Flight Safety Information - October 9, 2024 No. 201 In This Issue : Incident: TUIfly B738 at Heraklion on Oct 7th 2024, unusual runway contact : Incident: Sunexpress B38M at Izmir on Oct 4th 2024, jammed elevator : US FAA issues safety alert over Boeing 737 rudder issue : Turkish Airlines pilot dies mid-flight, forcing emergency landing in New York : FAA investigation finds that helicopter hit wire before crashing in KY, killing 3 crew members : NTSB Releases Report On Recent Delta Aircraft Collision At Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport : Over 5,000 firearms stopped in U.S. airports in 2024 : Boeing delivers 33 jets in September as strike weighs on output : Months Before Ethiopian Crash, Boeing Turned Aside Carrier’s Questions : Long-awaited FAA rule removes CFI expiration : Calendar of Events Incident: TUIfly B738 at Heraklion on Oct 7th 2024, unusual runway contact A TUIfly Boeing 737-800, registration D-ATUF performing flight X3-4106 from Hanover (Germany) to Heraklion (Greece), landed on Heraklion's runway 27 but had an unusual runway contact. The aircraft rolled out without further incident and taxied to the apron. The aircraft departed for its return flight X3-4107 on schedule, but remained on the ground in Hanover an hour longer than planned and therefore reached its following destination with a delay of about one hour. On Oct 9th 2024 the airline stated that the wing or parts of the wing did not contact the runway surface at any time. https://avherald.com/h?article=51eae1eb&opt=0 Incident: Sunexpress B38M at Izmir on Oct 4th 2024, jammed elevator A Sunexpress Boeing 737-8 MAX, registration TC-SMD performing flight XQ-9282 from Izmir to Diyarbakir (Turkey), was climbing out of Izmir's runway 16L when the crew stopped the climb at FL120 reporting control issues. The aircraft entered a hold and subsequently returned to Izmir for a safe landing on runway 16L about 65 minutes after departure. A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration TC-SEI reached Diyarbakir with a delay of about 3.5 hours. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Izmir about 77 hours (3 days 5 hours) later. According to information The Aviation Herald received the elevator was jammed. The airline reported the elevator was not jammed but restricted stating, that this makes an important difference. https://avherald.com/h?article=51ea9729&opt=0 US FAA issues safety alert over Boeing 737 rudder issue WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Federal Aviation Administration said on Tuesday it issued a safety alert to airlines warning of the potential for limited or jammed rudder movement on certain Boeing 737 airplanes after a safety official urged the agency to take action. The National Transportation Safety Board on Sept. 26 issued urgent safety recommendations to Boeing and the FAA after investigating the potential for rudder issues in some 737 planes, which prompted the FAA to convene a corrective action review board. The NTSB recommendation came as they investigate a February incident involving a United Airlines flight. The safety alert directs pilots and airline operators to review Boeing's procedure for responding to a jammed rudder. The FAA said it will collect data as a result of the recommended check and investigation but does not plan to propose a directive that would require airlines to replace the parts that can stick. Last week, the NTSB said more than 40 foreign operators of Boeing 737 airplanes may be using 737 or 737 Next Generation planes with rudder components that could pose safety risks. The FAA said the alert provides information on an existing automated check of the rudder system "that would identify limited or jammed rudder movement during approach prior to landing" and said airlines should warn pilots the rudder "could potentially become jammed or restricted in flight or during landing due to moisture that could accumulate and freeze." The NTSB said 271 impacted parts may be installed on aircraft in service operated by at least 40 foreign air carriers as well as 16 that may still be installed on U.S.-registered aircraft and up to 75 may have been used in aftermarket installation. Boeing in August informed affected 737 operators of a "potential condition with the rudder rollout guidance actuator" in what is known as a Multi Operator Message. Boeing said on Tuesday it continues to work under the oversight of regulators and has "reminded operators of the proper actions that flight crews should take if they encounter rudder restriction." The NTSB is investigating an incident in February in which the rudder pedals on a United 737 MAX 8 were stuck in the neutral position during a landing at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. There were no injuries to the 161 passengers and crew. United said last month the rudder control parts at issue were in use in only nine of its 737 aircraft originally built for other airlines and that the components were all removed earlier this year. The FAA disclosed on Tuesday that in March, an Aeromexico Boeing 737 MAX experienced a rudder pedal restriction accompanied by a noticeable sound and sensation in the flight deck. Aeromexico did not immediately comment. The NTSB earlier criticized Boeing for failing to inform United the 737s it received were equipped with actuators "mechanically connected to the rudder control system" and expressed concerns other airlines were unaware of their presence. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/us-faa-issues-safety-alert-145618829.html Turkish Airlines pilot dies mid-flight, forcing emergency landing in New York A Turkish Airlines pilot died after collapsing mid-flight, forcing the Turkish national carrier to make an emergency landing in New York, the airline said Wednesday. The incident occurred after the plane took off from Seattle on Tuesday evening, airline spokesman Yahya Ustun wrote on social media. "The pilot of our Airbus 350... flight TK204 from Seattle to Istanbul collapsed during the flight," he wrote. "After an unsuccessful attempt to give first aid, the flight crew of another pilot and a co-pilot decided to make an emergency landing, but he died before landing." A map posted by flight tracking data company FlightAware appears to show the plane flying over northern Canada before diverting south toward New York. The 59-year-old pilot, who had worked for Turkish Airlines since 2007, had passed a medical examination in March, during which there was no indication of any health problems, Ustun wrote. "We wish God's mercy upon our captain and patience to his grieving family, all his colleagues and loved ones," he said. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/turkish-airlines-pilot-dies-mid-flight-emergency-landing-new-york/ FAA investigation finds that helicopter hit wire before crashing in KY, killing 3 crew members During a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, an officials with the NTSB provided updates regarding the medical helicopter crash in Owenton, Kentucky that killed three crew members while they were enroute to pick up a patient. Senior Air Safety Investigator with NTSB, Brian Rayner reported that the guy-wire that the helicopter hit is a "known hazard." The pilot, according to Rayner, was reportedly circling the area until the equipment and the patient were ready to be picked up in the landing zone. Rayner noted that authorities continue to search for the rotor blade and that one blade is damaged, however, still intact. A non-profit organization in Kentucky called Supporting Shields announced that they have launched a t-shirt fundraiser to support the families of the three crew members who were killed in a medical helicopter crash in Owenton on Monday. The Federal Aviation Administration reported that the medical helicopter that crashed in Owenton on Monday that left three crew members dead reportedly hit a wire before crashing. In addition, Governor Andy Beshear responded to the crash stating on Facebook, "Heartbreaking news last night out of Owen County, where a fatal helicopter crash took the lives of three crew members from Air Evac Lifeteam. Please join Britainy and me in praying for the families, loved ones and colleagues of those lost in this tragedy." The Kentucky State Police reported that the three crew members who died in the helicopter crash on Monday in Owenton, Kentucky, have been identified by the Owen County Coroner. KSP reported that Gale Alleman, Bethany Aicken, and James Welsh were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. KSP Post 5 is reportedly conducting the death investigation while the NTSB and the FAA are investigating the helicopter crash. Air Evac Lifeteam confirmed in a statement that three crew members died in a helicopter accident in Owenton, Kentucky on Monday evening, enroute to pick up a patient. Officials reported that the Air Evac 133 team out of Grant County were on their way to a scene to pick up a patient before the crash occurred. "Our primary focus now is on supporting the families who were impacted as well as our team members," the statement read. "Critical incident stress management teams have been sent to assist our team members during this difficult time." The statement noted that at this time, the names of the crew members who died in the crash will not be released. The Scott County Fire Department also released a statement regarding the crash, noting that they have worked closely with members of the Grant County team. Original Story: Authorities have responded to the scene of a reported fatal helicopter crash near Owen County, Kentucky on Monday evening. The Owen County Coroner confirmed the "crash with fatalities" occurred on Monday. The FAA website reported that three people were on board of the Bell 206 helicopter that crashed. It is unknown at this time the number of fatalities. In addition, the FAA reported that the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash. https://www.lex18.com/news/covering-kentucky/authorities-responding-to-helicopter-crash-in-kentucky-report NTSB Releases Report On Recent Delta Aircraft Collision At Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport Delta's damaged CRJ900Photo: Atlanta Airside Operations via NTSB The National Transportation Safety Board has released its preliminary report on the ground collision between two Delta Air Lines aircraft at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport last month. While there’s some time before the final report comes out, the initial findings reveal key details about the series of events that preceded the incident. The incident On the morning of September 10, a Delta Air Lines Airbus A350 and a Delta CRJ-900 regional jet aircraft were involved in a ground collision. The widebody aircraft sustained minor damage to one of its wings, but the regional aircraft had its tail section ripped off, as seen in images and videos circulated widely on social media. Naturally, an incident like this attracts regulatory attention and investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board ( NTSB) has now released its preliminary findings that shed some light on what happened that day. Collision while taxiing The incident took place at about 10:07 on September 10 when a Delta Airbus A350-941, N503DN, collided with a CRJ-900, N302PQ, of Endeavor Air (operating for Delta Connection). The widebody jet was preparing to depart for Tokyo Haneda as flight 295, while the smaller regional jet was waiting for its takeoff clearance to fly to Lafayette Regional Airport, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, as flight 5526. The NTSB’s report says, “The CRJ was holding short of runway 8R on taxiway H waiting for takeoff clearance, and the A350 was taxiing along intersecting taxiway E. As the A350 passed behind the CRJ, where the taxiways intersected, the right wingtip of the A350 impacted the vertical stabilizer of the CRJ, which resulted in substantial damage to the empennage of the CRJ and minor damage to the A350.” After pushback, the A350 was given instructions that eventually led it to taxiway E, where ground control instructed the flight crew to have the airplane follow the CRJ on taxiway E and switch to tower frequency. The widebody jet's flight crew observed the navigational alert message, “NAV GNSS-2,” on the lower electronic centralized aircraft monitor and informed ATC that they would need to coordinate with maintenance before departure. The ATC then instructed them to continue straight ahead on taxiway E as able and hold short of taxiway V to fix the issue. The captain of the A350 explained that he was “looking straight ahead and to the left to avoid the left wingtip from impinging on opposite direction traffic coming off taxiway V.” But just then, the right wingtip of the A350 impacted the vertical stabilizer of the CRJ. CRJ900 was 56 feet behind the hold short line The NTSB’s report states that CRJ was stationary, and the A350 was taxiing at a groundspeed of about 12 knots. In both jets, the captain was the pilot flying and the first officer was the pilot monitoring. The report states that during the collision, “the CRJ sustained lateral accelerations of 0.5 G left followed by 0.55 G right, and the CRJ’s heading was rotated about 9° clockwise.” A final report is awaited for this, which will give a conclusive decision about how this incident happened and steps to prevent something like this from happening again. https://simpleflying.com/ntsb-releases-report-delta-aircraft-collision-atlanta-airport/ Over 5,000 firearms stopped in U.S. airports in 2024 Firearms, fireworks, razor blades, knives, slingshots and much more are banned at airports across the nation, but just how many does security catch? INDIANAPOLIS — Firearms, fireworks, razor blades, knives, slingshots and much more are banned at airports across the nation, but just how many does security detect despite all the rules and regulations? In the first nine months of 2024, the Transportation Security Administration stopped over 5,000 firearms at airport security checkpoints across the country. Sixty-two of those firearms were taken at the Indianapolis International Airport. While the number is a cause for concern for airports in the U.S., the most recent quarter shows that it is down from 8.1 firearms per one million passengers to 7.5 firearms found per one million passengers, according to TSA. “TSA is committed to keeping travelers, our officers, and airport employees safe, and the number of firearms being discovered at airport security checkpoints remains a significant challenge,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said. “Passengers who travel with a firearm must store it unloaded in a locked, hard-sided case, place it in their checked bag, and declare it to the airline at the airline ticket counter. We cannot stress enough the importance of ensuring firearms are secured properly in the passenger’s checked bag and never brought to the security checkpoint.” TSA is reminding travelers to learn the proper packing procedures for their firearms before heading to the airport. Passengers may fly with a firearm, but it must be: Secured in their checked baggage. Packed unloaded. Locked in a hard-sided case. Declared to the airline when checking the bag at the airline ticket counter. If a passenger brings a firearm to a security checkpoint on them or in their carry-on luggage, TSA contacts local law enforcement to safely take possession of the firearm. https://www.wthr.com/article/travel/62-firearms-indianapolis-airport-security-checkpoints-so-far-this-year-travel-news/531-8ff690c6-55d3-4e19-92ed-827980825e84 Boeing delivers 33 jets in September as strike weighs on output (Reuters) - Boeing said on Tuesday it delivered 33 jets in September, down from 40 plane deliveries in August, as a strike mid-month by around 33,000 U.S. West Coast factory workers weighs on output. Boeing's September deliveries were up by six jets from the same month in 2023, when the U.S. planemaker handed over fewer of its strong-selling 737 MAX planes to customers as it struggled with work needed to correct a manufacturing defect. The strike, which started on Sept 13, has halted production of the MAX, along with Boeing's 777 and 767 widebody jets, hitting a revenue-driver at a time when the company was already struggling with lower narrowbody production due to a quality crisis and weak margins in its defense business. Boeing handed over 27 MAX jets to customers last month, including five to United Airlines, and three each to customers Ryanair, and Southwest Airlines, whose CEOs have expressed concern over lower deliveries. Investors closely watch delivery numbers, as airplane makers receive the majority of payment for a jet when it is transferred to a customer. Boeing has said it expects a reduction in deliveries going forward due to the strike. Boeing also booked 65 gross orders during September, including 54 737 MAXs and 11 777 freighters for unidentified customers. On September 19, China Development Bank Financial Leasing said its aircraft leasing unit would order 50 Boeing MAX jets. Boeing's gross order total so far this year through Sept 30 rose to 315. After removing cancellations and conversions, Boeing posted a net total of 272 orders since the start of 2024. Following further accounting adjustments, Boeing reported adjusted net orders of 121 airplanes so far this year. Year-to-date through September 30, Boeing delivered 291 airplanes, including 225 MAX jets. https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/boeing-delivers-33-jets-september-150140417.html Months Before Ethiopian Crash, Boeing Turned Aside Carrier’s Questions Ethiopian Airlines appeared to foresee the deadly confusion its pilots would face if flawed software in the Boeing 737 Max failed. Boeing chose not to provide the guidance that the carrier was seeking. In late 2018, Ethiopian Airlines’ chief pilot sent an urgent message to Boeing, the manufacturer of the 737 Max airliner. Barely a month earlier, a 737 Max operated by Lion Air of Indonesia had plunged into the sea, killing everyone on board. The cause appeared to be a problem with the plane’s flight control system. The Ethiopian carrier also flew the 737 Max, and the chief pilot wanted more information from Boeing about the emergency procedures to follow if the same problem that doomed the Lion Air flight should recur. At the time, Boeing was providing detailed briefings to pilots in the United States who were asking the same types of questions about how to respond. But Boeing chose not to answer the Ethiopian pilot’s questions beyond referring him to a public document it had already issued after the Lion Air crash. Boeing said in its response that it was prohibited from giving additional information because it was providing technical support to Indonesian authorities investigating that crash. Instead, Boeing briefly summarized the document, which is dated Nov. 6, 2018, and is called an operations manual bulletin, according to email exchanges between the chief pilot and Boeing made public after The New York Times initiated legal action to unseal filings in a related criminal case. Three months after the request by Ethiopian Airlines, one of its 737 Max’s nose-dived into the ground after takeoff from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, killing all 157 people on board. The main cause was found to be the same flawed flight control system responsible for the Lion Air flight crash, a failure that presented the Ethiopian Airlines pilots with the very same kinds of life-or-death decisions about how to respond that the chief pilot had asked about months earlier. While it is unclear whether the Ethiopian Airlines pilots could have avoided crashing had Boeing provided a more detailed response, aviation experts said the lack of additional information most likely contributed to the inability of the pilots to pull themselves out of a fatal nosedive once the flight control software system malfunctioned. “Who knows what they would have done with the information, but not having it seals the deal,” said Dennis Tajer, a spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association, which represents American Airlines pilots. “Any information given to the Ethiopian pilots, like we had, could have made the difference between life and death,” said Mr. Tajer, who is also a pilot who flies the 737 Max and another 737 model. After the Lion Air crash, Boeing executives sought out U.S. pilots to brief them on topics that were not discussed with the Ethiopian pilots, including long-term strategies for improving flight safety, a recording of the briefing shows. The briefing for American pilots included a detailed explanation of the flight control system that failed, known as MCAS. Boeing executives touched on its operational role and spoke about technical issues vital to pilots, including how the system interacts with the angle-of-attack data, or the angle at which the wind strikes the wing. They aimed to enhance pilots’ comprehension of the system and to underscore the system’s complexity. The company’s representatives highlighted efforts to address and clarify what they called misunderstandings related to MCAS. They pushed for training that would extend beyond routine checklists, focusing instead on equipping pilots with a thorough understanding of system behaviors and potential failures. Despite the constraints Boeing described in the response to the Ethiopian chief pilot, Boeing officials discussed numerous details of the Lion Air crash. According to the email exchange with Ethiopian Airlines around the same time, the chief pilot happened to be seeking guidance similar to what was shared in the briefing. A few days after attending a teleconference Boeing held for all users of the 737 Max, or a fleet call, the pilot emailed to ask what to prioritize in the event of multiple emergencies involving MCAS and angle-of-attack data. Such emergencies could overwhelm pilots with caution lights, audible sounds and seemingly conflicting warnings. Mr. Tajer, who attended the meeting Boeing held with American pilots and who put several questions to Boeing representatives himself, said: “Our meeting with Boeing covered the same questions that the Ethiopian pilots were asking. It’s clear that they had the same questions we had but did not get the answers that we got from Boeing.” The emails obtained by The Times are being used by families of the victims of the crash as they pressure the Justice Department to take a harder line with Boeing over its culpability and to convince a federal judge to not accept a plea agreement reached between the company and federal prosecutors. And the emails support some of the conclusions of an investigation by the Ethiopian government into the crash. The Ethiopian report, released in December 2022, found that if Boeing had provided more information to the carrier’s pilots about how to respond in the event of a software malfunction, they might have been able to regain control of the aircraft. “The investigation found the questions raised by the airline to be safety critical, and if Boeing had answered the questions raised by the training department either directly or indirectly,” the report said, the outcome might have been different. The Ethiopian investigators also had access to the emails between the chief pilot and Boeing and included them in their report. But Boeing’s unwillingness to provide the airline with more detailed guidance went largely unnoticed at the time. The Justice Department investigated Boeing’s role in both the Lion Air and the Ethiopian Airlines crashes. It learned of the emails before reaching a 2021 deal that allowed Boeing to avoid criminal prosecution, a person familiar with the investigation said. The 2021 deal required that Boeing pay more than $2.5 billion to resolve a criminal charge of conspiring to defraud the federal government, specifically the Federal Aviation Administration. The terms of the 2021 settlement also required Boeing to abstain from any misconduct for three years. The emails — which were not made available to congressional investigators in the United States and only came to the attention of some families of those killed in the crash last year — are now part of an effort by the families to block the plea deal. The families argue that the agreement does not do enough to hold Boeing and its executives responsible for the crashes or to address what they see as deep-rooted problems in Boeing culture and operations that are leaving air travelers at risk. The Justice Department will defend its proposed criminal plea agreement with Boeing on Friday in front of a federal judge in Texas. The judge is set to hear argument from all parties before deciding whether to accept the agreement. The emails stand in sharp contrast to Boeing’s initial efforts to suggest that the Ethiopian crash was partly the result of pilot error. “We will never forget the lives lost on these flights and their loved ones,” Boeing said in a statement in response to questions about the emails. “Their memory and the hard lessons we learned from these accidents drive us every day to uphold our responsibility to all who depend on the safety and quality of our products. Boeing cooperated fully and transparently with all investigations into the accidents.” Ethiopian Airlines did not respond to a request for comment. Boeing is facing several other federal investigations into safety and quality issues in the wake of an incident on Jan. 5, when a door plug on an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 jet blew off during a flight. The Justice Department, Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board have all opened inquiries into the incident. Earlier this year the Justice Department found that Boeing violated the 2021 agreement reached after the Max crashes, saying the aircraft manufacturer failed to create and maintain a program to detect and prevent violations of U.S. anti-fraud laws. As a result, the Justice Department reinstated the felony charge of conspiracy to defraud the federal government. The department and Boeing ultimately reached a proposed agreement where the company could plead guilty to the conspiracy charge and avoid a public trial. The families have asked the federal judge who must decide whether to approve the revised plea deal to consider evidence including the questions Ethiopian Airlines posed to Boeing before the crash. “It’s outrageous that Boeing refused to answer direct questions from the Ethiopian airlines pilots,” said Paul G. Cassell, a lawyer representing families of victims of the fatal plane crashes. “That was vital safety information that would have saved 157 lives. Boeing put continuing its conspiracy of concealment ahead of passenger safety, killing all those on board.” In retrospect, the questions being asked by Ethiopian Airlines were frighteningly prescient. During the doomed Ethiopian flight, pilots appeared to struggle with some of the same issues for which the chief pilot requested clarification. For example, the first set of warnings had not been resolved by the time a new set began flashing as the MCAS glitch kicked in. That led to debate over whether the pilots could have cut through that confusion and saved the plane if they had been given more effective guidance about how to respond. With only minutes to react when the MCAS, short for Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, erroneously pitched the nose of the plane down after takeoff, the pilots were not able to disable the system quickly enough, and the plane plunged into the ground. In declining to answer some of the specific questions from the Ethiopian chief pilot, Boeing cited a provision, known as Annex 13, which governs crash investigations and was established by the International Civil Aviation Organization, a United Nations agency. The provision’s main goal is to provide safety information and data to help avoid future accidents. It makes clear that investigations should not be about figuring out who is to blame. Boeing has argued that its decision not to share more information was validated by the National Transportation Safety Board, though the board has disputed Boeing’s characterization of its position. “I am not aware of any incidents where that article has been used to prevent the transfer of critical safety information,” Jim Hall, a former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said of Annex 13. Naoise Connolly Ryan, who lives in Ireland with her two young children, lost her husband, Mick Ryan, in the Ethiopian crash. She is among those leading the push to halt the plea agreement reached between Boeing and the Justice Department. Ms. Ryan criticized Boeing for holding back safety information from airlines, calling it criminal and suggesting it could have prevented the Ethiopian crash. She said Boeing had no right to use the investigation as an excuse for not sharing what she called crucial information. Ms. Ryan said she did not know why the Justice Department had not dug deeper into the matter. “If someone had decided to do the right thing, and someone had a conscience and someone put lives and safety above their own corporate interests, then my husband, I believe, would have been alive today,” Ms. Ryan said. Erin Applebaum, a lawyer who represents 34 of the families who lost loved ones in the Ethiopian Airlines crash, said the families want accountability, not money, from Boeing. “They want the public to know what happened between those two crashes, what the executives knew and when they knew it,” she said. “Could they have prevented the second crash, did they purposely choose not to take action, and did 346 die as a result?” “The only way to achieve true accountability is through a public trial,” she added. “That is the only satisfactory outcome for the families: Boeing executives being put on trial and held accountable for what they did.” https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/09/us/politics/boeing-ethiopian-airlines-crash-questions.html Long-awaited FAA rule removes CFI expiration The FAA issued a final rule removing the expiration date from flight instructor certificates, effective December 1. The agency said the change brings instructor certificates in line with other airman certificates such as those for private and commercial pilots, which do not expire but require maintenance of proficiency and recent experience. The change also is designed to increase efficiency and cut costs. Under the rule, flight instructors will have to meet certain experience and activity requirements every 24 calendar months. The final rule includes a new way “to establish recent experience by serving as a flight instructor in an FAA-sponsored pilot proficiency program,” the agency wrote. The rule also changes the requirements for flight instructors seeking to reinstate their instructor privileges following a lapse. Now they can do so by taking an approved flight instructor refresher course (FIRC) if their recent experience has not lapsed for more than three months. Previously, lapsed flight instructors had to take a checkride to renew their privileges. Other highlights of the new rule include revised methods for flight instructors to qualify to train initial applicants. One of the new methods requires the instructor to have trained and endorsed at least five applicants in the past 24 calendar months for a practical test for a pilot certificate or rating. In addition, 80 percent of the applicants must have passed the test on the first try. The rule eliminates previous requirements for the instructor to have given at least 400 hours of flight training and to be serving in an FAA-approved course. The change, the FAA said, will make this renewal option available to more flight instructors. The FAA also cited practical problems associated with the current renewal process. The agency must process, print, and mail new flight instructor certificates each time an instructor renews, “which is at least every 24 calendar months, resulting in a process that is burdensome, inefficient and costly to the FAA,” the agency said in the rulemaking document. The FAA noted that aviation industry advocates have long pushed for elimination of the expiration date on instructor certificates and a general streamlining of the renewal process. Indeed, the rule acknowledged AOPA’s 1999 and 2000 petitions seeking to remove the expiration dates, which many instructors consider a disincentive to renewing an expired certificate. https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2024/october/08/long-awaited-rule-removes-cfi-expiration CALENDAR OF EVENTS • 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) • INTERNATIONAL AVIATION SAFETY SUMMIT - November 5 - 7, 2024 (Rio De Janeiro) • NATA’s Aviation Business Conference (ABC) - November 12-13,2024, Nashville, TN • Sponsor the 2025 Fuzion Safety Conference! March 4 & 5, 2025 (Orlando) • Sixth Edition of International Accident Investigation Forum, 21 to 23 May 2025, Singapore Curt Lewis