Flight Safety Information June 28, 2016 - No. 126 In This Issue Paris prosecutor opens manslaughter probe into crashed EgyptAir jet EgyptAir flight MS804: French experts fix flight data recorder China's Home-Built Passenger Jet Makes Debut FAA Emergency Revokes Pilot's License For Flying 7 Pound Drone. But Was FAA's Revocation Legal? Vietnam recovers black box of crashed coast guard aircraft 'Engine Issue' Forces Southwest Flight to Return to Salt Lake City Airport Schumer to FAA: Increase small plane inspections Falcon 8X Gets European Nod; U.S. FAA Approval Pending FAA: Fly safe - prevention of Loss of Control accidents Indian man harasses flight attendant for a selfie, then smokes in the plane Astronaut John Glenn Gets Ohio Airport Renamed in His Honor Paris prosecutor opens manslaughter probe into crashed EgyptAir jet PARIS/CAIRO (Reuters) - The Paris prosecutor's office on Monday opened a manslaughter investigation into the crash of EgyptAir flight MS804, as the doomed jet's black box memory chips were sent to France for repair. The Airbus went down in the eastern Mediterranean Sea en route from Paris to Cairo on May 19 and all 66 people on board were killed. The cause of the crash remains unknown. "The Paris prosecutor has opened today a full investigation into involuntary homicide," the prosecutor's office told Reuters in a text message. The prosecutor said it was not looking into terrorism as a possible cause of the crash at this stage. Damaged memory chips from the black boxes were flown to France on Monday after Egyptian investigators had tried without success to repair them, an investigation committee statement said. The chips should allow investigators to begin transcribing and analyzing the recordings and data which may hold key insights into what caused the crash. A lab belonging to France's BEA air accident investigation agency will try to remove sea salt deposits from the chips before returning them to Cairo for analysis. The plane is believed to have crashed in the deepest part of the Mediterranean and the black boxes, recovered last week, were badly damaged. On Monday debris from the jet was brought to Cairo airport, where investigators will try to reassemble part of the plane's frame in search of additional clues that may help explain the crash, a source on the investigation committee said. https://www.yahoo.com/news/black-box-memory-chips-crashed-egyptair-jet-flown-132911856-- sector.html Back to Top EgyptAir flight MS804: French experts fix flight data recorder The data from the recorder could help explain what caused the plane to crash. The flight data recorder of EgyptAir flight MS804 that crashed last month has been successfully fixed, Egyptian investigators said. The black boxes on the plane were given to French experts after they were recovered from the wreckage in the Mediterranean as Egyptian authorities failed to download its content. In a statement, Egypt's investigation commission said the flight data recorder had been "successfully repaired by the French accident investigation agency laboratory". The repaired data recorder will be sent back to Egypt for the investigators to analyse its content. The authorities added that work on the cockpit voice recorder will "begin within hours". The flight from Paris to Cairo crashed on 19 May killing all 66 people on board. French officials said there was no evidence to link the crash to terrorism. Meanwhile, prosecutors in Paris opened a preliminary manslaughter investigation, a standard procedure when French citizens are involved. Agnes Thibault-Lecuivre, a spokesperson for the prosecutor said it is being investigated as an accident case. She added investigators ruled out the theory that the plane had been brought down intentionally. The pilots made no distress call and no group claimed responsibility. France's aviation safety agency said automated electronic messages sent by the plane indicated that smoke detectors went off in a toilet and fault in a flight control unit before signal to the plane was lost. According to radar data, the plane turned 90 degrees left and then 360 degrees to the right before falling into the sea. France's Investigation and Analysis Bureau (BEA) which took charge of fixing the the EgyptAir black boxes, previously extracted data from the black boxes of Air France flight 447, travelling from Rio De Janeiro to Paris. The black boxes were submerged for two years before they were recovered. http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/egyptair-flight-ms804 Back to Top China's Home-Built Passenger Jet Makes Debut Comac's ARJ21 entered service a decade late as the industry struggles to match its western counterparts Nearly a decade after its scheduled launch, China's first home-built passenger plane made its debut Tuesday with a flight from the southwestern city of Chengdu to Shanghai, according to state media. Photo: Reuters China's first home-built passenger jet entered commercial service on Tuesday in a debut that is already a decade late and underscores problems in Beijing's bid to become a global aviation player. Aviation officials, executives and journalists were among the first passengers aboard the ARJ21 regional jet on the Chengdu Airlines flight, which departed the central city of Chengdu after some fanfare featuring ribbon-cutting and a posse of panda mascots. The plane landed in Shanghai just over two hours later, according to state media, which declared the flight a success. The ARJ21, or Advanced Regional Jet for the 21st century, can carry between 78 and 90 passengers more than 2,200 kilometers, according to its state-owned manufacturer, Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China. Officials originally set a 2006 deadline for the jet's commercial rollout, but its debut was repeatedly delayed by production setbacks. The delays, industry experts said, mean that the ARJ21 is entering a more crowded regional-jet market dominated by the likes of Canada's Bombardier Inc. and Brazil's Embraer SA. Russia's Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Co. also makes a regional jet, while Japan's Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. will pose a challenge with a new 70- to-90 seater. Chengdu Airlines took delivery of the ARJ21 in November and hoped to start operations in February. Regulatory approval to launch commercial services finally came through Friday. The carrier didn't offer specific reasons for the delays, though executives say they racked up nearly 140 hours worth of flight trials to make sure the aircraft is safe and ready. "There have been various minor problems. This is unavoidable for all aircraft types and they have been dealt with properly," the government news agency, Xinhua, quoted Chengdu Airlines Deputy General Manager Shuai Zhiyong as saying Tuesday. "Currently, the aircraft is safe." A Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (Comac) ARJ 21-700 regional jet at the Airshow China 2014 in Zhuhai, southern China's Guangdong province. Though touted as a homegrown Chinese product, the ARJ21 is influenced by the McDonnell Douglas MD-90 and relies heavily on foreign technology, including avionics from Rockwell Collins Inc., engines from General Electric Co. and a wing designed by Ukraine's Antonov State Co. Industry observers say the lengthy approval process reflects cautiousness on the part of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, or CAAC. An earlier Chinese passenger plane, the MA60 twin-turboprop that is based on an old Soviet design, has had tepid sales and a service record marred by a number of accidents at home and abroad. "China's goal at this point is to prove to the world that its homegrown aircraft is reliable, competitive and safe," said Derek Levine, an adjunct professor at the City College of New York and author of The Dragon Takes Flight. "The CAAC's reputation is on the line." The civil aviation administration didn't respond to a request for comment. China's commercial-plane makers have struggled to close the gap with Western aerospace giants, despite significant state largess for a project of national prestige. Analysts estimate the ARJ21 project racked up billions of dollars in costs since development began in 2002. The ARJ21 made its first flight in late 2008, three years behind schedule. Comac has faced similar problems in its development of a larger jetliner, the C919. A prototype of that 158-to-174 seater was completed in early November, years behind schedule. Another stumbling block for the ARJ21 is its lack of U.S. and European certification, which means it can't be exported or flown to major Western markets. Chinese regulators certified the jet in late 2014, allowing it to operate domestically and in certain developing countries in Asia, Africa and South America that recognize the Chinese certification. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration last year ended a shadow evaluation of the Chinese aviation authority's ability to assess airworthiness-a process industry insiders said was fraught with discord over bureaucratic and technical matters. Comac is developing an ARJ21 variant with design changes that will bring the plane in line with U.S. standards. Delays in the ARJ21's development means Comac faces an uphill task in upgrading the plane to compete with Western-made rivals that boast superior fuel efficiency and operational performance. The news agency, Xinhua, in reporting on the debut voyage cited complaints from the plane's pilot about noise and vibration in the cabin. "The manufacturer has plans to make improvements and we hope that they can resolve the noise and vibration issues," Xinhua quoted Chengdu Airlines Capt. Zhang Fangjie as saying. Still, Comac can be assured of sales to Chinese airlines, whose aircraft purchases are controlled by the government. The company has received more than 300 orders for the ARJ21, the majority placed by Chinese airlines and leasing firms. Chengdu Airlines has another 29 ARJ21s on order and expects to take delivery of its second plane in August. http://www.wsj.com/articles/chinas-home-built-passenger-jet-makes-debut-1467092704 Back to Top FAA Emergency Revokes Pilot's License For Flying 7 Pound Drone. But Was FAA's Revocation Legal? John Goglia , CONTRIBUTOR Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. A precedent-setting FAA enforcement case is being fought before a National Transportation Safety Board administrative law judge over the emergency revocation of private pilot Ralph Rebaya for his allegedly improper commercial operation of a 7 pound drone. Until the FAA's newly announced small UAS rules go into effect in August, a commercial drone operator is required to hold a manned aircraft license. Mr. Rebaya's case is the first time the FAA has revoked a manned aircraft license for flying an unmanned aircraft. Although the FAA warned some time ago that pilots could lose their manned aircraft licenses for flying a small drone, it is surprising to me that the FAA actually took this drastic action, especially on an emergency basis. According to the FAA's order, which was issued June 1 although the flights actually occurred in December of last year, Mr. Rebaya's alleged conduct was so egregious that "an emergency exists requiring immediate action ...with respect to safety in air commerce or air transportation." I will let you read the FAA's complaint and decide just how egregious Mr. Rebaya's alleged actions were. I find it hard to understand why it took the FAA six months to decide that an emergency existed or how Mr. Rebaya's alleged conduct - even if true - rises to a level that warrants taking away his right to fly manned aircraft. In addition to questioning the FAA's conclusion that the drone flights in question warrant revocation of his pilot's license, Mr. Rebaya's attorney, D. Damon Willens, of Los Angeles, challenges the FAA official's authority to issue the revocation order. Mr. Willens filed a motion today asking the NTSB judge to toss out the FAA's revocation asserting that the FAA official who issued the order did not have the legal authority to do so. This is a stunning and unprecedented claim, in my experience. I can't recall a single case in my almost ten years as a Member of the NTSB responsible for reviewing appeals of FAA enforcement cases that a case was challenged because the official did not have the legal authority to take the action. According to Mr. Willens, the emergency revocation was issued by the FAA's Deputy Chief Counsel even though the regulation delegating authority to issue revocation and suspension orders did not include the Deputy Chief Counsel. This is particularly disturbing to me because an emergency order is the most significant sanction the FAA can impose since it immediately revokes a pilot's license - and in this case his right to operate a drone commercially - without the traditional due process requirements of notice and a hearing first. Mr. Rebaya's license was revoked on June 1, the day the emergency order was issued, and remains revoked today. Requests for comment from the FAA on the legal authority of the Deputy Chief Counsel to issue revocations was not immediately responded to. I checked with noted aviation attorney Kathleen Yodice - a long-time advocate for aircraft pilots and a former FAA attorney - about the significance of this case. According to Ms. Yodice: "The FAA is normally very diligent about maintaining the appropriate delegations of authority within the agency so that any legal actions are taken in accordance with law and procedure. It is right for us to expect this sort of diligence from our Federal government. For the FAA's Chief Counsel's office to issue a document over the signature of someone who has not been properly delegated the authority to take an individual's livelihood away is disturbing." Ms. Yodice raised a point worth passing on to anyone subject to FAA investigation: "...it makes me wonder if this sort of critical omission has occurred before but that someone who is not represented by counsel could not know to challenge the authority of the person signing the document." http://www.forbes.com/sites/johngoglia/2016/06/27/faa-emergency-revokes-pilots-license-for-flying-7- pound-drone-but-was-faas-revocation-legal/#15b405e36437 Back to Top Vietnam recovers black box of crashed coast guard aircraft The black box of the Vietnamese coast guard aircraft CASA-212 was retrieved on June 27, 2016. The black box of the Vietnamese coast guard airplane which crashed off the northern coastline earlier this month has been retrieved by search and rescue units. The flight recorder of the Spanish-made CASA-212 was discovered by search and rescue teams under the Ministry of National Defense and the naval force in an area about 26 nautical miles southeast of Bach Long Vi Island off the northern city of Hai Phong on Monday. The device was salvaged from about 50 to 60 meters underwater, including the flight data recorder and a cockpit voice recorder, Vice Admiral Pham Ngoc Minh, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army, said during a news program on national broadcaster Vietnam Television. According to Major General Nguyen Huu Chi, deputy commander of the Vietnam People's Air Force, the discovery of the black box is of great significance in figuring out the cause of the accident and in preventing future crashes. The Ministry of National Defense and the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, in coordination with Airbus Group, parent manufacturer of the airplane, have received the equipment for analysis. Military officials inspect two parts of the black box. Photo: Tuoi Tre Two more bodies suspected to be from the nine flight crew members were also recovered on the same day, close to where the black box was located, according to an official from the People's Committee on Bach Long Vi. The bodies were then transferred to hospital ship HQ-561 in order to be preserved and identified. The first four bodies were found last week, of which one appeared to belong to Nguyen Van Chinh, a crew member aboard the plane, based on his uniform and personal documents. The Spanish-made CASA-212 aircraft, carrying nine members of a search crew and captained by Colonel Le Kiem Toan, lost contact around 12:30 pm on June 16 after flying 44 nautical miles southwest of Bach Long Vi. The coast guard aircraft had taken off from the Gia Lam military airport in Hanoi the same day to carry out a search and rescue mission for the then-missing pilot of the crashed Russian-made fighter jet Su30MK2 whose body was found on June 17 at a location 33 nautical miles from Hon Me Islet off the north-central province of Thanh Hoa. The Vietnamese fighter jet disappeared from radar screens on June 14 during a training session over the sea, with one pilot confirmed dead and the other brought to safety. http://tuoitrenews.vn/society/35583/black-box-flight-recorder-of-crashed-coast-guard-aircraft-recovered Back to Top 'Engine Issue' Forces Southwest Flight to Return to Salt Lake City Airport A Southwest Airlines aircraft returned to Salt Lake City International Airport shortly after takeoff Monday night due to engine trouble, the airline said. According to the Dallas-based airline, Southwest flight 1731 departed from Salt Lake City and was bound for Los Angeles International Airport, but it turned around due to an "engine issue." The aircraft, a Boeing 737, landed without any issues. There were no known injuries either, the airline said. Passenger Aaron Sandler posted the photo below on Instagram upon returning to Salt Lake City, writing, "That was nice of the fire department to greet us when we made an emergency landing back in SLC because of engine trouble. #southwest." PHOTO: Aaron Sandler, a passenger onboard a Southwest Airlines flight that returned to Salt Lake City International Airport shortly after takeoff due to an engine issue on June 28, 2016, took this photo of awaiting fire crews.Instagram/Aaron Sandler The aircraft departed Salt Lake City at 9:32 p.m., and landed back at the airport 33 minutes later, at 10:05 p.m, according to FlightAware.com. The flight was initially scheduled to depart at 8:10 p.m. Also according to FlightAware.com, Southwest 1731 departed again at 12:22 a.m., with a scheduled arrival time at LAX of 12:47 a.m. local time. http://abcnews.go.com/US/southwest-flight-returns-salt-lake-city-shortly-takeoff/story?id=40178955 Back to Top Schumer to FAA: Increase small plane inspections Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York, was in Farmingdale Monday, calling for increased small plane inspections at airports across the state. That includes Long Island, which has seen eight small plane crashes since February. According to Schumer, safety inspections across major New York airports have fallen by 73 percent, from 2,800 to 748, in the past decade. "Long Island has been plagued with a series of small airplane crashes, yet despite the rising number of plane crashes, the number of airport inspections has fallen," Schumer said. "This simply defies logic because ensuring safety in the skies requires a steady stream of regulation and safety checks here on the ground - and that is shockingly lacking," Schumer added. "By conducting additional ramp inspections, the FAA can do its part in helping to ensure the safety of our skies and neighborhoods." Specifically, Schumer is calling for more "ramp inspections," which are conducted by the FAA to determine compliance with federal regulations and safe operating practices. Similar to health inspections at restaurants, ramp inspections can be unscheduled. Noting that there may be no connection between the decrease in ramp inspections and the recent increase in small plane crashes, Schumer said that the FAA should consider performing more ramp inspections, especially at airports served mainly by general aviation aircraft, to prevent unsafe behaviors or practices. Schumer made these remarks at Republic Airport, where on June 20, an air charter service crash-landed when the landing gear and part of the aircraft's warning system failed. And on May 3, a Beechcraft V35B Bonanza flying from North Myrtle Beach to Connecticut made headlines after it broke up midair and crashed in Syosset, killing all three passengers on board. And while this year alone there were eight small plane crashes on Long Island, Schumer noted that there five in all of 2015, six in 2014, and four in 2013 on Long Island. The FAA conducts ramp inspections for both general aviation and commercial aircraft. Inspectors can examine the pilot and crewmembers, for example, checking for medical certificates; the interior of the aircraft; servicing and maintenance of the aircraft; the exterior of the aircraft; and the ramp and gate condition. Schumer said that these inspections ensure that aircrafts follow the FAA's federal regulations and safety procedures prior to a flight. Earlier this year, Schumer urged the FAA to launch an in-depth investigation into whether there is a trend in the crashes - and to determine if additional steps must be taken. http://libn.com/2016/06/27/schumer-to-faa-increase-small-plane-inspections/ Back to Top Falcon 8X Gets European Nod; U.S. FAA Approval Pending Dassault's flagship Falcon 8X has won EASA approval, with U.S. FAA certification to follow in the "coming weeks" and service entry early in the fourth quarter, the French aircraft manufacturer announced today. Derived from the Falcon 7X, the 6,450-nm 8X was unveiled at EBACE 2014 and first flew on Feb. 6, 2015. "We've broken new ground with the 8X," said Dassault Aviation chairman and CEO Eric Trappier. "Not only did we meet customer demand for an aircraft combining increased range and cabin volume with the technological prowess of the 7X, but we were able to get it to market fully mature and tested in a remarkably short period of time, and exactly within our production schedule." The three 8Xs used in the flight-test program are now being redeployed following the completion of the flight-test and certification campaign, which totaled more than 830 hours over 400 flights. S/N 01 will be used to certify Dassault's FalconEye Combined Vision System (CVS) on the 8X and to gain approval for its use in dual head up display configuration. FalconEye, which blends synthetic and enhanced vision capabilities, and the dual HUD approvals are expected in the fourth quarter of this year and late next year, respectively, according to Dassault. Meanwhile, 8X production is continuing to ramp up, with S/N 26 currently in final assembly at Dassault's Mérignac production plant near Bordeaux. In addition, 12 Falcon 8Xs are already in cabin outfitting at the company's Little Rock, Ark. completion facility. http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2016-06-27/falcon-8x-gets-european-nod-us- faa-approval-pending Back to Top FAA: Fly safe - prevention of Loss of Control accidents WASHINGTON, DC - The FAA and general aviation (GA) groups' #FlySafe national safety campaign aims to educate the GA community on best practices in calculating and predicting aircraft performance, and in operating within established aircraft limitations. Remember the lyric, "Get your motor runnin'..."? Well, it's even more important to KEEP your motor running. The General Aviation Joint Steering Committee (GAJSC) says inadequate engine maintenance has led to a high number of engine failures. This is not a good scenario when you are in flight. Get to know your airplane, and your mechanic Ideally, pilots and mechanics should work together to make sure the aircraft is operated and maintained properly. As a pilot, you should take an active role in maintenance by reviewing inspection results and discussing Airworthiness Directives and Service Bulletins with your mechanic. Don't ignore regular maintenance Be sure to comply with all manufacturer-recommended service intervals: * Fifty-hour oil changes are recommended for most normally-aspirated piston engines. * Turbo-charged engines should undergo oil changes more frequently. * Oil filter inspection with each oil change will yield immediate feedback. * Investigate further if you find metal particulates in the filter. * Oil analysis can reveal a lot about engine health, but it works best when several samples create a trend. * It's not a bad idea to do a compression check as well as to check magneto timing, spark plugs and the exhaust system every other oil change. Keep your eyes open Every service interval is an opportunity to give your aircraft a once-over. Look for leaks and stains in the engine compartment. Look for missing, loose, or broken hardware. Check the condition of hoses, belts, and baffles. Tires, brakes, and oleo struts should be checked as well. Maintain safe flight How we operate our engines has a lot to do with how long they'll last. It's actually harder on an engine if the airplane spends a lot of time sitting in a hangar, or worse, on the ramp. Regular operation keeps your engine components lubricated, which reduces potential corrosion. * Thermal shock can be very hard on engines, so be sure your engine has reached operating temperature before you take off. * Smooth, steady power changes are good for engine longevity. This is especially true for turbo-charged powerplants. * Be sure to strictly follow manufacturers' recommendations if you are operating on the lean side of peak Exhaust Gas Temperature. It's not worth it to save a gallon or so per hour if your engine overheats in the process. * Especially for turbos: Plan your descents with some power to keep your engine warm. Monitor your engine performance It's true that most GA aircraft don't have dedicated automatic flight data recording devices now, but there are still quite a few options available: * Turbine operators are accustomed to manually recording engine cycle and performance information for trend and engine health analysis. * You can also track engine power, fuel flow, oil temperature and pressure. * Panel-mounted GPS systems and many hand-held units are already capable of recording position, heading, speed and altitude. * Some engine monitors have recording capability, and many aircraft owners participate in oil analysis programs - a tool for gauging engine health and heading off expensive or disastrous problems. * Some aircraft are equipped with metallic chip detectors that can forecast engine and transmission failures, giving you the time you need to make a safe landing. Basic instrumentation such as airspeed indicators, attitude indicators, angle of attack indicators, manifold pressure gauges, RPM gauges, and G-force meters all give immediate feedback as to whether design limitations have or are about to be exceeded. This information is available now, on every flight. What is Loss of Control? A Loss of Control (LOC) accident involves an unintended departure of an aircraft from controlled flight. LOC can happen because the aircraft enters a flight regime that is outside its normal flight envelope and may quickly develop into a stall or spin. It can introduce an element of surprise for the pilot. Contributing factors may include: * Poor judgment/aeronautical decision making. * Failure to recognize an aerodynamic stall or spin and execute corrective action. * Intentional failure to comply with regulations. * Failure to maintain airspeed. * Failure to follow procedure. * Pilot inexperience and proficiency. * Use of prescription, over-the-counter, or illegal drugs or alcohol. Message from FAA Deputy Administrator Mike Whitaker: The FAA and industry are working together to prevent Loss of Control accidents and save lives. You can help make a difference by joining our Fly Safe campaign. Each month on FAA.gov, we're providing pilots with a Loss of Control solution developed by a team of experts. They have studied the data and developed solutions - some of which are already reducing risk. We hope you will join us in this effort and spread the word. Follow #FlySafe on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. I know that we can reduce these accidents by working together as a community. Did you know? * Last year, 384 people died in 238 general aviation accidents. * Loss of Control is the number one cause of these accidents. * Loss of Control happens in all phases of flight. It can happen anywhere and at any time. * There is one fatal accident involving LOC every four days. http://www.eturbonews.com/72400/faa-fly-safe-prevention-loss-control-accidents Back to Top Indian man harasses flight attendant for a selfie, then smokes in the plane An Indian man was arrested for harassing a female flight attendant and forcing her to take a selfie with him on an international Jet Airways flight from Saudi Arabia's Dammam to Mumbai. He further violated safety rules by proceeding to smoke in the airplane's toilet. The flight attendant has filed a complaint about being harassed by the 29-year-old male passenger to take a selfie, stating that when she refused, he physically forced her to click one. She has also reported that he continued to misbehave with her throughout the flight. After the attendant raised an alarm, other cabin crew members reached her. As a result, the man entered the toilet and started smoking. The crew then asked him to hand over his cigarettes and lighter. The passenger in question was arrested after the flight landed in Mumbai, and booked under the charges of endangering the life of others, aircraft safety violations and assaulting women. The police are also investigating how the passenger's cigarette lighter cleared the security check despite being an inflammable object. The man later told the authorities that he wanted to take the selfie "for fun". http://mashable.com/2016/06/28/jet-airways-flight-attendant-harassed-selfie/#SfM86IKODuqO Back to Top Astronaut John Glenn Gets Ohio Airport Renamed in His Honor Astronaut John Glenn is getting an airport renamed in his honor in his home state of Ohio. The 94-year-old former U.S. senator and his wife are scheduled to appear at a ceremony Tuesday to rename Port Columbus International Airport in Ohio's capital city as John Glenn Columbus International Airport. State lawmakers voted on a bill last month to authorize the renaming. Republican House Speaker Clifford Rosenberger and Democratic Mayor Andrew Ginther are expected at the event. Glenn was the first American to orbit the earth in 1962. He was a member of NASA's Mercury Seven crew that led the U.S. into space. With Scott Carpenter's death in 2013, he became the crew's last surviving member. Glenn was raised in New Concord, Ohio. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/astronaut-john-glenn-ohio-airport-renamed-honor-40177791 Curt Lewis