January 2, 2020 - No. 001 In This Issue Saudi Aviation, BAE Systems sign MoU to enhance aircraft maintenance CL Enterprise buys Carver Aero How IoT is powering the aviation industry to new heights Bombardier sells Mexican wiring business to Latécoère for $50 million Last JetStar Retires FAA issues guidance notice to Blackbird Air platform American Airlines donates 2 MD-80 aircraft for maintenance training NTSB Investigators Face Challenges with Kauai Tour Helicopter Crash U.S. Rep Peter DeFazio Wants Safer Skies-and a Closer Eye on Boeing SpaceX's Crew Dragon Simulation Will Get You Pumped for 2020 Saudi Aviation, BAE Systems sign MoU to enhance aircraft maintenance JEDDAH: The Saudi Aviation Association has signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudi BAE Systems for development and training. This MoU aims at joint cooperation to enhance local aircraft maintenance, which is witnessing a steady growth in Saudi Arabia. Under this MoU, the two parties will work on new programs to train Saudi youth in fields compatible with the capabilities of the company, in addition to analyzing information and current and future requirements in the maintenance and operation of aircraft. Prince Fahd bin Mishaal, president of the Saudi Aviation Association and the vice-chairman of the Saudi Aviation Club, said that he was optimistic about the move, saying that the association seeks to upgrade its services and keep pace with developments in Saudi Arabia. "The Saudis working in the field of civil aviation have proven their professionalism and competence on the local and international levels," he said. "Therefore, by signing this MoU, the association will lead these capabilities to the ranks of developed countries." https://www.arabnews.com/node/1607136/saudi-arabia Back to Top CL Enterprise buys Carver Aero CL Enterprises, the investment company of the Carus-Limberger family in Ottawa, IL, announced on Tuesday that it obtained Carver Aero, a Flight Base Operator business with two locations at the airports in Davenport and Muscatine, Iowa. Carver Aero also operates an aircraft maintenance business, a flight school, and an air charter business. "We are thankful to Roy Carver and his family for choosing our family to take over this business. We plan to grow the business and expand to other small towns in the Midwest, following our belief in the economic potential of rural regions and small towns," said Peter Limberger, Chairman and CEO of CL Enterprises. "Our investment will provide a solid platform for further growth in the aviation sector with excellent market opportunities, especially in the Midwest." Fred Edwards, Carver Aero's COO, said, "We at Carver Aero are excited to have CL Enterprises as the new investor in the business. It was clear to us that as a family business, their values are very similar to ours. We are especially excited about new opportunities for the company and its employees." Carver Aero was founded nearly 30 years ago. https://www.ourquadcities.com/uncategorized/cl-enterprise-buys-carver-aero/ Back to Top How IoT is powering the aviation industry to new heights In 2035, IATA (International Air Transport Association) forecasts that there will be 7.2 billion air travelers, doubling the 3.8 billion passengers chalked up in 2016. The dramatic increase of passengers means airports need to be able to accommodate a rise in traffic. While redesigning or restructuring an entire airport may be on approach, more forward- thinking leaders are looking at the potential of new technology solutions to improve the overall efficiency of existing solutions. Take a look at Kittilä airport in Finland, an airport with humble resources struggling to accommodate flocks of passengers during peak holiday seasons. Finland's aviation body decided its time for an AI intervention, and the successful trial will see similar initiatives go nationwide. At a time when it needs it most, the aviation industry stands to gain from digital transformation, and IoT in particular- a network of intelligent and sensor-equipped devices that can gather data from a spectrum of endpoints, which can then be interpreted and acted upon by tech leaders. The role of IoT in aviation One of the main features of IoT is its ability to collect a vast amount of data and provide a wealth of insights for airline managers to streamline systems and processes in aviation. # 1 | Maintenance Airline leaders are utilizing the concept of data collection to understand better their equipment and maintenance needed for an aircraft. This year, Airbus has decided to launch an IoT platform for its cabin calling it the Airbus Connected Experience. By having IoT sensors from seats to overhead bins to the lavatory, they can gather real-time data and provide updates for cabin crews. Some examples of data include the time taken for passengers to fasten their seat belts and which particular seat is on recline before departure or landing. Besides that, the cabin crew can keep track of food availability and bathroom shortages. Airline partners such as Seatmakers Stelia and Recaro can benefit from this data for "predictive maintenance" where they can monitor the seat conditions and anticipate problems before it arises. In the long run, manufacturers can utilize the gathered information for research and development, seeking out better materials to build high-quality seats. Meanwhile, Gategroup, the food caterer of airbuses, can use the data to analyze food preferences and retail products. Overall, the use of IoT data enables stakeholders to assess and maintain the quality of their products and services in the aircraft. # 2 | Efficiency Along with system and product maintenance, IoT data is also used to increase efficiency in aviation. Virgin Atlantic has integrated IoT devices on a fleet of Boeing 787 plans and cargo equipment. The total data collected over a flight is stated to exceed half a terabyte. The rich data help Virgin Atlantic to detect the likelihood of aircraft equipment to go faulty and can deploy engineers on-site in a timely manner. As a result, delays due to defects and maintenance are reduced by 20 percent and airline engineers save 2 hours per day with predictive analysis at hand. Similarly, Emirates is using beacons to monitor equipment such as toolboxes and life jackets. The air carrier also tracks its cargo by embedding beacon technology in bag tags, saving time by receiving real-time updates on equipment. Essentially, IoT increases the efficiency of cabin staff when inspection and monitoring are automated, leaving service crews more time to assist passengers. Even though IoT presents a sky full of possibilities in augmenting the aviation industry, passengers may not share the same enthusiasm and are not too eager for airlines to know how much time do they spend in the lavatory or when they are properly buckled up during the flight. As an example, United Airlines and Delta faced scrutiny and significant backlash from their passengers when inactive cameras were spotted in the aircraft. Clearly, privacy is a delicate topic and has to be dealt with much sensitivity. Airlines need to approach digital transformation with passengers in mind instead of jet speeding in innovation. As with everything new, setting regulations and educating passengers of the use of data could be the first step. https://techhq.com/2020/01/how-iot-is-powering-the-aviation-industry-to-new-heights/ Back to Top Bombardier sells Mexican wiring business to Latécoère for $50 million Bombardier Aviation has agreed to sell its Mexican electrical wiring facility to French aerospace company Latécoère for $50 million. The Querétaro facility makes Electrical Wiring Interconnection Systems for Global, Challenger and Learjet aircraft. It employs 700 staff who will move to Latécoère and has annual sales of around $80 million. Bombardier has agreed a long term supply agreement with Latécoère. "This acquisition reflects our willingness to emerge as a leading player in the global consolidation movement in the aeronautics sector," said Yannick Assouad, CEO of Latécoère. "We keep deploying our manufacturing footprint on an international scale with a strong desire to strengthen our presence in the areas closest to our customers." Latécoère also supplies Airbus, Embraer, Dassault, Boeing and Bombardier. Aerostructures - such as fuselage sections and doors - account for 58% of its sales with Interconnexion systems - onboard wiring, electrical harnesses and avionics bays - making up the rest. It employs 4,958 people in 13 different countries. "This agreement exemplifies Bombardier's focus on streamlining its activities to foster a strong and efficient aviation franchise," said Paul Sislian, chief operating officer, Bombardier Aviation. "With Latécoère's reputation for excellence, this new partnership will result in a winning combination for both our companies." Bombardier opened facilities in Querétaro, one of Mexico's two main aerospace hubs, in 2008. It will continue to build major structures for Bombardier aircraft, such as the aft fuselage for the Global family of business aircraft in Querétaro The Canadian aircraft manufacturer sold its wing making businesses in Belfast, Northern Island, and Casablanca, Morocco, as well as a Dallas maintenance facility to Spirit Aerosystems in October 2019. It hopes to close the sale to Latécoère before June 2020. https://corporatejetinvestor.com/articles/bombardier-sells-mexican-wiring-business-to-latecoere- 098/ Back to Top Last JetStar Retires Retirement came this week for what is believed to be the last flying Lockheed JetStar. An unnamed Florida family, which has been using it for the last three decades, has donated the four-engined bizjet to the Marietta Aviation History and Technology Center. Built in 1966, this JetStar has just short of 11,000 hours' total time and was once owned by the Saudi royal family. According to a report in the Marietta Daily Journal, the JetStar's pilot, John Poffenbarger, has been flying the aircraft for the last 21 years and more than 3,000 hours. "We were able to preserve a piece of art," he said after the Lockheed's likely last flight on Monday. "The pilots I've talked to over the years have always had one common comment about Lockheed, that it was always the best flying aircraft," Poffenbarger said. "I'm kind of jaded because for 21 years I've been flying this and I've become accustomed to it. She's a crotchety old lady, she's 53 years old, but she flew up here today just fine. Our director of maintenance Eric Boyd is a genius." The JetStar will be dismantled and moved to the museum, to be seen again sometime this summer. "There is already a JetStar at the museum, but it's a little older, it's not operational and it's not in as good of a condition as this one," Mark Morgan, the Marietta museum director, told the Daily Journal. The display will allow visitors to sit in the cockpit and sample the eight-seat interior. Originally flown with two Bristol Siddeley Orpheus engines in 1957, the JetStar was re-engined with four Pratt & Whitney JT12As for production. N313JS had been re-engined with the quieter, more fuel efficient Garrett TFE731. https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/last-jetstar-retires/ Back to Top FAA issues guidance notice to Blackbird Air platform The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has sent a letter to Blackbird Air, an online marketplace, aircraft agent and charter broker, which created a web-based application (app) that connects passengers with pilots. The idea behind the app is for passengers to give up their cars and replace those more time-consuming journeys with flights operated by hand-picked pilots and aircraft using more convenient airports. At the time of writing, the app was still available for download on Blackbird Air's website. In its communication with Blackbird Air, the FAA outlined its policy on the requirements for pilots who are paid to fly passengers. The policy states that pilots who are paid to fly passengers generally cannot just hold the required Commercial or Airline Transport pilot licence - they also must be employed by the company operating the flight, which must hold a certificate issued under Part 119 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. Failing that, the pilots must hold a Part 119 certificate themselves. In an update published on the FAA's website, the administrator urged caution from the travelling public when making such bookings, as flights can be arranged very easily on mobile devices, with little thought often given to whether it is legal or safe. Passengers paying for a charter flight are entitled to higher safety levels than is required for a free flight from a friend. For example, pilots carrying paying customers must have the required training and qualifications and the aircraft must be maintained to the standards that the FAA's charter regulations require. In addition, pilots are also subject to random drug and alcohol testing. The FAA used the update to also reiterate that any pilot who provides charter flights without complying with the Part 119 certificate requirement would be violating the Federal Aviation Regulations - even if they possess a Commercial or Airline Transport Pilot licence. https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/84837-faa-issues-guidance-notice-to-blackbird-air- platform Back to Top American Airlines donates 2 MD-80 aircraft for maintenance training American Airlines has announced that following the retirement of the last of its McDonnell Douglas MD-80 fleet to Roswell, New Mexico, it is donating the last two MD-80 aircraft to CareerTech in Oklahoma City, and Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois, the company said. The donations to the two schools provides aviation maintenance students the opportunity to gain practical experience by working on a commercial aircraft. With the MD-80 donation, CareerTech can expand aviation workforce preparation from a statewide level to the entire CareerTech system. The aircraft will be used to train students in maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) operations, and the corresponding curriculum and training materials will be utilized at all CareerTech technology centers that provide aerospace training. The MD-80 donation helps Lewis University Aviation and Transportation develop a new generation of training as it provides an updated avionics package and broadens opportunities for students to earn more Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certificates. All 700 current Aviation and Transportation students will use the MD-80 at some point in their studies, however, it will primarily be used by nearly 200 students in the Aviation Maintenance Management program. American participates in initiatives that help introduce students to STEM careers in aviation. The airline has facilitated other maintenance hangar tours for students at Chicago O´Hare International Airport and Tulsa International Airport. Additionally, American´s Line Maintenance team at Los Angeles International Airport partnered with Project Scientist Academy and Tomorrow´s Aeronautical Museum earlier this year as part of an initiative that supports aspiring young aviators from Compton, California. https://financial-news.co.uk/american-airlines-donates-2-md-80-aircraft-for-maintena/ Back to Top NTSB Investigators Face Challenges with Kauai Tour Helicopter Crash Investigators of the National Transportation Safety Board are working on logistics to access the wreckage site of Thursday's deadly tour helicopter crash in a remote area of Kokee. "The logistics (are) very, very challenging," said NTSB spokesman Eric Weiss this morning. "We're working on that right now." A Eurocopter AS350 B2 helicopter operated by Safari Helicopters crashed Thursday, killing seven people. The crash site is about 1.3 miles inland where the aircraft apparently struck a cliff face before falling 50 to 100 yards, according to Kauai Fire Department Battalion Chief Solomon Konoho. The helicopter took off from Lihue to tour the Napali Coast Thursday and was due to return at 5:21 p.m. The pilot's last communication was at 4:40 p.m. when he relayed they were leaving the Waimea Canyon area. Two families and the pilot were killed in crash. Two passengers has been identified as Amy Gannon, 47, and her daughter, Jocelyn Gannon, 13, of Madison, Wis. The pilot was identified as Paul Matero, 69, of Wailua. Four other passengers killed in the crash believed to be a family from Switzerland have yet to be identified. Police said the victims were a 50-year-old woman, 49-year-old man and two girls ages 13 and 10. Weiss said the investigative team is slated to look for any electronic devices, examine aircraft parts and investigate surrounding areas of the crash site. "We will look to see if there are any tree strikes or any terrain markings to the determine the path the helicopter took," he added. The team's probe also involves looking into the weather conditions at the time of the crash and delving into the pilot's training records and helicopter's maintenance records. Matero's wife, Donna Dublin, has said her husband was an experienced and safety-oriented pilot who flew the Napali tour approximately four days a week. NTSB investigators will be on Kauai for a week or possibly longer. Weiss said a preliminary report is expected to be released within 10 days of the crash. A final report on the probable cause can take up to 18 to 24 months to complete. https://www.aviationpros.com/aircraft/rotorcraft/news/21119642/ntsb-investigators-face- challenges-with-kauai-tour-helicopter-crash Back to Top U.S. Rep Peter DeFazio Wants Safer Skies-and a Closer Eye on Boeing As chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) wields more clout in Congress on travel than any other Oregonian. His committee is responsible for the nation's highways, waterways and sky. Today, DeFazio, 72, faces perhaps his biggest challenge since entering Congress in 1987: finding a balance between keeping airline passengers safe and the economic fate of the country's largest exporter and one of its leading manufacturers, Boeing. DeFazio's committee is sifting through the wreckage of two of the company's 737 Max airliners for clues to who's to blame. Those crashes caused 346 deaths, led to the grounding of 400 planes worldwide, and raised troubling questions about both Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration. We caught up with DeFazio for an interview that has been edited for brevity and clarity. WW: Is this the most substantial investigation you've been involved in as a member of Congress? Peter DeFazio: Not only me, it's the most substantial investigation in the history of the Transportation Committee, which has existed since the first Congress. How did we get here? It all started with a phone call in 2011. American Airlines called Boeing and said, "Hey, we're going to buy 400 planes, and they're all going to be Airbuses unless you can match the fuel economy and, most critically"-what caused all this-"the pilots cannot be required to undergo high-level training." Boeing was in the initial stages of designing a new narrow-body airplane, a modern airplane, because the airframe design for the 737 is 50 years old. And [Boeing] made a fateful decision, which is, "We'll lose market share while we're doing this new plane, so let's just, one more time, re- engine the old 737." The Federal Aviation Administration regulates air safety. Where were they in all this? Their conclusion was, this was a month after the first crash [Lion Air Flight 610, Oct. 29, 2018], if this system is not corrected, then 15 of these planes will go down over the life of the fleet. And they didn't grab the planes. Boeing said it was going to fix this, and the FAA figured, "Well, another one isn't going to go down before Boeing fixes it." Obviously, the system did not work. Should FAA Administrator Stephen Dickson keep his job? Yeah, he just came in. I've got other differences with FAA, but he wasn't there, he's not the problem. In fact, he's taken responsibility, which the head of Boeing really hasn't. The head of Boeing sure as heck should go. [After this interview, Boeing fired CEO Dennis A. Muilenburg on Dec. 20.] After the second plane went down (Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, March 10, 2019), every aviation regulatory agency on the planet grounded the planes, with the exception of the FAA. Is this country providing less protection for its air travelers than any other First World country? Two key points: The FAA's head of safety came in in February after the first crash, after they had this evaluation that 15 more would go down, and told me it was a one-off incident having to do with maintenance and pilot error. Obviously not true, and they had an analysis that contradicted that. Secondly, I called the then-acting FAA administrator, Daniel Elwell, and said, "Why aren't you grounding the planes?" and he said, 'Well, we're waiting for data," and I said, "Well, it looks like the exact same thing to me." There are systemic problems we're going to get at. What kind of changes do you want at the agency? We're going to find a way to have a larger number of inspectors, and most of that burden is going to fall on the [industry]. And we're going to have to make sure there is a much more transparent process in terms of concerns raised by safety specialists and how those are processed and how high up in the organization they go. The head of safety says he didn't know about the [document] that said 15 of these planes were going to go down. I mean, he didn't know anything. We're going to look at that, too. What does the head of safety do at the FAA? Is Boeing's decision to suspend production of the 737 Max directly related to your hearings? I think the end result of our pressure on both Boeing and the FAA made this an inevitable action. What's really tragic is the workers. They've built the planes the way they were told to. And the Boeing CEO got a $15 million bonus, and workers are going to potentially lose their jobs. It's just the crappy way this country works. What do you mean? The board and the senior executives at Boeing are all looking at bonuses based on Boeing's stock price, and therefore the pressure starts with Wall Street. And I'm sure they said, "God, if we're going to lose market share and it's going to take us three more years to put up a modern airplane, our stocks are going to go down, which means our bonuses are going to go down." https://www.wweek.com/news/2019/12/31/u-s-rep-peter-defazio-wants-safer-skies-and-a-closer- eye-on-boeing/ Back to Top SpaceX's Crew Dragon Simulation Will Get You Pumped for 2020 Elon Musk has shared a short (currently fictional) film he calls a "simulation" of what he hopes a successful SpaceX flight to the International Space Station will look like. In the film, SpaceX's, Falcon 9 rocket delivers a Crew Dragon capsule to the station. The capsule docks, orbits briefly, then returns to Earth in a reminder of the classic parachuted silhouette of a Mercury capsule. SpaceX plans to launch the combined Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon craft early next year. Before their ambitious and concrete plans, private spaceflight had mostly been relegated to brief rocket trips into low Earth orbit for microgravity testing and tourist "zero G" experiences for the very wealthy. Musk's SpaceX changed the game in 2012 when they became the first private company to launch a craft to rendezvous with the International Space Station. Crew Dragon Animation Private companies like SpaceX must still launch from government facilities like Cape Canaveral, and the money they pay for these facility leases, combined with the genuinely innovative technology they're bringing to the stagnant, budget-strangled spaceflight sector, has quickly made SpaceX and their peers into unlikely allies to NASA and other world space agencies. By launching to ISS with a crew, SpaceX plans to make history again. SpaceX originally planned to launch a manned craft in 2019, but they were delayed by an explosion ("anomaly") that destroyed an entire working Crew Dragon prototype. Its competitors haven't been any luckier. Boeing's Starliner experienced a test failure on December 20, 2019, and likely setting back the company's ambitious to ferry astronauts to the ISS an American soil, something that hasn't happened since the last Space Shuttle was decommissioned in 2011. Still, SpaceX says they're on track for a first quarter 2020 launch, and this has been their and NASA's goal for a long time. And it's good timing. Since retiring the Space Shuttle, the U.S. has relied solely on a Russian Soyuz to deliver astronauts to space, and China led the world in launches in 2019. The dream of crewed spaceflight in the U.S. never materialized in 2019 like we hoped, but 2020 is shaping up to be the year that America finally sends humans toward the stars. https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/rockets/a30369340/crew-dragon-simulation/ Curt Lewis