38M at Boston on Aug 16th 2022, bolt causes flap damage An American Airlines Boeing 737-8 MAX, registration N321RL performing flight AA-2539 from Miami,FL to Boston,MA (USA), departed Miami's runway 27, climbed to FL350, later FL370 and landed on Boston's runway 04R about 2:50 hours after departure. The FAA reported: "AIRCRAFT LANDED AND POST FLIGHT INSPECTION REVEALED A BOLT CAUSED DAMAGE TO PILOT SIDE FLAP, BOSTON, MA." characterizing the damage as minor. The occurrence aircraft returned to service after about 10 hours on the ground. https://avherald.com/h?article=4fd0877f&opt=0 Incident: Enter B738 at Gdansk on Aug 15th 2022, engine shut down in flight An Enter Air Boeing 737-800, registration SP-ENU performing flgiht E4-7225 from Gdansk (Poland) to Fuerteventura,CI (Spain), was climbing out of Gdansk's runway 11 when the crew stopped the climb at FL120 to troubleshoot a problem. The crew subsequently decided they needed to return to Gdansk and entered a hold to burn off fuel declaring PAN PAN advising ATC, they had needed to shut the right hand engine (CFM56) down. The crew subsequently changed the diversion to Warsaw (Poland) and landed safely on Warsaw's runway 11 about 3.5 hours after departure. A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration SP-ESC reached Fuerteventura the following day with a delay of about 14 hours. https://avherald.com/h?article=4fd08653&opt=0 Accident: Angara AN24 at Ust-Kut on Aug 17th 2022, wing tip strike on landing An Angara Airlines Antonov AN-24, registration RA-47848 performing flight 2G-8275 from Irkutsk to Ust-Kut (Russia) with 44 passengers and 4 crew, landed in Ust-Kut in difficult weather conditions and struck its left wing onto the runway surface. The aircraft rolled out without further incident. There were no injuries, the aircraft sustained substantial damage (fracture of the left wing). Russia's Transport Investigation Committee Eastern Interregional Department reported the aircraft landed in Ust Kut at about 10:00L and touched the ground with its left wing. No weather data are available for Ust-Kut. https://avherald.com/h?article=4fd035ed&opt=0 Incident: Ethiopian B738 at Addis Ababa on Aug 15th 2022, pilots asleep An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration ET-AOB performing flight ET-343 from Khartoum (Sudan) to Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), was enroute at FL370 when the pilots fell asleep. The aircraft continued past the top of descent maintaining FL370 and continued along the FMC route set up for an approach to runway 25L without descending however. ATC tried to contact the crew numerous times without success. After overflying runway 25L at FL370 the autopilot disconnected, the disconnect wailer woke the crew up who then maneouvered the aircraft for a safe landing on runway 25L about 25 minutes after overflying the runway at FL370. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 2.5 hours before departing for its next flight. ADS-B data confirm the information, The Aviation Herald received, showing the aircraft maintained FL370 until after overflying the runway before the aircraft began to descend and maneouver for another approach. https://avherald.com/h?article=4fd127fe&opt=0 Incident: ITA A332 at Rome on Aug 16th 2022, brakes fracture on departure An ITA Italia Trasporto Aereo Airbus A330-200, registration EI-EJL performing flight AZ-630 from Rome Fiumicino (Italy) to Miami,FL (USA), departed Fiumicino's runway 16R seemingly without problem and climbed to FL340, later FL360. In the meantime metallic pieces (including a metallic cylinder) were found on the departure runway and identified as parts of the brakes of the Airbus 330-200. The crew was informed and decided to return to Fiumicino while already enroute near Nantes (France). The aircraft descended to FL350, later FL290 and landed safely on Fiumicino's runway 16R about 3:45 hours after departure. A replacement A330-200 registration EI-DIP reached Miami with a delay of about 6:15 hours. The brakes assembly of one of the wheels was found fractured and damaged. https://avherald.com/h?article=4fd0839d&opt=0 Cessna 340A - Mid-Air Collision, Fatal Accident (California) Date: 18-AUG-2022 Time: 2:56 Type: Cessna 340A Owner/operator: ALM Holding LLC Registration: N740WJ MSN: 340A0740 Fatalities: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 Other fatalities: 1 Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Category: Accident Location: Watsonville Municipal Airport (WVI/KWVI), CA - United States of America Phase: Approach Nature: Private Departure airport: Turlock Municipal Airport, CA (O15) Destination airport: Watsonville Airport, CA (WVI/KWVI) Investigating agency: NTSB Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources Narrative: A Cessna 340A (N740WJ) and a Cessna 152 (N49931) crashed following a mid-air collision near Watsonville Municipal Airport (WVI/KWVI), California. The Cessna 340A crashed on the runway and slid into a hangar, killing both occupants. The Cessna 152 crashed near the runway threshold and came to rest inverted. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/281713 Flying Is the Safest Way to Travel, But It Wasn’t Always. How a USC Program Helped Change That The USC Aviation Safety and Security Program, now 70 years old, was the first of its kind in the world. USC Safety and Security Program celebrates 70 years USC SAFETY AND SECURITY PROGRAM The year was 1952 when the first class entered the USC Aviation Safety and Security Program. It was a time when airline passengers were served dinner, drinks and cigarettes in their unbelted seats before giving a relieved round of applause once a pilot managed to safely land a plane. In 1952, aviation safety looked completely different than what it does today. In that year alone, there were at least six major airplane crashes in the U.S., including the crash of a C-124 military aircraft in Moses Lake, Washington that killed 87 people on board, becoming the world’s deadliest aviation disaster at the time. “It was the first program of its kind that existed and was created at a major research university in the world. We still maintain our status as the gold standard of aviation education.” — Thomas Anthony, director of the USC Aviation Safety and Security Program In the New York – New Jersey metropolitan area, a series of crashes in 1952 led officials to temporarily close Newark Airport for nine months as President Truman established an Airport Commission, entitled “The Airport and Its Neighbors,” to study the nation’s policy on airport locations and the safety of communities within close proximity. The huge loss of aircraft and military personnel experienced by the United States Air Force in the years following World War II prompted military officials to take action. Air Force commanders at Norton Air Force Base in San Bernardino were urged to establish a training center to prevent aircraft accidents and teach officers how to scientifically investigate a crash. Because the University of Southern California had previously conducted aeronautical research with the military, was equipped with the latest cutting-edge aviation technology of the time and was located in the heart of the aircraft industry, USC was selected to perform this task. Thus, on September 1, 1952, the USC Aviation Safety and Security Program was born. VIDEO “It was the first program of its kind that existed and was created at a major research university in the world. We still maintain our status as the gold standard of aviation education,” said Thomas Anthony, the director of the USC Aviation Safety and Security Program and a former investigator for the Federal Aviation Administration. “We put together a multidisciplinary team of professors from engineering, psychology, management, and communications to prepare these courses of studies with a wide range of courses that was provided to the flying squadron officers of the (U.S.) Air Force.” Originally, the certificate program was offered solely to train U.S. military personnel, but over the last 70 years it has grown to educate more than 10,000 aviation professionals from around the world. Both foreign and domestic government officials, aircraft operators, manufacturers and accident investigators are among the wide variety of aviation professionals who have earned a certificate from the program. Today, according to the Dutch aviation consulting firm To70, commercial passenger jets see just one fatal accident for every 16 million flights. To put that in perspective, for every 1 billion passenger miles traveled by car, 7.2 people die; by plane, it’s 0.07 people. Some of the program’s most notable graduates include Jim Lovell, the astronaut who commanded NASA’s Apollo 13 mission and became one of the first people to ever travel to the moon, and Charles Bolden, the 12th Administrator of NASA who piloted both the space shuttle Columbia and Discovery missions. Recently, Nivedita Bhasin, another USC certificate recipient, was named Air India’s chief of flight safety, the first female pilot to hold that position. “We have people coming from all around the world, from Europe, from Africa, from the Middle East, from Asia, who come to study in order to improve the safety of their operations,” said Anthony, who recalled a time when he got a call from Namibian crash investigators. “They asked for our help in a potential pilot murder-suicide case because they had attended our courses. This is not only a benefit to them, but it’s a benefit for us as a program as we create a collaborative safety culture that shares data and resources around the world. It is recognized that the persons who have earned the certificate are experts in aviation safety and security.” The USC Aviation Safety and Security certificate is recognized internationally by the International Federation of Airline Pilots Association. While several other aviation safety programs have been created across the country, Anthony says, none offer the same breadth of courses and international connections as the USC Aviation Safety and Security Program. “It is a wide-ranging program with over 60 instructors who have practical, professional experience in each one of their given fields,” Anthony explained. “Our course offerings extend from safety management and accident investigation to safety management for drone operators and automated information for system safety, all the way to engineering safety.” Students who take the program’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Course are offered much more than just classroom instruction thanks to access to the USC Aircraft Accident Investigation Lab located in Alhambra. As an aviation accident investigator, an important component of the job is learning how to properly analyze wreckage before reaching a conclusion. The lab offers students hands-on learning opportunities and practical exercises with the wreckage of at least 13 aircraft available for close examination. “The fact is that we are helping to prevent accidents like we have in our lab,” said Anthony. “One of the most difficult things about aircraft accident investigation is learning the discipline of it. The discipline is to observe, document and plan. When you’ve collected the evidence, let the evidence take you by the hand and lead you to the answer while resisting human nature to prematurely make conclusions.” As technological breakthroughs continue to push the aviation industry ahead, airline safety has drastically improved since 1952. According to the FAA, over the past 20 years alone commercial aviation fatalities have decreased by 95 percent. The USC Aviation Safety and Security Program has contributed to those industry improvements by continually evolving how it approaches safety with the goal of providing certificate recipients with the highest quality aviation education experience. Whether it’s creating courses on drones and AI in aviation or working with the U.S. Space Force, Anthony says the program is constantly looking for the next challenge in aviation so that the next 70 years are just as impactful as the last 70 years. For more information on how you can get involved in USC’s Aviation Safety and Security Program click here. https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2022/08/flying-is-the-safest-way-to-travel-but-it-wasnt-always-how-a-usc-program-helped-change-that/ Aviation Safety: FAA Should Strengthen Efforts to Address the Illegal Practice of Intentionally Aiming Lasers at Aircraft GAO-22-104664 Published: Aug 18, 2022. Publicly Released: Aug 18, 2022. Aiming a laser at an aircraft can disorient pilots and is a federal crime. In recent years, laser incidents have increased—there were a record 9,273 incidents reported in 2021. Identifying those involved remains difficult. To support incident investigations, FAA asks pilots to complete a lengthy, voluntary questionnaire. But it only received responses for 12% of incidents one recent year. FAA and law enforcement previously had an interagency working group to address laser safety, but the group disbanded in 2015. We recommended that FAA improve its efforts to collect and share information with law enforcement and reestablish the working group. What GAO Found Aiming a laser at an aircraft can distract or disorient pilots and is a federal crime. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigates laser incidents, pursues civil penalties, and assists the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and U.S. Attorneys with investigations. Given the nature of laser incidents, FAA and federal law enforcement face difficulties identifying those involved. However, they have taken some enforcement actions, resulting in penalties ranging from $50 to $27,388 and sentences of up to 51 months, according to GAO analysis. To support incident investigations, FAA asks that pilots complete an incident questionnaire upon landing. However, FAA received responses for about 12 percent of the 8,221 laser incidents that occurred over a recent one-year period from 2020 to 2021. Reasons identified by FAA and others for the low response rate include the length of the questionnaire and its voluntary nature. Further, FAA does not consistently share collected information with law enforcement. In 2016, Congress required FAA to report quarterly on laser incidents, including data on civil and criminal actions. However, GAO found FAA's reports to be incomplete. For example, GAO's analysis shows 44 prosecutions from July 2016 through September 2020, when FAA reported only four. FAA officials said they do not routinely request data on the status of actions from other agencies and face challenges, such as access to this data. By not routinely seeking updates from agencies, FAA does not provide Congress with a complete picture of laser incident investigations and enforcement actions as required. FAA, FBI, and the Food and Drug Administration, which has regulatory authority over lasers, each conduct outreach to educate the public about laser incidents. These agencies were involved in an interagency group to address laser safety concerns until 2015 when the group dissolved. Since then, laser incidents have increased and identifying subjects remains difficult. FAA is well positioned to lead an interagency effort to explore re-establishing this group, given FAA's responsibility for the safety of the national airspace. Why GAO Did This Study FAA considers each laser incident an in-flight emergency, because of the potential for an accident and adverse effects of lasers on pilots. FAA data show the number of incidents in 2021 was the highest on record, with 9,273 incidents reported—an increase of about 42 percent from 2020. GAO was asked to review federal efforts related to addressing laser incidents. This report examines, among other things: (1) the extent to which FAA and other agencies take action against those who point lasers at aircraft and challenges to investigations and reporting, and (2) public outreach efforts FAA and other agencies take to deter laser incidents. GAO reviewed relevant statutes and regulations and assessed FAA's actions against GAO's work on managing for results. GAO analyzed FAA and Department of Justice data from July 2016 through September 2020 on enforcement actions and interviewed 15 aviation and local law enforcement entities to obtain a range of perspectives. Skip to Recommendations Recommendations GAO is recommending that FAA determine what information is most useful for investigating laser incidents and how best to collect and share it with law enforcement and that FAA routinely seek investigation and enforcement data from agencies for reporting to Congress; and explore re-establishing an interagency working group to collaborate on laser incident outreach. FAA concurred with these recommendations. Recommendations for Executive Action Agency Affected Recommendation Status Federal Aviation Administration The FAA Administrator should determine what information from pilots and crewmembers would be most useful for investigating laser incidents, and how best to collect the information and to share it with law enforcement. (Recommendation 1) Open When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information. Federal Aviation Administration The FAA Administrator should improve its quarterly reports to Congress on laser incidents by routinely seeking information from other agencies on related federal investigation and enforcement actions and disclosing, in those reports, any limitations with the data. (Recommendation 2) Open When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information. Federal Aviation Administration The FAA Administrator should work with FBI and FDA to explore re-establishing an interagency working group on outreach to educate the public on the hazards of lasers and the illegality of aiming lasers at aircraft. (Recommendation 3) Open When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information. Full Report https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-22-104664 Australia Launches General Aviation Safety Campaign A new national safety education campaign, backed by major aviation groups and aimed primarily at the general aviation pilot community, launched this week in Australia encouraging aviators to increase their skills and knowledge. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) is working with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), Airservices Australia, Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), and other airplane and rotorcraft trade organizations to enhance aviation safety through the “Your Safety Is In Your Hands” campaign. The campaign encourages pilots to keep up to date with safety developments, refresh their knowledge, invest in their ongoing development, and, most importantly, stay safe. CASA CEO Pip Spence said the campaign was developed with input from pilots and ATSB accident and incident data. “Each quarter we will focus on a new safety topic with information and online resources available through the new CASA pilot safety hub.” “Airservices Australia and the BOM have also contributed to our campaign by providing information and resources on operating at controlled airports and navigating weather and forecasting,” Spence said. “We’ve been working on a range of resources for local flying schools and industry associations to encourage their students and members to get involved.” https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/general-aviation/2022-08-17/australia-launches-general-aviation-safety-campaign 2022 ICAO Safety Report presents positive results • 9.8% decrease in the global accident rate for last year vs. 2020, dropping from 2.14 to 1.93 per million departures. MONTREAL - ICAO has released its 2022 Safety Report , presenting a detailed analysis of global civil aviation safety performance for 2021 operations. Report results reveal a 9.8% decrease in the global accident rate for last year vs. 2020, dropping from 2.14 to 1.93 per million departures. Meanwhile 2021 fatalities fell by 66% against the number in 2020, though the number of accidents where fatalities occurred remained consistent at four. “These outcomes are very positive and encouraging, and reconfirm that air transport is the safest mode of transport even during the current global circumstances,” commented ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar. “Scheduled commercial flight departures in 2021 increased by almost 11%, but even despite these millions of more flights amidst restart and recovery resource shortages and the many other operational challenges facing airline and airport operators today, air transport’s collective and longstanding commitment to the safety, security and health of passengers and crew remains unwavering.” “The positive safety performance being seen system-wide is recognized in the 2022 Safety Report as being due in part to the pandemic response and recovery recommendations set out by the ICAO Council’s Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART),” added ICAO Council President Salvatore Sciacchitano, “and to the Safety Stream commitments adopted by States at the ICAO High-level Conference on COVID-19 (HLCC) held last October.” The 2022 Safety Report also stresses that in response to existing and emerging trends, ICAO is working in closer partnership today with the whole international aviation community to achieve future safety improvements. Key emphasis is being placed on improving safety performance and reducing operational safety risk through improved standardization, implementation, and monitoring. The 2022 edition of the ICAO Safety Report provides updates for the ICAO 2020-2022 Global Aviation Safety Plan (GASP) indicators linked to its ‘Goal 1’, which focuses on achieving a continuous global reduction of operational safety risks and related targets. https://www.traveldailynews.com/post/2022-icao-safety-report-presents-positive-results Emirates airline suspends all flights to Nigeria as it struggles to repatriate funds Abuja, Nigeria (CNN)Nigeria's aviation ministry says it is "working hard" to release trapped funds to the Emirates airline after the carrier suspended flights to Nigeria beginning from next month. Emirates announced in a statement Thursday that it has put a hold on flight operations in and out of Nigeria due to its inability to repatriate funds from the West African country. The airline said there has been "no progress" in reaching Nigerian authorities for a solution. "Emirates has tried every avenue to address our ongoing challenges in repatriating funds from Nigeria and have made considerable efforts to initiate dialogue with the relevant authorities for their urgent intervention to help find a viable solution. Regrettable there has been no progress," Emirates said in a statement. The decision comes after Emirates announced last month of flights it would reduce flights to Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos, the carrier said it could not access its funds amounting to $85 million withheld in the country. The stuck funds had been rising by over $10 million every month, the airline said in a letter addressed to Nigeria's Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika. Currency in freefall Sirika told CNN the trapped funds will be released as this was not the first time Nigeria was holding onto huge amounts of revenue belonging to foreign air carriers. "In the past, Nigeria has demonstrated the capacity and the willingness and fairness to resolve this type of issue. It happened when we took over power in 2015: There were lots of blocked funds, about $600 million at that time. It was at a time when the country was in a recession and there were dwindling revenues coming to the country, yet we honored our obligation to pay out all those blocked funds," Sirika told CNN Thursday. "Unfortunately, due to many factors and reasons, the monies piled back up. Government is working hard to ensure that these monies are released, not only for Emirates but all airlines affected," Sirika added. Sirika added that "mechanisms will be put in place to ensure that this does not occur in the future." The minister did not elaborate on what the factors were although Nigeria is grappling with shortages in foreign exchange which has restricted access to foreign currency for imports. Earlier in June, the International Air Transport Association said Nigeria was holding onto $450 million revenue belonging to foreign carriers operating in the country. The local currency has been in freefall against the dollar with most of the country's foreign exchange derived from crude oil sale, which has dwindled due to oil theft in producing communities. The government is also burdened with the high cost of subsidizing fuel for local consumption. Nigeria is one of Africa's biggest markets for international carriers. https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/18/africa/emirates-suspends-flights-nigeria-intl/index.html Hawaiian Airlines Working To Solve MRO Technician Shortage Recognizing the need for more maintenance technicians, Hawaiian Airlines is sharing resources with a local college to train more people. Yesterday, Hawaiian Airlines announced it is partnering with Honolulu Community College (HonCC) to graduate more local students as qualified aviation technicians. When the new academic semester opens on Monday, Hawaiian Airlines technicians will move from the hangar to the classroom and get on with this vital task. Hawaiian Airlines is training new aircraft technicians Hawaiian Airlines has recognized the need to train new aircraft technicians and is proactively doing something about it. Where will 610,000 new technicians come from? Over the next 20 years, Boeing forecasts that 610,000 new technicians will be needed to keep the global fleet operating. That's around 30,000 a year, with demand exacerbated in the short term due to an aging workforce approaching retirement. Apart from the loss of skilled workers in MRO shops, the associated brain drain threatens to derail the education of new entrants. It's an issue that has been discussed for years, so it's good to see an airline prepared to step into the fray and help bring more skilled technicians into the aerospace industry. With a fleet of 61 aircraft, Hawaiian Airlines (Hawaiian), like any airline, has a vested interest in training tomorrow's technicians, but using its own people to help in the educational process is not common. The airline's fleet, based at Honolulu Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), comprises 18 Airbus A321-200neos, 24 A330-200s, and 19 Boeing B717-200s with ten B787-9s on order. With aircraft ranging in age from three to more than 20 years old, it needs a diverse range of skills capable of maintaining legacy and new-generation aircraft and engines. Two of Hawaiian's technicians, Bill Kinsley and Jason Anderson, will teach classes for the college's Aeronautics Maintenance Technology (AERO) program. Hawaiian's commitment of extra teaching resources will allow the college to double enrollments to 100 students by the Fall of 2023. Graduates of the program will have the knowledge and practical skills necessary to obtain the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airframe and Power Plant Maintenance certification. Hawaiian's senior vice president of technical operations, Jim Landers, said the airline is enthusiastic about their employees sharing their expertise to prepare Hawaii students for successful aviation careers. "As the hometown airline gearing up for another growth phase, we also hope HonCC's graduates will consider joining our 'ohana [family] so they can enjoy a rewarding career right here at home with Hawaii's carrier." Hawaiian is stepping up to the plate Hawaiian Airlines Honolulu Community College program Hawaiian Airlines is partnering with Honolulu Community College to train more aircraft maintenance technicians. HonCC's AERO program is the only one of its kind in the Pacific basin, another factor demonstrating the importance of Hawaiian's involvement beyond the airline's maintenance hangars. One of the airline's instructors, Bill Kinsley, added that the opportunity to prepare the next generation of aircraft mechanics with relevant, real-world practical skills and expertise is a privilege. The new partnership complements Hawaiian's existing Aircraft Mechanic Apprenticeship Program, which it launched in 2016. This program is a collaboration with HonCC and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union. The students attend college classes at HonCC during the day and hold a part-time shift at Hawaiian's maintenance hangar. They are paid as mechanics performing hands-on repairs and preventative maintenance. Boeing's forecast of 610,000 new technicians by 2041 shows North America needs 134,000 or 22% of global demand. This puts the region ahead of China with 124,000, Europe with 120,000 and Southeast Asia with 58,000. We have seen how airlines are setting up their own pilot training academies to overcome pilot shortages, so perhaps they need to get more involved in MRO, just as Hawaiian is doing. https://simpleflying.com/hawaiian-airlines-solve-mro-technician-shortage/ UK Software Startup Helping Pilots Fly More Efficiently The Signol app gives pilots individual feedback on their operational tendencies to encourage them to reduce fuel usage. UK software developer Signol has saved Virgin Atlantic Airways some 1,000 tonnes of fuel over a six-month period with the help of a proprietary app designed to “nudge” airline captains into flying more efficiently, according to the London-based startup. The behavioral economics and data science app—adopted by Virgin Atlantic last December—gives pilots individual feedback on their operational tendencies to encourage them to reduce fuel usage while complying with fuel management and flight safety standards. A three-year deal between Virgin Atlantic and Signol follows the success of an initial pilot study in which pilots reduced CO2 emissions by 24,000 tonnes over an eight-month period, resulting in $6.1 million in savings. Today, about 200 pilots, or approximately two-thirds of Virgin Atlantic captains, voluntarily participate in the program, Signol chief commercial officer Gavin Laidlaw told AIN. Signol has been in business for five years and has already built a substantial customer base in the shipping industry. It expects what Laidlaw described as a large European holiday package flight operator to “go live” by the end of the year. Laidlaw explained that the company’s offering includes not only the app but, perhaps just as importantly, outbound email communication with users to help them recognize areas in which they can improve. “So we are like a post-flight debriefing and reflection tool, which means that when [the pilots] go up next time, they're more likely to actually carry out a fuel economy maneuver…We’re priming them essentially,” he said. Using data collected from the airplane’s flight data recorder, the app addresses several operational behaviors, perhaps the most fuel-burn intensive involving landing and takeoff. For example, Laidlaw noted that pilots often use thrust reversers more often than necessary at airports with long runways. Taxiing on one engine also saves a significant amount of fuel, but pilots simply don’t always adhere to the practice. While in-flight savings might seem less significant due to the precision with which pilots typically fly their planned routes, the simple act of using the most fuel-efficient flap settings on approach can make a big difference, he explained. Prior to takeoff, the amount of discretionary fuel a captain chooses to carry often varies with his or her comfort level and risk tolerance. Of course, taking on less fuel results in less weight and, therefore, better fuel economy. The app will show, for example, how much unnecessary fuel—after reserves for potential diversions—a user took onboard for each flight; it then can calculate how much savings he or she might have realized by loading less. “The idea is that if you load it, you use it,” said Laidlaw. “And a lot of the data we have says, if it's loaded, it's only used 2 percent of the time. And when it is used, only 20 percent of it is used. So there's a huge amount of waste because every liter of fuel you carry on a plane you’re burning a liter to carry the extra weight.” Using the app, pilots can view their performance data from each individual flight and access their historical records. The app then calculates and illustrates the environmental benefits of a particular pilot’s flying behavior. “So as flights get loaded up in the data, they can see how they're doing and they can also see how much carbon they're saving in a relatable way…like you've saved 10,000 trees, that kind of thing,” Laidlaw explained. Still, Laidlaw conceded that safety must take priority over any cost consideration, regardless of how much the resulting fuel savings translate into wider environmental benefits. “We recognize that fuel decisions are safety decisions and therefore we've very much emphasized the decision-making autonomy of the pilot,” said Laidlaw. “And we respect that. So we'll never ask them to do something unsafe, but we do obviously look to see how we can improve their performance by executing behaviors more frequently.” Meanwhile, Signol took care to understand the psychology and personality traits of the people who would use the service. “One of the key things that's nice about Signol is we don't tell you what to do,” he added. “Captains value their independence and freedom of action and telling them what to do gets resented. So nudging them is a much more gentle and friendly way of doing it.” Of course, the more pilots that participate, the larger sampling of data that gets processed, and the more evident the benefits become to the airline. Not only does the app create profiles and custom targets for individual pilots, it displays fleet-level behavioral analytics for management. Laidlaw stressed, however, that the associated reports do not identify individuals in the interest of privacy, a particularly sensitive subject among pilot unions in North America. Although European airlines have shown perhaps the most immediate interest in the offering, Signol has entered advanced talks with carriers worldwide, including a few big airlines in the U.S. and one in Canada. Laidlaw wouldn’t specify the precise pricing structure it negotiated with Virgin Atlantic, but he explained that it guarantees that the customer gleans at least 90 percent of the cost-saving benefit realized through the use of the product. “I think it’s fair to say that it’s probably the best [return on investment] of any project they do,” said Laidlaw. “We charge a service fee, either per pilot or per airframe, and that would get up to somewhere in the region of between five and ten percent of what we saved them in fuel.” https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2022-08-18/uk-software-startup-helping-pilots-fly-more-efficiently American Airlines honors first African-American woman to earn pilot’s license with historic all-Black female crew Data shows that fewer than 150 Black women fly professionally in the U.S., which represents less than 1 percent of all pilots. Some may find it difficult to believe that in 2022, we’re still commemorating the “first Black” anything, but American Airlines recently made history with an all-Black female crew for the first time in the carrier’s 96 years. CBS News reports that American Airlines Flight 372 from Phoenix, Ariz., to Dallas honored Bessie Coleman, the first African-American woman to receive a pilot’s license, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of her first public flight in the United States. The American Airlines flight marked the first occasion in which every single crew member involved—from the ground crew all the way up to the cabin—was a Black woman. Gigi Coleman, the pioneering aviator’s great niece, was among the passengers on the celebration flight. She also oversees Bessie Coleman Aviation All-Stars, a Chicago-based afterschool program designed to encourage youth, particularly of color, to pursue their dreams of flying. “I think she [Bessie Coleman] would’ve been really amazed and in awe,” Coleman said, as reported by CBS. “I was in awe, and this is 2022.” According to the National Women’s History Museum, Bessie Coleman was rejected by several schools in the United States because she was Black and a woman, yet was eventually admitted to the Caudron Brothers’ School of Aviation in France. On June 15, 1921, she made history as the first Black woman to obtain a pilot’s license. She pushed women and African Americans to learn to fly while touring the nation and providing flying demonstrations until her death in a plane crash on April 30, 1926. “My great-aunt received her license two years before Amelia Earhart,” Gigi Coleman said, according to CBS. “She wasn’t in the history books. No one knew about her.” Fewer than 150 Black female pilots fly professionally in the U.S., which represents less than 1 percent of all pilots, according to advocacy group Sisters of the Skies. The nationally renowned organization is designed to increase the number of Black and brown female pilots in professional flight decks in both military and commercial aviation. “Representation matters,” SOS co-founder Nia Gilliam-Wordlaw told Flying magazine. “I mean, I was desperate enough to ditch school to see [Janet Harmon Bragg], a dead woman, just because she looked like me and was a pilot. It’s serious.” In contrast to the Federal Aviation Agency, SOS maintains a database on the racial and ethnic backgrounds of airline transport pilots who possess flying certificates in the U.S. “In our network, our numbers are so small, it sounds crazy, but yes, we do all know each other, and it’s very easy to keep track of those numbers,” said Angel Hughes, SOS’s other co-founder. https://thegrio.com/2022/08/18/american-airlines-honors-first-black-woman-to-earn-pilot-license/ CHC Helicopter Completes $500,000,000 Recapitalization CHC Group LLC (CHC), the global rotary wing aviation services provider, is pleased to announce a comprehensive recapitalization transaction to significantly reduce its funded debt obligations by up to $500 million subject to regulatory approvals. As part of the recapitalization, a substantial portion of CHC’s existing debt and equity holders agreed to provide over $100 million in new money and liquidity enhancing commitments, consisting of $60 million in an initial funding, an additional $30 million of available commitments, and $10 million from adjustments to its aircraft financing facilities. This transaction represents the culmination of extensive negotiations with CHC’s key financial stakeholders over the preceding months. CHC believes this transaction provides the liquidity and sustainable long-term capital structure necessary to focus its efforts on continued operational excellence and providing its clients the safest and most reliable helicopter services worldwide. “Today marks a significant, positive step forward for CHC providing a clear path to a significantly reduced debt burden for the company which will benefit our customers, suppliers, and employees,” said David Balevic, Chief Executive Officer of CHC Group, LLC. “Our enhanced balance sheet will provide us greater operating flexibility to meet the rapidly changing rotary wing aviation market.” CHC was advised by Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, Moelis & Company, and AlixPartners, LLP. CHC’s financial stakeholders participating in the transaction were advised by Ropes & Gray LLP and FTI Consulting, Inc. ABOUT CHC For more than 75 years, CHC Helicopter has provided safe, reliable, cost-effective helicopter service in some of the most remote and challenging environments around the world. With extensive experience transporting customers in the oil and gas industry, supporting search-and-rescue and EMS contracts, and providing maintenance, repair and overhaul services, our dedication to safety and reputation for quality and innovation help our customers reach beyond what they thought possible. Media Inquiries Sue Fay, Director of Communications Sue.Fay@CHCHeli.com Webinar: Airspace Integration, Sustainable Aviation Fuels with NBAA Ed Bolen, President and CEO and Steve Brown, Chief Operating Officer of the National Business Aviation Association sit down with RTCA’s Terry McVenes to discuss airspace integration, infrastructure, workforce development and promoting sustainable aviation fuel. The speakers discuss the critical issues facing the business aviation industry and how NBAA is meeting the challenges through their new Owner Pilot Association Coalition, the Mentoring Network and their upcoming convention in October. Webinar runs 1pm-2pm ET and is free to attend. REGISTER https://bit.ly/3zWPIb3 Curt Lewis