Flight Safety Information October 11, 2013 - No. 210 In This Issue NTSB Chairwoman Deborah Hersman to speak at Senate Commerce Committee shutdown hearing Pilots union warns of possible terrorism 'dry runs' Southwest Jet Makes Emergency Landing in Houston MSU GRANT TO HELP CREATE SENSORS TO DETECT AIRCRAFT CRACKS Boeing Launches Aviation Biofuel Initiative in South Africa Wichita to open office in China to promote aviation business (Kansas) IFA Forum in Hong Kong 26-27 Nov 2013 Next GFSC Meeting 06 November 2013, Abu Dhabi ISASI NERC Meeting (19OCT2013) Think ARGUS PROS Boeing Unveils Its Jumbo Killer Tupolev flies Tu-214VPU C2 aircraft NTSB Chairwoman Deborah Hersman to speak at Senate Commerce Committee shutdown hearing Deborah Hersman National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairwoman Deborah Hersman will speak Friday at a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing on the impacts of the government shutdown. The shutdown resulted in 18,481 furloughs in the U.S. Department of Transportation, as well as the suspension of most programs not safety-related, the cessation of most DOT web presences and the delay of transportation construction project approvals. Hersman is one of five witnesses scheduled to speak at the hearing, "The Impacts of the Government Shutdown on Our Economic Security." There is no word yet on what issues Hersman will bring up, but, according to Politico's Morning Transportation on Thursday, she had to cancel an appearance at the RealClearPolitics forum on distracted driving on Wednesday. The hearing will begin October 11 at 11 a.m. A live webcast of the hearing will be available at commerce.senate.gov. http://www.betterroads.com/ntsb-chairwoman-deborah-hersman-to-speak-at-senate-commerce-committee- shutdown-hearing/#sthash.hflysEpd.dpuf Back to Top Pilots union warns of possible terrorism 'dry runs' A WTSP investigative report unveils an internal airline industry memo warning of terrorist dry- runs. VPC Mike Deeson, WTSP 3:37 p.m. EDT October 10, 2013 ORLANDO - An internal memo from the union representing US Airways pilots details a frightening incident that brings back memories of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, WTSP-TV in Tampa-St. Petersburg reports. The US Airlines Pilots Association memo says "there have been several cases recently throughout the (airline) industry of what appear to be probes, or dry runs, to test our procedures and reaction to an in-flight threat." The pilots say the most recent dry run occurred on Flight 1880 on Sept. 2. The flight left Reagan National Airport outside Washington, D.C., bound for Orlando. The memo says that shortly after takeoff a group of four "Middle Eastern" men caused a commotion. Witnesses claim one of the men ran from his seat in coach toward the flight deck door. He made a hard left and entered the forward bathroom "for a considerable length of time." While he was in there, the other three men moved about the cabin, changing seats, opening overhead bins, and "generally making a scene." They appeared to be trying to occupy and distract the flight attendants, the memo said. US Airways and the Transportation Security Administration confirmed the incident with WTSP. US Airways said it won't discuss the details of security measures, but that it works closely with authorities. The TSA said it takes all reports of suspicious activity aboard aircraft seriously, and the matter requires no further investigation at this time. Wolf Koch, who flies Boeing 767s for Delta Airlines and is the Aviation Security Committee Chairman for another union, the Air Line Pilots Association International, says many flight crews are concerned the planning may already be underway for a 9/11-type attack. Koch describes the events of 9/11 as "an incredible attack on us. It was very well orchestrated and they're going to try it again... 100%, no question in my mind. They're going to try it again." http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/10/airlines-terrorism-scare/2959197/ Back to Top Southwest Jet Makes Emergency Landing in Houston (AP) A Southwest Airlines jet from Austin, Texas, to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has made an emergency landing in Houston due to cabin pressure issues. Southwest spokeswoman Whitney Eichinger (EYEK'-en-ger) says Flight 2896 landed safely at William P. Hobby Airport on Wednesday night. Eichinger said Thursday that a pressurization issue was detected as the Boeing 737-700 departed from Austin. She says nobody was hurt and that the 140 passengers continued on to Fort Lauderdale on another plane. The jet has been taken out of service for inspection. Southwest is based in Dallas. Back to Top MSU GRANT TO HELP CREATE SENSORS TO DETECT AIRCRAFT CRACKS Michigan State University and the Boeing Company have been awarded a contract worth about $4 million from the U.S. Air Force to develop new designs of sensors that will better detect cracks in the second- and third- layers in airframe structures. Lalita Udpa, professor of electrical and computer engineering in MSU's College of Engineering, leads the effort to create a next generation of sensors that will identify aircraft structure that has been weakened by subsurface cracks and corrosion. "Airplanes are made of multiple layers of aluminum that are held together by thousands of fasteners," she said. "Cracks can develop at the fastener sites in areas of high stress. "Our job is to develop and apply simulation models for the design of a sensor that can reliably detect cracks that are deep into the third layers in the presence of other complex edges and magnetic materials." Udpa said MSU was the Air Force Research Laboratory's first choice as a research partner to work with Boeing. "We'll spend about 18 months designing and testing new sensor concepts and designs in the laboratory. Boeing will then build a portable system integrated with an on-aircraft scanner and validate their performance in the field," she said. "During this phase, MSU will use the feedback from Boeing to further fine-tune the design." Electromagnetic sensor systems that incorporate magnetoresistive, or MR, detectors have been shown to have better capabilities than conventional current sensors for detecting cracks in thick and/or complex metallic airframes. Udpa said the MR sensors will enable inspections of critical areas of an aircraft, minimizing the need for disassembly of the structure, thus decreasing the maintenance burden to ensure aircraft are structurally sound. "The sensor packaging will need to be durable and reliable enough for daily on-aircraft inspection processes," she said. Udpa is an expert in nondestructive evaluation, or NDE, and has worked in the field for more than 20 years. NDE is similar to biomedical imaging, where X-rays and other methods are used for noninvasively visualizing the interior of organs. "There aren't many universities in the country with a long history of NDE experience," she said. "Michigan State is among the few." http://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2013/msu-grant-to-help-create-sensors-to-detect-aircraft-cracks/ Back to Top Boeing Launches Aviation Biofuel Initiative in South Africa Boeing on Thursday signed an agreement with South African Airways (SAA) to launch development of a sustainable aviation biofuel chain in Southern Africa. The agreement was signed during the Corporate Council on Africa's 9th Biennial U.S.-Africa Business conference. Boeing and SAA are looking to research new developments in technology that they believe will enable the conversion of biomass into jet fuel. "Sustainable aviation biofuel will play a central role in reducing commercial aviation's carbon emissions over the long term, and we see tremendous potential for these fuels in Africa," said Julie Felgar, managing director of environmental strategy and integration at Boeing. Felgar said the new partnership will research feedstocks and other organic sources in South Africa to begin developing a biofuel supply chain for airlines within the region. The project is being monitored by the World Wildlife Fund-South Africa. The two companies did not mention a projected date when they will begin producing biofuel. http://www.aviationtoday.com/the-checklist/Boeing-Launches-Aviation-Biofuel-Initiative-in-South- Africa_80388.html#.Ulfk2VCRB8E Back to Top Wichita to open office in China to promote aviation business (Kansas) Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer is heading back to China next week for the opening of a Wichita-China office to support trade opportunities for Wichita's aviation industry. China's general aviation industry is growing and the trade office's mission will be to promote Wichita's industry and identify sales and partnering opportunities. So when the Chinese think about developing aviation, they think about Wichita first. "There's a lot of opportunities for us to be able to sell a lot of planes in China based on their long-range plans," Brewer said. "We're trying to take an aggressive approach." The office in Beijing will work to connect Wichita and China businesses for parts, maintenance and other products and services. "We need to be in the game of international trade, and this trip reflects our dedication to helping Wichita companies expand their export opportunities," Brewer said. Having a presence on the ground in China is important, he said. When Wichita businesses visit China, they will have a representative to help them make contacts and connections, he said. The Chinese will have a place to turn as well. Karyn Page, president of Kansas Global Trade Services, will join Brewer on the trip. She compares China's general aviation industry today to the barnstorming days of Wichita's aviation industry. "It's in its infancy," Page said. As China's aviation industry grows, it will need parts, fixed-base operators, maintenance-and-repair centers and airplanes, she said. "When someone says, 'Hey, do you know how I can get FBO training? I want to start one,' we want the office to say, 'You know what, we're going to get you the right people,'" Page said. The idea to open an office in Beijing came after a visit to China by Brewer, Page and other government and economic development officials in 2012. During the 12-day trip, the delegation met with key government and business officials in six Chinese cities. The delegation realized that the Chinese recognize Wichita as a leader in general aviation, Brewer said. That gives the city the opportunity to support Wichita's aviation efforts by marketing the Air Capital of the World in China. The office, which was started by the Kansas Global Trade Services, will also work to help companies protect their intellectual property. "One of the greatest concerns that Americans have when doing business abroad is intellectual property protection," Page said. "There are actions that a company can take to mitigate it. ... We'll work with them." Not only are the Chinese interested in Wichita products, they're also interested in investing in the U.S., Page said. "We want them to think about Wichita and Kansas," Page said. The Beijing office is a pilot project initially budgeted at $300,000 to $500,000, Page said. It will be funded by private sponsors in China and Wichita with oversight by Kansas Global Trade Services, she said. Fundraising began just three weeks ago, but Beechcraft and Cessna Aircraft already have donated enough to fund the program for the first year, Page said. Eventually, the goal is to grow and spread awareness of Wichita's aviation sector across more of China. "We're going to see if the ideas that we have about marketing and promoting the Air Capital in China is going to bring about the opportunities we think they will," Page said. "If it does, we'll continue on." While in China, Brewer and Page will attend the China International General Aviation Convention in Xi'an, which attracts Wichita manufacturers and government and industry leaders from China. During the show, Beechcraft will deliver a King Air C90 aircraft to the Civil Aviation University of China. http://www.kansas.com/2013/10/10/3051465/wichita-to-open-office-in-china.html#storylink=cpy Back to Top Back to Top Subject: NOTICE - Next GFSC Meeting 06 November 2013 To: "GFSC Membership" Dear GFSC Members, The GFSC Executive Committee is please to announce the details of the next Gulf Flight Safety Council meeting. The details are as follows: Date: Wednesday 06 November 2013 Venue: Gulf Centre for Aviation Studies, Al Bateen Airport, Abu Dhabi Time: 0830 - 1600 We would like to once again thank GCAS for their generous support in sponsoring the venue for this meeting. Thanks and kind regards, Mark Captain Mark Trotter Secretary - Gulf Flight Safety Council membership@gfsc.aero www.gfsc.aero Mobile: +971 50 120 9503 Back to Top Back to Top Back to Top Boeing Unveils Its Jumbo Killer Scott Francher, Boeing's vice president and general manager of airplane development, talks about the company's 777X during a press briefing at the Boeing Tokyo office. Boeing (BA) forever changed aviation in 1970 when it introduced its 747 jumbo jet, whose size and range revolutionized flying and became a cultural icon in the process. It's since gone on to log orders for more than 1,500 of the humpbacked behemoth's various models. But now the world's No. 1 maker of commercial aircraft is poised to offer a model that may kill off its best-known creation. Betting it can capture the operating economies of a huge plane in a smaller one, Boeing is undertaking a radical makeover of its smaller 777 jet that will be ready to take flight by decade's end. The new 777X model will boast the biggest engines ever put on a plane, a record wingspan that can be shortened by having the tips fold up after landing, and lower operating costs. Cramming all this cost-saving technology into a smaller plane that operates with two engines-rather than the four needed by jumbos-could herald an end to the race to build ever-larger jets that's driven much of modern aircraft design. The 777X will be the first twin-engine jet able to ply long-haul routes with payloads comparable to the larger jumbos. That's likely to accelerate airlines' shift away from mammoth, four-engine fuel-guzzlers such as Boeing's latest 747-8 and Airbus's (EADSY) double-decker A380. "My assumption is the 747 is dead, or will be dead in a year or two," says Adam Pilarski, senior vice president at aerospace consultant Avitas. Like the 747 four decades ago, he says, the 777X is aimed at a market segment where it lacks a direct rival and "may have a very good run." The first model, the 777-9X, will be able to fly as far as 8,000 nautical miles with more than 400 passengers while burning 20 percent less fuel than the current 777, now the world's biggest twin-engine jet. A second variant, carrying about 350 people, will follow and push the range past 9,400 nautical miles-far enough for a New York-Singapore nonstop flight. Experts expect airlines to approve. "It's just very difficult to stop the compelling, strong economics of the big, long-range twin airplanes," says John Plueger, president of Los Angeles-based jet lessor Air Lease (AL). Even though Boeing's board has yet to grant final approval for the plane's launch, Boeing already has grabbed an $11 billion order from Lufthansa (LHA:GR) for 34 of the jets. Peter Arment, an analyst at Sterne, Agee & Leach, predicts the tally may reach "well over 100 orders" worth more than $34 billion at list prices after the plane's expected unveiling at the Dubai Airshow in mid-November. By rolling out an aircraft that will eliminate the need for a megajumbo at many airlines, Boeing may cannibalize sales ofits own 467-passenger 747-8, whose $356.9 million list price makes it the aircraft manufacturer's most expensive model. George Ferguson, a senior analyst with Bloomberg Industries, says Boeing has little choice but to take that risk, since Airbus in 2014 is set to begin deliveries of its new midsize A350 widebody, which will compete head to head with the current 777. Explains Pilarski, a former executive at McDonnell Douglas, which Boeing bought in 1997: "If they continue with the status quo, the 777 will begin losing market share." The 777 is the top-selling plane in Boeing's lineup. Able to carry as many as 350 people, it lists for $320.2 million for the largest model, although discounts are common on all planes for launch customers and those ordering in bulk. The catalog price of the 777X, expected to be about $340 million based on Lufthansa's order, hasn't been made public. Most airlines' interest in jumbos cooled years ago. Boeing has won only 40 orders for the passenger version of the 747-8, which entered service in 2012, and has received none so far in 2013. Instead, Boeing has drawn far more excitement from customers over its much smaller (210 seats to 330 seats), super-efficient 787 Dreamliner. Still, Randy Tinseth, Boeing's vice president for marketing, insists the 747 remains critical to the company's goal of offering a range of products to satisfy demand for planes with 200 to 500 seats. "We're bringing the 777X to the market eyes wide-open with how it will fit in the family," he says. "We're confident the 747-8 will be a great airplane to complement what we're doing there." Airbus, a latecomer to the jumbo market with the A380's 2007 arrival, defends its jet as being in "a totally different size and comfort category than the 777X," says Senior Vice President Chris Emerson. Typically configured with seating in the low 400s to the low 500s, the A380 has amassed 259 orders, although none in 2013. Boeing's newest 777 will borrow the swept carbon-fiber wing developed for the 787 Dreamliner, expanding to a span of 233 feet, the largest ever on a Boeing commercial jet, according to Aspire Aviation, a Hong Kong- based consultant. With the broader wing, the 777X will need 15 percent less thrust from its new General Electric (GE) engines than required on the current 777-300ER, even though the new plane will have 50 more seats. Each engine will produce 102,000 foot-pounds of thrust, giving a 777X about as much propulsive power as five of Boeing's pioneering four-engine 707s from the 1950s. The biggest design breakthrough features relatively simple technology: a hydraulic actuator to fold the hinged wingtips after the jet lands. That will let the 777X dodge rules limiting jumbos to airports with specially widened taxiways and gates. Operating costs will be lower, since the wider wings would otherwise cause the planes "to take up two whole gates, and you'd have to pay for that proportionally," says Hubert Horan, a former airline executive who's now a Phoenix-based consultant. Plueger says the 777-9X clearly heralds the end of the line for less-efficient, out-of-production versions of the 747, such as the jets that Lufthansa is replacing. "We see the 9X as an airplane that will finally serve the role of eliminating all of the remaining 747-400s out there," he says. http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-10-10/boeings-new-777x-could-make-the-largest-jumbo-jets- obsolete#p2 Back to Top Tupolev flies Tu-214VPU C2 aircraft A prototype Tu-214PU aircraft seen after its maiden flight on 12 May 2010. Tupolev has since developed and flown a Tu-214VPU variant for the FSB security service. Tupolev has conducted the maiden flight of the Tu-214VPU airborne command post aircraft at the Kazan Aviation Production Association facility east of Moscow, national media reported on 10 October. The aircraft, which is based on the Tu-214 airliner, is reportedly intended for service with the special aircraft division of the Federal Security Service (FSB), according to the Business Online website. The aircraft is the fifth special mission variant of the Tu-214, and the second command and control (C2) variant after the Tu-214PU. Images released show both C2 variant aircraft to be fitted with a dorsal 'canoe' fairing running along the mid-section of the upper fuselage. Information pertaining to mission systems and sensors has not been made public. Other special mission variants comprise the Tu-214ON 'Open Skies' surveillance, Tu-214R signals and image intelligence, Tu-214SR radio relay, and Tu-214SUS communications platforms. The range of each variant varies slightly, primarily due to the differing levels of drag induced by the external fairings, but they can fly out to between 6,500 km (Tu-214ON) and 11,000 km (Tu-214SR) at just under 40,000 ft. In January, Izvestia reported that the Russian Air Force (Voyenno-Vozdushnyye Sily - VVS) was unhappy with the Tu-214R variant of the aircraft following initial operations. The VVS said that is was considering not accepting further aircraft until shortcomings in endurance and stability were addressed. It is not known if Tupolev has dealt with these concerns, but sources at the time of the VVS's original complaint told Izvestia that: "The military were aware of the Tu-214's characteristics from the start, including its patrol speed, endurance, and range. If they weren't happy with this they should have said so earlier. It's not reasonable to expect a jet aircraft to have the endurance of [the Ilyushin Il-20 'Coot'] turboprop [it is set to replace]. They should find another aircraft rather than badger the designers of this one." http://www.janes.com/article/28175/tupolev-flies-tu-214vpu-c2-aircraft Curt Lewis