AUGUST 5, 2019 - No. 062 In This Issue Embry-Riddle, Pratt & Whitney, AAR Partner for Veteran Aviation Career Program Two Chinese MROs Gain EASA Approvals How common is it for fuel caps to fall off planes? T3 AVIATION GROUP SELECTS U-TAPAO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. Signature Flight Support Inaugurates Dedicated VIP Facility at Milan-Malpensa Airport $600 billion needed to meet regional aircraft demands by 2038 F-16 Loses Gun Panel During Viper Demo Team's Display Practice at Thunder Over Michigan Airshow Dassault Aviation to use 3DEXPERIENCE for all programmes SITA: blockchain "potentially game-changing" in the air industry Will SpaceX Proceed With Falcon 9's AMOS-17 Launch This Week? Embry-Riddle, Pratt & Whitney, AAR Partner for Veteran Aviation Career Program Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has partnered with Pratt and Whitney and AAR to help veterans enter the commercial aviation workforce. According to an Embry-Riddle press release published Thursday, the partnership offers the Aviation Maintenance SkillBridge program, a nine-week course that puts transitioning servicemen and veterans into aviation maintenance training, The course, which aims to help veterans transition into civilian life, will be launched on Aug. 5. In addition, the program will expose veterans to aerospace industry partners for potential career opportunities. Participants from the program's initial group will receive invitations for interviews with Pratt and Whitney or AAR. "This inaugural cohort of SkillBridge participants is the first of many planned at locations throughout the country," said John Watret, worldwide chancellor at Embry-Riddle. The flight school plans to expand the program under an agreement with the Department of Defense, he added. https://blog.executivebiz.com/2019/08/embry-riddle-pratt-whitney-aar-partner-for-veteran-aviation-career-program/ Back to Top Two Chinese MROs Gain EASA Approvals Two of Asia-Pacific's biggest MRO providers have obtained approvals from European regulator EASA. China-based maintenance specialist Ameco has received Design Organization Approval form EASA, becoming the first aviation maintenance enterprise in China to obtain the EASA DOA. With the EASA DOA, Ameco will be able to conduct independent engineering design, technical analysis, evaluation, experiments and airworthiness approval for aviation products within the scope of work approved by EASA and in an effective design support system. Meanwhile, fellow Chinese MRO company GAMECO has obtained EASA Production Organization Approval. It took nearly two years to get the approval since the launching in August 2017 followed up by a lot of video conferences, site audits, communication and corrective actions. There will be a two-year continuous monitoring period during which GAMECO will receive regular audits by the audit team. The scope of this approval for GAEMECO is part manufacturing, which means that GAMECO can supply its self-manufactured parts to EASA-registered aircraft. This will reduce GAMECO's maintenance cost, broaden the revenue-generating channels, and also lay a solid foundation for GAMECO to become a first-class MRO in China and even around the world. https://www.mro-network.com/maintenance-repair-overhaul/two-chinese-mros-gain-easa-approvals Back to Top How common is it for fuel caps to fall off planes? WINTER GARDEN, Fla. - A Winter Garden woman was shocked on Thursday when a fuel plane cap plummeted down from the sky and landed smack dab in her swimming pool with a splash and a bang. The story seems so bizarre in part because it almost never happens, according to Eric Jones, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University professor and department chairman for Aviation Maintenance Sciences. He characterized the incident Thursday afternoon as "very unusual," noting that there are mechanisms in place to keep these kind of things from happening. There are two types of fueling methods for aircraft: over-wing refueling, which is similar to how most motorists pump gas into their cars, and single-point refueling, which involves high-pressure fluid running through a hose. To save on time, most commercial jet crews opt to use the second method. No matter the approach, it's up to the fueler to make sure the fuel cap is securely in place before the aircraft departs. There's also a safety management system that involves someone walking around the plane to make sure panels are closed, caps are twisted tight and no other parts could possibly come loose. Jones said that because there are so many precautions, it's extremely rare for a fuel cap or any other part of a plane to fall and it's even more remarkable that it landed in a residential area, much less a swimming pool. Caps of this type can weigh anywhere from a few ounces to 2 pounds. Those on board the flight wouldn't notice anything was off since the caps are designed to be aerodynamic with the wing and there's a secondary cap in place to ensure that no fuel leaks in instances like these. Now it'll be up to the aircraft operator to replace the cap, generate a maintenance report noting that it's missing and contact the Federal Aviation Administration to report the mishap. It's highly unlikely that the cap will be put back on the plane since someone at the FAA has to determine that fuel parts are serviceable before they can be used on any plane. Dara Hackett said representatives from the FAA will be coming to her home Friday to examine and retrieve the 8-inch cap. https://www.clickorlando.com/news/how-common-is-it-for-fuel-caps-to-fall-off-planes Back to Top T3 AVIATION GROUP SELECTS U-TAPAO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT BANGKOK, THAILAND, August 2, 2019 /EINPresswire.com/ -- U-Tapao Rayong-Pattaya International Airport (UTP), which is meant to supplement the two existing Bangkok airports in handling visitor arrivals, is moving into development mode, which T3 is eager to support. T3 provides AOG services for business jet operators throughout Asia, having three international airports located within less than two hours affords our team the accessibility and connectivity needed to provide urgent support to aircraft owners. T3 plans to execute the move in Q3 of 2019, as well as keeping a presence in Bangkok, Jakarta, and Hong Kong. "The geographical advantage of being at the center of a large and growing fleet of business jets in Asia-Pacific, as well as Thailand's developing aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) base, are the top factors driving our selection of U-Tapao as our new headquarters," says Mark Thibault, Managing Director of T3 Aviation Group. NOTE TO EDITORS Established in 2013, The T3 Aviation Group of companies, T3 Private Jets Asia Limited (Hong Kong) and T3 Aviation Solutions Company Ltd., (Thailand) were established to become a leading aviation presence in the region, focusing on unwavering international safety standards, as well as impeccable client service that discerning international customers demand. T3 offers "Accurate Aviation Advice Always" consultancy services to include aircraft sales, appraisals and (ISBAO) aviation audits, full aircraft management, charter services, and maintenance oversight. T3 is well-positioned to provide clients all over Asia with personalized service. With decades of international aviation experience and expertise, the T3 team has a long term commitment to supporting and fostering business aviation throughout the Asia-Pacific region. https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/492433595/t3-aviation-group-selects-u-tapao-international-airport Back to Top Signature Flight Support Inaugurates Dedicated VIP Facility at Milan-Malpensa Airport Signature Flight Support has commenced operations in the newly opened Business & General Aviation Terminal at the Milan-Malpensa Airport (MXP). Signature's crew and passenger lounge is housed within a freshly constructed 1,400 sq. m. facility, the first purpose-built structure for business aviation at the airport. The new Business & General Aviation Terminal aims to significantly enhance the experience offered to VIP travelers by providing exclusive infrastructure to accommodate private aircraft, including a contemporary terminal styled by a leading Italian design firm, dedicated ramp space and additional car parking. The facility is the culmination of an 18 month construction effort to create a permanent home for business aircraft at Malpensa, the primary commercial service airport for Milan. "The expansion of Signature's presence at the Milan-Malpensa Airport is part of our strategy to provide comprehensive flight support solutions to business aircraft operators in Italy" shared John-Angus Smith, managing director EMEA. "The new Business & General Aviation Terminal at Malpensa comprehensively upgrades the experience of private aviation crews and passengers visiting the airport, and serves as an elegant gateway to Milan and the rest of Northern Italy." https://www.aviationpros.com/aircraft/maintenance-providers/mro/press-release/21091132/signature-flight-support-signature-flight-support-inaugurates-dedicated-vip-facility-at-milanmalpensa-airport Back to Top $600 billion needed to meet regional aircraft demands by 2038 (MENAFN - Editorial) Regional aircraft markets will need $600 billion in investments to meet the demand for 150-seat 10,550 aircrafts by 2038 due to rise in air travellers, according to a report by aerospace company Embraer. Market growth will drive 65 per cent of this demand for the aircrafts, while the remaining 35 per cent will replace ageing aircrafts, the report adds. These developments will be one of the highlighted investment opportunities at the next edition of Global Investment in Aviation Summit (GIAS). GIAS is an initiative of the UAE General Authority of Civil Aviation (GCAA) and will be held on 27-29 January 2020 in Dubai under the theme 'Enabling Global Aviation Growth through Fund Raising and Key Partnerships'. The mega event will bring together more than 200 investors, besides selected government officials, aviation organisations, finance & insurance firms, aviation asset owners, aircraft operators & logistic service providers and legal consultants, and it highlights the biggest investment opportunities in the aviation industry with all its various sectors throughout the globe. Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director General of UAE-GCAA, said, "Investments in aviation are more vital now as regional aviation enjoys the economic benefits of robust tourism and improved regional connectivity. The rapid growth of aviation is propelled by many factors, including booming tourism industry, lower air fares, improved connectivity, and the rise of disposable incomes with the middle-class expansion. All these and more will be part of the investment opportunities that will be presented at GIAS." Asia Pacific will drive the highest market share for 150-seat aircraft capacity by 28 per cent or 3,000 deliveries with North America following closely behind with 2,780 (27%), Europe with 2,240 (21%), Latin America with 1,140 (11%), CIS with 580 (6%), Africa with 450 (4%) and the Middle East with 360 (3%), according to Embraer, the leading Brazilian manufacturer of commercial aircraft with up to 150 seats. Contributing to the greater demand for airline services is the successful tourism promotion of emerging economies. To cater to the demand, global aviation industry has been improving its connectivity for emerging destinations and ensuring increase in flight frequencies. Airlines have also adopted low-cost carriers, a segment that contributed to the consistent decrease in air fares by 0.9% annually, greatly impacting market competition. Africa has taken steps through its Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) to address its aviation infrastructure gap and is expected to enjoy an increase in passenger traffic by 4.6% through 2037. SAATM, which was launched last year, seeks to increase the number of flights between countries, reduce bureaucratic intervention and air fares, and provide a workable framework for easing visa requirements to trigger tourism growth in the signatory market. In Asia, the growing market for Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) has sparked Thailand's bold move to focus on its MRO market as a part its plans to transform Eastern Economic Corridor into an integrated technological hub for services and manufacturing. These developments have prompted aviation industries from around the world to construct, develop and modernize their air transport infrastructure to boost their capacity and to accommodate the required growing fleet. The growing industry has also been instrumental in the quest to forge regional cooperation and improvement of current government policies. As regional integration of aviation expands, the volume of business travellers, trade and logistics operations are expected to increase. The consistent growth of the aviation industry will also call for the improvement of human resource requirements as well as safety and congestion issues. UAE has been leading the regional aviation industry with an impressive volume of passenger and cargo traffic every year. Through the UAE-GCAA, the nation's progressive approach to sustain the growth of its local aviation is remarkably shown by investments made in training of airline and airport personnel. Further, as UAE is one of the busiest airports in the world accommodating hundreds of flights each day. To address the issue of airspace congestion, UAE-GCAA launched their Airspace Restructuring Project (ARP) in 2017 which relies on satellite and airplane computers to guide aircrafts with their routes. Al Suwaidi also added that as aviation is a key pillar in UAE national economy, the nation is investing heavily on modernisation and expansion of its major international airports to meet the demands for passenger traffic which is anticipated to increase every year. Investment opportunities in the UAE and participating countries will be featured at during the three-day event GIAS in January. For more info on GIAS, or to register your visit, check www.gias.ae. https://menafn.com/1098842690/600-billion-needed-to-meet-regional-aircraft-demands-by-2038 Back to Top F-16 Loses Gun Panel During Viper Demo Team's Display Practice at Thunder Over Michigan Airshow 11 Days After Incident at RIAT When Horizontal Stabilizer Delaminated, Another F-16 flown by the Viper Demo Team Loses Panel. A USAF F-16 Fighting Falcon, or "Viper", lost an access panel in flight during the Friday, August 2 practice session for the 2019 Thunder Over Michigan airshow at Willow Run Airport in Romulus, Michigan. This latest incident comes only 11 days after the same USAF F-16 Viper Demo Team pilot, in a different aircraft on loan 480th FS Warhawks from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, declared an in-flight emergency over RAF Fairford. Photogapher and aviation expert James Woodard of FullDiscAviation.com alerted TheAviationist.com to the incident on Friday via Facebook when he shared a photo he shot of the panel flying off the aircraft in flight as it executed a high "G" turn at the south end of the restricted air space used for flight demonstration. Woodard, the owner and operator of Black Knight Aviation, an aviation media company created in honor of his brother, U.S. Army SGT. Michael Scusa, killed in action in Afghanistan in 2009 as a member of a combat unit named "Black Knight Troop", told TheAviationist.com, "The panel just flew off. Who knows where it went." "It does happen occasionally. It's just normal operating for an F-16, or any aircraft really. Sometimes latches fail," USAF F-16 Viper Demo Team Commander Major Garrett Schmitz, callsign "Toro", told TheAviationist.com in an interview on Saturday at Thunder Over Michigan. "Essentially what happened yesterday was, a latch failed, and the panel came off. While it's not common, I would say it's not un-common. It's nothing that we're concerned about. It's something that happens, it's part of flying, we fix the jet and move on." he panel that separated was on the aircraft's left side, just behind the F-16's M61A1 six-barrel, 20mm Gatling gun internal placement. The panel is used to gain access to components of the M61A1 Gatling gun for maintenance. The panel detached from the aircraft following a series of high-speed, high "G" maneuvers routinely showcased during the demonstration of the F-16's maximum performance capabilities at airshows. "I didn't actually know about it until after I landed." Maj. Garrett "Toro" Schmitz told TheAviationist.com. "It's not something you can hear, it's not something you can feel. It essentially has no effect on the demonstration. Maj. Schmitz went on to tell TheAviationist.com that, "Normally F-16s aren't pulling 9 G's every day. Ours take a little more wear and tear than a normal F-16. I don't think it's the age, sometimes mechanical components fail and that's what happened yesterday." Following the separation of the panel from the F-16, the demonstration practice concluded normally and Maj. Schmitz joined up with a P-51 Mustang in formation to complete the Heritage Flight demonstration before landing. After the panel detached emergency vehicles were seen briefly driving onto the airfield adjacent the main runway at Willow Run, but quickly returned to their ready parking positions when the incident was not declared an emergency. The F-16 Demo Team completed their demonstration on Saturday normally using the second aircraft they brought to Willow Run Airport for Thunder Over Michigan. https://theaviationist.com/2019/08/04/f-16-loses-gun-panel-during-viper-demo-teams-display-practice-at-thunder-over-michigan-airshow/ Back to Top Dassault Aviation to use 3DEXPERIENCE for all programmes Dassault Systèmes has announced that Dassault Aviation is using the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to design, develop and produce, as well as manage its value chain for all programs including to innovate and expand the existing Falcon range of business jets. The company can fully control aircraft development, better integrate business processes, improve performance and reduce costs with a platform approach. The platform incorporates 3D design, analysis, simulation and intelligence applications in a single digital environment that facilitates access to data for all Dassault Aviation departments, from preliminary concept to maintenance. Its teams can reuse knowledge and capitalise on know-how and best practices, as well as more easily collaborate internally and with a global supply chain of hundreds of industrial partners and subcontractors. This marks the next step in Dassault Aviation's digital transformation with the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, which was launched in 2018 to optimise the company's operations in terms of product and service cycles, quality and costs. "As we move forward with our digital transformation, we are using the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to develop a digital, multi-program approach with easy access to data, especially for program management, procurement and quality processes," said Jean Sass, chief digital officer, Dassault Aviation. "All of our industrial partners will work in collaboration with their customers on one digital platform. Ultimately, this will enable us to provide our customers with new, innovative flying experiences." "The 3DEXPERIENCE platform represents a holistic approach to innovation," said David Ziegler, vice president Aerospace & Defense Industry, Dassault Systèmes. "It equips Dassault Aviation with integrated technologies and capabilities to connect all the dots from concept to operations, bring real-world data into the virtual world for analysis and action, build powerful, dynamic value networks of suppliers, and coordinate knowledge, know-how and processes to build their future aircraft." Dassault Aviation's Falcon range of aircraft has been one of the market leaders in the wide cabin, long range aircraft segment for 50 years. More than 2,100 Falcons are in service in 90 countries. The next generation Falcon aircraft will build upon the hallmarks of the existing range: low fuel consumption levels, low CO2 emissions, comfort and distance features that address a wide range of travel needs. https://www.aero-mag.com/dassault-aviation-to-use-3dexperience-for-all-programmes/ Back to Top SITA: blockchain "potentially game-changing" in the air industry Yesterday the Lead Architect at SITA's Advanced Technology Office, Barry McLaughlin, claimed that the implication of blockchain "could be profound for air transport". SITA, the tech firm owned by the airline industry, believes that the technology has yet more potential to create value. A Sandbox for Aviation Last year, SITA launched its Aviation Blockchain Sandbox, a platform encouraging collaboration between airlines to find distributed ledger technology (DLT) applications. A year before that, the organization published a whitepaper introducing FlightChain, its research on blockchain conducted with British Airways, and airports including Heathrow, Miami, and Geneva. FlightChain was implemented on both Ethereum and Hyperledger Fabric enterprise platforms to compare the two. The research project is now hosted on SITA's Sandbox and recently welcomed "a group of major Chinese airlines and airports". The critical finding back in 2017 was that smart contracts for data sharing held the most potential for aviation. This conclusion permeates today, as McLaughlin believes "the one thing that makes blockchain relevant to the air transport industry is its potential to securely share information [...] without relinquishing control or compromising the security of the data." A Big Data Problem Blockchain's transparent and immutable nature could be put to use in the vast swathes of data which are produced by airlines every day. A single flight needs booking, payment, pricing systems, departure control, and other parties before it takes place. On the aircraft side, there is crew, fuel, manufacturing, security, and maintenance to consider. This "complex" supply chain brings with it large amounts of information and "endemic industry challenges", as Barry McLaughlin describes them. He outlines three main problems: data privacy concerns, lack of interoperability, and no trust framework for the parties to share information. Blockchain: the game-changer? "The big question is, when we look at the technology tools at our disposal to solve these endemic industry challenges, which one comes into the frame?" McLaughlin asks. A DLT-based solution could provide a standardized data network capable of handling many contributors, without compromising on security and privacy. SITA's FlightChain project found that blockchain was a viable way to create a single source of truth for aviation data. However, at the time, the firm questioned whether the technology was mature enough. What about today? McLaughlin wrote: "As the technology matures, our current research is focusing less on the technical aspects and more on figuring out which uses make sense and where Blockchain can deliver the most value for the industry." He concluded his blog post by stating: "The implication of such a technology could be profound for air transport, so we want to get the measure of this potentially game-changing technology." Among other projects, SITA is working on a collaborative data-sharing platform with various Europe based stakeholders. In aviation, Cathay Pacific announced yesterday its plans to launch a blockchain for air freight containers and Russian airline S7 reached $1 million spent every month through its DLT platform. https://www.ledgerinsights.com/sita-blockchain-changing-air-industry/ Back to Top Will SpaceX Proceed With Falcon 9's AMOS-17 Launch This Week? After postponing the launch of the Falcon 9 rocket for its AMOS-17 mission, it seems SpaceX is now ready to proceed with the launch later this week. The mission was delayed several times due to issues regarding the weather and the rocket. The mission was originally scheduled to take place on July 24. Unfortunately, the unfavorable weather conditions in Florida forced SpaceX to cancel the launch. A rescheduled launch was supposed to take place on Aug. 3 but the aerospace company canceled this too after replacing a suspect valve on Falcon 9rocket's first stage. Through a Twitter update, SpaceX noted that a static fire test will be conducted following the replacement of the rocket's component. The company said that a new date for the launch will be set after the test. Although the company is yet to provide an official update regarding the official launch, a memo submitted by a branch of the U.S. Force indicated that the mission could kick-off on Aug. 6. The memo came from the 45th Weather Squadron and provided a forecast for the launch mission. According to the document, scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected to occur in Florida near the launch site. Despite the unfavorable weather forecast, the 45th Weather Squadron believes the conditions will clear up by Aug. 6, which could provide a launch window for SpaceX. If everything goes well, SpaceX could proceed with an official launch of Falcon 9 later this week. Falcon 9's upcoming mission will solely focus on deploying the AMOS-17 satellite into space. This is a communication satellite developed by Space Communication, an Israeli company that operates satellites. As a communications provider, Space Communication handles coverage to the majority of the Middle East and East-Central Europe. AMOS-17 is expected to serve as a replacement for AMOS 6, which was supposed to launch on Sept. 3, 2016, through SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. Unfortunately, as the ground crew prepared for a static fire test, an anomaly on the launch pad occurred. This resulted in the explosion of the rocket and AMOS-6. No injuries or casualties were reported during the incident. https://www.ibtimes.com/will-spacex-proceed-falcon-9s-amos-17-launch-week-2810756 Curt Lewis