Flight Safety Information - May 9, 2024 No. 093 In This Issue : Accident: Transair Senegal B733 at Dakar on May 9th 2024, runway excursion on takeoff : Incident: ATI B763 at Chicago on May 7th 2024, flap damage : Incident: Piedmont E145 near Charlotte on May 4th 2024, lightning strike : Boeing 737-85R (WL) - Nose Gear Failure on Landing (Turkey) : Eleven injured as Boeing jet skids off runway : Airline Feud Escalates: United Pilots Barred From Southwest Airlines Jump Seats After Controversial Incident : Japanese defense aircraft makes emergency landing after window glitch. No injuries were reported : KOREAN AIR SELLS FIVE BOEING 747-8S FOR POSSIBLE USAF CONVERSION : Efficient Ground Handling Critical To Ensuring Safety Of Air Passengers : How NASA’s New Supersonic Jet Replaced the Boom With a Quiet Thud : Thornton Aviation Completes G650 Starlink Installation : Passengers banned after fight on Spirit Airlines flight to Boston : Saudi to showcase $100 Billion investment opportunity at aviation event : CALENDAR OF EVENTS Accident: Transair Senegal B733 at Dakar on May 9th 2024, runway excursion on takeoff A Transair Senegal Boeing 737-300, registration 6V-AJE performing flight R2-3043 from Dakar (Senegal) to Bamako (Mali) with 73 people on board, was accelerating for takeoff from Dakar's runway 01 at about 04:30L (04:30Z) when the crew rejected takeoff due to a hydraulic defect but veered left off the runway. The aircraft came to a stop on soft ground next to the Presidential Pavillion (about 2000 meters/6000 feet down the runway), the left wing briefly caught fire. All occupants evacuated via slides, there are reports of some minor injuries including one of the pilots. An Air Senegal Flight HC-2009 from Abidjan (Ivory Coast) to Dakar (Senegal), was in the initial descent towards Dakar at about 04:37Z when the aircraft turned around and diverted to Banjul (Gambia). https://avherald.com/h?article=51867a11&opt=0 Incident: ATI B763 at Chicago on May 7th 2024, flap damage An ATI Air Transport International Boeing 767-300 on behalf of Amazon Prime Air, registration N409AZ performing flight 8C-3372 from Ontario,CA to Chicago Rockford,IL (USA), was on final approach to Rockford's runway 25, approach had indicated to expect heavy precipitation until 2nm final, when the crew initiated a go around from about 1600 feet MSL after approach issued a low altitude altitude. Approach advised they would come out of the weather after about 4nm and sent the aircraft into a hold at 4000 feet. The crew reported they had encountered a windshear and had become unstable as reason for the go around. About one hour after entering the hold the aircraft positioned for another approach to runway 25 and handed them off to tower, but approach again alerted the crew to a low altitude alert (an alert sound audibly on the recording), tower also issued a low altitude alert, the crew indicated they were going around a second time. The crew decided to attempt another approach to runway 25 and landed without any obvious incident on runway 25 about 75 minutes after the first go around and taxied to the apron maintaining routine communication. The FAA reported: "AIRCRAFT LANDED AND POST FLIGHT INSPECTION REVEALED DAMAGE TO THE LEFT FORWARD INBOARD FLAP, ROCKFORD, IL." and rated the damage minor. The aircraft is still on the ground at Rockford Airport about 18 hours after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=5185fbfb&opt=0 Incident: Piedmont E145 near Charlotte on May 4th 2024, lightning strike A Piedmont Airlines Embraer ERJ-145 on behalf of American Airlines, registration N660CL performing flight AA-5802 from Charlotte,NC to Evansville,IN (USA) with 30 passengers and 3 crew, was climbing out of Charlotte's runway 18C when the aircraft sustained a lightning strike. In the absence of any abnormal indications the crew continued the flight, climbed to FL360 enroute and landed safely on Evansville's runway 22 about 65 minutes after departure. The FAA reported: "AIRCRAFT WAS STRUCK BY LIGHTENING AND POST FLIGHT INSPECTION REVEALED DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT WING, EVANSVILLE, IN" and stated, that the lightning strike occurred during initial climb, the damage was minor. The aircraft is still on the ground in Evansville about 77 hours (3 days 5 hours) after landing. https://avherald.com/h?article=518584e2&opt=0 Boeing 737-85R (WL) - Nose Gear Failure on Landing (Turkey) Date: Thursday 9 May 2024 Time: 07:45 UTC Type: Boeing 737-85R (WL) Owner/operator: Corendon Airlines Registration: 9H-TJF MSN: 35082/2550 Year of manufacture: 2008 Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: Aircraft damage: Substantial Location: Gazipasa-Alanya Airport (GZP) - Turkey Phase: Landing Nature: Passenger - Scheduled Departure airport: Köln/Bonn-Konrad Adenauer Airport (CGN/EDDK) Destination airport: Gazipasa-Alanya Airport (GZP/LTFG) Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources Narrative: Corendon Airlines flight XC1031, a Boeing 737-85R, suffered a failure of the nose landing gear after landing on runway 08 at Gazipasa Airport (GZP). https://www.aviation-safety.net/wikibase/387750 Eleven injured as Boeing jet skids off runway Eleven out of the 78 passengers were injured in the accident A Boeing 737 plane with 78 passengers skidded off a runway before takeoff at Senegal’s main airport on Tuesday, injuring 11 people and bringing flights to a halt. The Blaise Diagne airport said an investigation was under way to determine the cause of the accident, which occurred at around 0100 GMT as the Transair-owned Boeing 737-300 chartered by Air Senegal was preparing to fly to Mali. The plane crashed before takeoff and has closed the airport A night-time video shared on social media showed a plane with the logo of Senegal-based airline Transair standing in grass with a wing covered in fire-suppressing foam. The airport statement said it activated emergency protocols to evacuate passengers. “For now, the airport is closed ... The reopening of the airport is expected within the next few hours,” it added. https://www.yahoo.com/news/eleven-injured-boeing-jet-crashes-105232744.html Airline Feud Escalates: United Pilots Barred From Southwest Airlines Jump Seats After Controversial Incident Several Southwest Airlines pilots have been refusing to allow United pilots to fly in their jump seats, following an incident where a ‘relatively new’ United pilot (recently hired from a regional carrier) reported a safety incident she observed while jumpseating. Pilots often live in one city, but are based in another, and nonrev to their base to start their trips. Since they can take a cockpit jumpseat, it’s easier for them to do this than for a flight attendant, because they’re mostly competing with other pilots for the space and not with passengers on full flights. However access to the jumpseat is at the captain’s discretion. Aviation watchdog JonNYC reported on the issue, along with internal messages from the United Airlines pilot union about how this was handled. A newer hire at United jumpseated on SWA recently from SFO-SAN and after the flight was over, decided she would notify the FAA on the inadequacies of the crew whose jumpseat they graciously offered. Not going to name names but for gods sake, please mentor our newer hires on how to Jumpseat properly and keep your damn mouth shut. At the very least, if you see something incorrect or wrong, very politely query the crew, if you feel you must, and let them explain themselves, if they choose to. If they choose not to and you are not satisfied, please contact our Jumpseat Committee and let them handle it. Running to the FAA and skipping Rob’s Committee is not the way to do this and I’d think that common sense will prevail but here we are. Personally I don’t say jack while I’m riding and am basically a very polite doormat. I’ve got to say I’m not surprised by this as some of our newer folks just seem to not get it at times and I’m not really sure how we can prevent this from happening in the future. Rightly or wrongly, some of the SWA guys and gals are starting to turn down our Pilots as this story winds it [sic] way around their seniority list. Please share your thoughs on this with the people you fly with and remind them that Jumpseating is a privilege and not a right. Many of our pilots depend on a ride from SWA and to be turned down because of someone else’s foolishness is unforgivable. Certainly anyone riding the jumpseat should start with the approach of not speaking unless spoken to and being polite regardless. They’re a guest in the cockpit, and shouldn’t add extraneous conversation that could be a distraction, especially during critical phases of flight – except where there is very clearly a problem and speaking up adds value. Multiple second-hand reports shared by JonNYC suggest that this happened on a flight into San Diego, slowing the aircraft, the first officer deployed speed brakes with no flaps while the captain was looking away. The United pilot in the jump seat suggested to the first officer adding flaps, captain looks up and tells the first officer to add power, and deploys flaps 5. The plane never reached an unsafe flying condition. The captain “thanked the [jump seater] for the intervention.” Nothing else was said about the incident, but the jump seater called the FAA’s safety hotline, opened an inquiry and spoke to the Southwest pilots. The inquiry was closed. Calling the FAA may have been an overreaction, but pilots generally stick together and this one didn’t. They stick together even when safety issues are involved. Pilot unions generally opposed 25 hour cockpit voice recording, which was included in the current version of the FAA reauthorization bill in Congress. Whether or not this incident was serious to warrant it, whistleblowing on a pilot is not appreciated by other pilots. The name and photo of the United pilot is being passed around, and she’ll suffer derision from her colleagues for doing what she thought was the right thing for safety. That’s an unfortunate element of the culture that even those who feel she should have addressed the issue through less formal channels should acknowledge. This will, eventually, blow over – but pilot memories can be long. United pilots hired over a 29 day period in 1985 were scorned in the cockpit for 35 years. https://viewfromthewing.com/airline-feud-escalates-united-pilots-barred-from-southwest-airlines-jump-seats-after-controversial-incident/ Japanese defense aircraft makes emergency landing after window glitch. No injuries were reported TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese defense aircraft carrying eight people made an emergency landing at a commercial airport in central Japan Thursday after a cockpit window inadvertently slid open during its training flight, officials said. No damage or injuries were reported. TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese defense aircraft carrying eight people made an emergency landing at a commercial airport in central Japan Thursday after a cockpit window inadvertently slid open during its training flight, officials said. No damage or injuries were reported. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force said its C-2 transport aircraft experienced the window glitch Thursday afternoon after taking off from the Iruma Air Base north of Tokyo for a training flight. The incident caused the pilot to request an emergency landing at the nearby Niigata airport, about 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of the air base. The aircraft landed safely and there was no damage or injury from the mishap, officials said. The JASDF said the roughly 20-inch square window on the left side of the cockpit, which is designed to slide open only manually, did not fall off the aircraft. The C-2 remained at the airport to be examined by air force officials to determine the cause of the problem, officials said. The airport was briefly closed due to the emergency landing but has since resumed operation. In April, two Japanese navy SH-60K Seahawk helicopters crashed in the Pacific south of Tokyo after colliding during night-time anti-submarine warfare training drills, killing one and leaving seven other crewmembers and the fuselages still missing. https://www.thestar.com/news/world/asia/japanese-defense-aircraft-makes-emergency-landing-after-window-glitch-no-injuries-were-reported/article_1cc50435-6beb-54b8-9349-1fa47f654e33.html KOREAN AIR SELLS FIVE BOEING 747-8S FOR POSSIBLE USAF CONVERSION Korean Air has announced the sale of five Boeing 747-8 jets to Sierra Nevada Corporation, a U.S. aerospace firm. The private firm specializes in converting Boeing 747s into presidential aircraft. This news comes amidst Sierra Nevada’s recent acquisition of a $13 billion contract from the U.S. Air Force to develop a successor to the E-4B Nightwatch aircraft. The E-4B, nicknamed the “Doomsday Plane,” is a heavily modified Boeing 747-200 that serves as a flying command center during emergencies and wartime scenarios. Four E-4Bs, based on the 747-200, were manufactured in the 1970s. While details on the specific aircraft (aircraft registration) of the Korean Air Boeing 747-8s being sold haven’t been disclosed, these aircraft will be sold in September 2025, as reported by Reuters. “The sale, valued at 918 billion Korean won ($674 million), is in line with Korean Air’s medium to long-term plan to dispose of older aircraft and replace them with newer generation ones.” Replacing An Aging Fleet The U.S. Air Force recently awarded a hefty $13 billion contract to Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) to develop and deliver the next-generation airborne command center, officially called the Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC) but widely known as the “Doomsday Plane”. The SAOC program aims to replace the current fleet of four E-4B Nightwatch aircraft that have been in service since the 1970s. These heavily modified jets serve as flying war rooms, equipped to keep the government functioning as a mobile command and control center during a crisis, even a nuclear war. The contract win by SNC comes after Boeing, the original manufacturer of the E-4B and a strong contender for the SAOC project, couldn’t reach an agreement with the Air Force on contract details. The SAOC program is a multi-year project expected to be completed by July 2036. The initial investment for fiscal year 2024 is set at $744 million, with the Air Force requesting roughly $1.7 billion for 2025. About The E-4B – An Airborne Military Command Center The United States Air Force has been operating multiple modified versions of the Boeing 747. One of these versions is the E-4B, a fully-equipped military command and control center. This military version was designed to provide the head of state and the Secretary of Defence with all the necessary tools in times of war. Here are some of the key features of the E-4B: Nicknamed the “Doomsday Plane”: While the official designation is E-4B, it’s also known by the more evocative name “Doomsday Plane”. This reflects its purpose as a last-resort command center during a crisis. Highly Survivable: The E-4B is heavily modified to withstand harsh environments. It’s shielded against electromagnetic pulses (EMP) from nuclear blasts and has measures to mitigate thermal and nuclear effects. Advanced Communication Suite: Imagine a flying war room. The E-4B is packed with advanced communication equipment, allowing the President, Secretary of Defense, and Joint Chiefs of Staff to stay connected and issue commands even if the ground infrastructure is destroyed. Long-Endurance Flyer: Refueling mid-air, the E-4B can stay airborne for an extended period, ensuring continuity of leadership during a prolonged crisis. Large Crew Capacity: To operate this complex aircraft and command center, the E-4B has the largest crew-carrying capacity of any US Air Force aircraft, potentially reaching 112 people. This includes four flight crew, and up to 108 mission crew. This includes military personnel, security, communication specialists, and support staff. Self-contained Command Center: The exact capabilities and equipment on board the E-4B are classified, but it’s understood to be a self-contained flying command center with everything needed to coordinate military operations, receive intelligence briefings, and even communicate with heads of state from other countries. So, the E-4B is essentially a giant, armored flying briefcase for the highest levels of US military command. https://samchui.com/2024/05/09/korean-air-sells-five-boeing-747-8s-for-possible-usaf-conversion/ Efficient Ground Handling Critical To Ensuring Safety Of Air Passengers (MENAFN- Gulf Times) Aircraft ground damage is one of the main sources of ground operations costs in the aviation industry. With the number of flights expected to rise, ground damage costs may reach $10bn by 2035, which for the aviation industry is a massive challenge. A few years ago, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) published standards and recommended practices for aircraft damage prevention systems to be installed in the ground support equipment (GSE) that interface with the aircraft. In 2022, the IATA Ground Damage Report further detailed the savings and benefits of deploying enhanced GSE as well as ranking each GSE that is most likely to cause ground damage. While the benefits of utilising enhanced GSE are clear, rapid implementation has proven to be quite challenging because GSE is both durable and expensive. Analysis of the current situation, together with the forecasted traffic growth and change in aircraft type mix shows that, unless measures are actively taken to reduce the ground damage incident rate, the current annual total ground damage costs will double over the next 15 years, IATA noted. Ground handling operations involve moving aircraft, loading and unloading cargo, and boarding passengers. Any mishap during these processes endanger the safety of both passengers and crew. Ground handling is exposed to various risks such as collisions, runway incursions, and equipment malfunctions. That's why proper training, adherence to protocols, and effective communication help mitigate these risks and ensure safe operations. Aircraft are complex machines that require careful handling to prevent damage. Ground handling personnel ensure that the aircraft is properly serviced, fuelled, and positioned on the ground to maintain its structural integrity. Undoubtedly, efficient ground handling operations are essential for maintaining flight schedules and minimising delays. Delays in ground handling often lead to cascading effects, disrupting entire flight schedules. IATA's Director of Ground Operations Monika Mejstrikova says,“Ground handling forms the backbone of aviation. It is critical to ensuring the safe and efficient transport of millions of travellers each year. With travel demand for the upcoming peak Northern summer season predicted to surge by 12% over last year, the ground handling sector will need to be ready. “Our priorities are clear: improving safety, implementation of global standards and embedding sustainability in all activities. A key mitigation measure is the adoption of Enhanced GSE to make the ramp a safer place for both personnel and aircraft. This has the potential to reduce ground damage costs by 42%," said Mejstrikova. IATA has introduced the Enhanced GSE Recognition Programme to encourage the use of upgraded ground support equipment (GSE) which uses anti-collision and inching technology to improve vehicle control and increase docking accuracy. Ground handlers who integrate more enhanced GSE into their fleets above a set threshold will receive a two-year recognition stamp. Data from the IATA Global Incident Data eXchange (IDX) shows that slips, trips, falls, and impacts are the main injuries in ground handling, with falls from heights posing the most serious risks. In response, IATA has initiated a safety campaign emphasising adherence to industry standards outlined in the IATA Ground Operations Manual (IGOM) and implementing training from the Airport Handling Manual (AHM). Mitigation of loading errors is key to ensuring safe ground handling, IATA points out. The primary loading errors are nets not properly deployed, inadequate cargo or baggage securing and discrepancies between load sheets and load instruction reports. To address these, IATA has collaborated with stakeholders to digitise communication between load control and loading teams. Adoption of these digital solutions has reduced loading errors by up to 80%, reduced delays by 30%, and minimised paper documentation. Accidents or damage during ground handling invariably result in significant financial losses due to repairs, compensation claims, and insurance premiums. Therefore, investing in safe ground handling practices help reduce these costs in the long run. Safe ground handling is essential for maintaining the safety, efficiency, and reputation of the aviation industry. It involves careful co-ordination, adherence to regulations, and continuous training to mitigate risks and ensure smooth operations on the ground. https://menafn.com/1108189645/Efficient-Ground-Handling-Critical-To-Ensuring-Safety-Of-Air-Passengers How NASA’s New Supersonic Jet Replaced the Boom With a Quiet Thud NASA's X-59 is designed to create a sonic "thud," with the same noise levels as as a washing machine. Removing the sonic boom, the space agency believes, could expedite the return of commercial supersonic travel. Imagine leaving work in L.A. or San Francisco a little early on a Friday afternoon and winding up with a drink on the beach in Maui before cocktail hour is over. Imagine Seattle to Tokyo in four hours, New York to London in three-plus. Many in the fledgling supersonic sector believe that supersonic commercial flights are not only possible, but are working to design, build and certify aircraft in the next five to ten years. Flying faster than the speed of sound will not only change air travel, they argue, but offer passengers the ultimate luxury: time. Boom, Spike and Exosonic have different concepts for their supersonic jets, designed to travel between Mach 1.4 (1074 mph) and 1.8 (1381 mph) while the hypersonic constructs from Destinus and Hermeus could theoretically travel at Mach 5.0, or 3836 mph. Most remain in the theoretical concept phase. Only Boom’s demonstrator, the XB-1, has begun initial flight tests, with supersonic tests scheduled for later this year. The progress is slow, due to exorbitant R&D costs caused by the unique technical challenges of flying faster than sound. “The hurdles are substantial,” notes Vik Kachoria, the CEO of Spike Aerospace, which is developing a 12- to 18-passenger supersonic aircraft called the Diplomat. “The boom, ground noise, safety, regulatory, environmental, infrastructure. It’s a lot.” The sonic boom remains the greatest impediment to development, says David Richwine, NASA’s deputy project manager for technology on the X-59, an experimental aircraft designed to mitigate the boom’s noise and vibration. “When we stacked the challenges facing supersonic, solving the boom was the largest one,” he says. “Taking that on would free the commercial operators to work on some of the other issues.” Sonic booms have been around ever since Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in 1947 in the Bell X-1. The boom—a loud noise caused by shock waves that form when an aircraft passes the speed of sound—was initially seen, oddly, as a sign of progress since it ushered in the supersonic era. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy launched an initiative called the Supersonic Transport (SST) that brought government and industry together, with the goal of building a commercial supersonic airliner capable carrying 300 passengers, flying at Mach 3, or 2301 mph. But by the end of the decade, most people viewed sonic booms as a public nuisance. In 1968, an F-105 flyover at the Air Force Academy blew out 200 windows of its iconic chapel, injuring a dozen people. From 1956 through 1968, the Air Force had to deal with about 40,000 claims against its supersonic warbirds, covering losses from broken windows and cracked plaster in homes, to assertions that the sonic booms drove livestock insane. The Concorde, the world’s first commercial supersonic aircraft, didn’t help. Developed jointly by the British and French, its transatlantic flights often ended in US cities with broken windows and vibration that rattled local residents. In 1973, Congress and many authorities around the world, banned supersonic air travel overland, reducing its potential to speed up commercial air travel. Always an expensive and fuel-intensive aircraft, the Concorde made its last flight in the UK in 2003, landing at an aviation museum in Bristow, where it became a fixed display. Now, NASA, working with Lockheed Martin, hopes to rehabilitate supersonic commercial air travel by mitigating the boom. The team overseeing the X-59 Quesst (standing for Quiet SuperSonic Technology) project is promoting the idea that the supersonic speed limit should be lifted as soon as the sonic boom becomes a non-issue. “Instead of a rule based solely on speed, we are proposing the rule be based on sound,” said Peter Coen, integrated mission manager for the X-59 program. “If the sound of a supersonic flight isn’t loud enough to bother anyone below, there’s no reason why the airplane can’t be flying supersonic.” Other aircraft, including the modified Northrop F-5E jet, proved in 2003 that an aircraft’s shape can reduce the intensity of sonic booms. The X-59 is designed to take it a step farther, creating a sonic “thud” that measures about 75 perceived decibels, roughly the sound of a washing machine. NASA The X-59 concept was first presented in 2018, with NASA presenting a $248 million grant to Lockheed Martin to develop the jet. After extensive computer modeling and wind-tunnel testing, the X-59 was formally presented to the world at Lockheed’s California Skunk Works facility in January. The slender, needle-nosed aircraft is 99.7 feet long and 29.5 feet wide, looking like an elegant, futuristic fighter jet, with the cockpit about halfway back along the fuselage. It’s designed to fly at 1.4 times the speed of sound, or 925 mph. The X-59 reuses parts from other warbirds, including landing gear from an F-16, the canopy and ejection seat from a T-38 supersonic training jet, and some of the engine system used in the U-2 spy plane. The top-mounted engine allows for a smooth underside to keep shockwaves from merging behind the aircraft, thus lessening the potential power of sonic booms. The aircraft has undergone ground tests, with flight tests expected by the end of the year. The X-59 will fly at about Mach 1.4 (1074 mph) at 55,000 feet, about the same speed and altitude of a commercial supersonic jet, gathering data about its “quiet boom.” The data, says NASA, should help “regulators reconsider rules that prohibit commercial supersonic flight over land.” NASA The configuration positions the cockpit about halfway down the length of the aircraft, which means that the pilot does not look through a forward-facing window, but instead uses high-resolution cameras that feed a 4K monitor in the cockpit, called the eXternal Vision System. Once the X-59 takes flight, it will go through safety testing, then a period of acoustic evaluations before NASA embarks on a series of test flights over select cities where pre-briefed citizens will offer feedback to help determine if the technology achieves acceptable noise levels. A sonic thud would be welcome news to the commercial supersonic startups. Spike Aerospace is doing its own work on mitigating booms, while drafting off NASA’s research. Like the X-59, it aims to reduce the boom by flattening the sonic waves so they’re directed upwards and largely cancel each other out. Exosonic is also positioning its 70-seat aircraft as having a “quiet” sonic boom. The X-59 may achieve its goal of mitigating sonic booms, but applying that to a certified aircraft is still challenging. The startups have issues with raising the necessary capital to bring a final product to market, and then there are questions of sustainability—some analysts project that supersonic jets will consume three times as much fuel as sub-sonic jetliners. Richwine admits that after boom suppression, “emissions are the next biggest challenge, so we have to look at alternative fuels, electric and hydrogen.” NASA has begun to peek down those rabbit holes. Boom says it is designing its 80-seat Overture to run on 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), while Spike is exploring electric and hydrogen. The supersonic manufacturers remain hopeful, despite significant technical challenges and the general consensus within private aviation that these projects will be too expensive to bring to market, with limited demand by airlines and other buyers. Within the field, however, optimism prevails. “I definitely think supersonic flight will happen,” Richwine says. “It’s an order of magnitude more complicated than a typical plane, so it will take time, but we’ll get there. For commercial airlines, it’ll probably be 15 years.” https://robbreport.com/motors/aviation/nasa-supersonic-jet-eliminating-sonic-boom-1235606942/ Thornton Aviation Completes G650 Starlink Installation The installation took three weeks and was done while the airplane was down for maintenance Van Nuys, California-based Part 145 repair station Thornton Aviation is the first West Coast MRO provider to install a SpaceX Starlink satcom system in a Gulfstream G650. The airplane is operated by a local charter management company. According to Vince Russo, Thornton Aviation's director of avionics, a second G650 is undergoing a Starlink installation, with a third scheduled in June. Recent Starlink installations include two G550s and a Bombardier Global Express, and all of the upgrades were done using Nextant Aerospace supplemental type certificates. The Starlink system weighs 48 pounds, and installation took three weeks. “In the past six months, we’ve performed more than 20 installation projects ranging from small cockpit USB upgrades to full-blown cabin management systems,” Russo said. “We work on all models from the Citation CJs to the large-cabin Gulfstreams, Bombardiers, and everything in between. Being able to offer a full range of services while delivering a high-quality product makes us an appealing choice for operators.” Thornton Aviation employs more than a dozen technicians in its avionics shop, and it is a dealer for Alto, Collins, Garmin, Gogo, Honeywell, SmartSky, Starlink, Universal Avionics, and Viasat equipment. It recently upgraded three King Airs with Gogo Avance L5 air-to-ground connectivity systems, which are also provisioned for the Gogo 5G service that is rolling out later this year. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2024-05-08/thornton-aviation-completes-g650-starlink-installation Passengers banned after fight on Spirit Airlines flight to Boston EAST BOSTON, Mass. — A group of passengers who got in a fight on a Spirit Airlines flight that was en route to Boston are now banned for life. The fight that happened on a flight from Myrtle Beach to Logan International Airport on Tuesday night was captured on cellphone video. A flight attendant is seen on the video trying to break up the fight. "We do not tolerate disruptive behavior of any kind, and the passengers involved are no longer welcome on any of our flights," the airline said in a statement. It's not clear what led to the altercation. There were no injuries, and no arrests have been made. The passengers' names were not released. https://www.wcvb.com/article/passengers-banned-after-fight-on-spirit-airlines-flight-to-boston/60741794 Saudi to showcase $100 Billion investment opportunity at aviation event Saudi Arabia will showcase more than $100 billion in investment opportunities to enable its Saudi Aviation Strategy during The Future Aviation Forum. The Forum's Investment Showcase from 20-22 May, in Riyadh, will highlight projects and incentives to attract investment into the Kingdom's booming aviation sector across airports, airlines, ground services, cargo and logistics. As part of the $100 billion of investment opportunities, airports account for more than $50 billion, new aircraft orders around $40 billion, while the remaining $10 billion is comprised of other projects, including $5 billion in special logistics areas around the three main airports in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam. His Excellency the Minister for Transport and Logistics Services, Saleh-Al-Jasser, who will open FAF24 said: “Saudi Arabia is presenting aviation investment opportunities that are unmatched globally, as the Saudi Aviation Strategy triples passenger numbers, connects to more than 250 destinations and handles 330 million passengers and 4.5 million tons of cargo by 2030." His Excellency the Minister for Investment Khalid Al-Falih, who will open the Investment Showcase, added: “Saudi Arabia is the world’s new investment hub, targeting $3.3 trillion in investment by 2030. Aviation is a key investment sector and enabler of the Kingdom’s broader economic transformation. The aviation investment showcase will provide investors with unparalleled access to participate in the Kingdom’s transformation.” https://www.timesaerospace.aero/news/events/saudi-to-showcase-100-billion-investment-opportunity-at-aviation-event CALENDAR OF EVENTS • Gulf Flight Safety Association (GFSA) Conference, May 15 & 16 2024, Jeddah • Blazetech - Aircraft Fire Hazards, Protection, and Investigation Course June 4 - 7, 2024 • (APTSC) Asia and Pacific Turboprop Safety Conference - June 26 - 27, 2024 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia • Airborne Public Safety Association, Inc. (APSCON 2024) - July 29 - August 3; Houston TX • Asia Pacific Airline Training Symposium - APATS 2024, 0-11 September, 2024, Singapore • Aircraft Cabin Air International Conference - 17 & 18 September - London • 2024 Ground Handling Safety Symposium (GHSS) - September 17-18, 2024 - Fort Worth, TX • 2024 ISASI - Lisbon, Portugal - September 30 to October 4, 2024 • International Congress of Aerospace Medicine ICAM 2024 in Lisbon, Portugal, 3 - 5 October 2024 • Aviation Health Conference back on Monday 7th and Tuesday 8th October 2024 • 2024 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition - Oct. 22-24 (Vegas) • Sixth Edition of International Accident Investigation Forum, 21 to 23 May 2025, Singapore Curt Lewis