African Pilot Magazine Preview April 2018

™ April 2018

Volume 17 No.4

The COWS

R35.00 incl. VAT N$35.00 incl. VAT

Business Jets

aerobatics team

Singapore Airshow

Cover photography by Athol Franz

www.africanpilot.co.za

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Two Competitions - Prizes worth R11 900 • Events Calendar endar d

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Rand Airport

Contents Airline Pilot

Sport Pilot

8 8 9 10 11 12 14 15

74 75 78 84

FAA awards Boeing 737 MAX 9 Embraer E190-E2 certification Saratov Airlines crash Delta Airlines anticipates CS100 Boeing to acquire 51 percent share Russia joins race for Iran’s market Automation causing degradation A350 XWB ultra long aircraft

Commercial Pilot 20

Fireblade Aviation welcomes first international flights

Drone Pilot 30 30 31 32

Predator training system Lockheed Martin launches multiple UAV control software EASA publishes first opinion on safe drone operations in Europe White paper looks at terrorist risks

A visit to Bundu airfield Brakpan Aero Club COWS™ Pitts Specials Airweek at Middelburg Airfield

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Regulars 4 6 16 18 26 28 92 94 96 108 110 111 112 115

Competitions Letters Events Calendar Picture of the Month Fact File Names to Remember Accident Report Medical The Best of the Best Register Update Flying High Subscription Form Shop Window Aircraft Sales

63

Special Features Helicopter Pilot 60 63 64 66

Garmin unveils the G1000H NXi Sikorsky Combat Rescue Helicopter Stop the bleeding Safomar Aviation orders two Kopter helicopters

Military Pilot 68 70 72 73

Boeing stays in race for 88-jet Bronco II aircraft launched for USA China places its J-20 stealth jets Armed Forces’ Day (AFD) 2018

38 88 98

Rand Airport 2018 Singapore Airshow 2018 Business Jets

Other 24 34

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Surge in bird strikes Aircraft that could have changed history

distributed by

Contributors Divan Muller Kevin Donnellan

Aidan Owen Dr. Nicholas Lee

Charlie Hugo Athol Franz

Charlie Marais Christine Brits

Tom Dieusaert Bruce Perkins

Gitte Furdal Damm Lara Bayliss

Anton Nel

Karl Jensen

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copyright The views expressed in African Pilot are not necessary those of the editor, publisher, or staff writers. The editors and publishers cannot be held responsible for differences of opinion or statements published in good faith. No part of this magazine may be reproduced including advertisements produced by Wavelengths 10 (Pty) Ltd in any form without permission from the publisher. – South African copyright laws apply. distribution African Pilot is distributed by On the Dot throughout southern African countries to approximately 1 000 retail stores:CNA, Exclusive Books, Pick ‘n Pay, PNA, selected Spar stores, garage convenience shops, Checkers Hypermarkets, 7/11 stores, selected bookshops, Fascination and Incredible Books as well as to neighbourhood convenience shops. Own distribution to specialist pilot shops at airports as well as to key decision makers within the aviation industry. Back editions are distributed free of charge to African countries, airport lounges, charter companies, the South African Air Force and selected flight schools. Altogether 6 500 copies of African Pilot are printed each month. The magazine also has online readers from all over the world. The first ten pages of African Pilot may be downloaded free of charge by visiting www.africanpilot.co.za

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Editorial Fatal Cessna 210 accident on Saturday 3 March 2018 The pilot, Doug de Lange who operated his Cessna 210 ZS KOM did not have a Private Pilot’s Licence (PPL), only a Student Pilot’s Licence (SPL). This man who was previously an attorney and became an advocate had a long history of non-compliance, because he had been sentenced to a four-year jail term for embezzling clients’ trust funds. He was subsequently disbarred and lost his PPL as it expired whilst he was languishing in jail. He was the owner of Fisantekraal airfield in Cape Town, which he acquired under suspicious circumstances many years before. De Lange recently took over a flying school when the owner found himself in financial difficulties and at the time de Lange was trying to obtain his PPL again. However, it is believed that individuals within his flying school knew that he was flying illegally, but what did they do about this situation?

Precisely nothing.

On that fateful Saturday afternoon, de Lange attempted to fly from Mossel Bay to his farm in Graaff-Reinet through the George controlled airspace in cloudy weather with his radios and transponder turned off. Sadly, de Lange and one of his employees were killed when the Cessna 210 spiralled out of control and hit the ground some five kilometres outside Oudtshoorn.

Now why am I bringing this particular disaster to everyone’s attention? Well, whilst I certainly feel very sorry for De Lange’s family who now have to deal with the outcome of this tragedy as well as the family and friends of his employee, one needs to remember that the wheel turns – albeit very slowly sometimes.

Dishonesty is not acceptable in aviation, but we all know that it happens much of the time.

lied to and cheated on their fellow colleagues in aviation.

According to several sources, the fact that De Lange was flying his Cessna 210 without an appropriate licence had been brought to the attention of the SACAA on more than three occasions. One has to ask the question why the SACAA did not stop this man from deliberately flaunting the rules?

There is no excuse for non-compliance to the rules of aviation, because pilots will ultimately pay the highest price for their actions. During my 34-year career as a private pilot, I have lost more than 40 close friends through unnecessary tragic accidents. Indeed, my passenger and I almost lost our lives 12 years ago when I crashed my beloved Cessna 172 near AFB Makhado enroute to the SAAF ‘Fighter Meet.’ Mea Culpa! We all make mistakes and sometimes we are fortunate to get away with them, but when the pilot blatantly disrespects the rules of aviation, one has to question the sheer arrogance of the individual concerned. Please don’t become yet another statistic, littering the annals of SACAA accident reports, just because one thinks one is ‘above the law.’

Some years ago, African Pilot introduced Charlie Marais to write and comment on ‘aviation accidents.’ Charlie is probably the most experienced Designated Flight Examiner (DFE) on both fixed wing and helicopters in South Africa. The only purpose of Charlie’s editorial comments is to show all pilots that the rules are there for a reason and if one breaks the rules, one is likely to be the next statistic.

Until next month, please learn from the errors of other pilots.

In my lifetime as an aviator I have seen the ‘wheel turn’ on several dishonest people who either died or had their businesses dissolved as a direct result of the way they

Remember - altitude is your friend!

Editor Athol Franz 082 552 2940 editor@africanpilot.co.za

Publisher / Production Wavelengths 10 (Pty) Ltd

Marketing Lara Bayliss 079 880 4359 marketing@africanpilot.co.za

Durban correspondent Pete van der Spek

Athol Franz

Copy reader Gordon Dyne

gdyne@global.co.za

Designers Maria Leader Creshenda Maraba

Cape Town correspondent Irene McCullagh

maria@africanpilot.co.za creshenda@africanpilot.co.za

Printing Business Print

012 843 7600 / 0861 42 42 59

Website and digital Johan Botes

johan@africanpilot.co.za

Distribution On the Dot

011 401 5938

Accounts Manager Helena Kurland

admin@africanpilot.co.za

Admin / Subscriptions Paulinah Motlhabi

subscribe@africanpilot.co.za

African Pilot Local International Fax

0861 00 11 30 +27 11 466 8524 / 6 086 767 4333

Transport Ephraim Ndlovu

P.O. Box 30620, Kyalami, 1684, South Africa

African Pilot House

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website: www.africanpilot.co.za April 2018

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Competitions Total value of the competitions in this edition is R11 900

Cover Pitts Specials formation aerobatics team

April Cover Competition - Total value R1900 A scenic flight for two people on a SkyClass aircraft either DC-3 or DC-4 around the city of Johannesburg and Gauteng valued at R950 each.

Flight dates and times to be arranged by the winner directly with SkyClass.

Questions 1) When is the next DC-3 flight with SkyClass taking place?

2) At which airport is the SkyClass DC-3 Klapperkop based?

3) Which Aero Club hosted the recent Aero Club of South Africa airweek?

February Cover Competition Winner Congratulations to Frank Solleveld who has won as ASA AirClassics CX-3 Flight Computer.

This Month’s Cover Competition Entries to be submitted to the following e-mail only: info@africanpilot. co.za One entry per person please. Entries sent to other African Pilot e-mails will automatically be disqualified.

Picture of the Month This month’s winning entry can be viewed on page 18 & 19. This month’s winner will receive two nights for two people at the Aviator Hotel including breakfast. The overall winner of this year’s competition will receive prizes to the value of up to R10 000. By submitting a photograph, you grant African Pilot permission to publish the image in the monthly magazine as well as within our annual executive wall calendar.

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This month’s cover picture taken by Athol Franz show the four Pitts Specials formation aerobatics team which have recently been re-branded in the name of Tailifts and COWS as a charity looking after the needs of children’s cancer patients. Athol used his trusty Cannon EOS1 Mk4 camera fitted with a 28 to 105 mm image stabilised Canon lens.

The chase plane was one of the Puma Energy branded T6 Harvards.

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Dear Athol, First of all, congratulations on a magnificent aviation magazine. I do not subscribe, but purchase the magazine at PnP due to monthly pension restraints. I have had a deep interest in aviation matters since I was 12 when I had my first flight at what was then Ringway Airport (now Manchester International) because I was observed to be always staring through the fence at the aircraft. One of these aircraft needed mechanical attention and the mechanic asked me if I wanted to go with him to test the aircraft. That was in 1952 and the ‘bird’ was a De Havilland Rapide.

Since then I have only made three return trips to the UK since arriving in 1982 mostly due to economic reasons. Now I cannot even fly commercially due to my age at 78 years. However, this does not make my interest any less important. You got your proof reader off the hook in answer to a letter in the March edition, but you are BOTH to blame in the same edition. Please check read text on page 94 and 95 (Barnstormers) then, it is repeated again on 96 and most of 97. What a waste. You could have placed more photographs.

Unlike Arrie De Klerk I don’t drink beer, but Bells which would disqualify me as per the medical item on page 84. Surely you both should visit a D.A.M.E. for eye tests?

On a different topic, but also from letters’ page.

“If you have a radio make sure it is a receiver not a transceiver, because a licence is required for an Airband radio.” I have an ancient AO R brand scanner which I use for Airband reception. Is this legal or not in South Africa since it came from UK 35 years ago? It is used mainly at home and around Lanseria (FALA) Regards, Peter Hayes Dear Peter, Thank you for your letter. I don’t know how that duplication occurred in the Barnstormers’ article, but it was certainly not the fault of my Proof Reader Gordon Dyne. Thank you for pointing the error out to me.

Regarding your ‘ancient’ Airband receiver, my suggestion would be to enjoy listening to the arrivals and departures at Lanseria and don’t worry about the legality, because your device is just a receiver and this is perfectly legal.

Now to the business side of your e-mail. On behalf of African Pilot, I should like to present you with a one-year FREE subscription to the magazine.

My staff will make contact with you to arrange the details for receiving your monthly aviation fix.

Kind regards, Athol Franz Dear Athol, Too young to start learning? I have attached some photos taken in December of my grandson Luke Maine. Luke will be eight in March and he has a passion for flying and airplanes. His other grandfather, Martin Maine promised him flying rewards for good achievements at school.

He took his first flying lesson on 20 December 2017 after bringing home a good academic report from St. Martins, where he is at school.

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He logged his first flying hour at Rand Airport and received his own logbook. The flight took place in a PA 180, registration ZS-JZS and the pilot / instructor was H. Fouche. Luke took his first step towards his Private Pilot Licence in hopefully eight years’ time. Dreams are there to strive to reality!?

Regards, Frank Solleveld Dear Frank, Thank you very much for your e-mail and for all the encouragement you have provided to young Luke. I certainly hope he achieves his goal to start his student pilot’s licence (SPL) at the age of 15 and then qualify for his Private Pilot’s licence (PPL) on or shortly after his 16th birthday. In the interim to support Luke’s enthusiasm, African Pilot will donate a full year’s subscription to him. Please stay in contact with our administration department: admin@africanpilot.co.za to provide postal details. Thank you.

Regards, Athol

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FAA awards Boeing 737 MAX 9 amended type certificate On 16 February 2018, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officially certified the Boeing MAX 9 for commercial use by issuing it an amended type certificate (ATC). The certificate confirms that overall aircraft performance, as well as its handling and systems, comply with required aviation regulations. The aircraft will enter service with its Indonesian launch operator Lion Air Group later in 2018.

received for 4,300 aircraft. Boeing has four MAX variants and one minor variant, which is a high-density modification of the MAX 8 model.

The single-aisle MAX jets are equipped with CFM International LEAP-1B engines, Advanced Technology winglets, Boeing Sky Interior, large flight deck displays and other features.

Boeing 737 MAX 9

The MAX 9 is designed for a maximum range of 3,550 nautical miles and has a capacity of up to 220 passengers, which is approximately three seat rows more than MAX 8, capable of carrying 178 passengers.

The first flight of MAX 9 took place in March 2017, two months after the Boeing MAX 8 entered service.

The newest MAX family aircraft, the MAX 10, is in a detailed design phase, as it completed the firm configuration earlier in February 2018.

Since the programme launch in 2011, Boeing has already called the MAX ‘the fastest selling aircraft in the company’s history’ with orders

Embraer E190-E2 granted certification by ANAC, FAA and EASA In a ceremony held on 28 February 2018 at the Company’s facilities in São José dos Campos, Embraer received Type Certificate for the E190-E2, the first member of the E-Jets E2 family of commercial aircraft, from the Brazilian Civil Aviation Agency (Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil – ANAC), the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency). It is the first time that an aircraft programme with the level of complexity of the E2 received a type certificate from three major worldwide certification authorities simultaneously. It took just 56 months from programme launch until the E190-E2 was certified. The E190-E2 features new ultra-high bypass ratio engines and a completely new wing and landing gear. Compared to the first-generation E190, 75% of the aircraft systems are new.

The flight test programme comprised four prototype aircraft which were subjected to rigorous testing. The E190-E2 test fleet completed over 2,000 flight hours. Some 45,000 hours of tests were conducted in laboratories with rigs for aircraft avionics, flight controls, electrical, hydraulic and environmental systems. Widerøe, the largest regional airline in Scandinavia, is the first airline in the world to receive the brand-new E190-E2 and will put the aircraft in revenue service in April. The airline has a contract for up to 15 E2 family jets consisting of three firm orders for the E190-E2 and purchase rights for 12 further E2 family aircraft.

Recently, Embraer announced some final flight tests results confirming the E2 as the most efficient single-aisle aircraft on the market. In fuel consumption, the E190-E2 proved to be 1.3% better than originally expected, a 17.3% improvement compared with

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the current generation E190. The E190-E2 also becomes the most environmentally friendly aircraft in its class, with the lowest levels of external noise and emissions. Flight test results also confirmed the E190-E2 to be better than its original specification in take-off performance. The aircraft’s range from airports with hot-and-high conditions, such as Denver and Mexico City, increases by 600 nm compared with current-generation aircraft. Its range from airports with short runways, such as London City, also increases by more than 1,000 nm allowing the aircraft to reach destinations like Moscow and cities in the north of Africa.

The E190-E2 will also have the longest maintenance intervals amongst single-aisle aircraft with 10,000 flight hours for basic checks and no calendar limit for typical utilisation. This means an additional 15 days of aircraft utilisation over ten years compared with current generation E-Jets. Another key gain is with pilot transition training time. Pilots of current-generation E-Jets will need only 2.5 days of training and no full flight simulator to be qualified to fly an E2.

Embraer E190-E2

Saratov Airlines crash: No lessons learned from Air France 447

by Tom Dieusaert Barely a month ago, the press hailed the year of 2017 as the safest year in history for air passenger transportation.

The aviation industry predicted a rosy picture of a future where there wouldn’t be any more aircraft accidents, basically because of the increasing automation, supposed to make commercial aviation more predictable and secure.

Tom Dieusaert is the author of ‘Computer Crashes, when airplane systems fail.’

Available in print (19.9 USD), Kindle (9.9 USD). ISBN 978–987–24843–4–7.

Saratov Airlines Antonov 148

’ lack box la e 447 ‘‘bb c n a r F Air

Then suddenly two accidents in one week! However, then as Icarus himself had flown too close to the sun, one deadly accident after the other started to occur. On New Year’s Eve 2017, a Nature Air Cessna, crashed in Costa Rica, leaving ten American citizens dead. On 11 February 2018 a Ukraine-built Antonov plane of Saratov Airlines crashed near Moscow killing all 71 people on board. A week later on 18 February a French built ATR Turboprop crashed with 65 victims on board in Iran. Although in all three accidents, bad weather conditions were perceived as contributing factors, one important conclusion is that there seems to be a dramatic increase in a phenomenon tagged by the ICAO as Loss of Control in Flight (LOC-I) where pilots simply lose control of their aircraft.

6 000 feet, the speed recorded by the left sensor was nearing zero, whilst the right sensor was recording 550 km per hour, which is a normal speed for that altitude. What most likely happened was that the left sensor became clogged with ice and stopped measuring the real speed, but the stand-by pitot was probably working perfectly. The disagreement between two sources lead to the disengagement of the Autopilot.

The recovered orange ‘black boxes’ of the Antonov 148 After that everything went from bad to worse and the plane made a strong pitch-down manoeuvre of more than 30 degrees, impacting the ground three minutes after the disconnection of the Autopilot. (on Flight 447 the sequence of the accident took four minutes).

Ukraine-built Antonov plane of regional Russian Saratov Airlines The similarities between the Saratov Airlines crash near Moscow on 11 February and the Air France 447 from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Paris, France in 2009 are too striking to ignore. Although the full investigation into the accident of Flight Saratov 703 is not complete, preliminary information from the recovered Flight Data Recorder, points out that the accident was caused by the malfunctioning of a frozen speed sensor (pitot tube), which lead to contradictory information on the pilot’s instruments, after which the Autopilot shut down and the pilots lost control of the aircraft. Exactly that same thing happened in 2009 with the Air France 447, except that the situation of Loss of Control took place at an altitude of 34 000 feet. The Russian Antonov on the other hand was climbing out and was at an altitude of 6000 feet, when the event occurred.

De-icing system inoperative According to the Russian investigators, upon opening the Flight Recorder, it appeared that the crew of the Antonov 148, forgot to switch on the de-icing system of the speed sensors before take-off. This would mean an important omission on the checklist and a so-called ‘human error.’On Flight AF447, the freezing of the pitot tubes was a recurring technical problem on the Airbus (which lead to a world-wide replacement programme of Thales speed probes on the A-330 models). However, the outcome in both accidents was the same: the contradictory speed information confused the pilots. The loss of a reliable speed information should not necessarily lead to an accident. This event occurs often in aviation and on every aircraft there are protocols for unreliable speed situations.

Erroneous speed readings leading to mayhem in cockpit After take-off, the Antonov’s speed sensor 1 started to display considerably lower speeds than the stand-by sensor 2. At some point, at an altitude of

On the Antonov the difference in speed measured by the two sensors was so blatant that one could wonder why the pilots did not trust the stand-by sensor on the right and ignored the left one.

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However, just as on flight AF447, the pilots just could not work it out after the Autopilot was disengaged. Too much stress? Too many alarms going off at the same time? They were not able to interpret the contradictory information on their instruments.

According to Bedic, any seasoned pilot should be able to fly a plane with unreliable speed indications: “Forgetting to turn on the heaters should have not resulted in a crash. Flying with unreliable indication is a part of aviation primary school and practised in basic IFR-training.”

Currently most pilots fly almost exclusively on Automatic Pilot (AP) and manual flight has become very rare, because airlines recommend flying as much on AP as possible, to save fuel and to maximise the comfort of the passengers. That is, until the Automatic Pilot stops working. The main conclusion of the French Investigative Board for Airline Accidents (BEA) after the crash of the AF447, was that airlines had to improve training for situations of loss of reliable airspeed.

“It would be irresponsible to jump to conclusions regarding the root cause,” he says. “However, the correct procedure for preventing such accidents in the future, would lead towards evaluation of safety standards in the civil aviation authority and the airline management.”

According to Bedic, some important questions arise after the Saratov-accident: “Which is the authority which audited the pilots’ training system? How were the pilots screened? How strict are they with implementing the Standard Operational Procedures (SOP)?”

Most of all: “Did they implement the upset recovery training, which became an industry standard after the Air France crash?”

Apparently, this has not happened. StjepanBedic, a safety manager and a compliance monitoring manager at Kermas Aviation, the Saratov accident does not reflect well on the current state of Russian civil aviation. “Even though it is reasonable to assume that the direct cause of the accident is failure of the crew to engage the heaters of the pitot-static system, the job of the safety management system, as well as investigation is to find the root cause. Failure to engage the heaters is just a symptom. A more serious fact, that the pilots were not able to fly the airplane with unreliable airspeed indication is also a symptom.”

Page 208 of the BEA report on AF447: The possible related loss of associated speed references doubtless constitutes an airplane handling difficulty for crews that are not prepared. Training does not adequately draw attention of crews to the precise identification of the type of reconfiguration and of the level of protection and on the necessity to monitor the trajectory and the primary parameters.

Delta Airlines anticipates CS100 aircraft deliveries in 2018 Bombardier CS100

Following the decision by United States International Trade Commission (ITC) not to impose a 300% import tax on Bombardier C Series jets, Delta Airlines announced its intention to ‘take as many deliveries as possible’ from a new Airbus and Bombardier U.S. facility, as soon as it opens, but for the time being will accept jets made in Canada as well. The U.S. carrier has 75 C Series planes on order. Despite the fact that the revised delivery schedule with Bombardier is not yet determined, the airline notes in a statement that the: “ITC decision clears the way for Delta to accept deliveries in Canada,” meaning that some aircraft might reach its fleet in 2018.

Delta Airlines said in a statement: “Delta Airlines is evaluating how to best match Bombardier’s production capacities with its fleet needs and whilst pleased that imports from Canada can now be part of the near-term solution, Delta looks forward to taking U.S. manufactured aircraft from Bombardier’s new manufacturing facility in Mobile, Alabama when that facility opens.”

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Reuters confirms that exporting C Series planes to the U.S. from Canada can help Bombardier reach its target of 40 deliveries to Delta Airlines in 2018. Waiting for the opening of its manufacturing facility in Alabama on another hand, would presumably prolong the waiting time.

At the end of 2016, Delta Airlines cancelled a deal with Boeing for the purchase of 18 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners. The amount of the cancelled transaction is estimated at $4 billion. At the same time, in April 2016, Delta Airlines entered into an agreement with Bombardier to purchase 75 CS100 aircraft valued at $5.6 billion. Boeing launched a trade dispute against Bombardier in 2017, alleging that the Canadian government is illegally subsidising the C Series commercial airliner programme and that the planes are being sold in the U.S. at ‘absurdly low’ prices. Boeing backed this claim by referring to Delta Airlines and Bombardier deal for C Series planes. Following the accusations, the U.S. government imposed 300% trade duties on C Series planes. However, on 26 January 2018 the US International Trading Commission (ITC) ruling determined that the tax obligation will not come into force.

Boeing to acquire 51 percent share in partnership with Embraer Michel Temer

Boeing 737 Embraer E195-E2

Dennis Muilenburg Reuters reported on 25 February 2018, that Boeing will have a 51 percent share in a joint company currently being negotiated with the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer. The joint venture would follow months of talks on a possible deal between the two companies and challenge their rivals’ Airbus-Bombardier pact on the CSeries aircraft, possibly shaking up the commercial jet industry. On 21 December 2017, both Boeing and Embraer confirmed their discussions on a potential combination in an official press release, stating that the two companies are engaged in discussions, but that there is no guarantee they will result in a transaction. The statement also read that any transaction would be subject to the approval of the Brazilian government and regulators, the two companies’ boards and Embraer’s shareholders.

The news came after Boeing’s European rival Airbus agreed to buy a majority stake in Bombardier’s 100 to 130 seat CSeries jetliner programme on 16 October 2017.

structured a deal concept that will satisfy the needs of everybody involved.” However, the Brazilian government maintains a ‘golden share’; a type of share that gives its shareholders veto power over strategic decisions to the company’s charter, including that over Boeing’s push for a partnership in Embraer, which is a former state enterprise. At the time of writing neither Embraer nor Boeing have responded to requests for comment and have not yet released any official statements on the matter.

What is at stake for the world’s major plane makers?

According to Reuters, late on 25 February 2018, another Brazilian newspaper, ValorEconomico, reported that Boeing would get an 80 to 90 percent stake in a new commercial jet business with Embraer.

Boeing is the world’s largest aerospace company, whilst Embraer is the world’s third largest passenger jet maker and the leader in the 70-seat to 130-seat regional jet market. If a deal was reached, the joint venture would consolidate a global commercial jet duopoly, shaking up the industry.The proposed partnership with Embraer would make Boeing the leader in the smaller passenger jet market, as the Brazilian plane maker also makes smaller commercial aircraft for the regional market and business jets.

Airbus to acquire majority stake in C Series Airbus announced plans to buy a majority stake in the Bombardier C Series jetliner programme, potentially providing the Canadian planemaker a way out from the trade dispute with Boeing. Ever since the announcement of the plans, Boeing has sought the approval from the Brazilian government for a partnership with Embraer that would create a new company focused on commercial aviation with joint ventures and joint business agreements, excluding Embraer’s defence unit. Brazil’s government has repeatedly said it is opposed to Boeing taking control over Embraer due to the planemaker’s key role in the country’s defence sector, although initial Boeing-Embraer talks did involve the Brazilian company’s defence business.

According to The Financial Times, both Boeing and Embraer have sought to stifle Canada’s Bombardier CSeries aircraft programme with legal challenges. The CSeries narrow-body, twin-engine, medium-range jetliners compete with Embraer’s largest E-Jet aircraft. The CSeries could also be extended to challenge Boeing’s smallest single-aisle jets.This would intensify the competition for Bombardier’s CSeries, which is backed by Boeing’s other rival.

Boeing’s initial plan to buy Embraer was therefore rejected by the Brazilian government, with the Brazilian President Michel Temer saying, “All partnerships are welcome. However, what is not under consideration is transferring Embraer’s control to a foreign company,” Bloomberg reported. The U.S. plane-maker wishes to form a commercial jet venture instead of an outright acquisition. Throughout the months of discussions, Boeing and Embraer have been structuring an agreement to combine their commercial air operations in a way that addresses the Brazilian government’s concerns. Boeing’s CEO Dennis Muilenburg was reported as saying: “We are respectful of the concerns the Brazilian government has raised around sovereignty and its national defence,” Muilenburg said. “We believe we have

ITC explains why Bombardier won trade dispute against Boeing The International Trade Commission (ITC), a U.S. trade agency, issued a reasoning explaining its 26 January 2018, ruling, which rejected Boeing’s claim against Bombardier in a 100 - to 150 seat large civil aircraft from Canada antidumping investigation. In a separate article on 21 February 2018, Reuters reported Boeing’s Muilenburg as saying: “That his company sees a ‘great strategic fit’ in a possible acquisition of Embraer but that the deal is not essential.

If Boeing can get a good deal with additional value for its customers and companies, it will proceed with the partnership. If not, it will not change the company’s strategy. This is a great complement to our strategy but not a must do.”

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Russia joins the race for Iran’s market with Sukhoi’s Superjet Iran Air Airbus A300

A Russian-built Sukhoi Superjet 100 landed at Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport in Iran on 12 February 2018, with a team of engineers on board. For the Russian airplane manufacturer, this presentation is part of a renewed attempt to find customers in Iran for its passenger jet. For Iranian airlines, it is a considerable option after having difficulty in securing new aircraft from Western plane makers over the past two years. In the initial wave of aircraft orders which followed the lifting of most international sanctions on Iran in January 2016, the country’s airlines placed $44 billion worth of business with Boeing and its main rival, Airbus. Smaller orders were also placed with the Airbus affiliate turboprop manufacturer ATR. In February 2016, Iran Air signed a deal to buy up to 40 turboprop passenger planes from ATR. In December 2016, Airbus and Boeing agreed to sell a combined total of 180 jets to renew the aging fleet of Iran’s flag carrier. Airbus agreed to sell 100 jets worth an estimated $27 billion, whilst Boeing committed to sell 80 planes valued at $16.6 billion and possibly 30 more to another Iranian carrier, Aseman Airlines. Eleven turboprops built by ATR had already been delivered in 2017, but the deliveries of larger jets from Airbus and Boeing are taking much longer. So far there had been just three Airbus jet deliveries to date and none from Boeing.

What’s the hold up?

In January 2018, Airbus sales chief John Leahy predicted Iran would take delivery of dozens of European made jets it has ordered under the nuclear sanctions deal, but warned the transactions could take longer to complete than initially planned. Leahy told Reuters: “I think those deals will get fulfilled, maybe not on the original schedule. We have to arrange financing; they have to understand about making pre-delivery payments.”

Leahy indicated that Airbus would be cautious about building jets for Iran without receiving deposit payments. Industry sources also said that Boeing also held off manufacturing jets until it receives down payments.

Reuters reports that Airbus secured export licences from the U.S. Treasury which expire in 2020. It would need renewed permission to complete its planned deliveries to Iran, which are scheduled to stretch beyond 2020. The number of deliveries covered by those existing licences would shrink if schedules were delayed.

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Financial hurdles The slow progress in renewing Iran’s aging fleets of passenger jets is a direct result of the U.S. sanctions. Deals need to be cleared by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) before they can progress. Arranging financing for the jets has been a significant hurdle as most major international banks are reluctant to do business with Iran fearing that the nuclear deal could unravel, or they could fall foul of ongoing U.S. financial controls. U.S. President Donald Trump has strongly criticised the 2015 deal to lift a heap of sanctions in return for restrictions on Iran’s nuclear activities and has threatened to pull the U.S. out of the deal. In January 2018, the President waived sanctions against Iran as required under the nuclear agreement, keeping U.S. in the deal for now, but began a four-month countdown until it ceases to comply with obligations under the agreement.

Therefore, Iran Air, the country’s largest airline, may have to turn to domestic banks to finance the airliner orders. Some Iranian carriers looked to secure financing deals through international leasing firms to support the purchases, but it is not clear if those efforts have succeeded.

In December 2017, Iran Air spokeswoman Massoumeh Asqarzadeh told local media in Iran that: “Our preference is to use domestic financial resources, but we also have the option to finance the purchases through Airbus and Boeing themselves.” In January 2018, Reuters reported industry sources saying that due to the lack of financing, Iran has indeed been forced to pay cash via its central bank for the airplanes it has received already and that deals may be worked out allowing these payments to double as deposits for future jet deliveries.

Russian Sukhoi Superjet 100

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Is automation causing manual flying skill degradation?

by Gitte Furdal Damm

B777cockpit

Asiana Boeing 777 crash cockpit

2017 was claimed as the safest year in Commercial Jet Aviation in terms of casualties. Aircraft design and the operational use of automated systems have been continuously improved and advanced to assist the pilots in the ‘Man – Machine’ environment. Maybe even to a point, where we might start to consider: Is the automation on the flight decks today, a ‘nice to have’ or has it become a ‘need to have?

What happens when automation fails? Are the pilots actually able to maintain their manual flying skills and manage attention when juggling concurrent task demands?

automation flying actually lead to motor skill degradation, or are there also other factors at stake?

During the Asiana 214 flight in San Francisco (U.S.) on July 2013 where the Asiana Boeing 777 impacted the ground before the runway, the flight deck was occupied by three pilots. Yet, no one questioned the aircraft state, in regard to the automation mode selected, before it was too late. The lack of understanding the automation selection and the transition to manual flying were acknowledged as a cause of the fatal accident. Despite highly experienced pilots, the actual flying hours of manual flying turned out to be significant lower. An airline policy of recommending automation flying, due to cost efficiency seemed to play a role in how much manual flying was conducted.

FAA report after the accident stated: “Concern in future Flight Safety issue of Man- Machine, due to the over reliance on Autopilot and Automation.” The FAA estimates that automation is used 90% of the time, leaving only 10% for manual flying. However, does the

The finding proclaimed: “Pilots sometimes struggled to maintain the cognitive skills that accompany manual flying such as awareness of the aircraft’s position and recognising instrument system failure.” The conclusions were: • Hand - Eye skills: If initially well learned, are reasonably well retained after prolonged use of automation.

• Cognitive skills: Such as navigation and failure recognition and diagnosis, are prone to forgetting and may depend on the extent to which pilots follow along when automation is used to fly the aircraft.

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In a NASA study from 2014, “The retention of manual flying skills in the automated cockpit”, 16 active 747-400 pilots were tested on the following parameters: • Hand - Eye skills: Instrument scanning and manual control • Cognitive skills: Navigation and failure recognition, diagnosis.

So, this study suggests, that if you have been trained properly in your manual flying skills, they will not decay, but some ‘rustiness’ might occur.

However, it seems that cognitive skills of monitoring and situation awareness are more dependent on our state of mind. Do we actively

monitor, as in continuously checking the aircraft position in regard to the automation, or do our thoughts wander when automation is selected?

The NASA study revealed that during flights with automation, pilots’ thoughts were unrelated to task 20% of the time. This could suggest that for a human it can be hard to engage to the monitoring part all the time.

Our minds start to drift; we get bored. In this state, a transition into manual flying due to failure might be challenging. When automation failures occur, we might end up being too busy flying the aircraft, not leaving room for the cognitive process in regard to navigation, failure recognition and diagnosis that are vital in this situation. So, this could lead to a conclusion that more manual flying is necessary for us to maintain both the motor skills and especially the cognitive skills associated. This is not news to us that several accidents and incidents have led to changes in training organisations around the world, where Upset Recovery and ‘automation surprise’ now has become a part of the training in the simulator. However, is it sufficient to train every six months, or are both the cognitive and manual skills something we should have a chance to train for more frequently? One could, of course, argue that pilots could do it every day on the job. Looking at it from an isolated point of view, that might be true, but maybe there is more to the equation. Does the context in which we work leave room for training of manual skills?

With rising demands in aviation, more congested airspace and airports have followed. Reduced separation and RNAV approaches in the majority of airports. Requiring automation, more precision and less time to take up the airspace. Alongside is following effective crew rosters, maximising the use of the crew, causing fatigue issues.

The high demands for pilots, providing first officers fresh from the flight school and fast track upgrades for captains. Inexperience in

terms of manual flying hours, but competent in the automation; the magenta children and then there is of course the policy of the airline in concern. Do they actually encourage pilots to fly manually or not?

This does not rule out the choice of flying manually, but this might be some of the factors in a decision of whether or not, to do so.

The question may be: When should we fly manually? How often is required in order to maintain the manual and cognitive skills? On an approach into London, with a new First Officer? On the Non-precision approach at night? With reported cross winds close to aircraft limit?

Or when your weekly duty hours are passing 45 hours? So, has the automation become more of a ‘need to have’ than a ‘nice to have’?

From my point of view, it has, but mainly as a consequence of the development in today’s aviation. I see a point in the FAA concern, but maybe even more in the ongoing growth of the industry. Are we closing in on the limits of human capabilities with the continuing sophistication and enhancement of automation? Though it might make it easier for us in the daily operation are we capable of coping in recognising the system failures when automation fails? As a CRM Instructor, I find this topic a good platform for discussions in the classroom. My belief is, that creating the awareness, sharing thoughts and ideas on how to address the issue might help us in the future. Therefore, if you are a pilot, what are your thoughts?

(Danish Gitte Furdal Damm founded ‘About Human Factors’ in 2016.

She had been flying Franco- Italian ATR Turboprops for 16 years and been a Captain since. 2007. She always had a great interest in Crew Resource Management (CRM) and in 2016 she quit her job to solely concentrate on it.)

A350 XWB ultra long-range aircraft

Airbus A350 XWB On 28 February, the first ultra-long-range version of the A350 XWB rolled out of the Airbus final assembly line in Toulouse. The latest variant of the A350 XWB family will be able to fly further than any other commercial airliner and will enter service with launch operator Singapore Airlines (SIA) later in 2018. Airbus said that SIA has ordered seven ultra-long-range versions of the A350 XWB, which it will use on non-stop flights between Singapore and the U.S., including the world’s longest commercial service between Singapore and New York.

With the delivery of the new aircraft, SIA will be able to resume the world’s longest non-stop commercial flights, since it discontinued flights to Los Angeles (7,560 nm) and Newark (9,020 nm) in 2013, when rising fuel prices made operation of the A340-500 used on those routes too expensive. Following completion of the airframe assembly, the first A350 XWB ultra long-range aircraft has now moved to an outdoor station where it will undergo extensive ground tests, prior to installation of

its Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines. The aircraft will then embark on a short flight test programme to certify the changes over the standard A350-900 that will bring the additional range capability. These include a modified fuel system that increases fuel carrying capacity by 24,000 litres (6,340 gallons), without the need for additional fuel tanks. The test phase will also measure enhanced performance derived from aerodynamic improvements, including extended winglets.

The A350 XWB includes the latest aerodynamic design, carbon fibre fuselage and wings, as well as new fuel-efficient Rolls-Royce engines, which will offer high levels of operational efficiency, with a 25 per cent reduction in fuel burn and emissions and significantly lower maintenance costs. The aircraft also features an Airspace by Airbus cabin that offers the quietest twin-aisle cabin and new air systems.

With a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 280 tons (560,000 pounds), the A350 XWB Ultra Long Range is capable of flying up to 9,700 nautical miles or over 20 hours non-stop.

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2018

Event

Venue

Contact

7 Apr

Ermelo Airshow

Ermelo

Andre van Rooyen 082 417 0174 tolderia@gmail.com

12 - 14 Apr

SAPFA Rally Nationals and Fun Rally

Brits airfield

Frank Eckard 083 269 1516 frank.eckard@mweb.co.za

14 Apr

Robertson annual Fly-in Breakfast

Robertson Airport, Western Cape

Alwyn du Plessis 083 270 5888 boeredata@breede.co.za

17 & 18 Apr

African Aviation Summit

Cairo, Egypt

Mark Brown mark.brown@africanaerospace.aero www.aviationafrica.aero

18 - 21 Apr

AERO Friedrichshafen

Germany

www.aero-expo.com

21 - 22 Apr

SAC KZN regionals

Ladysmith airfield

Annie Boon chunge@mweb.co.za

27 Apr - 1 May

NAC annual fly-away 10th edition

27 - 29 Apr

EAA National Convention

Vryheid airfield

Marie Reddy marie.reddyy@gmail.com

28 Apr

SAPFA EAA Convention Fun Rally

Vryheid airfield

Rob Jonkers 082 804 7032 rob@aerosud.co.za

28 Apr

Wings & Wheels

Uitenhage

Lourens Kruger 082 320 2615 imk@telkomsa.net

4 -5 May

SAAF Museum Swartkops airshow

Swartkops

Officer Commanding 012 351 2290 oc@saafmuseum.org.za

7 - 9 May

Airport show

Dubai - United Arab Emirates

Reed Exhibitions Middle East stephanie.ramos@reedexpo.ae

11 - 13 May

Battlefields Country Lodge Annual fly-in

12 May

Deneys Potgieter 082 891 4354 deneys.potgieter@nac.co.za

SAPFA Sheila Taylor Fun Rally Krugersdorp airfield

Dave O’Halloran 079 496 5286 gm@battlefieldslodge.co.za www.battlefieldslodge.co.za Grant Rousseau 082 329 3551 gr@kama.co.za

Airshow organisers: African Pilot annual airshow award details on our website: www.africanpilot.co.za Local 0861 001130 International +27 11 466 8524 Pre & post publicity: E-mail: editor@africanpilot.co.za Website: www.africanpilot.co.za Details are published in the magazine, the African Pilot weekly Newsletter and the African Pilot Website. They serve to remind aviation enthusiasts of forthcoming events during the week running up to the event.

Capital Sounds for sound and broadcast: Brian Emmenis 057 388 2351 E-mail: capital@icon.co.za ASSA - Air Show South Africa Website: www.airshowsa.org.za. To reserve an airshow or fly-in please book on-line: www.airshowsa.org.za Louise Hofmeyer 083 454 1104 E-mail: louise@airshowsa.org.za Management & Airshow Authorisation: Tania van den Berg RAASA 011 082 1000 E-mail: tania@raasa.co.za Website: www.raasa.co.za

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How to submit a photograph Should you wish to see your photograph published as a ‘Picture of the Month’, please send your image in its original size to africanpilotmag@gmail.com.

All well-composed, high quality photographs with an aviation theme will be considered. This month’s winner will receive two nights for two people at the Aviator Hotel including breakfast. By submitting a photograph, you grant us permission to publish the image in African Pilot magazine, as well as our annual executive wall calendar. The photographer who takes the best photograph of the year will receive prizes to the value of up to R10 000.

Boeing Stearman by Anton Nel As a member of the Brakpan Aero Club and being directly involved at the club’s website provides many photo opportunities and having some unique aircraft at the club is a plus. Ivan and Sonica Van Der Schaar also joined the Brakpan Club to make this a very active airfield.

The Website holds multiple images and information with regards to previous and upcoming events and activities in general. This particular image was taken late afternoon on

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16 September 2017, while Ivan was taking a club member for a flip in his Randolph Boeing Stearman ZU-IES. Camera: Nikon D4 Lens: Nikkor 200-500 f5.6 VR Aperture: f-7.1 Shutter: 1/250 Exposure compensation: -0.3 ISO Speed: ISO-64 Vocal length: 400mm

Sponsored by

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