Flight Safety Information - August 24, 2022 No.162 In This Issue : Incident: Astana A321N at Istanbul and Almaty on Aug 23rd 2022, bird strike : Incident: LOT B788 near New York on Aug 20th 2022, passenger window damage : Beechcraft 99 - Gear Collapse (Wisconsin) : Alaska Airlines Jet Bound for San Diego Makes Emergency Landing After Engine Problem : TCAS Stops Mid-Air Collision Between LATAM Airbus A319 & Copa Boeing 737 : Russian Airport Worker Killed By Spinning Antonov An-24 Propeller : American Airlines is Sacking Triple the Number of Flight Attendants it Would in a Normal Year and the Union Says its ‘Inundated’ With Disciplinary Cases : Maintenance Error Likely Cause of Alaska Air 737 Engine Incident : HAI issues RFI for safety, training, and operations services : An organization is pushing for international standards for firefighting aircraft : DJI Mavic 3 Pilots No Longer Need to Pass the European Flight Exam : Older Ukrainian fighter pilots volunteered to fight Russia : Boeing Is Currently Assembling The Last Ever 747 Jumbo Jet : NASA's Ingenuity helicopter makes 30th Martian flight : ALPA - 66th Air Safety Forum - September 12-15, 2022 - JOIN US! Incident: Astana A321N at Istanbul and Almaty on Aug 23rd 2022, bird strike An Air Astana Airbus A321-200N, registration EI-KGD performing flight KC-912 (dep Aug 22nd) from Istanbul (Turkey) to Almaty (Kazakhstan), performed a seemingly uneventful flight departing Istanbul's runway 35L, climbing to FL330 enroute and landing on Almaty's runway 05R. Air Astana reported however that a post flight inspection revealed traces of a bird strike in one of the engines (PW1133G) requiring a borescopic inspection. https://avherald.com/h?article=4fd46a1e&opt=0 Incident: LOT B788 near New York on Aug 20th 2022, passenger window damage A LOT Polish Airlines Boeing 787-8, registration SP-LRA performing flight LO-6 from Warsaw (Poland) to New York JFK,NY (USA), was enroute at FL400 about 300nm northeast of New York when one of the passenger windows cracked. The aircraft descended to 10,000 feet reaching 10,000 feet about 15 minutes later and continued to New York for a safe landing. The airline reported the electrophotochromatic layer used to darken the window of the passenger window was damaged, the tightness of the window however was not impaired. The aircraft was dispatched for the return flight, the window is going to be replaced in Warsaw. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground in New York for about 5 hours, then departed for its next flight. https://avherald.com/h?article=4fd3d076&opt=0 Beechcraft 99 - Gear Collapse (Wisconsin) Date: Saturday 20 August 2022 Time: 09:34 Type: Beechcraft 99 Operator: PACC Air Registration: N399TS MSN: U-32 First flight: 1968 Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 Aircraft damage: Substantial Location: Oshkosh-Wittman Field, WI (OSH) ( United States of America) Phase: Landing (LDG) Nature: Cargo Departure airport: Milwaukee-General Mitchell Airport, WI (MKE/KMKE), United States of America Destination airport: Green Bay-Austin-Straubel Field, WI (GRB/KGRB), United States of America Flightnumber: WIS804 Narrative: PACC Air flight 804, a Beechcraft 99 cargo plane, suffered a gear collapse on landing at Oshkosh-Wittman Field, WI (OSH). The flight departed Milwaukee-General Mitchell Airport, WI (MKE) at 08:42 hours local time, bound for Green Bay, WI (GRB). At 14:09 and 14:13 the aircraft made two low passes over the airfield and then continued to OSH. Following two low passes at OSH, the Tower controller reported that all three landing gear legs appeared to be down. The aircraft circled for another approach and landed on runway 09, which is when the gear collapsed. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20220820-0 Alaska Airlines Jet Bound for San Diego Makes Emergency Landing After Engine Problem An Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to San Diego was forced to return to the airport in Seattle for an emergency landing shortly after departure Monday when an engine cover detached. The cover of an engine can be seen flying off the Boeing 737-900 on video posted on social media by passengers on the plane. Alaska Airlines said Tuesday that Flight 558 reported an “unusual vibration” on the left side of the plane shortly after departure. Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-900 (N293AK, built 2018) safely returned to land at Seattle-SeaTac Intl AP (KSEA), WA after the cowling of its left engine #1 came loose and ripped off during landing. No one on flight #AS558 to San Diego was harmed. @asminnow pic.twitter.com/gLpjCdXMPG The airline said no one was injured in the emergency landing and passengers were booked on other flights to San Diego. There were 176 passengers and six crew members on the morning flight. The two pilots have more than 32 years of combined flying experience, according to the airline. “They, along with our flight attendants, handled the incident with tremendous professionalism and care,” Alaska Airlines said. “We also greatly appreciated the patience of our guests during this event.” https://timesofsandiego.com/crime/2022/08/23/alaska-airlines-jet-bound-for-san-diego-makes-emergency-landing-after-engine-problem/ TCAS Stops Mid-Air Collision Between LATAM Airbus A319 & Copa Boeing 737 The incident took place following the closure of Guayaquil's only runway due to a bird strike. Earlier this month, two aircraft, an Airbus A319 of LATAM Airlines and a Boeing 737 of Copa Airlines, avoided a midair collision while approaching Guayaquil International Airport (GYE) in Ecuador. This incident took place following a bird strike that forced the regional air traffic controllers to redirect the incoming traffic but, while doing so, had a miscommunication with these two planes, that had to use their traffic collision avoidance system (or TCAS). What happened? On August 13, 2022, a bird strike incident occurred at around 22:10 UTC. The aircraft involved in this first incident was most likely Avianca’s AV1633 flight between Galápagos (GPS) and Guayaquil (GYE). We say most likely because the Ecuadorian civil aviation authorities did not confirm which flight suffered the bird strike, but they did say that it was an incoming service, and Avianca’s commercial flight was the last one to land at GYE before the LATAM and Copa Airlines near midair collision took place. So, Avianca’s flight suffered from a bird strike, forcing the airport authorities to close Guayaquil's only runway and redirect the incoming traffic. There were three incoming flights: two Copa Airlines services from Panama City (one was flight CM378, not involved in the incident, and the other was CM468, involved in the incident), and a LATAM Airlines service from Quito. Ecuador’s civil aviation authorities explained what happened next, “During these flight operations (the diversions of the incoming traffic), there was a reduction in the regulatory separation minimums between these two aircraft, a situation that was managed by the flight crews according to the operational procedures applied in these cases.” LATAM A319 A LATAM A319 and a Copa Airlines 737 almost had a midair collision in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Employing TCAS Using data by FlightRadar24.com, at the moment these two aircraft were the closest, they were at a calibrated altitude of 3,275 feet (Copa) and 3,000 feet (LATAM). Then, each plane can be seen flying away from one another, using their traffic collision avoidance system (or TCAS). TCAS is a system designed to reduce the incidence of midair collisions between aircraft. This system has two types of alerts - TA (Traffic Advisory) and RA (Resolution Advisory). The first is intended to assist the pilot in seeing the conflicting aircraft, preparing it for a potential escalation (using the RA). The RA alert is only generated if there’s a risk of collision; it tells the pilot the vertical speed at which the aircraft should be flown to avoid the threat. According to Skybrary, “once an RA has been issued, the vertical sense (direction) of the RA is coordinated with other ACAS II equipped aircraft via a mode S link, so that two aircraft choose complementary maneuvers. RAs aim for collision avoidance by establishing a safe vertical separation (300 - 700 feet).” The aftermath On Sunday, Ecuador’s General Directorate of Civil Aviation released a statement saying that it has launched an investigation regarding the “air traffic control event that occurred during the approach and landing of aircraft on the afternoon of August 13, 2022, at the José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport in the city of Guayaquil.” The authorities added that they have already taken initial corrective action measures by separating the air traffic controllers away from their daily posts while the investigations are underway. https://simpleflying.com/tcas-stops-ecuador-mid-air-collision/ Russian Airport Worker Killed By Spinning Antonov An-24 Propeller The ground service handler died on the spot after walking right into the rotating propellor blades. Aviation is statistically the safest mode of transport. However, ground service equipment, aircraft and engines are powerful machines, and occasionally, accidents happen on the ground at airports. Unfortunately, in a recent incident in Russia's Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, an airport ground services agent died after being hit by the rotating propeller of an Antonov An-24 aircraft belonging to UTair. Authorities have launched an investigation into the event. Injuries "incompatible with life" The accident occurred four days ago, on Friday, August 19, at the Belyoarsk Airport (EYK). The An-24 involved belonged to Russia's fourth largest carrier, UTair, and was preparing to operate a flight to Berezovo. While reportedly clearing the thrust pads, an aircraft technician was hit by the blades of a rotating propeller. The 48-year-old man died immediately. As quoted by Russian media outlet TASS, a spokesperson of the airline said, "On August 19, at the airport of the Beloyarsk Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug - Yugra, after starting the engines on an An-24 aircraft preparing to fly to Berezovo, an accident occurred while clearing the thrust pads - an aircraft technician fell under the blades of a rotating propeller and received injuries incompatible with life. The reasons for the incident are being established." Antonov An-24 belonging to UTair express The man seems to have walked right into the rotating propeller blades of the aircraft. Walked right into the rotating blades There are blurry videos of the event itself circulating on the internet, but we would advise sensitive viewers to refrain from seeking them out. However, it seems as if the man walked straight into the moving propeller, potentially not seeing that it was rotating as he was approaching it from the side. The Central Interregional Investigation Department for Transport of the Russian Federation is indeed conducting an investigation to establish all the circumstances of the tragic accident. It stated, "According to preliminary data, at 13:48 (11:48 Moscow time) on August 19 at the airport of the city of Beloyarsky during the procedure for the release of the An-24 of the Utair airline, an agent of the ground handling service of the aircraft was injured by the propeller of the aircraft. The victim died on the spot from his injuries." Gatwick North Terminal Airports are complex layouts with heavy machinery, and unfortunately, accidents do happen from time to time. Fatal accidents at airports are unusual, but they do happen. In July this year, a 35-year-old man was pronounced dead on the scene after a construction incident at Gatwick Airport Station. The same month, a worker died from electrocution during a construction accident at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, North Carolina. A few months earlier, in February, a 70-year-old ground handler at Heathrow was reportedly "crushed to death" by a 20-tonne loading machine during a cargo shift. In 2019, a worker at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport was pinned between a baggage loading vehicle and a United Airlines aircraft and died from the resulting injuries. A year later, a worker at Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok died after being crushed by a Boeing 737 belonging to Nok Air. https://simpleflying.com/russian-airport-worker-killed-moving-propeller/ American Airlines is Sacking Triple the Number of Flight Attendants it Would in a Normal Year and the Union Says its ‘Inundated’ With Disciplinary Cases The rate at which American Airlines is moving to terminate flight attendants for a variety of disciplinary issues has allegedly tripled in the last year and the union that represents crew at the Dallas Fort Worth-based airline says it is “inundated” with requests to help flight attendants facing the sack. The alarming rise in flight attendant terminations was revealed during a recent executive committee meeting of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA). The union’s regional representatives, who are dotted across the United States, are each handling at least ten flight attendants facing termination for a slew of transgressions. Despite well-publicized staff shortages across the aviation industry, American Airlines has made no secret of the fact that managers are looking to strictly enforce a wide range of rules and policies that may have previously been allowed to slip. The flight attendant union, however, is concerned that some of its members are being moved to termination without meetings or “attempts to mitigate”. The union is also concerned that flight attendant managers are now expected to supervise as many as 1,000 crew members each. American Airlines was asked to provide further information on its disciplinary procedures but the airline did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The union and AA have previously locked horns over a controversial sickness policy where flight attendants rack up points for going sick. Acquiring too many points results in disciplinary action and possible termination. Introduced in 2018, APFA filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission a year later alleging the sickness policy amounted to gender discrimination because the vast majority of flight attendants are female. The union highlighted differing sickness policies for pilots, who are predominantly men, and the female-majority flight attendant workforce. An independent arbitration board ruled that the point-based system could remain in force but ordered AA to make significant changes to the policy because certain elements were “running afoul” of the flight attendant collective bargaining agreement. https://www.paddleyourownkanoo.com/2022/08/22/american-airlines-is-sacking-triple-the-number-of-flight-attendants-it-would-in-a-normal-year-and-the-union-says-its-inundated-with-disciplinary-cases/ Maintenance Error Likely Cause of Alaska Air 737 Engine Incident Aug. 24—For an airline passenger looking out the window of a jet, it's alarming to see the metal cover in the midsection of the engine pod flapping open, shredding like thin paper, then ripping off and sending debris backward to ricochet into the wing and fuselage. That was the troubling view out the windows Monday for passengers aboard an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737. As the San Diego-bound flight lifted off from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, the covers on both sides of the left engine pod — called a nacelle — came loose. When the pilots promptly turned back to Seattle, the covers ripped off completely on landing and pieces hit the fuselage. The jet landed safely and none of the 182 passengers and crew onboard was injured. The passengers were rebooked on another flight. Dozens of such accidents have happened over the past 30 years, much more often on the Airbus A320 than on the Boeing 737. Though a couple of those incidents turned more serious, none resulted in injuries. This type of failure is very different from the rarer, but much more dangerous, accidents when an engine fan blade breaks off, causing catastrophic damage to the engine and sending heavy metal shrapnel into the airframe. Those are often caused by undetected long-term metal fatigue in the fan blades. In contrast, in almost every case of the engine covers' flapping open and disintegrating, the cause has been traced to a preflight maintenance mechanic error and the subsequent missing of that error during preflight checks. The Alaska incident was the second such failure on a Boeing 737 in the U.S. this month. On a Southwest Airlines flight from Orlando, Florida, on Aug. 12, the same covers ripped off as the jet landed in St. Louis. Again, no one was injured. Airbus was forced to modify its A320 design after a series of such incidents. Kyriakos Kourousis, a senior lecturer at the University of Limerick's School of Engineering in Ireland, who did an extensive survey of the Airbus accidents and wrote a paper examining the role of human error and the efficacy of the modification, said it "may be a good idea at this point to do a follow-up survey on the 737." The parts that failed in all these incidents are called the fan cowl doors, covers on each side of the pod around the engine that hinge upward like seagull wings to provide maintenance mechanics access to the engine. In the dozens of incidents where the fan cowl door has ripped off, overwhelmingly it's because a mechanic failed to re-latch the doors properly before takeoff and preflight inspections by the pilots and maintenance supervisors missed the error. Contributing to such errors, sometimes this maintenance work between flights may be done in the dark or performed in a hurry because the next flight is behind schedule. The maintenance and preflight check procedures will certainly be the initial focus of an ongoing investigation by both Alaska Airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration into Monday's event. The FAA said it is also investigating the earlier incident in St. Louis. Beyond confirming their ongoing investigations, Alaska and the FAA declined to comment Tuesday on potential causes. Airbus forced to make a fix Failure of the fan cowl doors in flight has historically been more of a problem on the Airbus A320 family of jets. At least 45 such incidents on its A320s over three decades — some on jets with the same engines as are on the 737 — prompted Airbus to design a modification that was then mandated by both the European Aviation Safety Agency and the FAA. Kourousis said the reason the 737 has a better record is simply that the latch for its fan cowl doors is close to the edge of the underside of the engine pod and therefore more easy to see from the side. In contrast, the latch on the Airbus fan cowl doors is in the center of the underside of the pod and can be inspected only by crawling under it. "It's easier on the Airbus jet for it not to be noticed," said Kourousis. Unlike the heavy duty material used for the inlet cowl at the front end of a jet engine pod, which is designed to contain a fan blade breaking off, the fan cowl doors are made from relatively thin aluminum. When pieces of these doors break off, they may typically only scratch or dent the airplane's wings, fuselage and tail. However, in a couple of the Airbus incidents, both by chance involving British Airways planes, the metal debris punctured a fuel pipe and caused an engine fire. Airbus finally was forced to act after the second of those more serious incidents in 2015, when the fan cowl doors from both engines detached from an A319 as it took off from London Heathrow. The fuel leak ignited an engine fire in flight. After landing, passengers evacuated on escape slides. In response, given this was the culmination of a series of incidents, Airbus designed a modification to the door latches, which would have to be locked and unlocked with a specific key. This key had a "remove before flight" flag attached to it and was required to be stored in a designated area in the cockpit. Some airlines, including Air Canada and United Airlines, objected to this solution, arguing that human errors could still be made with this arrangement. United said it had instituted a dual signoff procedure for the locking of the fan cowl doors and had no subsequent incidents afterward. Despite those objections, the FAA and EASA mandated the Airbus modification in 2018, at an estimated cost to U.S. airlines of $4.3 million to make the fixes on 400 airplanes within three years. Kourousis' 2018 paper concludes that the Airbus A320 modification will "contribute positively" to reducing the fan cowl door failures. However, it also recommended additional changes to procedures. These included a dual signoff procedure such as United introduced; maintenance shift handover protocols; and focused training to encourage better communication and a collaborative attitude in the airline maintenance culture. Following the investigation into Monday's incident, such "human factor" recommendations are likely to be at the top of Alaska's agenda as it seeks to prevent future failures. https://www.aviationpros.com/aircraft/news/21278495/maintenance-error-likely-cause-of-alaska-air-737-engine-incident HAI issues RFI for safety, training, and operations services As part of an ongoing plan to offer improved programs for its members, Helicopter Association International (HAI) is seeking sources for safety risk management, training and certification, and flight data management services. Interested respondents have until Sept. 6, 2022, to seek clarifying information, and the deadline for submission of responses to HAI is Sept. 23, 2022. August 2022 - 2 HAI surveyed its members to determine the tools small businesses want to support safety while generating growth. As a result, HAI has begun developing a safety tool chest for members that includes SMS programs for operators and maintenance providers, an aviation safety action program, and SMS program training. HAI is also conducting its own internal evaluations, developing strategic initiatives designed to support the vertical flight industry through communications, advocacy, safety, business tools and expansion, and workforce development. Through this latest request for information, HAI will assess potential industry partner solutions and value-added services that can help elevate safety and drive peak performance. Respondents to this request for information (RFI) are encouraged to view additional information on this project on HAI’s website. Services under consideration may include the following: August 2022 Safety Risk Management: HAI is considering expanding its Accreditation Program of Safety (HAI-APS). Services under consideration may include, but are not limited to, third-party safety risk management coaching, consulting, and assessment services. Training and Certification: HAI considers education and training to be vital in the continued professional development of operators in the vertical lift industry. Services under consideration may include, but are not limited to, development, delivery, and management of learning content; ground instruction; flight instruction; initial and recurrent training; and evaluation and certification services. Flight Data Monitoring (FDM): HAI strongly supports the use of FDM programs across the vertical lift industry. Services under consideration may include, but are not limited to, delivery or management of FDM systems, flight operations quality assurance (FOQA) services, education and training services, and related data collection, storage, review, and analysis services. Information about response format, evaluation criteria, and the full submission and review schedule is available at HAI’s website. https://verticalmag.com/press-releases/hai-issues-rfi-for-safety-training-and-operations-services/ An organization is pushing for international standards for firefighting aircraft The standards and contracting requirements for aircraft that assist wildland firefighters can vary widely among countries. This can create roadblocks for sharing these important tools if a company wishes to operate their aircraft in more than one country. Flight Global reports that a group of fire aviation industry representatives, the International Coordinating Council of Aerospace Industries Associations, is urging a United Nations agency, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), to establish international standards for certification and operation of firefighting aircraft. “Lack of a common approach to certification, validation and operation of these aircraft has led to jurisdictionally-unique and often cumbersome regulatory approval processes, often resulting in impractical limitations for the missions intended,” the council claims in a paper submitted to the upcoming ICAO Assembly in September. The relatively small size of the market for firefighting aircraft can make it impractical to configure them to meet the standards in multiple countries. https://fireaviation.com/2022/08/24/an-organization-is-pushing-for-international-standards-for-firefighting-aircraft/ DJI Mavic 3 Pilots No Longer Need to Pass the European Flight Exam DJI has announced that it has received the first-ever C1 drone certificate for its Mavic 3 drone series that allows them to be flown in the new A1 Open Air Category without first having to pass the complex and expensive A2 Remote Piloting License exam. In early 2021, the European Union Avaiation Safety Agency (EASA) passed a set of drone regulations that centralized and blanketed the whole of the European Union (in addition to Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and the United Kingdom) under one set of rules. Part of those rules broke drones into three subcategories: A1, A2, and A3. A1 drones are those that weigh less than 250 grams and were allowed to be flown over people. A2 drones weigh more than 250 grams, but less than two kilograms, and therefore must be flown at least 50 meters away from people. A3 drones weigh more than two kilograms and must be flown “well away” from people. Additionally, A2 drone pilots were required to pass the Remote Pilot Licensing exam to show “proof of competence” which cost as much as 230 euro (or $230). But as reported by DPReview, German-based research and testing facility TÜV Rheinland has granted DJI Mavic 3 drones the C1 certificate, which means pilots are no longer required to pass that exam in order to operate the drone in certain areas. This is the world’s first C1 EU-type examination certificate for drones under the new European Drone Regulation. DJI Mavic 3 In its announcement, DJI explains the difference between operating with and without a C1 certification: Operating Area Operational Restrictions Pilot Competence With C1 certificate and C1-compliant firmware (flying in the A1 Open Category from now on and after 31 December 2023) – No flying over uninvolved people (if it happens, should be minimized) – No flying over assemblies of people – Read user manual – Obtain A1/A3 “Proof of Competence” basic drone certificate by taking an officially-recognized theoretical online exam with no limitations on attempts before passing Without C1 certificate and without C1-compliant firmware (flying in the A2 Open Category until 31 December 2023; or in the A3 Open Category after 1 January 2024) – No flying over uninvolved people – Keeping a minimum 50 m horizontal distance from people until 31 December 2023 – After 1 January 2024, flying in areas free from people and 150 meters horizontal distance or more away from properties – Read user manual – Obtain A2 “Remote Piloting License” by taking an officially- recognized theoretical online exam, and declaring self-practical training. When failing, the customer has to reapply for the exam with possible additional costs involved The Mavic 3 series is C1-certified compliment with the following four mandatory changes to its firmware: The Mavic 3 series meets the new noise reduction level of 83db. When the ActiveTrack Intelligent Flight Mode is used to film people or objects, the distance from the person/object will be limited to 50 m. Beyond 50 m, ActiveTrack will be disabled. The Auxiliary LEDs will be turned on or off automatically during use, based on the actual environment, and The LEDs at the front arms of the drone will blink by default for the duration of the UAV being powered on. These changes are active whenever any C1-certified Mavic 3 series drone is flown in the European Economic Area (EEA). DJI says that the application for obtaining the new C1 class identification label for Mavic 3 drones will be available to all owners starting in the fourth quarter of 2022. Users will be able to request it voluntarily and it will be provided at no cost. DJI says the process will just require owners to provide their drone serial number and confirmation that they have updated to the firmware needed to obtain C1 certification. DJI says that once the C1 application process has been launched, all future firmware updates of the Mavic 3 series will include the technical changes required by the C1 certificate and cannot be reversed. https://petapixel.com/2022/08/23/dji-mavic-3-pilots-no-longer-need-to-pass-the-european-flight-exam/ Older Ukrainian fighter pilots volunteered to fight Russia despite knowing it might kill them, saying they wanted to protect younger colleagues: report • When Russia first attacked Ukraine, older pilots volunteered to fly to protect younger ones, per the Post. • One pilot said there was an understanding that if a job is "really, really dangerous" older pilots fly. • Ukraine's early response to Russia's attacks thwarted expectations that Russia would destroy its air force. By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Older Ukrainian pilot volunteered to fight Russia when it invaded despite knowing the mission would likely kill them as they wanted to protect younger pilots, The Washington Post reported. The Post's report, based on interviews with Ukrainian and Western officials, said that older pilots stationed at the Vasylkiv Air Base near Kyiv volunteered to fly on February 24, the day Russia invaded, as they sought to defend their base. A Ukrainian fighter pilot who uses the call sign "Moonfish" told The Post: "I wouldn't call this tradition, but it was a rule that if there was a really, really dangerous bad mission, the older guys jump in the jets." "The older guys took responsibility, like, 'Hey, I have grown kids.'" Of the older pilots reported to have volunteered to fight near Kyiv, it is unclear how many, if any, died. It is also unclear what age they were. The Vasylkiv Air Base was an early target of Russia, as it was close to Kyiv. Ukraine said the base was destroyed by Russia in March — more than a month Russia started its attack and two weeks before Russia retreated from Kyiv. Western nations and Russia itself initially expected Russia to have a swift victory in Kyiv — which would likely see the rest of Ukraine fall quickly after. Russia was also expected to quickly destroy Ukraine's much smaller air force and control Ukraine's skies. But unexpected resistance from Ukraine prevented that from happening. According to The Post, the Ukrainian air force's response included moving its jets and flying some of them so Russia would only hit empty targets. Lt. Gen. Anatoliy Kryvonozhko, head of Ukraine's Central Air Command, told The Post that early in the invasion Ukrainian pilots at various air bases often had to take off from runways that had been shortened because they had been bombed and then quickly repaired, and that the pilots often had to skip any pre-flight checks. In April, Russia abandoned its efforts to invade Kyiv and focused its efforts on conquering eastern Ukraine instead. https://www.businessinsider.com/older-ukraine-pilots-volunteered-fight-russia-protect-younger-colleagues-wapo-2022-8 Boeing Is Currently Assembling The Last Ever 747 Jumbo Jet The Queen of the Skies was in production for over half a century. The last Boeing 747 will soon roll off Boeing's production line. Once the finishing touches are put, the final Boeing 747-8F will be delivered to Atlas Air, the cargo carrier's final delivery of the aircraft type and marking the end of an iconic half-century-long-era in the aviation industry. From the start Production of Boeing's famous 'Queen of the Skies' first began in the 1960s when demand for air travel boomed, and airlines needed bigger aircraft to carry more passengers while still bringing down airfares. Seeking a solution from Boeing, Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) founder Juan Tripped asked for a large-capacity passenger aircraft that could fly long-haul. The Chicago-based aircraft manufacturer took on the challenge, and after two years of design and assembly with the help of around 50,000 employees, the first Boeing 747 took off in February 1969. Pan Am and other airlines were pleased with the aircraft, which carried twice the capacity of the narrowbody Boeing 707. The Boeing 747 made international travel affordable for the first time, and long-haul flying was finally becoming a shared privilege for all, making the jumbojet the aircraft that revolutionized the aviation industry. Pan Am eventually became the largest operator of the Boeing 747-100 aircraft, having housed and flown a total of 47, with several passenger versions. Pan Am operated the first Boeing 747 in 1970 from New York to London as the first receiver of such a historic aircraft. The airline liked the Queen so much that it eventually ordered more than 20, which was considered a big order back then. And since the aircraft could carry 347 passengers, it soon attracted several other airlines to place orders for this game-changer, such as British Overseas Airways Corporation, Japan Airlines, KLM, and Qantas. Till the end For several decades, from its launch until 2019, the 747 remained superiorly popular, even as the Airbus A380 came into the picture to spice up the competition between the jumbo jets. Boeing kept the Queen going strong by stretching out the length and introducing new variants, allowing airlines to use the aircraft for commercial and cargo services until nearly every significant international carrier had the Boeing 747 in its fleet. While the end of the Queen was foreseen for a more distant future, the introductions of new-generation twin-engined revolutionaries and the collapse in demand for travel during the pandemic made the end come sooner than Boeing and aviation enthusiasts would have preferred. Paired with rising fuel costs, the Boeing 747 was no longer as economical as it once was, and only a small handful of airlines still operate passenger flights using the Queen. Still, the 747 proves more useful in these times for its cargo capabilities. Atlas Air and UPS currently stand on the podium as the biggest Boeing 747 operator, with both the -400F and -8F variants in their respective fleets. The final 747 being assembled! The 747-8F will be delivered to Atlas Air in October this year, closing the book on an era over half a century-long. pic.twitter.com/Hb5Rl76bRN — Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) August 23, 2022 As the Queen reaches the end of her time, Boeing has essentially hit the brakes on one of its most significant rainmakers. Without the production of the Boeing 747s, the manufacturer would rely more heavily upon its other notable and more popular modern widebodies, the Boeing 777 and 787 Dreamliner. Despite the resumption of the deliveries of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the planemaker still hasn't experienced a smooth enough for the Boeing 777X. And with similar troubles plaguing its narrowbody productions, Boeing hopes to regain the glory of producing revolutionary aircraft, though its peak might have gone by alongside the Boeing 747. https://simpleflying.com/boeing-building-last-747/ NASA's Ingenuity helicopter makes 30th Martian flight It was the first liftoff for Ingenuity in more than two months. NASA's Ingenuity helicopter now has 30 Martian flights under its belt. The 4-pound (1.8 kilograms) Ingenuity took to the skies on Saturday (Aug. 20) for the first time in more than two months, acing a short hop that was its 30th overall Red Planet sortie. Ingenuity had been grounded since June 11, through no fault of its own. It's winter at the helicopter's locale, the 28-mile-wide (45 kilometers) Jezero Crater, and the solar-powered Ingenuity isn't getting enough sunlight to keep its batteries charged both day and night, mission team members wrote in a recent blog post(opens in new tab). That issue, which is worsened by the buildup of dust on Ingenuity's solar panel, precludes long and ambitious flights, but short hops are still possible at the moment. And the Ingenuity team decided to take the little rotorcraft out for a brief spin on Saturday to make sure it's still doing OK after experiencing more than 100 freezing-cold Martian winter nights. The flight was designed to last 33 seconds and cover just 6.5 feet (2 meters) of horizontal distance, according to the blog post. And Ingenuity apparently hit those marks. "The #MarsHelicopter is back in flight! After a two-month hiatus, the rotorcraft did a short hop over the weekend so the team can check its vitals and knock some dust off the solar panel," NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California, which manages Ingenuity's mission, said via Twitter on Monday(opens in new tab) (Aug. 22). Ingenuity landed with NASA's Perseverance rover in February 2021 on the floor of Jezero Crater, which hosted a lake and a river delta billions of years ago. Perseverance is searching for signs of ancient Mars life and collecting dozens of samples for future return to Earth. Ingenuity was originally tasked with a five-flight campaign designed to show that helicopters can explore Mars. The little chopper aced that technology-demonstration more than a year ago and is now serving as a scout for Perseverance. Perseverance has reached the ancient river delta, and Ingenuity should join the rover there soon, after the weather improves a bit. (The rotorcraft hasn't been able to follow Perseverance closely during its winter quiescent period.) "We intend to continue our flight path toward the river delta in the coming weeks while the environment (and thus the daily recoverable battery charge) continues to improve," Teddy Tzanetos, Ingenuity team lead at JPL, wrote in the recent update. "With higher battery states of charge will come longer flights, and eventually Ingenuity will be able to power its internal heaters overnight, which will stop its electronics from freezing in the Martian cold each evening," he added. "Also planned for September is a flight-software upgrade that will enable new navigation capabilities so that Ingenuity can fly better across the challenging river delta terrain in the months ahead." https://www.space.com/mars-helicopter-ingenuity-30th-flight 66th Air Safety Forum – Join Us! PERSEVERANCE THROUGH STRENGTH AND UNITY September 12 – September 15, 2022 | Omni Shoreham Hotel | Washington, DC safetyforum.alpa.org CONFIRMED KEYNOTES INCLUDE • Capt. Joe DePete – President, Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l • The Honorable Jennifer Homendy – Chair, National Transportation Safety Board • The Honorable David Pekoske – Acting Administrator, Transportation Security Administration • Mr. Nick Robinson, Director General Civil Aviation, Transport Canada • Capt. “Sully” Sullenberger – Former U.S. Ambassador to ICAO • Mr. Dieudonne Kazzembe, Aero Club Foundation Scholarship Recipient Agenda and registration information can be found at safetyforum.alpa.org THANK YOU, SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS! Sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities are available. Email airsafetyforum@alpa.org for more information. Curt Lewis