Gigantic Stratolaunch aircraft makes 2nd test flight
Safran Aircraft Engines and MTU Aero Engines, through their new joint venture EUMET, and ITP Aero, agree on cooperation to power Europe’s Next-Generation Fighter (NGF)
jueves, 29 de abril de 2021
Yeovil plane crash: Two pilots taken to hospital after engine fails - BBC News
An historic Hawker Sea Fury plane has crashed in a field near a naval base in Somerset.
NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover Extracts First Oxygen from Red Planet
miércoles, 28 de abril de 2021
Lilium nears resumption of test flights as development work continues | News | Flight Global
martes, 27 de abril de 2021
Boeing Wins Engineering & Services Deal For Poseidon | M-SHORAD Deployed To Europe | AC-130J Participates In Live-Firing Practice
HAPS: DLR develops an unmanned stratospheric aircraft - DLR Portal
jueves, 22 de abril de 2021
https://www.dlr.de/content/en/articles/news/2021/02/20210421_dlr-develops-an-unmanned-stratospheric-aircraft.html
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Learn more about the payloads being developed at DLR that HAPs will carry up into the stratosphere: https://t.co/NfneNu1YJU
Airbus to transform its European set-up in aerostructures - Commercial Aircraft - Airbus
https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2021/04/airbus-to-transform-its-european-set-up-in-aerostructures.html
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● Plans to create new aerostructures companies in France and Germany
● Discussions ongoing regarding industrial set-up in Spain
Toulouse, 21 April 2021 – Airbus has provided more details to its social partners during a European Works Council (SE-WC) meeting about the Company's ongoing assessment of its industrial set-up in Europe, notably regarding aerostructures activities in France and Germany.
Airbus has reaffirmed its intention to build a stronger aerostructures assembly value chain across its industrial system to its social partners, and considers aerostructures assembly as core to its business. Airbus presented its plans to create two integrated aerostructures assembly companies at the heart of its industrial system in order to reinforce its value stream management and prepare the Company for its short- and long-term future.
As part of these plans, and upon successful completion of the ongoing social process, the new company in France would bring together the activities currently managed within Airbus in Saint-Nazaire and Nantes together with those of STELIA Aerospace worldwide. Another company in Germany would bring the activities of Stade and Structure Assembly of Hamburg together with those of Premium AEROTEC in Nordenham, Bremen and partly in Augsburg, while rebalancing activities towards the upper part of the value chain and reviewing its involvement in the manufacturing of detail parts.
These two new aerostructures assembly companies, both wholly owned by Airbus, would no longer be suppliers to Airbus but become integrated within the Airbus perimeter, simplifying both governance and interfaces in a new industrial setup. Their distinct status would also enable them to focus on their industry segment and be leaner and more agile, fostering competitiveness, innovation and quality to the benefit of the Airbus programmes of today and tomorrow.
Airbus also intends to create a new global player in the detail parts business, anchored in Germany. Born out of today's Premium AEROTEC, this new entity, with its scale and advanced technologies, would be empowered to capitalise on the significant long-term growth prospects with Airbus as well as external customers, on both civil and military platforms.
In Spain, Airbus continues to work on solutions with its social partners to optimise the current industrial and aerostructures set-up in the Cádiz area in order to ensure its viability, resilience and competitiveness for the future.
Navy Tests UAVs And USVs | Saudi Arabia Upgrades F-15 ESTS | Boeing Tapped For Japanese KC-46 Support
Rex’s Sharp says ‘desperate’ Qantas is ‘technically insolvent’
Harbour Air, magniX and H55 Partner for The World’s First Certified All Electric Commercial Airplane – Harbour Air: North America's Largest Seaplane Airline – Since 1982
martes, 20 de abril de 2021
https://www.harbourair.com/harbour-air-magnix-and-h55-partner-for-the-worlds-first-certified-all-electric-commercial-airplane/
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The largest seaplane airline operator, the global leader in electric propulsion technology, and the renowned electric system and battery storage provider, join forces in bringing aviation to a new era: clean, CO2 free and commercially attractive through electric propulsion.
Vancouver, B.C., Everett, WA, and Sion, Switzerland – April 20, 2021 – Harbour Air, North America's largest seaplane airline; magniX the company powering the electric aviation revolution; and H55, the spin off from Solar Impulse, producing highly efficient certified battery packs, announced a partnership to certify the world's first electric Beaver (eBeaver) commuter airplane through a supplemental type certificate (STC) program.
The companies will collaborate together with Transport Canada to certify the installation of the magniX electric propulsion unit and the H55 enhanced battery system, transforming Harbour Air's seaplanes into an all-electric commercial fleet.
After the successful first flight of the Harbour Air eBeaver powered by magniX in December 2019 and the ongoing flight tests since then, the companies have teamed up with H55 to bring their shared vision of clean, efficient and quiet commercial aviation to life by 2022. H55 will provide its proven modular battery technology to expand the eBeaver's balance to weight ratio and endurance. The company's battery modules have one of the highest energy densities on the market and will provide the entire energy storage system and redundant battery monitoring at the cell level for the eBeaver.
André Borschberg, H55 Executive Chairman, commenting on the partnership, "we have been attracted by Harbour Air and magniX's vision, pioneering spirit and commitment to make aviation clean. The collaboration will leverage our synergies and complementarities. We all understand that the path to electric aviation is complicated. But at the same time by joining forces, our combined experience will lead to quicker certification. And this in turn will offer a fast and safe way to reach the market and popularize electric aviation."
"I believe that H55 is the leading company in aviation battery solutions," says Greg McDougall, CEO of Harbour Air. "Having them as partners in the ePlane development means that we will be able to lead the global push for electric aviation."
"This partnership is another step forward in our vision of making emission free, all-electric aircraft a reality," said Roei Ganzarski, CEO of magniX. "With Harbour Air leading the way to become an all-electric airline, H55's battery technology and magniX's flight-proven propulsion, we are looking at an electrifying future."
Since the first flight in 2019, the eBeaver has performed additional flight tests to measure and collect data on cruise performance and take-off thrust efficiency, electro-magnetic interference (EMI), battery management software logic, noise levels, and more. magniX, Harbour Air and H55 will work on design optimization for the electric propulsion unit (EPU), energy storage system (ESS) and related aircraft systems based on ongoing flight testing.
About Harbour Air
Founded in 1982 with two small seaplanes, Harbour Air is North America's largest seaplane airline —and the first to be fully carbon-neutral. The company's international seaplane service, which originally began as a service for the forestry industry in B.C., is now a quintessential west coast experience. With a showcase fleet of more than 40 aircraft, Harbour Air offers up to 300 daily scheduled flights, scenic tours, adventure packages, and private flights. With extensive scheduled flight service connecting downtown Vancouver, Victoria, Seattle (WA), Nanaimo, Tofino, Whistler, Richmond (YVR South), Sechelt, Salt Spring Island, Pitt Meadows, Maple Bay and Comox. For more information, visit www.harbourair.com.
About magniX
Headquartered in Everett, WA with engineering facilities in Redmond and in Australia, magniX offers revolutionary electric propulsion systems for aircraft to meet electrical generation and torque requirements for sustainable commercial aerospace and defense. Using proprietary technology, magniX offers a range of solutions for various aviation applications including fixed wing, rotorcraft, and VTOL. For more information, please visit: www.magnix.aero.
About H55
H55's mission is to make air transport, quiet, clean and affordable. The company's patented and certified electric propulsion and battery management technology serves client-based solutions around electric propulsion for both existing aircraft designs, future VTOL and e-Commuter concepts. The core of H55's proprietary technology is focused on an integrated power, propulsion and battery management system which includes battery packs, connectors, motor, motor controller, pilot interface and power controls. H55's expertise is around aviation certified modular battery storage and battery management systems, with the company's solutions having already been demonstrated with its first customer application, the Bristell Energic. For more information, please visit www.h55.ch.
New Concept Art Of The Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) Featured In Air Force Report
Primer vuelo de un helicóptero en Marte
lunes, 19 de abril de 2021
Diecinueve de abril de 1890. Clement Ader registraba una patente de una cosa llamada avión. Ciento treinta y un años más tarde volaba por primera vez una aeronave de ala rotatoria en la atmósfera de otro planeta.
https://blog.sandglasspatrol.com/primer-vuelo-de-un-helicoptero-en-marte/
Boeing and Sikorsky Statement on Continuing to Advance DEFIANT X in U.S. Army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft Program
V-22 Conducts 1st Landing On Ship Deck | Norway’s 1st Poseidon Arrived At Boeing | Japan’s RQ-4B Made Its Maiden Flight
Air Nostrum requests €103 million governmental aid amid continuing coronavirus pandemic
Dawn of a revival ...or more clouds on the horizon?
Two major studies predict that the Middle East airline industry will rebound from Covid-19, but their tone is cautious and some passenger habits are likely to change permanently.
One with the lot: The folding, electric, street-legal, VTOL flying car
Adversary Drones Are Spying On The U.S. And The Pentagon Acts Like They're UFOs
viernes, 16 de abril de 2021
ZeroAvia’s hydrogen fuel cell plane ambitions clouded by technical challenges
miércoles, 14 de abril de 2021
Boom - News - Boom Supersonic Appoints First Chief People Officer and Adds New Board Member
75th Anniversary Bonanza Offers Nod to Olive Ann Beech
Díaz Ayuso presenta el Airbus de Iberia vinilado con la imagen de la Comunidad de Madrid para promocionarse como destino turístico por el mundo | España/Iberia
martes, 13 de abril de 2021
Exclusive: Wizz Air replaces operations chief after probe into pilot redundancies | Reuters
lunes, 12 de abril de 2021
Rostec completed first stage of testing a demonstrator engine for spaceplanes
sábado, 10 de abril de 2021
First Flight Test For USAF Hypersonic Booster Failed | Israel’s Oron Aircraft Arrived | Greek Pilots Started Rafale Training
Binter Canarias opens new routes in Europe with direct flights to five destinations in Italy and France
UAV optimized for payload and distance shows top results
UAV optimized for payload and distance shows top results http://uasmagazine.com/articles/2285/uav-optimized-for-payload-and-distance-shows-top-results
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EASA issues guidelines for the design verification of drones operated in the ‘specific’ category | EASA
viernes, 9 de abril de 2021
https://www.easa.europa.eu/newsroom-and-events/press-releases/easa-issues-guidelines-design-verification-drones-operated
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COLOGNE, April 8, 2021 - The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) published guidance for drone operators, manufacturers and national authorities explaining the process for the design verification of drones, an important element in ensuring safe drone operations in the 'specific' category.
Since the new EU drone regulation became applicable on December 31, 2020, the volume of drone operations taking place across Europe has been stepped up. Operators are also gradually increasing the scope of their operations and the design verification of the drone by EASA is an important element to ensure safety, in particular when operations are conducted in populated areas.
The process applied for the design verification will depend on the level of risk of the operation. When the drone is used in operations classified as high risk (i.e. SAIL V and VI according to SORA), EASA will issue a type certificate according to Part 21 (Regulation (EU) 748/2012). When the drone is used in operations classified in the medium risk (i.e. SAIL III and IV according to SORA), a more proportionate approach will be applied, leading to a 'design verification report'. The procedure to apply to EASA for the issuance of the 'design verification report' are described in the Guidelines.
"EASA continues its efforts to ensure safe, secure and sustainable operations of drones," EASA Executive Director Patrick Ky said. "This new design verification process was developed to support all stakeholders, applying a proportionate approach which will foster innovation and growth in this promising sector".
The design verification process is immediately applicable and national aviation authorities are encouraged to require all UAS operators who are conducting operations in the 'specific' category, with medium risk, to operate drones for which EASA has issued a 'design verification report'.
[España]¡El Campeonato Nacional de ULM en Olocau será retransmitido en directo!
jueves, 8 de abril de 2021
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Airbus, Dassault reach deal on European FCAS fighter jet prototype
NASA Invites Public to Take Flight With Ingenuity Mars Helicopter
miércoles, 7 de abril de 2021
Northrop Grumman's optionally-manned Firebird demonstrates operational flexibility
Northrop Grumman's optionally-manned Firebird demonstrates operational flexibility https://www.spacewar.com/reports/Northrop_Grummans_optionally_manned_Firebird_demonstrates_operational_flexibility_999.html
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TEMACOM Artificial intelligence and Machine learning to predict defective Aerospace components - IDAERO
https://idaerosolutions.com/news/temacom-artificial-intelligence-and-machine-learning-to-predict-defective-aerospace-components/
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Recently Idaero Joint TEMACOM Project, as part of a consortium with Airbus and IMDEA.
Idaero is in charge of development the software including AI and ML core.
One of the goals of TEMACOM is reducing defects probability occurrence during manufacturing of aerospace parts by developing TEMACOM predictive software.
First Stage
First stage of the project just finished, consists of prediction of what conditions may lead to defects during RTM manufacturing process.
RTM (Resin Transfer Moulding) process consist of injecting epoxy resin in a mold with carbon fiber, so parts manufactured copy the geometry of the mould and are reinforced with carbon fibres.
RTM process are used widely to improve efficiency while manufacturing composite components for aerospace, automotive, wind power and other industries.
There are some possible defects that may appear in the parts during the process, that affect mechanical properties.
Second Stage
Second and current stage of the project is the prediction of manufacturing issues when drilling panels for assembling, based on detection of position of the tools on the outer shape of the manufactured panels, that can result in defects in the holes.
Idaero
Idaero is specialized in developing engineering software of any kind, including Machine Learning and Artificial intelligence solutions applied to improve manufacturing processes.
TEMACOM is a Project from Innovation Hub calls of the Regional Government of Madrid and receives funds from Community of Madrid.
TEMACOM is a Project from Innovation Hub calls of the Regional Government of Madrid and receives funds from Community of Madrid
Recently Idaero Joint TEMACOM Project, as part of a consortium with Airbus and IMDEA.
Idaero is in charge of development the software including AI and ML core.
One of the goals of TEMACOM is reducing defects probability occurrence during manufacturing of aerospace parts by developing TEMACOM predictive software.
First Stage
First stage of the project just finished, consists of prediction of what conditions may lead to defects during RTM manufacturing process.
RTM (Resin Transfer Moulding) process consist of injecting epoxy resin in a mold with carbon fiber, so parts manufactured copy the geometry of the mould and are reinforced with carbon fibres.
RTM process are used widely to improve efficiency while manufacturing composite components for aerospace, automotive, wind power and other industries.
There are some possible defects that may appear in the parts during the process, that affect mechanical properties.
Second Stage
Second and current stage of the project is the prediction of manufacturing issues when drilling panels for assembling, based on detection of position of the tools on the outer shape of the manufactured panels, that can result in defects in the holes.
Idaero
Idaero is specialized in developing engineering software of any kind, including Machine Learning and Artificial intelligence solutions applied to improve manufacturing processes.
TEMACOM is a Project from Innovation Hub calls of the Regional Government of Madrid and receives funds from Community of Madrid.
TEMACOM is a Project from Innovation Hub calls of the Regional Government of Madrid and receives funds from Community of Madrid
First Flight Test Of Air Force’s Hypersonic AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) Fails
TsAGI Developed a Concept of Aircraft Wing Surface Micro-Relief
http://tsagi.ru/en/pressroom/news/5156/
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During unfavorable weather conditions or in case of crew errors, the flying aircraft risks reaching critical angles of attack, which can lead to a plane crash. To solve the problem of the drop in lift, scientists from the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute named after Professor N.E. Zhukovsky (part of the Research Center "Institute named after N.E. Zhukovsky") investigate the possibility to control the detachable flow around the wing using the surface microrelief. The fundamental activity is being carried out within the framework of Micro-Relief, TsAGI R&D
At the first stage, TsAGI created a concept of the micro-relief which is a number of plastic-foil zig-zag vortex generators distributed above the streamlined surface.
After that, TsAGI used the subsonic T-129 WT to find the best relief position on the wing. The wing model tests were performed at 15-20 m/s flow rate, 0...35-degree angles of attack, and with different micro-relief positions.
'The testing revealed that wing leading edge area is the most effective position for the micro-relief. This does not only increase the maximum lift coefficient but also significantly slows the lift descent at post stall,' said Maksim Ustinov, Doctor of Sciences in Physics and Mathematics, TsAGI Deputy Head of Supersonic Aircraft Aerothermodynamics.
The next stage included tests of micro-relief influence on high-lift wing; they showed the efficiency of using it at the wing slat.
The concept developed may be applicable for different aircraft types; this year, it will be tested on a main rotor blade model. Tests will be carried out on the special facility in the Department for Rotorcraft Aerodynamics and Dynamics.
In the course of the work, the scientists will study the mechanism of the influence of the relief on the unsteady separation of the flow. This will improve the know-how parameters to be used on the rotor blade profile. It is expected that the use of microrelief will significantly increase the helicopter aerodynamic characteristics, in particular, its maximum velocity.
EASA validates certification of high-density Boeing 737 MAX 8-200
Senior Airbus Exec: eVTOL Technology 'Not There Yet'
https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/general-aviation/2021-04-05/senior-airbus-exec-evtol-technology-not-there-yet
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Romain Trapp said that it could be "decades" before eVTOL aircraft become integrated into an advanced air mobility (AAM) environment
ZeroAvia secures additional $24.3M to launch development of 2MW hydrogen-electric powertrain for regional aircraft - Green Car Congress
martes, 6 de abril de 2021
Embraer: news - “Modular Airplane” Concept, an Embraer Collaboration, Receives International Design Award
The Disruptor? Meet The Aurora D8 – A New 180 Seat Double Bubble Widebody - Simple Flying
Navy Downgrades Mishap To USMC F-35B Damaged By Its Own Round. It’s “Just” Class C Now.
domingo, 4 de abril de 2021
Embraer concludes in-flight refuelling qualification between two KC-390 Millennium transports
Centenario de la Fuerza aérea Australiana y renacimiento del 100th Sqn
viernes, 2 de abril de 2021
NATO Interceptors Scrambled 10 Times In 6 Hours To Shadow Russian Bombers And Fighters Near Alliance Airspace
Combat helicopters crews destroy aircraft at airfield of mock enemy during qualifying stage of Aviadarts contest
Boeing and Alaska Airlines Finalize Order for 737 MAX Jets
PR
Boeing [NYSE: BA] and Alaska Airlines announced today the companies have completed an agreement for 23 737-9 airplanes and 15 options. With this agreement, the carrier’s 737 MAX order book, including options and lease commitments, stands at 120 airplanes.
This deal was first announced in December 2020 as a commitment and will be reflected on Boeing’s Orders & Deliveries website.
Alaska Airlines received its first 737-9 in January and began revenue service on March 1. Its second 737-9 entered service on March 18, with two additional 737-9s scheduled to begin revenue service next week. The airline is embarking on a fleet modernization program to further improve the efficiency and sustainability of its operations. The 737-9 – equipped with new, more fuel-efficient engines and improved aerodynamics – will use 20% less fuel and reduce emissions by 20% per seat compared to airplanes it replaces.
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Boeing Nets $1.6B for P-8A Poseidon Submarine Hunters
press release
The U.S. Navy today awarded Boeing [NYSE: BA] a $1.6 billion production contract for the next 11 P-8A Poseidon aircraft. Nine aircraft will join the U.S. Navy fleet and two will go to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), a cooperative partner in the P-8A joint program since 2009. The contract brings the total number of U.S. Navy P-8A aircraft under contract to 128 and the RAAF total to 14.
“The P-8A continues to be an invaluable asset and these additional aircraft will help deliver expanded maritime patrol and reconnaissance capabilities to the fleet,” said Capt. Eric Gardner, program manager for the U.S. Navy’s Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Program Office.
The P-8A is a long-range anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare aircraft used by the U.S Navy. It’s vital for intelligence gathering, surveillance reconnaissance and search and rescue. Deployed around the world, with 103 aircraft in service and more than 300,000 flight-hours, the P-8’s performance and reliability delivers confidence to customers operating in an uncertain world.
“We continue to hear feedback from deployed Navy squadrons who tell us the P-8A is exceeding expectations”, said Stu Voboril, vice president and program manager for Boeing’s P-8A program. “Our focus is on delivering the world’s best maritime patrol aircraft. That only happens when teams truly collaborate, listen and focus on customer priorities.”
The P-8 is militarized with maritime weapons, a modern open mission system architecture and commercial-like support for affordability. It’s the principal aircraft with the ability to detect and track submarines. The aircraft is modified to include a bomb bay and pylons for weapons. It has two weapons stations on each wing and can carry 129 sonobuoys. The aircraft is also fitted with an in-flight refueling system.
A military derivative of the Boeing 737 Next-Generation airplane, the P-8 combines the most advanced weapon system in the world with the cost advantages of the most popular airliner on the planet. The P-8 shares 86% commonality with the commercial 737NG, providing enormous supply chain economies of scale in production and support.
The P-8 has two variants: The P-8I, flown by the Indian Navy, and the P-8A Poseidon, flown by the U.S. Navy, the Royal Australian Air Force and the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force. The RAAF has acquired the Boeing aircraft through the Foreign Military Sales process and will receive a variant designed and produced for the U.S. Navy called the P-8A Poseidon.
For more information on Defense, Space & Security, visit www.boeing.com. Follow us on Twitter: @BoeingDefense and @BoeingSpace. Read more...
Financial Relief, Safe Reopening of Borders, and Planning for the Safe Restart of Operations – Main Priorities for Aviation in Africa
PR
Amman – The International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) outlined three priorities for African governments to ensure that the airline, travel and transport industry survives the COVID-19 crisis and is able to support economic recovery, growth and development throughout the continent.
The three priorities are:
- Continued financial relief and the release of committed aid and blocked funds
- Safe reopening of borders
- Planning for the safe restart of operations
Continued financial relief and the release of committed aid and blocked funds
In 2020 a handful of African airlines secured US$ 2.04 billion in government aid. Most of this (US$ 2.02bn) was distributed through direct government loans, equity financing and cash injections. Despite this, 8 airlines in Africa filed for bankruptcy or entered business administration over the past 12 months.
Over US$ 30bn has been pledged for air transport and tourism in Africa by International finance agencies and other institutions including the African Development Bank, African Export Import Bank, African Union and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). However, most of this relief is yet to reach the airlines and other aviation stakeholders in need. On top of this $ 601 million in airline funds remains blocked in Africa across 17countries (Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burundi, Central African Republic, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sudan, Gabon, Cameroon, Chad, Congo and Zimbabwe) putting further pressure on airlines as they struggle for survival.
“African airlines posted a combined US$2bn loss in 2020. This year we expect only a slight improvement (US$1.7bn loss) as the struggle with COVID-19 continues. Looking ahead it’s unlikely that traffic will return to post COVID-19 levels until 2023. Financial relief measures are still desperately needed, particularly those that do not increase the industry’s debt burden. Additional relief measures and activating existing pledges are essential,” said Kamil Al Awadhi, IATA Regional Vice President Africa and the Middle East.
Government relief comes in many forms. Cost reductions in terms of taxes and charges will help. And the release of the $ 601 million of airline revenues that are currently blocked from repatriation in certain governments would be an immediate boost in some markets. Governments will need a financially viable air transport sector to energize economic recovery from COVID-19. Many of Africa’s airlines were weak even before the crisis. Reducing costs and freeing blocked cash has long been a priority for African aviation. If ever there was a time for decisive government action on these issues, it is now,” said Al Awadhi.
Safe reopening of borders
The African Union has taken leadership in preparing for the safe restart of aviation in Africa through its “Saving Lives, Economies, and Livelihoods" campaign. This promotes collaboration between different sectors of governments involved in the crisis including Ministries of Health, Transport and IT. IATA supports the AU’s efforts and urges governments in Africa to:
- Replace quarantine measures with testing
Today 20 countries in Africa have quarantine measures in place. Quarantine essentially means borders are closed. It is critical that those African governments implement effective alternatives to quarantine measures such as pre-departure testing for international travel, especially from countries with a similar risk-profile. - Accept a reasonable validity period of five (5) days for COVID-19 testing for travel
Taking into account the waiting period for COVID-19 testing, the turnaround time of the results, and the accessibility of testing facilities on the continent, we urge governments in Africa to consider accepting the AU recommended validity period of five (5) days for COVID-19 testing for travel across the continent. - Avoid COVID-19 vaccination as a mandatory pre-entry and exit criteria
In line with the WHO, the airline industry does not support mandatory vaccination as a precondition to fly. Many potential travelers, particularly in Africa, cannot be vaccinated or will not have access to vaccines. Along with testing and track & trace capabilities, vaccination can be a tool to support the safe re-opening of borders without quarantine.
Planning for a safe Restart
Preparing the industry to safely restart after a year or more of disruption will take careful planning and advanced preparation. Governments need to develop the benchmarks and plans that would enable a safe, orderly and timely restart. That means working with governments in at least two areas:
- Establishing operational restart plans
Safety remains the industry’s main priority and is a critical pre-condition for restarting operations and for the build-up of traffic thereafter. Restarting an airline is not like flipping a switch; as such it is important to understand government plans. Airlines need to ready their crew, technical personnel and aircraft. After a year of lockdowns, this requires refresher training, checks and coordination. On top of that airlines will need time to market their services so that there are fare-paying passengers when operations resume. - Putting tools in place to manage new COVID-19 testing and vaccine requirements
Testing and vaccinations will play a role as the pandemic comes under control and economies ramp up, including the travel sector. Efficient digital management of health credentials is vital to restart. Manual processes will not be able to cope with volumes once the recovery begins. Digital solutions must be secure, work with existing systems, align with global standards and respect data privacy.
IATA has developed IATA Travel Pass to manage health credentials, protect against fraud and enable a convenient travel process. It is being trialed by a number of airlines and airports around the world, including Ethiopian Airlines and RwandAir in Africa. Another major African carrier is expected to come on board soon. IATA Travel Pass compliments the work being done by the AU to safely manage travel.
Currently IATA Travel Pass manages COVID-19 test requirements. Once global standards to record digital vaccines credentials have been developed, the app can also be used by travelers to manage their proof of immunization. The WHO is currently developing these global standards and we urge African governments to adopt these for those people who have been vaccinated and plan to retrospectively record those who have already been vaccinated.
Notes to Editors:
African Aviation - 2020 in Numbers:
- A 69% drop in passenger demand in Africa compared to 66% globally. Passenger demand is back to 1998 levels.
- A 61% drop in capacity in Africa compared to 57% globally
- Air cargo was a bright spot for African carriers, cargo volumes increased by 1% in Africa, this translates into high cargo revenues, which provided needed support to airlines.
- However, this was not enough to offset the losses from the passenger side of the business.
- African airlines lost US$2bn
- Airlines in Africa lost $49.63 for every passenger they flew in 2020 compared to a loss globally of $66.04
- Connectivity fell by 90% at the low point of the crisis. Before the crisis there were 970 unique international routes at the low point of the crisis there was 100. And the density of those connections has become much thinner.
- Job losses could grow to 4.5 million in Africa in aviation and related industries
- GDP could fall by up to $37billion supported by aviation in the region
Read more...
IATA Urges Governments in the Middle East to Work Together to Develop a Roadmap to Restart Aviation
PR
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) called on governments in the Middle East to develop re-start plans to safely re-link their citizens, businesses and economies to global markets when the COVID-19 epidemiological situation permits. IATA also called for regional coordination to ensure that the plans can be efficiently implemented and urged governments to remain vigilant about the industry’s financial situation.
“Re-establishing air connectivity will energize the economic recovery from COVID-19. With millions of jobs at risk from the prolonged shutdown, not a day should be lost once the epidemiological situation enables a re-opening. Restarting safely after a year or more in lockdown will need careful preparations. At the national level it is important that governments work with industry, so everyone understands the benchmarks that need to be achieved to facilitate the lifting of travel restrictions. And at the regional level, where traffic is expected to ramp-up first, it is critical that governments are talking to each other so that all parties are aligned and ready for a restart,” said Kamil Al Awadhi, IATA Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East.
IATA data shows January air passenger traffic in the region was down 82.3% compared to January 2019. The ongoing crisis puts over 1.7 million jobs in the Middle East and $105 billion in GDP at risk.
“This is a unique situation. But we have good practices to rely on. Safety is the top priority for anything associated with aviation. That is because governments have long established global best practices for working together with industry and with each other. This same approach will help the re-start. There are two ends to every route. Both must be prepared or the restart cannot happen,” said Al Awadhi.
IATA highlighted two critical areas of areas where governments need to work together:
- Operational restart
A successful operational restart will include bringing aircraft and terminals back into service. Airlines need to ready their crew, technical personnel and aircraft. After a year of lockdowns, this requires refresher training and checks. A regional overview is needed to (1) ensure that the one country’s restart qualifications are accepted by its regional partners and (2) ensure that sufficient infrastructure capacity is ready to meet demand as markets unlock.
- Travel Credentials
Testing and vaccinations will play a role in opening borders to travel as the pandemic comes under control. Simple, efficient, and harmonized standards for what credentials people will need to travel will boost consumer confidence and give strength to the recovery.
The ICAO Council’s recent approval of requirements for globally accepted COVID-19 test certificates, including the technology framework for secure digital versions and the future incorporation of vaccination certificates provides a global framework. Cooperation for a harmonized implementation across the Middle East will put the region on a solid footing for recovery.
IATA Travel Pass will help to conveniently manage health credentials, while protecting against fraud. “With Qatar Airways already piloting IATA Travel Pass and Emirates, Etihad and Gulf Air signed-up for trials, the Gulf is at the forefront of preparations,” said Al Awadhi.
Continued financial relief essential
The financial trauma of the COVID-19 crisis continues. In 2020 Middle East airlines posted losses of $7.1billion in 2020; a loss of $68.47 for each passenger flown. With traffic at less than 20% of 2019 levels, the cash burn continues even with severe cost-cutting.
Airlines in the region received $4.8 billion in government aid in 2020. Most of this support ($4.1 billion) was distributed through direct cash injections. Despite this several airlines in the Middle East remain at risk of bankruptcy or business administration.
“A financially viable air transport sector will be needed to energize the recovery. Government relief for airlines has avoided massive failures that would jeopardize a restart. This has not been uniform across the region. With no clear timeline to recovery the situation is far from resolved. Governments that have provided relief will need to be prepared for more. And governments that have not yet stepped-up must recognize the growing risks to their economies as the crisis drags on,” said Al Awadhi.
Notes to Editors:
Middle East Aviation - 2020 in Numbers:
- A 72% drop in passenger demand in the Middle East compared to 66% globally. Passenger demand is back to 1998 levels.
- A 63% drop in capacity in Middle East compared to 57% globally
- Air cargo was a bright spot for Middle East carriers, cargo volumes only dropped 10%.
- However, this was not enough to offset the losses from the passenger side of the business.
- Middle East airlines lost $7.1bn
- Airlines in the Middle East lost -$68.47 for every passenger they flew in 2020 compared to a loss globally of $66.04
- Connectivity fell by 60% at the low point of the crisis. Before the crisis there were 1060 unique international routes at the low point of the crisis there was 440. And the density of those connections has become much thinner.
- Job losses could grow to 1.7 million in Middle East in aviation and related industries
- GDP could fall by up to $105 billion supported by aviation in the region
Read more...
Rolls-Royce has officially started building the world’s largest aero-engine, UltraFan®
press release
Rolls-Royce has officially started building the world’s largest aero-engine, UltraFan®, which will help redefine sustainable air travel for decades to come.
Work on the first module is underway at our dedicated DemoWorks facility in Derby, UK, and the demonstrator engine, which has a fan diameter of 140 inches, will be completed by the end of the year.
The engine is the basis for a potential new family of UltraFan engines able to power both narrowbody and widebody aircraft and deliver a 25% fuel efficiency improvement compared with the first generation of Trent engine.
That performance improvement is crucial to achieving aviation sustainability. Gas turbines will continue to be the bedrock of long-haul aviation for many years, and UltraFan’s efficiency will help improve the economics of an industry transition to more sustainable fuels, which are likely to be more expensive in the short-term than traditional jet fuel. The first test run of the engine will be conducted on 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel.
Significant investment has been made to develop the UltraFan demonstrator and associated technologies by Rolls-Royce and a variety of funding agencies, including the Aerospace Technology Institute and Innovate UK (United Kingdom), LuFo (Germany) and Clean Sky Joint Undertaking (European Union).
UK Business Secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, said: “The UltraFan project is a perfect example of how we are working with industry to deliver green, sustainable flight for decades to come. Backed with significant government support, this project represents the scale of ambition for Britain's crucial aerospace sector.
“Companies like Rolls-Royce are playing a critical role as we build back greener from the pandemic and we are committed to giving the whole aerospace sector the support it needs to innovate and reach new heights.”
Chris Cholerton, Rolls-Royce, President – Civil Aerospace, said: “This is an exciting moment for all of us at Rolls-Royce. Our first engine demonstrator, UF001, is now coming together and I’m really looking forward to seeing it built and ready for test. It is arriving at a time when the world is seeking ever more sustainable ways to travel in a post-COVID 19 world, and it makes me and all our team very proud to know we are part of the solution.
“I am delighted that the UK and German governments have supported us in making these significant ground-breaking technology investments. The Aerospace Technology Institute and LuFo programmes, as well as the EU’s Clean Sky, have all helped bring us a step closer to realising the enormous environmental and economic benefits of UltraFan.”
As engine build starts, other key parts are already coming together for delivery to Derby. Work is underway on UltraFan’s carbon titanium fan system in Bristol, UK, and its 50MW Power Gearbox, which is powerful enough to run 500 family cars, in Dahlewitz, Germany.
UltraFan is part of Rolls-Royce’s IntelligentEngine vision – for example each fan blade has a digital twin which stores real-life test data, allowing engineers to predict in-service performance. When on test at Rolls-Royce’s new £90m Testbed 80 facility, data can be taken from more than 10,000 parameters, detecting the tiniest of vibrations at a rate of up to 200,000 samples per second. Data that helps us understand our engines and further improve them.
Key engineering features of the engine include:
- A new, proven, Advance 3 core architecture, combined with our ALECSys lean burn combustion system, to deliver maximum fuel burn efficiency and low emissions.
- Carbon titanium fan blades and a composite casing that reduce weight by up to 1,500lb per aircraft.
- Advanced ceramic matrix composite (CMC) components that operate more effectively in high pressure turbine temperatures.
- A geared design that delivers efficient power for the high-thrust, high bypass ratio engines of the future.
more images: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rolls-royceplc/albums/72157644584413758
Bell and U.S. Army Advance Development of V-280 Valor and Aviation Modernization
PRESS RELEASE
Bell is executing the second phase of a Competitive Demonstration and Risk Reduction contract to inform the imminent program of record competition for U.S. Army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA)
Fort Worth, Texas (March 31, 2021) – Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company and the U.S. Army have agreed to terms on the execution of the second phase of the Competitive Demonstration and Risk Reduction (CD&RR) contract that was awarded in March 2020 for the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) program. This new contract is an important milestone and testament to the continued momentum for Army modernization. Bell’s flight-proven V-280 Valor design advances from an aircraft with transformational speed and survivability towards a low-risk weapons system ready to support joint combined arms and maneuver operations around the world.
“This is the next step to a program of record and Bell is proud to closely collaborate with the Army to transition our flight-proven V-280 Valor into a highly-capable and sustainable FLRAA weapons system,” said Keith Flail, executive vice president, Advanced Vertical Lift Systems at Bell. “Bell and our Team Valor teammates continue to optimize our platform based on research, design, and thorough flight-testing of the aircraft to deliver an outstanding capability for the Army.”
During phase one of the CD&RR, Bell provided detailed iterations on the V-280 design, data to highlight the feasibility of executing the program of record requirements, and executed trade studies using model-based systems engineering. This work will continue under phase two as the Army finalizes requirements for the program of record planned for 2022.
Bell has already safely delivered groundbreaking performance and successfully completed a rapid design, build, and test program with the V-280. Since its first flight in 2017, the V-280 team has executed a rigorous flight test program flying more than 200 hours through over 160 individual test flights that delivered critical data to validate Bell’s digital models and performance.
As the FLRAA competition moves to a program of record, Bell continues to take a holistic approach to transition the V-280 to a weapons system that ensures exceptional performance and is affordable throughout the lifecycle. From the outset, the Bell V-280 Valor was designed for efficiency—using simplified and inherently reliable designs, adhering to Army Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) requirements, reducing maintenance costs, and increasing reliability. Bell applied digital design and manufacturing technologies, included maintenance as part of the design process, and used emerging commercial processes to bring a comprehensive view of digital models, processing, and analysis. This methodology has reduced programmatic risk, improved lifecycle maintenance and servicing outcomes, increasing program affordability.
“This aircraft is not an engineering science project. The V-280 tiltrotor provides a critical and combat-proven capability needed to maintain our U.S. military’s ability to deter adversaries by radically improving over the current fleet’s speed, range, versatility, and sustainability. Our program has provided evidence that the V-280 is a transformational long-range assault aircraft solution for the Army and we are proud to move forward as a team to continue to mature the weapons system,” said Ryan Ehinger, vice president and program director, FLRAA at Bell. Read more...
Volar 1700km sin motor, nuevo record de Europa de vuelo a vela
Volando a onda en la cara sur de los Pirineos, alcanzando más de 7000m e internándose en el mar 80km
https://blog.sandglasspatrol.com/volar-17000km-sin-motor-nuevo-record-de-europa-de-vuelo-a-vela/
Nouveau record d’Europe : 1700km en planeur !
Baptiste-Innocent
Gil Souviron
Le 21 Mars dernier, quelques jours seulement après son vol de 1 515 km au-dessus des Pyrénées, Gil Souviron, accompagné de Baptiste Innocent, a réitéré l’exploit en battant le record d’Europe du plus grand vol en planeur, avec un total de 1 702 km parcourus !
Récit de ce vol exceptionnel.
Récit de ce vol exceptionnel.
https://www.ffvp.fr/nouveau-record-deurope-1700km-en-planeur
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