Flight Safety Information September 17, 2020 - No. 189 In This Issue Incident: Aeroflot SU95 at Belgorod on Sep 16th 2020, bird strike Incident: Skywest CRJ7 at Chicago on Sep 15th 2020, rejected takeoff due to blown tyre Incident: American B772 near New York on Sep 15th 2020, cracked windshield Incident: Easyjet Europe A320 at Toulouse on Sep 15th 2020, bird strike Incident: Southwest B737 at Milwaukee on Sep 15th 2020, rejected takeoff due to bird strike Cessna U206F Stationair 6 II - Fatal Accident (Mexico) Pakistan Opens Criminal Probes Into 50 Pilots, 5 Civil Aviation Officials Air safety bill prompted by 737 Max flaws pulled before vote United will use antimicrobial spraying robots on some aircraft Airports operator worried about passengers falling down aircraft stairs, orders precautions Southwest temporarily grounds 130 Boeing 737-800 airplanes over weight data Union: 190 Phoenix-based American Airlines flight attendants facing lay-offs Vision-Box biometrics deployed at Canadian airport, more airports in Asia roll out facial recognition USAF Special Ops wants VTOL aircraft with 'jet speed' to replace CV-22 Air Force to Demo Updating Software on a Jet in Flight, Official Says Southwest to keep blocking middle seats through November NASA Marks Continued Progress on X-59 International Space Station faces terminal threat from space junk SpaceX's next Starlink launch to break Falcon 9 fairing reuse record Trinity College Dublin and EASA Air Ops Community Survey on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on aviation workers SURVEY:...GA PILOTS AND PIREPs. Graduate Research Survey (1) Incident: Aeroflot SU95 at Belgorod on Sep 16th 2020, bird strike An Aeroflot Suukhoi Superjet 100-95, registration RA-89104 performing flight SU-1374 from Moscow Sheremetyevo to Belgorod (Russia), flew though a flock of birds on final approach to Belgorod's runway 29 at 20:10L (17:10Z) and received a number of bird impacts. The aircraft continued for a safe landing on runway 29. The return flight SU-1375 scheduled to depart at 21:30L was cancelled. Belgorod's Transport Prosecutor is conducting an investigation of the occurrence reporting the aircraft collided with a flock of birds while landing at Belgorod at 23:20L. There were no injuries, the aircraft was taken out of service. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground about 16 hours after landing. http://avherald.com/h?article=4dcba8d2&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Skywest CRJ7 at Chicago on Sep 15th 2020, rejected takeoff due to blown tyre A Skywest Canadair CRJ-700 on behalf of American Airlines, registration N603SK performing flight AA-3004 from Chicago O'Hare,IL to Detroit,MI (USA), was accelerating for takeoff from Chicago's runway 28R when the crew rejected takeoff at about 60 knots over ground and vacated the runway. The crew reported they had blown a tyre and maintenance was responding. A replacement CRJ-700 registration N740SK reached Detroit with a delay of about 70 minutes. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Chicago about 34 hours after the rejected takeoff. http://avherald.com/h?article=4dcb472d&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: American B772 near New York on Sep 15th 2020, cracked windshield An American Airlines Boeing 777-200, registration N762AN performing flight AA-48 from Dallas Ft. Worth,TX (USA) to Paris Charles de Gaulle (France), was enroute at FL370 about 60nm south of Southbend,IN (USA) when a windshield cracked. The aircraft descended to FL270 and set course to New York, where the aircraft landed safely on JFK's runway 22R about 90 minutes later. A replacement Boeing 777-200 registration N788AN reached Paris with a delay of about 2.5 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in New York about 19 hours after landing. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/AAL48/history/20200915/2230Z/KDFW/LFPG http://avherald.com/h?article=4dcb3f5f&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Easyjet Europe A320 at Toulouse on Sep 15th 2020, bird strike An Easyjet Europe Airbus A320-200, registration OE-IJK performing flight U2-3964 from Toulouse to Paris Charles de Gaulle (France), was climbing out of Toulouse's runway 14R when the aircraft received a bird strike prompting the crew to level off at FL140 and return to Toulouse for a safe landing on runway 14L about 45 minutes after departure. A replacement A320-200 registration OE-ICR reached Paris with a delay of 2:15 hours. http://avherald.com/h?article=4dcb1dd7&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Southwest B737 at Milwaukee on Sep 15th 2020, rejected takeoff due to bird strike A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration N420WN performing flight Milwaukee,WI to Orlando,FL (USA), was accelerating for takeoff from Milwaukee's runway 19R when the crew rejected takeoff due to two large birds hitting the left hand engine (CFM56) about 1100 meters/3600 feet down the runway. The aircraft slowed safely and vacated the runway via taxiway S (1900 meters/6300 feet down the runway) and stopped on taxiway T, emergency services responded. After an inspection the aircraft taxied to the apron with emergency services in trail. The airport advised another departure to exercise caution, they had had a couple of bird strikes that morning. The flight was cancelled. The aircraft is still on the ground in Milwaukee about 26 hours after the rejected takeoff. http://avherald.com/h?article=4dcb1bbc&opt=0 Back to Top Cessna U206F Stationair 6 II - Fatal Accident (Mexico) Date: 16-SEP-2020 Time: Type: Cessna U206F Stationair 6 II Owner/operator: Private Registration: XB-LVT C/n / msn: Fatalities: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Category: Accident Location: El Laurel, Topia - Mexico Phase: Approach Nature: Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi Departure airport: Chihuahua Destination airport: Narrative: The aircraft impacted the terrain while on approach in Topia, Mexico. The airplane was destroyed and the two related occupants were fatally injured. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/242508 Back to Top Pakistan Opens Criminal Probes Into 50 Pilots, 5 Civil Aviation Officials -Sources ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan has opened criminal investigations into 50 pilots and at least five civil aviation officials who allegedly helped them falsify credentials to secure licences, according to two senior government sources and cabinet meeting minutes seen by Reuters. The probes comes roughly three months after Pakistan grounded dozens of pilots over allegedly dubious qualifications. At the time, the civil aviation regulator said it would conduct a detailed investigation into the scandal. On the government's orders, Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has launched criminal probes into the matter, according to minutes from Tuesday's cabinet meeting and the sources, who declined to be named because the discussions are private. A show-cause notice served to one of the pilots and seen by Reuters said the FIA was investigating "alleged corruption, violations, malpractices in (the) issuance of flight crew licences." Munir Ahmed Shaikh, a senior FIA official, confirmed that a probe into the matter was ongoing, but declined to comment any further. The civil aviation ministry declined to comment until the government makes the matter public. The ministry submitted the findings of its inquiry to the cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday, said the sources, adding that another 32 pilots have separately been suspended for a year. "The cabinet was told that FIA has opened proceedings into the pilots whose licences were revoked, and the civil aviation officials who connived with them," said the minutes from the meeting seen by Reuters. The pilot scandal has tainted Pakistan's aviation industry and especially flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), which has been barred from flying to Europe and the United States after dozens of its pilots were named in the initial list of 262 with allegedly "dubious" licenses. That list had been made public after an initial probe into a PIA plane crash in Karachi in May found that the pilots did not follow standard procedures and disregarded alarms. The initial list sparked controversy however, as PIA and the local pilot's association noted that many of the pilots named had long since retired and some were even deceased. Reuters was unable to establish whether the remaining 180 pilots on the initial list were still under investigation or if they had been cleared of any wrongdoing. A spokesman for PALPA, the local pilots' association, said it had no clarity on the status of the probe. A spokesman for PIA said the airline was awaiting details. https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2020-09-16/pakistan-opens-criminal-probes-into-50-pilots-5-civil-aviation-officials-sources Back to Top Air safety bill prompted by 737 Max flaws pulled before vote • Bipartisan co-sponsors say they're still in agreement, but some committee members raised new concerns The chairman and ranking Democrat on the Senate Commerce committee abruptly halted plans to vote Wednesday on a bipartisan aviation safety bill crafted in the wake of two Boeing 737 Max crashes, citing "unresolved issues" among committee rank and file. Commerce, Science and Transportation Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and ranking member Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., introduced the bill in June, which sought to reduce the influence of aircraft makers like Boeing on the Federal Aviation Administration's aircraft certification process. The bill marked the most significant legislative reaction to the 2018 and 2019 Boeing 737 Max crashes that killed 346 people in Indonesia and Ethiopia. But Wicker announced Wednesday that he had pulled the bill off the agenda. "Our postponement today amounts to a setback," he said. "But I reiterate my willingness to work in good faith on any proposal with any member of this committee." Cantwell, meanwhile, said the bill had been pulled after the committee failed to reach an agreement about a handful of amendments filed Tuesday night. She said the staff would continue to work on unresolved issues. "It's very important that we have accountability and transparency both at FAA and at manufacturers," she said. In a brief interview, Wicker said he and Cantwell still agree on the bill, but late Tuesday some rank-and-file committee members had broken with the pair. "We normally do things by consensus," he said. "And the consensus fell apart about 11:45 last night." Tighter control The bill, which was the result of recommendations from aviation experts after those crashes, would tighten the FAA's control over the Organization Designation Authorization process, which allows it to delegate certain certification tasks to employees at Boeing and other aircraft manufacturers. The bill would give the agency authority to approve or remove Boeing employees conducting FAA certification tasks. It would also grant new whistleblower protections to employees. And it would require the FAA to act on the National Transportation Safety Board's recommendations for new safety standards for automation and pilot training, including how humans respond and interact with technology. The bill would require the FAA to conduct more research into how people react to technology when designing and certifying aircraft and establish an FAA center of excellence that would examine human factors and automation within aviation. The markup had been scheduled to occur on the same day that the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee released a 238-page report summarizing the committee's 18-month investigation of the Boeing accidents. That investigation was the result of examination of some 600,000 pages of records and interviews with more than two dozen Boeing and FAA employees. The report concluded that a weak regulatory environment, flawed engineering and a company culture focused on profit over safety helped contribute to the factors that resulted in the accidents. Ed Pierson, a Boeing whistleblower, criticized the Senate legislation Tuesday, saying it needed to focus more heavily on production quality in the factory. Pierson, who worked as a supervisor in the Renton, Wash., plant, said the company put undue pressure on staff to produce - pressure which contributed to crucial mistakes. "I hope the decision to delay today's hearing on the aviation safety bill is a sign that senators are reconciling with the painful truths about Boeing and the FAA revealed in this morning's report," Pierson said Wednesday. "I trust the Senate is doing their best to make sure their legislation hits the mark." Pierson said the FAA took a "minimalist" approach to overseeing production that was far from sufficient to oversee and ensure the safety of their work. "There's nothing in the bill about production quality," he said of the original bill. "We're hoping the Senate rethinks this." https://www.rollcall.com/2020/09/16/air-safety-bill-prompted-by-737-max-flaws-pulled-before-vote/ Back to Top United will use antimicrobial spraying robots on some aircraft It claims to disinfect a standard aircraft in a minute and a half. United Airlines is turning to a 100-pound robot in its latest effort to reassure customers that flying during the COVID-19 pandemic is safe. United intends to use the robot, MicroSonic Solution's NovaRover, during some of its aircraft's "deepest cleanings" overnight at 10 U.S. airports. For months, airlines have turned to electrostatic sprayers, but MicroSonic President Nicholas Federico said its machine is easier to operate, faster and removes any human error. Federico demonstrated to ABC News how the NovaRover works -- explaining how it it only takes about 90 seconds to disinfect the most popular aircraft. He has been working on the machine for four years and originally designed it for cruise ships. United says during deep cleanings of some of its aircraft it will use the NovaRover which is designed to apply a super fine mist of antimicrobial spray that coats all surfaces in a 12-foot radius with a single spray. The key feature, he said, is the omnidirectional nozzle that allows it to spray a super fine mist in six directions. A single spray can coat all surfaces within a 12-foot radius, according to the company. That spray is called the Zoono Microbe Shield. It is an antimicrobial solution intended to create a protective layer on surfaces in order to create "a long-lasting repellent against microbes." The solution is registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, but the company is still working on obtaining EPA approval. It is currently only registered as safe and effective to use against mold, mildew and algae, according to an EPA spokesperson. "The EPA has not authorized any residual or long lasting efficacy claims for this product," they added. The airline says the NovaRover isn't intended to replace any of its existing, daily electrostatic spraying regimen, and that it will still use electrostatic sprayers every seven days to "refresh and fortify the protective layer" provided by NovaRover. United says during deep cleanings of some of its aircraft it will use the NovaRover which is designed to apply a super fine mist of antimicrobial spray that coats all surfaces in a 12-foot radius with a single spray. "This is one of the reasons that we have complementary technology that we're using," United Chief communications officer Josh Earnest told ABC News' transportation correspondent Gio Benitez. "The combination of this antimicrobial technology, along with the disinfecting application technology that we're using along with masks, all of that together provides for a really safe environment on board aircraft." Some experts are cautious of these types of disinfectants since they use quaternary ammonia, which has been found to contribute to asthma with high levels of exposure. "Some of the disinfectants and even this antibiotic protective coating can be irritating to the respiratory tract, and people with conditions like asthma or other lung diseases may be more sensitive to the substance," said Dr. Jay Bhatt, an ABC News medical contributor. "So there should be some caution used here and we should be studying more how these substances are impacting people and studying it against novel coronavirus in different situations." The company insists -- even without EPA approval -- that the coating is safe. They say that the chemical is classified by the EPA as a Category IV, "which is the lowest level of toxicity [and is not harmful to humans or pets]," and that spraying overnight prevents any potential adverse reactions. United says it will also use electrostatic sprayers every seven days to refresh and fortify the protective layer from the NovaRover. "We do this overnight just to ensure customer safety," Federico said. "The chemical used, once it's bound, it's completely bound to the surface itself -- it can't leave the surface." Three weeks ago, American Airlines announced it is preparing to spray planes flying in and out of Texas with the first "long-lasting" disinfectant product approved by the EPA to be effective against the SARS-CoV2 virus on surfaces between routine cleanings. The EPA granted emergency authorization for the Allied BioScience product, Surfacewise 2, on Aug. 24. It is effective against the SARS-CoV2 virus for up to seven days after a single application, according to testing by the agency. Texas had requested the authorization. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler called the approval of Surfacewise 2 a "game-changing announcement," at the time but also made clear that the product is not intended to replace other measures, such as frequent cleaning with disinfectants, hand-washing, wearing masks and social distancing. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/united-antimicrobial-spraying-robots-aircraft/story?id=73006798 Back to Top Airports operator worried about passengers falling down aircraft stairs, orders precautions The Airports Corporation of Vietnam has instructed authorities at airports to ensure the safety of passengers using aircraft boarding stairs. Personnel at the check-in counter and departure gate must strictly follow regulations on the size and weight of hand baggage. Elderly and pregnant passengers must be provided with necessary assistance to safely climb up and down the stairs. Authorities must ensure the stairs fully comply with safety standards and that they are always dry and clean before being used. Airport and airlines must ensure there are personnel standing around the steps to act immediately if a passenger stumbles, the corporation said. In June a 50-year-old woman died after falling while alighting from an aircraft at Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City. She hit her head and bled from an injury, and was taken to a hospital for emergency aid immediately but in vain. Last month another passenger fell down the stairs at Tho Xuan Airport in the central province of Thanh Hoa, but thankfully escaped without injury. The Airports Corporation of Vietnam manages 22 airports across the country. https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/airports-operator-worried-about-passengers-falling-down-aircraft-stairs-orders-precautions-4163067.html Back to Top Southwest temporarily grounds 130 Boeing 737-800 airplanes over weight data • The airline says the temporary move has been made out of caution Southwest Airlines Co said late Wednesday it temporarily grounded 130 Boeing 737-800 aircraft after it discovered discrepancies in aircraft weight data. The Dallas-based airline said in a statement that "out of an abundance of caution, we have temporarily ceased flying the respective aircraft to enter the correct weights of the aircraft in question into the system and reset the program." Southwest said the discrepancy in weight data is 75 lbs. The airline said the temporary halt to flights would "cause some delays and/or cancellations; however, we anticipate the impact to our operation to be minimal." Boeing didn't immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. In January, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it was seeking to fine Southwest $3.92 million for alleged weight infractions on 21,505 flights on 44 aircraft between May 1, 2018 and Aug. 9, 2018. The FAA alleged that Southwest operated the flights with incorrect operational empty weights, and center of gravity or moment data, which is used to determine how many passengers and how much fuel can be safely carried and where cargo should be located. A February report by the Transportation Department's Office of Inspector General said the FAA violated its own guidance in addressing non-compliance by Southwest. The report said from early 2018 until August 2019, FAA allowed Southwest Airlines "to continue reporting inaccurate and non-compliant weight and balance data based on the carrier's risk determination." The FAA told the inspector general's office in January it had been monitoring Southwest's performance weight and balance program and "continues to monitor (Southwest's) implementation of corrective measures." https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/southwest-temporarily-grounds-130-boeing-737-800-airplanes-over-weight-data Back to Top Union: 190 Phoenix-based American Airlines flight attendants facing lay-offs PHOENIX (3TV/CBS5) -- The Association of Professional Flight Attendants says that around 190 American Airlines flight attendants based in Phoenix will face layoffs on October 1 if additional federal funding for airlines isn't approved. Since May, APFA says that around 215 of American Airline's Phoenix-based flight attendants have taken early retirements and around 600 others are on extended leaves of absence. "People have had to make really tough decisions here," sad Paul Hartshorn Jr., a spokesperson for the Association of Professional Flight Attendants. And while some flight attendants won't be laid off, they could be forced to move out of Phoenix. "With the furloughs I have moved very close to the bottom of the seniority list here in Phoenix so if we continue to reduce the base further, yes I will continue to be a flight attendant and have a job, but the reality of staying here in Phoenix may not be a possibility for me," said Robyn Walters who's been an American Airlines flight attendant for 20 years. American Airlines wouldn't confirm any Phoenix-specific numbers, though they provided a broad overview of the job cuts that are likely coming in October. Company-wide there will be 19,000 "involuntary reductions." According to American Airlines, the company had more than 140,000 U.S.-based employees pre-pandemic, with 27,000 of them being flight attendants. Come October, American will employ around 100,000 people, losing 2,700 flight attendants permanently, 4,500 more going on voluntary leave, and 8,100 going on furlough. https://www.azfamily.com/news/union-190-phoenix-based-american-airlines-flight-attendants-facing-lay-offs/article_03949fae-f880-11ea-954a-4f2b22835e36.html Back to Top Vision-Box biometrics deployed at Canadian airport, more airports in Asia roll out facial recognition processes Winnipeg Airports Authority has selected biometric automated border control (ABC) eGates from Vision-Box to check the facial biometrics of arriving travellers enrolled in the NEXUS Program at Winnipeg International Airport. The NEXUS program is operated by the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA), expediting border crossings for pre-approved Canadian, American, and Mexican citizens with enrolled biometrics. Those travelers pass through special reserved lanes at airports for entering the country. The program normally uses NEXUS kiosks, and Vision-Box says in the announcement the deployment is the first of ABC biometric eGates for NEXUS. The GT-11 eGates are part of the newest generation of digital identity systems from Vision-Box, and have a smaller footprint than NEXUS kiosks. The eGates are part of the modernization process for Winnipeg International Airport which seeks to provide seamless traveler journeys from curb to flight boarding, according to the announcement. "Finding better ways to serve the needs of travellers is paramount for Winnipeg Airports Authority," states WAA President and CEO Barry Rempel. "Adding Vison-Box eGates for NEXUS users at Winnipeg Richardson International Airport not only enhances the customer experience but sets the foundation for future innovation and brings us one step closer to seamless, touchless passenger travel." The software for the eGates, like Vision-Box's Orchestra Digital Identity Management Platform was installed remotely, due to limitations imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Malaysia plans single token biometrics launch A single token traveller identification system based on face biometrics is being planned for Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and other facilities in the Malayasia, as the country plans to digitize its processes for faster and more convenient passenger journeys, reports the New Straits Times. Airport operator Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) is planning to implement big data analytics and a single token facility for clearance at each airport touchpoint as part of its Airports 4.0 initiative. The operator also migrated KLIA to a new network infrastructure earlier this year. In addition to potentially reducing operational costs, the new technology is expected to reduce service time at checkpoints from an average of 15 to 20 seconds to less than 2 or 3. Facial recognition to power paperless processing at Varanasi Airport Varanasi Airport in India will use facial recognition to transition to paperless passenger processing by the end of the year, Nyoooz writes. The announcement was made during a virtual review of civil aviation projects in Uttar Pradesh, which focussed on the need for infrastructure development at three other airports to be accelerated. Varanasi Airport is in the political constituency of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and would become one of the first in the country run by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to launch paperless processing. Four airports were approved for paperless entry with facial recognition under the Digi Yatra program, through a contract with NEC Technologies India. Facial recognition helps earn Hong Kong airport health safety accreditation Hong Kong International Airport has received Airport Health Accreditation (AHA) from Airports Council International in recognition of its alignment with ACI guidelines and ICAO recommendations for COVID-19 safety, according to Airline Geeks, in part for its use of biometric facial recognition in delivering contactless experiences. Other measures in the assessment process include sanitization with autonomous cleaning robots, provisions for social distancing, and passenger communications. Airline Geeks reports Hong Kong is the first airport in the Asia-Pacific region to receive the accreditation, which has also been granted to Miami International Airport, Istanbul Airport and London's Luton Airport. "A harmonized approach to health is key not only to the recovery of civil aviation but also to 'building back better,' which is crucially important to ensuring the future resilience of the aviation network," says ICAO Council President Salvatore Sciacchitano. All States now issuing REAL ID credentials DC non-profit Keeping IDentitites Safe has declared that all 50 U.S. States are now compliant with the federal REAL ID regulation, and at the same time congratulated the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for deploying Credential Authentication Technology (CAT) scanners to all major airports in the country to validate REAL ID cards and passports. "Nineteen years after the terrorist attacks on New York City and the Pentagon, the nationwide adoption of REAL ID security standards combined with TSA's readiness to enforce a deadline is a high benchmark for state and federal coordination," states Keeping IDentities Safe President Brian Zimmer. "TSA's aggressive and effective deployment of CAT scanners, including the newest self-service stations, are accelerating the passenger inspection lines at airports. The new scanners are also catching would-be airplane passengers who present false IDs, and referring them to local police for fraud." Roughly a dozen states remain behind in their implementations, according to Zimmer. TSA rolled out CATs to check for fraudulent copies of the biometrics-supporting ID documents at more airports this summer ahead of the deadline for travelling with REAL ID-compliant credentials in October 2021. https://www.biometricupdate.com/202009/vision-box-biometrics-deployed-at-canadian-airport-more-airports-in-asia-roll-out-facial-recognition-processes Back to Top USAF Special Ops wants VTOL aircraft with 'jet speed' to replace CV-22 US Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) is looking to leap ahead with the aircraft that replaces its Bell Boeing CV-22 Osprey. That means the special operations command is not likely to buy the Bell V-280 Valor tiltrotor, says Lieutenant General James Slife, commander of AFSOC at the Air Force Association's virtual Air, Space & Cyber Conference on 15 September. The V-280 is Bell's pitch for the US Army's Future Long Range Assault Aircraft programme, which aims to field a high-speed troop transport by 2030. "At least our initial thinking in AFSOC is that we're looking at a generation beyond current tiltrotor technology," he says. "We're not just looking at marginal improvements, in terms of speed, range and reliability, but we're looking at a generational movement for a vertical-takeoff-and-landing capability going into the future. I think it'll be probably something quite different than the V-22." By some measures, the V-280 is comparable to the V-22 in performance, though Bell argues advances in tiltrotor technology make it cheaper to own and operate. For instance, the V-280 has a cruise speed of 280kt (519km/h), while the V-22 has a cruise speed of 241kt. That's not to say US Army Special Operations Command might not be interested in the V-280, Slife notes. Rather, the tiltrotor isn't a fit for the USAF special forces. Instead, AFSOC is looking further ahead for a more futuristic aircraft. "There are a number of technology and drive system proposals out there that look like they may be within the realm of possibility; that they could provide like a generational step ahead in technology, get us up into jet speed kind of capabilities," Slife says. "When you look at the future operating environment, where range and access are going to be challenging across the board ... I think whatever comes next is going to have to be a generation [ahead] yet again." https://www.flightglobal.com/helicopters/usaf-special-ops-wants-vtol-aircraft-with-jet-speed-to-replace-cv-22/140205.article Back to Top Air Force to Demo Updating Software on a Jet in Flight, Official Says The demonstration would showcase the efforts of the service's DevSecOps initiative and its ability to deliver updates to warfighters in real time. One of the Pentagon's key software development leaders said the Air Force is getting ready for a significant showcase of the service's ability to push out software updates to warfighters in the coming weeks. "We're working on pretty cool announcements coming in the next few weeks with the ability to update the software of a jet while flying," Nicolas Chaillan, chief software officer for the U.S. Air Force, said during a webinar Tuesday. "So that's the kind of stuff that will be game changing." Chaillan declined to get into specifics, but the demonstration could serve as a proof of concept for DevSecOps that would show how software updates can be pushed safely and securely to warfighters in real time. He mentioned the demo in response to a moderator question asking whether expectations for what innovative digital architectures can accomplish are too high. Chaillan leads the Defense Department's DevSecOps initiative, which includes a team called Platform One and a cloud solution called Cloud One. The initiative aims to to simplify and speed up software development across DOD. The idea is to create a centralized location with baked-in security protocols so that developers can deploy software updates on condensed timelines, ideally multiple times a day. The initiative relies on an open-sourced system for the orchestration of hardened containers called Kubernetes. Cloud One uses cloud services provided both by Amazon Web Services and Microsoft's Azure. The Air Force pulled off a successful demonstration highlighting the importance of Cloud One earlier this month. The exercise brought participants together to simulate blowing up a cruise missile. According to Will Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and sustainment, Cloud One was the key technology that enabled the success of the exercise. "The star of the show was the data that enabled its kill chain to take effect...enabled by data going into a cloud, being transported over 4G and 5G communications at machine speeds to culminate in a kill chain that took seconds, not minutes or hours to complete," Roper said. Chaillan explained a few more ideas and priorities during the webinar he is mulling to improve the development process across the department. He indicated Cloud One may be expanding to include more providers-and named Google as a potential contender-and he talked about the need to get more of the agency's workforce up to speed DevSecOps. "I would say we're probably at 20% of where we need to be mostly because of scale," Chaillan said. "We have pockets of talent on every major program, but it's still just pockets and that's just not good enough." https://www.nextgov.com/it-modernization/2020/09/air-force-demo-updating-software-jet-flight-official-says/168492/ Back to Top Southwest to keep blocking middle seats through November (Reuters) - Southwest Airlines Co said on Wednesday it will continue to limit the number of seats sold on each flight, allowing middle seats to remain open through November, and expects its daily cash burn to slow in the third quarter as bookings improve. Southwest, which was previously blocking middle seats through October, said bookings had picked up in August and September from a low point in July but remain primarily leisure-oriented and inconsistent by region. The U.S. airline said it sees a daily cash burn of $17 million in the third quarter versus an estimated $20 million previously and continues to plan for multiple demand scenarios in terms of fleet and capacity. Southwest still plans to cut its third-quarter schedule by 30% to 35% from last year. The airline, which has one of the strongest financial positions among U.S. peers, said it does not currently plan to utilize its loyalty program should it need to secure additional financing. U.S. majors Delta Air Lines , United Airlines and American Airlines have all pledged their loyalty programs for financing. Southwest had cash and short-term investments of about $14.8 billion as of Sept. 15. The budget carrier said operating revenue could decline as much as 75% in October, deeper than an estimated 65% to 75% decline in September. https://www.yahoo.com/news/southwest-cuts-third-quarter-cash-110342222.html Back to Top NASA Marks Continued Progress on X-59 Assembly of NASA's X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology aircraft is continuing during 2020 and making good progress, despite challenges such as those imposed by the unexpected global pandemic. NASA plans as early as 2024 to fly the X-59 over select communities on missions to gather information about how the public will react to the level of quiet supersonic flight noise the aircraft is designed to produce - if they hear anything at all. Data collected will be shared with federal and international regulators to help them set new rules that may allow supersonic flight over land and enable a whole new market for commercial faster-than-sound air travel. "This mission is the culmination of decades of research, and with the X-59 we are continuing to pioneer a future of aviation in which we will see drastically reduced flight times for global-travelling passengers," said Peter Coen, NASA's Low-Boom Flight Demonstration Mission Integration Manager. For now, assembly of X-59 is taking place at Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California, where with each construction milestone, the airplane is taking shape - literally. One of those milestones is with the X-59's eXternal Vision System, or XVS, which is a forward-facing camera and display system that allows the pilot to see outside the aircraft via augmented reality. The XVS is NASA's solution to the aircraft's lack of a forward-facing window - a result of the need to place the cockpit lower and farther back on the airplane because of its unique, elongated nose and fuselage profile. The innovative XVS system underwent successful flight tests in August 2019 and passed several rounds of qualification testing in January of this year. Major progress was also made on the aircraft's wing thanks to the Skunk Works' Combined Operation: Bolting and Robotic Auto-drill (COBRA) system. This advanced robotic technology enhances production by drilling and inspecting hundreds of holes on the wing that are part of the assembly process. Meanwhile, pallet brackets were recently installed into the airframe for the XVS and Flight Test Instrumentation Systems, marking the first installation of components supplied directly by NASA for the X-59. Moreover, the X-59 has achieved several other milestones, including delivery of several major aircraft segments that will soon be installed. These include the F414-GE-100 turbofan engine from General Electric Aviation, the aircraft's vertical tail, and the one-of-a-kind, extended-length nose. Although production and assembly have continued at a steady pace in many areas, the development of an all new, full scale experimental aircraft is not without its challenges. As a result, some schedule updates have been implemented. NASA now expects the X-59's assembly to be complete and major ground testing to begin in summer 2021, leading to a target date for first flight in summer 2022. "The integrated NASA and Lockheed X-59 team is doing an amazing job given the challenging circumstances of COVID-19," said NASA's LBFD Project Manager Craig Nickol. "The team has shown remarkable resilience, and we're excited to see the visible progress on X-59 assembly and integration every day. Although we have had some challenges in 2020, the team has responded well by updating plans and continuing to make progress. We're looking forward to several important milestones this year." These milestones include completion of manufacturing the X-59's wing and its mating to the aircraft's fuselage, both expected by the end of 2020. "We are over half-way complete with the build of this one-of-a-kind X-plane," said David Richardson, X-59 Program Director, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works. "We will soon complete close-out of the wing, which is the central structural anchor of the aircraft, and we will then prepare for mate of the empennage, fuselage, and the distinctive, super long nose. The team has done a phenomenal job of advancing aerospace technology and working through challenges to drive progress, all of which has been enabled by our close partnership with NASA." None of the schedule adjustments threaten timing of the ultimate goal of delivering results of the community overflights to the International Civil Aviation Organization and Federal Aviation Administration in 2027. With that information in hand, regulators will be able to decide if a change should be made in rules that prohibit supersonic flight over land - a decision that would be expected in 2028. Before then, however, and even as the X-59 aircraft is under construction, other teams of NASA's aeronautical innovators are preparing for their roles in what NASA calls the Low-Boom Flight Demonstration mission. Once the X-59 begins flying, it will be important to validate that it is capable of producing supersonic shockwaves that will lead to quiet thumps in place of loud sonic booms. This will require tools for shock wave visualization, in-flight pressure measurement, and acoustic validation - technologies which are continuing preparation and testing at NASA, both on the ground and in the air. These acoustic validation flights are targeted for 2023. At the same time, critical planning and preparation for the community overflights continues - flights that are expected to begin in late 2024. The effort is taking advantage of lessons learned from a flight series that took place over Galveston, Texas in 2018. Taken together, this mission work is spread across three projects within NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate. They include the Commercial Supersonic Technology project managed out of NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia, the Flight Demonstrations and Capabilities project managed out of NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, and the Low Boom Flight Demonstrator project, responsible for the X-59 aircraft itself, managed out of Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. X-59's mission to provide regulators with data that may open the future to supersonic flight over land, drastically reducing flight times, is the culmination of decades of NASA supersonic research. While the challenge is there, NASA, as it always has, is pioneering the future of flight through the first "A" in its name - Aeronautics. https://www.nasa.gov/aeroresearch/nasa-marks-continued-progress-on-x-59 Back to Top International Space Station faces terminal threat from space junk The International Space Station (ISS) will have to be abandoned if zombie satellites and space junk are not cleared out of orbit, the Business Secretary has warned. Alok Sharma said that human space travel would no longer be possible unless we "clean up our act" and announced new funding to track floating debris. Estimates suggest there are 160 million pieces of space junk orbiting Earth, ranging from tiny specks of broken spacecraft, to large defunct satellites, and they are zipping around the planet at 18,000mph, nearly seven times faster than a bullet. Yet, only a fraction are currently tracked and the number of satellites is growing all the time, with several mega-constellations due for launch. Experts predict that if a four-inch piece of space junk were to hit a satellite, smashing it to bits, it would set off a chain reaction that could destroy all satellites and render space a no-go zone for centuries. So, the Government has announced £1 million seed funding for seven British projects aimed at monitoring debris in space through lasers, satellites and artificial intelligence. Mr Sharma said the projects were crucial to allowing human space exploration to continue. "If we don't take action now, low-Earth orbit could become too perilous for satellites or even humans on the International Space Station," he said. "The space debris expert Don Kessler predicted in 1976 that the space around the Earth could become so riddled with junk that launches would become impossible and vehicles that entered space would quickly be destroyed. "Anyone who watched Sandra Bullock defy the odds of survival in the blockbuster movie Gravity gets the idea. "While we are all facing challenges here on Earth, this may seem like a problem that is best kept out of sight and out of mind, but there is a moral and economic imperative for us to do something about this space debris. "If we want to continue to reach for the stars in the years to come and realise our ambitions to use satellite technology to improve lives on Earth, we need to clean up our act." The UK Space Agency is also worried that launches from planned British spaceports could falter unless debris is cleared out of orbit, and it has signed an agreement with the Ministry of Defence to work together on monitoring threats and hazards in orbit. In 2019, there was a close call in which a spacecraft operated by the European Space Agency (ESA) needed to fire up its thrusters to dodge a £100 million Starlink satellite. Currently, companies including Airbus are devising methods to remove junk from space by using harpoons and nets, but there is no way of tracking all the debris. Enhancing space awareness Companies funded include Lift Me Off, which will develop machine learning algorithms to distinguish between satellites and space debris. Space awareness companies Deimos and Northern Space and Security will develop new optical sensors to track space objects from the UK whilst Andor, based in Northern Ireland, will enhance its astronomy camera to track and map ever-smaller sized debris. D-Orbit UK, a space company with "solutions covering the entire lifecycle of a space mission" according to its website, will use a space-based sensor on its recently launched satellite to capture images of space objects. Graham Turnock, chief executive of the UK Space Agency, said: "People probably do not realise just how cluttered space is. You would never let a car drive down a motorway full of broken glass and wreckage, and yet this is what satellites and the space station have to navigate every day in their orbital lanes. "In this new age of space mega-constellations the UK has an unmissable opportunity to lead the way in monitoring and tackling this space junk. "This funding will help us grasp this opportunity and in doing so create sought after expertise and new high skill jobs across the country." "On 2 July 2018, a £100-million satellite called CryoSat-2 was completing its daily rounds of monitoring ice caps back on Earth from an orbit of 700 kilometres above us, when mission controllers spotted a chunk of space debris hurtling towards it at 17,000 miles per hour," said Mr Sharma. "To avert a potentially catastrophic collision, engineers fired up CryoSat's thrusters and moved it out of harm's way. This near miss was not the first, and it will not be the last. "An estimated 20,000 pieces of space debris, better known as 'space junk', are whizzing around the Earth as you read this. This includes zombie satellites and whole junkyard's worth of whirling fragments left over from space missions, risking catastrophic collisions. "And this risk is only going up, with the amount of junk in low orbit increasing by 50 per cent in the last five years. Put simply, the plot of 'Gravity' could become our reality in space. Satellites are critical to our everyday lives, added Mr Sharma, as they "keep us connected to families and loved ones during a pandemic, they track and give us insights on climate change, and they even tell us if we will need to take an umbrella on our lunch break". "While satellite operators can dodge large pieces of debris and armour satellites to withstand the impact of smaller fragments, with the need for a growing number of satellites in orbit we must be able to monitor the space highways and to gradually clear it of obstructions. "If we want to continue to reach for the stars in the years to come and realise our ambitions to use satellite technology to improve lives on Earth, we need to clean up our act. Seed funding for UK firms "That is why I'm delighted to announce over £1 million in government funding for seven of the UK's most pioneering space projects that will help monitor hazardous space debris and protect the vital services we rely on every day - from mobile communications to weather forecasting. "And although at present we do not own a celestial broom or a tractor beam that can wipe out each bit of detritus, the companies we are backing are developing technologies such as artificial intelligence and sensor technology, that will help up our game in spotting these risks and taking evasive action. "We are championing new ideas in the form of London-based Lift Me Off, which is developing and testing machine learning algorithms designed to distinguish between satellites and space debris using thermal infrared and optical cameras. "Meanwhile, Andor will use a scientific detector camera to help the astronomy community track debris which can interrupt ground-based astronomy. "Another project will draw on the expertise of Fujitsu and Amazon, as well as Astroscale, to improve the commercial viability of missions that seek to remove debris - clearing the space highway. "Each project represents a first step to developing new UK capabilities to help protect the space environment. "And they all demonstrate the very best of UK science and innovation - bringing together the country's brightest minds, taking us beyond the reaches of our own home planet to tackle some of our greatest challenges now and into the future. "At the World Commission on Environment and Development in 1987, world leaders defined sustainable development as 'meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs'. "In space, this test has yet to be met. Only by tapping in to the UK space sector's growing expertise we will ensure we make this a reality." https://www.yahoo.com/news/international-space-station-faces-terminal-131527704.html Back to Top SpaceX's next Starlink launch to break Falcon 9 fairing reuse record • SPACEX'S 11TH STARLINK LAUNCH THIS YEAR IS ON TRACK TO BREAK A FAIRING REUSE MILESTONE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE HISTORY OF SPACEFLIGHT. SpaceX has revealed that its next Starlink launch will mark a new first for Falcon 9 payload fairing reuse, reaching a milestone that took booster reuse 18 months in less than a year. Scheduled to lift off no earlier than (NET) 2:19 pm EDT (18:19 UTC) on Thursday, September 17th, the Starlink-12 (v1.0 L12) mission will be SpaceX's 11th in 2020 alone and 13th overall. If things go according to plan, it could leave SpaceX's nascent constellation just two or so months away from the beginning of the first public beta tests of Starlink internet service. Meanwhile, Falcon 9 booster B1058 will be attempting its third launch less than four months after its flight debut, an unprecedented cadence of reuse for SpaceX. Aside from likely ensuring that B1058 becomes the proud holder of SpaceX's first and second place records for booster turnaround (time between launches), the mission also continues an unexpected trend: the near-extinction of Falcon 9 static fire tests. SpaceX's first successful Falcon booster landing happened in December 2015, just a few months shy of five years ago. In March 2017, two years later, SpaceX reused a Falcon 9 booster on an orbital-class launch for the first time in history. Some 21 months after that historic milestone, SpaceX launched the same Falcon 9 booster for the third time, kicking off a relentless series of reusability firsts that continue to be made to this day. Now, SpaceX says it's about to launch the same Falcon 9 payload fairing half for the third time in a significant and unexpected first for fairing reuse. Constructed primarily out of a carbon fiber-aluminum honeycomb composite material, Falcon fairings are dramatically more fragile - and reaches much higher altitudes and velocities - than the boosters SpaceX has cut its teeth on recovering and reusing. Compared to booster reuse, it's quite the achievement. SpaceX first managed to launch the same Falcon 9 booster three times in December 2018, ~33 months after the first booster reuse. Measured from SpaceX's first fairing reuse, completed in November 2019 as part of the first Starlink v1.0 launch (Starlink-1), the company will have managed to cross the three-flight fairing reuse barrier less than 11 months later - a full three times faster than SpaceX's booster reuse program took to achieve the same milestone. NO MORE STATIC FIRES? Meanwhile, SpaceX appears to be turning a major corner on Falcon 9 launch operations. Of all 93 Falcon 9 launches since the rocket's June 2010 debut, every single one has been preceded by a combined wet dress rehearsal (WDR) and static fire test a few days or weeks prior to liftoff. Effectively simulating a launch 1:1 up to the exact moment before liftoff, SpaceX has used static fires to verify vehicle health and firewall minor quality assurance lapses for as long as it's been launching rockets. In a major operational change that has almost flown under the radar, SpaceX appears to have killed the practice of universal prelaunch static fires beginning with Starlink-8 in June 2020. Including Starlink-8, of the seven launches SpaceX has completed in the last three months, just three (GPS III SV03, Starlink-9, and Starlink-10) included Falcon 9 static fire tests prior to liftoff. A step further, two of the four static fire-free launches were for major commercial missions - not retiring risk on SpaceX's own Starlink launches, in other words. As of today, Falcon 9 has completed 65 successful launches since the last catastrophic vehicle failure (Amos-6, September 2016) and 74 consecutively-successful launches if Amos-6 (which never lifted off) is excluded. As of 2020, it's the most reliable US launch vehicle currently in operation, surpassing ULA's Atlas V several months ago. In fewer words, it's not actually surprising (in retrospect) that SpaceX has begun to relax its position on static fires - especially considering that there isn't another launch provider on Earth that static fires rockets before every launch. More likely than not, SpaceX will continue to static fire Falcon 9 and Heavy boosters at the launch pad before their flight debuts and upon customer request. If launch or post-flight inspection data offer reason(s) for concern, SpaceX may still choose to static fire boosters out of caution. Additionally, SpaceX shows no signs of ending the practice of performing full booster static fires in McGregor, Texas as part of acceptance testing, still leaving it a step beyond traditional rocket manufacturers, which only static fire individual engines. Regardless, SpaceX's 13th Starlink launch will be streamed live as usual, with coverage beginning around 15 minutes prior to liftoff. https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-next-starlink-launch-fairing-reuse-record/ SURVEY: GA PILOTS AND PIREPs "Dear GA pilot, Researchers at Purdue University are seeking general aviation (GA) pilots to participate in an online study, partially funded by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) NextGen Weather Technology in the Cockpit (WTIC) program. The goal of this study is to evaluate opportunities for speech-based or other "hands-free" technologies that GA pilots might use to submit PIREPs. If you are able and willing to participate, you will be asked to review a set of 6 weather-related flight scenarios and record PIREPs as if you are flying. The study will last approximately 20 minutes and can be completed using a laptop or desktop computer. Participation in this study is completely voluntary. You can withdraw your participation at any time during the study for any reason. If you agree to participate, you will be asked to acknowledge your voluntary participation. Then there are 4 questions about your flight history, 6 weather scenarios, and 4 questions about PIREPs. Responses to the survey will be completely anonymous. We ask that you complete the study in a quiet location free from background noise. You must be at least 18 years of age or older to participate. When you are ready to begin, please click here: https://purdue.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6lZhv409DcoV8KF and follow the instructions in Qualtrics. Please feel free to share this link with other pilots you know. Email any questions or concerns to Mayur Deo and Dr. Brandon Pitts at nhance@purdue.edu." Back to Top Graduate Research Survey (1) Stress and Wellbeing for Global Aviation Professionals Dear colleagues, I am inviting you to participate in a research project on wellbeing in the aviation industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. This situation has affected aviation professionals around the world, and this research seeks to identify wellbeing strategies that work across professions, employers, families, and nations. All responses to this survey are anonymous. The findings of this research will inform future work by the USC Aviation Safety and Security Program and the Flight Safety Foundation to improve wellbeing for aviation professionals during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey should take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Please click or copy the link below to access the survey, and please share it with any interested colleagues. https://usc.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cC2nlWEAazl22TX This research will support a treatise towards a Master of Science in Applied Psychology degree at the University of Southern California's Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences. The researcher is also on the staff of the USC Aviation Safety and Security Program. Thank you, and please contact us with any questions, Daniel Scalese - Researcher scalese@usc.edu Michael Nguyen - Faculty Advisor nguyenmv@usc.edu Curt Lewis