ASIAN AEROSPACE : ROTOR RIVALRY : LESSOR SCALES

CHINESE BOOM IS : Helicopter manufacturers : ILFC opts for a ton of

LOUD AND CLEAR : square up at Heli-Expo as : Neos plus 33 Boeing

IN HONG KONG : new product launches : 737-800s - but scraps

SHOW REPORT : raise temperature 24 : its superjumbos 10

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INTERNATIONAL

AN EADS COMPANY

07/03/2011 14:22:55

~ Flightglobal

FLIGHT

INTERNATIONAL

VOLUME 179 NUMBER 5282

15·21 MARCH 2011

PIC OF THE WEEK

YOUR PHOTOGRAPH HERE

This Avro Vulcan was photographed at the RNAS Yeovilton open day in 2010 by runlikehell. Open a gallery in flightglobal. com's AirSpace community for a chance to feature here.

~!

_,,-- .... ~&

COVER IMAGE

Rolls-Royce supplied this shot of a Trent 1000 at the pre-delivery inspection stage on its final assembly line. The engine is to enter service later this year, powering an All Nippon Airways Boeing 787-8.

Fo.r full story see P30

Series production of Airbus Military A400M airlifter to start this year P17 Swiss engineering company Marenco reveals slngle-englned turbine-powered helicopter P25

(fI flightglobal,comjimageoftheweek

NEWS 21 New mega-cities will "embrace A380". COVER STORY
Rival shows vie to lure China's jet set 30 COMMERCIAL ENGINES Power plays
THIS WEEK 22 Time running out for Embraer Harbin plant. Our special report looks inside the
6 First flight nears for Boeing 747081 Space squeezes Jet Aviation's ambitions powerplants we can expect to see on the
7 Wi-fi blanking prompts Boeing action. 23 China faces pilot shortage wings of tomorrow's airliners. Will Airbus
Single European Sky to go live by year·end A320neo customers opt for the CFM
8 Progress on A350 but programme stays HELI·EXPO SHOW REPORT Leap-X or go for Pratt & Whitney's
"top risk" 24 Marenco digs at '70s revivalists PW1100G geared turbofan? We analyse
25 AgustaWestland pursues designs on Rolls-Royce's decision to ignore the
NEWS FOCUS rival's perch European airframer's re-engined
9 Keeping the faith with F-35B narrowbody to instead focus on the next
BUSINESS AVIATION generation of aircraft and delve into new
AIR TRANSPORT 26 Saudi a to quadruple fleet technology being researched in the USA.
10 ILFC holds Leap-X talks And we discover the latest moves in the
11 Speed query as An-148 disintegrates. SPACEFLIGHT fight against birdstrikes
Cancer campaign brings rosy tint to 27 See the world in a new light: Earth
Brazilian ATR observation improvements on the way
12 Aircell lays down global internet path. BUSINESS

CSeries still in frame at Gulf Air 28 Big deals return to fashion
14 Emissions trade to bite budget sector
15 Poles aim 787s at China and Japan REGULARS
DEFENCE 5 Comment
16 Ageing Orions force navy to accelerate 46 Obituary
P-SA deliveries 47 Letters
17 A400M series production set to roll 49 Classified NEXT WEEK BOEING'S ALL·NEW JET
18 EADS: no protest over KC-X award 52 Jobs As the airframer nears a narrowbody
ASIAN AEROSPACE REPORT 59 Working Week strategy decision - expected at the Paris
54 JOB OF THE WEEK Captains and First air show -we probe its latest thinking on
20 747081 orderbook climbs to 38 as Officers, TNT, Belgium the optimal clean-sheet design.
airlines back Boeing flightglobal.com

15-21 March 20111 Flight International I 3

CONTENTS

Aeronautics 18

AgustaWestland 6,25

Airbus 8, 12, 17,21

Aircell 12

Air China 20

Antonov 11

Argon ST 28

Armavia 28

~oo~ 8

Azad Systems 18

Azul 11

BAE Systems 27

BBA Aviation 29

Bell Boeing 17

Bell Helicopter 6,25

Boeing 7,8,15,16,18,20,28

~m~~~ u

Cathay Pacific 6, 20

CFM International 10

China Aircraft Services 22

Comac 28

Dassault 26

Deer Jet 20

EADS 6, 8, 17, 18,29

Embraer 12,22

Engine Alliance 29

Enterprise Integration 28

Erickson 8

Etihad Airways 29

Eurocopter 25

Ferrovial Servicios 29

Fly Leasing 29

GE Aviation Systems 29

Grossman Jet Services 26

Gulf Air 12

Harris 28

Hawker Beechcraft 26

Hawker Pacific 26

Honeywell 7, 25

Hong KongAirlines 20

IndiGo 10

International Lease Finance 6, 10,28

Jet Aviation 22

Jetstar Asia 23

L-lldentity Solutions 28

Lockheed Martin 9, 16, 18,29 For a full list of reader services, editorial

LOT 15 and advertising contacts see P48

IN THIS ISSUE Companies listed

Lufthansa 6

Marenco 24

McKenchie Aerospace 28

MD Helicopters 24

Mechtronix Systems 26

Menzies Aviation 28

Metrojet 21

NelJets 6

Panasonic Avionics 12

Pratt & Whitney 9, 10

Pricewaterho useCoopers 28

Raytheon 17, 28

Rolls-Royce 8, 15,25

Row 44 12

Royal Brunei 23

Saab 29

Sabena Technics 29

Safran 28

Saudia Private Aviation 26

Selex Galileo 29

SIMMAD 29

Subang Skypark 26

Surrey Space Technology 27

Susi Air 26

TajAir 21

Turbomeca 24

Virgin America l0

Vought Aircraft 28

BEHIND THE HEADLINES

Hong Kong served as the latest

stop-off for our mobile multime-

dia operation as we dispatched a team from our London and Singapore bureaux (below) to

experience the boom in Chinese aviation close-up at Asian

Aerospace. In addition to our show report (P20), the team de-

livered rolling news coverage via print and interactive editions of Flight Daily News, as well as Twitter, blogs and video clips: flightglobal.com/aaU has it

all. Our news editor Dominic

Perry was on the road too, visiting Munich forthe lowdown on EADS's 2010 performance (P7).

EDITORIAL

+442086523842 flight.international@flightglobal.com DISPLAY ADVERTISING +442086523315 gillian.cumming@rbi.co.uk

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING +442086524897 flight.classified@flightglobal.com RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING +442086524900 recruitment.services@rbi.co.uk WEBMASTER andrew.costerton@flightglobal.com

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+442086528612 reprints@rbi.co.uk

FLIGHT DAILY NEWS +442086523096 flightdailynews@flightglobal.com ACAS

+44 1788 540 898 acassales@flightglobal.com

THE WEEK ON THE WEB flightglobal.com

While at Heli-Expo in Orlando (P24) our Americas editor John Croft captured on video the moment when Eurocopter raised a curtain to reveal the T2 version of its EC145 (shown left) emerging from a fog of dry ice, and posted the clip to his As the Cro(ft) Flies blog - where you can also peruse footage from Sikorsky and Bell XworX presentations. At Aerospace, our team filmed interviews with Boeing market vice-president Randy Tinseth and others: view them at flightglobal.comjvideo. And Stephen Trimble used his blog The DEW Line to solve a mystery: why does Janicki Industries' "highly accurate low observable" (HALO) pole model of the Lockheed Martin F-35A appear, in a photo, to have strange humps on either side of the canopy? Find the answer - and photo - at flightglobal.comjhalophoto

~ Find all these items at flightglobal.corn/wotw

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Last week, we asked: Should commercial airlines older than 25 years be banned? You said:

YES

NO

Total votes: 2,734

This week, we ask: Will Cathay opt for the A3S0? 0 Yes, obvious congestion-buster in busy Chinese market 0 Yes, but only if Airbus offers stretch version 0 No, it will stay loyal to jumbo and go for the 747-S 0 No, it will go for all smaller widebodies

Vote at fllghtglobal.com/pojl

HIGH FLIERS

The top five stories for the week just gone:

1 An-148 crashes in Russia on testflight: ministry 2 EADS concedes KC-X contract award to Boeing

3 Crashed An-148 broke up after being pushed beyond limits 4 Picture: China Southern's first A380 makes maiden flight 5 Crashed An-148 was under test for Myanmar export

•• Flightglobal reaches up to 1.2 million visitors from 220 - countries viewing 7.1 million pages each month

DOWNLOAD THE ENGINE DIRECTORY. www.flightglobal.com/ComEngDirectory

r

41 Flight International I 15-21 March 2011

THE POWER OF FLIGHT

tlightglobal.com

COMMENT

Can you see clear skies ahead for Europe? Has the US Federal Communication Commission lost its way? Have your say on flightglobal.comj comment

fl ightgloba I.com

Unclear skies ahead

Volcanic ash taught Europeans what aviation means to their economy and amplified calls for a single sky, but obstacles must be overcome if the new system is to deliver

It looks as if the long-awaited Single European Sky is about to enter existence almost unnoticed.

But maybe that's the way it should be, or at least the way it has to be. The executive director ofthe SESAR Joint Undertaking, PatrickKy, promises that the first service improvements - what SESAR calls the "first release" of measures - will be in place by the end of the year.

Airline passengers will not notice the difference, but pilots will, on those routes or city pairs that involve the use of new techniques and procedures. However, many will be accustomed to some of the elements of the new SESAR deliverables, like continuous descent approaches into airport terminal areas, because airlines have been co-operating in the trials for years.

To begin with, only a few will be flying routes using a four-dimensional trajectory, one ofthe cornerstones of air traffic management's future. These involve a contract with airports at both ends and air navigation serv-

What is at stake here is

Europe's prosperity. It's

as fundamental as that

ice providers in between, with the aircraft navigating not merely a two-dimensional route but a 4D trajectory to pass each waypoint at a predetermined time and meet required times of arrival at the runway and stand.

In the manufacturers' view, aircraft have been capable of this kind of precise 4D navigation for a couple of decades, but the air navigation service providers have not been ready, and most still are not. But the gentle introduction of new techniques gives the whole system - both its technical and its human components - time

There is congestion above airports, too

to shake down and gain confidence before ramping up to full capacity.

There are obstacles to progress, and the most intractable are not technical or operational, nor volcanic ash or heavy snowfall, but social and political. Maurice Georges, chief executive of French provider DSNA, showed the ATC Global conference in Amsterdam last week that traffic lost in French airspace owing to industrial action by air traffic management staff was greater than that lost when the Icelandic volcano shrouded Europe in ash, grounding everything for a week.

Eurocontrol director general David McMillan cites the "social tensions" created by the need for change as a major barrier. And of course ATM cannot solve the problems of capacity shortage at Europe's major hub airports. Tarmac may not be high-tech, but a lack of it will determine the limits of what the total system can deliver.

Matthew Baldwin, the new director of the EC's air transport directorate, described what is at stake here:

Europe's prosperity. It's as fundamental as that. • See This Week P7

Where on earth does the FCC get ideas?

GPS has become synonymous with freedom of mobility. But that freedom is under fire, thanks to the US Federal Communications Commission.

Like other government agencies, the FCC's raison d'etre is to serve the public good, and if GPS isn't "good", what is? The public uses the system more times a day than most probably realise. Yet the FCC in January allowed a company called LightSquared to later this year begin deploying a new 4G broadband network that experts far and wide say will make GPS unusable.

The accelerated approval came with a caveat but without the normal public review process. The caveat? A hastily assembled government/industry working group was given just four months, until June, to discern the magni-

tude of the potential impact. In the group's first interim report to the FCC, it discusses who should be involved in a technical group that will conduct tests and analysis.

The suggestions illustrate the true ubiquity of GPS, used not just in aviation, but in public safety, electric power and utilities, engineering and construction, environmental protection, law enforcement, maritime and waterways, agriculture, surveying, mapping, weather, space, precision timing, consumer devices, cellular handsets ... the list goes on.

Given how little technical work can be done in the three months remaining, pressure is mounting on the FCC to do the right thing - reverse its approval. •

See This Week P6

15-21 March 20111 Right International I 5

THIS WEEK

~ For a round-up of our latest online news,

.~ feature and multi-media content visit flightglobal_comjwotw

BRIEFING

LUFTHANSA AND NETJETS PARTNER AGAIN AGREEMENT Lufthansa has entered into a new co-operation agreement with fractional ownership provider NetJets Europe to provide flights for the German carrier's LPJ private jet offering. The collaboration comes less than four years after the duo disbanded thei r original agreement brought on by an overwhelming demand forthe NetJets fleet from Lufthansa customers. This put a strain on the fractional provider's resources despite its success.

AOPA WARNS OVER GPS BLACKOUT

NAVIGATION Aviation's largest advocacy group is calling on the US Federal Communications Commission to reverse a conditional authorisation by its international bureau that gives broadband provider LightSquared a green light to begin deploying a new L-band 4G network in the US. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association says its members face a "significant threat of irreparable disruption to the GPS system and to the future airtravel system that depends on it". The approval is conditional on the finding of a government/industry working group that has until June to analyse the extent of impacts.

NEURON DEMONSTRATOR GETS ITS WINGS

UAVS EADS has delivered the wings for the Neuron UCAV demonstratorto prime contractor Dassault's Istres, France site for further assembly. The Neuron UCAV is a project between six European countries and their respective aerospace champions: France/Dassault, Spain/ EADS, Sweden/ Saab, Italy / Alenia Aeronautica, G reece/ HAl and Switzerland/Ruag.

SLOW PROGRESS ON TILTROTOR PROJECT ROTORCRAFT Bell and AgustaWestland have disclosed that their jointly developed BA609 twin-engined tiltrotor continues to fly at a "low pace" in its delayed certification process, says Giuseppe Orsi, AgustaWestland's chief executive. Originally expected to receive regulatory approval in 2011, the BA609 is now scheduled to be certificated in 2015 or 2016, AgustaWestland says. The timing of certification is based on the progress of de-icing testing, which will not begin until the third test aircraft starts flying in 2013, says the Italian-owned airframer.

CATHAY SPECIFIC OVER NEW AIRCRAFT DEALS ORDERS Cathay Pacific has ordered 27 widebodies worth HK$51 billion ($6.55 billion) at list prices to its fleet under agreements inked with Airbus, Boeing and International Lease Finance. These are an additional 15 A330-300s and 10 more 777-300ERs direct from the manufacturers, and an extra pair of A350-900s under a deal with ILFC. The airline says it will take delivery of all of the aircraft before the end of 2015. Cathay says it now has a total of 91 new aircraft on order for delivery by 2019.

NEW NAVIGATION TIE·UP FOR NORTHERN NATIONS

ATM The air navigation service providers of four northern European nations have announced their intention to co-operate more closely to improve airtraffic management in their airspace, with the prospect of expanding alliances even more widely in the region. The announcement on 8 March brings together the existing UK/Irish functional airspace block with that of the Denmark/Sweden block in an alliance "designed to drive forward progress towards greater flight efficiency, cost efficiency and operational consistency in line with Single European Sky performance goals".

6 I Flight International I 15-21 March 2011

Engine tests were carried out at various power settings

DEVELOPMENT JON OSTROWER WASHINGTON DC

First flight nears

for Boeing 747-81

Successful engine and systems test on GEnx-2B67- powered model as airframer aims for 20 March target

Afirst flight for Boeing's 747-81 could come as soon as 20 March, company sources say, after a successful first engine run.

Boeing has not confirmed the target but sources say the engine start on aircraft RCOOl came two days ahead of schedule, indicating a quickening pace toward its first flight from its Everett, Washington facility. On 8 March the airframer performed about 2h 45min of engine runs on the aircraft's four General Electric GEnx- 2B67 powerplants.

Using pneumatic bleed air from the aircraft's auxiliary power unit, the first of its four engines was started at 11:57 local time, followed by the remaining three using its cross-bleed function.

"The integrated airplane systems and engines performed as expected," says Elizabeth Lund, vice-president and deputy programme manager of the 747-8. "This result allows us to continue moving forward to first flight."

The test was intended "to check out all the computing systems, the back-up systems, pneumatics, electric systems," says Jim Peterson, 747-8 propulsion test director, in a Boeing-released video on the engine start.

Each engine is rated at 66,5001b thrust (296kN) and is a derivative of the GEnx-1B originally de-

signed for the 787's non-pneumatic electric start system. Boeing says the engine runs were conducted at various power settings to ensure all systems perform as expected. During the runs the aircraft underwent basic systems tests and, following power-down, included a vibration check and shutdown logic trial. After a technical review and inspection the engines will be evaluated again.

Tests were also conducted on the ballast system, which regulates RCOOl's variable centre of gravity positions, plus a safety-of-flight evaluation of electromagnetic effects. Extra functional tests remain, followed by the flight line gauntlet to put the systems through a closed-loop simulation.

Just before its first flight, the aircraft will conduct low and high-speed taxi tests at Paine Field. Boeing plans a two-aircraft flight-test campaign of about 600h, with year-end certification, followed by handover ofthe first aircraft - a Boeing Business Jetto a completion centre for conversion to VIP configuration for the Kuwait government.

Lufthansa, the first airline operator, is expected to take its first 747-81 in early 2012 .•

~ For more about the roll-cut of ~4I Boeing's 747-81,goto flightglobal.comj747-81

tlightglobal.com

Keeping the faith with F·35B

NEWS FOCUS P9

THIS WEEK

AVIONICS MARY KIRBY PHILADELPHIA

Wi·li blanking prompts Boeing action

Certification testing of wireless broadband on Next Generation 737s reveals problem with Honeywell Phase 3 display units

Honeywell Phase 3 display units have shown themselves susceptible to "blanking" during airline electromagnetic interference certification testing of wireless broadband systems on Boeing Next Generation 737s.

This has prompted Boeing to cease line-fit installations of inflight connectivity systems across its portfolio, including widebody aircraft. Boeing says it has deferred the activation of wireless systems that interface with passenger devices that could interfere with the units' displays. "Boeing has not delivered any installations that would have this issue," says Bret Jensen of BCA Engineering Communications.

A source with knowledge of the situation says that Boeing has "gone through and scrubbed the avionics numbers to make sure that there are no anomalies and that the avionics will not be affected by personal electronic devices.

"It has been discovered that there is stuff out there that doesn't meet those requirements yet, and we may uncover more as we go down that path."

The source adds: "There are three specific part numbers associated with the [Honeywell] display that could be installed. Those are the ones [found to be] susceptible to transmissions."

Fall-out from the event has al-

Boeing has halted llne-fit installations of wi·fi systems across its portfolio pending a solution to the problem

ready been observed. Multiple sources have told Flight International that one of the conditions for supplemental type certification is that 737NG operators place placards in the flightdeck saying that wi-fi devices are to be powered off.

Another condition, say sources, is that 737NG operators are not to have the display units installed with the presence of inflight connectivity systems, be they wi-fi or cellular-based.

Panasonic partner AeroMobile's eXPhone in-flight mobile connectivity solution, which was made line-fit offerable on certain Boeing types, is not being installed until the Honeywell issue has been addressed.

As such, customers of eXPhone are not receiving aircraft with eXPhone as planned.

These customers include Emir-

ates, Turkish Airlines and V Australia. Boeing, meanwhile, says:

"Current testing by Boeing and Honeywell has determined that blanking may occur when a DU is subjected to testing procedures specified by Federal Aviation Administration requirements during installations of wi-fi systems on the airplane."

Boeing and Honeywell have concluded that actual electromagnetic interference levels experienced during normal operation of typical passenger wi-fi systems would not cause any blanking of the Phase 3 display units, Boeing says. It adds that this is not an issue with Honeywell Phase 1 or 2 units.

Honeywell says that, during recent ground testing "at elevated power levels", the company observed a momentary blanking on the "flat panel" liquid crystal

displays that it developed and pioneered for Boeing. "The screens reappeared well within Boeing's specified recovery time frame. The screens have not blanked in flight and are not a safety of flight issue.

"Honeywell is working to ensure the problem is addressed and fixed and that our technology will continue to exceed specifications," says Honeywell.

The firm stresses that there have been "no blanking incidents of in-service aircraft with the wi - fi system installed".

The FAA says it is aware of the situation and it is working with both manufacturers to "examine the technical data and test results. After a thorough review, the FAA will consider if further safety action is necessary."

Sources say a service bulletin from Boeing is expected .•

AIR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT DAVID LEARMOUNT AMSTERDAM

Four-dimensional Single European Sky to go live by the end of 2011

The long-awaited Single European Sky will see its first tangible service deliveries this year, says Patrick Ky, executive director ofthe SESAR Joint Undertaking, the organisation responsible for co-ordinating all the activities leading to the SES.

The introduction of four-dimensional (including time) enroute aircraft trajectory management on some routes and improved arrival control in par-

fl ightgloba I.com

ticularly busy terminal airspace are two of the deliverables Ky promises will be in place by the end of 2011. "We have to go beyond signing agreements and start delivering results," Ky told the ATC Global conference and exhibition in Amsterdam last week.

Ky's strategy for delivering the early components is to ease new, technology-enabled procedures into the system gradually, route by route, as soon as they are vali-

dated, so the system can gain confidence in them before deploying the techniques more widely.

The SESAR system refers to these system introductions as "releases", and it was the SESAR Joint Undertaking's "first release" that K y announced at Amsterdam.

A number of airports and area control centres all over Europe have been working to validate programmes such as 4D trajectory management, terminal area point

merge, and approach procedures with vertical guidance - all taking greater advantage of improved aircraft navigational performance capability than they do at present. During this year, says Ky, these will gradually be adopted as standard.

The Single European Sky has been in gestation for around a decade. Despite political agreements there has been little tangible progress made so far .•

15·21 March 20111 Right International I 7

THIS WEEK

~ For a round-up of our latest online news,

.~ feature and multi-media content visit flightglobal_comjwotw

RESULTS DOMINIC PERRY MUNICH

Progress on A3S0 but programme stays 'top risk'

Revenue at EADS is buoyed by performance of commercial aircraft division but future programme difficulties remain

A irbus parent company EADS I"\has the right mix for the next decade and can exploit its strong product portfolio in a "more focused way", says chief executive Louis Gallois.

Speaking after publication of EADS's 2010 results, Gallois said although there had been a period of significant change at the company, it was now in a position to improve its performance and profitability in 2011 and 2012.

However, future progress is de-

pendent on the timely delivery of its key programmes, he says. The A400M and A380 have been "derisked", but development of the A350 remains key.

Gallois indicates the A350 production line will start in the fourth quarter of 2011, with first flight of its Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines on the Airbus A380 flying testbed due in the second half of this year. "We will launch production when we are sure that we have all the elements to as-

Revenues €m x1000

EADS RESULTS BY DIVISION - 2010

Earnings before interest and taxes €m

Total = €45,752m

• Airbus division 1 Commercial

2 Military

SOURCE: EADS

• Eurocopter

• Astrium

• Cassidian

semble the aircraft," he says. The company does not want to repeat the problems it had on the A380, he stresses. However, the A350 is described by EADS as Airbus's "top risk programme", and although manufacturing of subcomponents and subassemblies

AIRFRAMES

No performance boost from new narrowbody design: Gallois

EADS chief executive Louis Gallois has questioned the wisdom of Boeing's apparent plans to launch an entirely new narrowbody airliner.

Speaking after the publication of EADS's 2010 results on 9 March, Gallois said that nothing he had seen so far had convinced him that the decision to go with the re-englned Airbus A320neo was anything other than the correct one.

Boeing has been in intensive discussions with customers over its plans for a 737 replacement, with the company seemingly leaning towards the development of an en-

tirely new aircraft. Gallois points out that the cost to bring the Neo to market is some 10 times lower than that required to launch an entirely new model.

Any new Boeing narrowbody would have the same engines as the Neo, he notes, meaning that any performance improvements above those offered by the Airbus jet would have to come from the design and construction of the ai rcraft itself.

"The improvements will only come from the airplane.

"For short-range [aircraft] composite brings limited advantages.

They want to develop a completely electric airplane, we'll see ... we have seen the large difficulties they

have faced with electrics on the 787," he says.

"We are not sure [a clean-sheet design] brings such added value for a Short-range ai rplane that it merits launching a completely new programme. We have not changed our minds on the development ofthe Neo. The orders so far have demonstrated that it's the right choice."

The A320neo family has received around 300 orders and commitments since its January launch .•

500 -

o -50 -

Total = €1,231m

• Headquarters/consolidation

• Other businesses

has begun, "the time schedule remains challenging" to meet the planned entry into service of the second half of 2013, it notes.

Gallois says the ramp-up to full production is a vital stage for the A350 but it is crucial the company is "not too aggressive". Singleaisle production is due to rise in 2012 to 40 aircraft a month. However, it is still overbooked and Gallois hints a further rise may be considered but cautions this will depend on the ability of Airbus's supply chain to respond.

Overall, EADS saw revenues rise 7% to €45.8 billion ($63.3 billion), mostly driven by the performance of the Airbus commercial operation, which grew revenue by 5% to €27.6 billion, up from €26.3 billion the year before. EADS is sitting on a €12 billion cash pile that Gallois says provides the firm with "investment flexibility" or buy businesses in the defence market. However, he declines to speculate on acquisition targets .•

ROTORCRAFT JOHN CROFT ORLANDO

Heavylifter gets new lease of life from Chinese MoU

The S-64 heavylift twin helicopter could get new life under a memorandum of understanding between certificate holder Erickson Air-Crane and companies in China, including Avicopter.

The MoU, signed on 7 March at Heli-Expo in Orlando, calls for Erickson to supply five S-64 heavylift helicopters and kit for

an incident response system.

Officials say it will take eight months at least to convert the agreement into a contract, signalling the beginning ofthe ramp-up for deliveries. Erickson began developing the incident response system several years ago after interest from customers, including the Los Angeles County Fire De-

81 Flight International I 15-21 March 2011

partment, says programme manager Dennis Hubbard.

Incident response kit for the Chinese includes a hose nozzle and holding tank for firefighting, 50-person rescue basket built by Precision Lift, and an 18-patient aero-medical pod built by Sikorsky subsidiary, Lifeport, that connects to the helicopter in place of

the 10,000 litre (2,650USgal) water tank for firefighting.

Under the MoU, the companies will also investigate setting up assembly lines for new aircraft production as well as maintenance and operations facilities in the Kunshan Aviation Industrial Park near Shanghai .•

See Show Report P24

tlightglobal.com

Cancer campaign brings rosy tint to BrazilianATR

AIR TRANSPORT Pll

COMBAT AIRCRAFT STEPHEN TRIMBLE ORLANDO

NEWS FOCUS

Keeping the faith with F-35B

Despite admitting to four critical design flaws, Lockheed's support for JSF vertical take-off and landing variant unwavers

One year ago on 18 March, Graham Tomlinson notched the first vertical landing of the Lockheed Martin F-35B, a milestone hailed then as proving the most troublesome of the F-35's three variants had turned a comer,

Events have not entirely gone to plan, In the 12 months since, the F -35B has been grounded from flight tests, cracked during ground tests, cancelled by one customer and placed on two-year probation by another, Yet, supporters of the short take-off and vertical landing variant remain unwavering in their confidence that - despite the declared doubters, which now include the UK Royal Navy and US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates - the problems are already being overcome.

Backing the supporters is a resurgence of vertical landings - the key test for a STOVL fighter. After making only 10 landings in roughly the first six months after 18 March, the programme's test pilots have recorded nearly 50 in the past six months.

CRITICAL FLAWS

In recent interviews, Lockheed officials have candidly described the F-35B's four critical flaws, along with their plans for addressing them.

It remains too early to know whether Lockheed's plan will be enough to save the world's only STOVL fighter in development, but it might be the F-35B's best chance for survival beyond 2013, when Gates's probation expires.

The blame for last year's threemonth halt to vertical landing tests falls on two doors, says Steve O'Bryan, Lockheed vicepresident for business development. These auxiliary air inlet (AAI) doors allow enough air to flow into the lift-fan as the F-35B enters low-speed and hover mode. But the doors are actually opened when the F -35B's forward speed is 250kt (460km/h), and proved too weak to handle the

fl ightgloba I.com

Lockheed plans a complete redesign for the F-3SB's AAI doors and will seek to fix the bulkhead

disruptive air flowing around the cover ofthe lift-fan, O'Bryan says. For a near-term fix, Lockheed modified the software for the inlet doors to keep them closed until needed at very low speeds, O'Bryan says. But that is not the long-term solution.

By the end of this year, Lockheed plans to complete a redesign for the AAI doors, which could involve strengthening the hinges or the doors themselves to survive vibration at 250kt, O'Bryan says.

Lockheed has identified a nearand long-term solution to fix the bulkhead, which is numbered 496 on Lockheed's design sheets, which cracked in durability testing. At the point where the wing attaches to the rear of the fuselage, this bulkhead that absorbs some of the F -35B's heaviest aerodynamic loads failed less than 10% through a durability test.

In the short term, Lockheed can keep the STOVL test fleet flying despite the risk of structural failure, O'Bryan says. By blending one of the bulkhead's hard edges into a curve, Lockheed's analysis shows the structure will survive to 1,500h. In an overall flight-test programme expected to involve 7,500 flights by more than 13 aircraft, that should give the BF -series fleet plenty of mar-

"We can bring 10

engineers in the room and get 11 different opinions [vertical lift bringback margin]" STEVE O'BRYAN

Lockheed Martin vice-president for business development

gin to complete all the test points necessary for certification. But the 1,500h lifespan of the 496 bulkhead falls short of the required 8,000h service life for operational fighters, so a long-term repair is also necessary. A 3.2- 3.6kg (7-81b) steel patch has been designed to strengthen the bulkhead, O'Bryan says. Lockheed also is considering a lighterweight, composite patch.

Another major problem involves a performance measurement called vertical lift bringback (VLBB). To land vertically without having to jettison stores or fuel, the F -35B either needs to reduce weight or increase thrust, or some combination of both, O'Bryan says. Internally, there is still no agreement on the amount of margin required to meet future weight growth. "We can bring 10 engineers in the room and get 11

different opinions," O'Bryan says. Previously, William Boley, president of Pratt & Whitney military engines, has described a need to increase VLBB by as much as 180kg. O'Bryan, however, said that figure is "a lot" when describing the actual VLBB margin.

Although Boley has advocated increasing the thrust ofthe P&W F135 engine to achieve the margin, Lockheed officials continue to resist that approach. "More thrust I will say generally ... comes with more heat," O'Bryan says. "More heat equals less lifetime, which equals more cost."

PROBLEM-SOLVING

Lockheed is studying ways to get round the problem without raising the F-35B's price tag. "That's the nirvana where you can pull weight out and save cost," O'Bryan says. "We have funds to find those types of investments."

To cap it all, some of the F -35B's parts are failing too fast. Lockheed has traced the root cause to mistakes by suppliers. In the short term, Lockheed must solve the problem by buying more spare parts. In the long term, the parts have to become more reliable to keep the aircraft affordable. Says O'Bryan: "You have to do both.".

15-21 March 20111 Right International I 9

AIR TRANSPORT

Check out our collection of online dynamic ~ aircraft profiles for the latest news, infor.~ mation and images on civil and military programmes at flighfglobal.comjprofiles

PROPULSION LORI RANSON WASHINGTON DC

ILFC holds Leap-X talks after taking paw for A320neo

US lessor keeps CFM on side as 100-aircraft deal brings first prospective customer for re-engined A32l twinjets

US lessor International Lease Finance is holding talks with CFM International over the LeapX engine for part of its tentative 100-aircraft order for Airbus's A320neo and A321neo.

ILFC intends to firm the memorandum over the coming weeks, having made the first powerplant selection for the re-engined twinjet by opting for the Pratt & WhitneyPWII00G.

Chief executive Henri Courpron says that even though ILFC has selected the geared turbofan for "at least" 60 ofthe aircraft, the lessor is not precluded from opting for the rival Leap-X.

Chief executive Henri Courpron says even though ILFC has

selected the

PWll00G for "at

least" 60 aircraft,

it is not precluded

from opting for the rival Leap-X

P&W's agreement covers

PWI100G options for another 40 aircraft. Given that the ILFC deal includes 75 A320neo and 25 A321neo twinjets, this means the PWI100G could eventually be fitted to both types. The geared turbofan is designed to increase operating efficiency by enabling the turbine and fan to operate at separate, optimum speeds.

But Courpron says that ILFC is "of course" holding discussions withCFM.

Airbus says it will decide on which of the engines will be the lead development and certifica-

tion powerplant for each variant. "These will be staggered by about six months, so it's no big deal," the airframer adds.

"There is a six-month gap between the two engine options," says Airbus, but it has yet to determine the number of airframes to which the interim period equates. The A320neo is aimed at a spring 2016 service entry, while the A321neo will follow about six months later, and the A319neo six months after that.

Airbus says all the A320neo agreements so far - covering 302 aircraft - will be firm by the time of the Paris air show in June. It foresees a market of around 4,000 A320neo-family aircraft in the next 15 years.

ILFC will become the first customer to commit to the larger A321neo, and Courpron is convinced the type will become a successful Boeing 757 replacement.

ILFC's aircraft are scheduled for delivery from 2016, the year Airbus is planning to introduce the A320neo. Virgin America, IndiGo and TAM have all agreed to take the re-engined twinjet but none has yet selected an engine.

ILFC is taking the A320neo in place of its long-held order for the A380

P&W says the leasing company's agreement is a "strong endorsement" of the geared turbofan. Courpron says the engine technology will "improve fuel efficiency and address other environmental advantages for our customers" .

Airbus's A320neo agreement with ILFC comes at the expense of its 10 A380s. It has axed its long-held order, ending months of uncertainty over the type after ILFC deferred A380 deliveries last year. ILFC had been the only leasing customer for the type, four of which would have been powered by Engine Alliance GP7200s. Courpron says P&W's involvement in Engine Alliance did not influence its A320neo engine choice.

Courpron says the decision was less about the aircraft's performance and more about "where we spend our aircraft dollars".

While the A380 has had good success commercially, it has a limited customer base, he explains, while narrowbodies are more liquid and easier to move around - the lessor complemented the Airbus deal by firming 33 Boeing 737-800s.

Airbus chief operating officer for customers John Leahy shrugs off the cancellation. "The A380 is a long-term programme," he says.

Courpron says that ILFC has wanted to "rebalance" its orderbook with single-aisle types and waited for Airbus to make its decision to re-engine the aircraft. "It wasn't a given," he says. "If the [Bombardier] CSeries makes some progress in the marketplace and when Boeing makes a decision on [re-enginingl the 737 we'll act accordingly." •

See Feature P32

Additional reporting by David Kaminski-Morrow

AIRFRAMES DOMINIC PERRY MUNICH

Airbus limiting flexibility to convert as orders gain traction

Airbus is intending to restrict the freedom of customers to convert from the baseline A320 to the A320neo.

The airframer says that conversion rights are "not foreseen" in contracts for the aircraft. "There is no possibility of conversion:' Airbus says.

The airframer says that there is no firm deadline for endingA320 production despite gathering momentum for the A320neo. It stress-

10 I Flight International I 15-21 March 2011

es that the market will decide when to phase out the legacy A320.

"As long as there is demand we will continue to build it:' says Airbus, pointing to agreements with IndiGo and Virgin America as a clear indication that "there is a need for both models".

"We see a number of airlines who might prefer the current version for many years to come - for example, for fleet homogeneity:' it adds.

"We'll offer both the current A320-

with today's wing and today's engines - and in parallel offer the new A320neo family."

Airbus has set a price differential for the re-englned aircraft which puts its list price around $6 million above that of its sister.

Customers have placed orders and commitments for the A320neo totalling 302 aircraft .•

I":. Read more on the engine battle ~t:1 for the new Airbus online at

., flightglobal.comjneoengines

tlightglobal.com

CSeries still in frame as Gulf Air reshapes fleet AIR TRANSPORT P12

INVESTIGATION DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON

AIR TRANSPORT

Speed query as An·l48 disintegrates

Russian carrier defends safety of new twinjet as catastrophic break-up destroys early production aircraft during test flight

Investigators suspect an Antonov An-148 that crashed in Russia during a test flight broke up in the air, having been pushed beyond maximum aerodynamic limits after a technical problem confused the pilots,

The inquiry into the 5 March accident, which killed all six crew, has disclosed that flight recorder data showed evidence of an aircraft equipment problem which "misled" the pilots as to the true speed of the twinjet

"To achieve the desired speed the pilots [increased loads on the

aircraft] that exceeded the maximum permissible," says the commission. "Destruction of the aircraft in the air resulted."

The interregional transport committee has not detailed the nature of the possible technical problem. It also states that this is a preliminary version of the event, and that it is looking into the possibility of pilot error and even the use of "poor quality" fuel. The aircraft involved (61708) had performed 31 previous flights and was destined for export to Myanmar; among the test crew

were two representatives of Myanmar's air force.

While a large section of the aircraft came down in a field 120km (65nm) south of Voronezh, its departure point, large pieces of debris were located away from the main wreckage - further evidence the jet suffered in-flight break-up.

There has been no regulatory requirement to ground the An- 148 fleet. The serial-production version was introduced into airline service with Rossiya in December 2009 and the St Petersburg-based carrier is still the only

operator, although test airframes were trialled on commercial routes by AeroSvit. Rossiya emphasises its beliefthat the type is safe, although a serious in-flight upset to one of its aircraft last June prompted wiring checks.

"Being the newest aircraft the An-148 is under special control of the company's management and aviation authorities," says Rossiya, adding that it assigns only its most experienced crews and instructors, as well as skilled maintenance technicians, to the An-148 fleet. •

DELIVERY

Cancer campaign brings rosy tint to Brazilian ATR

Brazilian regional carrier Azul has taken delivery of this ATR 72-200 aimed at promoting awareness of breast cancer. ATR handed over the twin-turboprop during a ceremony at Toulouse, which coincided with International Women's Day on 8 March.

Its fuselage livery carries the name of Brazilian non-profit organisation FEMAMA. Azul will run a week-long awareness scheme for breast cancer screening at Brazilian airports where the aircraft lands, while ATR and suppliers will help to fund a promotion campaign in October. "A

1.

Azul will use the pink turboprop to promote screening awareness at airports served by the airline

pink ATR aircraft is definitely an optimal way to bring this message across the country," says Azul chairman David Neeleman. Azul has selected Aracatuba as the

next destination in its network of smaller Brazilian cities to be served with the type. The carrier says it is seeking regulatory permission to launch flights from its

Sao Paulo Campinas hub at the end of May. Aracatuba will give Azul 32 destinations, including five served by its newly acquired fleet of turboprops .•

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BRING THESE CAPABILITIES TO YOUR COCKPIT:

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15-21 March 20111 Right International I 11

AIR TRANSPORT

~ For all the latest updates in connectivity,

.~ check out Mary Kirby's Runway Girl blog at flightglobal.comjrunway-girl

CONNECTIVITY MARY KIRBY PHILADELPHIA

Airceiliays down global internet path

Long-awaited technology road map reveals US company's plans to offer worldwide high-speed Ka-band service by 2015

Aircell has entered the international arena for in-flight highspeed internet with plans ultimately to offer a global Ka-band satellite-based connectivity solution to operators, while making a Ku-band solution available to its airline partners in the interim.

The Chicago firm, whose Gogo air-to-ground-supported highspeed internet solution has been fitted to myriad aircraft flying in the USA, will face competition from Ku-band connectivity pro-

viders Panasonic Avionics and Row 44, which are also looking to provide Ka-band solutions.

Revealing its long-awaited technology roadmap, Aircell says it will offer a regional Ka-band service covering the continental USA in 2013, going global by 2015, when a superfast global Kaband service called Global Xpress is expected to be available from Inmarsat.

In the interim, Aircell says it can provide a Ku-band-based sat-

MIDDLE EAST DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON

CSeries still in frame as

Gulf Air reshapes fleet

Gulf Air has reached an agreement on restructuring its long-haul fleet orders, and the airline is also seeking at least 10 Embraer or Bombardier jets after dropping the Airbus A318 as a regional option.

But it is waiting for the political situation in the Middle East, including its home in Bahrain, to stabilise before publicly disclosing its long-awaited plan.

Gulf Air has 20 Airbus A330- 300s and 24 Boeing 787s on order but is revising its fleet plan to concentrate on smaller types. Chief executive Samer Majali says it has "a deal on the table" and is "in agreement" with the two airframers regarding the restructuring. "In all the discussions we're trying to preserve the economic element of it," he says.

But owing to the tension in the Middle East, Gulf Air is reluctant to disclose the details. "We've finished but there's a question of timing," says Majali. "The discussion before was commercially sensitive, now it's politically sensitive."

Gulf Air has similarly been taking the events in the Middle East into consideration while planning its regional jet modernisation programme, but is nearing a conclusion. "We're just holding back because of events," says Majali.

The carrier has been testing Embraer 170 and 190 regional jets on local routes but is drawing up plans for a permanent fleet.

It has issued a request for proposals based on 100-seat aircraft, essentially opting either to take the Bombardier CSeries CS100 or the Embraer 195. Gulf Air is look-

ellite solution for the international needs of its airline partners. Further details about Aircell's Ku offering - and the status of its regulatory clearances - are not immediately known.

Aircell has also announced plans to boost its current air-toground-based Gogo offering in the USA.

At present, Gogo features 3G wireless using EV-DO Rev A technology. Aircell's new service, dubbed ATG-4, "will significantly

enhance the existing ATG network and improve per aircraft capacity by approximately four times current performance through the addition of directional antenna, dual modem and EV-DO Rev B technologies", says the firm, which will roll out ATG-4 in the first half of next year.

"This new platform is backward compatible and allows for upgrades to existing [air to ground] systems through lowcost retrofits," adds Aircell. •

Gulf Air's larger aircraft are to give way to smaller types in the overhaul

To check for your belongings

ing for "a minimum of 10" aircraft, says Majali, and is balancing its experience with the Embraer against gambling on the all-new CSeries.

"It's not an easy decision," Majali says. While the CSeries carries a higher risk, he says: "Risk has a price. If you factor in the risk in the pricing you're OK. And we want to be a trendsetter in something."

Gulf Air had originally consid-

ered taking the A318 as a transitional aircraft towards CSeries, but then looked at taking the type as a regional jet option in its own right when Airbus came forward with a promising deal on a batch of A318s it was looking to place. But Gulf Air has dropped the A318 as a permanent solution.

"It's a difficult regional jet as a standalone case," says Majali. "But Airbus came in with a lot of support to try to place it." •

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12 I Flight International I 15-21 March 2011

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Airbus places its trust on GTF

15 percent less fuel burn, 15 percent less CO2 emission, and noise levels cut in half - improvements that make a difference. And now make a difference to Airbus. The new A320neo family of aircraft bets on the PurePower®

PW1100G, Pratt & Whitney's geared turbofan engine. f

The propulsion concept of the future relies very much also on MTU technology: Germany's leading engine manufacturer contributes one of the key components, the high-speed low-pressure turbine, a technology in which MTU has unparalleled capability. The new high-tech high-pressure compressor, too, bears MTU's distinctive hallmark - blisk expertise at its best. www.mtu.de

AIR TRANSPORT

Check out our collection of online dynamic ~ aircraft profiles for the latest news, infor.~ mation and images on civil and military programmes at flighfglobal.comjprofiles

ENVIRONMENT MICHAEL GUBISCH LONDON

Emissions trade to bite budget sector

Credit analysts highlight disadvantages to short-haul operators as air transport braces for inclusion in European scheme

European low-cost, short-haul carriers will be most affected by the European Union's emissions trading scheme (ETS) when it is introduced next year, according to analysis by credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's.

Although initially there will only be a "marginal" impact, it says, airline credit ratings will be hit in the long term.

With carriers chiefly operating in Europe affected the most, S&P expects global network carriers will be best-placed to cope with the scheme.

Budget and short-haul airlines, which have lower premium revenues, "may be somewhat more adversely affected", it notes.

This cost disadvantage for EUbased long-haul airlines may result in more European passengers choosing to fly with non-EU carriers on intercontinental routes, and global long-haul passengers

SBcP expects global network carriers will be best-placed to

cope with the ETS

bypassing European transfer hubs altogether. S&P estimates the scheme will generate extra costs of about €1.1 billion ($1.53 billion) for the global airline industry during its first year (2012-13).

Based on the current carbon dioxide price - €i5 per tonne of CO2 -the emission charges would not make a large difference when compared with today's fuel costs and aircraft lease payments or depreciation charges. However, the burden is set to grow as air traffic increases in the future. This is

chiefly due to the fact that the amount of free carbon allowances will remain constant, with airlines having to pay to cover their total emissions.

As their traffic grows, the proportion of free allowances will gradually become smaller in the overall carbon calculation.

Initially, it is expected that airlines will have to buy allowances for at least 20.5% oftheir carbon dioxide output, with the remainder being free.

The free carbon allowances are

calculated as a proportion to a CO2 cap based on average annual aviation emissions between 2004 and 2006. How much free allowance each airline will finally receive will be determined using their revenue-tonne-kilometres as monitored during 2010-11.

The Carbon Trust in the UK estimated in late 2009 that airlines would have to buy allowances worth €23-€35 billion between 2012 and 2020, although this calculation was based on a carbon price of €25 per tonne of CO2 ••

CARBON TRADING KERRY REALS LON DON

Commission sets aviation's initial CO2 tolerance threshold

Airlines will receive allowances to emit almost 213 million tonnes of carbon dioxide when the aviation sector is included in the European Union's emissions trading scheme (ETS) from 2012.

The European Commission says that, based on average annual aviation emissions from 2004-06, it has calculated the number of avai lab Ie allowances for 2012 to be just shy of 213 million tonnes.

This represents 97% of the 2004-

06 emissions figure. From 2013, the aviation sector will have access to 208.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide permits each year.

This represents 95% of the historic emissions data from 2004-06.

The Commission originally said that 85% of this allowance would be handed out free, with the remaining 15% subject to auction.

However, this plan has not been fixed and a firm decision will be announced later this year.

"Emissions from aviation are growing faster than from any other sector, and all forecasts indicate they will continue to

do so under business-as-usual conditions," says European commissioner for climate action Connie Hedegaard,

"By publishing the data on which allocations will be based, we prepare for the full inclusion of aviation in the emissions trading system," she adds .•

AIR TRANSPORT

LONG-HAUL LORI RANSON WASHINGTON DC

Poles aim 787s at China and Japan

Asian routes considered as Boeing fixes LOT delivery dates

Polish flag carrier LOT expects to receive five Boeing 787s next year, which it will use to start replacing its Boeing 767- 300ERs and potentially launch new Asian routes. Star Alliance carrier LOT has "just received information from Boeing" that its first 787 is scheduled for delivery in April 2012. It says another four 787s will follow in the same year between August and November.

LOT has been set to become the first European flag carrier to introduce the 787. Originally the aircraft were to be delivered from 2008, but the carrier has been affected by numerous delays to the programme, and even hinted at a switch to Airbus. LOT does not have dates for its final three 787s, but says the eight Dreamliners will be used to replace its five 767 -300ERs as well as for growth. LOT is working on a retirement plan for its 767s.

LOT operates its 767s from Warsaw to New York Kennedy, Newark, Toronto and Hanoi. The Hanoi service was launched late last year and LOT has said it is looking at more destinations in Asia as part of a new strategy focusing on east-west connections.

The 787s "give us an opportunity to make new points in Asia" LOT says. LOT manager of network and fleet development Wojciech Jagiello says the carrier is specifically looking at markets in

China and Japan. Speaking at the Network USA conference in Austin, Texas, Jagiello said LOT was also examining adding new US destinations in 2013 or later.

He said the carrier is particularly interested in Boston, Miami, Washington DC and Detroit, but new US flights depend on the US government's adding Poland to its visa waiver programme. Since Poland's entry into the European Union in 2004, Jagiello says, Polish leisure travellers have been primarily opting for western Europe over the USA.

Air Canada has similarly received a delivery schedule from Boeing covering its first five 787s, and expects to begin accepting the twinjets during the fourth quarter of 2013.

These deliveries are scheduled to continue through the first half of 2014. Air Canada was due to have its first in 2012, before a previous slip pushed it to the second halfof2013.

"Boeing has indicated that they continue to evaluate the schedule for deliveries of Air Canada's remaining 32 firm orders," says the carrier, adding that the airframer has promised "an update when available" .

Air Canada's 787s will be powered by General Electric GEnx engines while those for LOT are to be fitted with the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 .•

uld have called e, Tweed!

DEFENCE

~ For free access to Flight's Defence

.~ e-newsletter visit flightglobal.comj defence newsletter

ASSEMBLY STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON

Ageing Orions force Navy to accelerate P-8A deliveries

Assembly of first production aircraft begins in Washington despite unresolved issues

Boeing has started assembly of the first P-8A Poseidon production aircraft ahead of first delivery in 2012, with the US Navy accelerating the programme despite concerns over a published list of performance shortfalls.

The first production version of the 737-800-based maritime patrol aircraft will join seven P-8As inducted for flight and ground testing since 2009.

The P-8A is being assembled in Renton, Washington on a separate production line that incorporates changes required for the military version of the 737 in normal production flow.

In addition to an internal weapons bay, the P-8A also modifies the 737 to carry sensors, wing-mounted stores and raked wingtips to allow the aircraft to patrol at low altitudes for long periods without the threat of ice building on the wings.

The navy plans to buy 117P-8As over the next nine years to replace most of the Lockheed Martin P-3C Orion fleet, which has struggled to remain airworthy as the airframe

The P-8A can patrol at low altitudes for long periods

has aged. In last month's fiscal year 2012 budget request, the navy announced that it would speed-up its P-8A purchases.

The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) confirms that the "accelerated buy rate is based on the navy's commitment to replacing the inventory of ageing P-3Cs in as timely a manner as possible [given fiscal constraints J" .

So far, Boeing has kept the programme on schedule and on budget, but the 2010 annual report by the director of the office of test evaluation notes some concerns. The report describes 33 system performance shortfalls

that could delay the programme. At the time the report was published, late last year, no solutions had been identified to correct the shortfalls, test evaluation staff said. NAVAIR says 18 ofthe 33 shortfalls have been fixed after flight testing. The other 15 shortfalls will be addressed in time for the initial operational test and evaluation phase next year.

"The number and severity of issues identified to date have been in line with programme expectations and the programme is progressing towards [initial operational capability in 2013J as planned," NAVAIR says .•

UNMANNED SYSTEMS

New timeline for Scan Eagle replacement

The us Navy has outlined a new timeline for buying services provided by a fleet of unmanned aircraft systems worth up to $874 million. The closerange intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) contract would replace the Boeing/Insitu ScanEagle with a ship-based, UAS that would keep track of vessels within a 50nm (90km) radius of the launch ship.

Rather than buy a new fleet, the navy may award several services contracts to deliver and operate the ISR aircraft. The navy planned to launch a competitive acquisition process in October 2010 but has notified prospective bidders a draft request for proposals will be released in April, with a final document in June.

The ScanEagle has been providing such services for the Marine Corps and navy since 2004, but the navy has decided to open the latest follow-on contract to competition, which has attracted a wide range of interest. The navy has also awarded a contract to Insitu to start delivering 32 Integrator systems to USMC after 2013 to meet the small tactical UAS requirement. •

CARRIERS STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASH INGTON

Marines want F-35C to bolster carrier capability

The us Marine Corps has agreed to buy the carrier variant of the Lockheed Martin F -35 Joint Strike Fighter in addition to the short take-off and vertical landing version.

Gen James Amos, USMC commandant, confirms delays and uncertainties associated with the F -35B STOVL variant have forced a change to the acquisition plan.

"When we set the requirement in for STOVL aircraft our hope was we would be able to, some day, fly some ofthose aircraft off [large-deckJ aircraft carriers," Amos said, testifying before the Senate Armed Services Commit-

tee on 8 March. "That's yet to be seen whether that would be possible so in the meantime it would seem prudent that we should buy some number of C variants, even early on, so we can begin to transition our force there."

The US Navy and USMC planned to buy a total of680 JSFs; 460 F-35Bs and 220 F-35Cs, but they are re-evaluating the split between the variants, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus told the Senate committee.

"We are undergoing a TacAir [tactical aircraft] integration look across the navy and Marine Corps to see what the proper mix is of

16 I Flight International I 15-21 March 2011

Cs for the navy and Marine Corps," Mabus said. The TacAir integration study "will make sure that we continue that integration and make sure marines continue to fly off carriers in strike fighters as well as in vertical take-off and landing aircraft", he said.

At the same time, USMC remains committed and enthusiastic about the STOVL variant despite the testing delays and performance challenges that prompted Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to impose a two-year probation on the F-35B. Amos praises Gates' decision to add more funding in the development

budget for the F-35B, which will help solve the structural, propulsion and reliability shortfalls identified in testing last year. "Things are lined up right now for success," Amos says.

"It's my hope we can get off probation well before two years. My intent is to, some time this spring, [provide Gates with] a set of metrics that he might consider as the threshold for getting the airplane off probation and getting it back into the regular mode of production," he adds .•

I":. For more on the Lockheed ~1:1 Martin F·35 Joint Strike Fighter.

, go to flightglobal.comjF-35

tlightglobal.com

AIRLIFTER DOMINIC PERRY LONDON

EADS: no protest over KC-X award DEFENCEP18

DEFENCE

A400M series production set to roll

Industrial milestone to be reached later this year as Airbus Military clears way for launch and names new programme head

Airbus Military has given the green light to launch series production of its A400M "Grizzly" airlifter.

Speaking on 9 March at parent company EADS's 2010 results presentation, chief executive Louis Gallois confirmed that the controversial aircraft - which has been dogged by delays and political fighting over funding - will finally start rolling off the production line later this year.

Gallois says: "I'm pleased to inform you that Airbus Military has given clearance for the first series aircraft."

Airbus Military chief executive Domingo Urefia-Raso adds: "The industrial launch is a very important milestone for the programme. It is also excellent news for the suppliers and workforce who depend on the programme and who can now lookforward to producing the A400M in the years ahead."

In addition, Cedric Gautier, currently president and chief executive of EADS Sogerma, will take over the lead on the pro-

The A400M is likely to enter service in late 2012 or early 2013

gramme. He will be responsible for ensuring the A400M's certification, delivery and entry into service with its launch customer, the French air force.

Airbus Military has 174 orders for the aircraft from eight customers, with service entry due in late 2012 or early 2013.

Guatier replaces Rafael Tentor, who from 1 April will become head of Airbus Military aircraft programmes, covering the light

and medium C-212, CN-235 and C-295 as well as the A330MRTT and all other conversions.

The airlifter was a major drain on Airbus Military's financial performance in 2009, with it largely responsible for an EBIT loss of €1.75 billion ($2.43 billion) that year. However, the aircraft has achieved a number of programme milestones over the last 12 months, most recently the completion of simulated flight cycle testing.

TILTROTOR ARIE EGOZI TEL AVIV

Israel reconsiders V-22 procurement

The Israeli air force is again evaluating the possible purchase ofthe Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotor.

In 2009 the air force brought the evaluation to a halt after two years of work.

But in a rare statement to the air force magazine, Maj Gen David Barki, head of the helicopter air division, said that the air force is considering future procurement of the V-22.

"It is not included in the multiyear plan that will terminate next year. But one option that we consider for the future is the V-22. This aircraft can give us operational capabilities that we don't have today."

Israeli experts say that the new interest in the V-22 tiltrotor is for

fl ightgloba I.com

fast deployment of the country's Special Forces troops and medical evacuation.

Meanwhile, the V-22 fleet surpassed 100,000 flight hours on 10 February during a US Marine Corps MV-22 combat mission in Afghanistan.

"The V-22 is proven and forward-deployed, supporting combat operations and responding to contingency operations around the world," says US Marine Corps Col Greg Masiello, head of the V-22 Joint Program Office at Naval Air Systems Command.

"The Osprey brings unprecedented range, speed and survivability to the warfighter and will continue to excel in combat and l"

..... ~~_ ...... J remain ready, effective and sur-

Israel is looking again at Osprey vivable," Masiello says .•

This was achieved on a fullscale airframe to a level to achieve civil type certification by the European Aviation Safety Agency. The test specimen at Airbus's Dresden plant, known as MSN5001, has undergone 1,665 cycles, about five times the maximum number of flights expected to be recorded annually by each in-service A400M.

By mid-2012, 25,000 simulated flights will have been performed - equating to 2.5 times the A400M's design-life.

The improved programme performance saw the division raise EBIT to €21 million last year on revenue of €2.6 billion.

Gallois indicates that he believes there will be no further issues surrounding the funding of the aircraft from any ofthe partner nations. EADS has achieved a " significant de-risking" of the programme over the past 12 months, he adds .•

~ For more on the Airbus Military ~4I A400M go to flightglobal.com/a400m

MUNITIONS

Paveway IV test run succeeds

I:)AE Systems has completed Dthe first release of a Raytheon Paveway IV precision-guided bomb from a Eurofighter Typhoon, using the aircraft's avionics system to release the weapon, as it works to enhance the fighter for a ground -attack role.

Typhoon test pilot Nat Makepeace, who was in charge of development aircraft IPA6 for the trial at the Aberporth range in the UK, says: "This was a successful test flight demonstrating the avionics system is able to use GPS data and target information sourced from the aircraft to prepare for the release.

"All communication with the aircraft and safe release of the bomb went to plan." •

15-21 March 20111 Flight International I 17

DEFENCE

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.~ e-newsletter visit flightglobal.comj defence newsletter

CONTRACTS STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC

EADS: no protest over KC-X award

Company's concession clears way for US Air Force to launch the $3.5 billion development phase for 767-based KC-46A

EADS North America has decided not to challenge Boeing's claim to the KC-X contract, clearing the way for the US Air Force to launch the $3.5 billion development phase for the 767- based KC-46A.

"EADS North America has decided not to protest the KC-X contract award," EADS NA chief executive Ralph Crosby says.

EADS officials had reviewed the 24 February contract award for 179 tankers with the right to file a

protest that would have triggered a 100-day review by the Government Accountability Office.

"The acquisition architecture was quite mechanical and mathematical," Crosby says.

"The outcome was decided by price and Boeing's offer was lower than ours."

Boeing's proposed price was $4 billion less than EADS's offer, Crosby says.

The EADS concession appears to close the final chapter in the

The MRTT was beaten to the KC-X prize by Boeing's KC-46A

roughly 10-year KC-X contract award process. The company's KC-45 won the KC-X contract in 2008, but the GAO upheld Boeing's protest and the air force relaunched the competition.

The Department of Defense announced in February that Boeing's proposal, based on the

TRAINING ARIE EGOZI TEL AVIV

Italian Tornados blow through desert

The Italian air force will continue to use facilities in Israel to train its pilots for desert combat and in the use of countermeasures against surfacelaunched threats, according to Israeli sources.

With the Italian air force's continued deployment in Afghanistan, it believes Israel offers the best training for the environment it will encounter.

The Israeli air force has gained vast experience in defending its aircraft against surface- to-air threats and is now sharing this with the Italian service.

Israel offers training suited to the environment in Afghanistan

In December 2010, Italian air force Panavia Tornado fighters deployed to the Israeli air force Uvda airbase, in southern Israel.

The Tornados flew against

"enemy" Israeli Lockheed Martin F-16s, but mainly trained in avoidance tactics from surfacelaunched threats.

Special flares were used to simulate surface-to-air missile launches to train pilots in the use of countermeasures or to perform avoidance manoeuvres.

Last year the Israeli service deployed its fighters to an Italian air force base in Sardinia for training and has previously trained with the Greek service .•

~ For more on Italian defence ~~ programmes, see our Italy special at flightglobal.comjitaly

MODIFICATIONS

Second pre-owned P-3C arrives for Portuguese

The Portuguese air force should accept its second upgraded Lockheed Martin P-3C maritime patrol aircraft into operational use in March, following its arrival at Beja air base late last month.

Having been modified to the CUP+ configuration at Lockheed's Greenville site in South Carolina, aircraft 14809's formal acceptance should coincide with the retirement of Portugal's last lega-

cy P-3Ps. These are now flown by the air force's 601 Sqn.

Lockheed finished modernisation work on its first of two exRoyal Netherlands Navy P-3Cs for Portugal last August, as part of a deal for five ofthe secondhand aircraft. The remaining three are being completed by OGMA in Alverca, with the $141 million upgrade project due to be completed by February 2012.

181 Flight International I 15-21 March 2011

Key elements of the CUP+ modification include an Elta Systems ELlM-2022A multi-mission radar, an L-3 Wescam MX-15HDi high-definition electro-optical/ infrared sensor and an upgraded central mission computer. The work also introduces an automatic ship identification system, plus new acoustics, communication and navigation equipment and a self-protection suite .•

KC-767 New Gen Tanker, scored a clear victory in the air force's evaluation, which focused on lowest price.

"The air force ran this competition in accordance with all ofthe ground rules," Crosby adds. "They certainly were very scrupulous with the details." •

UNMANNED VEHICLES

Azad Systems startsUAV production

Doduction has started at Azad r Systems, a joint venture between the defence ministry of Azerbaijan and Israeli unmanned aircraft systems manufacturer Aeronautics. According to Azeri press, the facility in Baku will assemble and manufacture the Israeli company's Aerostar and Orbiter unmanned air vehicles.

Sources in Israel also indicate that the close co-operation between Aeronautics and Rafael may result in the production or assembly of some Rafael systems in the new facility.

Aeronautics is the third-largest Israeli UAV manufacturer, after Israel Aerospace Industries and Elbit Systems.

Aeronautics has formed a similar joint venture in Spain and the facility there will start operations bymid-2011.

In recent years, Israel has become a major arms supplier to Azerbaijan. The deals so far include artillery systems, communications equipment and UAVs of the same types that will now be assembled locally .•

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World Air Forum

WAF 2011 - 27th October 2011 - Amsterdam

Meet the industry players, build relationships and influence

Why should you attend?

WAF is an exceptional event that gauges the health

of the aviation industry. It is your premier opportunity in 2011 to receive active feedback on current market conditions and hear future strategies from some of the world's most dynamic leaders.

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Visit www. waf2011 . com for full details

~ For more news, pictures and videos

.~ fro.m the show, go to flightglobal.comj asianaerospace

China's blooming airline and business aviation market was the lure for exhibitors at the third Asian Aerospace in Hong Kong. The all-business event - at the city's AsiaWorld Expo - had three exhibitions within the exhibition: for freight, training and business aviation. There was also a conference programme. What the show lacked in spectacle - there is no flying display - it made up for with some big announcements. Flightglobal's multimedia coverage included three issues of Flight Daily News, two interactive show dailys and a dedicated landing page on flightglobal.com. The writing team was Andrew Doyle, Siva Govindasamy, Murdo Morrison, Alan Peaford, Greg Waldron and Ghim-Lay Yeo. Photography by Ian Billinghurst. Design and production by Lauren Mills and Alexis Rendell.

FORECAST

China will be aviation's big story - Tyler

China will become the "big story" of this decade in the aviation industry, given the rapid expansion of its airline market and growth in airports over the next 10 years, says outgoing Cathay Pacific chief executive Tony Tyler.

"China is already the world's second-biggest economy and the country's emergence as an economic powerhouse will undoubtedly be reflected by its importance in aviation terms," he said in a keynote address at the Asian Aerospace Congress.

"Just imagine the impact of having hundreds of millions of China's population become wealthy enough to travel outside their country's borders. This is a very exciting prospect for airlines such as Cathay Pacific and Dragonair, positioned as we are in Hong Kong, one of the key gateways to the mainland," he said.

He pointed out that the number of aircraft passengers in China is expected to reach 500 million by 2015 and 1.5 billion by 2030, up from 267 million in 2010. The country will have 220 airports by 2015, up from 175. The number of aircraft will reach 2,600 by 2015 and 4,000 by 2020, up from 1,600 last year .•

COMMITMENTS

747-81 orderbook climbs to 38 as carriers back Boeing

China's flag carrier becomes third airline to opt for new passenger version of jumbo jet

Boeing received a major fillip at Asian Aerospace from two of China's biggest airline groups, with a much-needed order for five ofits slow-selling 747-8Is and a further deal for 38 passenger and cargo widebodies.

Air China is only the third airline to order the passenger version of the new Boeing jumbo jet following commitments from Korean Air and Lufthansa. Once approved by the Chinese government, it will take the orderbook to 38 aircraft, including eight in VIP configuration. There are also 74 Freighters on order.

Hong Kong Airlines is to take 30 787-9s, six 777 Freighters and two 787 -8s in VIP configuration as part of a major aircraft commitment announced by its parent company, HNA Group, China's most powerful private aviation player.

HNA signed separate memorandums of understanding with Gulfstream for five G450s and G550s, and with Dassault for five Falcon 7X business jets.

HNA, which also owns Hainan Airlines, China's fourth largest and biggest privately-owned carrier, wants to develop Hong Kong

20 I Flight International I 15-21 March 2011

Air China has been a 747 operator since the 1980s

Airlines into a much bigger force in the territory, where it competes with flag carrier Cathay Pacific.

"There are many routes that are not served and we can grow those," says Adam Tan, director ofHNA. "We also believe there is growing demand for Hong Kong as a hub and Hong Kong Airlines will contribute to that."

The business jets are likely to be used by Hongkong Jet, which is the business aviation charter arm of Hong Kong Airlines, and Deer Jet, the Beijing-based corpo-

rate aviation branch ofHNA.

Air China, a 747 operator since the 1980s, says its new 747-8Is, which are expected to arrive in three years, will deliver "exceptional economics and a great flying experience".

China with its fast growing air transport market is a key battle ground in the ultra-large airliner segment. The only order for Airbus's rival A380 in China has been from China Southern Airlines, which will receive the first of its five this year .•

tlightglobal.com

ASIAN AEROSPACE

SHOW REPORT

TRAFFIC

New mega-cities will 'embrace A3S0'

Asia's surging metropolitan centres and internal routes set to drive demand for superjumbo, predicts Airbus

Asian mega-cities offering inbound and outbound revenue passenger kilometres in excess of 5 billion annually will drive demand for Airbus A380s, with the airframer predicting the number of such cities growing

from nine now to 17 by 2029.

According to Airbus, Chinese metropolises which fall into this category will double to six by 2029, while India will have two such cities - Delhi and Mumbai. Asia will also see a marked rise of cities of-

Hong Kong is region's aviation hub, but other super cities are on the rise

fering to/from RPKs between 1-5 billion, as well as those of between 250 million and 1 billion.

Airbus senior vice-president product strategy and market forecast Chris Emerson made the prediction at the show. There are 43 A380s in service, serving 28 routes and 20 destinations.

Although carriers have generally ordered the A380 for long, intercontinental routes and not for domestic services, Emerson says that carriers are still operating the A380 as a "flagship" aircraft. Over time he expects the aircraft to be increasingly used for short-haul, high density routes such as those in China.

Though Airbus views China as a key market for the A380, only one Chinese carrier has ordered the aircraft, China Southern Airlines, which has five on order.

The carrier's first A380 had its maiden flight on 3 March to Ham-

Emerson: A380 still a flagship

burg from Toulouse, after completing final assembly and system tests. In Hamburg the aircraft will be painted and its cabin installed. Airbus declines to provide a firm delivery date, saying only that it will be delivered in the second half of 2011. •

BUSINESS AVIATION

Rival shows vie to lure China's jet set

Rival shows will battle for the hearts of China's burgeoning business aviation community and the manufacturers hoping to sell to it from next year.

Asian Business Aviation - which ran as part of Asian Aerospace last week with its own static display at the airport - is to take place in Macau in May 2012 before returning to Hong Kong as part of the next Asian Aerospace in 2013.

Meanwhile, the US National Business Aviation Association is relaunching the annual ABACE Asian business aviation convention - last held in 2008 - in Shanghai three months earlier.

While Asian Business Aviation will be run by Asian Aerospace organiser Reed Exhibitions, Flightglobal's sister company, the Shanghai event is being backed by the Asian Business Aviation

Association. Region's appetite for private aviation has encouraged event organisers

Attempts to establish a dedicated show for the sector in the

region have met with limited success. The original ABACE, held in Hong Kong as well as Shanghai, struggled to gain traction from 2005 before being abandoned as the global economic downturn took hold. The growing appetite for business jets in

Asia, and particularly China, has convinced exhibition organisers that - along with the USA, Europe and the Middle East - Asia is ready for its own major event. However, it remains to be seen whether the "big six" airframers will be persuaded to support two shows taking place within weeks of each other .•

fl ightgloba I.com

EXPANSION

Metrojet ties up with Tata's Taj to move into India

Hong Kong-based business jet operator and management provider Metrojet is to expand its business in Asia.

The company will form a joint venture with Tata Group's Taj Air to provide aircraft maintenance and management services for the Indian market from a base in Mumbai.

As an initial move, Taj Air, which already has a base in the city, will revamp its premises. "The current Taj Air facility will undergo an upgrade while a larger, more comprehensive facility will be built at a suitable site," says Metrojet.

Metrojet also announced at the show that it will develop a maintenance, repair and overhaul facility at Manila's Clark airport in the Philippines .•

15-21 March 20111 Right International I 21

ASIAN AEROSPACE

SHOW REPORT

MANUFACTURING

Time running out for Embraer Harbin plant

Airframer waiting for decision from Chinese government

Embraer has yet to receive a decision from the Chinese government on the fate of its Harbin assembly plant, with months to go before the facility is due to produce its lastERJ-145.

The Brazilian manufacturer had earlier proposed to the authorities to begin producing E-190s at the Harbin plant after it manufactures the final ERJ-145 in the second quarter of 2011.

"There has been no final position from the Chinese government. We are still in talks and there is no clear picture," said Embraer China's president Guan Dongyuan, speaking on the eve of Asian Aerospace.

Harbin Embraer is 49% owned

Guan: no clear picture

by state-owned AVIC. Guan says that Embraer is "very satisfied" with its co-operation with its joint venture partner.

The airframer has delivered three aircraft, all Legacy 600s, in Greater China so far, says Guan. It expects to hand over a fourth, a Lineage 1000, this year .•

MRO

Space puts squeeze on Jet Aviation's ambitions

Cathay Pacific, who was recruited in 2008 to launch the venture. "Just the number of jets coming into Hong Kong this year will virtually double the fleet."

Jet Aviation (Hong Kong) looks after 12 jets as part of a management agreement with the owners. It also carries out maintenance on other aircraft in partnership with China Aircraft Services, which has a hangar at the airport.

However, it is keen to establish its own indoor maintenance facility at Hong Kong - although space around the airport is at a premium - as well as open a site in China itself. "We are in discussions about a hangar here and we are also actively talking about expanding our footprint into the mainland," says Parker .•

With a business aircraft the must-have accessory of China's growing army of billionaires, Jet Aviation is tapping the surge in demand for local maintenance. But as with many things in booming Hong Kong, finding space to grow can be tricky.

The Swiss aviation services group set up three years ago its line maintenance operation at the Hong Kong Business Aviation Centre - site of Asian Aerospace's sister business aviation exhibition last week.

Already the facility is straining at the seams and Jet Aviation -like its competitors - is looking at expansion. "The boom in business aviation in greater China caught us all by surprise," says managing director Nigel Parker, formerly of

www.safran-group.com

High technology has its own language

Safran filed for 500 patents in 2009. Year after year we invest 11% of our revenues in Research & Development to spur innovation in our core markets of aerospace, defence and security. Giving us the technologies needed to make cleaner, quieter aircraft engines, advanced biometric identification systems, and much more. Because there is no future without research, Safran speaks the language of innovation.

KEY MISSIONS, KEY TECHNOLOGIES

ASIAN AEROSPACE

SHOW REPORT

TRAINING

China faces pilot shortage

country cuts number of approved schools despite increasing demands for flightcrew

The Chinese goverll1Ilent is reducing the number of approved international flight training organisations at the same time that the country's demand for pilots would stretch the world's current flight schools.

Latest projections suggest that a minimum of 50,000 additional pilots will be needed over the next eight years just to meet the requirements of current Chinese orders - and that does not take account of requirements for business aviation and the entry of new airlines to the region.

"There is a real challenge for the industry," says Capt Lee Woodward, executive director of show exhibitor CTC Wings. "Training organisations are waiting to hear who is on the list. CTC is working Woodward: keen to be in China

with China's CAAC and they are aware that we are keen to establish an operation within China as well as support their airlines through our existing schools."

CTC operates in the UK and New Zealand and provides Joint Aviation Authorities approved ab initio and type rating training.

"There is great demand but the real challenge will be finding the right people," says Woodward. "At the APATS [training] conference here one speaker had worked out that it would need every [flight training organisation] in the world to take 300 cadets a year each to meet just China's requirements."

CTC's airline customers in the region include J etstar Asia, Royal Brunei and others in Vietnam and Japan .•

Get interactive

Watch this year's Asian Aerospace come to life with our interactive Flight magazine, the latest in a series from the world's leading air shows and conventions. The two issues are packed with news, photo galleries and video interviews. Go to fllghtglobal.com/aaiflight

FIN_150311_022-023 23

SAFRAN

AEROSPACE' DEFENCE' SECURITY

3/9/11 7:51 :13 PM I

Orlando, Florida was the venue for Helicopter Association International's Heli-Expo conference and exhibition this year, and more than 18,000 attendees and 600 exhibitors made it the largest one ever. As AgustaWestland and Marenco launched new types while Bell and Eurocopter detailed upgrades, the general consensus was that underlying demand for helicopters remains strong, 2011 will remain relatively slow as far as growth is concerned, and 2012 will bring a return to prosperity.

SALES STEPHEN TRIMBLE

MD plots new product

as financial fears fade

Touting healthy sales and plans to launch a new aircraft, the head of MD Helicopters says the airframer has finally shed the financial instability that nearly shut the company six years ago.

"I've put hundreds of millions of dollars of my own money into this company. We're here and we're going to be here for a very long time," said Lynn Tilton, who acquired MD Helicopters six years ago. Tilton created some confusion about product development plans when she casually announced the launch of a new helicopter model in response to a

question about another aircraft. "We're actually going to be coming out with a new aircraft, which is called the 540F," Tilton said. But Carl Schopfer, vice-president of engineering, clarified that the 540F has not yet been launched and remains in the "what can we do?" phase. If it receives the goahead, Schopfer said, it is expected to fill a gap between the 530F, with a maximum gross weight of 1,405kg (3,1001b), and the 600N, which weighs 1,859kg. The 540F could be sized to lift up to a maximum of 1,666kg, or fall between a range of 1 ,620-1 ,645kg .•

~ Read our Robinson R66 flight test and

.~ view video footage shot on the day at flightglobal.comjr66test

Marenco's SKYe SH09 prototype will make its first flight in 2012 DEVELOPMENT JOHN CROFT

Marenco digs at '70s revivalists

Swiss outfit talks up clean-sheet nature of single design

A Swiss engineering company I"\has launched a 2,500kg (5,5001b), single-engined, turbinepowered helicopter.

Funded by an unidentified private equity firm in Switzerland, Marenco Swiss Helicopter plans to start delivering the eight -seater, all-composite, $3-3.5 million singles in 2015, building to 15 aircraft in the first year, rising to as many as 30 in 2016. Marenco signed letters of intent with two customers at the Heli-Expo show.

The first prototype SKYe SH09 will make a maiden flight from Marenco's facility near Zurich in early 2012, says commercial director Mathias Senes, formerly of Eurocopter. Senes says established airframers continue to evolve 1970s-era designs for single-engine helicopters in the 2.5t class, rather than launching clean-sheet replacements.

Marenco was showing what it

called a pre-production prototype, not a mock-up, of the SKYe SH09 at Heli-Expo.

Senes says Marenco's 30 engineers, five in South Africa, are working on the rotor hub and shrouded tail and are "taking energy" and design from the automotive industry for elements of the carbonfibre fuselage. Initial engine choice is the Honeywell HTS900 but Senes hopes to offer customers a choice of engine. Avionics will be provided by Sagem.

Flightglobal's HeliCAS data service shows 297 new singleengined helicopters in the 2.5t class were delivered in 2010 by three manufacturers - Bell, Eurocopter and MD Helicopters - representing 32% of all new helicopters that year. During the same period, 438 helicopters made by the three companies were bought on the secondhand market. •

PROPULSION STEPHEN TRIMBLE

Turbomeca to power on with four-stage revamp

~gine-maker Turbomeca has I;,unveiled a product development strategy that could by the end ofthis decade introduce four new turboshaft engines spanning a thrust range from 500-8,000shp (370-5,960kW).

With Eurocopter planning to introduce a Dauphin replacement called X4 in 2016, the first ofthe

four engines to be introduced is aimed at replacing the Arriel series with an all-new core.

The TM800 engine will be offered in the 1, 100shp range in the 2016 timeframe. It is designed to support helicopters in the 4,000- 6,000kg (8,810-13,2151b) take-off weight range, says Phillippe Couteaux, Turbomeca's vice-presi-

241 Flight International I 15-21 March 2011

dent and general manager for airframers.

Following close behind on Turbomeca's product roadmap is the TM600 engine in the 500-900shp class, Couteaux says.

By around 2020, Turbomeca also plans to replace the RTM322 with a new engine, the TS2000. Couteaux describes this engine as

supporting the next generation of Eurocopter Super Pumas and Sikorsky Black Hawks.

The fourth major programme, yet to be launched, would support emerging demand for helicopters in the 4ot-size class, Couteaux says. The TS8000-engine series would be based on an allnew architecture .•

tlightglobal.com

TECHNOLOGIES JOHN CROfT

Falcon makes first EGNOS approach BUSINESS P26

AgustaWestland pursues designs on rival's perch

Manufacturer reveals its challenge to Eurocopter with glimpse of medium-twin technology

Agusta Westland may be poised to emerge from Eurocopter's shadow as the best-known European producer of civil helicopters and technology, At Heli-Expo it officially launched its AW169 and gave a glimpse of technologies the medium twin will include, They reveal an airframer quietly preparing to take on Eurocopter head-to-head - soon,

Largely due to the offshore oil and gas industry and parapublic sector, Agusta Westland has been growing at three times the average market rate of 7% since 2004 in terms of civil helicopter sales revenue, increasing its share from 11 % to 29% over the seven years, ending with $1 billion in civil sales in 2010. In the same period, Eurocopter fell from 53% to 45%. Why the rapid rise? Chief executive Giuseppe Orsi credits suc-

First deliveries of the multi-role AW169 are scheduled for 2014

cess to the all-weather AW139 medium twin, which accounted for 42% of the 56% uptake in 2009 civil helicopter orders. The manufacturer is poised to continue the winning streak of the 6.5t AW139 medium twin with the multi-role AW169, a 4.5t twin scheduled for first deliveries in 2014. While Agusta Westland is generally tight-lipped about tech-

nologies, it revealed two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW210A engines and three 8 x lOin (205 x 255mm) Rockwell Collins cockpit displays. It is developing the integrated avionics suite in-house and promises "next generation" technologies embedded in the rotors, along with "wide use" of composites. First flight is scheduled for 2012 .•

HELl-EXPO

SHOW REPORT

ENHANCEMENTS JOHN CROfT

Bell upgrades gunning for new 407 business

Dell Helicopter has unveiled ~wo upgrades to bolster the 407 light helicopter in commercial and paramilitary markets.

The 407GX integrates the Garmin 1000H avionics system, while the 407 AH adds commercially available machine guns and sensors to a Federal Aviation Administration-certificated airframe. Each product was released within 18 months of a launch decision inside Bell, says chief executive John Garrison. With the GI000H, the 407GX offers new situational awareness, including a synthetic vision system, terrain alert warning system and a moving map on twin, lO.4in (26.4cm) displays.

Three ofthe 13 orders Bell revealed at the show were for the 407GX; the rest for the 429 and 412EP. Bell has also agreed a 407 AH deal with an unidentified foreign launch customer .•

FORECASTS JOHN CROfT

Lucrative Latin America leads to optimistic outlook

~recasts by Honeywell and rRolls-Royce signal a bright outlook for the rotorcraft sector as this year's used-aircraft inventories decline and companies start placing orders for new aircraft.

Honeywell's thirteenth turbinepowered civilian helicopter purchase outlook report, based on

interviews with more than 1,000 chief pilots and flight department managers, reveals that expectations for new aircraft ordering for the next two years are up 40% from last year's forecast, "suggesting the recovery will gain momentum starting next year" .

Honeywell says fleet replace-

Rotorcraft units x 100 20-

TURBINE POWERED ROTORCRAFT FORECAST - 2011-20

• Civil units = 10,900

• Military units = 6,070

SOURCE: Rolls·Royce

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

fl ightgloba I.com

ment and expansion plans increased to 25.4%, up from 24.9%, in 2010. "Although modest, the increase concludes a two-yearperiod of decline," it says.

Purchases are forecast to split 50-50 between the Americas and the rest of the world. Latin America has the highest fleet replace-

ment and expansion expectations. Light single types appear most popular, accounting for 45% of make/model mentions.

Honeywell predicts up to 4,400 civil turbine helicopter deliveries within five years; Rolls-Royce, 10,900 civil rotorcraft deliveries, worth $34 billion, over 10 .•

North America 30%

FIVE-YEAR DEMAND FOR NEW HELICOPTERS BY REGION

I

Latin America 21%

SOURCE: Honeywell

Africa and Middle East Asia

,6% ,13%

15-21 March 20111 Right International 1 25

BUSINESS AVIATION

~ Keep up to date with all the latest

.~ business and general aviation news at flightglobal.comjbizav

IN BRIEF

SUSI SIMULATION

Flight simulation training device manufacturer Mechtronix Systems has been contracted to supply an FFT X simulator for the world's second-largest operator of Cessna Caravans, Susi Air of Indonesia. The new simulator will be delivered later this year.

MEXICAN METAL

Hawker Beechcraft has opened a $20 million manufacturing plant in Chihuahua City, Mexico to house sheet-metal fabrication and electrical assembly for Beechcraft King Ai r turboprops and Hawker business jets. The building is one oftwo at the site. A third will be added this year.

CZECH CITATION

Czech charter operator Grossmann Jet Service has added a Cessna Citation CJ2 to its fleet to cater for growing demand for business aircraft travel from central and eastern Europe. The light, twin-engined jet joins a super-midsize Embraer Legacy 600 and midsize Hawker 900XP in service.

LONGER RUNWAY

London Oxford airport has been given approval for a 21% (273m/896ft) increase in the declared take-off distance from its runway. Licensed take-off distances are now 1,592m for Runway 1 and 1,558m for reciprocal Runway 019.

NAVIGATION

Falcon makes first EGNOS approach

Dassault has flown the first approaches using Europe's EGNOS safety-of-life service that was launched this month.

The French airframer flew satellite-guided precision approaches into Pau Pyrenees airport in southwest France on a Falcon 900LX large-cabin business jet equipped with the EASy 11 cockpit.

EGNOS is the European counterpart to the wide area augmentation system already available in the USA. It is designed to improve the accuracy and integrity

Oassault flew the precision approaches into Pau Pyrenees with a 900LX

of the US GPS satellite navigation system to within 1m (3ft) horizontally and 2m vertically.

Pilots will be offered more di-

rect en route flightpaths, greater runway capability and reduced separation standards without increased risk, says Dassault. •

CHARTER KATE SARSFIELD LONDON

Saudia to quadruple fleet

as private demand soars

National carrier's two-year-old charter arm to add midsize, super-midsize and top-end jets

Saudia Private Aviation, the luxury charter arm of Saudi Arabian Airlines, is planning to quadruple its fleet over the next decade to cater for the burgeoning demand for business aircraft to and from Saudi Arabia.

The fleet expansion is part of a wider strategy by the two-yearold company to strengthen its service offering within the oilrich kingdom, where it is also building a 6,400m2 (68,700ft2) fixed-base operation in its home

base ofJeddah. A similar venture is also planned in Riyadh.

"We plan to expand our fleet to around 40 aircraft by 2020 through a mixture of aircraft management and outright ownership," says Faisal Abdulaziz Al-Saddik, general manager of the company, which has six light -cabin Hawker 400XPs and two Dassault Falcon 7Xs. Another of the long-range jets is set for delivery in June and a fourth later this year.

"We would like to add a further

10 owned aircraft and the rest of the fleet will be managed types," says Al-Saddik.

Midsize and super-midsize types are under consideration, including the Hawker 4000. Saudia says it will expand its top-of-therange offering to include business jets such as the Airbus A318 Elite.

"There is growing demand for long-distance travel and the VIP airliners with their large cargo bays are ideal for the Middle East market," Al-Saddik says .•

EXPANSION EMMA KELLY PERTH

Shanghai spurs Hawker Pacific into FBO action

Hawker Pacific is looking at new fixed-base operations opportunities in China following the success of its joint venture FEO with the Shanghai Airport Authority at the Chinese airport, which was opened last year.

The initial FEO is performing better than expected, with a large potential for growth, says the Australian aerospace sales and product support company's chief

executive Alan Smith. A new maintenance, repair and overhaul capability at Shanghai is expected to be fully operational in May.

"We've seen a fairly rapid development of business aviation in China. We envisage China as capable of supporting a network of regional FEOs," says Smith.

Meanwhile, Hawker Pacific has submitted an offer with Indian partners to operate the FEO

26 I Flight International I 15-21 March 2011

and MRO facility at Delhi, with evaluation of the bids under way. It is also entering a joint venture with Malaysia's Subang Skypark to operate Skypark's FEO. Previous partner Execujet left the joint venture at the end oflast year.

Hawker Pacific has also delivered the first Eeechcraft King Air 350C into aeromedical services in Australia as part of a five-aircraft deal, comprising two King Air

350Cs and three King Air E200Cs with the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

The aircraft are being delivered to the flying doctor service's South Eastern Section, which will operate the aircraft under contract to the Air Ambulance Services New South Wales .•

~ Read more about the Australian

~~ business aviation industry at

flightglobal.comjausbizav

tlightglobal.com

Armavia's bad week:A319 seized by ILFC BUSINESS P28

EARTH OBSERVATION DAN THISDELL LONDON

SPACEFLIGHT

See the world in a new light

Surrey Satellite is determined to change the economics of space and bring dramatic improvements to Earth observation

Micro-satellites specialist Surrey Satellite Technology hopes soon to be preparing the launch of a new synthetic aperture radar (SAR) payload that could bring a dramatic new capability to its Earth observation customers.

A SAR-capable spacecraft has been in development by SSTL since 2009. SSTI;s long-term payload partner Astrium and the Surrey Space Centre made tests on an airborne platform last year and the payload and platform in February passed its preliminary design review. A spacecraft could be available for launch in 2013.

SSTI;s head of Earth observation Luis Gomes told a London meeting of users of the Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC) - including Algeria, Nigeria, Spain, the UK and China, for which SSTL has built and launched eight satellites since 2000 - that SAR technology spacecraft could bring a new level of capability to the constellation.

Critically, he says, unlike normal optical payloads, SAR can see through clouds and record images at night - if a user needs a picture of a particular spot on the ground it can be captured on the satellite's next pass.

SSTI;s SAR technology lead Phil Whittaker says the payload will be able to image pixels as fine as 10m (33ft) across. It may more typically be set to a 20m resolution, allowing it to cover a swath 100km (54nm) wide, or 30m/150km. An SSTL optical satellite able to take a 30m-resolution image would cover a swath 600km wide.

SAR sensors are limited by the fact that they must, through a special antenna, illuminate the ground as they pass, but Whittaker says that in addition to being able to see at night or through bad weather, radar images pick up different backscatter patterns than recorded by optical sensors. A SAR image may thus,

fl ightgloba I.com

California brush fire imaged in 2009 by the UK-OMC-1 satellite

for example, differentiate between types of vegetation more clearly than an optical image.

Whether a SAR satellite is contracted to join the DMC depends on signing a customer to build and launch one. Whittaker notes that, to date, SAR technology has typically been used on its own. But to combine what Gomes says will be a low-cost SAR option with the existing optical imaging spacecraft in the DMC will be a commercially viable option.

DISASTER RESPONSE

The DMC was proposed in 2000 after calls for improved response to man-made and natural disasters. It started with the launch of the SSTL-built Tsinghua-1, for China's Tsinghua University, followed by Algeria's AlSat-1, the UK's British National Space Centre-supported UK-DMC-1, NigeriaSat -1 and Turkey's BILSAT-1.

These satellites, four subsequent launches and, imminently, NigeriaSat-2, follow each other in the same polar, low-Earth orbit. While a single satellite might pass over any particular point on the ground anywhere between every few days to every couple of weeks depending on the width of the observation swath, with a constella-

tion it is possible to obtain daily images of any particular point.

DMC users typically need images of their own territory to monitor long-term phenomenaslow-onset disasters such as drought or desertification, for example - but in the event of an acute disaster can call on images from other users' spacecraft to meet urgent imaging needs.

By contrast, the US Landsat satellite has made enormous contributions to our understanding of the Earth's geography but is only able to image any given point once every 16 days.

Constellation members also have the opportunity to sell images to non-members. The Nigerian space agency, for example, has signed a data distribution deal with DMC International Imaging, a company set up by SSTL to distribute images, using the revenue to fund management of the constellation for humanitarian use during natural disasters.

Like NigeriaSat-2, SSTI;s SAR satellite will be about the size of a domestic refrigerator and weigh around 400kg (8801b). The spacecraft can be expected to have a service life of about seven years.

Satellites can be engineered for longer service lives but, says

Gomes, the SSTL approach is to keep costs low by using off-theshelf components where possible in place of more expensive "space-hardened" equipment.

Most SSTL satellites - the company has launched 34 - fall into the 100kg class and are about the size of a washing machine, compared with the bus-sized spacecraft more typical of the Earth observation mission. Micro-satellites are cheaper to launch and can often be orbited as piggyback payloads.

SSTL also avoids the typical satellite mission cost-trap offreezing design early in a multi-year construction phase, says Gomes. This more flexible approach allows engineers to incorporate upto-date technology, an option not available in more rigid design and construction progranunes.

RISKING FAILURE Micro-satellites face greater risks of failure than larger, more expensive units, but Gomes says their lower cost more than makes up for the risk.

But with launch costs accounting for 40% or more of a typical mission price, finding new, lowcost launch options - which could include launches from some of the suborbital vehicles now under development - is the key to giving more users access to space through micro-satellites, Gomes adds.

Market figures presented by SSTL show the Earth observation market to be worth $930 million yearly, with more than 80% accounted for by governments and two-thirds by militaries.

Governments and militaries may be natural customers for Earth observation capabilities, but neither are good at commercial exploitation of data. So with barely $165 million spent yearly by private customers, Gomes may be right when he says that finding ways to cut launch costs would expand the market. •

15-21 March 20111 Right International I 27

BUSINESS

~ Download the full report at flightglobal.comjpwc-deals2010

Good week

MENZIES AVIATION The UK ground-handling specialist was one of the few aviation companies to benefit from the heavy snowfall that caused London Heathrow to grind to a halt in December. The John Menzies division says the wintry weather brought "very strong" income from providing de-icing services for aircraft, and was a factor behind a 56% increase

in the company's 2010 underlying operating profit to £24.6 million

($39.7 million).

ARMAVIA International Lease Finance took time out from plotting megaorders of new narrowbodies (Pl0) to reclaim one it already owns from Armavia, seizing a 2009-vintage Airbus A319 that Hlghtglobal's ACAS database says was on lease to the Armenian operator for a term running until 2018. Armavia also leases A320-family aircraft from CIT Group (two A319s and two A320s) and AWAS (an A320), and has two Sukhoi Superjet 100s on order, with two options.

Bad week

CONSOLIDATION DAN THISDELL LONDON

Big deals return to fashion

Mergers and acquisitions stalled in 2009 but in 2010 major trends created momentum

Uncertainty may be hanging over the defence industry as budgets cuts come to the fore in the USA and Europe, but for the aerospace and defence industry in general, 2010 was a year when merger and acquisition activity picked up after falling into a trough at the onset of financial crisis.

As figures from PricewaterhouseCoopers show, 2010 saw not only a dramatic bounceback in the number and value of buyout and merger deals, but the return of big deals - over $50 million - indicates the power of key trends characterising the industry, including the dominance of US firms (see chart).

PwC's London-based global aerospace and defence practice leader Neil Hampson notes that total deal value nearly doubled year-on-year, from $10.9 billion in 2009 to $20.2 billion in 2010, and the average value of deals worth $50 million or more was up 17%, from $310 million to $364 million.

"While low compared to the $42.1 billion transacted at the peak ofM&A activity in 2007, the 2010 level saw M&A in the sector back to the levels of 2008 and years prior to 2007," he says, adding that deal volume has remained high and is slightly above the 2008 peak.

Driving this resurgence in mergers and acquisitions are powerful trends. Broadly, commercial aerospace has recovered from recession faster and stronger than most

AEROSPACE /DEFENCE M&A DEALS OVER $50M, 2009 V 2010

Acquisition money flows $bn North America

16.6 1111.4

Europe

0:3_ 11

1.2 ---,

.......... ~==-===~_ L..;;;1;;_3_._3 __ ....I ~ 0.1

~-

1.6

Asia & Oceania '---~====~----- ..... 10.9

0.3 0.2

11.5

.2009 .2010

SOURCE: PricewaterhouseCoopers

Deals by value $bn

20-

15- 10-

5 o

• Total deal value

• Total deal value excluding deals with US targets and/or acquirers

• Total deal value for deals with US targets and/or acquirers

Leveraged buyouts % 8-

6%

o

2009

2010

predicted, says Hampson.

That sector is looking to capitalise on a growing market and a changing landscape as the customer base shifts toward the AsiaPacific region and the industry responds to new competitors, particularly China's Comac.

Hampson also notes that company break-ups are a growing trend: "We may see some pressure from investors, as well as appetite from the market, to break aerospace assets away from their diversified parent companies."

Also, he says, conditions are in

place for financial investors to become more active in the market. China's and India's efforts to build domestic aerospace industries will provide impetus for additional deals. South Africa and Turkey are also of growing interest.

PWC sees limited opportunity for consolidation among the largest companies, but predicts lower-tier consolidation and moves by private equity investors are likely, as well as consolidation in the European mid-tier aerostructure market, which has many smaller players .•

TOP 10 AEROSPACE AND DEFENCE DEALS 2010

Target Sector Buyer Price ($bn)
VT Group (UK) Shipbuilding Babcock (UK) 2.0
Vought Aircraft (USA) Aircraft parts Triumph Group (USA)* 1.57
McKechnie Aerospace (USA) Aircraft parts TransDigm (USA)* 1.27
L-1ldentity Solutions (USA) Systems design Safran (France) 1.13
DynCorp (USA) Business services Cerberus Capital (USA)* 0.99
Stanley (USA) Systems design CGI (Canada) 0.94
Enterprise Integration** (USA) Consulting Veritas Capital (USA)* 0.82
Argon ST (USA) Measurement Boeing (USA) 0.75
CapRock (USA) Radiotelephone communications Harris (USA) 0.53
Applied Signal (USA) Communications Raytheon (USA) 0.51 * Private equity deals * * Lockheed Martin subsidiary

281 Flight International I 15-21 March 2011

tlightglobal.com

Powering up for tomorrow FEATUREP30

PEOPLE MOVES

Aerospace Products, BALPA, NASA Langley, Passur

Wyman: NASA Langley news

Former US Coast Guard Atlantic area command public affairs officer Robert Wyman is now news chief at NASA Langley Research Center. Jeff Gehring has been promoted to president at AGe Aerospace & Defense's Aerospace Products subsidiary. Dr Rob Hunter, currently head of the UK Civil Aviation Authority's aviation health unit, has been appointed to the newly established position of head of safety and security at the British Airline Pilots Association. BALPA chairman captain Mark Searle says: "The creation of the new post reflects a concern that the industry is taking safety for

granted, but BALPA intends to make a difference." Passur Aerospace has promoted Ron Dunsky to senior VP marketing and communications and Tom White to senior VP technology and air traffic management, and hired former Northwest Airlines performance analysis managing director Christopher Maccarone as VP airline performance. The Asian Business Aviation Association has appointed JeanNoel Robert as chairman. And Ivan Christiansen has joined Baines Simmons from RollsRoyce, to head the UK-based safety consultancy's quality management division.

Hunter: safety at BALPA

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"I'm waiting with

interest for the report on the F-35s they are buying from Lockheed Martin

EADS chief executive LOUIS GALLOIS responds to suggestions by the UK National Audit Office that the Eurofighter was too expensive

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BUSINESS

BUSINESS BRIEFS

BBA FUELS GROWTH WITH $62.SM GE PURCHASE ACQUISITION UK support services firm BBA Aviation has acquired GE Aviation Systems' fuel measurement business in a $62.5 million cash deal. The GE legacy business specialises in manufacturing and overhauling fuel gauges and measurement systems for types including the Airbus A320 and A319 as well as the Boeing 777. BBA says it also intends to invest a further $7 million in working capital and fixed assets on top ofthe acquisition price. The business will become part of the BBA Aviation Ontic operation.

FRENCH CONTRACT BOOST FOR SABENA MAINTENANCE MRO provider Sa ben a Technics has won a contract with French air force support organisation SIMMAD to manage the repairable component stock for the arm's fleet of 52 Transall C160 transports. The contract will see Sabena operate from a dedicated site atthe French airforce base in Evreux and manage more than 1,400 components. The contract will run until the aircraft are phased out in seven to nine years.

FLY WARNS OVER RISING FUEL COSTS

LEASING Fly Leasing sees an upturn in the aviation market in terms of financing and pricing, but warns oil prices remain an industry concern that could soften aircraft demand. "Although we remain confident we are in the early stages of a cyclical recovery that could typically last three or four years, we are concerned about sudden increases in oil prices that could certainly dampen demand and perhaps cause a slowdown in the market," says Steve Zissis, director of the board of Fly Leasing.

SAAB NETS UPKEEP DEAL ON SWEDISH GRIPENS DEFENCE Saab has signed a SKr120 million ($19 million) agreement with Swedish defence material administration FMV for the upkeep of the 204 Gripen fighters delivered to the country's air force. The deal, which was an option initially proposed in December 2010, includes the provision oftechnical support, product maintenance, flight testing and simulators. Work will take place in the second quarter of 2011.

ETIHAD MAINTENANCE WIN FOR ENGINE ALLIANCE POWER PLANTS Middle Eastern carrier Etihad Airways has signed a long-term maintenance deal with Engine Alliance for the GP7200 powerplants that will power its Airbus A380s. Etihad in June 2009 confirmed an order for 45 GP7200 engines to power the 10 A380s that are scheduled to enter the carrier's fleet from 2014. It has signed up for a long-term fleet management agreement with the Pratt & Whitney/General Electric joint venture.

ANGLO-SPANISH VENTURE TARGETS ATC CONTRACTS AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL Spanish company Ferrovial Servicios, which owns airports operator BAA, has formed a joint venture with UK air navigation service provider NATS. FerroNATS will bid for ATC contracts at 13 airports tendered by the Spanish state-run Aeropuertos Espafioles y Navegaci6n Aerea agency.

SELEX GAll LEO WINS IRIDIUM CONTRACT

SATELLITES Selex Galileo is to provide 250 star tracker attitude sensors for the Iridium Next satellite constellation. The Finmeccanica subsidiary will develop three star trackers for each of the 81 satellites included in Iridium's next-generation constellation. It will deliver a simplified version of its AA-STR sensor under the deal.

15-21 March 20111 Right International I 29

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30 I Flight International I 15-21 March 2011

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CONTENTS 32 Gameon

35 Bold leaps forward 38 Rolling alone

41 Meet the flockers 43 Fair means or fowl

Virgin America's A320neo order triggered a contest between CFM International's Leap-X (top) and the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G; Flight 1549's Hudson river ditching (centre) focused attention

on avian threats; a US Department of Agriculture worker disperses birds at Langley AFB, Virginia (above)

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15"21 March 20111 Right International 1 31

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TECHNOLOGY

Virgin America's A320neo order triggered the first formal competition between the Leap-X and Pratt & Whitney engines

Gameon for2016

Airlines are starting to evaluate the new CFM Leap-X and Pratt & Whitney PWllOOG, expected to secure their first orders this year

BRENDAN SOBlE WASHINGTON DC

New-generation narrowbody engines have moved into the spotlight since the launch late last year ofthe Airbus A320neo, prompting dozens of carrier to start analysing the benefits and drawbacks of new powerplant technology.

Virgin America's A320neo order triggered the first formal competition between the CFM International Leap-X and Pratt & Whitney PW1100G. Two other carriers, India's IndiGo and Brazil's TAM, have signed memoranda of understanding to acquire A320neos, and as part of A320neo evaluations several major airlines are examining the two new engines, which account for most ofthe 15% fuel burn

32 I Flight International I 15-21 March 2011

improvement touted by Airbus for the reengining programme. Decisions are expected by mid-year.

However, the A320neo, due to enter service in the second half of 2016, is by no means a sure bet for any airline. Engine maintenance costs are one of the main question marks.

CFM and Pratt & Whitney are both promising lower maintenance costs, although the new powerplants' cores will run hotter than those of current -generation engines. Several potential customers, however, remain sceptical.

"We are very concerned about the life cycle and maintenance costs of new-generation engines," says Qatar Airways management adviser Stephen Vella.

"Engine manufacturers are trying to extract more and more from existing technology and some, in our opinion, have unrealistic expectations. This will affect reliability and on-wing time adversely, and therefore cost per engine flight hour. Maintenance cost and other extensive guarantees form an integral part of our engine selection process."

Life cycle and maintenance costs are also a concern oflow-cost airlines.

"We need to understand the logic better and we are working with manufacturers to understand this limitation," says AirAsia head of

engineering Azhari Dahlan. Lufthansa is also participating in the customer focus teams for both new engine programmes but has yet to receive sufficient data to be assured of lower maintenance costs, says Lufthansa group fleet management executive vice-president Nico Bucholz. "The only thing I see at the moment is the fuel burn. The maintenance costs, I'm yet to be convinced."

However, Virgin America chief executive David Cush voices confidence: "Everything we've seen says the engine will be on wing longer and have lower maintenance costs."

So far, Virgin America is more familiar with GTF technology, which is featured on the PW1100G. But "from everything we are hearing we should be able to get the same maintenance efficiencies" for the Leap-X, says Cush. He adds that both manufacturers are also making similar promises when it comes to reduced fuel burn.

The "true competition" is only beginning this month, ahead of a decision by the end of June but before signing its 3D-aircraft order in January, Virgin America had enough data on the two engines to be confident the A320neo will reach the 15% target, says Cush.

"Most people, when they talk about a new aircraft, they are talking about 20%, maybe am

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m few percentage points more, in terms of fuel efficiency gain," he notes. "The way we are looking at this is: we are getting three quarters of the efficiency gains with none of the headaches of a new fleet or a second fleet."

Commonality between the current-generation A320 and A320neo was the single biggest factor in Virgin America's decision to sign as A320neo launch customer, says Cush, citing 95% parts commonality and a cockpit that is "essentially the same". He adds: "The alternative for us is a new aircraft, and that ruins a lot of our economics."

Virgin America today operates 35 CFM56- powered A320-family aircraft. It expects to take eight more A320s by the end of 2011, another 10 in 2012, and another 30 current-generation A320s in the period from 2013 until delivery of its first of 30 A320neos in the second half of 2016.

Some of Virgin America's older A320s will start to come off lease in 2015 and 2016, but Cush envisages it operating a mixed fleet of current-generation A320s and Neos for "quite a long time".

Naturally, some carriers that have not yet committed to the A320neo are pushing for further fuel-burn improvements. "The manufacturers need to do more as fuel costs will continue to increase," says AirAsia's Azhari.

RANGE IS CRITICAL

In addition to fuel consumption and maintenance costs, factors in AirAsia's A320neo evaluation include maintenance time, MRO location, customer technical support, acquisition costs, future resale value and design suitability to the low-cost carrier model.

Last month, AirAsia deferred delivery of 10 A320s from 2012 to 2015, seeking "flexibility to switch" to a "new-generation A320 which is more fuel efficient". Azhari declines to say when AirAsia expects to make a decision on its post-2015 fleet.

Bucholz says Lufthansa's A320neo decision is not imminent. "We are evaluating that," he says. "It's something that, if all the elements are right, we would consider, but it's a bit early."

For Lufthansa, range is critical. The airline uses its A320s and Boeing 737s on shorter sectors than other operators. "We have in the group some 737 new generations, we have some 737 classics. The 737 classics are outperformed by far by the new generation of the A320s. [But] if you don't need that sort of operational capacity obviously you are paying for it on each flight," Bucholz says, referring to the extra range.

"That's why we still have the classics. You really need to see if the Neo just gives me that much more of what you don't need."

He adds that generally, when Lufthansa looks at new aircraft, the main question is:

341 Flight International 1 15-21 March 2011

CFM's Leap-X promises "reduced fuel burn"

"Do we get a tangible operational, environmental and economical benefit?"

For Qatar, the relevant factors are aircraft size, payload and range; take-off and en route performance; cabin layout dimensions and features; cargo capability; facilities impact; noise and emissions; aircraft systems philosophy and maturity; maintainability; commonality with existing fleet; product support quality, guarantees and warranties; and investment in spare parts, tooling and ground equipment.

"Each ofthese factors has a different degree of influence on the overall evaluation," says Vella. "New aircraft operating economics are benchmarked against the existing fleet in a proprietary evaluation model that brings together on the one hand forecast demand and yield to derive revenue, and on the other hand the variable and fixed costs associated with each ofthe aircraft types under evaluation to determine relative operating profit.

"Aircraft availability and net pricing do have a significant influence on the results, as do relative fuel burn and maintenance costs. The beauty of an evaluation model is that it

facilitates extensive sensitivity analysis of all evaluation variables so that we can understand how they influence the economic result. This is very useful during manufacturer negotiations." Qatar plans to make a decision "within the next six months, probably before the Paris air show", says Vella. "Our evaluation is focused on the A320neo and the [Bombardier] CSeries; it is not inconceivable that we might order both as they are distinct aircraft families optimised for different missions. The 737NG makes no sense for Qatar Airways as it does not deliver anything different than what we currently have on our new A320s."

In 2016 and 2017, A320neo slots are limited because it will take time to spool up production ofthe Leap-X and PWll00G. As a result Airbus will have to continue producing both the A320 and A320neo for some time.

"My suspicion is in the months to come Airbus will sell out of Neo positions fairly quickly," Cush says. "It was tough negotiating just to get the positions we did get."

Panama's Copa and South Africa's Comair, which have recently placed new 737NG orders, did not give the A320neo any serious consideration. "We remain very satisfied with the economics, passenger acceptance and reliability of the 737-800," says Copa senior vicepresident of operations Dan Gunn.

Comair joint chief executive Gidon Novick notes: "All the knowledge we have built up is with Boeing."

FUEL ECONOMICS

However, Novick acknowledges that "we'd love more" than the 2% fuel burn improvement being introduced later this year, as part of a package of 73 7NG improvements that includes the upgraded CFM56-7BE Evolution engine, and Gunn says Copa is "looking forward to the improved fuel economics which should give the aircraft an advantage on the long hauls relative to the current aircraft".

Meanwhile, Bill Ayer - chief of Alaska Air, which recently placed its first 737-900ER order - asserts: "We like the airplanes that Boeing produces and we are interested to see what they come up with next."

Boeing is not expected to start producing a new-generation narrowbody until early next decade, and many of its customers appear not to mind the wait as long as it ushers in a true step change in efficiency.

This raises a question: how big an advantage is there in scooping up early A320neo delivery slots, and is it big enough to entice Boeing to speed up its response?

"My gut feel is if Boeing goes forward with a new aircraft sometime in 2023 or 2025, that will be a more efficient aircraft than the Neo," says Virgin America's Cush. "The flip side is we'll have had seven or eight years of operating a much more efficient airplane." •

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NEXT GENERATION

P&W's work on its Generation 3 is pushing the boundaries of propulsive efficiencies

Bold leaps forward

US engine-makers are pursuing technology programmes aimed at realising radical efficiency gains in a 2025 time frame

JOHN CROFT EAST HARTFORD

Pratt & Whitney engineers are already procuring test equipment for the manufacturer's 2025-targeted next-generation geared turbofan - an engine that must be 15 % more fuel efficient than this decade's advanced turbofans for narrowbody airliners, in turn designed to be 15% more fuel efficient than today's powerplants.

Meanwhile, GE's Advanced engineering, technology and preliminary design group, working with NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration, is beginning high-speed windtunnel testing of new blade designs for the company's favoured next-generation civil engine: an unducted fan better known as the open rotor engine.

At the same time, the company's work with military organisations is advancing the state of the art in compressor, combustor and turbine technologies.

"It's the most exciting time in propulsion in the last 40 years, despite economic turmoil of late," says GE's executive for advanced engine systems, Dale Carlson. "The portfolio is rich with demonstrators and technologies. We're blazing a path for the future."

fl ightgloba I.com

Although both companies are mining technologies that will boost thermal and propulsive efficiencies to reach the long-term goals, P&W tends to trumpet propulsive efficiency gains while GE's focus is on thermal efficiency advances. A milestone for P&W's Generation 2 engine is the planned ground testing of the first prototype in 2014, to be followed by flight tests on the company's Mirabel-based Boeing 747SP testbed.

"We think we're so successful on the [PW1000G geared turbofan] in terms of market penetration because it was real in terms of demonstrations," says P&W vice-president of technology and environment Alan Epstein. "The company is putting resources into that for the next generation."

Progress toward that date has become more tangible, as P&W has ordered parts for a second fan drive gear system test facility - a companion site to one that exists for the PurePower GTF engines at the company's Middletown, Connecticut engine production facility. The

"It's the most exciting time

in propulsion in the last

40 years, despite economic tunnoil of late"

DALE CARLSON

Executive for advanced engine systems, GE

location of the new facility has not yet been determined. Details ofthe architecture ofthe next engine are beginning to emerge, including a bypass ratio of 15-20:1 compared with about 12:1 for the Bombardier CSeries PW1524G, subsonic fan flow as opposed to the 1524G's low supersonic flow, a planetary

fan drive gear system as opposed to the 1524G's fixed star gear arrangement, and a less conservative variable area nozzle for the nacelle. The work is being funded in part through the FAA's continuous lower energy, emissions and noise technology development programme, which aims to develop aircraft that bum 33% less fuel and emit significantly lower noise and emissions.

GE, as part of that programme, has begun high-speed windtunnel tests of a variety of new fan blade designs for its 2025 open rotor engine, after recently completing low-speed tests as part of a NASA programme.

Major challenges to reaping the 25 % reduction in fuel bum that a contra-rotating open rotor pusher engine would provide include lowering the noise to acceptable levels and developing a highly reliable pitch change mechanism for the blades. "The team has come up with innovative notions for pitch change mechanisms," says Carlson. "It shows great promise for reducing the complexity."

Despite the promise of open rotor from a physics standpoint, GE is readying alternate plans in case airframers choose a different path. "It's not just the open rotor configuration we're investigating," says Carlson. "It depends on what the marketplace decides. You can't put all your eggs in one tech basket."

SHARED RESOURCES

Research into a new design is unlikely to be wasted even if that particular configuration falls out of favour. "The process is to design a 2025 engine and a 2035 engine, seeing what technologies we need and seeing how those can be campaigned into current and legacy products," says Epstein of the P&W's Generation 2 and 3 work which began about three years ago. "We have the A-team on it, parttime." "Part-time" because the company's success in selling its Generation 1 "PurePower" geared turbofan engines to the likes of Airbus for the A320neo twinjet, Bombardier for the CSeries airliner, Mitsubishi for the MRJ regional jet and others has meant engineering resources must be shared.

"It's like filling a glass with a leak," Epstein says of the battle to keep advanced development staffed.

The engineers are pushing the boundaries of propulsive and thermal efficiencies to make the needed jumps in overall engine efficiency. The Generation 1 engine already boosts both the thermal and propulsive efficiencies compared with today's most efficient engines - the large high-bypass engines such as the GE90 or PW4000 for widebody aircraft like the Boeing 777. Future generations will continue the trend, with Generation 3 engines to be 15% more fuel efficient than Generation 2.

"I can see us growing unconstrained to 2035," says Epstein. Thermal efficiency - how m

15-21 March 20111 Right International I 35

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FUTURE AIRCRAFT ENGINES MUST BE 15% MORE FUEL EFFICIENT EVERY GENERATION

Reference V2500 EIS* 1988

15% lower fuel burn PW100G GTF engine EIS 2013-15

* Entry into service SOURCE: Pratt & Whitney

m well an engine converts its fuel to mechanical energy - tops out at about 55 % conversion efficiency in today's engines, says Epstein, but theoretically can be pushed as high as 82%.

"Higher" usually means running the core hotter, which, to be efficient, will require new materials in the compressor and high-pressure turbine rather than additional cooling air from the fan.

"Nickel's about out of oomph after 60 years," says Epstein. "Most of the benefit over the past few decades has been in casting technologies and thermal barrier coatings."

Options P&W and other engine manufacturers are looking into include ceramic matrix composites, titanium alumide and, potentially, nanomaterials like carbon nanotube-reinforced polymers.

"The big disadvantage is cost and risk for the exotic materials," says Epstein. "Cost is not a risk to the customer until they have to

45% lower fuel burn Gen 3 GTF engine EIS 2030-35

buy a replacement." GE has heavily invested in pushing thermal boundaries with new materials and techniques.

"If you look at what differentiates [the] GE product line, the number one thing to build a great engine is the high spool," says Carlson. "Thermal efficiency begins in the core."

THERMAL AND PROPULSIVE EFFICIENCY SET TSFC*

·~·l ~

30% lower fuel burn Advanced GTF engine EIS 2020-25

"Two percent of the fuel-burn decrease comes from the

larger fan and higher

bypass ratio"

BOBSAIA

P&W vice-president. next-generation product family

By 2035, a GE commercial aircraft engine could be 50% non-metallic, says Carlson. Last year the company successfully tested a lightweight CMC turbine blade in an F 404 engine, the "first time in the history of turbines that a

Overall efficiency (11th x Ilc)

0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6

0.8 - L - - - - - j_ - - - - I I I I

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0.3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I 0.2

Propulsive x transmission efficiency (Ilp)

* Thrust specific fuel consumption SOURCE: Pratt & Whitney

36 I Flight International I 15-21 March 2011

non-metallic has run successfully in the hot section", he recalls. Later this year, GE will test a new high-compression-ratio compressor on a test rig as part ofthe Air Force Research Laboratory's highly efficient embedded engine technology (Heete) programme.

While today's best compressors have a 23- 25:1 pressure ratio, the Heete target for this summer is a "30:1 class for potential notional products", says Carlson.

Propulsive efficiency - how well an engine coverts mechanical energy in the shaft to fan thrust - today tops out at less than 70% for the best widebody turbofans, a number P&W pushes up to around 70% for the first-generation PurePower narrowbody engine.

The P&W boost in propulsive efficiency that yields a 6% decrease in fuel burn is primarily due to the gear system. PurePower engines use a gearing arrangement whereby the low spool (the shaft connecting the low-pressure turbine and low-pressure compressor) is connected to a sun gear surrounded by captive star gears spinning on oil-lubricated journal bearings just behind the fan.

Outside the star gears is a ring gear that drives the fan. an arrangement that provides a roughly 3:1 gear ratio and allows the fan to spin about 30% more slowly than traditional non-geared engines while allowing the low spool to spin about twice as fast. meaning about four fewer low-pressure turbine stages. or 1.500 fewer aerofoils .

NEXT GENERATION

Even considering the added weight of the fan drive gear system - about 125kg (275Ib) - the weight savings from the reduction in aerofoils amounts to about 182kg per engine.

For the Generation 2 fan drive gear system. the star gears will be free to rotate. captured on the outside by a ring gear connected to the fan. and on the inside by the sun gear.

The planetary gear arrangement allows for a higher gear ratio for the same size fan drive gear systems, a needed modification given that the fan size must increase for the higher bypass ratio. and associated increased propulsive efficiency.

Bob Saia, P&W vice-president. next-genera-

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In P&W's PurePower engines a gear system drives the fan

tion product family, says 2% ofthe fuel-burn decrease comes from the larger fan and higher bypass ratio (about 11~12:1 for the Bombardier CSeries' PW1524G); 2% comes from having a shorter, faster, lighter low-pressure turbine; and 2% comes from having a variable area nozzle in the nacelle.

While turbofans typically use a relatively simple fixed exit nacelle, the physics of the GTF's slow-turning, large-bypass fan require

"Tube and wing will get you

through the mid·2020s and

will accommodate the best engine ... you can build, with a 15 or 18·20 [bypass ratio]"

ALAN EPSTEIN

P&W vice-president, technology and environment

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the nacelle's exit to be relatively large for takeoff and reverse-thrust operations to ensure that back-pressure does not subject the fan to potential flutter conditions. The same largearea nozzle needed to meet the high-power flutter margin criteria, however, is inefficient for the reduced power operations at cruise, where a narrower nozzle is desired to slow the flow through the engine for optimal fan performance, hence best fuel burn.

To optimise engine performance across the operating range, P&W and nacelle builder Goodrich developed a variable area nozzle with linear actuators that vary the exit area as commanded by each engine's digital controller. In the "open" or widest position, the nozzle protects against fan resonance, or flutter, on take-off and reverse-thrust operations.

In the closed position in cruise flight, the nozzle will provide the 2% reduction in fuel consumption. The controller will automatically adjust the nozzle for optimal engine performance, whether it be for fuel economy or noise, in other flight regimes as well.

CRANKED UP

Innovations in the Generation 1 engine will be cranked up to meet next-generation mandates. While Generation 1 engines have a bypass ratio in the 10-12:1 region, about twice the bypass ratio of CFM56 engines; Generation 2 will feature bypass ratios of 15-20:1 with subsonic fan flows to minimise noise.

"The constraint is that the engine has to fit," says Epstein, noting that P&W and Airbus were able to come up with a way to incorporate a 203cm (80in) diameter fan under the wing for the A320neo. "It's a much bigger fan than people thought you could do." For nextgeneration aircraft, a 15-18 bypass ratio can fit under a low-wing aircraft "but that doesn't mean it's optimal", says Epstein.

Things really get interesting after 2025.

"Tube and wing will get you through the mid- 2020s and will accommodate the best engine you know you can build, with a 15 or 18-20 BPR [bypass ratio]," says Epstein. "Once you get bigger than that, it's not going to fit... You have two choices, to preserve tube and wing, you have to go to more engines.

"The question is whether you can make the economics work out. It's a research issue. Can I come up with the four-engine solution with the value of [a] two-engine solution?"

It is such blue-sky thinking, unencumbered by today's architectures, that increases the pulse of visionaries such as Carlson and Epstein. At the conclusion of an interview about second- and third-generation roadmap, he makes a teasing observation: "I'm not even telling you what I'm most excited about." •

~ Read Kerry Reals' blogs on environmental ~4I initiatives by the aviation industry at flightglobal.comjthegreenwing

15-21 March 20111 Right International I 37

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Rolls-Royce has carried out extensive rig testing of

open-rotor technologies

STRATEGIC MARKETING

Rolling alone

Rolls-Royce decided to sidestep involvement in the A320neo and is focusing on technology for narrow- and widebody aircraft

ANDREW DOYLE LONDON

Rolls-Royce stands alone among the "big three" powerplant manufacturers in its reluctance to participate in Airbus's A320neo re-engining programme, arguing that only an all-new airframe application could justify the development costs involved.

"We couldn't make a valid business case out ofthat opportunity," says R-R vics-president for strategic marketing Robert Nuttall. "It's for other companies to decide their business case assumptions."

The UK manufacturer thinks re-engined airliners tend to stay in production for a relatively short period and are not sold in suffi-

381 Flight International I 15-21 March 2011

cient volumes to justify the investment. Instead, the company is focused on maturing technologies it believes will find their way into the new powerplants that will equip the clean-sheet 150-seat airliner designs likely to enter service in the next decade and beyond.

The key is that these aircraft - unlike re-engined versions of existing airliners - will be "fully optimised at a systems level, including infrastructure to some extent", says Nuttall. R-R's broad-brush approach is aimed at readying technologies that could be applied in twoor three-shaft engines towards the end of the decade, powering narrow- or widebody airlin-

"We see Advance 2 as our

option to come back into

[the lS0·seat] market"

ROBERT NUTTALL

Vice-president for strategic marketing, Rolls-Royce

ers. Boeing recently indicated it may move to offer a new narrowbody family to replace the 737 for service entry as early as 2020.

"We said last year that we believed that successful business for an aeroengine manufac-

turer lay within new aircraft and new engines, closely optimised and integrated, and clearly a new Boeing aircraft fits right into that definition. Obviously we would be interested in that application," says Nuttall.

MYRIAD RESEARCH PROGRAMMES

The technologies being studied at R-R are bundled into Advance 2, which includes twoshaft engines for corporate, regional and some narrowbody airliners, in roughly the 16,000-25,000Ib-thrust (70-110kN) range; Advance 3 (three-shaft engines that could power larger narrowbodies, in addition to widebodies); and open rotor.

These are made up of myriad research programmes, looking at small components all the way up to full engines that amalgamate several projects.

"We see Advance 2 as our option to come back into [the 150-seat] market when there is an appropriate aircraft that we believe we will have the longevity to make a solid business case for us," says Nuttall.

The Trent XWB - in development for the Airbus A350 long-range widebody - "slides into" Advance 3 as there is a "strong linkage" between the two, says Nuttall. "We may take m

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m Advance 3 down to way below where the Trent exists today," he adds, as the three-shaft architecture could be an attractive proposition for larger narrowbodies too.

He points out that one of the two engine options for the out-of-production Boeing 757 narrowbody was the three-shaft RB211-535. However, at lower thrust levels the components of a three-shaft engine could become too small to be practical.

Despite the fact that the two-shaft, large-fan engines offered by its competitors provide similar performance in terms of fuel burn, "we believe there is a distinct advantage to threeshaft engines", says Nuttall.

"There are certainly benefits in terms ofthe ruggedness and stiffness of the engine, and weight," he adds.

R-R's fan and combustor technology studies are generally applicable to both Advance 2 and 3. However, compressor technology is bespoke, depending on the number of shafts in the engine.

Both Advance projects are targeted at delivering a 15-20% reduction in fuel burn compared with the engines they will replace, while providing a similar reduction in noise.

Open rotor is "more 2023-2025 in timescale" and "pretty much targeted at the middle of the market, something like 25,000-35,0001b ofthrust", says Nuttall.

"We are still convinced that this is the only potential game changer."

EXTENSIVE TESTING

Fuel-bum improvement would be about 10% over an equivalent advanced turbofan, but the open rotor would be noisier, although still "quieter than anything flying today".

R-R has already carried out extensive rig testing of open-rotor technologies, and is working with the airframers to understand the installation issues.

The Environmentally Friendly Engine three-shaft core technology demonstrator is based on a fan-less Trent 1000 donor engine, "which we understand better than any other engine we've ever produced", says Nuttall. The tests in Bristol, UK involve several different engine "builds", each of which incorporates a range of experiments. The two-shaft E3E (efficiency, environment, economy) core testbed in Stuttgart, Germany incorporates "the most efficient two-shaft compressor in the world", says Nuttall.

This has already been run at sea level and at altitude. The next set of tests involve "more detailed work", which are "important as a test vehicle for whatever happens in the narrowbody, corporate and regional markets", says Nuttall.

In parallel, two sets of tests for open rotor are being run. One involves a gearbox rig, and in the third quarter of 2011 R-R will run an-

40 I Flight International I 15-21 March 2011

lightweight composite fan system

ENGINE IMPROVEMENTS BUILDING ON EXISTING SUBSYSTEM TECHNOLOGY

3D blisk. E3E Trent XWB

SOURCE: Rolls·Royce

other rig test to optimise the rotor design using its one-sixth-scale open-rotor assembly.

A European programme has been proposed to test-fly a full-scale open-rotor demonstrator as part of the Clean Sky research project, but it would take around six years to reach that milestone, and another six to certificate such a powerplant for an airframe application, meaning it would be the middle of the next decade at the earliest before an open-rotor engine could enter service.

R-R's advanced low-pressure systems study covers composite fans and fan cases, as well as lightweight low-pressure turbines. These technologies will ultimately be flight -tested in a Trent 1000.

At the components level, specific studies are focused on composite fan blades and fan cases. "A bit of an issue for us is that our titanium blade is so good that it is actually lighter than most companies' composite blades, so we have to wait for a technology step so that we can move to composite for the next generation," says Nuttall.

BETIER AERODYNAMICS

Low-pressure turbine blades are large compared with high-pressure blades, and therefore offer greater potential for weight reduction. "We're looking there at titanium aluminide as a material for the blades." Meanwhile, says Nuttall, "we are always pursuing better aerodynamics.

"Managing the air fluid through an engine is our number one job, and the biggest tool to do that is advanced computing. As we get more and more accurate data on what the air

Lean burn combustion ALEC SYS 3D

High-temperature shroud less high-pressure turbine. E3E, EFE

is doing we can do a better job of designing the aerofoils," he adds.

A lean-burn combustion system study known as Alecsys covers the entire fuel system. Lean-burn combustors have the potential to significantly reduce NOx.

"The trade there is that you increase complexity and weight, because of the extra burners," says Nuttall.

"In the compression section we're looking at blisks. There will be blisks in the XWB and we're looking to extend that. They've got performance, maintenance, and manufacturing benefits."

Air from the compressor is used to cool components throughout an engine. "If we waste any of that, we've wasted fuel to produce it," says Nuttall. "Therefore if we can improve the sealing within the engine we're saving fuel burn all the way down the line."

Taken together, the studies of the Advance 2 and 3 cores, composite fans and combustor technology "cover a range of architectures, derisk them and prove that what our designers say will happen, will happen", says Nuttall. "It's a very comprehensive, broad set oftechnology building blocks that we can assemble into two-shaft, three-shaft and - with the exception of the fan - the open rotor.

"Basically, we're sweating every part of the engine to get the ultimate out of it. We've defined a 15-year programme, but it's all got to end up in a commercial engine and it's all got to have a benefit for customers." •

~ Jon Ostrower, also known as RightBlogger, ~4I analyses Rolls·Royce strategy at flightglobal.comjflightbloggerrolls

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DAMAGE CAUSED BY BIRDSTRIKE TO A320'S PORT SIDE CFM56 ENGINE

Cutaway

John Mar.sden AMRAeS Fiightglobal/Archivl"

SOURCE: FlightglobaljTim Bicheno-Brown

BIRD STRIKES

Meetthe 'lockers

Two years after Flight 1549's Hudson ditch, regulators ponder avian threat and changes to the powerplant certification process

JOHN CROFT WASHINGTON DC

Anew analysis under way in the USA and Europe will determine whether "large" flocking birds - those weighing more than 1.13kg (2.5Ib) each - are a growing threat to narrowbody aircraft and, as such, should be part of the engine certification criteria.

Heightening the expectations of the work, which began in 2009, are several recommendations by the US National Transportation Safety Board from its wrap "up of the January 2009 ditching of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson river.

In that accident, both of the A320's CFMIn· temational CFM56-5B engines simultaneously ingested several Canada geese on the climb out from New York's LaGuardia airport. The

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birds, which weigh on average 3.6kg each, were ingested into the engines and cores, causing a near-total loss of tl1TUSt.

Wildlife experts say the population growth among such large birds is cause for concern. "We have a lot more large birds out there today than we used to," says Richard Dolbeer, a retired US Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientist and wildlife hazard consultant. "Almost all of the large birds over 1.81kg have increased, many of them dramatically."

Data compiled by the European Aviation Safety Agency shows that worldwide, from 1999 to 2008, large flocking birds accounted for a full 45% of all reported birdstrike accidents, by far the largest contributor across all sizes of bird.

Dolbeer says the Canada goose is the most problematic of the large birds in the USA, with the resident year-round population increasing from 1 million birds in 1990 to 3.5 million now. Similarly, the snow goose population in central and eastern North America

~'Almost all of the large birds over 1.81kg have increased, many of them dramatically" RICHARD DOLBEER

Wildlife hazard consultan t

has gone from 1 million birds in 1970 to as many as 4 million now. "What makes it so dangerous is that when we certify, it's a single large bird going into one engine," he says. "We don't talk about flocks going into both engines." The bird ingestion analysis under way by the government/industry bird-ingestion rulemaking database group comes nearly a decade after the same group delivered a report that led to new Federal Aviation Administration "large flocking bird" engine certification requirements in 2007.

Among other new criteria, the rules required manufacturers of larger engines - those with 2.5m2 (27ft2) inlet area or larger, or about a 178cm (70in) fan diameter - to ingest a single 1.81-3.6kg bird (the larger the engine, the larger the bird) and continue to maintain at least 50% thrust for 20min, including one goaround on return to the airport .. For comparison, a snow goose typically weighs about 2.5kg. The test did not, however, apply to narrowbody engines such as the CFM56, which has an inlet diameter of about 165cm.

By way of certification, narrowbody engines have to survive a battery of bird collision tests - typically with much smaller birds than geese, however.

Engines like the CFM56 or Engine Alliance ~ V2500 have two specific tests - a "small and~

15-21 March 20111 Flight International141

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Both of Flight 1549's CFM56-5B engines simultaneously ingested several Canada geese

m medium flocking birds" test and a single "large bird" test. The flocking bird test requires the engine to continue providing at least 75 % thrust for 20 minutes after ingesting a mix of 0.68kg and 1.81kg birds, some of which must be directed into the core. A herring gull typically weighs about 1.13kg.

For the large bird test, which involves shooting a 1.81-2.5kg bird into the fan spinning at full power, the engine is not required to continue performing, but it must not detach from the aircraft or catch fire and pilots must be able to shut it down.

An engine the size of a CFM56 is required to withstand a hit by one 2.72kg bird in the large bird test. Larger widebody engines, like the GE90, are subject to the small and medium flocking bird test as well as the large single bird test, but also the large flocking bird test for which the engine must continue to develop 50% thrust for 20min. For each test, the size or number of birds varies upward with the size of the engine.

BIRDSTRIKE DATA

The NTSB, after its May 2010 final meeting on the Hudson river accident, asked the FAA to have the bird-ingestion rulemaking advisory group determine if the 2007 large-flockingbird engine requirement should apply to smaller engines such as the CFM56, with inlet areas less than 2.5m2•

CFM's analysis of the Hudson river A320 engines shows that large portions of the geese not only damaged the engine fans, which provide 80% or more of an engine's thrust, but also significantly damaged core components

42 I Flight International I 15-21 March 2011

FLIGHT PHASE OF BIRDSTRIKES

Manoeuvring

1% ------,

En route 15%

Take-off 48%

SOURCE: EASA

in the low- and high-pressure compressor, combustor and turbines (see infographic). The bird-ingestion group, assembled under the auspices of the Aerospace Industries Association, plans to complete its work and report back to the FAA by summer, but officials are not saying what their initial look at the data from thousands of birds trikes is showing.

"The working group has agreed that the core ingestion element of the overall bird ingestion threat needs closer evaluation against the safety objective of the rule, and against our standard practices for conducting such tests," says the FAA. "At this time no final conclusion has been reached."

Included with the EASA, the FAA, Airbus and Boeing in the rulemaking committee are engine makers General Electric, Honeywell, Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce.

The FAA will in turn respond to the NTSB recommendation. Engine manufacturers developing new-generation engines are spending significant resources on new fan designs, a

process complicated by comprehensive birdingestion survival criteria, even with today's criteria.

To handle a larger bird, a fan blade must be able to withstand higher forces, which in turn may require a stronger, heavier material, which requires a stronger, heavier hub mechanism; a thicker, heavier blade-out containment case; and sturdier bearings, shafts and engine mounts.

TAKE-OFF POWER

"A Pratt & Whitney internal study showed that adding a tiny amount of material to a fan blade, equivalent to the thickness of two sheets of copy paper, could result in more than 45kg of extra engine weight due to the required structural compensation," says P&W flight safety investigations lead Christopher Demers in a 2009 paper presented at the Bird Strike North America conference.

A fan blade at take-off power can travel as fast as 1,400ft/s (427m/s) at the tip, which can result in bird impact velocities of 850kt (1,570km/h), says Demers. "This imposes a significant impact load on the fan blade, an impact force which is roughly equivalent to dropping a men's bowling ball on to the fan blade from about 10ft."

Improvements to engines over time, some driven by the bird threat, include increased spacing between the fan and the core as bypass ratio increases (making it less likely that a bird enters the core), wide-chord fan blades with greater flexibility and mass per blade, new vane-retention methods that hold the aerofoils in place during and after a birdstrike, fan-blade leading-edge geometry, new fanspinner construction methods, engine-bleed architecture and foreign object damage engine control logic, says Demers.

Except for a few isolated events such as US Airways Flight 1549, aircraft have made it back to the airport after birdstrikes, although costs have not been insubstantial. A list of incidents compiled by the USDA reveals damage that Flight International estimates to total more than $200 million during a 10-year period, just for bird hits to engines - the USDA estimates only about 40% of birdstrikes are reported. Regardless of what the rulemaking committee and the FAA decide, engine makers say their options are limited for making engines more robust while maintaining the operational economy increasingly demanded by airlines.

That reality is putting the prevention focus on technology for trying to keep birds away from an aircraft - for instance new lighting systems that scare the birds - and on airports, using habitat measures and scare tactics, to keep the animals away from the location where they are most likely to meet with an engine .•

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BIRD STRIKES

Fairmeans or fowl

What are governments and airports doing to stop birds - and other wild animals - from ever meeting aircraft engines?

ALAINA MABASO PHILADELPHIA

Following a loud boom just after an August 2000 take-off from Los Angeles, a KLM Boeing 747 began spewing flames as falling pieces of its Number 3 engine narrowly missed beach-goers below.

The pilot dumped 83t of fuel over the ocean before making an emergency landing. Not until next day could the 449 passengers board another flight, and aircraft repairs totalled $400,000. The cause of all the trouble? A single western gull ingested at take-off.

Birds can pose a hazard not just to an aircraft's engines but to its wings, nose, windshield and fuselage. Most damage can be repaired, but not all: the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) wildlife service reports that 210 aircraft were totally destroyed by strikes between 1998 and February 2009.

The governmentlindustry Bird Strike Committee USA, of which the USDA is a member, reports that civil aircraft sustained over 9,000 wildlife strikes in 2010, while the US Air Force reported about 5,000. The USDA partners the Federal Aviation Administration in recording, studying and preventing collisions between wildlife and aircraft.

US commercial aviation alone accounts for almost 30 million arrivals and departures annually. As the populations of bird and animal species commonly involved in "wildlife strikes" rise, habitat lost to industrial and residential development increasingly forces wildlife into runways and airspace where they most often are ingested into engines.

What can be done to reduce the risks? A three-pronged plan of action for airports is suggested by Mike Begier, national co-ordinator for the USDA's airport wildlife hazards programme. The first step is ecological and environmental: noting what species reside in the area, and what features of the airport land could attract them. Airports can request wildlife hazard assessments from the USDA.

Commercial airports are required by the FAA to conduct wildlife hazard assessments when "an aircraft experiences a multiplewildlife strike, an engine ingestion of wildlife, or substantial damage from striking wildlife".

Regulations also require airports must do the assessment if personnel note wildlife have

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A US Department of Agriculture worker disperses birds at Langley AFB

TYPES OF BIRD INVOLVED IN STRIKES

access to any flight pattern or ground area. However, under a notice of proposing rulemaking planned for the third quarter of this year, all commercial service airports will be required to perform an assessment regardless of whether a "triggering event" has occurred.

The FAA mandates implementation of the individualised wildlife hazard management plans that result from assessments.

These plans focus on the control of attractants, including trash, standing water, grasses and shrubs. Mowing grass to the right height

is crucial, as is promoting a monoculture in- m

Single small bird 2%

r---Small bird flock 2%

SOURCE: EASA

15-21 March 20111 Right International I 43

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m stead of diverse vegetation. Begier says that to wildlife, an airport with only one type of grass is like an unappetising salad bar that has only iceberg lettuce.

Selective use of herbicides can eradicate the plants that attract wildlife.

Drainage ponds, an airport necessity, are less appealing to waterfowl if they feature steep, inaccessible sides, a long, narrow shape, and additions like plastic balls or wire grids that crowd the water.

HAZARD ASSESSMENTS

The USDA's wildlife services programme has some level of representation at 70% of certificated US airports, be it through visits to conduct wildlife hazard assessments or full-time on-site airport staff. In 2009, this included 612 civil airports, 120 civil/military joint-use facilities and 90 military bases.

However, it is impossible to keep total control over what attracts wildlife, so techniques to scare or harass wildlife out of the area are required as the second line of defence. Some methods are visual, and some rely on frightening sounds. Common devices include noiseproducing propane cannons preset to blast at certain intervals. At Baltimore-Washington

LOCATION OF BIRD STRIKE DAMAGE

Engine Windshield

44% 13% '\.

\~*~ 'I" !

Nose 8%

is that birds are intelligent, he says. The advanced social development of large, flocking birds like geese makes them highly adaptable. Begier says that narrow airport drainage ponds make it easier to scare fowl off the water by driving trucks close by, but Fergus drily suggests counting how many parking-lot crows and gulls are deterred by cars once they learn that the vehicles are not a threat.

If environmental or harassment measures fail, the unfortunate last resort is "depredation" or "lethal control". The paramount concern for human safety sometimes requires that firearms are used on-site to kill wildlife that cannot be removed any other way.

Begier's programme lies amid strata of state and federal agencies that deal with specific regulations and permits for harassment, relocation and depredation, particularly for endangered or sensitive species. He emphasises that US wildlife and its habitat are in the public trust: depredation "doesn't happen in a vacuum" because "anyone expects that any work dealing with [the wildlife] is done the right way", through appropriate scientific and governmental agencies.

This helps to prevent incidents like a 1990 event in which several deer were struck on

SOURCE: EASA

International airport, tower staff have digital control of ground cannons when problem birds are spotted.

Other scare tactics include various pyrotechnics, while visual methods make use shiny Mylar tape and even lasers. However, the risks to pilots' eyes on take-off and landing mean these are often limited to hangars.

Pennsylvania-based ornithologist Rob Fergus - an expert on urban ecology and the interactions between people and birds - elaborates on the difficulties of scaring birds away from airports. The problem with any measure to deter birds, from loud noises to scarecrows,

BIRD IDENTIFICATION

HOW FEATHER CLUES CAN SAVE LIVES

"THE FEATHERS were allover," says Mike Begier, national co-ordinator for the US Department of Agriculture's airport wildlife hazards programme. The biologist had been called on by the investigating National Transportation Safety Board to help identify the birds that caused the "miracle on the Hudson" ditching of US Airways flight 1549 in January 2009.

When Begier examined them, the engines of the Airbus A320 were full of feathers and tissue. It was eventually determined that several Canada geese caused the crash, with at least two ingested into one engine and at least one into the other. The end results even determined the sex of the ingested birds, and that they had been migratory rather than local.

Samples like the ones Begier collected from the Hudson-doused engines have only just begun a scientificjourney. When bird remains are recovered from inside jet engines, the offending species is not clear. Sometimes whole feathers or even body parts can be recovered, but other times proof ofthe strike

can also vary with the time of year and the bird's age and sex.

The Federal Aviation Administration urges that designated forms be used to report all birdstrikes, and the Feather Identification Lab offers specific guidelines for the collection and mailing of remains.

The airport wildlife hazards programme is working to increase proper strike reporting by simplifying the collection process.

Begier displays a prototype of a "universal bird strike collection kit". It looks a little like a DVD case, but in addition to an instructional DVD contains sterile gloves, the FAA wildlife strike form and "DNA cards" designed to hold swabs of blood or tissue when feathers are unavailable. As there is no 100% effective method of keeping birds away from aircraft, it is crucial to learn as much as possible from each incident to prevent future strikes by anticipating birds' behaviours and movements. Knowing the bird's species provides a wealth of information on its range, diet, migrations and habits .•

Feathers can reveal the birds' species, age and sex

always determine exact species but can pinpoint a type of bird. Finally, when needed, available DNA evidence can be used to say exactly what species was involved.

441 Flight International I 15-21 March 2011

is little more than a dent with a smear of blood or tissue - evidence called "snarge". These samples arrive at the Feather Identification Lab at Washington DC's Smithsonian Institution, where biologists determine the remains' species. With the world's third-largest collection of bird remains onsite, the first step to identifying recognisable remains is a visual comparison. The second identification tool is microscopic examination offeathers, which cannot

BIRDSTRIKE REPORTS

It might seem strange that such an exhaustive method is necessary to find out what bird struck an aircraft, but beyond the fact that many remains are unrecognisable without microscopes, the appearance of intact feathers within one species

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At Baltimore-Washington International airport, propane cannons are fired at fixed intervals to scare birds

the runway by a Hawker Siddeley aircraft taking off in Tennessee. The aircraft's left engine tore loose from the aircraft upon completely ingesting a deer.

Deer account for about 2% of all wildlife strikes, Begier, and a "no tolerance" policy applies to the species at airports because almost 90% of deer/aircraft collisions result in significant damage, often to sensitive landinggear.

SUNBATHING ALLIGATOR

Other problem species vary by location and include coyotes, elk, moose, and the 3.4m (11ft) sunbathing alligator whose removal from a Carolina nmway required a dozen men. Begier and Fergus concede that there is no foolproof method for eradicating wildlife from airports.

However, Begier is optimistic about the success of wildlife hazard management plans in reducing airport wildlife strikes, noting that since these efforts became widespread in the 1980s there has been a downward trend in airport-area birdstrikes at or below 500ft.

The European Aviation Safety Agency reports that low-flying aircraft are at the greatest

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risk of strikes. Nearly half of birds trikes worldwide between 1999 and 2008 occurred at takeoff and almost a third at approach, so any success in assessing and managing wildlife hazards at airports is significant.

However, there has been no corresponding drop in birdstrikes over 500ft. EASA puts worldwide "en-route" collisions with birds at 15% of total strikes, and Begier admits that the prevention of strikes at higher altitudes is in its infancy, with a near-total lack of official procedures for pilots who encounter birds in the air.

Migrating flocks pose the greatest risk, says Fergus, and there is little that can be done except study their habits and learn to avoid them. Studies on avian physiology suggest that certain wavelengths of light deter birds, activating the same need to flee that an encounter with a predator would.

In a 1990 incident, a Hawker Siddeley's left engine tore

loose from the aircraft upon completely ingesting a deer

Although the effectiveness of this would vary with atmospheric conditions and also with different species, this knowledge could inform design of aircraft lights that help keep birds away.

Fergus advises that some collisions will always be inevitable, as no bird in the path of an aircraft has the speed to escape.

Radar can offer a wealth of information on bird hazards and, although it often lacks the crucial ability to determine what species is approaching, technological advances are beginning to allow radar analysis of individual wing-beats which will help to distinguish different species.

Many birdstrikes mean little more than a sudden landing and, in the case of a 1998 vulture strike over Texas, the smell of "freshly baked bird" in the cockpit.

Generally, wildlife strikes pose less of a threat than pilot error, Fergus insists.

However, the risks are real, and the growing use of wildlife hazard assessments and their resulting management plans indicate that the best solutions rely on our ability to adapt to the biology and behaviour of the ones who were flying long before we were .•

15"21 March 20111 Right International 1 45

OBITUARY

For an appreciation of "the father of the Su-27" marking his 80th birthday on 2009, visit flightglobal.comjsimonov

Mikhail Simonov

As an innovative general director of the Sukhoi Design Bureau, he moulded the organisation's modern identity as a maker of agile fighters and led Russia's march on to the global market

Interviewing Mikhail Simonov was not always conducive to meeting tight deadlines. As one former Flight International journalist recalls, the experience usually ended with an upturned vodka bottle, stubs of unfiltered cigarettes and a mess of hazy notes to be reconstructed later - after a required interval for recovery.

But as the former general director of the Sukhoi Design Bureau, Simonov, who died on 4 March after a long illness, is more richly drawn than the easy caricature of a boozy, Soviet-era bureaucrat.

In Simonov's career, there were two defining achievements. Either one alone could have established his legacy as the most important figure of modern Russian aviation.

After becoming chief designer of the Su-27 Flanker in 1976, Simonov fixed the fatal flaws of the first T-10 prototypes, leaving only the ejection seat and landing gear untouched in his comprehensive redesign of Oleg Samoylovich's original concept.

The result moulded Sukhoi's modem identity as a maker of highly agile fighters that remain controllable even in extreme regimes of angle of attack and low speed.

Simonov's second defining achievement came after January 1983, the month he was appointed general designer of the Sukhoi Design Bureau.

A sometimes divisive figure - he reportedly banned the rehiring of engineers who fled Sukhoi amid the industrial turmoil ofthe early 1990s - Simonov seemed an unlikely leader of a large and sophisticated workforce.

But he quickly adapted to a new economic reality as the USSR collapsed, pioneering exports of the Su-27 - a prize of Soviet combat power - to former rivals in China and India. Even before the Soviet Union's fall, Simonov pressed the perestroika reforms to their limit, parading the Su-27 in 1989 not only in Paris, but in seemingly random venues, such as an air show in Oklahoma City.

Simonov's embrace of a globalised arms market allowed Sukhoi to survive even as the Mikoyan Gurevich (MiG) design bureau faded in relevance. It was Sukhoi that continued iunovating in the depths of the postCommunist reforms, with first flight of the forwardswept-wing Su-37 Berkut in 1997.

But Simonov's personal clashes evidently took a toll.

It was reported that Russia's air force chief refused to attend the Berkut's first flight event because of a personal feud with Simonov. The Russian press also reported grumblings from Sukhoi's factories, which resented a perceived disproportion in the distribution of revenues with Simonov's design house.

By the end of the 1990s, it had also become clear that Simonov's costly, decade-long work on the Berkut was a technological dead-end, not a stepping-stone to a fifthgeneration fighter to succeed the Su-27. Simonov's other passion - deploying a supersonic transport for the civil market - also led to nothing.

In 1999, on the eve of the Paris air show that wit-

46 I Flight International I 15-21 March 2011

Simonov: an epoch in Russian aviation

nessed a spectacular crash of an Su-27 caused by pilot error, Sukhoi's board of directors stripped Simonov of his title as general director, but allowed him to keep the title of chief designer.

Simonov was succeeded as Sukhoi's boss by Mikhail Pogosyan, who now leads United Aircraft, a corporation that includes Sukhoi and MiG under the same umbrella.

Pogosyan paid tribute to his former superior:

"Mikhail Petrovich Simonov is an epoch in domestic aviation. This was a man who had a vision and knew how to take risks for future success."

Seven years ago, Simonov explained to Russia's Izvestia newspaper the design philosophy that guided how he shaped a family of Flankers, including the Su- 27, Su-30, Su-33 and Su-34, and a series of aerobatic aircraft - the Su-26, Su-29 and Su-31.

"An aircraft is designed as if by itself," Simonov said.

"We know what performance and dimensions the radar should have, and fitted behind it should be a set of electronic equipment identifying position of the aircraft in flight, then comes the cockpit with the ejection seat, and avionics section accommodating all electronic devices controlling the aircraft.

"This way the first part of the aircraft makes its appearance. Then we have to ensure superiority over the enemy - better flight performance, better attack angles. We choose what wings it should have. Thus, step by step the aircraft takes shape. After it happens, we have to decide where to mount missiles, where to put engines, where to pour fuel. If we drew the aircraft first, and then tried to squeeze everything inside, nothing would fit there." • Mikhail Simonov, born 1929, died 2011

tlightglobal.com

flight.international@flightglobal.com

LETTERS

FLIGHT

INTERNATIONAL

We welcome your letters on any aspect of the aerospace industry.

Please write to: The Editor, Flight International, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey 5M2 SAS, UK.

Or email flight.international@ flightglobal.com

The opinions on this page do not necessarily represent those of the editor. Letters without a full postal address supplied may not be published. Letters may also be published on flightglobal.com and must be no longer than 250 words.

Tails: often "undamaged"?

Is the tail ideal for the recorder?

When I saw a picture of the floating vertical tail of the Air France flight 447 Airbus A330-200 in the Atlantic Ocean, I started wondering if the vertical tail is not a better position for the flight data recorder rather than the rear fuselage?

Searching through other aircraft wreckage pictures, I often see an "undamaged" vertical tail standing out, even when the air-

TRAINING

A breath of fresh air

In response to Capt A L Stephenson's letter "Think hard before training" (Flight International, 1-7 February), there are small signs of green shoots, recovering the industry to more responsible methods of funding pilot recruitment.

Today, a number of cadet type pilots flying jet transport aircraft are self-sponsored through intermediary companies, lacking the comprehensive sponsored selection processes ofthe past.

It is true that some standalone training organisations have strict selection criteria and have gained good reputations. However, some would argue that not all organisations hold such reputations. Real talents that would ultimately produce a flight safety benefit by virtue of their assessed potential ability may lie untapped because offinance.

In the past it was deemed sensible to progress after basic training on to a turboprop fleet. This was achieved successfully by several carriers having the benefits of career progression and allowed basic handling skills to develop with less energy and technical demands than that posed by swept-wing jets.

I would, however, accept that with the right level of enhanced training package some young very talents are capable of immediate jet transition.

The recent advertisement for cadet pilots sponsored by Thomas Cook working in conjunction with Flybe is a breath of fresh air.

As airlines, both Thomas Cook and Flybe ought to be congratulated for their collaboration and safe approach to selecting and producing high-quality, cost-effective airline pilots ofthe future. In turn this realises lessons learnt from the past.

Bob Jamieson

West Sussex, UK

craft is otherwise destroyed or burned out.

The exact numbers, vertical tail versus tail section survi vability are not known, but may be worth investigating.

Capt Ton van Geldrop

Bergisch G/adbach, Germany

Naval Typhoon ticks the boxes

I disagree with A Gorton in his letter about adapting the Eurofighter Typhoon for naval opera-

tions (Flight International, 22-28 February).

The scope of modification needed is not great to adapt the Typhoon as it is blessed with sheer power. The aircraft's engines have scope for growth and, with vectored thrust, enable the aircraft to take off, or land, at slower speeds.

As for catapults? So last year.

All other aircraft need them, but not the Typhoon. The cost of adding catapults? A mind-wateringf750 million ($1.22 billion).

f.I JOIN THE DEBATES ON flightglobal.comj airspace Iberia order, Etihad cancellation, why EADS has to accept ruling

IBERIA ORDERS A33()'300S Looking to the numbers they are probably replacing only the A340-300s, not the newer -600s. HAL9000

fl ightgloba l.corn

ETIHAD CANCELS FOUR 787S With the problems Boeing has had with this programme, I'm surprised more orders haven't been cancelled.

Mark77

EADS NOT TO APPEAL

EADS can't win since it lost on cost factors. Its technical proposal was acceptable but its costs were unaffordable.

denis9229

And the claim about not being able to see the carrier on approach - perhaps Mr Gorton has not heard about the Typhoon's new pilot's helmet.

Modifications will be needed, but nothing startling. For sheer performance, even with the current engines, nothing comes close - just ask Boeing F / A-18 and Sukhoi pilots who have come up against it.

P Webberley

Warton, Lancashire, UK

No to Nimrod, yes to Poseidon

One of your correspondents (Flight International, 8-14 February) wants BAe Nimrods to fly again. But Nimrods should never have been built because they were derived from the de Havilland Comet, which was introducedin 1952.

Three of the airliners exploded in 1953 and 1954 because the metal fuselage was too thin. Only 100 strengthened Comets were sold, but 1,800 Boeing 707s.

In 2006 a Nimrod blew up in Afghanistan killing all 14 aircrew because of a fuel leak. The coroner condemned the Royal Air Force's cavalier approach to safety and called for the fleet of 15 Nimrods to be grounded.

The Labour government did so in March 2010. The RAF should consider buying the Boeing P-8A Poseidons.

Tony Hall

Harpenden, Hertfordshire, UK

Why not use Brize Norton?

You report (Flight International, 1-7 March) on an idea to use RAF Northolt to ease Heathrow's capacity shortage. That doesn't really make sense due to Northolt's short runway.

Why not use RAF Brize Norton, with its 3,000m (10,000ft) runway to provide more capacity. Brize Norton is only about 100km (60 miles) from London and for anyone about to complete a long-haul flight, 100km is insignificant.

Dudley Newiss

Lytham St. Annes, Lancashire, UK

15-21 March 20111 Right International 147

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52 I Flight International I 15-21 March 2011

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FIN 150311 052-057:Flight Rec Template Q& 10/3/11 10:2~page 53

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QUALITY ASSURANCE - monitors the airworthiness by ensuring compliance to company, industry and government regulations in achieving highest standard of safety, and maintain oversight on aircraft maintenance standard through robust monitoring of maintenance organisation.

TECHNICAL SERVICES - ensures the continuous airworthiness and operational excellence of the fleet by managing the preventive aircraft maintenance programmes, developing and implementing modifications on aircraft systems, structure, powerplant and cabin through close liaison with suppliers, manufacturers, maintenance organisations and airworthiness authorities.

MAINTENANCE SUPPORT - provides round the clock specialist technical support to operating flight and maintenance crews.

PLANNING - implements and manages fleet maintenance programmes in a highly efficient and strictly controlled manner to achieve maximum aircraft availability and cost effectiveness.

CONFIGURATION & DATA STANDARDS - manages engineering data to ensure data integrity for compliance and engineering operation.

To join us, you will possess relevant formal training and education coupled with at least 5 years of hands-on experience in the aviation field. Excellent interpersonal, communication and project management skills are essential. You need to be a self-starter and an effective team player with a strong motivation to achieve. Willingness to work with different cultures and adapt to varying working conditions is also critical.

Visit our website at www.cathaypacific.com!careers for current Engineering openings.

l'!ll CATHAY PACIFIC

AboutTNT

TNT provides businesses and consumers worldwide with an extensive range of services for their mail and express delivery needs. Headquartered in the Netherlands, TNT offers efficient network infrastructures in Europe and Asia and keeps optimising its global network performance. TNT serves more than 200 countries and employs about 160,000 people. Over 2009, TNT reported € I 0.4 billion in revenues and an operating income of €648 million. TNT is officially quoted on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange. TNT recognises its social responsibility and has formed partnerships with the United Nations World Food Programme and the United Nations Environment Programme to fight hunger and pollution in the world. Our efforts are being recognised: In 20 I 0, TNT was again awarded "Supersector leader" for "Industrial Goods and Services" (including "Industrial transportation") of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes(DJSI). More information about TNT can be found on its website http://group.tnt.com.

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-

TNT Airways is currently recruiting talented and motivated Captains and First Officer to further develop

its European and Longhaul Networks.

TNT Airways, based at Liege airport in Belgium, are entering an exciting period of expansion with the introduction of the new B777's freighters in the second half of 20 I I as part of its longhaul network expansion. This results in a need for experienced type rated Captains and First officers for these aircraft. In addition we have opportunities for Captains and First Officers on our existing fleets of B747-400ERF and BAe 146. You may visit www.tntairways.com for further information regarding our company.

Captains and First Officers:

B777 Captains, 500+ hours command on type, minimum 4000 hours total B777 FlO's, 300+ hours on type, minimum 1,500 hours total

B747-400 Captains, 500+ hours command on type, minimum 4000 hours total B747-400 FlO's, 300+ hours on type, minimum 1,500 hours total

BAe 146 Captains, 500+ hours command on type, minimum 3000 hours total BAe 146 FlO's, 100+ hours on type, minimum 300 hours total

On all fleets TRI rating or SFI authorization would be an asset

Conditions:

I. Permanent positions and time definite contracts are considered.

2. Must have existing Class I medical.

3. JARATPL.

4. JAR CPUIR & frozen ATPL with current BAe I 46/Avro RJ type rating are acceptable for the BAe 146 FlO positions.

5. Only successful candidates for interview will be contacted. TNT Airways offers a competitive benefits package

Interested candidates should apply via the following link: http://www.tntairways.com/CrewJobs

- ENDS-

541 Flight International 1 15-21 March 2011

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State of Qatar

Civil Aviation Authority

The State of Qatar Civil Aviation Authority has immediate requirements for the following positions in the Air Safety Department:

Airworthiness Inspectors Required qualification:

• Have completed at least two of the manufacturer's recognised type training courses on any of the following aircraft: Airbus Model A319/320/321 1300/330/340; Boeing Model B777; BD 100; Cessna Citation; Piper ArcherlSeneca; Bell Model 212/412/230; AW139; Sikorsky S92;

• Holds an equivalent ICAO Type II Aircraft Maintenance EngineeriTechnician/Mechanic License or Certificate.

• Have practical experience of inspectional standards on modern airline transport aircraft/jet engines.

• Have at least 5 years supervisory position in any aircraft operator's maintenance

support organisations or civil aviation regulatory body.

• Must have working knowledge of EASA Implementing Rules, FARs and ICAO Annexes.

• Have acceptable experience involving aircraft incident/accident investigation.

• Computer literate.

Preference will be given to candidates who posses high degree of proficiency in technical English writing.

Aircraft Maintenance Engineer Licensing Officer Required qualification:

• Must be highly proficient in both oral and written English language

• Holds or have held an Holds an equivalent ICAO Type II Aircraft Maintenance EngineeriTechnician/Mechanic License or Certificate; or equivalent Aeronautical educational attainment

• Have at least 3 years of which have served as a company personnel authorization issuing senior staff of a Part 145 aircraft maintenance organization.

• Must have working knowledge of EASA IRs, JARs, FARs and ICAO Annexes.

• Computer literate.

Benefits:

1. Competitive tax-free salary 2. Free furnished accommodation or equivalent

3. Free medical care (local) 4. 45 days annual leave

Suitable applicants should send their respective current comprehensive CVs together with copy of passport and 2 photographs to:

The Civil Aviation Authority, Airworthiness Section, Air Safety Department P.O. Box 3000, Doha, State of Qatar

Fax: (+974) 44557260 e-mail: tech.library@caa.gov.qa

Baines Simmons operates as a trusted, professional Safety Partner to many of the world's leading aviation companies. As part of our plans for sustained future growth, we are seeking a number of talented, industry-leading professionals to join our world class Consultancy Team.

These full-time and associate, high profile positions offer an exciting opportunity to be a part of our expanding Safety Management Consulting and Training team. If you are a forward thinking professional, who can inspire and lead change in others we would like to hear from you. The ideal top-level candidates will be:

~ Capable of Effective Communication at any level within an organisation

~ A facilitator who inspires confidence and delivers excellence

~ Someone who understands how SMS fundamentally differs from all that we currently do in aviation ~ Able to understand cultures and offer proactive methods of affecting culture change

~ Passionate about making a difference in aviation safety

~ Flexible and able to adapt to a dynamic environment

~ Able to translate regulatory demand into client benefit

~ BAINESiSIMMONS

World Leaders in Aviation Safety

If you are ready to take up a new career challenge and be part of a dynamic company that can truly offer great opportunities, please send your CV by email to recruitment@bainessimmons.com Closing date for applications: 25th March 20 I 0

For full details visit our website at www.bainessimmons.com/careers

15-21 March 20111 Flight International 1 55

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FLIGHT D ,. h M·ddl E

INTERNATIDNAL. on t miss out on tel east

For further information or to make your booking contact John Paul Bedwell,

Sales Manager, Flightglobal Jobs, +44 (0)20 8652 4898 or john.bedwell@f1ightglobal.com

~ Flightglobal!Jobs

56 I Flight International I 15-21 March 2011

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The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is the centrepiece of the European Union's strategy for aviation safety. Based in Cologne, Germany, the Agency has been given specific regulatory and executive tasks to promote and maintain the highest common standards of safety and environmental protection in civil aviation.

The Agency is currently seeking applications for the positions of:

International Cooperation Officer (F 1M)

(Ref. EASA/AD/2011/006 - Temporary Agent AD 7)

The jobholder reports to the Agreements and External Representation Section Manager and will be responsible for the management of projects related to institutional international cooperation activities. More specifically this will include supporting the European Commission in drafting, negotiating and implementing Aviation Agreements and Arrangements between the EU and third countries, and contributing to EASA's institutional relations with third parties as well as to the development and communication of polices and strategies. In addition he/she will prepare regular reports and establish and maintain a network of contacts with the European Commission, EASA States' aviation administrations and other stakeholders.

Airworthiness Standardisation Team Leader (F 1M)

(Ref. EASA/AD/2011/007 - Temporary Agent AD 8)

The jobholder reports to the Manager of the Airworthiness Standardisation Section. He/she will be responsible for carrying out standardisation and accreditation inspections of the EASA Member States in the domain of the Basic Regulation and of the EC regulations No. 2042/2003 and 1702/2003. More specifically this includes leading the inspection team in accordance with the Agency's procedures, conducting briefings/debriefings with Member States and team members, analysing inspection findings, and reviewing and proposing the validation of corrective action plans established by Member States while ensuring the sharing of best practices within the Agency and the Member States.

We offer an attractive and competitive remuneration package (five-year contract, which may be renewed), invest in training as well as in the welfare of staff and act as an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Interested candidates are invited to consult the detailed vacancy notices and follow the application procedure as described in the recruitment section of the Agency's website:

http://www.easa.europa.eu

The deadline for sending in applications is 21/03/2011.

I

Flight crew

I

Flight crew

CONFAIR.

www.aeroprofes5ional.com

+ FLIGHT DECK '* CABIN CREW

+ HEAD OFFICE STAFF

MAll:NTIENANCE Telephone : 0031 255 515 ~~'2 Fax: '0031 21i~ 5i 5 27Z Email: COIlfalt@planel.nl Regi~\rllf"n : WIIlI!I.~Q!1il!r'lec:rui!mef,l.~om

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AVIATION SERVICES,

Tel: HS3, I M9 s:rm • T ,.;lnlfW US) 'I ,~~9 a2!O Fa:>:: .~~3 II ·66Ul~1

Email: recruitment@sigmaaviationseryices.com www.sigmaaviationservices.com

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'Contracta7r

Mailntell1am:;e

W first [People 'iiiiJ~

~R1[~tln'RIlh~ Leaders in the provision of technical personnel

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FIND THE RIGHT MATCH AVIATION RECRUITMENT SERVICES WWW.JET·PROFESSIONALS.COM Tel: 0041 58 1588877

AVIATION RECRUITMENT WORLDWIDE

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581 Flight International 1 15-21 March 2011

I

Maintenance

CBS butler aviation

Contract and Permanent recruitment for the Aviation industry

David Rowe, Alastair Millar,

Jodie Green, Ian Chapman

Tel: +44 (0)1737 821011 Email: aero@cbsbutler.com www.cbsbutler.com

s·com I AVIATION

Permanent and Contract Recruitment Fixed price work packages

Training: MHF, FTS Phase 1 & 2

T: 01329 226550

W: www.scom.com/aviation E: aviationjobs@scom.com

Pat:f

+35318161774 satesgparcaetatton.aaro

www.parcaviation.aero

• Flight Crew

RECRUITMENT FOR AVIATION EASA E-LEARNING COURSES Tel: +44 (0) 1284700676 Email: info@e-techs.co www.e-techs.co

IIAIIC'H 'vlalian

'Human reso([rcesfot 1M avllO!t!o,n ~ ~dustl'Y'

l3r:mini Centre, tlliflMlClld Shooeoorn Fl!JaD~ HIlVe, East SUlSS~; BN3/BO, En~fIiI Telephone: +44(0) 844 357 1177

~ Facsimile: +44(0) 871 900 3828

\[!3! Email: mail@marchaviation.co.uk

I Three Oaks Aviation Consultancy Ltd. Looking for on contract basis consultants with working experience gained from aircraft

manufacturers' customer services business, incl. maintenance & engineering, supply chain management, aircraft parts service, technical publications, training, operation

support and supplier contract management.

Email: yongq@30ac.com Tel: +442086433981 www.3oac.com

STORMAVIATION AIRCRAFT LINE AND LIGHT MAINTENANCE SERVICES EASA Part 145, FAA, Transport Canada, Bermudan and Kuwaiti Approvals held.

Majority of Airbus and Boeing Aircraft types covered, plusATR42-72, BAe 146/AVRO and M080 Series.

More than 60 Airline Customers Worldwide, Specialists in Project workl ACMI support.

Call +44 (O}7826 9072761 ian.jones@stormaviation.com www.stormaviation.com

Engineering

The preferred company for Stress (Fatigue & 01), GFEM, Composites), Aeronautical Research. Business units' Contract staff, Workpackages, Innovation and New Concepts, Aeronautical Research. www.bishop-gmbh.com Contact bishop.peter@bishop-gmbh.com

Tet 0049·10140·866·258·10 Fax 0049·10140·866·258·20

OEM

Worldwide Recruitment for Engineering & Management Professionals

e: er@resourcegroup.co.uk t: +44 (0) 1905368576

uk

JIM

GeT Group

Worldwide specialist for Aerospace Engineering, Certification & Management Services

e: yourcv@garner.de

t: +49 [0) 8153 93130 w: www.garner.de

Aerospace roles available across the UK and Europe.

to apply: t: +44 (0)1202 596392

e: Iburnell@kdcresource.com

KDC!

modis.

INTERNATIONAL

The experts in aerospace recruitment

T: +32 (0) 2 791 6567

E: aerospacejobs@modisintl.com www.modisintl.com/aerospace

w: www.strongfield.com

flig1lt@matchtech.com t: 01489 89822'0

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WORKING WEEK

WORK EXPERIENCE DOUGLAS SCHOFIELD

Bombing runs and business jets

Douglas Schofield is an aviation consultant and conference organiser who began his career as a wartime aviator before selling the Lockheed C-130 and early corporate jets. He is still involved in running events

How did you start in aviation?

I was in the UK Royal Air Force, initially as a pilot and graduating later as a navigator in Bomber Command. Those who remember the Luftwaffe night fighter efficiency and kill rate will appreciate the miracle of completing one tour of operations.

I am lucky to still be around to tell the tale.

What was your first civilian job? My career in aviation went forward when I joined the European office of Lockheed Aircraft Corporation (the only Lockheed office outside the USA at the time). We saw the birth of the Electra, L-1011, F-104, [etstar II, and the C-130.

In fact, the entire C-130 world marketing strategy was devised in our Geneva office, commanded by the famous Dutchman Harry Simons and his assistant Dauna Currie. Everyone thought Harry was crazy until he succeeded in breaking UK resistance to the C-130, after which Lockheed could not deliver the aircraft fast enough; almost all the world's air forces decided the C-130 was the military transport they needed.

My last assignment with Lockheed was as director of sales for the four-engined business jet, the [etstar, manufactured in Marietta, Georgia.

You then moved in,to business aviation proper with TAG

My time there involved marketing the first CL600 range of Canadair

"Those who

remember the

Luftwaffe fighter

efficiency will

appreciate the

miracle of

completing one

tour of operations"

Schofield: survived the war as navlgator in RAF Bomber Command

"In those early

Challenger aircraft days, we were

considered ahead of the competition, but also slightly ahead of the market

requirement"

Challengers in the Middle East, where Adel Oubari (TAG vicepresident sales) and I spent weeks demonstrating the aircraft to heads of state in Middle East capitals.

In those early Challenger aircraft days, we were considered ahead of the competition, but also slightly ahead of the market requirement. Adel was an exGulfstream salesman. He knew his way round the region better than most; more importantly, he knew all the right people in the different countries.

My education in selling business jets, which started at Lockheed, now took on a completely different dimension.

You then set up your

own company

After TAG, I set up Lassint (LandAir-Sea-Space International) with the support of two gentlemen, Sheikh Nafisah and Adel Oubari. Lassint's principal activity was trading in business jets

worldwide, as well as seeking out new business in the defence field throughout the Middle East. I subsequently retired from Lassint and took up consulting assignments, which included lecturing at various academic institutions, coaching on a professional career level, seminar writing, and conference producing. How did you become involved in the Geneva Forum?

I became founder and producerl director of the Geneva Forum conference, dedicated to aircraft finance and developments in commercial and business aviation, which started 25 years ago. I retired a few months back and handed the reins over. The Geneva Forum is still going very strong. In 1986 it was one of the only conference producers on the aviation scene, which is, of course, not the case today.

Have you retired completely?

I have been asked by another conference company to produce a new conference, the London Aviation Forum, dedicated to those subjects I know well- aircraft finance and leasing .• '

r;,. For more employee work exper! ~~ ences visitflightglobal.comj

" 'Workingweek

If you want to feature in Working Week, or know someone who does, email murdo.morrison @flightglobal.com a brief description of yourself and your job.

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AN EADS COMPANY

15-21 March 20111 Flight International I 59