November 14, 2019 - No. 089 In This Issue Pentastar Aviation and Avflight Team Up to Provide Aviation Services in Grand Rapids, Michigan King, Thurmond Partnership Aims For More ISR Work Deadline for Nominations for the 2020 General Aviation Awards is Nov. 30 GA Telesis Establishes Unprecedented Ready-to-Go Landing Gear Lease Pool with Launch Customer GAMECO Maintainers under pressure to keep 'Doomsday plane' flying after flood wreaks havoc Pritzker Vows to Veto Aviation Tax Bill Federal officials threatened to ground dozens of Southwest jets The Quickest Way to Reduce Airplane Emissions Fort Worth Brings Record for BBD Safety Standdown Fuel Efficiency Key to Airline Success How to spot the SpaceX Starlink satellite train overhead this week Pentastar Aviation and Avflight Team Up to Provide Aviation Services in Grand Rapids, Michigan Pentastar Aviation and Avflight are pleased to announce they have teamed up to provide customers with private jet charter, management and aircraft maintenance support for their newest Fixed Base Operation (FBO) at Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR). Avflight, a Michigan based company operating at 22 airports across North America and Europe, six of which are in Michigan, will open a new state-of-the-art FBO in Grand Rapids, Michigan in the spring of 2020. The new facility, where Pentastar will have an office, includes a 5,000 square foot FBO building with 30,000 square foot hangar capacity which will provide a wide range of support services for both general aviation and the airlines including fuel sales, hangar storage, aircraft ground handling services, de-icing, and concierge services. "While our facility includes all the amenities of a high-end FBO, we want to have comprehensive services for business aircraft customers," said Joe Meszaros, Avflight vice president operations. "Pentastar, also a Michigan based company, has a long history of customer service excellence and their expertise in charter, management and maintenance make them the perfect partner." "We are continually looking for alliances that complement our service offerings and assist us in reaching our target market. Avflight is a respected and trusted partner with a reputation of excellence that creates a natural synergy between our two companies," said Brad Bruce, Pentastar Aviation executive vice president of maintenance and sales. "This partnership will allow us to expose Avflight customers to the full spectrum of services we provide, and having an office at the Avflight facility in Grand Rapids will make it easy for them to take advantage of our combined offerings." https://www.aviationpros.com/fbos-tenants/press-release/21114183/pentastar-aviation-llc-pentastar-aviation-and-avflight-team-up-to-provide-aviation-services-in-grand-rapids-michigan Back to Top King, Thurmond Partnership Aims For More ISR Work MRO provider King Aerospace and aviation and software engineering specialist the Thurmond Group have formed a strategic partnership to grow their business in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and related aircraft modifications, the two companies announced yesterday. "Combining our joint resources provides a total aircraft maintenance and modifications solution, resulting in lower overhead, reduced turnaround time and overall program cost savings," King Aerospace president Jarid King said. Pennsylvania-based Thurmond's specialty in ISR includes integration services of sensors, networking, operation systems, and the Federal Risk Management Framework. Under the partnership, Dallas-based King will perform the maintenance, engineering, and FAA-certified modifications at its 200,000 sq ft of facilities in Ardmore, Oklahoma. There, King said it can accommodate the most common turboprops and jet sfor ISR applications including the Boeing 737, Beechcraft King Air, Gulfstream, and Bombardier Challenger aircraft. "We both have strong, experienced teams of aviation professionals and stellar reputations for on-time, on-budget services," Thurmond Group co-owner William Thurmond said. "We expect good things to result, not just for us, but also for our customers." https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2019-11-13/king-thurmond-partnership-aims-more-isr-work Back to Top Deadline for Nominations for the 2020 General Aviation Awards is Nov. 30 If you know a very special flight instructor, maintenance technician, or FAASTeam representative, this is your chance to reward that aviation professional with the recognition he or she so richly deserves. And if you ARE such an exceptional aviation professional, this is your chance to be recognized for the great work you do. But you need to act fast! The deadline for submitting nominations and applications for the 2020 General Aviation Awards is November 30, 2019. That's only about three weeks away. Each year for more than 50 years, the General Aviation Awards Program and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have recognized aviation professionals for their contributions to general aviation in the fields of flight instruction, aviation maintenance, and safety. During the application period that closes September 30th, the Program accepts application packets in three categories: Aircraft Technician, Flight Instructor, and FAASTeam Rep. Once the deadline has passed, the application packets will be vetted for completeness, then submitted to each applicant's local FSDO for review. Each FSDO will select winners in each of the three categories, then forward the winners' packets to the FAA Regional Offices where regional winners will be selected in each category. Finally, the regional winners' packets will be submitted to panels of distinguished industry judges in each category, who will select the three national winners for 2020. At each stage of the competition, the district, regional and national winners will be publicized through a broad spectrum of print and electronic aviation media resources. The three national winners will receive an expenses-paid trip to EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, where they will be recognized by the FAA Administrator and other high-ranking FAA officials, will have their names added to the large plaque in the EAA Museum, and will be fêted at an awards luncheon where they will receive gifts donated by GAA's industry sponsors. Please don't delay! Help recognize "the best of the best" by nominating that truly exceptional flight instructor, maintenance technician, or FAASTeam rep for one of these prestigious awards (or applying for one yourself). Application forms and complete details of how to create an application packet can be found at http://www.GeneralAviationAwards.com/nominations . https://www.aviationpros.com/education-training/trade-associations-events/press-release/21114198/general-aviation-awards-program-deadline-for-nominations-for-the-2020-general-aviation-awards-is-nov-30 Back to Top GA Telesis Establishes Unprecedented Ready-to-Go Landing Gear Lease Pool with Launch Customer GAMECO Leading The Way FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Nov. 13, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- GA Telesis, LLC Component Solutions Group (CSG) announces it has established a comprehensive landing gear leasing pool. Available assets for lease in 2019 include multiple ship sets of ready-to-go A320 family (enhanced gear), A330, 737-700, 737-800, 777-200ER, CRJ700 and CRJ900 landing gear shipsets. The Company has a plan to increase the pool size and to add additional sets and aircraft models with global commercial coverage of most single and twin aisle aircraft models by 2021. As a launch customer to the new business, partner MRO GAMECO has taken delivery of its first A320 family landing gear set provided by GA Telesis' CSG team. With its extensive product line and inventory leasing capabilities, GA Telesis was able to provide a win-win comprehensive solution to GAMECO to satisfy their customer's needs. "Our customers have requested a lease solution as an alternative to purchasing landing gear that they require to support their fleet during shop visits and fleet retirement management. We have listened to the voice of the customer and built a lease pool accordingly," said Kevin Geissler, Vice President of Aviation Lease Solutions. Geissler continued, "Clearly there is a cash and P&L benefit for mid-life leases over purchasing, but more and more airlines' management recognize the long-term risk of loading their balance sheet with spares. Investing in a lease pool is a natural progression of the GA Telesis Ecosystem and compliments the landing gear repair and overhaul maintenance business offered by GA Telesis MRO Services." "GA Telesis provided us a one-stop inventory and financing solution to our needs for our MRO business in China," said Norbert Marx, CEO of GAMECO. "We are proud to be the launch customer of this new aftermarket solution, which we believe will grow quickly here at GAMECO and in the aftermarket as a whole." GA Telesis has already leased several sets of Airbus, Boeing, and Bombardier landing gear throughout North America, Europe, Eurasia, and Asia. About GAMECO Celebrating 30 years in business, Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Company Limited (GAMECO) is an independent MRO provider based in Guangzhou, China. The company is a joint venture between China Southern Airlines Co Ltd, South China International Aircraft Engineering Co Ltd and Hutchison Aircraft Maintenance Investment Ltd. GAMECO is a regional leader in providing comprehensive, high-quality and highly efficient services, covering line maintenance, base maintenance, component repair & overhaul, aircraft engineering, training and technical service of ground support equipment. About GA Telesis GA Telesis is a global leader providing integrated solutions to the aviation and aerospace industries. Built on the premise of "Customer Success" being the goal, GA Telesis serves over 3,000 customers including airlines, OEMs, MROs and suppliers worldwide with 31 leasing, sales, distribution and MRO operations in 19 countries. At GA Telesis, the Company's core business is integrated aviation solutions and their mission is customer success. For further information please contact: marketing@gatelesis.com https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ga-telesis-establishes-unprecedented-ready-to-go-landing-gear-lease-pool-with-launch-customer-gameco-leading-the-way-300956939.html Back to Top Maintainers under pressure to keep 'Doomsday plane' flying after flood wreaks havoc OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. - Earlier this year, the sole hangar for the E-4B Nightwatch airborne command post at Offutt Air Force Base was submerged in water after floods hit Omaha, Nebraska. Months later, the hangar is now usable but not fully operational, creating a challenge for the maintainers charged with keeping the E-4B ready to fly. Nicknamed the "Doomsday plane" due to its ability to withstand a nuclear blast, the iconic blue and white E-4B serves two purposes: to provide a secure and survivable command center in the event of a nuclear war and - until recently - to transport defense secretaries around the world. The U.S. Air Force only operates four E-4Bs, all based at Offutt, and at least one of those aircraft must be on alert 24/7 year-round. As one E-4B is usually going through a yearlong depot maintenance period and another is typically receiving modifications, two aircraft are left to fulfill mission requirements. But because of the high number of maintenance activities currently ongoing, the Air Force has temporarily stopped using its E-4Bs for VIP transport , Defense One reported earlier in November. The flood has made it difficult to keep at least one those planes functional, said Maj. James Hodges, who leads the 595th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. Hodges arrived at Offutt on March 18, during the period when the flood hit the base, causing what may add up to $1 billion in damage, according to the Omaha World Herald. "There's a beautiful change-of-command photo with the hangar underwater in the background," he joked during an October interview. The 595th AMXS was able to move its equipment and tools to the north side of the base before the flood covered some parts of Offutt in up to 8 feet of water. None of the Nightwatch planes were damaged by the flood, but in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, the squadron was displaced, often having to fly to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio to conduct heavy maintenance. Now, half a year later, maintainers are back at work repairing E-4B aircraft at Offutt, including changing out engines and performing most of the heavy maintenance, Hodges said. "We do what we can on the ramp. Now the flood waters have receded, so while the buildings still need some work as far as repairing electrical stuff, [the hangar] still works as some overall cover," he said. "We're probably, I'd say, about 50 percent capable with that facility now." But the hangar isn't yet fit for all maintenance work. Tasks requiring a temperature-controlled environment - like isochronal inspections that occur every 220 days, take 24 days to complete, and require personnel to crawl through the jet and inspect wires, re-lube components and wash the aircraft - must still be done at Wright-Patterson. "It just makes the scheduling more important," Hodges said. "Because when it's time to do that inspection, we'll send up to about 60 guys ... to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base with the jet to do that inspection. So while those 60 bodies are there, I have 60 less bodies here to do day-to-day care and feeding." The 595th AMXS is comprised of 260 personnel, but 40 of those are either permanently located at Wright-Patterson or focused on scheduling, leaving a core cadre of 220 maintainers. Transferring more than a quarter of them to Ohio for weeks at a time adds another layer of difficulty to an already complicated task. Furthermore, the squadron is already undermanned and lacks the optimal number of experienced maintainers. But the Air Force is taking steps to correct the situation, Hodges said. After a study found that the 595th AMXS was short by 130 maintainers, 30 were added to the squadron during this summer. "While that helped bolster the numbers, those 30 bodies have to be trained," he said, adding that it takes six months to qualify a trained maintainer on the E-4B and another year for them to gain the experience necessary to know the plane. Meanwhile, the funding to hire the remaining 100 maintainers needed is unavailable, but Hodges hopes that gap will be filled by 2021. The future of the E-4B The E-4B was introduced in 1974, and a replacement for the Boeing 747 derivative is still years, perhaps decades, into the future. In 2018, the Defense Department released a solicitation signaling its interest in recapitalizing the E-4B, E-6B and C-32A platforms and asking industry for information. The NEAT program could replace all three aircraft types with a common airframe or family of planes. NEAT is short for the military's name for the missions conducted by those platforms: National Airborne Operations Center (NAOC), Executive Airlift, Airborne Command Post (ABNCP), and Take Charge and Move Out (TACAMO). An industry day was held in April, however it's unclear if the effort will materialize into a program of record. In the meantime, the Air Force is pressing forward with key upgrades for its E-4B fleet, setting aside about $176 million in its fiscal 2020 budget for "enhancements to aircraft structures, [the] propulsion system, fuel system, environmental control system, electrical generation and distribution systems, flight safety and navigation systems" as well as modifications needed to meet Federal Aviation Administration requirements. Some of the modifications underway or planned include integrating the advanced extremely high-frequency terminal, the low-frequency transmit system and the Mobile User Objective System, as well as technologies necessary to upgrade presidential voice conferencing, according to budget documents. While the bones of the E-4B are decades old, many of communication and navigation systems have been added or modernized over the years, resulting in a hodgepodge of different equipment that must be mastered by maintainers. "Typically on a regular jet ... we have, let's say, 20-something odd systems that we have to manage or maintain. But now we have something like 113. So it's a bit of a steep learning curve because it's not stuff we're taught [at tech school]. We have to learn it while we're here," said Tech. Sgt. Elden Magnuson, one of the squadron's approximately 50 communications and navigation specialists. It takes years to build up expertise on so many systems, so the 595th AMXS tends to retain its maintainers longer than most other squadrons. For example, Magnuson - who previously worked on C-130s and C-17s - has clocked in eight years as an E-4B maintainer. But every day is a challenge, he said, because new systems are continually added to the aircraft. For instance, when Defense News visited Offutt Air Force Base in October, the Air Force had begun flight tests of a new antenna that trails behind the E-4B. "One of the challenges we've met is when a system comes onboard faster than we are trained to [maintain] it," he said. That's part of why the squadron retains such a large number of communication and navigation specialists - to allow the squadron to constantly cycle maintainers through training. "We've done a pretty good job with that," he said. https://www.defensenews.com/air/2019/10/31/maintainers-under-pressure-to-keep-doomsday-plane-flying-after-flood-wreaks-havoc-do-not-post/ Back to Top Pritzker Vows to Veto Aviation Tax Bill Illinois lawmakers face a political test of wills this week when they are expected to be asked to vote for an otherwise popular bill that Gov. J.B. Pritzker has vowed to veto. Should it be enacted, private jet maintenance companies in Illinois would be forgiven sales tax tabs from the last five years and would have an exemption extended to 2024. It passed nearly unanimously in the House in October, but faces an uncertain fate in the Senate now that Pritzker has pledged to veto it. "This bill would forgive $50 million of taxes that are owed by people who are in this private jet industry," he said last week. "I just don't think it's right, given the state of our finances in the state of Illinois." He was responding to a question regarding a WCIA Channel 3 report that labeled the companies as "luxury jet manufacturers" getting a tax break. Other than Chicago-based Boeing, Illinois is not home to any private jet manufacturers. The legislation would affect aviation facilities whose mechanics perform routine maintenance on smaller jets to meet government standards. It's somewhat rare for a governor to promise action regarding pending legislation that could still be changed or amended. House Bill 3902 is scheduled to be heard Wednesday morning in the Senate Finance Committee. The issue arose when companies learned that an exemption was allowed to sunset along with many others in 2014. Industry representatives estimate the amount of owed tax revenue to be nearly $50 million and would require the companies to pay about $8 million annually over the next four years. Many companies said they were unaware that the exemption had been allowed to expire. They didn't charge their clients and facing tax bills that supporters say could put the local aviation companies at a disadvantage to other states that offer the same exemption. Even Illinois' own agencies were, as of March of this year, under the impression that the tax exemption was still in place. The Legislative Research Unit's 2019 Tax Handbook said companies that offer "(m)aterials and components incorporated into or upon an aircraft as part of its modification, completion, repair, or maintenance" are completely exempt from Illinois' occupational sales tax. "These guys are coming here and choosing what state they go to, whether that be Illinois, Michigan, or California," said Rob French with the Illinois Aviation Trades Association. "It doesn't matter to them. They are looking at what is a bottom line on what is regular maintenance for their planes." French said periodic maintenance for these jets can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Companies that were diligent enough to catch the issue and remit sales tax to the state wouldn't be refunded under the bill. http://altondailynews.com/news/details.cfm?clientid=17&id=293988#.Xc0vgO3YrnE Back to Top Federal officials threatened to ground dozens of Southwest jets Southwest Airlines says it will speed up inspections of dozens of used planes it purchased from foreign airlines after federal regulators threatened to ground the jets because they might not meet all safety standards. The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday that Southwest agreed to complete the inspections by Jan. 31, and that the agency will take more action if necessary. Southwest downplayed any risk to safety. The airline said repairs on some used Boeing 737 jets had been done but were not properly classified by previous owners. "Our actions did not stem from any suspected safety concerns with the aircraft but were an effort to reconcile and validate records and previous repairs," said a Southwest spokeswoman, Brandy King. However, the chairman of the House Transportation Committee said recently he was skeptical that all the planes yet to be inspected are airworthy. The issue involves 88 planes that Southwest has bought from more than a dozen foreign airlines since 2013. According to the Senate Commerce Committee, Southwest hired contractors to review maintenance records and then used authority delegated to it by the FAA to grant certificates that let it carry passengers on the planes. Of those 88 planes, 49 may not have undergone proper inspections, according to The Washington Post. Whistleblowers told the FAA they believed the initial review of maintenance records conducted by contractors was "alarmingly insufficient," according to a fact sheet released Monday by the Commerce Committee. "Whistleblowers claim one contractor did not even translate many of these foreign-language documents from the original foreign carriers in order to effectively evaluate what repairs and maintenance had or had not been completed on the airplanes," the fact sheet said. Unreported repairs In May 2018, an FAA inspector discovered discrepancies in some of the records. That prompted a review by Southwest, which turned up 360 major repairs that the airline didn't know about - they were not mentioned by the contractors. Southwest grounded four planes in October 2018 because of major reinforcing repairs that didn't meet FAA standards, and briefly grounded 34 more the next month for more limited visual inspections, according to FAA's chief auditor. The FAA then gave Southwest two years - until July 1, 2020 - to inspect the planes and verify that all necessary maintenance and repairs had been done properly. On Oct. 29, the FAA manager responsible for overseeing Southwest said the airline had only evaluated 39 planes, a "slow pace." If Southwest was slow to evaluate the remaining planes, "the FAA may exercise remedies up to and including grounding the aircraft," the FAA manager, John Posey, said in a letter to Southwest's chief operating officer, Mike Van de Ven. Posey wrote that in reviewing the first 39 planes, Southwest found 30 undocumented repairs and 42 that did not conform to standards. He said FAA understood that Southwest had corrected those situations and all 39 planes met FAA airworthiness standards. "Alarming" Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., chairman of the House Transportation Committee, called those findings "alarming" and "troubling." He said that given the record of undocumented repairs on planes that were inspected, he doubted that all the planes yet to be inspected were in airworthy condition. He raised his objections in a letter to FAA Administrator Stephen Dickson. The FAA's chief auditor, Clayton Foushee, said Southwest admitted it had not even translated some maintenance records into English. He told Dickson it was "nonsensical" to claim that the planes held valid safety certificates, and he recommended grounding them for immediate inspections. Southwest agreed to inspect and validate repair records on the last 38 planes by Jan. 31, five months earlier than the original deadline. Some are currently undergoing detailed maintenance checkups. The FAA said it is requiring more frequent updates from Southwest on the progress of its work. The FAA's concern about the Southwest planes was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. The planes involved are an earlier model of the Boeing 737 than the 737 Max, which has been grounded since March after two deadly accidents. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/southwest-airlines-faa-investigation-federal-officials-threatened-to-ground-dozens-of-southwest-jets/ Back to Top The Quickest Way to Reduce Airplane Emissions Jet fuel isn't taxed on international trips. Maybe it's time to change that, seeing as the rule was decided in 1944. Greta Thunberg is stuck in the United States. The 16-year-old climate activist sailed across the Atlantic on a carbon-free yacht this summer for the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York City. Now that December's UN Climate Change Conference has been relocated from Chile to Spain, she needs a lift back to Europe, but refuses to hop on a plane. Aviation accounts for 2.4 percent of global emissions-a figure that can seem insignificant until it's put into context. In more personal terms, a roundtrip flight from London to New York emits 2,173 pounds of carbon-more than the average citizen of 56 countries generates in a year. In Thunberg's native Sweden, there's a word for the sickening feeling these statistics evoke: flygskam, or "flight shame." Fewer are familiar with the agency that orchestrates all that international air travel. But the UN's International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which concluded its fortieth assembly in October, is a name worth knowing: in many ways, the low sticker price and high environmental costs of international flight today can be traced back to ICAO's first meeting 75 years ago. And the future of travel could be determined by what they do next. In 1944, in the thick of World War II, representatives of 54 nations convened in Chicago for the first Convention on International Civil Aviation. At the time, the majority of plane power was used for military goals, like moving soldiers or cargo. The job of the so-called Chicago Convention was to chart a course for the future of civilian flight. The resulting agreement, which 52 nations signed on December 7, 1944, formally defined airspace and its management, and created ICAO to regulate it all. But one of its most important decisions, in hindsight, was to exempt any fuel aboard international flights from customs duty. While the Chicago Convention has grown (193 member nations at last count) and changed (eight revisions and many new resolutions), the jet fuel tax exemption stands. "The agreement that was signed was basically to help kickstart what was then quite a small, fledgling aviation industry," said Roger Tyers, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Southampton studying consumer attitudes toward aviation. It worked: more than four billion passengers now fly each year, compared to just 310 million passengers in 1970. The international law has no bearing on domestic travel, so a nation can tax fuel internally-if it wants to. In the United States, for example, the tax rate is primarily determined at a state level, though the Federal Aviation Administration dictates those funds must go toward airport maintenance and upgrades. By contrast, member states of the European Union have historically forgone fuel taxes on domestic flights altogether. All the Chicago Convention forbids (at least in the traditional interpretation of the law) is taxing the jet fuel commercial aircraft carry on international flights. But this seemingly small exemption has far-reaching implications. Coupled with the rise of budget airlines and the relatively cheap cost of fuel, the tax exemption "is the number one reason why flying is disproportionately cheap," Tyers told me. Though it's difficult to project how an international fuel tax would change the industry globally, smaller-scale examples suggest the results would be substantial. Earlier this year, the European Commission released a report on the implications of a theoretical €0.33 tax on every liter of jet fuel sold within the European Union. Member nations say they have a right to do this within the parameters of the Chicago Convention, but haven't tried yet. The commission concluded that such a move would raise ticket costs 10 percent across the board and cut the number of travelers, industry jobs, and emissions by 11 percent. In October, as Thunberg was preparing for the youth climate strike in New York City, ICAO convened its triennial assembly in Montreal. The body held board elections, discussed legal issues, and also featured contentious debate about aviation and environmental priorities. While, according to aviation analyst Alex Macheras's report on the proceedings, a Finnish delegate talked about her determination "to ensure aviation is considered an acceptable form of transport," and a representative from Qatar presented on the environmental costs of Saudi Arabia closing its airspace to Qatari jets, forcing them into carbon-intensive alternative routes, the main issue was opposition to ICAO's Climate Change Resolutions. In 2010, ICAO members resolved to ensure industry growth is carbon-neutral growth after 2020 and improve fuel efficiency by 2 percent per year through 2050. To deliver on these arbitrary and unscientific goals, ICAO in 2016 adopted the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), which will eventually require airlines operating certain international flights to purchase emissions offsets and use more biofuels. For environmentalists, ICAO's climate change resolutions are too little, too late. Carbon is being addressed, but other pollutants like nitrogen oxides aren't. And 2 percent annual improvements in fuel efficiency are effectively meaningless when demand is growing more than twice as fast. Yet for countries like China, which publicly criticized the climate resolutions at the most recent assembly, ICAO's proposal is seen as an unwanted restraint on the airline industry's growth. Thus far, ICAO doesn't seem inclined to revisit the jet fuel tax exemption. Just as concerning, ICAO could prevent countries from implementing their own emissions offsetting strategies. At least five nations "insisted on CORSIA being the sole mechanism anywhere," according to Euractiv, which could complicate the European Union's market-based emissions trading scheme. Paul Steele, vice president of the International Air Transport Association, reportedly told the assembly what he had observed was "unprecedented" and "a step backward." ICAO declined to comment for this story, citing its policy against speculating "on legal matters, including the potential interpretations of the Convention on International Civil Aviation." In the absence of strong international leadership, individuals are left to their own devices to combat the climate crisis. In some cases, as with carbon offsets, fliers have the same recourse as airlines: both can pay to plant more trees or fund a new solar farm. But the carbon offset market is full of ineffective schemes, and no offset is better than not emitting in the first place. Ultimately, airlines and the various governmental and non-governmental entities that oversee them are the only ones who can lead the systemic change we need. They can develop and purchase alternative fuels, negotiate more direct routes through contested airspace, and, if only it was legal, tax jet fuel on international flights. In 1944, the Chicago Convention's fuel exemption made some sense. It was crafted in the spirit of friendship and expanding postwar recovery and economic capabilities-not under the specter of climate change. But 75 years later, fliers find themselves in a different position. It's clear that the best thing for humanity is curbing emissions, but the convention hasn't evolved as quickly as the science. While potential fliers debate individual ethics, like Thunberg's aviation abstention or the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's private jet, ICAO has the ability to make a much bigger, systemic difference. So far, it seems to lack the will. https://newrepublic.com/article/155684/quickest-way-reduce-airplane-emissions Back to Top Fort Worth Brings Record for BBD Safety Standdown Bombardier kicked off its 23rd annual Safety Standdown this morning for the first time in Fort Worth, Texas, drawing a crowd of more than 500 and maintaining a focus on this year's theme: "Elevate Your Standards." The location marked a departure from the decades Bombardier has hosted the event in Wichita, but Bombardier demo pilot and Safety Standdown host Franco Pietracupa opened the three-day event informing attendees that "you are in the record books" by filling all available slots within eight days of the opening of registration this past August. The event built a waitlist of 168 and is anticipated to draw at least twice the attendees on the webcast. Last year the webcast drew 1,300 views from 17 countries, and Pietracupa said he is looking to draw an audience from 20 countries this year. While the event has a new locale, there still are a number of familiar faces, including perennial favorites retired USAF Lt. Col. Tony Kern of Convergent Performance and Dan Boedigheimer of Advanced Aircrew Academy. Kern, who said he was speaking at his 22nd Safety Standdown, once again turned to a persona to emphasize safety, this year becoming "TK Thrilla" with a rap to celebrate safety standdown. He drove home the point of pushing personal standards beyond the organizational or regulatory standard through professionalism and making a commitment, rather than intent, to execute the improvement. Also opening Safety Standdown was Tim Miller, director of Office of Air Carrier Safety Assurance for the FAA, who highlighted how the increase in transparency between the agency and industry was elevating standards. NBAA COO Steve Brown called Safety Standdown a "must-attend event," and discussed key safety focus areas for the industry, saying it needs to redouble efforts because one accident is too many. Benoit Rocheleau, CAE's head of operations for business aviation, helicopter, and maintenance training, underscored the importance of sharing knowledge through events such as Safety Standdown, especially given the anticipated expansion of the pilot population. Boedigheimer, meanwhile, was on the slate with a theme that matched Bombardier Safety Standdown's mantra: "Learn, Apply, Share." https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2019-11-12/fort-worth-brings-record-bbd-safety-standdown Back to Top Fuel Efficiency Key to Airline Success Due to cost and volume consumed, fuel remains one of the most important resources that aircraft operators can manage. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), fuel represents the second largest cost component in airline operations after labor. Airlines have traditionally sought greater fuel efficiency through new engine technologies; operational procedures such as routing strategies, vertical and horizontal flight profile optimization, and reduced use of auxiliary power units and thrust reversers; weight reduction; single-engine or no-engine (tug) taxi procedures; and even streamlining maintenance procedures. Analyzing fuel and performance data on an individual aircraft and at fleet level, and then implementing strategies based on aggregate data can help operators maximize fuel efficiency and minimize costs and carbon emissions. IATA's Fuel Efficiency Program Development assists airlines in establishing and implementing a fuel program based on Lean Six Sigma managerial concepts such as the "define-measure-analyze-improve-control" (DMAIC) process. After reviewing all operational areas and identifying gaps between current procedures and best practices that expose potential fuel savings opportunities, the airline defines, implements, and manages a corporate fuel process. "We understand that sustainability is essential to our license to spread aviation's benefits," said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA's director general and CEO, in a June 2019 press release containing statistics stating that in 2018 fuel efficiency across the airline industry improved by more than 12 percent compared to 2010 levels. "From 2020 we will cap net carbon emissions growth. And, by 2050, we will cut our net carbon footprint to half 2005 levels." IATA's commitment to assisting airlines in implementing fuel and carbon emissions efficiency programs includes offering aviation fuel training classes and a fuel management information system (FMIS) app. Offered in various countries around the world, the three-day IATA Fuel Efficiency and Conservation course teaches attendees how to perform a fuel efficiency audit of their own organization and implement fuel-conservation strategies. More than 95 participants from 22 countries have taken this course, which can also be conducted on-site at corporate entities through prior arrangement with IATA. "IATA has built up a lot of expertise in the environmental management and performance in the aviation sector," said Michael Gill, IATA director of aviation environment, in a video on the IATA website. "[IATA classroom training] is a great place to come for professionals to learn from the real industry experts and from real-life case studies on what's happening in the alternative fuels area, ICAO International agreement for carbon offset program, and other areas of environmental management. We have a lot of expertise that professionals can tap into and learn a lot from, then go back to their organizations and apply to the day-to-day job." The course also introduces attendees to fuel efficiency program tools, including developing their own tools or using the IATA FMIS app. Touted as "a decision-making tool to ensure sustainable results," the FMIS app tracks an airline's fuel and carbon efficiency programs using data from the company's own operational database to present key fuel usage information to pilots and airline decision-makers based on operational and internal goals. The IATA FMIS app is just one of several software tools available for tracking and achieving maximum fuel efficiency. As part of its fuel conservation program, Japan Airlines has been using Honeywell's Flight Efficiency solution since early 2017 and has seen fuel savings opportunities between $20 million and $60 million per year, according to Zhijun Jia, senior director of Connected Aircraft Solutions for Honeywell Asia-Pacific region. "Honeywell Forge Flight Efficiency has become an important part of JAL's wide-ranging fuel conservation program that also includes adding more fuel-efficient aircraft like the Boeing 777, 787, and 737-800 to the fleet," Jia wrote in a Honeywell blog posted in January 2019. "Other elements of the program included reducing aircraft weight wherever possible, washing engines to reduce weight and enhance performance, flying the most direct routes possible, and training pilots to use Eco-Flight procedures during all phases of flight." Programs such as Honeywell Forge, use big data generated from thousands of sensors already on board the aircraft, weather inputs, planned and actual flight profiles, air traffic conditions, and other inputs both on and off the aircraft, to provide pilots real-time analytical data for instantaneous changes and airline decision-makers comprehensive data for long-term operational savings. "Honeywell leverages big data and the Industrial Internet of Things to give operators like JAL the solutions they need to reduce fuel consumption, improve operational outcomes and increase profits," wrote Jia. "Honeywell Forge brings together data from hundreds of sources on and off the aircraft and displays it in an easy-to-use interface, so airline decision-makers know how the choices they make impact fuel use and schedule performance." Bringing the dynamic fuel efficiency data and operational procedures into the flight deck through electronic flight bags can also decrease costly flight delays by providing pilots and/or flight controllers real-time options around weather, traffic, and ground congestion at the destination airport. Pilots can use the Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) apps to optimize flight planning and performance through updated weather, aircraft performance, and airspace information. In addition to an EFB app, Honeywell Forge also offers additional capabilities, which uses OEM aircraft performance data combined with the most current atmospheric forecasts to yield very precise fuel burn and time calculations for each flight plan. Weather often plays a role in fuel burn and efficiency. Airlines and corporate flight departments can minimize the effect of weather on their operations through a combination of ground-based and airborne weather radar systems. Ground-based systems provide a long-range strategic view of the weather for flight planning purposes; airborne weather systems can provide an instantaneous view of current weather for tactical weather avoidance. Having both on the flight deck provides a comprehensive view for the pilot to make both strategic and tactical decisions that can affect fuel efficiency. While some airborne weather radar systems require the pilot to adjust the tilt and gain to receive accurate radar returns, more technologically advanced weather radars scan the sky ahead at various tilt angles, use software to determine and eliminate ground clutter, and present a 3-D view of the weather ahead. "The Honeywell RDR-4000 performs a scan, then the tilt increases by 1 degree and it does another, and so on," said Jeff Hester, Senior Technical Sales Manager for Honeywell. "Consecutive scans at different tilt angles capture a series of overlapping slices that are pieced together to form a three-dimensional picture. It's the key technology breakthrough in airborne weather radar." Initially released in 2004 but recently updated with new software and rebranded the IntuVue 3D Weather Radar, the RDR-4000 has demonstrated a 26 percent improvement in weather hazard detection over conventional radar systems, according to Honeywell. Honeywell's newest radar, the IntuVue RDR-7000, provides 3D volumetric scanning up to 60,000 feet and may be the first airborne weather radar system to detect turbulence up to 60 nautical miles and predict wind shear up to 5 to 10 nautical miles. A fully automated system, the RDR-7000 increases situational awareness while reducing workload since the pilot no longer needs to manually point the antenna to analyze a storm ahead. "Weather is difficult to predict, and pilots continually run the risk of encountering unexpected weather like hail or thunderstorms, which can impact the safety and comfort for all onboard," said Stevan Slijepcevic, President, Honeywell Aerospace Electronic Solutions. "The RDR-7000 reduces this risk by more than 50 percent using the new automated mode, which helps pilots focus on upcoming weather hazards and reroute decisions instead of operating the radar." https://www.ainonline.com/sponsored-content/business-aviation/2019-11-13/fuel-efficiency-key-airline-success Back to Top How to spot the SpaceX Starlink satellite train overhead this week At the start of the week, SpaceX launched its first 60 operational Starlink satellites-the company's 50th consecutive successful launch. And as innovative as this communication network's entire concept might be, many onlookers are curious for a much simpler reason. You want to view-maybe even photograph-these things in the pre-dawn, post-sunset, or night sky, right? Well, you've come to the right place. First, you'll want to be quick. Since separating from the upper stage on November 11 at about 11am Eastern Standard Time (Nov. 11, 16:00 UTC) and with each hour that passes, the satellites have been spreading out by individually raising their orbits to the correct height. And after a while, they will be on their own instead of appearing in this initially clustered formation. At this point in the week, you still have a few options to try to find SpaceX's satellites overhead in the skies. You're only going to be able to see them ~30 minutes or earlier before sunrise, ~30 minutes or later after sunset, or at night when the sky is dark enough or the Sun is below your local horizon yet still illuminating these devices, since they are at a much higher altitude. To help find the satellites within these limited windows, luckily, there are a few good resources available online. Heavens-Above.com (free) Heavens-Above's strength lies in its sky charts. If you're intending to only view Starlink's passes (not photograph it), this is the one site you want to use since Heavens-Above is the easiest. The step-by-step process looks like this: 1. Go to Heavens-Above.com and make a free account. 2. Set your location to where you would like to view the Starlink satellites. 3. From the homepage, there is a "Starlink Launch 2" under the "10-day predictions for satellites of special interest" section midway down the left side of the page. Click on that. 4. The page "Starlink Launch 2" directs you to a list of the upcoming visible passes listed in a 24 hour time format. (So, remember, 21:46 = 9:46pm your local time.) This particular page also shows you things like "start time," "highest point" and "end point." Here's how Heavens-Above defines those: Start time: the time and compass direction (north, south, east, west) that the satellites rise above your local horizon or emerge from the Earth's shadow (no longer illuminated by the Sun). Highest point: the time and direction the satellites will be highest above your local horizon. End point: the time and direction the satellites will enter into the Earth's shadow or set (like a sunset) below your local horizon. One tip if you're using this method: if you do not see any upcoming passes, try selecting "All" instead of "visible only" and see if there are any within 20-30 minutes of your local sunset. For example, if your local sunset is 4:34pm (16:34) and it shows a pass at 4:55pm (16:55), it will be difficult to photograph the satellites because the sky is still so bright, but you should still be able to see them with your naked eye. CalSky.com (free) A second freely available tool is a website called CalSky.com (account not required, but recommended). CalSky allows you to predict not only upcoming Starlink passes, but it also tracks things like solar/lunar transits and more interstellar points of interest. For instance, CalSky was a big part of the preparation for Destin Sandlin from Smarter Every Day, and I used this tool to capture the solar eclipse and ISS transit back in August of 2017: If opting for CalSky to help locate Starlink satellites, the process looks like this: 1. Go to CalSky.com. 2. Start by setting your location here. (You can view Starlink without making an account, but I would recommend it so you can save a location for later use). 3. Here is a link to the viewing opportunities for the "Starlink Trail" after you've set your location. 4. Select your duration at the top of the page for the amount of time you would like to see future fly-by's. (I usually select '3-6 Days.') 5. Check the following boxes (you can utilize others like transits/close encounters later on, but for the sole purpose of viewing use these) "Show satellite passes" and "Satellite must be illuminated." 6. Scroll back up to the top and click "GO" again to refresh. 7. Scrolling down, you'll see a list of the upcoming passes of the Starlink constellation. 8. If you are confused by the 24-hour time format, it's just like before (say: "21:36:42" for example simply means 9:36:42pm; 12 + 9 = 21). Unlike Heavens-Above, there is an option here to switch to the 12-hour formatting located on the page where you set your location. To know where to look, CalSky offers a little map on the right side of each pass. Reading these isn't tricky with a little guidance. The image to the right shows the satellites will be starting from the southwest direction, peaking in the southeast part of the sky ~45 degrees up or so (halfway to straight up), then going toward the northeast, for instance. To illustrate this with one other example: this one shows the satellites coming from the northwest, going straight over your head, and toward the southeast. Starlink satellites will always be coming from the west and going east. (So NW->SE & SW->NE, never from the east.) If you're not familiar with which way is north/south/east/west, grab a compass app on your phone's App Store/Google Play Store to assist. Otherwise, the details to note in these maps are: Appears (start point): where the blue line starts (SW in example two), Culmination (highest point): where the point of the blue arrow is (straight over your head), Disappears (end point): where the blue line ends (NE) They are not always directly overhead; some may reach their peak height closer to the horizon, in one area of the sky (like #10, peaking in the SSE sky ~45° up). FlightClub.io (paid) If you are seeking to photograph the trail of satellites or get a bit more advanced with your viewing, the only paid tool I'd recommend is called FlightClub.io. Created by Declan Murphy, this app can be utilized in combination with CalSky to plan out (with a 3D viewer) your photography to a T. It allows you to visualize the Starlink fly-bys in real time on your phone while in the field. FlightClub is primarily for rocket launch visualizations, simulations, and photography mission planning, but it's useful for planning to view or photograph the Starlink cluster of satellites via what are called TLEs (two-line orbital elements). This tool allows you to enter GPS coordinates and camera/lens information, then pan around to experiment with what millimeter focal length would be the best from your location. For example, below is a visualization of what a photo would look like of a previous Starlink pass with a full-frame camera and an 11mm lens from Chicago, Illinois (looking SSE). As noted before, this is a paid option, but if you're serious about photographing Starlink or rocket launches in the future, I'd recommend it. You can also become a $10 / Geostationary Transfer Orbit level Patron of Declan Murphy's, and this tier gets you access to the Photog Tools (which produced the 3D Viewer screenshots above). However you choose to sign up for access, here are the basic steps to utilize Flight Club: 1. Go to FlightClub.io homepage (if the page doesn't automatically redirect you), and in the upper right, click your profile photo. 2. Find the "Favorite Locations" tab and add a few locations where you might be photographing/viewing at (i.e. home, a nearby dark sky park, etc). Note that it's probably easiest to open Google Maps and find decimal GPS coordinates there by searching for your city and clicking on the map where you want to watch/photograph from. 3. Click "Visualize Trajectories," then the hamburger menu in the upper left. Here, you will find all the customization options. The ones we will be using today are: photo equipment, location, and Import TLEs. 4. Set your photo equipment to the camera and lens you plan to use, then click "Set." The field-of-view will snap to that view. 5. Navigate to "Set your planned location," and in the "Favorite Locations" dropdown, select the one you would like to use that you added earlier. Use an elevation of 25 meters, then click "Set" again. FlightClub will now zoom to your planned location. (Wait a few seconds if it sets you below ground, by the way, as FlightClub will auto snap you up to ground level at those GPS coordinates within a few seconds.) 6. Now it's time for the TLEs (two-line orbital element sets). Navigate here on CalSky to get the details, then paste the TLE info you've just copied into the "Import TLEs" section of FlightClub. Click "Import" to finalize it. It should look roughly like the screenshot to the right. From here, it's time to re-use the CalSky or Heavens-Above portion of the tutorial and determine a good pass for your location. To do this, start by using the time scrubber in the lower left of FlightClub's 3D viewer to navigate to your time in UTC and begin planning your photo or viewing session in 3D. Since your camera is 25 meters in the air, you can pan around and use landmarks on the ground to orient yourself, better understand the CalSky map, and determine where the pass will be in the sky in order to point your eyes and the camera. For one final tip, I'd recommend pulling up the TLE webpage from before in your mobile Web browser and again copying the entire webpage of data. That way, once you're at your viewing location, you can pull up FlightClub.io and follow the same steps as above if needed. You can click the little "⏰" icon above the time scrubber (whether in mobile or desktop) to jump to the current time and play in real-time on your phone or tablet. Use the same location as before, but in the field for visual (non photographic) aid, select "full frame" for the camera and type "24" in the "focal length (mm)" box this time. When used on your phone or tablet device, these settings aid you in finding the satellites in the sky in real time. Hopefully, these aids can help any fellow aspiring space photographers locate their satellite specimens this week for practice. After all, this latest launch will be far from the only time you can attempt some Starlink sighting-SpaceX has said it wants to deploy a minimum of 800 satellites before offering commercial service in 2020 or 2021. And the only thing a few errant photographs of the sky will temporarily cost you is SD card space. An earlier version of this guide appeared on TMahlmann.com. Good luck with viewing and photographing this week, and feel free to hit Trevor up on Twitter or in the comments if you still have questions. https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/11/how-to-spot-the-spacex-starlink-satellite-train-overhead-this-week/ Curt Lewis