April 10, 2024 - No. 15 In This Issue : Going Boeing ; Maintenance Staff Shortage Could Clip Aviation Industry's Wings : Aircraft Cabin Air International Conference - 17 & 18 September - London : Global Utility with Universal Appeal : Beehive Industries fires up new 3D printed jet engine in record time : Bell secures FAA approval for BasiX-Pro retrofit for 412s : FAA clears JetZero’s futuristic blended wing design plane for flight : History Takes Flight in Mojave : Rotor Unveils First Production Uncrewed Aircraft Built on Robinson Platform : Safety Management System and Management System — the integrated approach : Navy says future drone wingmen need to come in under $15 million price point Going Boeing By Kevin Garrison Published: April 2, 2024 Updated: April 3, 2024 Non-pilots may be hard to deal with, but we all must interact with them from time to time, and this was my time. I was pickleballing at the local pickleballing venue with a group of tottering and doddering old friends. We were staying out of the kitchen and, because of our advanced age, found ourselves taking water and rest breaks far more often than our younger pickleballing counterparts. This aging pilot was sitting in the shade, minding my own business, when one of the non-pilot pickleballing geezers approached me with an open question. “How about that Boeing, huh?” he said. What about that Boeing? I volleyed back at him. “They keep falling apart!” he said, adding, “Hah!” as if that summed up the whole thing and that we could then bond over potential aviation fatalities and the frailties and failures of the aviation world. I sent back a lob. What do you mean? I asked. Is something going on with Boeing Aircraft? “You know,” he returned, “that hole in that Alaskan airplane that blew out of the side and all the other stuff recently, like wheels falling off and jets landing in the mud. You’ll never see me flying in a Boeing again!” Oh, I said. I remember now. Yes, big chunks of any airplane falling off in flight are a cause for concern. It is a problem, but I don’t know if this recent spate of cable and network news kerfuffles is a reason not to go flying. It is true that having a large panel of an airplane fly off in flight is a serious thing. Everybody, including me, must wonder if Boeing missed bolting that piece correctly and what else they missed when building the jet. Then again, the other things like wheels falling off and sliding into the mud at the airport are due to maintenance and piloting, not the kind of airplane it happened to. “Well,” he said, “it all shows you how corrupt the airline and airplane business are. Didn’t you fly Boeings back when you were a pilot?” I reminded my pickleballing buddy that I am still a pilot—I went flying just a few hours ago in my mighty Cessna 140—but I got what he meant. Yes, I said, I flew just about every Boeing model, from the 727 to the 777, and I only missed piloting the 737. “They were better made back then, right?” he said. I’m not sure, I said. The ones I flew worked adequately most of the time, but back then, a part or a piece of them occasionally departed the airframe and dropped to the ground. A toilet service door that was not properly latched wiggled off once on my plane, and I remember a nosewheel gear door on a 727 I was a flight engineer on departing the airframe in cruise one time. I don’t think that either one of those things was due to corporate greed or malfeasance. Most likely, the ones that happened to me were because of wear and tear or, at worst, lazy ground crews or lapses in maintenance. The thing is, and this is hard for me to admit, I am not an expert on the manufacture or maintenance of jet transport aircraft. I basically flew the planes that were presented to me, and my responsibility was to refuse to fly the ones I thought were not airworthy. There were a few cases where I turned down airplanes, but they were few and far between and never because of perceived manufacturing flaws. Currently, Boeing is the large fish floundering in a tiny media barrel. It is their turn for close scrutiny, and they deserve it. Their upper management may have cut too many corners to secure their obscene pay packages. It is possible that the company lost sight of something or other. Most companies do that at one point or another. I do know this: Nobody at Boeing wanted any of these bad things to happen to their company, the airplanes they made, or their reputation. Countless company employees go to work every day and do their absolute best to do a safe and efficient job. It could be that their “perfumed princes,” the overpaid corporate MBA types, became greedy, and their ignorance of aviation standards led to death and destruction, but the large majority of real Boeing people are mortified by this whole thing. As bad as the Boeing 737 disasters were and are, you can bet your pickleball bag that this sort of thing has happened before in aviation and is in the process of happening elsewhere. Maybe the best thing about it all is that our media, hyped as it is, has drawn the public’s attention to the fact that aviation safety isn’t guaranteed. It must be worked on every day. Maintenance Staff Shortage Could Clip Aviation Industry's Wings By Elodie MAZEIN March 30, 2024 The world's commercial aircraft fleet is set to balloon by a third by 2034, according to Oliver Wyman. The United States is grappling with a shortage of maintenance workers in the aviation industry, with baby boomers retiring and others changing jobs during the pandemic. This comes as the global fleet of commercial aircraft is set to balloon a third by 2034, involving more than 36,400 vessels, according to a recent study by consulting firm Oliver Wyman. In its wake, spending in the maintenance, repair and overhaul market is projected to grow almost 20 percent by 2034. But the sector suffers from a shortfall of qualified manpower -- and an inadequate pipeline of talent. It lacks some 24,000 aviation maintenance technicians in North America, a figure due to reach nearly 40,000 by 2028, Oliver Wyman notes. This gap is not one that the renowned Aviation High School in Long Island will be able to fill with its cohorts totaling 2,000 students. "I don't think the Aviation High Schools have enough capacity to train enough people," said Steven Jackson, principal of the Aviation High School in Long Island City. "We are one of the largest high schools and it would be hard to scale it up further," he added. With many aviation jobs critical to operations, shortages can eventually result in industry growth being limited, according to consulting firm Oliver Wyman. The school is one of 28 certified by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and trains future aviation maintenance technicians who can either enter the workforce after high school or further their studies in universities. "The job market is good and there is more money so, at the moment, more go straight to work than before," Jackson told AFP. In the United States, around 4,000 maintenance, repair and overhaul companies employ some 185,000 aviation maintenance technicians and engineers. This forms around 44 percent of the global total, according to the Aeronautical Repair Station Association. "Working as a mechanic opens so many opportunities," said Fariha Rahman, 17, speaking to AFP at a JetBlue maintenance hangar during a Career Discovery Week. "I want to start in maintenance, and work my way up," the high school student added. Another student, 15-year-old Gaby Moreno, added: "It's such a great industry." "There are so many different jobs, so many benefits, and discounts for flights and other things, like insurance," she added. AlixPartners specialist Pascal Fabre stresses that the training of maintenance technicians will need to be accelerated. To boost the attractiveness of aviation maintenance, Congress passed legislation in 2018 enabling the FAA to provide ad hoc grants. As a result, $13.5 million was awarded in March to 32 schools, 20 of which would especially help with training maintenance professionals. "Because so many aviation jobs are critical to operations, any ongoing shortage can eventually result in the industry's growth being limited," Oliver Wyman noted in an earlier report. In a 2023-2042 outlook, aviation giant Boeing forecasts "strong" long-term demand for newly qualified aviation personnel. There is a need for some 690,000 new maintenance technicians to help maintain the global commercial fleet over the next 20 years, according to Boeing. The maintenance, repair and overhaul sector is "under-capacity, and hangar maintenance slots are in high demand, especially as aircraft manufacturers' delivery delays mean that older aircrafts are being flown for longer periods, requiring more maintenance," Fabre added. The two major aircraft manufacturers, Boeing and Airbus, are fully booked until almost the end of the decade, and are accumulating delays. Meanwhile, airlines are stepping up orders as they seek to capitalize on strong demand from travelers and build fuel-efficient fleets. "The pressure to produce and the retirement of many skilled baby boomers during COVID may also be contributing to some of the quality-control issues plaguing the industry," the recent Oliver Wyman report added. According to experts, departures have led to the disruption of a transfer of know-how between experienced and new technicians. Since 2023, Boeing has suffered production problems and numerous incidents on its 737 MAX series, which prompted the FAA to launch an audit into its quality control. In early January, an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 suffered a blowout of a door plug while in flight. Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun recently announced that he would step down by year-end, in a leadership shakeup as the company faces heavy scrutiny. Previously, two fatal 737 MAX crashes -- one in 2018 and one in 2019 -- led to a nearly two-year grounding of the aircraft. Beyond manufacturers, United Airlines is also in the crosshairs of the FAA, which is reviewing its safety procedures after several recent incidents. Global Utility with Universal Appeal After nearly 40 years of continuous production and with over 3,000 aircraft delivered worldwide, the versatile Cessna Caravan turboprops continue to set the bar for capability and reliability. October 26, 2023 Back in the mid-1980s, the think tank at Cessna® Aircraft Company had an idea for a new single-engine, high-wing turboprop that would meet the growing needs of government, military, and humanitarian agencies around the world. At about the same time, FedEx® founder Fred Smith was looking for a rugged and reliable large-cabin utility airplane that would enable the overnight- delivery company to cost-effectively serve smaller, rural communities. “It has a vast interior, a Pratt & Whitney® Canada PT6A engine, low operating costs and can operate off of short, unimproved runways,” says Lori Melton, Textron Aviation’s Manager, Product Marketing, Turboprops, and Pistons. “Put it all together, and the Cessna Caravan® aircraft was developed with companies like FedEx in mind." The result of the carrier’s need finally finding its solution was FedEx’s order for 30 Caravan aircraft in 1985. It was quite a large order at that time. Today, with 38 Caravan and 229 Grand Caravan turboprops in its fleet, FedEx is the type’s largest operator. As impressive as that is, the FedEx fleet represents just a fraction of the Caravan aircraft around the world. In fact, Melton says that in its nearly 40-year production run, Textron Aviation has delivered over 3,000 of the various Caravan aircraft models. And all told, the global fleet has amassed over 25 million flight hours. Now, that is saying something. When You’re Right, You’re Right Looking back, it’s safe to say that when the first Cessna Caravan 208 turboprop rolled out of the Wichita factory in 1984, no one there would have predicted that the Caravan aircraft would achieve such noteworthy numbers. The market for single-engine utility airplanes was only so big, right? Well, if general aviation history shows us anything, Cessna Aircraft Company knew a thing or two about introducing the right airplane with the right capabilities at the right time. It turns out Caravan aircraft are great at doing more than toting packages. “Owners have always chosen the Caravan aircraft for a lot of reasons,” Melton explains. “It’s an amazing airplane that can be whatever you want it to be. It’s at home carrying freight or a cabin full of people, or just going off to your favorite weekend getaway, all with low operating costs. “Pilots love it because even with its size—it’s a big airplane—it handles like an upsized Cessna Skylane 182 piston,” she continues. “It’s stable and predictable. The PT6A engine is as reliable as they come, and they’re easy to operate and maintain.” Speaking of maintenance, one of the original goals of the Caravan aircraft design team was to make its rugged airframe as easy to inspect and maintain as the aforementioned Cessna Skylane 182 piston. And that commitment hasn’t changed at all during the 208 and Caravan family of aircraft’s long history. But when you do need maintenance, you’ll appreciate Textron Aviation’s extensive global service network. With the farthest-reaching network of company-owned service centers and over 30 mobile service and line station locations, support is available wherever you need it. No runway? No problem: The Caravan aircraft is as versatile as it is economical. “It’s a super-capable airplane that’s purpose-built for operating off of gravel, dirt, grass, concrete, or water,” Melton says. “The Caravan aircraft cabin amenities are just as rugged and flexible as the airplane itself,” she continues. “The Caravan family of aircraft are both certified for up to 14 occupants, depending on local aviation regulations. And both models have seats that are easy to remove should you need room for carry-on cargo.” But that doesn’t mean you can’t dress the airplane up if you’re so inclined – elegant and comfortable cabin upgrades are available. Of course, even though a rugged airframe, beefy landing gear, and big amphibious floats are key to your off-airport adventures, you’ll still need the power to get it all airborne. You’ll have it with the Caravan aircraft, which has come a long way since it was introduced with a 600-shp PT6A. Today, the standard model is powered by a 675-shp PT6A-114A, and the Grand Caravan EX aircraft is propelled by an 867-shp PT6A-140. The Elephant in the Cabin Even in the 21st century, African elephant poaching is a major environmental problem. And, in the Nairobi National Park in Kenya, when their mothers are killed, orphaned elephant calves are left helpless unless an outside force steps in. Luckily, that “outside force” is the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s Orphan’s Project Sky Vets and its Cessna Caravan turboprop. In many instances, the injured animals are weak and dehydrated, and their conditions demand immediate emergency medical treatment. That can be accomplished only through quick transportation from extremely remote locations, and that requires a very capable aircraft. The organization says that with the ability to carry a lot of contents off unimproved strips, the Caravan aircraft is the most efficient and effective way to transport the calves to their care center safely. The aircraft’s large doors and spacious cabin can accommodate not only the calves—some weighing up to 300 pounds—but also the medical team and all the specialized equipment needed for the young elephants to have the best chance at survival. The capability and versatility of the Caravan aircraft allow the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust to find the elephants that need assistance and deliver them to safety. Getting Better Every Day At first glance, you may not think today’s Caravan family of turboprops differs much from the 1985 model. It does look the same, thanks to its design being spot-on from the beginning. But Melton stresses that its utilitarian looks can be deceiving. The Caravan turboprop you see today is the result of continual refining to its airframe, engine, and avionics throughout its nearly 40-year production run. In fact, the cockpit is where you’ll find the most significant and beneficial upgrades—improvements that make today’s Caravan family of turboprops the most capable of all. “New Caravan and Grand Caravan aircraft feature the Garmin® G1000® NXi avionics suite, which is what pilots want, and that brings a great deal of functionality to an already extremely capable airplane,” Melton says. “Plus, you can add options like Garmin’s enhanced flight control system, terrain awareness and warning system, digital weather radar, and Iridium® connectivity. “And that’s just the avionics,” she continues. “There are so many options ranging from exterior paint graphics to interior finishings and cargo options available on the Caravan and Grand Caravan EX aircraft. No matter what an owner wants, there’s a Caravan aircraft to meet their needs. It’s been that way from the beginning, and Textron Aviation continues to invest in the Caravan family of products to ensure that doesn’t change.” Beehive Industries fires up new 3D printed jet engine in record time From idea to test cell in 13 months: the company says the time of AM has arrived March 22, 2024 Beehive Industries‘ new turbojet demonstrator was fired up, for the first time, in a custom-built test cell at the company’s HQ in Denver. The American manufacturer of aerospace and defense, a heavy user of AM, said that this significant milestone was achieved in record time, going from a clean sheet design concept just 16 months ago, to fully assembled in the test cell 13 months later, and to being officially ignited and running under its own power for the first time this past week. According to Beehive Industries’ President and GM Gordie Follin, there’s no better time to work in American manufacturing, especially additive manufacturing. Follin, who has designed and built jet engines for more than 20 years, sees additive manufacturing as a unique opportunity to leverage new technology to its fullest extent. He believes it can unlock the future of new propulsion systems. “I’ve worked in jet engines my whole career—on the engineering side, on the project management side, and now developing new 3D printed engines,” he said in an interview published on the Beehive site. “At Beehive, I saw a unique opportunity to take additive manufacturing and apply it for defense purposes, developing a new propulsion system for unmanned aircraft, including munitions and drones. Beehive Industries’ new turbojet demonstrator was fired up, for the first time, at the company’s HQ in Denver, going from a clean sheet design concept in just 16 months. The idea behind Beehive Industries is to bring together experts who form a bridge between additive manufacturing and propulsion, with a wealth of traditional jet engine design experience across all levels of the organization. Through both acquisitions and organic growth, Beehive has built deep additive manufacturing expertise and capabilities The company established a 100% U.S.-based vertically integrated supply chain, with close to 95% of design, testing and manufacturing done in-house. Its main focus is on purpose-designed unmanned applications, such as drones. Beehive’s jet engine can offer 10 to 30% better performance, at 50% of the cost, in half the design and manufacturing time. Another interesting aspect of Beehive Industries is the company’s additive-first approach. “Consider that the greatest difference between additive and conventional manufacturing is time,” Follin explained. “Almost any additive design process will be faster. At Beehive, our process from concept to jet engine tests is about 14 months. That’s close to half the time, or even a third of the time, as conventional jet engine manufacturing.” This is possible because Beehive Industries focuses mainly on unmanned systems, which have different requirements than commercial aviation. The component testing phase can be reached much faster, and the team can mature the design very quickly. For example, thanks to additive manufacturing they completed engine component testing and controls testing on the BTJ-500 jet engine in less than 3 months instead of 14 months. By the time Beehive reaches engine tests, the project is on the 5th or 6th revision. With conventional manufacturing, it would be on version 2 at the most. Testing in the USA Additive manufacturing enables design validation through actual testing versus analysis, which can be slower and not necessarily as accurate. Test data doesn’t lie. Additive allows testing to begin much sooner, which helps to achieve final designs faster. “At Beehive, we use additive to accelerate the process. We also deploy additive to print instrumentation, which provides additional speed and flexibility benefits. When you can print the instrumentation needed for testing, or print the instrumentation into the part, you can tweak the design very quickly,” Follin explained. In addition, AM enables a U.S.-based manufacturer to literally bring metal powder in one door of their facility and take a finished product out the other door. This means that Beehive’s engines can be almost entirely manufactured within a single facility, by leveraging consolidated parts and simplified engine design. This results in fewer suppliers, and with those suppliers based in the U.S. there is less chance of disruption. “Consider that each part of an engine is something that could go wrong. So, the fewer dependencies that you have within a global network, the more secure your supply chain. Additive manufacturing requires fewer parts, which de-escalates risk at scale,” Follin said. Beehive’s Denver headquarters is home to two custom-built engine test cells. Development for this infrastructure began concurrently with the jet engine demonstrator and was completed earlier this year. Another unsung benefit of additive manufacturing for companies like Beehive Industries is that it’s forward deployable. Once you lock in the design and then print and test successfully, it’s relatively easy to both scale and physically move manufacturing. Unlike conventional manufacturing, which relies on foundries and specialized labor, additive manufacturing is not tied to a specific facility or location. Think of it as rapidly moving the supply chain. Unlike a foundry, it’s comparatively easy to move printers and metal powders. Follin argues that AM is also rapidly scalable. Beehive can scale up the manufacturing of our engines quickly. For example, in a small portion of just one of Beehive’s three facilities, it’s possible to manufacture close to 2,500 engines per year. “By bringing together jet engine and additive manufacturing expertise, focusing on unmanned applications, and building a vertically integrated supply chain, we believe we’re building the right process for the right application at the right time,” Follin said, “The result is a best-in-class solution for unmanned aerial systems. We’re continuing to innovate and accelerate development, while also partnering with our customers to develop bespoke jet engines that harness the full potential of additive manufacturing.” Using AM for aerospace foundry cores While Beehive is leading in terms of using metal AM for direct part production, in 2021 the company also invested to acquire its foundry partner, Eagle Engineered Solutions, a leading global provider of 3D printed ceramic cores, waxes, and patterns for the metal casting, investment casting, and sand foundry industries. “Our mission is to make industry-defining advancements, and in turn, provide the strength, innovation, and tools to reindustrialize America,” said Beehive Industries Chief Executive Officer Mohammad Ehteshami. “Eagle Engineered Solutions is an American-owned and operated company, specializing in advanced technology within a rapidly growing market. This purchase supports not just our company’s growth, but our country’s future competitive advantage as well. “We’re in the business of making impossible designs possible,” Ehteshami continued. “Eagle’s direct print ceramic core technology helps customers realize extremely complex designs, facilitating the production of smaller, more efficient, and affordable engine systems.” Eagle now operates as part of Beehive Industries’ Engineered Solutions division, where the team works to enhance and scale its ability to provide solutions to the foundries. Eagle’s manufacturing and production facility in Mt. Vernon, Ohio, with over 35 employees and 40 3D printers also helps facilitate programs currently within Beehive Industries’ innovation incubator, Innovation Technologies. 3D printed ceramic cores. “The future of manufacturing in America is not based on output, but our ability to solve complex problems quickly and implement new innovations at mass scale,” Ehteshami said. “We’re combining Eagle’s technology with our skills and resources to move quickly, scalably, and efficiently. We’re extremely excited by both the near-term and long-term applications enabled by this acquisition.” Transitioning to AM For Beehive Industries, the transition from castings and forgings to additive manufacturing offers a wealth of opportunities for the U.S. manufacturing sector. For its Chief Manufacturing Technology Officer Jonaaron Jones, additive manufacturing is the future of American manufacturing. Jones’ primary focus is supporting customers by delivering manufacturing solutions and guidance for the production and design teams. There’s also a research and development aspect to his work because, for many customers, this is their initial use of additive manufacturing. Jones’ team works in lockstep with them to identify improvements that translate into shorter lead times, improved performance, and higher quality parts. Beehive is also developing printable superalloys to meet the need for enhanced capabilities and performance. For most customer applications, additive manufacturers use more traditional materials like nickel alloys 718 and 625, which are highly weldable and easier to work with. However, these traditional alloys have limitations, including strength and heat resistance. To address these limitations, Beehive is adapting new superalloys for use in the additive manufacturing processes. “At Beehive, we bring together experts and specialists who might otherwise be siloed; we have a strong team that includes academic metallurgists, a range of engineering specialists, and others who bring a unique understanding or approach. We bring this diversity of experiences and perspectives together in a collaborative setting and encourage them to continuously test/print material samples,” Jones said. We’re working with alloys that exist on the border of higher performance and challenging weldability. Additively manufactured parts are also closer to being usable right out of the printer, so the process is very different. Because of the unique way we process materials with additive manufacturing, we can melt and cool them very quickly. As a result, we can tailor microstructures and potentially suppress their tendency to crack. This opens the door to a new and better additively printed superalloy.” The result, so far, is the release of three new superalloys. One is Mar-M 509, which several Beehive customers are using today, followed by Inconel 939 and Mar-M 247. This last one was originally an internal challenge and Jones points out how the ability to now use it in AM is a reflection of Beehive’s unrelenting drive to find solutions through traditional metallurgy and through innovative ideas. He expects that the most benefits of AM will be reaped when industries start designing to take advantage of additive manufacturing, citing Beehive’s jet engines as a clear example of that. They were designed from the outset to take advantage of the benefits offered by additive manufacturing, rendering them significantly different from traditional jet engines. There is no other way to manufacture most of Beehive’s engine components other than additive manufacturing. Reaching the end-user base Another acquisition completed in 2021, Volunteer Aerospace, is helping Beehive Industries reach companies like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and NASA as a full-service 3D printing provider. Volunteer Aerospace is a Tennessee-based additive and advanced manufacturing provider. “Our vision is to reindustrialize America, and part of that means investing in the next generation of American manufacturing,” said Beehive Industries’ Mohammad Ehteshami. “Volunteer Aerospace is at the forefront of key additive and advanced manufacturing methods and a testament to what a strong and self-sufficient future looks like for this country.” Advanced manufacturing, the rapid transfer of science and technology into production activities, is an increasingly important discipline within the manufacturing world. Volunteer’s business model is based on providing full-service manufacturing and innovation development for aerospace, defense, and adjacent markets, using tools such as 3D printing and adaptive strategy. The company has made a name for itself delivering mission-critical parts for satellites, rockets, helicopters, and more, and continues to do so as part of the Beehive Industries Advanced Manufacturing division. Many of these giants of the aerospace industry need to increase their use of AM. The future potential of AM in aerospace According to Jones, the DfAM approach is now unlocking all kinds of potential. Until recently, much of the demand for additive manufacturing was printing a part originally designed for castings and forgings. It was seen only as a go-to option when there was urgency. As manufacturers see the benefit of the speed that AM offers, they also realize they are missing out on potential performance gains as well. The conclusion most reached is that additive manufacturing can offer them much more. Jones believes that we’re now entering a new phase in which companies are exploring how to design for additive manufacturing and take advantage of new materials, in addition to the speed of design and production. There are a lot of factors coming into play that are triggering this shift. In some cases, it’s seeing the value of additive manufacturing proven out in other industries. There may also be pain points that drive more decision-making toward additive manufacturing. For example as a way to address parts shortages or delays. The education of engineers will also make an impact and the Department of Defense’s purchasing cycles may also accelerate the shift. “For example, a recent helicopter competition encouraged the use of new technologies, especially additive manufacturing,” Jones revelaed. “One company reached out to Beehive to integrate additively manufactured parts into their design. As a result, they compressed a two-year procurement cycle into one, providing them with a competitive edge.” Jones also points out that certification is one of the biggest hurdles to wider adoption: “Currently, there isn’t a plethora of well-understood, well-documented industry standards. But, we’re making significant and rapid progress. The Department of Defense is taking a leadership role in establishing policy and guidance, which will flow down to the manufacturing base, establishing a MIL-SPEC that’s all-inclusive. This is important work that will contribute to the continued adoption of additive manufacturing in the American manufacturing sector and beyond. “Additive manufacturing is still young. While many manufacturers have embraced its potential, we are at the beginning of a wave of innovation. I anticipate that the development of industry-specific materials and specifications will accelerate the use of additive manufacturing very soon, and a new age of innovation will follow,” Jones concluded. Bell secures FAA approval for BasiX-Pro retrofit for 412s By Gideon Ewers March 26, 2024 The retrofit means that formerly analogue 412s can have the same glass cockpit capabilities as new build aircraft. Photo Bell Bell has announced that it has been granted FAA certification for its BasiX-Pro Glass Retrofit kit for 412EP models. The kit uses the displays from Astronautics and Garmin avionics, which are used in new-build SUBARU Bell 412EPXs and Bell 429s, to replace the analogue set-up and deliver a state-of-the-art avionics solution. Bell said the glass cockpit set-up delivers reduced pilot workload, increased precision and improved situational awareness. “As a part of Bell’s Customer Support and Service offerings, we are committed to developing and certifying new technologies for legacy platforms,” explained Chris Schaefer, Vice President, Customer Experience at Bell. In an effort to increase reliability, situational awareness and decreased pilot workload, the BasiX-Pro Kit delivers the latest integrated flight deck, high-resolution displays, as well as engine data and flight operation recording. With the BasiX-Pro Kit, 412EPs can now be upgraded to four-axis autopilot, further reducing pilot workload.” The upgrade kit will be offered through Aeronautical Accessories. Retrofits are performed at Bell’s global completion centres of excellence, including Piney Flats, TN, Miami, FL, Prague, Singapore, and Bell Australia. Currently, Bell is under contract to complete a fleet upgrade of several analogue Bell 412EPs. FAA clears JetZero’s futuristic blended wing design plane for flight JetZero has been actively working with key industry players, including the US Air Force, NASA, and the FAA, to turn its blended wing concept into a reality by 2030. Rizwan Choudhury Published: Mar 28, 2024 05:03 AM EST JetZero's futuristic blended wing design plane render. JetZero The familiar, elongated tube design of passenger jets may finally be an old thing soon. JetZero, an aerospace company known for its innovative aircraft designs, has made a significant leap forward – its blended wing demonstrator aircraft has officially been granted an Airworthiness Certificate by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This means its Pathfinder aircraft is cleared for test flights which would bring aviation one step closer to a future of radically transformed air travel FEATURED VIDEO The FAA certification of the scaled-down Pathfinder demonstrator aircraft is a significant milestone. This model features a 23-ft (7-m) wingspan, which is 12.5% the size of the full aircraft. JetZero’s enthusiastic LinkedIn announcement, “Now let’s go fly!” implies that we may soon see video footage of the Pathfinder taking its inaugural flight. The blended wing concept The blended wing design is a fascinating departure from the standard jetliner format. As the name suggests, this design seamlessly merges the aircraft’s fuselage and wings into one continuous aerodynamic shape. This unique approach results in a plane resembling a flying wing, offering numerous advantages. Credits: JetZero via LinkedIn The most notable benefit is significantly improved fuel efficiency. Without separating wings and fuselage, nearly the entire aircraft surface generates lift. JetZero boldly claims that its blended wing design could consume 50% less fuel than traditional jets. Potential impact on the aviation industry The dramatic improvement in fuel efficiency has far-reaching implications. For airlines, the immediate advantage is a substantial reduction in operational costs. Additionally, this opens the door to longer-range transcontinental flights that were previously less feasible. Watch Video on YouTube. Perhaps most importantly, the blended wing design aligns with the aviation industry’s growing environmental consciousness. Integrating this concept with sustainable power sources like battery-electric, hydrogen, or ammonia-fuelled systems could unlock a future of low-emission air travel. And while cleaner flights are a major win, the blended wing design also offers some benefits for passengers. The spacious layout provides more room for both passengers and cargo, potentially alleviating the cramped feeling of many long-haul flights. JetZero’s progress JetZero has been actively working with key industry players, including the US Air Force, NASA, and the FAA, to turn its blended wing concept into a reality by 2030. Their progress was further accelerated in August 2023 when they secured a contract with the Air Force to develop a full-size prototype by 2027. The blended-wing era is within reach with recent advancements by Airbus, Zeroavia, and others. Who knows, we may be just a decade away from experiencing this futuristic aircraft design’s increased spaciousness and efficiency. History Takes Flight in Mojave Note: See photos in the original article. XB-1, the world’s first independently developed supersonic jet, takes flight in the home of aviation firsts. Boom’s demonstrator aircraft, XB-1, took off for the first time during a successful test flight at the Mojave Air & Space Port in Mojave, California. The inaugural flight of XB-1, the world’s first independently developed supersonic jet, took place in the same airspace that hosted many historic first flights, including the flights of the Bell X-1, the North American X-15, and the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. Mojave Air & Space Port sits adjacent to the largest single area of overland Special Use Airspace in the United States, designated the R-2508 Complex. The R-2508 Complex includes all the airspace used and managed by Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, the National Training Center at Fort Irwin and Edwards Air Force Base.This region is the proving grounds for the aerospace industry, where an aircraft broke the sound barrier for the first time in 1947 and where speed and altitude records are set. Aerospace Firsts in Mojave Breaking the sound barrier for the first time Brigadier General Charles “Chuck” Elwood Yeager became the first pilot in history confirmed to have exceeded the speed of sound in level flight on October 14, 1947. Yeager flew the Bell X-1 rocket plane in the vicinity of what is now the R-2508 Complex. Yeager rode the X-1, attached to a B-29 mothership, to an altitude of 25,000 feet (7,600 meters). The X-1 then rocketed separately to 40,000 feet (12,000 meters), and Yeager became the first man to break the sound barrier. As he passed the sound threshold, controllers on the ground heard a sonic boom thunder across the desert. Reaching the edge of space In the 1960s, a select group of NASA test pilots including Neil Armstrong flew the X-15. It was a rocket-powered aircraft that set records for both altitude and speed, making significant contributions to aerospace research and development. The X-15 set the record for the highest speed by a manned, powered aircraft at a breakneck Mach 6.72 (4,520 mph or 7,274 km/h). It also set the record for highest altitude reached by a piloted aircraft when it flew over 50 miles (80 km) above the Earth’s surface. Absolute speed The Lockheed SR-71 “Blackbird” is a retired strategic reconnaissance aircraft known for its ability to operate at high altitude and high speed over long range. Numerous high-speed, high-altitude flights traversed the R-2508 Complex airspace in the 1960s and 1970s, during which the SR-71 set several records for air-breathing manned aircraft. The SR-71 set the absolute speed record and speed over a straight course at Mach 3.3 (2,193.2 mph), and the absolute altitude record at 85,069 feet (25,929 m). Around the world The first aircraft to fly around the world without stopping or refueling was the Rutan Model 76 Voyager, and it first took off from Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert in 1986. The brainchild of Scaled Composites founder and CEO Burt Rutan, the Voyager was scratched out on a napkin while at lunch with his brother Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager (no relation to Chuck Yeager). Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager piloted the aircraft to a flight endurance record as they flew around the world for nine days, three minutes and 44 seconds without stopping, a total distance of 26,366 miles (or 42,432 km; the FAI accredited distance is 40,212km). Why Mojave? Mojave’s airspace is home to frequent flight testing both from the Mojave Air & Space Port and nearby military bases including China Lake, Ft. Irwin, and Edwards. With its unique flight operations and testing capabilities, Mojave was a natural choice for XB-1’s first flight. While some of these flights may break records, they are “routine operations” for the FAA in the restricted airspace above the Mojave Desert. This area is home to a 50-mile supersonic corridor, a specially authorized area that allows aircraft with designated clearance from the FAA to reach speeds over Mach 1 – breaking the sound barrier – in order to perform test flights over land, such as the record-breaking flights mentioned above. “It’s a fitting place for us to fly our XB-1 supersonic demonstrator aircraft,” said Vice President of the XB-1 Program, Jeff Mabry. “Not only from a technical standpoint, as far as it gives us the resources that we need to do it, but also from a historical standpoint, as this is where many first flights have happened.” In 1935, the Mojave Airport opened to serve the local gold and silver mining industry. Over the years, its purpose and name evolved — in July 1942, the U.S. Marine Corps took over the field and vastly expanded it as the Marine Corps Auxiliary Air Station Mojave and in 1961, Kern County obtained title to the airport. The airfield’s name was changed to the Mojave Air & Space Port in 2013. The Mojave Air & Space Port and industrial park is home to more than 60 companies engaged in flight development, advanced aerospace design, and flight test and research, including Virgin Galactic, BAE Systems, Orbital ATK, Scaled Composites, ASB Avionics, and many more. Mojave Air & Space Port is also home to the National Test Pilot School (NTPS) where more test pilots are educated than any other site in the world. It is the first facility to be licensed in the United States for horizontal launches of reusable spacecraft, being certified as a spaceport by the Federal Aviation Administration in 2004. Home to XB-1’s Inaugural Flight Mojave has been home to XB-1 and the team since relocating from Boom headquarters adjacent to the Centennial Airport in Centennial, Colorado in 2023. Since then, the aircraft has undergone extensive ground testing, including engine runs and high speed taxi tests leading up to first flight. Late last year and in preparation for XB-1’s first flight, Bill “Doc” Shoemaker, Chief Test Pilot for Boom Supersonic, reflected on the significance of taking flight in Mojave. “XB-1 is now progressing toward first flight at the Mojave Air & Space Port, home to more than 50 first flights and other significant aviation events,” said Bill “Doc” Shoemaker, Chief Test Pilot for Boom Supersonic. “I’m looking forward to flying XB-1 here, building on the achievements of other talented engineers and pilots who inspire us every day to make supersonic travel mainstream.” Rotor Unveils First Production Uncrewed Aircraft Built on Robinson Platform The aircraft, on display last month at Heli-Expo in Anaheim, California, will continue its North American tour with appearances in San Diego and Montréal. By Jack Daleo March 20, 2024 Rotor and Robinson displayed the R550X, an uncrewed helicopter based on the latter’s R44 Raven II, at Helicopter Association International's Heli-Expo in Anaheim, California. [Courtesy: Rotor Technologies] Correction: Rotor selected Robinson as its platform of choice, but the latter is not involved in the development of the R550X, as a previous version of this story stated. Rotor Technologies has unveiled the first production uncrewed aircraft built on the Robinson Helicopter Company platform. The manufacturer of autonomous vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft on Wednesday revealed the R550X helicopter to the public for the first time. The uncrewed aircraft, which is based on the design of Robinson’s R44 Raven II, was on display at Helicopter Association International’s (HAI) Heli-Expo in Anaheim, California, from February 27-29. In December, Rotor said it expects the aircraft to fly commercially in the U.S. this year, followed by an international expansion. The partners claim that greater automation will drive safety, scalability, and expanded mission profiles for helicopters. The R550X is the first production uncrewed aircraft to be built on the Robinson platform. Rotor first announced the design in December with plans to build two models, intended to be delivered to agricultural aircraft operators for crop spraying. However, the helicopter is also designed for utility, maritime, and cargo operations—specifically, in situations where the pilot might be exposed to a hazardous environment or which are too difficult for lighter aircraft. The experimental category aircraft has a 1,200-pound payload with no pilot, capable of flying for three hours at a top speed of 130 ktas. Its range extends beyond the vast majority of drones and eVTOL air taxis, the partners claim. The R550X’s lidar system provides 360-degree situational awareness, which enables flights at night or in low visibility. Onboard software, meanwhile, helps avoid accidents such as inadvertent entry into instrument meteorological conditions, loss of control, mast bumping, and controlled flight into terrain. A static prototype of the design called the Spirit of New Hampshire—which completed its first live test flight in January before guest of honor Chris Sununu, the governor of New Hampshire—was on display at Heli-Expo alongside a Robinson police helicopter, implying at least one potential use case. Visitors could interact with the aircraft’s lidar systems, camera, and synthetic vision. The R550X will continue its North American tour next month with a planned display at Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International’s (AUVSI) Xponential in San Diego, which begins April 22. The following month, the partners intend to take it to Vertical Flight Society’s (VFS) Forum 80 in Montréal, starting May 7. Rotor CEO Hector Xu added that he and newly minted Robinson CEO David Smith are developing plans to begin low-rate manufacturing for the aircraft. “David and I share a common product vision,” said Xu. “Our collaboration will combine Rotor’s technology with Robinson’s dynamic and scalable supply chain to deliver the world’s most capable commercial uncrewed VTOL.” Heli-Expo marked a major leadership transition for Robinson, which has had just three chief executives across its 50-year history. Smith replaced Kurt Robinson, the son of Robinson founder and aviation pioneer Frank Robinson, as CEO in February. The company positioned Smith as a fresh face, emphasizing his commitment to innovation, expanded manufacturing capabilities, and the development of new product initiatives. “I look forward to working with the more than 400 service centers and dealers and the more than 1,100 employees of [Robinson] as we pursue new products, markets, partnerships, and technologies,” said Smith. Rotor is not the only company exploring automation with Robinson rotorcraft. In 2022, an R66 single-engine helicopter completed the first Guinness World Records-certified automated autorotation procedure for an emergency landing. Skyryse, whose technology was installed on the aircraft, will sell a retrofit R66 called Skyryse One for about $2 million. But the model will not be capable of fully uncrewed flight. Robinson competitor Sikorsky, owned by Lockheed Martin, is also exploring uncrewed prototypes. The manufacturer last year unveiled an autonomous, hybrid-electric VTOL concept called HEX, which it said will be the first in a family of self-flying VTOL models. Last month, it revealed that the aircraft will feature a unique tilt-wing design. Safety Management System and Management System — the integrated approach 1 Management System versus Safety Management System Safety management seeks to proactively identify hazards and to mitigate the related safety risks before they result in aviation accidents and incidents. Safety management enables an organisation to manage its activities in a more systematic and focused manner. When an organisation has a clear understanding of its role and contribution to aviation safety, it can prioritise safety risks and more effectively manage its resources and obtain optimal results. The EU requirements for a safety management system (SMS) are embedded into the management system (MS) framework. Such framework addresses the core elements of the ICAO SMS as defined in Appendix 2 to ICAO Annex 19, while promoting an integrated approach to the management of an organisation. Further, it facilitates the introduction of the additional safety management components, building upon the existing MS, rather than adding those components as a separate framework. This approach encourages organisations to embed safety management and risk-based decision-making into all their activities, instead of superimposing another system onto their existing MS and governance structure. In addition, if the organisation holds multiple organisation certificates within the scope of the EASA Basic Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2018/1139), it may choose to implement a single MS to cover all of its activities. An integrated MS may not only be used to capture multiple certification requirements, but also to cover other business MSs, such as security, occupational health, and environmental management systems. Integration will limit duplication and exploit synergies by managing safety risks across multiple activities. Organisations may determine the best means to structure their MSs to suit their business and organisational needs. The core part of the EU MS framework focuses on what is essential for safety management by mandating the organisation to: • clearly define accountabilities and responsibilities; • establish a safety policy and the related safety objectives; • implement an occurrence reporting system that meets the requirements defined in Regulation (EU) No 376/2014; • implement internal safety reporting procedures in line with ‘just culture’ principles; • ensure the identification of aviation safety hazards posed by its activities, ensure their evaluation, and the management of associated risks, including: • taking action to mitigate the risks, and • verifying the effectiveness of each action taken to mitigate the risks; • monitor compliance, while considering any additional requirements that are applicable to the organisation; • keep its personnel trained, competent, and informed about significant safety issues; and • document all the MS key processes. 2 Compliance with the SMS framework and applicability as defined in ICAO Annex 19 The ICAO Annex 19 SMS Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) have been ‘incorporated’ into each EASA aviation domain, the latest being the Initial Airworthiness (Part 21) domain, i.e. ‘Design and Production’, as well as the Continuing Airworthiness (Part-145) domain, i.e. ‘Maintenance’, with the following implementation targets: • after 7 March 2025 (See Articles 8 and 9 of Regulation (EU) No 748/2012), all design organisation approval (DOA) and production organisation approval (POA) holders approved in accordance with EASA Part 21, as well as manufacturers having a European technical standard order authorisation (ETSOA) and organisations designing auxiliary power units (APUs) in accordance with EASA Part 21, must have implemented an SMS; and • after 2 December 2024 (see Article 4 of Commission Regulation (EU) No 1321/2014), all EASA Part-145 approved maintenance organisations must have implemented an SMS. Further details on the various regulatory provisions within each domain are available on the EASA’s Regulations page, generally under the ‘management system’ requirements for each type of approval. As explained above, the MS provisions are harmonised across domains so that an organisation holding several EASA approvals can implement a single MS, which will also support the management of risks at the interfaces. EPAS Volume III - Safety Risk Portfolios 2024 Edition constitutes an important source of safety information to support organisations in the identification of hazards and the assessment of risks. 3 Tool to assess an organisation’s Management System A cross-domain tool for the assessment of an organisation’s management system (MS), i.e. the EASA management system assessment tool (MSAT), has been developed to: • guide organisations through the implementation of an MS; • support the (self) assessment of the MS; and • promote a common approach to MS assessment and continuous improvement of MS across the different aviation domains. The MSAT also provides references to the relevant ICAO Annex 19 SARPs (reference and text). Feedback on the EASA MSAT can be addressed to safety.management@easa.europa.eu. Navy says future drone wingmen need to come in under $15 million price point “I want something that's going to fly for a couple hundred hours. The last hour it's either a target or a weapon. ... But I'm not going to sustain them for 30 years,” said Rear Adm. Stephen Tedford, the Navy’s program executive for unmanned systems and weapons. By VALERIE INSINNA on April 08, 2024 at 3:47 PM An MQ-28 Ghost Bat drone flies in tests for the Royal Australian Air Force. (Australian Department of Defence) SEA AIR SPACE 2024 — The Navy is in the nascent stages of evaluating how to bring autonomous combat drones to the decks of aircraft carriers, but the service’s top official for unmanned programs says one thing is certain: The drones will have to be cheap, topping out at about $15 million per unit. To keep prices low, the Navy will likely sacrifice the longevity of each so-called Collaborative Combat Aircraft, said Rear Adm. Stephen Tedford, the Navy’s program executive for unmanned systems and weapons. Instead of being sustained over a 40-year lifecycle, a single drone could be catapulted and recovered off the deck of an aircraft carrier a handful of times for surveillance and strike missions before ending its service life as a kamikaze drone. “I want something that’s going to fly for a couple hundred hours. The last hour it’s either a target or a weapon. I’m either going to hit something with it or I’m going to train [a sensor on it] and shoot it down,” he said today during a briefing at the Sea Air Space conference. “But I’m not going to sustain them for 30 years.” In contrast to the Air Force, which has made its CCA a major technology development priority, the Navy has said relatively little about its vision for how combat drones could be incorporated with its fighter fleet since the cancelation of the Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike program in 2016. That could change shortly, with Tedford stating that the service is “in the process” of kicking off analysis for a CCA program. The initial focus will be studying the payloads, sensors and mission systems that will be needed on drones to augment the capabilities of existing fighters like the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, with the fielding of uncrewed aircraft targeted for “the second half of this decade,” he said. Tedford gave few details about the scope or shape of a future CCA buy for the Navy, including when the service would formally launch a program. He did, however, say that the Navy is closely following the Royal Australian Air Force’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat program as well as US Air Force developments in artificial intelligence. One critical point is that future platforms will need to be open and easily modified, Tedford said. “I am not interested in pursuing a proprietary solution that will only talk to one specific proprietary property,” he said. Five companies — Boeing, General Atomics, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Anduril — are currently in the running in the Air Force’s effort to field collaborative combat aircraft, Breaking Defense previously reported. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said in February it plans to eliminate several vendors “within just the next few months.” For the Navy, the MQ-25 tanker drone under development by Boeing remains the service’s major unmanned aviation priority. The MQ-25 is on schedule for its first flight next year, with initial operational capability set for 2026, Tedford said. Curt Lewis