Flight Safety Information October 25, 2016 - No. 210 In This Issue 2016 ISASI Jerome F. Lederer Award Winner...Eugene A. (Toby) Carroll United B752 at Belfast, unsafe nose gear indication Passengers to Airlines: Enough With the Wacky Safety Videos New research characterizes pediatric injuries onboard commercial airline flights Global Aerospace to Offer UPRT and LOC-I Benefits Aviation safety conference in KL opens with call for cooperation between industry, governments Government says no to 'air safety' tax (Portugal) Irvine pilot pleads guilty to flying jets without proper license (California) How The Rot In Arik Air Endangers Passengers' Lives And Aviation Safety (Nigeria) CAAN's quirky practices put aviation safety at risk (Nepal) THE FAA SAYS TO KEEP DRONES OUT OF DISASTER RELIEF AREAS, MAJOR SPORTING EVENTS Rolls-Royce moves closer to developing more efficient jet engines Praxair Surface Technologies, GE Aviation announce joint venture UK to decide on new airport runway in crowded London Pentagon tests fighter jet-launched "Perdix" mini-drone swarms Meet the Air Force's first enlisted drone pilots .CAAi unveils new International Air Law blended-learning training course VisionSafe - Lithium Battery Fires 2016 ISASI Jerome F. Lederer Award Winner Eugene A. (Toby) Carroll has been awarded the prestigious 2016 Jerome F. Lederer Award by the International Society of Air Safety Investigators (ISASI) at their annual international accident investigation and prevention conference which was held in Reykjavik, Iceland, October 17-20. The award is for "Outstanding contributions to technical excellence in accident investigation" and recognizes Mr. Carroll's continuing achievement and devotion to aviation safety. The award was created to honor Mr. Lederer, bestowed as the "Father of Aviation Safety" by Congress in 1997. Mr. Lederer was hired in 1926 to oversee aircraft maintenance by the U.S. Post Office. In 1940 he was appointed director of the Civil Aeronautics Board's Safety Bureau, later resigning to become director of the Airlines War Training Institute in 1942, training airmen and mechanics for the Air Transport Command and safety consultant to the 2nd Air Force. In 1968 he was appointed director of the Office of Manned Space Flight Safety for the Apollo Program, becoming the Director for all of NASA in 1970. In 1965 he became, a member of the Society of Air Safety Investigators, forerunner to ISASI, and in 1969 he became the second president of the organization. In time, and in his honor, the Society established the Jerome F. Lederer Award. Jerry "Flew West" at age 101 on February 6, 2004 Mr. Carroll is a proven leader and highly experienced aviation safety professional with 45 years experience specializing in aviation safety management and accident investigation. He has participated or was in charge of more than 400 accidents or incidents. His aviation career began as an aviator with the U.S. Army serving in southern Viet Nam. Following his decorated active service he remained active in the National Guard serving in various roles including 50th Aviation Brigade Safety Officer. In his civilian career he worked with aviation related firms in accident investigation positions, including four years with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board. In 1985, Mr. Carroll began his 27-year long-lasting position as the Manager of Flight Safety at Continental Airlines, in which he was extremely influential in aviation safety and accident investigation. He instilled an appreciation of the significance of safety within the organization. And he provided mentorship and direction to many interns in their respective careers. At Continental he was instrumental in the implementation of the FOQA, ASAP, IEP, VDRP, and LOSA programs and is a great proponent of proactive safety programs. He was appointed as the industry Co- Chair for Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing (ASIAS). He also chaired the Issues Analysis Team (IAT) and the Air Transport Association (ATA) Aviation Safety Exchange System. Furthermore, he served as the chairman and vice-chairman for the ATA (now A4A) Flight Safety Committee and as an alternate representative to the ATA safety council. Additionally, for more than 26 years, Toby served as the Continental Airlines "party coordinator" during NTSB investigations and/ or as a Technical Advisor to NTSB Accredited Representatives on ICAO Annex 13 investigations. Prior Recipients of the ISASI Jerome F. Lederer Award have been: * 2015- Ladislav (Ladi) Mika * 2014 - David King * 2013 - Frank S. Del Gandio and Myron P. "Pappy" Papadakis * 2012 - Dr. Curt Lewis * 2011 - Paul-Louis Arslanian * 2010 - Michael Poole * 2009 - Capt. Richard B. Stone * 2009 - Australian Transport Safety Bureau * 2008 - Don Bateman * 2007 - Tom McCarthy * 2006 - Richard H. Wood * 2005 - John D. Rawson * 2004 - Ron Chippindale (deceased 2/12/08) * 2003 - Caj Frostell * 2002 - Ronald L. Schleede * 2001 - John Purvis and The Transportation Safety Board of Canada * 2000 - Nora Marshal * 1999 - Capt. James McIntyre (deceased 11/19/01) * 1998 - A. Frank Taylor * 1997 - Gus Economy * 1996 - Burt Chesterfield * 1995 - Dr. John K. Lauber * 1994 - U.K. Aircraft Accidents Investigation Branch * 1993 - Capt. Victor Hewes * 1992 - Paul R. Powers * 1991 - Eddie J. Trimble * 1990 - Olof Fritsch * 1989 - Aage A. Roed (deceased 1/25/03) * 1988 - H. Vincent LaChapelle * 1987 - Dr. Carol A. Roberts * 1986 - Geoffrey C. Wilkinson * 1985 - Dr. John Kenyon Mason * 1984 - George B. Parker * 1983 - C.O. Miller (deceased 10/20/03) * 1982 - C.H. Prater Houge * 1981 - Dr. S. Harry Robertson * 1980 - John Gilbert Boulding * 1979 - Gerard M. Bruggink * 1978 - Allen R. McMahan * 1977 - Samuel M. Phillips www.isasi.org Back to Top United B752 at Belfast, unsafe nose gear indication A United Boeing 757-200, registration N41140 performing flight UA-76 from Belfast Aldergrove,NI (UK) to Newark,NJ (USA) with 121 passengers and 9 crew, was climbing out of Aldergrove's runway 07 when the crew stopped the climb at FL100 reporting an unsafe nose gear indication. The crew decided to declare emergency, burn off fuel at FL100, advising that burn off will take about two hours, and to divert to Shannon. The aircraft performed a low approach to Shannon's runway 06 to have the gear inspected from the ground, ground observers reported the nose gear appeared to be in position, the aircraft joined another long approach to runway 06, landed safely and stopped on the runway. The aircraft was towed off the runway. http://avherald.com/h?article=49fc8565&opt=0 Back to Top Passengers to Airlines: Enough With the Wacky Safety Videos Studies say dancers and goats might not help fliers remember instructions Some airlines have turned dull safety videos into big-budget productions to grab passengers' attention. But research shows that viewers may remember the sizzle but not the safety tips. Every time the 11-year-old girl starts rapping about oxygen masks, Joe Inglish stops listening. Like many frequent travelers, he's over the overdone airline safety videos, including Virgin America's song-and-dance routine. "It's like no, no, no more!" says the software engineer from Portland, Ore. Airlines have turned the sonorous three-minute safety briefing into big-budget extravaganzas. Air New Zealand's current blockbuster, filmed at Warner Bros. Studios in Los Angeles, stars actress Anna Faris and Kiwi comedian Rhys Darby . Air France flaunts French flair in a video that claims the seat belt "will elegantly highlight your waistline." A Delta Air Lines flight attendant dubbed "Deltalina" became a media sensation for wagging her finger for no smoking. Virgin America's video made its debut in 2013 and has 11.9 million YouTube views and a favorable New Yorker magazine theatrical review. ("Remarkable signs of the cinematic unconscious.") People mainly think it's pretty entertaining, says Abby Lunardini, vice president of brand marketing. Last month American Airlines gave in, launching a visually complex video shot on a Toronto sound stage instead of its traditional warm "welcome aboard." If American's maze of people marching to a buoyant beat had fleece on, frequent traveler Amy Au says, it would look like an Old Navy commercial. The pace is so feverish she says she has missed safety information or found herself transfixed by silver hands that creepily reach around a passenger's waist from behind. "It's very creative, but the message wasn't clear," the Chicago corporate attorney says. Research by academics who specialize in aviation safety suggests people remember the jokes instead of the instructions. American Airlines uses a visually complicated safety video filmed on a sound stage. Airlines say passengers watch the entertaining videos much more than standard briefings. "The more layered it is, so that every time you watch it you see something slightly different, the more people actually listen to it and retain it," says Fern Fernandez, American's marketing vice president. Mark Svevar, a supply-chain consultant from Boston, says Delta jumped the shark with its "Safetys" video-an Oscars parody that played months past award season. "That one was painful from the get-go," he says. The screaming goat was one of the past-its-prime memes Adam Urban couldn't stomach in that video. And the goat precedes the clucking chicken. Safety videos are an important part of the flying process, says Mr. Urban, a Boston-based lighting designer who logs 150,000 miles a year on Delta. He thinks they should be neither too dry nor too wild. "It's the middle ground where it works," he says. Carriers say catchy videos can cost as much as $1 million apiece, with multiple versions for different aircraft types and different languages. They can jazz up stodgy reputations on social media, market brands to consumers, lighten the mood of frazzled fliers and distract from cramped legroom. And the messages really do matter. A girl raps about how to use an oxygen mask in Virgin America's safety video. Several seconds of frozen panic could be fatal when you have only 90 seconds to escape in a crowd. What might seem like inane instructions, such as how to unbuckle a seat belt, can be important. In emergencies, some passengers revert to what they know and try to punch a button as if releasing a car seat belt, instead of lifting the flap, crash investigators say. Only 33 out of 150 passengers on US Airways Flight 1549 had a life vest after landing in the Hudson River in 2009, and only four properly put them on, remembering to fasten the waist strap, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Airlines say they try to rotate videos to maintain interest and even embed subliminal tricks to hook frequent fliers. American created its soundtrack with airport and airplane noises-a familiar ding can surprise even expert fliers and keep them watching. And its new video has an homage to finger-wagging Deltalina. "We like to have fun with our competitors," American's Mr. Fernandez says. United Airlines slips "Easter eggs" into videos such as repeat characters in different settings, says Mark Krolick, managing director of marketing and product development. In United's latest, a groom who runs away from his Hawaiian beach wedding shows up later in New York. "We know we have frequent travelers and some of them will be seeing these videos on a fairly regular basis," Mr. Krolick says. The Federal Aviation Administration says it reviews each airline's cabin safety program, including videos. "It does not matter how the information is communicated, as long as the required information is there," an FAA spokeswoman says. The agency says it doesn't know of any studies on safety-video efficacy. Aviation-safety researcher Brett Molesworth and colleagues showed different kinds of briefings to people and measured retention. "Once you include humor, people recall the humorous aspect as opposed to the message," says Mr. Molesworth of the University of New South Wales in Sydney. He thinks regulators need to update 30-year-old requirements, paring information no longer relevant and adding new warnings, such as an admonition to leave behind carry-on baggage in emergencies. The New Zealand Civil Aviation Administration chided Air New Zealand for a surfing-themed video featuring sexy surfers, saying "extraneous material detracts from the scope and direction of the safety message." The CAA nonetheless allowed the video. In July, Air New Zealand replaced that video with the Hollywood-themed production. The airline said its videos are "in line with New Zealand regulatory requirements." Delta did hear complaints about "Safetys," such as passengers on 6 a.m. departures disturbed by loud noises, says Julieta McCurry, director of marketing communications. "It did its job to get people to pay attention again," she says. Delta's new video is 100% goat-free. The airline says one reason for the tone change is it decided to stop trying to one-up rivals in the safety video arms race. It hopes to refresh the straightforward videos every month or two through 2017 to keep frequent fliers engaged. http://www.wsj.com/articles/passengers-to-airlines-enough-with-the-wacky-safety-videos-1477320357 Back to Top New research characterizes pediatric injuries onboard commercial airline flights In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital (UH Rainbow) found that lap infants may be at greater risk for injury on a commercial airline flight than older children traveling in their own seats or using in-flight restraints. The study analyzed in-flight medical events (IFMEs) on flights worldwide between January 2009 and January 2014 and found 35 percent of all pediatric in-flight injuries occurred in passengers under the age of 2. The researchers found that the most common mechanism of injury was scalding burns from hot beverages or soups spilled on a child, followed by falls from the seat involving lap infants. The study, conducted in partnership with Dr. Paulo Alves and Dr. Neil Nerwich of MedAire, an International SOS company, characterizes the incidence of IFMEs affecting children with specific focus on injury-related events. Through an analysis of 114,222 IFMEs, more than 10 percent involved children (newborn to age 18) and more than three percent involved in-flight injuries. Passengers who sustained in-flight injuries were younger than those involved in other medical events. "Pediatric medical events on commercial airlines are relatively infrequent given the amount of passenger traffic, however unrestrained children, especially lap infants, are more likely to sustain an in-flight injury particularly during meal service or turbulence," says Alexandre Rotta, MD, FCCM, Chief, Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at UH Rainbow and the study's senior investigator. Dr. Rotta, who is also Professor of Pediatrics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, says many pediatric in-flight injuries could potentially be prevented by using in-flight child restraints, avoiding aisle seats, and by having lap infants travel in their own designated seat. "Our data originated from a pool of approximately 80 major airlines worldwide over a four year period - it provides a very significant sample," says Dr. Alves More than 83 percent of in-flight injuries occurred on international flights covering distances of more than 3,500 miles and lasting longer than 6 hours. The most common types of in-flight injuries involved burns (39.3 percent), contusions (29.5 percent), lacerations (20.5 percent) and closed head injuries (8 percent). "It is my hope the information we discovered will promote the development of preventative strategies and travel policies to protect the health of all pediatric airplane passengers, especially these most vulnerable infants," says Dr. Rotta. The study, titled "In-flight Medical Events, Injuries and Deaths Affecting Children During Commercial Aviation Flights," will be presented during the 2016 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference & Exhibition on Monday, Oct. 24, as a platform oral presentation during the Council on Injury, Violence, and Poison Prevention Program. The study follows the 2014 article "Fatalities Above 30,000 Feet: Characterizing Pediatric Deaths on Commercial Airline Flights Worldwide," published in the October 2014 issue of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Journal, that identified a pattern indicating infants may be at greater risk for death on a commercial airline flight. MedAire is the leader for in-flight medical advisory services, and as such delivers indispensable medical advice and assistance when medical situations arise in-flight. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-10-characterizes-pediatric-injuries-onboard-commercial.html Back to Top Global Aerospace to Offer UPRT and LOC-I Benefits Industry insurance specialist Global Aerospace has announced a new partnership with flight training provider Prevailance Aerospace to create a unique series of Unusual Attitude Training services for Global's customers as part of its SM4 Aviation Safety Program. Through the agreement, as part of their benefits, all of Global's policy holders are eligible for two hours of complementary unusual attitude academic refresher training and one hour of airborne unusual attitude training in an Extra 330LX aerobatic aircraft, based at Chesapeake (Virginia) Regional Airport. In addition to that, Global's Vista Elite qualified customers can also receive three hours of dedicated upset prevention and recovery (UPRT) flight training, three hours of airborne UPRT training (available as an FAA Part 141 or Part 61 course), and a personalized URPT video of the flights with footage shot from the cockpit, wing and tail. Prevailance was founded to address what is currently the primary cause of fatalities in aviation, loss of control in- flight (LOC-I). NBAA, ICAO and the FAA have all made reducing the number of such events a global priority, and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) placed mitigating LOC-I on its 2016 "most wanted" list of safety improvements. Through the SM4 program, the two companies will provide Global's clients with access to UPRT and LOC-I training. "Addressing LOC-I is paramount for every corporate flight department, every aviation safety program, and every pilot," said Vanessa Christie, Prevailance's vice president for strategic development. "We appreciate the emphasis that Global Aerospace has placed on incorporating this critical training into its SM4 program." She added that her company's training method complements Global's existing programs with safe, dynamic airborne instruction. "Surprise and startle are very real elements of almost all aviation mishaps, and by conducting airborne training in a safe, controlled, and professional environment, each pilot will learn the required skills and techniques to recover from LOC-I situations in a repeatable and predictable way." "Global Aerospace recognizes that as our industry evolves, so must the SM4 program," said Marilena Sharpell, Global's senior vice president and underwriting and operations executive. "We are pleased to welcome Prevailance Aerospace to the program to help our customers achieve a higher level of flight proficiency through UPRT flight academics, airborne training and additional tools they can use in the future." Parsippany, N.J.-based Global (Booth 2644) also recently took a star turn on television when it was featured in a September episode of "World's Greatest!" a cable television program that highlights the best companies, products, places and people in their respective categories. Global Aerospace was formed in 2001 by the merger of British Aviation Insurance Groups and the U.S.-based Associated Aviation Underwriters. It traces its roots, through those two institutions, back to the 1920s. http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2016-10-24/global-aerospace-offer-uprt-and-loc-i- benefits Back to Top Aviation safety conference in KL opens with call for cooperation between industry, governments KUALA LUMPUR: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called on members of the aviation industry and governments to work together to tackle pressing security challenges. IATA's newly-appointed director general and chief executive ofÖcer (CEO), Alexandre de Juniac, said aviation is a catalyst for social and economic development that improves people's lives. However, it is also a target of terror, he said. "That is why partnerships are essential to address our major security challenges, with the speed needed to stay a step ahead of those who would do our industry harm," de Juniac said in his opening speech at the 25th AVSEC World conference here, today. The conference runs from today until Oct 27. The 25th AVSEC World conference is hosted by Malaysia Airlines Bhd, and jointly presented by IATA in partnership with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and Airports Council International (ACI). Alexandre de Juniac, the former CEO of Air France-KLM, said the aviation industry and governments must keep four common principles in focus. These include risk-based measures, implementation of global standards and capacity-building to support the mutual recognition of standards. The fourth principle is information-sharing among governments and with the industry. "Speed is of the essence. Threats emerge quickly and they evolve fast. The four principles will help us to address the threats and challenges we face,but only if we move quickly enough," he said. http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/10/183221/aviation-safety-conference-kl-opens-call-cooperation-between- industry Back to Top Government says no to 'air safety' tax (Portugal) The State Secretary for Infrastructures has refuted the possibility of adding a 20-cent-per-ticket tax onto airline bookings as proposed by the head of Portugal's cash-strapped air safety bureau, to aid that entity with its work. Government says no to 'air safety' tax In comments to radio station TSF, State Secretary Guilherme d'Oliveira Martins rejected the idea, saying the government is committed to "investing in reinforcing means of investigation, prevention and safety" but without creating additional taxes.He also stressed that the government has boosted its means for air safety prevention in recent years. The head of the Bureau for the Prevention and Investigation of Aircraft Accidents (GPIAA) had suggested the surcharge on each flight ticket after denouncing a lack of means within the bureau. But, State Secretary Martins explained, "More than creating taxes, the government is dedicated to investing in creating funds for reinforcing means of investigation, prevention and safety. We are not creating additional taxes to help the needs of an organism, but within a bigger framework of prevention and safety." He further refuted that air prevention and safety is compromised by the Bureau's lack of means. In an interview with TSF, the head of the GPIAA, Álvaro Neves, bemoaned the entity's current financial situation and said the prevention of air accidents could be compromised if the problem is not solved. "Strangled by a noose until inoperable" was how the GPIAA president termed the situation, adding it has become "even more complicated" this year. Mr. Neves said in his opinion the creation of a 20-cent per ticket tax is "urgently" needed, and it is "fundamental to also create a reserve fund for the state in the event of a serious accident." State Secretary Martins stressed that "in recent years there has been reinforcement in safety and the prevention of accidents through an integrated safety programme by the Portuguese State." He added that last year there was also a rise in the number of airlines being audited, and recalled that a measure was implemented to ensure two crew members are in cockpits at all times as further means of safety and prevention. http://www.theportugalnews.com/news/government-says-no-to-air-safety-tax/39923 Back to Top Irvine pilot pleads guilty to flying jets without proper license (California) An Irvine man pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to flying private jets without having a valid pilot's license, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Arnold Gerard Leto, 36, faces up to six years in federal prison after flying on two separate occasions knowing he didn't have the proper certification. In January 2015, Leto piloted a Cessna Citation jet from Santa Monica to Phoenix and in April he operated a Falcon turbojet from Van Nuys Airport to Las Vegas, according to his plea agreement. He did not have a turbo-jet rating required to fly the planes. Leto, president of Irvine-based Aviation Financial Services Inc., had his pilot's license revoked in January for violating federal aviation regulations. "Today's guilty pleas demonstrate that the defendant willfully disregarded the rules and regulations of the FAA and operated jet aircraft, thereby endangering the passengers on board," United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker said in a statement. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 6. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/leto-733186-pilot-license.html Back to Top How The Rot In Arik Air Endangers Passengers' Lives And Aviation Safety (Nigeria) Sources within the aviation industry disclosed that the airline commits a variety of illegalities by encouraging its pilots to ignore regulations. Troubled airline, Arik Air, has been gambling with the lives of its passengers through illegal practices, SaharaReporters has been informed. Sources within the aviation industry disclosed that the airline commits a variety of illegalities by encouraging its pilots to ignore regulations. According to the sources, the airline pays pilots $200 to exceed the maximum number of landings permissible by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. The maximum number of landings approved by NCAA is seven, but Arik forces its pilots to make eight and pays $200 to have their duty time extended to 20 hours. Some of its pilots, disclosed aviation sources, have been found drunk on duty. In June, Arik Safety Manager, Captain Jide Bakare, said a source, was pulled aside on a flight to London to be tested for alcohol. He was said to have been tested by one Dr. Tunji of Kupa Hospital, Ajao Estate, Lagos. The test returned a positive result. Captain Bakare, added the source, had to be replaced on the flight by an Indian pilot and no action was taken against him because he is married to the sister of the airline's Deputy Managing Director. "He was simply told to go for rehabilitation and remains the Safety Manager," confided the source. Not every pilot gets that type of treatment, disclosed another source. The source explained that when some Arik Airbus pilots had an incident, it was Captain Bakare, who headed the panel that investigated the circumstances of the mishap, which was shielded from the NCAA. Another illegality committed by the airline relates to the Tech Log. Legally, only approved engineers can clear the Tech Log, not pilots. But when Lufthansa engineers went on strike because they were not paid, SaharaReporters learnt, Arik illegally forced pilots to sign off the Tech log so that planes could fly. Even when crew members are not eligible to fly, the airline forces them to fly, thereby breaking flight time limits. When some crew challenged this, the Chairman was said to have barred them from international flights for two years. Forcing crew to fly above their limits is an invitation to fatigue and accidents. The source added that there are other torrid, less than dignifying conditions imposed by the Chairman, Mr. Johnson Arumemi-Ikhide. The Chairman is said to have barred Nigerian pilots from flying and has had them largely reduced to cleaning aircraft in the fleet. The staff of the airline at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) in Lagos, explained a source, have not been promoted in eight years. They are in dread of the Chairman, whose presence is said to induce heavy panic among staff. He also said to prefer hiring incompetent family members, who make the job difficult for knowledgeable staff. Pensions and taxes of the airline's staff, SaharaReporters learned, are similarly not remitted. Staff benefits are ignored. According to a source, the staff are entitled to flight tickets at a discounted price of N150,000, but such are given out as gifts to the friends of the top guns at the airline. A staff in the catering department said Arik takes meals to serve in New York in cargo hold from Lagos because of huge debts owed food vendors in New York. The meals, she said, are usually rancid after the long flight, but are still served to passengers. Passengers are said to regularly complain of food poisoning. Last month, no food was served to passengers on a flight from London because the airline owes a catering company in London. The cabin crew also rations served flights and when the run out water, they get from the toilet to give passengers. At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos, staff are told to make money at all costs and are often ordered to close the check-in counter before the approved time. This way, passengers are prevented from checking in, so they could come another day to pay for no-show and ticket change. "We want the NCAA, Nigerian Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to investigate the activities of Arik and its many unsafe practices," said a staff. A profiler in the Arik Security Department at the MMIA equally disclosed that the airline illegally takes many heavily pregnant women to the UK to use the country's National Health Scheme (NHS) illegally. Early this month, a report in the Daily Mail identified expectant mothers from Nigeria as constituting a huge number of women cheating the UK NHS, a development that is now making the authorities consider a presentation of identification by pregnant women before using the NHS. The airline's ticket sales staff are also forced to keep selling tickets even when flights are full, thereby causing chaos during boarding, with passengers scrambling to get in. At the Information Technology Department, disclosed staff, the servers are always down because no payment is made. "For many days, Arik server will be down due to non payment to service providers. Same thing with the company's phone lines," said one source. He added that the airline's operations are regularly affected by aviation fuel shortage because it finds it difficult paying for fuel. The frequent fuel shortages, in official spiel, are dressed up as "operational reasons". http://saharareporters.com/2016/10/24/how-rot-arik-air-endangers-passengers%E2%80%99-lives-and-aviation- safety Back to Top CAAN's quirky practices put aviation safety at risk (Nepal) Nepal Airlines Corporation Airbus A320 9N-AKX Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal and its quirky managerial practices continue to evoke surprises as this daily pursues investigation into fundamental problems plaguing the country's aviation sector. CAAN-issued air safety related licencing regulations for airlines specifically require adherence to training programs for each individual involved in aircraft operations, besides subjecting the flight crew to regular proficiency check for upholding safety. The story, however, is different when it comes to training and retaining its own staff in safety-sensitive positions those involved in providing air traffic control services, maintenance of air traffic control equipment and aerodrome operations. There are myriad of instances of training received by CAAN employees under Korean fellowships going to waste, whereby staff trained in airport and terminal operations as well as aviation security under fellowships at Korea's Incheon Aviation Academy chose to accept other lucrative positions soon after completion of their training. While the Incheon International Airport is renowned for its efficiency and highly professional staff, the Nepali alumni of its academy are more efficient at deserting their positions for which they were first trained managing and operating the terminal in line with the best practices at IIA leaving the stakeholders to worry about essential passenger facilities, a CAAN source revealed. The story is the same when it comes to training at the Singapore aviation academy, where in the past decade countless expensive training have been attended by CAAN employees in the areas of aircraft accident investigation, safety management systems, as well as safety oversight inspector's course. With this volume of aviation safety expertise, Nepal should have breezed through safety audit of the International Civil Aviation Organisation and improved the level of safety long ago, but Nepal still continues to struggle with never ending series of accidents and ongoing airport-related fiascos. On the one hand, the human resources development aspect of the CAAN has not been audited for efficacy, and on the other, though the CAAN boasts of an HR department, its functions have been usurped by an extra- organisational 'nominations committee' comprising 12th level deputy director generals presiding the foreign nominations to get themselves their fair share of pie, a senior CAAN director revealed. Rarely does a nominations committee meeting conclude without nominating at least one of the deputy director generals, said the Director on condition of anonymity. In case the DDGs fail to have their own names cleared, they then insist on the inclusion of their panel members based first on union and then on professional affiliations, he added. Worryingly, under the garb of secrecy, the consent of concerned department under whose jurisdiction the foreign trip falls is never formally sought and as a result the department is never accountable when the training fails to deliver the intended results. https://thehimalayantimes.com/kathmandu/civil-aviation-authority-of-nepal-quirky-practices-put-aviation-safety- risk/ Back to Top THE FAA SAYS TO KEEP DRONES OUT OF DISASTER RELIEF AREAS, MAJOR SPORTING EVENTS Drones are some of the most popular new gadgets around, in large part because they enable anyone to explore and capture the most exciting scenes and events. Sometimes those same scenes and events are dangerous, private, or involve controlled air space, and so drones have caught the attention of federal regulators. One such example was the Hurricane Matthew cleanup operation. Obviously, an effort like that involves hundreds of first responders, vehicles, and more, and requires close coordination among various emergency agencies and civil relief organizations. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), therefore, along with the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA), wants to let drone pilots know that penalties for interfering with such an effort are severe, as Ars Technica reports. The AMA issued a statement where it outlined just how serious the FAA is about making sure the airways remain free of random drone traffic, "Any unauthorized drone or model aircraft operations that interfere with disaster relief efforts are subject to civil penalties of up to $32,140 per violation and possible criminal prosecution." The FAA did not issue specific flight restrictions in the areas hit by Hurricane Matthew, including Florida, and the coasts of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, but the major population centers are already largely covered due to existing airport, helipad, and national park restrictions. Another important example of events were drone pilots should steer clear are the various sporting events around the country. NFL and college football games, the Major League Baseball playoffs, and generally any sporting venue with seating over 30,000 people is off-limits. Such areas are designated as "National Defense Airspace," and drones are not permitted to fly within three nautical miles of such sites. If you are a drone pilot, then, you will want to use some common sense as to where you fly, as well as making sure that you are well aware of the regular and special restrictions imposed by the FAA. Shelling out over $32,000 and facing potential jail time simply does not seem worth the possibility of catching an interesting video clip to post on YouTube. http://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/faa-drone-regulations-relief-efforts-sporting-events/#ixzz4O5koatG3 Back to Top Rolls-Royce moves closer to developing more efficient jet engines Rolls-Royce's UltraFan uses a special gearbox for maximum efficiency Rolls-Royce has taken a step forward in developing more powerful and efficient jet engines for commercial passenger aircraft with successful tests of a vital component for its UltraFan design. The company has started tests of a "powered gearbox" linking the turbine at the back of the engine with the giant fan at the front. Traditionally these parts are directly linked, meaning the speed of the fan, which produces the majority of the thrust of a modern jet engine, is directly controlled by the turbine, which is driven by hot gases being forced out of the back of the engine. As fans become bigger to generate more power, the turbines at the back have to become larger and heavier so they can drive the fans at the front, with the turbines eventually becoming so large that they eliminate the gains of a bigger fan. Rolls's latest engines are bigger in diameter than Concorde's fuselage To give an idea of how large fans have become, the Rolls-built engines for Airbus's latest A350XWB passenger jet are bigger in diameter than Concorde's fuselage. Rolls's UltraFan design gets around the problem of a large fan by using a gearbox between the fan and the turbine. This means the turbine can spin at high speeds, where it is more efficient, while the gearing ensures the fan can turn at the lower speeds where it performs best. The powered gearbox is designed to handle loads of 100,000hp, the equivalent power output of 1,000 family cars, and is a first for Rolls. The company hopes the gearbox will allow the fan and turbine each to spin at optimum speed for whatever part of the flight an aircraft is in, be it take-off, cruise, climb or landing, cutting fuel consumption. The tests that the gearbox is undergoing at Rolls-Royce as the company prepares to run it up to full power place it on a rig which simulates the engine in different positions such as steep climbs and turns, as would be experienced in flight. Rolls's latest engine designs show how the fans at the front are growing larger than the turbines Mike Whitehead, Rolls-Royce's chief engineer on the UltraFan, said: "This is a significant step in bringing our future technology to life. "We launched the UltraFan design in 2014 and now we are putting our new infrastructure to work to turn it into reality." Using gearboxes to produce more efficient jet engines is not a new idea but few companies have been able to successfully implement them. The American jet engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney's geared turbofans have suffered technical issues, causing delays for the small Airbus A320 jets they are being fitted to, and no company has yet delivered a geared turbofan engine for larger jets, the market that Rolls-Royce is focused on with its engines. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/10/23/rolls-royce-moves-closer-to-developing-more-efficient-jet- engine/ Back to Top Praxair Surface Technologies, GE Aviation announce joint venture An employee inspects damaged area of a composite engine case during repair at the GE Aviation manufacturing facility in Batesville, Mississippi, U.S., on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016. DANBURY - Praxair Surface Technologies and GE Aviation have announced the formation of PG Technologies, a joint venture that will focus on coatings for GE Aviation's engine models and be based in Ellisville, Miss. "The formation of PG Technologies builds upon decades of collaboration between Praxair Surface Technologies and GE Aviation," Pierre Luthi, PG Technologies board member and president of Praxair Surface Technologies, said in a statement. "This joint venture will take the leadership role in the next generation of coating technology applications and will invest in new coating production capacity to meet the needs of the burgeoning aviation sector." Praxair Surface Technologies, which will hold a majority interest in the venture, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Danbury-based industrial gas company Praxair. Praxair Surface Technologies specializes in high-performance coatings for the aviation, energy and other industries. Its coatings help customers improve environmental performance, decrease energy consumption, reduce operating costs and extend component life, company officials said. It is based in Indianapolis. GE Aviation, which is based in Evendale, Ohio, provides jet and turboprop engines, components and systems for commercial and military aircraft. PG Technologies will develop, support and apply specialized coatings for GE Aviation's and CFM International's current and future engine models. "PG Technologies will play an important role in GE Aviation's engine manufacturing system," Colleen Athans, vice president and general manager of GE Aviation's Supply Chain, said. "With engine production volume levels growing, GE's need for specialized coatings will also increase, and this joint venture will ensure we meet our commitments on the performance and durability of our engines." PG Technologies will also have locations in Indianapolis and in Singapore. The main facility in Mississippi will be at an existing GE Aviation facility and increase employment there to 250 by 2020. The project can potentially grow the workforce there to 400. Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant touted the new company's site selection. "PG Technologies will combine the expertise of GE Aviation and Praxair, continuing the tradition of quality for which both companies are known," he said in a release. "I look forward to this new partnership thriving in Ellisville and thank the leadership of PG Technologies for choosing a Mississippi location." A Praxair official said Connecticut was not a strong consideration for locating PG Technologies because of the existing GE Aviation site and employees in Mississippi. The site has room for expansion, as well, the official said. http://www.newstimes.com/business/article/Praxair-Surface-Technologies-GE-Aviation-10173737.php Back to Top UK to decide on new airport runway in crowded London Britain's government is set to decide which airport expansion proposal to accept _ more than a year after a special commission recommended building a third runway at Heathrow An Airbus A330-300 of Virgin Atlantic on final approach to landing skims over the rooftops of nearby houses at Heathrow Airport in London, Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016. Britain's government will reveal how it plans to expand London's airport capacity Tuesday, more than a year after a special commission recommended a third runway at Heathrow. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LONDON (AP) - Britain's government is expected Tuesday to back a plan to expand London's Heathrow airport despite concerns about air pollution, noise and the destruction of homes in the capital's densely populated western neighborhoods. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling will inform Parliament of the government's decision on how to expand London's airport capacity. The options include building a third runway at Heathrow, extending an existing runway there, or building a second runway at Gatwick Airport, south of London. The decision is only the first step, though. The government's recommendation will be studied further and Parliament will vote in about a year. Most analysts expect the government to back one of the Heathrow options. Anti-expansion groups gathered in the village of Harmondsworth, near Heathrow and in Crawley, near Gatwick, to await the news. Neil Keveran has campaigned against Heathrow expansion for years and plans to fight on - even if the government goes for the third runway. "A monopoly at Heathrow will serve nobody," he said. "It won't be good for passengers, it won't be good for other regional airports. I don't believe the runway will be delivered. I think legal challenges, and if necessary direct action, will prevent the growth of Heathrow." London and southeastern England need more airport capacity to meet the growing demands of business travelers and tourists. Heathrow and rival Gatwick, 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of central London, have offered competing projects that will cost as much as 18.6 billion pounds ($29.1 billion). Whichever proposal is selected, homes will be destroyed and surviving neighborhoods will have to cope with increased noise, pollution and traffic. The issue was so toxic that politicians created an independent commission to weigh the options - and it decided to expand Heathrow. But it is up to political leaders to make the final decision, and authorities have stalled. The upheaval prompted by Britain's vote to leave the European Union pushed the issue back further. A furious public relations battle has raged, with placards all over London's subway system, for example, extolling the virtues of Heathrow or Gatwick. The commission has already rejected other options, such as one backed by former London Mayor Boris Johnson to build a new airport in the Thames Estuary. John Allan, chairman of London First, which campaigns to make the capital business-friendly, told the BBC that the government needed to make up its mind. "What we want above all is more airport capacity in the southeast," he said. "The most important thing is to get on with it. Even though it is only a step in the road, it is a very important step in the road." http://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2016-10-25/uk-to-decide-which-airport-expansion-proposal-to- accept Back to Top Pentagon tests fighter jet-launched "Perdix" mini-drone swarms The Pentagon has been testing swarms of low-cost surveillance and attack drones engineered to jam enemy air defenses, blanket areas with small sensors or function as attack weapons, DoD officials said. Using fast-developing computer algorithms for autonomous flight engineered to prevent mini-drones from crashing into one-another, the swarms are intended to perform a wide-range of strategically relevant missions. Using swarms of Perdix drones, an F-16 could surveil targets from safer stand-off distances, identify and "jam" enemy air defenses, blanket an area with multiple surveillance angles or launch as explosives themselves. The Pentagon's once-secret Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO), aimed at harnessing promising technologies for nearer-term development than most acquisition programs, has already launched these drones from F-16 and F-18s numerous times in testing. The mini-drones, called Perdix, are government designed yet built with commercial off-the-shelf elements. William Roper, who reports to Defense Secretary Ashton Carter as the Director of the Strategic Capabilities Office, said the effort was showing promise for possible near-term combat advantage. "They are expendable and fly low as a surveillance asset. You can have a lot of them for a saturation approach. Saturating has an advantage over the thing it has to defend against. Its defender has to take more time and money to defend against it," Roper told a small group of reporters. While Roper did not wish to openly discuss the particular sensor technologies used by Perdix, he did explain that they could be quickly launched from an aircraft's flare dispensers. "If you go and walk around a fighter jet to pop trunk there is not a lot of storage in a fighter but the one place you can fit an expendable is in the flare dispenser because a flare is an expendable. There is a place that it sits in a canister and there is a button that makes them dispense," Roper said. Test results and data for further development are now being analyzed as part of an effort to modify designs if needed. While launching drone swarms are showing promise, there are a number of key limitations to Perdix; the Pentagon can launch expendable mini-drones but has not yet been able to engineer mini-drones that can return to the aircraft from which they are launched. In addition, although they do provide a distinct cost advantage compared with many weapons which would defend against it, the small drones have limited range, Roper added. The small drone is, however, created to deal with both enemy weapons and extreme temperatures, Roper said "The numbers for speed and endurance are not what the capability should be. It gives commanders a little bit of surprise about what big aircraft can do," he said. The outer-mold of Perdix is created with 3D printing to both allow for rapid production and lower costs. The Pentagon's SCO, which works closely with the military services to develop the technologies, was created to help circumvent the often lengthy, expensive and bureaucratic formal acquisition process. "It will be important for us in SCO is to play the role of cross service connector. Often people who have never met are natural partners. There is a synergy," Roper explained. "We don't hold the copyright on innovation. We want to give Cocoms (combatant commanders) the biggest advantage they could have. We take a risky concept and turn it to a point when we can hand it over." https://defensesystems.com/articles/2016/10/24/perdix.aspx Back to Top Meet the Air Force's first enlisted drone pilots When the Air Force's latest class of two dozen aspiring remotely-piloted aircraft pilots convened at Initial Flight Training School in Pueblo, Colorado, Oct. 12, four of them had something unique: Enlisted stripes. Four enlisted airmen -- three master sergeants and one technical sergeant -- entered the Enlisted Pilot Initial Class, or EPIC, alongside 20 recently-commissioned officers, Air Education and Training Command said in a release Wednesday. They will be followed by eight more aspiring enlisted pilots in two additional classes over the next few months. These airmen, if they pass the class, will be able to fly the RQ-4 Global Hawk, an unarmed drone that conducts intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The Air Force last December opened the door to allow some airmen in certain jobs to fly drones. But in August, the Air Force vastly expanded the eligibility to allow airmen in all career fields to apply. By 2020, the Air Force expects as many as 100 enlisted airmen to be flying Global Hawks -- roughly half the total 198 Global Hawk pilots. The Air Force is waiting to see how enlisted airmen do on the unarmed Global Hawk before allowing them to fly armed drones like the MQ-9 Reaper. In a briefing with reporters at the Air Force Association's conference in September, AETC head Lt. Gen. Darryl Roberson said that the training for enlisted airmen will be exactly the same as what officers receive. "Right now, there is no difference," Roberson said. "We did that very deliberately." Enlisted RPA training to begin in October, head of AETC says The Air Force does not disclose the identities of RPA pilots and sensor operators as a matter of policy, so their last names were blurred out of a photograph released by AETC. But one student, identified as Master Sgt. Travis, expressed gratitude when Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James toured the school Oct. 17. "I really like the direction that she shared with us and the direction she wants to go," Travis said in the release. The Air Force did not disclose specifics about the pilots' backgrounds. But in September, Roberson said the four airmen "are very experienced and even familiar with RPA operations." "These are going to be tech sergeants, master sergeants, who are either already sensor operators for other RPAs, or are in some way very familiar with the operations that occur," Roberson said. Some airmen in the following EPIC classes may come without any expertise with RPAs, Roberson said in September. "By the time we get to the 12th EPIC member, we are bringing in somebody who is not familiar, never been exposed to it, and comes from a different training area, so that we get the full gamut of somebody who really knows what's going on all the way to somebody who's never been exposed to it," Roberson said. Air Force opens the door to all enlisted to fly drones James congratulated the students and said they were "pioneers" in a new and growing career field. "The integration of enlisted RPA pilots into RQ-4 Global Hawk operations is part of a broader effort to meet the continual RPA demands of combatant commanders in the field, ensuring they are provided with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities in their areas of responsibilities worldwide," James said in the release. Initial Flight Training takes place at Pueblo Memorial Airport, and is taught by contractor instructors. It is overseen by Pueblo's 1st Flying Training Squadron under the 306th Flying Training Group at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. https://www.airforcetimes.com/articles/meet-the-air-forces-first-enlisted-drone-pilots Back to Top For immediate release: CAAi unveils new International Air Law blended-learning training course Civil aviation simply couldn't exist without the framework of international and national laws that govern the ways we work. CAA International (CAAi), part of the UK CAA International Directorate, has launched a brand new training course, designed to support aviation managers across the industry with a solid grounding in international aviation law. This course explores the international conventions and agreements that govern civil aviation and keep us safe and examines how these international laws affect your everyday work. Developed by senior UK CAA legal experts and e-Learning technology specialists LEO Learning, the course uses a blend of both online distance learning and a one-day interactive classroom session. The online modules feature a mix of high-impact images, diagrams, audio clips, animations, infographics and videos, designed to create maximum impact and user engagement. The course takes delegates on a passenger journey; from buying an airline ticket, to being at the airport all the way to arriving at the final destination. The course explores how international air law affects all areas of aviation from the perspective of a paying passenger. In the classroom, delegates have the opportunity to apply their distance learning with a UK CAA expert. Through group discussions of past experiences, case study reviews and general observations, delegates can delve deeper into how international laws affect different scenarios and situations, the key international conventions and how this affects the work you do every day. Adrian Sayce, Senior Technical Advisor for CAAi and former ICAO President for the Air Navigation Commission said, "This course integrates the different elements of law to create a coherent and clear presentation of air law. This is done by following a typical passenger journey and reviewing the associated legal aspects. This is quite a different approach to the traditional teaching of air law and it makes the air law course both interesting and relevant to anyone involved in aviation. The law underpins every aspect of aviation. Law is not something that only lawyers can deal with. It is important for everyone involved or affected by aviation, including professionals, consumers and those on the ground, because the law establishes individual legal responsibilities and defines legal entitlements if anything goes wrong". For more information, please visit www.caainternational.com/airlaw or email training@caainternational.com. CAAi unveils new International Air Law blended-learning training course Introduction to International Air Law - CAAi Training Course (UK CAA) Back to Top Back to Top Stop By and Visit At NBAA - BACE 2016 DATE November 1-3, 2016 LOCATION Booth 1482 Orange County Convention Center Orlando Executive Airport Orlando, FL Curt Lewis