Oil leak likely cause of 2017 plane accident in Manitoba, Canada

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) released its investigation report Thursday into the November 2017 loss of control on landing involving an aircraft at Thompson Airport in Manitoba, Canada.

On Nov. 2, 2017, a Perimeter Aviation Fairchild Metro III (serial number AC-756B, registration C-FLRY) was operating on a ferry flight from Gods River Airport, Manitoba, to Thompson Airport, Manitoba, to reposition the aircraft for inspection and repair. As the aircraft neared the airport, the crew advised air traffic control that they had received a low oil pressure indication on the left engine. After consultation with maintenance, the crew considered the risks associated with landing single engine and without hydraulic pressure for the nose-wheel steering, and decided to continue the flight with both engines running. After touchdown, the aircraft suddenly veered to the right and exited the runway. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The two crew members received minor injuries.

The investigation found that the low oil pressure indication was likely the result of a steady oil leak past an air-oil seal in the left engine. The loss of oil pressure thus resulted in a loss of propeller control authority on landing and a runway excursion. The investigation also found that the decision to continue the flight with both engines running was not consistent with the quick reference handbook procedures for low oil pressure indications.

The aircraft was equipped with a cockpit voice recorder but was not equipped with a flight data recorder, nor was one required by regulation. The aircraft's integrated flight management system was capable of capturing engine parameters, but it was not configured to do so. If flight data, voice, and video recordings are not available to an investigation, the identification and communication of safety deficiencies to advance transportation safety may be precluded.

Following the occurrence, the TSB issued an Aviation Safety Advisory letter suggesting that Transport Canada review the Fairchild Metro III aircraft flight manual's emergency procedures for low engine oil pressure indications. In addition, Perimeter Aviation installed memory cards that store engine parameter data on its aircraft that are equipped with an integrated flight management system. It has also implemented crew resource management training for all of its air-taxi and commuter flight crews.

The potential for Electrified Aircraft Propulsion

NASA will lead a meeting next month that will perform a market assessment of U.S. industry leaders regarding the potential for electrified aircraft to include electric drive train, power distribution, and energy storage concepts to be used, in whole or in part, as primary propulsion for fixed-wing passenger-carrying transport aircraft.

The Industry Day meeting, scheduled for Dec. 6, will be held at the Logistics Management Institute in Tysons, Va. The event is being organized by the Associate Director for Flight Strategy, Integrated Aviation System Program at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va. There will be up to eight one-hour briefing slots allocated to the industrial base during the meeting.

An organ transplant stock to transfer to your portfolio

Organ transplants are one of the greatest advances in modern day medicine. Organ transplantation is a medical procedure in which an organ is removed from one body and transferred to another body to replace the missing or damaged organ. One of the most important aspect of the organ transplantation is the consent of the patient or the family of the patient. Organ harvesting without proper consent is illegal and a massive crime. Organ transplantation is mostly carried out with the brain dead patient who’s other organs are healthy and can be used to save another person’s life. The process of organ transplantation needs to be done right after the death of the patient or within a couple of hours. Kidneys are the most widely transplanted organ which is followed by liver. Unfortunately, the need for organ donors is much higher than the number of people who donate organs. According to the National Kidney Foundation, more than 3,000 new patients are added to the kidney waiting list each month worldwide. According to United Network for Organ Sharing, 21 people die everyday in the United States waiting for an organ, and more than 120,000 men, women and children await lifesaving organ transplants.

CareDx, Inc.

One company dedicated to improving the lives of organ transplant patients through noninvasive diagnostics is CareDx, Inc. By combining the latest advances in genomics and bioinformatics technology, with a commitment to generating high quality clinical evidence through trials and registries, CareDx strives to stay at the forefront of organ transplant surveillance solutions. Based in Brisbane, Calif., CareDx stock (Nasdaq: CDNA) leads the medical services sector with a major upswing over the past year for investors.

Shares of CDNA are up 402 percent over the last 52 weeks (Nov. 20, 2017 to Nov. 16, 2018). This year alone, the stock is up 308 percent, closing Friday at $29.95 per share, up 0.81 percent for the day. CDNA has a 52-week low of $4.92 and high of $30.15.

The only dividend stock I see in the medical services sector comes from Global Cord Blood Corp. (NYSE: CO).

Global Cord Blood Corp.

Global Cord Blood Corp. is the first and largest umbilical cord blood banking operator in China in terms of geographical coverage and the only cord blood banking operator with multiple licenses. Under current PRC government regulations, only one licensed cord blood banking operator is permitted to operate in each licensed region and no new licenses will be granted before 2020 in addition to the seven licenses authorized as of today. Global Cord Blood Corp. provides cord blood collection, laboratory testing, hematopoietic stem cell processing, and stem cell storage services.

Shares of CO are down 40 percent over the last 52 weeks (Nov. 20, 2017 to Nov. 16, 2018). This year alone, the stock is down 34 percent, closing Friday at $6.53 per share, down 2 percent for the day. CO has a 52-week low of $6.01 and high of $12.25. The company issued a $0.08 dividend on July 31, 2018.

Disclaimer: This post is provided for information purposes only and should not be used as the basis for any investment decision. I am neither licensed nor qualified to provide investment advice. Keith Stein has no position in any stocks mentioned in this post. DCNewsroom has no position in any of the stocks mentioned in this post.

Cygnus cargo ship on its way to space station after launch from Virginia

Northrop Grumman's Cygnus spacecraft is on its way to the International Space Station with about 7,400 pounds of cargo after launching at 4:01 a.m. EST Saturday from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia's Eastern Shore.

The spacecraft launched on an Antares 230 Rocket from the Virginia Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport's Pad 0A at Wallops on the company's 10th cargo delivery flight, and is scheduled to arrive at the orbital laboratory on Monday. Expedition 57 astronauts Serena Auñón-Chancellor of NASA and Alexander Gerst of ESA (European Space Agency) will use the space station's robotic arm to grapple Cygnus.

This resupply mission will support dozens of new and existing investigations as Expeditions 57 and 58 contribute to some 250 science and research studies. Highlights from the new experiments include a demonstration of 3D printing and recycling technology and simulating the creation of celestial bodies from stardust.

The Cygnus spacecraft will remain at the space station until February before its destructive reentry into Earth's atmosphere, disposing of several thousand pounds of trash. This is the seventh flight of an enhanced Cygnus spacecraft, and the fourth using Northrop Grumman's upgraded Antares 230 launch vehicle featuring new RD-181 engines that provide increased performance and flexibility.

The spacecraft for this mission is named in honor of astronaut John Young. Young was selected for NASA's second astronaut class and flew during the Gemini, Apollo and Space Shuttle programs. He walked on the Moon during Apollo 16 in 1972 and commanded the first space shuttle mission in 1981. Young passed away in January.

US Border Patrol looks into small unmanned aircraft operations

The United States Border Patrol (USBP) agency is planning to add small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) to their operations that will provide Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition (RSTA) capability along the U.S. southern and northern border. USBP announced their plans in a Request For Information (RFI) document released Thursday.

The Border Patrol is a sub-component of the United States Customs and Border Protection whose mission is to prevent the illegal flow of people and contraband into the U. S. via air, land, and sea. The USBP’s primary mission is to conduct law enforcement activities along the U. S. border and between the official U. S. ports of entry. As the nation’s single, unified border agency, USBP's mission is vitally important for the protection of the American people and the national economy. USBP represents the first line of defense of America's borders. One of USBP's strategic objectives is to establish and maintain effective control of air, land, and maritime borders with the appropriate mix of infrastructure, technology, and personnel. An integral component to this situational awareness is the planned use of sUAS to provide RSTA capability to the USBP along the southern and northern border.

The Border Patrol is seeking to obtain information from industry about the availability of fixed wing sUAS. “This RFI is issued solely for information, planning purposes, and market research only; it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP,” the agency said in the RFI document.

The number of sUAS deployed within each USBP sector will vary based on geography, availability of equipment and trained operators, and operational need. When deployed, the system will provide the sUAS operator with video data that enables the detection, identification, classification, and tracking of Items of Interest (IoI) in rugged, remote, rural, urban, riverine, and coastal environments. The sUAS will also support vectoring of USBP agents to the immediate vicinity of the IoI for interdiction and event resolution, and if the sUAS has illumination capabilities (laser illuminator) will provide covert IoI illumination to assist agents in prepositioning themselves for intercepting the IoI.

The sUAS can be transported in several form factors, from a single backpack to several large hard cases that need to be transported by vehicle to a location closer to the final deployment location. The sUAS must be ruggedized so it can be transported in a 4x4 vehicle over terrain in the USBP operational environment, sometimes for long distances. The sUAS, packaged for transport, must not obstruct or disrupt the driver while in transport. Once the system is deployed, the agent will operate the system for the duration of their 10-hour shift. The operator interface (ground control system) shall allow the agent to control the sUAS easily for extended periods of time. The agent shall be able to adjust the screen brightness as necessary. The operator interface controls shall be intuitive and placed so that they are easy to reach. The agent will need to have the ability to rapidly move the system from one deployment location to another. The system shall allow the agent to easily and quickly prepare the sUAS for deployment to a different site.

Interested vendors are requested to submit their response to the USBP no later than Dec. 10.

NASA interested in strong commercial satellite-servicing industry in orbit

NASA is working on several projects to mature satellite servicing crosscutting technologies, including Restore-L, a technology demonstration project to utilize a robotic spacecraft to refuel an operational client. Other missions include the Robotic Refueling Mission 3 (RRM3) – which is developing technologies for cryogen – and Raven – a technology demonstration of state-of-the-art relative navigation capabilities.

These projects allow NASA to check important items off of its technology checklist to put humans closer to lunar exploration. NASA plans to infuse Satellite Servicing Projects Division (SSPD)-derived technologies and capabilities to meet the agency’s objectives for science and exploration. Candidate applications for individual satellite servicing capabilities could include on-orbit manufacturing and assembly, propellant depots, observatory servicing, and active orbital debris removal. NASA anticipates that SSPD-derived technologies and capabilities will help unlock numerous new and perhaps unforeseen opportunities in both commercial and government arenas.

In parallel with the development of satellite servicing technologies and the execution of various missions to prove these technologies, NASA is transferring satellite servicing technologies to interested domestic U.S. commercial entities to accelerate the commercial in-orbit robotic satellite servicing industry, as well as to help ensure the serviceability of future satellites. NASA is interested in a strong domestic, commercial satellite-servicing industry that could potentially provide the U.S. government with cost-effective operations.

NASA is hosting a series of industry day meetings to receive data from major SSPD project reviews. The initial industry day was held April 19, 2017, the second industry day was Jan. 30, 2018, the upcoming industry day is scheduled for Dec. 6 at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. “This industry day encourages additional transfer of technology being developed by the SSPD,” NASA said in a Special Notice document released Tuesday. “The derived capabilities would facilitate servicing of spacecraft, plus ensure that future spacecraft can be easily serviced.” Future industry days will be held as additional technology progress is made.

Overview: Army Short Range Reconnaissance platform

The Department of Defense seeks commercial solutions for fielding of the U.S. Army's Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) platform. The SRR is intended to be an inexpensive, rucksack portable, vertical take-off and landing small unmanned aircraft that provides a platoon with a rapidly deployed intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capability to provide situational awareness beyond the next terrain feature. The Army announced the request in a Special Notice document released Monday.

Companies supporting SRR will participate in a “Pitch Phase” which will consist of an in-person pitch as well as a flight demonstration. The in-person pitch will be conducted concurrently with the flight demonstration and will be executed in Boston, Ma., from Jan. 7-18.

The Unmanned Aircraft (UA) flight characteristics desired:

• 30 minute flight endurance.
• 3 kilometer operational range.
• 8,000 feet service ceiling.
• Operate in 15 knot winds or greater.
• UA assembly and disassembly should take two minutes or less by a single person.
• The UA should have the capability to enable detection of people and vehicles at standoff ranges of 300 and 200 meters.

The Army will accept responses to the Special Notice until Nov. 18.