October 14, 2019 - No. 080 In This Issue Shareholders of United Technologies and Raytheon approve merger of aerospace and defense giants AAR Launches Donecle Drone Technology Integration for MRO Aircraft Inspections An all-female Delta team flew 120 girls to NASA to get them excited about aviation careers KLM's Centenary Inspires Increased Aviation Sustainability Initiatives S.C. Aeronautical Training Center: New pipeline for skilled workforce New Airbus lab in Shenzhen to push battery technology for electric aerial vehicles Luxivair SBD Sees Continued Growth, Invests in Clean-Air Technology What can ADS-B offer the business aviation sector? Safety Experts Slam Boeing And FAA For Design And Approval Of 737 Max Jets NASA's supersonic X-59 QueSST coming together at Skunk Works NASA chief: SpaceX and Boeing have critical tests ahead but could fly astronauts in early 2020 Shareholders of United Technologies and Raytheon approve merger of aerospace and defense giants; UTC prepares to move HQ from Connecticut to Boston area Shareholders of United Technologies Corp. and defense giant Raytheon Co. on Friday approved a merger that will establish a rebranded Raytheon Technologies Corp. set to exit Connecticut for the Boston area. "Today is an important milestone in our transformational merger, which will define the future of aerospace and defense," said Gregory Hayes, chief executive officer of UTC. "Today's vote reflects a significant step on our path to unite two world-class companies with complementary technologies and supports our view that this merger of equals will create additional growth opportunities while delivering benefits to our shareowners, customers and employees," said Tom Kennedy, CEO of Raytheon, which is based in Waltham, Mass. The final vote results will be disclosed in filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission after the companies' elections inspectors certify the results. Shares of UTC closed at $136.15, up 1.7% as indexes rose on news of progress in U.S.-China trade talks. Raytheon ended the day at $198.72, nearly unchanged. Announced June 9, the deal creates a combined company valued at $100 billion in what executives of the two companies call a "merger of equals." It's expected to close in the first half of 2020 regulatory approvals and UTC's completion of the separation of its Otis elevator and Carrier heating and cooling businesses. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said questions he raised when the deal was announced about the size of the merged defense contractor and its impact on U.S. national security remain. "I can tell you very emphatically nothing has happened to alleviate my deep concerns about the increasing corporate culture at the Department of Defense and growing consolidation in the defense industry," he said. The increasing size of defense contractors through consolidation will have "adverse impacts" on innovation, competition and cost, Blumenthal said. Hayes and Kennedy, facing questions about the size of the new company, have emphasized that each of the two companies had little overlap in their businesses. Hayes said a day after the merger was announced that "there is nothing anti-competitive" about the deal. UTC shareholders will own 57 percent of Raytheon Technologies and Raytheon share owners will hold 43 percent. UTC will control eight of the 15 board seats. Each share of Raytheon common stock will be converted into the right to receive 2.33 shares of UTC common stock. About 100 corporate jobs will leave Connecticut for Boston with UTC's headquarters exit from Farmington. No job cuts are expected at UTC's Pratt & Whitney in Middletown and East Hartford or Collins Aerospace in Windsor Locks. About 19,000 UTC employees work in Connecticut. UTC also operates its research center in East Hartford. The deal brings together a major defense contractor and aerospace company less than a year after UTC boosted its aviation business with its $30 billion acquisition of Rockwell Collins Inc. The combined company will have approximately $74 billion in pro forma 2019 sales and will be the second-biggest aviation-defense company after Boeing Co. The deal got a boost in September when Institutional Shareholder Services backed the deal. The proxy advisory firm warned of risk in executing the deal due to UTC's "other recent, large portfolio changes." "But the valuation looks reasonable, the transaction seems financially beneficial and the strategic logic appears sound due to the companies' complementary technology in several areas," it said. The deal initially ran into opposition from two large hedge funds, Pershing Square Holdings and Third Point LLC. Bill Ackman, founder and manager of Pershing Square, said in a shareholder letter last summer he abandoned a fight against the deal and instead sold the company's stock. He said he lost confidence in management, which would have required a "more comprehensive battle" to replace UTC's leadership. Ackman and several analysts initially questioned whether UTC could pull off the merger while it's still integrating Rockwell Collins Inc., an Iowa aerospace manufacturer it bought last year for $30 billion and prepares to spin off next year its elevator and heating and cooling manufacturers. Hayes faced questions from industry analysts about the strategy of merging with Raytheon so soon after beginning the task of streamlining the conglomerate by focusing on aerospace and spinning off Otis and Carrier. https://www.courant.com/business/hc-biz-utc-raytheon-shareholder-vote-20191011-nfkfjhnsonclnlabya2z5qsofm-story.html Back to Top AAR Launches Donecle Drone Technology Integration for MRO Aircraft Inspections AAR (NYSE: AIR), a leading aviation services provider to commercial airlines and governments worldwide, has announced the integration of Donecle drone technology into its award-winning maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) operations. AAR´s Miami MRO facility is the first in its global network to use the fully automated drone technology to drive operational and cost efficiencies, where the pilot phase has yielded increases in speed and precision. With laser positioning, the drone can safely perform end-to-end visual inspections of B737 and A320 aircraft in under an hour. "In exploring opportunities to increase efficiencies and best utilize our skilled workforce, AAR continually assesses opportunities to digitally enable our businesses," said Rahul Ghai, AAR Chief Digital Officer. "In the case of our MRO sites, our investments in technologies like drones, machine learning and mobile devices will drive a more efficient operation, optimized technician schedules, as well as improved turnaround times achieved through faster and more accurate inspections and maintenance plan execution. This will lead to ultimately higher customer satisfaction, while helping us build out richer data to enhance our overall maintenance planning and execution capabilities." "We are very proud to support AAR in its innovations to better serve its customers and keep its position as the leading independent MRO worldwide, while also contributing to AAR´s digital transformation," said Josselin Bequet, Donecle CEO and Co-Founder. Designed for MRO specifications, the drone is programmed to detect any aircraft structural damage, as well as assess paint quality, markings and signs of lightning strike. One complete scan by a drone covers the equivalent of several maintenance tasks and personnel, conserving significant time and resources in the inspection and overall maintenance turnaround time. AAR and Donecle have partnered on an initial 12-month technology agreement, and upon further assessment and results, will expand the platform to other MRO facilities. In compliance with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements, AAR performs manual aircraft inspections in addition to the drone inspections. https://www.suasnews.com/2019/10/aar-launches-donecle-drone-technology-integration-for-mro-aircraft-inspections/ Back to Top An all-female Delta team flew 120 girls to NASA to get them excited about aviation careers CNN) - Delta flies from Salt Lake City to Houston every day, but one recent trip was a little different, packed with girls getting a behind-the-scenes lesson about aviation. The airline took 120 girls between 12 to 18 to NASA's Johnson Space Center last week for International Girls in Aviation Day. The event was designed to encourage more women to enter the male-dominated field, Delta said in a statement. The girls, who came from area STEM schools (Science Technology Engineering Math), got to see women run all aspects of their flight, Delta said. The plane had an all-female pilot and flight crew, ramp agents and gate agents on the ground, and women in the control tower giving pilots instructions. The students toured NASA's Mission Control and ate lunch with astronaut and aerospace engineer Jeanette Epps. "We know representation matters. At Delta, we believe you have to see it to be it," said Beth Poole, general manager of pilot development, who started the program in 2015. "We're taking ownership to improve gender diversity by exposing girls at a young age and providing a pipeline so that 10 years from now, they will be the pilots in the Delta cockpit inspiring generations of women who follow." Delta says that 5% of its pilots are women and that 7.4% hired over the last four years are women. Girls in Aviation Day was a worldwide effort, and organizers say that more than 20,000 people participated in the United States, Canada and Australia, as well as in countries in Africa, Asia and Europe. https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/delta-women-in-aviation-flight-trnd/index.html Back to Top KLM's Centenary Inspires Increased Aviation Sustainability Initiatives The world's oldest air carrier still operating under its original name, KLM Dutch Royal Airlines, celebrates its centenary this year. On October 7, 2019, the airline held a special celebration at Amsterdam Schiphol airport to commemorate the century that's passed since Queen Wilhelmina bestowed the royal designation upon KLM in 1919 and the airline made its first flight from London to Amsterdam. KLM can point to plenty of past aviation milestones. After World War II, KLM became the first European carrier to fly to New York in 1946 and, in 1966, was the first airline to publish an in-flight magazine, which is still in print. However, honoring past achievements isn't the only focus of KLM's anniversary celebration, as it looks towards the future of flying and anticipates exciting innovations that will be implemented in air travel over the next 100 years. Its own future could be said to begin with a campaign that KLM launched just this year, centered on the idea of flying responsibly. In light of continuously escalating concerns over climate change, CEO Pieter Elbers told Condé Nast Traveler that the company has a "shared responsibility" to promote awareness about the environmental impact of passengers' travel choices and to help them make greener decisions. The campaign asks the public to consider using video conferences rather than journeying to meet in person or to traverse shorter routes by train in order to lessen their carbon footprints. Much of KLM's vision for the future of the company, and the aviation industry at large, centers around making air travel more sustainable. Like many airlines, KLM is making its fleet more fuel-efficient, retiring 747 jumbo jets and purchasing lower-emissions aircraft like the Boeing 787-8, 787-9 and 787-10 Dreamliner. While planes are already more fuel-efficient than in decades past, KLM wants to push the leading edge of sustainability by funding research at the Delft University of Technology to develop its own, highly fuel-efficient craft, called the 'Flying V'. The futuristic design repositions the passenger cabin, cargo hold and fuel tanks inside of the wings themselves, theoretically reducing drag created by a traditional fuselage. If this model becomes a reality, it would use 20 percent less fuel than the most eco-friendly plane currently in use, the Airbus A350-900. Elbers told Condé Nast Traveler that KLM would share its research and design with its competitors, as it aims to affect environmentally-conscious change across the entire industry. KLM also anticipates new developments in the types of fuel used in aircraft and is itself already the world's biggest user of biofuel. The airline is aiding in the development of a first-of-its-kind biofuel plant in the Netherlands, set to open in 2022. Its eco-conscious mindset also extends to an expansion of its current recycling program. Old items, such as worn-out crew uniforms and headrest covers, are being processed into aircraft carpeting and laptop cases. Beverage bottles left on planes are also being gathered up and turned into plastic aviation components, signage, etc. Through example and shared knowledge, KLM hopes that the next 100 years will see the world flying responsibly and sustainably so that its beautiful places are always there to be enjoyed. For more information, visit KLM.com. https://www.travelpulse.com/news/airlines/klms-centenary-inspires-increased-aviation-sustainability-initiatives.html Back to Top S.C. Aeronautical Training Center: New pipeline for skilled workforce The Charleston Regional Development Alliance touts Charleston as one of the fastest-growing midsize metro areas for aircraft manufacturing in the United States. The region is also one of the nation's top 10 midsize metros for workforce growth in aircraft mechanics, computer hardware and electrical engineers. Boeing's growing presence in the Lowcountry, along with the expanding international airport, Joint Base Charleston and hub of suppliers filling the region, means aerospace workers are in demand. Trident Technical College is creating a pipeline of skilled engineering technicians and aeronautical specialists. The college currently has about 80 students in its Aeronautical Studies program. Students are divided between the Thornley Campus on Rivers Avenue in North Charleston and the Berkeley Campus in Moncks Corner. Beginning in the 2019 fall semester, studies will be consolidated in the new South Carolina Aeronautical Training Center on Thornley Campus. The state-of-the-art facility has been seven years in the making - but will be worth the wait. The three-story complex will house the three main tracks in Trident Tech's Aeronautical Studies division: aircraft maintenance technology, avionics maintenance technology and aircraft assembly technology. The 218,000-square-foot facility also will house specialized training and advanced manufacturing through continuing education. On the third floor, readySC will conduct training for Boeing South Carolina. Barry Franco, dean of Aeronautical Studies, said the new facility will "greatly increase the capacity to train more students for the aviation workforce." The center will accommodate close to 300 aviation maintenance and manufacturing students when the fall semester begins Aug. 26. Plus, the added space gives Trident Tech the opportunity to offer more courses. "We hope in the near future to offer new programs and new collaborations with other colleges," Franco said. "We have a lot of irons in the fire." Earning a degree or certificate from Trident Tech in one of the college's programs essentially guarantees students a well-paying job. Volvo Cars and Mercedes-Benz also are interested in graduates because many of the skills overlap industries, Franco said. "We have no trouble placing our grads," he said. "They get to pick and choose where they want to go." https://charlestonbusiness.com/news/sponsored-content/77266/ Back to Top New Airbus lab in Shenzhen to push battery technology for electric aerial vehicles; collaboration with BYD Asia is the global epicenter of battery development and production, with Japan and Korea as the worldwide leaders. However, China is rapidly catching up to the traditional heavyweights. China's ascension to battery development superpower has been vertiginous-the country is expected to produce 70% of the world's EV batteries by 2021. This is why Airbus has selected the Airbus China Innovation Center (ACIC) in Shenzhen as the location for a new battery lab. Opened in August 2019, the lab will not only tap into the rich ecosystem of Shenzhen-China's tech hub but also into the ecosystem across China and Asia to test batteries for a range of applications, from electric propulsion to electrical systems. Despite the impressive progress made in recent decades, the untapped potential of batteries still remains significant. This includes the development of new materials and chemical combinations. The ACIC battery lab is focused on tapping into these possibilities, in addition to running safety and durability tests, and finding solutions to long-standing battery challenges. One challenge is thermal runaway. Thermal runaway is an unstoppable chain reaction in a battery that causes rapid overheating and can lead to fire. It is rare, but can happen to computers or phones. In 2016, millions of electronic devices had to be recalled after a battery fault caused units to overheat and explode. Although lithium-ion is considered the most effective technology currently available for rechargeable batteries, the battery recalls are a reminder that it is not without safety concerns, which limits its use in aviation. To develop new battery solutions that can be applied to commercial aviation, the ACIC team will collaborate with local partners in Shenzhen, including BYD, one of the world's largest electric vehicle and battery makers. The team will also work closely with the Airbus Battery CoC, the TEIE team in Toulouse that develops new battery solutions for aerospace applications. "Having a battery lab in China is the perfect complement to our electrical lab in Toulouse. The ACIC lab will focus on testing the latest cells and battery technologies to emerge from China, which will reduce time to market."-Valéry Gineste, Head of TEIE If the aviation industry is to drive progress on the electrification of flight, improving the safety and performance of batteries is crucial. Specifically, the success of urban air mobility and hybrid-electric future aircraft hinges on the development of high-performance and safe battery technology. This is a core focus for the ACIC battery lab, which will work to develop batteries for electric propulsion, a prerequisite to power this new class of aerial vehicles. "Better batteries will help to enable tomorrow's aerial vehicles. New urban air vehicles, as seen in the case of Vahana and CityAirbus, will require batteries that are not only extremely light and powerful, but also reliable and cost efficient."-Mustang Guo, ACIC Project Manager The ACIC battery lab will also look at how to safely replace nickel cadmium with superior lithium-ion batteries to power aircraft systems, without the need for restrictive heavy casing. Further exploration areas will soon follow as the lab quickly ramps up the scope of its work. https://www.greencarcongress.com/2019/10/20191012-airbusbattery.html Back to Top Luxivair SBD Sees Continued Growth, Invests in Clean-Air Technology Luxivair SBD at San Bernardino International Airport continues to demonstrate positive momentum as a result of its commitment to providing customers with exceptional service while reducing its carbon footprint. The FBO, which has seen double-digit growth in ramp activity, recently added zero- and low-emissions vehicles and ground support equipment. Luxivair SBD will be exhibiting with EPIC Fuels in Booth #N6110 at the NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition in Las Vegas from October 22-24. "FBO customers have become accustomed to the exceptional service and value offered by Luxivair SBD. During their next visit to Southern California, they can have complete confidence knowing that their choice FBO is committed to sustainable business practices.", says Mark Gibbs, director of aviation for San Bernardino International Airport. He added, "The secret of Luxivair SBD is out, excellent service, amazing facilities, unbeatable prices, and commitment in our future." Recently acquired ground support equipment, which is compliant with stringent emission standards, includes electric-powered aircraft tugs, Tier-4 ground support equipment, a propane-powered forklift, and new Tier-4 10,000-gallon fuel trucks. Additionally, the FBO expanded its luxury fleet to offer the zero-emission Toyota Mirai through a partnership with StratosShare-the first hydrogen fuel cell rental service of its kind in California. "We wanted to provide our customers with an alternative to traditional rental cars," says Wendy Bechtel, Luxivair SBD's manager. "Like the FBO, the Mirai is futuristic, environmentally responsible, and exclusive." In all of California, there are approximately only 6,000 Toyota Mirai, and Luxivair SBD is the first airport in the state to offer pilots and flight crews access to these new vehicles. https://www.aviationpros.com/fbos-tenants/press-release/21109934/luxivair-sbd-luxivair-sbd-sees-continued-growth-invests-in-cleanair-technology Back to Top What can ADS-B offer the business aviation sector? Despite concerns over meeting deadlines, ADS-B offers business aviation companies opportunities to improve safety and processes. Space-based ADS-B Out enables suitably equipped aircraft to broadcast their position via a datalink to a ground station. The aircraft determines its position using global positioning system (GPS) satellites and then uses a transmitter to communicate that position at short intervals to ground stations. The technology lets air traffic controllers track the location of aircraft anywhere at any time, enabling efficiency and safety benefits. The first commercial space-based ADS-B service, run by Aireon, launched earlier this year (see box ADS-B trials) and with several deadlines for the mandatory installation and operation of ADS-B Out approaching over the coming months, including in the USA and Europe, the technology can no longer be ignored by business aviation operators. Simon Hocquard is director general of CANSO, the global trade association for air navigation service providers. He is genuinely excited about the new technology, which he calls a "game-changer". He says, "When I was working as a controller in the UK it never ceased to amaze me that aircraft would disappear as they travelled over the North Atlantic and then reappear on the other side. You would count them on the way in and way out. To have the capability now to see aircraft anywhere in the world at any time is extraordinary." Deadline exceptions Such a large advance in ATC technology impacts the way business aviation flights are planned and managed. But the immediate consideration for business and general aviation has been fitting out aircraft to ensure they meet the mandated deadlines for ADS-B Out (see box ADS-B basics). With a fleet of thousands of aircraft, one of the most contentious issues in the USA has been what happens if an aircraft is not ADS-B Out equipped in time for the FAA's January deadline. In April, the FAA issued a policy that outlined how aircraft without ADS-B may be able to operate in restricted airspace. The exception gives aircraft one-off allowances at ATC's discretion and will be used when an aircraft that normally operates outside of an ADS-B mandated environment needs to move through an ADS-B mandated environment. David Kang, Avplan trip support account manager says, "This is not a waiver or permit for ADS-B. The FAA has stated clearly that multiple requests in a short time period will not be allowed. These exemptions will likely be applied to foreign aircraft, ferry/delivery aircraft and medical emergencies. "There is no reasonable way of getting around this mandate for any corporate flight department. Quite simply, those who do not have it installed will find themselves grounded," Kang adds. Aircraft without ADS-B equipped will not be able to operate in Class A, B or C airspace, or any airspace above 10,000 ft mean sea level over the contiguous 48 states. The extent of airspace covered by the ADS-B mandate means flight and support will be "virtually impossible" if a charter operator's aircraft does not have ADS-B, believes Kang. "The case-by-case exception is coordinated at the time of departure with ATC and there is no guarantee the operator will be cleared - this makes planning an operation extremely problematic. "At the trip support company's end, we cannot help the operator get the clearance with ATC. The operator has to become compliant before planning any operations." Space gains Eventually, ADS-B will become the primary communication method between air traffic controllers and aircraft. ADS-B technology also shifts the primary navigation method to GPS and will use radio beacons and radar as a secondary method. In the future, very high frequency omni-directional range (VOR) navigation systems will be gradually decommissioned as they become unnecessary. An ADS-B transmitter will report telemetry once per second, while current transponders vary anywhere from once every 3 to 12 seconds. Kang says, "If you are flying in a congested airspace like metro New York, 12 seconds is an eternity for controllers to not be entirely sure where an operator is. "This is a major change to flight operations around the world. Whether one thinks it is good or not is immaterial - but what is clear is that it is a necessity if we want to fit more aircraft into the same airspace." Safety benefits The primary advantage ADS-B provides to business aviation is the facilitation of better communications with aircraft, which alongside the constant stream of location data, provides gains in safety. Kang says, "Most air traffic incidents happen from miscommunication and this technology will help to mitigate that. "The steady stream of telemetry from the aircraft also means we can more reliably track aircraft to offer ground support. If an aircraft needs to divert, we will see it happening in real-time, so a sudden change of plans will be immediately actioned. "Currently, if something does go wrong mid-flight, we may only know about it after the crew lands somewhere and calls in. Until then, the crew is basically on its own. With this technology, we can always have someone watching over them wherever they are." Kang says, "Business aircraft that are properly equipped will also gain access to airspaces, procedures and airports that are normally only available to airlines. "The efficiency of air traffic operations will also increase as we switch to global positioning satellite systems as the primary navigation method. Flight routes will become more direct with less intermediate fixes. "Flying over VORs as a navigation fix will become a thing of the past as navigational precision increases. And, while more direct routing may only shave off a few minutes per leg, over the course of a year, that can turn into hours of flight time saved. This also reduces fuel burn, and general wear and tear on aircraft. As well as safety improvements, the advent of ADS-B Out will have help to reduce costs. For example, Nav Canada and NATS are using it across the North Atlantic already. A recent study has shown that it saves up to US$300 per flight over the North Atlantic. "Space-based ADS-B will change how people do air traffic control," says Hocquard. "There's huge momentum behind it." Space-based ADS-B also means nations yet to build infrastructure for air traffic management can effectively jump forward in terms of air traffic management (ATM) without a large and costly investment. This could potentially open up new markets to business aviation. "For example, in Africa it's difficult to build radar installations because of the distances involved. Other parts of the world are really mountainous. Now an ANSP can buy the surveillance information about an aircraft's position and jump straight to the next generation of ATM technology," says Hocquard. European changes Aaron Child is responsible for business aviation marketing in Europe, the Middle East and Africa for Collins Aerospace. He agrees that amongst airspace modernization initiatives, ADS-B out is of vital importance. "The intent is to give ATC more capacity to handle more traffic, decrease delays, and control costs. These are all good things," he says. "European air traffic is increasing steadily every year and over each of the last five years delays have also increased. Eurocontrol statistics show that enroute ATC capacity is the number one reason for delays." Similarly to US aircraft, an ADS-B upgrade for most European aircraft, which should be equipped for Flight ID, will involve a new transponder and GPS. Aircraft which already have a flight management system with LPV (localizer performance with vertical guidance) are unlikely to need to upgrade their GPS, believes Childs. "Most installations require only a minor amount of wiring. There may be other associated equipment to upgrade or install. We generally promote comprehensive upgrade packages so that the operators can benefit from operational benefits in addition to meeting the mandate," he adds. Collins's ARINCDirect flight planning operations and communications services already includes flight tracking by FlightAware, which incorporates ADS-B and other data points. Space-based ADS-B will be offered as an option in the package, says Child: "Aircraft operators will gain from real-time updates and improved decision-making and hazard avoidance in what is an increasingly complex, but better-managed airspace system." Despite the availability of upgrade paths, according to the Single European Sky ATM Research deployment manager, which oversees the introduction of new ATC technology in Europe, as of July 2019 less than 50% of aircraft had been equipped for ADS-B. The European deadline for ADS-B is June 7, 2020. European aircraft flying to the US will also be required to have ADS-B equipment by January 2020. Childs says, "The biggest issue is timing. You don't want to be caught in a rush or be delayed due to a backlog for installation. It's best to plan ahead and beat the rush. "Feedback from our dealer network indicates that operators are requesting quotations to make the upgrade, but not all are taking action to sign for the install. Even though installs are picking up in frequency, a backlog appears to be forming." Perhaps the continuous upgrading of avionics is what is causing operators to procrastinate over delays, although in the case of ADS-B Out, the mandatory nature of the upgrade and its benefits make avoiding it entirely a tactic unlikely to be successful. ADS-B Out is also just one of several space-based technologies on the horizon for avionics which are intended to improve communications and the flow of air traffic. "We can't guarantee operation forever, but the best path to future-proof is to follow the recommendations of the aircraft manufacturer and avionics manufacturer. This is the most likely way to stay in the planned life cycle of the avionics and OEM-approved installations," says Childs. "ADS-B is just the starting point," says Kang. "This technology is the gateway for all future airspace developments and policies. Allowing airspace to be fuller while becoming safer is a win-win." https://www.businessairportinternational.com/features/what-can-ads-b-offer-the-business-aviation-sector.html Back to Top Safety Experts Slam Boeing And FAA For Design And Approval Of 737 Max Jets A new report from a group of international aviation safety experts sharply criticizes both Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration for the way the 737 Max airplane was developed and certified to fly. All 737 Max jets around the world remain grounded and under orders to not fly passengers following crashes in Indonesia last October and Ethiopia in March that together killed 346 people. Investigators link both crashes to a new automated flight control system on the plane known as MCAS, which acted on faulty data from a single angle of attack sensor and repeatedly forced the planes into uncontrollable nose dives. In its report, commissioned by the FAA, the Joint Authorities Technical Review panel finds that Boeing withheld critical details about MCAS from the FAA, saying MCAS "was not evaluated as a complete and integrated function in the certification documents that (Boeing) submitted to the FAA." The panel finds that Boeing told the FAA the MCAS system existed in a broad framework, but the company did not fully explain what the MCAS systems would do nor how forcefully it would push the nose of the plane down. The FAA appointed the JATR in April to independently evaluate the design and certification processes for the 737 Max. The group includes technical experts from the FAA who were not involved in the certification of the 737 Max and from NASA, as well as representatives from the civil aviation authorities in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. Former National Transportation Safety Board chairman Christopher Hart headed up the review, and in a conference call with reporters Friday afternoon, he said that as the MAX was being reviewed for FAA certification, MCAS changed "from a relatively benign system to a not-so-benign system without adequate knowledge by the FAA." Hart says the review did not find any evidence of a deliberate effort by Boeing to mislead regulators; instead, he blamed poor communication. "The information and discussions about MCAS were so fragmented and were delivered to disconnected groups," the JATR report says, so it it "was difficult (for the FAA) to recognize the impacts and implications of this system." The report goes on to criticize the FAA for lacking sufficient personnel with the expertise needed to fully evaluate such complex systems. An FAA program designates some oversight functions in the certification process to employees of the manufacturer, but the report is calling for significant changes in that program as the review finds that the employees charged with doing significant parts of the certification work faced "undue pressure" from management to remain on schedule and keep costs down. Boeing designed the Max to be a more fuel-efficient version of its previous version of the 737, called the NG, for next generation. The airplane manufacturer was under pressure to develop the plane quickly to compete with a new fuel efficient jet being offered by its main competitor, Airbus. The report also raises questions about the increased use of automation in airplanes and pilots' abilities to step in and take over if automation fails. "This is not just an airplane problem, but an airplane-slash-pilot problem," said Hart in the conference call, adding that the FAA and regulators around the world need to better recognize "this new reality of super-complex automation and pilots not necessarily understanding how to operate it." "As automation becomes more and more complex, pilots are less likely to fully understand it and more likely to have problems and more likely to encounter scenarios in real operations that they haven't seen even in a simulator," he said. In a statement, FAA Administrator Stephen Dickson said the agency will review the 12 recommendations from the JATR, and while he did not commit to implementing all of them, some changes within the FAA and its certification process are already underway. "We welcome this scrutiny and are confident our openness to these efforts will further bolster aviation safety worldwide," Dickson said. Boeing said in a statement it will work with the FAA to review the panel's recommendations and that the company is working to "continuously improve the process and approach used to validate and certify airplanes going forward." https://www.npr.org/2019/10/11/769609684/safety-experts-slam-boeing-and-faa-for-design-and-approval-of-737-max-jets Back to Top NASA's supersonic X-59 QueSST coming together at Skunk Works In the high desert of California, where some of the most important aircraft in aviation history have been built and flown, the next airplane destined to take its place among those aeronautical icons continues to take shape on a legendary factory floor. That airplane is NASA's X-59 QueSST (short for Quiet SuperSonic Technology), an experimental piloted aircraft designed to fly faster than sound without producing the annoying - if not sometimes alarming - sonic booms of previous supersonic aircraft. That factory is better known as the Skunk Works, a renowned Lockheed Martin division that for the past 76 years has used an out-of-the-box approach to design and manufacturing that has produced the nation's most advanced airplanes. Now that legacy continues as the company assembles the X-59 for NASA in Palmdale, California, where, for the first time since the initial machined parts were delivered in November 2018, workers can see the familiar outline of an airplane forming. "It's pretty obvious when you look at it on the production floor. You can see there's an aircraft starting to get built," said Craig Nickol, NASA's project manager for the X-59, which also is known as the Low Boom Flight Demonstrator. And with the recent completion in September of a major project milestone - known as the Critical Design Review, or CDR - the X-59 will rapidly accelerate its evolution from an airplane on paper toward an airplane ready to roll out of the factory and take flight. "The CDR showed us the design was mature enough to continue into the next phase and essentially finish the assembly," Nickol said, noting the next milestone will come in December when an independent review board will present their findings from the CDR - a gathering known as a Key Decision Point. "They'll go through their review of the CDR, present any findings or issues that need to be addressed and then will make a recommendation if we should proceed with the project," Nickol said. Based on the results from the CDR, no show-stopping issues were identified and the pace of assembly work on the X-59 is already ramping up. "I think now the rubber is really hitting the road as we have dozens of parts coming in each week that we've completed the design engineering on and will be ready for installation," said Mike Buonanno, a Lockheed Martin aerospace engineer who is the company's vehicle lead for the X-59. "We're on track to meet all the key performance requirements of the airplane, including those driven by its shape, which is so essential to the mission of the X-59," Buonanno said. The Shape of the Mission The X-59's mission is to gather data that has the potential to aid in the opening of a new era of commercial supersonic air travel over land. Here's the deal: During the 1960's, as both the United States and Europe were developing a civilian supersonic transport - the SST and Concorde, respectively - the general public made it known they did not want to endure the constant annoyance of sonic booms from airplanes flying over their work and homes. So, in 1973, after several years of research and due process, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) banned aircraft from flying over land faster than Mach 1 - the speed of sound, which can vary based on temperature and atmospheric conditions. That would prevent the loud sonic booms. Although the SST program was cancelled in 1971, the Concorde went on to fly for British Airways and Air France from 1976 to 2003, its supersonic cruising near the United States limited to only over the Atlantic Ocean. Still, the demand for commercial supersonic air travel continued, which prompted this question: What if you could fly a supersonic airplane that didn't produce loud sonic booms? What if, for those on the ground below, those sonic booms were quiet enough not to be an annoyance, or perhaps not heard at all? That's what the X-59 is going to help find out. Based on decades of research into supersonic flight that included work in wind tunnels, testing concepts on aircraft in flight, and using powerful supercomputers to run simulations, NASA's aeronautical innovators think they've come up with a solution. By carefully designing the aircraft's shape and overall configuration, engineers have found a way to manipulate the shockwaves coming off an airplane flying supersonic so they don't produce sonic booms as intense as those the public is wary of. It will be the X-59's job to validate those theories, and once that's done the airplane will go on the road, so to speak, and be flown over several U.S. communities (yet to be selected) so residents below can provide reactions to what they might or might not hear. That data will then be passed on to the FAA and international regulators who, it is hoped, will use that information to help rewrite the rules so that supersonic flight over land is regulated based on noise levels and not the arbitrary speed of Mach 1. When that happens, a major hurdle will be cleared for the nation's aviation community to move forward in establishing a new market for commercial supersonic flight over land, where people and packages can get to their destinations in half the time. Skunk Works' Rules Perhaps it's only fitting the future of commercial supersonic aviation in the form of the X-59 is being built by the company responsible for the fastest airplane in history - the SR-71 Blackbird - using innovative production processes that go back 76 years. "The purpose of us building the X-59 at the Skunk Works isn't really for us to pioneer new manufacturing technologies. It's to use what we know works well to get the airplane built and flying for our customer," Buonanno said. That's not to say the company isn't using the most modern technology available in delivering their aircraft. It is. But what makes the Skunk Works unique in its approach to manufacturing is embodied in 14 rules originated by aviation legend Kelly Johnson, who led the Lockheed team in World War II that designed and built the nation's first jet fighter - the XP-80 - in only 143 days. Those rules call for small teams, simple approaches, close communication, streamlined paths of authority, and a healthy dose of common sense all summarized by the words quick, quiet, and quality. Today that manufacturing heritage is guiding Lockheed Martin as it builds the one-of-a-kind X-59. "We still hold true to those rules that Kelly Johnson came up with 76 years ago, especially of having engineers on the floor ready to respond to issues, with the key goals of keeping drills drilling and wrenches turning on a regular basis," said Tom Alexander, Lockheed Martin's special projects operations manager. The X-59 assembly work taking place on the Lockheed Martin production floor is concentrated within three major sections of tooling. The forward jig is home to the X-59's fuselage, the center section to the airplane's single-piece wing, and the rear jig is set up for the fabrication of the airplane's tail holding the vertical fin and the horizontal stabilizer - a section also known as the empennage. Most of the activity right now is focused on the fuselage and wing jigs, but the empennage section (which also includes the airplane's single jet engine) will receive more attention starting in November, all of which keeps things right on schedule going into 2020. "By about a year from now they should have most of this aircraft assembled and the subassemblies mated together. And a little over a year from now this aircraft should be ready to go into major testing," Nickol said. Initial flight tests to ensure the vehicle is operating well in 2021 will be followed by a series of supersonic flights to validate if it is producing quieter sonic booms as expected. After that, the X-59 will begin its community overflights to gather public response data, with the plan to present that information to the FAA and others in 2023. "Sometimes building an airplane is a little tough but having that exciting end goal really helps keep the team energized," Buonanno said. X-59 Assembly Update Outtake Aviation trivia buffs take note: the answer is C612. After years of working on a preliminary design and then months of fine-tuning the many engineering drawings and resulting configurations for an airplane like this, that's the number for the final version of the X-59. "The exterior lines of the airplane, what we call the outer mold line, are now frozen. This is the way the X-59 will look, although we might have to make some very minor changes, such as where we put antennas," Nickol said. That external look also includes a red, white, and blue paint scheme designed to accentuate the supersonic jet's unique, sonic-boom-quieting shape. While that won't change, some of the logos and related markings will be updated when Lockheed Martin officially turns over ownership of the airplane to NASA. Internally, meanwhile, the story is the same. The design is set, although small adjustments may be needed based on experience gained during the ongoing manufacturing, assembly, and integration process. "We don't expect to have any further configuration level updates, meaning there won't be a C613," Nickol said. http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/NASAs_supersonic_X_59_QueSST_coming_together_at_Skunk_W orks_999.html Back to Top NASA chief: SpaceX and Boeing have critical tests ahead but could fly astronauts in early 2020 LOS ANGELES - SpaceX and Boeing are each in the final stages of developing the spacecraft needed for the U.S. to once again fly astronauts, with NASA's leader estimating launches may happen as early as the first months of 2020. "I think both systems could be ready in the first quarter of next year," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine told CNBC on Thursday. But, while SpaceX and Boeing may be close to completing work on their respective Crew Dragon and Starliner capsules, Bridenstine emphasized that the current timeline is very fluid given the critical nature of the final tests. Bridenstine spoke to CNBC following a briefing with SpaceX founder Elon Musk at the company's headquarters. Bridenstine hopes to see both companies quickly reach the point of being able to safely launch NASA astronauts. The capsules are being built under NASA's Commercial Crew program, which is the agency's solution to end reliance on Russian Soyuz spacecraft. In 2014, NASA awarded contracts to SpaceX for up to $2.6 billion and Boeing for up to $4.2 billion. Future Commercial Crew contracts would be up for grabs, as NASA would look to buy seats on Boeing's Starliner capsule and SpaceX's Crew Dragon. Delays have plagued the program, as NASA intended the first launches to happen as early as 2017. As much as Bridenstine wants to see the first crewed flights come soon, he believes the schedule is much less important than the tests that remain. "Whether it's Starliner or Crew Dragon both these programs are still under development," Bridenstine. Boeing has yet to complete a launchpad emergency test, as well as fly Starliner to space without crew. SpaceX needs to re-certify Crew Dragon's emergency rocket engines, after a test failure in April destroyed a capsule, and will complete a high altitude emergency flight test. "Which means that, while we go through these test processes, we are going to learn things that need to be reviewed, where we need to take deeper dives, maybe make some modifications," Bridenstine said. "So when I say the first quarter of next year for human spaceflight, what I mean is if things all go right. Things all going right is not the history when you talk about development programs" A Boeing official on Wednesday revealed that the company plans to conduct its uncrewed test flight of Starliner on Dec. 17. Much like SpaceX's Demo-1 mission in March, the flight to orbit represents a key milestone under the Commercial Crew program. "Is December 17, the right date? I honestly don't know," Bridenstine said. "But I know that they are moving hardware very rapidly to get it to the Kennedy Space Center." NASA's safety reviews The agency began conducting safety reviews of both SpaceX and Boeing earlier this year, a process which includes interviews of hundreds of employees. The review came after Musk smoked marijuana during a videotaped podcast in September 2018. Musk's pot-smoking upset high level NASA officials, according to the Washington Post, causing the agency to conduct a cultural assessment study. The reviews of both companies are ongoing, Bridenstine said. Asked whether the results will be made publicly available, Bridenstine said that will be at the companies' discretion. "I'm going to get briefed by the end of the month" on the safety reviews, Bridenstine said. "It's really for SpaceX, I mean, it is a safety review for them. If they want to make it public, I think that they should do that," Bridenstine added. He emphasized that he doesn't think "there's much a story there" in the results of the safety reviews. "Quite frankly, I think both companies are operating really responsibly, and making sure that their cultures are safe," Bridenstine said. "And so, as we get close to launching astronauts on rockets again, it's not just NASA that needs to be safe, it's our commercial partners that need to be safe." The parachute obstacle One of the challenges facing all of NASA's current human spaceflight programs is the use of parachutes to slow spacecraft down as they come back to Earth. "People think that parachutes are easy; they're really not," Bridenstine said. "These parachutes affect SpaceX, and it affects Boeing and affects Lockheed Martin on Orion and affects all of our programs under development," Bridenstine said. "When we are learning we are sharing with all of our partners and they're all going to benefit and our parachutes will be the safest parachutes in history." NASA has used parachutes as a braking method since the early days of human spaceflight over half a century ago. But Bridenstine said that one of the key lessons learned recently is "asymmetry in parachute deployment," explaining how the agency better understands how tension is distributed among the parachutes' cords. "Historically, NASA would look at that and say 'okay, well, we will make sure that it has 1.1 times whatever the safety margin that we agreed on was," Bridenstine said. "What we have learned is that the dynamics of that asymmetry is a lot worse than 1.1 times." That's meant developing and testing new materials, to verify the parachutes can withstand the stress. SpaceX is working on a "Mark 3" series of parachutes, which Musk said "are possibly 10 times safer" than the parachutes the company was previously testing. But that will require the company to conduct more drop tests, where it releases a weight from an aircraft to simulate the parachutes opening above the spacecraft. "We could see as many as 10 drop tests between now and the end of the year," Bridenstine said. "And depending on how the next 10 drop tests go, we will know how many more drops tests we are going to add." "Some of those issues are important, but the highest priority has been the parachutes," Bridenstine added. "And Elon has told me and he's showed me now that that's where their priority is, they are putting as much resources and manpower as they can and getting those parachutes ready." https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/13/nasas-bridenstine-spacex-and-boeing-could-fly-astronauts-early-2020.html Curt Lewis