Flight Safety Information - January 12, 2021 No. 009 In This Issue : Incident: American A321 at Miami on Jan 10th 2021, engine oil leak : Sriwijaya Air crash: Plane passed inspection last month : "Black box" from Indonesian jet that went down with 62 on board recovered from ocean floor : FAA warns of jail time, fines as airports and airlines prep for unruly passengers ahead of the inauguration : Chesapeake man caught loaded gun at Norfolk International Airport : Report: JetBlue among the world’s most COVID-19 compliant airlines : Indonesian Air Safety In Spotlight Again After Crash : Flight Safety Foundation, Partners Target Runway Excursion Prevention : Vietnamese aviation ready to assist Indonesia after plane crash : Southwest flight diverted after suspicious note found : All-women Indian pilot crew make history by completing country's longest commercial flight : NASA to upgrade space station solar arrays : RTCA Free Webinar, Jan. 21 1pm ET: Nancy Graham of Graham Aerospace presents – Stratospheric Operations : Call for Papers – ISASI 2021 : 2021 Aircraft Cabin Air Conference Incident: American A321 at Miami on Jan 10th 2021, engine oil leak An American Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration N167AN performing flight AA-2494 from Miami,FL (USA) to Cancun (Mexico), was climbing out of Miami when the crew requested to stop the climb at 15,000 feet and return to Miami due to a left engine (V2533) oil leak. Both engines were kept running. The aircraft returned to Miami for a safe landing on runway 27 about 25 minutes after departure. A replacement A321-200 registration N998AN reached Cancun with a delay of 2.5 hours. The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 22 hours after landing. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/AAL2494/history/20210110/1340Z/KMIA/MMUN http://avherald.com/h?article=4e19b275&opt=0 Sriwijaya Air crash: Plane passed inspection last month The Sriwijaya Air plane which crashed into the sea on Saturday had passed an airworthiness inspection last month, officials have said. Flight SJ182, which was grounded between March and December last year, resumed commercial flights on 22 Dec. Preliminary findings also showed the aircraft was still functioning and intact before it crashed. The plane had 62 people on board when it plunged into the Java Sea. The cause of the crash remains unknown. On Monday, Indonesian police identified its first victim - Okky Bisma, a 29-year-old flight attendant on the plane. Indonesia's Transport Ministry on Tuesday said the Boeing 737 had been grounded during the pandemic, and passed an inspection on 14 December. It made its first flight five days later with no passengers, then resumed commercial flights shortly after that. Separately, the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) said that preliminary findings showed the aircraft reached the height of 10,900ft (3.3km) at 14:36 local time on Saturday (07:36 GMT), then made a steep drop to 250ft at 14:40, before it stopped transmitting data. KNKT head Soerjanto Tjahjono added that the plane's turbine disc with a damaged fan blade had been found - ruling out the theory that the plane exploded mid-air. "The damaged fan blade indicates that the machine was still functioning when it crashed. This [is] also in line with the belief that the plane's system was still functioning when it reached 250ft," said Mr Soerjanto in a written statement to reporters. What progress has been made so far? Search teams say they have located the position of the aircraft's black boxes and have been combing the waters to find it. But the KNKT on Tuesday said that a device used to locate black boxes had experienced "technical problems or equipment damage". Black boxes - officially known as the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder - store data about planes and can provide vital information in air accident investigations. Authorities added that they were waiting for a new "ping locator" to arrive from Singapore. It is unclear how the damaged locator affects the search, but local television on Tuesday showed footage of divers still looking for the black boxes. Meanwhile several pieces of debris, body parts, wreckage and passengers' clothing have already been recovered. "There is so much debris down there and we have only lifted a few pieces. Hopefully, as we take out more [the recorders] can be found," Navy chief of staff Yudo Margono told reporters. According to news wire AFP, there were some 2,600 personnel involved in the search operation yesterday, along with more than 50 ships and 13 aircraft. Investigators are already analysing items which they believe to be a wheel and part of the plane's fuselage. A turbine from one of its engines is also among the debris that has been recovered. Transport safety officials say they are currently in the second stage of a five-stage investigation process. This stage consists of compiling and collecting data and could take up to a year to wrap up. What happened to the aircraft? The Sriwijaya Air passenger plane departed from Jakarta's main airport at 14:36 local time (07:36 GMT) on Saturday. Minutes later, at 14:40, the last contact with the Boeing 737 plane was recorded, according to the transport ministry. The usual flight time to Pontianak, in West Kalimantan province in the west of the island of Borneo, is 90 minutes. There were thought to be 50 passengers - including seven children and three babies - and 12 crew on board, though the plane has a capacity of 130. Everyone on board was Indonesian, officials say. The plane is thought to have dropped more than 3,000m (10,000ft) in less than a minute, according to flight tracking website Flightradar24.com. Witnesses said they had seen and heard at least one explosion. Sriwijaya Air, founded in 2003, is a local budget airline which flies to Indonesian and other South-east Asian destinations. The missing aircraft is not a 737 Max, the Boeing model that was grounded from March 2019 until last December following two deadly crashes. https://www.yahoo.com/news/sriwijaya-air-crash-indonesias-black-042059958.html "Black box" from Indonesian jet that went down with 62 on board recovered from ocean floor Jakarta, Indonesia — Indonesian navy divers searching the ocean floor have recovered one of the "black box" data recorders from the Sriwijaya Air jet that crashed into the Java Sea with 62 people on board. The recovery of the flight data recorder is expected to help investigators determine what caused the Boeing 737-500 plane to nosedive into the ocean shortly after takeoff from Jakarta on Saturday. TV stations on Tuesday showed divers on an inflatable vessel with a large white container containing the data recorder. Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi confirmed in a news conference on Tuesday that the device recovered was the flight data recorder. Military chief Hadi Tjahjanto said at the same event that he was highly confident the the other black box, the cockpit voice recorder, would be found soon, but there was no indication that divers had pinpointed it yet. The flight data recorder was to be handed over to the National Transportation Safety Committee, which is overseeing the crash investigation. A navy ship earlier picked up intense pings being emitted from both of the boxes, which officials said were buried in the seabed under tons of sharp objects in the wreckage. Videos released Monday and Tuesday by Indonesia's national search and rescue agency and the navy showed divers peering through murky water, inspecting large pieces of debris in mud on the seafloor and searching for the black boxes. Navy Chief Admiral Yudo Margono said earlier that removing large obstacles was slowing efforts to reach the devices. A remote-operated vehicle was sent to the black box location, and Margono said at least 160 divers were deployed to help in the search for the black boxes. The devices detached from the tail of the aircraft when it crashed, and the search for them was concentrated between Lancang and Laki islands in the Thousand Island chain just north of Jakarta. More than 3,600 rescue personnel, 13 helicopters, 54 large ships and 20 small boats are searching the area and have already found parts of the plane and human remains in the water at a depth of about 75 feet. The searchers have sent at least 74 body bags containing human remains to police identification experts who on Monday said they had identified their first victim, 29-year-old flight attendant Okky Bisma. His wife, Aldha Refa, who is also a flight attendant for Sriwijaya Air, shared her grief in a series of posts on social media. "My husband is a loving, devout and super kind man," she wrote on Instagram. "Heaven is your place, dear ... be peaceful there." Anguished family members have been providing samples for DNA tests and police say results are expected in 4-8 days. National Police spokesman Rusdi Hartono said about 53 samples for DNA testing have been collected but more are still needed, especially from parents and children of victims. Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee said the United States' National Transportation Safety Board would join in investigating the crash. Indonesian NTSC chairman, Soerjanto Tjahjono, ruled out a possible midair breakup after seeing the condition of the wreckage found by searchers. He said the jet was intact until it struck the water, concentrating the debris field, rather than spreading it out over a large area as would be seen with a midair event. The disaster has reignited concerns about safety in Indonesia's aviation industry, which grew fast after the economy was opened following the fall of dictator Suharto in the late 1990s. The United States had banned Indonesian carriers from operating in the country in 2007, lifting the action in 2016, citing improvements in compliance with international aviation standards. The European Union lifted a similar ban in 2018. Sriwijaya Air has had only minor safety incidents in the past, though a farmer was killed in 2008 when a plane went off the runway while landing due to a hydraulic issue. In 2018, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 jet operated by Lion Air crashed, killing 189 people. An automated flight-control system played a role in that crash, but the Sriwijaya Air jet did not have that system on board. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/indonesia-plane-crash-2021-sriwijaya-air-black-box-recovered/ FAA warns of jail time, fines as airports and airlines prep for unruly passengers ahead of the inauguration As airlines and airports gird for more disruption when supporters of President Donald Trump return to Washington for protests ahead of the inauguration, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration issued a warning to air travelers: Causing a safety risk could mean a jail term or a $35,000 fine. “As a former airline captain, I can attest from firsthand experience that the cabin crew’s primary responsibility is to ensure the safety of all passengers,” FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said in a statement. “I expect all passengers to follow crew member instructions, which are in place for their safety and the safety of flight.” The warning followed several viral videos, including those showing Sens. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., being heckled at airports last week, and others showing rowdy supporters of Trump aboard airliners. A major flight attendants union said every airline flying out of the Washington region had experienced incidents in recent days. The chairman of the House Transportation Committee and the head of its aviation subcommittee wrote Monday to Dickson asking him to take additional steps. The lawmakers called on him to convene airline, airport and labor leaders to develop a way to identify anyone involved in last week’s violence who might try to travel to Washington for the inauguration. Reps. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., and Rick Larsen, D-Wash., said the FAA should aim “(1) to prevent civil unrest from jeopardizing aviation safety and leading to injury or worse during flight, and (2) to limit the chance that the Nation’s commercial airline system could be used as a means of mass transportation to Washington, D.C., for further violence.” More protests are expected in Washington beginning Sunday. D.C. Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser, Virginia Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam and Maryland Republican Gov. Larry Hogan urged people to stay away from the capital region because of last week’s violence and the coronavirus pandemic. As many as 15,000 National Guard troops could be deployed to help maintain order. This week, major airlines said they are continuing to work with law enforcement agencies after stepping up security following violence at the Capitol. Airport officials said local and federal law enforcement officials will be highly visible. And airlines, including American, which has a large presence at Reagan National Airport, are adding staffing at key hubs to manage possible incidents. “Passengers should expect to see a heightened law enforcement presence from now through the inauguration,” said Christina Saull, a spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which manages Reagan National and Dulles International airports. In a bulletin for its 50,000 members over the weekend, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA called the unruly groups of passengers “a new kind of threat in the air.” Flight crews sometimes call on other passengers to help them manage people who are disruptive, but now face the challenge of having to deal with people forming airborne mobs. The union reminded flight attendants that the best solution is to keep potential troublemakers off planes. “If someone is acting out in an airport, shouting obscenities, and harassing other passengers – they are likely identified as a flight risk and should not get on a flight at least until demonstrating otherwise,” the union wrote. “That has been the practice for years, especially since 9/11.” Sara Nelson, the union’s president, previously called for rioters involved in the storming of the Capitol to be banned from flying, an idea also backed by Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. On Monday, Nelson said she couldn’t discuss specific security measures but “federal agencies and the airlines are taking this seriously.” Short of action by the federal government, airlines have wide latitude to ban problem passengers. Last week, Alaska Airlines announced it banned 14 passengers who were on a flight from Dulles International to Seattle-Tacoma International airports the day after the Capitol riot. The passengers were “non-mask compliant, rowdy, argumentative” and harassed crew members, the airline said. “We apologize to our other guests who were made uncomfortable on the flight,” the airline said in a statement. “We will not tolerate any disturbance on board our aircraft or at any of the airports we serve.” The new security challenge often comes on top of – and often hand-in-hand with – flight attendants’ daily battles to ensure that passengers wear masks to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Before the latest round of disruptions, cabin crews were left to enforce airline policies with little backup from the federal government. Over the weekend, federal air marshals intervened in the case of a woman who began yelling at flight attendants and other passengers after being asked to wear her mask on an American Airlines flight from Charlotte to National Airport, the airline said. Videos of the incident were shared widely online. The woman has been banned from the airline while the incident is investigated, but American declined to say how many people it had added to its list of banned passengers in the past week. To date, Alaska has banned 302 passengers who have violated the airline’s mandatory mask policy, which went into effect in August. United Airlines, which has banned more than 600, said in the past week alone it barred an additional 60 people. Dickson’s statement indicates the FAA is prepared to take a tough stance against passengers who violate rules. Historically, the agency’s powers to take action against disruptive passengers have been rarely used, with it initiating about 1,300 cases in the past decade. The agency declined to say how many investigations it has begun in recent days. An FAA database logs cases but does not give details about incidents. At least two in 2020 involved passengers who allegedly assaulted flight attendants and also refused to wear masks. In one case, the FAA proposed a $15,000 civil penalty; in the other, the agency proposed a $7,500 civil penalty. In 2018, Congress significantly increased the maximum fine to $35,000 per violation, up from $1,100. The total can be greater since each incident can result in multiple violations. https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/faa-warns-of-jail-time-fines-as-airports-and-airlines-prep-for-unruly-passengers-ahead-of-the-inauguration/ Chesapeake man caught loaded gun at Norfolk International Airport NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A Chesapeake man was caught with a loaded gun at Norfolk International Airport over the weekend. TSA officers say they detected the gun in the checkpoint X-ray machine on Sunday. The 9mm handgun was loaded with eight bullets. TSA officers alerted the Norfolk Airport Authority Police and confiscated the weapon. The passenger from Chesapeake was cited on a weapons charge and faces a stiff financial penalty for carrying a gun to the checkpoint. A typical first offense for carrying a loaded handgun into a checkpoint is $4,100 and can go as high as $13,669 depending on any mitigating circumstances. This applies to travelers with or without concealed gun carry permits because even though an individual may have a concealed carry permit, it does not allow for a firearm to be carried onto an airplane. The complete list of civil penalties is posted online. Two weeks before this incident, TSA officers caught a Virginia Beach man with 9mm handgun loaded with 14 bullets at similar checkpoint. https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/norfolk/chesapeake-man-caught-loaded-gun-at-norfolk-international-airport/ Report: JetBlue among the world’s most COVID-19 compliant airlines The compliant airlines "have gone above and beyond" to protect passengers, according to the report. JetBlue is among four U.S. carriers leading the way when it comes to COVID-19 safety measures, according to a new report by Airlineratings.com. The ratings website recently named the New York-based airline, Logan International Airport‘s largest carrier, among the world’s top 20 COVID-19 compliant airlines. Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and Southwest Airlines also made the list of carriers that “have gone above and beyond,” according to the report, to protect passengers and add flexibility. “All these airlines have been trendsetters in making travel as safe as possible,” said Geoffrey Thomas, editor in chief of Airlineratings.com, in a report posted on the site. Airlines must achieve the following seven criteria for full COVID-19 compliance, according to the report: face masks for passengers, personal protection equipment for the crew, social distancing practices in place, COVID-19 procedures detailed on the carrier’s website, modified meal services, personal sanitizer kits for customers, and deep cleaning of the aircraft. Airlineratings.com surveyed 430 airlines for COVID-19 compliance, according to the report. The site also named the safest airlines in the world from the 385 carriers it monitors and listed JetBlue among three U.S. carriers on a list of 10 safest low-cost airlines for 2021. Allegiant Air and Frontier Airlines also made that list. Six U.S. carriers ranked among the site’s top 20 safest airlines for 2021: Alaska Airlines at No. 8, Hawaiian Airlines at No. 12, Southwest Airlines at No. 13, Delta Air Lines at No. 14, American Airlines at No. 15, and United Airlines at No. 20. The safest airline in the world, according to the report, is Australia’s Qantas. The safest airlines were assessed on the following criteria: crash and serious incident records, government audits, audits from the aviation industry’s governing bodies and associations, industry-leading safety initiatives, and fleet age. “[T]hese airlines are standouts in the industry and are at the forefront of safety, innovation, and launching of new aircraft,” according to the report. https://www.boston.com/travel/travel/2021/01/11/jetblue-worlds-most-covid-19-compliant-airlines Indonesian Air Safety In Spotlight Again After Crash As dive teams continue to comb through the wreckage of Sriwijaya Air Flight SJ182, Saturday’s crash of one of the airline’s Boeing 737-500s into the Java Sea has placed Indonesia’s safety aviation record back into the spotlight. According to the Aviation Safety Network’s database, the country has experienced 104 commercial airline accidents with over 1,300 fatalities since 1945 and at least one hull loss every year from 2010 to 2019. In 2007, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lowered Indonesia’s safety evaluation from Category 1 to Category 2; eight years later American authorities reinstated its Category 1 rating, effectively allowing Indonesian carriers to launch service to the United States and codeshare with U.S. airlines. EASA placed a similar ban on Indonesian carriers from 2007 to 2018. Flight SJ182 is Indonesia’s first major commercial aircraft accident since 2018, when a Lion Air Boeing 737 Max carrying 189 people crashed into the Java Sea 13 minutes after takeoff from Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta on its way to Pangkal Pinang on the Indonesian island of Bangka. Indonesian investigators determined that design flaws in the Boeing 737 Max combined with insufficient oversight by U.S. regulators, failures in crew resource management (CRM), and maintenance lapses all contributed to the October 2018 crash of Lion Air Flight 610. Other notable accidents include Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 in 2014, Trigana Air Flight 267, Aviastar Flight 7503, and a C-130 Hercules military flight carrying civilian passengers in 2015. Saturday’s crash marks the fifth aircraft accident and the fifth hull loss for Sriwijaya Air. In 2008, a Boeing 737-200 overran the runway at Sultan Thaha Airport in Jambi and crashed into a house, leaving one person dead. The airline suffered three additional runway excursions in 2011, 2012, and 2017 but with no fatalities. Flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, through its subsidiary Citilink, gained operational and financial control of Sriwijaya and its sister carrier Nam Air in 2018 in an attempt to return the airline to profitability following a steep loss in 2017. At the time of the agreement, Sriwijaya allegedly owed more than $175 million to various companies that included state-owned oil and natural gas corporation Pertamina, Bank Negara Indonesia, and airport operators Angkasa Pura I and Angkasa Pura II. The tie-up gave Garuda and Sriwijaya about 45 percent of the domestic market; the Lion Air Group held the rest. In 2019, Sriwijaya Air and regional subsidiary Nam Air faced fresh calls of concern over air safety, security, and operational standards after severing their partnership with Garuda/Citilink. The two sides later reconciled with the aim of restarting its five-year operational cooperation agreement. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2021-01-11/indonesian-air-safety-spotlight-again-after-crash Flight Safety Foundation, Partners Target Runway Excursion Prevention BRUSSELS, Jan. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Runway excursions are the most frequent type of accident in aviation and regularly are identified as one of the most serious risks for large and small aircraft. Because of the complexity of the risk factors, preventing runway excursions requires coordination and commitment among numerous stakeholders. Today's release of the Global Action Plan for the Prevention of Runway Excursions (GAPPRE) is the culmination of a two-year effort and demonstrates the industry's commitment to preventing runway excursions. GAPPRE was developed by an international team of more than 100 aviation professionals from more than 40 organizations. The initiative was coordinated by Flight Safety Foundation and EUROCONTROL, and the GAPPRE recommendations have been validated by the Airports Council International (ACI), the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO), the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA). "Reducing runway excursions and continuing to improve the overall safety of the approach and landing phases of flight continue to be a primary area of focus for the Foundation," said Flight Safety Foundation President and CEO Dr. Hassan Shahidi. "We are gratified by the efforts of the many safety professionals who gave of their time and expertise to make the GAPPRE a reality, and I want to thank our partners at EUROCONTROL, ACI, CANSO, EASA and IATA for their continuing commitment to safety collaboration." With the release of the action plan, the Foundation is launching a year-long campaign to focus attention on runway excursion risk and support implementation of the consensus-based GAPPRE recommendations. Runway safety and GAPPRE will be regular themes this year at Foundation-organized events, starting with next month's Safety Forum. GAPPRE is the Foundation's latest initiative related to approach and landing safety. The Approach and Landing Accident Reduction Toolkit ̶ first issued in 1998 and updated in 2010 ̶ is one of the most widely circulated and utilized efforts in the Foundation's history. More recently, the recommendations contained in the Go-Around Decision-Making and Execution Project report have gained traction with several international operators. Volume I of the GAPPRE action plan, which contains recommendations for operators, airports, air navigation service providers, aircraft manufacturers and regulators, is now available on the Foundation's website and through other project partners. About Flight Safety Foundation Flight Safety Foundation is an independent, nonprofit, international organization engaged in research, education, advocacy and communications to improve aviation safety. The Foundation's mission is to connect, influence and lead global aviation safety. Media Contact: Frank Jackman Vice President, Communications +1 703.739.6700, ext. 116 jackman@flightsafety.org SOURCE Flight Safety Foundation https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/flight-safety-foundation-partners-target-runway-excursion-prevention-301205874.html Vietnamese aviation ready to assist Indonesia after plane crash HANOI (Vietnam News/ANN): The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) is ready to support its Indonesian counterpart after a recent plane crash that claimed the lives of more than 60 people, said CAAV leader. In a letter sent to the Indonesian Civil Aviation Authority, head of the CAAV Đinh Việt Thắng expressed his deepest sympathy to the bereaved and hoped the Indonesian agency will soon determine the cause of the accident. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Phạm Bình Minh on Jan 10 sent a message of condolences to Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi over the crash. The Sriwijaya Air flight SJ182, crashed into the sea on January 9 just minutes after taking off from Indonesia's capital Jakarta. The Boeing 737-500 plane with 62 people, comprising 50 passengers and 12 crew members, on board was en route to Pontianak in West Kalimantan. — Vietnam News/Asia News Network https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2021/01/12/vietnamese-aviation-ready-to-assist-indonesia-after-plane-crash Southwest flight diverted after suspicious note found A Southwest Airlines flight arriving from Phoenix was taken to a remote area of Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport after the crew discovered a threatening note BALTIMORE -- A Southwest Airlines flight arriving from Phoenix was taken to a remote area of Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport on Monday after the crew discovered a threatening note, authorities said. Airport spokesman Jonathan King said Southwest Flight 2104 arrived around 5:15 p.m. before it was taken to the remote location. According to the statement from Southwest, the 95 passengers and six crewmembers on board the Boeing 737-800 were taken to the terminal by bus. The aircraft has a capacity of 175. The statement didn’t say what the note contained or where on the plane the note was found. A spokeswoman for Southwest said authorities cleared the aircraft and the passengers were allowed to claim their luggage. https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/southwest-flight-diverted-suspicious-note-found-75189443 All-women Indian pilot crew make history by completing country's longest commercial flight (CNN) — An all-female Indian pilot team made history this week, after they completed the longest non-stop commercial flight ever operated by an Indian national airline. The team of four cockpit crew members from Air India completed the 17-hour-long flight on Monday according a statement released by the airline. "We are India's daughters who were given the opportunity to make this historic flight," the commander of the flight, Captain Zoya Aggarwal, who flew the first leg of the flight, told CNN Travel. "We were able to create a new chapter in the Indian aviation history." "I'm extremely proud to be a part of this and I have been personally preparing for more than a year for this flight," she said. "The view from the North Pole is superb," said her co-pilot, Captain Thanmei Papagari, who flew the second half, adding that as women, they "had a point to prove that we can do the job." They were joined by two first officers: Captain Akansha Sonaware and Captain Shivani Manhas. Air India flight 176 -- a Boeing 777 -- departed from San Francisco on January 11, and arrived in Bengaluru, in southern India, on Monday at 3.07am India Standard Time (4.37pm ET), covering a distance of more than 8,600 miles, according to the statement. It is also the first flight from South India to be connected directly with the United States, according to a statement from Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (KIAB), where the flight landed. "This is the first non-stop flight between Bengaluru and the United States, connecting the world's two tech hubs and sister cities -- the original Silicon Valley and the Silicon Valley of India," the KIAB statement said. "After graduating college, I was jobless for a very long time, as there were no jobs for women pilots," said Aggarwal. "I used to teach young students who were aspiring pilots." Aggarwal, who has more than 10 years of experience, said that her parents initially opposed her becoming a pilot. "When I initially told my parents I remember the tears in my mom's eyes because I was expected to 'walk in the shadow of men' according to society," said Aggarwal. "But I told my parents that this is what I want to do, and I broke away from the norms." Papagari said that "a lot of planning" went into the flight. "Because we flew over the North Pole, there were varying factors involved," she said. "This includes the weather, the solar radiation levels, and the availability of airports in case of a diversion." India's Minister of Civil Aviation, Hardeep Puri, congratulated the team on their journey. "In a moment to cherish & celebrate, women professionals of Indian civil aviation create history," Puri tweeted on Monday. Heartiest Congratulations to Capt Zoya Aggarwal, Capt Papagari Thanmai, Capt Akansha Sonaware & Capt Shivani for flying over North Pole to land in Bengaluru from San Francisco." "[This flight] will create more opportunities for women," said Papagari. "The idea of seeing aviation as a male-dominated field is reducing. We are being seen as pilots, there is no differentiation." India's aviation sector heavily invests in training women to become pilots. About 12% of the country's pilots are women -- the highest percentage in the world, according to the Centre for Aviation. That's roughly three times the proportion in the US, where just 4% are women. In 2017, Air India said it became the first airline to fly around the world with an all-female crew. The Boeing 777 flew from New Delhi to San Francisco over the Pacific Ocean. The crew completed a mandatory rest period before flying over the Atlantic back to New Delhi, completing the round-the-world trip. https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/all-women-pilot-make-history-india-intl-hnk-scli/index.html NASA to upgrade space station solar arrays WASHINGTON — NASA will start an upgrade this year of the solar arrays of the International Space Station to ensure the station has sufficient power to continue operating at least through the end of the decade. The agency announced Jan. 11 it would fly the first pair of upgraded solar arrays to the station later this year on a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft, stored in the spacecraft’s unpressurized trunk section. Two other pairs of the arrays will fly on later Dragon cargo missions, but NASA did not disclose a schedule for them. The arrays will be installed on top of six of the eight existing solar arrays on the station. Doing so allows the new arrays to use the tracking and power distribution systems of the existing arrays, minimizing the amount of new equipment needed. Each array will require two spacewalks to prepare the location where the arrays will be installed, and then to do the installation itself. That installation means the new arrays will partially shadow the old ones, covering a little more than half of each array. However, the new arrays are more efficient, producing more power than what will be lost by covering the old arrays. NASA estimates that, when all six new arrays are installed, the overall power system will generate 215 kilowatts of power, compared to 160 kilowatts the existing arrays provide. The new arrays will use a technology called Roll Out Solar Arrays (ROSA), developed by Deployable Space Systems. The solar arrays are rolled up in a canister and then unfurled, or rolled out, once in space. The ROSA system was tested on the ISS in 2017 and is now being incorporated into other spacecraft, such as the Power and Propulsion Element of NASA’s lunar Gateway. NASA installed the existing set of eight arrays on shuttle missions from 2000 to 2009. The performance of the arrays has been gradually degrading, as expected. The ISS Advisory Committee identified that degradation in 2018 as one issue for the long-term future of the ISS. NASA is currently authorized to operate the ISS through 2024, although there have been several efforts in Congress to formally authorize an extension of operations through the end of the decade. The agency seeks to eventually shift to commercial space stations, although its low Earth orbit commercialization initiative has been hindered by a lack of funding, including just $17 million in fiscal year 2021 compared to its request for $150 million. Boeing, NASA’s ISS prime contractor, is optimistic that the station can operate for years to come with the new solar arrays, as well as other work on its power system and upgrades to its communications system to increase its bandwidth. “When it comes to game-changing research and technological development, the space station is currently hitting its full stride,” said John Mulholland, ISS vice president and program manager at Boeing, in a company statement. The various upgrades, he said, “will ensure that ISS remains an incubator and business model in the commercial space ecosystem for the coming decades.” At a company briefing last October, Mulholland said that the new arrays, as well as work that had just been completed to replace batteries in the station’s power system, were “really foundational” to extending the life of the station. Other issues the company is monitoring include are mechanisms that wear out over time. “As the technical teams have looked at it, they firmly believe that we haven’t reached that breaking point” where systems fail faster than they can be replaced, he said then. “We’re confident that we can go well into the next decade if the mission, from a policy perspective, gets extended.” The solar array upgrades are being performed under a previous modification to Boeing’s ISS Vehicle Sustaining Engineering contract with NASA, valued at $103 million. https://spacenews.com/nasa-to-upgrade-space-station-solar-arrays/ RTCA Free Webinar, Jan. 21 - 1pm ET: Nancy Graham of Graham Aerospace presents – Stratospheric Operations: New air vehicles and High Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS) are advancing current operations in the national and international airspace every day. What new skills, both from regulators and industry, may be needed to cooperatively manage this airspace? Session followed by a Tech Talk: Stephen Timm, President of Collins Aerospace presents: The Contactless Passenger Journey. Free to attend. Details & Register Call for Papers – ISASI 2021 Aug 30 – Sept 2, 2021 With “Staying Safe: Moving Forward” as our theme, we are excited to announce that ISASI 2021 will be a VIRTUAL EVENT. This will be a fully interactive platform so attendees can engage in a Q&A session and provide feedback. If you have no experience with this type of presentation do not be concerned, we will be providing assistance on the technical and delivery aspects once papers are selected. While many of the papers chosen for ISASI 2020 are expected to be on the program, the 2021 Committee is inviting interested individuals to submit abstracts for papers that address NEW investigations or technology. Presentation topics that support the theme may include, but are not limited to: • Recent accident/incident investigations of interest. • Novel investigation techniques for aircraft, helicopter, and drone accidents. • Data investigation methods, techniques and future developments. • Airport investigation methods and techniques. • Future investigator selection criteria and training needs. • Future of aircraft data capture and retrieval and protection of safety information. • Future developments in underwater wreckage recovery. • Future evolution of Family Assistance. Abstracts should include the author’s current CV [1 page only please] and be sent to isasi2021papers@shaw.ca Important dates: March 20th, 2021 – Last date for receipt of abstracts. May 8th, 2021 – Presenters informed of acceptance and provided with additional instructions. May 22nd, 2021 – Draft program for the 2021 Seminar Technical Program will be published. July 10th, 2021 – Last date for receipt of completed paper and PowerPoint presentation. Any papers not received by this date will be removed from the program and replaced by another speaker. If you have questions related to the paper topics or any other inquiries about the program, please contact the ISASI 2020 Program Chair at avsafe@shaw.ca 2021 Aircraft Cabin Air Conference Registration Now Open ** With over 500 registrants in just 10 days - the sponsors have extended the free registration to the first 1000 registrants ** 2021 Aircraft Cabin Air Conference 15 to 18 March 2021 1500 to 2000 GMT daily via Zoom (0700 to 1200 PST) Four online days of powerful talks given by industry and subject matter experts. Registration is open and currently FREE, so book today! https://www.aircraftcabinair.com/ Following on from the success of the 2017 and 2019 Aircraft Cabin Air Conferences, the 2021 conference will be an essential four-day free modular online event via Zoom. Providing an in-depth overview or update for all those seeking to understand the subject of contaminated air, the flight safety implications, the latest scientific and medical evidence investigating the contaminated air debate and the emerging solutions available to airlines and aircraft operators. The 2021 conference will be the biggest conference ever held on the issue. Who should participate? Airline Management - Aircraft Manufacturers - Safety equipment providers - Health & Safety Regulators - Maintenance Companies - Airline Safety Departments - Air Accident Investigators- Crew & Unions - Policy Makers- Press & Media - Aircraft Insurers - Leasing Companies - Scientists - Occupational Health Professionals - Academics & Researchers - Engineers Register Curt Lewis