Flight International - September 2 2014 UK

LIGHTER TOUCH
THE QUEST FOR

AN AIRSHIP THAT
MAKES MONEY
FEATURE P30
CHANGING NATO
Alliance looks to new

roles for air power in the
face of changing threats
to members security 19
GALILEO IS GO
EASA confident satellite

navigation system will
be operational by 2017
despite setback 20
FLIGHT
INTERNATIONAL
2-8 SEPTEMBER 2014
SAFETY
AVIATION
VERSUS
VOLCANO
How prepared are airlines for

another eruption over Atlantic?
3.40
3 6
770015 371266
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FLIGHT
INTERNATIONAL
VOLUME 186 NUMBER 5454
GALILEO IS GO
EASA confident satellite

navigation system will
be operational by 2017
despite setback 20
PIC OF THE WEEK
FLIGHT
This US Air Force image shows Capts

Andrew Glowa (left) and William Piepenbring
of the 74th Fighter Squadron launching ares
from their Fairchild A-10C Thunderbolt IIs on
18 August over southern Georgia. The
twin-engine aircraft was the rst to be
specially designed for close air support and
can be used against heavy armour.
INTERNATIONAL
2-8 SEPTEMBER 2014
SAFETY
AVIATION
VERSUS
VOLCANO
3.40
3 6
770015 371266
COVER IMAGE
As in 2010, an Icelandic
volcano is threatening
European airspace.
However, this time the
authorities have a plan to
avoid aviation chaos and
EASA is busily warming up
its new systems and
procedures P10
Rex Features
How prepared are airlines for

another eruption over Atlantic?
ightglobal.com/imageoftheday
NEWS
6
7
9
12
13
14
15
THIS WEEK
Heathrow delays are getting worse
Singapore air force may have up to 40
Boeing F-15SGs.
Conflict zone task force to present initial
findings
NTSB boots UPS and union from
freighter crash inquiry.
Disney ponders flying unmanned air
vehicles at its theme parks
Northrop pitching UAVs to NATO pair
AIR TRANSPORT
GE designs leaner fan blades on GE9X.
MRJ in breakthrough as JAL also opts
for E-Jets.
Irkut wins state guarantees for MC-21
financing
C919 edges to assembly as mid
fuselage rolls off line.
Nok Air takes delivery of first highcapacity Q400
A330-800neo will offer real benefits
for Hawaiian.
Lessor BOC Aviation signs contract for
80 Boeing 737s.
Aircraft efficiency study backs smart
turboprop design
A380 sales have not reached peak.
flightglobal.com
Launch failure leaves two spacecraft in useless orbit, but

Europe remains condent in 2017 plan for full operations
P20. Wellingtons rst Texans arrive in New Zealand P17
Slump in passenger demand leads

Aeroflot to ponder delivery deferral.
American Airlines set to take delivery of
first 787-8
DEFENCE
16 US Navy signs off on initial Australian
Poseidon acquisition.
Improved HARM bang on target in
weapons test
17 Saudi Sentry fleet awaiting upgrade.
First Royal New Zealand Air Force T-6C
Texan IIs flown in from Wichita
NEWS FOCUS
19 NATO leaders head to Wales summit in
atmosphere of new global threats
20 Galileo shrugs off setback as Fregat
puts two satellites into wrong orbit
COVER STORY
10 Can we get around the ash? EASA has

a plan to deal with the latest threat from
an Icelandic volcano
FEATURES
22 G120TP COCKPIT A touch of glass

Grob Aircrafts full digital cockpit could
set a new benchmark for pilot training
26 DRAKEN INTERNATIONAL Meet the
enemy Draken has aspirations beyond
simulating hostile aircraft for the USAF
28 AUTOMATION Rise of the robots
Boeing turns to robotic assembly lines
BUSINESS AVIATION
21 Gulfstream issues gust lock warning after
Bedford crash.
CitationAir to cease flight operations
5
33
36
39
43
REGULARS
Comment
Straight & Level
Classied
Jobs
Working Week
NEXT WEEK SOUTH AFRICA

Ahead of the continents big air show,
Africa Aerospace and Defence, we profile
defence firm Paramount and look at the
shape of the South African air force.
2-8 September 2014 | Flight International | 3
Beechcraft, ESA
Alliance looks to new

roles for air power in the
face of changing threats
to members security 19
Paramount Group
CHANGING NATO
Gallery on flightglobal.com/AirSpace
LIGHTER TOUCH
THE QUEST FOR
AN AIRSHIP THAT
MAKES MONEY
FEATURE P30
2-8 SEPTEMBER 2014
CONTENTS
Companies listed
Aeroflot........................................................15
Arospatiale Alouette ...................................17
AeroVehicles ................................................31
Aero Vodochody ...........................................26
AgustaWestland ...........................................17
Airbus ....................................8, 12, 14, 15, 19
Air France ......................................................6
Air One ..........................................................6
AirTanker ......................................................19
Alenia Aermacchi .........................................26
Alitalia ...........................................................6
All Nippon Airways .......................................12
American Airlines .........................................15
Arianespace ................................................20
ATR ..............................................................13
AVIC Xian Aircraft Industry ............................13
Bank of China ..............................................14
Beechcraft Defence Systems .......................17
Bell Helicopter ...............................................6
BOC Aviation ................................................14
Boeing .........................8, 9, 12, 14, 16, 17, 19
Bombardier ...........................................13, 15
Boyd Group International .............................14
CAE .............................................................17
Cathay Pacific ..............................................15
Comac .........................................................13
Dassault ......................................................19
Disney ...........................................................8
Douglas .......................................................26
Draken International ....................................26
DVB .............................................................15
EASA ...........................................................10
Embraer...................................................8, 12
ESA ...............................................................6
Eurofighter ...................................................19
General Electric ...........................................12
Grob Aircraft.................................................22
Hawaiian Airlines .........................................14
Hawker ........................................................26
Hindustan Aeronautics .................................17
Honeywell ....................................................27
Hop ...............................................................6
Hybrid Air Vehicles........................................31
IHI ...............................................................12
International Aero Engines .............................8
Irkut .......................................................13, 15
Israel Aerospace Industries ..........................16
Israel Aircraft Industries................................26
Japan Airlines ..............................................12
Jiangxi Hongdu Aviation Industry ..................13
Kuka Robotics USA ......................................28
Kaman.........................................................17
Lockheed Martin ..........................8, 16, 17, 19
Malaysia Airlines ............................................6
Mitsubishi Aircraft ........................................12
MTU Aero Engines ........................................12
NH Industries ...............................................17
Nok Air .........................................................13
Northrop Grumman........................8, 9, 16, 19
OHB-System ................................................20
Oneworld .....................................................15
Qatar Airways ...............................................12
RAC MiG ......................................................16
Raytheon .....................................................16
Rolls-Royce............................................12, 14
Sberbank .....................................................13
Shenyang.....................................................27
Snecma .......................................................12
Sukhoi ...................................................15, 16
Techspace Aero ............................................12
Thomas Cook Airlines ...................................19
UPS ...............................................................8
Varialift ........................................................31
Westinghouse ..............................................26
Worldwide Aeros ..........................................30
BEHIND THE
HEADLINES
Our London-based defence
reporter Beth Stevenson went
to see Hybrid Air Vehicles in
Bedford, to find out about its mission to bring the Airlander airship
into service. The airship industry
is facing challenges (P30), but
the company is confident its aircraft will change the cargo industry. Meanwhile, Edward Russell
and Ghim-Lay Yeo ventured from
Washington DC to glamorous Las
Vegas for the International
Aviation Forecast Summit - where
experts argued the relative merits
of big twins and superjumbos,
and reckoned the A380 isnt
dead yet (P15).
THE WEEK ON THE WEB
ightglobal.com
On the Airline Business blog, Edward Russell says it is

about time United Airlines offered live in-ight streaming,
following an October 2013 announcement that it would
provide the service on most of
its Airbus A320 family and
some its Boeing fleet. Arie
Egozi on Ariel View discusses the threat of man-portable
air defence systems, which
armed groups in Syria have
reportedly acquired. He says
although some flight restrictions have been put in place and
countermeasures are being used, the world has been
slow in understanding the threat. Our man in Tel Aviv also
looks at Rafaels partnership with Northrop Grumman, to
offer a fifth-generation variant of the formers Litening
targeting pod for the US Navys Boeing F/A-18s (pictured).
The pair are in advanced stages of development, and
Egozi says the requirement is a key contract for Rafael.
Naval Air Systems Command
IN THIS ISSUE
Find all these items at ightglobal.com/wotw
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Last week, we asked: In a democracy, should air trafc

controllers have right to strike? You said:
Yes
Only with strict

conditions
61 22 17
%
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No
Total votes: 2,638

This week, we ask: Will the industry cope with a new Icelandic
ash cloud? Yes, new technology will get us through More
ready than 2010, but still concerns Hopelessly unprepared
Vote at ightglobal.com/poll
HIGH FLIERS
The top ve stories for the week just gone:

1 VIDEO Worlds largest aircraft, An-225, emerges to set new lift record
2 FARNBOROUGH Airbus outlines A330neo engineering demands
3 Etihad and Alitalia seal strategic partnership
4 BAE Systems sees growing Avro MRO demand in Canada
5 Massachusetts-based F-15 crashes in Virginia
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4 | Flight International | 2-8 September 2014
flightglobal.com
COMMENT
The age of the airship?

Lighter-than-air technology has scarcely advanced since the day of the Zeppelin. Yet there are
those who have not given up on developing a viable product for the commercial cargo market
he ve decades from 1914 saw heavier-than-air

aviation evolve from basic biplanes to the jet age.
The subsequent 50 years welcomed stealth, supersonic
airliners, huge advances in aerostructures and mass air
travel. However, lighter-than-air technology has moved
somewhat more hesitantly in the century since German
Zeppelins rst terrorised Londoners.
Yet, despite a tainted history from the Hindenburg
disaster to recent ill-fated commercial and military developments the airship dream remains alive for a new
generation of entrepreneurs and aviators. The trouble is,
no-one has proven a genuine business case for powered
lighter-than-air, beyond a tiny eet of sightseeing craft
built by Zeppelins successor in Friedrichshafen.
In the security realm, aerostats tethered airships
are in wide use. A Raytheon system will deploy over
Washington DC with a radar suite in the not-too-distant
future, while aerostats have also been used in Afghanistan to provide persistent surveillance over bases.
All attempts to develop an

airship for the military have
ended in failure or stasis
However, attempts to develop powered airships for
the military have ended in failure or stasis. Instead, the
commercial market is the great hope but with airships carrying cargo rather than passengers.
Progress towards a viable programme has been slow,
with numerous developments in the works for the best
part of a decade but many lacking even a tangible
prototype to justify the time spent. One problem is that
the military is no longer supporting projects when once
Rex Features
Still waiting for their moment
it was primary nancial partner. With restricted budgets and an ever-expanding operational theatre, the military had to make tough choices and airships did not
make the cut.
On paper, airships are ideal for a commercial mission. Despite a vulnerability to adverse weather, they
are long-endurance, low-fuel, heavy cargo-carrying systems that can be unmanned to alleviate any burden to
the operator, and get on with a mundane, essential task.
Rising fuel prices could provide the breakthrough.
Slower than xed-wing aircraft, but faster than
seaborne transport albeit with a smaller payload airships could serve a sweet spot between the two modes
in an era of high propulsion costs.
To get to the stage where airships are a viable option
for cargo will require a great deal of funds and risk.
With the taxpayer out of the picture, this must come
from corporations or start-ups. But whether big companies have the appetite and investors the deep pockets
to see the development through is far from certain.
See Feature P30
Ash costs cash

W
Read our archive of Flight

International comments on
editor Murdo Morrisons blog at
ightglobal.com/comment
flightglobal.com
hen Icelandic volcanic ash visited Europes skies

in April 2010, it cost the continents economy at
least 5 billion ($7 billion) just by grounding most
commercial aviation for a week. With seismic rumblings beneath Icelands fragile crust gathering
strength, how much is Europe set to lose this time?
Lest we forget 2010, Europes then-director of air
transport Daniel Calleja Crespo said airline direct losses were 1.7 billion, and 100,000 ights were cancelled
with the loss of 10 million passenger journeys. Meanwhile, 313 European airports were totally immobilised,
and as a result suffered a 317 million loss of revenue.
However, Europe has become more organised for ash
since then. The distribution of ash cloud information
and zoning will be co-ordinated and consistent this

time, and the airlines will be left to make their own decisions provided they have convinced their national
aviation authority they have completed a volcanic ash
risk assessment tailored to their own eet.
This is a fearsome responsibility, as ash cloud advice
is a guide to where it is likely to be but not precisely.
Pilots can avoid visible ash in daylight when there is no
cloud, because it tends to gather in patches and layers.
Visible ash is the dangerous stuff. However, in cloud or
at night it cannot be seen, and airborne detection systems are not yet available. So, there will still be considerable disruption, despite the lessons learned in 2010.
See News Focus P10
THIS WEEK
BRIEFING
AIR FRANCE TAKES HOP TO NEW SHORT-HAUL PLAN
AIRLINES Air France is to present a short-haul network reorganisation strategy to staff by the end of October, to clarify the scope of
its mainline and regional Hop brands. Hop chief executive Lionel
Gurin will be put in charge of defining and implementing the plan,
which will group all of the carriers point-to-point activity.
MEXICO STARTS REGULATORY BODY OVERHAUL
REORGANISATION Mexico has started converting its civil aviation

authority (DGAC) into a more autonomous and decentralised body.
The government says all DGAC resources will be transferred to the
new federal civil aviation agency.
IATA APPOINTS NEW SAFETY CHIEF
OPERATIONS IATA has appointed Rodolfo Quevedo as its new director of safety. Quevedo will head up the associations safety and flight
operations team in Montreal, taking responsibility for cabin safety,
safety management systems and global aviation data management.
Quevedo served as global programmes director for the Flight Safety
Foundation and as safety director for North American Airlines.
BELL READIES LAFAYETTE PLANT FOR JET RANGER X
ROTORCRAFT Bell Helicopter has started construction of its new

Lafayette, Louisiana production facility, which will house the final assembly line for its 505 Jet Ranger X. The 7,650m2, $26.3 million
hangar will commence aircraft assembly in 2016. Bell has more
than 200 purchase agreements for the light, single-engined 505,
which should make its maiden flight in November this year.
DISASTERS WEIGH HEAVILY ON MAS
RESULTS Malaysia Airlines (MAS) almost doubled pre-tax losses to

MYR303 million ($96 million), as revenue fell by 7% to MYR3.3 billion in the three months to 30 June the first full quarter following
the disappearance of flight MH370 on 8 March, en route to Beijing.
MAS adds that the subsequent shooting down of flight MH17 over
Ukraine on 17 July derailed its efforts just as sales were showing
signs of recovery following MH370. MAS says average weekly bookings fell by one-third in the wake of the MH17 crash, and the full impact of both losses will be felt over the second half of the year.
ESA NARROWS DOWN COMET LANDING SITES
SPACEFLIGHT European Space Agency scientists have narrowed

down the list of possible landing sites on comet 67P/ChuryumovGerasimenko to five, from 10. The comet is currently being closely
tracked by its Rosetta spacecraft and lander, Philae. A landing on the
comet nucleus is planned for November. Ten years after launch,
Rosetta made the first-ever rendezvous with a comet in August, and
will stay with the comet for about 18 months.
ALITALIA GROUNDS AIR ONE
AIRLINES Alitalia will ground its low-cost short-haul subsidiary Air

One this winter, with non-seasonal routes being taken over by the
mainline unit. Alitalia stops short of saying the carrier is being
closed, but adds: Some routes will go to Alitalia. The others are
seasonal flights and would be closed for the winter anyway. We
dont yet know what will happen in the summer [2015] season.
Alitalia strongly rejects local media reports that Etihad demanded
Air Ones closure as a condition of its recent 1.76 billion ($2.32
billion) investment in the Italian flag carrier.
For up-to-the-minute air transport news,

network and fleet information sign up at:
ightglobal.com/dashboard
EUROPES TOP 20 MOST-DELAYED AIRPORT PAIRS

Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Departure airport
Arrival airport
Lisbon
Lisbon
Rome Fiumicino
London Heathrow
New York
Malaga
Lisbon
London Heathrow
London Heathrow
London Heathrow
London Heathrow
Paris CDG
Geneva
Paris CDG
Glasgow
London Gatwick
Rome Fiumicino
Rome Fiumicino
Madeira
Paris CDG
Madeira
London Heathrow
London Heathrow
New York
London Heathrow
London Gatwick
Porto
Lisbon
Madrid
Glasgow
Rome Fiumicino
Marseille
London Heathrow
London Heathrow
London Heathrow
Malaga
Catania
Palermo
Lisbon
Dublin
Average delay per Average delay per

departure (min) delayed departure
18.3
17.2
16.9
15.8
15.6
15.5
15.1
14.9
14.4
14.3
13.5
13.5
13.1
13.0
12.8
12.5
12.4
12.3
12.2
12.2
36.8
30.5
28.4
27.6
36.9
33.5
32.6
27.2
23.9
27.5
24.1
31.1
29.9
24.7
36.3
24.1
22.6
21.9
37.6
24.3
SOURCE: Eurocontrol
CONGESTION DAVID LEARMOUNT LONDON
Heathrow delays
are getting worse
Eurocontrol data reveals UK hub second only to Lisbon for
average late departures in 2013 and rate is not improving
ondon Heathrow appears

more than any other European
airport on Eurocontrols list of the
top 20 most delayed airport pairs.
The UK hub features ve times
as the departure airport and six
times as the arrival point.
Heathrow is second only to
Lisbon for average delays to all its
departures, and top of the list for
delays on arrival. Flights from the
Portuguese capital depart an average of 14.6min late, and from
Heathrow 13.1min.
However, Lisbon is improving
its rate while Heathrows is getting worse, according to the Eurocontrol central ofce for delay
analysis report for 2013.
London Gatwick is third in the
list with an average ight departure delayed by 12.8min, and its
delays are also worsening.
When considering only delayed departures, passengers departing Lisbon are off the ground
30.3min late on average, Heath-
row passengers 26.5min and Gatwick passengers 27.8min.

Three more UK airports are
also in the top 20: Manchester in
fth, London Luton ninth and
Birmingham 13th.
The top three European airports for average arrival delays
are Heathrow, Lisbon and Gatwick, at 14.6min, 13.1min and
12.8min, respectively. On any
given delayed ight, passengers
inbound to Gatwick can expect to
touch down 36.7min late, to
Heathrow 33.0min and to Lisbon
32.2min late. The UK features
prominently in the arrival delays
list, with Manchester fourth and
Luton 14th.
The most delayed route is
LisbonMadeira, with Lisbon
Heathrow coming second. However, Heathrow appears in the next
three entries: Rome FiumicinoHeathrow, Heathrow-New York
JFK
and
JFK-Heathrow.
Malaga-Gatwick follows in sixth.
flightglobal.com
THIS WEEK
NTSB boots UPS

and union from
crash inquiry
THIS WEEK P8
MILITARY ASSETS GREG WALDRON SINGAPORE
Singapore may have up to 40 F-15SGs

Despite insisting its fleet is just 24-strong, evidence mounts that the nation-state may be operating far more Strike Eagles
vidence that Singapore has
far more than the ofcially
claimed 24 Boeing F-15SG ghter
aircraft has emerged, although
the precise number of airframes
has yet to be ascertained.
The US Federal Aviation Administration registry shows eight
F-15SG aircraft were registered to
Boeing on 6 August 2014.
At the Pitch Black

exercises, observers
noted that F-15SGs
showed signs of
registration numbers
being painted over
The combat fighter is the most capable type in the region

additional Raytheon AIM-120C7
AMRAAM missiles, but referenced additional aircraft as well.
The Republic of Singapore requires these missiles to meet current and future threats of enemy
aircraft, the entry states.
Singapore is procuring, via
direct commercial sale, new
F-15SG aircraft, it adds.
If Singapore has 40 F-15SGs,
the countrys ghter eet numbers about 126 aircraft.
Flight Internationals World
Air Forces directory shows Singapore also operates 60 Lockheed
Martin F-16s and 26 Northrop
Grumman F-5s. Seoul plans to
Airbus Defence & Space
The aircraft bear registrations

N361SG, N363SG, N366SG,
N368SG, N373SG, N376SG,
N378SG and N837SG.
Over the years some industry
observers have come to share the
belief that the true number of aircraft is probably 32, not 24
mainly owing to the range of registration numbers on Singapore
air force-registered F-15SGs.
Moreover, on a tour of Korea

Aerospace Industries (KAI)
Sacheon factory in 2011, Flight
International observed the forward fuselage assembly of an
F-15 labelled SG28.
KAI is a key contractor in the
F-15 programme.
Combined with aircraft sightings in recent years, it is feasible
that the eight F-15SGs registered
on 6 August push the size of
Singapores eet of the combat
ghter to 40 aircraft.
Both Singapore and Boeing
maintain that the ofcial strength
of Singapores F-15SG eet is 24
aircraft. However, at the recent
Pitch Black exercises in Australia, defence observers noted that
some F-15SGs showed signs of
registration numbers being painted or taped over possibly a
tactic to obfuscate the true size of
the eet.
Further evidence is buried in
the Federal Register from 17 April
2013, which indicates that Singapore may obtain additional examples through the direct commercial sale route. The registry entry
pertained to the acquisition of
Commonwealth of Australia
Airbus A400M aces tanker testing

An air-to-air refuelling test campaign using a Boeing F/A-18 Hornet
has proven the capability of Airbus Defence & Spaces A400M
transport aircraft to act as an in-flight refuelling tanker. The A400M
performed 33 dry contacts over five flights. The transport also transferred 18.6t of fuel to a Hornet during 35 wet contacts. The type has
a basic fuel capacity of 50.8t, and in its standard configuration has
refuelling provisions. However, this capacity can be increased using
extra cargo hold tanks, so the aircraft can be used as a tanker.
flightglobal.com
Follow more defence topics

on our The DEW Line blog:
ightglobal.com/dewline
MH17 MAVIS TOH SINGAPORE
Conflict zone task force

to present initial findings
A
EVALUATION
upgrade its F-16s, and replace the

F-5s with the Lockheed Martin
F-35. The government has
indicated a preference for the
short take-off vertical landing
F-35B variant.
Singapores secrecy about its
F-15SG eet could stem from the
fact the type is the most effective
combat aircraft in Southeast Asia.
Singapores F-15SGs are split
between Singapore and the
USAFs Mountain Home base in
Idaho, where a training detachment is stationed.
n ICAO taskforce formed following the 17 July shoot

down over Ukraine of Malaysia
Airlines ight MH17 has determined to nd better ways to
share conict zone risk information via the notice to airmen system, and through establishing
centralised procedures.
The task force on risk to civil
aviation arising from conict
zones will present its preliminary
ndings at ICAOs council meeting in October, before meeting
again in December.
We saw strong consensus
around the two specic projects
well be pursuing, and I am very
condent that well be submitting

a mature and practical set of
proposals to the ICAO council,
says task force chairman David
McMillan.
The dangers of ying over
conict zones was brought into
focus by the loss of the Boeing
777-200ER over eastern Ukraine,
as the commercial ight was
operating the Amsterdam-Kuala
Lumpur route.
The aircraft is believed to have
been hit by suspected separatist
rebels armed with surface-to-air
missiles. The intended target may
have been Ukrainian military
aircraft.
THIS WEEK
hile Amazon is exploring

the use of unmanned air vehicles to deliver parcels, Disney
is hoping it can use the technology to spice up its theme park light
shows.
The entertainment giant hopes
to utilise UAVs with projection
screens, through lifting payloads
Disney calls oating pixels or
ixels, and by ying with marionettes and puppets.
In a 21 August US patent ofce
ling, Disney Enterprises says
UAVs would improve choreography and allow for more repeated
sequences and increased interactivity. The company also wants to
exploit the mobility of UAV displays, which could be easily
transferred between its theme
parks in California and Florida.
The introduction of UAVs at
the parks would be subject to US
Federal Aviation Administration
airspace restrictions, which currently do not allow UAVs to be
own in controlled airspace.
However, this is changing, and the
FAA is mandated to open up airspace to commercial applications
with UAVs by September 2015.
The entertainment
giant hopes to utilise
UAVs by ying puppets
and marionettes
Since the process to open US
airspace to unmanned aircraft ofcially began in 2012, many uses
for UAVs have come to the fore
including farming, Arctic research
and parcel and food delivery.
The issue of the safety of UAVs
traditionally a military technology in national airspace has
been raised throughout the process, but Disney claims the safety
of its displays is paramount. For
this reason, UAVs may be required to y over lagoons and
playing elds, rather than over an
audience, the applications state.
NTSB boots UPS and union

from freighter crash inquiry
Board terminates airline and pilots associations involvement in probe after public spat
he US National Transportation
Safety Board has removed
both UPS and the Independent
Pilots Association (IPA) from its
investigation into the August 2013
fatal crash of UPS ight 1354, after
both organisations made public
comments the board says undermine its efforts.
In its 25 August letters to the
IPA and UPS, the NTSB says disseminating information may reect bias and puts other parties at
a disadvantage and makes them
less willing to engage in the process, which can undercut the
entire investigation.
Termination of UPS and the
IPAs party status to the investigation followed a 13 August 2014
IPA press release declaring that
cockpit voice recordings proved
pilot fatigue played a role in the
crash. The IPA also called for the
elimination of a provision that
exempts all-cargo airlines from
pilot rest and operating rules.
NTSB
Disney ponders
flying UAVs at
its theme parks
REPRIMAND JON HEMMERDINGER WASHINGTON DC
The Airbus A300-600F came down on 14 August 2013, killing two

UPSs response made in a
posting on the aircargoworld
website countered that the facts
do not support changing rest
rules for cargo crew members.
UPS ight 1354, an Airbus
A300-600F, crashed on 14 August
while on approach to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International
airport, killing Capt Cerea Beal Jr
and rst ofcer Shanda Fanning.
The NTSB says investigators
found no evidence of mechanical
malfunction on the aircraft, but
the issue of fatigue was raised following release of the cockpit voice
recorder transcript, on which the

pilots discuss being tired.
UPS which accuses the IPA of
distorting the facts for political
gain, and says both pilots schedules would have met federal rest
requirements has asked the
NTSB to reconsider its decision.
The carrier told Flight International it has been unfairly
reprimanded for attempting to set
the facts straight in line with
NTSB rules.
It doesnt matter who started
it, says the NTSB of the tussle.
Neither action is acceptable.
POWERPLANTS
KC-390 engine bags FAA certification

I
nternational Aero Engines

V2500-E5 powerplant for the
developmental Embraer KC-390
tactical transport has been granted US Federal Aviation Administration certication.
The milestone is a key step to

achieving the types rst ight by
end-2014.
Embraer and the Brazilian air
force launch customer for the
KC-390 selected the V2500-E5
Embraer
UNMANNED SYSTEMS
BETH STEVENSON LONDON
David Learmount offers his succinct views

on the complexities of aviation safety:
ightglobal.com/Learmount
The V2500-E5-powered type is on track for first flight by end-2014
in 2011. The engine is rated at

31,300lb-thrust (139kN).
Unlike other military transport
aircraft, the KC-390 will have no
depot-level maintenance requirements. Instead, its maintenance
regime will be aligned to that of a
civilian airliner, with a one-day
A-check to take place every 600h,
and
more
comprehensive
C-checks due every 10 years.
Achieving engine certication
on schedule is a big win for the
programme,
says
Jackson
Schneider, president and chief
executive of Embraer Defense &
Security.
We have a high level of condence the engine will perform as
reliably as its in-service counterpart, and we look forward to a
successful rst ight.
flightglobal.com
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The companys MQ-4C Triton made its first flight in May 2013
UNMANNED BETH STEVENSON LONDON
Northrop pitching
UAVs to NATO pair
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Airframer courts UK and Norway with family of high-altitude

long-endurance aircraft, after spotting latent requirement
Experience products, services and ideas from international markets
Join the three day education programme
orthrop Grumman has revealed it is in active dialogue with two potential European NATO customers for the
companys family of high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) unmanned air vehicles (UAVs).
The rm is already contracted
to deliver ve RQ-4 Global
Hawks to NATO under the
Alliance Ground Surveillance
(AGS) programme, and is now in
discussions with the UK and
Norway to help shape their requirements for a high-altitude
surveillance system.
Fifteen nations are currently
involved in the AGS development, although all 28 NATO
members will benet from the
use of the ve systems based
out of Sigonella air force base in
Sicily when required.
As a result, they will be exposed to the surveillance platform and the potential it has to
meet sovereign requirements.
Flight testing will begin next year
while initial operational capability for AGS is expected in 2017.
This is not going to suit every
nation, says Andrew Tyler, chief
executive of Northrop Grumman
UK and Europe. But I see NATO
AGS as a stepping stone for a lot
of them.
flightglobal.com
Tyler says there are no ofcial

programmes of record for HALE
UAVs in the UK or Norway.
However, the nations relatively
healthy defence budgets and the
scope of land they have to monitor makes having this capability
appealing. In addition, both nations were exposed to the system
when a Global Hawk ew during
NATOs Unied Vision exercise
in Norway in May, during which
the aircraft ew in UK airspace.
In our estimations [both nations] have a latent requirement
for [HALE UAVs], Tyler says.
The UK has a maritime patrol
capability gap following the retirement of its BAE Systems Nimrod MRA4 programme in 2011. It
is expected London will commit
to the acquisition of a new capability of some sort through its
next Strategic Defence and Security Review, which concludes in
May 2015. It is assumed the UK
would like to utilise Boeings P-8
Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, but it may balk at the cost.
Another option would be a mix
of P-8s and the MQ-4C Triton a
maritime UAV derived from the
Global Hawk a low- and high-altitude combination selected by
both the US Navy and Australia.
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COVER STORY
David Learmount offers his succinct views

on the complexities of aviation safety:
ightglobal.com/Learmount
SAFETY DAVID LEARMOUNT LONDON
Can we get around the ash?

As in 2010, an Icelandic volcano is threatening European airspace but now the authorities have a plan to avoid chaos
hen atmospheric volcanic

ash from an eruption in Iceland drifted over Europe in April
2010, Europes aviation system
was caught like a rabbit in the
headlamps.
EASA in particular simply
froze, realising it had no expertise, no advice and no procedures
for airlines to follow.
Admittedly, extensive ash in
European airspace was a rst in
the continents modern aviation
history. But if volcanic ash drifts
into European airspace again,
EASA has no intention of being
unprepared.
The agency has issued an information bulletin to all operators reminding them of the systems and
procedures devised since the 2010
ash event, with the intention of
avoiding the paralysis that aficted almost all ying in European
airspace for an entire week.
Today, atmospheric ash clouds
can be better tracked and identied, and the risks to aircraft associated with ash of varying concentrations are better understood
by both authorities and airlines.
Also, a special unit the European Aviation Crisis Co-ordination Cell (EACCC) was set up
following the 2010 event.
The unit maintains an integrated system for communicating ash
data and advisories to air navigation service providers (ANSP)
and operators. Once the data and
risk assessment has been supplied to the airlines, the y/no y
decision rests with them, not
with the authorities. The EACCC
carries out regular exercises annually the last was in April.
These measures should all
help overcome the major factors
in 2010s systemic paralysis a
result of ANSPs reacting nationally, while the ash cloud was
hardly going to respect borders.
Now, however, not only are
ANSPs and aviation authorities
linked to the EACCC, but they all
Keilir Aviation Academy
The Eyjafjallajkull eruption in 2010 paralysed almost all flying in European airspace for a week
have access to real-time ash
cloud information and decision
guidance. This is offered via Eurocontrols network operations
portal, which includes a web tool
dubbed EVITA European crisis
visualisation interactive tool for
air trafc ow control. ANSPs
can use all these tools to best plan
use of their airspace as a part of
the whole European system.
CRITICAL
The EACCC is critical to the success of the whole operation, and
gets its authority and control
from Eurocontrols Network
Manager, under EU rules adopted
following the 2010 incident.
The Network Manager is a
version of the operation that used
to be known as the Central Flow
Management Unit.
EASA is also a permanent
member of the EACCC team. As a
result, the EACCC has the direct
authority of the EU, which is important when it demands co-operation from national ANSPs and
aviation authorities a task
normally comparable with herding cats. Indeed, in April 2010

in the absence of leadership from
EASA and Eurocontrol, which
simply had not foreseen such an
event the member states aviation agencies reverted to looking
after their own backyards, and
there was a total lack of network
co-operation.
Today, the risks to

aircraft associated
with ash of varying
concentrations are
better understood
Since then, EASA has also developed detailed advice about
operations in atmospheric volcanic ash that was absent in 2010.
The simple answer is to avoid
visible ash, and to be guided by
an ash-risk zoning system that
will be published by volcanic ash
advisory centres in London and
Toulouse.
EASA advises operators to

avoid operations in visible volcanic ash or in cloud or at night
avoid operations where ash is
forecast to be present.
The agency also says the forecasted presence of volcanic ash
should be presented graphically
in the form of a zoning system,
that depicts areas of low, medium
and high concentrations in three
altitude bands. The EACCC will
do this using information from
the advisory centres.
States are also asked not to
close their airspace just because
ash is forecast to be present in it
although they may close airspace
close to an active volcano. Airlines are deemed fully responsible
for what they do with the information provided. It is advisory, not
compulsory but if they ignore it
and things go wrong, they will not
be well placed.
EASA recommends that an operator should only enter areas
with medium or high forecast ash
contamination if they have established a volcanic ash safety
flightglobal.com
NEWS FOCUS
GE designs leaner
fan blades on GE9X
risk assessment [VA SRA] for

such operations. This means airlines must obtain damage resistance information from the airframe and engine manufacturer
which may be reluctant to provide it. In addition, for European
operators, a VA SRA should be
developed and agreed with the respective [national aviation authority], in accordance with the guidance provided.
Non-European
operators,
EASA says, should establish
their VA SRA in accordance with
ICAO Document 9974, Risk management of ight operations with
known or forecast volcanic ash
contamination.
EASA says it will compile a
list of operators known to have
developed an acceptable VA
SRA in association with their
national aviation authority.
LAST RESORT
Keeping the 2010 event in mind,
EASA adds: Airspace closure
should be an action of last resort,
contemplated only in situations
in which the VA SRA approach
can no longer be relied upon to
secure safe operations.
Operators will naturally want
to know the reliability of the ash
distribution forecasts from volcanic ash advisory centres, which
are based on computer models of
Cranfield Aerospace
AIR TRANSPORT P12
The UKs Cessna 421C-derived MOCCA bristles with sensors

known eruption output and the
winds that distribute the ash at
various levels.
Measurements can be taken by
aircraft equipped with special
sensors to validate the models.
These are often piston-powered
aircraft, which have a much
lower vulnerability to ash damage than turbine engines.
Meanwhile, horizontal ash
drift can also be tracked by satellite under certain conditions.
Since the Eyjafjallajkull eruption in 2010, the UK has equipped
a special aircraft to back up the
Dornier 228 it previously used for
atmospheric measurements. This
aircraft the Met Ofce civil contingencies aircraft (MOCCA) is a
Cessna 421C. A high-performance

piston twin, the aircraft bristles
with external sensors and internal
computing power.
Several European countries
also have research aircraft similarly equipped, and these will be
capable of gathering data about
the nature and behaviour of the
ash clouds both for tactical operational use and to extend scientic knowledge of the phenomenon. The ash distribution models
published by volcanic ash advisory centres following the
Eyjafjallajkull eruption were
found to be remarkably accurate
in lateral distribution, but the
height of ash cloud layers was
more difcult to predict.
However, if clouds can be

seen as a pilot can see storm
clouds on weather radar aircraft
could y not only around them,
but also above or below them.
Even before 2010, Dr Fred
Prata of the Norwegian Institute
of Air Research was studying
systems for tracking and detecting atmospheric volcanic ash.
Since then, working with
EasyJet and Airbus, this research
has resulted in an airborne ash
detection system dubbed AVOID
airborne volcanic object identication and detection.
Basically a smart infrared detector, an AVOID prototype has
been validated in airborne trials
with real volcanic ash, and a
company called Nicarnica Aviation has been set up to market it.
Nicarnica has linked up with
Israeli manufacturer Elbit Systems to put AVOID into production, and EasyJet hopes to be able
to t it to some of its eet next
year. In the early models, EasyJet
says its pilots will see the ash picture on the displays of their class
2 tablet electronic ightbags, but
Airbus says it would ultimately
like to be able to integrate the visual information into its main avionic display.
The need for systems like
AVOID is beginning to look increasingly urgent.
Predicting the next Big One in Iceland

Clarifying the magnitude of
Icelandic eruption risk is a tricky
issue. Even volcanologists admit
their helplessness although
Iceland continuously monitors
seismic activity in real time, given
a certain level of activity it can
take anything from 10s to several
decades before the Earths crust
fractures and millions of tonnes
of magma, ash and gas are blasted into the skies.
Reacting to the recent increase
in seismic activity beneath
Iceland, on 21 August Eurocontrol
raised the volcanic ash alert status for European airspace to orange defined as heightened or
escalating seismic unrest with
increased potential of eruption.
flightglobal.com
EASA also issued a safety information bulletin detailing the

administrative arrangements,
communications channels, guidance and regulations applicable
to managing an ash event in
European airspace. Theoretically,
everyone airlines, air navigation
service providers (ANSP) and national aviation authorities
should already know these things,
but the bulletin was sent out anyway as a reminder.
In 2010 it was Eyjafjallajkull
that exploded but when it did,
Icelandic volcanologists had been
predicting the nearby volcano
Katla would erupt. Katla was then
and remains today overdue
for an eruption, according to the
historic timetable of its activity.

When it does erupt, volcanologists predict, the event will dwarf
the Eyjafjallajkull blast.
Right now, however, activity is
taking place beneath the
Brarbunga volcano and the
Dyngjujkull glacier, in different
parts of Iceland but it may not
break ground there.
INTENSITY
Iceland sits on the Mid-Atlantic
Ridge, which marks the fault line
between two plates of the Earths
crust the North American and
Eurasian plates. These are moving apart at a rate of a few centimetres a year, and sub-crust
seismic activity in Iceland is al-
most continuous, although the

intensity varies.
The Icelandic Metorological Office
first put out warnings of extensive
seismic activity beneath
Brarbunga on 16 August.
When an eruption occurs, a
variety of factors influence how
much impact the event has on
commercial air transport. These
include the quantity of ash ejected into the atmosphere and the
type of ash particles. If the particles are heavy they fall to earth
quickly if fine, they stay airborne
longer and travel further.
Both types damage aircraft,
but Icelandic ash especially if
the eruption takes place subglacially tends to be fine.
AIR TRANSPORT
Catch up with our 2013

commercial engines special at
ightglobal.com/engines
PROPULSION DAN PARSONS WASHINGTON DC
GE designs leaner fan blades on GE9X

Engine manufacturer says powerplant for Boeing 777X will benefit from advances in carbonfibre materials over 10 years
designed to withstand the extreme heat of heavily pressurised

air within the engines core will
also undergo testing this year.
The GE9X will feature a 3.38m
(133in) composite fan case housing
Fewer, thinner
blades will enhance
the airow and make
for a lighter, more
efcient fan
Boeing
eneral Electric has redesigned the engines that will

power the Boeing 777X to have
thinner and stronger blades than
any GE engine in service, and to
power the aircraft more efciently with fewer of them.
GE has designed advanced carbonbre composite fan blades for
its GE9X engine, which will power
the 777X. The type is scheduled to
begin production in 2017 and had
by July secured 300 orders and
commitments from six customers.
The engine component redesign comprises carbonbre and
improved epoxy resin fan blades.
The blades leading-edge material
will also be made from a steel
alloy, rather than titanium to increase strength.
It has been a decade since GE
designed a new composite fan
blade for the GEnx engine, says
Bill Millhaem, general manager of
GE90/GE9X engine programmes.
Carbonbre composite material
has advanced in those 10 years,
and the advancements enable GE
engineers to design a thinner
GE9X blade, which is just as
BILL MILLHAEM
General manager, GE90/GE9X
programmes, General Electric
GE9X will power new widebody and is due for certification in 2018
strong as our current composite
fan blades. Fewer, thinner blades
will enhance the airow and
make for a lighter, more efcient
fan that will help with the GE9X
engines overall performance and
fuel burn, he adds.
Company engineers last year
successfully tested full-sized
modied blades on the GEnx,
which along with the GE90-94B
and GE90-11B are precursors to
the GE9X blades. The new materials will be tested on the GE9X
blades in 2015, GE says. IHI, Snecma and Techspace Aero and MTU
Aero Engines have also joined the
effort to develop the GE9X.
Plans are to spend $300 million in 2014 on development of
the GE9X, including universal
propulsion simulator fan testing.
The engines new ceramic composite combustor and turbine
16 blades, a 27:1 pressure ratio, 11stage compressor and a third-generation twin annular pre-swirl
combustor (TAPS) for greater efciency and low emissions, GE says.
The rst full core test is scheduled for 2015. The rst engine
will be tested in 2016 with ight
testing on the engine manufacturers ying test bed anticipated
in 2017. Engine certication is
scheduled for 2018.
Qatar Airways
ORDERS MAVIS TOH SINGAPORE
MRJ in breakthrough as
JAL also opts for E-Jets
J
apan Airlines (JAL) has placed

a rm order for 15 Embraer EJets and inked a letter of intent
with Mitsubishi Aircraft for 32
MRJ regional jets.
Its Embraer order comprises
both the E170 E1 and E190 E1
variants, with options for an additional 12 of the aircraft. The jets
are scheduled to be delivered
from 2015.
JAL put out a statement on the
Embraer order on its website, at
the same time as it held a joint
press conference with Mitsubishi
for the MRJs.
Mitsubishi has long been trying to woo the countrys ag car-
rier, which has been cool towards

the MRJ, despite the fact that its
rival All Nippon Airways signed
in 2008 for 15 of the regional jets
with options for 10. JAL had previously said that it is not keen to
add a new aircraft type to its eet
and that the E-Jets especially
the re-engined variants could
be the solution for the airline.
The Oneworld carrier has 15
E170s, all operated by its subsidiary J-AIR. It also ies nine Bombardier CRJ200s.
Mitsubishi has accumulated
171 rm orders for the MRJ and
set a second-quarter 2015 rstight target.
DELIVERIES
Qatar A350 shows its true colours

Qatar Airways first Airbus A350-900 has broken cover with its full
livery, although the aircraft has yet to have its powerplants installed.
The Doha-based airline will be the initial recipient of the A350 when
it takes delivery of the jet by the end of the year. The aircraft sports
the carriers distinctive grey and maroon livery but its Rolls-Royce
Trent XWB engines are absent. Qatar Airways has 80 A350s on order. The airline is also preparing to take delivery of its first A380.
flightglobal.com
AIR TRANSPORT
Neo offers
real benefit
for Hawaiian
AIR TRANSPORT P14

TURBOPROPS MAVIS TOH SINGAPORE
Nok Air takes delivery of

first high-capacity Q400
Bombardier
New arrivals will allow Thai low-cost carrier to grow its network
PRODUCTION
TOM ZAITSEV MOSCOW
ombardier has delivered its

rst 86-seat Dash 8 Q400 aircraft to launch customer Nok Air.
Nok has said that its new
Q400s will replace two ATR 72s
in the airlines eet and allow it
to grow its network domestically
and on regional routes.
Chief executive Patee Sarasin
has previously said Nok Air
switched from ATR to Bombardier because of the Q400s higher
capacity and speed.

Bombardier is seeking to pitch
its high-density Q400 as the
ready answer to market demand
for a larger turboprop.
The latest aircraft is part of the
Thai low-cost carriers order in
November 2013 for up to eight
Q400 turboprops. Nok now has
rm orders for six Q400s, with
purchase rights for two additional aircraft.
PROGRAMME MAVIS TOH SINGAPORE
Irkut wins state

guarantees for
MC-21 financing
C919 edges to assembly as

mid fuselage rolls off line
A directive
authorises the
national treasury to
extend guarantees
to Sberbank
Irkut says it is progressing with
assembly of several MC-21 static
and ight-test aircraft at its plant
in Irkutsk, aiming to roll out the
rst example next year. The
types development programme
involves investment of $3.95 billion in total.
flightglobal.com
omacs C919 narrowbody

continues to make progress
with the mid fuselage of the rst
aircraft coming off AVIC Xian
Aircraft Industrys production
line, as the airframer works towards nal assembly of the narrowbody by the end of 2014.
The successful roll-out of the
mid fuselage is an important
achievement of the whole fuselage
work package, and at this point,
the C919 aircraft has taken a solid
step towards structure roll-off,
says the Chinese manufacturer.
Following a delivery ceremony, the part will be delivered to
Comacs Shanghai facility in September. The airframer took delivery of the C919s rst forward fuselage section on 24 August. This
part, manufactured by Jiangxi
Hongdu Aviation Industry, is the
rst major C919 structure to be
delivered to Comac.
In July, the nose section of the
rst C919 aircraft also rolled out
of AVIC CAC Commercial Aircrafts facility. The 6.7m (22ft)
long section is expected to be delivered to Comac in September.
The Chinese airframer is working towards an end 2015 rst
ight target for the C919.
Meanwhile, Xian Aircrafts
Rex Features
ussian airframer Irkut has

secured government backing
for a crucial borrowing scheme
to nance development of the
MC-21 twinjet.
In 2011, Sberbank opened a 10year, $1 billion line of credit to
cover 30-40% of funding required
for the production programme.
A directive signed by Russian
prime minister Dmitry Medvedev authorises the national
treasury to extend state guarantees to Sberbank to ensure repayment of $400 million from that
facility and allocate necessary
funds in the federal budget.
Chinese airframer lauds key milestone on path to completion of first example by year end
AVIC CAC Commercial Aircraft delivered the nose section in July

MA60 has been given an export
boost with type certication from
Bolivias general directorate of
civil aviation (DGCA), clearing
the way for the Chinese-made
turboprop to start operating in
the country.
The MA60 has in the past year
received type certication from
Eritrea, Cameroon, Nepal and
Tonga. The latest approval from
Bolivia opens up further opportunities for the type in the international market, says AVIC Xian
Aircraft Industry.
It adds that the DGCA had sent
a team to China in July to conduct an on-site review of the

MA60. In May, Bolivia signed an
order for four MA60s, marking
the types rst international sale
for the year.
Flightglobals Ascend Fleets
database shows that state-owned
carrier Boliviana de Aviacin has
four MA60s on order, while the
Bolivian Air Force has an additional two of the type on order.
The MA60 and its newer stablemate, the MA600, have mostly
been sold to airline customers in
developing countries.
AIR TRANSPORT
For up-to-the-minute air transport news,

network and fleet information sign up at:
ightglobal.com/dashboard
FLEET STRATEGY EDWARD RUSSELL LAS VEGAS
Neo offers real benet for Hawaiian

US airline explains reasons behind decision to opt for re-engined A330 in place of A350-800 or other widebody types
awaiian Airlines which
helped seal the fate of the
Airbus A350-800 by switching allegiance to the new A330-800neo
at Julys Farnborough air show
has further explained the rationale behind its decision.
The lower operating costs of the
re-engined A330 will deliver real
benet over the next generation
of Airbus and Boeing widebodies,
according to the carriers chief
commercial ofcer Peter Ingram.
For a smaller capital cost increment than the [Airbus] A350
or the [Boeing] 787, you get a
good size chunk of operating efciencies in terms of fuel costs,
primarily, and engine costs to a
lesser extent, Ingram said on the
sidelines of the Boyd Group International Aviation Summit in
Las Vegas.
Hawaiian committed to six rm
A330-800neos and six purchase
rights for the aircraft when Airbus
launched the type at the air show,
replacing its order for up to 12
A350-800s.
At the time, the carriers chief
executive Mark Dunkerley cited
the A330neos fuel efciency, ad-
ditional range and commonality

with its existing eet of A330-200s
for its decision to order the type.
Compared to the current generation aircraft, the A330-800neo
will be able to y 400nm (740km)
further, with a range of 7,450nm,
and will burn about 14% less fuel
per seat using Rolls-Royce Trent
7000 engines.
ORDER ELLIS TAYLOR SINGAPORE
RESEARCH DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON
New boost for

Max as BOC
buys 80 737s
Study backs smart turboprop design
ingapore-headquartered BOC
Aviation has boosted prospects for Boeings 737 Max with
an order for 80 737s 50 of which
are for the re-engined variant.
The aircraft will be delivered
between 2016 and 2021.
The lessor also ordered two
additional 777-300ERs, which
have already been placed with an
existing customer.
Prior to the latest order, Flightglobals Ascend Online database
shows BOC as having 253 aircraft
in service and 132 on backlog.
The company is a subsidiary of
the Bank of China.
esearchers looking to increase

medium-haul aircraft efciency favour an advanced turboprop over box-wing concepts.
In co-operation with Airbus,
Hamburg University of Applied
Sciences embarked on a study to
explore a possible successor to
the A320, as part of a project
known as Airport 2030.
Ingram says it is too early to

know the specics of how much
of Asia the additional range will
open up for Hawaiian. However,
he adds that the range benets
could increase when the aircraft
design is nalised in 2015.
Airbus plans to deliver the rst
A330-800neo in early 2018, with
Hawaiian taking its rst aircraft
in 2019. Hawaiians conversion

to the A330neo leaves Airbus
with just 28 rm orders for the
A350-800. The airframer is widely expected to cancel the programme in favour of the larger
A350-900 and -1000.
Get the latest information on
fleet movements and purchases
at ightglobal.com/ascend
As well as an optimised conventional jet conguration, the

study examines various box-wing
designs, as well as the option of a
turboprop. The team aims to consider high-efciency aircraft designs which would avoid changing ground infrastructure.
The project involves studying
families of single- and twin-aisle
Hamburg University of Applied Sciences
Commonality with the carriers current fleet of

A330-200s was also a factor in the decision
The project aims to explore a possible successor to the A320
box-winged aircraft of 126-218

seats. However, while box-wing
concepts offer a reduction in
drag, this economic advantage is
countered by the increased
weight of the wing.
The direct operating costs of
box-wing models are calculated
to be some 20% higher than those
of the A320.
However, the smart turboprop designs economics prove
more promising, the study says,
with a 17% lower operating cost
and a 36% cut in fuel burn.
This is based on a twin-engined aircraft with a high wing
braced by struts, and a T-tail conguration featuring technologies
including laminar ow.
flightglobal.com
Airbus
AIR TRANSPORT
US Navy signs off

on initial Australian
P-8A acquisition
DEFENCE P16
AIRLINE FINANCES
Slump leads Aeroflot to

ponder delivery deferral
Airbus
Airbus has taken 318 A380 orders and delivered 138

OUTLOOK GHIM-LAY YEO LAS VEGAS LAURA MUELLER LONDON
A380 sales have

not reached peak
Consultancy upbeat on superjumbos prospects, while
finance house plays down fears of airliner order bubble
n upbeat forecast for Airbuss

A380 has been presented by a
leading aviation consultancy,
which says demand for the superjumbo has not yet peaked.
Speaking at its International
Aviation Forecast Summit in Las
Vegas, Boyd Group International
chief executive Michael Boyd suggested airport congestion could
boost the case for the 550-seater.
Airbus has taken just 318 orders
and delivered 138 A380s since the
type entered service with Singapore Airlines in 2007.
Boyd cited the Bombardier CRJ
and Dash 8 Q400 as other types
that struggled before gaining
market acceptance.
However, despite this optimism, one of Airbuss target airlines for the type Oneworld
carrier Cathay Pacic has reiterated it has no intention to change
its stance on the A380.
Operating ve 777s a day is
better than two A380s, said Cathays vice-president of sales and
marketing for the Americas Eric
Odone, speaking at the same conference. He says operating more
777 ights offers customers better
exibility in ight scheduling. Cathay studied the A380, but chose
to order the A350 instead. It also
holds orders for Boeings 777X.
Meanwhile, a top nancier has
played down fears that the industry is facing an over-ordering bubble. DVB believes Airbus and Boeflightglobal.com
ing are well equipped to deal with

the potential oversupply of aircraft resulting from signicant
orderbooks from certain airlines.
In aviation we still have Airbus and Boeing providing approximately 95% of the total capacity.
Even if those two manufacturers
are ghting head-to-head, they ultimately show rational behaviour, says DVB member of the
board Bertrand Grabowski. In a
duopoly nobody makes any big
mistakes, he says.
While the ratio of backlog to
number of aircraft in operation
45% has never been so high, he
argues, orders for delivery beyond three years are only worth
the paper it was signed on. What
matters, he adds, is the number of
aircraft that will be ready for delivery within the next 36 months.
Beyond that period, the contract
is just a free option offered to the
airline or lessor, he says.
Grabowski argues that Boeing
and Airbus have adopted dynamic orderbook management to
ensure all aircraft ordered can be
delivered and nanced.
Whether or not the ultimate
recipient is identical to the initial
contracting party is of little importance for the manufacturers,
he says. Both manufacturers are
screening the nature of the orderbooks, and are well prepared and
equipped to effectively react to
stress in the market.
ussian ag carrier Aeroot

has indicated it may seek to
defer some aircraft deliveries due
to weakening passenger demand.
Flightglobals Ascend Online
database shows the airline has a
total of 188 aircraft 150 narrowbodies and 38 widebodies on
order from foreign and domestic
manufacturers.
However, general manager Vitaly Saveliev says Aeroot may
have to review delivery schedules because of a slowdown in
trafc growth. I saw a similar fall
in demand for travel in 2009, he
told an international forum in
Russia. The airline plans to decrease capacity by deferring some

deliveries until a bit later. Declining to elaborate, Saveliev
stresses the airline is only considering this option.
Were waiting for our thirdquarter operational results, he
says. If the slump continues,
well make a denitive decision.
Aeroots on-order narrowbodies comprise 50 Irkut MC-21s, 46
Boeing 737s, 20 Sukhoi Superjets
and 14 Airbus A320-family jets.
For its widebody eet, the
airline has ordered 26 787s and
22 A350s.
FLEET
American to receive rst 787-8
he chief operating ofcer of

American Airlines, Robert
Isom, has conrmed that the airline expects to receive its rst
Boeing 787-8 in November.
The aircraft is one of two that
the Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier plans to take delivery of this
year, and the rst of a rm order
for 42 787-8s and -9s. Entry-intoservice is unlikely before 2015,
said Isom at the Boyd Group
International Aviation Summit in
Las Vegas on 26 August.
American will operate the 787
on domestic routes initially be-
fore shifting the ying to international routes following a brief

breaking in period.
You need to spend some time
with a new aircraft type ying it
around until you can actually do
an international route, said
Doug Parker, chairman and chief
executive of American, in an interview with Flightglobal in July.
You need more than one airplane to y international routes.
Isom declined to provide any
additional details on the 787
entry-into-service or what routes
it could y.
Correction In our World Airliner Census, published last week, figures for the Boeing
737NG in the Top 10 Fleets table were incorrect. We are happy to print a correct listing.
TOP 10 FLEETS MAINLINE AIRCRAFT

Manufacturer and aircraft family
Airbus A320 family

Boeing 737-600/700/800/900
Boeing 777
Boeing 737-200/300/400/500
Airbus A330
Boeing 757
Boeing 767
Boeing 717/MD-80/MD-90/DC-9
Boeing 747
Airbus A340
In-service eet
2014
2013
5,632
4,693
1,188
1,089
1,020
812
795
744
585
266
5,180
4,265
1,095
1,164
927
849
818
776
623
298
Change
8.7%
10.0%
8.5%
-6.4%
10.0%
-4.4%
-2.8%
-4.1%
-6.1%
-10.7%
SOURCE: Ascend Fleets. Data for 24 July 2014 vs 24 July 2013
DEFENCE
he US Air Force and Raytheon

have successfully tested an upgraded anti-radar missile designed
to accurately destroy enemy air
defence early-warning systems.
In the 22 August test, a USAF
Lockheed Martin F-16 red an
AGM-88 HARM (high-speed antiradiation missile), which scored a
direct hit on a specic radar emitter outside a zone of exclusion
that included a decoy emitter.
The AGM-88 is designed to
locate and destroy surface-to-air
missile radars, early-warning
radars and radar-directed air
defence artillery systems, to
allow safe battleeld overight of
conict zones by US and allied
aircraft. The missile identies
and homes in on electronic
transmissions emitted by radar
installations.
More than 4,000 HARMs have
been red in combat by the eight
nations that operate the advanced
munition.
More than 4,000

HARMs have been
red in combat by
the eight nations
that operate the
advanced munition
Improvements to the missile in
the recent test include a HARM
control section modication
(HCSM) that increases accuracy
and precision, reducing collateral
damage, Raytheon says.
The missile is also specially
designed to destroy modern surface-to-air missile installations,
and to resist jamming and other
counter-HARM systems.
According to Raytheon
which manufactures HARMs
under a 2012 contract with the air
force, and is currently at full-rate
production more testing is
needed to determine if the HCSM
is ready for deployment.
US Navy signs off on initial

Australian P-8A acquisition
Canberra lauds agreement after service inks contract for first four of up to 12 Poseidons
n advanced acquisition contract for the rst four of up to

12 Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to be purchased by Australia has been
agreed with the US Navy, and deliveries are expected from 2017.
The Australian government approved the A$4 billion ($3.7 billion) acquisition of eight of the
737-derived aircraft plus options
for four more in February. This
allowed Boeing to place lead time
orders for the rst four aircraft.
The jets are being purchased from
the US government under the Foreign Military Sales programme.
The P-8As will replace the
Royal Australian Air Forces eet
of Lockheed Martin AP-3C
Orions, and a decision on the
four options is expected after a
government White Paper is released in 2015.
All eight agreed aircraft are expected to be delivered by 2018,
and to be fully operational by
2021. Canberra is following the
US Navy
Improved HARM
bang on target
in weapons test
CONTRACT BETH STEVENSON LONDON
The maritime patrol type was on display at Farnborough air show

USNs example in its maritime
patrol acquisitions, as it has
pledged to acquire a mixture of
the manned P-8A alongside the
Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton unmanned air vehicle (UAV).
Together with high-altitude
[UAVs], these aircraft will replace
the Royal Australian Air Force
AP-3C Orions that have served
Australia so well for over four
decades, the nations defence
minister David Johnston says.
Negotiations between Boeing
and the US government to inte-
grate the AGM-84 Harpoon Block

1G anti-ship missile with Australias P-8As began in July. A Pentagon notication says work on the
Harpoon mainly relates to integrating the weapon with the aircrafts combat system software.
The navy, meanwhile, took delivery of its 15th Poseidon on 31
July, which is now being used to
train navy crews in the lead up to
deployment. Boeing is currently
on contract to build and support
53 P-8As for the navy, of the total
117 it plans to acquire.
REQUIREMENT ARIE EGOZI TEL AVIV
IAI offers converted tanker for Poland

I
srael Aerospace Industries is offering a converted Boeing 767

in-ight refuelling tanker tted
with a new y-by-wire boom for a
Polish air force requirement.
Warsaw operates a eet of 48
Lockheed Martin F-16C/Ds, and
needs a boom-equipped tanker to
full its obligations to NATO.
Currently, Poland relies on Boeing
C-17s operated by the NATO Strategic Airlift Capability consortium

to meet its aerial refuelling needs.
IAIs offer includes a version of
the tanker with a probe and
drogue system that is also compatible with the air forces combined inventory of 67 Russianbuilt RAC MiG-29 and Sukhoi
Su-22 ghters.
Israel Aerospace Industries
EVALUATION
DAN PARSONS WASHINGTON DC
To get more defence sector coverage,

subscribe to our fortnightly newsletter:
ightglobal.com/defencenewsletter
The aircraft is adapted from a pre-owned 767 passenger airliner
IAI is offering the latest version

of the tanker in co-operation with
Polish defence contractor PGZ.
The Israeli rm recently performed successful test ights on a
converted 767-300ER equipped
with the new y-by-wire boom.
Based on a conversion of preowned 767 passenger aircraft, IAI
claims the type offers a lower lifecycle cost than a bespoke tanker.
As part of the enhancement
process, IAI replaces or upgrades
key parts, including the aerostructure, wiring and other systems.
New engines, avionics including a state-of-the-art glass
cockpit and self-protection systems can also be offered, tailored
to the customers specic requirements, IAI adds.
flightglobal.com
DEFENCE
The changing
threat for NATO
NEWS FOCUS P19

TRAINERS GREG WALDRON SINGAPORE
First RNZAF Texans

flown in from Wichita
Boeing
The modifications would be provided as a Foreign Military Sale

PROPOSAL BETH STEVENSON LONDON
Saudi Sentry eet

awaiting upgrade
eechcraft Defence Systems

has own two T-6C Texan II
aircraft from Wichita, Kansas to
New Zealand, ahead of entry into
service with the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF).
The pair arrived at RNZAF
Ohakea on 22 August, as the rst
tranche of Wellingtons NZ$154
million ($129 million) order of 11
T-6Cs, placed in January.
The aircraft will be formerly
handed over on 31 October, after
RNZAF personnel undergo maintenance and pilot training in the
USA. The T-6s meet a require-
ment New Zealand has for an

intermediate trainer with a glass
cockpit.
The aircraft will take students
from the Pacic Aerospace CT-4E
Airtrainer to the Lockheed Martin P-3K2 Orion maritime patrol
aircraft, Boeing 757 and upgraded Lockheed C-130H transports,
plus the AgustaWestland AW109,
NH Industries NH90 and future
Kaman SH-2G(I) Super Seasprite
helicopters.
The order includes CAE ight
simulators, classroom and computer-based training.
he US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has

notied Congress of its approval
of a potential $2 billion mission
system upgrade sale for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabias airborne
warning and control system
(AWACS) eet.
The proposal for the upgrade
was delivered on 12 August to
Congress, which will now decide
whether or not to authorise the
sale. The modications to the
Royal Saudi Air Forces vestrong Boeing 707-derived E-3A
Sentry eet would be provided as
a Foreign Military Sale.
The proposed mission

computing upgrades
are a continuation of
efforts to maintain
interoperability
with US forces
Saudi Arabia has requested
ve Block 40/45 mission computing upgrade systems and 20
UPX-40 next-generation identication friend-or-foe (IFF) systems.
Communication equipment, a
mission planning system and
spares would also be provided, as
well as US government and
flightglobal.com
Boeing logistics and technical

support services.
Saudi Arabia has operated its
AWACS eet since the mid1980s. During that time the eet
has received several upgrades,
including radar and Link 16 datalink modications.
The proposed mission computing upgrades are a continuation of efforts to maintain interoperability with US and coalition
forces, the DSCA says.
The modernisation effort
would extend the life of the aircraft for the foreseeable future,
while expanding the operational
scope of the eet, including the
ability to identify friendly aircraft
earlier with the next-generation
IFF system.
This proposed upgrade follows an 8 August announcement
that Boeing has been contracted
to provide a $250 million
ightdeck upgrade to NATOs
AWACS eet.
Engineering, manufacturing
and development work for the
upgrade had been carried out on
one NATO aircraft at the time of
the contract award, and ight
testing with the modications is
due to commence in the fourth
quarter of this year.
The asset is to be returned to
use in December 2015.
The T-6 is an intermediate trainer with glass cockpit
ACQUISITIONS ATUL CHANDRA BENGALURU
HAL to deliver Afghan Cheetals
ndian state-owned airframer

Hindustan Aeronautics is to deliver three Cheetal light helicopters to Afghanistans air force
next month.
The unarmed helicopters will
be transferred via commercial
cargo plane to Kabul airport, from
the companys Bengaluru-based
helicopter division.
The Cheetal is a re-engined
variant of the Cheetah a licenceproduced version of the Arospatiale Alouette II-based SA-315.
HAL
Beechcraft
Congress to debate approving $2bn contract to enhance

Kingdoms E-3A AWACS aircraft mission system package
The type can reach 23,000ft
The Cheetal is powered by a

Turbomeca TM 333 2M2 turboshaft,
which
generates
1,100shp (820kW). This is double
the 550shp generated by the Artouste III B that originally powered the Chetak HALs licenceproduced version of the Alouette
III, or SA-316.
The Indian air force last year
received its last Cheetal from a
10-strong order placed in 2006.
The Indian army placed an
order for 20 of the type in February 2013, with deliveries expected to be complete by 2017.
HAL says it has manufactured
more than 347 Chetak and 275
Cheetah helicopters since licence
production rst began in
Bengaluru 45 years ago more
than the light helicopters original manufacturer.
In association with:
FLIGHT SAFETY
2014
London Heathrow Marriott, London, UK
16th - 17th September 2014
Join international airlines and market experts from across
the globe for the fth annual Flight Safety Conference.
Do not miss out on this unique and forward thinking event.
CONFIRMED SPEAKERS INCLUDE:

Giancarlo Buono
Regional Director for Safety and
Operations Europe, IATA
Hctor David Hidalgo Medellin

Safety Management Systems Manager
Avianca
Pere Fabregas
Safety Manager
Vueling
Harry Nelson
Executive Operational Advisor
to Product Safety
Airbus
Michel Gorog
Safety & Compliance
Compliance Managing Director
Air France
AerofocustRAFtBrussels
Faculty of Engineeringt
Lufttransport AStFlight Data
ServicestUniversity of Greenwich
tNorwegian Air Internationalt
Flybe FinlandtMilitary Aviation
AuthoritytAirbustRAF Safety
CentretAvianca HoldingtBAE
Systems Saudi ArabiatCAE
Aviation LuxembourgtVolarist
LuxairtIcelandic Pilots Uniont
Air FrancetNorwegian Air Shuttle
tRAF Brize NortontAscent
Flight TrainingtAtlantic Airlinest
IcelandairtSmart Lynx Airlinest
CAE OAAtAvi AssisttAir Transat
tGambia Civil Aviation Authority
tAviation Safety and Quality
SolutionstBALPAtGulf Airt
Finnish Transport Safety Agencyt
Corendon Dutch AirlinestCityJet
tThomas CooktJet2.comt
SkyWork AirlinestViva Aerobus
tNetJets EuropetBA Openskies
tBritish AirwaystIATAteasyJet
tWizz AirtVuelingtRyanairt
Aer LingustScandinavian Airlines
tIrish Air Line Pilots Associationt
PGA Portugalia Airlines
Dave Prior
Director of Safety and Security
easyJet
Simon Grace
Safety & Quality Manager
Aviation Support
ybe
Tim Steeds
Director of Safety and Security
British Airways
David Learmount
Operations and Safety Editor
Flightglobal
Martin Timmons
Deputy Director Safety and Security
Ryanair
Sponsors and Exhibitors:
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BUSINESS AVIATION P21

SUMMIT BETH STEVENSON LONDON
The changing threat for NATO

World leaders gathering in Wales must respond to a very different global security environment since last meeting in 2012
orld leaders are ocking to

Newport this week, as the
Welsh town plays host to a NATO
summit on 4-5 September and
the event is shaping up to be anything but routine.
The 26th summit comes at a
time when many nations are facing territorial disputes, civil wars
and the rise of insurgency. All
eyes will surely be on the leaders
to shape a response to events in
the Middle East, eastern Europe
and the South China Sea.
The UKs National Defence
Association (NDA) has written
to prime minister David Cameron, calling on him not to
underestimate the summits importance in shaping NATOs role
in international peacekeeping.
The letter states: At the time of
the last NATO summit in Chicago
the world looked very different;
there was hope that risks to world
peace were containable and that
actions put in hand would assist
in this regard. In 2014, NATO and
the West face an increasing number of threats whose seriousness
is as great as has been seen since
the end of the Cold War.
INSTABILITY
The NDA adds that Middle East
is in turmoil, and the UKs
withdrawal from Afghanistan is
likely to open up further instability in the region. Also, in Southeast Asia, it says China is exing
her muscles in the China Seas,
consolidating the nations hold
on raw materials in Africa and
possibly moving closer to Russia.
Nearer home, Russia seems
resolved to secure her interests
through military means, and by
doing so threatens the security of
NATOs newer members, it says.
Despite reports that Russia had
not been invited to attend the
summit as a result of its meddling
in Ukraine, at time of press
NATO claimed that a decision
has not yet been made.
flightglobal.com
The Baltic air policing mission in

April featured Polish MiG-29s,
US F-15s and RAF Typhoons
One result of the Chicago summit in 2012 was the signing of a
contract for ve Northrop Grumman Global Hawk Alliance
Ground Surveillance (AGS) systems. Fifteen nations are currently involved in the unmanned
AGS development, although all
28 NATO members will benet
from the use of the ve systems
based out of Sigonella air force
base in Sicily when required.
Flight testing will begin next
year, with initial operational capability is expected in 2017.
Whether new aircraft orders
will be made during the Newport
summit remains to be seen, but
the role of aircraft in support of
NATOs ability to react to international crises is paramount. This
was demonstrated in April, when
a eet of aircraft from the alliances nations was part of NATOs
Baltic air policing mission over
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
The deployment was bolstered
by a variety of types, supporting
Polands four-month quick reaction response to rising tensions in
Russia and Ukraine. This included four UK Royal Air Force Eu-
roghter Typhoon FGR4 combat

jets, four Polish air force RAC
MiG-29s, four French air force
Dassault Rafale C ghters and
four Royal Danish Air Force
Lockheed Martin F-16AMs.
Separately, six Royal Canadian
Air Force Boeing CF-18A ghters
left Quebec for Romania on 29
April, accompanied by an Airbus
A310 tanker/transport.
UPGRADES
NATO also announced in August
a $250 million investment to upgrade its Boeing E-3A airborne
warning and control system
(AWACS) eet. The 17 Boeing
707-derived aircraft will receive
digital ightdeck upgrades under
the effort, which has so far seen
one AWACS aircraft undergo
work in an engineering, manufacturing and development phase.
Flight testing with this aircraft
is to commence in the fourth
quarter of 2014, and the jet will
enter operational use in December 2015. Modications to a further 13 of the eet will begin in
2016, with the programme scheduled for completion in 2018.
Boeing will perform an identical avionics update on one of the

US Air Forces AWACS aircraft
from November, as part of the
same contract placed by NATO.
Meanwhile, AirTanker the
consortium that manages the UKs
Airbus A330 Voyager tanker/
transport eet has proposed allowing NATO nations to dip into
its spare capacity. This would
allow NATO to use part of a
surge eet of ve Voyagers,
which will be supplied between
next year and mid-2016. These
will follow a core inventory of
eight aircraft in use with the RAF,
and another operated by AirTanker crews on the civilian register.
AirTanker hopes to see the
offer of spare capacity raised
by the UK during the NATO
summit. The proposal would
help ll an air-to-air refuelling
capability shortfall that exists
outside of the US.
One of the programmes spare
aircraft has already been placed
with Thomas Cook Airlines from
May 2015 under a three-year
agreement, but the remaining
four have yet to be placed.
NATO
NEWS FOCUS
Read all the news and analysis from the

cutting edge of human space exploration:
ightglobal.com/spaceight
SATELLITE NAVIGATION DAN THISDELL LONDON
Galileo shrugs off setback

Launch failure leaves two satellites in useless orbit, but ESA and EC confident in 2017 plan for full operations
uropes bid to establish its

own satellite navigation
system has suffered a setback
when a launch failure stranded
the fth and sixth satellites of
what is to be a 30-strong Galileo
constellation in a useless orbit.
However, both the European
Space Agency and European
Commission are condent the
programme remains on track to
provide essentially full services
from 2017 using 24 satellites, and
to have the complete, 30-satellite
constellation including six
orbiting spares ying by 2020.
Initial indications showed the
22 August launch from Kourou,
French Guiana (pictured) to be a
success but ongoing telemetry
following separation of the satellites from their Soyuz rockets
Fregat upper stage revealed them
to be in the wrong orbit.
Launch operator Arianespace
which has appointed an independent commission to evaluate
this major anomaly says the
spacecraft should have been
placed in a 29,900km circular
orbit inclined at 55. However, the
pair are instead in an elliptical
orbit, with eccentricity of 0.23, a
semi major axis of 26,200km and
inclined at just 49.8.
According to ESA, the satellites are not useful for navigation
in their current orbit. They are,
however, pointing at the Sun and
safely under the control of the
European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) at Darmstadt, which is
working day and night to assess its options.
In principle, the spacecraft
could use their own propulsion
to achieve the correct orbit.
However, Franco Bonacina,
spokesman for ESA director
general Jean-Jacques Dordain,
says it is unlikely that course of
action will be deemed worthwhile. The satellites each carry
70kg of propellant intended for
station-keeping during their 12-
ESA
So far, so good
year lifespan, and using it up for
a major change of orbit is probably pointless.
Another possibility is that
ESOC may be able to devise
some tricks to be played by
ground stations to recover navigational functions.
RESOLUTION
A nal option, says Bonacina,
would be to take advantage of a
rare opportunity to conduct
what ESA calls a technology
mission. This would involve
using the two Galileo satellites
for the sort of extreme, in-orbit
stress testing that would never
be done with an operational
spacecraft but which can give
insights into system performance beyond what can be
achieved in ground testing.
In any case, all parties are
looking for a quick resolution to
Arianespaces inquiry, in order to
keep the next Soyuz Galileo
mission scheduled to orbit two
more satellites on track for a
December launch.
The push to get Galileo in action will step up next year, with
the rst of three ights of a modi-
ed Ariane 5 ES launcher, capable of orbiting four of the navigation satellites at once. Including
Decembers mission, four more
two-satellite Soyuz ight are also
scheduled.
The satellites are supplied by
Germanys OHB-System, with
navigation payloads built by
Airbus Defence & Spaces Surrey
Satellite Technology unit. ESAs
Bonacina notes that a decision
had been taken to extend serial
production to include six spares
for 30 units in total as this was
cheaper than buying insurance
against failures.
Meanwhile, European Commissioner Ferdinando Nelli
Feroci says the Commission has
set up an internal task force to
monitor the situation, but stresses: I remain convinced of the
strategic importance of Galileo,
and I am condent the deployment of the constellation of satellites will continue as planned.
Brussels sees Galileo as a critical element in a broader European imperative to maintain independent access to space and
space services. The EU currently
co-funds the system with ESA
which acts as its design and procurement agent but will take
over when Galileo reaches an operational stage. According to the
Commission, apart from independent control of what has become an indispensable modern
technology, Galileo will deliver
around 90 billion [$119 billion]
to the EU economy over the rst
20 years of operations.
The Commission says these
returns will be in the form of
direct revenues for the space,
receivers and applications industries, and in the form of indirect
revenues for society more
effective transport systems [and]
more effective rescue operations
[for example].
INDEPENDENCE
The logic behind achieving
independent control of satellite
navigation is well-founded in
experience. Following the 9/11
attacks on New York and Washington DC, the USA put pressure
on Europe to abandon a programme which, it feared, would
give enemies free access to
satellite navigation services.
While the US GPS system is
widely used for civilian purposes, it is designed, maintained and
operated by the military. However, Galileo was conceived from
the start as a civilian programme
to end the US monopoly.
Reports at the time indicated
that Galileo which had only just
been approved by Brussels was
nearly killed off by US concerns
over security.
However, Europe pressed on,
and despite technical delays and
funding difculties that have left
the programme years behind
schedule, Galileo is nally on the
cusp of offering initial services.
Meanwhile, Russias Glonass
has also come into operation, and
both China and India are working
on their own, independent navigation constellations.
flightglobal.com
BUSINESS AVIATION
Top of the class
FEATURE P22
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CitationAir
essnas business jet charter

and management arm, CitationAir, is to cease ight operations on 31 October two years
after it stopped selling fractional
shares in aircraft and jet cards.
After evaluating options for
the future of CitationAir, we have
made the decision to wind down
our operations and exit the business, CitationAirs parent company Textron Aviation says.
The reasons behind the decision have not been disclosed by
Textron, but low demand in the
USA for light- and midsize-cabin
business jets the backbone of CitationAirs eet are believed to
have played a role.
It also appears that CiationAir
was not considered a core part of
Textron Aviation. The unit,
formed from the acquisition of
Beechcraft by Textron, is focused
on the Cessna and Beechcraft
family of business jets, turbo-
The charter companys fleet includes Cessna Citation Sovereigns

props and piston-engined aircraft. CitationAir says it will repurchase fractional shares from
current owners and sell aircraft
through its pre-owned sales department.
The company was established
by Cessna 15 years ago as CitationShares. The venture was designed to secure a foothold in the
then-lucrative fractional ownership and block charter markets,
which the airframer hoped
would lead to an increase in sales

for its business jet family.
Within a short time the company had a eet of more than 80
aircraft, and was ranked fourthlargest fractional operator after
NetJets, Flight Options and FlexJet
all of which remain in business.
Two years ago, faced with lower
demand, CitationAir halted its
fractional ownership venture, but
pledged to continue charter and
management services.
SAFETY DAVID LEARMOUNT LONDON
Gulfstream issues gust lock

warning after Bedford crash
Letter urges pilots to double-check control settings following GIV overrun on take-off
nitial reports into the 31 May

fatal crash of a Gulfstream GIV
in Bedford, Massachusetts have
led the airframer to write to pilots
warning them to ensure the ying
control gust locks are not engaged
before the start of the take-off roll.
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says
the GIV failed to take off at Bedford, overrunning the end of the
runway. It ploughed through approach lighting and a localiser
antenna before coming to rest in a
gully around 1,850ft (564m) from
the runway threshold. The aircraft subsequently caught re
killing all seven people on board.
NTSB says the jets gust locks
were found to be disengaged, but
data from the ight data recorder
was consistent with its position
if the gust lock was engaged dur-
flightglobal.com
ing taxi and take-off. The system

locks the elevator in the down
position, and the rest of the ying
controls in a neutral position to
protect the aircraft against wind
gusts while parked.
Gulfstream says the gust locks
are supposed to be disengaged
before engine start. As the engines run the hydraulics power
up, and it becomes difcult to
disengage the mechanical locks.
The airframer recommends
shutting the engines down, disengaging the gust locks and then
restarting. The controls are then
to be checked for full and free
movement, with another such
check just before take-off.
NTSB says the FDR data shows
no attempt to check control movement, but the aps were correctly
set for take-off and the engines op-
erating according to the power

lever position.
The calls for V1 and rotate
were normal, but subsequently
the cockpit voice recorder captured comments concerning aircraft control, the NTSB says.
The GIV has an embedded interlock system to prevent the
throttles being advanced beyond
6% when the gust locks are still
engaged.
However, it has been discovered that under certain circumstances the throttles can be advanced to take-off power with the
gust locks still engaged.
The investigation is ongoing,
and Gulfstream says it is not clear
whether the appropriate reaction
is for the company to make
design changes or modify its
procedures.
Embraer has expanded its business jet service and support

network into the Brazilian northeast, following the appointment
of Igarassus AeroMecnica as
its first authorised service centre in the Recife region. The firm
will provide line maintenance,
scheduled inspections and remote services for the Phenom
100 and 300.
AERIA VIP DEAL

US VIP completions company
Aeria Luxury Interiors has secured a cabin completion contract for a widebody airliner from
an undisclosed customer. The
ST Aerospace subsidiary is
scheduled to take delivery of
the aircraft in the third quarter
of 2014. The project is expected to take around two years.
NORTH SEA MERGER

North Sea helicopter operators
Blueway Group and Noordzee
Helikopters Vlaanderen are to
merge, subject to regulatory
approval, creating a new group
with its main focus in Denmark,
Norway and Belgium, predominatly serving the offshore oil
and gas transportation sector.
Additional operations are located in France, the UK and
Africa. The combined fleet will
total 59 medium and heavy rotorcraft, with another 19 on order over the next three years.
BELL MILESTONE
Bell Helicopter has handed over
the 200th Bell 429 to Brazilian
real estate firm Miramar
Empreendimentos Imobilirios.
The light-twin will be used for
corporate transportation.
MOUNTAIN BOUGHT
Colorado-based charter company Mountain Aviation has
been snapped up by a private
investment group, which plans
to expand the operators
customer base and core
markets. Mountain operates a
fleet of business jets and turboprops, including Gulfstream
types and Beechcraft King Airs.
COCKPIT EVALUATION
A TOUCH OF GLASS
The full digital cockpit featured in the latest version of Grob Aircrafts G120TP could
set a new benchmark for pilot training technology and at a reasonable price too
PETER COLLINS MATTSIES-TUSSENHAUSEN
Grob aircraft
hen Flight International was

given the opportunity to visit
Grob Aircraft at its Mattsies-Tussenhausen production facility in
Bavaria, Germany, the company also offered a
chance to evaluate the full digital cockpit of the
latest version of its G120TP military trainer.
The G120TP impressed me greatly when I
tested it in prototype form in late 2010. Its
blend of high performance, low acquisition or
lease price, minimal operating costs and considerable training potential was clearly
evident. I predicted then that the aircraft was

destined to become the new ight, attack and
systems trainer of choice for air force training
organisations worldwide.
Additionally, the G120TP incorporates a
systems of systems training concept. I
believed it would make the present denitions of grading, elementary, basic and advanced lead-in training phases redundant,
and had the potential to revolutionise future
military training standards beginning from a
students rst day.
The aircraft gained European Aviation Safety Agency certication in early 2013, and is on
course to gain FAR 23 certication from the US
Federal Aviation Administration in early 2015.
Since clinching EASA certication, the
aircraft has been bought by Indonesia (24,
plus eight options), Argentina (10, plus ve
options) and Mexico (25, plus 15 options).

There is also the prospect of a signicant
order soon from a major European air force. If
conrmed, this order would see the aircraft
become a breakthrough success.
MAJOR CHANGE
The initial EASA CS 23 certication basis for
the G120TP was with an analogue cockpit,
and the new digital cockpit will be classed as
a major change to the aircrafts type certication under the agencys regulations.
The major change will cover either an
option for a two-screen digital display to
one cockpit side, with analogue instruments
retained on the other or an option for a full,
four-screen digital display.
The latter would endow the G120TP with a
complete glass cockpit and, for the rst time,
Improved undercarriage allows the type

to sit level, rather than the prototype
aircrafts tendency to be slightly tail down
flightglobal.com
G120TP GROB
provide individual side-by-side cockpits for

both student and instructor as opposed to
side-by-side seating.
Grob believes the four-screen digital display will be the most popular option, and it
was this conguration I evaluated on the
ground at the company facility. Grob was expecting to gain EASA certication for its new
digital cockpit options in July.
In terms of limitations, the new aircraft
standard is virtually unchanged from the prototype. Maximum operating airspeed is now
238kt (440km/h) indicated against a previous 245kt and maximum take-off weight is
1,520kg (3,350lb); down from 1,590kg.
Improvements include new undercarriage
that allows the G120TP to sit level, rather than
the prototype aircrafts tendency to sit slightly
tail down.
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The external power connection point is

now behind the right wing root; the gaseous
oxygen bottle and system is fully enclosed
within the baggage area and the oxygen hose
and microphone-telecommunication connections have been simplied and tidied.
The ap lever has been remodelled and has
four positions (up/take-off/land/full) and the
power lever features a pilot-selectable mechanical detent which can be overridden
COCKPIT EVALUATION
set to approximately 230shp (171kW),

for initial student grading and circuit ying.
The new variant also features electric trim in
all three axis, and pitch trim is shown as a
green band within the engine indicating
and crew alerting system (EICAS) display.
The manufacturer decided not to progress
with a helmet-mounted display system, as
most air force customers did not want this option at the early student experience level.
Additionally, new Martin-Baker Mk17
zero-60 (0ft-60kt) lightweight ejection seats
are not presently to be tted. This requirement is on an engineering hold only, however, and remains a rmly dened future option
for the G120TP-X upgrade.
This package will include increased
weight, strengthened wings with four hardpoints and more powerful engine variants.
Grob is expecting G120TP-X deliveries to
commence in late 2016 or early 2017.
With superb aerodynamics and a light
weight, due to its carbonbre construction,
plus outstanding jet-like performance and
economy delivered by its 450shp
Rolls-Royce 250-B17F turboprop engine, married to a ve-bladed, short span MT propeller
the critical element in the role of the
G120TP as a 21st century trainer was always
going to be a truly advanced digital cockpit.
This addition would make the trainer t
seamlessly with other modern, business-type
xed-wing aircraft and helicopters, acting in
the advanced training role for transport and
rotary-wing students. It would also t well
with higher performance turboprop trainers,
such as the Beechcraft T-6C and Pilatus
PC-21, and top-end lead-in ghter trainers
such as the Alenia Aermacchi M-346 or BAE
Systems Hawk T2 for ghter pilot training.
Grob Aircraft
I estimate I was comfortable

to congure and operate
the cockpit within 60min
of sitting in the aircraft
Grob Aircraft
COCKPIT FEATURES
The G120TPs cockpit features four screens
side-by-side, each 6x8in 10.4in diagonally
set portrait style. Each pilots pair of screens
is separated centrally by a large combined
digital standby attitude indicator, UHF radio
panel, autopilot panel, gear panel and three
function and warning buttons.
A standby compass is the only instrument
on top of the cockpit glareshield, and is set
centrally. The digital screens and autopilot
are made by Genesys Aerosystems formally
part of Cobham.
Each screen functions as two separate display areas, split upper and lower up to eight
individual screens in total. Each display unit
is identical and interchangeable as a hardware unit, and includes the functions of an
integrated ight management system (FMS)
with area navigation, a terrain awareness
warning system and a digital ight recorder.
Connected sensors include a GPS module and
an air data and heading attitude reference
system. The information from the individual

avionic units to the screens is carried primarily by an ARINC 429 databus.
Instructor pilot and student displays can be
separated as two independent systems or
joined together as a single system with a panel-mounted switch. When joined, either side
can be synchronised, with the other as the
master. The two centre displays are nominated for virtual training modes such as the embedded simulation of air-to-air radar or tactical air situation display and display
full-screen. When not in this mode, the two
inner screens are nominated as the multifunction displays, then with split displays. The
two outer screens are always nominated as
flightglobal.com
G120TP GROB
the primary ight displays (PFDs). The top

half of each outer screen PFD is xed, and
will always carry the primary ight information (PFI) display. This can be set to feature
either conventional analogue dials or the
more modern vertical tape depiction of altitude, airspeed, vertical speed and heading.
Basic ight information is combined with a
synthetic grid depiction of terrain or highway in the sky ight guidance, with course
deviation indicator, ight path vector and aircraft attitude reference symbology.
The turboprop trainer boasts superb

aerodynamics and a light weight, due
to its carbonbre construction
The G120TPs cockpit features four

screens side-by-side, portrait style
flightglobal.com
MULTIFUNCTION
The other six screens can display a moving
map including terrain, terrain awareness,
landmarks and ightplanned route. They can
also show a waypoint horizontal situation indicator (HSI) for basic display of VOR, ADF
and FMS waypoint bearing needles, shown in
a compass rose format.
A NAVLOG overview page acting as a FMS
can also be selected, alongside an audio/radio
page combining VHF/UHF/transponder/navigation/intercom, a trafc alerting and collision avoidance system (TCAS) and EICAS information. Stormscope display is also an
option. By standard operating procedure, one
display screen will always carry the EICAS
page. Signicantly, the avionics, autopilot
and displays will be certicated for vertical
navigation ightpath functions and satellitebased approach system approaches, replicating instrument landing system-type guidance
to ILS limits, at austere airelds.
On seeing the cockpit for the rst time especially when the screens were already powered up my impression was of a totally glass
cockpit that completely lled the instrument
console area. The set-up was a displayed
screen area not only unmatched in this class
of trainer, but one that also exceeds most if
not all of the systems advanced modern
trainers presently use.
The glareshield has been lowered by 22mm
on the production version compared to the
prototype, so eld of view over the nose was
excellent. The view was not compromised by
tting the four screens and having to then
congure the other cockpit controls and indicators such as autopilot panel and warning
panel around them.
FLEXIBLE
My second impression was of a cockpit with a
wealth of digital information. The eight
screens can be congured exactly for what the
student or instructor pilot wants and on
which side of the cockpit for a particular ight
or training event.
It is hard to convey just how exible the
display variations are, or how easy it was to
congure the cockpit in a way I would want
or expect for any future transport, helicopter
or ghter-graded student. I also reminded myself that individual screens were not locked
into individual display modes, but could be
placed anywhere with the exception of the
PFI on the two outer PFD upper displays.
The screens display resolution was high
and displayed symbols, numbers and letters
were easy to read. At least eight different colours are used, with some such as blue and
green having multiple shades for applications like terrain and landmark presentation.
The clarity of any displayed mode and the
ease of interpretation by a pilot, even from the
6x4in half-display, are superb equal to any
other modern aircraft with digital displays I
have evaluated.
I especially liked the miniature screen-inscreen displays that could be selected within
the PFI, and the presentation of the highway
in the sky ight guidance and synthetic grid
ground overlay. These advanced functions
are made even more impressive by the fact
they are part of a trainer aircraft students will
encounter from their very rst training day.
Each screen has eight line select keys (LSK)
per side, and four rotary knobs along the base.
Of the latter, the two on the right are pushed
to select either top or bottom display, and
turned to change values. The LSK functions
change depending on the display mode selected.
COMFORTABLE
The beauty of the Genesys Aerosystems
screens is the ease by which you can go back
to correct mistakes or change values after
input, just as it was to go forward to complete
screen setup. This is an important training
factor for students ying under pressure in
the cockpit. I estimate I was comfortable to
congure and operate the cockpit within
60min of sitting in the aircraft despite being
given no prior brieng.
The prototype G120TP was impressive
during my 2010 evaluation, but the latest
four-screen digital display production version
allied to an embedded cockpit training simulation means the type has become the 21st
century trainer aircraft the early prototype
promised it would be.
In my opinion, the G120TP is a breakthrough aircraft. It features true side-by-side
cockpits and can realistically span the present
denitions of grading, elementary, basic and
advanced lead-in phases.
The type can do this for transport, rotary or
fast jet students, all at the same time, all to the
same standard and all in the most cost-effective manner.
The G120TP offers any modern air force
the chance to reshape its training programme.
I continue to predict that the G120TP will set
the benchmark for 21st century trainer aircraft
worldwide in this aircraft category.
Draken International
MEET THE ENEMY

Draken International has found a niche simulating hostile
aircraft for the USAF with its eet of fourth-generation ghters
but the private air force has aspirations beyond the USA
KEN WALKER LONDON
ny air arm able to eld 30 operational MiG-21s, 11 Douglas A-4K

Skyhawks and which ordered up to
28 light combat jets would be
placed well up the rankings in Flight Internationals annual World Air Forces directory.
It may come as a surprise, therefore, to learn
that the aircraft listed above belong to a
commercial company.
Welcome to Draken International, the
worlds largest private air force.
Lakeland, Florida-based Draken formed in
2011, and has grown rapidly since then.
Currently the company undertakes a range of
training activities for the US military, but is
also looking at opening a European base.
Our business model was to be the rst
commercial air service provider to utilise
fourth-generation tactical ghter aircraft,
says chief executive Jared Isaacman. We felt
that was a big differentiator between us and
other companies in a very small industry.

The company initially achieved that fourthgeneration label in the shape of the
Skyhawks, which Draken bought from the
Royal New Zealand Air Force in 2012 after
that air arm decided to retire its fast jet component in 2001.
Theyre unlike any other Skyhawks in the
world, explains Isaacman. They had a $300
million upgrade in the 1990s, where they basically took the guts out of the [Lockheed
Martin] F-16 and put them into the
Skyhawks. This included a Westinghouse
AN/APG-66 radar, hands-on throttle and stick
(HOTAS) controls, a glass cockpit and a
MIL-STD-1553B databus.
The aircraft were in storage in New Zealand for almost a decade, but had been very
well preserved, Isaacman adds.
As well as the Skyhawks and MiG-21s,
which were purchased from Poland, the eet
includes nine Alenia Aermacchi MB-339s
also courtesy of New Zealand plus ve Aero
Vodochody L-39 Albatros bought from various US private owners. In their off-duty moments Isaacman and some of his colleagues
y these as the Black Diamonds aerobatic
formation team.
Competitors, he argues, tend to operate
older equipment such as Israel Aircraft
Industries Krs, Hawker Hunters or Learjets
for roles such as target-towing or electronic
attack proles.
DIFFERENTIATOR
Drakens aim of differentiating itself was
further highlighted at Julys Farnborough
International air show, Isaacman says, when
the rm placed an order for up to 28 Aero
Vodochody L-159 Advanced Light Combat
Aircraft (ALCA).
The single-seat ALCAs derived from
Aeros 1970s-vintage L-39 Albatros have
been surplus to requirements since 72 were
built were built in the early years of this century, with most stored awaiting a purchaser.
flightglobal.com
DRAKEN INTERNATIONAL
Draken International
Draken has placed an order for

up to 28 Aero Vodochody L-159
Advanced Light Combat Aircraft
We believe the cost savings

are too dramatic to ignore
JARED ISAACMAN
Chief executive, Draken International
flightglobal.com
The aircraft, Isaacman says, exactly t a

niche in the companys eet. Having been
built from 2001-2003, that means [the type
is] very supportable and sustainable.
They have no ight time on them and are
packed with fourth-generation radar
capabilities, as part of a suite designed by
Selex, he adds.
The aircraft have a Grifo-L multimode
pulse Doppler radar and a glass cockpit, plus
HOTAS controls.
The big bonus for us is theyre hyper-efcient. They have a modern [Honeywell] F124
engine and use almost no gas, he says.
Draken is spending additional money on
the ALCAs to upgrade their performance. The
improvements will include aerodynamic renements to increase top speed, although
Isaacman declines to provide details, citing
proprietary information.
Also, manoeuvring aps already used on
the two-seat version of the aircraft but
which have not previously been tted to the
single-seaters will be added. These will be
designed by Aero.
Draken will take up to 28 examples. This
formula was originally agreed with the Czech
airframer, but the Iraqi government then
weighed in with what Isaacman describes as
a pretty strong bid for 12-15 of the aircraft
held in storage.
If that order comes to fruition, Draken is
still guaranteed a minimum of 14 aircraft. At
present, however, the Iraqi bid seems not to be
progressing, he says.
In cost terms, the deal is small change for
an air force, but a very large and expensive
purchase for us. Draken plans to have the
rst examples operational by late 2014 or
early 2015.
Missions own for the US armed forces run
the gamut of training roles from simple tasks
such as gunnery banner towing to ying
cruise missile ight proles against US Navy
vessels. The main driver behind the use of
Drakens aircraft in these roles is, of course,
cost.
There are three key things that drive cost
savings for our customers, Isaacman says.
Theres a huge gap between what it costs to
y one of our aircraft and what it costs to y a
[front-line] military jet. Our aircraft cost
around $7,000 an hour.
Thats $40,000 per ight hour in cost
savings compared to an F-16. When you move
up to something like a [Lockheed Martin]
F-35 or a [Euroghter] Typhoon, its something like $80,000.
Secondly, every ghter aircraft has a life
expectancy of something like 8,000 ight
hours. Every ghter aircraft is destined for the
boneyard. Every hour we can y in place of a
front-line ghter aircraft is an hour you dont
have to expend on that ghters airframe.
Finally, there is the danger of negative

training. With many Western ghter pilots
only getting around 150 hours of ight time
per year, it makes no sense to use up some of
that valuable time ying missions such as
cruise missile proles that will never be of use
to them in conict.
While all Drakens work is currently undertaken for the US military, it is actively looking
at opening a European base. Were in a number of conversations because of the growing
demand, Isaacman says. The French navy,
for example, uses L-39s and Hunters to provide threat simulation. The L-39 is a great
trainer aircraft, but it has no equipment to create new-generation threats.
Finding a suitable European location is
obviously a big decision for us, and will depend on several factors including security
and costs.
AGGRESSOR
Draken does not handle the high-end missions undertaken by US Aggressor units,
however. The Aggressors that y [Boeing]
F-15s, F-18s [and F-16s] can simulate just
about every threat in the world, he says.
However, there are a wide variety of threats
from third-generation or early fourth-generation aircraft that it might be too costly to use
Aggressor aircraft to simulate.
You would look to have the Aggressors
focus on simulating MiG-29s and [Shenyang]
J-11s. We can easily simulate MiG-21s and
other third/fourth-generation types.
The company draws its pilots from ex-military ranks. We have a lot of ex-USN and
USMC pilots who used to y A-4s and F-16.
Pilots seem to adapt to the A-4 very easily,
Isaacman says. The MB-339s, meanwhile,
are just a joy to y, he adds. An original
group of us was trained to y by an Italian 339
pilot. Its well-designed and easy to adapt to.
As all the MB-339s are two-seaters, it is a
relatively simple process to train new pilots
on the type.
It was less easy nding pilots for the
MiG-21s. Theres no expertise in the USA on
that aircraft whatsoever, but weve been on
very good terms speaking with [MRO provider] Aerostar in Romania, who have been able
to provide a lot of guidance, he says.
For ghter pilots retiring from military service after 15-20 years, being able to continue to
y ghter aircraft is a dream scenario, Isaacman adds. Despite the increasing sophistication of simulators, at some point pilots have to
experience real aircraft coming after them.
Simulators are great and the more that
delity increases, the more valuable they will
be. But as a pilot myself, seeing another
aircraft coming at you creates a much higher
tempo than just sitting at a computer,
Isaacman says.
BOEING
RISE OF THE
ROBOTS
From riveting and bucking to drilling and spraying,
Boeing is increasingly turning to innovative
automation to improve assembly line productivity
s early as next year, Boeing could

activate a robotic system to drill and
fasten tens of thousands of rivets on
the 777, as the company makes its
boldest move yet in automating assembly of
major aircraft structures.
Automation has crept slowly into aerospace manufacturing. Flex-track machines are
now used to drill holes in many structures,
but the process of manually riveting and
bucking the fasteners into the holes has remained almost unchanged for decades.
In many ways we still build fuselages like
we did for the 707, Boeing vice-president
and general manager for the 777 programme
Elizabeth Lund says. And so were sort of excited about taking this next step and improving how were doing this.
Boeings 14 July announcement means
automation technology has progressed
enough to handle what Lund calls a dark,
magic thing.
Riveting and bucking is currently a twoperson job. The riveter drills the fastener into
one side of a structure.
On the other side, a worker holds a bucking
bar a steel anvil that provides the backpressure necessary to atten and deform the
fastener on the inside of the structure. The
bucking function requires just the right touch
pressing too much or too little fails to install
the fastener properly.
PRESSURE
Boeing trains the two-person crews for several
weeks to become procient. The pair must
learn when to signal each other to know when
to start and stop applying pressure.
Despite training and experience, the repetitive, physically demanding work still accounts for the largest share of workplace injuries in the companys assembly process.
Starting more than a year ago, Boeing began
secretly testing a robotic alternative to manual
riveting and bucking. The machines were installed in a leased building in Anacortes, a
Puget Sound community north of Boeings
widebody nal assembly centre in Everett.
Laboratory testing had shown Boeing that it
was possible for robots to sense the appropriate level of pressure to apply, simulating what
a human does by feel.
The testing in Anacortes is evaluating new
machines made by Kuka Robotics USA. The
orange-coloured robots work in pairs, replicating human riveting and bucking functions. The
robotic system which Boeing calls the fuselage assembly upright build (FAUB) remains
in evaluation, but could be moved into the 777
production system early next year.
Fatigue tests on structural coupons so far
indicate that the FAUB is superior to manual
labour. This does produce a better capability
from a structural standpoint than manual riveting does, Lund says. We know it certainly
is a much narrower band [of quality deviation]. If you look at manual riveting you see a
much wider deviation.
Boeing plans to use the FAUB initially to
build the forward sections numbered 41/43
and the 46/48 aft sections of the 737 fuselage.
The 44/45 sections in the mid-fuselage will be
assembled manually, however, Lund says.
We are working now on how we build
[the mid-fuselage], but thats still on the
Eventually, will [we] be able

to build a fuselage with fewer
people than today? Yes
ELIZABETH LUND
General manager for the 777 programme, Boeing
The airframe fabrication process has gone essentially

unchanged since the rms rst airliner the 707
Rex Features
STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC
flightglobal.com
FAUB systems work

in pairs, replicating
human riveting and
bucking functions
drawing board, Lund says. It just doesnt
have the complexity and the need for robots
like this. We might be able to use some extrack technology or other kinds of robotics.
Something quite this advanced isnt called
for in the mids because the access is easier.
Boeing currently assembles 777s in the
40-25 bay of the Everett complex and builds
up structures in the 40-35 and 40-36 bays.
As the FAUB is installed, structural assembly will move to new section of the
building, now under construction, called the
40-27 bay.
We dont have a rm cutover commitment, Lund says, but if the testing goes well
in Anacortes and we start to bring it down
here we could be in production sometime
next year.
The pending introduction of the FAUB
comes after a long, tense standoff between
Boeing and its largest union the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace
flightglobal.com
Workers (IAM). In January the unions 30,000

members voted narrowly in favour of giving
up pensions and other benets in exchange
for keeping 777 production in Everett.
WORKFORCE
Lund says the FAUB will improve productivity on the 777 line, but emphasises there are
no near-term workforce reductions planned.
Eventually, will [we] be able to build a
fuselage with fewer people than it takes
today? Yes, Lund says. Now, that said
there is a lot of work to do on the Everett site.
I dont want that translated into a reduction
of the labour force.
The FAUB joins a growing list of robotic
manufacturing systems entering Boeings
production system. Last year, Boeing replaced human paint sprayers with an automated system. The company is also expanding the use of ex-trax drilling machines.
Boeing is relying on automation to cope with
surging production levels across nearly all of

its commercial product lines. The 777 line
has increased in rate to 8.3 per month from
seven per month. Boeing has raised the 737
production rate from 31 per month to 42 over
the past three years. Output on the 787 programmes three assembly lines has grown
ve-fold in less than three years.
Robotic systems help by increasing productivity and exibility, Lund says. Boeing can
install two sets of robotic riveting and bucking
pairs, positioning one on the main deck and
one below deck. The Kuka robots can also be
installed without permanently attaching them
to the oor of the factory, Lund says.
There will be nothing thats mounted to
the ground in this entire system except utilities power, air, and so on, Lund says. Everything is moveable and exible.
So as we learn and adjust to this system it
gives us the exibility to recongure and continue improvements.
Boeing
AUTOMATION
CARGO
BETH STEVENSON BEDFORD
riginally an aircraft used for passenger transit, and then subsequently

for weapons delivery and surveillance by the German military during the First World War, airships are now
being transitioned towards the logistics market as industry touts lighter-than-air (LTA)
technology for cargo applications.
Unlike other types of aircraft that have also
inevitably seen challenges over their lifetimes
yet still remain relevant, airships are currently
not operational in roles other than advertising
and the odd nostalgic tourist ride.
The industry has again found itself in its
infancy, looking to overcome an array of challenges, including: mastering and certifying
the technology; dening the requirement;
raising sufcient funds to bring the aircraft to
market; ensuring it saves the user money; and
increasing the demand for this aircraft type as
a replacement for other vehicle types.
The military which previously sponsored
the gamut of developments of this type has
seemingly taken a step back and is now observing how the commercial cargo market
progresses, and by its own admittance, the
airship industry is developing slowly.
The move away from government-sponsored developments has also raised the issue
of funding. Programmes are now being sponsored by private investors, and subsequently
raising funds can take much longer.
Lockheed Martin is working towards FAA

type certication for its hybrid airship
FLOATING
AN IDEA
Worldwide Aeros Corps developmental ML866 has a 66t payload capacity

For 60 years people have been trying to gure out how to make airships into efcient and
economical cargo airships, Igor Pasternak,
chief executive, chief engineer and founder of
Worldwide Aeros, says. We expect it will be a
big global market.
Pasternak adds that the global market is
desperate for a logistics solution that can
bridge sealift and airlift in terms of cost-pertonne mile. Airships are expected to reduce
fuel consumption, lessen environmental im-
pacts and operational manpower requirements. However, a tainted reputation albeit

one from almost 80 years ago is another argument for the delayed development namely the 1937 Hindenburg disaster.
The Zeppelin LZ-129 Hindenburg-class airship was a hydrogen-lled passenger aircraft
something which contributed to its demise.
Hydrogen can lift a lot of weight benecial
for passenger-carrying but is highly ammable. Helium, on the other hand, is also buoyant but not ammable, which is why airships
are built to this design now. In addition to the
helium, some power also has to be added in
order to provide the speed and lift capacity
that airship applications will demand, which
is why the majority of developments are hybrid airship designs, which combine LTA
with heavier-than-air (HTA) capabilities.
Lockheed Martin
With military research

funding drying up as
budgets decline, the lighterthan-air industry is hard at
work developing a new
generation of cargo airships
COMMERCIALLY VIABLE
Lockheed Martins Skunk Works got to work
on its P-791 hybrid airship demonstrator to
compete for the US Armys Long Endurance
Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) programme, although it lost out on the tender to a
Northrop Grumman-led team. P-791 development has now been completed, and Lockheed
is working on a commercially viable hybrid
airship design that will come in three sizes.
flightglobal.com
Worldwide Aeros Corp
Lockheed is working towards Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) type certication

for its hybrid airship, and expects to achieve
this and have developed a commercial
product that it can take to market in two to
three years. It is important that before this is
brought [to market], the cargo is there, Bob
Boyd, programme manager for hybrid airships at Lockheed explains.
He emphasises that the cost-savings have to
be present in order for cargo transporters to
want to opt for this new technology, otherwise it offers nothing new to the market.
Regarding taking the design to a military
market, Boyd says that he expects the interest
to be there when it is ready, as it ts certain
requirements: It is very clear from the US
military that they would buy this by the
tonne/mile, he adds. The services will not
buy this, he says, but will rather purchase services from a commercial company: They certainly learned that airship technology was not
as easy as they thought it was. I think the key
US military involvement
[was] important in rapidly
incubating this technology
IGOR PASTERNAK
Chief executive, Worldwide Aeros Corp
flightglobal.com
factor in this industry is to develop a product

that works effectively and is reliable.
While there is quite a robust marketplace
for airships and there is a lot of room for
many players to get involved any failure in
the reliability of the aircraft being developed
would be a setback for the whole industry.
LEMV was led by Northrop, but Hybrid Air
Vehicles (HAV), based out of Bedfordshire,
UK, provided the air vehicle.
Following the cancellation in 2013, HAV
purchased the air vehicle back from the army
for $301,000, and since then has been developing the system as a cargo-carrying hybrid
airship for commercial applications initially.
Funding has been a challenge for the company, which admits that it saw a ve-month
setback following its failure to raise the required 5 million ($8.3 million) equity to take
it to rst ight since bringing it back to the UK.
This will now take place in the May 2015
timeframe after an equity round that ended on
15 August, although it was originally due to
take place in December 2014.
Airlander 10 is the name of the rst system
in development; it has small cargo lift and
passenger capacity and will eventually be followed by the Airlander 50 a heavy-lift platform. The company says that the UK Ministry
of Defence has agreed to three months of testing for the Airlander 10 once it is ying.
It adds that because the payload capacity of
hybrid airships is so large, many sensor developers in the UK are keen to integrate their systems on the Airlander, and are therefore putting pressure on the government to invest in
the capability. During the Farnborough air
show in July, UK prime minister David Cameron pledged that the government would invest 1.1 billion in a range of specic MoD
programmes, including earmarked funding
for undisclosed/unofcial developments.
HAV believes that the Airlander could
come under this investment, although nothing has been agreed.
ARMS REGULATIONS
International Trafc in Arms Regulations
(ITAR) had to be lifted once the aircraft had
been returned to the UK, which recently was
done. Until this time, the development of the
10 and 50 had to be separated so that ITAR restrictions did not affect the 50s development.
The design of the aircraft makes it rather
stealthy, so is suited for military applications.
The curve of the airframe provides a low silhouette, while a low infrared signature as a
result of low engine use protects it against
heat-seeking missiles. It also has a low radar
signature because it uses mainly composites
instead of metal, and travels slowly and quietly, therefore is visually and audibly stealthy.
This genuinely solves a military ISR problem, the company says. There is increas-
Beth Stevenson/Flightglobal
AIRSHIPS
The Airlander 50 will have four turbine engines

ingly a need to watch the bad people all the
time this will be a crucial discriminator.
AeroVehicles, based out of San Luis, Argentina, is also in the process of developing a
hybrid airship design, but again has not yet
own a prototype.
The company has origins in the military
airship market, having received a contract for
its Minicat 80 non-rigid remote-controlled aircraft from the US government in 2003. The
programme was subsequently cancelled, as
was the Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency (DARPA) Walrus programme that the
company was also involved in.
After structural changes, the company focused on developing its AeroCat vehicle
through private investment from one investor in particular as well as Argentinian government support.
This is why there is not yet a demonstrator,
says Bob Fowler, chief executive of the company, although it is now looking to accelerate
this and utilise local industry in Argentina,
which currently does not have a burgeoning
aerospace industry. Argentinian aerospace
certication standards are in line with the
FAAs, so this will ease export of the system
once it is commercially viable. Fowler says
that there are two companies interested in the
design, to whom aircraft specication documents have been issued.
The airship industry has had lots of obstacles to overcome, Fowler says. Somebody
will be the rst to market Weve been doing
everything slowly but steadily. We are not in a
race to be the rst to market.
Varialift has for a decade been planning to
develop a rigid aluminium-hull design,
which it claims will allow it to be built and
stored outside without the need for a hangar.
The company has patented a helium compression technology that allows operators to
transfer helium in and out of containers onboard the aircraft in order to vary the buoyancy between LTA and HTA congurations.
Patents exist in the Europe, Hong Kong and
the USA, and were all granted between 2008
and 2009.
Varialift claims that helium alone is required
to lift the airship, thus reducing the power con-
CARGO
Beth Stevenson
straints on the vehicle Craneld University in the UK is involved in the design work.
The manned conguration of the airship
will manifest in two different variants the
ARH50 with a 50-tonne payload, and the
ARH50 with a 250-tonne payload, and a crew
of two and three respectively. Operating altitude for these could reach 30,000ft.
An aircraft has not yet been built, but the
company is working towards this under a
new round of funding from a private investor.
The rst production line will be at a former
French air force base, it is believed, which
will initially develop the ARH50.
Right now were setting up the factory,
and are going through the EASA certication;
we will be producing one a month in 24
months time in France, Ernesto Soria, director for business development at Varialift, says.
The UK MoD has agreed to three months of testing for the HAV Airlander 10 once it is ying
AeroVehicles
METHODICAL
Soria says 170 ARH50 and 33 ARH250 aircraft
are on pre-order for customers that will lease
out the services of the Varialift for cargo carrying. We did not speak of our technology until
our patents were granted, and this takes time,
Soria says of the development timeline. We
wanted to control our technology and that is
why the development did not go faster. We
wanted to be very prudent and methodical.
An unmanned variant is also in the pipeline the ARH5 which would be used at
high altitudes of some 65,000ft and will rely
on solar power.
After the certication of the rst craft, we
will be certifying a 100% solar-powered airship, which means zero fuel with the same
performance as the airships with aircraft
engines, Soria notes. Varialift thinks the rst
of the solar-powered aircraft will be available
in four years time.
Worldwide Aeros Aeroscraft airship was
originally supported by military funding from
the US Department of Defense, DARPA and
NASA with the idea to carry heavy cargo to
areas where troops are forward deployed as
well as disaster relief areas.
The technology demonstration programme,
dubbed Project Pelican, was funded to three
military objectives: greater route exibility, en-
Beth Stevenson
AeroVehicles is developing a hybrid airship
The Airlander 10 will begin ight testing in 2015

hancement of disaster relief response, and fuel

savings. US military involvement has been
important in rapidly incubating this technology and programme development, Pasternak
notes. The US military will always be customer number one because of our deep respect for
their mission and invaluable support during
technology incubation and demonstration.
However, Pasternak notes that while the
commercial market holds much more nancial
potential, both markets will have requirements
for this technology for cargo shipping. We expect disaster response utilisation will be irregular and unpredictable, but an operational priority whenever required, he adds.
The advanced prototype the Dragon
Dream has completed technology demonstrator ight testing, and the company expects
FAA type certication within three years.
Two variants are being developed the 66t
payload ML866 and the 250t payload ML868
and Worldwide Aeros plans to develop four
ML866s and 18 ML868s initially.
A hangar collapse in October 2013 delayed
the development programme by some 10
months, but Pasternak remains condent that
the company will be the rst to market with its
airship: We are in a unique situation today
where were simply enjoying lack of competition. He says the LTA market has been limited
by the prevalence of non-rigid design as well as
a constant requirement for airships to have ex-
ternal ballast that is sufcient to offset payloads ofoaded at destination.

The need for ground handling equipment
also hinders applications for the technology.
Need for runways has signicantly limited the usefulness of traditional LTA vehicles
for cargo applications, he adds.
Aeroscraft uses an internal buoyancy
management technology to provide the vertical lift akin to rotorcraft, but can carry a heavier load and travel long distances like a xed
wing aircraft.
Because an Aeroscraft only needs to overcome drag in forward ight, not generate lift,
it will operate at less than one-third the fuel
consumption of conventional vehicles on a
per tonne/mile basis, Pasternak adds.
The airship industry has had

lots of obstacles to overcome
BOB FOWLER
Chief executive, AeroVehicles
The airship is slower than a xed-wing aircraft, but will offer cargo transport at a quicker
pace than rail, road and ship, while evading
the need for ports and runways.
Rather than struggling to dene the requirement, industry seems to be planning for beyond what it realistically has to do to commercialise the technology.
Understandably, developers do not want to
fail in their endeavour to establish airships as
the future of cargo transport, but more pressure lies upon this particular industry in consideration of past events.
The utilisation will be realised over the
next few years as companies approach timelines they have set for themselves and promised prospective customers, so time will tell if
the future of cargo transport is revolutionised
as predicted.
flightglobal.com
STRAIGHT&LEVEL
From yuckspeak to tales of yore, send your offcuts to murdo.morrison@ightglobal.com
Flight back when

Janet Wood writes in search of a
home for three bound volumes
of Flight from 1930 and 1931, as
Looking to the future, in 1931

flightglobal.com
Flawed strategy
It is by now pretty generally
admitted that the French
initial strategy
was entirely at
fault, and failed
completely to
realise that the main blow of
the German legions was
actually to be delivered
through Belgium, by way of the
French northern frontier.
Fight for freedom

Hawker Hunter: dangerous and beautiful
Rex Features
A Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 was

on a turbulent approach to
Belfast airport with the captain
ying manually, and all was
going well until the are for
landing. The UK Air Accident
Investigation Branch bulletin
described what happened next:
As he made the are
manoeuvre, with somewhat
more than ight idle torque still
applied, his prosthetic arm
became detached from the yoke
clamp, depriving him of control
of the aircraft.
The result was a heavy
landing, but no arm done. It
seems the problem was that the
captains check on his prosthetic
limb before taking manual
control may, itself, have caused
it to become unlatched.
The AAIB seems to have
accepted an assurance that the
captain would review his check
and include a pre-brief to the copilot to be prepared to take over
immediately if necessary.
Perhaps we could suggest that
the check on short nal
approach should be: Gear
down three greens; spoilers
armed; captain armed.
Rex Features
Handing over
control
one of the most dangerous and

beautiful aeroplanes to grace the
skies. Details from
thehistorypress.co.uk
Stop the English

French warfare: pilots dig in
well as The Air Annual of the
British Empire, 1929, Vol 1,
inherited from her father.
Anyone interested should
contact her at ejw.falknerwood@
btinternet.com
Hunters dawn
The publishers of The Design
and Development of The
Hawker Hunter claim it is the
rst book to look in detail at the
creation of the famous British
ghter jet. Tony Buttlers tome
(20, The History Press) arrives
just after the 60th anniversary of
the types service entry.
The author draws on
documents from the National
Archives and charts the jets
inception in the late 1940s
through the ight test
programme and development of
variants. Included are ight test
details, reviews of one-off
airframes, a list of UK squadrons
that deployed the Hunter and
rarely-seen photos and
drawings. Essential reading for
former pilots or afcionados of
Outraged Air France pilots are

protesting the increasing use of
English in their manuals, which
they call abusive and
dogmatic. Interesting that the
furious headline in their union
bulletin uses the colloquial,
English-derived verb Stopper,
rather than the more obvious
Arrter or Cesser (Stopper
la propagation dogmatique
danglais dans nos rfrentiels).
A case of further franglais creep,
or les camerades being ironique?
Hitlers war of nerves came

to an end with Britains
declaration of war
on Germany on
Sunday morning
last, September
3. War is horrible, as all who
remember the last know well
enough but there is one
thing worse than war, and that
is to be unwilling to fight for
ones principles.
Maximum thrust
In production for the French
Mirage Ill-V strike fighter, the
Rolls-Royce
RB.I62 is a
special lift unit for
V/STOL aircraft
being evolved in collaboration
with France and Germany.
Extensive use of glass-fibre
and other materials unusual
in aero engines enables a
thrust/weight ratio of 16:I to
be achieved.
Fabulous Flanker
British
scareways
A colleague was on a British
Airways A380 when it was hit
by lightning 20min into its ight
out of Hong Kong recently. He
takes up the story: When the
captain came on to reassure
everyone everything was ok and
the ight could continue to
London, he said: You may
notice an unusual smell in the
cabin, but thats nothing to
worry about.
My question is: did he mean
a smell as a result of the
lightning strike or as a result of
everyones reaction?
I have read in two issues of

Flight of your admiration of the
Su-27s Paris
display, with its
pioneering mastering of high-angleof-attack aerodynamics. It was
superb, but not necessarily a
hitherto unseen and
unapproachable mastery of
aerodynamic science.
100-YEAR ARCHIVE
Every issue of Flight

from 1909 onwards
can be viewed online at
ightglobal.com/archive
In association with:
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and Exhibition
Orlando, USA
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Frankfurt, Germany
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London, UK
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RECRUITMENT
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flightglobal.com/jobs
EMAIL recruitment.services@rbi.co.uk CALL +44 (20) 8652 4900 FAX +44 (20) 8652 4877
Flight Crew:
Captains:
Location: Bangkok, Thailand.
Suitable candidates must have:
ICAO Licence acceptable to the Thailand Aviation Authorities.
Hold a valid and current (within the last 12 months) recognised Captains Type Rating on the B767/B757.
Current Class 1 Medical (must be valid for a minimum of 6 months on joining).
Experience on International Routes.
Hold ICAO member country documentations which is acceptable to the Thailand Authority.
Minimum 7,000 hours total flight time (civil aircraft).
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Minimum 2,500 hours total time B767/B757.
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Passport to be current for a minimum of 12 months on joining, with a minimum of 7 full blank pages available.
Be in possession of no aviation incidents / accidents report.
No criminal record.
Provide three references
On joining a successful Pass in both Air Law & Human Performance is required by Thailand Aviation Authority in obtaining a Validation.
Pass a Drug and Alcohol Test.
If you meet the above requirements and wish to apply, please submit your CV at recruitment@asiaatlanticairlines.com .
Also, send the items below, properly orientated and readable.
1. CV, containing a passport size color photo.
5. Copy of medical certificate.
2. Color copy of passport.
6. Copy of last three flying months of logbook.
3. Color copy of pilot licence, front and back.
7. Copy of last simulator training session.
4. Color copy of current English proficiency.
8. Copy of last simulator check report (PPC).
Package:
Monthly: 240,000 Baht first six months, 270,000 Baht thereafter Company pays Thai taxes Per Diem: 1,500 Baht net per layover
Health Insurance: Yes
Holidays / Vacation: 21 days per annum (prorated after probation period of 119 days)
Sick Days: 30 days per annum with doctors certificate
Crew Base: Bangkok
Training Pay: 50% of full salary until checked to line or a maximum of 60 days .
Hotel Accommodation: 5 nights at company expense.
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Flight International
To advertise in this
Employment Services Index
call +44 (0) 20 8652 4900

fax +44 (0) 20 8261 8434
email recruitment.services@rbi.co.uk
Please note that calls may
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WORKING WEEK
WORK EXPERIENCE GEORGE RAWLINS AND CALLUM MAYHEW
Engineering their path to success

What subjects did you excel at
in school?
GR: I certainly didnt excel in
any subject by national standards
sport tended to be my focus.
However, I always felt ahead
while working in design especially [computer aided design]. It
was getting into working in 3D
that started me off on my path of
studying to be a design engineer.
CM: I really enjoyed art, design,
maths and science through my
school years. I studied the last
three at A-level [UK school
exams taken at the age of 18]. I really enjoyed my three A-level
subjects, and feel that they provided me with good skills and
experience for the career I wanted to pursue.
Have you always wanted to
pursue a career in engineering?
CM: After GCSEs [UK school
exams taken at the age of 16] I
had no idea what I wanted to be.
At rst I chose my three A-level
subjects in hope of becoming an
architect, but after studying them
for a while I decided engineering
was the way to go.
GR: Not really. Although when I
look back at everything I fancied
seeing myself doing since
childhood architect, biochemist and cartographer they all
have a running theme of being
science-based and focused on
problem solving.
Why did you decide to do an
apprenticeship when you
nished high school rather than
study full time at university?
CM: I didnt like the sound of
university as it felt like it would
Atkins
George Rawlins and Callum Mayhew are studying for an apprenticeship with UK technical consultancy Atkins.
The duo divide time between work with the company, City of Bristol College and Plymouth University
Rawlins (left) and Mayhew: Eager to learn on the job

just be more schooling. I much
preferred the idea of getting out
in the world and earning a wage.
At the same time, I also wanted
to acquire more qualications, so
the apprenticeship scheme
seemed perfect. I could work
four days a week earning money
while studying for a foundation
degree at the same time.
GR: By entering the workplace
through an apprenticeship Ive
been able to earn a salary and
become more independent. The
opportunity to study while working also appealed to me because
of the challenges involved in
managing time and expectations
and not accumulating an everincreasing amount of debt.
What are the most challenging
aspects of your job?
GR: Keeping on top of the nu-
merous acronyms, abbreviations

and terminology that seasoned
engineers assume you know
then working out what job youre
actually being asked to do.
CM: The most challenging thing
so far has been trying to balance
college work with my job. I was
actually expecting the apprenticeship to more time-consuming
than it has turned out to be. If
you have a good structure and
focus so youre as productive as
possible on your current task
then youll be okay. The work we
do in the ofce can be challenging at times, but theres always a
lot of support and you can ask for
advice from anyone there.
What are the most enjoyable
aspects of your job?
GR: I enjoy working in a relaxed,
easy-going atmosphere with
friendly people who are always

willing to help. Atkins is pretty
exible about the hours you
work, which gives me a huge
amount of choice about how I
spend my week. That helps me
manage the demands of assignments and exams.
CM: The most enjoyable thing
about working for a company
like Atkins is that you know the
work youre doing makes a huge
impact on the world, and that the
work is recognised worldwide.
Working as part of a team of
highly-qualied engineers makes
everything feel like a real
achievement.
So where do you expect to be in
10 years?
GR: Having successfully completed my apprenticeship, I hope
to be working on international
design engineering projects
around the world.
CM: There are so many different
opportunities within Atkins that
I wouldnt even venture a guess
as to what division or projects Ill
be working on in 10 years time.
Ill hopefully have a full degree
in mechanical engineering and I
would like be on my way to
being (if not already) a chartered
engineer. Q
For more employee work
experiences, pay a visit to
ightglobal.com/workingweek
If you would like to feature in

Working Week, or you know
someone who does, email your
pitch to kate.sarseld@
ightglobal.com
Build your career

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URXWHWREXLOGLQJ\RXUDHURVSDFHDQGDYLDWLRQFDUHHU
flightglobal.com
Training courses to take you there

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Innovata joins Flightglobal

You may have read that Flightglobal has acquired the schedules data services
company, Innovata. As a leading source of airline schedules data covering more
than 800 carriers worldwide, Innovata builds, hosts and maintains a wide range
of electronic timetable and route network mapping solutions.
Innovata powers timetable and mapping services for some of the best known
names in air travel and transportation, from the global airline alliances through
to airports and a host of online travel sites.
To find out more visit www.innovata-llc.com

Flight International - September 2 2014 UK

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LIGHTER TOUCH

THE QUEST FOR

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How prepared are airlines for

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On the Airline Business blog, Edward Russell says it is

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QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Last week, we asked: In a democracy, should air trafc

Only with strict

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Total votes: 2,638

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