Flight Safety Information - September 6, 2023 No. 172 In This Issue : Incident: El Al B738 at Tel Aviv on Sep 4th 2023, bird strike causes unreliable airspeed : Incident: LATAM A321 at Concepcion on Sep 4th 2023, bird strike : Russia is covering aircraft with car tires, potentially to protect them from Ukrainian drones : UK aviation regulator to review failure of air traffic control system : FAA Tracks Owner of Drone Used To Drop Color Dye in Neighborhood Pools : Emirates flight makes emergency landing in Malaysia with 12 Israelis on board : Stored 737 MAXs Built For China Being Activated : Man abandons wife at airport, boarding the flight without her : Thermoplastics Could Play Role in Future Aircraft Turbines : Air Canada Taps Intelsat to Equip 100 More Aircraft With IFC : Ambitious? Riyadh Air Wants To Hire 700 Pilots Over The Next 3 Years : Planemakers look to a pilotless future : GRADUATE RESEARCH REQUEST Incident: El Al B738 at Tel Aviv on Sep 4th 2023, bird strike causes unreliable airspeed An El Al Boeing 737-800, registration 4X-EKP performing flight LY-290 from Venice (Italy) to Tel Aviv (Israel), was on final approach to Tel Aviv's runway 21 when a bird impacted the aircraft, the captain's airspeed subsequently went all over the scale, the left hand stick shaker activated. The captain transferred control to the first officer, whose instruments were indicating normally and were in agreement with the stand by instruments, the crew initiated a go around from about 2000 feet MSL, climbed to 7000 feet while the crew was working the related checklists, then positioned for an approach to runway 30, where the aircraft landed safely about 20 minutes after the go around. The Aviation Herald received information that the left hand stick shaker continued to operate for the remainder of the flight. The airport declared emergency level 2, about 90 ambulances were thus called to the airport but did not need to intervene. The bird strike had separated the left alpha vane. https://avherald.com/h?article=50e01f40&opt=0 Incident: LATAM A321 at Concepcion on Sep 4th 2023, bird strike A LATAM Airbus A321-200, registration CC-BEA performing flight LA-212 from Concepcion to Santiago (Chile), was climbing out of Concepcion's runway 04 when the left hand engine (CFM56) emitted a loud bang and a burning odour developed on board. The crew stopped the climb at 3000 feet and returned to Concepcion for a safe landing on runway 04. The airline reported the aircraft needed to return after one of the engines ingested a large bird. Passengers reported there was a large bang at the left hand side. Mechanics were inspecting the left hand engine after landing. The aircraft was able to depart again and reached Santiago with a delay of 7 hours. https://avherald.com/h?article=50e012fd&opt=0 Russia is covering aircraft with car tires, potentially to protect them from Ukrainian drones Russian forces have started covering some of their attack aircraft with car tires, in what experts say could be a makeshift attempt to protect them from Ukrainian drone strikes. Moscow’s forces have started covering some of their attack aircraft with car tires, in what experts say could be a makeshift attempt to protect them from Ukrainian drone strikes that have had increased recent success in targeting Russian military airports. Satellite imagery from Maxar of Engels Airbase, deep inside Russia, shows two Tu-95 strategic bombers with car tires on top of the airframes. CNN could not independently verify why the tires were placed on the aircraft, but experts say it could be a crude attempt at not only adding another layer of protection against Ukrainian drones but also reducing the visibility of the aircraft, especially at night. The move may have limited effect, according to Francisco Serra-Martins of drone manufacturer One Way Aerospace whose drones have been used by Ukrainian forces. “It may reduce the thermal signature for exposed strategic aviation assets placed on airfield aprons, but they will still be observable under infrared cameras,” he told CNN. “While it seems pretty goofy, they seem to be trying to do the best they can to up-armor the planes that are otherwise sitting ducks. Whether it works depends on what the warhead is on the missile/drone,” said Steffan Watkins, an open-source research consultant who tracks aircraft and ships. Watkins added that the tires could be used to stop fragmentation of an explosion above the plane from piercing the aircraft. A NATO military official told CNN the alliance was aware of the tires. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity, as they were not authorized to speak to the media. “We believe it’s meant to protect against drones,” the official told CNN. “We don’t know if this will have any effect.” Ukraine has become increasingly bold in targeting strategic assets inside Russia through aerial attacks in recent weeks, even as it suffers assaults on its own cities, setting up a new phase of the conflict defined by Kyiv’s apparent efforts to wear down domestic Russian support for the war. Russia sees biggest drone assault on its own territory since invading Ukraine, as Kyiv strikes back through the skies Last week six Russian regions including Moscow came under attack, in the biggest drone assault on its territory since it launched its invasion of Ukraine. In the city of Pskov, near the Estonian border, several transport planes were reportedly damaged when drones targeted an airport. Earlier in August, Ukraine said it had carried out drone strikes on bases that house supersonic bombers deep in Russian territory – in what appeared to be an effort to make a dent in Russia’s air power, which has been a major obstacle for Ukraine’s counteroffensive. Russian forces have previously resorted to unusual DIY solutions to protect equipment from Ukrainian attacks, including covering the often vulnerable turrets of their tanks with metal cages in a bid to reduce the impact of modern anti-tank weapons that attack with armor penetrating rounds from above. https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/06/europe/russia-aircraft-car-tires-ukraine-drones-intl-hnk/index.html UK aviation regulator to review failure of air traffic control system Britain’s aviation regulator will launch an independent review into the failure of the air traffic control system over the August bank holiday that grounded hundreds of aircraft and left thousands of passengers stranded. The review by the Civil Aviation Authority comes after an interim report by the National Air Traffic Services found that a “logic error” occurred after a part of its system incorrectly processed a flight plan from an airline that was due to fly over UK airspace. Nats said on Wednesday that the failure was a “one in 15mn event”, describing it as “an extremely rare set of circumstances presented by a flight plan that included two identically named, but separate waypoint markers outside of UK airspace”. Airlines have to submit flight plans detailing their routes and timings to air traffic controllers in order to minimise the risk of mid-air collisions, including waypoints or markers along the route. According to the report, Nats’ software found the entry point into UK airspace for the airline but was unable to find the exit point when it looked for it. The system then searched for the next nearest waypoint and found one, but it was a duplicate identifier to a waypoint earlier in the flight plan. The two identical waypoints were approximately 4,000 nautical miles apart. Unable to generate a UK flight plan, the primary system passed the information to the back-up system. This responded in the same way, shutting down almost instantly and forcing Nats flight controllers to enter flight data information manually. “This incident was caused by a specific flight plan,” said Nats chief executive Martin Rolfe. “That flight plan that the airline entered was not faulty . . . However, it presented data to our systems that had never been seen before and it did it in a way that generated a logic error due to the software processing. “The airline submitted a perfectly compliant flight plan into their systems; it was our system that didn’t process the flight plan properly.” Rolfe declined to provide further information on the flight “because it isn’t pertinent to the problem”. Nats stressed that at no point was air safety compromised and that a similar scenario had never been encountered by the system during the five years it had been in service. Over that time, the system has processed more than 15mn flight plans. “It was a one in 15mn chance,” said Rolfe. Nats — a public-private partnership owned by a group of airlines, including British Airways and easyJet, pension funds and the UK government — said it had implemented a solution to avoid any possible recurrence. It is also working with the manufacturer of the software, Austria’s Frequentis, a specialist in providing safety-critical communication solutions, to enact further updates over the coming days. The outage on Monday August 28, at the end of a busy bank holiday weekend, was the worst in more than a decade and led to the cancellation of 1,500 flights on the day, with more on subsequent days as airlines tried to recover their schedules. Carriers, which are on the hook to reimburse passengers, want Nats to cover their costs. Tim Alderslade, chief executive of industry body Airlines UK, said carriers were “seeking clarity on what options exist for Nats to cover our costs under the current legislation”. “We can’t have a situation whereby airlines carry the can every time we see disruption of this magnitude,” he added. The CAA review will consider issues raised by the failure, as well as the response to the incident by Nats. The regulator will set up a review panel led by an independent chair with the aim of reporting to transport secretary Mark Harper within three months. Rob Bishton, joint interim chief executive of the CAA, said that if “there is evidence to suggest Nats may have breached its statutory and licensing obligations we will consider whether any further action is necessary”. Under the conditions of its licence, Nats has to meet performance criteria or else face financial penalties. Rolfe declined to confirm whether he would be accepting his full bonus this year, adding “any matters of compensation are for the board to answer”. He said his focus was “on leading the team through what’s been a really difficult period”. easyJet welcomed the interim report but said it left “many questions . . . unanswered”. An incident on this scale “should not have happened and must not happen again”, the airline added. It said the CAA review should be “more wide-ranging” and examine issues including IT systems and resourcing. Harper welcomed Nats’ confirmation that there had been no safety issues. The independent review, he added, would “dig deeper into this event and understand whether there are any further steps to be taken to improve the resilience” of the system. https://www.ft.com/content/0813b4b0-101a-4e5d-89f1-945e1fd78968 FAA Tracks Owner of Drone Used To Drop Color Dye in Neighborhood Pools A New Jersey business owner has been arrested after allegedly using a drone to drop green dye in neighborhood pools following an investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), according to police. Absecon police, who operate just northwest of Atlantic City, said officers arrested Patrick Spina IV, 45, on Monday, September 4, following an investigation into cases where a drone dropped a substance into pools in the area. Officers were first alerted on August 13 after a concerned homeowner reported "suspicious activity" and that a drone was hovering over their pool. In a September 4 Facebook post, an Absecon Police Department (APD) spokesperson said: "To the homeowner's dismay, a substance was dropped from the drone, turning the pool water an alarming shade of green. "Following this incident, similar reports emerged from various other locations, including the Quality Inn in Galloway Township, where the concrete pool base suffered damage due to the dye. "Working diligently alongside the FAA, New Jersey State Police, and Galloway Township Police, Absecon Police conducted a thorough investigation, leading them to detect the drone in flight over the Quality Inn on Friday, September 1. "Authorities tracked the drone's path back to Comfort Solutions Heating and Cooling, a business located[...]in Galloway Township." Quality Inn operator and general manager Sandra Woolstion told ABC7: "I saw it totally green and I was like, 'Oh wow what is going on?' So we saw a dye pack in the bottom of the pool and we didn't know what it was." The pool needed to be drained and cleaned several times over the course of the summer, according to the network. All the clean-up jobs cost the hotel thousands of dollars. The news release continued: "Upon arrival at Comfort Solutions Heating and Cooling, law enforcement officers encountered and subsequently arrested Patrick Spina 4th, the business owner, who has been identified as the individual responsible for the ongoing incidents of criminal mischief. "Spina is facing multiple counts of criminal mischief for his involvement in these unlawful acts. Further investigation revealed that the substance dropped into the pool was Sea Dye, a material commonly utilized by sea-rescue services. The use of such a material in this context was not only illicit, but also caused damage to the affected pools." According to the Lento Law Firm, under the New Jersey criminal code, a person is guilty of criminal mischief if he or she, "Purposely or knowingly damages tangible property of another or damages tangible property of another recklessly or negligently in the employment of fire, explosives or other dangerous means." Spina has been released on a summons pending court proceedings, according to the same police release. Absecon and Galloway police have urged anyone who may have fallen victim to similar incidents to come forward and share what they know to assist in the investigations. https://www.newsweek.com/faa-tracks-owner-drone-used-drop-color-dye-neighborhood-pools-1824913 Emirates flight makes emergency landing in Malaysia with 12 Israelis on board The emergency landing was reportedly due to severe weather conditions. Emirates flight 354 destined for Singapore from Dubai with 12 Israeli citizens on board made an unplanned landing in Malaysia on Wednesday morning, according to Israel's Foreign Affairs Ministry. The emergency landing was reportedly due to severe weather conditions. The Foreign Ministry has been in contact with the airline to ensure the safety of the Israeli citizens as Israel has no diplomatic relationship with Malaysia. According to the ministry, passengers were not required to deplane and the flight took off for Singapore after about five hours in Malaysia. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-757839 Stored 737 MAXs Built For China Being Activated The exact timing of when Boeing 737 MAX deliveries to Chinese airlines will resume remains unclear but moves by Boeing and Chinese carriers suggest multiple operators are preparing to take aircraft soon. Eight 737 MAXs built for Chinese airline customers have shown signs of activity in recent weeks, a report from consultancy Aero Analysis Partners (AAP) said. Five aircraft have been moved out of storage, while three others had their transponders activated. The five ferried aircraft include one built for China Eastern Airlines, two for China Southern Airlines, and two for Shanghai Airlines. One of the China Southern aircraft, a 737-8, flew to Victorville with a temporary U.S. registration and returned with a Chinese registration—further evidence that a delivery to the carrier is in the works. The second China Southern aircraft was ferried from storage to Boeing Field, where the company has a delivery center. It has carried a Chinese registration since shortly after its 2019 rollout. Transponder activations, which are not done as part of long-term storage maintenance programs, were picked up from two Shandong Airlines and one Shenzhen Airlines aircraft, AAP said. “Some of the 140 aircraft are being moved out of storage,” AAP MD Jean-Pierre Picchiottino told Aviation Week. “Some of them are going to China, but it’s not clear how many.” The eight aircraft are among the 140 737 MAXs Boeing built for Chinese customers that accumulated in the company’s stored inventory. China banned 737 MAX operations and stopped accepting deliveries in March 2019 following two fatal 737-8 accidents and an eventual global grounding. China lifted its operations ban in early 2023, and nearly all of the 95 737 MAXs in Chinese carrier fleets are back in service. But deliveries have remained on hold—part of a larger geopolitical spat between China and the U.S. The stalemate prompted Boeing to re-sell at least 55 of the 140 aircraft built for Chinese operators to other customers eager to get their hands on new narrowbodies. It is unclear if any of the eight 737 MAXs flagged by AAP are among the 55 re-sold to non-Chinese customers. Also unclear is whether the aircraft must undergo repairs for recently discovered aft-pressure bulkhead non-conformances required before delivery. Meanwhile, Chinese airlines continue to signal their intent to take new 737 MAXs soon. Air China Group’s latest fleet plan has the airline taking 12 737 MAX deliveries this year and 24 in 2024 while retiring 10 737s in its current fleet. The plan incorporates subsidiary Shandong Airlines. China Eastern Group’s half-year update reiterated previously announced plans to take two 737 MAXs in the second half of 2023 and six more in 2024. Shanghai Airlines is in the group. Both updates came on Aug. 30 as part of half-year financial reports. https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/aircraft-propulsion/stored-737-maxs-built-china-being-activated Man abandons wife at airport, boarding the flight without her Would you leave your spouse behind if they ran late for a flight due to poor time management? An anonymous man, aged 47, from the Pacific Northwest, posted about a complicated incident involving his 43-year-old wife and 21-year-old daughter recently. They were traveling to visit the man's family in the US when the incident occurred. As the family headed towards their connecting flight, the wife insisted on stopping at Starbucks to buy a cup of coffee, even though there were only 15 minutes left until boarding. The airport was crowded with long queues, but her determination remained unwavering as she stood in line for her coffee. The man explained that even thought there was a small stand near the boarding gate selling pastries and coffee, which he offered to buy for his wife, she insisted on going to Starbucks. He added that even though he told her there just wasn't enough time, she claimed that there was and said she would walk fast and be back in time to board the flight. However, fifteen minutes passed, and she wasn't answering her phone. After three missed calls, she finally answered and explained that there was a long line and she had to wait. Realizing everyone had boarded the plane, the man urged her to hurry. The flight attendant informed him that the boarding gate was closing, and he pleaded for a few more moments but was denied. Reluctantly, he boarded the plane. When his wife called him, saying she was back at the gate and asking where he was, it was too late. She begged him to come back, but he reminded her that she had chosen to go despite the lack of time. He suggested she buy a ticket for the next flight and assured her he would meet her there. Following the incident, his wife remained silent for several days. While the man is confident in his handling of the situation, many disagreed, arguing that leaving a family member behind in a foreign country is unfair and unjustifiable. https://www.jpost.com/omg/article-757631 Thermoplastics Could Play Role in Future Aircraft Turbines While typical turbine blade temperatures of modern-day high-bypass turbofan engines can reach 1,000° to 1,200°C, today’s passenger jets also employ turbines in cooling systems for these blades where the temperature requirements are much lower. Targeting this application, a three-year R&D project executed by partners Aitiip Technology Center of Spain and compounder Liebherr of Germany has succeeded in manufacturing injection molded thermoplastic turbines for the aircraft of the future using a carbon fiber–reinforced polyaryletherketone (PAEK) compound. Typically, PAEK withstands continuous service temperatures up to about 250°C. Aitiip has succeeded in developing an innovative proprietary technology that enables the production of parts with complex geometries by injection molding thermoplastic compounds. The turbines are also recyclable. Until now, the only option for such components was costly metallic materials that were welded together in a time-consuming fabrication process. Needless to say, the one-shot injection process saves on time, energy consumption, and cost. Aitiip has managed to adapt this injection process to the complex geometry required for the production of these parts in a more sustainable material. The INN-PAEK project received almost €800,000 ($864,000) in funding from the Clean Sky 2 Joint Undertaking, within the European Union's Horizon 2020 framework program. The results of the INN-PAEK project are said to deliver an advanced, more sustainable, and environmentally friendly production system from which the aviation industry of the future can benefit. The aviation sector is being redirected by Europe toward circularity, which will require alternative structures and components in the coming years to achieve the goal of reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 20%. It is estimated that some 40,000 new aircraft will be required over the next two decades to meet transport needs. https://www.designnews.com/plastics-and-polymers/thermoplastics-could-play-role-future-aircraft-turbines Air Canada Taps Intelsat to Equip 100 More Aircraft With IFC Air Canada is expanding its in-flight connectivity (IFC) deal with Intelsat, ordering Intelsat’s IFC solution for nearly 100 more aircraft, the companies announced Tuesday. Intelsat and its IFC predecessor, Gogo, have worked with the flagship Canadian air carrier for 14 years. Intelsat currently operates in-flight internet on 240 aircraft on Air Canada, Rouge, and Air Canada Express. The new program includes IFC installations on three types of Air Canada aircraft including 40 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, which will be equipped starting this year with Intelsat’s 2Ku IFC system. The deal also includes 55 aircraft flown by Air Canada’s Jazz regional partner, Embraer 175 and Mitsubishi CRJ-900 aircraft. These planes currently have an air-to-ground system and will be upgraded with Intelsat’s new electronically steered array (ESA) antenna starting in 2024. Air Canada offers free messaging for its Aeroplan members on all Wi-Fi-equipped flights through a partnership with Canadian telco Bell, announced earlier this year. Intelsat’s 2Ku solution includes a low-profile, fuselage-mounted antenna that is less than three inches tall. The antenna interoperates on both Intelsat’s family of Geostationary (GEO) satellites and on OneWeb’s constellation of Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. “We’re confident Intelsat provides proven technology, an extensible platform and network, and the right vision for the future of in-flight connectivity,” said Mark Nasr, Air Canada’s executive vice president of Marketing and Digital. “Through our Bell partnership, equipment installation schedule, and strong conviction around the importance of in-flight connectivity, we seek to offer our customers the best and most consistently available offering in the industry.” https://www.aviationtoday.com/2023/09/05/air-canada-taps-intelsat-to-equip-100-more-aircraft-with-ifc/ Ambitious? Riyadh Air Wants To Hire 700 Pilots Over The Next 3 Years Against a global pilot shortage to meet ambitious plans but with a unique route network, Riyadh Air plans to hire 700 pilots the next 3 years. SUMMARY • Riyadh Air plans to hire 700 pilots in the next 3 years to fly its Boeing 787-9s and expand its narrowbody fleet. • The airline is also hiring cabin crew, engineers, IT professionals, and managers for various departments. • Riyadh Air aims to offer point-to-point flights and become a global aviation and trade hub in Saudi Arabia. However, finding enough trained pilots may be a challenge. In the face of an international pilot shortage, Riyadh Air, the Saudi Arabia-based startup airline, wants to hire 700 pilots in 3 years to fly its Boeing 787-9s – and eventually future narrowbody airframes. Riyadh Air promises a point-to-point network to help the Saudi tourism network, plus competitive pay and benefits. Riyadh Air is hiring – and more than pilots Recently, Riyadh Air Chief Operating Officer Peter Bellew – formerly of Ryanair – let it be known that Riyadh Air needs 700 pilots over the next three years. According to Gulf News, Bellew noted, "[Pilot] interviews have been taking place. We expect people to physically join us from January to April of next year. … Recruitment for the core group will continue until December this year.” But the carrier is hiring more than pilots. One should remember that running an airline today requires cabin crew, engineers, and IT professionals amongst a score of other staffers. Screening is underway, with global cabin crew recruitment roadshows like Emirates does in the works. Currently, the carrier is hiring for airport experience, audit, cabin crew, and lounge staffers. Riyadh Air offering a new approach to Middle East aviation Middle Eastern aviation has been increasingly defined by spoke and hub operations, where Qatar Airways, Etihad, and Emirates operate a global spoke operation to feed their hub airports. In contrast, Riyadh Air, funded by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, has this explicit goal, according to its website Riyadh Air seeks to lead the aviation industry by transforming Saudi Arabia, given its unique strategic location, into a global aviation and trade hub. This vision gives Riyadh Air executives hope the airline can recruit enough pilots to fly its new airplanes. As Tony Douglas, CEO, shared with the Financial Times his view that as to Qatar Airways' passenger volume, “A very substantial percentage of that [QR's] traffic is transfer. Very little of it proportionally is point-to-point.” Which is what Riyadh Air has on offer – point-to-point flights. The carrier is also going after aircraft that are intended for such flights. Reports from Aerotime Hub indicate that Riyadh Air is considering at least 150 narrowbody aircraft and prefers the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. The MAX aircraft would complement the fleet of 787s already on order for the airline. Indeed, the 787 was built for airlines like Riyadh Air that want to run point-by-point routes. Bottom line The problem is, can Riyadh Air find enough trained pilots to fly such widebody aircraft, knowing the training requirements to operate such aircraft are steep? From India to the US, airlines are scrambling to train and secure as many pilots as possible, and Riyadh Air will have to offer competitive offers to lure pilots away, something it has indicated is possible. https://simpleflying.com/riyadh-air-hire-700-pilots-next-3-years/?newsletter_popup=1 Planemakers look to a pilotless future Europe is moving forward with regulations that only require one pilot in the cockpit for long-haul flights. The rest of the world could follow suit. BRUSSELS — Every commercial flight has two pilots at the controls — but some planemakers are now designing cockpits that need fewer pilots, or someday even none. So far, their airline customers have been quiet on the issue, but pilots’ unions across the globe are getting louder, saying any fewer than two pilots is dangerous. The idea is most active in Europe, where French manufacturers Airbus and Dassault are pushing for regulators to allow passenger planes to operate with only one pilot in the cockpit for the majority of a long-haul flight. “It’s a commercially-driven initiative with enormous risks for passengers, for pilots, and for cabin crew,” said Otjan de Bruijn, a captain with Dutch carrier KLM and president of the European Cockpit Association, the largest pilots’ union on the Continent. Dassault and Airbus did not respond to multiple requests for comment. It isn’t just theoretical. Manufacturers are actively developing and testing a host of autonomous flight projects, including for commercial uses. And EASA, the European Union’s aviation regulator, is considering a concept that would have two pilots in the cockpit only for take-off and landing. For the rest of the flight, the second pilot would rest outside the cockpit, swapping shifts mid-way through a long-haul flight. EASA is expected to sign off on this by 2027. An official with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said the agency is not considering any of the proposals that EASA is weighing. Boeing, which did not respond to a request for comment, isn’t actively working on the technology, and no U.S. airline CEOs have publicly embraced the reduced-crew concept EASA is exploring. But U.S. pilot unions are up in arms nonetheless, and are warning that any successful effort in Europe will put competitive pressures on U.S. airlines and the FAA to follow suit. The Air Line Pilots Association, the largest pilot union in the U.S., started a campaign called “Safety Starts With Two” along with their European counterparts, hoping to take their argument straight to passengers who might also find the idea alarming. EASA’s communications director, Janet Northcote, said the agency would require manufacturers to demonstrate that safety levels are “at least as high as in current two-pilot operations” to get reduced crew operations certified. “Even recent-generation planes, such as the Airbus A350, would need enhancements and design features or systems not required today to ensure that they can be safely operated” in the configuration under consideration, she said. “Future aircraft could be designed with such operations in mind from the outset.” But de Bruijn said the same level of safety can never be guaranteed with fewer people in the cockpit. He argued that only having one pilot at the controls would remove an important backup in case a pilot has a health issue, or some ill intent. Take the 2015 case of Germanwings Flight 9525, where one pilot locked himself in the cockpit while the captain was on a bathroom break, then intentionally crashed the plane into a mountain. All 150 people on board perished. He also pointed out that when a pilot takes a toilet break (“unless you want to wear a diaper”), there would be a few minutes where there’s no one in the cockpit. “What if there was a request from air traffic control? There’d be no response. They’d need direct, quick action to avoid a conflict to avoid a crash in midair. So you can imagine that there’s nobody to control at the time that will just lead to fatalities.” Empty cockpits The concept of letting one pilot sleep while another works in the cockpit on long-haul flights is a precursor to only having one pilot on board, according to a working paper presented by dozens of mostly European nations last year at the International Civil Aviation Organization, a global standard-setting body for aviation. While in the past, many aircraft had two pilots and a flight engineer, two-pilot cockpits are now the norm. However, on longer flights crews can have three or even four pilots to allow them to rotate and not overshoot maximum flying times. Pilot unions fear once cockpits are down to one pilot, it will inevitably lead to a world where planes are completely automated. And though Airbus did not answer requests for comment, in 2019, Christian Scherer, a top executive at the European planemaker, said the company had already developed the technology needed to not only fly with one pilot — but without any pilots. “When can we introduce it in large commercial aircraft? That is a matter we are discussing with regulators and customers, but technology-wise, we don’t see a hurdle,” Scherer told the Associated Press at the time. And, the piloting scheme under consideration at EASA is referenced in Airbus’ “Autonomous flight” innovations web page. Cathay Pacific, which according to Reuters was working with Airbus on a reduced crew plane in 2021, didn’t respond to POLITICO’s request for comment. Lufthansa, which Reuters reported has worked on a single pilot plane program, denied it was looking into the idea. “There was never a plan or a program at Lufthansa for a single-pilot-aircraft and there is none currently existing,” the airline’s spokesperson Boris Orgursky said in an emailed statement. Safety concerns, not to mention potential consumer reaction to a plane flown without a backup pilot, might explain why the industry isn’t eager to talk about increasing automation — at least for now. An Ipsos poll conducted in 2018 on behalf of the Air Line Pilots Association found that 81 percent of those surveyed said they wouldn’t be comfortable with a pilotless airplane, and 80 percent said having two pilots working together was the best way to handle an emergency. ″[Passengers] like to think there are two pilots up there,” Emirates boss Tim Clark said earlier this year when quizzed on the concept. Carriers are just as interested in the concept as manufacturers, said de Bruijn, who added that the appeal for them is obvious. “In their view, they’re reducing the fatigue of pilots because there’s more time to rest on-board,” he said. Accelerated automation Airplanes and their designs have moved steadily toward increasing automation as technology has advanced, and airplanes now already fly semi-autonomously, although with pilot oversight. But the push toward reducing the number of pilots on board may take on new urgency amid complaints from airlines that they can’t hire enough pilots to keep up with demand. Martha Neubauer, a senior analyst at AeroDynamic advisory consultancy, agreed that pilot workforce challenges could be driving interest in plans for airlines. “[It] has increased the need for reduced crew operations since the low supply of pilots is constraining airline capacity and causing schedule disruptions,” she said, although she added that the shortage also provides pilot unions with strong bargaining power with carriers. But she believes that reduced crew probably won’t have a huge impact on airlines’ bottom lines. “Crew costs are only 10 to 15 percent of an airline’s cost structure,” she said. “This includes pilots and flight attendants, so even if reduced crew operations could cut pilot costs in half, total airline costs would only go down by 3 to 5 percent. Airlines must balance this against the concern for safety.” ALPA President Jason Ambrosi, a Delta Air Lines 767 pilot who flies internationally, said the push for fewer pilots is “economics.” “I’ve heard ridiculous claims that it helps with the pilot shortage,” he said. Ambrosi said in many cases three or more pilots would still be required if there are factors that could make the flight more complicated, such as bad weather or volcanic ash. So airlines would still need to keep backup pilots on hand anyway, reducing the potential cost savings. “Are we going to have pilots just loitering around waiting? Just go ahead and put the pilot in there,” Ambrosi said. John Breyault, the vice president of public policy at the National Consumers League, an advocacy group representing consumers, said the single pilot push is part of a larger trend in the airline industry to cut costs. “At the end of day the final line of defense for hundreds of people on a commercial airliner is the pilot on the plane,” Breyault said. “Reducing the number of pilots in the cockpit reduces redundancy.” Breyault added that in the U.S., the families of Colgan Flight 3047, the last U.S. commercial airliner to crash in 2009, are effective advocates for airline safety measures in Washington and would present a major roadblock to any single pilot push. “They are a voice that can’t be ignored by the FAA or the industry when it comes to this,” Breyault said. Ambrosi said that most European airlines and U.S. passenger airlines for now are not publicly backing plans to have fewer pilots on board, though some U.S. cargo airlines have expressed interest. But it might not stay that way, Ambrosi said. “We’ve been told that North American passenger operators are not interested and the legacy European operators are not interested,” Ambrosi said. “But they all understand that if some are allowed to do this it puts significant operational pressure” on them. https://www.politico.com/news/2023/09/05/europe-automated-flights-00113960 GRADUATE RESEARCH REQUEST I started my academic career with a BSc. in Aviation Management at Florida Institute of Technology and graduated in 2005. After relocating to Europe and completing the ATPL training, I started flying the B737NG for a scheduled low-cost carrier for four years. Afterwards, relocating to Dubai to fly for a major long-haul airline on the B777 for 8.5 years. In 2020 relocated to the UK to fly for a British long-haul airline. During Covid while there wasn't any flying, I started the MSc. in Aviation Safety, Risk Management and Regulation studies with Cranfield University and I am currently working on my thesis to complete the master's program. My thesis looks at Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS) and the overall effectiveness that FRMS has achieved so far. It intends to focus on organisational factors within the operators and regulators to identify those factors that contribute to implementing an effective FRMS. The survey is targeted for pilots that are actively flying (either long or short-haul) and would like to share their experiences with the FRMS within their organisation. It is a short survey and should take no longer than two to three minutes of your time. I will hugely appreciate everyone's feedback. Survey Link: https://cranfielduniversity.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4UdHcIxHD4Wweb4 Kind regards, Erdem Serifoglu Curt Lewis