Flight Safety Information - September 11, 2024 No. 181 In This Issue : Delta planes collide on taxiway at Atlanta airport (youtube video) + Delta plane collision witnesses recall what happened at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta international Airport : A Delta aircraft clipped the tail of another plane Tuesday morning at the Atlanta airport. : Air Force Test Pilot School begins transformation for Great Power Competition : FAA reveals more than $2bn in grants for US airports : A recent trend that I have noticed is creating a very efficient but unsafe situation (youtube video) : Links To A Missed Landing In The Snow, Part 3 [Links to Part 1 and 2 at the end of this article.] : Alaska Airlines invests in new world-class training facility to support flight attendants, pilots and more : Air travel has gotten more violent. Flight attendants want training to fight back. : How Flexjet Is Training Its Cabin Crew To Be Better Private Jet Hosts : Graduate Research Survey Delta planes collide on taxiway at Atlanta airport (youtube video) Delta plane collision witnesses recall what happened at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport By Pilar Arias Fox News Published September 11, 2024 8:36am EDT Video shows aftermath of plane collision at Atlanta airport Two planes operated by Delta Airlines collided on the tarmac at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. (Credit:@avi8ionaddict via Storyful) Those who witnessed two planes collide at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Tuesday are detailing what they saw. The two jets, one from Delta Air Lines and one from Delta-owned Endeavor Air, collided on a taxiway, with a larger plane knocking over the tail of a smaller regional jet. No injuries were reported, and the FAA will investigate what happened. "The Delta Airbus A350 was headed to Tokyo. The Endeavor Bombardier CRJ900 was headed to Lafayette, Louisiana," the agency said in a statement to Fox News Digital. VIDEO SHOWS DELTA PLANE'S TAIL SEVERED AFTER COLLISION WHILE TAXIING AT ATLANTA AIRPORT There were 221 passengers on the Airbus and 56 passengers on the regional jet, the Associated Press reported. "You know I just noticed that the tail on the RJ is missing," an air traffic controller said, according to audio archives maintained by LiveATC.net. "So Endeavor 5526, hold your position, and do you require any immediate assistance?" "No immediate assistance," a pilot answered back. "We'll need a tow, though." Delta said the wing of the larger plane was also damaged. DELTA, ENDEAVOR PLANES COLLIDE ON TARMAC AT HARTSFIELD-JACKSON ATLANTA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT Delta says "there have been no reported injuries at this time and customers are being transported back to the terminal where they will be reaccommodated on alternate flights." (WANF ) "I was on a different Delta plane when our pilot announced that we were going to have a short delay on the ramp," Greg Vojnovic told Fox News Digital in an email Wednesday morning. "The pilot said he wanted to tell us what was [happening] so we wouldn’t be alarmed by seeing emergency vehicles." "He said a larger plane clipped the tail of a smaller plane with its wing while taxiing. He wanted us all to know that no one was hurt. I appreciated that Delta wanted their passengers to know what was happening." Vojnovic also posted a picture of the planes on X. "Well, that was terrifying. Taxiing out for the flight from Atlanta to Louisiana and another plane appears to have clipped the back of our plane," WFTS Meteorologist Jason Adams posted on X. "Very jarring, metal scraping sounds then loud bangs. We’re fine. No fire or smoke." Delta later issued a second statement saying it has "worked with each customerv… to provide accommodation on alternate aircraft scheduled to depart Tuesday afternoon. We apologize to our customers for the experience." Back in August, a fatal incident happened at a maintenance facility in Delta's Technical Operations Center next to the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the airline said. Hartsfield-Jackson International ranked as the world's busiest airport for passenger volume in 2023, when it served more than 104.6 million travelers, according to a report by the Airports Council International in April. It has consistently held the top spot in recent years. Fox News' Louis Casiano, Greg Norman and the Associated Press contributed to this report. https://www.foxnews.com/us/delta-plane-collision-witnesses-recall-happened-hartsfield-jackson-atlanta-international-airport A Delta aircraft clipped the tail of another plane Tuesday morning at the Atlanta airport. By Minyvonne Burke and Jay Blackman The collision happened just after 10 a.m. at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport while Delta Flight 295 was taxiing for departure and struck Endeavor Air Flight 5526, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. Video taken at the airport appears to show the Endeavor plane with its tail hanging off its side. No injuries were reported, and maintenance crews are evaluating for damage, Delta Air Lines said. The Delta flight was headed to Tokyo and the Endeavor Air flight to Lafayette, Louisiana. Delta said it accommodated passengers on another flight that left Tuesday afternoon. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating. The collision comes weeks after a deadly incident at the same airport when a tire exploded at a Delta facility. Two employees were killed, and another was injured. There have also been near-collisions at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in recent months. In April, a JetBlue plane getting ready for takeoff almost hit a Southwest Airlines flight that air traffic control had cleared to cross the runway. A damaged Endeavor Air plane on the tarmac at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after a collision Tuesday.Nathan Pike / KSHB Moments before the collision, someone could be heard on radio traffic yelling for both planes to stop, according to the website LiveATC. A source familiar with the matter said at the time that the planes came within 1,000 feet of each other. The JetBlue plane had to abort takeoff, the airline said. A month later, there was another mishap at the airport when an American Airlines flight was cleared for takeoff while another plane had already been given instructions to land on a cross-runway. An air traffic controller canceled the takeoff clearance for the American plane "because another aircraft was cleared to land on an intersecting runway," according to the FAA, which launched an investigation. Last year, the FAA addressed concerns at a safety summit to assess whether changes are needed in how U.S. flights are regulated. The agency said it has "a goal of zero serious close calls," and it recently reported a 33% decrease in serious runway incursions in fiscal 2024 compared with 2023. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/delta-plane-clips-another-aircraft-appears-knock-tail-atlanta-airport-rcna170431 Air Force Test Pilot School begins transformation for Great Power Competition Published Sept. 9, 2024 EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFNS) -- On the cusp of its 80th anniversary, the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California, is undergoing a major transformation to better prepare Airmen and Guardians for the complex and rapidly evolving challenges of modern warfare. Highlighting the need to adapt to an era of Great Power Competition, TPS has introduced a new strategic plan to modernize its curriculum, enhance staff development, and expand research capabilities. The Air Force Test Pilot School Strategic Plan is inspired by Lt. Gen. Jimmy Doolittle, a pioneer in flight testing and a model for test leadership. Doolittle's dedication to innovation, critical thinking and leadership under adversity is a guiding principle for the school's future. (U.S. Air Force graphic) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res The strategic plan is inspired by Lt. Gen. Jimmy Doolittle, a pioneer in flight testing and a model for test leadership. Doolittle's dedication to innovation, critical thinking, and leadership under adversity is a guiding principle for the school's future. "We are proud to carry on the tradition of excellence that Lt. Gen. Doolittle exemplified," said Maj. Gen. Scott Cain, commander of the Air Force Test Center. "Our goal is to prepare our graduates to be the test leaders of tomorrow, capable of leading multidisciplinary teams and advancing new capabilities for our warfighters."The plan outlines a comprehensive roadmap that aligns the school’s mission with the broader goals of the Air Force Test Center. It emphasizes developing test leaders who are not only experts in their fields but also critical thinkers and innovators. "Our mission is to create leaders who can navigate the increasingly complex landscape of military testing and evaluation," said Col. James Valpiani, commandant of the Air Force Test Pilot School. "We are committed to equipping our graduates with the mindset, knowledge, and skills necessary to lead in an era defined by rapid technological change and great power competition." A sweeping modernization of the curriculum has already begun. As the military increasingly relies on big data, artificial intelligence and machine learning, TPS is updating its programs to ensure graduates are proficient in these areas. This includes adding courses in machine learning and test of data-driven control systems. TPS is working alongside leading industry and academic partners to familiarize students with the latest advances in technology and the challenges associated with testing at the technology frontier. This year also marks the first year-long student cohort dedicated specifically to space testing. On the cusp of its 80th anniversary, the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California, is undergoing a major transformation to better prepare Airmen and Guardians for the complex and rapidly evolving challenges of modern warfare. Highlighting the need to adapt to an era of Great Power Competition, TPS has introduced a new strategic plan to modernize its curriculum, enhance staff development and expand research capabilities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Harley Huntington) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Staff development is also being refined. The school has established a formal Test Instructor Course to leverage nearly 80 years of flight test knowledge, ensuring that faculty development remains top-notch. It has also implemented TPS Fellowships for instructors to immerse with teams such as NASA’s Johnson Space Center and DARPA to broaden their understanding of the test profession. "Our instructors are the backbone of the school, and we are investing in their continuous development to maintain the highest standards of educational excellence," Cain added. The strategic plan also underscores the importance of advancing test research, particularly in data-driven test applications. TPS is committed to expanding its research capabilities, focusing on developing novel test techniques, frameworks, and tools to address pressing challenges in the test community. Interagency partnerships, academic research, and private industry collaborations continue to grow as TPS advances the state-of-the-art in critical areas such as combat autonomy. By modernizing its curriculum for data-driven test, investing in formal faculty development, and advancing test research, TPS is ensuring its graduates are prepared to deliver the multidomain capabilities that warfighters need. "This strategic plan is our roadmap to the future," Valpiani said. "It reflects our commitment to preparing our graduates to effectively lead test teams in an era of unprecedented technological and strategic change."" https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3899627/air-force-test-pilot-school-begins-transformation-for-great-power-competition/ FAA reveals more than $2bn in grants for US airports The regulator said the funding round was the largest in its Airport Improvement Programme’s history. Noah Bovenizer September 9, 2024 The majority of the FAA’s funding will go towards runway improvement projects. Credit: EQRoy / Shutterstock. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has revealed more than $2bn in grants for airports across the country as the government continues a major investment programme into the national aviation infrastructure. The FAA’s funding consists of $1.9bn across 519 grants under the Airport Improvement Programme (AIP) and $269m for 62 projects under the AIP’s Supplemental Discretionary Grants fund from FY 2023 to FY 2025. Projects set to receive grants cover a range of issues, including airport safety, operational efficiency, noise reduction, and zero emissions projects such as the preparation for the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the grants would make “airports safer and more efficient for the passengers who travel through them and for the airport and airline employees who work tirelessly behind the scenes”. Some of the biggest grants included in the AIP funding round include $55m for the improvement of a runway a Tucson International in Arizona, $29m for the construction of zero-emission infrastructure at St Louis Lambert International in Missouri, and $42m for airport drainage and wildlife protection works at Deadhorse Airport in Alaska. Projects included under the AIP’s supplemental grants involve a $18m grant to San Francisco Bay Oakland International in California for safety works, a $14.3m grant for apron light replacement at Kahului Airport in Hawaii, and a $1.3m grant for Houma-Terrebonne Airport in Louisiana to install SAF infrastructure. We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below formBy GlobalDataSubmit In total, 581 grants have been approved through the AIP and its supplemental programme, covering hundreds of airports in 48 states, as well as US territories in Guam, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The funding round is the largest in the AIP’s history and also the first to include grants for the development of technologies aiming to reduce, remove or mitigate the impact of harmful chemicals from per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) substances such as the fire suppressant aqueous film-forming foam. AIP grants for projects focusing on the issue include $3.5m for the purchase and demonstration testing of three PFAS remediation technologies at San Luis Obispo County Airport in California and $1.2m for Nantucket Memorial Airport in Massachusetts to test hydrothermal alkaline treatment to treat PFAS contaminated water. The FAA’s announcement comes just shortly after it revealed another $636m in grants through the AIP last month, focusing on the modernisation of US airports. https://www.airport-technology.com/news/faa-reveals-2bn-grants-us-airports/?cf-view A recent trend that I have noticed is creating a very efficient but unsafe situation; runway separation. (youtube video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXY2gFn6cI0 Links To A Missed Landing In The Snow, Part 3 Ross Detwiler September 11, 2024 The left main landing gear of the jet lodged between the engine nacelle and the fuselage. Credit: NTSB There was a lack of administrative follow-up that may have factored in the missed landing of CommutAir Flight 4933 on March 4, 2019, at Maine's Presque Isle International Airport (PQI). About 36 hr. before the accident, a different flight crew noted the localizer misalignment while on approach to the airport. After landing, that crew reported the misalignment to a controller at the Air Route Traffic Control Center. The controller reported the localizer misalignment to FAA technical operations personnel, including the center’s operations manager-in-charge, who then informed the center’s National Airspace System (NAS) operations manager. FAA procedures stated that for reports of a navigational aid malfunction, air traffic control (ATC) personnel should request a report from a second aircraft. Because a second pilot report had not yet been received to confirm the localizer misalignment, the NAS operations manager did not act on the initial report about the misalignment. The accident flight was the first instrument flight rules flight to arrive at the airport after the initial report about the localizer misalignment. FAA procedures for ATC personnel also stated, “in the absence of a second aircraft report, activate the standby equipment or request the monitor facility to activate.” But the airport did not have an ATC tower, and air route traffic control centers, including the center involved, do not have the capability to activate standby equipment. Local airport personnel stated that they had no means to determine the alignment of the localizer signal and had to depend on pilot reports. The earlier misalignment report, however, was not provided to airport personnel. In addition, although FAA winter operations guidance contained specific criteria for the allowable snow depth around a glideslope antenna, the guidance did not specify similar information for the area around a localizer antenna array. FAA Revises Guidance After the accident, the FAA revised its winter operations guidance to state that snow around a localizer array could affect its radiated signal and that a snow accumulation level of 2 ft. was the point at which an FAA instrument landing system (ILS) specialist would need to monitor the condition of the localizer signal. This is a critical observation that we should all keep in mind. At least six pilots who flew into the accident airport during the five days before the accident (including the accident first officer) encountered issues with the ILS localizer. But none of those pilots submitted a company Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) report before the accident—although four of the pilots submitted an ASAP report after the accident. During a post-accident interview, the airline's managing director of safety stated that he did not know why the reports were not filed before the accident. According to the director of operations, a company flight data analyst reviewed ASAP reports “right away,” and the analyst provided time-critical information to the appropriate company managers and directors when necessary. Because the reports of the localizer misalignment were submitted after the accident, an opportunity was missed to make this information available to company pilots flying to the airport in question and employ strategies to mitigate any potential threat the misalignment posed. For example, the airline could have alerted those pilots to maintain a heightened awareness of the localizer alignment, restricted the use of the Runway 1 ILS approach to higher weather minimums, or prohibited the use of the approach. In addition, if the Air Route Traffic Control Center involved had received an earlier report of a localizer misalignment, center personnel would have had the opportunity to confirm that report with a second report or take another action to designate the approach as unusable until the localizer signal could be assessed for proper alignment. Probable Cause Finding The NTSB determined the probable cause of the accident to be the flight crew’s decision, due to confirmation bias, to continue the descent below the decision altitude when the runway had not been positively identified. Contributing to the accident were: (1) the first officer’s fatigue, which exacerbated his confirmation bias; and (2) the failure of pilots who had observed the localizer misalignment to report it to the company and ATC before the accident. The majority of this article referenced the NTSB report. I elaborated on the safety board’s findings by further breaking down the links in the chain of events. In my opinion, the link that forged an unbreakable chain was the continued descent below minimums. If that had not occurred, the event could not have happened. The rest of the links were additive, but this is the link that caused the accident. I am always sure to express that none of my opinions are anything other than that—opinions. Any accident or incident is worth discussing regardless of whether we know the cause of it. I feel free to discuss findings whether substantiated or not. A conjecture of “maybe this happened” might be a thought that prevents a future unbreakable link. To read Links To A Missed Approach Into The Snow, Part 1, click here. To read Links To A Missed Approach Into The Snow, Part 2, click here. https://aviationweek.com/business-aviation/safety-ops-regulation/links-missed-landing-snow-part-3 Alaska Airlines invests in new world-class training facility to support flight attendants, pilots and more A new future for Alaska Airlines’ employees and their careers begins today with the purchase of a facility that will become home to the airline’s world-class training programs. The new training hub will enhance the training experience for flight attendants, pilots, customer service agents and more, as well as centralize operations into one facility. Conceptual rendering of the new training facility. Credit: NBBJ Our remarkable operations team members will, for the first time in our history, all come together and train under one roof,” said Constance von Muehlen, chief operating officer at Alaska Airlines. “We’re excited to build on Alaska Airlines’ culture of safety, performance and care in this purposefully-designed space worthy of our frontline team’s contributions to every guest and every flight.” New world-class training facility Alaska already houses nine full-motion flight simulators in the facility and has plans to add a tenth in the next few years. In addition to simulators, the new space will include a mock aircraft for inflight simulations, classrooms, an auditorium, a production studio and significant office space. The property is part of Longacres, which Unico Properties purchased from Boeing in December 2021 and which housed Boeing Commercial Airplane HQ in prior years. Located at 1901 Oakesdale Ave. S.W., Longacres is a 173-acre campus that is being planned for a vibrant, diversified, mixed-use campus that includes an Arts and Entertainment District, miles of walking and jogging trails, ponds and scenic wetlands, and direct access to the Renton/Tukwila Sound Transit Station. Alaska Airlines has purchased the 19-acre property from Unico Properties for $85.75 million, which includes the 600,000-square-foot facility that Boeing purposefully built to house an aviation training facility. Alaska plans to invest an additional $100 million to renovate the space. “This major commitment by Alaska alongside the significant investment made by the Sounders in opening its new training facility earlier this year, has created significant momentum for the mixed-use campus. Given these events, Renton is a bright spot in the region and we’re excited to build upon these announcements to bring other beloved Northwest brands to our exciting new community,” said Liz Thorson, Unico Properties Director, Market Leader. “We’re pleased to have secured in excess of 670,000 square feet of occupancy since acquiring the property in a difficult office environment throughout the country.” We’re thrilled to invest in our Puget Sound home,” said Shane Jones, senior vice president of fleet, revenue products and real estate at Alaska Airlines. “The growth opportunity this purchase provides us cannot be overstated, and it really feels like a perfect match. Having access to a facility that was purpose built for aviation training that we then get to customize was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up. As Longacres continues to be built out, our employees will have access to amenities that will truly make this a world class training experience.” Conceptual rendering of the new training facility. Credit: NBBJ While pilots already train on the campus using the existing simulators, other employee groups will begin moving into the facility following renovations towards the end of 2025. “It is great to see this special 173-acre campus come to life with the opening of the Sounders FC practice facility and now the thousands of Alaska Airlines employees that will frequent the site,” said Ned Carner, Founder Wing Point Partners who worked with Unico to facilitate the sale. “We are one step closer to achieving our goal of an active campus that seamlessly brings the community to work, live, and recreate together.” https://news.alaskaair.com/company/alaska-airlines-invests-in-new-world-class-training-facility-to-support-flight-attendants-pilots-and-more/ Air travel has gotten more violent. Flight attendants want training to fight back. Unions for flight attendants have been pursuing a self-defense training mandate for years. By Irie Sentner 08/20/2023 07:00 AM EDT The Covid era’s surge in air rage incidents is aiding flight attendants’ demand for a benefit they’ve been seeking since 9/11 — legally mandated self-defense training. A provision in a major Senate aviation policy bill would require airlines to train flight attendants to “subdue and restrain” an attacker and defend themselves against weapons. The proposal comes after an unprecedented upswing in confrontations with unruly air passengers since 2020, which have forced flight crews to contend with everything from near-stabbings to broken teeth. “Obviously the last three years have given us ample reasons for why self defense is an important part of training for flight attendants,” said Taylor Garland, a spokesperson for the Association of Flight Attendants, a union that has pushed for the training mandate. Airlines in the past have argued that the costs of federal security mandates, including additional training, should fall on the government rather than private enterprise. The major U.S. airlines and their main trade group did not comment when asked their positions on the current Senate language. “The airlines were always loath to pay for it,” said former Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), who chaired the House Transportation Committee until early this year and led its aviation panel in 2001. DeFazio is now senior strategic advisor to lobbying firm Summit Strategies, though he has said he has no plans to register as a lobbyist. He called airline opposition to paid self-defense training “irresponsible,” saying that “giving the training — particularly given the uptick of incidents — could be very, very useful and potentially avoid an incident at some point that could be catastrophic.” Airlines for America, a trade group representing most major commercial airlines, said in a statement that “safety and security of passengers and employees is the top priority.” The group did not answer directly when asked if it supports or opposes the updated flight crew training requirement as written in the Senate bill. The group said its members “train their crew members and other frontline employees in de-escalation techniques so that self-defense is used as a last resort,” and noted that its airlines “have partnered” with the Transportation Security Administration in support of an optional self-defense training course “for many years.” United Airlines declined to comment. Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines directed POLITICO to Airlines For America. Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines did not respond to requests for comment. Flight attendants want more robust training — and airlines to pay for it Existing law already requires airlines to train their flight crews, including on self defense. But some flight attendants say the current requirement, as written, allows too much room for interpretation. For instance, the law says airlines must train flight crews in “appropriate responses to defend oneself” and “situational training exercises regarding various threat conditions.” The Senate bill, S. 1939, would make that language more precise, mandating training to defend against “an edged or contact weapon” and “methods to subdue and restrain an active attacker.” Unions for flight attendants have been pursuing this kind of mandate for years. Testifying in 2005 before the Senate Commerce Committee, the Association of Flight Attendants’ then-president, Patricia Friend, said cabin crews hadn’t gotten “appropriate and effective self-defense training at even a basic level, let alone any advanced levels” that would help them deal with weapons like scissors or screwdrivers. “Such training must be mandatory for all commercial flight attendants and pilots,” she said. The House’s version of the aviation bill, H.R. 3935, doesn’t go that far: It calls for the creation of a task force “to develop voluntary standards and best practices” for flight crews’ response to unruly passengers, but does not include specific changes to self-defense training. It also would require airlines to provide flight crew who want to participate in TSA training with “a process through which” they can “obtain reasonable accommodations.” There’s no guarantee that the language in the Senate bill will survive an eventual negotiation between the two chambers. In addition to the existing training requirements, the TSA offers flight crew members a free four-hour advanced training course, but people who want to take advantage of it might have to travel and take time off work. “It requires a lot of dedication, time and possibly money for flight attendants to actually get to take this training,” Garland said. Cher Taylor, a flight attendant for a low-cost airline who asked POLITICO not to identify her employer, said she returned to work as Covid’s worst was easing and soon after experienced a racially motivated midair fight between two passengers. She wasn’t harmed, but said the incident inspired her to learn how to defend herself. “When you think about self defense training, you think about the situations that we’re faced with — even verbal disagreements,” Taylor said in an interview. “It’s difficult, and I honestly feel like flight attendants — we need it.” Taylor said she’s aware of the TSA training but has had trouble aligning her schedule and location with those classes. “We can plan to be off, they don’t offer the class. And then the class is offered when we’re all at work,” Taylor said. “So having this [mandated] would mean the world to us, because it would allow time and it would force the airline industry to pay for us to take the training to make sure that we’re equipped with the tools that we need to defend ourselves.” The issue isn’t just theoretical. Nearly 20 percent of respondents to a 2021 Association of Flight Attendants survey said they had experienced a physical incident with an unruly passenger. Air rage incidents reached a new high in 2021, when the FAA received nearly 6,000 “unruly passenger” reports, a 492 percent increase from the year before, according to agency data. Though the number dropped by more than half in 2022, the FAA initiated 831 investigations of air rage episodes and 567 “enforcement actions” that year, doling out $8.4 million in fines. Globally, one unruly passenger incident occurred for each 568 flights in 2022, according to the International Air Transport Association. Biden’s Justice Department puts unruly airline passengers on notice By Oriana Pawlyk | November 24, 2021 05:27 PM Though the trend line seems to be flattening, this year has already seen 1,177 reports of unruly passengers on U.S. flights as of Aug. 6, according to FAA data, surpassing totals for every year from 2017 through 2020. “Ever since Covid and masks, there has been a big uptick in incidents of air rage,” DeFazio said. “And the flight attendants are generally the target, or they’re the ones who are supposed to somehow control it or stop it, and many times passengers are pitching in.” Senate Commerce Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), who introduced the Senate’s aviation bill, did not respond to a request for comment on the self-defense provision. But she has pushed the federal government to punish unruly passengers and take other steps to dissuade their behavior. Commerce ranking member Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who chairs the aviation subcommittee, declined to comment on the issue. A fight since 2001 After hijackers armed with knives and box-cutters launched the deadly terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, lawmakers enacted the bill that created the TSA. The idea of teaching self-defense to flight attendants — the first line of defense against passenger misdeeds — originated in that legislation, which President George W. Bush signed in November 2001. The law established a working group tasked with creating guidelines on security training for flight crew members. In 2002, Congress created the Homeland Security Department, into which the TSA was folded. Language in that bill directed the TSA to “require both classroom and effective hands-on situational training in specified elements of self-defense.” That was when the airline industry began to push back, according to the Association of Flight Attendants and a former Senate Commerce Committee staffer involved with those negotiations, who was granted anonymity to discuss internal conversations at the time. “The airlines were not making any money, and anything that was viewed as spending more money, they weren’t very excited about,” the former staffer said. In October 2002, as airlines were reeling from the attacks of the prior year, Leo Mullin, then CEO and Chairman of Delta Air Lines, testified about the heavy price the airline industry had paid for federal security mandates, which he said at that time cost the industry roughly $4 billion. “Four billion dollars is a staggering amount for any industry to absorb — and, indeed, no other private sector has been asked to finance national security costs,” he testified at the time. He added that pending legislation “to arm pilots and provide self-defense training to flight crews could create large new unfunded mandates.” Delta did not comment on Mullin’s 2002 testimony or its position on the language in the Senate bill, and instead directed POLITICO to Airlines For America. In 2003, early language in a bill that reauthorized the FAA would have mandated advanced self-defense training, the Association of Flight Attendants’ Garland said. But by the time the bill became law, it had been changed to voluntary. In 2004, TSA created a free, optional advanced self-defense training course for flight crews. The agency holds it in 24 locations across the United States. The program has had its critics. Shortly after it was created, a Government Accountability Office report identified “concerns about the training design and delivery, such as the lack of recurrent training and the lack of a realistic training environment,” as well as the absence of performance measures to evaluate the program’s effectiveness. More than 29,000 flight crew members have taken the training, according to TSA data. From fiscal years 2005 through 2017, annual attendance ranged from about 500 to a maximum of about 1,700 in fiscal 2010. In the 2018 fiscal year, enrollment jumped to nearly 3,000. Enrollment reached all-time records in 2022 and 2023, with more than 4,700 crew members attending the training in fiscal 2023. A TSA spokesperson said in a statement that the agency has “consistently worked to make” the training “accessible to the crew member community.” But DeFazio said the training has to be on the crew members’ “own time and on their own dime … which I think is very problematic.” https://www.politico.com/news/2023/08/20/flight-attendants-training-union-00111864 How Flexjet Is Training Its Cabin Crew To Be Better Private Jet Hosts By Dr. Omar Memon Published Nov 24, 2023 One of the largest fractional jet companies, Flexjet, has launched the Red Label Academy, a global training academy to train private jet cabin crew. The specialized training program at the academy allows business jet cabin crew to learn and acquire 5-star hospitality standards. The training curriculum is designed to create better hosts, serving the private aviation community safely and hospitably. This article explores salient features of the training program and how it enables the skill development of private and business aviation cabin crew. The Red Label Academy The Red Label Academy, a Flexjet initiative, is a global training program providing 5-star hospitality knowledge and training to US and European Cabin Servers. Candidates are trained by experts in the field who ensure the candidates receive mastery in private aviation service. The company aims to let its existing team of over 130 cabin crew undergo the training to sharpen their skills and polish their understanding of private aviation hospitality. Recruits are also welcomed and may be enrolled into an extended program, covering all critical fundamentals of the job. The Vice President of Customer Experience at Flexjet, Francesco Vanerio, leads the training program, sharing his extensive 5-star hospitality sector experience. During the program, cabin crew learning modules include mixology, wine serving, floristry, and sushi presentation. The Chief Experience Officer at Flexjet, Megan Wolf, expressed her excitement about the training academy and the existing program by stating, “Our fantastic cabin servers embody our unique Red Label ethos and are the frontline of our aircraft owners’ experience of Flexjet. We are proud and delighted to open this world-class training facility and programme, which sets us apart in the industry in terms of refinement and attention to detail. The new standards in cabin experience have now been elevated to match that of a top European five-star hotel.” The Red Label by Flexjet The Red Label by Flexjet has long been known for its distinctive methods for flight crew operations. Flight crews are generally dedicated to one specific aircraft, allowing them to be very comfortable with the jet's unique features and custom interior cabin configuration. The Red Label Academy will further reinforce the differentiating factor by allowing cabin crew members to bring extraordinary cabin experiences for customers. Interested in similar technical content? Check out our complete guides section. Moreover, the company aims to keep the training of its employees in-house to provide a standardized curriculum and skill development to its trainees. According to Megan Wolf, “While other private aviation providers use third parties to train their cabin servers, Flexjet is creating a new standard. By opening new infrastructure specifically dedicated to excellence training and curating professionals in the hospitality industry to teach alongside our in-house team, we have set a new standard in cabin experience. No one else in the industry is doing this.” Also read Explained: Why Private Jet Cabin Crew Might Be Completely Untrained Catering to the nature of the private aviation world, this training program focuses on personalized care of all passengers and attention to detail in all service areas. From etiquette and body language to behavior and hospitality, cabin crew must assess customers' needs at any given occasion and provide extraordinary service at all times. What are your thoughts on Flexjet's new Red Label Academy? Share your opinion in the comments section.\ https://simpleflying.com/flexjet-red-label-academy-cabin-crew-training/ Graduate Research Survey I am a former United States Air Force aviator with over 30 years of flying experience, now pursuing a Ph.D. in Aviation at Saint Louis University. My research focuses on Human Factors, particularly sleep and fatigue. My journey in aviation has been defined by a commitment to excellence, service before self, and integrity towards a greater good. For my dissertation, I am studying pilots' likelihood to report sleep disorders in Part 121 commercial aviation operations—a critical issue affecting both pilot health and aviation safety. My Research This anonymous survey is designed to be completed in 10-12 minutes and aims to build a predictive model to better understand situational factors influencing pilots' reporting behaviors. Your participation could contribute to long-term safety improvements in the aviation industry, including enhanced fatigue countermeasures and better sleep disorder screening. The survey is entirely confidential, with no way to trace responses back to individuals, and has been approved by the Saint Louis University Institutional Review Board (IRB). Thank you for considering taking part in this important research. Survey Link: https://slu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_agHdxCbY0E1D3Ho CALENDAR OF EVENTS • Asia Pacific Airline Training Symposium - APATS 2024, 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 • Safety is not a Secret - September 27-28, 2024 - Seminar, JUNGLE AVIATION AND RELAY SERVICE • 2024 ISASI - Lisbon, Portugal - September 30 to October 4, 2024 • DEFENCE AVIATION SAFETY 2024 - 2 OCTOBER - 3 OCTOBER 2024 - LONDON • 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 • Safeskies Australia Conference, Canberra Australia - 16th and 17th of October 2024 - www.safeskiesaustralia.org • 2024 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition - Oct. 22-24 (Vegas) • 2024 CHC Safety & Quality Summit – November 12-14, 2024, Vancouver, BC, Canada • Sixth Edition of International Accident Investigation Forum, 21 to 23 May 2025, Singapore Curt Lewis