Grim anniversary from the CFIT era
The anniversary of a largely forgotten airline crash is worth remembering, mainly because this type of crash is much less frequent today.
Yesterday was the 34th anniversary of the destruction of Iberia Airlines flight 610...
Improving Australia’s Aviation Meteorological Services
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) is undertaking some important work to improve weather forecasting for the aviation industry.
A detailed analysis of BOM's operational arrangements was completed in 2015 at the request of the aviation...
CASA brings in community service flight standards
CASA has set new minimum standards for pilots operating community service flights. The standards also identify the kinds of aircraft that can be used, and set out appropriate maintenance and operating requirements.
Community service flights...
Reinventing the black box
Aviation is set to become even safer thanks to real-time data transmission from black box flight recorders.
In the 1960s, the black box—an Australian invention—became mandated on all commercial aircraft. It consists of two parts—the...
Boeing 747 loaded for future flight
Tomorrow, 9 February, is the 50th anniversary of the Boeing 747’s first flight. It’s a significant anniversary that sums up history and progress in aviation.
The original wide-body airliner is one of the two definitive...
FlySafe 2019 forum set to improve aviation safety
In a concerted effort to maintain Australia’s world-leading safety record, Australia’s three government aviation agencies are hosting the inaugural FlySafe 2019 Aviation Safety Forum at the Australian International Airshow at the end of this...
Helmet saved pilot’s head
An agricultural pilot has escaped serious injury thanks to his decision to wear a helmet in the cockpit.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is using his fortunate example to remind pilots carrying out aerial...
Structural directive applied to aircraft that broke up in flight
An aircraft that crashed after an apparent mid-air break-up is the subject of an airworthiness directive (AD) requiring 50-hourly inspections of its main spar cap.
About 1.50 pm on Sunday afternoon US west coast time...
Deviance, drift and disaster: the Columbia breakup
Today marks the 16th anniversary of the Space Shuttle Columbia’s disaster.
On 1 February 2003, Columbia disintegrated upon re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere killing all seven crew members only minutes before it was scheduled to land...
Wasted runway contributed to overrun
The case of a Cessna 207 that overran an outback runway by one metre reinforces one of aviation’s oldest proverbs: nothing is more useless than runway behind you. The aircraft on a scenic flight...
Drone registration consultation opens – have your say
Consultation is now open on CASA’s proposed new registration and accreditation scheme for drones.
We are introducing a remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) registration and RPA operator accreditation requirement as a way of monitoring the safe...
E-cigarette battery causes baggage hold fire
Canada’s Transportation Safety Board (TSB) has warned against the dangers of lithium-ion batteries after a fire in a baggage compartment resulted in an emergency landing in Calgary last year.
On 14 June, a WestJest Boeing...
Close encounter highlights see-and-avoid limitations
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is reminding pilots of the limitations of the see-and-avoid principle after two Cessnas were involved in a near collision south-west of Darwin Airport in 2017.
On 6 December, a...
Stratolaunch high-speed taxi test
Airborne launching of rockets into space has taken a giant leap forward with Stratolaunch having its first high-speed taxi test.
Stratolaunch, the aerospace venture created by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, says its twin-fuselage, six-engine aircraft...
Ultra-light wings aim to reduce fuel burn
Designed to be more aerodynamic and fuel efficient, Boeing has unveiled an ultra-light wing that they hope will reduce fuel burn by 60 per cent.
Called the Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW), this new concept was...
NASA gives the thumbs up to the Dream Chaser space plane
Sending supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) is something that has to happen on a regular basis so that the crew can carry out their work while orbiting Earth. As most missions last...
One of the safest years ever
Despite several high-profile accidents, the year 2018 was one of the safest years ever for commercial aviation, according to analyses by independent consultants.
For 2018, the Aviation Safety Network (ASN) recorded 15 fatal accidents involving...
CASA Christmas shutdown
CASA offices will be closed during the Christmas and New Year holidays. Normal CASA services will NOT be available from Tuesday 25 December until Tuesday 1 January 2019. All services will resume from Wednesday...
Top ten least wanted goods for 2018
For the fourth year running, lithium batteries, found in smartphones and tablets, have been named as the most problematic item carried by passengers in Australian skies in 2018. Lithium batteries are used to charge...
Time to check your distress beacons
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has a holiday-season favour to ask of you: check that your distress beacon is registered, and your details are up-to-date.
Distress beacons, whether the aviation specific emergency location transmitter...
2018 Collectors’ Edition now out!
Every year our feature stories in Flight Safety Australia explore a range of diverse topics that affect aviation safety. We’ve collected these stories in a bumper 144-page Flight Safety Australia 2018 Collectors’ Edition, available...
Electric copter in emergency service trial
The helicopter emergency medical service arm of Germany’s national motoring association will study using a manned Volocopter electric multicopter for air rescue and emergency service flights.
The project by ADAC Air Rescue (ADAC Luftrettung) will...
Aviation and people with disabilities
Today is International Day of People with a Disability. Today, and every other day, air travel as a mainstream form of transport, has to accommodate travellers’ disabilities.
Since 2013, the Aviation Access Forum (AAF) has...
Investigator calls for take-off acceleration monitoring
The British Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has called for a simple data-driven system to detect if aircraft are accelerating normally on take-off, following its investigation into a serious incident involving a Boeing 737.
In...
Important information: Melbourne Port Philip Bay VFR route
After concerns raised by industry, airspace changes that came into effect on 8 November for the Melbourne Port Philip Bay VFR route have been modified.
Class C airspace remains lowered from 2500 feet to 2000...
Boeing reveals drone network plans
Boeing is teaming up with an artificial intelligence software developer SparkCognition to produce and develop a sense-and-avoid traffic management system to integrate drones and manned aircraft. The joint venture is called SkyGrid, described by...
Research shines a light on structural testing
Future aircraft structural inspections may become as simple as shining a sophisticated ‘torch’ at the wing, based on research being done in the US. Staff at Rice University, in Texas, have developed a way...
New Visual Flight Rules Guide in print
A new printed edition of CASA’s Visual Flight Rules Guide (VFRG) is now available. The updated VFRG Version 6.0 will help pilots keep up-to-date with critical aviation safety information. The new version replaces the...
Kazakh jet’s wild ride
Details are emerging of an extraordinary and frightening flight by an Embraer ERJ 190 over Portugal last week. The single aisle 97-seat airliner encountered flight control difficulties soon after take-off at 1331, local time...
UberAir trials about to take off
Forget the new freeways, roads, high-speed rail links and bus corridors that are currently being built in our major capital cities. Ride-share company Uber thinks it hold the key to freeing up our clogged...
‘Soft’ skills the key to future safety
Aviation training needs to eliminate the distinction between technical and non-technical (so-called ‘soft’) skills if safety is to improve, the country’s leading aviation psychology conference heard this week.
Speaking to the PACDEFF CRM and Aviation...
Night goggle limitation warning to pilots
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has issued a warning to pilots on the limitations of night vision imaging systems and goggles following the release of a report into an incident involving a Eurocopter...
DJI drone safety bulletin
CASA has issued a safety bulletin with a difference. It’s for drones.
The bulletin, RPAS-SB-18/01 Issue 1, applies to DJI drones fitted with TB50 and TB55 batteries, including all DJI Matrice 200 series drones and...
Better briefing would have helped in balloon emergency landing
Eleven passengers were injured on 8 February this year when a hot air balloon, operated by Go Wild Ballooning, was forced to make an emergency landing in Victoria’s Yarra Valley. A report published by...
Melbourne VFR lane procedures
Information in this story has been superseded.
It remains here only in the interests of openness.
If you fly VFR around Port Phillip Bay, you need to know about airspace changes that come into effect...
Online focus on wet season safety
Aviation in northern Australia is a tale of two seasons; the dry season, in which conditions are relatively straightforward, and the wet season, which adds a distinct set of operational challenges.
A seminar on wet season...
Europe looks at flying taxi standard
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) this week opened public consultation on proposed airworthiness standards for certification of small vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft.
EASA says this is the first step in a regulatory...
Billionaire changed face of aviation
As a child, Paul Allen knew the names of the Mercury Seven astronauts by heart in the way other children memorised sport stars. As a youth, he realised that his short sight would never...
‘Walk in my shoes’ for Airport Safety Week
Airport Safety Week kicks off next Monday and runs until Friday 19 October. The safety campaign is specially aimed at employees and contractors working at airports and is a collaboration between the Australian Airports...
Investigator praises crew in propeller separation
An undetected fatigue crack led to the separation of the right propeller from a Saab 340B over southwestern Sydney in March last year, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has found.
The ATSB’s final report,...
Calling out for close calls
Every pilot has had at least one flight that has taught them a lasting lesson about flying. That’s a close call—a hard-won lesson too valuable to keep to yourself.
Flight Safety Australia wants to hear...
Beans mean safety gains for FIFO operator
A little humour, and the promise of free jelly beans have helped an Australian air carrier reduce its burden of overweight cabin baggage and slash the number of lithium batteries carried on board.
CASA recently...
Challenge sums up years of drone history and growth
To see how far unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, have come in the past 12 years look no further than Dalby, on the Queensland Darling Downs.
The UAV Challenge has taken place at various locations...
Fuel mayday at Sydney Airport
A United Airlines Boeing 787 carrying 180 passengers and 14 crew has landed safely at Sydney Airport after declaring a mayday.
The plane was low on fuel and the pilot issued the mayday alert, so...
NTSB concludes runway near miss investigation
THE US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has concluded its investigation into a literal near miss that could have been the worst aviation disaster ever, when an Air Canada A320 lined up to land...
Tiny sensors have huge implications
Researchers at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida, US, have developed a way to place nano-scale piezoelectric sensors, directly onto carbon fibres.
The zinc-oxide nanowire sensors generate an electrical charge in response to different levels of...
Cordless power tool sparks fatal hangar fire
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has warned that some cordless electric tools can be hazardous in an aviation environment.
An FAA presentation describes a hanger accident in which a man using a brush-type cordless drill...
ATSB finds trim setting led to Essendon crash
A misset rudder trim was behind the crash of a B200 King Air in Essendon in February 2017, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau has found.
The charter flight crashed shortly after take-off into a shopping...
CASA will act to encourage VFR ADS-B
What’s not to like about ADS-B, except the cost? The automatic dependent surveillance - broadcast technology integrates satellite navigation information with transponder information so that an aircraft can make other traffic and ATC aware...
Researchers cut down hairy old myth
Let’s not beat about the bush: scientists have shown it is possible to resemble a character from the medieval soap opera Game of Thrones and still be a safe airline transport pilot.
Researchers from Simon...
CASA online store September special
This month, the price of safety is not much more than two large cups of coffee.
CASA’s online store is offering our Communication, Navigation, Surveillance, Air Traffic Management (CNS-ATM) resource kit for just $9.95 delivered...
Think tank develops thought control cockpit
The US military laboratory that gave the world the computer mouse, GPS, and computer networking, has developed a way for pilots to control aircraft by thought.
A researcher from the US Defence Advanced Research Projects...
Have your say in the direction of Flight Safety Australia
Since 2012, Flight Safety Australia has been delivered electronically via the magazine app for tablets, the flightsafetyaustralia.com website and on social media channels.
While many readers have welcomed the new format, many others have pointed...
Wrong runway landings
In the last two years, 596 aircraft in the US have landed on the wrong runway—that’s one every second day.
At a recent summit in the US, the FAA have warned about these types of...
Software learns in quest for batteries
Lithium batteries can have serious safety consequences if they're not carried correctly when you're flying. They are packed with energy which under the wrong circumstances, such as impact or crushing, can emerge as a...
Boeing drone to fuel navy jets
The US Navy has picked Boeing to supply unmanned tanker aircraft. The navy last week awarded a $US805 million ($A1.1 billion) development contract for four MQ-25A aircraft to be completed by August 2024. The...
Flight Safety Australia phone and tablet app
At the beginning of this year we launched a new Flight Safety Australia app for Apple and Android phones and tablets. The app was published monthly with all the latest FSA content.
However, from readers’...
Wing with a bent for efficiency
NASA has demonstrated a prototype wing that folds in flight by using shape memory alloy (SMA).
Engineers used a 135 kg folding wing section from a NASA F/A-18 and replaced its electric motor folding actuator...
Glider sets stratospheric record
A five-and-a-half-hour flight over the Patagonian mountains of southern Argentina by the Airbus Perlan II has broken its own altitude record by more than 10,000 feet.
US website AVweb reports that last weekend, Airbus’ Perlan...
Single-pilot passenger planes could soon be a reality
Aircraft maker Boeing is actively working on technology that would remove the need for two pilots in the cockpits of its passenger jets.
Currently, European aviation rules state that passenger planes with more than 20...
CASA hits the small screen
CASA has been exploring new ways to encourage public feedback on draft regulations—by hitting the small screen.
With the release of five draft flight operations regulations for public consultation, CASA embarked on a series of...
Keep your drone away from bushfires
A drone flown over a Northern Rivers bushfire on Saturday caused the NSW Rural Fire Service to ground all firefighting aircraft in the area.
Flying your drone over or near a bushfire could put people,...
Test your aviation knowledge
How well do you know aviation and aviation safety? Test your knowledge with the CASA quizzes which are posted online every second week. We cover VFR, IFR, maintenance, drones, helicopters and cabin safety, so...
Paper rockets count down to big dreams
Playing with toy rockets is not a usual CASA activity, but when it’s before the Governor-General, and a chance to inspire young people about aerospace, we answer the call. CASA took part in the...
FAA looks to industry for help with ‘flying car’ rules
The US Federal Aviation Administration has invited industry to help update rules covering small passenger-carrying flying vehicles, according to a report from the Washington Examiner.
FAA spokesman Les Dorr told the publication, ‘the FAA has...
Drones on the range in wild bird round-up
Engineers at Caltech, the California Institute of Technology, have developed software they say enables drones to herd birds, potentially reducing the risk of birdstrike near airports.
Principal investigator on the drone herding project, Soon-Jo Chung,...
Pre-flight distraction contributed to fuel exhaustion accident, ATSB finds
A report into the crash of a helicopter undertaking powerline inspections in South Australia in July 2016 underlines the importance of cross-checking fuel quantities before flight.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has found that...
A commercial jet going beyond the speed of sound
Remember the Concorde that could zip between New York and London in a neck-breaking three hours thirty minutes? Well ever since its retirement in 2003 aircraft manufacturers have been looking for the next inspiration...
Flight Safety Australia August edition out now
‘Dealing with inclement weather while flying light airplanes is one of the most interesting things that a pilot can do. If not done correctly it can be lethal but done correctly it is fascinating...
Engine alert for mustering helicopters
A rise in engine problems in piston engine helicopters has triggered CASA’s most recent Airworthiness Bulletin.
AWB 85-024, issued yesterday, applies to all spark ignition aircraft piston engines, but most directly applies to Lycoming O-320,...
All escape alive from Mexican jet crash
From a flight operations point of view, this week’s crash of an Aeromexico Embraer 190 is an obvious case of something going wrong; from a cabin safety point of view it is a case...
New luggage scanners could reduce airport delays
The need for passengers to routinely remove laptops and liquids from hand luggage for screening at selected US airports should become a thing of the past with the introduction of 3D computed tomography (CT)...
Brave woman who flew for freedom
A glimpse of aviation and World War II history disappeared over the horizon of living memory last week with the death of Mary Ellis. She was one of 168 women who flew in the...
Countdown for NASA’s return to crewed space missions
NASA is getting back into human spaceflight. The US space agency will name the astronauts assigned to the first flight tests and missions of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon next Friday 3...
Eyes in the engine
The idea of being able to see inside and repair a complex machine was explored in the 1966 Academy Award-winning sci-fi film Fantastic Voyage. The film portrayed a submarine and its crew shrunk to...
Unpacking the issue of carry-on baggage
CASA is taking on the vexing problem of carry-on baggage in aircraft cabins, and its effects on safety.
Cabin Safety Bulletin No. 8, published this month, discusses the potential effects of carry-on baggage as a...
Electric truck builder takes to the air
Every week seems to bring another proposal for new types of aircraft, many of them merging the technology of drones into new forms of passenger carrying aircraft. The latest effort is a hybrid design,...
A salute to French aviation
Tomorrow is Bastille Day, the national day of France, and it’s timely to remember the contribution which the French have made to aviation.
It began with the Montgolfier Brothers, paper manufacturers in south-eastern France, who...
Forum takes a ground-up view of safety
Ground handling, an essential but often overlooked area of aviation safety, took centre stage at the Ground Operations Safety Advisory Forum (GO-SAFE) held at CASA’s Melbourne office on 10–11 July.
The event, convened by CASA...
Research offers hope of de-ice age for planes
Icing is great for cakes but not for aircraft.
In flight, ice can seriously compromise the effectiveness of control surfaces, propellers and other equipment, and increase fuel consumption because of additional drag. On the ground,...
Medical certificates now easier for many private pilots
The new basic Class 2 medical certificate, which can be issued after a visit to a local medical practitioner, commences this month and will significantly simplifying medical clearances for large numbers of recreational pilots...
US rulemaker argues airline seat size not its responsibility
A US airline flyers lobby group is considering an appeal against a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) decision that the FAA is not responsible for legislating on seat sizes, according to a Washington Post report.
The...
Bargain bundle for down under ‘Christmas’
Flight Safety Australia has an offer that will make those long winter evenings much more entertaining. You could call it Christmas in July. We’re offering our 2017 Collectors’ Edition and the Close Calls Sport...
Bracing advice from CASA
The brace position, although a fundamental of airline cabin safety, is the subject of some remarkably silly folklore, to do with kissing one’s posterior goodbye, and other fatuities. Let’s hope CASA’s latest guidance lays...
NASA tests quiet approach
NASA is investigating ways to reduce the most complained about aspect of aircraft—noise.
Last month, NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, US, tested technology to reduce airframe noise, (which it describes as noise produced...
Locked overhead bins could complicate emergency evacuations
Passengers on commercial aircraft are instructed to leave personal items behind in the event of an emergency evacuation—and for good reasons.
Apart from the risk of delaying evacuation, where seconds can be the difference between...
Eyes on industry to keep helicopters on track
International helicopter safety association HeliOffshore is consulting with operators and training organisations about how to apply the results of its eye-tracking research.
The London-based organisation says that the research, developed by its member operators working...
Hybrid drive for urban VTOL concept
American helicopter maker Bell and French aviation systems conglomerate Safran have announced they will cooperate to develop ‘innovative hybrid electric power system solutions to support Bell's vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft concept’.
Bell showed...
New fuel rules on the way
CASA has changed fuel rules to make them safer, and in some cases simpler. The new rules take effect on 8 November, although many pilots and operators are already using them as standard operating...
Windowless cabin: Emirates high flyers cop it suite
Emirates Airlines has introduced a first-class suite with virtual windows—a move which the airline says could pave the way for windowless aircraft.
In the first-class suite of the airline’s newest Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, passengers don’t...
Smithy’s flight remembered
Tomorrow marks the 90th anniversary of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith’s first trans-Pacific flight from California to Brisbane in the Fokker Trimotor Southern Cross.
Kingsford Smith, along with crew members Australian Charles Ulm and American navigation...
Airlines warned against complacency after record safety run
Airlines need to guard against complacency following last year’s record for aviation safety, International Air Transport Association (IATA) Director General and CEO, Alexandre de Juniac, told an IATA conference in Sydney this week.
Last year...
Airline explores net benefits for wayward PEDS
Air Canada has launched a project to counter the problem of portable electronic devices (PEDS) being lost, and potentially crushed, in its business class seats.
Many airlines tell passengers not to try to retrieve devices...
Airbus says new helicopter offers upset recovery at touch of a button
Airbus’ H160 twin turbo helicopter, designed to carry up to 12 passengers, offers safety features such as auto recovery from inverted flight, according to a report in US online publication Wired.
The manufacturer recently demonstrated...
Remembering Air France flight 447
Nine years today, the aviation world was shocked when Air France flight 447, on a scheduled flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean killing all 228 passengers and crew...
Lack of lubrication caused Canadian gear landing emergency
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has found that inadequate training of maintenance personnel contributed to a nose gear landing incident in July 2016.
The incident involved an Air Georgian Beechcraft 1900D turboprop on approach...
Don’t push it, land it
CASA, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) and the Australian Helicopter Industry Association (AHIA) have joined together to promote a safety message for helicopter pilots: Don't push it, land it.
We want to encourage all...
The Roger Connellan Award
Applications open on 1 June for the Roger Connellan Award, which supports aviation development in Outback Australia.
The award is open to professional and non-professional pilots who have completed their initial CASA-recognised licensing such as...
Airborne experiment reads pilot minds
The prospect of an aircraft that reads its pilots’ thoughts is a little closer after a French/American research team measured the brain activity of pilots in real-time using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Their results...
Rules apply when you fly—CASA’s new drone safety animation
Drones provide hours of flying fun but understanding the safety rules is essential before taking off.
With drones more popular than ever, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) is encouraging first-time users—especially children—to understand that...
First officer escapes with minor injuries after windscreen fails in flight
The first officer of a Sichuan Airlines Airbus A319 escaped with scratches and a sprained wrist on Monday morning after being ‘partially blown out’ of the aircraft when its windscreen burst at about 32,000...
Historic biofuel flight
A FedEx Boeing 777 freighter has created history by flying from Seattle to Memphis and back on 100 per cent biofuel. Made with a blend of animal fats and plant oil, the fuel is...
High-flying aircraft to run on sunshine for a year
Defence and aviation giant BAE Systems is developing an unmanned aircraft that can fly for up to a year.
BAE Systems has signed an agreement with the aircraft’s original developer, Prismatic, to collaborate on the...
Budget funding for SBAS
This week’s Federal Budget includes nearly $161 million to develop an Australian satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS), capable of providing many GNSS-equipped aircraft with the ability to make precision approaches.
The funding is in addition to...
Airborne pilgrimage honours first flying doctor
Today marks the start of a nine-day antique air pilgrimage to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS). Twenty-five aircraft will take off from Dubbo and fly to Moree, Roma,...
Flight Safety Australia May edition out now
Aviation is on the verge of an unprecedented boom in aircraft numbers, Flight Safety Australia’s lead story for May says. Most of these billion aircraft will, however, be drones. Drone specialist contributor Craig Newlyn...
Aviation human factors expert remembered
One of Australia’s foremost experts on aviation safety, Dr Rob Lee AO, died on 27 April, following a brave battle with cancer. He was an academic psychologist who applied the insights of the profession...
New species revives wasp warning
A newly discovered wasp species has prompted CASA to update and reissue an alert on the danger wasp nests pose to aircraft.
Airworthiness Bulletin 02-052 of May 2018 highlights the keyhole wasp, native to Central...
Poles apart: airport has to rename runway
The normally separate worlds of geology and aviation intersected last week when Cork airport in Ireland changed the designation of its main runway.
Variation in the earth’s magnetic field (known as magnetic declination) meant that...
Aloha 243: the accident that showed the danger of ageing aircraft
Thirty years ago tomorrow (April 28) the aviation world was rudely introduced to the problem of ageing transport aircraft, when the fuselage roof blew off Aloha Airlines flight 243.
Flight 243 departed Hilo, on the...
NTSB forum highlights loss of control
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) focused this week on one of general aviation’s perennial problems—loss of control in flight.
The NTSB convened a round table of industry and government experts to discuss the...
NTSB finds fatigue failure led to trainer crash
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has identified metal fatigue as a factor in the in-flight structural failure that led to the crash of a Piper PA-28R-201 Arrow on 4 April that killed...
Airbag kit aims to be low-cost lifesaver
A generic retro-fit airbag is being developed for general aviation aircraft by the US manufacturer that supplies them as standard equipment in new aircraft.
Airbags made by AmSafe have been standard equipment on Cessna piston...
Glider specialist to build urban electric copter
The 18-rotor Volocopter electric rotorcraft is going into production. German glider maker DG Flugzeugbau has announced an order to manufacture ‘a large number of Volocopters’ from Volocopter GmbH.
DG will build the Volocopter 2X in...
Report highlights automation hazards
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has warned pilots about the importance of understanding how autopilots and avionics work, after issuing a report into a fatal crash that killed a student pilot on a cross...
Digital tools add data to maintenance formula
Using data to identify trends and increase reliability and safety, has been the prominent theme in aircraft maintenance at the recent MRO Americas conference held in Florida.
Engine maker Rolls-Royce used the event to announce...
NASA uses dummies for maximum impact
The high-wing light aircraft on a test rig performs a hard landing, rolls onto its nose, crumples and overturns. The necks of the two ‘occupants’ flex and twist; were they human, they would probably...
IATA launches animal welfare assurance program
A new global certification program by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) aims at ensuring the safety and welfare of the millions of live animals carried by air each year.
The standards have been developed...
Safety by the letter
A recent operational change by Emirates Airline is a textbook example of the analysis and attention to detail that go into managing airline transport safety.
Emirates recently introduced of alpha-numeric air traffic control (ATC) call...
Low slow jet wins aviation trophy
Cirrus’s SF50 Vision Jet has won the 2017 Collier trophy. The long-running aviation prize was awarded to the US manufacturer for developing the world’s first single engine personal jet.
The Vision Jet, at one time...
NASA orders supersonic test aircraft
Civil supersonic flight could be making a quiet comeback. NASA yesterday awarded a contract for the design, building and testing of a supersonic aircraft that reduces a sonic boom to a gentle thump.
The $A320...
Have your say at Part 91 webinar
CASA is about to hit the small screen—not TV—but the next best thing, a live webinar.
Public consultation has opened on new draft Part 91 regulations relating to general operating and flight rules which will form...
Dutch call for take-off warning systems
The Dutch Safety Board has called for the swift development of independent systems which warn pilots when their aircraft has insufficient take-off performance.
The board analysed serious incidents involving incorrect thrust settings in Boeing 737-800...
Avoiding flu while you fly
New research from the US appears to contradict the view that aircraft are hotbeds for the spread of infectious diseases such as influenza – but where you sit can be important.
The study suggests the...
Manufacturer announces electric aircraft plan
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is the latest aircraft manufacturer to announce an electric aircraft program.
The state owned manufacturer of military, civil and unmanned aircraft and defence systems yesterday announced plans to focus on 'green energy...
Racers, start your (electric) engines
One hundred years after the first aircraft flew from the United Kingdom to Australia another ‘great air race’ will aim to repeat the excitement of the original 1919 event, using electrically powered aircraft.
On 10...
First the good news; now the not-so-good
Last year, 2017, was the safest year for commercial aviation, with no fatal crashes in jet engine passenger aircraft anywhere in the world, so why has 2018 started off so badly? In the first...
Party for Boeing’s once-unlikely record breaker
Boeing has rolled out the 10,000th 737, a result that would have seemed unlikely for the first decade of the type’s 51-year life.
The milestone aircraft came from Boeing’s Renton, Washington factory on Tuesday, where...
Spark of a good idea
Researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have proposed a radical method of avoiding lightning strikes on aircraft: put an electrical charge into the airframe.
According to MIT, about 90 per cent of lightning strikes...
Key safety number is thousands of years
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) recently issued its safety analysis of air travel in 2017. After crunching the numbers, it came up with the figure of 6033. That’s the number of years you...
Boost for jet biofuels
By 2025, more than a billion passengers could have flown on aircraft powered by sustainable fuel, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
In a statement marking the recent 10th anniversary of the first...
Batteries in the hot seat again
If you are an observant occasional air traveller, you have probably noticed a new cabin safety briefing warning along the lines of ‘if you lose your mobile phone don’t move your seat’. What’s that...
February Flight Safety Australia ready for download
Flight Safety Australia’s February edition is now available for download on Apple and Android devices.
At your leisure you can read the main feature stories, accident round-ups, close calls and you can try your hand...
Night aerial firefighting trials begin in Victoria
Emergency Management Victoria has begun trials of night time aerial firefighting using night-vision technology.
The trial, approved by CASA, involves two aircraft based at Ballarat Airport. One will undertake daytime reconnaissance and provide oversight at...
Test your drone knowledge
Do you fly a drone for fun? Do you know the rules so you can fly safely? Test your knowledge with the new CASA drone quiz. Drones, helicopters and cabin safety are the latest...
Sticky Kiwi robot making aircraft inspection safer
A New Zealand-designed ‘upside down’ robot, originally built to inspect the inside of milk tanks, may be about to take the aircraft inspection industry by storm.
Invert Robotics, an offshoot of the University of Canterbury,...
Video shows safety side of dynamic drone industry
If you want to make your living out of flying drones, or just want a summary and overview of a dynamic new sector of aviation, CASA’s latest video is a must-see.
But we can’t take...
Flight Safety Australia back on track
We’re glad to say Flight Safety Australia’s app has been fixed and now works with tablets and smartphones using Apple and Android software. Again, we apologise for the delay in this happening, even though...
Unalerted see and avoid—it’s not a good look
Seeing is believing, or so the saying goes. But is it enough to just see?
Your VFR flight is in class G airspace. It’s likely that there’s other traffic out there, and you have a...
Digital engine concept gets smart
Rolls-Royce is going into the intelligence business. The engine maker revealed its Intelligent Engine vision at the Singapore air show last week.
Rolls-Royce says an intelligent engine will be ‘connected, contextually aware and comprehending,’ which...
Latest crash report tells dry old story of fuel starvation
The latest Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) report describes one of the most long-standing crash causes in aviation: fuel starvation.
The crash happened in September last year to a low-hours pilot taking a local flight...
IATA and Singapore crunch numbers for safety
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) will establish a Global Safety Predictive Analytics Research Centre (SPARC) in Singapore.
The centre will use predictive analytics to identify potential...
Commonwealth Games temporary restrictions: what you need to know
The Commonwealth Games will be held on the Gold Coast from 4–15 April 2018. More than 6600 athletes and team officials from 70 nations and territories will be in Queensland for the 11 day...
Freight order keeps classic Boeing going
Obituaries, including ours, for the Boeing 747 may have been premature: Cargo operator UPS Airlines placed an order last week for fourteen 747-8F freight versions of the pioneering wide body airliner.
The deal is in...
Urgent airworthiness directive for Cherokees, Warriors
An urgent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness directive affects about 850 Piper Pa-28 Cherokee and Warrior aircraft in Australia.
The directive, AD 2018-02-05, relates to reports of some PA-28 aircraft having improperly labelled fuel selector...
Investigator seeks lessons from chaotic near disaster
US National Transportation Safety Board Chairman, Robert Sumwalt, has issued some blunt advice to airline passengers: do as the cabin crew says.
The NTSB chairman was commenting about on an ongoing investigation into an uncontrolled...
New rules for over-the-counter pain medication
From today, pain relief and cough and cold medicines containing codeine are only available with a doctor’s prescription.
If you’re a pilot, engineer, air traffic controller or in any other safety sensitive aviation position, you...
Safety sponsorships on offer
CASA is offering sponsorships to organisations that actively promote aviation safety.
Applications for round two of the Safety Promotion Sponsorship Program open on 5 February 2018 and close on 2 March 2018.
The sponsorship program targets...
We regret to announce a delay
By about now we had hoped to show you the new Flight Safety Australia app. We had hoped it would be ready to view the stories of January 2018, and of November–December 2017.
But it...
The Los Gatos Canyon crash: a tragedy of errors immortalised in song
Seventy years ago, on 28 January 1948, a DC-3 caught fire and crashed in rough terrain in Southern California, killing all 32 aboard. The flight was taking 28 Mexican farm workers whose work permits...
Software makers team up for runway-safety package
Airbus and avionics maker Honeywell have collaborated to offer their separately developed landing aids as a packaged deal.
Customers are now able to order Honeywell’s SmartLanding and the Runway Overrun Prevention System (ROPS) developed by...
MH370 mystery spurs development of new location technology
As the search for MH370 resumes in the Indian Ocean, US company DarkWater Acoustics has patented an underwater locator beacon (ULB), or ‘adaptive pinger’, which it says could greatly increase the chances of finding...
That sinking feeling—owning a flood-affected aeroplane
Engineer Roger Alder discusses water damage and aircraft maintenance systems
Light aircraft are increasingly becoming engulfed in flood waters during catastrophic storms such as Cyclone Debbie in Queensland and Hurricane Harvey and now Irma in...
Drone rescue a world first
A drone rescued two swimmers from a NSW beach yesterday in a mission believed to be the first of its type.
Lifeguards from Surf Life Saving NSW were at Lennox Head, on the state’s north...
Test your aviation knowledge
How well do you know aviation and aviation safety? Test your knowledge with the CASA weekly quizzes. We cover VFR, IFR, maintenance, drones, helicopters and cabin safety, so there is something for everyone in...
Don’t let your luggage take you for a ride
Several airlines have this week joined Qantas, Virgin Australia and other carriers in banning so-called smart luggage with non-removable lithium batteries.
Smart luggage with batteries removed can still be carried, subject to normal checked and...
Bureau reports improved safety results
2016 was the safest year in Australian aviation, measured by numbers of deaths, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said yesterday.
The ATSB issued its annual Aviation Occurrence Statistics report yesterday, covering the years 2007...
Electric aircraft takes off
On 2 January, a small, modest little aeroplane flew two circuits at Jandakot Airport, in Perth—and made Australian aviation history.
The Pipistrel Alpha Electro became the first factory-built (as opposed to experimental) electric aircraft to fly...
Flight Safety Australia 2017 Collector’s Edition out now!
The third annual printed edition of Flight Safety Australia is available now. The 2017 Flight Safety Australia Collectors’ Edition is a bumper collection of more than 50 stories that were published in the online magazine...
Don’t believe your ears
Spatial disorientation continues to kill. Your only defence is to know it for what it is.
What would a God who meant us to fly have given us? A set of wings would be nice,...
Aviation world was lucky in 2017, analyst warns
Last year was the safest in the history of commercial aviation, according to analyses by independent consultants.
For 2017, the Aviation Safety Network (ASN) recorded 10 fatal accidents involving large (more than 14 seats) air...
Plane English awards
The aviation industry, with its unique jargon, has performed well in the Plain English Foundation’s 2017 Worst Word of the Year awards.
Coming in behind the overall winner, alternative facts, was involuntary de-boarding, made famous...
Professional performance delivers the goods
Flight Safety Australia has a present for our readers, which as well as being an aviation-enthusiast’s delight, also carries a positive safety message.
This northern autumn, Air-Clips.com flew with a Lufthansa Cargo crew from Frankfurt,...
Boeing to test refuelling drone
Boeing will demonstrate an unmanned aircraft capable of refuelling carrier-based US Navy jets, according to an announcement from the company.
The US Navy has been running a competition for development of an unmanned aircraft capable...
Ho, ho, ho, careful with that drone
It’s that time of year again, when drones can be found under Christmas trees and a generation of new pilots takes its first multirotor solo as soon as they’ve got the battery connected. (They are...
Unruly passenger incidents increasing
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called for more effective enforcement action against unruly passengers in the face of a growing number of serious incidents.
A recent report from IATA records an overall decline...
Christmas lights can be an aviation safety hazard
Christmas laser lights designed to project festive patterns onto the side of houses can pose a hazard to aviation, according to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The FAA says that for the past several...
Travelling safely with batteries
Batteries are used to charge most of our portable electronic devices and pose a unique hazard when flying as they are capable of causing a fire if not transported correctly.
This happened in 2014 in...
The future according to NASA
Aviation is about to enter the most exciting time since the introduction of the jet age, a NASA executive told Oxford University this week.
Associate Administrator for NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, Jaiwon Shin, was...
Armed but not dangerous: prize-winning drone set to save millions
Drones are very useful devices for dull, dirty or dangerous tasks, but one thing they could not do was match the human ability to inspect by touch—until now. A drone fitted with a sensitive...
Get set for long-haul lab to London
As Qantas prepares to launch its newest route from Perth to London in March next year in the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, researchers are planning a clinical trial to measure how long-haul flying can affect...
Sweet videos with a serious cabin safety core
CASA’s latest cabin safety campaign adds a sweet flavour to an important series of safety messages.
Bean Safe is an animated video, starring jelly beans as airline travellers. It’s being launched today to coincide with...
New Cessna sticks to simple formula
Cessna has announced a new aircraft; an unpressurised turbine twin suitable for passenger and cargo operations.
Parent company Textron Aviation announced the Cessna 408 SkyCourier this week with an order of 50 for the new...
Rolls-Royce announces electric aircraft engine project
Airbus, Siemens and Rolls-Royce are developing a two megawatt electric aircraft engine in a turboelectric hybrid aircraft.
The 2750 hp (2 MW, 2000 kW) electric drive, will be roughly equivalent in power to the Pratt...
App promises smarter clearances
Fumbling with a pencil and paper to write down IFR clearances in a general aviation cockpit could eventually become a thing of the past, if a US-developed smartphone and tablet application goes into production
Aviation...
South African tragedy a dangerous goods reminder
Thirty years ago, today, South African Airways flight 295, a 747-200 Combi from Taipei to Johannesburg via Mauritius, crashed into the Indian Ocean off Mauritius after a cargo fire. All 159 on board, including...
Halon: here’s what you need to know
Australia’s Fire Protection Industry Board wants aircraft maintainers to know the requirements for working on halon fire suppression equipment.
Halon was the fire extinguishing gas that seemed too good to be true. It was almost...
Syllabus to change after CASA listens to helicopter industry voices
CASA has opened the door to trainee helicopter pilots in Australia being able to gain their licences after a 105 hour course, instead of 150 hours, and without having to learn basic instrument flying...
Museum highlights department’s fleet
An exhibition opening tomorrow at Melbourne’s Airways Museum remembers a time when Australia’s aviation regulator was also an aviation operator.
Airways Museum spokesman Phil Vabre said, ‘The Department of Civil Aviation, its predecessors and successors,...
Film shows drama of Las Vegas engine explosion
The US National Transportation Safety Board has issued a video of the fire that forced the evacuation of a British Airways Boeing 777 in Las Vegas on 8 September 2015.
BA flight 2276 was at...
Government officials hack airliner
A team of government, industry and academic officials has demonstrated remote hacking of a commercial aircraft, a US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official has revealed.
Robert Hickey, aviation program manager in the department’s cyber...
Flashback Friday: Remembering a remarkable ditching
On Saturday a brief ceremony near New York City will honour two of the 31 people involved in an extraordinary aviation survival story.
Flight engineer Frank Garcia and flight attendant Mary Ellen Daniels were crew...
Air taxi firm secures $90 million flag fall
Electric aircraft maker Lilium has announced a $US90 million investment that it says will allow them to have autonomous electric flying vehicles in operation by 2025.
‘The investment will be used for the development of...
Flight Safety Australia November–December 2017 out now!
Flight Safety Australia asks an awkward question for the lead story of the November–December 2017 edition: can an aircraft be hacked? The answer from aviation experts is a reassuring ’no’, but computer security experts...
Wooden giant’s only flight remembered
Yesterday was a minor but fascinating aviation anniversary—70 years since the first, and only, flight of the Hughes H-4 Hercules, the largest aircraft by wingspan ever to have flown.
The aircraft was commissioned during World...
Brief weight for flying Finns
Finnair has been asking passengers to step on scales at Helsinki Airport so that it can better estimate its aircraft weight loadings and how they vary by season.
The BBC reports that the airline is...
Belly down: the anniversary of LOT Polish Airlines Flight 16
Today’s sixth anniversary of the wheels-up landing by a Boeing 767 at Warsaw Chopin Airport is a reminder that when dealing with an emergency, it’s possible to overlook simple but undocumented solutions.
In the Warsaw...
Cargo drone makes maiden flight in China
An unmanned single-engine cargo plane has made its maiden flight in the northwest Chinese province of Shaanxi.
According to a report from the Chinese newsagency Xinhua, the AT200, China’s heaviest unmanned aerial vehicle, can land...
Do your own weather—with the bureau’s approval
The Bureau of Meteorology is keen to see more aviation organisations use their own automatic weather stations (AWS). Currently, three organisations hold authorisation to provide meteorological reporting services at 23 locations. However, the bureau...
Calling out for close calls
Every pilot has had at least one flight that has taught them a lasting lesson about flying. That’s a close call—a hard-won lesson too valuable to keep to yourself.
Flight Safety Australia wants to hear...
Leaking hose fitting starved pilot of oxygen
A pilot who died while flying his turbocharged Mooney M20 to an aviation safety conference in 2015 became hypoxic because of a leaking oxygen hose fitting, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has...
Locust hazard recedes for summer
The good news for general and recreational aviation pilots in regional Australia this summer is that large swarms of locusts are unlikely.
Under perfect conditions Australian plague locusts can form swarms of up to 50...
Have you herd? Tongue lashing follows forced landing on udder side of the Tasman
New Zealand cattle farmer Bryn Whyman was understandably concerned for the safety of his livestock when a light aircraft with only one pilot on board made an emergency landing in one of his fields...
New drone rules
CASA has published stronger and clearer safety rules for drones.
The new rules will better protect people and aircraft from drones and have been developed in response to community concerns about drone safety and the...
Coming soon from a printer: a better engine
Aircraft engine manufacturer GE Aviation says that its new advanced turboprop (ATP) engine will have 12 components produced on a 3D printer, replacing 855 conventionally-made parts.
A report in Aviation Week says that the engine...
Heavy duty: Airliner’s 94,000 km week
Interesting figures from a travel website highlight the relentless duty cycle of modern commercial aircraft.
Website traveller.com.au used a flight-following app to track the weekly journeys of single-aisle and wide-body airliners around the world, and...
When dead reckoning became deadly: remembering the Andes air disaster
Today marks the 45th anniversary of an extraordinary survival story: the crash of Uruguayan Air Force flight 571 in the South American Andes.
The Fairchild FH-227D (a version of the Fokker F27 Friendship) was on...
CASA puts out jobs call
CASA is looking for people to become flying operations, airworthiness and remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) inspectors, along with a range of other regulatory positions in our offices around Australia.
This is our first ‘group...
Forecast: change in the air coming next month
Less than one month from today the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) will introduce its new graphical area (GAF) and grid point wind and temperature (GPWT) forecasts.
The bureau says the new forecast formats aim to...
Lend us your expertise
If you have expert aviation knowledge and would be willing to sit on Technical Working Groups for the Aviation Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) CASA wants to hear from you.
CASA has established a register of...
Boeing to test clear air turbulence warning system
Boeing and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will next year test laser technology which could give airline pilots up to a minute’s warning of otherwise undetectable clear air turbulence or windshear.
According to a...
Air Force and airlines could team up in pilot training
The US Air Force and regional airlines are discussing developing a joint national training academy to help address the country's pilot shortage.
FlightGlobal reports the academy would provide advanced simulator training to help pilots meet...
Transatlantic collaboration sparks plans for zero emission flight
European airline easyJet has published plans for battery-powered aircraft to fly all its short-haul routes. It is collaborating with US electric aircraft manufacturer Wright Electric, which has already demonstrated its first, two-seat electric plane,...
Sky taxi takes off
Marty McFly and Emmett Brown, eat your heart out. The world’s first autonomous flying taxi has made its maiden flight in Dubai.
The electric two-seat craft, made by German firm Volocopter, will be used for...
Wrong number led to take-off trauma
A Boeing 737-800 struck a 35cm high runway marker at Belfast International (Aldergrove) Airport, in Northern Ireland, after the wrong temperature was entered into a flight management computer.
The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) found the aircraft...
A sweeter biofuel for aviation
A new strain of oil-producing sugarcane could be used to produce a more environmentally friendly and cheaper aviation biofuel, according to recently-published US research.
And if the entire Australian sugarcane crop was replaced with the...
Baggage handlers have an eye on the future
Baggage handlers at Changi airport are to use augmented reality (AR) glasses for faster, safer and more reliable loading of aircraft.
About 600 ramp staff will get the smart glasses, which provide information such as...
FSA readers’ survey
In August 2017, we surveyed readers of Flight Safety Australia (FSA) magazine about their preferences for delivery and frequency of FSA, which since 2012, has been delivered electronically, via an app for tablets, and...
Vintage helicopter video: a model of thoroughness
Kick back with a 1950s US Army training film on how to fly a Sikorsky H-19. What better way to spend 25 minutes on a spring Friday afternoon?
The radial engine beast was a mainstay...
Flight Safety Australia September–October 2017 out now!
For September–October 2017 Flight Safety Australia asks whether electric aircraft are a fad or the future of aviation. The Australian and international experts we spoke to agree electric propulsion in some form is definitely...
US alert is fuel for thought
Fuel management is a universal issue in general aviation, making a recently published US report relevant to pilots everywhere, including Australia.
Poor fuel management leads to an average of 50 general aviation accidents a year...
Passenger makes safety call
A sharp-eyed passenger at a window seat has alerted an airline crew to a potentially dangerous problem on the aircraft's wing.
The Aviation Herald reports an AirAsia Airbus A320, flying from Bangkok, Thailand to Phnom...
Airbus prepares to test tilt-rotor taxi
Airbus will begin testing its Vahana personal electric aircraft in November, according to reports in technology publications.
Vahana is a tilt wing electric air vehicle developed by Airbus’s Silicon Valley subsidiary A3 (pronounced A cubed)....
Important bulletin for Lycoming engines
CASA is keen to ensure all operators of aircraft with Lycoming engines are aware of Airworthiness Bulletin 85-020 Issue 3 – 14, of August 2017. It refers to a problem which can cause the...
Lithium battery in hot seat blaze
Lufthansa is the latest carrier to encounter a 21st century aviation hazard: a lithium battery fire in the passenger cabin.
Lufthansa flight LH-440, an Airbus A380 from Frankfurt in Germany to Houston, USA, was at...
Cold war bomber chases the moon
A legendary Cold War bomber is NASA’s 'secret weapon' for studying today's US solar eclipse. The US space agency will use two of its WB-57 Canberra aircraft to intercept the 110km wide shadow of...
Budget carrier calls time on airport drinkers
Europe’s largest airline, Irish budget carrier Ryanair has called on UK airports to enforce a two-drink limit, after a TV current affairs investigation suggested arrests of drunken passengers had risen by 50 per cent in a...
Drone safety discussion paper released
The future of drone regulation in Australia is the topic of a discussion paper released today by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).
The paper is part of CASA’s drone safety review. It seeks comment...
Tethered drone to hover over Presidential swing
A tethered drone will watch over US President Donald Trump, when he goes golfing this month.
A press release from the US Department of Homeland Security describes the drone as a tethered small unmanned aircraft...
Flight missed taxiway touchdown by 59 feet
Details have emerged about the incident last month at San Francisco airport where an A320 airliner nearly landed on a taxiway that was occupied by four other airliners.
The US National Transportation Safety Board’s interim...
Wire strike expert visits Australia
Winter in Australia means the annual visit of wire strike avoidance expert Bob Feerst. The US-based founder of Utilities Aviation Specialists has been coming down under with his message of wire avoidance tips and...
Fuel exhaustion brought down Cold War pilot
It’s 40 years exactly since the death of a minor, but celebrated, cast member in the drama of the Cold War. Gary Powers survived being shot down from 70,000 feet over the Soviet Union,...
Recorder points to reasons for general aviation crash
A built-in flight data recorder is expected to give answers about the cause of a general aviation crash in the US in May.
An amphibious light sport Icon A5 struck terrain while manoeuvering near Lake...
More pilots needed: Boeing
Boeing has lifted its forecast for the demand for pilots over the coming 20 years.
The aircraft maker’s 2017 Pilot and Technician Outlook, predicts 637,000 new commercial airline pilots will be needed between 2017 and 2036,...
Suspected ‘drone’ was bad luck for bat
The ‘drone strike’ widely reported to have taken place at Parafield airport, near Adelaide, has turned out to be a bat strike.
DNA analysis by the Australian museum found ‘several smear-type marks’ on the aeroplane’s...
Drone deliveries happening in Canberra district
Google is beginning testing its drone delivery system near Canberra.
Project Wing, a drone unit of Alphabet, the holding company of Google, has set up a test at Fernleigh Park, a semi-rural residential development south of...
Have your say on the new look of FSA
Flight Safety Australia is the Civil Aviation Safety Authority’s (CASA’s) flagship aviation safety magazine. It offers credible, informative and comprehensive content on all key aviation safety issues. Since 2012, Flight Safety Australia has been...
Spatial disorientation implicated in fatal 2016 crash
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has released its investigation into the crash of a Piper PA-28 Cherokee that killed four people in January 2016.
The aircraft took off from Moorabbin, in Melbourne, and the...
Flight Safety Australia July–August 2017
The lead story of Flight Safety Australia’s July–August edition looks at how artificial intelligence could influence aviation. The machine-learning technology that gives computers subtle skills comparable with, and in some cases greater than, those...
NASA quietly confident of taming sonic boom
NASA says it has achieved a significant milestone in its effort to develop quieter supersonic passenger jet travel over land. The US government agency has completed the preliminary design review of its Quiet Supersonic...
Wake turbulence advice well timed
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued guidance on en route wake turbulence but says the safety information bulletin is not a direct reaction to the near disastrous encounter between an Airbus A380...
For luck’s sake: coins tossed in engine delay flight
A passenger flight in China was delayed for nearly six hours after an elderly woman threw coins into its jet engine for good luck.
The woman, named by China’s Xinhua news agency as an 80-year-old...
Airbus to develop pop-out flight recorders
Airbus has announced it will develop new fixed and deployable flight recorders for its airliners.
Airline crashes such as Air France 447, which crashed in the mid-Atlantic ocean and was not found for several years,...
Electric copter joins Dubai flying taxi tests
German electric aircraft maker Volocopter has signed an agreement with the government of Dubai to test fly autonomous air taxis in the emirate by the end of this year, the company announced at the...
Future-proofing the flight deck
GE Aviation Systems has announced an ‘Open Flight Deck’ project, aimed at breaking down barriers to the introduction of new aviation technologies.
The company is the lead participant in the project, which has received funding...
Watch this U-space: EU launches drone airspace plan
The European Union has revealed plans for a new type of airspace. 'U-space', is a plan for low-level airspace to enable the safe and widespread use of drones and small manned aircraft.
Developed by the...
Europe’s air safety record on show
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued its annual safety review.
Last year, 2016, was the safest year on record for passenger and scheduled cargo aviation in Europe. Only two deaths were recorded, the...
Ground handling training comes in from the cold (or heat)
Ground handling has entered the realm of virtual reality, (VR), with the launch of training software developed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Ramp VR is a training package that uses software and a...
Cabin safety app for safer fliers
Pre-flight safety video too boring? Cabin demonstration too low tech? Seat-back safety card so twentieth century? The University of Udine’s Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Lab has the perfect app for you.
The lab has developed Air...
Drones on the way for heart attack first aid
Medical researchers are finding drones carrying defibrillators could be the best hope for heart attack victims.
A Swedish study published in the most recent Journal of the American Medical Association found drones arrived at the...
Boeing mentions dropping the pilot
Boeing has raised the possibility of pilotless commercial aircraft, in a briefing ahead of the Paris Air Show.
Boeing Commercial Airplanes vice-president of product development, Mike Sinnett, told Geekwire there would be increasing demand for...
Carmody appointed director for five-year term
Shane Carmody has been appointed as CASA’s Director of Aviation Safety.
The chairman of the CASA board, Jeff Boyd, announced the five-year appointment today.
Mr Carmody has been acting in the role since October 2016 and...
Giant Roc rolls out
The world’s largest aircraft by wingspan left its construction hangar this week in California’s Mojave Desert.
The Stratolaunch is a twin-fuselage aircraft using recycled parts from two Boeing 747-400s that has been designed to lift...
CASA launches drone safety app
Just want to fly your drone without endangering anyone or breaking any laws?
CASA now has an app to help you.
The app instantly shows drone operators where they can and can't fly. It’s a map-based...
Hybrid airship completes test flight
The world’s largest aircraft has returned to the sky with a successful test flight, after it crashed last year.
Airlander 10 completed a three-hour test flight overnight, Australian time, which achieved its objectives of landing...
Flight Safety Australia May–June 2017 out now!
Flight Safety Australia analyses an ugly phrase in its May–June 2017 lead story. The myths of pilot error looks at several of the many reasons why that neat-sounding two word explanation, so beloved of...
Climate change bringing turbulence in its wake: study
Clear air turbulence will become more common because of climate change, a recently published study says.
‘The climate is changing—not just where we live at ground level, but also where we fly at 30,000–40,000 feet,’...
X-Plane completes testing
A small prototype of a 24 electric-motor aircraft capable of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) has completed flight testing in the United States.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) tested the sub-scale version as...
Into the abyss & back
It is 86 years since Australia’s first major airline disaster and we look back on a story from Macarthur Job in 2006 where he examines the disappearance of the Southern Cloud.
From Flight Safety Australia...
Assault and battery—headphone explosion prompts passenger warning
An airline passenger’s ordeal has revealed yet another way that lithium batteries can be a hazard to air transport.
The young woman was wearing a pair of battery-powered headphones while she was sleeping when about...
Pilot scholarships on offer
2017 Scholarship Program
The Honourable Company of Air Pilots is a Livery Company of the City of London, established since 1929 to further the profession and interests of Air Pilots. The Australian Region, together with our...
Flight Safety Australia March–April 2017 out now!
Flight Safety Australia hits the road for March–April 2017 with an in-depth comparison of motorcycling and private aviation. As the most dangerous form of transport, motorcycling may seem an unlikely source of safety practice,...
Lifesavers graduate with drone wings
The first lifesaver drone pilots have graduated from a special purpose training school.
The Westpac Little Ripper Lifesaving Unmanned Aerial Training School is part of a project for drones to be used to patrol Australian...
New drone has built-in ADS-B
Drone manufacturer DJI has announced its latest model will have a built-in automatic dependant surveillance broadcast (ADS-B) receiver.
Due to be released over the coming months, the Matrice 200 (M200) series is marketed on adaptability...
CASA seeks input on frequency question
What is the most appropriate radio frequency to use at low level in Class G airspace?
CASA wants your input on this question—whether you are an airline pilot, general aviation or recreational flyer. A consultation...
Portable power pack sparks emergency landing
An Airbus A320 was forced to make an emergency landing after a passenger’s portable power pack caught fire inside an overhead locker while it was charging a smartphone.
Flying from Harbin, China, the Spring Airlines...
Drones on show at Avalon
For the first time in the event’s history, the Avalon Airshow will have its very own Drone Showcase area dedicated to the remotely piloted aircraft industry.
The showcase will run over the three public days...
US state mulls lead fuel ban
The US state of Oregon is debating whether to ban leaded aviation fuel.
The state’s transportation policy committee held a public hearing this week on a bill to ‘Prohibit selling, dispensing or using aviation fuel...
Fatal misunderstanding brought down Flying Tiger
Sunday 19 February marks the anniversary of a crash that serves as a grim lesson in the importance of clear communication in aviation.
On 19 February 1989, a Boeing 747 operated by Flying Tiger Line...
Dubai first off rank with drone taxis
Your next holiday could be an adventure from the moment your taxi arrives—or lands—at your front door.
The head of Dubai's Road and Transport Authority said unpiloted passenger-carrying flying taxis would start taking people across...
Phone use lands Chinese fliers in jail
Using your phone on an aircraft is disapproved of everywhere, but in China it can get you jail time.
Chinese government site China.org reported three different passengers were arrested between 5 January and 6 February...
Birdstrike rate on the rise
There are about five birdstrikes every day involving Australian aircraft, a report from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau has found. This equates to about 760 kg of flying animal flesh being struck by aircraft...
FAA investigating smartphone fire on flight to Hawaii
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a smartphone fire on board a Delta Airlines flight to Hawaii after a passenger accidently crushed his phone.
Officials said the male passenger was travelling from Fukuoka to Honolulu...
Bad data sends drone into the blue
Incorrect data entry caused a remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) to fly out to sea never to return during a test flight in September, Australia's crash investigator has found.
The Pulse Aerospace Vapor 55 RPA, more...
‘Flight Safety Australia’ January–February 2017 out now!
As the biennial Australian International Airshow approaches Flight Safety Australia’s January-February 2017 edition looks at how airshows manage risk. It’s a story of complexity, thorough planning and ongoing cooperation between CASA and the aviation...
Friday flashback: stall warning, 1940s style
Stall spin crashes have been killers for as long as aeroplanes have flown, as this vintage video shows.
This US navy video from 1945 Quit stalling or spin in! was an attempt by the navy...
Amazon drone takes on slings, arrows and hackers
Internet retail giant Amazon has revealed more of its drone plans in a patent application uncovered shortly before Christmas by technology website Motherboard.
The application describes anti-jamming technology for the proposed Amazon drone fleet.
Motherboard reports...
Safety in 2016: accidents dwarfed by traffic numbers
Last year was among the safest in the history of air transport. The Aviation Safety Network tallied 325 deaths in 19 air transport accidents. This is in the context of 3.7 billion airline passengers...
How slow can that baby go?
It's been 52 years since the first flight of the Lockheed SR-71 'Blackbird'. Taking off for the first time on 22 December 1964, the SR-71 went on to become one of the most celebrated...
Phone link plan for drone control
Mobile phone network company Vodafone wants to develop a low altitude, air traffic control system for drones. The telecom company met regulators from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to discuss the proposal, according...
Plan for a safer new year with ADS-B
Making your aviation plans for the new year? Don’t forget to include your preparations for the automatic dependent surveillance–broadcast (ADS-B) equipment mandate on 2 February 2017.
From 2 February 2017, most aircraft will need to...
Supersonic blast from the past
Thanks to the magic of YouTube anyone with a computer, tablet or smartphone and a few minutes to spare can take a look at aviation’s future as imagined in 1967.
That future, as portrayed in...
Prime marketing delivers a vision of the future
You know it’s nearly Christmas when Amazon release a video about drone delivery.
One of the world’s leading online retailers has made its first commercial delivery with an autonomous drone.
Amazon last week completed a...
Airline to charge for overhead locker
Stuffing your cabin bag into the overhead locker is one of the free pleasures of air travel, but perhaps not for much longer. US carrier United Airlines has announced plans to charge for use of...
Extra special electric record
Aerobatic pilot and aircraft designer, Walter Extra, has set a new world record for time to climb in an electric aeroplane. The electrically powered Extra 330LE, climbed to 3000 metres, or 9842 feet, in...
Flight Safety Australia 2016 Collector’s Edition out now!
The second hard-copy annual edition of CASA’s respected and award-winning Flight Safety Australia online magazine is now available.
Coming in at 168 pages and just under one kilo on high-quality paper stock, the 2016 Collectors’...
Lost your phone? Don’t move your seat! Lost smartphones named ‘least wanted’ for 2016
Lost and damaged smartphones have been named as the most problematic passenger item in Australian skies for 2016.
The ‘least wanted’ dangerous goods list, released annually by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), highlights the...
CASA Christmas shutdown
CASA offices will be closed during the Christmas and New Year holidays. Normal CASA services will NOT be available from: Friday 23 December 2016 (Close of business) until Tuesday 3 January 2017.
Plan ahead and act now if...
Vintage biplane loses propeller mid-flight
A pilot and his passenger are lucky to be alive after their 1942 de Havilland biplane lost its propeller during an aerobatic joy flight in Queensland.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) released its final...
Drones threatening the lives of emergency personnel
CASA reminds drone owners to keep their aircraft away from bushfires, after receiving reports of a recreational drone flying near water bombing operations at a fire in Western Sydney last Friday.
It’s the second time...
‘Flight Safety Australia’ November-December 2016 out now!
In our final issue for 2016, Flight Safety Australia looks west, to see how offshore and fly-in-fly-out operations in mineral-rich Western Australia are handling the end of the minerals boom. The pressures of the...
Dark Shadows—pilots risk mid-air collision with military drone
‘The frustrating part was that I really should have known better. I thought I was a safe pilot.’
Those were the words of a 2000-hour civilian seaplane pilot who flew straight through restricted military airspace...
Air Horse One—flying to the Melbourne Cup
With just one Australian-bred horse racing in today’s Melbourne Cup, international travel has become a prerequisite to the race that stops a nation.
We look back on an article from November 2003 examining the specialist...
Aussie couple win balloon grand prix
A husband and wife duo from Australia will go into the World Hot Air Balloon Championships full of confidence after winning the Japanese Grand Prix over the weekend.
Matthew and Nicola Scaife claimed victory, despite...
Up, up and away: Uber predicts personal aviation boom
Ride-sharing firm, Uber, has predicted a boom in personal aircraft, but not as they exist today. Instead, it sees optionally piloted electric aeroplane/helicopter hybrids as the future of general aviation.
The firm, known for its...
Bob Hoover 1922-2016
Bob Hoover, described by aviation pioneer, Jimmy Doolittle, as ‘the greatest stick and rudder pilot who ever lived’, died yesterday of natural causes, aged 94.
Hoover’s prodigious piloting talent saw him fly aerobatics in a...
Weigh in policy scales new heights
Weighing passengers is commonplace in helicopter sightseeing and low capacity charter, but is it ever justified in airlines?
Hawaiian Airlines will continue its practice of weighing passengers on the Honolulu to Pago Pago flight after...
Bright future in focus
With talk of climate change, fuel shortages and ageing aircraft, it’s easy, and perhaps understandable, to feel pessimistic about what lies in store for aviation. This short video should cheer you up. Although it...
Final countdown to the 2 February 2017 ADS-B mandate
There are just four months to go to ensure all aircraft operating under instrument flight rules (IFR) are fitted with ADS-B transmitting equipment by the 2 February 2017 mandate.
Automatic dependent surveillance broadcast, or ADS-B,...
New drone rules take off
New drone rules come into effect from today, after the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) reduced the requirements for low-risk commercial operations.
From today, those owning a drone weighing less that two kilograms can operate...
Bureau of Meteorology changing aviation products
On 10 November 2016, the Bureau of Meteorology will change some of its aviation products to better comply, where practical, with the standards set out by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). This includes low...
Silver screen, silver tongues
Cinematic mythmaking is not funny when it detracts from safety
Aviation and the movies were two transformative technologies of the 20th century. Yet they have long had an awkward, unproductive relationship. The evidence for this...
Investigators say ‘Sully’ movie gets it wrong
Crash investigators with the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are frustrated at having been cast as Hollywood villains in the film Sully, which opened this week.
‘From what I hear, this is somewhere between...
Emirates flight made go-around attempt
The Emirates flight that crashed at Dubai airport last month attempted a go-around after a late touchdown, the preliminary investigation has found.
All passengers and crew survived after evacuating the Boeing 777, but a firefighter...
Flight Safety Australia September-October 2016
Our September-October headline story looks at a vexed question. Does aviation’s uncritical embrace of the concept of situational awareness overuse a valid concept? Safety thinkers are now starting to see situational awareness as a...
Starfighters are go for micro satellite launch
The legendary – and legendarily dangerous – Lockheed Starfighter might play a role in low-cost satellite launch, with reports of a plan to use it for launching miniature satellites.
The F-104 Starfighter was a Cold...
Recognition for Macarthur Job
Aviation safety expert and Flight Safety Australia contributor, Macarthur Job, has been accepted for induction into the Australian Aviation Hall of Fame.
Job, who died in 2014, aged 88, was the editor of Aviation Safety...
Tanker duty for US Navy drone
The US Navy will use its first drone as an aerial refueling tanker.
‘The primary mission of the MQ-25 will be a range extension aerial refueling platform (tanker),’ chief of naval operations, Admiral John Richardson...
Flashback Friday: steam gauges and a dose of the wrong stuff
A 30-year-old BBC television documentary now on YouTube is a fascinating primer on human factors, crew resource management, ergonomics and automation.
‘The wrong stuff,’ from the BBC’s long-running Horizon program examines the state of air transport...
Airbus, and now air taxi
Airbus is developing a self-piloting flying taxi, or ‘an autonomous flying vehicle platform for individual passenger and cargo transport’.
Flight tests of the prototype, which is not yet built, are planned at the end of...