September 17, 2020 - No. 070 In This Issue Jet Aviation Adds Montana FBO to Network Raytheon cutting 15,000 jobs at Pratt & Whitney, Collins Aerospace and corporate offices National Aviation Academy Awards Aviation Maintenance Scholarships, Increases Upcoming Opportunities Bell Expands European Mx Foothold How Qantas Hibernates Its Planes: Rotating Wheels, Deep Cleans, Covering Holes & More! How Fuel Contamination Threatens Grounded Aircraft Coronavirus recovery: Will France's 150 airports survive? Microsoft releases second Flight Simulator patch with a ton of fixes and improvement Airbus to keep NASA's H135 helicopters flying for up to 10 years BAE Systems contracted for new technology to revolutionize aviation industry Contestants will compete for a SpaceX trip to the International Space Station in new reality TV show Jet Aviation Adds Montana FBO to Network Jet Aviation has acquired Arlin's Aircraft Services, one of two FBOs at Montana's Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport. Arlin's, which will retain its aircraft maintenance operation, has provided aviation service at the airport since 1979. Its facility there includes a 5,000-sq-ft terminal with passenger lobby, two pilot lounges, shower facilities, conference room, flight-planning area, and crew cars, along with more than 60,000 sq ft of hangar space with 27-foot high hangar doors. According to the General Dynamics subsidiary, plans call for a renovation of the terminal, the upgrading of ground service equipment, and the construction of a new hangar capable of sheltering the latest ultra-long-range business jets. The staff at the facility will be retained. For Basel, Switzerland-based Jet Aviation, this represents its ninth location in the U.S. and 33rd worldwide. "Arlin's FBO in Bozeman is a most welcome addition to our FBO network," said David Best, Jet Aviation's senior v-p and general manager for the Americas. "As the gateway to Yellowstone National Park and in close proximity to the Yellowstone Club and Big Sky Resort, Bozeman is Montana's busiest airport and a key destination for our aircraft management and charter customers." https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2020-09-16/jet-aviation-adds-montana-fbo-network Back to Top Raytheon cutting 15,000 jobs at Pratt & Whitney, Collins Aerospace and corporate offices in response to slump in aviation The chief executive officer of Raytheon Technologies Corp. said Wednesday the aerospace and defense giant will cut 15,000 commercial aerospace jobs this year at Pratt & Whitney, Collins Aerospace and in corporate offices in response to the steep drop in aviation caused by COVID-19. CEO Greg Hayes, speaking at an analysts' conference, said Waltham, Mass.-based Raytheon is nearly doubling the job cuts from 8,500 announced in July "and we're not done yet looking for further ways to reduce structural costs in all of our businesses." It will take until at least 2023 for the air travel business to recover, Hayes said, which will have a lasting impact on East Hartford-based Pratt, which manufactures and services jet engines. Hayes did not detail how the job cuts would be spread between Pratt, Collins and corporate offices. The impact on jobs in Connecticut is unclear. The cuts will save about $2 billion in cost reduction and $4 billion in "cash conservation" this year, he said. The reductions represent a 20% cut in sales and administrative costs and at Pratt & Whitney. And the reductions represent about a 12% reduction at Collins, Hayes said. Collins Aerospace is headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., and employs about 5,000 workers at Windsor Locks and Cheshire. Mike Stone, directing business representative at the Machinists union that represents about 3,300 Pratt & Whitney workers in East Hartford and Middletown, said he believes furloughs and retirements have been sufficient to satisfy spending cuts. "Could they drop a bomb on me that I don't know?" he said. "You know they could." As recently as 2019 Pratt had about 13,000 workers in Middletown and East Hartford. In 2018, with aircraft and Pentagon orders surging, Raytheon, then known as United Technologies Corp., announced it planned to hire 35,000 workers over the next five years. Boeing said last month it's offering buyouts to employees for a second time this year and Airbus said in June it would slash 15,000 jobs. Hayes said the defense side of the conglomerate is strong and Raytheon is adding more than 8,000 jobs. But he does not expect a recovery in air traffic to 2019 levels "until somewhere around 2023." "Now that whether that's the beginning of '23, the end of '23, it really depends upon the timing of the vaccine," he said. As of Sep. 4, commercial air traffic is down about 45% globally, an improvement from a low of 80% in March, Hayes said. Airlines are deferring maintenance by using up "green time" on engines, or early retirement for planes, allowing fleets to swap engines that still have time for use, he said. For planes still flying but nearing the end of their engine life, swapping in "green-time engines" allows airlines to delay engine repairs. As a result, Pratt & Whitney has taken a financial hit. It posted a rare loss of $151 million in the quarter that ended June 30. Revenue of $3.6 billion was down 30% from the second quarter of 2019. Hayes said that in previous downturns, Pratt & Whitney benefited from a spike in engine repair and maintenance. "But again that is not a today or tomorrow story," he said. "That is going to be several years out." Investors were unfazed. Shares of Raytheon rose 2.4%, closing at $62.92. Raytheon also will cut costs by reducing office space. The conglomerate is not using "very much" of 31 million square feet and initially aimed to cut it by about 10%, or 3 million square feet, by consolidating offices and quitting leases, Hayes said. The company now expects to drive that reduction up to 20% or 25% over the next four or five years, he said. https://www.courant.com/business/hc-biz-raytheon-job-cuts-20200916-h4xcvgtxnrdzrowyiuvepruv5y-story.html Back to Top National Aviation Academy Awards Aviation Maintenance Scholarships, Increases Upcoming Opportunities for Hands-On Learners Winners of National Aviation Academy's Charles E. Taylor Scholarship have been awarded for the 2019-2020 school year, and applications are now being accepted for 2020-2021. This scholarship recognizes and encourages students pursuing careers in aviation maintenance, as well as promotes the future of aviation and, specifically, highly-trained airframe and powerplant (A&P) mechanics. Charles E. Taylor was an American inventor, mechanic and machinist. He built the first aircraft engine and was a vital contributor to mechanical skills in the building and maintaining of early aircraft. Known as the "Father of Aviation Maintenance," Taylor exemplifies the hands-on skills necessary to drive innovation into the future. National Aviation Academy's High School Scholarship is named in his honor. After careful consideration, $7,000 in scholarship funding was awarded by National Aviation Academy to students from J.W. Mitchell High School, St. Petersburg High School, East Bay High School, F.W. Springstead High School, Palm Harbor University High School, Osceola Fundamental High School, and Taylor Academy. Recipients were selected based on their performance and drive as a student, and their understanding of the demand for and value of hands-on skills. The Charles E. Taylor Scholarship is now available for the 2020-2021 school year. Changes to this scholarship will expand eligibility to individuals in additional counties and to GED recipients. Awardees can apply scholarship funds to tuition at National Aviation Academy's Tampa Bay or New England campus. Furthermore, up to 10 additional $1,000 scholarships have been added for the upcoming year, increasing the total scholarship funds available to interested students to $20,000. By expanding this scholarship's reach, NAA increases its investment in and opportunity for the next generation of aviation maintenance technicians, who are essential to the aviation industry. https://www.aviationpros.com/education-training/schools-colleges/press-release/21154720/national-aviation-academy-national-aviation-academy-awards-aviation-maintenance-scholarships-increases-upcoming-opportunities-for-handson-learners Back to Top Bell Expands European Mx Foothold Bell Textron has expanded its service network to Europe with a pair of authorized maintenance center (AMC) appointments this week. The Fort Worth, Texas-based rotorcraft manufacturer named Aero Club in Konstancin-Jeziorna, Poland, and Air Service International (ASI) in Billund, Denmark, as its two new AMCs in the region. Aero Club is Bell's first named European AMC and will provide maintenance for the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X light single and 407 light twin. "We are excited to announce Bell's first AMC in Europe," said Bell managing director for Europe and Russia Duncan Van De Velde. "It's important to ensure local support to our customers, and with this new Polish AMC, it provides Bell operators a sense of security that they can have maintenance or work performed on their aircraft that has been vetted and approved by Bell." Aero Club will augment Bell's service center in Prague with local field maintenance services. In Denmark, ASI will provide field maintenance for the 505 as well as the 206A/B/L light single helicopters. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2020-09-16/bell-expands-european-mx-foothold Back to Top How Qantas Hibernates Its Planes: Rotating Wheels, Deep Cleans, Covering Holes & More! Qantas has lots of its planes in hibernation right now, ranging from its A380s to 737s. So how does Qantas maintain its aircraft as they wait for their return to the sky? Unlike your car or another piece of equipment, planes need a lot of maintenance to keep them airworthy. Let's find out what Qantas' planes do in hibernation. Care and attention Putting a plane into hibernation is not as easy as just parking them and forgetting them until their next flight. A recent release from Qantas News Room details what exactly goes into maintaining grounded aircraft to keep them airworthy for the future. Before their time on the ground, Qantas kickstarts the process with a deep cleaning of the plane. This includes wiping down every surface onboard, from the tray tables to carpets, with an industrial-grade disinfectant. Deep cleaning usually occurs every few months, but this year's crisis has made it much more frequent and likely a term you may have heard before. There are a lot of sensitive parts of the plane that need regular maintenance. First up are the tires. They need to be rotated every one to two weeks to prevent flat spots on the surface. The rotation can either be done by tugging the plane around the tarmac or jacking them to rotate them in the air. The plane's landing gear is also given a frequent coating of hydraulic fluid to prevent any kind of rusting. Engine and other nooks Other incredibly important items are the engines, especially considering that an A380 engine can cost up to $25 million. To ensure that no moisture builds up inside them, massive silica packets (like those in packing boxes) are placed in engines. One plane can use hundreds of kilograms of silica packets to maintain the right humidity levels in the engine and cabin. One important reason why planes go to storage facilities in the desert for long-term parking is the warm and arid conditions there. Moisture can corrode critical parts of the airplane, costing airlines millions to repair them. Qantas has sent all of its A380s and most 787s for long-term storage in the Mojave Desert in the US. Much like the tires, the engines also need to be fired every one to two weeks. After a quick run of the engines, they are shut down and sealed to prevent any unwelcome guests. When the planes are ready to fly again, the engines are rechecked to make sure nothing went wrong in storage. Speaking of unwelcome guests, maintenance teams need to close off any open external openings, such as sensors, to prevent insects from entering these holes. The Auxillary Power Unit outlet at the back of the plane serves as a particularly lovely place for birds to nest, so it's essential to cover those well. Hibernation is temporary Unlike mothballing a plane, hibernation is a temporary process. Airlines spend thousands of dollars for parking and maintenance of planes while they are temporarily out of use. Qantas plans to park its A380s for up to three years, and its 787s for under one year. With it more than likely that the planes will return to service, airlines have to ensure the planes are airworthy at the end of their nap. https://simpleflying.com/how-qantas-hibernates-its-planes/ Back to Top How Fuel Contamination Threatens Grounded Aircraft COVID-19 continues to decimate the global aviation sector. At its peak, more than 16,000 passenger jets were grounded worldwide, according to industry researcher Cirium. Many of these aircraft have been in "active storage" with some fuel remaining in the tanks. Although that fuel is often treated with biocide, the threat of microbial contamination still exists. This is because fuel is warm for extended periods without being in flight and fuel is also static, so "hotspots" of contamination may occur that are very difficult to detect. But how can the operators ensure that the planes and fuel are safe when operations begin? And how can they manage contamination testing regimes with aircraft scattered over airfields away from usual lab testing facilities? Microbial contamination is not a new problem for aircraft and the vast majority of airlines test for this phenomenon in line with International Air Transport Association (IATA) and manufacturer guidelines. Now the disastrous COVID-19 pandemic has left their assets out of service and strewn across airfields around the world. Microbial contamination covers multiple types of organisms, including bacteria, mold and yeast - the presence of which will vary according to individual site conditions based on factors including temperature and humidity. The lead organism is most often Hormoconis resinae (H.res), which has a filamentous (long stranded) fungi structure. This acts as a binding material for other micro-organisms to cling to, which results in the formation of layers of biomass in the fuel. This can block filters and fuel lines, adding to maintenance activities, costs and risks to safety. Furthermore, and particularly important with grounded aircraft, these biomass layers generate organic acids that pit corrode the metal surfaces they touch, causing damage to fuel tanks and other ancillary equipment. If left untreated, this can lead to costly damage to structures, potentially cost millions of dollars or a complete write-off in extreme cases. In normal operation, unscheduled aircraft downtime equates to loss of precious revenue, but also the possible additional pay-out for passenger compensation if flights are significantly delayed or canceled. Frequency of Testing for Microbial Contamination Accurate testing at the correct intervals can help engineers determine the correct testing frequencies - the objective being to intervene at the earliest and cheapest opportunity, well before the contamination is classified as "heavy" and requires intensive remedial actions. If heavy contamination levels are reached, a full clean of a three-tank aircraft can cost in excess of $100,000 plus three or four days of lost revenue while the aircraft is on the ground. In total this could be anywhere up to around $2 million. Airlines manage the risk of contamination through periodic testing of fuel. The interval between tests will depend on the aircraft manufacturer's guidelines and a risk assessment carried out by the airline. The risk is higher for aircraft located in hot, humid regions where the micro-organisms can really thrive. In the Asia-Pacific region, for example, the time from cleaning a fuel tank to heavy contamination can be as little as three months. Therefore, testing every month is not uncommon. In colder regions, such as Scandinavia, the risk assessment may mean testing once every 12 to 18 months may be sufficient. In normal operation, aircraft may fly up to eight times per day. At altitude, temperatures way below 20 degrees C stop microbiological growth. However, the frequency of flights during the COVID-19 outbreak has dropped significantly and, subsequently, the risk of microbial contamination has greatly increased for assets in active storage with some fuel still in their tanks. This has meant the interval for fuel testing has dropped as low as once every 14 days: 24 times greater than standard recommended testing intervals. What is more, these aircraft are not necessarily at their usual base location for maintenance, making it difficult and costly to collect and send fuel samples to laboratories for testing. This is further compounded by travel restrictions in various countries due to the pandemic. The practicalities of third-party laboratory testing during unprecedented periods of inactivity and lockdown has created a new challenge for airlines. The transport of fuel samples not only adds costs and logistical problems to operations, these samples also need to be transported in a controlled environment so that micro-organisms present in the sample are not compromised, leading to a false test result. Quite simply, many airlines are finding that the increased frequency of testing for aircraft across multiple airfields is not physically or financially possible, or just very difficult. Even if fuel has been treated with biocide, the biocide is only effective on the amount of fuel actually in the tank, which may be only 15 percent of full payload, contamination levels still need to be monitored to ensure it is still working. Immunoassay test kits, such as Fuelstat from Conidia Bioscience, offer an onsite alternative to laboratory testing. Now listed as an appropriate test method for all aircraft types, immunoassays have long been used in the medical industry to provide quick and accurate testing to detect specific molecules. Fuelstat uses antibodies that bind to a specific antigen to detect its presence and produce a measurable signal in response to this binding that can be used to assess fuel contamination levels. Microbial contamination correlates to the activity of microbial growth in the sample. The amount of antigen produced when micro-organisms grow in the fuel is measured for a known sample size. This shows the presence of micro-organisms actively growing in the fuel and gives indication of contamination levels. Immunoassay testing provides accurate levels of contamination for all major aerobic contaminants that are known to be fuel degrading and cause issues to fuel systems. Immunoassay test kits are a low-cost, accurate testing option, providing results in line with industry guidelines on acceptable levels of microbial contamination, with a clear "yes" or "no" as to whether the fuel is contaminated. The kits indicate the level of contamination using a "traffic light" system, giving the engineer the necessary data to decide whether biocide dosing or a complete fuel drain and tank clean is needed. No special training, handling, storage or disposal (beyond the usual procedures for disposal of fuel) of the test kits is required. The very nature of how the test works means that there is minimal risk of cross-contamination. An added benefit during the current global situation is that testing can be carried out by a single person and without the creation of a paperwork trail, reducing the risk of infection due to the coronavirus. These test kits have the unique added benefit of a free result app, available for a wide range of mobile devices on iOS and Android. Users scan the test kit and get instant digital verification of the test results which they can store and share. Managers have access to the report portal to track test results across all of their assets in real time, from anywhere around the globe. The process comprises taking a sample of fuel from the aircraft drain point, placing into the testing kit sample bottle and shaking. Four drops of the fuel are then put into six wells and, after 10 minutes, a clear result is given. The kits come with training videos to help interpret results, but the free app is provided to read test results from a mobile device. The whole process can be completed within 15 minutes. For the equivalent laboratory test, this could take anywhere between four and 10 days, or even longer during times of social distancing and at a time when many laboratories are experiencing high workloads due to the pandemic. The reduction in movement of aircraft during the COVID-19 outbreak has re-opened concerns over microbial contamination and the damage this can do to aircraft systems, especially when they are in hot, humid regions that facilitate the rapid growth of micro-organisms. Increased testing frequency of out of place aircraft presents a real challenge for the traditional laboratory testing associated with this phenomenon. Immunoassay test kits offer a practical, accurate, low cost solution that can be easily used onsite by a solo worker. Results are relatively instantaneous and the payback in preventing unnecessary biocide treatment or avoiding costly contamination is almost immediate. Even as events unfold and we move towards a "new normal" as social distancing and the effects of the pandemic diminish, many airlines are realizing that these kits offer a practical long-term solution to meet their testing requirements - with a process that is resilient to any future disruption to normal operations. In his role as aviation market manager, David Mitchell deals with all commercial aviation and associated services for Conidia Bioscience Limited. He is responsible for technical liaison with customers regarding potential fuel microbial contamination issues, including training and implementation of testing solutions. Mitchell works closely with the global distribution partner, Boeing Distribution Inc (formally Aviall), as well as attending global and virtual conferences and discussions with IATA and other aviation associations. https://www.aviationpros.com/gse/fueling-equipment-accessories/quality-control/article/21149610/how-fuel-contamination-threatens-grounded-aircraft Back to Top Coronavirus recovery: Will France's 150 airports survive? The French government has allocated €15billion to sustain the sector, which the International Air Transport Association says is facing 466,100 job losses in France alone. The industry must also confront environmental challenges, including a move to greener energy with solar, electric and hybrid planes. Despite all this, award-winning French aviation journalist Gil Roy argues there is still plenty of life in France's airports - great and small. French airports affected by Covid-19 Fears that the small regional airports that provided easy pre-Covid links with the UK might be in danger will probably not materialise. There are around 150 airports in the French airports trade body - one of the highest numbers among EU countries - and even before the pandemic there were occasional calls for a rationalisation of the network. Last year, for example, some councillors in Normandy said having three council-funded airports - Le Havre, Deauville and Caen - within 30km of each other was too expensive. Author and journalist Gil Roy, who runs the Aerobuzz.fr website and who was awarded France's Médaille de l'Aéronautique for his contribution to spreading knowledge about aeronautics in France, said his opinion is that all airports will remain open. "They are owned by towns and other local government bodies, and people are very, very proud of them," he said. "Even when it involves a big financial sacrifice, people will do all they can to keep airports open, as a matter of local pride, and also because of the tangible economic and other benefits that they bring." The problem is more likely to come, he warned, from the airlines, especially low-cost providers such as Ryanair and Easyjet that serve smaller regional airports. Futures unclear "The airports are prepared to pay to continue the services they have, but it is not clear whether the airlines will return to the routes they had in the past," he said. An example of how local authorities are determined to keep their airports is Angoulême, which lengthened its runway to attract Ryanair - and then lost the service after a short time in a legal row over how much the owners of the airport should pay the airline to land there. For a while, it had regular flights linking Angoulême with Corsica during the holiday season and a regular "air taxi" linking the city with Lyon, but they also stopped. Since then, the airport has remained open, with a helicopter training school and aircraft maintenance companies providing its only revenue. A flying club also uses the facilities. Mr Roy said the legal disputes at Angoulême had served as a wake-up call to other airports. "Since then, they have been very clear that the agreements they sign with airlines and others meet all the government's rules and all Europe's rules," he said. "It is unlikely that even if the Cour des Comptes [France's official controlling body of state expenditure] opened an investigation, it would be able to fault the airports." What are Air France's plans? Air France has published a list of airports it hopes to be able to use by this month, linking the provinces with Paris Charles de Gaulle. The airports are: Biarritz, Bordeaux, Brest, Clermont Ferrand, Lorient, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Mulhouse, Nantes, Nice, Pau, Rennes, and Toulouse. In addition, services to Aurillac, Brive, Castres and Lourdes, where the airline holds a Délégation de Service Public grant to provide links to Paris, are due to start later. Bordeaux is included on the list, even though the airline was told to stop flying routes where TGV trains made the same journey in under 2h30 minutes. Air France got an exception for flights to Charles de Gaulle because the airport is a hub for international travel. Air France flights between Orly airport in Paris and Bordeaux have been scrapped. https://www.connexionfrance.com/Comment/Opinion/Coronavirus-recovery-Will-France-s-150-airports-survive Back to Top Microsoft releases second Flight Simulator patch with a ton of fixes and improvements Microsoft released the first Flight Simulator patch early this month, bringing fixes to a bunch of installation issues and stability problems. The firm then detailed the highlights of the second patch last week which it said was in the final stages of testing, giving users an overview of the areas of the game to which it was bringing improvements. Now, the firm has announced that the second patch, version 1.8.3.0, is available for all users. The update delivers a ton of fixes that include performance improvements, UI fixes, updates to ATC, aerodynamics, cockpit visuals, General Aviation (GA) systems and avionics, and fixes to issues with airliner systems and avionics. A bunch of improvements has also been made to the FMC (Flight Management Computer), such as the fix for the issue with activating approach phase or preset cruise altitudes. There are other autopilot, auto-throttle, and FMA improvements that result in accurate mode changes, and more. Apart from aircraft specific improvements, the company has also brought enhancements to the marketplace, weather, content manager, and Bush Trips. In addition to today's patch, the firm also noted on Twitter that all leaderboard data in the game will be cleared due to a maintenance activity today. The Flight Simulator team apologized for the inconvenience, suggesting that the leaderboard scores will not be recoverable for users. Here is the complete list of fixes in this patch: PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT Optimized cockpit screen display when screens are not displayed on screen. New option available to control cockpit screen update frequency. Tweaked CPU thread priorities to reduce interruption of frame critical threads. Optimized loading system to reduce overall loading times. Optimized heavy airport scenes impact on CPU. Reduced the amount of GPU overdraw to improve GPU performance. Memory optimizations to reduce software memory footprint and improve performance on memory limited computers. Overall performance optimizations. ATC Incoming ATC Azure speech has now three different voices. ATC voice gender is now based on the avatar of the pilot/copilot. Fix for the incorrect voice pack being used if the game is not localized in English and if the Windows Offline Text-to-Speech option is used. UI Filters and sorting have been improved in the marketplace. Manual cache layout has been improved and the download estimated time should now be correct. Improved support for gamepad navigation in many menus. Case sensitive search is now working properly in control screen. Search by axis in control screen has been fixed. Active pause button has been added in the toolbar. Pause button has been fixed in the Content manager. AERODYNAMICS Improved wind turbulence simulation to reduce horizontal turbulences. Added simulation of low rpm piston engine vibrations on cockpit. Added simulation of water particles (rain/clouds) density in aerodynamics => generates vibrations flying through clouds or rain. Fixed wet surface friction and braking distances. Fixed live weather wind offset in higher latitude areas (America, Asia...) that was causing the 3kts Wind bug. AIRCRAFT COCKPITS VISUALS AND ANIMATIONS Cessna 208 B Grand Caravan EX: AP buttons animations have been fixed. Cessna 208 B Grand Caravan EX, Beechcraft Bonanza G36, ICON A5: placards have been updated. Cessna 172 Skyhawk : compass texture have been improved. Zlin Savage Cub : tail wheel blur effect is now correctly triggered. Zlin Shock Ultra : arcs on airspeed indicator is correctly set. Zlin Shock Ultra : turbo mode has been removed from dashboard. Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner : MCP buttons visual improvements. GENERAL AVIATION SYSTEMS Cessna 208 B Grand Caravan EX : propeller sound has been improved when RPM is changing. Cessna Longitude : AP altitude and speed management improvements. Cessna Longitude : auto throttle is now inhibited during take off and until 400 feet AGL. Daher TBM 930 : yaw damper is now automatically turned on when the AP is enabled. Beechcraft King Air 350i : windshield deicing is now working. ICON A5 : « incorrect heading indicator » notification is now correctly triggered. Zlin Shock Ultra : flaps now operate mechanically instead of electrically. Zlin Shock Ultra : trim management improvements. Cessna Citation CJ4 : reverse thrust has been removed. Cub Crafter X Cub : IAS AP mode is now working properly. Daher TBM 930 and Cessna 208 B Grand Caravan EX : PT6 engines shutdown duration has been increased. GENERAL AVIATION AVIONICS Cessna Longitude : several knobs of the G5000 are now working. Beachcraft Baron G58, Beechcraft Bonanza G36, Cessna 172 Skyhawk G1000, Diamond DA40 NG : fixed missing ALT knob. Beechcraft King Air 350i : « menu » key is now working properly. Cessna 152 and 152 Aerobat : avionics state have been fixed using Honeycomb device battery switch. GNS 530 : flight plan display alignment has been fixed on the Garmin GNS 530. G1000 : automatically switches from NAV to LOC when needed. G1000 : ETE and ETA fixed wrong values. G1000/3000/3x : AP setup is no longer reset when enabling AP. G1000/3000/3x : fixed missing flight plan when the selected departure is coordinates on the world map. G3x : text size in « approach box » has been increased. G3x : approaches can now be selected and loaded. G3x : fixed bad information in nearest VOR page when unknown VOR is selected. AIRLINER SYSTEMS General : AP behavior improvements. Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental : rear wheels steering has been fixed. Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental : pressing the battery button now always display the ON part. Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental : improved flaps deployment and retraction sequences. Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner : fixed auto-throttle not giving back control to the pilot when disabled. Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner : center tanks drain first when decreasing fuel quantity via fuel and payload menu. Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner : auto-throttle is now automatically disengaged when landing. Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner : auto-throttle now engages correctly during take off roll when conditions are met. Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner : alt intervention no longer needs to be pressed again when not needed. Airbus A320neo : automatic speed management improvements. Airbus A320neo : alpha floor condition is now correctly triggered. AIRLINER AVIONICS General : weight is better taken into account for V speed calculations. Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental : FMC now allows to activate approach without going to route page. Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental : approach VREF speeds are fixed. Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental : empty rectangles no longer displayed on the FMA. Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental : runways are now displayed in correct order in the FMC. Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental : cruise altitude no longer automatically filled in the FMC. Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner : LNAV and VNAV correctly displayed as armed in FMA when conditions are met. Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner : altitude target on MCP can no longer be set to negative values. Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner : auto-throttle mode no longer displayed on FMA when auto-throttle is disabled. Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner : fixed wrong flaps value displayed in the FMC take off page. Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner : target heading line on ND is no longer reset while in heading mode. Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner : direct-to flight plans can now be entered in the FMC. Airbus A320neo : target altitude can now be changed when AP is disabled. Airbus A320neo : armed modes no longer appear in boxes on the FMA. Airbus A320neo : flaps « FULL » indication instead of « F » on ECAM. Airbus A320neo : FMGS message « INVALID ENTRY » replaced by « NOT ALLOWED ». Airbus A320neo : FMGS now only displays arrival procedures corresponding to the selected runway. Airbus A320neo : FMGS now correctly displays ETA for approach points. Airbus A320neo : removed remaining waypoints on ND after selecting different approach procedures. Airbus A320neo : fixed heading bug alignment offset issue. Airbus A320neo : fixed missing runway in the perf page of FMGS when a departure runway is already selected. Airbus A320neo : fixed constraints flickering on ND. Airbus A320neo : FMGS block fuel indication now correctly initialized. MISCELLANEOUS Fixed freezes caused by glass cockpits. Travel to feature no longer disengages autopilot when used. WEATHER Fixed 225°/3kt issue with inconsistent wind in game. Fixed issue with weather persistency on flight restart. SERVICES Upgraded multiplayer servers. MARKETPLACE Rating display on bundles has been improved. Performance drop after downloading an item in marketplace has been removed. An addon purchased outside of the marketplace no longer has an impact on the "Installed" filter in the marketplace as it is considered as a "community" content. CONTENT MANAGER Addon purchased outside of the marketplace now also visible in the Content manager when online, and offline if downloaded in the community folder. 3rd Party content thumbnail display improved. Pause download during installation is fixed. LOCALIZATION Various typo fixes in multiple languages. ACCESSIBILITY Subtitles are now enabled by default. Subtitle option has been moved from Sound menu to Accessibility so users can set it during initial install. CAMERAS Remove rotation clamp on "Instrument cameras". Pilot camera position can now be saved or reset. BUSH TRIPS Fix leg completion trigger. Completionist achievement should now unlock when all activities have been completed. WORLD Detected buildings that intersect roads are now excluded. Longer bridges are less prone to having a gap. UK city houses models should no longer appear in US suburbs. "In The Wild" Achievement can now be unlocked Overall, the update is a hefty one that fixes a lot of early issues and complaints with the autopilot, navigation systems, inaccurate FMA displays, and more. Other fixes such as the heading bug being removed from the Navigation Display (ND) when not in heading mode greatly improve the realism of the aircraft. https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-releases-second-flight-simulator-patch-with-a-ton-of-fixes-and-improvements Back to Top Airbus to keep NASA's H135 helicopters flying for up to 10 years The $15million HCare Infinite support contract will cover NASA's H135 fleet The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has signed a $15million HCare Infinite full-availability support solution with Airbus Helicopters, Inc. The comprehensive contract, initially covering two years with the option to extend up to 10, provides the entire spectrum of support needs for NASA's fleet of three H135 helicopters, which will begin deliveries later this month. Airbus will ensure operational availability by managing all of NASA's scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, as well as spare parts. In addition, Airbus will be responsible for the helicopter flight operations by stationing two pilots, two mechanics and one program manager at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. "With this new HCare contract, NASA is relying on Airbus's manufacturer expertise for the comprehensive management of all support and service needs. The OEM experience and knowledge will provide support as NASA transitions from an aging aircraft fleet into the advanced H135 helicopter," said David Ramsey, Chief of Flight Operations at NASA Kennedy Space Center. "The OEM level of expertise will ensure that the transition of aircraft is a smooth and safe process and will allow KSC Flight Operations to focus our attention on supporting those NASA Programs and Partners that are advancing science, technology, aeronautics, and space exploration." NASA will operate their new fleet of H135 helicopters, purchased as part of a fleet renewal initiative, at Cape Canaveral for a variety of missions including security around rocket launches, emergency medical services, and qualified personnel transport. "Our customers' success lies in their ability to ensure aircraft are ready to take off the second they need them, and our HCare support solutions provide the guarantee that we have taken care of everything to ensure their full fleet availability," said Anthony Baker, vice president of Customer Support and Services at Airbus Helicopters, Inc. "Our entire team is extremely proud to support the future of space exploration by providing both new helicopters and full support services to NASA." HCare Infinite is Airbus' most comprehensive level of customer support and requires the company to guarantee the customer's full fleet operational availability, including maintenance, technical support, and the supply of spare parts, tools and consumables. Airbus Helicopters' range of HCare material management services starts out with Easy (on-request catalogue services) and Smart (four by-the-hour options), before progressively building up to Infinite (full availability commitments). Airbus Helicopters Inc. is the leading supplier of helicopters in the United States, with a market share of nearly 65% and a presence dating back 50 years. A team of more than 750 employees operates local production and completion facilities for the H125 and UH-72 Lakota aircraft and provides world-class training, aftermarket support, and technical assistance for the North American regional in-service fleet of nearly 3,100 helicopters. https://www.aviation24.be/manufacturers/airbus/helicopters/airbus-to-keep-nasas-h135-helicopters-flying-for-up-to-10-years/ Back to Top BAE Systems contracted for new technology to revolutionize aviation industry ENDICOTT (WBNG) -- BAE Systems in Endicott will now supply flight controls for new supersonic business jets. The company will design, develop, and integrate a fly-by-wire flight control system, including active interceptors, for Aerion's AS2 private jet. The plane is the first supersonic aircraft to use only synthetic fuel and reach speeds up to 1,000 miles per hour. "We continue to evolve our technology, and what this contract will do is allow us to update our controls for the next generation of airplanes," said BAE Systems Deputy General Manager Jim Garceau. The flight control system development will be conducted at BAE Systems facilities in Endicott and Rochester, U.K. https://wbng.com/2020/09/16/bae-systems-contracted-for-new-technology-to-revolutionize-aviation-industry/ Back to Top Contestants will compete for a SpaceX trip to the International Space Station in new reality TV show There's a reality TV competition show in the works that will feature a 2023 trip to the International Space Station as the grand prize, Deadline reports. The production company behind the show, which will be called 'Space Hero,' has booked a seat on a SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft set to make the trip to the ISS in 2023, and will make it the reward for whoever comes out the winner in a competition among "everyday people from any background who share a deep love for space exploration," according to the report. The competition will be an ersatz astronaut training program of sorts, including physical challenges, as well as puzzles and problem-solving tasks, as well as emotionally challenging scenarios, according to Deadline. That will lead up to what producers are currently planning will be a live episode featuring a global viewer vote about who ultimately will win. The show will also include documenting the winner's ISS trip, including their launch and 10-day space station stay, as well as their return journey and landing. To bring all these pieces together, the reproduction team is working with Axiom Space, a private space travel services provider and mission operator, as well as NASA, with which it's discussing what might be done in terms of STEM education add-ons for this planned programming. Apparently, Deadline says that Survivor creator and reality industry giant Mark Burnett has previously tried multiple times to create a reality show with a trip to space as the main component. One such effort, an NBC-based program called 'Space Race,' was created in partnership with Richard Branson and focused on Virgin Galactic, but it was ended after that company's fatal testing accident in 2015. There's also a movie production in the works that's bound for the Space Station as a filming location, and those efforts are being spearheaded by Tom Cruise, who will star in the yet untitled project. NASA has repeatedly said it welcomes increased commercialization of low Earth orbit and the ISS, and it also intentionally sought out private partners like SpaceX for its US-based astronaut launch vehicles, in the hopes that they would be able to book other, private clients for flights to help defray mission costs. https://au.news.yahoo.com/contestants-compete-spacex-trip-international-163351085.html Curt Lewis