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CANADIAN AVIATION NEWS CANADIAN AIRLINE AND INDUSTRY NEWS Government Protects Canadian Air Travellers, Jobs, and Airline Sector 12 April 2021Canadian Aviation News April 12, 2021 – Ottawa, Ontario – Department of Finance Canada In a country as vast as Canada, it is essential we maintain connections between people and our communities. To that end, today the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, and the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, announced financial support for Air Canada. As a condition to receiving this support, Air Canada will ensure that: Regional communities retain air connections to the rest of Canada through the restart of service at airports temporarily suspended by Air Canada; Any customer of Air Canada who wants a refund will receive one for certain pandemic-related cancelations; Airline jobs, pensions, and collective agreements are protected; and Air Canada remains a customer for Canada’s aerospace sector. The Government of Canada remains committed to supporting people who work in the air sector and Canadian airlines during this unprecedented and difficult time for the industry. The government is also committed to supporting the gradual return of commercial activity in the aviation sector in Canada in a way that continues to prioritize the health, safety, and security of all Canadians. Negotiations continue with other Canadian carriers on financial support and any agreement reached in those negotiations will include a requirement that the airline also refund pandemic related-cancelations. In the event that an airline does not need liquidity support from the government, the government remains open to helping all airlines provide voucher refunds to their customers. This financial support announced today, in the form of repayable loans and an equity investment, will help Air Canada weather the current economic downturn and will protect thousands of Canadian jobs. Quotes Quick facts Since the beginning of the global pandemic, the government has supported the airline sector and other hard-hit sectors through a suite of targeted support measures, including the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy. To date, airline sector workers have received over $2.1 billion in support through the wage subsidy. In addition, in the Fall Economic Statement 2020, the government announced over $1 billion in support for airports and smaller airlines. In the Fall Economic Statement 2020, the government reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring Canadians receive refunds as a condition of financial assistance to major carriers. The air sector, including airlines, supports 235,000 jobs in communities across Canada. The government’s financial support to Air Canada is being provided under the Large Employer Emergency Financing Facility (LEEFF). Canada Enterprise Emergency Funding Corporation (CEEFC) is a federal Crown corporation, incorporated in May 2020 and wholly owned by Canada Development Investment Corporation (CDEV), a parent Crown corporation. Associated links Details of Financial Support to Air Canada COVID-19 Economic Response Plan

Good Canadians coming home after spending their money in the US to avoid our winters..... Canadian snowbirds landing in U.S. border towns to avoid quarantine hotels Brooke TaylorCTVNews.ca Writer @newsmanbrooke Contact Published Monday, April 12, 2021 9:15PM EDT TORONTO -- With warmer weather approaching, snowbirds are flocking back to Canada and some of them are finding ways to avoid spending three days in a government-mandated quarantine hotel. Business is booming for car services in American border towns where Canadian snowbirds are arriving to be driven across the border to their front doors. “Triple, probably quadruple the amount of calls, it’s crazy. The phones are ringing off the hook,” Tony Moore, owner and president of Buffalo Black Car Service in Buffalo, N.Y., told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview on Monday. Why some Canadians believe delaying their COVID-19 vaccination is the ethical choice “We’re taking people straight to Toronto, right to their house,” he added. He said that Canadians coming through aren’t happy about the restrictions on people flying into the country. “They told us they're not really happy with it, they've heard horror stories about staying at the hotel,” he said. “They’d definitely rather pay the price of US$350 for us to take them up there.” As for his drivers, most of them have been vaccinated as essential workers and are regularly tested, so they’re not too worried about driving Canadians home. “They wear masks the whole time, and we also have purchased very expensive, nice partitions to put up between the passengers and the driver,” he said. All in all it’s about a five-hour round trip for his drivers who, once in Canada, won’t step out of their vehicles. “We have to have a full tank of gas, that way the driver doesn't have to stop anywhere. They go directly from the airport in Buffalo, directly to the border,” said Moore. “We test the clients in the backseat, and then take them, the driver never gets out of their car, directly to their home.” Once home in Canada, passengers are to get their own bags from the car so the driver can remain in the vehicle the entire duration of the trip, he added. He said that a lot of the Canadians using his service aren’t happy with the way the pandemic is being handled in Canada. “They’re complaining a lot about the leadership, or the lack of leadership in Canada,” he said. “They’re not happy with that.” For the Canadians who opt to take the long way home aren’t necessarily doing it to skip out on the hotel bill. “Cost is less a factor than exposure to germs in an enclosed hotel environment,” Laura Lawrence told CTVNews.ca in an email. Lawrence and her husband have spent the last four months in the Turks and Caicos Islands, and trying to get back to Canada hasn’t been a simple task. They’ve already spent $1,800 on a room at a quarantine hotel in Toronto before changing their plans. “We decided to rebook our flight, direct to Buffalo and enter Canada by car - thus losing money on our booked - non-refundable hotel,” she added. Lawrence said both she and her husband were fully vaccinated in Turks and Caicos. Even flying into Buffalo and booking a car service hasn’t simplified their travel plans. After landing in the U.S., they will have to have another PCR test and await results before taking a car service home. “So in brief we will need to stay overnight in Buffalo while having taken another COVID test in a Buffalo Niagara International Airport Kiosk centre, wait 24 hours for the test results and then take the car service over the border,” she said. For the Lawrences, this is still preferable to a stay in a quarantine hotel, where they worry COVID-19 might spread. While there haven’t been reports of this happening in any Canadian quarantine hotels, one such facility in Australia had a B.1.1.7 variant outbreak earlier this year.

Waiting for reaction from other Canadian Airlines. Could be interesting. ?

Singapore Rolls Out IATA Travel Pass Acceptance To All Arrivals by Mark Finlay April 12, 2021 In a massive boost to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Travel Pass, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) has announced that it will accept the IATA Travel Pass from all arriving passengers. In what it calls a move to restore air travel safely, anyone arriving in Singapore by air will be able to use the IATA Travel Pass to prove a negative pre-departure COVID-19 PCR test. Passengers arriving and departing Changi Airport (SIN) can use the IATA Travel Pass at both arrivals immigration checkpoints and also while checking in for flights. In a statement released today about the CAAS and IATA’s ongoing collaboration, the CAAS says that Singapore will accept the IATA from all passengers beginning May 1. The CAAS says that accepting the IATA Travel Pass as proof of a negative PCR test will facilitate seamless and efficient travel. What is the IATA Travel Pass? The IATA Travel Pass is a secure digital wallet that passengers can use to obtain and store their PCR test results from accredited laboratories. During the current COVID-19 pandemic, the IATA has developed the mobile phone Travel Pass app to allow passengers to store and manage their COVID-19 PCR results or proof of having been vaccinated against COVID-19. How does the IATA Travel Pass work? The IATA Travel Pass has four open and interoperable modules, which it uses to create an end-to-end solution by incorporating the following features: The app allows passengers to find accurate information on global health requirements on testing and, eventually, vaccine requirements for their journey. A global registry of testing and vaccination centers enables passengers to find testing centers and laboratories at their departure locations that meet the country’s requirements to which they are traveling. The app enables accredited laboratories and test centers to share test and vaccination certificates with passengers securely. The app allows passengers to share PCR testing or vaccination certificates with airlines and authorities. Singapore Airlines trialed the app Singapore Airlines (SIA) successfully tested the IATA Travel Pass during March on flights between Singapore and London. The Singapore health authorities and border control officers will now accept the IATA Travel Pass as proof of a negative PCR test or vaccination. IATA Travel Pass Singapore Airlines trialed the IATA Travel Pass on flights between SIN and LHR. Photo: IATA When speaking about Singapore accepting the IATA Travel Pass as proof of a negative PCR test or that you have been vaccinated against COVID-19, CAAS Director-General Kevin Shum said: “We have built upon our long-standing and deep partnership with IATA to develop solutions to facilitate travel. This latest collaboration with IATA demonstrates our shared commitment to drive the adoption of digital health certificates and restore international air travel. As we work to safely rebuild the Changi air hub, we will continue to explore other solutions that can provide similarly secure and verifiable means of sharing health certificates for safe international travel.” Former CEO of the International Airlines Group and now Director-General of IATA Willie Walsh talked about the IATA Travel Pass, saying: “Having the confidence of an aviation leader like Singapore in IATA Travel Pass is hugely significant. Ongoing trials put us on track for IATA Travel Pass to be a critical tool for the industry’s restart by delivering verified travel health credentials to governments. And travelers can have complete confidence that their personal data is secure and under their own control. The success of our joint efforts will make IATA’s partnership with the government of Singapore a model for others to follow.” More than 20 airlines are trialing the app When Simple Flying wrote about Singapore Airlines’ trial of the IATA Travel Pass, we discovered that it only worked on Apple smartphones. IATA has addressed this shortfall and says that an Android version of the app will launch at the end of April. They also say that there will be a paper alternative for people who do not have a smartphone. Currently, the IATA Travel Pass is being trialed by the following airlines: Singapore Airlines Emirates Qatar Airways Etihad Malaysia Airlines Copa Airlines RwandAir Qantas Air New Zealand AirBaltic Gulf Air ANA Air Serbia Thai Thai Smile Korean Air Neos Virgin Atlantic Ethiopian Airlines VietJet HongKong Airlines JAL Iberia The CAAS says that travelers to Singapore who intend to use the app should first check with the airlines they are flying on to see if they accept the IATA Travel Pass as proof of a negative PCR test or vaccination. It looks like out of all the apps that have been designed for air travel during the current pandemic that the IATA Travel Pass has the potential to become the industry standard.

In actual fact I have the ability and $$$$ to have the same mobility and chose to live within the current laws / restrictions.

France moves to ban short-haul domestic flights Published 4 hours ago French lawmakers have moved to ban short-haul internal flights where train alternatives exist, in a bid to reduce carbon emissions. Over the weekend, lawmakers voted in favour of a bill to end routes where the same journey could be made by train in under two-and-a-half hours. Connecting flights will not be affected, however. The planned measures will face a further vote in the Senate before becoming law. Airlines around the world have been severely hit by the coronavirus pandemic, with website Flightradar24 reporting that the number of flights last year were down almost 42% from 2019. The measures could affect travel between Paris and cities including Nantes, Lyon and Bordeaux. But the French government had faced calls to introduce even stricter rules on domestic flights. France's Citizens' Convention on Climate, which was created by President Emmanuel Macron in 2019 and included 150 members of the public, had proposed scrapping plane journeys where train journeys of under four hours existed. Saturday's vote came days after the French government more than doubled its stake in Air France. The government had previously offered €7bn ($8.3bn, £6bn) in loans to help the airline weather the pandemic, although France's economy minister said at the time the funding was dependent on the airline scrapping some of its domestic flights. This is not the first time similar measures have been introduced. Last year, Austrian Airlines replaced a flight route between the capital Vienna and the city of Salzburg with an increased train service, after receiving a government bailout with provisions to cut its carbon footprint. Related Topics

B.C. sees uptick in COVID-19 flight exposures, 82 flights added in single week Published Sunday, April 11, 2021 9:39AM PDT VANCOUVER -- The B.C. Centre for Disease Control added 23 more flights to its list of COVID-19 exposures on Friday and Saturday. The latest additions to the list mean the BCCDC posted notifications about 82 different flights during the week of Sunday, April 4, to Saturday, April 10. Eleven of the flights added to the list during the last week were international. The rest, some 87 per cent of the week's additions, were domestic. The flights added either took off from or landed at a B.C. airport in late March or early April. While CTV News Vancouver does not have a weekly tally of the number of flights the BCCDC has added to the list since the pandemic began, available evidence on the centre's website shows that the number of B.C. flights with COVID-19 cases on board has been increasing in recent weeks. As of Saturday, the BCCDC COVID-19 flight exposures list had 149 flights connected to B.C. airports in March, for an average of fewer than five flights per day. But the exposures in March were not evenly distributed and as the month dragged on, the pace of exposures picked up. One-hundred of the 149 exposures happened after March 15 (an average of more than six per day), and 83 of them took place on March 20 or later (more than seven per day). The increasing number of exposures on flights parallels the rising number of COVID-19 infections Canada has seen in recent weeks. On Friday, the country saw its highest-ever single-day total for new cases. Details of the 23 most recently added flights follow. March 28: Air Canada flight 233 from Edmonton to Vancouver (rows 27 to 33) March 28: Air Canada/Jazz flight 8414 from Vancouver to Kelowna (rows 11 to 17) March 29: Air Canada flight 124 from Vancouver to Toronto (rows 12 to 14) March 29: Air Canada flight 8419 from Kelowna to Vancouver (rows five to 11) March 31: Air Canada flight 45 from Delhi to Vancouver (rows 22 to 28) April 1: Harbour Air flight YB238 from Victoria to Vancouver (rows unknown) April 1: Air Canada flight 212 from Vancouver to Calgary (rows 17 to 23 and 26 to 32) April 1: WestJet flight 720 from Vancouver to Toronto (rows 13 to 19) April 2: Air Canada flight 246 from Vancouver to Edmonton (rows 22 to 28) April 2: Air Canada flight 306 from Vancouver to Montreal (rows 32 to 38) April 2: Air India flight 185 from Delhi to Vancouver (rows not reported) April 3: WestJet flight 136 from Vancouver to Calgary (rows one to four) April 4: Air Canada flight 104 from Vancouver to Toronto (rows 26 to 30) April 4: Swoop flight 182 from Abbotsford to Edmonton (rows not reported) April 5: WestJet flight 112 from Vancouver to Calgary (rows seven to 13) April 5: Air Canada flight 201 from Calgary to Vancouver (rows 25 to 31) April 6: WestJet flight 449 from Calgary to Victoria (rows four to 10) April 6: Air Canada flight 7 from Vancouver to Hong Kong (rows 38 to 44) April 6: Air Canada flight 212 from Vancouver to Calgary (rows 15 to 21) April 7: Air Canada flight 128 from Vancouver to Toronto (rows 32 to 36) April 7: Air India flight 185 from Delhi to Vancouver (rows not reported) April 7: Air Canada flight 233 from Calgary to Vancouver (rows 19 to 25) April 8: Air Canada flight 8625 from Winnipeg to Vancouver (rows unknown) Anyone who was on any of the listed flights should self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19, seeking testing and self-isolating if any develop, according to the BCCDC. Passengers who were seated in the rows listed are considered to be at greater risk of contracting COVID-19 because of their proximity to a confirmed case of the disease. International travellers are required to provide proof of a negative coronavirus test before being allowed to board flights bound for Canada. They are also required to self-isolate for 14 days after arriving in the country. The first three nights of that quarantine must be spent in a government-approved hotel. No such requirements exist for domestic travellers, though health officials continue to warn against non-essential travel within Canada. B.C. health officials do not directly contact everyone who was on a flight that had a coronavirus case on board. Instead, notifications are published on the BCCDC website.

I guess we all wonder "what if" the current restrictions were removed and our borders etc. were thrown open? Would we see a wave of tourist traffic from the US and others? Would this result in increased cases / costs here? Not sure I would want to find out. Within Canada I am also in favour of some restrictions: 1. Instead of blanket provincial restrictions, why not zonal ones?\ 2. Testing travellers for the virus when they cross Provincial Borders (by land, sea or air) so as to lessen the spread.

I can sympathize as we have children and grandchildren in BC that I would love to visit but current rules do not allow that As far as businesses closing..... lots in Canada but most not because of a lack of cross border traffic.

maybe because I am not a "Snow Bird" who maintains residents in both countries...... Also of course: Coronavirus Update (Live): 136,241,302 Cases and 2,941,838 Deaths from COVID-19 Virus Pandemic - Worldometer (worldometers.info) no COUNT OF CURRENT CASES SHOWN FOR CANADA I have no objection to the movement of traffic mostly represented by the transportation industry and "essential" workers but do question any need for vacation travel. I suspect you are on other hand are in favour for your own personal reasons.

From a Seattle Newspaper, note the mention of a problem with New electrical flaw grounds more than 60 737 MAXs, adding to Boeing’s woes April 9, 2021 at 5:31 pm Updated April 9, 2021 at 9:40 pm Passengers on a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 flight line up to exit the aircraft after arriving at Houston’s Hobby airport last month. Sixty MAX jets from... (Charlie Riedel / AP) More By Dominic Gates Seattle Times aerospace reporter A minor change in Boeing’s 737 MAX manufacturing process that was insufficiently vetted caused an electrical system problem that on Friday temporarily grounded more than 60 of the aircraft — out of almost 200 MAXs that have returned to service since December. While this latest manufacturing flaw is unrelated to the flight-control system implicated in two fatal crashes that grounded the MAX for nearly two years, it slows the positive momentum that had begun to build as more MAXs took to the air and new orders came in from United, Alaska and Southwest. The problem, according to two people with knowledge of the modified manufacturing process, arose when a backup electrical power control unit was secured to a rack on the flight deck with fasteners — in place of the rivets previously used. This change was executed in such a way that it did not provide a complete electrical grounding path to the unit. The lack of secure electrical grounding could potentially cause malfunctions in a variety of electrical systems, such as the engine anti-ice system and the auxiliary power unit (APU) in the plane’s tail. Boeing said it discovered the issue “on a production airplane during normal build activity” and that inspections are needed to verify “that a sufficient ground path exists” for this control unit. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Boeing notified it late Thursday that it was recommending certain MAX airplanes be temporarily removed from service. After Boeing informed airlines late Thursday evening, Southwest grounded 30 of its MAXs. American grounded 17, and United 16. Boeing said 16 customers worldwide are affected. FAA spokesperson Ian Gregor said Boeing’s manufacturing switch from rivets to fasteners was “a minor design change” that did not require approval by either the federal safety agency or the internal Boeing organization that represents the FAA and assures compliance with regulations. Another 737 stabilizer problem This latest problem adds to the long litany of missteps currently afflicting Boeing. Manufacturing flaws have grounded more than 80 of the widebody 787 Dreamliners for months; design flaws mean the vision system on the Air Force’s KC-46 military aerial refueling tanker must be completely revamped; and quality issues have delayed the Starliner spacecraft program. And in a previously unreported problem, Boeing recently found a potential defect in a batch of 20 to 40 motors that move the horizontal stabilizer on all 737s, including the MAX and earlier models. This motor — manufactured by Eaton, a supplier headquartered in Ireland — is part of the system that pitches the airplane nose up or nose down. Boeing said seven of the aircraft with a stabilizer motor from the defective batch are MAXs. Boeing spokesperson Jessica Kowal said the defect potentially affects the reliability of the component. The motor “has been replaced in five of the MAXs already and the remaining two airplanes will have the parts replaced before they fly again,” she said. Kowal said Boeing is continuing “to evaluate any potential impact to the 737 NG fleet.” American Airlines spokesperson Sarah Jantz said two MAXs in its fleet had their stabilizer motors replaced as a result of Boeing’s directive, although neither had experienced any issues. (Both those fixed MAXs are now grounded by the new electrical power control unit problem.) The failure of a stabilizer motor is a rare inflight issue. Dealing with it requires pilots to use the manual wheel in the cockpit to trim the aircraft’s pitch.

Not embarrassing as far as I am concerned. Cross border traffic is something that we do not want or need right now.

NASA is working on a better battery. NASA seeks to create a better battery with SABERS by John Gould for NASA News Cleveland OH (SPX) Apr 08, 2021 Dealing with battery issues on our phones, tablets, or laptops can be frustrating. Although batteries are everywhere in everyday life, many still suffer breakdowns and failures. The minor inconvenience of needing to charge them more often could even turn into costly repairs or buying a new device altogether. Batteries in larger electronics, like hoverboards or cars, can even catch fire. Now, with increasing emphasis on aviation sustainability, interest in using batteries to partially or fully power electric propulsion systems on aircraft of all sizes is growing each day. So, the question is could there be a better way to build batteries that are completely safe and don't fail or even catch fire? A NASA activity called SABERS, or "Solid-state Architecture Batteries for Enhanced Rechargeability and Safety," is researching how to create a safer battery by using brand-new materials and novel construction methods. The goal is to create a battery that has significantly higher energy than the lithium-ion batteries we currently use. This battery also would not lose capacity over time, catch fire, or endanger passengers if something goes wrong. "Instead of taking a battery off the shelf, we determined we needed to develop a battery from scratch that would be tailored to the unique performance requirements of an electric aircraft," said Rocco Viggiano, lead SABERS researcher at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. Turns out, solid-state batteries fit the bill. As opposed to many batteries today, the batteries SABERS wishes to create don't have any liquid in their design. A fully solid battery has less complicated packaging, lowers safety risks, and can withstand more damage than a battery with liquids inside it. The project has examined using a unique combination of the elements sulfur and selenium to hold electric charge. "A solid-state sulfur-selenium battery is cool to the touch and doesn't catch fire. It has a slimmer profile than lithium-ion batteries and has better energy storage. It can take a beating and still operate, often in less than ideal conditions," Viggiano said. An additional benefit is sulfur being a byproduct of oil refining. There are stockpiles of the element worldwide that are accessible and just waiting to be used. With some imagination, this waste product can be turned into something that powers environmentally friendly vehicles. Imagination is another aspect of SABERS. The project seeks to use elements that have never been combined before to form a battery. For instance, a NASA-developed component called "holey graphene" (named for the holes in its surface to allow air to pass through), has a very high level of electrical conductivity. It is ultra-lightweight and environmentally friendly. "This material has never been used in battery systems, and we are combining it with other materials that have never been used," Viggiano said. SABERS Makes Strides Solid-state batteries are known to have a low discharge rate. In other words, the amount of power that flows out of the battery at once is too low. But SABERS researchers have almost doubled this discharge rate, meaning that solid-state batteries could feasibly power larger electronics. "We exceeded our goal. With more development, we can improve that rate even further," Viggiano said. The project's goals and successes have attracted the attention of companies such as Uber and several other companies interested in manufacturing vehicles for future Advanced Air Mobility environments. The next step for SABERS is to run the battery design through its paces. This will include testing how it works in practical situations, making sure it's safe, and gathering data on its performance. If successful, the design could be optimized even further. Meanwhile, safety remains the number one consideration. Current battery research is mostly oriented toward the auto industry, whose safety standards are generally less restrictive than those required for aviation applications where the batteries encounter more stressful environments. SABERS wants to help set that new, higher standard for use in aviation by proving that making safer batteries is both technically feasible and economically lucrative. What requirements should these solid-state batteries meet? Based on an analysis of what might be needed to operate a practical electric aircraft, the five considerations SABERS focused on were safety, energy density, discharge rate, package design, and scalability. Essentially, these batteries need to be safe above all else. They also need to hold an enormous amount of power and emit that power efficiently. They should also have a slim and compact shape and be developed with the most detailed and thorough approach possible. Ultimately, SABERS is determining the feasibility of safe batteries for electrically propelled airplanes. If successful, these innovations could help enable a new era of power storage for future air travel. SABERS is part of the Convergent Aeronautics Solutions project, which is designed to give NASA researchers the resources they need to determine if their ideas to solve some of aviation's biggest technical challenges are feasible, and perhaps worthy of additional pursuit within NASA or by industry. Selected to be a two-year activity that began on Oct. 1, 2019, interruptions in the pursuit prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic may lead to an extension, although nothing has yet been decided.

WestJet, Sunwing warned by Boeing to inspect some 737 Max aircraft for possible electrical problem 9 April 2021Canadian Aviation News From The Globe and Mail – link to source story – Updated from previous story ERIC ATKINS, TRANSPORTATION REPORTER | APRIL 9, 2021 WestJet Airlines and Sunwing Airlines are among 16 operators of the 737 Max warned by Boeing Co. to ground and inspect some aircraft for possible electrical problems. Boeing has told the airlines to examine certain models of the Max for potential problems related to a component of the electric power system. Morgan Bell, a WestJet spokeswoman, said the plane – one of 14 737 Max in its fleet – has been pulled from service. “Any maintenance, if necessary, will be completed before the aircraft returns to service,” Ms. Bell said. “WestJet’s additional 13 737 MAX aircraft are not affected.” Sunwing said two of its four 737 Max are affected by the suspension. “We have been informed by Boeing that two of our 737 MAX planes may be impacted by the potential electrical issue,” said Melanie Filipp, a spokeswoman for Sunwing, which grounded all flights on Jan. 31 due to the pandemic. “We are awaiting further direction from Boeing on actions to be taken prior to operation of the specified aircraft.” The 737 Max was cleared to resume flying in Canada in January after it was grounded worldwide for about 20 months after two fatal crashes killed 346 people. The pilots lost control of the planes shortly after takeoff – problems that were linked to the model’s Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS). Canadian, U.S. and other regulators studied and approved the software changes Boeing made before allowing the model to resume service. Ivan Gale, a Boeing spokesman, said the electrical problem in the new safety warning is not related to the model’s MCAS. “We are in contact directly with the impacted airlines,” said Mr. Gale, who declined to name the carriers. Boeing did not say how many planes are suspended. Southwest Airlines removed 30 MAX airplanes from its schedule Friday, while American Airlines pulled 17 of its 41 MAX models. United Airlines removed 16 of its 30 MAX airplanes and Alaska Airlines four aircraft. An Air Canada spokesman said none of the carrier’s 24 737 Max is affected. The U.S. regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration, said it will ensure the issue is addressed. Transport Canada did not respond to questions on Friday. The fatal crashes that spurred the global grounding in 2019 involved Indonesia’s Lion Air in October, 2018, and Ethiopian Airlines in March, 2019. WestJet’s Ms. Bell said the new grounding has not changed the carrier’s favourable view of the 737 Max. “WestJet has safely operated the 737 MAX since its return to service on January 21, 2021, and the airline has full confidence in the safety of the aircraft,” Ms. Bell said. The 737 Max is a new version of a plane that first flew in the late 1960s. Updated with bigger engines and other modifications, the model became a best-seller after being introduced in 2011 due to its longer range and low operating costs. – With files from Reuters

America's newest airline is launching in April with a focus on leisure routes and fares as low as $19: Meet Avelo Airlines Avelo Airlines just broke cover and plans to start flights on April 28 from Burbank, California. Andrew Levy, former president of Allegiant Air, is at the helm with a focus on cheap flights and friendly service. A total of 11 routes have already been announced to popular destinations across the American West. See more stories on Insider's business page. It's lights, cameras, action for America's newest airline that's planning its Hollywood debut later this month. Avelo Airlines plans to launch flights on April 28 from Hollywood Burbank Airport near Los Angeles, giving travelers yet another option when planning pandemic getaways. The new ultra-low-cost airline is focused on cheap leisure flights and will fly to popular destinations in the American West from before expanding across the country. "Avelo is a different and better kind of airline, built from scratch to offer an affordable, convenient and caring travel experience," chief executive Andrew Levy said in a press release. The initial slate of 11 routes from Burbank include flights to: Santa Rosa, California from April 28; Pasco, Washington from April 29; Bozeman, Montana from April 30; Phoenix, Arizona from May 3; Ogden, Utah from May 4; Grand Junction, Colorado from May 9; Medford, Oregon from May 9; Eugene, Oregon from May 12; Bend, Oregon from May 13; Eureka, California from May 19; and Redding, California from May 20. New Arena Totally Fake: The 35 Most Fake Reality Shows On TV SEE MORE Sponsored by NEW ARENA Burbank, just north of downtown Los Angeles, offers a convenient alternative to Los Angeles International Airport that the company hopes will help spur bookings and encourage flyers to travel. "A big part of our business model is not just offering every day, great fares," Levy told Insider. "We're a low-cost carrier. We're built to offer low fares, but at the same time we're going to offer a great level of convenience by utilizing Burbank, which we think is probably the best secondary airport in the country." An airport stuck in time, the one-story terminal building at Burbank resembles a scene from the 1950s. Passengers are required to board aircraft directly from the tarmac since there are no jetways. The Boeing 737-800, a tried and true narrow-body aircraft that can seat 189 people in the airline's all-economy configuration, will be Avelo's flagship aircraft. The plane is a staple of other well-known low-cost carriers like Southwest Airlines, Sun Country Airlines, and Ryanair thanks to its low operating costs and high availability on the market. In true ultra-low-cost fashion, flyers won't find seat-back entertainment screens - though WiFi may be coming within the next year. Avelo says it's working with potential suppliers for the service. In-flight snacks and drinks service won't be offered in the airline's initial run, either, due to the pandemic. Customers will instead receive a "convenience package" with hand sanitizer, a bottle of water, and a small snack. The bulk of the aircraft's seating are "slimline" seats, the term for thinner seats on airplanes, with only 29 inches of pitch across the 129 seats. The remaining 60 seats, however, will range in pitch from 31 to 38 inches, and reserving one will cost at least $18. Fares as low as $19 are being offered on all of the airline's initial routes from April into mid-June for some destinations, except for flights around Memorial Day Weekend. They're just introductory fares but low ticket prices are part of Avelo's overall strategy to stimulate demand in underserved markets and become a go-to for cheap flights. "Quite honestly, I'd love to be able to do, over many years, what Southwest has done," Levy said. "Where when people hear 'Avelo,' they just associate us with low fares." Offering low fares, however, means that Avelo will have to fill its planes as close to the brim as possible in order to turn a profit. "We're looking to sell the flights very full, we're defining full as 80-85%," Levy said. And unlike competitors, Avelo doesn't have a robust system of extra fees to fall back on. Advanced seat assignments start at $5 and checking a bag will only cost $10, with the latter meant to open more space in the cabin during boarding and deplaning. There's also no fee to make a flight change or make a reservation over the phone. These extra charges, known as ancillary fees, have become the backbone of ultra-low-cost airlines' strategy as they don't incur taxes. Keeping calm during a crippling pandemic for airlines Avelo, one of two low-cost airlines launching operations during the pandemic, has the benefit of an experienced founder. Levy formerly served as the co-founder and president of Allegiant Air and chief financial officer of United Airlines. "I think probably during the pandemic, maybe the hardest thing was just to keep everybody calm and to recognize that there's a lot of good that's going to come from the end of the business cycle," Levy said The industry veteran was actually optimistic instead of pessimistic when the pandemic hit the US in March 2020. Leveling the playing field for airlines made it easier for a new entrant to compete with established players. Congress ultimately saved many airlines from possible bankruptcy, but the pandemic's outcome still favors leisure airlines like Avelo, analysts say. More Americans are willing to get back in the air after an extended pandemic and ultra-low-cost airlines are allowing them to do it without breaking the bank. Read More: Spirit Airlines' low-cost model puts it in the perfect spot to be the big winner of the pandemic, a Deutsche Bank analyst says "I think all of our investors realize that this will have been a pretty strong opportunity for us to get into markets we otherwise wouldn't have been able to get into, take advantage of materially lower costs for things like airplanes, office leases, IT contracts, parts agreements, etc.," Levy said. Avelo currently has three planes and more than 200 crew members but plans to have six Boeing 737s and 400 crew members by the end of the year.

Search and menus Search and menus Determination No. A-2021-51 | Canadian Transportation Agency (otc-cta.gc.ca) Determination No. A-2021-51 April 6, 2021 APPLICATION by West Coast Air Ltd. carrying on business as Harbour Air (Licensee) for suspension of Licence No. 962204. Case number: 21-02872 The Licensee is licensed to operate a domestic service, small aircraft. The Licensee has requested the suspension of its licence. Pursuant to paragraph 63(2)(b) of the Canada Transportation Act, SC 1996, c 10 (CTA), the Canadian Transportation Agency suspends the licence. The licence will be automatically reinstated when the Manager, Air Licensing and Charters Division is satisfied that the requirements of subparagraphs 61(a)(ii) and (iii) of the CTA are met and provided that the other requirements of paragraph 61(a) of the CTA continue to be met.

$5 million to Air Tunilik to support and improve air service north of the 49th parallel 8 April 2021Canadian Aviation News QUÉBEC, April 8, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ – The Minister of Tourism, Caroline Proulx, is pleased to announce the allocation of $5 million of financial assistance to Air Tunilik in order to support its expansion project, which will ensure better air services for tourists wishing to visit northern Québec. The Minister made the announcement today, accompanied by the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources and Minister responsible for the Côte-Nord region, Jonatan Julien, and the President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Tunilik, Simon Contant. On the same occasion, the two Ministers announced $8 million of support for the creation of an incubator-accelerator, which will have the objective of stimulating tourism projects north of the 49th parallel. The Air Tunilik project involves the acquisition of several assets of Location Air Saguenay, which is no longer in service since 2019, to maintain tourism aviation activities and increase traffic in the Nord-du-Québec and Côte-Nord regions. It will contribute to structuring the tourism offering by ensuring tourist transportation to the attractions of these regions. The financial assistance is granted under the Programme d’appui au développement des attraits touristiques (PADAT), managed by Investissement Québec. More specifically, an amount of $2 million is allocated in the form of a grant and $3 million in the form of a loan. The total cost of the project is valued at over $10 million. Quotation: “I am delighted with this project, which will have positive effects for the Côte-Nord and Nord-du-Québec tourism industry. It will help increase the number of visitors and overnight stays, as well as tourism revenues, by giving access to these more remote regions. Air Tunilik will have the potential to bring clientele to the existing local tourism businesses and entrepreneurs, who will benefit from the support of the incubator-accelerator for tourism projects north of the 49th parallel. This is excellent news for tourism development in these regions. ” Caroline Proulx, Minister of Tourism “Improving access to remote regions is part of our Government’s priorities. That’s why I’m delighted with this investment, which will ensure an air link to the regions north of the 49th parallel.. This project is perfectly consistent with the 2020-2023 Northern Action Plan, which has the specific aim of supporting tourism development so that northern communities benefit from its effects. “ Jonatan Julien, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources and Minister responsible for the Côte-Nord region “I am especially happy for my fellow citizens of the Nord-du-Québec region. They will benefit from a greater influx of tourists thanks to this Air Tunilik development project. Having reliable air service is essential for this region’s tourism sector. This is very good news for the economic expansion of the region and Québec! “ Pierre Dufour, Minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks and Minister responsible for the Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Nord-du-Québec regions “With over fifty years of experience and now operating twelve float panes, ski planes and wheeled planes, Air Tunilik becomes the leading bush plane operator in Québec and one of the biggest in North America. Our bases of operations cover all of North-Central Québec, from James Bay to the Lower North Shore. Over the years, we have established many collaborations with outfitters, vacationers and Indigenous communities to make Québec’s territory more safely accessible to everyone wishing to have access to it. “ Simon Contant, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Tunilik Highlights: Here are some water bases used by Air Tunilik: Manic-5, Sept-Îles, Havre-Saint-Pierre, Natashquan, Wabush, Caniapiscau, Baie-Comeau, Mirage and Waskaganish outfitters. The company plans to offer its services within a 200 km radius of the water bases. Air Tunilik plans to develop new water bases and have more aircraft in operation, with the goal of increasing its passenger traffic from 1,000 people in 2019 to over 13,000 in 2022. This expansion project should also allow it to increase its number of employees from 3 to 43 by 2022. The PADAT, managed by Investissement Québec on behalf of the Gouvernement du Québec, pursues the following objectives: Encourage private investments for the benefit of renewal of the tourism offering in Québec. Ensure the growth of successful companies in the Québec tourism sector. Stimulate the regional economy through job creation, an increase in the number of visitors and tourism revenue growth.

Suitors lose interest in Transat deal Tour operator weighing Péladeau's offer, government support and other options Calgary Herald 7 Apr 2021 STEFANIE MAROTTA COLE BURSTON/BLOOMBERG FILES At least two companies that previously expressed interest in acquiring Transat say they are no longer considering a deal. Air Canada ended its bid to buy the Montreal tour operator last week. At least three potential bidders for Transat AT Inc. say they are not currently interested in acquiring the tour operator after Air Canada terminated its deal to purchase the struggling company late last week. Since the deal fell apart, Montreal-based Transat has been weighing its options, including seeking long-term funding and potential government support. In an email statement on Tuesday, it reiterated that it would also consider other acquirers, including an offer from Québecor CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau that remains on the table. “We will now have whatever discussions are necessary to consider all our options,” Transat spokesperson Christophe Hennebelle said in the statement. But at least two companies that previously expressed interest say they are no longer in the running for Transat. Montreal-based developer Groupe Mach, which bid for a block of shares in 2019 in an attempt to stop Transat's sale to Air Canada, is no longer interested in the deal, president Vincent Chiara said in a phone interview. “We have no more interest, we have moved on with other strategic partners,” Chiara said, adding that he has recently been contacted by other parties interested in submitting a joint bid for Transat, but has turned them down. Dominik Pigeon, head of financial services company FNC Capital, which expressed interest in bidding with a group of investors in 2019, has also said that he currently is not in a position to make an offer. “In the current context, FNC Capital alone has not what is required to make it a success,” Pigeon said in an email statement. “Because of all these elements, Péladeau's offer may be the best one today.” A third potential suitor, Calgary-based Westjet Airlines Ltd., told the Financial Post in an email that it's not considering bidding on Transat. While some have speculated that Westjet might be a logical partner, the Calgary-based carrier, which was purchased by Onex Corp. and taken private in late 2019, never publicly entered the bidding on Transat. It was, however, a strong opponent of the deal with Air Canada, arguing that the merger of Canada's biggest and third-biggest airlines would undo “years of effort to foster true competition” in the industry, chief executive officer Ed Sims said in a blog post in February. Péladeau, who approached Transat with an offer of $5 a share in December, has reiterated his interest in the company. The board rejected those offers as it was already in talks with Air Canada. “Péladeau still appears personally interested in Transat but we would not yet count on his December offer of $5 per share (which matched Air Canada's cash offer) given Transat doesn't have any active proposals at this time and it needs at least $500-million in liquidity this year,” Scotiabank analyst Konark Gupta said in a note. Gupta noted that potential suitors, including Groupe Mach and Westjet, could re-emerge, the latter of which would cause fewer competition concerns. Without a deal, beleaguered Air Transat needs money. It said in March that, if the deal were to fall through, it would need $500 million in long-term financing on top of the $250-million credit facility that expires on June 30. It is also seeking help from the federal and Quebec governments. Transat is looking for funding under the federal government's Large Employer Emergency Financing Facility (LEEFF) and through a potential bailout of travel and tourism companies hit hard by the pandemic, Hennebelle said. The carrier is one of Canada's largest sellers of vacation packages, flying travellers from Canada to sunny beaches in the Caribbean and cobblestone streets in Europe — many destinations that have been locked down during the COVID-19 pandemic. . In October, Air Canada cut the deal to $5 per share from $18 per share due to the air travel industry`s collapse during the pandemic. The Canadian government approved the deal in February at $5 per share, with conditions including that Air Canada keep 1,500 of Transat's 5,000 employees, maintain its Quebec headquarters and protect Canadians from higher prices — which airline competition expert Ambarish Chandra says is nearly impossible to promise. “It is very difficult to force companies to not raise prices and monitor what prices should be,” Chandra said. “It depends on oil prices, and global demand ... It's futile.” The support came a year after Canada's Competition Bureau denounced the deal, saying that it would lead to pricier airfares for consumers. The European Commission also criticized it, pushing back its decision to conduct an investigation.

Chris Selley: Trudeau's mandatory hotel quarantine had one job — keeping out new variants. It failed Chris Selley 37 mins ago The Brazilian variant of COVID-19, known as P.1, is mounting a stalwart challenge for supremacy in British Columbia, where case rates are currently soaring. Two weeks ago, just 65 cases had been identified in B.C.; as of Monday the number was 737. At that rate of growth it will shortly surpass the British strain, which has been blamed for rapid growth in both B.C. and Ontario (where P.1 hasn’t yet shown up in large numbers). Evidence from Brazil suggests the strain may be more dangerous to younger people than COVID-regular (though still far less dangerous than it is to older people). Evidence from B.C. suggests it’s responsible for both the Vancouver Canucks season being put on hold and the huge outbreak in Whistler that currently has the ski hills shut down completely. With two B.C. icons suddenly idled just as the end of this nightmare seems at hand, this has all been very much in the news. What seems to have largely escaped notice is that this was not supposed to happen. Keeping foreign strains out of Canada was precisely the justification Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cited on January 29 when he announced the “mandatory three-day hotel quarantine” for all returning airline passengers from abroad. “We know that just one case of the variant that comes in could cause significant challenges,” said Trudeau. “That is why we need to take extra measures.” It was another three-and-a-half weeks before the rule kicked in — too late to do anything about the British variant. But the first Canadian case of the Brazilian variant had only been detected , in Toronto, on February 7, and it was apparently contained. It was more than a month after that that P.1 first cropped up in Quebec, Alberta and B.C. It obviously wasn’t just one or two people who smuggled P.1 into Canada. Several cases have breached the defences Trudeau erected, and as a result B.C. is in far worse shape than ever before. This isn’t surprising, but it was potentially preventable, or at least significantly mitigable. I have written before about the ludicrous sham that is Canada’s “mandatory three-day hotel quarantine” regime. Countries that are serious about this prophylactic measure keep people locked up for 10 or 14 days, testing repeatedly and monitoring for symptoms. Canada doesn’t even make people stay for the three days they’re required to book and pay for: as soon as their negative test conducted on arrival comes through, they’re free to go. (That’s assuming they don’t just refuse to participate and sally off home, as they have in several cases.) If “just one case of the variant” is a problem, as Trudeau said, then this policy is an indefensible failure. Keeping variants out was literally the only positive thing such a policy could theoretically do. In practice, mind you, the policy wouldn’t have even have made sense at 10 or 14 days. The National Post’s Adrian Humphreys reported last week that nearly a quarter of all arriving air passengers from abroad have been deemed exempt from the hotel-quarantine requirement entirely — roughly 26,000 people as of March 22. Meanwhile more than 100,000 commercial truck drivers cross the border from the United States every single week! In an op-ed in the Toronto Star this week, Dr. Amanpreet Brar, a University of Toronto surgery resident who contributes to Punjabi-language call-in shows, relayed Canadian truck drivers’ increasing concerns about travelling unvaccinated to and from an increasingly unrestricted United States. “We need to push governments to prioritize these transportation workers (for vaccination) along with all other essential workers,” she plausibly contended. The U.S., with 10 times the population as ours and fewer restrictions on its citizens’ foreign travel, is surely going to be a potential source for variants. Even without vaccinations, this was a problem Ottawa could have tried to manage: A month ago, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said the feds were looking at deploying their rapid-test stockpiles to the border for such essential workers. Nothing happened. It is understandable that provincial governments absorb most of the criticism for pandemic disappointments: they’re in charge of most of it, and there is nearly boundless scope to criticize. The entire gigantic province of Ontario, ranging from regions with near-zero cases to ones with historic highs, is suddenly under a so-called “shutdown.” In Toronto and Peel, this essentially amounted to closing down patio dining and gyms, which had just been vouched safe two weeks previously, while half-heartedly scolding the owners of warehousing, food processing and meatpacking concerns that are proven and consistent sources of massive outbreaks. On Monday, Peel’s chief public health officer announced he was closing schools a week early for spring break, effective Tuesday; his counterpart in Toronto said she wouldn’t follow suit, then changed her mind on Tuesday, effective Wednesday. I have no idea how parents cope. “Why?” is a question no one can even begin to answer. Premier Doug Ford threatens more stringent incoherency to come. But Ottawa has been just as bad if not worse at managing its own business, and nowhere has it been more obvious or detrimental than at the border. On Tuesday, Health Minister Patty Hajdu allowed that a public inquiry into Canada’s pandemic response might be warranted at some point in the future. No kidding! Properly adjudicated, any such undertaking will have absolutely scorching words for almost everyone in charge at every level.

Japan Airlines to retire 777 planes with Pratt & Whitney engines after United incident 13 hrs ago (Reuters) - Japan Airlines Co Ltd (JAL) said it had retired its fleet of 13 Boeing Co 777s with Pratt & Whitney engines a year earlier than planned, having suspended operations in February after an engine on a United Airlines plane shed debris "JAL has decided to accelerate the retirement of all P&W equipped Boeing 777 by March 2021, which (was) originally planned by March 2022," the Japanese airline said on Monday in a notice on its website. JAL said it would use newer Airbus SE A350s on domestic routes to Osaka's Itami Airport and use international planes for other domestic routes to help maintain flight frequencies. Flying demand industry-wide is currently lower than usual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Japanese carrier had an incident of its own with the PW4000 engines in December, when a malfunction forced a Tokyo-bound JAL 777 to return to Naha airport. The engines are found on only a small number of older 777s operated by JAL, United Airlines Holdings Inc, ANA Holdings Inc, Korean Air Lines Co Ltd, Asiana Airlines Inc and Jin Air Co Ltd. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in February had ordered immediate inspection of 777 planes with PW4000 engines before further flights after the National Transportation Safety Board found a cracked fan blade on the United flight was consistent with metal fatigue. A spokeswoman for Pratt, owned by Raytheon Technologies Corp, in February said fan blades would need to be shipped to its repair station in East Hartford, Connecticut, for inspection, including those from airlines in Japan and South Korea. Analysts had said airlines might speed up retirement of the planes as a result of the need for additional checks.

But can they survive the typical Ontario Winters or do they have to be stored in a heated hangar?

Medicine Hat airport loses commercial flight activity — for now Facility remains open for flight school, charter planes CBC News · Posted: Apr 05, 2021 10:42 AM MT | Last Updated: 34 minutes ago The Medicine Hat Regional Airport has gone quiet after both Air Canada, and now Westjet have pulled commercial flights temporarily. (City of Medicine Hat) 1 comments The Medicine Hat Regional Airport will no longer have any commercial flight activity, after two of its airlines pulled flights temporarily. WestJet's last flight was a week ago and Air Canada pulled its domestic flights in March of last year. Airport manager Jeff Huntus says he is disappointed but not surprised. "To put it in perspective, we did in 2019, 75,000 passengers. So far in 2021, we've done about 200 passengers," Huntus said. "If we continue to fly empty airplanes, airlines go bankrupt." WestJet pulled its flights from the airport last week but said they will return by June. There has been no word on when Air Canada will resume service to the southeastern Alberta city. Huntus said it is easier to come back from suspended flights, than from commercial air bankruptcies. "People understand why it's happening," he said. "But I think there is a great deal of pent-up demand and when things do turn around, I'm looking forward to a pretty significant increase in activity." Airport remains active The airport will remain open and active. Huntus said it plays a big role in the community, even during the quiet days of the pandemic. "There's other activity. There's still private pilots and recreational aviation, corporate aircraft, charters, businessmen and women flying in from across Canada to conduct business," he said. Medicine Hat is a medevac hub for southern Alberta. The airport is also used by the Super T Aviation flight school, which is accepting new students, owner Terri Super said. While it may be a tough time to think about getting into aviation, Super said she predicts charter flights becoming more popular. "I think we will see more expansion of charter over the next little while, people can get on a charter aircraft and be in their own cohort." With files from Helen Pike and Natalie Valleau

A Drone for Kip? ? NASA’s Mars Helicopter Survives First Cold Martian Night on Its Own NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter can be seen on Mars as viewed by the Perseverance rover’s rear Hazard Camera on April 4, 2021, the 44th Martian day, or sol of the mission. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech Making it through the frigid Martian temperatures after being deployed by NASA’s Perseverance rover is a major milestone for the small rotorcraft. NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has emerged from its first night on the surface of Mars. Evening temperatures at Jezero Crater can plunge as low as minus 130 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 90 degrees Celsius), which can freeze and crack unprotected electrical components and damage the onboard batteries required for flight. Surviving that first night after being deployed from where it was attached to the belly of NASA’s Perseverance rover on April 3 is a major milestone for the 4-pound (1.8 kilograms) rotorcraft. In the days to come, Ingenuity will be the first aircraft to attempt powered, controlled flight on another planet. “This is the first time that Ingenuity has been on its own on the surface of Mars,” said MiMi Aung, Ingenuity project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “But we now have confirmation that we have the right insulation, the right heaters, and enough energy in its battery to survive the cold night, which is a big win for the team. We’re excited to continue to prepare Ingenuity for its first flight test.” Devising a craft small enough to fit onto the rover, light enough to fly in Mars’ thin atmosphere, yet hardy enough to withstand the Martian cold presented significant challenges. To ensure the solar array atop the helicopter’s rotors could begin getting sunlight as soon as possible, Perseverance was instructed to move away from Ingenuity shortly after deploying it. The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter took this image with its color camera from beneath the Perseverance rover after the rover had deployed the rotorcraft to the surface of Mars. Image was taken on April 3, 2021. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech Until the helicopter put its four legs onto the Martian surface, Ingenuity remained attached to the belly of the rover, receiving power from Perseverance, which touched down at Jezero Crater on Feb. 18. The rover serves as a communications relay between Ingenuity and Earth, and it will use its suite of cameras to observe the flight characteristics of the solar-powered helicopter from “Van Zyl Overlook.” The sole mission of Ingenuity, a technology demonstration, is to conduct flight tests in the thin atmosphere of Mars; the helicopter carries no science instruments. Within 30 Martian days, or sols (a Martian day is 24.6 hours), on the surface, Ingenuity will complete its testing, and Perseverance’s scientific exploration of Jezero Crater will kick into high gear. “Our 30-sol test schedule is frontloaded with exciting milestones,” said Teddy Tzanetos, deputy operations lead for the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter at JPL. “Whatever the future holds, we will acquire all the flight data we can within that timeframe.” The Month of Ingenuity On April 4, Perseverance downlinked the first of the images of the helicopter on the surface of Mars. Taken by the rover’s rear left Hazard Avoidance camera, the image shows the helicopter’s rotor blades still stacked in alignment on top of each other (a configuration used to save room during the trip to Mars) and its four footpads firmly planted into the surface of Mars. For the next two days, Ingenuity will collect information about how well the thermal-control and power systems perform now that the small helicopter is standing on its own in the Mars environment. That information will be used to fine tune Ingenuity’s thermal-control system to help it survive the harsh Mars nights through the entire flight experiment period. Click (or touch) and drag to interact with this 3D model of the Mars 2020 Ingenuity Helicopter. NASA’s Mars Helicopter Survives First Cold Martian Night on Its Own | NASA Learn more about Ingenuity at https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter/. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech On April 7, the restraints that have been holding the rotor blades together since before launch are scheduled to be released. If the mission team meets that milestone, the next several sols will involve more testing of the rotor blades as well as the motors that drive them. There are also checkouts of the inertial measurement unit (an electronic device that measures a body’s orientation and angular rate) and onboard computers tasked with autonomously flying the helicopter. Additionally, the team will continue to monitor the helicopter’s energy performance, including assessment of solar-array power and state of charge of the craft’s six lithium ion batteries. If all goes well with each of the myriad preflight checks, Ingenuity’s first attempt to lift off from the middle of its 33-by-33-foot (10-by-10-meter) “airfield” – chosen for its flatness and lack of obstructions – will be no sooner than the evening of April 11. Subsequent flight tests will be scheduled throughout the Month of Ingenuity, with Perseverance’s cameras providing plenty of high-definition images of the historic mission. More About Ingenuity The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was built by JPL, which also manages this technology demonstration project for NASA Headquarters. It is supported by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, and the NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate. NASA’s Ames Research Center and Langley Research Center provided significant flight performance analysis and technical assistance. At NASA Headquarters, Dave Lavery is the program executive for the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter. At JPL, MiMi Aung is the project manager and J. (Bob) Balaram is chief engineer. JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter. For more information about Ingenuity: https://go.nasa.gov/ingenuity-press-kit and https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter More About Perseverance A key objective for Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet’s geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust). Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis. JPL built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.

Mar 30, 2021 NASA Invites Public to Share Excitement of Agency’s SpaceX Crew-2 Mission A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft is launched on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station on Nov. 15, 2020, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission is targeted for no earlier than Thursday, April 22, at 6:11 a.m. EDT. Credits: NASA/Joel Kowsky By Emily McLeod Sulkes NASA's Kennedy Space Center NASA invites the public to take part in virtual activities and events ahead of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission. Liftoff of the Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket with astronauts is targeted for no earlier than 6:11 a.m. EDT Thursday, April 22, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission will carry NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and  Megan McArthur – who will serve as the mission’s spacecraft commander and pilot, respectively – along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who will serve as mission specialists.  The crew is scheduled to work aboard the International Space Station through the fall of 2021, conducting science research in areas such as medical technology, human health, and materials to benefit life on Earth. Live coverage and countdown commentary will begin at 2 a.m. EDT on NASA Television and the agency’s website, as well as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitch, Daily Motion, and Theta.TV. Members of the public can attend the launch virtually, receiving mission updates and opportunities normally reserved for on-site guests. NASA’s virtual guest experience for Crew-2 includes curated launch resources, a behind-the-scenes look at the mission, notifications about NASA social interactions, and the opportunity for a virtual launch passport stamp following a successful launch. Organizations hosting launch-focused events are also encouraged to register and let NASA know that you’re doing so. This would include school groups, museums, or even colleagues watching together! If you plan to gather in person with others to watch the launch, NASA recommends following all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and local rules regarding COVID-19. Members of the public and organizations can share in the journey through a variety of activities, including: Virtual Launch Passport Print, fold, and get ready to fill your virtual passport. Stamps will be emailed following launches to those who register via email through Eventbrite. Watch and Engage on Social Media Stay connected with the mission on social media, and let people know you’re following Crew-2 on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram using the hashtag #LaunchAmerica. Follow and tag these accounts: Twitter: @NASA, @Commercial_Crew, @Space_Station, @NASAKennedy Facebook: NASA, NASACommercialCrew, ISS Facebook, Kennedy Space Center Instagram: NASA, ISS Instagram, NASAKennedy Click here to find out more about the Crew-2 mission. Last Updated: Mar 30, 2021 Editor: James Cawley