Flight Safety Information - February 14, 2023 No. 031 In This Issue : Incident: SAS A20N at Tromso on Feb 12th 2023, rejected takeoff due to difficulties with directional control : Incident: Asia India A320 at Bangalore and Pune on Feb 12th 2023, burst tyre on departure : Incident: Ameri B763 at Miami on Feb 11th 2023, brakes fire on landing : Accident: Endeavor CRJ9 at New York on Feb 10th 2023, wing tip strike on landing : American Airlines pilots subpoenaed to give recorded interviews in JFK near-miss : Two United Airlines Pilots Sent For Additional Training After Boeing 777 Plunges 1,425 Feet Within Seconds Just After Takeoff : United flight from Hawaii plunged to within 800ft of Pacific Ocean : Delta Airlines Just Had a Terrifying Situation Mid-Flight : USAF Shot Down 3 Unidentified Objects That Posed Threat To Civilian Aircraft : Chinese balloon sensors recovered from ocean, says US : JetBlue May Need to Give Up American Airlines Alliance to Win Spirit Merger Approval : Joby completes second stage of FAA certification process : Spirit Airlines Launches A University Based Pilot Training Scheme : Border Patrol to hire 200 surveillance pilots amid shortage : RESEARCH SURVEY Incident: SAS A20N at Tromso on Feb 12th 2023, rejected takeoff due to difficulties with directional control A SAS Scandinavian Airlines Airbus A320-200N, registration SE-RUC performing flight SK-4417 from Tromso to Oslo (Norway), was accelerating for takeoff from Tromso's runway 19 when the crew rejected takeoff at low speed (about 55 knots over ground) after the aircraft veered sharply towards the right edge of the runway. The crew rejected takeoff, was able to regain directional control, steered the aircraft back to the centerline without exiting the runway and subsequently returned to the apron. The flight was cancelled. The aircraft is still on the ground in Tromso about 26 hours after the rejected takeoff. The airline reported the aircraft was caught by strong crosswinds and was pulled to the side of the runway. Later the day another A20N suffered a lightning strike on approach, see Incident: SAS A20N at Tromso on Feb 12th 2023, lightning strike followed by loss of thrust. https://avherald.com/h?article=5051cd34&opt=0 Incident: Asia India A320 at Bangalore and Pune on Feb 12th 2023, burst tyre on departure An AirAsia India Airbus A320-200, registration VT-NAG performing flight I5-386 from Bangalore to Pune (India), departed Bangalore's runway 09L, climbed to FL340 and landed on Pune's runway 28 about an hour later. India's DGCA reported the aircraft was grounded after landing after tyre debris of main tyre #3 (right inboard main gear) had been found on the departure runway in Bangalore. The sidewall of the tyre was found cracked. The aircraft remained on the ground in Pune for about 12 hours, then continued service. https://avherald.com/h?article=5051d964&opt=0 Incident: Ameri B763 at Miami on Feb 11th 2023, brakes fire on landing An Amerijet International Boeing 767-300 freighter, registration N378CX performing flight M6-6232 from San Jose (Costa Rica) to Miami,FL (USA) with 2 crew, landed on Miami's runway 09 when tower informed the crew tower was seeing smoke and fire from the left main gear, tower sent the next arrival into a go around. Emergency services responded and put the fire out. The FAA reported: "AIRCRAFT LANDED AND A SMALL FIRE FROM LEFT MAIN GEAR WAS EXTINGUISHED, MIAMI, FL." and rated the damage minor. The aircraft remained on the ground for about 13.5 hours and resumed service. https://avherald.com/h?article=5051e70c&opt=0 Accident: Endeavor CRJ9 at New York on Feb 10th 2023, wing tip strike on landing An Endeavor Canadair CRJ-900 on behalf of Delta Airlines, registration N478PX performing flight DL-4801 from Raleigh/Durham,NC to New York La Guardia,NY (USA), landed on La Guardia's runway 22 but struck a wingtip onto the runway. The aircraft, maintaining routine communication, rolled out without further incident and taxied to the apron. The FAA reported: "AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE WINGTIP ON PAVEMENT DURING LANDING, NEW YORK, NY.", the damage was "UNKNOWN". The aircraft is still on the ground at La Guardia Airport 78 hours (3 days 6 hours) after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=5051e8bf&opt=0 American Airlines pilots subpoenaed to give recorded interviews in JFK near-miss • The National Transportation Safety Board said it attempted to interview the crew three times, but pilots refused to be recorded. • Fort Worth-based American said it is cooperating with the NTSB, but declined to say whether the pilots involved in the incident are still flying. Federal investigators said Friday they have issued subpoenas to force the pilots of an American Airlines jet to sit for recorded interviews about a close call on a runway at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport last month. The National Transportation Safety Board said it attempted to interview the crew members three times, but a union representative said the pilots refused to have their statements recorded. “NTSB has determined that this investigation requires that the flight crew interviews be audio recorded and transcribed by a court reporter to ensure the highest degree of accuracy, completeness, and efficiency,” the agency said in a preliminary report. “As a result of the flight crew’s repeated unwillingness to proceed with a recorded interview, subpoenas for their testimony have been issued.” The NTSB also won’t hear any conversation that took place among the three pilots in the cockpit during the incident — in some cases, a very valuable investigative tool. The recording was taped over when the crew took off for London shortly after the close call. The NTSB said the American Airlines Boeing 777 crossed an active runway on Jan. 13 without approval from air traffic controllers, which led to a close call with a Delta Air Lines Boeing 737 taking off on the same runway. Disaster was averted when an air traffic controller, using an expletive, urgently told pilots of the Delta jet to stop their takeoff. Audio recordings show that the controller immediately communicated the severity of the situation to the American Airlines crew. The pilots have not been identified. The union that advised them not to sit for interviews said it objects that NTSB now records such interviews instead of merely taking notes, which the union says is accurate enough. “NTSB investigations are intended to be fact-finding proceedings with no adverse parties. We do not believe that this should be an adversarial issue,” the Allied Pilots Association said in a statement. The union said changing the interviews from notes to recordings “discourages otherwise cooperative witnesses from participating in the fact-finding process” and runs against the purpose of promoting safety. Fort Worth-based American said it is cooperating with the NTSB. It declined to say whether the pilots involved in the incident are still flying. The American crew took off shortly after the nighttime incident and completed its scheduled flight to London. The Delta pilots returned their plane to the gate. Delta put up passengers overnight, and the plane left the next morning for the Dominican Republic. The cockpit voice recordings in both planes were lost as a result. The devices typically capture a two-hour loop before being recorded over. The NTSB said an air traffic controller at JFK was alerted to the danger of the American jet crossing the wrong runway by a surveillance system that lets controllers track the movement of planes and vehicles on the ground. The board said the American Airlines Boeing 777 and the Delta Boeing 737 were separated by about 1,400 feet at the closest point — a bit farther apart than previously reported. Another close call occurred last weekend at the airport in Austin, when a FedEx cargo plane was cleared to land on the same runway from which a Southwest Airlines plane was taking off. The FedEx pilots were able to abort their landing and avoid a collision. The NTSB is also investigating that incident. https://www.dallasnews.com/business/airlines/2023/02/10/american-airlines-pilots-subpoenaed-to-give-recorded-interviews-in-jfk-near-miss/ Two United Airlines Pilots Sent For Additional Training After Boeing 777 Plunges 1,425 Feet Within Seconds Just After Takeoff Two United Airlines pilots were sent for additional training after the Boeing 777-200 that they were at the controls of plunged around 1,425 feet within seconds just after takeoff from Maui Airport late last year, the airline has confirmed. The San Francisco-bound plane came within just 775 feet of the Pacific Ocean, according to data first unearthed and reported by The Air Current. At one point, the aircraft was plunging at a rate of more than 8,000 feet per minute. The worrying incident was immediately reported to the airline and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), who both opened investigations. The cause of the incident has not yet been revealed, although there was heavy rain and low clouds in the region at the time. United Airlines flight UA1772 departed Maui Airport at around 2:49 pm on December 18 and initially climbed to 2,200 feet before suddenly launching into a dive towards the ocean. Data provided by Flight Radar 24, however, appears to suggest that the whole incident was over in less than 45 seconds, and the aircraft quickly recovered, climbing to a normal altitude and making a safe flight to San Francisco. There are currently no public eyewitness accounts of the incident from passengers on the flight. Confirming the incident, however, a spokesperson for the Chicago-based airline said both pilots had ben sent for additional training in relation to what happened on December 18. In a statement, the airline said it “closely coordinated” with the FAA and the ALPA pilots union on an investigation that “ultimately resulted in the pilots receiving additional training.” United said, “safety remains our highest priority”. The incident is eerily similar to an apparent near-miss last month in which a Qatar Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner launched into a steep dive shortly after takeoff from Doha Hamad International Airport. In that incident, the aircraft reached a descent speed of 3,000 feet per minute, and according to data supplied by Flight Radar 24, the aircraft got within 800 feet of the Persian Gulf before the aircraft was brought back to safety. The pilots, however, reportedly didn’t immediately report the incident and an investigation was only launched after details of the frightening near-miss were leaked. Initial reports suggest the deep descent started when the First Officer, who was at the controls at the time, lost situational awareness. Qatar Airways says it has started an investigation. U.S. aviation safety has come under the spotlight in recent weeks after a succession of apparent near misses. Last month, an American Airlines Boeing 777 accidentally entered an active runway at New York JFK while a Delta Air Boeing 737 was taking off. And earlier this month, a FedEx Express plane nearly landed on top of a Southwest Boeing 737 at Austin Airport after the pilots were giving to clearance to land while the Southwest aircraft was still taking off from the same runway. https://www.paddleyourownkanoo.com/2023/02/13/two-united-airlines-pilots-sent-for-additional-training-after-boeing-777-plunges-1425-feet-within-seconds-just-after-takeoff/ United flight from Hawaii plunged to within 800ft of Pacific Ocean Plane heading for San Francisco took steep dive shortly after takeoff in dramatic incident in mid-December A United flight from Maui to San Francisco plummeted to less than 800ft above the Pacific Ocean shortly after takeoff in December, an apparent near crash and previously unreported safety incident revealed by airline industry publication the Air Current. Flight tracking data analysis revealed that the Boeing 777-200 had reached an altitude of roughly 2,200ft when it began a steep dive, descending at a rate of about 8,600ft a minute. After dipping below 775ft, the flight recovered altitude and traveled to San Francisco without further issue. The entire ordeal unfolded in heavy rain, lasted less than 45 seconds and was not mentioned in recordings of air traffic control radio calls reviewed by the Air Current. United “closely coordinated with the [Federal Aviation Administration] and [Air Line Pilots Association, International] on an investigation that ultimately resulted in the pilots receiving additional training”, a United spokesperson, Josh Freed, said in a statement to the Guardian about the incident. “Safety remains our highest priority.” The pilots had a combined 25,000 hours of flying experience between them and had “fully cooperated” with the investigation, Freed added. The United flight’s close call came amid a period of turmoil for the US airline industry. Also in December, a Hawaiian Airlines flight preparing to land in Honolulu experienced “severe turbulence”. At least 36 people were injured on that flight, with 20 taken to the hospital and 11 listed in serious condition. The storm system involved would go on to cause a major winter storm across the US mainland, triggering a complete meltdown by Southwest Airlines, which cancelled thousands of flights and left travelers stranded over the Christmas holiday weekend. Two recent serious safety incidents have also resulted in investigations by the National Transportation Safety Board. In January, two planes at John F Kennedy airport in New York nearly collided when an American Airlines plane crossed the runway ahead of a Delta plane that was accelerating for takeoff. The American Airlines pilots involved in that case have refused to give investigators recorded interviews, and they have been sent subpoenas seeking to compel them to testify, the NTSB said in a statement last week. And last Sunday, two planes at Austin-Bergstrom international airport had a near miss when air traffic control cleared them to land and depart on the same runway at the same time. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/feb/13/united-flight-maui-hawaii-san-francisco-pacific-ocean Delta Airlines Just Had a Terrifying Situation Mid-Flight No one wants to hear the word "fire" while in the air. Along with "snakes" and "emergency water landing," the word "fire" is one that travelers definitively do not want to hear while on a flight. Repeated surveys find that mid-air fires are a common fear not just among passengers but also pilots. Recently, a Delta Airlines (DAL) - Get Free Report flight headed from Edinburgh to New York had to make an emergency landing just 60 miles from the departure airport. Passengers aboard flight DAL209 reported seeing flames engulf one of the Boeing 767-300 (BA) - Get Free Report wings and started taking pictures and videos. A Wing Catches Fire Just After Takeoff Laura Pettigrew is a BBC journalist who was aboard the Feb. 10 flight when the emergency situation arose. She, along with all the other passengers on the board, soon found themselves being brought down to Prestwick Airport in Glasgow in an emergency landing. "The plane took off and there was a loud engine noise, similar to the noise normally during take-off and landing, but it seemed to continue once we were in the air," she told her publication. "[...] When the plane touched down we could see fire trucks and firefighters with hoses rushing towards us." A Delta spokesperson confirmed to media outlets that the flight was "safely diverted to Glasgow Prestwick Airport after a mechanical issue with one of the aircraft's two engines." While the photos coming out from the incident were extremely dramatic, everyone aboard the flight was able to get off and the fire was put out without any injuries. Fire crews arrived on the scene while travelers were evacuated and rerouted on different flights within the next day. This Is Also A Common Cause Of Mid-Flight Fires While the Delta incident was caused by an engine fire, a far larger number of plane fires are caused by the lithium batteries that passengers carry with them in objects like laptops and vaping devices. The Federal Aviation Administration reported 57 "lithium battery related events" last year resulting in "smoke, fire or extreme heat." The constrained environment aboard a plane can make them particularly dangerous. On Feb. 7, a United Airlines (UAL) - Get Free Report flight from San Diego to Newark was forced to reroute back to its point of a departure after the battery in a passenger's laptop caught fire and erupted in a cabin fire. Four flight attendants suffered injuries before the fire could be put out and the flight could take off again. "Our crew acted quickly to contain the device and medical personnel met the aircraft upon arrival at the gate," a spokesperson for United said in a statement to the media. "Several flight attendants were taken to the hospital as a precaution and two customers were evaluated on site." Products containing lithium batteries are already banned from being placed in checked baggage. According to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), these include many common items such as "power Banks, cell phone battery charging cases, rechargeable and non-rechargeable lithium batteries, cell phone batteries, laptop batteries, power banks, external batteries, portable rechargers." All of these must be taken aboard in one's carry-on and, while the risk is comparatively low given how many are brought aboard each day, they are the common cause behind the cabin fires that do occur. Overall, the FAA reported 414 in-flight safety incidents involving lithium batteries taking place between 2006 and 2022. https://www.thestreet.com/travel/delta-airlines-just-had-a-terrifying-situation-mid-flight USAF Shot Down 3 Unidentified Objects That Posed Threat To Civilian Aircraft NORAD Command has ramped up radar scrutiny of airspace, which has brought more unidentified aerial phenomena to light, officials say. While U.S. military officials still aren't sure just what the objects shot down are, there is no indication they are related to extraterrestrial activity, the White House said Monday. U.S. Air Force fighters downed three unidentified objects in U.S. airspace over the weekend out of an abundance of caution and to ensure civilian flight safety, the White House said Monday. And while U.S. military officials still aren’t sure just what the objects shot down are, there is no indication they are related to extraterrestrial activity, according to the Biden Administration. The comments come one week after the military launched a recovery mission to collect the remains of a Chinese high-altitude spy balloon that was shot down off the South Carolina coast by an F-22 Raptor. In the past week, the military ramped up surveillance, which illuminated the presence of more objects, defense officials say. “In light of the Chinese balloon program and this recent incursion into our airspace, the United States and Canada—through NORAD [North American Aerospace Defense Command]—have been more closely scrutinizing that airspace, including enhancing radar capabilities, which… may at least partially explain the increase in objects that have been detected,” John Kirby, White House national security spokesperson, told reporters Monday afternoon. The enhanced scrutiny led to at least three incidents over the weekend. On Friday, a USAF F-22 shot down a “high-altitude” object flying off the coast of Northern Alaska. “The object was flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet and posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight,” Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said. On Saturday, another detected object was shot down by a U.S. F-22 after it flew into Canadian airspace from Alaska, also at around an altitude of around 40,000 feet. Sunday afternoon, shortly before 3 p.m. EST, a third object flying at an altitude of 20,000 feet was taken out by an F-16 that fired an AIM9x Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missile in U.S. airspace over Lake Huron in Michigan. “Its path and altitude raised concerns, including that it could be a hazard to civil aviation,” the Pentagon said following the incident. “[NORAD] detected the object Sunday morning and has maintained visual and radar tracking of it. Based on its flight path and data we can reasonably connect this object to the radar signal picked up over Montana, which flew in proximity to sensitive DOD sites.” U.S. intelligence officials have been studying China’s high-altitude, low-speed aircraft—such as balloons—used for intelligence collection over dozens of countries, Kirby said. In each of the four cases reported, the downed aircraft were unmanned, not communicating, not maneuvering, and had no propulsion capabilities, Kirby said. “We did, however, assess that their altitudes were considerably lower than the Chinese high-altitude balloon and did pose a threat to civilian commercial air traffic,” Kirby said. In 2021, the Department of Defense launched a new office to study such incidents, which are classified as unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), near U.S. military training ranges and installations. The move, made in collaboration with the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), aims to expand UAP data collection that intelligence officials say is needed to better understand the nature or intent of the incidents. ADNI report described numerous UAP sightings acknowledging that at least 143 reports of “unidentified aerial phenomena” were reported since 2004 that could not be explained. In October, NASA launched a nine-month study on UAPs, with a focus on aviation safety and to determine their cause, earthly or otherwise. Recent incidents, however, were not extraterrestrial, according to White House officials. “I don’t think the American people need to worry about aliens with respect to these craft, period,” Kirby said. https://www.flyingmag.com/usaf-shot-down-3-unidentified-objects-that-posed-threat-to-civilian-aircraft/ Chinese balloon sensors recovered from ocean, says US No indication of aliens... I loved ET but I'll leave it there - WH spokeswoman The sensors from the first suspected Chinese spy balloon shot down over the US have been recovered from the Atlantic Ocean, the US military says. Search crews found "significant debris from the site, including all of the priority sensor and electronics pieces identified", said US Northern Command. The FBI is examining the items, which the US says were used to spy on sensitive military sites. The US has shot down three more objects since the first one on 4 February. "Large sections of the structure" were also recovered on Monday off the coast of South Carolina, military officials say. About 30-40ft (9-12m) of the balloon's antenna are among the items found, according to CBS, the BBC's US partner. US officials said the high-altitude balloon originated in China and was used for surveillance, but China said it was merely a weather-monitoring airship that had blown astray. Timeline of downing flying objects Since that first incident, American fighter jets have shot down three more high-altitude objects in as many days - over Alaska, Canada's Yukon territory, and Lake Huron on the US-Canada border. In the Lake Huron strike, the first Sidewinder missile fired by the US F-16 warplane missed its target and exploded in an unknown location, US media reported, citing military sources. The second missile hit the target, according to reports. Each Sidewinder missile costs over $400,000 (£330,000). Strange flying objects - unanswered questions Officials have said the slow-moving unidentified objects, all of which have been smaller than the first balloon, may be difficult for military pilots to target. White House spokesman John Kirby said on Monday the three other objects were shot down "out of an abundance of caution". They did not pose "any direct threat to people on the ground", but were destroyed "to protect our security, our interests and flight safety", he said. The balloon shot down over South Carolina was described by officials as the size of three buses. The second object, over Alaska, was described by officials as the size of a "small car". The third object, over the Yukon, was "cylindrical". And the fourth, over Michigan, was said to be "octagonal" with strings attached. A Pentagon memo later reported in US media said the flying object shot down over Yukon appeared to be a "small, metallic balloon with a tethered payload below it". Defence officials also wrote in the memo that the object shot down in Michigan "subsequently slowly descended" into the water after impact. The recovery of the balloon shot down on 4 February was delayed amid foul weather. Efforts are under way to collect debris from where the other objects were blown out of the sky. Canada's federal police force said on Monday that the search area in the Yukon Territory was about 3,000 sq km (1,870 sq miles), including "rugged mountain terrain with a very high level of snowpack". Royal Canadian Mounted Police spokesman Sean McGillis said there was a possibility the fragments from the Yukon and Lake Huron incidents might never be recovered because of their remote locations. Navy divers helped recover the balloon from the Atlantic Ocean Canadian Armed Forces Major-General Paul Prévost said all three of the most recent objects to be shot down appeared to be "lighter than air" machines, and described the Lake Huron object as "a suspected balloon". The military chief added that any members of the public who discovered debris should contact the police directly. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is considering meeting China's most senior diplomat, Wang Yi, later this week at a security conference in Munich, Germany, sources familiar with the negotiations told US media on Monday. Amid the row over high-altitude aircraft, America's top diplomat cancelled a visit to Beijing that was initially planned for last week. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64633705 JetBlue May Need to Give Up American Airlines Alliance to Win Spirit Merger Approval JetBlue Airways has one big bargaining chip that it can offer the U.S. Department of Justice in exchange for approval of its proposed merger with Spirit Airlines. That chip? Its alliance with American Airlines. The alliance card, which until now JetBlue executives have said is off the table, may need to be played following reports that the DOJ is preparing to sue to block the $3.8 billion JetBlue-Spirit merger. Because, frankly, it’s a good trump card to sway the firmly anti-consolidation, pro-competition regulator in favor of the deal that JetBlue executives view as critical to the airline’s future. “I think that is more potent,” said Dr. Bijan Vasigh, a professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s David B. O’Maley College of Business, referring to the alliance as a more potent competition concern than the proposed merger. “American and JetBlue are dominating the northeast U.S.,” he added. The DOJ, American, and JetBlue are awaiting a judge’s decision in the regulator’s lawsuit to break up the alliance, which was controversially approved in the waning days of the Trump administration. Many expect a ruling in favor of the airlines, and against the government. All of this back and forth is over a relatively small portion of the U.S. market. JetBlue and Spirit combined carried just over 8 percent of all domestic passengers during the year ending in November, the latest U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics via Cirium show. The next smallest carrier, United Airlines, had a nearly 16 percent share, and the Big Four — American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, and United — had a combined 79 percent share. “This isn’t Pepsi and Coke merging,” JetBlue President and Chief Operating Officer Joanna Geraghty told Reuters earlier in February. A JetBlue spokesperson said Monday reiterated their position that the merger with Spirit would benefit consumers by creating a stronger competitor to the Big Four. “We continue to work through the regulatory process to demonstrate how this merger will increase competition in the airline industry,” they added. The DOJ, which did not comment on the reports, is likely more focused in its review than the national airline market. The northeast and Florida are where a combined JetBlue-Spirit would have the greatest concentration, and the former is the center of JetBlue’s alliance with American. Together, American and JetBlue had a 51 percent share of U.S. domestic passengers in Boston, and 35 percent at the three main New York airports combined during the year ending in November, according to BTS data. And in Fort Lauderdale, JetBlue and Spirit together had a 46 percent share of travelers. To concerns related to those three markets, JetBlue has offered to give up all of Spirit’s assets in Boston and New York, as well as five gates at the Fort Lauderdale airport where both airlines maintain large bases. Spirit uses two gates in Boston for up to 16 daily departures, according to Diio by Cirium schedules. It has 16 slot pairs at New York’s LaGuardia airport, and operates up to 24 daily departures from Newark Liberty airport. Asset divestitures are the DOJ’s tried-and-true method of blunting airline mergers. When American and US Airways combined in 2013, the regulator filed suit to block the deal that August before reaching a deal in November where the airlines gave up slots and gates at airports across the U.S. The American-US Airways concessions included 17 slot pairs at LaGuardia and 52 pairs at Washington Reagan National airport, plus gates at five other airports. A similar agreement was reached for the merger of United and Continental Airlines in 2010. Gates, slots, and runway timings in Boston and New York could be a big boost from other budget airlines with little or no presence in the markets. Frontier Airlines, the next largest U.S. ultra low-cost carrier after Spirit — and discarded one-time merger partner — operates up to just two daily flights to Boston and three to LaGuardia; it does not serve Newark, Diio shows. Allegiant Air and Sun Country Airlines are each even smaller in Boston and New York. And neither budget startup Avelo Airlines nor Breeze Airways serves either market directly today. American and JetBlue have used their alliance to expand in the New York market. The carriers’ combined seat capacity at LaGuardia is up 24 percent in the first quarter compared to four years ago before their partnership and the Covid-19 pandemic, Diio data show. And their combined seats are up 20 percent at New York’s JFK airport, and 12 percent at Newark. However, in Boston, American and JetBlue have shrunk with combined seats down nearly 12 percent over the same four-year period, according to Diio. One potential reason for that decline is the lack of slot use-it-or-lost-it rules at Boston’s Logan airport versus the New York-area airports that means flights are coming back in line with travel demand. Or, in a more pessimistic view, it could be because American and JetBlue want to depress capacity in order to raise fares. The DOJ has used airline partnerships as a bargaining chip in merger negotiations in the past. In 2016, the regulator forced Alaska Airlines to all but end its codeshare with American in exchange for approval of the former’s merger with Virgin America. At the time, the DOJ described the settlement as creating the incentive for the combined Alaska-Virgin America to “vigorously compete” with American. (Alaska and American reformed their codeshare in 2020) What’s different today is JetBlue’s pact with American is much deeper, and understood to be more lucrative, for the airline than the Alaska-American tie up was for Alaska seven years ago. While JetBlue executives have repeatedly declined to put numbers to the partnership, they have emphasized the airline’s growth in New York with slots previously used by American. Without those slots, JetBlue executives have rightly indicated that the airline could not add new flights at either JFK or LaGuardia airports. “We’re very pleased with the performance of the [northeast alliance] and the acceleration that’s given, frankly, to our New York markets and their recovery,” Geraghty said in January. Another option on the table for JetBlue and Spirit is something of a throwback to the former’s launch in 2000. The airlines could promise to grow in certain markets — for example, smaller cities that have lost air service due to the industry’s pilot shortage — as a condition of their merger. JetBlue made a similar pledge to Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to serve smaller cities in New York state, including Buffalo and Syracuse, in exchange for the slots it needed at JFK airport for its launch 23 years ago. JetBlue has already promised additional growth if the merger is approved. In a filing with the U.S. Department of Transportation earlier in February, the airline hinted at potential new service to Hawaii, as well as at least eight new routes from Fort Lauderdale, following the combination. Ultimately, it will be up the the DOJ to decide what would be enough to placate its monopoly concerns. Embry-Riddle’s Vasigh said that this measure changes from administration to administration, with President Biden having taken a very pro-competition position. “The merger of JetBlue and Spirit does not create as much of a problem as previous mergers,” he said. Spirit declined to comment, and American did not respond to a request for comment. https://airlineweekly.com/2023/02/jetblue-may-need-to-give-up-american-airlines-alliance-to-win-spirit-merger-approval/ Image: Public Domain Joby completes second stage of FAA certification process Joby Aviation Joby Aviation has successfully completed the second stage of its certification process with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The California-based eVTOL manufacturer said in a statement released on February 9, 2023 that this step is part of a five-stage process necessary to certify its eVTOL aircraft for commercial operations. What does this mean in practice? At this second stage, Joby shows ‘Means of Compliance’, meaning that it has identified what is required to demonstrate that it meets the regulatory intent of the safety rules. Joby is the first eVTOL company to complete the second stage of certification in the US and its testing campaign will now continue. Some of the documentation required for the third phase of this process was submitted to the FAA back in November 2022, and the company is already working towards stages four and five. Joby Aviation also shared details of the FAA’s Acting Administrator, Billy Nolen’s recent visit to the company’s facilities in Marina, California where, alongside accompanying FAA staff, he witnessed some of the regular tests being conducted by Joby’s prototype eVTOL aircraft. Joby Aviation reiterated its confidence in sticking to 2025 as the expected date of launch for its commercial services, the statement added. https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/joby-completes-second-stage-of-faa-certification-process Spirit Airlines Launches A University Based Pilot Training Scheme In a bid to avoid future pilot recruitment problems, the low-cost carrier is expanding its Spirit Wings Pilot Pathway program. Spirit Airlines has announced a partnership with Lynn University, enabling aspiring pilots to join its Spirit Wings Pilot Pathway program. This is being offered in collaboration with the university’s Burton D. Morgan College of Aeronautics in Boca Raton, Florida. The Spirit Wings Pilot Pathway offers a clearly defined pathway to students wishing to become a first officer with Spirit Airlines while completing their studies, and at the same time allows the carrier to build up its recruitment pipeline, avoiding pilot shortages like those experienced worldwide experienced last summer. Spirit Airlines’ senior director of flight operations, Ryan Rodosta, said, "As a Lynn graduate, it's especially rewarding to work with my alma mater and create valuable opportunities for the next generation of pilots. Lynn and Spirit both have a strong presence in South Florida, which makes for an exciting collaboration as the school develops highly skilled pilots for our growing airline." How the program works Students at the College of Aeronautics become eligible to apply for the Spirit Wings Pilot Pathway after completing their sophomore year or 500 hours of flight time, whichever comes first. They must also obtain a recommendation from one of the College’s faculty members. As part of the application process, candidates will then be interviewed by Spirit Airlines, and if successful, given a conditional offer of employment. The offer is dependent on the student completing a Spirit Airlines-approved Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) course and 1,250 hours of flight training. Students are mentored throughout their training and the rest of their studies, before being hired by Spirit Airlines as a first officer on one of the carrier’s Airbus A320 family aircraft. The program was established last year, in partnership with CAE flight school in Phoenix, Arizona, and has now been extended to include students at Lynn University. The interim dean of Lynn University's Burton D. Morgan College of Aeronautics, Mike Petroski, celebrated the initiative, saying, "The program allows Spirit access to our pool of talented aeronautic students, who in turn will receive mentorship, quality training, and the opportunity to progress to a rewarding career at a commercial airline." Fast track to the flight deck Successful candidates will be joining an airline that prides itself on its people. The airline was recognized last year by Forbes as one of America’s Best Employers for Diversity, and has since been named as one of LinkedIn’s top 25 workplaces to develop a career in the travel industry. With 120 Airbus A320neo family aircraft on order, Spirit Airlines will soon need more pilots to support its expansion. Nurturing future talent through the Spirit Wings Pilot Pathway is one way the carrier can help to strengthen its recruitment pipeline. Spirit Airlines is not the only US low-cost carrier to team up with universities – just last month, Southwest Airlines announced its partnership with Auburn University. https://simpleflying.com/spirit-airlines-university-based-pilot-training-scheme/ Border Patrol to hire 200 surveillance pilots amid shortage MCALLEN, TX – FEBRUARY 21: Agents from U.S. Air and Marine Operations (AMO), fly an A-Star helicopter near the U.S.-Mexico border on February 21, 2018 near McAllen, Texas. The federal air interdiction agents were searching for undocumented immigrants who had just crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico into Texas. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images) (NewsNation) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is looking to hire 200 pilots to conduct surveillance and security missions along the U.S. border, the agency announced last week. The question is whether the federal government will be able to meet its goal while competing for talent with an airline industry that’s currently facing a pilot shortage. Air Interdiction Agents (AIAs) — who work as part of CBP’s Air and Marine Operations division — fly planes, helicopters and drones to investigate criminal networks and intercept those who are attempting to enter the country illegally, according to the CBP website. Behind the scenes with Border Patrol in the Florida Keys The position is open to pilots with a minimum of 1,500 flight hours, but 500 of those can be waived. Aviation experts say that flexibility could make the position appealing to someone who is looking to obtain flight time before moving on to a major airline carrier in the future. “Somebody could go work for the government to build that experience and get what we call turbine time,” said Richard Levy, a retired commercial airline captain. “Turbine time” is different than total flight hours and refers specifically to the time spent flying turbine-powered aircraft. Those planes tend to be larger and more complex than ones with piston engines, which tend to be smaller and more commonly used for training purposes. All major commercial airlines have minimum turbine time requirements that a candidate must meet in order to be considered. But those prerequisites have become more flexible recently as some airlines have struggled to staff flights following a surge of COVID-related early retirements and a post-pandemic travel boom. Earlier this month, Southwest Airlines announced it would cut the minimum requirement for prospective pilots in half from 1,000 turbine time hours to 500. While the total hours requirement may be attractive to a pilot with less experience, there’s a noticeable gap in compensation between CBP and major airlines, Levy pointed out. An AIA can make between $100,000 to $120,000 in their first year depending on where they’re located. By comparison, the median annual wage for airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers recently topped $200,000, according to the Labor Department. Border Patrol offering $20K signing bonus to attract recruits Location is another hiring challenge for the government. New CBP pilots are likely to end up in a region along the southern border. A recent AIA job posting listed Tucson and Yuma, Arizona, as well as El Paso, Laredo and McAllen, Texas, among the places new hires could be assigned. Commercial airlines, whose hubs are located in major American cities, are able to draw from a larger pool of candidates. If CBP is able to hit its 200 pilot hiring target it would mark a significant staffing boost. Border patrol currently has 541 Air Interdiction Agents, according to a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security. In a news release, CBP says it will use direct-hire authority, which expedites the hiring process when there’s a critical need. “This hiring authority will enable CBP to offer on-the-spot tentative job offers and compete at job fairs with the airline industry,” Andrea Bright, CBP’s Assistant Commissioner of Human Resources, said in a press release. The agency is also developing additional incentive packages to “mitigate attrition” of experienced pilots, a DHS spokesperson told NewsNation. In November, CBP announced a hiring bonus up to $20,000 to attract new agents to address the surge of migrants at the southern border. Nationally, the pilot shortage is unlikely to go away any time soon. A recent analysis by Oliver Wyman, a management consulting firm, puts the current pilot shortfall around 17,000 in North America. The shortage is expected to grow to 30,000 by 2032, although the outlook has slightly improved from previous estimates thanks to rising salaries, faster career paths and greater awareness of the need, the analysis concluded. APPLY HERE https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/immigration/border-patrol-surveillance-pilots-shortage/ RESEARCH SURVEY Greetings, My name is Nurettin Dinler, Research Scholar and PhD student at Department of Aviation Science, Saint Louis University working with Nithil Bollock Kumar, PhD Candidate, Gajapriya Tamilselvan, PhD, and Stephen Belt, PhD. We are working on a research project titled “Low-Cost Airline Pilots on Exercising Fuel-Loading Policies during Flight: A Phenomenological Exploration Study.” I am writing this e-mail to invite you to participate in a research study that we are conducting at Saint Louis University. Your participation in this study will involve taking a semi-structured interview that lasts for about 30 minutes. During the interview, you will be questioned about your experiences with Low-Cost Airlines’ fuel-loading policies developed to minimize pilot discretionary (extra) fuel. There is no compensation provided for your participation in the study. However, your participation will be a valuable addition to our research and your findings could lead to greater understanding of risk management for pilots and the sources of stressors in commercial aviation. Participation is completely voluntary, and your participation will remain confidential throughout the process of research. If you are interested in participating in this research, please take a moment to complete the survey at the following link: https://slu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0l9Awl5UkXDiKRo If you have any questions, please contact me at 321-245-8628 or nurettin.dinler@slu.edu Thank you for your time and consideration. Regards, Nurettin Dinler, M.S. Research Scholar Oliver L. Parks Department of Aviation Science School of Science and Engineering McDonnell Douglas Hall, Lab 1046 3450 Lindell Blvd., St Louis, MO 63103 nurettin.dinler@slu.edu (321) 245-8628 Curt Lewis