No 5406 flight_10092013

10-16 SEPTEMBER 2013

FLIGHTINTERNATIONAL


CABIN FIRES IS THE INDUSTRY IN DENIAL ABOUT ONBOARD RISK? FEATURE P32

ALMOST THERECSeries nears high-speed taxi trials as long-delayed first flight for Canadian airliner edges closer 9

FAST DEVELOPER Russian Helicopters moving quickly to have racy RACHEL prototype in the air by 2018 20

ENVIRONMENT

THE WORLD VERSUS ETS How will aviation pay carbon debt now?

flightglobal.com

£3.30

www.mtu.de

10-16 September 2013 | Flight International | 3flightglobal.com

FLIGHTINTERNATIONAL


JAXA, B

eech

craft

Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group buys Beechcraft’s largest European MRO business P21 First flight of Japan’s Epsilon launch vehicle cancelled P23


FLIGHTINTERNATIONAL


FLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLIGHTINIII TERNATIONAL

CABIN FIRES IS THE INDUSTRY IN DENIAL ABOUT ONBOARD RISK? FEATURE P32

ALMOST THERECSeries nears high-speed taxi trials as long-delayed first flight for Canadian airliner edges closer 9

FAST DEVELOPER Russian Helicopters moving quickly to have racy RACHEL prototype in the air by 2018 20

ENVIRONMENT

THE WORLD VERSUS ETS How will aviation pay carbon debt now?

£3.30

18 Israeli air force pushes for 12-aircraft KC-135R deal

BUSINESS AVIATION 20 Russian Helicopters speeds progress of

next generation. Modified Twin Otter helps G-Sky grow

21 Ambitious Marshall snaps up Beechcraft MRO centre. Rostec reveals 19-seater price tag

GENERAL AVIATION 22 Atlant Arctic airship bouyed by answer

to weighty issue. Ansat clinches civil certification. Kit-built Zodiac CH 640 set for Russian role

SPACEFLIGHT 23 Bad timing delays Epsilon first flight.

Zenit makes safe return

BUSINESS 24 Boeing faces export storm

REGULARS7 Comment 36 Straight & Level37 Letters40 Classified 43 Jobs 47 Working Week

NEWS THIS WEEK 8 Early Hawk T2 use aids RAF students

9 FAA finalising ‘critical’ 787 review. Delta weighs in with A330 deal

10 Human factors loom in crash report

11 Dirty fuel blamed for Cathay A330’s engine emergency

AIR TRANSPORT 12 Crew failed to adapt to poor visibility.

Kazakhstan safety drive targets EU blacklisting

13 Court raises questions over Austrian’s Tyrolean transfer. IAE faces court challenge from Kingfisher owner

14 Virgin Australia eyes new widebodies. Comac matures fledgling C919 iron bird test rig

15 MRJ delay pinned on FAA paperwork. Ecojet project on approach to production phase

DEFENCE 16 UK reveals AEW programme costs.

F-35 engine production agreement a ‘fair deal’

17 Auditor slams Indian AW101 contract. Embraer delivers AMX upgrade

COVER STORY26 Clearing the air How best to tackle

airline industry emissions

FEATURES28 ENVIRONMENT Electric avenues

Airlines are weighing up high-tech taxi systems as they look to reduce fuel use and cut turnaround times

30 Alternative medicine Carriers are looking to substitute sources of energy

32 SAFETY Fire alarmed Onboard blazes are still a considerable risk, despite a recent fall in the number of fatalities

VOLUME 184 NUMBER 5406

PIC OF THE WEEK YOUR PHOTOGRAPH HEREAirSpace regular sunshine band posted this up-close-and-personal shot of Royal Air Force Shorts Tucano (ZF239) running in to display through brilliant sunshine at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire. Open a gallery in flightglobal.com’s AirSpace community for a chance to feature here.

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COVER IMAGEAirTeamImages supplied this skyward view of an Airbus A340, showing just why aviation is struggling to reconcile demand for air travel with calls for a workable, global emissions control regime P26

NEXT WEEK HELI-TECH PREVIEW On the eve of the annual rotorcraft industry exhibition in its new venue at London’s ExCel, we look at helicopter safety, performance and prospects

Agu

sta

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CONTENTS

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Simply not good enough

Some areas of concern

42% 29%

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Excellent given challenging environment

29%

HIGH FLIERSThe top five stories for the week just gone:1 Airbus steadily clocks up A350 flight hours

2 Bombardier CSeries approved for first flight

3 Delta orders 40 A330s and A321s

4 BA to operate 787 to Austin

5 Israel seeks R-model KC-135s from USA

Last week, we asked: Safety record of North Sea helicopters: You said:

Total votes: 678

This week, we ask: How will you mark the 10th anniversary of the demise of Concorde? Mourning Confident about the return of supersonic transport Times move on

With allies and foes feeling the Syrian heat in the eastern

Mediterranean, Israel and the USA should perhaps have let

the Russians know they were planning to air-launch a couple

of targets designed to

simulate the trajectory of a

Scud ballistic missile. As

The DEW Line found,

Russia’s defence ministry

was spooked to detect

unidentified “ballistic

objects” that were, actually, Sparrow-series targets

released from an Israeli air force Boeing F-15 (pictured).

And, Hyperbola finds the Syria crisis, which is unravelling

UK-US relations with Russia, is raising questions about

whether Moscow would disrupt plans for manned launches to the Space Station in the event of an attack on

Damascus. After the fatal Super Puma crash off the UK,

David Learmount looked at offshore helicopter safety

and asks, why does Norway get it right?

Defence editor Craig Hoyle got

some hands-on practice using a

flight training device for the UK’s

new Hawk T2 trainer during a

visit to the Royal Air Force’s

base at Valley, Anglesey. The UK

is looking to ramp up its use of

the 28-strong T2 fleet, and cites

strong international interest in

the capability (P8).

IN THIS ISSUECompanies listedAeroVironment .............................................25AgustaWestland ...........7, 8, 10, 17, 20, 22, 23Air Astana ....................................................12Airbus ....................8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 28, 35, 37Air France ..............................................28, 29Air New Zealand .............................................8All Nippon Airways ...........................25, 33, 35ANA Holdings ...............................................25Antonov .......................................................23Asiana ...................................................32, 34Austrian Airlines ...........................................13Austro Engines .............................................25Aviat ............................................................30Aviation Alliance ..........................................20BAE Systems .................................................8Beechcraft ...................................................21Boeing .........7, 8, 9, 12, 14, 15, 16, 18, 24, 29Bell Boeing ..................................................18Bombardier .......................................9, 15, 37Cathay Pacific ..............................................11Cessna ........................................................23CHC Scotia ..................................................10Comac .........................................................14ConnectJets .................................................23Diamond Aircraft ....................................23, 25EasyJet ..................................................28, 37Elta Systems ................................................16Emirates ......................................................24Ethiopian Airlines ...................................32, 33Embraer .......................................................17Eurocopter .......................................10, 20, 22Eva Air .........................................................12G-Sky Aviation .............................................20Gulfstream .............................................20, 25Hawaiian Airlines .........................................24Honeywell Aerospace .......................25, 28, 29Ikhana Aircraft Services................................20Ilyushin Finance ...........................................15International Aero Engines ...........................13Israel Aerospace Industries ..........................28Jet Aviation ..................................................20JetBlue Airways ............................................12Kamov .........................................................20Kingfisher Airlines ........................................13KLM .............................................................29LiveTV ..........................................................12Lockheed Martin ..............................16, 18, 31Lufthansa ..............................................13, 29Marshall Aerospace .....................................23Meggitt ........................................................25Mitsubishi Aircraft ........................................15Northrop Grumman ......................................16Pratt & Whitney ............. 15, 16, 18, 20, 22, 30Qantas ...................................................14, 25Rafael ............................................................8Red Wings ...................................................15Rolls-Royce ............................8, 11, 14, 25, 47RosAeroSystems ..........................................22Rosaviaconsortium ......................................15Rostec .........................................................23Russian Helicopters .........................20, 22, 23Safran .............................................25, 28, 29Sikorsky .................................................10, 20Spirit Aerosystems .......................................24Swissair .................................7, 32, 33, 34, 35Transaero Airlines .........................................47TUI ...............................................................28Turbomeca ...................................................25Turkish Aerospace Industries ........................18United Airlines .............................................12UPS ...................................................7, 32, 34UTAir ............................................................22VIM-Avia ......................................................15Virgin Australia .............................................14WheelTug ...............................................28, 29

4 | Flight International | 10-16 September 2013

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COMMENT


See Defence P17

Official discomfort

The worrying thing about India’s AgustaWestland AW101 scandal is how unsurprising it is. Big de-

fence purchases anywhere are rarely smooth, but in India they seem to be particularly accident-prone.

At its heart are allegations – denied, of course – that AgustaWestland bosses bribed Indian air force leaders to modify the requirements for the purchase of 12 VVIP helicopters. Early this year investigations in Italy prompted a further probe in India. Two AgustaWest-land executives are now standing trial over the matter.

But the steady drip-drip of bad news continues. This week India’s government auditor issued a damning re-port on the acquisition process.

But this fiasco – unlike other defence procurement

travesties in India – will directly affect New Delhi’s senior leadership.

Having received just three AW101s, India has sus-pended the deal, and could well cancel it altogether. The grounding of the new fleet will oblige worthies in-cluding the president and prime minister to resume the use of ageing Mil Mi-8s.

At stake in the AW101 crisis are not key issues like operational readiness and deterrence, but the comfort of senior government leaders. Perhaps riding in obso-lescent, deafeningly loud helicopters will provide the spur they need to bring greater transparency and ac-countability to India’s defence acquisition process.

Rex

Featu

res

Operations and safety editor David Learmount writes on aviation safety matters on his eponymous blogflightglobal.com/learmount

See Feature P32

Just in case

Fire risk on modern airliners is worse than it has been since aircraft were made of wood, but because there has not been a recent passenger aircraft loss, complacency has set in

The smoking gun

There has always been a chance of fire on commer-cial transport aircraft, but the risk profile in today’s

fleet is definitely changing, and probably increasing – yet nothing is being done to tackle this.

The reasons behind the change are many. Leading the list is the proliferation of lithium-chemistry batteries – a definable fire risk – in the personal electronic equip-ment of both passengers and crew. Their highly flam-mable nature has been blamed for the loss of at least one freighter aircraft, a UPS Boeing 747, which carried the lithium-ion cells among its cargo. And larger versions of those same lithium batteries have recently been de-ployed by aircraft manufacturers to power standby on-board equipment. In the case of the Boeing 787 they provide the ultimate back-up electrical supply.

The very latest airliners are also “more-electric” – electricity replaces hydraulic, pneumatic or mechani-cal power – resulting in an increase in the amount of

electrical cabling. The proliferation of in-flight enter-tainment systems adds both batteries and yet more cabling. And the rapidly increasing use of composite materials for aircraft primary structures is changing the risk profile because composites have a different reac-tion to heat.

In the last three years, two freighters have been lost to onboard fires, but because they were not passenger flights public concern has remained dormant. The last catastrophic blaze that brought down a passenger air-

Estimates put the number of onboard smoke events today at one in every 15,000 flights

craft was Swissair 111 in 1998. That is a long time ago, and it involved a Boeing MD-11, but nothing funda-mental in terms of aircraft and cabin systems design has been changed as a result. Meanwhile estimates put the number of onboard smoke events today at one in every 15,000 flights. And cliché as it may be, where there is smoke, there is fire, be it real or potential.

One of the most remarkable facts about aircraft de-sign for safety is that the only fire detection equipment on board commercial transport aircraft are in the en-gines, the freight bay and the lavatories. There are no detection systems in cockpits or cabins, so a fire that starts behind the panels because of an electrical short-circuit – like Swissair 111 – has a chance to take hold before its presence is noticed. And when smoke or fumes have betrayed its existence, there is no way of locating the heat source or directing extinguishant at it. This is simply unacceptable.

The Royal Aeronautical Society is leading a study into these risks. Action must follow it.

THIS WEEK

flightglobal.com8 | Flight International | 10-16 September 2013

For a round-up of our latest online news, feature and multimedia content visit flightglobal.com/wotw

Early use of the Royal Air Force’s BAE Systems Hawk T2

advanced jet trainer has dramati-cally boosted the quality of in-struction being provided to UK students, programme officials say.

A first course of four ab initio pilots completed their training on the T2 with 4 Sqn at RAF Valley in June 2013, before progressing to its 29 Sqn operational conver-sion unit (OCU) for the Eurofight-er Typhoon at Coningsby in Lincolnshire.

“I think we’ve doubled the standard of the students,” says Alasdair Shinner, station manager at the Anglesey base for Lockheed Martin/Babcock joint venture As-cent, the Ministry of Defence’s training system partner for the Military Flying Training System (MFTS) programme. The T2 has the potential to deliver a “multi-role, combat-ready pilot” to the OCU, he adds, whereas the RAF’s analogue cockpit Hawk T1s were not preparing students for the aircraft they would later fly.

Several additional courses are now under way, with these in-cluding RAF and Royal Navy stu-dents and 11 more UK qualified flying instructors (QFI). With only 50% of system capacity being used on a 28-aircraft fleet, poten-tial options to increase the vol-ume of training delivered include

TRAINING CRAIG HOYLE LONDON

Early Hawk T2 use aids RAF studentsProgramme officials highlight quality of instruction provided to trainees, better preparing them to fly more advanced jets

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The BAE Systems type is operated by the service’s 4 Sqn

HIGHER-THRUST TRENT RUNS ON FIRST 787-9PROPULSION Initial test runs have been conducted on the Rolls-

Royce Trent 1000 engines powering Boeing’s first 787-9. The maid-

en flight of the stretched twinjet is on track for “late summer”, says

the airframer. Trent 1000 programme director John Griffiths adds

that Rolls-Royce is “delighted at the successful first run” of the en-

gines. Its Package C version of the powerplant, developed for the

787-9, provides 74,000lb (329kN) of thrust. Air New Zealand is the

launch customer, with 10 of the type due for delivery from 2014.

CHINESE A330 AMONG AUGUST AIRBUS ORDERSAIRFRAMES China Eastern Airlines was behind the only long-haul

order for Airbus during a quiet August, but the deal for the single

A330 marks the first firm Chinese order recorded by the airframer

this year. Long-haul orders from China, particularly for the A330, had

been held up by a dispute over the European emissions trading sys-

tem. However, the airframer’s latest backlog data, covering the first

eight months of 2013, includes a single China Eastern A330-200

order on 5 August. Airbus added nine other aircraft – all A320-family

jets – to its backlog during the month, bringing its gross total to 942

and taking its net figure just above 900. Airbus delivered 394 aircraft

over the first eight months, including 11 A380s and 70 A330s.

AGUSTAWESTLAND SEALS CHINESE SALES PACTROTORCRAFT AgustaWestland has signed a distribution agreement

with Sino-US Intercontinental Helicopter Investment, with the pact

also including a contract for 20 aircraft. Finmeccanica says the sale

values €170 million ($223 million), and covers AW119Ke, AW139,

AW169, AW189 and GrandNew aircraft, for roles including VIP trans-

port. AgustaWestland says the agreement makes it “well-positioned”

to grow further from the previous sale of 40 helicopters in China.

ISRAELI TARGET LAUNCH SPARKS BALLISTIC ALERTINCIDENT Russia’s defence ministry was put on heightened alert on

3 September, after early warning radars detected two unidentified

“ballistic objects” over the Mediterranean sea. The scare was later

confirmed as having been prompted by the launch of two Rafael

Sparrow-series target missiles from an Israeli air force Boeing F-15.

The activity was performed as a joint Israeli/US test in support of the

development of Israel’s Arrow 3 ballistic missile interceptor.

DENMARK ORDERS MX-15 SENSOR FOR AW101EQUIPMENT Denmark has ordered a minimum of eight L-3 Wescam

MX-15 electro-optical/infrared sensors for its AgustaWestland

AW101 tactical transport helicopters. The equipment will be fitted by

the nation’s Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation by

2014. The Royal Danish Air Force operates 14 AW101s, with part of

the fleet tasked with providing search and rescue services.

FRANCE STEPS IN WITH ARIANE 5 UPGRADE BUDGETSPACEFLIGHT With a €25 million ($33 million) allocation, the

French government has agreed to meet the lion’s share of the ap-

proximately €35 million cost of upgrading the European Space

Agency’s Ariane 5 rocket to accommodate a new generation of larger-

volume telecommunications satellites. The programme, to fly from

2015, will add 2m (6ft) to the available height inside the launcher’s

payload fairing, without altering its profile. The added volume is likely

to be demanded by satellite customers opting for all- or more-electric

designs, which eliminate propellant tanks but add solar panel area.

BRIEFING

preparing additional RAF QFIs, increasing the number of instruc-tors sourced from other air forces or approving Ascent-employed instructors to command some flights, officials say.

“Spare capacity is something that is being looked at, but there is no simple answer,” says Grp Capt Simon Blake, from the RAF’s 22 Group training organi-sation. “Lots of other air forces are coming here and seeing that we are filling the [training capability] gap,” he notes.

Meanwhile, activities involv-ing the RAF’s Hawk T1-equipped 208 Sqn have been extended at Valley, with the service currently providing Phase IV lead-in fighter training for Royal Saudi Air Force pilots. Riyadh will take delivery of its first of 22 T2-equivalent Hawks from BAE in 2015.

The remainder of the MFTS programme’s fixed-wing equip-ment package should be deter-mined by 2015, with one type to deliver elementary training and a turboprop-powered basic trainer offering “jet-like performance” to replace the RAF’s current Shorts Tucano T1s. Operations should commence from around 2018, says Ascent’s Simon Falla.

Follow the latest global defence aviation news and views at flightglobal.com/dewline

THIS WEEK


Human factors loom in Super Puma crash reportTHIS WEEK P10

SAFETY STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC

FAA finalises 787 electrical reviewSafety regulator has completed detailed technical work for investigation into Dreamliner’s problematic power systems

The US Federal Aviation Ad-ministration confirms the

agency is close to finalising a comprehensive safety review of the Boeing 787’s problematic electrical system.

The agency has completed the detailed technical work for what the FAA now calls the “critical systems review” of the 787. “At this time the report is being final-ised,” the agency says.

As the US National Transpor-tation Safety Board (NTSB) con-tinues its search for the root cause of the overheating lithium ion batteries, the public release of the report by the FAA on the

overall electrical system could provide new context about the incidents that caused the 787 to be grounded for four months earlier this year.

However, is still unclear if the FAA will call for any design changes or operational restric-tions on the 787 as a result of the report’s findings.

“Boeing continues to work co-operatively with the FAA as the report on the 787 critical systems review is finalised,” the airframer says. “Until the report has been published, it would be inappro-priate for us to comment further.”

The report was commissioned

by then-Secretary of Transporta-tion Ray LaHood on 11 January, coming in between the two bat-tery incidents that prompted the FAA to order the 787 grounded for four months.

While the lithium-ion battery became the focus of safety probes by the FAA and NTSB, the review initiated by LaHood was designed to consider safety concerns affect-ing the 787’s entire electrical ar-chitecture.

The 787 had experienced sev-eral electrical problems before the two battery malfunctions in Janu-ary. In December, Qatar Airways and United Airlines grounded

certain 787s due to a faulty batch of circuit boards.

One United 787 made a pre-cautionary landing in Houston on 4 December after one of the air-craft’s six electrical generators failed due to the circuit board problem.

The 787 is the first and still the only commercial airliner that uses electrical power to pressu-rise the passenger cabin rather than a pneumatic system driven by bleed-air from the engine’s compressor stages.

Follow a timeline detailing the 787’s troubled operations: flightglobal.com/787woes

Bombardier is readying its CSeries twinjet for its maiden

sortie, with the final pre-flight tests beginning at the airframer’s Mirabel facility.

Airport watchers spotted on 1 September the initial flight-test vehicle, FTV-1, performing what appeared to be high-speed taxi trials, although Bombardier later played these down, describing them as “high-speed low-speed tests”.

Bombardier says these were slightly below its 70kt (130km/h) threshold for high-speed tests.

Quicker taxi runs and rejected take-off trials – some of the last ground tests required before flight – were due to be performed in the

following days, but were scrubbed due to weather con-cerns, Bombardier says.

Landing gear and other further testing has yet to take place, the airframer says.

The flightcrew reports that FTV-1 is “handling beautifully” in testing, it adds. The crew in-cludes chief pilot Chuck Ellis, first officer Andy Litavniks and flight test engineer Andreas Hartono.

Bombardier received a flight test permit for the CSeries from regulator Transport Canada on 30 August. The permit allows Bom-bardier to conduct the high-speed trials as well as first flight once all ground testing is complete.

DEVELOPMENT EDWARD RUSSELL WASHINGTON DC

CSeries speeds towards maiden-sortie milestone

ORDER EDWARD RUSSELL WASHINGTON DC

Delta weighs in with A330 dealAirbus has secured a launch

customer for the higher gross weight variant of its A330, after US carrier Delta Air Lines or-dered 10 of the enhanced type.

The first A330s will be deliv-ered to the Atlanta-based carrier in the second quarter of 2015, and will be powered by General Elec-tric CF6-80E1 engines.

Announced in November 2012, the 242t A330 benefits from 500nm (925km) of additional range, taking it to 6,100nm, and 5t of extra payload, compared with the current 235t A330, ac-cording to Airbus. Delta plans to use the aircraft on both trans-At-lantic and trans-Pacific routes.

Delta additionally ordered 30

sharklet-equipped A321 narrow-bodies, with deliveries from the first quarter of 2016. The aircraft are to be powered by CFM Inter-national CFM56 engines.

The carrier puts the total value of the deal at about $5.6 billion at list prices.

“This Airbus agreement is another opportunistic fleet trans-action for Delta in which we ac-quire economically efficient, proven-technology aircraft,” says Richard Anderson, chief execu-tive of Delta.

Many of Delta’s new A321s will come from Airbus’s new final as-sembly line in Mobile, Alabama, says the airframer, which will de-liver its first aircraft in 2016.

Airbus

The carrier will take the higher gross weight variant of the twinjet

Patr

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Taxi trials are under way at Bombardier’s Mirabel facility

THIS WEEK


For a round-up of our latest online news, feature and multimedia content visit flightglobal.com/wotw

helicopter was “on the published horizontal and vertical profile of the approach to runway 09, with airspeed decreasing steadily”.

However, a mile later it had de-scended some 240ft (73m) below the vertical approach profile, and its rate of descent had hit 500ft/min, with an airspeed of 68kt (126km/h). The statement adds: “The airspeed continued to re-duce to below 30kt, and as it did so the helicopter pitched increas-ingly nose-up.

“The rate of descent remained constant for a period before in-creasing rapidly.

“Shortly thereafter the helicop-ter, which was intact, struck the sea in a near level pitch attitude with a slight right bank. Both engines were delivering power until impact.”

Suspicions that the crash was not due to an issue with the air-frame or engines began to surface shortly after the Aberdeen-based Helicopter Safety Steering Group lifted its voluntary flight ban cov-ering all Super Puma variants on 29 August.

A statement was released the following day by the UK Civil Aviation Authority which backed the HSSG’s position, stressing that it did not believe “the acci-dent was caused by an airworthi-ness or technical problem, and consider that the decision by the operators to resume Super Puma flights is appropriate”.

“We would not allow a return to service unless we were satisfied that it was safe to do so. We will review the position if any new evi-dence comes to light,” it said.

miles, but was descending faster than appropriate at a time when the crew would still not have been able to see the runway through the thin mist present.

When air traffic control at Sumburgh provided the CHC crew with radar vectors to join the localiser/DME approach to 09, visibility was 1.5nm (2.8km),

and the wind was 17kt from the southeast. On such an approach lateral guidance is provided, but the crew must set and monitor their own vertical profile by plot-ting DME distance from the run-way against the height they should be passing at that point.

The statement says that at three miles from the threshold the

A terse statement by the UK Air Accidents Investigation

Branch has provided basic facts downloaded from the cockpit voice and flight data recorder of the CHC Scotia AS332L2 Super Puma helicopter (G-WSNB) in-volved in a fatal crash on ap-proach to Sumburgh, in the Shetland Isles, on 23 August.

Crucially, no technical failure has been detected, the statement says, noting that both engines continued to deliver power until the helicopter impacted the sea. Four passengers were killed during the accident.

It adds: “To date, no evidence of a causal technical failure has been identified; however, de-tailed examination of the [com-bined cockpit voice and flight data recorder] and the helicopter wreckage is continuing.”

During the localiser/DME non-precision approach to Sum-burgh’s runway 09, the aircraft was on the correct vertical de-scent profile at three nautical

INCIDENT DAVID LEARMOUNT LONDON

Human factors loom in crash reportAir Accidents Investigation Branch suggests technical issues with helicopter were not to blame for Super Puma accident

STUDY DOMINIC PERRY LONDON

Passenger capacity could be cut by wide-ranging reviewNorth Sea operators could face fun-

damental changes – including

red;ucing the number of passengers

carried in each aircraft – depending

on the outcome of a root-and-branch

review of offshore helicopter trans-

portation safety.

Launched in the wake of the 23

August fatal accident of a CHC

Scotia-operated Eurocopter

AS332L2, the study has been com-

missioned by pan-industry body the

Helicopter Safety Steering Group.

Although it is still framing the

terms of reference for the inquiry

and considering who should chair it,

the HSSG promises that it will act on

any recommendations produced.

“Ignoring them is not an accept-

able outcome for any of us, that’s

just not how we do things around

here,” says Les Linklater, team lead

at Step Change in Safety, the organi-

sation behind the HSSG. “If there

are things we can do to make heli-

copter operations safer then we

have to do them.”

Linklater says the report, which

will take around six months to com-

plete, will have to look beyond any

issues around airworthiness and

also examine other areas of con-

cern, such as the relative safety

records of the UK and Norway, plus

the internal configuration of all the

offshore transportation helicopters.

Both the EC225 and the rival

Sikorsky S-92 can accommodate 19

passengers, but concerns have

been raised – notably via social me-

dia – that the cabin of the

Eurocopter type is too cramped to

comfortably seat that many people.

“The sense from [passengers] is

that they feel there are too many

people in the back. But it’s some-

thing that we are not going to con-

sider via Facebook, but through

interviews,” says Linklater.

Eurocopter says it will participate in

the study as part of its efforts to

mend relations with the offshore

workforce. Dominique Maudet, ex-

ecutive vice-president global busi-

ness and services at Eurocopter,

says: “You can’t avoid the emotion,

but at some point you have to look

at the facts and figures.

“We will look at whatever modifi-

cations we can make in the short

and medium term to better address

passenger comfort, especially com-

pared with other aircraft.”

HSSG includes representatives

from offshore workforce trade un-

ions, as well as the three Aberdeen

operators. However, Linklater hopes

to broaden this to include regular

participation from the three main

helicopter manufacturers:

AgustaWestland, Eurocopter and

Sikorsky.

PA

Four passengers were killed in the 23 August incident

“To date, no evidenceof a causal technicalfailure has beenidentified”AAIB STATEMENT

David Learmount offers his views on aviation safety: flightglobal.com/learmount

flightglobal.com

THIS WEEK

Fuel contamination has been confirmed as the cause of a

double engine malfunction on a Cathay Pacific Airbus A330-300 on approach to Hong Kong Inter-national airport, which led to a high-speed emergency landing of the twinjet.

In a final report into the 13 April 2010 incident, Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department (CAD) says that 24.4t of contaminated fuel was uplifted into the A330 at Surabaya’s Juanda International airport in Indonesia. This caused stiction in the fuel metering units of both engines, leading to the total seizure of the components and the loss of thrust controls during approach.

Contaminants entered the fuel system via a hydrant refuelling circuit serving 10 stands at Sura-baya. This had undergone exten-sion work as part of an apron ex-pansion project at the airport.

However, CAD found that salt water had apparently entered the system during the construction works. The recommissioning process of the reworked hydrant was also not properly coordinated, which led to the premature resumption of refuelling opera-tions, says CAD – leading to

contamination of the fuel with su-per-absorbent polymer material.

It was this substance that caused the malfunction of the fuel metering units.

The report notes that airport personnel uploading the fuel failed to react to abnormal vibra-tions of the equipment, caused by the reaction between the polymer material and salt water to form a gel-like substance. Operatives failed to stop the procedure and investigate the cause of the vibra-tion, it says.

The affected aircraft (B-HLL) was operating flight CX780 when both its Rolls-Royce Trent 700 en-gines malfunctioned. The crew had to issued a Mayday call and eventually landed at a high ground speed of 231kt (427km/h), causing the lower cowling of one engine to contact the runway and overheated brakes that left five tyres deflated. Passengers evacu-ated using escape slides.

PT Pertamina, which carried out the refuelling at Surabaya, has since changed its procedures and equipment to prevent a repeat of the incident.

SAFETY MAVIS TOH SINGAPORE

Dirty fuel blamed for Cathay A330’s engine emergencyInvestigators pin twinjet’s double powerplant malfunction on contaminated Jet-A1 uplifted at Indonesia’s Juanda airport

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The Cathay widebody landed with a ground speed of 231kt

AIR TRANSPORT


Check out our collection of online dynamic aircraft profiles for the latest news, images and information on civil and military programmes at flightglobal.com/profiles

Investigators have determined that the crew of an Eva Air

Airbus A330-300 (B-16331) failed to adapt to changing weather and visibility, during an incident where the aircraft veered off the runway after landing at Taipei’s Songshan airport last year.

The incident took place on 13 September, and involved flight BR189, from Tokyo’s Haneda air-port. Taiwan’s Aviation Safety Council (ASC) says that during the flight the crew received infor-mation that visibility at Songshan airport was 5,000m (16,400ft) with haze, and that at 5nm (9km) from the runway threshold, visi-bility was 7,000m, with wet run-way conditions and heavy rain.

Interviews with the crew re-vealed that while they could see the runway at 3-4nm from the threshold during their approach, they could not see the end of the runway clearly.

About 9s before landing the aircraft started to drift to the right of the runway centreline. Upon landing, the aircraft’s right main wheels veered off the tarmac, only regaining the runway ap-

proximately 305m (1,000ft) later. Although the aircraft was not damaged in the incident, two runway edge lights were rendered inoperative.

“The aircraft touched down at the right side of the runway cen-treline. After landing, the aircraft veered off the runway [as] the flightcrew did not adequately control the aircraft direction,” says the ASC.

Although the crew had ade-quate situational awareness and had acknowledged the rainy con-ditions, they failed to make “ap-propriate judgement and action according to the weather change and abrupt visibility variation at landing phase”, it says. The pilot monitoring the decent also did not perform standard call-outs when the speed range met the criteria for doing so.

Eva also lacked any standard call-out procedures in its manu-als to deal with a runway excur-sion post-touchdown. The ASC has since recommended that Eva reinforce its flightcrew’s manoeu-vring and handling training in instances where visual references are insufficient.

INVESTIGATION MAVIS TOH SINGAPORE

Crew failed to adapt to poor visibilityChanging conditions on approach to Taipei airport led to A330’s right main wheels leaving the runway following landing

JetBlue Airways’s subsidiary LiveTV has received supple-

mental type certification from the US Federal Aviation Administra-tion for its Ka-band in-flight inter-net on Airbus A320s, paving the way for the airline to offer broad-band on revenue flights.

Testing of the satellite-based wi-fi system has been completed on an A320, and trials are also under way on a Boeing 737-900ER operated by United Airlines, says LiveTV.

“This is game-changing tech-nology,” says JetBlue chief commercial officer Robin Hayes. “We expect to have a number of JetBlue aircraft installed with wi-fi by the end of this year, and will aggressively roll it out across

our Airbus fleet over the next 18 months, followed by our Embraer fleet.”

Hayes claims JetBlue’s wi-fi, dubbed “Fly-Fi” by the airline, will be “the fastest in-flight wi-fi in the industry”.

JetBlue has previously indicat-ed it plans to operate three A320s with the system for 90 days for longer-term testing. Next year the airline intends to install the sys-tem on further A320s, before fit-ting it on its fleet of E-190s.

JetBlue has 129 Airbus narrow-bodies and 59 E-190s in its fleet, according to Flightglobal’s As-cend Online Fleets database.

LiveTv says it is also seeking Ka-band certification from EASA on Aer Lingus A320s.

REGULATIONS DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON

Kazakhstan safety drive targets EU blacklisting

IFE JON HEMMERDINGER WASHINGTON DC

FAA green lights JetBlue ‘Fly-Fi’

Kazakhstan’s government has introduced dozens of amend-

ed regulations aimed at improv-ing the central Asian state’s air safety oversight.

Transport minister Askar Zhumagaliyev discussed progress in the area with ICAO’s European regional director Luis Fonseca de Almeida, during a meeting in early September.

Kazakhstan has brought in 80 amendments to civil aviation regulations, the transport minis-try says, of which 70 relate to safety, in an effort to harmonise with international standards. On 3 September a new aviation

security training centre opened in Almaty, which the ministry says will complement other centres in Moscow and Kiev.

Kazakhstan remains subject to a blacklisting by the European Commission, which the govern-ment is keen to have lifted. Safety revision efforts have included r ecertification of the country’s operators.

Air Astana is exempt from the blanket European ban. The Com-mission, in its most recent blacklist revision, confirmed that ramp checks had revealed “no specific concern” with the carri-er’s operations.

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The Eva Air pilots were censured for failing to adequately control the aircraft’s direction

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AIR TRANSPORT


Virgin Australia eyes new widebodiesAIR TRANSPORT P14

The parent company of defunct Indian carrier Kingfisher Air-

lines has filed a $234 million law-suit against International Aero Engines (IAE) over its V2500-A5 powerplants.

The suit was filed by United Breweries in Bengaluru, and alleg-es that the engines “were inher-ently defective, both in design and manufacture”. The suit was re-vealed in the carrier’s annual re-port for the financial year ended 31 March. The suit seeks damages of $210 million in addition to Rs1.6 billion ($24 million).

An airline spokesman contact-ed about the suit declined to pro-vide further details. Kingfisher has been grounded since Septem-ber 2012, and in its annual report states it has defaulted on “pay-ments to several creditors”.

It attributed its problems to a “difficult operating environment as well as the engine problems”.

Kingfisher was formerly a major operator of Airbus A320-family aircraft powered by IAE V2500 engines.

In August 2010 the carrier had problems with the V2500 that caused it to ground nine A320s.

The carrier said it had experi-enced “technical issues” with stages three to eight of the 10-stage high-pressure compressor in the engine, among other problems.

Subsequently, on 19 August 2010, IAE said it would replace parts on some of its V2500 en-gines on in-operation aircraft after discovering problems with the engine’s high-pressure compres-sor drum in 2009.

No-one from IAE was available to comment.

A Vienna court has called into question the legality of a

move last year by Austrian Air-lines to transfer flights to regional subsidiary Tyrolean Airways as part of its restructuring plans, de-spite ruling it strictly complies with the country’s labour laws.

The Lufthansa-owned carrier moved all flight operations to Ty-rolean in July 2012 to cut staff costs for pilots and cabin crew after failing to negotiate a new deal with unions. While employ-ee salary levels were not reduced, the move was aimed at slowing the rate of pay increases.

In the ruling, the Vienna La-bour and Social Affairs Court says that an “ostensible viola-tion” of law has not taken place, but it has called into question the transfer of operations within a corporate group.

“We acknowledge the first in-stance judgment,” says Austrian Airlines chief executive Jaan Al-brecht. “It is surprising for us that [the judge] casts doubt upon the common practice of transferring operations as part of group re-structuring programmes.

“We will pursue every legal av-

enue at our disposal in the ap-peals process in order to legally safeguard our restructuring path. In the meantime, we hope that the talks initiated with the works council on the collective wage agreement will result in a viable solution independent of the deci-sion handed down by the court,” he adds.

The labour court ruling deals with the specific legal repercus-sions on the transfer of flight op-erations to Tyrolean from an em-ployment law basis.

The Lufthansa Group carrier is looking to trim staff costs

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The carrier said it had‘technical issues’with stages three toeight of the 10-stagecompressor

SAS Group has sold seven Bombardier Q400 turboprops

to Norwegian operation Widerøe, following its divestment of a ma-jority shareholding in the airline.

It says the loans on these air-craft have also been transferred to the carrier.

Three Q400s were also sold to Widerøe and then sold on to a leasing company.

Investors led by the Torghatten firm are taking an 80% share in Widerøe and SAS will hand over full ownership of the airline in 2016. SAS Group says it will re-

Q400 deal cements Widerøe sell-offDIVESTMENT DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON

EMPLOYMENT GRAHAM DUNN LONDON

Court raises questions overAustrian’s Tyrolean transferChief executive vows to appeal ruling as carrier seeks to safeguard restructuring plans

POWERPLANTS GREG WALDRON SINGAPORE

IAE faces court challenge fromKingfisher owner

For more business stories, see the September edition of sister publication airlinebusiness.com

However, it will have no bear-ing on a separate judicial probe into the move being undertaken by Austria’s supreme court to clarify the effects on former Aus-trian Airlines flight personnel caused by the termination of their collective wage agreement.

In June that court sought a clar-ification from the European Court of Justice on several legal issues about the operational transfer.

ceive Swedish krona (SKr)2 bil-lion ($300 million) through the sale of the initial Widerøe share-

holding and the aircraft, from which the group’s liquidity will benefit by SKr1 billion.

SAS Group has sold the turboprops to its former regional carrier

AIR TRANSPORT


Check out our collection of online dynamic aircraft profiles for the latest news, images and information on civil and military programmes at flightglobal.com/profiles

Virgin Australia is evaluating new long-haul twinjets from

both the big airframers as potential replacements for its Airbus A330-300s and Boeing 777-300ERs.

Chief executive John Borghetti says the airline is in the process of running the rule over both widebody types, and that it “could be making a decision in the next six to 12 months”.

He notes, however, that as the carrier’s widebody fleet is rela-tively young, there is no great ur-gency to place an order.

“We want to make a consid-ered decision – the right decision for our route network,” says Borghetti, adding that “they are both good aircraft”.

Flightglobal’s Ascend Online Fleets database shows that Vir-gin’s six A330s have an average age of five years, while the five 777s are slightly younger, at an average of four years. The A330s are all leased, while the airline owns four of the five 777s.

Comac has started installing components on its C919 iron

bird ground-test rig, and is aiming to have the aircraft’s landing gear fitted by late September.

The Chinese airframer says as-sembly of the test rig is a key task for the firm.

In the first half of the year, several components necessary for iron bird tests were delivered, the manufacturer adds.

Suppliers have also started tooling design and manufacturing of parts, it says, without provid-ing further details. So far, over

200 tubes for the iron bird have been made.

Last month, Eaton and Shang-hai Aircraft Manufacturing’s joint venture delivered the first batch of conveyance tubes to Comac, becoming the first supplier to de-liver parts for the C919.

First flight for the new narrow-body is now set for end-2015 – a delay from the original 2014 schedule.

To date, Comac has received 380 commitments for its C919, mostly from Chinese airlines and leasing companies.

Comac matures fledgling C919 iron bird test rigTRIALS MAVIS TOH SINGAPORE

STRATEGY ELLIS TAYLOR SINGAPORE

Virgin Australia eyes new widebodiesCarrier evaluates rival long-haul twinjets as it looks for potential replacements for its Airbus A330 and Boeing 777 fleets

PROGRAMME DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON

Brégier heaps praise on ‘maturity’ of A350 prototypeAirbus has completed over 150h of

flight testing with its A350 prototype,

having resumed the campaign in

August following a short break.

The first test aircraft, MSN1, re-

emerged in mid-August after under-

going modifications to its flight-test

installation in July. These included

the fitting of a device beneath the aft

fuselage which appears to be linked

to high-attitude take-off testing, al-

though Airbus says these minimum-

unstick tests have not yet been

conducted and are not scheduled

for the “immediate future”.

Airbus chief executive Fabrice

Brégier has completed his first flight

Virgin uses its A330s on do-mestic services, primarily on transcontinental flights, while the 777s are operated on long-haul route to Los Angeles and Abu Dhabi.

Rival carrier Qantas is yet to

decide on when it may firm up options for the 50 787-9s that are available for delivery from 2016 onwards. The airline has previously said it intends to use the 787s to expand its network in Asia, subject to its interna-

tional business becoming profit-able in 2015.

Last year, Virgin ordered 23 Boeing 737 Max 8s and deferred delivery of some of its existing 737-800 orders. The first Max air-craft are due to arrive in 2019.

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The Airbus CEO aboard the jet

The airline’s five 777s have an average age of four years

Get the latest news on the de-velopment of the Airbus A350: flightglobal.com/A350

on board the aircraft, joining a rou-

tine 3h sortie over southwest

France.

“I was particularly impressed by

the maturity of the aircraft at such

an early stage in its life,” he says.

“The new cockpit layout with the

large screens and head-up display

are amazing and I am confident that

pilots are going to love being behind

the controls of this machine.”

Airbus is nearly three months into

A350 flight testing, following the

type’s maiden flight on 14 June.

AIR TRANSPORT


UK reveals AEW programme costsDEFENCE P16

The Mitsubishi Regional Jet is taking longer than anticipated

to develop because of the chal-lenges it has encountered in adopting the US Federal Aviation Administration’s new certifica-tion and approval process.

Yugo Fukuhara, Mitsubishi Aircraft head of sales, says the new regional type is the first air-craft to fully apply the FAA’s or-ganisational delegation authorisa-tion (ODA) system, which came into effect in 2009. Although the new system had been partly used before, this was in relation to Boeing’s 787, where the airframer delegated some responsibilities for performing tests to demon-strate that the Dreamliner’s lithi-um-ion batteries complied with airworthiness requirements.

Mitsubishi says under ODA it has been granted the authority to design, test and analyse proce-dures and trial results to prove airworthiness requirements. This means that it has had to invest

significant time and resources to develop the required processes, it says. “With this new system, all design and manufacturing internal processes must be docu-mented in advance and approved by the authorities. We need to build new processes to validate

compliance not only for our-selves, but also for all our compo-nent partners,” says Fukuhara.

“Our partners are aware of this new system, but we have to inte-grate their old system into our new processes,” he adds. “Of course, this new ODA system

came in 2009, we knew this system conceptually, but it has taken a longer time than expected [to implement].”

The nature of the system means that every component on the regional jet was affected by the process. With a clear process in place, however, maintaining the MRJ’s revised first flight schedule should be “very straightforward”, says Fukuhara.

His comments come a week after the Japanese airframer an-nounced a third delay to its pro-gramme schedule, pushing first flight of the MRJ90 from end-2013 to the second quarter of 2015, with deliveries to follow in the first half of 2017. “We hope this should be the last delay we announce,” says Fukuhara.

Mitsubishi is now assembling its first flight- and ground-test air-craft. The first Pratt & Whitney PW1200G engines for the jet should be delivered to Mitsubishi in the spring of 2014.

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First flight is now expected in the second quarter of 2015

State-run Russian transport leasing company GTLK is to

co-operate with lessor Ilyushin Finance on the supply of Tupolev Tu-204SM aircraft.

GTLK has signed a memoran-dum with the lessor confirming its interest in participating in leasing projects to carriers Red Wings and VIM-Avia.

The two sides reached the agreement during August’s MAKS air show in Moscow.

Red Wings has agreed to take 10 Tu-204SMs from Ilyushin Fi-nance, as well as 10 Irkut MC-21s and 10 Bombardier Q400s.

VIM-Avia is also taking a batch of Bombardier CSeries twinjets from the lessor, which has 32 on order.

TWINJET MAVIS TOH SINGAPORE

MRJ delay pinned on FAA paperworkEfforts by Mitsubishi to adopt administration’s new certification and approval regulations have delayed new jet, it says

AGREEMENT

Lessors sign up for joint Tupolev Tu-204 supply

Russia’s Rosaviaconsortium, which is developing a triple-

aisle medium-haul aircraft desig-nated the Frigate Ecojet, is edging towards the production phase of the programme.

Based on the aircraft’s dimen-sions and technical characteris-tics, ThyssenKrupp System Engi-neering has developed a masterplan for the Ecojet’s final assembly. During a joint presen-tation at August’s MAKS air show, the partners released de-tails of a new facility designed to accommodate a 245m (800ft)-long, 75m-wide assembly line.

Andreas Bekker, project man-ager at ThyssenKrupp, says the whole assembly process will be completed at four workstations, connected to logistics and inven-tory areas. “It would begin with the joining of parts of the [ellipti-cal] fuselage,” says Bekker. “After

the wings, empennage and un-dercarriage have been assembled, engine mounting and interior outfitting would follow. System inspections and testing will be done at the final station.”

“Flow line production should allow us to raise annual output from 16 to 45 aircraft within five years,” says Ecojet programme director Alexander Klimov. Rosaviaconsortium has complet-ed windtunnel trials of the Ecojet

mock-up at the TsAGI Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute, and plans to release working design drawings by August 2014.

“With the masterplan in place, our task now is to select a site for the assembly line,” says Klimov. “To this end, we’ll issue requests for proposals to prospective bid-ders in Russia and abroad.”

DEVELOPMENT TOM ZAITSEV MOSCOW

Ecojet project on approach to production phase

A mock-up of the aircraft has completed windtunnel testing

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DEFENCE


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Pratt & Whitney and the US Department of Defense have

reached an agreement in princi-ple for the production of a sixth lot of 38 F135 engines for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

“This agreement represents a fair deal for [the] government and Pratt & Whitney,” says Lt Gen Chris Bogdan, F-35 programme executive officer. “Driving down cost is critical to the success of this programme, and we are working together to lower costs for the propulsion system.”

“Cost details will be released when the LRIP [low-rate initial production] 6 contract is final-ised,” the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) says.

Unit prices for the convention-al version of the F135 are expect-ed to drop by 2.5% compared with the previous production lot, the JPO says, but the price for six short take-off and vertical landing F135 engines to be contained within the deal should fall by roughly 9.6%.

Deliveries will begin in the fourth quarter of this year.

Further details of the UK Royal Navy’s Crowsnest next-gener-

ation airborne early warning pro-gramme have been disclosed by the nation’s Ministry of Defence, with the effort expected to have a maximum cost of around £500 million ($782 million).

To provide replacements for the Fleet Air Arm’s current West-land Sea King 7 airborne surveil-lance and control system helicop-ters, Crowsnest recently entered a second assessment phase. This is concerned with candidate radars and mission systems which could be installed aboard eight upgrad-ed AgustaWestland AW101 Mer-lin HM2 rotorcraft for the navy from later this decade.

Merlin HM2 programme prime contractor Lockheed Martin is of-fering its Vigilance mission suite, combined with a Northrop Grum-man radar for Crowsnest, while Thales is promoting an update of its Cerberus system and Search-water 2000 sensor already used with the Sea King 7. Elta Systems and Selex ES are also offering ra-dars for the requirement, accord-ing to evidence given to the UK Public Accounts Committee by MoD officials earlier this year.

In a report about the UK’s future carrier strike capability

published on 3 September, the committee voiced concern that the Crowsnest system is not scheduled to achieve full capabil-ity until 2022 – two years after the expected initial use of the RN’s first Queen Elizabeth-class air-craft carrier with deployed Lock-heed F-35B combat aircraft.

Service trials with the selected system would commence in 2020, the MoD says, with initial operational capability to be de-clared late the same year. “By the time we get to 2020 we will own four Crowsnest helicopters, of which two would be available to deploy in extremis,” deputy chief of defence staff (military capabil-ity) Air Marshal Stephen Hillier told the committee.

Prior to achieving a full carrier strike capability, the UK “would be working alongside allies and would be able to share capabili-ties”, he notes.

The MoD expects to launch a third assessment phase activity next year, and to make a main gate investment decision for the Crowsnest system in 2017; one year after its last Sea Kings have been retired. The programme is expected to have a total cost rang-ing between £230 million and around £500 million, it says.

The US Air Force and Boeing completed a critical design re-

view (CDR) process for the KC-46 tanker on 21 August, more than one month ahead of a contractual milestone previously set for 24 September.

“I’m pleased to report that the design of the KC-46A tanker has been locked down,” says Maj Gen John Thompson, the USAF’s pro-gramme executive officer for tankers.

Boeing and the USAF had been working on component and sub-system design reviews for 10 months to complete the process, the service says. “Closure of CDR formally establishes the KC-46 design and now allows the pro-gramme to progress into its man-

ufacturing and development test phases,” it adds. Manufacture of the first tanker is already under way, with Boeing having begun wing assembly work on 26 June. Flight testing of the basic Boeing 767-2C airframe, which will later be reconfigured into the KC-46, is scheduled to begin in mid-2014. The first fully-equipped KC-46 tanker is projected to fly in early 2015, according to the air force.

Boeing is contracted to build four test aircraft and deliver 18 combat-ready tankers by August 2017, as part of a process to re-place a portion of the USAF’s aged Boeing KC-135 fleet. If the service exercises all of its options, it will receive a total of 179 of the aircraft by 2028.

CONTEST CRAIG HOYLE LONDON

UK reveals AEW programme costsNext-generation Crowsnest system to be readied for initial use in 2020, as MoD sets potential value at £500 million

DEVELOPMENT DAVE MAJUMDAR WASHINGTON DC

KC-46 CDR accomplished early

The first fully-equipped aircraft is projected to fly in early 2015

POWERPLANTS

F-35 engine production agreement a ‘fair deal’

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Operations with the aged Sea King 7 will end by March 2016

DEFENCE


Israeli air force pushes 12-aircraft KC-135R dealDEFENCE P18

Embraer has delivered the first modernised A-1M AMX

subsonic strike aircraft to the Brazilian air force at its Gavião Peixoto site.

“The A-1 fighter jets are funda-mental elements for the defence of Brazil, including its territorial coastal waters,” says Gen Juniti Saito, the service’s commander. “We have been very successful in using this aircraft on such highly complex operations as the Cruzex and Red Flag exercises. Its modernisation presents a big gain in capability.”

The A-1M programme pro-vides for the upgrade of 43 AMX jets, which were originally devel-

oped under a joint venture with Italy’s then-Aermacchi. So far, 16 of Brazil’s aircraft have been in-ducted into Embraer’s facilities for refurbishment.

The modernisation package adds new weapons, radar and navigation equipment, plus elec-tronic countermeasures.

Embraer is also performing structural refurbishments that will extend the type’s service life until 2025.

Brazil’s current operational AMX inventory also comprises 46 A-1/1A single-seat strike air-craft and 10 B-model trainers, says Flightglobal’s MiliCAS database.

India’s comptroller and auditor general (CAG) has slammed the

acquisition of 12 AgustaWestland AW101 VVIP transport helicop-ters for the Indian air force in its probe into the deal.

According to the report, “the entire process of acquisition of VVIP helicopters right from fram-ing of [the] services qualitative requirements to the conclusion of contract deviated from laid down procedures.” This, it adds, “poses serious questions on accountabil-ity and lack of transparency in the finalisation of the contract, which need to be addressed.”

India’s Central Bureau of Inves-tigation has already registered a case against 13 people and six firms with regard to the AW101 contract, which has been put on hold. New Delhi has already paid about 30% of the €560 million ($737 million) total, and received three aircraft.

AgustaWestland refutes the auditor’s allegations, saying that changed air force requirements, including stipulating a cabin height of 5.9ft (1.8m), was met by other helicopters and did not lead to the “ejection of any competing aircraft”. This counters the

report’s claim that the decision to raise the height from an original 4.8ft led to a single vendor situation, and “resulted in an operational disadvantage” for the air force.

The CAG also highlighted a reduction in the VVIP aircraft’s required service ceiling, which dropped to 14,800ft from the 19,700ft cited in an earlier request

for proposals. AgustaWestland says it sent letters to the Indian air force in 2005 stating that the AW101 could be modified to op-erate at the higher altitude.

Alleged violations with respect to offset obligations are also men-tioned in the report.

India has ordered eight AW101s in a VVIP configuration, and four for use as tactical trans-

ports. Its air force is already believed to be having trouble in keeping its received three examples – delivered between November 2012 and February 2013 – airworthy.

The ongoing controversy means that the air force will have to continue flying its eight ageing VVIP-roled Mil Mi-8s, which were acquired from 1988. The CAG report also questions the size of the AW101 order, noting that the current inventory saw a utilisation rate of approximately 29% between 1999 and 2010.

Uncertainty over the contract has led to AgustaWestland slow-ing down work on the order at its Yeovil production site in Somer-set, the UK. Three more Indian aircraft are ready for delivery, with the remainder in an ad-vanced state of completion.

The company remains hopeful that the transports will eventually be handed over, but exhibited one of the completed examples at the MAKS air show in Russia in late August, repainted in a new corporate livery.

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AgustaWestland took a repainted transport to the MAKS show

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INVESTIGATION

Auditor slams Indian AW101 contractReport into halted VVIP helicopter programme questions transparency and accountability of European type’s selection

CEREMONY

C-17 inducted by Hindan ‘Skylords’The Indian air force’s newly-raised 81 Sqn ‘Skylords’ unit has for-

mally inducted the Boeing C-17 strategic transport into use, follow-

ing a ceremony at Hindan air base.

Three of New Delhi’s currently-contracted 10 C-17s were received

between June and August 2013, with the air force to field two more

before the end of this year, and the remaining five to be delivered

during 2014.

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gENHANCEMENTS DAVE MAJUMDAR WASHINGTON DC

Embraer delivers AMX upgrade

DEFENCE


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Boeing and the US Marine Corps are testing a prototype

roll-on/roll-off aerial refuelling system for the Bell Boeing MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor, a senior service official says.

The system, which consists of a high-speed aerial refuelling drogue and hose and reel mecha-nism, is being tested on an aircraft from the Marines’ VMX-22 opera-tional test and evaluation unit, says the squadron’s commander, Col Michael Orr. Boeing is paying for the demonstration, he notes.

While flight-testing will in-volve the installation of a non-functional aerodynamic demon-strator for the refuelling system, Orr says he does not expect the process to encounter any issues, as it concerns the use of “off the shelf” equipment.

Orr says the USMC is very in-terested in the MV-22 air-to-air refuelling system for use in sup-port of its short take-off and ver-tical landing Lockheed Martin F-35Bs. However, because test examples of the new type are scarce, the service is using a Boeing F/A-18 as a substitute for the current trials.

Earlier in the year, the USMC’s deputy commandant for aviation Lt Gen Robert Schmidle laid out a number of operating concepts for the F-35B, including one where a full squadron of 16 of the new combat aircraft could be de-ployed onboard an amphibious assault ship, along with six MV-22s carrying roll-on/roll-off aerial refuelling kits.

The Israeli air force will only evaluate a US offer to supply

it with surplus Boeing KC-135 tankers if the aircraft are R-model examples, service sources say.

Washington has so far only pro-posed the sale of three KC-135Es, worth around $200 million. These would be transferred under its ex-cess defence articles programme, through which it can equip its al-lies with secondhand hardware for free, or at a greatly reduced price. Israel’s air force is looking for a new tanker capability, and surplus KC-135s were several months ago included in a US offer of equipment, which also includ-ed an export sale of the Bell Boe-ing V-22 tiltrotor.

According to Israeli sources, an agreement from Washington to supply ex-US Air Force CFM International CFM56-powered R-model aircraft could see the nation receive 12 examples, which would be transferred after undergoing depot maintenance in the USA. The air force intends to use two of the aircraft for VIP transport duties.

The Israeli government has for some years evaluated options for acquiring an “Air Force One”-type

Turkish Aerospace Industries performed a 33min maiden

sortie with its single-engined Hurkus turboprop trainer from Ankara Akinci air base on 29 Au-gust, the company says.

EQUIPMENT ARIE EGOZI TEL AVIV

Israeli air force pushes for 12-aircraft KC-135R dealService to evaluate surplus tanker proposal if Washington offers CFM56-powered variant

TAI

The single-engined type was flown from Ankara Akinci air base

Isra

eli

air forc

eDEVELOPMENT TOLGA OZBEK ISTANBUL

Hurkus turboprop trainer makes debut flight

Israel currently operates an aged fleet of 10 707s

capability to fly officials including the nation’s prime minister on overseas visits, but an earlier pro-gramme was shelved on cost grounds following the release of a request for information. No official response has been given to the sta-tus of the negotiations between Is-rael and the USA.

Flightglobal’s Ascend Online Fleets database records the Israeli air force as having a current active

fleet of 10 Pratt & Whitney JT3D-engined Boeing 707s, built between 1960 and 1979.

This total includes seven boom-equipped tankers, two transports and one airborne early warning example equipped with Israel Aerospace Industries’ Phalcon surveillance radar, it says.

ASSESSMENT DAVE MAJUMDAR WASHINGTON DC

Boeing bankrolls Osprey in-flight refuelling kit test

The MV-22 will trial tanker role

Keep up to date with all the defence news from Israel atflightglobal.com/arielview

US

Nav

y

Aircraft TC-VCH was flown with its landing gear extended and flaps set in a landing position for the duration of the debut.

Take-off speed of the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-powered

type was 100kt (185km/h), slight-ly higher than initially envisaged, and the Hurkus was flown to an altitude of 9,500ft (2,900m).

A maximum speed of 140kt was achieved, due to the configu-ration flown, says test pilot Murat Ozpala. “We did not exceed 150kt, because the flaps were in the landing position.” he adds.

The programme was launched in 2007, and the lead aircraft was rolled out in June 2012. TAI ex-pects to receive certification for the aircraft by the end of 2014, and to produce three variants.

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BUSINESS AVIATION


Keep up to date with all the latest business and general aviation news at flightglobal.com/bizav

FANSTREAM FINANCINGUS engineering company

Aviation Alliance has secured

funding to develop and market

its Gulfstream III conversion

and modernisation programme

– FanStream. According to the

Paso Robles, California-based

company, the modified

Gulfstream III “will be a like-new,

[US FAA noise level] Stage

3-compliant aircraft with a range

approaching or exceeding

5,000nm [9,260km]”. The

FanStream will feature new en-

gines and a glass flightdeck, as

well as a new interior, electrical

system updates and new paint.

Aviation Alliance plans to dis-

close the FanStream’s availabil-

ity, performance and pricing

before the end of the year.

TEGEL BOOSTJet Aviation has extended its

facilities at Tegel International

airport in Berlin to satisfy cus-

tomer demand for full ground-

handling services, it says. The

fixed-base operation now in-

cludes a customer lounge and

crew briefing offices. “Tegel

International is proving to be a

very attractive destination for

business, charter, VIP and

[head of] state flights,” says

Jet Aviation.

TOCUMEN FBOAviation services provider ASIG

Panamá has broken ground

on a new Signature Flight

Support-branded fixed-base

operation and private jet termi-

nal at Tocumen International

airport, which serves the

Panamanian capital.

MRO EXPANSIONDallas Aeronautical Services

(DAS) Brazil is building a new

maintenance, repair and

overhaul base in aerospace

centre São José dos Campos.

The 70,000ft2 (6,500m2) facil-

ity, which will specialise in the

production, repair and over-

haul of composites, structures

and assemblies for business

aircraft, is scheduled to open

next year.

IN BRIEF

Russian Helicopters plans to perform the maiden flight of

its new developmental high-speed rotorcraft towards the end of the decade as it eyes the fledg-ling market for advanced vertical-lift aircraft.

Development of the airframer’s Russian Advanced Commercial Helicopter – or RACHEL – was first revealed at Farnborough air show in 2012. The company is now targeting first flight in 2018, says chief executive Dmitry Petrov. A flying testbed is being built around a Mil Mi-35 to vali-date systems that Petrov believes will translate into a 10t-class ma-chine capable of carrying 21-24 people at a cruise speed of 195-205kt (360-380km/h). Compara-tively, AgustaWestland’s 30-pas-senger AW101 boasts a cruise speed of 150kt.

Critically, says, Petrov, the air-craft must go into large-volume serial production, rather than exist as an expensive niche prod-uct. In addition to the basic passenger transport model with

convertible cabin suitable for off-shore operations, Russian Heli-copters envisions special variants for search and rescue, patrol and medevac missions.

At this point the company is giving away no clues as to the configuration of RACHEL, al-though its Mil and Kamov design bureaux in 2011 both fielded con-cepts for a high-speed helicopter. In addition, when it outlined the RACHEL programme in 2012 Russian Helicopters said it had decided to follow a “twin track” development approach.

Kamov’s Ka-92 concept echoes Sikorsky’s X2, with coaxial main rotors and a single rear-mounted pusher prop. Mil’s Mi-X1 takes a different tack, with a single main rotor and pusher prop with steering vane.

The latter design offers an in-teresting blend of the X2 or Ka-92 with Eurocopter’s X3 hybrid con-cept, which features a single main rotor and twin pusher props mounted laterally on short wings that provide some lift in forward

flight. The speed parameters Petrov outlined at an August briefing at his Moscow offices fall well below the speeds in excess of 240kt achieved by the Euro-copter and Sikorsky demonstra-tion programmes.

But Petrov believes that while technologies such as those being evaluated at Eurocopter or Sikor-sky “will eventually be used”, he does not see any market break-through for at least five to seven years, during which time conven-tional rotorcraft will dominate.

RACHEL is being designed to replace the long-standing Mi-8/17 family, and sit alongside the heavier Mi-38.

Meanwhile, a flying testbed has been evaluating the upgraded avionics, rotors and engines that will go into serial production with the Mi-171A2.

According to Petrov, this air-craft will “bridge the gap” to RACHEL, and should have a mark∑et up to 2025. Talks are on-going with prospective launch customers, he adds.

DEVELOPMENT DAN THISDELL MOSCOW

Russian Helicopters speeds progress of next generationPrototype of faster rotorcraft, dubbed RACHEL, set for maiden flight by end of the decade

Modified Twin Otter helps G-Sky growTURBOPROPS KATE SARSFIELD LONDON

US engineering company Ikha-na Aircraft Services has de-

livered a modified de Havilland Canada DHC-6-200HG Twin Otter to Canadian charter start-up G-Sky Aviation.

The modification, originally de-veloped by Ikhana predecessor RW Martin, boosts the gross weight of the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-27-powered aircraft by 410kg to 5,680kg (12,500lb).

Bill Houghton, general manag-er of operations for Fort McMur-ray, Alberta-based G-Sky, says: “This is the first Twin Otter to be put into service by G-Sky, and we are planning to use it as the cornerstone of our operation.”

Ikhana

Ikhana’s changes have upped the turboprop’s gross weight

BUSINESS AVIATION


Ansat clinches civil certificationGENERAL AVIATION P22

LIGHT LAUNCHRussian Helicopters and

AgustaWestland have formally

kicked off their joint bid to pro-

duce an all-new 2.5t-class sin-

gle-engined rotorcraft, with the

signing of a heads of agree-

ment at the MAKS air show in

Moscow last month. Details of

design and project manage-

ment for the 50:50 project,

along with a market assess-

ment, will be revealed by year-

end. According to Russian

Helicopters chief executive

Dmitry Petrov, European

certification is targeted for

the final quarter of 2016.

PIAGGIO CONNECTSPiaggio has appointed UK

business aircraft sales, charter

and management company

ConnectJets as its dealership

for the Avanti II twin-engined

turboprop in the UK, Ireland,

the Channel Islands and the

Isle of Man.

COMLUX MOVEBusiness aviation services

group Comlux completed the

relocation of its main holding

company from Switzerland

to Malta on 5 September.

The majority of the group’s

18-strong business jet fleet is

registered in Malta, although

two aircraft will remain on the

Kazakhstan register and three

on the Aruban.

FLIGHTSAFETY EXPANDSFlightSafety International has

announced a “significant” ex-

pansion of the training the com-

pany offers for Cessna Citation

business jets and Caravan tur-

boprop singles at its learning

centres in Orlando, Florida, San

Antonio, Texas and Wichita,

Kansas. Training on the full

Citation Excel/XLS series will

now be offered in Orlando,

which houses a new level-D

XLS+ simulator. A CJ2+ simula-

tor will be added to the San

Antonio facility, while a Caravan

simulator equipped with a

Garmin G600 cockpit has been

delivered to Wichita.

IN BRIEF

Russian industrial conglomer-ate Rostec has revealed the

pricing for two new commuter and utility aircraft it has agreed to develop with Austrian manufac-turer Diamond Aircraft.

At June’s Paris air show the companies signed a memoran-dum of understanding to develop a majority-composite 19-seater.

Rostec has now priced the air-craft – targeted as a replacement for Russia’s fleet of Antonov

An-2s and Let L-410s – at Rb120 million ($3.62 million).

The conglomerate has also re-vealed that plans with Diamond include developing a second air-craft type in the family – a nine-seater with a list price of around $2.41 million.

Scale models of both aircraft were displayed for the first time at the MAKS air show outside Moscow, late last month. The dis-play depicted plans to begin the

collaboration with Diamond building the entire first 19-seater in Austria. That will be followed by shifting the manufacture of some components to Ekaterin-burg-based Ural Works of Civil Aviation, as a prelude to migrat-ing full assembly of the aircraft and diesel turboprop engines to Russia, Rostec says.

Both companies intend to com-plete airworthiness certification of the 19-seater in 2016.

Marshall Aerospace and De-fence Group (Marshall

ADG) has acquired Beechcraft’s largest European maintenance, repair and overhaul business as it sets its sights on strengthening its portfolio of business aviation companies.

The acquisition of Hawker Beechcraft Services Chester, based at Broughton in the UK, takes the proportion of Marshall ADG’s annual turnover from its commercial business, Marshall Aviation Services, from 15 to 25%. However, the Cambridge-based company, which specialis-es in military aircraft modifica-tions, is seeking to increase this to around 40%.

“Marshall’s defence business will account for the bulk of its

turnover, but we are keen to grow the business aviation offering and will look at opportunities – par-ticularly in the Middle East – in charter, management and MRO,” says Steve Jones, managing direc-tor of Marshall Aviation Services.

Marshall’s business and com-mercial aviation’s offering in-cludes Cambridge airport and the Cessna Citation authorised serv-ice centre based there, as well as a line maintenance base at London Luton airport and business air-craft charter and management company Flairjet. “These units [have] a combined annual turno-ver of £20 million [$31.2 million], while the Broughton facility turns over £30 million,” says Jones.

“The Broughton acquisition gives us critical mass by allowing

us to capture a much bigger slice of the market,” he adds. “We are already a Citation [500-series] au-thorised service centre but we have been looking to extend our maintenance offering.”

The 50-year-old Broughton fa-cility will be rebranded Marshall Aviation Services and will widen its scope beyond Beechcraft, Jones says. “We can offer a breadth of services, including air-craft completions – something we have been unable to do until now,” he adds. “The skilled workforce can now be unleashed to work on other models. The de-mand is there.”

Marshall has also been ap-pointed as Beechcraft’s distribu-tor for the UK, Ireland and Scandinavia.

Rostec reveals 19-seater price tagDEVELOPMENT STEPHEN TRIMBLE MOSCOW

ACQUISITION KATE SARSFIELD LONDON

Ambitious Marshall snaps up Beechcraft MRO centreAerospace group strengthens business portfolio with Broughton, UK services unit buy

The firm can now sell and support the ubiqitous King Air family

GENERAL AVIATION


Explore 100 years of aviation history as it appeared in the original pages of Flight: flightglobal.com/archive

ALMATY ORDERRussian Helicopters has sold a

Mil Mi-8AMT helicopter to

Almaty Rescue Service. The

medium twin-engined aircraft

will be used for search and res-

cue and medevac missions

when it enters service with the

Kazakhastan-based operator

next year.

MAINTENANCE TIE-UPRussian operator UTAir and

Anglo-Italian airframer

AgustaWestland have signed an

agreement to establish a

maintenance and support unit

for AW139 helicopters in

Russia. UTAir is the first

commercial operator of the

medium twin-engined type in

the region with over ten

AW139s operating from bases

in Moscow, Saint Petersburg,

Sochi and Siberia.

TURKISH EMSTurkey’s THK Gökçen Aviation

has taken delivery of the first

five of a 17-strong Eurocopter

EC135 order. The light twin-

engined aircraft will provide

emergency medical services.

The remaining EC135s will be

delivered early next year.

Eurocopter says more than

1,100 EC135s have been deliv-

ered worldwide to date, of

which, more than 500 are con-

figured for medevac missions.

FLYING CLUB BOOSTThe US Aircraft Owners and

Pilots Association’s (AOPA)

campaign to grow the number

of flying clubs in the US to

reverse the declining pilot

population, has reached a new

milestone with over 400 clubs

added to the network since the

initiative began less than a year

ago. “Flying clubs are an under-

recognised part of aviation that

deserve [our] support and

encouragement,” says the

association. Meanwhile, the

International Council of AOPAs

(IAOPA) has approved Jordan

as its 72nd affiliate, making it

the seventh IAOPA Middle

Eastern affiliate.

IN BRIEF

VMD Aviagroup is to start production of the four-seat

Canadian-designed Zenair Zodi-ac CH 640 light aircraft at its Perm facility from this month, the Rus-sian company’s head Vladimir Bolshakov says.

“The first of our planes, I hope, will be a four-seater,” he says. “It is a development of the Canadian Zodiac 640. Our company will make up to 20 aircraft a year. The plane will, for now, use the Cana-dian name, Zodiac 640.”

Bolshakov quotes a price of Rb 4 million ($120,000) for the aircraft, which will be powered by a modified car engine. VMD Aviagroup sees hobby flyers as the main potential customer, as well as Russian government agencies.

The single-engined Zodiac CH 640 is produced by Zenair as a kit-build design. The $29,000 four-seater features a tricycle un-dercarriage and gull-wing doors and is built from aluminium.

A Russian company is seeking to develop and fly a hybrid

airship within about four years to carry passengers and cargo, espe-cially in remote Arctic regions.

RosAeroSystems, which dis-played a model of the Atlant air-ship at the MAKS air show, is seeking to overcome the ground handling and buoyancy issues that have limited the application of commercial airships.

Like the US military-funded Aeroscraft, the Atlant is designed to rapidly reduce buoyancy by pressurising the lifting gas, says Michael Talesnikov, vice-presi-

dent at the company. Conven-tional airships must take on bal-last while unloading cargo, or risk floating away as buoyancy rises. But the source of the ballast – ei-ther tonnes of water or dirt – re-quires heavy infrastructure at the airship’s landing zone.

RosAeroSystems instead pres-surises the air to control the vehi-cle’s buoyancy, Talesnikov says.

RosAeroSystems, founded by a former associate of Aeroscraft chief executive Igor Pasternak, has already built ground test rigs of the air pressurisation system and the Atlant’s thrust-vectoring

systems. But company officials are aware they are attempting to introduce a new kind of aviation vehicle that is not quite an air-ship, helicopter or fixed-wing transport, but combines elements of all three.

“It’s quite challenging,” Tales-nikov says. “We are realistic peo-ple. We understand we will face some difficulties.”

In a country where 70% of the land mass lacks access by ground-based transportation systems, Ro-sAeroSystems is targeting compa-nies that need access to Russia’s remote Arctic regions.

DIRIGIBLES STEPHEN TRIMBLE MOSCOW

Atlant Arctic airship bouyed by answer to weighty issue RosAeroSystems sets four-year goal to develop hybrid to fly in Russia’s remote regions

Russian Helicopters has finally achieved civil certification of

the Kazan Ansat light twin, albeit with hydromechanical controls rather than the fly-by-wire system initially proposed.

Kazan started work on the cur-rent iteration of the Ansat in 2011 after encountering difficulty in the certification process for the fly-by-wire controls. The first pro-totypes of the helicopter appeared in the late 1990s.

To speed up the civil approval process, it dropped the more advanced technology in favour of a

traditional control system. Russia’s a military will eventually take de-livery of the fly-by-wire-equipped Ansat-U trainer for its flight-train-ing schools. Additional examples will be handed over to the Russian air force in November.

The civil Ansat is powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PW207K turboshafts and boasts a maximum take-off weight of 3,600kg (7,930lb).

Separately, Russian Helicop-ters has received approval for the VIP transport variant of its Mil Mi-171 medium twin.

Use of hydromechanical controls helped to speed up the process

APPROVAL DOMINIC PERRY LONDON

Ansat clinches civil certification

PRODUCTION HOWARD GETHIN MOSCOW

Kit-built Zodiac CH 640 set for Russian role

Russia

n H

elic

opte

rs


Boeing faces export stormBUSINESS P24

SPACEFLIGHT

LAUNCHERS ZACH ROSENBERG WASHINGTON DC

Bad timing delays Epsilon first flightJapanese space programme suffers setback after computer glitch postpones maiden launch of new medium rocket

Russia’s troubled Zenit launch vehicle made a successful re-

turn to flight on 31 August, fol-lowing a January incident that destroyed both the rocket and its satellite payload.

The latest launch, from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kaza-khstan, placed into orbit an Israeli civilian communications satellite called Amos 4. Land Launch, the sister company of Sea Launch, which undertakes operations from the Kazakhstan site, says the operation proceeded normally.

At least five additional Zenit launches are scheduled, both on land and at sea. The 31 August mission was the 81st launch using the Zenit vehicle. Of those

81 attempts, 12 have failed at various stages in the flight. De-spite the incidents, the Soviet-era design is generally considered a reliable rocket, mostly used to launch civilian communications satellites.

Zenit’s most recent ill-fated mission took place in January. The launch from a converted oil platform in the Pacific Ocean, under the Sea Launch operation, went awry when a hydraulic pump failed to fully pressurize the RD-171 first-stage engine gim-bal actuators. As a consequence the rocket could not control its flight path and fell into the ocean. The problem was traced to manu-facturing errors.

Zenit makes safe returnRELIABILITY

Japan saw a last-minute launch abort on 27 August as first

flight of its Epsilon launch vehi-cle was cancelled only seconds before ignition of the first stage solid-fuel rocket due to an atti-tude abnormality alert.

The alert has been traced to a .07s timing mismatch between the rocket’s internal computer and the ground controller’s com-puter. The disparity between tim-ing signals led the ground com-puter to automatically abort the launch sequence, according to Japanese space agency JAXA.

A second attempt is expected later in September, although the date is yet to be announced.

Epsilon is a three-stage, solid-fuel rocket, making the short no-tice of the launch abort particu-larly compelling: once solid fuel is ignited it cannot be shut off, unlike liquid-fuelled engines.

Epsilon is meant to replace the now-defunct M-V, using updated technology from the significantly larger H-II-series rockets. The re-vised September launch plans to orbit SPRINT-A, an ultraviolet-range telescope for observing

planets within the solar system. One additional launch of Epsilon is planned in 2014 with Asnaro 2, a civilian X-band radar satellite.

Japan has long had an intense interest in space, one that is ex-panding because of politico-eco-nomic tensions in the region. The nation uses its own launch vehi-cles, often carrying highly ad-vanced satellites for military or research purposes.

As rival China expands its al-ready large space programme and neighbouring North Korea and South Korea gain experience with space launches, Japan has come

under increasing pressure to maintain its advanced missions.

Meanwhile, India’s fledgling space programme received a knock on 18 August when the re-turn-to-flight launch of its Geosta-tionary Launch Vehicle (GSLV) was scrubbed due to a leak in the second stage’s fuel system.

This was the second launch attempt for the updated GSLV II, having endured a failure in 2010. GSLV, which has undergone launch attempts six times, is itself an enlarged version of the less-powerful Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.

The leak seems to have origi-nated from the system that sup-plies unsymmetrical dimethylhy-drazine fuel to the second stage’s single Vikas engine, discovered as the tanks were being pressu-rised only two hours before scheduled launch.

The Vikas engine has been re-moved and shipped to a facility for detailed inspection, says the Indian Space Research Organisa-tion. A standby Vikas engine will be integrated in the meantime, although another launch is likely to wait for the findings of the inspection on the previous en-gine. A new flight date has not been announced.

The flight was meant to launch GSAT 14, a satellite built to test and operate indigenously built Ku- and C-band communications antennas. India’s space pro-gramme has been expanding as the nation grows wealthier and its military becomes more power-ful. At least four GSLV II launches are scheduled before 2017.

TsEN

KI

The Russian rocket has undergone 81 launches

JAXA

Updated technology is derived from the larger H-II launcher

Keep up with advances in spaceflight on our blog:flightglobal.com/hyperbola

BUSINESS


Good week

Bad week

Aircraft finance is among the sectors covered by our premium news and data service Flightglobal Pro: flightglobal.com/pro

Good week

Bad week

SPIRIT AEROSYSTEMS

The troubled aerostruc-

tures maker announced

an unspecified number

of job cuts in Wichita to

start next month, on top

of the 360 detailed in

July. Voluntary departure

of management and sal-

aried employees could

be followed by forced

lay-offs. Spirit posted a

$239 million operating

loss for its second quar-

ter and announced in

August that it would di-

vest two manufacturing

sites responsible for po-

tentially more than $1

billion in forward losses.

STEVE UDVAR-HAZY The

operating lease pioneer,

who built ILFC into one of

world’s biggest aircraft

lessors before retiring to

start again from scratch

in 2010 as Air Lease

Corporation, was cel-

ebrating a BBB- invest-

ment grade rating from

Standard and Poor’s. The

rating is the lowest of the

investment grade tier,

but is comparable to

those held by rivals in-

cluding AerCap and ILFC.

Said Hazy: “This rating is

a further testament to

ALC’s rapid rise as an

industry leader.”

POLITICS EDWARD RUSSELL WASHINGTON DC

Boeing faces export stormUS lawmakers are no longer rubber-stamping government lending for overseas sales

As justifications go, the follow-ing seems a compelling one.

“The Export-Import Bank of the United States enables US compa-nies to turn export opportunities into real sales that help to main-tain and create US jobs and con-tribute to a stronger national economy.” So says the Ex-Im, which in its 78-year history has made direct loans and loan guar-antees to support, typically at be-low-market interest rates, more than $550 billion of US exports.

Jobs and a strong America; what is there not to like?

As it happens, quite a few law-makers in Washington DC want the bank abolished. The biennial reauthorisation of its charter is due in a year, and the process – historically painless until a con-tentious 2012 vote – looks set to be another political storm.

The curtain-opener was a heat-ed US Senate debate in July over the reconfirmation of bank chair-man Fred Hochberg. Unsurpris-ingly, Maria Cantwell of Wash-ington state – home of the USA’s biggest exporter, Boeing, and re-cipient of $443 billion in Ex-Im authorisations between 2007 and 2013 – is pro-bank: “Ninety-five percent of the world’s consumers live outside our borders. Are we going to make sure US products get into the hands of the growing middle class around the globe?”

On the nay side is Michael Lee of Utah, where businesses saw just a hundreth of the Ex-Im largesse of their Washington counterparts. Lee, who sponsored unsuccessful abolition legislation in 2012 but has re-introduced the Export-Im-port Bank Termination Act, says: “The Export-Import Bank is an ex-ample of everything that is wrong with Washington today.

“It is big government serving the interests of big corporations at the expense of individuals, fami-lies, and small businesses.”

Some rather big businesses agree at least partly with Lee. Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Air-lines and industry groups Air-

Thank you, America

Boein

g

Spirit A

ero

sys

tem

s

lines for America (A4A) and the Air Line Pilots Association, have filed lawsuits objecting to loan guarantees for widebody aircraft that help foreign rivals compete with US long-haul carriers. Among the recipients of Ex-Im support for Boeing aircraft pur-chases are Gulf powerhouses Emirates and Etihad Airways.

WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE...“It’s really investment grade com-panies that are owned by the gov-ernment where the president of the country, the chairman of the board and the president of the air-line are one in the same,” said Delta chief executive Richard An-derson. “It seems unreasonable to me that my government has got to finance my competitors.”

Boeing naturally disagrees. “We struggle to fully understand the real reasons why they are so passionate in this conversation,” says Kostya Zolotusky of Boeing Capital. He adds that support for “better credit airlines” – under-stood to be ones like Emirates – usually kicks in only after they have maxed out other sources of liquidity and need financial sup-port in order to maintain their aircraft delivery schedule.

That rationale probably cuts no ice with Delta et al; US-based air-lines cannot, by any twists of overseas money handling, qualify for Ex-Im support.

It may also matter little that ex-port credit financing has got more

expensive under the terms of the multinational Aircraft Sector Understanding of 2011, which were designed to push some bet-ter credit airlines to the commer-cial funds market. John Morabito, senior vice-president of transpor-tation at financier CIT, says export credit is still a competitive alter-native to commercial financing, though it is “more favourable to lower-tier borrowers”.

Boeing expects export credit will account for only 23% of the $104 billion needed to finance its deliveries this year, down from 30% in 2012. Ultimately, howev-er, the political debate over Ex-Im should probably be viewed through the Boeing prism. Ex-Im provided $11.5 billion in support for aircraft and avionics during fiscal 2012, roughly a third of its entire programme. Boeing was the single largest beneficiary.

Senator Lee and the airline in-dustry can lean on job figures to support their anti-bank stance. Total US aerospace industry em-ployment in 2011 was less than 625,000 jobs according to the AIA trade group. Airlines in the US, meanwhile, directly employed 661,000 people in 2010 says Ox-ford Economics.

Meanwhile, Boeing’s Zolo-tusky says the uncertainty over Ex-Im’s future makes its custom-ers nervous. As a result, Boeing Capital has increased the number of backstop financing commit-ments it provides for orders.

BUSINESS


QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“We have made considerable progress with our turnaround plan”Qantas Group boss ALAN JOYCE

was pleased to announce an A$6

million ($5.4 million) net profit for

the 2013 financial year, turning

around a 2012 loss of A$244 million.

Revenue held nearly steady at

A$15.9 billion, but capacity cutting

helped Qantas International halve its

full-year EBIT loss to A$246 million

Clearing the airFEATURE P26

RAVEN FLIES IN TOO LATE FOR AEROVIRONMENT Q1UNMANNED SYSTEMS In AeroVironment’s first quarter to 27 July,

unmanned systems segment sales were down by 28% at $35.2

million and profit down by a third to $10.6 million – a result de-

scribed as “in-line with expectations [but] adversely impacted by sev-

eral one-time effects, as well as continued government contracting

delays”. This includes a US government fiscal 2012 Raven UAV or-

der, which arrived early in the second quarter.

ALL NIPPON BUYS LAST LINK TO PAN AMTRAINING Pan Am International Flight Academy has been sold by

private equity owner American Capital to All Nippon Airways’ parent

ANA Holdings for $94 million. Pan Am, with more than 60 flight simu-

lators and programmes for pilots, cabin crew, mechanics and dis-

patchers, will bolster ANA’s Tokyo-based Panda Flight Academy.

SAFRAN SELLS MOTOR UNIT TO ALLIED MOTIONDIVESTMENT Safran is to sell its $106 million revenue electric

motors subsidiary Globe Motors to Allied Motion for $90 million.

Pending regulatory approval, the deal could close by year-end.

HELLENIC AEROSPACE UNDER ETHICS SCRUTINYFRAUD Greece’s government-owned aerospace manufacturer

Hellenic Aerospace Industry must shore up its sagging financial situ-

ation if it is to remain in operation, warns auditor Grant Thornton. The

company, which saw 2012 revenue of barely €91 million ($120 mil-

lion), down from €164 million in 2011, has had its entire board of

directors suspended pending an investigation into the hiring – and

contract renewal – of a high-ranking and highly paid officer whose

post-doctoral education certificates have been revealed as forgeries.

TPG CREDIT MANAGEMENT REBRANDS FINANCE Global aircraft asset and aviation finance company TPG

Credit Management has been renamed Castlelake, “to reflect its

growth and evolution over the past eight years”. Chief executive Rory

O’Neill says: “We are grateful for TPG Capital’s support in our earlier

years.” Castlelake has $2.4 billion of assets under its management,

from offices in Minneapolis and London.

TURBOMECA TAKES CHARGE OF RTM322 PROGRAMMEPROPULSION Safran has completed its €293 million ($387 million)

cash acquisition of Rolls-Royce’s 50% share in their joint RTM322 heli-

copter engine programme. Safran’s Turbomeca unit will assume global

responsibility for design, production, product support and service for

the engine, which powers certain Boeing AH-64 Apache,

AgustaWestland AW101 and NH industries NH90 helicopters.

NORTHROP GRUMMAN TO ACQUIRE QANTAS DEFENCEMAINTENANCE Northrop Grumman Australian is to buy Qantas

Airways’ Defence Services business, which supports the Royal

Australian Air Force’s A330 multi-role tanker transport fleet and over-

hauls engines for its Lockheed Martin Orion P-3 and BAE Systems

Hawk lead-in fighter trainer. The deal is expected to close in 2014.

MEGGITT BUYS EXTREME TEMPERATURE CAPABILITYTECHNOLOGY Meggitt is to acquire for $41.2 million Piezotech, a

specialists in piezo-ceramic technology for extreme temperature gas

turbine sensors. US-focused Piezo will operate as a standalone op-

eration within Meggitt’s sensing systems division, and retain existing

management operating from its Indiana and Colorado sites.

BUSINESS BRIEFSPEOPLE MOVESAustro Engines, Bell, Cardiff Aviation, Gulfstream, Safran

Gibson: Gulfstream support

Rooney: Fine Tubes engineer

customer operations for its space and defence segment. Plymouth, UK-based Fine Tubes has appointed John Rooney as director of engineering and technology. Safran Group has named Peter Campbell as director of financial communication, replacing Pascal Bantegnie who takes on other duties with the French aerospace and defence group. Jürgen Heinrich is now CEO at Austro Engines after the resignation of predecessor Thomas Mueller in late July. Heinrich was formerly sales and marketing director at Austro, the powerplant division of Wiener Neustadt-based Diamond Aircraft.

Bell Helicopter has reshuffled its senior management team. Gunnar Kleveland assumes the role of senior VP integrated operations, Dr Cathy Ferrie becomes senior VP engineering, and Matt Hasik is now senior VP commercial programs. At Cardiff Aviation, the Bruce Dickinson-fronted MRO business, Andrew Braley has been appointed commercial director, joining from AJ Walter Aviation. William Gibson has joined Gulfstream in the newly created position of director, product support global distribution. He joins from Honeywell where he held the post of senior manager

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ENVIRONMENT

As the debate rages on how to tackle airline industry emissions, experts at ICAO are endeavouring to come up with a global solution – but the clock is ticking


KERRY REALS LONDON

CLEARING THE AIR

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Pressure is mounting on UN special-ised agency ICAO to achieve global consensus on a single market-based measure (MBM) to address airline

industry emissions at its triennial assembly in September.

Although it appears unlikely that a global agreement will be signed and sealed this year, hopes are pinned on the next best outcome from Montreal this autumn: a fully developed

proposal which can be presented and ratified at the next assembly in 2016 and would take effect from 2020. For the last 18 months, a group of experts at ICAO have been looking at two different approaches to tackling global aviation emissions: a framework approach, which would essentially involve a rulebook for individual countries to follow as they es-tablished their own individual MBMs; and a global approach.

Given the international outcry that ensued when the EU attempted to impose its own emissions trading system (ETS) on the rest of the world, it is generally agreed that a global solution is preferable.

There are three options on the table to use as the basis for a global MBM to regulate avia-tion emissions. The first, which is favoured by IATA, is a simple carbon-offsetting scheme, whereby airlines would have to buy credits on the open market to compensate for growth in their emissions. The second is a revenue-generating carbon-offsetting scheme, which

would see a mark-up on credits to enable ad-ditional capital to be ploughed into funds to help developing countries tackle climate change-related issues.

The third option is an emissions trading system along the lines of the controversial EU ETS, which has been put on hold in the hope that a global agreement can be reached.

ANOTHER OPTIONAt its annual general meeting in Cape Town earlier this year, IATA put forward its own resolution, which will be presented for con-sideration at ICAO. The resolution calls for a mandatory carbon-offsetting scheme to be ap-plied to emissions growth post-2020.

IATA wants to use as the baseline for its scheme the industry’s average annual emis-sions between 2018 and 2020. Its resolution includes provisions to recognise early movers, accommodate new market entrants while they get their operations off the ground, and take account of fast-growing carriers.

The controversial EU ETS proved extremely unpopular with carriers


ETS

However, the fact that IATA is backing the simplest of the three options with an imple-mentation date seven years into the future has drawn criticism from some quarters.

Jean Leston, transport policy manager at the World Wide Fund for Nature’s UK branch, de-scribes the IATA resolution as “a huge step forward that will create momentum for progress”, but expresses disappointment that the industry body has opted for a non-reve-nue-generating offset scheme over a cap and trade-style system.

“It’s a shame the aviation industry is taking the approach that mitigation has got to hap-pen somewhere else,” says Leston, adding that an emissions trading system “would have been preferable to offsetting”. Leston also takes issue with the proposed 2020 start date. “I don’t want to see seven years of inactivity,” he says.

“Offsetting is a simpler solution without the governance issues surrounding cap and trade, but it can very easily lack environmen-tal integrity. It depends on the kind of offsets purchased, and there are lots of bad ones,”

says Leston. “I’m also disappointed that IATA is not thinking of any revenue generation, even though this has been recommended by a UN high-level advisory group. This is a missed opportunity not only to show climate leadership, by helping developing countries address climate change, but it could also have been used to fund biofuels.”

KEEPING IT SIMPLEHowever, IATA senior vice-president member and external relations Paul Steele counters that the simplicity of a straight carbon offset-ting system means it is more likely to be ap-proved and much quicker to implement.

“You don’t need to create allowances or auctions like you would for an ETS so it’s much simpler for states to implement in the short term. But that’s not to say in the longer term we couldn’t introduce ETS,” he says.

On the lack of revenue generation in IATA’s proposal, Steele says: “It would make it more difficult to agree if monies were involved.” Questions over responsibility for raising the extra funds and deciding how the money could be used would mean that “we’d still be sitting here in 2040 trying to decide on this”, he adds.

Both Leston and Steele agree on a major point: trying to persuade governments from 191 different states to agree on a single MBM that aims to regulate airline emissions on a global scale is going to be an uphill battle, to say the least.

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“If each state does its ownthing, this would be extremelyproblematic for us”PAUL STEELEIATA senior vice-president, member/external relations

“In an ideal world, I would like to see the assembly agree on a global offsetting scheme, but I think this is a step too far for this meet-ing,” concedes Steele. “But ICAO should de-velop a full-blown proposal to be brought to the 2016 [UN] assembly for adoption.”

He adds that ICAO “should start working now on the building blocks”, including the development of a global standard for the monitoring and verification of offsets, a point on which Leston agrees: “If we must go for offsetting, it’s critical that [ICAO] establishes some quality restrictions on what offsets the industry purchases; otherwise it’s a race to the bottom with airlines looking for the cheapest offsets, which tend to be the low-quality ones.”

Leston believes it is “essential to agree that MBMs are needed in principle and to detail what that could look like”, adding: “The worst-case scenario is that there will just be a very weak text in the final round-up. This could restart the [EU] ETS clock ticking.”

STOP THE CLOCKThe EU dramatically announced in late 2012 that it was “stopping the clock” on its contro-versial decision to include inter-continental flights in its ETS, in order to demonstrate Eu-rope’s commitment to seeing “a meaningful outcome at the 2013 ICAO Assembly”. In a consultation document seeking input from stakeholders on the policy options for MBMs, the EU says it “remains committed to seeking multilateral progress”.

Pressure on ICAO to come up with a solu-tion is building from all corners of the globe, not just Europe. At the 2013 G8 Summit earli-er this year, the leaders of the world’s eight most powerful countries had the following message for ICAO: “We call for the agreement at the assembly in September 2013 on an am-bitious package related to both market-based and non-market-based measures to address rising aviation emissions.”

The consequences for the industry if ICAO fails to come up with a solution could be dire. “If ICAO can’t agree and each state just does its own thing, this would be extremely prob-lematic for us,” says IATA’s Steele, pointing out that carriers would have to comply with “well over 100” separate MBMs.

Any agreement that can be reached during the assembly, which runs from 24 September to 4 October, is likely to come down to the wire, according to Steele: “Sideline discus-sions have gone on up until the last minute in the past, and I fully anticipate something like this happening here.

“From an industry perspective, I believe agreement in ICAO is absolutely crucial. We need it now because we need to know what to plan for and how best we can contribute to reducing our emissions,” he adds. Governments are muscling in on the discussion – and demanding a resolution

flightglobal.com

ENVIRONMENTENVIRONMENT


KERRY REALS LONDON

With an attractive estimated 4% fuel saving per flight on offer, cost-conscious airlines are weighing up the three main competing options for high-tech taxi systems

ELECTRIC AVENUES

Safran and Honeywell have partnered to develop EGTS

WheelTug, which is fitted to the nose wheel, is being offered as an affordable and flexible choice, with minimal installation costs

Safran

Three very different electric or auto-mated taxi systems are battling it out to attract airline customers keen to avoid wasting fuel while their aircraft

are on the ground. Estimated fuel savings of up to 4% per flight offer an attractive incen-tive to airlines seeking new ways to slash fuel costs and improve carbon footprints, but they will first have to weigh up the pros and cons of the varying products under development.

Following the departure from the market of a planned joint venture project between L-3 Communications and UK-based Crane Aero-space, the three remaining players are Gibral-tar-headquartered WheelTug, Safran and Hon-eywell Aerospace’s joint electric green taxiing system (EGTS), and Israel Aerospace Indus-tries’ TaxiBot.

The WheelTug and Safran/Honeywell systems are both built into the aircraft, the key difference being that the former is installed in the nose wheel while the latter is designed for the main landing gear. Taking a different ap-proach altogether, TaxiBot is a separate, pilot-controlled tractor which physically tows the aircraft from the gate to the runway.

Safran/Honeywell unveiled their EGTS project at this year’s Paris air show. The sys-tem uses an aircraft’s auxiliary power unit (APU) generator to power motors in the main

landing gear, enabling it to taxi without run-ning its engines. It is being tested and devel-oped on an Airbus A320, with entry-into-service (EIS) as a line-fit option targeted for late 2016/early 2017 and as a retrofit “very shortly after”, says Honeywell vice-president EGTS programme Brian Wenig.

REDUCED EMISSIONS The two companies estimate that the system will save between 2% and 4% of total fuel consumption per flight, with a typical EGTS cycle reducing nitrous oxide and carbon diox-ide emissions by 47% and 62% respectively, compared with a standard dual-engine taxi cycle. “We conservatively estimate financial savings of approximately $200,000 per aircraft per year on fuel alone, before you add on sav-ings in groundhandling, maintenance and un-scheduled repairs from foreign object dam-age,” says Honeywell.

As yet, no launch customer has signed up for EGTS, but Safran/Honeywell has signed memoranda of understanding with Air France, EasyJet and TUI, which will act as “testing partners” to help develop the prod-uct. Wenig believes that one of these airlines “very well could” eventually become a launch customer, but adds: “Our primary focus is on achieving our maturity goals – we’re partner-ing with airlines, but we’re not out in the mar-ket booking orders.”

Air France’s involvement in the project will be to examine “all operational aspects” of using the EGTS system, says Air France senior vice-president new aircraft and corpo-rate fleet planning Bruno Delile. “The chal-lenge is to have an aircraft going at the same speed in traffic as all the other aircraft,” says Delile, adding that the way in which the sys-tem will be applied to the retrofit market is of particular interest to the French carrier. Air France is also keen to find out when the en-gines would need to be started up, given that they “have to run for 5min at least” before take-off.

Delile believes the 4% fuel saving estimate to be optimistic, pointing out that “a couple of


GREEN TAXIING

es that because it can be installed quickly and at “zero cost”, it appeals to airlines seeking to significantly reduce turnaround times with-out having to make any large commitments of time or money.

“We’re not trying to do a permanent change to an aircraft. A key part of our value proposi-tion is that the system can be installed over-night, but it can also be uninstalled…so you can try it but, if you don’t like it, you can change your mind,” says Cox.

WheelTug claims that a main landing gear system “will be hard to integrate into the pro-duction line and even harder to retrofit on ex-isting aircraft”. However, Honeywell’s Wenig envisages that retrofitting the EGTS system could be “managed over a series of over-nights” and that “integration does not require changes to the aircraft structure”.

In terms of fuel and emissions reductions, Cox says the WheelTug system is on a par with EGTS, but he believes its key advantage lies in the amount of time it can shave off air-craft turnaround times. The company boasts that its system can reduce taxi times by up to 20min because of its location in the nose wheel well. “Time is valuable – much more

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“Time is valuable, soturnaround time benefitscould dwarf fuel savings”ISAIAH COX Chief executive and founder, WheelTug

percent” is more realistic, although he notes that “whatever the savings, it makes sense”.

Air France has made no commitment to sign up as a customer for EGTS and Delile says the carrier is also assessing the WheelTug offering. However, he adds that he is “a bit more comfortable with EGTS” because “it may be more robust to be fitted in the main landing gear”.

Safran/Honeywell made the decision to de-sign their system for the main landing gear, as opposed to installing it in the nose wheel, be-cause this is where the majority of an aircraft’s weight is borne and they believe this will en-sure consistency of operation in inclement weather and on sloping taxiways.

“The primary reason for installing it in the main landing gear, from a technical stand-point, is that you have north of 90% of the air-craft’s weight and the centre of gravity here. To give customers the required level of per-formance needed, it has got to be installed here,” says Wenig.

GAINING TRACTIONHowever, Isaiah Cox, chief executive and founder of competing electric taxi system pro-vider WheelTug, disagrees. The WheelTug system is being developed for installation in the nose wheel, which Cox argues makes it a more affordable and flexible option. Wheel-Tug points out that the system has demon-strated its traction abilities “in rain, on oil and in snow”.

Cox describes WheelTug as a “much less ambitious programme than EGTS”, but stress-

than fuel – so turnaround time benefits could easily dwarf the fuel savings,” says Cox. “Being in the nose wheel makes it much easi-er to capture that opportunity, since we don’t have any heat interaction with the brakes.”

WheelTug has signed up 11 airline custom-ers, including KLM, Alitalia, Air Berlin and Icelandair, covering 573 aircraft. The compa-ny has not decided which aircraft type to launch the system on, a decision that will be “driven by airline demand”. The WheelTug system’s EIS is scheduled for late 2014/early 2015 “as of right now”, says Cox.

Both the Safran/Honeywell and WheelTug systems are solely being designed for narrow-body aircraft at this stage, although Cox says there is “considerable interest” in a widebody version. WheelTug could launch a widebody system as early as 2016.

Safran and Honeywell, however, are stay-ing firmly in the narrowbody camp, with Wenig noting that “at this point we don’t have any intention” of launching a widebody ver-sion. Wenig believes the off-board TaxiBot system, which is currently being tested by Lufthansa on its Boeing 737 fleet at Frankfurt, is more suited to the widebody market.

One point on which all of the manufactur-ers agree is that demand for electric taxi sys-tems will be robust, as airlines take advan-tage of anything that could cut rising fuel bills. Europe is being billed as a strong mar-ket due to an abundance of longer taxi times and shorter flights, but China and India are also listed by Honeywell’s Wenig as being key markets.

The system’s creators claim WheelTug can be installed overnight

ENVIRONMENT

flightglobal.com

ENVIRONMENT

Every oil-based fuel – from avgas to Jet-A1 – has undergone a dramatic rise in price, to the point where the once virtually inconsequential cost

of fuel has become by far the largest expense of operating an airliner.

These days, 50-60% of an aircraft’s direct operating costs is represented by fuel. “Since the dawn of the jet age we’ve gone from 10% efficient to 40% efficient,” says Alan Epstein, vice-president of technology at engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney. “Because the hated word ‘thermodynamics’ is involved here you can’t actually get to 100% theoreti-cally. You can theoretically get to something like 70-ish[%].”

Therefore, the race is on for alternative sources of energy – both to reduce costs and emissions. It is not yet clear that any one en-ergy source will replace conventional jet fuel, and researchers are scrambling to prove their technologies. Part of the problem is simply that hydrocarbons are an amazing fuel – en-ergy-dense, easy to find, extract and process, and until recently, very inexpensive. “Right now the gas turbine is about about 55% ther-mal efficient. It is the most efficient device on planet Earth for converting chemical energy into shaft power,” says Epstein.

The most plausible alternative – one already in the mix – is to derive jet fuel from

non-conventional sources by means of chemi-cal wizardry. Biofuels can be produced from organic waste – plants like halophyte or corn – either by a series of chemical reactions or feeding it to a special breed of bacteria. The Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) method can convert anything with carbon monoxide into fuel, and while carbon-rich coal is the traditional feed-stock, fuel has been created from wood chips, methane and many other materials. From a

carbon standpoint, using biomass feedstock is essentially the only way to guarantee net car-bon neutrality – the carbon from the fuel, when burned and injected into the atmos-phere, is the same carbon once absorbed by those plants.

“Chemical engineers can now make almost anything from anything,” says Epstein. “Here was the real conceptual breakthrough I think, which is genius because it’s so simple: if chemical engineers can make anything into anything, tell them to make jet fuel.” Two major obstacles to producing such drop-in fuels are the limited supply and high cost of

producing them. At the moment biofuels and F-T-produced fuels are only economical if made on a very large scale, which requires giant infusions of capital to build and supply the processing plants.

Natural gas is a hydrocarbon made by similar processes to those that produce oil – and consequently it has similar properties. Recent discoveries of massive reserves and new technological developments has made natural gas very cheap when compared to oil. It can be processed into conventional fuel using the F-T method, but a simpler option is simply to burn the gas itself.

The advantage is that natural gas, sans processing, is only one-third the price of oil on a per unit of energy basis. Light aircraft builder Aviat made the first public showing of its second compressed natural gas (CNG) burning Husky test bed at the Oshkosh air show in July. The Husky is powered by a small piston engine, but the modified version can run on either CNG or conventional avgas.

“We did what we would call substantial modifications, but the operative word is ‘re-ally’ in front of substantial,” says Stuart Horn, president of Aviat. “The parameters, specifi-cations, manufacturing, materials process, it’d all be different for a purpose-built CNG engine. I don’t think that’s beyond anyone’s manufacturing or engineering capability.”

Although the Husky testbed is a proof-of-concept aircraft, with “nonspecific” plans to produce the CNG-powered aircraft commer-cially, Horn sees flight schools as a likely market, given the high number of flight hours per aircraft and short distances they travel.

Jet engines have an easier time. “We could easily burn natural gas, you’d have a slight change in the fuel injectors, you’d probably get somewhat lower emissions, and that’s it. But the airplanes have to be totally different,” says P&W’s Epstein. “The engines aren’t the problem. The natural gas has a much lower energy density – it’s a gas, so how do you hold it? If you liquefy it [which has higher density]


ZACH ROSENBERG WASHINGTON DC

With fuel costs climbing, carriers are looking to substitute sources of energy – but the technology to power tomorrow’s airliners still has a long way to go

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

“If chemical engineers canmake anything into anything,tell them to make jet fuel”ALAN EPSTEIN Vice-president of technology, Pratt & Whitney

Boeing’s Blended Wing Body concept has plenty of room for CNG or LNG tanks

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FUEL

Read more about new technologies with the potential to change the face of aviation today: flightglobal.com/technology

you need cryogenic tanks, and airplanes now store their fuel mostly in the wings, so you have to integrate cryogenic tanks and have very little fuel capacity.”

Moving away from the traditional tube-and-wing configuration to maximise internal volume – thus permitting a spherical LNG tank – is an idea Boeing is exploring with its Blended Wing Body (BWB) concept.

“What we found is if you go into the future and you have improvements all over the airplane – engines, aerodynamics and struc-tures – then the amount of energy or fuel re-quired to fly the airplane is reduced, and that reduces the size of the tanks you have to add for LNG,” says Martin Bradley, a Boeing tech-nical fellow. Because of the relative lack of en-ergy density compared to Jet-A1, Boeing’s en-

gineers speak of building a hybrid, capable running on either conventional fuel or LNG, switching seamlessly between the two as best suits the situation. No LNG aircraft exist as yet, but Boeing’s Phantom Eye demonstrator runs on cryogenic liquid hydrogen.

ELECTRIC SLIDEOf course, one way to handle a problem is to make it irrelevant, and that is the great poten-tial of electric power – allowing the fan to turn without burning any fuel or emitting any car-bon at all. Several aircraft have been built to fly with batteries alone, and others with hybrid battery/piston power.

The most obvious problem with batteries is that they possess nowhere near the energy density of hydrocarbons.

“We’re at 240 watt-hours per kilogram for lithium-based cells. That is one-fiftieth of what hydrocarbon solutions have in terms of energy density,” says Mark Moore, NASA aerody-namic scientist and engineer.

Despite this, several testbed aircraft have flown, and at least two companies – Pipistrel from Slovenia and Yunnec from China – are actively marketing hybrid and all-electric air-craft. Several unmanned aircraft concepts, dubbed “atmospheric satellites”, are being de-signed to stay airborne for years at a time, pow-ered only by batteries recharged by solar pan-els. Experiments are ongoing to recharge in other ways – Lockheed Martin, in particular, is experimenting with beamed power using a

ground-based laser to ‘fuel’ its Stalker un-manned air vehicle. Upscaling to larger air-craft is impractical, but the future holds great promise. Battery energy density improves in discrete jumps, with an average improvement of about 8% per year. Greater improvements are being researched but are not yet available, and thus cannot be relied upon. Still, the time is approaching when small electric aircraft will be a much more common sight – both un-manned and manned. Scaling up to airliner size, however, is another story.

“I don’t think we can answer how electric propulsion is going to be on large aircraft, because we’re just learning. This is the

Wright Brothers doing their first experi-ments in terms of an equivalent,”

says Moore. Boeing has been ex-ploring an electric thrust system for future aircraft, but any inclusion is at least two design generations

away – potentially 40 years from now. “We found that [the] first application is probably going to be a hybrid-electric airplane, using electrical power at just certain phases of the flight, using it at take-off or cruising under electric power,” says Boeing’s Bradley. “But you want to have a conventional engine as well because there are plenty of times when you need to com-bine power, and a conventional gas-burning turbine is very advantageous.”

“An all-electric airliner, we don’t see that coming anytime soon. It would require major breakthroughs in energy storage we don’t see happening for a while,” he adds.

Boeing’s BWB studies found that 600-700 watt-hours per kilogram are required before electric propulsion starts making any sense – but the results are encouraging to NASA’s Moore. “That’s a really exciting result com-ing from Boeing, because we’re going to be at those battery levels certainly before 2030. So we’re already within a 20-year timeframe of Boeing saying, ‘it makes sense to be doing hybrid-electric solutions with pretty sub-stantial battery packs very soon,’” he says.

Potentially the most disruptive effect of battery power is optimising aircraft design to take maximum advantage.

Moore is a noted proponent of distributed thrust – essentially decentralising thrust from two large engines to many small ones with a battery attached to each. “Now you’re going to see configurations come up that would not have made sense with the prior propulsion technologies, but now suddenly make all the sense in the world,” he says.

Lockheed Martin has tested using a ground-based laser beam to power its Stalker UAV

Plants like halophyte could be an option

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SAFETY


London Heathrow [12 July 2013]. As the film points out, an in-flight fire that is out of con-trol will, on average, lead to flight crew losing control of the aircraft within 15 minutes.” The vulnerability of aircraft to fire is on the CAA’s “Significant Seven” list of the greatest threats to aviation safety.

Cox observes that two of the principal rea-sons for the change in the fire risk profile is the proliferation of lithium batteries on air-craft – both the batteries installed in the air-craft and those carried by crew and passengers in personal electrical/electronic devices. This is in addition to the increasing use of compos-ite materials in aircraft hulls. “Composites in the vicinity of lithium batteries – how is this going to play out?” he asks.

LIMITED EXPERIENCEIn this question, he is not only acknowledging the kind of risk that the Ethiopian 787 fire demonstrated, but also expressing concern about the fact that the industry has little expe-rience of the behaviour of composite materials in the presence of heat and fire. Aluminium, for all its limitations, is a known quantity.

One of the reasons for the fewer fatalities in recent years is that the fire-related accidents in the last decade have mostly involved freighters. Since 2011, two Boeing 747Fs – one operated by South Korean carrier Asiana, one by US package shipper UPS – have been

DAVID LEARMOUNT LONDON

The proliferation of lithium batteries and composite materials in modern airliners has increased the risk of onboard blazes, despite a recent fall in the number of fatalities

FIRE ALARMED

A conflagration on an Ethiopian Airlines 787 highlighted the danger of a blaze in a hidden part of the aircraft

F ire on board aircraft has caused fewer fatalities in recent years than it once did, but the risk of fire-caused inci-dents and accidents is increasing.

That is the conclusion of international ex-perts assembled by the Royal Aeronautical Society, who recently published the first part of a study called “Smoke, fire and fumes in transport aircraft” (SAFITA).

Capt John Cox – president of US-based safety consultancy Safe Operating Systems (SOS), and one of the experts on the SAFITA team – says that as aircraft technology and construction materials change, so does the fire risk profile – and almost certainly not for the better. Meanwhile, the US Federal Aviation Administration and the UK Civil Aviation Au-thority have just jointly launched a fire safety awareness campaign, which includes an in-structional video. In a particularly chilling statement at the campaign launch, the CAA said: “Of particular concern is the threat of fires breaking out in hidden areas of the air-craft, which cabin crew are unable to access and bring under control in-flight.”

The CAA statement continues: “The impor-tance of reducing fire risks was highlighted with the recent significant fire on the Ethiopi-an Airlines Boeing 787 on the ground at

brought down by fire with the loss of the en-tire crew. In both cases, the fire was believed to have started in pallets of lithium batteries carried as cargo.

In the UPS case, said the investigators in their official report, the time between the fire warning being triggered and the first failures in a cascading loss of aircraft systems was 2min. The flightdeck filled with smoke and the cap-tain left his seat when the supply of oxygen to his mask unaccountably failed. The co-pilot soon could not see his instruments, neither could he see out of the windscreen. He could not see even to change the radio frequency, and so was totally incapacitated. The report and its conclusions are a nightmare to read.

There is no indication, according to the RAeS, that passenger aircraft are safe from sim-ilar events and, if a single event like the loss of Swissair Flight 111 were to take place now, it would reverse the interpretation of medium-term statistics. Swissair 111 was a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 that crashed into the sea near Halifax, Canada, in 1998 when a short-circuit in a damaged wiring bundle generated a fierce fire in the ceiling just aft of the cockpit. The spreading fire caused a sequence of cascading system faults, which eventually wiped out the primary flight instruments. Finally, smoke blinded the pilots so they could not fly.

The SAFITA report contains this general conclusion with a number of individual ones:

PA


followed by the application of a coolant, like water. However, at present, the crew training, the drills, and the equipment are all either non-existent or inadequate.

Fatal fires on passenger aircraft may indeed be rare, but IATA calculated in 2002 that in-flight smoke events occur once in 5,000 flights, and diversions resulting from these

about once every 15,000 flights. More recent-ly, the FAA said there are 900 reported smoke events per year in the USA alone, and these “frequently lead to diversion”. One of the ef-fects of the lessons learned from Swissair 111 is that pilots are much quicker than they used to be to make a diversion decision when

says the AAIB’s initial factual report. But eventually, water was effective in dissipating the heat and stopping the fire’s progress.

There has always been a concern that cabin crews are poorly equipped and trained to han-dle cabin fires that start behind the wall and ceiling panels, and the Ethiopian event high-lights just this. Barring the lavatories, there are no heat or smoke detectors anywhere in the cabin area to provide early warning or indi-cate the location of a fire. There are also no means existing to direct extinguishant into the space behind the panels.

Cox notes that if there were a lithium battery fire in a passenger’s laptop computer, the crews are issued with containment boxes and gloves to handle hot objects, but no protection for the arms, body or face. There is also no well-re-hearsed drill for handling lithium battery fires, which can generate huge heat through self-sustaining chemical reactions. Cox observes that ideally, there needs to be a system for in-tervening in the chemical process – the princi-ple on which the halon extinguishant works –

“Composites in the vicinity oflithium batteries – how is thisgoing to play out?”CAPT JOHN COX President, Safe Operating Systems

“While the number of fatalities caused by avi-ation accidents has decreased, the risk of fu-ture fire-related incidents or accidents has in-creased due to the proliferation of lithium batteries and other risks. The importance of continued research, improved regulation, im-proved manufacturing standards, adoption of technology to mitigate in-flight smoke and fire, and oversight by safety professionals is proven in this document.”

CARGO CONCERNSBoth the recent 747F losses have been attrib-uted to fires that began in cargoes of lithium-ion batteries. The Ethiopian Airlines 787 fire at Heathrow, according to initial examination by the UK Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB), involved an emergency locator trans-mitter powered by lithium-ion batteries, and an extensive area of the composite fuselage crown just ahead of the fin suffered heat dam-age. When fire crews attended, halon extin-guishant directed to that area from within the cabin failed to bring the fire under control,

PA

A battery malfunction on board this All Nippon

Airways 787 led to a global grounding of the type

SAFETY


Recommendations and mitigations

from the RAeS SAFITA Part 1 report:

Train all crew in handling hazard-

ous materials and specifically in

firefighting techniques for lithium

battery fires.

Identify and provide extinguishing

agents suitable for fighting lithium

battery fires.

Standards for shipping lithium bat-

teries as cargo must be raised. All

cargoes of lithium batteries should

be classified as hazardous cargo.

National aviation authorities should

monitor the effect of fires on compos-

ite materials and review the special

conditions that already apply.

Use more and better predictive

technology to detect potential

smoke or fire generating events, eg

alerts for the impending failure of

fan or pump bearings.

The procedure for pilots to open

direct vision windows on the

flightdeck during smoke events

should be abandoned (it does not

have a beneficial effect).

Adopt the Flight Safety

Foundation’s template for smoke/

fire/fume checklists.

Pilots should be provided with

full-face oxygen masks and be re-

quired to don them at the first sign

of smoke or fumes.

Pilots and cabin crew should be

aware of the importance of main-

taining the flightdeck door closed

as a smoke barrier between the

cabin and cockpit.

Requirements for crew firefighting

training should be thorough and com-

plete, and all crews should be trained

how to use the appropriate type of

fire suppression and emergency

equipment for the circumstances.

Aircraft, particularly those

certificated before 2007, should be

evaluated for single-point wiring

failures which may cause cascading

system failures in the event of

short-circuit arcing. Arc-fault circuit

interrupter technology should also

replace conventional circuit

breakers.

Aircraft manufacturers should be

required to carry out more realistic

certification testing assuming con-

tinuous smoke generation on the

flightdeck.

“Vision assurance technology

should be implemented to improve

pilot visibility during continuous

smoke on the flight deck.”

(Technology, such as VisionSafe’s

emergency vision assurance

system [EVAS], exist as options,

but the SAFITA report avoids

mentioning them by name.)

Conditions for smoke evacuation

tests must be made more realistic.

In the absence of automatic fire

detection and suppression sys-

tems in inaccessible areas, flight

and cabin crew should be provided

with means to detect smoke and

fire where it cannot be seen, and

ports for the insertion of fire extin-

guishant should be provided.

The number of smoke and fire

detectors should be increased, and

a mitigation against false alarms

can be provided by using different

sensor types (thermal/optical).

Halon or equivalent chemical fire

extinguishers provided to the crew

must be increased in capacity to

2.5kg (5.5lb).

Thermal/acoustic fuselage-lining

blankets should be checked for

cleanliness and be free from flam-

mable contaminants. Maintenance

procedures should also mitigate

against such contamination.

Improve wiring inspection

maintenance programmes by using

new inspection technology.

smoke is detected. Obviously with Swissair 111 in mind, the FAA said that in the event of an in-flight fire, “delaying the air-craft’s descent by only two minutes is likely to make the difference between a successful landing and evacuation, and a complete loss of the aircraft and its occupants”.

RAPID DIVERSIONIndeed, the SAFITA report concludes that rapid diversion is one of the primary mitiga-tion techniques for reducing the risk of harm from onboard fire. The Swissair 111 report concluded that the crew should have diverted without any delay, although it cannot be as-serted with any confidence that the aircraft could definitely have landed safely even if the pilots had acted with all possible speed. Les-sons from both the recent Asiana and UPS freighter accidents reinforce this advice.

The FAA, having recently reworked its pre-dictive model for freighter fire accidents, now forecasts the average number of US-registered freighter fire-related accidents likely to occur during the 2012-21 decade – if no mitigation action is taken – to be between two and 12, with six as the median probability. The agen-cy explains: “Approximately four of those are likely to be initiated by primary or secondary lithium batteries on the aircraft.” The defini-tion of “primary”, in this case, is batteries as airfreight; “secondary” is airfreighted equip-ment fitted with lithium-ion batteries, or lithi-um-powered equipment brought on board by crew and passengers. Almost all personal

electronic devices are powered by lithium-ion rechargeable batteries.

Between March 1991 and October 2012, the FAA Office of Security and Hazardous Materi-als Safety recorded 132 cases of aviation inci-dents involving smoke, fire, extreme heat or explosion involving batteries or battery-pow-ered devices. It found that lithium batteries were involved in the majority of the battery-caused incidents.

The SAFITA report describes the extent of the problem posed by personal equipment car-ried by crew and passengers: “On a typical flight, a single aisle jet carrying 100 passengers

could have over 500 lithium batteries on board. These devices are not tested or certificated nor are they necessarily maintained to manufac-ture’s recommendations.”

In April 2012, a passenger’s personal elec-tronic device burst into flames on a Pinnacle Airlines flight from Toronto to Minneapolis-St Paul. The SAFITA says: “During the in-flight service, the flight attendant noted that the de-vice was on fire on the floor; its battery was burning several feet from the device. Using water from the service cart, the flight attendant put out the fire using wet paper towels. She then submerged the battery in a cup of water

Rex

Featu

res

A lithium-ion battery overheated on a Japan Airlines 787 in Boston on 7 January

REGULATIONS

RECOMMENDATIONS AND MITIGATIONS FOR FIRE RISK


David Learmount keeps abreast of the latest development in aviation safety, and offers his succinct views: flightglobal.com/learmount

because it was still smouldering.” The captain smelled the fire and diverted the aircraft.

Meanwhile, those crews who carry elec-tronic flightbags in the flightdeck should be aware that they are all powered by lithium-ion batteries. Concern about lithium-ion bat-teries in aviation was considerably heightened by two high-profile battery overheat incidents on 787s within a week of each other in Janu-ary. The first involved a Japan Airlines aircraft on the ground in Boston, Massachusetts, where the auxiliary power unit starter battery caught fire, and the other an airborne All Nip-pon Airways 787 where the main battery overheated. The two events grounded the type for more than three months while Boeing and its suppliers, watched by the FAA, redesigned the multi-cell batteries and their containment units. The intention was to reduce the likeli-hood of a thermal runaway, and to contain it effectively if one occurred. The 787 is the first

aircraft to incorporate lithium-ion main bat-teries as part of its originally certificated de-sign, although they had been used to power ancillary units in other aircraft types, such as the emergency lighting in the Airbus A380.

Therefore, assessment of present and future onboard risks has to take account of recent technology developments, and also those in the pipeline. The widespread use of lithium-ion batteries is the obvious factor, but there are other changes too, including the growing use of carbonfibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) materials in aircraft primary structures such as wings and fuselages. This is not to say that carbonfibre is reckoned to be a particular fire risk, but its be-haviour when exposed to heat is different from that of aluminium, and while the behaviour of the latter is a known quantity, there is general agreement that the industry has more to learn about the results of CFRP’s exposure to fire.

Meanwhile, a more insidious fire-risk multi-plier is the ever-increasing length of electrical cabling in wiring bundles in modern aircraft – an estimated 150km of insulated wire per air-craft. As aircraft and their systems become in-creasingly digitally controlled, as hydraulics are increasingly replaced by electrics, as systems redundancy is reinforced to boost dispatch reli-ability figures, and as a result of the exploding demand for in-flight entertainment (IFE) sys-tems, the length of cabling carrying electric en-ergy in fat wiring bundles is growing fast.

The SAFITA report says: “The increasing complexity of electrical installations will re-sult in further issues. Each system installed in

an operator’s aeroplane can require unique procedures to deal with a failure or a problem that might result in an in-flight fire. Another issue is the addition of new systems to aero-planes using existing circuit-breakers to power the new equipment.” On top of this concern is the industry’s acceptance, not for-malised until early this century, that electrical wiring insulation has a shorter safe life than most airframes.

WIRING WORRIESBigger wiring bundles all add to aircraft weight, so naturally, manufacturers look for ways of making the cable core and its insulat-ing layer lighter. The FAA has been worried by this side effect of progress, and in 2008 ob-served: “Wire specifications should be revised to incorporate resistance to cut-through, abra-sion, hydrolysis, and longer-term heat age-ing.” It was factors like these that led to the Swissair 111 tragedy. The fire began with short-circuiting in a wiring bundle, and then the insulating material itself began to smoul-der. The fire subsequently moved into the fi-brous thermal-acoustic hull lining blanket,

which was contaminated with dust and the products of maintenance activity, like metal shavings, grease and even hydraulic fluid.

The CAA’s synopsis of the just-launched FAA/CAA fire-risk awareness campaign par-ticularly addresses the serious risk of wiring-bundle damage combined with contamina-tion like dust and moisture.

The purpose of SAFITA Part 1 was to iden-tify the sources of fire risk, prioritise them and highlight mitigation strategies. The verdict was this: “The aviation industry and its regu-lators acknowledge that there will be ignition sources and fuel sources for fires within aero-planes. Only through multiple layers of miti-gation can the risk be kept to an acceptable level. To be effective these multiple layers will need to be re-evaluated regularly.”

Meanwhile, studies for SAFITA Part 2 are continuing, seeking approaches to better de-sign, materials, and tools for fire detection and suppression. It is a tacit admission that the situation right now is simply unacceptable.

A short-circuit in a wiring bundle and subsequent blaze brought down Swissair flight 111

Reute

rs

“A single aisle jet carrying 100passengers could have 500lithium batteries on board”SAFITA REPORT

STRAIGHT&LEVEL


From yuckspeak to tales of yore, send your offcuts to [email protected]

100-YEAR ARCHIVEEvery issue of Flight from 1909 onwards

can be viewed online at flightglobal.com/archive

Strike the coloursThe British Army manoeuvres

have just commenced, and

thus it is

impossible for us

to do more than

review the

happenings of the initial

operations in the war between

Greenland and Brownland on

the one side, and Whiteland,

as the opposing forces have

been designated.

Landing lights-outWhen a R.A.F.V.R. machine

struck an overhead power

cable in making a

forced landing

near Cadmore

End, High

Wycombe, Bucks, last week,

the electricity supply over a

large area was cut off.

Fortunately the machine did

not catch fire and the pilot

was unhurt.

‘At home’ with RAFNearly one million people

visited the 15 RAF stations

which were “at

home” to the

public last

Saturday,

September 14, to see flying

displays commemorating the

Battle of Britain.

Antheus drops inAn Aeroflot Antonov An-22

Antheus was a surprise visitor

to Farnborough

after the display

ended on

September 7. The

aircraft was bringing in a

spare engine for the An-124

Ruslan, to replace the unit

damaged when the air bleed

unit failed on the opening day.

The Ruslan made its public

display for the first time on

September 8.

andyx

h558 g

alle

ry o

n fl

ightg

lobal.co

m/AirS

pace

NX611: no Lincs to Lancs whatsoever

Memories of Piper Alpha

One is better than noneThe obviously strapped-for-cash Kuwaiti government is sticking one of its Amiri Flight Airbus A300s on the market.

Before you all figure that it’ll be a dinner-party talking point and look nice on the driveway parked next to the Ford Mondeo, we’ll draw your attention to the fine print.

Some way down a list of ‘special conditions’ attached to the sale is the minor point that the aircraft “has only one engine”.

It then goes on to state that the aircraft will not be sold “partially”, shamelessly sidestepping the fact that a single-engined twinjet is partial in anyone’s dictionary. Caveat emptor and all that.

Owning upTweet from Heathrow airport: “Here’s a fun fact to kick off your Friday! @heathrowairport is twice the size in area of Gibraltar.” The other difference between the two places? The Brits still own Gibraltar.

Left wingerRyanair marked World Left Handers Day on 12 August with a 100,000-seat sale, which could be booked on the company’s website by left-hand only.

Ryanair’s left-handed chief executive provides the

Aberdeen to fly to Shetland the next,” he recalls. “I was woken by all the helicopter traffic. The reason was apparent when I switched on the TV. Instead of proceeding to Shetland, I was used to fly an Sikorsky S-61N to the standby platform alongside what was Piper Alpha.

“The sight was dramatic, even traumatic – the sea on fire and molten metal dripping into the sea. How those who jumped overboard survived is amazing.”

“I later flew out Red Adair. He arrived in his private jet, no customs or immigration. He got on board my S-61N and I flew him out to the standby platform. Piper Alpha was still burning.”

obligatory quote, although it’s probably the only time Michael O’Leary will describe himself as a “leftie”.

Lax on LancsSlapped wrists for us, demands Andy Burrows. “Always nice to see a picture of the Panton Brothers’ Lancaster,” he says. Unfortunately, the airfield where the famed Second World War bomber is on display is East Kirby, Lincolnshire, not “appropriately, Lancashire” as we noted in our Pic of the Week caption in 6-12 August.

The flightcrew responsible for NX611 operate her on taxi runs, he says, “but they definitely haven’t flown her across to Lancashire. Yet.”

Flying Red Adair Our 25 Years Ago reference to the Piper Alpha disaster prompts our helicopter test pilot Peter Gray to send in his memories of that fateful day.

“I was with Bristow Helicopters, overnighting in You’ve got to hand it to him

Rex

Featu

res

Rya

nair

LETTERS

flightglobal.com

[email protected]

We welcome your letters on any aspect of the aerospace industry. Please write to: The Editor, Flight International, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS, UK. Or email [email protected]

The opinions on this page do not necessarily represent those of the editor. Flight International cannot publish letters without name and address. Letters must be no more than 250 words in length.

FLIGHTINTERNATIONAL

We welcome your letters on any aspect of the aerospace industry. Please write to: The Editor, Flight International, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS, UK. Or email [email protected]

The opinions on this page do not necessarily represent those of the editor. Letters without a full postal address sup-plied may not be published. Letters may also be published on flightglobal.com and must be no longer than 250 words.

FLIGHTINTERNATIONAL

Your editorial (Flight International, 23-29 July), con-

demning the Air Line Pilots

Association for their outrage at

the premature statements by

the National Transportation

Safety Board on the Asiana

crash at San Francisco, was

speciously biased. To argue

that ALPA was inconsistent

because it did not complain

when the NTSB released post-

accident statements in other

cases that were favourable to

the flightcrew’s actions, shows

that you have perhaps only a

nodding acquaintance with le-

galities surrounding air accident investigations.

Fatalities – of which in this case there were two – may lead, in

common law countries, to an action for manslaughter against

those responsible for the deaths and the flightcrew are high on

the list for such a charge. Should the investigators release – be-

fore their enquiry is completed – damning statements about the

flightcrew, it may jeopardise their defence in any subsequent

action.

The popular option of “pilot error” can be set in motion very ear-

ly on after an accident by unsubstantiated reckless opinions and

untutored assumptions. One senior leading investigator caused

political outcry when he stood at the crash site surrounded by

twisted metal and debris, declaring that there was nothing wrong

with one of the engines! On the other hand, where statements are

made by the investigators that may be beneficial to the crew, then

no such legal impediment is created.

The objective of the pilots’ union is to protect its members dur-

ing the arduous legal aftermath of an air accident or incident. It is

noteworthy that there have been instances where the pilot unions

have failed miserably in this role.

The investigation is a process and those involved should not devi-

ate from the established protocols and procedures simply to feed

the sensationalism of the media and general public.

Dr David McClelland Via email

INVESTIGATION

Nodding acquaintance with law

I was surprised that the first flight of the Airbus A350 did not get ex-tensive coverage in Flight, or in-deed anywhere in the UK. It is a fine plane and will be a commer-cial success. It appears to have been well managed as a project (as opposed to the Boeing 787).

I remember watching the first flight of the British Concorde at Filton which received huge media coverage. Will Flight be on hand to cover the first flight of the Bombardier CS100 due “in the coming weeks” (Flight I nternational, 6-12 August, p9)?

First flight disappointment

10-16 September 2013 | Flight International | 37

Are we not interested in first flights anymore? Are projects so well run now that a first flight carries little risk and therefore is hardly worthy of comment?John Adkins Via email

Our 23-29 July Comment section

23-29 July 2013 | Flight International | 5flightglobal.com

See News Focus P12

A shortcut to nowhere

G

Read our analysis of what the Asiana crash investigation will look into at flightglobal.com/asiana

See This Week P7

Nothing to see here

The largest pilots union in the USA has started a war of words with the country’s accident investigation agency, accusing the body of “sensationalising” the crash of the Asiana 777

Sticks and stones

I

ALPA’s criticism would havemore credibitility if the unionwas more consistent

Editor’s note: The A350’s first flight was on Friday, 14 June, one day after Flight International went to press, so we were not able to include it in our 18 June print edition (although it did feature extensively in our tablet

edition, which goes to press a day later). The first flight was overtaken by events by the time our next, Paris airshow report issue came out on 25 June, where we did cover the flight test pro-gramme to date.

A320 cowl check rule neededFlight International, 20-26 August, prompts concerns regarding the recent EasyJet A320 cowl loss at Milan Malpensa. During the incident the rudder and rear fuselage suf-fered domestic object damage that compromised the safety of flight.

It is time that the regulatory authorities issue a mandatory airworthiness directive to physi-cally check that the A320-series engine cowl latches are secured prior to every flight.

This could simply be done by the dispatch personnel using a low trolley to scoot under the cowls for a quick visual check. Accomplishing latch checks only when the cowls were opened for maintenance could lead to accountability errors leading to future unlatched cowl detachments.Chris BarnesKentfield, California

Xenophobic ban on approaches?“The FAA is assigning alternate instrument approaches to all for-eign carriers.” (Flight International, 6-12 August, p8)

What!? Apart from the frankly astounding xenophobic implica-tion that only Americans can fly properly, is that discrimination even legal under international conventions?Bob OwenSherborne, Dorset, UKA350: tablet coverage

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EVENTS16-18 SeptemberSpeedNews 14th Annual Aviation Industry Suppliers Conference Toulouse, Francespeednews.com

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25-26 SeptemberRAeroSoc International Flight Crew Training ConferenceLondon, [email protected]

22-24 OctoberNBAA Business Aviation Convention & ExhibitionLas Vegas, Nevadanbaa.org

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15-17 AprilAsian Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (ABACE)Shanghai, Chinaabace.aero

20-22 MayEuropean Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE)Geneva, Switzerlandebace.aero

20-25 MayILABerlin, Germanyila-berlin.com

14-20 JulyFarnborough air showFarnborough, UKFarnborough.com

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CLASSIFIEDTEL +44 (0) 20 8652 4897 FAX +44 (0) 20 8652 3779 EMAIL [email protected] may be monitored for training purposes

LONDON BIGGIN HILL

CLOSE TO THE HEART OF LONDON

HANGARAGE AND

OFFICES AVAILABLE

IN LONDON TODAY

For long and short term competitivelypriced office space and hangarage contact: Katy Woolcott

+44(0)1959 [email protected]

D a u p h i n Parts Specialistsw w w . a l p i n e . a e r o Helitech 2013 Booth E51 September 24-26, Excel, London

JET A1AVGAS 100LLAVGAS UL91

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Speedy delivery serviceCompetitive pricesQuality assurance

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For more information call Damian on020 8440 0505 or E Mail: [email protected]

242-248 High Street, Barnet, Hertfordshire EN5 5TD

Telephone: +44(0)20 8440 0505 Telefax: +44(0)20 8440 6444Email: [email protected] www.cymapetroleum.co.uk

CYMA

General

Courses and tuitionAircraft spares

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flightglobal.com 10-16 September 2013 | Flight International | 41

The MROnly place to be...

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HEAD OFFICE, BALAKA, KURMITOLA, DHAKA-1229, BANGLADESH, PHONE: 8901600-14, 8901680-94, FAX: 88-02-8901558,www.biman-airlines.com

SALE AND LEASEBACKBiman Bangladesh Airlines is looking forreputable Lessors, Banks and other financialinstitutions to take over the purchase of its firmorders for 2 (two) new Boeing737-800 aircraftdue for delivery in November and December2015, and leaseback to Biman for a period often (10) years from said date, with options toextend. Pre-delivery payments are due inOctober 2013.

Details are available on Biman websitewww.biman-airlines.com

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Focus on the client -

Focus on ValueLet your career take offDesign Project Engineer – Avionics / MechanicalWe are inviting applications from Design Project Engineers to join our EASA Part 21J, approved Design Organisation in Redhill, Surrey. As part of BristowTechnical Services, the Design Organisation provides technical and design expertise in support of the Bristow Group and to our External Customers.

Responsible to the Head of Design, your duties will include but not limited to:• Researching and designing aircraft modifications that meet future operational or mandatory requirements;• Compiling and/or approving design documentation under the Organisation’s EASA Part 21, Subpart J Approval;• Ensuring design work meets compliance with appropriate approvals and airworthiness requirements;• Delivering Project Management of modification programmes;• Working closely with Bristow’s EASA Part 21G Approved Production Organisation on manufacturing issues and modification kit production;• Providing technical support and rectification action in response to operational problems, incidents and AOG situations, ensuring safety and airworthiness

whilst minimising operational disruption and costs;• Liaising with internal Departments, Aircraft Manufacturers, Equipment Vendors and Regulatory Bodies;• Collaborating with Technical Specialists, as required, in relation to the interdisciplinary aspects of design projects;• Reviewing technical documents issued by Aircraft Manufacturers, Equipment Vendors and Regulatory Bodies, assessing the implications and implementing

the appropriate actions to ensure continued compliance with regulatory requirements;• Negotiating, as necessary, with regulatory authorities to obtain approval for major modifications;• Representing the company, on a technical basis, at industry working groups, meetings and conferences.

Skills / Experience• Aviation related, Engineering Degree, HND or other Professional Qualifications and knowledge equivalent to an EASA B1.3/B2 License Holder;• Previous experience in an aviation related engineering design / development role. Preference will be given to candidates who can demonstrate suitability to

hold CVE status within an EASA Part 21J Design Organisation;• Must be thorough, detailed and analytical in approach to work with an ability to provide innovative solutions to problems;• Strong, demonstrable negotiation and interpersonal skills;• Excellent verbal and written communication skills;• Ability to work on own initiative or/and as part of a team;• Flexible with the ability to adapt to changing demands;• Able to make clear-cut decisions and communicate these effectively;• Ability to meet strict deadlines and work under pressure;• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office and Web Based Software;• A working knowledge of AUTO-CAD would be desirable.

To apply please submit an online application together with a covering letter and CV at: www.bristowgroup.com/careers

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A proposed dynamic airline in theRepublic of Serbia is seeking an

expression of interest fromcandidates interested in the

following roles

Licensed Aircraft EngineerThe right candidate will need ● Valid aircraft maintenance license (ICAOII, EASA66)● Post holder must have a minimum of 5 years’

experience within line maintenance, of which 3years in a similar role.

● Formal technical training on (A319/A320 – B737CL– ATR72) aircraft type

● Excellent knowledge of line maintenanceoperations

● Excellent knowledge of aviation regulations (e.g.JAA, EASA, FAA)

● High standard of English language● High standard of computer literacy (MS Office

applications)

Licensed Aircraft TechnicianThe right candidate will need ● High School Diploma or equivalent ● Formal aircraft apprenticeship or equivalent● Minimum 2 years line maintenance experience● Excellent knowledge of aviation regulations

Applications from citizens of the Republic OfSerbia are strongly encouraged.

Please send all applications [email protected]

Deadline for applications is the 30th September

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www.cranfield.ac.uk

School of Engineering Department of Aerospace Engineering

Senior Lecturer/Reader£48,064 to £52,138 per annum

Communications, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) and Air Traffic

Management (ATM)

As a senior member of staff in the Aircraft Design Group, you will work

closely with colleagues specialising in avionics design and avionics

software systems and will be expected to develop and lead the CNS/ATM

research activity in the group. An active researcher, you will have a strong

background in modern avionic/CNS/ATM system design (e.g. RPN,

4D Trajectory based operations and PBN) a proven research track record

and also a proven ability in winning funding from UK and EU initiatives in

the field.

The Department has a Large Aircraft Flight Simulator (LAFS), an Avionics

Rig and various other Flight Simulators. Additionally, we are planning an

innovative CNS/ATM Laboratory, which will include also the networking of

the simulators available in the School of Engineering and possibly other

resources in Cranfield University. You will lead the establishment of the

CNS/ATM Laboratory and in the day-to-day activities required for running

and maintaining the LAFS.

In addition to high quality research, you will be expected to design and

deliver aeronautical communications systems and ATM lectures and

tutorials as part of the taught MSc programme in Aerospace Vehicle

Design (Avionics option), with the aim of growing the CNS/ATM content

leading to possibly a separate option including short and long courses.

You will provide support to the Design Project element of the MSc

programme and will supervise research theses.

You must have a PhD in aeronautical/aerospace or electronic engineering

and research experience in the field of CNS/ATM. Industrial and direct

experience of practical CNS/ATM Integration also would be expected.

Apply online now at www.cranfield.ac.uk/hr or contact us for further

details on E: [email protected] or T: +44 (0)1234 750111 ext 2347.

Please quote reference number 1427.

Closing date for receipt of applications: 4 October 2013.

A place for learning,

an opportunity for

development.

Gulf Helicopters Company, a CommercialHelicopter operator based in Qatar, seeks to fillthe positions of Licensed Aircraft Engineer andTechnicians.

Adv. Ref. No. LAE/TECH-01/2013Possess Aircraft Maintenance Engineer’s License issued under the provision ofICAO Annex II in Airframe and Power plant or Avionics with all categories, orEASA Part 66 B1 or B2. Applicants should have appropriate experience on typeand manufacturer’s airframe & engine course certificates. Candidates holdingtype ratings on AW 139 and/ or Bell 412 will only be considered.

We offer a TAX FREE, attractive and competitive remuneration package.

Please apply online by visiting our website: www.gulfhelicopters.comspecifying the job ref # as LAE/TECH-01/2013 in the Engineers applicationform and forward CV & scanned copies of licenses and trainingcertificates to email address: [email protected] with full nameand position in the subject line.

HEAD OF FLYING OPERATIONS (HFO) - PERTH BASED

Responsible for the safe, efficient and cost-effective deployment of the company’s flight operations assets.

Key Duties and responsibilities include: t� Act as the principal flight operations adviser to the General Manager, Regional Servicest� Ensure compliance under the civil aviation law of all flying conducted by the

company as the holder of a High Capacity AOCt� Represents the Company with the regulatory authorities, Government

agencies, clients, service providers and the public t� Plan, organise, lead and control the daily operation of the Flight

Operations Departmentt� Ensure Operational Budget Performance and Cost Control measures

Essential Qualifications and Experience: t� Background/qualifications acceptable to CASA HFO requirements of a High Capacity

AOCt� Demonstrable high level understanding of all of the essential operational and

infrastructure requirements to conduct the company’s operationst� Demonstrable leadership and interpersonal skills commensurate with the positiont� Australian Air Transport Pilot’s Licence (ATPL)t� Current Command Multi Engine Instrument Rating

To apply: Please email your resume to the HR Assistant, Monica Van De Laak before close of business 3 October 2013 at [email protected]

Successful applicants will receive full training and a competitive benefits package.

Requirementss� Hold or have held JAA/EASA

ATPL(H) with IR(H) or CPL(H) with IR(H)

s� Have at least 1,000 hours flying experience as a helicopter pilot

s� Have at least 350 hours flying experience as a pilot of multi-pilot helicopters

Preferences s� Previous Instructional

Experiences� S-92 or similar ratingss� Search and Rescues� Offshore Operations

Competitive Salary and Benefits For information or to apply, visit Careers at flightsafety.com, or call +44 (0) 1252 554 500. Equal opportunity employer/M/F/D/V

A Berkshire Hathaway companyflightsafety.com

EASA Instructors for Sikorsky S-92FlightSafety International, Farnborough, UK seeks Ground and Simulator Instructors for the Sikorsky S-92 program to instruct Initial, Recurrent and Enrichment Pilot Training courses.


www.ctcaviation.com/ctcflexicrew

CTC FlexiCrewHigh flyers, on demand

Seeks Type Rated PilotsLocations UK & Worldwide

Flexible & Permanent Positions

Email: recruitment@sigmaaviationservices.comwww.sigmaaviationservices.com

Tel: +353 1 669 8224Fax: +353 1 669 8201

Email: recruitment@sigmaaviationservices.comwww.sigmaaviationservices.com

Contract and Permanent recruitmentfor the Aviation industry

David Rowe, Alastair Millar, Jodie Green, Ian Chapman

Tel: +44 (0)1737 821011Email: [email protected]

www.cbsbutler.com

GCT GroupWorldwide specialist for Aerospace Engineering, Certification & Management Servicese: [email protected]: +49 (0) 8153 93130w: www.garner.de

The preferred company for Stress (Fatigue & DT), GFEM,Composites), Aeronautical Research. Business units:Contract staff, Workpackages, Innovation and New

Concepts, Aeronautical Research.www.bishop-gmbh.comContact [email protected]

Tel 0049-(0)40-866-258-10 Fax 0049-(0)40-866-258-20

To advertise in this Employment Services Index

call +44 (0) 20 8652 4900fax +44 (0) 20 8261 8434

email [email protected] note that calls may

be monitored for training purposes

Flight International

One industry, one job site

Get express relief with

THE industry job site

at Jobs.Flightglobal.com

Recruitment headache?

Print Online Mobile

Recruitment Support to the Aviation Industry

T: +44(0)1483 [email protected]

aviation recruitment

WORKING WEEK

flightglobal.com

For more employee work experiences, pay a visit to flightglobal.com/workingweek

You recently won the gold medal in aircraft maintenance at the 2013 WorldSkills competition. Briefly describe what the competition entailed?The competition was carried out over a four-day period (22h) with six modules to be completed. The six modules were:1) Aircraft structural sheet metal repair 2) Daily inspection on a Gazelle helicopter3) Hot section inspection on a Rolls-Royce C250 turboshaft en-gine, using a borescope and a de-tailed visual inspection follow-ing removal of various components. This module also consisted of blending a compres-sor rotor blade in accordance with the maintenance manual4) Rigging of an aileron flight control system5) Aircraft component removal, inspection and installation6) Fabrication of a typical aircraft electrical wiring circuit that in-cluded fault findingWhat is your role at Transaero Engineering and what would a typical week be like?I work as an aircraft mechanic at Transaero Engineering Ireland. We are a maintenance, repair and overhaul facility located in Shan-non, Ireland. We carry out main-tenance for Transaero Airlines and for many third party airlines, including passenger/cargo and VIP aircraft. Presently, we main-

tain Boeing 737 series, 757, 767 and 777 aircraft. I work as part of a “flexi-crew team”. Every day is different in that I can be sent to any zone around the aircraft, in-cluding wings/flight controls, en-gines, landing gear, air condition-ing, cabin interior, avionics or composites, depending on where there is a manpower requirement for that particular day. It is an ex-cellent way to gain experience all around the aircraft.What is your career background so far?I started my apprenticeship in 2008. The apprenticeship is run by the Irish National Training Authority (FÁS) in conjunction with private industry and in-cludes seven phases of training.

Three of these phases are “off the job” training, carried out in facili-ties at FÁS Training Centre Shan-non and Dublin Institute of Tech-nology. The four other phases are “on the job” training carried out at Transaero Engineering. I quali-fied in September 2012. I was selected over three years to compete in three Irish National Skills competitions, winning on two occasions. Having gone through a rigorous selection process, I was selected to repre-sent Ireland in the skill of aircraft maintenance. I recently complet-ed a B1 Type training course on the Boeing 767 aircraft.Why did you decide to pursue a career in engineering?From a young age, I had a huge

interest in how machinery worked, and I showed a good mechanical aptitude when on work experience as part of our school curriculum. Having an in-terest in aviation, I decided to pursue a career in aircraft main-tenance engineering. Where do you see yourself in ten years?I really enjoy working as an air-craft mechanic and I hope to gain more responsibilities and duties in my trade, and become experi-enced and knowledgeable in all zones around the aircraft. I see myself as having lots of Group1Aircraft Type ratings on my EASA B1 licence and pro-gressing to a managerial role within Transaero Engineering Ireland.What do you do to relax outside the job?In my spare time, I enjoy playing hurling with my local GAA club, and following the All-Ireland Hurling and Football leagues and championships. I also like to play golf and attend social events with my family and friends. ■

WORK EXPERIENCE JOSEPH KELLY

Kelly: developed his mechanical aptitude from an early age

Joseph Kelly is an aircraft mechanic with Transaero Engineering. In recognition of his dexterity in aircraft maintenance, he was awarded a gold medal at the 2013 WorldSkills competition in Leipzig, Germany

Ireland’s MRO golden boy

If you would like to feature in

Working Week, or you know

someone who does, email your

pitch to kate.sarsfield@ flightglobal.com

10-16 September 2013 | Flight International | 47

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Opportunities for Avionics Engineers www.jobs.eads.com

CHALLENGING PERSPECTIVES

MORE TO BELIEVE IN Superior performance | Lower cost of ownership | Greater reliability

We’re writing to confirm a date we made with our customers in 2008. The first LEAP engine will begin testing this autumn. Right on schedule. Just like our last 21 engines. Adjust your calendars, we’ve made this a LEAP year.

Go to cfmaeroengines.com

LEAP year

CFM International is a 50/50 joint company between Snecma (Safran) and GE.

No 5406 flight_10092013

Technology

Transcript of No 5406 flight_10092013