September 11, 2017 - No. 071 In This Issue GE Aviation's Indiana engine factory hopes to grow workforce Aerospace Sector in Thailand to create more than 10,000 jobs by 2037 VTS Jets cleared to provide full maintenance on Bombardier aircraft Michael "Mac" McDaniel Named Alabama Community College System's Director of Aviation Programs Emirates Flight Training Academy Receives First Aircraft U.N. aviation agency to call for global drone registry Qantas Collaborates With GE Aviation on New Flight Data App OXIS and NASA collaborate on lightweight energy cell technology for aircraft, spacecraft Aviators sound warning of 'privatizing' U.S. air-traffic control SpaceX close to landing rocket boosters next to its Southern California launch site GE Aviation's Indiana engine factory hopes to grow workforce Production is slowly growing at GE Aviation's jet engine factory in western Indiana, though much of the $110 million plant is quiet two years after it opened. The Lafayette plant has 87 employees and produces about six engines a week for passenger airliners, the Indianapolis Business Journal reported . The plant produces the Leading Edge Aviation Propulsion engine, which has a backlog of more than 14,000 orders. The new engine for single-aisle commercial aircraft is designed to be more fuel- efficient. The company initially planned to have 200 workers by 2018, but it now aims to have 230 workers by 2019 and produce five engines a day by 2020. Company officials said the plant faces hurdles in finding qualified workers. Most employees are aircraft mechanics credentialed by the Federal Aviation Administration. Credentialing can take about two years of schooling or equivalent military experience, said Lafayette site leader Eric Matteson. The company has gone to local schools - such as Purdue University, Ivy Tech Community College and Vincennes University - for new hires. It also is now recruiting at other schools and military bases. "Our first few waves of technicians came straight from the local market, but after that we needed to start branching out," Matteson said. The plant likely won't expand larger than 400 employees, Matteson said. "The days of the big campuses, at least for General Electric, are gone," he said. Matteson said the plant currently focuses on engine assembly but will shift to providing more maintenance and repair services in 2020, in order to keep the facility relevant in the decades to come. http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/ge-aviations-indiana-engine-factory-hopes-grow- workforce-49704225 Back to Top Aerospace Sector in Thailand to create more than 10,000 jobs by 2037 BANGKOK, Sept. 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Thailand Aerospace sector is expected to grow rapidly due to expansion in its fleet size and the rising trend of the migration of Commercial MRO activities to the APAC region, creating new job opportunities. The aviation industry in Thailand has seen the emergence of a number of new players over the past few years and the commercial MRO sector currently has around 3,750 technicians and engineers. "As demand in the Thailand aerospace industry continues to grow rapidly, the supply side of the industry will have to expand in order to cater to this increasing demand. Thailand's key to success in developing its aerospace manufacturing and MRO industry is its availability of skilled labour. MRO activities are especially reliant on skilled labour as certification and qualifications are a prerequisite for MRO personnel to conduct maintenance and repair activities," said Nishant Dey, Consultant at Frost & Sullivan. He continued, "A total of 7,700 new technician and engineer jobs are expected to be created in the commercial MRO space over the 20-year period from 2017 to 2037. While approximately 4,000 people will be employed in the sector by the end of 2017, the number is forecasted to touch 10,000 by 2035. About 90% of these new jobs are for technicians while engineers make up the remaining 10%." Frost & Sullivan in collaboration with the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) will be hosting a complimentary breakfast briefing on growth opportunities in Thailand's aerospace industry on the 19th September 2017 in Bangkok, Thailand from 8.30am - 12.00pm. To attend the briefing, please register online at: https://goo.gl/xomzqA In the aerospace manufacturing domain, Thailand's expertise is currently in Tier 3 and Tier 4 manufacturing for original equipment manufacturer (OEMs). The total export value of this industry was around US$ 1437.29 million in 2015. At the end of 2016, the aerospace manufacturing sector in Thailand employed about 7,976 people. "While this sector is forecasted to grow at a more subdued pace than the MRO sector, job creation in the manufacturing sector is expected to reach 10,395 over the next 20 years. The total number of new jobs created is estimated to be around 2,419 in the period from 2017 to 2037," said Nishant. Aerospace MRO and manufacturing are highly global industries and migration of MRO services or manufacturing of parts can take place anywhere in the world where capacity is developed with adequate certifications and quality control in place in collaboration with global players. "Thailand can reap the benefits of this global supply chain in the aviation industry and can help generate around 10,109 new jobs over the next 20 years, taking the total workforce in the industry from 11,726 at the start of 2017 to around 21,835 in 2037," said Nishant. He added, "The key concern, however, remains in how global MROs & OEMs collaborate with local aviation training schools to bring in the right expertise and curriculum, delivering internationally accepted certified workforce to cater to Thailand, the rest of ASEAN, and beyond." For more information on the Thailand aerospace sector, please visit: https://goo.gl/4GMipi http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/Aerospace-Sector-in-Thailand-to-create-more- than-10-000-jobs-by-2037-1002352770 Back to Top VTS Jets cleared to provide full maintenance on Bombardier aircraft Russian business aviation MRO provider VTS Jets, a participant in JetExpo 2017, has successfully passed another EASA audit. The company will now be able to expand its list of services. Based at Moscow's Vnukovo-3 bizav terminal, VTS Jets will expand its range of services to Bombardier Global business jets (including the checks performed every 1,000 flight hours, every 24 months, every 450 cycles, and every 1,500 hours of APU operation), as well as to Challenger 300/350 aircraft (1,000 flight hours, 12 months, 450 cycles, and 2,000 APU hours); Challenger 604/605/650s (1,200 flight hours, 12 months, 600 flights, and 1,500 APU hours); and Challenger 850s (1,000 flight hours, 12 months, 300 cycles, and 1,500 APU hours). VTS Jets now plans to significantly increase its business, the company told Russian Aviation Insider. In January-August 2017, the provider's personnel worked nearly twice the number of hours year- on-year. The company attributes this growth to an influx of clients from Russia and abroad, and also to its having been awarded a FAP-285 certificate by the Federal Air Transport Agency, which allows it to perform maintenance on aircraft with Russian registration. The provider also stresses that it successfully broke into the continuous airworthiness maintenance market in early 2017. As was reported at JetExpo 2016, VTS Jets and Lufthansa Bombardier Aviation Services signed an agreement last year to establish a maintenance center for Bombardier business jets operated in Russia and the CIS. Asked about the project's current status, a VTS Jets spokesperson said that work on the joint venture continues. http://www.rusaviainsider.com/vts-jets-cleared-provide-full-maintenance-bombardier-aircraft/ Back to Top Michael "Mac" McDaniel Named Alabama Community College System's Director of Aviation Programs Wednesday, Alabama Community College System Chancellor Jimmy Baker announced the appointment of Michael "Mac" McDaniel as the Alabama Community College System's Director of Aviation Programs. The new position is responsible for the oversight of the System's Aviation Technology programs across the state. "Alabama's aviation industry continues to expand with industry giants like Boeing, Airbus, and GE Aviation locating in our own backyard. The Alabama Community College System is working right alongside to ensure our aviation training program is among the best in the nation," Chancellor Baker said. "Selecting Mac to oversee our aviation efforts signifies our serious commitment to meeting the industry's workforce needs. Mac's nearly three decades of aviation experience will ensure our students across the state are receiving the most relevant and state-of-the-art skills training when it comes to a career in aviation." McDaniel is joining the Alabama Community College System from ExpressJet Airlines in Atlanta, Georgia where he served as the General Manager of Aircraft Maintenance Training. He began his career more than 25 years ago as an aircraft mechanic and since that time has worked for airlines across the U.S. managing their maintenance training initiatives. A graduate of Colorado Northwestern Community College, McDaniel recognizes the vital role community colleges play in preparing students to succeed in their future careers. An expert in aviation maintenance and training, McDaniel is often featured in the industry's leading trade publications. "I am passionate about training the next generation of aviation employees and leaders and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead this effort in Alabama," McDaniel said. "Alabama's community colleges have a stellar reputation for providing top-of-the-line aviation related training to their students and I'm eager to use my industry expertise to build upon the program." The demand for aviation and aerospace careers in the state has continued to grow with more than 300 aerospace companies located in Alabama in addition to the strong military aviation presence. The Alabama Community College System's Aviation Technology programs offer Federal Aviation Administration certified training in airframe maintenance and technology, power plant technology, avionics technology, aviation composite materials and general aviation technology. Courses are offered through three of the state's community colleges: Coastal Alabama Community College, Enterprise State Community College, and Snead State Community College. McDaniel will start his new role on September 11. http://www.aviationpros.com/news/12366348/michael-mac-mcdaniel-named-alabama-community- college-systems-director-of-aviation-programs Back to Top Emirates Flight Training Academy Receives First Aircraft Sept. 07--DUBAI -- Emirates Flight Training Academy, the state-of-the-art flight training facility being developed by Emirates to respond to the global aviation industry's need for pilots, has taken delivery of its first two Cirrus SR22 G6 training aircraft in Dubai. These are the first of the 22 single-piston engine Cirrus aircraft that have been ordered by the Academy to train ab initio pilots. The two Cirrus SR22 G6 aircraft, A6-CTA and A6-CTB, landed in Dubai following a transatlantic journey spanning over 13,000 kilometres. Given the size of the aircraft and other restrictions including the size of the fuel tanks and range, the journey from Cirrus' manufacturing facilities in the USA to Dubai had to be split into multiple segments. Upon completion of manufacture, the two aircraft were flown from Duluth, Minnesota to Knoxville, Tennessee -- the location of Cirrus' aircraft delivery centre. Once at the delivery centre, the aircraft were inspected and teams from Cirrus and Emirates Flight Training Academy went through a series of pre-flight appearance, functionality checks and test flights. The two Cirrus planes then embarked on an 11-stop transatlantic journey transiting through 10 countries flying an average of over five hours a day. Flying out from Knoxville, A6-CTA and A6-CTB stopped at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA followed by Sept Iles and Iqaluit in Canada. From Iqaluit the two aircraft set out to cross the Atlantic Ocean in two stretches, stopping first at Nuuk in Greenland, then at Reykjavik in Iceland and completing the transatlantic sector at Wick in Scotland. These flights were also the longest segments in the aircraft's journey from the US to Dubai. Once in Europe, the two aircraft made their way from Scotland to Sywell in Northamptonshire, England and from thereon to Venice, Crete, Aqaba, Bahrain and finally to Dubai. All the flights were done in daylight and the two aircraft flew in loose formation throughout the entire journey allowing for easier air traffic clearances. The Cirrus SR22 G6 aircraft will form the backbone of the training fleet of the Emirates Flight Training Academy. The aircraft has a modern composite airframe; two large 12" flight displays; a flight management system keypad controller and an integrated engine indication and crew alerting system. The aircraft has a range of up to 1,207 nautical miles (1,943 kilometres) at speeds of 183 knots (340Km/H) TAS True Air Speed. In addition to the 22 Cirrus SR22 G6 aircraft, Emirates Flight Training Academy has also placed an order for five twin-jet Embraer Phenom 100EV aircraft, becoming the first flight training organisation in the world to use the Phenom 100EV platform for training cadets. The Emirates Flight Training Academy, located near Dubai World Central (DWC) airport in Dubai South, is designed to be one of the most advanced flight training facilities in the world. Scheduled to open in November 2017, the facility will be spread over an area of 200 football fields and will include ground school classrooms, ground based simulators, a young and modern training aircraft fleet, a 1,800 sq. m dedicated runway, an independent air traffic control tower and a maintenance centre in addition to accommodation and recreational facilities for cadets. http://www.aviationpros.com/news/12366304/video-emirates-flight-training-academy-receives- first-aircraft Back to Top U.N. aviation agency to call for global drone registry MONTREAL (Reuters) - The United Nations' aviation agency is backing the creation of a single global drone registry, as part of broader efforts to come up with common rules for flying and tracking unmanned aircraft. While the International Civil Aviation Organization cannot impose regulations on countries, ICAO has proposed formation of the registry during a Montreal symposium this month to make data accessible in real time, said Stephen Creamer, director of ICAO's air navigation bureau. The single registry would eschew multiple databases in favor of a one-stop-shop that would allow law enforcement to remotely identify and track unmanned aircraft, along with their operator and owner. The initiative comes at a time when drone usage is soaring in the United States, Europe and China, raising privacy concerns and fears of collisions with commercial jets. "You've got to have some commonality so that you're not carrying five receivers in your police car," Creamer said in an interview on Thursday. It's not yet clear who would operate such a database, although ICAO could possibly fill that role. The proposal, however, could face push back from users, after hobbyists successfully challenged the creation of a U.S. drone registry by the Federal Aviation Administration in court earlier this year. ICAO will host the symposium from Sept 22-23 on issues like registering and tracking drones, along with geofencing-like systems to prevent their operation in restricted areas. The talks will be at an event attended by experts and companies like Google, Rockwell Collins (COL.N) and Amazon.com (AMZN.O), according to the meeting program schedule. Montreal-headquartered ICAO, which normally sets standards for international civil aviation that are adopted by its 191-member countries, was asked to assist in the development of more uniform domestic drone regulations because the remotely-piloted aircraft are sold and flown globally. "They (drone makers) are worried that Europe might create one set of standards, United States might do a second and China might do a third. And they've got to build a drone differently in these different environments," Creamer said. Parimal Kopardekar, a principal investigator for Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) at the NASA Ames Research Center in California said he supported the drone industry developing around the world with common operating standards. "I think it's smart that ICAO is trying to harmonize it," he said by phone. "If you have a drone that you build in one country you should be able to use it in another country and vice versa." https://www.reuters.com/article/us-aviation-drones/u-n-aviation-agency-to-call-for-global-drone- registry-idUSKCN1BJ2CL Back to Top Qantas Collaborates With GE Aviation on New Flight Data App Qantas and GE Aviation, in a joint collaboration, have created a new flight data application for pilots that helps with flight efficiency and lowering carbon emissions. The new platform is called FlightPulse, and it is the first commercialized product to be developed with mobile services from GE's Predix platform. FlightPulse allows pilots to access their own operational efficiency trends and patterns through data recorded from the aircraft and smart analytics. With this, pilots are able to understand how efficient their operation of the flight was. This is a new technology for pilots, as such data was previously only available to analysts. Qantas Head of Fleet Operations, Captain Mike Galvin, mentions that "FlightPulse was designed by pilots for pilots. As a result, the information accessible on this platform helps them understand the operational efficiency of their flight." "It provides pilots with flight data in a very visual way, allowing them to see first hand the amount of fuel used at different stages of a flight and how they can help to reduce carbon emissions," he said. "We are delighted to build on our long-standing partnership with Qantas and work together to transform flight efficiency with this world-first app," said Geoff Culbert, President & CEO of GE Australia, New Zealand, and Papa New Guinea. "Qantas is a great example of Australian innovation at its best, constantly at the forefront of finding better ways to enhance their operations. Through close collaboration, we were able to develop a solution for the industry that connects pilots with individualised operational efficiency data for the first time." This is not the airline's first time partnering up with GE. Last year, Qantas helped as the launch customer for GE Aviation's Digital Collaboration Center in Austin, Texas. GE and Qantas employees jointly analyze data points from the aviation sector to determine and find solutions for operational insights and fleet intelligence. Qantas Employees Utilizing On-board WiFi Earlier this year, Qantas announced that it would be providing free, high speed WiFi on its internet- capable Boeing 737-800 aircraft for domestic flights within Australia. The beta mode was originally available on that one Boeing 737-800 aircraft for passenger testing. Qantas plans to roll out such technology on its domestic fleet of Airbus A330s and Boeing 737s by the end of 2018. Along with numerous benefits to passengers, the WiFi installation also greatly benefits Qantas' crews. WiFi on-board aircraft has allowed pilots and cabin crew to have access to real time information that will increase efficiency and improve the passenger experience. Pilots have access to live weather, allowing them to avoid areas of turbulence and improve flying time by making use of tailwinds. Technology has been allowing airlines to become more efficient operators, saving them money and improving the overall passenger experience. http://airlinegeeks.com/2017/09/09/qantas-collaborates-with-ge-aviation-on-new-flight-data-app/ Back to Top OXIS and NASA collaborate on lightweight energy cell technology for aircraft, spacecraft OXFORD, England. Engineers at OXIS Energy in Oxford, England, and NASA in Pasadena, Calif., are applying their expertise for applications where weight is crucial - for example, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) or drones, balloons, high-altitude aircraft, and defense for terrestrial needs and planetary missions - to develop specific energy lithium sulfur cells. Both companies stand to benefit from the collaboration: It will help NASA to improve its understanding of the capabilities of lithium sulfur technology and OXIS to develop pouch cells meeting NASA's long-term battery requirements. OXIS will supply its latest-generation Ultra Light cells to NASA JPL Laboratory for evaluation in its facility in Pasadena, California. NASA will evaluate the cells under different conditions to assess energy density, low temperature performance, cycle life, self-discharge, and calendar life. NASA and OXIS technical teams will work closely together to assess the performance of OXIS cells. "We know from our collaboration with European and Chinese space agencies that for every kilogram (1kg) of battery weight saved, it equates with a launch cost saving of in excess of U.S. $20,000," says Huw Hampson Jones, CEO of OXIS. "When lithium-ion batteries are weighing in at several hundred kilos, the savings of deploying OXIS Lithium-Sulfur would amount to several million dollars for the space agencies. The benefit of NASA evaluating OXIS Lithium Sulfur cell technology is extremely important in providing empirical data as to where else in aviation and defense this technology may be applied." The NASA/OXIS test results will be the joint property of both companies and will not be shared with anyone else nor presented at conferences without the approval of OXIS. Since 2004, OXIS Energy has been involved in the design, development, and now the move toward commercial production of Polymer Lithium Sulfur cells for battery systems. With 35 patent families, OXIS has been granted 101 patents with 103 pending. The chemistry and technology is environmentally friendly. OXIS has demonstrable empirical data justifying its claim on the inherent safety of its battery technology. http://www.intelligent-aerospace.com/articles/2017/09/oxis-and-nasa-collaborate-on-lightweight- energy-cell-technology-for-aircraft-spacecraft.html Back to Top Aviators sound warning of 'privatizing' U.S. air-traffic control HANOVER - The leader of an association representing more than 11,000 aviation-related businesses is urging its members to oppose a House bill that he says would effectively privatize the air-traffic control industry in the United States and put it under the control of major commercial airlines. "We are a good industry, we are an essential industry, and we are under attack," said National Business Aviation Association President and CEO Ed Bolen, speaking on Thursday at an NBAA Regional Forum at Morristown Municipal Airport. "We need to make our voices heard." The forum, which took place at the general-aviation reliever airport favored by President Donald Trump for weekend flights from Washington to his golf club in Bedminster, united about 2,100 attendees with ties to the business-aviation community for a day of networking, conferences and presentations by 140 exhibitors. It also provided a platform for Bolen to rally opposition to H.R. 2997, also known as the 21st Century Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization Act, which would transfer operation of air-traffic services currently provided by the Federal Aviation Administration to a separate not-for- profit corporate entity. The new entity will be providing a technology service, according to a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee spokesperson, and the FAA would retain oversight of the entire aviation system, and regulate it for safety. The term "business aviation" refers to mostly small airplanes manufactured and used for business- transport purposes. "Today, a handful of big airlines are pushing legislation in the House of Representatives to give them control or our air-traffic control system, giving a small group of people, unelected and unaccountable to the public, sweeping authority over things including taxes, investment and operations," Bolen said. "The airspace belongs to the public and should serve the public. We need to make sure the public interest is best-served." The FAA has been trying for decades to modernize the nation's air-traffic control system while overseeing it with monopoly-level authority. While the agency has had some success, major projects have faced cost increases and schedule delays because of systemic problems, according to testimony in the House earlier this year by the Transportation Department's inspector general. "The (act) puts American innovation, and the traveling public first," said Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA), who sponsored the legislation and successfully steered it through the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee that he chairs. "The problem is clear: while the U.S. continues to have the safest aviation system in the world, we do not have the most efficient or effective system for future growth," said Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R- NJ), who chairs the Aviation Subcommittee. "Congressman Lance has heard from a number of constituents who have raised legitimate concerns about privatizing the FAA," said John Byers, spokesman for Rep. Leonard Lance (R-NJ), whose district includes several towns between the airport and Trump National Golf Club. "He has shared these concerns with his colleagues on the House transportation committee as they continue to work to improve the legislation for all stakeholders." The legislation would serve as a six-year reauthorization of the FAA and includes several provisions and reforms designed to reduce red tape in the FAA's certification process for aircraft and aviation products, improve the safety of air travel, improve the flying experience for consumers, foster innovation in unmanned aircraft systems, fund the nation's airport infrastructure and "separate our antiquated air-traffic control service from the federal government and help finally modernize the system," according to its sponsors. Proponents of the bill note that should it pass, the newly created ATC service provider would be a nonprofit entity governed by a balanced board nominated by various aviation stakeholders. Representatives of commercial airlines will nominate one board member out of a board of 13. The NBAA also would nominate one board member, according to the House transportation committee communication office, while actual air-traffic controllers, pilots, airports, general aviation and the government, for example, will also nominate board members. The bill could come up for a House vote as early as Wednesday, Bolen said, and the Trump administration "has endorsed the concept." "(Air-traffic control) has always been a monopoly. The question is who's going to control that monopoly and and for whose benefit," Bolen said. "They'll lead you to believe this is privatization, but privatization is about competition, innovation. None of that exists when you're taking a monopoly and giving it to entrenched special interests." Those special interests should not include the major U.S. airlines that Bolen accused of trying to dominate a scarce resource, hoarding airport gates while practicing "predatory pricing." "Most recently, we've seen the way they treat customers when they want to bump someone off an airplane," Bolen said. "We know their computer systems routinely crash because they haven't invested in technology, and they're operating 1970s mainframes. We're not sure that something as precious as the public airspace ought to be turned over to this group." On one side, the bill has support from groups including the 57,000-member Airline Pilots Association International. ALPA President Tim Canoll said his union "supports this important, transformative legislation." "It promotes aviation safety and helps level the playing field for American aviation workers," he said, adding it would defend "U.S. aviation workers against foreign carriers' shopping the globe for cheap labor while upholding the letter and spirit of our Open Skies agreement with the European Union." Bolen said opposition is strong as well. Over 100 mayors from all 50 states have written to Congress in opposition," he said. "Over 100 business leaders who in addition to running companies are pilots, and who fly in the system, they've written to congress. Think tanks on the left and right have registered concern. The Congressional Budget Office looked at this last month and said it would likely cost the American taxpayers $150 billion to turn this over to the airlines. That's billions with a 'B'." Noting that most aviation-related excise taxes are scheduled under current law to expire on Sept. 30, the CBO report on H.R. 2997 states that the Joint Committee on Taxation estimate of rate reductions contained in the legislation would result in a gross revenue reduction of $42.4 billion over fiscal years 2021 through 2024, and would have no effect on revenues thereafter. But because budget rules require that estimates of revenue effects of proposed legislation measure the subsequent change to the baseline, the JCT estimated an additional gross revenue loss $62.8 billion over the 2024-2027 period. The CBO report also stated that other agencies estimate that enacting H.R. 2997 would increase net revenues from income and payroll taxes by $2.8 billion from 2021 to 2027. That amount includes a $24.6 billion reduction in income and payroll taxes stemming from new fees charged by the AANS Corporation and a $27.4 billion increase attributable to changes in excise taxes. Bolen also screened an NBAA ad featuring pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, who gained fame for executing a safe water landing of a US Airways flight in the Hudson River after the plane was disabled by striking a flock of Canada geese immediately after takeoff. "We can't trust the people who make your airline seats smaller to run ATC," Sullenberger said. "This would allow a corporate monopoly to make decisions that would put profits ahead of safety and would devastate rural communities." http://www.dailyrecord.com/story/news/2017/09/10/aviators-sound-warning-privatizing-u-s-air- traffic-control/637436001/ Back to Top SpaceX close to landing rocket boosters next to its Southern California launch site SpaceX, which has launched three rockets this year from Vandenberg Air Force Base and landed all three boosters on an off-shore barge, has built a permanent landing pad at the base to replace ocean recoveries. The Hawthorne company's 1.6-acre circular concrete landing pad was recently constructed directly west of its launchpad at Space Launch Complex 4 in the hills outside Lompoc. It could be in operation as early as this year. While SpaceX hopes to rely on it for most West Coast landings, it also proposed to operate a second Pacific Ocean landing barge 31 miles off the Santa Barbara County coastline to recover boosters diverted from the ground by sensitive base operations. State environmental reviews approved the proposal, with the caveat that SpaceX do some mitigating preparations to protect ocean life from sonic booms and potential explosions. Federal regulators, still poring over the company's Vandenberg landing-license application, declined to release any time line for the process, though most steps in the Federal Aviation Administration's review are completed. SpaceX officials also have to finish radar-communication system tests to direct the robotic booster to the ground. On Thursday morning, SpaceX returned its 16th launched booster to its only ground-based landing pad - Landing Zone 1 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida - minutes after delivering the Air Force's secretive X-37B space plane into orbit. It was the company's 13th launch of the year, and its 13th consecutive successful launch since an explosion destroyed a rocket on Sept. 1, 2016. Of those, three were from Vandenberg Air Force Base. The boosters were returned to an at-sea barge far off the coast of Baja California. Its next Southern California launch is set for Oct. 4. But that booster will likely return to the barge off Mexico, and then be towed to the Port of Los Angeles for recovery. Jason Major, a graphic designer and space blogger, watched Thursday's booster return in Florida from a nearby viewing station. "While it's magnificent to watch a rocket soar up into the sky, it's even more remarkable to see one come down to Earth," Major said in an email. "It looks like something out of science fiction." SpaceX first managed to bring back a booster intact nearly two years ago, following several failures that resulted in exploded 16-story-tall boosters catching fire and falling into the ocean. Recovering booster rockets is part of Space Exploration Technologies Corp. CEO Elon Musk'splan to create a fleet of immediately reusable rockets that would make space travel much more affordable. The decreasing costs of launches are opening up space to new commercial business opportunities for small satellite operators and others. SpaceX's long-term goal is to create a path to Mars colonization. But, first, it plans to launch what it calls "the most powerful rocket ever" later this year. That rocket, the Falcon Heavy, will be able to lift payloads two or three times as heavy as what a Falcon 9 can carry. But there are several competitors working to best the Falcon Heavy, not the least of which is Amazon.com owner Jeff Bezos' commercial rocket company, Blue Origin. Next year, SpaceX intends to launch crewed missions to the International Space Station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. Musk recently released photos of SpaceX's futuristic gumdrop- shaped Dragon crew capsule and matching sleek white-and-black astronaut suit. A second East Coast landing pad next to Landing Zone 1 is under construction to help land Falcon Heavy's three boosters. SpaceX also operates an at-sea barge off the Florida coast for landings. GROWING PAINS Despite devastating explosions that destroyed the company's signature Falcon 9 rockets in June 2015 and September 2016, SpaceX launched more payloads to orbit this year that ever before. The company also managed to achieve a series of firsts, including landing its first booster on a barge in the Pacific Ocean in January and delivering the first reused spacecraft to the International Space Station full of scientific research. Its customers, however, have faced repeated and lengthy delays securing space on Falcon 9 launches. The company is moving quickly to fix that problem. In addition to its launchpads at Vandenberg and Kennedy Space Center, SpaceX is retooling the Cape Canaveral launchpad that was badly damaged in the Sept. 1, 2016, explosion. It's also building a fourth launchpad in southern Texas for use late next year. SpaceX would have several options to safely land its reusable rocket equipment on the West Coast if the Federal Aviation Administration and other regulators approve its bid for a landing site at Vandenberg Air Force Base. ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS In addition to the new landing pad at Vandenberg, SpaceX has proposed a backup at-sea barge platform off Santa Barbara to land boosters in case of conflicts on land. NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service said the company's proposed ocean-going landing pad 31 miles off Vandenberg near the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary would not cause major environmental damage. The ground landing pad at the base "is the preferred landing location, (but) SpaceX has identified the need for a contingency landing action that would be exercised if there were critical assets on (the Air Force base) that would not permit an over-flight of the first stage," the NOAA Fisheries' review concluded. The California Coastal Commission and FAA also determined the environmental impacts are minor. Air pollution from the rocket's engine burns to navigate back to Earth would be released about 3,000 feet above the ground "and would not have the potential to affect ambient air quality," the FAA's determination states. "The U.S. Air Force determined an explosion on the drone ship would not ... have a significant impact on marine mammals." Any fuel released in an explosion would be quickly evaporated, according to the reviews. Debris that doesn't immediately sink to the ocean floor would be recovered by SpaceX. The most significant impact would result from scaring away migrating fish schools and marine mammals. The booster produces a sonic boom as it zooms back to Earth faster than the speed of sound. Major, who watched Thursday's landing, said it was "like rapid cannon fire." The explosive sounds would likely send marine animals fleeing, the reviews state. "SpaceX would implement several monitoring and mitigation measures for marine mammals," NOAA Fisheries states. "We expect the responses from marine mammals ... would be limited to temporary displacement from the area and/or short-term behavioral changes." http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/business/20170910/spacex-close-to-landing-rocket-boosters- next-to-its-southern-california-launch-site Curt Lewis