Flight Safety Information February 12, 2014 - No. 031 In This Issue Algeria: Plane crash kills 77 but 1 man survives Arkansas Forestry Commission announces missing pilot found dead at site of crash FBI to reward tips on lasers shined at airplanes American Eagle Pilot Leaders Will Decide Wednesday on Contract Vote Save the Date: 6th Annual Aviation Human Factors and SMS Seminar - Dallas, TX House panel takes step toward banning phone calls on airplanes SERC of ISASI Annual Meeting 2014 And Now Google Is Buying Its Own Airports FAA bans pilots' personal use of electronic devices in cockpit House votes to curb FAA move on overweight pilots PRISM SMS Old Guys And Their Airplanes Virgin Atlantic crew test-drives Google Glass Calls for Application for The ISASI Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship University Research Call For Papers Algeria: Plane crash kills 77 but 1 man survives ALGIERS, Algeria - An Algerian military transport plane slammed into a mountain Tuesday in the country's rugged eastern region, killing 77 people and leaving just one survivor, the defense ministry said. Air traffic controllers lost radio and radar contact with the U.S.-built C-130 Hercules turboprop just before noon and dispatched helicopters to try to find it. The plane was discovered in pieces on Mount Fortas near the town of Ain Kercha, 50 kilometers (30 miles) southeast of Constantine, the main city in eastern Algeria. The plane was heading to Constantine from the southern Saharan city of Tamanrasset, which has a massive military presence due to its proximity to the country's unstable southern borders. It was at least 24 years old, according to sales information supplied by its maker, Lockheed Martin Corp. The plane carried 74 passengers and four crew members, the military said in its statement, blaming poor weather for the crash. Earlier in the day, Algerian government officials and Algerian state media had reported that the plane had 99 passengers, making for a much higher death toll. The lone survivor - a soldier - suffered head injuries and was treated at a nearby military facility before being flown to the military hospital in Algiers, a retired Algerian intelligence officer told The Associated Press. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. Civil defense officials at the snowy crash site said the plane broke into three parts and women and children were among the dead. Military transports in Algeria routinely carry not only soldiers but military families and sometimes even other civilians, if space is available. Commander Farid Nechad, who was coordinating recovery efforts, told the AP that 55 bodies had been recovered so far but conditions at the crash site were difficult. "Unfavorable weather conditions and storms accompanied by snow in the region were behind the crash," the defense ministry said. The presidency announced a three-day period of mourning, calling the soldiers who had died "martyrs for the country." Lockheed Martin's hulking C-130 Hercules transport, born out of the experiences of the 1950-53 Korean War, has been used by air forces all over the world to help fight wars or save lives in humanitarian situations. Lockheed Martin confirmed that it sold C-130s to Algeria from 1981 to 1990 and said if Algerian authorities asked, the company would work with them to investigate Tuesday's crash. It did not release specific information on the age of the plane. In other crashes involving similar planes, six people died in November 2012 when an Algerian Air Force C- 130 crashed into a hillside in France, according to the Aviation Safety Network's database. In 2003, 10 people died when an Algerian Air Force C-130 crashed after an engine caught fire shortly after it took off from an air base near Boufarik, Algeria, according to the database. The worst plane crash in Algerian history occurred in 2003, when 102 people were killed after a civilian airliner crashed at the end of the runway in Tamanrasset. There was also a single survivor in that crash. Sole survivors of large plane crashes are extremely rare, said Ky Dickens of Chicago, director and co- producer of a documentary on such survivors. Dickens, who began research for her film in 2010, identified 15 sole survivors around the world. She limited her search to commercial planes carrying more than 40 people. Many sole survivors are either children or a member of the flight crew - a flight attendant or pilot, Dickens said. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/state-radioalgerian-military-plane-crash-kills- 99/2014/02/11/e16064b0-9321-11e3-b3f7-f5107432ca45_story.html Back to Top Arkansas Forestry Commission announces missing pilot found dead at site of crash LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - An Arkansas Forestry Commission pilot who went missing with his plane last month while patrolling for wildfires was found dead Tuesday in the wreckage of the aircraft that may have clipped the trees or a rugged mountain itself, the agency said. The commission said the plane was spotted at about 4 p.m. Tuesday by the Civil Air Patrol and was confirmed by a state police helicopter, with the body of Jake Harrell found by a member of the National Guard who was lowered to the crash site from a helicopter, according to commission spokeswoman Adriane Barnes. Based on what the guardsman saw, "it is probable at this time that Jake clipped the top of a mountain," Barnes said. Crews were working Tuesday night to recover the body, which was still at the scene, she said. Searchers had been looking for the plane and for Harrell, 34, since he vanished Jan. 31 while on a flight seeking wildfires in the region, but they had struggled with wintry weather. Most days crews were unable to use aircraft in the search, leaving it to teams formed from about 200 ground searchers. Harrell was filling in for a sick co-worker when he failed to make a scheduled check-in and had not been heard from since. He was supposed to have been in the air for two hours. Barnes said a representative of the family was with commission officials, who ran a command center at Mena. "The family knew before anyone else," Barnes said. The plane was found west of Glenwood in wooded and mountainous Montgomery County, where some of the most rugged territory in Arkansas can be found. Numerous agencies took part in the search. The territory is so dangerous that officials would not allow volunteers to help look for Harrell. Their work was made more difficult by a December ice storm that pulled down trees and branches that cluttered the forest floor. Even when aircraft were able to search, the effort was hampered by areas with thick pine trees and snow. Pastor Rob Loy of the First Assembly of God in North Little Rock, who has acted as a spokesman for Harrell's family, said his wife, Jamie, understood the odds were bad for her husband being found safe but had held out hope that her husband was alive. Forestry officials were uncertain of Harrell's route so the search area included up to 2 million acres, equal to more than 3,000 square miles. Rescuers received calls from as far away as eastern Oklahoma and northeast Texas. Harrell's last known position was near Oden, about 20 miles north of where his plane was found. Barnes said the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were contacted. http://www.startribune.com/nation/245000891.html Back to Top FBI to reward tips on lasers shined at airplanes Laser technology has made the tiny beams of concentrated light available to anyone cheaply, sometimes even via your local drugstore. It has also led to a dangerous rise in people pointing them at airplanes, which can temporarily blind a pilot and put the hundreds of people on board at risk, the FBI said Tuesday. As a result, federal officials are now offering up to a $10,000 reward as part of a pilot program in 12 FBI field offices for tips that lead to the arrest of any individual who aims a laser at an aircraft. "Aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft is a serious matter and a violation of federal law," said Ron Hosko, assistant director of the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division, in a press release. "It is important that people understand that this is a criminal act with potentially deadly repercussions." The FAA said there 1,100 percent increase in the deliberate targeting of aircraft by people with handheld lasers since they began keeping track of the incidents in 2005. In 2013, there were a total of 3,960 laser strikes reported, an average of almost 11 incidents per day. "The risk associated with illegal and inappropriate laser illuminations is unacceptable. Pointing lasers at aircraft in flight poses a serious safety risk to the traveling public," said Air Line Pilots Association International President Captain Lee Moak. FBI field offices participating in the regional reward program are Albuquerque, Chicago, Cleveland, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Juan, and the Washington Field Office. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/fbi-to-reward-tips-on-lasers-shined-at-airplanes/ Back to Top American Eagle Pilot Leaders Will Decide Wednesday on Contract Vote DALLAS (TheStreet) -- At a time of crisis in the regional airline industry, leaders of the 3,000 regional pilots at American Eagle will decide Wednesday whether to authorize a union vote on a new contract agreement that accepts pay rate concessions in return for two key benefits: a fleet upgrade and an increased likelihood of flying for mainline partner American Airlines (AAL_). The decision comes at a time when regional jet operators face multiple problems. Republic Airways (RJET_) said Tuesday it will not extend leases on 27 smaller aircraft "due to a lack of qualified pilots." United (UAL_) closed its Cleveland hub, primarily because it will halt 70% of its regional aircraft flights. New federal safety regulations limit the flexibility in pilot scheduling, requiring more pilot hiring. The lack of pilots has been widely proclaimed. But Lee Moak, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, has called it "a shortage of qualified pilots who are willing to fly for U.S. airlines because of the industry's recent history of instability, poor pay, and benefits." Others say the problem is not too few pilots but rather an inability to profit from flying small airplanes with 50 or fewer seats. The decision by the nine members of Eagle's master executive council (MEC) will have a significant impact on the regional jet industry, where Eagle is among the biggest players as the principal regional partner of American, the world's largest airline following a merger with US Airways. "The company is saying they can't find pilots to fly as regional first officers at the same time as they are looking to lower our earnings potential," said Sam Pool, a LaGuardia-based first officer representative and MEC member. "It's ironic that with the media discussing the pilot shortage, here is a major player in the industry that is attempting to pay even less." Throughout the recent history of the airline industry, executives including Bob Crandall at American and Steven Wolf at US Airways have designed contract proposals linking concessions to the promise of growth and expanded career opportunities, enabled by new aircraft. American Eagle's proposal generally follows that pattern. It offers an increased chance for Eagle pilots to flow through to mainline American, where pilot salaries are generally higher, although some veteran Eagle captains would take steep pay cuts to start at American. Also, Eagle would promise to acquire new airplanes to replace the many 50-seat and smaller planes in its fleet. The proposal doesn't reduce anyone's salary, but it reduces salary caps and freezes them until 2018 in a contract that would extend for 10 years. Pilots would get a 1% annual increases starting in 2018. First officers, who receive notoriously low starting salaries throughout the regional airline business, start at Eagle at slightly above the industry average of $21,285 plus benefits. Under the agreement in principle, they would cap out after four years at about $38,000. Captains currently earn $70,000 to $100,000. Under the agreement, they would cap out after 12 years at about $90,000. Bill Sprague, chairman of Eagle's ALPA chapter, said pilots already agreed to $40 million annually in concessions, primarily in work rule changes and reduced benefits, during American's bankruptcy. Now "we are back at the concessionary table while working for a company that has $10 billion in cash and cannot find pilots," he said. Without the concessions, he said, "They will place the aircraft elsewhere, allow us to shrink and shut us down." http://www.thestreet.com/story/12330170/1/american-eagle-pilot-leaders-will-decide-wednesday-on- contract-vote.html Back to Top Back to Top House panel takes step toward banning phone calls on airplanes WASHINGTON - Allowing airline passengers to make cellphone calls in-flight is asking for trouble, lawmakers said Tuesday as a House panel approved a bill to ban such calls. The bill - passed without opposition by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee - requires the Department of Transportation to issue regulations prohibiting such calls. The department has already said it is considering creating such a ban as part of its consumer protection role. The bill has no impact on the Federal Aviation Administration's decision late last year to allow passengers to email, text, surf the Internet and download data using smartphones and other personal electronic devices during takeoffs and landings. Phone calls are another matter. Both Republican and Democratic House members, some of the nation's most frequent flyers, said they believe in-flight calls would be noisy and disturbing to other passengers and possibly disruptive. "Most passengers would like their flights to go by as quickly and quietly as possible," Rep. Bill Shuster, R- Pa., the committee's chairman and sponsor of the bill, said. "When it comes to cellphones on planes, tap don't talk." Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., said the prospect of "sitting among dozens of people all talking on their cellphones in a confined space raises serious safety, if not comfort, considerations especially at a time when passengers face less legroom, higher fees and pricey flights." Shuster emphasized that he doesn't fly between Washington and his district, but said he was "looking out for" his congressional colleagues. He also cited an Associated Press-GfK poll released in December that found a majority of Americans who fly oppose in-flight calls. The poll found that among Americans who have taken more than one flight in the past year, 59 percent are against allowing calls on planes. That number grows to 78 percent among those who've taken four or more flights. The bill is a response to moves late last year by the Federal Communications Commission to remove the long-standing prohibition on in-flight calls. In December, the commission voted 3-2 to start a months-long public comment process to end the restriction. Calls during flights have been prohibited for 22 years over fears that they would interfere with cellular networks on the ground. Technological advances have resolved those concerns. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has said he wants to repeal the rule, calling it restrictive and outdated. He also wants the airlines, not the government, to have final say on in-flight calling. Roger Dow, president and CEO of the US Travel Association, said he doesn't "fault the FCC for finding that these calls could be permissible, but I'm thankful that Chairman Shuster and his committee have stepped in to ponder the question of whether allowing them would actually benefit the travel experience." Also Tuesday, the FAA issued a rule prohibiting airline pilots from using cellphones and other personal electronic devices for personal use during flight and other aircraft operations. The agency was already telling airlines they should prohibit their pilots from using the devices except when they aid navigation. Some airlines give pilots iPads called electronic flight bags that contain charts and other navigation information. FAA's rule allows use of those devices to continue. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765647521/House-takes-step-toward-ban-on-in-flight-calls.html Back to Top SERC of ISASI Annual Meeting 2014 The Southeast Regional Chapter of ISASI would like to invite you to attend their 2014 Meeting to be held in Cape Canaveral, FL on Saturday, March 22, 2014. Please see the registration form below. A tour of the Columbia Research and Preservation Center is also being offered on Friday, March 21, 2014. Availability is limited, and the deadline for tour registration is Monday, February 10, 2014. Please contact astorey@srca.net for additional information and reservations. ISASAI Registration Form 2014 Back to Top And Now Google Is Buying Its Own Airports SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The U.S. government has picked a Google subsidiary to run and renovate a federal airfield that is frequently used for the personal flights of the Internet company's billionaire executives. The decision announced Monday clears the way for Google's Planetary Ventures LLC to take over management of the 1,000-acre Moffett Federal Airfield, a former U.S. Navy based 4 miles from Google's Mountain View, Calif., headquarters. The airfield, which was built in the 1930s, has been managed by NASA's Ames Research Center for the past 23 years. Financial terms of the new arrangement still must be worked out among Google, NASA and the General Services Administration. As part of the deal, Google Inc. must renovate the airfield's three hangars, including one that is a Silicon Valley landmark because of its massive size and location off a major highway. Google also has agreed to upgrade a golf course located next to the airfield. "We are delighted to move ahead in the selection process and we look forward to working with both GSA and NASA to preserve the heritage of Moffett Federal Airfield," Google said in a statement Monday. Government officials hailed Google's selection as a boon for taxpayers. Besides covering the day-to-day expenses for managing the airfield, Google is also paying for expensive repairs unlikely ever to be financed by the government. Restoring the airfield's most prominent structure, the 200-foot-tall Hangar One, will be particularly expensive. Hangar One's original siding was removed because of contamination from toxic lead and asbestos, raising the risks that the historic edifice might eventually have to be torn down. The cost of covering the now-skeletal hangar is expected to be more than $40 million. "NASA's partnership with the private sector will allow the agency to restore this treasure for more efficient use," said Dan Tangherlini, administrator of the General Services Administration. The decision to entrust Moffett's fate to Google comes just two months after NASA's inspector general issued a report that raised questions about whether the company's three most powerful executives had been given a sweetheart deal while flying their personal jets and helicopters from the airfield. The audit found out that seven jets and two helicopters owned by Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt had received improper discounts on fuel that saved the three billionaires up to $5.3 million on flights dating back to 2009. The Google executives own the aircraft through a company called H211, which has been paying $1.4 million annually since 2007 to lease hangar space at Moffett. Google's executives received the fuel discounts because of a misunderstanding about the relationship between NASA and their aircraft, the audit concluded. The jets were only eligible for the bargain prices when they were carrying NASA equipment to collect climate data, but the executives more frequently received the discounts on personal flights that provided no benefits to the government. Although H211 and Planetary Ventures are separate entities, a frequent Google critic said the U.S. government is rewarding "unethical and wrongful behavior" by awarding the Moffett management contract to the company. "This is like giving the keys to your car to the guy who has been siphoning gas from your tank," said John Simpson, privacy project director for Consumer Watchdog. Google beat out one other competitor for the Moffett contract, which went up for bidding in May. Ames Research Center spokeswoman Jessica Culler declined to identify the other bidder. The current lease allowing Page, Brin and Schmidt to fly their aircraft from Moffett is scheduled to expire in July. It's unclear whether the executives will seek to renew the lease because they are working with a private contractor to build another space for their planes at the Mineta San Jose International Airport located about 10 miles from Moffett. The pilots of commercial airlines sometimes have mistakenly made landing approaches toward the Moffett airfield instead of the San Jose airport, according to a review of government safety data by The Associated Press. http://business.time.com/2014/02/11/and-now-google-is-buying-its-own-airports/ Back to Top FAA bans pilots' personal use of electronic devices in cockpit As the Federal Aviation Administration eases prohibitions against passenger use of portable electronic devices, it's restricting airline pilots' personal use of devices in the cockpit. New regulations, announced Tuesday, prohibit pilots from personal use of laptops, cell phones, and other electronic devices while on duty in the cockpit. The rules (PDF), which go into effect in two months, augments the FAA's 1981 "sterile cockpit" rule, which requires that pilots refrain from non-essential and distracting activities during certain phases of the flight. The FAA said the new rule "codifies existing FAA policies and procedures" and was consistent with a mandate issued by Congress to prevent distraction to members of the flight crew during critical phases of a flight. "This rule will ensure that certain non-essential activities do not contribute to the challenge of task management on the flight deck and do not contribute to a loss of situational awareness due to attention to non-essential activities," the FAA said in the regulation's text. The agency noted that the dangers posed by pilots' use of electronic devices in the cockpit were highlighted in 2009 when a Northwest Airlines flight overshot its intended airport by 150 miles while the pilots were using their laptops. The pair didn't realize their mistake until contacted by a flight attendant, according to a National Transportation Safety Board report. While the FAA is prohibiting personal use of electronic devices, pilots will still be able to use laptops, iPads, or other devices that are needed for operating an airplane. American Airlines became the first commercial carrier to give tablets to pilots for work purposes in 2012 when it substituted iPads for its heavy paper- based flight manuals. Microsoft's Surface 2 won FAA approval for similar use on Tuesday. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57618756-94/faa-bans-pilots-personal-use-of-electronic-devices-in- cockpit/ Back to Top House votes to curb FAA move on overweight pilots WASHINGTON - The House voted Tuesday to slow down the Federal Aviation Administration's effort to start testing overweight pilots and air-traffic controllers for sleep disorders. The legislation approved by voice vote aims to block FAA from immediately requiring tests for sleep disorders based on a pilot's weight or neck size, as the agency announced in November. Instead, the FAA could adopt the standard as part of a formal rulemaking process, which could take months or years. The Senate must still consider the legislation. The FAA proposal aimed to calculate each pilot's Body Mass Index, a calculation based on weight and height, when they are examined every six months or a year. Anyone with a BMI of at least 40 or who has at least a 17-inch neck would have to be evaluated by a sleep specialist, because of a concern that overweight pilots could suffer sleep apnea and perform poorly at work. "It's a scenario of being guilty before being proved innocent," said Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-N.J., chairman of the aviation subcommittee. "The potential costs to these pilots could be thousands of dollars." LoBiondo said the legislation wouldn't prevent FAA from adopting the change, but that the agency would have to go through a formal rulemaking process to do so. A general-aviation pilot, Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., called the standards "arbitrary" and "egregious." "Today Congress is acting against the FAA's egregious assumption that these pilots pose a safety risk if untreated," Graves said. A doctor, Rep. Larry Bucshon, R-Ind., said sleeping disorders are incredibly serious and can be dangerous. "However, I also know that you can't diagnose any patient by a set of arbitrary guidelines and stereotypes," Bucshon said. http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/2014/02/11/house-faa-pilots-overweight/5399775/ Back to Top Back to Top Old Guys And Their Airplanes A Sioux Falls man has found a way to turn his childhood hobby of drawing airplanes into a unique business. His airplane drawings paint a picture worth more than a thousand words. John Mollison has been drawing airplanes since he was three years old. Now with his artistic skills, he's launched a unique show on the internet called 'Old Guys and Their Airplanes.' Mollison sits down with war pilots and draws them a picture of the plane they once flew in combat. In exchange for the print, Mollison gets to interview them for his show. "I've found when I talk to these old guys, I get a lot of wisdom," Mollison said. Mollison says that wisdom is a valuable resource, just like oil and energy, that needs to be tapped. "These are people, who not only experienced combat, but they've also lived the life afterwards and the amazing amount of wisdom that you get when you talk to some of these people, that's what the show is really about," Mollison said. One guy he interviewed for his show is 93-year-old Claude Hone of Sioux Falls, who flew combat missions over Guadalcanal during World War II. Mollison: What do you think of war now? Hone: I think it's terrible. It doesn't solve anything; it doesn't solve a thing. Hone is just one of 100 pilots Mollison has talked with for his half-hour long shows. In every interview, as Mollison draws a sketch of the airplane they once flew, he gets a pretty good picture of how we can all learn from these heroes. Mollison: So the question I ask of you, is that a function of your wisdom or your age? Hone: My experience, I think. I have no regrets. If I had to do it all over again, I'd make the same mistakes. I always say I never made any bad mistakes in my life, but I sure made some good ones. Mollison's next mission is to leave next month for Vietnam. He plans to capture the meeting between a former U.S. Pilot and the North Vietnamese pilot who shot him down during the war. To learn more about the show, visit the Old Guys and Their Airplanes website. http://www.keloland.com/newsdetail.cfm/old-guys-and-their-airplanes/?id=160064 Back to Top Virgin Atlantic crew test-drives Google Glass Google Glass, the wearable computer that doctors and schoolchildren are experimenting with, is now making its way into the airline industry. Virgin Atlantic today began a pilot program in which its concierges in the Upper Class lounge at London's Heathrow Airport will don Google Glass to check in passengers. They'll be able to give passengers their latest flight information and tell them about the weather and events at their destinations. They can also translate foreign language information. Eventually, the technology could tell Virgin Atlantic staff their passengers' food and drink preferences. "We continue to look ahead and research innovations that customers might only dream of today," says Dave Bulman, director of information technology for Virgin Atlantic. "The whole industry needs to listen to what these passengers are calling for, and keep innovating to bring a return to the golden age of air travel. Flying should be a pleasure, not a chore." The travel industry, and airlines in particular, has never been known to be in the forefront of adopting the latest in technology. But some experts see potential benefits in the use of Google Glass to provide better customer service. "We are still a ways from widespread applications and adoption, and there are functional limitations today," says Douglas Quinby, vice president of research for market research firm PhocusWright. " We're not going to be planning and booking our big dream vacations on Glass anytime soon, but Glass definitely allows us to envision where things are headed." Virgin Atlantic is working with SITA, the information technology company specializing in the air transport industry, on the six-week pilot project. If it goes well, the airline will potentially roll it out to other airports. "2014 is shaping up to be the breakout year for wearable technology, and Virgin Atlantic is the first to bring its vision to reality," says Jim Peters, chief technology officer for SITA. Still in the testing phase, Google Glass has been used by doctors and classroom teachers. It's scheduled to be made available to the public sometime this year. http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/2014/02/11/google-glass-virgin-atlantic-london/5392265/ Back to Top Calls for Application for The ISASI Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship DEADLINE for filling application 15 April, 2014 The 2014 ISASI Seminar will be held in the Stamford Hotel in Glenelg, near Adelaide, Australia 13-16 October 2014. INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF AIR SAFETY INVESTIGATORS 2014 The ISASI Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship (In memorial to all ISASI members who have died) Purpose: To encourage and assist college-level students interested in the field of aviation safety and aircraft occurrence investigation. Funding: The ISASI Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship fund will be established through donations and will provide an annual allocation of funds for the scholarship if funds are available. Eligibility: Applicants must be enrolled as full time students in a recognized (note ISASI recognized) education program, which includes courses in aircraft engineering and/or operations, aviation psychology, aviation safety and/or aircraft occurrence investigation, etc., with major or minor subjects that focus on aviation safety/investigation are eligible for the scholarship. A student who has received the annual ISASI Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship will not be eligible to apply for it again. Administration of the Fund: The President of ISASI will appoint a two person committee to be executors and administrators of the fund. The ISASI Treasurer will oversee all expenditures. The Scholarship Fund Committee will check that the education program is at a recognized school and applicable to the aims of the Society, assess the applications and determine the most suitable candidate. Donors and recipients will be advised if donations are made in honor of a particular individual. Annual Scholarship: Funded attendance at ISASI Annual Seminar An award of $2000 will be made to each student who wins the competitive writing requirement, meets the application requirements and will register for the ISASI annual seminar. The award will be used to cover costs for the seminar registration fees, travel, and lodging/meals expenses. Any expenses above and beyond the amount of the award will be borne by the recipient. ISASI will assist with coordination and control the expenditure of funds. In addition, the following are offered to the winner(s) of the scholarship. 1. A one year membership to ISASI 2. The Southern California Safety Institute (SCSI) offers tuition-free attendance to ANY regularly scheduled SCSI course to the winner of the ISASI Scholarship. This includes the two-week Aircraft Accident Investigator course or any other investigation courses. Travel to/from the course and accommodations are not included. More information at http://www.scsi-inc.com/ 3. The Transportation Safety Institute offers a tuition free course for the winner of the Scholarship. Travel to/from the course and accommodations are not included. More information is available at http://www.tsi.dot.gov/ 4. The Cranfield University Safety and Accident Investigation Centre offers tuition-free attendance at its 5-day Accident Investigation course which runs as part of its Masters Degree program at the Cranfield campus, 50 miles north of London, UK. Travel to/from the course and accommodation are not included. Further information is available from www.csaic.net/ Application requirements: 1. A full time student who meets the Eligibility requirement stated above and has been enrolled for a duration of one year 2. The student is to submit a 1000 (+/- 10%) word paper in English addressing "the challenges for air safety investigators" 3. The paper is to be the students own work and must be countersigned by the student's tutor/academic supervisor as authentic, original work 4. The papers will be judged on their content, original thinking, logic and clarity of expression 5. The essay and application must be submitted in a format that can be opened by Microsoft Word. 6. The student must complete the application form with their paper by April 15, 2014 and submit it to ISASI by mail, fax, or email to isasi@erols.com. ISASI contact information - Ann Schull, International Office Manager 107 E. Holly Avenue, Suite #11 Sterling, VA 20164 703 430 9668 (Main) 703 430-4970 (FAX) Some advice to those applying: 1. Late submissions are not advisable 2. Handwritten applications are not advisable 3. Make sure to include your email address as indicated above Application Form 2014 INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF AIR SAFETY INVESTIGATORS The ISASI Rudolf Kapustin Memorial Scholarship (In memorial to all ISASI members who have died) Name: Date: Address: Course enrolled for: Year /Subjects Studied: Academic Institute: Address: Email: Telephone number: Student Signature:_____________________________________________________________ Tutor/Academic Supervisor title and signature:________________________________________ 1000 Word Paper ""the challenges for air safety investigators" NOTE: Students who wish to apply for the scholarship should visit www.isasi.org or send email to isasi@erols.com. The ISASI office telephone number is 1-703-430-9668. Back to Top The Aerospace Department at Middle Tennessee State University Journal Survey Dear Colleague, The Aerospace Department at Middle Tennessee State University invites you to participate in a survey regarding non-engineering aviation, aeronautic, and space periodicals. The value of non-engineering aerospace journals is significant for our discipline especially when considering publication opportunities and the impact those peer-reviewed and industry publications may have in our research, education, and outreach endeavors. How these journals are rated by our peers may also help define periodical status for non-engineering aerospace faculty. Our goal is to update a 2006 study that identified periodicals providing exceptional value and utility to academicians. Unlike studies that focus primarily on research quality and prestige of academic journals, we will continue to investigate a wider set of issues. We hope to gain insight into the value of non-engineering aviation, aeronautic, and space-related periodicals (both academic journals and industry publications) that are used by academicians in their research, outreach, and teaching activities. Thus, your participation and opinion is very important to the success of the study. We would also request that you please pass this email along to colleagues in your department, school, and/or college who may be teaching aerospace courses. Please visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5X6GT5B to begin the survey. We would greatly appreciate a response by March 1, 2014. Thank you. Randy Johnson, Ph.D. Paul Craig, Ph.D. Aerospace Department Middle Tennessee State University Informed Consent Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU Protocol Number: #14-198) Project Title Usefulness of Collegiate Aviation and Space Publications: An Expansion and Update Purpose of Project The study will update and expand a survey conducted and published in 2006 in The Collegiate Aviation Review (Johnson, Hamilton, Gibson, & Hanna, 2006). Procedures The survey includes questions about which periodicals and journals you may use in your work. Specifically we would like to find out how useful periodicals and journals inform your research, teaching, and/or outreach. We are also requesting some demographic information as well as institutional emphasis on research, teaching, and outreach. Risks/Benefits of this study You will be contributing to knowledge on the usefulness of publications in aerospace education. After we have finished the data collection, we will be happy to provide you with a more detailed description of the data if you request. No risks or discomforts are anticipated from participating in this survey. If you are uncomfortable with a particular question, you are free to skip it or withdraw from the study altogether. Confidentiality Your responses will be kept completely confidential. We will not know your IP address when responding to the survey. Participation Your participation is voluntary and you are free to withdraw from the study at any time. If you do not want to continue, you may simply leave the website. All efforts, within reason, will be made to keep the personal information in your research record private but total privacy cannot be promised, for example, you information may be shared with the Middle Tennessee State University Institutional Review Board. In the event of questions or difficulties of any kind during or following participation, the subject may contact the Principal Investigator as indicated above. For additional information about giving consent or your rights as a participant in this study, please feel free to contact the MTSU Office of Compliance at (616) 494-8918 Consent I have read the above information and I understand the purpose, benefits, and risks of the study and give my informed and fee consent to be a participant. By beginning the survey, I acknowledge that I have read this information and agree to participate in this research, with the knowledge that I am free to withdraw at any time without penalty. Principal Investigators: Dr. Randy Johnson Randall.Johnson@mtsu.edu (615) 898-2288 Dr. Paul Craig Paul.Craig@mtsu.edu (615) 494-8637 Curt Lewis