FedEx requests permission from FAA to equip cargo planes with anti-missile systems

Top cargo delivery company FedEx wants to take the security of its cargo one notch higher. It has sought permission from the US flying regulator FAA to install a missile-defence system on its cargo aircraft.

There is a strong case for securing cargo jets against heat-seeking missiles. FedEx told FAA that in recent years, there have been incidents when civilian aircraft have been fired upon by man-portable missile systems.

FedEx is proposing to install an anti-missile system that aims to fire infrared lasers toward any incoming missile. The laser would interrupt the missile’s ability to track the aircraft’s heat signature. The plan is to install this system on Airbus A321-200 airplanes.

FedEx requests permission from FAA to equip cargo planes with anti-missile systems

FedEx's submission to the FAA states that "in recent years, in several incidents abroad, civilian aircraft were fired upon by man-portable air-defence systems (MANPADS). This has led several companies to design and adapt systems like a laser-based missile-defence system for installation on civilian aircraft, to protect those aircraft against heat-seeking missiles."

The cargo company is also proposing to build safeguards, to prevent any inadvertent mis-firing or collateral damage. This won't be the first time for an anti-missile safeguard on commercial airlines.

These have been installed in US commercial aircraft way back in 2008. In fact, Israeli passenger airline El Al fitted a missile defence system as far back as 2004. But the threat of missile attacks on airlines and cargo jets is now being increasingly seen as a real one.

Now aviation regulators will hear 45 days of public comment before approving "a system that emits infrared laser energy outside the aircraft as a countermeasure against heat-seeking missiles" on Airbus A321-200 aircraft.

The FAA document says FedEx started the government approval process for modifying A321-200s back in 2019, even though the company does not yet own such aircraft. FedEx has not responded to CNN's request for comment.

The FAA stipulates that any approval must include "means that prevent the inadvertent activation of the system on the ground, including during airplane maintenance and ground handling," since laser accidents "can result in eye and skin damage."

Reason behind this concern

There's a reason for this concern. In 2003, a surface-to-air missile slammed into the left wing of an Airbus A330 operating for DHL just after takeoff from Baghdad. The crew returned to the airport unharmed.

Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 from Tehran to Kyiv was shot down shortly after takeoff by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, which later said it mistook the plane for a cruise missile.

A Malaysia Airlines passenger flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down in 2014 while flying over eastern Ukraine, in what international inquiries concluded was a botched operation by Russian-backed separatists.

Cover Image - The Drive

Air traffic controllers typically track airplanes using radar technology, which is only effective for up to 200 miles offshore. After flying farther than 200 miles over the ocean, commercial airplanes are typically out of radar range.

The disappearance of Air France Flight 447, an Airbus A330, on Monday, 1 June 2009 and Malaysian Airlines, a Boeing 777-200, MH 370 on 8 March 2014 raised serious questions on as to how state-of-the-art aircraft with advanced technology onboard could possibly vanish without a trace. Although it took two years to find the wreckage of the former, Flight MH370 remains a mystery.

Wreckage of Air France Flight 447

Cars have Global Positioning System (GPS) devices to pinpoint where drivers are when they get lost. Why not have the same technology installed in aircraft? Well, it may not be as simple as that. Nearly all modern planes are fitted with GPS navigation systems today. How sophisticated those communications and navigation systems are is down to individual airlines when they fit out their planes.

Malaysian Airlines MH370 | Businessinsider

Onboard GPS systems are primarily navigation tools for the crew and do not currently enable a constant tracking of a jet by a ground crew at all times.

Planes receive a position signal, but don't transmit that back. This is not a problem when a jet is flying over land or in coastal areas, as it is tracked by radar. Over oceans, radar does not work as it relies on line-of-sight tracking from a ground station.

Airlines often have a contract with a private operator to provide their satellite communications. Some companies pay for it, some have free contractsMichel Roelandt, aviation expert for Eurocontrol, a European air navigation safety organization

Alternative methods of communicating while flying long distances over water

1. High-Frequency Radio

Although an older and less reliable mode of communication. it is, however, still used by countless airliners today. High-frequency radio technology involves relaying the airplane’s location to a network of receivers, which eventually pass the data to air traffic controllers on the ground

2. Traffic Collision Avoidance Systems (TCAS)

These systems are used to communicate with other nearby airplanes to avoid a midair collision and are not really used to communicate with the ATC.

Wikimedia Commons

Whether an airplane is flying over land or sea, its traffic collision avoidance system will constantly emit a signal. If another airplane encroaches upon the plane’s airspace, both pilots will receive an alert. The pilots can then take the necessary actions to avoid a collision.

3. Satellites

The most common way that airplanes communicate when flying over the ocean, is by satellite communication wherein the flight crew upload the airplane’s location to the satellite, after which the satellite will relay this data to air traffic controllers on the ground.

Reportedly, satellites were found to be non-reliable in cases when aircraft had to fly over remote ocean areas.

Fast forward to 2019, a new technology breaks cover claiming to be able to track all commercial airplanes in real-time, anywhere on the planet.

Tucked inside the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, in what was touted to be a $3 billion project,10 satellites were launched into space to replace 66 ageing communication satellites.

SpaceX Falcon 9 blasts off into space carrying 10 Iridium advanced satellites | Aerion

Seventy percent of the world's airspace has no surveillance. Aircraft fly over the oceans and report back their positions to air traffic control every 10 to 15 minutes at best and in between those periods, no one knows where they areAireon CEO Don Thoma

Aireon CEO Don Thoma | SoundCloud

Aireon, based in McLean, Virginia, was developing the technology to change that even before Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 vanished over the Indian Ocean in March 2014. But a Boeing 777 with 239 aboard disappearing was a wake-up call, prompting years of safety experts demanding change.

The technology may also make it possible for air traffic controllers to allow more flights to be in the air at the same time on busy routes over the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It could also allow for more direct flight paths, which means more flights, the potential for fewer delays, and shorter flights to places like Europe.

Space In Africa

It's kind of like changing a tire on a bus going 17,000 miles per hour. With these new satellites that we're putting up, we have more capacity, more processing capability, more memory … so we are taking an old flip phone and upgrading it into a smartphone said Walt Everetts, vice president of satellite operations for Iridium

Watt Everetts | Vice

The satellites launched into space were 10 advanced Iridium Communications satellites, each the size of a Mini Cooper and once active, they'll power satellite phone communications, space-based broadband and carry a device that will solve an issue that's plagued aviation for decades. Iridium is replacing its existing constellation of 66 satellites and 9 spares orbiting the earth built and launched in the mid-90s

Apparently, the technology was also adopted by the Indian aviation fraternity way back in 2019.

The Airports Authority of India has tied up with Aerion to track the exact position of aircraft flying over vast stretches of the Indian Ocean as well as Indian airspace every 30 seconds.

The backbone of AERION'S technology resides on Iridium NEXT constellation of satellites. Eight Iridium NEXT launches on SPACE-X Falcon 9 rockets successfully occurred between January 2017 and January 2019. Iridium is hosting Aerion's specially designed receivers on each Iridium NEXT satellite covering 100%.Aerion website

SOURCE(s)

COVER: Airways Magazine

The father of an Army Aviation pilot who died in a crash in Jammu and Kashmir in 2021 has written to President Ram Nath Kovind, requesting him to make it mandatory for all army pilots to undergo underwater survival training and to equip them with essential life-saving gear.

Harish Chander Joshi's son Capt Jayant Joshi of 254 Squadron of Army Aviation had died in a fatal crash of his helicopter over Ranjit Sagar Dam in Jammu and Kashmir on August 3, 2021 while on a mission sortie.

Ram Nath Kovind, President of India

A pilot of Rudra Weapon System Integrated (WSI) attack helicopter of Army Aviation, Jayant Joshi along with Lt. Col. A S Batth, a test pilot and an aviation instructor, were practising target acquisition and deployment of integrated weapons on the 200-square kilometre dam when the crash took place.

"The crash has exposed many glaring gaps in the safety processes being followed in Army Aviation. It has also apparently revealed an attitude of apathy and disregard in the matter of pilot safety and training needs among those responsible for the affairs of Army Aviation," Jayant Joshi's father Harish Chander Joshi wrote in his letter to the President.

The President's secretariat has forwarded the complaint to the Defence Secretary, according to a communication received by Joshi.

"My question is that if the Rudra was not meant to be flown over water, then why were the helicopters of the squadron being routinely sent to fly over a vast expanse of water that was 25 km long and 8 km wide? This information on the expanse of water was often put out in the public domain by the army's own publicity wing.If that be the case, did anyone responsible for running the affairs of Army Aviation, from top to down the squadron command level, realise the basic survival training needs of the men and provide them with the necessary safety gears before sending them for flying over water? Were they not aware of these needs? Did they not know that their pilots were risking lives by flying over a vast water body every day? They did know but chose to ignore and disregard these critical requirements."Harish Chander Joshi, Father, Late Capt Jayant Jpshi

He questioned whether the Rudra helicopter is meant to fly low to avoid detection and fire by the enemy and fly overground. Why was it being flown over water?

Joshi said he was told that it was the only area available for low flying as it was free from obstacles.

Joshi said flying over water as a routine requires specialised training about depth perception which is different from flying over land due to reflection from the water surface.

"If not trained and while over water, a minute miscalculation about the depth on the part of pilots may cause them to hit the water and crash," he said.

He was told that the court of inquiry found that the team, flying very low and deeply engrossed in acquiring the target, and aligning it on to the integrated weapons, both the pilots did not realise that they were going to hit the water. In plain words, they missed the depth perception and crashed to die, he said.

"In my opinion, since they were not trained for depth perception, the crash was inevitable. This is one version of the circumstances and reasons leading to the crash. There are many eyewitness accounts and CCTV footage and all these present a different story," he said.

He said lack of training, as well as lack of basic safety gears for flying over water, are perhaps to be blamed for this crash.

"Unfortunately, all army pilots fly in the same situation. Those flying over water routinely are trained for underwater escape and survival in case of a crash. Navy pilots are provided with this training. These pilots are also provided with life-saving jackets so that they float and are rescued in case of a crash over water," he said.

He was a pilot of Rudra Weapon System Integrated (WSI) attack helicopter of Army Aviation.

Joshi said that had basic life-saving gear in the form of a life jacket been provided to his son, he would have floated on the water surface and could have been rescued to the nearest medical facility by the locals and the rescue boats of the dam authorities that had reached the crash site within 15 minutes of the crash.

"Deprived of a life jacket, he was killed and went into the waters. The other pilot also met the same fate. Chances of their survival were reduced to zero due to the criminal negligence to pilot safety and survival. Due to this criminal negligence, his body could be retrieved only after a 76-day-long search," he wrote.

Indian Army Aviation Corps

Joshi requested the President to make it mandatory for all army pilots to undergo underwater survival training and also equip them with the essential life-saving gears, and ensure life-saving skill up-gradation through periodic training modules. Their flying machines should also be made float worthy.

Joshi also asked the President to fix accountability for the death of his son and the other pilot and those responsible for violation of safety norms, apathy and complete disregard to pilot safety and survival training be brought to book and commensurate action be taken against them.

(With Inputs from PTI)

Ma Jian, a China Southern Airbus A380 pilot, spent 189 days and 4,536 hours in quarantine during 2021, and was aptly named the “King of Quarantine.”

On Thursday, January 13, China Southern Airlines tweeted a photo of Ma Jian, the airline’s 2021 “King of Quarantine.” He is an Airbus A380 captain.

https://twitter.com/CSAIRGlobal/status/1481813324027289601

In 2021 he spent 189 days or 4,536 hours in isolation due to the travel restrictions imposed by the Chinese Government to prevent new COVID-19 cases. China Southern Airlines posted a Ma Jian photo to celebrate the “great sacrifice and dedication” of its crew during the COVID-19 pandemic, reported FlightGlobal.

“Every China Southern Airlines pilot knows that they maintain the stability of the international logistics supply chain and have become a symbol of China’s national strength during the epidemic.”China Southern Airlines

Even though he was spending 189 days in isolation, Jian was on duty approximately 75 days in 2021. Ma Jian completed 505 hours of flying, about one hour of work for every five hours he spent in quarantine.

While he was working, Ma Jian delivered thousands of passengers and supplies around the world onboard the superjumbo A380, said China Southern on social media.

China has imposed severe travel restrictions in the last couple of years. The country has set a zero-COVID policy and has tight border controls. This has impacted the services airlines can offer.

For pilots like Ma Jian, the long stretches under quarantine can be lonely and challenging. Nonetheless, many people are going through more difficult times than them, Ma Jian said. He added that they can go home after each quarantine and hug their families.

Approximately 30 A380 pilots working with China Southern Airlines have been quarantined for more than 300 days each in the last two years. Additionally, many Boeing 777 pilots were also under quarantines for more than 170 days last year.

Flight attendants don’t have it any easier, though. For example, Liu Hui, a flight attendant for the carrier, spent 310 days in quarantine the last couple of years.

China Southern Airlines is currently the world’s fifth-largest airline and the largest in China

According to OAG, China Southern Airlines is currently the world’s fifth-largest airline and the largest in China. The carrier is behind American Airlines, Delta, Southwest, and United.

China Southern Airlines’ main route at the moment goes between Shenzhen and Shanghai, with 401 scheduled flights. Guangzhou-Beijing has 400 scheduled flights in the month.

Approximately 32% of all China Southern Airlines flights are operated with the carrier’s Boeing B737-800 fleet. The airline uses its Airbus A320 fleet on 28.5% of all flights. Meanwhile, it only has 31 scheduled flights using the Airbus A380, or just 0.04% of the airline’s services this month.

If you've ever been a frequent flyer on long-haul routes, chances are. at some point in time, you would have spotted "ETOPS" written on the aircraft.

Aviation Stack Exchange

ETOPS means Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards. It is a certification that permits twin-engine aircraft to fly routes which may, at the time, be 60 minutes flying time from the nearest airport that is suitable for an emergency landing.

ETOPS have been in practice in commercial aviation for over 15 years now. The ICAO issues Standards And Recommended Practises (SARPS) for ETOPS and ETOPS were extended to four-engine aircraft like the Boeing 747-8 and the terminology is now updated to EDTO – Extended Diversion Time Operations.

A brief history

Early combustion engines were highly unreliable, and often a 4-engine piston aircraft would show up at the airport with only 3 of its engines working.  Because of this, twin-engine aircraft were required to fly in beeline routes in the range of a suitable airport for landing. In 1953, the FAA imposed what is known as the “60-minute rule” on two- and three-engine airplanes, disallowing them to fly more than 60 minutes outside the closest airport.

A piston-engine fighter | Representative | Husu-Kit

With the advent of technology and the introduction of jet engines, which were obviously much more reliable than piston engines. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) now began to approve flights with twin engines 120 minutes away from an accommodating airport. This new policy was now twice as long as the previous time requirement. It made twin-engine aircraft more popular since their fuel efficiency was much better than a 4-engine aircraft.

ETOPS certification

Although flights continue to become safer, it remains very important for aircraft to go through rigorous tests to maintain ETOPS certification. The higher the ETOPS rating is, the more difficult it is for the aircraft to maintain approval, with the upside being added levels of safety and efficiency of an aircraft.

Wikipedia

The ETOPS certification requires the manufacturer to demonstrate that flying with one engine is relatively manageable by the flight crew, safe for the airframe, and an extremely rare occurrence. Additionally, they must also showcase that the flight crew’s training and maintenance procedures are up to high standards.

Many operators prefer flying an ETOPS approach as opposed to non-ETOPS as they significantly improve reliability, performance, and aircraft dispatch rates.

The importance and meaning of ETOPS came to the fore when the first ETOPS certification was given to Trans World Airlines (TWA) in 1985.

Getting started

There are different levels of ETOPS certification, each allowing aircraft to fly on routes that are a certain amount of single-engine flying time away from the nearest suitable airport.

ETOPS under-90

Airbus A300 twinjets, the first twin-engine wide-body aircraft, had been flying across the North Atlantic, the Bay of Bengal, and the Indian Ocean under a 90-minute ICAO rule since 1976.

CNN

ETOPS 120

 Trans World Airlines operated the first 120-minute ETOPS (ETOPS-120) service on February 1, 1985, with a Boeing 767-200 from Boston to Paris.

Modern Airliner Magazine

ETOPS 180

 ETOPS-180 and ETOPS-207 cover about 95% of the Earth. The Boeing 777 was the first aircraft to be introduced with an ETOPS rating of 180 minutes in 1989.

Aviation Stack Exchange

ETOPS 240

 In November 2009, the Airbus A330 became the first aircraft to receive ETOPS-240 approval.

A330-300 | Airways Magazine

ETOPS 330

On December 12, 2011, Boeing received type-design approval from the FAA for up to 330-minute extended operations for its Boeing 777 series, all equipped with GE engines. The first ETOPS-330 flight took place on December 1, 2015, with Air New Zealand connecting Auckland to Buenos Aires on a 777-200ER.

Infinite Flight Community

The very first ETOPS-330 approval given to a four-engine aircraft was in February 2015, to the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental.

ETOPS 370

The A350 XWB was first to receive an ETOPS-370 before entry into service by European authorities. This enabled economical nonstop routes between Europe and Oceania and the high-demand London-Sydney route.

Aviation Voice

The A350 XWB's current ETOPS certification covers 99.7% of the Earth's entire surface, allowing point-to-point travel anywhere in the world except directly over the South Pole.

Bottomline

Engines must have an in-flight shutdown (IFSD) rate better than 1 per 20,000 hours for ETOPS-120, 1 per 50,000 hours for ETOPS-180, and 1 per 100,000 hours for beyond ETOPS-180.

Private jets are exempted from ETOPS by the FAA but are subject to the ETOPS 120-minute rule in EASA's jurisdiction

Government-owned aircraft (including military) do not have to adhere to ETOPS regulations.

SOURCE(s)

COVER: Aviation International News

Indian aviation regulator DGCA has asked UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) to share the report of the probe into the near-collision of two India-bound Emirates passenger jets on January 9 at the Dubai airport. The planes had come on the same runway during take-off from the airport.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) to share its investigation report on this incident.

"Both are their registered aircraft and the place of occurrence is their airport and so, as per ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation), it will be investigated by them. However, we have asked them to share the investigation report as and when available".Arun Kumar, Chief, DGCA

About the Incidence

The two Emirates jets which had a close shave on January 9 were the Dubai-Hyderabad B777 flight (EK-524) and the Dubai-Bengaluru B777 flight (EK-568). The EK-524 was accelerating to take off just when EK-568 came on the same runway, they noted. Therefore, EK-524's take-off was rejected by the air traffic controller. EK-524 was scheduled to depart at 09:45 PM while EK-568 was scheduled to take off at 09:50 PM.

“On January 9, flight EK524 was instructed by air traffic control to reject take-off on departure from Dubai and this was completed successfully. There was no aircraft damage, nor were there any injuries. Safety is always our top priority, and as with any incident we are conducting our own internal review. The incident is also under investigation by the UAE AAIS and we are unable to comment further."Spokesperson, Emirates

Past similar incidents

The near-collision incident was the second close shave involving Emirates flight in recent days. UAE Authorities are probing the take-off of a Washington-bound flight on December 20, 2021, that nearly impacted the ground in the neighbourhood. The plane reportedly came within 175 feet of the impact of the ground. The aircraft continued safely to Washington.

This image is for representative purposes only.

On March 27, 1977, 583 passengers had lost their lives when a KLM Boeing 747 began take-off in low daylight visibility while a Panama jumbo was still backtracking the same runway and a collision happened at this Tenerife Los rodeos airport. Both the aircraft was completely destroyed and the runway was damaged. All 284 occupants of the KLM aircraft and 335 of the 396 occupants of the Panama aircraft were killed. This was among the worst Aviation disaster.