Flight Safety Information December 25, 2017 - No. 255 In This Issue Incident: Ata MD83 near Sari on Dec 24th 2017, engine shut down in flight Incident: Swiss A320 near Belgrade on Dec 24th 2017, hydraulic failure Accident: Sun Express B738 at Hamburg on Dec 23rd 2017, tail strike on departure Accident: UTAir B735 at Moscow on Dec 23rd 2017, flight attendant fell out of aircraft Incident: Hong Kong A333 at Hong Kong on Dec 23rd 2017, rejected takeoff due to other aircraft on runway Incident: Delta B738 near Colorado Springs on Dec 21st 2017, smoke in cockpit EVAS - Cockpit Smoke Protection Cessna 340...impacted terrain during a takeoff (Florida) Aerolineas Argentinas Boeing 737-800 reportedly hit drone near Buenos Aires; fan blades damaged Transport Canada suspends West Wind Aviation's Air Operator Certificate over safety issues Britten-Norman BN-2A Islander aircraft impacted steep and heavily timbered terrain Media Release PNG aircraft accident Drunk, disorderly passenger assaults flight attendant, prompts diversion to Birmingham Allegiant jet slides off Pease runway; 149 passengers and crew safe Security concerns led Emirates to ban Tunisian women Turkish Airlines plane returns to Istanbul after passenger suffers panic attack World's largest amphibious aircraft makes maiden flight in China Bangladeshi pilots, aircraft engineers to get UK-standard aviation licenses Tuskegee Airmen fought Hitler in Christmas of '44 Women Airforce Service Pilots Aided American War Efforts With Help From These Women of Color Keeping experienced pilots a critical concern for Air Force brass Potential Boeing Embraer Merger Shakes Up Small Jet Market Book:...Angle of Attack Fly with AvSax Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship Incident: Ata MD83 near Sari on Dec 24th 2017, engine shut down in flight An Ata Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-83, registration EP-TAS performing flight I3-5617 from Tabriz to Mashad (Iran), was climbing out of Tabriz when the crew stopped the climb at FL250 after noticing the loss of engine oil from the #1 engine (JT8D, left hand). The crew initially continued to Mashad, however, about 110nm westnorthwest of Sari the crew needed to shut the engine down due to low engine oil pressure and decided to divert to Sari for a safe landing. The airline reported the crew decided to divert to Sari after detecting a technical malfunction on board. A replacement aircraft was dispatched to take the passengers to Mashad. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b2c08d1&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Swiss A320 near Belgrade on Dec 24th 2017, hydraulic failure A Swiss International Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration HB-IJP performing flight LX-1422 from Zurich (Switzerland) to Nis (Serbia) with 173 people on board, was on approach to Nis when the crew stopped the descent at 7000 feet reporting a hydraulic failure. The crew subsequently decided to divert to Belgrade (Serbia), where the aircraft landed safely about 45 minutes after aborting the approach to Nis. The aircraft was towed to the apron. The airline confirmed the aircraft diverted to Belgrade due to a technical fault with the hydraulic as a precaution, the crew decided to divert to Belgrade due to better facilities available at Belgrade. The passengers were taken to Nis by bus, the passengers from Nis to Zurich were also taken to Belgrade by bus and rebooked onto the evening flight Belgrade-Zurich. The occurrence is being repaired and is going to position back to Zurich without passengers. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Belgrade about 7 hours after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b2bfd59&opt=0 Back to Top Accident: Sun Express B738 at Hamburg on Dec 23rd 2017, tail strike on departure A Sun Express Boeing 737-800, registration TC-SEO performing flight XQ-171 from Hamburg (Germany) to Antalya (Turkey), departed Hamburg's runway 33 when the crew received a tail strike indication, stopped the climb at 4000 feet and advised air traffic control about the tail strike. The controller understood bird strike and alerted emergency services accordingly. The aircraft positioned for a return to Hamburg and landed safely on Hamburg's runway 23. Emergency services attending to the aircraft still believing to deal with a bird strike reported they were seeing substantial damage to the underside of the tail section clarifying the aircraft had sustained a tail strike. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground about 29 hours after landing back. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b2bdf5e&opt=0 Back to Top Accident: UTAir B735 at Moscow on Dec 23rd 2017, flight attendant fell out of aircraft A UTAir Boeing 737-500, registration VP-BVZ performing flight UT-351 from Moscow Vnukovo to Khanty-Mansiysk (Russia), was parked at the gate preparing for departure when a flight attendant attempted to close the aft door but slipped and fell through the open door onto the apron about 3-4 meters below the door. The flight attendant became unconscious and was taken to a hospital, where she was diagnosed with minor injuries and was released into home care. The aircraft departed with a delay of 35 minutes and reached Khanty-Mansiysk with a delay of about 10 minutes. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b2bd920&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Hong Kong A333 at Hong Kong on Dec 23rd 2017, rejected takeoff due to other aircraft on runway A Hong Kong Airlines Airbus A330-300, registration B-LNU performing flight HX-709 from Hong Kong (China) to Denpasar (Indonesia), was cleared for takeoff from Hong Kong's runway 07R when the crew of a Cathay Pacific Boeing 747-800, registration B-LJK performing flight CX-71 (dep Dec 22nd) from Anchorage,AK (USA) to Hong Kong (China), advised they were not yet clear of the runway still crossing the runway at taxiway J11 near the end of the runway. Tower in response immediately instructed HX-709 to stop. The crew rejected takeoff at low speed and radioed they were stopping, but were past taxiway J2 about 150 meters down the runway, would like to vacate via J3 and return to the holding point J1. Following taxi the aircraft departed about 8 minutes after the rejected takeoff. Tower had cleared CX-71 to cross runway 07R at J11 about 35 seconds prior to the takeoff clearance for HX-709. http://avherald.com/h?article=4b2bd6ec&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Delta B738 near Colorado Springs on Dec 21st 2017, smoke in cockpit A Delta Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration N3734B performing flight DL-1406 from Raleigh-Durham,NC to Los Angeles,CA (USA), was enroute at FL360 about 130nm eastsoutheast of Colorado Springs,CO (USA) when the crew reported smoke in the cockpit and diverted to Colorado Springs for a safe landing about 30 minutes later. Attending emergency services did not find any trace of fire or heat. A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration N3744F reached Los Angeles with a delay of 4 hours. The occurrence aircraft remained on the ground for about 7 hours, then returned to service. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/DAL1406/history/20171221/1200Z/KRDU/KLAX http://avherald.com/h?article=4b2aa5a0&opt=0 Back to Top Back to Top Cessna 340 impacted terrain during a takeoff (Florida) Date: 24-DEC-2017 Time: 07:20 LT Type: Cessna 340 Owner/operator: Aviation Transportation LLC Registration: N247AT C/n / msn: 3400214 Fatalities: Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5 Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Bartow Municipal Airport (KBOW), Bartow, FL - United States of America Phase: Take off Nature: Private Departure airport: Bartow Muni (KBOW) Destination airport: Key West Int'l (KEYW) Narrative: The aircraft impacted terrain during a takeoff attempt at Bartow Municipal Airport (KBOW), Bartow, Florida. The airplane was partially consumed by the post-impact fire and the five occupants onboard received fatal injuries. Weather (fog) may have been a factor to the accident. On board were the pilot (70), his 2 daughters (24 and 26), the husband of one daughter (27), and a family friend, a woman of 32. METAR KBOW 241215Z AUTO 00000KT M1/4SM FG OVC003 12/ A3018 RMK AO2 KBOW 241155Z AUTO 00000KT M1/4SM FG OVC003 13/ A3018 RMK AO2 KBOW 241135Z AUTO 00000KT M1/4SM FG OVC003 13/ A3017 RMK AO2 KBOW 241115Z AUTO 00000KT 7SM BKN004 BKN038 13/ A3017 RMK AO2 KBOW 241055Z AUTO 00000KT 7SM CLR 14/ A3016 RMK AO2 https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=203339 Back to Top Aerolineas Argentinas Boeing 737-800 reportedly hit drone near Buenos Aires; fan blades damaged Date: 22-DEC-2017 Time: 11:10 LT Type: Boeing 737-8BK (WL) Owner/operator: Aerolineas Argentinas Registration: LV-FQZ C/n / msn: 41563/5086 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Other fatalities: 0 Airplane damage: Minor Location: Buenos Aires-Jorge Newbery Airport, BA (AEP/SABE) - Argentina Phase: Approach Nature: International Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Santiago-Arturo Merino Benitez Airport (SCL/SCEL) Destination airport: Buenos Aires-Jorge Newbery Airport, BA (AEP/SABE) Narrative: Aerolineas Argentinas flight AR1283 reportedly suffered a drone strike while approaching Buenos Aires-Jorge Newbery Airport, Argentina. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800 (LV-FQZ), operated on a scheduled service from Santiago, Chile. It was approaching runway 13 at the time of the occurrence. An Argentine aviation blog, desdeelpatioblog.com, stated that the aircraft struck a drone. Photos of fan blades, supposedly of LV-FQZ, show damage to the tips of several blades. The incident has not yet been confirmed by authorities. Weather about the time of the approach (1410Z): SABE 221400Z 36008KT 9999 FEW045TCU 29/23 Q1007 On November 11, 2017, another Aerolineas Argentinas Boeing 737-800 hit a drone according to authorities. In that case, the drone impacted the forward side of the fuselage. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=203266 Back to Top Transport Canada suspends West Wind Aviation's Air Operator Certificate over safety issues 23 December 2017 West Wind Aviation ATR 42 following the Dec. 13, 2017 accident at Fond-du-Lac, Canada (TSB) Transport Canada suspended West Wind Aviation's Air Operator Certificate on December 22, which prohibits the company from providing commercial air services. The department took this serious action in the interest of public safety because the department identified deficiencies in the company's Operational Control System. An Operational Control System ensures that a company's day-to-day actions are compliant with safety requirements for things such as, for example, the dispatching of personnel and aircraft. On December 13, 2017, a West Wind Aviation aircraft, with 25 people onboard, crashed in Fond-du- Lac, Saskatchewan. Transport Canada identified deficiencies during a post-accident inspection of West Wind Aviation from December 18 to 20, 2017. As a result, in the interest of public safety, Transport Canada suspended West Wind Aviation's Air Operator Certificate and will not allow the company to resume its commercial air service until it demonstrates compliance with aviation safety regulations. https://news.aviation-safety.net/2017/12/23/transport-canada-suspends-west-wind-aviations-air- operator-certificate-safety-issues/ Back to Top Britten-Norman BN-2A Islander aircraft impacted steep and heavily timbered terrain Date: Saturday 23 December 2017 Type: Britten-Norman BN-2A Islander Operator: North Coast Aviation Registration: P2-ISM C/n / msn: 227 First flight: 1970-11-13 (47 years 2 months) Crew: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 Total: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 Airplane damage: Unknown Location: Saidor Gap area ( Papua New Guinea) Phase: Unknown (UNK) Nature: Unknown Departure airport: Derim Airport (DER/AYDE), Papua New Guinea Destination airport: Lae-Nadzab Airport (LAE/AYNZ), Papua New Guinea Narrative: A Britten-Norman BN-2A Islander aircraft impacted steep and heavily timbered terrain, at an elevation of 9,500 feet above sea level on a ridge on the Yalumet side of the Saidor Gap area, in Papua New Guinea. The pilot survived the accident and contacted the operator by radio. The extent of his injuries is not known. A rescue helicopter located the pilot at the crash scene, but the weather was too bad to effect a recovery. The helicopter was communicating with the pilot by SMS text. Pilot rescue is scheduled for Sunday 24th weather permitting. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20171223-0 Back to Top Media Release PNG aircraft accident Back to Top Drunk, disorderly passenger assaults flight attendant, prompts diversion to Birmingham, police say A Southwest Airlines flight from Nashville to Tampa made an unexpected stop in Birmingham Friday evening because of a disorderly passenger. Birmingham police Sgt. Bryan Shelton said the passenger - a white male - assaulted a flight attendant during the trip. The flight attendant was not injured. Passengers subdued the man and restrained him until the plane landed at Birmingham Shuttlesworth International Airport shortly after 6 p.m. Once the plane landed, Birmingham police officers tried to remove the man from the plane but he became confrontational and resisted the officers. Ultimately, they were able to gain control and take him off of the plane. Shelton said the suspect was highly intoxicated. He is facing charges in Birmingham related to resisting arrest. It wasn't clear whether the flight attendant would also press charges against the man. No passengers were injured. The plane involved arrived in Tampa, Florida "a short time ago," said Southwest Airlines spokesman Dan Landson. http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2017/12/drunk_disorderly_passenger_ass.html Back to Top Allegiant jet slides off Pease runway; 149 passengers and crew safe PORTSMOUTH - A southbound departing flight was delayed for an hour Friday night after an arriving plane from Florida slid off the runway at the Portsmouth International Airport at Pease. Allegiant Flight 672 from Orlando landed normally with 145 passengers and four crew aboard Friday just before 6 p.m., but the tip of the plane slid just over the pavement. "As it was taxiing its nose just got caught up in some snow," said Paul Brean, airport manager. The plane was put back onto the runway with the help of an airport tractor, he said. There were no injuries or damage to the plane. The runway was fine and the cause of the incident was likely bad visibility due to the weather, officials said. The airport provided delayed passengers with pizza and beverages. The southbound flight took off just after 11 p.m. Friday. http://www.unionleader.com/public-safety/allegiant-jet-slides-off-pease-runway-149-passengers- and-crew-safe-20171224 Back to Top Security concerns led Emirates to ban Tunisian women * Airline stops flights to Tunisia as government there says it understands the UAE's worries Emirates on Sunday night said it was suspending its flights to Tunisia indefinitely. Dubai: Tunisian government has confirmed that the UAE authorities had "credible information" on possible security breaches that led to banning several Tunisian women from boarding Emirates flights from Tunis to Dubai. Emirates on Sunday night said it was suspending its flights to Tunisia indefinitely shortly after the Tunis government said it had banned UAE carriers from landing in its airports, in retaliation for the banning those women from boarding the Dubai flights. "As instructed by the Tunisian authorities, Emirates will stop all its services between Dubai and Tunisia starting from 25 December 2017 until further notice. Affected passengers are advised to contact their travel agent or booking office for assistance," an Emirates spokesperson said in a statement emailed to Gulf News. The airline did not elaborate on the issue but industry sources said it was about security fears. UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash, meanwhile, said on his twitter account: "We met with our brothers in Tunisia about security procedures that have been imposed." "Here in the UAE, we are proud of our experience in empowering women, we appreciate Tunisian women, respect them and value their pioneering experience, and we see them as the protectors of safety. We will avoid attempts at misinterpretation and misrepresentation," he added. Speaking on the issue to Tunisian local media, Saida Qrash, Tunisian Presidential Spokeswoman, said she understood the UAE security concerns. "We have summoned the UAE ambassador and we tried to get an explanation why those women were not permitted to travel on Emirates airlines to Dubai," she said, noting that the decision was "a UAE sovereign decision based on credible security information." She said security agencies in some countries have warned recently that a number of Tunisian women or women who carry Tunisian passports have returned from Syria and Iraq where they had fought with Daesh. "These women pose security threats accruing to those agencies," she added, without confirming if that was the reason behind the UAE decision. Meanwhile, industry sources said the Tunisian statement could be a way for Tunis to reconsider its ban on UAE carriers. But the sources added that Emiartes and other UAE carriers may not be in a hurry to go back. "Eventually the decision to resume the routes will be based on commercial and viability basis." http://gulfnews.com/business/aviation/security-concerns-led-emirates-to-ban-tunisian-women- 1.2146410 Back to Top Turkish Airlines plane returns to Istanbul after passenger suffers panic attack A Turkish Airlines plane headed to Tanzania's Kilimanjaro from Istanbul returned to Turkey after a passenger suffered from a panic attack on Dec. 25. Anton Cestnik, a 54-year-old Slovenian citizen, attacked other passengers and broke a screen of the plane during the panic attack. The pilot of the plane decided to return to Atatürk International Airport while above the Egyptian capital Cairo when members of the cabin crew were not able to take Cestnik under control. Cestnik was detained after the plane landed. Cestnik and his wife were deported to Germany's Munich after they testified. http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-airlines-plane-returns-to-istanbul-after-passenger- suffers-panic-attack-124717 Back to Top World's largest amphibious aircraft makes maiden flight in China * China's domestically developed AG600, the world's largest amphibious aircraft, performed its maiden flight on Sunday * It's the latest step in China's military modernization program * The aircraft, which is roughly the size of a Boeing Co 737, is designed to carry out marine rescues and battle forest fires China's home-grown AG600, the world's largest amphibious aircraft in production, also known as 'Kunlong', is seen at Jinwan Airport in Zhuhai in China's southern Guangdong province on December 24, 2017. China's domestically developed AG600, the world's largest amphibious aircraft, performed its maiden flight on Sunday from an airport on the shores of the South China Sea, the latest step in a military modernization program. China has stepped up research on advanced military equipment as it adopts a more muscular approach to territorial disputes in places such as the disputed South China Sea, rattling nerves in the Asia-Pacific region and the United States. State television showed live images of the AG600 lifting off from Zhuhai airport in the southern province of Guangdong, which sits on the South China Sea coast. It returned about an hour later and taxied to its stand accompanied by martial music and greeted by crowds waving Chinese flags. Xinhua news agency said the aircraft was the "protector spirit of the sea, islands and reefs". It had previously been scheduled to make its first flight earlier this year but it is unclear why it was delayed after ground tests took place in April. State-owned Aviation Industry Corp of China (AVIC) has spent almost eight years developing the aircraft, which is roughly the size of a Boeing Co 737 and is designed to carry out marine rescues and battle forest fires. However, state media has also noted its potential use in the South China Sea, where China, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Brunei all have overlapping claims. The AG600's chief designer, Huang Lingcai, was quoted in the official China Daily earlier this month as saying it can make round trips without refuelling from the southern island province of Hainan to James Shoal, claimed by China but which is located close to Sarawak in Malaysian Borneo. Powered by four turboprop engines, the AG600 can carry 50 people during maritime search-and- rescue missions, and can scoop up 12 metric tons of water within 20 seconds for fire fighting trips, according to state media. The aircraft has received 17 orders so far from Chinese government departments and Chinese companies. It has a maximum flight range of 4,500 km (2,800 miles) and a maximum take-off weight of 53.5 tonnes. It can use conventional airports and also land and take-off from the sea. China is in the midst of a massive military modernisation programme, ranging from testing anti- satellite missiles to building stealth fighters and the country's first indigenous aircraft carrier, to add to an existing one bought from Ukraine. https://www.cnbc.com/2017/12/24/china-ag600-worlds-largest-amphibious-aircraft-maiden- flight.html Back to Top Bangladeshi pilots, aircraft engineers to get UK-standard aviation licenses The Civil Aviation Authority of the United Kingdom has already submitted a proposal to the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh in this regard Sazzad Hossain It has already submitted a proposal to the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) in this regard Britain's Civil Aviation Authority is taking an initiative to issue UK-standard licenses to Bangladeshi pilots and aircraft engineers to create more work opportunities for them at the international level. It has already submitted a proposal to the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) in this regard. If the proposal gets granted and implemented, one can apply and participate in the online examination from the office of CAAB. Passing the online examination will make the examinee eligible for the UK-standard certificate. The proposal says that the application for the certificates of the professional flight crew (aircraft and helicopter) and aircraft maintenance work license will be available online. A source says an e-exam system will be installed for UK-standard license examination. It will cost €52,250 for the computers, labs and other facilities that the system will require. A participant will have to pay €75 to take the examination. Bangladesh will have to pay tax, vat and other government fees. The computer will be controlled by a security software that will not allow the examinee to use the computer for other purposes during the examination. The result will be published swiftly. UK's CAA will prepare the exam questions according to ESAS standard. CAAB member (operation and planning) Mostafizur Rahman said: "We are working on the UK Civil Aviation Authority's proposals on holding exams and giving licenses according to UK standards. "This will help create more job opportunities for Bangladeshi pilots and aircraft engineers at the international level. We are now working on the procedures for issuing the certificate and other issues." UK's CAA holds the e-exam in over 100 venues in more than 25 countries thrice a year. Chief Executive Officer of Galaxy flying academy and retired wing commander ATM Nazrul Islam said that it was important whether the license would be issued solely by UK CAA or jointly with CAAB. There are some legal issues at the national level, he said. "It will certainly be a good initiative if the examination is taken on the basis of UK standard," Nazrul said. "This will enhance the acceptability of Bangladeshi aviators and increase job opportunities at both domestic and international airlines." https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2017/12/25/bangladeshi-pilots-aircraft-engineers-get- uk-standard-aviation-licenses/ Back to Top Tuskegee Airmen fought Hitler in Christmas of '44 * Red-tailed Mustangs were true friends of the U.S. bomber crews Christmas is a special day for worship, but black pilots from Alabama had something else to do 73 years ago-destroying part of Hitler's war machine. Tuskegee Airmen spent that day in 1944 escorting bombers into enemy territory where a large oil refinery would soon be ashes. Aware of Hitler's racial superiority claims, the Tuskegee pilots must have taken great pleasure helping to wipe out the plant. Other facilities that also manufactured and processed oil used in war production would eventually be eliminated in the days that followed. A B-24 bomber in World War II. (Photo: Photo courtesy Dr. Daniel Haulman) What made the missions successful was support for the bombers by the 332nd Fighter Group - black pilots who kept tabs on possible enemy aircraft locations as well as anti-aircraft placements. German pilots were good and they might have been flying above American bomber formations, so that possibility kept U.S. bomber crews on alert. No enemy aircraft were confronted near the bombers that Christmas day but German planes were seen at a distance and that was close enough. One Tuskegee pilot was last seen bailing out of his crippled plane during a reconnaissance flight on Dec. 23 of that year. His plane appeared to have had engine problems. His body was not found. Other American pilots were killed during the Christmas period, but 180 white pilots and crew members became part of an experience they never forgot. They didn't know it at the time, but they were about to become part of a historic rendezvous - black and white pilots enjoying each other's company a long way from their home bases of operation. The late Carrol Woods, shown in 2005, was a Tuskegee Airman and Prisoner of War (POW). Such a meeting would likely have been next to impossible in the segregated South at the time, but the Tuskegee pilots were more interested in aviation chatter than protests. The merged meeting of combat pilots and crews involved talk about flight formations, new tactics and other interesting topics at a base in Ramitelli, Italy. It wasn't long before they all had become fast friends. Their arrival at Ramitelli was not caused by enemy ground fire or German fighters. Bad weather was the reason and the landing site belonged to the Tuskegee pilots. A military publication familiar with the event that had just taken place described the unusual gathering as "a story of hospitality far beyond expectations." "For five days, we were treated like kings," said a white pilot who let it be known it was much to his liking. Their hosts were members of a black fighter group and the article indicated that the reception was "wonderful" throughout the five-day period. Reciprocal handshakes and back pats had begun a special friendship. What came next was even better. The black hosts had, in effect, rolled out a figurative red carpet to welcome their soon-to-be white friends - pilots and crewmen with much in common. A quartermaster unit was contacted with a request for food and blankets and it wasn't long before the visiting pilots had good food and warmth. It got better as the hours passed with Tuskegee pilots insisting on serving American bomber crews "breakfast in bed," along with cold beer, PX rations (their own) Cokes, writing paper and whiskey," according to the article. 2d Lt. Andrew D. Marshall of the 301st Fighter Squadron of the 332nd Fighter Group is one of two red-tailed P-51 Mustang pilots of the Tuskegee Airmen who were reported lost on the 29 December 1944 mission to escort B-24 bombers to targets in Germany. (Photo: Photo courtesy Daniel Haulman) Eventually, it was time for the white pilots and crew members to leave, but something special awaited them before they took off. Parting gifts included collector item letters which read: "You have been the guests of the 332nd All- Negro Fighter Group ... we hope that our facilities, such as they are, were adequate to make your stay a pleasant one and we extend to you hearty wishes for a happy new year and many happy landings." The writer couldn't resist inserting a plug for the Tuskegee Airmen since the unit went out of its way to welcome appreciative white pilots and crews. "Remember," he wrote: "When you are up there and see the red-tailed Mustangs in the sky, they are our friends of the 332nd." The reference was to striking red paint on the tails of Tuskegee aircraft. When they were detected, American bomber crews knew they were in safe hands. It got to the point that white bomber pilots anxiously awaited their escorts, hoping they would be flown by Tuskegee Airmen. Daniel Haulman, a civilian historian working at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, has chronicled events linked to the Tuskegee Airmen for much of his long career. Haulman, chief of organizational histories for the Air Force Historical Research Agency, has written nine books and seems to always be working on his next project. His latest book is: "The Tuskegee Airmen Chronology: A Detailed Timeline of the Red Tails and other Black Pilots of World War II." "The Tuskegee Airmen Chronology: A Detailed Timeline of the Red Tails and other Black Pilots of World War II." * ISBN-10: 1588383415 * ISBN-13: 978-1588383419 Published by NewSouth Books in Montgomery, it focuses on accomplishments of the Tuskegee Airmen, especially successes in aerial combat. In addition to his responsibilities at Maxwell, Haulman has been kept busy writing books and answering questions about the Tuskegee Airmen. He has often been asked how Tuskegee, Alabama, was chosen as the site where black pilot training was established. Haulman said Tuskegee Institute, as it was known before it became Tuskegee University, had already been training black civilian pilots and the climate was better than the North for flying. Asked how the first black pilots in the U.S. military got started, Haulman said it evolved from President Roosevelt's promise to allow blacks to enter the program, but on the condition that they would be trained "on a segregated basis." Asked how successful the 99th Fighter Squadron had been in missions over Anzio, Italy, in January 1944, Haulman said during two days of intense operations "it shot down more enemy planes than the other P-40 squadrons in the area." Haulman's devotion to the Tuskegee Airmen and their military accomplishments has led him to become well known across America. One of the reasons was his drive to "correct myths and misconceptions" about unfair depictions of black pilots. That did not endear him at first to some airmen, especially those with combat experiences. He didn't receive a rousing ovation at his first national meeting of Tuskegee Airmen, but he wasn't looking for one and took the silence he received in stride. As the years went by, however, his efforts to portray the Tuskegee Airmen as dedicated men who had served their country well in battle changed that perception. "The biggest misconception about the Airmen was that they were inferior to white pilots doing the same thing during the war," Haulman said. "Well, nothing could have been further from the truth." Years of writing about the Tuskegee Airmen had convinced him beyond any question that "they proved they could fly as well as any white fighter pilots." When Haulman attended his next national meeting of the group, the reception was positive and the appreciative applause he received at his second introduction is something he still remembers with pride. http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/entertainment/2017/12/23/tuskegee-airmen-fought- hitler-christmas-44/978773001/ Back to Top Women Airforce Service Pilots Aided American War Efforts With Help From These Women of Color The WASP corps offered women the opportunity to fly in a time when fewer than 1% of Americans had pilot's licenses. Frances M. Tong, Museum of Chinese in America Collection In this reported op-ed, writer Em Steck explains the impact of the female pilots of color who served as part of the Women Airforce Service Pilots, and introduces the African-American pilots barred from service who still made a major impact. During World War II, after the Japanese military attacked Pearl Harbor, the United States Army Air Forces was in serious need of manpower to pilot noncombat missions. So, the military made an unprecedented decision: It hired women as pilots. In 1942, General Henry Harley "Hap" Arnold ordered the establishment of two women-led flying programs for the domestic war effort, which eventually converged into the Women Airforce Service Pilots. Collectively, in its two years, 1,074 pilots logged 60 million miles flying all kinds of aircraft domestically for the WASP program. Thirty-eight women died in service-all in accidents, as they weren't allowed to see combat. The women in the WASP corps appeared to be of a certain type: affluent, college-educated, and white. However, most of the women worked extra jobs to pay for flight times. All women were required to pay for licenses and room and board to train at the Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas, but none of the women qualified for military benefits since they were technically civilians. My grandmother was one of those aviators accepted into the program, which shuttered in 1944, a decision that came about due to men's objections and Congress's failure to authorize militarization. "Being disbanded before the war was over, it was really kind of a sexist thing," Maggie Gee, one of two Chinese-Americans in the WASP program, said years later. "There were so many pilots coming back, male pilots, coming back from...England, and they saw these women flying, they said, 'They should be home. They should be home having babies,' and so they pressured Congress to disband us after the war." After decades of lobbying for recognition, the WASPs received veteran status in 1977 when President Jimmy Carter signed the G.I. Bill Improvement Act of 1977, which recognized the women for their service. In 2009, President Barack Obama awarded the WASPs the Congressional Gold Medal. Today, 62,613 women serve in the U.S. Air Force. (Of all Air Force personnel, 72% are white, 14% are African-American, nearly 4% are Asian, and fewer than 1% are Native American.) Before its end, the WASP corps offered women the opportunity to fly in a time when fewer than 1 percent of Americans had pilot licenses. Despite a direct ban of African-American women-which made the WASP acronym an apt name for the unit-the program featured several exceptional women of color. These are their stories. Ola Millie "Sexy Rexy" Rexroat The only Native American woman to serve as a WASP was the late Ola Mildred "Millie" Rexroat. Born to a white father and an Oglala Lakota mother in 1917, Rexroat worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs at a reservation in Gallup, New Mexico, and the National War College in Washington, D.C., before finding her greatest passion: flying. With America at war, Rexroat enrolled in $8-an- hour flight lessons to join the WASP program in 1944-all before she received her driver's license. Nicknamed "Sexy Rexy" by her friends, Rexroat towed targets from her aircraft as target practice for aerial gunnery cadets. Though the job could be dangerous, Rexroat said she was not afraid. "I never gave it a thought. You couldn't worry about things like that.... You can't live forever," she told the Rapid City Journal in 2010. Rexroat's tenure lasted only three months before the program closed, but that didn't stop her from being an aviator. She went on to serve during the Korean War, and later as an air traffic controller for the Federal Aviation Administration. She died on June 28, 2017, at 99 years old. In October 2017, the Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota renamed its Airfield Operations Building the Millie Rexroat Building in her honor. Hazel Ying Lee Hazel Ying Lee was the first Chinese-American aviator to fly for the U.S. military. Born in Portland, Oregon, on August 24, 1912, Lee was the daughter of working-class immigrants and enrolled in a flying program as a teenager. In 1933, she moved to China to join the Chinese Air Force, but they weren't hiring women as pilots, so Lee worked as a commercial pilot in China before she returned Stateside. After the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, Lee volunteered for the brand-new WASP program. She was one of 132 women trained to pilot the super fast, high-powered fighter aircrafts, including the P-51 Mustang. On the tails of planes, Lee inscribed Chinese characters in lipstick, according to the Air Force News Service. She was the last WASP to die in action, just a few weeks before the program shuttered, when her plane collided with another on a runway in Great Falls, Montana. Her family had to fight to bury Lee and her brother Victor, who died days after Hazel, in a local cemetery after being told Asians were not permitted to be there. The family contested and ultimately prevailed. Maggie Gee Maggie Gee was born on August 5, 1923, in Berkeley, California, to Chinese immigrant parents, and spent her Sundays watching the airplanes at the Oakland airport. To save money for flight school, Gee worked as a draftsman for the engineers working on classified projects on U.S. naval ships needing repair. After paying $800 for six months of training and 50 hours of flying time, Gee was accepted into the WASP flying training program in 1944. Like Rexroat, Gee was also a tow target pilot. "All we wanted to do is fly. That's what made the organization so good, because everyone loved flying so much and they wanted to do it," Gee said in a 2003 interview for the University of California, Berkeley. "So we had this commonality and [were] very supportive of each other. That's important. If you had a bad day, everyone knew about it and they sympathized. We helped each other. It was really nice. We bound together. We remained friends all our lives." After the war, Gee traveled to Europe, eventually returning to the U.S. to work as a physicist at University of California, Berkeley, studying nuclear weapons design and fusion energy. She later became involved in local politics as a Democrat. She died at 89 in 2013. The Rejected WASPs of Color While there were a handful of women of color in the WASP program-including two Mexican- Americans whose stories were never recorded - African-American women were intentionally excluded, a move that paralleled larger racial divisions in America at the time. Janet Bragg, the first African-American woman in the country to earn a full commercial pilot's license, was rejected from the WASP program and a commercial pilot's license from the Tuskegee Airmen despite her credentials. While doing postgraduate work at Loyola University and the University of Chicago, Bragg worked as a registered nurse to save enough money to buy her first of three planes. She later opened the nation's first black-owned airport. "There were so many things they said women couldn't do and blacks couldn't do," Bragg told the Chicago Tribune before her death in 1993. "Every defeat to me was a challenge." Mildred Hemmons Carter, the first black woman to become a pilot in Alabama, was also qualified, but barred from the WASP unit. She was among the first women to earn a pilot's license from Tuskegee Institute's Civilian Air Training School, and later continued to work with the Tuskegee Airmen, the nation's first military program for African-American pilots. It's where she met her husband, Lt. Col. Herbert Carter. Hemmons Carter was later designated a WASP and a Designated Original Tuskegee Airman for her service and skill. https://www.teenvogue.com/story/women-airforce-service-pilots-aided-american-war-efforts-with- help-from-these-women-of-color Back to Top Keeping experienced pilots a critical concern for Air Force brass Capt. Bryan Adams, left, and Capt. David Wilfong, 15th Airlift Squadron pilots, fly a C-17 Globemaster III enroute to Puerto Rico to deliver personnel and equipment in support of Hurricane Irma relief operations. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Charles Rivezzo A shortage of U.S. Air Force pilots has commanders thinking of new ways to keep veteran flyers in the cockpit amid worries that the situation is becoming a crisis. Joint Base Charleston is looking at a "fly-only" track that would reduce pilot administrative duties. Better pay and shorter deployments are also considerations, said Col. Patrick Winstead, vice commander of the 437th Military Airlift Wing. "We've seen this before. It's not new to us but it is happening now," he said. "Our monetary compensation doesn't compete." Many pilots opt for higher salaries with commercial airlines when they're up for re-enlistment. The Air Force has attempted to address this issue by offering contract extensions of only one or two years with $35,000 bonuses, as opposed to the typical five- to nine-year extensions, according to news reports. The 437th Airlift Wing has 237 pilots, several thousand air crew members and 48 C-17A Globemaster III aircraft. Loss of experienced flyers is a concern, but the 437th is operating with a full staff capable of getting the job done, Winstead said. "They're trained and mission-ready, but nothing helps like that quality of experience. We just don't have the experience that we've had in the past," he said. The wing is part of the national Air Mobility Command, which is short about 315 pilots out of 7,940 total force pilots - roughly a 4 percent shortfall overall between active duty, the National Guard and Air Force Reserve. The Air Force needs roughly 20,000 pilots to accommodate its various needs and fly its wide array of aircraft. Roughly 10 percent of its positions remain unfilled. It needs 3,781 active-duty fighter pilots but has fewer than 2,700. Its fighter pilot shortage grew by 200 career officers in the past year alone, officials said. President Donald Trump's recent executive order allows the Air Force to recall up to 1,000 retired pilots to active duty for three years to ensure it has enough aviators who are combat-ready. By law, all branches of the military are typically only allowed to bring back 25 officers at a time. Air Force officials said they appreciated Trump's action but pilots willing to make a longer commitment are what's needed. Every three minutes, one of the big air mobility command planes takes off somewhere around the world to refuel aircraft, move personnel or supplies, conduct medical evacuations or other humanitarian missions. And nine out of 10 refueling tanker missions flown as part of the war against the Islamic State involve air mobility command aircraft - more than 33,000 sorties in 2016, according to the Air Force Times. "The mobility mission is similar to an offensive line in football. When the capability isn't there, everyone notices, and scoring - or, in our case, striking a target, delivering relief or helping to save a life - wouldn't occur," Gen. Carlton D. Everhart II said recently in an Air Force publication. About 1,600 Air Force transport pilots are eligible to leave the military in the next four-plus years. Commercial airlines are projected to be short 16,000 pilots by 2020. The math demonstrates the challenge of holding onto pilots is not looming, it is here. The time to find solutions is now, Everhart said. "The big thing is we can't keep up with the airlines. Their pay continues to go up and up," Brig. Gen. Mike Koscheski said recently in the Washington Examiner. https://www.postandcourier.com/news/keeping-experienced-pilots-a-critical-concern-for-air-force- brass/article_ae8ad11c-e4d3-11e7-9657-d34e7ba00d04.html Back to Top Potential Boeing Embraer Merger Shakes Up Small Jet Market This weeks Wall Street Journal report on the potential merger of Boeing and Brazilian aircraft company Embraer has sent shockwaves through the small jet market and could reshape the competitive landscape. According to the WSJ, negotiations are in a holding pattern while the Brazilian government reviews the deal. The talks are taking place against the backdrop of an ongoing dispute between Boeing and Canadian jet manufacturer Bombardier. Boeing filed a complaint against Bombardier for allegedly illegally dumping jets into the U.S. market by selling its C Series to Delta Airlines for absurdly low prices. The dispute almost incited an international trade war, as Bombardier then gave an ownership stake in the C Series joint venture to Airbus. The Airbus Bombardier partnership did not only affect Boeing; it fueled speculation about Embraer's E2 jet program. According to analyst Carter Copeland of Melius Research, "I'm sure Embraer's view of the likely success of their product in the E2 was materially altered by the Airbus transaction for the C Series. They went from competing against a distressed Bombardier to competing against a healthy and extremely competitive entity in Airbus. That changes the mindset of the leadership team at Embraer." Analysts also seem to think that Boeing might look to partner with Embraer on the KC-390 which falls into the category below the 737 MAX 7 which is currently Boeing's smallest jet at 138 seats. Small jet manufacturers like Russia's Sukhoi are an emerging competitive threat. Boeing had avoided making the smaller, less-than-100 seat jets since the 717 retired in 2006. But the small jet market is arguably getting large enough to garner their interest. Airlines are increasingly buying more fuel efficient planes. Strategically, Airbus' agreement with Bombardier and Boeing's potential merger with Embraer could give the pair a duopoly, solidifying both companies as market leaders in the small jet space. This would create barriers to entry to other manufacturers from Russia, China and Japan who would have less cross-selling opportunity and limited access to suppliers. However, the Brazilian government itself may be what mucks up the potential Boeing Embraer merger. Brazil holds a "golden share" in Embraer and may be reticent to give it up. Insiders, who prefer to stay anonymous because the talks are private, say the two companies are therefore considering not only a merger but a joint venture as well. A JV would give both companies advantages while avoiding an all-out Boeing takeover. Either way, it appears as if Airbus/Bombardier and Boeing/Embraer may wind up being the two big dogs in small jet manufacturing. https://www.avgeekery.com/potential-boeing-embraer-merger-shakes-small-jet-market/ Back to Top Book: Angle of Attack NOW AVAILABLE FOR ORDER EXCLUSIVELY FROM CURT LEWIS AVIATION BOOKS Second Printing Rushed to Press Finally, the definitive book on the Titanic of aviation accidents, a state-of-the-art jet that couldn't stall until it did and took the lives of 228 Air France passengers and crew. Based on exclusive interviews with the aircraft's manufacturer, the airline, flight crews, families of the pilots, accident investigators and the Woods Hole led team that recovered the missing jet from the bottom of the South Atlantic, Angle of Attack reveals why airlines and regulators everywhere must respond now to critical lessons from this legendary event. AUTOGRAPHED COPIES NOW AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY FROM CURT LEWIS AVIATION BOOKS at http://www.pilot-errormovie.com/book/angle-of-attack Meet CoAuthor Shem Malmquist at the Orlando FAA Flight Safety Division Office FAAS Team sponsored Preventing Loss of Control Accidents event January 11, 2018 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m at Orlando Executive Airport, 365 Rickenbacker Drive. Click here to register. Contact Robert Breaux Phone: (407) 644-4298 FAASTeam@CenturyLink.net for more information on this event focusing on the causes of LOC and What We, as Pilots Can Do About Them. WHAT THE EXPERTS ARE SAYING ABOUT ANGLE OF ATTACK "We owe Rapoport and Malmquist a great debt of gratitude. Read every word." -Dr. Gary Helmer, Embry Riddle University "A great resource for aeronautical professionals ... exposes the failed defenses that can reside at each layer of the aviation system. A must read for anyone with an interest in aviation accident investigation and aviation safety." -Dr. Chris Johnson, Director of Aviation Education and Research, Industrial & Systems Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison "A must read for professional pilots, aircraft designers, government regulators and political decision makers." -Gregory Fox, Director of Safety, Florida Institute of Technology, ATPL pilot, safety manager since 1971, 35 years safety regulator, and 20 years check inspector on A320 and A340. "Angle of Attack sheds light for the novice and expert alike. Their subject matter expertise is admirable. They have used the Air France 447 crash and other crashes of automated airplanes as examples of accidents that might have been prevented if the crews had access to realistic training to prepare them for those rare events and if their aircraft had been equipped with angle of attack indicators." -Captain Elaine M. Parker, Beyond Risk Management "You don't have to be a [pilot to find this book moving and absorbing." - Adam Hochschild, Author of Spain in Our Hearts and King Leopold's Ghost "This book proves conclusively that education by meteorologists is the key to fundamental understanding of the impact weather has on the elements of the aviation arena." - Debbie Schaum Embry-Riddle University 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 (https://ral.ucar.edu/opportunity/halaby-fellowship). The Fellowship The recipient of a Najeeb E. Halaby Graduate Student Fellowship will spend three months (in 2018 or early 2019) 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, 2018 to halabyfellowship@ucar.edu Back to Top Today's Photo Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation C-54 flying over Manteo NC, recreating the candy drop made famous by Colonel Gail Halvorsen during the Berlin Airlift. Photo Courtesy of Jay Selman https://jaybirdaviationphotos.smugmug.com/ Curt Lewis