Flight Safety Information December 13, 2016 - No. 247 In This Issue FAA closes in on Next Gen Data Comms EASA proposes new rules after Germanwings deliberate crash Two planes skid off icy airport runway in western China, airline staff removed Plane Bound for Germany Is Diverted to Kennedy Airport After Bomb Threat Pillsbury: Global, Top-Ranked, Non-Stop Service EU decides to continue ban on Nepali airlines ELECTRIC AEROBATIC AIRPLANE SETS CLIMB RECORD ICAO to African govts: address air safety Pakistan International Airlines chairman resigns days after plane crash Aircraft crashes put pilots on edge, says Alan Beck (New Zealand) Space travelling passenger jet could make London to New York in two hours Trump Lambastes $1 Trillion F-35 Jet On Twitter Trump tweet about Pratt & Whitney jet could affect jobs Global Aerospace Announces the 2017 SM4 Aviation Safety Program Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship SpaceX officially delays first crewed flight of its Dragon capsule for NASA Graduate Research Survey FAA closes in on Next Gen Data Comms The Federal Aviation Administration is closing in on its Next Generation air traffic control program's goal of getting text communications capabilities deployed to over 50 air traffic control towers by the end of 2016. The Data Comms portion of the "Next Gen" air traffic control allows tower controllers to communicate directly with airplane pilots without having to make individual voice radio calls to each aircraft in the area. With 54 of 56 planned airports now equipped with Data Comms capabilities, the FAA is close to its goal of having the rollout completed by the end of 2016. It said on Dec. 9 capabilities at Chicago O'Hare and Midway were online. The two remaining airports, in Milwaukee and San Juan, "will be operational within days," an FAA spokeswoman told FCW. The Data Comms capabilities allow towers to send text messages to flight crews, which can cut through the sometimes dense voice radio communications between the two. Inside the airport tower with the Data Comms capabilities, controllers enter flight departure clearance instructions into a computer and push a button to electronically send information to an aircraft's flight deck. On board the aircraft, flight crews see text, press a button to confirm receipt, and press another button to enter the instructions into the aircraft's flight management system. The process is more efficient than verbally passing along "waypoint" markers an aircraft plans to use along its route, which can be crucial in clearing the vehicle's path. FAA officials said that even one mistake, or "readback/hearback error," can delay needed navigation on and near the runway and impact other aircraft. Prototype Data Comm equipment provided tower departure clearances during trials at Memphis and Newark that ended last January, according to the agency. Between 60 and 80 flights per day used Data Comm at during those tests, enabling the FAA to gather operational information to improve the final system, said the agency. Next Gen is a multi-billion-dollar, decade-plus modernization project that has at times drawn criticism for delays and poor planning, but the Data Comm initiative has moved quickly. It was given the green light in 2014, and the FAA said it is completing the project two years ahead of schedule. https://fcw.com/articles/2016/12/12/rockwell-faa-next-gen.aspx Back to Top EASA proposes new rules after Germanwings deliberate crash The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has proposed a new set of flight crew mental health rules, formed following lessons learned after a Germanwings Airbus A320- en route from Barcelona to Düsseldorf-was deliberately flown into the French Alps March 24, 2015, killing all 150 people aboard. Investigations revealed that co-pilot Andreas Lubitz, alone on the flight deck, switched the selected altitude from 38,000 ft. to 100 ft.-the minimum value possible on an Airbus A320-and increased the speed of the aircraft, setting in motion an intentional fatal descent into the French Alps. EASA describes the proposal as "new operational rules to better support pilot mental fitness." Specifically, the body is proposing that flight crew should undergo a mandatory psychological assessment before being hired, as well as systematic drug and alcohol testing upon employment. This substance testing would also be used in the event of a serious accident or incident, with "reasonable suspicion," and randomized after the crew member returns to work. The new requirements also propose that all flight crew should have access to a support program. "The proposed rules have been subject to consultation with all stakeholders concerned. As part of a total system approach, they complement the proposals EASA issued in August of this year, on the update of medical requirements for pilots (Part-MED)," EASA said. This latest development takes the form of an official "opinion" that will be fed into the European rule-making process during 2017. http://atwonline.com/safety/easa-proposes-new-rules-after-germanwings-deliberate- crash Back to Top Two planes skid off icy airport runway in western China, airline staff removed No one was hurt in the incidents that occurred 40 minutes apart, but a Shanghai Airlines manager lost his job Two passenger planes skidded off an icy runway just before take-off at an airport in western China on Tuesday. No one was hurt in the two separate incidents at Urumqi Diwobao International Airport in Urumqi, Xinjiang, China News Service reported. Passenger injured after Chinese airport shuttle bus nearly crashes into parked plane: report The first incident occurred at 9.33am, when Shanghai Airlines' flight FM9220 bound for Shanghai veered off the runway while making a turn. Photos shared on Chinese social media showed damage to the ground after the first incident. Photo: Weibo About forty minutes later, Shenzhen Airlines' flight ZH9240 bound for Shenzhen slid off the taxiway. Shenzhen Airlines is a subsidiary of China Southern Airlines. The civil aviation authority's Urumqi branch said no one was injured in either accident and both planes also did not suffer damage. Airport operations were briefly affected. China's airports to 'scrap boarding pass on domestic flights as early as next year' After the first incident, Shanghai Airlines removed the company's flight division manager from his post and urged employees to strengthen safety awareness, Xinhua news agency reported. The airport is investigating the incidents. http://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2054254/two-planes-skid-icy-airport- runway-western-china-airline-staff Back to Top Plane Bound for Germany Is Diverted to Kennedy Airport After Bomb Threat A plane bound for Germany was diverted to Kennedy International Airport on Monday as the authorities investigated a bomb threat called in about the flight. Officials evacuated about 500 passengers from Lufthansa Flight 441, which was headed from Houston to Frankfurt before it landed at Kennedy just after 8:30 p.m. "They're searching the plane from top to bottom," said Steve Coleman, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The flight was canceled, Mr. Coleman said. The plane was diverted after a bomb threat was called in to a Lufthansa office, Mr. Coleman said. It was moved to a remote area of the airport for a search, and the evacuation did not disrupt activities or other flights at the airport, he said. In a statement, Lufthansa said the flight "was diverted to J.F.K. as a matter of precaution and in coordination with the relevant authorities and the pilot." The passengers were taken to a terminal while the aircraft was searched, the airline said. "The safety and security of our passengers, crew and aircraft are always our highest priority," Lufthansa said. The threat was being investigated by the Port Authority Police Department Emergency Services Unit and the New York Police Department Bomb Squad, Mr. Coleman said. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/12/nyregion/plane-bound-for-germany-is-diverted-to- kennedy-airport-after-bomb-threat.html?_r=0 Back to Top Back to Top EU decides to continue ban on Nepali airlines KATHMANDU, Dec 13: A three-year effort made by Nepal to delist itself from a European Union (EU) blacklist has been in vain. The EU has decided to continue its ban on Nepali airlines through a recent update in the EU Air Safety List. The decision means Nepali airlines cannot fly to EU member-countries. The fresh updated on the Air Safety List is based on the unanimous opinion of the safety experts from the EU member states who met from 22 to 24 November within the EU Air Safety Committee (ASC), EU said in a statement. European Union has said that the airlines companies, which are blacklisted, have been unable to respect the standard of International Aviation Security and Civil Aviation Authority has not been able to make airlines companies to follow the International aviation security law. The main aim is to provide top security to European people in any place and for that aviation security is the most, EU has said. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) had claimed that it would be able to get out from the blacklist this year, stating that it had received a letter which says that Nepal has made progress on aviation security. The EU put a ban on Nepali airlines from flying in its airspace on December 5, 2013. It has also requested Europeans not to travel in aircraft registered in Nepal. Nepali aviation experts have been maintaining that the EU ban came in response to Nepal's decision to provide type certification to Modern Ark-60 aircraft made in China. European and American countries are yet to provide type certification to the MA-60 series aircraft. Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has been flying one MA-60 aircraft. It is set to get another MA-60 aircraft within few months. CAAN had sent required documents to EU in September 11, 2014 to delist itself from the blacklist. The aviation regulator had also hired Mitchell Beland, an expert with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for one year, as part of its plan to remove Nepal from the backlist. Earlier on November 19, CAAN officials had responded to questions related to air safety situation in Nepal and the MA-6- aircraft raised by members of EU Air Safety Committee. Likewise, a six-member team of EU had visited Nepal for a week from February 1, 2014 to conduct onsite observation and study safety management system of six airlines -- Nepal Airlines Company, Buddha Air, Yeti Airlines, Tara Air, Sita Air and Shree Airlines. Along with Nepal, airline companies of Afghanistan, Angola, Benin, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gabon, Indonesia, Liberia, Libya, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone and Sudan are also in the blacklist. Likewise, airlines of Iran, Iran, Suriname, Gabon, South Korea, and Angola have also been blacklisted by the European Union. http://www.myrepublica.com/news/11030 Back to Top ELECTRIC AEROBATIC AIRPLANE SETS CLIMB RECORD WALTER EXTRA USES SIEMENS MOTOR Walter Extra, in addition to his feats of designing the famous line of Extra aerobatic aircraft and performing as a concert pianist, now has a time-to-climb record from Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) in an electrically powered Extra 330LE. Walter Extra, the famous aerobatic pilot behind the Extra series of aerobatic planes, has set a FAI world record in the new field of electric-powered planes. Photo courtesy of www.siemens.com/press. Walter Extra, the famous aerobatic pilot behind the Extra series of aerobatic planes, has set a FAI world record in the new field of electric-powered planes. Photo courtesy of www.siemens.com/press. In the air and without engine noise the experience is "almost silent," Extra said in a press release. Launching from Schwarze Heide Airport near Dinslaken, Germany, on Nov. 25, he flew a battery-powered airplane to 9,842 feet (3,000 meters) in 4 minutes and 22 seconds. The record was certified on Dec. 6 in a class of aircraft weighing 1,100 pounds (500 kilograms) to 2,200 pounds (1,000 kilograms). The aircraft, first flown only six months earlier, used a new electric motor from Siemens. The motor was announced in Munich in March 2015. "This day will change aviation," Frank Anton, head of eAircraft at Siemens, said at the time of the first flight. "This is the first time that an electric aircraft in the quarter- megawatt performance class has flown." The aircraft climbed at an average of more than 2,200 feet per minute. Photo courtesy of www.siemens.com/press. Siemens developed a new type of electric motor that weighs only 110 pounds but delivers a continuous output of 260 kilowatts (348 horsepower) to power the Extra aerobatic airplane. That is five times more than previous comparable systems, the company claimed in a press release. The companies claimed that an electric-powered future for some aircraft is now possible, a claim heard many times in the past. A press release issued by the companies said a 100-passenger short-haul aircraft on 600-mile routes is now possible "by 2030." Siemens said the company joined with Extra Flugzeugbau because aerobatic airplanes are "particularly well suited" to taking components to their limit, "testing them and enhancing their design." https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2016/december/07/electric-aerobatic- airplane-sets-climb-record Back to Top ICAO to African govts: address air safety Photo of Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu of Nigeria THE International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has urged member-states in Africa to take safety seriously. Its President, Dr Bernard Aliu, said safety has become imperative for African countries because of its effect on global air transport. He said failure of member-states to tackle the challenge would attract global intervention, noting that Africa's high accident rate has assumed disturbing dimensions that ICAO had to design an initiative: "No country is left", to step up safety oversight responsibilities. He said: "Judging by previous reports, Africa used to have high air accident rates. Since last year, the accident rate is witnessing a decline in Africa. Though there a few air crashes, they were not fatal. "This is the result of the work ICAO is doing with our member- states in Africa and with the industry to address the aviation safety challenges to enhance aviation safety oversight on the continent . "This is under the No Country Left Behind initiative." He said there was no going back on the initiative as ICAO was offering technical assistance to member-states to meet standards. Aliu said 14 countries had received acknowledgement from ICAO Assembly on the progress of the initiative. The next level of engagement, according to the ICAO Council President, is how to support member-states in developing and modernising infrastructure in the next 15 years. He said: "This has brought international civil aviation very close to our member states particularly in assisting to set the right safety standards. "The 'No country left behind Initiative' has expanded our responsibility to cover capacity building, technical assistance to our member- states to meet those standards. Not only are we setting the standards, we also helping to achieve it. "Now we offering assistance to them to meet those requirements, and many of the developing states have been very appreciative of this. "This is the job that is done keenly by ICAO to foster collaboration and encourage relationship between the states to work bilaterally to support each other and with other multilateral organisations to address this.'' He said the issue of regulation and infrastructure remains critical for member states as one of the steps to improve safety standards. Aliu said: "The next level of engagement will cover not only regulatory issues but how to support our member-states in develop aviation infrastructure and modernisation that is required over the next 15 years. "In the next three years there will be a lot of focus on aviation infrastructure development to assist our member states, whether it is for the airport, for air navigational services, capacity building, to enhance regulatory oversight capacity in the states. "We will assist to provide them more training to meet the dynamic changes in technology." He said: "We will be working with our member states to develop the monitoring review and verification mechanism. We have been working with our member states to establish registries to enhance that system. "This is something new. It means the states, ICAO have to establish registries. A lot of infrastructural requirement for this. "Even in this regard, ICAO has been working closely with the African Union address these issues. You may be aware that we have specific programmes tailored to assist African states." He said ICAO would continue to pursue the comprehensive implementation plan for air safety in Africa to assist member-states. Aliu said: "We have the AFI Comprehensive Implementation Plan for Aviation Safety in Africa to assist all Africa member states to enhance the level of safety. "We have a similar programme to address the issue of aviation security and facilitation, which has been adopted at the level of African Union. " I have also established at the level of ICAO the human resources development fund to assist African states to improve on their workforce to prepare the necessary competencies to work in the industry. "Currently, we are in discussion with African Union to expand the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) to cover aviation. "We know the situation in Africa to remedy the situation. I have the fore-knowledge of this before because I have been closely involved with that, before becoming the President of the Council.'' He said ICAO is working with member-states to facilitate closer air link within Africa to eliminate constraints that militate against air liberation. Aliu continued: "Aviation intra-connectivity in Africa can do better. At a personal level, it is a difficult subject for me to discuss, because I was one of those who negotiated the Yamoussoukro Decision for Africa in the 90s. "Unfortunately, that very important liberalisation document has not been fully implemented. And it was aimed to liberalise the movement of people in Africa. Although there are some constraints, a very difficult visa regimes, tax regimes that make movement of people to be difficult "They should open up their market for movement among African states through the removal of barriers to free movement of goods and services and people. It will become very attractive to Low Cost Carriers and it will bring the cost of air travel down to the level of average income earners. "And there is a growing middle-class market in Africa that is waiting to be tapped. Connectivity with the rest of the world is not possible without aviation. I am aware that the African Union is working on this, to create a single air transport market in Africa by 2017." http://thenationonlineng.net/icao-african-govts-address-air-safety/ Back to Top Pakistan International Airlines chairman resigns days after plane crash Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Chairman Mohammad Azam Saigol speaks to the media at Benazir Bhutto International Airport, following a PIA plane crash in northern Pakistan, in this still frame taken from video December 7, 2016. REUTERS/ via REUTERS TV Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Chairman Azam Saigol has resigned from his post citing personal reasons, the company's spokesman said on Tuesday, less than a week after a PIA plane crashed and all 47 people on board were killed. Officials say the aircraft suffered engine problems soon after take off from the mountainous region of Chitral last Wednesday, but it is not clear what caused the crash about 50 km (31 miles) from the capital, Islamabad, its destination. "Yes, the chairman of PIA has resigned due to personal reasons," Danyal Gilani, spokesman for PIA, told Reuters. Citing sources, Pakistani English-language newspaper The News, said Saigol had come under pressure to resign in the wake of the crash. The media focus in Pakistan following the crash has fallen on PIA's safety record, but the loss-making state carrier has vehemently denied media reports that there was a fault with the aircraft before the takeoff. On Monday, PIA grounded its fleet of 10 European-made ATR planes after Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority decided to conduct "shakedown tests" of the carrier's entire ATR fleet. Officials say the crashed ATR-42 aircraft, built in 2007, had racked up 18,739 flight hours since joining PIA's fleet that year and the plane's captain, Saleh Janjua, had logged more than 12,000 flight hours over his career. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-pakistan-pia-idUSKBN1420EF Back to Top Aircraft crashes put pilots on edge, says Alan Beck (New Zealand) New Zealand Agricultural Aviation Association chairman Alan Beck says agricultural pilots are on edge after this week's ... Sue O'Dowd/Fairfax NZ New Zealand Agricultural Aviation Association chairman Alan Beck says agricultural pilots are on edge after this week's fatal topdressing plane crash. The deaths of four men in aircraft accidents in the last six weeks has put the country's agricultural pilots on edge, says an aviation leader. Eltham helicopter pilot Alan Beck is the chairman of the New Zealand Agricultural Aviation Association (NZ AAA) which has been running the Down to the Wire campaign since 2013. A Farmers Air pilot and his loader driver died after the topdressing plane they were in hit high-voltage power lines north of Wairoa on Monday. Six weeks earlier, two men died after their Robinson R44 helicopter crashed when they were undertaking a survey flight in Northland's Glenbervie Forest. Beck said Monday's accident was a graphic illustration of the danger wires posed to pilots. It seemed obvious that for whatever reason pilot George Anderson had not seen the high tension wires his aircraft struck. "We know that a moment's distraction can cause a collision with an unseen wire," he said. The tragedy of the accident was heightened because it had happened so close to Christmas. "It's put everyone on edge. And it heightens everyone's awareness of the danger of wires." The wire-strike fatality was distressing to New Zealand's small, close-knit agricultural aviation sector which comprised about 100 fixed wing pilots and 300 helicopter pilots. "If it can happen to an experienced crew like that, it can happen to anyone," he said, even as he noted flying topdressing aircraft at low levels was always risky. Beck said Gisborne-based Farmers Air had an exemplary safety record. Managing director Andrew Hogarth, who had purchased the company only this year after being employed there as a pilot for many years, had just been nominated by his peers as the new NZ AAA chairman. The two accidents occurred just as the agricultural aviation sector was taking pride in its falling accident rate, which in four years had dropped to four for every 100,000 hours of flying from 10/100,000 hours. Beck attributed the lower accident statistics to a culture change led by NZ AAA which had introduced a number of safety initiatives, including Down to the Wire. The campaign promotes the removal of overhead electric fence feeder wires spanning open spaces and valleys, wires hanging from poles on top of ridge lines and unused telephone lines, power lines, and television and radio aerials. It was not focusing on transmission lines or on power lines because they were a necessity, he said. http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/87502377/aircraft-crashes-put-pilots-on-edge- says-alan-beck Back to Top Space travelling passenger jet could make London to New York in two hours A brief trip into space would give passengers a view of the stars and the curvature of the earth A newly designed hypersonic jet could take passengers from London to New York in as little as two hours. The Paradoxal would make the trip in record time thanks to a short trip into suborbital space. A brief trip into space would give passengers a view of the stars and the curvature of the earth and even provide a minute of weightlessness. Passengers would sit in a large, theatre-like cabin, with galleys and baggage stored at the back of the compartment. The Paradoxal would make the trip in record time thanks to a short trip into suborbital space (Paradoxal/Imaginative) "Gone are the days of tube-and-wing planes with their long rows of cramped seats," the plane's designer, Juan Garcia Mansilla said in a statement. The conceptual design was published on Imaginactive, which provides a platform for vehicle designers to share their ideas. The Paradoxal uses a Rotary Ramjet engine which converts into a rocket to reach a suborbital altitude, Mr Mansilla explained. Passengers would sit in a large, theatre-like cabin, with galleys and baggage stored at the back of the compartment (Paradoxal/Imaginative) It would take off using the Rotary Ramjet engines until it climbed to 60,000 feet and reached Mach 3, at which point liquid oxygen would be injected into the engine's gas exhaust port to push it at supersonic speeds up to an altitude of 40 miles. A line of counterflowing jets of air on the aircraft's leading edges reduce heat and drag during the ascent and re-entry phases of flight. The Paradoxal uses a Rotary Ramjet engine which converts into a rocket to reach a suborbital altitude (Paradoxal/Imaginative) Mr Mansilla said he hoped a large panoramic rooftop "would definitely be a plus" if it could be designed to endure the heat and stress of the flight, but until then passengers would also be able to view the curvature of the earth through onboard cameras. While the Paradoxical would primarily be used for intercontinental travel, it could be developed and used by other government agencies. "It can also be perceived as an aircraft that mixes space tourism with business travel," Mr Mansilla said. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/hypersonic-passenger-jet-london-new-york- two-hours-space-travel-transatlantic-a7471451.html Back to Top Trump Lambastes $1 Trillion F-35 Jet On Twitter An F-35 fighter jet arrives in Israel, one of the U.S. allies to put in orders for the next- generation aircraft. President-elect Donald Trump tweeted the program's $1 trillion price tag is "out of control." Ariel Schalit/AP President-elect Donald Trump has again taken to Twitter, this time targeting a weapons program considered the most expensive in the Defense Department's history. On Monday morning, Trump tweeted that the cost of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter was "out of control," implying he'd save billions in "military (and other) purchases" after taking office next month. Donald J. Trump ? @realDonaldTrump The F-35 program and cost is out of control. Billions of dollars can and will be saved on military (and other) purchases after January 20th. In the tweet's initial aftermath, shares of Lockheed Martin, which is building the jet, dropped by 4 percent and other defense contractors associated with the $1 trillion project also took a hit, Reuters reports. Trump's tweet coincided with the delivery of two F-35 jets to Israel. As NPR's Daniel Estrin notes, Israel along with the United Kingdom, Italy and Japan are among U.S. allies who've put in orders for the fighter. On a visit to Israel Monday, the head of the project for Lockheed responded to Trump's criticism, saying he'd welcome the "opportunity to address" questions from the president- elect and noted plans to reduce the cost of the aircraft within the next four years. "We're investing hundreds of millions of dollars to reduce the cost of sustaining the airplane over its 30-40 year lifespan," said Lockheed's Jeff Babione in a statement. "We understand the importance of affordability and that's what the F-35 has been about." With its 13-figure price tag, the F-35 fighter jet is the Defense Department's most expensive weapons program. As NPR's Philip Ewing reports, the jet was meant to save money in the defense budget by having one aircraft for the armed services as a whole with variants fitting the individual needs of each branch. Selling the jet to allies was conceived of a way to defray the project's massive overheard, but as Philip adds, the project has become "infamous" for its cost and delays: "Difficulties perfecting each individual model, however, as well as a risky choice to begin production of the aircraft even as they were being developed and tested, have caused many problems for the massive program. "The U.S. Air Force and Marine Corps have declared 'initial operational capability' for their small batches of F-35s, but the aircraft are limited in what they can actually do and have not deployed operationally. The U.S. Navy is still testing its model, which is built to take off and land on aircraft carriers at sea. Meanwhile foreign customers, dissuaded by the program's high costs and continued developmental issues, have scaled back their planned orders; Australia and Canada decided to buy batches of older-model aircraft from Lockheed's archrival, Boeing. "The U.S. Defense Department insists, however, that the F-35 is worth the nearly $1 trillion overall price tag and the extra time it has taken to put into service. Advocates point to its ability to evade detection by other aircraft or air defense systems, its revolutionary ability to see the battlefield and process information, and the value in the U.S. fielding the same type of aircraft as its closest allies, including the United Kingdom, Japan and Israel." Trump's F-35 takedown is the second time the president-elect has judged a aircraft budget as "out of control." Last week, he tweeted the same about a Boeing plan - calling out the manufacturer by name - to build two new 747 jets to be used as Air Force One, ending his tweet with "Cancel order!" As NPR's David Schaper reported, those jets would be the first new iterations of the president's plane since the early 1990s. http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/12/12/505288991/trump-lambasts-1- trillion-f-35-jet-in-latest-tweet Back to Top Trump tweet about Pratt & Whitney jet could affect jobs Two Senators are firing back at President-elect Donald Trump (WTNH) - Connecticut's two Senators are firing back at President-elect Donald Trump, as his tweet on Tuesday morning about the cost of the Pratt and Whitney-powered F-35 fighter jet is not sitting well. Trump tweeted, "The F-35 program and cost is out of control. Billions of dollars can be saved on military and other purchases after January 20." Senator Richard Blumenthal was not happy with that tweet. "The suggestion that costs are out of control is just plain wrong. The costs have been reduced by 70 percent since the first production, including a reduction of 50 percent in engine costs," Blumenthal said at a press conference Tuesday. Senator Chris Murphy said Tuesday that it was unclear whether or not Trump's tweets mean anything, because he tends to contradict himself. Thousands of Connecticut jobs are tied to the F-35 project. http://wwlp.com/2016/12/13/trump-tweet-about-pratt-whitney-jet-could-affect-jobs/ Back to Top December 13, 2016 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Suzanne Keneally AVP, Group Head of Communications skeneally@global-aero.com 973-490-8588 Global Aerospace Announces the 2017 SM4 Aviation Safety Program New Partners and Refreshed Safety Services to Meet Evolving Industry Needs Parsippany, New Jersey - Global Aerospace, a leading provider of aerospace insurance, is pleased to announce the 2017 SM4 Aviation Safety Program which includes new partners and a refreshed line-up of direct services. Now entering its 8th year, SM4 continues to expand by providing targeted subject matter experts and financial support to the aerospace sector. Since 2010, the company has committed over $3.5 million to support SM4 and help its clients pursue higher levels of safety. In March 2016, SM4 launched the Community of Excellence which was part of a two-year continuous improvement plan to make the benefits of the program easier to access. Marilena Sharpell, Senior Vice President, Underwriting & Operations Executive, commented, "The 2017 SM4 Program has been expanded to include safety services that provide risk mitigation tools to our clients in areas such as cyber threat and slow onset hypoxia. By including these new initiatives, the SM4 program will provide a wider array of products and services to our clients." The 2017 SM4 Community of Excellence partners and subject matter experts include the following highly regarded aviation safety professionals: Aviation & Marine Safety Solutions International, LLC: Safety, security and regulatory compliance for commercial operators Baldwin Aviation: Aviation safety management support Convergent Performance: Human factors and performance improvement Gray Stone Advisors: Operational assessments and business aviation consulting Fireside Partners Inc.: Emergency response and family assistance support MedAire, Inc.: Comprehensive medical, security and travel assistance * Prevailance Aerospace: Upset recovery training * Pulsar Informatics: Fatigue risk management solutions * Satcom Direct: Cyber security audit and consultation * Southern AeroMedical Institute: Scenario based hypoxia training * Unmanned Safety Institute: Safety and training for unmanned aircraft systems * New Level II and Level III partners for 2017 Prevailance Aerospace was founded to address the #1 cause of fatalities in aviation today - Loss of Control In flight (LOC-I). Its training program focuses on the leading causes of LOC-I, how best to address and manage the 'startle' factor and teaches repeatable skills and techniques required to recover from an upset situation. Global clients will receive both academic and airborne training to enhance airmanship skills and recognize and recover from unusual attitudes and aircraft upsets. Pulsar Informatics an IS-BAO I3SA certified company specializing in systems that help organizations reduce fatigue-related risk and achieve peak performance. Its Fatigue MeterTM product will help flight departments identify ways to reduce fatigue impact on a team, and help maintain a safe, efficient operation. Satcom Direct's SD Data Center brings enterprise-level security audits to data transmissions on the ground and in the air. SD's compliance experts use a consultative approach to provide aircraft cyber security audits focusing on both the cabin and the ground network. The audit addresses cyber security issues, best practices in network design, and policies and procedures, all to ensure passenger data is classified and properly protected. Southern AeroMedical Institute is a unique facility that provides pilots with advanced High Altitude Chamber Training. Global clients will receive advanced altitude chamber training to educate them about the insidious nature of slow onset hypoxia. The Unmanned Safety Institute (USI), while not new to the SM4 program, has created a new safety benefit for all of the company's unmanned aircraft clients. USI has developed a Part 107 Compliant Small UAS Ground SchoolTM which consists of 8 training modules. Global clients will have access to the first 4 training modules via a dedicated online portal at no charge. Ms. Sharpell added, "While 2017 marks the second year of the two-year continuous improvement plan, SM4 will continue to identify risk and provide resources and expertise to our industry well into the future." For full program information and a complete listing of the direct services available to Global Aerospace general aviation customers in the United States, please refer to the Community of Excellence page on the SM4 website. SM4 resources can be accessed through the website resource library, aviation safety e-newsletter and various safety initiatives provided by the program partners. ### About Global Aerospace Global Aerospace is a leading provider of aerospace insurance with a worldwide portfolio of clients who are engaged in every aspect of the aviation and space industries. Headquartered in London, we have offices in Canada, Cologne, Paris, Zurich and throughout the United States. Across the world we employ over 300 people. With experience dating back to the 1920s, the company's underwriting is backed by a pool of high quality insurance companies representing some of the most respected names in the business. For additional information about Global Aerospace, please visit www.global-aero.com. To learn more about the company's SM4 safety program, please visit sm4.global-aero.com. Back to Top Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship The Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship was established by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) to shape the next generation of aviation researchers, honoring the late Najeeb Elias Halaby, an eminent aviator and administrator, for his vision and more than five decades of extraordinary contributions to aviation (http://www.ral.ucar.edu/halabyfellowship.pdf). The Fellowship The recipient of a Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship will spend three months (in 2017 or early 2018) in residence with NCAR's Aviation Weather Research Program, which Mr. Halaby was instrumental in establishing in the 1980s. As the nation's leader in addressing aviation weather research, NCAR plays a unique role in meeting user needs by transferring research results to operations through its Research Application Laboratory (http://www.ral.ucar.edu/). The Fellow will conduct research broadly aimed at improving the integration of weather into decision support tools for enhanced mitigation of weather sensitivities (e.g., weather impact avoidance) and management of air traffic. The Fellowship will provide: * a monthly stipend for three months, including temporary living expenses * round-trip travel expenses to and from Boulder, CO * travel to a conference to present results * page charges for one publication of key results Eligibility and Application The Halaby Fellowship targets graduate students (late Masters or early PhD level) enrolled in an aviation-relevant department or program of a domestic or international university. Interested candidates should have advanced research skills, far-reaching vision, and dedication to get things accomplished. Consideration for this Fellowship will be given to candidates based on the following submitted material: * Curriculum vitae * Proposal (maximum five pages) presenting the research to be conducted at NCAR, the anticipated outcome of that, and how the proposed effort ties into the candidate's ongoing graduate research project(s) * Contact information for three references (one of which should be the student's primary advisor) NCAR will accept applications for the Halaby Fellowship each year. Email Applications by February 28, 2017 to halabyfellowship@ucar.edu Back to Top SpaceX officially delays first crewed flight of its Dragon capsule for NASA People are slated to fly on the vehicle in 2018 An artistic rendering of SpaceX's Crew Dragon SpaceX In the wake of its September 1st rocket explosion, SpaceX has officially delayed the first crewed flight of its Crew Dragon vehicle - the capsule that the company is building to take NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station. Originally planned for late 2017, the first flight of the Crew Dragon with people on board is now slated to take place in May of 2018, according to a NASA blog post. Prior to that flight, SpaceX will perform a demonstration mission of Crew Dragon in November 2017 - a flight that won't include any astronauts. THE MOVE WAS MADE AS SPACEX FINALIZES ITS INVESTIGATION INTO THE ACCIDENT There had been heavy speculation that the flight would be delayed following the accident, in which a Falcon 9 rocket exploded as it was being fueled on a Florida launch pad. And SpaceX says the move was made as the company finalizes its investigation into the accident. "As this investigation has been conducted, our Commercial Crew team has continued to work closely with NASA and is completing all planned milestones for this period," SpaceX said in a statement to The Verge. "We are carefully assessing our designs, systems, and processes taking into account the lessons learned and corrective actions identified. Our schedule reflects the additional time needed for this assessment and implementation." It marks yet another delay for NASA's Commercial Crew Program, the space agency's initiative to fly astronauts on American-made rockets again. Through the program, two private companies - SpaceX and Boeing - are building vehicles capable of carrying people into lower Earth orbit for NASA. SpaceX is updating its Dragon cargo capsule, a vehicle it already uses to transport supplies to the International Space Station, and Boeing is making an entirely new capsule called the CST-100 Starliner. An artistic rendering of Boeing's CST-100 Starliner Boeing The first crewed flights of those vehicles were supposed to take place in 2017, but the program has experienced numerous timeline slips. Boeing has delayed the first crewed flight of Starliner twice and is now aiming to fly people on the vehicle in August 2018 for the first time. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden has partially blamed Congress for not fully funding the Commercial Crew program, however, the initiative received the president's full requested funding amount for fiscal year 2016. Boeing has also experienced technical issues that forced the company to push back its deadlines. NASA MUST RELY ON RUSSIA A LITTLE BIT LONGER FOR GETTING PEOPLE TO THE SPACE STATION The longer it takes for NASA to fly on the Commercial Crew vehicles, though, the longer the space agency must rely on Russia for getting people to the International Space Station. Currently the Russian Soyuz rocket is the only vehicle that can take astronauts to the ISS. It's an expensive way to get astronauts to space, as one seat on the Soyuz costs NASA roughly $81 million. It also means NASA doesn't have any other options for sending humans to space. That's a scary prospect, especially since the Soyuz just experienced a failure during an uncrewed mission to the space station last week. The Crew Dragon delay is also one of many that SpaceX has experienced following its September 1st rocket explosion. The company was forced to ground all of its Falcon 9 flights as it investigated the accident, and the first flight of the Falcon Heavy - a larger variant of the Falcon 9 - had to be pushed back from the end of this year to early next year. SpaceX was hoping to return to flight on December 16th, but that launch has since slipped to early January. The delays have prompted one customer to launch on another rocket. SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket exploding on a launch pad in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Though the accident investigation hasn't been finalized, CEO Elon Musk says the company has figured out what caused its Falcon 9 rocket to explode - blaming it on a complicated process that occurred during fueling. SpaceX says it is working on mitigating the risks associated with its fueling process, but concerns have been raised about SpaceX's plans to fuel the Falcon 9 rocket with people on board. Air Force Lt. General Thomas Stafford, who chairs NASA's Space Station Advisory Committee, described fueling as a "hazardous operation" that shouldn't be done anywhere near people. SPACEX CLAIMS ITS FUELING PROCESS IS RELIABLE SpaceX claims its fueling process is reliable and that its in-flight launch abort system would be able to save any crew members in case the Falcon 9 had a problem during fueling. However, the company says it is working with NASA to ensure its fueling process is safe and claims it will make any changes to its methods if necessary. "As needed, any additional controls will be put in place to ensure crew safety, from the moment the astronauts reach the pad, through fueling, launch, and spaceflight, and until they are brought safely home," SpaceX said in a statement. The company also says it has met with Gen. Stafford to give him further details about the fueling process. Despite all this news, SpaceX says it has completed a number of milestones for its updated Dragon capsule - including qualification tests, parachute tests, and more. Production of the first flight vehicle is also underway, according to the company. http://www.theverge.com/2016/12/12/13928844/spacex-crew-dragon-delay-nasa- commercial-crew-program-2018 Back to Top Graduate Research Survey HI! My name is Amber L. Hulsey, A.B.D. and I am currently working on my dissertation for my Ph.D. entitled, "Human Trafficking: Flying Under the Radar." My dissertation examines the extent to which human trafficking occurs by air as a mode of transportation compared to land and sea. Additionally, the study examines the actions that can be taken to combat human trafficking into and within the United States. The theoretical lens to which this study uses is Human Security Theory. This survey is completely anonymous, has undergone Institutional Review Board and has been approved. If you have any questions or would like to contact me for any reason, please email me at amber.hulsey@usm.edu. The survey will be open from December 7- December 21st. Please share this on all social media accounts, with your friends, family, and with your colleagues. Upon completion of this study, I will share the findings with various government and NGO's to aid in eradicating human trafficking. Survey Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HTinUSA Thank you so much for taking the time to complete this survey and more importantly, for helping aid in the research to combat human trafficking by air. Back to Top Curt Lewis