Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix 2015

Guess who I bumped into at work! Sorry @ivygoh_ you still have to take more calcium. 😂

A photo posted by Amelia Wong (@a_meliaw) on Sep 19, 2015 at 1:46am PDT

Scoot's Cadet Programme

B777-200ER

Embark on a flying career with a vibrant and fun airline! Take off to an exciting career with Scoot Cadet Pilot Programme!

Scoot is NOT your usual airline. We are 'Scoot' for many reasons, not least because we're different. Our brand conveys spontaneity, movement, informality and a touch of quirkiness - all attributes we are well known to be associated with. These attributes will be personified in a unique spirit that encapsulates our values and style. An airline with a different attitude, surrounded by people with 'Scootitude'.

Scoot is partnering the renowned aviation school, Singapore Flying College (SFC) to develop the Scoot Cadet Programme to fill our cadet vacancies. Our cadets will undergo a customised self-funded 18 months training course at SFC. Completion of the course equips you with a Commercial Pilot Licence (Instrument Rating) or 'Frozen' ICAO ATPL. Now, you are one step closer to becoming a Second Officer!

Upon graduation from SFC, you will undertake Scoot's Multi- Crew Coordination, type, base and line training to ensure you are fully equipped with the essential skills and knowledge to fly Scoot's latest wide-body aircraft - the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

So if you have the passion for aviation and the 'Scootitude' DNA in you, we welcome you to journey with us and progress on to fulfilling your aspiration to be a pilot!



Essential Requirements

• Minimally 18 years old (as required by regulations in Air Navigation Order)
• Legally entitled to work in Singapore upon completion of training
• GCE 'A' level, Polytechnic Diploma or Degree. A minimum of 5 Credits in the GCE 'O' level or its equivalent at one sitting. These must include English, Mathematics and a Science subject, preferably Physics.
• Physically and mentally fit
• Qualify for Class 1 unrestricted medical certification as approved by the Civil Aviation Medical Board (CAMB)
• Good visual acuity of at least 6/60 without optical aid, correctable to 6/6 and not colour blind
• Be able to commit to a period of 18 months of consecutive training with no disruption

Desirable Traits

• A keen learner with a strong passion for aviation
• A team player who demonstrates composure, confidence and maturity
• A sense of humour to brighten up the day of everyone around you
• Definitely the 'Scootitude' DNA in you!

What's next?

Submit your interest with us by clicking the "Apply now" icon
More details on Scoot Cadet Pilot Roadshow and the application process will be communicated to shortlisted candidates by 23 July 2015.

SOURCE

Singapore Weather & Updates

The Singapore (Paya Lebar) climate is characterised by uniform temperature and pressure, high humidity and abundant rainfall. The climate of Singapore can be divided into two main
seasons, the Northeast Monsoon and the Southwest Monsoon season, separated by two
relatively short inter-monsoon periods.

North-East Monsoon Season - December to early March - Northeast winds prevail,
sometimes reaching 20 km/h. Cloudy conditions in December and January with frequent
afternoon showers. Spells of widespread moderate to heavy rain occur, lasting from 1 to 3
days at a stretch. Relatively drier in February till early March. Also generally windy with wind speeds sometimes reaching 30 to 40 km/h in the months of January and February.

Pre South-West Monsoon - late March to May - Light and variable winds with afternoon and early evening showers often with thunder.

South-West Monsoon Season - June to September - Southeast/Southwest Winds. Isolated to scattered late morning and early afternoon showers. Early morning 'Sumatra' line squalls are common. Hazy periods.

Pre North-East Monsoon - October to November - Light and variable winds. Sea breezes in the afternoon. Scattered showers with thunder in the late afternoon and early evening.

Temperatures range from 19.4 deg C to 35.8 deg C. There is no distinct wet or dry season. Rainfall maximum occur in December and April. The drier months are usually in February and July.

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Apologies for going missing for an extended period of time as I was swamped with materials to study as well as a hectic training schedule. Managed to clear CAAS Form 32 and Base Check, with the next stage being Base Training with the airline. The pace at which things went in the past six weeks was amazing and everything went by in a blink of an eye.

I'll try to keep up with the backdated posts and update this post with the links below.

Backdated Posts:-

New pilot school boosts Singapore's hub status

A NEW pilot school has opened near Changi Airport, boosting Singapore's status as a key training centre in a region where there is growing demand for cockpit crew.

Housed in a six-storey facility at Changi Business Park Crescent, the $95 million Haite Singapore Aviation Training Centre is owned by China-based aerospace firm Haite Group.

Catering mainly to airlines in South-east Asia, it has two flight simulators and aims to add five more over the next five years. With seven simulators, it will be able to provide about 50,000 training hours a year.

Haite Singapore managing director Marc Nadeau expects to secure its first airline customer over the next few days but declined to say which one.

It is the group's first such facility outside China where it currently trains more than 2,000 pilots and flight crew each year for airlines such as Air China, China Eastern and Philippine Airlines.

With airlines buying more aircraft, it is estimated that more than half a million new pilots will be needed globally in the next 20 years.

Four in 10 are expected to be hired by Asian carriers.

Singapore Technologies (ST) Aerospace also has a pilot training arm and in the first quarter of next year, Singapore Airlines and aircraft manufacturer Airbus will open their new pilot school at Seletar Aerospace Park.

Mr Nadeau said: "We have some very big players in the region but each player has its own particular role. We are addressing not just the commercial aviation market but also business aviation and the helicopter segment. This is where we distinguish ourselves. We address all aircraft types and all aircraft segments."

Speaking at the official opening of the facility yesterday, Senior Minister of State for Transport Josephine Teo said Haite is a welcome addition to Singapore's aviation industry, which has more than 100 companies offering a full suite of services, such as aircraft maintenance and repair, parts distribution, and aircraft leasing.

Ms Teo said the firm's presence here "is a testament to Singapore's importance as an aerospace hub for the region and an excellent example of how we can partner Chinese companies to facilitate their international expansion, especially into the growing South- east Asian market".

SOURCE

Batik Air flight makes emergency landing in Indonesia, no bomb found

An Indonesian Batik Air flight with 122 people on board made an emergency landing in Makassar in South Sulawesi after a suspected bomb threat, a government official said on Friday.

No bomb was found on the plane.

"I got a call from Sultan Hasanuddin airport in Makassar giving information about a bomb on Batik Air flight flying from Ambon to Jakarta," said J.A. Barata, spokesman for the transport ministry.

"Details on how they found out is unclear yet, I'm still waiting for information. The police is in charge of that now."

The plane was isolated from other flights and airport operations were not affected, said Tommy Soetomo, chief executive of airport operator Ankasara Pura I.

Batik Air is a subsidiary of Indonesian budget carrier Lion Air.

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Scoot to launch flights between Singapore and Kaohsiung

Scoot will launch flights between Singapore and the Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung from Jul 9 this year, the budget airline announced on Thursday (Apr 16).

The airline’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft will operate the thrice-weekly flights, said Scoot in a news release.

The Singapore-Kaohsiung flight will depart at 7:55am on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from Jul 9. Meanwhile, the flight from Kaohsiung to Singapore will depart at 9:30pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from Jul 9.

Scoot currently operates daily flights between Singapore and Taipei.

SOURCE

The jumbo jet faces a make or break year at Boeing, Airbus

The jumbo jet, for many years the workhorse of modern air travel, could be close to running out of runway.

Last year, there were zero orders placed by commercial airlines for new Boeing 747s or Airbus A380s, reflecting a fundamental shift in the industry toward smaller, twin-engine planes. Smaller planes cost less to fly than the stately, four-engine jumbos, which can carry as many as 525 passengers.

The slump in sales of the jets has raised questions over how long manufacturers can sustain production. It has also fueled internal debate in both companies over the future of the planes, sources said.

The outcome of those discussions will affect the value of existing fleets and thousands of production jobs at the plane makers and their many parts suppliers.

Sales forces at Airbus Group NV and Boeing Co are fighting for potential orders plane by plane as they seek to keep production going beyond the end of the decade, said other aviation market sources. The aircraft makers are offering discounts of at least 50 percent from catalog prices of around US$400 million for a jumbo jet, those sources said. Airbus has said it is also considering a revamp to make its 'superjumbo' more attractive to buyers.

Boeing in September plans to slow the pace of production of its latest 747-8 model to an average of 1.3 planes a month from 1.5 currently. At that rate the orders it already has in hand will only keep the production line going for 2 1/2 years.

The crunch, though, will come earlier because it can take up to two years from ordering the first part to finishing a jet, and no one wants to start the process if it is unclear whether the plane will be completed and delivered to a customer.

"I can see demand for the 747-8 in small numbers, but you have got to ask if they can keep the production line open if they don't get some new orders," said Tony Whitty, chief executive of UK-based aircraft re-marketing firm Cabot Aviation, which trades, manages and leases jets. "You also wonder at what price they are selling."



LONG DESCENT
Use of the 747 has dropped steadily over the last two decades, reflecting the rise of two-engine jets that have come close to matching its range. Over the same period production of large twin-engined jets like the Boeing 777 has risen seven-fold. Last year, Boeing booked 283 new orders for the 777 and now has a backlog of 547 orders.

Airbus is more upbeat than Boeing about the prospects for jumbo jets but both now agree it has become a niche category. Airlines still need jumbo jets but only for certain polar flights - where a two-engine jet may be less safe than a four-engine jumbo because of the lack of places for an emergency landing - and busy routes where landing slots are scarce.

The risk is most visible for Boeing, where investors could face a US$1 billion accounting charge if 747 production is shut down, according to company disclosures.

Boeing recently received a high-profile boost with a provisional order for two new jets to serve as Air Force One for the U.S. President but the 747's future depends a lot more on sales of the much-less glamorous windowless freight model. That has a unique hinged nose and can carry very large equipment, such as oil drilling rigs.

So far this year, Boeing has sold three. Atlas Air Worldwide recently said it plans to order more for its cargo fleet, but wouldn't say when or how many. The world's biggest 747 freight customer, Cargolux , also says it likes the plane, but has a pending order for only three.

A sustained upturn in air freight traffic could secure the 747 a longer future. International freight traffic rose 4.8 percent last year, but volume has only just recovered from a collapse in 2009 during the financial crisis.



CARGO HAULER
Boeing reckons some 143 older freighters will need to be replaced, stretching demand for the 747 through the 2020s, the program vice president, Bruce Dickinson, said in an interview.

"We know there is a long-term market for this airplane and some of the unique things it can do," Dickinson said from his office overlooking the 747 production line at the giant Everett plant near Seattle.

But Boeing’s effort to sell new 747s is overshadowed by the many older 747s available for lease, which have suddenly been made more attractive because of a big slide in fuel prices since the middle of last year. Leasing companies say there is scant interest in new 747-8s when 82 freighters are baking in desert parking lots.

The older planes can be leased for as little as US$400,000 a month, compared with up to US$1.4 million in monthly lease payments for a new 747-8 freighter, experts say.

"That's a pretty big difference," said Gueric Dechavanne, vice president at Collateral Verifications, a Connecticut-based aircraft appraisal firm.

Some companies have extended 747 leases for three to four years, said Aengus Kelly, chief executive of leasing company AerCap .

"It's a challenge to lease a freighter," Kelly told Reuters. "It's definitely a challenge to sell them."

Airbus’s A380 is a newer plane – its first flight was almost exactly 10 years ago - and has become a mainstay of Middle East carriers that offer opulent suites to first class passengers. But the drop in demand is prompting Airbus to weigh whether to revamp the plane with new engines, or carry on with the existing model.

Airbus has 161 orders for the planes in hand, or more than five years of production. But it acknowledges that not all of those jets will be delivered, leaving it with barely three years of guaranteed output. Given the long lead times, Airbus must bring in more orders soon to avoid having to taper production.

“We are always looking at product improvements, but there is so much untapped potential in the existing aircraft,” said Airbus marketing head Chris Emerson.

Airbus could announce an A380 revamp as early as the Dubai Airshow in November, but must first find a way to assure investors it can recover several billion dollars of development costs, sources said. Analysts say on option could be to apply for more European government loans, though that risk

s exacerbating trade tensions with the United States.

Top customer Emirates is offering to double its planned purchase of 140 A380s if Airbus carries out the improvements, which the Dubai carrier’s Chief Executive Tim Clark tells Reuters will be "extremely good for the (airline’s) bottom line."

But Airbus’s board is unlikely to back a new A380 model for just one customer.

SOURCE

Asiana Airways plane hits antenna as it lands at Japan airport

An Asiana Airways plane smashed into a communications antenna as it came in to land at a Japanese airport, footage showed Wednesday, injuring 27 people in an accident redolent of the airline's fatal 2013 crash in San Francisco.

Aerial footage from Hiroshima airport in western Japan showed the localiser - a large gate-like structure, six metres (18 feet) high that sits some distance from the start of the runway - splintered, with debris spread towards the landing strip.

Sets of wheelmarks were visible on the grass area in front of the runway, while at least one large fragment of the localiser - which aircraft use to find the landing strip - was on the tarmac.

Several hundred metres away, skid marks showed the Airbus A320 had careered off the runway and rotated more than 90 degrees. What appeared to be a chunk of the localiser was seen dangling from one wing and emergency escape chutes were deployed.

Those on board flight OZ162 from Incheon, near Seoul, to Hiroshima, spoke of terror and confusion.

"There was smoke coming out and some of the oxygen masks fell down. Cabin attendants were in such a panic and I thought 'we are going to die'," a woman told Japanese networks late Tuesday.

All 73 passengers and eight crew members had evacuated, and no one was killed, but 25 passengers and two crew members had been injured, Japanese officials said.

An aviation safety official at the transport ministry in Tokyo told AFP that teams of investigators were on their way.

"The left side of the aircraft's horizontal tail was damaged... but how the accident occurred should be determined as the transport safety board carry out their investigation," he said.

The South Korean carrier said 18 passengers - 14 Japanese, two Koreans and two Chinese - had been hurt. Only one of them had to stay overnight in hospital. There was no explanation for the discrepancy between Asiana and the Japanese authorities.

"Asiana Airlines apologises for causing concern to the passengers and the people over the accident," it said in a press statement.

"Asiana Airlines has immediately set up a response team to cope with the aftermath.

"As to the determination of the cause of the accident, we will co-operate as closely as possible with the relevant authorities." An Asiana spokeswoman told AFP in Seoul it was checking Japanese news reports that the flight was approaching the runway at a lower altitude than normal before it grazed the communications tower near the runway.

Tuesday's accident carries echoes of an Asiana flight that crashed in San Francisco in July, 2013, killing three people and leaving 182 injured.

US investigators concluded that a mismanaged approach for landing in a highly automated cockpit was the probable cause of the accident, in which a Boeing 777 clipped a sea wall with its landing gear, then crashed and burst into flames.

The South Korean Transport ministry ordered a 45-day suspension of Asiana Airlines' service to San Francisco as a penalty.

SOURCE

British Airways First Officer

Job Description
Closing Date: 10 May 2015

The Direct Entry Pilot Scheme is for experienced high calibre pilots who want to develop their careers with one of the most progressive international airlines in the business.

The Individual
Requirements for all pilots:

A current JAR-FCL or EASA Flight Crew Licence with Class 1 medical (please note: due to CAA rules you will need a UK issued EASA licence when you join British Airways)

ICAO Level 6 proficiency in English language

A valid passport (with minimum of 12 months before expiry date) allowing unrestricted worldwide travel

The unrestricted right to live and work in the UK

To be considered for our current vacancies you will need:

To hold a current type rating and a minimum of 500 hours, or the required sectors, on an aircraft that satisfies CAP 804 FCL.730.A - Zero Flight Time Training course requirement. We would be particularly interested in hearing from candidates operating the A320/A350/747/757/767/777/787

Candidates applying from BA CityFlyer should apply through the internal eJobscan system (Please note: If you are currently a British Airways CityFlyer employee, please advise your line manager of your application, to ensure eligibility for this role)

You will be passionate about a career as a pilot with British Airways. The majority of postings will be as an A320 First Officer based at London Heathrow. While there are opportunities to move fleets with British Airways, initial fleet postings normally last a minimum of five years

As a Person, you will
Have a first class flying record and a good level of physical fitness, and will be able to satisfy British Airways' medical requirements

Be between1.57m (5'2") and 1.91m (6'3") in height with weight in proportion to height (height is accurately determined during the assessment process). Qualified pilots who are taller than 1.91m may submit an application but will be required to undergo a functionality check to confirm their ability to meet the requirements of the seating positions in the British Airways fleet of aircraft

Be passionate about a career as a pilot with British Airways, and interested in accepting a first posting as an A320 First Officer at either London Heathrow or London Gatwick. While there are opportunities to move fleets with British Airways, initial fleet postings normally last a minimum of five years

Already be comfortable with taking control of your own learning and professional development, and both willing and able to self-study, read widely, and continue to develop as a safety conscious professional pilot for the duration of your flying career You will be comfortable flying a busy schedule, with BA flights operating 365 days a year

Be comfortable working with colleagues and customers from all cultures and nationalities, and able to identify, and work, with cultural differences

A genuine enthusiasm for our customers, and finding ways to exceed their expectations when they fly with us

Be able to put our customers' needs at the heart of your decision making, and will be comfortable dealing with our customers face to face both when things are going to plan, but also when they're not



Application ProcessAll applicants are required to submit their CV and answer the following question. Please prepare your answer in advance:

In 600 words or less, please answer the following:

Describe your reasons behind applying to become a pilot with British Airways?

What can you bring to our organisation and customers to assist British Airways in meeting the operational and business challenges of the commercial aviation market?

What do you believe constitutes effective leadership on the flight deck? In the past, how have you demonstrated these skills and qualities? (Max 300 Words)

Describe a situation in which you exceeded your customers' expectations. (Max 300 Words)



Additional Website TextIf you are using a Mac computer, Google chrome or have firefox you will experience problems selecting the drop down options and be unable to submit your application. We recommend you use a windows computer or ipad to complete your application.


We suggest that you do not leave submission of your application until the last minute. In previous schemes we are aware that a significant number of applications are received just before the closure of the application window, which can cause problems.

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Week 93: A320 Type Rating Week 32

Session #1
The very first time I was scheduled to train at the last time slot of the day, with an ending time of 12 midnight. It feels a little bit more tiring and my brain don't seem to be as active as day time. I guess I'll have to deal with this in real line flying.

This session consist of two new objectives, mainly Managed/Managed NPA and Windshear recovery. Previously we've only tried flying CANPA manually as well as in Select/Select Mode with AP via LOC button and FPA. Managed NPA is a way to reduce he workload of the PF so that he can better focus on a wider angle of view.

However, the amount of preparation and criteria that is required before we push that APPR button is not the least bit lesser. First and foremost, the GPS Accuracy will have to be HIGH. Believe it or not, even if both the VORs on the aircraft are down, it is still able to fly a Managed VOR approach, thanks to the coordinates of the station being programmed into the FMGC database.

Next, sequence the flight plan and check that all heights and speeds coincide with the approach chart. There will be a green little solid dot beside the altitude indicator to show whether the aircraft is high or low on approach. Height checks will have to be called out too just like before. The biggest problem comes with where the VOR station is located with respect to the runway. Tracking into the VOR doesn't necessarily mean it will be the same track of the runway. As a result, last minute track changes will need to be executed and this is not necessarily an easy move, especially when we were given 15kts crosswind. It would not have been a problem if the weather is good enough to attain visual of runway from pretty far away. However, the same can't be said if conditions are near minimums.

Lastly, windshear recovery on take-off climb and approach. I was quite stunned by the amount of motion involved in windshear, so much so that after numerous hits with windshear, I got kind of motion sick. It is really a scary experience when flying into one, especially on approach. I had to execute TOGA thrust and announce WINDSHEAR TOGA if it was during take-off climb. The PM have to call out the RA and V/S (eg. RA 400, V/S 2500 positive) constantly to make sure the aircraft is climbing and not being dragged onto the ground.

As for approach, the drag towards the ground when flown into windshear makes my balls shrink. It's no laughing matter as the motion from the sim will not be a gentle one if you crash the plane. If the landing is not going to be safe, WINDSHEAR GO-AROUND will be called, TOGA thrust set and the PM will call out the RA and V/S. During the period when the aircraft is within the windshear, it has to remain in its original config. Flaps/Slats and gear will be left untouched.

My sim partner and I were exhausted and hungry after the midnight end time, plus the motion sickness, it wasn't a good feeling at all. Went for a really late supper at 1am to end of the day. Haha, more of such scheduling and we will both be fat very soon.


Session #2
A big session considering the amount of new things included for the whole four hours. TCAS, EGPWS, Low Speed Protection and further practise on turbulent plus strong crosswind landing.

First up, introduction to TCAS. TCAS stands for Traffic Collision Avoidance System. This is the only device in the aircraft that allows the pilot to disobey ATC instructions. I will share a video below on why is this so. TCAS provides Traffic Advisory(TA) and Resolution Advisory(RA). For RA to work, the aircraft must have a transponder. TA will only alert the pilot on surrounding traffic whereas RA will call out instructions for the pilot to Climb/Descend. When that happens, the PF will announce "TCAS, I Have Control" and place his hands on the thrust levers and side stick, ready to disengage the AP and climb/descend to the green region of the VSI. At the same time, PM will notify ATC "TCAS RA", and then "Clear of Conflict" when there is no more danger, if a RA was called out by the TCAS. PF will resume original altitude and navigation after the TCAS warning.

Next was EGPWS warning. It stands of Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System. When flying in IMC, this will be the instrument that will save your life, along with the Radio Altimeter. The most crucial warning is "Terrain, Terrain, Pull Up, Pull Up". Upon hearing this, PF will disconnect AP, TOGA thrust and climb immediately. Any further delay and you'll end up in headline news the next day. While climbing out of terrain, PM will call out RA heights for PF's situation awareness.

Finally to Low Speed Protection of the A320. We tested this by selecting the climb speed to 6000fpm! With the Autothrust on and in Speed mode, the aircraft will try to achieve the selected climb rate, until the speed gets too low and the system will stop it at VLS then adjust the climb rate so that the aircraft doesn't go into stall. The same happens when the descend rate is selected at -6000fpm and the speed increased to close to VMO before it stops there and adjust the descend rate.

Rounding up the session was landing in turbulent conditions with 20kts crosswind component. Even though green First Officers in the company will not be flying anything more than 10kts, this is good practice and a confidence builder. Windshear is also added into the situation to spice things up. Interestingly, I managed to land with windshear on approach using manual thrust without the windshear warning coming on. My problem with crosswind landing is inconsistency as I tend to flare too much and/or bank into wind too much.

Crosswind approach

Week 92: A320 Type Rating Week 31

After the confidence booster session I had in the full motion sim last week, I was raring to have another go at it this week. This time it will be heck lot more challenging with poorer weather conditions.

ATIS: 15kts crosswind, night, 5000m, heavy rain, wet runway with good braking action

Just like last week, we had to do visual circuits from take-off with full stop, and a circle to land from a Non-precision approach. Visual circuits were flown at two different altitudes; twice for each level, mainly 1500ft and 1000ft AGL.

1500ft circuit was without much issue as the thrust reduction and acceleration altitudes are at 800ft and 1200ft respectively just like last week. The 1000ft circuit is a little different with both of them at 800ft AGL, so the reaction gotta be real quick to anticipate thrust and flying attitude change before hitting 1000ft AGL to fly level.

Since the weather wasn't really that great plus it was at night, I had to use a lot of my ND to maintain awareness. The base turn was the most challenging aspect as getting visual with the papi and runway lights really required a lot of visual power. Sometimes, I'm able to see it but my PM can't and vice-versa. The trouble with spotting the runway late, resulted in a pretty messy final approach, but my landings were safe and close to centreline even with that strong crosswind.

The same goes for circling to land, but this time with a localiser only approach to simulate NPA. And also going-around during downwind leg, when you really gotta be aware of where you are and where you are flying next for the missed approach procedure. It is all about situation awareness and be prepared for a go-around when unstable or lost visual. So far, so good.

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Had a meeting with the airline management this week and is glad that they're able to absorb us into the fleet but with some sacrifices on our side for a period of time. At the end of the day, I'm just relieved that I have such a caring company who think about our welfare and try their best to improve our situation, which I deeply appreciate.

When I embarked on this journey some 29 months ago, I've been yearning for the day I can truly call myself a professional aviator. The journey has thus far been long and arduous, braking and accelerating on numerous occasions. But waiting is a norm in this industry, so I can't really complain but to grind it out and make sure I train proficiently to display the level of professionalism expected of me day in day out. Expected completion is within the next three months, a final sprint before a new chapter begins.

This week also witnessed the passing of Singapore's founding father, Mr Lee Kuan Yew. He is a great loss to Singapore but his legacy will live. Singapore Airlines was set up by him and he has a vision for Changi Airport which we are witnessing today, a world class aviation hub. He can be said to be the pioneer of Singapore aviation. 

Thank you for all that you've done for us since 1955 when you stepped into parliament. Had Singapore had a different prime minister then, things would have been very different. You spirit will always live in us. May you rest in peace.

SIA pilots bidding him final farewell

Air Canada flight makes abrupt landing in Halifax

An Air Canada plane came off the runway after landing at Halifax Stanfield International Airport in Nova Scotia early Sunday, the airline reported, as passengers and crew were checked for injuries.

The airline said on Twitter that flight AC624 from Toronto "exited runway upon landing at Halifax. All passengers have deplaned, going to terminal."

Air Canada did not say what caused the aircraft to leave the runway after landing, but heavy snow was forecast in the eastern Canadian city. Environment Canada issued a snowfall alert and warned of low visibility.

Halifax Airport said 23 people were taken to hospital for observation and treatment of minor injuries.

There were 132 passengers and five crew aboard the flight, which departed from Toronto at 9:05 pm (0105 GMT Sunday).

Flightaware.com said the aircraft was an Airbus A320.

Several counties in the the eastern coastal province of Nova Scotia were affected by Saturday's winter weather alert.

SOURCE

Crash pilot was psychiatric patient, planned big gesture - paper

The co-pilot suspected of deliberately crashing an airliner, killing 150 people, had told his girlfriend he was planning a spectacular gesture so "everyone will know my name", a German daily said on Saturday.

The Bild newspaper published an interview with a woman who said she had had a relationship in 2014 with Andreas Lubitz, the man French prosecutors believe locked himself alone in the cockpit of the Germanwings Airbus on Tuesday and steered it into the French Alps, killing all on board.

"When I heard about the crash, I remembered a sentence... he said: 'One day I'll do something that will change the system, and then everyone will know my name and remember it'," said the woman, a flight attendant the paper gave the pseudonym of Maria W.

"I didn't know what he meant by that at the time, but now it's obvious," she said. "He did it because he realised that, due to his health problems, his big dream of working at Lufthansa, of a having job as a pilot, and as a pilot on long-distance flights, was nearly impossible."

"He never talked much about his illness, only that he was in psychiatric treatment," she told the paper, adding they finally broke up because she was afraid of him.

"He would suddenly freak out in conversations and yell at me," she recalled. "At night he would wake up screaming 'we are crashing' because he had nightmares. He could be good at hiding what was really going on inside him."

The woman also told Bild: "We always talked a lot about work and then he became a different person. He became upset about the conditions we worked under: too little money, fear of losing the contract, too much pressure."

A Lufthansa spokesman declined to comment. The company and its low-cost subsidiary Germanwings took out full-page advertisements in major German and French newspapers on Saturday, expressing "deepest mourning".

Lufthansa and Germanwings offered condolences to the friends and families of the passengers and crew and thanked the thousands of people in France, Spain and Germany it said had helped since the crash.

German officials said there would be a ceremony on April 17 in Cologne Cathedral attended by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and senior officials from other countries including France and Spain.

Also on Saturday, relatives of the Germanwings captain whom Lubitz locked out of the cockpit before the crash visited a memorial to the victims in the French Alps, while a special mass was held at the small cathedral in nearby Digne-les-Bains.

"OVERSTRESS SYMPTOMS"
German authorities said on Friday they had found torn-up sick notes showing the co-pilot had been suffering from an illness that should have grounded him on the day of the tragedy. Germanwings, the budget airline of the flag carrier Lufthansa, has said he did not submit a sick note at the time.

German newspaper Welt am Sonntag quoted a senior investigator as saying the 27-year-old "was treated by several neurologists and psychiatrists", adding that a number of medications had been found in his Duesseldorf apartment.

Police also discovered personal notes that showed Lubitz suffered from "severe subjective overstress symptoms", he added.

The New York Times on Saturday quoted officials as saying Lubitz had also sought treatment for vision problems that may have jeopardized his ability to work as a pilot.

German state prosecutors and police spokesmen declined to comment on the media reports, adding there would be no official statements on the case before Monday.

Investigators have retrieved cockpit voice recordings from one of the plane's "black boxes", which they say show that Lubitz locked himself alone in the cockpit, as his fellow pilot desperately tried to break in, and caused the airliner to crash.

A chief French investigator said on Saturday it was too early to rule out other explanations for the crash.

"There is obviously a scenario that is well known to the media and which we are focusing on," French investigator General Jean-Pierre Michel told French media.

"But we have no right today to rule out other hypotheses, including the mechanical hypotheses, as long as we haven't proved that the plane had no (mechanical) problem," he added, pointing out that a second black box containing flight data had not been found yet.

(Additional reporting by Georg Merziger, Maria Sheahan, Tom Käckenhoff, Ingrid Melander and Reuters television; Editing by Andrew Roche and Raissa Kasolowsky)

SOURCE

150 killed in plane crash in French Alps

A plane operated by the budget carrier of Germany's Lufthansa crashed in a remote area of the French Alps on Tuesday (Mar 24), killing all 150 on board in France's worst aviation disaster in decades.

With the cause of the accident a complete mystery, authorities recovered a black box from the Airbus A320 at the crash site, where rescue efforts were being hampered by the mountainous terrain.

Local MP Christophe Castaner, who flew over the crash site, said on Twitter: "Horrendous images in this mountain scenery. Nothing is left but debris and bodies. Flying over the crash site with the interior minister - a horror - the plane is totally destroyed."

Video images from a government helicopter flying near the area showed a desolate snow-flecked moonscape, with steep ravines covered in scree.

Budget airline Germanwings said the Airbus plunged for eight minutes but French aviation officials said the plane had made no distress call before crashing near the ski resort of Barcelonnette.

"A black box was found and will be delivered to investigators," Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said. Weather did not appear to be a factor in the crash, with conditions "calm" at the time.

"There was no cloud at the plane's cruising altitude", winds were "light to moderate" and there was no turbulence that could have contributed to the crash, French weather officials said.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls said there were no survivors, adding that the authorities "can't rule out any theory" on the cause of the disaster.

The plane, carrying 144 mainly Spanish and German passengers - including two babies - and six crew, was travelling from Barcelona to the western German city of Duesseldorf when it came down.

German authorities said 16 German teenagers on a school trip were on board the doomed plane, as tearful relatives rushed to the airports in the two cities anxiously seeking information about their loved ones.

'IT IS A TRAGEDY'

It was the first fatal accident in the history of Germanwings, and the deadliest on the French mainland since 1974 when a Turkish Airlines crashed, killing 346 people.

French President Francois Hollande said he would meet his German and Spanish counterparts at the crash site on Wednesday. "It is a tragedy, a new airline tragedy. We will determine what caused the crash," Hollande said.

The dead included Germans, Spaniards and "probably" Turks, Hollande said, while Belgium said at least one of its nationals was on board.

Germanwings said 67 Germans were believed to have been on board while Spain said 45 people with Spanish sounding names were on the flight.

A crisis cell has been set up in the area between Barcelonnette and Digne-les-Bains along with an emergency flight control centre to coordinate the chopper flights to the crash site.

Authorities commandeered a large meadow with dozens of helicopters taking off to head to the crash site. Valls said one helicopter had been able to touch down at the site of the accident but locals described the difficult terrain that awaited rescue teams.

"Ground access is horrible, I know the Estrop massif, it's a very high mountainous area, very steep and it's terrible to get there except from the air during winter," local resident Francoise Pie said. A witness who was skiing near the crash site told French television he "heard an enormous noise" around the time of the disaster.

'DARK DAY'

The plane belonged to Germanwings, a low-cost affiliate of German flag carrier Lufthansa based in Cologne. "We've never had a total loss of aircraft in the company's history until now," a company spokeswoman told AFP. Lufthansa chief executive Carsten Spohr described it as a "dark day."

A spokesman for Airbus, the European aerospace giant, did not give any information about possible causes but said the company had opened a "crisis cell" and was sending experts to the scene.

French civil aviation authorities said they lost contact with the plane and declared it was in distress at 10.30am (5.30pm Singapore time). However, the aircraft's crew did not send a distress signal, civil aviation authorities told AFP.

"The crew did not send a Mayday. It was air traffic control that decided to declare the plane was in distress because there was no contact with the crew of the plane," the source said.

In 1981, a plane crashed on the French island of Corsica with 180 people on board.

In July 2000, an Air France Concorde crashed shortly after take-off from Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport en route for New York, leaving 113 people, leaving mainly Germans dead and eventually leading to the supersonic airliner being taken out of service.

The world's worst air disasters remain the Mar 27, 1977, collision of two Boeing 747s on the runway at Tenerife in the Canary Islands, killing 583 people, and the Aug 12, 1985 crash into a mountainside of a Boeing 747 belonging to Japan Airlines, killing 520 people.

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Week 91: A320 Type Rating Week 30

This week marks the start of Phase 3 training. From now onwards, I will only fly in the full motion simulator. I was a little worried about motion sickness the night before my training. I'm not exactly a fan of roller coaster either.

As a familiarization training, it was only a short 2-hour session with each cadet flying for one hour. Lesson objective was to fly two visual circuit pattern, two touch&go and two straight-in 6miles final approach.

It was my first try at circuit flying on the A320, and it's quite differently flown as compared to the C172 type of circuit.

Thrust reduction: 800ft 

Acceleration altitude: 1200ft 

Circuit height: 1600ft 

Heights are based on Changi Runway 02C with elevation of 22ft.

Circuit was flown fully with raw data, without FD, A/THR, AP and ILS. Everything happens very quickly in the circuit. Flex/MCT for take-off, gear up with positive climb, flying attitude at 15degrees nose up, pull back to CLIMB thrust at 800ft which is very easily attained, thus the probability of missing it is quite high. Hitting 1200ft lower nose to 10degrees for acceleration and cleaning up of flaps. Circuit speed shall be flown at Green Dot, which is roughly 200kts.

Upon leveling off at 1600ft, make a 25degrees right bank towards downwind track. Call for After Take-off/Climb Checklist once all flaps/gear/spoilers are retracted. Once done, activate APPROACH PHASE in the FMGC and call for Approach Checklist. Go-around altitude will be set on the FCU at downwind leg, along with Flaps 1 and setting S-speed.

Once abeam runway threshold, start chrono. For every 100ft AGL, the downwind leg will have to be flown for an added 3seconds after passing the abeam point, depending on wind conditions. In this case, we set it at 45seconds. At about 30seconds, Flaps 2 will be called and a 15degrees base turn towards final will be initiated at 45seconds. It will be a slight descend turn with rate at around -200fpm. In the base turn, gears will be lowered, followed by Flaps 3 and eventually Flap Full when nearing final leg. Runway track will be set and then Landing Checklist will be called once in full landing configuration.

Approach has to be stabilised by 500ft AGL, or a go-around will have to be called.

Not that easy eh? Haha.. The start was tough, but subsequent rounds of circuit flying became much better with practice. As for touch&go, the flying is the same, except that no spoilers, reverse thrust and autobrakes will be used. Upon touch down, PF will call for Flaps 2 and engage thrust lever in upright position for 2-3seconds before going TOGA with PM calling for rotate at Approach Speed since there is no Rotate Speed.

As for the feel of full motion as compared to the fixed base simulator I've been flying for the past seven months; it was an eye opener and kind of screwed up what I'm used to. The taxi feel is different as it's much more sensitive. The control stick is also less stiff and the input has no lag, making the flying somehow easier. The graphics is also more realistic, assisting in the lining up of runway centreline on approach. I had so much trouble flying visual circuit in the fixed base during circle-to-land, but this full motion totally changed my game and I'm flying way better now. It's quite a confidence booster when I'm able to land properly and be assured that all my previous landings in the fixed base were of correct technique.

Finally touching the full motion simulator and feeling like a real pilot

Hong Kong airport gets green light for S$25bn third runway

The Hong Kong government gave final approval today (March 17) for a third runway at the Asian financial centre's airport, aiming to meet surging growth in passengers and air cargo.

Officials said the project will begin next year and cost HK$141.5 billion (S$25 billion).

About 650 hectares of land will be reclaimed from the sea for the runway and a new passenger building. Construction is expected to be completed by 2023.

Hong Kong International Airport expects to reach maximum capacity under its current layout by 2022 at the latest.

Last year, the airport handled 63.4 million passengers and 4.4 million metric tons of cargo, both records.

The airport predicts that the third runway will allow it to handle 102 million passengers and 8.9 million tons of freight a year by 2030.

Across Asia, airport operators are scrambling to build new terminals or expand existing ones to keep up with growth in air travel.


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Qatar Airways boss accuses Delta of flying 'crap' planes

The chief of Qatar Airways on Monday denied his company receives subsidies and accused rivals Delta Air Lines of flying "crap" older planes, escalating hostilities between Gulf and American carriers.

Speaking at an arts conference in Doha, Akbar al-Baker said any money his airline receives from the state is in the form of "legitimate" equity and added his company's fleet of aircraft were much cleaner for the environment in comparison to Delta.

"I think Mr Anderson (CEO of Delta, Richard Anderson) doesn't know the difference between equity and subsidy. We never receive any subsidy," Baker said.

He was responding to claims made earlier this month by three US airlines - Delta, American and United - that Qatar, along with carriers in the United Arab Emirates have received US$42 billion in unfair subsidies to wrest business away from competitors.

Baker also accused Delta of flying "crap airplanes that are 35 years old", when talking about pollution by the aviation industry.

In contrast, Baker said Qatar Airways had an "ultra-modern fleet" and was the lowest CO2 contributor in the aviation industry.

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Singapore Airlines' passenger numbers fall in February

Singapore Airlines (SIA) carried fewer passengers in February amid a decline in capacity.

SIA’s passenger load factor fell 1.6 percentage points on-year to 75.2 per cent in February, the airline said in a news release on Monday (Mar 16). SIA's systemwide passenger carriage fell 3.5 per cent on-year, with a 1.3 per cent reduction in capacity.

The greatest drop in passenger demand was for routes plying the Americas and Europe. These fell 7.4 percentage points and 5.4 percentage points respectively, said the airline.

“The competitive landscape continues to be challenging,” said SIA. “Singapore Airlines will remain nimble to redeploy capacity to better match market demand and promotional activities will continue in relevant markets.”

SILKAIR PASSENGER NUMBERS IMPROVE
However, SilkAir’s passenger numbers went up in February, with a 1.2 percentage-point increase on-year in passenger load factor, to 72.7 per cent.

SilkAir carried 10.3 per cent more passengers in February, while there was a 12 per cent on-year increase in capacity.

The overall cargo load factor went up by 5.2 percentage points to 63.3 per cent. Cargo traffic went up 17.1 per cent, while overall capacity rose 7.6 per cent. The load factor went up for all route regions as the capacity changes were closely matched with demand, said SIA.

SOURCE

SIA gives older pilots a month's extension

Singapore Airlines (SIA) will allow captains above the age of 62 to fly until the end of April instead of March, as earlier announced, following discussions with the pilots' union and the Manpower Ministry.

The one-month extension was given as talks over SIA's decision not to re-hire retiring pilots continue, airline spokesman Nicholas Ionides said.

Both sides are exploring more long-term options, including allowing captains to stay until they turn 64, with shorter flying hours, The Straits Times has learnt.

Another alternative is to have them take no-pay leave. No further details were available.

The Manpower Ministry was approached by SIA and the Air Line Pilots Association - Singapore to help resolve the matter.

Last month, SIA said it would stop offering re-employment to captains above the retirement age of 62. Those already on re-employment contracts - that allowed them to fly until they are 64 - would also have to leave by the end of March, the airline said.

The decision affected more than 90 captains, including the union president, Captain Mok Hin Choon.

At the time, SIA, which employs about 2,400 pilots, said the decision was necessitated by a manpower surplus that has persisted in the past few years and is not expected to change until March next year at least.

The excess manpower is due to network changes and a challenging business environment, and despite measures taken to alleviate the surplus, including voluntary no-pay leave and voluntary movements to subsidiaries.

The challenges have hit business, with operating profit at the parent carrier plunging by 33 per cent year-on-year to $87 million in the three months to Dec 31.

Various measures, including plans to launch a premium economy product in August, have been taken to boost yields and profits.

To counter a slowdown in the premium air travel market, SIA started long-haul budget carrier Scoot more than two years ago and has taken a bigger stake in short-haul airline Tigerair.

But it will take time for the benefits to be realised, industry analysts said, and, until then, SIA will continue to watch its expenses, including manpower costs.

When contacted yesterday, Capt Mok declined to comment, citing ongoing negotiations.

The Straits Times, however, understands that if the dispute is not resolved, the union is likely to take the matter to the Industrial Arbitration Court.

SOURCE

British Airways Future Pilot Programme 2015

Job Description
Closing Date 08 March 2015 at 23:59

Please note we reserve the right to close the application window before the published date

The Future Pilot Programme is the cadet pilot training programme from British Airways. Designed for aspiring pilots from all walks of life, the programme offers the chance to pursue a career as a pilot with one of the world’s most progressive airlines.

Please refer to www.bafuturepilot.com before applying. You will need to have reached a decision on your choice of Flight Training Organisation (FTO) and considered your finance options before starting your application.


Role Requirements

You will need:
To be between the ages of 18 – 55 on 1st September 2015
A valid passport (with minimum of 12 months before expiry date) allowing unrestricted worldwide travel
The unrestricted right to live and work in the UK
To have achieved 5 GCSEs at Grade C or above, including English Language, Mathematics and a Science (single or double award), excluding General Studies and either 3 A-Levels at Grades BBC or above, excluding General Studies and Critical thinking or an Honours Degree at 2:2 (or higher) or a pass (or above) in a higher degree such as MSc, MA, MPhil, DPhil, PhD, MBA
To be able to obtain and hold a EASA Class 1 medical and meet British Airways medical criteria (assessed via BAHS Medical Assessment at Waterside)
Height between 1.57m (5'2") and 1.91m (6'3") with weight in proportion to height (height is accurately determined during the assessment process). Candidates who are taller than 1.91m may submit an application but may be required to undergo a functionality check to confirm their ability to meet the requirements of the seating positions in the British Airways fleet of aircraft

The Individual

You will be excited by the prospect of frequent travel, but will also be recognisant of the fact that British Airways operates flights globally, day and night, every day of the year
You will be highly motivated towards a career as a pilot with British Airways
You will be ready, willing and able to undergo an intensive, full-time series of training courses in order to train as a commercial pilot, all the while applying your own high personal standards and intellect to achieve results
You will have sound hand-eye co-ordination skills, and skills in mechanical, mathematical and verbal reasoning
You will be able to manage varying workload, solve complex problems, and make sound decisions under pressure
You will exhibit the qualities of a strong team player, as well as the leadership qualities required of a future British Airways Captain

It goes without saying that you’ll be a natural communicator, with fluency in spoken and written English, and that you’ll relish the opportunity to deliver the very highest possible levels of safety and service for our customers.

Application Process

In order to apply for a place on the Future Pilot Programme you will need to apply using the online process. You will be asked a series of questions to determine your eligibility and suitability for the role, submit a CV, followed by application questions (cover letter).


1. As part of your application, we would like for you to submit a CV. Please ensure that your CV details (at least) the following (maximum 2 pages):
Work experience to date
Academic Achievements to date
Any other relevant interests/qualifications/awards/flying experience/courses/ air show attendances etc. which you would like to highlight to us
2. British Airways believes in investing in the future and that is why the Future Pilot Programme (FPP) has been developed to offer anyone with the right skills, passion and potential, the chance to realise their dream of becoming an airline pilot.

As part of your application, please submit a cover letter in which you detail (maximum 600 words):

a) Why you want to be a pilot
b) What you have done so far to make this dream a reality (Note: If you have applied for FPP previously, we are interested to also know what you have done to realise this goal since your last application)
c) Why you want to join British Airways

We wish you the very best of luck with your application.

SOURCE

Rescuers scour Taiwan crash site as pilot hailed a hero

Taiwan rescuers scoured a river for 12 people still missing from a TransAsia plane crash on Thursday (Feb 5), as the pilot, who died in the crash, was hailed a hero for apparently battling to avoid hitting built-up areas.

Hundreds of rescuers in boats, as well as divers and soldiers mounted the search in the chilly waters, as the death toll rose to 31 with more bodies located including those of the pilot and co-pilot, authorities said. The TransAsia ATR 72-600 crashed shortly after take-off from Songshan airport in Taipei on Wednesday, hitting an elevated road as it banked sidelong towards the Keelung River, leaving a trail of debris including a smashed taxi.

In an operation overnight, large parts of the plane's fuselage were lifted from the river, enabling rescuers to recover bodies trapped inside, as divers on Thursday battled strong currents to search downstream for more victims.

Fifteen people were injured in the incident, while 12 people remained missing from the 58 people on board flight GE235. The two persons in the taxi clipped by the plane were still hospitalised, said TransAsia Airways in a statement.

The airline has started giving out emergency relief funds of NT$200,000 (S$8,600) to the families of those affected - those on board and those who were in the taxi. Nine families have received the funds, and the airline is in the process of giving out the money to the remaining families. TransAsia has also given out funeral allowance of NT$1.2 million (S$51,000) to the families of the victims who have been identified, it said.

Pilot Liao Chien-tsung was applauded by aviation experts for apparently steering the turboprop plane, which had 53 passengers and five crew on board, away from populated areas, potentially avoiding more deaths and damage. "The pilot apparently made a conscious effort to avoid further and unnecessary casualties by ditching in the river. It was a very courageous move," Hong Kong-based aviation analyst Daniel Tsang told AFP.

Emotional citizens posted their praise and condolences on social media sites. "I believe the pilot managed to steer the plane away from high-rise buildings, he is a hero," Gin Oy, a writer and actress, said on her Facebook page.

The Apple Daily newspaper ran a front-page story thanking "the pilot for saving Taipei". "We are proud of him. He was very brave to avoid the buildings," Liao's aunt told reporters at a funeral home in Taipei. Friends and relatives described the 41-year-old Liao as a diligent and family-loving man from a humble background who studied hard to join the air force before becoming a commercial pilot.

President Ma Ying-jeou paid his respects to the victims and comforted their families at a funeral home in Taipei and was scheduled to visit the wounded at several hospitals later Thursday.

Near the river, dozens of weeping relatives called out the names of their loved who perished as monks chanted scripts and waved the victims' clothes in front the plane's wreckage in a religious ritual to guide the spirits home.

Condolences from aboard poured in. Pope Francis sent a message to Taiwan's archbishop Hung Shan-chuan offering prayers for the dead and "strength and comfort" for the injured and mourning. The United States' de facto embassy in Taiwan also offered its condolences.




TODDLER'S ESCAPE

Tales of miraculous escapes have emerged. Television footage showed a father cuddling his toddler son as they were taken to shore by boat after being rescued on Wednesday. Together with the child's mother, the family had switched seats on the plane "out of a hunch" that saved their lives, the United Daily News said, quoting a family friend.

Their new seats put them next to a crack in the plane after it crashed and Lin was able to pull his wife to safety and then revive his son after spotting him in the water, blue and unresponsive.

"My brother just can't live without his son. When he found him, after lying in cold water for three minutes and with no signs of breathing or heartbeat, he performed CPR. He brought his son back," survivor Lin's brother Lin Ming-yi told reporters.

The accident, which occurred on a domestic route to the island of Kinmen, was the second fatal crash for TransAsia since July. Desperate crew shouted "Mayday! Mayday! Engine flameout!" as the plane plunged out of the sky, according to a recording thought to be the final message from the cockpit to the control tower.

Among the 15 survivors of the crash, 26-year-old flight attendant Huang Jin-ya was lucky for the second time - she was supposed to be on the plane that crashed in July, killing 48, but switched her shift, according to local reports. "She crawled out of the plane using her last moments of consciousness and saw water everywhere. She kept crying and said to me 'I thought I was going to die'," said her aunt according to United Daily News.

A total of 31 Chinese nationals were onboard the plane, with at least 16 dead, 12 missing and three injured, the government said. Some of the grieving relatives arrived in Taiwan on Thursday. Local media reported that among the Chinese victims, 26-year-old tour leader Wang Qinghuo from Xiamen was due to get married on Sunday.

The Civil Aeronautics Administration has grounded a total of 22 ATR planes from two Taiwanese airlines for safety checks following the accident.

SOURCE

ICAO establishes minute-by-minute aircraft tracking

An international aviation summit gave strong backing on Wednesday (Feb 4) to a plan to have all commercial flights emit a distress signal every minute in emergencies, in response to last year's Malaysia Airlines disaster.

A large majority of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)'s 191 member states are in favour of implementing the plan as soon as possible, said officials, paving the way for its adoption next year.

The plan was prompted by last year's disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in what remains one of history's great aviation mysteries. The aircraft, with 239 people on board, has never been found, nearly a year on.

"Global tracking will not prevent accidents," said ICAO chairman Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu. Radar can track a plane but coverage is spotty and fades when aircraft are out at sea or they are flying below a certain altitude.

Under the new rules, airlines will be required to track their aircraft using a system that gives their location at 15-minute intervals. "When an airplane is in distress, the system will repeat the signal every minute," Aliu told a press conference.

The ICAO Council is expected to ratify the proposal in November, making it obligatory for all airlines starting in 2016. According to officials, it's the quickest and easiest fix to a growing air safety concern - locating downed aircraft. "We can do it today and it's not expensive," said Nancy Graham, director of the ICAO's Air Navigation Bureau.

The head of the International Air Transport Association, which speaks for the airline industry, agreed. "A number of airlines are planning to improve now the ways of tracking their airplanes," IATA president Tony Tyler said.

At the Montreal meeting due to wrap up on Thursday, delegates also agreed in principal on a new way to disseminate warnings about the imminent risks of flying over war zones. A repository would be created containing all risk information, much of which is currently available to carriers but is often fragmented.

The creation of a central database administered by the ICAO is in response to the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 last July after being shot down over eastern Ukraine.

SOURCE

Several dead after TransAsia plane crash lands in Taipei river

A TransAsia Airways plane has crash landed into the Keelung River in Taipei, breaking into several pieces and injuring more than 10 people. At least 12 people have been reported dead.

Sixteen people have been rescued and sent to hospital, of which two of them were dead on arrival, said Taiwan's Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA). Thirty are still trapped or missing, reported TVBS. More than a hundred rescuers are currently involved.

The plane, TransAsia GE235, had 58 people aboard when it crash landed at 10.56am, local time, reported TVBS. Of the 58, there were 51 adults, two children and five crew members. Taiwan's CAA said the plane lost contact at 10.53am.

Thirty-one mainland Chinese tourists were among those on board, Taiwan's tourism bureau said.

The plane was an ATR-72, which just arrived in Taiwan last year, reported TVBS. The plane was on a domestic flight when it hit a road bridge before ploughing into the river, the AFP reported.

Taiwan's TransAsia Airways was involved in a deadly crash in July last year, when its plane, GE222, attempted to land in stormy weather and crashed on the island of Penghu, killing 48 people and wrecking houses and cars on the ground.

Footage taken from TVBS shows the plane hitting a vehicle while passing close to a highway.

Unverified images from a Twitter user in Taiwan have shown images of the plane flying close to a highway and going almost sideways before it hit the river.

SOURCE

Scoot collects its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner from Seattle

Budget carrier Scoot marked a new chapter in its history, after it collected the first of its Boeing 787 jets on Sunday.

Scoot's chief executive Campbell Wilson and crew received the "keys" to the new Dreamliner from planemaker Boeing under foggy skies at its Everett factory north of Seattle.

At the Boeing delivery centre, close to 80 guests, including journalists and suppliers, were treated to a 10-minute light-and-sound show in a ceremony to unveil the aircraft that gleamed in Scoot's trademark yellow.

The Dreamliner will leave Seattle for its 18-hour flight across the Pacific Sea, making a stop at Osaka before arriving in Singapore on Monday morning at 9.45am.

The plane's first "passengers" will be Mr Campbell, journalists and 38 others, including Scoot staff who scored coveted seats on the delivery flight through a contest.

Scoot's 787s, which will have up to 375 seats in two classes, promise to be more roomy and comfortable. Passengers in all classes can look outside through larger windows and entertain themselves by surfing the internet with Wifi onboard or streaming movies on their tablets and smartphones.

Sunday's delivery of the first Dreamliner comes more than two years after Scoot first announced that it will acquire the 787s. The Dreamliners, which are primarily made of carbon-fibre composite material, are lighter and use a fifth less fuel than the current fleet does.

Scoot, a Singapore Airlines subsidiary, has ordered 20 Dreamliners. As more B787s start coming onboard by August, the carrier expects to phase out six of its ageing, hand-me-down B777 aircraft from SIA. That will mark Scoot's transition to operating an all-Dreamliner fleet, which will be made up of the 787-8s and longer-range 787-9 variants.

Mr Campbell told The Straits Times that the eventual cost savings "improves our bottomline and gives us more scope to offer even better airfares".

It took more than 30 computerised mock-ups over the last two-plus years to finalise the look and feel of Scoot's Boeing 787 cabins. Scoot's Dreamliner fleet will be made up of the 787-8 and longer-range 787-9 variants.

They will each have up to 375 seats in two classes that promise to be roomier and more comfortable. Those onboard will:

- enjoy better seat pitch of between 31 inches (economy) to 38 inches (ScootBiz) and more legroom;

- get better views when they look outside through larger windows;

- charge their laptops and mobile devices with AC power, surf the internet with onboard Wifi connection or stream movies on their tablets and smartphones, although economy passengers will have to pay for these services;

- suffer fewer headaches, dry eyes and nausea, that are typically caused by the lack of oxygen, because the humidity level in the 787 cabin will be higher.

The Dreamliners, which are primarily made of carbon-fibre composite material, are lighter and use a fifth less fuel than the current fleet does. Scoot is among 58 airlines that have either ordered or received 1071 Dreamliners. Among them, 30 have received 231 787 jets.

SOURCE

Tigerair lands back in black for latest quarter

Tough decisions to shut down loss-making operations and cancel plane orders have paid off for Tigerair, which has posted its first quarter in the black in more than a year.

The news sent the budget carrier's share price soaring six cents or 23 per cent to close at 32 cents.

The airline made a small but significant profit of $2.2 million (S$2.9 million) in the three months ended Dec 31, reversing a $118.5 million loss in the same quarter a year earlier.

The improved numbers reflect the success of the group's initiatives to focus on its Singapore operations in its execution of its turnaround plan, group chief executive officer Lee Lik Hsin said.

"We had to make some difficult decisions in the turnaround process. Though we are not out of the woods yet, we are encouraged by the improving financial results," he said.

Hit by overcapacity in the market with airlines adding more flights than demand could cope with and weighed down by mounting losses, Tigerair offloaded its 40 per cent stake in Tigerair Philippines last year and also shut down its Indonesian associate, Tigerair Mandala.

Tigerair Australia was sold to Virgin Australia.

The group is now left with its Singapore operations and a 10 per cent stake in Tigerair Taiwan - majority owned by China Airlines - which started operating last year.

An order for nine new planes, which were due for delivery last year and this year, was also cancelled.

The focus now is on the Singapore business and boosting ties with partner carriers including Singapore Airlines' (SIA) medium- and long-haul budget arm, Scoot, Mr Lee said during a media teleconference yesterday.

Tigerair, which is about 56 per cent owned by SIA, and Scoot have started coordinating routes and schedules to offer travellers more options and encourage transfers from one carrier to another.

There are also plans to allow booking of each other's flights on their respective websites.

The initiatives should help further boost revenues which improved by 5.9 per cent to $182.3 million between October and December, even as spending fell by 1.5 per cent to $178.2 million.

Quarterly earnings per share was 0.2 cent against a loss of 12.02 cents a year earlier, while net asset value per share was 9.11 cents as at Dec 31, down from 28.25 cents as at March 31 last year.

Analyst Brendan Sobie from the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation said that while competition remains intense and the December quarter is a seasonally strong period, the airline is in much better shape today.

He said: "Don't necessarily expect profits every quarter from now although, potentially, they should be able to be in the black again overall."

SOURCE

Week 82: A320 Type Rating Week 21

I mentioned that I will update on the fatigue level by the end of the fifth consecutive sim session this week. Well, it wasn't as bad as expected, but probably a little jaded with all that engine-out procedures to think about and the handling of the situation during systems malfunctions. The good thing though, the SOP flow is getting more fluent now that we're all very familiar on what to do after doing it for five consecutive days.

There were a total of four sessions this week with a two-day break separating two pairs of sessions.

Session #1
Like the previous session the day before, we were still handling the situation of  engine failure after take-off. One added portion was the Go-Around during landing with one engine out. The yaw is immense and the climb rate is very poor, but at least the aircraft is capable of executing such a move with only half its power left. Catching the yaw with rudder is the key, or the plane and start rolling into dangerous parts of the airport.

No Memory Items, No FSI, No OEB, My Radios, ECAM Action!

Session #2
This was a very troublesome session which tested us on how to handle slats/flaps jam during extension. The very first thing to note is not to bust the Flaps speed. Immediately after the jamming has been displayed by the ECAM, we fly a Select speed of Vfe-next minus 5kts. The speed limits of different stages of flaps are conveniently located below the FCU panel so no memory work is required there.

After ECAM actions were carried out, we had to refer to the QRH on what speeds to adhere to for different stages of flight. Next, the DODAR will be carried out with the QRH being used extensively.

We have the fuel penalty to consider with the aircraft now experiencing more drag as well as the landing speed and landing distance required, plus weather conditions factored in. Quite a bit of table reference and calculations are needed to get the speeds and distances right.

I got the worst of the three types of jams with mine being jammed at Flaps 1 configuration. My approach speed was so high I was flabbergasted!! Then came the astounding attitude of the aircraft for the approach. My nose was 8degrees up and I was totally not used to such an approach attitude even though I had the FD to guide me for the ILS approach. I was cautious on the flare, so much so that I didn't really apply any pullback on the sidestick, With the speed so high, I can feel that the landing was hard, and my instructor commented that he didn't see any flare. The approach stunned my two other sim partners as well haha.

Session #3
Another session with Slats/Flaps jam, but this time the take-off was in Config 2 rather than the usual Config 1. Needless to say, the jamming will come right after take-off during retraction, as opposed to the previous session with it coming during extension.

There wasn't much difference from the previous session and I had a very high approach attitude again. This time round, I was able to execute the flare properly with my attitude just above 10degrees and not getting a tailstrike.

After two sessions of slats/flaps jam, I can conclude that it is quite a pain to handle with lots of QRH referencing. Nevertheless, this is what we're trained for, to handle abnormal situations appropriately.

Session #4
After slats/flaps jam, the next thing to jam was the Landing Gear! Good thing was this is way easier to handle with no QRH procedure as the gear failed to retract instead of the gear failing to extend. The latter situation will be heck lot more complicated I reckon. We had the gear lights not going off after retraction and the gear lever jammed in the DOWN position. But that didn't affect much of the flying except for added fuel consumption, especially if the PF decides to carry on flying to destination airport instead of returning. We selected to fly at Green Dot Speed while sorting out our options, noting that our landing weight might be higher than the Structurally limited Max Landing Weight since we've only just taken off and full load of fuel.

To make things more interesting, we were given the VOR CANPA approach. After flying ILS with FD approaches for so many sessions, some of us forgot how to fly a Non-precision approach correctly. Thankfully I took the lessons under CANPA flying very seriously back then and managed to manual fly the approach without any trouble. My sim partners got a little caught off guard with the ND view mode not selected correctly or not configuring the aircraft for an early stabilised approach which resulted in a pretty messy descend profile.

All these little things that were taught in the earlier part of the training are easy to forget I have to say, and there are a lot to remember and keep ourselves prepared for any situation to happen. Since we had quite a lot of time left after we've completed the lesson objective, our instructor gave us some serious crosswind landing training. We were taught the crabbing technique, with the flare+bank+rudder co-ordination skill to achieve a safe landing. But of course, if the crosswind is so strong, we are actually not allowed to land due to company safety policy. It was fun and very good training I must say, and my confidence to handle 40kts crosswind has just gone up a few notches!

40kts crosswind with a 20degrees crab angle. Almost shit in my pants.

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This week marked the end of 2014 and the start of a new year. Last year this time was spent overseas in Ballarat in the midst of my flight training. It feels better to be home this year.

2014 as a whole was fairly good with so many things happening in my life. I had an exciting January clearing my first solo flight in the C172 which I burst a tyre and feared for my life. February was a month filled with numerous solo circuit flights which were frustrating. March came and went like a wind with me flying my first solo navigation flight that was heart pounding as the weather was getting crazy and I tuned to the wrong radio frequency.

April was really painful with a huge number of flight cancellations due to poor weather conditions but it was also the month which I passed my PPL test; the first in my batch. May was the craziest month I had in Ballarat with almost 24hrs of flight hours. I had a week of consecutive flights prior to my return to Singapore. I was so happy to return after seven painfully slow months in Ballarat facing a climate which I rather not make friends with. June was the month I had my fill of local food as well as meeting up with friends which I hadn't seen since my departure.

July marked the start of A320 ground school and I had trouble adjusting my body and mind back to sitting in the classroom again attending lessons for the whole day. Very soon the ground school was over and my first sim session was conducted near the end of August, which shocked me with the steep learning curve in the cockpit. September reminded me how long ago it was since my course started as I had to get my Class 1 Medical renewed before it lapsed on the 24th month. Phase 2A of training was also completed by the end of the month.

October was the month which got me purring like an excited kid with two observation flights in a real A320 aircraft. That was a true eye opener! Training Phase 2B started in mid-month. November was largely uneventful as training came to a crawl with only 5 sessions for the whole month. And finally to December, when I sat for my last ever written exam at SAA and passed it. Phase 2B training was completed and Phase 2C commenced. 

A blink of an eye, year 2014 was concluded. It has been 26 months since I've embarked on this course. It's getting longer than I would have preferred, but with the current aviation industry facing a challenging business environment, this delay is expected. At least I have a job for me at the end of training, I just have to grind out this delay and hope things turn for the better.

I don't know what 2015 will bring, but hopefully things will go smoothly and I can finally say byebye to days as a cadet and become a professional aviator in the commercial world. I dare not think too far; one step at a time is what I'm telling myself these days.

Wishing my readers a great 2015 ahead~!!