FI 4 - 10 August 2015.

THRUSTY TRENT FATAL ERROR GOING NOWHERE
ROLLS-ROYCE GETS NTSB report details crew US Air Force rules out
SET FOR A350-1000 mistake which caused loss international transfer of
FLIGHT
TEST PROGRAMME of SpaceShipTwo and A-10 Warthogs destined
FEATURE P28 grounded Virgin Galactic 8 for Arizona boneyard 21
INTERNATIONAL
4-10 AUGUST 2015
PROPULSION
MID-MARKET
POWER PLAY
ISSN 0 0 1 5 - 3 7 1 0
3.50
3 2
Will engine rivals back 757 replacement?

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PERFORMANCE | EXECUTION | TECHNOLOGY MORE TO BELIEVE IN

FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL
VOLUME 187 NUMBER 5500 4-10 AUGUST 2015
NEWS
THRUSTY TRENT FATAL ERROR GOING NOWHERE
ROLLS-ROYCE GETS NTSB report details crew US Air Force rules out
THIS WEEK
SET FOR A350-1000 mistake which caused loss international transfer of
FLIGHT
TEST PROGRAMME of SpaceShipTwo and A-10 Warthogs destined
FEATURE P28 grounded Virgin Galactic 8 for Arizona boneyard 21
8 SS2 hazard study was incomplete

4-10 AUGUST 2015
INTERNATIONAL 9 Bombardier to delay Global 7000 in face
of challenges.
Malaysia examines MH370 flaperon
10 First RAAF Growler rolls out.
Gulfstream sales soar on tailwind of US economy
13 Non-lethal weapon options make it onto AFSOC
hit list
US Air Force
AIR TRANSPORT
AirTeamImages
PROPULSION
ISSN 0 0 1 5 - 3 7 1 0
3.50
MID-MARKET
POWER PLAY 14 Investigators call for action on MD-80 icing flaw.
USAF rejects proposal to sell Warthogs to allies P21
3 2
9 770015 371273
Will engine rivals back 757 replacement?
JAL suspends crew after take-off error.
P&W-powered A320neos back in flight testing.
FIN_040815_301.indd 1 30/07/2015 10:04
COVER IMAGE
VietJet finds space for first 230-seat A321 COVER STORY
A middle of the market 26 Middle riddle The industry has not been short of
15 Airbus rethinks A320 cowl-loss alerts
type could replace Boeing fresh propulsion programmes in recent years, but
16 Captains judgement cited in 737 crash report.
757s like this Rolls-Royce none cover the likely thrust range for a much-
Republic union row adds to list of labour woes
RB211-engined American talked-about Boeing 757 replacement
18 Cargolux stands firm on illegal strike.
Airlines example, pictured Boeing seals 777X Japan parts deal
departing Brussels P26 FEATURES
DEFENCE 28 COMMERCIAL ENGINES Relishing a wider
19 UTAS eyes Raptor role after Tornado is retired. remit As it prepares for the first flight of the
Fuji/Bell team wins UH-X competition. A350-1000s Trent XWB powerplant, Rolls-Royce is
Jordan receives surplus Cobras from Israeli ally enjoying a fruitful relationship with Airbus
20 Combat cloud takes form. 30 Power player? Chinas propulsion development
Royal Navy tests unmanned vision with SULSA has often been overshadowed by an airframe
21 USAF shoots down A-10 exports pitch. focus, but things could be set to change as engine
Grob grabs attention from another three countries programmes move up a gear
34 BUSINESS AVIATION Lacking lustre This years
BUSINESS AVIATION LABACE in Brazil comes as the regions business
BEHIND THE HEADLINES 22 VistaJet widens its horizon. jet market is hit by economic malaise after years
James Drew (pictured) was in De-icer directive issued as Super Puma overheats. of against-the-grain growth
St Louis, Missouri, to witness Gulfstream to boost sales in Latin America
the Royal Australian Air
Forces first EA-18G Growler GENERAL AVIATION REGULARS
rolling out (P10). In Derby, 23 MVP says tri-hull amphibian is worth waiting for. 7 Comment
Murdo Morrison paid a visit Akoyas tricky landing gear revised. 39 Straight & Level
to Rolls-Royce, for an update Cessna lands China orders
42 Classified
on the A350-1000s Trent
NEWS FOCUS 45 Jobs
XWB-97 engine (P28)
24 Airbus wants to make mistakes in Silicon Valley 51 Working Week
Boeing
NEXT WEEK AIRLINERS

Our annual Airliner Census
Rex Features, Boeing
lists the current commercial

types in operation around the
globe, by model and carrier
Airbus seeks innovation in Silicon Valley P24. Boeing seals deals with Japanese suppliers for 777X parts P18
Flightglobal_Media_Banner_Nov2014_AM193.indd 1 2014-10-24 2:05 PM

flightglobal.com 4-10 August 2015 | Flight International | 5
CONTENTS
IMAGE OF
THE WEEK
Taken during the bilateral
Indradanush IV exercise
being conducted from the UK
Royal Air Forces Coningsby
base, this image shows a
formation of Eurofighter
Typhoons and Sukhoi
Su-30MKIs. India also sent
Boeing C-17 and Lockheed
Martin C-130J transports
and an Ilyushin Il-78 tanker
View more great aviation shots

online and in our weekly tablet
edition:
flightglobal.com/
Crown Copyright
flight-international
THE WEEK IN NUMBERS QUESTION OF THE WEEK
26%
Last week, we asked: Lockheed Martins plan to acquire Sikorsky?
You said:
63% 13%
Triumph Group
Q2 aerospace systems sales surged to $278m at Triumph

Group; total quarterly revenue gained 7% to $959m Great deal Good
for both money
154m
after bad
TOTAL
VOTES:
Finmeccanicas H1 2015 pre-tax profit more than reversed
Finmeccanica
832 24%
Still too
last years 28m loss; sales dipped 4.4% to 5.97bn many
helicopter
63
manufact-
urers
Flightglobal dashboard This week, we ask: Can Airbus still deliver its first A320neo in 2015?
Yes, comfortably
The number of Airbus A350-900 production slots now held Touch and go Not a chance
by Singapore Airlines, after it released seven positions Vote at flightglobal.com
Flightglobals premium news and data service delivers breaking air transport stories with
profiles, schedules, and fleet, financial and traffic information flightglobal.com/dashboard
Keep track of the latest developments in

IN ASSOCIATION WITH in-flight connectivity
www.flightglobal.com/connectivity
honeywell.indd 1 28/05/2015 10:59
6 | Flight International | 4-10 August 2015 flightglobal.com
COMMENT
Reality check
The new and exciting commercial spaceflight sector must recover from the damaging loss of
SpaceShipTwo, but the imposition of unrealistic safety standards could keep it Earth-bound
T he US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)

has exposed lapses by Scaled Composites and the
US Federal Aviation Administration ahead of the fatal
crash of Virgin Galactics SpaceShipTwo, which it says
compounded the primary cause of human error.
Its involvement raises an interesting question: What
standard of safety should commercial spaceflight be
held to during its early days? That of the modern-day
airliner, or something closer to aviations early days,
when risks and accident rates were higher?
Some would argue that the FAAs regulators should
Rex Features
be applying airline-style standards for both design and
operations, to protect participants some are daring
pioneers, but mostly they are employees, however Not exactly like boarding a 737
much they like their job and also to protect members
of the public; be they passengers or bystanders. Scaled Composites embodies the spirit of the private
Meanwhile, the FAA has been heavily criticised by spaceflight industry. If you want an experimental or
the suborbital space crowd for squelching their nascent advanced hobbyist aircraft, it is ideal. If you are also
willing to take some of the same risks as test pilots,
Applying airline standards again it is the right place, as the infrastructure and cul-
ture are set up to support experimental operations.
to commercial spaceflight Applying the FAAs certification requirements for
could destroy the industry passenger-carrying aircraft to that culture makes sense
if you want to protect the lives of all involved. But will
it come at the expense of the viability of the industry?
industry with regulations intended to cover a mature Scaled Composites had never before had a test flight
and already safe mode of transport. As a result, the end in a crash. But it is the kind of firm that relies on
FAA relaxed or waived certain regulations, as revealed highly trained test pilots to not make simple mistakes
following the October 2014 SpaceShipTwo disaster. in extreme situations.
Applying airline standards to commercial space- The aftermath of the SpaceShipTwo crash suggests
flight could destroy the industry, as it takes years, or that private spaceflight may face standards higher than,
decades even, to achieve the same kind of safety levels say, NASAs fleet of space shuttles. To the FAA and
that subsonic airliners now deliver. NTSB, a suborbital spacecraft might as well be a Boeing
There are always tensions between regulators trying 737. If that view prevails, the dream of routine, private
to guarantee a certain level of safety and an industry spaceflight will never be realised.
trying to do what nobody else has done before. See This Week P8
Smart money goes on takeovers

G KNs takeover of Fokker Technologies may not
have the transformative impact on either company
of the 2013 deal that brought Volvo Aero into the GKN
for GKN, as major tier 1s like itself increasingly become
top-line partners in new aircraft programmes.
The wider implications are also encouraging. Like
fold, or indeed its 2009 purchase of Airbuss wing GEs 2013 acquisition of Avio Aero, the Fokker deal is a
works at Filton. But dont underestimate the signifi- successful exit by a private equity investor, a story that
cance of the deal, internally at both companies and for has been all too rare since the financial crisis.
the broader aerospace industry. Private equity and its attendant management skill is
Internally, the deal secures the future of Fokker, an invaluable lubricant in an industry with a supply
which has seen hard times, rejuvenation, ownership chain of small-to-medium businesses that often strug-
changes and strategy overhauls since the demise of the gle to keep pace with the demands of the heavy hitters
aircraft types which bear its name. GKN should benefit they sell to. But private equity only works if it can get
Keep up to speed with a range
of aerospace programmes smartly from the Fokker heritage. The Dutch company out at a profit. Lets hope that more big players like
by registering online at: no longer makes aircraft, but it retains the DNA of an GKN and GE are eager to buy.
flightglobal.com/dashboard aircraft maker hard to define but no small advantage See This Week P9

THIS WEEK
Read all the news and analysis from the
cutting edge of human space exploration:
flightglobal.com/spaceflight
BRIEFING
BLUE ANGELS DISPLAY PROMPTS FUEL EMERGENCY
OPERATIONS The pilots of an Allegiant Air Boeing MD-80 declared a
fuel emergency on 23 July after being delayed on reaching Hector
International airport in Fargo, North Dakota, and finding it closed for a
practice session by the US Navys Blue Angels aerobatic display team.
The MD-80, which had been operating a flight from Las Vegas, Nevada,
did not have sufficient fuel to reach a suggested diversion airport
about 61nm (113km) away. The carrier is investigating the incident
with the assistance of the US Federal Aviation Administration.
Rex Features
SINGAPORE REDUCES A350-900 ORDER
FLEET Singapore Airlineshas signed an agreement with Airbus to The vehicle broke up after spinning beyond structural design limits
release seven production slots for the A350-900, reducing its firm
SAFETY STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC
SS2 hazard study

order for the type to 63 aircraft, plus 20 options. The carrier which
had previously planned to receive the cancelled -900s during the
2017-2018 and 2018-2019 financial years says the decision will
was incomplete
not materially affect fleet renewal or growth plans.
TEXTRON REPORTS MIXED SECOND QUARTER

BUSINESS AVIATION A strong US dollar, coupled with challenging
international markets, contributed to a mixed second quarter for NTSB says failure point that caused SpaceShipTwo crash
Textron Aviations Cessna and Beechcraft divisions. Deliveries of could have been addressed, as it outlines chain of events
Citation jets remained stable at 36 between April and June, but King
Air shipments fell to 30, compared with 34 during the same period of
2014. These contributed to a 5% decrease in revenue for the same
period, to $1.12 billion. But profit jumped to $88 million, compared
A co-pilots fatal mistake that
led to the break-up of Space-
ShipTwo represented a single-
to an altitude of around 46,000ft by
WhiteKnightTwo, a twin-boomed
mothership, and released. Siebold
with $28 million a year earlier. point failure that could have been then correctly commanded Als-
addressed long before the crash bury to fire the spacecrafts rocket
EMIRATES RETURNS ITS LAST 777-200 last October, according to the US motor, but the latter made a tragic
RETIREMENT Emirates has returned its last Boeing 777-200 to National Transportation Safety mistake by unlocking the space-
lessor Veling; one of 10 aircraft that it will remove from use in the Board (NTSB). crafts twin-boomed feathers.
fiscal year ending 31 March 2016. The Dubai-based carrier has A required hazard analysis Alsbury was already in a stress-
phased out four 777-200s and eight Airbus A340-500s over the completed by Scaled Composites ful position, trying to remember
past two years. It took delivery of 24 new aircraft in 2014-2015, and failed to anticipate that a single critical tasks that had to be per-
will receive another 26 during the current fiscal year. mistake by the co-pilot could lead formed in a short period, the NTSB
to an inflight break-up, the NTSB notes. It is not clear if he remem-
H135 EDGES CLOSER TO AUSTRALIAN DUTY said on 28 July. The US Federal bered a three-year-old training les-
ROTORCRAFT Airbus Helicopters has obtained factory acceptance Aviation Administrations office son that warned pilots aerodynam-
for the first of 15 H135 rotorcraft bound for use under the Australian of commercial space transporta- ic forces would overwhelm the
army and navys Helicopter Aircrew Training System programme. The tion had concluded that Scaleds feathers if they were unlocked too
aircraft will be shipped from Donauwrth in Germany next January, hazard analysis was incomplete, early, but was more likely aware
following its provision of instruction for aircrews and technicians, but issued the company an unso- that if he forgot to do so by the time
including from prime contractor Boeing Defence Australia. licited waiver, reasoning that pilot the vehicle reached Mach 1.8, the
training and experience mitigated flight would have to be aborted.
AIR BAGAN ATR 72 DAMAGED IN YANGON the risk of human error, it adds. Mere seconds after Alsbury un-
MISHAP Frances BEA investigation authority says anATR 72-200 We cannot undo what hap- locked the feathers, SpaceShipTwo
being operated by Myanmars Air Bagansuffered a collapse of its left pened, but it is our hope that pitched up suddenly as aerody-
main landing gear before veering 75ft off the side of Yangons runway through this investigation we namic forces spun the vehicle be-
21 on 24 July. The nose wheel of the turboprop (XY-AIH) was also will find ways to prevent such an yond structural design limits, lead-
damaged during the accident, which happened in rain and reduced accident from happening again, ing to complete structural failure.
visibility. Only minor injuries were reported among the 54 occupants. says NTSB chairman Christopher Virgin Galactic founder Richard
Hart, opening its first ever hear- Branson says engineers have since
JSOW DEALS ON TARGET FOR RAYTHEON ing on the crash of a manned designed a mechanism to prevent
ORDERS Raytheon is to produce 200 AGM-154-C1 Joint Stand-Off commercial spacecraft. the feather from being unlocked at
Weapons (JSOW) for the US Navy, for $58 million. Weighing 475kg The 31 October flight was pilot- the wrong time.
(1,050lb) and with a range of 70nm (130km) when released from ed by Peter Siebold, who sur- With the investigation complet-
40,000ft, the datalink-equipped version is in operational testing with vived, and co-pilot Michael Als- ed, Virgin Galactic can focus fully
the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. Additionally, Saudi Arabia will bury, who was killed when on the future with a clean bill of
receive 355 Block III C-model weapons for $123 million. SpaceShipTwo broke up. health and a strengthened resolve
SpaceShipTwo had been carried to achieve its goals, he says.

THIS WEEK
First RAAF
Growler rolls out
THIS WEEK P10
PROGRAMME STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC TAKEOVER DAN THISDELL LONDON
Bombardier to delay Global GKN to acquire

power of Fokker
7000 in face of challenges Technologies
Bellemare says schedule for business jets entry into service will be put back by two years G KN Aerospace has strength-
ened its position in wings
and composite aerostructures
B ombardier has announced a

two-year delay for the entry
into service of the Global 7000
with a proposed 706 million
($775 million) takeover of Fokker
Technologies, and has also bought
business jet, blaming unspecified its way into an electrical wiring
development challenges. The capability that it believes will
first 7,300nm (13,520km)-range prove hugely valuable as aircraft
aircraft will now be delivered in become increasingly electric.
the second half of 2018, it says. Company chief executive
In a second-quarter results tel- Kevin Cummings tells Flight In-
econference on 30 July, the com- ternational that Fokkers Elmo
Bombardier
pany did not disclose a schedule wiring and interconnections
revision for the even longer-range business is probably number
Global 8000, which was original- A first flight-test example is currently in the final assembly stage three in the market, and very
ly scheduled to enter use in 2017. strong in design and systems in-
The new family will feature the after Bombardier announced plans Earlier this year, the company tegration. That capability broad-
first purpose-built, four-[cabin]- to cut production of the Global also announced an indefinite ens GKNs market reach, he says,
zone aircraft in the business jet 5000/6000 business jets to between pause to its Learjet 85 develop- as aircraft adopt more electrical
market, Bombardier chief execu- 50 and 60 aircraft per year down ment programme. systems and designers look to
tive Alain Bellemare told analysts. from the current rate of 80-85. The Global 7000, powered by save weight and improve perfor-
The Global 7000 also incorporates Sales of Bombardiers business GE Aviation Passport engines and mance by embedding electricals
an advanced wing optimised for jets were slow in the second quar- featuring Rockwell Collins Pro- in composite structures.
both long-range and short-field ter, Bellemare says, noting soft Line Fusion avionics, represents Once combined, GKN will
take-off performance, he says. demand from China, Russia and the companys response to new have probably the most com-
These challenges have impact- Latin America. Although third rivals such as the Gulfstream plete composite base out there for
ed the programme schedule, he quarter sales activity has been G650 and the Dassault Falcon aerostructures, Cummings says.
says, adding: I am confident in good so far, he says, the com- 5X/8X. Bombardiers first flight- Fokker will also bring technol-
our aircraft and our ability to de- pany still believes it made the test example of the Global 7000 is ogy in the landing gear segment,
liver to the revised schedule. right decision to proactively re- now in the final assembly stage, where it is a supplier to the Lock-
The delay comes three months duce build rates. Bellemare says. heed Martin F-35 and NH Indus-
tries NH90, and boost GKNs
Asian headcount to 8-10% of its
SEARCH ELLIS TAYLOR SINGAPORE global workforce.
Malaysia examines MH370 flaperon About a quarter of Fokkers

turnover 758 million in 2014
is in aftermarket services to the
O fficials from Malaysias

Department of Civil Aviation
will examine a piece of wreckage
disappearance of M alaysia Air-
lines flight MH370. The part re-
sembles the flaperon section of a
on the part bears strong similari-
ties to the manufacturers mainte-
nance classification codes for trail-
legacy Fokker fleet and other
types. GKN has its own such busi-
ness, in engines, having bought
that washed ashore on La R eunion Boeing 777-200ER, and an identi- ing-edge structures on the type. Volvo Aero for 633 million in
island for any potential link to the fication number reportedly seen On 30 July, Australias govern- 2012, but Cummings says it will
ment which has been oversee- bring the two units into line and
ing a search effort for debris from look for growth and ways to be a
the missing aircraft acknowl- smart operator in that arena.
edged the discovery of the com- Unlike GKNs takeovers of
ponent, and said: In the event Volvo Aero and Airbuss wing-
that the wreckage is identified as making unit at Filton acquired
being from MH370, it would be in 2009 for 136 million the
consistent with other analysis Fokker deal stands out in aero-
and modelling that the resting space as a successful private eq-
place of the aircraft is in the uity exit by Fokkers current
southern Indian Ocean. owner, Arle Capital.
Malaysia Airlines cautions The deal remains subject to
that it is too premature for the regulatory approval, but is ex-
airline to speculate on the origin pected to close in the fourth quar-
PA
The wreckage was washed ashore on La Reunion island of the flaperon. ter of this year.

THIS WEEK
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subscribe to our fortnightly newsletter:
flightglobal.com/defencenewsletter
PROGRAMME PRODUCTION JAMES DREW ST LOUIS
First RAAF Growler rolls out

STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC
Embraer reveals
two-year setback Initial example of 12 electronic attack aircraft on order for Canberra is unveiled in Missouri
to KC-390 target
E mbraer has delayed the
certification target for its

B oeing has rolled out the first
of 12 EA-18G Growler elec-
tronic attack aircraft for the Royal
KC-390 tanker-transport to the
Australian Air Force (RAAF), and
second half of 2017, and entry remains optimistic of continuing
into service until 2018. production on its Super Hornet
Made in the companys sec- line for the rest of the decade.
ond quarter earnings statement Unveiled in St Louis, Missouri
on 30 July, the disclosure repre- on 29 July, aircraft A46-301 was
sents a delay in the programme first flown on 13 July. A second
of up to two years. example also has now entered
The Brazilian company com- flight testing.
pleted a first flight of the KC-390 After being delivered later this
Boeing
from its Gavio Peixoto plant on month, the pair will be flown to
3 February, but it is not clear if NAS China Lake in California, Australias first EA-18G made its debut flight on 13 July
the International Aero Engines where Australian pilots are
V2500-powered aircraft has re- already training with their US Unlike USN examples, Aus- the production rate from four per
turned to the air since. Navy counterparts. tralias Growlers will carry Ray- month last year.
Embraer says its formal flight The aircraft will also visit the theons Advanced Targeting For- Production of the Growler is
test campaign will begin during latters home of airborne elec- ward-Looking Infrared (ATFLR) currently expected to wrap up in
the third quarter and last for 18 tronic warfare at Whidbey Island pod and AIM-9X Sidewinder December 2017, but a USN order
to 24 months. in Washington, before heading air-to-air missiles, and are even- for 12 more Super Hornets and a
Embraer has not disclosed for Australia in 2017. tually expected to gain Next- potential sale of 24-36 to an un-
how the delay will affect the cost Introduction of the EA-18G Generation Jammer equipment. named Middle East customer
of the KC-390s development will be a significant milestone for Our timeline will be the same said to be Kuwait would sustain
phase. The Brazilian air force the RAAF, which will gain the as the US Navy, says Brown. the line through 2019 or 2020.
launched the programme in ability to shut down enemy As the US Navy upgrades this The momentum is behind the
2009, awarding the company a surface-to-air missile, radars,
airplane, well stay lock-step. Super Hornet, and we see that
roughly $1.5 billion contract to electronic transmissions and Daniel Gillian, vice-president holding up, Gillian says.
build two prototypes. communications equipment of F/A-18 and EA-18G pro- Separately, Boeing has deliv-
The service later ordered across a wide area. grammes, says Boeing has ered Australias seventh C-17
another 28 to replace its ageing It is truly a unique capability, decided to run its mixed-model strategic transport to Amberley
Lockheed Martin C-130s, while critical to our future opera- assembly line at a rate of two air base in Queensland, following
five other countries have made tions, says former RAAF chief aircraft per month starting in the an order confirmed during April.
commitments to acquire a com- Air Marshal Geoffrey Brown, who first quarter of 2016. It currently A final example will follow late
bined 32 more. attended the roll-out ceremony. completes three, having dropped this year.
RESULTS KATE SARSFIELD LONDON
Gulfstream sales soar on tailwinds of US economy

G ulfstream recorded its best
second quarter for new air-
craft sales since 2008, thanks
$14 billion, with a book-to-bill
ratio exceeding 1:1.
The orderbook is very robust
steady across all models, Nova-
kovic says. Increased demand for
its flagship G650 family has per-
duction, by feathering in an
extra aircraft here or there into
the schedule, she adds.
mainly to a thriving US economy. and the sales pipeline remains suaded Gulfstream to boost pro- North America dominated the
In an earnings call on 29 July, orderbook in the second quarter.
Phebe Novakovic, chief executive We saw a return of Fortune 500
of Gulfstreams parent company companies, which are now plac-
General Dynamics, dismissed ing orders to replenish their
competitors talk of a slumping fleets, Novakovic says.
business jet market as specula- Gulfstream delivered 41 busi-
tion and rumour intelligence. ness jets between April and June,
This was a reference to Bombar- compared with 38 during the
dier and Dassault, which have same period last year. Large-cabin
both witnessed a decline in sales. shipments climbed by seven units
Gulfstream
Gulfstreams orderbook grew to 33, while midsize deliveries fell

by nearly $1 billion to more than The company has boosted production of its flagship G650 family by four aircraft, to eight.

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Investigators call THIS WEEK
for action on MD-80
engine icing flaw
AIR TRANSPORT P14
UPDATES JAMES DREW WASHINGTON DC POLICY BETH STEVENSON
Non-lethal weapon options

LONDON
Pilot body calls

make it onto AFSOC hit list for right focus in
UAV regulations
Commander wants defensive lasers and microwave weapons on AC-130J this decade
T he European Cockpit Associa-
tion (ECA) has called for pro-
U S Air Force Special Opera-

tions Command (AFSOC)
chief Lt Gen Bradley Heithold
posed regulations on unmanned
air vehicles to focus on the safety
of people and manned aviation,
has outlined a five-year plan to and not the rights of the recrea-
install directed energy weapons tional operators who fly them.
onto several of its new Lockheed First outlined by the European
Martin AC-130J Ghostrider gun- Aviation Safety Agency in March,
ships. Some older AC-130Us set the proposal suggests that the op-
for retirement have been ear- eration of UAVs in civil airspace
marked to act as flying testbeds be proportionate to the risk each
for technologies including lasers poses, and recommends they be
and microwave energy weapons. divided into three categories:
Speaking at a Center for Stra- open, specific and certificated.
US Air Force
tegic and Budgetary Assess- According to its proposal, air-
ments directed energy summit craft categorised as open would
in Washington DC on 28 July, The Ghostrider has a 105mm cannon, but needs more flexibility not require authorisation from an
Heithold said a laser would be aviation authority, but would
used initially to defend against needs non-lethal modes to US Air Force Research Labo- need to stay within defined
missiles and to disable cars, give crews other options in the ratory commander Maj Gen Tom boundaries.
boats, small aircraft and commu- near-term. Masiello says a pod-housed laser While acknowledging UAVs
nications equipment. An active If I dont do something in demonstrator is being developed have potential benefits, the ECA
denial system, or microwave en- the next five years or so, the area for the Boeing F-15E, but that it notes it is absolutely critical that
ergy gun, would be used to target and times I will be able to em- will also explore AC-130-based the technology is introduced safe-
threatening crowds or individu- ploy an AC-130 gunship will demonstrations. ly, in particular with regard to ex-
als on the ground. continue to shrink, he says. I The US Department of De- isting manned aviation.
Heithold says the AC-130J al- must look for new ways of defense is currently spending A draft regulatory framework
ready has plenty of firepower, fending the airplane. High-ener- about $300 million per year on is to be presented to the European
with the recent addition of a gy lasers offer me that defence directed energy research and Commission by EASA by the end
105mm cannon, but that it also against missiles. demonstrations. of 2015.
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PROGRAMME INQUIRY DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON
Investigators call for action

STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC
P&W-powered
A320neos back
in flight testing on MD-80 engine icing flaw
A irbus has resumed flying its
Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-
Lessons must be learned from fatal Swiftair crash, says joint French and Malian report
powered A320neo flight test air-

craft in Toulouse, after a three-
month grounding.
F rench and Malian investiga-
tors are advising a mandatory
change to Boeing MD-80 flight
The enforced halt in testing manuals to highlight the insidi-
was traced to a fault in a 25.4cm ous effects of engine icing.
(10in)-diameter snap ring in the Their recommendation fol-
heart of the engine with the com- lows the fatal loss of a Swiftair
bustor module. MD-83 in July 2014, which has
P&W acknowledges that it in- been attributed to an undetected
advertently skipped a step when speed decay triggered by inaccu-
AirTeamImages
the snap ring was manufactured. rate engine pressure ratio data.
The part needs to be pre-stressed Investigators believe the crew
so that it does not slightly change did not activate the anti-icing sys- MD-80 crews currently receive no warning of approaching stall
shape when exposed to the in- tem for the pressure probes on
tense heat around the combustor the nose cones in the MD-83s French investigation authority As of today, documents such
module, but P&W says this did Pratt & Whitney JT8D engines. BEA and the Malian commission as the [flight manual] do not con-
not occur for a batch of snap rings. The probes became obstructed by of inquiry have recommended tain specific procedures to allow
Airbus was forced to ground its ice as the aircraft which had de- that MD-80 flight manuals be crews, on the basis of indicated
two PW1100G-powered A320neo parted Ouagadougo in Burkina modified to draw crews atten- engine parameters, to quickly
test aircraft while P&W installed Faso diverted around convec- tion to the risks associated with bring to light a situation with in-
new snap rings. Despite this tive weather shortly after reach- engine probe icing during cruise, consistent [engine pressure data]
delay, Airbus says the A320neo is ing a cruise altitude of 31,000ft. even in the absence of other visi- resulting from obstruction of the
still scheduled to be delivered to As a consequence, the probes ble evidence of ice accretion. [engine probes], the inquiry
launch customer Qatar Airways relayed an overestimate of the en- states. Detection of this inconsist-
by the end of this year. gine pressure ratio and the air- Detection of this ency would enable crews to react
craft responded by reducing before the [aircraft] dangerously
thrust to bring the figure within inconsistency would approached a stall situation.
CONFIGURATION authorised limits. The decreasing enable crews to react The recommendation says
VietJet finds speed went unnoticed until the
aircraft began to stall.
before the aircraft pilots should be provided with a
means to quickly identify, and
space for first All 116 passengers and crew
were killed in the accident.
approached a stall
BEA/MALIAN INQUIRY
remedy, an erroneous pressure-
ratio reading.
230-seat A321
V ietnamese low-cost carrier INCIDENT GREG WALDRON SINGAPORE
VietJet Air has become the

initial operator of the 230-seat,
high-density Airbus A321.
JAL suspends crew after take-off error
The narrowbody had previ-
ously been restricted to a
220-passenger maximum, but in-
J apan Airlines (JAL) has sus-
pended the crew of a Boeing
767-300ER that mistakenly
The incident occurred while
the aircraft was operating flight
JL38 to Tokyo Haneda at roughly
was contacted by Singapore au-
thorities 11 days later.
JAL says that immediately
ternal configuration changes commenced their take-off run on 02:30 on 12 July, says JAL. after starting the take-off run, the
using the airframers SpaceFlex a taxiway at Singapores Changi The carrier only became crew realised their error and
system including relocation of International airport. aware of the incident when it aborted the take-off. The aircraft
the aft lavatories and galley, plus was subsequently directed to the
the use of slimline seats have runway and departed without
enabled the higher capacity. further incident.
Bearing the registration There were 10 crew members
VN-A660, VietJets latest A321 is and 198 passengers aboard.
also equipped with sharklet Flightglobals Ascend Fleets
wing-tip modifications. The de- database shows that the aircraft
livery takes the carriers fleet to involved bears the registration
AirTeamImages
three A321s and 23 A320s. It has JA606J. It was delivered in 2003

orders in place for an additional and is powered by General Elec-
51 Airbus narrowbodies. The incident occurred on a taxiway at Singapores Changi airport tric CF6 engines.

Captains AIR TRANSPORT
judgement cited in
crash investigation
AIR TRANSPORT P16
Rex Features
A British Airways A319 lost both engine cowls on take-off in 2013, causing damage to the right-hand powerplant, a fuel leak and fire
SAFETY DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON
Airbus rethinks A320 cowl-loss alerts

Toulouse evaluating cockpit-warning system and new latches to address incidents arising from unsecured fan-cowl doors
A irbus is considering imple-

menting a cockpit-warning
system for the A320neo which
in simpler measures centred on
the locks. But such measures
including high-visibility paint on
Airbus says it intends to make
this latch a line-fit on production
aircraft and the mechanism will
have been affected. But the UK
Air Accidents Investigation
Branch (AAIB) says there is a
would alert pilots if the engine the latches and mechanisms de- be available as a retrofit from marked correlation between
fan-cowl doors are not secure. signed to keep unlocked cowls early 2016. the cowl loss and the position,
The system would monitor the slightly open have not proven Mechanical solutions will be inboard or outboard, of the en-
condition of the cowl locks and as effective as desired. incorporated in parallel on the gines latches. The V2500 cowl
provide a warning to the crew if A320neo, the airframer adds. has latches on the right side of
they are unlatched. WARNING FLAG The manufacturer has also re- the engine, while the CFM56
The airframer is looking at While the rate of incidents has vised maintenance procedures cowl is latched on the left.
making such a system available halved since 2002, to around one to require an entry in the air-
from service entry of the re-en- in 2.4 million cycles, the prolifer- crafts logbook when the cowls VIEWING WINDOW
gined aircraft type, which is ation of the A320 has resulted in are open, which has to be closed An engine with its latch posi-
scheduled to take place before twice as many cowl losses in- off once the cowls have been tioned on the inboard side was
the end of this year. volving aircraft with these meas- shut and latched. three times more likely to be the
It would form part of a rethink ures in place. subject of a cowl loss than when
on the problem of cowl-loss, par- Airbus says it is adopting a There is a marked located towards the outer wing,
ticularly in the wake of the multi-faceted approach to pre- the analysis found.
British Airways A319 event in
venting the problem, which will
correlation between More than two-thirds of the
May 2013 when both engines encompass design, operational the cowl loss and the events examined for the analysis
shed their cowls on take-off. The and training aspects. position of the followed the opening of the cowl
right-hand engines fuel system As well as the cockpit-warning for checking or servicing of the
was damaged, resulting in a fuel system being considered for the engines latches oil level in the engines integrated
leak and fire. A320neo, the airframer has been UK AAIB drive generator.
UK investigators said that this developing a new latch system Airbus has doubled the oil-lev-
was by far the most serious of for the current A320 models. el check interval, says the inquiry
the 38 cowl-loss incidents to date This involves a dedicated key Investigators have attempted to into the BA event, in order to re-
involving A320-family aircraft. to open the latch, to which is at- determine the contributing ele- duce the number of occasions
The airframer has previously tached a red warning flag. The ments to A320 cowl-loss events that the cowl needs to be opened.
resisted pressure from investiga- key cannot be removed while the by analysing the circumstances of It has also introduced an optional
tors to devise a warning system, latch is open, so the flag will dan- the recorded incidents. viewing window on CFM56
citing complexity, weight and gle visibly below the engine na- Both engine types the Inter- engines enabling the generators
cost, and believing that the celle if the cowl has been closed national Aero Engines V2500 oil level to be checked without
solution to unlatched cowls lay but not locked. and CFM International CFM56 opening the cowl at all.

AIR TRANSPORT
PILOTS EDWARD RUSSELL SAFETY JON HEMMERDINGER WASHINGTON DC
Captains judgement cited

WASHINGTON DC
Republic union
row adds to list
of labour woes in 737 crash investigation
R epublic Airways anticipates
reductions to its scheduled
Report says unstabilised approach mishandled during incident that led to eight minor injuries
flying through the middle of

2016, as labour issues continue to
take their toll.
U S accident investigators have
determined that an unstable
approach and the captains deci-
The company has initiated sion to take command of the air-
discussions with our mainline craft at low altitude contributed to
partners to take the necessary ac- the crash of a Southwest Airlines
tions to both temporarily and per- Boeing 737-700 at New Yorks
manently reduce scheduled flying LaGuardia airport on 22 July 2013.
commitments for the remainder of The captain should have
2015 and the first half of 2016, called for a go-around when it was
warns the Indianapolis-based re- apparent that the approach was
gional carrier. unstabilised well before the point
The decrease in flying at its Re- that she attempted to salvage the
NTSB
public Airlines and Shuttle Ameri- landing by taking control of the air-
ca operating units is likely to trans- plane at a very low altitude, says The hard landing drove the nose gear strut into the electronics bay
late to fleet reductions, it adds. a National Transportation Safety
Board (NTSB) report. was conducting the landing, with However, the 737 hit the runway
The carrier attributes The 737 (N753SW) was operat- the pilot monitoring. On final ap- at a descent rate of 960ft/min and a
ing flight 345 from Nashville, Ten- proach, the latter, noticing that the nose-down pitch attitude of -3.1,
the move to changes nesse, with 149 passengers and flaps were not set at 40 the prop- says the NTSB.
to pilot qualification crew. It landed hard, with its er configuration for that landing The captains decision to take
standards mandated nose gear hitting the runway first, repositioned them as the narrow- control of the aircraft at just 27ft
says the NTSB. The force of the body descended through about did not allow her adequate time
by the US FAA impact was sufficient to drive the 500ft. But at an altitude of around to correct the airplanes deteriorat-
nose gear strut into the electronics 100-200ft, the aircraft was above ing energy state and prevent the
equipment bay, causing the twin- the glideslope. According to data nose landing gear from striking the
Republic operated a combined jet to veer to starboard before stop- captured on the cockpit voice re- runway, says the NTSB.
242 regional jets for American ping on the right side of the centre- corder, this prompted the captain Southwest requires that pilots
Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Unit- line of LaGuardias runway 4. to tell the co-pilot: Get down. initiate a go-around immediately
ed Airlines at the end of March, it Eight of those on board suffered About 3s from touchdown, at an if the aircrafts flaps or landing
says. It had planned to increase minor injuries, and the aircraft was altitude of 27ft, the pilot is heard to gear are not properly configured
this to 249 by the end of 2015 in- written off following the mishap. say I got it, and shortly after- by the time the aircraft is 1,000ft
cluding by adding the first 15 of Investigators found the co-pilot wards took control of the aircraft. above touchdown.
55 Embraer 175s to its fleet with
United and 263 by late 2016.
Rex Features
The carrier attributes the move
to changes to pilot qualification
standards, mandated by the US
Federal Aviation Administration
since 1 August 2013, and a tight-
ening of pilot flight and duty
times, which came into effect on 1
January 2014. Both have contrib-
uted to a growing pilot shortage,
while the latter has cut pilot pro-
ductivity by 5-7%, it claims.
TRAINING
A burgeoning row with the
Teamsters union, which repre- Chengdu Airlines pilots get to grips with delayed ARJ21
sents Republic pilots, is further Comac has commenced ARJ21 flight training activities with launch customer Chengdu Airlines, as it closes in
amplifying our pilot staffing chal- on long-delayed service entry for the regional jet. The Chinese airframer says pilot training began during July
lenges, the company says, de- using aircraft 105, which will be the first of 30 ARJ21s to be delivered to the carrier. So far, the airlines pilots
scribing demands as unrealis- have performed landings and take-offs, as well as missed approaches. Chinese type certification for the
tic. The union counters that the ARJ21 was received in December, but Comac has yet to gain a production licence. No firm delivery date is
carrier has not updated its con- available for the initial aircraft, but the handover is still scheduled to take place this year. See Feature P30
tract since 2007.

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AIR TRANSPORT
FUNDING TOM ZAITSEV MOSCOW COMPONENTS ELLIS TAYLOR SINGAPORE
Sukhoi, Irkut
set for further
Boeing seals 777X Japan parts deal
subsidy boost B oeing has formalised agree-
ments with a consortium of
five Japanese suppliers to pro-
R ussias government has intro-

duced additional subsidies to
support sales of the Sukhoi Super-
duce large components for the
777X programme.
The latest agreement formalis-
jet 100 and Irkut MC-21 airliners. es a memorandum signed in June
Funding from the national last year between Boeing, Japan
budget will be used to offset the Aircraft Development Corpora-
United Aircraft subsidiaries tion (JADC) and Japan Aircraft
spending on a portion of their Industries (JAI) the latter repre-
non-manufacturing costs. senting Fuji Heavy Industries,
In turn, that should allow the Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI)
Boeing
producers of new mainline air- and its subsidiary Nippi Mit-
craft to lower their prices and help subishi Heavy Industries, and Japanese firms will provide around 21% of the types components
increase their sales by incentivis- ShinMaywa Industries.
ing customers, says Russian Under the deal, the five Japa- already major Boeing suppliers, automated systems to ensure they
prime minister Dmitry Medvedev. nese companies will be respon- and have a large workshare on the deliver high-quality products on
Some Rb250 million ($4.4 mil- sible for producing around 21% current 777 family. time every time.
lion) will be allocated this year. of the 777-8X and -9Xs compo- The signing of this contract is To support the contract, Fuji is
Sukhoi Civil Aircraft will ini- nents, including centre wing an important milestone for JADC building a new assembly facility
tially be the sole recipient of sections, pressure bulkheads, and JAI, says Shigeru Murayama, at its Handa plant for the produc-
these funds, says the trade and main landing gear wells, doors, JADC chairman and KHI presi- tion of centre wing sections.
industry ministry, adding the wing components and wing- dent. The JAI companies are in- First delivery of the GE Avia-
subsidy to Irkut is pending the body fairings. vesting in new facilities and intro- tion GE9X-powered aircraft is
MC-21s entry into service. All five Japanese companies are ducing robotic and other scheduled for 2020.
DISPUTES DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON
Cargolux stands firm on illegal strike

Carrier talks of holding individuals liable for damages as union continues to insist management meets safety demands
I n a sign that a row over safety is

turning increasingly bitter, Car-
golux is to seek compensation for
trial action was unlawful, and
that this view has been backed
by a court order. As a result it
the cost of industrial action plans to claim compensation for
which grounded part of its fleet the disruption.
on 23 July, after dismissing the All of [LCGBs] individual
strike as illegal. members could potentially be
It has accused the union in- held liable for any damages, the
volved, the LCGB, of deception airline states.
after it published claims the air- Cargolux says the union has
line was not implementing a num- been engaged in an ongoing
ber of safety analysis measures. negative campaign, based on
But the Luxembourg-based misleading statements. It
carrier, which operates a fleet of adds that this strategy is de-
AirTeamImages
Boeing 747 freighters, has strong- ceiving the public, Cargolux

ly rejected these allegations. employees and even the unions
Group safety officer Mattias A quarter of the carriers 747-based operations were affected own members.
Pak points out that the airlines LCGB describes the situation
safety processes have been audit- structure an internal incident re- quarter of Cargoluxs operations at the carrier which is part-
ed by IATA and the European view team. and the carrier insists that the ac- owned by Chinas Henan Civil
Aviation Safety Agency. Pak adds that the airline has a tion was in breach of an obliga- Aviation Development & Invest-
It has implemented new Euro- long-running safety-reporting tion to refrain from measures ment as totally unacceptable
pean-wide policies centred on a system in place which it encour- which might compromise the and calls for senior management
just culture, he says, and it has ages personnel to use. current collective agreement. to respond constructively to its
already made arrangements to re- The strike affected about a Cargolux says that the indus- list of demands.

DEFENCE
USAF shoots down
A-10 exports pitch
DEFENCE P21
ENHANCEMENT CRAIG HOYLE LONDON TRANSFER ARIE EGOZI TEL AVIV
UTAS sets sights on Raptor Jordan receives

surplus Cobras
role after Tornado is retired from Israeli ally
Company offers redesigned sensor pod for Typhoon to ensure continued capability for RAF I srael has transferred 16 Bell
AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters
to Jordan to assist its air force in
U TC Aerospace Systems
(UTAS) hopes to close a
possible future gap in the UKs
The DB-110 as carried by
the GR4 is too large for
the fight against Islamic State
militants, US sources confirm.
The rotorcraft which had been
use on the Eurofighter
tactical reconnaissance capabili- phased out by the Israeli air force
ty, ahead of the planned retire- were refurbished prior to being
ment of the Royal Air Forces last delivered, the sources add.
Panavia Tornado GR4s in 2019. The Israeli air force began op-
The Tornado can carry the erating AH-1s in 1975, before re-
UTAS-produced Raptor pod, placing the type with Boeings
which incorporates the compa- AH-64 Apache. Surplus aircraft
nys DB-110 sensor, but this is too were kept in storage after the
large in its current guise for inte- AH-1 was retired in 2013.
gration with the Eurofighter Ty- Foreign sources say that Israel
phoon. As a result, UTAS is pur- and Jordan have been co-operat-
suing a smaller pod which could ing in the fight against Islamic
Crown Copyright
be used by the multi-role type, State, largely through joint intelli-
says Stephen Trimble, the com- gence activities, but that this is the
panys director of processing, ex- first transfer of weapon systems
ploitation and dissemination pected to be outlined in a new should be ready in the next between the nations. Israeli, Jorda-
technology systems. Strategic Defence and Security year. The company also is work- nian and US officials declined to
The studies show it will fit on Review which will be released ing with Selex ES in the UK to in- comment on the delivery, which
Typhoon, he says of the new pod around October, but RAF com- tegrate one of the latters synthetic could only have been made with
design. However, the integration manders have said there will be aperture radars using the same Washingtons approval.
of the DB-110 is not among cur- no capability gaps left following pod design. This would provide Flightglobals Fleets Analyzer
rently-funded capability enhance- the Tornados retirement. operators with an all-weather re- database records the Royal Jorda-
ments for the European type. Meanwhile, UTAS is further connaissance capability, he adds. nian Air Force as having had 31
Further details of the UKs in- developing the DB-110 systems Around 70 DB-110 pods are in AH-1Fs in service prior to any ad-
telligence, surveillance and re- capabilities, with Trimble saying current use, with UTAS having ditions arriving from Israel.
connaissance priorities are ex- that a multi-spectral sensor sold the system to 11 nations. Separately, Argentina is nego-
tiating the possible purchase of
upgraded Israel Aerospace Indus-
SELECTION DOMINIC PERRY LONDON tries Kfir fighters, after a long pe-
Fuji/Bell team wins UH-X competition riod of preliminary evaluation.

Argentinian air force repre-
sentatives visited Israel last year
T okyo has selected a Fuji Heavy

Industries/Bell Helicopter pro-
posal for its UH-X requirement,
Selection of the Bell 412-de-
rived platform followed a compe-
tition also involving a Kawasaki
Japans defence ministry says
the Fuji/Bell offer outscored the
rival bid in an evaluation of per-
and were briefed about the pro-
posed deal, which involves air-
craft modified to a Block 60 con-
which will deliver a new multi- Heavy Industries/Airbus Helicop- formance, delivery schedule and figuration featuring an Elta
role helicopter for the Japan ters bid based on the latters devel- contributions to the nations econ- Systems EL/M-2032 active elec-
Ground Self-Defense Force. opmental H160 medium twin. omy and technology base. tronically scanned array radar.
The partners are to develop a The service then submitted a list
modified version of the Bell of technical modifications that it
412EPI medium twin-engined ro- would want to see incorporated
torcraft. Work is to start during ahead of a potential purchase.
the current financial year, and Some Kfirs are being offered
Bell expects deliveries to run with General Electric J79 engines
over a 20-year period from 2021. with zero hours following a com-
Japan could acquire as many as plete overhaul, while others will
150 UH-X aircraft to replace its ex- need this work after the power-
isting land forces inventory of 130 plant reaches 1,600 flight hours.
UH-1Js, which were licence built IAI declines to comment on
Rex Features
by Fuji during the 1990s. The the negotiations, which Flight In-
company is also likely to offer the ternational has previously report-
platform to the export market. Japans existing fleet of UH-1J helicopters is due for retirement ed could be for 18 aircraft.

DEFENCE
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UNMANNED SYSTEMS BETH STEVENSON LONDON
Royal Navy tests unmanned vision with SULSA

A team from the University of
Southampton has launched
an unmanned air vehicle manu-
Our first squadron of remotely
piloted aircraft proved their worth
in the Gulf, Zambellas says. The
factured using 3D printing tech- SULSA trial will help the service
nology from the bow of a Royal explore how simple, automated
Navy ship, demonstrating the po- systems [can] replace complex
Crown Copyright
tential of such platforms for machines, he adds.
short-range surveillance. Boeing said in July that its
The Southampton University The 3D-printed UAV was launched from the services HMS Mersey ScanEagle contract with the UK
Laser Sintered Aircraft (SULSA) has been extended until 2017,
was launched via catapult from to have been made entirely via the RN has increased its opera- and it will offer to extend this
the patrol vessel HMS Mersey 3D printing using laser sintered tional use of UAVs, including the until a planned new UAV begins
near Weymouth, Dorset, complet- nylon. It consists of four sepa- Boeing/Insitu ScanEagle. The ser- operations with the navy in 2022.
ing a 5min sortie over 500m with rately manufactured main parts vices first unit dedicated to un- Meanwhile, a rotary-wing
a lightweight video sensor. that are assembled without the manned operations 700X Naval flight demonstration using
SULSA is 1.5m (4.9ft) long need for additional tools. Air Squadron, based at RNAS AgustaWestlands optionally-pi-
and weighs 3kg (6.6lb). The uni- Under the leadership of First Culdrose in Cornwall was estab- loted SW-4 Solo was recently
versity claims it is the first UAV Sea Lord Adm George Zambellas, lished in December 2014. carried out for the RN.
ORGANISATION CAPABILITY JAMES DREW MCLEAN
Combat cloud takes form

ARIE EGOZI TEL AVIV
Israeli squadron
is established Northrop proposes enhanced gateway product to safeguard battlespace communication
to receive F-35l
I sraels first Lockheed Martin
F-35I (Adir) squadron will be
N orthrop Grumman has ex-
panded the capabilities of its
Battlefield Airborne Communica-
Speaking at its Centre for Inno-
vative Solutions in Virginia,
Northrop Grumman Information
prise to bring its combat cloud
concept to life. The French air
force has a similar need.
officially established in early tions Node (BACN), with the Systems president Kathy Warden Its about shared battlespace
August, as the nations air force Enterprise Airborne Gateway
said the product is derived from awareness and joint integration,
advances preparations to take de- Network (EAGN) promising to the baseline BACN, and that the says Rob Evans, director of busi-
livery of the type in early 2017. make so-called combat cloud company is eyeing applications ness development for airborne
Receiving these aircraft is a warfare commonplace. for US forces operating in the Pa- command-and-control informa-
pioneering move which also in- BACN was developed and cific region and Africa. It also is tion systems. BACN was de-
cludes great uncertainty, the fielded to relay beyond-line-of- talking to several US allies about signed to solve a very specific
commander of the lead F-35I sight voice and data exchanges the EAGN capability, she adds. problem. It then evolved to per-
squadron, identified by the between US and coalition forces Northrop has not yet secured a form other capabilities, like the
service as Lt Col Yotam, told the in mountainous Afghanistan, launch customer, but the US Air linking of disparate networks.
Israeli air force website. with Northrops EQ-4 Global Force is exploring a requirement Evans suggests several opera-
The challenges we will most Hawk and Bombardiers Global for a highly redundant and se- tional concepts for EAGN, most of
certainly come across and deal Express-based E-11A as platforms. cure airborne networking enter- which involve the RQ-4 Global
with by ourselves will be trans- Hawk, but also potentially the
lated into knowledge that will USAFs future Long-Range Strike
later be conveyed to other Bomber. Applications could range
countries. We will gain a great from re-establishing communica-
deal of experience. tions across a battlespace to track-
A second F-35I squadron is ing ballistic missiles and acting as
already planned, and the air
a surrogate satellite, he says.
force is examining the possibili- Meanwhile, the USAF signed a
ty of standing up a third unit. research and development agree-
Israel has so far ordered 33
ment on 14 July for Northrop to
conventional take-off and land- demonstrate its universal payload
ing F-35As, and has options on adaptor for the RQ-4B G lobal
another 17. Squadron techni- Hawk. The equipment will enable
cians are already studying the the unmanned type to carry vari-
US Air Force
Israeli-
developed systems that ous sensors currently integrated
will be integrated with the fifth- with the Lockheed Martin U-2
generation fighter. BACN is currently installed on the Global Express-based E-11A surveillance aircraft.

DEFENCE
Legacy 500 gets
Beijing validation
BUSINESS AVIATION P22
FLEET JAMES DREW WASHINGTON DC
USAF shoots down A-10 exports pitch

Service formally rejects Boeing-backed proposal to offer surplus ground-attack aircraft for operation by allied nations
T he US Air Force has ended

discussions about potentially
transferring some of its Fairchild
Air Combat Command chief
Gen Herbert Carlisle as the best
close-air-support aircraft ever,
Republic A-10s to allies, and says the USAF has been on a cam-
it will not sell the ground-attack paign to retire the Warthog
aircraft to anyone. fleet. The service argues that it
A Boeing official in late May lacks the funds to keep the age-
triggered speculation about ing aircraft operational, and
whether the US government says it also needs to free up
would consider selling surplus maintainers to support the
aircraft, by revealing that there Lockheed Martin F-35.
had been early discussions Congress continues to oppose
about international sales. the retirement plan, but has per-
US Air Force
In a 23 July statement, the air mitted the USAF to transfer
force confirms: There are no some of its aircraft into type
anticipated sales of A-10 air- The air force expects to save $4.2 billion by retiring the Warthog 1000 storage, which preserves
craft to anyone. them in near-flyaway condition.
The move quashes any hopes part of a sequestration-prompted extend the life of the A-10, and Some 21 of the 140 A-10s now at
that Boeing might have had about strategy that is expected to save says it would be cheaper for the the 309th Aerospace Mainte-
upgrading and sustaining the air- about $4.2 billion over five years. air force to complete the up- nance and Regeneration Group
craft for a foreign owner, as the Boeing is most of the way grades than break that contract at at Davis-Monthan AFB in Arizo-
USAF would prefer to send its through a multi-billion dollar re- this point. na are in this condition, the
entire fleet to the boneyard as winging programme that will Despite being described by USAF says.
TRAINERS CRAIG HOYLE LONDON
Grob grabs attention from another three countries

A t least three more nations are
considering acquiring Grob
Aircrafts G120TP turboprop
Ecuador is also looking to ac-
quire 15 new trainers, with an
order expected during 2016.
trainer, the company says. They are asking for informa-
With deliveries already made tion, Christ confirms. Flight-
to Argentina, Indonesia, Mexico globals Fleets Analyzer database
and Myanmar and the type also records the nations air force as
selected to meet requirements in currently flying nine aged Cessna
the UK and the USA, further op- T-34Cs. A 10-aircraft order from
Grob Aircraft
portunities are now being pur- Paraguay could also be confirmed
sued in Latin America and Asia. soon, he says.
Speaking to Flight International Meanwhile, existing operator Ecuador, Paraguay and Taiwan are all interested in the G120TP
at the Royal International Air Tat- Mexico could look to double the
too in the UK on 18 July, vice-pres- size of its current order, to 50 pacity will allow for the delivery Christ says the company is now
ident of business development units, and Indonesia is reported of up to 50 G120TPs per year. looking to offer only the latter.
Guillermo Christ said Taiwan is as having already increased the The side-by-side-configuration We highly recommend the digi-
very interesting for the compa- size of its fleet from 18 to 24 aircraft has so far been available tal cockpit, as operators will be
ny, with a potential requirement examples. with a choice of either an ana- using this aircraft for the next 15
for between 25 and 30 aircraft. Grob Aircrafts production ca- logue or digital cockpit, but or 20 years, he notes.
Download the 2015 IN ASSOCIATION WITH
Wo r l d A i r F o r c e s R e p o r t
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BUSINESS AVIATION
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in-depth analysis from the business
aviation sector: flightglobal.com/bizav
AIRWORTHINESS EXPANSION KATE SARSFIELD LONDON
VistaJet widens its horizon

DOMINIC PERRY LONDON
De-icer directive
issued as Super Swiss VIP charter company ready to offer internal flights in China using Challenger 850
Puma overheats
O perators of a number of
Airbus Helicopters Super

V istaJet will begin offering
point-to-point services in
mainland China in August, using
Puma variants fitted with certain a B-registered Bombardier
tail rotor de-icing systems have Challenger 850 business jet.
been advised to check the The Swiss VIP charter compa-
condition of the equipment,
ny has joined forces with Apex
following an incident during Air, headquartered in Nantong,
which blades were left damaged Jiangsu province, and will man-
following overheating of the unit. age the service on its behalf.
The European Aviation Safety We have been flying in and
Agency says that in certain condi- out of China for seven years, but
VistaJet
tions the de-icing system on the we havent been able to fly inter-
AS332s C, C1, L and L1 models nally until now, says VistaJets Nantong-based Apex Air will manage the point-to-point service
can inadvertently be turned on chief operating officer, Ian Moore.
while the aircraft is on the ground The advantages of operating tal range [of 2,800nm (5,200km)] 2015 and it plans to add another
without its rotors turning. B-registered aircraft within the
is ideal for this market. Challenger 850 to the B-register at
In such situations, says EASA country are numerous, and The service has received an en- the end of the year.
in an emergency airworthiness include the considerable benefit thusiastic welcome, which Moore If there is even more demand,
directive, the crew may be una- of access to more airports and attributes to the countrys current we will push for extra aircraft,
ble to detect fumes or smells landing slots than internationally climate of austerity. With our ser- Moore says.
coming from the tail rotor
registered carriers. vice, clients can travel anony- There are typically six
and possible damage [to] a This venture with Apex mously. You cant do that if you VistaJet aircraft flying around

tail rotor blade. enhances our offering, Moore
own your own aircraft, he says. Asia at any given time. But we
This in turn could lead to says. The Challenger 850, with VistaJet expects the Chinese could position all 53 of our air-
structural damage of tail rotor its large cabin and transcontinen- market to grow by around 30% in craft there, if required.
blades resulting in significant
vibrations and reduced control of
the helicopter. REPRESENTATION
Embraer
The condition could Gulfstream to

lead to structural boost sales in
damage of tail rotor Latin America
blades, significant
vibrations and G ulfstream is beefing up its
sales team in Latin America
reduced control with the appointment of Chilean
EASA business aviation services
provider and G150 operator

Aerocardal as sales
EASA says the overheating representative for the country.
i ncident that triggered its There are now more than 180
warning took place following
APPROVAL Gulfstream aircraft in service in
operation of the de-icing system the region, says senior vice-
in flight and subsequent use of a
Legacy 500 gets Beijing validation president of worldwide sales and
ground power unit (GPU) with Embraer secured Chinese validation for the Legacy 500 on 24 July, marketing Scott Neal.
the helicopter. and is now preparing to deliver the first midsize business jet to Mexico has the largest in-
Analysis suggests a failure of a Chinese launch customer and ambassador of its executive jets stalled base of Gulfstream types
power supply box led to the inad- division, Jackie Chan. in the region with a fleet of over
vertent activation of the system The 10-seat twinjet entered service late last year and Embraer 60, followed by Brazil.
while on the ground. had shipped 14 of the type by the end of the second quarter, In the past five years,
It advises that inspections of according to Flightglobals Ascend Fleets database. Gulfstreams fleet in Latin

the rotor blades take place While the USA is and will continue to be the largest market for America has grown nearly 70%,
whenever the de-icing system
the Legacy 500, Embraer expects the aircraft to become popular in the manufacturer says. The
has been activated whether in China, despite a preference for long-range and large cabin types in continent now represents about
flight or as a ground test and a the country. 8% of our worldwide fleet.
115V/400Hz GPU applied. See Feature P34

Why Airbus wants GENERAL AVIATION
to make mistakes
in Silicon Valley
NEWS FOCUS P24
DEVELOPMENT STEPHEN TRIMBLE OSHKOSH ENGINE KATE SARSFIELD LONDON
MVP says tri-hull amphibian Rotax addition

extends familys
is worth hanging around for potential reach
Developer extends certification target due to limited funding, but touts unique features
A ustrias BRP-Powertrain is
expanding its Rotax family
S tart-up seaplane builder MVP

Aero is adding undisclosed
but exciting new features
of piston engines with the launch
of its turbocharged 915iS.
The four-stroke, four-cylinder
below the water line of its tri-hull powerplant is designed, says the
amphibious aircraft, says director Gunskirchen-based company, to
of digital marketing and co- help it expand its share of the gen-
founder Michael Lynds. eral aviation aircraft market be-
Below the water line theres a yond the ultra-light and light-
lot of exciting engineering that sport aircraft sectors. BRPs Rotax
you wont see on any other engines currently dominate these,
planes, and its arguably as excit- powering over 80% of the fleets.
ing as above the water line, The 915iS opens the way for
Lynds says. But because of that larger, heavier aircraft and even
its patent-pending. small helicopters, says company
MVP launched the epony- vice-president and general man-
mous, two-seat seaplane a year ager Thomas Uhr.
MVP Aero
ago at the Experimental Aircraft The 135hp, turbocharged 915iS
Associations annual fly-in in A hammock can be slung between the tail and engine block is a follow-up to the three-year-old
Oshkosh, Wisconsin. 912iS. It features a reinforced
The $189,000 aircraft was sponsors, such as former Cirrus Funding dictates everything. crankshaft, newly designed pis-
pitched at the same market that executive Alan Klapmeier. If we had full funding wed be tons and a turbocharger. To handle
has shown so much interest in Since last January, the pro- out of the gate and in production the higher torque, the 915iS will
the similarly-priced Icon Aircraft gramme has made steady pro- in three years, Lynds says. also feature a new gearbox.
A5, which is now in production. gress, completing the design Funding is coming in waves and
But MVP made the aircrafts engineering work, Lynds says. not all at once, which kind of
versatility a key point in the de- But the pace of work is being stretches it a little bit. ACQUISITIONS
sign, with a foredeck that can be
used as a fishing platform and a
held back by a lack of timely
funding support.
A timeline released at the event
a year ago predicted the MVP
Cessna lands
tail boom sized to accommodate
a hammock between the vertical
The company is ready to begin
building a flying prototype, but
would be certificated as a special
light sport aircraft by 2019.
China orders
tail and the engine block.
The launch event included key
must wait to receive a new round
of financial investment.
Maybe push that back six
months to a year, Lynds says. C essna secured two sizeable
orders from Chinese custom-
ers at the AirVenture show in
Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in late July.

SEAPLANE STEPHEN TRIMBLE OSHKOSH Shanghai-based operator Joy
Akoyas tricky landing gear revised Air acquired 20 Grand Caravan

EX amphibians for its regional air
tour operation. The single-en-
A production-conforming pro-
totype of the Lisa Akoya
will enter production next year
among the last design changes as
Lisa prepares for a year-long cer-
tification campaign.
ing four years later. That model
included several changes, includ-
ing one intended to offset a sharp
gined turboprops equipped with
Wipaires Wipline 8750 floats
will be built at the Cessna-AVIC
featuring a redesigned landing The companys goal had been pitching moment when the sin- Aircraft facility in Shijiazhuang,
gear, the France-based manufac- to obtain a special-light sport gle-engined aircraft accelerated Heibei Province. Deliveries are
turer says. aircraft certificate in the USA in water. scheduled to begin later this year.
The two-seat amphibian will for the Akoya in 2016. This Lisas engineers added a con- Shandong Hairuo General Avia-
retain its classic taildragger con- would be followed by a CS-LSA trol surface to the horizontal sta- tion placed a follow-on order for
figuration, with a small tail- certification in Europe. biliser, which functions like a six Skyhawk 172 piston singles.
wheel behind the main landing But the schedule has slipped trim tab to automatically offset Its first contract for two of the
gear under the cockpit. slightly, into early 2017 for the the pitching moment as the six-seat, high-wing aircraft was
However, the original landing US certificate, and later still for thrust is increased. signed in April. The Garmin
gear system was said to be the European approval. The aircraft still has about 100 G1000-equipped 172s will be
tricky to manoeuvre on run- The company launched the reservations and commitments used by the Binzhou-based com-
ways, so will be improved with programme with a proof of con- for orders, the company says, pany and Cessnas local sales rep-
increased damping. cept aircraft in 2007, and an early with most of the demand coming resentative for commercial pilot
The landing gear tweak is production prototype started fly- from the USA and Europe. training.

NEWS FOCUS
STRATEGY STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC
Why Airbus wants

to make mistakes
in Silicon Valley
Toulouse is investing heavily in Californias high-tech hotbed
of innovation in order to accelerate its development projects
I f failing correctly can be consid-

ered a strategic business skill,
Silicon Valley may have a lot to
irbus also wants to co-opt the
A
way that Silicon Valleys firms de-
velop technology and a key
teach the aerospace industry characteristic of the Silicon Valley
most recently Airbus Group. model is how it deals with failure.
Over the past five months, Air-
bus has sunk roots into the heart CONCEPT INCUBATOR
of Californias booming high-tech Were really excited about whats
economy, setting up a $150 mil- happening in Silicon Valley, says
lion venture capital firm, launch- Ken McKenzie, deputy chairman
ing a Defense Advanced Research and senior vice-president of strat-
Projects Agency (DARPA)-like egy and corporate services for US-
technology incubator and poach- based Airbus Group Inc.
ing two of Silicon Valleys elite It happens fast, he says. If it After Airbus Group chief exec- executive Paul Eremenko to head
entrepreneurs to run them. doesnt work they move on to utive Tom Enders made an ex- the tentatively-named Innovation
Silicon Valleys attraction for all something else very quickly, in- ploratory visit in March, the com- to Business centre an incubator
three Airbus divisions goes deep- stead of beating a dead horse for pany announced the formation of of very long-term technologies
er than the stream of new technol- years before saying this doesnt two new companies in late May. and concepts.
ogies and ideas flowing into the work, so lets shut down this Airbus recruited former Google Tom Dombrowski, a veteran of
consumer electronics market. multi-million dollar project. advanced projects and DARPA the Andreessen Horowitz v enture
DESIGN
The 20-year plan: to bring hybrid-electric propulsion to a 100-seat regional airliner
In less than two decades, Airbuss Were starting to work on the turbine engines generating electric- called the E-Fan 2.0 and a four-seat,
concept for the VoltAir E-Fan could design of what we call the EPU, ity for a row of electric thrusters bur- hybrid-electric 4.0 model afterward.
spawn a new family of 100-seat re- says Ken McKenzie, deputy chair- ied in the boundary layer flow along The company on 10 July flew an
gional airliners with a hybrid-electric man and senior vice-president of the trailing edge of the fuselage. It E-Fan demonstrator 40nm (74km)
propulsion system anchored by die- strategy and corporate services for may not be a gas turbine in our across the English Channel to show-
sel engines sending 6MW of power US-based Airbus Group Inc. Were case, he says. It may be diesel. case its electric propulsion concept.
to a row of electric thrusters. actually preferring a hybrid engine. The hybrid-electric system for the
The potential 100-seat aircraft is McKenzie links the Airbus design COMMERCIALLY VIABLE E-Fan 4.0 is expected to provide criti-
still early in the design phase, but to the NASA N3-X concept that A particular concern that arose cal information for Airbus engineers
Airbus already appears to be leaning emerged about five years ago, re- about the N3-X was the amount of working on the 100-seater. The pro-
toward a familiar configuration. vealing a blended-wing body with gas shielding required to protect passen- pulsion for the four-seater will have
gers from the spillage produced by an unusual configuration, with a sin-
the semiconductors, which would gle engine driving two electric fans,
transfer the power generated by the McKenzie says. If the concept resem-
engine to the thrusters. McKenzie bles the propulsion configuration for
says that issue will have to be ad- the 100-seater, it raises intriguing
dressed in the Airbus design as well. questions, such as how Airbus would
Airbus has previously discussed compensate for excess yaw if one of
the hybrid-electric 100-seater as a the fans stops working.
10-year goal, but McKenzie sets that You have one motor, but you
timetable back by almost a decade. have two thrust-producing devices,
I think its a 2032 time window for a he says. The asymmetric thrust
commercially viable aircraft, he says. has to be almost zero, so if you lose
The concept leverages Airbuss one it can still fly on the other. One
NASA
plans to introduce an electrically- of the concepts we had was if you

NASAs N3-X concept used a blended-wing body and gas turbines powered, two-seat trainer in 2017 lose one the other one stops too.

NEWS FOCUS
Were very staid, McKenzie has interests in suborbital space-

says. We come up with the de- flight, and also in the very long-
sign, we come up with the strat- term in the exploration of Mars.
egy, then come up with the pro- At 100,000ft [above Earth]
ject management, go through all youve got the same atmospheric
the gates, and eventually by the conditions as Mars, he says.
time you put it out there the You think were going to drive
need for it is gone and your com- around [Mars] in rovers? Or are
petitors are so far [ahead] that we going to fly? We think were
youre dead in the water with going to fly. So we have a project
some of these new ideas. that weve worked on, which is a
spaceplane.
Are we going to And now we can actually
test stuff, because we can put it
drive around Mars on the Perlan. Theyre all excited
in rovers? Or are we because theyre getting the re-
going to fly? We think cord. Were all excited because
were proving the concept.
were going to fly.
KEN MCKENZIE EXTERNAL IDEAS
Deputy chairman, Airbus Group Inc Airbus is not the first aerospace
An E-Fan demonstrator flew across company to take notice of Silicon
the English Channel to prove the Valleys innovation prowess. In
Rex Features
potential of electric propulsion The Silicon Valley initiative 2011, Boeing Military Aircraft
follows a string of external chief executive Chris Chadwick
investments by Airbus in cut-
talked about leveraging Apples
capital firm known for specialis- tainting it so much that we need to ting-edge aerospace technolo- innovative product development
ing in social media platforms, also get this Six Sigma-level [quality] gies, including a partnership to process to design the next fighter
has joined Airbus Capital Ven- before we can let this thing fly. We help Aerion develop a superson- or trainer.
tures, which will focus on invest- can just give it a try. ic business jet. Another such But Airbus is the first to physi-
ing in mature products. Speaking to Flightglobal at the project, the Airbus-branded cally set up shop in Silicon Val-
Both Eremenko and Dom- Experimental Aircraft Associa- Perlan II, was on display at the ley a move that fits in with the
browski are busy hiring staff and tions AirVenture fly-in in Os- AirVenture event. The Perlan companys greater openness to
developing operational plans. hkosh, Wisconsin, McKenzie team is seeking to shatter the external ideas.
The organisations should be es- compared the Silicon Valley high-altitude record for glider On the one hand, Airbus gets
tablished by October and the method to the community that flight, soaring to higher than better leverage, a broader
first funded projects should builds aircraft kits and new de- 90,000ft using a mysterious portfolio and less risk, says Teal
emerge by the end of the year, signs at their homes. The goal of weather phenomenon called the Group vice-president and
McKenzie says. the Airbus Innovations office polar night jet. aerospace consultant Richard

managed by chief technical offic- It may seem unusual that Aboulafia. On the other hand,
ADVANCED AEROSPACE er Jean Botti is to take a similar Airbus is investing in an unpow- the history of identifying prom-
Some well-known Silicon Valley approach with its own portfolio, ered, high-altitude glider but ising technology is not good. I
brands have already invested but that requires a sharp break there is a strategy, McKenzie have three words for you:
heavily in advanced aerospace with current practice. says. Airbus Defence & Space Connexion by Boeing.
companies, such as Googles
launch of the unmanned Project
Wing package delivery service,
and the acquisition of Vern
Raburns high-altitude, solar-
powered unmanned air vehicle

called Solara.
But Airbus has a different set
of expectations for its Silicon
Valley ventures.
In our Silicon Valley initiative,
I dont expect to see a single new
[manned] airplane ever come out
of it, McKenzie says. What I do
expect are [new ideas like] con-
nected cabin, UAVs. You can do
fast-fail for UAVs. You do those
quickly and innovatively while
Airbus
using some of the disciplines from

airplanes and helicopters, but not The Perlan II project seeks to break the high-altitude record for glider flight by soaring to 90,000ft

COVER STORY
MIDDLE RIDDLE
The industry has not been short of fresh propulsion programmes in recent years, but
none cover the likely thrust range for a much-talked-about Boeing 757 replacement
STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC 2025. The concept could still be more than a engine in the portfolio that fits this thrust
B
year from a launch decision, but Boeing has class, as I understand, Joyce said. So, will it
y the end of the decade, a remarkable loosely defined the configuration as a new air- take a new development programme? Yeah.
six clean-sheet commercial aircraft craft with widebody comfort and narrowbody That places the MOM thrust requirement
engines spanning two generations of economics that can carry up to 220 people as in a category that entered development in the
propulsion technology are expected far as 5,000nm (9,260km). late 1960s, then battled for orders and posi-
to enter service. tions on the next decades great widebody ri-
That long parade of fleet introductions Weve been running vals, including the Boeing 747, the Douglas
sporting all-new propulsion brands such as DC-10, the Lockheed L-1011 and the Airbus
GEnx, Trent 1000, Trent XWB, PW1000G,
fast at Rolls-Royce over A300. Two generations of engine families
Leap and GE9X are aimed either at replac- the last 15 years bearing the brands JT9D, CF6, RB.211,
ing decade-old families of engines reaching TONY WOOD PW2000, PW4000 and Trent 700 were de-
the end of their production life, or occupying President of aerospace, Rolls-Royce veloped to power a wide assortment of nar-
gaps in thrust levels ranging from 14,000lb rowbodies and widebodies, including Boe-
(62kN) to 105,000lb. ings 757 and 767 and the Airbus A330.
In that incredible diversity, however, is one Such an aircraft could require Boeings en-
significant omission. Nothing currently in de- gine suppliers to launch yet another new cen- BURN REDUCTION
velopment or recently transitioned into pro- treline engine. In June, GE Aviation chief ex- Even as widebody thrust requirements tilted to
duction falls within the range of 40,000lb to ecutive David Joyce said the MOM aircraft the category over 60,000lb, GE and Pratt & Whit-
60,000lb. design would require a new clean-sheet en- ney alone have combined to deliver more than
That glaring gap may soon have to be ad- gine in a thrust range between 40,000lb and 10,000 engines in the middle of the market
dressed. Boeing is studying what it calls a 50,000lb, representing a billion-dollar invest- range over a period of nearly five decades. With
middle of the market (MOM) aircraft con- ment needed to develop and certificate an- the technology for the majority of engines in this
cept, potentially replacing 757s and 767-200s other commercial engine. class now decades old, it should be possible for
with a new aircraft starting around or after If you take a look at it, we dont have an the engine manufacturers to deliver a substan-

DEVELOPMENT
Most engine company executives are keeping

their plans for a MOM concept engine closely
The PW1000G series of
held, but P&W vice-president of technology and engines has a lot of leg room
environment Alan Epstein is at least willing to for future growth
make one bold prediction. Asked during a press
GREG GERNHARDT
conference in June how P&W could respond to Commercial engines president, P&W
Boeings MOM concept, commercial engines
president Greg Gernhardt attempted to be as
broad as possible in his reply. There are a lot of ment in engine technologies that can swing
people talking to us about the gear, Gernhardt between market categories.
said. And, you know, the PW1000G series of That is why the Advance and UltraFan
engines has a lot of leg room for future growth. have technologies that we can scale and apply
Were busy talking about a lot of opportunities. to aircraft in different sizes in that market,
Then Epstein spoke up: Let me add some- Wood says.
thing. Whomever makes the next airplane, I Weve been running fast at Rolls-Royce
will predict it will have a geared engine on it. over the last 15 years developing a new en-
In fact, I will even take money on that. gine every few years, Wood adds. Were
now at a period where with the strength of
GEARED ALTERNATIVES our orderbook were now in a demonstrator
A reporter asked if Epstein was offering the mode with those technologies, and making
bet because he knew that his competitors sure we can develop them fast enough to be
were working on geared engine alternatives to ready to play on whatever options come.
the PW1000G series. I didnt say it wasnt a Wood also thanked a journalist for describ-
suckers bet, Epstein replied. ing Boeings new concept as a middle of the
Epsteins competitors at R-R have made it market aircraft, noting that it should not be
no secret that a geared architecture and im- viewed as another narrowbody programme.
provements in thermal-cycle efficiency are Eric Schulz, president of R-Rs large engine
the key technologies now being developed for programmes, points out that Boeings strategy
the Advance, an engine being prepared for for addressing the MOM concept plays to his
service entry after 2020. An even more ad- companys strengths in the widebody engine
vanced concept dubbed the UltraFan sector. The strength of the A321 order book
would add more exotic upgrades, such as indicates a clear shift in demand for larger
variable-pitch fan blades to optimise air flow. aircraft in what is usually called the middle of
In a June press conference, R-R president of the market, Schulz says.
aerospace Tony Wood explained the compa- We expect a natural translation to what we
The 757 features 1980s technology, so
nys approach to a MOM aircraft requirement. call the high end of the middle of the market
AirTeamImages
a new design could achieve significant

Viewing the fragmenting of the narrowbody into the widebody [category], and, looking for-
performance improvements
market as a long-term trend with the emer- ward, thats probably why some of the airfram-
gence of the Bombardier CSeries and Embraer ers Boeing, in particular is looking at what
tial reduction in fuel burn with a propulsion E-Jets overlapping with the Airbus and Boe- we in the industry call a replacement for the
system entering service in another 10 years. ing narrowbodies R-R has focused invest- 757, Schulz says.
The 757 had early 1980s technology, so if
were talking about a 2025 aircraft, one would
expect very significant [specific fuel consump-
tion] improvements, says Flightglobal Ascend
senior consultant Richard Evans. People used
to reckon on anywhere from 0.5% to 1% per
annum improvement in SFC or fuel burn at the
aircraft level, so perhaps engines would have
anywhere from 20% to 45% lower SFC.
There are still many questions hanging
over Boeings conceptual airframe. For exam-
ple, could the new aircraft be as wide as a 767
or even larger, or could it fall between the
width of a 757 and a 767 like the cancelled
(and smaller) 7J7 concept from the 1980s?
Similar mysteries also exist for the engine
architecture. P&Ws heavy investment in
geared turbofan narrowbody engines, which
are scheduled to enter service next year on the
Airbus A320neo, has generated strong interest
Rolls-Royce
around the industry, with Rolls-Royce also in-

vesting heavily in geared-engine technology
and GE Aviation acquiring gear specialist Avio. R-R has been testing its CTi fan system using the Advanced Low Pressure System demonstrator

COMMERCIAL ENGINES
XWB-97 testing MURDO MORRISON DERBY
A
has passed the
1,000 cycle mark year after it powered to life for the
first time in a concrete-walled test
cell, the engine for the largest vari-
ant of the Airbus A350 will any
day now be departing Rolls-Royces factory
in Derby, and making its way by road and sea
to Toulouse, where it is set to make its maid-
en sortie on Airbuss A380 flying testbed,
most likely in October, according to Airbus.
Six to nine months and 120h of testing later,
the Trent XWB-97 exclusive powerplant
for the A350-1000 should fly on that air-
craft for the first time, ahead of the types ser-
vice entry in 2017.
Meanwhile, with ground testing set to con-
tinue for another 12 months or so on seven
other development engines, R-R will around
the fourth quarter of next year add the higher-
powered engine to a production line that is al-
ready ramping up output of its XWB-84 sib-
ling. The XWB-84 (the designations reflect
maximum thrust in thousands of pounds) ex-
clusively powers the smaller A350-900, which
entered service with Qatar Airways at the be-
ginning of the year. Vietnam Airlines became
the second operator in recent weeks.
OUTPUT INCREASE
R-R is currently producing two XWB-84s a
week although this has been raised to four
to test the robustness of the production pro-
cess and supply chain, says Tim Boddy,
head of marketing for the programme. Both
suppliers and final assembly line, he says,
coped well with the exercise. He expects
output to rise to five a week by the end of
2017 including by then one example of the
-97 variant and to reach seven a week
across the two variants by 2020. One of our
key challenges this year is the customer
RELISHING
build-up on the -84, he says.
Boddy says he and his colleagues are de-
lighted with the performance so far of the
engine on the first A350-900s. There are now
five of the twinjets in service with the two op-
A WIDER
erators Latam and Finnair will join their
ranks shortly and the XWB-84 is experienc-
ing very intense operations for a new en-
gine, he says. Vietnam are doing two-hour
REMIT
legs with up to six flights a day, while Qatar
does a lot of medium-haul flights and oper-
ates in a challenging environment, with lots
of flying through sand.
Although Boddy says the -84 was always
designed with growth potential, you would
have to be a bit of an expert to spot the differ-
As it prepares for a first flight of the A350-1000s ences between the XWB-84 and the final pro-
duction version of its big sister. One of the main
Trent XWB powerplant, Rolls-Royce is enjoying tweaks is to the design of the fan system, which
an increasingly fruitful relationship with Airbus includes an inflected annulus to improve flow.
Rolls-Royce
For the -97 we need to run the fan faster, so

weve added material to the fan blade, the disc

ROLLS-ROYCE TRENT XWB-97
For the -97... weve added

material to the fan blade,
the disc and the fan case
TIM BODDY
Head of marketing for Trent XWB, Rolls-Royce
and the fan case to cope with that higher stress,

he says. A shroudless blade system has also
been introduced for the first time on a Trent.
However, the nacelle is identical and most
of the changes are deep within the engine. To
achieve higher flow, and thrust, engineers have
Rolls-Royce
had to design a way to drive the core faster, and
that has involved an increase in size of around
5%. Its a subtle change but its important to
manage down design temperatures, says expected to include any ALM-built parts.
Boddy. When you are driving up the engine However, the effort is part of a drive to intro-
temperature, the trick is to run it hot, reliably duce a host of innovations to improve the effi-
and with the minimum amount of cooling air. ciency of its Trent engines. These are wrapped
By adding high temperature technology, and into its two major engine development studies
adding size to the core, these two things togeth- Advance and UltraFan unveiled last year.
er give you a very robust machine.
CLOSE RELATIONSHIP
TEST MILESTONE With Airbus sitting on a backlog of more than
R-R will build eight XWB-97 development en- 780 orders for the A350, including around 170
gines in total and has run five of them. The test for the larger variant, the Trent XWB is R-Rs
programme has just passed the 1,000 cycle most important programme in terms of num-
milestone with the company claiming good bers and reinforces the growing closeness of
results so far and high confidence in achiev- the UK firms relationship with Toulouse. R-R
ing all our targets. On 25 June, the engine has the field to itself with the repowered
completed a 150h endurance test that included A330neo, for which it is developing the Trent
more than 16h at maximum take-off thrust and 7000, and there is increasing speculation that it
42h 30min at maximum continuous thrust. may launch an engine at Novembers Dubai air
Rolls-Royce
Meanwhile, development engine 20023 is at show to exclusively power a Neo version of

the companys Stennis test facility in Missis- the A380 it competes with Engine Alliance
sippi, USA preparing to have its ability to han- Five development XWB-97s have run so far on the current superjumbo.
dle fan flutter and cross-winds scrutinised. However, while the success of the Trent
Another engine at Stennis 20026 will be focus on maturity testing. XWB, the Trent 7000, and possibly a Trent
used for cyclic testing, while a rebuild of devel- Later this year comes another first when the 9000 if that programme goes ahead, depends
opment engine 20021 is taking place after that Trent XWB-97 takes to the air on the A380 fly- largely on Airbuss ability to secure orders, R-R
example underwent bird ingestion and rain ing testbed. It will be the only R-R product so is in a pitched battle with rival General Electrics
and hail tests. The flight testing on Airbuss far to include a major structure built using ad- GEnx on the Boeing 787. So far, the GEnx has a
MSN1 A380 is designed to fine-tune power- ditive layer manufacturing (ALM), so-called market share advantage in orders and deliveries
plant integration and de-risk the flight test 3D printing: the 1.5m-diameter titanium front of almost three to two over the Trent 1000, but
programme on the A350-1000, expected to bearing housing (Flight International detailed R-R believes it is gaining momentum and that
begin around the third quarter of next year, the initiative in our 3-9 March issue). the latest Trent 1000-TEN variant, due to enter
says Boddy. Testing in 2016 and 2017 will Production versions of the XWB-97 are not service in the second half of next year, will give
it a technological and efficiency edge over its
Vietnam Airlines recently became the second competitor.
operator of the XWB-84-powered A350-900 In the next few years, R-R could possibly be
equipping every Airbus widebody being built
subject to the launch of an exclusively Trent-
powered A380neo with a significant share on
one of Boeings two new twin-aisle families.
Although the firm has had its shareholder
battles in recent years, and faces challenges
meeting its strategic objective of breaking back
into the narrowbody market in the 2020s and
maintaining a presence in business jets, the
Trent XWB in particular will ensure it a domi-
nant footprint in the twin-aisle segment well
Airbus
into the next decade.

COMMERCIAL ENGINES
POWER AVIC Guizhou-Liyang Aero-Engine

Group has been developing an engine
that could eventually power the ARJ-21
PLAYER?
Chinas propulsion development has often been
overshadowed by an airframe focus, but things could
be set to change as engine programmes move up a gear
RICHARD FISHER WASHINGTON DC rivative of this effort, though by early in the
T
last decade they appear to have gained a
here should be little doubt that Chi- steadily higher policy priority. This, in turn,
nas aerospace ambition is to com- was spurred by the late 1990s decision to pro-
pete globally with leading aircraft ceed with the development of heavy cargo
makers such as Boeing and Airbus, transport aircraft and then airliners.
and then to compete in the technically rigor- In recent years, as Chinas leadership under
ous commercial large high bypass turbofan Communist Party Secretary General Xi Jin-
(HBT) market. While gaps in data abound due ping has embraced the policy mantra of the
to Chinas pervasive secrecy, it is increasingly China Dream, which includes eventual
clear that Beijings ambitions are being global superpower status, it has also under-
matched by broad investment in both com- stood that its aerospace ambitions are hobbled
mercial airframe and engine technologies. At by the lack of what they refer to as the Chi-
the same time, it is pursuing potentially radi- nese Heart, or modern aircraft engines.
cal rationalisation of its engine sector.
As China nears completion of its first nar- WESTERN DOMINANCE
rowbody, the 150 seat-class Comac C919, it Chinas current dependence on Western en-
has already started development of its 300 gines is near total. In an April 2015 press re-
seat-class widebody, called C929. If Russias lease on its 30 years of business in China,
President Vladimir Putin gets his way, the lat- CFM noted that China had ordered 3,900
ter could become part of a joint China-Russia CFM56 and Leap turbofans to power 1,950
widebody airliner around 2025, followed by a Boeing and Airbus narrowbody airliners. Chi-
co-developed engine. nas widebody airliner fleet relies almost
Chinas development of modern commer- entirely on General Electric, Pratt & Whitney,
cial turbofans will lag behind that of its new Engine Alliance and Rolls-Royce.
commercial airliners, but perhaps not by As of June, Comac had orders for more than
much. The C919 may start flying with the 500 Leap-1C-powered C919s, mainly from
CFM International Leap-1C in 2016, but could Chinese customers.
have the AVIC Commercial Aircraft Engine China not only wants to break the foreign
Corporation (ACAE) CJ-1000A by 2022. The monopoly over its own engine market; it
C929 will also begin with a Western engine, also hints it has set its sights on eventual
but could receive the CJ-2000 by 2030. foreign sales. At the May 2015 China Aero-
One reason for this lag is that since the mid- space Propulsion Technology Summit, it was
1980s, Chinas top priority has been to devel- reported that China may require 10,000 turbo-
op modern turbofans for combat aircraft. Its fan engines over the next 20 years, worth $98 recently, turbofan design and manufacturing
development of modern HBTs has been a de- billion. At the previous summit in 2014, concerns have typically been subordinate to
ACAE offered its own global engine market aircraft makers.
projections. Over the next 20 years, ACAE As such, the AVIC Shenyang-Liming Aero-
projected a world requirement for 20,555 en- Engine Group produced engines designed by
gines for widebody airliners, 45,777 for nar- the AVIC Shenyang Engine Design and Re-
rowbodies and 7,840 for regional airliners. search Institute for aircraft from the Shenyang
Chinas quest for modern HBTs can be di- Aircraft Corporation. The AVIC Xian Aero En-
vided into three phases. First, China used its gine Group made engines for the Xian Aircraft
established collection of state-controlled avia- Corporation. The AVIC Chengdu Engine
tion companies plus attendant research insti- Group made engines designed by the AVIC
tutes under the aegis of the Aviation Indus- Chengdu Gas Turbine Research Institute for
Comac
tries Corporation of China (AVIC), whose the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation.

The C919 will initially fly with the Leap-1C predecessor organisations date to 1951. Until While such redundancy suited the guerrilla

CHINA
2015, but this has probably been delayed. The

WS-20 is expected to succeed the 24,000lb-
thrust Soloviev D-30KP-2 turbofans currently
used by the Xian Y-20 heavy military transport.
Chinese reports indicate there may be a
32,000lb-thrust WS-20 in development.
When it was revealed at a Shanghai exhibi-
tion in November 2009, multiple Chinese re-
ports noted that the 26,000lb-thrust SF-A was
the civilian/commercial version of the WS-20.
The few images available of the SF-A and
the WS-20 show that the main high bypass fan
on each have relatively narrow chord blades.
The blades are also connected with mid-span
supporting snubbers. These were used by
Chinas aerospace ambitions

are hobbled by the lack of the
Chinese Heart, or modern
aircraft engines
early Western HBTs from the 1960s to compen-

sate for weakness in these larger blades.
In May 2013, Galleon reported SF-A could
begin production in 2016, but other reports
from late 2013 note that testing was under
way and production might not start until
2017 or 2018. These reports also noted that by
2008, SF-A was judged to have insufficient
performance for future Chinese airliners, but
pending development, may still be used.
BUSINESS JETS
Galleon also reported that by 2015, Shenyang-
Liming would be producing the 2,000lb-
thrust Jiuzhai twin-spool turbofan, intended
for light business jets. However, this cannot be
confirmed. Jiuzhai is usually associated with
the Cirrus SF50 Vision light jet. China Avia-
tion Industry General Aviation, a division of
AVIC, purchased Cirrus in 2011.
According to Galleon, the AVIC Guizhou-
Liyang Aero-Engine Group was to start pro-
ducing the 16,000lb medium-thrust WS-
Rex Features
12C HBT in 2015, but this cannot be

confirmed either. It is intended to power the
Comac ARJ-21 regional airliner, which cur-
war priorities of the Mao Zedong era, it has fighter engine programme (WS is short for rently uses GEs 15,400lb-thrust CF34-10A.
prevented the development of modern inte- woshan turbofan), there has been an as- The WS-12C is likely derived from the
grated companies capable of design, produc- sociated effort to develop HBT and marine 6,400lb-thrust Chengdu-built Minjiang, re-
tion and technology development. turbine derivatives. Shenyang-Liming ex- vealed at the 2008 Zhuhai air show.
Nevertheless, this model has yielded some ploited the core of some of the first CFM56 The Guizhou and Chengdu air and engine
new turbofans. Perhaps the most impressive turbofans China obtained in the mid-1980s concerns appear to be developing deeper co-
performer from the distributed model has to help design the Taihang. operation. Perhaps in the late 1990s, Chengdu
been the Shenyang-Liming Aero-Engine Today, Shenyang-Limings 24,000-26,000lb- began a programme to co-produce or copy the
Group. In the late 1960s it developed proto- thrust (107-116kN) WS-20 perhaps more D-30KP-2, known as the 24,000lb-thrust WS-
types of a high bypass derivative of the WS-6 recently designated WS-118 is the only indig- 18A. Galleon reports the WS-18A that report-
fighter turbofan for a new transport aircraft, enous Chinese HBT flying today. It has been edly powers Xians Y-20 transport and H-6K
both of which were cancelled by Mao. seen on a Russian Ilyushin Il-76 engine testbed medium bomber started production in 2009.
From the mid-1980s and commencement aircraft since early 2013. Galleon Consulting of It could enter commercial service if the
of Shenyang-Limings WS-10A Taihang Shanghai reported it would start production in Y-20 were purchased by a commercial airline.

COMMERCIAL ENGINES
The Jiuzhai twin-spool

turbofan was associated
with the in-development
Cirrus SF50 Vision light
jet in the past
Cirrus Aircraft
It appears that after 2005, political dissatis- 1000B, an extended-range version that would between 2025 and 2030. A 50,000-60,000lb
faction with the ability to develop and pro- produce 13.4t of thrust. thrust rating is plausible.
duce modern commercial turbofans led to a At the May 2014 propulsion summit, During a press conference at Junes Paris air
second stage in China HBT development: re- ACAE senior expert for design and R&D Ni show, a representative from Russias United
form within AVIC to spur better results. Jingang, who worked with Safran China from Aircraft Corporation indicated that a Chinese-
1997 to 2010, provided projected milestones Russian engine development programme was
INSTITUTIONAL FOCUS for the CJ-1000 family. The AX demonstrator possible for a proposed joint widebody
In January 2009 it was decided that AVIC would be finished by 2018 two years later airliner. Other Russian sources at the show in-
would increase institutional focus on than previously reported. By 2022 the A ver- dicated that the 28,000lb-thrust Aviadvigatel
commercial engines by the creation of its
sion would equip the C919 and the B would PD-14 could serve as the basis for a more
ACAE unit as an integrated engine concern. follow by 2026, with certification between powerful turbofan.
ACAE literature states it is responsible for 2022 and that time. At the 2014 summit, Ni also referred to a
the design, R&D, assembly, test, sales and Given the delay encountered by the CJ-500 intended for smaller regional jets,
service, technology development and tech- CJ-1000AX demonstrator, the projections but did not provide additional details.
nology consulting of commercial aircraft for production and certification may also
engines in China. prove optimistic. NEW EFFICIENCIES
ACAE has established its new design, R&D, While it did not refer to the CJ-1000, an A third phase in Chinas development of ad-
technology development and consulting fa- ACAE brochure on its engine programme vanced turbofans could emerge from the 2014
cilities in the Minhang-Shanghai area. A new from the 2012 Zhuhai air show lists the decision to form an entirely new engine or-
large production and test centre is being built potential technology improvements the
ganisation from AVICs distributed companies
in the Shanghai-Pudong-Lingang area. CJ-1000 may exhibit: wide-chord, curved, and institutes. According to Chinese reports,
However, the high-profile revelation of a AVIC Engine will gather 25 to 27 engine-re-
half-scale mock-up of ACAEs CJ-1000A tur- The Guizhou and Chengdu lated units and 80,000-85,000 personnel. An
bofan in June 2011, about two-and-a-half AVIC website describes it as engaged main-
years after ACAEs founding, at least suggests
air and engine concerns ly in military and civilian aircraft engines,
that it may have relied on established compa- appear to be developing helicopter transmission, secondary power
nies like Shenyang and Xian for early design deeper co-operation systems, gas turbines and other derivatives
work. It may also have adopted the reportedly product development, manufacturing, mar-
more advanced SF-B. keting and services business.
ACAEs website indicates that it regularly A decision to move beyond reform from
seeks advice from other established engine swept hollow main fan blades; single crystal- within, like with ACAE, towards wholesale
design, production and development organi- powdered metal blades with advanced restructuring may reflect concern that even
sations; indeed, it lists nine that contributed cooling technology for the high-pressure ACAEs new CJ-1000 family may be continu-
to an April 2015 ACAE-organised seminar on turbine; curved-swept blades for the high- ally behind Western turbofans. However,
project configuration management for its CJ- pressure compressor; compact single annu- what is not known is how AVIC Engine will
1000AX demonstration turbofan. lar combustors; plus full authority digital move to achieve new efficiencies, perhaps
From 2012 to 2014, limited information engine control and advanced engine fault maintaining some internal competition or
about the CJ-1000 turbofan family has been diagnostics. perhaps seeking much greater specialisation
revealed. In 2012, Lucintel Consulting of Ir- Reports from 2011 indicated that a future among subordinate companies.
ving, Texas revealed the CJ-1000 would in- version of the CJ-1000 could have a thrust of But this effort to form a world-class engine
clude three initial versions: the CJ-1000AX 44,000lb, but at the 2014 summit, Ni also re- sector could receive substantial funding, with
demonstrator, that would produce 12.8t of vealed that a new CJ-2000 was being devel- Chinese reports indicating that up to CNY2
take-off thrust; the CJ-1000A early production oped for a future widebody airliner in the 250- trillion ($322 billion) could be spent over the
model, with up to 14t of thrust; and the CJ- 300 seat class, with engine certification next 20 years.

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BUSINESS AVIATION
Stephen Trimble/Flightglobal
The shows home at Congonhas has been the subject of much debate, with some calling for LABACE to be held at a larger location in So Paolo
LACKING
acutely in the regions powerhouse and busi-
ness aviation beacon, Brazil.
This country is home to the largest and
youngest business aircraft fleet in Latin Amer-
LUSTRE
ica and the biggest inventory outside the
USA. Its installed base of 793 business jets
and 712 turboprops represents about 55% of
the Latin American fleet, with Venezuela and
Argentina a very distant second and third, re-
spectively (see graphic, P36).
This years LABACE in Brazil comes at a time when the As with the rest of the continent, Brazil is
experiencing one of its worst financial down-
regions business jet market has been hit by economic turns in more than a decade and the short-
term prospects for the worlds seventh-largest
malaise after years of against-the-grain growth economy are grim.
This uncertainty is impacting heavily on
sales of new and used aircraft, which have
KATE SARSFIELD LONDON Latin America is losing its lustre as the deep- dropped to critical levels, says Eduardo Mar-
T
ening financial crisis takes its toll on new air- son, chairman of Brazils business and general
he 12th Latin American Business craft sales. aviation trade body, ABAG.
Aviation Conference & Exhibition While the region provided a consistent People are either unwilling to purchase
(LABACE) will open its doors on 11 stream of business jet orders during the worst of aircraft or are delaying their decision until
August in a region mired in political the worldwide financial crisis, the pendulum there is a turnaround in the economy. This
and economic instability. has now swung the other way, which is simply wont happen for a while, he predicts. Its
The three-day, annual event held at Con- part of the ebbs and flows of economic market really tough.
gonhas airport in So Paulo, Brazil is now a cycles, says aerospace analyst Brian Foley. Compared with previous downturns, how-
permanent fixture on the aviation calendar ever, Marson observes there is a trend for own-
thanks to the significance of the region to the RECOVERY TIME ers to hold on to their assets rather than sell
business aircraft industry. This malaise is likely to continue until the them to free up liquidity. In the past financial
With an installed base of more than 2,700 end of the decade, he predicts. Based on the downturns, owners would sell their assets,
business jets and turboprops, Latin America amount of time it has recently taken other usually abroad, and this would be reflected in
is home to the third largest business aircraft business jet markets to recover, its not incon- the declining fleet numbers, he says.
fleet by continent, after North America and ceivable that Latin America could be sub-per- This isnt happening this time around.
Europe. While its position on the continental forming for the next five years, says Foley. There is a huge value attached to owning and
fleet roster is assured for some time to come, The economic misery has been felt most operating an aircraft within this vast coun-

LABACE
try, adds Marson, who is also the president sion and the prospects for new business air-
of Brazilian helicopter manufacturer and Air-
This years LABACE is bigger craft sales are poor.
bus Helicopters subsidiary Helibras. than in 2013 and about the The economies of Chile and Colombia are
Brazils huge land mass has been a key same size as last years growing, but the rich pickings are minimal
driver in the growth of business aircraft in given their shares of the Latin American fleet.
EDUARDO MARSON
the region. ABAG chairman
The country has 5,600 cities, but fewer DURABLE SHOW
than 130 of these are served by scheduled air- Despite the gloomy backdrop, ABAG is hop-
lines. In contrast, there are 4,000 airports and any major world region, Vincent reveals. He ing Latin Americas only business aviation
aerodromes in Brazil, of which business air- singles out Brazil, with 5.2 jets per 1,000 showcase will be a success. Around 70 exhib-
craft, according to ABAG, serve the majority. HNWI. This compares favourably to North itors have committed so far, including all the
Business aircraft are critical to the devel- America 2.7 jets per 1,000 HNWI but es- major airframers and LABACE regulars: Bom-
opment of Brazil, says Marson. They open pecially to Europe and the Asia-Pacific with bardier, Dassault, Gulfstream, Textron and
up new towns and cities by providing a trans- 0.6 jets and 0.2 jets per 1,000 HNWI respec- local player Embraer, which launched its
portation link to the remotest areas. Propeller- tively, says Vincent. business jet division at the show 10 years ago.
driven aircraft are a lifeline to many commu- It is a view echoed by Marson. He points to This years LABACE is bigger than the
nities and businesses. the recent trend in Brazil towards owned and 2013 event and about the same size as last
managed aircraft and away from the traditional years, says Marson. This is pretty impres-
WIDESPREAD ACCEPTANCE charter market. Access to business aircraft by sive given the dire economic climate.
Marsons view is supported by aerospace ana- companies and individuals was usually The static area will be home to around 70 air-
lyst Rolland Vincent. He believes the hall- through an air taxi operator, he explains. But craft, including a VIP-configured ATR 72, which
marks of convenience and flexibility have in recent years there has been a shift towards is making its show debut along with Embraers
been instrumental in business aircraft gaining outright ownership, particularly amongst those in-development Legacy 450. LABACE marks
widespread acceptance with owners and op- companies, private owners and entrepreneurs the first public outing in Latin America for the
erators throughout Latin America and in Bra- who use business aircraft regularly, he says. latter, a super-light business jet earmarked for
zil in particular. While aircraft are now being sold in fewer certification and service entry this year.
Its a large, populous nation with entrepre- numbers [compared with the boom years of the Congonhas airport has been home to LA-
neurial cultures, clutches of highly success- mid- to late 2000s], the value placed on these BACE since the shows inception. However, as
ful, high net worth individuals (HNWI) and assets is just as important. the show has grown in size and stature, many
limited commercial air service networks and Elsewhere in Latin America, the business exhibitors and visitors believe it has outgrown
infrastructure, he says. aviation landscape is equally fragile. Venezue- the venue. They have called for it to be shifted
Latin America has by far the largest num- la and Argentina with fleets of 595 and 268 to a larger site within So Paolo, such as
ber of business jets per wealthy individual of respectively are both struggling with reces- Campo de Marte in the north of the city, which
Embraer
The in-development Legacy 450 will make its Latin American debut at LABACE, with service entry planned for later this year

BUSINESS AVIATION
is close to the financial district. ample space this would be a significant im- Brazil continuing to account for the bulk of
Relocating the show to a larger, fresher provement over todays venue. the sales.
venue would not only give the exhibition While LABACEs location may be causing In spite of economic recession nowadays,
more breathing space, they argue, but would come disquiet, industrys long-term confi- we still see the country as an important market,
also reflect the importance of this niche in- dence in the Latin American market remains says Embraer, which is close to delivering its
dustry to the Latin American market. Says undiminished. In its latest 10-year market 200th business jet on the continent. LABACE
Vincent: It is time to showcase this major in- forecast, Embraer predicts demand for 850 will continue to be a great show to promote our
dustry event at a new location that provides new business jets worth $16 billion, with products and services in the region.
LATIN AMERICA
BUSINESS
AIRCRAFT FLEET VENEZUELA
In-service fleet Average age
Jets 254 27
Turboprops 341 35
COLOMBIA
Jets 31 17
Turboprops 110 32
BRAZIL
Jets 793 13
ECUADOR Turboprops 712 21
Jets 10 23
Turboprops 13 31
PARAGUAY
Jets 6 22
PERU
Turboprops 41 25
Jets 6 14
Turboprops 17 33
BOLIVIA
In-service fleet Average age URUGUAY
Jets 7 25 In-service fleet Average age
Turboprops 19 30 Jets 4 27
Turboprops 5 22
CHILE
In-service fleet Average age ARGENTINA
Jets 34 15 In-service fleet Average age
Turboprops 54 23 Jets 157 21
Turboprops 111 27
NOTE: Fleet information for aircraft in business, corporate & executive, VIP, head of state & government operated roles
SOURCE: Flightglobals Ascend Fleets database (July 2015)

SOURCE: Flightglobals Ascend Fleets (July 2015)
NOTE: Fleet information for aircraft in business, corporate & executive and VIP, head of state & government operated roles
SPONSORED UPDATE
France will take the

spotlight as feature
country at Singapore
Singapore Airshow 2016 will welcome France
as the Feature Country in the fifth edition of the
show, scheduled to take place from 16 to 21
February 2016, at the Changi Exhibition Centre.
The Feature Country series, which made its
debut at the 2014 Airshow, was developed as
a permanent feature to enable the companies
exhibiting within the pavilion to leverage on User may remove the venue, date or year
the Singapore Airshow as a strategic platform; according to Logo Guide to suit various needs.
lending support to businesses of the Feature mercial aerospace sector is expected to set
Country and enabling them User to tap theremove
may opportu-
the venue, date or year new records for aircraft production in 2015,
nities in the Asia Pacific region andto
according beyond.
Logo Guide to suit various needs. off the back of the accelerated replacement
The French Pavilion will be located at a cycle of obsolete aircraft and growing passen-
prominent spot within the exhibition hall. Par- ger travel demand in the Asia Pacific region.
ticipating exhibitors will have access to a dedi- Countries in the region are also increasing de-
cated Deminar area a demonstration and fence spending to equip their militaries with
seminar area for research institutes and uni- modern defence platforms and technologies.
versities to showcase their latest technolo- Reflecting this growth is the continued ex-
gies and innovations. In addition, business International Committee of Groupement des in- pansion of reach and impact of each new edi-
meetings between the French Pavilion exhibi- dustries franaises aronautiques et spatiales. tion of Singapore Airshow. The 2016 show is
tors and VIP delegations will also be specially The French aerospace, defence and securi- already 80 per cent committed, with special-
facilitated. ty industry is worth 47.9 billion Euros, and ised spaces like the Aerospace Emerging
Being a Feature Country at the Singapore specifically, out of which 30.4 billion Euros is Technologies Zone, the Training and Simula-
Airshow 2016 gives us the unique platform to contributed by exports. This shows that tion Zone and the introduction of the Business
bring together our latest and best aviation tech- France is well-placed to leverage its Feature Aviation Zone, to further spawn business de-
nologies to meet the growing appetite for inno- Country platform to bring its latest innovations velopment opportunities.
vation in the Asia Pacific aviation sector, trans- to the regions top decision-makers converging For more information about the Feature
lating into real business deals for our French at Singapore Airshow 2016. Country programme, please contact Mr Danny
companies, said Emeric DArcimoles, the This comes at an opportune time in the Soong at dannysoong@experiaevents.com or
Paris Air Show Chairman and Chairman of the Asia Pacific aviation industry, where the com- +65 6595 6123.
Hosted Buyers Programme offers

STAND TO RECEIVE A
new partnership opportunities COMPLIMENTARY
Buyers seeking specific products and new contacts and explore new ventures. 4-DAY TRADE PASS TO
solutions at Singapore Airshow 2016 Accorded with a complimentary 4-day
can now leverage on the Hosted Buyers Hosted Buyer Pass and exclusive hospi-
SINGAPORE AIRSHOW
business matching programme to source tality arrangements during the trade days,
each eligible buyer will enjoy a hassle-free Indicate your interest to attend the
business meeting experience as pre-sched- show by 31 August 2015 at
uled meetings are facilitated with exhibi- www.singaporeairshow.com/register
tors that match their requirements. and stand to receive a free* access
For more information about the Hosted pass for all 4 trade days!
Buyers Programme, please contact Ms
Liliane Lye at lilianelye@experiaevents.
*
Terms and conditions apply.
com or +65 6595 6126.
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STRAIGHT&LEVEL
From yuckspeak to tales of yore, send your offcuts to murdo.morrison@flightglobal.com

Rutan reveals...
Geoff Jones
Just hot air
not quite all Zeppelins have been able to
Burt Rutan is famously secretive accomplish a certain amount
about his aircraft designs. The of mischief. But
man behind SpaceShipOne, when analysed in
Voyager and the Starship has the light of war
been busy working on a new operations as a
design for a wingship/seaplane whole, these overboomed
called the SkiGull. He had airships must be written down
hoped to reveal the new aircraft as absolute failures so far as
in spectacular fashion at the military value is concerned.
Oshkosh AirVenture show in
July, but production flaws Waste not...
forced him to scratch the plan. The services, not excluding
But Rutan broke from our well-beloved Royal Air
procedure and briefed the I dont care what the F you call it, sir, you cant park it Force, are not
Oshkosh crowds about the here. (The F-35 mock-up gets the once over from the local always
SkiGull design anyway, adding constabulary at RIAT. Thanks to Geoff Jones for the picture) meticulously
an unusual caveat up front. careful in avoiding
Im going to do something waste of human material.
that is against my policy, and Duralumin, the material Even the RAF sometimes
that is, Im going to talk to you in discovered by Alfred Wilm in insists on its human
detail about an aircraft that has 1906, is the link between the aluminium boiling cauliflowers
not yet flown. I want to advise aircraft firm and Rimowa, Hugo when it ought to be used in
Craig Hoyle/Flightglobal
you up front: these are estimated Junkers using it to build his Spitfires. We insist that
stuff and its probably bulls---. aluminium aircraft and Richard human material is precious,
Morszeck, founder of Rimowa, and that waste of it should be
for his range of suitcases. absolutely abolished.
Metal revival Testing, even for a test pilot
Still from Oshkosh, one of the Hover bother
most fascinating aircraft That wasnt hard information about the Orion Any hopes that the suzerainty
launches was a new version of Meanwhile, everyone at crew capsule for NASA. of the Ministry of Technology
a type first flown in 1919. Oshkosh remembers the Airbus But the opportunity to build would have a
A suitcase manufacturer A380s unfortunate hard an F-35 Lightning II from Lego driving and
yes, thats right, Rimowa, which landing in crosswind was particularly popular, with dynamic effect on
specialises in upmarket conditions upon arriving in kids signing up to follow a 13- Britains ACV
aluminium luggage revealed 2009. So all eyes were fixed on step production process using efforts withered on 27 July.
the Rimowa F13, a replica of the the A350-900, which made a prepared kits. Busy young Ironically, this was the very
Junkers F13, the worlds first all- flawless touchdown. A350 minds were barely distracted day on which the Queen had
metal aircraft. chief test pilot Frank Chapman when a famed UK test pilot her first ride in a hovercraft.
Designed as Germany was noted that the A380 incident arrived on the scene, but one
trying to establish a civil was certainly on the mind of dad was heard to comment: Shades of grey
aerospace industry from the the crew as well. You can fly it? Do you know The renewed conflict between
ruins of the war, the F13 was one When I came here yesterday, how to build it? Its bloody the USA and Europe over
of the most innovative aircraft of there was a lot of pressure to get impossible! allegations of
the inter-war era. the landing right. And as we unfair subsidies
Chief executive Dieter
Morszeck, who unveiled the four-
came into the final turn through
about 100ft, the guys [on board]
Yuckspeak to Airbus
Industrie reflects
passenger replica at Oshkosh in a said, Dont f--- up the landing. of the week no credit on the industry or
Roaring twenties style event, Tom Sheppard pulls Boeing up politicians. This is a dispute
promises that it will fly next year. Assembly on a Yuckspeak, quoted in our
21-27 July issue. A spokesman
for which there is no obvious
solution: it is one in which
problems notes that a design milestone for there are not even definable
On the other side of the Atlantic, the 787-10 validates priorities shades of grey.
Lockheed Martins eager and progress to ensure that the
employees were out in force at design will meet all requirements 100-YEAR ARCHIVE
Julys Royal International Air when engineering is released to Every issue of Flight
Tattoo, inspiring the next production. from 1909 onwards
generation of total aviation In other words, says Tom: can be viewed online at
people with clever tech Itll be okay. He adds: They flightglobal.com/archive
Definitely not recycled suitcases including a 3D printer and just cant help it, can they?

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WORKING WEEK
WORK EXPERIENCE AMY BURNS
Seeking safer skies for the USAF

Amy Burns is automatic collision avoidance technology programme manager at Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio.
She develops software and systems to prevent air accidents but she also holds a world speed record
How did you start out? our hybrid technology pro-

Between my junior and senior gramme. My team is also work-
year in college, I interned for a re- ing on maturing our automatic
search and development support air collision avoidance system
contractor for the Air Force Re- (Auto ACAS) that is being de-
search Laboratory (AFRL) at signed to protect fighter pilots
Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. I from mid-air collisions. This sys-
worked on researching and de- tem was flight-tested in 2014 at
veloping path-finding algorithms Edwards AFB. My teams next
for multiple unmanned air vehi- goal is to combine Auto ACAS
cles that were executing a mis- with Auto GCAS under our auto-
sion with multiple tasks, includ- matic integrated collision avoid-
ing pop-up tasking. ance system effort, thus maturing
After earning my bachelors the technology in hopes of transi-
degree in aerospace engineering tioning it in late 2017 to the F-16,
at Virginia Tech, I decided to pro- F-22 and F-35 programme offices.
gress to the next stage. I received What needs improvement?
my masters degree in aerospace In the past there have been multi-
US Air Force
engineering in 2005. ple manual warning systems
You began your work with the added to the F-16 to try to protect
US Air Force? Burnss goal is an integrated system to stop air and ground collisions the pilot from CFIT accidents.
I started working at the AFRL in However, the problem with all of
the Air Vehicles Technology As- about developing paper concepts study that looked at reducing these systems was they caused
sessment and Simulation and about making those concepts fatigue on [Lockheed Martin] nuisances to the pilot. The pilots
(AVTAS) laboratory. After more a working reality. F-16 pilots during long flights, therefore ignored or turned off
than nine years I moved to my I have worked with students through the use of various self- these systems and the accident
current job in the control systems from the Air Force Institute of adjusting seat cushion concepts. rate per flight hour did not
branch, where I lead the auto- Technology and Test Pilot School What are you working on at the change. Therefore it is critical to
matic collision avoidance tech- on many different projects in the moment? develop and field a system that is
nology programme. AVTAS laboratory. One that was My team has developed an auto- nuisance-free so pilots will use
What other projects have you particularly interesting looked at matic ground collision avoid- it. Our team believes Auto GCAS
been involved with? the handling qualities of a super- ance system (Auto GCAS) to pro- can protect against over 90% of
In college I was part of the hu- sonic, tailless air vehicle. Multi- tect fighter pilots from controlled CFIT accidents and Auto ACAS
man-powered submarine team. ple simulation evaluations were flight into terrain (CFIT) acci- will protect against at least 75%
We designed, built and raced conducted in a dome-type simu- dents. This system was transi- of mid-air accidents. n
both non-propeller-driven and lator before this concept was tioned to the F-16, F-22 and F-35 Looking for a job in aerospace?
propeller-driven submarines. In flight-tested in the Calspan-oper- programme offices. The F-16 pro- Check out our listings online at
2004 I set the womens world ated Convair NC-131H total in- gramme office integrated it on flightglobal.com/jobs
speed record in the one-pilot, flight simulator. As part of this ef- their Block 40/50 fleet at the end
non-propeller-driven submarine fort, I had the opportunity to ride of 2014. If you would like to feature in
category with Virginia Techs on board, and observe the flight My team is in the process of Working Week, or you know
submarine, called Specter. My from the front cockpit. expanding this solution for air- someone who does, email your
top speed with this submarine I also worked with General craft with analogue flight control pitch to kate.sarsfield@
was 3.427kt (6.3km/h). My in- Dynamics and the Human Effec- computers, specifically focusing flightglobal.com
volvement taught me a great deal tiveness Directorate to develop a on the pre-Block 40 F-16s under
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THRUSTY TRENT FATAL ERROR GOING NOWHERE

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Airbus rethinks A320 cowl-loss alerts

A irbus is considering imple-

flightglobal.com 4-10 August 2015 | Flight International | 15

PILOTS EDWARD RUSSELL SAFETY JON HEMMERDINGER WASHINGTON DC

Captains judgement cited

flying through the middle of

16 | Flight International | 4-10 August 2015 flightglobal.com

FUNDING TOM ZAITSEV MOSCOW COMPONENTS ELLIS TAYLOR SINGAPORE

R ussias government has intro-

DISPUTES DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON

Cargolux stands firm on illegal strike

I n a sign that a row over safety is

Boeing 747 freighters, has strong- ceiving the public, Cargolux

18 | Flight International | 4-10 August 2015 flightglobal.com

ENHANCEMENT CRAIG HOYLE LONDON TRANSFER ARIE EGOZI TEL AVIV

UTAS sets sights on Raptor Jordan receives

Fuji/Bell team wins UH-X competition riod of preliminary evaluation.

T okyo has selected a Fuji Heavy

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UNMANNED SYSTEMS BETH STEVENSON LONDON

Royal Navy tests unmanned vision with SULSA

ORGANISATION CAPABILITY JAMES DREW MCLEAN