Flight Safety Information August 25, 2015 - No. 168 In This Issue UK imposes curbs on vintage aircraft displays after Shoreham crash Gogo gets thumbs up for speedy in-flight broadband in the U.S. Ethiopia: ICAO Commits to Assist Ethiopian Aviation Industry Choking airline system threatens China's aviation ambitions Extensive damage to Korongo airplane worse than originally thought Electric aircraft-the future of aviation or wishful thinking? Remote-Controlled Nasa Aircraft Set to Track Hurricanes GULFSTREAM G-4 CRASH:...CREW WITH 29,750 HOURS...SKIPS PART OF CHECKLIST PROS 2015 TRAINING Republic Airways Seeks to Avoid Bankruptcy With New Pilot Contract Four female pilots to fly China's most advanced fighter jets Boeing raises China 20-year aircraft demand, says outlook rosy Boeing Expects Robust China Jet Demand, Undeterred by Volatility US sends F-22 fighter jets to Europe as part of Ukraine response Back To School with ERAU - Aviation Safety Seminars for Professionals GRADUATE RESEARCH REQUEST GRADUATE RESEARCH REQUEST GRADUATE RESEARCH REQUEST Upcoming Events JOBS AVAILABLE (New Positions) UK imposes curbs on vintage aircraft displays after Shoreham crash Britain's aviation authority has imposed new restrictions on vintage aircraft at air shows. This comes days after a plane crashed into a highway in the south of England, claiming the lives of at least 11 people. Flugzeugabsturz in Shoreham A statement released by the Civil Aviation Authority on Monday said it had ordered that flying displays by vintage aircraft "will be significantly restricted until further notice." It said that such displays would be limited to flybys and that "high energy" maneuvers were banned - with immediate effect. On Saturday, the CAA had already imposed restrictions on all flights of Hawker Hunter aircraft, shortly after a plane of this model came crashing down onto cars on the A27 road after failing to pull out of a looping maneuver during the Shoreham air show. Police have said that at least 11 people were killed in the crash, and that the death toll could rise as work continued to clear up the wreckage. A crane was brought in on Monday to help remove the remains of the aircraft. The pilot, 51-year-old former Royal Air Force instructor Andrew Hill, survived the crash but was listed in a critical condition. Through police, his family issued a statement expressing their sadness at the loss of life. "They send their prayers and heartfelt condolences to the families of all those affected at this difficult time," the police statement said. The Hawker Hunter was developed in Britain for the Royal Air Force in the 1950s as a fighter aircraft and was also exported for use by air forces in other countries, including India, Sweden and Switzerland. http://www.dw.com/en/uk-imposes-curbs-on-vintage-aircraft-displays-after-shoreham-crash/a-18670029 Back to Top Gogo gets thumbs up for speedy in-flight broadband in the U.S. Five hundred aircraft will soon get a much faster Internet connection In-flight broadband provider Gogo's 2Ku technology has been approved by the FAA, opening the door for data speeds up to 70M bps. The company is hoping to launch commercial services this year. Clearing this regulatory hurdle was an important step for Gogo. The company has received the final so- called Supplemental Type Certificate from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, which it required in order to launch the next-generation technology. Seven commercial airlines have signed up for either a trial or fleet deployment of 2Ku, covering more than 500 commercial aircraft, Gogo said without giving names. The aircraft will be upgraded next year. The 70Mbps that 2Ku can deliver is a big improvement over the 3.1Mbps Gogo was able to offer when it got started about five years ago. The higher speeds are achieved thanks the use of two antennas: one for the link to the aircraft and the other for the return link to the ground, according to Gogo. The new system is cheaper to install and run, said GoGo, meaning airlines could afford to put it on more planes. Capacity is shared between all users on the same aircraft, so the actual data speeds users experience will depend on what other passengers are streaming or downloading. Today GoGo offers connectivity on Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, United and Virgin America flights. Data plans include a 24-hour pass at US$16 and an unlimited monthly pass at $59.95. http://www.pcworld.com/article/2975773/gogo-gets-thumbs-up-for-speedy-in-flight-broadband-in-the- us.html Back to Top Ethiopia: ICAO Commits to Assist Ethiopian Aviation Industry The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) expressed its willingness to provide the required assistance to the development of air transport in Ethiopia. The newly appointed secretary general of ICAO, Fang Liu (PhD), was in Addis Ababa this week for a two- day official visit. Accompanied by ICAO regional directors Barry Kashambo, Eastern and Southern Africa, and Mam Sait Fallow, Western and Central Africa, Liu visited the headquarters of the African Union. Liu who replaced former secretary general of ICAO Raymond Benjamin as of August 1, 2015 met the secretary general of the AU, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and the executive secretary of the UNECA, Carlos Lopes (PhD). Liu discussed the importance of air transport in the economic development of Africa. She reiterates ICAO's commitment to assist Africa in ensuring safe and reliable air transport in Africa. Liu visited the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority (ECAA), the regulatory body of the aviation sector in Ethiopia, and the headquarters of Ethiopian Airlines. During her visit to the ECAA, officials of the authority and the Ethiopian Airports Enterprise (EAE) made brief presentations about air transport development in Ethiopia. Director general of the ECAA, Wossenyeleh Hunegnaw (Col), said that the history of aviation development in Ethiopia dates back to 1920 when the first six French made Patez aircraft were delivered to Ethiopia. The Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority was established in 1944. In the same year Ethiopia signed the Chicago Convention and became a founding member of ICAO. The Ethiopian Airports Enterprise was separated from ECAA in 2002. ECAA regulates the aviation sector in Ethiopia by licensing operators and aviation professionals and administers the airspace. The Ethiopian Airports Enterprise builds and administers airports in the country. Up on the recommendation of the ICAO, ECAA is in the process to establish Aircraft Accident Investigation and Prevention Department as a separate entity. Wossenyeleh said Ethiopian Airlines is growing fast and the authority is trying to develop the general aviation which is at its infant stage. He said that ECAA is tasked with building internationally competent and secured air transport sector in Ethiopia. "ECAA, EAE and Ethiopian Airlines are working in a harmonized way in building a safe, reliable and globally competent air transport sector in the country," he said. ECAA is building its capacity by training its staff and acquiring modern airspace management equipment. It is also expanding its training center. In 2014 ECAA was audited by the US Federal Aviation Administration and secured category one status. Last April ECAA was audited by ICAO and secured 68.8 percent, well above world average. According to Wossenyeleh, the authority wants its training center to be fully endorsed by ICAO and becomes member of ICAO's Training Plus Program. Endris Argaw, customer service director with EAE, on his part said the Ethiopian government has given due attention to the aviation development in Ethiopia. "Envisioned with becoming the leading airport service provider in Africa by 2025 the enterprise is striving to cater world class airport service," Endris said. According to him, ten years ago there were only ten airports in the country but this has been increased to 23 in the past years and four of them are international airports. EAE is expanding the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport passenger terminal at a cost of 300 million dollars. The existing terminal was designed to accommodate 6.3 million passengers per year but the airport is now overwhelmed by 8 million passengers. To meet the growing demand EAE is undertaking a major expansion project which will enable the terminal to accommodate 25 million passengers. Endris said that the enterprise is also undertaking a new mega international airport in the vicinity of Addis Ababa. "Currently, we are under site selection process. We shall also build five additional regional airports. The plan is to make Addis Ababa a gate way to Africa." Both Wossenyeleh and Endris hinted that their organizations require assistance from ICAO in terms of capacity building. Liu said that she was impressed by the air transport development in Ethiopia. She assured them that that ICAO will assist the aviation sector development in Ethiopia based on the need assessment that will conducted by her team. She requested officials of ECAA and EAE to present their demand to ICAO's team. She stressed the need to have a safe air transport sector. "Safety has a paramount importance," she said. "Training should be your core business," she added. Liu advised Ethiopian authorities to give due attention to environmental issues in building new airports. She advised them to keep a good data base of the Ethiopian aviation industry and submit them to ICAO. "You have to produce a report that shows the economic impact of air transport in Ethiopia." ICAO wants Ethiopia to host two important aviation conferences on communicable disease prevention and Africa Cargo conference. Liu's next stop was at the headquarters of Ethiopian Airlines. She visited the Ethiopian Aviation Academy and maintenance facilities on which Ethiopian Airlines is making a huge investment. CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Aviation Group, Tewolde Gebremariam, welcomed Liu in his office. Tewolde explained about the growth strategy of Ethiopian Airlines. Tewolde expressed his concerns about the situations unfolding in the African Airline industry. "African governments have not given due attention to air transport development in the continent. Africa has a population of one billion. But it contributes only 3 percent to the global air traffic. There are 70 million air passengers in Africa but 80 percent of this traffic is transported by non African carriers," Tewolde laments. "Thirty years ago African airlines had 40 percent market shares this has dwindled to 20 percent. Airlines like Air Afrique, Nigeria Airways, Ghana Airlines and Air Zambia have died. We at Ethiopian Airlines have fear that we may not be able to see any indigenous African airline after a few years, unless something is done to change the situation," the CEO said. According to Tewolde, exorbitant airport charges, tax and fuel charges are some of the major red tapes in the African airline industry. "Aviation is taxed more than alcohol and cigarettes in Africa. This is insane and it has to change," Tewolde told Liu. He also complained about market restrictions. Tewolde said that the African Airlines Association (AFRAA), and the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) are closely working with the AU in a new initiative to establish a single African air transport market like the European Union. Tewolde told Liu that Africa needs the support of ICAO in averting the gloomy situation and foster aviation development in Africa. Liu said that African governments should understand the importance of air transport in stimulating economic growth and poverty reduction. "African governments should provide the required help to the air transport sector. I came from China I know what challenges developing countries face. We would like to help support your vision to have safe and secured operation," she said. "I have noted that there is the political will with the AU to help the air transport sector in the continent," she added. Liu invited Wossenyeleh and Tewolde to the World Aviation Forum to be held on November 23-25 in Montreal, Canada. Liu met Mulatu Teshome (PhD), president of Ethiopia and Workneh Gebeyehu, Minister of Transport and deliberated on the development of air transport and the contribution of the sector towards economic development. The secretary-general assured Ethiopian officials that ICAO will provide support to Ethiopia. Following the retirement of Benjamin there was a fierce contest to take his position. The ICAO Council has 36 member countries; eight of them are from Africa. The African countries reportedly voted in favor of Liu and she came to Addis Ababa to pay a courtesy visit to the AU. ICAO is a United Nations body that governs the globally aviation industry. Ethiopia is one of the 52 countries that established the organization in 1944 in Chicago, US. http://allafrica.com/stories/201508242322.html Back to Top Choking airline system threatens China's aviation ambitions Last month Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific airline began to cancel some routes to mainland destinations - a surprising decision given the huge potential in China, where air journeys have doubled since 2008. But Cathay's reason is not demand. It's because flights in China have become so unreliable that the airline could no longer profitably connect passengers through its giant Chek Lap Kok hub to onward intercontinental sectors. Flight delays in China have become legendary. Eighty-two percent of Beijing's flights run late. Chinese airports and airlines are ranked the worst in the world for on-time departures. Beijing's own regulator, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC or 'Chinese Airlines Always Cancel'), admits that one-third of all national flights are behind schedule. But this measure generously considers only 'gate-away' performance, ignoring the many hours that planes then spend idling on taxiways. Beyond the comical and not-so-comical incidents of misery, stupidity and rage, China's choking airline system threatens its longer-term dream to build a globally competitive aviation industry. Here is a typical day at a major terminal. Weather permitting, the first flights embark from 6am, with delays steadily building through the morning. An 8am flight may actually take off at 10 or 11am. With luck, the backlog subsides a little in the early afternoon, but starts building again from 4pm until 10pm, with the crescendo at dinner time. On a good day, factor in two hours extra. On a bad day, with delays accumulating over time and the cascade effects of late connections, passengers could be home eight hours late. By that time, at a Chinese airport far from town, taxi drivers are scarce, surly and extortionate. And things are about to get much worse in the next month as Beijing locks down for its 3 September victory parade. The worst affected route is the east coast corridor from Beijing to Shanghai to Guangzhou. Some of the nearby cities like Nanjing and Hangzhou suffer fearsome delays too. Given the geographical constraint on the country's seaboard, it's clear why high speed rail has been so successful and why train travel in China can compete with aviation over much longer distances compared with other countries. Observers were initially sceptical that the Beijing-Shanghai express (a 5+ hour trip) would pay off, but the Ministry of Rail evidently understood its edge. Better a reliable, comfortable connection than a faster but highly erratic one. China's bullet-train success stems from other factors, of course. But the point is to underscore the importance of supporting infrastructure for industrial ecosystems. Germany builds great motorcars because it has autobahns. China itself leads in rail because of its population density and construction prowess. The US developed leading aeronautical businesses (eg. in avionics, aero-engines and composite materials) because of its open skies. It has thousands of airports and a fleet of 200,000 general (private and business) aircraft alone. These figures are one to two orders of magnitude more than China's. Predictably, Beijing has a plan: to expand, rapidly. One expert calls China 'an airline factory' and surmises that 'perhaps because new airlines promote economic growth, CAAC is approving a lot of them' (CAAC may have safety concerns about this expansion, but China has a good track record, certainly relative to other Asian countries). Defying global trends, the industry is splintering in China as dozens of city governments start small full-service airlines, usually with a 'Big 3' state-owned airline partner. One hundred major new airports are sprouting up across the Chinese mainland and beyond. Not to be left out of the One Belt One Road party, the industry even has an (yep, you guessed it) Air Silk Road. In the next 20 years China will need a new airliner every 29 hours, plus 500,000 commercial pilots to fly them. There is one problem remaining: airspace. Adding more planes and pilots won't ease congestion; it will worsen it. The military has been reluctant to cede its restricted zones (reckoned at about 70% of national skies versus 15% in America). While low-level flying is opening up slowly (for helicopters and drones), the PLA does not like to share higher altitudes. Filing civilian flight plans is a nightmare. Air traffic control issues are complicated everywhere, but local pilots have no doubt that the biggest problem is the Air Force's jealous control of China's skies. This is not merely a rant about inconvenience. The Chinese airline industry has permanently lost domestic passengers to train travel. As a result, overseas flights are growing 2.5 times faster than internal ones, becoming a sensitive trade issue as Chinese airlines push out globally. Washington already gripes that its airlines get horrible slots in China's overcrowded gateways. But the biggest victim could be China's own aspiration for an advanced supply chain of aerospace manufacturing and services. It wants to emulate Europe and America, not Russia. Without an efficient commercial sector, it will be harder to build the foundations for both civilian and strategic aviation excellence, even with China's money, energy and ambition. By hogging the skies, the PLA Air Force may be its own worst enemy. http://www.lowyinterpreter.org/post/2015/08/25/Choking-airline-system-threatens-Chinas-aviation-ambitions.aspx Back to Top Extensive damage to Korongo airplane worse than originally thought The damage caused recently to a Korongo Airlines B737 aircraft at Bipemba Airport in Mbuji-Mayi, Congo, when loose runway tarmac slabs hit the stabilizers of the plane as it sped down the runway for takeoff, appears to be more extensive than initially thought. The airline had hoped to resume their flights with the single aircraft they operate on routes from Lubumbashi to Johannesburg, Kinshasa, and Mbuji- Mayi before the end of the month, but it has extended its flight suspensions until at least September 4. While Korongo has been diplomatically silent on laying blame on the Congolese aviation authorities and the airport management of Mbuji- Mayi, other aviation sources have left no doubt in communications to this correspondent that they consider those responsible for the maintenance of the airport's runway and regulatory oversight as utterly incompetent and negligent. Wrote one on condition of anonymity to avoid being harassed and singled out for retaliation: "This incident could have led to a much more serious accident, not just damage to the aircraft itself. In a worst-case scenario the result could have been loss of lives. It is clear that minimum safety standards which are required by ICAO have not been met, and that is almost criminal. They were all just very lucky." While Korongo has tried to lease an aircraft - the airline is EASA approved and as such cannot and will not just lease a plane from any source unless it is operated under equally safe standards - this was reportedly not successful and has prompted the prolonged flight suspension. http://www.eturbonews.com/62971/extensive-damage-korongo-airplane-worse-originally-thought *************** Back to Top Electric aircraft-the future of aviation or wishful thinking? Solar Impulse landing at Brussels Airport. Credit: Brussels Airport, CC BYSA Since the dawn of aviation, planes have primarily been powered by carbonbased fuels such as gasoline or kerosene. These contain a lot of energy for their weight, providing the vast power required to lift large commercial airliners on journeys across the globe. But with oil resources declining and penalties on greenhouse gas emissions increasing, the future of aviation is dependent on finding an alternative power source. Is electricity the answer? A first step is to develop "more electric aircraft" - jetpowered planes that maximise the use of electricity for all the other aircraft systems. The idea is to significantly reduce fuel consumption by improving overall energy efficiency. In practice, this means reducing the weight of the aircraft, reducing drag with improved aerodynamics and optimising the flight profile to use less fuel. But though these improvements can save on fuel, that alone isn't enough. The shift to more sustainable aircraft requires major, longerterm solutions. Such significant innovations have often been driven by military requirements. The jet turbine engine was developed during World War II and the US Air Force's Chuck Yaeger first broke the sound barrier in the Bell X1 as part of the Cold War race to achieve supersonic speeds. The drive for new technologies led to massive improvements in performance and reliability, which has since filtered through to commercial aviation and made mass intercontinental air travel a reality. Concorde was the ultimate expression of this transformation from military to highperformance commercial aircraft, but despite its phenomenal performance it was plagued by complaints of excessive noise and pollution. Modern jet air travel still consistently raises such environmental concerns and, while the military has an obvious incentive to design the fastest aircraft, its motivation to go green is less obvious. We may need to look elsewhere for the next big innovation. Cleaning up the skies? Solarpowered endurance aircraft have received a lot of attention recently, with the Solar Impulse team attempting to make the first roundtheworld flight. But solar power, while an More from General Engineering interesting technical challenge, is not a particularly realistic option for mass transit of passengers. As can be seen from the Solar Impulse aircraft, the power output from the Solar Panels on a very wide wingspan is able to transport only the aircraft and the pilot for any significant distance. Battery storage is the key limiting factor for electric aircraft. If electric aircraft are held back by either weight or fuel restrictions, it's probably down to the battery. Aircraft typically have a longer fuelling time than a car, so rapid recharging is possible and effective, as current jet aircraft take about the same time to refuel (and also for passenger and cargo turnaround) so electric charging of about 1hr is reasonable, however the critical problem is energy density - how much energy does the battery provide for its weight? Typical lithiumion batteries in use today have a maximum energy density of around 1,000,000 joules of energy per kilogram, and while newer research promises the possibility of higher densities, these are not available commercially. A million joules sounds like a lot. However, compare this with 43 million joules per kilogram for aviation fuel. Swapping the fuel tanks for a battery weighing 43 times as much isn't a viable option - clearly there's a significant storage problem to be solved before electricity can power large aircraft over long distances. The future for electric air travel So where does electric power fit in the longterm vision for consumer air travel? Despite the obvious technical challenges, The Airbus prototype EFan aircraft is due to be put into production by 2017. The Efan is a very light twoseater plane powered by two electric motors, with a relative speed and carrying capacity far lower than those required by commercial carriers. However, Within the next decade, this technology may extend to shortrange commuter and business aircraft - especially targeting routes that still use conventional propeller propulsion. Airbus has mediumterm plans for such an aircraft, with a target capacity of perhaps 60 passengers - making it a suitable platform for shorthaul commuter flights. Safety and reliability must be addressed before electric aircraft are adopted by commercial airlines. Much as the electric car still has to achieve a critical level of public confidence, perceived reliability will have a significant impact on consumer trust in new aircraft. If prototypes such as the EFan can build public confidence, this may mark a "tipping point" in overcoming the technical challenges inherent in any new form of transportation, especially in aviation which has a track record of rapid innovation. Advances - particularly in new materials, storage and power electronics technology - may offer the prospect of purely electric commercial aircraft within the next two decades. http://phys.org/news/2015-08-electric-aircraftthe-future-aviation.html Back to Top Remote-Controlled Nasa Aircraft Set to Track Hurricanes In a first, a unique remotely piloted aircraft from Nasa is set to take off this week to improve track and intensity forecasts of hurricanes as part of the new generation weather forecast observations tools. From now until the end of September, the aircraft called Global Hawk will fly over the Atlantic Ocean basin to collect data on temperature, moisture, wind speed and direction. The Global Hawk is equipped with instruments to profile the inner workings of storms. "We are flying the Global Hawk above hurricanes and other severe storms to refine it as a new, powerful tool to better forecast where hurricanes go and how intense they are," said Robbie Hood, director of unmanned aircraft system programme at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Scientists will also test whether the data from the Global Hawk can help replace data collected by satellites in the unlikely event that a satellite goes down. "The mission is part of NOAA's work to improve our nation's preparedness and resilience to hurricanes and other severe storms," he said in a statement. The real-time data will go into National Weather Service forecast models at the National Hurricane Center. Operating from the aircraft ground control station located at Nasa's Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia, NOAA will work with Nasa scientists on the mission called "Sensing Hazards with Operational Unmanned Technology" (SHOUT). The mission builds on earlier collaborative storm research led by Nasa and will move the Global Hawk closer to being put into operational use as a weather forecast observations tool. "The Global Hawk allows us to stay over these weather patterns a greater amount of time than manned aircraft," added Gary Wick, NOAA's lead scientist for the mission. Global Hawk flies higher and longer than any manned aircraft. It allows data collection from 60,000 feet, an altitude nearly twice as high as manned aircraft, to the ocean surface. It can gather weather data continuously for up to 24 hours. "It provides us with an observing tool that has the endurance of a satellite but provides finer resolution data and precision of an aircraft," he noted. http://gadgets.ndtv.com/science/news/remote-controlled-nasa-aircraft-set-to-track-hurricanes-731920 Back to Top GULFSTREAM G-4 CRASH: CREW WITH 29,750 HOURS SKIPS PART OF CHECKLIST By Roger Rapoport When you can afford enough to buy the very best in business aviation, Gulfstream G-IV, a classy plane with an outstanding safety record isn't a bad place to start. Looking for a good flight crew? How about two seasoned pilots with 29,750 hours between them including 4,200 hours on the G-IV as well as recurrent pilot in command courses and regular proficiency checks. The plane's co-owner Lewis Katz and had no reason for concern when his crew began their takeoff roll in good weather at Hanscom Field near Boston on the evening of May 31, 2014. Katz, a philanthropist who had just purchased the Philadelphia Inquirer, the pilots, flight attendant and three other passengers would be back in Atlantic City in less than an hour. Less than a minute later onlookers watched in horror as the plane rolled off the end of the runway, struck an antenna, broke through a fence and exploded in a gully, killing all seven aboard. The National Transportation Safety Board interim report attributed the tragedy to the pilot's failure to release the gust lock holding the plane's control surfaces safely in position when parked. Roughly the equivalent of trying to drive with the parking brake engaged, this disaster has prompted Gulfstream to redesign the interlock system to protect other pilots from making the same mistake. Gulfstream explains the safety issue "remained undiscovered" on over 2 million G-IV flights over the past 25 years. Veteran G-IV pilot Jeff Spkye, head of Gulfstream charter operator Paradigm Jet Management, has been closely following the investigation of this seemingly impossible accident. At his office, adjacent to Michigan's Muskegon County Airport, he offered a sober assessment based on 14 years of Gulfstream operational experience. "The G-IV is one of the best planes ever made. This accident boils down to a flight crew not following their checklist. If they had done so they would have seen the gust control was locked and taken it off. Simply by exercising the flight controls they would have known they were not free and clear. "This was a classic uneducated crew or untrained crew. There is no excuse at all for not using a checklist. You learn that on your first training flight. It's like putting your seat belt on when you drive a car. "Ego is the biggest enemy of air safety. People get complacent. Maybe they fly too much. There are so many things on the checklist they start thinking they can skip seemingly non-critical things. In the process they begin skipping critical things. Spyke's pilots use a "challenge and response" system. After a maintenance preflight checklist, his flight crews do a flow checklist. "Before we start the plane we check everything. Then, when we're ready to go, we repeat the checklist. Sometimes you do miss things the first time, that's why it's important to do it again, to double check. "Recent records on the G-IV that crashed at Hanscom show there were only two documented preflight inspections. "It is very easy to start the plane with the gust lock on. I'm sure every Gulfstream pilot has started an engine with the gust lock on. If anyone tells you they haven't made this mistake they are probably lying. I may have done it twice in my life. "This error triggers a warning. You are supposed to shut the engine down and take the lock off. Then you check the controls to make sure the lock really came off. If you pull back and exercise the controls and have free movement you are good to go." Spyke is baffled by the pilot's decision not to abort their takeoff: "I can't imagine what they were thinking." Could the crew have made the same mistake if they were flying a newer G-V? Perhaps not, says Spyke: "On that plane they might have received an aircraft misconfiguration message that may have helped avoid the tragedy. Our checklist also incorporates exercising the flight controls once in position on the runway, which ensures free movement of the control surfaces just before takeoff. " In any event Spyke believes that relying on automation to catch every problem before it's too late is no substitute for better pilot training. Going beyond the specifics of this the Hanscom G-IV crash he says: "If you give 100 percent effort to doing things right you will still do things wrong. No pilot can be perfect on every flight. The key to a safe flight is eliminating the possibility of critical mistakes such as not disengaging the gust lock before rolling. Some egotistical pilots think they can get away with skipping things on their checklist. "While pilots follow checklists in school some get complacent and do it their own way when they are flying. They make the mistake of thinking they've memorized everything. I've heard an engine start while I'm in the baggage compartment loading luggage. That was a pilot in a hurry who failed to follow the checklist. There are no excuses for making that kind of mistake. "People are in a hurry, they are overconfident. Some pilots have so much time in the plane they mistakenly think they already have the checklist memorized. "One time I was flying as a copilot with a gentleman who said: 'Call the tower and tell them we are ready to go.'" Spyke told him: "We're not ready to go. I haven't finished the checklist. Here I am, the copilot, telling the captain he's wrong. In two instances after we took off I had to take away control of the plane because he was making a mistake. If the copilot on that G-4 flight at Hanscom had simply been doing the checklist those seven people would be alive today." Roger Rapoport is the producer of the feature film Pilot Error (www.pilot-errormovie.com) and the author of the Rio-Paris Crash: Air France 447 www.fsinfo.org Back to Top Back to Top Republic Airways Seeks to Avoid Bankruptcy With New Pilot Contract Analysts are skeptical offer will resolve the airline's issues because of a shortage of qualified pilots Republic Airways Holdings Inc., which flies on behalf of major U.S. airlines, made a final contract offer to its pilots after eight years of negotiations in a bid to avoid a chapter 11 restructuring largely caused by a shortage of pilots. Republic has been the highest-profile victim so far of a long-anticipated pilot shortage in the U.S. airline industry, partly fueled by new regulations that increase the requirements to become a commercial airline pilot. The Indianapolis-based carrier says its lack of pilots is forcing it to cut its flying through 2016 and renegotiate contracts with its major airline clients: American Airlines Group Inc., United Continental Holdings Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc. When the airline delivered that news in July, its stock fell by more than half to its lowest level in four years. Republic shares fell 5.3% Friday to $3.41. Republic, which operates about 1,250 flights a day, says it is particularly affected by the pilot shortage because its pilot-contract negotiations that began in 2007 are scaring away new hires. The pilots overwhelmingly rejected a contract last year, and in July the pilots union sued Republic for changing work rules without the union's consent. Republic said Friday it gave its pilots union its best and final contract offer, which it said would give Republic's roughly 2,200 pilots the best pay rates among regional airlines. "We need to bring this to closure and the last, best, final offer is the only way to move forward," said Matt Koscal, Republic's vice president of human resources, in an interview. The offer "is a significant improvement over what was offered in the past," he said, and "is better than what will be available in a restructuring process." The pilots union, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 357, said it was reviewing the offer and declined further comment. If the pilots reject the offer, Republic has signaled that it will likely be forced to file for bankruptcy. The company hired aviation-consulting firm Seabury Group LLC in July to start restructuring its finances and "explore all options to retain the enterprise value of the organization," Republic said in a securities filing. Republic Chief Executive Bryan Bedford said on an earnings call earlier in August that if the airline can't agree with its pilots, "we will not hesitate to pursue an alternative path to preserve the maximum value of our airline." Republic's second-quarter profit declined 79% to $4.3 million. Airline analysts are skeptical Republic's final offer to pilots will resolve the airline's issues because a new contract won't ultimately solve the shortage of qualified pilots in the U.S. Major U.S. airlines have also been seeking to reduce the flying they contract to regional carriers such as Republic. "The current operational issues at Republic might be an easy out for the network carriers," Cowen & Co. airline analyst Helane Becker wrote in a recent note. If Republic management doesn't resolve negotiations with its pilots and big-airline clients soon, "bankruptcy could be the only option for the company." http://www.wsj.com/articles/republic-airways-seeks-to-avoid-bankruptcy-with-new-pilot-contract- 1440184060 Back to Top Four female pilots to fly China's most advanced fighter jets Female members of China's armed forces will play a part in next month's grand parade to commemorate the end of World War II. Female soldiers will also participate in the grand V-Day parade on September 3rd. Photos of female honor guards rehearsing for the parade have already attracted a lot of attention. In addition to the honor guards, female soldiers will also represent medic and air force formations. The only four female pilots, all in their late 20s, will be flying China's most advanced fighter jets above Tiananmen Square. CCTV's Han Bin filed this report at the PLA Air Force Base in Tianjin. The 4 women have flown four types of planes, including second and third generation Chinese fighter jets. All of them have logged nearly a thousand hours of flying time. The air force first recruited female fighter pilots in 2005. Only 16 made it through the grueling 4-year training. The need for female pilots is increasing in China's ambitious air force modernization drive. Many believe it highlights a rising role of women in the military, and a growing number of female astronauts in the future. http://www.cctv-america.com/2015/08/24/four-female-pilots-to-fly-chinas-most-advanced-fighter- jets#ixzz3jpIaChO0 Back to Top Boeing raises China 20-year aircraft demand, says outlook rosy The Boeing logo is seen at their headquarters in Chicago. Boeing Co (BA.N) on Tuesday raised its forecast for China's aircraft demand over the next 20 years, saying it was optimistic about the long-term outlook for the world's second largest aviation market despite a slowing economy and weak stock market. The U.S. plane maker expects China will need 6,330 aircraft over the next 20 years, a 5 percent rise from last year's two-decade estimate.. It valued the aircraft demand at $950 billion. "Despite the current volatility in China's financial market, we see strong growth in the country's aviation sector over the long term," Randy Tinseth, vice president of marketing at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, told reporters in Beijing. Boeing estimates that China's commercial airplane fleet will nearly triple over the next 20 years, from 2,570 aircraft in 2014 to 7,210 aircraft in 2034. By that time, Tinseth said, China will be the world's largest domestic air travel market. "We've really seen no slowing in the trajectory of traffic here in China," he added. Both Boeing and rival Airbus Group SE (AIR.PA) are relying on China to fuel growth in their order books. Airbus, which claims a 50 percent market share with more than 1,180 aircraft in operation with Chinese airlines, in July announced plans to set up a completion and delivery center for its A330 jets in Tianjin, a crucial build out of its assembly facility now in operation. Boeing estimated China will buy a total of 4,630 single-aisle airplanes during the 20-year period, driven in part by the growth of new carriers and low-cost airlines. Additional demand for 1,510 widebody airplanes, including 50 large wide-body aircraft, will come as larger numbers of Chinese middle-class tourists travel overseas on long-haul flights, Boeing said. Separately, Tinseth said that Boeing is "working very hard" to lobby the U.S. government on the future of EXIM, the U.S. government's export credit agency, whose government charter lapsed on June 30. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/25/us-boeing-china-outlook-idUSKCN0QU0EL20150825 Back to Top Boeing Expects Robust China Jet Demand, Undeterred by Volatility Boeing Co. said it expects China's aviation industry to withstand the current financial market turbulence and forecast the nation's carriers will almost triple their commercial aircraft fleet over the next two decades. The plane fleet in China will surge to 7,210 by 2034 from 2,570 last year, the planemaker said in a statement distributed in Beijing Tuesday. The Chicago-based company also forecast China needing 6,330 new planes worth $950 billion in the next two decades. "Despite the current volatility in China's financial markets, we see strong growth in the country's aviation sector over the long term," Randy Tinseth, vice president of marketing at Boeing's commercial airplane unit, said in the statement. Asian air travel growth is lifting orders for planemakers Boeing and Airbus Group NV, with China forecast to surpass the U.S. as the world's largest aircraft market within the next 20 years. The country's economic expansion is making air travel affordable to more people, prompting carriers such as Air China Ltd. and China Southern Airlines Co. to increase their fleet. China is also forecast to become the world's biggest air travel market, according to Boeing. Boeing estimates single-aisle jets will account for nearly three-quarters of future demand, while low-cost carriers will account for as much as 30 percent of China aircraft demand by 2034, up from the current 8 percent. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-08-25/boeing-expects-robust-china-jet-demand- undeterred-by-volatility Back to Top US sends F-22 fighter jets to Europe as part of Ukraine response Warplanes will train alongside Eurofighter and other Nato aircraft as 'Russia's military activity continues to be of great concern', says air force secretary US air force F-22 Raptor stealth jet fighters are to be based in Europe. The US is to deploy F-22 fighter jets to Europe as part of efforts to support eastern European members of the Nato alliance unnerved by Russia's intervention in Ukraine. "Russia's military activity in the Ukraine continues to be of great concern to us and to our European allies," the air force secretary, Deborah James, told a news conference at the Pentagon. "For the air force an F-22 deployment is certainly on the strong side of the coin." James did not give details about the specific number of planes, date or location of the deployment but said it was in line with defence secretary Ash Carter's recent call for a strong and balanced approach to Russia. Nato reports surge in jet interceptions as Russia tensions increase The first deployment of the Lockheed Martin Corp F-22 to Europe outside air shows is seen as a move to address growing concerns among Nato allies about Russian military aggression. The air force has also been using radar-evading F-22 fighter jets to carry out some its attacks against Islamic State, the first real combat air strikes by the jets. The air force chief of staff, General Mark Welsh James, said the F-22's inaugural training deployment in Europe would allow US forces to train with Nato partners across Europe, testing the ability of the jets to communicate and fight together with the Eurofighter and other advanced warplanes. James said the deployment would give F-22 pilots more experience with the European terrain. The air force has previously used the jets in Japan and South Korea. Welsh said it would also allow the jets to fly into and out of facilities that could be used in some future conflict. The single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather stealth tactical fighter aircraft was designed by Lockheed and Boeing as an air superiority fighter but can also be used for ground attack, electronic warfare and signals intelligence. The jets formally entered service in December 2005, with the last F-22 delivered to the air force in 2012. http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/25/us-sends-f-22-fighter-jets-to-europe-as-part-of- ukraine-response Back to Top CERTIFICATE OF MANAGEMENT IN AVIATION SAFETY Professional education seminars for aviation practitioners Embry-Riddle will host a variety of aviation safety focused executive education courses at its Daytona Beach Campus; all courses are offered in a face-to-face traditional classroom setting taught by subject matter experts from the aviation industry. Who Should Attend: These courses are tailored for industry professionals involved in the operations, management, and supervision of aviation organizations. What You Will Learn:The certificate is designed for participants interested in obtaining a strong safety foundation; the objective is to produce aviation industry professionals who are skilled in providing expertise in safety management and technical guidance on FAA, OSHA, DOT and EPA Compliance Issues. The certificate requires completion of three 5-day courses in Occupational Safety and Health & Aviation Ground Safety, Aviation Safety Program Management & Aircraft Accident Investigation and Management (Basic or Advanced). REGISTER TODAY ONLINE ERAU FALL 2015 CERTIFICATE OF MANAGEMENT IN AVIATION SAFETY SERIES: OCT. 19-23, 2015: OSHA & Aviation Ground Safety Oct. 26-30, 2015: Aviation Safety Program Management Nov. 2-6, 2015: Aircraft Accident Investigation LOCATION: DAYTONA BEACH CAMPUS, FLORIDA CONTACT INFORMATION: Ms. Sarah Ochs, Director of Professional Programs Email: case@erau.edu Phone: (386) 226-6928 www.erau.edu/cmas Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Volunteers needed to take a survey for research: Provide feedback on failure to follow procedure Dear aviation maintenance personnel, If you have experiences to share about the causes of failure to follow procedures on Part 121 aircraft in the maintenance world, we would like to hear from you! Your experiences uniquely describe the daily events in the aviation maintenance hangar and can provide critical information that may identify, mitigate, or even prevent failures to follow procedures in the future. In this survey, we will be asking supervisors, AMTs, other maintenance professionals with Part 121 aircraft experience to answer multiple choice format questions and share your experiences in paragraph format. This is a rare opportunity to shape what is currently known about failures to follow procedure and positively impact aviation mechanics within the industry. We appreciate your time and thank you for your participation in advance. We encourage you to share your experiences. Click the following link or type the address into the address bar of your Internet browser to complete the survey: www.tinyurl.com/FFP-AMT ********** More Information Who is conducting this research? Alex Chaparro, PhD (Alex.Chaparro@wichita.edu), and Brady Patzer (bspatzer@wichita.edu) of Wichita State University (WSU). WSU is an FAA Center for Excellence in the area of Composites and Advanced Materials. The project is sponsored by the FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, in Oklahoma City, OK. What are we studying? This study is examining the causes of failures to follow procedure in aircraft maintenance. Why participate? Participating in this study provides an opportunity to impact actionable methods for handling failures to follow procedure. This study could improve the efficiency and safety of aviation maintenance work. Who is eligible? We need input from AMTs and others who have worked on Part 121 aircraft. Of particular interest are those have either failed to follow procedure in the past, or have seen other personnel fail to follow procedure for any reason. Your responses will be held confidential. No individual responses will be reported. How do I participate? Click the following link or type the address into the address bar of your Internet browser to complete the survey: www.tinyurl.com/FFP-AMT Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH SURVEY Title: Research Study on Aviation Professionalism needs you support. Hello, you are receiving this message as a courtesy to Mr. Hussain Alhallaf, a Ph.D. candidate at Florida Institute of Technology's doctoral program in Aviation Sciences. Mr. Alhallaf is examining aviation professionalism and is seeking assistance from industry members through completion of an online survey, which would take 10-15 minutes. Mr. Alhallaf's research is the first to empirically study perspectives on professionalism and personal development in aviation. This study is dedicated to Colgan Air flight 3407 (2009), many other aviation catastrophic events, and the aviation industry as a whole. In addition to taking the survey we also are seeking your generosity in distributing the survey's link. The study is targeting participants who work/study in the aviation profession. To participate, you may access the online survey via the following link: http://questionpro.com/t/ALRnkZSa9Y By supporting academic research and donating time and input to the institutions that train the next generation of aviation professionals, you are active in ensuring the future safety of the flying public. Get involved with us. If you have any questions or are unable to distribute the email, please do not hesitate to contact me via e- mail at halhallaf2014@my.fit.edu or by Cell phone at (386) 847-7671. Thank you for your cooperation. Back to Top GRADUATE RESEARCH REQUEST Aircraft Maintenance Technician Decision-Making Purpose of Project My name is Robert Norcross. I am a doctoral student at Northcentral University in Arizona. I am conducting a research study about aircraft maintenance technician decision-making processes when aircraft repair information is not in the aircraft maintenance repair manuals. Focus group sessions will be held to gain your valuable experience, views, and opinions on nine questions pertaining to the research topic. Your views on the questions are important to me and I invite you to participate. The focus group sessions should last between 30 and 60 minutes and held at a date and time convenient for you. The focus group sessions will use www.gotomeeting.com and a conference call phone number. You are eligible to participate in this research if you: 1. 1. Are older than 18 years of age. 2. 2. Hold a Federal Aviation Administration issued Airframe and Power Plant certificate. 3. 3. Issued the Airframe and Power Plant certificate on or before 1 January 2010. 4. 4. A resident of the United States. Risks: There are minimal risks in this study. Some possible risks include: discomfort sharing views about the proposed research questions, other participants knowing your identity. To decrease the impact of these risks: you can refuse to answer any question, stop participating at any time, or request to answer the questions with a phone call to the researcher. Benefits: If you decide to participate, there is no direct benefits/compensation to you. The potential benefits to others are improved efficiency and less time and money spent reworking aircraft discrepancies. If you are interested in participating please contact me, Robert Norcross at R.Norcross4749@email.ncu.edu or 757-281-9289. Back to Top Upcoming Events: Fundamentals of IS-BAO August 25, 2015 Denver, CO USA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1737105 IS-BAO Auditing August 26, 2015 Denver, CO USA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1737126 Fundamentals of IS-BAO (En Espaņol) August 25, 2015 Monterrey, Mexico https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1736215 IS-BAO Auditing (En Espaņol) August 26, 2015 Monterrey, Mexico https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1736218 Fundamentals of IS-BAO September 15, 2015 St. Louis, Missouri USA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1660854 IS-BAO Auditing September 16, 2015 St. Louis, Missouri USA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1660878 Fundamentals of IS-BAO August 30, 2015 Casablanca, Morocco https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1725994 IS-BAO Auditing August 31, 2015 Casablanca, Morocco https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=1725997 Aircraft Fire Hazards, Protection & Investigation Course 9-11 Sept. 2015 Hotel Ibis Nanterre La Defense (near Paris) France http://blazetech.com/resources/pro_services/FireCourse-France_2015.pdf AViCON - Aviation Insurance Conference September 10th and 11th, 2015 Stevensville, MD 21666 http://www.rtiforensics.com/news-events/avicon Regulatory Affairs Training Course September 15 & 16 Fort Worth, TX http://jdasolutions.aero/services/regulatory-affairs.php Suspected Unapproved Parts (SUPS) Training Course September 15 & 16 Fort Worth, TX http://jdasolutions.aero/ Safeskies 2015 Aviation Safety Conference 22 to 24 September 2015 Realm Hotel, Canberra www.SafeskiesAustralia.org 2015 International Air Safety Summit (IASS) Flight Safety Foundation November 2-4, 2015 Miami Beach, Florida http://flightsafety.org/meeting/iass-2015 OSHA & Aviation Ground Safety Training Course (ERAU) Oct. 19-23, 2015 Daytona Beach, FL www.erau.edu/cmas Aviation Safety Program Management Training Course (ERAU) Oct. 26-30, 2015 Daytona Beach, FL www.erau.edu/cmas Aircraft Accident Investigation Training Course (ERAU) Nov. 2-6, 2015 Daytona Beach, FL www.erau.edu/cmas Aviation Safety Management Systems (SMS) Seminar (ERAU) Nov. 17-19, 2015 Daytona Beach, FL www.erau.edu/sms Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Seminar (ERAU) Dec. 8-10, 2015 Daytona Beach, FL www.erau.edu/uas 'DTI QA & SMS Workshops are Back in Town!' (Toronto, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Melbourne FL, and YOUR town just contact us) www.dtitraining.com Back to Top JOBS AVAILABLE: Staff Engineer ALPA https://jobs-alpa.icims.com/jobs/1193/staff-engineer/job Assistant Airline Safety Manager - Investigation (AASM-I) Cathay Pacific https://cathaypacific.tms.hrdepartment.com/jobs/1580/Assistant-Airline-Safety-Manager-Investigation- AASM-IHong-Kong-Hong-Kong Operations Integrity Risk Specialist Air New Zealand https://careers.airnz.co.nz/jobdetails?jobmc=111020RE Curt Lewis