Flight Safety Information February 6, 2020 - No. 027 In This Issue Turkey plane: Three dead, 179 hurt as jet skids off runway in Istanbul Accident: Pegasus B738 at Istanbul on Feb 5th 2020, overran runway, impacted wall, broke up Navy jet damaged in mid-air refueling mishap UPS and pilots union to make flights to and from China voluntary Canada demands Iran surrender airplane's black box Fighting fatigue: can airlines help crew balance their body clock? The Airbus A350 Cockpit Now Has A 'Liquid Free' Zone Nobody hurt when Grant Aviation plane crashes on takeoff in Hooper Bay Mitsubishi Aircraft to delay jet delivery to 2021 or later How bad is the pilot shortage? United is buying a flight school Helicopter Accident Investigation from SCSI Investigation Management from SCSI MITRE - SMS Course - March 2020 ACSF Safety Symposium Turkey plane: Three dead, 179 hurt as jet skids off runway in Istanbul Rescuers work to free people stuck in the crashed plane A passenger plane landing at an airport in Istanbul has skidded off the runway and broken into three parts, killing three people and injuring 179 others, officials say. The Pegasus Airlines jet was carrying 177 passengers and six crew members from Izmir province in the west when it crashed at Sabiha Gokcen airport. The Boeing 737 was trying to land in heavy tailwinds and rain. The airport was closed and flights diverted after the accident. The majority of people on board were Turkish, but local media quoted the airline's records as saying there were 22 foreign passengers from 12 other countries. A small number of children are believed to have been on board. Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya said: "Unfortunately, the Pegasus Airlines plane couldn't hold on the runway due to poor weather conditions and skidded for around 50-60m [164-196ft]." He said the plane then fell between 30 and 40 metres off the end of the runway. The airport has since reopened, while prosecutors have opened an investigation into the crash. Video footage showed passengers climbing through one of the large cracks to escape via one of the wings, and dozens of rescuers working around the jet. Other footage on social media showed a blaze inside the aircraft, which was later put out by firefighters. Transport Minister Mehmet Cahit Turhan said authorities had not yet been able to speak to the pilots, a Turkish national and a South Korean, who were believed to have been injured in the accident. The low-cost Pegasus Airlines has a fleet of 83 aircraft - 47 Boeings and 36 Airbus planes - and has been flying for 20 years. A Pegasus Boeing 737 coming in from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates skidded off the runway at the same airport on 7 January. There were no casualties but the airport had to be temporarily closed. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51384667 Back to Top Accident: Pegasus B738 at Istanbul on Feb 5th 2020, overran runway, impacted wall, broke up A Pegasus Boeing 737-800, registration TC-IZK performing flight PC-2193 from Izmir to Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen (Turkey) with 177 passengers and 6 crew, landed on Sabiha Gokcen's runway 06 at 18:20L (15:20Z) but overran the end of the runway, impacted the airport perimeter wall and broke into three parts about 170 meters/550 feet past the runway end. An engine, that had separated, caught fire. As of current rescue and recovery works are in progress, the engine fire was quickly extinguished. Three occupants died, 179 people were taken to hospitals with injuries. Istanbul's governor reported 52 people were taken to hospitals with injuries, including all 6 crew members. In the later evening (19:20Z) the governor reported 120 people were taken to hospitals, efforts to free people still trapped inside the aircraft are still ongoing. Around 20:13z the governor reported there were 177 passengers and 6 crew on board, one occupant died, 157 people were taken to hospitals with injuries. Turkey's Transport Ministry reported there were 177 people on board, there was no loss of life. The aircraft landed hard, went off the runway and got stuck in land. In the wee hours of Feb 6th 2020 the Ministry of Health reported three occupants of the aircraft had died. A total of 179 people are still in hospital care, thereof three are still in intense care. The others are in "good condition". The airline reported their aircraft TC-IZK flying from Izmir to Sabiha Gokcen suffered a runway excursion on landing. So far there has been no loss of life been reported, injured have been taken to hospitals. Information will continue. According to Mode-S data transmitted by the aircraft the aircraft landed long and hot, 1500 meters before the runway threshold the aircraft was descending through 950 feet MSL (corrected for local pressure, actual Mode-S reading 1500 feet)/661 feet AGL at 194 knots over ground, touched down about abeam taxiways T/F (about 1950 meters/6400 feet past the threshold, about 1000 meters/3300 feet before the runway end) at about 130 knots over ground, overran the end of the runway at about 63 knots over ground veering slightly to the left (last transponder transmission), hit the localizer antenna runway 06, went over an airport road and a cliff and impacted the airport perimeter wall. According to ATC frequency recordings the aircraft performed an ILS approach to runway 06. Upon contacting tower the crew was told there had been two go arounds prior to them. The aircraft was cleared to land on runway 06, tower adivsed winds were from 270 degrees at 22 knots gusting 37 knots, the crew read back the cleared to land. On ground frequency the controller reported to another aircraft preparing for departure the winds were coming from 270 degrees at 25 knots, the runway was being switched from 06 to 24. At 15:20z a lot of shouting in Turkish occurs on tower frequency (presumably alerting emergency services and directing them to the accident site). About 13 minutes before the accident tower had cleared another aircraft to land on runway 06 advising that crew the winds were coming from 100 degrees at 10 knots. Metars: LTFJ 051550Z 27013KT 240V300 9999 -SHRA BKN030 BKN070 10/08 Q0993 RETSRA NOSIG= LTFJ 051537Z 29018KT 9999 -SHRA FEW025CB BKN036 BKN070 10/08 Q0992 RETSRA NOSIG= LTFJ 051520Z 29022G37KT 240V330 7000 -TSRA FEW017CB BKN025 BKN070 11/09 Q0992 RESHRA NOSIG= LTFJ 051450Z VRB08G18KT 9999 -SHRA FEW025CB BKN036 BKN070 12/09 Q0990 NOSIG= LTFJ 051420Z 32018KT 290V350 7000 -SHRA FEW025CB BKN036 BKN080 13/10 Q0989 NOSIG= LTFJ 051404Z 33013KT 300V360 9999 -SHRA BKN036 BKN080 13/10 Q0988 NOSIG= LTFJ 051350Z 01011KT 9999 BKN040 BKN080 14/11 Q0987 NOSIG= LTFJ 051320Z 06007KT 020V090 9999 SCT040 BKN090 16/10 Q0987 RESHRA BECMG 23012KT= LTFJ 051250Z 12004KT 070V170 9999 -SHRA SCT040 BKN080 19/08 Q0987 NOSIG= LTFJ 051220Z 15006KT 100V170 9999 SCT040 BKN080 19/08 Q0988 NOSIG= Related NOTAMs: A0743/20 NOTAMN Q) LTBB/QMRLC/IV/NBO/A /000/999/4054N02919E005 A) LTFJ B) 2002051531 C) 2002051730 E) RWY 06/24 CLSD. -DUE TO AIRCRAFT CRASH- A0746/20 NOTAMN Q) LTBB/QILAS/I /NBO/A /000/999/4054N02920E005 A) LTFJ B) 2002051655 C) 2002071700 E) ISAB ILS/LLZ 109.9 MHZ RWY 06 U/S. Ground observer post accident video (Video: Ali ÖZDENİZ): 5 ?ubat 2020 Pegasus Airlines Sabiha Gökçen kazas? http://avherald.com/h?article=4d2e6a8d&opt=0 *********************** Date: Wednesday 5 February 2020 Time: 18:19 Type: Boeing 737-86J (WL) Operator: Pegasus Airlines Registration: TC-IZK C/n / msn: 37742 First flight: 2009-01-23 (11 years ) Engines: 2 CFMI CFM56-7B24 Crew: Fatalities: / Occupants: 6 Passengers: Fatalities: / Occupants: 177 Total: Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 183 Aircraft damage: Damaged beyond repair Location: Istanbul-Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW) ( Turkey) Phase: Landing (LDG) Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger Departure airport: Izmir-Adnan Menderes Airport (ADB/LTBJ), Turkey Destination airport: Istanbul-Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW/LTFJ), Turkey Flightnumber: PC2193 Narrative: Pegasus Airlines flight 2193, a Boeing 737-800, suffered a runway excursion after landing on runway 06 at Istanbul-Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, Turkey. There were 183 occupants on the aircraft. The Turkish Health Minister reported that three occupants had died, 157 were injured. The aircraft departed Izmir Airport at 17:22 hours. At the time the flight arrived in the vicinity of Istanbul-Sabiha Gökçen Airport, a thunderstorm was passing. Runway in use was 06. About 18:17 the Tower controller cleared another flight for takeoff from runway 06, reporting wind 300 degrees at 11 knots, gusting to 21 knots. The subsequent arrival was flight 2193, which was cleared to land with wind information given as 270 degrees at 22 knots, gusting to 30 knots. This translates to a 19 knot tailwind. Since the wind was shifting the controller reported to a flight on the ground that it was to expect a runway change for departure. At 18:19 Pegasus 2193 touched down, but failed to come to a complete stop on the runway. It overran and went down an embankment, breaking in three. The aircraft came to rest about 20 m below runway elevation. Data from flight tracking website Flightradar24 suggest that the aircraft was steered to the left at the end of the runway, likely as there was an antenna array just past the stopway. The last recorded ground speed was 63 knots as the aircraft crossed the perimeter road. Runway 06 is a concrete runway with a Landing Distance Available (LDA) of 3000 m. At the runway end there is a 65 m long stopway, followed by antenna array, perimeter road and a downslope. https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20200205-0 Back to Top Navy jet damaged in mid-air refueling mishap Two F/A-18 Super Hornet strike fighters refuel during a fly over at the Naval Air Station Oceana Air Show on Sept. 21 in Virginia Beach. (Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Abraham Essenmacher/Navy) A Navy strike fighter sucked debris into both of its engines during a late January midair refueling, causing at least $2.5 million in damage to the aircraft, according to the Navy Safety Center. No injuries were reported in the Jan. 27 incident, which involved two F/A-18F Super Hornets from Strike Fighter Squadron 106 - the Gladiators - based at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Naval Air Force Atlantic spokesperson Cmdr. Jennifer Cragg said. One jet was receiving fuel when it ripped the fueling basket from the other aircraft and sucked debris from it into its engines, Cragg said. Both aircraft returned safely to Oceana, where their flight originated. "The cause of the mishap is under investigation," Cragg said. The Naval Safety Center classified the mishap as type "A," which means that it caused at least $2.5 million in damages. https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2020/02/05/navy-jet-damaged-in-mid- air-refueling-mishap/ Back to Top UPS and pilots union to make flights to and from China voluntary The union representing United Parcel Service pilots on Wednesday said it had reached an agreement with the shipping giant making flights in and out of China voluntary due to the deadly and rapidly spreading coronavirus. "Following days of discussions, UPS agreed and signed a Coronavirus Letter of Agreement with the IPA that gives our pilots the right to take a personal leave of absence for trips containing a flight segment into, or out of, mainland China," Robert Travis, president of the Independent Pilots Association, said in an emailed statement. The accord comes in response to concerns voiced by pilots over safety due to the virus that as of Wednesday morning had killed 492 people- virtually all of them in mainland China - with more than 24,000 others infected. The agreement reached Tuesday night called for a three-day transition period before the pact is fully implemented and "all UPS flights into, and out of, mainland China will be operated on a voluntary basis," according to IPA. UPS confirmed reaching an agreement with the IPA that it said would ensure crew staffing on flights into and out of China. "Crew members who notify the company that they are not comfortable flying China routes due to coronavirus concerns will be temporarily replaced on those flights, ensuring UPS will continue to provide air express service for our customers," a UPS spokesperson stated in an email. UPS is prioritizing healthcare and aid shipments for companies and partners who send supplies to China, the spokesperson added. Major U.S. airlines suspended flights to mainland China after the State Department issued a travel advisory last week. In addition, American and United airlines are temporarily halting flights to Hong Kong, citing weak demand for flights amid the coronavirus outbreak. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ups-and-pilots-union-agree-to-make-flights-to-china- voluntary/ Back to Top Canada demands Iran surrender airplane's black box Country seeks international support to pressure reluctant Iranian officials Canada said Wednesday it will seek international help to pressure Iran into surrendering the black box from a downed Ukrainian airliner. Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said he and Transportation Minister Marc Garneau met with officials from the International Civil Aviation Organization and enlisted their aid to get the black boxes. Canada wants the data recordings to be given to France for analysis, but Iran has asked other countries for technical equipment it lacks so it can decode the box. Officials are skeptical that scenario might not lead to an unmasking of the truth of what happened. Iran inadvertently shot down the airliner Jan. 8, killing all 176 on board, including 57 Canadians. "Obviously, we are standing up for the families - we'll always do that," Champagne said. "Not only we're standing up as Canada, but I think now the whole world is watching and saying, 'Hold on a minute, there's an international convention to which Iran is a party to, and now they have to abide by that.'" The foreign minister said he would speak by telephone with his Iranian counterpart, Wednesday. "We are going to be talking about the black box," Champagne said. "Obviously, we are going to be talking about the investigation, we are going to be talking about compensation." Canada wants Iran to compensate financially those who lost family when the plane was shot down by Iranian air defense missiles. Iran said it believed the plane was an enemy attacking in retaliation for a missile strike Iran made against American and coalition forces a few hours prior. That strike was made days after the United States killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/canada-demands-iran-surrender-airplane-s-black- box/1725692 Back to Top Fighting fatigue: can airlines help crew balance their body clock? Flight crew are constantly changing time zones, causing an imbalance in their circadian rhythms and resulting in potentially lasting health problems. Varsha Saraogi investigates the risks involved, current guidelines and what airline companies can do. Midnight departures, early morning arrivals and adjusting to several time zones in a matter of days disturbs people's circadian rhythms -also known as the body clock - narrowing attention spans and disrupting the ability to be vigilant. These are the very conditions many pilots and cabin crew face daily as they contend with a technically challenging job where, in the worst-case scenario, hundreds of lives may be at stake. As NHS community mental health centre's assistant psychologist Ipek Ahmet puts it: "The potential safety repercussions of heavily sleep-disrupting night flights cause physical and mental exhaustion in pilots and flight attendants. That impairs their ability to perform their duties and safely operate an aircraft, putting passengers in danger." Ahmet stresses that fatigue-related performance problems in aviation "have been consistently underestimated, despite the known fact that insufficient sleep significantly lowers basic cognitive performance and fundamental piloting skills". Human error is associated with up to 80% of aviation accidents and pilot fatigue contributes to 15%-20% of all fatal air disasters, according to a study by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The study states the main causes of fatigue to be "night flights" and "disruptive schedules". "Humans are creatures of habit when it comes to time," says Ahmet. "Our internal timer is set to a 24-hour clock and when that is altered or ignored, it will have physiological and behavioural impact causing circadian rhythm disruption, or CRD - commonly referred to as jet lag." Risks caused by lack of sleep "Inconsistent resting hours and an imbalanced circadian cycle puts flight attendants at a higher risk of getting various types of cancers." Alongside reduced ability to focus, fatigue and long working hours put flight crew at risk of other physical issues. Citing a study by The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Ahmet says that for pregnant flight attendants, working 15 hours or more during the first trimester is linked to increased risk of miscarriage. "Menstrual irregularities are well-known in female crew members who work on repeated long-haul flights," she adds. Furthermore, inconsistent resting hours and an imbalanced circadian cycle put flight attendants at a higher risk of getting various types of cancers, according to a report published in Environmental Health by researchers at the Department of Environmental Health as well as Biostatistics at Harvard. According to the report, flight staff are 74% more likely to suffer from stomach, skin or breast cancer compared to those working on the ground. What industry regulations say "For European pilots, the total duty period should not exceed 60 hours in any seven consecutive days." The EASA - which is responsible for ensuring aviation safety across Europe - published an updated version of Flight Time Limitations (FTL) in 2014 for pilots and flight crew, taking into account scientific and medical evidence regarding fatigue. For European pilots, it prescribed the total duty period should not exceed 60 hours in any seven consecutive days and 190 duty hours in any 28 consecutive days. Furthermore, the total flight time which an individual crew member is assigned cannot exceed 100 flight hours in any 28 consecutive days and 900 flight hours in any calendar year. With respect to the rest period, pilots need 12 hours rest or the length of the preceding duty if it was more than 12 hours. For instance, if a pilot was on duty for eight hours, they would need 12 hours rest, but if they were on duty for 16 hours, they should get a 16-hour rest-period. However, regulations differ in every region. While the EASA mandated a maximum of 12.45 continuous duty hours for a late-afternoon departure - with no breaks and an overnight flight duty limit of 11 hours, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)'s current overnight flight duty limit is 10.5 hours. Both compare unfavourably with the regulatory regime in the US, where the Federal Aviation Authority has a nine-hour overnight duty period. While regulators have capped duty hours to ensure flight staff is not overworked, Ahmet notes that it is not the complete solution. "Airlines and regulators have tried to address the fatigue problem by focusing only on- duty hours rather than focusing on the physiological factors that are truly responsible," Ahmet opines. Mitigating fatigue during short and long-haul flights "The main fatigue mitigation strategy is to provide the crew with scheduled in-flight rest breaks for sleep in crew rest facilities." To help aviation companies tackle the issue, regulators have prescribed a list of tasks for flight crew working in varying time zones. They include getting plenty of sunlight, daytime awareness and minimising alcohol and caffeine consumption to prevent dehydration. In terms of long-haul flights and layovers away from home, flight crew should not attempt to acclimatise themselves to the local time, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)'s Manual of Civil Aviation Medicine. It said that the entire crew must "remain on home time", "maintain a routine that is aligned to the time at home rather than to try and adapt to local time" so they can function better when they get back. Despite the solutions given by the various regulators, Ahmet says that better strategies must be implemented keeping cabin crew in mind - who are required to be awake more often than flight crew. "The main fatigue mitigation strategy is to provide the crew with scheduled in-flight rest breaks for sleep in crew rest facilities," she says. "However, all cabin crew are required to be awake during meal services, so they have less time available for in-flight rest compared to flight crew." Along with better rest schedules, crew members should be educated on sleep hygiene "so they can snag some rest before duty or during layovers," Ahmet adds. In addition to training, Ahmet suggests that exercise will significantly help in resetting the body clock. "It's surprising how some jumping jacks, sit-ups, push-ups and handstands can make staff with CRD better," she adds. Finally, aviation companies must also capitalise on technology to ensure their crew operates more efficiently. "Given that modern technologies are being rolled out in most aviation operations, wearable sleep-tracking technologies should be utilised to actually measure the pre-duty and layover sleep of flight crews so that they can better manage and optimise their own sleep," Ahmet concludes. https://www.airport-technology.com/features/airline-crew-body-clock/ Back to Top The Airbus A350 Cockpit Now Has A 'Liquid Free' Zone Cockpits in A350 aircraft will now have a defined liquid-free zone. The interim directive from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency follows two incidents where spilt liquids in the cockpit led to the shutdown of one of the plane's engines. A350 operators now have to put in place a liquid-free zone in the cockpits following two incidents in recent months. Photo: Airbus. The EASA directive applies to both A350-900 and A350-1000 aircraft. According to Flight Global, spilt liquids on the engine start panel or the electronic centralised aircraft monitor panel could potentially cause the aircraft's engines to shut down. Two incidents have caught the regulator's attention The first incident occurred on 9 November 2019. The aircraft and its operator has not been identified but in a nice piece of sleuthing, Flight Global notes that an Asiana A350- 900 flight operating between Seoul and Singapore diverted to Manila that day. Apparently, tea was spilt into the center pedestal. Approximately one hour after this happened the aircraft right-hand engine shutdown. Despite attempted restarts, the Trent XWB engine would not stay running. On 21 January 2020, a Delta Air Lines A350-900 flying between Detroit and Seoul also had an engine shutdown and was required to divert to Fairbanks, Alaska. Again, shortly before the shutdown, liquid was spilt on the center pedestal. Attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful. In both instances, the aircraft landed safely. Liquids and computers don't mix Analysis of the flight-data recorders following both incidents revealed the electronic engine control ordered the high-pressure shut-off valve to close after inconsistent data from the integrated control panel. EASA says the spills caused "abnormal operation" of the components in the panels and have issued an interim directive regarding the liquid-free zones in the A350 cockpits. Airbus has revised the flight manuals for both aircraft types that define the liquid free zone. Although a relatively new aircraft, the A350 has proved popular with airlines. Thirty-one airlines were operating a total of 312 A350s at the end of 2019. One of the quirks of the A350 cockpit is that the cupholders are smaller than found on other aircraft types. Airbus, being a good European manufacturer, builds cupholders sized for French coffee rather than US sized coffee. As has been noted in Business Insider, when aircraft controls were mechanical, spillages did not matter so much. Now everything is computerised and everyone knows what happens when a liquid goes into anything computerised. Consequently, the crew are trained to pass liquids around cockpit components such as the center pedestal. Also a problem on other aircraft types The issue isn't just a problem for operators of the A350. Whenever there are liquids in the cockpit, spillages are bound to occur. Chris Loh in Simple Flying reported last week on an incident on-board a Condor A330 last year. In this case, the UK's Air Accident Investigation Branch found that spilt coffee onto the centre console lead to equipment failure, the smell of electrical burning and smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft diverted safely. The problem of Condor's coffee cups not fitting into the A330's cockpit cupholders was mentioned in the report. What to do? Ultimately, the only way to stop this is to ban liquids in the cockpit. This has obvious practical implications for the pilots. Another solution might be to ban liquids that aren't in a screw-top container. That's fine if your Captain is happy to drink water, not so ideal if they want a tea or coffee. What's for certain is that this won't be the last of these types of incidents. https://simpleflying.com/airbus-a350-liquid-free-zone/ Back to Top Nobody hurt when Grant Aviation plane crashes on takeoff in Hooper Bay A Grant Aviation plane crashed during takeoff in Hooper Bay on Feb. 4, 2020. None of the eight people on the plane were injured. Photo by Caleb Funk No injuries were reported Tuesday afternoon when a Grant Aviation Cessna 208 crashed during takeoff in Hooper Bay, according to a Federal Aviation Administration notice posted early Wednesday. The plane "impacted the ground causing a prop strike," the notice said. There were seven passengers and a pilot on board. Dan Knesek, director of operations at Grant Aviation, said the commercial flight took off in Hooper Bay around 4 p.m. and was headed to Chevak. Knesek said it's unclear if or how long the plane was airborne. "The investigation is just starting," he said. "We're working with the NTSB and FAA as we speak." Hooper Bay is a village on the Bering Sea coast in Southwest Alaska. https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/aviation/2020/02/05/nobody-hurt-when-grant- aviation-plane-crashes-on-takeoff-in-hooper-bay/ Back to Top Mitsubishi Aircraft to delay jet delivery to 2021 or later NAGOYA (Kyodo) -- Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. is set to delay delivery of a new passenger jet to 2021 or later due to parts problems, its parent company said Thursday. This will be the sixth time that the company has pushed back delivery of the SpaceJet M90 small passenger aircraft to launch customer All Nippon Airways Co. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. President and CEO Seiji Izumisawa said in a news conference that delivery will be delayed from mid-2020 to sometime in the business year 2021 starting in April, or later. Also on Thursday, Mitsubishi Aircraft announced executive personnel changes effective April 1, appointing Takaoki Niwa, president and CEO of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America Inc., as new president, as the company "prepares to enter the final phase of certification flight testing on the SpaceJet M90." Niwa, with long engineering and aviation business experience, will replace Hisakazu Mizutani, who will become chairman to oversee governance matters and relationships with All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines Co., it said. Mizutani has led the company since April 2017 after it decided to postpone delivery of the small jet then called Mitsubishi Regional Jet for the fifth time. Last March, Mitsubishi Aircraft began test flights to obtain safety certification from the Japanese transport ministry but encountered parts troubles. The aircraft company initially planned to start delivering the jetliner -- Japan's first homegrown small passenger jet -- in 2013, but delivery has been repeatedly postponed. The delays have already raised the development cost for the passenger jet to an estimated 800 billion yen ($7.3 billion). SpaceJet M90 will seat about 90 passengers. Another model under development, SpaceJet M100, allows a freer seating configuration to accommodate more higher-class seats. https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20200206/p2g/00m/0bu/062000c Back to Top How bad is the pilot shortage? United is buying a flight school. The unusual step-the first time since the early '60s United has recruited pilots off the street-is part of a broader hiring plan by the Chicago-based airline, which also aims to diversify its pilot ranks with more women and minority hires. United Airlines is taking an unusual step to deal with a worsening pilot shortage: It's buying a flight school. The airline said it's purchasing Westwind School of Aeronautics in Phoenix to tackle a talent pipeline problem that it will face for at least a decade, as baby boomer pilots retire en masse. United expects to hire 10,000 pilots by 2029. United, the country's second-largest airline, will turn Westwind into its own Aviate Academy, which will be able to graduate 300 students per year with 250 hours of flying experience, or a general-aviation instructor qualification, which is generally the minimum standard to start the journey toward becoming a commercial pilot. While the program can take students with no flying experience, most will likely have a basic pilot's license. Still, it's the first time since the early 1960s that United has recruited pilots off the street. "For years, airlines have been talking about the retirement cliff," says Joe Schwieterman, a professor at DePaul University who specializes in transportation. "They've reached it." United, like most of the big carriers, has no problem finding pilots. It's the regional carriers they rely on to feed the mainline aircraft pilots and passengers that are feeling the squeeze. "We'll hire 1,000 pilots this year," said Captain Curtis Brunjes, United's managing director of pilot strategy. "Regionals will hire two times that." United didn't say how much it's spending to acquire the flight school, but the Chicago- based airline says the investment makes sense, given the signing bonuses its regional partners are paying to hire pilots. Students graduating from flight schools with 250 hours are being offered signing bonuses of about $20,000 a year, says Ryan Phillips, chair of the aviation and transportation department at Lewis University in Romeoville, which has a flight school. "It's an interesting idea, for sure," Phillips said of United's move. "They're creating their own pipeline. All the airlines are trying to tackle the problem in their own way." Buying a flight school is part of a broader hiring plan by United, which also aims to diversify its pilot ranks with more women and minority hires. "It will give us control of our pipeline," said Captain Bebe O'Neil, who runs United's Aviate program, a recruitment effort launched in October. "We want to cast as wide a net as we can." United didn't offer detailed demographics on its roughly 13,000 mainline pilots, but fewer than 10 percent are women. People who make it through the Aviate recruitment program are offered a fast track to becoming United pilots. The new Aviate flight training academy would serve as a starting point for those recruits who haven't been to a university or commercial flight training school. Pilots who graduate from flight school with 250 hours of flying time would work as instructors elsewhere, and once they get 1,000 to 1,500 hours in the cockpit they would be eligible to move to a United Express regional carrier, then fly for 2,000 hours and at least two years before joining the mainline. For pilots who remember waves of furloughs after Sept. 11, 2001, and SARS in 2003, which lasted years, the reversal of vocational fortunes is surprising. Pilot pay at some regional carriers has doubled to about $50,000 in the decade since the fatal crash of a Colgan Air jet sparked an outcry. Mainline pilots at United start out at a base pay of about $90,000 per year. Still, becoming a pilot isn't cheap. Getting a basic pilot's license can cost $10,000, and $80,000 to reach instructor certification. That doesn't count tuition for those who attend flight school while going to college. https://www.chicagobusiness.com/airlines-airports/how-bad-pilot-shortage-united- buying-flight-school Curt Lewis