Tag Archives: Airbus

475 Aviation News of the Week

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:30:42 — 41.6MB)

In the aviation news this week: An executive order allowing up to 1,000 air force pilots to be recalled, a proposed ban on laptops in checked luggage, aircraft working the California wildfires, Qantas wants an extra long range airplane, a Goodyear blimp, the CLEEN II program, and a Delta Airlines story.

Aviation News

Air Force could recall as many as 1,000 retired pilots to address serious shortage

The US military suffers a pilot shortage and needs about 1,500 more pilots. They’ve tried bonus and other incentive programs, but the gap remains. President Trump recently signed an executive order that allows the Air Force to recall as many as 1,000 retired pilots to active duty.

Nuclear Bombers Poised to Return to 24-Hour Alert After Trump Recalls Retired Pilots

There is talk that the U.S. Air Force is preparing to put nuclear-armed B-52 bombers back on 24-hour alert.

Laptops could be banned from checked bags on planes due to fire risk

The Dangerous Goods Panel of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is recommending that laptops be banned from checked luggage.

Military and Contract Air Assets (Including U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper Drones) Key in Fighting Largest Ever California Wildfires

Wildfires continued to cause major problems in California and airborne firefighting operations playing a key role. This might be the greatest combined military and contract air fire suppression operation in history.

Drone forces brief suspension of air operations battling Bear Fire in Santa Cruz Mountains

Once again drones flying near wildfires have forced firefighting operations to be halted.

Boeing and Airbus accept Qantas’s ultra-long-haul challenge

Qantas wants to fly non-stop from Sydney to London and New York. They’ve challenged Boeing and Airbus are to modify their aircraft to make 20-hour flights possible.

Goodyear Blimp Wingfoot Two Goes West: Tiremaker’s newest airship to fly over 10 states on journey to California home

The Goodyear Blimp Wingfoot Two is on a three-week, 2,600-mile cross-country trip from Akron, Ohio to California.

Fact Sheet – Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions, and Noise II (CLEEN II Program)

The Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions, and Noise (CLEEN) Program is the environmental effort that is part of the FAA’s Next Generation (NextGen) program. The Idea is to accelerate the development of new aircraft, new engine technologies, and advance the use of sustainable alternative jet fuels.

Airline Story of the Week

What Losing My First-Class Seat Taught Me About Delta Air Lines

Trip Report

Brian’s “big trip” reports conclude with his description of the flights home.

Mentioned

Limited leg space on commercial planes makes it harder to brace in flight emergencies: expert

Jan Davies is chair of the International Board for Research into Aircraft Crash Events (IBRACE) — a group of experts studying effective impact bracing positions. She told the SafeSkies aviation safety conference that limited leg space could have an impact on passenger safety in emergencies.

Happy Design Studio

Happy Design Studio collaborated with paint specialist Air Livery on a custom livery design for a BBJ customer. Press release [PDF]. Photo Gallery.

BBJ livery by Happy Design Studio and Air Livery. Photo courtesy Sebastien Ognier.

BBJ livery by Happy Design Studio and Air Livery. Photo courtesy Sebastien Ognier.

Pete’s discovered a Better Way to Fly with Air New Zealand

Pete the Kiwi finds out how to fly across the world and back. He’s voiced by actor Sam Neill (Jurassic Park, Hunt For The Wilderpeople), who makes a cameo appearance too. Pete the Kiwi is part of Air New Zealand’s “A Better Way To Fly” campaign.

NASA – Gulfstream III (G-III) Research Testbed Aircraft

California contrails over California by listener Sean.

Contrails over California by listener Sean.

NASA 502 flight path by listener Sean.

NASA 502 flight path by listener Sean.

Credit

Intro music courtesy Brother Love from his Album Of The Year CD. Outtro by Bruno Misonne from The Sound of Flaps. Cornell Alma Mater courtesy Cornell Alumni Association.

474 The 2017 NBAA-BACE Convention

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:48:16 — 49.6MB)

The National Business Aviation Association’s 2017 Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE). Also, Airbus takes a majority position in the CSeries program, the Global Supertanker is firefighting in California, the Scaled Composites experimental Model 401 first flight, and trouble for Kestrel in Wisconsin and Maine.

Guest

Arthur Rosen is a retired Judge, AOPA-ASN (Airport Support Network) for Scottsdale Airport (SDL), and Chairman Emeritus of the Scottsdale Aviation Commission. He served on the Super Bowl Committee for Aviation, he’s past President of the Arizona Soaring Association, and an aviation expert for ABC TV-Phoenix. Arthur blogs at My Opinion: Thoughts and Comments on General Aviation. Follow him on Twitter at @judgearr.

 NBAA-BACE Convention

Arthur, Rob, and Brian all attended NBAA-BACE held Oct. 10–12 in Las Vegas, and we explore their impressions of the event. Brian recorded some of the speakers, and the following are condensed versions:

Opening Remarks from the Keynote: Ed Bolen and Clark County City Commissioner Lawrence Weekly:


Congresswoman Dina Titus, Representative for Nevada’s 1st congressional district:


Michael Huerta – FAA Administrator:


Robert Sumwalt – NTSB Chairman:


Capt Jim Lovell – Retired test pilot and astronaut:


Rob and Brian at NBAA EBACE 2017.

Rob and Brian at NBAA BACE 2017.

Aviation News

Delta Vows Not to Pay U.S. Duties on Bombardier’s C Series

Despite the tariffs recommended by the U.S. Commerce Department, Delta Air Lines says they will not pay import duties on the 75 CSeries aircraft it ordered from Bombardier. Delta CEO Ed Bastian said, “I can’t tell you how this is going to eventually work out. There may be a delay in us taking the aircraft, as we work through the issues with Bombardier, who is being a great partner in this.”

Airbus to buy majority stake in Bombardier CSeries program

Airbus Group is buying a majority stake in Bombardier’s CSeries program. The CSeries headquarters will remain in the Montreal area but a second assembly line for the 100- to 150-seat plane will be set up at Airbus’ facility in Alabama.

Cal File Calls for “The Largest Tool”

The Global SuperTanker is fighting wildfires in California.

Bombardier’s Global 7000 Debuts in Vegas

The fourth of Bombardier’s Global 7000 test aircraft debuted in Las Vegas the NBAA-BACE
Called “The Architect” it is the “largest purpose-built business jet in the industry.”

Scaled Composites Completes First Flight of Secretive Experimental

Scaled Composites conducted the first flight of the experimental Model 401 proof-of-concept airplane. The airplane (N401XP) was designed for a “proprietary customer” and is the first of two commissioned.

Wisconsin suing Kestrel Aircraft over loan debt, stalled financing

Kestrel Aircraft Company evicted from Brunswick Landing

In 2012, the state of Wisconsin gave Kestrel $4 million in state loans and more in tax incentives to build a plant that was to employ 665 people. Kestrel didn’t build the plant and is in default on their loan payments. Meanwhile, Kestrel has been evicted from its facility in Maine for failure to meet its financial obligations.

Airline Story of the Month

Letter: A positive airline experience

One passenger’s Southwest Airlines experience after giving up her seat.

Aviation Story

Our Main(e) man Micah tells a story about seeing the Blue Angels prior to the The Great State of Maine Air Show.

Our Main(e) Man Micah

Our Main(e) Man Micah

Trip Report

Brian’s “big trip” continues with conversations at the Hamburg meetup with listeners Hendrik, Jan, and Christof talking about their flying experiences.

Then Brian talks with listeners Tilman and Matt about GA flying in Europe during the meetup in Berlin.

Tilman, Brian and Matt

Tilman, Brian and Matt

Mentioned

Video: Unbelievable Airbus A380 Hard Crosswind Landing during a storm at Düsseldorf

Video: A fond farewell to the Boeing 747

Credit

Intro music courtesy Brother Love from his Album Of The Year CD. Outtro by Bruno Misonne from The Sound of Flaps.

458 The Intrepid A-12 Blackbird

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:44:17 — 47.8MB)

 

Jeanette Remak and Joe Ventolo Jr. from Phoenix Aviation Research tell the story behind the Lockheed A-12 Blackbird at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in Manhattan. In the news, we look at FAA reauthorization bills and the battle shaping up in Congress, this year’s Paris Air Show, the Catalina Flying Boats’ DC-3 aircraft, the youngest pilot in Australia, and an Israeli court ruling on reseating women in the airplane.

Guests

Janet Remak and Joe Ventolo Jr. with the A-12 on the Intrepid

Janet Remak and Joe Ventolo Jr. with the A-12 on the Intrepid.

Jeannette Remak is the owner of Phoenix Aviation Research. She’s a military aviation historian, a writer, author, artist, and photographic engineer. Her books include XB-70 Valkyrie: The Ride to Valhalla and A-12 Blackbird: Declassified.

In the mid-1990s, Jeannette worked as the volunteer Aircraft Historian for the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in Manhattan. She performed research for maintenance and restoration, and worked on the aircraft under her control at the museum, including many U.S. Naval and U.S. Air Force aircraft on loan. Jeannette restored sheet metal, she controlled airframe titanium corrosion, and she appropriated parts and specialized equipment for work on A-12 aircraft.

Working with the US Navy’s Curator office, Jeannette is responsible for the rescue of the Sikorsky RH-53D that is the lone survivor of the failed United States hostage rescue mission in Iran. The CH-53D is now restored and on display at the JFK/ US Navy Seal Training School in North Carolina.

Jeannette has a degree in Commercial Photographic Engineering and obtained her Master’s Degree in Aviation Science in 2000. Jeannette also has a degree in Commercial Photography from the NY Institute of Photography.

Joseph A. Ventolo, Jr. is the former curator of the National Museum of the US Air Force. His career started in November 1959 when Joe joined the 269th Combat Communications Squadron of the Ohio Air National Guard. In 1965, he received a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant as a communications officer. He left the Ohio Air National Guard in 1966 and transferred to the Air Force Reserve where he was promoted to 1st Lieutenant and remained in the Air Force Reserve until 1970.

In 1962, Joe joined the staff of the U.S. Air Force Motion Picture Film Archives at Wright-Patterson AFB as a Motion Picture Archivist. In 1979, he transferred to the U.S. Air Force Museum’s Research Division as the Museum’s Historian. Two years later he became a Curator of Aeronautics. Joe has co-authored articles that appeared in such periodicals as Air Enthusiast, WW I Aero, and Friends Bulletin. In 1993 he was appointed Curator of the U.S. Air Force Museum and named Curator of the United States Air Force. He remained in that position until his retirement in 1995.

Joe is currently a co-owner/consultant with Phoenix Aviation Research. He has co-authored articles in the Atlantic Flyer, and written three aviation books, all with Jeannette Remak.

Their first book, XB-70 Valkyrie: The Ride to Valhalla was published in December 1998. Their second book, A-12 Blackbird: Declassified, was published in December 2000. And a third book, The Archangel and the OXCART: The Lockheed A-12 Blackbirds and the Dawn of Mach III Reconnaissance was published in 2008.

Jeannette and Joe previously appeared in Aviation Xtended #59 talking about the XB70 Valkyrie. Jeannette talked about the shuttle disaster in Aviation Xtended #54.

Phoenix Aviation Research Facebook page with all the photos.

Phoenix Aviation Research business page.

Jeannette Remak books on Amazon.com.

The United States Air Force Art Collection paintings by Jeannette Remak.

From the Paris Air Show

2017 Paris Airshow Highlights

Airbus secured 326 orders with Boeing getting 571. Boeing debuted the 737 Max 10 and offered some insights into the 797 model. Airbus presented the A321neo and the A350.

Qatar Airways wants to buy 10% of American Airlines

In a statement, American Airlines said: “Qatar Airways indicated that it has an interest in acquiring approximately a ten percent stake.”

The world’s biggest commercial plane just got more impressive

Airbus unveiled the A380plus, with 4% lower fuel cost. The plane features winglets and seating for 575 in four classes.

Boeing planning on hypersonic jets for commercial flights, though the Concorde’s memory lingers

Boeing says we could see hypersonic jets in commercial use in the next decade or two.

Pratt & Whitney Expands PurePower® Geared Turbofan™ Engine MRO Network

Eagle Services Asia (a JV between Pratt & Whitney and SIA Engineering Company Ltd.) will provide maintenance services for the PurePower® Geared Turbofan™ (GTF) engine.

Boeing launches MAX 10 at Paris Air Show to challenge Airbus neo jet

Boeing said it has 240 orders and commitments. Some orders are conversions from earlier orders for other MAX models. The MAX 10 is a stretch of the MAX 9 that seats up to 230 passengers and is designed to compete with the Airbus A321neo.

PAS17: The Revolution Will Be Data-Driven, Airbus Looks Skywise

Airbus launched a new open aviation data platform called Skywise to support digital transformation of the industry. The Skywise aviation data platform was developed in collaboration with Palantir Technologies. See the video: Airbus launches new open aviation data platform, Skywise.

Watch the F-35 pull mind-bending aerial tricks at the Paris Air Show

Test pilot Billie Flynn told Aviation Week, “After 10 years since first flight, with our first opportunity to demonstrate the capabilities and the maneuverability of the F-35, we are going to crush years of misinformation about what this aircraft is capable of doing,”

Video: F-35 Aerial Demonstration Debut at 2017 Paris Air Show

Japan trio to develop small-jet engines with Pratt & Whitney

P&W signed an MOU with Japanese Aero Engines, a consortium of Japanese manufacturers. The partners will spend more than 100 billion yen ($898 million) to create small-aircraft engines.

CAE Outlook Says Half of Future Pilots Haven’t Yet Begun Training

CAE announced that the industry will need more than a quarter of a million cockpit crewmembers over the next 10 years. The CAE Outlook says:

  • 85,000 will be needed in the Americas,
  • 50,000 in Europe,
  • 30,000 in the Middle East and Africa and
  • 90,000 in the Asia-Pacific region.

Other Aviation News

Airline Bumping Protection, Easier Drone Permits Aim of Bill

Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa. introduced a proposed FAA reauthorization bill in the House. The Bill prohibits passengers from being removed from a flight after they’ve boarded, privatizes ATC, and requires airlines to post resources for stranded passengers online when the airline is disrupted by a computer outage. It also calls for the faster development of a traffic management system for small drones, faster approval process for commercial drone operators, and a new certification system for small-drone commercial operators.

Catalina Flying Boats’ DC-3 aircraft make an aerial farewell before final departure

Catalina Flying Boats is retiring its historic DC-3 aircraft for a pair of single-engine turboprop Cessna Caravans.

Canberra 16-year-old Jade Esler Australia’s youngest pilot

Teenager Jade Esler has become Australia’s youngest licensed recreational pilot. She funded the training by selling about 20,000 cupcakes.

Israeli Judge Says Airlines Can’t Reseat Women At Request Of Men

Jerusalem’s Magistrate Court ruled that it was discrimination to ask a female passenger to change seats because an ultra-Orthodox Jewish man said he did he not feel comfortable sitting next to her.

Mentioned

After the 2017 Innovations in Flight event at the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum, Jonathan Baron took David up in his Shark LSA. Jonathan was our guest in Episode 442 Shark Aero.

David Vanderhoof and Jonathan Baron with the Shark.

David Vanderhoof and Jonathan Baron with the Shark.

Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner and 737 MAX 9 Fly Together in Dramatic Display

Credit

Intro music courtesy Brother Love from his Album Of The Year CD. Outtro by Bruno Misonne from The Sound of Flaps.

453 The Zunum Aero Electric Airplane

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:34:22 — 43.2MB)

Our guest is a founder of electric airplane company Zunum Aero, and he has a strong vision for the future. In the news: an update on the fatal Icon A5 crash, the disruptive nature of electric and autonomous vehicles, and the Airbus Fly Your Ideas contest. Also, some observations from the Wings Over Pittsburgh air show, the Aerospace Media Dinner and Awards, and advice to listeners about a flying career.

Image courtesy Zunum Aero

Image courtesy Zunum Aero

Guest

Matt Knapp, founder at Zunum AeroMatt Knapp is a Founder of Zunum Aero, a company that seeks to democratize access to high-speed travel through hybrid-electric regional airplanes.

Matt describes the vision of Zunum Aero, and tells us about the team and advisory board that has been assembled. He notes that the jet engine shaped aviation, and now electric power is poised to shape aviation again, initially in the regional sector.

We discuss the current state of battery technology and how Zunum is dealing with the moving target of available energy sources. Matt explains how the airplanes being developed are optimized for low costs over regional distances. We talk about the range-optimized powertrain, the battery charging strategy, and the long lead time challenges of technology development and meeting regulatory requirements.

Matt started his passion for aviation by building model rockets and airplanes at age 5. He received a pilot’s license at 17, and went on to earn his BS and MS in Aerospace Engineering at MIT. Before founding Zunum Aero, Matt was Lead Designer for the Javelin high-performance jet, and Lead Aerodynamicist for Pioneer Rocketplane’s spacecraft. Matt has consulted for major aircraft OEMs, NASA and DARPA. He’s also a certified flight instructor.

Aviation News

NTSB Releases Preliminary Icon Accident Report

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) preliminary report on the fatal Icon A5 crash centers around the account of a witness in a boat on the same lake. The witness observed the airplane flying about 30 to 50 feet above the water, heard the engine “rev up,” and saw the airplane drift to the right before it left the field of view. Subsequently, the witness heard the sound of impact.

Disruptive Tech: Electric Airplanes Could Destroy The Automotive Industry

The San Francisco-based research group and think tank RethinkX says, “We are on the cusp of the fastest, deepest, most consequential disruption of transportation in history. By 2030, within 10 years of regulatory approval of Autonomous Vehicles, 95 percent of U.S. passenger miles traveled will be served by on-demand autonomous electric vehicles owned by fleets, not individuals, in a new business model we call “transport-as-a-service” (TaaS)”

For more, download the RethinkX report.

Winner of Airbus’ ‘Fly Your Ideas’ Competition Solves Under Seat Crunch

The University of Hong Kong took home the prize in the Airbus Fly Your Ideas contest. Their idea is to create a storage space under the seat in front of you by dropping the area down under the cabin floor into the top of the cargo compartment. This year’s competition set a new record with nearly 5,500 students from around the world taking part.

Mentioned

The Aerospace Media Dinner and Awards, are to be presented in Paris on 18th June, 2017. The awards “…have been created to honour individuals and publishers who have made a significant contribution to aerospace publishing.” Shortlisted finalists include:

Qantas chief Alan Joyce gets pie in face at Perth business breakfast, via listener Dave in Adelaide.

Credit

Intro music courtesy Brother Love from his Album Of The Year CD. Outtro by Bruno Misonne from The Sound of Flaps.

449 Aviation Cybersecurity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:28:54 — 40.7MB)

An aviation cybersecurity expert explains the topic, the NTSB reports about the failure to share weather-related information with pilots, United Airlines ties executive compensation to customer satisfaction, Airbus and SITA introduce a new cybersecurity service, and oxygen generation troubles for a military jet trainer.

Guest

Aviation cybersecurity expert Dr. Remzi Seker.

Dr. Remzi Seker

Dr. Remzi Seker is Professor of Computer Science and Ph.D. Program Coordinator, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Master’s Program Coordinator, Cybersecurity Engineering at the Embry-Riddle College of Engineering. He’s also Director of the Cybersecurity and Assured Systems Engineering (CyBASE) Center, and Program Coordinator, MS Cybersecurity Engineering.

Remzi has expertise in cybersecurity and privacy in computer networks as well as integrated systems, embedded system security, cyber security in aviation and aerospace systems, cybersecurity in automobiles, and also digital forensics.

We look at protecting old systems, developing new secure systems, evaluating the exposure to threats, and isolating the flight control systems from the IFE and internet connectivity systems. Remzi explains the importance of aviation and cybersecurity professionals sharing common terminology, and the role of social engineering in aviation cybersecurity. Remzi also explains the aviation cybersecurity programs at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Remzi’s noteworthy achievements include serving as a member of the RTCA Special Committee (SC) 216 that developed two standards:

  • Airworthiness Cybersecurity issues in development and production of aircrafts (DO-326A)
  • Information Security Guidance for Continuing Airworthiness (DO-355 / ED 204 in Europe) for airline operators.

He served as a Department of Homeland Security Software Assurance (SwA) Forum Working Group Member, and a Subject Matter Expert for the Information Assurance Technology Analysis Center. Remzi also served on the reference computer science curriculum board formed by ACM and the IEEE Computer Society, was the lead person for Operating Systems Knowledge Area, and was a member of the subcommittee that designed the first Information Assurance (Cybersecurity) Knowledge Area.

Remzi was Associate Editor for the Computers and Electrical Engineering Journal, program Co-Chair for IEEE’s 16th International Symposium on High Assurance Systems Engineering, and General Co-Chair, of the First International Workshop on Service Assurance in System Wide Information Management (SASWIM 2017).

Remzi participated on the panel at Embry-Riddle’s Lift, Off the Page: A Panel Discussion on Aviation Cybersecurity.

Aviation News

NTSB Calls for Changes to Pirep Creation and Dissemination Education Efforts

The NTSB has found that failure by ATC to share weather-related information with pilots is a weakness in the system. The NTSB recently released a Special Investigation Report: Improving Pilot Weather Report Submission and Dissemination to Benefit Safety in the National Airspace System.

United Airlines to tie executive pay to customer satisfaction

A US Securities and Exchange Commission filing states, “United’s management and the board take recent events extremely seriously and are in the process of developing targeted compensation program design adjustments to ensure that employees’ incentive opportunities for 2017 are directly and meaningfully tied to progress in improving the customer experience.”

Airbus and SITA Join Forces to provide Advanced Cybersecurity Services for Air Transport Industry

Airbus CyberSecurity and SITA have launched Security Operations Center Services to “provide airlines, airports and other air transport industry stakeholders with information about unusual cyber activity that may impact their businesses.” The Center Service is the first of a new portfolio of cybersecurity products and services being developed by SITA to help airlines and airports identify, detect, and react to aviation cybersecurity threats.

Two new European initiatives aim to improve aviation cybersecurity

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has signed a memorandum of cooperation with the European Union’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-EU) to establish a European Centre for Cyber Security in Aviation (ECCSA).

Temporary Fix Identified for T-45C Trainer Oxygen System Failures; Students Still Can’t Land On Carriers Until Permanent Solution Found

New Problems Hit T-45; Navy Tightens Flight Limits

The T-45C Goshawk trainer has encountered failures with the On Board Oxygen Generator System (OBOGS), leading to an operational pause to determine the cause.

Listener Recordings

Trevor’s memorable flight, and Hillel’s good news about the 2017 Innovations in Flight event.

Mentioned

AvGeekFests.com calendar of aviation events.

Predicting When Commercial Airliners Will Be Torn Down

Credit

Intro music courtesy Brother Love from his Album Of The Year CD. Outtro by Bruno Misonne from The Sound of Flaps.

446 Reliability Centered Maintenance for Aviation

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:34:04 — 43.1MB)

Learn about what Reliability Centered Maintenance means for aviation from a well-known A&P/IA and the CEO of Savvy Aviation. In the news, first flights of the Boeing 787-10, the Airbus A319neo, the Antonov An-132D, and the Embraer E195-E2. Also, the Fairness for Pilots Act, important news for Continental engine owners, some talk about restarting the F-22 line, and an update from Airbus on an electric airplane.

Guest

Savvy Aviator CEO Mike Busch on Reliability Centered Maintenance

Savvy Aviator CEO Mike Busch

Mike Busch is the CEO of Savvy Aviation and a co-founder of AVweb. Mike is one of the best-known A&P/IAs in general aviation and he writes the monthly “Savvy Maintenance” column in AOPA Pilot magazine. He also hosts free monthly EAA-sponsored maintenance webinars. Mike was honored as “National Aviation Maintenance Technician of the Year” for 2008, he’s been a pilot and aircraft owner for 50 years with 7,500+ hours logged, and is a CFIA/I/ME.

Mike explains the origins of Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) and how it grew to be used by commercial, business and military aviation, but hasn’t fully trickled down to small general aviation.

RCM is an optimal maintenance program that differs from the old, traditional maintenance approach that follows the assumption that components start out reliable and become less so over time. RCM is a data-driven engineering method that assesses each aircraft component for possible functional failures, failure modes, failure effects and consequences. It then creates a maintenance plan that can even allow a component to run to failure. The result is lower maintenance costs and increased reliability.

Find many aviation maintenance resources at SavvyAviation.com, follow @SavvyAviator on Twitter, and like them on Facebook. See also:

Aviation News

IndiGo is Flying Their A320 NEOS at lower Altitudes over Engine Issues

Indian aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is requiring a borescope test for Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engines at 1000 flight hours instead of the usual 1500. Meanwhile, IndiGo Airlines has set at a maximum altitude of 30,000 feet for its A320neos. All this is due to problems with the engine combustion chambers and an oil seal.

Video: Pratt & Whitney PW1000G PurePower Engine How It Works

Boeing 787-10 completes first flight in Charleston

First Flight of Airbus A319neo Finishes Hours Ahead of 787-10

Antonov completes first flight of An-132D

Embraer E195-E2 achieves first flight ahead of schedule

A number of first flights recently took place: The Boeing 787-10, the Airbus A319neo, the Antonov An-132D multi-purpose twin-engine turboprop, and the Embraer E195-E2 E-Jet.

Fairness for Pilots Act introduced

The Pilot’s Bill of Rights was signed into law in 2012. Now U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) wants to broaden protections for general aviation pilots with the Fairness for Pilots Act.

Trump’s Secaf Pick Hints F-35 May Get New Rival—F-22

“President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the U.S. Air Force wants the service to look at Lockheed Martin’s F-22 Raptor as a possible alternative to the F-35…”

Important News for Continental 520/550 Owners

An extremely costly AD may be in the works.

Airbus abandons E-Fan as electric tech moves on

Airbus will not be producing the electric E-Fan two-seater training aircraft because the technology has advanced so much in the past three years. However, Airbus is considering an E-FAN X with another order of magnitude jump in electric power.

The Airplane of the Week

The favorite airplane of David’s father was the P-61 Black Widow.

David and his father

David and his father

P-61 Black Widow

P-61 Black Widow

Mentioned

Fabulous Farnborough Airshow Photographs by Mary B. Lyons.

Aviation Hackathon #SkyHack – Open to college students 18 years of age or older, October 13-15, 2017.

Video: The Boneyard

Explaining the East/West Asymmetry of Jet Lag

Newest Bath Iron Works ship named after Korean War hero

Update: Our listener Utah Patrick wrote us with the following:

“Like Max, I was touched by the story related in the current episode about Thomas Hudner and Jesse Brown. So much so that I decided to dig a bit deeper into the story. Turns out Hudner received the Medal of Honor for his efforts to rescue his wingman. The part about leaving Brown’s body behind bothered me. I understand the reasoning but I wondered if it had ever been recovered.

“Turns out Brown’s body and his aircraft were napalmed to keep them out of enemy hands. However, figuring something was left behind, attempts have been made to retrieve remains including one attempt 63 years later by (and this really surprised me) Thomas Hudner himself.”

Patrick provided two articles that provide more details: U.S. veteran in North Korea to find remains of fellow aviator and Six Decades Later, a Second Rescue Attempt.

Listener Mick's new neighborhood

Listener Mick’s new neighborhood.

Credit

Intro music courtesy Brother Love from his Album Of The Year CD. Outtro by Bruno Misonne from The Sound of Flaps.

432 The Pilot Logbook

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:44:55 — 48.1MB)

A private pilot tells us about pilot logbooks and the electronic logbook he developed.
In the news, FAA releases the final Part 23 rule for GA airworthiness standards, Diamond Aircraft has attracted the attention of the Chinese, Cessna puts an end to an LSA, a study of airline pilot depression, flight attendants learn self-defense, and Airbus thinks plug-and-play for cabin modules.

1980 Beech A36TC and Ken VeArd

1980 Beech A36TC and Ken VeArd

Guest

Ken VeArd is a private pilot with Instrument rating for SEL and MEL with over 750 hours. In 1997 when Ken was a student pilot, he thought there had to be a better way to log flights than using a stack of paper. He developed the Pilot Partner system which continues to define how an electronic pilot logbook can unlock the potential of the data stored inside.

Ken explains the purposes and requirements for pilot logbooks, the lack of explicit standards, and who uses logbook information. We consider paper versus electronic logbooks, and how to make a transition. Ken discusses data hosting in a way that protects customers, and the CFI dashboard, a set of free tools that allows flight instructors to electronically link to the logbooks of their students, benefiting the quality of the instruction received.

Reference

eLogbook Logistics: Considerations for Moving from Paper Log to Digital Login [PDF] by Susan Parson in FAA Safety Briefing May/June 2016. (Susan was our guest in Episode 397 Airman Certification Standards.)

Converting From Paper

Easy Way – Carry In Totals: Paper Logbook to Electronic: The Easy Way

Hybrid Way – Maintain electronic and paper: Get the benefits from an electronic logbook, but have paper to backup your flight records for CFIs, check rides, and airline interviews. Take pictures of your paper based endorsements and key signatures and attach them in Pilot Partner. Log electronically first, and catch up paper later.

Convert Completely – Burn the Paper: Best done when you have little flying history or have a lot of time on your hands.  Enter or import all of your flights and attach images of all of your CFI Endorsement and Training Endorsements (Signatures).  Move forward with logging electronically.

News

Press Release – FAA Issues Final Rule on Small Airplane Safety Certification Standards

FAA issued a new Part 23 rule that overhauls the airworthiness standards for small general aviation airplanes. The Agency believes this rule will reduce the time it takes to move safety enhancing technologies for small airplanes into the marketplace and will also reduce costs.

Diamond Aircraft Reportedly Sold To Chinese Interests

Chinese firm acquires global aircraft manufacturing giant

Reportedly, Chinese conglomerate Wanfeng Auto Holding Group has invested in at least a portion of Diamond Aircraft. Details are limited, but Diamond has had a manufacturing facility in China for some time. Wanfeng is based in Zhejiang and includes aircraft manufacturing, robotics and financial services in its business portfolio.

Cessna Scraps Unsold Skycatchers

Unable to make a commercial success of their 162-model Skycatcher light sport airplane program, Cessna has scrapped the remaining inventory of its airplanes.

Airplane pilot mental health and suicidal thoughts: a cross-sectional descriptive study via anonymous web-based survey

This study of commercial airline pilots was published in BioMed Central. 3485 pilots were surveyed, with about half of them completed the web-based survey conducted between April and December 2015. “This is the first study to describe airline pilot mental health–with a focus on depression and suicidal thoughts–outside of the information derived from aircraft accident investigations, regulated health examinations, or identifiable self-reports, which are records protected by civil aviation authorities and airline companies.”

See also, Airline pilots anonymously report suicidal thoughts, study finds.

Flight and fight: Attendants learn self-defense in the air

Since 2004, the Transportation Security Administration has offered a voluntary, no-charge Crew Member Self-Defense Training Program at 20 sites in the US. To date, over 11,000 crew members have participated. U.S. statistics indicate the number of “unruly” passengers has declined since 2004, while international incidents are increasing.

Airbus Wants Airlines to Radically Rethink the Passenger Experience

Airbus’ New Jet Concept Features Swappable Spas and Cafes

The Airbus “Transpose” concept uses swappable interior modules allowing aircraft to be quickly configured as needed. This idea is similar to that used by cargo planes. Airbus says they are building a prototype.

Mentioned

Oshkosh 2016 Day 0 Crazy Arrivals

The video was captured by this episode’s guest Ken VeArd at Airventure Oshkosh 2016, and dramatically shows the pace of aircraft arrivals at Osh. Ken used Mary Latimer’s radio for the sound. Mary created the nonprofit Girls in Flight Training (GIFT) Academy that gets women into the cockpit, and she was our guest in Episode 425 Getting Women into the Cockpit.

David saw Rogue One: A Star Wars Story on opening weekend and wrote his review at Rogue One: Star Wars got Better!

Rob Mark and his editor Scott Spangler just learned that Jetwhine was named number 23 out of the “Top 50 Aviation Blogs on the Planet,” thanks to Feedspot, the RSS folks.

Max Trescott saw one of the Mitsubishi MRJ flight test aircraft at San Jose:

Mitsubishi MRJ at San Jose by Max Trescott

Mitsubishi MRJ at San Jose by Max Trescott

Man creates a model A-10 warthog that “Brrrt’s” Nerf balls on strafing runs

Chatham Islands resident has WWII flying boat in backyard

Credit

Intro music courtesy Brother Love from his Album Of The Year CD. Outtro by Bruno Misonne from The Sound of Flaps.

430 Captain Nick: Born to Fly

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:34:52 — 43.5MB)

We talk with an Airbus captain and former military pilot. In the news, a charter flight runs out of fuel and crashes, first delivery of the Bombardier CS300, an airline pilot suffers a heart attack, managing massive amounts of aviation data, charging for overhead bins, an autopilot system for general aviation, and a big pay raise for Delta pilots. Also, flying the Diamond DA42NG, and remembering December 7, 1941 and the 75th anniversary of that day.

airBaltic Bombardier CS300

airBaltic CS300. Photo courtesy Bombardier.

 

Guest

Captain Nick Anderson

Captain Nick Anderson

Captain Nick Anderson always wanted to be an airline pilot. He joined the Air Cadets at age 13, went solo in a glider at 17, gained a flying scholarship at age 18 and earned a Private Pilot’s Licence.  Capt. Nick joined the RAF at age 21 and trained on the Chipmunk, Jet Provost, Folland Gnat, and Hawker Hunter.  He then streamed to fighters and posted to No 43 (F) Sqn, The Fighting Cocks, flying the F4 Phantom FG1.

During a 19 year career, Capt. Nick moved from the Phantom to the Hawk T1 trainer as an A1 fast jet Qualified Flying Instructor, then back to the Phantom to become a Qualified Weapons Instructor.  He then moved to Australia on an exchange tour flying the F/A 18 for the No 77 Sqn RAAF, and finally back to the UK to fly the Panavia F3 Tornado Air Defence Variant.

After obtaining his Air Transport Pilot’s Licence and leaving the military, Capt. Nick joined an airline, flying the Airbus A340-300, Airbus A340-600, and the Airbus A330-300 on long haul flights.

Currently, you can hear Capt. Nick and his Plane Tails segment on the Airline Pilot Guy podcast with Captain Jeff, Dr. Steph, and Miami Rick. Find Capt. Nick on Twitter, Facebook, and at his website Nick Anderson Photographic.

News

Pilot told Colombia controllers plane ran out of fuel before crash

Not Enough Fuel: The Disgusting Truth About LaMia Flight 2933

Brazilian soccer team’s airline was warned it didn’t have enough fuel before taking off on fatal flight

LaMia charter flight 2933 from Santa Cruz de la Sierra in Bolivia to Medellín in Colombia crashed November 28, 2016, killing 71 of the 68 passengers and 9 crew. Apparently, the Avro RJ-85 did not have sufficient fuel for the route flown.

World’s first Bombardier CS300 aircraft arrives in Riga

Exclusive: On Board the Delivery Flight of the first CS300 to airBaltic

airBaltic, the national airline of Latvia, became the first airline to take delivery of the Bombardier CS300. Commercial operations are set to begin December 14, 2016.

Airline pilot suffers heart attack at Glasgow Airport

The captain of a KLM flight about to leave Glasgow for Amsterdam suffered a heart attack as the plane taxied to the runway. The crew and a passenger resuscitated the pilot. He was listed in stable condition at the hospital.

GE Aviation Launches Configuration Data Exchange to Reduce Maintenance Costs

#PaxEx Podcast: Diving into big data as IoT of aviation takes flight

Why bizav is also a key market for GE’s new data exchange

The Configuration Data Exchange connects aviation companies and provides a “data pipeline” for operations, maintenance, and configuration data. The two-way asset data flow can support airlines, MROs, lessors, OEMs, and parts brokers. In #PaxEx Podcast #41, industry consultant Michael Denis explains why operators need to know how to process the data and make it meaningful.

Travelers react to United Airlines plan to charge extra fee for use of overhead bins

United Airlines has a new ticket option called “Basic Economy,” which allows passengers to bring only one small item on board, which must fit under the seat. Checked bags incur a fee.

New Autopilot STC Project Follows EAA’s Lead

The STC Group is leading a project to certify the Trio Pro Pilot autopilot system in Cessna 172 and 182 aircraft. This is a “two-axis system with full navigation capabilities, envelope protection, return-to-level and 180 degree turn features for unintended IMC encounters.”

Delta pilots get 30 percent raise by 2019 in new contract

Eighty two percent of the pilots voting have ratified a new four-year contract, retroactive to the beginning of 2016. Delta’s 13,000 pilots get an immediate 18% pay raise, and a cumulative 30% percent by Jan. 1, 2019.

The Airplane of the Week

Remembering December 7, 1941, the 75th anniversary of the day that will live in Infamy, and a few of the people who were there: Lt. Phillip Rasmussen and his P-36A, P-40 Pilots George Welsh and Kenneth M. Taylor, Nakajima B5N2 “Kate” pilot Mitsuo Fuchida.

Mentioned

Diamond DA42NG – Max Trescott has been flying a new Diamond and tells us his reaction.

Diamond DA42

Diamond DA42. Photo courtesy Diamond Aircraft.

12 Planes of Christmas – An online giving campaign from the Commemorative Air Force.

Shark US – VLOG 1 – Cheese Burgers and Milkshakes at the Robin’s Nest Flying the Shark US to the Robin’s Nest Cafe at Shannon Airport (KEZF) in Fredericksburg, Virginia for a “$100 hamburger.”

The RV-4 VH-NOJ Jon Johanssen flew around the world is now preserved at the South Australian Aviation Museum.

Air Tractors in action as water bombers during a bad bushfire north of Adelaide South Australia during November 2015.

Air Tractor

Credit

Intro music courtesy Brother Love from his Album Of The Year CD. Outtro by Bruno Misonne from The Sound of Flaps.

 

416 Reducing Loss of Control Accidents with Airball

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:30:03 — 41.3MB)

The grand prize winner of the first annual EAA Founder’s Innovation Prize explains his concept for reducing the number of accidents induced by loss of control. Also, an Airbus autonomous flying vehicle concept, Part 107 regulations for small commercial UAS, a laser pointer goes to prison, a federal lawsuit against United Airlines, pay raises for airline employees, and 787 Dreamliner engine woes.

Guest

Ihab Awad

Ihab Awad

Ihab Awad is the grand prize winner of the first annual EAA Founder’s Innovation Prize for his Airball concept designed to reduce accidents induced by loss of control. Ihab explains how the loss of correct relative wind can result in stalls and spins, and how the Airball graphical representation (a blue ball) allows the pilot to quickly understand and manage the flight state of the airplane.  Airball does this using air data from a number of sensors.

Airball Simulator

Airball Simulator

 

Ihab is a programmer working at Google in Silicon Valley. He holds Master’s degrees in mechanical engineering and computer and information sciences from the University of Minnesota. Ihab is a Sport Pilot with 150 hours, and looks forward to building his own experimental aircraft.

Follow the project at Airball.aero. Also, find Ihab on Twitter and Facebook.

Airball EAA Founder’s Innovation Prize Entry

Founder’s Innovation Finalists Forging Forward by Beth E. Stanton describes the five finalists in some detail, with videos.

Airball demo for EAA

News

Airbus Vahana autonomous flying vehicle concept under development

In Airbus Group: Future of urban mobility, My Kind of Flyover, the company says, “By 2030, 60% of the world’s population will live in cities… Airbus Group is harnessing its experience to make the dream of all commuters and travellers come true one day: to fly over traffic jams at the push of a button.” Vahana is the Airbus concept for an autonomous flying vehicle for passengers and cargo. It’s under development at the A3 “innovation outpost” in Silicon Valley.

FAA Begins Accepting Applications for Remote Pilot Operator

The new small unmanned aircraft rule for non-hobbyists (also known as Part 107 to Title 14 CFR) became effective August 29, 2016. The person flying a drone must have a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating, or be directly supervised by someone with that certificate.

For more information about the new small UAS rules, see:

The UAV Digest, episode 151: Part 107: Operation and Certification of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems where we provide a summary of the major provisions of Part 107.

The UAV Digest, episode 159: Taking the FAA Online UAS Training Course where Max Trescott talks about completing the FAA UAS online training course.

Press Conference – FAA (Small UAS Rule) (Conference starts at 10:00 into the video.)

Man sentenced to federal prison for pointing a Laser Pointer at Sheriff’s Helicopter

A 35-year-old California was has been sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for pointing a laser pointer at a police helicopter flying over a traffic accident.

U.S. lawsuit says United denied sick leave to pilot on active duty

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit in Chicago federal court claiming that United Airlines failed to provide a pilot with sick leave when he was called to active duty by the U.S. Air Force. The suit charges that the pilot, a reservist, was denied his employment rights and violated the federal Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA).

Airline employees are getting huge pay raises

After years of concessions, airline employees are starting to benefit from high airline profits.

Boeing 787 engine trouble prompts ANA to cancel some flights

All Nippon Airways (ANA) is seeing sulfidation-corrosion cracking of turbine blades on some of its Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets. All 50 aircraft in the ANA 787 fleet are powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines.

Airplane of the Week

The OV-10 Bronco, Part 2: Foreign Variants and Civilian Applications. Sometimes history repeats itself. After being moved into the civilian world, the Bronco returned to combat twenty-plus years after it was retired, with only protest from the Marines.

Mentioned

Last episode, we mentioned the 3D tour of the B747-400 Global SuperTanker using Matterport technology. If you enjoyed that, here are more aircraft 3D tours:

Tiira homemade airplane designed and built by Raimo Päätalo.

Tiira homemade airplane designed and built by Raimo Päätalo.

Credit

Intro music courtesy Brother Love from his Album Of The Year CD. Outtro by Bruno Misonne from The Sound of Flaps.

 

411 Making Airlines Remarkable

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:32:28 — 42.4MB)

Airline branding and marketing strategies, Farnborough International Airshow 2016 coverage, an MH370 update, Southwest Airlines revenue and a system glitch, a large Chinese amphibian, a few world records, and news from Maine.

Guest

Shashank Nigam, CEO, SimpliFlying

Shashank Nigam, CEO, SimpliFlying

Shashank Nigam is the CEO of SimpliFlying, a large aviation marketing strategy firm. We talk with Shashank about airline branding strategies and how they need to be different from those of typical consumer goods. He tells us about the changes implemented by some of his airline clients to better serve the new connected traveler, how airlines should manage crisis, and the value of empowered employees.

A sought-after consultant and speaker on aviation marketing, Shashank started SimpliFlying in 2009 as a blog on airline marketing. Since then, he and his team have built SimpliFlying into a global leader in airline consulting, having worked with more than 70 airlines and airports over the past seven years. Their latest projects include the Bombardier CSeries launch, and a re-design of the customer service strategy for Cebu Pacific. Shashank has a book coming out about airline marketing called SOAR. The book shares how some of the most innovative airline brands delight customers and inspire employees.

Farnborough International Airshow 2016

Brian, Micah, and the Trent

Brian, Micah, and the Trent

We kick off our coverage of the Farnborough Airshow with two interviews by Brian and Micah. First, we hear from Capt. Jeff and Dr. Steff from the Airline Pilot Guy show. They discuss their efforts to put together the live recording and meetup at Farnborough. Then Brian and Micah have an interesting conversation with Airbus A350 XWB marketing director Mike Bausor about the A350. We’ll bring you many additional interviews in future episodes.

The guys also had an opportunity to speak with Rolls Royce about the Trent Ultra in development. The Ultra will be a geared turbofan with all-carbon fiber fan blades. Perhaps most interesting, the fan blades will have adjustable pitch and be fully reversible, eliminating the need for thrust reversers. The engine in development after the Ultra features electrically driven fans powered by constant speed turbines that drive a generator.

Post Podcast- Entire Crew

Seated from left to right: Captain Nick, Captain Jeff, Dr. Steph. Standing: Markus Völter (Omega Tau), Micah, Carlos Stebbins (Plane Talking UK), Pilot Pip (Plane Safety Podcast) , Captain Al Evans (PTUK guest host and contributor), Brian. Photo by Daniel Hannington,

F35 on static display.

The F-35 on static display.

News

MH370 Pilot Flew a Suicide Route on His Home Simulator Closely Matching Final Flight

This publication “obtained a confidential document from the Malaysian police investigation into the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 that shows that the plane’s captain, Zaharie Ahmad Shah, conducted a simulated flight deep into the remote southern Indian Ocean less than a month before the plane vanished under uncannily similar circumstances.”

Southwest Sees Revenue Reversal As Terror Fears Hit Delta, United

Southwest’s second quarter earnings per share were up 15.5% to 1.19, slightly under estimate.  Revenue was up 5% to $5.38 billion, and traffic growth was 6%, while capacity was up 4.8%. See also Southwest Airlines: “Things Are Getting Better” An Update and an Apology on Systemwide Outages and Delta Air Lines Will Slow Growth to Ensure Business Travelers Pay Higher Fares.

China introduces Boeing 737-sized seaplane

The state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China just introduced the AG600, the biggest amphibian of any modern military.

Fedor Konyukhov breaks world hot air balloon record

64-year old Russian balloonist Fedor Konyukhov flew around the world solo in eleven days.

The Last Flight of the Round-the-World Solar Flight

Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg have realized their dream of achieving the first ever Round-The-World Solar Flight! From the Solar Impulse website: “Beyond this historic milestone, the two Swiss pioneers will continue to urge the global implementation of energy efficient solutions through the creation of the International Committee for Clean Technologies and leverage the expertise and technology gained over the years in Solar Impulse by launching new innovative projects, such as the development of solar powered drones. Join the movement with #futureisclean.”

Mentioned

Video Captures Apparent Spin Accident

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wins Best Air Show – The results from the USA Today 10 Best U.S. Airshows voting.

Boeing’s Centennial Projection Spectacular – A highly recommended video.

This plane could cross the Atlantic in 3.5 hours. Why did it fail?

Credit

Intro music courtesy Brother Love from his Album Of The Year CD. Outtro by Bruno Misonne from The Sound of Flaps.