February 4, 2019 - No. 010 In This Issue AAR Points To Prospects To Fill Labor Pipeline Airinmar Signs Warranty Support Agreement with Major European Low-Cost Carrier Augmented Reality Solution to Shorten Aircraft Skin Inspection Time Leonardo Opens Helicopter Support Facility in Louisiana MAHB seeks to resolve dispute with AirAsia through proper means Trenchard secures dual accreditations for its Dubai MRO facility Shutdown Backlog Triggers Repair-station Certificate Extensions PIA losing millions as half a dozen aircraft grounded Lufthansa Announces End of Legendary Junkers Ju-52 Flights SpaceX CEO Elon Musk arrives in Texas for milestone Starship engine test. AAR Points To Prospects To Fill Labor Pipeline As the industry concerns grow over the labor shortage, MRO AAR has released a new report that explores opportunities to build the pool of aviation maintenance workers. The report, "EAGLE Pathways: Bridging the Middle-Skills Gap to Careers in Aviation," looks at means to bring in new workers and track progress through public-private partnerships, targeted recruitment, and career paths that provide for advancement. It points to areas of potential recruitment, including the estimated 6.5 million discouraged or underemployed American workers, military veterans, and historically underrepresented workers such as women, African Americans, and Latinos. Prospects also include students who prefer a less expensive two-year degree or industry skills certifications to a more costly a four-year degree. Industry research has estimated a need for 189,000 new aviation maintenance technicians in North America alone through 2037. However, nearly 30 percent of the existing force is nearing retirement, while new hires represent only about 2 percent of workers. AAR said it has been building partnerships with various cities, states, and schools to ensure its pipeline. In fact, AAR president and CEO John Holmes was in Indianapolis this week to discuss Indiana's Next Level Jobs initiative with Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb and other local and state officials. That initiative includes employer-training grants of up to $50,000. "One of our top priorities is to increase training and job prospects not just for AAR but across the aviation industry," Holmes said. "We believe more people will choose aviation if they are aware of the training opportunities and the favorable job prospects in this exciting industry." Additionally, AAR this week announced an expansion of its training partnership with Vincennes University, under which students can earn credits that lead to several careers at AAR. Through the program, students will job shadow, receive mentoring, get academic support, and, for mechanic students, possibly qualify for up to $15,000 in tuition reimbursement. AAR has introduced similar programs at colleges in Kalamazoo, Michigan; Chicago and Rockford, Illinois; and Duluth, Minnesota. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2019-02-01/aar-points-prospects-fill- labor-pipeline Back to Top Airinmar Signs Warranty Support Agreement with Major European Low-Cost Carrier BERKSHIRE, England, Feb. 1, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- AAR (NYSE: AIR) subsidiary Airinmar, a global leader in the provision of intelligent component repair cycle management and aircraft warranty solutions for commercial and defense customers, has signed an agreement with one of the leading low-cost carriers in Europe to augment its warranty management capability. Airinmar will operate as an extension of the airline's warranty team to identify, record and claim heavy/line maintenance warranty entitlements; lend expertise to assess service bulletins for additional warranty, when applicable; and maximize warranty recovery, including free of charge material and labour credits. In collaboration with the airline, warranty and guarantee entitlements associated with aircraft engines will be recovered, and projects will be run to analyse expendable equipment usage, review subcontract maintenance events and implement quarantines. "We are proud that Airinmar has been chosen to complement this leading low-cost carrier's existing warranty management team through the provision of our expertise, robust processes and systems," said Matt Davies, General Manager, Airinmar. "Our new partnership adds a well-respected airline to our customer base as we expand our warranty management services." About Airinmar Airinmar offers a wide range of component repair and warranty management support services that reduce maintenance expenditure and enhance part availability. The leading dedicated repair management solutions provider in the world, Airinmar has supported airlines, MROs, OEMs and military operations for more than 30 years through the integration of its proprietary systems, engineering expertise and supply management solutions. Airinmar is a subsidiary of global aviation aftermarket leader AAR (NYSE: AIR). About AAR AAR is a global aerospace and defense aftermarket solutions company that employs more than 6,000 people in over 20 countries. Headquartered in the Chicago area, AAR supports commercial and government customers through two operating segments: Aviation Services and Expeditionary Services. AAR's Aviation Services include parts supply; OEM solutions; integrated solutions; maintenance, repair, overhaul; and engineering. AAR's Expeditionary Services include mobility systems and composite manufacturing operations. Additional information can be found at www.aarcorp.com. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/airinmar-signs-warranty-support-agreement-with- major-european-low-cost-carrier-300788264.html Back to Top Augmented Reality Solution to Shorten Aircraft Skin Inspection Time No aircraft is cleared for take off before safety checks are completed. Among these, aircraft skin inspection takes most of the time. However, even with firm procedures and checklists, human error still occurs during this critical pre-flight phase. And, according to statistics of the international aviation industry, these human errors are the cause of up to 80% of plane accidents. A Hungarian AR company wants to help reduce this number. Their augmented reality solution promises to both speed up and improve the accuracy of aircraft skin inspections. An Augmented Reality Solution for a Real Life Critical Issue The company AerinX has recently announced a strategic collaboration with one of the largest maintenance, repair and operations companies in the CEE region. Aeroplex of Central Europe Ltd. and AerinX will work together to implement the augmented reality solution in various aircraft maintenance processes. This solution will help repair and maintenance teams perform detailed surface checks on planes faster and with greater precision. Right now, the entire process is manual and relies on the mechanics' visual accuracy. They use rulers to measure damage and markers to signal the problem area. This process is both slow and unreliable, and AerinX wants to change that. "Our vision is to completely revolutionize the way aircraft skin inspection is carried out at the moment," said the CEO of AerinX, Antal Bence Kiss. "To achieve this, we are developing a smart inspection system which combines AR technology with modern picture processing, giving a decision-supporting tool in the hands of professionals. AerinX promises to reduce inspection time in case of AOG events, as well as line and heavy maintenance," he added. Taking Off to a New Era of Aircraft Inspection The augmented reality solution created by AerinX would help engineers determine and measure plane skin damage with great precision. They would see the technical details in 3D on the surface of the planes, including the damage history of the respective aircraft. Apart from increased accuracy, the AR solution would also reduce aircraft inspection times. This is very important during AOG (aircraft on ground) emergency situations. This type of inspection usually takes between 90 and 120 minutes. AerinX states that their augmented reality solution will reduce this time to only 20 minutes. If this proves to be the case, this AR solution would bring many benefits to the aviation industry. Flight operators will save thousands of dollars or euros in maintenance and repair costs. At the same times, there will be fewer delayed flights - another cause of financial and reputation loss for airlines. Right now, the augmented reality solution developed by AerinX is in the prototype phase. The company is raising venture capital funds to continue the development work and prepare the solution for market launch. The AR company plans to introduce their product both into the civil and defence aviation segments. Here's how the AerinX augmented reality solution works: AerinX - Smart Inspection https://arpost.co/2019/02/01/augmented-reality-solution-to-shorten-aircraft-skin-inspection-time/ Back to Top Leonardo Opens Helicopter Support Facility in Louisiana Leonardo Helicopters opened a new customer support facility yesterday in Broussard, Louisiana, bringing the number of such centers in the Americas to four. The 21,000-sq-ft repair and warehouse facility is situated on a two-acre site and will initially employ 15, provide 24/7 customer support, stock a wide variety of helicopter parts, and provide a far-ranging menu of repair services, including blade repair and mobile blade repair. It also includes space for sales, tech reps, and engineering support. Three tech reps will be based there. The Gulf Coast Support Center is strategically positioned to support the approximately 90 AW139 intermediate twins, 40 AW119 singles, and numerous AW109 light twins operating in the region, according to Michael Hotze, Leonardo's vice president of customer support and training for AgustaWestland Philadelphia Corp. Regional customers include major offshore energy helicopter service companies Arrow Aviation, Bristow Group, ERA, and PHI. "We're here to be closer to our customers," said Hotze. "This facility is here not just to support the oil-and-gas guys. It will support customers in the entire lower 48 states." Hotze said employment at Broussard will likely double within 18 months. "Customers are really excited." Troy Penny, who will be the general manager at Broussard, said the facility will be able to overhaul a set of rotor blades in 21 days and throughput up to 1,500 blades per year. "What we're really building is capability that doesn't exist in the U.S. right now. That is our short-term goal. We are opening with all the repair capabilities that currently exist in the U.S., and then we will expand into the repairs that [currently] have to go back to Italy," Penny said. He noted that component repairs involving bushings, re-machinings, tip caps, and sweep corrections, for example, are burdensome to customers and can have turn times as long as 18 months. Penny said Broussard would provide area customers with pick-up and delivery service using a dedicated truck and, when possible, provide same-day service. "We're trying to establish the same manufacturing capabilities that we have in Italy, but from a customer perspective, do it in one-tenth the time," Hotze said. That means turn times for most repairs will be 30 days or less; complex repairs and overhauls will be 60 days or less. "This facility is tied into all the engineering and repair capability they have in Italy. We'll be able to turn blades quickly because of that, but we're not just a blade center." Hotze said customers will find services offered by the Broussard facility very cost competitive, predicting services would be provided "at market rates with OEM capability. That's going to be an enormous savings. We've always shortened the supply chain so customers don't have to use third- party vendors to repair blades. Third-party vendors eventually end up coming to us for engineering and support data and repair schemes anyway. We eliminate all those layers." Hotze said the new service center is part of Leonardo's larger "Team Up" initiative to get closer to its customers, understand their needs, and make them successful. Team Up provides customers with services that include parts forecasting which Hotze said is up to 90 percent accurate. The Broussard facility also will be able to access customer health and usage monitoring system (HUMS) data for customers who are subscribed to Leonardo's Heliwise service. Heliwise is supported by two engineers in Philadelphia, three in Italy, and two in Malaysia who look at customer HUMS data full- time. In conjunction with the new center, Hotze said Leonardo is expanding its in-house MRO capability and now has full capability for all dynamic components at its main U.S. base in Philadelphia, which is also a customer support center. Its other Americas centers are located in Las Vegas and São Paulo, Brazil. "The Americas is the most mature helicopter market and we are extremely committed to it," Hotze said, despite the recent fall-off in offshore helicopter activity. "This downturn won't last forever, and we want to be here when our customers need us. We're really committed to the success of this place." https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/general-aviation/2019-02-01/leonardo-opens-helicopter- support-facility-louisiana Back to Top MAHB seeks to resolve dispute with AirAsia through proper means KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) has insisted on recovering the loss of an average about RM7 million monthly through 'proper' means, resulting from AirAsia Group Bhd (AirAsia) move to charge a lower Passenger Service Charge (PSC) amount than the gazetted rate. The airport operator said the disparity of approach to PSC and AirAsia's action distorted competition and impacted MAHB's ability to attract new airlines into the country, hampering its efforts to establish Malaysia as a strong aviation hub. "Although AirAsia has announced their claims publicly, we have not received any particulars on the claims from AirAsia and the jurisdiction is still unclear at this point of time", MAHB group chief executive officer Raja Azmi Raja Nazuddin told NST Business today. The low-cost carrier AirAsia and its long-haul unit, AirAsia X Bhd (AAX) had defended their refusal to collect the additional RM23 PSC at klia2 imposed by MAHB from February 2018. AAB chief executive officer Riad Asmat said the move was due to its view that passengers using klia2 should not be charged the same rates as passengers at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). AIrAsia Group maintained that KLIA Terminal 2 (klia2) is a low-cost terminal with far lower levels of service provided to passengers compared to KLIA, which is a full-service terminal. In return, MAHB's subsidiary, Malaysia Airports (Sepang) Sdn Bhd (MASSB) had in December last year claimed RM36.1 million in arrears for uncollected PSCs from AAX and AirAsia Bhd (AAB). "We are optimistic that these matters can and will be resolved - the first of which would be the matter of jurisdiction in resolving such matters. "The jurisdiction on contractual matters rests solely with the courts and this is being dealt with in court at present," MAHB said in a statement today. MAHB said PSC rates are not set, fixed or controlled by the airport operator but rather under the purview of the Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) - an independent economic regulator to the civil aviation industry. PSC is stated under Section 46 of the Malaysian Aviation Commission Act 2015. "PSC is charged on departing passengers at all airports in Malaysia except at the Short Take Off Landing ports (STOLports), which are located in remote areas," MAHB added. MAHB said PSC is used to partially cover the numerous operating and capital expenditures for the improvement and maintenance of airport facilities and services. "It is common practice in the aviation industry for PSC to be collected by the airlines from the departing passengers upon purchase of their flight tickets and thereafter, the PSC is paid to the airport operator following completion of the flight," it said. MAHB said Malaysia's PSC rates for both domestic and international departures remain amongst the lowest regionally and globally, while noting that some airports such as Sydney and Melbourne, Australia that charge both departing and arriving passengers. "In November 2017, MAVCOM had announced the final step for the full equalisation of PSC across all airports in Malaysia which was to take effect on January 1, 2018. "This last step was to equalise the PSC for non-Asean international flights at klia2 to be the same with those at KLIA and other airports in Malaysia from RM50 to RM73," it said. MAVCOM said the PSC equalisation would facilitate fairer environment competition between airlines operating in Malaysia, while allowing Malaysia to be better aligned to international guidelines, including with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) principle of non-discriminatory pricing at airports. The equalisation also facilitated the need to lower the subsidies at klia2. MAHB said currently all other airlines operating at klia2 such as India's largest low cost carrier IndiGo collects and pays the PSC rate of RM73 for Non-Asean international passengers. "The last step in the equalisation had only affected fewer than 4.5 million passengers travelling to Non-Asean international destinations, 70 per cent of which are foreign nationals," MAHB said , adding that it had implemented the PSC revision as per the gazetted amount by MAVCOM. Airports globally charge the same PSC rates for all its terminals regardless of operating airlines. For example, both Suvarnabhumi International Airport (Bangkok) and Don Mueang International Airport (Bangkok) charge the same rate despite the clear distinction between full service and low-cost operations respectively at the two airports. The equalised PSC for Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi airports is BHT 700 or RM80, for all international passengers (Asean and non-Asean). PSC rate for Asean was revised down from RM65 to RM35 in 2017 for all international departing passengers to Asean countries at all airports in Malaysia. MAHB said Asean international passengers at klia2 had benefited from the lower RM35 PSC charges, make up 57 per cent of the total international passengers at klia2. MAHB operates 39 airports nationwide, of which 18 are STOLports such as in Bario, Bakelalan, Marudi, Long Akah, and Mukah to name a few. At these airports, PSC is waived for about 160,000 passengers who use the STOLports annually as part of MAHB's corporate social responsibility in providing connectivity and accessibility to basic needs such as education, healthcare and economic opportunities for the rakyat at remote areas. On Conditions of Use 2017 (COU 2017) contract between MASSB and all airlines operating from KLIA and klia2, PSC rates payable are subject to any revised MAVCOM regulations. It is also stated in the COU 2017 that MASSB may close part of the airport or suspend, interrupt or shutdown airport services and facilities if any repair, maintenance or upgrade of the facilities is needed provided reasonable prior notices. "In the event of such a situation, we will not be liable for any loss or damages. The COU 2017 also specifies that any dispute between the parties are to be handled at the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts," MAHB said. AirAsia Group recently had claimed RM480 million from MASSB for losses incurred from operating at klia2, following the loss of customers in the last four years, owing to disruptions and poor condition of the terminal. https://www.nst.com.my/business/2019/02/456957/mahb-seeks-resolve-dispute-airasia-through- proper-means Back to Top Trenchard secures dual accreditations for its Dubai MRO facility Provider of global turnkey services for cabin interiors, Trenchard Aviation Group, has secured dual accreditations - EASA and recently awarded GCAA - for its Dubai facility located in the DAFZA Free Zone at Dubai International Airport. The facility is operated by Aero Technics, one of Trenchard Aviation Group's four complementary businesses and is one of the UAE's EASA Part 21G Production and EASA Part 145 Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul organisations. Products and services provided include repair and overhaul of: Oxygen Cylinders (above), Emergency Evacuation Slides, Fire Extinguishers and Galley Inserts as well as Passenger and Crew Seats, including the cutting and sewing of soft furnishings. In addition, the facility is an authorised repair centre covering the whole of the Middle East region. Mr Lassaad Yousfi, General Manager of Aero Technics Dubai, commented: "With our customised services, high quality products and competitive pricing, we are already providing our customers with an exemplary offer. Gaining the new GCAA accreditation will help to boost customer confidence even further." The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) was created in 1996 to regulate Civil Aviation and provide designated services to strengthen the aviation industry within the UAE and its upper space. Since its formation, the Authority has made considerable progress and embarked on bold new initiatives to provide a better service to its civil aviation clients and stakeholders, such as modernisation of the air traffic control centre programme, radar equipment and the establishment of new facilities to serve the growth of civil aviation within the UAE. The GCAA recently introduced a new award aimed at celebrating the contribution of states, business organisations and individuals around the world to the success of the aviation industry. The aim of the award scheme is to provide a platform to connect and improve relations with Least Developed States (LDS), support the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) objective of increased global connectivity, support the 'Global Aviation Plan for Development' and promote innovation and liberalisation across the industry globally. Mark Faulkner, Trenchard Aviation Group's CEO, added: "Our presence in the UAE is a critical component in our global growth strategy and we're delighted to now have both GCAA and EASA accreditations for our Dubai facility. This can only further enhance our credibility across the whole MENA region." Trenchard Aviation Group will be exhibiting at MRO Middle East on 11th and 12th February at the Dubai World Trade Centre. Some 3,750 commercial MRO professionals are expected to attend this event which will bring together airlines, MROs, suppliers, OEMs, regulators and industry experts. Trenchard Aviation Group is a provider of Aircraft Cabin Repair, Maintenance and Overhaul services, offering a comprehensive range of on-wing support and cabin design services, galley equipment including parts and rotables, soft furnishing design, manufacture and repair and patented secure life vest pouches. Trenchard Aviation Group operates through its four complementary businesses: * Aero Technics - on and off-wing aircraft support; including component repair, replacement and overhaul. Integral Part 21J design and development supporting a wide range of interiors projects such as full interior reconfigurations and EPA solutions * Airbase - cabin products and services including soft furnishings design/manufacture, carpets, dry cleaning and repairs * Reheat - galley, lavatory, cabin and cockpit maintenance and services * Servecorp - life vest pouches and tamper-evident RFID seals for aircraft seats The Group has sites at, or close to, the UKs three largest airports - Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester - as well as off-site workshop facilities in Worthing and Manchester, and a dedicated operation in the DAFZA Free Zone at Dubai International Airport. https://www.arabianaerospace.aero/trenchard-secures-dual-accreditations-for-its-dubai-mro- facility.html Back to Top Shutdown Backlog Triggers Repair-station Certificate Extensions FAA and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) have agreed to grant extensions to scores of dual-certified repair stations with certificate expiration dates in early 2019, ensuring that the recent U.S. government shutdown will not hold up routine renewals. The agencies have given 60-day extensions to about 140 U.S.-based shops, an exchange of letters confirms. Extensions may also be granted to European-based shops facing FAA renewals. The letters were made public by the Aeronautical Repair Station Association. The recent partial government shutdown furloughed more than 800,000 U.S. government employees, including FAA inspectors and other personnel involved in repair station oversight and renewals. While the shutdown ended Jan. 25 after 36 days, FAA and EASA are adopting the extensions in lieu of a required EASA Form 9--FAA's recommendation that the shop be certified, part of a broader package confirming regulatory compliance--to remove the risk of a paperwork backlog holding up renewals. "Although the shutdown is now suspended, a number of FAA and European Aviation Safety Agency certificated maintenance organizations in both the U.S. and Europe have certification approval renewals coming due that might still be affected by the shutdown period," EASA Flight Standards Director Jesper Rasumussen wrote. The agencies cited a provision in the bilateral's Maintenance Annex Guidance that permits short- term extensions in "based on exceptional circumstances." FAA emphasized that the extensions will be accompanied by "desktop" reviews of each shop by inspectors using FAA's risk-analysis tools. The paperwork and data reviews will help "maintain an acceptable level of risk" during the extension period, FAA Flight Standards Service Executive Director Rick Domingo wrote. FAA and EASA have granted dual certifications to about 2,000 repair stations, including 1,500 in the U.S. Each agency relies on the other's inspectors to ensure the shops comply with both sets of regulations--part of a broader regulatory harmonization effort that saves manpower and cuts down on redundant processes for companies. https://www.mro-network.com/maintenance-repair-overhaul/shutdown-backlog-triggers-repair- station-certificate-extensions Back to Top PIA losing millions as half a dozen aircraft grounded Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is losing millions of rupees as about half a dozen of its aircraft have been grounded. The national carrier's Boing 777 AP-BHV has been grounded for the last one year as its engine needs repair. Initially, the airline could not afford the refurbishment of the aircraft, but later it was forgotten. Had the administration paid attention, the airplane could have been overhauled a year ago, according to industry sources. The airline is attempting to revive it, but it may cost three times now as many of its parts have been used in other aircraft. Recently, PIA decided to use one of its two Airbus A320 parts - AP-BLA and AP-BLV - in other aircraft so that they could reduce the loss. However, the remaining will keep causing losses to the airline as it has to pay rent of these non-functioning aircraft which are on lease. The national flag carrier is also losing millions every month under the head of rent of two grounded ATR airplanes which are on dry lease. It also has AP-BKZ, which is grounded due to some ordinary non-functioning parts while AP-BKW is also waiting for the start of flights after it gets a new engine. "The PIA administration knocks down one plane to run other on an ad hoc basis," said an industry source. Its own AP-BHN went through the same situation and lost all its parts to keep other aircraft in the sky. Previously, the administration tried to restore this airplane, but the estimates showed that taking new one on lease would be more profitable than renovating the old one. Although PIA's own or leased aircraft are rusting, it has given an advertisement seeking four new aircraft on wet lease - aircraft including pilot and other cabin crew. According to data from the Center for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) Fleet Database, half of the commercial aircraft in service with the world's airlines are leased. Airlines take decision with changing needs of time and routes. For example, if traffic on a route increases, airlines will exchange the narrow-body airplane with a wide-body one and for the time being the narrow-body airplane will stay on ground, said PIA spokesperson Mashood Tajwar. "An airplane goes through various kinds of safety and maintenance checks; these airplanes were grounded on different times," he said. PIA meets needs of operations within its limited resources, which is why many of the aircraft lost their parts. Besides, maintenance of these aircraft is decided by the top management and, unfortunately, the national airline changed four heads during the last year so it was in kind of a management crises, he added. https://tribune.com.pk/story/1902047/2-pia-losing-millions-half-dozen-aircraft-grounded/ Back to Top Lufthansa Announces End of Legendary Junkers Ju-52 Flights German airline Lufthansa has announced it is ending passenger flights on its vintage Junkers Ju-52 aircraft with immediate effect in order to save on high operating costs of the 83-year old aircraft. The airline had been supporting regular flights with the tri-engine Ju-52 through its historic aircraft foundation, Deutsche Lufthansa Berlin Stiftung, at the tune of several million euros per year. The aircraft, however, which last flew in August 2018 and has since been undergoing repairs, may never take to the skies again. According to FlightGlobal, Lufthansa stated that it does not see any potential for the aircraft to become profitable again and is, therefore, exploring other options for its use. The crash of a Ju Air Ju-52 last year that lead to the death of all 20 people aboard, was also cited as a reason for the permanent grounding of Lufthansa's Juncker. This has many Lufthansa and aviation fans, who accuse Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr and his board of not appreciating the history and traditions of the airline, upset about the loss of a historic aircraft. Lufthansa traditionalists and aviation fans are upset not only at the decision on the Ju-52 but also on the recent announcement to stop the restoration of a Lockheed Super Star. German's aviation history is closely tied to the Junkers Ju-52 and was Lufthansa's workhorse - comparable to today's Airbus A320 - between the 1930s and the 1960s. Lufthansa even used the Junker's corrugated sheet metal hull to inspire the design of its lounges across the world. The Ju-52, nicknamed "Aunt Ju" because of its likable design and reliability, had been brought back to Lufthansa in 1984 from the United States for 600,000 Deutschmarks. The aircraft, registration, D-AQUI, was built in 1934 and restored in the Lufthansa design of the 1930s and put back into operation for scenic flights and special events. When Lufthansa ran into financial trouble in the early 1990s, the board insisted on making the Ju- 52 more profitable. As a result, the aircraft started flying more frequently, which however led to greater maintenance issues due to its old age during a time when spare parts are sparse. Ironically, it is these high maintenance costs, brought upon by the airline's management, which may now have grounded the aircraft for good. Fans of the Junkers Ju-52 have however not lost hope entirely. They are hoping that the Deutsch Lufthansa Berlin Foundation keeps "Aunt Ju" airworthy so that it continues to at least make the occasional appearance at air shows across Europe. https://airlinegeeks.com/2019/02/01/lufthansa-announces-end-of-legendary-junkers-ju-52-flights/ Back to Top SpaceX CEO Elon Musk arrives in Texas for milestone Starship engine test On Saturday evening, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk landed in Waco, Texas - perhaps along with additional SpaceX propulsion engineers - for the critical static fire debut of the first "radically redesigned" Raptor engine, built to power BFR's Starship upper stage and Super Heavy booster. If the first operationalized Raptor's static fire tests go well, there are several possible routes the test program could take, all of which will end up with this engine and several others being tested and ultimately installed on the Starship hopper (Starhopper) prototype under construction roughly 500 miles (800 km) south of SpaceX's Raptor test cell. Shortly after Musk revealed official photos of the first operationalized Raptor preparing for an inaugural static fire test at SpaceX's McGregor, Texas facilities, the SpaceX and Tesla CEO's private jet was seen landing at Waco, Texas around sunset. Although all SpaceX technical expertise needed for Raptor's first ignition was probably already on site several days prior, Musk has been known to offer seats on his private planes to SpaceX and Tesla employees when a critical group is needed away from their normal base of operations. The best examples come from Tesla engineering expertise sometimes traveling between Fremont and Gigafactory 1 when needed, often to solve production holdups. Regardless of whether he was traveling with members of the SpaceX propulsion team, Musk's arrival at McGregor yesterday signified that Raptor Block 1's first integrated hot-fire was imminent. Assuming no attempt was made on Saturday night or Sunday morning, SpaceX technicians and engineers are presumably still working on installing what is effectively a new rocket engine and ensuring that Raptor's test cells - extensively overhauled and upgraded for the occasion - are working as intended. While the development Raptors SpaceX built hovered around 1000 kN (~100t) of thrust, also roughly the same as Merlin 1D, the Raptor now on stand in Texas is reportedly a 200 ton-class engine or more than double the thrust of any single engine SpaceX engineers and technicians have built or test-fired in 15 years of engine development. A FORK IN THE R&D ROAD Prior to completing Raptor Block 1 (unofficialdesignation), SpaceX cumulatively test-fired dev Raptors for far more than 1200 seconds over the course of more than 24 months. It's unclear how extensively the company's engineers will be able to test the pathfinder hardware built on the back of that extensive test program. Nominally, one would expect hundreds or thousands of seconds of additional testing to properly characterize the design and production of a brand-new, optimized engine like Raptor while primarily ensuring that it performs within engineering specifications. Knowing CEO Elon Musk's self-admitted tendency to push for impractical deadlines and schedules that often appeared rushed for the sake of rushing, it's not impossible that the first Raptors could find themselves installed on the Boca Chica-based Starhopper test article after Merlin-esque acceptance testing and nothing more. For M1D and MVac, acceptance testing usually takes the shape of a full-duration burn with throttle and gimbal activity to closely simulate a true Falcon 9 or Heavy launch. For the 200-ton Raptor now in Texas, comparable acceptance testing could take a variety of forms, ranging from short Starhopper-relevant burns (10-60 seconds for small hops) to simulating conditions during a Super Heavy launch and landing or even a 6 or 7-minute orbital insertion burn indicative of the performance needed for Starship. Depending on the interplay between the route SpaceX engineers would likely prefer and the Starhopper test schedule executives and managers might want, this first Raptor engine (and two more soon to follow) could be installed on Starhopper anywhere from a few weeks to several months from now. Elon Musk indicated in early January that he expected hop tests would occur 4-8 weeks later, shortly followed by unplanned damage to the craft's nose cone that pushed the debut back "a few weeks". Realistically, hop tests should thus be expected to begin no earlier than (NET) 8-12 weeks from the first week of January, translating to NET March or April. This would give SpaceX propulsion engineers a decent amount of time to gain at least a few hundred (or maybe 1000+) seconds of experience operating the newest and most advanced iteration of Raptor. https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-ceo-elon-musk-arrives-in-texas-for-milestone-starship-engine- test/ Curt Lewis