Happy New Year! · Happy New Year! Thank you for being with us throughout last year, and to those who joined us in 2017, a big thank you as well! It is a pleasure to have you all

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January 2018

• Aviation Rewind 2017

• People in the Aviation Industry: Interview with Kristina Limcumpao

In this issue:

‘Happy New Year!’

Ladies and gentlemen,

Happy New Year!

Thank you for being with us throughout last year, and to those who joined us in 2017, a big

thank you as well! It is a pleasure to have you all on board with us!

2018 promises to be exciting, as more events will happen in our club. Some of you and

some of us will graduate and take-off to the working world or further education, while others

may join our executive team next academic year. And that’s only scratching the surface.

We hope you all had a wonderful winter break. The new semester is upon us shortly, and

with more ATC tours, more UTIAS simulator sessions, another guest talk, a presentation

competition and a networking event on our flight path, there is no time to be bored! Keep an

eye out on our website and social media, as applications for the ATC tours will reopen soon

and only for a short period of time (don’t miss it!). Registration for the presentation competition

will open by the end of the month, and other updates are posted there as well.

We look forward to seeing you at our events and booth hours throughout the upcoming

semester!

Enjoy the last few days of the break, and here’s to a great 2018!

UTAC executives

Website: www.utorontoac.org

E-mail: [email protected]

Facebook: University of Toronto Aviation Club

Twitter: @utorontoac

Instagram: @utorontoac

Aviation Rewind 2017

A look back at some of the aviation news of 2017.

Several aircraft types and versions made their first test flights in 2017. To name just a few

larger ones, Embraer’s re-engined E195-E2 took to the skies in March, Boeing’s more stretched

version of the Dreamliner, the B787-10, and Airbus’ smallest of the A320neo family, the A319neo,

both first flew on the last day of March, COMAC C919 and Irkut MC-21-300 - in May, and Airbus

A330-900neo - in October.

Airbus announced its plan to acquire a 50.01% stake in Bombardier’s CSeries aircraft soon

after the United States announced that they will introduce 300% tariffs on CSeries aircraft to be sold

to airlines in the US.

Airlines in the United States

ended their B747 operations.

United’s last 747 flight took place in

November, and Delta’s in December.

Taiwanese airline Eva Air also retired

their 747-400s in 2017, in August.

KLM ended operations of

Fokker aircraft, with KLM

Cityhopper’s last Fokker 70 flight in

October. KLM operated various

Fokker models for 97 years.

In March, the United States

introduced a ban on electronic

devices larger than a mobile phone in carry-on on flights from certain Middle Eastern airports, and

the UK followed with a similar ban. The ban sparked safety concerns due to the dangers of lithium

batteries in luggage where it would not be possible to put out a fire should one start. There was also

suspicion that this was protectionism in disguise rather than a security move. The ban was eventually

relaxed and then lifted.

On September 30, an Air France A380 suffered an engine failure in cruise above Greenland,

with parts of the engine detaching. Originally en route from Paris to Los Angeles, the aircraft made

an emergency landing in Goose Bay, Labrador. There were no injuries. The aircraft was ferried

back to France on three engines (with a non-operating replacement engine) on December 6.

Eva Air B747-400 at Vancouver International Airport in August

2017. This was one of Eva Air’s last 747 flights.

Canadian carrier Air Transat

celebrated its 30th anniversary. Three

A330-300s were painted in a special

livery to mark the occasion. The airline

also announced a plan to lease

A321neo LRs to replace their A310s.

Air Transat Captain Robert Piché

retired in October. Captain Piché was

the pilot in command of flight TS236 that

on August 24, 2001, flew the longest

glide by a passenger jet in history and

made an emergency landing at Lajes in

the Azores after losing all engine power

above the Atlantic due to a fuel leak.

EASA has approved single-engined turboprop commercial operations in Europe. In Canada,

such operations play an important role and have long been allowed. EASA’s rules on the matter,

however, are not the same as Transport Canada’s.

The year did not go by without sad news, as several airlines ceased operations due to

bankruptcy. Monarch Airlines grounded all flights in October after 50 years of operations. Later that

month, Air Berlin also stopped flying.

On June 7, in the worst aviation accident of 2017, a Myanmar Air Force An-12 stalled and

entered a spin in a loss of control accident in an area close to cumulonimbus clouds. The aircraft

crashed into the Andaman sea, killing all 108 passengers, consisting of military personnel and their

families, and 14 crew members.

In the worst civil aviation accident of the year, on January 16, a MyCargo Airlines B747-

400F, operated for Turkish Airlines cargo, collided with terrain while attempting a go-around at

Bishkek Manas International Airport in Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek was a planned refuelling stop en route

from Hong Kong to Istanbul. All 4 crew members along with 35 people on the ground were killed.

References:

Airbus. (11 Jul. 2017). Air Transat to become first North American A321LR operator. Airbus. Retrieved from

http://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2017/07/air-transat-to-become-first-north-american-

airbus-a321lr-operato.html

Flight Safety Foundation. Aviation Safety Network database. Retrieved from https://aviation-

safety.net/database/dblist.php?Year=2017

Royal Aeronautical Society. AEROSPACE. Vol. 44 all issues.

Various news sources throughout the year.

Air Transat A330-300 C-GTSO in 30th anniversary livery

landing at London Gatwick in August 2017.

People in the Aviation Industry

Interview with Kristina Limcumpao

In the first interview of 2018 we speak to WestJet flight attendant Kristina Limcumpao.

UTAC: How did you become interested

in aviation?

KL: To be honest, aviation was never on

my radar when I was younger. I loved to

travel but never considered it as a career

until a friend of mine got a job as a flight

attendant with a Canadian airline and I

loved hearing about her many amazing

experiences.

UTAC: What airline and aircraft do you

work on? Do you work in both economy

and other classes? Or are you always in

one specific portion of the plane?

KL: I work for WestJet Airlines and I fly

mainly on our Boeing 737 aircraft,

however I am also qualified to work on

our B767s. WestJet likes to do things a

little differently than other airlines, so every

cabin crew member is trained to work as

Cabin Manager (or Flight Director as

known at other airlines). When in this

position, we work mainly in our premium

economy class and change it up day-to-

day by rotating through our different

positions.

UTAC: What can you tell us about training?

KL: Many people don’t know how

grueling flight attendant training can be.

Initial training often runs anywhere

between 4-6 weeks, Monday - Friday for

8 hours a day. During this time you are

tested every 1-2 days on the material

written in the Flight Attendant Manual

which is based on the Canadian Aviation

Regulations, with a passing grade of 85%

or higher. 95% of the training is on

emergency procedures. Emergency

evacuation shouted commands are

ingrained in your head by the end of the

training period that you could recite them

in your sleep. The remaining 5% of the

training is on service delivery for what

makes up the day-to-days of the job.

Once initial training is successfully

completed, we are required to attend an

annual training which is anywhere

between a couple of days to a week

depending on the airline, where we are

tested on all emergency procedures.

UTAC: What made you choose to be a

flight attendant, and what was your

career path?

KL: I was fresh out of university with my

bachelor’s degree in hand, unsure what

my next move should be. I was craving

something different, something new. I had

just gone on a vacation to the Caribbean

and had been hit hard with the travel bug,

so I sent my resume in to a couple airlines

and the rest is history.

UTAC: What do you enjoy the most

about your job? What is the most

challenging part?

KL: The thing I enjoy the most about being

a flight attendant are all the opportunities

this job has given me. I am privileged

enough to have met some amazing

people and to have visited some amazing

places, both for work and during my own

travels. I see many people who are

unhappy with their jobs and their day-to-

day routine. You get a bit spoiled in this

People in the Aviation Industry

industry, it would be hard for me to go to

a 9 - 5 job after this.

I would say the most challenging part is

being away from your friends and loved

ones for extended periods of time and

during major holidays or special events.

Although, there are ways around it. There

are many day turns that bring you home

every night and you have the ability to

request days off, however they are not

always guaranteed, our scheduling is

based on a bidding system.

UTAC: Do you have any advice for

people interested in a job as a flight

attendant?

KL: Airlines are always looking for great

new personalities to add to their team, but

there is also a lot of competition for those

jobs. However, this shouldn’t discourage

anyone from applying. Something that

could get your resume to the top of the

pile is knowing other languages. French is

always an asset when applying to a

Canadian airline, but if you don’t speak

French don’t sweat it. As different airlines

try to break into new markets they are

always searching for fluent speakers of

those languages, just do a bit of research,

they will always list the languages they are

looking for on their job postings. Keep in

mind though that speaking these

languages is only an asset, the biggest

thing airlines look for is a great

personality.