Below a summary of the most relevant news (in Belgium) since the first edition of 2016 of our Cockpit Flash:

Near miss in Brussels Airport

On 5 October 2016, two aircraft nearly collided in Brussels Airport. The Lufthansa airplane, with destination to Munich, took off on Runway 07R, whilst the Aer Lingus aircraft coming from Dublin was about to land on runway 01. The investigation on the incident is ongoing.

Lufthansa buys Brussels Airlines

On 11 January 2017, Lufthansa finalised the buying of the remaining 55% of Brussels Airlines (the group already owned 45% of the company since mid-2009), which had been agreed at the end of September 2016. As of 2018, therefore, Brussels Airlines will be fully integrated within the Lufthansa group and will join the Eurowings group. Good or bad news for Belgian pilots? Only the future can tell, but BeCA will closely follow the file, building on our long experience working with German colleagues.

Job Seekers’ Working Group

As we informed you in our last Cockpit Flash, the Job Seekers’ Working group was reopened and has been very active these past months. We are happy to announce you that we got a special discount with Skywings in Antwerp: all BeCA members (in order of membership fee payment) who want to rent Skywings FNPTII certified DA42NG simulator will be granted a €50 reduction on the DA42 conversion course. You will then be allowed to self-hire the DA42 simulator at a very attractive price. We also organised a training on 30 January with a specialist who gave advice to our members to prepare for an interview.

Investigation report available: Belgocontrol blackout

On 8 November 2016, the Belgian Air Accident Investigation Unit published its final report on the blackout that occurred at Belgocontrol on 27 May 2015, which resulted in a loss of radar imagery and radio contact between ATC and the aircraft in flight. This incident showed two main problems in Belgocontrol’s safety management system:
a latent problem in the electrical system was present and not detected for a considerable amount of time; and
no contingency plan existed on the possibility of general loss of electrical power. The report recommends Belgocontrol to reassess their contingency plan in view of this event. This reminds us of the importance of having a good and sound safety management system into place. You can have a look at the full report here: http://mobilit.belgium.be/sites/default/files/downloads/accidents/2015-05_final_report.pdf

Report, report, report!

Everything! Every incident affecting safety is worth reporting… and for many of them, it is actually mandatory to report them, including laser attacks and smoke incidents. We should not only report them to ATC, but also to the BCAA with an MOR sent via the company Safety Department. Do not forget, your reports serve aviation safety, i.e. your own and your passengers’ safety. And not reporting (might) be subject to sanctioning. Here is our top 10 reporting tips: http://beca.be/images/CF/2015-2/BeCA_Top_10_Reporting_Tips.pdf.

EASA licensing: Zero Flight Time Training

Zero Flight Time Training (ZFTT) allows a pilot who has experience on a CS-25 aircraft (basically any airliner) to get a new rating by completing the full training, including touch and gos, in a simulator only. However, the new rating will be endorsed on your licence as “RESTRICTED TO…” the operator that provided the training, until 4 landings have been performed in the aircraft.

If you complete a ZFTT in your airline, the restriction is lifted during line training. Problems arise when you complete your ZFTT in an ATO (Airbus, CAE…) that has no specific arrangements with your operator. Ths is the case for pilots who want to get a new type rating to apply for a non-EASA operator: National Authorities of third countries will refuse to endorse a restricted type rating on a third country licence… but you need the rating endorsed on your licence to fly for this operator! We are currently investigating the problem with National Aviation Authorities and ATOs.

Two new BeCA’s IFALPA Accident Investigator

BeCA is proud to have amongst its team members two new IFALPA accredited accident investigators. Vinciane Cabaret and Rudy Pont successfully completed the IFALPA course in November 2016. Congratulations to them!

BeCA Members’ Toolbox is out

We recently published on our website a toolbox, accessible to our members only, where you can find the most relevant documents, briefing papers and information for your daily operations and job. Do not hesitate to consult it and download the material (http://beca.be/support/members-toolbox.html). Report any problem to Pamela.

Cockpit Flash Survey

We launched in July 2016 a survey to assess our Cockpit Flash magazines. It seems, based on the responses, that our members are happy about it. On the main points to be improved, several of you asked for more issues per year, more positive news and more articles related to day-to-day operations. We will therefore try to take them into account for our next editions. Do not hesitate to continue giving your feedback on the online survey: www.beca.be/survey-cf.