2019 02 26 Flight International
2019 02 26 Flight International
2019 02 26 Flight International
CUTAWAY
Better
by design
Why Aero Vodochody’s new
L-39NG is heading for success
ISSN 0 0 1 5 - 3 7 1 0
£3.90 Bye, BMI Down wonder
0 9
As another UK regional Royal Australian Air Force
operator goes under, what transformation gathers pace
9 770015 371310
prompted carrier’s demise? 16 with F-35 introduction 30
The distribution strategies which deliver customers the right
services, at the right time, and through the right channels.
Key topics
Airlines are operating in a market where NDC / future distribution
digitization is making it constantly Retail / ancillaries
harder to add value. In order to avoid Chatbots
being left behind, airlines must identify PSS
the tools which allow them to build Loyalty
value into their offering, presenting Digital currency / Alternative Forms of Payment
customers with the right offers and Dynamic pricing
services, and on the right platform. Personalization
Blockchain and new payments
Commonwealth of Australia
F-35A takes up baton from
RAAF’s Hornets P30
Better
THIS WEEK by design
for Aero India (P10). Prague Aero Vodochody’s
6 Battle of the Xs for Airbus Helicopters
Why Aero Vodochody’s new
L-39NG is heading for success
19/07/2012 17:51
CONTENTS
Image of
the week
Boeing’s KC-46A recently
performed its first refuelling
of a Lockheed Martin F-35
stealth fighter. The activity
took place during testing
conducted from Edwards
AFB in California in late
January. The US Air Force
plans to field an eventual
179 of the 767-adapted
Pegasus tanker/transports
US Air Force
flight-international
43%
Last issue, we asked: A380’s production end?
You said:
Revolution.Aero
Total votes: 3,155
Percentage of Britons who would hail an air taxi to help tackle
city transport congestion and reduce their commuting time
$3.7m
Ultra-large flop
1,546 votes
34%
Flight Dashboard 49% Gone too soon
1,077 votes
25
Years since Garmin opened the aviation satnav era with the
Garmin This week, we ask: Lockheed Martin’s F-21?
❑ Just marketing ❑ Hot-shot for India
❑ Outgunned by rivals
first FAA approach-approved IFR GPS receiver: GPS 155 TSO Vote at flightglobal.com
FlightGlobal’s premium news and data service delivers breaking air transport stories with profiles,
schedules, and fleet, financial and traffic information flightglobal.com/dashboard
Fighting fit
W hat’s in a name – particularly when
your product seemingly already
has more than enough of them to choose
from?
Lockheed Martin surprised everyone
at the Aero India show near Bengaluru
by launching its F-21 fighter in pursuit of
a 110-unit opportunity with the nation’s
air force.
Was this product some masterstroke of
top-secret design work achieved by the
US giant, perhaps hidden behind the
REX/Shutterstock
scrutiny of its F-35 Lightning II activities?
No – it was instead a redesignation of its
rather clunkily titled F-16V Block 70
Due for a revival? product, but with some nifty additions
made to tempt New Delhi.
Flag carrier
So F-21, join the Fighting Falcon, Viper
and various other nicknames that the
single-engined type has gained since its
development by General Dynamics and
Attempting to celebrate the nation it serves without offending anyone in first flight 45 years ago (the “lawn dart”
divided Brexit Britain was always going to be a delicate balancing act, but among them). Be sure not to confuse it
with the F-21 variant of Israel Aerospace
by treading with such care, BA has simply glossed over the issues it faces Industries’ legacy Kfir, though.
But was the “launch” just a corporate
the open skies agreements that underpin its Dare we suggest a #BA100 initiative in-
services, its ownership structure in doubt, volving colourful tailfins that celebrate the
Looks familiar?
and where business planning in general is destinations BA serves?
difficult because no-one has a clue what the See This Week P7
BRIEFING
MORE SUPERJUMBOS EYED BY HI FLY
Demonstrator “offers
a path” to armed scout
programme
Airbus Helicopters
COLLABORATION Saab has had “very fruitful discussions with
the UK and partners” regarding the Tempest concept unveiled at
last July’s Farnborough air show. Chief executive Hakan Buskhe
says the company could be willing to collaborate on future
European combat aircraft programmes, but so far has seen “no TECHNOLOGY DOMINIC PERRY MARIGNANE
Airbus Helicopters
INCIDENT The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
says an uncontained engine failure involving a Korean Air
Airbus A220-300 (HL8314) occurred as it climbed through
29,000ft en route from Busan to Nagoya on 26 December
2018. The Pratt & Whitney PW1500G had accumulated just European airframer has submitted offer to US Army’s FARA
417h through 529 cycles since delivery in late September. contest derived from X3 high-speed compound rotorcraft
“Examination revealed damage to the turbines and several
holes in the low-pressure turbine case,” the NTSB says.
Jagadeesh NV/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
with the UK’s parallel Tempest Aircraft Engines will partner
programme, to deliver a new pan- with MTU on the propulsion
European fighter. side. Spain joined the effort in
MTU chief executive Reiner mid-February.
Winkler acknowledges that the in- The UK government revealed
dustrial prospects, particularly at the 2018 Farnborough air show
around exports, for both the FCAS plans for a separate programme,
and Tempest could be undermined Rafale has achieved moderate export success, including Indian order comprising a manned fighter and
by competition between the two. unmanned aircraft, with BAE
Europe’s current three compet- than two or more new European With France and Germany hav- Systems and Rolls-Royce as the
ing fighter programmes – the Das- fighters, but warns that a broader ing been nominated as “lead na- respective airframe and engine
sault Rafale, Eurofighter and Saab shareholder base would also in- tions” for the current FCAS effort, suppliers.
Gripen – struggle to match the crease the project’s complexity. the small number of initial part- Winkler acknowledges that if
economies of scale, and therefore A number of multinational mil- ners should keep the development R-R were to join a combined ef-
lower unit costs, achieved by itary programmes, including the process comparatively straightfor- fort, it would dilute MTU and Sa-
their US rivals, making export Airbus Defence & Space A400M ward, Winkler said, speaking at a fran’s shareholdings in the pro-
sales harder to clinch. transport and the NH Industries financial results briefing in Mu- ject. But he says this might be
Winkler says it would make NH90 helicopter, have experi- nich on 20 February. acceptable if it delivered im-
commercial and political sense to enced difficulties relating to In 2018, the French and Ger- proved overall sales. ■
have a single programme, rather sprawling customer requirements. man governments agreed to pur- See Defence P19
British Airways
Faury rises to challenge
of steadier output rates
A irbus’s incoming chief has
highlighted smoother produc-
tion of the reconfigured A321neo
but admits: “Industrialisation of
the product is a bit of a challenge at
those production rates.”
as a primary aim for the airframer’s But he is confident that the air-
single-aisle line this year. framer will be able to smooth pro-
The company is raising duction of the aircraft, whose fuse-
monthly single-aisle output to 60 lage features a redesigned exit door CENTENARY
aircraft by mid-2019 but has been arrangement, enabling it to accom-
having to deal with customisa- modate over 240 passengers. BA rolls back years with BOAC livery
tion complexity on the “cabin Faury says the airframer’s target British Airways’ celebration of its 100th anniversary got under way
flex” version of the A321neo. is to “deliver much more single- on 18 February with the unveiling of the first of several aircraft with
Chief executive-designate aisles” in the first quarter. Prob- retro colour schemes. The initial jet, a Boeing 747-400 (G-BYGC),
Guillaume Faury, speaking in lems with Pratt & Whitney has been repainted in the BOAC livery of BA’s predecessor in the
Toulouse on 14 February, said PW1100G engines affected deliver- 1960s and early 1970s. “A big part of celebrating our heritage is
the “main challenge” this year, ies of A320neo-family jets during celebrating some great moments in BA’s history, such as BOAC,”
“primarily in the second half”, the first few months of last year. says Hamish McVey, head of brand and marketing at the carrier.
would be the ramp-up of this par- Over the course of January BA is expected to reveal further details soon of its plans for further
ticular model. 2019, Airbus delivered 33 A320- “retrojet” liveries, rumoured to include earlier British Airways
He describes the aircraft as a family aircraft, substantially up schemes along with that of BEA, BOAC’s short-haul contempo-
“great product” which is achieving from the level of 21 for the previ- rary, which is believed to be destined for an Airbus A319.
“fantastic success with airlines”, ous January. ■
2008 2019
First delivery (EA
15
Programme
version) to Emirates
cancelled
10 2021
Final deliveries
due
5
0
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Source: Cirium’s Fleets Analyzer Notes: Includes delivery projection for 2019-2020, excludes Amedeo and Air Accord orders
Critical
Missions
Avionics for when it
is needed most.
Visit Heli-Expo booth C4028 to learn more. EVS-4000, SkyVis™ Helmet-Mounted Display
Greg Waldron/FlightGlobal
new designs. In addition, Airbus gave a debut to its
A330neo as it seeks more customers for the widebody
twin. Aaron Chong and Greg Waldron report
DEMAND
Jagadeesh NV/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
– particularly for the total of 24 airframer’s test fleet to fly.
777s operated by Air India and Joost van der Heijden, Airbus
Jet Airways; the two airlines are vice-president of marketing for
also India’s only operators of Asia and North America, says the
twin-aisle types. synergies between the A330neo
Dinesh Keskar, Boeing’s and A321neo make them ideal for
senior vice-president for Asia-
Indian carriers.
Pacific and India sales, says the A330neo participated in flying display and also was static attraction “They are different sizes and
two 777X variants, the -8 and -9, airlines can use them for different
can each offer different benefits “The Indian economy is pro- ing in the need for 2,300 new air- applications. The A321neo is a re-
to Indian carriers. jected to grow by nearly 350% planes for India,” says Keskar. ally efficient route-opener on in-
The former allows for new over the next two decades, to be- Boeing is currently complet- ternational markets or markets
long-range routes to be operated, come the third largest economy in ing assembly of the first -9 test that are too thin for widebodies.
while the -9 offers “lower seat- the world, which will fuel the aircraft, which is powered by They can grow that route allowing
mile costs”, with reduced fuel continuous growth of India’s com- twin GE Aviation GE9X engines; a widebody to take over and con-
burn and more seat capacity. mercial aviation market – result- roll-out is expected in mid- tinue that growth,” he says. ■
UNMANNED SYSTEMS
DEVELOPMENT
Greg Waldron/FlightGlobal
lage, and just aft of the cockpit, rather than the Light Combat Air-
will likely fly in late 2023. craft name of the Mk1.
Changes requested by the air The Mk2 also receives an inter-
force were to provide additional nally mounted infrared search
range and the ability to carry ad- Updated jet adds canards as well as 6.5t external carrying capacity and track sensor, a missile ap-
vanced stand-off weapons, the proach warning system, and an
official adds. able to carry extra drop tanks. canards, which also help with improved cockpit.
The maximum take-off weight But the longer fuselage manoeuvrability. In addition, the Separately, the Tejas Mk1 ap-
will grow to 17,500kg (38,500lb), changed the fighter’s centre of new aircraft gains enhancements peared in the show static display,
up from 13,500kg for the Tejas gravity, requiring the addition of to its delta wing. with a locally developed active
Mk1, and the aircraft is 1.35m a forward lifting surface. The Other improvements include electronically scanned array
(4.42m) longer. That allows addi- ADA looked at a number of op- an upgraded engine, the GE Avia- radar installed.
tional fuel to be stored behind the tions, including leading edge ex- tion F414-INS6, of which four This should enter service in
cockpit, with the new variant also tensions, but finally settled on examples have already been de- around three years. ■
PROCUREMENT
Key topics
Loyalty programs were once a simple The future of lifestyle loyalty
marketing tool to get customers earning Creating hyper-personalised and in-the-moment mobile
experiences
points and flying with the same airline. Who owns the customer?
In recent times, they have morphed How do airlines monetize their data?
into complex but revenue generating, Mitigating fraud in loyalty programs
LAUNCH
RELX
together many businesses and as- than 400 people around the
sets,” he says, referring to the Distinct identity describes more than the sum of its parts, says Flook globe. The majority are technolo-
spree of acquisitions that has seen gists, data analysts, data scientists
the business more than quadruple says Flook. “But it meant we sets into a data lake to create ana- and market experts.
in size in less than a decade. were unable to clearly position lytics that will solve problems in Their skills are essential for the
The new name was chosen to ourselves as a technology busi- different ways,” he says. “It’s organic growth – “not dependent
deliberately steer clear of “any- ness, and put ourselves at the about creating a single company on acquisition” – Flook envisages.
thing that locked us into any sec- table automatically when cus- that draws on all these assets.” Strategic ties with other organisa-
tor”, says Flook. However, while tomers were looking for a data Flook acknowledges that un- tions are vital too. “We have col-
it had to be “neutral”, Cirium has and analytics solution.” veiling an entirely new name is a lectively secured the best data
associations with “being in the “challenge”, given that “the sets, but we are always looking at
cloud, being at high altitude, and “It’s about bringing brands we have are very powerful further partnerships to expand on
working with data sets in the with great reputations in their the data sets we have,” he says.
cloud that are always changing”. control to an industry niches”. Educating customers will
He adds: “It’s about bringing con- that is constantly not “happen overnight”, he says, ENDURING VISION
trol to an industry that is con- but “we are putting all our effort Cirium, he predicts, will become a
stantly in motion.”
in motion” into communicating as clearly as brand that resonates with a range
The business’s data and analyt- Christopher Flook possible what Cirium is”. The big of customers, including airlines,
Chief executive, Cirium
ics group – including acquired opportunity is explaining to the OEMs and financial institutions,
businesses Ascend, Diio, Flight- industry what Cirium “represents to metasearch and travel manage-
Stats and Innovata, and well- The creation of the umbrella as a group”, he says. “Nothing that ment companies. While the avia-
known products Ascend Values Cirium brand will allow the busi- our customers appreciate and tion sector has recognised the
Analyzer, Diio Mi, Fleets Analyz- ness finally to realise its poten- value in those premium brands is Flight name since 1909, Flook be-
er and web and mobile app tial, maintains Flook. “Through being lost. It’s about more than be- lieves Cirium will take the wider
FlightStats – come directly under our acquisitions, we have coming the sum of our parts.” business to the next level: “It’s a
the Cirium brand. brought together industry-lead- The reputation of some of brand”, he says, “that will last us
The FlightGlobal name contin- ing data sets, but those are often these legacy brands is why sever- for the next 110 years.” ■
ues as a distinct brand within the still perceived as being discrete al names will remain, not as Find out more about the new
Cirium portfolio, comprising the data sets. Our new product devel- brands but products within the data and analytics business at
aerospace publishing and confer- opment is about fusing these data Cirium portfolio. These include cirium.com
ences businesses – key foundation
stones for what is now the most
powerful data, analytics and advi-
sory force in aviation, aerospace
and travel management.
A reason for the change is that
FlightGlobal was too deeply asso-
ciated in the industry’s mind
with publishing – flagship maga-
zine Flight International has been
in print for 110 years.
“We are proud of FlightGlobal
and the FlightGlobal products,”
AirTeamImages
ers and capture a larger slice of Aboulafia calls Partnership for
the aftermarket pie, they say. Success the “no fly list”, noting
“It’s a two-aircraft deal,” says Enhanced production systems would help build new narrowbody that Boeing has shown a willing-
Kevin Michaels, managing direc- ness to dismiss suppliers who do
tor at consultancy AeroDynamic 9,300km). It would take on mis- ment of the 777, Boeing intro- not play ball. In recent years, it
Advisory. “You work out this sions served by the 757 and 767, duced digital design techniques, replaced 777 landing-gear pro-
new business model on the 797, and help Boeing head off increas- forged closer relationships with vider UTC Aerospace Systems –
and you take this to the new sin- ing competition from the Airbus suppliers – including more non- now Collins Aerospace – with
gle-aisle later on.” A321neo. US companies – and glimpsed Heroux-Devtek.
Teal Group vice-president of Muilenburg also referenced the potential of aftermarket sales. Boeing has also brought some
analysis Richard Aboulafia agrees the airframer’s long-term pros- Then in the 2000s with the work in-house – including design
the NMA could be Boeing’s pects, saying production systems 787, Boeing developed a global and assembly of nacelles and
“driver” of broader business developed for an aircraft like the supply chain, shifted major sys- propulsion systems.
changes, particularly the relation- NMA could benefit “some future tems production to suppliers and The airframer faces particular
ship with its supply chain. narrowbody airplane”. expanded aftermarket offerings. pressure to cut manufacturing
“This is why so much of Boe- Boeing says it is unlikely to Such changes, however, costs because widebody produc-
ing’s efforts right now are fo- make large technological leaps moved aircraft programme value tion is inherently more expensive
cused on getting the cost down with its next new aircraft, instead from Boeing to suppliers, which than producing the narrowbodies
and the operating economics focussing its efforts on refining now scoop up 70% of profits, in- that the NMA would replace,
right,” he says. how the jet is built. cluding those from the aftermar- Aboulafia notes. “It is really
Michaels and Aboulafia were “We don’t see the next new air- ket. Some large suppliers post tough to bridge that gap,” he says.
speaking on 12 February at the plane, if we do middle of the 15-20% profit margins, signifi- The NMA could also play into
annual meeting of the Pacific market, as being a technology- cantly greater than Boeing or Air- Boeing’s aftermarket ambitions.
Northwest Aerospace Alliance, push airplane,” it says. “There is bus achieves, Michaels says. This became clear in 2017 with
near Seattle. significant technology reuse on Now Boeing is transforming the creation of its Boeing Global
things like composites manufac- again, wringing concessions from Services division, which has a
WORK AHEAD turing, and we would be more fo- suppliers, pursuing vertical inte- target to generate annual revenue
Boeing vice-president of market- cused on manufacturing transfor- gration through acquisitions and of $50 billion within 10 years.
ing for commercial airplanes mation for the NMA.” joint ventures, and investing in Although it achieved a figure
Randy Tinseth spoke at the event, Observers say the link between new engineering and modelling of $17 billion last year, analysts
telling attendees Boeing “has a the NMA and Boeing’s future is technology, Michaels says. doubt Boeing can hit its sizeable
little bit more work to do” before central to its deliberations, as it “The likely launch of the target without a new aircraft pro-
making NMA decisions. “Our en- could propel the next in a series NMA… or it could be the next gramme, as competition for after-
gineers are now working hard on of business transformations for single-aisle, is going to be the market work on the existing fleet
the production system,” he says. the airframer. next evolution of the jetliner is too intense.
Those comments came several Michaels notes that from the business model,” he says. “This “What Boeing really needs is a
weeks after Boeing chief executive 1950s to 1980s, Boeing was verti- next-generation business model white-sheet aircraft,” Michaels
Dennis Muilenburg said its deci- cally integrated: it controlled is actually shifting value from says. Such a project would “lock-
sion on whether to launch the much of the production chain suppliers to the aircraft OEMs.” up the [services] market and
NMA will come in 2020. and performed most engineering Boeing has achieved cost sav- make a hell of a lot more money”.
The NMA is likely to be a in house. Its suppliers were ings from suppliers under its Insiders suspect that aircraft
widebody with 200-270 seats and largely US-based. “Partnership for Success” initia- will be a project much larger than
a range of 4,000-5,000nm (7,400- In the 1990s, with develop- tive, now in its second iteration. the NMA: a 737 replacement. ■
Airbus
February. “Taking that airplane to customer service and freight ques-
eight or nine hours, the question tions will require Airbus to “look
is: in that size of a tube, what’s at the airframe as well as whether “leader in the space”. body which does not feature in
the passenger reaction going to any improvements would have to Kelly also gave his view on the AerCap’s portfolio.
be? And what’s your ability to be made to the engines”. implications of Airbus’s confir- “The A380 is a niche market,”
carry freight that far? For flying times in the 5-6h mation that it would in 2021 end he says. “Yes, it’s quite a number
“These are things that have to range, he sees the A321 as the production of the A380, a wide- of seats [being cancelled out of
the orderbook] but, when you
think about the numbers, that
PROGRAMME could easily get hoovered up by...
Boeing pact boosts E-Jet E2 marketability, AerCap indicates 50 or 60 A350-100s and another
30 or 40 A350-900s or combina-
Embraer’s partnership with and four E190-E2s. December 2018, the E190-E2 tion of A330-900s.
Boeing has facilitated AerCap in “We believe that the tie-up was delivered to Air Astana, “I think that it will have a posi-
placing its E-Jet E2 aircraft, the with Boeing has been very posi- which is “enjoying the aircraft’s tive impact for sure: there’s no
lessor’s chief executive indicates. tive for the marketability of the strong performance”, says Kelly. question that those airplanes
AerCap has placed “virtually E2, and we look forward to work- Fleets Analyzer shows that leaving will at the margin in-
all” of the 50 E2-family jets it has ing with them as our orders de- AerCap’s four E190-E2s are also crease demand for certain in-de-
on order, Aengus Kelly says. liver,” adds Kelly. bound for Air Astana, while mand new-technology assets and
Flight Fleets Analyzer indicates AerCap’s first new-generation Brazilian carrier Azul will take probably extend the life of [Boe-
that these comprise 46 E195-E2s E-Jet is already in service. In three of the lessor’s E195-E2s. ■ ing] 777-300ERs and A330s.” ■
ITEP contract, the joint venture service life 20% longer than the
Replacement engines will boost Black Hawk’s hot weather handling had argued that its dual-spool current system. ■
at Nellis AFB, Nevada with the wa’s transition to the new type
Royal Australian Air Force. should be complete by 2031 or
With Canberra’s F/A-18s having 2032, at which point the last of its
been produced to a similar stand- legacy CF-18s will be retired from
ard to Ottawa’s existing examples, Secondhand assets will be modified to Canadian fleet configuration operational use.
the customer says their purchase Flight Fleets Analyzer shows
will enable rapid introduction. dition of a night vision imaging modifications are completed”, the that the Royal Canadian Air
“Modifications and technical system, the Martin-Baker-pro- DND says. They will be assigned Force’s in-service fleet of 85 CF-
work will begin immediately so duced Navy Aircrew Common to the air force’s 4 Wing at Cold 18A/Bs are aged between 30 and
they can be brought to a similar Ejection Seat, landing gear modi- Lake, and also with its 3 Wing at 36 years. Australia is in the pro-
configuration to Canada’s CF-18 fications and repainting. Bagotville air base in Quebec. cess of replacing its “Classic” Hor-
aircraft,” its Department of Na- Additional aircraft will arrive Ottawa is, meanwhile, advanc- nets with Lockheed’s convention-
tional Defence (DND) says. To be in Canada “at regular intervals for ing with a review of its combat al take-off and landing F-35A. ■
performed by local companies, the next three years, and will be capability requirements. A re- Additional reporting by Craig
this process will include the ad- integrated into the CF-18 fleet as quest for proposals for an Hoyle in London
USAF spending
to keep soaring
German FCAS programme through 2030s
Defence minister says participation will create “quality opportunities” for Spanish industry
T he US Air Force’s acquisition
costs are likely to reach $104
Geoffrey Lee/Eurofighter
Madrid says it is joining the propriated $84 billion for USAF
initiative on “equal terms with acquisitions in 2019, the report
France and Germany” and that suggests that spending will rise
the project will give Spain “lead- 28.3% by 2033. This is primarily
ership visibility” within Europe- Developments under project are seen as Eurofighter replacements due to the acquisition of new
an security and defence policies. equipment including Lockheed
Noting that Spain is already a aircraft that can be operated to- Safran Aircraft Engines have Martin’s F-35 fighter, Northrop
partner in the Eurofighter pro- gether. Types developed under joined forces to build the air- Grumman’s B-21 stealth bomber,
gramme – together with Germa- the programme will replace the craft’s powerplants. Boeing’s T-X advanced jet trainer,
ny, Italy and the UK – the de- Eurofighters operated by Germa- Spanish manufacturer ITP is a a nuclear Long-Range Standoff
fence ministry says the new ny and Spain, as well as France’s shareholder in the Eurojet con- Weapon and ground-based strate-
commitment will provide “quali- Dassault Rafales. sortium that builds the EJ200 tur- gic deterrent ballistic missiles.
ty opportunities to the Spanish Airbus Defence & Space, bofan engine for the Eurofighter The CBO says nearly one-third
defence industry” and enable the which has extensive activities in – as is the company’s parent, of spending in 2033 – worth $31
country to maintain a “solid Spain, and Dassault have been Rolls-Royce. billion – could be assigned to clas-
base” of aerospace activities. selected as prime contractors for However, R-R has been select- sified activities. The USAF’s allo-
The FCAS programme will the FCAS programme, with the ed as propulsion partner for the cation would account for around
comprise the development of a French company leading the ac- UK’s Tempest next-generation 43% of the DoD’s entire acquisi-
manned fighter and unmanned tivity. MTU Aero Engines and fighter programme. ■ tion costs of $240 billion. ■
Saab
advance was made “in the first ex-Israeli air force Lockheed Mar-
week of January”. Saab is under tin F-16s collapsed recently. Deliveries will commence for Swedish air force before end of year
contract to produce 60 of the type Saab’s proposal to Finland to-
for the Swedish air force, and 36 tals 64 Gripen E/Fs, while Saab was awarded an initial Buskhe says he has already
E/F-model examples for Brazil, in Switzerland is being offered ei- $117 million contract in October visited “a handful of countries”
partnership with Embraer. First ther 30 or 40 single-seat exam- 2018 covering its involvement in to discuss the T-X product. “We
deliveries for both customers are ples. Procurement decisions are the T-X programme’s engineer- can already see huge interest for
scheduled before year-end. expected around 2021. ing, manufacturing and develop- the trainer system around the
Meanwhile, Buskhe confirms: Separately, the Swedish com- ment phase until 2022. It will be world,” he notes.
“We are in discussions on a next pany is close to picking the loca- responsible for producing the The US Air Force expects to
batch for Brazil,” with this fol- tion of a US facility to host its jet’s rear fuselage. buy an initial 351 of the new
low-on procurement likely to be production activities in support “It’s good for Saab and [its] type to replace its ageing fleet of
advanced from 2021 or 2022. The of the Boeing-led T-X jet trainer Aeronautics [unit] to have that ca- Northrop T-38 trainers, and
Swedish air force’s commander programme by mid-year. pacity in the USA,” Buskhe says Boeing has forecast a potential
also recently indicated his “In the first half of this year we of the future facility, noting that it future market opportunity to
service’s interest in potentially
will decide on where we will al- will bring the company “closer to produce 2,600 examples to meet
doubling its commitment to the locate our production in the the US customer”, as it eyes fur- additional US requirements and
new-generation fighter, he notes. USA,” Buskhe says. ther business opportunities. international demand. ■
w w w. f l i g h t g l o b a l . c o m / w a f
Ruag 2017 strip ad.indd 1 04/12/2018 08:57
20 | Flight International | 26 February-4 March 2019 flightglobal.com
Aerospace
Big Data Series
flightglobal.com/bigdata
To attend, visit: flightglobal.com/bigdata or contact Hannah Abdi +44 (0)2079 111 993
To sponsor, contact Rebecca Covey T: +44 (0)2079 111 490 E: [email protected]
To speak, contact Warka Ghirmai T: +44 (0)2079 111 813 E: [email protected]
BUSINESS AVIATION
Comlux
handed over during a ceremony the Williams International
Aircraft will be operated solely by an “ultra-high-net-worth” owner in Berne on 18 February. It will FJ44-4A-powered aircraft has a
replace a similarly-sized Cessna range of 2,000nm (3,700km), a
COMPLETIONS KATE SARSFIELD LONDON Citation XLS aircraft. cruise speed of 440kt (810km/h)
Pilatus
been designed by New York- Boeing also holds a commitment
based architect Peter Marino, for a BBJ 787-8 widebody. ■ Superlight type will be used for transport “primarily around Europe”
Aero Vodochody
2014, with deliveries
targeted from 2020
Veteran returns to
the training game
Aero Vodochody’s updated L-39NG may closely resemble its communist-era predecessor,
but under the surface is a raft of new technology, backed by 21st-century service principles
MURDO MORRISON PRAGUE in a few weeks and comes in light-attack and tems flightdeck, a one-piece canopy from
CUTAWAY DRAWING BY TIM HALL trainer configurations – can make an impact Swiss manufacturer Mecaplex, and Martin-
on the military training market, albeit not Baker ejection seats, all replacing Soviet-era
M
ost of the pilots who honed their quite as dramatic as its predecessor’s. products and technology.
combat skills in the Aero Vodo- So far, Aero Vodochody has had commit- In addition, Aero Vodochody has had to
chody L-39 Albatros single-en- ments from a quartet of customers for 40 ex- resurrect a local supply chain for the L-39NG,
gined jet trainer were defending amples, although Senegal’s – for four light-at- as well as the larger L-159 advanced trainer
the Soviet empire. The 21st century-born avia- tack variants – is the only firm order. and light-attack aircraft that is also back in
tors who fly its successor – the L-39NG – will Scheduled certification is later this year, with limited production after a decade-long hiatus.
only know of the Cold War from history books. first deliveries in 2020.
More than two decades separate the closing The resurrected version of the jet, which LEG UP
of the original L-39 line in 1996 – after 2,900 the Czech airframer launched at the Farnbor- The move has given a welcome boost to many
examples were shipped over 25 years – and ough air show in 2014, shares a shape and of the country’s small machining shops and
first flight of the L-39NG on 22 December 2018. structure with its communist-era antecedent. other specialists that have struggled for work
However, the Czech manufacturer is confi- However, much has changed beneath the since the winding down of Aero Vodochody’s
dent that the “new generation” version of the skin. Those updates include a Williams Inter- flagship programmes. The Prague-based
famous aircraft – which resumes flight testing national FJ44-4M engine, a Genesys Aerosys- airframer has also had to re-engineer crucial
parts of the aircraft in house, including a new shareholder, development of a utility turbo- conditions and support they were offering.”
wet wing and landing-gear. prop axed and production of its flagship pro- The FJ44-4M is a variant of the FJ44-4A
“We had to develop a new undercarriage our- gramme at a standstill, the embattled manu- that powers the Textron Aviation Cessna Cita-
selves,” explains Jaromir Lang, L-39NG chief facturer had to take on a range of build-to-print tion CJ4 and Pilatus PC-24. The -4M delivers
engineer and a veteran from the manufacturer’s aerostructures jobs simply to stay in business. 3,790lb-thrust (16.9kN), 5% more than the
days as a state-controlled enterprise in the 3,600lb-thrust commercial version, although
1980s. “The one on the original L-39 was built WIDE-RANGING REVIEW Lang says there is a small trade-off in service
from Eastern materials produced in the Czech The L-39 had been out of production since the life and maintenance intervals. Because the
Republic by a company that has not existed mid-1990s, but – given changes in the mili- engine is smaller than its predecessor, integra-
since the 1990s.” Other than that, the company tary training market, with governments look- tion was relatively easy, although Aero Vodo-
has engaged a “very big network” of local sup- ing at value-for-money solutions – the com- chody had to redesign the frame. The compa-
pliers, says Lang, including a subcontractor in pany’s new owners began to look again at a ny had done much of the work already, by
Moravia that builds the trainer’s tail section. segment that had been especially lucrative for retrofitting it in the L-39CW, a re-powered ver-
The wet wing increases the aircraft’s range to their communist-era predecessors. The prob- sion of the L-39 it flew in 2014.
1,150nm (2,130km), but also its agility. The orig- lem was that Aero Vodochody had designed According to Matt Huff, senior vice-presi-
inal L-39 wing had tip tanks to supplement its the aircraft in the 1960s, with Soviet-era mate- dent business development and programme
central fuel compartment. Integral wing tanks rials and production standards and the management at Williams, several L-39 owners
increase fuel capacity by around 150 litres Ukrainian-built Ivchenko AI-25 engine. “We and maintenance, repair and overhaul houses
(39USgal), but getting rid of the tip tanks pushes knew it was impossible to continue with that had approached the Michigan-based compa-
the mass of fuel closer to the aircraft’s centre of design,” says Lang. ny over the years, asking if Williams might
gravity, improving manoeuvrability, notes Lang. To make a redesigned aircraft viable, he put its weight behind a programme to re-en-
Aero Vodochody based the wet wing on a de- says, the company had to deploy western ma- gine the trainer with the FJ44. “Until we intro-
sign it developed for the L-159, but “simplified, terials and quality standards to reduce the duced the Dash 4 around 2011, the FJ44
with fewer longerons”, he says. empty weight and prolong the fatigue life at wasn’t the right size,” he says. “But even then,
December’s first flight – a 26min sortie from least threefold. Beyond that, it decided to we said that unless the OEM got involved, we
Aero Vodochody’s own airfield in Odolena keep the aluminium frame and basic struc- weren’t interested.”
Voda – met a promise from Italian chief exec- ture, although it has made a few aerodynamic Although Williams is a specialist in e ngines
utive Giuseppe Giordo to have the aircraft in tweaks to the shape and streamlined the pro- for business aviation types, this is not its first
the air before the end of last year. However, duction process. For example, it now ma- foray into the military world. In the 1990s, the
with the test example, serial number 7001, re- chines the bulkhead as a single part, rather Swedish air force chose the “Dash 1” version
turning immediately to the hangar for further than in multiple sections. of the FJ44 to re-engine its Saab 105 trainers
work, that is likely to be its only outing before One of the most crucial choices the com- (known as the SK 60). Leonardo, Giordo’s for-
a “very limited” campaign of around 15 mis- pany had to make was the engine. Aero Vo- mer employer, also selected the FJ44-4 for its
sions begins again in April to test speed, atti- dochody at first considered using the Honey- M-345 jet trainer. That aircraft flew for the first
tude and loads, says Lang. well TFE731 – a development of which, the time late last year and is due to enter service
Following ground vibration testing in May F124, powers the L-159 that the manufactur- with the Italian air force in 2020.
and June, “the flight-test campaign proper”, er began producing in the late 1990s. “We “From the beginning, we envisaged the FJ44
focused on aircraft systems, will resume in knew the engine,” says Lang. “But after as an engine for military trainers, as well as
August. Flutter testing will begin in October Williams contacted me around 2013, we
GA,” says Huff. The M variant – it stands for
before “we open the flight-test envelope for began to have discussions with them, too. “manoeuvrability” rather than “military” – in-
loads testing and other performance testing”, We decided to go with them because of the volves only a few small design changes, he ❯❯
says Lang. With aircraft 7002 used for static
testing, and 7003 for fatigue trials, the second
aircraft to join the flight-test programme, in AERO VODOCHODY L-39NG
October, will be 7004. Those two will com-
plete the certification effort.
Early in 2020, Aero Vodochody will with-
draw 7001 from flight tests and rebuild it as a
light-attack variant, before resuming flying in
the second half of next year, while 7004 will
remain in trainer configuration. The trainer
version has two under-wing pylons for carry-
ing drop tanks, but the light-attack variant has 0 2m
five, capable of carrying weapons. The Czech 0 6ft
airframer is discussing various integration op-
tions with suppliers, but says the munitions
will largely be the customer’s choice.
The story of the L-39NG starts in the late
2000s, when Aero Vodochody was still
reeling from a decision in 2003 by the Czech
military to reduce its fleet of the new L-159
advanced jet trainer and attack aircraft from Tim Bicheno-Brown/Artscreatif/FlightGlobal
❯❯ says, “allowing the aircraft to pull some of production and 12 in 2021. “After that, we
stronger g-forces”. The deals with Aero Vodo- will go to a rate of 20 a year,” he says. “This
chody and Leonardo, he adds, are “highly sig- will be our baseline. Our current projections
nificant in that they open a new market for this mean we are covered through 2022, but we
engine after our breakthrough with the SK 60”. could increase our rate by introducing a sec-
Other improvements over the original ond shift or asking more from suppliers.”
L-39 include the single-piece canopy from The world has changed in many ways from
Mecaplex, and two Martin-Baker ejection the heyday of the L-39 when air forces had
seats, with both companies working together their own training capabilities, or, in the case
to d esign the canopy fragmentation escape of smaller nations, shipped their student pi-
system. Aero Vodochody offers its own
lots to the air bases of larger allies to receive
Aero Vodochody
ejection seat on the L-159 that will be availa- their qualifications.
ble to any customer who objects to using a Today, with the old Cold War alliances
UK-supplied product for political reasons. fragmented and cash-strapped defence minis-
However, “for most people, once you say you Genesys avionics stem from longstanding ties tries looking for value for money, Aero Vodo-
are using a Martin-Baker seat, there are no chody has had to develop a sophisticated ser-
other questions”, says Lang. options, while US training specialist RSW vices offering alongside the aircraft itself.
Aero Vodochody’s relationship with Aviation, an existing L-39 operator, signed for “We are not just providing aircraft, but a
Genesys goes back to the late 1990s, when the 12 examples. complete training system,” says Giordo. To
Czech manufacturer was developing the Aero Vodochody is also negotiating a deal reflect that most students flying the L-39NG
short-lived Ae270 single-engined utility tur- with Czech military training provider LOM will have grown up in a high-tech world,
boprop with AIDC of Taiwan and had worked Praha for four aircraft, plus two options. After Aero Vodochody has developed courses
with Chelton Flight Systems (now part of winning Senegal as an overseas launch cus- “based not on the old ways of training pilots,
Genesys) on the avionics. After it cancelled tomer for the new variant, an order from a but on elements millennials can appreciate,
the Ae270, Aero Vodochody found itself with government-backed organisation would be an making the most of artificial intelligence and
surplus stock of the avionics equipment and additional welcome endorsement for the pro- tablets”, he says.
incorporated the technology into the single gramme, says Giordo, adding that the compa- Similarly, with support, the Czech firm –
example of the L-39CW. ny is in “final negotiations” with a further un- like Williams – is offering operators guaranteed
“When we announced the programme, disclosed nation for 10 aircraft. “time in air” packages. “We will take care of
Genesys decided to support us and provided While Giordo admits that the nature of de- everything. That is something that is not very
us with new displays,” says Lang. While fence procurement makes it difficult to pre- common in the defence market,” he says.
Genesys supplies the 10in multifunction dis- dict when customers will confirm orders, he Aero Vodochody is pitching the L-39NG in a
plays, standby sensors and other systems, a says he is happy with the programme’s suc- broad segment that ranges from the Pilatus
Prague-based company, Speel, manufactures cess to date. “It would be great if we could ac- PC-21 and Embraer EMB-314 Super Tucano
the mission computer, head-up display, flight celerate some of these final signatures, but for high-performance turboprops through to the
data recorder, data acquisition unit and air any aircraft to win commitments before it flies M-345 and even the M-346 advanced jet trainer.
data computer. Another US firm, Borsight, is is very hard, particularly in the international While Giordo admits that the M-346 is a much
behind the universal management unit. market, so I think our results so far have been more capable trainer aircraft, he maintains that
Aero Vodochody secured its first series of very good,” he says. the L-39NG can “meet 80% of the advanced
customer agreements last year, with Senegal training syllabus at one-third of the cost”: a
committing to its four combat-roled aircraft in ON SCHEDULE price-tag comparable with that of a turboprop.
April. In addition, Portuguese private compa- Giordio, who heads a team of former Leonar- Giordo believes that out of a potential mar-
ny SkyTech, which provides aircraft to “ad- do executives recruited by private sharehold- ket of around 1,000 basic jet trainers over the
dress shortfalls in military aviation” an- er Penta Investments in 2016, also says the next 15 years, Aero Vodochody should be
nounced a letter of intent at the July 2018 programme itself is “firmly on track”. The able to secure orders for “easily 150 aircraft”.
Farnborough air show to acquire 10 plus six company plans to deliver six in the first year He admits that marketing the type will be a
challenge for a company that is a minnow in
revenue terms compared with most of its ri-
vals and does not have sales offices around
the world. “We cannot afford the fixed costs of
some of our competitors,” he says.
Instead, he says, it will “focus our attention
on countries where we know product, costs
and operational capabilities are the three driv-
ers”. He also credits prime minister Andrej
Babis, who “has been one of the best salesmen
for the L-39NG”, and says the fact that the
central European nation is not a military or
economic power helps.
“If a country signs a strategic relationship
with the Czech Republic, it doesn’t affect their
Aero Vodochody
A s m a r t e r w a y.
CIRIUM.COM
AVALON PREVIEW
Fifth-generation
fighting force
Fully integrating people and modern platforms – now
including F-35s – is key to Australia’s goal of seamless air
power. We get the view from one of its senior commanders
GREG WALDRON SINGAPORE Air Vice Marshal Steve Roberton, Air Com- such as the Boeing E-7A Wedgetail airborne
mander Australia, says the F-35A is part of early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft,
I
n December 2018, the Royal Australian Air the RAAF’s continuing evolution into a “fifth- F/A-18Fs, and its EA-18G Growlers. Still,
Force (RAAF) truly entered the era of the generation air force” – a well-oiled machine Roberton views the arrival of the F-35A as
Lockheed Martin F-35, with the arrival of that works seamlessly together. the biggest development.
its first two examples. After a long flight Roberton has served with the RAAF since “It’s been a busy couple of years, but we’re
across the Pacific from Luke AFB in Arizona, 1989 and has over 3,000h in the cockpit, really pleased with the progress that we’ve
the pair of jets were welcomed by Boeing F/A- mostly in F/A-18As but also in the F/A-18F made, both in the development of the plat-
18A/B “classic” Hornets, the venerable fighter Super Hornet. forms and making them work together in that
they will replace. In an interview with FlightGlobal on the fifth-generation force, but also with our peo-
The moment was a long time coming: eve of Australia’s biennial Avalon air show, he ple. It’s been a very successful intervening
RAAF pilots and support crews have been says: “We are in a fairly privileged position of two years.”
training at the Luke AFB F-35 school since being one of the first all fifth-generation forces The F-35A, of which has Australia currently
2015, with the service’s first F-35A delivered in the world. In terms of platforms, we’re well has 10, is due for initial operating capability
in 2014. Ultimately, Canberra could obtain up on track.” in late 2020. This involves a fully operational
to 100, making it among the largest interna- Since the last Avalon show in 2017, the squadron in Australia, as well as a training
tional operators of the type. RAAF has been working to integrate assets squadron. Full operating capability is due in
Commonwealth of Australia
Geography makes KC-30A tanker crucial strategic asset; a seventh will arrive this year
Commonwealth of Australia
Commonwealth of Australia
2023. This will see three operational units – 3 prises mainly navy types such as the Hornet, While the Hornets are set to depart the
Sqn, 75 Sqn and 77 Sqn, in addition to the Super Hornet and Growler. RAAF after decades of service, Canberra will
training squadron. For the time being, eight “We’ve already adapted fairly well to it,” he continue to operate its powerful force of 24
aircraft remain at the Luke AFB training says. “We’ve had women and men in the USA F/A-18F Super Hornets, which were obtained
school. An additional eight will be delivered for some time now training with US systems to fill a capability gap caused by delays in the
in 2019. and becoming familiar with not just the main- F-35 programme.
tenance philosophy, but the documentation Original plans for the Super Hornets
SHIFTING MINDSET and the means of doing it. It’s progressing well called for their retirement in the 2020s, but
Roberton – essentially the RAAF’s chief op- and we’re pretty confident about it.” there is speculation that Canberra may opt to
erating officer – discusses aircraft in the con- As for the 71 F/A-18A/Bs that the F-35As keep the type, possibly upgrading them to
text not just of capability, but also logistics will replace, Canberra has entered a deal to the USN’s Block III standard. This activity
and human resources. He says F-35A sus- sell up to 25 examples to Canada for A$95 includes a range of structural and sensor up-
tainment has required a cultural shift, given million ($68 million). Of these, 18 will serve grades, as well as the ability to receive and
that the type is fundamentally a US Air as combat assets and seven will be used for transfer large amounts of sensor data with
Force platform and the USAF’s maintenance spares. These aircraft will fill a capability gap other aircraft.
philosophy differs from that of the US Navy while Ottawa holds a competition for a future On the long-term prospects for the RAAF’s
– and Australia’s existing fast jet fleet com- fighter aircraft. Super Hornets, Roberton says in the “next few ❯❯
STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY
He adds, however, that the air force is “very
confident” that this future force structure will
be based on the F-35, EA-18G and the E-7A.
Commonwealth of Australia
“We’re in a great place. We’re not being
driven by ageing platforms like many other
services around the world. The Super Hor-
nets are still in very, very good nick. They
are very capable of course. But we need to
find where we get the right cost benefit, and
what that future force requirement looks being explored, but the air force is still famil- The E-7A has operated effectively in the
like. This will be driven by government poli- iarising itself with the capabilities inherent in complex environment over the Middle East in
cy and our own defence strategy in the com- the platform. At some point, it will present support of Australia’s contribution to efforts
ing years. More to come.” options to the government. against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. The
Originally, Canberra obtained 12 Despite the accident, Roberton has very aircraft have operated missions of up to 13h,
EA-18Gs, adding a new electronic attack ca- high marks for the capability the EA-18G made possible by its in-flight refuelling capa-
pability to the Australian Defence Force. One brings to the RAAF. bility. The RAAF is in discussions with the
aircraft, however, was lost, owing to the cata- “The Growler is such a capable platform Royal Air Force and the USAF, both of which
strophic failure of a fan disk in its left side and very flexible up and down that entire will need to replace their ageing, Boeing 707-
GE Aviation F414 engine. The aircraft was conflict spectrum. It is capable of penetrating based E-3 aircraft.
attempting to take off from Nellis AFB near [enemy airspace] with strike assets to help “Wedgetail has garnered a great deal of in-
Las Vegas during a Red Flag-series exercise. control that electromagnetic spectrum, but terest from the USA and the UK, who are
No personnel were injured, but the aircraft equally it contributes to joint roles or working working with us on how we iteratively up-
was a write-off. with our naval platforms or land forces in grade it,” says Roberton.
With the Growler force reduced to 11 air- stand-off roles. It’s hard to imagine a scenario The RAAF’s tanker ability continues to ma-
frames, there has been speculation about where a Growler couldn’t make a pretty ture, with the delivery of its sixth KC-30A (the
whether Canberra will obtain a replacement meaningful contribution to the joint effect Australian designation for the A330 multi-
for the lost example. Another option is recon- you’re after.” role tanker transport) in late 2017; the seventh
figuring one of the baseline F/A-18Fs as an Roberton is also happy with progress on is due to arrive in the middle of 2019. The air-
EA-18G, because 12 of the RAAF’s Super Hor- two critical enablers for the RAAF’s combat craft has played an important role in both
nets are configured for conversion to the elec- power, the E-7A AEW&C capability and the combat deployments to the Middle East and
tronic warfare type. Roberton says options are Airbus Defence & Space KC-30A tanker. in supporting deployments to Australia’s
neighbours in Southeast Asia.
“We’re yet to invent an air war security sce-
nario where we have too many tankers,” says
Roberton. “Australia is expeditionary by na-
ture being where we are on the globe, espe-
cially given the distances just to get up and
work with our allies in the near region or in
the Middle East. The KC-30A has been an ab-
solute fundamental enabler for us.”
Looking forward, Roberton feels that there
are several emergent technologies that will
impact air forces, namely the deployment and
increased capabilities of large unmanned air
vehicles. Of import will be the mix of manned
Commonwealth of Australia
FLY
WE MAKE IT
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but for the environment, too.
airbus.com
AVALON PREVIEW
Regional struggle
AirTeamImages
market economics mean renewal will be slow in coming
ELLIS TAYLOR PERTH relatively low purchase prices, which helps Pel-Air unit on charter and freighter opera-
offset the types’ high operating costs. tions, according to Fleets Analyzer.
A
cross vast Australia’s far-flung re- Alliance managing director Scott McMillan The carrier has had to mitigate some obso-
gions, many people naturally rely tells FlightGlobal that his carrier has no plans lescence issues – for example, replacing its
on air transport to get around, and in the near future to replace its Fokker aircraft, Saab 340 cathode ray tube displays with newer
many of the services they fly rely although its five F50 turboprops could be re- liquid crystal units. That upgrade also allowed
on ageing turboprops and regional jets. In- tired if they are no longer needed. “We are for the integration of newer avionics and will
deed, Flight Fleets Analyzer shows that Aus- provisioned to operate circa 40 Fokker jets for keep the aircraft flying for many more years.
tralia’s 300-strong regional aircraft fleet has an the next 10 years,” says McMillan.
average age of just over 23 years. Key to that is a large number of spare air- MIXED OPERATIONS
Tellingly, the most-used aircraft is the craft amassed by the operator, the expertise of Not surprisingly, a key consideration guiding
Saab 340, with 61 in passenger service, its engineers, and heavy maintenance support Australian regional carriers’ fleet choices is
followed closely by the Fokker 100, with 57. from KLM UK Engineering and Austrian the type of service they offer: scheduled
But while the country’s regional fleets are Technik Bratislava. It has also acquired major passenger or fly-in, fly-out resource charter.
showing their age, new aircraft have proved stocks of spare parts, spare engines and tool- Fly-in, fly-out contracts tend to be short
to be a hard sell. ing from other operators. term with low aircraft utilisation, which
Dutch-built Fokker jets illustrate the McMillan adds that it also has a strong rela- makes it hard to rationalise investment in
challenging nature of Australia’s regional air tionship with Rolls-Royce, the manufacturer new aircraft.
service market. F100s and F70s have long of the Tay jet engines powering F70s and “If you are just relying on fly-in, fly-out
been out of service in other parts of the world, F100s. “Our relationship with Rolls-Royce is agreements of a few years with low utilisa-
but in Australia they are a mainstay for fly-in, absolutely pivotal to ensuring that these tion, it is difficult to justify new aircraft unless
fly-out charter operators such as Alliance aircraft go for the next 10 years,” he says. there is a specific requirement of the end
Airlines, Qantas’s Network Aviation unit and Regional Express made a similar move some customer. That is what we have found,” says
Virgin Australia Regional Airlines. time ago, buying out the spares inventory of ATR’s sales general manager for the ASEAN
As European operators Austrian Airlines US carrier Pinnacle Airlines to support its fleet region, Christophe Potocki.
and KLM withdrew their fleets of F100s and of Saab 340s – comprising 54 B-models in its He notes, though, that some operators are
F70s, Australian carriers took advantage of passenger fleet and four A-models flown by its starting to run a mix of charter and sched-
ATR
Rex relies on Saab 340s (left), while Virgin (above) has had mixed success with its ATR 72s production, there are few a lternatives around.
NEW JETS?
With Fokker jets set to be a fixture in
Australia for many years to come, regional jet
manufacturers are more focused on the
major carriers for future sales. But while
signs are encouraging, orders still appear to
be some time off.
Last year, Qantas signalled that it is
evaluating the Embraer E-Jet E2 series and
the A irbus A220 for its future fleet. However,
it did not give a timeline for when it was
looking to make a decision. The carrier is ex-
pected to focus its attention on choosing an
ultra-long-haul jet for its “Project Sunrise”
requirement this year.
Virgin may also be forced to reconsider the
AirTeamImages
TECHNOLOGY
and one pilot – although with advances in au- Potential for autonomous control means aircraft could carry up to five paying passengers
serve those other considerations. “It does look like the new folks are thinking
While having just four frameworks seems more about technology and less about
manageable, each is made of up hundreds of certification and manufacturing. There are
different strands. For instance, Drennan de- some cases where it’s an ‘unknown un-
fines the operational framework as “the func- known’, but they are certainly getting ex-
tional requirements for on-demand UAM posed to some of it now as they develop their
network”. In practice that means thinking flight-test vehicles and are asking questions
about how it would be operated commercial- about how they might do this in the future,”
ly, the infrastructural challenges, air traffic says Drennan. “Manufacturing is not just
management, safety and acoustic require- about [capital expenditure], but the long-
ments and, c ritically, delivering “a solution term manufacturing and quality processes.”
that is affordable to most people”. As he points out, it is not sufficient to focus
Regulatory considerations cover some of solely on gaining an aircraft’s type certificate:
the same ground, but are being worked on to make any programme a success, a manufac-
with NASA, the US Federal Aviation Ad- turer also requires a production certificate and
ministration and other rule-makers to help continued airworthiness approval. “Of course
define an integrated approach across the ve- we have [experience of] all three of those
hicle, as well as the operational and air traf- things, but it’s something that others should
fic management requirements. In addition, be thinking about as well,” he says.
the certification authorities have been regu- For all that Bell is looking to the future and
larly consulted during the design process, seeking to tap into experience from outside
including encouraging their attendance at the industry, Team Nexus – the programme’s
review meetings “so that we can all see what core suppliers – are traditional aerospace
the challenges are together”. companies through and through.
Ultimately the regulatory framework is
driven by the need to “clear paths to compli- PROVIDING POWER
ance and [gain] permission to operate for Power will be delivered by a Safran-built hy-
urban air mobility concepts”, says Drennan. brid-electric system – a gas turbine engine
As for manufacturing, Bell needs to devel- coupled to a generator. Excess power will be
op “dependable and repeatable fabrication stored in a battery pack from EP Systems.
and assembly processes”, he says. With Moog will supply the all-electric actuators for
quality and safety as baseline requirements, the control surfaces, while Thales will devel-
Drennan says, a great deal of focus within the op the flight-control computer and avionics
manufacturing stream is instead on “cost, are to be delivered by Garmin.
weight and environmental impact”. Traditional as they may be, the applications
Nexus features six tilting
Manufacturing on the scale envisaged is a are in many cases an entirely new direction
ducted fans driven by a
puzzle for any traditional airframer like Bell, for the firms involved.
hybrid-electric powertrain
which is used to turning out at most hun- Take Safran, for example: it has extensive
Bell
dreds of a particular aircraft in a year. If expertise making small gas turbines, both in
tonomous flight technology, Bell is already UAM takes off as forecast, then Bell and oth- its helicopter e ngines business – the former
eyeing the 25% efficiency gain that eliminat- ers will be required to build thousands of ve- Turbomeca – and the Safran Power Units op-
ing the crew would deliver to operators. hicles annually. eration. Although it has not previously pro-
Nexus, at least according to Bell’s market- “At that different scale we need to start duced a hybrid-electric architecture, even
ing material, will be “creating a new era of thinking less like a [traditional] manufacturer, prior to the announcement of the selection
flight” and “helping to solve real-world chal- more like an automobile manufacturer. It’s not by Bell, Safran built and ran a ground-test
lenges now and in the future”. quite all the way there – but the methodolo- version of such a system. That, says Kyle
But to achieve that vision, Bell has identi- gies in automotive look to be a lot more help- Heironimus, Bell’s propulsion lead for
fied the importance of thinking beyond the ful,” says Drennan. Nexus, is a “testament” to its partner’s belief
air vehicle itself. As Scott Drennan, the com- That means, he says, fewer traditional, in the technology.
pany’s vice-president of innovation, puts it, high-temperature composites that would re- “The fact that Safran already has a cycle of
the first challenge in guiding the design of the quire a “whole city of autoclaves and presses learning under their belt with this type of
aircraft is to “define [the] operational require- and ovens” to meet the output requirements. system clearly means that, number one, they
ments it must meet, as well as the transport Instead, these would be used selectively – are the perfect partner for Bell. But, two, they
network it will operate within.” “where we need to have those materials for believe this [system] is going to be the future
weight or certification purposes” – with other in VTOL markets.”
KEY PILLARS structures formed via out-of-autoclave pro- As with anyone involved in the
Bell has defined four key pillars – “integrated cesses, which “will start to unlock the rates programme, there has to be a belief that “we
frameworks”, it calls them – that have driven we are talking about”. can make this happen and this will come
the vehicle’s configuration: operational, regu- Technology, therefore, is not the end itself, true”, he says.
latory, manufacturing, and technological, but a means to an end; it needs to support one The EP Systems-supplied batteries are also
with the latter very much subordinate to and of the other three frameworks. vital to the project; as Heironimus puts it, they
informed by the other three. In other words, Although Bell’s approach is more or less are an “enabler” for the rest of the propulsion
Bell has no plans to use technology for tech- mirrored by its “more traditional friends”, system. “We could create a system with no
nology’s sake; instead it must be adapted to Drennan is not sure that applies universally. storage – but to get the safety and redundancy ❯❯
we would have to have multiple turbines and Drennan points out that if an operator can in- PROGRAMME
Advancing
generators – maybe even more than two in crease payload by 25% through removing a
some instances.” pilot, then it “becomes significant to take
That would quickly become both complex them out of there and stop them being a cost
at full tilt
and heavy – two things to be avoided at all on the system”.
costs. Instead, the use of the battery allows the In the short term, Bell is researching what
size of the turbine and generator to be opti- control interfaces and aircraft responses will
mised for the mission, cutting weight, cost be required for Nexus by current and future
and complexity. pilots. That includes part of its exhibit at the Leonardo Helicopters is leveraging
But as Heironimus notes, the configuration Heli-Expo event, which will present visitors its long experience developing the
is not yet a “home run” for VTOL applica- to the stand with a number of potential con- AW609 – and EU funding – to
tions, as “until very recently” energy storage trol options.
and battery technology, notably weight, were The aim, as company test pilot Jim Gibson create a greener, larger civil tiltrotor
ill suited to the mission. On top of that, VTOL puts it, is to eventually design a flight-con-
aircraft require lots of both power – for take- trol system that “allows individuals with DOMINIC PERRY LONDON
off and to hover – and energy for the cruise limited training to safely and efficiently
phase. Traditionally, batteries were able to
provide one or the other, not both. “Only very
recently are we getting into a place where bat-
operate urban air vehicles”. A lower stand-
ard of entry for prospective pilots – or “safety
officers” as Drennan refers to them – will be
O ne might think that given the decades
so far required to bring its AW609 to
market that Leonardo Helicopters would shy
teries are reaching both the power and energy key to ensure there are, initially at least, away from developing another tiltrotor
densities necessary to enable this mission,” sufficient crew for the thousands of UAM aircraft. But despite still not having gained
says Heironimus. envisaged by Bell and others. certification for the AW609 – that milestone
Cells, currently using a lithium-ion chemis- And Gibson believes that aviation regula- is due in 2019, more than 20 years since the
try, have been carefully selected for the mis- tors are aligned with that view. “I think they programme began – the Italian airframer is
sion that “met all of our requirements at a mini- understand that something has to change,” he already working on its successor, called the
mum weight” and then integrated into a pack says. “They understand the economics of Next-Gen Civil Tiltrotor (NGCTR).
with a battery management system for safety. what it takes to become a pilot today. That’s Leonardo is seeking to develop a family of
not going to work in a situation where you aircraft that would make their commercial
SAFETY FIRST need 2,000, 3,000 or 4,000 more pilots.” debut in the 2030-2035 timeframe. But first,
While Heironimus will not be drawn on the There may be hundreds of other designs the company will build and fly a technology
specifics of the system, citing supplier confi- competing in the UAM space, but Drennan demonstrator aircraft under the EU’s Clean
dentiality, the design is such “that even if believes this will only help spur Bell on. “I try Sky 2 effort in its Fast Rotorcraft workstream.
there were a failure of any single cell… that to be really optimistic about people who work
would not cause any critical failure of the air- on difficult problems like this. I always ad- PERFORMANCE CRITERIA
craft itself”. The design attempts to both pre- mire people getting involved. That helps me Leveraging funding from both the EU and
vent a thermal runaway of a cell, and if one stay honest about our own position – you Leonardo’s own research and development
does occur, ensure that it does not then affect can’t be too conceited or arrogant,” he says. investment, the project works on two levels.
the safety of the aircraft. “But I do think there’s going to be a cooling Firstly, there are a set of performance criteria
“It’s a pretty holistic approach that you down. You will see it as people get closer to that the NGCTR must meet: measured
have to take to assure aircraft safety, not just those [operational, regulatory and manufactur- against a conventional AW139 helicopter, it
the pack itself,” he says. ing] frameworks. Once they understand the should produce 50% less carbon dioxide,
The hybrid architecture should enable an capital investment and process rigour required 14% less nitrogen oxides and noise should
additional degree of safety, says Drennan, al- for manufacturing, we will start to see folks be cut by 30%.
lowing the Nexus to perform a “controlled combine together with people like ourselves or Secondly, the funding should spur
descent to the ground under power” should go on to different skills and missions.” industrial and productivity advances and
the engine fail. In addition, the simplicity of Those approaching the problem of UAM will allow Leonardo and its partners to
the powertrain, which eliminates gearboxes from a non-aviation standpoint can some- evaluate and mature – to technology readi-
and transmission shafts in favour of direct- times be confounded by the industry’s regula- ness level 6 – a number of technologies cru-
drive electric motors, should bring additional tions, he says. There are, “some hugely cial to any future programme. These include
benefits through better reliability and reduced accomplished software folks” already work- composite wings, tilting proprotors with
weight and maintenance costs. ing in autonomous ground transport applica- fixed nacelles, a V-tail and a distributed
One intriguing aspect of Bell’s proposal is tions who are often interested in working flight control system.
the acknowledgement that pilots – or at least with Bell. “Then we sit them down and ex- However, two key elements are not new
highly trained aviators – may not be required plain to them [aviation-specific regulations]. on the aircraft: the fuselage and the engines.
for the Nexus’s operation. “We may find out They see them as a barrier.” For power, 2,000shp (1,490kW) GE Aviation
that as we go into service, people want to look Some also think that simply getting the ve- CT7s have been selected, in part for their
left and see somebody with them for the initial hicle flying is “the end-game” itself. “But “scalability”, says programme manager
flights, depending on who you are or how you have to build in redundancy and you Andrea Artioli.
comfortable you feel with autonomy,” says have to build structures that can last for mul- For the fuselage, Leonardo will use a stand-
Drennan. “But there might be a lot of folks, or tiple flights.” ard AW609 structure, seeing little benefit in
even certain markets, that adopt it more quick- But for all that, Drennan is still keen to developing an all-new part when the size of
ly from just an autonomous state off the bat.” stress that Bell remains open to non-aviation an eventual production aircraft may vary.
However, economic considerations are experience: “Our approach doesn’t mean we “There is no interest [in the fuselage] as an in-
likely to drive the advance of autonomy: are right on everything,” he says. ■ novation item,” says Artioli.
Leonardo Helicopters
NGCTR is expected to make its commercial debut in the 2030-2035 timeframe, and will be preceded by a technology demonstrator
Given the scalability of the design, Leonar- some experience in this field, having built a and collective levers. This will be fitted with
do could opt for an interior layout in the similar structure for the Bell V-280 military “active inceptors” to provide tactile feedback
18-25 passenger range, he says. “The idea is tiltrotor demonstrator. to pilots. “That is the kind of improvement pi-
that it is scalable to a number of passengers Windtunnel testing of the design will take lots are chasing for,” says Artioli.
which is quite large.” Comparatively, the place this year, says Artioli. The V-tail config- Leonardo has, like other rotorcraft manu-
AW609 can accommodate a maximum of uration has been preferred, he says, for aero- facturers, significant in-house expertise in the
nine people, plus two crew. dynamic efficiency and scalability – by com- development of transmission components.
Leonardo began the preliminary design re- parison, the AW609 uses a more traditional However, for the NGCTR effort, it will collab-
view for the NGCTR in December 2018 and T-tail shape. A separate group of companies is orate with Milan technical university to incor-
expects the process to close in the first half of developing the aircraft’s wing and control porate ALM-built parts.
this year. A critical design review is due in surfaces under the T-Wing umbrella, led by Although the technology demonstrator
2020, followed by final assembly in 2022 and Italian aerospace research institute CIRA. will not receive certification, it still has to be
first flight in 2023. Meanwhile, Milan’s technical university is declared safe to fly by European regulators,
The flight-test phase for the technology heading a project to investigate the use of notes Artioli.
demonstrator will last for “a couple of years” components produced by additive layer man- Leonardo has yet to launch any future
as it “opens the envelope in helicopter and ufacturing (ALM) in the NGCTR. tiltrotor programme, but Artioli is adamant
aircraft modes”, says Artioli. “We want to ex- Leonardo will be responsible for the trans- that the company remains fully committed
plore and validate all our innovations.” mission, including the tilting proprotors, and to the architecture.
The nature of the EU-backed programme, the flight-control system. This crucial element “In five or 10 years’ time, we want to be
which aims to spread work – and therefore of the design will use a distributed solution, there with the next-generation tiltrotor
innovation – across the bloc, is such that a which sees flight-control computers located following the AW609.”
number of partners have been recruited for near control surface actuators, rather than via But given that Bell, its tiltrotor rival – and
the NGCTR effort. These include Fokker, a central system. former partner on the AW609 – could already
which heads the Lift consortium that will In addition, the full fly-by-wire aircraft will be building its first production V-280 by that
design and develop the type’s thermoplastic feature a joystick-type control interface, re- point, a response is vital if Europe is not to fall
V-tail. GKN, which owns Fokker, already has placing the traditional conventional cyclic behind the USA in the sector. ■
OUTLOOK
perior economics of their helicopters for the
the weight
dium growth – operators such as Babcock,
CHC, Era and NHV have all put helicopters in
this class into offshore service – but in a market
where there is already low-cost capacity avail-
Sikorsky is consolidating the S-92’s able and capital expenditure is being kept to a
position as the helicopter of choice minimum, expansion of that fleet has been
for the oil and gas market, seeing off gradual. Both the AW189 and H175 have strug-
gled to reach maturity in a “low-demand envi-
smaller, less-expensive alternatives ronment”, according to Flight Ascend Consul-
tancy, despite being cheaper to acquire and
DOMINIC PERRY LONDON with lower direct operating costs than the S-92.
Sikorsky, which does not have a super-me-
BALANCE RETURNS
But David Martin, vice-president oil and gas
at Sikorsky, believes that the majority of the
impact was felt in the early stages of the
H225’s grounding. “That was a factor maybe
two years ago and it had a significant impact
on Sikorsky when the S-92 had to pick up that
work overnight,” he says.
“But through 2017 and 2018 demand stabi-
lised, and we are really in a state of balance
now where it is more incremental workload
being picked up as oil companies look to do a
bit more project work.”
Martin also argues that the S-92’s perfor-
mance in tenders last year, notably in Brazil
and Mexico, when facing bids from smaller
super-medium-class helicopters, is a testa-
Leonardo Helicopters
AirTeamImages
However, the reality is slightly more nu- notes Martin, and would offer a performance ready for civil applications, largely because of
anced. Thanks to a surfeit of capacity on the boost in hot conditions over the current CT7- passenger reservations. “We are a little way
market, values and lease rates for S-92s have 8A turboshafts. away from an environment where any of us is
reduced, encouraging greater uptake of the But he stresses that Sikorsky’s focus is on going to get into an aircraft without anyone up
aircraft. “The type is heading towards becom- three “pillars” of speed, automation and intel- front, but that’s certainly the type of technolo-
ing cost-competitive with the super-medium ligence. “We are investing in each of those,” gy we are actively painting a path to [in] a
market and, as such, may find opportunities says Martin. “You will see Sikorsky bring to phased approach into the cockpit.”
for stabilisation and recovery [of values] in market packages of enhancements to our ex- In addition, the airframer is looking to
2019,” says Flight Ascend Consultancy. It isting civil product line that will deliver value standardise configurations on the S-92, easing
gives the average half-life value for an S-92 as for our customers”, adding that all the up- the transfer of helicopters between different
$18 million, but notes that most idled equip- grades will be retrofittable. operating locations. “There is lots we can do
ment or helicopters held for sale or facing An increased use of automation is one area as an OEM to standardise configurations. It
lease return would be below that figure. of emphasis, he says, building on the features makes aircraft more mobile around the world
introduced in 2015 with Sikorsky’s Rig Ap- – they can be moved to where the demand is,”
FUTURE ENHANCEMENTS proach system. This provides a fully coupled says Martin. “The name of the game in the fu-
Despite its market position, Sikorsky is not and automated approach to offshore plat- ture is efficiency” for the end-user and a
staying still. Although light on detail at pre- forms, significantly reducing pilot workload “more stable asset class”.
sent, Martin hints that there are performance during a critical flight phase. Future develop- Although Martin acknowledges that there
improvements on the way for the S-92, likely ments will see the helicopter able to “perform have been no new orders for offshore-config-
to be revealed at Heli-Expo. The most obvious more of the tactical operations… perhaps ured S-92s in recent years, he sees that as
of these is new engines, with the manufactur- faster or more efficiently than a pilot can”, being of benefit to the industry. “There’s a
er having previously identified the -8A6 vari- says Martin. positive message in that – it means that OEMs
ant of the GE Aviation CT7 powerplant as the Although Sikorsky has been researching are not stuffing the channel for the sake of or-
likely upgrade. That engine already has US fully autonomous operations for the US mili- ders to push aircraft out into the fleet that
Federal Aviation Administration approval, tary, he cautions that technology is not yet aren’t needed.” ■
W
hen our first issue of Flight was
published 110 years ago on 2
January 1909, the objective was
to report on the nascent indus-
try now called “aerospace”.
Our mission statement back in our first dec-
ade was to be “devoted to the interests, prac-
tice and progress of aerial locomotion and
transport”. Today’s Flight International contin- Christopher Flook. “We will continue to draw
ues on that original mission, having followed on the resources of the wider group, including
the industry through its incredible journey the extensive data sets.
over the last 11 decades. “The publishing and conferences brands can
And as our parent company rebrands under now follow more closely than ever the interests
the Cirium name to focus on delivering indus- of our readers and advertisers, without being
try-leading data and analytics for the aviation constantly drawn back to what is in the wider
and air-travel industries, we are delighted to interests of Cirium,” Flook says.
unveil a refresh inside and out. As we turn Back in 1909, the creation of Flight as the
110, we are welcoming back a more familiar “first aero weekly in the World” marked the cul-
look which we believe reflects Flight’s core mination of efforts by a weekly motor magazine
values and principles as the world’s leading – The Automotor Journal – to track the slowly
aviation publication. evolving aviation sector. Flight was launched as JTC Moore-Brabazon pictured on first cover
To celebrate our big birthday, @FlightGlobal a stand-alone weekly at the beginning of 1909,
is tweeting 110 of our favourite covers over the not long after UK aviation pioneer Alliott Flight was launched in January
years with the hashtag #Flight110. Verdon (AV) Roe had taken his first hops and
“The FlightGlobal name remains as a divi- the American Samuel F Cody became the first 1909 as a weekly spin-off of
sion of Cirium, with responsibility for publish- person in the UK to fly when he took to the air at
ing and conferences,” says chief executive Farnborough in October 1908. The Automotor Journal
Our first edition reported the exciting news entire independence, and to render our pages
that “England” could now boast that two of its
citizens had taken to the air, with the headline:
as interesting, concise and accurately instruc-
tive as lies within our powers…”
Trip down memory lane
“A second Englishman flies”, following British He emphasised that our readers would “find to magazine’s early HQ
aviation pioneer Mr JTC Moore-Brabazon on his that simple language and clear explanations
Voisin biplane in France the previous month. are and will remain a feature of our articles” – Flight magazine was originally set up in
As Flight magazine emerged, our founder an intent that continues to this day. offices at the lower end of St Martin’s Lane in
and original editor Stanley Spooner laid out Under Spooner’s leadership the pages of central London, but by 1917 it had relocated
the magazine’s principles, which remain valid Flight brought our readers all the exciting news to No 36, Great Queen Street off Kingsway.
to this day: “It is… our firm determination to of the evolving aviation industry, but within This would be our home for two decades.
establish the same lofty traditions for Flight five years we found ourselves reporting on the Located directly opposite the grand
that have ever guided the editorial pen of The dramatic political developments that would Freemasons Hall, Flight’s editorial team
Automotor Journal in the automobile sphere, lead to the Great War. worked from this four-storey building until
our chief aims and objects being ever to throw On the eve of war breaking out, our cover of 1934, when we moved to Dorset House in
our full weight on the side of all that seems to the 31 July 1914 edition speculated on what the Stamford Street.
us to make for the highest permanent good of ensuring hostilities could have for aviation: The building in Great Queen Street still
the aeronautic industry, to pursue a policy of “If this catastrophe of war should be let stands today – a short walk from Cirium’s
loose, what shape will it take initially, and current home in High Holborn – and presents
what bearing will the airfleets of the nations a nostalgic reminder of the magazine’s
have on the ultimate results? Almost beyond beginnings a century ago.
doubt the first move will be made by aircraft,
but who can say what their work will be?
26 February-4 March 2019 I flightglobal com
Max Kingsley-Jones/FlightGlobal
November 1918, following the cessation of
ISSN 0 0 1 5 - 3 7 1 0
£3.90 Bye, BMI Down wonder
hostilities, carried on its front page King
George V’s “message to the Royal Air Force”,
0 9
As another UK regional Royal Australian Air Force
operator goes under, what transformation gathers pace
9 770015 371310
prompted carrier’s demise? 16 with F-35 introduction 30
Key topics
Max Kingsley-Jones/FlightGlobal
the chop A new dominion
The greatest weakness of
Airbus heartlessly chose the Empire is the distance
Valentine’s Day to ditch its between Mother
A380, but the airframer has Country and the
previous form when it comes to Dominions. Now
unveiling big strategic decisions we have in the
on significant dates. aeroplane a means of travel
It officially revealed its plans capable of outstripping the
to develop the A330neo on 14 steamship in even greater
July 2014 – the national day of Did British Airways inadvertently invert the Union Flag proportion than the latter
France, and the 225th on the retro-liveried BOAC jumbo unveiled on 18 outstrips the sailing-ship.
anniversary of the storming of February? The versions on either side of the cockpit are
the Bastille, a flashpoint of the different, judging by the tell-tale thickness of the white Shark repellent
French Revolution. diagonal stripes. Our resident protocol expert assures Airmen who have to bail out
Even though that particular us, however, that Her Majesty’s airline has committed no over the Pacific have another
announcement fell during the flying colours faux pas. The image on the port side is deadly enemy to
Farnborough – rather than the “correct”, assuming the flagpole on the left. The contend with –
Paris – air show, that didn’t stop starboard version is also faultless, as it has the mast on the man-eating
a revolutionary ripple through the right, as if the viewer is looking through the aircraft. shark. As
the assembled journalists when protection they now carry a
it became apparent that the special chemical sewn into
A330neo would effectively Enders has a point about buying European”, stating: “To their belts which combines
replace the slow-selling smallest crystal balls sometimes being a be perfectly honest, it would be with sea water to form a wall
version of the A350. bit foggy. However, what does quite nice if BA were to buy of liquid which the shark
“It’s Bastille Day,” noted one, that say about how much some A380s as well, because it finds thoroughly obnoxious.
grimly. “And the -800 is going to credence we should give the would support British aerospace
the guillotine!” airframer’s 20-year commercial and it would support Europe.” Towards Tornado
aircraft forecast, which – like One of these two airlines A meeting to decide the
Boeing’s version – claims to today operates a dozen A380s. final design of the European
Four-sight? inform us with pinpoint The other finally officially multi-role
Meanwhile, Airbus’s outgoing accuracy how many airliners cancelled its superjumbo combat aircraft is
chief Tom Enders conceded on will be needed in a certain commitment last year, after it due to be held in
the day that the A380 segment two decades from now? had languished on Airbus’s London today.
programme was cancelled that, backlog for 17 years. Representatives from the
rather than being ahead of its MRCA member countries
time, the world’s largest airliner Lost in space are expected to reach
might in fact have arrived 10 The death notice of the A380 Name that plane agreement on the
years too late, with the glory gave us aviation journalists an Finally, Total Aviation Persons powerplant to be used, for
days of the four-engine jumbo opportunity to haul from the among us can, of course, tell some time now the only
already on the wane by the turn archives some of the hyperbolic immediately from this (since major source of dissension.
of the century. promises that were made about deleted) Virgin Group tweet that
In fact, barely had the A380 the superjumbo in the early the aircraft in the picture is not Drugs and alcohol
taken to the skies when 2000s, when “cruise liner in the actually a Boeing 747. The US may cut mandated
Toulouse was preparing to sky” concepts were floating There is one subtle clue. See drug testing of transportation
cancel production of its other around, and airline chiefs were if you can spot it. workers,
thirsty quadjet, the A340. given free rein to wonder what including airline
When the superjumbo was they could do with all that room. pilots, by half, but
launched in December 2000, Who remembers the cheeky it is imposing
“we did not know what the claim by Virgin Atlantic alcohol-abuse testing for the
world would be like in 2010 or chairman Sir Richard Branson same staff. The US airline
2020”, Enders admitted. that – with casinos and private commission recommends
double beds on board the six that the random drug testing
A380s his airline had ordered – rate be established at 25%.
passengers would have “two
chances to get lucky”? 100-YEAR ARCHIVE
The bearded billionaire also Every issue of Flight
REX/Shutterstock
SPACEFLIGHT
Airbus
Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Could the core stages of the Ariane 5 be used as a basis for a
Sutton, Surrey, SM2 5AS, UK vertical take-off/horizontal landing space plane? Stretched to Superjumbo still a crowd-pleaser
Or email: allow for more fuel, and fitted with extra, modified Vulcain
[email protected] engines, this would bring down the cost of space access. Two towards lighter, more fuel effi-
The opinions on this page do not canard-winged stages mounted belly-to-belly with the boost- cient widebodies was always
necessarily represent those of the editor.
Letters without a full postal address sup-
er could be flown back after sending the upper stage to orbit. going to be hard to pull off.
plied may not be published. Letters may Upper stages for certain tasks, such as tanker, space station I know there will be many
also be published on flightglobal.com module delivery and satellite deployment, as well as space people in Airbus who have put
and must be no longer than 250 words. tourism and space station resupply, could be built. their life and soul into making
Edward Philpott the A380 a success who will be
Neston, Cheshire, UK even more devastated than pas-
A380: beaten sengers like me that things have
by economics European aerospace industry has most comfortable and quietest of
not worked out.
Luckily, the A380 will not
I must admit to hearing with a been a pioneer when it comes to aircraft. Perhaps in an age of disappear from our skies just yet.
heavy heart the news that Airbus technology, but has not been able lower fuel prices, more airlines I look forward to flying on this
is to cancel the A380 (Flight to build a sufficient business case may have been convinced. marvel of engineering for many
International, 19-25 February). to make it work. However, designing a four- years to come.
I suppose it is another exam- I have flown on the A380 engined airliner at a time when John Biddlecombe
ple, like Concorde, where the several times, and found it the the industry seemed to be moving Worthing, West Sussex, UK
Start attracting the right talent. Speak to the experienced Flight Jobs team about our bespoke
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How did you get into aviation? will have massive upside for the
I cut my teeth in New York’s Sili- community. Businesses need
con Alley in the late 1990s, predictability and solid forecast-
working for an array of agencies, ing to be successful, and that’s
incubators, and consultancies. simply not possible in an opaque
Then I joined PayPal, where I environment where projections
worked for a few years before are too often month to month.
founding a consumer data start- What are you working on at the
up. I have worked with every moment?
industry you can imagine, from My big priorities are growing our
financial services to government customer success team, evolving
to sports. I’ve been friends with our business processes, growing
Gillian Hayes (AVIAA’s chief ex- our data infrastructure, and de-
ecutive) for about a decade and livering our product roadmap.
when she founded the Universi- On the latter, we’re finishing our
ty of California Irvine’s master of analytics platform, which will be
AVIAA
human-computer interaction a big part of many of the exciting
and design programme, I became Sector has witnessed rapid change in software use, says Tilghman services we plan to deliver for
a volunteer mentor at its incep- members and suppliers in 2019,
tion. Gillian reached out about an array of people and tasks to ad hoc meetings. Everyone wears so that’s a huge priority.
AVIAA and the rest is history. successfully deliver them. Avia- a lot of hats. I might go from a Where do you see yourself in five
What is AVIAA? tion is similar, with a host of peo- meeting with executives for a years?
AVIAA is the only global group ple beyond the cockpit enabling supplier partnership to cleaning Five years is a long time, and I’ve
purchasing organisation (GPO) every flight. The interdependency up member data, then unwinding found there are too many varia-
in business aviation that works and systemic collaboration of the problems with our phone system. bles to project things out that far.
across all areas of fleet purchas- industries are similar. I also think How far can AVIAA grow? My hope is that in the next two
ing. It helps its member aircraft both require flexibility and adapt- The insularity of business avia- years we will have recruited
owners and operators increase ability. In aviation, all sorts of tion delayed some data and tech- 2,000-plus members, selected a
their buying power to secure the things can go wrong, from the air- nology ideas that have trans- robust network of preferred sup-
best value for key operational craft to regulatory problems. In IT, formed other industries over the pliers and have a comprehensive
services such as fuel, insurance, you start with a plan, but unex- past decade – at least in terms of suite of services and products to
maintenance and ground han- pected business needs, data is- spending and procurement. support our business, members,
dling. As well as helping private sues, and technology challenges However, the past few years have and suppliers. My hope for me
jet owners and operators to better surface all the time. If you can’t seen accelerating changes in soft- personally is that I find a way to
compete with larger companies adapt or bootstrap, you aren’t ware as a service, big data, and get more than 5h sleep a night. n
who already benefit from econo- going to succeed in either field. application programming inter- Looking for a job in aerospace?
mies of scale, the GPO model re- What is a typical working week? faces. If you compare commer- Check out our listings online at
wards AVIAA’s preferred suppli- My role involves overseeing and cial aviation 10 years ago – when flightglobal.com/jobs
ers, who benefit with committed working with our supply chain, airlines were struggling and had
volume and reduced friction customer success, engineering, little insight into costs – with If you would like to feature in
costs in service delivery. marketing, and operations teams. what we see today, you get a Working Week, or you know
Are IT and aviation similar? Each requires an investment of sense of the scale of the impact. someone who would, email
Each is deceptively complex. time, with regular team meetings, AVIAA’s focus on streamlining your pitch to kate.sarsfield@
Technology projects can seem collaborative problem solving, spending through transparency, flightglobal.com
straightforward, but they require high-burn delivery priorities and intelligence, and reduced friction