Traffic controller shortages in the news 28 May
Ninemsn: Passenger planes carrying thousands of people were flying without proper ground-based supervision for a total of seven days last year, as authorities struggle to fill a shortage in air traffic controllers.
Airservices Australia, the government-owned body responsible for managing air traffic, recorded 53 separate incidents in 2007 — together lasting 166.5 hours — where designated sectors of airspace were unsupervised, according to documents obtained by ninemsn under the Freedom of Information Act. More
Jet fuel from garbage 30 April
A US company is about to go into commercial production of jet fuel recovered from processed garbage.
Biomass Online reports: Solena Group, a Washington, DC-based company developing a commercial-scale biobased jet fuel production plant, will be discussing synthetic aviation fuel at the ASTM International Aviation Subcommittee meeting in Warsaw, Poland, on June 3-5.
Among other topics, the meeting will include updates on proposals for aviation fuels produced from the Fischer-Tropsch process and a review of a fully synthetic aviation fuel produced by South Africa-based Sasol for the Johannesburg International Airport. In early April, the company became the first in the world to receive international approval for its 100 percent synthetic jet fuel. More
Thielert files for bankruptcy 27 April
Thielert Aircraft Engines has field for insolvency after a long string of troubles. Its shares were trading at a mere 0.35 Euros, down from a high of 25.22 in 2005.
An adminstrator is to be appointed and it is not yet known if the company can be revived.
The decision has major implications for customers such as Cessna and Diamond.
Video of the week
Red Bull helicopter stunt routine: yes, it does back flips. It's a Eurocopter BO-105 CBS 4 twin-engine with a rigid rotor system.
Indian military contest heats up 26 April
The contest to deliver the new generation medium fighter to the Indian air force is heating up, with EADS recently presenting its Eurofighter Typhoon (pictured) proposal.
That was days after Boeing did likewise with a 7000-pgage document coveriing its F/A-18E/F.
Others in the running include Dassault Aviation’s Rafale, Lockheed Martin’s F16, the MiG-35 and Swedish Gripen. More at Times of India
Rough ride for industry in 2008
The International Air Transport Association downgraded its industry profit expectations for 2008 to US$4.5 billion based on global economic growth slowing to 2.6% and an average annualised oil price of US$86 per barrel (Brent Crude). This is the second downgrading of the 2008 forecast. In September 2007 IATA predicted a US$7.8 billion profit for this year. The initial impact of the credit crunch saw that lowered to US$5.0 billion in December 2007.
“We still expect a positive bottom line of US$4.5 billion, but it’s turning out to be a very tough year,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO.
Skyrocketing oil prices during 2004-2008 were offset by efficiency gains and rising consumer confidence. “The broadening impact of the US credit crunch has brought buoyant consumer confidence to an abrupt end. Oil prices continue to rise. Demand is softening and after the 64% improvement in labour productivity and an 18% reduction in non-fuel unit cost attained since 2001, efficiency gains are much more difficult to achieve,” said Bisignani.
The projections are:
North America: US$1.8 billion (down from US$2.8 billion in 2007)
Europe: US$1.8 billion (down from US$2.1 billion in 2007)
Asia Pacific: US$900 million (constant from 2007)
Middle East: US$200 million (down from US$300 million in 2007)
Latin America: Break-even (compared to a US$100 million loss in 2007)
Africa: US$300 million loss (improved from the US$400 million loss in 2007)
“It’s time for governments and labour to get serious about the future structure of the industry. A
fragmented industry of over 1000 players is generating net profit margins around 1% - in a good year. There is no secure long-term future for an industry that is constantly on the verge of intensive care,” said Bisignani. More
But there’s still a shortage of pilots
IATA also reports that the pilot worldwide shortage will worsen rather than get better.
It says: “Airlines are competing in a global market that has a shortage of licensed personnel. To meet projected demand in 2026, we must train 19,000 pilots a year. With capacity of 16,000, the shortfall by 2026 would be 54,000 pilots. We must broaden the pool of qualified candidates without compromising on safety.”
Exacerbating the problem is the large numbers of baby boomer pilots reaching retirement age.
Meanwhile The Australian newspaper reports: “The International Federation of Air Line Pilots Associations, which represents pilots' labour unions, has calculated that, simply on the basis of the aircraft industry's order backlog, there is a need for a net increase of between 55,000 and 75,000 new pilots globally.”
Solar plane to fly for 5 years
DARPA in the US has awarded a contract to design an unmanned solar aircraft, called the Vulture, that can stay aloft for five years.
From DARPA: The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has selected Aurora Flight Sciences, Boeing and Lockheed Martin as contractors for the first phase of the Vulture program.
The Vulture program envisions a system carrying a 1000-pound payload drawing five kilowatts of power that is able to stay airborne for an uninterrupted period of at least five years while remaining in the required mission airspace 99 per cent of the time. More at DARPA
Matchmaking for pilots
A business in the US has started up a web-=based aircraft sharing and maintenance service that aims to act as matchmaker.
Called The Aircraft Partnership Association, it promiees: “The idea of forming a partnership to share expenses is not new. The problem has always been that trying to form a partnership never seems to get off the ground and before too long, the dream of ownership fades.
“The Aircraft Partnership Association (APA) has the solution—not just how to form a partnership, but how to use Internet-based solutions to find and match partners, schedule usage, track maintenance, collaborate with suppliers, manage bookkeeping, and more.” Link
CRJ reaches 1500
Bombardier Aerospace is celebrating the delivery of its 1500th CRJ series aircraft. Mesaba Airlines was the customer. More
Runways are the danger
New York Times: The recent groundings of thousands of flights have raised flags about skipped airplane inspections and botched repairs to wiring.
But what really worries aviation specialists? Runway collisions.
“Where we are most vulnerable at this moment is on the ground,” the chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, Mark V Rosenker, said. “To me, this is the most dangerous aspect of flying.” More
Helicopter pioneer dies
Rotorhub: Keith Harvey, a Helicopter Industry pioneer and founder of Composite Technologies, died on April 22, 2008 at the age of 80. More
Thielert in trouble
AvWeb reports: The supervisory board of Thielert AG, the German company that manufactures Thielert diesel aircraft engines and also owns Texas-based Superior Air Parts said in a statement today it has dismissed "with cause" company founder Frank Thielert and cancelled his employment contract in light of preliminary findings of a criminal investigation into the company's financial affairs. The board also dismissed Chief Financial Officer Roswitha Grosser and cancelled her contract. More
For sale
Got something interesting to sell? We’re going to start to run classifieds in the near future, so why not send us what you have for a free plug? Simply email basic details, preferably with a good pic, to this address. Private owners and dealers are welcome.
Refurbished 1959 Piper Cub (pictured), located in NZ. Au$105,000. Link
SUPA-PUP MK2 Near completion. Single place fold away wing design, with Stratomaster 3.5" Gauges (inc GPS). Fuel injected Hurth Engine and reduction drive, 3 blade prop, seat, harness and more. Genuine reason for sale. $19,500. Ph: Phil 0408 359 915. Email this link for pics or further info.
The Prince and the Chinook
Prince William's budding flying career has been anything but smooth -- the most recent turbulence surrounded a story claiming he used a Chinook to go partying. It copped quite a serve in the UK media, such as this cartoon, which depicts him using the chopper to execise the royal corgis, published by the Daily Mail. Oh the joys of being a flying Royal…
Old tech versus new 23 April
The Aus Airpower website today retells an old story of Serbian forces using old technology to track and shoot down a then new stealth aircraft (F117-A) with what was effectively a cobbled up combination of outdated systems. The commentary in particular is worth reading. More
Honda expands into Europe
Honda Aircraft announced this week plans to expand sales of HondaJet to Europe, beginning in May at the annual EBACE (European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition) conference in Geneva, Switzerland. Honda says its decision to expand sales of its light jet to the rapidly growing European market is a direct response to strong demand for HondaJet since the jet first went on sale in 2006 in the United States."We are excited to initiate sales in Europe, where we have received a steady stream of inquiries from interested customers who will now have the opportunity to reserve delivery of a HondaJet," said Michimasa Fujino, Honda Aircraft Company president and CEO. "We are committed to providing our customers in Europe with both a class-leading product and a sales and service support system that exceed their expectations for private jet ownership and travel." More
Mangold looks to round two Defending Red Bull Air Race World Series champion Mike Mangold (pictured) is hoping the second race of the season in San Diego will be better suited to his Edge 540 plane than Abu Dhabi, where Britain’s Paul Bonhomme thoroughly dominated the season opener and picked up 9 championship points.
Mangold, who finished a disappointing third (7 points) in Abu Dhabi after losing the semi-final to Austria’s Hannes Arch (8), is looking forward to the race in his home state of California on 3 and 4 May. He is hoping for the chance to get back on top of the standings after Bonhomme, last year’s runner-up in the championship, snatched the early lead with the awe-inspiring victory in Abu Dhabi.
“Seven points is better than none, we did the best we could,” a resigned Mangold said before packing up in Abu Dhabi. “Paul’s got a very good plane. His plane was faster on this course than mine. It’s pretty obvious it’s not pilot skill. It’s the plane. I think more turns in San Diego and some modifications on the plane will help us and we can do better there.”
Bonhomme, who put in a tremendous performance in Abu Dhabi, dominating training, Qualifying, the Super Eights, Semi-Finals and Final, was not offended by Mangold’s tacit snub of his skills. “Well, hopefully my plane will be good for all of the courses all year long too,” Bonhomme said with a smile. Bonhomme, of course, has not forgotten his win in San Diego last year while Mangold, who had a weekend to forget, was fifth.
In front of a crowd of 400,000 in Abu Dhabi, the first race of the fourth season produced a number of surprises beyond Bonhomme’s dominance – especially because many observers had expected a tight battle at the top with as many as seven pilots capable of winning any given race.
Arch, in particular, was impressive with the first podium of his career in only his second season. After losing 15 kilos to 67 kilos over the winter, Arch was brilliant in flying his new Edge 540 into the semi-finals and then beating Mangold.
“Reaching the semi-finals was a-dream-come-true for me and everything after that was icing on the cake,” said Arch.
Also surprising was the pilots' generally positive response to the stricter enforcement of altitude regulations, which led to four disqualifications for "dangerous flying" (too low) in Qualifying and an unusually high number of 3-second penalties (flying too high). After some initial grumbling, the pilots said that was fine as long as the rules are enforced uniformly. Steve Jones said he got a 3-second penalty for flying too high even though it appeared his head was just 10 centimetres (four inches) above the line. "Next time I'll duck my head down," Jones said with a laugh.
In the meantime, the entire 380 tonnes of Red Bull Air Race infrastructure and equipment – including the 12 planes and their hangars along with the grid stand and race tower – has been packed up and sent on its way to San Diego. Series website
Undulating skin to reduce drag
New Scientist: Aircraft or submarines covered with an undulating skin able to change at a flick of a button would experience 50% less drag than conventional vehicles. This trick, which naturally occurs in dolphins, is now being tested by human engineers. More
Aviation policy needed 14 April Canberra Times, opinion, on the recent announcement of a national aviation review: The need to have a comprehensive national strategy to guide the growth and expansion of Australia's aviation industry might seem self-evident, but it is not so glaringly apparent that any government has actually bothered to produce an overarching policy document despite the fact that there has been an unprecedented surge in the movement of people (and cargo) by air around the world in the past 20 years. More
Widespread jet problems trigger safety concern Wall Street Journal: Popular models of passenger jets have been buffeted by a variety of engine problems in recent years, hastening industry officials and regulators to seek safety fixes in an area that had been relatively problem free.
The problems range from old-fashioned manufacturing defects to subtle computer-control glitches to design shortcomings that allow engine damage from internal ice accumulation before takeoff. Such difficulties generally escape the attention of average passengers.
But because they involve nearly every major engine builder and jetliner manufacturer, efforts to find answers have focused industry attention on the sometimes arcane vulnerabilities of engines. The result, according to many safety experts, is that engine-related issues have reappeared as one of the top safety challenges facing commercial aviation world-wide. More
Cirrus offers two-years’ service
Cirrus Design is offering two full years of maintenance, or 600 flight hours, which ever comes first, at no additional cost to our new aircraft owners.
Company co-founder Alan Klapmeier stated, "We have looked long and hard at airplane ownership and we believe Cirrus Maintenance is the next step toward easing the customer experience and increasing customer utility. As a leader and innovator in general aviation, Cirrus felt the need to take this leap to get more people flying airplanes and ultimately, grow the industry." See cirrusdesign.com
Tough love puts FAA under fire
Fox Business, USA: The news of this week's grounding of hundreds of MD80 aircraft has everyone from aviation executives to stranded passengers to lawmakers debating the balance between safety-of-flight issues and an agency that's suddenly determined to look tough in the wake of a string of embarrassing gaffes.
What should be scrutinized is the Federal Aviation Administration's lack of organization and obvious back-peddling in the last month to avoid government-directed housekeeping of airline regulators. Breakdowns between airlines and the FAA in the last month indicate the organization has no firm directive of how best to regulate the industry. While the FAA should not be treating airlines as their customers, as seen in the current case with Southwest Airlines, there needs to be collaboration between the FAA and airlines to ensure the utmost safety standards for passengers and crew. More
Computer mag slammed for laser story Australian Personal Computer magazine has been slammed by pilots, police and an academic for running a story showing how to make a home-built laser.
Lasers have been controversial thanks to idiots trying to use them to blind pilots – with national bans proposed and at least one Adelaide resident recently jailed. More at News.com.au
Restored Skyhawk takes flight
Modbee.com, USA: ATWATER -- Old planes 'land' at the Castle Air Museum on a lot less than a wing and a prayer. They usually come in pieces, their once-proud bodies taken apart and carried in on trucks.
But the museum is a place where obsolete war birds, even those that have been rotting in the sun for years, can live again. All it takes is the patient, determined work of the museum's team of restoration volunteers.
The 35 volunteers, many of whom were stationed at Castle Air Force Base before it closed in 1995, are masters at turning junk into aviation jewels. Their most recent project, which took thousands of hours over 18 months, is the restoration of a Navy A-4 Skyhawk attack aircraft that saw service during the Vietnam War. More
India to spend $2 billion on helicopters
The Economic Times: India will soon invite bids to supply its armed forces with 384 helicopters in a deal valued a nearly $2 billion, defence ministry officials told media on Friday. More
The ultimate private jet
Emirates Business: 24/7: If a corporate jet is just too small then Airbus could have the answer. Its double-deck A380 – the world’s newest and largest airliner – is being offered to customers in a VIP version known as the A380 Prestige. At a base price of US$320 million (Dh1.2 billion) – rising with customisation – this ultimate corporate jet has about 50 per cent more space than the Boeing 747. David Velupillai, Product Marketing Director, Airbus, told Emirates Business: “With around 551 square metres of space on two full-length decks, there is plenty of room to realise a customer’s dreams. “Customers can outfit the aircraft in any way they want. A typical layout can include a large lounge area, two or more bedrooms, areas with seats clustered around tables, bathrooms with toilets and showers, some premium-class seating and possibly some economy seating for support staff…” More
Boeing pushed into embarrassing delay
Like the Airbus 380, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner has been pushed into another round of embarrassing delays, poetentially costing the company a lot of money as airlines start to look elsewhere, or enforce penalty clauses in their delivery contracts.
Boeing’s explanation says: While significant progress has been made assembling Airplane #1, first flight is being rescheduled due to slower than expected completion of work that traveled from supplier facilities into Boeing's final assembly line, unanticipated rework, and the addition of margin into the testing schedule. The new delivery schedule is based on a more conservative production plan developed with the 787 partner team. That schedule now targets approximately 25 deliveries in 2009.
First flight of the all-new airplane will move into the fourth quarter of this year rather than the end of the second quarter, and first delivery is now planned for the third quarter of 2009 instead of first quarter.
Company officials expressed confidence in the new plan and the steps being taken to accelerate program performance.
"Over the past few months, we have taken strong actions to confront and overcome start-up issues on the program, and we have made solid progress," said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Scott Carson. "Nevertheless, the traveled work situation and some unanticipated rework have prevented us from hitting the milestones we laid out in January. Our revised schedule is built upon an achievable, high-confidence plan for getting us to our power-on and first-flight milestones. Also, while the fundamental technologies and design of the 787 remain sound, we have inserted some additional schedule margin for dealing with other issues we may uncover in testing prior to first flight and in the flight test program." More
Low, slow & often
Seeker Aviation in Queensland is working on developing a ‘low, slow & often’ coastal surveillance program which it hopes will boost sales. See this link for the corporate newsletter
Pinched fighter parts on eBay
The Inquirer, USA: Pinched US military hardware, including fighter jet parts and nuclear biological protective gear, has been up for grabs on Ebay and Craigslist.
A Congressional committee has discovered that some of the bits were desperately needed by Iran which has been suffering a bit from various technology embargos lately.
Apparently, all the military had to do is go online and fork out a pretty hefty delivery charge, the House subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs was told. More
FAA issues R44 warning
The FAA in the USA has issued an airworthiness bulletin affecting R44s fitted with air-conditioning.
It reads in part: Robinson has received a report of an electrical short in the air conditioning wiring. The short was found in the A/C switch wires in the overhead duct assembly and was caused by the wires chafing against the aluminum support strap in the duct. Chafing occurred in the wiring between the aircraft headliner and connectors for the duct assembly. More
Fuel cell plane takes off 7 April
Boeing says it has, for the first time in aviation history, flown a manned airplane powered by hydrogen fuel cells.
According to the company: the recent milestone is the work of an engineering team at Boeing Research & Technology Europe (BR&TE) in Madrid, with assistance from industry partners in Austria, France, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.
"Boeing is actively working to develop new technologies for environmentally progressive aerospace products," said Francisco Escarti, BR&TE's managing director. "We are proud of our pioneering work during the past five years on the Fuel Cell Demonstrator Airplane project. It is a tangible example of how we are exploring future leaps in environmental performance, as well as a credit to the talents and innovative spirit of our team."
A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that converts hydrogen directly into electricity and heat with none of the products of combustion such as carbon dioxide. Other than heat, water is its only exhaust.
A two-seat Dimona motor-glider with a 16.3 meter (53.5 foot) wingspan was used as the airframe. Built by Diamond Aircraft Industries of Austria, it was modified by BR&TE to include a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell/lithium-ion battery hybrid system to power an electric motor coupled to a conventional propeller.
Three test flights took place in February and March at the airfield in Ocaña, south of Madrid, operated by the Spanish company SENASA.
During the flights, the pilot of the experimental airplane climbed to an altitude of 1000 meters (3300 feet) above sea level using a combination of battery power and power generated by hydrogen fuel cells. Then, after reaching the cruise altitude and disconnecting the batteries, the pilot flew straight and level at a cruising speed of 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) for approximately 20 minutes on power solely generated by the fuel cells.
According to Boeing researchers, PEM fuel cell technology potentially could power small manned and unmanned air vehicles. Over the longer term, solid oxide fuel cells could be applied to secondary power-generating systems, such as auxiliary power units for large commercial airplanes. Boeing does not envision that fuel cells will ever provide primary power for large passenger airplanes, but the company will continue to investigate their potential, as well as other sustainable alternative fuel and energy sources that improve environmental performance.
BR&TE, part of the Boeing Phantom Works advanced R&D unit, has worked closely with Boeing Commercial Airplanes and a network of partners since 2003 to design, assemble and fly the experimental craft.
The group of companies, universities and institutions participating in this project includes:
Austria -- Diamond Aircraft Industries;
France -- SAFT France;
Germany -- Gore and MT Propeller;
Spain -- Adventia, Aerlyper, Air Liquide Spain, Indra, Ingeniería de Instrumentación y Control (IIC), Inventia, SENASA, Swagelok, Técnicas Aeronauticas de Madrid (TAM), Tecnobit, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, and the Regional Government of Madrid
United Kingdom -- Intelligent Energy;
United States -- UQM Technologies. Boeing
Fuel cell aircraft video
US regulator slammed
US air safety regulator the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been slammed in congressional re-authorisation hearings, with chairman Jim Oberstar outlining a long string of failures to enforce required inspections in critical components such as fuselage and rudder on commercial flights.
Oberstar said: “I fear that complacency may have set in at the highest levels of FAA management, reflecting a pendulum swing away from vigorous enforcement of compliance, toward a carrier-favorable, cozy relationship.
Meanwhile, more and more airline maintenance is being outsourced with less FAA and airline involvement, much of it to foreign repair stations.
“I fully agree that it is impossible for FAA to hire enough inspectors to oversee every single, minute aspect of regulatory compliance given the size of the US commercial air fleet. FAA has about 3000 inspectors overseeing airline compliance, and I doubt even 50,000 would be enough to inspect every plane flying—this is a complicated and highly technical business. Therefore I believe that “partnership programs” with the airlines are a good thing, if they are conducted under strict guidelines.
“…FAA needs to rethink its relationship with the airlines and the other aviation entities which it regulates. I was shocked to learn that in its mission statement for aviation safety, FAA has a 'vision of 'being responsive to our customers and accountable to the public.' This suggests that FAA regards the airlines and other companies it regulates as its 'customers'. This approach is seriously misguided. The 'customers' of FAA safety programs are the persons who fly on the airplanes FAA regulates. FAA’s bedrock responsibility is to ensure that these 'customers' travel safely.
“FAA needs to clean house, from the top down, and take corrective action. It needs to hire more inspectors, and give them a safety mission. Full statement; FAA
FAA has massive task
CBS News: You probably don't need some guy on TV telling you how bad air travel is these days. It's miserable.
At the Federal Aviation Administration's command center near Washington, the screens tell the story: More than 7,000 planes in the air at a time, crammed into an overloaded air-traffic system. And according to FAA acting administrator Robert Sturgell, it's only going to get worse as traffic doubles, even triples:
"We are, basically, using the same paradigm that we used 50 years ago, today," Sturgell said. "The current system is not gonna be able to handle that number of airplanes." More
Battle of the powerplants The Australian: The battle between Boeing and Airbus is developing into a titanic tussle between Boeing and General Electric on the one hand and Airbus and Rolls-Royce on the other. More
BA dramas hugely expensive
The woes experienced by British Airways with its failed opening of a new terminal (T5) at Heathrow have turned out to be hugely expensive.
It has revealed: “The impact was borne by the shorthaul schedule, where there were 300 cancelled flights, equating to 0.2 percentage points of capacity. The financial impact of these events is estimated to be around £16 million (almost $35 million Australian), reflecting all costs associated with the disruption and lost revenue opportunities.”
Laser ban likely 1 April
ABC: Laser pointers could soon be banned across Australia because of increased concern they are being used as weapons. More; CASA laser report (pdf)
Red BullAir Races multimedia -- click here for the site
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Defending Red Bull Air Race World Series champion Mike Mangold (pictured) is hoping the second race of the season in San Diego will be better suited to his Edge 540 plane than Abu Dhabi, where Britain’s Paul Bonhomme thoroughly dominated the season opener and picked up 9 championship points. 
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