DAC Luxembourg – Assessment Skills Training
DAC Luxembourg. ITS have delivered a non-technical skills assessment training course to Flight Ops Inspectors at the Direction de l’Aviation Civile in Luxembourg.
The training course delivered the skills necessary to understand the concept and practicality of non-technical skills assessments, reviewed alternative NOTECHS schemes and discussed other elements relevant to an oversight of operators’ CRM assessment schemes by flight ops inspectors.
This was a 2-day training course, which linked theoretical elements with a significant amount of practical tasks. In particular the course delegates practiced the CRM assessment and grading process using a series of video clips produced and filmed by ITS on a B737-800 simulator.
For more details please contact ITS on:
0044 117 344 5019
sales@aviationteamwork.com
Read MoreSAAB 340 loses propeller in flight.
SAAB 340 loses propeller in flight. Regional airline Rex has grounded some of its planes as an investigation continues into how a propeller fell off an aircraft as it approached Sydney airport late last week.
Regional Express has revealed the crew had shut down the right-hand engine of the Saab 340 before the propeller assembly “was seen by the first officer to separate from its shaft” on Friday when the flight from Albury was 25km south-west of Sydney.
The engine was shut down on Friday following “abnormal indications”. That action “feathers” the propeller in order to reduce drag.
It was at this point that the propeller assembly separated and rotated upwards and to the right of the aircraft which was carrying 16 passengers and three crew members.
“The propeller was seen rotating in a horizontal position and then moving away without making contact with the aircraft,” Rex said on Monday. “Both passengers and crew reported that the flight thereafter was smooth and the landing was normal in spite of bad weather at Sydney with winds exceeding 35 knots.”
Rex’s chief operating officer, Neville Howell, said a propeller falling off is an extremely rare event.
“The only other recorded similar event was in 1991 when US carrier Comair’s aircraft also landed safely after a separation of its propeller,” he said.
Rex said its propeller sheared off at the shaft and all the fittings at the main assembly were intact.
Howell on Monday praised the crew for showing “enormous composure and discipline under extraordinary circumstances”.
“Rex has decided, by abundance of caution, to immediately remove from service and quarantine all propeller gear boxes and shafts of the same series as that of the incident for further inspection and testing if warranted,” Rex said in a statement on Monday.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating Friday’s incident, and the search continues for the propeller, which is believed to have sheared off over the Camden area.
Regional Express operates a fleet of more than 50 Saab 340 aircraft on about 1,500 weekly flights to 58 destinations across Australia.
https://www.theguardian.com/
MD83 at Detroit overruns runway on takeoff
MD83 at Detroit overruns runway on takeoff. An Ameristar McDonnell Douglas MD-83, registration N786TW performing charter flight 7Z-9363 from Detroit Willow Run, MI to Washington Dulles, DC (USA), was accelerating for takeoff from Willow Run’s 23L at about 15:40L (20:40Z) when the crew rejected takeoff at high speed but overran the end of the runway, broke through the instrument landing system and approach lighting runway 05R, the airport perimeter fence, went over a road and came to a stop about 340 meters/1120 feet past the runway end with collapsed nose gear and main gear in a ditch. There were no injuries, the aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The aircraft was carrying Michigan’s Men Basketball Team. The team reported the aircraft attempted takeoff in high winds, the takeoff was rejected, following strong braking the aircraft went beyond the runway. There were no injuries, everyone on board is safe and sound. The team is now arranging alternative travel.
http://avherald.com/
Read MoreBritish Airways Runway Excursion
British Airways Runway Excursion. British Airways flight BA804, and Airbus A319, slid off the taxiway at Billund Airport, Denmark and became stuck.
The aircraft had just landed on runway 09 and had vacated the runway via taxiway M. It was turning towards taxiway K when the incident happened.
Aviation-safety network
B747 freighter crashes in Bisahkek, Kyrgyzstan
Boeing 747 cargo plane crashes in Bisahkek, Kyrgyzstan. At least 32 people are reported dead in a crash of a Turkish cargo plane near the airport in the Kyrgyz capital.
Many of those killed were residents of a village where the plane crashed. Many others are reported injured.
Kyrgyz officials said the Boeing 747 cargo plane went down several kilometers away from Manas International Airport early on January 16.
Government spokeswoman Tolgonai Stamaliyeva said the plane – which was en route from Hong Kong to Istanbul – was going to land at Manas airport to refuel and crashed in a populated area, damaging some 20 houses.
The area where the plane crashed was reported foggy and efforts were being made to extinguish fires caused by the crash. Airport officials said there were an unknown number of crew aboard the plane but no passengers.
Radio Free Europe
Does Automated Taxi Drone’s Successful Test Spell Trouble for Pilots?
Does Automated Taxi Drone’s Successful Test Spell Trouble for Pilots? Self-piloting cars are bad enough for the current workforce because of its threat to jobs, but now companies are creating aircraft that can pilot themselves. Called the Cormorant, the vertical take-off, and landing (VTOL) vehicle can carry both people and supplies through the air without a human pilot. This could make it the future of transportation on a global scale and could be the next units of Uber vehicles.
The Cormorant is the project by Tactical Robotics, which is an Israeli tech firm, Futurism reports. Capable of taking off vertically and landing like a helicopter, and has a decent capacity to accommodate passengers and baggage, the existence of this vehicle has substantial implications. Granted, it’s just a prototype at this point, but the successful tests prove that the concept has merit.
Drones like the Cormorant have been thought up several years ago, with experts classifying these types of autonomous machines as Air Mule. These are basically machines that act more as a means of carrying heavy loads for their users to make transportation much easier.
Considering the enthusiasm that private companies and even governments have for autonomous driving, autonomous machines like the Cormorant were practically inevitable. During the test, it deftly navigated the air, following a pre-set flight route without any major incident.
Naturally, the tests didn’t go perfectly as the drone did experience some minor errors, Popular Science reports. During the landing phase, the onboard computer had some trouble with the timing, which caused the vehicle to wobble a bit. Even so, the Cormorant landed successfully and without sustaining damage.
Right now, the biggest challenge that engineers are facing with Air Mule type drones is creating compact vehicles that are aerodynamic and agile. If they ever want to have these vehicles flying around cities to take commuters wherever they need to go, these problems need to be addressed. The Cormorant is currently the closest Air Mule to achieving this goal.
http://www.econotimes.com/
CRM Instructor Examiner Workshop for PrivatAir.
CRM Instructor Examiner Workshop for PrivatAir.
ITS recently completed a CRM Instructor Examiner course in Dusseldorf for PrivatAir’s senior CRM instructors.
The ITS CRMI Examiner Workshop has been designed with two prime objectives:
- For experienced CRM Instructors who wish to take on the role of CRMI Examiner
- For companies who wish to set up, or to improve, the in-house quality management of their CRM training process.
The course includes both the theory and also practical workshops, during which delegates assess and debrief CRM instructors delivering classroom-training sessions.
This course is highly recommended for all potential CRMI Examiners, CRM Managers, Training Managers and any person responsible for the quality of CRM training within their operation.
For details on the CRM Instructor Examiner course select Instructor Training on the navigation bar above
Read MoreBombardier Global 7000 business jet completes its first test flight
Bombardier Global 7000 business jet completes its first test flight. Nov 4 Bombardier Inc’s Global 7000 completed its first test flight over Toronto on Friday, the company said, a milestone for the long-range business jet considered critical to the growth of its corporate plane division.
The test aircraft took off from a Bombardier facility in Canada’s largest city on Friday morning and flew for about 2 hours and 27 minutes, the company said in a statement.
“The systems and aircraft performed as expected,” it said.
Because of previous delays, some investors and analysts had been skeptical that the first flight would take place in 2016, suggesting instead that it would fly in 2017. Bombardier had said the Global 7000 would fly in 2016.
Reuters reported last month that the Global 7000 was scheduled to make its first flight in November.
The new jet is scheduled to enter service during the second half of 2018 after being delayed for two years. Competitors in the long-range jet sector include the 650ER produced by General Dynamics Corp’s Gulfstream unit, and Dassault Aviation SA’s flagship Falcon 8x.
Business jets have been crucial for Bombardier earnings in recent years. Its commercial aircraft business lost money as the company spent heavily to develop its CSeries jet, which entered service this summer after years of delays.
But because of a slowdown in global demand for corporate planes, Bombardier said in September that it would halt completion work for its Global 5000 and 6000 business jets during certain periods in 2017. {nL1N1BD0TV]
The furloughs at Bombardier’s global completions center in Montreal follow a decision in 2015 by the Canadian plane and train maker to cut production of Global 5000 and 6000 jets, citing weak demand from China, Latin America and Russia.
By contrast, the Global 7000 has a “strong order book,” Bombardier Chief Executive Alain Bellemare said in a recent interview, although he would not disclose specific sales figures. He said the jet is “critical” to the future growth of Bombardier’s business jet division.
According to Bombardier, the Global 7000 has a range capability of 13,705 kilometers (8516 miles) at Mach 0.85 with eight passengers. It can fly from London to Singapore or New York City to Dubai non-stop.
http://www.reuters.com/
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iPhone iOS 10: Airplane Mode Doesn’t Turn Off All Radios
iOS 10: Airplane Mode Doesn’t Turn Off All Radios (GPS, NFC). With iOS 8.2 and earlier, Airplane mode in iOS would turn off all four radios in an iPhone: Bluetooth, Cellular, GPS and Wi-Fi. Starting in iOS 8.3, that changed with GPS. Plus, starting with iPhone 6, NFC is not disabled either.
iPhones prior to the iPhone 6 had four radio subsystems.
Bluetooth (send & receive)
Cellular (send & receive)
GPS (receive only)
Wi-Fi (send & receive)
Starting with the iPhone 6 in 2014 (with iOS 8.1) and the introduction of Apple Pay, the Near Field Communication (NFC) radio system was added.
With iOS 8.2 and earlier, (and phones without NFC) the Airplane mode in iOS would turn off all existing radio systems. Starting in iOS 8.3, that changed. GPS remains on.
GPS on iPhone Today
Apple has a nice tech note, # HT204234, that explains the use of Airplane mode on iOS and watchOS devices. You may be wondering why it only references three of the four (or five) radio systems in, say, an iPhone.
First, in iOS 8.2 and earlier, Airplane mode also disabled GPS, and an earlier version of Apple’s tech note, dated Oct 26, 2015 stated such.
Apple’s GPS Tech note
From Apple’s 2015 tech note HT204234
However, the latest version of that tech note, dated Sep 13, 2016, omits that clarification. Likely, this is because that information related to iOS 8.2 is outdated. Plus, that version of iOS is no longer installable because it’s no longer signed by Apple. Apple’s list of the three remaining radios must be taken as definitive.
Even so, some people have been puzzled by the ability of an app in recent versions of iOS to track them with their iPhone in Airplane mode.
GPS & Location Services
Here’s how that happens: Airplane mode in iOS 8.3 and later does not turn off the receive-only GPS system. That’s helpful in recent times because so many apps depend on Location Services. For example, if Airplane mode is on to preserve power in an outdoor situation (wilderness hiking), the camera wouldn’t be able to geotag your photos.
Why the change in iOS 8.3? There are several reasons why this change may have happened. I’m theorizing now.
First, any circuit that oscillates for reception can emit a very small residual amount of radiation at the same frequency. Perhaps it was determined that this tiny residual radiation would not harm any other device close by.
More likely, as mentioned, so many apps now depend on iOS Location Services that a simple-minded approach to Airplane mode no longer sufficed. Safety aspects may also come into play.
Upshot
The thing to know about this is that even in Airplane mode, the GPS radio receiver remains on, and the iPhone knows its whereabouts. Some apps, like GPS Plan can still access GPS data, and users have reported that their map location still gets updated as they walk about.
Airplane mode doesn’t turn off the NFC system either. Because its range is only about 10 centimeters, it’s unlikely that it could interfere with other systems, especially aircraft navigation. Plus, it would be a bad user experience for an iPhone placed in Airplane mode for some good reason to mysteriously fail with Apple Pay if the user forgets.
So there you have it. With modern iPhones, Airplane Mode disables only three of the five radios. And for seemingly good technical reasons.
www.macobserver.com/
GE alert about engine part after American Airlines fire
GE alert after American Airlines fire. Nov 5 General Electric Co is seeking to remove an engine part from service after an American Airlines jet erupted in flames last week, it told air carriers in a letter seen by Reuters on Saturday.
The manufacturer has identified a “limited number” of parts closely related to one used by American that had a “material anomaly,” according to the letter sent on Friday.
All but one of the parts are now out of service, GE said in the letter. It added that it was working with the single airline with an aircraft still equipped with the part to ensure its removal from service.
GE did not name the airline and a company spokesman did not immediately comment.
On Oct. 28, American Airlines Flight 383 from Chicago to Miami aborted takeoff following an “uncontained” engine failure, a rare event in which components spew from an engine and can tear through the aircraft cabin or rupture fuel tanks in the wings. The airline was flying a Boeing Co 767 aircraft with CF6-80C2 engines made by GE.
In this instance, the failure caused a fuel leak that resulted in a fire, though no one aboard was seriously injured.
An American Airlines spokesman said none of the company’s aircraft in operation had the additional parts that GE referred to in the letter. The spokesman added that American was turning over a part from an engine not in operation to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) for further examination.
U.S. investigators have yet to assign blame for last week’s incident. However, they said on Friday that a so-called stage 2 disk in the engine showed what appeared to be cracking.
The disk’s corrupted material likely indicated a manufacturing defect, either by the parts or metal maker, said Jim Hall, a former NTSB chairman.
In its letter, GE stressed the reliability of its CF6 engines which it said had flown more than 400 million hours since the 1970s.
GE will update engine operators if action is later required, the letter said.
Bloomberg earlier reported news of the letter from GE.
Reuters
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