Aerospace 1509
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Contents
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Correspondence on all aerospace matters is welcome at: The Editor, AEROSPACE, No.4 Hamilton Place, London W1J 7BQ, UK
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NEWS IN BRIEF Editor-in-Chief Tim Robinson +44 (0)20 7670 4353 [email protected]
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Features
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Cessna
32 Pressure builds for UK MPA Maritime patrol and civil SAR was on the agenda at a recent search and rescue conference.
Back to school The RAeS Airworthiness & Maintenance Group report on the transformed engineering training at RAF Cosford.
36 Safety in the skies An introduction to the work of the UK General Aviation Safety Council.
41 Afterburner 42 Message from our President
Any member not requiring a print version of this magazine, please contact: [email protected]
43 Message from our Chief Executive
USA: Periodical postage paid at Champlain New York and additional offices.
47 Library Additions
Postmaster: Send address changes to IMS of New York, PO Box 1518, Champlain NY 12919-1518, USA.
50 IVHM & Maintenance
44 Book Reviews 48 IT FLIES UK 2015 Credits Workshop 51 Washington Branch
ISSN 2052-451X
Front cover: Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II. Lockheed Martin
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28 Politics next hurdle for Heathrow third runway What will happen next after the decision of the Davis Commission to recommend a third Heathrow runway?
Merseyside rocks to the space beat What were the themes and major topics at the UK Space Conference 2015?
52 Diary 54 Obituaries
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58 The Last Word Keith Hayward on international competition and the ongoing airlines’ subsidy dispute.
10 Antenna Howard Wheeldon looks at why DSEI is still a must-attend defence and security event.
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Tim Robinson
12 Transmission Your letters, emails, tweets and feedback.
UK Space 2015
Over a decade after the first requests for information were sent out, India’s $12bn MMRCA (Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) fighter contest is now officially dead. The ‘must-win’ prize of a requirement for 126 fighters that was bitterly contested, with Rafale scooping the prize in 2012 is now axed. France’s Dassault, however, does not go home empty handed, having secured an order for 36 directly from India’s Prime Minister, who short-circuited the MoD and HAL bureaucracy — to at least get some combat aircraft into service. However, this does still leave a shortfall of 90 aircraft and this may get more acute in the future for India’s air force, which faces an ageing fleet and its two main regional competitors, China and Pakistan, both modernising their front-line capabilities. In particular, the qualitative margin that India enjoyed over China is (like other nations) being eroded as the PLAAF induct J-10s, J-11s and, conceivably in the future, J-20 stealth fighters. While India has a partnering agreement with Russia on its PAK-FA stealth fighter — that project too seems to have hit snags — with the IAF expressing concerns about the quality of Sukhoi’s fighter. Fighter manufacturers around the world, therefore, will be watching New Delhi’s next move with great interest. Will there be a MMRCA II? (tag-line: ‘This time its personal’). Will the ‘Make it in India’ stipulations that may have proved the sticking point in the Rafale negotiations return? Will India open the contest again to all-comers? Time is now ticking fast. One thing seems obvious. If there really is a desperate air power strategic gap in front-line fighters that India is facing — it cannot afford to wait another decade or so for a re-run of the tortured MMRCA competition. The IAF can either have new fighters in service quickly or it can have local production of Western/Russian designs — but it cannot have both simultaneously.
4 Radome The latest aviation and aeronautical intelligence, analysis and comment.
MoD
MMRCA: back to square one?
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Regulars
Comment
Publications Manager Chris Male +44 (0)20 7670 4352 [email protected]
Sparks begin to fly Electrically-powered aircraft emerge from the shadows as a potential new generation of green aircraft.
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Heathrow Airport
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Sending the F-35 into virtual combat Putting the Lightning II into a future battlespace simulation. How did it measure up?
Airbus/Rolls-Royce
Lockheed Martin
Volume 42 Number 9 September 2015
55 Corporate Partners 56 RAeS Elections
Online Additional features and content are available to view online on www.media.aerosociety.com/ aerospace-insight Including: Whisperjet waterbomber, In the August issue of AEROSPACE, Electric aircraft sparks imagination, Mission accomplished for Yateley SBAP.
SEPTEMBER 2015
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Radome INTELLIGENCE / ANALYSIS / COMMENT W
SPACEFLIGHT
NASA's Mars glider NASA is testing a prototype wing that could be developed into a space-going glider which would fly over the surface of Mars looking for potential landing sites for future manned space missions. Designed to fly in the thin atmosphere above the surface of Mars, the Prandtl-m (Preliminary Research Aerodynamic Designed to Land on Mars) could accompany the NASA Mars rover mission planned to launch in 2020. The inclusion of Prandtl-m on the Mars mission is not yet certain but, if high altitude flight tests of the prototype are successful, the Prandtl-m development team plans to ask NASA if the glider can be included as part of the payload.
Hitching a ride
The glider would travel to Mars inside a 12in x 4in x 4in 3U CubeSat attached to the protective aeroshell that covers the rover during descent and landing
Specifications Construction Wingspan Weight Payload
NASA
Flight time Range
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AEROSPACE / SEPTEMBER 2015
Fibreglass or carbon fibre 61cm 1.8kg Mapping camera and highaltitude radiometer 10min 20 miles
Wings unfurled
During the rover's descent towards the surface of Mars the Prandtl-m would be ejected from the aeroshell, unfold its wings and begin gliding at a height of 2,000ft above the planet's surface, recording high resolution photographic images and telemetry from very low altitudes.
High flyer flight tests
NASA
Tests are currently being conducted by a team of summer community college students using Prandtl-d flying gliders launched from unusual attitudes to simulate condtions which might occur following an ejection from the Mars rover to see if the aircraft will recover stability. Usiing the results from these tests, a design will be developed for a prototype Prandtl-m glider which will be launched by a high-altitude balloon later this year from a height of 100,000ft where the thin air is most similar to the atmosphere of Mars. A second balloon launch is planned for 2016 while a third flight from a rocket at 450,000ft is under consideration.
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Radome DEFENCE
AEROSPACE
On 31 July the US Marine Corps declared that the Lockheed Martin F-35B has achieved initial operational capability (IOC) and can now participate in operations along with its other active aircraft. The first F-35B deployment is scheduled for 2017 when the VMFA-121 squadron moves to Iwakuni in Japan. The Marines have 340
F-35Bs and are expected to acquire a further 80 F-35Cs. The F-35A conventional take-off and landing variants are scheduled to become operational with the US Air Force at the end of 2016 while the carrier variant F-35C, used both by the US Navy and Marines, will follow in 2018. See 'Sending the F-35 into virtual air combat' p 14.
GKN Aerospace
US Marines declare F-35B operational
SPACEFLIGHT
NASA
Probe snaps dark side of the Moon The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite has captured a rarely-before seen image of the far-side of the Moon transiting the Earth. The DCSOVR probe orbits the Earth a million miles away measuring solar wind.
GKN to acquire Fokker for €706m Structures and engines group GKN is to buy Dutch aerospace company Fokker Technologies Group for €706m. Under the deal, Fokker will remain a separate division within GKN, with its HQ still in
The Netherlands and retaining the Fokker Technologies name. The acquisition extends GKN's international footprint in China, Turkey, India and Mexico and shifts GKN Aerospace to no 2 in aerostructures.
Delay for Global 7000
Bombardier has announced a two-year delay to its Global 7000 business jet. Entry into service, set for 2016, has now been pushed back to the second half of 2018.
NEWS IN BRIEF NASA technicians have conducted tests on a 30-foot composite structure built by sewing together layers and rods of composite material. Named PRSEUS (Pultruded Rod Stitched Efficient Unitized Structure), the structure was bent, twisted and stressed to breaking point. The tests are part of research into construction techniquues for future composite aircraft designs, including blended wing bodies.
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AEROSPACE / SEPTEMBER 2015
Global Infrastructure Partners is to sell London City Airport which it has owned since 2006. Financial experts predict that the airport could fetch up to £2bn. The airport has previously been owned by Irish financier Dermot Desmond and the Mowlem construction group. The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced that RAF Tornado GR4s operated by
No 12 (Bomber) Squadron are to continue in service for another year until March 2017. The12 Sqn, who are currently operating out of RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, was due to stand down in 2016. Orbital ATK has ordered a second Atlas 5 rocket to launch an additional commercial Cygnus cargo spacecraft for the International Space Station. Orbital ATK is currently using Atlas rockets
following the explosion of its Antares launcher in October 2014. Honda Aircraft announced that it received ‘multiple orders’ for its new HondaJet very light jet at the Latin American Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (LABACE). The Airbus Group has been granted a US patent for an ‘ultra-rapid air vehicle’ designed to fly at
Mach 4 at altitudes up to 12.4 miles. The aircraft, which would be powered by a combination of jet engines, ramjets and rocket motors, features a fuselage filled with liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen with space at the front for a cockpit and for 2-3t of cargo or 24 passengers. Latin American carrier LATAM has announced a new corporate brand which will begin to be appear on aircraft from 2016. The Chile-
SPACEFLIGHT
DEFENCE
SS2 crash due to human factors, says NTSB
Typhoon P2E flies as upgrade work goes into high gear
unlocking the ‘feather’ mechanism 22 seconds early at Mach 0.92 — the NTSB also criticised training and procedures at Scaled Composites — noting there was a ‘single point of failure’. It also singled out the FAA for lack of oversight in giving a waiver on human factors to Scaled, without having been requested.
AIR TRANSPORT
BAE Systems has revealed that the first Eurofighter Typhoon, with the latest P2E (Phase 2 Enhancements) software made its first flight from Warton on 5 August. The upgrade provides the baseline for integration with Meteor and Storm Shadow missiles — which are set to begin flight tests with Typhoon shortly.
BAE Systems
The US NTSB has released its findings on the 31 October crash of the Virgin Galactic SpaceShip 2, confirming that the co-pilot unlocked the tail ‘feathering’ mechanism too early, which led to the inflight break-up of the vehicle and the death of one test pilot. However, while the immediate cause was
AEROSPACE
La Guardia Airport to be revamped
MH370 777 flaperon found on La Réunion?
NY Governor
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced that the city’s La Guardia Airport, widely criticised for its outdated layout, is to have a $4bn revamp and modernisation. The new design will see one unified terminal building, automated trams, better passenger access, improved taxiways and a ferry service. If approved, ground-breaking could begin in 2016.
based airline was formed from the merger of LAN and TAM three years ago. The Russian defence ministry has ordered the grounding of all Mi-28 attack helicopters in early August following a fatal crash at an air show caused by a suspected hydraulics failure. One pilot was killed and another jumped clear after the twoseat helicopter crashed during an aerobatic display by the Berkut squadron in @aerosociety
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the Ryazan region. There have been six recent crashes involving the Russian air force. The European Space Agency (ESA) has contracted Airbus Safran Launchers to build new generation Ariane 6 launchers by 2020 in a deal worth €2.4bn. A €395m deal was also signed with European Launch Vehicle to develop the smaller Vega launcher by 2018.
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Gulfstream's new G500 business jet has now completed five test flights since its first flight on 18 May. During over 15 hours of flying, the aircraft achieved a top speed of Mach 0.80 and a maximum altitude of 38,500ft. The European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) has published a revised set of rule proposals governing the operation of UAVs. The Advance Notice www.aerosociety.com
The French ministry of defence is to assist FAZSOI armed forces of the southern Indian Ocean to intensify the search for wreckage from the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 in the vicinity of La Réunion, a French island in the Indian Ocean. The decision follows the discovery of a flaperon washed up on the beach at Réunion which
has been verified by the Malaysian government, but not confirmed by French investigators BEA, as coming from the missing Boeing 777-200ER which disappeared on 8 March 2014 while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The new search for additional wreckage, which began on 7 August, includes overflights by a CASA aircraft.
of Proposed Amendment (A-NPA) 2015-10 — which uses the words ‘drones’ for the first time in an official publication — proposes that Europe take a proportionate and risk-based approach to UAV operations by dividing them into three distinct groups: open, specific and certified. The rules also propose the elimination of national aviation authority control over UAVs under 150kg and the creation of ‘no drone zone’ airspace.
An ATR 42-300 regional turboprop operated by Indonesian carrier Trigana Air crashed in mountainous terrain in New Guinea on 16 August. All 54 passengers and crew are believed to have been killed. The aircraft, which was flying from Jayapura on the north coast of Papua to the inland town of Oksibil, is not reported to have issued any distress call. SEPTEMBER 2015
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Radome AEROSPACE
SPACEFLIGHT
Facebook reveals giant Aquila drone using a laser to beam data down to a base station on the ground. The aircraft is not fitted with landing gear and does not have the ability to take-off or climb from ground level to its cruising altitude. Facebook says that Aquila will be launched into position from a high-altitude helium balloon.
Airbus Defence and Space
Facebook has revealed first images of its 42m wingspan solar-powered flying wing it is developing to improve Internet access in remote areas of the world. Named Aquila (pictured below), the drone will fly in circles of around 3km radius at a height of between 60,000ft and 90,000ft for up to three months without landing,
Skynet 5 moves east
For the first time ever, the UK’s military communications satellite network, Skynet, will cover the whole globe as operator Airbus Defence and Space moves the Skynet 5A 67,000km into
a new orbit over the AsiaPacific region. Skynet, run as a managed service for the UK MoD by AirbusDS, is hoping to target allied and coalition nations in the region with its spare X-band capacity.
AIR TRANSPORT Heathrow is to conduct a six-month trial from midSeptember allowing aircraft landing at the airport to use steeper glide paths with approach angles increased from 3° to 3.2°. The trials,
which are voluntary and only to be conducted during good visibility, would involve approaching aircraft flying around 170ft higher at a distance of 8nm from the runway.
the transport of lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos or buffalos killed by trophy hunters. The decision follows an international protest after the killing of 'Cecil', a rare black-maned lion from Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park. Qatar Airways has also banned hunting trophies.
within visual range (WVR) dogfights during the two-week Indradanush IV exercise in July at RAF Coningsby in which RAF Typhoons were matched up against Russian-designed SU-30MKI Flankers. The RAF responded by saying that its own analysis did not reflect what had been reported and that RAF pilots and the Typhoon performed well throughout the exercise with and against the Indian Air Force.
NEWS IN BRIEF Embraer is to delay certification of its new KC-390 tanker-transport to 2H 2017 with entry into service postponed until 2018. Flight testing of the KC-390 is to resume in Q3 of this year and continue for 18-24 months. The first KC-390 flew in February 2014. NASA is debating where next to send its New Horizons spacecraft following its recent flyby of
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Pluto. Scientists will decide to direct the spacecraft to fly past one of two objects discovered in the Kuiper Belt by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2014. The UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) says that it may have to cease helicopter relief services for areas of Nepal hit by earthquakes in April due to a funding shortfall. UNHAS says that it has only received $8.8m, leaving a $9.2m shortfall.
AEROSPACE / SEPTEMBER 2015
Isle of Wight-based aircraft manufacturer BrittenNorman has announced that it is to expand its apprentice and training base. The company has joined The 5% Club which commits it to having a minimum of 5% of its UK workforce engaged in formal apprentice schemes. US carriers American Airlines, Delta and United have banned
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has backed down from iniitial claims that it beat the RAF 12-0 in
Royal Australian Air Force
Facebook
Heathrow to trial steeper glide paths
SPACEFLIGHT
AEROSPACE
DARPA awards contracts for XS-1 spaceplane companies have already been working on the initial Phase 1 design work. DARPA wants to use the reusable XS-1 to fly up to ten times in ten days to launch 3,000-5,000lb payloads into orbit for less than $5m per mission. The first flight could be as early as 2018.
Aircraft Industries
The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has requested Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Masten Space Systems to continue development work on the Mach 10 XS-1 (Experimental Spaceplane-1) unmanned military spacecraft. All three
L410 NG completes first flight
Czech manufacturer Aircraft Industries has revealed it successfully completed the first flight of its upgraded L 410 NG commuter aircraft, at the company’s airfield in Kunovice on 29 July. The revamped 19-seat L 410 NG features increased range, glass cockpit and new engines.
DEFENCE
GENERAL AVIATION
First Growler delivered to RAAF
Bin Laden family bizjet crashes in UK The sister and stepmother of Osama bin Laden were killed along with two others after their Embraer Phenom 300 light jet crashed at Blackbushe airport in Hampshire. The aircraft was flying to the
UK from from MilanMalpensa Airport in Italy. The accident happened when the biz-jet overshot the runway and collided with a fence before flipping over and catching fire on a car auction site.
AIR TRANSPORT
The Monarch Group has promoted Lee Burgess as its new Head of Engineering and Andy Mackay as Head of Maintenance for its MRO division. Boeing announced that its VP and GM of the 787 programme, Larry Loftis, is to retire. He will be succeeded by Mark Jenks from the 787 airplane development staff.
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Boeing has rolled out the first EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in St Louis, Missouri. Australia is set to receive 12 Growlers, from 36 Super Hornets on order.
Correction In the August issue of AEROSPACE on p 8 of the news, it was said that the Kawasaki P1 at RIAT was the first appearance by Japanese aircraft at a European air show. However, this should have been ‘appearance in the flying display’ as JASDF KC-767s had previously visited RIAT on the static park.
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ON THE MOVE
INFOGRAPHIC: Opportunity to upgrade Iran’s aging airline fleet?
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SEPTEMBER 2015
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antenna:
Global Outlook and Analysis with HOWARD WHEELDON
DSEI: defence exports shop window
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make no apology this month for highlighting what I regard as the best defence trade show event in the world. Being hosted once again at the superb ExCel Exhibition Centre in London during 15-18 September, Defence and Security Equipment International — DSEI 2015 for short — promises to be the best ever exhibition in the long and illustrious history of this powerful biennial defence and security event. Highlighting four pillars of expertise, aerospace, land systems, maritime and security, DSEI 2015 will, as it has so successfully done in the past, shine the spotlight on the most important and significant elements of military and security capability and requirement. Not only is DSEI the largest defence and security equipment and services exhibition in the world, it is also, from an industry perspective, to be considered the most important and influential. Considered a ‘not to be missed’ event by defence industry professionals, the exhibition is one of the few places where one can see prime contractors, supply chain and a great many small and mediumsized enterprises and service companies working alongside each other to achieve the same ends. Held every two years since inception in 1993, DSEI can trace its roots back to the mid 1970s when the British Army and the Royal Navy used to hold equipment exhibitions on alternate years. With industry keen to show off its wares, these exhibitions were always very well received and each year they would be attended by an increasing number of military delegations from all over the world. DSEI continues to grow in both stature and importance and today it is recognised not only as the best international combined defence and security exhibition of its kind but also for the quality of the separate conference events. With a vast array of defence equipment on show, DSEI is the place not only to see and better understand equipment on offer and meet industry specialists but it is also an event to network and learn. It is a place to view immense amounts of new product, systems, technologies and services, at the same time as being a place and a forum in which to discuss and debate issues that impact on defence and security in the global market place and on the companies and users involved. Throughout the four-day event there will be briefings from military and other defence and
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AEROSPACE / SEPTEMBER 2015
security industry experts providing their respective views on matters ranging from current threats, military policy, skills retention, engineering and training right through to how to win business in new and emerging markets. Procurement and better ways of doing this will clearly be a regular topic of conversation and importantly, how can exporting be made easier. All these are important issues to consider in this new age of so-called affordability and when the Government is also seeking to increase exports. As one of the sponsoring partners, the MoD along with UKTI Defence and Security Organisation, will again be at DSEI 2015 in force, the latter with its UK Capability Showcase. Designed to illustrate the partnership between government and industry in the UK, the UKTI showcase which will be supported by members of the specialist export exhibition team throughout, will display a range of equipment and solutions while at the same time be promoting the Government’s strong export message. The range of capabilities on display come not only from the UK’s innovative prime contractors and medium-sized enterprises but also from small companies who can offer solutions not just for current and existing problems but for potential future requirements as well. The MoD and UKTI DSO will also be hosting a number of senior ministers attending DSEI
2015 this year from a number of UK Government departments along with a substantial number of military delegations attending from a variety of international countries.
Stimulating exports
Finmeccanica
Apart from the UKTI, DSO exhibitions team representation from the UK armed forces will include the Royal Air Force Capability Industry Day. Duncan Reid, Exhibition Director at Clarion Events and the DSEI Events Director, said recently that: “the aerospace dimension of DSEI has grown strongly in recent years, with leading prime contractors and their supply chain members using the event as a platform to reach international markets.” This is undoubtedly true and it is an area that the Defence Growth Partnership is also looking at as well to see what else is required to stimulate, help and support smaller companies with ambitions to be able to export. Military capability is as much about people as it is about the equipment used. The two run hand in hand of course but, without one, the other is seemingly useless. While the main emphasis of DSEI is on equipment, it is equally as much about people and the ability to better understand the benefits of what the equipment on offer actually achieves. If it is innovation and new ideas and concepts you are looking for, DSEI 2015 will certainly not be found wanting on that score. Of course, investing in large shows such as DSEI does not come cheap and they are not for the faint-hearted. Trade organisations, be they national or regional, play a large and very useful part in helping representation by small and medium-sized enterprises with member companies able to occupy affordable stands. Large defence companies, both national and international, put considerable effort into bringing as much as
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they can onto their stands and making sure that there are ample specialists available to assist delegates and potential military customers. This year marks the ninth DSEI in its present form and promises to be larger than ever. The event is expected to attract over 32,000 delegates and visitors from all over the world, including 150 programmed military delegations from over 60 countries. Further expanded and with well over 1,500 exhibitors from over 50 countries participating, the main DSEI events will be preceded by a number of strategic military and security conferences on 14 September extending through the first day of the show. The Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and the Army will all be very actively engaged with teams of personnel engaging with industry representatives and other visitors. DSEI also present an opportunity for the MoD and Department of Business, Innovation and Skills to meet with industry and those engaged in education to discuss how we increase the number of students undertaking STEM subjects and better handle the real shortage of engineering skills. Leveraging on the success of previous shows, this year will see over 40 international pavilions and six themed zones, including air, land, naval, medical and unmanned, together with security and special forces this is a not to be missed showcase event for military and industry professionals. Static displays will include a number of helicopters and moored alongside, will be ships from various navies from around the world including India, Germany, Belgium and Britain. As a place to do business, to network, to show new technology or perhaps launch specific new products to defence and security market buyers, or maybe just to seek to identify new business opportunities, DSEI is unsurpassed. There are, of course, many trade shows around the world but, in terms of size, scope, venue and professionalism, my own view is that DSEI is the only one that does the business. For the defence industries of all countries, except the few that have continued to increase spending on defence equipment, these are difficult times with Western nations continuing to question the affordability of some aspects of defence. Even so, with the level of threats against the West having risen markedly over the past two years, an increasing number of western nations are beginning to reverse the trend of cuts and actually increase spending on defence. In the US the effects of ‘sequestration’ cuts on defence spending have yet to abate and this impact has forced many US defence companies to extend the focus on exports to sustain order books. Major defence primes such as Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman are long-established exhibitors at DSEI and they are now being joined by an increasing number of others that are focusing on increasing export potential. www.aerosociety.com
AN INCREASING NUMBER OF WESTERN NATIONS ARE BEGINNING TO REVERSE THE TREND OF CUTS AND ACTUALLY INCREASE SPENDING ON DEFENCE
SEPTEMBER 2015
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Transmission LETTERS AND ONLINE
Stewart Luck On electric-powered aircraft(2) This article hardly mentions the most practical way forward — the hybrid propulsion system. An electric motor, with relatively small battery, assists a conventional engine during take-off, and also provides backup propulsion. The conventional motor can then be sized only for cruise. This has been demonstrated in flight by Cambridge University, several propulsion companies have demonstrated hybrid prototypes and prototype GA aircraft are under development. Tony Bishop I’m not clear exactly what record is being claimed here. If it is for electric powered flight across the channel, this was achieved in July 1981 by the Solar Challenger. this craft flew from near Paris to Manston. If I remember
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Former students from Yateley School and the RAeS/Boeing Schools Build a Plane microlight they helped to build.
rightly it aimed to go from Paris to London but was not permitted to. It had the capability to fly twice that far. Chris Wright Lot of opinion and not much physics above. The reason aircraft use liquid fuel is it is the lowest weight and highest efficiency way to generate energy, at the point of use, as needed.. Generating it first and storing it inefficiently in heavy storage devices to be innefficiently regenerated later is exactly what not to do in an aircraft. Solar collection in real time is far too weak to lift anything useful. Still a poor way to power a vehicle, in particular because of the overall efficiency of generating then chemically storing electricity to be re-created later. Massively expensive and inefficient, and, most important, reduces the payload you can carry which is the whole point of flight. The physics of electric propulsion simply doesn’t work for flight — which needs energetic primary fuel converted in the most energy efficient thrust producer possible, in terms of Kg per KW. Interesting, but not general aviation. There are better ways to do this, even if its synthesising Avgas from the atmosphere with nuclear generated electricity, recycling CO2.
AEROSPACE / SEPTEMBER 2015
Brian Catt CEng CPhys
Electric passenger aircraft are impractical, because of the poor energy density of batteries compared to fuels. Use the electricity to make aircraft fuel instead. A fully loaded Boeing 747 weighs around 400 tonnes at take off, with around 200 tonnes of fuel. The Tesla lithium-ion batteries that could store the same amount of energy would weigh as much as about fifty Boeing 747s. Pete Austin
i Laurent Ghibaut [On flight crew training] Speaking only for the UK sector: When the self-improver route to
a CPL via the UK CAA’s BCPL with approx 1,500hr instructing was removed by the UK in joining the JAA system, it suddenly made it about five to six times more expensive to become a flight instructor and so, by expense, in an already expensive profession, ruling out a large traditional pool of vocational, low capital, future pilots. Many club instructors moved to commercial flight training companies before the change, but now they are not there to move. Why would any sensible person now become a club flying instructor in the UK when they are treated as go-fers, living on less than the minimum wage or being coerst into being illegally selfemployed, having already forked out £60K to £70K? Furthermore, the JAA route was just an excuse to put prices up under the guise of ‘modular’ training. The industry is reaping what it sowed. John Kenton-Page MSc FRAeS [On Heathrow third runway(3)] This is only a stopgap measure. If we are to complete, there is a need for a complete new airport. This is the route being taken all over the world. Daniel Olufisan Given its long established and renowned status as a global hub, I personally believe its a ‘no-brainer’ to favour Heathrow over Gatwick...
The NASA/Boeing SugarVolt future concept aircraft would fly using hybrid electric propulsion. (See Sparks begin to fly on p 24).
Boeing
On Yateley School SBAP(1) Boeing and the RAeS have done a really good job promoting the SBAP projects. Sir Michael Arthur and Sir Roger Bone before him both highlighted the usefulness of students being involved in one of these projects. YouTube features many examples of the handiwork and engineering going on, not only at Yateley but around the UK where other youth B@P projects are ongoing. I was recently in the USA and happened upon a Boeing employee based in St Louis. He remarked he knew of the SBAP projects through Boeings internal communications to employees. The impact is truly worldwide!Finally lets not forget the bold teachers and volunteers who had to commit to each project and drive it forward.
Peter Moxham I felt this result was inevitable from the beginning but it will never be allowed to happen — it is politically a nonstarter. Although I have been in the aviation industry all my life, I speak as a passenger, human being and resident in the Cotswolds. I do still travel very frequently by air and I believe the needs of passengers are often overlooked in favor of the specialist interest groups. I try to avoid ‘hubs’ which are never passenger friendly and therefore would far rather see the regional airports developed. Hubs are inefficient for everyone except the airline operators — interesting that the growth area of low cost carriers do not actually use hubs but thrive on offering direct point to point flights. Gatwick is useless for anyone resident north of the Thames. Heathrow is a passenger nightmare to be avoided at all costs about an hour from touchdown to catching your train/bus/car and seems to have forgotten the words ‘passenger and service. These are not alone — for anyone living north of Watford then any London airport should be avoided. Please let us encourage the regional airports — if you actually study your geography you will readily see the pointless situation of further development around London. Business in other countries may like hubs but that brings no business to UK Plc. We have spent many many millions of pounds on reviews, investigations and reports but have achieved a big fat zero! This report gives a politically unacceptable solution and will go the way of all others. Michael Price [On UAVs and SDSR 2015] Studying the mix of manned/ unmanned makes sense
Lukas Willcocks USAF doesn’t think drones are the future. High loss rate. Operating costs also higher for likes of global hawk. Georgia lost several to manned Migs. The trend is towards more automation and an Internet of things but this is also more vulnerable to cyber attacks or solar storms. Dee Amos FRAS MRAeS & AMInstP Presently drones are an early generation and operated linearly and so relatively good at snooping and small scale attack. Newer developments would be a super enhancement if the operator sat in a full flight simulator 180 degree style cockpit so as to have true reactions to aggressors. As for balancing the books financially, the Russian Bears check our response times and glaringly note our eggs are in but a few baskets with no strength in depth so much so that even US bases are leaving a country that doesn’t want to defend itself. 30 years ago there was laughingly suggested that Hawk aircraft carry sidewinders as part of a fighter flight (with somebody that had a radar). With the commitment to new lightning two and euro fighters, more Hawk two’s perhaps opening a retired base or two and sharing fighters and Hawks between them and the current would be cost effective. As for relying on Europe as NATO and sharing defence, with the shape of finances in
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@danohagan [On proposed Dambusters remake] Peter Jackson’s got a pile of fibreglass Lancasters, and a Stephen Fry script in his mitts. It will happen, I imagine.
North Korean State TV
Eurozone some countries are bound to turn away from any conflict unless it’s their border directly invaded. Europe has never looked so ripe from the East.
@martinmcnamara [On the DART Jet Trainer] Ace looking aircraft. @AaronMehta Need a US partner to have a chance in hell. @KonradMuzyka [On NATO reducing its Baltic Air Policing commitments] From then on the Russian Air Force activity over the Baltic is likely to decrease as well. @mgerrydoyle Well, at the rate the Russian air force is grounding planes there might be a lull no matter what... @DomnicAlexander [On Dr Ron Smith FRAeS’s rainbow 777 contrail pic] (Illustrated on right) Interesting, how many types of contrails are there?
@CopernicusTech Love the vision behind the DARTJet trainer. @PeterFarrowAST [On the projected pilot shortage] But first question, is there really a shortage? Second question, why does nobody mention the engineer shortage? @gcater [On the New HMS Queen Elizabeth carrier having its own twitter handle] “Petty Officer, be sure to favourite that incoming Silkworm.”
@MichaelEdney [On lace and tassles North Korean AF Su-25 headrest] Just as intriguing is the lack of visor, pressure suit and open neck tee shirt informal approach. @DADDYJOSE Any crew chief worth his salt has a good needlepoint kit. @Major_Eazy You should see the furry dash.
@CombatAir [On upcoming Seattle Branch B-47 test pilot lecture] Should be fascinating. B-47 one of the few planes that pilots I’ve spoken to consider downright dangerous.
Dr Ron Smith FRAeS
but are we starting from the right place? Currently umanned platforms are in low threat environments and manned ones in higher threat. But perhaps in a notional ‘all-out’ air combat of the future the heartless drone would work best?
@MickWest There’s really just two basic types of contrail: exhaust and aerodynamic. There are variants though.
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@PeteNorth303 Fabulous, dahling! But what about the carpets? @testpilotpete Loving the well fitting oxygen mask! It looks like a plastic bucket held on with a trouser belt! Good under G obviously.
@GotALightBoy [On Airbus patenting a Mach 4.5 aircraft] Not as nice as Skylon. @ReadBradHaverly [On Amazon’s proposal to divide lower airspace into drone only flights] Interesting proposal indeed! I think it’ll be hard justified considering public safety& low altitude flying governance.
@apoure25 Well, proposal doesn’t change the fact that 500ft is the lower limit for manned aircraft over populated areas.
@TrampolinRocket BREAKING: Boeing & God hold joint celebration of Obergefell.
@GbhvfRon Having taken the photo I have posted a small discussion paper on my site at http:// www.ronandjimsmith. com/books/wp-content/ uploads/2015/07/AircraftVortices-and-Contrails.pdf
@Corsair8X Also, where’s the typical faux-leather flight suit they always seem to wear?
1. http://aerosociety.com/News/Insight-Blog/3300/Mission-accomplished-for-Yateley-SBAP 2. http://aerosociety.com/News/Insight-Blog/3338/Electric-aircraft-sparks-imagination#sthash.CTZDmLJU.dpuf 3. http://aerosociety.com/News/Insight-Blog/3248/A-decision-at-last-Davies-Commission-recommends-Heathrow
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SEPTEMBER 2015
13
DEFENCE Open source air combat simulation
Sending the F-35 into virtual combat
TIM ROBINSON puts virtual F-35s into arguably the most accurate non-classified high-fidelity simulation of a future air combat clash.
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‘Harpoon on steroids’ — Command Modern Air Naval Operations is a high-fidelity real-time tactical simulator on PC.
uly this year saw what seemed like a fairly damning flight-test report leaked to the blog War is Boring — where a F-35A test pilot was unable to triumph over a 70’s-era F-16D with two external tanks in a close-in mock dogfight. In the report the unnamed pilot noted the F-35’s lack of energy manoeuvrability and its restrictive flight control software led to it being unable to turn the tables against the Viper. The story — as might be guessed — sent ripples through amateur and professional air warfare experts — with critics claiming that it is yet more evidence the aircraft is an expensive disaster. Proponents, meanwhile, lined up to defend the fighter. The news story, picked up by other outlets, moved the F-35 JPO (Joint Program Office) to rebut the report saying: “The F-35’s technology is designed to engage, shoot, and kill its enemy from long distances, not necessarily in visual ‘dogfighting' situations.”
Simulating more representative combat With this in mind, a curious, impartial mind might ask — how well might a F-35 do in a more operationally representative scenario? Beyond manufacturer's slick marketing videos and pithy soundbites about ‘gamechanging’ fifth generation technology, it is difficult for an outsider to evaluate the F-35’s potential — especially in the air-to-air arena. Is it true revolution in air combat?
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Fortunately we now have a publically available tool to take an informed look at least some of the claims made for the fighter. To this, we turn to Command Modern Air Naval Operations — a hyper-realistic tactical PC simulation/wargame which models sensors, stealth and other factors in great detail. Having won plaudits from amateur and professionals alike in its detailed modelling, it recently is set to move into the professional military and defence world through a co-operation agreement signed with BAE Systems. The game features a Jane’s style database of aircraft, ships, weapons, sensors and missiles from 1945 to 2020, with the whole world modelled and country-specific equipment lists. Of course, simulations have been used before with the F-35 — with a famous RAND study concluding the jet would be ‘clubbed like baby seals’. However, CMANO is a substantial advance on Harpoon-era simulations — with a more detailed, higher fidelity air warfare model. For instance, it models the kinematic effects of aircraft losing energy dodging incoming missiles or SAMs — making salvos more important against highly-agile targets. The probability of a missile kill (Pk) is influenced by many factors — including seeker generations, range to target, agility of target aircraft, target aspect, countermeasures and pilot skill — making for a deep and complex simulation. The AI, too, is clever enough to evade and try and ‘beam’ incoming missiles — making for a highly realistic BVR simulation. In the older Harpoon, for example,
Lockheed Martin
missiles could be fired rearwards from fighters, the air combat modelling being far more abstracted. While actual stealth performance is still highly classified, CMANO does provide a more detailed ‘educated guess’ modelling of low-observable platforms such as the F-35 — beyond just assuming they are ‘invisible’ to the enemy in game terms. Frontal, side and rear visual, IR signatures and RCS (radar cross section) detection ranges are calculated — and the RCS is even split into two sets of radar bands. In this simulation, stealth is an advantage — but platforms can still be detected at close range. In this test we are role-playing the 'battlespace commander' with a top-down view of the air battle rather than the individual pilot — but in reality the F-35 is likely to have this level of information provided to the pilots themselves in the cockpit — thanks to datalinks and sensor fusion. How, then, would it model the F-35 in an air combat scenario?
AS THIS TESTING DEMONSTRATED, THE CHALLENGE FOR ANY FUTURE 'RED AIR' PILOT WILL BE DETECTING THE F-35 AND THEN GETTING CLOSE ENOUGH TO NULLIFY ITS LO FEATURES IN THE MERGE
A more plausible scenario To find a plausible air combat scenario these days it is not necessary to look too far away from the headlines. This scenario imagines a Baltic crisis gone hot in 2020 with UK F-35Bs pressed into the air superiority/CAP mission. (In reality of course this would be more likely to be the Typhoon’s role). For the purposes of this test we will imagine a flight of four F-35Bs going up against four of Russia's latest production 4.5 generation fighter – the fearsome Sukhoi Su-35S. The F-35s are configured for long-range air superiority with four internally-carried MBDA Meteor BVRAAMs each — and thus relying on stealth. As support, the F-35s have an E-3D AWACS & Rivet Joint. Meanwhile, the Su-35Ss have ten AAMs each, comprising six AA-12 Adder As and four AA-11 Archers. Both sides skill (which affects the OODA loop) is set to equal and RoEs are such that only contacts positively ID’d as hostile can be engaged. Both flights start at high altitude (40,000ft) approximately 300nm apart.
Sukhoi
Western fighter pilots can expect to encounter the Su-35S in significant numbers. around 15 tests only one saw the F-35 get into a guns fight. 2) Again, while the point of this test is to see how the F-35 performs in a more operationally representative test — it still omits a lot from a real-world air battle. Support assets would include SAMs, surface ships and friendly fighters, as well as other assets to feed into the electronic order of battle. In particular, the presence of friendly Rafales/ Typhoons/Gripens as non-LO assets could allow tactics to distract and feint the enemy while the LO F-35s set up ambushes. 3) This test is obviously being conducted by an (extremely) amateur air power person. Those professionals who get paid to study, teach and train this subject full-time will no doubt be able to get much better results, more consistently. 4) Rules of engagement (RoE) may well be different for a real-world crisis — which, short of WW3, may see civil air traffic in or near the battlespace. This could aid (in terms of providing a clearer air picture) or hinder (if political restrictions meant visual ID rules were imposed) an informationage, LO fighter such as the F-35.
F-35 tactics
Opening moves — the F-35’s ESM suite detects and classifies the Su-35Ss at around 300nm — giving a huge advantage in sorting the contacts and assigning targets.
Initially playing from the F-35’s pespective, I decided to maximise my stealth by keeping my radar off — even though the aircraft's APG-81 radar is a LPI (low probability of intercept). I also aim to keep my F-35s out of the merge and strike from the edges of the opposition’s WEZ (weapons engagement zones). With the EW suite classifying the contacts as Su-35Ss at 300nm I firm up a plan to divide my flight into two pairs and skirt the Flankers PESA radars setting up a pincer ambush. The southern pair of F-35s make the first contact and dispatch three Flankers with Meteors and, while the remaining Su-35S gets a contact using its IRST on these, it is distracted by my northern pair who go active with radar to finish it off with Meteors. The result therefore is 4-0 to the F-35Bs. Re-running
Caveats Some caveats must be understood before we let loose the dogs of (virtual) war. 1) This is an unclassified consumer wargame with weapon ranges/sensor data drawn from multiple open sources (and very informed guesses). Real-world missile ranges and sensor performance therefore could well be better. While the simulation is undeniably accurate — it will still have some gaps and discrepancies. One oddity, for example, is the gunpod which was included as the standard F-35B LO air superiority load-out with Meteor missiles. Is this a major factor? Probably not, given that in @aerosociety
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SEPTEMBER 2015
15
DEFENCE Open source air combat simulation mistake that a well-trained human F-35 pilot probably wouldn’t make. However, by that time I had lost three Flankers — a Pyrrhic victory at best.
Observations
the scenario around 15 times produces similar results, with scores either 4 or 3 nil to the F-35Bs. Experimenting with my tactics slightly, I also found that, even heading almost straight in to the Su-35’s path and coming inside their radar cone, the F-35Bs were still not detected — with the results the same. After about 15 runthroughs with the Su35s being shot out of the sky, I decided to add more Red support assets. The first being an A-50 ‘Mainstay’ to provide AEW coverage and the second a Su-24MP Fencer F EW variant to provide jamming capability. Surely this would jam the missiles and allow the Su35s to get to the merge? The answer is no. Unless I take the risk of putting the AEW aircraft extremely close to the fight, it, too, cannot see the F-35Bs. Meanwhile, despite ‘jammed’ icons appearing on my missiles — it seems that the Fencer’s ECM is ineffective against the ECCM of the Meteors. So what would this air battle be like from the other side?
From the Red Air perspective One of the very useful aspects of a sandbox simulation like CMANO is its ability to jump into a God’s-eye view showing all sides, or even to switch sides. Let’s take a look at this scenario from the Flankers’ point of view. The challenge for any ‘Red Pilot’ to solve is that, if F-35s keep their radar off, it is extremely difficult for the Flankers — even with PESA radar — to detect them. The Meteor BVRAAM, meanwhile, with its agility in the end-game, means that the highly manoeuvrable Su-35S loses energy dodging these shots which appear out of nowhere. Even armed with ten missiles each, the Flankers need a reliable target before they can engage which the F-35s simply do not provide. As a final test — I decided to hand complete control of the F-35s to the AI, assigning them a CAP zone to defend and switched to Red Air with the intention of finally beating them. I also loosen up the RoE for both sides allowing the fighters to fire on anything not friendly, rather than hostile contacts. But, even using sneaky tactics (one Flanker with radar on as bait, the rest silent relying on passive sensors) the result was much the same — with missiles appearing out of nowhere and from unexpected directions. I finally managed to down a single F-35B when the AI made the mistake of switching its radar on deep inside my WEZ — a
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Ambush — The southern pair of F-35s fire first at the Flankers at maximum Meteor range.
Endgame — While the last Su-35S has a IRST contact on the southern F-35, it turns to meet the northern pair which have gone active with radar.
This, of course, was a quick and dirty look at a possible future air combat scenario using the F-35 rather than an exhaustive simulation and testing that goes on in military or defence industry labs. However, it does throw up some interesting observations. In around 20 runthroughs, the kill ratio was decisively 3-0 or 4-0 to the F-35s, with a couple of instances of 3-1. So what does this tell us? First. The F-35 certainly does not suck at air combat, providing it keeps within its own realm. As this testing demonstrated, the challenge for any future ‘Red Air’ pilot will be detecting the F-35 and then getting close enough to nullify its LO features in the merge. Though CMANO’s simulation is extremely powerful in modelling kinematics and sensors and is a huge leap from the earlier Harpoon, it does not model a 3D ACM encounter in high-fidelity like, say Falcon 4 or DCS. Postmerge, like real life, it then becomes more matter of chance. However, a third playthrough, ironically, did see a F-35 close to guns range and destroy a Su-35, leaving the score at three Flankers to nil F-35Bs lost. In the runthroughs, the F-35 came out ahead each time, with the worst result being three Su35s lost to one F-35 shot down. As noted above, professional air warfare tactics experts would undoubtedly be able to do better. In only one of these runthroughs did the fight enter the merge — long and medium range shots being the norm. Two. A LO fighter, with high-end sensors to detect (and importantly classify) targets at range when paired with the Meteor BVRAAM is extremely potent. While the F-35 was able to classify the Flankers at extreme range, the Su-35s’ sensors were still only able to classify the F-35 as a ‘multirole’ — even when it was nearly within weapon range.
From ‘Red Air’s perspective, missile shots seem to come out of nowhere, on any axis. appeared to contribute little to the air battle when the Su-35s were emitting. This may be due to the F-35’s impressive ESM suite — or potentially my non-optimum placement of these assets behind my fighters. Where the AWACS did make a difference was in a couple of runthroughs when the Su35s stayed ‘radar-silent’ – thus allowing the F-35s to close to ETOS range to passively ID their targets for missile shots.
This may be fine in a simulation without other hostiles, friendlies and civilians air contacts to sort and track but undoubtedly would be more complex in real life. Note also that the game is conservative about the Meteor’s true range — giving it an effective range of 75 nautical miles. The real range is likely to be more than this (think the AIM54’s 100nm range), and the Meteor is expressly designed to be lethal all the way out to maximum range, unlike other rocket-powered missiles which ‘coast’ and thus lose energy in the end-game — and thus are easier to evade at long ranges. The Meteor’s ramjet propulsion giving better Pk at range is modelled — another example of the attention to detail in this simulation. Also, while the Meteor certainly can be evaded in a last-ditch defence, as the West’s newest generation air-to-air missile, it seems extremely resistant to ECM/jamming — despite icons clearly showing my Fencer F was having some effect. Finally, a couple of runthroughs with the Meteors exchanged for internally-carried four AIM-120C AMRAAMs also produced similar results — with four Flankers shot down in short order. Three — it's the human, not the machine. Smart tactics and cunning outmatch technology each time. One observation is that I could have made the ‘jaws’ of the trap tighter and still avoid being detected by the Flankers’ radar enough to put the enemy even closer within the Meteor’s WEZ. Indeed one playthrough saw me head all F-35s directly into the Flankers path and resulting in all four Su-35s being shot down within about a minute and a half of the initial Meteor shot — an even better result than the first test described in detail here. Four — it is extremely frustrating to play as Red Air and somewhat unnerving to have missiles appear out of thin air. While a previous simulated look at the F-35 (the infamous 'clubbing baby seals' study) concluded that sheer numbers of J-11s would prevail against F-22/F-35s facing masses of Chinese fighter pilots all happily flying into certain death, here the psychological factors were more apparent. If one, two or three of your flight vanished suddenly in explosions and you still couldn't get a reliable track/lock on the enemy — at what point do you decide to withdraw and escape? Five — A (surprising) observation is that the support enablers I added, the E-3D and Rivet Joint @aerosociety
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Summary
EVEN ARMED WITH 10 MISSILES EACH, THE FLANKERS NEED A RELIABLE TARGET BEFORE THEY CAN ENGAGE, WHICH THE F-35S SIMPLY DO NOT In this screenshot, the F-35s are about to take out three enemy fighters — while still remaining effectively invisible to their radar.
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As noted above, while these simulated tests give an interesting insight into air combat using LO fighters, they do come with a number of caveats and should not be taken (as is so often the case, firm evidence to support conclusion X). Your mileage may indeed vary. However, they do highlight the extreme difficulty for an adversary of getting to the merge with assailants who, if playing ‘unfair’, maximises their LO and sensor advantages. That is not to say that WVR air combat cannot happen. Leakers, decoys and pop-up threats mean the enemy always gets a vote — and thus F-35 pilots will still need to train how to fight in the visual arena, and learn the strengths and weaknesses of their aircraft vs any threat aircraft. For those nations, air forces looking to draw conclusions from this single F-16 vs F-35 leaked ‘dogfight’ report (in reality a dynamic flight test around the stability of the fighter at high AoA and fine-tuning the FBW) — it would seem to be unwise to underestimate the F-35. Get close-in with a highly agile fighter in a 1 vs 1 and you may be able to beat it but, as these tests seem to indicate, the real challenge will be getting that close without getting turned into burning wreckage.
Read the full F-35B air combat test on the Aerosociety Insight blog:
http://aerosociety.com/News/Insight-Blog/3272/Does-theF35-really-suck-in-air-combat
SEPTEMBER 2015
17
SPACEFLIGHT UK Space Conference
Merseyside rocks to the space beat
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ESA
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PAT NORRIS FRAeS, from the RAeS Space Group, reports from the 2015 UK Space Conference. important at Westminster than at the flagship space event of the year. The Greek crisis also had an impact in that the European Commissioner responsible for space, Elzbieta Bienkowska, was unable to accept the invitation to speak in Liverpool due to the continuing Eurozone crisis driven by Greece’s economic difficulties.
Ticket to the Moon
ESA
he third in the biennial series of UK Space Conferences was by far the most popular so far — over 1,100 delegates signed up for two days of talks and exhibits at the Arena and Convention Centre on the banks of the Mersey in Liverpool on 14 and 15 July 2015. The event’s theme was Space-enabled Futures, reflecting the sector’s recognition that sustainable growth will come from promoting space-based solutions into downstream industries. The Society played an important role in this success by actively participating in both the Organising and Programme Committees. Conference plenary sessions in the main auditorium were interspersed with five parallel sessions held in the spacious and easily accessed smaller lecture theatres. In addition there was a continuous parallel session for teachers — primary school on the first day, secondary on the second. This outreach strand of the conference reflects the role ‘space’ can play in encouraging children to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The speaker line-up was impacted by politics in Westminster and Brussels. The Minister for Science and Universities, Jo Johnson MP, who looks after civil space, has undertaken several space-related appointments close to London since taking up his current post in May but he was unable to get approval from the Whips Office to speak in Liverpool. The Government’s narrow parliamentary majority was in evidence several times during the final fortnight before the House went into recess and Mr Johnson’s presence was deemed more
The event saw new ESA chief Johann-Dietrich Wörner highlight his plan for a lunar base.
The chief VIP speaker was the newly in post Director General (DG) of the European Space Agency (ESA), Johann-Dietrich Wörner. Among the ideas he tabled was a manned base on the far side of the Moon. The Society’s influence on the conference programme was evident in the form of two parallel sessions that the Society’s representative proposed after the initial programme had been drawn up. The first of these was a session on ‘space and the surveillance society’. Chaired by Rebecca Fairbairn of the Economic and Social Research Council, the session illustrated the advances in space technology that are bringing a real-time version of Google Earth closer. The benign side of space surveillance was emphasised in the talk by Alan Schuster-Bruce of Inmarsat describing the attempts to determine the path of the ill-fated March
ukspace2015.co.uk
ESA DG, J-D Wörner, addresses the conference; the on-stage panel includes former Science Minister David Willetts and Britain’s first astronaut Helen Sharman.
2014 flight MH370. Concerns about privacy were outlined by Emma Carr of Big Brother Watch, giving the audience a well-rounded picture of the ongoing security versus privacy debate. The other session introduced at the suggestion of the Society concerned Britain’s Beagle 2 Mars lander that disappeared in December 2004 and was found in some recent Mars pictures, intact but dormant on the Martian surface. In the mainstream sessions the main news topics were two reports confirming the continued growth of the sector in the UK. The latest figures show that what is now an £11·8bn sector employs 37,000 people directly in the UK and a further 80,000 indirectly. The year-on-year growth of 8·6% through the economic downturn has kept the industry on track to achieve its stated goal of reaching £40bn per annum by 2030. Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland were all present in the Exhibition Hall, with the Welsh getting more media attention than their regional rivals by announcing a ‘space strategy’ with the goal of generating 5% of the UK’s space turnover by 2030. However, space activities in the North West of England, i.e.: close to Liverpool, were less in evidence than, for example, Scottish space was at the equivalent 2013 event in Glasgow. The downstream theme of the conference was most directly manifested by the presence of four of the Government’s Catapult centres in the programme — together in a plenary session, then separately in parallel sessions. The Satellite Applications Catapult represented the ‘selling’ side of space-based solutions while the Digital Catapult, the Transport Systems Catapult and the Future Cities Catapult were the ‘buyers’. The growing diversity of the sector was illustrated by the presence in the exhibition of several universities and smaller companies courtesy of the Knowledge Transfer Network stand.
launched successfully from India four days before the conference began, emphasising the importance of this technology trend. However, a cautionary note on the proliferation of small satellites in space was sounded in the session devoted to ‘Opportunities and Threats — Nanosats and Space Debris’, indicating that due care and attention needs to be observed if some parts of space are not to become almost unusable due to the risk of collision with fast moving debris. The conference’s two big social events took advantage of Liverpool’s renowned after-hours venues. The first was a reception in the riverside Museum of Liverpool on the evening before the conference began. The second was a mid-conference evening dinner which took place in the even more splendid surroundings of the magnificent St George’s Hall. A sell-out several weeks before the conference opened, the dinner was the occasion for the announcement of the winners of the 2015 Sir Arthur Clarke awards, popularly known as the ‘Arthurs’. The evening was made even more spacerich given its coincidence with the arrival of NASA’s New Horizon space probe at Pluto. Space exploration was much in evidence in the choice of winners of this year’s Arthurs. Not only did the recently found Beagle 2 team win the Project Team award, but the Rosetta comet probe team won the outreach award. Britain’s next astronaut, Tim Peake, was absent from the event as he is preparing for his 15 December launch to the International Space Station. He did join the conference via telephone to announce the winners of another outreach initiative — the Astro Pi coding competition for schools which was described in the June 2015 issue of AEROSPACE, p 49.
THE SOCIETY PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THIS SUCCESS BY ACTIVELY PARTICIPATING IN BOTH THE ORGANISING AND PROGRAMME COMMITTEES
Where next? Warwick in 2011, Glasgow in 2013 and now Liverpool in 2015, so where will the 2017 UK Space Conference be held? If the event continues to grow in terms of delegate numbers, the number of possible venues will shrink. Right now, though, the confidence of the Welsh space community and the Welsh accents of some influential members of the organising committee make west of the Severn a good bet for 2017.
The busy exhibition space.
Small satellites were an important theme, hardly surprising after the announcement a month earlier at Le Bourget that Airbus Defence and Space had been selected to build 900+ small satellites for the OneWeb communications service. Five small and very small satellites built by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd and the Surrey Space Centre were @aerosociety
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SEPTEMBER 2015
15
MAINTENANCE
Back to school
RAF Cosford training
In early July, members of the RAeS AIRWORTHINESS AND MAINTENANCE GROUP visited RAF Cosford to learn about RAF engineer training. What they discovered was a leading-edge facility, superbly equipped, with innovative leadership which is demonstrably capable of delivering world-class training to prepare aircraft technicians and engineering managers to maintain both current and future platforms.
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Technical Training and the Aerosystems Engineer & Management Training School. These schools form part of the Defence School of Aeronautical Engineering (DSAE), along with the Royal Navy Air Engineering and Survival School in Gosport and the School of Army Aeronautical Engineering at Arborfield near Reading (but soon to move to Lyneham near Swindon). The DSAE is part of the wider Defence College of Technical Training (DCTT) which is responsible for the training of the vast majority of technicians and engineers in defence. With over 2,000 RAF students receiving training per annum as well as over 200 international students from across Europe, the Middle East and Asia, the two DSAE schools at RAF Cosford make it the largest aircraft engineering training provider in the UK. As such, it is proud to be associated with and provide technical support to external agencies including the World Skills competition, Women in Science & Engineering (WiSE) and other schemes that promote careers in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM).
Training philosophy The DSAE has placed the calibre of its technician at the centre of its training with the aim of
RAF Cosford
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n a quiet corner of the North Shropshire countryside, the home of RAF Engineering at Cosford has been undertaking a major review of its approach and delivery of training. Traditionally, the tightening of budgets has been an important driver for change within defence but this transformation has been driven by the need to maximise each student’s full potential in today’s military air environment. The challenge for the RAF Engineer Branch and Trades is that technicians may be required to work on military aircraft regulated by the Military Aviation Authority (MAA), as well as aircraft being maintained under Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) regulations, such as the Airbus A330 Voyager, under the Military Registered CivilOwned Aircraft arrangement where EASA Pt 66 licences are held. Furthermore, the RAF operates a wide variety of air platforms ranging from the Boeing 707 and Tornado GR4 airframes at one end of the spectrum, to the latest generation of aircraft, such as Typhoon and F-35 stealth aircraft, at the other. The result is a requirement for a sustainable, professionally-qualified and agile engineer and technician structure that will allow the RAF to deliver its output both now and in the future. Aircraft engineer training is undertaken within two schools on the Station; No 1 School of
RAF Cosford
Via author
Full-scale Typhoon generic aircraft model. producing an individual who is confident in their own development and ability, is highly competent and of value to the receiving front line units. However, to reach this end state, a programme of training transformation has been at the very heart of its business for the past two years. The philosophy has focused around a trinity of improvements: course content optimisation, a blended learning environment and a trainer development programme. Over a six-month period, the content of the courses delivered by all four DSAE schools was reviewed with a clear drive to include only those elements which are required by front line technicians. As a result, the RAF schools reduced the average content of each course by 12%, ensuring that they could concentrate on delivering the most efficient and effective training possible. This also meant that students spent less time in the training environment and were available for work on the front line sooner. As for approaches to learning, the past decade has seen significant changes in the ways that we teach and learn. Students who arrive for training with the RAF today are well versed in accessing information via technology, having experienced teaching methods at schools and universities which promote a student-centric approach. Therefore, the DSAE needed to reflect these methods and changes to learning if they were to truly give the student the best training. In May 2014, the DSAE Instructor Development Team was established to design and deliver a comprehensive programme of professional educator development. The challenge was to build on existing service instructor training to ensure that DSAE’s 434 tri-Service and civilian trainers were fully equipped to exploit modern learning practices and to place Defence Aeronautical Engineering training at the forefront of innovative education practice.
Virtual learning environments The team were required to analyse the very best of modern educational research, such as the applicability of evidence-based teaching (EBT), combined with the exploitation of virtual learning environments (VLE), and establish how such practices could be combined and best applied in an aeronautical engineering modern learning context. The results have been outstanding, with five distinct phases of development now available to DSAE’s instructors and lecturers. This includes preparing trainers to become coaches and mentors for their peers, with the pinnacle of the programme being Modern Learning Champion status, where personnel are taught to lead sustained improvement in educational practice. As Sergeant Adam Fitzsimmons, one of DSAE trainer’s explains: “The use of the VLE has vastly improved our ability to adapt lesson structure and classroom differentiation, thus improving course delivery. We currently employ the quiz element of the VLE with great success, ensuring that learning has taken place through the use of consolidation questions, followed by instructor feedback.” The results of the work of the instructor development team were universally praised by Ofsted during a recent inspection of RAF Cosford, where an assessment of ‘Outstanding’ was achieved. With the adoption of their practices spreading widely across the DCTT, the impact of the team is set to shape professional educator development right across defence. The impact of training transformation activity has also been appreciated by the students. Corporal Alan Thorpe — a DSAE student explains: “I have found the VLE invaluable; it gives a very modern feel to every aspect of the course. Completing precourse work while connecting with fellow students
THE FOCUS OF THE PAST TWO YEARS HAS BEEN TO MODERNISE THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE. AS A SCHOOL, WE HAVE ENABLED THE LEARNER TO DRIVE THEIR OWN DEVELOPMENT AND PROVIDED ONLINE TRAINING THAT CAN SUBSEQUENTLY BE ACCESSED THROUGHOUT THEIR CAREERS Grp Capt Adam Sansom Commandant, DSAE
Students using tablet computers to enhance classroom instruction. @aerosociety
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MAINTENANCE RAF engineer training
Investing in the engineer The RAF has not been immune to the national shortage of technicians and the change in training philosophy is but one part of recognising the importance it places on supporting and developing its people. The strategy is to invest in the individual through life to ensure that, as their career develops, they have the right skills to undertake the roles expected of them. All RAF technicians achieve an apprenticeship in aeronautical engineering. This is accomplished over a period of three years and takes place during their Phase 2 training at RAF Cosford, as well as through practical assessment in the workplace by verifiers located at 14 main operating bases throughout the UK. However, the apprenticeship training is not the last time technicians will undertake formal training interventions at Cosford. They are given further training both on promotion to Corporal and Sergeant, with a further course currently in development for the RAF’s most senior technicians, the people who will have direct involvement in managing airworthiness of aircraft and associated equipment. This will complete the through-life professional development path but, should they leave the service at any point, these wider skills will be an asset to any employer within the aerospace and wider industry sectors.
First-rate facilities With an already extensive range of training aids ranging from live running Jaguar aircraft, gas turbine propulsion rigs, wind tunnels (including a supersonic wind tunnel) and computer-aided simulation, advances in training techniques has not
RAF Cosford
via forums greatly helped me prepare for the residential course. While on the course, WiFi in the accommodation to access the VLE has been a great help. I also particularly like DropBox, allowing me to complete work at home and access it on the course for discussion and editing.”
been static. As the site is connected by WiFi, many students now use DSAE-supplied tablet computers for the duration of the training. This allows a fully supported learning environment where the student is afforded pre-learning exploration of subjects, along with practical refinement and consolidation of techniques and academic principles. Aircraft system fault diagnosis training laboratories allow the instructor to monitor overall class and individual progress. This one-on-one tuition builds confidence, ensures the processes are understood and ensures that the whole class progress at a consistent rate. Finally, there is constant reflection on how to deliver training and initiatives have now begun to investigate and implement virtual and augmented reality training. The benefits of the training transformation aresummed up by the Commandant of the DSAE, Group Captain Adam Sansom: “The focus of the past two years has been to modernise the learning experience. As a school, we have enabled the learner to drive their own development and provided online training that can subsequently be accessed throughout their careers. The use of the VLE by trained and motivated instructors is now firmly embedded in all of our courses and the quality and variety of content is growing daily. In addition, we have removed outdated content and focused on delivering exactly what our learners need for their future military career. While we will always continue to strive for improvement, I believe the DSAE now delivers some of the best technical training available within defence.”
A student in the Synthetic Environmental Procedural Trainer learning aircraft ground handling techniques.
The RAeS Airworthiness and Maintenance Group is very grateful to the Commandant and staff at RAF Cosford for hosting an inspiring visit to what, in the opinion of the Group members, is a jewel in the crown of UK aerospace.
Propulsion training classroom.
RAF Cosford
Summary
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AEROSPACE / MAY 2015
The DSAE is fully committed to maximising the availability of trained manpower on front-line squadrons while minimising the time spent in the training environment — all without compromising standards. It recognises the diversity of opportunities available to its people as well as the rapidly evolving nature of technology. Combined with the latest advances in teaching methodology, simulation and training aids, the DSAE is leading the way across defence in preparing its military personnel for the challenges of the future.
Join the debate and develop your thinking about our industry’s paradigm shift beyond regulatory compliance to safety performance Find out how airlines, manufacturers, MROs and defence organisations are working to secure the strategic and operational benefits of safety performance. Be inspired by new ideas on how to move an organisational mindset from compliance to safety performance improvement Benchmark your organisation’s safety management performance against other industry players Improve your understanding of what safety performance is Hear keynote speeches from industry VIPs that showcase safety management performance in action Challenge your thinking about the traditional and accepted approach to aviation safety management Attend FREE workshops: Safety Leadership, Safety Culture, Safety Risk Management, Safety Assurance and Regulatory Compliance Enter the Performance in Aviation Safety Awards and enjoy an evening of networking at the gala dinner
Find out more and book your places online at www.bainessimmons.com/symposium
NASA
TECHNOLOGY Electric-powered aircraft
Sparks begin to fly Do electrically-powered aircraft have the potential to become the next generation of environmently-friendly passenger carriers? BILL READ looks at how electric aircraft have moved from a technological curiosity to a practical commercial proposition, offering a cleaner, greener alternative to fossil fuel designs.
U
ntil relatively recently, the idea of flying an aircraft powered only by electricity was not considered to be a practical proposition. Electric engines were not powerful enough to propel a large aircraft into the sky, nor did batteries exist which were capable of providing sufficient electricity to keep such an aircraft aloft for any length of time. However, recent technological breakthroughs in electric engines, battery power storage and solar energy harvesting have moved the electric aircraft from the realms of an interesting concept to a more practical future technology.
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AEROSPACE / SEPTEMBER 2015
The development of electric-powered aircraft can be traced as far back as the 1880s when the French military La France airship was flown using an 8hp electric motor. The concept began to progress again in the 1970s with the development of electric-powered model aircraft, UAVs and gliders. Much pioneering work in electric transport
NASA/AeroVironment
An artist’s concept of NASA’s plan to mount its LEAPTech distributed power hybrid electric aircraft system onto the airframe of a Tecnam P2006T.
Airbus
Solar Impulse
exhibited its Elektra One singleseat electric aircraft which it hopes to certify in Germany by the end of 2015. Using both batteries and solar cells, the manufacturer claims the aircraft is capable of flying at over 100mph. In the US, Aero Electric Aircraft Corporation (AEAC) with the assistance of Arion Aircraft is developing a two-seat Sun Flyer The potential of electric flight was pioneered by powered gliders solar-electric training aircraft which is technology has also been developed by and solar-powered UAVs, such as AeroVironment’s 247ft the automotive industry which has been wingspan Helios flying wing which was powered by 14 engines. scheduled to begin flight testing in the summer of this year. investing time and money into the fullIn China, the Xinhua news agency reported scale production of electric cars. that Shenyang Aerospace University has made a 14.5m wingspan, single-propeller electric passenger Record breakers aircraft for Liaoning General Aviation Academy that could be used in pilot training, tourism, meteorology Over the past ten years, an increasing number of and rescue operations. Named the Rui Xiang RX1E, small electric powered aircraft have been developed, the two-seat carbon fibre aircraft has a maximum each of which has expanded the envelope of what speed of 160km per hour, flight is possible using this technology with time of 45 minutes to one hour, a increases in both speed and range. The maximum payload of 230kg and fastest flight by an electric aircraft to maximum altitude of 3,000m. date is believed to be the Long-ESA which was documented by the US Navy at China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station The electric advantage to have achieved a speed of 202.6mph on19 July 2012. On 9 March 2015, the The advent of the electric aircraft Swiss-developed solar-powered Solar has come at a particularly opportune Impulse 2 (Si2) set off from Abu Dhabi time, as public concerns over in an attempt to fly around the world rising fuel costs, finite oil stocks Solar Impulse 2 lands in Hawaii on 3 July as part of its attempt using no fuel. Flown alternately by pilots and global warming due to CO2 to fly around the world entirely on electricity generated from solar Bertrand Piccard and Andrée Borschberg, emissions are making people give energy. Si2 completed the first eight legs of its serious consideration to more journey, reaching Hawaii on 3 July. During the flight environmentally friendly alternative fuels and power to Hawaii, the Si2 set a new world record for the sources. In theory at least, the electric aircraft would world’s longest solar-powered flight both by time appear to provide an ideal replacement for fossil fuel (117 hours, 52 minutes) and distance (7,212 km; aircraft, with its appealing green credentials of zero 4,481 mi). The Si2’s circumnavigation attempt is emissions and pollutants and low noise footprint. currently on hold, as the batteries were irreparably However, there are wider issues to be damaged due to overheating during the Pacific considered. While electricity might seem an ideal flight and the remainder of the flight is postponed zero emissions power source, the method used until April 2016. to generate it may not. Thus, while an electric Electric aircraft were again in the car will not pollute the roads it uses, news in early July, when, on 10 July the the power station which created the Airbus Group flew its E-Fan technology electricity to charge its batteries may demonstrator (an aircraft first flown in create more pollutants and CO2 than a March 2014) from Lydd in Kent across conventional fossil fuel vehicle. There the Channel to Calais in 36 minutes at an are, of course, environmentally friendly altitude of about 3,500 ft. ways to generate electricity, such as In addition to technology demonstrators wind turbines, hydro-electric dams and test aircraft, electric aircraft are now and solar panels – but, so far, these being produced commercially. One of sources have been unable to generate the leading manufacturers in this sector electricity in sufficient quantities to is Pipistrel which claims to be the first meet world demand. There may also company to produce a fully-electric twobe additional offstage environmental The Airbus E-Fan electric aircraft technology demonstrator seat aircraft, the first electric two-seat costs from mining and processing flew across the Channel on 10 July. training aircraft and the first fully electric the metals and materials needed to four-seat aircraft. At the Berlin Air Show, PC-Aero manufacture batteries and cells. @aerosociety
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TECHNOLOGY Electric-powered aircraft
Pipistrelle
Positive and negative
electricity for electric gliders at airports using solar panels fitted to a hangar roof or from wind turbines. Turning to engines, electric powerplants have the advantage that, unlike fossil fuel engines, power-toweight ratios and energy efficiency is maintained when the motor is scaled to a smaller size. Electric motors can also be fitted in different places, such as on top of the wing, to improve aerodynamics and reduce noise. They can also be pointed in different directions. By angling engines up, an aircraft could take-off faster and by angling the engines left and right, the aircraft could be steered without a rudder. When not being used, electric engines could also be used as wind turbines to recharge batteries while the aircraft is slowing down or landing.
Flight of the Century
Pelican Aero Group/Phil Barnes
In addition, while current electric aircraft designs offer a number of advantages over conventional aircraft they also have disadvantages. An electric aircraft may be greener and quieter than one How to generate more powered by fossil fuels but it is also less electricity — Solution 1. The Solar Trailer powerful, slower and with a more limited stowage and transport range. While battery technology has improved vehicle from Pipistrel which enormously in recent years, power cells are still can recharge an electrically not advanced enough to generate sufficient power powered glider stowed inside to keep an aircraft in the air over long periods of the trailer and also when the trailer is empty. time. Large power outputs are needed for takeoff and climbing to altitude. Once in the air an electric aircraft would require power both to keep the engines turning and to power its own on-board systems, avionics and communications. Designers have come up with a number of Current research solutions to provide more power. One idea being looked at are ‘hybrid’ electric aircraft which either Another concept under consideration is that of have dual sources of power or generate electricity distributed power systems in which an aircraft is How to generate more from other sources. Boeing researchers created powered by multiple electric motors. NASA is electricity — Solution 2. The the SUGAR Volt concept hybrid aircraft (see p12) leading a number of research projects, one Regenosaur electric glider which could use conventional engines for power of which is the Leading Edge Asynchronous concept from the Pelican Aero Group would use its output requirements, such as take-off and then Propeller Technology (LEAPTech). The first stage propellers for take-off and use electricity during cruise. There have also been of this project is the testing of a 31ft-span, carbon climb and then as wind projects which are looking at different ways to composite wing section with 18 electric motors turbines to regenerate stored generate electricity onboard the aircraft, such powered by lithium iron phosphate batteries. The energy during flight and descent. as from hydrogen fuel cells. One of the most wing, known as the Hybrid-Electric Integrated promising alternative methods of generating Systems Testbed (HEIST), will undergo ground electricity has been from solar power. testing mounted on a specially modified Unlike other modes of electric transport, truck which will be driven at speeds up to aircraft have the advantage of having a 70 miles per hour across a dry lakebed large surface area over the wings and at Edwards Air Force Base. The next fuselage to install solar-electric cells stage of the project will be to fly a piloted which can recharge batteries. Solar X-Plane demonstrator using a scaled up panels have the advantage that they version of the wings and engines fitted can generate electricity at any time to the fuselage of a Tecnam P2006T when there is daylight — both while light aircraft. Each motor will be operated the aircraft is on the ground and during independently at different speeds for flight. There is also the advantage that optimised performance. As well as the this power source is infinitely available. benefits of reduced emissions, NASA is In theory — a solar-powered aircraft hoping that the electric aircraft will also could fly for ever — a point already have improved performance and ride proved by the Solar Impulse around quality, as well as lower noise. the world flight and previous longThere have also been developments endurance UAV flights. in rotary wing electric aircraft. In Solar panels can also be used to November 2013 German company generate electricity locally where it E-volo conducted indoor test flights of its is needed. Solar-glider manufacturer Volocopter VC200 two-person helicopter Pipistrel has developed the Solar Trailer powered by 18 electrically driven rotors. stowage and transport vehicle which How to generate more electricity — Solution 3. Electric aircraft In early 2015, E-volo, together with speed record holder Chip Yates has come up with the concept Ascending Technologies, did further can recharge an electrically powered of using a fleet of unmanned flying battery packs (some of them static tests on two remote-controlled glider stowed inside the trailer and based on floating islands) to recharge electric aircraft on a longalso when the trailer is empty. US aero prototypes — the scaled down VC18R distance flights. The UAVs would dock on top of the aircraft and engine company Bye Energy has also then fly back with the used batteries. Yates is also considering fitted with 18 smaller drives and the looked into the potential of generating VC4RC fitted with four original drives of the possibilities of in-flight recharging from another aircraft.
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AEROSPACE / SEPTEMBER 2015
Airbus
the VC200. With these prototypes, E-Volo will test all the critical components of the VC200 prior to a manned test. NASA is also looking at an electric tilt-wing hybrid aircraft design called Greased Lightning or GL-10 and has flown an unmanned prototype. GL-10 has four motors on either wing plus two on the tail powered by two 6kW diesel engines which charge the aircraft’s lithium-ion batteries. NASA says that a larger version could be developed to carry one to four passengers. Solar-powered vehicles are also being considered for space missions. In 2012 Northrop Grumman worked on a contract for NASA to study high-power solar electric propulsion flight system technology for deep space and human exploration missions. The eventual aim of the project is to develop a solarpowered space tugboat to ferry satellites from low Earth orbit (LEO) to geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO), saving fuel and secondary booster costs.
The next generation. Artist’s impression of Airbus’s E-Fan 2.0 and E-Fan 4.0 electric aircraft.
that, at present, battery technology has not yet reached a stage to make such such a design viable but the company is confident that technology will continue to evolve to make this possible.
Where next?
NASA Langley/David C Bowman
NASA
Airbus/Rolls-Royce
While it likely that electric-power will continue to be adopted for smaller aircraft and some interesting new VTOL designs, its adoption for larger aircraft is less certain. Airbus/Rolls-Royce E-Thrust future Following concept hybrid. the widespread publicity generated by the Solar Impulse 2 and E-Fan flights, the most frequently asked question was ‘when would large passengercarrying electric aircraft be in service’? The answer has to be — not yet, as there are still many technical challenges to be overcome — the most Bigger and better major of which is safety. While some lithium cells can now store large amounts of power, an aircraft would Work is already in progress need to carry so many of them that to build bigger electric it would severely reduce its payload. aircraft. Having invested £14m in the In addition, batteries are not always E-Fan demonstrator, Airbus now plans possible to recharge and may need to develop the concept into actual replacing after use. Some batteries commercial designs. In 2014, as part of will not operate at low temperatures its electrical aviation ‘E-Roadmap’, the and there is also the risk of fires if they company announced plans to produce become overheated. It is unlikely that a a two-seat E-Fan 2.0 and four-seat certification authority would approve a E-Fan 4.0 for the general aviation passenger aircraft which relied purely on and training market which will make batteries if it ran the risk of running out their first flights in 2017 and 2019, of power during flight or, even worse, of respectively. catching fire. A solar-powered aircraft The two aircraft designs will be NASA’s LEAPTech Hybrid-Electric Integrated Systems Testbed, would not be able to generate power produced by a new Airbus subsidiary, is currently under test mounted on a specially modified truck, driven at speeds up to 70 miles per hour across a dry lakebed at during the night or if the wings were VoltAir, at Bordeaux Merignac airport Edwards Air Force Base. covered in snow or ice. A solar-powered in France. After that, Airbus plans to passenger aircraft might also need to have an go even further with the E-Thrust electric-powered unconventional shape or very wide wings which could 80-90-seat hybrid-electric regional airliner by be impossible to handle at airports using 2050. Propelled by six electric fans conventional infrastructure. However, with a flight time of up to three hours, such problems could be overcome the E-Thrust would use a gas-fuelled with the development of hybrid aircraft energy storage unit for power during designs which rely on more than one the ascent and cruise phase and source of power. glide using electric power while Although there is still a long way descending. To power such an aircraft, to go, the potential benefits offered Airbus is working with Rolls-Royce on by electric-powered aircraft are still the distributed electrical aerospace worth the effort in persevering. Given propulsion (DEAP) concept in which the remarkable progress made in this several electrically-powered fans are sector over the past ten years, who distributed in clusters along the wing knows what the future may hold? span. However, Airbus has admitted Greased Lightning GL-10 scale prototype takes off in hover mode.
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AIRPORTS Heathrow expansion
Politics next hurdle for Heathrow runway
THE AIRPORTS COMMISSION’S REPORT HAS BEEN ALMOST THREE YEARS IN THE MAKING AND HAS COVERED THE SUBJECT OF ADDITIONAL AIRPORT CAPACITY IN CONSIDERABLE DETAIL IN AN EFFORT TO PROVIDE A DELIVERABLE SOLUTION
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T
he isle of Jura lies close to the Scottish mainland but can only be described as remote. George Orwell, the island’s most famous resident where he wrote most of 1984, famously described it as: “Extremely ungetatable” due to limited transport connections. Reaching Jura will be something Prime Minister David Cameron will have given thought to as he plans to go on the first of his three summer holidays — one to the Isle to visit family. When he arrives, he might think it could have been easier and quicker with better domestic air links into London. He will find advice on how this might be achieved in the 342-page Airports Commission: Final Report, published on 1 July, and which recommended expansion of Heathrow as the best solution to bolster domestic services in and out of London. The report will surely be at the top of the PM’s summer reading list, after all he wanted to “properly read and properly digest” the report before responding in the autumn. The Airports Commission’s report has been almost three years in the making and has covered the subject of additional airport capacity
in considerable detail in an effort to provide a deliverable solution — technical, environmental and, to a certain extent, political. Not surprisingly the focus in the aftermath of publication has been centred on the politics of the problem for the Government: previous elections pledges, rebellious backbenchers and potentially troublesome cabinet colleagues. Sir Howard Davies and his fellow Commissioners came to a ‘clear’ and ‘unanimous conclusion’ to expand Heathrow, to the north west of the current site, as proposed by Heathrow Airport Ltd, due to the ‘more substantial economic and strategic benefits than any other shortlisted options’. Alongside the main recommendation was a ‘comprehensive package of accompanying measures…to be taken forward, in parallel…to address its impacts on the local environment and communities’. The decision whether or not to implement the Commission’s recommendations on the location of an additional runway presents its own significant political difficulties, but support or rejection of some of the other recommendations designed to
Heathrow Airport
SIMON WHALLEY, RAeS Head of Policy and Public Affairs, considers the implications of the decision of the Airports Commission to recommend the building of a third runway at Heathrow Airport.
Heathrow Airport Airports Commission
sugar the runway pill must be handled with care to maximise the number of potential supporters. Airport expansion will forever be a red line for those principally and ideologically opposed. Most environmental groups and anti-flying campaigns would never have supported an additional runway anywhere, regardless of pragmatic solutions to Aerial view of the proposed third runway at Heathrow. mitigate the negative impacts in west London. The Commission’s Terms of Reference were hardly written with these collectives in mind, rather those with serious concerns about the impact of an additional strip but who could be wooed with sensible, practical and effective means of impact Labour leaderships contest (results are due on 13 alleviation. September). Depending on the outcome, a change Sir Howard has recommended that the could be on the cards. Government should support the delivery of At the time of writing, Labour leadership hopeful his plan ‘in its entirety’. However, as long as Corbyn is ahead in the early polls and is Jeremy C this remains a political problem, there is high the current curre bookies favourite. He was one of the likelihood that compromises and trade-offs will 28 Labour MPs who voted against his form part of the Government’s response to Government in 2009 on the issue and it is Go create enough of a political consensus while safe to assume he will not change his mind saf not agitating third-party groups who were as leader but it remains to be seen whether Airports quick to back the Commission’s proposals. The could whip his Opposition colleagues to he C questions are: can this be achieved and how? vote with him. None of the other candidates Final Re ommission: port are yyet to declare their views but it is likely the July 201 other three (Cooper, Burnham and Kendall) othe 5 Party colleagues would be supportive. A large number of Conservative Party probusiness colleagues have been desperate London L ond dimension for a positive decision on airport expansion, particularly in favour of Heathrow, given Back o on the Government green benches is the economic benefits it promises to Boris JJohnson, the new MP for Uxbridge and provide and had been frustrated by the Ruislip. While still Mayor of London — South R 2010 expansion cancellation. Local May 2016 — his quest to undermine the until 5 M Gatwick MPs, rather self-servingly, are Commission’s report and doggedly champion his Commiss also right behind a third runway. Failure to four-runway Thames Estuary hub is unrelenting, four-runw support the principal recommendation would incur being ruled out by Sir Howard in late 2014 despite b the wrath of many a Tory backbencher. ‘substantial disadvantages that collectively over the ‘s Fortunately for the Prime Minister, he will outweigh its potential benefits’. Johnson will remain be able to count on the backing of his troops. In a headache for Cameron, at least until his term of an article in The Telegraph on 22 July, Graham office as Mayor expires; but if he wants a job in Brady, chair of the influential 1992 Committee of Government he would be expected to adhere to backbench Tory MPs, is confident that when put to a the convention of collective responsibility, even on Commons vote, Heathrow expansion would win the Heathrow expansion. support of 600 MPs of the 650 in total — including Better weather for the Prime Minister is unlikely the Labour Party and Scottish Nationalists. to arrive with the likely Conservative’s candidate to replace the outgoing Mayor. Fellow anti-Heathrow firebrand and independently-minded MP for Other parties Richmond Park and North Kingston, Zac Goldsmith, is down to the last four and the runaway favourite Labour support would make the Prime Minister’s life to win the Tory nomination. With London-wide and easier to help balance the inevitable rebels in his cross-party appeal, he is the Conservative’s best own party and Acting Leader, Harriet Harman, has hope for victory but one that could be bittersweet provided it. Shadow Transport Secretary Michael Sir Howard Davies. for No. 10. Labour’s front-runner is Dame Tessa Dugher said that: “If the recommendation can meet Jowell, who has yet to respond to the Commission’s a number of tests, including consistency with our report but is expected to be pro, and edges climate change obligations, we will take a swift Goldsmith in a head-to-head based on the most decision to back Sir Howard Davies’ proposals.” recent numbers. Might a Labour Mayor be a better However, the Government’s decision is set to be outcome for David Cameron next May? made after the conclusion to the hotly contested @aerosociety
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British Arways
AIRPORTS Heathrow expansion
CHAIRED BY DAVID CAMERON, MEMBERSHIP [OF THE ECONOMIC AFFAIRS (AIRPORTS) SUBCOMMITTEE] DEXTEROUSLY EXCLUDED COLLEAGUES THAT ARE EITHER ARDENTLY OPPOSED TO EXPANSION AT HEATHROW AND/OR HAVE CONSTITUENCIES IN OR AROUND WEST LONDON
The Commission has recommended a ban on all scheduled night flights at Heathrow between 11:30pm and 6:00am.
Cabinet decision Despite not having responded to the Final Report, the Cabinet has not been slow to act. Central to its decision-making process has been the pre-recess establishment of an Economic Affairs (Airports) Sub-Committee charged with considering ‘matters relating to airport capacity in the South East of England in the light of the Airports Commission’s final report’. Chaired by David Cameron himself, membership dexterously excluded colleagues that are either ardently opposed to expansion at Heathrow and/or have constituencies in or around West London. The composition of the Sub-Committee might well have been influenced by calls for the Conservative MPs with constituencies around Gatwick, who petitioned the Cabinet Secretary to exclude ministers with seats around Heathrow from the decision-making process to ensure the delivery of a truly national decision.
Package of mitigation measures The Commission’s recommendations for implementation of the full package of noise and environmental mitigation measures that should go hand-in-hand with expansion include some controversial proposals but some of which could be instrumental in the achievement of the bigger prize.
Night flights The Commission has recommended that ‘following construction of a third runway…there should be a ban on all scheduled night flights in the period 11:30pm to 6:00am’. Currently, Heathrow is restricted to 5,800 night-time take-offs and landings a year. Around 80% of these flights are between 4:30am and 6am with an average 16 flights a day between these hours. These flights are of particular frustration to local communities who have been pressuring their local MPs and councillors to act to reduce noise. A ban on these types of scheduled flights would be an important means of improving the conditions
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around the airport; however, it is likely to be met with resistance from airlines, business and possibly Heathrow Airport itself. By the Commission’s own admission, there would be some disbenefits if new flight times became inconvenient. Regardless of whether more expansion is required or not, night flights — or early morning arrivals — are important to airline business models and key to attracting passengers from emerging economies, such as the Far East. Without them, some benefits from expansion would be lost. Passengers travelling to the UK from South East Asia can board flights in the late evening at their place of origin and arrive in London in the morning. More than half of the capacity for arrivals at Heathrow in the early morning is from Hong Kong and Singapore. On the other hand, a report published in 2012 by the centre-right think-tank, Policy Exchange, found that the increase in the number of slots available from an additional runway would make it more straightforward to end night flights. They argue that later opening times at originating airports would enable flights to take off slightly later and arrive in the UK after 6am with little inconvenience.
Noise and air quality An additional measure to minimise the noise impacts of expansion, and on flight path changes, is an Independent Aviation Noise Authority. Politically this could be popular if it is given sufficient powers to challenge proposed changes to airspace, which will be inevitable to enable expansion to take place. In December 2013, the London Assembly unanimously recommended an independent noise regulator. In a joint letter from the Assembly’s Transport and Environment Committees, Members said Londoners must be confident that aviation noise levels are being monitored and action taken if levels are excessive. It urged the Commission to include the proposals its interim report. Interestingly, the concept has some support from business. The pro-expansion business campaign Let Britain Fly, initiated by the capital’s business lobby group London First, has been one
runway but are confident that measures could be taken as part of the planning application and through new national plans legally required by the end of the year to reduce NO2 levels. The 2009 scheme did not advance because of air quality so the Government will have to be tough in its efforts to find an effective and watertight solution to avoid too much political dissent and to survive the inevitable legal challenge.
of the strongest advocates of an independent noise ombudsman as a pragmatic solution to win the ‘hearts and minds of people who worry their lives will be blighted by noise’. The aviation industry itself is more sceptical and advises caution. Industry coalition, Sustainable Aviation, which launched in 2013 the industry’s first Noise Roadmap to demonstrate how noise from UK aviation would not increase despite a doubling of air travel demand over the next 40 years, ‘sees the merit in some of the principles of the proposals and recommends a review of existing statutory requirements on noise to identify gaps between current and best practices and…proposes principles such as an authority, if required to deliver best practice, should meet’. There are already currently a range of mechanisms for airports to work with local communities, including airport consultative committees (ACCs), airport master plans, airport transport fora (ATFs) and airport surface access strategies (ASAS) and examples of good practice of local community engagement on noise at the 51 designated airports and aerodromes. In the 2012 Sustainable Aviation Framework, the last Government preferred to encourage good practice rather than introduce a ‘one-size-fits-all’ model for local engagement. For a Government determined to cut red tape on business, the imposition of a national body at all airports and not just an expanded Heathrow, could prove problematic for some pro-business MPs, whereas a clear ‘noise envelope’ around Heathrow could be more acceptable. Similar to the noise issues, air quality, for local people and, by association, politicians local to Heathrow in particular, remains a major concern and will be a significant pressure point for the Government. The
Domestic connectivity An improvement to domestic connections into London and then beyond are paramount for the privilege of Scottish National Party (SNP) backing. The airport itself has agreed to try to help secure and create domestic routes through a new £10m Heathrow Route Development Fund, and through a review of its airport charges, which could be complemented by alterations to guidance to allow the introduction of Public Service Obligations on an airport-to-airport — subject to compliance with Article 16 of Air Services Regulations 1008/2008. London Mayor Boris Johnson has been quick to publish data designed to rubbish claims of domestic connectivity with a third runway, suggesting that connections to airports around the country would fall from current levels.
Back on the Isle, a glass of Jura whisky should ease the Prime Minister’s vacation review of the inch-thick report and help provide him with the courage that will be required to see through a Government decision to accept the Airports Commission’s recommendations. All things considered above, the political conditions have become broadly favourable for a positive decision on Heathrow. Acerbic claims about the creation of a west London dystopia would not be totally groundless, not without implementation of some, if not all, of the mitigation measures proposed by Sir Howard, alongside pledges made by the airport operator as part of its proposed scheme. Some of those recommendations themselves will be difficult and controversial to approve so retaining a balance, with trade offs here and there, to generally keep together a lasting consensus will require nerves of steel. He might think about bringing a bottle of that whisky back to Westminster with him.
Commission has not been unequivocal that EU and national air quality targets would be met with an additional
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SEPTEMBER 2015
Heathrow Airport
Political stars align
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SEARCH AND RESCUE SAR 2015 Conference
Pressure builds for UK MPA I
The UK’s lack of a maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) to replace the Nimrod MRA4 was one of the key discussions at a recent search and rescue conference in Brighton, UK. ANDREW DRWIEGA reports.
t would take 400 patrol craft, 200 frigates or up to five helicopters to conduct a basic search of an area of the same size of ocean in one hour. A single maritime patrol aircraft could do the same job in the same time, stated Air Marshal Phillip Sturley, RAF (Rtd), during his keynote speech at a Search and Rescue conference held in Brighton during May. As a country heavily reliant on maritime trade, the UK also shoulders the added responsibility for the provision of search and rescue out to longitude 30 west in the Atlantic, to a southern latitude down to the Bay of Biscay, as well as a line north of the Shetland Islands. Since the last Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) in 2010, the UK has been without a long-range maritime patrol aircraft. This role had been filled by the Hawker Siddeley MR2 Nimrod. But its successor, the Nimrod MRA4, suffered from long delays, technical problems and cost over-runs. After £3·2bn had been spent, the government decided to close down the project. Adding further dismay to those who had argued to keep the aircraft in some form, the Government actually paid for them to be sliced up and completely destroyed, something Sturley found abhorrent. Arguing the need of a MPA, Sturley pointed out the UK’s need to patrol its 2·5 million square miles of Economic Exclusion Zone (EEZ). This area, when overseas territories and dependencies are included, is the fifth largest in the world. Naturally the main focus of any MPA would be the sea areas immediately around the UK. However, Sturley argued that the force would also be called upon, as it has been in the past, for additional roles: “There are oversees commitments, disaster response and anti-drugs operations in the Caribbean when the Nimrod was doing fantastic work with the Royal Navy. Also anti-piracy and people smuggling.” Nimrods supported UK forces operating with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)
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AEROSPACE / SEPTEMBER 2015
This year’s RIAT saw a US Navy Boeing P-8 Poseidon and JMSDF Kawasaki P-1 MPA appear at the show.
in Afghanistan and under a programme called Project Broadsword was given the capability to transmit real-time video imagery from its L-3 Wescam MX-15 electro-optical turret to ground commanders. However, the explosion of XV230 with the loss of 14 crew showed the dangers of overland missions. However, two specialised Nimrod R1 electronic intelligence gathering (ELINT) variants continued to be used over Afghanistan until their final deployment in 2010. The Royal Air Force is taking delivery of three new Rivet Joint RC-130W intelligence gathering aircraft with all planned to be operational by 2017. These will be operated by aircrew from 51 Squadron RAF, some of whom have been embedded with the USAF’s fleet and ground stations learning their skills.
Supporting the deterrent However, one of the central roles for the Nimrod fleet was anti-submarine warfare, particularly to protect the UK’s own strategic deterrent nuclear weapon-equipped submarine fleet. In a letter to the UK’s The Telegraph newspaper in May, five senior retired RAF officers suggested that the lack of anti-submarine capability has
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likely resulted in Russian submarines being able to operate around the Scottish coast near the UK’s submarine base at Faslane. This will have allowed them, the letter argues, to gather valuable intelligence on the British nuclear deterrent. They also applied the warning to the future operations of the two new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. Sturley also points out that the number of foreign countries operating submarines “is increasing every year — there are now over 40.” During questions in the UK Parliament’s House of Lords on 4 June, Lord Reginald Empey of the Ulster Unionist Party asked Earl Howe, the Minister of State for the Ministry of Defence, what the government’s plans were for the improvement of the UK’s maritime patrol capability. Howe replied stating that their plans were being reviewed for the forthcoming SDSR (initially due this year, although the release date keeps slipping). He pointed to the policy of continuing to send RAF crews abroad to maintain their experience. “We continue to embed around 30 former Nimrod air crew in the maritime patrol communities of allied air forces to reduce the time and risks associated with regenerating a capability.” Under pressure to respond, Howe admitted that there was ‘a capability gap’ but that “we chose to accept that gap because we knew that we could mitigate it through employment of other assets, as well as through co-operation with allies.” Howe went on to state that other assets were able to provide the maritime protection required by
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the UK. “We have the use of other military assets, as I said, including Type 23 frigates, submarines and Merlin anti-submarine warfare helicopters, and we rely on the assistance that we get from our allies and partners.”
Muddling through? Prior to this Sturley had argued that such alternatives were not specialised for purpose and therefore fell short of delivering the effect: “There have been substitutes such as the [Lockheed Martin C-130] Hercules but the crews aren’t trained or equipped for this role. The crews also don’t have maritime awareness — you have to work with the Navy [to gain this].” Sturley did agree that the decision to send our MPA crews to other nations to keep their skills current was the correct one. Helicopters, too, do not have the range to cover long distance searches from land. Sturley presented the view that what was now needed was “a long-term relationship with the manufacturer or service provider with a gain share on performance and reliability.” To illustrate this, he highlighted the difference between the challenges in operating the older Vickers VC10s and Lockheed TriStars for the transport of troops and the new Airbus A330. “Once we recapitalised and got the A330 Voyager our availability went up to the high 90s in percentage terms.” Rivet Joint seems also to be ‘sensible’, he added. The basic need was to provide coverage beyond 250miles from the mainland in the wider and more remote expanses of the ocean. The MPA formed part of a mixed pool of resources that also included helicopters, submarines and even, potentially, the installation of sensors on airlines that could be used during emergencies (the stream of airliners across the Atlantic is continuous). Sturley pointed to the disappearance of Malaysian airliner MH370 as evidence that a modern passenger jet could simply disappear. “We need some satellite-based reporting system for airliners ‘so we know where the buggers are,’” he opined. Reviewing other options, Sturley mentioned the potential use of remotely piloted aircraft (RPA), applauding their endurance but noting that their role was not all-encompassing and that they were also costly assets. He said that the US Navy’s (USN) Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton programme was worth watching. This is now expected to reach Initial Operating Capability (IOC) in 2017. www.aerosociety.com
Contenders for the UK MPA prize? Above left: Airbus Defence and Space C295MPA. Above right: Lockheed C-130J Sea Hercules.
MPA FORMED PART OF A MIXED POOL OF RESOURCES THAT ALSO INCLUDED HELICOPTERS, SUBMARINES AND EVEN POTENTIALLY THE INSTALLATION OF SENSORS ON AIRLINERS THAT COULD BE USED DURING EMERGENCIES SEPTEMBER 2015
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SEARCH AND RESCUE
Finally, he re-emphasised the role that satellites already play in observation and communication globally and their potential for development. The government’s position was underlined by Howe at the beginning of June: “…the capabilities required from a future MPA have been studied by the MoD over the past two and a half years. The study has received representations from a number of defence industrial organisations which have allowed us to understand better the nature of the platforms in existence, as well as the timeframe in which novel technologies are likely to mature.” However, he did not elaborate further on the timeline for the introduction of a new MPA capability.
US Navy
SAR 2015 Conference
civil SAR operator replacing all military and MCA helicopters from 2012. Although the Soteria consortium — comprising the Canadian Helicopter Corporation (CHC), Thales, Sikorsky and the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) — was selected as the preferred bidder in February 2010, irregularities in the bidding process resulted in the contract being cancelled by the government in February 2011. Says Parkes: “New technology means we can respond 20 percent faster with the new aircraft, the Sikorsky S-92 and the AgustaWestland AW189" although he admitted: “The AW189 is a little delayed getting into service.” Damien Oliver, the change manager at the MCA, said that seven new bases are bieng constructed around the coast to add to three new and existing bases. All are new with none of the future SAR helicopters operating from any of the previous military bases. The managed transition of pilots from existing military roles to the Bristow aircrew pool means that around two-thirds of the 200 will be exmilitary personnel. “That is important from the point of view of legacy, history and experience which is the element we wanted to safeguard,” said Oliver. “The service has an annual running cost of £214m …that’s around $1m per day, with 22 new aircraft in total,” said Oliver. “The contract will run between seven and ten years.”
UK civil SAR progess
The AgustaWestland AW189 forms one half of the UK's new civil SAR helicopter service.
During the two-day conference, Richard Parkes, the director of Maritime Operations at the Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA), provided an overview of the progress Bristow Helicopters was making since its award in 2013 of a contract to replace the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy rescue helicopters with a new all-civilian operated service using new Sikorsky S-92 and AgustaWestland AW189 helicopters. The ambition is still for a service “at least as good as the one today.” In 2013, Bristow won the contract to run at 98% availability and an alert of 15 minutes during the day and 45 minutes during the night. The drive to remove the cost of the provision of UK military helicopters for the search and rescue role was begun in 2005 when it was announced that Canadian operator CHC had won a five-year interim competition to provide civil SAR helicopters ahead of rivals Bristow Helicopters and British International Helicopters. The interim contract was a stepping stone to the planned roll-out of the full SAR Harmonisation project which envisaged one
Bristow Helicopters
North Sea coverage
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AEROSPACE / JUNE 2015
Tom Milne, health and safety manager at Oil & Gas UK, added to the search and rescue debate around the UK by addressing the co-operative supplemental helicopter resource that is replacing the Jigsaw Project. The 2013 award of the SAR UK contract to Bristow prompted the Oil and Gas UK trade association to carry out a study into the impact of the changes on emergency SAR coverage. The requirement was for a two-hour rescue capability based on the likely survivable rate of someone in the water in a survival suit which was three hours. There are 19 individual oil and gas operators in the North Sea who are contributing to the cost who are doing so not only as part of their duty of care
Keeping MPA skills current — a RAF ‘Seedcorn’ crew member onboard a US Navy P-8. to operators depending on how many passengers they were flying out of Aberdeen which was their exposure to rescue risk, as well as how many people they had on their installations,” said Milne.
NASA update
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NASA recently tested emergency location transmitter survivability with a full-scale crash drop test using a Cessna C172.
NASA
for the offshore workforce as well as compliance with the health and safety executive’s Prevention of Fire, Explosion and Emergency Response (PFEER) regulations. These cover the recovery of people from a rig in the event of fire or explosion, or accidents such as a person in the sea or a helicopter ditching. “The regulations are interpreted as within 500m of any installation by the operators,” said Milne. He noted that, under Bristow, a smaller helicopter, the AW189, would now be located slightly further away from the main offshore installations. Another point made was that most of the helicopters used to transit energy workers were of the larger type with around 21 occupants onboard. He also noted the closure of RAF Bulmer at the end of the year and the relocation of the Jigsaw rescue helicopters due to the removal of the installation. A study revealed that, in the future, a gap would have arisen in the ability to respond and rescue people within the two hour window period. In May 2014 Oil and Gas UK requested a team to analyse options, particularly an identified exposure of risk in the southern part of the North Sea operational area. A user group was established in June 2014 with the aim to source an industry-funded SAR helicopter. One of the challenges, said Milne, was that 19 teams of corporate lawyers had to agree on contracts for the operation! There were two contracts: one between all of the users agreeing to work together, then the second between the group and the SAR operator. An agreement was reached and finalised by the final company on 31 March 2015 and the service went ‘live’ the following day. The £60m contract was awarded to Bond Offshore Helicopters and will cover the next five years. “We have two L2 Super Pumas based at Aberdeen airport providing 24-hour operations at 15 minutes readiness (7am-7pm) and 45 minutes outside of those times,” said Milne. Putting this in place while oil prices were falling (at the time) was a ‘significant challenge’, Milne revealed but the driving force was the need to demonstrate a commitment to safety which was met. “The cost was allocated
During the SAR conference, Dr Lisa Mazzuca, Search and Rescue Mission manager at the North American Space Administration (NASA) provided an interesting update on the organisation’s Emergency Locator Transmitter Survivability and Reliability (ELTSAR) project managed by NASA’s Langley Research Center. NASA works alongside the US Coast Guard, USAF and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), who together make up the SARSAT element of COSPAS-SARSAT. This is a satellite-based SAR distress alert detection and information distribution system, used in the location of emergency beacons activated on aircraft and ships worldwide. We have worked on the prototype of MEOSAR, the next generation of COSPAS-SARSAT. NASA’s research was directed at deciding on the best orbit for finding victim’s transmissions from space. “Our payload is now on 17 spacecraft — GPS in particular — and it is working. COSPAS-SARSAT will soon switch over to the MEOSAR segment.” The first ground segment for MEOSAR was also built and tested by NASA and has already been working for seven years. The goal is to eliminate the ‘search’ out of search and rescue, stated Mazzuca. “The current system using LEO spacecraft is 30 years old…and now needs to be overhauled.” Currently when an ELT signal is set off it has to wait for a LEO satellite to come overhead to pick it up. “Right now we are looking at delay times of up to 90 minutes…and that’s too long. We can build a better system.” Moving to MEOSAR, which will be on many spacecraft up to 20,000 miles up. “This will mean a web that can detect the signal almost instantaneously taking out the delay.” There are three space segment providers: USGPS, the European Space Agency (ESA) with Galileo — “that is a huge component for us right now because they are actively pushing up satellites with the SAR payload onboard” — and thirdly, GLONASS from Russia. The combination of all three will mean continual full global coverage. NASA has also been working on secondgeneration beacons for the past six years. New technology is being introduced into beacons that will allow them to transmit and pulse alerts quickly, around once a second. “We know it is important to get as many transmissions of the signal as possible before the ELT is damaged, either through fire or physical damage,” said Mazzuca. The manufacturers should have the beacons ready for fielding by 2018.
SEPTEMBER 2015
35
GENERAL AVIATION General Aviation Safety Council
RAeS General Aviation Group Representative JOHN THORPE FRAeS explains about the General Aviation Safety Council (GASCo) and its work to improve general aviation safety.
A IT HAS NO AUTHORITY OR LEGISLATIVE POWERS AND HAS TO RELY ON EDUCATION AND PERSUASION TO MEET ITS OBJECTIVES
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AEROSPACE / SEPTEMBER 2015
lthough it sounds a bit like an energy supplier, GASCo is, in fact, the General Aviation Safety Council. At the September 1964 meeting of the Conference of General Aviation Organisations, chaired by the late Air Chief Marshal, the Earl of Bandon, the General Aviation Safety Committee was formed, initially with six organisations. The Committee was accepted for registration by the Charity Commission in 1965. In 1994 the Constitution was revised and it became the General Aviation Safety Council and more recently was restructured as a non-profit making Charitable Limited Company. The 1964 Terms of Reference remain just as valid today as they did 50 years ago: ● To collect, collate and disseminate flight safety information among users of UK-registered general aviation aircraft.
● To study all matters affecting, or which might affect, flight safety in UK general aviation and to make recommendations to interested parties, as necessary. It has no authority or legislative powers and has to rely on education and persuasion to meet its objectives. Sqn Ldr John Chisholm Ward MBE was asked to be the Chairman, a post he held from 1966 to 1994. In a 20-year RAF career John flew Lysanders on special operations and was in the Berlin Air Lift. Right from its earliest days he launched the Flight Safety Bulletin and, for almost 30 years, he was GASCo, acting as Chairman, Secretary and Editor of the Bulletin from his home in Henley-on-Thames, later gaining the part-time help of a secretary for the six Council meetings per year. He was the Chairman when the author first joined GASCo in 1977. The current Chairman since 2012 has been
Cessna
Safety in the skies
GASCo publishes two quarterly flight safety magazines.
GASCo
General aviation consists of all private and business aviation, including executive or corporate operations, flying and gliding club and group activity, and commercial operations by small aircraft, such as air taxi, aerial photography and flying training. There are approximately 14,500 powered general aviation aircraft of various kinds in the UK, including microlights, helicopters and gyroplanes, 1,500 balloons, over 2,600 sailplanes and approximately 4,500 hang-gliders. In addition there are 4,500 regular parachutists. The Council Membership represents over 35 organisations and has members/observers from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, the Civil Aviation Authority, the MET Office, NATS and the RAF Flight Safety. The Council thus cover all those responsible for safety in general aviation, including ballooning, gliding, hang gliding, historic aircraft, home-built aircraft, microlighting, parachuting, paragliding, helicopter flying, large model flying and, of course, general aviation aeroplanes.
GASCo organised a seminar on ‘Ditching and Sea Survival’, in April 2015.
Finance and management GASCo is financed by the contributions of the organisations represented on the Council, of which the RAeS is an important supporter, as well as from subscriptions and donations made by readers of its quarterly magazine GASCo Flight Safety. As the Council is a registered charity, it also benefits from Gift Aid by those who pay UK income tax. The Council is represented at regular meetings of, for example, the General Aviation Partnership (GAP), the National Air Traffic Management Advisory Committee (NATMAC), and the airlines’ UK Flight Safety Committee (UKFSC) and is represented on the European General Aviation Safety Team (EGAST). GASCo is run by a Board of Directors/Trustees appointed by the Company in accordance with its governing document. The Board delegates the day to day running of the organisation to a Chief Executive, currently Mike O’Donoghue CBE FRAeS, who is also the Company Secretary. Mike leads the GASCo team consisting of an Office Manager and Administrator both based at its office at Rochester Airport, together with the eight-strong crew of volunteer Regional Safety Officers which works @aerosociety
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across the UK. In addition, GASCo employs a part-time Editor for the production of GASCo Flight Safety magazine and Flight Safety Extra.
GASCo flight safety activities
Piper Aircraft
Under the GASCo wing
GASCo
Air Commodore Rick Peacock Edwards CBE AFC FRAeS, whose RAF career included flying Lightnings and Phantoms, combat in the first Gulf War and becoming the Head of the European Air Forces Flight Safety Committee.
UK GA fleet
14,500
Powered GA aircraft
1,500 Balloons
2,600 Sailplanes
4,500
Hang-gliders
4,500
Parachutists www.aerosociety.com
● The hard-copy quarterly GASCo Flight Safety contains appropriate articles, analysis of accidents and incidents and proposed legislation, airspace changes likely to affect safety. Its theme is ‘Safety through Knowledge’. It is sent to all who make a small annual contribution (£16) to the Council’s funds. Currently almost 1,600 subscribe. ● In addition to the above, Flight Safety Extra containing short extracts and the latest safety news, including selected accident/incident reports, is e-mailed free of charge to all who request it. Currently, this number over 4,000 people, they only have to ask to be added to the list. ● The GASCo website www.gasco.org.uk provides full details of GASCo Council members, events, links to other authorities and details of UK fatal GA accidents for the past ten years together with significant engineering occurrences selected from the CAA Safety Data Dept monthly list of general aviation occurrences. ● During the last 10 years GASCo has organised a selection of day-long modestly-priced seminars focusing on subjects, such as Avoiding Stall-Spin, Weather, Ditching and Sea Survival, Helicopters, Human Factors, Stay High — Stay Safe, New Technology and Air Traffic Friend or Foe? ● In the past the military authorities and the CAA arranged joint Military Civil Air Safety Days (MCASD) at military airfields. These popular events were an important way in which to bring both communities together to discuss local airspace issues. The first event for some years was held in April 2015 at the Royal Naval Air Station, Yeovilton, and GASCo played an important part in helping to run the day. The event was very well attended and voted a resounding success. ● At aeronautical events, such as the Light Aircraft Association Annual Rally, AeroExpo and The Flying Show, a borrowed aircraft is rigged with a selection of defects so that pilots and engineers can check the effectiveness of their pre-flight inspection. There are no prizes but on completion they are given the answers, so that they can learn from what they missed. SEPTEMBER 2015
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03 June 2015
GENERAL AVIATION
● As part of the NATS Airspace and Safety Initiative, the ‘Fly-on-Track’ website is run on behalf of GASCo. This provides the latest airspace news as well as radar replays and analysis of genuine UK airspace infringement, see www.flyontrack.co.uk . ● For the past five years GASCo has been running Safety Evenings on behalf of the CAA to provide Safety Evenings on its behalf. These are free to attend and include a range of current safety topics, provided by seven volunteer Regional Safety Officers. These evenings are held at venues thought the UK including flying clubs and groups as well as microlight and gliding clubs. During the 2014/15 winter season a total of 50 evenings were given, with an average attendance of 40+.
In 2014 GASCo organised a seminar at Coventry University explaining the present state of knowledge concerning loss of control during flight.
LoC I (Loss of Control In Flight) The Report of a Seminar held in November 2014 at Coventry University arranged by GASCo (General Aviation Safety Council) and the Faculty of Engineering and Computing at the University. INTRODUCTION Loss of Control in Flight is by far the most common cause of fatalities in General Aviation fixed wing aircraft in the UK, USA and most other parts of the world. Consequently it has been the focus of much of the attention of many safety agencies throughout the globe including GASCo. This organisation produced a paper in
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AEROSPACE / SEPTEMBER 2015
2010 that studied fatal stall or spin accidents to UK registered light aeroplanes during the period 1980 to 2008. Its principle conclusions appear in the Appendix to this report. The report led to further practical research by Dr Guy Gratton of Brunel University and his conclusions also appear in the
Appendix. Dr Mike Bromfield of Coventry University has been working in recent years with GASCo to pursue the issues involved and the seminar held in November 2014 aimed to assemble some of the experts in this field and to review the present state of knowledge.
GASCo
General Aviation Safety Council
At aeronautical events GASCo rigs a borrowed aircraft with a selection of defects so that pilots and engineers can check the effectiveness of pre-flight inspections. back
● The Council meets three times a year, with discussions on recent accidents and incidents and decisions on the action to be taken to reduce the possibility of a recurrence as well as proposed legislation, airspace changes etc. Although a number of the organisations have their own safety committees it is by meeting regularly that cross-fertilisation can benefit everyone. The philosophy is that a real and lasting improvement in general aviation flight safety can only be brought about through education and understanding, i.e. safety through knowledge.
What are the causes and what has been achieved? In 1964 with a relatively small number of general aviation aircraft on the UK Register there was cause for concern with a fatal accident rate of about 50 per million hours flown. Figure 1 (top right) shows the annual three-year moving average for the 603 fatal accidents to UK registered general aviation powered aircraft of 5,700kg and below over the past 35 years, together with the fatal accident rate per million flying hours. The number of accidents (blue diamonds) shows a steady downward trend and it is encouraging that there is no sign of it ‘bottoming out’ due to the ‘law of diminishing returns’. The fatal accident rate per million flying hours (pink squares) follows it closely. The flying hours per annum have had their ups and downs with a marked reduction during the past five years. Hour’s data has only been available since 1985, while it cannot be up-to-date due to some three-year Cs of A. However, the number of powered general aviation aircraft on the UK register has increased from about 8,500 in 1985 to the current over 16,000. Of this total only about 66% have a current Permit to Fly or Certificate of Airworthiness, the remainder are either being
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GASCo
30 25 20 15 10 5 0 1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
23%
Loss of control VFR Low aerobatics/flying Forced landings
25%
GASCo
Figure 1. Three-year moving average of number of fatal Accidents (blue) and Fatal accident rate per million flying hours (pink) to UK registered powered aircraft of 5,700kg (Includes aeroplanes, microlights, helicopters, gyroplanes, balloons/airships and foot-launched powered aircraft).
CFIT
7% 15%
8% 10%
Loss of control IMC Mid-air collision
12% Others & unknown
Figure 2. Aeroplanes of 5,700kg and below ― Type of accident (one per fatal accident) during 30 years 1984 to 2013 (Others & unknown includes collision with ground objects, low approach, airframe failure, medical/suicide and undetermined).
GASCo
rebuilt or are stored. It is noteworthy that, in 30 years, the average annual utilisation per aircraft has decreased from about 135 hours to approx 80 hours. Microlighting was only just beginning at the start of the 1980s, now it is a thriving activity with a safety record to match conventional aeroplanes. GASCo, in conjunction with initiatives from the aviation organisations and, in the past, from active CAA safety promotion, has contributed to bringing that rate down to a current level of about 1.5 fatal accidents per 100,000 flying hours. It should also be borne in mind that nowadays there is a very different public attitude towards safety compared with over 50 years ago when smoking was the norm and motorcyclists, let alone cyclists, rarely wore head protection. Figure 2 (centre right) shows the Type of Fatal Accident most prevalent for aeroplanes of 5,700kg and below. Only one Type has been allocated to each of the 396 accidents in which there may be many factors. Loss of control in visual flight is the most common by a large margin with low aerobatics and low flying next, although the latter has reduced very significantly in the last two decades. The most common factor in aeroplanes is ‘stall-spin’ which occurs in several of the types of accident, while in helicopters it is ‘continued in adverse weather’ and for microlights inexperience/incorrect control input. Figure 3 (lower right) shows factors revealed during the thorough investigation of the 396 fatal aeroplane accidents between 1980 and 2013. Stall-spin occurs in 38% of them, occurring during aerobatics, low flying/beat-ups, forced landings and flight in IMC as well as during normal flight when the pilot does not recognise the symptoms until too late. To focus on the stall spin issue, in 2010 GASCo published a detailed investigation, A Study of Fatal Stall or Spin Accidents to UK Registered Light Aeroplanes 1980 to 2008, this included nine recommendations. Nevertheless, the percentage of stall-spin accidents per decade appears to be increasing. It is also noteworthy that stalling is also a major factor in microlight accidents, occurring in 31% of cases. Space prevents detailed discussion of Fig. 3 but a lack of knowledge of the correct procedures and incorrect control input are frequently revealed as fatal accident factors. The high percentage of cases where the flying rules have been broken may be symptomatic of the pilot’s attitude, leading to them being more likely to be involved in an accident. Almost every fatal accident includes a human factors issue or pilot error. The bottom line is that GASCo’s ambitious and wide-ranging activities, which concentrate on human factors, are dependent upon the continued donations from both the aviation public and those on the GASCo Council — we all share the same skies.
Stall-spin
14
Procedures
38
16.5
Control input
18
Flying rules broken
27 19.5
Continued poor weather Poor planning Maintennce Maintenance
24.5
22 24
Distraction Inexperience
Figure 3. Aeroplanes of 5,700 kg and below ― Percentage of fatal accidents, 1980-2013 where investigation reveals the above factors, which may not necessarily be causal.
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SEPTEMBER 2015
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RAeS, No.4 Hamilton Place, London W1J 7BQ Friday 6 November 2015 AM session 10:00 – 12:45 PM session 13:00 – 15:45
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Diary 7-8 October RPAS: Achievements and Challenges President’s Conference
Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Group conduct aerial operations with their Predator UAS aircraft. US Customs and Border Protection.
42 Message from RAeS - President “I was very pleased to attend a meeting of the Society’s Specialist Groups Committee (SGC) held at No.4 Hamilton Place in early July. The hard work undertaken by the 24 Specialist Groups overseen by the Learned Society Board underpins maintenance of the Society’s reputation as the world’s leading learned organisation serving the incredible range of professions and disciplines that make up aviation and aerospace today.”
44 Book Reviews
52 Diary
Born of Adversity, Digital Avionics Handbook and Dirigible Dreams.
Find out when and where around the world the latest aeronautical and aerospace lectures and events are happening.
47 Library Additions
54 Obituaries
Books submitted to the National Aerospace Library.
48 IT FLIES UK 2015
55 Corporate Partners
University teams battle it out to win this year’s prize.
Three new members joined the Society’s Corporate Partner Scheme.
- Chief Executive
51 RAeS Washington Branch
“I hope that by now you will have had a chance to review our new ‘Heritage’ website, as detailed in last month’s AEROSPACE. We have received excellent feedback from around the globe on this new resource which showcases some of the treasures from our archive of which we are particularly proud.”
The Washington Branch host a lively panel discussion on global aircraft tracking, locating and flight deck protection.
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Professor Sir John Horlock and John Wimpenny.
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57 RAeS Written Paper Prizes The winners of the RAeS Written Paper Prizes for the best papers published in The Aeronautical Journal in 2014.
SEPTEMBER 2015
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Message from RAeS OUR PRESIDENT Martin Broadhurst
IT IS A KEY STRATEGIC AIM FOR THE SOCIETY TO ENHANCE ITS LEARNED OUTPUT AND TO INCREASE ITS CONTRIBUTION AND INFLUENCE WITHIN THE WIDER DEBATES
I was very pleased to attend a meeting of the Society’s Specialist Groups Committee (SGC) held at No.4 Hamilton Place in early July. The hard work undertaken by the 24 Specialist Groups overseen by the Learned Society Board underpins maintenance of the Society’s reputation as the world’s leading learned organisation serving the incredible range of professions and disciplines that make up aviation and aerospace today. The Society is indebted to all those who invest so much time and skill to carry on this work. It is a key strategic aim for the Society to enhance its learned output and to increase its contribution and influence within the wider debates taking place in our areas of expertise. To this end the SGC considers and selects a small number specialist and cross-cutting subjects that should be adopted as key themes for the Society over the coming period. Similarly, each year the President selects one topic as the keynote theme for his or her Presidential year. Last year Bill Tyack led the Society on the theme of ‘Space’ and I have no doubt that the profile lent to this subject through his efforts has contributed significantly to a greater awareness of the economic and technological contribution that this sector makes globally and in the UK particularly. The Case for Space report published by London
Economics on 14 July revealed that Britain’s space industry which employs 37,000 people has more than doubled its turnover in the last decade to £11·8bn a year and is ‘punching above its weight’ in the international marketplace. The report also highlights the enabling impact the industry has on everyday life. Certainly if the large and enthusiastic attendance at recent Society space-related events is anything to go by, then this is an area of our profession that is, once again, gripping young people. For my Presidential theme, I have chosen Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) and this will be the subject of the Presidential Conference in early October. It is a complex and growing field of activity spanning military and civil users; it encompasses a diverse range and scale of platforms; it has significant implications for traditional skills and disciplines; it challenges our lawmakers and regulators; it brings the possibility to deploy technical applications of huge benefit but at the same time arouses fears and suspicions amongst the public. In short it is a field of activity in which the Society must provide forums for learned debate and channels for influence based on professional evaluation. As the SGC forum quickly concluded, UAS is a subject that touches just about all of our 24 Specialist Groups!
RAeS AEROSPACE GOLF DAY
Above: Frilford Heath Golf Club. Right: FlightSafety International — winners of the Texas Scramble competition.
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Players on the Society’s Aerospace Golf Day were plied with plenty of water as they played 27 holes of challenging golf in soaring temperatures. This year’s event fell on Wednesday, 1 July — the hottest July day on record in the UK. Thankfully the heat was not enough to deter our players and a successful day was had by all. The Singles Stableford competition was won by Craig Scolding who was playing for Universal Aviation UK Ltd. Other winners were: Singles Stableford 2nd Prize, Simon Levy, RAeS; 3rd Prize, Keith Calvert, Gama Aviation; Longest Drive, Paul Doble, guest of FightSafety International; Nearest the Pin, Neil Swift, guest of Cyient. The Flight Safety International team were the winners of the Texas Scramble competition, with Universal Aviation UK and Cyient in second and third place. The Society would like to thank the InterContinental London Park Lane, Cyient, FlightSafety International, Food by Dish and Frilford Heath Golf Club for their generosity in providing prizes and supplying our players with golfing merchandise. By popular demand we will be returning to Frilford Heath Golf Club next year and we look
AEROSPACE / SEPTEMBER 2015
forward to welcoming back our regular players as well as seeing some new faces. Please keep an eye on the events section of our website for further details. If you have any queries about this event, please contact: Gail Ward, Events Manager — Corporate & Society T +44 (0)1491 629912 E [email protected]
OUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE Simon C Luxmoore
WE HAVE A ‘FAST START’ TO OUR ANNIVERSARY YEAR IN 2016 WITH THE ‘BLACK TIE’ DINNER WHICH WILL BE HELD ON THE DATE, 12 JANUARY, WHEN OUR ‘FOUNDING FATHERS’ FIRST MET
While No.4 Hamilton Place as a venue is relatively quiet during the month of August, it is busy as far as the staff are concerned. This is the month that further maintenance, development work and reorganisation can take place with relatively few committee meetings taking place and few conferences and other events. In addition the ‘budgetary cycle’ for 2016 begins and we have the finalisation of ‘the half year’ and of course the mid-year staff ‘appraisals’. Finally we have the early September Council and Board of Trustee meetings to prepare for which, as you may imagine, takes some preparation. The last three months of this year are particularly busy, with many Society conferences and events, and most of the remaining days now booked for ‘third party’ use. This is most welcome since the first half of the year was ‘quieter’ than expected so this increased activity is most welcome. We have a ‘fast start’ to our anniversary year in 2016 with the ‘Black Tie’ dinner which will be held on the date, 12 January, when our ‘founding fathers’ first met. Details of this event which comprises a debate followed by a dinner, can be found on the Society’s website in a new section called RAeS 150th Anniversary. Here we will be outlining details of a full range of activities planned for our anniversary year and I
would encourage you to take a look to see how you might get involved. I hope that by now you will have had a chance to review our new ‘Heritage’ website, as detailed in last month’s AEROSPACE. We have received excellent feedback from around the globe on this new resource which showcases some of the treasures from our archive of which we are particularly proud. This includes the photograph albums of Lawrence Hargrave, an inventor whose box-kite structure was later reflected in the early Voisin aircraft designs, and the anniversary of whose death was marked earlier this year. Since the start of the year, we have had a team of regular volunteers assisting our librarians at the NAL in conserving certain items in the collection. We hosted a ‘garden party’ to thank them for their sterling efforts and a pleasant afternoon was spent with tea and cake beside Farnborough’s airship hangar. We are delighted to have received a particularly high number of nominations for the 2015 round of Society Honours, Medals and Awards. Thank you to everyone who took the time to submit a nomination. Should you wish to submit a nomination for next year, then please contact Tim Caines here at the Society. Later this month, we will notify all those who put forward nominations for informing them of the outcome.
NOT SOMETHING YOU SEE IN YOUR FRONT ROOM EVERY DAY
An unusual visitor to No.4 Hamilton Place on 25 June for the Sopwith Lecture was the Yorkshire Air Museum’s full-size reconstruction of the Port Victoria PV8 ‘Eastchurch’ Kitten which was re-assembled in the Marshall of Cambridge Room on the ground floor for the day. This aircraft is not airworthy but can be taxied. Find us on Twitter
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Book Reviews BORN OF ADVERSITY
Britain’s Airlines 1919-1963 By G Halford-MacLeod Amberley Publishing, The Hill, Merrywalks, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5 4EP, UK. 2014. 207pp. Illustrated. £17.99. ISBN 978-1-84868-993-0. “I am very surprised at the argument that is going on, and very upset about it, because I never believed that it was the Corporation’s job to make profits. The Corporation was there to support the British Aircraft Industry, to develop routes round the World and so on.” Sir Matthew Slattery, quoting Sir Gerard d’Erlanger, 1964 Select Committee. If anything were, in my view, to summarise very briefly the contradictions of Air Transport policy in the UK over the first 40 years, I would refer people to this quotation. Right from the very start of British airlines attempting the first tentative steps of flying commercial air services between London and Paris there was the questions whether such a form of transport could ever be self-sustaining, should it even be so and should it ever be an instrument of Government policy for both trade and communications between Great Britain and her far-flung colonies? Those early years of Handley Page Air Transport, Daimler Airways, Instone Air Line and the rather less well-known British Marine Air Navigation have been well documented over the years, as is their collective failure which led to the formation of Imperial Airways Ltd in April 1924, by Government backing (though it was to be a ‘private’ company) in the form of a guaranteed subsidy of £1m to be spread over ten years; but of course there was also a rider that for this new airline “all aircraft should be of British design and manufacture.” This refrain will not be entirely unfamiliar to anyone involved in the British air transport scene as recently as the 1960s. Nevertheless, Imperial Airways (IAL) did reasonably well, pioneering routes to Africa, India and Singapore while using aircraft which were more majestic than economic. The HP42 comes to mind. But the airline neglected the domestic and European
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Top: Vickers Vimy Commercial, G-EASI, City of London, of Instone Air Line. Above: The cabin interior of the same aircraft. Bottom: Avro Tudor 4, G-AGRE, Star Ariel, of BSAA. All RAeS (NAL).
... it would have been easy simply to write a dry history but he has the gift of narrative as well, thus making it eminently readable
scene and it was not long before many others were setting up their own routes including, unusually, the railway companies and even a bus company (Hillman’s); by 1935 there were 19 British air transport companies flying within Europe and the UK, most of them losing money. The birth of BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation) as a result of the Camden Report (1938) was inauspicious in that war had already been declared in September 1939. Yet, despite the battles with the RAF (most of the Board resigned in 1943) and later the Ministries of Supply and Civil Aviation, the airline emerged from the war relatively unscathed only to learn that two other Corporations — British South American Airways (BSAA) and British European Airways (BEA) — were to be set up in order to operate within South America and Europe respectively. The policy of ‘Buy British’ persisted, however, and was to create difficulties for many years, right up to the purchases of the VC10 and Trident. The pursuit of the Avro Tudor makes particularly interesting reading. True, changes came during the 1950s and 1960s when smaller ‘Independent’ airlines were able to operate holiday charters and apply to fly schedules on routes not sought by either BEA or BOAC; challenges to either Corporation were simply not permitted until the middle of the decade and Eagle was particularly successful in this, as was British United Airways (BUA). The author, Guy Halford-McLeod, has already published an excellent trilogy (Britain’s Airlines Vols 1-3 — 1946 to Deregulation [Tempus Publishing Limited/The History Press. 2006-2010]) and this present book does a great service in helping the reader to understand exactly how the circumstances before 1946 were to influence the way airlines were regulated and allowed to operate in this country and how these airlines survived. Born of Adversity is an inspired title to this book. As in his previous books, the author has made use of his access to Parliamentary records, Government reports and journals well; it would have been easy simply to write a dry history but he has the gift of narrative as well, thus making it eminently readable. I can thoroughly recommend this book to both historian and layman. It is excellent. Capt Dacre Watson FRAeS
DIGITAL AVIONICS HANDBOOK
Third edition By C R Spitzer et al CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, 6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742, USA. 2014. Distributed by Taylor & Francis Group, 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon OX14 4RN, UK. Irregular pagination. Illustrated. £114. [20% discount available to RAeS members via www.crcpress.com using AKN14 promotion code]. ISBN 978-1-4398-6861-4. Authors of textbooks on avionics face two problems. First, the scope of the subject is so wide that, inevitably, the books are either narrow and deep or broad and shallow and, secondly, the two main groups of readers are users and system developers, both with very differing requirements. The Third edition of Digital Avionics Handbook, edited by Cary Spitzer, manages to achieve a remarkable balance, satisfying a wide range of readers needing to understand modern avionics. Readers of the second edition, will not be disappointed by the increase in subject matter, while the clarity of explanation and inclusion of up-to-date material is retained. There is one major difference from the second edition; Cary Spitzer died during production of the third edition and a large number of his colleagues have contributed to the 45 sections to ensure publication of the book. The book has three major sections, focusing on safety and certification in the first section which, uniquely includes software certification, an increasingly important aspect of the design, testing and certification of avionics. The Find us on Twitter
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second section concentrates on the technology of avionics with a wealth of examples, including head-up and helmet-mounted displays, speech recognition, terrain avoidance, TCAS, ADS-B, flight management systems, flight control systems and avionics architectures. Examples are taken from modern civil aircraft systems for many of these topics. The third section of the book describes the current tools and design methods used to develop avionics systems. Rather than just describing databus architectures, the book covers the design methods and tools used to model, validate and integrate complex systems. Quite simply, this is the best book on avionics currently available. While other books may go into more depth of sensor technology, satellite navigation or flight control system design, Digital Avionics Handbook is a comprehensive guide to the avionics used in the current generation of civil and military aircraft. The contributors to the book are well known in their respective fields and the editor has managed to ensure consistency of style and explanation throughout the book. I have only two minor complaints. First, there is no index, which is disappointing for such a comprehensive textbook and, secondly, the price (currently over £100 in the UK) is beyond the reach of most students. Nevertheless, the book is essential reading for both engineers needing a sound introduction to avionics and developers needing to understand the design issues underpinning modern avionics systems. Prof David Allerton CEng FRAeS
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Airbus A380 cockpit. Airbus.
The Third edition of Digital Avionics Handbook, edited by Cary Spitzer, manages to achieve a remarkable balance, satisfying a wide range of readers needing to understand modern avionics SEPTEMBER 2015
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Book Reviews DIRIGIBLE DREAMS
The Age of the Airship By C M Hiam ForeEdge, Lebanon, NH, USA. 2014. Distributed by Casemate, 10 Hythe Bridge Street, Oxford OX1 2EW, UK. 2014. 263pp. Illustrated. £23. ISBN 978-1-61168-560-2. This is a well-written narrative illustrated from that famed free-use repository The Library of Congress. The chapters are subject-based rather than chronological. Each contains an account of a significant international programme in airship development that is highly readable and simple to comprehend. I have rarely seen so much detail in an English language narrative; particularly in regard to the exploits of Santos-Dumont, Wellman, Nobile and Amundsen. The coverage of German Zeppelins from the Count’s early experiments to Eckener’s pre-war efforts is brief but concise, though this is by no means an authoritative history. There are some interesting first-hand reports of flights in Graf Zeppelin and Hindenburg but a surprising variation in detail. We are treated to a few individual Zeppelin raid victims, listed by age and occupation, though other subjects are skimmed over with bland generalisations. Glancing through the bibliography and index there is precious little evidence of research based on primary sources. This comes out in particular in regard to the description of the Imperial Airship Scheme in the United Kingdom in the 1920s
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leading up to the overseas excursions of R.100 and R.101; areas of particular interest to this reviewer. Firstly, there is not a mention of Sir Dennistoun Burney, the prime mover at Vickers/AGC (Airship Guarantee Company), nor, it seems, did Barnes Wallis play any part! The entire R.100 programme, described as an almost total success, is credited to Nevil Shute Norway, calculator to Wallis’ team. The critical comments in his novel-come-autobiography Slide Rule (London: William Heinemann.1954) — many of which Norway retracted to R.101 historian Peter Masefield (listed as Mansfield in the index) — are regurgitated and embroidered in this work to the point where the entire chapter should, in my mind, be ‘ripped out’. The throwaway use of statistics is completely unfair to the Cardington workforce. Neither airship is credited for their significance as developmental prototypes. There are numerous documents and testaments in European archives, many online, but the author’s shallow approach is extremely disappointing. As with many documentaries and, so called historic accounts, it is always of concern when one finds such errors in the subject you know, as it dilutes the authority of the subjects on which your knowledge is thinner. I hope, for the sake of other readers, that the other chapters are to be believed, as they make interesting stories. Not recommended for any serious airship historian. Peter Davison AMRAeS
The Graf Zeppelin, LZ 127. Inset: Colour tinted slide looking through the navigation room into the control cabin aboard the Graf Zeppelin. RAeS (NAL).
There are some interesting firsthand reports of flights in Graf Zeppelin and Hindenburg but a surprising variation in detail
Library Additions BOOKS AVIATION MEDICINE
preserved and airworthy examples that can still be seen.
High G Flight: Physiological Effects and Countermeasures. D G Newman. Ashgate Publishing Limited, Wey Court East, Union Road, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7PT, UK. 2015. 246pp. Illustrated. £65. ISBN 978-14724-1457-1.
Gustave Whitehead: First in Flight. S Brinchman. Apex Educational Media, La Mesa, CA, USA (www. gustavewhiteheadbook.com). 2015. 432pp. Illustrated. $24.99 plus postage/packing. ISBN 978-0-692-43930-2. A detailed re-examination of the pioneering flight claims of Gustave Whitehead (Gustav Weisskopf) incorporating a number of reproductions from contemporary journals of the time and other eye-witness testimonies, reviewing how his aeronautical experiments have been presented over the years by the Smithsonian Institution and others.
AVIONICS AND SYSTEMS German Aircraft Instrument Panels Vol 2. D Karnas. Published by Stratus, Poland, on behalf of Mushroom Model Publications, 3 Gloucester Close, Petersfield, Hants GU32 3AX, UK (www. mmpbooks.biz). 2015. 38pp. Illustrated. £15. ISBN 978-8363678-80-7. A compilation of detailed colour diagrams and photographs of the various cockpit instrument panel designs of the Messerschmitt Bf109E/Me262A, Junkers Ju87A, Henschel Hs126, Heinkel He111, Focke-Wulf Fw190A-3 and Dornier Do17. GLIDING Silent Invaders: Combat Gliders of the Second World War. G A Best. Fonthill Media Limited, Millview House, Toadsmoor Road, Stroud GL5 2TB, UK. 2014. 232pp. Illustrated. £20. ISBN 978-162545-000-5. HISTORICAL Douglas DC-3: 80 Glorious Years. G Jones. Fonthill Media Limited, Millview House, Toadsmoor Road, Stroud GL5 2TB, UK. 2015. 208pp. Illustrated. £20. ISBN 978-178155-103-5. Illustrated by 70 colour and numerous monochrome photographs, an informative overview of the DC-3’s operators across America, Europe, Brazil, Latin America, Africa and Australia, focusing on the many (around 250) Find us on Twitter
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From Pole to Pole: Roald Amundsen’s Journey in Flight. G J Cameron. Pen & Sword Discovery, Pen & Sword Books, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, S Yorkshire S70 2AS, UK. 2013. 193pp. Illustrated. £19.99. ISBN 978-78159337-0. A biographical study of the Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen and the role that aircraft were to play in his attempts to reach the North Pole, the explorer and five companions losing their own lives on 18 June 1928 in a Latham 47 flying boat while searching for the crew of Umberto Nobile’s crashed Italia airship. The Ultimate Flying Wings of the Luftwaffe. J Miranda. Fonthill Media Limited, Millview House, Toadsmoor Road, Stroud GL5 2TB, UK. 2015. 248pp. Illustrated. £25. ISBN 978-1-78155-372-5. Numerous linearrangement diagrams illustrate this compilation of summary descriptions of the many advanced aircraft, rockets, bombs and ejection seats under development in Germany during WW2, including the Blohm und Voss BV155 Karawanken/P177/
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P179/P192/P193/P194/ P204/P205/P207/P208/ P237/BV246 B Hagelkorn, Dornier P247/P353/FockeWulf Honhenjager/Heinkel He P1076/Henschel P75/P130/ Hs298 Luftkampfrakete, Lipppisch 8-334 [Me334], Skoda-Kauba V5, Gotha P56/ P57, Ruhrstahl 8-344 [X-4] Jagerrakete and their variants among other project designs.
The Boulton Paul Balliol: the Last Merlin-Powered Aircraft. A Brew. Fonthill Media Limited, Millview House, Toadsmoor Road, Stroud GL5 2TB, UK. 2015. 128pp. Illustrated. £14.99. ISBN 9781-78155-361-9. Illustrated by many previously unpublished photographs, a detailed history of the evolution of Boulton Paul’s final aircraft design to go into production, from becoming the first aircraft to be powered by a single prop-jet to its later transition as the last pistonengined advanced trainer in the Royal Air Force powered by the Rolls-Royce Merlin as it evolved from the P108, T2 and Sea Balliol T21. Tornado F3: a Navigator’s Eye on Britain’s Last Interceptor. D Gledhill. Fonthill Media Limited, Millview House, Toadsmoor Road, Stroud GL5 2TB, UK. 2015. 320pp. Illustrated. £25. ISBN 978-1-78155-307-7. Tuploev Tu-128 ‘Fiddler’. A Dawes et al. Fonthill Media Limited, Millview House, Toadsmoor Road, Stroud GL5 2TB, UK. 2014. 464pp. Illustrated. £35. ISBN 978-178155-404-3. Schneider Trophy Aircraft 1913-1931. D N James. Fonthill Media Limited, Millview House, Toadsmoor Road, Stroud GL5 2TB, UK. 2015. 368pp. Illustrated. £40. ISBN 978-1-78155-418-0. Incorporating many additional photographs, a welcome new enlarged-format
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edition of this informative compilation of detailed histories of the individual aircraft types (and of the other designs under consideration) which competed in the Schneider Trophy seaplane contests, originally published by Putnam in 1981. British Propeller Makers of WW1: Parts One — Five (5 vols). B Gardner. Circadian (UK) Ltd, Barnsdale House, Barnsdale Mews, Campsall, Doncaster DN6 9RH, UK. (http://www.aeroclocks. com ). 2010-2012. 141pp; 183pp; 182pp; 172pp; 174pp. Illustrated. Arranged alphabetically by manufacturer from The Aircraft Construction Company through to Wolseley Motors Limited and including individual drawing numbers when known, these wellillustrated volumes provide a detailed account of aircraft propeller production in Britain during WW1 and the 122 propeller manufacturers then in operation. Part One covers The Aircraft Construction Company to Boulton & Paul; Part Two — The British and Colonial Aeroplane Company to the Falcon Airscrew Company; Part Three — The Farringdon Engineering Company to the Lang Propeller Company; Part Four — The London Aircraft Company to Frederick Sage & Co; Part Five — Saunders Ltd to Wolseley Motors Limited. Langley: Man of Science and Flight. J G Vaeth. The Ronald Press Company, New York. 1966. 117pp. Illustrated. A biography of Samuel Pierpont Langley (18341906) who, under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution, of which Langley was its third Secretary, developed a series of steampowered tandem-wing model aeroplanes and was later to develop his design into a fullsize man-carrying machine, his tandem monoplane ‘Aerodrome’ crashing into the Potomac River south-east of Washington for the second time on 8 December 1903 — a few days before the Wright Brothers’ successful first flight. LIGHTER-THAN-AIR The Zeppelin. M Belafi. Pen & Sword Aviation, Pen & Sword Books, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, S Yorkshire S70 2AS, UK. 2015. 211pp. Illustrated. £30. ISBN 978-1-47382785-1.
SERVICE AVIATION
Commanding Far Eastern Skies: a Critical Analysis of the Royal Air Force Superiority Campaign in India, Burma and Malaya 1941-1945. P Preston-Hough. Helion & Company Limited, 26 Willow Road, Solihull, B91 1UE, UK. 2015. Distributed by Casemate, 10 Hythe Bridge Street, Oxford OX1 2EW. 320pp. Illustrated. £29.95. ISBN 978-1-91029444-4. Rapid Rundown: RAF Operations in the Middle and Far East 1945-1948. S Gifford. Fonthill Media Limited, Millview House, Toadsmoor Road, Stroud GL5 2TB, UK. 2014. 304pp. Illustrated. £25. ISBN 978-1-78155-341-1. Incorporating the recollections of many who were involved, a detailed account of the Royal Air Force’s operations in the immediate post-war years in Palestine, Iraq, Cyprus, Aden, India, Ceylon and further afield in Malaya, Singapore, Siam, Indo-China, Japan and The Netherlands East Indies, including its involvement in the beginnings of the Malayan Emergency. The Little Blitz: the Luftwaffe’s Last Attack on London. J Conen. Fonthill Media Limited, Millview House, Toadsmoor Road, Stroud GL5 2TB, UK. 2014. 128pp. Illustrated. £14.99. ISBN 9781-78155-308-4. A detailed history of the Luftwaffe’s offensive over London of January-April 1944 as part of Operation Steinbock and the effect the air raids had on the civil population and government authorities.
For further information contact the National Aerospace Library. T +44 (0)1252 701038 or 701060 E [email protected] SEPTEMBER 2015
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Society News IT FLIES UK 2015
Glyndwr University soars to joint first place Entries were of an extremely high standard this year, resulting in a tied win between Glyndwr University and The University of Dayton, Ohio. Peter Webster, team leader for the Airbus apprentice team from Glyndwr University writes: As an engineer, the opportunity to have a test pilot fly one of your aircraft designs is a honour reserved to a select few. Yet it was in this privileged position that four of my fellow Airbus apprentices and I found ourselves recently, when Dave Southwood, test pilot on the Tornado GR1, Jaguar and Buccaneer, flew our glider as part of the annual IT FLIES UK competition at Swansea University on 10 June. The journey began many months earlier when we assembled the team and decided that modelling a glider would be a great challenge, giving us experience in aerodynamics, flight control and aircraft design. Furthermore, with the latest Airbus-sponsored projects, such as the Perlan II high-altitude glider and the eGenius electric aircraft both closely resembling classic glass-fibre gliders, we proposed that an accurate, verified model of a glider would act as an ideal benchmark for future experimentation with structural and aerodynamic improvements. My own fascination with flight started at a young age and was bolstered by experiences gliding in Scotland, where eternal battles with the weather provided the inspiration to create a full motion gliding simulator, with realistic modelling throughout the flight envelope. This gliding experience also proved pivotal in allowing us to accurately assess the handling of our model in Glyndwr University’s MP521 Engineering Flight Simulator. Many a long evening after work was spent calculating data using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software alongside experimental wind-tunnel data. This was fed into the simulator and, piece by piece, a virtual model was ‘manufactured’ from our CAD model. Among the most exciting moments was the first flight, although the simulator may present considerably less risk than an actual test flight, there was a palpable sense of nervous energy in the room as we set up the flight and prepared to launch. This was followed by a challenging, exciting and very educational process of refining the design through a series of flight tests. The competition day itself was very interesting, with the team of judges commentating throughout each test flight, allowing us to learn from the achievements and mistakes of others. Our own
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AEROSPACE / SEPTEMBER 2015
The joint winning team from The University of Dayton, with their test pilot Gordon McClymont. Gordon teaches at ETPS, and has been a pilot for the Shuttleworth vintage aircraft collection — hence he was keen to fly the ‘Silver Bird’.
THE PROJECT HAS GIVEN US A GREAT INSIGHT INTO THE NATURE OF AIRCRAFT DESIGN AND FLIGHT TESTING. WE’VE EXPERIENCED FIRST-HAND HOW SMALL CHANGES IN THE DESIGN CAN DRAMATICALLY ALTER THE HANDLING AND EFFICIENCY OF THE FINAL AIRCRAFT
presentation allowed us to explain the rationale behind the glider, and discuss the methodology used for the design and flight testing. After this, all that remained was for Dave Southwood, our test pilot judge, to assess it for himself; as he strapped in, he reminded us that he’d just spent several weeks on holiday soaring every day! The post-flight briefing was invaluable, giving us ideas for future improvements and highlighting areas where our model excelled. He particularly enjoyed the extra tests we designed, which included a simulated cable failure and some aerobatics. Dave commented on the Glyndwr glider: “What we always look for in a model is whether or not it flies like it looks, particularly with respect to the inertia characteristics, flying control layout and overall aerodynamic configuration. This model faithfully represented all of the performance and flying qualities characteristics of such a glider. Novel use of initialisation parameters even allowed a launch and cable-break manoeuvre to be flown. If simulators could model the lift in the atmosphere, I could have soared for hours with this model!” Although balancing the demands of both university and work alongside a project like this was a challenge, the team’s combination of work experience, theoretical knowledge, and flight experience proved to be an ideal combination. We were delighted and honoured to be awarded joint first prize with the University of Dayton, who simulated the Wright Flyer Silver Bird. The project has given us a great insight into the nature of aircraft design and flight testing. We’ve experienced first-hand how small changes in the design can dramatically alter the handling and efficiency of the final aircraft. I know I speak for the whole team when I say it’s enthused us to take the design further next year, and beyond that has inspired us to work on future aircraft designs in our careers. Our thanks go to Airbus, Glyndwr University, the judging panel and Merlin Flight Simulation Group who provided such a great opportunity. On behalf of the Airbus/Glyndwr University
team: Jonathan Aragon-Escobosa, Awais Munawar, James Tudor, Peter Webster and Nathan-James Wong. Meanwhile, Alex Watt and Matt Pulfer from The University of Dayton entered a simulation of the Wright Flyer Silver Bird. Dave Southwood quoted: “This was a fascinating model of a modern replica of a very old aeroplane, an interesting challenge. The team compared the characteristics of their model with experimental data plus anecdotal data from pilots who had flown the replica, a very thorough approach. Sadly the replica aircraft had been lost in an accident, and it was very interesting that the flying qualities of the model were consistent with reports of the behaviour of the aircraft when the accident occurred. This appeared to be an excellent simulation of The Silver Bird.” Alex and Matt flew over from Dayton to compete, staying on campus at Swansea. Alex commented: “Having experienced the US competition, it truly was a treat to compete in the UK competition. The designs and projects were all extremely innovative and I enjoyed seeing what students had to offer from another continent. The competition is such a great event for students who share the same passion for the aerospace industry, and the flight sim is such a unique way to learn and grow as aerospace engineers. The opportunity to
showcase our work in the UK was something that I will never forget.” IT FLIES UK 2015 results: First: The University of Dayton, Ohio, and Glyndwr University Best Presentation/Technical Information Prize: Swansea’s Team Ostrich Prize for the Most Innovative Design: Swansea’s Team SOAR
Greener by Design Workshop
Women in Aviation and Aerospace Committee
CONTRAIL-CIRRUS, OTHER NON-CO2 EFFECTS AND SMART FLYING LONDON / 22 OCTOBER 2015 This event will bring together the atmospheric science and civil aircraft communities to consider the non-CO2 aviation effects on climate and how, through the reduction of contrails and cirrus cloud formation, these can be substantially reduced. Organisations taking part at this event include: DLR, NATS, University of Reading, MIT, Committee on Climate Change and Cranfield University.
SUSTAINABILITY SOLUTIONS: TECHNOLOGY & DIVERSITY
LONDON / 30 OCTOBER 2015 Aerospace companies are increasingly focusing on green issues. What are the issues that need attention? How are they being addressed? What role does diversity play in this? This conference will also discuss the need to encourage women to enter, and stay in, the aerospace industry. Image: DLR
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Sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities are available at this event.
Sponsor
To find out more, please contact [email protected] or call +44 (0) 20 7670 4345.
The Glyndwr team of Airbus apprentices with Dave Southwood.
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Society News RAeS AIR TRANSPORT GROUP
SAE 2015 Integrated Vehicle Health Management and Maintenance Credits Workshop
The SAE 2105 IVHM and Maintenance Credits Workshop was held on 27 April at Cranfield University in Cranfield, UK. Organised by SAE in partnership with the Royal Aeronautical Society and Cranfield University and sponsored by Boeing, the event attracted more than 40 leaders and subject-matter experts in Integrated Vehicle Health Management (IVHM), including participants from operators and MROs, industry, regulatory agencies, research facilities and academia. The workshop included opening remarks from Dr Richard Greaves, 2015 SAE president and Chief of Technology Officer Emeritus, Meggitt PLC, and Martin Broadhurst OBE, now President of the Royal Aeronautical Society. This was followed by three ‘Future State’ presentations from Etihad Airways, Lufthansa Technik and AgustaWestland, which covered the benefits and considerations of operating and maintaining a fleet with IVHM capability. The event was also highlighted by three interactive workshops: The ‘Working with the Regulator’ workshop led by EASA discussed the current regulatory and maintenance practice landscape and identified the actions needed for the certification and operation of IVHM systems. The ‘Maintenance Credits’ workshop led by Rolls-Royce covered the process towards attaining credits for using IVHM systems and capabilities for maintenance tasks. The ‘Data Interoperability’ workshop led by KLM focused on the need for data interoperability in
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THE WORKSHOPS IDENTIFIED POTENTIAL AREAS OF IVHM APPLICATIONS THAT COULD BE DEPLOYED WITHIN THE EXISTING REGULATORY RULES
helping to build empirical evidence to support maintenance credits. This event built on the previous ‘Civil Aircraft Technology Enabled Services — A First Step Towards Achieving Maintenance Credits’ workshop organised by the RAeS Air Transport Group in partnership with SAE International, which was held in London in October 2014. This followed two previous RAeS conferences on this theme. White papers on each of the three topics — engagements with regulators, the maintenance credits process and data interoperability — that resulted from the 2014 event were discussed at the April workshop and will be updated to incorporate the workshop discussions. The SAE 2105 IVHM Workshop looked at the role of standards in supporting IVHM technologies and operation and was co-located with the SAE HM-1 Integrated Vehicle Health Management committee meeting, which was held at Cranfield University 28-30 April. In conclusion, it was a very constructive day where the delegates built up a positive relationship between industry and the regulators. The workshops identified potential areas of IVHM applications that could be deployed within the existing regulatory rules. The paths to address more complicated applications were explored. A follow-up workshop is being planned, and this community will support further development of IVHM technologies and the development of an industry-wide approach towards achieving maintenance credits for using IVHM technologies.
RAeS WASHINGTON BRANCH
Global Aircraft Tracking, Locating and Flight Deck Protection The Washington Branch held a lively discussion on 14 May on the critical issue of global aircraft tracking, locating lost aircraft and protecting flight decks from malicious interference. John Moloney, Boeing Director Transportation Policy, welcomed the RAeS to the new Boeing offices serving Washington, DC. Robert Francis, former Chairman NTSB and past Chairman of the RAeS Washington Branch, welcomed more than 80 participants to the session and thanked the sponsors, Airbus, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce. RAeS Board member Kenneth Quinn, Partner, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, moderated the panel with his ‘no holds barred’ style. He asked the controversial questions and stimulated a provocative discussion which included the audience participants. Captain Kevin Hiatt, a pilot and the recently appointed Senior Vice President for Safety and Flight Operations, International Air Transport Association (IATA), presented the airline view of the issues. His perspective as both a commercial pilot and the representative of the airlines, provided an unique perspective for airline management. Captain Keith Hagy, Director, Engineering and Safety for the Airline Pilots Association (ALPA), the leading airline pilot union in the world which represents more than 51,000 pilots, provided a view from the cockpit and John DeLisi, Director, Office of Aviation Safety for the US National Transportation Safety Board, contributed his expertise as an aircraft accident and incident investigator. The panel began the discussion with the recognition that commercial aviation is based on the principles of co-operation. Airline management and pilots co-operate with air traffic navigation service providers (ANSPs) for the operation of flight safely around the world. Aircraft are equipped to be recognised and tracked by ANSPs. Airline procedures support the mutual co-ordination and co-operation between flight crews and ANSPs. Both the Malaysia Airline flight MS370 and Germanwings flight 9525 broke the rule of co-operation. Questions were raised as to why transponders can be turned off and the use of cameras in the cockpit to provide video to support the data and Find us on Twitter
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Above: The Panel: Capt Keith Hagy, Director, Engineering and Safety, ALPA; Capt Kevin Hiatt, Senior Vice President, Safety and Flight Operations, IATA; Kenneth P Quinn, Partner, Pillsbury; and John DeLisi, Director, Office of Aviation Safety, National Transportation Safety Board.
QUESTIONS WERE RAISED AS TO WHY TRANSPONDERS CAN BE TURNED OFF AND THE USE OF CAMERAS IN THE COCKPIT TO PROVIDE VIDEO TO SUPPORT THE DATA AND VOICE RECORDERS
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voice recorders. Hagy contended that for safety in the event of a fire the pilot needed the ability to turn off the transponder. He opposed the use of cameras in the cockpit as a distraction to good accident investigation. DeLisi refuted both positions and provided support for transponders kept on and the use of cameras in the cockpit as providing additional data to analyse, as opposed to being distracting. Discussion then moved to the government’s lagging adoption of satellite-based technologies to track aircraft. Hiatt provided an excellent overview of the current systems in place to track and locate aircraft and presented the recommendations of the IATA Aircraft Tracking Task Force (ATTF) recommendations to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The ATTF report notes that there are many technologies and services available today to improve global aircraft tracking and encourages airlines to adopt these technologies and implement the tracking solution best-suited to their specific operational needs. The ATTF also recommended that ANSPs are encouraged to adopt performance-based management of air space. Quinn wrapped up the session with a reflection on the need for the global aviation industry to continue to pursue better solutions for tracking and locating aircraft. Dr Tulinda Larsen Member Board of Directors on behalf of Branch Secretary SEPTEMBER 2015
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Diary EVENTS
LECTURES
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7 September The Vickers Wellington Dr Steve Bond Historical Group Lecture
Boeing
16 September Future Trends in Certification of Advanced Technology Structures Structures and Materials Group Conference National Composites Centre, Bristol
Dassault Etendard IVB at RAE Thurleigh, near Bedford, in 1960. RAE Bedford will be discussed by Barry Tomlinson at Cosford on 17 September. RAeS (NAL).
23-24 September Flight Crew Instruction — Selection, Skills and Supply International Flight Crew Training Conference 23 September Capt Ray Jones Lecture Flight Simulation Group Named Lecture 30 September Admissibility of Air Accident Reports in Court Proceedings Air Law Group Seminar 6 October Aeromedical Aspects of Flight Simulation Dr Helen Hoar, AME/Pilot, Virgin Atlantic Airways Aerospace Medicine Group Lecture 7-8 October RPAS — Achievements and Challenges President’s Conference 14 October 100 Years of Accident Investigation — What’s Next? AAIB Centenary Conference 19 October UK Wind-Tunnel Capabilities: Strategy Application and Verification for Future Requirements Aerodynamics Group Conference 20 October Cierva Lecture Andrea D’Andrea, an IPT Leader at AgustaWestland Rotorcraft Group Named Lecture 22 October Contrail-Cirrus, Other Non-CO2 Effects and Smart Flying Greener by Design Workshop 22 October Trenchard Lecture Lynsey Shaw, University of Oxford Air Power Group Lecture 26 October The 1955 Supply of Military Aircraft White Paper: The First Post 1945 Procurement Crisis Prof Keith Hayward Historical Group Lecture All lectures start at 18.00hrs unless otherwise stated. Conference proceedings are available at www.aerosociety.com/news/proceedings
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BEDFORD ARA Social Club, Manton Lane, Bedford. 7 pm. Marylyn Wood, T +44 (0)1933 353517. 9 September — The Airlander project. David Stewart, Head of Flight Sciences, Hybrid Air Vehicles. 14 October — The ESA Rosetta Mission: Flying around a Comet. Dr Colin Snodgrass, Open University. 11 November — Flying the Shuttleworth Collection. Roger ‘Dodge’ Bailey, Chief Pilot.
10 November — Flight testing the e-Go. Keith Dennison, e-Go Aeroplanes. Joint lecture with the ETPSA. 24 November — The Human element — a disturbing trend in recent air accidents. Dr Garnet Ridgway, QinetiQ. 12.15 pm.
IMechE and IET. Buffet (by ticket) at 6 pm, lecture follows. 19 November — Aircrew equipment — performance with protection. Dr Michael Trudgill, Head of Aircrew Equipment & Integration, RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine. CANBERRA ADFA Military Theatre. 6 pm. Jon Pike, E [email protected] 8 September — TBC.
BIRMINGHAM, WOLVERHAMPTON AND COSFORD The National Cold War Museum, RAF Cosford. 7 pm. Chris Hughs, T +44 (0)1902 844523. 17 September — Wings over Thurleigh — flight research at the Royal Aircraft Establishment Bedford: 19522001. Barry Tomlinson. 15 October — Flying and displaying historic vintage aircraft. Rod Dean. 26 November — The e-Go story. Adrian Hillcote, Chief Executive, and David Boughey, Sales and Marketing Manager, e-Go Aeroplanes. Venue TBC.
BRISTOL Concorde Room, BAWA, Southmead Road. 6.30 pm. E [email protected] 17 September — Development of high performance CRES steels for landing gear application. Alan Shepherd, Team Leader for Landing Gear Research and Technology, Airbus. Joint lecture with IOM3 and WEMMA. 6 October — Transatlantic adventure. Eddie McCallum, Microlight Pilot. Joint lecture with LAA Bristol Strut and Bristol Aero Club. Room 1, BAWA, Southmead Road. 7.30 pm. 12 November — First Collar Lecture. Aeroelastics. Prof Jonathan Cooper, University of Bristol. Pugsley Lecture Theatre, Queens Building, University of Bristol, University Walk, Bristol.
BOSCOMBE DOWN Lecture Theatre, Boscombe Down. Refreshments from 5 pm. Lecture 5.15 pm. Visitors please register at least four days in advance (name and car registration required) E secretary@ BoscombeDownRAeS.org 15 September — Thunderbolts and lightning — are they really frightening? Rhys Phillips, Airbus Group Innovations. Joint lecture with IMechE and IET. 13 October — 29th Sir Henry Tizard Lecture. Spitfire restoration. John Romain, ARC Duxford. Ticket only. 27 October — Catalina operations over the Antarctic. Tony Dyer, QinetiQ. 12.15 pm.
CAMBRIDGE Lecture Theatre ‘O’ of the Cambridge University Engineering Department, Trumpington Street, Cambridge. 7.30 pm. Jin-Hyun Yu, T +44 (0)1223 373129. 10 September — Forty years of the Hawk. Steve Blee, Chief Airworthiness Engineer Hawk, BAE Systems Brough. 8 October — 100 years of aircraft manufacture at Yeovil. Dr Alisdair Wood, AgustaWestland. 29 October — The winning fuel in Formula 1 — passion, education and dedication. Ian Greig, Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Future Cars Group, Brackley. Young Persons Lecture, joint lecture with
CHESTER The Airbus Conference Suite, Airbus UK, Chester Road, Broughton. 7.30 pm. Keith Housely, T +44 (0)151 348 4480. 16 September — A400M Atlas — the trials (and tribulations). Sqn Ldr J J Harrison, OC C Flt, XXIV Sqn, RAF. COVENTRY Lecture Theatre ECG26, Engineering and Computing Building, Coventry University. 7.30 pm. Janet Owen, T +44 (0)2476 464079. 30 September — Role of a Rolls-Royce test pilot. Phil O’Dell, Chief Test Pilot, RollsRoyce. 21 October — John Boyd Dunlop Lecture. From animals to aircraft: biological inspiration and bio-inspired air vehicles. Prof Graham Taylor, Department of Zoology, Oxford University. 12 November — Annual Dinner and Talk. Shipwrecked in the Antarctic. Georgina Hale. Holiday Inn, London Road, Ryton on Dunsmore, Coventry. CRANFIELD Vincent Auditorium, Cranfield University, Cranfield. 6.30 pm. 27 October — Lord Kings Norton Lecture. The work of the Aviation Safety Regulator. Padhraic Kelleher, Head of Intelligence, Strategy & Policy, CAA.
CRANWELL Room 64, Whittle Hall, RAF Cranwell. 7.30 pm. Prof Trevor Kerry, E [email protected] 7 September — RAF airto-air missiles — the first 30 years. Andy Lister-Tomlinson. 5 October — Do17Z — recovering and preservation. Darren Pridday, Manager, Conservation Centre, Royal Air Force Museum Cosford. 2 November — WW2 fighter combat — compare and contrast the main fighters. Paul Stoddart. FARNBOROUGH BAE Systems Park Centre, Farnborough Aerospace Centre. 7.30 pm. Dr Mike Philpot, T +44 (0)1252 614618. 22 September — Reaper UAV operations. Paul Clark, UAS Flight Operations Manager, QinetiQ. 13 October — The future of the Hawk. Graeme Codner, Chief Engineer Hawk, BAE Systems. 17 November — Cody Lecture. Aerodynamics as the basis of aviation. Dr John Ackroyd. GATWICK CAA, Aviation House, Gatwick Airport South. 6.30 pm. Don Bates, T +44 (0)20 8654 1150. 2 September — Remotely piloted aircraft. Dr Joseph Barnard, Director, Barnard Microsystems. 7 October — 3D printing and digital technology. Kevin Smith, Global Applications Director, Voxeljet and Steve Ashworth, Technical Director, Aeromet International PLC. 11 November — The A400M in RAF service. Sqn Ldr J J Harrison, OC C Flt, XXIV Sqn. HAMBURG Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften Hamburg, Berliner Tor 5 (Neubau), Hörsaal 01.12, Hamburg. 6 pm. Richard Sanderson, T +49 (0)4167 92012. 19 November — Aircraft conservation — the Dornier Do17. Darren Pridday, Manager, Conservation Centre, Royal Air Force Museum Cosford. Joint lecture with DGLR, HAW and VDI. 24 November — Annual Christmas Dinner and Lecture. David Owens, Airbus Senior Director, Flight Crew Training Policy. Anglo-German Club, Harvestehuder Weg 44, 20149 Hamburg. 7 pm. Registration required. HATFIELD University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield. 7 pm. Maurice James, Find us on Twitter
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T +44 (0)7958 775441. 23 September — Flying microlights. Eur Eng Ray Wilkinson.
A de Havilland Firestreak air-to-air missile being loaded on to the starboard outer pylon of a Gloster Javelin at West Raynam. The first 30 years of RAF air-to-air missiles will be described by Andy ListerTomlinson at Cranwell on 7 September.
HEATHROW Theatre, British Airways Waterside, Harmondsworth. 6.15 pm. For security passes please contact David Beaumont, E secretary. [email protected] or T +44 (0)7936 392799. September — No lecture. 8 October — Aircraft fatigue from Comet to Boeing 787. Dr Andrew Halfpenny, Chief Technologist HBM-nCode. 12 November — RPAS operations and integration in civil and military airspace. Dr Stuart Gilmartin, Director, Gilmartin Global Consultancy. LOUGHBOROUGH Room U020, Brockington Building, Loughborough University. 7.30 pm. Colin Moss, T +44 (0)1509 239962. 13 October — The CV-22 Osprey — a truly versatile workhorse. Lt Col James S Peterson, 7 SOS Operations Manager, RAF Mildenhall. 3 November — Humanpowered flight. Dr Bill Brooks, P & M Aviation. 17 November — Typhoon: current and future capability. Mark Bowman, Chief Test Pilot BAE Systems. Joint lecture with the Loughborough (University) Alumni. MEDWAY Staff Restaurant, BAE Systems, Marconi Way, Rochester. 7 pm. Robin Heaps, T +44 (0)1634 377973. 21 October — The life and times of the Harrier. Sir Donald Spiers. MUNICH Deutsches Museum München (Ehrensaal). 7 pm. 28 October — Willy Messerschmitt Lecture. Fliegende Simulatoren und Technologieträger. Prof Hameln. OXFORD Magdalen Centre, Oxford Science Park, Oxford. 7 pm. Nigel Randall, E oaktree. [email protected] 15 September — Military parachuting. Flt Lt Ollie Smith. 17 November — A new light aircraft design and development project. Andrew Barber. PRESTON Personnel and Conference Centre, BAE Systems, Warton. 7.30 pm. Alan Matthews, T +44 (0)1995 61470. 16 September — Type 45
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Destroyer. Richard Dingley, BAE Systems Naval Ships. 14 October — V-22 Osprey. Rick Lamaster, Boeing. 11 November — Westland 100th anniversary. Jeremy Graham, AgustaWestland. PRESTWICK The Aviator Suite, 1st Floor, Terminal Building, Prestwick Airport. 7.30 pm. John Wragg, T +44 (0)1655 750270. 14 September — Schoolboy to Station Commander. Grp Capt Jock Heron. 12 October — How tiny spacecraft are revolutionising the space industry — the story of Clydespace. Craig Clark. 9 November — Cody to Concorde. Richard Gardner. Joint lecture with IMechE. QUEENSLAND Hilton Cairns Hotel, Queensland. 25-27 November — Seventh Asia-Pacific International Symposium on Aerospace Technology (APISAT). SEATTLE Museum of Flight, 9404 East Marginal Way South, Seattle, Washington. 6.30 pm. 15 September — William Boeing and the creation of America’s airways. Mike Lombardi, Director of Archives, The Boeing Company. 14 November — Joe Sutter Dinner Lecture. The strange career of the American Spaceplane: NASA and the quest for routine human space operations. Dr Roger D Launius, Associate Director of Collections and Curatorial Affairs at the Smithsonian
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Institution’s National Air and Space Museum. SHEFFIELD St Georges Lecture Theatre, University of Sheffield, 17 Mappin Street, Sheffield. 6.30 pm. 22 September — Hang gliding. Gordon Rigg. SOUTHEND The Royal Naval Association, 79 East Street, Southend-onSea. 8 pm. Sean Corr, T +44 (0)20 7788 0566. 8 September — Sir Freddie Laker Lecture. Stobart Air. Peter O’Mara, Business Development Director, Stobart Air, Dublin. 13 October — BAC OneEleven. Stephen Skinner. 10 November — Cosford Lecture. STEVENAGE The Lunch Pad Restaurant, Airbus Defence and Space, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage. 6 pm. Matt Cappell, E [email protected] 13 October — SSTL — changing the economics of space composites — the engineering challenges. Chris Hamar. Joint lecture with IMechE. 6.30 pm. 12 November — Engineering for the Red Planet: the ExoMars Rover. Abbie Hutty. 18 November — RAF Halton Trenchard Museum and Tring Brewery Trip. SWINDON The Montgomery Theatre, The Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, Joint Services Command Staff
College, Shrivenham. 7 pm. New attendees must provide details of the vehicle they will be using not later than five days before the event. Photo ID will be required at the gate (Driving Licence/Passport). Advise attendance preferably via email to raeswindon@ gmail.com or Branch Secretary Colin Irvin, T +44 (0)7740 136609. 7 October — The Berlin Airlift. Alec Chambers. 4 November — In flight refuelling, past, present and future. James Kemmett. SYDNEY 16 September — 57th Sir Charles Kingsford Smith Lecture and Annual Branch Dinner. Kingsford Smith: technology ... the sky is the limit! Chris Jenkins, Chief Executive, Thales Australia and NZ. TOULOUSE Symposium Room, Airbus SAS/HQ, B01, Campus 1, Blagnac. 6 pm. Contact: [email protected] for a security pass. 20 October — Space tourism — rocketing to new heights. Joint lecture with 3AF. YEOVIL Dallas Conference Room 1A, AgustaWestland, Yeovil. 6 pm. David Mccallum, E david. [email protected] 17 September — Best of British — three years with the Red Arrows. Wg Cdr Ross Priday RAF. 15 October — 20th Penrose Lecture. Wildcat operations. Cdr Louis Wilson-Chalon RN. SEPTEMBER 2015
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Obituaries PROFESSOR SIR JOHN HAROLD HORLOCK FRS FREng HonFRAeS 1922-2015
A fuller obituary for Sir John may be found on the Society’s website at: aerosociety.com/News/ Society-News/
On graduating from St John’s College Cambridge in 1949, John went to work for Rolls-Royce, first as a graduate apprentice, and then in the group under Geoff Wilde which was struggling with the axial compressor for the Avon turbojet. A part of John’s contribution was adapting the successful Armstrong Siddeley compressor into the Rolls-Royce engine. In 1952 he returned to Cambridge to work for a PhD with Will (later Sir William) Hawthorne. The experience in Rolls-Royce had been a formative one and issues of three-dimensional compressor design were the basis for his research. During a year in MIT John wrote his first book, Axial Compressors. On returning to Cambridge he was soon approached by Liverpool University, and he went there in 1958 as Harrison Professor of Mechanical
Engineering. He also published his second book, Axial Turbines. Returning to Cambridge in 1967 as a professor, it was not long before he was appointed Deputy Head of the Department of Engineering. He reformed the undergraduate teaching of engineering in Cambridge and founded the SRC Turbomachinery Laboratory — raising the money and then getting it built. The laboratory, which later became the Whittle Laboratory, is one of John’s great legacies. After periods as Vice Chancellor of Salford University and the Open University John retired in 1990. Further books followed. He was the first chair (1990) of the Rolls-Royce advisory body known as the Aerothermal Panel, later recast as the Power and Propulsion System Advisory Board. After retiring from the Open University he re-joined the Whittle Laboratory, where he took a regular part in the research of his successful legacy.
JOHN CECIL WIMPENNY CEng FRAeS 1922-2015
A full obituary for John may be found on the Society’s website at: www.aerosociety.com/ News/Society-News/
John Wimpenny’s first task on joining the de Havilland Aircraft Company straight from school at the age of 17 on 4 October 1940 — the day after the factory was bombed — was to weigh every part of a DH98 Mosquito. His only tools were a pair of kitchen scales and his own resourcefulness. From this humble beginning, John, who has died aged 92, went on to forge an illustrious career in the aviation industry, being at the forefront of early transonic aerodynamics and stability in the mid-1940s, including work on the wings of the Comet jet airliner, Dove, Venom and Sea Vixen. He was also a flight test observer on Mosquitos and Hornets. In 1957 he was appointed Deputy Chief Aerodynamicist for de
Havilland and Chief Research Engineer in 1965. He was a founder of the Hatfield Man Powered Aircraft Club and in 1962 made a flight of 993 yards in Puffin 1, built by de Havilland employees. This record stood for ten years. In 1972 he was appointed Chief Research Engineer for Hawker Siddeley Aviation and when he retired in 1984 he was Executive Director of Research for British Aerospace. Awarded the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Silver Medal in 1978, John Wimpenny enjoyed adventure, travel and music, as well as sailing and home engineering projects. He is survived by his widow, Angela, and three sons, Francis, Gerard and Benedict. Brian Rivas
GUILD OF AVIATION ARTISTS’ ANNUAL SUMMER EXHIBITION The Guild of Aviation Artists’ 45th Annual Summer Exhibition held at the Mall Galleries, near Admiralty Arch, London, on 20-26 July, attracted over 400 works and included a special exhibition to celebrate the centenary of Westland. Far right: Golden Era by John Peter Cutts AGAvA. Bill Read.
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Corporate Partners EVENTS
NEW PARTNERS
Please note: attendance at Corporate Partner Briefings is strictly exclusive to staff of RAeS Corporate Partners. Unless otherwise advised, registration for Corporate Partner Briefings is at 16.30 hrs.
The Royal Aeronautical Society would like to welcome the following as Corporate Partners.
Tuesday 15 September 2015 / London An Update on US Aviation Strategic Goals and Transatlantic Partnerships Corporate Partner Briefing by Michael P Huerta, Administrator, FAA
UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM Muirhead Tower, Edgbaston, Birmingham, West Midlands B15 2TT, UK T +44 (0)121 414 3344 W www.birmingham.ac.uk Contact Andy Newnham, Business Engagement Partner The University of Birmingham has significant expertise in the advancement and uses of aerospace and defence technologies. Our crossdisciplinary approach to research brings together experts in engineering and technology, business and management, policy and social science, psychology and life sciences, legal and medical science. Whether you are a large corporate organisation or a small business, and whether you require a short-term solution or have a long-term project in mind, you can tap into the world-class expertise at the University of Birmingham. We have an excellent team of enthusiastic Business Engagement Partners waiting to learn more about the challenges you are facing.
AIRLINER1 EUROPE LTD 19 Colquhoun Avenue, Hillington Park, Glasgow G52 4BN, UK T +44 (0)141 373 7378 E [email protected] W www.airliner1.com Contact Steven Masson, Managing Director Airliner1 is a company dedicated to delivering new innovating training solutions. Providing our customers with next generation training devices that reduce costs while enhancing the training they provide. Our products are built by aircraft engineers to meet the standards your simulator engineers demand. From classroom FMC/MCDU desktop solutions to our new ground-breaking FMC/ Procedural trainers and our fixed-base training devices. All of which have been designed to take advantage of the latest technological innovations.
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Monday 12 October 2015 / London Being an intelligent MoD customer Corporate Partner Briefing by AM Sir Stephen Hillier, Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Military Capability), Ministry of Defence Sponsored by:
Thursday 22 October 2015 / London SDSR Update (title TBC) Corporate Partner Briefing by Philip Dunne MP, Minister for Defence Procurement, Ministry of Defence NB: Registration for this Briefing is at 17.30 hrs www.aerosociety.com/events For further information, please contact Gail Ward E [email protected] or T +44 (0)1491 629912
THE AIM OF THE CORPORATE PARTNER SCHEME IS TO BRING TOGETHER ORGANISATIONS TO PROMOTE BEST PRACTICE WITHIN THE INTERNATIONAL AEROSPACE SECTOR
Contact: Simon Levy Corporate Partner Manager E [email protected] T +44 (0)20 7670 4346
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STONEHOUSE SEARCH AND SELECTION 26 The Slipway, Marina Keep, Port Solent, Hants PO6 4TR, UK T +44 (0)2392 469161 E [email protected] W www.stonehousesas.com Contact Mark Rowley, Director Stonehouse Search and Selection is an independent, boutique practice, focused on senior and board level, technical and specialist appointments across the Nuclear, Marine, Automotive and Defence sectors. We specialise in design, build, test, electronics control & instrumentation, programme management, safety and human factors. The Stonehouse Search and Selection practice is founded on a proven process that has stood the test of time. Coupled with hard work, leading-edge technology and sound advice, we deliver a unique technical and executive research process to find and attract genuine talent that will help give you the competitive edge that you seek. SEPTEMBER 2015
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Elections FELLOWS
Kamran Ahmad David Armstrong Mohammed Aziz Kogila Balakrishnan Colin Barlow Richard Barrow James Beldon Charles Bolden Jr Clive Condie Ian Cooper Kevin Craven Peter Davies Peter English James Evans Barry Allan Geddes Stephen Gill Steven Grieve Fadi Khalil Luke Logan Simon Lovell Chris Luck Stephane Mondoloni Edward Ransom Martin Rolfe Ronald Rosalky Christopher Savage Martin Schofield Alistair Scott Dennis Scott Andrew Stroomer Andrew Swaffield Clive Vacher MEMBERS
Desmond Adair Keith Appleby Christopher Armit Joseph Arokiasamy Damon Ballinger Darren Barlow Paula Barratt Hugh Blakemore David Bolton Martin Bottomley Thomas Bowie Luke Brambleby Kevin Brigden Niall Brolly Stephen Chan-A-Sue David Clements Michael Close Andrew Davy Mark Fellows Thi Thu Trang Fouinneteau Craig Gamble Anthony Garforth
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Alan Gear James Gelnar David Gill Alexander Goman John Goodliffe Katy Greatbatch Jason Greenslade Neil Harness Colin Henderson Rein Hoff Barrie Phelps Hopkins Dennis Hoskin Clement Howard Usman Hussain Robert Hylands Nadine Itani Jonathan Jarvis Gavin Jones Nigel Jones Timothy Kairis Jameel Khan Iain King Alex Kinnaird Alexander Le Page Julian Lee Yujing Lin Simon Lindsay Steven MacMillan Laura Mainini Thomas Maisey Georgina Mann Purandara Mawitagama John McClean Grant McLelland Derrick McNeill Robert Milligan Andrew Mills Arun Mistry Christian Mueller Aditya Sanjay Mulmule Berta Navarro Rodriguez Andrew Neil Florian Obermeier Michael Pervan Shawn Pruchnicki Hannah Reeves Selvaraj Reghuvaran Ian Reynolds Vijay Shah Christopher Shone Arash Soleiman Fallah Mark Staveley Jonathan Taylor Alexander Taylor James Tomlinson Maria Tong Mike Topping Natalia Ustynowicz Tristan Vincent-Philpot
AEROSPACE / SEPTEMBER 2015
Ian Wagstaff Peng Cheng Wang Benjamin Zachariah ASSOCIATE MEMBERS
Piera Carugno Jonathan Channing Tahlia Fisher Christopher Charles Hawes Daniel Hendon Abhishek Kaushal Wen Yao Lee Machira Mavalla Thomas Offord Siddharth Ravichandran Christopher Read Graham Robertson Brian Shaw Kevin Simoes Spencer Shaughn Winter E-ASSOCIATES
Edmund Acheson Thomas Banks Denise Corsel Davide Di Pasquale Daniel Holland Matthew Humphrey Kim Kohn Kin Lok Lee Thomas McQueen Kyle Morel Jordan Morris Tessa Naran Nikhil Patel Paresh Porobo Gervasio Salerno ASSOCIATES
Christopher Davey James Dean Jamie Downing Crystal Forrester Adam Karakurt Owain Little Marthinus Meintjes Victor Melbourne Chaves Marcello Muceli Sam Parker Daniel Scadding Chinthaka Silva Prubhjyot Singh
SOCIETY OFFICERS President: Martin Broadhurst President-Elect: Prof Chris Atkin BOARD CHAIRMEN Learned Society Chairman: Ian Middleton Membership Services Chairman: Dr Alisdair Wood Professional Standards Chairman: Prof Jonathan Cooper DIVISION PRESIDENTS Australia: John Vincent New Zealand: Gp Capt Frank Sharp Pakistan: AM Salim Arshad South African: Dr Glen Snedden
AFFILIATES
David Brady Jason Da Costa Grant Davies Simon Eddings David Fuller Daniel King Christopher Pigott Shelley Ross Philip Sproul Jussi Tuovinen
STUDENT AFFILIATES
Student Affiliate Gareth McCann Jadine Meyer Gavin Pollock Jack Richardson Sjouke Shekman Suria Subiah Candice Topper
WITH REGRET The RAeS announces with regret the deaths of the following members: Prof Michael Geoffrey Bader CEng MRAeS 84 Stanley Walter Bainbridge OBE FRAeS 88 Richard Henry Calder CEng MRAeS 78 Alexander William Culmer CEng FRAeS 91 Grahame Jones CBE CEng FRAeS 65 John Mansell Lewendon CEng FRAeS 89 Frank Price CEng FRAeS 89 Reginald Keith Warren IEng AMRAeS 87 Frank Sutcliffe Wood CEng MRAeS 92
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2014 RAeS WRITTEN PAPER PRIZES The Royal Aeronautical Society Written Paper Prizes are awarded annually for the best papers published in The Aeronautical Journal by the Society during the previous calendar year. Awards can be conferred at Gold, Silver or Bronze level, although no Gold awards are being conferred this year. The Written Paper Prizes are presented at the Sopwith Lecture held at the Royal Aeronautical Society HQ at No.4 Hamilton Place, London W1. They are conferred following the approval of the Council of the Royal Aeronautical Society on the basis of recommendations from the RAeS Medals & Awards Committee, supported by the Editor-in-Chief of The Aeronautical Journal. The Society recognises the achievements, innovation and excellence of both individual and multiple authors. Silver Awards J McGuirk The Silver award was given for his paper on ‘The aerodynamic challenges of aeroengine gas-turbine combustion systems’, The Aeronautical Journal, June 2014, Vol 118, No 1204, pp 557-599 C Hall, A Zachariadis, T Brandvik and N Sohoni The Silver award was given for their paper ‘How to improve open rotor aerodynamics at cruise and Find us on Twitter
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take-off’, The Aeronautical Journal, October 2014, Vol 118, No 1208, pp 1103-1123 Bronze Awards F Gandhi, C Duling and F Straub The Bronze award was given for their paper ‘On power and actuation requirement in swashplateless primary control of helicopters using trailing-edge flaps’, The Aeronautical Journal, May 2014, Vol 118, No 1203, pp 503-521 G Gratton, R Hoff, A Rahman, C Harbour, S Williams and M Bromfield The Bronze award was given for their paper ‘Evaluating a set of stall recovery actions for single engine light aeroplanes’ The Aeronautical Journal, May 2014, Vol 118, No 1203, pp 461-484 A Stuermer, J Yin and R Akkermans The Bronze award was given for their paper ‘Progress in aerodynamic and aeroacoustic integration of CROR propulsion systems’ The Aeronautical Journal, October 2014, Vol 118, No 1208, pp 1137-1158 The Aeronautical Journal congratulates all winners. www.aerosociety.com/About-Us/ medalsawards/paperprizes
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2014 Written Paper Prize winners with the RAeS President and some of the Medals and Awards Committee. Tim Caines.
THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS AND LONGSTANDING AWARDS IN GLOBAL AEROSPACE HONOURING ACHIEVEMENT, INNOVATION AND EXCELLENCE SEPTEMBER 2015
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The Last Word COMMENTARY FROM Professor Keith Hayward FRAeS
Air-to-air combat — civilian style Heathrow Airport
There’s rarely a dull moment for observers of aviation and aerospace. Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary might have mellowed — somewhat — but cognoscenti of a good row have plenty of options.
A threat to airline liberalisation
ANY RETREAT FROM LIBERALISATION WILL NOT HELP FARE PAYERS AND HOPES OF EVEN BETTER DEALS EMBRACING LONG-HAUL ROUTES WOULD GO INTO A DEEP FREEZE
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Item one: Airline chiefs on both sides of the Atlantic sounding off against Gulf airlines that have the temerity to accept government investment and deliver a world-beating service to passengers? Some cheek, especially in Europe where the said Gulf carriers are helping to keep a number of local airlines in business and where, in the past, several major airlines would never have survived without a trough-load of subsidy. US airlines are making the most noise, alleging a $40bn subsidy across the three main Gulf carriers. In Europe, the issue has led to a schism in the European Airline Association, with IAG, Air Berlin and Alitalia leaving the trade association. Given that all three have Gulf shareholders or partners, this was perhaps inevitable. However, demands from other European and American airlines to halt or even row-back on ‘Open Skies’ agreements bodes ill for future developments. As the International Airline Group (IAG) has shown, it is possible to keep in touch with low-cost carrier economics and to compete with the Gulf through hard-nosed economics. The Gulf will have to accept greater transparency as a condition for further liberalisation but to put the clock back on this issue is no answer.
Oligopoly is unhealthy? Item two: a veiled threat by Willie Walsh, IAG’s Chief Executive, to launch legal action against manufacturers, implying that limited competition has led to higher maintenance costs. Now, if this implies cartelisation and collusive behaviour in setting prices, some heavyweight competition authorities on both sides of the Atlantic might take an interest which would reverberate throughout the entire aerospace/aviation world. Oddly enough, British Airways itself has some history here, as
AEROSPACE / SEPTEMBER 2015
the late Freddie Laker would attest. Nevertheless, this is the first time a major airliner customer (Air France-KLM has expressed similar concerns) has questioned the effects of a supply-side oligopoly. There are deep waters here: list prices of equipment obscure all manner of deals which may be profitable given quantity and life-cycle benefits from selling spares — especially important to engine manufacturers. Transparency is not a virtue in this business. In the longer term, as Walsh suggests, new entrants, including Bombardier, might increase competition, as well as boost Chinese and Russian hopes of developing an effective commercial aircraft industry. All three of the engine companies offering alternatives in each major engine power category might also help.
Bluster, not an expensive day in court Item two will probably fade away; there’s too much at stake to trigger legal action that could have some nasty unanticipated consequences for all involved in the action. Item one is more worrying; any retreat from liberalisation will not help fare payers and hopes of even better deals embracing long-haul routes would go into a deep freeze. But it all makes for an interesting post-Paris year.
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Contents
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Correspondence on all aerospace matters is welcome at: The Editor, AEROSPACE, No.4 Hamilton Place, London W1J 7BQ, UK
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Features
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32 Pressure builds for UK MPA Maritime patrol and civil SAR was on the agenda at a recent search and rescue conference.
Back to school The RAeS Airworthiness & Maintenance Group report on the transformed engineering training at RAF Cosford.
36 Safety in the skies An introduction to the work of the UK General Aviation Safety Council.
41 Afterburner 42 Message from our President
Any member not requiring a print version of this magazine, please contact: [email protected]
43 Message from our Chief Executive
USA: Periodical postage paid at Champlain New York and additional offices.
47 Library Additions
Postmaster: Send address changes to IMS of New York, PO Box 1518, Champlain NY 12919-1518, USA.
50 IVHM & Maintenance
44 Book Reviews 48 IT FLIES UK 2015 Credits Workshop 51 Washington Branch
ISSN 2052-451X
Front cover: Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II. Lockheed Martin
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28 Politics next hurdle for Heathrow third runway What will happen next after the decision of the Davis Commission to recommend a third Heathrow runway?
Merseyside rocks to the space beat What were the themes and major topics at the UK Space Conference 2015?
52 Diary 54 Obituaries
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58 The Last Word Keith Hayward on international competition and the ongoing airlines’ subsidy dispute.
10 Antenna Howard Wheeldon looks at why DSEI is still a must-attend defence and security event.
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Tim Robinson
12 Transmission Your letters, emails, tweets and feedback.
UK Space 2015
Over a decade after the first requests for information were sent out, India’s $12bn MMRCA (Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) fighter contest is now officially dead. The ‘must-win’ prize of a requirement for 126 fighters that was bitterly contested, with Rafale scooping the prize in 2012 is now axed. France’s Dassault, however, does not go home empty handed, having secured an order for 36 directly from India’s Prime Minister, who short-circuited the MoD and HAL bureaucracy — to at least get some combat aircraft into service. However, this does still leave a shortfall of 90 aircraft and this may get more acute in the future for India’s air force, which faces an ageing fleet and its two main regional competitors, China and Pakistan, both modernising their front-line capabilities. In particular, the qualitative margin that India enjoyed over China is (like other nations) being eroded as the PLAAF induct J-10s, J-11s and, conceivably in the future, J-20 stealth fighters. While India has a partnering agreement with Russia on its PAK-FA stealth fighter — that project too seems to have hit snags — with the IAF expressing concerns about the quality of Sukhoi’s fighter. Fighter manufacturers around the world, therefore, will be watching New Delhi’s next move with great interest. Will there be a MMRCA II? (tag-line: ‘This time its personal’). Will the ‘Make it in India’ stipulations that may have proved the sticking point in the Rafale negotiations return? Will India open the contest again to all-comers? Time is now ticking fast. One thing seems obvious. If there really is a desperate air power strategic gap in front-line fighters that India is facing — it cannot afford to wait another decade or so for a re-run of the tortured MMRCA competition. The IAF can either have new fighters in service quickly or it can have local production of Western/Russian designs — but it cannot have both simultaneously.
4 Radome The latest aviation and aeronautical intelligence, analysis and comment.
MoD
MMRCA: back to square one?
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Sparks begin to fly Electrically-powered aircraft emerge from the shadows as a potential new generation of green aircraft.
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Heathrow Airport
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Sending the F-35 into virtual combat Putting the Lightning II into a future battlespace simulation. How did it measure up?
Airbus/Rolls-Royce
Lockheed Martin
Volume 42 Number 9 September 2015
55 Corporate Partners 56 RAeS Elections
Online Additional features and content are available to view online on www.media.aerosociety.com/ aerospace-insight Including: Whisperjet waterbomber, In the August issue of AEROSPACE, Electric aircraft sparks imagination, Mission accomplished for Yateley SBAP.
SEPTEMBER 2015
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Radome INTELLIGENCE / ANALYSIS / COMMENT W
SPACEFLIGHT
NASA's Mars glider NASA is testing a prototype wing that could be developed into a space-going glider which would fly over the surface of Mars looking for potential landing sites for future manned space missions. Designed to fly in the thin atmosphere above the surface of Mars, the Prandtl-m (Preliminary Research Aerodynamic Designed to Land on Mars) could accompany the NASA Mars rover mission planned to launch in 2020. The inclusion of Prandtl-m on the Mars mission is not yet certain but, if high altitude flight tests of the prototype are successful, the Prandtl-m development team plans to ask NASA if the glider can be included as part of the payload.
Hitching a ride
The glider would travel to Mars inside a 12in x 4in x 4in 3U CubeSat attached to the protective aeroshell that covers the rover during descent and landing
Specifications Construction Wingspan Weight Payload
NASA
Flight time Range
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AEROSPACE / SEPTEMBER 2015
Fibreglass or carbon fibre 61cm 1.8kg Mapping camera and highaltitude radiometer 10min 20 miles
Wings unfurled
During the rover's descent towards the surface of Mars the Prandtl-m would be ejected from the aeroshell, unfold its wings and begin gliding at a height of 2,000ft above the planet's surface, recording high resolution photographic images and telemetry from very low altitudes.
High flyer flight tests
NASA
Tests are currently being conducted by a team of summer community college students using Prandtl-d flying gliders launched from unusual attitudes to simulate condtions which might occur following an ejection from the Mars rover to see if the aircraft will recover stability. Usiing the results from these tests, a design will be developed for a prototype Prandtl-m glider which will be launched by a high-altitude balloon later this year from a height of 100,000ft where the thin air is most similar to the atmosphere of Mars. A second balloon launch is planned for 2016 while a third flight from a rocket at 450,000ft is under consideration.
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Radome DEFENCE
AEROSPACE
On 31 July the US Marine Corps declared that the Lockheed Martin F-35B has achieved initial operational capability (IOC) and can now participate in operations along with its other active aircraft. The first F-35B deployment is scheduled for 2017 when the VMFA-121 squadron moves to Iwakuni in Japan. The Marines have 340
F-35Bs and are expected to acquire a further 80 F-35Cs. The F-35A conventional take-off and landing variants are scheduled to become operational with the US Air Force at the end of 2016 while the carrier variant F-35C, used both by the US Navy and Marines, will follow in 2018. See 'Sending the F-35 into virtual air combat' p 14.
GKN Aerospace
US Marines declare F-35B operational
SPACEFLIGHT
NASA
Probe snaps dark side of the Moon The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite has captured a rarely-before seen image of the far-side of the Moon transiting the Earth. The DCSOVR probe orbits the Earth a million miles away measuring solar wind.
GKN to acquire Fokker for €706m Structures and engines group GKN is to buy Dutch aerospace company Fokker Technologies Group for €706m. Under the deal, Fokker will remain a separate division within GKN, with its HQ still in
The Netherlands and retaining the Fokker Technologies name. The acquisition extends GKN's international footprint in China, Turkey, India and Mexico and shifts GKN Aerospace to no 2 in aerostructures.
Delay for Global 7000
Bombardier has announced a two-year delay to its Global 7000 business jet. Entry into service, set for 2016, has now been pushed back to the second half of 2018.
NEWS IN BRIEF NASA technicians have conducted tests on a 30-foot composite structure built by sewing together layers and rods of composite material. Named PRSEUS (Pultruded Rod Stitched Efficient Unitized Structure), the structure was bent, twisted and stressed to breaking point. The tests are part of research into construction techniquues for future composite aircraft designs, including blended wing bodies.
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AEROSPACE / SEPTEMBER 2015
Global Infrastructure Partners is to sell London City Airport which it has owned since 2006. Financial experts predict that the airport could fetch up to £2bn. The airport has previously been owned by Irish financier Dermot Desmond and the Mowlem construction group. The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced that RAF Tornado GR4s operated by
No 12 (Bomber) Squadron are to continue in service for another year until March 2017. The12 Sqn, who are currently operating out of RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, was due to stand down in 2016. Orbital ATK has ordered a second Atlas 5 rocket to launch an additional commercial Cygnus cargo spacecraft for the International Space Station. Orbital ATK is currently using Atlas rockets
following the explosion of its Antares launcher in October 2014. Honda Aircraft announced that it received ‘multiple orders’ for its new HondaJet very light jet at the Latin American Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (LABACE). The Airbus Group has been granted a US patent for an ‘ultra-rapid air vehicle’ designed to fly at
Mach 4 at altitudes up to 12.4 miles. The aircraft, which would be powered by a combination of jet engines, ramjets and rocket motors, features a fuselage filled with liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen with space at the front for a cockpit and for 2-3t of cargo or 24 passengers. Latin American carrier LATAM has announced a new corporate brand which will begin to be appear on aircraft from 2016. The Chile-
SPACEFLIGHT
DEFENCE
SS2 crash due to human factors, says NTSB
Typhoon P2E flies as upgrade work goes into high gear
unlocking the ‘feather’ mechanism 22 seconds early at Mach 0.92 — the NTSB also criticised training and procedures at Scaled Composites — noting there was a ‘single point of failure’. It also singled out the FAA for lack of oversight in giving a waiver on human factors to Scaled, without having been requested.
AIR TRANSPORT
BAE Systems has revealed that the first Eurofighter Typhoon, with the latest P2E (Phase 2 Enhancements) software made its first flight from Warton on 5 August. The upgrade provides the baseline for integration with Meteor and Storm Shadow missiles — which are set to begin flight tests with Typhoon shortly.
BAE Systems
The US NTSB has released its findings on the 31 October crash of the Virgin Galactic SpaceShip 2, confirming that the co-pilot unlocked the tail ‘feathering’ mechanism too early, which led to the inflight break-up of the vehicle and the death of one test pilot. However, while the immediate cause was
AEROSPACE
La Guardia Airport to be revamped
MH370 777 flaperon found on La Réunion?
NY Governor
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced that the city’s La Guardia Airport, widely criticised for its outdated layout, is to have a $4bn revamp and modernisation. The new design will see one unified terminal building, automated trams, better passenger access, improved taxiways and a ferry service. If approved, ground-breaking could begin in 2016.
based airline was formed from the merger of LAN and TAM three years ago. The Russian defence ministry has ordered the grounding of all Mi-28 attack helicopters in early August following a fatal crash at an air show caused by a suspected hydraulics failure. One pilot was killed and another jumped clear after the twoseat helicopter crashed during an aerobatic display by the Berkut squadron in @aerosociety
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the Ryazan region. There have been six recent crashes involving the Russian air force. The European Space Agency (ESA) has contracted Airbus Safran Launchers to build new generation Ariane 6 launchers by 2020 in a deal worth €2.4bn. A €395m deal was also signed with European Launch Vehicle to develop the smaller Vega launcher by 2018.
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Gulfstream's new G500 business jet has now completed five test flights since its first flight on 18 May. During over 15 hours of flying, the aircraft achieved a top speed of Mach 0.80 and a maximum altitude of 38,500ft. The European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) has published a revised set of rule proposals governing the operation of UAVs. The Advance Notice www.aerosociety.com
The French ministry of defence is to assist FAZSOI armed forces of the southern Indian Ocean to intensify the search for wreckage from the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 in the vicinity of La Réunion, a French island in the Indian Ocean. The decision follows the discovery of a flaperon washed up on the beach at Réunion which
has been verified by the Malaysian government, but not confirmed by French investigators BEA, as coming from the missing Boeing 777-200ER which disappeared on 8 March 2014 while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The new search for additional wreckage, which began on 7 August, includes overflights by a CASA aircraft.
of Proposed Amendment (A-NPA) 2015-10 — which uses the words ‘drones’ for the first time in an official publication — proposes that Europe take a proportionate and risk-based approach to UAV operations by dividing them into three distinct groups: open, specific and certified. The rules also propose the elimination of national aviation authority control over UAVs under 150kg and the creation of ‘no drone zone’ airspace.
An ATR 42-300 regional turboprop operated by Indonesian carrier Trigana Air crashed in mountainous terrain in New Guinea on 16 August. All 54 passengers and crew are believed to have been killed. The aircraft, which was flying from Jayapura on the north coast of Papua to the inland town of Oksibil, is not reported to have issued any distress call. SEPTEMBER 2015
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Radome AEROSPACE
SPACEFLIGHT
Facebook reveals giant Aquila drone using a laser to beam data down to a base station on the ground. The aircraft is not fitted with landing gear and does not have the ability to take-off or climb from ground level to its cruising altitude. Facebook says that Aquila will be launched into position from a high-altitude helium balloon.
Airbus Defence and Space
Facebook has revealed first images of its 42m wingspan solar-powered flying wing it is developing to improve Internet access in remote areas of the world. Named Aquila (pictured below), the drone will fly in circles of around 3km radius at a height of between 60,000ft and 90,000ft for up to three months without landing,
Skynet 5 moves east
For the first time ever, the UK’s military communications satellite network, Skynet, will cover the whole globe as operator Airbus Defence and Space moves the Skynet 5A 67,000km into
a new orbit over the AsiaPacific region. Skynet, run as a managed service for the UK MoD by AirbusDS, is hoping to target allied and coalition nations in the region with its spare X-band capacity.
AIR TRANSPORT Heathrow is to conduct a six-month trial from midSeptember allowing aircraft landing at the airport to use steeper glide paths with approach angles increased from 3° to 3.2°. The trials,
which are voluntary and only to be conducted during good visibility, would involve approaching aircraft flying around 170ft higher at a distance of 8nm from the runway.
the transport of lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos or buffalos killed by trophy hunters. The decision follows an international protest after the killing of 'Cecil', a rare black-maned lion from Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park. Qatar Airways has also banned hunting trophies.
within visual range (WVR) dogfights during the two-week Indradanush IV exercise in July at RAF Coningsby in which RAF Typhoons were matched up against Russian-designed SU-30MKI Flankers. The RAF responded by saying that its own analysis did not reflect what had been reported and that RAF pilots and the Typhoon performed well throughout the exercise with and against the Indian Air Force.
NEWS IN BRIEF Embraer is to delay certification of its new KC-390 tanker-transport to 2H 2017 with entry into service postponed until 2018. Flight testing of the KC-390 is to resume in Q3 of this year and continue for 18-24 months. The first KC-390 flew in February 2014. NASA is debating where next to send its New Horizons spacecraft following its recent flyby of
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Pluto. Scientists will decide to direct the spacecraft to fly past one of two objects discovered in the Kuiper Belt by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2014. The UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) says that it may have to cease helicopter relief services for areas of Nepal hit by earthquakes in April due to a funding shortfall. UNHAS says that it has only received $8.8m, leaving a $9.2m shortfall.
AEROSPACE / SEPTEMBER 2015
Isle of Wight-based aircraft manufacturer BrittenNorman has announced that it is to expand its apprentice and training base. The company has joined The 5% Club which commits it to having a minimum of 5% of its UK workforce engaged in formal apprentice schemes. US carriers American Airlines, Delta and United have banned
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has backed down from iniitial claims that it beat the RAF 12-0 in
Royal Australian Air Force
Heathrow to trial steeper glide paths
SPACEFLIGHT
AEROSPACE
DARPA awards contracts for XS-1 spaceplane companies have already been working on the initial Phase 1 design work. DARPA wants to use the reusable XS-1 to fly up to ten times in ten days to launch 3,000-5,000lb payloads into orbit for less than $5m per mission. The first flight could be as early as 2018.
Aircraft Industries
The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has requested Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Masten Space Systems to continue development work on the Mach 10 XS-1 (Experimental Spaceplane-1) unmanned military spacecraft. All three
L410 NG completes first flight
Czech manufacturer Aircraft Industries has revealed it successfully completed the first flight of its upgraded L 410 NG commuter aircraft, at the company’s airfield in Kunovice on 29 July. The revamped 19-seat L 410 NG features increased range, glass cockpit and new engines.
DEFENCE
GENERAL AVIATION
First Growler delivered to RAAF
Bin Laden family bizjet crashes in UK The sister and stepmother of Osama bin Laden were killed along with two others after their Embraer Phenom 300 light jet crashed at Blackbushe airport in Hampshire. The aircraft was flying to the
UK from from MilanMalpensa Airport in Italy. The accident happened when the biz-jet overshot the runway and collided with a fence before flipping over and catching fire on a car auction site.
AIR TRANSPORT
The Monarch Group has promoted Lee Burgess as its new Head of Engineering and Andy Mackay as Head of Maintenance for its MRO division. Boeing announced that its VP and GM of the 787 programme, Larry Loftis, is to retire. He will be succeeded by Mark Jenks from the 787 airplane development staff.
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Boeing has rolled out the first EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in St Louis, Missouri. Australia is set to receive 12 Growlers, from 36 Super Hornets on order.
Correction In the August issue of AEROSPACE on p 8 of the news, it was said that the Kawasaki P1 at RIAT was the first appearance by Japanese aircraft at a European air show. However, this should have been ‘appearance in the flying display’ as JASDF KC-767s had previously visited RIAT on the static park.
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ON THE MOVE
INFOGRAPHIC: Opportunity to upgrade Iran’s aging airline fleet?
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SEPTEMBER 2015
9
antenna:
Global Outlook and Analysis with HOWARD WHEELDON
DSEI: defence exports shop window
I
make no apology this month for highlighting what I regard as the best defence trade show event in the world. Being hosted once again at the superb ExCel Exhibition Centre in London during 15-18 September, Defence and Security Equipment International — DSEI 2015 for short — promises to be the best ever exhibition in the long and illustrious history of this powerful biennial defence and security event. Highlighting four pillars of expertise, aerospace, land systems, maritime and security, DSEI 2015 will, as it has so successfully done in the past, shine the spotlight on the most important and significant elements of military and security capability and requirement. Not only is DSEI the largest defence and security equipment and services exhibition in the world, it is also, from an industry perspective, to be considered the most important and influential. Considered a ‘not to be missed’ event by defence industry professionals, the exhibition is one of the few places where one can see prime contractors, supply chain and a great many small and mediumsized enterprises and service companies working alongside each other to achieve the same ends. Held every two years since inception in 1993, DSEI can trace its roots back to the mid 1970s when the British Army and the Royal Navy used to hold equipment exhibitions on alternate years. With industry keen to show off its wares, these exhibitions were always very well received and each year they would be attended by an increasing number of military delegations from all over the world. DSEI continues to grow in both stature and importance and today it is recognised not only as the best international combined defence and security exhibition of its kind but also for the quality of the separate conference events. With a vast array of defence equipment on show, DSEI is the place not only to see and better understand equipment on offer and meet industry specialists but it is also an event to network and learn. It is a place to view immense amounts of new product, systems, technologies and services, at the same time as being a place and a forum in which to discuss and debate issues that impact on defence and security in the global market place and on the companies and users involved. Throughout the four-day event there will be briefings from military and other defence and
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AEROSPACE / SEPTEMBER 2015
security industry experts providing their respective views on matters ranging from current threats, military policy, skills retention, engineering and training right through to how to win business in new and emerging markets. Procurement and better ways of doing this will clearly be a regular topic of conversation and importantly, how can exporting be made easier. All these are important issues to consider in this new age of so-called affordability and when the Government is also seeking to increase exports. As one of the sponsoring partners, the MoD along with UKTI Defence and Security Organisation, will again be at DSEI 2015 in force, the latter with its UK Capability Showcase. Designed to illustrate the partnership between government and industry in the UK, the UKTI showcase which will be supported by members of the specialist export exhibition team throughout, will display a range of equipment and solutions while at the same time be promoting the Government’s strong export message. The range of capabilities on display come not only from the UK’s innovative prime contractors and medium-sized enterprises but also from small companies who can offer solutions not just for current and existing problems but for potential future requirements as well. The MoD and UKTI DSO will also be hosting a number of senior ministers attending DSEI
2015 this year from a number of UK Government departments along with a substantial number of military delegations attending from a variety of international countries.
Stimulating exports
Finmeccanica
Apart from the UKTI, DSO exhibitions team representation from the UK armed forces will include the Royal Air Force Capability Industry Day. Duncan Reid, Exhibition Director at Clarion Events and the DSEI Events Director, said recently that: “the aerospace dimension of DSEI has grown strongly in recent years, with leading prime contractors and their supply chain members using the event as a platform to reach international markets.” This is undoubtedly true and it is an area that the Defence Growth Partnership is also looking at as well to see what else is required to stimulate, help and support smaller companies with ambitions to be able to export. Military capability is as much about people as it is about the equipment used. The two run hand in hand of course but, without one, the other is seemingly useless. While the main emphasis of DSEI is on equipment, it is equally as much about people and the ability to better understand the benefits of what the equipment on offer actually achieves. If it is innovation and new ideas and concepts you are looking for, DSEI 2015 will certainly not be found wanting on that score. Of course, investing in large shows such as DSEI does not come cheap and they are not for the faint-hearted. Trade organisations, be they national or regional, play a large and very useful part in helping representation by small and medium-sized enterprises with member companies able to occupy affordable stands. Large defence companies, both national and international, put considerable effort into bringing as much as
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they can onto their stands and making sure that there are ample specialists available to assist delegates and potential military customers. This year marks the ninth DSEI in its present form and promises to be larger than ever. The event is expected to attract over 32,000 delegates and visitors from all over the world, including 150 programmed military delegations from over 60 countries. Further expanded and with well over 1,500 exhibitors from over 50 countries participating, the main DSEI events will be preceded by a number of strategic military and security conferences on 14 September extending through the first day of the show. The Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and the Army will all be very actively engaged with teams of personnel engaging with industry representatives and other visitors. DSEI also present an opportunity for the MoD and Department of Business, Innovation and Skills to meet with industry and those engaged in education to discuss how we increase the number of students undertaking STEM subjects and better handle the real shortage of engineering skills. Leveraging on the success of previous shows, this year will see over 40 international pavilions and six themed zones, including air, land, naval, medical and unmanned, together with security and special forces this is a not to be missed showcase event for military and industry professionals. Static displays will include a number of helicopters and moored alongside, will be ships from various navies from around the world including India, Germany, Belgium and Britain. As a place to do business, to network, to show new technology or perhaps launch specific new products to defence and security market buyers, or maybe just to seek to identify new business opportunities, DSEI is unsurpassed. There are, of course, many trade shows around the world but, in terms of size, scope, venue and professionalism, my own view is that DSEI is the only one that does the business. For the defence industries of all countries, except the few that have continued to increase spending on defence equipment, these are difficult times with Western nations continuing to question the affordability of some aspects of defence. Even so, with the level of threats against the West having risen markedly over the past two years, an increasing number of western nations are beginning to reverse the trend of cuts and actually increase spending on defence. In the US the effects of ‘sequestration’ cuts on defence spending have yet to abate and this impact has forced many US defence companies to extend the focus on exports to sustain order books. Major defence primes such as Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman are long-established exhibitors at DSEI and they are now being joined by an increasing number of others that are focusing on increasing export potential. www.aerosociety.com
AN INCREASING NUMBER OF WESTERN NATIONS ARE BEGINNING TO REVERSE THE TREND OF CUTS AND ACTUALLY INCREASE SPENDING ON DEFENCE
SEPTEMBER 2015
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Transmission LETTERS AND ONLINE
Stewart Luck On electric-powered aircraft(2) This article hardly mentions the most practical way forward — the hybrid propulsion system. An electric motor, with relatively small battery, assists a conventional engine during take-off, and also provides backup propulsion. The conventional motor can then be sized only for cruise. This has been demonstrated in flight by Cambridge University, several propulsion companies have demonstrated hybrid prototypes and prototype GA aircraft are under development. Tony Bishop I’m not clear exactly what record is being claimed here. If it is for electric powered flight across the channel, this was achieved in July 1981 by the Solar Challenger. this craft flew from near Paris to Manston. If I remember
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Former students from Yateley School and the RAeS/Boeing Schools Build a Plane microlight they helped to build.
rightly it aimed to go from Paris to London but was not permitted to. It had the capability to fly twice that far. Chris Wright Lot of opinion and not much physics above. The reason aircraft use liquid fuel is it is the lowest weight and highest efficiency way to generate energy, at the point of use, as needed.. Generating it first and storing it inefficiently in heavy storage devices to be innefficiently regenerated later is exactly what not to do in an aircraft. Solar collection in real time is far too weak to lift anything useful. Still a poor way to power a vehicle, in particular because of the overall efficiency of generating then chemically storing electricity to be re-created later. Massively expensive and inefficient, and, most important, reduces the payload you can carry which is the whole point of flight. The physics of electric propulsion simply doesn’t work for flight — which needs energetic primary fuel converted in the most energy efficient thrust producer possible, in terms of Kg per KW. Interesting, but not general aviation. There are better ways to do this, even if its synthesising Avgas from the atmosphere with nuclear generated electricity, recycling CO2.
AEROSPACE / SEPTEMBER 2015
Brian Catt CEng CPhys
Electric passenger aircraft are impractical, because of the poor energy density of batteries compared to fuels. Use the electricity to make aircraft fuel instead. A fully loaded Boeing 747 weighs around 400 tonnes at take off, with around 200 tonnes of fuel. The Tesla lithium-ion batteries that could store the same amount of energy would weigh as much as about fifty Boeing 747s. Pete Austin
i Laurent Ghibaut [On flight crew training] Speaking only for the UK sector: When the self-improver route to
a CPL via the UK CAA’s BCPL with approx 1,500hr instructing was removed by the UK in joining the JAA system, it suddenly made it about five to six times more expensive to become a flight instructor and so, by expense, in an already expensive profession, ruling out a large traditional pool of vocational, low capital, future pilots. Many club instructors moved to commercial flight training companies before the change, but now they are not there to move. Why would any sensible person now become a club flying instructor in the UK when they are treated as go-fers, living on less than the minimum wage or being coerst into being illegally selfemployed, having already forked out £60K to £70K? Furthermore, the JAA route was just an excuse to put prices up under the guise of ‘modular’ training. The industry is reaping what it sowed. John Kenton-Page MSc FRAeS [On Heathrow third runway(3)] This is only a stopgap measure. If we are to complete, there is a need for a complete new airport. This is the route being taken all over the world. Daniel Olufisan Given its long established and renowned status as a global hub, I personally believe its a ‘no-brainer’ to favour Heathrow over Gatwick...
The NASA/Boeing SugarVolt future concept aircraft would fly using hybrid electric propulsion. (See Sparks begin to fly on p 24).
Boeing
On Yateley School SBAP(1) Boeing and the RAeS have done a really good job promoting the SBAP projects. Sir Michael Arthur and Sir Roger Bone before him both highlighted the usefulness of students being involved in one of these projects. YouTube features many examples of the handiwork and engineering going on, not only at Yateley but around the UK where other youth B@P projects are ongoing. I was recently in the USA and happened upon a Boeing employee based in St Louis. He remarked he knew of the SBAP projects through Boeings internal communications to employees. The impact is truly worldwide!Finally lets not forget the bold teachers and volunteers who had to commit to each project and drive it forward.
Peter Moxham I felt this result was inevitable from the beginning but it will never be allowed to happen — it is politically a nonstarter. Although I have been in the aviation industry all my life, I speak as a passenger, human being and resident in the Cotswolds. I do still travel very frequently by air and I believe the needs of passengers are often overlooked in favor of the specialist interest groups. I try to avoid ‘hubs’ which are never passenger friendly and therefore would far rather see the regional airports developed. Hubs are inefficient for everyone except the airline operators — interesting that the growth area of low cost carriers do not actually use hubs but thrive on offering direct point to point flights. Gatwick is useless for anyone resident north of the Thames. Heathrow is a passenger nightmare to be avoided at all costs about an hour from touchdown to catching your train/bus/car and seems to have forgotten the words ‘passenger and service. These are not alone — for anyone living north of Watford then any London airport should be avoided. Please let us encourage the regional airports — if you actually study your geography you will readily see the pointless situation of further development around London. Business in other countries may like hubs but that brings no business to UK Plc. We have spent many many millions of pounds on reviews, investigations and reports but have achieved a big fat zero! This report gives a politically unacceptable solution and will go the way of all others. Michael Price [On UAVs and SDSR 2015] Studying the mix of manned/ unmanned makes sense
Lukas Willcocks USAF doesn’t think drones are the future. High loss rate. Operating costs also higher for likes of global hawk. Georgia lost several to manned Migs. The trend is towards more automation and an Internet of things but this is also more vulnerable to cyber attacks or solar storms. Dee Amos FRAS MRAeS & AMInstP Presently drones are an early generation and operated linearly and so relatively good at snooping and small scale attack. Newer developments would be a super enhancement if the operator sat in a full flight simulator 180 degree style cockpit so as to have true reactions to aggressors. As for balancing the books financially, the Russian Bears check our response times and glaringly note our eggs are in but a few baskets with no strength in depth so much so that even US bases are leaving a country that doesn’t want to defend itself. 30 years ago there was laughingly suggested that Hawk aircraft carry sidewinders as part of a fighter flight (with somebody that had a radar). With the commitment to new lightning two and euro fighters, more Hawk two’s perhaps opening a retired base or two and sharing fighters and Hawks between them and the current would be cost effective. As for relying on Europe as NATO and sharing defence, with the shape of finances in
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@danohagan [On proposed Dambusters remake] Peter Jackson’s got a pile of fibreglass Lancasters, and a Stephen Fry script in his mitts. It will happen, I imagine.
North Korean State TV
Eurozone some countries are bound to turn away from any conflict unless it’s their border directly invaded. Europe has never looked so ripe from the East.
@martinmcnamara [On the DART Jet Trainer] Ace looking aircraft. @AaronMehta Need a US partner to have a chance in hell. @KonradMuzyka [On NATO reducing its Baltic Air Policing commitments] From then on the Russian Air Force activity over the Baltic is likely to decrease as well. @mgerrydoyle Well, at the rate the Russian air force is grounding planes there might be a lull no matter what... @DomnicAlexander [On Dr Ron Smith FRAeS’s rainbow 777 contrail pic] (Illustrated on right) Interesting, how many types of contrails are there?
@CopernicusTech Love the vision behind the DARTJet trainer. @PeterFarrowAST [On the projected pilot shortage] But first question, is there really a shortage? Second question, why does nobody mention the engineer shortage? @gcater [On the New HMS Queen Elizabeth carrier having its own twitter handle] “Petty Officer, be sure to favourite that incoming Silkworm.”
@MichaelEdney [On lace and tassles North Korean AF Su-25 headrest] Just as intriguing is the lack of visor, pressure suit and open neck tee shirt informal approach. @DADDYJOSE Any crew chief worth his salt has a good needlepoint kit. @Major_Eazy You should see the furry dash.
@CombatAir [On upcoming Seattle Branch B-47 test pilot lecture] Should be fascinating. B-47 one of the few planes that pilots I’ve spoken to consider downright dangerous.
Dr Ron Smith FRAeS
but are we starting from the right place? Currently umanned platforms are in low threat environments and manned ones in higher threat. But perhaps in a notional ‘all-out’ air combat of the future the heartless drone would work best?
@MickWest There’s really just two basic types of contrail: exhaust and aerodynamic. There are variants though.
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@PeteNorth303 Fabulous, dahling! But what about the carpets? @testpilotpete Loving the well fitting oxygen mask! It looks like a plastic bucket held on with a trouser belt! Good under G obviously.
@GotALightBoy [On Airbus patenting a Mach 4.5 aircraft] Not as nice as Skylon. @ReadBradHaverly [On Amazon’s proposal to divide lower airspace into drone only flights] Interesting proposal indeed! I think it’ll be hard justified considering public safety& low altitude flying governance.
@apoure25 Well, proposal doesn’t change the fact that 500ft is the lower limit for manned aircraft over populated areas.
@TrampolinRocket BREAKING: Boeing & God hold joint celebration of Obergefell.
@GbhvfRon Having taken the photo I have posted a small discussion paper on my site at http:// www.ronandjimsmith. com/books/wp-content/ uploads/2015/07/AircraftVortices-and-Contrails.pdf
@Corsair8X Also, where’s the typical faux-leather flight suit they always seem to wear?
1. http://aerosociety.com/News/Insight-Blog/3300/Mission-accomplished-for-Yateley-SBAP 2. http://aerosociety.com/News/Insight-Blog/3338/Electric-aircraft-sparks-imagination#sthash.CTZDmLJU.dpuf 3. http://aerosociety.com/News/Insight-Blog/3248/A-decision-at-last-Davies-Commission-recommends-Heathrow
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SEPTEMBER 2015
13
DEFENCE Open source air combat simulation
Sending the F-35 into virtual combat
TIM ROBINSON puts virtual F-35s into arguably the most accurate non-classified high-fidelity simulation of a future air combat clash.
J
‘Harpoon on steroids’ — Command Modern Air Naval Operations is a high-fidelity real-time tactical simulator on PC.
uly this year saw what seemed like a fairly damning flight-test report leaked to the blog War is Boring — where a F-35A test pilot was unable to triumph over a 70’s-era F-16D with two external tanks in a close-in mock dogfight. In the report the unnamed pilot noted the F-35’s lack of energy manoeuvrability and its restrictive flight control software led to it being unable to turn the tables against the Viper. The story — as might be guessed — sent ripples through amateur and professional air warfare experts — with critics claiming that it is yet more evidence the aircraft is an expensive disaster. Proponents, meanwhile, lined up to defend the fighter. The news story, picked up by other outlets, moved the F-35 JPO (Joint Program Office) to rebut the report saying: “The F-35’s technology is designed to engage, shoot, and kill its enemy from long distances, not necessarily in visual ‘dogfighting' situations.”
Simulating more representative combat With this in mind, a curious, impartial mind might ask — how well might a F-35 do in a more operationally representative scenario? Beyond manufacturer's slick marketing videos and pithy soundbites about ‘gamechanging’ fifth generation technology, it is difficult for an outsider to evaluate the F-35’s potential — especially in the air-to-air arena. Is it true revolution in air combat?
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AEROSPACE / SEPTEMBER 2015
Fortunately we now have a publically available tool to take an informed look at least some of the claims made for the fighter. To this, we turn to Command Modern Air Naval Operations — a hyper-realistic tactical PC simulation/wargame which models sensors, stealth and other factors in great detail. Having won plaudits from amateur and professionals alike in its detailed modelling, it recently is set to move into the professional military and defence world through a co-operation agreement signed with BAE Systems. The game features a Jane’s style database of aircraft, ships, weapons, sensors and missiles from 1945 to 2020, with the whole world modelled and country-specific equipment lists. Of course, simulations have been used before with the F-35 — with a famous RAND study concluding the jet would be ‘clubbed like baby seals’. However, CMANO is a substantial advance on Harpoon-era simulations — with a more detailed, higher fidelity air warfare model. For instance, it models the kinematic effects of aircraft losing energy dodging incoming missiles or SAMs — making salvos more important against highly-agile targets. The probability of a missile kill (Pk) is influenced by many factors — including seeker generations, range to target, agility of target aircraft, target aspect, countermeasures and pilot skill — making for a deep and complex simulation. The AI, too, is clever enough to evade and try and ‘beam’ incoming missiles — making for a highly realistic BVR simulation. In the older Harpoon, for example,
Lockheed Martin
missiles could be fired rearwards from fighters, the air combat modelling being far more abstracted. While actual stealth performance is still highly classified, CMANO does provide a more detailed ‘educated guess’ modelling of low-observable platforms such as the F-35 — beyond just assuming they are ‘invisible’ to the enemy in game terms. Frontal, side and rear visual, IR signatures and RCS (radar cross section) detection ranges are calculated — and the RCS is even split into two sets of radar bands. In this simulation, stealth is an advantage — but platforms can still be detected at close range. In this test we are role-playing the 'battlespace commander' with a top-down view of the air battle rather than the individual pilot — but in reality the F-35 is likely to have this level of information provided to the pilots themselves in the cockpit — thanks to datalinks and sensor fusion. How, then, would it model the F-35 in an air combat scenario?
AS THIS TESTING DEMONSTRATED, THE CHALLENGE FOR ANY FUTURE 'RED AIR' PILOT WILL BE DETECTING THE F-35 AND THEN GETTING CLOSE ENOUGH TO NULLIFY ITS LO FEATURES IN THE MERGE
A more plausible scenario To find a plausible air combat scenario these days it is not necessary to look too far away from the headlines. This scenario imagines a Baltic crisis gone hot in 2020 with UK F-35Bs pressed into the air superiority/CAP mission. (In reality of course this would be more likely to be the Typhoon’s role). For the purposes of this test we will imagine a flight of four F-35Bs going up against four of Russia's latest production 4.5 generation fighter – the fearsome Sukhoi Su-35S. The F-35s are configured for long-range air superiority with four internally-carried MBDA Meteor BVRAAMs each — and thus relying on stealth. As support, the F-35s have an E-3D AWACS & Rivet Joint. Meanwhile, the Su-35Ss have ten AAMs each, comprising six AA-12 Adder As and four AA-11 Archers. Both sides skill (which affects the OODA loop) is set to equal and RoEs are such that only contacts positively ID’d as hostile can be engaged. Both flights start at high altitude (40,000ft) approximately 300nm apart.
Sukhoi
Western fighter pilots can expect to encounter the Su-35S in significant numbers. around 15 tests only one saw the F-35 get into a guns fight. 2) Again, while the point of this test is to see how the F-35 performs in a more operationally representative test — it still omits a lot from a real-world air battle. Support assets would include SAMs, surface ships and friendly fighters, as well as other assets to feed into the electronic order of battle. In particular, the presence of friendly Rafales/ Typhoons/Gripens as non-LO assets could allow tactics to distract and feint the enemy while the LO F-35s set up ambushes. 3) This test is obviously being conducted by an (extremely) amateur air power person. Those professionals who get paid to study, teach and train this subject full-time will no doubt be able to get much better results, more consistently. 4) Rules of engagement (RoE) may well be different for a real-world crisis — which, short of WW3, may see civil air traffic in or near the battlespace. This could aid (in terms of providing a clearer air picture) or hinder (if political restrictions meant visual ID rules were imposed) an informationage, LO fighter such as the F-35.
F-35 tactics
Opening moves — the F-35’s ESM suite detects and classifies the Su-35Ss at around 300nm — giving a huge advantage in sorting the contacts and assigning targets.
Initially playing from the F-35’s pespective, I decided to maximise my stealth by keeping my radar off — even though the aircraft's APG-81 radar is a LPI (low probability of intercept). I also aim to keep my F-35s out of the merge and strike from the edges of the opposition’s WEZ (weapons engagement zones). With the EW suite classifying the contacts as Su-35Ss at 300nm I firm up a plan to divide my flight into two pairs and skirt the Flankers PESA radars setting up a pincer ambush. The southern pair of F-35s make the first contact and dispatch three Flankers with Meteors and, while the remaining Su-35S gets a contact using its IRST on these, it is distracted by my northern pair who go active with radar to finish it off with Meteors. The result therefore is 4-0 to the F-35Bs. Re-running
Caveats Some caveats must be understood before we let loose the dogs of (virtual) war. 1) This is an unclassified consumer wargame with weapon ranges/sensor data drawn from multiple open sources (and very informed guesses). Real-world missile ranges and sensor performance therefore could well be better. While the simulation is undeniably accurate — it will still have some gaps and discrepancies. One oddity, for example, is the gunpod which was included as the standard F-35B LO air superiority load-out with Meteor missiles. Is this a major factor? Probably not, given that in @aerosociety
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SEPTEMBER 2015
15
DEFENCE Open source air combat simulation mistake that a well-trained human F-35 pilot probably wouldn’t make. However, by that time I had lost three Flankers — a Pyrrhic victory at best.
Observations
the scenario around 15 times produces similar results, with scores either 4 or 3 nil to the F-35Bs. Experimenting with my tactics slightly, I also found that, even heading almost straight in to the Su-35’s path and coming inside their radar cone, the F-35Bs were still not detected — with the results the same. After about 15 runthroughs with the Su35s being shot out of the sky, I decided to add more Red support assets. The first being an A-50 ‘Mainstay’ to provide AEW coverage and the second a Su-24MP Fencer F EW variant to provide jamming capability. Surely this would jam the missiles and allow the Su35s to get to the merge? The answer is no. Unless I take the risk of putting the AEW aircraft extremely close to the fight, it, too, cannot see the F-35Bs. Meanwhile, despite ‘jammed’ icons appearing on my missiles — it seems that the Fencer’s ECM is ineffective against the ECCM of the Meteors. So what would this air battle be like from the other side?
From the Red Air perspective One of the very useful aspects of a sandbox simulation like CMANO is its ability to jump into a God’s-eye view showing all sides, or even to switch sides. Let’s take a look at this scenario from the Flankers’ point of view. The challenge for any ‘Red Pilot’ to solve is that, if F-35s keep their radar off, it is extremely difficult for the Flankers — even with PESA radar — to detect them. The Meteor BVRAAM, meanwhile, with its agility in the end-game, means that the highly manoeuvrable Su-35S loses energy dodging these shots which appear out of nowhere. Even armed with ten missiles each, the Flankers need a reliable target before they can engage which the F-35s simply do not provide. As a final test — I decided to hand complete control of the F-35s to the AI, assigning them a CAP zone to defend and switched to Red Air with the intention of finally beating them. I also loosen up the RoE for both sides allowing the fighters to fire on anything not friendly, rather than hostile contacts. But, even using sneaky tactics (one Flanker with radar on as bait, the rest silent relying on passive sensors) the result was much the same — with missiles appearing out of nowhere and from unexpected directions. I finally managed to down a single F-35B when the AI made the mistake of switching its radar on deep inside my WEZ — a
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AEROSPACE / SEPTEMBER 2015
Ambush — The southern pair of F-35s fire first at the Flankers at maximum Meteor range.
Endgame — While the last Su-35S has a IRST contact on the southern F-35, it turns to meet the northern pair which have gone active with radar.
This, of course, was a quick and dirty look at a possible future air combat scenario using the F-35 rather than an exhaustive simulation and testing that goes on in military or defence industry labs. However, it does throw up some interesting observations. In around 20 runthroughs, the kill ratio was decisively 3-0 or 4-0 to the F-35s, with a couple of instances of 3-1. So what does this tell us? First. The F-35 certainly does not suck at air combat, providing it keeps within its own realm. As this testing demonstrated, the challenge for any future ‘Red Air’ pilot will be detecting the F-35 and then getting close enough to nullify its LO features in the merge. Though CMANO’s simulation is extremely powerful in modelling kinematics and sensors and is a huge leap from the earlier Harpoon, it does not model a 3D ACM encounter in high-fidelity like, say Falcon 4 or DCS. Postmerge, like real life, it then becomes more matter of chance. However, a third playthrough, ironically, did see a F-35 close to guns range and destroy a Su-35, leaving the score at three Flankers to nil F-35Bs lost. In the runthroughs, the F-35 came out ahead each time, with the worst result being three Su35s lost to one F-35 shot down. As noted above, professional air warfare tactics experts would undoubtedly be able to do better. In only one of these runthroughs did the fight enter the merge — long and medium range shots being the norm. Two. A LO fighter, with high-end sensors to detect (and importantly classify) targets at range when paired with the Meteor BVRAAM is extremely potent. While the F-35 was able to classify the Flankers at extreme range, the Su-35s’ sensors were still only able to classify the F-35 as a ‘multirole’ — even when it was nearly within weapon range.
From ‘Red Air’s perspective, missile shots seem to come out of nowhere, on any axis. appeared to contribute little to the air battle when the Su-35s were emitting. This may be due to the F-35’s impressive ESM suite — or potentially my non-optimum placement of these assets behind my fighters. Where the AWACS did make a difference was in a couple of runthroughs when the Su35s stayed ‘radar-silent’ – thus allowing the F-35s to close to ETOS range to passively ID their targets for missile shots.
This may be fine in a simulation without other hostiles, friendlies and civilians air contacts to sort and track but undoubtedly would be more complex in real life. Note also that the game is conservative about the Meteor’s true range — giving it an effective range of 75 nautical miles. The real range is likely to be more than this (think the AIM54’s 100nm range), and the Meteor is expressly designed to be lethal all the way out to maximum range, unlike other rocket-powered missiles which ‘coast’ and thus lose energy in the end-game — and thus are easier to evade at long ranges. The Meteor’s ramjet propulsion giving better Pk at range is modelled — another example of the attention to detail in this simulation. Also, while the Meteor certainly can be evaded in a last-ditch defence, as the West’s newest generation air-to-air missile, it seems extremely resistant to ECM/jamming — despite icons clearly showing my Fencer F was having some effect. Finally, a couple of runthroughs with the Meteors exchanged for internally-carried four AIM-120C AMRAAMs also produced similar results — with four Flankers shot down in short order. Three — it's the human, not the machine. Smart tactics and cunning outmatch technology each time. One observation is that I could have made the ‘jaws’ of the trap tighter and still avoid being detected by the Flankers’ radar enough to put the enemy even closer within the Meteor’s WEZ. Indeed one playthrough saw me head all F-35s directly into the Flankers path and resulting in all four Su-35s being shot down within about a minute and a half of the initial Meteor shot — an even better result than the first test described in detail here. Four — it is extremely frustrating to play as Red Air and somewhat unnerving to have missiles appear out of thin air. While a previous simulated look at the F-35 (the infamous 'clubbing baby seals' study) concluded that sheer numbers of J-11s would prevail against F-22/F-35s facing masses of Chinese fighter pilots all happily flying into certain death, here the psychological factors were more apparent. If one, two or three of your flight vanished suddenly in explosions and you still couldn't get a reliable track/lock on the enemy — at what point do you decide to withdraw and escape? Five — A (surprising) observation is that the support enablers I added, the E-3D and Rivet Joint @aerosociety
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Summary
EVEN ARMED WITH 10 MISSILES EACH, THE FLANKERS NEED A RELIABLE TARGET BEFORE THEY CAN ENGAGE, WHICH THE F-35S SIMPLY DO NOT In this screenshot, the F-35s are about to take out three enemy fighters — while still remaining effectively invisible to their radar.
www.aerosociety.com
As noted above, while these simulated tests give an interesting insight into air combat using LO fighters, they do come with a number of caveats and should not be taken (as is so often the case, firm evidence to support conclusion X). Your mileage may indeed vary. However, they do highlight the extreme difficulty for an adversary of getting to the merge with assailants who, if playing ‘unfair’, maximises their LO and sensor advantages. That is not to say that WVR air combat cannot happen. Leakers, decoys and pop-up threats mean the enemy always gets a vote — and thus F-35 pilots will still need to train how to fight in the visual arena, and learn the strengths and weaknesses of their aircraft vs any threat aircraft. For those nations, air forces looking to draw conclusions from this single F-16 vs F-35 leaked ‘dogfight’ report (in reality a dynamic flight test around the stability of the fighter at high AoA and fine-tuning the FBW) — it would seem to be unwise to underestimate the F-35. Get close-in with a highly agile fighter in a 1 vs 1 and you may be able to beat it but, as these tests seem to indicate, the real challenge will be getting that close without getting turned into burning wreckage.
Read the full F-35B air combat test on the Aerosociety Insight blog:
http://aerosociety.com/News/Insight-Blog/3272/Does-theF35-really-suck-in-air-combat
SEPTEMBER 2015
17
SPACEFLIGHT UK Space Conference
Merseyside rocks to the space beat
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ESA
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PAT NORRIS FRAeS, from the RAeS Space Group, reports from the 2015 UK Space Conference. important at Westminster than at the flagship space event of the year. The Greek crisis also had an impact in that the European Commissioner responsible for space, Elzbieta Bienkowska, was unable to accept the invitation to speak in Liverpool due to the continuing Eurozone crisis driven by Greece’s economic difficulties.
Ticket to the Moon
ESA
he third in the biennial series of UK Space Conferences was by far the most popular so far — over 1,100 delegates signed up for two days of talks and exhibits at the Arena and Convention Centre on the banks of the Mersey in Liverpool on 14 and 15 July 2015. The event’s theme was Space-enabled Futures, reflecting the sector’s recognition that sustainable growth will come from promoting space-based solutions into downstream industries. The Society played an important role in this success by actively participating in both the Organising and Programme Committees. Conference plenary sessions in the main auditorium were interspersed with five parallel sessions held in the spacious and easily accessed smaller lecture theatres. In addition there was a continuous parallel session for teachers — primary school on the first day, secondary on the second. This outreach strand of the conference reflects the role ‘space’ can play in encouraging children to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The speaker line-up was impacted by politics in Westminster and Brussels. The Minister for Science and Universities, Jo Johnson MP, who looks after civil space, has undertaken several space-related appointments close to London since taking up his current post in May but he was unable to get approval from the Whips Office to speak in Liverpool. The Government’s narrow parliamentary majority was in evidence several times during the final fortnight before the House went into recess and Mr Johnson’s presence was deemed more
The event saw new ESA chief Johann-Dietrich Wörner highlight his plan for a lunar base.
The chief VIP speaker was the newly in post Director General (DG) of the European Space Agency (ESA), Johann-Dietrich Wörner. Among the ideas he tabled was a manned base on the far side of the Moon. The Society’s influence on the conference programme was evident in the form of two parallel sessions that the Society’s representative proposed after the initial programme had been drawn up. The first of these was a session on ‘space and the surveillance society’. Chaired by Rebecca Fairbairn of the Economic and Social Research Council, the session illustrated the advances in space technology that are bringing a real-time version of Google Earth closer. The benign side of space surveillance was emphasised in the talk by Alan Schuster-Bruce of Inmarsat describing the attempts to determine the path of the ill-fated March
ukspace2015.co.uk
ESA DG, J-D Wörner, addresses the conference; the on-stage panel includes former Science Minister David Willetts and Britain’s first astronaut Helen Sharman.
2014 flight MH370. Concerns about privacy were outlined by Emma Carr of Big Brother Watch, giving the audience a well-rounded picture of the ongoing security versus privacy debate. The other session introduced at the suggestion of the Society concerned Britain’s Beagle 2 Mars lander that disappeared in December 2004 and was found in some recent Mars pictures, intact but dormant on the Martian surface. In the mainstream sessions the main news topics were two reports confirming the continued growth of the sector in the UK. The latest figures show that what is now an £11·8bn sector employs 37,000 people directly in the UK and a further 80,000 indirectly. The year-on-year growth of 8·6% through the economic downturn has kept the industry on track to achieve its stated goal of reaching £40bn per annum by 2030. Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland were all present in the Exhibition Hall, with the Welsh getting more media attention than their regional rivals by announcing a ‘space strategy’ with the goal of generating 5% of the UK’s space turnover by 2030. However, space activities in the North West of England, i.e.: close to Liverpool, were less in evidence than, for example, Scottish space was at the equivalent 2013 event in Glasgow. The downstream theme of the conference was most directly manifested by the presence of four of the Government’s Catapult centres in the programme — together in a plenary session, then separately in parallel sessions. The Satellite Applications Catapult represented the ‘selling’ side of space-based solutions while the Digital Catapult, the Transport Systems Catapult and the Future Cities Catapult were the ‘buyers’. The growing diversity of the sector was illustrated by the presence in the exhibition of several universities and smaller companies courtesy of the Knowledge Transfer Network stand.
launched successfully from India four days before the conference began, emphasising the importance of this technology trend. However, a cautionary note on the proliferation of small satellites in space was sounded in the session devoted to ‘Opportunities and Threats — Nanosats and Space Debris’, indicating that due care and attention needs to be observed if some parts of space are not to become almost unusable due to the risk of collision with fast moving debris. The conference’s two big social events took advantage of Liverpool’s renowned after-hours venues. The first was a reception in the riverside Museum of Liverpool on the evening before the conference began. The second was a mid-conference evening dinner which took place in the even more splendid surroundings of the magnificent St George’s Hall. A sell-out several weeks before the conference opened, the dinner was the occasion for the announcement of the winners of the 2015 Sir Arthur Clarke awards, popularly known as the ‘Arthurs’. The evening was made even more spacerich given its coincidence with the arrival of NASA’s New Horizon space probe at Pluto. Space exploration was much in evidence in the choice of winners of this year’s Arthurs. Not only did the recently found Beagle 2 team win the Project Team award, but the Rosetta comet probe team won the outreach award. Britain’s next astronaut, Tim Peake, was absent from the event as he is preparing for his 15 December launch to the International Space Station. He did join the conference via telephone to announce the winners of another outreach initiative — the Astro Pi coding competition for schools which was described in the June 2015 issue of AEROSPACE, p 49.
THE SOCIETY PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THIS SUCCESS BY ACTIVELY PARTICIPATING IN BOTH THE ORGANISING AND PROGRAMME COMMITTEES
Where next? Warwick in 2011, Glasgow in 2013 and now Liverpool in 2015, so where will the 2017 UK Space Conference be held? If the event continues to grow in terms of delegate numbers, the number of possible venues will shrink. Right now, though, the confidence of the Welsh space community and the Welsh accents of some influential members of the organising committee make west of the Severn a good bet for 2017.
The busy exhibition space.
Small satellites were an important theme, hardly surprising after the announcement a month earlier at Le Bourget that Airbus Defence and Space had been selected to build 900+ small satellites for the OneWeb communications service. Five small and very small satellites built by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd and the Surrey Space Centre were @aerosociety
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SEPTEMBER 2015
15
MAINTENANCE
Back to school
RAF Cosford training
In early July, members of the RAeS AIRWORTHINESS AND MAINTENANCE GROUP visited RAF Cosford to learn about RAF engineer training. What they discovered was a leading-edge facility, superbly equipped, with innovative leadership which is demonstrably capable of delivering world-class training to prepare aircraft technicians and engineering managers to maintain both current and future platforms.
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Technical Training and the Aerosystems Engineer & Management Training School. These schools form part of the Defence School of Aeronautical Engineering (DSAE), along with the Royal Navy Air Engineering and Survival School in Gosport and the School of Army Aeronautical Engineering at Arborfield near Reading (but soon to move to Lyneham near Swindon). The DSAE is part of the wider Defence College of Technical Training (DCTT) which is responsible for the training of the vast majority of technicians and engineers in defence. With over 2,000 RAF students receiving training per annum as well as over 200 international students from across Europe, the Middle East and Asia, the two DSAE schools at RAF Cosford make it the largest aircraft engineering training provider in the UK. As such, it is proud to be associated with and provide technical support to external agencies including the World Skills competition, Women in Science & Engineering (WiSE) and other schemes that promote careers in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM).
Training philosophy The DSAE has placed the calibre of its technician at the centre of its training with the aim of
RAF Cosford
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n a quiet corner of the North Shropshire countryside, the home of RAF Engineering at Cosford has been undertaking a major review of its approach and delivery of training. Traditionally, the tightening of budgets has been an important driver for change within defence but this transformation has been driven by the need to maximise each student’s full potential in today’s military air environment. The challenge for the RAF Engineer Branch and Trades is that technicians may be required to work on military aircraft regulated by the Military Aviation Authority (MAA), as well as aircraft being maintained under Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) regulations, such as the Airbus A330 Voyager, under the Military Registered CivilOwned Aircraft arrangement where EASA Pt 66 licences are held. Furthermore, the RAF operates a wide variety of air platforms ranging from the Boeing 707 and Tornado GR4 airframes at one end of the spectrum, to the latest generation of aircraft, such as Typhoon and F-35 stealth aircraft, at the other. The result is a requirement for a sustainable, professionally-qualified and agile engineer and technician structure that will allow the RAF to deliver its output both now and in the future. Aircraft engineer training is undertaken within two schools on the Station; No 1 School of
RAF Cosford
Via author
Full-scale Typhoon generic aircraft model. producing an individual who is confident in their own development and ability, is highly competent and of value to the receiving front line units. However, to reach this end state, a programme of training transformation has been at the very heart of its business for the past two years. The philosophy has focused around a trinity of improvements: course content optimisation, a blended learning environment and a trainer development programme. Over a six-month period, the content of the courses delivered by all four DSAE schools was reviewed with a clear drive to include only those elements which are required by front line technicians. As a result, the RAF schools reduced the average content of each course by 12%, ensuring that they could concentrate on delivering the most efficient and effective training possible. This also meant that students spent less time in the training environment and were available for work on the front line sooner. As for approaches to learning, the past decade has seen significant changes in the ways that we teach and learn. Students who arrive for training with the RAF today are well versed in accessing information via technology, having experienced teaching methods at schools and universities which promote a student-centric approach. Therefore, the DSAE needed to reflect these methods and changes to learning if they were to truly give the student the best training. In May 2014, the DSAE Instructor Development Team was established to design and deliver a comprehensive programme of professional educator development. The challenge was to build on existing service instructor training to ensure that DSAE’s 434 tri-Service and civilian trainers were fully equipped to exploit modern learning practices and to place Defence Aeronautical Engineering training at the forefront of innovative education practice.
Virtual learning environments The team were required to analyse the very best of modern educational research, such as the applicability of evidence-based teaching (EBT), combined with the exploitation of virtual learning environments (VLE), and establish how such practices could be combined and best applied in an aeronautical engineering modern learning context. The results have been outstanding, with five distinct phases of development now available to DSAE’s instructors and lecturers. This includes preparing trainers to become coaches and mentors for their peers, with the pinnacle of the programme being Modern Learning Champion status, where personnel are taught to lead sustained improvement in educational practice. As Sergeant Adam Fitzsimmons, one of DSAE trainer’s explains: “The use of the VLE has vastly improved our ability to adapt lesson structure and classroom differentiation, thus improving course delivery. We currently employ the quiz element of the VLE with great success, ensuring that learning has taken place through the use of consolidation questions, followed by instructor feedback.” The results of the work of the instructor development team were universally praised by Ofsted during a recent inspection of RAF Cosford, where an assessment of ‘Outstanding’ was achieved. With the adoption of their practices spreading widely across the DCTT, the impact of the team is set to shape professional educator development right across defence. The impact of training transformation activity has also been appreciated by the students. Corporal Alan Thorpe — a DSAE student explains: “I have found the VLE invaluable; it gives a very modern feel to every aspect of the course. Completing precourse work while connecting with fellow students
THE FOCUS OF THE PAST TWO YEARS HAS BEEN TO MODERNISE THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE. AS A SCHOOL, WE HAVE ENABLED THE LEARNER TO DRIVE THEIR OWN DEVELOPMENT AND PROVIDED ONLINE TRAINING THAT CAN SUBSEQUENTLY BE ACCESSED THROUGHOUT THEIR CAREERS Grp Capt Adam Sansom Commandant, DSAE
Students using tablet computers to enhance classroom instruction. @aerosociety
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SEPTEMBER 2015
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MAINTENANCE RAF engineer training
Investing in the engineer The RAF has not been immune to the national shortage of technicians and the change in training philosophy is but one part of recognising the importance it places on supporting and developing its people. The strategy is to invest in the individual through life to ensure that, as their career develops, they have the right skills to undertake the roles expected of them. All RAF technicians achieve an apprenticeship in aeronautical engineering. This is accomplished over a period of three years and takes place during their Phase 2 training at RAF Cosford, as well as through practical assessment in the workplace by verifiers located at 14 main operating bases throughout the UK. However, the apprenticeship training is not the last time technicians will undertake formal training interventions at Cosford. They are given further training both on promotion to Corporal and Sergeant, with a further course currently in development for the RAF’s most senior technicians, the people who will have direct involvement in managing airworthiness of aircraft and associated equipment. This will complete the through-life professional development path but, should they leave the service at any point, these wider skills will be an asset to any employer within the aerospace and wider industry sectors.
First-rate facilities With an already extensive range of training aids ranging from live running Jaguar aircraft, gas turbine propulsion rigs, wind tunnels (including a supersonic wind tunnel) and computer-aided simulation, advances in training techniques has not
RAF Cosford
via forums greatly helped me prepare for the residential course. While on the course, WiFi in the accommodation to access the VLE has been a great help. I also particularly like DropBox, allowing me to complete work at home and access it on the course for discussion and editing.”
been static. As the site is connected by WiFi, many students now use DSAE-supplied tablet computers for the duration of the training. This allows a fully supported learning environment where the student is afforded pre-learning exploration of subjects, along with practical refinement and consolidation of techniques and academic principles. Aircraft system fault diagnosis training laboratories allow the instructor to monitor overall class and individual progress. This one-on-one tuition builds confidence, ensures the processes are understood and ensures that the whole class progress at a consistent rate. Finally, there is constant reflection on how to deliver training and initiatives have now begun to investigate and implement virtual and augmented reality training. The benefits of the training transformation aresummed up by the Commandant of the DSAE, Group Captain Adam Sansom: “The focus of the past two years has been to modernise the learning experience. As a school, we have enabled the learner to drive their own development and provided online training that can subsequently be accessed throughout their careers. The use of the VLE by trained and motivated instructors is now firmly embedded in all of our courses and the quality and variety of content is growing daily. In addition, we have removed outdated content and focused on delivering exactly what our learners need for their future military career. While we will always continue to strive for improvement, I believe the DSAE now delivers some of the best technical training available within defence.”
A student in the Synthetic Environmental Procedural Trainer learning aircraft ground handling techniques.
The RAeS Airworthiness and Maintenance Group is very grateful to the Commandant and staff at RAF Cosford for hosting an inspiring visit to what, in the opinion of the Group members, is a jewel in the crown of UK aerospace.
Propulsion training classroom.
RAF Cosford
Summary
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AEROSPACE / MAY 2015
The DSAE is fully committed to maximising the availability of trained manpower on front-line squadrons while minimising the time spent in the training environment — all without compromising standards. It recognises the diversity of opportunities available to its people as well as the rapidly evolving nature of technology. Combined with the latest advances in teaching methodology, simulation and training aids, the DSAE is leading the way across defence in preparing its military personnel for the challenges of the future.
Join the debate and develop your thinking about our industry’s paradigm shift beyond regulatory compliance to safety performance Find out how airlines, manufacturers, MROs and defence organisations are working to secure the strategic and operational benefits of safety performance. Be inspired by new ideas on how to move an organisational mindset from compliance to safety performance improvement Benchmark your organisation’s safety management performance against other industry players Improve your understanding of what safety performance is Hear keynote speeches from industry VIPs that showcase safety management performance in action Challenge your thinking about the traditional and accepted approach to aviation safety management Attend FREE workshops: Safety Leadership, Safety Culture, Safety Risk Management, Safety Assurance and Regulatory Compliance Enter the Performance in Aviation Safety Awards and enjoy an evening of networking at the gala dinner
Find out more and book your places online at www.bainessimmons.com/symposium
NASA
TECHNOLOGY Electric-powered aircraft
Sparks begin to fly Do electrically-powered aircraft have the potential to become the next generation of environmently-friendly passenger carriers? BILL READ looks at how electric aircraft have moved from a technological curiosity to a practical commercial proposition, offering a cleaner, greener alternative to fossil fuel designs.
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ntil relatively recently, the idea of flying an aircraft powered only by electricity was not considered to be a practical proposition. Electric engines were not powerful enough to propel a large aircraft into the sky, nor did batteries exist which were capable of providing sufficient electricity to keep such an aircraft aloft for any length of time. However, recent technological breakthroughs in electric engines, battery power storage and solar energy harvesting have moved the electric aircraft from the realms of an interesting concept to a more practical future technology.
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The development of electric-powered aircraft can be traced as far back as the 1880s when the French military La France airship was flown using an 8hp electric motor. The concept began to progress again in the 1970s with the development of electric-powered model aircraft, UAVs and gliders. Much pioneering work in electric transport
NASA/AeroVironment
An artist’s concept of NASA’s plan to mount its LEAPTech distributed power hybrid electric aircraft system onto the airframe of a Tecnam P2006T.
Airbus
Solar Impulse
exhibited its Elektra One singleseat electric aircraft which it hopes to certify in Germany by the end of 2015. Using both batteries and solar cells, the manufacturer claims the aircraft is capable of flying at over 100mph. In the US, Aero Electric Aircraft Corporation (AEAC) with the assistance of Arion Aircraft is developing a two-seat Sun Flyer The potential of electric flight was pioneered by powered gliders solar-electric training aircraft which is technology has also been developed by and solar-powered UAVs, such as AeroVironment’s 247ft the automotive industry which has been wingspan Helios flying wing which was powered by 14 engines. scheduled to begin flight testing in the summer of this year. investing time and money into the fullIn China, the Xinhua news agency reported scale production of electric cars. that Shenyang Aerospace University has made a 14.5m wingspan, single-propeller electric passenger Record breakers aircraft for Liaoning General Aviation Academy that could be used in pilot training, tourism, meteorology Over the past ten years, an increasing number of and rescue operations. Named the Rui Xiang RX1E, small electric powered aircraft have been developed, the two-seat carbon fibre aircraft has a maximum each of which has expanded the envelope of what speed of 160km per hour, flight is possible using this technology with time of 45 minutes to one hour, a increases in both speed and range. The maximum payload of 230kg and fastest flight by an electric aircraft to maximum altitude of 3,000m. date is believed to be the Long-ESA which was documented by the US Navy at China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station The electric advantage to have achieved a speed of 202.6mph on19 July 2012. On 9 March 2015, the The advent of the electric aircraft Swiss-developed solar-powered Solar has come at a particularly opportune Impulse 2 (Si2) set off from Abu Dhabi time, as public concerns over in an attempt to fly around the world rising fuel costs, finite oil stocks Solar Impulse 2 lands in Hawaii on 3 July as part of its attempt using no fuel. Flown alternately by pilots and global warming due to CO2 to fly around the world entirely on electricity generated from solar Bertrand Piccard and Andrée Borschberg, emissions are making people give energy. Si2 completed the first eight legs of its serious consideration to more journey, reaching Hawaii on 3 July. During the flight environmentally friendly alternative fuels and power to Hawaii, the Si2 set a new world record for the sources. In theory at least, the electric aircraft would world’s longest solar-powered flight both by time appear to provide an ideal replacement for fossil fuel (117 hours, 52 minutes) and distance (7,212 km; aircraft, with its appealing green credentials of zero 4,481 mi). The Si2’s circumnavigation attempt is emissions and pollutants and low noise footprint. currently on hold, as the batteries were irreparably However, there are wider issues to be damaged due to overheating during the Pacific considered. While electricity might seem an ideal flight and the remainder of the flight is postponed zero emissions power source, the method used until April 2016. to generate it may not. Thus, while an electric Electric aircraft were again in the car will not pollute the roads it uses, news in early July, when, on 10 July the the power station which created the Airbus Group flew its E-Fan technology electricity to charge its batteries may demonstrator (an aircraft first flown in create more pollutants and CO2 than a March 2014) from Lydd in Kent across conventional fossil fuel vehicle. There the Channel to Calais in 36 minutes at an are, of course, environmentally friendly altitude of about 3,500 ft. ways to generate electricity, such as In addition to technology demonstrators wind turbines, hydro-electric dams and test aircraft, electric aircraft are now and solar panels – but, so far, these being produced commercially. One of sources have been unable to generate the leading manufacturers in this sector electricity in sufficient quantities to is Pipistrel which claims to be the first meet world demand. There may also company to produce a fully-electric twobe additional offstage environmental The Airbus E-Fan electric aircraft technology demonstrator seat aircraft, the first electric two-seat costs from mining and processing flew across the Channel on 10 July. training aircraft and the first fully electric the metals and materials needed to four-seat aircraft. At the Berlin Air Show, PC-Aero manufacture batteries and cells. @aerosociety
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SEPTEMBER 2015
25
TECHNOLOGY Electric-powered aircraft
Pipistrelle
Positive and negative
electricity for electric gliders at airports using solar panels fitted to a hangar roof or from wind turbines. Turning to engines, electric powerplants have the advantage that, unlike fossil fuel engines, power-toweight ratios and energy efficiency is maintained when the motor is scaled to a smaller size. Electric motors can also be fitted in different places, such as on top of the wing, to improve aerodynamics and reduce noise. They can also be pointed in different directions. By angling engines up, an aircraft could take-off faster and by angling the engines left and right, the aircraft could be steered without a rudder. When not being used, electric engines could also be used as wind turbines to recharge batteries while the aircraft is slowing down or landing.
Flight of the Century
Pelican Aero Group/Phil Barnes
In addition, while current electric aircraft designs offer a number of advantages over conventional aircraft they also have disadvantages. An electric aircraft may be greener and quieter than one How to generate more powered by fossil fuels but it is also less electricity — Solution 1. The Solar Trailer powerful, slower and with a more limited stowage and transport range. While battery technology has improved vehicle from Pipistrel which enormously in recent years, power cells are still can recharge an electrically not advanced enough to generate sufficient power powered glider stowed inside to keep an aircraft in the air over long periods of the trailer and also when the trailer is empty. time. Large power outputs are needed for takeoff and climbing to altitude. Once in the air an electric aircraft would require power both to keep the engines turning and to power its own on-board systems, avionics and communications. Designers have come up with a number of Current research solutions to provide more power. One idea being looked at are ‘hybrid’ electric aircraft which either Another concept under consideration is that of have dual sources of power or generate electricity distributed power systems in which an aircraft is How to generate more from other sources. Boeing researchers created powered by multiple electric motors. NASA is electricity — Solution 2. The the SUGAR Volt concept hybrid aircraft (see p12) leading a number of research projects, one Regenosaur electric glider which could use conventional engines for power of which is the Leading Edge Asynchronous concept from the Pelican Aero Group would use its output requirements, such as take-off and then Propeller Technology (LEAPTech). The first stage propellers for take-off and use electricity during cruise. There have also been of this project is the testing of a 31ft-span, carbon climb and then as wind projects which are looking at different ways to composite wing section with 18 electric motors turbines to regenerate stored generate electricity onboard the aircraft, such powered by lithium iron phosphate batteries. The energy during flight and descent. as from hydrogen fuel cells. One of the most wing, known as the Hybrid-Electric Integrated promising alternative methods of generating Systems Testbed (HEIST), will undergo ground electricity has been from solar power. testing mounted on a specially modified Unlike other modes of electric transport, truck which will be driven at speeds up to aircraft have the advantage of having a 70 miles per hour across a dry lakebed large surface area over the wings and at Edwards Air Force Base. The next fuselage to install solar-electric cells stage of the project will be to fly a piloted which can recharge batteries. Solar X-Plane demonstrator using a scaled up panels have the advantage that they version of the wings and engines fitted can generate electricity at any time to the fuselage of a Tecnam P2006T when there is daylight — both while light aircraft. Each motor will be operated the aircraft is on the ground and during independently at different speeds for flight. There is also the advantage that optimised performance. As well as the this power source is infinitely available. benefits of reduced emissions, NASA is In theory — a solar-powered aircraft hoping that the electric aircraft will also could fly for ever — a point already have improved performance and ride proved by the Solar Impulse around quality, as well as lower noise. the world flight and previous longThere have also been developments endurance UAV flights. in rotary wing electric aircraft. In Solar panels can also be used to November 2013 German company generate electricity locally where it E-volo conducted indoor test flights of its is needed. Solar-glider manufacturer Volocopter VC200 two-person helicopter Pipistrel has developed the Solar Trailer powered by 18 electrically driven rotors. stowage and transport vehicle which How to generate more electricity — Solution 3. Electric aircraft In early 2015, E-volo, together with speed record holder Chip Yates has come up with the concept Ascending Technologies, did further can recharge an electrically powered of using a fleet of unmanned flying battery packs (some of them static tests on two remote-controlled glider stowed inside the trailer and based on floating islands) to recharge electric aircraft on a longalso when the trailer is empty. US aero prototypes — the scaled down VC18R distance flights. The UAVs would dock on top of the aircraft and engine company Bye Energy has also then fly back with the used batteries. Yates is also considering fitted with 18 smaller drives and the looked into the potential of generating VC4RC fitted with four original drives of the possibilities of in-flight recharging from another aircraft.
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AEROSPACE / SEPTEMBER 2015
Airbus
the VC200. With these prototypes, E-Volo will test all the critical components of the VC200 prior to a manned test. NASA is also looking at an electric tilt-wing hybrid aircraft design called Greased Lightning or GL-10 and has flown an unmanned prototype. GL-10 has four motors on either wing plus two on the tail powered by two 6kW diesel engines which charge the aircraft’s lithium-ion batteries. NASA says that a larger version could be developed to carry one to four passengers. Solar-powered vehicles are also being considered for space missions. In 2012 Northrop Grumman worked on a contract for NASA to study high-power solar electric propulsion flight system technology for deep space and human exploration missions. The eventual aim of the project is to develop a solarpowered space tugboat to ferry satellites from low Earth orbit (LEO) to geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO), saving fuel and secondary booster costs.
The next generation. Artist’s impression of Airbus’s E-Fan 2.0 and E-Fan 4.0 electric aircraft.
that, at present, battery technology has not yet reached a stage to make such such a design viable but the company is confident that technology will continue to evolve to make this possible.
Where next?
NASA Langley/David C Bowman
NASA
Airbus/Rolls-Royce
While it likely that electric-power will continue to be adopted for smaller aircraft and some interesting new VTOL designs, its adoption for larger aircraft is less certain. Airbus/Rolls-Royce E-Thrust future Following concept hybrid. the widespread publicity generated by the Solar Impulse 2 and E-Fan flights, the most frequently asked question was ‘when would large passengercarrying electric aircraft be in service’? The answer has to be — not yet, as there are still many technical challenges to be overcome — the most Bigger and better major of which is safety. While some lithium cells can now store large amounts of power, an aircraft would Work is already in progress need to carry so many of them that to build bigger electric it would severely reduce its payload. aircraft. Having invested £14m in the In addition, batteries are not always E-Fan demonstrator, Airbus now plans possible to recharge and may need to develop the concept into actual replacing after use. Some batteries commercial designs. In 2014, as part of will not operate at low temperatures its electrical aviation ‘E-Roadmap’, the and there is also the risk of fires if they company announced plans to produce become overheated. It is unlikely that a a two-seat E-Fan 2.0 and four-seat certification authority would approve a E-Fan 4.0 for the general aviation passenger aircraft which relied purely on and training market which will make batteries if it ran the risk of running out their first flights in 2017 and 2019, of power during flight or, even worse, of respectively. catching fire. A solar-powered aircraft The two aircraft designs will be NASA’s LEAPTech Hybrid-Electric Integrated Systems Testbed, would not be able to generate power produced by a new Airbus subsidiary, is currently under test mounted on a specially modified truck, driven at speeds up to 70 miles per hour across a dry lakebed at during the night or if the wings were VoltAir, at Bordeaux Merignac airport Edwards Air Force Base. covered in snow or ice. A solar-powered in France. After that, Airbus plans to passenger aircraft might also need to have an go even further with the E-Thrust electric-powered unconventional shape or very wide wings which could 80-90-seat hybrid-electric regional airliner by be impossible to handle at airports using 2050. Propelled by six electric fans conventional infrastructure. However, with a flight time of up to three hours, such problems could be overcome the E-Thrust would use a gas-fuelled with the development of hybrid aircraft energy storage unit for power during designs which rely on more than one the ascent and cruise phase and source of power. glide using electric power while Although there is still a long way descending. To power such an aircraft, to go, the potential benefits offered Airbus is working with Rolls-Royce on by electric-powered aircraft are still the distributed electrical aerospace worth the effort in persevering. Given propulsion (DEAP) concept in which the remarkable progress made in this several electrically-powered fans are sector over the past ten years, who distributed in clusters along the wing knows what the future may hold? span. However, Airbus has admitted Greased Lightning GL-10 scale prototype takes off in hover mode.
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27
AIRPORTS Heathrow expansion
Politics next hurdle for Heathrow runway
THE AIRPORTS COMMISSION’S REPORT HAS BEEN ALMOST THREE YEARS IN THE MAKING AND HAS COVERED THE SUBJECT OF ADDITIONAL AIRPORT CAPACITY IN CONSIDERABLE DETAIL IN AN EFFORT TO PROVIDE A DELIVERABLE SOLUTION
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AEROSPACE / SEPTEMBER 2015
T
he isle of Jura lies close to the Scottish mainland but can only be described as remote. George Orwell, the island’s most famous resident where he wrote most of 1984, famously described it as: “Extremely ungetatable” due to limited transport connections. Reaching Jura will be something Prime Minister David Cameron will have given thought to as he plans to go on the first of his three summer holidays — one to the Isle to visit family. When he arrives, he might think it could have been easier and quicker with better domestic air links into London. He will find advice on how this might be achieved in the 342-page Airports Commission: Final Report, published on 1 July, and which recommended expansion of Heathrow as the best solution to bolster domestic services in and out of London. The report will surely be at the top of the PM’s summer reading list, after all he wanted to “properly read and properly digest” the report before responding in the autumn. The Airports Commission’s report has been almost three years in the making and has covered the subject of additional airport capacity
in considerable detail in an effort to provide a deliverable solution — technical, environmental and, to a certain extent, political. Not surprisingly the focus in the aftermath of publication has been centred on the politics of the problem for the Government: previous elections pledges, rebellious backbenchers and potentially troublesome cabinet colleagues. Sir Howard Davies and his fellow Commissioners came to a ‘clear’ and ‘unanimous conclusion’ to expand Heathrow, to the north west of the current site, as proposed by Heathrow Airport Ltd, due to the ‘more substantial economic and strategic benefits than any other shortlisted options’. Alongside the main recommendation was a ‘comprehensive package of accompanying measures…to be taken forward, in parallel…to address its impacts on the local environment and communities’. The decision whether or not to implement the Commission’s recommendations on the location of an additional runway presents its own significant political difficulties, but support or rejection of some of the other recommendations designed to
Heathrow Airport
SIMON WHALLEY, RAeS Head of Policy and Public Affairs, considers the implications of the decision of the Airports Commission to recommend the building of a third runway at Heathrow Airport.
Heathrow Airport Airports Commission
sugar the runway pill must be handled with care to maximise the number of potential supporters. Airport expansion will forever be a red line for those principally and ideologically opposed. Most environmental groups and anti-flying campaigns would never have supported an additional runway anywhere, regardless of pragmatic solutions to Aerial view of the proposed third runway at Heathrow. mitigate the negative impacts in west London. The Commission’s Terms of Reference were hardly written with these collectives in mind, rather those with serious concerns about the impact of an additional strip but who could be wooed with sensible, practical and effective means of impact Labour leaderships contest (results are due on 13 alleviation. September). Depending on the outcome, a change Sir Howard has recommended that the could be on the cards. Government should support the delivery of At the time of writing, Labour leadership hopeful his plan ‘in its entirety’. However, as long as Corbyn is ahead in the early polls and is Jeremy C this remains a political problem, there is high the current curre bookies favourite. He was one of the likelihood that compromises and trade-offs will 28 Labour MPs who voted against his form part of the Government’s response to Government in 2009 on the issue and it is Go create enough of a political consensus while safe to assume he will not change his mind saf not agitating third-party groups who were as leader but it remains to be seen whether Airports quick to back the Commission’s proposals. The could whip his Opposition colleagues to he C questions are: can this be achieved and how? vote with him. None of the other candidates Final Re ommission: port are yyet to declare their views but it is likely the July 201 other three (Cooper, Burnham and Kendall) othe 5 Party colleagues would be supportive. A large number of Conservative Party probusiness colleagues have been desperate London L ond dimension for a positive decision on airport expansion, particularly in favour of Heathrow, given Back o on the Government green benches is the economic benefits it promises to Boris JJohnson, the new MP for Uxbridge and provide and had been frustrated by the Ruislip. While still Mayor of London — South R 2010 expansion cancellation. Local May 2016 — his quest to undermine the until 5 M Gatwick MPs, rather self-servingly, are Commission’s report and doggedly champion his Commiss also right behind a third runway. Failure to four-runway Thames Estuary hub is unrelenting, four-runw support the principal recommendation would incur being ruled out by Sir Howard in late 2014 despite b the wrath of many a Tory backbencher. ‘substantial disadvantages that collectively over the ‘s Fortunately for the Prime Minister, he will outweigh its potential benefits’. Johnson will remain be able to count on the backing of his troops. In a headache for Cameron, at least until his term of an article in The Telegraph on 22 July, Graham office as Mayor expires; but if he wants a job in Brady, chair of the influential 1992 Committee of Government he would be expected to adhere to backbench Tory MPs, is confident that when put to a the convention of collective responsibility, even on Commons vote, Heathrow expansion would win the Heathrow expansion. support of 600 MPs of the 650 in total — including Better weather for the Prime Minister is unlikely the Labour Party and Scottish Nationalists. to arrive with the likely Conservative’s candidate to replace the outgoing Mayor. Fellow anti-Heathrow firebrand and independently-minded MP for Other parties Richmond Park and North Kingston, Zac Goldsmith, is down to the last four and the runaway favourite Labour support would make the Prime Minister’s life to win the Tory nomination. With London-wide and easier to help balance the inevitable rebels in his cross-party appeal, he is the Conservative’s best own party and Acting Leader, Harriet Harman, has hope for victory but one that could be bittersweet provided it. Shadow Transport Secretary Michael Sir Howard Davies. for No. 10. Labour’s front-runner is Dame Tessa Dugher said that: “If the recommendation can meet Jowell, who has yet to respond to the Commission’s a number of tests, including consistency with our report but is expected to be pro, and edges climate change obligations, we will take a swift Goldsmith in a head-to-head based on the most decision to back Sir Howard Davies’ proposals.” recent numbers. Might a Labour Mayor be a better However, the Government’s decision is set to be outcome for David Cameron next May? made after the conclusion to the hotly contested @aerosociety
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British Arways
AIRPORTS Heathrow expansion
CHAIRED BY DAVID CAMERON, MEMBERSHIP [OF THE ECONOMIC AFFAIRS (AIRPORTS) SUBCOMMITTEE] DEXTEROUSLY EXCLUDED COLLEAGUES THAT ARE EITHER ARDENTLY OPPOSED TO EXPANSION AT HEATHROW AND/OR HAVE CONSTITUENCIES IN OR AROUND WEST LONDON
The Commission has recommended a ban on all scheduled night flights at Heathrow between 11:30pm and 6:00am.
Cabinet decision Despite not having responded to the Final Report, the Cabinet has not been slow to act. Central to its decision-making process has been the pre-recess establishment of an Economic Affairs (Airports) Sub-Committee charged with considering ‘matters relating to airport capacity in the South East of England in the light of the Airports Commission’s final report’. Chaired by David Cameron himself, membership dexterously excluded colleagues that are either ardently opposed to expansion at Heathrow and/or have constituencies in or around West London. The composition of the Sub-Committee might well have been influenced by calls for the Conservative MPs with constituencies around Gatwick, who petitioned the Cabinet Secretary to exclude ministers with seats around Heathrow from the decision-making process to ensure the delivery of a truly national decision.
Package of mitigation measures The Commission’s recommendations for implementation of the full package of noise and environmental mitigation measures that should go hand-in-hand with expansion include some controversial proposals but some of which could be instrumental in the achievement of the bigger prize.
Night flights The Commission has recommended that ‘following construction of a third runway…there should be a ban on all scheduled night flights in the period 11:30pm to 6:00am’. Currently, Heathrow is restricted to 5,800 night-time take-offs and landings a year. Around 80% of these flights are between 4:30am and 6am with an average 16 flights a day between these hours. These flights are of particular frustration to local communities who have been pressuring their local MPs and councillors to act to reduce noise. A ban on these types of scheduled flights would be an important means of improving the conditions
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around the airport; however, it is likely to be met with resistance from airlines, business and possibly Heathrow Airport itself. By the Commission’s own admission, there would be some disbenefits if new flight times became inconvenient. Regardless of whether more expansion is required or not, night flights — or early morning arrivals — are important to airline business models and key to attracting passengers from emerging economies, such as the Far East. Without them, some benefits from expansion would be lost. Passengers travelling to the UK from South East Asia can board flights in the late evening at their place of origin and arrive in London in the morning. More than half of the capacity for arrivals at Heathrow in the early morning is from Hong Kong and Singapore. On the other hand, a report published in 2012 by the centre-right think-tank, Policy Exchange, found that the increase in the number of slots available from an additional runway would make it more straightforward to end night flights. They argue that later opening times at originating airports would enable flights to take off slightly later and arrive in the UK after 6am with little inconvenience.
Noise and air quality An additional measure to minimise the noise impacts of expansion, and on flight path changes, is an Independent Aviation Noise Authority. Politically this could be popular if it is given sufficient powers to challenge proposed changes to airspace, which will be inevitable to enable expansion to take place. In December 2013, the London Assembly unanimously recommended an independent noise regulator. In a joint letter from the Assembly’s Transport and Environment Committees, Members said Londoners must be confident that aviation noise levels are being monitored and action taken if levels are excessive. It urged the Commission to include the proposals its interim report. Interestingly, the concept has some support from business. The pro-expansion business campaign Let Britain Fly, initiated by the capital’s business lobby group London First, has been one
runway but are confident that measures could be taken as part of the planning application and through new national plans legally required by the end of the year to reduce NO2 levels. The 2009 scheme did not advance because of air quality so the Government will have to be tough in its efforts to find an effective and watertight solution to avoid too much political dissent and to survive the inevitable legal challenge.
of the strongest advocates of an independent noise ombudsman as a pragmatic solution to win the ‘hearts and minds of people who worry their lives will be blighted by noise’. The aviation industry itself is more sceptical and advises caution. Industry coalition, Sustainable Aviation, which launched in 2013 the industry’s first Noise Roadmap to demonstrate how noise from UK aviation would not increase despite a doubling of air travel demand over the next 40 years, ‘sees the merit in some of the principles of the proposals and recommends a review of existing statutory requirements on noise to identify gaps between current and best practices and…proposes principles such as an authority, if required to deliver best practice, should meet’. There are already currently a range of mechanisms for airports to work with local communities, including airport consultative committees (ACCs), airport master plans, airport transport fora (ATFs) and airport surface access strategies (ASAS) and examples of good practice of local community engagement on noise at the 51 designated airports and aerodromes. In the 2012 Sustainable Aviation Framework, the last Government preferred to encourage good practice rather than introduce a ‘one-size-fits-all’ model for local engagement. For a Government determined to cut red tape on business, the imposition of a national body at all airports and not just an expanded Heathrow, could prove problematic for some pro-business MPs, whereas a clear ‘noise envelope’ around Heathrow could be more acceptable. Similar to the noise issues, air quality, for local people and, by association, politicians local to Heathrow in particular, remains a major concern and will be a significant pressure point for the Government. The
Domestic connectivity An improvement to domestic connections into London and then beyond are paramount for the privilege of Scottish National Party (SNP) backing. The airport itself has agreed to try to help secure and create domestic routes through a new £10m Heathrow Route Development Fund, and through a review of its airport charges, which could be complemented by alterations to guidance to allow the introduction of Public Service Obligations on an airport-to-airport — subject to compliance with Article 16 of Air Services Regulations 1008/2008. London Mayor Boris Johnson has been quick to publish data designed to rubbish claims of domestic connectivity with a third runway, suggesting that connections to airports around the country would fall from current levels.
Back on the Isle, a glass of Jura whisky should ease the Prime Minister’s vacation review of the inch-thick report and help provide him with the courage that will be required to see through a Government decision to accept the Airports Commission’s recommendations. All things considered above, the political conditions have become broadly favourable for a positive decision on Heathrow. Acerbic claims about the creation of a west London dystopia would not be totally groundless, not without implementation of some, if not all, of the mitigation measures proposed by Sir Howard, alongside pledges made by the airport operator as part of its proposed scheme. Some of those recommendations themselves will be difficult and controversial to approve so retaining a balance, with trade offs here and there, to generally keep together a lasting consensus will require nerves of steel. He might think about bringing a bottle of that whisky back to Westminster with him.
Commission has not been unequivocal that EU and national air quality targets would be met with an additional
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SEPTEMBER 2015
Heathrow Airport
Political stars align
31
SEARCH AND RESCUE SAR 2015 Conference
Pressure builds for UK MPA I
The UK’s lack of a maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) to replace the Nimrod MRA4 was one of the key discussions at a recent search and rescue conference in Brighton, UK. ANDREW DRWIEGA reports.
t would take 400 patrol craft, 200 frigates or up to five helicopters to conduct a basic search of an area of the same size of ocean in one hour. A single maritime patrol aircraft could do the same job in the same time, stated Air Marshal Phillip Sturley, RAF (Rtd), during his keynote speech at a Search and Rescue conference held in Brighton during May. As a country heavily reliant on maritime trade, the UK also shoulders the added responsibility for the provision of search and rescue out to longitude 30 west in the Atlantic, to a southern latitude down to the Bay of Biscay, as well as a line north of the Shetland Islands. Since the last Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) in 2010, the UK has been without a long-range maritime patrol aircraft. This role had been filled by the Hawker Siddeley MR2 Nimrod. But its successor, the Nimrod MRA4, suffered from long delays, technical problems and cost over-runs. After £3·2bn had been spent, the government decided to close down the project. Adding further dismay to those who had argued to keep the aircraft in some form, the Government actually paid for them to be sliced up and completely destroyed, something Sturley found abhorrent. Arguing the need of a MPA, Sturley pointed out the UK’s need to patrol its 2·5 million square miles of Economic Exclusion Zone (EEZ). This area, when overseas territories and dependencies are included, is the fifth largest in the world. Naturally the main focus of any MPA would be the sea areas immediately around the UK. However, Sturley argued that the force would also be called upon, as it has been in the past, for additional roles: “There are oversees commitments, disaster response and anti-drugs operations in the Caribbean when the Nimrod was doing fantastic work with the Royal Navy. Also anti-piracy and people smuggling.” Nimrods supported UK forces operating with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)
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AEROSPACE / SEPTEMBER 2015
This year’s RIAT saw a US Navy Boeing P-8 Poseidon and JMSDF Kawasaki P-1 MPA appear at the show.
in Afghanistan and under a programme called Project Broadsword was given the capability to transmit real-time video imagery from its L-3 Wescam MX-15 electro-optical turret to ground commanders. However, the explosion of XV230 with the loss of 14 crew showed the dangers of overland missions. However, two specialised Nimrod R1 electronic intelligence gathering (ELINT) variants continued to be used over Afghanistan until their final deployment in 2010. The Royal Air Force is taking delivery of three new Rivet Joint RC-130W intelligence gathering aircraft with all planned to be operational by 2017. These will be operated by aircrew from 51 Squadron RAF, some of whom have been embedded with the USAF’s fleet and ground stations learning their skills.
Supporting the deterrent However, one of the central roles for the Nimrod fleet was anti-submarine warfare, particularly to protect the UK’s own strategic deterrent nuclear weapon-equipped submarine fleet. In a letter to the UK’s The Telegraph newspaper in May, five senior retired RAF officers suggested that the lack of anti-submarine capability has
Lockheed Martin
Airbus Defence and Space
likely resulted in Russian submarines being able to operate around the Scottish coast near the UK’s submarine base at Faslane. This will have allowed them, the letter argues, to gather valuable intelligence on the British nuclear deterrent. They also applied the warning to the future operations of the two new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. Sturley also points out that the number of foreign countries operating submarines “is increasing every year — there are now over 40.” During questions in the UK Parliament’s House of Lords on 4 June, Lord Reginald Empey of the Ulster Unionist Party asked Earl Howe, the Minister of State for the Ministry of Defence, what the government’s plans were for the improvement of the UK’s maritime patrol capability. Howe replied stating that their plans were being reviewed for the forthcoming SDSR (initially due this year, although the release date keeps slipping). He pointed to the policy of continuing to send RAF crews abroad to maintain their experience. “We continue to embed around 30 former Nimrod air crew in the maritime patrol communities of allied air forces to reduce the time and risks associated with regenerating a capability.” Under pressure to respond, Howe admitted that there was ‘a capability gap’ but that “we chose to accept that gap because we knew that we could mitigate it through employment of other assets, as well as through co-operation with allies.” Howe went on to state that other assets were able to provide the maritime protection required by
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the UK. “We have the use of other military assets, as I said, including Type 23 frigates, submarines and Merlin anti-submarine warfare helicopters, and we rely on the assistance that we get from our allies and partners.”
Muddling through? Prior to this Sturley had argued that such alternatives were not specialised for purpose and therefore fell short of delivering the effect: “There have been substitutes such as the [Lockheed Martin C-130] Hercules but the crews aren’t trained or equipped for this role. The crews also don’t have maritime awareness — you have to work with the Navy [to gain this].” Sturley did agree that the decision to send our MPA crews to other nations to keep their skills current was the correct one. Helicopters, too, do not have the range to cover long distance searches from land. Sturley presented the view that what was now needed was “a long-term relationship with the manufacturer or service provider with a gain share on performance and reliability.” To illustrate this, he highlighted the difference between the challenges in operating the older Vickers VC10s and Lockheed TriStars for the transport of troops and the new Airbus A330. “Once we recapitalised and got the A330 Voyager our availability went up to the high 90s in percentage terms.” Rivet Joint seems also to be ‘sensible’, he added. The basic need was to provide coverage beyond 250miles from the mainland in the wider and more remote expanses of the ocean. The MPA formed part of a mixed pool of resources that also included helicopters, submarines and even, potentially, the installation of sensors on airlines that could be used during emergencies (the stream of airliners across the Atlantic is continuous). Sturley pointed to the disappearance of Malaysian airliner MH370 as evidence that a modern passenger jet could simply disappear. “We need some satellite-based reporting system for airliners ‘so we know where the buggers are,’” he opined. Reviewing other options, Sturley mentioned the potential use of remotely piloted aircraft (RPA), applauding their endurance but noting that their role was not all-encompassing and that they were also costly assets. He said that the US Navy’s (USN) Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton programme was worth watching. This is now expected to reach Initial Operating Capability (IOC) in 2017. www.aerosociety.com
Contenders for the UK MPA prize? Above left: Airbus Defence and Space C295MPA. Above right: Lockheed C-130J Sea Hercules.
MPA FORMED PART OF A MIXED POOL OF RESOURCES THAT ALSO INCLUDED HELICOPTERS, SUBMARINES AND EVEN POTENTIALLY THE INSTALLATION OF SENSORS ON AIRLINERS THAT COULD BE USED DURING EMERGENCIES SEPTEMBER 2015
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SEARCH AND RESCUE
Finally, he re-emphasised the role that satellites already play in observation and communication globally and their potential for development. The government’s position was underlined by Howe at the beginning of June: “…the capabilities required from a future MPA have been studied by the MoD over the past two and a half years. The study has received representations from a number of defence industrial organisations which have allowed us to understand better the nature of the platforms in existence, as well as the timeframe in which novel technologies are likely to mature.” However, he did not elaborate further on the timeline for the introduction of a new MPA capability.
US Navy
SAR 2015 Conference
civil SAR operator replacing all military and MCA helicopters from 2012. Although the Soteria consortium — comprising the Canadian Helicopter Corporation (CHC), Thales, Sikorsky and the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) — was selected as the preferred bidder in February 2010, irregularities in the bidding process resulted in the contract being cancelled by the government in February 2011. Says Parkes: “New technology means we can respond 20 percent faster with the new aircraft, the Sikorsky S-92 and the AgustaWestland AW189" although he admitted: “The AW189 is a little delayed getting into service.” Damien Oliver, the change manager at the MCA, said that seven new bases are bieng constructed around the coast to add to three new and existing bases. All are new with none of the future SAR helicopters operating from any of the previous military bases. The managed transition of pilots from existing military roles to the Bristow aircrew pool means that around two-thirds of the 200 will be exmilitary personnel. “That is important from the point of view of legacy, history and experience which is the element we wanted to safeguard,” said Oliver. “The service has an annual running cost of £214m …that’s around $1m per day, with 22 new aircraft in total,” said Oliver. “The contract will run between seven and ten years.”
UK civil SAR progess
The AgustaWestland AW189 forms one half of the UK's new civil SAR helicopter service.
During the two-day conference, Richard Parkes, the director of Maritime Operations at the Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA), provided an overview of the progress Bristow Helicopters was making since its award in 2013 of a contract to replace the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy rescue helicopters with a new all-civilian operated service using new Sikorsky S-92 and AgustaWestland AW189 helicopters. The ambition is still for a service “at least as good as the one today.” In 2013, Bristow won the contract to run at 98% availability and an alert of 15 minutes during the day and 45 minutes during the night. The drive to remove the cost of the provision of UK military helicopters for the search and rescue role was begun in 2005 when it was announced that Canadian operator CHC had won a five-year interim competition to provide civil SAR helicopters ahead of rivals Bristow Helicopters and British International Helicopters. The interim contract was a stepping stone to the planned roll-out of the full SAR Harmonisation project which envisaged one
Bristow Helicopters
North Sea coverage
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AEROSPACE / JUNE 2015
Tom Milne, health and safety manager at Oil & Gas UK, added to the search and rescue debate around the UK by addressing the co-operative supplemental helicopter resource that is replacing the Jigsaw Project. The 2013 award of the SAR UK contract to Bristow prompted the Oil and Gas UK trade association to carry out a study into the impact of the changes on emergency SAR coverage. The requirement was for a two-hour rescue capability based on the likely survivable rate of someone in the water in a survival suit which was three hours. There are 19 individual oil and gas operators in the North Sea who are contributing to the cost who are doing so not only as part of their duty of care
Keeping MPA skills current — a RAF ‘Seedcorn’ crew member onboard a US Navy P-8. to operators depending on how many passengers they were flying out of Aberdeen which was their exposure to rescue risk, as well as how many people they had on their installations,” said Milne.
NASA update
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NASA recently tested emergency location transmitter survivability with a full-scale crash drop test using a Cessna C172.
NASA
for the offshore workforce as well as compliance with the health and safety executive’s Prevention of Fire, Explosion and Emergency Response (PFEER) regulations. These cover the recovery of people from a rig in the event of fire or explosion, or accidents such as a person in the sea or a helicopter ditching. “The regulations are interpreted as within 500m of any installation by the operators,” said Milne. He noted that, under Bristow, a smaller helicopter, the AW189, would now be located slightly further away from the main offshore installations. Another point made was that most of the helicopters used to transit energy workers were of the larger type with around 21 occupants onboard. He also noted the closure of RAF Bulmer at the end of the year and the relocation of the Jigsaw rescue helicopters due to the removal of the installation. A study revealed that, in the future, a gap would have arisen in the ability to respond and rescue people within the two hour window period. In May 2014 Oil and Gas UK requested a team to analyse options, particularly an identified exposure of risk in the southern part of the North Sea operational area. A user group was established in June 2014 with the aim to source an industry-funded SAR helicopter. One of the challenges, said Milne, was that 19 teams of corporate lawyers had to agree on contracts for the operation! There were two contracts: one between all of the users agreeing to work together, then the second between the group and the SAR operator. An agreement was reached and finalised by the final company on 31 March 2015 and the service went ‘live’ the following day. The £60m contract was awarded to Bond Offshore Helicopters and will cover the next five years. “We have two L2 Super Pumas based at Aberdeen airport providing 24-hour operations at 15 minutes readiness (7am-7pm) and 45 minutes outside of those times,” said Milne. Putting this in place while oil prices were falling (at the time) was a ‘significant challenge’, Milne revealed but the driving force was the need to demonstrate a commitment to safety which was met. “The cost was allocated
During the SAR conference, Dr Lisa Mazzuca, Search and Rescue Mission manager at the North American Space Administration (NASA) provided an interesting update on the organisation’s Emergency Locator Transmitter Survivability and Reliability (ELTSAR) project managed by NASA’s Langley Research Center. NASA works alongside the US Coast Guard, USAF and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), who together make up the SARSAT element of COSPAS-SARSAT. This is a satellite-based SAR distress alert detection and information distribution system, used in the location of emergency beacons activated on aircraft and ships worldwide. We have worked on the prototype of MEOSAR, the next generation of COSPAS-SARSAT. NASA’s research was directed at deciding on the best orbit for finding victim’s transmissions from space. “Our payload is now on 17 spacecraft — GPS in particular — and it is working. COSPAS-SARSAT will soon switch over to the MEOSAR segment.” The first ground segment for MEOSAR was also built and tested by NASA and has already been working for seven years. The goal is to eliminate the ‘search’ out of search and rescue, stated Mazzuca. “The current system using LEO spacecraft is 30 years old…and now needs to be overhauled.” Currently when an ELT signal is set off it has to wait for a LEO satellite to come overhead to pick it up. “Right now we are looking at delay times of up to 90 minutes…and that’s too long. We can build a better system.” Moving to MEOSAR, which will be on many spacecraft up to 20,000 miles up. “This will mean a web that can detect the signal almost instantaneously taking out the delay.” There are three space segment providers: USGPS, the European Space Agency (ESA) with Galileo — “that is a huge component for us right now because they are actively pushing up satellites with the SAR payload onboard” — and thirdly, GLONASS from Russia. The combination of all three will mean continual full global coverage. NASA has also been working on secondgeneration beacons for the past six years. New technology is being introduced into beacons that will allow them to transmit and pulse alerts quickly, around once a second. “We know it is important to get as many transmissions of the signal as possible before the ELT is damaged, either through fire or physical damage,” said Mazzuca. The manufacturers should have the beacons ready for fielding by 2018.
SEPTEMBER 2015
35
GENERAL AVIATION General Aviation Safety Council
RAeS General Aviation Group Representative JOHN THORPE FRAeS explains about the General Aviation Safety Council (GASCo) and its work to improve general aviation safety.
A IT HAS NO AUTHORITY OR LEGISLATIVE POWERS AND HAS TO RELY ON EDUCATION AND PERSUASION TO MEET ITS OBJECTIVES
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AEROSPACE / SEPTEMBER 2015
lthough it sounds a bit like an energy supplier, GASCo is, in fact, the General Aviation Safety Council. At the September 1964 meeting of the Conference of General Aviation Organisations, chaired by the late Air Chief Marshal, the Earl of Bandon, the General Aviation Safety Committee was formed, initially with six organisations. The Committee was accepted for registration by the Charity Commission in 1965. In 1994 the Constitution was revised and it became the General Aviation Safety Council and more recently was restructured as a non-profit making Charitable Limited Company. The 1964 Terms of Reference remain just as valid today as they did 50 years ago: ● To collect, collate and disseminate flight safety information among users of UK-registered general aviation aircraft.
● To study all matters affecting, or which might affect, flight safety in UK general aviation and to make recommendations to interested parties, as necessary. It has no authority or legislative powers and has to rely on education and persuasion to meet its objectives. Sqn Ldr John Chisholm Ward MBE was asked to be the Chairman, a post he held from 1966 to 1994. In a 20-year RAF career John flew Lysanders on special operations and was in the Berlin Air Lift. Right from its earliest days he launched the Flight Safety Bulletin and, for almost 30 years, he was GASCo, acting as Chairman, Secretary and Editor of the Bulletin from his home in Henley-on-Thames, later gaining the part-time help of a secretary for the six Council meetings per year. He was the Chairman when the author first joined GASCo in 1977. The current Chairman since 2012 has been
Cessna
Safety in the skies
GASCo publishes two quarterly flight safety magazines.
GASCo
General aviation consists of all private and business aviation, including executive or corporate operations, flying and gliding club and group activity, and commercial operations by small aircraft, such as air taxi, aerial photography and flying training. There are approximately 14,500 powered general aviation aircraft of various kinds in the UK, including microlights, helicopters and gyroplanes, 1,500 balloons, over 2,600 sailplanes and approximately 4,500 hang-gliders. In addition there are 4,500 regular parachutists. The Council Membership represents over 35 organisations and has members/observers from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, the Civil Aviation Authority, the MET Office, NATS and the RAF Flight Safety. The Council thus cover all those responsible for safety in general aviation, including ballooning, gliding, hang gliding, historic aircraft, home-built aircraft, microlighting, parachuting, paragliding, helicopter flying, large model flying and, of course, general aviation aeroplanes.
GASCo organised a seminar on ‘Ditching and Sea Survival’, in April 2015.
Finance and management GASCo is financed by the contributions of the organisations represented on the Council, of which the RAeS is an important supporter, as well as from subscriptions and donations made by readers of its quarterly magazine GASCo Flight Safety. As the Council is a registered charity, it also benefits from Gift Aid by those who pay UK income tax. The Council is represented at regular meetings of, for example, the General Aviation Partnership (GAP), the National Air Traffic Management Advisory Committee (NATMAC), and the airlines’ UK Flight Safety Committee (UKFSC) and is represented on the European General Aviation Safety Team (EGAST). GASCo is run by a Board of Directors/Trustees appointed by the Company in accordance with its governing document. The Board delegates the day to day running of the organisation to a Chief Executive, currently Mike O’Donoghue CBE FRAeS, who is also the Company Secretary. Mike leads the GASCo team consisting of an Office Manager and Administrator both based at its office at Rochester Airport, together with the eight-strong crew of volunteer Regional Safety Officers which works @aerosociety
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across the UK. In addition, GASCo employs a part-time Editor for the production of GASCo Flight Safety magazine and Flight Safety Extra.
GASCo flight safety activities
Piper Aircraft
Under the GASCo wing
GASCo
Air Commodore Rick Peacock Edwards CBE AFC FRAeS, whose RAF career included flying Lightnings and Phantoms, combat in the first Gulf War and becoming the Head of the European Air Forces Flight Safety Committee.
UK GA fleet
14,500
Powered GA aircraft
1,500 Balloons
2,600 Sailplanes
4,500
Hang-gliders
4,500
Parachutists www.aerosociety.com
● The hard-copy quarterly GASCo Flight Safety contains appropriate articles, analysis of accidents and incidents and proposed legislation, airspace changes likely to affect safety. Its theme is ‘Safety through Knowledge’. It is sent to all who make a small annual contribution (£16) to the Council’s funds. Currently almost 1,600 subscribe. ● In addition to the above, Flight Safety Extra containing short extracts and the latest safety news, including selected accident/incident reports, is e-mailed free of charge to all who request it. Currently, this number over 4,000 people, they only have to ask to be added to the list. ● The GASCo website www.gasco.org.uk provides full details of GASCo Council members, events, links to other authorities and details of UK fatal GA accidents for the past ten years together with significant engineering occurrences selected from the CAA Safety Data Dept monthly list of general aviation occurrences. ● During the last 10 years GASCo has organised a selection of day-long modestly-priced seminars focusing on subjects, such as Avoiding Stall-Spin, Weather, Ditching and Sea Survival, Helicopters, Human Factors, Stay High — Stay Safe, New Technology and Air Traffic Friend or Foe? ● In the past the military authorities and the CAA arranged joint Military Civil Air Safety Days (MCASD) at military airfields. These popular events were an important way in which to bring both communities together to discuss local airspace issues. The first event for some years was held in April 2015 at the Royal Naval Air Station, Yeovilton, and GASCo played an important part in helping to run the day. The event was very well attended and voted a resounding success. ● At aeronautical events, such as the Light Aircraft Association Annual Rally, AeroExpo and The Flying Show, a borrowed aircraft is rigged with a selection of defects so that pilots and engineers can check the effectiveness of their pre-flight inspection. There are no prizes but on completion they are given the answers, so that they can learn from what they missed. SEPTEMBER 2015
37
03 June 2015
GENERAL AVIATION
● As part of the NATS Airspace and Safety Initiative, the ‘Fly-on-Track’ website is run on behalf of GASCo. This provides the latest airspace news as well as radar replays and analysis of genuine UK airspace infringement, see www.flyontrack.co.uk . ● For the past five years GASCo has been running Safety Evenings on behalf of the CAA to provide Safety Evenings on its behalf. These are free to attend and include a range of current safety topics, provided by seven volunteer Regional Safety Officers. These evenings are held at venues thought the UK including flying clubs and groups as well as microlight and gliding clubs. During the 2014/15 winter season a total of 50 evenings were given, with an average attendance of 40+.
In 2014 GASCo organised a seminar at Coventry University explaining the present state of knowledge concerning loss of control during flight.
LoC I (Loss of Control In Flight) The Report of a Seminar held in November 2014 at Coventry University arranged by GASCo (General Aviation Safety Council) and the Faculty of Engineering and Computing at the University. INTRODUCTION Loss of Control in Flight is by far the most common cause of fatalities in General Aviation fixed wing aircraft in the UK, USA and most other parts of the world. Consequently it has been the focus of much of the attention of many safety agencies throughout the globe including GASCo. This organisation produced a paper in
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AEROSPACE / SEPTEMBER 2015
2010 that studied fatal stall or spin accidents to UK registered light aeroplanes during the period 1980 to 2008. Its principle conclusions appear in the Appendix to this report. The report led to further practical research by Dr Guy Gratton of Brunel University and his conclusions also appear in the
Appendix. Dr Mike Bromfield of Coventry University has been working in recent years with GASCo to pursue the issues involved and the seminar held in November 2014 aimed to assemble some of the experts in this field and to review the present state of knowledge.
GASCo
General Aviation Safety Council
At aeronautical events GASCo rigs a borrowed aircraft with a selection of defects so that pilots and engineers can check the effectiveness of pre-flight inspections. back
● The Council meets three times a year, with discussions on recent accidents and incidents and decisions on the action to be taken to reduce the possibility of a recurrence as well as proposed legislation, airspace changes etc. Although a number of the organisations have their own safety committees it is by meeting regularly that cross-fertilisation can benefit everyone. The philosophy is that a real and lasting improvement in general aviation flight safety can only be brought about through education and understanding, i.e. safety through knowledge.
What are the causes and what has been achieved? In 1964 with a relatively small number of general aviation aircraft on the UK Register there was cause for concern with a fatal accident rate of about 50 per million hours flown. Figure 1 (top right) shows the annual three-year moving average for the 603 fatal accidents to UK registered general aviation powered aircraft of 5,700kg and below over the past 35 years, together with the fatal accident rate per million flying hours. The number of accidents (blue diamonds) shows a steady downward trend and it is encouraging that there is no sign of it ‘bottoming out’ due to the ‘law of diminishing returns’. The fatal accident rate per million flying hours (pink squares) follows it closely. The flying hours per annum have had their ups and downs with a marked reduction during the past five years. Hour’s data has only been available since 1985, while it cannot be up-to-date due to some three-year Cs of A. However, the number of powered general aviation aircraft on the UK register has increased from about 8,500 in 1985 to the current over 16,000. Of this total only about 66% have a current Permit to Fly or Certificate of Airworthiness, the remainder are either being
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GASCo
30 25 20 15 10 5 0 1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
23%
Loss of control VFR Low aerobatics/flying Forced landings
25%
GASCo
Figure 1. Three-year moving average of number of fatal Accidents (blue) and Fatal accident rate per million flying hours (pink) to UK registered powered aircraft of 5,700kg (Includes aeroplanes, microlights, helicopters, gyroplanes, balloons/airships and foot-launched powered aircraft).
CFIT
7% 15%
8% 10%
Loss of control IMC Mid-air collision
12% Others & unknown
Figure 2. Aeroplanes of 5,700kg and below ― Type of accident (one per fatal accident) during 30 years 1984 to 2013 (Others & unknown includes collision with ground objects, low approach, airframe failure, medical/suicide and undetermined).
GASCo
rebuilt or are stored. It is noteworthy that, in 30 years, the average annual utilisation per aircraft has decreased from about 135 hours to approx 80 hours. Microlighting was only just beginning at the start of the 1980s, now it is a thriving activity with a safety record to match conventional aeroplanes. GASCo, in conjunction with initiatives from the aviation organisations and, in the past, from active CAA safety promotion, has contributed to bringing that rate down to a current level of about 1.5 fatal accidents per 100,000 flying hours. It should also be borne in mind that nowadays there is a very different public attitude towards safety compared with over 50 years ago when smoking was the norm and motorcyclists, let alone cyclists, rarely wore head protection. Figure 2 (centre right) shows the Type of Fatal Accident most prevalent for aeroplanes of 5,700kg and below. Only one Type has been allocated to each of the 396 accidents in which there may be many factors. Loss of control in visual flight is the most common by a large margin with low aerobatics and low flying next, although the latter has reduced very significantly in the last two decades. The most common factor in aeroplanes is ‘stall-spin’ which occurs in several of the types of accident, while in helicopters it is ‘continued in adverse weather’ and for microlights inexperience/incorrect control input. Figure 3 (lower right) shows factors revealed during the thorough investigation of the 396 fatal aeroplane accidents between 1980 and 2013. Stall-spin occurs in 38% of them, occurring during aerobatics, low flying/beat-ups, forced landings and flight in IMC as well as during normal flight when the pilot does not recognise the symptoms until too late. To focus on the stall spin issue, in 2010 GASCo published a detailed investigation, A Study of Fatal Stall or Spin Accidents to UK Registered Light Aeroplanes 1980 to 2008, this included nine recommendations. Nevertheless, the percentage of stall-spin accidents per decade appears to be increasing. It is also noteworthy that stalling is also a major factor in microlight accidents, occurring in 31% of cases. Space prevents detailed discussion of Fig. 3 but a lack of knowledge of the correct procedures and incorrect control input are frequently revealed as fatal accident factors. The high percentage of cases where the flying rules have been broken may be symptomatic of the pilot’s attitude, leading to them being more likely to be involved in an accident. Almost every fatal accident includes a human factors issue or pilot error. The bottom line is that GASCo’s ambitious and wide-ranging activities, which concentrate on human factors, are dependent upon the continued donations from both the aviation public and those on the GASCo Council — we all share the same skies.
Stall-spin
14
Procedures
38
16.5
Control input
18
Flying rules broken
27 19.5
Continued poor weather Poor planning Maintennce Maintenance
24.5
22 24
Distraction Inexperience
Figure 3. Aeroplanes of 5,700 kg and below ― Percentage of fatal accidents, 1980-2013 where investigation reveals the above factors, which may not necessarily be causal.
www.aerosociety.com
SEPTEMBER 2015
39
Register Now! CAREERS IN AEROSPACE.COM
The Autumn UK careers and recruitment fair dedicated to aerospace and aviation
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RAeS, No.4 Hamilton Place, London W1J 7BQ Friday 6 November 2015 AM session 10:00 – 12:45 PM session 13:00 – 15:45
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www.aerosociety.com
Diary 7-8 October RPAS: Achievements and Challenges President’s Conference
Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Group conduct aerial operations with their Predator UAS aircraft. US Customs and Border Protection.
42 Message from RAeS - President “I was very pleased to attend a meeting of the Society’s Specialist Groups Committee (SGC) held at No.4 Hamilton Place in early July. The hard work undertaken by the 24 Specialist Groups overseen by the Learned Society Board underpins maintenance of the Society’s reputation as the world’s leading learned organisation serving the incredible range of professions and disciplines that make up aviation and aerospace today.”
44 Book Reviews
52 Diary
Born of Adversity, Digital Avionics Handbook and Dirigible Dreams.
Find out when and where around the world the latest aeronautical and aerospace lectures and events are happening.
47 Library Additions
54 Obituaries
Books submitted to the National Aerospace Library.
48 IT FLIES UK 2015
55 Corporate Partners
University teams battle it out to win this year’s prize.
Three new members joined the Society’s Corporate Partner Scheme.
- Chief Executive
51 RAeS Washington Branch
“I hope that by now you will have had a chance to review our new ‘Heritage’ website, as detailed in last month’s AEROSPACE. We have received excellent feedback from around the globe on this new resource which showcases some of the treasures from our archive of which we are particularly proud.”
The Washington Branch host a lively panel discussion on global aircraft tracking, locating and flight deck protection.
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Professor Sir John Horlock and John Wimpenny.
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57 RAeS Written Paper Prizes The winners of the RAeS Written Paper Prizes for the best papers published in The Aeronautical Journal in 2014.
SEPTEMBER 2015
41
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Message from RAeS OUR PRESIDENT Martin Broadhurst
IT IS A KEY STRATEGIC AIM FOR THE SOCIETY TO ENHANCE ITS LEARNED OUTPUT AND TO INCREASE ITS CONTRIBUTION AND INFLUENCE WITHIN THE WIDER DEBATES
I was very pleased to attend a meeting of the Society’s Specialist Groups Committee (SGC) held at No.4 Hamilton Place in early July. The hard work undertaken by the 24 Specialist Groups overseen by the Learned Society Board underpins maintenance of the Society’s reputation as the world’s leading learned organisation serving the incredible range of professions and disciplines that make up aviation and aerospace today. The Society is indebted to all those who invest so much time and skill to carry on this work. It is a key strategic aim for the Society to enhance its learned output and to increase its contribution and influence within the wider debates taking place in our areas of expertise. To this end the SGC considers and selects a small number specialist and cross-cutting subjects that should be adopted as key themes for the Society over the coming period. Similarly, each year the President selects one topic as the keynote theme for his or her Presidential year. Last year Bill Tyack led the Society on the theme of ‘Space’ and I have no doubt that the profile lent to this subject through his efforts has contributed significantly to a greater awareness of the economic and technological contribution that this sector makes globally and in the UK particularly. The Case for Space report published by London
Economics on 14 July revealed that Britain’s space industry which employs 37,000 people has more than doubled its turnover in the last decade to £11·8bn a year and is ‘punching above its weight’ in the international marketplace. The report also highlights the enabling impact the industry has on everyday life. Certainly if the large and enthusiastic attendance at recent Society space-related events is anything to go by, then this is an area of our profession that is, once again, gripping young people. For my Presidential theme, I have chosen Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) and this will be the subject of the Presidential Conference in early October. It is a complex and growing field of activity spanning military and civil users; it encompasses a diverse range and scale of platforms; it has significant implications for traditional skills and disciplines; it challenges our lawmakers and regulators; it brings the possibility to deploy technical applications of huge benefit but at the same time arouses fears and suspicions amongst the public. In short it is a field of activity in which the Society must provide forums for learned debate and channels for influence based on professional evaluation. As the SGC forum quickly concluded, UAS is a subject that touches just about all of our 24 Specialist Groups!
RAeS AEROSPACE GOLF DAY
Above: Frilford Heath Golf Club. Right: FlightSafety International — winners of the Texas Scramble competition.
42
Players on the Society’s Aerospace Golf Day were plied with plenty of water as they played 27 holes of challenging golf in soaring temperatures. This year’s event fell on Wednesday, 1 July — the hottest July day on record in the UK. Thankfully the heat was not enough to deter our players and a successful day was had by all. The Singles Stableford competition was won by Craig Scolding who was playing for Universal Aviation UK Ltd. Other winners were: Singles Stableford 2nd Prize, Simon Levy, RAeS; 3rd Prize, Keith Calvert, Gama Aviation; Longest Drive, Paul Doble, guest of FightSafety International; Nearest the Pin, Neil Swift, guest of Cyient. The Flight Safety International team were the winners of the Texas Scramble competition, with Universal Aviation UK and Cyient in second and third place. The Society would like to thank the InterContinental London Park Lane, Cyient, FlightSafety International, Food by Dish and Frilford Heath Golf Club for their generosity in providing prizes and supplying our players with golfing merchandise. By popular demand we will be returning to Frilford Heath Golf Club next year and we look
AEROSPACE / SEPTEMBER 2015
forward to welcoming back our regular players as well as seeing some new faces. Please keep an eye on the events section of our website for further details. If you have any queries about this event, please contact: Gail Ward, Events Manager — Corporate & Society T +44 (0)1491 629912 E [email protected]
OUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE Simon C Luxmoore
WE HAVE A ‘FAST START’ TO OUR ANNIVERSARY YEAR IN 2016 WITH THE ‘BLACK TIE’ DINNER WHICH WILL BE HELD ON THE DATE, 12 JANUARY, WHEN OUR ‘FOUNDING FATHERS’ FIRST MET
While No.4 Hamilton Place as a venue is relatively quiet during the month of August, it is busy as far as the staff are concerned. This is the month that further maintenance, development work and reorganisation can take place with relatively few committee meetings taking place and few conferences and other events. In addition the ‘budgetary cycle’ for 2016 begins and we have the finalisation of ‘the half year’ and of course the mid-year staff ‘appraisals’. Finally we have the early September Council and Board of Trustee meetings to prepare for which, as you may imagine, takes some preparation. The last three months of this year are particularly busy, with many Society conferences and events, and most of the remaining days now booked for ‘third party’ use. This is most welcome since the first half of the year was ‘quieter’ than expected so this increased activity is most welcome. We have a ‘fast start’ to our anniversary year in 2016 with the ‘Black Tie’ dinner which will be held on the date, 12 January, when our ‘founding fathers’ first met. Details of this event which comprises a debate followed by a dinner, can be found on the Society’s website in a new section called RAeS 150th Anniversary. Here we will be outlining details of a full range of activities planned for our anniversary year and I
would encourage you to take a look to see how you might get involved. I hope that by now you will have had a chance to review our new ‘Heritage’ website, as detailed in last month’s AEROSPACE. We have received excellent feedback from around the globe on this new resource which showcases some of the treasures from our archive of which we are particularly proud. This includes the photograph albums of Lawrence Hargrave, an inventor whose box-kite structure was later reflected in the early Voisin aircraft designs, and the anniversary of whose death was marked earlier this year. Since the start of the year, we have had a team of regular volunteers assisting our librarians at the NAL in conserving certain items in the collection. We hosted a ‘garden party’ to thank them for their sterling efforts and a pleasant afternoon was spent with tea and cake beside Farnborough’s airship hangar. We are delighted to have received a particularly high number of nominations for the 2015 round of Society Honours, Medals and Awards. Thank you to everyone who took the time to submit a nomination. Should you wish to submit a nomination for next year, then please contact Tim Caines here at the Society. Later this month, we will notify all those who put forward nominations for informing them of the outcome.
NOT SOMETHING YOU SEE IN YOUR FRONT ROOM EVERY DAY
An unusual visitor to No.4 Hamilton Place on 25 June for the Sopwith Lecture was the Yorkshire Air Museum’s full-size reconstruction of the Port Victoria PV8 ‘Eastchurch’ Kitten which was re-assembled in the Marshall of Cambridge Room on the ground floor for the day. This aircraft is not airworthy but can be taxied. Find us on Twitter
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Book Reviews BORN OF ADVERSITY
Britain’s Airlines 1919-1963 By G Halford-MacLeod Amberley Publishing, The Hill, Merrywalks, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5 4EP, UK. 2014. 207pp. Illustrated. £17.99. ISBN 978-1-84868-993-0. “I am very surprised at the argument that is going on, and very upset about it, because I never believed that it was the Corporation’s job to make profits. The Corporation was there to support the British Aircraft Industry, to develop routes round the World and so on.” Sir Matthew Slattery, quoting Sir Gerard d’Erlanger, 1964 Select Committee. If anything were, in my view, to summarise very briefly the contradictions of Air Transport policy in the UK over the first 40 years, I would refer people to this quotation. Right from the very start of British airlines attempting the first tentative steps of flying commercial air services between London and Paris there was the questions whether such a form of transport could ever be self-sustaining, should it even be so and should it ever be an instrument of Government policy for both trade and communications between Great Britain and her far-flung colonies? Those early years of Handley Page Air Transport, Daimler Airways, Instone Air Line and the rather less well-known British Marine Air Navigation have been well documented over the years, as is their collective failure which led to the formation of Imperial Airways Ltd in April 1924, by Government backing (though it was to be a ‘private’ company) in the form of a guaranteed subsidy of £1m to be spread over ten years; but of course there was also a rider that for this new airline “all aircraft should be of British design and manufacture.” This refrain will not be entirely unfamiliar to anyone involved in the British air transport scene as recently as the 1960s. Nevertheless, Imperial Airways (IAL) did reasonably well, pioneering routes to Africa, India and Singapore while using aircraft which were more majestic than economic. The HP42 comes to mind. But the airline neglected the domestic and European
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AEROSPACE / SEPTEMBER 2015
Top: Vickers Vimy Commercial, G-EASI, City of London, of Instone Air Line. Above: The cabin interior of the same aircraft. Bottom: Avro Tudor 4, G-AGRE, Star Ariel, of BSAA. All RAeS (NAL).
... it would have been easy simply to write a dry history but he has the gift of narrative as well, thus making it eminently readable
scene and it was not long before many others were setting up their own routes including, unusually, the railway companies and even a bus company (Hillman’s); by 1935 there were 19 British air transport companies flying within Europe and the UK, most of them losing money. The birth of BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation) as a result of the Camden Report (1938) was inauspicious in that war had already been declared in September 1939. Yet, despite the battles with the RAF (most of the Board resigned in 1943) and later the Ministries of Supply and Civil Aviation, the airline emerged from the war relatively unscathed only to learn that two other Corporations — British South American Airways (BSAA) and British European Airways (BEA) — were to be set up in order to operate within South America and Europe respectively. The policy of ‘Buy British’ persisted, however, and was to create difficulties for many years, right up to the purchases of the VC10 and Trident. The pursuit of the Avro Tudor makes particularly interesting reading. True, changes came during the 1950s and 1960s when smaller ‘Independent’ airlines were able to operate holiday charters and apply to fly schedules on routes not sought by either BEA or BOAC; challenges to either Corporation were simply not permitted until the middle of the decade and Eagle was particularly successful in this, as was British United Airways (BUA). The author, Guy Halford-McLeod, has already published an excellent trilogy (Britain’s Airlines Vols 1-3 — 1946 to Deregulation [Tempus Publishing Limited/The History Press. 2006-2010]) and this present book does a great service in helping the reader to understand exactly how the circumstances before 1946 were to influence the way airlines were regulated and allowed to operate in this country and how these airlines survived. Born of Adversity is an inspired title to this book. As in his previous books, the author has made use of his access to Parliamentary records, Government reports and journals well; it would have been easy simply to write a dry history but he has the gift of narrative as well, thus making it eminently readable. I can thoroughly recommend this book to both historian and layman. It is excellent. Capt Dacre Watson FRAeS
DIGITAL AVIONICS HANDBOOK
Third edition By C R Spitzer et al CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, 6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742, USA. 2014. Distributed by Taylor & Francis Group, 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon OX14 4RN, UK. Irregular pagination. Illustrated. £114. [20% discount available to RAeS members via www.crcpress.com using AKN14 promotion code]. ISBN 978-1-4398-6861-4. Authors of textbooks on avionics face two problems. First, the scope of the subject is so wide that, inevitably, the books are either narrow and deep or broad and shallow and, secondly, the two main groups of readers are users and system developers, both with very differing requirements. The Third edition of Digital Avionics Handbook, edited by Cary Spitzer, manages to achieve a remarkable balance, satisfying a wide range of readers needing to understand modern avionics. Readers of the second edition, will not be disappointed by the increase in subject matter, while the clarity of explanation and inclusion of up-to-date material is retained. There is one major difference from the second edition; Cary Spitzer died during production of the third edition and a large number of his colleagues have contributed to the 45 sections to ensure publication of the book. The book has three major sections, focusing on safety and certification in the first section which, uniquely includes software certification, an increasingly important aspect of the design, testing and certification of avionics. The Find us on Twitter
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second section concentrates on the technology of avionics with a wealth of examples, including head-up and helmet-mounted displays, speech recognition, terrain avoidance, TCAS, ADS-B, flight management systems, flight control systems and avionics architectures. Examples are taken from modern civil aircraft systems for many of these topics. The third section of the book describes the current tools and design methods used to develop avionics systems. Rather than just describing databus architectures, the book covers the design methods and tools used to model, validate and integrate complex systems. Quite simply, this is the best book on avionics currently available. While other books may go into more depth of sensor technology, satellite navigation or flight control system design, Digital Avionics Handbook is a comprehensive guide to the avionics used in the current generation of civil and military aircraft. The contributors to the book are well known in their respective fields and the editor has managed to ensure consistency of style and explanation throughout the book. I have only two minor complaints. First, there is no index, which is disappointing for such a comprehensive textbook and, secondly, the price (currently over £100 in the UK) is beyond the reach of most students. Nevertheless, the book is essential reading for both engineers needing a sound introduction to avionics and developers needing to understand the design issues underpinning modern avionics systems. Prof David Allerton CEng FRAeS
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Airbus A380 cockpit. Airbus.
The Third edition of Digital Avionics Handbook, edited by Cary Spitzer, manages to achieve a remarkable balance, satisfying a wide range of readers needing to understand modern avionics SEPTEMBER 2015
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Book Reviews DIRIGIBLE DREAMS
The Age of the Airship By C M Hiam ForeEdge, Lebanon, NH, USA. 2014. Distributed by Casemate, 10 Hythe Bridge Street, Oxford OX1 2EW, UK. 2014. 263pp. Illustrated. £23. ISBN 978-1-61168-560-2. This is a well-written narrative illustrated from that famed free-use repository The Library of Congress. The chapters are subject-based rather than chronological. Each contains an account of a significant international programme in airship development that is highly readable and simple to comprehend. I have rarely seen so much detail in an English language narrative; particularly in regard to the exploits of Santos-Dumont, Wellman, Nobile and Amundsen. The coverage of German Zeppelins from the Count’s early experiments to Eckener’s pre-war efforts is brief but concise, though this is by no means an authoritative history. There are some interesting first-hand reports of flights in Graf Zeppelin and Hindenburg but a surprising variation in detail. We are treated to a few individual Zeppelin raid victims, listed by age and occupation, though other subjects are skimmed over with bland generalisations. Glancing through the bibliography and index there is precious little evidence of research based on primary sources. This comes out in particular in regard to the description of the Imperial Airship Scheme in the United Kingdom in the 1920s
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leading up to the overseas excursions of R.100 and R.101; areas of particular interest to this reviewer. Firstly, there is not a mention of Sir Dennistoun Burney, the prime mover at Vickers/AGC (Airship Guarantee Company), nor, it seems, did Barnes Wallis play any part! The entire R.100 programme, described as an almost total success, is credited to Nevil Shute Norway, calculator to Wallis’ team. The critical comments in his novel-come-autobiography Slide Rule (London: William Heinemann.1954) — many of which Norway retracted to R.101 historian Peter Masefield (listed as Mansfield in the index) — are regurgitated and embroidered in this work to the point where the entire chapter should, in my mind, be ‘ripped out’. The throwaway use of statistics is completely unfair to the Cardington workforce. Neither airship is credited for their significance as developmental prototypes. There are numerous documents and testaments in European archives, many online, but the author’s shallow approach is extremely disappointing. As with many documentaries and, so called historic accounts, it is always of concern when one finds such errors in the subject you know, as it dilutes the authority of the subjects on which your knowledge is thinner. I hope, for the sake of other readers, that the other chapters are to be believed, as they make interesting stories. Not recommended for any serious airship historian. Peter Davison AMRAeS
The Graf Zeppelin, LZ 127. Inset: Colour tinted slide looking through the navigation room into the control cabin aboard the Graf Zeppelin. RAeS (NAL).
There are some interesting firsthand reports of flights in Graf Zeppelin and Hindenburg but a surprising variation in detail
Library Additions BOOKS AVIATION MEDICINE
preserved and airworthy examples that can still be seen.
High G Flight: Physiological Effects and Countermeasures. D G Newman. Ashgate Publishing Limited, Wey Court East, Union Road, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7PT, UK. 2015. 246pp. Illustrated. £65. ISBN 978-14724-1457-1.
Gustave Whitehead: First in Flight. S Brinchman. Apex Educational Media, La Mesa, CA, USA (www. gustavewhiteheadbook.com). 2015. 432pp. Illustrated. $24.99 plus postage/packing. ISBN 978-0-692-43930-2. A detailed re-examination of the pioneering flight claims of Gustave Whitehead (Gustav Weisskopf) incorporating a number of reproductions from contemporary journals of the time and other eye-witness testimonies, reviewing how his aeronautical experiments have been presented over the years by the Smithsonian Institution and others.
AVIONICS AND SYSTEMS German Aircraft Instrument Panels Vol 2. D Karnas. Published by Stratus, Poland, on behalf of Mushroom Model Publications, 3 Gloucester Close, Petersfield, Hants GU32 3AX, UK (www. mmpbooks.biz). 2015. 38pp. Illustrated. £15. ISBN 978-8363678-80-7. A compilation of detailed colour diagrams and photographs of the various cockpit instrument panel designs of the Messerschmitt Bf109E/Me262A, Junkers Ju87A, Henschel Hs126, Heinkel He111, Focke-Wulf Fw190A-3 and Dornier Do17. GLIDING Silent Invaders: Combat Gliders of the Second World War. G A Best. Fonthill Media Limited, Millview House, Toadsmoor Road, Stroud GL5 2TB, UK. 2014. 232pp. Illustrated. £20. ISBN 978-162545-000-5. HISTORICAL Douglas DC-3: 80 Glorious Years. G Jones. Fonthill Media Limited, Millview House, Toadsmoor Road, Stroud GL5 2TB, UK. 2015. 208pp. Illustrated. £20. ISBN 978-178155-103-5. Illustrated by 70 colour and numerous monochrome photographs, an informative overview of the DC-3’s operators across America, Europe, Brazil, Latin America, Africa and Australia, focusing on the many (around 250) Find us on Twitter
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From Pole to Pole: Roald Amundsen’s Journey in Flight. G J Cameron. Pen & Sword Discovery, Pen & Sword Books, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, S Yorkshire S70 2AS, UK. 2013. 193pp. Illustrated. £19.99. ISBN 978-78159337-0. A biographical study of the Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen and the role that aircraft were to play in his attempts to reach the North Pole, the explorer and five companions losing their own lives on 18 June 1928 in a Latham 47 flying boat while searching for the crew of Umberto Nobile’s crashed Italia airship. The Ultimate Flying Wings of the Luftwaffe. J Miranda. Fonthill Media Limited, Millview House, Toadsmoor Road, Stroud GL5 2TB, UK. 2015. 248pp. Illustrated. £25. ISBN 978-1-78155-372-5. Numerous linearrangement diagrams illustrate this compilation of summary descriptions of the many advanced aircraft, rockets, bombs and ejection seats under development in Germany during WW2, including the Blohm und Voss BV155 Karawanken/P177/
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P179/P192/P193/P194/ P204/P205/P207/P208/ P237/BV246 B Hagelkorn, Dornier P247/P353/FockeWulf Honhenjager/Heinkel He P1076/Henschel P75/P130/ Hs298 Luftkampfrakete, Lipppisch 8-334 [Me334], Skoda-Kauba V5, Gotha P56/ P57, Ruhrstahl 8-344 [X-4] Jagerrakete and their variants among other project designs.
The Boulton Paul Balliol: the Last Merlin-Powered Aircraft. A Brew. Fonthill Media Limited, Millview House, Toadsmoor Road, Stroud GL5 2TB, UK. 2015. 128pp. Illustrated. £14.99. ISBN 9781-78155-361-9. Illustrated by many previously unpublished photographs, a detailed history of the evolution of Boulton Paul’s final aircraft design to go into production, from becoming the first aircraft to be powered by a single prop-jet to its later transition as the last pistonengined advanced trainer in the Royal Air Force powered by the Rolls-Royce Merlin as it evolved from the P108, T2 and Sea Balliol T21. Tornado F3: a Navigator’s Eye on Britain’s Last Interceptor. D Gledhill. Fonthill Media Limited, Millview House, Toadsmoor Road, Stroud GL5 2TB, UK. 2015. 320pp. Illustrated. £25. ISBN 978-1-78155-307-7. Tuploev Tu-128 ‘Fiddler’. A Dawes et al. Fonthill Media Limited, Millview House, Toadsmoor Road, Stroud GL5 2TB, UK. 2014. 464pp. Illustrated. £35. ISBN 978-178155-404-3. Schneider Trophy Aircraft 1913-1931. D N James. Fonthill Media Limited, Millview House, Toadsmoor Road, Stroud GL5 2TB, UK. 2015. 368pp. Illustrated. £40. ISBN 978-1-78155-418-0. Incorporating many additional photographs, a welcome new enlarged-format
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edition of this informative compilation of detailed histories of the individual aircraft types (and of the other designs under consideration) which competed in the Schneider Trophy seaplane contests, originally published by Putnam in 1981. British Propeller Makers of WW1: Parts One — Five (5 vols). B Gardner. Circadian (UK) Ltd, Barnsdale House, Barnsdale Mews, Campsall, Doncaster DN6 9RH, UK. (http://www.aeroclocks. com ). 2010-2012. 141pp; 183pp; 182pp; 172pp; 174pp. Illustrated. Arranged alphabetically by manufacturer from The Aircraft Construction Company through to Wolseley Motors Limited and including individual drawing numbers when known, these wellillustrated volumes provide a detailed account of aircraft propeller production in Britain during WW1 and the 122 propeller manufacturers then in operation. Part One covers The Aircraft Construction Company to Boulton & Paul; Part Two — The British and Colonial Aeroplane Company to the Falcon Airscrew Company; Part Three — The Farringdon Engineering Company to the Lang Propeller Company; Part Four — The London Aircraft Company to Frederick Sage & Co; Part Five — Saunders Ltd to Wolseley Motors Limited. Langley: Man of Science and Flight. J G Vaeth. The Ronald Press Company, New York. 1966. 117pp. Illustrated. A biography of Samuel Pierpont Langley (18341906) who, under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution, of which Langley was its third Secretary, developed a series of steampowered tandem-wing model aeroplanes and was later to develop his design into a fullsize man-carrying machine, his tandem monoplane ‘Aerodrome’ crashing into the Potomac River south-east of Washington for the second time on 8 December 1903 — a few days before the Wright Brothers’ successful first flight. LIGHTER-THAN-AIR The Zeppelin. M Belafi. Pen & Sword Aviation, Pen & Sword Books, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, S Yorkshire S70 2AS, UK. 2015. 211pp. Illustrated. £30. ISBN 978-1-47382785-1.
SERVICE AVIATION
Commanding Far Eastern Skies: a Critical Analysis of the Royal Air Force Superiority Campaign in India, Burma and Malaya 1941-1945. P Preston-Hough. Helion & Company Limited, 26 Willow Road, Solihull, B91 1UE, UK. 2015. Distributed by Casemate, 10 Hythe Bridge Street, Oxford OX1 2EW. 320pp. Illustrated. £29.95. ISBN 978-1-91029444-4. Rapid Rundown: RAF Operations in the Middle and Far East 1945-1948. S Gifford. Fonthill Media Limited, Millview House, Toadsmoor Road, Stroud GL5 2TB, UK. 2014. 304pp. Illustrated. £25. ISBN 978-1-78155-341-1. Incorporating the recollections of many who were involved, a detailed account of the Royal Air Force’s operations in the immediate post-war years in Palestine, Iraq, Cyprus, Aden, India, Ceylon and further afield in Malaya, Singapore, Siam, Indo-China, Japan and The Netherlands East Indies, including its involvement in the beginnings of the Malayan Emergency. The Little Blitz: the Luftwaffe’s Last Attack on London. J Conen. Fonthill Media Limited, Millview House, Toadsmoor Road, Stroud GL5 2TB, UK. 2014. 128pp. Illustrated. £14.99. ISBN 9781-78155-308-4. A detailed history of the Luftwaffe’s offensive over London of January-April 1944 as part of Operation Steinbock and the effect the air raids had on the civil population and government authorities.
For further information contact the National Aerospace Library. T +44 (0)1252 701038 or 701060 E [email protected] SEPTEMBER 2015
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Society News IT FLIES UK 2015
Glyndwr University soars to joint first place Entries were of an extremely high standard this year, resulting in a tied win between Glyndwr University and The University of Dayton, Ohio. Peter Webster, team leader for the Airbus apprentice team from Glyndwr University writes: As an engineer, the opportunity to have a test pilot fly one of your aircraft designs is a honour reserved to a select few. Yet it was in this privileged position that four of my fellow Airbus apprentices and I found ourselves recently, when Dave Southwood, test pilot on the Tornado GR1, Jaguar and Buccaneer, flew our glider as part of the annual IT FLIES UK competition at Swansea University on 10 June. The journey began many months earlier when we assembled the team and decided that modelling a glider would be a great challenge, giving us experience in aerodynamics, flight control and aircraft design. Furthermore, with the latest Airbus-sponsored projects, such as the Perlan II high-altitude glider and the eGenius electric aircraft both closely resembling classic glass-fibre gliders, we proposed that an accurate, verified model of a glider would act as an ideal benchmark for future experimentation with structural and aerodynamic improvements. My own fascination with flight started at a young age and was bolstered by experiences gliding in Scotland, where eternal battles with the weather provided the inspiration to create a full motion gliding simulator, with realistic modelling throughout the flight envelope. This gliding experience also proved pivotal in allowing us to accurately assess the handling of our model in Glyndwr University’s MP521 Engineering Flight Simulator. Many a long evening after work was spent calculating data using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software alongside experimental wind-tunnel data. This was fed into the simulator and, piece by piece, a virtual model was ‘manufactured’ from our CAD model. Among the most exciting moments was the first flight, although the simulator may present considerably less risk than an actual test flight, there was a palpable sense of nervous energy in the room as we set up the flight and prepared to launch. This was followed by a challenging, exciting and very educational process of refining the design through a series of flight tests. The competition day itself was very interesting, with the team of judges commentating throughout each test flight, allowing us to learn from the achievements and mistakes of others. Our own
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The joint winning team from The University of Dayton, with their test pilot Gordon McClymont. Gordon teaches at ETPS, and has been a pilot for the Shuttleworth vintage aircraft collection — hence he was keen to fly the ‘Silver Bird’.
THE PROJECT HAS GIVEN US A GREAT INSIGHT INTO THE NATURE OF AIRCRAFT DESIGN AND FLIGHT TESTING. WE’VE EXPERIENCED FIRST-HAND HOW SMALL CHANGES IN THE DESIGN CAN DRAMATICALLY ALTER THE HANDLING AND EFFICIENCY OF THE FINAL AIRCRAFT
presentation allowed us to explain the rationale behind the glider, and discuss the methodology used for the design and flight testing. After this, all that remained was for Dave Southwood, our test pilot judge, to assess it for himself; as he strapped in, he reminded us that he’d just spent several weeks on holiday soaring every day! The post-flight briefing was invaluable, giving us ideas for future improvements and highlighting areas where our model excelled. He particularly enjoyed the extra tests we designed, which included a simulated cable failure and some aerobatics. Dave commented on the Glyndwr glider: “What we always look for in a model is whether or not it flies like it looks, particularly with respect to the inertia characteristics, flying control layout and overall aerodynamic configuration. This model faithfully represented all of the performance and flying qualities characteristics of such a glider. Novel use of initialisation parameters even allowed a launch and cable-break manoeuvre to be flown. If simulators could model the lift in the atmosphere, I could have soared for hours with this model!” Although balancing the demands of both university and work alongside a project like this was a challenge, the team’s combination of work experience, theoretical knowledge, and flight experience proved to be an ideal combination. We were delighted and honoured to be awarded joint first prize with the University of Dayton, who simulated the Wright Flyer Silver Bird. The project has given us a great insight into the nature of aircraft design and flight testing. We’ve experienced first-hand how small changes in the design can dramatically alter the handling and efficiency of the final aircraft. I know I speak for the whole team when I say it’s enthused us to take the design further next year, and beyond that has inspired us to work on future aircraft designs in our careers. Our thanks go to Airbus, Glyndwr University, the judging panel and Merlin Flight Simulation Group who provided such a great opportunity. On behalf of the Airbus/Glyndwr University
team: Jonathan Aragon-Escobosa, Awais Munawar, James Tudor, Peter Webster and Nathan-James Wong. Meanwhile, Alex Watt and Matt Pulfer from The University of Dayton entered a simulation of the Wright Flyer Silver Bird. Dave Southwood quoted: “This was a fascinating model of a modern replica of a very old aeroplane, an interesting challenge. The team compared the characteristics of their model with experimental data plus anecdotal data from pilots who had flown the replica, a very thorough approach. Sadly the replica aircraft had been lost in an accident, and it was very interesting that the flying qualities of the model were consistent with reports of the behaviour of the aircraft when the accident occurred. This appeared to be an excellent simulation of The Silver Bird.” Alex and Matt flew over from Dayton to compete, staying on campus at Swansea. Alex commented: “Having experienced the US competition, it truly was a treat to compete in the UK competition. The designs and projects were all extremely innovative and I enjoyed seeing what students had to offer from another continent. The competition is such a great event for students who share the same passion for the aerospace industry, and the flight sim is such a unique way to learn and grow as aerospace engineers. The opportunity to
showcase our work in the UK was something that I will never forget.” IT FLIES UK 2015 results: First: The University of Dayton, Ohio, and Glyndwr University Best Presentation/Technical Information Prize: Swansea’s Team Ostrich Prize for the Most Innovative Design: Swansea’s Team SOAR
Greener by Design Workshop
Women in Aviation and Aerospace Committee
CONTRAIL-CIRRUS, OTHER NON-CO2 EFFECTS AND SMART FLYING LONDON / 22 OCTOBER 2015 This event will bring together the atmospheric science and civil aircraft communities to consider the non-CO2 aviation effects on climate and how, through the reduction of contrails and cirrus cloud formation, these can be substantially reduced. Organisations taking part at this event include: DLR, NATS, University of Reading, MIT, Committee on Climate Change and Cranfield University.
SUSTAINABILITY SOLUTIONS: TECHNOLOGY & DIVERSITY
LONDON / 30 OCTOBER 2015 Aerospace companies are increasingly focusing on green issues. What are the issues that need attention? How are they being addressed? What role does diversity play in this? This conference will also discuss the need to encourage women to enter, and stay in, the aerospace industry. Image: DLR
www.aerosociety.com/contrail-cirrus
www.aerosociety.com/events
Sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities are available at this event.
Sponsor
To find out more, please contact [email protected] or call +44 (0) 20 7670 4345.
The Glyndwr team of Airbus apprentices with Dave Southwood.
Afterburner
Society News RAeS AIR TRANSPORT GROUP
SAE 2015 Integrated Vehicle Health Management and Maintenance Credits Workshop
The SAE 2105 IVHM and Maintenance Credits Workshop was held on 27 April at Cranfield University in Cranfield, UK. Organised by SAE in partnership with the Royal Aeronautical Society and Cranfield University and sponsored by Boeing, the event attracted more than 40 leaders and subject-matter experts in Integrated Vehicle Health Management (IVHM), including participants from operators and MROs, industry, regulatory agencies, research facilities and academia. The workshop included opening remarks from Dr Richard Greaves, 2015 SAE president and Chief of Technology Officer Emeritus, Meggitt PLC, and Martin Broadhurst OBE, now President of the Royal Aeronautical Society. This was followed by three ‘Future State’ presentations from Etihad Airways, Lufthansa Technik and AgustaWestland, which covered the benefits and considerations of operating and maintaining a fleet with IVHM capability. The event was also highlighted by three interactive workshops: The ‘Working with the Regulator’ workshop led by EASA discussed the current regulatory and maintenance practice landscape and identified the actions needed for the certification and operation of IVHM systems. The ‘Maintenance Credits’ workshop led by Rolls-Royce covered the process towards attaining credits for using IVHM systems and capabilities for maintenance tasks. The ‘Data Interoperability’ workshop led by KLM focused on the need for data interoperability in
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THE WORKSHOPS IDENTIFIED POTENTIAL AREAS OF IVHM APPLICATIONS THAT COULD BE DEPLOYED WITHIN THE EXISTING REGULATORY RULES
helping to build empirical evidence to support maintenance credits. This event built on the previous ‘Civil Aircraft Technology Enabled Services — A First Step Towards Achieving Maintenance Credits’ workshop organised by the RAeS Air Transport Group in partnership with SAE International, which was held in London in October 2014. This followed two previous RAeS conferences on this theme. White papers on each of the three topics — engagements with regulators, the maintenance credits process and data interoperability — that resulted from the 2014 event were discussed at the April workshop and will be updated to incorporate the workshop discussions. The SAE 2105 IVHM Workshop looked at the role of standards in supporting IVHM technologies and operation and was co-located with the SAE HM-1 Integrated Vehicle Health Management committee meeting, which was held at Cranfield University 28-30 April. In conclusion, it was a very constructive day where the delegates built up a positive relationship between industry and the regulators. The workshops identified potential areas of IVHM applications that could be deployed within the existing regulatory rules. The paths to address more complicated applications were explored. A follow-up workshop is being planned, and this community will support further development of IVHM technologies and the development of an industry-wide approach towards achieving maintenance credits for using IVHM technologies.
RAeS WASHINGTON BRANCH
Global Aircraft Tracking, Locating and Flight Deck Protection The Washington Branch held a lively discussion on 14 May on the critical issue of global aircraft tracking, locating lost aircraft and protecting flight decks from malicious interference. John Moloney, Boeing Director Transportation Policy, welcomed the RAeS to the new Boeing offices serving Washington, DC. Robert Francis, former Chairman NTSB and past Chairman of the RAeS Washington Branch, welcomed more than 80 participants to the session and thanked the sponsors, Airbus, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce. RAeS Board member Kenneth Quinn, Partner, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, moderated the panel with his ‘no holds barred’ style. He asked the controversial questions and stimulated a provocative discussion which included the audience participants. Captain Kevin Hiatt, a pilot and the recently appointed Senior Vice President for Safety and Flight Operations, International Air Transport Association (IATA), presented the airline view of the issues. His perspective as both a commercial pilot and the representative of the airlines, provided an unique perspective for airline management. Captain Keith Hagy, Director, Engineering and Safety for the Airline Pilots Association (ALPA), the leading airline pilot union in the world which represents more than 51,000 pilots, provided a view from the cockpit and John DeLisi, Director, Office of Aviation Safety for the US National Transportation Safety Board, contributed his expertise as an aircraft accident and incident investigator. The panel began the discussion with the recognition that commercial aviation is based on the principles of co-operation. Airline management and pilots co-operate with air traffic navigation service providers (ANSPs) for the operation of flight safely around the world. Aircraft are equipped to be recognised and tracked by ANSPs. Airline procedures support the mutual co-ordination and co-operation between flight crews and ANSPs. Both the Malaysia Airline flight MS370 and Germanwings flight 9525 broke the rule of co-operation. Questions were raised as to why transponders can be turned off and the use of cameras in the cockpit to provide video to support the data and Find us on Twitter
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Above: The Panel: Capt Keith Hagy, Director, Engineering and Safety, ALPA; Capt Kevin Hiatt, Senior Vice President, Safety and Flight Operations, IATA; Kenneth P Quinn, Partner, Pillsbury; and John DeLisi, Director, Office of Aviation Safety, National Transportation Safety Board.
QUESTIONS WERE RAISED AS TO WHY TRANSPONDERS CAN BE TURNED OFF AND THE USE OF CAMERAS IN THE COCKPIT TO PROVIDE VIDEO TO SUPPORT THE DATA AND VOICE RECORDERS
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voice recorders. Hagy contended that for safety in the event of a fire the pilot needed the ability to turn off the transponder. He opposed the use of cameras in the cockpit as a distraction to good accident investigation. DeLisi refuted both positions and provided support for transponders kept on and the use of cameras in the cockpit as providing additional data to analyse, as opposed to being distracting. Discussion then moved to the government’s lagging adoption of satellite-based technologies to track aircraft. Hiatt provided an excellent overview of the current systems in place to track and locate aircraft and presented the recommendations of the IATA Aircraft Tracking Task Force (ATTF) recommendations to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The ATTF report notes that there are many technologies and services available today to improve global aircraft tracking and encourages airlines to adopt these technologies and implement the tracking solution best-suited to their specific operational needs. The ATTF also recommended that ANSPs are encouraged to adopt performance-based management of air space. Quinn wrapped up the session with a reflection on the need for the global aviation industry to continue to pursue better solutions for tracking and locating aircraft. Dr Tulinda Larsen Member Board of Directors on behalf of Branch Secretary SEPTEMBER 2015
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Diary EVENTS
LECTURES
www.aerosociety/events
www.aerosociety/events
7 September The Vickers Wellington Dr Steve Bond Historical Group Lecture
Boeing
16 September Future Trends in Certification of Advanced Technology Structures Structures and Materials Group Conference National Composites Centre, Bristol
Dassault Etendard IVB at RAE Thurleigh, near Bedford, in 1960. RAE Bedford will be discussed by Barry Tomlinson at Cosford on 17 September. RAeS (NAL).
23-24 September Flight Crew Instruction — Selection, Skills and Supply International Flight Crew Training Conference 23 September Capt Ray Jones Lecture Flight Simulation Group Named Lecture 30 September Admissibility of Air Accident Reports in Court Proceedings Air Law Group Seminar 6 October Aeromedical Aspects of Flight Simulation Dr Helen Hoar, AME/Pilot, Virgin Atlantic Airways Aerospace Medicine Group Lecture 7-8 October RPAS — Achievements and Challenges President’s Conference 14 October 100 Years of Accident Investigation — What’s Next? AAIB Centenary Conference 19 October UK Wind-Tunnel Capabilities: Strategy Application and Verification for Future Requirements Aerodynamics Group Conference 20 October Cierva Lecture Andrea D’Andrea, an IPT Leader at AgustaWestland Rotorcraft Group Named Lecture 22 October Contrail-Cirrus, Other Non-CO2 Effects and Smart Flying Greener by Design Workshop 22 October Trenchard Lecture Lynsey Shaw, University of Oxford Air Power Group Lecture 26 October The 1955 Supply of Military Aircraft White Paper: The First Post 1945 Procurement Crisis Prof Keith Hayward Historical Group Lecture All lectures start at 18.00hrs unless otherwise stated. Conference proceedings are available at www.aerosociety.com/news/proceedings
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BEDFORD ARA Social Club, Manton Lane, Bedford. 7 pm. Marylyn Wood, T +44 (0)1933 353517. 9 September — The Airlander project. David Stewart, Head of Flight Sciences, Hybrid Air Vehicles. 14 October — The ESA Rosetta Mission: Flying around a Comet. Dr Colin Snodgrass, Open University. 11 November — Flying the Shuttleworth Collection. Roger ‘Dodge’ Bailey, Chief Pilot.
10 November — Flight testing the e-Go. Keith Dennison, e-Go Aeroplanes. Joint lecture with the ETPSA. 24 November — The Human element — a disturbing trend in recent air accidents. Dr Garnet Ridgway, QinetiQ. 12.15 pm.
IMechE and IET. Buffet (by ticket) at 6 pm, lecture follows. 19 November — Aircrew equipment — performance with protection. Dr Michael Trudgill, Head of Aircrew Equipment & Integration, RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine. CANBERRA ADFA Military Theatre. 6 pm. Jon Pike, E [email protected] 8 September — TBC.
BIRMINGHAM, WOLVERHAMPTON AND COSFORD The National Cold War Museum, RAF Cosford. 7 pm. Chris Hughs, T +44 (0)1902 844523. 17 September — Wings over Thurleigh — flight research at the Royal Aircraft Establishment Bedford: 19522001. Barry Tomlinson. 15 October — Flying and displaying historic vintage aircraft. Rod Dean. 26 November — The e-Go story. Adrian Hillcote, Chief Executive, and David Boughey, Sales and Marketing Manager, e-Go Aeroplanes. Venue TBC.
BRISTOL Concorde Room, BAWA, Southmead Road. 6.30 pm. E [email protected] 17 September — Development of high performance CRES steels for landing gear application. Alan Shepherd, Team Leader for Landing Gear Research and Technology, Airbus. Joint lecture with IOM3 and WEMMA. 6 October — Transatlantic adventure. Eddie McCallum, Microlight Pilot. Joint lecture with LAA Bristol Strut and Bristol Aero Club. Room 1, BAWA, Southmead Road. 7.30 pm. 12 November — First Collar Lecture. Aeroelastics. Prof Jonathan Cooper, University of Bristol. Pugsley Lecture Theatre, Queens Building, University of Bristol, University Walk, Bristol.
BOSCOMBE DOWN Lecture Theatre, Boscombe Down. Refreshments from 5 pm. Lecture 5.15 pm. Visitors please register at least four days in advance (name and car registration required) E secretary@ BoscombeDownRAeS.org 15 September — Thunderbolts and lightning — are they really frightening? Rhys Phillips, Airbus Group Innovations. Joint lecture with IMechE and IET. 13 October — 29th Sir Henry Tizard Lecture. Spitfire restoration. John Romain, ARC Duxford. Ticket only. 27 October — Catalina operations over the Antarctic. Tony Dyer, QinetiQ. 12.15 pm.
CAMBRIDGE Lecture Theatre ‘O’ of the Cambridge University Engineering Department, Trumpington Street, Cambridge. 7.30 pm. Jin-Hyun Yu, T +44 (0)1223 373129. 10 September — Forty years of the Hawk. Steve Blee, Chief Airworthiness Engineer Hawk, BAE Systems Brough. 8 October — 100 years of aircraft manufacture at Yeovil. Dr Alisdair Wood, AgustaWestland. 29 October — The winning fuel in Formula 1 — passion, education and dedication. Ian Greig, Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Future Cars Group, Brackley. Young Persons Lecture, joint lecture with
CHESTER The Airbus Conference Suite, Airbus UK, Chester Road, Broughton. 7.30 pm. Keith Housely, T +44 (0)151 348 4480. 16 September — A400M Atlas — the trials (and tribulations). Sqn Ldr J J Harrison, OC C Flt, XXIV Sqn, RAF. COVENTRY Lecture Theatre ECG26, Engineering and Computing Building, Coventry University. 7.30 pm. Janet Owen, T +44 (0)2476 464079. 30 September — Role of a Rolls-Royce test pilot. Phil O’Dell, Chief Test Pilot, RollsRoyce. 21 October — John Boyd Dunlop Lecture. From animals to aircraft: biological inspiration and bio-inspired air vehicles. Prof Graham Taylor, Department of Zoology, Oxford University. 12 November — Annual Dinner and Talk. Shipwrecked in the Antarctic. Georgina Hale. Holiday Inn, London Road, Ryton on Dunsmore, Coventry. CRANFIELD Vincent Auditorium, Cranfield University, Cranfield. 6.30 pm. 27 October — Lord Kings Norton Lecture. The work of the Aviation Safety Regulator. Padhraic Kelleher, Head of Intelligence, Strategy & Policy, CAA.
CRANWELL Room 64, Whittle Hall, RAF Cranwell. 7.30 pm. Prof Trevor Kerry, E [email protected] 7 September — RAF airto-air missiles — the first 30 years. Andy Lister-Tomlinson. 5 October — Do17Z — recovering and preservation. Darren Pridday, Manager, Conservation Centre, Royal Air Force Museum Cosford. 2 November — WW2 fighter combat — compare and contrast the main fighters. Paul Stoddart. FARNBOROUGH BAE Systems Park Centre, Farnborough Aerospace Centre. 7.30 pm. Dr Mike Philpot, T +44 (0)1252 614618. 22 September — Reaper UAV operations. Paul Clark, UAS Flight Operations Manager, QinetiQ. 13 October — The future of the Hawk. Graeme Codner, Chief Engineer Hawk, BAE Systems. 17 November — Cody Lecture. Aerodynamics as the basis of aviation. Dr John Ackroyd. GATWICK CAA, Aviation House, Gatwick Airport South. 6.30 pm. Don Bates, T +44 (0)20 8654 1150. 2 September — Remotely piloted aircraft. Dr Joseph Barnard, Director, Barnard Microsystems. 7 October — 3D printing and digital technology. Kevin Smith, Global Applications Director, Voxeljet and Steve Ashworth, Technical Director, Aeromet International PLC. 11 November — The A400M in RAF service. Sqn Ldr J J Harrison, OC C Flt, XXIV Sqn. HAMBURG Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften Hamburg, Berliner Tor 5 (Neubau), Hörsaal 01.12, Hamburg. 6 pm. Richard Sanderson, T +49 (0)4167 92012. 19 November — Aircraft conservation — the Dornier Do17. Darren Pridday, Manager, Conservation Centre, Royal Air Force Museum Cosford. Joint lecture with DGLR, HAW and VDI. 24 November — Annual Christmas Dinner and Lecture. David Owens, Airbus Senior Director, Flight Crew Training Policy. Anglo-German Club, Harvestehuder Weg 44, 20149 Hamburg. 7 pm. Registration required. HATFIELD University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield. 7 pm. Maurice James, Find us on Twitter
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T +44 (0)7958 775441. 23 September — Flying microlights. Eur Eng Ray Wilkinson.
A de Havilland Firestreak air-to-air missile being loaded on to the starboard outer pylon of a Gloster Javelin at West Raynam. The first 30 years of RAF air-to-air missiles will be described by Andy ListerTomlinson at Cranwell on 7 September.
HEATHROW Theatre, British Airways Waterside, Harmondsworth. 6.15 pm. For security passes please contact David Beaumont, E secretary. [email protected] or T +44 (0)7936 392799. September — No lecture. 8 October — Aircraft fatigue from Comet to Boeing 787. Dr Andrew Halfpenny, Chief Technologist HBM-nCode. 12 November — RPAS operations and integration in civil and military airspace. Dr Stuart Gilmartin, Director, Gilmartin Global Consultancy. LOUGHBOROUGH Room U020, Brockington Building, Loughborough University. 7.30 pm. Colin Moss, T +44 (0)1509 239962. 13 October — The CV-22 Osprey — a truly versatile workhorse. Lt Col James S Peterson, 7 SOS Operations Manager, RAF Mildenhall. 3 November — Humanpowered flight. Dr Bill Brooks, P & M Aviation. 17 November — Typhoon: current and future capability. Mark Bowman, Chief Test Pilot BAE Systems. Joint lecture with the Loughborough (University) Alumni. MEDWAY Staff Restaurant, BAE Systems, Marconi Way, Rochester. 7 pm. Robin Heaps, T +44 (0)1634 377973. 21 October — The life and times of the Harrier. Sir Donald Spiers. MUNICH Deutsches Museum München (Ehrensaal). 7 pm. 28 October — Willy Messerschmitt Lecture. Fliegende Simulatoren und Technologieträger. Prof Hameln. OXFORD Magdalen Centre, Oxford Science Park, Oxford. 7 pm. Nigel Randall, E oaktree. [email protected] 15 September — Military parachuting. Flt Lt Ollie Smith. 17 November — A new light aircraft design and development project. Andrew Barber. PRESTON Personnel and Conference Centre, BAE Systems, Warton. 7.30 pm. Alan Matthews, T +44 (0)1995 61470. 16 September — Type 45
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Destroyer. Richard Dingley, BAE Systems Naval Ships. 14 October — V-22 Osprey. Rick Lamaster, Boeing. 11 November — Westland 100th anniversary. Jeremy Graham, AgustaWestland. PRESTWICK The Aviator Suite, 1st Floor, Terminal Building, Prestwick Airport. 7.30 pm. John Wragg, T +44 (0)1655 750270. 14 September — Schoolboy to Station Commander. Grp Capt Jock Heron. 12 October — How tiny spacecraft are revolutionising the space industry — the story of Clydespace. Craig Clark. 9 November — Cody to Concorde. Richard Gardner. Joint lecture with IMechE. QUEENSLAND Hilton Cairns Hotel, Queensland. 25-27 November — Seventh Asia-Pacific International Symposium on Aerospace Technology (APISAT). SEATTLE Museum of Flight, 9404 East Marginal Way South, Seattle, Washington. 6.30 pm. 15 September — William Boeing and the creation of America’s airways. Mike Lombardi, Director of Archives, The Boeing Company. 14 November — Joe Sutter Dinner Lecture. The strange career of the American Spaceplane: NASA and the quest for routine human space operations. Dr Roger D Launius, Associate Director of Collections and Curatorial Affairs at the Smithsonian
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Institution’s National Air and Space Museum. SHEFFIELD St Georges Lecture Theatre, University of Sheffield, 17 Mappin Street, Sheffield. 6.30 pm. 22 September — Hang gliding. Gordon Rigg. SOUTHEND The Royal Naval Association, 79 East Street, Southend-onSea. 8 pm. Sean Corr, T +44 (0)20 7788 0566. 8 September — Sir Freddie Laker Lecture. Stobart Air. Peter O’Mara, Business Development Director, Stobart Air, Dublin. 13 October — BAC OneEleven. Stephen Skinner. 10 November — Cosford Lecture. STEVENAGE The Lunch Pad Restaurant, Airbus Defence and Space, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage. 6 pm. Matt Cappell, E [email protected] 13 October — SSTL — changing the economics of space composites — the engineering challenges. Chris Hamar. Joint lecture with IMechE. 6.30 pm. 12 November — Engineering for the Red Planet: the ExoMars Rover. Abbie Hutty. 18 November — RAF Halton Trenchard Museum and Tring Brewery Trip. SWINDON The Montgomery Theatre, The Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, Joint Services Command Staff
College, Shrivenham. 7 pm. New attendees must provide details of the vehicle they will be using not later than five days before the event. Photo ID will be required at the gate (Driving Licence/Passport). Advise attendance preferably via email to raeswindon@ gmail.com or Branch Secretary Colin Irvin, T +44 (0)7740 136609. 7 October — The Berlin Airlift. Alec Chambers. 4 November — In flight refuelling, past, present and future. James Kemmett. SYDNEY 16 September — 57th Sir Charles Kingsford Smith Lecture and Annual Branch Dinner. Kingsford Smith: technology ... the sky is the limit! Chris Jenkins, Chief Executive, Thales Australia and NZ. TOULOUSE Symposium Room, Airbus SAS/HQ, B01, Campus 1, Blagnac. 6 pm. Contact: [email protected] for a security pass. 20 October — Space tourism — rocketing to new heights. Joint lecture with 3AF. YEOVIL Dallas Conference Room 1A, AgustaWestland, Yeovil. 6 pm. David Mccallum, E david. [email protected] 17 September — Best of British — three years with the Red Arrows. Wg Cdr Ross Priday RAF. 15 October — 20th Penrose Lecture. Wildcat operations. Cdr Louis Wilson-Chalon RN. SEPTEMBER 2015
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Obituaries PROFESSOR SIR JOHN HAROLD HORLOCK FRS FREng HonFRAeS 1922-2015
A fuller obituary for Sir John may be found on the Society’s website at: aerosociety.com/News/ Society-News/
On graduating from St John’s College Cambridge in 1949, John went to work for Rolls-Royce, first as a graduate apprentice, and then in the group under Geoff Wilde which was struggling with the axial compressor for the Avon turbojet. A part of John’s contribution was adapting the successful Armstrong Siddeley compressor into the Rolls-Royce engine. In 1952 he returned to Cambridge to work for a PhD with Will (later Sir William) Hawthorne. The experience in Rolls-Royce had been a formative one and issues of three-dimensional compressor design were the basis for his research. During a year in MIT John wrote his first book, Axial Compressors. On returning to Cambridge he was soon approached by Liverpool University, and he went there in 1958 as Harrison Professor of Mechanical
Engineering. He also published his second book, Axial Turbines. Returning to Cambridge in 1967 as a professor, it was not long before he was appointed Deputy Head of the Department of Engineering. He reformed the undergraduate teaching of engineering in Cambridge and founded the SRC Turbomachinery Laboratory — raising the money and then getting it built. The laboratory, which later became the Whittle Laboratory, is one of John’s great legacies. After periods as Vice Chancellor of Salford University and the Open University John retired in 1990. Further books followed. He was the first chair (1990) of the Rolls-Royce advisory body known as the Aerothermal Panel, later recast as the Power and Propulsion System Advisory Board. After retiring from the Open University he re-joined the Whittle Laboratory, where he took a regular part in the research of his successful legacy.
JOHN CECIL WIMPENNY CEng FRAeS 1922-2015
A full obituary for John may be found on the Society’s website at: www.aerosociety.com/ News/Society-News/
John Wimpenny’s first task on joining the de Havilland Aircraft Company straight from school at the age of 17 on 4 October 1940 — the day after the factory was bombed — was to weigh every part of a DH98 Mosquito. His only tools were a pair of kitchen scales and his own resourcefulness. From this humble beginning, John, who has died aged 92, went on to forge an illustrious career in the aviation industry, being at the forefront of early transonic aerodynamics and stability in the mid-1940s, including work on the wings of the Comet jet airliner, Dove, Venom and Sea Vixen. He was also a flight test observer on Mosquitos and Hornets. In 1957 he was appointed Deputy Chief Aerodynamicist for de
Havilland and Chief Research Engineer in 1965. He was a founder of the Hatfield Man Powered Aircraft Club and in 1962 made a flight of 993 yards in Puffin 1, built by de Havilland employees. This record stood for ten years. In 1972 he was appointed Chief Research Engineer for Hawker Siddeley Aviation and when he retired in 1984 he was Executive Director of Research for British Aerospace. Awarded the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Silver Medal in 1978, John Wimpenny enjoyed adventure, travel and music, as well as sailing and home engineering projects. He is survived by his widow, Angela, and three sons, Francis, Gerard and Benedict. Brian Rivas
GUILD OF AVIATION ARTISTS’ ANNUAL SUMMER EXHIBITION The Guild of Aviation Artists’ 45th Annual Summer Exhibition held at the Mall Galleries, near Admiralty Arch, London, on 20-26 July, attracted over 400 works and included a special exhibition to celebrate the centenary of Westland. Far right: Golden Era by John Peter Cutts AGAvA. Bill Read.
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AEROSPACE / SEPTEMBER 2015
Corporate Partners EVENTS
NEW PARTNERS
Please note: attendance at Corporate Partner Briefings is strictly exclusive to staff of RAeS Corporate Partners. Unless otherwise advised, registration for Corporate Partner Briefings is at 16.30 hrs.
The Royal Aeronautical Society would like to welcome the following as Corporate Partners.
Tuesday 15 September 2015 / London An Update on US Aviation Strategic Goals and Transatlantic Partnerships Corporate Partner Briefing by Michael P Huerta, Administrator, FAA
UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM Muirhead Tower, Edgbaston, Birmingham, West Midlands B15 2TT, UK T +44 (0)121 414 3344 W www.birmingham.ac.uk Contact Andy Newnham, Business Engagement Partner The University of Birmingham has significant expertise in the advancement and uses of aerospace and defence technologies. Our crossdisciplinary approach to research brings together experts in engineering and technology, business and management, policy and social science, psychology and life sciences, legal and medical science. Whether you are a large corporate organisation or a small business, and whether you require a short-term solution or have a long-term project in mind, you can tap into the world-class expertise at the University of Birmingham. We have an excellent team of enthusiastic Business Engagement Partners waiting to learn more about the challenges you are facing.
AIRLINER1 EUROPE LTD 19 Colquhoun Avenue, Hillington Park, Glasgow G52 4BN, UK T +44 (0)141 373 7378 E [email protected] W www.airliner1.com Contact Steven Masson, Managing Director Airliner1 is a company dedicated to delivering new innovating training solutions. Providing our customers with next generation training devices that reduce costs while enhancing the training they provide. Our products are built by aircraft engineers to meet the standards your simulator engineers demand. From classroom FMC/MCDU desktop solutions to our new ground-breaking FMC/ Procedural trainers and our fixed-base training devices. All of which have been designed to take advantage of the latest technological innovations.
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Monday 12 October 2015 / London Being an intelligent MoD customer Corporate Partner Briefing by AM Sir Stephen Hillier, Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Military Capability), Ministry of Defence Sponsored by:
Thursday 22 October 2015 / London SDSR Update (title TBC) Corporate Partner Briefing by Philip Dunne MP, Minister for Defence Procurement, Ministry of Defence NB: Registration for this Briefing is at 17.30 hrs www.aerosociety.com/events For further information, please contact Gail Ward E [email protected] or T +44 (0)1491 629912
THE AIM OF THE CORPORATE PARTNER SCHEME IS TO BRING TOGETHER ORGANISATIONS TO PROMOTE BEST PRACTICE WITHIN THE INTERNATIONAL AEROSPACE SECTOR
Contact: Simon Levy Corporate Partner Manager E [email protected] T +44 (0)20 7670 4346
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STONEHOUSE SEARCH AND SELECTION 26 The Slipway, Marina Keep, Port Solent, Hants PO6 4TR, UK T +44 (0)2392 469161 E [email protected] W www.stonehousesas.com Contact Mark Rowley, Director Stonehouse Search and Selection is an independent, boutique practice, focused on senior and board level, technical and specialist appointments across the Nuclear, Marine, Automotive and Defence sectors. We specialise in design, build, test, electronics control & instrumentation, programme management, safety and human factors. The Stonehouse Search and Selection practice is founded on a proven process that has stood the test of time. Coupled with hard work, leading-edge technology and sound advice, we deliver a unique technical and executive research process to find and attract genuine talent that will help give you the competitive edge that you seek. SEPTEMBER 2015
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Afterburner
Elections FELLOWS
Kamran Ahmad David Armstrong Mohammed Aziz Kogila Balakrishnan Colin Barlow Richard Barrow James Beldon Charles Bolden Jr Clive Condie Ian Cooper Kevin Craven Peter Davies Peter English James Evans Barry Allan Geddes Stephen Gill Steven Grieve Fadi Khalil Luke Logan Simon Lovell Chris Luck Stephane Mondoloni Edward Ransom Martin Rolfe Ronald Rosalky Christopher Savage Martin Schofield Alistair Scott Dennis Scott Andrew Stroomer Andrew Swaffield Clive Vacher MEMBERS
Desmond Adair Keith Appleby Christopher Armit Joseph Arokiasamy Damon Ballinger Darren Barlow Paula Barratt Hugh Blakemore David Bolton Martin Bottomley Thomas Bowie Luke Brambleby Kevin Brigden Niall Brolly Stephen Chan-A-Sue David Clements Michael Close Andrew Davy Mark Fellows Thi Thu Trang Fouinneteau Craig Gamble Anthony Garforth
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Alan Gear James Gelnar David Gill Alexander Goman John Goodliffe Katy Greatbatch Jason Greenslade Neil Harness Colin Henderson Rein Hoff Barrie Phelps Hopkins Dennis Hoskin Clement Howard Usman Hussain Robert Hylands Nadine Itani Jonathan Jarvis Gavin Jones Nigel Jones Timothy Kairis Jameel Khan Iain King Alex Kinnaird Alexander Le Page Julian Lee Yujing Lin Simon Lindsay Steven MacMillan Laura Mainini Thomas Maisey Georgina Mann Purandara Mawitagama John McClean Grant McLelland Derrick McNeill Robert Milligan Andrew Mills Arun Mistry Christian Mueller Aditya Sanjay Mulmule Berta Navarro Rodriguez Andrew Neil Florian Obermeier Michael Pervan Shawn Pruchnicki Hannah Reeves Selvaraj Reghuvaran Ian Reynolds Vijay Shah Christopher Shone Arash Soleiman Fallah Mark Staveley Jonathan Taylor Alexander Taylor James Tomlinson Maria Tong Mike Topping Natalia Ustynowicz Tristan Vincent-Philpot
AEROSPACE / SEPTEMBER 2015
Ian Wagstaff Peng Cheng Wang Benjamin Zachariah ASSOCIATE MEMBERS
Piera Carugno Jonathan Channing Tahlia Fisher Christopher Charles Hawes Daniel Hendon Abhishek Kaushal Wen Yao Lee Machira Mavalla Thomas Offord Siddharth Ravichandran Christopher Read Graham Robertson Brian Shaw Kevin Simoes Spencer Shaughn Winter E-ASSOCIATES
Edmund Acheson Thomas Banks Denise Corsel Davide Di Pasquale Daniel Holland Matthew Humphrey Kim Kohn Kin Lok Lee Thomas McQueen Kyle Morel Jordan Morris Tessa Naran Nikhil Patel Paresh Porobo Gervasio Salerno ASSOCIATES
Christopher Davey James Dean Jamie Downing Crystal Forrester Adam Karakurt Owain Little Marthinus Meintjes Victor Melbourne Chaves Marcello Muceli Sam Parker Daniel Scadding Chinthaka Silva Prubhjyot Singh
SOCIETY OFFICERS President: Martin Broadhurst President-Elect: Prof Chris Atkin BOARD CHAIRMEN Learned Society Chairman: Ian Middleton Membership Services Chairman: Dr Alisdair Wood Professional Standards Chairman: Prof Jonathan Cooper DIVISION PRESIDENTS Australia: John Vincent New Zealand: Gp Capt Frank Sharp Pakistan: AM Salim Arshad South African: Dr Glen Snedden
AFFILIATES
David Brady Jason Da Costa Grant Davies Simon Eddings David Fuller Daniel King Christopher Pigott Shelley Ross Philip Sproul Jussi Tuovinen
STUDENT AFFILIATES
Student Affiliate Gareth McCann Jadine Meyer Gavin Pollock Jack Richardson Sjouke Shekman Suria Subiah Candice Topper
WITH REGRET The RAeS announces with regret the deaths of the following members: Prof Michael Geoffrey Bader CEng MRAeS 84 Stanley Walter Bainbridge OBE FRAeS 88 Richard Henry Calder CEng MRAeS 78 Alexander William Culmer CEng FRAeS 91 Grahame Jones CBE CEng FRAeS 65 John Mansell Lewendon CEng FRAeS 89 Frank Price CEng FRAeS 89 Reginald Keith Warren IEng AMRAeS 87 Frank Sutcliffe Wood CEng MRAeS 92
E U R O P E A N
A I R L I N E
T R A I N I N G
S Y M P O S I U M
eats2015
ROYAL AERONAUTICAL SOCIETY
No.4 Hamilton Place LONDON W1
Conference by:
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The Proprietors again beg to inform the Nobility, Gentry and Public of the
Aerospace & Aviation Book Fair
The leading aviation training event for Europe, the Middle East and Africa 3-4 November 2015 DoubleTree by Hilton, Warsaw, Poland
Monday, 16 November 2015 11.00-18.00 A great opportunity to browse and buy from a range of aviation booksellers and publishers.
Visit the National Aerospace Library stand selling a large range of new/secondhand books and journals.
Featuring two conference streams tPilot Training tCabin Crew Training
Partake from the RAeS merchandise range.
Plus a ‘Heads of Training Meeting’ with representatives from EASA.
FREE ADMISSION
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Please contact the Conference and Events Department to RSVP:
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2014 RAeS WRITTEN PAPER PRIZES The Royal Aeronautical Society Written Paper Prizes are awarded annually for the best papers published in The Aeronautical Journal by the Society during the previous calendar year. Awards can be conferred at Gold, Silver or Bronze level, although no Gold awards are being conferred this year. The Written Paper Prizes are presented at the Sopwith Lecture held at the Royal Aeronautical Society HQ at No.4 Hamilton Place, London W1. They are conferred following the approval of the Council of the Royal Aeronautical Society on the basis of recommendations from the RAeS Medals & Awards Committee, supported by the Editor-in-Chief of The Aeronautical Journal. The Society recognises the achievements, innovation and excellence of both individual and multiple authors. Silver Awards J McGuirk The Silver award was given for his paper on ‘The aerodynamic challenges of aeroengine gas-turbine combustion systems’, The Aeronautical Journal, June 2014, Vol 118, No 1204, pp 557-599 C Hall, A Zachariadis, T Brandvik and N Sohoni The Silver award was given for their paper ‘How to improve open rotor aerodynamics at cruise and Find us on Twitter
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take-off’, The Aeronautical Journal, October 2014, Vol 118, No 1208, pp 1103-1123 Bronze Awards F Gandhi, C Duling and F Straub The Bronze award was given for their paper ‘On power and actuation requirement in swashplateless primary control of helicopters using trailing-edge flaps’, The Aeronautical Journal, May 2014, Vol 118, No 1203, pp 503-521 G Gratton, R Hoff, A Rahman, C Harbour, S Williams and M Bromfield The Bronze award was given for their paper ‘Evaluating a set of stall recovery actions for single engine light aeroplanes’ The Aeronautical Journal, May 2014, Vol 118, No 1203, pp 461-484 A Stuermer, J Yin and R Akkermans The Bronze award was given for their paper ‘Progress in aerodynamic and aeroacoustic integration of CROR propulsion systems’ The Aeronautical Journal, October 2014, Vol 118, No 1208, pp 1137-1158 The Aeronautical Journal congratulates all winners. www.aerosociety.com/About-Us/ medalsawards/paperprizes
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2014 Written Paper Prize winners with the RAeS President and some of the Medals and Awards Committee. Tim Caines.
THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS AND LONGSTANDING AWARDS IN GLOBAL AEROSPACE HONOURING ACHIEVEMENT, INNOVATION AND EXCELLENCE SEPTEMBER 2015
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The Last Word COMMENTARY FROM Professor Keith Hayward FRAeS
Air-to-air combat — civilian style Heathrow Airport
There’s rarely a dull moment for observers of aviation and aerospace. Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary might have mellowed — somewhat — but cognoscenti of a good row have plenty of options.
A threat to airline liberalisation
ANY RETREAT FROM LIBERALISATION WILL NOT HELP FARE PAYERS AND HOPES OF EVEN BETTER DEALS EMBRACING LONG-HAUL ROUTES WOULD GO INTO A DEEP FREEZE
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Item one: Airline chiefs on both sides of the Atlantic sounding off against Gulf airlines that have the temerity to accept government investment and deliver a world-beating service to passengers? Some cheek, especially in Europe where the said Gulf carriers are helping to keep a number of local airlines in business and where, in the past, several major airlines would never have survived without a trough-load of subsidy. US airlines are making the most noise, alleging a $40bn subsidy across the three main Gulf carriers. In Europe, the issue has led to a schism in the European Airline Association, with IAG, Air Berlin and Alitalia leaving the trade association. Given that all three have Gulf shareholders or partners, this was perhaps inevitable. However, demands from other European and American airlines to halt or even row-back on ‘Open Skies’ agreements bodes ill for future developments. As the International Airline Group (IAG) has shown, it is possible to keep in touch with low-cost carrier economics and to compete with the Gulf through hard-nosed economics. The Gulf will have to accept greater transparency as a condition for further liberalisation but to put the clock back on this issue is no answer.
Oligopoly is unhealthy? Item two: a veiled threat by Willie Walsh, IAG’s Chief Executive, to launch legal action against manufacturers, implying that limited competition has led to higher maintenance costs. Now, if this implies cartelisation and collusive behaviour in setting prices, some heavyweight competition authorities on both sides of the Atlantic might take an interest which would reverberate throughout the entire aerospace/aviation world. Oddly enough, British Airways itself has some history here, as
AEROSPACE / SEPTEMBER 2015
the late Freddie Laker would attest. Nevertheless, this is the first time a major airliner customer (Air France-KLM has expressed similar concerns) has questioned the effects of a supply-side oligopoly. There are deep waters here: list prices of equipment obscure all manner of deals which may be profitable given quantity and life-cycle benefits from selling spares — especially important to engine manufacturers. Transparency is not a virtue in this business. In the longer term, as Walsh suggests, new entrants, including Bombardier, might increase competition, as well as boost Chinese and Russian hopes of developing an effective commercial aircraft industry. All three of the engine companies offering alternatives in each major engine power category might also help.
Bluster, not an expensive day in court Item two will probably fade away; there’s too much at stake to trigger legal action that could have some nasty unanticipated consequences for all involved in the action. Item one is more worrying; any retreat from liberalisation will not help fare payers and hopes of even better deals embracing long-haul routes would go into a deep freeze. But it all makes for an interesting post-Paris year.
International Flight Crew
President’s Conference
Training Conference
FLIGHT CREW INSTRUCTION
RPAS: ACHIEVEMENTS AND CHALLENGES
SELECTION, SKILLS AND SUPPLY LONDON / 23 - 24 SEPTEMBER 2015
LONDON / 7 - 8 OCTOBER 2015
Over the next 15 years, our industry faces an uprecedented demand for at least another 500,000 new airline pilots globally due to absolute fleet growth and a significant number of inevitable retirements from the age of the ‘baby-boom’.
The 2015 President’s Conference will provide:
The 2015 International Flight Crew Training Conference will consider the potential instructor shortage. www.aerosociety.com/events Sponsors
- Details on the latest applications (civil, military, large and small applications) - Updates on the regulatory challenges - An overview of the technical challenges and opportunities - A review of the issues of liability, insurance, privacy and public perceptions www.aerosociety.com/events Sponsors
Aerodynamics Group
AAIB Conference
UPCOMING AERODYNAMICS GROUP EVENTS
100 YEARS OF ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION WHAT’S NEXT? AAIB CENTENARY CONFERENCE
Wind Tunnel Capabilities: Strategy Application & Verification for Future Requirements 19 October 2015 / London Registration now open
LONDON / 14 OCTOBER 2015 This conference, organised by the AAIB, will celebrate the centenary of the appointment of the UK’s first professional air safety investigator.
Applied Aerodynamics Conference: Evolution & Innovation Continues - The Next 150 Years of Concepts, Design and Operations 19 - 21 July 2016 / Bristol Call for papers now open
The programme will be supported by speakers from UK and overseas organisations, including investigators, news media, lawyers, major manufacturers, operators and international regulators.
www.aerosociety.com/events
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Sponsorship and exhibition opportunities are available for both events. To find out more please contact the Conference and Event Department on [email protected] or +44 (0)20 7670 4345
Sponsors
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OVER 200 KEY SPEAKERS • UNIQUE 3 DAY EVENT
OVER 1000 INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS (...and only once every 4 years) Aerodays2015 is a European flagship event bringing together over 1000 attendees from the world of Aeronautics and Air Transport research. This prestigious event will provide a unique opportunity to share the results of collaborative research, showcase innovations, discuss policy and developments for work funded through the European Framework for Research and Innovation, and takes us forward to Horizon 2020 and beyond. This three day conference is a critical pathway to ensure that Europe remains competitive in these sectors.
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN go to www.aerodays2015.com to ensure your place CONFIRMED SPEAKERS Warren East – Chief Executive Officer Rolls-Royce plc Tom Enders – Chief Executive Officer of Airbus Group (at the Networking Dinner) Violeta Bulc – EU Commissioner, Transport Peter Hartman – Vice Chairman of Air France-KLM and Chairman of ACARE Patrick Ky – Executive Director of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Tony Tyler – Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Stephen Henwood – Chairman of the UK Aerospace Technology Institute Johan-Dietrich Wörner – Chairman of DLR and DG elect for the European Space Agency Robert Goodwill MP - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Home Office Monika Hohlmeier MEP - Chair of the Sky and Space Intergroup, European Parliament
A must attend event for anyone with an interest in Aeronautics and Air Transport Tickets available NOW at www.aerodays2015.com
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