Pakistan uses military helicopter to dry wet pitch at Gaddafi Stadium

Two army helicopters were employed on Wednesday to dry out the rain-hit wet pitch and outfield before the second eliminator to be played between Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi at Lahore's Gaddafi Cricket Stadium.

In the match, Kamran Akmal knocked a quickfire half-century to take defending champions Peshawar Zalmi into the Pakistan Super League final with a 13-run victory.

The 36-year-old scored a 27-ball 77 studded with eight well-timed sixes and five boundaries to lift his team to 170-7 in a 16-over-a-side game following a rain delay.

Peshawar Zalmi will now meet former champions Islamabad United in the final in Karachi on Sunday.

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Investigators call for real-time helicopter safety data analysis

UK accident investigators have called on safety regulators to mandate real-time analysis of helicopter vibration monitoring data to allow pilots to be warned rapidly of impending problems.

In addition, the European Aviation Safety Agency should work to reduce the interval for capturing the data "thereby enhancing the usefulness of [the] data for the timely detection of an impending failure".

The recommendations come after the UK Air Accident Investigation Branch concluded that flawed analysis of recorded safety data led maintenance engineers to miss signs that a Sikorsky S-92 heavy helicopter was at risk from a potentially catastrophic tail rotor failure.

The aircraft was subsequently released to service, but shortly into its next flight, the crew lost tail rotor authority as the helicopter came into land on a North Sea oil platform, with only their swift reactions preventing a tragedy.

In fact, the CHC Scotia-operated S-92 came to rest just inches from the edge of the helideck on the West Franklin platform, east of Aberdeen, having turned through more than 180° as it yawed uncontrollably to the right, says the AAIB in its final report into the 28 December 2016 incident.

"If the loss of yaw control had occurred at an earlier stage of the flight, the helicopter would most likely have made an uncontrolled descent into the North Sea," says the AAIB.

The event was triggered by the failure of the tail rotor pitch change shaft (TRPCS) bearing, which then damaged a related component "resulting in uncommanded and uncontrolled inputs being made to the tail rotor".

Evidence of a looming problem had been recorded the previous day by the S-92's health and useage monitoring system (HUMS), which captured excessive vibration levels related to the TRPCS bearing.

But an engineer conducting routine maintenance on the helicopter on 27 December, which included analysis of the HUMS data, failed to spot the warning signs, in part due to limitations with the software.

"Whilst an anomaly for tail rotor gearbox (TGB) bearing energy was detected by the maintenance engineer, the exceedences were not identified, in part, due to the way they were presented in the analysis tool; the helicopter was released to service without further investigation," says the AAIB.

It says the otherwise "conscientious" employee failed to further investigate the anomaly; a recent break-in at his house could have been preying on his mind, it adds.

The two key licenced personnel at the operator's main Aberdeen base failed to zoom in on the relevant portions of the HUMS data, says the report; had they done so "the exceedences would have been clearly visible".

Instead, a process of "mutual reinforcement" led them to conclude that an "unknown" fault with the software was the underlying issue.

CHC's standard practice was to forward all data to its Norway-based HUMS global support team for further review. Although that team detected the problem, by the time they informed the Aberdeen site they were "told that the helicopter was currently on the West Franklin platform".

Although unaware of the exceedences, the flightcrew did receive what turned out to be a warning as they lifted from another platform for the 5min trip to West Franklin.

As the helicopter pulled away from the helideck it yawed unexpectedly through 45°, but having regained control, the pilots assumed it was due to a miscalculation of variable wind conditions

Following the incident, regulators mandated a worldwide check of TRPCS bearings on all S-92s: of the 253 helicopters examined, shafts from 19 were removed, variously due to HUMS data warnings, visual indications or poor bearing condition.

Although Sikorsky has since modified its HUMS diagnostic software, originally developed in 1991, to enable easier analysis of the data, and improve the human machine interface, the AAIB believes real-time analysis would be more useful to flightcrews.

This should available to pilots "at least before take-off and after landing", it says.

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Big Push to Grow the Number of Women in Aviation Kicks Off

The 29th annual Women in Aviation International Conference kicks off today at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center in Reno, Nevada, inspiring women to seek careers in aviation.

Each year, the conference provides women and men a place to meet with potential employers and to learn more about aviation careers. Inspirational speakers, exhibits, workshops, on-site interviews and more are offered. A long list of scholarships, totaling tens of thousands of dollars, will be handed out during the next few days to deserving women who need a boost in their quest to advance their careers.

The event comes on the heels of the Institute of Women of Aviation Worldwide (iWOAW) Week, which broke records this year with 61,000 women participating, an increase of 15 percent over last year. The organization encourages aviation professionals around the world to organize events during this week to inspire women to enter aviation-related jobs. From March 5 through 11, 12,408 women took their first flights as part of iWOAW’s program, Fly it Forward, which arranged 179 organizers in 33 countries to take women and girls flying.

While progress is being made, there is still a long way to go to normalize the percentage of women pilots. Currently, only 6.33 percent of the commercial pilot population comprises women, a number that has increased from 4.7 percent about a decade ago.

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Analysts predict majority of commercial drone flights will be autonomous by 2022

The commercial unmanned aerial services (UAS) market is experiencing a steady economic expansion due to disruptive innovations, such as autonomous platforms, transitional drones, and hybrid propulsion.

A new analysis by Frost & Sullivan predicts that by 2022 more than 50% of commercial drone flights will be conducted autonomously, operating much like warehouse robots operate today.

This will create new industry opportunities as drones will be used as a tool to make operations more efficient while drone maintenance and data security will become the prominent areas for revenue stream development, the analysts predict.

Demand for commercial drones in North America will generate the most revenues, with Asia-Pacific a close second.

“The UAS market is becoming an ecosystem focused on information and value-added services where the drone is a tool acting as a cog in the big data machine,” said Michael Blades, Aerospace, Defense, and Security Research Director, Frost & Sullivan. “Success in this ecosystem will be achieved by companies that can safely, quickly, and inexpensively provide high-grade data/information for real-time decision making.”

Frost & Sullivan’s recent analysis, Global Commercial UAS Market, Forecast to 2022, focuses on global hotspots, technologies, forecast and trends. Key findings, market engineering measurements, unit shipment, and revenue forecasts for segments such as consumer, professional, industrial, enterprise, and FW/Transitional as well as regions like Africa, Asia-Pacific, Middle-East, North America, and South America are also provided.

Blades said he expects mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity within the industry to accelerate with several manufacturers forced out of the market.

New original equipment manufacturers of higher-priced platforms will struggle to compete in an increasingly crowded market, the analysis predicts.

He adds that DJI, the undisputed market leader in low-priced commercial platforms, has such a large share of the market that its ability to manipulate pricing will make it difficult for current and future competitors to gain market share.

Transformations that could disrupt and create new growth opportunities include:

·     There will be a substantial decrease in the need and demand for remote pilots to operate drones on site;

·      Regulatory frameworks, infrastructure, and public perception will be crucial for drone delivery to be a success in day-to-day logistics operations; and

·      By 2022, the industry will look similar to the cell phone sector where there are a few hardware providers and a slew of open-source software and sensor providers that cater to specific applications.

“Global regulations generally do not allow beyond visual line of sight operations, which severely restrains drone applications such as parcel delivery and long-distance monitoring,” noted Blades. “If this was allowed it could generate considerable revenue streams.”

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American tourists killed in helicopter crash near Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

Two American tourists are dead and two other tourists are injured after a sightseeing helicopter crashed near the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia, police said.

The crash occurred just after 3:30 p.m. Wednesday local time, off the Whitsunday Islands, a cluster of islands near the barrier reef that is a popular tourist destination.

For reasons yet to be determined, the helicopter — carrying five people — went down into the water near a large pontoon for snorkelers and divers close to the barrier reef, police said.

Two passengers, a 65-year-old woman and a 79-year-old man, were pronounced dead at the scene; a 33-year-old woman and a 34-year-old man were taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, police said.

The pilot, a 35-year-old man, also was injured, police said. After the crash, the pilot helped remove the 65-year-old woman, who was seated in the front passenger seat, from the aircraft while it was partly submerged, police said.

As the helicopter sank, frantic witnesses from the nearby Heart Pontoon rushed to try to save the passengers, pulling them out of the water and performing CPR, according to the Courier Mail, an Australian newspaper.

At a news conference Wednesday, Queensland police inspector Ian Haughton said the four passengers knew one another, but he did not offer more details or identities, pending the notification of next of kin.

The two younger passengers who were injured are from Colorado, while the two deceased passengers were from Hawaii, according to the Associated Press.

The Heart Pontoon serves as a base for snorkelers and scuba divers exploring the nearby Hardy Reef, part of the Great Barrier Reef. The boat is surrounded by smaller pontoons used for helicopter landings, Haughton said.

Although local media outlets described the crash as resulting from a botched landing onto one of those smaller pontoons, Haughton said it was too soon to determine what had caused the helicopter to go down. An investigation will include the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

“This is a traumatic experience for anyone involved in the situation,” Haughton said, noting that the two older passengers had received medical attention “for some time” before they were pronounced dead. “For those people that were on board [who survived], you couldn't begin to imagine the impact on those people.”

Haughton added that several helicopters are used throughout Queensland every day, for tourism and non-tourism purposes, and that there was nothing unusual about this trip.

“It was a normal flight operated by the operator to the reef,” he said. “On this occasion, something went wrong and the consequences are tragic.”

The flight was operated by a local tour company called Whitsunday Air Services, which said in a statement that it was suspending all services and cooperating with police.

“We are extremely saddened by this incident and our deepest condolences are with the families of all of the passengers,” the company said.

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Royal Mail releases RAF commemorative stamps

England’s Royal Mail has issued a collection of stamps to mark the 100th anniversary of the Royal Air Force.

The iconic aircraft depicted span the Force’s 100-year history and feature original artwork by renowned aviation artist Michael Turner.

Featured on the stamps are the First World War era Sopwith Camel F1, the Hurricane Mk 1 from the Battle of Britain, a Vulcan B2, the Lightning F6, the Nimrod MR2 and Typhoon FGR4.

The Red Arrows also feature in images that show the aerobatic display team in full flight during four formations – Flypast, Swan, Syncho and Python.

On April 1, 1918, the union of the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps formed the world’s first independent air force: The Royal Air Force (RAF). The RAF fought over the Western Front in direct support of ground forces. It played a major role in blunting the German spring 1918 offensive and in the Allies’ final counter-attacks, which led to the surrender of German forces in November 1918.

During the Second World War, the RAF played a decisive role defending the United Kingdom, operating worldwide with increasing strength and providing support to the war at sea and on land.

Victory in the Battle of Britain in 1940 was crucial to securing the country’s survival and preserving its ability to wage war alongside its allies. The strategic bomber campaign steadily eroded Germany’s will and capability to fight, while the winning of the Battle of the Atlantic ensured that the lifeline from the USA was maintained.

The RAF also supported land forces in North Africa and Burma, which was critical to the Allies’ eventual success. The establishment of air superiority in the build-up to D-Day, and direct support for the invasion of Normandy in June 1944, paved the way for the advance into Germany and final victory.

The RAF began the Second World War with around 3,550 aircraft, including biplanes and many obsolete models. Five years later, the service had 9,200 aircraft, many of advanced design, including the only jets to be operated by the Allied air forces. By the end of the war, there were 1,079,835 RAF, Dominion and Allied officers and airmen serving, alongside 158,771 women, giving a total RAF strength of 1,238,606, including 193,313 aircrew.

Throughout the post-war era, RAF transport aircraft have delivered humanitarian aid worldwide in the wake of natural disasters, be it famine, earthquake or hurricane. The RAF has seen many cultural changes and reorganisations in recent years, including the introduction of women in combat. It remains ready and able to operate around the world across the spectrum of air warfare.

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Los Angeles County Airshow this Weekend

The Los Angeles County Airshow will be back this weekend March 24 and 25, at General William J. Fox Airfield about 50 miles north of the City of the Angels, and this show is special for a a few good reasons.

This year’s theme is “First, Fastest and Farthest” will honor the Antelope Valley’s role in shaping the aeronautical industry, including Lockheed Martin’s famous Skunk Works, creators of the BLG-65 DONE Blackbird, the U-2 and the F-117, that just happens to be celebrating its 75th anniversary. Gates open each day at 9 a.m. with the airshow starting at 11:30. The show’s organizers say there are incredible viewing opportunities for people attending the show rehearsals tomorrow March 23.

The airshow will feature a host of warbirds, aerobatic performances and parachute events in addition to an interactive STEM exhibition, believed to be the largest such expo of any air show.

The F-22 Raptor team and the MV-22 Osprey will be there, as will Red Bull competition pilot Kirby Chambliss and Red Bull helicopter performer Aaron Fitzgerald.

Gregory Colyer will perform his T-33 Ace Maker Shooting Star aerobatics routine. The airshow includes an inspirational Heroes and Legends panel discussions on Sunday, featuring some of the world’s most iconic pilots and industry leaders.

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First U.S. Aircraft Expo of 2018 Kicks Off this Weekend

The U.S. Aircraft Expo kicks off its 2018 season this weekend with a show at Hayward Executive Airport in Northern California that will feature dozens of general aviation aircraft and exhibits.

The Expo has grown into a prime showcase for aircraft from leading manufacturers, with planned stops in seven Western cities this year. Exhibitors include Textron Aviation, Cirrus Aircraft, Mooney, Diamond Aircraft, Piper, Cubcrafters, Quest Aircraft, Pilatus, Honda Aircraft, Epic Aircraft, TBM, Embraer, Icon, Aviat Aircraft and Eclipse Aviation.

The Hayward show kicks off tomorrow with an ownership conference at the event’s host FBO, APP Jet Center. The show is free to attend and advance registration is available by visiting usaircraftexpo.com.

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CAF Red Tail Squadron Offers On-Demand Webinars

The Commemorative Air Force Red Tail Squadron has expanded its website to include a series of webinars featuring information about and interviews with Tuskegee Airmen, the group of African American fighter pilots who became the first black fighter pilots during a time of extreme racial segregation. While many questioned the ability of African Americans to fly, the group proved highly successful in the intense air combat of World War II. The tails of their North American P-51 Mustangs were painted red.

There are currently five webinars posted on the website, including discussions and harrowing accounts of combat by the former fighter pilots. Nearly 1,000 pilots were trained at Tuskegee Army Air Field in Tuskegee, Alabama, from 1941 to 1946.

“The addition of an area of our website dedicated to past and future webinars illustrates our dedication to making educational and inspirational content about the Tuskegee Airmen free and easy to access,” said CAF Red Tail Squadron’s marketing director LaVone Kay. In addition to providing extensive information about the Tuskegee Airmen and the CAF Red Tail Squadron, the website serves as a virtual museum, featuring images, notes, certificates, clothing, navigation equipment and other memorabilia.

The CAF Red Tail Squadron travels to airshows, community events and schools to educate the public about the Tuskegee Airmen and to inspire young attendants to work hard to fight against any obstacles, such as racial discrimination. In addition to showcasing a red-tailed P-51C Mustang, the exhibit includes the Rise Above Traveling Exhibit mobile movie theatre.

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787 suffers nose gear failure at VIP conversion site

A Boeing 787 undergoing conversion into a VIP configuration recently suffered a nose gear collapse at Grant County International airport in Moses Lake, Washington.

A photograph posted online last week shows an unmarked 787 with its nose on the tarmac outside a hangar labelled with the name Greenpoint Technologies, a company that provides VIP completions to large jets, including 787s.

The photograph's caption says the aircraft is at Grant County airport, where Greenpoint has a hangar.

Online observers suggest the aircraft's registration number is N507BJ, a 787-8 owned by Korean Air and, according to Flight Fleets Analyzer, operated by Korean for the Republic of Korea Air Force.

Fleets Analyzer confirms that aircraft sustained unspecified damage on 8 March.

Reached by FlightGlobal, Korean Air declines to specify registration numbers, but does confirm its association to the aircraft in the photograph.

"The aircraft is not an aircraft for the Korean government," the carrier says. "An anonymous client has asked for conversion, and this is why this aircraft is currently being converted."

"It is true that Korean Air [is] doing the conversion for an anonymous client, but because of the request from the client, we are unable to specify the [registration] number of the aircraft," Korean adds.

The airline declines to provide additional details.

"We're aware of the incident and have been in contact with the completion center Greenpoint," says Boeing in a statement. But it, too, declines further comment, referring questions to Greenpoint.

Greenpoint did not respond to an email or telephone call from FlightGlobal, and the Grant County airport did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The incident has not sparked an investigation by the US Federal Aviation Administration.

"The FAA has no role in this," the agency tells FlightGlobal. "It was a privately owned aircraft, not intended for flight, in a non-movement area. The aircraft was stationary when the gear collapsed."

"When the incident occurred, they were not preparing [the aircraft] for flight," the FAA adds.

Korean Air ordered 787-8 with registration N507BJ in October 2012 and received the aircraft in March 2015, but never placed it in service, according to Fleets Analyzer.

The aircraft has 25 seats, and it has been in storage at Grant County airport since 2015, Fleets Analyzer says.

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Russia Orders Airlines to Stop Using AN-148 Aircraft

Russia's transport regulator has ordered Russian airlines to stop using the Antonov AN-148 aircraft after one crashed last month, state news agency RIA reported on Tuesday.

A Ukrainian-made AN-148 plane operated by Saratov Airlines crashed near Moscow soon after take-off on Feb. 11, killing all 71 people on board.

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Regional Jet makes Demo Flight in Inner Mongolia

The ARJ21-700, China's first domestically made regional jetliner, took a demonstration round trip flight from Hohhot to Ulanhot on Tuesday, preparing for potential commercial use of the aircraft in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, said Commercial Aircraft Corp of China, its manufacturer.

Operated by Chengdu Airlines, the flight was the first by the ARJ21-700 in Inner Mongolia; it is already in commercial use elsewhere. The area has been a major base for test flights in the alpine region.

The ARJ21-700 is the first jetliner made in China that is designed for flying in Western China, and it has proved that the aircraft is suitable for take-offs and landings at the plateau airports of Western China. Also, it can operate at ultra-low temperatures, as low as -30 C.

The model has been in commercial use for more than two years. In late 2015, the aircraft was delivered to its first customer, Chengdu Airlines, and conducted its first commercial flight in June 2016. In September, it started large-scale manufacturing.

The ARJ21-700 has netted 453 orders from 21 customers at home and abroad. So far, four aircraft have been delivered, and they have been operating on several routes, including flights between Chengdu and Shanghai, Chengdu and Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province, Chengdu and Changsha, Central China's Hunan province, and Chengdu and Hefei and Central China's Hubei province, as well as Chengdu and Jinan, East China's Shandong province.

With 78 to 90 seats, the ARJ21-700 has a flying range of 2,225 to 3,700 kilometers. More than 50,000 passengers have flown on the aircraft.

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Isle of Man registry hits 1,000th registration milestone

The Isle of Man Aircraft Registry (IOMAR) has notched up its 1,000th M-prefixed registration – a Gulfstream G650ER: M-JSWB.

The milestone comes a little under 11 years since the British Crown Dependency burst onto the business aviation scene with the launch of the first aircraft register dedicated to privately-owned types.

The aim of the IOMAR was to drive business and employment to the island's banks and legal and insurance firms, and to position the Isle of Man – located in the northern Irish Sea – as a centre for aerospace and aviation services.

IOMAR currently lists around 440 active M-prefixed aircraft, making it the sixth-largest business aircraft registry in the world and the second largest in Europe.

While business aircraft and helicopters make up the bulk of the current IOMAR tally, commercial airliners that are temporarily registered between operational leases account for around a dozen registrations.

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Gama Aviation's revenues rise as expansion continues

Gama Aviation recorded a hike in revenues and operating profit in 2017 – mainly as a result of a robust performance from its US division – and is anticipating continued growth in 2018 and beyond as it seeks to become “the global leader in business aviation services”.

Farnborough, UK-headquartered Gama posted revenues of $207 million for the 12 months ended 31 December 2017: 5.8% higher than the previous year. Operating profit leapt by 28.3%, to $18.7 million.

The strength of the company's US division is largely attributable to its thriving aircraft management and charter business. This was bolstered in January 2017 by the merger of Gama's US management and charter arm with the Landmark Aviation unit of fellow UK business aviation services company BBA Aviation. Operating under the brand name Gama Aviation Signature, the venture is now the largest management and charter company in the USA, with a fleet of around 200 aircraft.

Gama Aviation Signature is also reaping the benefits of its partnership with fast-growing membership programme Wheels Up. The New York-headquartered company was launched in 2013 on the back of a record order for 105 Beechrcraft King Air 350i twin-engined turboprops, and appointed Gama to operate its branded fleet. Wheels Up has taken delivery of around 80 350is to date, as well as a handful of pre-owned Cessna Citation Excel/XLSs.

“Strategically this is an exciting time for Gama Aviation,” says company founder and managing director Marwan Khalek. He points to a recent fundraising effort, which secured £48 million ($67 million) to help fund Gama’s expansion.

The investment will be targeted at opportunities in its existing territories – including Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the USA – as well as in new markets. “We will grow the business through a mix of joint ventures, organic growth and acquisitions,” says Gama.

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DIUx looking for underwater-launched drone design proposals

The Department of Defence’s Silicon Valley-based accelerator, the Defence Innovation Unit Experimental, or DUIx, announced on its website that it is accepting design proposals for an unmanned aerial vehicle that can be launched from underwater.

The drone should be able to travel through a column of water to the surface; orient itself; launch; and transition to flight, DUIx said. The government is willing to provide an underwater launcher already in use for another drone, but competitors are also welcome to submit their own launcher designs.

The US Navy already launches a variant of AeroVironment’s Switchblade drone from underwater, called the Blackwing. That drone launches from submerged attack and guided missile submarines, as well as unmanned underwater vehicles. It often serves as a communications hub and an observation platform to coordinate attacks.

DUIx wants a drone that can provide video, carry additional sensors and fly for more than one hour, up to a range of 30 miles away – specifications similar to AeroVironment’s Blackwing. Communications to and from the UAV must be secured with AES-256 bit encryption.

The agency wants the UAV to be easy to fly with controls that are similar to commercially available drone controls. It should also be able to autonomously fly with limited or no communications from a human controller.

The winning design could result in the award of a follow-on production contract, after additional prototyping efforts, DUIx said.

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Super Star Lockheed Constellation Project Moving to Germany

About 70 mechanics at the Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport in Auburn, Maine, will soon be out of a job. The mechanics were hired to work on a major restoration project of a Lockheed L-1649A Constellation Starliner named Super Star, which has been in progress for more than a decade. But Lufthansa Super Star gGmbH, which is operated by Lufthansa Technik, has decided to disassemble the aircraft and move it to Germany by the end of the year.

The Constellation was originally delivered out of the Lockheed factory in Burbank, California, in 1957 to Trans World Airlines (TWA), which named the airplane Star of the Tigris to carry passengers nonstop from the United States to Germany. Star of the Tigris was one of three Constellations acquired by Lufthansa Technik for the project in 2007, and the one best suited for the restoration. Hundreds of people have worked on the Super Star project since its beginning in 2007, according to the Sun Journal newspaper.

Project manager Oliver Sturm told the paper that the reason for the move is because “the airplane is too complex to finish here.” But part of that complexity, at least, could be a class action lawsuit that was settled last year. A complaint by one mechanic, Christopher Venegas, against Lufthansa Technik North America Holding Corp. and Global Aircraft Services Inc., alleged that the mechanics were being paid regular hourly rates while working an average of more than 60 hours per week (overtime pay is required beyond 40 hours per week). The complaint resulted in a class action lawsuit, covering more than 70 mechanics, which reached a settlement last year.

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No One Injured in Cirrus Collision Involving Former NFL Player

All three people aboard two different Cirrus aircraft escaped harm after the pilot of an SR22 landed on top of an SR20 at the Lt. Kay Larkin Field (28J) in Palatka, Florida. Both aircraft were attempting to land on Runway 27 just before 11 a.m. local time last Friday. Palatka is an uncontrolled airport about 20 miles east of Gainesville.

The SR20 was being operated by a pilot with a flight instructor. Unconfirmed reports said the SR22 was flown by Rob Meier, a former defensive lineman with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Both aircraft were substantially damaged in the collision, causing a fuel spill.

The SR20 was registered to Aerosim Academy Inc. in Sanford Florida, while the SR22 is listed with a company in Atlantic Beach. The FAA will attempt to determine exactly what led to the accident.

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FAA Bans Doors-Off Helicopter Flights

The FAA is temporarily grounding doors-off helicopter tour flights in which passengers are tethered to the aircraft after the March 11 crash in New York City of a Liberty Helicopters Airbus AS350 that killed five people.

“The FAA will order operators and pilots to take immediate actions to control or mitigate this risk,” the agency said in a statement. “Until then, the FAA will order no more ‘doors off’ operations that involve restraints that cannot be released quickly in an emergency.” The agency is also conducting a “top to bottom review” of the rules governing the operations.

The helicopter air tour industry has begun offering people the chance to photograph landmarks in New York City and Hawaii from helicopters with the doors removed. To keep people from falling out, passengers are often tethered to the helicopter using harnesses. The tether systems in the chartered Liberty Helicopters crash required a knife to cut free from the harness.

The National Transportation Safety Board on Monday issued an urgent safety recommendation calling on the FAA to permanently prohibit commercial flights that use passenger harness systems that do not allow for easy release during emergencies.

“While we applaud the FAA’s intention to move forward on banning these types of doors-off flights, the FAA has not outlined how or when they plan to take action,’’ said NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt. “And definitive action needs to be taken.”

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Aspen Avionics and Sensurion Aerospace to Collaborate on UAS Systems

Aspen Avionics is collaborating with Sensurion Aerospace to develop certified avionics for the rapidly growing UAS and unmanned air-taxi industry, a market that has an estimated revenue potential of $100 billion in the next decade.

The collaborative project will focus on navigation, autopilots and surveillance systems for small, medium and large UAS, to include cargo and passenger carrying aircraft that are expected to emerge in the near future.

Specifically, the companies will initially collaborate on the development of an autopilot/flight controller, TSO’d GPS/GNSS and surveillance systems including ADS-B. Aspen Avionics is known for products that easily integrate with those of other manufacturers.

“Our consumers demand adaptability and a certifiable pedigree that can help get them to market quickly, operate with an extreme level of safety, and include innovative architectures that combine certified avionics with today’s flying drone service/IoT data platforms, and near future cargo movers and people haulers,” said Aspen’s president and CEO, John Uczekaj.

Minneapolis-based Sensurion Aerospace designs and manufactures tethered multirotor and fixed-wing UAS platforms and produces support solutions, such as training and software, for the UAS market.

“Our roadmap is clear,” said Sensurion’s CEO, Joe Burns. “We are combining the talents, agility and pedigree from two industry leaders, to bring UAS consumers what they want, with a value proposition that puts safe drone technology to work across many industries.”

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AOPA Part 13 Airport Complaints Are Not Going Away

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association last week released a status update on a number of informal Part 13 complaints filed with the FAA against three U.S. airports, Chicago Waukegan (UGN), Florida’s Key West International (EYW) and Asheville Regional (AVL) in North Carolina.

The association dropped its complaint against Chicago Waukegan Airport in late January after that airport’s management team chose a "self-help" option to address pricing and access issues without a further nudge from the FAA. AOPA said, however, it continues to press the FAA for resolution of the same issues at Key West and Asheville.

The complaints, filed on behalf of seven AOPA member pilots, said these airports “failed to protect the rights of aircraft operators to park at these airports without being forced to pay for additional services they did not need or want,” as well as “egregious pricing practices under minimal oversight.” Each of the airports also operates just a single FBO. Coincidentally, all of the airports in question are served by Signature Flight Support, one of the largest FBO chains in the United States.

Signature argued that its two FBOs (at EYW and AVL) hold an exclusive lease for the entire transient general aviation parking ramp and are not bound by FAA standards designed to protect reasonable access to public ramp space. According to Signature, only the runway and taxiway are considered protected public assets, not any portion of the transient parking area.

Ken Mead, AOPA’s general counsel said, “This would be a scary precedent. Airports would effectively be permitted to hand over the entire parking ramp to a single FBO without competition or other restrictions to ensure reasonable access for users. Aside from active runways or taxiways, there would be no other public assets available for transient operators despite millions of federal and local dollars invested in these airports.”

Interestingly, Asheville’s executive director Lew Bleiweis said no one ever complained to the airport about pricing or access before AOPA’s informal complaint appeared on his desk. With 129 aircraft based on the airport and 30 other people on the waiting list for T-hangar space, “that hardly reflects an uncompetitive environment in which Signature is able to exert monopoly power.” Historically, Part 13 complaints only evolve after parties at an airport are unable to amicably resolve a problem.

Mead agreed it was unusual that pilots came directly to the association rather than dealing with airport management first. “I do not know why the tenants were not complaining to the airport directly,” he said. While some pilots might not understand they should be raising these complaints directly with the airport first, Tom Haines, AOPA’s senior vice president of media and communications, said it’s “often transient pilots who are most unhappy about these kinds of pricing and access problems, people who don’t have those local connections.”

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Ten dead as Philippine plane crashes into house

Ten people were killed when a small plane crashed into a house just outside the Philippine capital on Saturday, police and aviation officials said.

The twin-engine aircraft crashed shortly after taking off in Plaridel town, killing all five aboard as well as three children, a mother and a grandmother from the family in the house, said Superintendent Julio Lizardo.

"We had to dig through the rubble to find the bodies," he said, explaining why the toll rose from an initial figure of seven dead.

Officials declined to say what may have caused the crash of the Piper PA-23 Apache, operated by a local charter company.

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Scaled Composites unveils flying wing drone to be used as technology testbed

Scaled Composites unveiled a new flying wing drone, Model 406, on 14 March to be used as a technology testbed.

Model 406, also known as Ardent Dragon, has a 4.57m (15ft) wingspan and is remote-controlled. The unmanned aerial vehicle is built to demonstrate the effectiveness of Scaled Composites' rapid prototyping and engineering processes, the Mojave, California-based company wrote in an Instagram post announcing the drone.

The flying-wing aircraft was developed over 10 weeks last summer from a clean-sheet design and first flew on an undisclosed date in 2017. Scaled Composites is known for its rapid development of new designs, using a design-build-test process. The company has designed, built and flown several dozen aircraft since its founding in 1982.

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Safe Flight Patents Tailstrike Warning System

White Plains, New York-based Safe Flight Instrument Corporation has patented a system that can alert pilots and help them avoid tail strike scenarios. The “Tailstrike Warning System” relates angle-of-attack rather than pitch guidance to ground proximity. The system also helps predict a tail strike threat in the case of a sloped runway. Because the warning system relates to AOA, it can be incorporated with existing systems and won’t increase the pilot’s workload.

A tail strike during the takeoff or landing phase can cause major damage to an airframe, especially one with a stretched fuselage. The threat is particularly strong for larger, heavier aircraft where changes in loading impact pitch effectiveness. Of particular concern is the potential for structural damage that is hard to detect.

While Safe Flight has received a patent for the Tailstrike Warning System, it has not yet been certified. However, once certification is complete, the system will be available for any type of aircraft, said Safe Flight’s executive vice president Matthew Greene. Pricing has not yet been released.

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Kratos’ Mako drone approved for sale to foreign militaries

Drone manufacturer Kratos Defense & Security Solutions announced on 13 March that the US State Department approved sale of its Mako UTAP-22 unmanned aerial drone to undisclosed countries in Europe and Asia Pacific.

The Mako drone is designed as a so-called loyal wingman; an unmanned aerial vehicle that would fly, and possibly fight, alongside advanced fighters such as the Lockheed Martin F-22 and F-35 in contested airspace. The drone could also be deployed independently or in groups, Kratos said.

The aircraft is based on the design of an unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by San Diego-based Kratos, the BQM-167A, which is used by the US Air Force for target practice. The company boasts that the Mako drone is highly manoeuvrable, as well as capable of carrying and operating weapons and advanced sensor systems. The drone has ”fighter-like” performance including an operational ceiling of 50,000ft, a top speed of 0.91 Mach and range of 1,400nm (2,590km), according to a spec sheet on Kratos’ website.

In 2015, the Mako demonstrated the ability to fly in coordination with a manned fighter aircraft, an AV-8B Harrier, including the ability to be commanded and controlled through a tactical data link; execution of semi-autonomous tasks; and, execution of autonomous flight in formation with the AV-8B and with multiple other Mako drones, according to Kratos.

Kratos said it already works with most of the export-approved nations on other programmes, contracts, systems and products, including its unmanned aerial target drone programme. But, the company said it would not disclose additional information about its potential customers, citing competitive reasons.

The Mako drone, priced between $2 million and $3 million, has been floated as a possible low-cost wingman to the Lockheed Martin F-35, which at its least-expensive price point costs $95 million. Current and future operators of the F-35 include Australia, Canada, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Israel, Singapore, Japan and South Korea.

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