Flight International 2021-03

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Comment
Expecting the unexpected

Whether Ukraine should have closed upper airspace – saving
flight MH17 – depended on its view of separatists’ capabilities
I
f there is a country that under-
stands the unintentional threat
to commercial aircraft from a
missile launch, it is Ukraine. Its
own air defence forces shot down
a Russian Tupolev Tu-154 during a
military exercise – despite the ad-
vantages of discipline, training and
peacetime – just 13 years before
Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was
destroyed by a surface-to-air mis-
sile over conflict-scarred Donetsk.
There’s a stark aspect of the
Flight Safety Foundation’s in-
quiry into the lead-up to MH17’s
destruction which deserves more
attention than the headline dec-
laration that it “did not find suffi-
Anastasia Vlasova/EPA/Shutterstock
cient facts” to indicate Ukrainian
officials were properly aware of a
threat to civil aircraft.
Its analysis examined whether
such a threat could have been
theoretically assessed, and drew
up a foresight matrix looking at
the factors – capability, intent,
command and control, and the
Itchy trigger fingers
possibility of unintentional attack
– which collectively might have
given rise to a risk to aircraft oper-
ating at cruise altitudes above the of the well-known aviation risk 737 Max, driven by, at that stage,
war zone in the east. model: guess the size of the hole in precaution rather than proof.
For almost all the individu- the final slice of Swiss cheese. The Dutch Safety Board, which
al elements within these factors, Its reputation tarnished by the carried out the original investiga-
the Foundation assigned a “high” Tu-154 debacle, Ukraine’s defence tion into the MH17 attack, believed
risk value, based on the reason- ministry would have appreciated there was “sufficient reason” to
able assumptions that the sep- the danger posed by rag-tag rebels close the upper airspace through
aratists involved in the conflict engaged in real combat. The coun- which the aircraft was fatally per-
would be irregular forces, without try’s security and defence council mitted to travel.
an organised reporting channel, had also openly floated the possi- Apportioning blame is out of the
having no protocol for authorising bility that a Russian surface-to-air Safety Board’s remit. The Foun-
a missile attack, and a marginal missile system, such as the Pantsir, dation inquiry had not set out to
ability to differentiate civil aircraft might have brought down a mili- convict or exonerate Ukraine, and
from military. tary Antonov An-26 just three days the Dutch government is unlikely
With so few safeguards standing before the downing of MH17. It had to rethink its view that pursuing a
in the way of a potential attack, not – but that is not the point. liability case is futile.
this essentially meant judging the “From a hundred rabbits you can’t But if so much of the potential
risk to MH17 – or any other civil make a horse,” remarks investigator risk to MH17 hinged on the remote
flight – depended heavily on know- Porfiry Petrovich in Dostoevsky’s chance that combatants in a law-
ing whether the separatists did or Crime and Punishment. “A hundred less war zone – who considered air-
did not have access to powerful suspicions don’t make a proof.” craft as legitimate targets – might
high-altitude weapons. This is important in a legal source the capability to inflict dam-
This makes the risk assessment context, of course, but commer- age beyond their assumed means,
“extremely sensitive” to information cial aviation is an industry in which the authorities of a country which,
about such a capability, says the thresholds are measured against in the face of all odds, accidentally
analysis, and should be considered billion-to-one improbabilities. Sus- shot down a Tu-154 should really
as a probability range rather than a picion is often enough; witness the have expected the unexpected. ◗
binary yes-or-no. To put it in terms tidal-wave grounding of the Boeing See p30
March 2021 Flight International 3

In focus
Airbus sees fresh challenges 6 Bombardier cuts back Airbus’s whale freight 29
Autothrottle flaw in 737 crash 8 to rebuild 20 MH17 evidence ‘insufficient’ 30
Boeing flags weakness USAF eyes cheaper fighters 22 Catalogue of failures doomed
around 777X backlog 9 LongShot comes into range 24 Swiss Ju 52 32
Max: a road to redemption? 10 HNA’s rise and fall 26 Part and parcel 36
India’s future combat system 18 Production pause for Dash 8 28 Aviation’s man problem 37
Better by degrees?
We put Cessna’s
Longitude flagship
to the test
FlightGlobal com Ma ch 2021
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gender inequa ity p60
10
Why 737 Max revival is key to Boeing’s future p10
AirTeamImages
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Regulars Comment 3 Straight & Level 74 Letters 76 Jobs 81 Women in aviation 82
4 Flight International March 2021

Contents
Features
Aviation’s death row What Degrees better Cessna has Closing the C-suite gap
actually happens to an airliner made Longitude a pleasure for Change is slow in
when it is parted out? 42 passengers and pilots alike 52 what continues to be a
No trouble in store Searching for equality male-dominated sector 64
Maintenance providers are The industry has yet to find Spoilt for choice Civil
changing practices to ensure a way to fix its glaring gender helicopter manufacturers are
continued airworthiness 48 imbalance 60 refining their ranges 68
68
42
52
64
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‘Resilient’ Airbus sees

continued challenges
Airframer looks to brighter future, but
warns of more short-term hurdles as it
reveals Covid-ravaged 2020 accounts
David Kaminski-Morrow In a sign of the difficulties in com-
and Dominic Perry London mercial aviation, Faury even sin-
gled out the contribution from its
defence and helicopter businesses,
P
resenting the airframer’s which “strongly added to the resil-
financial results for the pan- ience of the group during 2020”.
demic-ravaged 2020, Airbus Overall, group revenues de-
chief executive Guillaume creased to around €50 billion, down
Faury emphasised the company’s 29% from the previous year, primar-
“resilience”. ily as a result of commercial aircraft
Although noting that the group’s deliveries that plunged by 34%.
performance over the previous 12 Airbus does not think the crisis
months was “far from the initial ex- is over: Faury points to the current
pectations we had set for 2020”, lockdowns and travel bans, noting
Faury stressed that the company that it will “be another challenging
had adapted: it had “contained”, year”: most of its airline customers
“recalibrated”, “resized”, he said. continue to burn cash and “many
To some extent, what else could uncertainties remain”, he notes.
he offer? There was ample evi- But if 2020 was all about emer-
dence in the accounts of how bad gency action – hurried retrench-
a year it had been – including an ment and right-sizing for the
eye-watering full-year loss at its market as jobs were slashed and
main commercial aircraft operation output cut – then 2021 may at least
of €1.33 billion ($1.6 billion), after a be less frantic, with fewer fires to
37% fall in revenues to €34.2 billion; fight simultaneously.
the unit’s profit in 2019 was nearly “We are committed to demon-
€1.8 billion. strate our resilience once again
Manufacturer builds for the future with aerostructures at its core

Airbus has removed the ‘for sale’ Designating the aerostructures in Portugal, North Africa and
signs from its aerostructures operations “as core” will aid this North America.
units, Premium Aerotec and Stelia process, he says, allowing the Faury says that in addition
Aerospace, as it brings them into businesses to remove duplicate to the industrial simplification,
closer alignment with the rest of functions, for example. closer alignment between the
the group. A number of “potential digital design and manufacturing
Presenting the group’s full-year modifications” to the current processes is necessary to prepare
results, chief executive Guillaume set-up are under consideration, for future aircraft that feature
Faury said that “aerostructures Faury says, without specifying. “different architectures and new
are a core activity”. Premium Aerotec is energy [sources]”.
The two businesses were predominantly a German
carved out “more than a decade operation, with sites in Augsburg, Staying connected
ago”, says Faury, with the “idea Bremen, Hamburg, Nordenham “The connection between design
that at some point in time these and Varel, plus an additional and the industrial system will
could be divested”. facility in Brasov, Romania; remain in Airbus,” he says.
But as part of a drive to increase Stelia, by contrast, is largely However, Faury stresses that
competitiveness, Airbus will look based in France and includes there is no plan to move any
to “simplify” what Faury describes plants in Meaulte, Merignac, of the current aerostructures
as a “rather segmented and Rochefort, St Nazaire and operations to China in order to
complex industrial system”. Toulouse. Other sites are located save costs.

Airframer Performance
and to protect our competitive perienced by the airframer – just 115

positioning,” says Faury. last year – means it is “on the safe
There are still things to finalise, side when it comes to white-tails”.
however – notably its restructuring, But even faced with short-term
which will see around 11,000 jobs volatility, Airbus is convinced that
lost. So far, 3,600 personnel have things will improve. “Despite the
already left, with about 7,500 still overall uncertainty and complexity
subject to the process. of the situation, we at Airbus want to
Faury says the company is “on be prepared for when the market re-
track with the social plan”, but that covers. Not if, but when,” says Faury.
it has involved a “lot of negotiation”. When that will happen remains
To some extent, though, 2021 unclear, he says, with the timing of
is about preparing for the future. “the tipping point” still shrouded in
Not for any immediate return to mystery. Nonetheless, Airbus con-
the boom times, but halting, baby tinues to prepare for a ramp-up in
steps towards a kind of normality. 2022, which it views as “secure and
robust” – at this point at least.
Agreed deliveries Its preparations include working
Deliveries this year should match with suppliers to identify “potential
2020’s total of 566, with narrow- bottlenecks” should output need
body production rising slowly to to rise rapidly; given that the pro-
45 A320s per month by the fourth duction system was geared to build
quarter, from 40 currently. A220 60 A320neos per month when the
output should also increase, from music stopped, a fast ramp-up is
four to five aircraft per month by possible, he insists, albeit this is
the end of the first quarter. Wide- likely to be tempered by demand.
body final assembly rates, however, In the meantime, of course, there
will stay at the current low levels. is a longer-term drive to prepare
But Faury stresses that “our fo- the company for “the next gener-
cus this year will be on delivering ation of aircraft”, both in terms of
aircraft based on the agreements articulating its future aircraft strat-
with our customers” – shorthand egy and transforming its “industrial
for not building white-tails. value chain”.
Faury says the airframer “con- “Over the long term, our ambi-
tinued to reduce” the number of tion is more than ever to lead the
undelivered aircraft in the fourth development of a sustainable glob-
quarter, bringing this down to al aerospace sector,” says Faury.
“slightly below” 100. “We will preserve our ability to in-
Airbus
He says these are “vastly” aircraft vest in decarbonised technologies

with customers, with a “small num- in order to be well positioned to
Output of 45 A320s per month is
ber” of white-tails, adding that the successfully address future chal-
the target for the end of this year
“low number” of cancellations ex- lenges in a sustainable way.” ◗
“We are making aerostructures

competitive on a European basis;
it is optimisation in Europe for
Europe,” he says.
In addition, Faury plays down
concerns that Airbus has moved
too early to state a preference for
hydrogen as a future zero-carbon
fuel. While conceding that there
are “challenges” with hydrogen,
he insists “we really believe that
it is a technology that has the
potential to come to market”.
“You have to be careful with the
‘it will never work’ attitude. That
has proven to be wrong so many
Stelia Aerospace
times in so many industries.”

To make hydrogen power
feasible for use in aircraft does
not require the “laws of physics”
Stelia Aerospace has bulk of its operations in France to change, he says, “just a hell
of a lot of work”.

Accident Investigation
Autothrottle flaw in Sriwijaya crash

Indonesia’s investigation into 737 loss focuses on unnoticed
asymmetric thrust lever condition prompting loss of control
David Kaminski-Morrow London The investigation authority’s in- ed from the twinjet’s flight-data
itial findings reveal that the left- recorder, and maintenance log
hand thrust lever started to retard records showed no damage to the
P
reliminary findings from In- as the jet climbed through 8,150ft, aircraft.
donesia’s investigation into while the right-hand lever remained Indonesian officials previous-
the crash of a Sriwijaya Air in position. ly said that the aircraft (PK-CLC)
Boeing 737-500 on 9 Jan- The crew then requested a head- had been certified airworthy last
uary support an in-flight upset ing of 075°, citing a weather de- December, after spending nine
scenario in which the crew was viation, but while the aircraft sub- months in storage.
suddenly caught out by the insidi- sequently started to turn right, it “Investigation is ongoing and fo-
ous development of an asymmetric never managed to complete the cuses on, but is not limited to, [the
thrust condition. planned alignment. aircraft] autothrottle system and
While no conclusions have been Given the thrust imbalance, the related components, including its
drawn, the highly unusual retar- autopilot would probably have maintenance, [as well as] human
dation of a single throttle lever to been trying to compensate for a and organisational factors,” says
idle during the aircraft’s climb – tendency to yaw and roll left by the KNKT.
with no immediate indication that commanding right-aileron input.
the crew was aware – has intensi- Although the crew was instruct- Experienced pilots
fied suspicion of an autothrottle ed to level off at 11,000ft in order The aircraft’s captain had over
problem, particularly in the light to avoid a traffic conflict, the air- 9,000h on type from a total of
of a repetitive technical malfunc- craft had not reached this altitude 17,900h, while the first officer had
tion reported in the week before before it started to turn to the left, nearly 5,000h on the 737. Over the
the accident. as the left-hand thrust lever con- previous 90 days they had respec-
Indonesia’s National Transport tinued to retreat. tively logged 142h and 113h.
Safety Committee (KNKT) says At 10,900ft and a heading of As of mid-February, search teams
that on 3 and 4 January, the 737’s 016° the autopilot disengaged had yet to recover the aircraft’s
autothrottle system was report- and the aircraft rolled steeply to cockpit-voice recorder from a de-
ed to be faulty, but was rectified the left, with a bank of 45°, and bris field described as 110m (360ft)
immediately. Its investigators also entered a rapid descent. The last long and 80m wide, and at a depth
found that the first officer’s air- data point, indicating 250ft, was of 16-23m.
speed indicator was replaced on 4 received only 23s later. Sriwijaya has issued an internal
January, after a fault was discov- “The findings show consistency safety recommendation reminding
ered on 25 December 2020. with the engines still being on be- its pilots to maintain awareness
Operating flight SJ182 bound for fore the aircraft hit the water,” the during critical phases of flight and
Pontianak, the aircraft had departed KNKT says. The crash killed 62 pas- to write detailed reports of any
Jakarta’s runway 25R on the ABA- sengers and crew. aircraft maintenance issues. It has
SA 2D departure pattern, requiring Some 27h of information cover- also reminded technical personnel
a sharp right turn upon reaching ing 18 flights – including four on the to “increase discipline” in regard to
1,000ft to a heading of 081°. day of the accident – were extract- following aircraft maintenance pro-
cesses and procedures.
The initial findings suggest paral-
lels with a fatal China Southern Air-
lines 737-300 accident near Guilin
in November 1992, during which an
autothrottle problem affecting its
right-hand engine resulted in the
crew losing control.
Boeing 737-300s, -400s and
-500s were the subject of an air-
worthiness directive in 2001 which
Corvin Y O/Shutterstock
focused on upgrading autothrot-

tle computers following incidents
of asymmetric thrust conditions in
flight caused by the thrust levers’
slowly moving apart. Z
The aircraft was certified airworthy in
Additional reporting by Alfred
December after nine months in storage
Chua in Singapore

Programme Orders
Service entry for new widebody was

Boeing
recently pushed back to late 2023
Boeing flags weakness ASC 606 adjustments have

particularly hammered the 737
Max programme over the last 12
around 777X backlog months, with Boeing currently

recording 749 orders for the sin-
gle-aisle that it believes are unlike-
ly to be completed.
Airframer says up to a third of its orders But owing to the narrowbody’s
protracted grounding, custom-
for big twin may not be completed ers have also been able to walk
away from orders: the airframer
received 641 cancellations for the
Dominic Perry London “The decrease in contractual Max during 2020.
backlog during 2020 was primarily Meanwhile, Boeing has pushed
due to a reduction for orders that back the arrival of the 737 Max 10
B
oeing has warned that over in our assessment no longer meet by two years, with deliveries of the
a third of its firm order the accounting requirements of largest variant of its re-engined
backlog for the 777X – a [ASC 606] for inclusion in backlog narrowbody now scheduled to
total of 118 aircraft – is at primarily due to [the] 737 Max and begin in 2023.
risk due to the financial condition 777X, deliveries in excess of new
of its customers and delays to the orders, aircraft order cancellations Approaching milestone
development of the new wide- and changes in projected price es- The company also now expects
body twinjet. calation,” according to the airfram- to deliver the first 737 Max 7 – the
In its annual report for the year er’s financial filing. smallest of the Max family – in
ended 31 December, filed on 1 Feb- Boeing has not identified which 2021; that milestone was previous-
ruary, the US airframer stated that airlines’ orders it now considers to ly anticipated in 2020.
firm orders for the 777X total 191 be at risk. Customers for the 777X “We now anticipate that the first
aircraft, down from 309 jets at the comprise: All Nippon Airways (20); 737 Max 10 and 777X delivery will
end of 2019. British Airways (18); Cathay Pacific occur in 2023,” Boeing’s year-end
That reduction has been driven (21); Emirates (115); Etihad Airways report says.
by an accounting regulation known (25); Lufthansa (20); Qatar Air- Boeing has not elaborated on
as ASC 606. Boeing classifies sep- ways (60); and Singapore Airlines reasons for the delay, but they are
arately jets for which it holds firm (20). A further 10 orders are held likely to relate to the modifica-
orders, but believes there is a lower by unidentified buyers. tions that are required for the Max
likelihood of the contract complet- However, subsequent to the fi- to re-enter service. The 737-10 will
ing due to the financial position of nancial filing, Singapore Airlines an- be the first of the family to receive
a customer, or other issues. nounced it was increasing its com- updates to its angle-of-attack sen-
mitment to the big twin, switching sor system.
Accounting adjustment orders for 14 787-10s to 11 777Xs. Previous annual reports placed
Boeing’s orders and deliveries Boeing warns that further delays 737 Max 10 deliveries as beginning
data indicates that a combined to the 777X may result in “additional in 2020. However, that deadline
135 aircraft – comprising 118 777Xs reductions to backlog and/or signifi- quietly slipped amid the Max and
and 17 777s – are covered by ASC cant order cancellations.” Covid-19 crises.
606 adjustments. The airframer recently pushed The company rolled out the first
On their own, the potential 777X back first delivery of the GE Avi- Max 10 in November 2019. Z
cancellations represent over 30% of ation GE9X-powered 777X to late
the 777’s current backlog, but that 2023, citing weak demand and is- Additional reporting by
rises to 38% for the new variant. sues around certification. Jon Hemmerdinger in Tampa

Max seeks road to redemption

Billed as a fuel-efficient step forward for Boeing’s
best-selling narrowbody, the 737 Max instead became
a nightmare of the company’s own making
346
Jon Hemmerdinger Tampa at a worse time, leaving the US
giant weakened just as the corona-
virus pandemic struck.
F
rom the start, the 737 Max And amid the focus on Boeing’s
was meant to be a simple lost billions, it is worth remember- Total fatalities in the Lion Air and
way for Boeing to respond to ing the human cost as well: two Ethiopian Airlines crashes of 737 Max 8s
the popularity of the Airbus separate crashes of 737 Max 8s
A320neo. While a final re-engining cost 346 people their lives.
for the 50-year-old design posed The 737 Max’s unravelling began eased when the next day the US
some challenges, it was seen as on 29 October 2018, when a 737-8 Federal Aviation Administration
quicker and simpler than delivering operated by Indonesian carrier (FAA) issued an emergency airwor-
a clean-sheet model. Fitted with Lion Air crashed into the Java Sea thiness directive for the type.
CFM International Leap-1B engines, shortly after taking off from Jakar- Although it stressed an adher-
the Max promised to deliver a ta, killing all 189 on board. ence to existing procedures, it also
fuel-burn saving of around 15% over warned that AoA failures could
its 737NG predecessor. Sensor problems cause the Max’s flight-control
But instead of maintaining a Investigators quickly revealed that system to incorrectly pitch the air-
steady source of revenue each the narrowbody had suffered aircraft’s nose down.
year, the Max has cost Boeing im- speed indicator problems before it It transpired that Boeing had
measurably: its reputation has crashed. Boeing released a service fitted the Max with something it
been shredded; a chief executive bulletin instructing crews to follow called the Maneuvering Charac-
has departed under a cloud; orders existing procedures to deal with teristics Augmentation System
have evaporated; and billions of erroneous angle-of-attack (AoA) (MCAS), which is designed to
dollars in revenue have been lost. sensor readings, but concerns pitch the jet’s nose down under
The crisis also could not have come around the jet’s safety were not certain circumstances.

Special Report 737 Max
220kt
following what appeared to be
another AoA sensor failure which
triggered the activation of MCAS.
In all, the automated system at-
Airspeed above which pilots could tempted to trim the nose down on
not move the trim wheel manually in four separate occasions.
simulations of Ethiopian crash Preliminary details from the in-
vestigation showed that the crew
had tried to respond in line with
the horizontal stabiliser, moving it Boeing’s guidance – using the trim
upward at 0.27° per second and up cut-out switch and trim wheel – but
to 2.5° in 9.26s each time. the jet still became uncontrollable.
In theory, if pilots followed Boe-
ing’s existing procedures for a Aerodynamic forces
runaway stabiliser, using the trim Crucially, before the aircraft’s final
cut-out switch and trim wheel to dive it appeared that the crew
manually correct the pitch, they deactivated the cut-off switch
would be able to override MCAS. and, flying at high speed, they
But Boeing’s expectations did were unable to overcome the aer-
not take into account real-life con- odynamic forces being exerted
siderations such as reaction times, on the stabiliser using the manual
pilot experience or responses to an trim wheel alone.
intensely high-stress situation. Simulations of the flight con-
And on 10 March 2019, those ducted by Ethiopian investigators,
calculations proved to be deeply, using the thrust and trim settings
deeply flawed, when, shortly after at the time, aimed to evaluate the
take-off from Addis Ababa airport, control column forces required
an Ethiopian Airlines 737-8 came for the climb and to turn the trim
down en route to Nairobi, killing all wheel. With both simulator pilots
157 on board. pulling they achieved a nose-up
Similarities between the Lion Air pitch of 5-10°.
and Ethiopian crashes prompted But the inquiry stated: “The
safety regulators around the world forces needed from both pilots to
to unilaterally ground the type, achieve this were considered sig-
albeit that the FAA was last to act, nificantly very high and unbearable
issuing its prohibition three days for the duration held.”
Boeing
after the crash, on 13 March. The simulations also revealed

Investigations revealed that the that, for the trim setting, the pi-
Before the storm: 737 Max takes
jet had pitched down at an angle lots could not move the trim wheel
its first flight, in January 2016
of 40° after about 5min of flight manually at speeds above 220kt ❱
In Boeing’s haste to bring the Max

to market, MCAS was added with
little fanfare. As a result, many air-
lines were initially unaware of its
existence – or, crucially, of what to
do if it malfunctioned. The system
was designed to deal with the trim
characteristics caused by the jet’s
new Leap-1B engines. With a larger
diameter than the NG’s CFM56s, to
achieve sufficient ground clearance
they needed to be mounted further
forward and higher on the wing.
That configuration, however,
caused the jet to pitch nose-high
Michael Reynolds/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
during some flight configurations,

potentially risking a stall. Hence the
addition of MCAS. But if the air-
craft’s flight-control system thought
the aircraft was pitching up when it
was not – say, because of a broken
AoA sensor – MCAS could kick in
and push the nose down.
Chief executive Dennis Muilenburg resigned
And because of the way MCAS was
nine months after the twinjet’s grounding
designed, it would keep activating

Achmad Ibrahim/AP/Shutterstock
Lion Air jet came down shortly

after departure from Jakarta
❱ (407km/h); as the pilots wres-

tled to control the aircraft, it was Pressure had been growing on
flying at 350-375kt.
One month into the grounding, [Dennis] Mulienburg, not least
the effect on Boeing was already
apparent: it announced that pro-
duction of the narrowbody was to
after more damaging revelations
be cut by almost a fifth, to 42 air-
craft per month, down from 52 pre-
about the company were revealed
viously. As it transpired, that would
prove to be a high point for output
over the coming years – by Decem- technical pilot had voiced concern announced - before his own depar-
ber, with the grounding well into its about MCAS and said he had un- ture statement was being written;
eighth month and the land around knowingly lied to regulators, inter- he was ultimately replaced by Da-
the company’s Renton plant full of nal documents showed. vid Calhoun.
undeliverable aircraft, production That same month, Boeing’s Pressure had been growing on
was suspended entirely. head of commercial airplanes, Muilenburg, not least after a Con-
Kevin McAllister, who had held gressional hearing during which
Unhealthy relationship the post since 2016, stepped more damaging revelations about
As 2019 went on, more and more down. Although he was the first the company and its internal pro-
troubling details emerged about management casualty of the crisis, cesses were revealed.
the Max and its certification pro- he would not be the last. Calhoun’s arrival in January
cess, not least the seemingly un- At the time, Muilenburg paid 2020 signalled a change in tone at
healthy relationship between Boe- tribute to the departing commer- Boeing: less combative and more
ing and the FAA. cial aircraft chief: “We are grateful emollient, with a pledge towards
Matters came to a head in Octo- to Kevin for his dedicated and tire- transparency and commitment to
ber that year, when Boeing chief less service to Boeing, its custom- safety. At that point, a return to
executive Dennis Muilenburg tes- ers and its communities during a service was forecast by mid-2020.
tified before two Congressional challenging time, and for his com- As 2020 progressed, however,
committees. He defended Boeing’s mitment to support this transition,” the loss of capacity from the Max
safety culture and said he was un- he said. grounding became the least of
aware until recently of troubling Muilenburg would last two more airlines’ concerns as the coronavi-
internal messages. In those mes- months – and just a week after rus pandemic shut down air travel.
sages, the company’s former chief the production shut-down was And in a sign of things to come, ❱

❱ Boeing recorded its first signif- Maximum importance “When production halted, it
icant cancellations for the type: became a very big cash drain, due
Brazilian carrier Gol and lesser There was a time not long ago to inventories, supplier payments,
Avolon were among the customers when the Boeing 737 Max held the customer compensation, idled
scrubbing a total of 150 orders. promise of fuelling several more factories and workers,” he says.
decades of profitability for Boeing. “Thus, Boeing’s plans are closely
Cancelled orders After all, before the two tied to this programme.”
That figure would snowball as crashes and 18-month grounding, When all is said and done,
the year wore on, as both cancel- the airframer held some 4,700 Boeing will probably spend
lations and an accounting stand- 737 orders and was eyeing $25-30 billion on the Max
ard – ASC 606, which signals that production rates exceeding 52 programme, including penalties
Boeing has less confidence in a jets monthly. paid to customers, estimates Ron
deal completing – wiped a com- For those reasons, the Max Epstein, financial analyst with
bined 1,390 orders from its back- holds outsize importance for BofA Securities.
log. Those cancellations were not Boeing, both financially and Precisely how much Boeing
necessarily a result of concerns competitively. Which is precisely initially budgeted for Max
about the Max’s safety; but as the why the grounding left the US development is unknown, though
grounding had persisted for more aerospace behemoth in such a FlightGlobal has previously
than a year, airlines – suddenly competitive pickle, and why the reported a range of $2-3 billion.
faced with huge financial con- narrowbody’s rebound is key to
straints – took advantage of the Boeing’s recovery. Failure to launch
situation to shed orders. “The Max is going to be an Asked if Boeing can ever recoup
However, it is worth noting that enabler of many things,” says its Max investment, Epstein
some commitments still came in Michel Merluzeau, analyst with responds: “No, they probably
during the course of the ground- consultancy AIR. Boeing needs won’t… It will be a failure from
ing, the most significant of which “the Max to succeed to jump that point of view.”
were a 75-unit deal from Ryanair further with [a] new airplane”. But the Max debacle set Boeing
in December 2020, and a surprise The Max had been the jet that back more than financially: fixing
letter of intent in mid-2019 from would carry Boeing into the the jet consumed the company
British Airways parent IAG for 200 2020s and beyond, helping it when it might otherwise have been
aircraft (of course, whether that retain customers and market developing and launching a new
order is ever firmed up remains to share and generate the profits commercial aircraft.
be seen). that would fund its next “Instead of working on new
But even as orders fell by the commercial aircraft. products, [Boeing] took [its]
wayside, Boeing began preparing Before the grounding and the best and brightest and put them
for the jet’s return – and the signif- pandemic, Max sales generated on the Max,” Epstein says. “Had
icant boost in revenue that would 30% of Boeing’s revenue, notes the Max not gotten grounded,
bring. By May 2020, production Teal Group aerospace analyst they would have been developing
of the Max had resumed, albe- Richard Aboulafia. something already.
it at a “low” rate. In addition, the
75
following month re-certification
test flights of the narrowbody took
place, lasting three days.
A draft airworthiness directive
followed in August, detailing the Number of Max aircraft ordered in
modifications the FAA would re- December 2020 by Ryanair
quire. Chief among them: updates
to the flight-control software that
would prevent erroneous AoA training. By the end of November,
readings from triggering MCAS. the FAA had issued the first 737
The system would also be prevent- Max airworthiness certificate since
ed from operating repeatedly and the grounding. A week later, Bra-
would limit the degree to which zil’s National Civil Aviation Agen-
MCAS could move the Max’s hori- cy became the next regulator to
zontal stabiliser. greenlight the jet, with Gol the first
Come September and FAA chief airline anywhere to resume reve-
administrator Steve Dickson had nue flights the following month. US
flown the aircraft, declaring that carrier United Airlines, meanwhile,
Xinhua/Shutterstock
he had no trouble controlling the became the first to take delivery

jet even when it was significantly of a new aircraft following the un-
out of trim. Two months later the grounding when it received a Max
agency cleared the Max to resume on 8 December.
operations, albeit with a list of con- Two more regulators followed
Ethiopian Max hit the
ditions attached related to flight the FAA’s lead in early 2021,
ground at high speed
control updates and new pilot when Transport Canada and the

Boeing will have to really think

very carefully about the Future
Single Aisle,” says Merluzeau.
“You really need the Max to
succeed to jump further with the
new airplane.”
Ready to deliver
Wirestock Creations/Shutterstock
Analysts broadly suspect that
Boeing will, in the end, deliver
most of the roughly 3,200 737s in
its diminished backlog, which has
slipped 1,400 units in recent years
as a result of cancellations and
accounting adjustments.
While many of those
cancellations were not as a result
Getting the Max back in the air has diverted resources from Boeing’s next projects
of concerns about the safety
of the Max – rather, they were
“Your competitors, they keep speculate. They suspect Boeing connected to the financial state of
moving forward,” he notes. will eventually launch a 757-sized airlines – the lengthy grounding
In the context of Boeing, mid-market jet, or a 737 successor presented them with the
“competitors” really means (known informally as the Future opportunity to walk away because
Airbus. While the Max was out of Single Aisle), or both. of contractual provisions.
service, the European airframer Whatever aircraft comes next, But if, for whatever reason, the
launched the A321XLR, a wildly its success will depend at least Max programme hits additional
popular 4,700nm (8,700km)- partly, if not significantly, on the hiccups – or if the industry
range jet with capabilities that Max’s recovery. downturn continues longer than
no Max variant, current or in For starters, deliveries of the anticipated – then Boeing’s
development, can match. jet will generate badly needed troubles mount significantly.
Boeing also faces pressure revenue and enable Boeing to “This would put additional
from Airbus at the other end of begin repairing its debt-heavy pressure on Boeing to perhaps
the narrowbody market from the balance sheet. do something too early,” possibly
110- to 130-seat A220. Designed The Max programme can also before sufficiently maturing
specifically for that segment, the give Boeing breathing room to its next production system,
A220 economically outperforms focus on its next project. Merluzeau says. “If the Max
the smallest 737 – the Max 7. “The more the Max doesn’t happen the way it should
So how will Boeing respond to re-establishes itself and gets happen, Boeing is faced with a
such threats? Analysts can only additional orders, the more time very serious crisis.”
European Union Aviation Safety A further hurdle to overcome is When it unveiled the name of
Agency recertificated the jet (on China: airlines there hold orders for the new 737 in August 2011, Boe-
20 and 27 January, respectively), more than 200 examples – and yet, ing said it was called the Max be-
although crucially the updates re- amid a simmering trade war with cause it “optimises everything
quired by both regulators diverged the USA, the nation’s regulator has we and our customers have
from those stipulated by the FAA. yet to release a timetable for the learned about designing, build-
Recertification of the jet is not the jet’s re-approval. ing, maintaining and operating the
end of Boeing’s troubles, however. world’s best single-aisle airplane.”
A huge backlog of parked aircraft Rebuilding trust “Maximum efficiency” and “max-
must still be dealt with – around Beyond that, all Boeing has to do is imum reliability” – along with
450 at best estimates – some to regain the trust of its customers and “maximum comfort” for passen-
customers who may no longer rebuild a battered reputation – while gers – were promised. But what
want them, or who may even have navigating the steepest downturn the Max delivered was something
gone out of business. the industry has ever seen. else entirely. Z ❱
Download the Military

Simulator Census online now.
CAE – Your worldwide training partner of choice ZZZȵLJKWJOREDOFRPPLOLVLP

❱ Certification breakdown
While Boeing has felt most
keenly the impacts of the 737
Max crisis, the episode has also
upended some aspects of aircraft
certification, with regulators
more closely reviewing new
projects and shying away from
VDB Photo/Shutterstock
rubber-stamping decisions made
by foreign counterparts.
And more changes are
forthcoming thanks to a late-2020
US law that aims to prevent the
National regulators have diverged from FAA’s lead
type of failures that contributed
to the two 737 Max crashes.
Investigators determined that
Boeing’s design of the Max’s Still, Boeing’s certification and to ensure that manufacturers
Maneuvering Characteristics development processes have are capable of safely handling
Augmentation System (MCAS), been under immense public delegated duties. Based on the
which the Federal Aviation scrutiny since the two crashes, findings, the FAA may limit or
Administration (FAA) approved, and the FAA, under equal suspend manufacturers’ ODAs.
was partly to blame for two pressure, has pledged a rigorous The law also grants the FAA
crashes that killed 346 people. review of the 777X. additional funding to hire
The crashes and the FAA’s The 777X programme’s skilled workers and requires
initial response – it was the last certification also comes as manufacturers to establish formal
to ground the Max, after all – the FAA implements a broader “safety management systems”.
prompted widespread criticism regulatory overhaul required by It also bars aircraft makers from
of the agency. Now, in lifting the a 2020 law that stemmed from giving customers any discounts
flight ban, several of the world’s the two accidents. tied to pilot training before the
regulators are no longer taking That law seeks to strengthen FAA finalises related standards.
the US body’s lead. the FAA’s certification oversight, In addition to the changes
For instance, Transport Canada particularly over aircraft that wrought at the FAA and its
and the European Union Aviation are derivatives of earlier models relationship with overseas
Safety Agency (EASA) have – types such as the 737 Max counterparts, there is one
completed their own 737 Max and 777X. The FAA cleared the lingering question around the
flight tests, rather than relying on Max under an amended type mutual recognition of standards.
the FAA. They have also lifted the certificate, and Boeing has been Article 33 of ICAO’s Chicago
Max’s grounding with different seeking the same certification Convention mandates the mutual
requirements from those set by route for its 777X. recognition of certificates of
the US regulator. airworthiness. While any national
But it also appears that the FAA Realistic response regulator has the right to ground
is now looking more closely at The 2020 law will require aircraft on its registry, several
Boeing’s next widebody, the 777X. applicants of amended went far beyond this prior to
On 27 January, Boeing chief certificates to specifically the FAA acting. Authorities
executive David Calhoun said the describe how new variants in Australia, China, India and
company had delayed the 777-9’s differ from predecessors, and to Singapore were among those
service entry one year until late demonstrate that designs reflect which imposed a blanket ban
2023 owing to design changes “realistic” pilot response times. on domestic and foreign Max
that align with “expectations of Companies must also disclose operations, along with EASA.
global regulators”. “safety critical information”. That In theory, in the two months
The company is “making includes details about systems between the FAA lifting its
prudent design modifications as that can change an aircraft’s grounding and EASA’s re-
necessary”, including “firmware flight profile, and handling approval of the Max, a US airline
and hardware changes” involving characteristics that, without could have tested the application
actuator controls, Calhoun said. software augmentation, fail to of Article 33 with a transatlantic
He did not specifically link the meet FAA standards. flight of the type.
changes to increased regulatory The law does not do away The pandemic, of course, might
oversight because of the 737 Max with the agency’s criticised have suppressed any appetite for
crashes. And, analysts suspect, Organization Designation a legal challenge this time around,
the delay at least partly reflects Authorization (ODA) programme and the co-operative efforts to
Boeing’s disinterest in bringing – under which the FAA grants restore confidence in the Max
the 777-9, the first member of manufacturers authority to suggest interest in avoiding any
the 777X family, to market at a perform large swaths of product widening of the regulatory split.
point when customers will neither certification work themselves.
need nor want new high-capacity But it does order an “expert” Additional reporting by David
long-haul jets. review of the ODA programme Kaminski-Morrow in London

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India reveals future

combat system
New Delhi unveils manned-unmanned
teaming concept at first major air show
Atul Chandra
to be held during Covid-19 pandemic
Atul Chandra Bengaluru Work on the initiative started in man, the CATS Warrior, was dis-
the second half of 2018 and began played as a full-scale mock-up,
in earnest in late 2019-early 2020, equipped with MBDA ASRAAM
S
taged at Yelahanka air base says HAL test pilot Group Captain short-range air-to-air missiles. The
near Bengaluru from 3-5 (Retired) H V Thakur. design will be powered by a HAL
February, the biennial Aero Preliminary design work has been PTAE-7 engine.
India event was the first ma- completed, with the indigenously Swarming unmanned air vehicles
jor air show to proceed amid the developed Tejas two-seat trainer (UAVs), named Air-Launched Flex-
Covid-19 pandemic, with New Delhi planned as part of a manned-un- ible Assets and equipped with a
highlighting its ambitious fighter manned teaming concept. CATS Hunter multi-purpose weap-
development plans. “Work is now being done to de- ons carriage system, could be re-
State-owned Hindustan Aero- fine the requirements for a future leased by the Tejas, while a high-al-
nautics (HAL) unveiled a devel- cockpit for the type capable of han- titude, long-endurance UAV is also
opmental Combat Air Teaming dling the workload,” Thakur says. being considered.
System (CATS) effort, which is un- Under the concept, the Tejas Much of the work is being done
derstood to have secured the back- would act as a so-called mother- by HAL, which is also partnering
ing of the Indian air force and navy, ship for air teaming exploitation. A with Indian start-ups to deliver the
with funding allocations pending. low-observable unmanned wing- programme, and scale models are
Mi-17 replacement plan takes off

Heavy-class helicopter in development for Indian armed
services also being ‘designed with global market in mind’
Dominic Perry London dominantly as replacements for air With a five-blade main rotor and
force-operated Mil Mi-17s. four-blade, bearingless tail rotor,
Detailing its progress on 6 Febru- composite fuselage and using glass
H
industan Aeronautics (HAL) ary, HAL said it has already cleared cockpit avionics, the IMRH will have
believes the new heavy- the preliminary design review stage. 75% domestic content. HAL says it
class helicopter it is de- This will enable it to freeze the con- will produce the type’s transmis-
veloping for the Indian figuration within six months of re- sion, including its main and tail rotor
military can be “benchmarked” ceiving a go-ahead from the Indian gearboxes, along with avionics and
against the best products now on defence ministry: a milestone ex- digital automatic flight controls.
the global market. pected late this year or early 2022. The aircraft’s engines will be
The twin-engined Indian Mul- A first flight should take place sourced from a Western manu-
ti-Role Helicopter (IMRH) could be four years later, with operational facturer; two companies have al-
available from 2028, and will have clearance for a basic utility vari- ready been asked for proposals for
a maximum take-off weight of 13t. ant for the army to occur after 24 2,800shp (2,000kW)-class power-
The rotorcraft will be able to car- months of testing. An armed variant plants, HAL says.
ry up to 24 troops in a standard will follow one year later, HAL says. Payload capacity will be 4t at
transport configuration, or 36 in a The company expects to produce sea level, falling to 1.5t at 13,000ft.
high-density layout. three or four flying prototypes, Due to the requirements for per-
HAL estimates a requirement plus ground- and structural-test ar- formance at altitude, the main ro-
for up to 314 examples across In- ticles, with the total development tor diameter will be 21.2m (70ft) –
dia’s three armed services, pre- activity to take around seven years. roughly the same as the 13t Mi-17.

Air show Aero India
Unlike the Indian air force’s de- Meanwhile, HAL is approaching

velopmental Advanced Medium the end of a 222-aircraft license
Combat Aircraft (AMCA), the naval production run for the Sukhoi
type will not have internal weapons Su-30MKI.
bays. It is expected to have a max- Seshagiri Rao, chief executive of
imum speed of Mach 1.6, versus the HAL MiG complex in Nashik,
M1.8 for its stealthy counterpart. says the penultimate aircraft has
India expects to roll out the AMCA been completed, while the last ex-
in 2023-2024, with first flight slat- ample will be delivered following
ed one year later. Launched in De- final acceptance tests.
cember 2018, the project’s prelimi- HAL is, however, expecting to
CATS Warrior UAV was displayed as a nary design review phase is almost receive a final order for another
full-scale mock-up with MBDA missiles complete, with Airbus Defence & 12 examples, worth approximately
Space providing assistance. Rs10 billion ($1.5 billion).
In the meantime, the company
expected to begin testing in the Harnessing stealth will focus on repair and overhaul
near future. “Stealth shaping has been done, work on the service’s approxi-
Also at the show, the Aeronau- with an enormous amount of work mately 260-strong Su-30MKI fleet,
tical Development Agency (ADA) on the serpentine [engine] intake which also includes Russian-built
provided fresh details about India’s for the last seven to eight years,” airframes. Its Aircraft Overhaul Di-
planned Twin Engine Deck-Based says an ADA official close to the vision plans to match its 2020 out-
Fighter. programme. “We have a big stealth put of working on 15 fighters this
Intended to replace the Indian programme in the country and the year, but is upgrading its facilities
navy’s RAC MiG-29Ks, the type stealth materials for AMCA have al- to cater for 20 annually.
features a conventional delta wing ready been frozen.” Rao says discussions on an up-
configuration, with canards and a The air force wants a 24,700lb grade proposal covering a new ra-
horizontal tail. (110kN) thrust-class engine for dar, weapons control system, mis-
With folding wings for deck han- the twin-engined AMCA, but the sion computer, communications
dling and storage, the 16.2m (53ft first three prototypes will be flown suite and weapons are significant-
in)-long fighter will have a maxi- with proven 20,000lb-class en- ly advanced with HAL’s Russian
mum take-off weight of 26t and be gines. The Eurojet consortium, GE counterparts, and that an agree-
powered by two GE Aviation F414- and Rolls-Royce have offered po- ment could be concluded within
INS6 engines. tential solutions. the next six to nine months. ◗
tion of a requirement to replace the

Indian air force’s 239 Mi-17s, which
will be withdrawn from service from
2028. It also sees an opportunity to
produce a version for civilian use,
notably VIP transport duties.
Also at the Aero India show, HAL
delivered its first three Dhruv MkIII
maritime helicopters to the nation’s
navy, and two to its coastguard.
S Anbuvelan, chief executive of
HAL’s Helicopter Complex, says it
aims to deliver a combined seven
more examples to the operators by
31 March. It expects to complete
Russian Helicopters
the transfer of 16 aircraft to each

by September, he adds.
The Indian army, meanwhile, an-
Mi-17 fleet is set to be retired from 2028
nounced on 5 February that HAL’s
3t Light Utility Helicopter has
achieved initial operational clear-
A pair of weapons wings will heavy-class types: the Mi-17, plus ance. This follows the completion
provide four hardpoints for a max- Airbus Helicopters’ H225M, Leon- of flight tests in hot and cold con-
imum of 1,600kg (3,530lb) in ar- ardo Helicopters’ AW101, NH Indus- ditions, and at various altitudes.
maments. Range is predicted to be tries’ NH90 and the Sikorsky S-92. The Safran Helicopter Engines
430nm (800km), with a top speed “In every aspect of our design Ardiden 1U-powered single will re-
of 161kt (300km/h). we have benchmarked against the place HAL-built Cheetah and Chee-
While New Delhi will be the chief best features available on these tak rotorcraft. ◗
customer, HAL says it “designed the helicopters,” it says.
helicopter with the global market HAL has been working on the de- Additional reporting by
in mind” and against five current velopment since 2017, in anticipa- Atul Chandra in Bengaluru

Bombardier cuts back to rebuild

Canadian airframer will axe 1,600 jobs and reduce footprint
of production sites to recover profitability after pandemic
Bombardier
Manufacturer is banking on the success of large-cabin business jets such as Global 7500
Jon Hemmerdinger Tampa 5500 programme and the end of Bombardier says it is also “re-
Learjet production) and 100 jobs viewing options for underutilised
elsewhere in the USA. The balance hangar and industrial space at our
B
ombardier in 2021 will elim- of job eliminations will include con- Quebec facilities”.
inate 1,600 jobs, concen- tract workers and positions vacated As part of that rationalisation
trate aircraft completions by planned retirements. effort, the company is “looking
work in Montreal and divest to reduce [its] footprint” in the
real estate as part of a plan to re- Necessary reductions Saint-Laurent district of Montreal,
duce hundreds of millions in annual “These reductions are absolutely where it produces aerostructures.
costs and recapture profitability. necessary for us to rebuild our com- “We are sitting right in the mid-
News of the changes, which in- pany while we continue to navigate dle of the city on a major piece
clude a plan to end Learjet produc- through the pandemic,” says Martel. of land which we don’t need any-
tion (see right) in the fourth quar- In shuttering Learjet production, more. We are going to be reducing
ter, came as the company reported Bombardier will bring all its aircraft the footprint of the factory,” Mar-
losing $568 million in 2020. assembly work to Montreal. tel says, adding that Bombardier is
Montreal-based Bombardier’s The company has not announced now negotiating to sell parcels of
revenue during the pandemic-shad- any changes to its use of third-party land for undisclosed sums.
owed year declined 13% from 2019, completion partners, which include Bombardier intends to keep
to $6.5 billion, it said on 11 February. companies like Peterborough, On- some of the Saint-Laurent facility,
The 1,600 job cuts constitute tario-based Flying Colours. but will increase productivity there.
10% of Bombardier’s workforce at Martel says Bombardier could It will use funds from the real es-
the end of 2020 and will leave the bring some contracted work back tate deals to help finance a new
company with about 13,000 em- in-house, but he does not elaborate. Global jet manufacturing site near
ployees by the end of this year.
Bombardier will axe some pro-
duction positions, but the job loss-
es will primarily affect office staff,
“Clearly, 2020 was one of the
including “management positions
and white-collar positions”, chief most difficult periods for our
executive Eric Martel says. “This is
mainly office work.” company, for our industry and
Geographically, Bombardier ex-
pects to shed 700 jobs in the prov-
ince of Quebec, 100 in Ontario,
for all of us individually”
250 in Wichita (tied to the Global Eric Martel Chief executive, Bombardier

Airframer Finance
Toronto, Martel says. The company

now builds Globals at its Toronto From Lear to eternity
Downsview site but is moving the
operation to Toronto Pearson In- By the end of 2021 Bombardier At the same time, Bombardier
ternational airport, with work there will stop producing Learjets, a unveiled a new Learjet 40/45
to start in 2023. brand launched in the early 1960s “re-manufacturing programme”.
Bombardier estimates the re- by Bill Lear that quickly became Through that effort, the airframer
structuring will save it $100 million synonymous with luxury travel for will sell a package of upgrades
this year and $400 million annually movie stars and business moguls. that include new avionics,
by 2023. Learjet had hung on in recent updated in-flight connectivity,
Bombardier’s aviation business years despite relatively few cabin improvements and engine
turned a $937 million profit before product updates, the failure of “enhancements and improved
interest and taxes in 2020, down the Learjet 85 programme and aircraft maintenance costs”.
22% year on year, with revenue heightened competition in the More than 3,000 aircraft
falling 3%, to $5.6 billion. It deliv- light-jet segment. have been produced since the
ered 114 business aircraft last year, Announcing the move on 11 company was founded in the
including 59 of its large-cabin Glo- February, Bombardier said it early 1960s. The first model – the
bals, 44 of the mid-size Challeng- would end production in 2021, six-passenger Learjet 23 – made
ers and 11 Learjets. “allowing the company to focus its first flight on 7 October 1963.
By comparison, Bombardier de- on its more-profitable Challenger Bombardier acquired the
livered a total of 142 aircraft in 2019. and Global aircraft families and Learjet Corporation in 1990 and
“We estimate it will likely take accelerate the expansion of its expanded the line to include
a few years for the industry to re- customer services business”. models like Learjet 40s, 45s
turn to 2019 delivery levels,” Mar- Production will cease in and 60s, as well as the modern
tel says. “Clearly, 2020 was one of the fourth quarter.
the most difficult periods [for] our Bombardier chief
company, for our industry and for executive Eric Martel
all of us individually.” says the decision was
taken following a review
Divestment programme of how the company can
Since the start of 2020, Bombar- best deploy its financial
dier has completed three massive resources going forward.
divestments: the $275 million sale “I want to make sure
of its aerostructures business to the organisation is
Spirit AeroSystems, the $550 mil- very focused. We have
lion sale of the CRJ regional jet elected to… be a strong
programme to Mitsubishi Heavy competitor on the
Industries, and the completion Challenger and Global
this January of the sale of its train platforms,” he says.
business to French industrial gi- “The [Learjet] has a lot
ant Alstom for $3.6 billion. In 2019 of competition,” Martel
First model made its flight debut on 7 October 1963
it also sold the Dash 8 turboprop adds. “This is not the
programme to Longview Aviation market segment that
Capital for $250 million. brings profitability right now.” Learjet 70/75 pairing, which
“With these transactions behind Learjets are assembled at a entered service last decade.
us we are now entirely focused on facility in Wichita, Kansas, which But Bombardier stumbled with
designing, building and servicing the airframer intends to retain. the Learjet 85, a composite-
the world’s best business jets,” “Bombardier’s Wichita facility skinned model that was cancelled
says Martel. will continue to serve as the in 2015 following a series of
Bombardier ended 2020 with company’s primary flight-test delays and production problems.
$10.1 billion in long-term debt, in- centre and be a key part of Meanwhile, Bombardier
cluding $1.9 billion due in 2021 and its global services network,” increasingly focused its attention
$1.7 billion due in 2022. The compa- Bombardier says. on its larger business jets,
ny starts 2021 with cash and cash At Wichita, Bombardier including its Challenger and
equivalents valued at $5.4 billion. will also support “specialised Global line ups.
Martel calls 2021 a “transition aircraft” – a category that Only the Learjet 75 remains
year” in which Bombardier expects includes variants customised in production. Bombardier
to mature Global 7500 production, to perform missions such as refreshed that model in 2019
achieve “modest revenue growth” reconnaissance, firefighting and when it launched a discounted
and deliver a similar number of jets medical evacuations. variant called the Liberty.
as in 2020. Wichita will “play a leading The Liberty, entering service
The airframer plans no produc- role in future special-mission in 2020, was positioned by
Granger/Shutterstock
tion rate cuts this year and expects modification contracts”, Bombardier as a competitive
in 2021 to earn an adjusted profit – Bombardier says. response to types such as
excluding restructuring costs and The company will continue to Cessna’s Citation CJ3+ and
other one-off items – of more than service the in-service Learjet fleet. Embraer’s Phenom 300E.
$100 million. ◗

Defence Fighters
US Air Force
USAF eyes cheaper fighter options
Chief of staff says ongoing force mix study could define need
for new-build F-16s or clean-sheet ‘4.5th-generation’ type
Garrett Reim Los Angeles Brown identifies the slow pace Lieutenant General James Slife
of software updates on the legacy sees future Armed Overwatch air-
F-16 as a potential issue. craft as being capable of taking
T
he US Air Force (USAF) is “I was just at Kessel Run [a USAF over the tasks now conducted us-
studying a future fighter fleet software development laboratory], ing several specialised platforms.
that might include new Lock- and they said: ‘Instead of waiting a While its requirements have not
heed Martin F-16s or possibly year and a half, you can do this with- yet been finalised, the programme
a clean-sheet 4.5th-generation type, in a matter of minutes by updating envisions using a light-attack and
according to chief of staff General the code on an airplane, particularly armed reconnaissance aircraft, such
Charles Brown. if you saw a new threat.’ You don’t as a Sierra Nevada/Embraer A-29
For years, the service has advo- have that in the F-16 today.” Super Tucano or Textron Beechcraft
cated recapitalising its fleet with Brown says the idea for a clean- AT-6 Wolverine, to conduct close air
stealth aircraft, in particular Lock- sheet 4.5th-generation aircraft was support and strike missions against
heed’s F-35. But last year, it partly inspired by the digital engineer- terrorist groups and insurgents.
deviated from that strategy by con- ing that allowed Boeing to rapidly The command plans to conduct
firming plans to buy up to 144 new create the USAF’s T-7A advanced further demonstrations in FY2021,
Boeing F-15EX fighters to replace jet trainer, and the project that before delivering a final require-
its aged F-15Cs. designed and flew the service’s ments document in the hope of ac-
Identified benefits include lower top-secret Next Generation Air quiring aircraft in FY2022, Slife says.
operating costs and similar train- Dominance platform within a mat- The command’s current concept
ing and support requirements to ter of years. of operations was defined around
the legacy model, plus a larger 2005-2006, as the USA was fight-
weapons payload. Software defined ing insurgencies in Afghanistan and
Now, it seems the service is ex- “If we’re going to do software-de- Iraq, Slife said during a Mitchell In-
panding this interest in less sophis- fined, and we can do something stitute webinar on 16 February.
ticated combat aircraft. even more capable cheaper and “Over a target area, we would build
“One of the areas we are pushing faster, why not?” he says. a stack of airplanes from 10,000ft
through is a [tactical air] study, to “Tac Air has to do some analysis to 25,000ft, consisting of gunships,
look at the right force mix,” Brown to show what is the right mix, not manned ISR [intelligence, surveil-
says. “There is a high-end fight. only capability but also in numbers, lance and reconnaissance], un-
There’s also a mixture for low-end.” to ensure we are going to be suc- manned ISR, electronic warfare and
While he acknowledges potential cessful in future conflicts,” Brown [close air support], fixed-wing fight-
interest in taking more F-16s, Brown says. “That requires some modelling ers and sometimes even bombers,”
has not ruled out a new project. and simulation, and analysis. That’s he says. “That model is not viable for
“I want to be able to build some- what I plan to do over the upcoming the future. It’s not cost effective.”
thing new and different, that’s not months. As we get into the budget Slife’s vision is for an Armed
the F-16,” he says. “I want to enter- for fiscal year 2023, that’s where Overwatch platform “to have some
tain a clean-sheet design of some- we’ll make some key decisions.” reconfigurable ISR capability. When
thing that’s not necessarily fourth- Separately, the head of the Air needed, it will be able to provide
gen, but may not be completely Force Special Operations Com- [close air support]. It’s really a mul-
fifth-gen either. There’s some other mand says it is aiming to consoli- ti-role airplane capable of operat-
low-end-type things in our high- date multiple roles into its Armed ing with a light logistics footprint in
end fight. We need to have the Overwatch aircraft programme, in small disaggregated teams in very
right force [mix].” order to save money. austere regions.” ◗

Unmanned systems Research
There are two key benefits to this

method, DARPA says.
“First, the weapon system will
have a much-increased range over
US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
their legacy counterparts for tran-

sit to an engagement zone,” it
says. “Second, launching air-to-air
missiles closer to the adversary in-
creases energy in terminal flight,
reduces reaction time, and increas-
es probability of kill.”
An artist’s rendering of the Long-
Shot concept released by DARPA
shows a platform which appears
Design contracts envision an air-launched
to be similar in size and shape to
system carrying multiple air-to-air missiles
Lockheed Martin’s stealthy AGM-
158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff
LongShot comes into

Missile (JASSM).
However, unlike the in-service
weapon, the new design has fold-
range for DARPA

out wings mounted near the top of
its body – rather than underneath
– and dispenses with the JASSM’s
pop-up vertical stabiliser.
It is not clear how many missiles
General Atomics, Lockheed and Northrop LongShot would carry internally,
although the graphic indicates that
picked as US agency studies concept of this would be at least two. DARPA
programme manager Lieutenant
manned platforms deploying armed UAVs Colonel Paul Calhoun confirms that
it wants an “air-launched vehicle
capable of employing current and
Garrett Reim Los Angeles ried and released from a fighter or advanced air-to-air weapons”.
bomber. This would fly ahead of its
manned launch platform and be ca- Disposable option
A
trio of companies have pable of launching air-to-air missiles DARPA has not said whether it in-
been awarded prelimi- to shoot down enemy aircraft. tends to recover LongShot after
nary design contracts for “The objective is to develop a launch, or whether the platform
the US Defense Advanced novel UAV that can significantly ex- would be disposable. Some similar
Research Projects Agency’s (DAR- tend engagement ranges, increase “attritable” UAVs in development –
PA’s) LongShot programme – a mission effectiveness, and reduce along with target drones – can be
concept that envisions an air- the risk to manned aircraft,” it says. equipped with parachutes for re-
launched unmanned air vehicle “LongShot will disrupt traditional covery, instead of accommodating
(UAV) carrying and firing multiple incremental weapon improvements bulky landing gear.
air-to-air missiles. by providing an alternative means In later phases of the programme,
General Atomics Aeronautical of generating combat capability.” DARPA says it plans to fund the
Systems, Lockheed Martin and DARPA believes that such a sys- construction and flight-testing of
Northrop Grumman were selected tem would have advantages over a full-scale LongShot demonstra-
to perform preliminary Phase I de- current air combat technologies. tor. This platform should be air-
sign work, DARPA announced on 8 “An air system using multi-modal launched, and “capable of con-
February. While the value of the in- propulsion could capitalise upon a trolled flight, before, during, and
dividual contracts has not been an- slower speed, higher fuel-efficient after weapon ejection under oper-
nounced, the agency had requested air vehicle for ingress, while retaining ational conditions”, it says.
$22 million for the activity within its highly energetic air-to-air missiles Possible end-users for an opera-
fiscal year 2021 budget proposal. for endgame target engagements,” tional LongShot capability include
The LongShot programme aims it said of the LongShot effort in its the US Air Force and US Navy,
to develop a UAV that can be car- FY2021 budget proposal. DARPA says. Z
Download the 2021

IN ASSOCIATION WITH
Wo r l d A i r Fo r c e s R e p o r t
FlightGlobal.com/waf
HNA’s rise and fall

Big-spending Chinese conglomerate,
which owns multiple airlines, now faces
court-ordered bankruptcy restructuring
Alfred Chua Singapore uidation. It is reorganisation and re-
birth,” Shen was quoted as saying.
The Hainan provincial govern-
I
t may have started life as a collec- ment, which in 2020 threw the
tion of aviation businesses, but by group a lifeline by way of a joint
the time creditors showed up with working group to address HNA’s li-
bankruptcy filings, China’s HNA quidity, also reiterated its support.
Group was a massive conglomerate Three subsidiaries, including Hain-
with broad interests; from property an Airlines, subsequently disclosed
to logistics, and aviation to financial to the Shanghai Stock Exchange
services, the company had a finger that CNY61.5 billion ($9.57 billion)
in every pie. had been embezzled by sharehold-
In the 20-odd years since its in- ers and other entities, Reuters re-
ception, the group – built on the ported.
foundations of Hainan Airlines –
grew rapidly in China and beyond in Creditor applications
a debt-fuelled spending spree. Then, on 10 February, the Hainan Group grew from initial operation
But in the final days of January court approved applications from of single carrier, Hainan Airlines
the juggernaut came to a halt: HNA creditors to place 10 affiliates of
Group disclosed on 29 January that Hainan Airlines Holding in bankrupt-
it had received formal notice that so cy reorganisation. These include six
far unnamed creditors had filed for airlines: Air Changan, Fuzhou Air- subsidiaries, such as Guilin Air and
its bankruptcy and reorganisation lines, Grand China Air, GX Airlines, Urumqi Air, were set up in partner-
at the Hainan High People’s Court Lucky Air, and Urumqi Air. ship with local governments.
“on grounds that we cannot pay off The group’s current predicament But its portfolio grew for over a
due debts”. is a far cry from the bullish years of decade, as it acquired aviation in-
A day later, Hainan province the mid-2010s, when it went on an terests across the globe. Initially
vice-governor Shen Danyang visit- aggressive acquisition spree both these tended to be on its doorstep:
ed the group’s headquarters to dis- domestically and abroad. in 2006 the group completed one
cuss – among other matters – the Precise details of the HNA Group’s of its first major deals, purchasing
firm’s financial situation. portfolio are obscured by a notori- Hong Kong-based CR Airways. HNA
He stressed that the group’s pre- ously opaque ownership structure. Group took around 60% of the car-
dicament will affect “thousands of But apart from Hainan Airlines, HNA rier, which was renamed Hong Kong
people”, but sought to downplay Group owns – both wholly and par- Airlines. It followed up with the pur-
the notion that it was the end of tially – at least 11 other Chinese car- chase of shares in Hong Kong Ex-
the road: “Bankruptcy is not… liq- riers. Many of the group’s regional press, which was repositioned as
HNA Group’s overseas airline investments

Airline name Country HNA Group Investment Current status Notes
Hong Kong Airlines Hong Kong Bought up to 60% shareholding in In operation Hainan Airlines Holding now owns
the carrier in 2006 around 30% of the airline
Hong Kong Express Hong Kong Bought 45% stake in 2006 In operation Sold the carrier to Cathay Pacific;
Airways renamed HK Express
Africa World Airlines Ghana Incorporated in 2010; HNA’s initial In operation HNA Group said to own 70%
shareholding unknown
Aigle Azur France Bought 48% equity stake in 2012 Ceased operations Filed for bankruptcy in 2019
Azul Brazil Bought 23.7% stake for $450 million In operation Stake sold off in 2018
in 2015
Comair South Africa Bought 6.2% stake in 2015 In operation Stake sold off in 2018
Virgin Australia Australia Took 13% stake in 2016 In operation Voluntary administration in 2020;
now operating under new owners

Airlines Financial
aapsky/Shutterstock
low-cost carrier HK Express (it was Group had amassed a huge portfo- erty in Hong Kong and Australia,
later sold to Cathay Pacific). lio of assets. In hospitality, it took the Ingram Micro and Hilton Group
As well as airlines, HNA Group a stake in the Hilton group; in the stakes, as well as its shareholding
moved into adjacent sectors: a technology sector, it bought dis- in Deutsche Bank and trailer rental
2009 deal (as part of a consorti- tributor Ingram Micro for $6 billion; business TIP Europe.
um) for Australia-based Allco Fi- and shipping container and truck Other investments, such as those
nance gave it a foothold in leasing; trailer leasing businesses were also in Aigle Azur, Swissport and Virgin
and 2010 saw the group move into bought from General Electric. Australia have been wiped out by
maintenance, establishing a new insolvency or restructuring.
company, known as GCA Technik, Increasing assets HNA Group’s issues have had a
from the MRO division of Hainan By 2017, it was reported that the knock-on effect on its subsidiar-
Airlines. HNA Group held CNY1 trillion in ies – Hainan Airlines itself strug-
The group then ventured into Af- assets, employing 400,000 people gled through most of 2018, battling
rica, in 2010 incorporating Ghanian across its network, with its expan- heavy losses and numerous chang-
carrier Africa World Airlines, which sion showing no signs of stopping. es in its top management. Expo-
began operations in 2012 using a But stop it did – due in part to the sure to investments in and loans
fleet of Embraer ERJ-145s. Chinese government’s new meas- to other HNA Group companies is
But things only really got going ures, announced that year, to min- cited as the principle cause for the
later that decade when HNA Group, imise private domestic companies’ size of the loss, however.
by now flush with bank loans, took exposure to foreign investments. Those impairment losses are
stakes in multiple companies out- HNA Group, with three other con- pegged at about CNY46 billion,
side of China. These included airlines glomerates, was put under regu- while the operating loss due to the
– French operator Aigle Azur (48%); latory scrutiny, and several banks collapse in travel demand is only
Brazilian carrier Azul (23.7%); South halted their loans to the group. around CNY16.5 billion.
Africa’s Comair (6.2%); Virgin Aus- The measures hit HNA hard. Hainan Airlines continues to op-
tralia (13%) – and the acquisition by Reports of unpaid aircraft leases erate, and is reportedly seeking to
its Bohai Leasing unit of rival Irish emerged in late 2017, and a few protect itself by transferring $11 bil-
lessor Avolon, in a takeover worth months later, S&P Global Ratings lion in debt back to HNA Group.
$7.6 billion; as well as ground-han- downgraded the group’s credit- While it is unclear how the HNA
dling firm Swissport International worthiness. By then, it had already Group will emerge from the bank-
for Swfr2.73 billion ($2.81 billion); chalked up $86 million in debt. ruptcy restructuring, it is unlikely to
an 80% stake in Swiss maintenance The same year, HNA Group sold ever be the many-tentacled entity
firm SR Technics; and investments its stakes in Azul and Comair. It also it once was.
in airports in Brazil and Germany. disposed of assets in other non-avi- Perhaps a return to its aviation
At the peak of its spending, HNA ation companies, including prop- roots is the medicine required. ◗

Programme Manufacturing
Production ‘pause’ for Dash 8

Final assembly of twin-turboprop to be temporarily halted
as De Havilland Canada adjusts output to match demand
Jon Hemmerdinger Tampa ees will be affected by the produc- twin-turboprop’s previous owner-
tion pause.” ship by Bombardier. The lease ex-
The airframer describes the de- pires in 2021, though De Havilland
D
e Havilland Aircraft of cision as “a responsible and pru- has previously said that could be
Canada says it will tempo- dent measure that reflects current extended until 2023.
rarily stop producing Dash industry conditions, and will limit “Accordingly, De Havilland Cana-
8-400 twin-turboprops strain on the market and De Hav- da has begun preparing to leave the
and begin vacating its Downsview, illand Canada’s supply base as the site. There are a number of excellent
Toronto production site in the sec- pandemic recovery occurs”. production site options in Canada,
ond half of 2021. De Havilland does not specify and the company will be ready to
The company disclosed the how many outstanding firm Dash 8 meet new aircraft demand as the in-
changes on 17 February, calling the orders it holds. Work will stop dur- dustry recovers,” De Havilland says.
move a production “pause”. ing the first half of 2021, it says. The airframer’s parent Longview
But De Havilland insists it remains Cirium fleets data shows that De Aviation Capital acquired the Dash
committed to the Dash 8 pro- Havilland holds orders for 17 Dash 8 programme from Bombardier in
gramme, is investing in product up- 8-400s from operators including May 2019 for $250 million. Fellow
grades, and intends to restart pro- Biman Bangladesh Airlines, Cana- Longview company Viking Aircraft
duction as soon as possible. dian aerial firefighting company has its main production site near
“Given that prevailing industry Conair, Nigeria’s Elin Group, Ethi- Victoria on Vancouver Island, Brit-
circumstances have hindered the opian Airlines, Philippine Airlines, ish Columbia.
ability to confirm new aircraft sales, TAAG Angola Airlines, and the gov- “We fully expect worldwide de-
De Havilland Canada will not pro- ernment of Tanzania. De Havilland mand for the Dash 8 to return once
duce new Dash 8-400 aircraft at its says it delivered 11 Dash 8s in 2020. the industry has recovered from the
Downsview site beyond currently Dash 8s are assembled at a leased pandemic,” says David Curtis, Long-
confirmed orders,” the company facility in the Downsview district view executive chairman. He says
says. “Approximately 500 employ- of Toronto that dates back to the the turboprop’s performance and
operating economics will make it “an
important part of the aviation indus-
try’s post-pandemic recovery”.
De Havilland additionally outlines
several “enhancements” it is making
to the Dash 8 programme. Those in-
clude “investing significant capital”
in the Dash 8’s customer support
and information technology sys-
tems to reduce operating costs.
It is developing modifications to
the aircraft, among them “cabin re-
furbishment features” that include
overhead bin extensions.
De Havilland Aircraft of Canada
“While the pandemic has rav-

aged the global aviation industry,
De Havilland Canada is making
future-oriented investments to en-
hance the Dash 8 platform for cur-
rent and future aircraft operators,”
Airframer says it remains committed to Dash 8
the company says. Z
Harness the power of analytics with

CAE RiseTM IRU PRUH H΍HFWLYH SLORW WUDLQLQJ

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Logistics Development
A total of six A330-based transporters will

eventually support logistics operations
Airbus eyes boost for whale freight

Airframer seeks authorisation for extended overwater flights
to take advantage of outsize BelugaXL transporter’s range
David Kaminski-Morrow London fleet renewal: “We still can use the Airbus is looking to improve the
-600ST. But what to do with it?” XL’s capabilities following its entry
He says Airbus has initiated a into service in January last year. Its
A
irbus is to seek extended project to propose new services original flight-test aircraft will be-
twin-engined operations for the -600ST, for which 180min come part of the operational XL
(ETOPS) approval for the ETOPS was obtained in 2010. fleet, says Vialleton, but is likely to
BelugaXL outsize trans- Airbus previously signalled that it be the last to be introduced, joining
porter, in order to support com- was not seeking ETOPS authorisa- once its on-board test instrumen-
mercial services involving overwa- tion because the aircraft’s relatively tation has been removed.
ter flights. short European logistics hops did The airframer has been conduct-
Three BelugaXLs, based on the not warrant it, and this would gen- ing a series of flight tests, about 60h
A330, have been built, the most re- erate developmental cost savings. so far, to obtain approval for Cat III
cent introduced in October 2020. But the XL has substantially autoland on the aircraft. This re-
Another three will be manufac- greater range than the -600ST, and quires an extensive effort to test au-
tured, the last two of which will having ETOPS capability would en- toland under various conditions, in-
have 180min ETOPS approval, ac- able the larger aircraft to serve as a cluding crosswind tests performed
cording to BelugaXL chief engineer support for future -600ST services. at Newcastle in the northeast of
Pascal Vialleton. “This is why we’re developing England in December last year.
Vialleton disclosed the ETOPS ETOPS for the XL,” says Vialleton. Vialleton says Airbus needs to
plan during a Royal Aeronautical justify design service targets of
Society event in early February. Final assembly 33,000 cycles, pointing out that
He says Airbus wants to have Airbus has indicated that it does it had achieved only 3,200h at
the final two aircraft, due to ar- not intend the XL to replace sea- the time of type certification. “So
rive in 2022 and 2023, to have the borne transport of aircraft sections there’s quite some activity remain-
flexibility to conduct transatlantic between European manufacturing ing on the stress side,” he says.
flights, pointing to the possibility plants and final assembly lines in The air conditioning system had
of satellite transport to stations in the USA and China. “Sea transport to be re-examined because pilots
North America. will continue to be the baseline of reported a cockpit temperature
Vialleton says the current A300- Airbus’s oversize transport strategy differential in winter. This meant
600ST Beluga fleet will be phased [to these lines],” says the airframer. changing the airflow in the cockpit,
out as the XLs arrive. Demand on Vialleton hints that Airbus has requiring further flight tests to en-
the -600ST fleet rose from 6,000h also considered other options for sure no effect on smoke detection
in 2014 to 8,600h in 2017, but the XL the -600ST fleet, pointing out that in areas such as the avionics bay.
offers capacity relief because it can it can be used to “carry whatever is Airbus has also addressed a
accommodate two A350 wings at big and needs to be transported” – problem of premature wearing on
a time. Each XL will operate about although unlike aircraft such as the doors, and certified operation of
1,000 flights and 1,700h per year. Antonov An-124, it cannot unload the main forward loading door with
This capacity strategy rather at ground level, so a mobile plat- up to 30kt (55km/h) crosswind and
than the -600ST’s age, says Vial- form stored in the aircraft could be a 40kt tailwind, which Vialleton de-
leton, is the main reason for the necessary for such roles. scribes as “quite impressive”. ◗

Evidence of MH17 risk ‘insufficient’

Ukrainian authorities did not have awareness of high-altitude
threat to civil aviation before shootdown, report concludes
David Kaminski-Morrow London tems], artillery and large-calibre Ukrainian aviation authorities in-
machine guns,” says the FSF, in a sisted to the Dutch Safety Board
newly-published factual inquiry that the decision to raise the ceil-
I
ndependent analysis has found into the airspace closure. ing arose from the need to put an
no evidence that Ukrainian au- “However, there were few reports additional buffer between military
thorities were aware of the in the public space about armed and civil aircraft operations, and
threat to high-altitude traffic, non-state forces possessing weap- not from an indication of risk to
and specifically civil aviation, be- ons with a capability to attack civil traffic above 26,000ft.
fore a Malaysia Airlines Boeing above [32,000ft].”
777-200ER was shot down by a Ukraine’s defence ministry be- Unconnected events
surface-to-air missile. lieved military aircraft were vulner- The inquiry was also told that the
This is despite Ukrainian nation- able to man-portable air-defence ceiling increase was initiated be-
al security officials’ openly floating system attack and, on 6 June 2014, fore the An-26 incident, and was
the possibility that high-powered imposed restricted airspace up to “not connected in any way”.
weapons might have entered into 26,000ft to allow military aircraft Dutch investigators could not
the conflict in the east of the coun- to operate out of their range – fly- establish a direct link and con-
try before the 777 was attacked. ing at altitudes of 22,000-24,000ft cluded the underlying reason re-
USA-based Flight Safety Foun- – with an extra buffer above them. mained “unclear”.
dation (FSF) has examined the But Ukraine’s national security
case of flight MH17, which had been and defence council had openly
32,000ft
crossing the conflict zone of east- stated on 14 July, the day the An-
ern Ukraine on 17 July 2014, just 26 was shot down, that it believed
above a 32,000ft boundary of re- the aircraft was hit by a “more pow-
stricted airspace. erful weapon” than a man-portable
While the adequacy of this upper Boundary of restricted airspace system and suggested the possi-
boundary was questioned during imposed by Ukraine on 14 July 2014 – bility that a Russian-built Pantsir
a Dutch Safety Board investiga- three days before MH17 was shot down surface-to-air missile and artillery
tion – given that MH17 was brought system, or an air-to-air missile,
down by a powerful Buk anti-air- might have been involved.
craft missile – the FSF “did not find But uncertainty surrounds the Dutch military intelligence ser-
sufficient facts” that the Ukrainian reasons why this restricted air- vice MIVD, however, shared on 17
authorities could have had proper space ceiling was increased to July the results of its own investi-
awareness of a high-altitude threat 32,000ft, at the request of the civ- gation into the An-26 loss which
or a threat against civil aircraft. il air navigation service UkSATSE, found that the aircraft had suffered
“There were numerous reports on 14 July 2014 – the same day a damage to its right engine incon-
about the presence of heavy weap- Ukrainian air force Antonov An-26 sistent with the use of a powerful
ons in the region, such as tanks, was shot down, and three days be- air defence system, and that the
[man-portable air-defence sys- fore the attack on the 777. use of such a weapon was unlikely.
Further uncertainty had
emerged on 16 July, when a
Ukrainian Sukhoi Su-25 was shot
down, with the Ukrainian defence
ministry initially blaming an air-
to-air missile, without ruling out a
surface-to-air weapon.
While the Ukrainian authorities,
in both the An-26 and Su-25 cases,
had raised the possibility of weap-
ons being used that were capable
of reaching cruise altitudes, neither
incident led to the closure of air-
space above 32,000ft.
Crucially, the Dutch inquiry
Dutch Safety Board
concluded that the Ukrainian au-

thorities’ suspicions alone – giv-
en their mention of weapons ca-
298 people lost their lives in the disaster pable of reaching cruise altitude
– provided “sufficient reason” for

Safety Investigation
Ibl/Shutterstock
The Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200ER was
brought down by a Buk surface-to-air missile
closing the airspace over the east cision-making regarding airspace mation and intercepted telephone
of the country. closure,” the Foundation adds. conversations might have indicat-
It also highlighted that the au- The analysis acknowledges the ed a threat to civil aviation.
thorities believed weapons would “conflicting accounts” over the An- Without knowing the technologi-
be used exclusively against mili- 26 shootdown on 14 July, “thought cal capabilities to process intercept-
tary targets and that there was no by some” to have been brought ed conversations and social media
threat to civil aviation – especially down by a surface-to-air missile. posts, says the FSF, the analysis
after a tactical suspension of mili- cannot conclude that Ukrainian au-
tary flights on 16 July – without tak- Missile system thorities had the means to verify in-
ing into account the possibility of However, it says the “most nota- telligence and co-ordinate dissemi-
“error or slips”. ble” publicly available information nation of the information, assess the
The FSF analysis centres on its on the capability to attack at high threat to civil aviation, and close the
integrated standard for assessing altitudes, prior to the loss of MH17, airspace before the attack on MH17.
airspace security risks, and it stud- came from social media reports on It points out that its analysis is
ied a range of information includ- movements of Buk missile system bounded by “a number of limita-
ing authorities’ statements in pub- batteries, and posts suggesting tions”, including the fact that its
lic and responses to questionnaires. that Buk vehicles had been ob- findings about the airspace closure
“[Our] research did not find any served in east Ukraine. decisions are based on two specific
instances before the downing of “The Foundation acknowledges sources: public source information
flight MH17 in which Ukrainian au- that these were just a few instances available during 2020, and infor-
thorities publicly acknowledged of published social media posts out mation obtained from Ukraine and
the presence in eastern Ukraine of probably millions of posts made Russia through questionnaires.
of air defence systems capable of in the region at that time,” it says. Among its other findings are that
reaching an altitude greater than “It should also be stressed that the surface-to-air weapons should be
[32,000ft],” it says. veracity of published social media a “key indicator” in any airspace
Counterintelligence services’ sus- accounts is difficult to establish.” risk assessment, given their high-
picions of the presence of high- It says the identified examples er destructive power compared
powered air defence equipment of available information indicating with man-portable systems, and
could not be verified. the potential ability to carry out an that examination of conflict zones
“No facts were found by the attack above 32,000ft were “few”, over 1990-2014 did not identify a
Foundation to indicate that the relative to the total volume of in- “uniform practice” of countries’
information was disseminated formation about the conflict zone closing their own airspace during
throughout the statewide process at the time. armed conflict when there were
to reach the authorities respon- The FSF says – “with hindsight” – signs of a possible attack against
sible for risk assessment and de- that counterintelligence field infor- civil aircraft. ◗

Catalogue of failures
doomed Swiss Ju 52
Pre-war aircraft that came down in Alps
was operated ‘below safety margins’ by
risk-taking crew, investigation concludes
David Kaminski-Morrow London SUST says the operator, Ju-Air,
failed to identify or prevent “fre-
S
quent violation of rules” by its
wiss investigators have con- crews, adding that “numerous”
cluded, in a damning inquiry, incidents, several of them serious,
that a Junkers Ju 52 on a were “not reported” to authorities.
pleasure flight stalled after The inquiry’s reconstruction of
the crew flew it into a narrow valley the accident showed that the cen-
at low altitude, at a dangerously tre-of-gravity was 2.07m (6ft 8in)
low airspeed and with its cen- behind the wing’s leading edge at
tre-of-gravity out of limits. the time, in excess of the manufac-
The crew intended to exit the turer’s 2.06m limit.
valley via a pass and there was “no “This situation facilitated the loss
possibility” of an alternative flight- of control,” it states.
path, says the inquiry. Vulnerable
to updraughts and downdraughts Two-day tour
from turbulence in the area, the air- Taking off from Dubendorf on
craft stalled as it entered a turn, from 3 August, on the first part of a two-
which it had no margin to recover. day flight tour, as the aircraft flew
None of the 20 occupants sur- to Locarno it navigated past the
vived the accident after the aircraft Ritzlihorn mountain just 30-50m
entered an Alpine valley basin near from the rock face, and continued
Piz Segnas. It performed a left turn, in close proximity to other parts of
which developed into a downward the terrain while travelling through
spiral and the three-engined air- the Cristallina region. nificantly” below the 1,000ft safe-
craft dived into the ground. The next day, one of the aircraft’s ty margin in high-terrain areas, on
“The flightcrew was accustomed two pilots separately travelled several occasions, and “disregard-
to not complying with recognised back to Dubendorf to conduct ed essential principles” for safe
rules for safe flight operations and three out-and-back sightseeing mountain flying.
taking high risks,” says Swiss inves- flights on a sister Ju 52. On all Reuniting at Locarno, the two pi-
tigation authority SUST, in its report three flights, says SUST, the crews lots prepared to take the original
on the 4 August 2018 accident. involved piloted the aircraft “sig- Ju 52 back to Dubendorf.
No flight recorders were installed
in the Ju 52 but SUST used photo-
grammetry techniques to rebuild
and examine its flightpath and at-
titude in the final moments before
the accident.
As part of the flight to Duben-
dorf the aircraft entered and flew
north-northeast along the centre
of a valley basin, approaching the
Piz Segnas peak, with mountainous
ridges rising to 2,800m and above
on either side.
As the Ju 52 progressed through
the valley it gradually descended
to around 2,760m altitude and the
crew initiated a right turn before
making a left turn. At this point the
Aircraft was used to operate
aircraft was travelling at a ground-
SUST
sight-seeing flights in mountains

speed of about 92kt (170km/h).

Accident Inquiry
Laurent Gillieron/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Examination of the wreckage turned up
multiple defects, including corrosion
The inquiry believes the aircraft rudder pointing to the right, and SUST obtained radar data for 216
had been descending through a the aircraft’s roll accelerated into flights by Ju-Air on its Ju 52 fleet
downdraught, and that this rapidly a spiral dive until it collided almost from April 2018 to the date of the
changed to an updraught around vertically with the ground at 108kt. crash, to analyse them with respect
the time of the turn, fatally affect- The inquiry found that the two to the mountain operations, pay-
ing the angle-of-attack and the lift pilots had flown a sister aircraft on ing particular attention to specif-
over the wing. The Ju 52 did not a similar route through the basin on ic issues such as low-level flying
have enough speed margin to re- 6 July 2013, eventually exiting by over ridges, flight phases with no
store the airflow. possibility of turning back, and ap-
SUST found that, during the right proaches to terrain significantly be-
33%
turn, the difference between the low recommended safety margins.
pitch and the descending flight- “It became apparent that, in ap-
path angle increased to about 15°. proximately one-third of the flights
As the aircraft transitioned into the analysed, elementary principles of
left turn its pitch reached about 11° Proportion of flights operated by safe flight management in moun-
while the flightpath angle of its de- Ju-Air that investigators determined tainous areas were significantly
scent was about 10°. violated elementary safety principles violated,” says SUST.
Its roll to the left steadily in- Nearly 17% of the flights involved
creased and did not decrease even situations with “very high” risk
during a “significant” aileron de- flying over a ridge of the Segnas potential, it adds.
flection to the right, says SUST. The pass at just 30m above ground. SUST also found that the Ju 52
Ju 52’s flightpath became increas- Comparison of its trajectory with was not fit to fly, having been poor-
ingly steeper downwards and the that calculated from the accident ly maintained, although it believes
left bank continued to increase. indicates that a 180° turn, or an that – despite being “not airworthy
At 108m above ground the alternative flightpath, in the north- in a physical or formal sense” – the
Ju 52’s longitudinal axis was 68° ern end of the valley basin “would aircraft did not crash as a result.
below the horizontal, with its ele- not have been possible” for this The three-engined Ju 52 in-
vator deflected upwards and the earlier flight. volved in accident was a pre- ❱

Absence of flight recorders forced investigators to perform painstaking reconstruction

With its unusual historic triple investigators from SUST, the ascertaining whether the
engine sound and vintage Swiss authority that led the three BMW 132 nine-cylinder
appearance, a Junkers Ju 52 flying probe, to read images from 10 radial engines were correctly
through the high Alps would data-storage units, including functioning before the accident.
have presented the perfect photo carefully-reconstructed video Audio tracks from video
opportunity. using a blend of high- and low- footage enabled investigators
But the appeal of the pre-war resolution files with audio tracks to extract acoustic information
aircraft to onlookers combined from a miniature camera. from propellers and other engine
with the ubiquity of high- Much of the Ju 52’s tracks components, and use spectral
definition mobile phone cameras during both the outbound analysis of the frequencies to
proved invaluable to those Dubendorf-Locarno flight, and the determine rotational speeds while
tasked with understanding why fatal return leg, was reconstructed examining any changes in the
it dived into the rocky floor of a from surveillance radar and data; ultimately this showed no
remote mountain valley on a clear transponder information. evidence of technical problems.
summer afternoon. But this had its limits, partly due Investigators had to assess the
While visually arresting, the to the mountainous terrain, leaving complex weather conditions that
unconventional, another-age gaps in the radar flight path. were present in the mountains,
nature of the Ju 52 was a curse for Correlating the images taken using a range of data sources
Swiss investigators. Built in 1939, on board helped investigators including satellite imagery,
one of over 4,800 manufactured, fill gaps in the radar tracks and forecasts, webcam pictures,
the aircraft was equipped with improve the accuracy.
neither a cockpit-voice or flight-
data recorder, meaning the inquiry Altimeter setting
into the August 2018 accident Video of the cockpit also allowed
proceeded absent the richest the inquiry to rule out an incorrect
sources of investigative evidence. altimeter pressure setting which
But chance favoured the might have misled the pilots over
investigators in one respect. The Ju the aircraft’s height as it entered
52 had taken off from Locarno with the valley basin moments before
1,140 litres (300USgal) of fuel and, the crash.
although the near-vertical impact Images of the aircraft sourced
destroyed the cockpit and entire from the general public – via
forward section of the aircraft, it a complex process called
had been spared an explosion or photogrammetry – enabled
fire despite a large quantity of fuel investigators to determine the
spilling from the cells. aircraft’s location in the valley
This meant investigators could with surprising accuracy: some
recover 44 electronic devices – positions could be determined
including passengers’ cameras to within “a few decimetres” and
and mobile phones, potentially some aircraft attitudes to within
yielding vital clues. 0.1°, depending on the quality of
SUST
While the devices had escaped the image, among other factors.
fire, most were severely damaged Without a flight-data or
Photogrammetry helped establish
or contaminated. Painstaking cockpit-voice recorder, the
aircraft’s trajectory in its final moments
recovery work eventually enabled inquiry faced difficulty in
❱ war airframe, manufactured in ation and a similar organisation, to to obtain permission from the Swiss
1939 and one of three procured form military aircraft preservation civil aviation regulator gradually to
that year by the Swiss military for group VFL, after which Ju-Air be- increase this interval to 1,500h.
its air defence corps. came responsible for maintenance But the engines had “never
They were decommissioned by and airworthiness. achieved” this approved interval,
the corps in 1981, and a Swiss air SUST conducted an extensive says the inquiry.
corps museum enthusiasts’ asso- technical examination of the air-
ciation then began using them for craft wreckage following the ac- Engine faults
commercial flights from Duben- cident, finding that the Ju 52 had Analysis of operations during the
dorf, converting them for civil use. “various technical restrictions”. 10 years before the accident shows
Swiss investigation authority None of its three BMW 132 A3 “numerous” engine faults occurred,
SUST says that, by this point, there engines was still capable of reach- including one failure during flight.
was no longer a type certificate ing the propeller speed specified In 16 instances the operator either
holder to offer support and estab- by their manufacturer. had to run the engine at reduced
lish requirements to guarantee the The manufacturer had stipulat- power or shut it down.
Ju 52s’ airworthiness. ed that the powerplants required Examination of the wreckage
Operator Ju-Air emerged from a a major overhaul every 200-300h, turned up multiple defects, in-
1997 merger of the museum associ- but the aircraft operator managed cluding corrosion damage and

Accident Inquiry
SUST
Stall developed into unrecoverable roll
as left turn went disastrously wrong
and lidar – light-detection and ailerons from a passenger video But it left the aircraft close to
ranging – instruments. to reconstruct the last few its angle-of-attack limit and, as
Weather encountered during seconds of flight in a series of 29 the turbulent conditions quickly
the flight was in line with numerical data points. transformed the downdraught to
forecasts which had not indicated They showed how the aircraft, an updraught, the aircraft – which
any especially difficult conditions. heading north-northwest, entered was longitudinally unstable, flying
But the inquiry points out that the the valley basin to the southwest of out of balance – began to stall.
valley basin on sunny afternoons Piz Segnas. The crew intended to SUST found the aircraft had a
usually experiences winds from travel along the centre of the valley true airspeed of 97kt (180km/h)
the north-west and “widely and exit the basin via the Segnas as it encountered the windshear,
known” is that turbulence should pass, which involved a left turn. an insufficient margin of reserve
be expected on the leeward side above the stall speed given
of valley ridges, with the risk of Wind downdraught the conditions. As it entered
thermal activity generating the The aircraft passed through the planned left turn, the bank
“dangerous combination” of an area of wind downdraught, exceeded the crew’s intended
rapidly-changing vertical winds. causing it to descend, partly angle as the stall on the left wing
On the afternoon of the compensated by the crew’s worsened in relation to the right.
accident the northerly wind had increasing the pitch attitude. Photographs of the Ju 52
an increasing tendency, says Engine data suggests the pilots from an eyewitness, as it stalled,
SUST, with the likelihood of more also synchronised the engines, showed the aircraft 68° nose-
intense turbulence in the basin reducing their power slightly, as down and banked almost 51° to
southwest of the Piz Segnas they commenced a slight right the left at just 108m above ground
mountain peak. turn in preparation for the left – far too little for recovery. Video
Investigators brought together turn to the exit. images, from an eyewitness on the
the changing wind direction and Focused on the engines and Segnas pass, recorded the final
speed, the engine acoustic data, with few visual references, the 0.4s before impact at 108kt, the
the 3D photogrammetry, and a crew’s pitch increase might have aircraft almost vertically nose-
visual examination of the aircraft’s been subconscious. down and still rolling left.
evidence of a broken stringer in tion of such parts on an airworthy It says there was little accompa-
the starboard wing that – despite aircraft was not permitted.” nying documentation to support
being discovered in 2015 – was This meant the aircraft, at least the parts remanufacture and, in
never repaired. in a formal sense, could not be most cases, no certification of air-
The investigators also found that declared airworthy. worthiness was available for the
various components of the aircraft Ju-Air wrote its own service components. Ju-Air also installed
had been poorly-maintained or re- bulletins for some of the repro- many commercially available,
placed by reproduced parts of sub- duced and reconditioned com- non-certified standard compo-
standard quality. ponents and the installation of nents, it adds.
Ju-Air had addressed the problem non-certified parts. But from 2002 “Nevertheless, the aircraft func-
of unavailability of original spares onwards service bulletins were no tioned in such a way that the iden-
for the airframe and engine by re- longer written for this work. tified technical defects did not
conditioning some components “Dozens of components were have an effect on the accident,”
and having others manufactured. remanufactured or modified by a states SUST, suggesting that pilots
“Some of the companies that large number of subcontractors by had become “accustomed” to the
performed such work were not order of Ju-Air, mostly using an old limited flight characteristics of the
certified to produce parts for use in and worn part as a template,” says Ju-Air fleet and were “unable to de-
aviation,” says the inquiry. “Installa- the inquiry. tect the remaining inadequacies”. ◗

Freighter Modernisation
Part and parcel

Express shipment specialist UPS is upgrading the avionics on
its legacy freighters to allow them to fly on until 2040
Jon Hemmerdinger Tampa service for around three weeks dividual freighter can be flown. Up-
for the retrofit activity and that all loading new files can take 45min,
its A300Fs will have the improve- Walton says.
E
xpress parcel carrier UPS ments before the company’s peak UPS began studying the A300F
has received its first Airbus season at the end of 2022. cockpit update in 2010, and kicked
A300 Freighter with updat- UPS acquired its A300Fs be- it off in 2017. The Primus Epic up-
ed Honeywell avionics and is tween 2000 and 2006 fully know- grade adds four cursor-controlled
now working to have its entire fleet ing their cockpits would need up- screens and, most notably, a new
upgraded before the end of 2022. grading if they were to be flown to flight-management system.
UPS is replacing the A300F’s service limits. Other new features include a
1980s-era avionics with modern weather radar, in-
the Honeywell Primus Epic tegrated enhanced ground
system – a technological proximity warning system,
leap that should enable the new multi-function control
Louisville-based carrier to and display units, improved
keep the old jets flying until situational awareness tools
2040, it says. for pilots, and compatibility
The A300F upgrade with the updated communi-
overlaps with a UPS project cations technology mandat-
to enhance the cockpits of ed by the US Federal Avia-
its Boeing 757s and 767s. tion Administration (FAA)
On 3 February, UPS re- – the so-called Future Air
ceived the first updated Navigation System.
A300F back from Airbus, Honeywell Primus Epic avionics Updates to the Primus
which performed the avi- are replacing 1980s-era systems Epic system take just 2min,
UPS
onics overhaul under a ser- says Honeywell senior plat-

vice bulletin. UPS is now form director Allen Fenske.
identifying MRO facilities that will The oldest of the company’s The FAA has granted UPS an en-
perform the work on its remaining A300Fs has now accumulated gineering approval to complete the
51 A300Fs. some 14,500 cycles, although life work, though the company is still
The airline operates those jets on limits are beyond 42,000 cycles. awaiting the agency’s operational
domestic US routes. The ageing flight-management approval. It expects the first updat-
“We are in final contract negoti- computers fitted to the A300s have ed A300F will return to service af-
ations with two MROs,” says UPS too little storage to accommodate ter late April.
aircraft maintenance director of massive navigation files. Although UPS recently completed an ef-
engineering Ed Walton. UPS strips out unnecessary data, fort to modernise its roughly 75
UPS expects work on the oth- the memory size limits mean the op- 757s with Collins Aerospace avion-
er aircraft will begin in May at one erator must still restrict navigation ics and expects to finish equipping
facility, and in June at another. It files to geographically constrained around 70 767s with that same
anticipates each jet will be out of areas, in turn limiting where the in- system in May. ◗
UPS received its first updated A300

UPS
back from Airbus on 3 February

Opinion
Aviation’s
man
problem
Competence, not
Everett Collection/Shutterstock
gender, should be
the only factor to
affect success, says
Pilar Wolfsteller Early inspiration
A
erospace and aviation have more often than not with a male None of this will change until the
a serious man problem. De- colleague, tell harrowing stories of men in power finally learn that in
spite support programmes, rampant chauvinism and insidious the long run, diversity – of gender,
mentorships, training, re- intimidation as they attempt to con- race, sexual orientation, thought,
source groups, workshops, out- centrate on doing their job. A job, opinion, and perspective – leads to
reach efforts and other corporate lest we forget, that is about ferrying better outcomes for everyone.
initiatives that ostensibly strive to passengers safely from A to B. Studies show that given the
improve gender parity, men contin- The 2% of aviation mechanics, same training, education and
ue to drastically outnumber women 5% of commercial pilots and 13% qualifications, women are more
in the industry. of aerospace engineers who are open-minded, empathetic and
For women, the imbalance is in- female are sidelined far too often. take fewer risks. That makes them
furiating. For men, it should be a They speak of being ignored, spo- safer pilots, shrewder strategists
wake-up call. ken over, belittled, outflanked, and smarter investors.
At company level, though, the judged, mansplained and stepped But despite this empirical data,
entire gender-balance discussion on; of ideas stolen, motivation the number of women in cockpits,
occupies a space between embar- questioned and intelligence leadership pipelines and manage-
rassment and sheer panic. doubted. Too often their voices ment ranks in the third decade of
The language used is telling – it are still – consciously or uncon- the 21st century remains vanish-
tiptoes around the issue, cloaked in sciously – discounted. ingly small.
euphemism, often reluctant to con- At the core of the industry’s man
front matters head-on. When the Rightful place problem is what is often referred
industry speaks of “unconscious Their battle to take their rightful to as the “old boys’ club” – the one
bias”, what it actually means is out- place in the left seat of airliners or that continues to block and derail
right misogyny. When it writes of on executive boards, though dec- the careers of the part of the pop-
“gender stereotypes”, think bigotry ades old, continues to yield only ulace that still has to work twice as
and bullying. minor victories. hard to achieve half as much.
What’s clear is that toxic mascu- While there are beacons of en- Until a critical mass of women es-
linity, inequality and subtle harass- lightenment scattered throughout tablishes an “old girls’ club”, where
ment continue in today’s cockpits, the sector, they remain almost in- members are welcomed, respected
open-plan office spaces and exec- visible to the untrained eye. And and taken care of just as well as, if
utive suites across the industry. even where there is progress, infor- not better than, their male peers,
Girls are told early on by teachers mation on the topic is often diffi- the status quo will not change.
and parents to work hard, to not cult to extract. Women know they need to beat
rock the boat, because there’s only Companies are quick to highlight men at their own game in order to
room for so many women at the individual success stories – show- get ahead. They are now, finally,
top. Women in corporate roles of- casing women who are thriving rocking the boat like never before.
ten have their career wings clipped – and admirable, significant in- Success will be achieved the day
for challenging a majority view- vestments and efforts to replicate that competence and skill, rather
point, or expressing a perspective these. They should, of course, be than gender or machismo, always
that deviates from the one that has celebrated. But sector-wide met- determine who steers the future. Z
comfortably nestled itself in an in- rics on gender equity across en- See p60
dustry with a hundred-year history gineering and leadership roles,
of male-ness. and the targets these firms set for Pilar Wolfsteller is FlightGlobal’s
Female pilots, locked into a tiny themselves (if any), are frequently Americas Air Transport Editor and
space at the front of the aircraft, difficult to come by. is based in Las Vegas

Embraer Visit FlightGlobal Premium for all the latest aviation news and insight FlightGlobal.com
Embraer delivered a total of 44 commercial aircraft last year. Shipments so far in 2021 include this E195-E2 for Nigerian carrier Air Peace
Best of the rest

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Windtunnel testing has begun of a composite wing for the high-
speed civil tiltrotor funded by the EU’s Clean Sky 2 programme
Leonardo Helicopters
US Air Force
Sikorsky has been awarded up to $981 million to upgrade its

yet-to-enter-service HH-60W combat rescue helicopter

Highlights
Airbus Helicopters
Airbus Helicopters has secured PHI as launch customer for the H160.
It will lease four examples on contract to Shell, for oil and gas use
Boeing
Rostec
Russia’s Aviadvigatel PD-14 engine for the Irkut MC-21 narrowbody Boeing on 2 February flew the US Air Force’s first
has met ICAO’s latest requirements regarding emissions criteria F-15EX fighter, from a potential 144 examples
Aero Vodochody
Czech airframer Aero Vodochody has secured a

12-unit order for its L-39NG trainer from Vietnam

April’s issue
Next month Our

training
guide reviews
ab initio sector
amid Covid
On sale
crisis 1 April
Plus…
Green machine Crew view
We check out How teaching
environmental pilots could
drive towards be improved
widespread outside the
sustainable full-flight
Airbus
fuel adoption simulator

CAE
FTA

Hundreds of aircraft are sitting in storage across
the world, awaiting their fate. Will the numbers
being scrapped increase in 2021, and what actually
happens to an airliner when it is parted out?
Aviation’s
death row
BillyPix

Aircraft Scrappage
BillyPix
BillyPix
BillyPix
British Airways 747-400s lined up at Kemble

❱

BillyPix
James Cobbold is ASI’s global sales manager and a fan of the 747
❱ Murdo Morrison Kemble

1
3
F
or admirers of the Queen of the Skies, it is 4
a sombre sight. Nine former British Airways
Boeing 747-400s – former flagships of the flag
carrier and still resplendent in their liveries – line
up on the hard standing of a rural airfield in the west of 2
England, all but one destined to be broken into bits. 2
Cotswold Airport, at Kemble in Gloucestershire, 1 Aircraft defuelled and pre-decommission checks to ensure
is where old airliners come to die, and operator it is safe to work on
2 Engines and APU removed
Air Salvage International (ASI) is one of a few aircraft 3 Avionics and instrumentation removed
dismantling and recycling specialists in Europe. 4 Air conditioning, interior systems and galley equipment removed
James Cobbold, ASI’s global sales manager and
self-confessed jumbo fan, admits to a pang of nostalgia
as he escorts us around the main-deck first-class cabin
of one of the 747s, where in seats 1A and 1K – with their 6
prized forward-of-the-cockpit view – BA’s most valued
6
customers would have so recently reclined in comfort.
This particular example is being saved for posterity 7
5
(see p46), but the 15 or so other 747s at the former UK
Royal Air Force (RAF) station will soon be in thousands
5
of pieces.
5 Flight controls and nacelles removed
Subtracting value 6 Actuation and hydraulic components removed
7 Fuel components removed
The process of parting out has several stages, and
aircraft might sit at a facility such as ASI’s for months
before an owner decides the sum of its parts on the
secondhand market is worth more than the whole. In
the case of the BA 747s, the decision was already taken 8
Tim Bicheno-Brown/Artscreative
to retire the aircraft before they were flown in, so the

tail number is officially removed from the registry. After
that, the disassembly process takes four to six weeks 9 10
for a single-aisle jet; slightly longer for a widebody.
The first items to be extracted are the most valuable
– the engines. They are defuelled and deactivated
8 Interior removed if required
before being disconnected from the nacelle, explains 9 Landing gear, wheels and brakes removed
Cobbold. At this stage, the work – carried out in 10 Disposal of fuselage

Aircraft Scrappage
as working parts or for training, in the case of sections

of cockpit or cabin. Almost all the metal is repurposed,
together with much of any composite material – an
area the recycling sector has made great progress
with in recent years – with only plastics in the interior
usually going to landfill.
The aircraft dismantling profession has been much
cleaned up recently, thanks largely to the work of the
Disassembly and recycling has been
Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association (AFRA), a body
BillyPix
much cleaned up in the past decade

ASI founder Mark Gregory helped set up 15 years
ago, and which Cobbold serves as secretary. AFRA,
which includes the prominent recyclers as well as the
aircraft manufacturers among its members, describes
itself as a “global collaboration to elevate industry
performance and increase commercial value for
end-of-service aircraft”.
Materials world
As recently as the early part of the century, the market
was less professional, says Mike Corne, co-founder of
the UK’s other main aircraft salvage specialist, eCube,
based at the former RAF base at St Athan near Cardiff.
“When we started in 2011, we wanted to introduce
processes into a market that was occupied by people
who, let’s say, did not necessarily have experience of
Each of hundreds of components is
running complex businesses,” he says. “We positioned
BillyPix
extracted, cleaned and packed

ourselves as a materials management business.”
One of the counterintuitive aspects of 2020’s great
aviation downturn is that it has not – at least yet – led
the hangar in the case of narrowbodies and outside to a flurry of aircraft retirements, despite thousands of
for widebodies, but only on fine days – resembles a aircraft being withdrawn from service since the start of
heavy maintenance overhaul. Technicians then board the pandemic. While there might be a slight lag in the
the aircraft to detach the avionics, air conditioning, full-year data, by early February Cirium had recorded
pneumatics, flight controls and finally the landing gear. around 420 permanent retirements of single- and twin-
Each of the 800 to 1,000 parts is cleaned and aisle airliners. This compares with some 500 in 2019.
packed, with owners at any stage able to view progress There are several reasons for this. While the total
via an iPad. Next, the interior – seats, galleys, lavatories of Airbus A320-family retirements is similar ❱
and luggage bins – is stripped, before what is left of
the aircraft is transported to a corner of the site where
420
crews get to work with blowtorches and electric
saws, carving the fuselage, tailplane and wings into
fragments, which are crushed and sent in truck loads
to local authority-accredited recycling firms.
While the smashing up of a perfectly serviceable
airliner may seem brutal – and for some “avgeeks”
heartbreaking – there is a cycle-of-life aspect to the Permanent retirements of single- and twin-aisle
activity, with at least 92% of the aircraft reused, either airliners in 2020, according to Cirium
BillyPix
Almost all metal and a lot of the composite material is repurposed

❱ year-on-year (113 in 2020 against 118 in 2019), the
number of Boeing 737NGs permanently withdrawn
from service has more than halved, from 56 in 2019
to 24 last year. This is largely a result of the grounding
of the 737 Max, which has “delayed the displacement
effect in existing 737 fleets”, says Max Kingsley-Jones,
BillyPix
a senior consultant with Ascend by Cirium.
However, a bigger contributor might be the limited
Aircraft salvage specialists think
market for spare engines and material, which has led
they will probably be busier in 2021
lessors and other owners to “wait out” the market
before committing to permanent retirements and
part-outs, Kingsley-Jones suggests. That might change
this year, with Ascend by Cirium estimating a surplus of
some 1,000 aircraft per year as the industry recovers,
pointing to an extra 500 retirements over the 500 or
so typically seen annually, he says.
Safekeeping
Anecdotal evidence from the aircraft scrappage firms
would appear to bear that out. While Cobbold will not
reveal exact year-on-year numbers, he says that ASI
disassembled 10% fewer aircraft in 2020 than in 2019.
However, 25% more aircraft arrived for storage than in
BillyPix
the previous year. Meanwhile, Corne at eCube says the

“mix has changed”, with parking and storage of aircraft
Market forces will ultimately decide
the fate of the parked airliners
“a much more significant component” of the business

during 2020 than in recent years.
Airlines are understandably keen not to have aircraft
parked at pricey airports. But unlike the huge US
desert “boneyards”, ASI and its rivals do not have
the space – or climate – to park dozens of aircraft for
months or years at a time. However, both ASI, through
sister company GCAM, and eCube, via a partnership
in Spain, offer the European Union Aviation Safety
Agency Part 145 maintenance approvals necessary for
airliners that might one day be returned to service.
During 2020, leasing companies tended to hold on to
aircraft rather than parting them out because lack of
flight activity and an uncertain near-term outlook had
depressed demand for components, says Cobbald:
BillyPix
“Parts sellers can’t sell, so lessors are not flooding the

market.” However, he accepts that the situation might
Fuselage, tailplane and wings are torn into fragments for recycling
change during 2021 if asset values for whole aircraft
Conference centre to keepsake – the fate of two unwanted giants

A pair of examples of superannuated quadjets A former Singapore Airlines Airbus A380
illustrate the very different destinies of airliners (MSN003/9V-SKA), on the other hand, is now,
at the end of their working lives. among other things, a series of limited-edition
G-CIVB is a former British Airways Boeing 747-400 identity tags.
that joined the fleet in 1994 and was recently They were fashioned from the fuselage of the
repainted with a retro Negus & Negus scheme first 12-year-old aircraft after it was broken up at Tarmac
adopted when the airline was created by the merger Aerosave in Tarbes in 2019.
of BOAC and British European Airways in 1974. German company Aviationtag says each of the
The jumbo will live on at Cotswold Airport as a items sports the aircraft type, registration number,
private-hire cinema venue for conferences and other edition number and size of the doomed superjumbo.
functions, after being acquired by airport operator MSN003 has its place in history, having operated
Kemble Air Services. It joins another ex-BA 747-400 the first A380 passenger service on 25 October
that will be based at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey 2007, from Changi to Sydney. It was retired just 10
as a set for film and television. years later.

Aircraft Scrappage
BillyPix
More than 90% of a parted-out airliner is put to use
remain low. “We genuinely don’t know, but we do 12 months, only committing to aircraft “where we think
expect to be busy,” he says. there is a market”. Its main acquisition in 2020 was a
AJW Group is traditionally one of the biggest trio of 21-year-old former Thomas Cook A330s.
purchasers of retired aircraft, with the UK aftermarket Corne says that with 52 parking stands, eCube still
firm arranging the parting out and selling of has capacity to accept aircraft for parking, although
components from its warehouse in Sussex. Chief numbers have risen from “single digits” in 2019 to
executive Christopher Whiteside says the company around 25. A sister facility in Castellon, Spain, has
has been very careful with what it buys over the past another 20 in storage. Although few of the aircraft
have been formally retired, he expects that “except for
the occasional A321 or 737-800 which will make it out
25%
of here, most will not return to operation”.
Delayed disassemblies
He adds: “Owners have been bringing them to us
because they want to keep their options open, but
they know that in all likelihood they will be broken up.”
More aircraft arrived for storage at ASI While the “bow wave of disassemblies” has not yet
in 2020 than during 2019 happened, “that can only go on so long”, he believes.
“There is a substantial wave of parting out coming, and
we are trying to increase capacity so as not to allow
lead times to grow in an unacceptable way.”
As ever, market forces will decide. If lessors and
other owners are confident of a surge in airline traffic
this year, at least some grounded types will once
again become more valuable as sources of parts than
empty assets, and the recycling firms will be busy. If
the aviation sector remains in the doldrums, pressure
for parking at facilities such as those in Kemble and
St Athan may increase, and their operators may find
themselves searching for more storage space.
However, even in a depressed market, owners will
at some point have to take a decision as to whether it
makes more sense to hang on to a piece of equipment
that is costing them money to store and has little or no
prospect of returning to service, or cut their losses and
eCube
summon the teardown crews. Either way – whether

through scrappage or storage – business is likely to
Aircraft parked at eCube’s site near Cardiff
remain buoyant for the world’s aircraft boneyards. Z

In extraordinary times, maintenance providers and
carriers around the globe are having to adapt their
practices to ensure the continued airworthiness of
aircraft being kept in long-term storage
No trouble
in store
Michael Gubisch Cirium most locations. Landing-gear wells and other openings
will be sealed to prevent bird-nesting, sensors covered
for protection, and routine checks regularly conducted,
T
he continued high proportion of parked aircraft as would be required for in-service aircraft.
as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic creates But Jochmann says: “The longer I keep an aircraft on
a range of issues for airlines and maintenance the ground, no matter whether it is a short- or long-
providers to ensure these assets remain haul aircraft, the more I need to do.”
airworthy and ready for a return to service. As main airports tend to charge comparatively high
“We are doing something we normally don’t want parking fees, operators and lessors typically select
to do,” says Lufthansa Technik (LHT) senior director secondary airports, smaller airfields or dedicated
of aircraft modification Henning Jochmann of the storage locations to place out-of-service aircraft. While
company’s efforts to maintain a huge fleet of aircraft it is not a mandatory requirement, dry locations are
in working order after their deactivation amid the preferable, to avoid corrosion. “Humidity is never a
global health crisis. good idea for aircraft,” Jochmann notes.
“We’re keeping aircraft on the ground, while we
normally do everything so that they can regularly fly. Extended action
That is a slightly different way of thinking.” For long-term storage, fuel, oil, water and hydraulic
When airlines parked aircraft en masse in March and fluid systems will be drained and, where necessary,
April 2020, amid the first Covid-19 wave, LHT quickly replaced with conservation liquids. Windows, doors
received an “immense” number of enquiries from and other openings will be sealed to prevent water
airlines and lessors on how to manage the process of ingress and sunlight damage. Once the aircraft is
storing aircraft, Jochmann says. prepared for long-term storage, it does not require
The MRO provider already had short-term parking regular maintenance anymore.
and long-term storage procedures in place because Noting that it takes up to two weeks to reactivate
it was regularly handling around 100 temporary a long-haul aircraft after an extended pause, he says
aircraft deactivations per annum, following lease airlines and lessors need to think carefully about which
terminations or airline bankruptcies. But the scale of storage programme is appropriate for their individual
aircraft groundings due to the coronavirus spread was assets. “You’ve got to have to a plan.”
something else, and Jochmann says it was difficult to Air France says that all of its aircraft types have been
quickly respond to all the enquiries. affected by storage measures except for its newest
He describes the process of parking aircraft for short assets: Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s have primarily
periods – perhaps a month – as a simple task, noting: been kept in operation. The airline says it has employed
“You don’t need to do a lot.” Provided the weather a mix of long- and short-term storage “to maintain our
conditions are not extreme, aircraft can be stored in flexibility and our ability to adjust our fleet to our flight

Aircraft Storage
AirTeamImages
Dry locations like Victorville, California,
are ideal for extended storage of assets
schedule”, and notes that aircraft in short-term storage Finnair, meanwhile, is keeping about half of its
can be “de-stored easily” if demand increases. 84-strong fleet in “operative readiness to fly”, while
In addition to favouring aircraft and engines with the rest are parked or in long-term storage. “We
as much available service life as possible before the keep our fleet in such condition that we will be
next heavy maintenance check or engine shop visit, flexible and fast in increasing our capacity after the
Air France says that cabin-interior standards were also travel restrictions are lifted and the demand starts to
a consideration for selecting aircraft for continued recover,” the carrier says.
operation, as the carrier sought to “offer best services Of the 60 aircraft in the combined fleet of Finnair
to our customers”. and partner Nordic Regional Airlines, Cirium data
Air France has established a dedicated process shows that 35 were in storage as of 10 February. All of
involving network and maintenance planners, and these were mainline types: 28 of its 36 A320-family
adapted its organisation to optimise its in-service jets, and eight of its A330-300s.
aircraft and fleet storage activities, it says.
Cirium fleets data shows that out of 297 mainline Right-sizing
and regional aircraft in Air France’s fleet, 91 were in Reduced travel demand has prompted Finnair to switch
storage on 10 February. This total included Bombardier flights previously operated by A320-family jets to
CRJ700/1000, Embraer E170/190 and ERJ-145 regional Embraer E-Jets and ATR turboprops. Meanwhile, one of
jets, A320-family narrowbodies, A330/340 and 777 its A319s was retired in late 2020 to be parted out.
widebodies, and all its A380 superjumbos. Among the aircraft placed in storage are four
A330s that were ferried to Tarbes in southern France
to prevent corrosion. Finnair currently deploys
“The longer I keep an its operational A330s for cargo flights only, with
passenger seats removed from some to increase
aircraft on the ground, capacity, while passenger long-haul services are
performed using A350s.
no matter whether it is a In-service aircraft are being rotated in order to
keep as many as possible available for operation, says
short- or long-haul aircraft, Finnair, which acknowledges that asset utilisation is
lower than before the crisis.
the more I need to do” Noting the unprecedented scale of sustained

inactivity, it says managing its fleet has been “very
much a learning process”.
Henning Jochmann “There is something new every day that we learn
Senior director of aircraft modification, Lufthansa Technik about the parking/storage procedure, and [we] ❱

Cessna has drawn on new technology
to make its flagship Longitude a pleasure
for passengers and pilots alike. We put
the super-midsize type to the test
Degrees
better
Textron Aviation
Though it has the same flightdeck and forward fuselage as

smaller sibling, Longitude’s overall design is entirely new
Michael Gerzanics San Jose stand-out offering, with a full fly-by-wire (FBW) flight-
control system and available head-up display.
D
espite the global Covid-19 pandemic, the Textron Aviation’s Cessna brand, which popularised
super-midsize segment of the business jet business jet travel with the Citation series, has the
market is showing signs of life. This is in newest entry into this market area, having launched its
part being driven by an uptick in demand Longitude at the NBAA convention in November 2015.
for fractional jet operators, as businesses and the The ambitious goals for the Longitude were to offer
well-heeled have flocked to their services in order to transatlantic range while providing the segment’s best
avoid the perceived risks of travelling via scheduled cabin experience and lowest operating costs. First
airline operations. flight of the aircraft was in 2016, with initial customer
Bombardier continues to be the market leader in this deliveries made in the fourth quarter of 2019.
segment – based on deliveries and orders – with its To accomplish these lofty goals, Textron Aviation
Challenger 300/350 offerings. Dassault and Gulfstream leaned heavily on its past successes when designing
also maintain a strong presence, with their Falcon the Longitude. While it is a unique design, the new
2000S and G280 models, respectively. And from a flagship shares its flightdeck and forward fuselage
technological viewpoint, Embraer’s Praetor 600 is the with the smaller and shorter-range midsize Citation

Flight test Cessna Citation Longitude
Latitude. The fuselage also has the same cross-section While the Longitude has many notable design
as its stablemate, but the passenger cabin is 1.1m features, where it really shines is in passenger
(3ft 7in) longer, to allow for accommodation of up to accommodation. As with all great things, it starts at
12 passengers. the foundation, or floor in this case. The Longitude has
a flat floor with 1.83m of over-aisle headroom. Typical
Big sweep cabin configurations are a double club arrangement
The wing is a clean-sheet design with a sweep of 28.6°; (four seats each), or a club forward layout with a three-
an angle exceeded only by the Citation X+ in Cessna’s place couch and two facing seats in the aft area. The
Citation line-up. The wing sports a fixed leading edge facing seats are berthable, as is the couch.
as well as gently upturned winglets that add 1.33m Forward of the seating area, opposite the aircraft
of span on each side. The 0.89m-tall winglets are the entry door, is a wet galley. All configurations have a
most prominent of any Citation. The mildly supercritical spacious lavatory at the aft end of the cabin. In-flight
wing combines with efficient Honeywell HTF7700L access to the tail cone baggage area is through a door
engines – each rated at 7,660lb thrust (34.1kN) – to on the lavatory’s aft wall.
enable a maximum range of 3,500nm (6,480km) while While the spacious cabin and its appointments are
carrying four passengers at Mach 0.80. pleasing to the eye, it is what is unheard that truly ❱

❱ enhances the cabin experience. At cruise conditions, wide-format LCD screens across the instrument panel:
Cessna says the Longitude has the quietest cabin in two primary and one main flight display (MFD).
its class. While typical super-midsize cabins have an As with the Latitude, four GTC575 touchscreen
ambient noise level of 69-72 dBA, the Longitude’s controllers (TSCs) are handily placed in the cockpit.
is slightly over 67dBA. It must be remembered that Navigation within a main display is via cursor control
decibels are a logarithmic scale, so even a one- or sticks on the bezel of the TSC.
two-unit difference would be appreciated. One neat feature resident in the TSC is the ability to
The Longitude’s interior is further enhanced by use its screen as a track pad. The flight guidance panel
its 9.66psi/666hPa differential cabin pressurisation (FGP), to control the autopilot (AP) and flight director
system. It provides a 5,950ft cabin pressure at its (FD), is mounted on the centre of the glare shield. A
maximum operating ceiling of 45,000ft; a level several single-gauge electronic standby flight display, with an
thousand feet lower than most of its competitors. internal back-up battery, is mounted between the FGP
and the MFD.
Clean air Garmin’s synthetic vision technology comes as
Rounding out notable cabin enhancements is the standard, as does an auto-throttle (A/T) system.
type’s partial recirculation system. Cabin air is sourced As with the Latitude, the small overhead panel hosts
from the engines’ bleed air system, whose high lighting control switches.
temperatures sterilise the air. This clean air is then The Longitude’s flight-control architecture is
cooled (conditioned) before distribution in the cabin. illustrative of Textron Aviation’s incremental approach
After coursing through the cabin, 78% of the air is to new technology. When Embraer developed its
vented overboard via outflow valves at the rear. Legacy 450/500 (now enhanced as the Praetor
The remaining air is recirculated/returned to the 500/600), it did so with a full FBW control system.
cabin, a common practice that reduces engine I think a well-executed FBW flight-control system
fuel burn. Return air is pushed through a HEPA can be extremely competent, with the potential to
filtration system – which can capture microscopic
particles smaller than the Covid-19 virus, and should
5,950ft
prevent the reintroduction of contaminated air to
the passenger cabin.
Textron Aviation’s close attention to the passenger
cabin did not prevent it from also making the
Longitude’s flightdeck a great place to work.
As mentioned, the model shares a common flightdeck
with the smaller Latitude. Its Garmin G5000-based Cabin pressure at Longitude’s maximum
avionics suite features three 35.6cm (diagonal) operating ceiling of 45,000ft
Ken Hall
Gently upturned winglets are the

most prominent on any Citation

Cessna Citation Longitude specifications

Dimensions
Length 22.3m
Height 5.91m
Wingspan 21m
Wing area 49.9sq m
Passenger cabin
Length 7.67m*
Width 1.96m
Ken Hall
Gerzanics (left) and
Height 1.83m Bodlak in the cockpit
Baggage stowage (tail cone) 2.78cb m/453kg
Weights**
Maximum take-off weight 17,917kg

Maximum landing weight 15,195kg
Basic operating weight 10,705kg
Performance
Take-off distance*** 1,466m

Operating ceiling 45,000ft
Range (M0.80)**** 3,500nm
Maximum operating Mach speed M0.84
Landing distance***** 996m
Textron Aviation aims to offer
Ken Hall
Source: Textron Aviation *Excluding baggage compartment **2 crew, typical equipment
***MTOW, SL, ISA ****2 crew plus 4 passengers, IFR, 200nm alternate *****MLW, SL, ISA segment’s best cabin experience
offer envelope protection schemes and enhance

performance. Providing these same enhancements in
a conventionally-controlled aircraft (with either pure
mechanical or hydro-mechanical control surfaces)
is a more daunting task.
Textron Aviation has taken measured steps in
incorporating FBW technology into the Longitude.
The aircraft has mechanical ailerons and elevator, while
incorporating a FBW-controlled rudder. This is Cessna’s
second commercially fielded FBW primary control
surface: the first being the Citation X’s upper rudder.
Interestingly, Bombardier’s first FBW primary control
surface was the CRJ900’s rudder, while for Embraer
it was the E170’s elevator.
The Longitude’s open-loop FBW scheme schedules
rudder deflection as a function of airspeed,
while performing full-time yaw damper and turn
co-ordination functions. Six wing-mounted spoiler
panels – three per side – are the Longitude’s other
FBW control surface. These secondary surfaces
augment roll authority, act as speed brakes (SBs) while
airborne, and dump lift on the ground to enhance
wheel brake performance. These three functions are
quite routine, with the FBW implementation reducing
mechanical complexity and weight.
Runway performance is also enhanced, as an auto-
deployment schedule is programmed.
Envelope protection schemes have long been
a strength of FBW control systems, and advances by
Garmin are making these same features available to
conventionally controlled aircraft. The company’s ❱

❱ electronic stability and protection system offers tiller fell readily to hand as I negotiated the first 90°
attitude protections in both pitch and roll, along with turn out of the chocks. During the taxi from the ramp
high- and low-speed protections. For the Longitude’s to runway 30R for departure, I was able to track our
G5000 avionics suite, however, Textron Aviation position on the map display. Flaps had been set to “2”
elected to implement high- and low-speed protection in preparation for take-off.
schemes that utilise the AP and/or A/T. Once the aircraft was on the runway and cleared
There were 31 Longitudes in service as of late 2020, for take-off, I released the toe-actuated wheel brakes
and in early January FlightGlobal was given the and advanced both thrust levers (TLs) to the “TO”
opportunity to see if the type has achieved its goals detent. The FADECs set take-off power of 89.3%, and
and can be classed as another Textron Aviation and the Longitude raced down the runway. Bodlak called
Cessna “sure thing”. “Rotate” at 110kt (203km/h) and I found yoke forces
Our preview aircraft was the 33rd example produced, needed to attain lift-off pitch attitude were moderate.
with the US registration N233CL. I accompanied With a take-off weight of 14,270kg (31,400lb),
Textron Aviation senior pilot David Bodlak during the including 3,420kg of fuel and three occupants, our
pre-flight walkaround inspection on the ramp at San aircraft needed only 1,016m of runway. At its 17,917kg
Jose International airport in California. maximum take-off weight, the Longitude would require
a field length of 1,466m at sea level on a standard day.
Sustainable fuel Control yoke force changes during clean-up and
While the gleaming heated leading edge of the wing acceleration to our initial 200kt climb speed were
caught my eye, it was an “SAF” logo near the door low and easily countered with yoke-actuated pitch
that grabbed my attention. Textron Aviation gives its trim. I followed the FD’s guidance as we proceeded
turbine-powered aircraft customers the option to have on the TECKY 3 RNAV departure. During the turn
their purchases delivered using sustainable aviation
fuel: Jet A/A-1 fuel made from sustainable sources.
Currently there is a cost premium for using SAF, but
according to the airframer users can take comfort in
knowing that carbon emissions can be reduced by up
to 80% compared with fossil fuel. Our preview flight
would be conducted with SAF, a facet that would be
operationally transparent to me.
The inspection was a snap to complete, with only the
fuel panel access door needing to be opened to check
engine and auxiliary power unit (APU) oil levels.
As I settled into the Longitude’s left seat, Bodlak
started the tail-mounted Honeywell APU and put its
generator online. With the flightdeck powered, he
guided me through its initialisation, loading our route
of flight and determining take-off performance. With
an electronic checklist still under development, we
used a paper one to ensure required pre-start items
Ken Hall
were accomplished.
APU bleed air was used to start both engines, with
the FADEC-controlled starts stabilising each at IDLE ‘SAF’ logo beside door highlights ability to
in under 30s. The Longitude's nose-wheel steering operate type using sustainable aviation fuel
Cessna Citation Longitude versus competitors

Longitude Bombardier Challenger 350 Dassault Falcon 2000S Embraer Praetor 600 Gulfstream G280
Cabin (L x W x H) 7.67 x 1.96 x 1.83m 7.68 x 2.19 x 1.83m 7.98 x 2.34 x 1.88m 7.35 x 2.08 x 1.83m 7.87 x 2.11 x 1.85m
Passengers (typical/maximum) 8/12 8/10 6/19 8/12 8/10
Basic operating weight 10,705kg 11,247kg 11,224kg 11,500kg 10,950kg
Range (8 passengers) 3,348nm 3,200nm 3,321nm 3,670nm 3,350nm
Operating ceiling 45,000ft 45,000ft 47.000ft 45,000ft 45,000ft
Engines 2 x Honeywell 2 x Honeywell 2 x Pratt & Whitney 2 x Honeywell 2 x Honeywell
HTF7700L HTF7350 Canada PW308C HTF7500E HTF7250G
Take-off distance 1,466m 1,474m 1,318m 1,438m 1,448m
Landing distance 966m 720m 705m 660m 829m
Thrust-to-weight ratio 39% 36% 34% 35% 39%
Wing loading, kg/sq m 359 379 378 433 391
Price $29.8m $26.7m $28.9m $21m $24.5m
Source: Manufacturers

Ken Hall
Evaluation flight from San Jose
used 33rd production example
31
after checking out of the Raffles Hotel in Singapore?
No problem, as Sydney is just a nonstop flight away.
Before I left the flightdeck to sample the Longitude’s
passenger accommodation, I slowed the aircraft
to M0.80 and noted the pressurisation system was
holding the cabin altitude at just 4,900ft; remarkably
Number of Longitude business jets in service low for this flight level, this contributes to less fatiguing
at end of last year – deliveries began in late 2019 and more comfortable journeys.
As I walked back through the cabin I noted that the
surface was level, easing transit of the long, flat-floored
to the southeast, I found lateral control forces, while space. Subjectively, it was one of the quietest business
well harmonised with pitch forces, were higher than I jet cabins I had been in, with Textron Aviation’s data
would have liked. I was, however, pleased that, unlike backing up that impression. The quietest area was
other Citation Jets I have flown, the yoke itself was at a the second row of the forward club seating area, with
comfortable height when seated at the design position. the ambient level increasing fore and aft of there. I sat
As we climbed to our planned cruise altitude of in the forward club area and chatted with our safety
41,000ft, I engaged the AP and refamiliarised myself pilot, Alan Pitcher. He and I had flown together on my
with the avionics suite. While I am still finding my way Citation X+ preview flight out of Wichita, Kansas, in
learning all the Garmin system’s nuances, I marvel at its 2014. We were able to converse at normal voice levels
capabilities and the flexibility of its interface. Textron and I enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with him.
Aviation’s decision to put the G5000 in the Longitude
will certainly please the generation of pilots who have Safety first
grown up in the Garmin ecosystem. After I returned to the flightdeck, Bodlak and I
Once level at 41,000ft, we endeavoured to do a discussed the AP’s emergency descent mode (EDM).
number of cruise points, to spot-check published At 30,000ft or above, loss of cabin pressure with
performance figures. Mountain wave activity near the the AP engaged will trigger EDM. The AP will start a
Sierras prevented us from obtaining accurate data, but descent and accelerate the aircraft to MMO/maximum
we did manage a maximum cruise speed point. At a operating speed. Additionally, the A/Ts will set IDLE
gross weight of 13,555kg, a total fuel flow of 2,050lb/h thrust to speed the descent to 15,000ft, where the AP
held an indicated M0.839; just shy of maximum will level the aircraft and A/Ts maintain a safe speed.
operating Mach (MMO) speed. Our indicated airspeed This feature is a great safety enhancer and available
of 250kt translated to a true 476kt, under ISA -2°C test in all G5000-equipped Citation aircraft.
day conditions. Next, we started a hand-flown descent towards a
Following the flight, Bodlak provided book numbers medium altitude block (15,000ft-17,000ft), where we
for a 17,237kg aircraft at M0.84 and M0.79 (long range would investigate some of the Longitude’s slow speed
cruise). True airspeed at the MMO condition would be protection schemes. Taking advantage of our high
477kt, with a total fuel flow of 2,122lb/h. At the long- potential energy, I tested two of the business jet’s high-
range condition, true airspeed would be 451kt and fuel speed protection schemes during the descent. The first
flow would drop to 1,820lb/h. used the A/Ts, which had been turned off with the TLs
With four passengers, a range of 3,500nm at M0.80 themselves about mid-range. I ignored the several aural
is listed for the Longitude. So what are the type’s real and visual warnings as the speed approached MMO.
world capabilities? Transatlantic flight is no problem, Before reaching M0.84, the A/Ts woke up and retarded
such as Columbus, Ohio, to Paris. Late for the opera the TLs to IDLE in an effort to prevent an overspeed. ❱

❱ Next, I engaged the AP and let the Longitude

stabilise below MMO.
While still in a descent I pushed the TLs up to again
speed the aircraft towards MMO. This time I held them
firm so the A/Ts could not retard them. As the speed
increased to M0.84, the AP pitched the Longitude into
a 1,000ft/min climb, to prevent it from exceeding MMO.
Level in the medium altitude block at 300kt indicated
Ken Hall
airspeed, I extended the SBs. As they deployed, the
aircraft started to pitch up, requiring about 9kg of
forward yoke pressure to maintain level flight. Next I
Gerzanics (centre), with Textron crew
retarded the TLs to IDLE to speed the deceleration rate.
Passing 250kt I pushed the TLs up to accelerate back
towards 300kt. Giving primacy to the advancement
of the TLs as an indication of my intent, the SBs were localiser performance with vertical guidance minimums
automatically retracted. Pilots are more likely to drop – Bodlak called for a go-around and I simultaneously
the SB lever out of their cross-check than the TLs. clicked off the AP and ATs. Next, I hit the throttle-
Automatic SB retraction is a safety-enhancing mounted take-off/go around (TOGA) switch and called
feature that should not be overlooked. There is strong for Flaps to “2” as I advanced the TLs to the TOGA
speculation that if the Boeing 757 had had such a detent. Following FD guidance established an initial
feature, it might have allowed American Airlines flight climb and I called for gear retraction.
965 to climb over high terrain and prevented the Once safely away from the runway in a 120kt climb,
deadly accident in December 1995 near Cali, Colombia. Bodlak simulated an engine failure by pulling the right
TL to IDLE. While we had pre-briefed this manoeuvre,
it did catch me by surprise, adding to the realism of the
The Longitude offers scenario. About 25kg of left rudder pedal was needed
to keep the Longitude on runway heading as we
transatlantic range and climbed towards pattern altitude for a visual circuit.
The right TL was kept at IDLE throughout the
an outstanding cabin simulated one-engine approach and landing. Landing
configuration was the same as for the previous two-
experience engined RNAV approach. With the rudder trim centred,
less than 5kg of pedal pressure was needed to maintain
co-ordinated flight at a final approach speed of 124kt.
After a smooth touchdown, I applied moderate wheel
The last medium-altitude events we conducted were braking and deployed both thrust reversers (TRs).
two approach to stalls, one in a clean and the other Deceleration on the dry runway was quite good, with
in a landing configuration, with gear down and flaps the Longitude stopping before I had a chance to stow
at FULL. As with the high-speed case, the A/Ts will the reversers. A number of aircraft I have flown have a
wake up to prevent a speed excursion, in this instance pilot-observed minimum speed by when the TRs must
increasing power to prevent a stall. To disable this be stowed. This can be driven by a number of factors,
feature, the A/T circuit-breaker was pulled, allowing the including prevention of foreign object ingestion,
Longitude to slow at IDLE power in near level flight. damage to the aircraft, and controllability concerns.
In both configurations the aircraft was responsive
to small amplitude control inputs as it slowed towards Stopping power
shaker onset speed, represented by 0.85 units of The Longitude’s FADEC-controlled engines take care of
angle-of-attack. Little if any airframe buffet preceded this problem for even the most inattentive pilot. With
shaker activation, the indication of an impending stall. TRs deployed, as the aircraft slows the FADECs reduce
Simultaneous relaxation of aft yoke pressure and engine thrust to safe levels regardless of the actual
advancing the TLs recovered the Longitude to normal TL position. On a contaminated or slippery runway,
flight conditions for both configurations. this feature should prove a big asset, with every bit of
Pleased with the Longitude’s low-speed handling, stopping power harnessed without worry.
we headed towards KLIDE, a point on the RNAV (GPS) My 2.3h in the Longitude provided a real window
Y 30L for our recovery back to San Jose. I engaged the into its capabilities, and the flat-floored super-midsize
AP and A/Ts and monitored their performance as the Citation did not disappoint.
Longitude expertly flew the coupled approach. The Longitude offers transatlantic range and
Our ownership position on the MFD map display an outstanding cabin experience: passengers will
allowed me to easily keep track of our lateral position. appreciate the large cabin and class-leading acoustics.
While vertical track position can also be monitored on Textron Aviation’s measured adoption of technology
the map display, it is not always intuitive. Fortunately, for aircraft systems and the use Garmin’s powerful
the G5000 has a vertical situation display (VSD) that G5000 avionics suite combine to create an aircraft
presents a profile view of the desired vertical path. that pilots will enjoy flying. While not evaluated during
On our initial turn towards KLIDE, reference to the VSD my flight, the company reports that the type has the
quickly alerted us that we were higher than planned lowest direct operating costs of any super-midsize jet.
– a situation rectified by deployment of the SBs. As such, the Longitude has attributes sure to please
Once fully configured on final, the A/Ts accurately its core stakeholders, and it looks like Cessna has
maintained our approach speed of 124kt. At 257ft – indeed fielded another “sure thing”. ◗

Despite multiple initiatives conducted over many
years, the aerospace industry has yet to find a way
to fix its glaring gender imbalance. Could fresh
measures finally help, and be of benefit for all?
Searching
for equality
Pilar Wolfsteller Las Vegas Allison McKay, WAI’s chief executive, agrees. She
spends her days trying to figure out how to draw
more women into technical fields such as aviation and
O
ne year ago, 13-year-old Makayla Smith’s eyes aerospace, and appealing to the industry to invest in
lit up as she stepped into an Orlando hotel them. The key, she says, is to start empowering girls
ballroom. Before her lay a world of aerospace when they are young.
engineering wonders. “Right around middle school is when girls perceive
It was “Girls in Aviation Day”, an initiative sponsored themselves as having less aptitude in the sciences and
by Women in Aviation International (WAI), which aims technology than their male peers,” she says. “So it’s
to give eight- to 17-year-olds hands-on experience vitally important to keep them engaged as they make
in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). the choices that will lead to their careers.”
In a few hours on that Saturday in March 2020, With 12,000 members, WAI is the world’s largest
Makayla and hundreds of other girls would learn interest group for women pursuing aviation as a hobby
more about those disciplines than they had in their or career – in maintenance, air traffic control, military
lives to date. and engineering roles, as well as in the cockpit.
WAI, a global non-profit entity working for the According to the Society of Women Engineers
advancement of women in the aviation industry, holds (SWE), a group that focuses on supporting women
several such events every year. The organisation strives in engineering and technology, only about 13% of
to make the subjects accessible to this demographic, engineers are female. While that is higher than the
with the hope that more than a just handful of percentage of women in commercial pilot roles (5%,
participants will pursue related careers. according to the US Federal Aviation Administration), it
At stations around the hall, attendees could indulge is nowhere near the parity to which the industry aspires.
in lessons from across the spectrum of aviation, In the past decade, though, female interest in
technology and science. They learned about the engineering and computer science majors at universities
aerodynamics of helicopters. They built robots, flew has risen, SWE says. But women still lag far behind their
virtual-reality simulators, deciphered aviation sectional male peers when it comes to actually following such a
charts, tested paper-airplane designs – and even mixed career. In 2019, about 27% of men expressed interest in
their own lip gloss. an engineering career, compared with 7% of women.
“This exposes kids to stuff they don’t see every day,” Among the types of engineering degrees awarded to
said Tamara Payne, a teacher who took 90 students to women in 2018, aerospace engineering does not even
the event. “They don’t know yet that they can do any of make the top 10, SWE adds.
this as a job. And at this age, it’s critical to show them.” Even after the aerospace industry has spent decades

Diversity Recruitment
Safran
Safran is recognised by a UN scheme promoting gender equality
trying to alleviate the gender imbalance, it still getting women to apply,” says Vicky Britt, a member
struggles to find a winning formula. of the company’s diversity and inclusion council.
“We haven’t been able to move the needle,” says Engine-maker P&W says its outreach programme
Boeing’s Sarah Bowen, vice-president of global equity, encourages employees to volunteer to bring STEM
diversity and inclusion. awareness and education to schools, partnering with
educational groups such as FIRST Robotics and Girls
Structural challenges Who Code. P&W has also partnered with Paradigm
WAI’s McKay cites serious structural challenges that for Parity, a coalition of business leaders dedicated
remain difficult to solve. to addressing the corporate leadership gender gap,
Those include a meagre candidate pipeline, resulting and has committed to gender parity in leadership
partly from ill-equipped school career counsellors who positions by 2030.
do not effectively guide students towards pursuing Boeing’s female population is about 23%, roughly
engineering and aviation dreams. in line with the overall aerospace industry’s figure of
After university, many women say they encounter an 24%, Bowen says. But that industry-wide figure often
often-hostile corporate culture full of unconscious bias, skews toward non-technical and non-executive roles
gender stereotypes and sub-optimal leave policies. such as human resources, marketing and general
At these companies, commitments from top managers administration. The actual percentage of female
to improve the imbalance can often be lukewarm at engineers is lower.
best, and appropriate role models remain few and far Bowen is refreshingly honest about issues the
between, McKay adds. Chicago-based airframer and the industry overall face
Major players Bell, Boeing, Gulfstream, Pratt in addressing gender diversity.
& Whitney, Raytheon, France’s Safran, Singapore’s “There are already fewer women in STEM than men.
ST Engineering, and the United Arab Emirates’ Strata And the women that are in STEM tend to go into
have all pledged improvements. medicine, biology, bio-tech – those kinds of things, but
“There are lots of examples of industry actors not aerospace. When you look at the aerospace pool,
making a concerted effort to really reach out to the it’s significantly lower than STEM generally. So that’s
underserved communities, to show that there is a one issue – the pipeline challenge,” Bowen says.
great career path for them if they take interest in those Armed with a degree and once in the workforce,
engineering professions,” McKay says. new problems arise for women. Retention of female
Savannah-based business jet maker Gulfstream says engineers who want to make their way into top
less than 20% of applications for engineering roles are management is an industry-agnostic problem, but
submitted by women. “The biggest barrier we see is in aerospace it seems particularly acute. ❱

The perception of aviation being an “old boys’
club”, combined with inflexible policies that do not
accommodate professional women’s needs as they
progress in their careers, can leave some female
Pilar Wolfsteller/FlightGlobal
aviation workers frustrated and demoralised, even

leading them to leave the industry, some women say.
Outright harassment is not uncommon, they add.
Most firms say they are working to address these
issues. Some have revised family leave strategies and
guidelines, and established employee resource groups
to support minority workers, helping them find allies
It is crucial to foster interest at a young age
and mentorship opportunities. Companies have also
created internal training curricula that highlight the
pitfalls of social stereotyping in decision-making.
❱ Of the small number of women who embark on Women and other minorities bring diversity of
STEM careers, 32% change degree programmes in thought and action, they say, which benefits other
college, SWE says. And only 30% of women who earn employees and organisations.
bachelor’s degrees in engineering still work in that field “When it comes to leadership, I think there are a lot
20 years later. of qualities that we might consider typically female
“Inclusivity is the root and diversity is the fruit,” says that actually work to our advantage,” Gulfstream’s Britt
Bell’s deputy general counsel for global labour and says. “The whole point is to have [diversity] so you
employment, Danielle Needham. “If we nurture our don’t take everything with a singular approach.”
female employees and our diverse employees, we
create [an environment where they are] wanting to stay Sisterhood
and wanting to do bigger and better things for Bell.” US defence contractor Raytheon says it has prioritised
At Boeing, in the past year, 42% of internships examining bias in everyday situations, such as in
went to women, as did 29% of promotions. Overall, meetings and within performance reviews. Such issues
22% of new hires were women. But only 25% of board have been flagged as needing urgent change.
members and 14% of members on the company’s “We are working to reframe thinking around what it
executive council – a group that reports to the chief means to be an effective leader,” says Lexi Hernandez,
executive and has 22 members – are female. senior director for talent development, diversity,
“We know that leadership matters. We know that equality and inclusion at Raytheon Missiles & Defense.
visibility and representation at those levels matter, and “Take, for instance, the tightrope bias. Women often
we want to get better,” Bowen says. The tipping point, find themselves balancing behaviours that historically
she adds, is about 30%. “That’s when you start to see have been considered too masculine or too feminine,
the benefits of gender diversity. Anything lower than each with their own negative connotations. These
that – the women’s voices just get overwhelmed. But at perceptions need to change,” Hernandez says.
30% or more, you start to see those real benefits.” The tension of this “tightrope bias” – where women
But she and peers at other aerospace companies say feel they must be more “masculine” to be taken
achieving that level industry-wide will take years. seriously but also “feminine” to be liked – shows that
Safran has been among Europe’s gender- corporate culture as it has existed for decades can feel
empowerment leaders, setting robust objectives for hostile to ambitious women intent on moving up in the
the recruitment and promotion of women. industry. It is also exhausting.
“I do think that these cultures have to shift so
Recruitment growing that women are seen as valuable, just like their male
The company – a major player in aerostructures, counterparts,” McKay says. “We don’t have to conform
defence systems, engines and landing gear – aims by
2023 for 41% of all recruits to be women, and for the
proportion of senior managers who are female to be
16%, up from a current 13%. The management board of
each Safran company is to have at least three women.
The proportion of female engineers Safran recruits
annually has been growing steadily, from just under
a quarter in 2018 to more than 30% in 2020.
Sceptics of recruiting targets and a fast-track for
women to senior positions will point out that these
initiatives have limited value unless more young women
pursue engineering careers. To address that, Safran
sponsors an organisation called “Elles Bougent”, or
“Women on the Move”, which mentors female students
and encourages girls to study engineering. Safran is the
Pratt & Whitney
first aerospace company in Europe to be recognised by

a UN scheme for promoting gender equality.
Bombardier has a goal for women to hold at least
30% of its board director seats and at least 25% of
Pratt & Whitney is one of several aviation companies
management positions. The airframer says that, as of
to pledge improvements on the gender imbalance
the end of 2019, the board target had been met.

Diversity Recruitment
Strata
Just over half of the 700 staff at UAE
aerostructures firm Strata are female
to the male stereotype, and the programmes have to Lee Hui Fung, head of innovation and continuous
be put in place so that we can feel supported, while improvement for commercial aerospace at
still trying to start a family or raise a family.” ST Engineering, takes the sector to task on the gender
As in any social group, minorities tend to look to each equity question. But she says society as a whole must
other for encouragement, counsel and guidance. “One also shift to make female leaders more commonplace,
of my favourite things at Bell is the sisterhood. It’s very rather than exceptions.
strong. We support one another, we lift one another up “While it is heartening to see the positive changes
and we want each other to succeed,” says Needham. that have been taking place at the workplace and
within the aviation industry generally, the road ahead
Global progress in our journey to achieve greater gender diversity is
Progress is also happening in places where at first still long,” she says. “Gender diversity not only has to
glance it may be unexpected. By the standards of be promoted at the workplace – it has to start with
cosmopolitan Dubai 150km away, Al Ain – a desert the family, school and society as a whole. The current
oasis city in the UAE – is a conservative place. A family support system has yet to reach a stage that
decade ago it was unusual to see an Emirati woman allows women to work without disruption and progress
outside the home, other than with family, and even smoothly in their career.”
more rare for women to have independent careers. Government programmes in Singapore, she adds,
That is why the significance of Strata, an Al Ain- have provided additional support. But meaningful
based aerostructures firm set up in 2009 by Abu systemic change is always hard, especially in large
Dhabi wealth fund Mubadala, cannot be overstated. organisations with long histories and deep traditions.
Just over half of Strata’s 700 staff are female – almost “Boeing [has] been around for more than 100 years.
all of them UAE citizens. They include the majority That’s more than 100 years of a culture being shaped
of the production workers, but also engineers and by the majority, and the majority has been largely
managers. A majority of team leaders and supervisors male and largely white,” Bowen says. “Anytime you
are Emirati women. get a group that so dominates a culture, it can start to
Strata, which builds composite components for become narrower than what is possible.”
Airbus, Boeing and Pilatus aircraft in a modern factory She looks forward to a time when women truly
beside Al Ain airport, has pursued an aggressive see themselves as central to the company’s culture,
strategy of both “Emiratisation” – recruiting and products, vision, mission and leadership. “I don’t think
training locals for jobs traditionally held by expats we are there yet as an industry, and I don’t think we are
– and creating career paths for local women in the there yet as a company,” Bowen says. Z
traditionally male-dominated society.
Additional reporting by Alfred Chua,
“A key measure of Strata’s success has been our
Jon Hemmerdinger, Murdo Morrison and Garrett Reim.
ability to attract a skilled Emirati workforce,” Strata
chief executive Ismail Ali Abdulla says. “Gender is Visit FlightGlobal.com for more from our interview
irrelevant when it comes to ensuring Strata has the with Women in Aviation International chief executive
right people to support our growth.” Allison McKay.

Airbus
Air France’s Anne Rigail is one of only three female

chief executives among the world’s top 100 airlines
Lewis Harper London That reflects mixed progress from an industry that
went into the coronavirus crisis having identified a
better gender mix in C-suites as a priority. Indeed,
T
he world’s largest passenger airlines are European commissioner for transport Adina Valean
employing more women in top executive roles said in October that the coronavirus crisis is an
– albeit on a trend that means it would still be opportunity for the sector to address the “poor”
the mid-2050s before half of such positions had gender imbalance among workers.
female incumbents, FlightGlobal’s latest survey shows.
Some 14% of the roles surveyed across the top 100 Right objective
airlines had female incumbents in October 2020 – Speaking at the International Aviation Women’s
continuing the one-percentage-point increases seen in Association annual conference, Valean noted that
each of the past three surveys. “gender balance is not an objective in itself”.
The year-on-year increase in 2020, however, marks Rather, she points to recent research showing
the largest rise in women employed across the six roles that “a lack of diversity in the workplace leads to
in absolute and percentage terms since FlightGlobal other problems such as harassment, bullying or
began tracking trends in 2017. There were 85 female depression”, while more gender balanced workplaces
incumbents working in the 600 surveyed positions in provide “major benefits to society, the economy, the
2020, compared with 76 in 2019 – an increase of 12%, environment, and the companies themselves, enabling
versus rises of 5.5% (four women) in 2019 and 11% them to perform better”.
(seven women) in 2018. That is crucial, because “we need, more than ever,
Overall, the survey – of carriers and groups that as many brilliant minds around the table as possible”,
feature in FlightGlobal’s top 100 World Airline Rankings
by 2019 revenue passenger kilometres – continues to
12%
show the sector lagging trends in the wider economy.
It also shows that women are still rarely appointed
to the chief executive role at carriers, with just three of
the top 100 having a female incumbent in that role – a
drop from four in 2019.
Across the six surveyed positions, only four of the
top 100 carriers had a 50:50 female-male split, with no Year-on-year increase, from 2019 to 2020, in
operators having women in a majority of the roles. women employed by airlines in executive roles

Diversity Executives
More women are working in the top jobs at

airlines, but the pace of change is slow in what
continues to be a male-dominated industry.
Our exclusive survey looks at the recent trends
Closing the
C-suite gap Launched in 2019, the IATA initiative aims to
encourage its airline members to sign up to a
commitment to increase the number of women in
senior leadership positions and under-represented
areas by 25% – or to a minimum of 25% – by 2025.
Speaking during a panel discussion at an FIA Connect
event in July last year, Adefunke Adeyemi, IATA’s
regional director of advocacy and strategic relations for
Africa, pointed towards the 25by2025 scheme as a sign
of “moving the needle” in gender representation at the
executive level within airlines.
Unconscious bias
“[This] is not a sort of ‘playing the gender card’ kind
of metric for us. Not at all. It’s actually designed to
address… two problems: unconscious bias, as well as
Jetstar
the tendency of women themselves not to lean in,”

Adeyemi said.
Jayne Hrdlicka recently took
Of the 600 senior executive roles surveyed in
the top job at Virgin Australia
October 2020 – covering chief executive, chief
financial officer, chief operating officer, chief
commercial officer, chief information officer and HR
Valean states, in reference to the air transport sector’s director, or their equivalents – some 85 were taken by
current predicament. women. This compares with 76 in 2019, 72 in 2018, and
In encouraging signs, the survey marks the first time 65 in 2017.
that a region – North America – exceeded 25% of The HR director position continues to be occupied
senior executive roles taken by women. by the most female incumbents, at 37. That is followed
This indicates genuine progress towards meeting by the chief financial officer position with 15, chief
the goals of IATA’s 25by2025 initiative – one of the commercial officer and chief information officer with
industry’s most high-profile efforts to increase female 13 each, chief operating officer with four, and chief
representation at the top of airlines. executive with three. ❱

❱ The year-on-year increases in 2020 comprise one “The good thing is, everybody recognises that there
more female chief financial officer, a single extra female is an issue there, and IATA is addressing it and different
chief operating officer, three more women in the organisations are addressing it, so I look forward
chief information officer role, and five more in the HR to seeing more women in the aviation industry at
director role. The number of female chief commercial leadership positions.”
officers was flat, while women in the chief executive Across the rest of the C-suite there were a number
role fell by one. of notable appointments in the 12 months between
Removing the HR director position from the survey our reviews. Among them, Vanessa Hudson became
continues to paint a bleaker picture in terms of gender Qantas Group chief financial officer in October 2019.
diversity, but also one that has been on a trend of Shilpa Bhatia became chief commercial officer at
marginal improvement since 2017. Of the 500 roles SpiceJet in February 2020, and Charlotte Svensson
remaining when the HR director position is removed took up the chief information officer role at European
from the survey, some 48, or 10%, were held by women, carrier SAS in the same month.
compared with 44, or 9%, in 2019; 36, or 7%, in 2018;
and 32, or 6%, in 2017. Network remit
Splitting the results by business models shows At Iberia, Maria Jesus Lopez Solas became
network carriers lagging others in terms of women commercial, network development and alliances
in the C-suite, with the gap widening by a single director in September, and Leanne Geraghty was
percentage point year on year. appointed as Air New Zealand’s chief customer and
Across the 64 network carriers in the top 100, 13% of sales officer in October.
C-suite roles were taken by women. North America is again significantly ahead of other
Across the remaining 36 operators – the vast regions in terms of women in the C-suite, with some
majority low-cost carriers, alongside a few leisure 29% of surveyed roles taken by women across the 14
airlines – women took 16% of executive roles. carriers in the top 100 – although more than half of
Split by business model and job role, the only them were in the HR director position, with a female
outlier from a broadly harmonious trend was the chief incumbent in that role at 10 of the 14 carriers surveyed.
operating officer role, with three of the four female In Air Canada, North America also contains one of
incumbents across the top 100 airlines working in the the few airlines that had female incumbents in 50% of
low-cost/leisure sector. the roles surveyed.
AirAsia Group, Air New Zealand and TUI Group were
the only other carriers in the top 100 to achieve that
48
50:50 split, with no operators having more women than
Number of executive roles held by women out of

500 when the HR director position is factored out
Only three chief executives at the top 100 airlines are

women: Air France’s Anne Rigail, Air Europa’s Maria
Jose Hidalgo, and VietJet Air’s Nguyen Thi Phuong
Thao. In 2019, the total was one higher, thanks to Zuks
Ramasia’s time as acting chief executive at South
African Airways (SAA).
Since then, Ramasia has left SAA, and the ailing
airline has in any case dropped out of the top 100
carriers by traffic.
Following the deadline for consideration in the
survey, Virgin Australia announced Jayne Hrdlicka, the
former head of Jetstar Group, as the airline’s new chief
executive.
Outside the top 100 carriers there are other female
leaders, including RwandAir’s Yvonne Makolo, Wingo’s
Carolina Cortizo, Blue Air’s Oana Petrescu, Transavia
France’s Nathalie Stubler and Indonesia AirAsia’s
Veranita Yosephine Sinaga.
Speaking to FlightGlobal in September last year,
Makolo acknowledged that although the sector has
Mark Farwell
taken steps to address the imbalance, “a lot more

work needs to be done to really bring more women
into the industry”.
“There is a gap, definitely, and I don’t think I should
VietJet Air’s Nguyen Thi Phuong took her
stand out as a woman in aviation. It should be the
budget airline public in February 2017
norm – more than ‘there’s the one woman CEO’.

Diversity Executives
International Transport Forum

Adefunke Adeyemi is IATA’s regional director
of advocacy and strategic relations for Africa
29%
– shows some 32 chief executives among S&P 500
companies were women, based on the December 2019
S&P 500 list. That translates to 6.4%, versus just 3%
across the top 100 airlines.
Airlines also trail FTSE100 firms. Data from financial
services company IG shows in a report released in 2020
Women in the C-suite for North American carriers that 5% of FTSE 100 chief executives were women.
– currently the best gender balance in any region
Finance short
Across other roles in the C-suite, the airline industry
men in the six roles. This marks a minor uptick from the is also behind wider trends. Grant Thornton’s Women
2019 survey, when three carriers had a 50:50 split. in Business 2020 report – which surveys thousands of
On a regional level, Asia-Pacific – across 36 carriers mid-sized firms across different industries – shows, for
in the top 100 – and Europe – 32 carriers – both saw example, that some 30% of chief financial officers were
upticks in female representation year on year, at 15% women, versus 15% at the top airlines.
and 18% female incumbents respectively. Airlines also trail the wider economy in the chief
Across the Middle East, four women were in C-suite operating officer role – 4% versus 18% – the chief
roles across the seven surveyed airlines. In Latin information officer role – 13% versus 16% – and the
America, a trend of slight year-on-year improvement chief people officer position – 37% versus 40%. ◗
in gender balance was reversed across the nine airlines
in the top 100. FlightGlobal’s survey of gender diversity in the top 100
The relatively small number of African carriers – two airlines is based on publicly available data. The primary
in the top 100 – means year-on-year comparisons are sources are company websites, financial reports and
difficult, but it is worth noting that the region has seen FlightGlobal data. Research was undertaken through
a relatively high proportion of women in senior roles to early October 2020. Given the fluid nature of
among its smaller carriers. employment, the survey can only give an indicative
Meanwhile, FlightGlobal’s survey shows that the snapshot of the industry. The 100 airlines and groups
airline industry continues to lag the wider economy surveyed are drawn from FlightGlobal’s 2020 ranking of
in terms of women in C-suite roles. Data released in carriers by full-year 2019 revenue passenger kilometres.
September by non-profit organisation Catalyst – which Similar roles of equivalent seniority are considered
works to build workplaces “that work for women” where the specified job titles are not used.

Despite the current business slowdown, civil
helicopter manufacturers continue to refine their
ranges, adding new products and capabilities,
from the lightest to the heaviest rotorcraft
Spoilt
for choice
Dominic Perry London to 190kg and 2,300ft, respectively. Approval for the
changes is still awaited.
Airbus Helicopters additionally competes in this
W
hile it is arguably the most competitive segment with the H130, although sales are more
part of the helicopter market, the light- usually to corporate or VIP customers.
single segment is not necessarily blessed Although sales of both models were weak in 2020,
with the most modern designs. falling respectively by 21% and 42% year on year,
The biggest seller is Airbus Helicopters’ H125, which the manufacturer is laying the foundation for future
dates back to 1975 and the Aerospatiale era – reflected upgrades – and low-carbon operations. Using an H130 as
by its original AS350 designation. The design has been a flying testbed, which it calls the Flightlab, the company
through numerous iterations since that time, however, is already evaluating a number of new technologies,
with the latest tweaks unveiled by the manufacturer including a battery-based system that provides
aimed specifically at the utility work segment. emergency back-up power in case of engine failure.
At the heart of the upgrade is a power increase In the nearer term, though, the H125 is likely to face
for the H125’s Safran Helicopter Engines Arriel 2D competition from a new arrival, the Kopter SH09 –
turboshaft, with maximum output rising to 952shp the only new helicopter to land in this part of the
(710kW), from 847shp. This in turn boosts maximum market for decades. Previously a standalone company,
external load to 1,140kg (2,150lb): a 140kg increase from the Swiss manufacturer was last year acquired by
the current limit, while the type’s hover ceiling rises Leonardo Helicopters, which has added the 2.65t
by 1,490ft, to 12,640ft. However, if BLR Aerospace’s maximum take-off weight (MTOW) SH09 to its
FastFin modification is also fitted, these increases grow product portfolio.

Products Civil helicopters
140kg
Increase in useful load on H125 from raised power
limit on Arriel 2D engine
While the gestation period of the Honeywell

HTS900-powered rotorcraft has been slowed – service
entry now looks to be 2022 or 2023 – the considerable
financial and industrial heft of its new owner should
make the SH09 a more certain prospect.
The acquisition has also obviated Leonardo from the
need to develop an in-house successor to its AW119Kx.
While this model continues to sell, and has benefited
from obtaining instrument flight rules (IFR) certification
in the USA, the company would be the first to admit
that its strength sits further up the weight range.
A portfolio bias towards heavier machines is also the
case with Russian Helicopters. However, the company is
looking to change this with the development of the VR
Technologies VRT500 light-single, which features a 1.6t
MTOW and is powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada
(P&WC) PW207V engine.
The most recent schedule sets certification for late
2022, but there has been no news so far on a first flight,
potentially putting that timeline in doubt. Similarly,

a 2019 agreement for Tawazun Economic Council of
the United Arab Emirates to take a 50% stake in VR
Over 1,100 AW139s have been delivered since 2003 service entry
Technologies does not yet appear to have concluded.
At the lighter end of the segment is the Bell 505 Jet
Ranger X. A consistent success for the US manufacturer
since its service entry in 2017, the 1.6t 505 is powered
by a single Safran Arrius 2R engine and boasts an
impressive cruise speed of 125kt (231km/h) and 306nm
(566km) range. Although 2020 deliveries were hit by
the coronavirus pandemic as owner-fliers reined in
discretionary spending – falling to 49 from 101 the year
before – Bell has continued to evolve the helicopter, last
year adding the Garmin G1000 NXi avionics suite.
Bell also produces the 407 light-single, with the
2.26t type currently produced as the GXi variant.
With a 1.25t MTOW, Robinson’s R66 is the lightest
helicopter in the category. The California-based
company also passed a significant milestone in 2020,
handing over its 1,000th example a little under 10 years
after shipments of the Rolls-Royce M300-powered
model began in late 2010. The in-service fleet has
accumulated over 1.2 million flight hours.
Elsewhere in the USA, MD Helicopters has announced
certification for an MTOW increase on its MD530F,
rising to 1,500kg from 1,400kg previously. Upgrade kits
Bell
for the R-R M250-C30-powered type are available for

Shipments of Bell 505 almost halved in 2020
existing operators. ❱

❱ Lastly, there is a potential new entrant to the at 600shp at take-off power. While there have been
segment: UK-based start-up Hill Helicopters, which few recent developments to the basic helicopter, Bell
is intending to develop a 1.6t MTOW rotorcraft with has been testing a new tail rotor architecture on a 429
an 800kg useful load. Powered by an in-house GT50 prototype.
500shp engine, first flight of the five-person helicopter The Electrically Distributed Anti-Torque (EDAT)
is due in 2022, with deliveries to begin the following system – which comprises four electrically powered
year. Production facilities will be sized to support fans in the tail – has been trialled at the company’s
output of up to 500 aircraft per year. Mirabel plant in Quebec, Canada. The EDAT stops
moving once the aircraft is on the ground, reducing
Twin peaks danger to bystanders, says Bell. It also costs less to
Airbus Helicopters’ German civil production is devoted operate, has fewer mechanical components and is
to two models in the light-twin segment, both of which significantly quieter. The manufacturer is currently
continue to sell strongly. The smaller of these is the H135, working on optimising the system, but cautions on any
which in November 2020 passed the 1,400th delivery service-entry timeline.
mark with a handover to French operator Mont Blanc. Russian Helicopters is beginning to see success
Since its introduction in 1996, the H135 has been with the Kazan Ansat light-twin. At the tail-end of
through numerous iterations, with the latest standard December 2020, the manufacturer flew the first
including the manufacturer’s Helionix avionics suite and example of the upgraded Ansat-M, which boasts
a four-axis autopilot. It holds an impressive 25% share enhanced range and flight performance.
of the emergency medical services (EMS) market, in Under an initiative funded by Russia’s trade ministry,
which almost 650 examples are operated. which has provided Rb230 million ($3.1 million) for the
This year, the H135 became available as either
2,980kg MTOW or 3,100kg alternate gross weight
1,400
Deliveries of Airbus Helicopters’ H135 as of
November 2020, after handover to Mont Blanc
variants. Endurance has also increased by 40min,

and range by 75nm. Power on the light-twin comes
from either the Arrius 2B2plus or P&WC PW206B3.
Although the majority of H135s are built in Germany,
assembly is also taking place in Qingdao, China.
Russian Helicopters
But the manufacturer’s success story at the moment

is arguably the H145, which has had consistently
strong orders; sales of the 3.8t platform fell by just
seven units in 2020, to 84. Last year it gained a further
edge with the service entry of the D3 variant, which
Kazan Ansat-M made its first flight in December 2020
features a five-bladed main rotor. European approval
of the modification was obtained in June, followed in
September by the first delivery and in late November
by US certification. The additional rotor blade, and work, the longer-range helicopters will be delivered to
changes elsewhere, lift useful load by 150kg. regional airlines. An extra fuel tank lifts range to 431nm,
Leonardo’s presence in the segment is confined to from 272nm. Changes have also been made to the size
the AW109, which is available with wheeled landing and positioning of the tail’s stabiliser end plates, which
gear as the GrandNew, or equipped with skids in its has improved stability, says the manufacturer.
Trekker guise. The latter variant scored its first win New, more aerodynamic main and tail rotor blades
in the USA in 2020 with a contract from Life Link are also being developed, in order to enhance
III, an EMS operator in the upper-Midwest, covering manoeuvrability and reduce noise in the cabin.
Minnesota and Wisconsin. In addition, the type also Avionics have also been upgraded, allowing flights in
had its first success in France, securing a contract to IFR conditions. Later this year, the helicopter will also
serve Rouen hospital in Normandy. To date, around 70 gain a three-axis autopilot and new anti-icing system.
examples have been sold. Powered by PW207K engines, the Ansat boasts a
Powered by the same PW207C engines, and MTOW of 3.6t. However, Russia’s United Engine is
equipped with a Genesys Aerosystems glass cockpit, developing a domestic replacement – the 650shp VK-
the GrandNew and Trekker are largely identical, with 650V – with certification due in 2023.
the performance difference confined to a 25kg lower Also in the same segment is the Kamov Ka-226T.
MTOW for the latter. Powered by Arrius 2G1s and using a coaxial rotor
Bell competes in the light-twin market with the 429, system, the utility rotorcraft has a 3.6t MTOW. The VK-
which is powered by PW207D1 engines, each rated 650V also will in the future be an option.

Airbus Helicopters
European approval for H160 was gained in July 2020
Medium-twin rivals Although 2020 orders were flat year on year, the
manufacturer expects more sales to emerge this
Leonardo offers two medium-twin products: the year – notably from the French government, which
AW169 and AW139, which have respective MTOW should sign for 10 examples to equip the Gendarmerie
figures of 4.8t and 7t. Having made its debut in 2015 Nationale, plus a contract for an eventual 169 units for
there has been little change to the AW169 since, save the country’s armed forces.
for a 300kg increase over its original MTOW. Bell’s long-running 412 is its contribution to the
However, in January 2020 the manufacturer medium weight category. Although the programme
announced the addition of two performance packages has been around since the late 1970s, the helicopter
for the AW169 that will increase engine power, is now being produced in the newest EPI and EPX
transmission rating and available payload. Called standards. The former is a Bell-only effort, while
‘Enhanced’ and ‘Superior’, the packages rely on the latter also sees the involvement of Japanese
software updates and minor aerodynamic changes. manufacturer Subaru as part of an offset deal with
European approval is expected early this year, and Tokyo for 150 military transports.
the modifications will be available as line- and retrofit Both offer broadly similar performance levels –
options, says the manufacturer. capacity for 14 passengers, speed of around 125kt,
Available payload increases by 200-350kg, and 365nm range – but the EPX additionally boasts a
depending on the phase of flight and external number of modifications. These include an enhanced
conditions. Output increases by around 144shp on each main gearbox which features a longer run-dry
1,000shp P&WC PW210A engine. capability, internal maximum gross weight that rises to
Meanwhile, the AW139 continues to roll relentlessly 5,530kg and external gross weight to 5,900kg, from a
on. Having passed the 1,000th delivery milestone in uniform figure of 5,400kg on the EPI.
2019, Leonardo has little need to change what remains Engines are a pair of FADEC-equipped PT6T-9s,
a highly popular and mature platform. which deliver a 15% increase in hot-and-high take-off
However, in July 2020, the European Union Aviation power. Launch customer for the Subaru-built examples
Safety Agency announced the certification of a Phase 8 is Japan’s national police force.
software update for the AW139’s Honeywell Primus Epic Russian Helicopters, meanwhile, continues to make
avionics suite, and for the enhanced ground proximity glacially slow progress with its Ka-62. In development
warning system optional kit available on offshore since the early 2010s, the 6.5t twin is still inching
modes. Updates contained in Phase 8 include an its way toward certification. Prior to the Covid-19
advanced synthetic vision system specifically tailored pandemic, Russian Helicopters had hoped to complete
for helicopter applications, improved 2D maps and certification flights in 2020 using a three-strong fleet.
wireless data loading. Leonardo has logged more than However, little has been heard on its evaluation efforts.
1,200 orders for the P&WC PT6-powered helicopter. The manufacturer had intended to conduct 480
Over at Airbus Helicopters, the H160, its big flights between design bureau Kamov and airframer
challenger to the AW139, has taken a significant step Progress Arsenyev Aviation Company. Progress is also
forward. European approval for the 6.1t twin was being made towards serial production of the Ka-62.
obtained in July 2020 after a development lasting five Kamov additionally builds the 5t-class Ka-32, which
years – around two years longer than originally planned. features its traditional co-axial rotor system. It is also
However, first delivery of the Safran Arrano-1A-powered the only model in Russian Helicopters’ line-up to have
H160 to its USA-based launch customer will have to gained European certification – largely due to its
wait until US certification is achieved in early 2021. popularity for aerial fire-fighting missions.
❱

Baseline version of AW189 is powered

by twin GE Aviation CT7 engines
❱ Super-medium wait Leonardo in January 2020 secured its first contract

for the variant, with Qatar-based Gulf Helicopters
A few years ago there were many forecasts that new revealed as the launch customer; deliveries are due to
super-medium-class helicopters would sell strongly. start in mid-2021.
This has not quite come to pass, with continued European approval for the Aneto-engined model
weakness in the oil and gas market dampening was gained last June. Type certification documentation
demand; for example, in 2020 Airbus Helicopters sold shows the AW189K can operate at up to 15,000ft, some
no H175s, having only sold four the year before. 5,000ft higher than the baseline GE-engined version.
The airframer says it remains “optimistic” on the 8t However, GE-powered helicopters with a new Phase 5
type’s future, and is working on upgrades including a avionics release can also operate to the higher altitude.
new de-icing system. The PT6-67E-powered type has MTOW for both variants sits at 8.6t.
found particular favour with Belgian operator NHV, The third contender in the trinity of super-mediums
which operates 13 examples, largely in the North Sea is the Bell 525, which remains in development. Heavier
region. In 2020, NHV’s fleet passed 40,000 flight hours than its rivals, the 525 offers a 9.3t MTOW and can
– more than 60% of the overall H175 fleet’s total. carry 16 passengers and two crew for 580nm at a
Other notable offshore operators including Babcock speed of 160kt.
and CHC also count the H175 in their fleets. The type Bell describes the type as the “world’s most
has also found some success in VIP and search and advanced commercial helicopter” – largely driven by its
rescue (SAR) roles, in the latter case having been application of fly-by-wire (FBW) controls. Assuming it
selected by the Rescue and Salvage Bureau of China’s beats Leonardo’s AW609 civil tiltrotor to certification,
transport ministry for an initial two-unit requirement. the 525 will in fact be the very first civil rotorcraft to
That adds to the seven H175s already operated by Hong incorporate a FBW system.
Kong’s Government Flying Service for SAR missions. However, uncertainty remains as to when the 525
Leonardo’s super-medium offering is the AW189. The will gain regulatory approval. Bell has been reluctant
8t-class type comes in two variants: a baseline version to disclose a revised date after missing previous
powered by twin GE Aviation CT7 engines, and the deadlines, but in September 2020 did indicate that it
Safran Aneto-equipped K-model. The 2,500shp-rated was in the final stages of certification testing; the first
Aneto-1K offers around 25% more power than the CT7 four production helicopters are also in final assembly.
and boosts performance in hot and high conditions. Power for the 525 comes from CT7 engines.
Harness the power of analytics with

CAE RiseTM IRU PRUH H΍HFWLYH SLORW WUDLQLQJ

Bigger beasts In addition to the upgrade kit, Sikorsky is also

Formerly a leading light of the heavy-twin segment, incorporating the modifications into new-build S-92
Airbus Helicopters’ Super Puma family is slowly forging helicopters as the B-model variant. In addition to the
a future beyond its former core oil and gas market, as MTOW increase and new gearbox, the more powerful
the H225 is likely to remain locked out of that segment CT7-8A6 engine is also available, alongside avionics
for the foreseeable future. improvements. Sikorsky anticipates the S-92A+ kit will
The manufacturer is confident it has solved the safety be delivered by 2023 and the S-92B helicopter in 2025.
problem related to the H225’s gearbox – the cause of Russian Helicopters, meanwhile, has quietly launched
a fatal crash in 2017 – but the helicopter would have a a new variant of its long-running Mil Mi-171 heavy-twin
significant reputational hurdle to overcome were it to aimed squarely at the offshore oil and gas market.
be re-introduced for offshore transportation. However, key details remain vague: aside from a
Equally, the ongoing weakness in the oil and gas handful of characteristics such as MTOW and range,
market has meant that operators in that sector have the manufacturer has so far stayed silent on much of
not required the additional capacity the Super Puma the Mi-171A3’s specification and any differences over
would provide. With this market effectively closed off, the current A2 model.
Airbus Helicopters has instead been forced to cultivate Indeed, the airframer says that digital renderings
alternative sales prospects for the type. While there released by parent company Rostec do not entirely
have been a number of successes for the military reflect the final configuration of the helicopter. But
variant, it has also gained traction with the H225 for there are some clear changes over the A2: although
SAR and disaster recovery operations. MTOW remains at 13t, range increases by 108nm, to
Additionally, the airframer’s repurposing of ex-oil and 540nm, and passenger capacity rises from 20 to 24.
gas-roled assets to utility helicopters continues as it In addition, the helicopter will be fully compliant with
works through a large amount of stored inventory: at international oil and gas transport standards.
Automation has also been added, including for take-
offs and landings. However, the identity of the type’s
engine and avionics suppliers have not been released;
twin Klimov VK-2500PS-03s power the current variant.
Production of an initial prototype is already under
way, says the manufacturer, with work on the A3
design having commenced in 2018. First flight is set
for 2021 – likely ahead of an appearance at the MAKS
air show in Moscow in July, to be followed by service
entry in 2022.
Grist to the Mil

Topping the Russian Helicopters range (excluding the
giant Mi-26), the Mi-38 has a 15.6t MTOW. A first serial
example was handed over in March 2020, with the
heavy-twin to be used for VIP transport missions by
Moscow-based operator Russian Helicopter Systems.
Russian Helicopters forecasts a civil market for 100
examples of the Mi-38 in the period to 2030. Although
Sikorsky
the company displayed a VIP-roled example at MAKS

and the Dubai air show in 2019, it is also promoting the
Cougar is launch customer for enhanced S-92A+ type for offshore and utility transport missions.
Russian certification of the Mi-38, which is powered
by Klimov TV7-117V engines, was obtained in
the last count, 75% of those helicopters had found new December 2015. Prior to the March delivery previous
homes. The Super Puma family currently comprises examples had gone to the Russian air force.
two models: the 11t H225 and the 8.6t H215; both are Development of Leonardo’s AW609 continues,
powered by variants of the Safran Makila turboshaft. although the Covid-19 pandemic has not helped the
The great beneficiary of the H225’s absence from manufacturer hasten certification. Service entry is
the oil and gas market has been the Sikorsky S-92. now anticipated in 2022, with the merged Bristow/Era
Although this dominance has not translated into a Group still in line to take the lead example of the PT6A-
sales increase – the sector is sufficiently depressed that powered aircraft for EMS operations.
no additional capacity has been required – what it has Production of the first two serial AW609s is under
meant is an increased focus on the performance that way at the manufacturer’s Philadelphia site in the USA,
the CT7-powered twin can offer. with the Federal Aviation Administration the lead
With a MTOW of 12,000kg, the S-92 can carry a full regulator for the programme. Leonardo is hoping that
load of 19 passengers in its offshore guise. However, the vertical take-off and landing performance of the
that 12t figure can be increased to 12,250kg with the US tiltrotor, combined with its speed, range and ability to
manufacturer’s S-92A+ upgrade kit, which also includes fly at up to 25,000ft, will tempt buyers from a variety
a new main gearbox with increased run-dry capability. of segments.
Sikorsky has secured a launch order for the A+ Indeed, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in 2020
modification kit, with Canada’s VIH Aviation Group began evaluating the performance of the 8t-class
signing a four-unit agreement for the fleet of its aircraft to improve connections with Ogasawara island,
operating business Cougar Helicopters. more than 540nm away from the Japanese capital. ◗

From yuckspeak to tales of yore, send your offcuts to murdo.morrison@flightglobal.com
Moon monikers
NASA famously named its Space Shuttle test orbiter
‘Enterprise’ in honour of the television show Star Trek,
so surely there’s an opportunity for a similar homage
via the Artemis programme to return to the Moon?
Fans of the science-fiction series Space: 1999 will
recall the exploits of castaways on a lunar outpost after
the Moon is blasted out of orbit by a far-side nuclear
explosion – although best you don’t think too hard
about the Newtonian physics of that – which featured
rocket craft called ‘Eagles’, echoing the Eagle lander
that took Apollo 11 astronauts to the Moon’s surface.
NASA wants to set up the first lunar colony (unstable
nuclear waste dump probably not included), which is
just begging for the name ‘Moonbase Alpha’. And if
that’s not enough of a hint, the colonisation mission in
Space: 1999 was funded by an organisation called ILFC Crown Copyright
– the International Lunar Finance Commission.
We are not trying to dictate NASA policy here,
but since the sale of the aircraft leasing firm ILFC to
AerCap, the Internet domain name ‘ilfc.com’ has been
for sale for a sum which will hardly break the Artemis
Crowds will hopefully enjoy sights such as the
budget. “Eagle One to Moonbase Alpha” – how cool
Lockheed Martin F-35B at RAF Fairford next summer
would that sound? What on Earth are you waiting for?
Salute to Silva
The life of Ozires Silva (left) – regarded as the father of
Embraer and a legend of Brazil’s aerospace industry –
has been celebrated in a short animated film marking
his 90th birthday.
O Voo do Impossivel – or Flight of the Impossible – is
a 14min video that tracks Silva’s life from schooldays
through his career as a military pilot and aeronautic
engineer with the country’s air force, where his dream
of designing a home-grown aircraft culminated with
the launch of the Bandeirante and the formation of
Embraer
Embraer in 1969.
It is available on Embraer’s social media channels.
From the archive
1921 Jacuzzi monoplane 100

An interesting American commercial ’plane has been
1946 The Atlantic Gap 75
The news that the B.O.A.C. transatlantic flying boat
constructed by Jacuzzi Bros, of Berkeley, California, service from Poole to Bermuda via West Africa and
in which are incorporated several novel features. South America makes its last run today will be by
It is a monoplane having externally braced wings of no means unexpected. The discontinuance of this
a comparatively thin section, giving a high maximum service was bound to come soon, for, although the
L/D at low angles of incidence and high speed. The three Boeings, which have been in constant use since
chord of the wings tapers considerably from root 1941, have given excellent service, they could not be
to tip, which enables a uniform wing section to be expected to go on for ever. The service has always
employed throughout, and at the same time giving been something of a stop-gap, but, in spite of this,
a deeper section at the root. The wings are of wood one weekly transatlantic flight has been made in each
construction, fabric covered, and are attached, high direction during the winter months, and four flights
up on the fuselage, to a “centre section” which in each direction throughout the summer each year.
forms the roof of the cabin. They are braced by a The wear and tear on these machines must have been
streamline sectioned strut under each wing, there considerable, and praise is due to B.O.A.C. for having
being no top bracing. maintained such a schedule with these resources.

Straight & Level
Permanent Tattoo
This year marks a full half-century since
a band of enthusiasts organised the
inaugural Air Tattoo gathering, at North
Weald airfield in Essex. Supported by
the UK Royal Air Force, the 1971 event
also attracted flying contributions
from Austria, Denmark, France, the
Netherlands and Norway.
To mark its Golden Jubilee, the Royal
Air Force Charitable Trust Enterprises has
published Air Tattoo 50 – The Story of the World’s
Greatest Airshow, which looks back at its evolution into
one of the main highlights of the aviation calendar.
Authored by Ben Dunnell, the book takes a
year-by-year look at the aircraft and participants
that gave the show so many unforgettable moments.
Sadly, the coronavirus pandemic has led to the
planned 16-18 July show’s cancellation for the second
year running. We have everything crossed that a safe
and successful celebration can take place in 2022.
To order your copy – priced £30, plus postage – visit
airtattoo50book.com
Hugh Field Field left the RAF in 1967 to work for CSE Aviation,
where he was involved in Handley Page Jetstream
sales and assisted in the certification of the original
Hugh Field, who has died at the age of 91, was Learjet. After his term on Flight, he joined the ill-fated
assistant, then associate, editor of Flight International Cranfield Airline College, but quickly ended up in the
from 1969 to 1979, during which time he substantially public affairs department at British Aerospace Hatfield,
improved the magazine’s general aviation coverage. promoting the BAe 146.
Having begun his career at aero-engine maker After retiring from BAe in 1991 he carried on writing
D Napier and Sons in 1945, he joined the UK Royal Air and in consulting work – his last article, on flying the
Force in 1950 and was fast-tracked into instructing on 1950s prone-pilot Meteor, was recently published in
the Gloster Meteor. He graduated from the Empire Test Aeroplane. He was Master of the Guild of Air Pilots and
Pilots’ School in 1956, and later while at the RAF Flight Air Navigators in 1980-1981, and flew more than 200
Safety Directorate began writing on air safety for its different aircraft types, from the vintage machines of
training magazine Air Clues – perfect grounding for his the Shuttleworth Collection to fast jets such as the BAe
time on Flight. Harrier, Sepecat Jaguar and Saab Viggen.
1971 Israel’s air authority 50

Whatever the peace settlement which may be
1996 Battle of the giants 25
Boeing’s growing family of large widebodies will be in
negotiated in the Middle East, it looks as though competition with the Airbus A3XX in a market which
Israel is prepared to maintain an armed airborne could be worth as much as $254 billion over the next
surveillance over the area from which her forces 20 years, according to the US manufacturer’s latest
may be withdrawn — the Sinai desert to the east of long-term forecasts. Boeing’s 1996 Current Market
the Suez Canal. Reconnaissance over this area, to Outlook divides aircraft with more than 400 seats as
interpret any possible Egyptian moves, will form a a separate category for the first time. To date, that
main role for the F-4 Phantoms which Israel is getting includes only the 747-400 and 777-300, but they
from the United States. So far, Israel has received 63 are due to be joined by the stretched 747-600X and
F-4s and 12 more are due to be delivered by May, longer-range 747-500X before the end of the century,
making a total of 75 — the original 50 provided as well as by the A3XX, if Airbus opts to launch the
under President Johnson’s administration plus the programme. Looking through to the year 2015, Boeing
25 supplied since. Israel’s air strength is also likely to estimates that this market could total 1,588 aircraft,
be improved by locally modified Mirages, fitted with with the emphasis clearly on sales in the fast-growing
General Electric J79 engines. Asia-Pacific market.

Stick to the facts potential suicide mission as they
had not been informed of the flight Para memories
and the aircraft was flying low.”
In the ‘Accidents and incidents’ “The man who was killed was With reference to Ian Goold’s
section of your annual airline subsequently reported to be ‘a recollections of the Blackburn
safety report (Flight International, homeless person known to police’.” Beverley (Flight International,
February 2021), there seemed to “They selected the gear down but February 2021), I was a serving
me to be a thread of sensationalism nothing happened.” member of the Parachute Regiment
creeping in to your reporting – “The fire and rescue crew could when the type replaced the
rather than being simply factual, as not attend the damaged aircraft Handley Page Hastings.
your learned readership has come because their crash rescue vehicle The Beverley was the first British-
to expect in the past. had flat tyres.” built aircraft specifically designed
The UK Air Accidents Come on, Flight – we are experts to drop parachute troops and their
Investigation Branch (AAIB), as here – just give us the salient facts support equipment. The cargo
I’m sure you know, has been very and spare us the needless hype. bay was cavernous, and could
succinct with its reporting, and easily absorb more than 90 fully
long ago set the bar for the tone Tim Procter equipped troops who jumped from
of these kinds of reports. Its sterile via email two doors at the rear of the plane.
and succinct wording, pertinent to It could carry a further 40 troops
the cause, is non-judgemental nor Editor’s reply: We appreciate the in the tail boom upstairs, who left
sensationalist by design. feedback, but are not attempting through a hole in the floor. It was
For me, some examples from to replicate how the AAIB covers possible for all three exits to be
your report (see below) conjured such events; we are a magazine, used simultaneously.
up a vision of rather puerile not an investigative or safety Interestingly, on the flight to the
Air Crash Investigation type body. We strongly believe that drop zone, you and the load you
programmes on television. all the examples you cite were were carrying were restrained not
“The pilot was able to escape statements of fact, and free from by the usual seat belt, but by an
from the aircraft and climb on to a sensationalism. We have to be individual cargo net.
part of the fuselage that remained selective in our listings, due to The Beverley was noisy, cold and
above the water.” space constraints, but always strive uncomfortable. The Armstrong
“The pilot steered to avoid the to impart a clear picture of what Argosy which replaced it was
hangar, but the aircraft only came happened. Meanwhile, we hope luxurious, but it was soon replaced
to a halt when the left outboard that our new monthly layout and by the Lockheed C-130 Hercules.
engine hit a tug.” larger typeset made the listings
“Ethiopian soldiers mistakenly easier to read than in our old Albert Rowley
believed the plane was on a weekly format. Thundersley, Essex, UK
Evren Kalinbacak/Shutterstock
Reporting on events such as fatal Pegasus 737-800

overrun last year should be free of sensationalism

Letters
Worth splashing out?
Airbus
Floating an idea
Bang on I have watched with amazement the ability of America’s Cup-contender
sailing yachts to rise up on their sea legs and “fly” at astonishing speeds,
As a close support aircraft for often under good control. Then I think of the blended-wing airliner
ground troops, the Lockheed projects under active study by Airbus, Boeing and others.
Martin F-35B would have to be I see a capacious, buoyant shape, with high-mounted, spray-protected
fitted with wing hardpoints – a engines at the back. Put a conventional V-shaped hull along the
la Harrier – in order to carry the centreline and you get a flying boat, but still with maritime drag.
weaponry needed for that role. However, by getting rid of that traditional hull and using fully
retractable foils, you would have a water plane that could match the
Albert Gorton economics of a normal aircraft.
Harpole, Northamptonshire, UK In parts of the world which are hard to access otherwise, there might
just be a use for such a specialised creation.
Editor’s reply: The F-35 already
can be equipped with external David Stevens
stores, although carrying such Woking, Surrey, UK
equipment decreases its stealth
credentials.
the first man to build and fly an

Calling for Cody aeroplane in England, and who
should be much more well-known
Congratulations on making the than he is at present?
move to producing a monthly I am astonished that this man is
magazine. This change means that so little known, even in America,
there is more time for you to go where they usually like to advertise
into more depth in the articles, one of their own as having been
and more time for the reader to the first to do something anywhere
consider such subjects from a in the world.
broader perspective.
I am also enjoying the W D Barbut
magnificent cutaway posters London, UK
occasionally provided in the
magazine, giving insight into the Editor’s reply: Mr S F Cody
complexity and mechanical beauty featured extensively in Flight’s
of these amazing machines. early editions, from 1909 (the
As your magazine now has year after his historic first) until
the space, and the historical his death in a 1913 crash. Perhaps
content to provide such articles, the next Farnborough air show,
I wondered whether you would in 2022, might offer a suitable
like to produce an in-depth platform for us to again remember
article on Samuel Franklin Cody; his achievements.
We welcome your letters about our coverage, or any other aerospace-related topic. Please email flight.international@flightglobal.com, or write to: The Editor, Flight
International, 1st Floor, Chancery House, St Nicholas Way, Sutton, Surrey, SM1 1JB. Letters should be no longer than 350 words in length, and supplied with the
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Gulfstream aerodynamics engineer Cathy Downen
leads the airframer’s certification team – meaning
she has the final say on what flies and what does
not. She is a firm defender of the ODA scheme
Signing off
Savannah’s finest
Pilar Wolfsteller Las Vegas accidents led investigators and lawmakers to criticise
both the FAA’s delegation process and Boeing’s 737
Max design, with allegations that it muscled the Max
W
hen Gulfstream’s Cathy Downen was a through certification despite internal concerns.
teenager, she often watched her father Though controversial, Downen says the authorisation
tinker in his workshop. is difficult to attain, and extremely valuable for both
“He was an electrical engineer and he the company and the regulator.
would design things on paper, little sketches,” says “The FAA is very selective and careful about who
Downen. “And then he would build things – he would they give that authority to,” she says, describing a year-
build a computer, all kinds of stuff.” long process she went through to get the qualification.
Once a year the family went to a local air show.
“I was just enthralled with the grace, the power,
everything that is an airplane,” Downen recalls. “At one
of the shows, I asked my father: ‘Is there such a thing as
“Women leaders are very
an engineer who designs airplanes?’ And when he said,
‘Yes’, I thought: ‘That’s it. That’s what I want to do.’” different from men, and
Two aerospace engineering degrees and three
decades of aircraft design experience later, Downen sometimes the men are
leads some of the most crucial certification and
airworthiness decisions for any new aircraft rolling off
the Savannah-based airframer’s final assembly line.
uncomfortable with that”
She has been with the business jet manufacturer
for 10 years, and currently directs Gulfstream’s type She adds that without delegating some of these
certification programmes, a job in which she has responsibilities to experienced engineers like herself,
complete oversight of certification activities. the FAA would not have the resources to track and
“Whenever we have a new airplane design, or even a manage every aspect of every certification process in
change to an existing design, we have to demonstrate a timely fashion. That would delay programmes and
to the regulatory authorities that it’s safe, and that it increase cost.
meets all the regulations,” she says. “Our team is the Previously, Downen was Gulfstream’s programme
interface between Gulfstream and those regulatory manager for the G600, the airframer’s super-large-
people to make sure that we are doing everything cabin, long-range business jet that entered service
necessary to show compliance for the aircraft.” in 2019. In that role, she oversaw the jet’s design,
Downen is also Gulfstream’s Organization development, flight testing, certification, and entry into
Designation Authorization (ODA) programme service.
administrator, overseeing aspects of certification work “I am so very proud of that aircraft in particular,”
delegated to Gulfstream by the US Federal Aviation Downen says.
Administration (FAA). Airframers have largely credited The 19-passenger G600 has a range of 6,500nm
self-certification programmes with enabling them to (12,000km) and can reach Mach 0.925.
bring safe technologies to market faster. Working with the FAA on groundbreaking and
But ODA – known by its detractors as “marking your innovative technologies can be challenging, Downen
own homework” – has been under scrutiny following says. But the end goal is to build a safe and reliable
two Boeing 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019. The aircraft. To achieve that, collaboration is essential.

Women in aviation
Gulfstream
Downen oversees Gulfstream’s type certification
programmes and is the manufacturer’s ODA co-ordinator
“Often, our new technology has no regulations to “Being in an industry dominated by men can be
govern it. So, since we have a good relationship with intimidating, just even to say something in a meeting,”
the FAA, we can work with them early to talk about… she says. “That took bravery in the beginning.”
what we are thinking about doing five to 10 years out, As her responsibilities grew and she moved into
and start to work with them on what we need to do leadership roles, she was coached to “be more like a
to show compliance for this type of new technology,” man” – advice she promptly discarded. “I was told that
she says. would make me more successful and more useful. And
While her aerodynamicist credentials are impressive, each time I have pushed back and said: ‘That doesn’t
actually piloting an aircraft is not for her. “I took lessons work for me’.
while I was in college. And it turns out I’m a really bad “Women leaders are very different from men leaders,
pilot. I never got to solo because my instructor and I and sometimes the men are uncomfortable with that
both agreed it was best that I just walk away,” she says. leadership style,” she says.
But her experience in the cockpit was invaluable as So, as she mentors young women in her field, she
part of her engineering education, “to understand [an gives them two critical pieces of guidance: speak up,
aircraft’s] handling characteristics, and what flaps do, and be different. “At Gulfstream we value innovation,
and what it means to put your gear down and how it and innovation does not come from everyone thinking
feels on the airplane”. the same,” she says.
Throughout her aerospace engineering career, “Have confidence in what you know, and don’t be
Downen was often the only woman in the room. When afraid to share it. Find your voice and don’t be afraid
she spoke, heads turned. to use it.” ◗
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