Flight Safety Information November 7, 2016 - No. 220 In This Issue GE alerts airlines about engine part after American Airlines fire NTSB finds 'fatigue cracking' in failed CF6 turbine disk Hypersonic Flight Is Coming: Will the US Lead the Way? FAA REVISES SYSTEM FOR ISSUING STUDENT PILOT CERTIFICATES LAX TO HOST AVIATION CAREER DAY FOR 700 HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS Cuba Rule Changes Begin to Put Aviation Safety Ahead of Politics Tulsa businesses offer products to help airlines deal with lithium ion battery problems Stockholm airport agrees to join Preclearance CAK, CLE airport officials react to report on Allegiant Air difficulties Pilot charged with aircraft DUI was in the cockpit when authorities arrived Tigerair changes aircraft twice for flight, causing 5-hour delay for 150 passengers at Changi Airport Chinese airlines lure Western business travellers with new offerings Passenger plane forced to abort landing after receiving hoax radio call at Melbourne Airport Mumbai airports unsafe; Aviation report Pilot Shortage Prompts Regional Airlines to Boost Starting Wages $73 million Bombardier jet makes first flight FAA Safety Briefing - November/December 2016 Position Available:...Subject Matter Expert (SME) in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) GE alerts airlines about engine part after American Airlines fire Nov 5 General Electric Co is seeking to remove an engine part from service after an American Airlines jet erupted in flames last week, it told air carriers in a letter seen by Reuters on Saturday. The manufacturer has identified a "limited number" of parts closely related to one used by American that had a "material anomaly," according to the letter sent on Friday. All but one of the parts are now out of service, GE said in the letter. It added that it was working with the single airline with an aircraft still equipped with the part to ensure its removal from service. GE did not name the airline and a company spokesman did not immediately comment. On Oct. 28, American Airlines Flight 383 from Chicago to Miami aborted takeoff following an "uncontained" engine failure, a rare event in which components spew from an engine and can tear through the aircraft cabin or rupture fuel tanks in the wings. The airline was flying a Boeing Co 767 aircraft with CF6-80C2 engines made by GE. In this instance, the failure caused a fuel leak that resulted in a fire, though no one aboard was seriously injured. An American Airlines spokesman said none of the company's aircraft in operation had the additional parts that GE referred to in the letter. The spokesman added that American was turning over a part from an engine not in operation to the U.S. National Transportation Saftey Board (NTSB) for further examination. U.S. investigators have yet to assign blame for last week's incident. However, they said on Friday that a so-called stage 2 disk in the engine showed what appeared to be cracking. The disk's corrupted material likely indicated a manufacturing defect, either by the parts or metal maker, said Jim Hall, a former NTSB chairman. In its letter, GE stressed the reliability of its CF6 engines which it said had flown more than 400 million hours since the 1970s. GE will update engine operators if action is later required, the letter said. Bloomberg earlier reported news of the letter from GE. http://www.reuters.com/article/chicago-airplane-letter-idUSL1N1D60EH Back to Top NTSB finds 'fatigue cracking' in failed CF6 turbine disk The stage two high-pressure turbine disk of the GE Aviation CF6 turbofan that failed last week on an American Airlines Boeing 767-300ER in Chicago fractured into at least four pieces, according to details and photographs released by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The board also determined that the turbine disk had evidence of fatigue cracking, it says in a 4 November investigation update. Recovered pieces of the CF6's stage two high-pressure turbine disk At least one disk piece punctured the aircraft's right wing, flew over the aircraft's fuselage and landed at a UPS warehouse about 0.9km (0.56 mile) away, the board says. The uncontained failure of the right CF6-80C2B6 engine on 28 October occurred at an airspeed of 128kt (237km/h) and at takeoff power. Location of the CF6's disk fragments The aircraft, registration N345AN, was operating American flight 383 to Miami. The failure happened when the aircraft was 1,991m (6,550ft) from the threshold of runway 28R, says the NTSB. An examination of the disk pieces determined that "one of the fractures exhibited features consistent with fatigue cracking initiating at an internal inclusion near the forward side the hub's inner bore", says the NSTB. "Ongoing metallurgical examinations of the disk will focus on detailed characterisation of the inclusion and the fracture surfaces." The location of the fatigue crack on the CF6's disk The disk had a life limit of 15,000 cycles and had accumulated 10,984 cycles at the time of the failure, it adds. Two seconds after the failure, the aircraft now travelling at 134kt, the left and right engine throttles were pulled back and maximum auto-braking was applied, the NTSB says. The aircraft stopped on the runway about 2,804m (9,225ft) from the threshold and 25s after the throttles were reduced, it says. "As a result of the uncontained engine failure, a fuel leak resulted in a pool fire under the right wing," says the NTSB's update. Nine crew members and 161 passengers evacuated as the 767's right side was ablaze in fire. In response to the NTSB update, GE Aviation says the turbine disk that fractured is made of a material called Inconel 718, which is commonly used in the hot section of jet engines. "GE Aviation has not experienced a failure from an engine component caused by an anomaly in Inconel 718 material in more than 30 years," says a GE Aviation spokesperson. The company and its supplier will provide production records from the lot of material used to produce the particular disk to the NTSB, he adds. More than 4,000 CF6 engines are in service and have accumulated more than 400 million flight hours, he notes. www.flightglobal.com Back to Top Hypersonic Flight Is Coming: Will the US Lead the Way? Artist's rendering of Lockheed Martin's SR-72 concept vehicle, which the company says could potentially fly six times faster than the speed of sound. Credit: Lockheed Martin Corp. MOJAVE, California - The world is at the start of a renaissance in supersonic and hypersonic flight that will transform aviation, but the effort will need steady commitment and funding if the United States wants to lead the way, congressional leaders and industry officials said at a forum late last month. "What's exciting about aerospace today is that we are in a point here where suddenly, things are happening all across the board in areas that just haven't been happening for quite a while," said former U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Curtis M. Bedke. "There was a period where engine technology had just sort of stagnated - a point where all materials technology was going along at about the same pace," Bedke added. "There just wasn't much happening. But suddenly, in all sorts of areas that apply to aerospace, things are happening." [NASA's Vision of Future Air Travel (Images)] Bedke was one of five panelists to speak Oct. 27 at the Forum on American Aeronautics here at the Mojave Air and Space Port. Sponsored by the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, the forum was hosted by committee chairman Lamar Smith, R- Texas, and member Steve Knight, R-Calif. Bedke, Smith and Knight were joined by David McBride, director of NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, and Craig Johnson, director of business strategy and development for Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works. Former Mojave Air and Space Port CEO Stu Witt moderated. Knight has taken the lead on the House Science Committee in getting NASA's aeronautical program to focus on a new set of experimental aircraft. He said his passion for these programs isn't just about improving American aviation - it's personal. "In 1967 was the last time we went hypersonic in an airplane," Knight said, referring to an X-15 flight piloted by his late father, William J. "Pete" Knight. That flight reached Mach 6.7 - 6.7 times the speed of sound - a record for piloted aircraft that still stands nearly 50 years later. (Hypersonic flight is generally defined as anything that reaches Mach 5 or greater. "Supersonic" refers to any flight that exceeds Mach 1.) Since that time, the U.S. has conducted two unpiloted hypersonic research programs, X- 51 and X-43. However, there was no continuity in the work, Knight said. [Going Hypersonic: Air Force's X-51A Waverider in Pictures] "We collected an awful lot of data," he said. "But what I would like to see is that we can move that data into something, whether we are going to move into an aircraft that we're going to put people into or we're going to use it for some other program. We've got to have that continuity and move forward." Knight noted that it still takes the same 4.5 hours or so to fly from New York to Los Angeles today as it did 30 years ago. Supersonic aircraft flights over land have been banned for decades because of the sonic booms they produce. No supersonic passenger planes have been in operation since the retirement of the Concorde in 2003. NASA wants to change that. In February, the space agency awarded a contract to Lockheed Martin for the design of an experimental plane to test technologies that can significantly reduce the sonic booms caused by aircraft. If the program is successful, the ban on overland supersonic flights could be lifted. "We're poised on the brink of a new era in air transportation," McBride said. "We do need to go faster. There is a market for supersonic flight over land in an efficient manner that can fly without being an annoyance to everyone on the ground." NASA also is exploring ways to improve the efficiency and reduce the environmental impacts of subsonic aircraft. Engineers are experimenting with blended wings and other innovations. Smith admitted that the difficulty that Congress and the president have experienced in passing budgets has caused problems in sustaining research. "None of that is conducive to good work getting done in an efficient way," Smith said. "And we can do better. We need to get to the point where continuity actually lasts beyond just one administration, much less beyond tomorrow. And we're with you on that." Bedke said there is no time to waste in moving these programs forward. "It is inevitable that hypersonic technologies are going to happen," he said. "It is not inevitable that we are going to be the country to do it first. But we can be the country to do it first, but we're going to have to put our minds to it, and we're going to have to stop the history of fits and starts, of throwing money at a big program, achieving a wild success, and then having no follow-up. Or throwing a lot of money at too big a program, taking too giant a bite, failing miserably and then deciding hypersonics isn't going anywhere. Neither of those must be allowed to happen in the coming years." http://www.space.com/34631-hypersonic-flight-technology-united-states.html Back to Top FAA REVISES SYSTEM FOR ISSUING STUDENT PILOT CERTIFICATES STUDENT PILOTS CAN NOW RECEIVE TEMPORARY TICKET ONLINE An update of the FAA's web-based Integrated Airman Certificate and Rating Application (IACRA system should reduce the processing time involved in acquiring a student pilot certificate from two weeks to less than a week by making a temporary, printable certificate available after a short interval for security vetting. The temporary tickets will be valid for 120 days, during which time the permanent student pilot certificate should arrive. A student pilot works with his instructor. The AOPA-backed changes to IACRA that went into effect Nov. 3 also make it easier to conduct the so-called birthday solos that were restored last July after several months of unavailability. Student pilots who have not yet reached their fourteenth birthday will be able to apply for their student pilot certificate through IACRA, with an authorized individual, no earlier than 90 days before the their fourteenth birthday. Once the application is approved and vetted, IACRA will send an email notification instructing the student to log back into his or her IACRA console to print the temporary student pilot certificate. When the FAA restored the ability to solo on the student's fourteenth or sixteenth birthday-depending on the solo privileges sought-the FAA required the student to submit a paper application to receive the certificate in a timely manner. The IACRA update now in effect will allow students to apply in IACRA, but the temporary student pilot certificate will not be printable from the console or made available until the student's fourteenth birthday. "AOPA requested that the FAA make the temporary student pilot certificate available through IACRA," said Justin Barkowski, AOPA director of regulatory affairs. A rule the FAA issued last January, which took effect April 1, changed the process for obtaining a student pilot certificate by making it no longer possible to receive the ticket from an aviation medical examiner. Instead, students were required to apply through IACRA, with an authorized individual also signing the application, and wait for a permanent student pilot certificate to arrive in the mail. "After the rule took effect, AOPA received a number of member complaints about processing times, with some applicants waiting weeks for a certificate," Barkowski said. The FAA has been working to expedite the processing and mailing of permanent student pilot certificates. With the newly effective IACRA update, "the time between applying and printing a temporary certificate should not be longer than a week," he said. https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2016/november/04/faa-revises-system- for-issuing-student-pilot-certificates Back to Top LAX TO HOST AVIATION CAREER DAY FOR 700 HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WHAT: Los Angeles International Airport's (LAX) Community Relations Division will host its first LAX Aviation Career Day on November 9. Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) and Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) officials will participate in the opening ceremonies for the event designed to allow students to explore career paths in the aviation field and showcase aviation related companies that offer entry-level jobs to high school graduates. More than 700 high school students from Los Angeles and airport-area communities are scheduled to participate. Industry professionals with exhibits will include airlines, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Customs and Border Protection, cargo companies and other aviation/aerospace companies. The event will also feature a static air show with aircraft, helicopters and live demonstrations. WHO: ? Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners Vice President Valeria Velasco · Los Angeles World Airports Deputy Executive Director of External Affairs Trevor Daley · Los Angeles Unified School District Director of Secondary Instruction Dr. Derrick Chau WHEN: Wednesday, November 9, 2016 Media Check-in - 8:30 a.m. Event Hours - 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Opening Ceremony starts at 9 a.m. followed by media availability of speakers for interviews. WHERE: Flight Path Learning Center & Museum 6661 W. Imperial Highway, LA 90045 VISUALS: The event area will be set-up to resemble an air show with static airplanes and live aviation displays. Students will be interacting with exhibitors and touring aircraft on display. PARKING: Media may park in the Flight Museum parking lot. CONTACTS: LAX Aviation Career Day Coordinator Harold Johnson at (310) 210-3113 https://lasentinel.net/lax-to-host-aviation-career-day-for-700-high-school-students.html Back to Top Cuba Rule Changes Begin to Put Aviation Safety Ahead of Politics WASHINGTON - Aeronautical Repair Station Association Executive Vice President Christian A. Klein issued the following statement in response to the Obama administration's announcement that it was updating Cuba sanction rules to facilitate the maintenance of aircraft flying in and out of Cuba. The new paragraph of Sec. 515.572 of the U.S. Treasury regulations authorizes persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction "to provide civil aviation safety-related services to Cuba and Cuban nationals, wherever located, to ensure the safety of civil aviation and the safe operation of commercial aircraft." ARSA is the international trade association representing aviation maintenance and manufacturing companies. We applaud President Obama for putting aviation safety ahead of politics and moving forward with this important policy change. The new Treasury rule will allow American mechanics and U.S. companies to more easily and efficiently ensure the safe operation of aircraft flying in and out of Cuba. That's good news for the aviation maintenance industry and even better news for aircraft passengers. While this is another important step towards more commerce between the United States and Cuba, until Congress fully lifts the embargo, U.S. aviation companies remain at a disadvantage vis-à-vis those from countries that are allowed to trade freely with the island. Congress needs to reconsider the embargo in light of growing public opinion against it and the economic harm it's doing to both Cubans and Americans. ARSA is the only association devoted to the unique needs of the global civil aviation maintenance industry. It is committed to helping member companies operate more efficiently and effectively, while continuing to ensure the safety of aircraft worldwide. To learn more about the association's dedicated work on behalf of both industry stakeholders and the flying public, please visit ARSA.org. http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12270019/cuba-rule-changes-begin-to-put- aviation-safety-ahead-of-politics Back to Top Tulsa businesses offer products to help airlines deal with lithium ion battery problems Tulsa-based tech companies combat hazards of mobile power source Fire containment product from Viking The AvSax fire containment product from Viking Packing Specialist will be carried by Delta Air Lines in its international wide-body fleet. Courtesy Lithium ion batteries haven't become more dangerous in recent years. But with more and more devices being powered by the batteries - and with portable technology becoming increasing prevalent - more opportunities for problems have developed. That, at least in part, is a reason why that the potential hazards are more on the public's radar, said Kent Faith, CEO of SpectrumFX. "There's more events just based on more opportunity," Faith said, citing a 2013 Royal Aeronautical Society study that estimated as many as 500 lithium batteries would likely be aboard in a 100-seat jet, with most of them in the cabin. If one of those devices bursts into flame, Faith said, passengers can't just walk away - not at 35,000 feet. "So far the events that have happened have worked out OK," Faith said. "I'm worried about that laptop bag that catches fire in an overhead compartment, where it's not seen right away." Faith has a unique perspective on the matter. A pilot for 35 years, he currently flies with a major commercial carrier. In 2012 he started a second career by launching the Tulsa- based SpectrumFX, a company that uses its patented technology to create a suite of nontoxic fire-suppression products marketed primarily to the aviation and auto racing communities. Included in the product line is the LIFE Kit - short for Lithium Fire Extinguishing - that uses the patented biodegradable extinguishing agent Firebane to extinguish and cool lithium battery fires quickly and safely. The driver for the public's current conversation about the risks of lithium ion batteries lay in high-profile problems with Samsung's Galaxy Note 7. According to Associated Press coverage of Samsung Electronics' recent investors meeting, the South Korean company reported that there have been 140 confirmed cases of the smartphone overheating or catching fire. There have been 339 total reports of the phones overheating, with 140 of those incidents related to battery problems. On Oct. 13 Samsung issued a voluntary recall on all 2.5 million of the phones that were manufactured. The next day the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration announced an emergency order banning the devices from all flights. Another Tulsa-based company, Viking Packing Specialist, also has technology aimed at allowing airlines to safely deal with lithium-ion battery fires in flight. Viking recently announced that Delta Air Lines would be putting its new product AvSax, a yellow bag that uses patented technology to cool hot batteries and contain the majority of smoke a device might be emitting, in its international wide-body fleet. "Lithium ion technology is fabulous in that it stores energy for long periods of time and gives us these devices we love to carry around with us all the time," Viking President David Weilert said. However, that convenience comes with a major downside, he said - if something goes wrong, they can go from room temperature to 700 degrees Celsius in the blink of an eye. "They can be very volatile when not treated properly or manufactured improperly," Weilert said. The case of the Galaxy Note 7, powered by lithium ion batteries, is the most attention- grabbing technological recall as of late. But the batteries that contain the potential for rapid self-heating of battery cells and fire or explosion also power other brands of smartphones as well as other portable electronics like laptops, tablets and smartwatches. "Anything that has a battery is lithium ion technology, generally speaking, in today's world," Weilert said. Between January and mid-September of this year there were at least 23 lithium battery events involving fire, smoke, extreme heat or explosion in aircraft or airports, according to a list of such events compiled by the Federal Aviation Administration. During full-year 2015, 2014 and 2013, the report lists 16, nine and eight of the events respectively. According to the FAA, the report includes recent cargo and baggage incidents that the FAA is aware of and should not be considered as a complete listing of all such incidents. More than one-third of the listed 2016 incidents involved electronic cigarettes or vaporizers. The most recent occurred on Sept. 7 when an e-cigarette in the purse of a passenger entering the baggage claim area at Dallas Love Field exploded, burning the purse, some of its contents and charring the woman's shirt. Witnesses stated that small fiery pieces had to be extinguished by people standing waiting for their bags. Another such incident occurred on a June 10 flight from Costa Rica to Fort Lauderdale when an e-cigarette inside a passenger's backpack began to smoke. Of the remaining 2016 incidents, six involved battery chargers, four involved cell phones, two involved laptops, and one involved a tablet. One was an unspecified piece of technology. Weilert said that he believes within the next three to four months the U.S. cargo and passenger carriers that haven't already added additional tools for flight crews to deal with lithium ion fires will be doing so. http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/tulsabusiness/tulsa-businesses-offer-products-to- help-airlines-deal-with-lithium/article_35c0d380-0039-5e63-a975-674ab982cfc3.html Back to Top Stockholm airport agrees to join Preclearance, 11 other airports start negotiations Swedish officials agreed Friday to have the Stockholm airport participate in U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Preclearance program for screening travelers overseas beginning as early as 2019. In addition, 11 other airports including those in Mexico City and Rome have agreed to begin negotiations to join the program, the Department of Homeland Security announced Friday. The goal of the so-called Preclearance program is to extend security and thwart the arrival of unwelcome visitors before they reach the U.S. But the advantage for all travelers is to clear Customs before getting aboard the plane, and to avoid long lines upon arrival. The airports embarking on the process to join the program include Bogota, Colombia; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Edinburgh, Scotland; Kansai, Japan; Milan, Italy; Reykjavik, Iceland; Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo, Brazil; and Saint Martin in the Caribbean. More than 10 million travelers fly to the U.S. from those airports each year. The program already screens about 18 million travelers per year arriving from 15 airports mostly in Canada, the Caribbean and Ireland. "Preclearance allows DHS to screen individuals prior to boarding a flight, which means we are able to identify threats long before they arrive in the United States," said Jeh Johnson, secretary of homeland security. http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/2016/11/04/dhs-customs-border-protection- preclearance/93284600/ Back to Top CAK, CLE airport officials react to report on Allegiant Air difficulties SPECIAL REPORT: Allegiant Air flights four times as likely to fail as other U.S. carriers Local airport officials emphasized that passenger safety continues to be the highest priority following a Tampa Bay Times investigation into flight difficulties at Allegiant Air. The Times report found Allegiant's aircraft are four times as likely to fail during flight as those operated by other U.S. airlines. Out of at least 77 unexpected landings in 2015 for serious mechanical failures, the Times could not find a single instance that prompted enforcement action from the Federal Aviation Administration. Allegiant Air, which just arrived at the Akron-Canton Airport in the spring of 2015, recently announced that it will double its presence in Northeast Ohio - but shift all of its operations here to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport on Feb. 15. Rick McQueen, president and CEO at Akron-Canton, said no out-of-the-ordinary issues have affected Allegiant passengers at CAK. "At the Akron-Canton Airport, customer safety is our number one priority, and our airline partners take the same stance," McQueen said in a statement emailed to the Beacon Journal. "In the time that Allegiant Air has been at CAK the airline has experienced some mechanical issues that have caused delays and at times cancellations, but these are issues that have impacted all air carriers at one point or another. To our knowledge passengers from CAK have not experienced any other emergency issues while flying on Allegiant." Fred Szabo, interim director at Cleveland Hopkins, said via email that the airport "is confident that Allegiant Airlines will comply with all FAA safety regulations and that they are committed to correct any reported deficiencies. The airport will reach out to our FAA safety inspectors in order to monitor existing and future safety developments." http://www.ohio.com/business/cak-cle-airport-officials-react-to-report-on-allegiant-air- difficulties-1.725296 Back to Top Pilot charged with aircraft DUI was in the cockpit when authorities arrived A pilot who was arrested on an aircraft DUI charge Wednesday was in the cockpit doing pre-flight checks when authorities asked him to step off the plane, according to court documents. Russel J. Duszak, 38, of Salt Lake City, was arrested after police said he registered a blood alcohol level beyond South Dakota's legal limit for pilots. Duszak, of SkyWest Airlines, had been scheduled to co-pilot a Delta flight bound for Salt Lake City on Wednesday morning. Instead, he spent almost an hour that day at the Pennington County Jail. Law enforcement officers found Duszak getting ready for his flight. He was "sitting in the right front seat of the aircraft," according to a report by the airport officer who found him on the plane. "He had paperwork on his lap, doing his pre-check procedures." The plane's engine was off, and Duszak was not handling any of the aircraft's controls, said an accompanying police report filed at the Pennington County Courthouse. The airport officer asked Duzsak to return to the Rapid City Regional Airport terminal, where a police officer conducted a preliminary breath test on him. The test showed Duszak had a blood alcohol content of .046 percent, the police report said. South Dakota law prohibits anyone with an alcohol level of .04 percent or more from operating an aircraft; otherwise the person faces a class 1 misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in county jail and/or a $2,000 fine. The legal limit to drive a car is .08. An employee of the airport's Transportation and Security Administration first noticed the smell of alcohol on Duszak's breath while he was going through airport X-ray, the court documents said. TSA then notified the Rapid City Police Department. When police asked Duszak for a blood sample, the pilot said he had received advice to refuse, the police report stated. Authorities were later able to draw a sample after being granted a search warrant by a Pennington County judge. Duszak was detained at the county jail at 12:47 p.m. Wednesday and released at 1:27 p.m. after paying $300 in bail, according to jail records. The arresting officer noted that Duszak was "very polite and cordial" during their entire encounter. The pilot's blood-test results were not yet available as of Monday afternoon, said Rapid City police spokesperson Brendyn Medina. Duszak has been placed on administrative leave while SkyWest Airlines investigates the incident, a company spokesperson said after his arrest. Duszak has no attorney on record at the Pennington County Courthouse who could answer questions on his behalf. http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/pilot-charged-with-aircraft-dui-was-in-the-cockpit- when/article_d66d1ea9-a02c-54fb-b05e-4e1439ba3898.html Back to Top Tigerair changes aircraft twice for flight, causing 5-hour delay for 150 passengers at Changi Airport A Tigerair plane taking off. SINGAPORE - Passengers on a Tigerair flight bound for Bangkok were forced to switch aircraft twice at Changi Airport, causing a five-hour delay on Monday (Nov 7) morning, reported Chinese newspaper Shin Min Daily News. The flight, which was carrying 150 passengers, was scheduled for take-off at 7am. But after the aircraft left Terminal 2, the pilots discovered a fault in the braking system. Passengers were asked to disembark from the plane to board another aircraft at the same terminal. However, their ordeal was not over as the substitute aircraft had a "slow engine start", according to a Tigerair spokesman. Passengers then boarded a second substitute aircraft. After five hours of delay, the Tigerair flight took off at noon. According to the spokesman, 16 passengers did not continue with the flight and will be refunded. Passengers were also provided with refreshments during the delay. "Safety is of utmost importance to Tigerair and we will spare no effort to ensure the safety of our passengers," said Tigerair in a statement. The incident comes two days after a bird struck the windscreen of another Tigerair flight, causing cracks to appear. The flight, which had departed Hong Kong International Airport for Singapore, was forced to divert back shortly after take-off. The plane landed safely back at the airport, with no reported injuries to anyone onboard. Some of the passengers were scheduled for a later flight that day, while others had to wait f or the next flight on Sunday. http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/tigerair-flight-changes-aircraft-twice- causing-5-hour-delay-for-150-passengers Back to Top Chinese airlines lure Western business travellers with new offerings First class on board a China Southern Airbus A380. Riding an overseas tourism boom, China's airlines are sprucing up services on gleaming new jets to fresh destinations with the bold aim of cracking a lucrative passenger market dominated by established rivals - Western business travellers. At Airshow China this week, the country's largest air expo, flag carrier Air China showed off virtual reality goggles for long-haul business class customers. Fast-growing Hainan Airlines has unveiled menus by Michelin-star chefs, joining bigger players like China Eastern and China Southern in touting new offerings. China already accounts for a quarter of all business travel spending, according to a Global Business Travel Association report this week, up from 5 per cent in 2000. But much of that is domestic: as they expand economy service abroad - and rates of growth ease at home - mainland carriers are preparing to do battle for the highest-margin travellers. Business Class, China Southern Airbus A330. Standing in their way are established Asia business travel heavyweights like Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines and Qantas. To succeed, Chinese airlines will need to shrug off historical doubts about safety records, and in some cases lure customers away from prized air miles schemes. "The work required to create growth is exhausting, that has not left much bandwidth to focus on strategic growth, like improving corporate and premium," said Will Horton, a Hong Kong-based senior analyst for aviation consultancy CAPA. But the push is definitely there. Why leave money behind?" The logic for pursuing business travel growth is clear. On flights between the South Pacific and Asia, according to data from the International Air Transport Association, premium passengers account for 8 per cent of travellers but generate close to a third of revenue. As the volume of Chinese air travellers grow, weekly non-stop flights between Australia and mainland China alone have grown by 18 per cent to 114 over the last 12 months, according to data from CAPA. Each business class seat filled on those routes would give a handsome boost to revenue. SAFETY, SERVICE HURDLES As Chinese carriers move to market their premium services in advertising in places like Australia, they face having to persuade Western customers that their customer service and amenities match standards elsewhere. Overcoming safety concerns - despite a strong recent record - and loyalty schemes remains the tallest hurdle, frequent fliers say. "I don't know the Chinese safety record, but anecdotally you feel safer on Cathay," said Mike Young, managing director of Perth-based mining firm Vimy Resources, who regularly travels to mainland China in business class. But after a spate of crashes in the 1990s, airlines have revamped and invested heavily, spending billions of dollars in recent years on buying new planes, led by China Southern which took delivery of its 700th aircraft in September. The carrier is currently the fourth largest in the world by fleet size, according to China Aviation Daily. There has not been a fatal crash involving a Chinese airline since a China Eastern domestic flight crashed shortly after take-off in 2004. "(Wary flyers) have a perception that is based on the past 30 years," said Louis Lu, Managing Director Australia and New Zealand at Guangzhou-based China Southern. "But just like China's economy, a lot has changed in the past 30 years. We have a brand new and young fleet and it is all Boeing and Airbus models...Safety is definitely not a problem." Assuming the Chinese carriers convince on safety, they will still need to meet service requirements. "You can spend money on brand new aircraft with decent business class seats, such as China Southern's (Airbus) A380," said David Flynn, editor of independent travel website Australian Business Traveller. "But when your flagship business lounge is little better than a domestic Qantas lounge, or your crew serve soft drinks warm and red wine chilled, you are going to struggle to win over any Western business travellers." http://www.traveller.com.au/chinese-airlines-lure-western-business-travellers-with-new- offerings-gsjgtb#ixzz4PJywEFtT Back to Top Passenger plane forced to abort landing after receiving hoax radio call at Melbourne Airport There were 15 unauthorised transmissions, the ABC understands. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has launched an investigation after someone made hoax calls to pilots, causing a passenger flight to abort landing as it approached Melbourne Airport. Key points: * The passenger plane was about 80 metres from the runway when it pulled upPolice are yet to make any arrests in relation to the hoax calls The ABC understands the person was able to communicate with planes and control towers The incident occurred shortly after 5:00pm on October 27, when Virgin Australia flight 740, en route from the Gold Coast to Melbourne, changed its altitude and course under the instruction of the unauthorised person transmitting from an unknown location. The ABC understands that 15 unauthorised transmissions occurred over a two-week period. Calls were received by both aircraft and Melbourne Air Traffic Services Centre. It is believed the person found a way to tap into the air traffic control frequency and communicate directly with planes and control towers. Police are yet to make any arrests in relation to the incidents. Flight data from FlightRadar24 shows the plane came within 275 feet of the runway at 5:19pm as it approached Tullamarine Airport. Three minutes later, online records show the plane climbed to 3,800 feet and started circling over north-west Melbourne. Later that evening, the hoax caller impersonated the pilot of a light aircraft. He issued a mayday call and pretended to be experiencing engine trouble. Media player: "Space" to play, "M" to mute, "left" and "right" to seek. The ABC has obtained audio from the Melbourne tower radio transmission where air traffic control personnel can be heard scrambling to assess the mayday call. The air traffic controller initially struggles to hear the position reference given before sighting the light aircraft which the unauthorised individual is pretending to pilot. "I can see you there now. Roger your mayday. Could you please advise what your situation is," the air traffic control operator asks. "Engine failure," the hoax caller replies. "Descending passing through 4500." Do you know more about this story? Email investigations@abc.net.au Twenty seconds later, the air traffic control personnel transmit an announcement for pilots to ignore the transmission which they have determined to be malicious. The ABC understands further malicious radio calls were made after these events on frequencies that the ABC has been unable to access. Inquiries were first made by the ABC after receiving a tip from an Airservices source who said "the engineers who used to manage technical issues aren't around to provide advice or assist" air traffic controllers when these disturbing incidents occurred. Hoax calls very rare but 'a huge concern' The Virgin Independent Pilot Association (VIPA) has confirmed that it received concerns from its members about the incident and has passed these concerns onto Airservices Australia and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. "It's a huge concern. Flight safety is a paramount concern to everyone and if there's an unauthorised person making illegal transmissions around an airport that could create confusion and subsequently a safety incident," said VIPA's President John Lyons. Mr Lyons said while hoax calls to pilots in Australia happen were very rare, this matter needed to be treated very seriously. "I mean if an aircraft is instructed to 'go round', if a pilot hears the instruction, he has no choice but to follow that instruction," he said. "The aircraft would be fully configured in its landing configuration from about 1,500 feet, and at 270 odd feet it would have received clearance to land from the legitimate controller." "It's very unusual to be given a 'go around' instruction at such a late point." An Airservices Australia spokeswoman told the ABC "the matter is being investigated and it would not be appropriate to comment further". After the malicious calls began, authorities notified all affected airlines, pilots and air traffic controllers that hoax caller was still at large and instructions were given to ignore his instructions. Airservices Australia, the Government-owned organisation responsible for aviation traffic at major airports, is currently in the process of laying off 900 workers. Over 500 positions have been made redundant to date. Virgin Australia declined to comment. Police seek public's help to catch hoax caller The AFP has issued a call for public help for any information that will result in the identification and arrest of the person responsible. An AFP spokesperson said there is no current threat to the safety and security of the travelling public as a result of these unlawful radio transmissions in the Melbourne area and that travellers do not need to change their plans. "The AFP, Airservices, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and the aviation industry are all committed to ensuring the safety of the travelling public and we are treating this matter extremely seriously," acting Assistant Commissioner Chris Sheehan said. "These incidents are being thoroughly investigated by the AFP, with technical support from the ACMA. "The airlines have been briefed to ensure the advice has been passed on to their pilots and to ensure appropriate measures are in place." http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-11-07/afp-investigating-hoax-calls-made-to- passenger-plane/7995502 Back to Top Mumbai airports unsafe; Aviation report NEW DELHI: Do passengers taking a flight to Mumbai have reasons to worry? The senior officer heading aviation safety in the Aviation Authority of India (AAI) has declared India's second busiest airport, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSIA), Mumbai, and its adjoining Juhu airport "unsafe for operations". The report by S Mangala, DGM (Aviation Safety) of Western Region, AAI, titled 'Report on Aviation Safety' dated October 18, states, "As the designated safety manager, I hereby recommend the temporary closure of at least runway 9/27 of CSIA, Mumbai. There is a complete breakdown in safety standards at CSIA and Juhu airports and it has rendered operations at both these airports to unsafe levels." The Mumbai international airport is operated by a private developer, GVK-run Mumbai International Airports Private Limited. The AAI report points out: "The encroachment of airspace by the buildings around the airports is cancer spreading across Indian airports, but it has brought aviation safety to critical limits in Mumbai." Mangala's observations come ahead of a visit by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) - the international body that governs civil aviation norms worldwide - to India in March next year to assess concerns over the country's poor air-safety record. Citing safety oversights, the US Federal Aviation Administration downgraded India's civil aviation sector in 2014. A year earlier, the ICAO audited India's civil aviation sector and discovered severe safety lapses. Of the 196 countries in the world, 177 - including India - are members of the body. The report also alleges that collusion by senior bureaucrats and aviation officials has endangered air safety. "There is involvement of top officials of MIAPL, AAI, DGCA (civil aviation regulator) and MoCA (Ministry of Civil Aviation) in compromising aviation safety and therefore I recommend that the mitigation measures recommended in this report be undertaken under the supervision of ICAO," the report said. It further added, "... the decision of keeping my office in the dark on safety issues has been taken at the highest levels. The functioning of aviation safety office of the western region has been disabled in violation of national and international regulations. The real condition of aviation safety could be far worse than what I have reported." India witnessed over 25 near-miss incidents between April 2015 and March 2016 involving commercial aircraft, according to DGCA. A DGCA official said the high rate of air incidents was reported from eight airports, which include Mumbai and Chennai, and some incidents may have gone unreported. The report further added, "The unwillingness of the authorities to act in accordance with air regulations could be catastrophic in case of any eventuality because the number of ground casualties could be far more than that of passengers and crew put together." CSIA, India's second busiest airport, has one main runway and three other secondary runways. Slums occupy around one-third of the airport land. Protected by powerful political interests, encroachers refuse to move out. Chennai-based aviation expert Mohan Ranganathan, a former member of the Civil Aviation Safety Advisory Council (2010-13) constituted by the MoCA highlighted 112 encroachments on Runway 27 of CSIA. The Mumbai High Court ordered their demolition, but it has not been carried out yet. http://www.newindianexpress.com/thesundaystandard/2016/nov/05/mumbai-airports- unsafe-aviation-report-1535378.html Back to Top Pilot Shortage Prompts Regional Airlines to Boost Starting Wages Wave of retirements at major carriers, lengthier training are factors squeezing the industry Regional carriers like United Express are vital to the U.S. travel network. Regional airlines that feed the nation's biggest carriers are boosting starting wages to fight a pilot shortage, hoping to encourage aspiring aviators to endure what has become lengthier training. Regional carriers are vital to the U.S. travel network, operating 44% of passenger flights in 2015 and providing the only flights to 65% of U.S. airports with scheduled service. They typically supply their own crews and planes, while big airlines set schedules, sell tickets and buy the fuel. New wage scales introduced in recent months increase pay for some of their first-year aviators from around $20,000 to upward of $50,000 including bonuses, per-diem payments and training stipends. "The marketplace for pilots is pretty tight right now," said Capt. Tim Canoll, president of the largest pilot union, Air Line Pilots Association. "What we're seeing is the operation of supply and demand economics." Pilots have long accepted what they call "food-stamp wages" for a foothold in a passion- driven industry and a shot at six-figure salaries at major carriers later in their careers. Often loaded with debt, new pilots make do while they wait to ascend the pay scale, hoping to quickly upgrade to captain, a rank that confers higher wages, even at regional carriers. Congress put a kink in the supply chain in 2013 with a law mandating that most aspiring pilots fly 1,500 hours before being hired by a regional carrier, up from as few as 250 hours. That added years and tens of thousands of dollars to the investment pilots must make in training and working as flight instructors before moving up to fly commercial airliners. The pilot rosters of major airlines are also being squeezed by a wave of retirements as aviators turn 65, spurring larger carriers to more aggressively recruit among regional partners. The bottleneck will leave the U.S. with a deficit of nearly 14,500 pilots in the next decade, according to the University of North Dakota, home to a premier aviation program. "I wouldn't say we can go out and hire as many pilots as we want," said Ryan Gumm, chief executive of Endeavor Air, a wholly owned regional unit of Delta Air Lines Inc. Last year Endeavor raised its starting wage to $30 an hour from $25. It now offers a $20,000 annual retention reward, boosting it to $23,000 annually thereafter. Some regional carriers were so short on pilots they weren't able to fulfill schedules set by their major airline clients, leading to litigation. One, Republic Airways Holdings Inc., is reorganizing in bankruptcy. Carriers have pulled out of some marginal routes, cutting off access to smaller cities. ExpressJet Airlines, a unit of SkyWest Inc., in February raised its starting pilots' pay to as much as $40 an hour from a ceiling of $27. The company also raised the number of guaranteed monthly hours a pilot will be paid by 10 to 75. ExpressJet said it has attracted more candidates since compensation rose. In September, three regional carriers wholly owned by American Airlines Group Inc. temporarily raised first-year pilots' hourly pay. Subsidiary carriers often find it easier to do so because parent companies help cover costs, and don't expect their regional units to build profit margins into their contracts. The more numerous independents don't have that luxury or formal arrangements for their pilots to be promoted into major carriers. Jonathan Ornstein, chief executive of Mesa Airlines Inc., keeps overhead low and hustles for added work in order to quicken the promotions of first officers to captain, which raises pay more quickly and is a recruitment lure to new pilots. Jeff Mabry joined American's subsidiary PSA Airlines in 2015 after six years amassing the necessary 1,500 hours of experience. He earned about $22,000 annually. Now that PSA has raised hourly pay to $38.50 and offered a $20,000 retention bonus, Mr. Mabry said it's "a great feeling to finally be paid a comfortable living." Based in Charlotte, N.C., the 26-year-old jet pilot doesn't think airlines will be in a position to backtrack on higher pay anytime soon. "By 2018, it will probably be even more competitive to attract qualified pilots," he said. http://www.wsj.com/articles/pilot-shortage-prompts-regional-airlines-to-boost-starting- wages-1478473042 Back to Top $73 million Bombardier jet makes first flight SEATTLE (CNNMoney) - Bombardier completed the first test flight of its new Global 7000 business jet Friday, in a move aimed at breathing new life into sagging demand for private aircraft. The plane and train maker said its prototype flew for 2 hours and 27 minutes from its factory near Toronto. The aircraft reached a speed of 240 knots or about 276 miles per hour and an altitude of 20,000 feet as pilots tested the jet's controls. The Global 7000 boasts a 54-feet 7-inch long cabin, which is meant to appeal to private buyers seeking the most opulent flying experience. It is the largest and longest range business jet designed by the Canadian plane maker. When it begins flying in the second half of 2018, it will cruise as high as 51,000 feet and dash at 92.5% of the speed of sound and seat up to 17. Each one costs $72.8 million. Bombardier says the jet will fly as far as 7,400 nautical miles at a slower speed in a single stretch with eight passengers and four crew aboard. That's enough to connect New York with Shanghai or London with Buenos Aires, and it's as far as a much-larger Boeing or Airbus airliner can fly with 300 passengers. The current-generation of Global jets that Bombardier makes is the company's single biggest revenue generator for its aerospace division. However, production in its factories and at its rivals have been falling amid political and economic woes in Russia, China, the Middle East and South America. Bombardier hopes the Global 7000 will stimulate demand and represent a cash-cow for the plane maker. Bombardier, U.S. rival Gulfstream and France's Dassault are fighting for well-heeled buyers of the biggest business jets. Dassault delivered its first Falcon 8X last month and Savannah, Georgia-based Gulfstream has been pumping out its G650 since 2012. That model and an extended range sibling can fly 7,500 nautical miles non-stop. Both compete with Bombardier's Global. http://www.wfmz.com/news/73-million-bombardier-jet-makes-first-flight/144175142 Back to Top Back to Top Position Available: Subject Matter Expert (SME) in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Utah Valley University (UVU) is seeking a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) to assist in the development of a Certificate of Proficiency in UAS, an 18 credit hour proposed university program. This is a contract UAS SME position in which part of the requirements may be performed from any location in the United States. Flight operations development will require location and development in Utah. SME develops and reviews course material along with the Instructional Designer to ensure an effective and compliant course design; SME provides UVU input to a development team to ensure courses are meeting educational specific objectives and outcomes; and prepares students for employment. Course topics requiring development include Survey of Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Aeronautical Knowledge for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Systems and Technology of Unmanned Aircraft, Small Unmanned Aircraft Operations, Safety and Crew Resource Management for UAS, Unmanned Aircraft Systems Ethics and Professionalism, and Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Flight. For information, details and application, please go to: https://www.uvu.jobs/postings/24518 Curt Lewis