Stealthy Switch: Pilot Training: Too Soon To Start?

FlightGlobal.
com April 2021
Pilot training:
too soon to
start?
How Mitch Snyder

revived Bell p18
Sustainable fuel
Stealthy
to surge p42
switch
UK sets course for F-35 cuts,
as Tempest advances p6
9
£4.99
770015 371327
Team player Volting ahead

Australia funds Wideroe picks
loyal wingman Rolls-Royce in
fleet boost electric push
p22 p14
0 4
Erudito Mags - https://t.me/joinchat/Vy95oyHYM_IV8laT

Comment
Will the UK’s plans to take 138
F-35s be scaled back in 2025?
Into battle
Although long awaited,
the UK’s defence review has
left many unanswered questions
Crown Copyright
when it comes to future capability
I
n military circles, the mantra key allies and partners”, according scene for cuts to be confirmed
“proper preparation prevents to the report. at the time of the next defence
poor performance” rings true But for all this, the review – ti- review, in 2025.
every bit as much during peace- tled Defence in a competitive age But viewed a different way, the
time as in times of conflict – get – does not feel to have shaken off current lack of clarity around num-
your plans wrong today, and the suspicions that its contents are bers affords the MoD future flexi-
consequences will be dire many cost-, rather than capability-driven. bility, should its FCAS and Tem-
years down the line. True, this is a time of unprec- pest fighter ambitions prove out
When UK defence secretary Ben edented pressure on the UK’s of touch with financial reality, or
Wallace presented the nation’s de- finances because of Covid-19, but change because of a shifting stra-
layed spending plans for the period will it strike the right balance in tegic picture.
to 2025 on 22 March, he did so with meeting future threats? Many other questions remain,
the shock revelation that such doc- For aviation watchers, the future such as whether the Airbus De-
uments are not always worth the make-up of the UK’s combat aircraft fence & Space A400M airlifter can
paper that they are printed on. fleet is the standout issue which finally hit the mark in its delivery
“Previous reviews have been will define its global capability for of long-overdue tactical perfor-
over-ambitious and under-fund- the next half-century. While around mance? If the UK is to maintain ca-
ed, leaving forces that were over- two dozen of its oldest Eurofighter pability in this area once its Lock-
stretched and under-equipped,” Typhoons will be retired, the Royal heed C-130J fleet retires in 2023,
he said. Air Force (RAF) will get to invest then the answer must be yes.
Indeed, in a January estimate, the more in its more recent examples Equally important is that a fu-
UK’s National Audit Office pegged and maintain a strength of seven ture airborne early warning fleet
the funding “black hole” in the Min- frontline squadrons. now slashed to just three Boeing
istry of Defence’s (MoD’s) equip- But it is the growing battle be- 737-based E-7A Wedgetail aircraft
ment programme at £7.3 billion tween the nation’s commitment arrives for duty in 2023 as expect-
($10 billion) until 2030. to the Lockheed Martin F-35 and ed – closing a glaring capability
The UK government late last development of a Future Combat gap which will appear when the
year approved a 14% increase in Air System (FCAS) where the great- RAF’s last E-3D Sentry retires later
defence spending for the coming est interest – and lack of detail – lies. this year.
four years, taking the total alloca- For years, the UK’s programme Also apparent is that the MoD
tion to £188 billion. Sufficient, says of record requirement to take remains in a spin about the direc-
Wallace, “to turn hollow forces into 138 F-35s over the life of the pro- tion of its future medium trans-
credible ones, modernising for the gramme has looked jarringly out port helicopter requirement, even
threats of the 2020s and beyond”. of balance with its apparent need. though it has opted to remove its
In line with the UK’s strategic The new document makes no Airbus Helicopters Puma HC2s by
objectives, this process is also de- mention of that figure, committing 2025, with no current replacement
signed to “amplify UK global influ- only to “increasing the fleet size in the pipeline and industry still in
ence by deepening our alliances in beyond the 48 aircraft that we the dark.
the Indo-Pacific, Middle East and have already ordered”. A plan, yes. But time will tell
Africa [and] developing a global While it does not say so in as about the rest of the saying. ◗
network of adaptable basing with many words, this surely sets the See p6
April 2021 Flight International 3

In focus
UK to reform its defences 6 ATR confident of demand 15 Pipistrel bats for hydrogen 29
A fuel’s errand 8 Bell’s unlikely revolutionary 18 Engines stay core for NASA 30
Shootdown inquiry criticised 10 ATS has the Wright stuff 22 Friction in fighter pact 32
Tensions ease in WTO row 12 Leonardo eyes reset 24 A greater lessor 33
Trio get connected for electric Fuelling uncertainty 26 Aeralis on the up 34
aircraft project 14 Fix nears for PW1500G 28 Powering a revolution 36
22
38
Crown Copyright
Regulars Comment 3 Best of the Rest 38 Straight & Level 74 Letters 76 Jobs 81 Women in aviation 82
4 Flight International April 2021

Contents
In depth
SAF bet 42 Air Trafficking Control 52 The year the sims stood still 62
The pace of sustainable Clamping down on illegal CAE’s grip on the market
aviation fuel’s development is wildlife smuggling Training evolution 66
speeding up Right time to train? 56 The case for simpler devices
Flying solo 48 Despite the industry crisis, Orbital hero 72
The UK government is backing flight schools say they are Remembering Yuri Gagarin’s
its own environmental schemes continuing to enrol students historic flight 60 years on
62
Welcome to the team, mate

Australia’s autonomous
‘loyal wingman’ takes off
52
56

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Platform cuts set to

reform UK’s defences
Ministry of Defence outlines future plans,
with C-130J and Puma fleets to retire –
and ambiguity around Lockheed’s F-35
Craig Hoyle London The plan also commits to “grow
the [F-35B] Lightning II force, in-
creasing the fleet size beyond the
T
he UK will retire its Tranche 1 48 aircraft that we have already or-
Eurofighter Typhoons, Lock- dered”. Lockheed has so far deliv-
heed Martin C-130J tactical ered 21 of these aircraft.
transports and Airbus Hel- The USA’s sole Level 1 industrial
icopters Puma HC2 rotorcraft by partner on the F-35 programme,
the middle of this decade, as the the UK has a long-stated com-
Ministry of Defence (MoD) targets mitment to eventually acquiring [UK’s] F-35 programme of record
a range of capability updates. 138 of the type. However, unlike has not been cut and remains at 138
Detailed within its Defence in a its Strategic Defence and Security through the life of the programme.”
competitive age publication, re- Review (SDSR) document of 2015, Despite the ambiguity, the MoD
leased on 22 March, the MoD’s plan the new report makes no refer- says it will “integrate more UK
for the period to 2025 also includes ence to that figure. weapons onto Lightning II and in-
major new investment in a Future vest to ensure that its software and
Combat Air System (FCAS) pro- Credible capability capability are updated alongside
ject, but provides only vague de- “We welcome [the] commitment to the rest of the global F-35 fleet”.
tails on its total commitment to the growing the F-35 fleet beyond the Further clarity about the nation’s
stealthy Lockheed Martin F-35B. 48 jets currently contracted,” Lock- total offtake of the fifth-generation
The four-year plan has a total heed says. This “will ensure the UK fighter is unlikely to emerge until its
funding allocation of £188 billion can deliver a credible Carrier Strike next defence review is completed
($258 billion), including £6.6 billion capability”, it adds, referring to the in 2025. Factors likely to influence
for research, development and ex- operational combination of the short its thinking will include the success
perimentation work, after the MoD take-off and vertical landing type or otherwise of the FCAS activity.
late last year secured a 14% spend- with the Royal Navy’s two Queen More than £2 billion will be in-
ing boost worth £28 billion. Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. vested in this project by 2025,
“Previous reviews have been “With aircraft currently contract- including new investment worth
over-ambitious and under-funded, ed [for delivery] through to 2025 £1.2 billion. Also involving Ita-
leaving forces overstretched and there simply was no need for an ly and Sweden, it is expected to
under-equipped,” says defence sec- additional commitment to buy at produce an optionally-manned or
retary Ben Wallace. The measures this stage,” the company notes. unmanned Tempest fighter, an un-
in the new plan will enable the UK “Contrary to recent speculation, the manned Mosquito ‘loyal wingman’
“to turn hollow forces into credible
ones, modernising for the threats of
the 2020s and beyond”, he adds.
Carrier Strike F-35B fleet will rise beyond
According to the report, the pro-
48, but 138-unit total appears in doubt
cess will also “amplify UK global in-
fluence by deepening our alliances
in the Indo-Pacific, Middle East and
Africa [and] developing a global
network of adaptable basing with
key allies and partners”.
Around 24 of the Royal Air
Force’s (RAF’s) oldest Typhoons
will leave service by 2025, with the
money saved to be channelled into
upgrades for its Tranche 2 and 3
Crown Copyright
jets. This will include integrating an

active electronically scanned array
radar and MBDA’s Spear 3 air-to-
surface missile.

Cover story UK defence
Fourteen stretched-fuselage Hercules Marshall last August returned

will be retired in 2023, with larger to use the first RAF C-130J to
A400M to assume tactical duties have received a replacement cen-
tre wingbox via a July 2017 con-
tract worth £110 million. This pro-
ject had been intended to enable
operations with the type to con-
tinue until 2035.
The MoD says retirement of the
C-130Js will enable the Airbus De-
fence & Space A400M Atlas force
to “increase its capacity and ca-
pability”. Cirium fleets data shows
£188bn
that the RAF has so far received 20
of its eventually 22-strong fleet of
the larger type.
A pair of BAe 146 transports ac-
quired second-hand to support
Crown Copyright
Total funding allocation in four-year operations in Afghanistan will also
plan, following 14% increase secured leave use in 2022.
last year to address major shortfall The RAF’s Puma fleet will be re-
tired in the 2023-2025 period, with
a replacement medium-weight heli-
copter to be acquired.
and what the report refers to as The 2015 SDSR had pledged to “Investment in a new medium-lift
“swarming drones”. Service entry upgrade the Sentry fleet, extend- helicopter in the mid-2020s will
is planned by 2035. ing operations until 2035, but the enable a consolidation of the ar-
Michael Christie, director of RAF’s last examples are now due my’s disparate fleet of medium-lift
FCAS at BAE Systems Air, says the to be retired this year – only to be helicopters from four platform
project is on track to enter its con- replaced by the trio of Wedgetails types to one,” the report states.
cept and assessment phase later from 2023. Airbus Helicopters earlier this
this year. The Team Tempest indus- Also in 2023, the RAF will re- year voiced interest in a Puma re-
trial group – a joint venture involv- tire the last of its 14 remaining placement opportunity, with po-
ing BAE, Rolls-Royce and the UK stretched-fuselage C-130J-30s, tential candidates including the
units of Leonardo and MBDA – is more than a decade sooner than H175, H225M and NH Industries
anticipating a decision in “the next previously expected. NH90, while Leonardo Helicopters
few weeks” to progress to the next has pitched its AW149.
phase, he says, with work likely to Attractive proposition Several of the RAF’s long-
come under contract and begin “as Support provider Marshall Aero- est-serving Boeing CH-47 Chi-
we go into the summer”. An initial space and Defence Group (MADG) nooks are also to be replaced with
technology development phase believes the transports will repre- new-build examples.
concluded last year. sent an attractive proposition for In the training sector, the RAF’s
Christie says multiple system con- secondhand buyers. The compa- remaining BAe Hawk T1s are set to
figurations will be considered until ny has previously prepared five leave use – reportedly by 2023 –
the MoD defines its formal require- short-fuselage C-130Js deemed although those examples assigned
ments later this decade. surplus to UK requirements for de- to its Red Arrows aerobatic dis-
“We are still looking at multiple livery to Bahrain, Bangladesh and play team will fly on until the end
options, and the balance between the US Navy. of the decade.
the various components,” he says. “We had been anticipating that “We will enhance the new mili-
“We will be keeping our options the MoD would bring forward the tary flying training system with fur-
open for a while yet.” out-of-service date for the C-130 ther investment in synthetic train-
Meanwhile, a project to replace fleet. However, we had not expected ing that will deliver more capable
the RAF’s Boeing 707-based such a short timeframe,” says MADG pilots more quickly and more effi-
E-3D Sentry airborne warning and chief executive Gary Moynehan. ciently,” the report says.
control system aircraft with five “We expect to support the RAF “The development of novel tech-
737-derived E-7A Wedgetails has in the successful resale of the C-130 nologies, and a step change in how
been cut back to just three air- fleet in order to maximise return we use simulators for mission re-
frames. The MoD had ordered a for the UK economy, and in turn re- hearsal and training, will enable the
pair of second-hand 737NGs for duce the risk of significant job loss- Royal Air Force to be among the
UK conversion into the surveillance es,” he adds. “We remain confident most technologically innovative,
type, plus three new-build exam- that our C-130 MRO business can productive and lethal air forces in
ples. The first used airframe arrived continue to grow.” the world,” it adds.
at STS Aviation Services’ Birming- Introduced from 1999, the tactical This process will also be sup-
ham airport facility in early January, transports have been worked hard ported by the development
and the fleet reduction is believed through their operational lives, in- from next year of an intelligence,
to affect the previous commitment cluding supporting UK military ac- surveillance and reconnaissance
to new aircraft. tivities in Afghanistan and Iraq. satellite constellation. ◗

Fuel’s errand
EasyJet chief executive says low-carbon
propulsion systems will remove need to
invest in SAF for short-haul operators
Lewis Harper London He describes carbon offset-
ting – which EasyJet does for
all of its flights – as “an inter-
S
hort-haul carriers have little im solution before you get on to
reason to invest in the devel- ground-breaking technologies”.
opment of sustainable avia- Lundgren’s views on carbon off-
tion fuels (SAFs) when new setting contrast sharply with those
propulsion technologies are on of United Airlines chief execu-
the horizon, in the view of EasyJet tive Scott Kirby, who recently de-
chief executive Johan Lundgren. scribed the concept as a “fig leaf
Speaking at a Eurocontrol event for a CEO to check a box [and]
on 22 March, Lundgren suggested pretend that they’ve done the right
that while SAFs are “absolutely the thing for sustainability”.
right thing for long-haul” operators, Regarding the development of
short-haul carriers can look forward hydrogen and electric propulsion The question is then no longer
to a “hydrogen and electric environ- technologies, Lundgren says that “technical”, he continues, adding:
ment” in the next decade or so. “for all the bad things that hap- “It’s how we transition to that,
His remarks are based on the pened in 2020, one of the encour- what is the business model going
assumption that new propulsion aging things was that the techno- to look like?”
technologies are likely to be viable logical advances in this field were Describing his considerations
on intra-European flights within quite remarkable”. when imagining that future busi-
that timeframe, but not on longer- ness model, Lundgren highlights
haul sectors. Hydrogen technology several factors, including ensuring
SAFs are therefore “definitely not He cites the development of lithi- the performance and availability of
something we as a short-haul op- um-sulphur batteries as an exam- aircraft powered by the new tech-
erator would look to as part of our ple, alongside advancements with nologies; ensuring the availability
end-game, at all”, he says of the hydrogen technology, including of “the renewable energy to sup-
carrier’s sustainability strategy. progress towards using it in “fuel port the equipment”; and working
For EasyJet, investing in carbon cells or even a normal internal out how the jet kerosene-powered
offsetting is “much better for the combustion engine”. fleet would be phased out.
environment than putting in huge With those developments in EasyJet is “starting to think
development costs for sustainable mind, “there’s no doubt that it’s about” phasing out kerosene and
aviation fuels that actually will be a matter of time when you’re “how this will take place”, he says.
obsolete if you’re a short-haul op- going to see large-scale, 150-, Among the recent developments
erator here in 10 to 15 years’ time”, 180-seaters operating and flying”, in the field of new propulsion
he says. Lundgren says. technologies, Airbus – EasyJet’s
Airbus, Rolls-Royce plan for flight tests

David Kaminski-Morrow London
Airbus and Rolls-Royce are participating in a study

to examine in-flight emissions from commercial
aircraft powered entirely by sustainable aviation fuel.
The study will monitor emissions from an Airbus
A350-900 on the ground and in the air. Sustainable
S Ramadier/Airbus
fuel will be supplied by Neste and the study will

include German aerospace research centre DLR.
Airbus has already carried out an initial flight
check in Toulouse to ensure that the fuel is
compatible with the A350’s systems and its R-R
A350 has been used to check fuel’s compatibility
Trent XWB engines.

Environment Fuel
and transport commissioner Adina

Valean, the coalition cites recent
Eurocontrol data showing that
long-haul services account for just
6% of flights but half of the sec-
tor’s emissions.
“Increasing the supply of sustain-
able aviation fuel to cover just 10%
of the needs of long-haul would
do more than can ever be done in
short-haul to reduce net CO2 emis-
sions,” according to Eurocontrol.
The coalition argues that flights
outside the EEA are already
Markus Mainka/Shutterstock
exempt from environmental pol-
icies such as the EU’s Emissions
Trading System.
It also points out that there is an
expectation that green propulsion
systems will be available for short-
haul aviation in the foreseeable
Low-cost carrier is “starting to think
future. “These new, zero-emission
about” how it can phase out kerosene
technologies, however, are not
available for long-haul aviation in
the foreseeable future; therefore
current aircraft supplier – unveiled ensure that long-haul flights are SAFs continue to be key for long-
conceptual designs for a potential included in a forthcoming EU man- haul aviation to mitigate its carbon
hydrogen-powered commercial date on the use of SAF. emissions,” they write.
aircraft last September, a technol- The group – which also includes “The EU’s SAFs mandate will
ogy that it believes could be devel- low-cost carriers Ryanair and Wizz only have a sizeable impact on
oped for service entry within the Air – called on the Commission to aviation’s emissions if we all do
next 15 years. urge that fuel suppliers be made our part, including the long-haul
Earlier in 2020, US firm Wright responsible for ensuring that SAF operators who are the largest
Electric said it was aiming to con- is included in jet kerosene supplies, source of emissions, and who need
duct ground tests in 2021, and ensuing equal treatment for long- this technology for the long run,”
flight tests in three years’ time, of a and short-haul carriers. says Lundgren.
motor intended to provide propul- “There is no logic in excluding
sion for an electric airliner. EasyJet Policy proposals long-haul flights from SAF usage
is a partner on the programme to It follows concern that policy pro- obligations, as this is their only
develop the 186-seat electric air- posals from the Commission could possible way to decarbonise,” adds
craft, known as Wright 1. limit the ReFuel EU Aviation initi- Ryanair group chief executive Mi-
The UK-based budget carri- ative to intra-European Economic chael O’Leary. “We fully support
er was also among a coalition of Area (EEA) flights, and oblige air- the EU’s initiative to decarbonise
short-haul airlines, other aviation lines to ensure a percentage of SAF aviation but all carriers, including
organisations and environmental is included in kerosene-based fuel. long-haul, must play their part for
groups that earlier in March called In a letter sent to Commission this to be achieved.” ◗
on the European Commission to vice-president Fran Timmermans See page 42
Airbus will commence flight-emissions tests in The fuel will be sourced from hydroprocessed
April. A DLR Dassault Falcon 20-E chase aircraft will esters and fatty acids. Emissions will be compared
be used to conduct emissions measurements. with those from fossil kerosene and low-sulphur
Airbus new energy programme manager Steven Le fossil kerosene.
Moing says the collaboration will provide insight into “Further ground tests measuring particulate-
how turbine engines function using 100% sustainable matter emissions are set to indicate the
fuel, with a view to certification. environmental impact of sustainable aviation fuel
“[It will also] identify potential emissions reductions use on airport operations,” adds Airbus.
of using such fuels on a commercial aircraft,” he adds. It says this will aid preparation for use of such fuels
The work will be carried out using the initial A350 at blend ratios above the currently permitted 50%.
flight-test aircraft MSN1. Neste vice-president for Europe, renewable
“Sustainable aviation fuel is essential to the aviation, Jonathan Wood, says there is evidence that
decarbonisation of [long-haul] travel and we actively using 100% sustainable fuel could provide a reduction
support the ramp-up of its availability to the aviation of up to 80% in greenhouse gas emissions, when
industry,” says R-R civil aerospace director of all life-cycle emissions are taken into account. “This
product development and technology Simon Burr. study will clarify the additional benefits,” he says.

737 shootdown inquiry criticised

Ukrainian and Canadian authorities say Iranian investigation
into target misidentification fails to address wider failings
David Kaminski-Morrow London Although the radar-guided “The accident scene and all the
Tor-M1 surface-to-air weapon evidence were not preserved, the
launched by the unit detonated on-board recorders were not de-
U
krainian and Canadian au- and caused “cascading” damage coded at the first opportunity and
thorities have lambasted to the aircraft, the air defence unit the decoding thereof was unrea-
Iran’s investigation into last “observed the continuity of the de- sonably delayed for more than six
year’s fatal missile attack tected target trajectory” and fired months,” the NBAAI adds.
on a Boeing 737-800 shortly after a second missile 30s after the first. Its comments even describe some
take-off from Tehran. Recorded data in the unit indi- of the factual information in the re-
Kiev submitted dozens of com- cated this second strike failed, but port as “incorrect and far-fetched”
ments to Iranian investigators, the aircraft crashed with the loss of and says they “do not correspond
many highly critical, regarding mul- all on board – including the three with the evidence available”.
tiple aspects of the inquiry. cockpit crew who had survived the
The Iranian Civil Aviation Organ- initial missile detonation. Second strike
isation has formally attributed the “Mitigating measures and de- The authority is also not satisfied
destruction of flight PS752 to the fence layers in risk management with the finding that the second
misidentification of the jet as a hos- proved to be ineffective due to the missile did not strike the 737.
tile target by an air defence unit. occurrence of an unanticipated The NBAAI accuses the inquiry of
Amid heightened tension with error in threat identification,” says failing to investigate a number of
the USA, this unit had been locally the inquiry, adding that this meant aspects fully, particularly in regard
relocated “according to the tactics” the flight’s safety was not protect- to the operation of the air defence
of such mobile air defence systems, ed from the alerted defence forces. system and attempts to identify
says the inquiry, and been placed Ukrainian investigation authority the aircraft before the missiles were
on standby until it was made oper- NBAAI submitted dozens of com- fired, and points out that the con-
ational at 06:07 on 8 January 2020, ments on the draft report to the clusions do not reference any vio-
about 5min before the Ukraine In- Civil Aviation Organisation, asking lation in the Iranian civil-military air
ternational Airlines 737 took off for them to be appended to the fi- traffic management system.
from Imam Khomeini airport. nal document. Canada, which had 55 citizens
The inquiry says any comments and 30 residents aboard the air-
Alignment error that enhanced the accuracy and ef- craft, has offered similar criticism.
But during the relocation the unit’s fectiveness of the final report have Kathy Fox, chair of Canada’s
heading changed, owing to the op- been included, but it also listed Transportation Safety Board, says
erator’s “failure in conducting north some 100 comments from NBAAI the report does not examine Iran’s
realignment properly”, introducing that were not adopted. underlying failure to prevent its
a 105° error in the calculated bear- These include remarks arguing military from firing at the 737. “The
ing of detected targets. that the cause was not the detona- report says what happened, but
When the unit detected the 737 tion of the missile but the attack on doesn’t address why,” Fox says. “It
the operator transmitted the de- the aircraft, and that the inquiry “ig- does not explain the underlying
tails over a co-ordination centre nores” systemic failure on the part factors behind why the missiles
communication network, but the of the Iranian state – including lack were launched at [flight] PS752.”
message was not relayed to the of control of defence systems and Fox says the report frames the
centre, says the inquiry. officials’ non-observance of duties. incident “in the context” of Iran-US
“Without receiving a response Ukraine’s comments dismiss as military tension. But it fails to de-
from the co-ordination centre, the “incorrect, and certainly not accu- scribe Iran’s missile-defence super-
operator came to the conclusion rate” the statements that the in- vision and oversight practices, ad-
that the observed target was a quiry was conducted in accordance dress “underlying deficiencies”, or
threat and fired a missile,” it adds. with ICAO’s Annex 13 procedures. to say what actions Iran has taken
to prevent such incidents in future.
“[Iran] says that military activities
“The report says what happend but fall outside of the scope of” ICAO’s
accident investigation guidelines,
does not explain the underlying Fox says. “We do not agree.”
Iran also failed to warn airlines of
factors behind why the missiles military hazards, contrary to ICAO
advice, Fox adds. ◗
were launched at [flight] PS752”
Additional reporting by
Kathy Fox Chair, Canadian Transportation Safety Board Jon Hemmerdinger in Tampa

Safety Investigation
Rouzbeh Fouladi/ZUMA Wire/Shutterstock

Iranian military launched two missiles at the
twinjet shortly after it took off from Tehran
Simulation of events shows ‘flight operation did not play a role’ in fatal error
Judicial investigators simulated the air defence system Investigators state that this possibility had “not been
error which, according to an Iranian inquiry, led to the predicted [or] considered” during the assessment of
missile launch that destroyed a Ukraine International the risks of misidentification, and the event shows that
Airlines (UIA) Boeing 737-800 over Tehran. the consequences of human performance errors can
Two air defence units were placed at the same loca- be “serious with a far-reaching consequence”.
tion as that involved in the shootdown on 8 January Iran analysed how and why the narrowbody was tar-
last year, says the Iranian Civil Aviation Organisation. geted, but few details on the immediate effect of the
“All the processes in the military, civil sector, and the surface-to-air missile strike itself have emerged.
co-operation between them were [recreated] just as Although investigators published the flight-data re-
[they were during] the events on the day of the acci- corder traces from the UIA jet, French investigation
dent,” it says, using records from the various agencies. authority BEA – which extracted the information –
One of the air defence units replicated a misalign- says the data instantly became invalid after the initial
ment with the north compass point, believed to have missile detonation. The jet’s transponder also simulta-
occurred during a repositioning after an Iranian mili- neously ceased transmitting.
tary attack on the USA’s Al Assad base in Iraq. The at- As a result little is clear about the damage to, and
tack took place early on 8 January, a few hours before dynamics of, the aircraft following the attack. The last
the 737 was brought down. recorded information shows the aircraft in stable flight
The other unit in the simulation corrected the mis- at 250kt (463km/h), pitched 9.6° nose-up, at an alti-
alignment, and the inquiry examined the way each tude of 7,950ft – equivalent to 4,380ft above ground.
unit detected, on two occasions, a 737 flying from Investigators retrieved wing surface parts and a
Tehran’s Imam Khomeini airport on a similar trajectory component from the air-conditioning system some
to that of the UIA aircraft. 5nm (10km) northwest of the crash site. The inquiry
These results “indicated the aircraft flight operation says the underside fuselage adjacent to the wing – in
did not play a role in the occurrence of the error made the area where the air-conditioning component would
by the air defence unit operator”, the inquiry says. have been fitted – showed traces of burns.
Both times the misaligned unit showed the aircraft This, along with the cockpit’s escaping the initial ex-
approaching from the west while the correctly-aligned plosion, suggests the strike occurred in the vicinity of
unit tracked it coming from the direction of the airport. the aircraft’s lower mid-section.
The investigation submitted a request to examine Although the engines were found to have been func-
the events leading to the missile launch “in order to tioning, with “no [sign of] explosion or severe fire”,
realise what happened on the military side”, says the the inquiry says the aircraft sustained “cascading”
inquiry. “The military sector and the judicial authori- damage and one of the integrated drive generators
ty responsible… provided the information required to – which are located in each engine – began to slow
the investigation team accordingly,” it adds. about 16.5s after the detonation. The cockpit-voice
Investigators found the military unit was not respon- recorder ceased operating 2.5s later.
sible for monitoring targets, but only “obliged to per- “Evidence from the wreckage, videos and images
form the actions planned”, within a command hierar- suggested the occurrence of a fire in parts of the air-
chy, if the command centre assigned a target to it. craft before the ground impact,” says the inquiry. “Fire
This procedure broke down, it says, because af- was observable in the front cabin and on its left side.”
ter the air defence unit detected a possible target – No explosives contamination was found on objects
the 737 – inbound from an unexpected direction, it inside the passenger cabin and tests on metal frag-
launched missiles “without receiving a go-ahead or ments in some passenger seats showed they were
response” from the command centre. from aircraft alloys and not missile shrapnel.

Trade Dispute
Tensions eased in WTO row

Both sides of transatlantic spat over civil aircraft subsidies
move to de-escalate situation and spur negotiated settlement
David Kaminski-Morrow London is to take a “bold” step towards re- suspension of tariffs on aircraft
solving the Airbus-Boeing dispute. and non-aircraft imports.
“This will allow time to focus European Commission president
O
ne of the aerospace in- on negotiating a balanced settle- Ursula von der Leyen says she held
dustry’s longest running ment to the disputes, and begin a phone call with President Biden
trade disputes may finally seriously addressing the chal- on 5 March, stating that she con-
be nearing an end after lenges posed by new entrants siders the suspension of tariffs a
both sides in the transatlantic spat to the civil aviation market from “symbol of [a] fresh start”.
over civil aircraft subsidies moved non-market economies, such as “We both committed to focus on
to defuse tensions in the row. China,” they add. resolving our aircraft disputes,” she
The quarrel was initiated by the adds. “This is excellent news for
US government in 2004 complain- businesses and industries on both
ing on Boeing’s behalf about EU
subsidies to Airbus. But, with the
spat having shifted from a legal
battle at the World Trade Organi-
zation (WTO) to a real-world trade
$7.5bn
Tariffs US government was authorised
sides of the Atlantic, and a very
positive signal for our economic
co-operation in the years to come.”
Trade commissioner Valdis Dom-
brovskis describes the measure as
conflict under former US president to levy on EU exports by WTO; EU was a “reset” in the EU’s relationship
Donald Trump, including import granted counter-tariffs of $4 billion with its “biggest and economically
tariffs implemented by both par- most-important partner”.
ties, there had been calls in recent “This suspension will help restore
months for a de-escalation. Under WTO rulings the US gov- confidence and trust, and there-
First to move was the USA, ernment had been authorised to fore give us the space to come to
where the administration of Presi- impose $7.5 billion of tariffs on a comprehensive and long-lasting
dent Joe Biden on 4 March agreed European exports, including civ- negotiated solution,” he adds.
with the UK – which although now il aircraft, while the EU had sub-
outside the EU is still part of the sequently been granted a coun- Necessary steps
subsidy row – to suspend tariffs ter-authorisation for $4 billion Airbus has long argued that a ne-
for four months. worth of tariffs. gotiated settlement is necessary
The measure follows the UK’s Suspension will benefit these in- to end the dispute, with chief ex-
unilateral suspension of tariffs at dustries and “allow for focused set- ecutive Guillaume Faury reiterating
the beginning of January. tlement negotiations” in an effort this point at the airframer’s full-
Both sides say the joint four- to end the spat. year results briefing in February.
month suspension – effective from The US move was replicat- ”We welcome US Trade Repre-
4 March – will “ease the burden on ed the following day by the EU, sentative’s decision to suspend
industry”, adding that the intention which also agreed to a four-month tariffs for allowing negotiations to
take place,” says Airbus in response
to the new measures.
“Airbus supports all actions to
create a level playing field and con-
tinues to support a negotiated set-
tlement of this long-standing dis-
pute to avoid lose-lose tariffs.”
Boeing is similarly encouraged
by the thaw in relations. “A nego-
tiated settlement will allow the in-
dustry to move forward with a gen-
uinely global level playing-field for
aviation,” the airframer says.
If the hiatus leads to a broader
settlement of the Airbus-Boeing
F Lancelot/Airbus
dispute, the UK government says it

will benefit the country’s aerospace
industry as well. “The government
reserves the right to re-impose
tariffs at any point if satisfactory
Airbus exports to US carriers have been
progress towards an agreeable set-
affected by tariffs in WTO dispute
tlement is not made,” it says. ◗

Propulsion Development
Trio get connected for need to overcome in putting such

an aircraft into service.
“Our mission is to have all-new
electric aircraft project capabilities, processes and proce-

dures required for a zero-emissions
operator, designed and approved
in parallel with the aircraft being
Norwegian carrier Wideroe joins forces developed and certified,” he says.
The interest in the P-Volt, notably
with Rolls-Royce and Tecnam to bring from regional airlines, has been “in-
credible”, says Tecnam product de-
zero-emission flight to domestic market velopment chief Fabio Russo, add-
ing that the aircraft will “perfectly
fit” the scope of the programme.
David Kaminski-Morrow London capable of carrying nine passen- R-R Electrical director Rob Wat-
gers and serve commercial, cargo son says the tie-up will reinforce
or medical evacuation roles. its partnerships with both Wideroe
N
orwegian regional carrier Wideroe chief executive Stein and Tecnam, respectively focusing
Wideroe has linked up with Nilsen says the short take-off and on airline requirements and the de-
Rolls-Royce and Italian landing airports in Norway are “ide- sign and manufacturing aspects.
manufacturer Tecnam to al” for zero-emission technology. Separately, R-R has been appoint-
develop an all-electric passenger “This aircraft shows how quickly ed by UK start-up Vertical Aero-
aircraft within the next five years. new technology can and will be de- space to provide a full-electric pow-
The aircraft would be suited to veloped, and that we are on track ertrain for its VA-X4 electric vertical
the commuter air transport market with our ambition of flying with zero take-off and landing vehicle.
and enter service in 2026. emissions around 2025,” he says. R-R will be responsible for the
Wideroe has previously expressed Chief strategy officer Andreas Aks architecture of the electrical pro-
interest in electric regional aircraft says the regional carrier is “humble” pulsion system and the power dis-
projects such as a 19-seat model in the face of the obstacles it will tribution and monitoring system. ◗
proposal from Heart Aerospace.
Norwegian authorities have been
pushing forward electric aircraft
programmes with the country’s air
navigation service and civil aviation
administration, seeking domestic
operations with such types by 2030
and a complete domestic transition
to electric air travel by 2040.
R-R says its tie-up with Wideroe
will expand on its prior research
with the airline on sustainable avia-
tion, while it already has a partner-
Rolls-Royce
ship with Tecnam on an all-electric
programme called the P-Volt.
The P-Volt is a twin-engined,
All-electric P-Volt is based
high-wing aircraft based on Tec-
on Tecnam’s P2012 Traveller
nam’s P2012 Traveller, which will be
Rolls-Royce maintains exclusivity on A350

Rolls-Royce has secured an exclusive position on the often held talks with powerplant manufacturers on
Airbus A350-900 for the remainder of the decade, potential developments but that there were no plans
ruling out any immediate prospect of a rival engine to offer an alternative to the Trent XWB.
manufacturer entering the market for twinjet. East notes that, by the time the exclusivity
The agreement means the Trent XWB will remain agreement expires, engine technology will have
the sole powerplant on the A350 until at least 2030. evolved to a new stage.
R-R’s chief executive Warren East, speaking during R-R is working on the UltraFan high-bypass engine,
a full-year results briefing on 11 March, said there was which is progressing towards final assembly this year,
a “huge amount of speculation” about a year ago and East says the 2030 date for the A350 agreement
around GE Aviation offering an engine for the A350. “coincides” with the timing of UltraFan and other
“We’re delighted to put that speculation to bed for future developments.
the remainder of this decade,” he says. Airbus has 745 orders for the A350-900 and
Airbus had previously played down any suggestion 168 for the larger -1000, which is also exclusively
of a new engine option for the A350, stating that it powered by the Trent XWB.

Airframer Recovery
Airframer expects domestic and regional

traffic to recover faster than other sectors
Work is also continuing on a short

take-off and landing variant of
the ATR 42-600. The certification
timeline for this model is currently
“under assessment”, says Bortoli.
Launching the variant in 2019, ATR
said deliveries would begin in the
second half of 2022.
The airframer also continues to
work on incremental improvements
for the twin-tubroprop family, says
Stephane Viala, senior vice-pres-
ident, engineering. These include
avionics and other upgrades de-
signed to improve efficiency and
cut maintenance costs, he says,
such as a new system designed to
analyse hard landings in order to re-
ATR confident on duce aircraft on ground situations.

C Check intervals will also short-
AirTeamImages
ly be extended from 5,000h to
long-term demand 8,000h, he adds.

While ATR continues to investi-
gate ways of lowering the carbon
emissions from its aircraft, Viala
notes that disruptive technologies
Manufacturer predicts brighter future such as hydrogen power “are not
yet mature” and will likely not ar-
for twin-turboprop family as it lines up rive much before 2040.
Instead, the airframer is asking
series of incremental improvements “what are the technologies that are
mature enough to be onboard our
aircraft in an incremental manner
Dominic Perry London Describing 2020 as a “very dif- to bring these rapidly to our cus-
ficult year” during which “ATR tomers along this period.”
reached its bottom”, chief execu- Sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs)
R
egional aircraft manufactur- tive Stefano Bortoli says that diffi- are seen as one possibility. ATRs can
er ATR sees sustained long- culties remain. operate with a 50% SAF blend and
term demand for its family “Air travel is still very restricted the airframer will look to increase
of twin-turboprops, even if and will remain so well into this this figure as supplies improve.
orders and deliveries will stay sub- year. Airlines are still strapped for Airbus, ATR’s other shareholder,
dued over the next few years. cash and many are struggling to has been a vocal champion of hy-
The Franco-Italian airframer is survive,” he says. drogen, last year unveiling a design
continuing to develop upgrades Nonetheless, ATR’s “backlog is for a hydrogen-powered turboprop
for its range, including both solid” he says, pointing out that just as part of its ZeroE initiative. How-
entirely new variants and incre- three cancellations were recorded ever, Bortoli declines to say whether
mental improvements. last year, all from the same custom- ATR will be brought into this effort.
Fabrice Vautier, senior vice-pres- er. Net orders also stood at three. “It is a question that Airbus can an-
ident, commercial, said during a swer,” he says.
15 March media roundtable that a Flooded market Last year, ATR delivered only 10
coming replacement cycle should Joint shareholder Leonardo recent- aircraft as the coronavirus pan-
spur demand: ATR forecasts that ly complained that a glut of used demic caused demand to nosedive.
900 turboprops in the 30-50-seat aircraft had flooded the market in Although the airframer hopes to
category are due for replacement 2020, hindering new sales. double that figure in 2021, “we see
in the next five to seven years. Although Bortoli says it will “take delivery rates recovering gradual-
Vautier sees additional growth a while” for this inventory overhang ly”, says Vautier.
from key markets such as India and to fully clear, he sees the second- Shipments will be “consistently
Japan, and also China, where the hand market as “vibrant”, adding: over 20 aircraft for the next couple
airframer expects to achieve cer- “I’m confident that this wave in the of years”, and could rise to “40-
tification for the ATR 42-600 and next few months will be absorbed 50 aircraft per year, as soon as the
ATR 72-600 in the first half of 2021. by the market.” market recovers”, he says.
China will require 1,100 region- Deliveries in 2020 included the Domestic and regional traffic
al aircraft over the next 20 years, first ATR 72-600F for FedEx; this should show the fastest improve-
around 800 of which will be in the will be followed by seven examples ment of any sector, says Vautier,
30-seat category that could be ad- this year, says Bortoli. US approv- noting that around 85% of the ATR
dressed by a lower-capacity ATR al for the freighter was obtained fleet is currently in service. ◗
42-600, says Vautier. earlier in 2021. See page 24

Bell’s unlikely revolutionary

Dominic Perry London
In his five years as CEO, Mitch Snyder
has been attempting to spark a cultural
M
itch Snyder appears re-
laxed, confident even. Of
course, it is hard to be sure shift at the rotorcraft manufacturer
over a blurry web meeting,
but the Bell chief executive, now
into his sixth year in charge, defi- “When I took over, it was in kind John Garrison, simply noting that
nitely seems upbeat. of a tough place,” he says. “We had the relationship between manage-
That sunny outlook comes de- had so many reductions in force.” ment and workforce in the 2009-
spite the pressures of the corona- Yet the first meeting he had on 2015 period “may have caused
virus, which saw deliveries slip at taking the top job was with repre- some hard feelings”. But he says
the US manufacturer last year – sentatives of the company’s four that fostering a more inclusive at-
albeit that its civil and parapublic main workforce unions. “They said mosphere is “something I care very
market share increased. Orders, it was the first time they had been much about”, part of showing that
while reduced, did pick up in the in the CEO’s office,” he remembers. he is “a different leader”.
final quarter, he says. That rapprochement with the un- “For me there is no difference
But Snyder argues that what he ions was part of a broader attempt between salaried workers and fac-
saw from his company in the face to change the company’s culture, tory workers,” he says. “I knew the
of the Covid-19 pandemic is in part he says – for example, instituting a culture I wanted and how I wanted
responsible for his positivity. working pattern that sees employ- [Bell] to be.”
Lockdowns, working restric- ees have every other Friday off, There was no formal interview
tions, and all the other attendant and introducing an on-site health- process for the top job: the succes-
disruptions have been handled care clinic. He describes the moves sion planning at parent company
with aplomb. Maybe this was a as fostering “a culture of empower- Textron saw Snyder simply offered
manifestation of the “don’t mess ment, a culture of caring”. the role on Garrison’s resignation.
with Texas” attitude of Bell’s home “But having been here [since
state, or simply a determination to Open for business 2004] it was very clear in my mind
support its customers, the “warf- All that meant that when Bell said it what direction I wanted to take the
ighters and first responders” as was an essential business and was company in when given the reins.”
Snyder puts it. allowed to stay open through the But hand in hand with the chang-
Equally, there appears to be a pandemic, the workforce was ones to the workplace, Snyder was
degree of paternalism in Snyder’s side with the decision. “Everyone also keen to bring back Bell’s
management style. He is a long- bought into what we were doing. boundary-pushing spirit: “I wanted
term Bell veteran, joining in 2004, We have been building that trust our company to go back and get
who had seen employee num- and respect over the last four to excited about the future: we are pi-
bers effectively halve from a high five years,” he says. oneers and innovators.”
of 12,000 down to around 6,000 Snyder is loath to criticise the Bell’s list of accomplishments is
when he took the reins. approach taken by his predecessor, legion, of course – the supersonic
Bell
Air taxi concept Nexus was launched in 2019

as the company explores UAM designs

Interview Mitch Snyder
the whole rotorcraft business into

each of those segments is not how
I’m looking at it.”
Spend too long trapped with this
rigid mindset, he says, and all that
will happen is the “disruptors will
come in and take everything”.
Just recycling?
Even when an airframer brings a
new type to market, that general-
ly serves as a replacement for an
existing product – “recycling in the
new”, as Snyder puts it, rather than
spurring new growth.
The real question Bell is striving to
answer, he says, is “in 10 years, what
will the market really look like?”
There is, he argues, potential for
significant growth if demand for un-
manned logistics and UAM vehicles
takes off. Bell has been positioning
itself for both, test-flying its Auton-
Bell
omous Pod Transport and working

Snyder says Bell should have ‘a culture
on its Nexus air taxi concept.
of empowerment, a culture of caring’
Nexus, launched in 2019, has yet
to transform into a true develop-
ment programme, however. Bell has
X-1 being the most famous. But “I really don’t compare myself several options on the table: full- or
over the years it felt like some of and look at those guys that much,” hybrid-electric powertrains, plus
that pioneering spirit had withered he says of his traditional rotor- an architecture that uses four or
away. Sure, there was the V-22 de- craft rivals. “We don’t compare our six ducted fans, depending on the
veloped with Boeing; but, aside strategy and vision against what range or payload required. Further
from that, Bell seemed to have be- they are doing.” variations are also in the works as
come a little staid. It was too cau- the airframer tweaks the concept.
tious, too reliant on the US Depart- Long-term outlook “We are evolving that electric
ment of Defense to keep sales just While that might sound arrogant or flying vehicle,” says Snyder, “but
ticking over. dismissive, it is not meant as such it’s not the product that is going to
Snyder’s approach has un- – you know that Snyder will feel it market. Right now, for us, Nexus is
doubtedly been different. First, sting like lemon juice in a cut should our way of saying that we have an
an automotive industry-aping Bell lose a contest to one of its rivals advanced air mobility system.”
concept helicopter, the FC-X, was – simply that his goal is to reposi- Snyder is also coy as to whether
revealed. Then Bell became the tion the company for the long term. Bell will actually fly a demonstrator.
first aerospace company to ex- That outlook colours Bell’s prod- There is, he says, “no firm date” for
hibit at the Consumer Electronics uct strategy too. Snyder says he a first flight and instead it is “con-
Show. And next came Nexus, as wants to get away from the crea- centrating on different aspects” of
the company’s futuristic approach tive straitjacket imposed by tradi- the design. He also points out that
to the urban air mobility (UAM) tional thinking about what a man- with as yet no roadmap in place
segment was unveiled. ufacturer’s range should look like: from the US Federal Aviation Ad-
And if that was not enough, the spanning a short-light-single at ministration (FAA) towards certifi-
word “helicopter” has been erased one end to a heavy-twin at the oth- cation for such vehicles, it remains
from the company’s name, part of er, plus everything in between. difficult to finalise any design.
a rebranding effort that Snyder has “The days of going through each For all Snyder’s push towards
instituted to transform Bell into of the versions and breaking down innovation and his embracing the
what he describes as an “innovative
technology company”.
So, rather than drawing com-
parisons with Sikorsky or Airbus
“Right now, for us, Nexus is our
Helicopters, Snyder wants to be
benchmarked against tech giants
way of saying that we have an
such as Google or Apple: “I want to
be a disruptor,” he says.
advanced air mobility system”

V-280 Valor military tiltrotor could form basis

for new civil model if selected by US Army
Silicon Valley ethos – where a will- vehicles to match the payload and after its model number – from SP,
ingness to fail is seen as a vital part range of current rotorcraft. to HP, EP, EPI and EPX – and still
of the development process – that Therefore, unless Bell wants to remains relevant.
sounds awfully like the sort of cau- cede market share over the next 10 While this will still undoubtedly
tious approach a regular aerospace years, keeping its current range up happen somewhere in Bell’s range,
business might espouse. to date is still necessary. there are signs that more disrup-
It is a tricky line to walk, though: Over the years, a product refresh tive upgrades are also being con-
do you rush headlong like oth- has usually involved a new avion- templated by the company.
ers are and promise service entry ics suite or an improved engine; For instance, Bell has since 2019
over the next few years, or instead witness for example the iterative been flying an electrically-driv-
adopt a more incremental, wait- development of the 412, a helicop- en tail rotor system called EDAT
and-see approach? ter that entered service 40 years aboard a modified 429 light-twin.
As Snyder views it, there is little ago but which has progressively That effort has allowed the com-
point being first to market if your gained a Scrabble bag of letters pany to prove both that the tech-
vehicle cannot actually be used for nology works and that it delivers
its intended purpose. the predicted benefits, particularly
“Just think about how long it has around lower noise levels.
taken and how much it has cost to Snyder is keen that EDAT is
get the latest rotorcraft certificat- brought to the market, but remains
ed. I don’t think the FAA or EASA tight-lipped on how this might be
will change much here.” done, beyond teasing that “we are
And this is where Bell’s pedigree working on definitely incorporat-
and history are very much to its ing that into a product.”
advantage: while start-ups may still Next to come through will be
be “figuring out” how to navigate the 525 super-medium-twin. The
the regulatory landscape, “we have Relentless has had a rocky time in
been doing it for 85 years: we know the decade since it was launched,
how to talk to the FAA”, he says. including a fatal crash and a sched-
Of course, the UAM market may ule that has slipped ever further
not fully blossom for a decade or to the right. All things being well,
more. Snyder is under no illusion it should finally enter service this
that the traditional helicopter will year or next, although Bell is still
Bell
remain relevant for some time yet declining to offer a firm timeline
Snyder: ‘I want to
“unless there is a huge [technologi- (partly because the speed of ap-
be a disruptor’
cal] breakthrough” that allows new proval hinges on the FAA).

Interview Mitch Snyder
contracts. Plus, a commercial de-

“Just think about how long it has rivative of either design becomes
financially so much easier when you
taken to get the latest rotorcraft already have an extremely strong
sales base on which to build.
certificated. I don’t think the FAA Nonetheless, Snyder says there
are plenty of options for its next
or EASA will change much here” civil helicopter regardless of what
happens in FVL, including the po-
tential for a clean-sheet design – it
The 525 should be a hugely ca- – to acquire Future Long Range Air has ideas in the works, he says – or
pable helicopter once it is finished Assault and Future Attack Recon- even something in the UAM space.
– the first civil rotorcraft with fly- naissance Aircraft, respectively – as “There are whole bunch of other
by-wire controls – but overcapaci- the service bids to modernise its ro- things in development that we hav-
ty in the oil and gas segment, one torcraft inventory with high-speed en’t shown yet,” he says.
of its key target markets, raises the aircraft under its Future Vertical But ultimately this will be driv-
question of how strongly it will sell. Lift (FVL) initiative. As you might en by what his customers want, he
While Snyder says the 525 will expect, Snyder is confident about says. And that, in turn, may well
be a “fantastic helicopter” in its victory in both, declining to dis- hinge on what the public want, or
own right, its genesis is enmeshed cuss a hypothetical situation where “how people in the future want to
with Bell’s overhaul of its design Bell wins neither: “I don’t ever think move in a clean world”.
and manufacturing processes. That about not winning,” he says. With traditional rotorcraft de-
change “laid the groundwork” to signs to remain relevant even as
enable the airframer to “go fast” on Market competition new markets for alternative archi-
other projects: notably the V-280 But winning one contest, let alone tectures emerge, having both “cov-
tiltrotor and 360 Invictus (the lat- both, is hugely important: thou- ered off” will stand Bell in good
ter also leverages the rotor system sands of airframes will be required stead, Snyder says, even if things
from the Relentless). for the domestic market, with export do not pan out quite as planned.
Those two designs are compet- opportunities a given, not to men- “It could look different, but these
Bell
ing in a pair of US Army contests tion lengthy service and support are exciting times now.” ◗
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ATS has the

Wright stuff
Boeing Australia’s first flight of an
unmanned combat demonstrator three
years after project launch has invigorated
the nation’s aerospace sector
Greg Waldron Singapore have been designed and built in According to Boeing, the ATS
the country for more than half a has a range of 2,000nm (3,700km)
century, following the Common- – 500nm more than the Lockheed
T
he maiden sortie of Boeing’s wealth Aircraft Corporation’s Sec- Martin F-35A now flown by the
Airpower Teaming System ond World War-era piston-engined RAAF. This endurance doubtless
(ATS) ‘loyal wingman’ was Boomerang fighter. reflects the great distances that its
a historic occasion for the Initially, Canberra invested A$40 combat aircraft would need to trav-
Australian aerospace sector, and million ($30.1 million) in the pro- erse should a conflict break out in
also symbolises the changing na- gramme and Boeing an undis- North Asia, where host airfields are
ture of aerial warfare. closed amount. This was to provide relatively few.
Conducted at the Woomera test for the design and development The front of the aircraft is essen-
range in South Australia on 27 Feb- of three prototypes. Immediately tially a large payload station, where
ruary, the debut flight happened following the first flight, Australia different noses can be swapped in
two years to the day after a mock- announced that it would spend a and out, depending on the mission.
up of the ATS was unveiled at the further A$115 million on three addi- Applications will include intelli-
Avalon air show in 2019. More im- tional examples. gence, surveillance and reconnais-
pressively, the sortie took place just sance (ISR).
2,000nm
three years after the programme – The aircraft’s wide fuselage and
a joint effort between Boeing Aus- centre-mounted engine also hint
tralia and the Royal Australian Air at there being ample space for
Force (RAAF) – kicked off. weapons bays beneath the wing,
Boeing provided few details Stated range of Boeing’s unmanned but Roberts is non-committal on
about the flight itself, other than to Airpower Teaming System – 500nm priorities for weapons integration
say that the prototype taxied au- more than the Lockheed Martin F-35A and testing.
tonomously, took off, conducted a “I think there are obvious roles
pre-set flight plan, landed, and tax- [for the loyal wingman] in terms
ied back to its original parking area. With a length of 11.5m (38ft), the of ISR,” she says. “But we do talk
An RAAF video suggests the land- ATS is roughly the same size as about this being an air combat
ing gear was not retracted for the the McDonnell Douglas A-4 Sky- teaming system… in terms of hav-
entirety of the flight, the duration hawk. The aircraft is powered by a ing levels of kinetic and non-kinet-
of which was not stated. single engine that Boeing declines ic effects. [It’s] not just ISR, but
RAAF capability head Air to identify, referring to it only as weapons and non-kinetic effects
Vice-Marshal Catherine Roberts a “commercial turbofan”. The air- will be things that we look at with
declared the flight nothing short craft will use artificial intelligence this particular programme.”
of a “Wright brothers” moment for (AI) to perform operations and The aircraft has a ‘digital twin’
Australian industry. The unmanned team with other manned and un- which facilitated its rapid develop-
ATS is the first combat aircraft to manned assets. ment. According to Shane Arnott,
Download the 2021

IN ASSOCIATION WITH
Wo r l d A i r Fo r c e s R e p o r t
FlightGlobal.com/waf

Unmanned systems Debut
aircraft, which includes high levels which will begin in mid-2021. Broad-
of automation. ly, Skyborg sees the development
Arnott stresses that the ATS was and fielding of relatively inexpen-
not built like a typical prototype, sive unmanned aircraft powered by
where a team of highly skilled engi- AI, teaming with other manned and
neers assemble an aircraft manually. unmanned assets.
“We’ve actually designed a real Pricing is a key metric. The USAF
production system here, which in- suggests that such aircraft will
cludes quite a lot of automation need to be priced from $2-20 mil-
Commonwealth of Australia and advanced manufacturing,” lion to be deemed “attritable”. The
he says. “The vast majority of this service’s Skyborg effort has also
aircraft is assembled by robotics attracted interest from General
and advanced techniques, so we’re Atomics Aeronautical Systems and
proving out that future factory Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems.
right now.”
Malcolm Davis, senior analyst, Formal acquisition
Unmanned ‘loyal wingman’ has been
defence strategy and capability Should the ATS move beyond ex-
developed for Royal Australian Air Force
at the Australian Strategic Policy perimentation work and become
Institute, contends that the ATS a formal acquisition programme
marks a step change for the coun- for Australia, Roberts is hesitant to
Boeing’s programme director for try’s aerospace industry. state how many the RAAF might
the ATS, that virtual aircraft has “This is a potentially transform- purchase, but states that a buy
already advanced far beyond its ative moment for Australia’s aero- would be about “getting mass into
“first flight”, racking up 10,000 vir- space sector in the sense that Aus- our force mix”. Acquisition num-
tual hours. tralia has demonstrated an ability bers would be largely dictated by
“We have been undertaking ex- to design, develop, build and fly a how well the platform teams with
ercises, advancing the autono- clean-sheet combat aircraft – not other aircraft and its effectiveness.
mous decision-making capabilities just make components, but the “Quantity has a quality all of its
of the airplane in a future environ- complete platform, in just three own, so swarms of low-cost loyal
ment, and working with the Royal years,” he says. wingman-type platforms can ex-
Australian Air Force in the classi- “At this point it is simply incor- ploit numbers (mass) to generate
fied threat environment to look at rect to argue that Australia cannot military effect in a more cost-ef-
what’s coming next and making design and build complex military fective manner than risking a small
sure that we’re ready for that,” systems – be they UAVs, advanced number of very expensive and very
says Arnott. long-range missiles, or other mili- advanced F-35As,” says Davis.
tary combat platforms.” “One of Australia’s key problems
Production system Some 35 other companies also are is lack of combat sustainability. It
Boeing has not specified the exact involved in the work, including BAE has insufficient forces to sustain
location where the ATS was de- Systems, Flight Data Systems, Mi- high-intensity operations – with
signed and built, but has said it is croelectronic Technologies, RUAG all the risks of combat losses – for
near Brisbane, where the company Australia and Sperry Engineering. very long.”
has an extensive presence. In addi- Boeing’s emphasis on ATS is not Davis believes that greater use
tion to constructing the prototypes, just focused on RAAF requirements, of automation across all the realms
the work involved developing a but on the US Air Force’s (USAF’s) of combat – air, land and sea – will
production system to assemble the Skyborg initiative, experiments for greatly enhance the effectiveness
of Australia’s defence forces.
But much work remains to be
done with ATS following its suc-
cessful debut. Arnott says a full
flight-test programme is planned
for this year, and that trials will in-
clude not just the first prototype,
but follow-on examples. A major
emphasis of the testing will be
teaming between the ATS aircraft,
as well as manned platforms.
“[It’s] the first time we’ve actually
developed an aircraft using a col-
laborative capability model from
an early concept to first flight in
just three years, which is a remark-
able timeframe,” Roberts notes.
“There is no better time to be
Boeing Australia
involved in a project like this,” she

Canberra has so far funded the says. “It reminds me of the Wright
construction of six ATS vehicles brothers and what they would
have experienced.” Z

Leonardo eyes structural reset

Italian group navigated 2020 with minimal damage, but
exposure to commercial aviation has hit one division badly
Dominic Perry London exposure, including to ATR, Airbus break-even in 2021. Losses in 2019
and the Boeing 787. stood at €11 million, but ballooned
Although revenues inched up in to €86 million last year.
C
onsidering the chaos in the aeronautics, by 0.1%, all the other However, chief executive Ales-
world in 2020, Italian aero- performance indicators went the sandro Profumo, presenting the
space champion Leonardo other way: new orders were down company’s 2020 results on 10
emerged from the year in 8.5%; order backlog was 8.1% lower; March, conceded that target has
relatively decent financial health, and EBITA plunged by 44.8%. now been abandoned.
having turned in a “robust and re- And separate out the figures for “We need to be realistic and rec-
silient” performance. aircraft and aerostructures and it ognise that due to Covid-19 our
Revenues slipped, but only by is clear where the problem lies. original restructuring plan working
2.7%, to €13.4 billion ($16 billion), towards break-even this year is not
with orders also marginally down achievable,” he said.
year on year, falling by 2.5%, to
€13.7 billion. EBITA saw a sharper
fall, however, down by 25% to €938
million from €1.2 billion in 2019.
But against the horrendous loss-
€86m
EBITA loss at the company’s
Operating losses are likely to
worsen in 2021, says chief financial
officer Alessandra Genco, as 2020’s
total included a full quarter of full-
rate production prior to the pan-
es seen elsewhere in the industry, aerostructures arm in 2020 demic hitting, plus a one-off settle-
Leonardo’s staying in the black was ment related to the cancellation of
a decent achievement. the Airbus A380 programme.
Revenues and profits were main- All the indicators moved in the The aerostructures arm is very
tained in all three of its core busi- wrong direction, registering dou- exposed to production cuts in the
nesses: helicopters, defence elec- ble-digit falls, except for EBITA, ATR twin-turboprop programme
tronics, and aeronautics. which cratered by 682%. and the 787, and, to a lesser extent,
But closer examination of the EBITA performance at ATR – in Airbus narrowbodies.
third of those segments shows which Leonardo holds a 50% stake Leonardo builds fuselages for
that all is not well there. Aero- – also plunged by 230%, to a €69 ATR at a plant near Naples in
nautics comprises two main reve- million loss. In comparison, the air- southern Italy, while it supplies 787
nue streams: military aircraft, such craft business saw EBITA grow by fuselage barrels and horizontal
as Leonardo’s own M-345 and almost 11%, to €355 million. stabilisers respectively from sites in
M-346, and its contribution to the Leonardo has been trying to turn Grottaglie and Foggia in the coun-
Eurofighter and Lockheed Martin around the fortunes of the aer- try’s ‘heel’.
F-35 programmes; and aerostruc- ostructures business for several Boeing is sharply reducing out-
tures, where it has significant civil years and was aiming to achieve put of the 787 from a high of 14 per
ATR hopes for better times after 2020 delivery crash

Turboprop joint venture ATR However, that is well below the 68
should hand over at least 20 aircraft shipped in 2019.
aircraft this year as regional Losses from the programme
carriers begin a slow recovery will also be reduced this year,
from the Covid-19 crisis. Genco says.
Deliveries in 2020 plunged by ATR’s backlog currently stands
85% year on year, to 10 aircraft, at 176 aircraft and the airframer
as the pandemic torpedoed continues to see “vibrant
demand. In addition, the airframer customer demand” despite the
recorded just six gross orders for “very difficult context”, she says.
the twin-turboprop. However, Genco notes that
But Leonardo, a 50% owner the closure of many smaller ATR
of ATR alongside Airbus, sees operators due to the Covid-19
AirTeamImages
a slight improvement this year: pandemic meant that a glut

deliveries will be “at least double” of used aircraft came onto the
2020’s total, says chief financial market, affecting demand for FedEx received the first of 30 new-build
officer Alessandra Genco. new examples. ATR 72-600 Freighters last year

Finance Performance
Leonardo
Company supplies fuselage barrels to the
787 programme from its site in Grottaglie
month in 2019 to five per month recover quickly”, says Cioffi, an are planning to do this even if the
this year. outlook which has pushed it to fur- timing of the [EuroDrone] pro-
While Leonardo hopes that the ther restructuring of the aerostruc- gramme and series production will
Dreamliner production rate may tures business. not be in our plant in the next two
climb again in 2022, it is in the in- years,” he says.
terim analysing with Boeing the Reduced headcount Meanwhile, a revised agreement
impact of the cuts on its Grottag- The headcount will be reduced with Airbus on the production of
lie plant “considering the costs we by around 1,000 positions – 500 vertical and horizontal stabilisers
have in the site which is only devot- through early retirement, and the for the A220 should provide a prof-
ed to the 787”, says general man- balance through transfers and itability boost from the second half
ager Lucio Valerio Cioffi. redeployment to other business of 2023, says Cioffi.
But because of its position as units – and factories rationalised, That agreement has been finalised
single-source supplier of the 787’s says Cioffi. and is just waiting for the signature
horizontal stabiliser, more drastic In addition, production plants of both parties, says Profumo.
action is unavailable, says Profumo. will aso be diversified, for example To support efficiency improve-
“It is impossible to consider some building composite wings for the ments promised by the revised
of the options,” he says. “When you future multi-national EuroDrone contract Leonardo has “optimised”
are sole source on the 787 you are military unmanned air vehicle at its Foggia site, says Cioffi.
sole source: without us the 787 Grottaglie. It represents “our commitment to
does not exist.” However, Cioffi notes that move fix economic and financial perfor-
In Leonardo’s view, the “market will not solve the under-utilisation mance issues” related to the pro-
for commercial aviation will not of the site in the short term: “We gramme, he says. ◗
Nonetheless, she says that the and ATR 72-600 at its factory in
manufacturer’s position as “market Pomigliano d’Arco near Naples in
leader” will be in reinforced as the south of Italy.
“the other platforms that were Lucio Valerio Cioffi, Leonardo
competitors have somewhat general manager, says that the
disappeared from the scene”. company is investing in automated
While Genco did not name the manufacturing systems at the site,
rival platform to which she was which will reduce by one-third the
referring, earlier this year De time taken to build each fuselage,
Havilland Canada announced that aiding profitability.
it was pausing production of the He says ATR’s backlog is “based
competing Dash 8-400 at the end on strong customers”, pointing to
of the first half, once its current freight carrier FedEx, which last
backlog is depleted. year received the first of 30 new-
Last year, however, De Havilland build ATR 72-600 Freighters.
Canada out-delivered ATR, Leonardo also continues to work
shipping 11 examples. on “green technologies” that could
Leonardo builds the aluminium provide “innovative solutions” for
fuselage for each ATR 42-600 future ATR products, says Cioffi.

US Air Force
A Boeing B-1B underwent rapid ‘hot refuelling’

after its arrival in Powidz, Poland on 12 March
Fuelling uncertainty
Allies and adversaries should get used to the sight of pop-up
bomber detachments in new locations, US Air Force says
Garrett Reim Los Angeles Such Bomber Task Force deploy- “We can be present in the thea-
ments, which typically start from tre at almost any time, and adver-
air bases in the continental USA, saries can’t necessarily predict that
U
S Air Force (USAF) bomb- mark a departure from the USAF’s timing,” says Caitlin Lee, a political
ers are touching down in former practice of maintaining a scientist and an associate director
new places. In February, for continual presence at forward bas- for the Acquisition and Technolo-
the first time ever, a Boeing es like Andersen AFB in Guam and gy Policy Center at Rand Corpora-
B-1B landed in India, to participate RAF Fairford in the UK. tion. “That may put an element of
in the Aero India show at Yelahanka caution into an adversary’s deci-
air base near Bengaluru. Into the paradox sion-making about what it’s going
Late the same month, four of the The flights are part of the Depart- to do in its backyard.”
supersonic type were temporarily ment of Defense’s (DoD’s) new Dy- But while such flights could dis-
deployed to Norway from Dyess namic Force Employment strategy, suade China and Russia from us-
AFB, Texas, for several weeks of which realises a paradox: US forces ing so-called “gray zone” tactics
training, which also included mak- should be strategically predictable, – a form of aggression that re-
ing a debut landing in Poland. but operationally unpredictable. mains below a threshold where the
Expect more surprise visits “Predictable in the sense that our USA and its allies would be likely
from B-1Bs, Boeing B-52Hs and adversaries know if they cross a to react – the unpredictability of
Northrop Grumman B-2s, General certain line we will respond, and we Dynamic Force Employment has
Timothy Ray, commander of Air have the will and capability to do potential drawbacks. Allies accus-
Force Global Strike Command, so,” says Mark Gunzinger, director of tomed to the routine presence of
said at the Air Force Association’s future aerospace concepts and ca- US bombers in their region need to
Virtual Aerospace Warfare Sym- pabilities assessments at The Mitch- be reassured of Washington’s com-
posium in February. ell Institute for Aerospace Studies. mitment to their defence. And the
“We’re just hitting our stride,” he “Unpredictable in the sense that an air force also must be careful that
says. “More options are on the ta- adversary will not know how, when, its deployments do not accidental-
ble. We’re going to work them.” or where we might respond.” ly escalate tensions.

Defence Strategy
“The current training with the US “When we left the continuous Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota
Bomber Task Force will increase bomber presence, and began to flew over the Black Sea, just south
the level of our own forces to inte- operate this way, it actually built of the Russian border, alongside
grate and operate with our nearest our readiness because we’re not Ukrainian RAC MiG-29 and Sukhoi
allies,” says Lieutenant General Yn- stuck in one place without great Su-27 fighters.
gve Odlo, chief of the Norwegian training resources for a long period A B-1B’s arrival in Powidz, Poland
joint headquarters. of time,” Ray says. Noting that air- on 12 March saw it undergo ‘hot re-
“Since 2014, the security situa- crew readiness is at its highest level fuelling’ – a practice which reduces
tion in Europe has changed quite in the command’s history, he adds: an aircraft’s time on the ground and
dramatically,” he notes, referring to “The morale of the team is really vulnerability to potential attack.
Russia’s annexation of the Crimea high. They enjoy doing this.” “Proving the rapid refuelling
region from Ukraine. “This is a nat- concept in Poland, working along-
ural part of that, to be able to oper- Effective statements side some of our closest allies,
ate and defend our own territory.” To underscore their unpredictable speaks for itself,” says General Jeff
The DoD’s Global Operating nature, bomber flights to foreign Harrigian, commander of US Air
Model is designed to allow the US countries are periodic, and some- Forces in Europe and Africa. “Our
military to swiftly react to aggres- times extremely brief. bombers can get after the mission
sion anywhere in the world. Intelli- “Several months ago, we put anytime, anywhere.”
gence, surveillance and reconnais- a couple of B-1s on the ramp at While it is high-profile, it is un-
sance aircraft and satellites can Prince Sultan air base [in Saudi clear whether the Dynamic Force
discover suspicious activity, while Arabia], just for a few hours. That Employment strategy will deter
forward-deployed Lockheed Mar- was a very effective statement,” potential Chinese or Russian ag-
tin F-22s and F-35s are capable of says Ray. The quick show of force gression more effectively than the
surviving in contested airspace. was seemingly intended to send a USAF’s continuous bomber de-
Bomber task forces would pro- message to Iran. ployments of old.
vide support, preventing an adver- Aircraft do not even have to “The million-dollar question is,
sary from locking in any advances land in an allied nation’s territory does it work?” says Lee. “Does it
they may make before the USA to make a statement, Gunzinger change how the adversary sees US
can mount a full response. notes. In May, two B-1Bs from capabilities and intentions?” ◗
Online crackdown underscores Beijing’s desire for secrecy

Greg Waldron Singapore A report in the nationalistic including the Chengdu J-20
Global Times was equally fighter and Xian Y-20 strategic
blunt, warning enthusiasts “not transport largely through local
In contrast to Washington’s to become tools of overseas social media platforms such as
deliberately high-profile strategic intelligence agencies”. Weibo and WeChat, and Chinese-
bomber deployments, Beijing has It cited the appearance on social language blogs.
moved to rein in discussion about media of a weapon that has yet Several accounts have recently
its military technology advances to enter service as having offered been suspended, including one
on domestic social media. foreign intelligence agencies an with four million followers.
News of the crackdown was easy coup. Images and video footage of the
posted on a Weibo account Last October, a video was stealthy J-20’s early test campaign
associated with the PLA Daily: the posted showing a Xian H-6N at Chengdu airfield emerged
official newspaper of the People’s carrying what appeared to be online from late 2010, even before
Liberation Army. an air-launched ballistic missile Beijing had acknowledged the
“If you love national defence, you on its centreline. This followed type’s existence.
need a sense of confidentiality,” it speculation about a previously Over the course of several
admonished enthusiasts. “Whether photographed modified concave years, enthusiasts also used a
it is intentional or unintentional, section on the underside of the window in Dalian’s Ikea store to
leaking classified information on bomber’s fuselage. photograph the conversion of the
the internet will do harm to the Over the past decade, western former Soviet vessel Varyag into
country and potentially lead to observers have learned of – and China’s first aircraft carrier, the
prison terms.” followed – aircraft programmes CNS Liaoning.
Download the Military

Simulator Census online now.
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Propulsion Safety
Fix nears for PW1500G problem

Redesigned bleed-valve ducts scheduled to be introduced
by end-2021 in wake of in-flight failures of A220 powerplants
David Kaminski-Morrow London
P
ratt & Whitney is aiming to
introduce redesigned bleed-
valve ducts for Airbus A220
engines by the fourth quar-
ter of this year, to eliminate a res-
onance phenomenon linked to a
series of powerplant failures.
Four instances of PW1500G
low-pressure compressor stage-
one rotor separation, affecting
A220-300s being operated by
Swiss and Air Baltic, occurred in
the period between July 2019 and
February 2020.
Engine parameters at the time
of each failure, and the resulting
damage, was “consistent” for all
Resonance phenomenon caused cracking
the events, says the US National
Swiss
of rotor blades in low-pressure compressor

Transportation Safety Board, which
has completed an investigation
into the first incident, involving a
Swiss A220 (HB-JCM). inquiry, the low-pressure compres- Investigators determined that a
The aircraft’s left-hand en- sor rotor blade tips could cause software revision to the electronic
gine failed as it climbed through turbulent airflow that generated an engine control, which altered the
32,000ft over Perrigny-sur-Arman- acoustic tone as it passed over this compressor’s variable inlet guide
con in France while en route to cavity, which is situated immedi- vane schedule, increased the likeli-
London Heathrow. Examination ately behind the compressor. hood of blade-flutter onset.
of the twinjet after it diverted to Operating restrictions – includ-
Paris Charles de Gaulle revealed a Bending stresses ing a thrust limitation at high al-
hole in the low-pressure compres- This tone excited a stage-three titude – were imposed on A220s
sor casing and the stage-one rotor rotor blade bending mode which in the aftermath of the engine fail-
was missing. was then mechanically transferred, ures to reduce the chances of the
Investigators conducted multiple through the low-pressure com- phenomenon being initiated, and
tests, including computational fluid pressor module, to the stage-one amended engine-control software
dynamic and acoustics analysis to rotor – generating a bending mode was also introduced to restore the
identify the cause of the failure. in that rotor which exceeded the original vane schedule.
These tests identified a mechan- stress limits on its blades. But P&W is also modifying the
ically-coupled mode excitation The stresses created cracks in geometry of the 2.5 bleed-valve
between the stage-one and stage- the blade root and rotor which duct, says the inquiry, in order to
three rotors of the low-pressure worsened until the rotor failed increase frequency margins and
compressor, driven by an “acoustic from overload. eradicate the problematic resonant
coincidence” with the 2.5 bleed- Three of the A220 engine fail- response. The inquiry adds that
valve duct cavity. ures involved the PW1524 variant the redesigned hardware is sched-
At high engine speeds in specif- of the powerplant, while the other uled to become available by the
ic operating conditions, says the occurred to a PW1521. fourth quarter. ◗
Harness the power of analytics with

CAE RiseTM IRUPRUHH΍HFWLYHSLORWWUDLQLQJ

Technology Development
shape and use, or not, of canards.

Pipistrel goes into However, the composite wing and
fuselage remains the same for
each design.
bat for hydrogen While details are being kept
under wraps, Pipistrel says the
Miniliner’s main suppliers have
been signed up, along with a pair
More famous for its lightweight of undisclosed airlines – one in
France, the other in Ireland – that
two-seaters, Slovenian airframer will serve as customer advisers for
the programme.
is now seeking a bigger challenge Tomazic says the optimum
maximum take-off weight will be
around 8,500-9,000kg (18,700-
Dominic Perry London Pipistrel’s participation in two 19,800lb), potentially slightly
EU-funded research and technol- above the 8,618kg upper limit for
ogy programmes, MAHEPA and CS-23 aircraft.
S
lovenia’s Pipistrel Aircraft, Unifier – the former including But he is hopeful that Pipist-
best known for its range flights of a hydrogen fuel-cell-pow- rel’s relationship and experience
of lightweight two-seaters, ered aircraft – have helped to in- with Europe’s regulator – not least
is nearing the launch of a form the company’s design and through last year’s world-first cer-
new hydrogen fuel-cell- and bat- market analysis. tification of the all-electric Velis
tery-powered 19-seat hybrid that “We are taking select lessons Electro – will enable a slight relaxa-
it hopes will revolutionise the com- from that and are putting the tion of the rules.
muter-category segment. knowledge into an aircraft con- “Even if we are down to the cat-
Dubbed the “Miniliner”, the air-
craft could enter service by 2030,
the company says, and will offer a
substantial cut in operating costs
against current designs.
cept that we think makes sense
based on how we see the market,”
says Tomazic. 100
egory limit, it does not make or
break the product,” he adds.
Programme launch
A programme
Between them Airlaunch
Canada is and
likely later
West-
Pipistrel says the Miniliner will be thisare
Jet year, leading
operating to of
55% a first flight in
the aircraft
able to perform short point-to-point 2028were
they andflying
service entry
a year agoin 2030 or
services between cities, boosting 2031, says Tomazic, although that
connectivity for underserved loca- could be accelerated if additional
tions, plus what it calls “microfeed- research and development grants
er” flights into bigger hubs. are received.
Power from the fuel cells will be In any case, the company is
sufficient for most departures, but likely to seek external funding to
Pipistrel Aircraft
batteries are provided to boost help it bring the Miniliner to mar-

short-field performance, allowing ket – including expanding its pro-
departures from runways down duction facilities in Ajdovscina,
to 800m (2,620ft). This, Pipistrel Slovenia, and Gorizia, just across
says, will allow access to 80% of 19-seat ‘Miniliner’ is envisaged as operating the Italian border.
Europe’s airports. short point-to-point services between cities Pipistrel’s analysis suggests
While the company sees the there is a total market for around
optimum flight length as be- 1,500 aircraft in the Part 23 cat-
tween 160-215nm (300-400km), Although other developers have egory; Tomazic says that “even
the Miniliner will be able to fly for already demonstrated modest a few dozen per year would be a
around 1,000nm on a single tank of range capability using hydrogen good outcome”.
liquid hydrogen. powertrains retrofitted to existing Although Pipistrel’s design and
airframes, Tomazic argues that the development experience is on
Return missions Miniliner’s clean-sheet design sets small aircraft, Tomazic believes it
“It will be able to fly three return it apart. will be able to make the step up
missions before you need to re- “We are making sure the air- to a bigger size class and to an all-
plenish the hydrogen fuel,” says frame has all the attributes that the new powertrain.
Tine Tomazic, Pipistrel chief tech- powertrain and batteries need; we “Take into account that we have
nical officer. are building it around the best ele- been present in electrification for
Overall, the aircraft will have ments of the new propulsion sys- a long time – possibly longer than
around 2MW of installed power, tem,” he says. most people – I think we have
making it “quite sporty”, he says. “We think we will have first-mov- a pretty good understanding of
Operating costs should be 40% er advantages because of our un- where the complexities are and we
lower than current CS-23-catego- derstanding of the powertrain.” are confident of how we are ap-
ry commuter aircraft on a per-seat Three different aircraft designs proaching them.
basis, says Tomazic: “We want this are currently being evaluated “We have always preferred our
aircraft to be a money-maker, not – each one of which features a challenges to be bigger rather
just cleaner than today’s airplanes.” different engine configuration, tail than smaller.” ◗

Blue Barron Photo/Shutterstock
Research aims to deliver efficiencies for

future aircraft, including 737 replacement
Engines stay core for NASA

US aeronautics agency launches effort to mature
technologies for more fuel-efficient future powerplant
Jon Hemmerdinger Tampa that 10-20% of a turbofan’s power and in February issued a draft re-
can be extracted as electricity. quest seeking more industry collab-
N
That last goal can enable orators. The agency hopes to split
ASA has launched a re- “more-electric” aircraft, meaning HyTEC’s cost with partners.
search effort aimed at traditional aircraft systems – typi- Boeing has not disclosed any
squeezing 5-10% more fuel cally those using pneumatic or hy- firm plans to develop a new com-
efficiency out of turbofan draulic actuation – are replaced with mercial aircraft but has said it is
cores, with the goal of developing lighter, simpler electric systems that examining whether to launch a
engines for future commercial air- are also easier to maintain. mid-sized jet. However, the tim-
craft, possibly including an eventual ing remains uncertain owing to
Boeing 737 replacement. Efficiency target factors including the pandemic,
The agency launched the $191 “We do think we can make a pretty though some analysts suspect the
million effort, called Hybrid Ther- big jump in fuel burn… by making Chicago-headquartered airframer
mally Efficient Core (HyTEC), the core smaller,” says HyTEC pro- might aim to bring a new aircraft
about one year ago with the goal ject manager Tony Nerone. “This is to market in the early 2030s. Air-
of developing a “high-power-den- all targeted toward the future airbus will also, at some point, need
sity” turbofan core. craft – eventually, a replacement to develop a replacement for its
Such a core could benefit sin- for the 737, in 10-plus years.” A320neo-family aircraft.
gle-aisle aircraft entering service Nerone clarifies that NASA is not The HyTEC team aims to build
in the “early 2030s”, according to working with Boeing on the pro- and demonstrate advanced turbo-
NASA documents. ject. Partners will primarily include fan cores by the end of 2026. “The
HyTEC’s other goals include in- engine companies, and technology engine companies would take it
creasing an engine’s bypass ratio to developed could benefit all aircraft from there,” Nerone says.
15% – up from around 12% today – makers, not just the US airframer. He thinks HyTEC’s findings,
and its pressure ratio to about 50%. NASA has, however, lined up GE combined with other engine im-
In addition, it seeks to demonstrate Aviation and Honeywell as partners, provements, could enable the next

Propulsion Technology
turbofan to be up to 20% more ef- resistant and less subject to expan- Those tests will help NASA build
ficient than current models. sion. They are studying ceramic ma- models and other tools that will aid
HyTEC is among several projects trix composites and advanced coat- demonstrations with GE that are
within NASA’s Advanced Air Vehi- ings, developing cooling techniques scheduled to take place in about
cles Program. Other initiatives in- and working to ensure smaller three years, also at Glenn. The GE
clude the development of trussed- blades and vanes can handle stress- work will involve testing how an
brace wings, high-rate composite es. Gaps within the core – such as engine operates with 10-20% of its
manufacturing technologies, and those between blades themselves power extracted as electricity.
electric propulsion, Nerone says. and the blades and the housing – “If we can demonstrate 20% [ex-
The project remains in a “for- also present challenges. traction] we are opening the door
mulation stage”, meaning aspects for hybrid and electric technologies
could still be tweaked. But Nerone Negative effect down the road,” Nerone says.
expects HyTEC will become an of- “If you make the blade half the By comparison, Boeing 787s
ficial NASA project this summer, height, and have the same clear- draw approximately 5% of engine
following a high-level review. ance, that clearance has a much power as electricity.
Shrinking a turbofan’s core in- more negative effect,” Nerone says. NASA views HyTEC as critical
creases its bypass ratio, which im- “You have to find a way to shrink to helping the USA secure an en-
proves efficiency. But engine mak- that clearance the same percent gine-technology lead amid increas-
ers have already reduced core size you shrunk the blade. ing aerospace competitive threats,
as much as possible with available “This is going to take some pretty including those from China.
technology. They will need new significant technological jumps to “Our goal with this project, and
materials and designs to make fur- make it happen,” he adds. this subsonic strategy in general, is
ther improvements. HyTEC’s work with Honeywell in- to really strengthen US industry in
Shrinking a core is not as easy cludes low-pressure turbine tech- this field,” says Nerone. “Working
as just reducing the size of com- nology development, followed by with industry, [we] can make sure
ponents. Smaller cores are hotter, turbine tests to take place in 2022 that the US industry does maintain
meaning engineers must use ad- at NASA’s Glenn Research Center that leadership, and that our en-
vanced materials that are more heat in Ohio, Nerone says. gines and our aircraft are the best.” ◗
Safran spools up research into ‘disruptive’ propulsion

Dominic Perry London featured twin counter-rotating fans and was sized to
deliver 10t of thrust with a bypass ratio of 30:1.
A next-generation engine will offer a fuel-burn
Meanwhile, Safran and GE Aviation, its partner in improvement of “over 20%”, he says, and be able to
the CFM International joint venture, are preparing burn 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF); current
the technologies required for a next-generation CFM56 and Leap powerplants can burn up to 50%.
commercial aircraft engine – expected to enter To encourage the uptake of SAF, the European
service in the mid-2030s – that would cut fuel burn Commission is considering proposals to mandate
by more than 20%. that all airlines operating flights in
Olivier Andries, Safran chief Europe use a “certain percentage”
executive, says that the French of SAF. However, it is undecided
aerospace group wants to “be whether this will only apply to
at the forefront” of aviation’s short-haul flights.
efforts to address climate change, In addition, Safran is working
directing around 75% of its on electric and hybrid-electric
research and technology spending propulsion for smaller aircraft to
to this topic in the coming years. enable the company to “become
Eric Drouin/Safran
Propulsion will play a key part, world leaders in this segment”.

he said during a full-year results Safran has also secured a credit
briefing in late February, and work line of €500 million ($600 million)
is under way on a future project. from the European Investment
“Together with our partner GE Company has demonstrated an open rotor Bank (EIB) to fund research into
we are already preparing and design featuring twin counter-rotating fans “innovative propulsion systems”
maturing the technologies for a for the next generation of single-
next-gen engine for a next-gen aircraft [to arrive] aisle airliners. To be carried out predominantly in
around mid-next decade – 2035.” France, the project has four main goals, says Safran:
To reach the “significant” fuel-burn and emission maximise propulsion efficiency; optimise energy
reductions required, Safran is working on “disruptive management; develop disruptive technologies; and
technologies and architectures”, says Andries. integrate them into aircraft.
Although declining to offer details, Safran has The EIB credit line is available from now until
previously demonstrated an open rotor design for September 2022 and will have a maturity date of up
a future engine, and Andries says that the company to 10 years. Safran in 2009 received €300 million
will “capitalise” on that work. The demonstrator from the EIB to help develop the CFM Leap engine.

Co-operation Fighter
Friction in European fighter pact

Dassault chief unhappy with workshare details after Spain’s
inclusion in French-German combat aircraft development
Dominic Perry London If the one-third formula is applied missile manufacturer MBDA – could
to “even the strategic work pack- in theory construct their own future
ages”, an agreement will be harder fighter, but “the real question, the
W
orkshare and project to reach, he cautions. real challenge is efficiency”, he says.
management concerns “If I am told there is no leader in “We are working together to be
are threatening to de- flight controls it cannot work,” says more effective, not for the fun of it.”
rail the launch of the Trappier. If responsibilities are hand- Despite the challenges, Trappi-
next phase of the Future Combat ed to Airbus solely to satisfy nation- er remains confident in the FCAS
Air System (FCAS) being developed al workshare concerns “then it be- programme: “I don’t think that it is
by France, Germany and Spain. comes difficult for Dassault to play going to die soon, but I cannot say
Dassault Aviation chief executive the role of the prime contractor”. that the [project] is not at a diffi-
Eric Trappier says there are a “lot cult stage. That is where we are,
of hurdles” preventing an agree- Intellectual property but I still believe in it.”
ment between the nations to launch Airbus accepts Dassault’s lead role, Meanwhile, propulsion system
Phase 1B of the FCAS programme. he says, but that is not necessarily partners MTU and Safran – which
In this effort, Dassault is leading the case between the three partner signed an agreement in late 2019
the development of a New Genera- nations. That also applies to de- to develop an engine for the NGF
tion Fighter (NGF), with Airbus De- mands for shared intellectual prop- platform – are also working to ac-
fence & Space as junior partner. erty, he adds. “It is not between commodate Spanish firm ITP.
While initially a bi-national initia- Airbus and Dassault, it is between Olivier Andries, chief executive of
tive between France and Germany, the states.” Safran, says that now Madrid has
the inclusion of Spain last year has At present a single NGF demon- joined FCAS, “we will have to make
complicated the division of work- strator is planned, based on a Ra- sure ITP has something to do”.
share, Trappier said during a full- fale fighter, but in order to preserve Andries says he is “confident” the
year results briefing on 5 March. design capabilities German unions existing agreement can be broad-
France is represented by Das- have called for a second aircraft to ened to admit the Spanish firm, but
sault, while Airbus represents both be built, using a Eurofighter. workshare will have to be allocated
Germany and Spain. That has led to While Trappier says he has no “with the principle of best athlete”.
a dilution in Dassault’s workshare issue with the idea of a second “We do not want a new partner
from an original 50% to 33%, while demonstrator aircraft, he points out [to] take work where they do not
Airbus now has 66%. it would be built on the same pro- have competencies,” he says.
Trappier says he has “accepted” duction line and to the same speci- Safran is leading the design and
that reduction, but believes it is fication as the original example. integration of the new engine, with
essential that the “roles are dis- At a technical level, the French responsibility for its hot section,
tributed well” for the project to industrial partners in the FCAS ef- while MTU will handle the cold sec-
function properly. fort – Dassault, Safran, Thales and tion and engine services. ◗
Dassault Aviation
Dassault is leading the NGF programme, with

Airbus Defence & Space as junior partner

Leasing Takeover
A greater lessor
AerCap to acquire US rival GECAS, creating
sector giant with annual revenues of $7 billion
Boeing
David Kaminski-Morrow London a leasing platform with comple- The motivation behind the trans-
mentary customer bases with “lim- action is not “getting bigger for the
ited overlap”. sake of it”, he adds, but rather pro-
L
easing giant AerCap has Single-aisle aircraft will represent viding “attractive returns for inves-
agreed to acquire US lessor about 60% of the combined fleet, tors for years to come”.
GECAS, creating a leviathan with an orderbook of 493 new air- The deal marks AerCap’s fourth
with over 2,000 aircraft and craft – of which single-aisles will aircraft leasing business acquisi-
more than 900 engines, as well as account for 90%. Those orders will tion, following earlier absorptions
300 helicopters through its Mile- swell the proportion of narrowbod- of Debis AirFinance, Genesis Lease
stone Aviation unit. ies to 66% by the end of 2024. and ILFC.
AerCap says it has entered into Kelly says he is “very comforta- The combined company will gen-
a “definitive agreement” – unani- ble” with a two-thirds narrowbody, erate $7 billion in annual revenue
mously approved by the compa- one-third widebody ratio, noting and $5 billion of operational cash
nies’ boards – under which Gener- that “no-one else has moved as flow, says AerCap chief financial of-
al Electric will receive 111.5 million many widebodies as AerCap has”. ficer Peter Juhas.
new AerCap shares, plus $24 bil- New-technology aircraft will ac-
lion in cash and $1 billion of AerCap count for 56% of the combined Easy integration
notes or cash. in-service fleet, rising to 75% in AerCap expects the GECAS
Upon completion of the transac- 2024. This timetable is based on $1 acquisition will be “an easier inte-
tion, General Electric is expected billion of sales per year, but there gration” than its takeover of ILFC
to own approximately 46% of the could be “further acceleration to- in 2013, says Juhas. This is be-
combined company and will be en- wards 75%” if annual sales increase cause there is less of a deleverag-
titled to nominate two directors to beyond that target, says Kelly. ing component and “most of the
the AerCap board. “Combining these complementa- GECAS aircraft are already domi-
“This combination will enhance ry franchises will deliver strategic ciled in Ireland”.
our ability to provide innovative and financial value for both com- Kelly sees the acquisition of
and attractive solutions for our panies and their stakehold- GECAS’s engine leasing business
customers and will strength- ers,” says GE chief executive as “enhancing our relationship
en our cash flows, earn- Lawrence Culp. with airlines and significantly in-
ings and profitability,” says “Together we’re creat- creasing the scope of the product
AerCap chief Aengus Kelly. ing an industry-leading offering we have”.
“GECAS is a highly at- aviation lessor with ex- While it will “broaden” Aer-
tractive business and this pertise, scale and reach Cap’s “long relationship” with
transaction continues our to better serve customers GE Aviation, he adds that strong
strong track record of cap- around the world, while GE relationships will continue with oth-
ital allocation. As the recov- gains both cash and up- er engine manufacturers including
ery in air travel gathers side in the stronger Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce,
pace, this transac- combined com- and AerCap “won’t be captive” to
tion represents pany as the avi- one OEM.
a unique op- ation industry The acquisition presents “a
portunity that recovers.” unique generational chance to
we believe will Kelly says move the business forward”, says
create long- the deal is Kelly, noting that “as we see the be-
term value for about “buy- ginnings of recovery in the aircraft
our investors.” ing the right cycle”, AerCap will be “extremely
The com- business at well-positioned to take advantage
panies state Deal positions AerCap the right time of the cycle as it moves on”. ◗
AerCap
that the tie- for start of demand and at the

up will create recovery, Kelly says right price”. Additional reporting by Cirium

Aeralis on the up
UK developer aims to
advance modular trainer
product for nation’s
air force in
support of
future combat
air system
Aeralis
Rapid Capabilities Office commitment
has given project a three-year boost
Craig Hoyle London disruptive and innovative approach aircraft to support the RAF’s Fu-
to design, modelling and certifica- ture Combat Air System (FCAS),
tion processes”. Their collaboration including a manned Tempest fight-
B
uoyed by a recent high- also will enable the RAF unit “to er. Via its Military Flying Training
profile investment from the understand the exploitation poten- System (MFTS) project, the ser-
UK Royal Air Force (RAF), tial of Pyramid, our new open mis- vice currently uses Grob Aircraft
and with additional backing sion system architecture,” he adds. G120TPs, Beechcraft T-6Cs and
being sought via its latest fund- For Aeralis chief executive Tristan BAE Systems Hawk T2s for pilot
ing drive, modular training aircraft Crawford, securing the UK military’s instruction, and also still operates
developer Aeralis is aiming to take support sets a clear timeline to ad- some aged Hawk T1s.
its concept to pre-production vance the project, which originated
flying status before the middle of in 2015 under the name Dart Jet.
the decade.
In mid-February, the company Digital design
secured a three-year funding com- “The focus for the last two years
mitment from the RAF’s Rapid Ca- has been on putting in place the
pabilities Office (RCO), supporting horsepower to do the digital de-
its research and development activ- sign fast,” Crawford tells Flight-
ities. This was followed by an early Global. He says that as the Cov-
March announcement of a formal id-19 pandemic took hold in 2020,
teaming agreement with Thales “We really focused on the engage-
Training & Simulation’s UK arm. ment with the Royal Air Force and
“The RCO will support the re- the RCO, and putting in place the
quirements and design review partnerships and the digital enter-
process to gain an understanding prise, to be able to assure and cer-
of how Aeralis defines the ways tify whatever we design.”
in which agile, modular, commer- The UK Ministry of Defence’s
cially-driven aircraft design can commitment has been disclosed as
develop and certify a broad range worth £200,000 ($276,000) until
of future aircraft systems that the end of the 2020-2021 financial
could support the RAF’s ambition year in early April, but Crawford
to rationalise its future fleet,” the declines to reveal the total sum to
company says. be provided through the enabling
Air Commodore Jez Holmes, contract’s full term.
head of the RCO, describes the Aeralis believes strong potential
company as having “an extremely exists to create a family of training

Training Development
“This is a UK enterprise that has

a globally-relevant product. We
can offer modules of the aircraft,
facilitate agreements and establish
in-country manufacturing”
Tristan Crawford Chief executive, Aeralis
“It’s about preparing for the fu- Speaking about the project’s in-
ture and giving the Royal Air Force vestment potential, Crawford says:
Aeralis
options,” Crawford says. “There is, “It’s a fantastic time. Most of the
beyond MFTS, the need to prepare world’s western air forces invest-
Crawford also expects
pilots for Tempest and FCAS, and ed in training aircraft fleets, light
international demand
Aeralis is preparing a much more combat, small light jet-level aero-
up-to-date solution for that.” planes about 40 to 50 years ago,
The company has completed its and all those fleets are now ageing
conceptual design phase activi- and retiring. There are a number of sales agreements, and establish
ties, and is now seeking fresh pri- competitions, and that is growing in-country manufacturing.”
vate investment via its third-round every few months.” But with full designs yet to be
funding drive. While he declines to detail the completed, will Aeralis be able to
“The phase we are in now is to funding target being pursued dur- fly an aircraft before the end of its
raise the equity we need to do the ing the current investment drive, he three-year deal with the RCO?
more in-depth design of the vehi- confirms: “We are in discussion with Crawford says discussions are
cle,” says Crawford, who adds: “we a number of parties at the moment.” under way with potential avionics
have an aspiration to fly at the end and engine suppliers, and that the
of that 30-month programme.” Production facility company already has engineer-
The company has secured pat- Crawford says Aeralis remains very ing personnel in place among its
ent approvals in the EU and the interested in establishing a produc- 48-strong team. He also points to
USA for its common core fuselage tion facility for its aircraft in Wales. its use of digital design techniques
design: the heart of its modular The company expects that such and early engagement with the
concept. This envisions producing work would directly employ around UK’s military regulatory body.
multiple aircraft variants, optimised 200 people, and support a further “I think we are unprecedented in
for duties ranging from basic and 3,800 positions through the UK that we are doing this from day one
advanced training to operational supply chain. with the Military Aviation Authori-
conversion and aggressor use. “We see St Athan as being an ide- ty,” he adds.
al site for assembling the aircraft,
but also for operating it as part of Innovative processes
a training solution in the future, be- Under their newly-announced
cause the airspace around there is agreement, Thales will “develop in-
extremely supportive for that kind novative philosophies, processes,
of activity.” devices and systems to operate the
A leasing operator could acquire transformational Aeralis platforms”,
a fleet of aircraft and deliver servic- the companies say. This will “ensure
es via a defence aviation training that the training systems required
business, also offering slots to in- to teach pilots to fly Aeralis will be
ternational customers with a small- ready in conjunction with the mod-
er throughput of students or insuf- ular aircraft system”.
ficient budget to purchase their Aeralis in July 2019 announced
own assets, Crawford says. entering into a memorandum of un-
Unlike current types, he says derstanding with Thales, with the
the Aeralis jets could be easily up- activity “to evaluate concepts for a
graded or adapted for new tasks, common simulator system that can
thanks to their modular design and be used to support all phases in a
the use of an open mission sys- future flying training system”.
tems architecture. With its RCO relationship in place,
He also sees the family of aircraft Crawford says Aeralis will use Sep-
as having strong export potential. tember’s DSEI exhibition in London
Aeralis
“This is a UK enterprise that has a to promote its activities. “We really

globally-relevant product,” he says. want to show we are providing the
Multiple variants could perform roles
“We can offer modules of the air- UK with options in the training solu-
from training to aggressor duties
craft as part of offset, help facilitate tion space for Tempest and FCAS.” ◗

Opinion
Powering a revolution
The case for public-private co-investing
in next-generation technology is proven
and compelling, argues Paul Everitt
I
n the UK there are few sectors as delivering net-zero aviation, nota-
capable as aerospace of driving bly the launch in 2020 of the Jet
high-value, high-impact, produc- Zero Council and the FlyZero initia-
tive activity across the country. tive from the Aerospace Technolo-
ADS
But the future of this vital man- gy Institute (ATI).
Aerospace is on cusp of a new
ufacturing sector faces significant Both major international man-
technological era, says Everitt
challenges. Securing the ability of ufacturers and our network of
UK aerospace to generate future hundreds of smaller, but no less
long-term growth will depend on innovative and dynamic supply
successfully competing for the in- chain companies have an essen- accept that the UK’s supply chain
vestment in advanced green air- tial role to play. Beyond the pow- will reduce in size.
craft technology that will be devel- erful match-funding agreement With a joint commitment to 2036
oped in the coming years. between the UK government and or beyond and extra funding, the
International competition is industry, the economic case for ATI can help retain and grow aero-
fierce; for every business looking to state investment is extremely com- space in the UK.
invest, there will be multiple gov- pelling: every £1 of government The country is showing great am-
ernments laying out the red carpet. funding generates at least £12 of bition in driving the international
Plus, without state support, R&D private investment. climate agenda, culminating in its
projects will either not happen or hosting the COP26 climate change
occur at a much slower pace, harm- Supply chain conference later this year. The aer-
ing the UK’s competitive position. The regional spread of the sup- ospace industry has the potential
With the race now on to replace ply chain means co-investment by for a golden future in the UK, help-
old technologies and achieve public and private sectors in aer- ing to deliver on the green vision
net-zero aviation, government ospace immediately supports the that has been outlined.
backing is key. government’s levelling up agenda. Messages sent now around joint
As businesses invest millions to As a result of maturing technolo- funding commitments are already
research and develop the future gies and the need to tackle climate affecting company decisions, so we
solutions we need, they are also change, the aerospace industry is must seek to firm up the UK’s posi-
casting their eye to find the best on the cusp of a third generational tion over the next six months.
possible home to bring these tech- technology evolution, which sup- The economic case has been
nologies to market. A long-term ports broader sustainability goals. proved beyond doubt and now we
commitment is essential. However, while the ATI has so far need the financial backing to main-
Aerospace manufacturing often been hugely successful due to its tain the momentum that the ATI
leads directly from R&D. With that unique nature and the public-pri- has generated.
in mind, the UK must offer a strong vate partnership, the joint funding The UK aerospace sector is look-
incentive for companies to conduct commitment underpinning that ing to the government to offer the
their research activities here. success is likely to be insufficient international industry a strong sig-
Fostering a sectoral environment over the next 12-18 months. nal that we aim to be a global lead-
that is internationally competitive, Although the investment to date er in achieving net-zero aviation.
agile in decision-making, attractive has been substantial, it has not As one of the top four countries
fiscally and with clear long-term been enough to dictate an ambi- in the world for aerospace manu-
commitment is critical to that. Re- tious push into these third-genera- facturing, the challenge and the
member, our international competition technologies. opportunity facing us today is to
tors are doing exactly the same. Without increased funding we compete as fiercely as our rivals
The UK is now taking some im- are in danger of losing out to oth- will to be the home of new tech-
portant steps towards making our er rival nations and ceding our ex- nology development. That will
aerospace sector a major player isting competitive edge. If that is secure thousands of the high-value
in the international challenge of allowed to happen we will have to jobs for our manufacturing centres
across the UK. ◗
See p48
“Without state support, R&D
Paul Everitt is chief executive of
projects will either not happen or ADS, the UK trade association for
the Aerospace, Defence, Security
occur at a much slower pace” and Space sectors

Royal Norwegian Air Force

The US Air Force deployed four Boeing B-1B bombers to Norway
for the first time, including visiting Bodo inside the Arctic Circle
Markus Mainka/Shutterstock
Crown Copyright
Cathay Pacific has reported a

$2.3 billion operating loss for 2020,
as passenger revenues slumped to Fourteen years of UK Royal Air Force operations with the Raytheon
just 2-3% of pre-pandemic levels Sentinel R1 surveillance aircraft came to an end on 26 February
Embraer has delivered KLM

Cityhopper’s first of 25 E195-E2s.
The regional jets will replace smaller
KLM
E190s and aged Boeing 737-700s

Highlights
Israel has picked Sikorsky’s CH-53K

King Stallion to replace its fleet of 22
D-model ‘Yasur’ heavy-lift helicopters
US Navy
Rolls-Royce is poised to fly project

ACCEL’s ‘Spirit of Innovation’: an electric-
powered adaptation of the Nemesis NXT
Best of the rest
We showcase some of the other
notable events covered by the
FlightGlobal team between issues
V Almansa/Dassault Aviation
Rolls-Royce
Dassault performed the first flight of its Falcon 6X business

jet on 10 March. Service entry is scheduled for late 2022

May’s issue
Next month Will

supersonic
business jets
accelerate from On sale
development
29 April
phase?
Urban growth In formation

Our special Why new
report looks attritable
at the rising assets will
prospects have key
Boom Aerospace
US Air Force
for air taxi role with

Lilium
services US Air Force

The pace of sustainable aviation fuel’s development
is speeding up as airlines, producers and regulators
see it as a critical tool enabling aviation to make
progress with cutting its carbon emissions
SAF bet
Mark Pilling London announced their commitments to achieving net zero,
and many more set to follow.
Scott Kirby, the chief executive of United Air-
T
rue or false? Garbage, cooking oil, old clothes lines, is prominent and outspoken on this topic. In
and woodchips are some of the raw materials a LinkedIn post in December, he said: “We’re em-
that can be used to make aviation fuel. bracing a new goal to be 100% green by 2050 by
All true. And not just fuel, but sustainable reducing our greenhouse gas emissions 100%. And
aviation fuel. These so-called SAFs are being touted we’ll get there not with flashy, empty gestures, but
as an elixir that will offer aviation a way out of a big by taking the harder, better path of actually reduc-
carbon problem. SAFs have the potential to become ing the emissions from flying.”
a significant part of new approaches to enable an The problem for aviation is this is easier said than
industry that relies entirely on fossil fuels today to done. Today, the only fuel source is fossil-based and
lower carbon pollution tomorrow. there is no obvious way of quickly slashing emissions.
Historically, fuel has not been a big strategic issue Carbon offsetting is one option – and although this
for commercial aviation – it is simply a costly essen- does something, many see this approach as no more
tial, representing 30% or more of an airline’s total than a temporary sticking plaster.
cost base. It is also a volatile cost, skyrocketing and
plummeting in response to wars, global crises or, as Electric avenue
we are seeing today, a pandemic. Aircraft powered wholly by electricity are gaining
But that is changing. Fuel is turning into a strategic prominence. This technology offers the potential to
asset as the aviation industry, with varying degrees of deliver sustainable short-haul flying using aircraft
enthusiasm and reticence, joins the global movement with up to 50 seats in the second half of this dec-
to lower its carbon emissions and play its part in ade. Hydrogen fuel is another much-discussed can-
tackling climate change. didate, but that is thought unlikely to become viable
Most estimates say aviation produces about 2% of until well into the 2030s.
total global greenhouse gas emissions – but this may Most agree that the only realistic alternative power
be magnified by other factors, with research pointing source, especially for heavier aircraft, is sustainable
toward the significance of the non-CO2 climate im- aviation fuel. In its November 2020 report Blueprint
pact from aviation, such as NOx, soot and contrails. for a Green Recovery, aviation environmental coali-
The industry’s common target is to reach net tion the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) describes
zero emissions by 2050, with many airlines having a rapid and worldwide scale-up of SAF as “perhaps

Environment Fuel
KLM
KLM 737 engineering pilot Jeroen Kok, KLM chief executive
Pieter Elbers and Shell Aviation fuel operator Roland Spelt
the single largest opportunity to meet and go beyond CO2 that is absorbed by plants during the growth
the industry’s 2050 goal”. of biomass is roughly equivalent to the amount
The World Economic Forum November 2020 produced when the fuel is burned in a combustion
report, Clean Skies for Tomorrow, concluded that engine, which is then returned to the atmosphere.
“there is no ‘silver bullet’ overarching approach for While there are several terms used to describe
aviation’s decarbonisation, but SAF is a necessary sustainable or alternative fuel, the term SAF has
asset in the transition”. become a catch-all for non-fossil-based aviation fu-
The key word in SAF is sustainable – because this els. The first phase of SAF uptake happening now is
fuel is not pollution free. The improvement comes as being driven by use of bio-based waste and residue
a result of the fact that the SAF production process raw materials.
itself absorbs CO2, according to a recent report from In time these will be complemented with e-fuels or
consultancy McKinsey. electro-fuels. These alternatives are manufactured
“If you look at our product the reduction is up to with captured CO2 in a reaction with hydrogen and
80% on a life-cycle basis,” says Sami Jauhiainen, using renewable electricity.
vice-president, business development, renewable avi-
ation at Finnish renewable fuel producer Neste. Burning issue
According to ATAG, SAF can be described as While it is true that burning SAF causes the same
reducing emissions on a life-cycle basis because the carbon emissions as burning regular jet fuel, the
avoidance of using fossil fuel in the first place is key,
says Lauren Riley, managing director, global environ-
“We’re embracing a mental affairs & sustainability at United. The airline
has been using SAF daily on its flights at Los Angeles
new goal to be 100% International airport since 2016.
“SAF and carbon capture are the two known path-
green by 2050 by ways today for airlines to decarbonise,” says Riley.
“My vision for 2050 is 100% of our planes fuelled by
reducing our greenhouse SAF and significant carbon sequestration to mitigate
the emissions from the past.”
gas emissions 100%” The industry has been quietly working on SAF
development since 2006. The Commercial Aviation
Scott Kirby Chief executive, United Airlines Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI) was formed that

Fulcrum
SAF plants are identical to

conventional oil refineries
year by US aviation bodies including the Federal Avi- In recent months, Rolls-Royce has conducted tests
ation Administration and Airlines for America to foster with a Trent 1000 and a Pearl 700 turbofan exclusive-
the development and commercialisation of SAF. ly powered by SAF. “Our aim is to give the industry
“The aim is that blended SAF is a ‘drop-in’ jet fuel, confidence that we can continue on to 100% SAF
so no changes are required in aircraft or engine fuel certification,” says Simon Burr, director of engi-
systems, distribution infrastructure or storage facil- neering & technology at R-R. “The engines behaved
ities,” says Steve Csonka, CAAFI executive director. exactly as expected.”
“As such, blended SAF can be mixed interchangeably
with existing jet fuel.” Demonstration flight
This is the case for industry-approved SAF produc- Boeing flew dozens of 100% SAF test flights in the late
tion pathways today at blend levels of up to 50% with 2000s, but it was a Virgin Atlantic 747-400 demon-
regular jet fuel. Work is under way on higher blend stration flight from London Heathrow to Amsterdam –
levels that will enable SAF to deliver deeper carbon with founder Sir Richard Branson’s typical razzmatazz
reductions, Csonka says. – that brought greater publicity to alternative fuels.
Fuelling change
This year looks like being the year when sustainable
aviation fuel (SAF) production takes off. A dozen or
so commercial-scale projects have been announced
since the beginning of 2021, bringing a host of
new names to aviation such as Fulcrum Bioenergy,
LanzaTech, Neste, SkyNRG and World Energy.
Several of the traditional energy providers, such
as BP and Shell, are piling in too.
SAF can be made from a variety of raw materials,
Neste
called feedstocks, and several different technologies,

dubbed pathways. SAF plants look identical in size
Sami Jauhiainen says Neste has
and scale to traditional fuel refineries and cost the
been investing to boost output
same, upwards of $500 million each.
Today, the predominant commercial SAF makers
are Boston-based World Energy and Finland’s Neste.
The former is converting its refinery in California to replicate it in “strategic locations around the world”
exclusively make SAF and renewable diesel by late to make “lower-carbon fuels”.
2023, says chief executive Gene Gebolys. Neste makes SAF from renewable waste materials
Working with an undisclosed industrial partner, at its plant near Helsinki and is investing heavily
World Energy will use its experience in California to to boost its output, with plants slated to come

Environment Fuel
SAF development has continued steadily through- “We are producing a roadmap of what percentage
out. The latest breakthrough, which came in February, of SAF we can achieve at what cost, by when,” he
saw a SAF produced in a “lower-carbon pathway” says. “There are plenty of unknowns, but it is all about
power the first commercial flight with an e-fuel blend. putting a stake in the ground.”
This significant move was achieved with a SAF made However, such pioneers are currently something
by Shell from synthetic kerosene (from CO2 and of an exception in the industry. The adoption of SAF
hydrogen, not biomass) and powered a KLM service in air transport has been slow when compared with
from Amsterdam to Madrid. other sectors, which have latched on to sustainable
options much faster.
Regular operations “Aviation’s use of SAF has progressed a lot slower
Tests and demonstration flights aside, several than road transport’s use of sustainable fuel – it’s 15
front-running airlines have been using SAF for five years behind, even though the product is not in reali-
years in regular operations. ty any different,” says Neste’s Jauhiainen.
Cathay Pacific started researching the nascent The main barriers to SAF adoption have been high
SAF industry in the USA for use in its transpacif- cost and limited availability. SAF is three to five times
ic operation in the early 2010s. It was attracted to the price of jet fuel today. That will fall as SAF pro-
California-based Fulcrum Bioenergy’s strategy of duction rises and incentives for its use arrive.
“low-carbon fuel made from trash”. To secure access
to Fulcrum’s SAF, Cathay invested in the firm in 2014.
Others, like United and BP, followed suit. “The aim is that blended
Over recent months Cathay has developed a SAF
deployment strategy as part of its net zero commit- SAF is a ‘drop-in’ fuel, so
ment, says Yee Chow, the airline’s biofuel manager.
no changes are required
in engine fuel systems”
Steve Csonka Executive director, CAAFI
Currently the uptake of SAF is minuscule com-

pared with the volume of jet fuel burnt in a normal
year. Airlines used about 300 million tonnes in 2019.
SAF only made up about 0.1% of this.
But that is changing. Over the past year, SAF has
become a hot topic. “It’s a once-in-a-century chance
for an industry to develop new energy sources,” says
Fulcrum
Darrin Morgan, head of growth and investment at

SkyNRG, a Dutch outfit that KLM helped found in
Municipal waste can be used
2010 to develop the SAF market. “We see it not as a
as a raw material to make fuel
defensive activity but as an opportunity.”
on stream in Rotterdam and Singapore in 2023, SAF from waste-based ethanol by 2024. A month
says Sami Jauhiainen, vice-president, business later, a consortium of Schiphol Group, the Port of
development, renewable aviation. Amsterdam, KLM and SkyNRG unveiled SynKero.
At Fulcrum, municipal waste is the feedstock for its This start-up aims to develop an e-fuel plant in the
SAF. “The beauty of garbage as a feedstock is that Netherlands, to go live in 2027, using so-called
people pay Fulcrum to take it away,” explains chief “green” hydrogen made from water, renewable
executive Jim Macias. energy and CO2.
Macias says its first commercial-scale plant, in Meanwhile, traditional energy giants are also
Nevada, will go on stream this year. Fulcrum has becoming more vocal. Shell will play a strong role
announced another in Chicago and the plan is to roll as a buyer, distributor, producer and technologist
out SAF plants in Houston, Seattle, San Francisco, in working towards the 2050 decarbonisation
Los Angeles and New York. In February, a site was goals, says Anna Mascolo, global president of Shell
selected for its first UK plant and there are more in Aviation. It has invested in Canadian firm Varennes
the planning stages in the UK, Japan and Australia. Carbon Recycling, which will make low-carbon fuels
SkyNRG was formed in 2010 with a mission to from non-recyclable waste from 2023.
bring SAF to market and make it the “new global “BP and Qantas recently announced a strategic
standard”. It has five “Direct Supply Lines” under partnership to further advance their shared net zero
development, consisting of local feedstock, the ambitions,” says Andreea Moyes of Air BP. Qantas
refinery and offtake partners. The first, in the chief executive Alan Joyce believes SAF will play
Netherlands, will pump SAF by 2023. a crucial role in getting the industry to net zero
In January, SkyNRG announced the FLITE by 2050. “With this deal we want to create a SAF
consortium, a partnership with LanzaTech to make industry in Australia,” he says.

Rolls-Royce Environment Fuel
Rolls-Royce has tested engines

powered entirely by SAF
SAF producers are using the same business must be decarbonising aviation and policies should be
models as the traditional energy industry – including technology, feedstock and producer neutral.”
renewable sources such as wind and solar power – It is a common cliche around major industry chal-
to bring investors to the table. “Long-term offtakes lenges, but all believe collaboration is key to making
facilitate project financing – it makes perfect sense,” SAF a success in reducing aviation’s carbon footprint.
says Morgan. Offtakes is the jargon used where air- “Our ambition at Shell is not only to fulfil industry
lines commit to a multi-year fuel deal with producers. demand but help accelerate this journey,” says Anna
However, less than a dozen airlines have taken the Mascolo, global president of Shell Aviation.
plunge so far with such SAF agreements. The scale of the ramp-up and this collaborative ef-
While rising SAF production will bring the cost fort is illustrated by the sheer volume of SAF needed
down and usage up, policy change will be essen- to meet aviation’s travel demand. ATAG estimates
tial too. “There needs to be a highly effective set some 450-500 million tonnes annually by 2050. The
of measures led primarily by governments,” says
Andrew Murphy, aviation director at Brussels-based
sustainable transport advocacy group Transport & “Our ambition at Shell
Environment. “Aviation cannot decarbonise by itself.”
These rules, likely to specify how much SAF must be is not only to fulfil
blended with regular jet fuel, and financial incentives
for users, are in the making, along with the lobbies to industry demand but help
influence them. California, the Netherlands and Nor-
way already have SAF usage policies. accelerate this journey”
Mandated requirements Anna Mascolo Global president, Shell Aviation
Norway became the first country in the world to
bring in a mandate in 2020, stipulating that 0.5%
of all fuel usage is SAF. Its target is to get to a 30% World Economic Forum puts current output of all
requirement by 2030. sustainable fuels – used by aviation, road transport
At a recent government conference, several Euro- and others – at just 5.5 million tonnes.
pean transport ministers and the European Commis- SAFs will be an important part of aviation’s de-
sion lined up to support the SAF drive. It was timed carbonisation drive, and are likely to make up more
to influence the EC’s publication later this year of than half of the target. And most believe the current
its policy – called ReFuelEU Aviation – to boost the global crisis will not slow this drive down.
supply and demand for SAF in the EU. This could see “We anticipate that the pandemic will accelerate
a SAF mandate in place by 2025. the pace of transition to a lower carbon economy
Many other countries are preparing legislation that and energy system, as countries seek to ‘build back
will compel airlines to blend a proportion of SAF into better’ so that their economies will be more resilient
their aviation fuel use. in the future,” says Andreea Moyes, sustainability
“The time is now for governments to come in and director at Air BP.
help scale that gap,” says Riley of United. “The focus By all accounts SAF is here to stay. ◗

Britten-Norman Group
Project HEART includes development of advanced

autonomous controls for the BN-2 Islander
Dominic Perry London manufacturing of aerostructures or avionics and

flight-control systems. More sophisticated automa-
tion, lighter parts or highly efficient wings can of
T
here has been a raft of announcements about course benefit an aircraft’s CO2 emissions, but are
new aerospace projects in recent months, not necessarily a project’s primary aim.
all with UK government backing. Featuring At its core, the FFC’s aim is to “encourage the
snappy acronym-based titles such as HEART, creation of a new aviation system”, says director Gary
HyFlyer and H2Gear (to name but three), they prom- Cutts. “Environmental credentials run throughout
ise high-tech solutions to some of the industry’s en- this,” he says, adding: “Because of the size of the ve-
during problems. Lately, many of the announcements hicles [we are funding] we can get things into service
have – alongside the obligatory quote from a govern- and prototype zero-carbon aircraft much quicker.”
ment minister – featured prominent emphasis on the But the environmental aspect – to promote technol-
decarbonisation of aviation. ogies that will help the UK reach its carbon net zero
On that basis, you could be forgiven for believing target – is one of several objectives, which also in-
there was a flood of new state support in the UK, clude: increasing mobility, improving connectivity and
partly as a response to Covid-19’s impact on the reducing congestion for people across the UK; and
industry, for research and technology projects ded- driving technology investment to the country by in-
icated solely to tackling aviation’s contribution to creasing manufacturing and service opportunities.
greenhouse emissions.
But the answer is not quite that simple. Govern-
ment funding has been funnelled through bodies that “Because of the size
predated the coronavirus pandemic: the Aerospace
Technology Institute (ATI) and the Future Flight of the vehicles [we are
Challenge (FFC), both ultimately administered by
UK Research & Innovation, part of the Department for funding] we can get
Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (DBEIS).
Additionally, neither the ATI nor the FFC is express- things into service and
ly tasked with the decarbonisation of aviation.
While some of the more high-profile recent projects prototype zero-carbon
selected by the ATI, such as GKN’s hydrogen fuel-
cell-based H2Gear effort, explicitly set out to foster aircraft much quicker”
“clean air travel”, the institute equally backs pro-
jects that will improve the design, integration and Gary Cutts Director, Future Flight Challenge

Environment UK
No longer part of Europe’s environmental efforts,

the UK government is backing a number of its own
research and technology schemes. However, how
focused are they on the green agenda?
Flying solo Additionally, the practicality of using hydrogen

power for short-range flights will be examined with
consortium member ZeroAvia.
But Project HEART’s approach – and by extension
that of the FFC – is broader than simply looking at
the changes required to the airframe, avionics or
propulsion.
For example, introducing a new fuel, in this case
hydrogen, needs consideration to be given to its
production and distribution infrastructure – hence
Chris Noe/Shutterstock
the presence in the consortium of green hydrogen

and fuel cell developer Protium, and Highlands and
Islands Airports, which runs facilities in the north and
west of Scotland.
Capacity questions
Aviation provides a vital lifeline for
Scottish regional airline Loganair is also involved,
communities in the Scottish islands
to provide operational expertise, while Inmarsat will
supply the satellite connectivity for the work around
automation. But additional partners include Fleet on
The upshot is that technologies are not researched in Demand, which specialises in mobility-as-a-service
isolation, but as a “system of systems”. solutions, architects Williamson+Partners, and the
That holistic approach can be seen in Project Transport Research Institute at Edinburgh Napier
HEART, or Hydrogen Electric and Automated University.
Regional Transportation. It is an initiative led by Blue Michael Gadd, head of airworthiness at Blue Bear,
Bear Systems Research that was recently awarded says that the project is about finding ways to build a
£3.74 million ($5.14 million) – with the FFC’s contribu- “viable, sustainable aviation business” in parts of the
tion matched by industry. country where “low-capacity” routes are providing an
Under the project, Blue Bear and its consorti- essential service, such as those serving the Highlands
um partners will demonstrate advanced autono- and Islands region.
mous controls on a Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander That fits with part of the FFC’s remit, which is to
– technology that is sufficiently robust to allow spur the development of new markets for aviation,
single-pilot operations. almost as a public service.

ZeroAvia
ZeroAvia will conduct research into using

hydrogen power for short-range flights
Although electric vertical take-off and landing bringing its hydrogen know-how to the HEART con-
aircraft developers have frequently touted the poten- sortium, it is receiving a far greater chunk of fund-
tial for air taxi services to provide better connections ing, £12.3 million, to research hydrogen-powered
within cities or from a major hub airport to downtown, flight from the ATI as the leader of a programme
Cutts thinks there is a significant opportunity for larger called HyFlyer II. And fellow HEART member Brit-
air vehicles of between five and 19 seats to link towns ten-Norman is a core part of another ATI-backed
which are currently under-served by rail or road links. initiative called Project Fresson, which is looking to
“We could see that market becoming meaningful in the develop a zero-carbon powertrain for the manufac-
2028-30 timescale,” he says. turer’s Islander.
But he stresses that research into the demand side is A representative from
an important part of the picture. Aircraft are the sim- the ATI sits on the FFC’s
ple part, relatively speaking, but “I have always been advisory board, says Cutts,
of the view that public perception will be the final ena- enabling a “free flow of
bler. The technology can do it, but whether the public ideas”. But the distinction
wants to take it up is another issue.” between the two is that the
In other words, a project should look at the tech- challenge will not fund aero-
nology itself, how it can be utilised, the environment space technology projects,
in which it will be operating, and the attitude of those he explains.
who will fly in the aircraft: a system of systems.
The FFC has a total budget of £125 million – to be Emission statement
matched by a £175 million contribution from indus- But what has changed over
try – to spend in the period to 2024. So far, it has the past 12 months is the
£175m
creation of a new body that
is directly charged with
cutting carbon emissions
from aviation. Called Fly-
Zero, it is an ATI-backed
FlyZero
body with a vision for “the

UK to realise zero-carbon
Chris Gear leads FlyZero’s
emission commercial flight
efforts to cut carbon
Contribution from industry – to spend in the period to 2024 by the end of the decade”.
Unveiled in July 2020, its
one hundred “employees”
committed investment of £33.5m across 48 projects: will be seconded from industry and academia, with
34 sizeable initiatives to run over the next 18 months, DBEIS providing £15 million to cover staffing and
and 14 smaller, six-month efforts mostly around the overhead costs.
use of drones for Covid-19-related transport. Leading the effort as project director is Chris Gear,
Phase III funding of around £75-85 million is due to an industry veteran whose most recent role was chief
be announced this autumn, which will select projects technology officer at GKN Aerospace.
that can form part of a large-scale demonstration FlyZero is not wedded to any particular solution,
in controlled airspace in 2024, which Cutts calls a architecture or segment, but is seeking to analyse
“real-world use-case demonstration”. the best way forward and then marshal resources
While many of the vehicles in development as part behind that.
of the FFC will have flown “prototype missions” be- Gear says FlyZero’s remit is to “make an independ-
fore that, 2024 will be an opportunity to fly as part of ent assessment of what the right solution might be”,
the wider system of systems, including advanced air including the business case and industrial strategy.
traffic management and ground infrastructure. Due to report in December 2021, FlyZero’s first year
There is, though, almost inevitably, crossover with of work is divided into two partly overlapping phas-
ATI projects. While Californian start-up ZeroAvia is es: part one, the “concept phase”, will last four to six

Environment UK
GKN Aerospace
GKN Aerospace is aiming for “clean air travel”
with its hydrogen fuel-cell-based H2Gear project
months, while a “delivery phase” will have an eight-

month duration. “My objective at the end
The concept phase is intended to take the hun-
dreds of possible solutions and “drive it down to of the process is to have
two that we think are best for the [relevant] market
sectors and desired payload and range”. two concept vehicles that
Those decisions will then inform the delivery
phase where that pair of solutions – probably for we study in enough detail
two different sectors – will be further elaborated,
including the operational and environmental advan- to show they could go to
tages, and the potential benefits for the UK’s aero-
space industry. the next stage”
“My objective at the end of the process is to have
two concept vehicles that we study in enough detail Chris Gear Project director, FlyZero
to show they could go to the next stage,” Gear says.
Targeted funding This includes the recently-announced European

Should funding for the second and third years of the Partnership for Clean Aviation, which will build on the
project become available, the technologies outlined work carried out under the Clean Sky and Clean Sky 2
will be taken forward into flight testing, Gear hopes, programmes, and will pursue “innovative and impact-
pushing them down the road towards certification. ful research to ensure climate neutrality by 2050”.
But the UK’s approach is in sharp contrast – in scale Drawn up by Europe’s aerospace sector and the
and intent – to that of its near neighbour, France. Un- European Commission, there is now a Strategic
der the country’s Plan Aero to support its aerospace Research and Innovation Agenda for Clean Aviation,
sector, Paris has doubled its spending on research and spanning 2021-2031. This is intended to “accelerate
development activities to €300 million ($362 million) the development of disruptive technologies through
in the period spanning 2020-2022. simulations and integrated demonstrations of novel
However, this funding increase is targeted at decar- aircraft and propulsion configurations and systems
bonisaton, with emphasis on hydrogen as a preferred at the aircraft platform level.”
future fuel source. Three main avenues will be pursued: hybrid-electric
At the same time as the coronavirus pandemic and full-electric concepts; ultra-efficient architectures,
has thrown the aerospace sector into disarray, Brexit and technologies to enable hydrogen-powered air-
also threatened to cut off another source of research craft. The end goal is a “new breed” of regional, short-
funding for UK companies. However, the trade deal and medium-haul airliners for service entry by 2035.
struck between London and Brussels preserves British In addition, UK companies can also benefit from
firms’ ability to participate in EU-funded research and funding through the EU’s Horizon Europe initiative,
technology projects, says the ATI. which was launched at the start of February. Z

An increasing number of airlines are joining the
international effort to clamp down on illegal wildlife
smuggling, as the Covid-19 crisis brings the danger
of zoonotic pandemics sharply into focus
Air Trafficking
Control
Illicit trade threatens to wipe out some

of the world’s most iconic species

Environment Wildlife
Kerry Reals London
G
lobal wildlife trafficking has risen to become
one of the largest organised crimes in the
world, and airlines are unwitting accomplices.
As the global air transport network expands,
so do opportunities for traffickers to ship illegal wild-
life products across borders.
Not only does this illicit trade threaten to wipe out
some of the world’s most iconic species, but its po-
tential to spread zoonotic diseases means there are
Traffic
also human health implications. But the good news
– or bad news for those involved with wildlife smug-
Local taskforces work to combat
gling – is that the aviation industry is fighting back.
trade in items such as rhino horns
Five years ago, airlines and airports began signing
United for Wildlife’s Buckingham Palace Declara-
tion (BPD) – an agreement between the public and
private sectors to work together to shut down the lack the information – they need to know where to
routes exploited by illegal wildlife traffickers, by shar- look, where to put extra scrutiny, and how to work
ing information and raising awareness of the issue. with law enforcement.”
United for Wildlife was created by the Royal Founda- Taskforce members receive monthly bulletins up-
tion of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. dating them on the latest wildlife trafficking threats
and trends, as well as detailed alerts on specific
63
areas of concern.
“The more information that’s shared, the more
awareness that’s raised, the more people who are
trained, and the more initiative airlines are taking, the
easier it becomes,” says Wittig.
IATA joined the Transport Taskforce in 2015 and
signed the BPD on behalf of its members when the
Number of airlines that have signed United for Wildlife’s initiative launched in March 2016. Since then, scores
Buckingham Palace Declaration against animal trafficking of airlines have signed up individually, “representing
33% of global traffic, as was 2019”, says Jon Godson,
IATA’s assistant director, environment. “As we’ve been
Since then, more than 120 companies – including working over the last five years, the resources availa-
63 airlines, as well as airports and trade associations ble to airlines have massively increased.”
such as IATA and ACI International – have signed
the declaration and joined the United for Wildlife Endangered species
Transport Taskforce. That list is expected to grow as Alongside the drive to protect endangered species as
the air transport industry seeks to fly out of the pan- part of their corporate sustainability efforts, it makes
demic more sustainably, and protect itself against sense for air transport companies to take illegal wild-
the threat of future pandemics. life trafficking seriously because of its potential to
“Five years ago, the fact was that illegal wildlife spread zoonotic diseases. The Covid-19 pandemic has
trade was not a priority,” says Dr Timothy Wittig, shone a spotlight on this issue, with the virus strongly
head of intelligence at both United for Wildlife and suspected to have jumped from animals to humans.
partner group Focused Conservation. “But today, Potentially contaminated bushmeat – or meat from
we’ve worked closely with the aviation industry to wild animals – is being illegally flown into Europe
put wildlife on the agenda across passenger, cargo from Africa and sold in food markets, posing human
and express operations.” health risks.
Wittig designed and led the implementation of “Hundreds of tonnes of bushmeat are transport-
the intelligence-sharing platform that enables the ed into Europe every year, and it’s meat that comes
transport and financial taskforces’ public and private from bats, rats and chimpanzees so the risk of an-
stakeholders to share information, and then feed it other pandemic because of zoonotic transfer is very
to specially-vetted local law enforcement units on high,” says United for Wildlife Transport Taskforce
the ground. manager Ian Cruickshank. “It’s coming by air be-
Tackling the illegal wildlife trade is “fundamentally cause it’s frozen or fresh meat that’s time sensitive,
an information problem”, says Wittig. “The airlines and it goes to the markets.”

DHL
DHL seeks to identify illegal wildlife

products hidden in legitimate cargo
When samples were taken from bushmeat that “We wanted to make sure that when we signed it,
was seized in Paris, “they found that there was con- we would be able to act on it. We didn’t just want a
tamination by microbes and viruses within the meat piece of paper collecting dust,” says Teresa Ehman,
that was being smuggled”, says Godson. senior director of environmental affairs at Air Canada.
Unlike high-value items such as ivory and rhino “We wanted to be able to operationalise the commit-
horn, which are trafficked by transnational criminal ments and requirements.”
gangs, bushmeat does not generate huge profits Following conversations with regulators about the
and is more likely to be transported by individuals. importance of raising awareness in order to fight
“People aren’t making big profits, so this leads us the illegal wildlife trade, Air Canada started working
to believe it’s more related to ignorance – simply with the wider Canadian transportation sector to
being unaware that when you’re flying to Europe you spread the message.
shouldn’t be flying with this meat. This makes it a bit “We said, if we’re going to do awareness let’s go
more challenging, but it also lends itself to things like big and make sure we reach all the participants in
public awareness,” he says. the supply chain to get people thinking and talking
about a call to action,” says Ehman. “It takes a net-
Common understanding work to fight a network, and the more airlines, air-
IATA’s work on combatting wildlife trafficking is ports, freight forwarders and cargo companies who
supported by the USAID Reducing Opportunities for participate, the more chance we have of identifying
Unlawful Transport of Endangered Species (ROUTES) suspicious activities.”
partnership. Michelle Owen, ROUTES lead at non-gov-
ernmental organisation Traffic, says the BPD “has pro-
vided a sound basis for common understanding and “We said, if we’re going
action that the aviation industry can respond to”.
Part of IATA’s role as a taskforce member is to to do awareness let’s go
“make sure airlines actually deliver” on the 11 commit-
ments contained in the declaration. IATA has added big and make sure we
an illegal wildlife module to its environmental assess-
ment (IEnvA) programme, and five airlines have now reach all the participants
been independently assessed and certified as having
met the new standard. in the supply chain”
One of those carriers is Air Canada, which signed
the BPD in mid-2020. Teresa Ehman Senior director environmental affairs, Air Canada

Environment Wildlife
“They wouldn’t send an entire rhino horn with DHL

but they would cut it into discs,” he says. “When we
saw ivory, they would cut it up into smaller pieces
and carve it – sometimes it would be coloured – and
it would be shipped as African art made of bone.”
Another challenge is the sheer scale and variety of
illegal wildlife products that are shipped.
“There’s a common misconception when people
think of wildlife products,” says Roberts. “They think
of tiger skins and rhino horns and ivory, but the real-
ity is that there are hundreds of thousands of illegal
wildlife products, and they’re not all animal-based.”
This “enormous diversity” makes it “very difficult
for people at a screener level to determine the differ-
ence” between legal and illegal products.
Screening technology
However, technology could play a key role in improv-
ing detection of illegal wildlife products in the future.
United for Wildlife is supporting a project at London
Heathrow airport which uses advanced screening
“They wouldn’t send an technology to scan for wildlife items.
The pilot scheme is supported by Microsoft as
entire rhino horn with part of its AI for Good programme, and uses artifi-
cial intelligence to detect illegal wildlife products in
DHL but they would cut checked baggage and air cargo.
“It uses images to build up a database so that
it into discs” airlines can use those images to find rhino horns,
elephant tusks and any other illegal wildlife items
Simon Roberts Former global head of security compliance, hidden in luggage, which we’ve never been able to do
DHL Express previously,” says Cruickshank.
Kenya Airways works with local police,

customs and airport authorities
One of the founding taskforce members, Kenya
Airways, also realised the importance of collabo-
rating with other local stakeholders. The airline has
worked closely with the airport authority in Nairobi,
the police, customs officials and the Kenya Wildlife
Service to crack down on trafficking, says Linda Itin-
di, the carrier’s former manager of industrial safety
Pierre-Yves Babelon/Shutterstock
and environment.
The first steps the airline took were to introduce
a zero tolerance policy towards illegal wildlife traf-
ficking and to train staff to spot suspicious activities.
On one occasion, an employee who had recently
undergone this training helped intercept three Hong
Kong-bound bags containing pangolin scales which
had been concealed among wood shavings. The bags
were then seized by enforcement agents and the
passenger was apprehended.
Stronger co-operation across different aviation
Training sessions stakeholders and the establishment of regional
“That was one of the success stories we had, and taskforce chapters are the next items on United for
it was nice because we were right in the middle of Wildlife’s agenda as it steps up efforts to combat the
the training sessions,” says Itindi. “For me, it was a illegal wildlife trade. Each region requires a different
proud moment, as well as for the airline as one of approach, with the focus in southern Africa being
the members of the taskforce.” on preventing illegal wildlife products from leaving a
The fact that wildlife traffickers are masters of con- country, for instance, while the emphasis in countries
cealment is a huge challenge for air transport com- such as China is on stopping them from entering.
panies. Illegal wildlife products are routinely hidden “We’re busy implementing that model so that we
among legitimate items or disguised in some way can deliver the right kind of intelligence to the right
and misdeclared on customs documents, says Simon area,” says Cruickshank. “We’re also starting to go
Roberts, who until his recent retirement served as deeper in collaboration with airlines, airports and
vice-president, global head of security compliance at freight forwarders, so we're increasing the scope of
Taskforce member DHL Express. our operations.” ◗

The investment trainee pilots make
Skyborne
means they need to be confident that

jobs are available after graduation
Right time
to train?
Despite the industry crisis, many flight schools
say they are continuing to enrol students on their
ab initio courses, as they anticipate a recovery
in recruitment. But not all share this upbeat view

Training Ab initio
Murdo Morrison London
W
e are in the worst crisis in the history of
aviation and recovery seems a long way
off. Tens of thousands of pilots have been
furloughed or permanently laid off from
their dream career, and many fear they may never sit
in a commercial cockpit again. So why in 2021 would
anyone in their right mind invest a six-figure sum to
qualify to fly an airliner?
It is a question that splits optimists and fatalists.
CAE, the world’s largest ab initio training provider,
has suggested that – with demand for air travel likely
FTA
to overtake 2019 levels in the next few years, and the
Some training schools continue
pandemic accelerating the retirement of older pilots
to take on ab initio students
– now is actually the perfect time to start a course.
Several smaller schools echo these views.
However, UK pilots’ union BALPA is urging aspiring
pilots to think again about a cockpit career until the Unions representing airline pilots, on the other
industry recovers. “In this situation it would be irre- hand, need to ensure their members get first refusal
sponsible if we did anything other than warn people on jobs when recruitment starts again, and are not
to consider delaying their flight training at this time,” priced out of the market by newly qualified aviators
said the association last November. “This is not a pos- desperate to get on to the career ladder. They do not
itive picture for anyone whose heart is set on enter- want the supply tap turned on again before demand
ing this profession.” has fully returned.
Cynics might suspect vested interests at play. Schools For some training organisations, their deeds match
that have invested in buildings, staff, aircraft, and train- their words. The UK’s Skyborne Aviation has such
ing devices need to fill their courses to survive. How- faith in the ab initio market that it is trebling in size
ever, would-be pilots will risk those eye-watering fees this year. It is acquiring one of the world’s biggest
only if there is a realistic prospect of a steady job and flight schools, in Vero Beach, Florida, and taking on
attractive salary at the end. So, for training businesses, its 135 current trainees and 64 aircraft. Once the deal
talking up the recovery makes a lot of sense. is concluded, the combined entity will have capacity
for more than 400 students.
The mood at Europe’s largest airline-run training
provider could hardly be more different. Lufthansa
Aviation Training (LAT) last year scrapped its ab
initio programme, offering 850 students a full refund
or the option to transfer elsewhere as part of a
new “campus model”. It says there was little or no
prospect of them getting a posting with a Lufthansa
Group airline in the foreseeable future.
New deals
“No-one expected what happened in March [2020],
when we suddenly stopped [ab initio] training,” says
Stefan-Kenan Scheib, head of pilot schools at LAT.
“We planned to restart in April, but ended up stop-
ping until the end of 2020. We gave everyone the
chance to step out of the contract without any costs,
or we said we could send them to different flight
schools that we partner with.”
Skyborne
Unlike some schools, virtually all the students

enrolled on LAT’s ab initio courses were on a pro-
gramme sponsored by a Lufthansa Group carrier.
Skyborne believes that by the time many of today’s
“They didn’t have a guarantee, but there was a
students graduate, the world will look very different
reasonable expectation they would get a job,” says
400
Scheib. In the end, 160 trainees terminated their
arrangement, but almost 700 decided to continue
their training.
LAT is now looking at relaunching its ab initio pro-
gramme in 2022, but “the set-up will be smaller, with
capacity reduced to the demand of this decade”, says
Scheib. Of the breezier predictions on the pilot jobs
market from some of his rivals, he notes: “I hope they
Student places that will be available through Skyborne are right, but all the optimistic views we had in the
Aviation, once it has acquired a flight school in Florida past 12 months disappeared quite quickly.”

FTA
FTA has been able to keep up its flying schedule,

despite strict measures to limit the spread of Covid-19
Who is correct, of course, will depend on your released by L3Harris’s flight school in Portugal after
view of when and how fast the industry will recover, completing ground training.
and how many out-of-work pilots will seek to re- Others too are upbeat. Sean Jacob, chief executive
turn to their old jobs. A student starting an ab initio of FTA Global, established at Shoreham airport near
course this quarter is unlikely to be looking for em- Brighton 15 years ago, says that, despite wrestling
ployment before mid-2023, when aviation could be in with lockdown rules – which saw its Diamond and
a very different shape, maintains Alex Alvarez, chief Piper training aircraft grounded for two months at
executive of Spanish flying college FlyBy. the start of the pandemic – FTA has seen demand for
The Burgos-based academy, which offers integrat- places remain strong. “We have not really seen any
ed air transport pilot licence (ATPL) courses, has fall-off,” he insists.
about 230 students on roll, with the latest cohort
of 20 starting this March. “Our courses are filling up
nicely,” says Alvarez. Trainees come from 55 coun- “I truly believe it’s a good
tries, from South Korea to Brazil, New Zealand to
Uganda, and all are self-funded rather than being on time to start training.
an airline-sponsored cadet scheme.
Students are immune from
Long game
“The self-sponsored student tends to have a long- the worst of the current
term vision,” he says. “Aviation is a career where you
should not be focused on the next 12 months, but on market if they start now”
the next 40 years. It takes a minimum two years to
train a pilot, more likely three. So those embarking Lee Woodward Chief executive, Skyborne
on training now should have a view on what the jobs
market will be like two to three years from now.”
Another crucial factor is that many veteran pilots “We pushed hard on marketing and last year was
that are currently jobless will choose to retire or our best ever, with 46 students starting in March,
switch careers rather than face retraining or reap- June, September, and December,” he adds. “This
plying for positions once a recovery begins, believes year’s pipeline is also strong.” Although the UK
Alvarez, who took over the then-struggling school in has imposed strict measures to limit the spread of
2015. “Many of them are never coming back, so this Covid-19, FTA has been able to keep up its flying
will contribute to the demand for new pilots,” he says. schedule, with students and instructors wearing
Late last year, FlyBy, which operates a 19-strong masks and arriving at the airport only for sorties.
fleet comprising Tecnam 2002s and 2006s and Jacob shares Alvarez’s confidence about a recov-
Czech Sport Aircraft PS-28 Cruisers, also bucked the ery. “Historically, the aviation business has bounced
gloom in the market by opening a second satellite back from every crisis,” he says. He reiterates the
site, in Soria, taking on 30 students who had been point that the length of the ATPL course – two to

Training Ab initio
three years – cushions trainees from the current of the current market if they start now. In round fig-
downturn. Also, he says, quiet skies – Shoreham is ures, from point of application to graduating is going
about 50km from the normally busy London Gatwick to take two-and-a-half years. The world then will be
– mean “now is a good time to train”. very different.”
Lee Woodward, chief executive of Gloucestershire Training and simulation giant L3Harris is more san-
airport-based Skyborne, will not reveal from whom it guine. Demand for “whitetail” places on its ab initio
has bought its new Vero Beach academy. However, of courses – where students enrol without a guarantee
the various schools in the Florida resort, FlightSafety of a job at the end – is down by about half on previ-
Academy, owned by simulator specialist FlightSafety ous years, says vice-president sales and marketing,
International, fits the description of a campus with commercial aviation, Robin Glover-Faure. Meanwhile,
more than 200 bedrooms, a swimming pool, sports airline-sponsored programmes have “dried up”.
fields and bookshops. However, he adds: “The unknown is the rate at
which sentiment will return in the second half of this
Thinking big year. People are looking at 2023 or 2024 for the in-
Woodward – a former British Airways pilot who was dustry to be back at 2019 levels, but the jobs market
part of the management team at UK training school will be helped by a high level of attrition of current
CTC until its 2015 takeover by L3Harris – set up Sky- pilots, and less supply from the training sector. So if I
borne with his business partner four years ago. “Our wanted to be in the job market in 2023, I would look
mission was to build a bespoke training school, de- at starting training now.”
signed from the ground up,” he says. “We wanted to L3Harris’s main competitor, CAE, took a lot of flak
use big airline methodology, with the aim of training from out-of-work pilots after releasing a bullish jobs
airline pilots, not GA pilots.” market report last November, which suggested the
Like his competitors, he thinks this is the perfect industry would need 27,000 new pilots by the end of
moment to embark on a training course. “I truly be- this year, and 264,000 by 2029. The Canadian compa-
lieve it’s a good time,” he says. “You might expect me ny stands by its prediction, insisting that “age-based
to say that, but students are immune from the worst retirements and attrition” will lead to the shortfall.
72%
Proportion of commercial pilots who believe commercial
aviation will recover to its 2019 peak within three years
Until the first months of 2020, the industry had

been experiencing a pilot shortage. CAE says that the
“fundamental factors influencing pilot demand prior
to the Covid-19 outbreak remain unchanged”, with
retirements of older pilots, the decision of furloughed
FlyBy
pilots to turn to other professions, and the return of

fleet growth driving demand over the decade.
Spanish training college FlyBy has bucked the
Boeing last October also forecast a “robust” de-
trend by opening a second site in the country
mand for pilots over the current decade in its latest
Pilot and Technician Outlook, even though it admit-
ted that it would take three years for airline traffic to
return to 2019 levels. The airframer reckoned that the
industry would need 763,000 pilots by 2039, albeit
5% fewer than its 2019 forecast.
Pilots themselves appear to be reasonably opti-
mistic about medium-term job prospects. A poll of
2,600 commercial pilots carried out last October by
recruitment agency GOOSE with FlightGlobal found
that 72% think the industry will recover to its 2019
peak within three years. And two in three believe that
by the middle of the decade there will again be a
shortage of pilots.
However, the impact of the crisis has left many
jaded about the profession. Fewer than two in three
– 64% – would choose a cockpit career if they had
their time again, down from 71% in the previous year’s
CAE
survey. Only 46% say they would recommend becom-

CAE thinks the industry will need 27,000 new
ing a commercial pilot to a young person, compared
pilots by the end of 2021, and 264,000 by 2029
with 57% a year earlier.

Training Ab initio
In many ways, along with the veteran pilots who

fear they may never work again – owing to their age
and salary expectations – the pilots worst affected by
the crisis are not those embarking on training courses
now, but those who graduated during the pandemic or
will graduate in the next months. Lacking experience,
they may struggle for jobs even as traffic returns.
It is a challenge the schools we spoke to are well
aware of. FlyBy says it now guarantees its cadets
a one-year flight instructor job after its ab initio
course, offering 600h of flight experience. The
CAE
“Covid is something we Retirements and attrition are expected to
create vacancies for newly-qualified pilots
will tell our grandchildren

about, but not something a “structured refresher” each quarter and a re-evalua-
tion of their instrument rating at the end of the year.
that will continue Additionally, the organisation is increasing its pool
of instructors and has a sponsored instructor pro-
affecting the industry gramme for recent trainees who commit to doing
the job for two years. “That’s a huge relief for many
for years to come” of our students,” maintains Woodward. “We have to
work with our graduates right now to protect them.”
Alex Alvarez Chief executive, FlyBy
Busy skies?
It might be difficult to convince a newly-qualified pilot
company says that, as well as providing security for – her heart set on flying a $100 million machine over
current students, the scheme will provide “a suffi- continents and oceans, but filling shelves in a super-
cient number of quality instructors to support the market to pay back a steep training loan – that the
next stage of our growth”. near-collapse of commercial aviation is a blip and that,
L3Harris has launched what it calls its Current and before long, airlines will again seek out her services
Airline Ready Programme, promising cadets who and those of countless other unemployed colleagues.
complete their training that they can “maintain the However, just as after the first Gulf War in the
validity of their licence/rating and continue the devel- 1990s, 9/11, and the financial crash of just over a
opment of their professional competencies” for up to decade ago, passenger demand will come back, and,
two years or until they get a job. “It will position them with it, demand for pilots. Notes Alvarez at FlyBy:
to quickly gain employment when the recovery takes “I have yet to meet anyone who does not agree that
hold,” says Glover-Faure. Covid is something we will tell our grandchildren
Woodward says Skyborne recognises “we have to about, but not something that will continue affecting
do everything to help these recent graduates until the industry for years to come.” Z
the market returns”. As part of a “skills continua-
tion policy”, it offers former students who have not Download our latest pilot survey at:
found a permanent pilot job the option to return for FlightGlobal.com/pilotsurvey2021
Skyborne
Skyborne offers recent graduates refresher

courses while they look for permanent jobs

The year the
sims stood still
A spate of acquisitions by CAE – including part
of number three player Tru – has tightened the
Canadian firm’s grip on the market after a terrible
12 months when many devices were idle
Murdo Morrison London “align its resources with the outlook for the commer-
cial aviation market”.
The two companies have responded very differently
F
ull-flight simulators (FFS) are costly pieces to the downturn. Last November, Bloomberg reported
of kit, so, in normal times, they tend to be that L3Harris was planning to sell its pilot training unit
seriously-sweated assets, taking a breather for $1 billion. In the event, it was only the military part
only when being maintained. But these are far of the business that was divested, with CAE under-
from normal times, and, like the rest of the industry, taking to pay its rival just over that amount in a deal
pilot training has had a torrid 12 months. Simulator announced on 1 March. CAE’s largest acquisition to
occupancy and demand for devices plunged as pilots date reinforces its dominant market share in military
were furloughed, fleets grounded, and deliveries training and is due to close in the second half of 2021.
pushed back. Like the aircraft they mimic, hundreds
35
of simulators have sat idle for much of the crisis.
The two big manufacturers of airliner simulators –
CAE and L3Harris – reflect this slowdown in their lat-
est financial results. The Canadian company says “civil
training utilisation is well below pre-pandemic levels”,
with the devices in its own training locations operat-
ing at around 50% capacity during the second half of
2020 and into the first three months of 2021. CAE was Number of full-flight simulators CAE expects to deliver by
expecting to deliver 35 FFS in its fiscal year, which the end of its fiscal year, compared with 56 devices in 2019
ends on 31 March, compared with 56 the previous year.
Reduced demand It was CAE’s fourth bolt-on in as many months,

For its part, L3Harris took orders for seven FFS in with the Montreal-based group taking advantage of
2020, against 10 in 2019. In its full-year financial its market leadership position and a strong balance
results, the diversified defence and aerospace tech- sheet to drive consolidation, both horizontally and
nology company said the slump in the market had vertically – something it has been doing for a decade
“significantly reduced” demand for flight training and or more. Also last November, CAE announced plans
simulators for its commercial aviation solutions busi- to buy the Canadian-based commercial aviation arm
ness. This led to L3Harris temporarily closing some of of Textron’s Tru training business – the third player in
its facilities and launching a “restructuring” drive to mainline airliner simulators – for around $40 million.

Training Simulators
L3Harris
Like other operators, L3Harris has seen
demand fall due to the coronavirus crisis
Unlike its two competitors, which provide training

services as well making the actual devices, Tru is
purely a manufacturer of simulators on the commer-
cial side. After winning the contract from Boeing to
develop the 737 Max simulator – and installing the
first in the airframer’s Miami training centre in 2016 –
Tru had supplied around three in 10 of Max simulators
delivered. However, the grounding of the re-engined
narrowbody in 2019 had put a brake on its growth.
Strengthened relationship
Tru Simulation
CAE’s new addition comes with 80 employees, an

Tru developed and manufactured
installed base of some 60 simulators, and, as well as
the 737 Max simulator for Boeing
a production facility in Montreal, training operations
in France and Malaysia, and a minority stake in an
Icelandair simulator centre. In a message to employ-
ees, CAE said the acquisition would boost its order
backlog, broaden its number of airline customers, and
strengthen the relationship with Boeing.
Textron, which originally bought the Montreal-head-
quartered business as Mechtronix in 2013, is not leav-
ing the market – it is retaining its US-based Beech-
craft, Bell and Cessna training operation. However, the
move leaves just one other mainstream manufacturer
in the commercial FFS segment – US training provid-
er FlightSafety International, which provides regional
aircraft simulator tuition alongside its core offering in
business aviation and defence.
The Tru divestment follows CAE’s acquisition last
November of Amsterdam-based pilot training firm
CAE operates several devices at its
Flight Simulator Company for $83 million. That busi-
CAE
Gatwick training facility in the UK

ness, founded in 2005, operates a suite of mainly

CAE-built FFS, including nine 737s and Airbus
A320-family devices, a 747 and a 787, and an Embraer
190, operated in partnership with FlightSafety Inter-
national. CAE followed that up last December with
the purchase for $25 million of Merlot Aero, a crew
management software company.
In its latest results, CAE notes that the outlook for
the sector has improved since the start of the pan-
demic, reflecting “the benefits of a highly regulated
aviation industry and the fundamental requirement for
aviation training”. This gives many in the sector some
hope. Even with a modest recovery later this year, the
need for furloughed pilots to regain currency, or re-
train on different types as the global fleet mix chang-
es, could drive a hike in simulator hours.
Demand stimulus
“There will be a catch-up of delayed training,” main-
tains Robin Glover-Faure, vice-president sales and
marketing, commercial aviation at L3Harris. “Airlines
will also be changing the types of aircraft they oper-
ate, with pilots of the 747-400 or other four-engined
types having to learn the ropes on an Airbus A350
perhaps. There is also the return of the Max. All these
factors will give a stimulus to demand.”
The resumption of Max flights and deliveries after
almost two years should give a significant boost to the
market as recovery begins. Training organisation BAA
is among those planning to introduce a Max FFS at its
new Spanish facility this year, with the L3Harris-manu-
factured device arriving in April, and operational in the
second half. It will join a CAE-manufactured A320 FFS
installed in January, with other 737 and A320 non-FFS ambitions, it intends to continue with its expansion,
flight training devices to be added this year. which included the opening of a centre in China in
Vilnius, Lithuania-based BBA, one of the largest June 2020. The company believes that the Max’s
independent training providers in Europe, says that, return to service will push up demand for training on
although the Covid-19 crisis has “prompted dramat- the type at its Barcelona facility during 2021.
ic re-evaluation and readjustment” of its business Unsurprisingly, the past year has seen few high-pro-
$83m
file simulator delivery announcements. Among the
exceptions, in January L3Harris said that Air China
would be acquiring three of its FFS – two A320
devices and one A350 – which will go into operation
at the flag carrier’s Beijing training centre within 18
months. It is the airline’s second simulator order with
the Crawley, UK-based business, which supplied Air
China with an A320 FFS in 2017.
Price paid by CAE for Amsterdam-based pilot training firm The retirement of the last 747-400s from passen-
Flight Simulator Company in November 2020 ger service and the withdrawal of many A380s are
Denmark pays pilots to stay current

A Danish scheme that allows out-of-work pilots to
claim the cost of their certificate renewal from the
government is thought to be a first of its kind.
For laid-off flight crew who have been out of the
cockpit for a long period because of the Covid-19
crisis, the expense of keeping qualifications current
can be prohibitive – if there is no employer to pick
up the bill.
Tru Simulation
The Danish government has set aside DKr20

million ($3.2 million) to fund the programme,
launched after a campaign by aviation employees’
union FPU, which will now help to manage it. Any Scheme is open to Danish residents and ‘cross-border commuters’
commercial pilots living in Denmark who lost their living abroad who have worked for airlines registered in the country

Training Simulators
L3Harris
Narrowbodies account for more
than half of the training devices
CAE takes ever-larger piece of the pie

CAE holds around around 59% market share
of installed civil full-flight simulators and
training devices, FlightGlobal’s latest annual
Civil Simulator Census shows. That follows its
recent acquisition of the Canadian assets of Tru
CAE
Simulation, which accounted for around 4% of the

A modest recovery will increase
installed civil simulator market.
the demand for simulator hours
The latest Civil Simulator Census covers data for
over 1,500 in-service devices, predominantly full-
flight simulators. Manufacturer data is unrecorded
also leading to shifts in the simulator market. British for around 12% of these devices.
Airways said in March that Air Atlanta Icelandic, which CAE’s market share, including Tru Simulation,
charters passenger and freighter versions of the jum- rises to around two-thirds when these unknown
bo, would be taking over one of its three 747-400 FFS, device manufacturers are excluded. L3Harris
although BA would continue to host and maintain it at remains the second-largest provider of civil aircraft
its London site. Announcements on the remaining pair simulators, followed by FlightSafety International.
of devices are expected soon. Narrowbodies account for more than half of the
Demand for simulators will return when flights simulators and training devices covered by the
resume in earnest, but ownership models may census, and widebodies around 30%.
change as airlines adjust to a new economic reality, Airbus A320-family aircraft – including Neos
believes Glover-Faure. “I suspect there will be moves – account for around a quarter of installed civil
towards a more variable cost base, with owning cap- flight simulators and devices. Boeing 737-family
ital-heavy training centres becoming less attractive,” aircraft, across classic, next generation and Max
he says. With L3Harris operating in-house sites in models, comprise 22% of the market.
Crawley, Bangkok, and Dallas, that “trend definitely
goes in the direction of our business”. Z To download your copy of the census, visit
FlightGlobal.com/civilsim
Simulator share by manufacturer Simulator share by aircraft segment
jobs after 11 March 2020 will be able to apply for

up to DKr15,000 in order to pay for their certificate
renewal, as well as any associated travel and
medical costs.
The scheme is also open to “cross-border Total 1,551 Total 1,551
commuters” who flew for a Danish-registered
airline, as well as to newly-qualified pilots who
completed their training between 1 January 2020
and 30 June 2021.
Pilots will also be able to apply for the funds
retroactively if they have renewed their certificates CAE (inc Tru Simulation) L3Harris Narrowbody Widebody Regional jet
out of their own pockets during the past year, even if FlightSafety International Other Unrecorded Turboprop
they have found employment outside aviation.

Source: FlightGlobal Civil Simulator Census
The FPU says almost 1,000 Danish pilots have lost CAE’s domination of the market continues, with L3Harris and
their jobs during the crisis. FlightSafety International in second and third place respectively

Training
evolution
Europe’s aviation regulator believes
pilot instruction and operational safety
could be improved by using devices less
sophisticated than a full-flight simulator
L3Harris

Training Regulator
Peter Bakema/Wikimedia Commons

Concerns were raised after 2013
CitationJet incident over Paris
David Kaminski-Morrow London with a smoke generator, and found training for the
procedure on this type of device was “quite possible”.
BEA pointed out that European regulations on
F
or nearly 10 minutes after the left engine of a flightcrew licensing mandated the use of full-flight
Cessna CitationJet failed, shortly after take-off simulators to train for certain situations, including
from Paris Le Bourget airport, its pilots strug- emergency descents, whereas more affordable
gled with flight control and navigation difficul- lower-level simulators were capable of providing the
ties as the cockpit filled with dense smoke. necessary requirements, and recommended that the
Neither pilot had time to put on protective goog- European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) lift
les. The captain did not use the quick-reference the restrictions.
handbook, leaving the first officer unable to check Similar conclusions were reached after a Piper PA-
his actions. Teamwork between the crew of the busi- 31 fatally crashed in Toulouse in 2011 after developing
ness jet (F-HCIC) was “almost non-existent”, accord- an asymmetric thrust issue on approach.
ing to French investigation authority BEA, adding BEA noted that flight simulators were “only rarely
that the aircraft overflew central Paris – a prohibited available” for high-performance aircraft, and sought
zone for low-altitude flight – before returning to Le alternatives – such as the use of other simulator
Bourget to land. options – given that asymmetric flight exercises on
BEA found the pilots involved in the incident, in aircraft are hazardous, and rely on “mimed” gestures
July 2013, were not sufficiently trained on fire, smoke with actions “not fully realised”.
and emergency descent procedures. The first officer With the intention of ensuring that crews develop
had not carried them out since his type rating, while the correct skills, and resources are used efficiently,
the captain had only simulated the procedure, on a EASA has unveiled proposals for a “paradigm shift”
real aircraft, the year before. in initial and recurrent pilot training. This will, it says,
centre on “applying an innovative approach” to the
Emergency procedures
“Emergency procedures as complex as the ones pro-
vided for this incident cannot be considered safe if “It is illusory to imagine
they are not the subject of training,” the inquiry stat-
ed, adding that using a real aircraft was inadequate that appropriate training
for such exercises.
“It is illusory to imagine that appropriate train- can be given in flight
ing can be given in flight because, in practice, it is
impossible to properly simulate smoke or an emer- because, in practice, it is
gency descent.”
But BEA acknowledged that a full-flight simulator impossible to properly
for the CitationJet was restrictive, costing “at least
twice the price” of the aircraft, with the result that simulate smoke or an
full-flight simulators for high-performance aircraft
were scarce. emergency descent”
Investigators carried out an emergency descent,
with fire and smoke, in a fixed training device fitted BEA French investigation authority

KLM Training Regulator
Virtual reality system will augment education for KLM Cityhopper
capabilities classification of future flight simulation This signature process is founded on a detailed ma-
training devices. trix listing procedures to be tested or taught during six
Among the objectives of the proposal is the aim of different stages of flight – from pre-flight inspection
reinforcing safety levels by addressing the low fidelity through to take-off, manoeuvring, approach and land-
of some training devices, or even in some cases the ing – under various normal and abnormal conditions,
lack of ability of such devices to support training for including fire, systems failure, and in-flight upset.
certain tasks. These are cross-referenced to system capabilities
“The need to change the rules arises from regulato- – such as cockpit layout, handling characteristics,
ry discrepancies and barriers that currently limit the weather, control forces, and motion cues – and one of
possibility to obtain training credits by using other four fidelity levels is assigned at each juncture: specif-
types of training devices,” states the regulator. ic, representative, generic, or not required.
“Without this rule change [full-flight simulators]
will continue to dominate the training industry [and] Ensuring consistency
flight-training devices will continue to have limited Such a matrix, says EASA, provides a means to corre-
and [non-standardised] capabilities.” late the signature of a flight-training device with each
1,400
training task to ensure consistency with approved
initial and recurrent training programmes.
“This allows training providers to use the most
appropriate and latest innovative training devices,”
the agency adds, with the correlation providing
“objectivity, transparency and reproducibility” in the
choice of equipment.
“We welcome the proposal and believe it is a use-
Number of training devices under EASA authority: about ful intervention,” says L3Harris Commercial Aviation
40% are full-flight simulators, and 40% fixed-base systems Solutions vice-president for sales and marketing
Robin Glover-Faure. “It provides welcome clarity on
what fixed training devices
There are some 1,400 training devices un- can be used for.”
der EASA authority, of which about 40% are He says the proposal gives
full-flight simulators and 40% are fixed-base manufacturers certainty that
devices – primarily flight and navigation devices they are developing
procedure trainers. will be relevant to broader
EASA wants to introduce standardisa- training capabilities, while
tion, and establish the necessary simulation offering flexibility for airlines
fidelity levels necessary to support train- to use such equipment to
ing, while also providing a path to cater for supplement full-flight sim-
technological advancements. ulators while conducting
The proposal is based on determination type-rating and some forms
of the ‘DNA’ or a ‘fingerprint’ for individual of recurrent training.
training devices – a ‘capability signature’ – “From a training providers’
which takes into account features, fidelity perspective it offers more ver-
levels, and the device’s ability to provide satility to tailor programmes
adequate training for specific tasks. and use a broader mix of de-
L3Harris
Once a particular signature for training vices to suit the airlines’ spe-
tasks is known, it can be matched with the cific requirements, including
signature of available devices to see which Glover-Faure welcomes EASA’s move current budget limitations,”
ones meet or exceed the required capability. to categorise simulator capabilities Glover-Faure adds.

Training Regulator
EASA had considered alternatives to the new

proposal, including abandoning classification of
baseline qualification levels for various devices –
from full-flight simulators to basic instrument train-
ers – and having them qualified only according to
specific features.
This idea was rejected because it would require
“radical changes” across various training types, says
EASA, and potentially have a “negative impact” on
US-European bilateral safety agreements – as well
as risking variation in standards and increased costs
because “every device would be, in effect, unique”.
EASA believes the overall investment required for
the proposal will be “very low” compared with the
CAE
turnover of organisations operating training devices.
Full-flight simulators are not the
only option for effective instruction
Maintenance costs
It expects a reduction in training expenditure, point-
ing out that the dry cost of using a full-flight simula-
tor is around €250-500 ($245-590) per hour, com- devices to companies including Lufthansa and Baltic
pared with €100-200/h for a fixed training device, Aviation Academy – the Baltic agreement including
while recurrent maintenance costs are twice as high Boeing 737 Max and NG platforms to support sin-
for simulators. gle-aisle training demand.
EASA estimates the savings in type-rating training, EASA says the regulatory framework for
using fixed training devices rather than full-flight sim- flight-training systems has not changed for 25 years
ulators, might amount to 20%. and claims that it “neither stimulates innovation nor
Not only does EASA believe the proposal will result paves the way for emerging technologies” – pointing
in a direct link between training tasks and device suit- out that the training field is increasingly exploring the
ability, making training more effective, but also that it use of artificial intelligence and virtual reality.
will generate fringe benefits. KLM Cityhopper recently sought EASA’s backing
Simpler non-motion devices can consume 10 times for a new supplemental virtual-reality pilot-training
less power than complex full-motion equipment, scheme for Embraer E-Jets, which could begin re-
leading to an environmental advantage, while there placing certain classroom instruction.
also will be reductions in the workload undertaken by “Virtual reality allows pilots to familiarise themselves
regulatory authorities. with the cockpit in advance, so that they make more
effective use of their simulator time,” says Cityhop-
per’s senior Embraer instructor Sebastian Gerkens.
“Virtual reality allows pilots Technological advancement, says EASA, means
the full-flight simulator – the highest-fidelity training
to familiarise themselves device – is no longer the only option for all training.
“Training needs and their evolution should take
with the cockpit in a larger role in driving the development of training
tools,” it says.
advance, so that they
Innovative possibilities
make more effective use EASA wants to ensure harmonisation with the latest
revision of ICAO documents on flight-training criteria,
of their simulator time" opening the market for devices, with Europe being
among the first regions to take advantage of the “in-
Sebastian Gerkens Senior instructor, KLM Cityhopper novative possibilities” provided by the revision.
But ahead of any radical shift to cutting-edge train-
ing, the new matrix and capability signature scheme
A number of training specialists and manufactur- will enable the fixed training device to emerge from
ers, including CAE, have yet to disclose opinions on the shadow of the full-flight simulator, and become a
the proposal, whose comment period ran to the end valued asset rather than an understudy.
of March. EASA was also seeking input from aircraft Glover-Faure says L3Harris is ensuring its latest
manufacturers, pilots and regulators. generation of fixed devices will differ only minimally
Glover-Faure believes the changes will lead to more from their more complex cousins.
demand for products, from large carriers seeking to “We are using the same DNA and full software load
purchase fixed devices to complement simulators from the aircraft manufacturer as we use in the full-
and smaller airlines wanting to outsource time on flight simulators. So except for the motion, they offer
devices to offset simulator time. a comparable full simulation experience,” he says.
“We saw the direction of travel using the ‘middle “We’ve defined our design approach with the
category’ of devices to support type-rating around objective of making no compromises on the level of
two years ago,” he says. “So we invested in our man- fidelity and standard of training when airlines offset
ufacturing and development of them.” their use of full-flight simulators through the use of
L3Harris has delivered Airbus A320 fixed training our new-generation fixed training devices.” ◗

Sovfoto/Universal Images Group/Shutterstock. Insert: Meister Photos/Shutterstock
Gagarin became a global star after

108min flight in Vostok spacecraft
Orbital hero
O
n the morning of April 12 the Soviet the obvious next major milestone, and the Soviet Un-
news-agency Tass began to broadcast ion, largely as a result of greater available first-stage
one of the greatest announcements in the thrust and apparently excellent reliability, has placed
history of mankind. The message began to in orbit a far greater tonnage than the US and has suc-
come through at 0759BST (0959, local Russian time) cessfully recovered spacecraft of much greater size.
and opened in the following terms: As in all Soviet space launchings, no details have
“The world’s first spaceship, Vostok (East), with been given of the location of the firing, nor of the
a man on board was launched into orbit from the recovery area, neither have any particulars been
Soviet Union on April 12. The pilot space-navigator of divulged concerning the launch vehicle. The space ve-
the satellite spaceship Vostok is a citizen of the USSR, hicle itself is certain to be the same as that used in all
Flight Major Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin. the Soviet firings since May 15, 1960. In addition to the
“The launching of the multi-stage space rocket five test shots preceding Gagarin’s flight, the vehicle
was successful and, after attaining the first escape was undoubtedly subjected to extensive static and
velocity and the separation of the last stage of the systems testing, and the overall reliability of the entire
carrier rocket, the spaceship went into free flight on a booster and capsule appears to be remarkably high.
round-the-Earth orbit. According to preliminary data, The vehicle is considerably larger than the American
the period of the revolution of the satellite spaceship Mercury capsule, which weighs some 2,100lb loaded.
around the Earth is 89.1 min. The minimum distance According to the Russian announcements, the cap-
from the Earth at perigee is 175km (108.7 miles) and sule had “a double wall of thin metal” – Mercury uses
the maximum at apogee is 302km (187.6 miles), and two layers of 0.1in titanium alloy – and the Cosmonaut
the angle of inclination of the orbit plane to the equa- was strapped to a contoured foam-rubber couch. lt
tor is 65° 4’. The spaceship with the navigator weighs may be inferred that it also had a controllable ret-
4,725kg (10,416.8lb), excluding the weight of the final rorocket system, and a series of parachutes for final re-
stage of the carrier rocket.” covery. The launch took place at approximately 0907
The fact that this announcement was by no means local time, and one complete orbit was accomplished.
unexpected in no way detracted from its stunning im- The recovery sequence began at 1025 local time.
pact on the entire world. Ever since Sputnik 1 went into During the flight, Major Gagarin is reported to have
orbit on October 4, 1957, manned spaceflight has been radioed, “Flight is proceeding normally; I feel well”

Spaceflight Anniversary
Sixty years ago, Yuri Gagarin became the first man

to orbit the Earth from space – and one of the 20th
century’s most famous figures. This is an edited
version of Flight’s 20 April 1961 report on the event
(over South America at 0722BST) and “I am with- “When I emerged from the shadow of the Earth the
standing state of weightlessness well” (over Africa at horizon looked different. There was a bright orange
0815BST). The landing was made “safely at a pre- strip along it, which again passed into a blue hue and
determined spot in the Soviet Union” at 1055 local once again into a dense black colour. What struck me
time. Gagarin then said “Please report to the Party most remarkably was how near the Earth seemed,
and Government, and personally to Nikita Khrushchev: even from the height of 187 miles.
the landing was normal, I feel well, l have no injuries “l did not see the Moon. The Sun in outer space is
or bruises.” Prime Minister Khrushchev at once sent tens of times brighter than here on Earth. The stars
the following telegram: “I warmly congratulate you. I are visible very well: they are bright and distinct. The
embrace you. Until our meeting soon in Moscow.” whole picture of the heavens is much more contrasty
than when seen from the Earth.
Unique narrative “When weightlessness appeared I felt excellent.
On April 13, before his triumphant entry into Moscow Everything was easier to perform. This is under-
the following day, Gagarin was interviewed at length standable. Legs and arms weigh nothing. Objects
by Tass. The result was a unique narrative, in some are swimming in the cabin, and I did not sit in the
places of a personal and recollective nature but in chair, as before, but was suspended in mid-air. Dur-
others containing straightforward ing the state of weightlessness I ate and drank, and
descriptions of sights never everything was like on Earth.
before seen by man. “I was working in that state,
“I had,” he said, “no feelings noting my observations.
of loneliness in space. I knew Hand-writing did not change,
well that my friends, the entire though the hand was weightless.
Soviet people, were following But it was necessary to hold the
my space flight. I was sure that writing block, as otherwise it
the Party and the Government would float away from the hands.
would always be ready to “l was convinced that weight-
help me if I found myself in a lessness has no effect on the
difficult situation. I felt fine, ability to work. The passage from
and could have spent much weightlessness to gravitation, to
longer in the spaceship; but the appearance of the force of
the duration of my flight had gravity, happens smoothly. Arms
been fixed in advance. and legs feel as previously, the
“The sunlit side of the Earth same as during weightlessness, but
is visible quite well and one can easily distinguish the now they have weight. I ceased to
shores of continents, islands, great rivers, large areas be suspended over the chair, but eased myself into it.
of water and folds of the land. Over Russia I saw dis- “When I returned to the Earth I was overjoyed. l was
tinctly the big squares of collective-farm fields, and it warmly met by our Soviet people. I was moved to
was possible to distinguish which was ploughed land tears by Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev’s telegram…” ◗
and which was meadows.
“Before this l had never been above 15,000m Aged 27 at the time of his historic – and only – voyage
(49,213ft). From the spaceship satellite one does not, into space, Gagarin had first worked as a foundryman,
of course, see as well as from an aeroplane, but very subsequently attending a military aviation college and
well all the same. During the flight I saw for the first serving as a parachute instructor before being select-
time with my own eyes the Earth’s spherical shape. ed for Cosmonaut training.
You can see its curvature when looking to the horizon. On 14 April 1961, two days after his 108min flight, he
“l must say the view of the horizon is quite unique was named a Hero of the Soviet Union by Khrushchev.
and very beautiful. It is possible to see the remark- “He proved an admirable ambassador for the USSR
ably colourful change from the light surface of the on international visits; and played an important role
Earth to the completely black sky in which one can in training other cosmonauts,” Flight wrote after
see the stars. This dividing line is very thin, just like a his death on 27 March 1968. Undergoing instruc-
belt of film surrounding the Earth’s sphere. It is of a tion to become a fighter pilot, Gagarin was killed
delicate blue colour. And this transition from the blue with Colonel Vladimir Seregin when their Mikoyan-
to the dark is very gradual and lovely. Gurevich MiG-15 trainer crashed near Moscow.

From yuckspeak to tales of yore, send your offcuts to murdo.morrison@flightglobal.com
Gulf Air
Colour revolution
Purple erase Teesside Airport
January’s AlUla summit in Saudi Arabia that ended a

three-year spat between Qatar and three of its neigh-
bours, including Bahrain, appears to have come too
late for the aircraft-painters at Gulf Air. Doesn’t look a day over 75
On 5 February, the Bahrain flag carrier welcomed
its latest Airbus A321LR to its new airport, sporting a
70th anniversary “Golden Falcon” colour scheme that
harks back to its classic 20th century livery. “How about ‘Eurostar’?”
With one subtle change. The original design had “There’s already a French train called Eurostar.”
gold, green, purple and red stripes to represent its “How about ‘Neo’?”
then-four shareholders – Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Oman “There’s already a French aeroplane called Neo.”
and Qatar. The new heritage look has just three. “Hey, I’ve got it…”
Bahrain may have kissed and made up with its
erstwhile enemy, but not enough it seems to repaint
its showpiece airliner with Qatar’s purple.
Acronymble
A star is born On the subject of acronyms, Doug Brown is on fine
form. “I see China Eastern has unveiled a new sub-
sidiary named OTT Airlines. That’s a bit over the top
Airbus’s latest satellite is called the Eurostar Neo. don’t you think?” he asks, only to follow it up with:
We can imagine how that branding discussion went: “New Italian start-up EGO Airways has just launched.
“What are we going to call this satellite?” Must have a high opinion of itself.”
From the archive
1921 A life of adventure 1946 Kickstarting Kestrel

It is with the utmost regret we have to record the “George” Bulman says his test pilot’s life was almost
death, through an aeroplane accident, of Lieut J. devoid of incident — but he has had one or two
Mclntosh, who with Lieut. R. J. Parer, made that close shaves. Here is a story told for the first time,
exceedingly plucky and sporting flight from England filed away in a drawer for years. At a Household
to Australia last year. It will be recalled that the flight Brigade Club meeting at Hatfield “George” put up a
to Australia was remarkable for the succession of remarkable show. To the spectators it appeared as if
mishaps and delays that occurred. On the way to he climbed vertically to 3,500ft, stopped his airscrew
Rome their machine caught fire at a height of 3,000 and then, flicking into a vertical dive, regained
ft., and it was only by turning off the petrol and his engine as he pulled out at no feet. What really
sideslipping down that they managed to escape a happened was that he accidentally gave the Hart
terrible death. They later had to make a forced landing a little negative g at the top of the climb and this
in the Syrian desert, and spent the night under their emptied the Kestrel’s carburettor. From the wealth of
machine. In the morning they saw a group of Arabs his experience he remembered that an airscrew will
advancing upon them, but succeeded in holding them start in a pull-out at 3 or 4g even when it refuses to
off with revolver shots, and managed to get away. do so in a straight dive.

Straight & Level
Time for Tees

Teesside Airport near Middlesbrough is celebrating
its 80th birthday this year – but it nearly didn’t make
it, having been brought back into public ownership
in 2019 as a last resort after a decade of faltering
traffic volumes and losses.
The airport was opened during the Second World
War as RAF Middleton St George and became
a passenger airport around 20 years later, with
the first civilian flight from the renamed Teesside
Airport: a Mercury Airlines service to Manchester
that took off on 18 April 1964.
Despite the Covid-19 crisis, the airport, in which
Stobart Group has a 25% stake, has embarked on a
10-year “rescue plan” and has secured new airlines
during 2020, including Ryanair and TUI. A business
park also is being developed.
The airport was rebranded as Durham-Tees Valley
in 2004, the logic being that visitors to the region
would be more likely to have heard of the university
city. But a popular vote in 2019 saw the name revert
to the no-nonsense Teesside.
Cranfield memories a Saab 340B, it is asking former students to contrib-

ute “memories and photographs” from their time at
the Bedfordshire institution. It is part of a project to
As Cranfield’s College of Aeronautics marks its 75th “record the important contribution to aerospace and
birthday and prepares to replace its British Aerospace aviation” made by the college, which was founded in
Jetstream flying classroom – the “vomit comet” – with 1946. Email NFLCmemories@cranfield.ac.uk
Raising the baa

Cranfield University
From the names that suit the job department, a press

release: “Intradco Global has promoted Tom Lamb, who
has worked at the firm’s London office for nearly seven
Queasy does it
years, to head up its Toronto office as Regional Man-
ager – North America (Live Animal & Cargo Charter).”
1971 Deaf to supersonic 1996 Russian readiness

Means of finding money to continue with Concern over the state of combat readiness and
development of the Boeing 2707-300 SST have morale of the Russian army’s aviation corps has been
been explored since the Senate decision to finally made public in a letter sent by senior officers to
turn down the necessary finance. But the banks have Gennady Seleznev, chairman of the lower chamber of
already given a preliminary reply — a very pessimistic the Russian parliament. The letter says that the bulk
one. But given the first order for Concorde by an of the helicopter fleet is obsolete and that more than
American airline, the picture could change and 40% of army helicopters are grounded because of
federal money for the SST might again appear a lack of spares. In addition, insufficient money is being
possibility. As the Boeing statement said, “We believe made available to update the fleet — seven Mil Mi-24
that at some future time the need for an American- helicopters were acquired in 1995 and two Kamov
built supersonic transport will become apparent to Ka-5Os are to be received this year. The officers say
a majority of American people. This will require a that pilots are logging only 20-30h flying annually
greater degree of understanding of the business of air because of the shortage of fuel, and that about half
transportation and how its continued advancement is of the 4,000 officers and warrant officers have no
an asset to society.” permanent housing.

No reciprocal access of any
Tragic irony Bad for the UK kind has been negotiated for UK
companies to be allowed to do
Reading the comments by EASA I wish to highlight the situation anything similar in the USA, which
executive director Patrick Ky in with regards to the grossly strictly forbids airliners which are
your article ‘Out of the ordinary’ unfair liberalised US airline cargo not US-owned from operating
(Flight International, February agreements now affecting the UK commercially within the country.
2021) regarding the Boeing 737 and Europe. This one-way, sugar-loaded deal
Max flight tests, I see he said “We Late last year, Grant Shapps, the has alarming implications for all
pushed the aircraft to its limits… UK’s secretary for transport, signed our future trade deals with the USA
and could confirm that the aircraft off – with virtually no scrutiny – a post-Brexit.
is stable and has no tendency to deeply damaging and outrageous This sycophantic pandering to
pitch up even without the MCAS”. change to the European Open US interests is being done without
Given that the purpose of the Skies agreement affecting aviation the slightest regard or interest for
MCAS was the elimination of in the UK (FlightGlobal.com, 17 the plight or welfare of UK airlines
“a tendency to pitch up at low November 2020). and employees such as myself, who
airspeeds”, one has to wonder This was done in conjunction with are currently being forced out of
whether this system – whose his US counterparts, and allows business by such arrangements
malfunction was responsible for full access to the UK for US cargo – this coming on top of the
346 deaths and untold economic airlines to operate unrestricted overwhelming Covid crisis that has
disruption for Boeing, along with revenue cargo flights within the UK been affecting our industry.
its suppliers and customers – was and to points in Europe as well as I am appalled at the total
necessary to begin with. the rest of the world. disregard shown by this
On top of this injustice, the US government to UK citizens working
Robert P Czachor crews and staff are not required in the airline industry.
Chief consulting engineer (Retired), to pay taxes or any kind of social
GE Aircraft Engines payments whilst being based long- Graeme Pryke
Champaign, Illinois, USA term in the UK and Europe. Mulbarton, Norfolk, UK
BlueBarron Photo/Shutterstock
MCAS malfunction was a factor in two

crashes and global grounding of 737 Max

Letters
VSTOL creation
The Royal Air Force (RAF) has
protected the UK from its enemies
since its inception. However, its
latest fighter – the Lockheed Martin
F-35 Lightning – has a number of
faults, as you recently reported
(Flight International, February 2021).
The RAF cannot effectively
protect the UK with this aircraft – a
different vertical/short take-off and
landing (VSTOL) type is needed.
Looking to the past, the VFW
LightField Studios/Shutterstock
VAK 191B could have been
equipped with a Rolls-Royce
Pegasus 15 engine to provide a
supersonic VSTOL capability. The
VAK 191B was based on the British
P1127, and was tested as part of
the European Multi Role Combat
Aircraft programme, which went on
to produce the Panavia Tornado. Is it realistic to expect half of
The US Air Force also needs to commercial pilots to be women?
replace its Fairchild-Republic A-10
fleet – perhaps a VAK 191B/Pegasus
combination could have done the
job as a ground-attack aircraft also
An impossible dream
suitable for RAF and NATO use? Regarding Pilar Wolfsteller’s opinion piece ‘Aviation’s man problem’
(Flight International, March 2021), the assumptions made and conclusions
A Roberts reached are just plain incorrect.
Bristol, UK The science clearly, consistently and repeatedly shows that men and
women, whilst being equal, are different. The biggest difference is that as
Editor’s reply: Germany pulled the a population men show more interest in things and women show more
plug on the VAK 191B project in interest in people.
1975; Italy had already walked away To test this, we can look to the Scandinavian nations and their very
from their partnership before a first advanced egalitarian societies. There the gender role disparity has
free flight in September 1971, and become more pronounced, not less. In Scandinavia, more women are
three prototypes completed only choosing people-based work and more men are choosing things-based
91 flights. Had it entered service, its work than in the past.
service life would almost certainly This is the science, these are the facts and it’s been repeatedly shown.
have ended by now, as with the Just Google the science literature – not opinion pieces – to see it.
UK’s Harrier and Sea Harrier fleets. What is the justification for expecting a pilot population of 50% women
The UK’s F-35Bs form part of its and 50% men? There is none. Many of the girls whom your author so
Carrier Strike capability, with the stridently advocates for are just not that interested in jobs as pilots and
nation being protected by the mechanics. This is why business finds it so hard to recruit women into
Eurofighter Typhoon. certain roles.
Most men are not misogynistic bigots looking to bully and intimidate
any female colleagues and sideline them out of the industry. It is not
such men who are “stopping” girls from entering the industry, but simple
Out there disinterest. You can hold a door wide open, but if no-one wants to enter,
no-one will.
Okay, own up. Who's the Space: Some of the best pilots I know are female, and they are welcome in the
1999 fan in the FlightGlobal office cockpit any day. As a man, I apologise on behalf of my fellow men for
(Straight & Level, March 2021)? those harrowing times when girls have been bullied or sidelined. That is
not right, and there are no excuses.
RobAvia What we must do is focus on equality of opportunity through an
via Twitter egalitarian culture. The desire for equality of outcome is simply a
politically correct fashion, an unachievable nonsense, just another opinion
Editor’s reply: That one wasn’t piece justified by oft-repeated tales of yore.
on our radar back in the day – our
tastes range more from Starfleet to via email
Herge’s Explorers on the Moon…
We welcome your letters about our coverage, or any other aerospace-related topic. Please email flight.international@flightglobal.com, or write to: The Editor,
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As senior executive in charge of medical services
and corporate social responsibility, Nadia Bastaki
has led the UAE flag-carrier’s response to the
pandemic, ensuring the safety of passengers
Covid-proofing
Etihad
Pilar Wolfsteller Las Vegas “So we needed to make sure that the core group
operates really well.”
W
hen the coronavirus suddenly disrupted Bastaki, 41, became the face of Etihad’s coronavirus
aviation worldwide a year ago, airlines pandemic response. And her journey through the
went into their own kind of lockdown. male-dominated aviation industry in a society that
They rapidly grounded aircraft, laid off often marginalises working women has been nothing
staff and shrunk networks to a minimum, conserving short of extraordinary.
cash as travel screeched to a halt. She was educated as a doctor in Scotland and
But as air travel was slowing down, Nadia Bastaki, completed a postgraduate specialty aerospace
Etihad Airways’ vice-president of medical services and medicine programme at London’s Kings College.
corporate social responsibility, was getting to work. “My family always encouraged me to do something I
“Covid-19 put me into a platform where I was the loved,” Bastaki says. “I didn’t just want to be a number.
forefront advisor to the CEO and senior management. I wanted to be something different. So I searched a
We developed an entire programme for Covid-19. Well- lot and I looked at specialties that are different and
being was not only important for passengers, pilots unique. And I came across something called aviation
and crew, but for the entire company,” she says. medicine. And it just lit a spark in me.”
Following that training, Bastaki returned home to
Protecting passengers the United Arab Emirates, where she was recruited by
Under her leadership, the airline quickly developed a Etihad. One of her duties as the airline’s medical officer
comprehensive, organisation-wide health and safety was to examine pilots in order to grant or revoke
concept. The effort involved rethinking every aspect of medical certifications. Having trained as a private pilot
the airline’s business through the lens of how to best herself, Bastaki felt she was in a position to better
protect passengers, workers and the company from understand the holistic effect of flying on crew.
the highly contagious, rapidly-spreading pathogen. “I wanted to be the doctor that could relate to
The airline redesigned uniforms, implemented them,” she says. “I had a good perspective about
Covid-19 testing procedures, developed smartphone the mental and physical well-being of a human, and
apps intended to help customers navigate travel the connection pilots have with their aircraft.” So if
requirements, created quarantine zones inside their something goes wrong in flight, she says she has a
aircraft and introduced new ways to package and
serve in-flight food.
“We created a whole multi-disciplinary working
group around the Covid-19 pandemic,” Bastaki says. “I
“I wanted to be
worked with multiple external committees [including]
an emergency crisis management committee and a
something different. So
civil aviation committee. I was on these committees to
ensure that I get the information and then do the right
I searched and I came
thing for the company.”
Bastaki also was responsible for developing new across something called
internal policies and processes as well as a health and
hygiene training programme. aviation medicine. And
“The aviation business is a 24-hour business, and
although it slowed down, we were still operating. it just lit a spark in me”

Women in aviation
solid understanding of how that affects their overall

health and well-being.
As a young woman in her field, she found she often
had to deal with stereotypes, and her expertise and
skills were questioned.
“The first pilot who saw me said, ‘Where’s the
doctor?’ I said, ‘I’m the doctor’. I am a Middle Eastern
woman who wears a scarf. When I asked him to
remove his shirt he says, ‘You are going to examine
me? Are you sure you want me to remove my clothes?’
It took the pilots some time to get to the point where
they could trust me.
“When I had to advise them on their licensing
or revoke their license, they would say, ‘You’re not
experienced enough to do that.’ And I had to build
all that into my personality, into my voice, the way I
converse, the way I develop that relationship with the
patient. So they understand that yes, I am very up with
my culture, but at the same time I am your doctor.”
Respected leader
In the almost 14 years she has been with the airline,
Bastaki has moved up through the organisation’s ranks
to become a well-respected leader in her field, both in
the UAE and abroad.
She helped establish Etihad’s medical well-being
centre for staff, and as she joined management, she
developed specialties in employee engagement and
corporate social responsibility. Bastaki was the first
woman to be elevated to an executive level at the
airline, and is currently one of five female VPs. She
now also leads Etihad’s initiatives on diversity and
female empowerment.
Age and experience has also brought her a degree
of wisdom, she says. “In the beginning I thought I had
to be harsh, and very loud, for people to hear me. Then
I realised, no, I don’t have to change my personality or
my demeanor. I needed to have good negotiation skills
for them to understand me.
“Also, I needed to put my foot down if someone
Etihad Airways
crosses the line, so they understand that I’m here for a

reason. I make decisions based on my merits and my
knowledge and my skill. You have to be confident of
what you know and say, ‘This is what I am. And this is
Bastaki has won the trust of flightcrew
what I’m going to deliver’.” ◗
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Stealthy Switch: Pilot Training: Too Soon To Start?

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FlightGlobal.

com April 2021

How Mitch Snyder

Team player Volting ahead

Erudito Mags - https://t.me/joinchat/Vy95oyHYM_IV8laT

when it comes to future capability

April 2021 Flight International 3

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4 Flight International April 2021

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Welcome to the team, mate

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Platform cuts set to

jets. This will include integrating an

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Fourteen stretched-fuselage Hercules Marshall last August returned

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Airbus, Rolls-Royce plan for ﬂight tests

Airbus and Rolls-Royce are participating in a study

fuel will be supplied by Neste and the study will

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and transport commissioner Adina

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737 shootdown inquiry criticised

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Rouzbeh Fouladi/ZUMA Wire/Shutterstock

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Tensions eased in WTO row

dispute, the UK government says it

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Trio get connected for need to overcome in putting such

electric aircraft project capabilities, processes and proce-

Rolls-Royce maintains exclusivity on A350

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Airframer expects domestic and regional

Work is also continuing on a short

ATR conﬁdent on duce aircraft on ground situations.

long-term demand 8,000h, he adds.

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Bell’s unlikely revolutionary

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the whole rotorcraft business into

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V-280 Valor military tiltrotor could form basis

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contracts. Plus, a commercial de-

search: Nova Systems

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ATS has the