Testing of Bombardier CSeries Aircraft Systems Begins

CIASTA Time Lapse Video




The first systems for Bombardier’s CSeries airliner program are now being developed and tested at partners and vendors in Canada, the United States and Europe prior to delivery to Bombardier’s Complete Integrated Aircraft Systems Test Area (CIASTA). The installation of the systems rigs at the CIASTA is progressing on schedule, and some parts, including the engine accessory gearbox and flight deck controls, have already arrived.

Located at Bombardier’s Mirabel facility, 40 km north of Montréal, the CIASTA is the high-tech laboratory that will test the CSeries aircraft’s systems ahead of first flight and will continue to support systems integration during the flight test program.

Supported by three main pillars - risk mitigation, advanced quality planning and solid governance - execution of the CSeries aircraft program is designed to enhance the reliability and maintainability of the CSeries jetliner.

“The CIASTA will integrate flight control systems, avionics, hydraulics, electrical and environmental control systems prior to the CSeries aircraft’s first flight,” said David Tidd, Vice President, Integrated Product Development Team, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “It is a significant advancement from the test rigs that Bombardier has used on its previous aircraft development programs.”

“This virtual aircraft, which is in fact considered as the aircraft with serial number zero, will be used to extensively test systems design in order to mitigate risk and provide the necessary reliability prior to the first flight,” added Mr. Tidd.

The 5,760 sq. m (62,000 sq. ft.) CIASTA complex sits adjacent to Bombardier’s state-of-the-art assembly facility for its CRJ family of regional jets. The CIASTA is the first in a series of large facilities planned exclusively for the testing, final assembly and delivery of CSeries aircraft in Mirabel.

The CIASTA concept involves several key CSeries aircraft partners and suppliers, including CAE, Goodrich Actuation Systems, Hamilton Sundstrand, Honeywell, Liebherr-Aerospace, Parker Hannifin, Pratt & Whitney and Rockwell Collins. Representatives from these organizations will be co-located in Mirabel to work with Bombardier on system testing and integration processes.
The CIASTA will house the Integrated Systems Test and Certification Rig (ISTCR), Engineering Simulator (ESIM), Systems Integration Test Stand (SITS), Flight Controls Integration Lab (FCIL) and Environmental Cabin Systems (ECS) rig.

The CSeries aircraft, which is optimized for the single-aisle 100- to 149-seat market, will deliver the lowest operating costs in its class, exceptional operational flexibility, widebody comfort and an unmatched environmental scorecard.


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Boeing and EPFL Join Forces to Lower Sustainability Certification Costs

Sustainable Biomass Consortium will help align varying biomass standards
Transparency and collaboration across regions and governments is key

SEATTLE, March 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) and the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) today announced the creation of the Sustainable Biomass Consortium, a research initiative focused on increasing collaboration between voluntary standards and regulatory requirements for biomass used to create jet fuel and bioenergy for other sectors. The consortium also will seek to lower overall sustainability certification costs. Biomass is a renewable energy source, often plant matter.

The Sustainable Biomass Consortium will conduct collaborative research with environmental organizations, governments and civil society groups to help align regional and regulatory requirements, while bolstering the ability to provide independent verification of the sustainability and traceability of biomass sources. Working closely with the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB), this effort will put aviation on a path to compliance and accreditation, while providing guidance for developing local economies and access to other markets.

Research projects will commence in April 2011 and the scope of work over the next two years will include projects in China, Africa, the EU, Latin America, North America and Australasia. Specifics will be announced as projects are launched, and more than 10 are currently in development.

"With increasing environmental, regulatory and social pressures on aviation, having harmonized standards for sustainable biofuel development is crucial," said Boeing Commercial Airplanes Vice President of Environmental and Aviation Policy Billy Glover. "Our industry needs these fuel sources and this consortium will help ensure we have a transparent way to collaborate among certification processes that guide us toward a more sustainable future."

"In partnership with important international stakeholders, the EPFL Energy Center established the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels and initiated the development of a highly recognized standard for sustainable biofuels production," said Energy Center Director, Professor Hans Bjorn Puttgen. "Now that the certification using the RSB standard is being launched, the Sustainable Biomass consortium provides a unique opportunity to initiate a process to further make sustainability certification even more practical and needs-oriented. EPFL is very proud to collaborate with an industry leader such as Boeing in this emblematic venture."

"Working with leaders in sustainability and with governments around the world to ensure that strong and credible standards for sustainable energy are implemented in a way that benefits civil society and our planet is the proper and preferred approach," said National Wildlife Federation International Climate and Energy Program Senior Advisor, Barbara Bramble. "Improving the efficient administration and coherence of different sustainability certification standards for biomass development will help the whole industry to achieve certification. Wide adoption of robust standards will protect potentially vulnerable countries and ecosystems throughout the world."

The Sustainable Biomass Consortium will use current aviation biofuel initiatives to launch its regional benchmarking efforts, based on the global sustainability standard of the RSB, which this week announced its certification system. Boeing and EPFL are also funding the creation of a fact base for transparent analysis of existing sustainability standards and supporting aspects including the construction of verification and tracking systems. The effort is expected to take 3-5 years and is open to other third-party participation.

Sustainable biofuel development is a key element of aviation's strategy for lowering its carbon emissions. Only biomass sources that provide an overall lifecycle carbon reduction benefit, don't distort the global food-chain, compete with fresh water resources or lead to natural habitat loss or unintended land use change are being considered. More information on Boeing's biofuel initiatives can be found at http://www.newairplane.com/environment or www.safug.org. To learn more about EPFL or the RSB, please visit http://energycenter.epfl.ch


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Northrop Grumman Takes Delivery of First Production F-35 Air Inlet Duct From Key Turkish Supplier

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., March 22, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Turkish Aerospace Industries, Inc. (TAI), a major international F-35 Lightning II supplier to Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC), has delivered its first production air inlet duct for the jet.


The delivery of the all-composite duct, a major structural element of the F-35's center fuselage, will support Northrop Grumman's production of F-35 center fuselages for conventional takeoff and landing variants at its aerospace production facility in Palmdale, Calif.

"This delivery reflects the growing maturity of TAI's composite fiber-placed manufacturing processes, and the steady evolution of its role as a second source supplier of center fuselages for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program," said Mark Tucker, vice president and F-35 program manager for Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector.

Northrop Grumman is a principal subcontractor of the Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT)-led F-35 industry team.

TAI produced the air inlet duct at its composites manufacturing facility in Ankara, Turkey, as part of a five-year, $28.4 million contract awarded to the company in September 2009 by Northrop Grumman.

"The delivery of this first production duct represents the successful culmination of a training process for TAI that began in El Segundo approximately two years ago," said David Dominguez, manufacturing engineering lead for international production for Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. "Over the course of that instruction, TAI's engineers and manufacturing specialists have grown from having limited knowledge of composites manufacturing processes to now being able to produce large, complex, high precision parts for one of the most advanced weapon systems in the world."

According to Dominguez, the TAI training included rigorous classroom and hands-on work to teach its employees how to fabricate an F-35 inlet duct from start to finish. The training was conducted at Northrop Grumman's Advanced Composites Center in El Segundo.

TAI is a second source supplier of F-35 air inlet ducts and center fuselages to Northrop Grumman. The company is slated to produce inlet ducts to support both the current production of center fuselages on Northrop Grumman's F-35 assembly line in Palmdale, Calif., and the 400 complete center fuselages that it will produce in Turkey.

Deliveries of the TAI-produced center fuselages are scheduled to begin in 2013, as part the F-35 program's fifth phase of low rate initial production.

Northrop Grumman is responsible for designing and producing the center fuselage for all three variants of the F-35. The company also designed and produces the aircraft's radar and other key avionics including electro-optical and communications subsystems; develops mission systems and mission-planning software; leads the team's development of pilot and maintenance training system courseware; and manages the team's use, support and maintenance of low-observable technologies.

Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information.

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Airbus Military crea representaciones adicionales en sus países de origen y designa una nueva dirección en Francia

Según el modelo ya existente de Airbus Military France Airbus Military ha creado representaciones adicionales en Alemania y Reino Unido con participación del 100 por cien. Richard Thompson, actual Director de Airbus Military Customer Services, ha sido nombrado, con efecto del 1 de abril de 2011, Director de Airbus Military UK, mientras que Karl-Heinz Fuchs, actual Director de A400M Customer Services, asumirá la misma función en Alemania. Asimismo, Cedric Gautier, recientemente nombrado Director del programa A400M, sucederá, además, a Alain Fontaine como Director de Airbus Military France. Los directores de las tres entidades nacionales reportarán directamente a Domingo Ureña, CEO de Airbus Military.

Paralelamente, Philippe Galland reemplazará a Richard Thompson como Director de Airbus Military Customer Services, y Stephan Miegel, actual Vicepresidente encargado de la estrategia en Cassidian, sustituirá a Karl-Heinz Fuchs.

Estas filiales asumirán la interlocución principal para todos los contactos en estos países, así como la coordinación de las actividades comerciales y de mantenimiento de todos los productos de Airbus Military que operen las fuerzas aéreas y otras instituciones de estas naciones. R. Thompson se encargará del soporte del A400M en el Reino Unido durante su ciclo de vida, así como del A330 MRTT (que recibe la denominación británica de Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft, FSTA), mediante el consorcio AirTanker.

“La creación y consolidación del papel de las filiales nacionales de Airbus Military reforzará la relación con nuestros clientes gracias a una colaboración más cercana. Esto nos permitirá satisfacer mejor sus necesidades en lo que a productos y servicios se refiere, así como agilizar nuestra respuesta a sus requerimientos futuros", comentó Domingo Ureña.

Richard Thompson, de 57 años, casado y con dos hijos, ha sido Director de Airbus Military Customer Services durante los cuatro últimos años, tras ser Director Comercial del A400M.

Karl-Heinz Fuchs, de 49 años, casado y con tres hijos, se incorporó a EADS Military Aircraft en 1992 y desde 2002 ha sido responsable de establecer el servicio de atención al cliente del A400M en Madrid y Toulouse.

Philippe Galland, de 53 años, casado y con dos hijos, es actualmente Vicepresidente encargado de Estrategia, Desarrollo Comercial y Cambio en Airbus Customer Services. Se incorporó a Eurocopter en 1989, donde desempeñó una serie de funciones en Ingeniería, Desarrollo Comercial y Servicios hasta 2008. P. Galland tiene una licencia de piloto privado.

Cédric Gautier, de 50 años, casado y con cuatro hijos, ha cosechado una amplia experiencia en ingeniería y producción, primero en EADS Astrium y, luego, en Sogerma, donde fue nombrado Director Industrial en 2005 y, promovido en 2007 a Presidente y CEO

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