May 11, 2017 - No. 038 In This Issue Boeing Halts Test Flights of New 737 Over Engine Issue Expansion Of Airline Laptop Ban Would Discount FAA Concerns About In-Flight Fires Given the hazards of landing on Mars, SpaceX may send two Dragons in 2020 USU could have Master of Aviation Science by 2018 Falcon Aviation Achieves GCAA Approval for Line Maintenance Support at Dubai South Pilot Program to Bring Wi-Fi to Marine Aviation Hangars Aims for Improved Readiness CAL FIRE receives sixth maintenance award in six years Exodus Aviation Innovating MRO Supply Chain: Big Data is Ready for Take Off MRO Services Company Aeroman Joins ALTA's Growing Affiliate Membership Maintaining Diversity for CFM Support Boeing Halts Test Flights of New 737 Over Engine Issue DALLAS - Boeing is suspending test flights of a new airliner because of a possible problem in the manufacturing of a key engine part. The company said Wednesday that it still plans to deliver the first Boeing 737 Max later this month, and production will continue. The news sent Boeing Co. shares down nearly 4 percent, although they recovered partly to close at $183.18, down $2.31, or 1.3 percent. Chicago-based Boeing was notified last week of a potential issue involving turbine engine discs produced by a supplier to engine maker CFM International. Boeing said it has not experienced any problems with the discs during more than 2,000 hours of testing. It poses no safety concerns for travelers because no airlines are yet flying the 737 Max but it could mean a costly disruption if the problem persists. Timely delivery is important to planemakers as they get most of the payment for a plane when it is handed to the buyer. The Max is designed to be a more fuel-efficient version of the workhorse 737, Boeing's most popular commercial plane. Malaysia's Malindo Air plans to take delivery of the first Max in a few days and begin using it for passenger flights before July. Dallas-based Southwest Airlines Co. expects to begin using the plane this fall. It said Boeing had not warned it of any delays to its delivery schedule. American Airlines Group Inc., which has 100 737 MAX jets on order, declined to comment when contacted by Reuters. The discs in question are made by a supplier to CFM International, a joint venture of General Electric and France's Safran. GE spokeswoman Jamie Jewell declined to identify the supplier. She said GE and Safran will work with the supplier to find and correct any shortcomings in the manufacturing process while also turning to a backup supplier to keep production of engines on schedule. In a written statement, Boeing said it will work with CFM "to understand the precise scope and root cause of the quality issue." New planes and parts go through extensive testing to turn up problems before passengers go on board. Cai von Rumohr, an analyst with Cowen and Co., said "this doesn't look like a serious concern" because Boeing still expects to deliver the first plane this month and it appears to be a fixable manufacturing problem rather than a design flaw. Boeing has built about 9,500 single-aisle 737s since the late 1960s. The company said it has taken more than 3,700 orders for the Max, which carries a list price of $112.4 million to $119.2 million, although airlines routinely get big discounts. http://www.nbcnews.com/business/travel/boeing-halts-test-flights-new-737-over-engine-issue- n757721 Back to Top Expansion Of Airline Laptop Ban Would Discount FAA Concerns About In-Flight Fires The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is reportedly ready to announce it will ban travelers from Europe to the U.S. from carrying their laptops onto the airplane, according to an article by Clive Irving in the Daily Beast. The action is intended to prevent terrorists from hiding bombs in large electronic devices. But beware, air travelers: Such an action sacrifices safety to security because transferring hundreds of lithium-ion battery powered devices into the cargo hold of every jetliner is a recipe for disaster. That's not my opinion, it's the warning issued by the Federal Aviation Administration last year. Placing lithium-ion batteries in the cargo hold could lead to a "catastrophic" loss of the airplane, the agency said. Lithium-ion batteries pack a lot of power into a small package and they can be volatile. Taking them from the cabin where their owners presumably are keeping an eye on them and placing them where fires may go undetected and cannot be extinguished creates a whole different level of threat. As I reported for The New York Times in September, Britain's Royal Aeronautical Society estimated a single-aisle jet with 100 passengers might have more than 500 lithium-ion batteries aboard. An unofficial tally over the last five years put the number of battery fires on U.S. airplanes at 19. Air safety has evolved from lessons learned over a century of accidents, enhanced by a hearty examination of risks balanced against benefits. Nowhere in the U.S. government's knee-jerk reaction to a perceived terrorist threat have I seen the hazard compared to the well-known risk of an in-flight lithium-ion battery fire. That's an analysis we deserve to see. Travel, business and airline industry executives are already furious about the impact of the laptop ban slapped on travelers to the U.S. from 10 Middle Eastern and North African countries earlier this year. Expanding it to European flights at the beginning of the summer travel season is certain to ignite more fury. But if you have plans travel by air with dozens of laptops stowed beneath you, where you can't see, feel or smell them, you'll no doubt join me in hoping that fury is the only thing that ignites. https://www.forbes.com/sites/christinenegroni/2017/05/10/in-airplane-laptop-ban-us-discounts- faa-concerns-about-in-flight-fires/#6aa44a2b4ace Back to Top Given the hazards of landing on Mars, SpaceX may send two Dragons in 2020 In recent months, SpaceX has acknowledged that it will not be able to launch an uncrewed Dragon spacecraft to Mars in 2018. The technology to send the capsule safely through deep space and propulsively land it on Mars just won't be ready. However, that delay opens up an opportunity to launch two Dragons in 2020. And that's what SpaceX appears likely to do. NASA's manager of science missions, Jim Green, said on Tuesday that the 2020 launch window when Earth and Mars are in favorable alignment for relatively short transits is getting crowded. Speaking Tuesday at the Humans to Mars conference in Washington, DC, Green said, "Every 26 months, the highway to Mars opens up, and that highway is going to be packed. We start out at the top of that opportunity with a SpaceX launch of Red Dragon. That will be followed at the end of that opportunity with another Red Dragon. Those have been announced by SpaceX." NASA plans to launch a Mars lander in 2020 as well. Two Red Dragon missions in 2020 have not yet formally been announced by SpaceX. Company spokesman John Taylor told Ars he would have to look into the question of sending two Dragons to Mars in 2020. However, other industry sources told Ars this is definitely under consideration by SpaceX, although no final decisions have been made. Propulsive landing In the past, SpaceX founder Elon Musk has spoken favorably about NASA's Mars Exploration Rover missions, Spirit and Opportunity, which landed four weeks apart in 2004 on Mars. The essential idea for Musk is to hedge his bets with two landings and potentially to learn from the first attempt to use experimental supersonic retropropulsion in the thin Martian atmosphere to slow the vehicle's descent. Successfully landing a Dragon on Mars would be unprecedented. The spacecraft would likely enter the Martian atmosphere weighing about eight tons, and it would burn two of those tons as propellant to get down to the surface. Compare that to the largest object humans have ever landed on Mars, the Curiosity rover. Curiosity started off at 3.6 tons before entering the atmosphere, and through its sky crane and other steps, it shed weight down to 900kg by the time it reached the surface. Propulsive landing is key to eventual human missions to the red planet for one simple reason-it scales up to about 30 tons. SpaceX hasn't talked openly about payloads on the Mars landers, but it's likely that the company will include some NASA instruments or experiments, and it may also issue an open call to universities for ideas. It's expected that any payloads will be related to technology and science needed to further human exploration of the red planet, which remains SpaceX's long-term goal. https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/05/given-the-hazards-of-landing-on-mars-spacex-may-send- two-dragons-in-2020/ Back to Top USU could have Master of Aviation Science by 2018 Utah State University wants to offer a Master of Aviation Science degree come spring semester 2018. The program is one step closer to being offered to students, since the USU Board of Trustees approved the proposed degree at its regular meeting on May 5. It now awaits approval from Utah's higher education governing board, the Board of Regents. If approved, the Master of Aviation Science would be the first degree of its kind in Utah and several other states in the Intermountain West - with the exception of one private institution in Arizona that offers masters and doctoral degrees in aviation. USU officials say a Master of Aviation Science is needed because an increasing number of industry professionals want pilots and maintenance workers to have an advanced degree. "Many of our aviation professionals want to have a long career in the aviation industry - whether that's as a pilot or a maintenance individual - and it's quite competitive out there," said Baron Wesemann, USU assistant professor of aviation technology. "One of the challenges we have is being able to differentiate yourself between every other person. So like in most career fields, a master's degree helps identify that individual." Kyle Stevenson, who graduated from USU's aviation maintenance program this year and has expressed interest obtaining education beyond a bachelor's, agreed with Wesemann's comments. "I think having a bachelor's will help, for sure," Stevenson said. "But if you've got a master's, I think it makes it - you have that much more of an advantage over somebody who doesn't really have any sort of a degree. It makes the choice pretty obvious." The Master of Aviation Science would stack onto an existing Bachelor of Science in Aviation Technology. The program's courses would be entirely online, allowing students to take courses while balancing a busy work schedule. "Right now, there are limited options for master's degrees for aviation professionals, especially if you're a full-time employee unable to go to school," Wesemann said. The proposed degree would have a focus on aviation safety, Wesemann said. The master's would cover topics like airport and ground safety, safety management systems and aviation security. "It gives students a broad perspective of many different aspects of safety, but yet it gives them those specific skills, like safety management systems and flight safety, ground safety, so they can supervise those programs - whether it's for an airline, an airport or a small flying school," Wesemann said. USU officials anticipate the degree could have anywhere from 10 to 15 students in its first year and eventually grow to its target enrollment of 60 students. Stevenson applauded USU for proposing this master's degree. "I say it's a great idea. It presents a fantastic opportunity for students to get more education in a field they really enjoy," he said. http://news.hjnews.com/allaccess/usu-could-have-master-of-aviation-science- by/article_10d3051d-8920-5f3e-bff1-02f17baa522a.html Back to Top Falcon Aviation Achieves GCAA Approval for Line Maintenance Support at Dubai South, Al Maktoum International Airport Falcon Aviation, the UAE's leading business aviation services, charter and aircraft management Company, has achieved approval from the UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) to perform third party line maintenance at its new Dubai South facility at Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) base in Dubai. This facility is co-located along with its FBO facility in the VIP Terminal. Aircraft types it has been cleared to work on include the Gulfstream G450/G550; Embraer 135/145 regional jets and Embraer 190/Lineage 1000. (Falcon Aviation is already an Authorised Service Centre for Embraer Executive Jets at its Abu Dhabi Al Bateen Executive Airport base.) Falcon Aviation is also GCAA approved to provide maintenance support for the Pilatus PC-12 at DWC, complementing the support it provides to the region's first PC-12 commercial operator, GI Aviation at Al Bateen. This will give added advantage to GI Aviation as it prepares to start operating its second PC-12 in the Gulf region. Falcon Aviation's line maintenance approval at Dubai South also extends to Airbus Helicopters, including the EC130, Bell 412, Leonardo AW189, AW169 and AW109. Falcon Aviation's also offering operations from the new adjacent Heliport, which formally opened last month under Falcon Aviation's AOC. "We are very pleased to be expanding our expertise at our new Dubai South Base," said Falcon Aviation Director of Maintenance, Nicolas Tejera. "Accordingly, we have merged our extensive AOG teams at Al Bateen with Dubai South (DWC) and have recruited and trained up more aircraft engineers so they can multi-task at either of these bases. This means we can offer our clients the flexibility they need with line support, coupled with a strong availability of inventory and spare parts." "We are offering customers easy access to reposition between Abu Dhabi and Dubai South (DWC)," added Ronnie McCrae, Service Centre Manager, which will be especially convenient for helicopter operators. There are increasing constraints regarding hangar space in Dubai so our offering will be welcomed by the numerous companies we support," he added. Falcon Aviation estimates that bulk of its activity will be in supporting third party customers, versus its own charter and managed fleet. Having embarked on a recruitment and training drive these past six months, Falcon Aviation has some 220 licensed engineers and technicians in its dedicated MRO team, reflecting the importance Falcon Aviation places on aviation services activity. It is progressing with plans to open a 20,000 sqm MRO hangar facility at DWC, on course to open at the end of 2018. "This is all part of our long-term plan to offer a full one-stop-shop offering in the region. Line maintenance and AOG support is a crucial part of that," added Nicolas Tejera. "We are very excited by this challenge and are looking forward to creating a solid proposition for full service support for business aviation operators and owners in the region." Falcon Aviation is committed to building important infrastructure in the region. "Not just for its own operations, but to support others as they expand too," Captain Raman Oberoi, Falcon Aviation's COO has pledged. Falcon Aviation will offer dedicated maintenance support for Gulfstream, Embraer and Bombardier aircraft and helicopters accredited by the GCAA and EASA. It will also offer 24/7 AOG support and aircraft parking. http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12332442/falcon-aviation-achieves-gcaa-approval-for- line-maintenance-support-at-dubai-south-al-maktoum-international-airport Back to Top Pilot Program to Bring Wi-Fi to Marine Aviation Hangars Aims for Improved Readiness The Marine Corps will begin using secure wireless internet at its aviation hangars this year as part of its drive to increase aviation readiness. The service is currently installing secure high-speed Wi-Fi at eight hangars at Marine Corps Air Station New River in North Carolina, after the Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 29 collected data showing the inefficiency of relying on Ethernet ports and asked for help. Aircraft maintainers currently have to use their computers - to log maintenance actions, order more parts, pull up work manuals and more, as well as access email, shared files and secure websites - while plugged into Ethernet ports in the walls, of which there are relatively few of in the hangars. As maintenance and logistics actions are increasingly done through software programs instead of pen and paper, "everything is becoming more automated, so how do we keep up with that? How do our maintainers keep up with that while still operating within the flight lines?" Joni Ong, Marine Corps Enterprise Network -NIPRNet (MCEN-N) Wireless project officer for Marine Corps Network and Infrastructure Services office at Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC), told USNI News last week. Maintainers were having to run back and forth from their work area to an internet connection and "not necessarily getting real time information or being able to process that information in a timely basis, which ultimately effects the overall readiness, submission of any equipment requests, maintenance requests." Through this pilot program, Marines at these eight hangars will receive rugged laptops, called Portable Electronic Maintenance Aids, that were fielded by Naval Air Systems Command and are preinstalled with electronic technical manuals and diagnostic applications that Marines need to go through maintenance actions and submit repair requests. Though wireless internet is a staple of life in the civilian world today, it comes with security concerns for the military. While connected to Ethernet ports, users plug their CAC cards in to verify their identity and allow access to the network. With Wi-Fi, verifying credentials requires a different approach. Capt. Mary Beth Bloom, the lead action officer for wireless projects at the Marines' Command, Control, Communications, and Computers directorate, told USNI News that the Marine Corps C4 community hadn't pursued this Wi-Fi upgrade previously due to security concerns and the lack of a requirement for it. Today, she said, lessons learned from other services and elsewhere in the Marine Corps - as well as a well documented requirement from MAG 29 with a clear tie to aviation readiness, which service leadership is focused on improving - helped push this project through this year. "Setting up wireless internet has always brought on the idea of security vulnerabilities," Bloom said in a Marine Corps press release. "With our current security, we are able to use certificates authentication as a level of protection when verifying who the users are. We can also restrict laptops to a specific wireless network in order to prevent information from leaving the hangar." At this point, she told USNI News last week, "we know wireless works. We know the technology works. Our focus for these pilot [projects] is, how much did it improve the efficiency of our maintainers? We're not testing the technology, we know that works." As for the details of this first Wi-Fi installation, "we went with MAG 29/MAG 26 first because they were the first group to show a vested interest in it, to really take the time to put together their metrics and the effect they thought this could have on readiness. They briefed that to the director of C4, Brig. Gen. (Dennis) Crall. He agreed with them that it made sense that wireless would improve efficiency, he brought that back here, and we were able to get that ball rolling with the help of (Marine Corps) Systems Command. They (at MAG 29) were the ones who had done the leg work, we wanted to reward them with being the first unit to get the capability." Though the effort is being called a pilot program, it is very likely that the wireless internet capability will be installed in the rest of the hangars throughout the Marine Corps. Asked if there was a certain statistic the Marines were looking for to deem the pilot a success, Ong said "I think there will be a drastic improvement in readiness, but we don't have a specific number per se that's the no-go/go criteria." Instead, MCSC and C4 are looking for lessons learned to shape future Wi-Fi installation efforts. Installation in these first eight hangars began in January, and MAG-29 will begin collecting its own readiness data to share with MCSC and C4 once their Wi-Fi installation is complete, likely this summer. MAG 29's data will help make the case for funding to support Wi-Fi installation for squadrons, maintenance units and logistics units. The Marine Corps has already identified 20 units for the next wave of Wi-Fi installation, pending funding, "with the goal of making Wi-Fi an enterprise solution," according to a Marine Corps press release. https://news.usni.org/2017/05/08/pilot-program-to-bring-wi-fi-to-marine-aviation-hangars-aims- for-improved-readiness Back to Top CAL FIRE receives sixth maintenance award in six years The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) has reported that for the sixth year in a row, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) presented CAL FIRE and DynCorp International with the Diamond Award of Excellence for Aviation Maintenance. The award recognises CAL FIRE's aviation maintenance technicians after passing the difficult aircraft safety training programme, said the service. More than 75 technicians were recognised and each awarded with the William (Bill) O'Brian Award for Excellence. Chief Ken Pimlott, CAL FIRE Director, said: "CAL FIRE's aerial firefighting fleet is an essential element in combatting California's devastating wildfires. We are proud of the hard work and commitment that our aviation management staff and DynCorp International mechanics do every day in maintaining the largest wildland aerial firefighting fleet in the world with an award-winning safety and maintenance programme." CAL FIRE said it maintains 22 airtankers, 15 tactical aircraft, 12 helicopters, and other fixed-wing training and administrative aircraft. All the aircraft are maintained at the department's maintenance base at McClellan Air Park in Sacramento County, said the service, which added that since the beginning of its air programme in the 1970s, safety and superior maintenance has been a top priority. Along with CAL FIRE 's seasonal aviation experts, DynCorp International mechanics ensure that the state's firefighting air fleet is kept in pristine condition, said the Department. Jeffrey Cavarra of DynCorp International commented: "This award is a testimony to the exceptional maintenance performed on all CAL FIRE aircraft by DynCorp International team members. The strength of commitment by both DynCorp International and CAL FIRE working together in a public/private partnership is a clear reflection of this prestigious award." According to CAL FIRE, record breaking rainfall totals throughout California this year mean that the threat of wildfires during the warmer months will continue to increase as the abundant annual grass crop dries out, as more rain has produced more grass and underbrush, increasing the fuel for wildfires to burn. CAL FIRE said that over the next couple of months, it will finish the winter maintenance and safety inspections on the firefighting aircraft and staff them at the department's airbases and helibases across the state to help assist with this year's wildfires. https://www.airmedandrescue.com/story/2069 Back to Top Exodus Aviation Innovating MRO Supply Chain: Big Data is Ready for Take Off In aviation, downtime is money. Whether it's a plane that's not performing any functions while waiting for a part to come in, or it's overtime pay to get that part installed when it finally does come in, the time it takes to replace parts (from sourcing it at the right price to receiving and installing it) comes with a hefty price tag. Predictive maintenance for the supply chain, however, is a big game changer. Predictive maintenance harnesses the power of big data to get customers the parts they need when they need them and at the price points they want. Accessing data around certain parts and aircrafts, this data-driven approach is able to predict when a part will be needed. Clearly, it has the potential to transform the MRO supply chain. Before big data entered the picture, MRO managers were left to beg, borrow or steal to ensure the right parts were available at the right time. The goal was always to keep planes in the air and not in the repair cycle - but without a predictive understanding of which parts would need replacement and when - the goal wasn't always achievable. For companies who want a competitive advantage within the aviation industry, tapping suppliers who use big data gives them an edge. From keeping repair cycle time at a minimum to sourcing the best pricing for a part, reliably fast access to spare parts at competitive pricing has the potential to transform operating costs. Exodus Aviation, a commercial aviation asset manager specializing in Airbus and Boeing parts, uses the Talend software to predict maintenance trends on specific part numbers for a given aircraft and, in turn, orders repairs on units. According to Chris Santana, Exodus Director of Sales and Strategy, his company saw the potential ROI that big data could bring to customers and jumped on it. "This data-driven approach to parts ordering reduces the mean-time-to-repair while keeping costs down for our customers. There's a shift happening and it's about time. " Using predictive maintenance, Exodus has the units their customers need ready to go as soon as they need them. No need to park or down the aircraft waiting for a certain part to come in: instead, the aircraft is kept flying and the maintenance schedule isn't sidelined. Beyond just having parts ready at competitive prices, customers who use Exodus for parts sourcing are able to better plan ahead for repairs that will be needed and, in doing so, allocate resources appropriately. "The ability to predict which parts our customers will need not only gives our customers an advantage; it gives us a big one, too." Santana remarked. "It's really a win-win...thanks to big data, we are able to offer unparalleled service and pricing that's made us a go-to within our niche. " Exodus Aviation is based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The company has met all T.A.C. 2000 Quality Assurance Standards and FAA Advisory Circular AC 00-56B for accreditation. For more information about the company, please visit: http://www.exodusaviation.com. https://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/17/05/p9417350/exodus-aviation-innovating-mro- supply-chain-big-data-is-ready-for-take- Back to Top MRO Services Company Aeroman Joins ALTA's Growing Affiliate Membership Miami, Florida (May 9, 2017) - ALTA (the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association) today announced that El Salvador-based MRO services company Aeroman has become the association's newest affiliate member. ALTA's affiliate members are airline-related organizations that work collaboratively with the association on aviation industry initiatives throughout the Latin America and Caribbean region. "We are pleased to welcome Aeroman to ALTA's affiliate membership as the fourth MRO to become part of our association," said ALTA's Executive Director Eduardo Iglesias. "Aircraft maintenance and repair shops provide a valuable necessity and our growing partnership with MRO companies such as Aeroman contribute greatly to the high level of quality maintenance services needed by the region's airlines." "Aeroman is very proud to be joining ALTA," said Aeroman CEO Alejandro Echeverria. "Over the past years we have had the opportunity to work with many of its member airlines, and with this new affiliation between ALTA and Aeroman, we seek to gain further insights into the Latin American and Caribbean aviation community and to explore new business opportunities in the region." With more than 30 years of presence in the industry, Aeroman is a leading maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) provider in the Americas. Focused on its customer needs, Aeroman has specialized its maintenance services on the Airbus A320 family, Boeing B737 and B757, and is now expanding their services to provide solutions for Embraer E190 and A330 aircraft as well. Aeroman is committed to providing the best maintenance solutions for all their customers and to exceed their expectations. http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12333658/mro-services-company-aeroman-joins- altas-growing-affiliate-membership Back to Top Maintaining Diversity for CFM Support Part of the CFM56's enduring appeal is the depth of its maintenance market, with OEMs, airlines and independent shops providing global aftermarket coverage. The engine's manufacturer states that 42 facilities perform CFM56 overhauls, and lessors often claim that CFM56 residual values are buoyed by its competitive maintenance options. CFM has promised to keep maintenance costs for the LEAP at similar levels to modern CFM56 variants such as the -7 and -5, and has declared itself happy to stick with an open maintenance market. At the same time, however, the OEM has strengthened its presence in the aftermarket: More than half of the roughly 12,000 LEAP engine backlog has been sold with an OEM support contract, while only about a third of the current CFM56 fleet of almost 25,000 engines is overhauled by either GE or Safran. In addition, whereas the two CFM partners used to compete for maintenance contracts, they now cooperate through CFM Services. The acid test for whether CFM is serious about retaining an open maintenance market will be the access it grants to LEAP technical documentation. By restricting this access widebody engine OEMs have made it near impossible for third-party providers to offer competing aftermarket services on certain powerplants, a trend airlines do not want to see extended to the new generation of single-aisle engines. According to Aviation Week's 2017 Commercial Aviation Fleet & MRO Forecast, the CFM56 maintenance market will grow to about $10 billion by 2026, making it one of the most valuable sources of revenue for independent and airline MRO providers. LEAP maintenance, meanwhile, will be worth more than $4 billion by 2026. It will be interesting to see where that money is directed. http://www.mro-network.com/maintenance-repair-overhaul/maintaining-diversity-cfm-support Curt Lewis