Textron Aviation advances the industry with interactive 3D technical manuals

press release




Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, unveiled the industry’s first interactive, 3D full-color technical library today following the Cessna Citation Longitude’s entry into service. Advancing the industry from paper-based 2D manuals with limited geometric information, Textron Aviation’s new 3DPubs brings thousands of maintenance procedures, wiring diagram reference designators and parts catalogs to life. The company tested the new technology by publishing 3D wiring diagram reference designators for the Citation Latitude, the industry’s most-delivered business jet, earlier this year. “The Longitude’s clean-sheet design offered Textron Aviation engineers the chance to reimagine technical manuals,” said Kriya Shortt, senior vice president of Global Customer Support at Textron Aviation. “We’re committed to advancing all aspects of the industry, including aftermarket speed and support. Using the new 3D diagrams, maintenance technicians around the world can review and validate processes virtually before working on an aircraft—saving customers time and money.”

The new library, now available on the Textron Aviation 1View application, offers interactive step- by-step procedural instructions. Using a color-coding system, technicians can quickly differentiate visuals to identify line replacement units, hardware, discarded parts, sealant application areas and specialized tools.

Textron Aviation will present 3DPubs at the NBAA-BACE New Product Showcase scheduled Tuesday, Oct. 22, at the NBAA Innovation Zone, Booth N1818 on the show floor.

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Boeing Statement On Lion Air Flight 610 Investigation Final Report

press release


Boeing (NYSE: BA) issued the following statement regarding the release today of the final investigation report of Lion Air Flight 610 by Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT):

"On behalf of everyone at Boeing, I want to convey our heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in these accidents. We mourn with Lion Air, and we would like to express our deepest sympathies to the Lion Air family," said Boeing President & CEO Dennis Muilenburg. "These tragic events have deeply affected us all and we will always remember what happened."

"We commend Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee for its extensive efforts to determine the facts of this accident, the contributing factors to its cause and recommendations aimed toward our common goal that this never happens again."

"We are addressing the KNKT's safety recommendations, and taking actions to enhance the safety of the 737 MAX to prevent the flight control conditions that occurred in this accident from ever happening again. Safety is an enduring value for everyone at Boeing and the safety of the flying public, our customers, and the crews aboard our airplanes is always our top priority. We value our long-standing partnership with Lion Air and we look forward to continuing to work together in the future."

Boeing experts, working as technical advisors to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, have supported the KNKT over the course of the investigation. The company's engineers have been working with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other global regulators to make software updates and other changes, taking into account the information from the KNKT's investigation.

Since this accident, the 737 MAX and its software are undergoing an unprecedented level of global regulatory oversight, testing and analysis. This includes hundreds of simulator sessions and test flights, regulatory analysis of thousands of documents, reviews by regulators and independent experts and extensive certification requirements.

Over the past several months Boeing has been making changes to the 737 MAX. Most significantly, Boeing has redesigned the way Angle of Attack (AoA) sensors work with a feature of the flight control software known as Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS). Going forward, MCAS will compare information from both AoA sensors before activating, adding a new layer of protection.

In addition, MCAS will now only turn on if both AoA sensors agree, will only activate once in response to erroneous AOA, and will always be subject to a maximum limit that can be overridden with the control column.

These software changes will prevent the flight control conditions that occurred in this accident from ever happening again.

In addition, Boeing is updating crew manuals and pilot training, designed to ensure every pilot has all of the information they need to fly the 737 MAX safely.

Boeing continues to work with the FAA and other regulatory agencies worldwide on the certification of the software update and training program to safely return the 737 MAX to service.

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ESA and Airbus to cooperate on the Bartolomeo platform (external platform on ISS)

https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2019/10/esa-and-airbus-to-cooperate-on-the-bartolomeo-platform.html


https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2019/10/unoosa-and-airbus-announce-opportunity-for-utilizing-airbus-bartolomeo-platform.html

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Airbus launches A220 demonstration tour of the Pacific region

press release






Airbus has launched an extensive tour of the Pacific region to showcase the A220, its latest family member. The aircraft being used for the tour is an A220-300 leased from Latvia’s airBaltic, which will visit nine destinations in seven countries. These will include three stops in Asia on the return journey to Europe.

The first stop of the tour will be the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, home to the region’s A220 launch customer Air Vanuatu. The aircraft will then visit Australia (Sydney and Brisbane), New Zealand (Auckland), New Caledonia (Noumea) and Papua New Guinea (Port Moresby). On the way back to Europe, the aircraft will stop in Cambodia (Phnom Penh) and India (Bangalore and New Delhi).


Static displays are planned at each stop, as well as demonstration flights for airline executives and other invited guests.


The A220 is the only new design aircraft in the 100-150 seat market and incorporates state-of-the-art technologies, the latest aerodynamic design and new-generation engines. Together, these advances generate fuel savings of at least 20% compared with older-generation aircraft of a similar size.

In addition, the A220 offers extended range capability of up to 3,400 nautical miles. This makes the aircraft especially suitable for the kind of operations seen in the Pacific region, including short- to medium-haul operations between the various island nations, as well as longer routes to Australia and New Zealand.

The airBaltic A220-300 is fitted with a single-class passenger cabin with 145 seats. As on all A220 aircraft, the layout comprises three seats on one side of the aisle and two on the other. The cabin is the largest in its size category, with wider economy class seats and spacious overhead storage bins.

The A220 is available in two versions, with the A220-100 seating between 100 and 130 passengers and the larger A220-300 seating between 130 and 160 in typical airline layouts. At the end of September 2019, customers worldwide had placed orders for 525 A220 aircraft with 90 already in service with six operators.

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Spirit Airlines signs MoU for up to 100 A320neo Family aircraft

press release




Airbus and Spirit Airlines have agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding for the U.S.-based airline to acquire up to 100 A320neo Family aircraft. Spirit announced its intention to place firm orders for a mix of A319neo, A320neo, and A321neo to meet its future fleet requirements.

“This new order represents another milestone for Spirit,” said Spirit Airlines’ President and CEO Ted Christie. “The additional aircraft will be used to support Spirit’s growth as we add new destinations and expand our network across the U.S., Latin America, and the Caribbean. We look forward to working with our valued partners at Airbus to finalise our agreement.”

“The Airbus A320 Family has been a strong platform for the remarkable success of Spirit over the past several years,” said Airbus Chief Commercial Officer Christian Scherer. “The ongoing, enthusiastic spirit the airline demonstrates in our A320neo Family is most rewarding, and we look forward to playing a part in the Spirit team’s continued growth for many, many years to come.”

Spirit is a fast growing ultra-low-cost carrier in the Americas, based in South Florida.

Featuring the widest single-aisle cabin in the sky, the best-selling A320neo Family, comprising the A319neo, A320neo, and A321neo, deliver at least 20% reduced fuel burn as well as 50% less noise compared to previous-generation aircraft, thanks to incorporating the very latest technologies including new-generation engines and Sharklets. At the end of September 2019, the A320neo Family had received more than 6,650 firm orders from nearly 110 customers worldwide.

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Airbus reinforces its maritime capabilities with HAROPA-Port of Le Havre partnership

press release




Airbus and HAROPA-Port of Le Havre have signed an industrial and a distribution agreement relating to a joint software solution based on the Airbus VTS (Vessel Traffic Services) product family STYRIS® and Port of Le Havre solution S-WiNG (a digital service for port management). The aim is to offer an advanced and high-performance solution that is capable of ensuring better navigation surveillance and optimised port and stopover operations.

The security and smooth movement of goods are strategic issues for the development of ports. This challenge demands continuous improvements in order to find digital solutions to simplify electronic procedures, facilitate development of international trade and secure applications.

In addition, Airbus, the UNION MARITIME ET PORTUAIRE (UMEP), HAROPA - Port du Havre and SOGET have joined forces in the context of the Smart Port City project^* in order to consider and contribute to the development of an industrial cybersecurity strategy and platform. They will define the technical, legal, administrative and financial framework to offer the services of a Security Operations Center (SOC). These services, made available to citizens, large companies and SMEs of the Le Havre port economic zone, can constitute an operational solution that will allow them to innovate, connect and evolve, while making cybersecurity an asset to their development. This service platform could form part of a larger-scale strategy aimed at feeding a maritime platform based on a national SOC.

Through the signing of these two agreements, Airbus reinforces its maritime capabilities, co-creates and distributes value added services and extends its maritime portfolio to better address the needs of ports and harbours with digital services. The agreement responds to the new challenges that ports now face.

Baptiste Maurand, Director of Port of Le Havre, said: “These partnerships will make it easier for our existing solutions to integrate key areas of innovation such as blockchain technology. They will also improve confidence in the quality of digital data and the traceability of changes. Our ambition is to consolidate our position as a major, secure, digital port on the Seine corridor and throughout France.”

“Partnering is in our nature and allows us to grow and reinforce Airbus as a key player in the maritime domain. It helps us not only to increase our maritime portofolio and create new services that can be exported and implemented at any other port in the world, but also to contribute to port cybersecurity, to make our oceans safer and, which is more important, to support port authorities in their day-to-day challenges,” said Evert Dudok, Head of Communications, Intelligence and Security at Airbus Defence and Space.

* Smart Port City project: The Smart Port City project, led by “Le Havre Seine Métropole”, HAROPA-Port du Havre, the University of Le Havre Normandie, Synerzip LH and their economic and scientific partners, is the winner of the National Future Investment Programme. One of the challenges of the project is to promote the consideration of cybersecurity in the context of digitalization of ports, the increasing use of the Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data and Artificial Intelligence for the benefit of the environment of the Port of Le Havre, while accompanying its hatching in a framework of trust for the citizen as for the actresses of the territory.

* * *
 
About STYRIS®
STYRIS® implements and delivers turnkey systems covering the full spectrum of Maritime Domain Awareness from both safety and security perspectives. Typical applications are for Vessel Traffic Services , Coastal Surveillance Systems and maritime Critical Infrastructure Protection systems. Thus, STYRIS® is the single product line from Airbus for collecting, processing, consolidating, enriching, distributing and displaying data from a wide range of maritime sensors. The software consolidates data gathered from sensors like radars, Automatic Identification System (AIS), Radio Direction Finders (RDF), cameras, weather stations and sonars. STYRIS allows high detection performances of any maritime activity and advanced analytics based on vessels behaviors and sensors data treatment. Airbus real-time systems are already monitoring the main hot spots of maritime traffic around the Earth as the Malacca Strait or the Panama Canal.

About Airbus
Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2018 it generated revenues of € 64 billion and employed a workforce of around 134,000. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners. Airbus is also a European leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as one of the world’s leading space companies. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide.

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Airbus inaugurates test facility for propulsion systems of the future

press release







Airbus Chief Technology Officer Grazia Vittadini and Airbus Defence and Space CEO Dirk Hoke have officially opened the E-Aircraft Systems House test facility at Airbus’s Taufkirchen/Ottobrunn site alongside Ilse Aigner, President of the Bavarian State Parliament. The test centre will provide a space to research technologies for alternative propulsion systems and energy sources – such as electric motors for unmanned aerial vehicles, hybrid propulsion systems and hydrogen for combustion or synthetic fuel use. The building, which allows complete systems to be integrated and tested, is the first test centre of its kind worldwide.



Grazia Vittadini said: “The E-Aircraft Systems House represents a real competitive advantage for Airbus. With its 3,000 m2 test area, we now have the infrastructure to move the transition to emission-neutral flight forward at an even faster pace.”



You can find more information at

https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/news/en/2019/10/new-airbus-facility-will-help-zero-emission-technologies-to-take-flight.html

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Les moteurs électriques ENGINeUS™ de Safran propulsent le banc d’essais Cassio 1 de l’avion hybride-électrique de VoltAero

press release

https://www.voltaero.aero/fr/communiques-de-presse/les-moteurs-electriques-engineus-de-safran-propulsent-le-banc-dessais-cassio-1-de-lavion-hybride-electrique-de-voltaero/




English:
Safran’s ENGINeUS electric motors will fly on the VoltAero Cassio 1 hybrid-electric testbed aircraft            
https://www.voltaero.aero/en/press-releases/safrans-engineus-electric-motors-will-fly-on-the-voltaero-cassio-1-hybrid-electric-testbed-aircraft/








Salon de l’aviation d’affaires de la NBAA

Las Vegas, Nevada, États-Unis – Les moteurs électriques intelligents ENGINeUS™ de Safran Electrical & Power commenceront à voler en novembre 2019 sur le banc d’essais de Cassio, l’aéronef hybride-électrique de VoltAero destiné à l’aviation générale.


Deux moteurs ENGINeUS™ 45 seront montés, orientés vers l’avant, sur les ailes du banc d’essais Cassio 1 de VoltAero en configuration « push-pull ». Le moteur ENGINeUS™ 45 produit une puissance continue de 45 kW et dispose d’une électronique de commande dédiée intégrée.

Safran Electrical & Power a dévoilé la gamme des moteurs électriques ENGINeUS™ au salon de l’aviation d’affaires de la NBAA de l’année dernière. En intégrant les moteurs ENGINeUS™ 45 sur Cassio 1, Safran Electrical & Power va contribuer au développement d’un aéronef hybride-électrique très prometteur, destiné à l’aviation générale.

« Depuis que nous avons présenté ENGINeUS™, nous n’avons cessé de travailler à l’amélioration des performances exceptionnelles de nos moteurs, dont la production en série vient de commencer pour répondre à la demande croissante de l’avion plus électrique », explique Hervé Blanc, directeur général de la division Systèmes et moteurs électriques de Safran Electrical & Power.

VoltAero intégrera les deux moteurs ENGINeUS™ 45 sur Cassio 1 pour remplacer les deux moteurs électriques d’ancienne génération utilisés lors des premiers essais. Le banc d’essais Cassio 1 valide actuellement la conception VoltAero d’un tout nouvel avion hybride-électrique de quatre à neuf places, qui pourra être utilisé par des particuliers, des sociétés de taxis ou de charters, dans le cadre de vols commerciaux du transport régional « point à point » et dans diverses applications de type utilitaire.

« VoltAero est prête à inaugurer une nouvelle ère de vol plus sûr, efficace et respectueux de l’environnement », a déclaré Jean Botti, PDG et directeur technique de VoltAero. « Grâce aux moteurs ENGINeUS™ 45, nous allons tirer pleinement profit de la technologie de pointe de Safran, appliquée à une propulsion électrique intelligente, efficace et optimisée. »

Les produits ENGINeUS™ comprennent une gamme de moteurs électriques pouvant délivrer jusqu’à 500 kW. Leur technologie permet d’optimiser l’architecture électrique en consolidant plusieurs fonctions essentielles de conversion, de commande et d’interface avec les batteries – les caractéristiques mécaniques et structurelles des moteurs étant parfaitement adaptées à une utilisation sur un aéronef.



Safran est un groupe international de haute technologie opérant dans les domaines de la propulsion et des équipements aéronautiques, de l’espace et de la défense. Implanté sur tous les continents, et fort d’un chiffre d’affaires de 21 milliards d’euros en 2018, le Groupe emploie plus de 92 000 collaborateurs. Safran est une société cotée sur Euronext Paris et fait partie des indices CAC 40 et Euro Stoxx 50.

Safran Electrical & Power est l’un des leaders mondiaux des systèmes électriques aéronautiques. La société est un acteur clé dans le domaine de l’électrification des équipements de la propulsion électrique et hybride. Elle compte 12 400 collaborateurs répartis dans 12 pays. Pour plus d’informations : www.safran-group.com et www.safran-electrical-power.com

VoltAero propulse l’avion électrique à un niveau jamais atteint auparavant. Forte de dix années d’expertise innovante, cette société développe un aéronef réellement unique destiné à l’aviation générale, Cassio, doté d’une propulsion hybride-électrique distribuée assurant un vol sûr, silencieux, efficace et respectueux de l’environnement. Cassio est propulsé par une combinaison de moteurs électriques et d’un moteur à combustion interne, intégrés dans une configuration « push-pull ». Un démonstrateur de vol ainsi qu’un Iron Bird permettant de tester au sol le système procèdent actuellement à la validation de la configuration hybride de VoltAero – et à la réduction des risques en vue de la certification de navigabilité et de l’application ultérieure concernant la construction d’un nouvel avion avec des matériaux robustes et légers.

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Army’s Future Attack Recon Aircraft Gains Momentum

https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2019/10/9/armys-future-attack-recon-aircraft-gains-momentum

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Progress of Small Air Transport in the spotlight at annual review

PR


The Annual Review of Clean Sky 2’s technology platform for Small Air Transport (SAT) was held on 2-3 October in Sieć Badawcza Łuksiewicz - Instytut Lotnictwa (Warsaw Institute of Aviation) in Poland.
 
During the two-day meeting, the Leaders of SAT (Piaggio and Evektor) and the Core Partners came together with Clean Sky Project Officers and reviewers to present the work progress, achievements and next milestones.
 
The meeting also provided an opportunity to discuss the SAT platform’s vision of the next future research programme.
 
Discover SAT on our website.

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Powering Partnerships Towards Innovation Architecture: Skyline 28 has landed!

press release




Skyline 28 has landed! This edition features views from Paul Stein of Rolls-Royce, Henri Werij of TU Delft, and Maxime Hardouin of the SME AeroSpline on what the future of European aviation research could look like, and what this means for the industry’s big players, SMEs and universities.

In parallel to discussions on the future, Clean Sky 2 is still running with full steam ahead! This edition of Skyline includes some key Clean Sky 2 projects which are delivering on our ambitious environmental objectives of reducing CO2 emissions and noise levels from aircraft. You will also get an insight into what the next generation of engineers is working on from the winners of our Clean Sky Academy PhD Award!

Finally, don’t miss the recap of our recent participation at Aerodays and Le Bourget, and mark your calendars for our upcoming events!

Read Skyline 28 here

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Material gain: Clean Sky's "ecoTECH" innovative ECO-friendly airframe

press release




Aviation's environmental impact is not limited to the operational aspects of transporting people and goods around the world. The footprint of air travel also extends across the entire lifecycle of manufacturing aircraft, their maintenance throughout operational service, and eventually, responsible disposal – or preferably recycling – of an airliner's components and materials at the end of its existence.

Read more.

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TechTP Turboprop first run celebration and demonstration: first Clean Sky 2 demonstrator successfully tested

press release




The recent first run of the TechTP Turboprop engine demonstrator, an important milestone for Clean Sky 2, was celebrated at an event on 17 October at Safran Helicopters’ facilities in Tarnos (France) with the participation of Safran Helicopter Engines, Clean Sky, and the partners of the projects (from Clean Sky 2’s Calls for Proposals) which are contributing to this demonstrator. During the event, a test bench visit and real time TechTP engine running demonstration was performed by the Safran Helicopter Engines team, and the partners had the opportunity to present the outcomes of their projects and their contributions.

The first ground test of the Turboprop engine demonstrator took place on 12 June 2019, paving the way to a new generation of turboprop engines for business and short range regional application with the aim to offer a double digit fuel emission reduction compared to the existing generation of engines. The demonstrator aims to reach TRL5+ by the end of 2021.

This engine demonstrator is part of Clean Sky 2’s ENGINE ITD activities and is led by Safran Helicopter Engines, involving more than 20 partners (including SMEs and academia) across 8 different European countries with a total budget of around €40 million, with €20 million of EU funding.

The development of the ground demonstration of the integrated turboprop power plant system, including propeller, air intake & nacelle, is covering the following aspects:
Improvement of core engine technologies
Development of turboprop key enabling technologies
Study & assessment of integration issues


Read more.
 

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