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AirSpace favourite sunshine band posted this up-close-and-personal picture of BBMF Spitfire MK356 banking at RAF Scampton during the Families Day display. Open a gallery in flightglobal.com’s AirSpace community for a chance to feature here
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Cover image A Bond Offshore Helicopters Eurocopter EC225 lands at night on the Harding platform, northeast of Aberdeen in the North Sea P28 flightglobal.com/imageoftheday
news this week 6 USAF in search for new Air Force One 7 EC175 regains momentum as testing period nears end. EADS units embrace upcoming Airbus rebranding 8 CFM takes Leap to ground testing. Air France A330 radar missed ‘violent’ turbulence 9 Cut taxes plea to lift India aviation Air Transport 10 Nice controller missed altitude alarm. Challenge to Schipol charges goes on for EasyJet 11 Emirates engine shutdown pinned on nozzle failure. BA shareholders vote on 747 succession plan. 12 Integrated Krüger flap tests promise fuel burn savings. Air Cargo Germany closes down 13 UK tweaks wake-separation standard. Qatar’s first A380 takes flight Defence 14 US naval aviation to feel budget pain. DARPA/Lockheed cruise missile put to the test
Competition will get tougher among regional aircraft manufacturers P24. David Learmount looks at efforts being made to improve worldwide helicopter safety P35
15 F-16 auto-ground avoidance system to boost USAF fleet. Canberra training contest lures BAE-led consortium
DSEI SHOW REPORT 16 UK keeps the faith in Joint Strike Fighter procurement 17 Late Watchkeeper near service entry 19 BAE pitches 146 as tactical tanker. Unmanned K-Max set to get increased autonomy Business Aviation 20 Global charter double deal helps VistaJet plug US gap 21 DAE ends talks to sell its Standard Aero unit to BBA
Rex Features, Embraer
nozzle at fault
High-pressure turbine disintegration identified as cause of engine failure on Emirates A380 11
Cover story
28 Troubled waters Despite claims that the safety record of helicopter operators on the North Sea’s oil and gas sector is good, pressure is building for an independent review of standards following a spate of incidents
features
26 HELICOPTERS Blade runners Our pre-Helitech package looks at how police forces in England and Wales are combining their helicopter assets, the latest thinking in helicopter training and research into crash-resistant rotorcraft
Technology 23 Just how fine can we split a second? Business 24 Where duopoly can’t reach
REgulars 5 45 48 52 55
Comment Straight & Level Classified Jobs Working Week
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next week Top 100 How are the world’s biggest aerospace companies faring financially? Our annual Top 100 analysis – compiled with PwC – gets to grips with the latest numbers.
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contents
in this issue Companies listed
AgustaWestland............................................20 Airbus...................5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 21, 24 Airbus Military.........................................15, 25 Air Cargo Germany..................................12, 24 Air Contractors..............................................12 Air France....................................................... 8 Alenia Aermacchi..........................................15 Amor............................................................25 Armavia........................................................10 ATR...............................................................24 Avianca........................................................25 Aviation Capital............................................21 AVIC..............................................................25 BAE Systems..........................................15, 19 BBA Aviation.................................................21 Blackhawk Modifications..............................25 Beechcraft....................................................15 Boeing................. 6, 11, 12, 14, 15, 21, 24, 25 Bombardier......................7, 10, 14, 20, 21, 24 Bristow Helicopters.......................................25 British Airways...............................................11 CAE..............................................................15 Carlyle Group................................................21 CFM International...........................................8 Comac................................................8, 24, 25 Conair Aviation..............................................19 ConnectJets..................................................21 Dallas Airmotive............................................21 Diehl Aerosystems........................................25 Directional Aviation Capital...........................21 Dubai Aerospace Enterprise .........................21 EADS.......................................................... 5, 7 EasyJet.........................................................10 Embraer..................................................21, 24 Emirates Airlines...........................................11 Energia Logistics...........................................25 Engine Alliance.......................................11, 13 Eurocopter...................................................... 7 Flexjet.....................................................20, 21 Flight Options...............................................21 General Dynamics........................................15 General Electric........................................8, 24 Hawker Pacific..............................................15 International Launch Services.......................25 Jet Aviation...................................................20 Kaman..........................................................19 Korea Aerospace...........................................24 Lockheed Martin.....................6, 14, 15, 19, 25 Minden Air....................................................19 Mitsubishi.....................................................24 NetJets.........................................................20 Nexcelle........................................................25 Northrop Grumman.......................................14 Ontic............................................................21 Parker Aerospace..........................................25 Pilatus..........................................................15 Pratt & Whitney.......................................24, 25 Premier Turbines...........................................21 Qatar Airways................................................13 Raytheon......................................................15 Rolls-Royce...................................6, 11, 21, 24 Sentient Jet...................................................21 Signature......................................................21 Sikorsky....................................................6, 20 Snecma........................................................24 Standard Aero...............................................21 Strata...........................................................25 Sukhoi..........................................................24 Thales.....................................................15, 25 TNT Airways...................................................19 Tronos...........................................................19 United Technologies................................20, 25 VistaJet.........................................................20 Vueling.........................................................11 Wheels Up....................................................20
behind the headlines Had anti-arms trade protesters got in the way of Craig Hoyle (left) and Dan Thisdell at London’s DSEi defence and security show, they would have had no trouble reaching the ExCel exhibition centre in this very mean and green, if not environmentally friendly, machine. As it turned out, though, all the ruckus was actually inside the halls – two exhibitors, one from France, one from China – were expelled for promoting illegal handheld projectile electric shock weapons, weighted leg cuffs and stun batons. Show report P16-17
The week on the web
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There’s a helicopter under that white stuff somewhere. David Learmount’s blog includes this picture of a severely iced-up transport belonging to scientists working for the US Geological Survey in deepest Alaska. On a more serious note, he continues to report and comment on the repercussions from the 23 August fatal Super Puma crash off Scotland. On the DEW Line blog, Dave Majumdar marks the Eurofighter Typhoon reaching 200,000 flying hours, while Craig Hoyle muses on the similarities between the Alenia Aermacchi M-346 and the Irkut Yak-130, two trainers jointly developed, but now very much their own aircraft and pitched at different markets. Our own test pilot Pete Collins is one of the few journalists to have flown both and the DEW Line has details of how to catch up with both of his reports from Flight International. Find all these items at flightglobal.com/wotw
Question of the week Last week, we asked: How will you mark the 10th anniversary of the demise of Concorde? You said: Mourning
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Not bothered
Confident about supersonic air transport return
Mixed feelings but times move on
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Total votes: 1,320 This week, we ask: What should the US Air Force choose as the next Air Force One presidential aircraft? ❑ Boeing 747 ❑ Airbus A380 ❑ Airbus A340 Vote at flightglobal.com/poll
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The top five stories for the week just gone: 1 Thai A330-300 damaged in Bangkok runway excursion 2 JAL 777-200 makes emergency landing after engine trouble 3 Norwegian overcomes hitches on 787 fleet 4 Wrongly-fitted washer led A300 to veer off runway 5 China Airlines 747F makes emergency landing Flightglobal reaches up to 1.3 million visitors from 220 countries viewing 7.1 million pages each month
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Automatic thinking The Pentagon has been slow to adopt automatic ground collision avoidance technology for its fighter fleets. But the potential savings in aircraft losses have swung the argument
he US Air Force is finally implementing automatic ground collision avoidance system (auto-GCAS) technology on much of its fighter fleet nearly 30 years after the technology was developed. Auto-GCAS has the potential not only to save lives, but also save money by reducing accidents, which is ultimately what convinced the Pentagon to adopt the technology. Auto-GCAS dates from the mid-1980s when the USAF was working on the Advanced Fighter Technology Integration F-16 prototype. But while the system worked, data storage was not sufficiently developed for auto-GCAS to be implemented on operational aircraft. Nonetheless, the experience provided valuable data. The current USAF effort has its origins in the Automatic Collision Avoidance Technology/Fighter Risk Reduction Project that began in 2004. The business case showed that controlled flight into terrain in the case of the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor would cost
Four F-22 airframes have been lost – two would likely have been saved with auto-GCAS the service seven of those very expensive machines over the life of that small fleet. The cost was even higher for larger fleets like the Lockheed F-16 and F-35. For the F-35, at an assumed $114 million average unit cost, losing 10 aircraft would equate to $1.14 billion. The F-22 fleet during its relatively short existence has already lost four airframes, two of which would likely have been saved with auto-GCAS. That amounts to $600 million of damages using the most generous measure of aircraft cost.
US Air Force
T
After 30 years, he’s feeling a whole lot safer
Given the potential savings, the USAF began flight demonstrations of the auto-GCAS technology in 2010 in an F-16. But the Pentagon has lagged behind foreign customers, some of whom have ordered a more advanced auto-GCAS for their aircraft. Moreover, the USAF dropped implementation of the full digital terrain elevation data-based auto-GCAS from the F-22 over cost. However, Lockheed was later able to convince the USAF to implement a simpler, cheaper system. The first operational DoD full auto-GCAS will be installed on the USAF’s F-16 fleet starting early next year. From there, it will migrate to other platforms including the Boeing F/A-18 and F-35. While cost savings are what ultimately sold autoGCAS technology, its most important benefit is that it can save lives. Indeed, Lockheed engineers see no reason similar technology could not be installed in civilian airliners. Given the potential to enhance safety, serious consideration needs to be given to adopt auto-GCAS for wider applications. ■ See Defence P15
All change, but mostly all the same B
Our defence writers blog regularly on programmes, operations and the lighter side of the sector on The DEW Line flightglobal.com/thedewline
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y this time next year, Airbus will be old news. Not the airliners, of course – we’ll still be watching with great interest as the A350XWB makes its way into service, the A320neo chunkers through development and the in-service range battles for sales with Boeing. Rather, it’s the name itself that will no longer matter much, having by then formally consigned the current corporate moniker, EADS, to company archives. But for the moment, the company once known as European Aeronautics, Defence and Space’s decision to ditch a clumsy acronym for the name of its best-known division is both inspired and challenging. Inspired as an exercise in corporate branding, but challenging for some of its business units. Eurocopter, a
name associated with excellence, will become Airbus Helicopters. Cassidian, a name perhaps associated with defence business difficulties, will become, with space unit Astrium, Airbus Defence and Space. Bosses at all those divisions are, for now, fielding seemingly endless questions about what it all means. All insist the move will be welcomed, by staff and customers, and generally boost their standing by virtue of a clear association with Airbus. Don’t expect any grand changes, though. No doubt the new Airbus will make a promotional splash, but mostly carry on as it is today. Renewal makes good strategic sense, especially in the absence of any crisis. ■ This Week P7 17-23 September 2013 | Flight International | 5
This week
For a round-up of our latest online news, feature and multimedia content visit flightglobal.com/wotw
briefing higher-thrust trent cleared for 787-9
US Air Force
propulsion European authorities have certificated the higherthrust Package C version of the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 powerplant designed for the Boeing 787-9. The 74,000lb (330kN) engine will be fitted to the initial 787-9s which will enter service with Air New Zealand next year. Package C units will also be available for the -8.
ryanair restores faith in troubled modlin airports Budget carrier Ryanair is to switch operations to Warsaw’s secondary Modlin airport from 30 September, giving the facility a much-needed lift after setbacks over its runway condition and navigation systems. The airport re-opened in July after suffering weather disruption last winter, aggravated by the absence of suitable instrument landing guidance; new equipment will provide Category I guidance from 19 September.
Hybrid airship gets FAA go-ahead for trials TeCHNOLOGY The US Federal Aviation Administration has cleared Aeros to operate planned research flights of a hybrid, heavy-lift airship designed around a unique ground handling concept that does away with airships’ need to take on ballast during unloading by pressurising its lighter-than-air gas and replacing the leftover volume with heavier oxygen. The 81m (266ft) proof-of-design aircraft – now christened the Aeroscraft Dragon Dream – is a one-half scale model.
F-35 pilots boot up for software upgrade training Pilots at the Pentagon’s first Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter training unit at Eglin AFB, Florida, are gearing up to start an updated training syllabus that incorporates more of the jet’s advanced avionics. While F-35 students and instructors at the base currently use the rudimentary Block 1B configuration in their aircraft, later this year, the 33rd Fighter Wing will move over to operating the more advanced Block 2A configuration, which will enable more realistic tactical training for both air-to-air and air-to-surface missions.
bOEING READIES FOR UK SCANEAGLE FLIGHTS NAVAL AVIATION The UK Royal Navy expects to conduct its first contractor-supported operations with the Boeing Insitu ScanEagle unmanned air system from late this year. Operations with the ScanEagle will occur under a contractor-owned and operated deal awarded to Boeing Defence UK in June 2013 worth £30 million ($47 million) to fly from some RN and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels.
BELL, LOCKHEED JOIN UP FOR US ARMY TILTROTOR VERTICAL LIFT Bell Helicopter and Lockheed Martin are teaming up on the V-280 Valor tiltrotor aircraft, on offer for the US Army’s Future Vertical Lift programme, with additional partners to be announced in the coming months. The army recently selected the V-280, along with designs from a Boeing/Sikorsky team and AVX Aircraft to enter negotiations for its Joint Multi-Role technology demonstrator programme – a precursor to the FVL effort.
Kenya Airways names Jambo Jet chief AIRLINES Kenya Airways has named former Air France-KLM executive Willem Alexander Hondius as head of its new low-cost operation, Jambo Jet. Hondius was KLM’s eastern Africa general manager, based in Kenya, and previously served as chief commercial officer of Transavia. Kenya Airways says the appointment “moves the airline closer” to start-up but adds: “There is still a lot of work to be done.”
6 | Flight International | 17-23 September 2013
Age and maintenance costs spell the end for 747-based VC-25As VIP transport Dave Majumdar Washington DC
USAF in search for new Air Force One Increased maintenance burden of 747-based VC-25As prompts service to look for replacement for presidential fleet
T
he US Air Force has released a sources-sought synopsis for a new presidential aircraft to replace the Boeing 747-based VC-25A. The USAF hopes to replace the long-serving jets with a new “Air Force One” by 2021. The USAF “is conducting market research to identify potential sources that possess the expertise, capabilities and experience to deliver the required capabilities to recapitalise the VC-25A presidential fleet”, the document reads. “Responses to this survey will be used to influence the programme’s acquisition strategy,” it states. The current two-aircraft VC-25 fleet will reach the end of its 30year service life in 2017, according to the USAF. But the 747-200based aircraft have become much more difficult to maintain as its civilian counterpart has become less common in airline operations. “Increased heavy maintenance and parts obsolescence costs require the air force to begin planning for the VC-25A fleet replacement,” the service says. “Analysis has shown that it is cost beneficial to replace the VC-25A aircraft and operate a new and more efficient aircraft.” The current objective is for any new aircraft to be delivered “not earlier than 2021”. The aircraft would need to be specifically customised to meet the US president’s needs. However, the basic
requirements in the document call for a four-engined aircraft capable of intercontinental range, while still being able to operate from regional airfields. “Mission communications, data, voice and video must provide secure and interoperable command, control and communications using net-centric architectures,” the document reads. “Extensive structural and system modifications to the basic aircraft might be required to allow for self-sufficient operations at airfields with minimal or no ground support equipment, and for access to baggage and equipment storage areas while in-flight.” Additionally, the new aircraft must be able to operate in all civil and military airspace as defined by the Federal Aviation Administration, International Civil Aviation Organisation and the US Department of Defense. The four-engine requirement means that there are only three possible contenders for the programme: Boeing’s 747-8 Intercontinental and Airbus’s A380 and A340. In 2006, the USAF’s Air Mobility Command is believed to have asked Airbus for data on the A380, with enquiries relating to use as a cargo freighter or large VIP transport in the Air Force One class. ■ Find out more about the latest global defence aviation news at flightglobal.com/defence
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This week
Air France A330 radar missed ‘violent’ turbulence THIS WEEK P8 NARROWBODIES Stephen Trimble Washington DC
ROTORCRAFT Dominic Perry London
B
Certification process approaches with Eurocopter talking up super-medium twin potential
ombardier has confirmed that the CSeries flight test vehicle still must complete two series of runway tests, including highspeed taxi runs and checks of landing gear vibration levels, before attempting a first flight. The flying debut of the FTV-1 model of the CS100-sized test aircraft appeared to make substantial progress in high-speed taxi tests early on 9 September, reaching a top speed of 124kt (230km/h) – at or near rotation speed. A video released by Bombardier also indicates the flightcrew was able to lift the nose wheel and rock the wings briefly to check roll response during the high-speed test at its final assembly centre at Mirabel airport. Bombardier has not opened a window for first flight beyond saying that it is “coming soon”. The FTV-1 is the first aircraft in the small narrowbody class to incorporate such new technologies as an aluminium-lithium airframe and a Pratt & Whitney PurePower PW1500G geared turbofan engine. It is also Bombardier’s first fully fly-by-wire aircraft. ■
EC175 regains momentum as testing period nears end E
urocopter is close to completing flight and ground tests on its in-development EC175 supermedium twin ahead of certification next year. The airframer is confident it will reach the end-of-test milestone by the end of September, says Dominique Maudet, Eurocopter executive vice-president global business and services. “Most of the trials have been done,” says Maudet. “Then it is more a matter of finalising the certification process and completing the paperwork.”
Entry into service of the 7.5t type has been delayed twice over the last 12 months, with the most recent slippage – pushing certification and first delivery from this year into 2014 – announced at the Paris air show in June. Nonetheless, Maudet believes the programme is regaining some of its lost momentum. “We are pleased with the progress. We are now pushing to get the first helicopter to the customer. “We want to see it come to market and show the oil and gas community that we have set the
Eurocopter
CSeries faces final hurdles to flying debut
Service entry of the EC175 has been delayed twice in the last year
standard for this super-mediumclass helicopter.” Most of the orders for the EC175 have been for offshore transportation-configured helicopters, but Maudet reports growing interest in the VIP-roled model, too, with the company having recently secured a second order for the variant from an undisclosed customer. The delays to the EC175 have largely been attributed to problems with the approvals process for Eurocopter’s Helionix avionics system, which has proven more complex than initially envisaged. Also affected by a similar issue is Eurocopter’s upgrade of its popular EC145 medium twin, the T2. The first example of the enhanced variant, with new Turbomeca Arriel 2E engines and an upgraded avionics suite, was due to have been handed over earlier this year. However, certification has now been pushed to early 2014, with first delivery set for the second quarter, says Maudet. ■ See Feature P26
restructuring Dominic Perry & Dan Thisdell London
EADS units embrace upcoming Airbus rebranding E
urocopter is eyeing next year’s planned rebranding as Airbus Helicopters as an opportunity to move the business forward. The new name will come in formally next year as parent EADS renames itself Airbus, after its dominant commercial airliners division. Dominique Maudet, executive vice-president of global business and services, says some customers have expressed sadness about the loss of 20 years of history, but the move will be a good one for the airframer which has its origins in the old Aerospatiale business, one of the founding units of what in 2000 became European Aeronautics, Defence and Space, later known by its acronym.
flightglobal.com
He is positive that the new name brings with it the reputation for “quality and innovation” associated with Airbus: “We are happy to bolt on this image and have the Airbus name on our front gate.” Aside from this, he says, surveys conducted by Eurocopter revealed that potential clients felt its name was too closely associated with one part of the world and, as such, was “a bit restrictive”. He adds that, for the new management team taking charge after the recent departure of long-time leader Lutz Bertling, “it is an opportunity to move the company towards new challenges”. Internal discussions are still ongoing to iron out the day-to-day
effects of the change, for instance the designation of any hew helicopters produced by the rebranded operation. Details should be finalised by year-end, says Maudet. Separately, executives at EADS’s Cassidian defence products division, which is to be merged with its Astrium launchers and spacecraft business as Airbus Defence and Space, have told Flight International that the restructuring would be a boon to the business, as it will bring into a single department product and service offerings that are often purchased separately by single customers who, today, must deal with different EADS offices to buy, say, a secure communica-
tions system that involves space-, air- and ground-based equipment and services. Briefing journalists in London during the DSEi defence and security exhibition, Cassidian chief sales officer Christian Scherer said that by adopting the “household name” Airbus, staff – especially management – were being assured that “we are all being invited to the Airbus club”. Mo Stevens, who heads Cassidian UK, added that by joining Cassidian and Astrium, the company will be strengthening its position as a source of cyber-secure “end-to-end” software, service and equipment solutions. ■ See Show Report P16
17-23 September 2013 | Flight International | 7
This week
For a round-up of our latest online news, feature and multimedia content visit flightglobal.com/wotw
propulsion Stephen Trimble Washington DC
CFM takes Leap to ground testing First trials of full engine mark beginning of decade-long transition from CFM56 era by GE-Snecma joint venture
C
FM International has begun a series of ground tests on the first full Leap engine selected to power the Airbus A320neo family, with a close facsimile chosen by China’s Comac for the C919 narrowbody. The start of ground tests heralds the beginning of a nearly decade-long transition by the General Electric and Snecma joint venture from building the stalwart CFM56 turbofan engine to the Leap series. The Leap engine ground tests began two days early and achieved full take-off thrust after
a series of break-in runs, according to CFM. “Everything we have seen tells us the Leap engine is going to deliver all we promised and much more,” says CFM executive vicepresident Chaker Chahrour. Airbus is scheduled to begin flying the first Leap-1A engine on the A320neo in 2015, or one year ahead of planned airworthiness certification for the airframe and engine together. Boeing also selected the narrower Leap-1B to power the 737 Max family. The Leap engine represents the first all-new centreline engine for
the GE-Snecma joint venture in almost 40 years and breaks from the architecture of the CFM56 in several ways that promise to reduce fuel burn and noise by “double-digit” margins. First, the Leap engine incorporates a two-stage high-pressure turbine, versus a single-stage for the CFM56. The Leap-1A engine also uses a 10:1 ratio of airflow that bypasses the engine core, almost double the 5.5:1 bypass ratio of the CFM56. The new engine achieves the higher bypass ratio by using a wider fan, measuring 2m (78.7in)
across for the Leap-1A. To compensate for the extra weight of a wider fan, CFM switched to using a lighter composite fan case and composite blades. Internally, CFM is also making the engine burn fuel more efficiently by increasing the temperature of the combustion process. The hotter temperatures forced CFM to switch to a new material in one part of the engine. The Leap engine features a ceramic matrix composite material in the lining shrouds seated around the tips of the blades on the first stage of the high-pressure turbine. ■
SAFETY David Kaminski-Morrow London
Air France A330 radar missed ‘violent’ turbulence rench investigators are seeking improvements to convective weather detection capabilities after a serious turbulence incident involving an Air France Airbus A330-200 over eastern Africa. The crew did not detect the convective zone – a task exacerbated by the rapid development of cells in the region – as the aircraft cruised at 36,000ft (10,980m) over Tanzania. Dar es Salaam air traffic control twice asked whether the crew could climb to 38,000ft, but the pilots declined, to maintain a sufficient margin from the operating ceiling. The crew had expected convective zones while passing latitude 12.5˚ south. Some 10min after crossing this boundary; however, the crew set the navigation display scales to 160nm (296km) and adjusted the weather radar tilt to monitor possible isolated cells. Flight-recorder data suggests the disturbance began a few minutes later, in the vicinity of Dar es Salaam, the airspeed increased from M0.81 and the pilots saw flashes and cloud on the right side of the A330 – although there was no return on the weather radar. According to the captain,
Air France
F
The A330 was over eastern Africa when convective weather hit who was flying, the radar tilt had been set to 1.5˚ down. As the airspeed reached M0.83 the crew selected lower speeds – a normal precautionary response to convective weather – and briefly extended the speedbrakes, but the aircraft slowed to M0.79 before accelerating to M0.82. The aircraft, F-GZCG, then encountered “violent” turbulence and its autopilot disengaged, says French investigation authority the BEA. The BEA says the A330 started to climb despite the captain’s pitch-down commands. Although the crew reactivated the autopilot, it disengaged again, along with the autothrust. The A330’s altitude increased
8 | Flight International | 17-23 September 2013
to 38,000ft before the crew stabilised the flightpath, and the aircraft started to descend 10s later. It returned to its assigned altitude and the flight continued without further incident. BEA analysis found that the vertical speed peaked at 8,500ft/ min (43m/s) during the 40s event, with the pitch varying from 6˚nose-down to 11˚ nose-up. The captain’s control inputs were mainly nose-down, notably for 10s after the autopilot disconnected. Airbus determined that the aircraft remained in its flight envelope throughout the incident which, the BEA says, comprised “highly dynamic” turbulence in all three axes. The A330 was subjected to a sudden sharp down-
draft of 110kt (204km/h) and then updrafts of 70kt and 40kt. While the crew’s selection of the 160nm range, rather than 80nm, on the navigation display was not “optimum” for detecting the storm cell, the BEA says the pilots’ response enabled them to maintain control of the aircraft despite the sudden onset of difficult flight conditions. The captain told the inquiry he was startled by the ferocity of the turbulence – which made the instruments unreadable and verbal communication impossible – and that it caused sensory illusions over whether the aircraft was climbing or descending. Given that the cell was not visible on infrared satellite imaging just 12min before the event, the BEA acknowledges that a reasonable weather radar setting might not have made a difference. Air France reviewed its radar procedures in the wake of the loss of flight AF447, another A330200, in the vicinity of convective weather over the south Atlantic in June 2009. Investigators also noted the use of sub-optimal radar settings before an in-flight upset involving an Air France A340 in July 2011. ■ flightglobal.com
This week
Controller missed altitude alarm AIR TRANSPORT P10 GOVERNMENT Ellis Taylor Singapore
Cut taxes plea to lift India aviation I
ndia’s union civil aviation minister Ajit Singh has called on his state counterparts to reduce taxes on aviation fuel and take other measures to assist the growth of the country’s aviation industry. Singh, speaking at a conference of state aviation ministers, noted that the high level of state-imposed value-added taxes (VAT) on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) has resulted in major losses for Indian carriers in recent years. He also praised states, such as Chhattisgarh, that have recently taken measures to reduce their taxes.
“Chhattisgarh had reduced VAT on ATF to 4% in 2010 and it has since seen [a] sixfold increase of ATF uplift from Raipur and an increase in [the] number of flights from Raipur from 8 to 18 per day,” he said. “With more people travelling to the state, there has been considerable spin-off effects to the economy.” Last year, the government opened the way for Indian carriers to import ATF to avoid the high level of state taxes. Indian media reports say that SpiceJet has recently started a pilot programme to import the fuel, albeit only on a small scale.
Rex Features
New Delhi civil aviation minister urges regional colleagues to slash fuel and other duties to open up air travel market
Indian carriers are allowed to import aviation fuel Singh also called for the states to be more proactive in developing new airports around the country, particularly in regional areas. “We need to develop smaller low-cost no-frill airports in potentially economically growing cities identified in various parts of the country, with the help of the state governments,” he said. The government says it is identifying 50 potential low-
cost airports for development in collaboration with state governments, for which the Airports Authority of India is carrying out feasibility studies. Singh added that developing more services to tier II and tier III cities will only be possible if states play their part to reduce operating costs for airlines, and, in some cases, underwrite seat sales. ■
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AIR TRANSPORT
Check out our collection of online dynamic aircraft profiles for the latest news, images and information on civil and military programmes at flightglobal.com/profiles
INQUIRY David Kaminski-Morrow London
Nice controller missed altitude alarm Response delayed until 11s after Armavia CRJ200 triggered initial cockpit warning, says French investigation authority rench investigators have found that a controller at Nice missed a prolonged safe-altitude alarm and only intervened to halt a Bombardier CRJ200’s low approach after a separate system warning was activated. The Armavia aircraft, arriving from Yerevan at night, descended to just 550ft (168m) while still 7nm (13km) east of the airport. While a minimum safe altitude warning sounded, the controller only responded to an area proximity warning which began 11s later. French investigation authority BEA says the crew originally agreed to a runway 04L approach. However, after the pilots missed a radial intercept, the controller directed them instead to a runway 22R approach. The CRJ approached from the east at 3,000ft and, around the final approach fix, began to descend to 1,500ft – the minimum descent altitude. However, the BEA says the aircraft continued to lose height, passing through this minimum altitude while at 10nm from the airport, and then deviated to the right of the approach path. The safe-altitude warning triggered but was not acknowledged
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The Armavia Bombardier CRJ200 was directed to a different runway after missing a radial intercept by the Nice controller, who responded only after the subsequent area proximity warning. As the CRJ descended at 1,700ft/ min (8.64m/s) the controller urgently told the pilots that they were “mistaking the bay”, indicating that the crew had misidentified a bay east of Cap Ferrat as the one in which the airport lay. The aircraft turned to the left and began to climb, and the altitude warning – which had sounded for 41s – stopped. In its analysis of the incident the BEA says the controller “fo-
BEA says the safe-altitude alarm was prone to nuisance alerts and audio was inhibited to an extent. Following the Armavia incident on 30 December 2011, only two of the 57 alerts generated in January were considered reasonable. Analysis of Montpellier and Marseille airport operations revealed “significantly lower” nuisance alarm rates than Nice, the inquiry adds. BEA investigators have recommended that steps be taken to cut the number of unnecessary alerts from safe-altitude warning systems. ■
cused his attention on managing the aircraft’s trajectory in the horizontal plane, to the detriment of management in the vertical”. It adds that the CRJ’s crew had been “saturated” by the change in runway and the complexity of the approach procedure. The flight was the captain’s third to Nice, and the first officer’s second. Although the inquiry credits the controller’s reaction to the area proximity warning – which signals an airspace deviation – it says the failure to notice the safe-altitude alarm delayed the intervention.
APPEAL Oliver Clark London
Challenge to Schiphol charges goes on for EasyJet asyJet has launched legal action against the European Commission to overturn its dismissal of the airline’s complaint against alleged unfair airport charges at Amsterdam Schiphol airport. Lawyers for the UK-based lowcost carrier are seeking to use a legal technicality to overturn a final verdict by the Commission dismissing a claim that Schiphol breached Dutch and EU competition rules by charging higher tariffs for origin and destination passengers than for transfer passengers in its fees from 1 November 2008. The Commission had ruled on 3 May 2013 that the Netherlands
Competition Authority NMa was right to dismiss EasyJet’s claim following a number of complaints from the carrier. EasyJet’s lawyers say the Commission misinterpreted the provi-
sions of Article 13 of EC regulations and came to the “erroneous conclusion that the national proceedings in the Netherlands equated to a national competition authority having dealt with the
coalburner gallery on flightglobal.com/AirSpace
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EasyJet plans to use a legal technicality to keep the case alive
10 | Flight International | 17-23 September 2013
case” when it dismissed the carrier’s 2011 complaint. EasyJet says: “The Commission ruled that the case had been looked at by the local Dutch competition authority and therefore didn’t require further attention. EasyJet is appealing on the basis that no assessment was ever carried out under EU competition rules.” No date has been set for the hearing, but in general, an appeal process lasts for an average of just under 20 months from commencement to conclusion. ■ For more news on airlines and their latest moves, visit flightglobal.com/airlines
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AIR TRANSPORT
Integrated Krüger flap tests promise fuel burn savings air Transport P12 probe mavis toh singapore
Emirates engine shutdown pinned on nozzle failure T
The engine manufacturer says a review of the failed powerplant suggests hotter-than-expected metal surface temperatures of one nozzle component led to the failure. The ATSB says the design of the stage two nozzle parts – especially their cooling characteristics – was inadequate, as they allowed the metal to become too hot. This made the nozzles susceptible to distress, premature degradation and failure, it says. Even before the Emirates incident, Engine Alliance had made design changes to the component to improve durability, although similar distress was also discovered on an engine with fitted with the revised nozzles. Engine Alliance continues to study the cooling characteristics of the nozzles for further design improvements, it says. Additionally, it has improved its engine monitoring system to enable earlier identification of anomalies in the temperature of the exhaust gas. Emirates has since installed new nozzles across its fleet of A380s. ■
The scheme calls for the purchase of 18 replacement 787s acquisitions David kaminski-morrow london
BA shareholders to vote on 747 succession plan B
ritish Airways aims to replace 16 Boeing 747-400s with 18 Airbus A350-1000s, and another 14 with its additional 18 Boeing 787s. The plan to acquire the 36 new aircraft will be put to BA parent IAG’s shareholders on 26 September. BA is intending to take “at least” 12 of the newly-unveiled 787-10s, with the remainder of the batch of 18 to be -9s. All of the 787s will be fitted with RollsRoyce Trent 1000 engines. The first 787-9 in the batch will arrive in September 2017. BA will then take five more in 2018, under a tentative delivery schedule. Five 787-10s will arrive in 2019, six in 2020 and the last of the proposed dozen in 2021. Two of the airline’s A350-1000s will be delivered in the third
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The dislodged component caused considerable damage flightglobal.com
quarter of 2018. BA will introduce a total of four A350s in each of 2018 and 2019, and five in each of 2020 and 2021. All the A350s will be equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines – the only powerplant available on the type. The carrier has purchase rights on 18 more 787s and 36 A350s, it states in its notification to shareholders. It says the orders and options, combined with previously-agreed orders for aircraft including the Airbus A380, will allow for “complete replacement” of its 52 747400s by the end of 2022. The company’s shareholders are also set to vote on firming an order for 62 A320 and A320neo aircraft for IAG’s low-cost operator Vueling. ■
workforce
Carrier concludes mixed-fleet union deal
AirTeamImages
he disintegration of a highpressure turbine (HPT) nozzle due to distress and corrosion has been identified as the cause of an engine failure and uncommanded shutdown on board an Emirates Airbus A380 in 2012. The aircraft (A6-EDA), equipped with Engine Alliance GP7270 powerplants, was operating the Sydney-Dubai route when the incident took place on 11 November last year. As the aircraft climbed through 9,000ft (2,740m) the flightcrew heard what they described as a loud bang. This was followed by an exhaust gas temperature overlimit warning for the number 3 engine, which subsequently performed an uncommanded shutdown. An investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) found the incident to be the result of the break-up and dislodgement of some secondstage HPT nozzles, producing substantial downstream damage and allowing a breach within the turbine casing walls. “The nozzle failure stemmed from the effects of cumulative oxidation and distress across the airfoil surfaces,” says the ATSB.
Boeing
Investigators identify corroded high-pressure outlet as root cause of A380 uncommanded outage of GP7270
British Airways has reached a recognition agreement with the UK’s Unite union, covering the carrier’s mixedfleet cabin crew. The mixed-fleet crew, of which some 2,000 work from London Heathrow, operates on both shorthaul and long-haul routes. BA’s deal, disclosed by the union, encompasses terms and conditions including pay, holidays and hours of work for all new and future cabin crew at the carrier operating European and intercontinental routes.
“The union and the company worked positively together to put the finishing touches to the agreement,” says Unite general secretary Len McCluskey. “Cabin crew have already seen the benefits of the recognition deal, including a substantial increase in holiday pay entitlement,” he says. “It’s no surprise that the union has already recruited over half of the mixed-fleet cabin crew, and Unite will continue to encourage crew to join to ensure workers have a voice within the mixed-fleet.” ■
17-23 September 2013 | Flight International | 11
AIR TRANSPORT
Check out our collection of online dynamic aircraft profiles for the latest news, images and information on civil and military programmes at flightglobal.com/profiles
INVESTIGATION David Kaminski-Morrow London
Back-to-front washer led A300 to veer off runway ncorrect installation of a washer in the nose landing gear torque link axle of an Airbus A300B4 freighter caused a chain reaction that ended with the aircraft veering off the runway at Bratislava. The Air Contractors twinjet had landed on runway 22, following a service from Leipzig on 16 November last year. About 6s after the aircraft touched down with its nose gear the crew felt an increasingly strong vibration. As it decelerated to 85kt (157km/h) and the thrust reversers were stowed, the aircraft veered left. Attempts to counter the yaw with the rudder and nose-wheel steering were unsuccessful, and the aircraft left the runway. Its nose gear hit a manhole and collapsed. None of the three crew members was injured.
French investigation authority BEA found evidence that a washer in the axle of the torque link – the connecting arms which prevent free rotation of the nose gear – had been installed the wrong way round. As a result the axle nut unscrewed and separated, ultimately leaving the crew with no directional control. BEA found that a maintenance procedure on the nose gear had been performed 26 days before the accident. The presence of a detailed diagram, it says, was not enough to prevent the incorrect washer assembly. Airbus informed the inquiry that two similar incidents occurred during 2008-2009, with only “minor” consequences. ■
DLR
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Aerodynamicists at DLR built a windtunnel model of the flaps DESIGN Michael Gubisch London
Integrated Krüger flap tests promise fuel burn savings DLR researchers demonstrate gains as ‘new interpretation’ of concept as high-lift device minimises wing turbulence
Read the latest safety news from the aviation sector at flightglobal.com/safety
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INSOLVENCY Michael Gubisch London
Air Cargo Germany closes down
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tional investors, says administrator Georg Heidemann of Düsseldorf-based law practice Kebekus & Zimmermann. But the final bidder – a US investor with international financiers – abandoned talks at the end of July, he says. As a result, all staff were made redundant. The airline’s remaining assets will now be sold to pay off creditors. Heidemann expects, however, that only a fraction of the debt will be repaid, as debts massively outstrip its assets. Russian cargo specialist VolgaDnepr Group acquired a 49% shareholding in Air Cargo Germany in April 2012. ■
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fforts to resurrect insolvent freight carrier Air Cargo Germany have failed, after no new investor could be found for the Frankfurt Hahn-based Boeing 747-400 Freighter operator. The airline has been grounded since 18 April, after its operating licence was withdrawn by Germany’s civil aviation regulator LBA. The firm’s four 747s were returned to their lessors in May, but all 120 employees stayed with the carrier in the hope that operations could restart with fresh financial backing. Discussions were held with “seven or eight” potential interna-
The carrier returned its four Boeing 747s to their lessors in May 12 | Flight International | 17-23 September 2013
uropean aerodynamicists are working on Krüger flaps as a high-lift device for laminar-flow wings on next-generation aircraft, in an EU-funded project led by Germany’s DLR aerospace research centre. The objective is to eliminate the sharp edges, gaps and rivet heads found on conventional slat designs in the leading edges of aircraft wings, which disturb the airstream around a laminar-flow aerofoil, even when the devices are retracted. Krüger flaps have been employed on various aircraft in the past, such as the Boeing 747. But DLR says its researchers have “newly interpreted” the concept, whereby the high-lift device is “perfectly” integrated into the wing to minimise any turbulence. While the leading edge is lowered for take-off and landing in a conventional slat design, the Krüger flap involves a section of the wing skin on the underside of the aerofoil swinging forward ahead of the leading edge. The respective skin panel is hinged at its forward edge. On the 747, that panel is made of fibreglass and slightly bent by the retraction mechanism to as-
sume an aerofoil shape in the extended position. The aerodynamicists of the research project – dubbed “design, simulation and flight Reynolds number testing for advanced highlift solutions” – built a windtunnel model that demonstrated fuel burn savings of up to 7% “without any compromises”, says Jochen Wild, of DLR’s institute of aerodynamics and flow technology. The tests were undertaken at the European transonic windtunnel in Cologne. The recently completed fouryear project was conducted in reverse order to save costs and time, says DLR. While the scientists usually build a windtunnel model first to gather data that is subsequently evaluated in computerbased studies, the researchers started with virtual designs to produce a refined physical specimen. That model comprised a complete high-lift system “from aerodynamic to the mechanic [features]”, says DLR. A follow-up project called “active flow-loads and noise control on next generation wing” has now been started, which will involve building a functional model of the new Krüger flap design. ■ flightglobal.com
AIR TRANSPORT
US naval aviation to feel budget pain defence P14 safety david kaminski-morrow london
UK tweaks wake-separation standard CAA to impose restrictions on heavy aircraft departures in response to ‘unmitigated potential’ for turbulence encounters K authorities are to impose a wake-separation requirement between departing “heavy” aircraft, but intends to remove a similar separation requirement which currently applies to pairs of arriving Airbus A380s. While ICAO standardises a 4nm (7km) wake separation between two departing aircraft in the heavy category, the UK’s air traffic control procedures do not specify any figure. The Civil Aviation Authority says there has been no supporting analysis to back up the use of the ICAO criteria. But an assessment of incident data, it says, shows a “disproportionate” number of wake-turbulence encounters during heavyheavy take-off sequencing, and it
has chosen to adopt the 4nm departure standard from 20 February next year. “The current absence of any UK wake turbulence criteria between heavy-heavy departures results in an unmitigated potential for wake turbulence encounters at low altitudes and critical stages of flight,” it states. This should be “corrected” and is encouraging early introduction of the procedures. However, the CAA is also remaining flexible by permitting an alternative means of compliance – if supported by sufficient safety assurance – allowing an “appropriate blend of prescriptive and risk-based safety regulation”. Its own specific minimum separation of 4nm for in-trail A380s will be rescinded in favour of the
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The CAA is encouraging early introduction of the procedures ICAO standard, which states that no wake spacing needs to be applied between pairs of A380s on approach. This approach minimum was established by the
CAA in 2006, a year before the A380 entered service. ■ Follow the development timeline of the A380: flightglobal.com/A380
preparation
Qatar’s first A380 takes flight Middle Eastern carrier Qatar Airways’ first Airbus A380 has performed its maiden flight – an initial sortie to Hamburg for cabin fitting work. Qatar Airways has 10 of the double-deck type on order, equipped with Engine Alliance GP7200 powerplants. The carrier will become the next new operator of the A380 when it takes delivery of the aircraft in 2014 – the same year it is scheduled to receive its first A350.
Airbus says the A380 will be painted once the jet has undergone cabin fitting. Qatar has yet to disclose full details of the aircraft’s interior. It has said the A380 will be configured with 517 seats, of which 42 will be in business class. Qatar Airways’ A380 is the first to be built with the full-life wing from the outset, following design and assembly changes to prevent cracking problems with the wing-rib brackets. ■
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The Middle Eastern carrier has 10 superjumbos on order flightglobal.com
17-23 September 2013 | Flight International | 13
DEFENCE
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CUTBACKS Dave Majumdar Washington DC
US naval aviation to feel budget pain N
aval aviation operations, maintenance and procurement accounts will all take a hit in fiscal year 2014 under Congressionally-mandated sequestration budget cuts, says chief of naval operations Adm Jonathan Greenert. “We’ll cancel a lot of aircraft availabilities – about 190,” Greenert said at the American Enterprise Institute on 5 September. “Last year we cancelled about 90, so we’re getting a backlog that is concerning.” Even if the budget were to be restored overnight, it would take the USN more than five years to catch up on deferred aircraft maintenance, Greenert says.
Naval aviation training for nondeployed forces will also be sharply cut back, and a number of carrier air wings will be required to operate at a reduced readiness level. “We’ll have some air wings that’ll go to what we call tactical hard deck,” Greenert says. That means pilots will train to a point just above the minimum standards required to ensure safety of flight, although the air wings should be able to ramp up training quickly if they need to deploy. Describing the situation as “sub-optimal”, Greenert says he will fight to reprogramme more money for naval aviators to train.
US Navy
Aircraft maintenance backlog to increase as sequestration cuts for fiscal year 2014 also hit training and procurement
Some US Navy carrier air wings will reduce their readiness levels Aviation procurement accounts will also take a hit, with the USN to lose about 25 aircraft, including some from its intended
Boeing P-8 and Lockheed Martin F-35C buys, Greenert says. Overall, the navy’s budget will be chopped by $14 billion in 2014, compared with $11 billion in FY2013. But unlike in the previous budget year, there is no leftover money from prior years to cushion the blow, Greenert says. With manpower exempt from cuts, other accounts will take a 14% hit, rather than the overall 10% reduction mandated by the sequestration law. ■
AUTOMATION Zach Rosenberg Washington DC
Unmanned air-to-air refuelling trial gets under way The US Navy has begun its first unmanned air-to-air refuelling trial, using a manned surrogate aircraft. Software from the Northrop Grumman X-47B unmanned combat air system demonstrator (UCAS-D) was uploaded to a contractor-flown Learjet 25B, with the
activity also involving a Boeing 707 tanker. Although a pilot was on board the Learjet, the aircraft was flown autonomously. “By demonstrating that we can add an automated aerial refuelling capability to unmanned or optionallymanned aircraft, we can significantly
increase their range, persistence and flexibility,” says Capt Jaime Engdahl, the navy’s UCAS-D programme manager. “This is a game-changer for unmanned carrier aviation,” he adds. Testing began on 28 August, flying out of Niagara Falls, New York. ■
For expert analysis of defence news, visit The DEW Line blog: flightglobal.com/dewline
WEAPONS Dave Majumdar Washington DC
DARPA/Lockheed cruise missile put to the test ockheed Martin and the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have launched a prototype long-range anti-ship missile (LRASM) for the first time. Unlike other cruise missiles, the weapon is designed to guide itself to a target using its own sensors, without having received extensive data prior to launch. “It is the first time we’ve taken a sensor suite of this sort and integrated it into a closed-loop system of the missile so it can autonomously detect, track and engage the threat,” says Artie Mabbett, DARPA’s programme manager for the LRASM project. A first flight test was conducted from a US Air Force Boeing
US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
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The long-range anti-ship missile was test-launched on 27 August B-1 bomber on 27 August. Prior to the launch, DARPA had conducted numerous captive carry events over several months to gather data, Mabbett says. Most of this work was performed using a business jet adapted to test the missile’s sensors.
14 | Flight International | 17-23 September 2013
The new sensors were then integrated into a Lockheed AGM158B JASSM-ER cruise missile, which provides the underlying system for the LRASM design. “Essentially what we have done is taken a basic waypoint-following cruise missile concept and
added brains to it,” Mabbett says. DARPA and the US Navy’s Office of Naval Research plan to conduct two additional tests of the airlaunched LRASM variant over the next few months, to further vet the maturity of the sensor system in a more challenging environment. This will include different ranges, altitudes and geometric approaches to the target, Mabbett says. Follow-on activity will focus on a surface-launched variant of the weapon, with the USN also having a significant interest in a submarine-launched version. Ultimately, LRASM will be among the contenders for the service’s nascent offensive anti-surface warfare effort, Mabbett says. ■ flightglobal.com
DEFENCE
UK holds firm with Joint Strike Fighter procurement plans Show Report P16 COMPETITION Dave Majumdar Washington DC
MODIFICATIONS Dave Majumdar Washington DC
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Safety enhancement for active duty combat aircraft due to be incorporated by end of 2014
anada has released a draft request for proposals for its fixed-wing search and rescue (FWSAR) programme. “We are committed to ensuring that this procurement proceeds in an open, fair and transparent way, giving best value to Canadian taxpayers and providing the Royal Canadian Air Force with the capability that it needs,” says Diane Finley, minister of public works and government services. “We will continue to engage industry and rely on the advice of independent third-party advisors throughout this process.” The programme is intended to replace Canada’s aged de Havilland CC-115 (DHC-5) Buffalo and legacy-model Lockheed Martin CC-130 Hercules in the search and rescue role. A key requirement will be to conduct missions over the vast reaches of northern Canada. A number of potential contractors have expressed an interest. Candidates could include the Airbus Military C295, Alenia Aermacchi C-27J, Bell Boeing V-22 and Lockheed C-130J. Canada’s Viking Air is likely to offer a new-build variant of the CC-115. A final version of the RFP will be issued in early 2014. ■
F-16 auto-ground avoidance system to boost USAF fleet L
ockheed Martin and the US Air Force are working on implementing an automatic ground collision avoidance system (autoGCAS) for the service’s F-16 fleet that is set to become operational next year. “We expect to have the production deliveries out in the field as part of the M6.2+ OFP [operational flight programme],” says Bill Hord, a Lockheed F-16 programme director. “It fields in early 2014.” To also include a pilot-activated recovery system that will return the jet to straight and level flight at the push of a button, the enhancement incorporates new data transfer equipment, a modification to the digital flight control computer and modified software for the modular mission computer. The adapted digital flight control computer has recently gained airworthiness certification, and the whole system is expected to be certificated before the end of 2013, ahead of installations from the second quarter of next year, Hord says. The modifications will be retrofitted as F-16s undergo depot maintenance at Hill AFB in Utah. The USAF currently has the capac-
US Air Force
Ottawa sounds call for fixed-wing SAR proposals
A button push will recover an F-16 to straight and level flight ity to modify 25 aircraft per month, but hopes to double this, as part of a goal to have its entire active fleet of Block 40/42 and 50/52 aircraft updated before the end of 2014.
Original F-16 manufacturer General Dynamics and the USAF began working on auto-GCAS technology in the mid-1980s. “The only problem there was having sufficient data storage capacity that was rapidly accessible to get the necessary terrain data out of it,” Hord says. “Now that we have all the bits and pieces together, the technology is ripe.” Flight testing of the production auto-GCAS system started in early 2011, and is ongoing at Edwards AFB, California, with “a few additional tweaks to go in”, Hord says. For example, while the system is technically capable of recovering the F-16 at 50ft (15m) above ground level, feedback from test pilots has suggested that the recovery altitude be set at 500ft. The Boeing F/A-18 and Lockheed F-35 will also receive digital terrain elevation data-based autoGCAS systems similar to the F-16s. Also currently being flight tested at Edwards AFB is a less sophisticated capability for the USAF’s Lockheed F-22, which will require the pilot to manually set a “floor” altitude. ■
TENDER Ellis Taylor Singapore
Canberra training contest lures BAE-led consortium AE Systems has teamed with CAE and Beechcraft to bid for Australia’s military pilot training system project. The partners will offer the US company’s T-6C, on a non-exclusive basis. Since 1992, BAE has operated the Australian Defence Force’s Basic Flight Training School at Tamworth, New South Wales. This provides ab initio training and pilot screening using a fleet of Pacific Aerospace CT-4B piston trainers. “These experiences, and our combined track record in military flightglobal.com
flight training, complex project management and mission systems sustainment mean we can offer the Commonwealth a lowrisk, value-for-money solution,” claims John Quaife, general man-
ager aviation solutions for BAE Systems Australia. The consortium is the first to announce its teaming arrangements in response to the Department of Defence’s Air 5428
Beechcraft
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The team will offer Beechcraft’s T-6C for military pilot instruction
project, which seeks to provide a complete pilot training system for all undergraduate military pilots. Industry sources suggest that Lockheed Martin is likely to choose the Pilatus PC-21 and also team with sustainment partner Hawker Pacific for the requirement, with Boeing, Raytheon and Thales also yet to announce details for their respective bids. The tender will close in February 2014, with selection expected by the end of June 2015. Initial operating capability has been targeted for 2015-17. ■
17-23 September 2013 | Flight International | 15
SHOW REPORT
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DSEi 2013
Craig Hoyle/Flightglobal
Staged in London on 10-13 September, the UK’s tri-service DSEi show was the largest in the biennial event’s history, approaching 1,500 exhibitors and around 30,000 visitors in attendance. Domestic procurement, challenging budget conditions and an increased focus on the use of unmanned systems were among the main focal points for the air sector. Show report by Craig Hoyle and Dan Thisdell DEBUT
ORDERS
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Minister highlights reduced price of three test F-35Bs delivered so far but rules out F-35As
ranfield Aerospace and Raytheon UK are testing a new lightweight unmanned air system, which is now being promoted to potential buyers. Aimed at the military intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance market, but also potentially suitable for a range of civilian applications, Cassius features a high level of autonomy, says Cranfield business adviser Keith Marshall. “The operator just has to check if the weather conditions are within launch tolerance and find the wind direction, then after launch all they have to do is ‘fly’ the sensor,” Marshall says. First flown around two months ago, Cassius has a maximum take-off weight of 8.75kg (19.3lb), including a Raytheonsourced electro-optical/infrared sensor payload. Flight endurance is in excess of 3h, and service ceiling above 5,000ft (1,520m). “We have had a lot of interest, including with international customers,” Marshall says. Civilian applications could include performing border or environmental monitoring tasks, he adds. Flight-testing with the system is continuing, with the partners seeking to complete an initial 50h of activity. “In the not too distant future there will be more UAS,” says Phil Nettleship, chief of engineering at Raytheon UK’s Airborne Solutions unit. “As a group, we have an interest in this sector.” ■
UK keeps the faith in Joint Strike Fighter procurement A
recent test success aboard a US Marine Corps vessel involving the Lockheed Martin F-35B and expected price reductions for the Joint Strike Fighter mean the UK is holding firm with its procurement plans for the type, says minister for defence equipment, support and technology Philip Dunne. “We intend within the next few months to sign an order for a first squadron of operational aircraft,” Dunne says. Previously detailed as being likely to cover 12-14 short takeoff and vertical landing strike aircraft, this will be followed by a substantial additional contract to be placed following the con-
clusion of the Ministry of Defence’s 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review process, he adds. The UK is also still considering whether to acquire a fourth example to support initial operational test and evaluation work, he confirms. Addressing the issue of how many F-35s the UK will eventually buy, against a formal programme of record figure set for some years at 138 aircraft, Dunne says: “There are currently no changes to our plans,” while noting that the three test aircraft already acquired were all delivered below MoD cost estimates. Steve O’Bryan, Lockheed’s vice-president of F-35 programme
Lockheed Martin
Lightweight Cassius UAV enters the fray
UK test pilots took part in at-sea trials with the US Marine Corps
16 | Flight International | 17-23 September 2013
integration, notes that the type’s unit price has already dropped by 55% since the first example was completed. Asked whether the UK could consider a future split-buy strategy also involving the delivery of some conventional take-off and landing F-35As, Dunne referred to the MoD’s experience in dealing with an ill-fated decision to switch allegiance to the US Navy’s carrier variant F-35C. “We’ve had some pretty agonising discussions over variant choice in the past,” he says. “I have no intention of reopening that discussion.” The MoD in early September announced that its second operational unit to fly the F-35B will be the Fleet Air Arm’s 809 Naval Air Sqn. To be formed at Marham in Norfolk, this will follow the RAF’s 617 Sqn, which will begin flying the JSF in the UK from 2018, after halting operations with the Panavia Tornado GR4 next year. Lockheed says the UK’s 15% production stake in the F-35 programme now involves 500 companies, and is projected to sustain 24,000 jobs until 2039, when the company expects to build its last example of the stealthy type. “The F-35 will generate significant export value for the UK for years to come, and provide a tactical advantage for its armed forces,” says O’Bryan. ■ flightglobal.com
DSEi 2013
BAE pitches 146 as tactical tanker
show report
SHOW REPORT P19 UNMANNED SYSTEMS
Late Watchkeeper near service entry
The remotely piloted air system has been used extensively in Afghanistan
Ministry of Defence yet to decide on potential deployment to Afghanistan as British Army targets approval by end of year port. “Once we have got the release to service we can start to train our crews and our maintainers, then all options are open as to when to deploy.” The service currently operates leased Hermes 450s under an urgent operational requirement deal with Thales, and its combat troops are due to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014. “We have got a world-class system in Watchkeeper,” Musgrave told a pre-show UAS conference on 9 September. “We’ve gone through a painful genesis, but it’s flying very well.” French army personnel are involved in the project via a joint task force, he adds. The UK had spent £831 million ($1.3 billion) on the Watchkeeper programme by the end of the 2012-2013 financial year. This represents the bulk of a total allocation of £1 billion to cover equipment acquisition and an initial package of in-service support. ■
FLEET
RAF officials target stay of execution for Reaper A
Thales UK
he British Army expects its late-running Watchkeeper tactical unmanned air system to secure release-to-service approval before the end of 2013, but the Ministry of Defence has yet to decide whether to deploy the capability to Afghanistan. Selected in 2004, the Thales UK and Elbit Systems-developed Watchkeeper is derived from the latter’s Hermes 450 unmanned air vehicle, and carries synthetic aperture radar/ground moving target indication and electro-optical/infrared sensors. Original plans had called for the type to be fielded in Afghanistan from 2010, but this schedule slipped due to extended development work and a protracted certification process with the UK Military Aviation Authority. “We are hoping to get a release to service at the end of this year,” says Col John Musgrave, assistant director at the army’s capability directorate for combat sup-
Crown Copyright
T
The unmanned air system was initially due to be fielded from 2010
scheduled end to UK combat involvement in Afghanistan by the end of 2014 is unlikely to be accompanied by the retirement of its General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Reaper remotely piloted air systems (RPAS), according to a trio of senior Royal Air Force officers. “While the Ministry of Defence has yet to decide on the exact composition of our Reaper force beyond combat operations in Afghanistan, there is no doubt that persistent surveillance will be in demand as we transition to a more contingent footing,” says assistant chief of the air staff Air Vice-Marshal Edward Stringer. “It is hard – but not impossible – to imagine a future where these assets will not be a part of our force mix.” Noting that the RAF’s current armed RPAS “would certainly not last long if they were subjected to a significant air threat”, Stringer says: “There are extant
programmes out there, such as Scavenger, and one must assess whether Reaper can play into that requirement. Clearly, there’s a very good chance of it so doing.” AVM Stu Atha, air officer commanding the RAF’s 1 Group organisation, was more definite in his view, commenting: “We will have a Reaper capability beyond 2015.” In a separate presentaion, chief of the air staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Andrew Pulford said: “We have got to take UOR [urgent operational requirement] capabilities like Shadow and Reaper, and bring them into core [budget].” Stringer, meanwhile, declines to detail the RAF’s current level of commitment to integrating MBDA’s Brimstone air-to-surface missile with the platform. “We are not the only people looking at putting that capability on Reaper, and from an operations point of view it certainly makes sense.” ■
CONTRACT
Selex is flying high with Falco win in Middle East S
elex ES has signed a contract worth more than €40 million ($53 million) to supply an undisclosed Middle Eastern country with Falco unmanned air systems. Announced on 10 September, the deal also includes the provision of “operational and maintenance support” for a 12-month period, the company says. Sourc-
flightglobal.com
es suggest that the buyer could be Saudi Arabia, which has previously shown interest in the tactical design. “We welcome this new contract for our field-proven Falco UAS, that confirms the operational reliability and performance of the system,” says Selex chief executive Fabrizio Giulianini. The
company was also recently chosen to support UN peacekeeping operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo with the type. Meanwhile, Giulianini reveals that the company has secured Italian air force certification for its Crex micro and Asio ducted-fan mini UAS. The door is now open for mili-
tary sales in Italy and abroad, he says, adding that both systems will be in a strong position once regulators in North America and Europe establish flight standards to open civil airspace to unmanned aircraft. “We look forward to the rules of flying in unsegregated airspace,” he says. ■
17-23 September 2013 | Flight International | 17
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Thinking without limits
DSEi 2013
Global charter double deal helps VistaJet plug US gap
show report
Business aviation P20 MODIFICATIONS
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ockheed Martin is looking to make further enhancements to the autonomous capabilities of its unmanned Kaman K-Max helicopter, as it waits on possible procurement decisions from the US Marine Corps and US Army. Two K-Max have been used in support of USMC operations in Afghanistan since December 2011, lifting equipment and supplies to forward operating bases. Initially employed under a sixmonth evaluation, the service has twice been extended, and will continue until at least August 2014. “We are hoping that it will become a programme of record for the USMC, and the [US] army also is looking at the cost-effectiveness of this programme,” says George Barton, Lockheed’s vicepresident business development for ship and aviation systems. “Standing up a new programme will be difficult, but there’s a desire there.” Approval from either service would require the adapted commercial rotorcraft to re-enter production. Lockheed and Kaman estimate that it would take nine months to have machining removed from storage and a line re-established, with a first air-
BAE Systems Regional Aircraft
Unmanned K-Max set to get increased autonomy frame to be available just three months later. Barton says the K-Max has been used to lift loads weighing up to 2,040kg (4,500lb) in Afghanistan, with the bulk of missions flown at night. So-called “hot hook-ups” of equipment are now being performed with the type by using personnel on the ground, but Lockheed is investigating whether this activity could be completed automatically. “We’re building a device that will sit on top of the package so the aircraft can come in and hookup,” Barton says. Marines are already using an optical beacon in Afghanistan to call in a K-Max to within 1m (3.3ft) of a requested position, he notes. Long-term, Lockheed’s ambitions could also see the type gain the ability to be automatically rerouted in flight, and to be flown in formation with other aircraft. Meanwhile, Lockheed is awaiting a decision on whether one of its deployed aircraft will be returned to use, following a flight incident in early June. “It’s repairable, and we’re discussing with the USMC on whether to repair it or replace it,” Barton says. A third unmanned K-Max is already in full test in the USA, he adds. ■
A modified BAe 146 could offer air-to-air refuelling for Typhoons ADAPTATION
BAE pitches 146 as tactical tanker Company highlights suitability of configuration for potential air-to-air delivery of 18t of fuel at flight speeds up to 300kt
B
AE Systems Regional Aircraft has revealed plans to offer a tactical air-to-air refuelling derivative of the BAe 146/Avro RJ. The suggested adaptation would equip the type with single or twin fuselage-mounted hose drum units, in order to support drogueequipped receivers. BAE believes the aircraft would be capable of delivering fuel at flight speeds of 120300kt (220-560km/h), enabling it to work with utility helicopters, tiltrotors and combat types, such as the Eurofighter Typhoon. First work in support of the concept was performed in 2009, when BAE performed a proximity trial also involving a Royal Air Force Hawk T1 trainer. “It has the ideal configuration, with a high-wing and T-tail,” says Mark Taylor, business development engineer for BAE Systems Regional Aircraft. Up to 7t of fuel
could be transferred from the type’s standard load, with this to rise to around 18t if auxiliary tanks were added, the company says. “There is a place for a tactical air tanker,” claims Taylor. “It can be justified on training requirements and for the routine movement of aircraft: you don’t need a $100 million aircraft to do drycontact training.” Another possible future application for the type could be in performing maritime surveillance tasks, he suggests. The RAF in February 2013 took delivery of two modified BAe 146 C3 transports, with the ex-TNT Airways -200QC aircraft typically carrying up to 54 troops and around 3t of baggage. Both are now operational, with one recently having completed repairs in the UK after being damaged in a hailstorm that hit Afghanistan’s Kandahar airfield earlier this year. ■
modification
US Marine Corps
Redesigned firefighter flies for Conair
The rotorcraft provides logistics support for the US Marine Corps flightglobal.com
A new-look firefighting adaptation of the BAe 146 has been flown for the first time for Canada’s Conair Aviation, featuring an external conformal tank installed beneath its fuselage. Capable of carrying 3,000 USgal of water or retardant, the modified air tanker completed its milestone flight on 21 August, says Mark Taylor, business development engineer for BAE Systems Regional Aircraft. Aerodynamic testing and
handling checks are continuing, with drop pattern performance assessment work likely to commence “within the next month”. Four operators have so far signed up for a combined 12 firefighting examples of the BAe 146/Avro RJ, also including Air Spray Aviation Services, Minden Air and Tronos. However, Taylor believes this number will increase to “around 20 aircraft in a couple of years”. ■
17-23 September 2013 | Flight International | 19
BUSINESS AVIATION
in brief PREMIair rebrand UK helicopter services provider PremiAir Aviation International is planning to brand its Blackbushe airport facility as the West London Heliport. The move comes less than a year after PremiAir – located around 60km (37 miles) south of the UK capital – was acquired by businessman Graham Avery, who is now the company chairman. PremiAir is also planning to acquire its own twin-engined helicopters to “build up a managed fleet of helicopters it will both maintain and offer for third-party charter”, says Avery. Further details of Avery’s plans for PremiAir will be revealed later this month at the Helitech International helicopter show in London.
sino the times AgustaWestland has appointed China’s Sino-US Intercontinental Helicopter Investment as a nonexclusive distributor for its civil helicopter line in mainland China. Sino-US simultaneously converted its commitment for 15 helicopters – made at the Paris air show in June – into a firm order and added another five aircraft to its tally. The lineup includes the single-engined AW119Ke and the twin-engined GrandNew, AW169, AW139 and AW189 types.
SIKORSKY SALES
Keep up to date with all the latest business and general aviation news at flightglobal.com/bizav
Expansion Stephen Trimble New York
Global charter double deal helps VistaJet plug US gap Flohr teams up with Jet Aviation and Wheels Up to offer 12 Bombardier jets by block hour
V
istaJet has finally addressed the “missing link” in its global private jet charter company, launching an expansion into the US market with 12 Bombardier Global business jets that will be operated and managed by Jet Aviation and sold on a block hour basis by start-up company Wheels Up. The service – scheduled to begin in March – will establish VistaJet for the first time in the US market, following its worldwide services already reaching Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. “The missing link really was to come to the United States,” says Thomas Flohr, VistaJet founder and chairman. The US operation will leverage Jet Aviation’s existing air operator certificate and the sales expertise of Wheels Up founder Kenny Dichter. Before launching Wheels Up in August, Dichter invented the fractional jet card concept with Marquis Jet. The initial goal for VistaJet in the US market is for Dichter’s Wheels Up to sell 5,000 block hours on the 12 VistaJet-owned Bombardier Global aircraft operated by Jet Aviation to about 40 customers within the first year, Dichter says. By the third year, VistaJet hopes to begin expanding its US
fleet operated by Jet Aviation beyond the initial 12 aircraft, Flohr says. The long-term goal is have as many as 50 US-based jets serving US customers in five to 10 years, Dichter adds. VistaJet will require each customer to buy a minimum of 100 block hours each year, although Dichter says he expects that the average sale will be around 150 block hours.
“The missing link was really coming to the United States” Thomas Flohr Founder and chairman, VistaJet
The relationship with Jet Aviation, which manages around 200 private aircraft, including dozens of Bombardier jets, lends another advantage to the partnership. If VistaJet is unable to meet demand with only the 12 jets initially based in the USA, Jet Aviation can draw upon its own fleet to fill any gaps. “You have a built-in back-up with Jet [Aviation],” Dichter says. At the moment, the VistaJet teaming arrangement with Jet Avi-
ation and Wheels Up has no effect on VistaJet’s partnership with Flexjet. Since 2010, Flexjet has allowed travellers on VistaJet’s longrange Global jets to transfer on to its fleet of light and mid-sized cabin jets between destinations in the USA. That has not changed even after Bombardier agreed on 5 September to sell Flexjet to Directional Aviation Capital, a Cleveland-based private equity company owned by Kenn Ricci. The new partnership, however, finally establishes VistaJet in the US market. It had previously ceded to competitors such as NetJets in the market. Flohr had once told Flight International that Americans do not value VistaJet’s luxury services. However, he says he has since witnessed new trends emerging, with US corporations wanting more access to global destinations and less exposure to the risks of direct ownership of business jets. Dichter promises that the new VistaJet team will spark a new wave of demand in the guaranteed charter market by block hour within the USA by 2020. “If there’s 1,000 people in the game today,” Dichter says, “there will be 2,000 in seven years.” ■
VistaJet
Sikorsky has orders from three Chinese companies for its S-92 helicopters. Asia’s largest commercial fleet operator Zhuhai Helicopter has ordered a further four of the multi-mission type – bringing its Sikorsky fleet to nine S-92s and 12 medium twin-engined S-76s. CITIC Offshore Helicopter has bought two of the 19-seaters, while Yunnan Jincheng Group has snapped up its second S-92. Meanwhile, China’s Changhe Aircraft Industries has reached an agreement with Sikorsky’s parent company United Technologies to provide cabins for the S-76D.
VistaJet plans to expand into the USA with an initial fleet of 12 Bombardier Global business jets 20 | Flight International | 17-23 September 2013
flightglobal.com
BUSINESS AVIATION
Just how fine can we split a second technology P23
forecast kate sarsfield london
sales
China is thinking big on business jets – Embraer
Avanti sharing deal proposed
C
Piaggio
ConnectJets – Piaggio’s new Avanti II dealership for the UK and Ireland – is planning to set up a shared ownership programme for the twin- engined turboprop, following customer demand.
takeover MURDO MORRISON LONDON
DAE ends talks to sell its Standard Aero unit to BBA
Discussions called off with UK aviation services firm over disposal of US MRO business
B
BA Aviation has ended talks to acquire parts of Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE), understood to be the Gulf company’s US MRO arm, Standard Aero. The discussions, confirmed in late August, would have brought about a merger of Standard Aero with BBA’s aftermarket services business, which includes brands such as Dallas Airmotive and Premier Turbines. The DAE bought Standard Aero from Carlyle Group in 2007
as part of a strategy to create a global aerospace services group. However, the emirate’s 2010 financial crisis forced a retrenchment of DAE’s ambitions – an aviation college was among newly-established ventures that were shut and DAE’s airliner leasing division, DAE Capital, cancelled orders. DAE Capital and Standard Aero are now the group’s sole businesses. Standard Aero includes Associated Air Center in Dallas, which spe-
cialises in the completion of Airbus and Boeing corporate jets, and a number of business aircraft service facilities. The company also specialises in engine and auxiliary power unit overhauls and maintenance. Joe Spooner, an equities analyst with Jefferies International, says the merger would have created “significant synergy opportunities”, adding $1.6 billion of sales to BBA’s $2.2 billion revenue base. ■
expansion stephen trimble Washington DC
Flexjet ponders ultra-long range order
F
lexjet is considering placing a new order for an ultra-long range business jet fleet as part of its pending divestiture by Bombardier to a Cleveland-based private equity firm Directional Aviation Capital. The planned acquisition of a new fleet in the Bombardier Global 6000 and Gulfstream G550 class would come on top of the order announced on 5 September for 85 Bombardier jets worth $1.2 billion at list prices, with options for another 160 jets, says Flexjet president Deanna White. Directional Aviation Capital, the firm founded by Kenn Ricci that also includes Flight Options and Sentient Jet, plans to close
flightglobal.com
the acquisition of Flexjet by the end of the year. Meanwhile, Flexjet will continue developing its strategy to add international, long-haul service to its portfolio. White acknowledges that Flexjet’s new ownership means the company is no longer restricted to buying only Bombardier aircraft. At the same time, the $1.2 billion order announced on 5 September, which includes Challenger 605s and 350s and Learjet 75/85s, shows Flexjet’s 18-year relationship with Bombardier remains strong. The divestment also means Flexjet will operate alongside two other fractional and charter jet companies owned by Ricci’s
irectional Aviation Capital. D White says that Flexjet’s luxury service offering is expected to complement the “value-based” product offered by Flight Options and the charter service provided by Sentient Jet. As for Bombardier, the divestment is not likely to significantly alter its prospects in the fractional jet market, White says. The acquisition of FlexJet adds another major brand to Directional Aviation Capital’s portfolio of companies offering charter, fractional ownership, maintenance and aircraft management services. The firm’s companies already generate $1.1 billion in annual revenues. ■
hina will account for the sale of 805 executive jets over the next decade, with traditional topend business jets accounting for over 50% of the demand and 78% of the total shipment value, according to the latest forecast for the region from Brazilian airframer Embraer. China’s fleet of executive jets has experienced an average annual expansion of 27% between 2008 and 2012, says Embraer, fuelled by a 26% growth in the country’s wealthy elite during the same period. The nation is slowly building its aviation infrastructure to support the growing fleet and satisfy an appetite for executive aircraft from customers seeking point-topoint travel outside the scheduled limitations of airlines.
The airframer has clocked up orders for 38 jets from Chinese customers The number of fixed-base operations in China is expected to almost double over the forecast period from five to nine. Since 2004, when Embraer delivered its first business jet – a Legacy 600 – into the region, the airframer has clocked-up orders for 38 jets from Chinese customers, along with options for a further five aircraft. In anticipation of the growing demand, Embraer has established an assembly base for the super-midsize Legacy 600 and large cabin 650 in China with joint ventre partner AVIC. The first aircraft assembled by Harbin Embraer Aircraft Industry (HEAI) – a Legacy 650 – took to the skies on its maiden flight on 26 August. All the Rolls-Royce AE 3007/ A1P-powered Legacy 650s produced by HEAI are destined for the Chinese market. ■
17-23 September 2013 | Flight International | 21
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technology
Where duopoly can’t reach Business P24 timekeeping dan thisdell london
Just how fine can we split a second? Developing atomic clocks accurate to a few parts in a quintillion is not just an obsession of laboratory scientists
A
flightglobal.com
mospheric turbulence is a barrier to communication. As DARPA observes, the ytterbium clock’s accuracy exceeds the military’s ability to transfer time signals between devices, so DARPA is funding related research into improving laser technology.
NIST
nyone who has ever, say, missed a flight because their watch slowed down will appreciate the value of stable timekeeping, though given the likelihood of delays measured in minutes or hours one may question the need for precision to less than two parts in a quintillion – that is one followed by 18 zeroes – which is good enough to have measured the age of the known universe to within a second. However, that new standard for stability in an atomic clock could well open doors to practical applications like better navigation for unmanned aircraft. What scientists at the US National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Boulder, Colorado laboratories have achieved is about an order of magnitude, or 10 times, more accurate than the previous best performance by an atomic clock. The new clock – actually, a pair that can check each other’s stability – is also some hundred times more accurate than the NIST-F1 caesium fountain clock, which stands as the USA’s official time standard and is “only” accurate to a second in 100 million years. NIST-F1 measures time by the natural resonance frequency of the caesium atom, but NIST’s latest timepiece works on a different, inherently more stable, principle. In this new clock (pictured), about 10,000 atoms of the rare earth ytterbium are cooled to just 10 millionths of a degree above absolute zero and held in an optical lattice of pancake-shaped wells of laser light. Another laser “ticks” 518 trillion times per second to bump those atoms between two energy levels; the clock counts time by measuring the light frequency absorbed during those transitions. As one of the team at NIST Boulder, Andrew Ludlow, tells Flight International, there is a big difference between the performance of a big piece of laboratory machinery like NIST’s ytterbium
It’ll be a long wait for a wrist version clock (pictured) and a clock that has been miniaturised and ruggedised enough for deployment – for example in a GPS satellite. Indeed, the stability of the ytterbium clock is about 10,000 times better than the atomic clocks in today’s GPS satellites or, says Ludlow, about a million times better over periods of several hours than the best commercially available atomic clocks.
WAIT A SECOND For practical purposes, however, any clock acting as a time standard must be averaged for some period to achieve best results, and this is where the ytterbium clock really shines. NIST-F1 needs to be averaged for about 400,000 seconds – five days – but the new ytterbium clocks can achieve best performance in just a second. To appreciate the significance of this feature, bear in mind that keeping orbiting GPS clocks – and partnered ground-based clocks – synchronised is critical to satellite navigation. That is, think of accuracy in terms of stability over short periods of time. A pendulum clock runs fast after winding and slows as its spring runs out, but may be reasonably stable between windings. As the old saying goes, the man with one watch knows the time while the man with two is never sure. Functions like satellite navigation are only possible with atomic
clocks, which unlike their mechanical predecessors rely on intrinsic properties of atoms and are mostly immune to heat and vibration. However, they still need regular synchronisation. According to the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which helps fund NIST’s work, extreme stability at the ytterbium level could “vastly extend the time between clock updates and may obviate attempts by an adversary to spoof GPS signals”.
Given the likelihood of delays measured in minutes or hours, one may question the need for precision to less than two parts in a quintillion Ludlow sees increasingly accurate clocks as one of many related improvements that could improve navigation by enabling increasingly accurate measurements of position at increasingly frequent time intervals. Related problems include transmission of time signals between clocks and to devices or vehicles reliant on those signals. Ludlow notes that when extremely high precision is important, at-
WEIGHT OF TIME The ytterbium clock in his laboratory is a prototype, and Ludlow and his colleagues are want to make it smaller and lighter. As the problem of clock synchronisation suggests, the “most exciting applications”, he says, will come by getting clocks of this accuracy out into the field. That means eventually getting them into orbit. One application for super-accurate clocks is to measure variations in Earth’s gravity – which is possible because even atomic clocks are sensitive to gravity. Thus, says Ludlow, a clock as accurate to 10-18s like NIST’s ytterbium model will be difficult to operate on Earth. To go a step further to 10-19s accuracy will certainly demand going into orbit, and there is talk of flying a “master clock” that would oversee all timekeeping. Ludlow is encouraged by the determination to free timekeeping of gravity’s impact, and praises the European Space Agency and NASA for funding efforts, including those by NIST, to get optical lattice clocks into space. Meanwhile Ludlow is excited by the prospect that a “trickle down” effect will bring new levels of accuracy to terrestrial applications. Running a 10-18s clock on Earth may be impractical, but to go from the 10-14s accuracy over the course of a week currently available from commercially available atomic clocks to 10-15s would buy many improvements, and he reckons it might be possible to do that with a “compromise” optical clock. Starting from such extreme accuracy, he obverves, “you have a lot of wiggle room”. ■
17-23 September 2013 | Flight International | 23
business
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REGIONAL AIRCRAFT Rob morris london
Where duopoly can’t reach
Good week
Airbus and Boeing will keep grip on airliners, but competition abounds for short-haul fleets
food Nothing in the
Rex Features Rex Features
saa South African Airways reached a deal with 1,000 striking technical workers for a 6.5% pay rise, after their union had demanded 12%. However, South Africa’s political opposition was sceptical about a new turnaround strategy that, it said, lacked detail. Noting that this was the state-owned carrier’s ninth turnaround plan in 13 years, the Democratic Alliance party called for privatisation: “The plan does not instil confidence that the public carrier will be stabilised”.
Bad week
f anything characterises the world airliner market, it is the Airbus-Boeing duopoly. For all intents and purposes, these two are the only single-aisle players and have absolute control of the twin-aisle, long-haul market. That dominance has attracted competition, with Bombardier readying its CSeries single-aisle for maiden flight as China’s Comac and Russia’s Irkut are working on offerings. However, no alternatives lurk in the twin-aisle sector. In any case, Airbus and Boeing are set to deliver an estimated 87% by value of the nearly 33,000 commercial jet aircraft set for delivery through 2032, the latest Flightglobal Fleet Forecast from Flight International’s sister consultancy service, Ascend Advisory, shows. However, the dominance of the duopolists in larger aircraft – bigger than about 110 seats – should not overshadow what is arguably the most dynamic of commercial aircraft sectors. Regional aircraft – jets and turboprops – account for only around 7% of the total delivery value, but 19% by volume, or more than 6,700 aircraft through 2032. Moreover, this sector is being contested by multiple players and several new entrants.
FUEL POWER After a moribund two decades, in which low fuel prices lured operators to 50-seat regional jets, turboprop makers have recovered strongly in the past few years as fuel prices climbed. ATR and Bombardier have enjoyed strong sales for their ATR 72 and Dash 8 Q400 programmes on the back of competitive economics, particularly on sectors up to about 400nm (740km). Overall, 70-seat turboprops should account for almost 60% of the forecast 2,500 turboprop deliveries. Although ATR and Bombardier will remain key players, the Xian MA700 is expected to capture significant sales in its home market and other developing regions.
24 | Flight International | 17-23 September 2013
Embraer
I
former Soviet Union is as bad as it used to be, but many travellers would still rather go hungry than face a Russian airline in-flight meal. So, we toast Moscow’s move to amend federal aviation regulations to reclassify catering as an “additional service” rather than a requirement. The new rules, though, are not about culinary standards; rather, by letting airlines opt out of serving food, Moscow hopes to give low-cost carriers a leg up.
Catch us if you can There is potential for at least one more 70-seat turboprop programme to emerge; India, Indonesia or South Korea all have commercial aircraft manufacturing aspirations and can exploit the fact that barriers to entry, including development cost and design challenge, are significantly lower at the turboprop end of the market. However, demand will not likely support two or more new players. So, potentially, success by these aspirants could force out one or more of the incumbent manufacturers. More than 750 90-seat turboprop deliveries are forecast, beginning no earlier than 2019, with the bulk in Asia-Pacific. Both ATR and Bombardier have been evaluating higher capacity turboprops for some time, while Pratt & Whitney, General Electric, Rolls-Royce and Snecma are studying new engines. Ascend expects that a 90-seat turboprop will be launched by an existing player within the next year, and sees potential for a new market entrant in this sector. Korea Aerospace recently proposed a 90-seat turboprop as part of its strategic plan for 2010-19. While configuration and detailed design is still some way away, Western industrial participation could enable such an aircraft in the suggested timescale. If the new 90-seat turboprop retains the performance typical of
the current ATR family, it would be expected to replace existing large turboprops and potentially grow the short-haul (sub-400nm) route market typically served by such aircraft today. The regional jet market is no less dynamic. The duopoly enjoyed by Bombardier and Embraer today is already under threat, with Sukhoi’s Superjet now in service, and Comac and Mitsubishi developing rivals. Bombardier is expected to exit the regional jet market as its focus shifts towards the larger CSeries single-aisle airliner. Much of Bombardier’s market share is expected to be taken by Mitsubishi, which – despite delays to its MRJ regional jet programme – is still expected to deliver more than 900 aircraft once MRJ90 production is established in 2017 and the larger MRJ105 is launched. Comac’s ARJ is not expected to capture significant volume, with sales largely limited to the Chinese domestic market. Superjet should fare marginally better in export markets, but sales are predicted to total only around 380 aircraft over the whole programme. Embraer is expected to remain the dominant player. The second generation E-Jet E2 programme should build on the current market success enjoyed by the E-Jet family to deliver a combined 61% market share through to 2032. ■ Rob Morris is a senior aviation analyst at Ascend Advisory flightglobal.com
business Blade runners SPECIAL REPORT P26
business briefs
PEOPLE moves
Pysher: Launch assurance Kevin Hawley has joined Blackhawk Modifications in Waco, Texas, as principal engineer. The 900h private pilot has worked for Boeing as a senior engineer. Airbus Military finance veteran Fernando Lombo has moved within EADS to sister company American Eurocopter, where he is vice-president and chief financial officer. Former Energia Logistics US and BoeingSea Launch executive Kirk Pysher has joined International Launch Services as vicepresident mission assurance and product development. Pratt & Whitney chief operating officer Paul Adams will become
Quote of the week
flightglobal.com
SAFETY Bristow Helicopters has appointed Balfour Beatty as its main contractor to support the development of its 10-year search and rescue service contract with the UK Department for Transport. The contract – worth at least £40m ($63m) – will see Balfour Beatty delivering infrastructure projects at nine sites across the UK between 2014 and 2017, including the construction or refurbishment of SAR helicopter bases at eight commercial airports. A ninth SAR base to be developed for Bristow is an existing Maritime and Coastguard Agency facility at Lee-on-Solent; a tenth base will be an existing Bristow facility at Sumburgh.
Thales to debut new version of 3D map NAVIGATION Thales plans to deliver a new version of its moving map on aircraft in the fourth quarter of 2013. The Android-based 3DMaps application will be adapted to the company’s Avant IFE system, which includes passenger media units that respond to touch gestures to re-orient the 3D map and zoom in on destinations. The map includes an updated interface and simulated views of the cockpit and windows. Twelve airlines with a total of more than 400 aircraft will use the new application, says Thales. A previous version is available on six airlines flying nearly 200 aircraft in total.
Avianca plans US stock offering AIRLINES Latin American airline group Avianca is to list on the New York stock exchange. The carrier, now listed on the Colombian stock exchange, is believed to be planning to sell between $400 and $500 million worth of shares in a US offering. Avianca posted a second quarter operating profit of $35.3 million on revenue of $1.1 billion.
Lockheed Martin buys Transport IT specialist
Abella: Nexcelle president
“We want to be one of the top three players in the world in aerostructures” Strata chief executive Badr Al Olama states his ambitions for the Mubadala-owned, Abu Dhabi-based composites specialist, which launched only three years ago
BRISTOW PRESSES ON WITH UK SAR SERVICE
president on 1 January 2014 upon the retirement of David Hess. Adams joined parent United Technologies in 1999. Michel Abella, formerly director of programmes at Nexcelle, is now president of the GE-Safran joint venture, replacing Huntley Myrie, who now manages nacelle products across GE Aviation. University of Michigan faculty member and neurocognitive and sensorimotor research expert Dr Rachael Seidler has been appointed by the National Space Biomedical Research Institute to lead a research team studying brain and motor behaviour during long-duration space missions.
Nexcelle
International Launch Services
Blackhawk, Eurocopter, GE, ILS, NSBRI, Pratt & Whitney
SERVICES Lockheed Martin has acquired for an undisclosed sum Glasgow-headquartered Amor, a supplier of information technology solutions for the energy, transport and public services sectors. Lockheed says the deal “expands our capabilities and expertise in international information technology, civil government services and the energy market” and complements its work for the US Federal Aviation Administration and other global customers. Amor products include the Chroma Airport Suite, used at more than 75 airports worldwide to manage 3 million aircraft movements annually.
Parker joins AVIC to support C919 DEVELOPMENT Parker Aerospace and AVIC have signed agreements with the municipal governments of Nanjing and Xian to set up two facilities in China to support the fuel, inerting, hydraulic and flight control actuation systems of the country’s indigenous Comac C919 narrowbody programme. This follows an announcement in June that Parker and AVIC have sealed a deal to set up two joint-venture companies to support the development of systems for the C919.
washrooms still a flush business for diehl systems suppliers Diehl Aerosystems has marked 20 years of aircraft lavatory production in Hamburg. The toilet-making operation started in 1993 as DASSELL, a joint venture between Airbus and galley maker Sell. The business was bought in 2010 by family-run Diehl, and has since traded as Diehl Comfort Modules, supplying all models in Airbus serial production. Currently, 2,600 lavatories for approximately 650 aircraft are built and delivered each year, totalling more than 30,000 since 1993. Of Diehl’s 1,000 employees in Hamburg, 650 work on comfort systems.
17-23 September 2013 | Flight International | 25
HELICOPTERS special REPORT
blade runners
In the light of recent incidents, the challenges of operating air services in the uncompromising North Sea oil and gas sector will be a major talking point among delegates at next week’s Helitech in London. We examine the issues. Also in this package: progress towards creating an airborne police service in England and Wales, the search for crash-resistant rotorcraft and an update on civil programmes in development
(Left) No room for complacency when it comes to safety standards, but what lessons can be learnt? (Right) The UK’s first national airborne police service is taking flight 26 | Flight International | 17-23 September 2013
flightglobal.com
HELICOPTERS
Bond Off Shore Helicopters
special report
flightglobal.com
17-23 September 2013 | Flight International | 27
helicopters COVER STORY
TROUBLED WATERS
Calls for an independent review of UK North Sea helicopter operations have grown more strident, despite CAA claims that fatalities remain low
The Norwegian sector, which has a similar level of activity and comparable types in the fleet to UK, has suffered no fatal accidents since 1997 david learmount london
Eurocopter
D
iscussion prompted by the 23 August Eurocopter AS332L2 Super Puma fatal crash on approach to Sumburgh in the Shetland Isles, Scotland, has been generating a lot of energy, but authorities believe the debate – certainly to begin with – has produced more heat than light. North Sea oil support operations are conducted in a difficult, even dangerous operating environment where all parties take safety seriously. However, according to the UK Civil Aviation Authority, the fatal accident rates remain low in both the UK and Norwegian sectors despite recent accidents. Nevertheless, the Aberdeen-based UK industry body – the Helicopter Safety Steering Group (HSSG) – has called for an independent review of safety in the UK sector to report in about six months. Although it is still framing the terms of reference for the inquiry and considering who should chair it, the HSSG 28 | Flight International | 17-23 September 2013
promises that it will act on any recommendations produced. “Ignoring them is not an acceptable outcome for any of us, that’s just not how we do things around here,” says Les Linklater, team lead at Step Change in Safety, the organisation behind the HSSG. “If there are things we can do to make helicopter operations safer then we have to do them.” One of the things that will be considered is whether the two main North Sea workhorses – the Super Puma in all its guises and the Sikorsky S-92 – should continue to carry their potential maximum passenger load. One of the most consistent worries among the oil rig workforce voiced since the Sumburgh accident is how difficult it is for the people seated in the centre of the cabin to get out if a helicopter ditches and overturns. The change in atmosphere in the UK North Sea sector came after one particularly awful fatal accident in 2009, followed by two serious incidents and a grounding of the Eurocopter EC225 fleet last year.
When Sumburgh added another fatal event to the UK sector tally, the human reaction – understandably – was based on recent mishaps and simple numbers rather than longerterm accident rates. It was also based on perceptions of the safety of a specific helicopter type – the Super Puma series – rather than systemic rotary-wing safety issues. Meanwhile, the massive amount of social media activity among UK-based North Sea workers – generated by a worry that safety standards had taken a dive – was heightened by learning that the Norwegian sector, with a similar activity level and comparable types in the fleet, had suffered no fatal accidents since 1997. It also recorded far fewer serious incidents.
Building pressure The build-up to the current situation began with the catastrophic April 2009 accident involving an AS332L2 that crashed into the sea off Peterhead. When Sumburgh happened, the mere fact that it involved precisely the ❯❯ flightglobal.com
helicopters ❯❯ same variant of Super Puma made the industry jittery, even though it was clear from first reports of the crash that the circumstances were not the same. Peterhead was unsurvivable, whereas at Sumburgh, 14 out of 18 on board survived. At Peterhead, there had been a catastrophic failure of the main gearbox precipitated by an undetected fatigue failure of one of the planet gears in the secondary epicyclic module. The entire gearbox and main rotor head separated from the aircraft in cruise, and the fuselage plunged 2,000ft (610m) into the sea, killing all on board. After an event like that, nervousness is easy to understand. Then in 2012, there were two serious incidents. Both were precautionary ditchings of EC225 Super Pumas and gearbox-related. The reason for the crews’ decisions to ditch in both cases was a sudden main gearbox oil pressure failure. This is just what regular North Sea passengers in Super Pumas did not want to hear and the EC225 fleet was grounded. It had only been cleared to be flown again shortly before the Sumburgh crash, following the introduction of a number of interim safety measures prior to an eventual redesign of the affected component.
The industry’s Eurocopter EC225 fleet was grounded last year following several serious incidents its move. A week later, on 5 September, the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch released a statement of what had been learned about the Sumburgh accident from the data downloaded from the combined cockpit voice and flight data recorder. It said there was no evidence of any technical failure, and at the moment of impact, the engines were producing power and the aircraft was intact. The investigatory compass has begun to swing toward human factors this time. However, the HSSG – recognising the validity of the industry’s nervousness as part of its decision to allow the Super Pumas to return to service – also announced its proposal for an independent inquiry. Norway has had three periodic independent reports commissioned by the oil and gas companies, covering three periods between
CHC Helicopter
Human factors The nervousness persists today. After the Sumburgh AS332L2 crash, all Super Pumas in the Scottish sector were voluntarily grounded, including those EC225s that had been returned to service. The grounding decision felt as if it was based more on superstition than rationality, but no one argued at first. On 29 August, however, the grounding was lifted by the HSSG, and the following day, the UK Civil Aviation Authority publicly backed
Eurocopter
COVER STORY
Social media channels between offshore workers were abuzz following the Sumburgh accident 30 | Flight International | 17-23 September 2013
1960 and 2009, as well as estimating risk ahead to 2019. In 1997, Norway recognised the need for “a step change in safety” following the loss that year of a Eurocopter AS332L1 with all on board. The studies were carried out by Norwegian industrial safety consultant Sintef, and its report on the 1999-2009 period makes this comment about comparisons between helicopter operations the UK and Norway sectors of the North Sea: “It is striking that the UK sector had ten accidents while Norway only had one accident in the period 1999-2009.” However, Sintef continues: “The statistics show a significantly different development between the UK and Norwegian sectors from the previous period. The analysis has shown, however, that all accidents, in principle, also could have occurred in Norway.” The UK CAA explains the chance element by highlighting last year’s ditching events involving the EC225. At its heart was the failure of a key gearbox oil supply component, the bevel gear vertical shaft, which drives the lubrication system in the main gearbox. The fracture of this part was caused by a manufacturing defect rather than operational or maintenance lapses, says the CAA, and – theoretically – it could just as easily have happened to a Norway-registered EC225 as a UK aircraft. The Sintef study continues: “This indicates that our low accident rate in the period could be a random result; this is also supported by sensitivity analyses.” However, it adds: “The fact that the accidents could have occurred in the Norwegian sector does not necessarily mean that the probability of these accidents was just as great in Norway.” After the 1997 crash, Norway set up its “Committee for Helicopter Safety on the Norwegian Continental Shelf”, which – within two years – had drawn up a document called Norwegian Oil and Gas Guidelines. The ❯❯ flightglobal.com
helicopters
offshore transport Support helicopter accidents in UK and Norwegian coastal waters and the North Sea Date
Operator
Type
Location
Fatalities
23 Aug 2013
CHC Scotia
Eurocopter AS332L2
Sumburgh, Shetland
4
Eurocopter EC225
North Sea, 32nm SW of Sumburg
0
Eurocopter EC225
North Sea, 24nm E of Aberdeen
0
Eurocopter AS332L2
11nm NE of Peterhead, Scotland
16
Eurocopter EC225
North Sea near BP ETAP oil rig
0
Eurocopter AS365
Laman 27A rig, North Sea
0
Eurocopter AS365
North Morecambe rig, Irish Sea
7
Hit sea on final approach to Sumburgh runway 09
22 Oct 2012
CHC Scotia
Main gearbox oil pressure failed, safe precautionary ditching
10 May 2012
Bond Offshore Helicopters
Main gearbox oil pressure failed, safe precautionary ditching
1 Apr 2009
Bond Offshore Helicopters
Sudden catastrophic failure of the main gearbox caused the main rotor to separate from the helicopter
18 Feb 2009
Bond Offshore Helicopters
Helicopter flew into sea surface during its approach to the rig at night
9 March 2008
CHC Scotia
Fenestron struck deck crane while landing, causing serious damage
27 Dec 2006
CHC Scotia
Nose undercarriage leg “fractured” while taxiing for take-off from runway 18. Directional control was lost and the aircraft ran off the taxiway onto soft ground, where the left propeller hit a post
21 Nov 2006
Bristow Helicopters
Eurocopter AS332
North Sea 25km NW of Den Helder, Netherlands
0
Both engines developed problems and the cyclic control also began to show signs of failure, so the crew ditched safely
15 Sep 2004
Bristow Helicopters
Sikorsky S-61
Near Sullom Voe, Shetlands
0
While lowering a marine pilot on to a ship the main rotors struck a mast, and the crew flew the helicopter back to Scatsta
16 Jul 2002
Bristow Helicopters
Sikorsky S-76
North Sea 47km off Cromer, England
11
A main rotor blade – previously struck by lightning, but repaired and refitted – failed and separated, following which the entire main gearbox and rotor head separated. The UK CAA has since ruled that any blade struck by lightning in future should be discarded
15 Jul 2002
Bristow Helicopters
Sikorsky S-61
Poole Harbour, England
0
An engine fire warning led to an emergency landing. Subsequent analysis showed a flexible coupling in the main drive shaft had been operating eccentrically, causing damage to other equipment.
10 Nov 2001
CHC Scotia
Eurocopter AS332
West Navion drill ship
0
Strong winds blew over the helicopter, which was parked rotors turning, on the ship’s deck. The co-pilot was severely injured by flying debris. The aircraft was written off
26 Aug 1998
CHC Scotia
Sikorsky S-61
Final approach for Aberdeen runway 32
0
Examination after a difficult landing revealed that the helicopter’s tail rotor control cable had failed because it had been misrouted and was chafing
31 Oct 1997
CHC Helikopter Services
Eurocopter AS332
Sola airport, Stavanger, Norway
0
The helicopter was severely damaged in a heavy landing during a training flight. The handling pilot had lost visual reference in the flare when the helicopter entered a fog bank
8 Sep 1997
CHC Helikopter Services
Eurocopter AS332
North Sea 170km NW of Bronnoysund, Norway
12
The helicopter lost control with little or no warning due to the failure of both engines, precipitated by the collapse of the main drive shaft
24 Aug 1997
Bristow Helicopters
Sikorsky S-61
Stac Pollaidh, 20km NW of Ullapool, Scotland
0
The main rotor hit a cliff face during a search and rescue mission, and the crew elected to carry out an immediate landing on soft ground. The helicopter turned over on touch down
14 Oct 1996
Airlift AS
Eurocopter AS365
Near Forde, Norway
4
Spitzbergen, Norway
0
North Sea, 65km SW of Stavanger, Norway
0
The helicopter collided with powerlines while tracking the shoreline of a fjord on a clear night. It fell into the sea
18 Mar 1996
Airlift AS
Eurocopter AS332
During a daylight approach in a strong and gusting wind the pilot lost control, hit ice and turned over
18 Jan 1996
CHC Helikopter Service
Eurocopter AS332
The crew elected to ditch when the helicopter began to vibrate severely due to a rotor blade issue
19 Jan 1995
Bristow Helicopters
Eurocopter AS332
North Sea near East Brae rig, 120km off Aberdeen, Scotland 0
Lightning struck the tail rotor causing it to fail. The crew autorotated and ditched
8 May 1993
Lufttransport
Bell 212
North Sea off Tromso, Norway
0
Test flight following maintenance. The crew had difficulty controlling the helicopter soon after take-off and were forced to ditch
14 Mar 1992
Bristow Helicopters
Eurocopter AS332
Near Cormorant Alpha rig, North Sea
11
The crew lost control at night in snow showers while transferring workers from the platform to the Safe Supporter accommodation vessel – a distance of only 200m. Airspeed decayed on turning downwind in strong and gusting winds just after lift-off
10 Aug 1991
CHC Helikopter
Bell 212
Ekofisk Riser platform, North Sea
3
While hovering over the platform to deliver an external load, the main rotor struck the flare tip, and the helicopter crashed on the platform
25 Jul 1990
British International Helicopters
Sikorsky S-61
Brent Spar rig, North Sea
6
The helicopter’s tail rotor smashed into a railing. The crew lost directional control, the helicopter landed on the edge of the helideck and then toppled over, falling 30m into the sea
This is a reverse chronological list of the fatal and non-fatal accidents involving oil and gas support helicopter operations in the North Sea and the seas around the UK and Norway from 1990 to the present day, taken from Flightglobal’s Ascend Online database. Certain categories of non-fatal incidents – such as lightning strikes that left the helicopter flyable – have been intentionally omitted because they are random force majeure events. Ground handling incidents are also omitted. There was insufficient space to list all non-fatal events. flightglobal.com
17-23 September 2013 | Flight International | 31
helicopters COVER STORY
Operational differences Despite acknowledging the random nature of the crashes, the Sintef report adds: “On the other hand, you cannot ignore the fact that all of the UK accidents occurred there, in the UK sector and not the Norwegian sector. It cannot be ruled out that the observed difference between the Norwegian and UK sector is partly due to actual differences in how helicopter operations are conducted.” That is precisely what is making UK oil workers nervous. Harking back to the major safety efforts Norway launched in 1997, Sintef comments: “In Norway [it is relevant to] ask whether important steps towards increased safety have been made in recent years, while the progress in the UK has stagnated, perhaps even gone backwards. The question is difficult to answer, and will require thorough studies.” Data from Flightglobal’s Ascend Online database not surprisingly tallies with basic Sintef findings. Totalling all fatal accidents from 1990 to 2013 – and also non-fatal incidents that resulted in damage – but excluding minor ground incidents and lightning strikes that marked the helicopter without causing an accident, the data suggest that the UK suffered six fatal accidents and 13 non-fatal accidents or incidents resulting in damage. Norway, on the other hand, recorded three fatal accidents and six non-fatal incidents resulting in damage. The differences are more dramatic for the figures since 1997 when Norway reviewed its approach to safety. From January 1998 to today, the UK sector recorded three fatal accidents and 10 non-fatal, while Norway had no fatal accidents and two non-fatal (although Sintef says one non-fatal). Looking ahead 10 years, Sintef sees risk reducing significantly – by 23% compared with the previous decade – in the already-good Norwegian sector as new, more-advanced helicopters and their systems, alongside other advances come on stream. However, all the parameters it predicts will apply in its sector will also apply in the UK region. If the best that happens is that the UK sector starts to get some of Norway’s “luck” through the future report’s recommendations, plus the 23% risk reduction factor predicted by Sintef, things will be looking up. ■ Keep up to date with the continuing investigation into the Sumburgh incident: flightglobal.com
32 | Flight International | 17-23 September 2013
response
‘intensive week’ for troubled Eurocopter xpressed that it was caused e by a similar issue to last year’s May and October ditchings of the EC225. In addition to the fact that the AS332 had become something of a backstop in the absence of its big brother, there was the troubling possibility – however remote – that the months and months of work spent analysing the EC225’s drivetrain had overlooked something.
intense scrutiny
PA
❯❯ committee itself contains representatives of every stakeholder in the North Sea oil business, from the workers through the operators to the oil giants themselves. This is not unlike the constitution of the UK’s HSSG. The head of the Norwegian CAA’s helicopter safety section Geir Hamre says it made a big difference, and it is still very active, meeting at least three times a year.
Media attention has been focused on the manufacturer The 23 August fatal accident involving a Super Puma could not have come at a worse time for Eurocopter. Barely a month had elapsed since the European Aviation Safety Agency gave the green light to the manufacturer’s road map for returning its EC225s to service when the AS332L2 – an older member of the Super Puma line – went down off the Shetland Isles to the north of Scotland. Cue what Dominique Maudet, executive vice-president for global business and services at the Marseilleheadquartered airframer, describes as a “very intensive week” in Aberdeen. Acutely aware of the sensitivity around the topic, Eurocopter immediately despatched a senior team, including chief executive Guillaume Faury and chief technical officer Jean-Brice Dumont, to the Scottish oil industry centre. Early Eurocopter statements were also keen to stress that the company and its executives were “deeply
saddened” by the loss of four lives in the crash. More broadly, Maudet says its approach has been “to react in a professional way and see... how we can improve the confidence of the operators and their customers in the Super Puma”.
Reassurance Although it appears increasingly unlikely that a technical issue with the helicopter or its engines precipitated the accident, Eurocopter still faces a challenge to reassure nervous passengers of the safety of its aircraft. The company’s problem, of course, is its recent track record. The two gearbox- related ditchings last year that prompted a ban of overwater flights with the EC225, and the 2009 fatal involving another AS332L2, have rendered the company vulnerable to all sorts of allegations regarding aircraft safety, regardless of whether they are true or not. In the immediate aftermath of the accident, there were concerns
However, as Les Linklater, team lead at Step Change in Safety – the organisation behind the Helicopter Safety Steering Group – notes, those at the sharp end of the industry felt that the two issues were unlikely to be linked. He points out that nine months of work went into discovering the root cause of the EC225’s faults and coming up with a fix, and as such it is “the most scrutinised helicopter flying”. That scrutiny extends to the HSSG’s independent verification of Eurocopter’s studies on the type. “That work still stands,” he adds. Eurocopter, too, retained its confidence in the EC225. “We had been working for so long and with so many people it never entered our minds that we might have missed something,” says Maudet. The bigger challenge, however, remains to convince the workforce that its helicopters are safe, both in terms of airworthiness and that the internal configuration allows safe emergency egress. As such, it will participate in the HSSG’s planned inquiry into offshore transportation safety. “We will look at whatever modifications we can make in the short and medium term to better cope with passenger comfort, especially compared with other aircraft,” Maudet adds. ■
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helicopters training
david learmoUnt london
W
CAE
orldwide helicopter safety, despite all the efforts of the International Helicopter Safety Team since 2005, is not getting better. Any apparently promising twitches in the graph tend to be momentary or statistically insignificant. One of the factors in this failure to advance is the rotary-wing industry’s relative reluctance to use simulation for pilot training. Even many of the relatively well-resourced large operators use it less than their fixed-wing counterparts, but most pilots buying ab initio training and small operators carrying out recurrent training avoid it altogether. Yet, the European Aviation Safety Agency cites it as one of the most important “intervention strategies” to deal with the identified accident causal factors in helicopter operation both in Europe and further afield. In the Sintef study of offshore oil support helicopter safety in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea – commissioned by the participant oil and gas companies – the improving quality of full flight simulation (FFS) was cited as one of the significant factors in quantifiably reducing risk by improving pilot competency. Improved crew resource management (CRM) was also cited as a risk-reducing factor, and most of the CRM improvement is attributed to training in the simulator.
EASA lauds simulation as a more effective alternative for trainee helicopter pilots
TIME TO GET REAL
Despite EASA and others extolling the virtues of simulator training, many operators overlook the option – but before too long they may be compelled to sign up 34 | Flight International | 17-23 September 2013
International recognition In fact, EASA has just published a brochure extolling the virtues of helicopter simulation and clarifying the training credits available to users. Called “Advantages of Simulation in Helicopter Flight Training”, it sets out the basic premise of training credits and emphasises that they are internationally acceptable. The brochure explains: “The value of the training performed using FSTDs [flight simulation training device] is recognised within the EASA regulation [and more widely, internationally] by the ability to replace or complement actual flight training hours by instruction hours on flight training devices.” The agency also highlights the benefits that simulation can bring beyond what can be achieved in training on the aircraft. It cites the extended training scope compared with actual helicopters and the ability to attempt special manoeuvres. This is coupled with 24h availability, which is totally independent of weather conditions. It also cites cost effectiveness and a simulator’s environmental credentials. Costs, so often a key for all concerned, are potentially lower using a simulator, through a reduction in running costs and the fact that a helicopter could be more usefully deployed on revenue-generating flights. flightglobal.com
helicopters
Rex Features
training
Many students would rather add hours in an R22
‘innovators, imitators and idiots’ De Backer reckons that a real vision of the future is lacking in much of the helicopter operating community, since they see themselves as surviving from day to day. He says operators can broadly be categorised as one of “The Three Is – innovators, imitators and idiots”. Only the innovators embrace new ideas like extending the use of simulation for training, he says, and they are the smallest category. Notably all three Aberdeen-based operators see simulation as a key part of their training regimes. Steve Godfrey, head of crew training and recruitment at Bond Offshore Helicopters, says simulators are ideal for replaying errors captured via flight data monitoring as part of line
Rex Features
However, at the bottom end of the market, many small operators still dispute those points, arguing that they have always managed without simulators so “if it ain’t broke, why fix it?” Belgium-based simulation manufacturer AeroSimulators bemoans the immobilising conservatism in the industry, including at the basic training level. This is because, as AeroSimulators’ executive Piet de Backer explains: “You can’t log time in the simulator.” Students, he says, want to do everything in the helicopter itself. This means they cannot carry out scenario-based training involving highrisk system failures that are too dangerous to play out for real. However, it seems that individuals who are buying training also see themselves as simultaneously buying flying hours. Therefore, according to de Backer, if it takes 72h to get a licence – and 20h of those may be in a flight and navigation procedure trainer (FNPT) – many students would rather do those hours in a Robinson R22 light helicopter. This is because they count as airborne hours as well as training hours. Until the authorities make it clear that simulation training hours are valued in a pilot’s logbook, this attitude seems likely to prevail. In fact, de Backer says the entire
orientated flight training (LOFT). “It allows us to write a typical LOFT programme for what we want to focus on the following year,” says Godfrey. “If we see a ‘good’ weather day we’ll download it and save it to replay later.” Fellow Aberdeen operator Bristow Helicopters is the only one of the three to have its own simulators on site, allowing it to build greater flexibility in its training programme, says offshore flight operations manager Matt Rhodes. And the last of the trio at the Scottish site, CHC Helicopter, has partnered globally with Canadian company CAE for its simulator provision.
industry is in desperate need of a complete “mentality change”. EASA reflects this situation in its advice to trainers, suggesting that 5h of the 45h required in rotorcraft by an applicant for a private pilot licence (helicopter) licence can be obtained on a simulator. On the other hand, the agency makes it clear that a simulator is the best way of training pilots for instrument rating, particularly in the introductory stages. It points out that the high training credits available for instrument rules instruction time in FSTDs reflect this fact. Meanwhile, recent updates to EASA training regulation mean that on a consolidated helicopter air transport pilot licence ab initio course, up to 30% of the instructional training time can be performed in approved FNPTs, the most humble level of simulation device. Not only is this far more affordable than the traditional FFS that helicopter operators have shied away from on cost grounds, it can actually reduce training costs while improving quality, say both EASA and AeroSimulators.
Worldwide helicopter safety is not necessarily getting better flightglobal.com
reducing risks The future will definitely see more simulation use being mandated, as EASA warns in its brochure: “As new technology marches on, so does the need for the training requirement to keep pace with ever more complex flight displays and associated systems.” EASA also mandates a reversal to the old training hierarchy, which assumes the primacy of the aircraft over a FTSD, in the future. The aviation authority demands that if the trainer/operator wants to substitute a real helicopter for the simulator training, it has to be able to demonstrate that it can provide training in the helicopter that is as effective as the training in the simulator. This is particularly key for certain manoeuvres, such as loss of tail rotor effectiveness, where it is impossible to train realistically in an aircraft without an unacceptable level of risk. As Steve Fincken, manager worldwide training and quality assurance at CHC, notes: “Simulator training reduces the overall risk to the operation.” Moreover, training for emergencies in the real aircraft can be rendered ineffective because of the safety considerations that have to be applied, says EASA, thus taking away the element of surprise. In a simulator, on the other hand, an instructor can introduce realistic scenario-based emergencies without warning. De Backer says that simulation will become even more important as the supply of former military helicopter pilots diminishes and those in the industry with a military background retire. This is because civilian airborne training can never reproduce the variety of tasks that military pilots are exposed to. A secondary effect of this, he says, is that the experience is no longer there to be passed on from right-hand to left-hand seat. Meanwhile, helicopter operators which are using little or no simulation at present to support their operations will soon be compelled to use more of it. Given that compulsion, it would be wise for them to start researching their options. ■ David Learmount offers his take on the contentious issues surrounding rotorcraft safety: flightglobal.com/learmount
17-23 September 2013 | Flight International | 35
Helicopters training
dominic perry aberdeen
A
berdeen is the busy hub of the UK’s North Sea oil and gas industry. That much is clear within about 30s of landing at the airport when you become immediately aware of the enormous amount of rotorcraft traffic ferrying workers to and from the rigs. It is, as the late author Iain Banks says of the place, “very helicoptery”. Bond Offshore Helicopters, Bristow Helicopters and CHC Scotia make up the trinity of offshore operators working from the Scottish site. Governed partly by their relative size and corporate parentage, each has adopted a slightly different means of recruiting and training pilots. The largest of the trio is Bristow, part of Texas-headquartered Bristow Group, but with operations across the globe. Due to its scale, it has taken a more in-house approach to its recruitment and training needs. A key part of this is its own training operation, Bristow Academy, based in Titusville, Florida. Acquired in the early part of the last decade, the division provides ab initio training for selffunded would-be pilots.
deep pockets These fall into two categories, explains Matt Rhodes, the company’s offshore flight operations manager; those seeking a career change, and those who obtain private financing to bankroll the new training. Although that clearly can exclude those without deep pockets, as Rhodes notes, the financial commitment can indicate a certain strength of character. “Anyone willing to put that into a career has got to be worth looking at,” he says. Whereas Bristow previously had a training facility at Redhill in southern England dedicated to producing helicopter pilots for its North Sea operations, Titusville simply turns out qualified pilots, although relevant training can be provided for those seeking a career in offshore work. And the highest performing graduates are asked to stay on as instructors, Bristow looks to recruit them into the offshore business, first ensuring they are instrument rules qualified. In all, Academy recruits make up some 30% of the intake in Aberdeen, says Rhodes, with that figure varying between 50% in Norway and 25% in its Nigerian business. “The Academy is our first port of call for new pilots,” says Rhodes. The main advantage, of course, is that although the academy is a separate business from the offshore operations, the latter knows exactly the content of the courses, therefore any Titusville graduate has an automatic advantage over anyone who has been instructed elsewhere when applying for a post at Bristow. Courses do not come cheap, however, with Rhodes putting the total cost at around 36 | Flight International | 17-23 September 2013
rotor city skills up
With an expected surge in UK oil exploration starting to emerge, Aberdeen’s big three offshore operators are looking to their future pilot training provision £100,000 ($157,300) for the full course and accommodation. As such, Bristow may look in future to introduce a sponsorship scheme which would additionally cover their instrument rating. “We can contribute to their further development and build a strong foundation for the future,” says Rhodes. Bristow has had to be aggressive in its recruitment and training over the last 18 months, however, having seen the oil industry recover from a flat period at the turn of the decade. Rhodes says this was based on
c onversations it had with its customers, Bristow could see a spike in offshore activity looming and so “got the ball rolling” around 2011 in order to prepare. This surge in oil exploration – driven by both the high price of crude and technological advances that have enabled access to previously uneconomical reserves – has meant that the offshore workforce has hit record levels. And that could rise further as oil companies undertake previously postponed remedial work on rigs, expansion of existing fields and flightglobal.com
Helicopters
Simulator work has become an essential part of a trainee’s road to the flightdeck
CHC Helicopter
training
“We can contribute to their development and build a foundation for the future” Matt Rhodes Offshore flight operations manager, Bristow
new exploration. Bristow’s pool of Aberdeenbased pilots has seen similar expansion, rising from 70 to 150 over the last 18 months. Once recruited into the company, pilots undergo approximately two weeks of ground school to “get up to speed with the aircraft”, followed by a further two weeks of type conversion using simulators. A number of further modules such as emergency procedures, aircraft familiarisation, operational procedures come next, before non-revenue flights in one of the four aircraft types flown from Aberdeen. These are performed alongside a training captain in order to practise the basics of offshore operations such as helideck landings. Shortly after, the candidate should receive their type rating his or her commercial pilot’s licence and will be able to start line training on revenue flights. Great emphasis is placed on aircraft familiarisation before line training begins. “They need to feel confident with the flightglobal.com
aircraft they are flying so they can take anything the North Sea can throw at them,” says Rhodes. Equally, he stresses, it is important that trainees aren’t rushed. “Most people who have come through the Academy will have qualified for their licence on a two-seat piston single and moving from that to a much more complex aircraft with multiple engines can be a challenge,” he says. Simulator training is, for the most part, handled on site as Bristow is the only one of the three Aberdeen operators to posses its own flight-simulation training devices (FTSD). “It gives us more flexibility in our training programme,” notes Rhodes and also allows Bristow to work on new operating procedures mandated by customers in order to deliver best practice for both parties. Meanwhile, just up the road, CHC Scotia, part of Vancouver-based CHC Helicopters, has taken a different approach. In 2011, it partnered globally with fellow Canadian company CAE for the provision of all ground- and simulator-based training under a 15-year deal. However, CHC continues to conduct its own flight training. Although the transfer specific type training is yet to be completed, manager of worldwide training quality assurance Steve Fincken is pleased with the process so far. “It is very easy to outsource training. We have not taken that view, and CAE came in and was embedded in our training process. They deliver the people to our standards,” he said.
unprecedented expansion Although CHC previously owned a number of its own FTSDs, over time, it realised that it could not justify the continued investment required to maintain their standards. “They brought certain restrictions with them and for us as a company to get well and truly into the [simulator] business wasn’t appropriate.” “We needed to focus on our core activities and purchasing and operating simulators wasn’t one of them. By coming up with a partnership, we manage the costs and still come up with a good product at the end of it,” says Fincken. CHC, like Bristow, has been dealing with the “unprecedented” expansion of the offshore industry over the last 12 to 18 months. However, unlike the US firm, it does not have its own academy producing raw recruits to fall back on. In addition, it has seen the flow of ex-military pilots beginning to slow, describing the market as “a lot thinner than it used to be.” It is also where the partnership with the training provider has proved invaluable, says Fincken. “The benefit of having CAE as a partner is that we can share the load when the burden becomes as big as it has been.
“The demand we have faced over the last 12-18 months would not have been met had the partnership with CAE not been in place,” he says. It has also meant access to a global network of level-D simulators, which is a valuable resource for a globalised company like CHC which would lack the resources to create similar coverage, he adds.
sponsorship programme The last of the three Aberdeen operators is Bond Offshore Helicopters. Steve Godfrey, its head of crew training and recruitment, looks relaxed, despite the pressures of recent months. “When we started looking at the recruitment side at the end of last year, it seemed a bit worrying. But when all three [operators] started to recruit, there were plenty coming out of the woodwork – we were getting 20 CVs per week at one stage,” he says. Over nine years, the Aberdeen operation has swelled from four aircraft and 25 pilots, to 17 helicopters backed by 130 pilots “with more growth to come”. However, he is acutely aware that the pool of would-be aviators looking to pay their way through training cannot last forever. Having previously had an apprentice scheme – Godfrey is himself a product of that system – it may look to reintroduce a similar initiative or some sort of sponsorship for trainees to enable a more stable flow of recruits, he says. “And from a company point of view it’s nice to put something back into the industry through picking up additional people and sponsoring them,” he adds. The majority of pilot training is carried out in house, although Bond relies on external simulator providers, for example HeliSim and RotorSim – the Eurocopter and AgustaWestland offshoots – for FTSD provision. Customer requirements can introduce their own complications, of course. For instance one oil major insists that pilots perform three night take-offs and landings every 90 days. Bond begins working towards that target in August with non-revenue night flights followed by a block of simulator training in September with a follow-up session in January. The typical scenario a few years ago, he explains, was that pilots would be signed off for night competency and then not perform a single landing in darkness all summer. “It’s one of the most beneficial bits of training we do with the guys,” he says. Ultimately, Godfrey hopes that the helicopter training industry will develop a competency-based training package similar to that taking root in the fixedwing sector which is “three to four years ahead of us in terms of training,” he says. ■ Keep up with safety issues and read the latest analysis from the offshore rotorcraft industry: flightglobal.com/safety
17-23 September 2013 | Flight International | 37
Helicopters in development
hovering closer
Four of the big five rotorcraft manufacturers are working on new types, with super-medium designs leading the way amid a burgeoning market for larger airframes dominic perry london
N
ew civil helicopters are currently under development by four of the big five global manufacturers, with Sikorsky the only airframer not officially working on a new programme. Super-medium types dominate, with at least three of the eight in-development rotorcraft (four if you also count the lighter Kamov Ka-62) falling into this new category. It is arguably the segment getting the most interest from manufacturers as they eye the lucrative offshore transportation market. In fact, the AgustaWestland AW189, Bell 525 and Eurocopter EC175 will all launch with oil and gas operators. However, new models are under way right across the size range, from Bell’s Short Light Single (SLS) at one end to the huge Mil Mi-38 at the other. Of the big four Western airframers, AgustaWestland appears the busiest, working as it is on three all-new programmes. The first of these to hit the market will be the AW189, an 8t (17,600lb) type due for certification late this year. It will make its service debut with Bristow Group in a 16-passenger offshore transport configuration, with delivery to the operator scheduled for November. Bristow is a key client for AgustaWestland, with the manufacturer displaying a flight-test prototype of the AW189 painted in Bristow’s distinctive red, white and blue livery at June’s Paris air show. The operator, which has a total
of 17 on order, will also become the first to take a search and rescue variant of the AW189 on the back of its victory in the UK’s Long SAR contest. It confirmed the SAR order for 11 aircraft in July and AgustaWestland recently began certification trials for the variant from its Yeovil, UK site.
Firm commitments The airframer is additionally developing the AW169 as the third part of its three-helicopter family (the AW139 makes up the trio). The 4.5t medium twin is due for certification in 2014, and has been supported in its certification effort with a four-aircraft test fleet, the last of which was rolled out in early 2013. It is powered by a pair of 1,000 SHP-class Pratt & Whitney Canada PW210 engines and will feature a full-glass cockpit with a four-axis autopilot. Since its 2010 launch, the manufacturer has accumulated around 80 commitments for its new helicopter, with at least four companies – lessor LCI, Malaysia’s Weststar Aviation Services, Bond Offshore Helicopters and Shanghai Zenisun Investment Group – ordering the AW160 alongside both of its bigger brothers. Shortly before the 2013 Paris air show, AgustaWestland announced that the AW169 would be produced at two sites, Vergiate in Italy and at its US facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With both the AW189 and AW169 seemingly making steady progress towards certification, AgustaWestland’s third development
Developmental types Type
AW169 AW189 AW609 Bell 525 Bell SLS EC175 Ka-62 Mi-38
Maximum take-off weight
Planned certification
Engine
4,500kg 8,000kg 7,620kg* 8,750kg TBC 7,500kg 6,500kg 15,600kg
2014 2013 2017 2015** TBC 2014 2015 2015
Pratt & Whitney Canada PW210 GE CT7 Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 GE CT7 Turbomeca Arrius 2R Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 Turbomeca Ardiden 3G Kilimov TV7-117V or P&WC PT6
Source: Manufacturers *8,164kg in short take-off mode **Estimate
38 | Flight International | 17-23 September 2013
programme has potentially more difficult challenges to overcome. The AW609 tiltrotor faces both engineering and administrative challenges as civil regulators are forced to rewrite their certification standards to cope with an aircraft that operates with both fixed- and rotary-wing characteristics. A programme delay was announced shortly before the Paris air show, pushing first delivery back into 2017. The hiatus is largely due to the upgrades announced to the AW609 following Agusta Westland’s acquisition in November 2011 of the 50% of the programme previously owned by Bell Helicopter. And in August, the manufacturer flight tested a number of aerodynamic improvements to boost the performance of the AW609. It hopes the modified vertical tail fin, engine exhaust nozzles and changes to the prop-rotor spinner cones will together cut drag by around 10%, as well as delivering a flightglobal.com
Helicopters in development
Agusta Westland
Bell’s SLS will feature a Garmin G1000 integrated flightdeck
The AW609 faces certification challenges significant weight reduction, with a resulting performance increase. Meanwhile, at Bell, two projects are under way. The more advanced of these is its supermedium 525 Relentless. Although the last of the big three manufacturers to enter the supermedium segment, Bell believes that service entry of the 525 around two years behind its rivals will allow it to deliver a far more flightglobal.com
Bell Helicopter
will be officially named next year – is Bell’s attempt to re-enter a market that it pioneered with the 206 Jet Ranger but which is now dominated by its competitors. Bell says the SLS will feature a Garmin G1000 integrated flightdeck and is to be powered by the 370 SHP Turbomeca Arrius 2R. Details of the new type are so-far scarce, but pricing will be key as Bell looks to take on the Robinson R66. Early indications are that it will be pitched around the magic million dollar mark. For Eurocopter, getting its EC175 over the finish line appears the hardest part of the programme’s gestation. Over the course of the last year certification has been pushed back twice by 12 months in all as the manufacturer seeks to ensure maturity of the helicopter – notably its Helionix avionics system – and the maintenance, training and support functions that will underpin its service entry, now scheduled for early 2014. It aims to complete certification trials by the end of September, with paperwork being all that remains between it and EASA approval, it says. So far, the vast majority of the orders for the 7.5t helicopter have come from the oil and gas segment.
a dvanced product. Already the signs of progress are there. Based on favourable data generated from the design process Bell moved at Paris to up the performance specifications of its new helicopter a little over a year since launch. The Relentless now boasts a maximum gross weight of at least 8,750kg, up from 8,570kg, combined with the ability to carry six passengers for 500nm (925km), growing from the original 400nm. However, Bell is confident that the production version will exceed even these revised estimates. Production of the first test article began in the middle of 2013 with the maiden sortie of the GE CT7powered 525 scheduled for 2014. Bell has remained coy on the certification timetable, but indications from its parent company Textron are that it will take place sometime in 2015. Bell’s other development programme is at the smaller end of the range, with its Short Light Single. Unveiled at Paris, the SLS – it
Fertile sales environment Two Russian types round out the list. Kamov’s 6.5t Ka-62 is scheduled to perform its first flight by the end of the year with certification following in 2015. Featuring contributions from Western manufacturers, the Kamov is unusual for a Russian type. The first prototype of the helicopter was presented at the recent MAKS air show, with two further flight-test examples to be produced over the coming months. Latin America is already proving a fertile sales environment for the type, with Colombia’s Vertical de Aviación recently adding a commitment for five helicopters to an earlier order from Brazilian operator Atlas Táxi Aéreo for seven examples. Kamov aims to produce around 35 of the rotorcraft each year, but could expand this if there is sufficient interest. Elsewhere in Russia, Mil, the design bureau behind the world’s largest helicopter, the Mi-26, is building a slightly smaller model, the 15.6t Mi-38.Three flying prototypes have so far been completed, with a fourth under way. Powered by a pair of Klimov TV7-117V or Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127TS turboshafts, the Mi-38 will fit between the Mi-171 and Mi-26 in Russian Helicopters’ range. It will be able to seat up to 30 passengers in the 29.5m³ cabin and carry 7t of sling load. Cruise speed is listed as 285km/h and maximum take-off weight given as 15,600kg. The manufacturer hopes to begin serial production of the helicopter in 2015, it says. ■ Keep up to date with the latest news and analysis from the fast-moving rotorcraft market: flightglobal.com/helicopters
17-23 September 2013 | Flight International | 39
Helicopters SURVIVABILITY
making a big impact
With composite materials becoming more commonplace in aircraft manufacturing, NASA is setting out to test survivability – by ‘crashing’ a Chinook dan thisdell london
N
Rex Features
ASA’s Langley Research Center last month hosted one of the rarest of aviation experiments – the crash test of a full-scale aircraft. The machine in question – an old US Marine Corps Boeing CH-46E Chinook helicopter fuselage – was an example of well-established design and construction technology, but NASA is not trying to improve the crashworthiness of such in-service types. Rather, the agency hopes its destruction of a retired Chinook will point the way to a new set of design guidelines and computer modelling techniques. These will ensure a next generation of more- or even fully-composite helicopters can at least match their metallic predecessors for impact survivability.
As lead test engineer Martin Annett explains, when it comes to crash performance the trade-offs between metallic structures and carbonfibre alternatives are not well understood. Low weight and increased stiffness are desirable properties of carbonfibre, he says, but come at the expense of the ductility of aluminium, which absorbs energy by deforming on impact. Designs in carbonfibre may thus require new thinking about shape, and need to evaluate construction options such as metal-carbon sandwich materials, or weaving other fibres into carbon fabrics. NASA’s August Chinook crash test was carried out in large part to establish a benchmark for the performance of a metallic helicopter fuselage. It will be followed by a second test next summer, featuring another CH-46E airframe, equipped with a
The dummies used in the experiment were wired with sensors, including head-mounted cameras 40 | Flight International | 17-23 September 2013
yet-to-be-determined range of composite retrofits. The pair of tests will, Annett hopes, allow NASA to create computer modelling techniques for composite materials that will give engineers the same level of confidence they have today in predicting the real world performance of metallic structures. Whether it will prove possible to maintain existing levels of crashworthiness in a composite airframe remains to be seen, he adds – at least within the limits of cost-effective manufacturing. Data from this test series should also help NASA work out how future testing of composite structures should be carried out, beyond computer modelling. When, for example, will it be adequate to test a small section of an airframe with a relatively small impact, and when will it be necessary to test large sections to destruction? In composite engineering, says Annett, such questions remain unknowns, as it is not possible to merely extrapolate from existing models. The behaviour of composites, he stresses, is “not similar” to metallics. The other partners in the testing – the US Army, Navy and Federal Aviation Administration – are looking to take their own lessons from the analysis, says Annett. The FAA, for example, is interested in certification issues. Military standards for rotorcraft crash design have already advanced far beyond those for civil aircraft, owing the to improved standards for seats, landing gear energy absorption and fuselage structure demanded for the Boeing AH-64 Apache and Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk programmes.
FULLY EQUIPPED In its Langley test – which Annett describes as an attempt to recreate a “severe but survivable” impact, by hoisting the Chinook fuselage about 9m up on cables and swinging it into the ground like a pendulum – NASA missed no opportunity to capture useful data. As the fuselage struck the ground the impact was filmed by multiple high-speed cameras at 500 frames per second, its distinctive black-spotted paint job providing a reference for analysis of its structural performance. Inside, the fuselage was loaded with 13 instrumented crash-test dummies and two uninstrumented mannequins. Seven more high-speed cameras captured the action, as did 11 head-mounted video cameras of a type widely used by mountain bikers and other extreme sports enthusiasts – “cheap and rugged”, says Annett. New seat designs were also tested. Some of the dummies rode on normal Chinook cloth jump seats with a lap belt, but others – including the “pilot” and “co-pilot”, but also some of the “passengers” – had Apache-style “stroking” seats, which deform on impact to absorb energy. NASA wanted to get some idea of how flightglobal.com
Helicopters
NASA Langley
SURVIVABILITY
A distinctive black-spotted colour scheme offered a reference for structural performance analysis these could protect passengers. Belts were also being tested. Some of the dummies wore ordinary inertia reel shoulder belts, which lock on impact but still “give” a little, while others were wearing pyrotechnic belts which tighten on impact to better protect the spine, as used in the automotive industry.
Early indications are that the dummies in energy absorbing seats fared much better than their counterparts on ordinary seats, which Annett says is, of course, obvious and hardly surprising. But what makes this test special is the vast amount of data gathered, particularly from the high-speed cameras. In addition to
all that image data, inside and outside the fuselage, each dummy was wired up to output between 10 and 30 data channels. All of the data – over 15s – was synchronised to less than a tenth of a millisecond. And, in what Annett describes as a real coup for the test engineers, they actually recorded almost all of the data they set out to get. Very little – maybe 5-10% – was lost to the mayhem of the crash. The result is “hundreds of thousands of data points” that will take months to analyse. Meanwhile, Annett and his NASA colleagues have a very busy year ahead to prepare for next summer’s test, for example in designing sub-floor concepts to trial. And, he adds, the first test was followed by a wave of new interest from the army, navy and FAA in getting equipment on to the Chinook airframe that will be smashed in 2014. Nobody wants to be on a helicopter that crashes, of course, but after the success of this particular example of destruction testing, with any luck the experience will make future reallife accidents at least a bit more survivable. ■ David Learmount dives into the issues surrounding aerospace safety, and offers his succinct views: flightglobal.com/learmount
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Met Police
Almost one year from its creation, the National Police Air Service of England and Wales is set for expansion, as further airborne support units team up with the nationwide initiative
NPAS is designed to deliver 24h a day coverage to 98% of the population of England and Wales within 20min kate sarsfield london
P
olice air support in England and Wales has undergone a major reorganisation over the past year as part of a government-led strategy to transform the long-established public service from a locally coordinated operation into a centrally controlled, national-owned resource. Since the service – dubbed National Police Air Service (NPAS) – was rolled out in October 2012, 19 helicopters – four MD Helicopters MD902 Explorers, one Eurocopter EC145 and 12 EC135s – and forces in the southeast, southwest, northeast and northwest have merged into a nationwide entity. NPAS will be expanded further on 2 October and in early January 2014 when four EC135s oper42 | Flight International | 17-23 September 2013
ated by forces in central England and the three EC145s operated by London’s Metropolitan Police join the service. Wiltshire will be the last force to join NPAS in January 2015. The force jointly leases and operates an Explorer with the county’s air ambulance service. The twin will not become part of the NPAS fleet.
reduced fleet “The implementation has gone remarkably smoothly so far,” says Richard Watson, NPAS ground operations director, although he acknowledges there were understandable concerns from local forces and communities in the early days of the transition. Not surprising perhaps, as the NPAS model will lead to a reduction in the helicopter fleet and
“Longer term, savings are expected to be achievable through improved operational and organisational efficiencies” Richard Watson NPAS ground operations director
strategic bases by around a quarter. Watson is keen to point out that the fall in helicopter numbers – from 31 to 25 plus three reserve aircraft – and operational bases from 29 to 23 will not have a detrimental effect on the standard of the service. On the contrary. NPAS is designed, he exflightglobal.com
helicopters law enforcement
economically sustainable The review recommended the creation of a national, borderless service that would be centrally funded and economically sustainable. West Yorkshire Police in the north of England has been appointed the NPAS lead force, responsible for coordinating, monitoring and controlling the dispatch of aircraft from its operations centre in Bradford. Once dispatched, the aircraft then fall under the command and control of the local force, allowing local management of the incident in a similar manner as before. NPAS is owned nationally, organised regionally and delivered locally with the nearest aircraft attending to the incident. This borderless approach, ACPO says, is designed to reduce transit time from the base to the incident resulting in greater time on task for the aircraft and an overall reduction in flying hours. The NPAS model also leads to savings for forces in terms of revenue and capital costs, Watson argues. The individual forces purchase a tranche of flying hours in advance – the total is based on typical annual utilisation. “Of course, this can vary year on year. It’s not an ideal financing model and we plan flightglobal.com
NATIONAL POLICE AIR SERVICE ROLL-OUT SEQUENCE Southeast* October 2012 Wattisham/honington, Suffolk Boreham Airport, Essex Redhill, Surrey Benson, Oxfordshire Northwest Janaury 2013 Rhuddlan, Denbighshire Hawarden, Cheshire Barton Moss, Greater Manchester Warton, Lancashire Northeast April 2013 Wakefield, West Yorkshire Sheffield, South Yorkshire Humberside Airport, Humberside Newcastle Airport, Tyne And Wear Durham Tees Valley Airport, County Durham Southwest July 2013 Bournemouth Airport, Dorset Exeter Airport, Devon Filton, South Gloucestershire Pembrey, Dyfed-powys St Athan, Glamorgan Central October 2013 Wolverhampton, West Midlands Birmingham Airport, West Midlands Husbands Bosworth, Leicestershire Ripley, Derbyshire
Base location
Metropolitan Police Service will provide assistance to NPAS from October 2012 ** Delayed because of ongoing contract SOURCE: Association of Chief Police Officers *
London January 2014 Lippitts Hill, Essex Wiltshire** January 2015
Ian Chartler
plains, to deliver police air support 24h a day to 98% of the population of England and Wales within 20min. “The service is efficient, resilient and thorough. All the forces are signed up,” Watson adds. “We should be fully operational in January 2014.” Watson has been involved in NPAS from the start. He says a “root and branch review” of police air support in England and Wales was mooted in 2009 by the Association of Chief Police Officers, following a review of the countries’ air support function. “For years, air support was funded and controlled independently by individual forces or small groups working together to purchase aircraft and provide crew and maintenance. The previous structure was inefficient and highly fragmented,” Watson says. “These forces were not benefiting from economies of scale.” Similarly, he argues, maximum use was not being made of the aircraft as they were routinely restricted to operations within a particular force or consortium area. And also under the old system, there would often be no air support provided if the aircraft was undergoing maintenance. “This wouldn’t happen under NPAS,” he argues. “There are three fully fitted reserve helicopters available as replacements, thereby ensuring a continuation of service.” “Air support is a hugely expensive operation to fund,” Watson continues. “And many forces simply couldn’t afford it. I believe we would have lost five bases by now [under the old system].”
WIltshire will be the last force to join to adjust it,” he concedes. Overall, NPAS is expected to cut the cost of running police air support in England and Wales from £63 million ($98.9 million) a year to £48 million, once the service is fully implemented. “We also expect the NPAS fleet to perform around 28,000h a year once all the aircraft are on board,” says Watson. The age of the NPAS fleet varies considerably with around 12 helicopters aged about 10 years and seven aircraft about three years old. “We would look at replacing the aircraft when [it] reaches about 15 years, but that is not fixed. It depends on the condition of the
aircraft,” Watson says. NPAS is also seeking to refurbish helicopters to extend their longevity. The service recently issued a tender to upgrade the mission equipment on seven EC135s including the light twins’ cameras, recorders, avionics and mapping systems. NPAS is also planning to conduct a sixmonth appraisal of a fixed-wing, twin-engined type in early November. “We are now evaluating a number of models and hope to make a decision in October,” he says. “We are looking for a type with long endurance, low operating costs that we can use at major public events. It also has to work well with the rest of the fleet,” says Watson. NPAS has gone “very much to plan” and has exceeded expectations, says Watson. “We will continue to explore ways to make the service even more cost efficient.” “Longer term, savings are expected to be achievable through improved operational and organisational efficiencies,” he says. “And by reducing maintenance and training costs.” ■ Learn more about our rotorcraft data service and track down the information you need: flightglobal.com/helicas
17-23 September 2013 | Flight International | 43
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STRAIGHT&LEVEL From yuckspeak to tales of yore, send your offcuts to murdo.morrison@flightglobal.com
Bond whirl Farewell to Wg Cdr Kenneth Wallis, inventor of the gyrocopters used in the James Bond movie You Only Live
Wallis and gyro: inspiration for Q? flightglobal.com
Madame nosedive
During a short flight at Rochebernard, Madame Richer got a nasty spill. In trying to avoid some trees she had to make a rough landing, her machine striking earth, nose on. Although Madame Richer was not seriously injured, she is far from convalescent.
One careful owner “Me? I’m just floating between jobs at the moment.”
Twice and believed to have been the inspiration for Ian Fleming’s inventive boffin Q. Wallis, 96, enjoyed a distinguished Royal Air Force and engineering career, flying Vickers Wellington bombers in the Second World War before spending 20 years as a scientist in weapon research. His work with lightweight rotary-winged aircraft spanned five decades and he held 34 world records, including the 3km speed record for autogyros in 2001, which he set at 207.7km/h (112kt). When he received liftetime achievement awards from the Royal Aero Club and Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators in 2012 he was still flying in his 75th year as a pilot.
XXX-rated The Indian air force’s newly inducted C-17s are being flown by the service’s 81 Sqn, or Skylords. As our picture (right) shows, they’ve craftily worked the logo from the action movie xXx into this badge (in full it’s the Latin LXXXI). Let’s hope Vin Diesel, star of the 2002 blockbuster, doesn’t take offence! There is also a Yuckspeak: the “Stractical” on the badge refers to a ghastly combination of strategic and tactical. Urgh.
Rex Features
You know what it’s like: that tedious commute to your workplace, spending rather too much time with your colleagues, humdrum tasks, same old view out of the window. Most of us have experienced a certain ennui with the day job at some point. But it must have come to some surprise to his employers – the Russian Federal Space Agency – when cosmonaut Yury Lonchakov quit before he was due to fly to the International Space Station, apparently telling his managers he had “found a more interesting job”. Lonchakov, who has made three trips into space, was due to command Expedition 44 in May 2015. His new job is not named. Perhaps his employers would not have been that astonished. Once, every Soviet kid dreamed of following Yuri Gagarin’s trail. Today, going into orbit holds little allure for young Russians, according to state news agency RIA Novosti. A poll found only 5% wanted to grow up to be a cosmonaut – more aspired to being a truck driver or teacher. And Russia’s first cosmonaut recruitment drive last year attracted just 300 applicants, compared with 6,000 for NASA in 2011.
Rex Features
Cosmo-naut very interesting
Lihou, a small island off Guernsey, is for sale. This fact is announced by a large sign with five-foot letters painted in whitewash in its only field. It is designed to attract attention of passengers on the JerseyExeter route, on which the island lies.
Eagle’s Enterprise
Sir David: firm fan of Concorde
Flying for Frost The death of veteran interviewer Sir David Frost prompted perhaps the week’s most optimistic press release, from Save Concorde Group. “As we reflect upon one of Britain’s greatest broadcasting legends, and the sadness at his passing,” said SCG, “we also feel that it is a greater shame that Sir David will not be here to soak up the enjoyment when Concorde finally does fly again, which we now hope will be able to fly in tribute to one of its eternally loyal supporters.”
Mr Harold Bamberg, chairman of British Eagle, has decided to give names to his Britannias. The first aircraft, re-painted, overhauled and refurnished by BOAC, is named “Enterprise.” Other names – all at one time given to the company’s Yorks – include “Endeavour,” “Good Fortune” and “Resolution”.
Hubble on hold
Shuttle deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope has been delayed again, as a result of Nasa’s remanifest of Shuttle missions. Reassessment of the rate at which Shuttle flights can be resumed through 1988-89 have caused both Hubble and the Astro 1 space-lab mission to be pushed into 1990.
100-year archive Every issue of Flight from 1909 onwards can be viewed online at flightglobal.com/archive
No ’arm in a bit of plagiarism 17-23 September 2013 | Flight International | 45
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Exploring ways to harmonise safety strategy globally Attend this unique, safety-focused event to: Discuss and share definitions of safety to ensure a global standard is met Find ways to overcome human factors affecting safety, including fatigue management strategies Learn how to incorporate regulatory changes and implement SMS into day-to-day operations Clarify the impact of SESAR and NextGen on ATC safety Explore what technology is available to help improve safety standards Understand how the role of ATCOs is constantly changing Examine ways to encourage Mandatory Occurrence Reporting (MOR) Meet and network with your industry peers
Hear industry insights from leading experts including: Senior representative SESAR JU
Martin Cox Human Factors Specialist, NATS
Andy West Head of Safety and Quality, CYRRUS
Senior representative IFATCA
Sinéad McCloskey Head of Safety and Compliance SERCO DANS
Captain Peter Beer OX Safety Services Officer / Advisor TYROLEAN AIRWAYS
Richard J Taylor ATS Investigator, CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY (CAA)
Alfred Vlasek Head of Safety and Occurrence Investigation AUSTRO CONTROL
Peter Dumont President & CEO AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL ASSOCIATION (ATCA)
Peter Curran Assistant Director, Infrastructure S&FO Europe, INTERNATIONAL AIR TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION (IATA)
Tony Licu Head of Safety Unit, Network Manager Directorate EUROCONTROL
QUOTE PROMO CODE:
Visit www.flightglobalevents.com/safetyATC2013 to register today
FI170913
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Helitech International London, UK helitechevents.com
25-26 September
RAeroSoc International Flight Crew Training Conference London, UK conference@aerosociety.com
10-11 October
European Business Aviation Association Regional Forum Istanbul, Turkey ebaa.org/en
22-24 October
NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition Las Vegas, Nevada nbaa.org
29 October to 3 November Seoul Air Show Seoul, South Korea seoulairshow.com
6-8 November
SpeedNews 18th Regional & Business Aviation Industry Suppliers Conference Scottsdale, Arizona speednews.com
16 November
Historic Aircraft Association Symposium Hendon, London, UK haa-uk.aero
17-21 November Dubai Airshow Dubai World Central dubaiairshow.aero
19-20 November
Safety in Aviation – North America Montreal, Canada www.flightglobalevents.com/ safetyna2013
16-18 January Flightglobal Pro is a paid-for news and data service for professionals who need to find new opportunities or track competition within the air transport industry. The service puts a wealth of global intelligence at your fingertips, covering everything from airline fleets, routes and traffic, through to aircraft finance, industry regulation and more. www.flightglobal.com/pro
Bahrain International Air Show Bahrain bahraininternationalairshow.com
11-16 February Singapore Airshow Changi, Singapore singaporeairshow.com
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FIDAE Santiago, Chile fidae.cl
15-17 April
Asian Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (ABACE) Shanghai, China abace.aero
20-22 May
European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) Geneva, Switzerland ebace.aero
20-25 May ILA Berlin, Germany ila-berlin.com
14-20 July
Farnborough air show Farnborough, UK farnborough.com
For a full list of events see flightglobal.com/events
17-23 September 2013 | Flight International | 47
CLASSIFIED
TEL +44 (0) 20 8652 4897 FAX +44 (0) 20 8652 3779 EMAIL classified.services@rbi.co.uk
CLASSIFIED TEL +44 (0) 20 8652 4897 FAX +44 (0) 20 8652 3779 EMAIL classified.services@rbi.co.uk N
Calls may be monitored for training purposes
New and used aircraft
The Regional Aircraft Marketing Specialist Tel. + 44 1753 832088
juliet@skyworld.co.uk
For sale BAE Jetstream 32 • Fully EASA compliant • Good maintenance status • Equipped with lavatory • Equipped with baggage pod • Configured with 19 seats
For sale or lease EASA compliant Fokker 50’s Package of ‘ready to go’ aircraft and a break up candidate, available immediately. For further details on either aircraft please contact krijn@skyworld.co.uk or juliet@skyworld.co.uk
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See the Gulfstream G280 at BGAD Cambridge Airport, September 17th
Independent Authorised Sales Representative for the United Kingdom
Telephone +44 (0) 1258 818181 tim@timleacockaircraft.com timleacockaircraft.com 48 | Flight International | 17-23 September 2013
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CLASSIFIED
Courses and tuition
New and used aircraft
FOR SALE The following facilities and assets, located at the Sunshine Coast Airport, QLD Australia, are for sale:
For further information and price details, contact: Capt Paul Ho General Manager Email: paul.ho@sfcpl.com
MPA TRE/SFE Standardisation Course This CAAi course prepares delegates who already hold TRI or SFI qualifications to understand and develop the skills required to be a Type Rating Examiner (TRE) or Synthetic Flight Examiner (SFE). Provided by the competent authority this course combines classroom discussion, presentations, briefing and debriefing skills, together with 14 hours of practical exercises in a Full Flight Simulator. By the end of this 5-day course the 2 delegates will be equipped to: • Demonstrate a comprehensive awareness of the relevant legislation • Show an ability to competently brief, manage, assess and debrief an examined simulator detail 25 – 29 November 2013 27 – 31 January 2014 Burgess Hill, West Sussex, UK To book now or for more information, please visit www.caainternational.com or contact us on T +44 (0) 1293 768700 or E training@caainternational.com A wholly owned subsidiary of the UK CAA
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1. Building with two simulator halls and adjoining administrative offices with direct airside access. 2. Four Cessna Mustang C-510 aircraft. Manufactured in 2010 (between 550 - 640 hrs). 3. Two Level D, Cessna Mustang C-510 Full Flight Simulators, manufactured in 2010 by FSI. 4. One fixed-base Cessna Mustang C-510 Flight Training Device, manufactured in 2010 by FSI.
17-23 September 2013 | Flight International | 49
CLASSIFIED
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Hangarage Business services
Consultancy 88 e 19 nc ed rie ish pe bl Ex ta l Es oba Gl
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atlanticbridgeaviation.com s Airline start-ups and development s Feasibility studies, business plans s Aircraft acquisition & management s Airport development & masterplan s Regulatory compliance & manuals s Worldwide aircraft delivery all types Tel +44(1)1797 322 655 email: enquiries@atlanticbridgeaviation.com
50 | Flight International | 17-23 September 2013
Equipment, Maintenance & Service
HANGARAGE AND OFFICES AVAILABLE IN LONDON TODAY For long and short term competitively priced office space and hangarage contact: Katy Woolcott +44(0)1959 578500 estates@bigginhillairport.com www.bigginhillairport.com
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Emerging Markets special publication
17-23 September 2013 | Flight International | 51
RECRUITMENT
HUNDREDS OF JOBS @ flightglobal.com/jobs
Getting careers off the ground
flightglobal.com/jobs
EMAIL recruitment.services@rbi.co.uk CALL +44 (20) 8652 4900 FAX +44 (20) 8652 4877
A proposed dynamic airline in the Republic of Serbia is seeking an expression of interest from candidates interested in the following roles Licensed Aircraft Engineer
Licensed Aircraft Technician
The right candidate will need
The right candidate will need
● Valid aircraft maintenance license (ICAOII, EASA66) ● Post holder must have a minimum of 5 years’ experience within line maintenance, of which 3 years in a similar role. ● Formal technical training on (A319/A320 – B737CL – ATR72) aircraft type ● Excellent knowledge of line maintenance operations ● Excellent knowledge of aviation regulations (e.g. JAA, EASA, FAA) ● High standard of English language ● High standard of computer literacy (MS Office applications)
● ● ● ●
High School Diploma or equivalent Formal aircraft apprenticeship or equivalent Minimum 2 years line maintenance experience Excellent knowledge of aviation regulations
Applications from citizens of the Republic Of Serbia are strongly encouraged. Please send all applications to
enggrecruitment.serbia@gmail.com Deadline for applications is the 30th September
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flightglobal.com
School of Engineering Department of Aerospace Engineering
RECRUITMENT
A place for learning, an opportunity for development.
EASA Instructors for Sikorsky S-92
Senior Lecturer/Reader £48,064 to £52,138 per annum Communications, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) and Air Traffic Management (ATM) As a senior member of staff in the Aircraft Design Group, you will work closely with colleagues specialising in avionics design and avionics software systems and will be expected to develop and lead the CNS/ATM research activity in the group. An active researcher, you will have a strong background in modern avionic/CNS/ATM system design (e.g. RPN, 4D Trajectory based operations and PBN) a proven research track record and also a proven ability in winning funding from UK and EU initiatives in the field. The Department has a Large Aircraft Flight Simulator (LAFS), an Avionics Rig and various other Flight Simulators. Additionally, we are planning an innovative CNS/ATM Laboratory, which will include also the networking of the simulators available in the School of Engineering and possibly other resources in Cranfield University. You will lead the establishment of the CNS/ATM Laboratory and in the day-to-day activities required for running and maintaining the LAFS. In addition to high quality research, you will be expected to design and deliver aeronautical communications systems and ATM lectures and tutorials as part of the taught MSc programme in Aerospace Vehicle Design (Avionics option), with the aim of growing the CNS/ATM content leading to possibly a separate option including short and long courses. You will provide support to the Design Project element of the MSc programme and will supervise research theses.
FlightSafety International, Farnborough, UK seeks Ground and Simulator Instructors for the Sikorsky S-92 program to instruct Initial, Recurrent and Enrichment Pilot Training courses. Successful applicants will receive full training and a competitive benefits package. Requirements s Hold or have held JAA/EASA ATPL(H) with IR(H) or CPL(H) with IR(H) s Have at least 1,000 hours flying experience as a helicopter pilot s Have at least 350 hours flying experience as a pilot of multipilot helicopters
flightsafety.com
Preferences s Previous Instructional Experience s S-92 or similar ratings s Search and Rescue s Offshore Operations Competitive Salary and Benefits For information or to apply, visit Careers at flightsafety.com, or call +44 (0) 1252 554 500. Equal opportunity employer/M/F/D/V
A Berkshire Hathaway company
You must have a PhD in aeronautical/aerospace or electronic engineering and research experience in the field of CNS/ATM. Industrial and direct experience of practical CNS/ATM Integration also would be expected. Apply online now at www.cranfield.ac.uk/hr or contact us for further details on E: hr@cranfield.ac.uk or T: +44 (0)1234 750111 ext 2347. Please quote reference number 1427. Closing date for receipt of applications: 4 October 2013.
HEAD OF FLYING OPERATIONS (HFO) - PERTH BASED Gulf Helicopters Company, a Commercial Helicopter operator based in Qatar, seeks to fill the positions of Licensed Aircraft Engineer and Technicians.
Adv. Ref. No. LAE/TECH-01/2013 Possess Aircraft Maintenance Engineer’s License issued under the provision of ICAO Annex II in Airframe and Power plant or Avionics with all categories, or EASA Part 66 B1 or B2. Applicants should have appropriate experience on type and manufacturer’s airframe & engine course certificates. Candidates holding type ratings on AW 139 and/ or Bell 412 will only be considered. We offer a TAX FREE, attractive and competitive remuneration package. Please apply online by visiting our website: www.gulfhelicopters.com specifying the job ref # as LAE/TECH-01/2013 in the Engineers application form and forward CV & scanned copies of licenses and training certificates to email address: careers@gulfhelicopters.com with full name and position in the subject line. flightglobal.com
Responsible for the safe, efficient and cost-effective deployment of the company’s flight operations assets. Key Duties and responsibilities include: t Act as the principal flight operations adviser to the General Manager, Regional Services t Ensure compliance under the civil aviation law of all flying conducted by the company as the holder of a High Capacity AOC t Represents the Company with the regulatory authorities, Government agencies, clients, service providers and the public t Plan, organise, lead and control the daily operation of the Flight Operations Department t Ensure Operational Budget Performance and Cost Control measures Essential Qualifications and Experience: t Background/qualifications acceptable to CASA HFO requirements of a High Capacity AOC t Demonstrable high level understanding of all of the essential operational and infrastructure requirements to conduct the company’s operations t Demonstrable leadership and interpersonal skills commensurate with the position t Australian Air Transport Pilot’s Licence (ATPL) t Current Command Multi Engine Instrument Rating To apply: Please email your resume to the HR Assistant, Monica Van De Laak before close of business 3 October 2013 at regionalserviceshr@cobham.com.au
HUNDREDS OF JOBS @ flightglobal.com/jobs
www.cranfield.ac.uk
17-23 September 2013 | Flight International | 53
The preferred company for Stress (Fatigue & DT), GFEM, Composites), Aeronautical Research. Business units: Contract staff, Workpackages, Innovation and New Concepts, Aeronautical Research. www.bishop-gmbh.com Contact bishop.peter@bishop-gmbh.com Tel 0049-(0)40-866-258-10 Fax 0049-(0)40-866-258-20
Tel: +353 1 669 8224 Fax: +353 1 669 8201 Email:recruitment@sigmaaviationservices.com recruitment@sigmaaviationservices.com Email: www.sigmaaviationservices.com www.sigmaaviationservices.com
Recruitment Support to the Aviation Industry Contract and Permanent recruitment for the Aviation industry aviation recruitment
David Rowe, Alastair Millar, Jodie Green, Ian Chapman
T: +44(0)1483 332000 recruitment@zenon.aero
Tel: +44 (0)1737 821011 Email: aero@cbsbutler.com www.cbsbutler.com
CTC FlexiCrew
Flight International
High flyers, on demand
Seeks Type Rated Pilots Locations UK & Worldwide Flexible & Permanent Positions
www.ctcaviation.com/ctcflexicrew
GCT Group Worldwide specialist for Aerospace Engineering, Certification & Management Services e: yourcv@garner.de t: +49 (0) 8153 93130 w: www.garner.de
To advertise in this Employment Services Index
call +44 (0) 20 8652 4900 fax +44 (0) 20 8261 8434 email recruitment.services@rbi.co.uk Please note that calls may be monitored for training purposes
Recruitment headache? Get express relief with THE industry job site at Jobs.Flightglobal.com
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One industry, one job site 54 | Flight International | 17-23 September 2013
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working week
WORK EXPERIENCE sarah long
Guiding the next generation Why did you decide to pursue a career in engineering? I enjoyed maths and physics at school. While studying for ‘A’ Levels, I took a Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) course at Sheffield Hallam University. I clearly remember taking apart a vacuum cleaner and putting it back together, which grabbed my interest. My careers teacher and my mother both advised me against a degree in engineering, which probably made me want to do it even more! What did you study? Is it relevant to what you do now? I gained a masters degree in mechanical engineering from Southampton University. Some elements of the course were the same as aeronautical engineering but my interest in aircraft developed later. The basics I learnt at university were an important grounding for my day-to-day work as a principal engineer; whether it is discussions with clients about load paths, manufacturing constraints or control programming. What is your role and what would a typical week be? Atkins allows me the flexibility to work three days a week so that I can spend more time with my beautiful four year-old daughter. I’ve made part-time working effective for me and the business. My work is varied and that’s why I love it. One day you’ll see me
Atkins
Sarah Long works within consultancy Atkins’ aerospace business, where she combines leading a 70-strong team delivering aircraft systems with creating initiatives encouraging young people to go into engineering
Long: promotes diversity and inclusive working practices supporting trans-national teams to deliver aero-structures and systems projects on time and budget and the next day, I’ll be managing a client’s design and stress programme. I also enjoy promoting diversity and inclusive working practices through my place on the company’s Gender Balance Focus Group. What is the most interesting project that you’ve worked on to date? It has to be the Airbus A400M. I worked on the wing from an early stage, so standing inside it in the final stages and then watching the first flight earlier this year were fantastic [experi-
ences]. An A400M flew overhead during a recent holiday which put a huge smile on my face. What do you find most challenging, day-to-day? Balancing individuals’ development needs with our workload. While people generally like to work on new and exciting projects, a need still exists to see a project through to completion, which involves unpopular certification processes. What is your favourite part of the job? As well as my role itself, I help a group of Atkins’ engineers with a programme called Engineering Awareness (EA) run by Atkins to
encourage young people to go into engineering. EA organises regular events to bring out the fun side of engineering and provides a range of services to schools and students. These include work experience programmes, careers events, and talks to inform career choices. What do you think the aerospace engineering industry should focus on? We need to offer young people a wide range of career routes if we are going to encourage them into the industry. Our aerospace business has recently launched a higher apprenticeship scheme, which I developed from our need for more junior designers with practical experience. Many youngsters are unable to afford to go to university so we should be tapping that talent pool. Where will you be in five years’ time? That’s an interesting one. I don’t feel that I’ve yet hit the glass ceiling which we hear so much about. Maybe in aerospace I can fly above it? ■ For more employee work experiences, pay a visit to flightglobal.com/workingweek
If you would like to feature in Working Week, or you know someone who does, email your pitch to kate.sarsfield@ flightglobal.com
CHALLENGING PERSPECTIVES
Opportunities in IT Security www.jobs.eads.com
flightglobal.com
17-23 September 2013 | Flight International | 55
We provide our partners With more than just a lease™
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