Flight Safety Information - December 1, 2022 No. 231 In This Issue : Incident: Westjet Encore DH8D enroute on Nov 19th 2022, door open indication : Accident: Azul A332 near Manaus on Nov 28th 2022, turbulence injures passenger : Learjet 35 or 36 - Runway Excursion (Virginia) : Report: No altitude advice before Dallas air show crash : Death of co-pilot who mysteriously exited plane midflight during emergency landing was an accident, autopsy says : March F-16 crash in Beauregard followed pilot’s accidental flip of wrong switch : IFALPA: Global Pilots on AC624 Decision : The TSA is Going to End a Special Program That Lets Pilots and Flight Attendants Skip Airport Security Lines : Air Marshals Say Safety is Being Compromised Because So Many Are Being Deployed On ‘Humanitarian’ Missions On The Southern Border : Six years after reaching market, Duluth’s Cirrus Aircraft reports first jets saved by parachute system : Solar storm from 'canyon-like' hole in the sun could hit Earth as soon as Thursday : Naval Aviation Ground Mishaps Have ‘Gone Through The Roof’, Official Says : FAA head confirmation hearing delayed as agency leadership remains in flux : United Airlines (UAL) Cements Ties With Regional Carrier JSX : Southwest Airlines plans to hire 8,000 more workers in 2023 : United Airlines to Open 2 New Pilot Bases as Contract Talks Drag On : Postponement - ESASI FocusOn...ICAO - 7 December 2022 Incident: Westjet Encore DH8D enroute on Nov 19th 2022, door open indication A Westjet Encore de Havilland Dash 8-400, registration C-GVEN performing flight WS-3185 from Vancouver,BC to Victoria,BC (Canada) with 71 passengers and 4 crew, had climbed to 4000 feet for cruise flight to Victoria when the crew received a fuselage door open indication. The crew worked the related checklists, informed ATC and requested an airport vehicle to follow them on the runway in Victoria in case the door jumped open on landing and something fell out of the aircraft. The aircraft landed safely on Victoria's runway 27 about 14 minutes after departure. The Canadian TSB reported: "The operator's maintenance adjusted the door lock sensor. An operational check of the door revealed no further faults, and the aircraft was returned to service." https://avherald.com/h?article=501bee20&opt=0 Accident: Azul A332 near Manaus on Nov 28th 2022, turbulence injures passenger An Azul Linhas Aereas Airbus A330-200, registration PR-AIY performing flight AD-8706 from Sao Paulo Viracopos,SP (Brazil) to Orlando,FL (USA) with 197 passengers and 14 crew, was enroute at FL380 near Manaus,AM (Brazil) when the aircraft encountered turbulence knocking one of the passengers out of his/her seat, the passenger received injuries. The aircraft continued to Orlando for a landing without further incident about 5:15 hours later. Brazil's CENIPA reported the passenger received a serious injury (fractured wrist), rated the occurrence an accident and opened an investigation. https://avherald.com/h?article=501be819&opt=0 Learjet 35 or 36 - Runway Excursion (Virginia) Date: 30-NOV-2022 Time: c. 08:05 Type: Learjet 35 or 36 Owner/operator: Private Registration: MSN: Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Minor Location: Newport News/Williamsburg Int. Airport (PHF/KPHF), VA - United States of America Phase: Landing Nature: Private Departure airport: Destination airport: Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport, VA (PHF/KPHF) Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources Narrative: A Learjet skidded of the runway and blew a tire when landing at at Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport (PHF/LPHF), Virginia. The three POB were not injured and the aircraft received minor damage. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/301920 Report: No altitude advice before Dallas air show crash DALLAS (AP) — Just before a midair collision that killed six at a Dallas air show, a group of historic fighter planes was told to fly ahead of a formation of bombers without any prior plan for coordinating altitude, according to a federal report released Wednesday. The report did not give a cause of the crash. A P-63 Kingcobra fighter was banking left when it struck a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber behind the left wing during the Nov. 12 air show featuring World War II-era planes, the National Transportation Safety Board said in its preliminary findings. All six people aboard the planes — the pilot of the fighter and the bomber's pilot, co-pilot and three crew members — died as both aircraft broke apart in flight, with the bomber catching fire and then exploding on impact. There had been no coordination of altitudes in briefings before the flight or while the planes were in the air, the NTSB said. The report said that the Kingcobra was the third in a formation of three fighters and the B-17 was the lead of a five-ship bomber formation. Eric Weiss, an NTSB spokesperson, said the agency is trying to determine the sequence of maneuvers that led to the crash. It is also examining whether such air shows normally have altitude deconfliction plans. “Those are precisely the types of questions our investigators are asking,” Weiss said. “What was the process? What’s the correct process? And what happened?” John Cox, a former airline captain with more than 50 years’ experience, was surprised that the NTSB found there wasn’t an altitude deconfliction brief before or during the flight. He said these take place in other air shows, but he’s not certain whether they’re standard for the Commemorative Air Force. The NTSB said the fighter formation had been told by the air boss to proceed to a line that was 500 feet (152 meters) from where the audience was lined up at Dallas Executive Airport, while the bomber formation was told to fly 1,000 feet (304 meters) from the audience viewing area. The NTSB said a navigation device on the bomber “contained position information relevant to the accident” but a device on the fighter didn’t record during the flight. The Commemorative Air Force, which put on the show for Veterans Day, did not immediately respond Wednesday to a request for comment on the report. It previously identified the victims as: Terry Barker, Craig Hutain, Kevin “K5” Michels, Dan Ragan, Leonard “Len” Root and Curt Rowe. All the men were volunteers who had gone through a strict process of logging hours and training flights and were vetted carefully, Hank Coates, CEO of Commemorative Air Force, said after the crash. Cox said the planes were flown by experienced pilots and that it’s “virtually certain” the pilot of the smaller, more maneuverable fighter didn’t see the bomber. He said understanding how this happened will be a central challenge for investigators. "What happened for two pilots of this skill level to end up in the same airspace at the same time?" said Cox, the founder of Safety Operating Systems, which helps smaller airlines and corporate flight services around the world with safety planning. The air show collision came three years after the crash of a bomber in Connecticut that killed seven, and amid ongoing concern about the safety of shows involving older warplanes. The B-17, a cornerstone of U.S. air power during World War II, is an immense four-engine bomber that was used in daylight raids against Germany. The Kingcobra, a U.S. fighter, was used mostly by Soviet forces during the war. Most B-17s were scrapped at the end of World War II and only a handful remain today, largely featured at museums and air shows, according to Boeing. https://www.yahoo.com/news/report-no-altitude-advice-dallas-224759819.html Death of co-pilot who mysteriously exited plane midflight during emergency landing was an accident, autopsy says The death of a pilot who fell out of a twin-engine plane in North Carolina in July was an accident, according to his autopsy report. Charles Hew Crooks, 23, who was co-piloting the CASA CN-212 Aviocar on July 29, suffered multiple blunt force injuries in an accidental fall, according to an autopsy report obtained Wednesday by NBC News from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in North Carolina. The report also concluded Crooks “had no significant natural disease." A toxicology report showed Crooks was tested for amphetamines, cocaine and opioids, and "toxicological testing detected no alcohols or common drugs of abuse.” Crooks was flying for a private company that was dropping skydivers from a rear ramp in a small private field, the autopsy said. During the plane’s third-landing approach, the aircraft sustained landing gear damage. While no one was on board except for Crooks and the pilot, the aircraft headed toward Raleigh-Durham International Airport and notified air traffic control of its landing gear problem. The autopsy said the plane then encountered turbulence and Crooks told the pilot he was not feeling well. “They were flying at approximately 3500 feet with the rear ramp open for ventilation. The aircraft encountered moderate turbulence,” the report said. “At some point, the decedent (copilot) opened a cockpit window for ventilation and possibly to vomit. Sometime after, he told the pilot that he felt he was going to be sick and apologized. He then departed the cockpit towards the open rear ramp; at some point, the pilot realized that he had apparently fallen from the aircraft.” According to a preliminary report on the incident from from the National Transportation Safety Board, Crooks appeared “visibly upset” when he told the pilot he felt sick and needed air. The pilot, who has not been identified, told investigators that Crooks did not appear to reach for a bar that was roughly six feet above the ramp before he fell, the report says. Crooks was not wearing a parachute at the time. Earlier, the pilots had been ferrying skydivers when their plane “dropped” and its landing gear struck a runway, the report says. Crooks declared an emergency and coordinated with air traffic controllers at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, according to the report. After roughly 20 minutes, Crooks became “visibly upset” about the hard landing and stopped communicating with air traffic controllers, the report says. After Crooks fell from the plane, the commanding pilot alerted air traffic controllers and went searching for Crooks, the report says. He landed the plane in a grassy area near the Raleigh airport around 2:40 p.m. Crooks’ body was found in a neighborhood in Fuquay-Varina, southwest of Raleigh, roughly five hours later after a resident heard a noise in their backyard. Crooks’ father, Hew Crooks, told NBC affiliate WRAL of Raleigh that his son was a certified flight instructor who had spent years working to become a pilot. “He pursued his private pilot license while he was in college. I think he got that when he was a sophomore,” Crooks told the station. “He said a couple weeks ago he wouldn’t trade places with anybody in the world. He loved where he was.” “I can’t imagine what happened,” he added. “We’ll figure it out, I suppose.” https://www.yahoo.com/news/death-co-pilot-mysteriously-exited-210346613.html March F-16 crash in Beauregard followed pilot’s accidental flip of wrong switch Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) - A report by the U.S. Air Force Aircraft Investigation Board says an F-16 crash in Beauregard Parish in March of this year happened after the pilot accidentally flipped the wrong switch. The aircraft was one of two fighter jets on a training mission when the two planes conducted an “unplanned and uncoordinated” intercept exercise below the military operating area of a general aviation aircraft flying around Beauregard Regional Airport. The pilot safely ejected, suffering only minor injuries. The $27 million F-16 crashed in a desolate, wooded area of Beauregard Parish around 11 a.m. on March 23. The F-16 was assigned to the 138th Fighter Wing (FW), 125th Fighter Squadron, Air National Guard, Tulsa Air National Guard Base, Oklahoma, with duties at 138 FW, Detachment 1, Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base, Houston. After the inadvertent flip of the wrong switch caused a momentary loss of lift and caused the aircraft to shudder, the pilot incorrectly assessed that the aircraft had departed controlled flight and misperceived the inability to recover the plane before initiating ejection below uncontrolled ejection minimums. The board president also found two substantially contributing factors: 1) lack of flight leadership and 2) lack of flight discipline, in (both pilots’) violation of various training rules, including intercepting a non-participating GA aircraft, and incorrectly handling the F-16 in a low speed and low altitude environment. The two jets were flying out of Ellington Field on an exercise to practice intercepts of other planes and to practice air-to-air refueling. The first intercept exercise concluded uneventfully when the pilot found a general aviation aircraft flying at 1,700 feet, below the military operating area. The other pilot, who was the flight lead, directed the aircraft to proceed with an unplanned low and slow visual intercept of a “non-participating” general aviation aircraft, which was in an established hold near Beauregard Regional Airport, flying north for four miles, south for four miles, then north for four miles again. This pattern “complicated the intercept geometry by compressing the range between the two planes.” The flight lead read the first five of six numbers on the aircraft’s tail number, but unable to get the remaining identifier, began a climbing turn to proceed to a planned air-to-air refueling training. The second jet continued to read the last digit of the tail number as it closed in on the general aviation aircraft, which was heading north. The general aviation aircraft then turned right to head back south to Lake Charles. The pilot followed through the turn, reading the final digit at 10:57 a.m. The jet was approximately 300 feet above the general aviation aircraft instead of the 1,000 feet required when executing intercept from the side or front. The pilot then received a stall warning that the jet was flying below minimum speed. The pilot planned to raise the trailing edge flaps by flipping the alternate flaps switch, but instead accidentally flipped the digital backup switch, resulting in the F-16 flight controls to default to their inactive state, irrespective of the actual airspeed. The trailing edge flaps automatically began retracting, causing a momentary loss of lift and causing the aircraft to shudder. Four seconds later - still at 10:57 a.m. - the pilot ejected. For three-and-a-half minutes the flight lead was unaware that the pilot had ejected At 10:59:30 a.m. the flight lead began calling the pilot on the radio but received no response. Two minutes later, the lead detected the pilot’s emergency locater transmitter beacon and saw what appeared to be the crash site. The pilot landed in a tree, disconnected his gear and retrieved his personal cell phone, calling his squadron operations. https://www.kplctv.com/2022/11/30/march-f16-crash-beauregard-followed-pilots-accidental-flip-wrong-switch/ IFALPA: Global Pilots on AC624 Decision MONTREAL--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA) deplores the 25 November 2022 decision by the Supreme Court of Canada to allow the release and use of the recordings from the Air Canada accident flight AC624 Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) in a class action trial. “in criminal, civil, administrative or disciplinary proceedings, or their public disclosure, can have adverse consequences for persons or organizations involved in accidents and incidents, likely causing them or others to be reluctant to cooperate with accident investigation authorities in the future.” ICAO annex 13 states that the sole objective of an accident investigation is, “the prevention of accidents and incidents without apportioning blame or liability.” The CVR recordings are only a portion of the evidence collected during an investigation and it is the responsibility of the investigating authority to determine the contributing factors to prevent a future occurrence. Pilots are willing participants in this process knowing that ICAO, and in this case, the Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board Act, recognizes the CVR as an on-board recording that must be treated with discretion and used as intended by trained aviation safety professionals. ICAO cautions in Annex 13 that the disclosure of these records, “in criminal, civil, administrative or disciplinary proceedings, or their public disclosure, can have adverse consequences for persons or organizations involved in accidents and incidents, likely causing them or others to be reluctant to cooperate with accident investigation authorities in the future.” Safety is enhanced by open and honest conversation between crew members. When there is a perceived threat of those words being used inappropriately, the conversation is likely to be restricted, to the detriment of flight safety. Not only does the disclosure contravene the internationally understood principles of accident investigation confidentiality, it is also a breach of trust of those involved in the investigation. IFALPA once again stresses that the sole purpose of a CVR is to aid investigators in determining the factors leading to an accident and not to apportion blame or be used outside of its safety context. Any other use of CVR data is not only invalid but is an unacceptable invasion of privacy best described as an attempt at sensationalism and voyeurism of the worst kind and not in line with ICAO standards and recommended practices. Note to Editors: The International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations represents more than 100,000 pilots in nearly 100 countries. The mission of IFALPA is to promote the highest level of aviation safety worldwide and to be the global advocate of the piloting profession, providing representation, services, and support to both our members and the aviation industry. Contacts Media: Emily Bitting, Senior Communications Specialist, emilybitting@ifalpa.org https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221130006041/en/IFALPA-Global-Pilots-on-AC624-Decision The TSA is Going to End a Special Program That Lets Pilots and Flight Attendants Skip Airport Security Lines The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is preparing to axe a special program that allows pilots and flight attendants to almost bypass normal airport security checkpoints altogether because abuse of the system has become so rife. The Known Crewmember (KCM) program was set up in 2011 as a joint initiative between the industry trade group Airlines for America (A4A) and the Air Line Pilots Association, alongside the TSA, to expedite screening for crew members who have already undergone extensive security vetting. Initially designed for pilots, the program was quickly expanded to flight attendants, as well as a small number of other airline workers who require quick and easy access to secure ‘airside’ parts of the airport. The KCM program is meant to allow a pilot or flight attendant to simply pass through a checkpoint with virtually zero checks, but random enhanced checks that are closer to what passengers experience have been increased to such an extent that some aircrew already view the program as next to useless. After several high-profile incidents, airlines, unions and the KCM administrators have issued regular reminders to crew not to abuse the system for fear that the program might be withdrawn altogether. Last month, an off-duty flight attendant for Mesa Airlines was caught with what is alleged to be 3.33 pounds of fentanyl wrapped around her abdomen as she tried to get through the KCM checkpoint at San Diego Airport last month. And on at least one occasion since January 2020, a firearm was discovered in a crew member’s bag in a foreign country where weapons are highly regulated, the AFA claimed. The crew member was arrested and thrown into prison while the case was investigated. A memo obtained by Aero Crew News also revealed that in October alone, random TSA screening at KCM checkpoints had discovered “loaded firearms, numerous edged weapons, and the attempted trafficking of 1 kilo of methamphetamine.” As a result, the TSA is preparing to axe Known Crewmember, ACN reports and instead bring crew member screening entirely under its remit with a new program called Expedited Crew Access (ECA). As the name suggests, crew members won’t be subjected to full passenger screening but potentially something more akin to TSA PreCheck. It could also emulate the screening methods that all international crew members passing through U.S. airports are currently subjected to, in which there are no limits on liquids. The TSA could also look towards Europe, where only on-duty crew members have access to expedited screening. The process currently being rolled out across the continent randomly selects a crew member to undergo a full search or just a quick swab for explosives. Although disappointing for crew members who have enjoyed very fast access through TSA checkpoints for years, the ECA program should still be an improvement on what most passengers experience day to day. https://www.paddleyourownkanoo.com/2022/11/30/the-tsa-is-going-to-end-a-special-program-that-lets-pilots-and-flight-attendants-skip-airport-security-lines/ Air Marshals Say Safety is Being Compromised Because So Many Are Being Deployed On ‘Humanitarian’ Missions On The Southern Border Air marshals are protecting just 1 percent of flights across the United States after the Biden administration redeployed hundreds of officers on humanitarian missions on the Southern border, the Air Marshal National Council president Sonia Labosco has claimed. Prior to being redeployed on the border to drive vans full of migrants or handing out water, federal air marshals were protecting around 5 percent of flights, itself a cause of concern for Labosco, who spoke with Fox News earlier this week. “Let’s stop another 9/11, we are extremely concerned,” Labosco said. Referencing a recent incident in which a Southwest Airlines passenger allegedly attempted to breach the cockpit in a major security alert, Labosco warned: “There have been numerous in the last two weeks [including] a Level 4 threat”. “Sir, please, replace the air marshals on the border, stop taking them out the skies and let us do the job we are trained to do,” Labosco pleaded in comments directed at President Biden. “These ground-based duties that they are pulling us out of the skies to go to the border are just demolishing our chances of stopping another 9/11”. The Department for Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration say they “hear the concerns” of its air marshal workforce, but the agencies have refused to give a timeline for when the ground deployments might end. Some federal air marshals are being sent to the Southern border on mandatory 21-day deployments, with officers dispatched to El Paso in Texas and Yuma, Arizona. The mandatory deployments began at the end of October after the Biden administration admitted it was “experiencing a surge in irregular migration along the Southwest border”. Last week, a man was arrested after he allegedly held a cut-throat razor to the neck of a female passenger on a jetBlue flight after she tried to watch a movie on the inflight entertainment system. And in another alarming incident, a man allegedly threatened flight attendants with a box cutter that he managed to smuggle aboard a Frontier flight forcing the pilots to make an emergency landing so that law enforcement could remove the suspect. https://www.paddleyourownkanoo.com/2022/11/30/air-marshals-say-safety-is-being-compromised-because-so-many-are-being-deployed-on-humanitarian-missions-on-the-southern-border/ Six years after reaching market, Duluth’s Cirrus Aircraft reports first jets saved by parachute system • The Duluth-based manufacturer was the first company in the world to build a personal jet standard equipped with a whole-plane parachute. DULUTH, Minn. — Chalk up another first for Cirrus Aircraft. The Duluth-based manufacturer was the first company in the world to build a personal jet standard equipped with a whole-plane parachute. And this year, that system has finally been put to a real-world unsimulated test, including a day-after-Thanksgiving save near Indianapolis, Indiana. Although Cirrus’ single-turbofan engine Vision Jet, also known as the SF50, has been in production since late 2016, its unique parachute system had never been deployed in the field under emergency circumstances until just lately, nearly six years after the aircraft reached the market. On Sept. 9 of this year, Cirrus recorded its first parachute save of an SF50, when a storm-pummeled plane came to rest in a remote swampy area, after the pilot encountered what was described as “severe turbulence” while making an approach to Kissimmee Gateway Airport near Orlando, Fla., according to a preliminary report by the Federal Aviation Administration. All the plane’s occupants, including the male pilot, a female passenger and a child, survived the emergency landing with non-life-threatening injuries. The latest SF50 save occurred at 8:05 a.m. Friday, on the heels of Thanksgiving, shortly after the aircraft left Indianapolis Regional Airport, en route to Greene County Regional Airport, 457 miles away in Greensboro, Ga. When interviewed by the FAA, the pilot, Timothy Borrup, reported encountering engine issues shortly after takeoff. That’s when he made the decision to pull the handle that deployed what the airplane maker calls its emergency CAPS option — shorthand for the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System. Borrup, who flies for Verijet Inc., a Florida-based charter air transport service with a fleet of more than a dozen SF50s, was the sole occupant of the aircraft, which was in transit between jobs at the time of the emergency landing. The jet floated to rest, partially submerged at the edge of a stormwater retention pond northeast of Indianapolis. In Facebook posts, Verijet reported the 54-year-old pilot was uninjured and “in good spirits” following the incident. Company officials went on to say: “We are grateful for the safety of Capt. Timothy Borrup. Onwards and upwards!” All Cirrus aircraft come standard equipped with an emergency parachute. Alan Klapmeier, who co-founded Cirrus with his brother, Dale, vowed to include a parachute in the design of future airplanes after undergoing a near-death experience of his own in 1985. While flying a Cessna 182 in Prairie du Sac, Wis., Klapmeier collided with a Piper Vagabond Cub, and barely managed to land, after losing more than 3 feet of his right wing. The other pilot was not as fortunate and died in the crash. “People are going to make mistakes. So, we decided there has to be another safety option,” Dale Klapmeier said. Cirrus collaborated with St. Paul-based Ballistic Recovery Systems to incorporate a rocket-fired parachute system into each of its aircraft, a decision that initially turned heads in the industry but quickly paid dividends. As of Nov. 25, Cirrus has recorded 129 emergency landings using its parachute system, likely sparing 241 lives that might otherwise have been lost, according to the Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association. While Cirrus’ parachute system has a long and established track record of bringing slower-flying piston-engine planes safely to the ground in emergency situations, the aircraft maker faced a greater challenge adapting the system to meet the rigors of jet flight, with a significantly larger parachute. The two recent SF50 saves should help dispel any lingering skepticism about the efficacy of installing its whole-frame parachute aboard a jet. In 2018, Cirrus received the Robert J. Collier Award for its development of the SF50. The honor recognizes recipients “for the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, with respect to improving the performance, efficiency, and safety of air or space vehicles, the value of which has been thoroughly demonstrated by actual use during the preceding year.” The parachute is not a cure-all. The company has engaged in an extensive training campaign to instruct pilots when and where to use it, before too late in an emergency situation. Cirrus advises pilots that the emergency parachute should be deployed at a minimum altitude of 400 feet to be effective. https://www.twincities.com/2022/11/30/six-years-after-reaching-market-duluths-cirrus-aircraft-reports-first-jets-saved-by-parachute-system/ Solar storm from 'canyon-like' hole in the sun could hit Earth as soon as Thursday The hole could beam solar material outwards at speeds up to 1.8 million mph (2.9 million km/h) A "canyon-like" hole in the sun's atmosphere has opened up and may launch a high-speed stream of solar wind into Earth's magnetic field from Thursday (Dec. 1) to Friday (Dec. 2), and will possibly cause a minor geomagnetic storm, according to spaceweather.com . The coronal hole is a gigantic solar gulf stretching across the sun’s center. Coronal holes are areas in the sun's upper atmosphere where our star's electrified gas (or plasma) is less hot and dense than in other regions, which makes them appear black in contrast. Around these holes, the sun's magnetic field lines, instead of looping back in on themselves, point outward into space, beaming solar material outwards at up to 1.8 million mph (2.9 million km/h), according to the Exploratorium, a science museum in San Francisco. This barrage of energetic solar debris, mostly consisting of electrons, protons and alpha particles, is absorbed by Earth’s magnetic field, which becomes compressed, triggering a geomagnetic storm. The solar particles zip through the atmosphere near the poles where Earth's protective magnetosphere is weakest and agitate oxygen and nitrogen molecules — causing them to release energy in the form of light to form colorful auroras such as the northern lights. The storm that could hit Earth on Thursday will likely be fairly weak. Predicted to be a G-1 geomagnetic storm, it could cause minor fluctuations in power grids and impair some satellite functions — including those for mobile devices and GPS systems. It could also cause an aurora to appear as far south as Michigan and Maine. More extreme geomagnetic storms, however, can have far more serious effects. They can not only warp our planet's magnetic field powerfully enough to send satellites tumbling to Earth, but can disrupt electrical systems and even cripple the internet. Geomagnetic storms can also come from two other forms of solar activity: coronal mass ejections (CMEs) or solar flares. Debris that erupts from the sun in the form of CMEs usually takes around 15 to 18 hours to reach Earth, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center(opens in new tab). The bright flashes of solar flares, which can cause radio blackouts, travel at the speed of light to arrive at Earth in just 8 minutes. The upcoming storm is just the latest in a string of solar barrages fired at Earth as the sun ramps up into the most active phase of its roughly 11-year solar cycle. Astronomers have known since 1775 that solar activity rises and falls in cycles, but recently, the sun has been more active than expected, with nearly double the sunspot appearances predicted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(opens in new tab). Scientists anticipate that the sun's activity will steadily climb for the next few years, reaching an overall maximum in 2025 before decreasing again. The largest solar storm in recent history was the 1859 Carrington Event, which released roughly the same energy as 10 billion 1-megaton atomic bombs. After slamming into Earth, the powerful stream of solar particles fried telegraph systems around the world and caused auroras brighter than the light of the full moon to appear as far south as the Caribbean. It also released a billion-ton plume of gas and caused a blackout across the entire Canadian province of Quebec, NASA reported(opens in new tab). If a similar event were to happen today, scientists warn it would cause trillions of dollars’ worth of damage and trigger widespread blackouts, much like the 1989 solar storm that released a billion-ton plume of gas and caused a blackout across the entire Canadian province of Quebec, NASA reported(opens in new tab). But this may not even scratch the surface of what our star is capable of hurling at us. Scientists are also investigating the cause of a series of sudden and colossal spikes in radiation levels recorded in ancient tree rings across Earth's history. A leading theory is that the spikes could have come from solar storms 80 times more powerful than the Carrington Event, but scientists have yet to rule out some other potentially unknown cosmic source. https://www.livescience.com/sun-canyon-like-hole-solar-storm Naval Aviation Ground Mishaps Have ‘Gone Through The Roof’, Official Says ORLANDO, Florida — The Naval Air Forces are working to address significant safety concerns both in the air and on the ground, the commander of the enterprise said Nov. 30. Earlier this year, all non-deployed Navy aviation units were directed to conduct a safety pause following a series of crashes involving Navy aircraft. The Marine Corps also issued a single-day stand down for all Marine Aircraft Wing units as a result of the incidents. “[2021] and [2022] have been difficult years for us when it comes down to the numbers,” said Vice Adm. Kenneth Whitesell, commander of the Naval Air Forces. “When it comes to the cost of the platforms and the replacement pieces, when we go out and crunch and do stuff to the platforms, the cost has gone through the roof — almost two to three times what it’s cost us over the previous year.” In particular, ground mishaps — such as ground safety equipment “crunching aircraft” and taxiing accidents — have “gone through the roof,” Whitesell said during a panel discussion at the National Training and Simulation Association's annual Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference in Orlando. NTSA is an affiliate of the National Defense Industrial Association. “We've got some self-inflicted wounds here that we've had focus on … over the last year as we now work with the [Naval Safety Command] and transition into accurate assessments on where the risk is,” he said. The COVID-19 pandemic, which also lead to staff cuts, had a noticeable affect on safety training and oversight, Whitesell said. “[Coming] out of the COVID environment, where we told everybody to separate the individuals — we’ll pass the information over electronic means, the flight schedule, the plan of the day. Now we bring everyone back together again, it comes down in some cases [to] just simplicity of chiefs, division officers, branch officers, showing those young folks — showing all of us — what right looks like,” he said. “The lessons that we learned from reading reports and understanding where mistakes were occurring and having that oversight piece that was part of our culture, we drifted a little bit in that culture over the last two years,” he added. “The numbers are not great right now.” Reporting and visibility of safety mishaps has increased, Whitesell said, but there is still a lot of work to do. “It’s been my focus area,” he said. “While the warfighting piece seems to be on the track, the safety side of the house … we’ve got some learning to do,” he said. “We’ve got a plan that we are executing right now and moving out with that,” he added. https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2022/11/30/naval-aviation-ground-mishaps-have-gone-through-the-roof-official-says FAA head confirmation hearing delayed as agency leadership remains in flux • The hearing for Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington to head the Federal Aviation Administration — which has been leaderless since late March — won't happen until next year. Why it matters: It's the latest hitch Washington has faced since news surfaced in September that he was named in a criminal search in Los Angeles related to his time as CEO of LA Metro. The delay also means the White House will need to renominate Washington — who President Biden first tapped in July — if the administration intends to stick with its pick. What they're saying: Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), who chairs the committee that oversees the FAA, told reporters on Tuesday that the U.S. Senate won't begin holding hearings until at least January after the new Congress convenes. "There's too many things people are trying to get done to get that floor time, so we said, 'Let's not go through a hearing in this Congress and a hearing in next Congress,'" Cantwell said, per Politico. Cantwell is confident about Washington's renomination, and that the U.S. Senate will confirm him, she told Reuters. In the meantime, she plans to meet with Washington next week to discuss what's next. A spokesperson for Cantwell did not immediately respond to Axios Denver's requests for comment. A spokesperson for Washington deferred Axios' questions to the White House. The other side: Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) — the top GOP official on the FAA panel — said Washington's nomination should not be approved, and the possibility of holding a hearing on his nomination this year "should be dead." In September, the senator expressed he was "deeply troubled" by corruption allegations connected to Washington and concerned about his "lack of experience in aviation." Context: A search warrant executed in September — which names Washington and is part of a criminal probe involving the Los Angeles Metro transit agency — has heightened scrutiny on Capitol Hill and in Colorado over the airport executive's confirmation. Washington has denied all allegations, Bloomberg reports. Of note: The African American Mayors Association last week endorsed Washington as the next FAA administrator in a letter to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Technology. "He is dedicated, smart and always prepared. He should be confirmed without delay," Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, who appointed Washington to lead DIA, penned in the letter. What to watch: It remains unclear whether the Biden administration will renominate Washington next year. A spokesperson for the White House did not immediately respond to Axios Denver's request for comment. https://www.axios.com/2022/11/30/faa-head-confirmation-hearing-delayed-as-agency-leadership-remains-in-flux United Airlines (UAL) Cements Ties With Regional Carrier JSX In a customer-friendly move, United Airlines UAL expanded its partnership with Dallas-based regional carrier JSX. A deal between the two was first inked in March 2022. With the same, a new private aviation track for students was created under UAL’s pilot career development program, Aviate. The scope of the association was earlier strengthened in June to permit members of UAL’s MileagePlus awards program to earn miles on the JSX flights. The latest extension allows passengers aiming to travel on JSX's regional jets to book their tickets directly through United Airlines’ website. For more convenience, MileagePlus members are eligible to earn loyalty miles for flying on JSX’s public charter flights. Expressing delight at the expanded alliance with UAL, JSX’s CEO Alex Wilcox opined, “This new partnership with United Airlines allows our customers the opportunity to reap the rewards of flying JSX public charters with one of the most respected airlines in the world.” JSX, constantly looking to widen its operations, offers flights between private terminals on 30-seater spacious jets. The strengthening of its association with such an expansion-oriented regional carrier is a prudent move for United Airlines. Shares of UAL have gained 11.8% in a year’s time against an 11% decline of its industry. https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/united-airlines-ual-cements-ties-with-regional-carrier-jsx Southwest Airlines plans to hire 8,000 more workers in 2023 • The Dallas-based carrier wants to have as many as 100,000 employees in five years, says CEO Bob Jordan. Dallas-based Southwest Airlines is planning to hire 8,000 more employees in 2023 after hitting record staffing levels this year. Southwest Airlines hit 65,000 employees in September — 2,500 more workers than it had in February 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic hit and forced massive cutbacks across the travel industry. Now the carrier is looking to continue that hiring into next year, including hopes of adding as many as 2,250 pilots, CEO Bob Jordan said Wednesday. And that hiring rate could continue, even though firms are announcing layoffs amid recession concerns. “If you look at our growth plans, we’re going to look up in five years, and not only will we continue to be the largest domestic carrier, we will have roughly 6,000 flights a day, we’ll have 1,000 aircraft and we’ll be just shy of 100,000 employees,” Jordan said. Jordan said he has seen no indication of a recession from airline customers. Southwest has hired 15,700 employees so far in 2022 as the demand for travel has increased and the company has seen two straight quarters of profitability. Accounting for attrition, the company has added about 10,000 workers this year and plans to get up to 11,000 by the end of 2022. Southwest reduced its headcount by about 7,800 workers between March 2020 and July 2021 through a series of voluntary retirement and leave-of-absence programs as passenger traffic dropped during the worst of the pandemic for the travel industry. That 15,700 new hires this year is a record for Southwest, besting the 11,000 employees the company hired when it acquired AirTran. Southwest has recovered to prepandemic employment levels faster than any other major network airline, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Fort Worth-based American Airlines still has 5,400 fewer employees than it did in March 2020, although executives have indicated that some positions may never return. Chicago-based United has 3,300 fewer employees than in early 2020, while Delta is up about 1,500 workers. All this has happened while Southwest is flying about 2% fewer available seat miles during the fourth quarter of this year than it did in 2019. The biggest chunk of 2023 hiring is planned for pilots, where the company hopes to add about 2,250 new aviators after hiring 1,200 this year. “The airline is constrained by pilots,” Jordan said. “We’re getting plenty of pilots, we’re filling all of our classes. The constraint is we only have so much training capacity.” In fact, Jordan said Southwest effectively has 40 or 45 fewer aircraft in its fleet because it doesn’t have enough pilots to keep all of its planes flying full time. With sufficient pilots, Jordan said the airline could probably do between 6% and 8% more flying. Southwest is adding more flight simulators at its Dallas headquarters campus in an expansion to its LEAD building where pilot training takes place. By January, the company should be able to bring six new 737 Max simulators online for a total of 26. Being short-staffed has been a drain on the company, Jordan said. Unions have rebelled against mandatory overtime policies and long shifts, making work conditions a major point in contract negotiations. Pilots and flight attendants have complained about flight delays and cancellations that have resulted in trips being changed and extended. “You look them in the eyes, and you can see when somebody is tired,” Jordan said. “They’ve been rerouted, their shifts have been extended, they’ve lost multiple weekends in a row they had intended to be with their families. Short staffing wasn’t just hurting the operational performance for our customers. It was hurting our people.” In addition to the 1,200 extra pilots brought on this year, Southwest has hired 3,500 flight attendants and 8,000 ground operations employees, including baggage handlers and ramp agents. https://www.dallasnews.com/business/airlines/2022/11/30/southwest-airlines-plans-to-hire-8000-more-workers-in-2023/ United Airlines to Open 2 New Pilot Bases as Contract Talks Drag On United Airlines will open new pilot bases in Florida and Nevada next spring. The move comes as contact negotiations continue after pilots rejected a previous agreement in November. The Chicago-based carrier plans to open a new crew base in Las Vegas with 204 pilots, and Orlando with 300 pilots next May — its first in nearly 20 years — United Managing Director of Flight Crew Resources Zach Shapiro told crews in a memo Wednesday viewed by Airline Weekly. Pilots in both bases would exclusively operate the Boeing 737, of which United few 389 aircraft and had orders for another 353 at the end of September. The Orlando domicile could also include pilots based at the nearby Tampa airport in the future. The bases, which could make life easier for United pilots living in the Las Vegas or Orlando areas, come amid contentious contract negotiations with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). The current contract became amendable in 2019. A tentative agreement that the airline and union reached in June was overwhelmingly rejected by pilots last month with many demanding higher raises. And United pilots picketed at the airline’s hubs for the first time in nearly a decade in November. Pilots at American Airlines have also picketed as talks between the carrier and its pilots union, the Allied Pilots Association, continue. And at Delta Air Lines, its ALPA-represented pilots in November authorized a potential strike if the carrier and union cannot reach a deal. The situation airlines face is complicated by complaints of overwork by some pilots during the pandemic recovery, as well as the shortage primarily affecting U.S. regional airlines. Both factors are driving pilots to push for higher wages and other quality of life improvements in their next contract. In June, pilots at certain American regional affiliates received raises that put their pay on par with that at some low-cost carriers, which has added fuel to demands for higher pay across the sector. In his memo, Shapiro described the new bases as beneficial to pilots, travelers, and the airline through operational improvements. Florida and Nevada, he said, are home to the largest concentrations of United pilots outside of the airline’s existing bases. For example, roughly 1,100 pilots live in Florida. These crew members currently commute to work at airports where there are bases, like Los Angeles or Newark. Eliminating the need for these commutes with locally-based pilots, he said, would reduce delays and “drive operational integrity and recovery during off-schedule operations.” “These circumstances create a natural opportunity to take flying that already exists today and crew it from such cities,” Shapiro said, in what he described as a “win-win-win” solution referring to pilots, customers, and the airline. Shapiro added that the new bases do not indicate plans for new United hubs. The airline will maintain current levels of flying, he added. United will operate an average of 33 departures a day from Las Vegas, and 37 from Orlando in December, according to Diio by Cirium schedules. The airline will average 24 daily departures from Tampa. The airline also has a maintenance base in Orlando. The new Las Vegas and Orlando pilot bases come after a wave of base closures by airlines cutting costs during the pandemic. Hard-hit Cathay Pacific Airways has scrapped its overseas crew bases and focused resources on Hong Kong. Delta closed its Cincinnati pilot base in 2021. And United closed its flight attendant bases in Frankfurt, Hong Kong, and Tokyo in 2020. United currently has nine U.S. pilot bases, almost all located in hubs: Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Guam, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. An ALPA representative did not respond to a request for comment. https://airlineweekly.com/2022/11/united-airlines-to-open-2-new-pilot-bases-as-contract-talks-drag-on/ Postponement - ESASI FocusOn...ICAO - 7 December 2022 Dear ESASI members and friends, As you are aware we had planned for the next ESASI FocusOn event to examine ICAO and the Annexes taking place on Wednesday December 7th, 2022. We had lined up a panel of presenters with wide knowledge and considerable experience of the ICAO Organisation, the implementation of the Annexes and their Standards & Recommended Practices. However, a number of our panel members now have commitments in support of their primary professional roles such that they are no longer available on the 7th of December. Therefore, the ESASI organising committee has reluctantly concluded that it should postpone FocusOn…ICAO until early 2023 rather than compromise the quality of the event. We apologise if this causes any inconvenience and very much hope that we can depend on your continuing support. We will inform you of the new scheduled date for FocusOn…ICAO as soon as it is agreed. Thank you again for your interest and support of ESASI. Best Regards, Nuno Nuno Aghdassi Secretary – ESASI, European Society of Air Safety Investigators www.isasi.org Curt Lewis