Flight Safety Information - April 19, 2023 No. 075 In This Issue : Incident: Delta B752 at Cancun on Apr 17th 2023, engine problem : Incident: India A321 near Delhi on Apr 18th 2023, cracked windshield : Incident: Austrian B772 near Amsterdam on Apr 17th 2023, lavatory blues : Incident: Spicejet B737 at Delhi on Apr 18th 2023, cargo smoke indication : Taxiing Emirates’ jet blast sends baggage trolley crashing into SpiceJet parked aircraft at Mumbai Airport : Many Corporate Aircraft Operators are Operating Illegally Without Realizing it – The Flight Department Company Trap : Two EVA Air aircraft damaged in Taipei ground handling incident : Helicopter Industry Group Urges FAA To Use Caution With 5G NPRM : Inmarsat satcom safety services return for Asia-Pacific after outage : Diamond Aircraft Announces Dedicated Engine Testing Program For SAF : Aviation analyst says that there will be shortage of 30,000 pilots by 2030 : UK Jet Zero Council details plans to accelerate SAF production Incident: Delta B752 at Cancun on Apr 17th 2023, engine problem A Delta Airlines Boeing 757-200, registration N6716C performing flight DL-604 from Cancun (Mexico) to Atlanta,GA (USA), was climbing out of Cancun when the crew stopped the climb at FL130 due to an engine (PW2037) problem and decided to return to Cancun, where the aircraft landed safely about 30 minutes after departure. The aircraft is still on the ground in Cancun about 19.5 hours after landing back. According to Information The Aviation Herald received the engine is going to be replaced. https://avherald.com/h?article=507fda86&opt=0 Incident: India A321 near Delhi on Apr 18th 2023, cracked windshield An Air India Airbus A321-200, registration VT-PPO performing flight AI-858 from Pune to Delhi (India) with 180 people on board, was descending towards Delhi when one of the windshields cracked. The crew continued for a safe landing. The aircraft is still on the ground in Delhi about 6 hours after landing. The airline reported the aircraft landed ahead of its schedule following a minor crack on the right hand (first officer's) windshield https://avherald.com/h?article=507fd9b2&opt=0 Incident: Austrian B772 near Amsterdam on Apr 17th 2023, lavatory blues An Austrian Airlines Boeing 777-200, registration OE-LPA performing flight OS-89 from Vienna (Austria) to Newark,NJ (USA), was enroute at FL360 about 60nm northwest of Amsterdam (Netherlands) over the North Sea when the crew decided to turn around and return to Vienna. The aircraft landed safely on Vienna's runway 34 about 90 minutes later. A passenger reported the crew announced a problem with the lavatories prompting them to return to Vienna. The aircraft landed back without further incident, the flight was subsequently cancelled. On Apr 18th 2023 the airline reported five of eight toilets were defective as result of a problem with the vacuum system clogging the toilets. https://avherald.com/h?article=507f1105&opt=0 Incident: Spicejet B737 at Delhi on Apr 18th 2023, cargo smoke indication A Spicejet Boeing 737-800, registration VT-SXA performing flight SG-8373 from Delhi to Srinagar (India) with 140 people on board, was climbing out of Delhi when the crew stopped the climb at about FL230 reporting an aft cargo smoke indication and decided to return to Delhi. While working the checklists the warning extinguished, the aircraft continued the return to Delhi for a safe landing on runway 10 about 25 minutes after departure. Emergency services did not find any trace of fire, heat or smoke. The airline reported the fire warning was determined to have been false. A replacement Boeing 737-700 registration VT-SLB reached Srinagar with a delay of 4.5 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Delhi about 10 hours after landing back. https://avherald.com/h?article=507fbcd6&opt=0 Taxiing Emirates’ jet blast sends baggage trolley crashing into SpiceJet parked aircraft at Mumbai Airport NEW DELHI: A powerful jet blast from a taxiing widebody aircraft sent a baggage trolley crashing into a plane parked at Mumbai airport recently. The incident happened last Tuesday (April 11) when an Emirates aircraft was taxiing out to take off for Dubai. Its jet blast sent an OAG baggage trolley crashing into a SpiceJet Boeing B737 (VT-SZN) parked on stand R1R. “The aircraft was released to service after the replacement of the damaged part,” said people in the know. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation is examining this latest incident caused by jet blast. A SpiceJet spokesperson confirmed the same. “An OAL baggage trolley hit the right side wing to body fairing panel due to the jet blast of an aircraft while taxing out,” he said. In July 2017, some passengers on an airline’s bus taking them to an aircraft at Delhi Airport were injured after the jet blast from a taxiing aircraft shattered the coach’s glass window. The passengers had to be taken to the airport clinic for treatment. According to website Skybrary, jet blast operationally jet blast can be hazardous in three ways. On ramp, it can “damage other aircraft, blow over ground equipment (baggage carts, aircraft steps” and “injure or kill passengers, crew and ground personnel who may be in the vicinity.” “On taxiways where other aircraft (and especially jet engines) may be damaged by foreign object debris and smaller or light aircraft blown over or subjected to loss of directional control. On surface manoeuvring areas that are either damaged or not designed to withstand the efflux from engines running at high power,” the website says. A number of steps have to be taken to mitigate this risk like pilots telling air traffic control about the need to apply more thrust “before simply applying it. (ATC) may be able to hold or divert traffic passing behind.” https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/taxiing-emirates-jet-blast-sends-baggage-trolley-crashing-into-spicejet-parked-aircraft-at-mumbai-airport/articleshow/99597794.cms Many Corporate Aircraft Operators are Operating Illegally Without Realizing it – The Flight Department Company Trap The flight department company trap is a unique facet of aviation law that takes the liability protection of a Limited Liability Company (LLC) and turns the LLC into a liability itself. If your aircraft is owned by an LLC and (1) the LLC's only assets are the aircraft and related assets, (2) the LLC doesn't have another substantive business besides owning the aircraft, and (3) there is no dry lease in place to another entity that will operate the aircraft, then you have very likely fallen into the flight department company trap. Flight Department Companies What is a flight department company? In the simplest terms, it's an entity whose sole function is to operate an aircraft. It's common for attorneys to use LLCs to segregate assets with potential significant liability from other businesses and assets, but if the LLC's sole asset is the aircraft, then what other purpose does the LLC have? None, besides operating the aircraft. From a regulatory standpoint, the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) concept of a flight department company comes from the definition of a "commercial operator," which states that a commercial operator is a company or individual who "for compensation or hire, engages in the carriage by aircraft in air commerce of persons or property . . . "1 Compensation is very broadly defined by the FAA, including among other things, intangible benefits, capital contributions, and reimbursement of expenses. It goes further than that; Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) state that, "Where it is doubtful that an operation is for 'compensation or hire', the test applied is whether the carriage by air is merely incidental to the person's other business or is, in itself, a major enterprise for profit."2 Multiple FAA Chief Counsels' opinions have interpreted this to mean that the analysis isn't solely whether the entity receives compensation, but also whether the operation of the aircraft is the entity's sole purpose or merely incidental to its primary business.3 To be clear, commercial operations are permitted if the operator holds a commercial operating certificate, such as an airline or charter operator, but obtaining and maintaining a commercial operating certificate is an expensive and time-consuming endeavor that almost never makes sense for anyone other than an airline or commercial charter operator. Consequences of Operating a Flight Department Company The first, and most obvious, consequence of operating a flight department company is an FAA enforcement action. The applicable statutes provide for fines of up to $25,000 USD per flight.4 The FAA isn't the only federal government agency that could issue a violation because, under certain circumstances, a federal excise tax could also apply to each flight by the flight department company.5 Presuming this hasn't been properly paid to the Internal Revenue Service, it will result in not only back taxes, but interest and potential fines as well. Further, potential violations also come with reputational damage to the alleged violator. The FAA regularly publishes press releases announcing its proposed civil penalty for an alleged violation but does not issue follow-up press releases or retractions if their enforcement action results in a lesser penalty or warning letter.6 Thus, even if the alleged violator is able to successfully defend or justify their operations to the FAA, the reputational damage may have already been done. The FAA is usually alerted to these violations as the result of an accident or incident, and, depending on the extent of the accident and the value of the aircraft, the regulatory penalties could be a drop in the bucket compared to the fact that the operation of a flight department company might void the applicable aviation insurance coverage. Most, if not all, aviation policies issued to non-commercial operators have standard exclusions that void coverage if the aircraft is operated commercially or if the aircraft is being operated in violation of FARs. If the operator has a mortgage on the aircraft, there's most likely a covenant in the mortgage that obligates the client to operate the aircraft in compliance with laws at all times. It is also worth noting that the FAA has been increasingly focused on illegal Part 91 operations that cross the line into commercial operations. Indeed, the FAA instituted a dedicated hotline and website, managed by the National Air Transportation Association (NATA), where suspected illegal charter operations can be reported.7 Information gathered by the NATA through these sources is passed along to the FAA's special investigative team based in Fort Worth, Texas. How to Avoid the Flight Department Company Trap The first, and simplest, solution is to have one of your primary operating companies (i.e., entities that conduct your primary business, unrelated to aviation) also serve as the operator of the aircraft. This may be a scary proposition given the perceived potential liability resulting from aircraft operations, but aviation insurance can mitigate that risk. While it doesn't provide complete separation of liability that would be achieved by keeping the aircraft operations in a separate entity, proper aviation insurance coverage should address most of the significant risks associated with owning and operating an aircraft. Given that the flight department company analysis focuses on operating an aircraft, it's a common practice for tax planning purposes to create an LLC to own the aircraft, and then lease it to another entity (that is not itself a flight department company) to operate the aircraft. This structure works because an LLC can own an aircraft without running afoul of the FAA regulations – it just can't operate it. These types of structures implicate many other legal considerations and potential pitfalls and are just one part of a comprehensive aircraft ownership/operating structure that should only be implemented by experienced aviation attorneys. Combining the concept of operational control with the flight department company analysis arrives at the result that a party must generally operate its own aircraft and will have difficulties shielding itself from the liability of operating an aircraft by using a separate company. There are other alternatives and possibilities, including using a charter operator under Part 135 of the FARs to operate your aircraft for you, but each option has its own advantages and drawbacks and should be carefully considered. Conclusion As you can see, the flight department company trap is easy to miss, and it is but one example of the myriad ways that individuals and companies can unintentionally violate FARs. The only sure way to avoid a costly violation is through soliciting the advice of a qualified aviation attorney early in the process of buying and operating an aircraft. This article provides a brief overview of the flight department company trap. Please note there are additional, complex aspects of the flight department company trap, and the summary above is not intended to be comprehensive. https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/many-corporate-aircraft-operators-are-8644307/ Two EVA Air aircraft damaged in Taipei ground handling incident On the evening of Sunday 16 April, two EVA Air aircraft suffered structural damage during a ground handling incident at a Taipei airport. An EVA Air Airbus A321-200, registered B-16227, was under tow on an apron area at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) when its starboard wingtip collided with a parked The wingtip of the A321 under tow struck the nose assembly of the stationary Boeing 777-300, registered B-16740, causing significant damage to the nose structure of that aircraft. Similarly, the winglet assembly of the A321 under tow suffered serious damage. According to new outlet ET Today, EVA Air Services stated that the incident occurred when the driver of the tow truck accidentally entered the apron while turning on the taxiway. About Eva Air EVA Air is a Taiwanese airline based in Taipei that operates scheduled flights to destinations across Asia, North America, Europe, and Oceania. The airline was founded in 1989 and began operations in 1991. EVA Air’s fleet consists mainly of Boeing 777 and Airbus A321 aircraft, with some Boeing 787s and Airbus A330s. Planespotters.net shows the carrier’s current fleet tally as being: 20 Airbus A321 12 Airbus A330 47 Boeing 777 11 Boeing 787 As of 2021, the airline was operating flights to over 60 destinations across the world, including cities such as Hong Kong, Tokyo, Los Angeles, London, and Sydney. The airline has positioned itself as a premium carrier and is one of the two largest Taiwanese airlines. https://aviationsourcenews.com/incident/two-eva-air-aircraft-damaged-in-taipei-ground-handling-incident/ Helicopter Industry Group Urges FAA To Use Caution With 5G NPRM New federal rulemaking taking aim at potential 5G interference of helicopter radio altimeters should balance safety and operations, according to Helicopter Association The FAA's airworthiness directive is for all helicopters equipped with a radar altimeter due to the potential for 5G C-band interference. [Credit: Shutterstock] Any new rule targeting potential 5-G C-band transmission interference with radio altimeters in helicopters needs to balance safety with operational impact, according to Helicopter Association International (HAI). HAI’s comments come days after the FAA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) regarding the impact of 5G C-band transmissions on helicopters equipped with radio altimeters, which are also sometimes called radar altimeters. For years wireless communication companies have been pushing the need for 5G C-band transmissions to handle the increase in wireless communications. There has been concern that 5G transmissions can interfere with the operation of radio altimeters, a device on many aircraft that provides pilots with information about the proximity of the aircraft to the ground. Radio altimeters are critical in low-visibility situations. On April 12, the FAA released the NPRM on a proposed airworthiness directive designed to protect some 1,100 helicopters in the United States from 5G interference. According to John Shea, director of government affairs for HAI, the association is carefully reading the NPRM, and looking for a way that supports both safety and the mission of helicopters. “At HAI, we understand and appreciate the FAA’s responsibility to ensure safety of the national airspace system for all its users. We are committed to working with the FAA on maintaining aviation safety in a 5G environment,” Shea said. “It is important to recognize that the degree of dependence on a radar altimeter for safe helicopter operation can vary significantly based on the type of operation,” he added. “The FAA acknowledged this fact when establishing flight restrictions in their initial [airworthiness directive] AD. The recently published NPRM further acknowledges this by presenting operators with the choice to retrofit or to continue operating under the flight restrictions.” Shea added that HAI is in the process of reviewing the NPRM that would replace the 5G-related AD for rotorcraft, adding, “In the coming days, HAI will submit public comments on the NPRM in the federal register. At that time, we will also release a statement summarizing our positions.” According to Shea, the NPRM “establishes an interference tolerance threshold for radio altimeters on rotorcraft. Operators who retrofit their equipment to meet the threshold will not be subject to the flight restrictions in the AD, whereas those who do not retrofit will be subject to restrictions throughout the contiguous United States.” The challenge, says Shea, is that there needs to be a balancing act between safety and operational impact of regulatory action, as helicopters are essential support in critical industries such as law enforcement, construction, and national security. “Therefore, any revisions to the AD must be both effective and reasonable. Any undue financial or operational hardships imposed on the helicopter industry could have substantial downstream consequences for the vital industries and emergency response entities we serve.” Per the FAA, the AD is for all helicopters equipped with a radar altimeter due to the potential for 5G C-band interference. “This proposed AD would supersede a 2021 AD because the FAA determined additional limitations are needed due to the continued deployment of new 5G C-Band base stations.” the FAA states. “It requires revising the rotorcraft flight manual to prohibit certain operations that require radar altimeter data. The AD would require the rotorcraft flight manual revision on or before June 30, 2023.” As previously reported in FLYING, multiple airports have Notices to Air Missions (NOTAMs) warning pilots about the potential impact of 5G transmission in their vicinity. In January 2022, the wireless companies voluntarily reduced the power of the 5G towers near airports to help protect air traffic while the industry focused on developing protections against interference. The FAA noted that both AT&T and Verizon agreed to keep their voluntary mitigations in place until July 2023 to give the aviation industry an additional year to retrofit their airplanes with radio frequency filters. The airlines have until 2024 to make upgrades to comply with 5G per an FAA AD. The proposed AD requires passenger and cargo aircraft in the U.S. to be equipped with 5G C-Band tolerant altimeters by next February. https://www.flyingmag.com/helicopter-industry-group-urges-faa-to-use-caution-with-5g-nprm/ Boeing’s 737 Max problem is the latest headache for airlines hungry for new planes • Boeing disclosed a production problem with two fittings in the aft fuselage. • The manufacturer and the FAA said it doesn’t affect flight safety but it will delay deliveries of the best-selling plane. • Southwest Airlines and American Airlines are among the airlines expecting new Max aircraft. Boeing ’s warning that a production quality problem will delay deliveries of its best-selling 737 Max is another headache for airlines clamoring for new planes to handle a rebound in air travel, just ahead of the peak season. The problem is related to two of several brackets in the aft fuselage of some 737 Max planes, including the most popular model, the Max 8. Boeing has a backlog of 4,196 Max planes, according to a tally on its website. Boeing disclosed the production issue on Thursday but has not said how many planes are affected or how long deliveries could be delayed. The current delivery schedule of the planes stretches to the second half of the decade. The fuselage supplier, Spirit Aerosystems , Boeing and the FAA said the problem doesn’t affect flight safety. But addressing the issue could mean time-consuming additional work. The two brackets in question are on the interior of the plane and are not as simple to reach as a concern on the outside of the fuselage would be, according to a person familiar with the matter. Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun will likely comment on the issue during the company’s annual shareholder meeting on Tuesday. Boeing disclosed the issue just weeks after an executive said it was gearing up to increase output of the jets from the current rate of 31 a month. Lengthy delays would be bad news for airlines already hamstrung by a global shortage of new aircraft. They could also hurt Boeing’s plan to improve cash flow, since airlines pay the bulk of a plane’s price upon delivery. “It doesn’t sound like it is going to be a terribly invasive fix, but on the other hand I think everyone’s a bit spooked because of recent experience,” said Richard Aboulafia, managing director of AeroDynamics Advisory. Southwest Airlines , which operates an all-Boeing 737 fleet, said it discussing the affects of the problem with the manufacturer. “Boeing contacted us regarding an issue with a supplier’s manufacturing process that will affect the delivery of Boeing 737 MAX planes to Southwest,” the company said in a statement Thursday. “We expect this to impact our current delivery schedule; we are in discussions with Boeing to understand what that impact will be in 2023 and beyond.” CEO Bob Jordan said on an earnings call in January that the airline expects roughly 90 Max planes this year, lowering its forecast from 100 “in light of recent discussions with Boeing and continued challenges in supply chain.” American Airlines said it is also discussing the problem with Boeing. The airline has 88 Max aircraft on order, according to its 2022 report. Both carriers plan to report results on April 27, when they will likely face questions about the issue. United Airlines , which reports on Tuesday said: “Boeing is keeping us informed about this issue, and at this time we do not expect any significant impact on our capacity plans for this summer or the rest of the year.” The problem is the latest in a string of quality problems and aircraft delays at Boeing that has also included its 787 Dreamliner planes. A worldwide grounding and production pause of the 737 Max followed two fatal crashes of the Max. After the planes were cleared to fly again and production resumed, the pandemic threw the industry into disarray as it hemorrhaged cash and lost thousands of skilled workers. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/14/boeings-737-max-problem-latest-headache-for-airlines.html Inmarsat satcom safety services return for Asia-Pacific after outage Inmarsat’s aircraft safety and other L-band satcom services for the Asia-Pacific region are becoming operable again, following an outage of the firm’s I-4 F1 satellite which forced operators to switch to high frequency (HF) radio. In a statement shared this afternoon, London-headquartered Inmarsat says recovery of its Classic Aero service for aircraft safety, voice and data has begun. Industry stakeholders are now confirming the same, with German satcom specialist m-cramer Satellitenservice stating in an update this evening that “Classic Aero has been fully restored”. It says a further update will be provided by Inmarsat “at approximately 12:00 UTC 19th April”. Runway Girl Network has sought color from Inmarsat on when SwiftBroadBand-Safety, its nextgen service for airlines, will resume for the Asia-Pacific region. The I-4 F1 temporary outage — which saw Inmarsat’s L-band services go offline for East Asia and the Pacific region starting at 21.14 UTC on Sunday 16 April — sent Inmarsat engineers into action to instigate recovery procedures. “Safety services are being prioritised and Inmarsat can confirm that immediately following the incident, it instigated the process to transfer maritime safety services, in line with the IMSO approved operational process to a contingency satellite. That process was completed successfully,” says the satellite operator. Inmarsat also assures that all other satellites in its L-band fleet are unaffected by the incident, and adds: This includes Inmarsat’s two new L-band satellites — I-6 F1 and F2 — which will be joined in 2027 by a further three new micro L-band satellites, the Inmarsat-8s, specifically designed to enhance safety service back-up for L-band customers. When aircraft are flying over oceans and out of range of VHF, pilots use satellite-based connectivity to communicate with both air traffic controllers and their employers’ ground-based operations. Inmarsat’s fleet of L-band satellites — and indeed Iridium’s L-band LEO satellite network — enable these sorts of cockpit communications and safety services. When satcom is not available or another method is needed, HF voice is used by pilots for position reporting, as occurred during the Inmarsat I-4 F1 satellite outage. It is not immediately clear if expanded separation of aircraft was also employed during the period when the satellite was off line. There are also several flight tracking-focused services available in industry, including FlightAware, FlightRadar24, and indeed Aireon, which monitors the existing ADS-B transmissions of aircraft via payloads on Iridium’s NEXT constellation, in turn providing global air traffic surveillance. Rotation The I-4 F1 outage experienced on 16 April through to today highlights the importance of having redundant aircraft systems in aviation. As Inmarsat’s statement outlines, new micro L-band satellites are in the offing for the company. Industry has an opportunity to further enhance its avionics redundancy, and can do so through a number of means, including by adopting dual-dissimilar satcom for cockpit comms and safety services, using Iridium’s nextgen Certus service in concert with Inmarsat’s services. Rivada Space Networks, which aims to launch an inter-satellite laser linked Ka-band LEO network that establishes end-to-end connections without gateways, is positioning its forthcoming constellation as capable of serving “the harsh conditions that have lots of requirements” including the flight deck. Perhaps in time, regulators would consider permitting the cabin connectivity pipe (Ku-/Ka-band) on board many aircraft to serve as backup — in a pinch. Space and satellite consultant Christian Frhr. von der Ropp reckons that this path makes sense, especially now that more LEO networks are available. He stated on LinkedIn today: “[W]hile passengers in the back watch Netflix with multi-Mbps data rates, the pilots on the flight deck may not and cannot transmit the few Kbps of safety-critical aviation comms over the airplane’s broadband satellite link because it’s not certified by aviation authorities. Wouldn’t a perhaps less reliable data link be better than none as is the case right now due to the Inmarsat I-4 F1 outage? “Given the advent of LEO broadband coverage over the oceans and multi-orbit terminals that allow falling back to GEOs, so increasing resilience, the aviation industry should push for leveraging inflight broadband connectivity for safety-critical comms and enabling live-streaming of blackbox data.” https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2023/04/inmarsat-safety-services-returning-for-asia-pacific-after-satellite-outage/ Diamond Aircraft Announces Dedicated Engine Testing Program For SAF So far, at least, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is limited to the jet fuel set, which has kept most piston-powered aircraft out of the conversation. A notable exception is the fleet of Austro-Engine-powered Diamond Aircraft models, which burn jet fuel rather than aviation gasoline (avgas). Diamond has just announced a dedicated SAF development program for its aircraft powered by jet-fuel-burning (aka “diesel”) engines from sister company Austro Engine. To this end, the company has developed a dedicated engine-test bench. It has the unique capability to measure “cylinder pressures in real time with crank angle resolution, the emission components of unburned hydrocarbons (HC), nitrogen oxides (NOx), GHG [greenhouse gas] carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide (CO2, CO).” Diamond clarified, “To validate and approve sustainable aviation fuels that will be available at airports in the future, turbocharged compression-ignition piston engines require not only chemical and calorific analyses but also investigations on component test stands, engine test stands and flight tests.” The company expects to receive its first batch of certified SAF to start the testing next month. With electric-powered aircraft also in the planning stages for Diamond, Robert Kremnitzer, Diamond’s head of design organization, said, “Next to the all-electric eDA40, SAF will become a near-term available solution for sustainable aviation. In the piston engine segment, we have the big advantage that most of our existing fleet is already using jet fuel. With this program, we ensure that sustainable alternatives to these fuel types may be used as soon as they become available at airports with General Aviation fuel stations—with no, or only minor, adaptions to the aircraft.” Diamond Aircraft said it expects to see D7566 SAF blends become increasingly available at GA airports as a seamless “drop-in” fuel. The company targets approval for the fuel mix across its entire fleet by year-end of 2025. Diamond said, “Significant market penetration of SAFs is expected by 2030 and availability of 100 percent pure SAFs without blending for 2050.” https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/diamond-aircraft-announces-dedicated-engine-testing-program-for-saf/ Aviation analyst says that there will be shortage of 30,000 pilots by 2030 CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WIVB) — Airlines across the country are struggling to hire pilots, and aviation analysts predict that by 2030, there will be a shortage of 30,000 pilots. Aviation expert Bob Miller has been teaching people to fly for more than two decades. He said the public is demanding more flights, but also more safety, and because of that, it takes longer for people to become pilots. Miller said he’s not sure what the solution is, but believes the pilot shortage will get worse. In 2010 the federal aviation administration act was passed, after nearly 50 people were killed in the plane crash of Flight 3407 in Clarence. Members of Congress and families of Flight 3407 said the crash was largely due to pilot error. The legislation made air travel safer by raising the standards of pilot training requirements, including a 1,500 hour training rule. Miller said safety should always be a priority, and that there’s a trade off — more safety requirements means that becoming a pilot will take more time and be more expensive. “We can’t have it both ways,” Miller said. “If you want that safety, which is primary, I agree. Then you’re going to have to look at the qualifications. Maybe the 1,500 hours, some say in the industry, that’s not necessary.” Miller added that it could take people anywhere from 5 to 7 years to complete the 15-hundred hour training requirement. “It’s almost easier and less expensive to qualify as a physician or a surgeon as it is to become an airline pilot, and as a result, there’s a huge shortage,” he said. “They’re estimating that the shortage of some-30,000 pilots by the end of 2030. What’s gonna happen? We don’t know. We know some airlines like Southwest have to curtail flights. They have airplanes sitting on the ground for lack of flight crews. It’s becoming a genuine problem.” News 4 on Monday reported that the airline SkyWest has requested to bypass training requirements. Members of Congress and the families of 3407 will be in Washington tomorrow to testify at a hearing to prevent the company from doing so. https://www.wivb.com/news/local-news/aviation-analyst-says-that-there-will-be-shortage-of-30000-pilots-by-2030/ UK Jet Zero Council details plans to accelerate SAF production The U.K.’s Jet Zero Council on April 17 released a two-year plan that describes how it will support the government’s goal to reach Jet Zero by 2050, including how the council will help accelerate the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The Jet Zero Council, launched by the U.K. Department for Transport in 2020, is made up of industry, academic and industry leaders, including representatives of Shell, LanzaTech and Velocys. During its April 17 meeting, the council committed to continue working to speed the design, manufacture and rollout of zero emission aircraft and vital infrastructure at U.K. airports. The council previously set a goal of deliver 10 percent SAF in the U.K. fuel mix by 2030 and zero emission transatlantic flight within in a generation. To support its goals, the Jet Zero Council formed two delivery groups. One is focused on SAF and the other is focused on zero emission flights. The two-year plan released by the Jet Zero Council, in part, sets out how the group will help accelerate the production of SAF by continuing to invest millions of pounds in first-of-a-kind SAF plants, supporting crucial scientific research on a larger scale, and helping drive down production costs. Under the two-year plan, the SAF delivery group is expected to launch a public consultation related to the development of a SAF mandate this year. It also aims to publish an independent review on development of a U.K. SAF industry, develop potential mechanisms to secure a long-term, sustainable U.K. SAF industry, understand the role of carbon removals and SAF production towards net zero aviation, launch a SAF clearing house, clarify details on recycled carbons fuels policy, launch a low carbon fuels strategy, and make the work’s first transatlantic flight fueled with 100 percent SAF. Moving into 2024, the SAF delivery group plans to undertake additional work in support of a SAF mandate, with the mandate expected to launch in 2025. Also in 2024, the SAF delivery group plans to review data from the 100 percent SAF transatlantic flight, support efforts to begin construction on at least five commercial-scale SAF plants by the end of the year, and continue various other efforts launched in 2023. Also on April 17, the U.K. Department for Transport published its response to an independent report on SAF. The agency in October 2022 commissioned the report, which was completed by Philip New, to help understand the conditions needed to create a long-term sustainable SAF industry in the U.K. In its response, the U.K. Department for Transport details the extensive work that is already underway to meet many of the report’s recommendations and highlights additional actions that can be taken to drive further investment in U.K. SAF production. Additional information is available on the U.K. Department for Transport website. https://biodieselmagazine.com/articles/2518642/uk-jet-zero-council-details-plans-to-accelerate-saf-production Curt Lewis