June 18, 2018 - No. 048 In This Issue Nippon Cargo temporarily grounds aircraft over maintenance records KAI set to launch new MRO company AsBAA Declares War against Corrosion NASA Ready To Fly Large Unmanned Aircraft In Public Airspace Without Safety Chase Aircraft Boeing, Air India join hands to train AMEs New York-area Airports Face Sea-rise Risk Sky taxi takes off in bid to create Uber-like flight-hailing EU bans aviation bosses from talks to avert post-Brexit flight chaos French air traffic control responsible for third of Europe aviation delays SpaceX BFR used for massive space development, orbital, lunar and Mars colonization Nippon Cargo temporarily grounds aircraft over maintenance records TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Nippon Cargo Airlines Co. said Saturday it will temporarily ground all its aircraft effective immediately, after it discovered maintenance records for one plane were inaccurate. Nippon Cargo, which has 11 jumbo-sized aircraft and transports goods such as food, medicines and precision machinery to the United States, Europe, China and Singapore, said it has suspended flights "until all maintenance records have been confirmed appropriate." In a statement posted on its website, the Chiba-based company said it will do its utmost "to check safety for resuming operation as quickly as possible." It also said it expects it will take at least a week to confirm the safety of all fleet aircraft. The discrepancy in the maintenance records came to light Thursday during a transport ministry onsite inspection, the ministry and Nippon Cargo said. The records in question said that the amount of lubricating oil supply injected into a plane's wings was less than the actual amount. The ministry has been conducting inspections since late May due to separate incidents that led to serious aircraft damage and certified as aviation accidents. https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20180616/p2g/00m/0bu/062000c Back to Top KAI set to launch new MRO company Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has said its new maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) company will be officially established in July and start operations by the end of 2018. KAI said in a filing to the Korean stock exchange on 14 June that the new firm - to be named Korea Aviation Engineering & Maintenance Service (KAEMS) - will initially be focused on commercial aerospace MRO but will also pursue military contracts. KAI is aiming for its new company, which will be based close to KAI's headquarters in Sacheon, to supply MRO services to not only South Korea but also other regional countries including US military aircraft operating in the region. KAI said in its filing that it will own 65% of KAEMS, worth KRW135 billion (USD126 million), with the Korea Airports Corporation holding the second-largest 20% stake. The remainder will be held by stakeholders including the BNK Financial Group; parts suppliers Unical Aviation, A-Tech, and HizeAero; and airlines Jeju Air and Eastar Jet. The Ministry of National Defense's procurement agency, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), is also a minority stakeholder in the new company. KAI currently undertakes military and commercial aerospace MRO activities at its facilities in Sacheon. These include the provision of performance-based logistics MRO on KT-1 basic trainer aircraft and T-50 Golden Eagle advanced jet trainer aircraft as well as unmanned aerial vehicles. MRO services are also provided to some US Air Force assets and in October 2017 KAI was awarded a USD49 million contract to maintain F-16 Fighting Falcons operated by the US Pacific Air Forces for five years from late-2017. http://www.janes.com/article/81088/kai-set-to-launch-new-mro-company Back to Top AsBAA Declares War against Corrosion The Asian Business Aviation Association (AsBAA) is proposing an initiative to raise awareness of aircraft maintenance and condition, particularly corrosion, which is prevalent in South and Southeast Asia, where airports are close to the sea or exposed to extreme humidity, rain, and heat. "AsBAA proposes to establish a task force to make the industry aware of growing concerns related to the overall operating environment: physical, climatic, security, and regulatory aircraft experience in Asia and the negative impact it is having," said AsBAA vice chairman and program leader David Dixon at the AsBAA annual general meeting in Singapore this week. "This is an issue that affects the entire industry both here in Asia and around the world. The new task force of volunteers will include representatives from all sectors of the industry to address this serious issue." AIN understands that the group has currently received eight volunteers from various sectors of the industry. The next step is to produce data for aircraft owners to make them aware that leaving aircraft on an open ramp will have detrimental effects on the airframe, and it is recommended to apply aircraft protective wax. They are also planning to encourage airports in the region to make provisions for aircraft used less frequently. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2018-06-15/asbaa-declares-war- against-corrosion Back to Top NASA Ready To Fly Large Unmanned Aircraft In Public Airspace Without Safety Chase Aircraft (NASA) - NASA's remotely-piloted Ikhana aircraft, based at the agency's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, successfully flew its first mission in the National Airspace System without a safety chase aircraft on Tuesday. This historic flight moves the United States one step closer to normalizing unmanned aircraft operations in the airspace used by commercial and private pilots. Flying these large remotely-piloted aircraft over the United States opens the doors to all types of services, from monitoring and fighting forest fires, to providing new emergency search and rescue operations. The technology in this aircraft could, at some point, be scaled down for use in other general aviation aircraft. "This is a huge milestone for our Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration in the National Airspace System project team," said Ed Waggoner, NASA's Integrated Aviation Systems Program director. "We worked closely with our Federal Aviation Administration colleagues for several months to ensure we met all their requirements to make this initial flight happen." Flights of large craft like Ikhana, have traditionally required a safety chase aircraft to follow the unmanned aircraft as it travels through the same airspace used by commercial aircraft. The Ikhana flew in accordance with the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Technical Standard Order 211 - Detect and Avoid Systems - and Technical Standard Order 212 - Air-to-Air Radar for Traffic Surveillance. The FAA granted NASA special permission to conduct this flight under the authority of a Certificate of Waiver or Authorization on March 30. The certificate permitted Ikhana's pilot to rely on the latest Detect and Avoid technology, enabling the remote pilot on the ground to see and avoid other aircraft during the flight. NASA successfully worked with its industry partners to develop a standard for Detect and Avoid technologies, complied with the requirements of the FAA Technical Standard Orders, and garnered flight approval from the FAA. The Ikhana aircraft was equipped with detect and avoid technologies, including an airborne radar developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., a Honeywell Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System, a Detect and Avoid Fusion Tracker, and an Automatic Dependent Surveillance- Broadcast capability - a surveillance technology where the aircraft determines its position via satellite navigation and periodically broadcasts this information so other aircraft can track it. The flight took off from Edwards Air Force Base in California and entered controlled air space almost immediately. Ikhana flew into the Class-A airspace, where commercial airliners fly, just west of Edwards at an altitude of about 20,000 feet. The aircraft then turned north toward Fresno, requiring air traffic control to be transferred from the Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center to the Oakland Air Route Traffic Control Center. On the return trip, the pilot headed south toward Victorville, California, requiring communication control to be transferred back to Los Angeles. During the return flight, the pilot began a gentle descent over the city of Tehachapi, California, into Class E airspace - about 10,000 feet - where general aviation pilots fly. The pilot initiated an approach into Victorville airport at 5,000 feet, coordinating in real time with air traffic controllers at the airport. After successfully executing all of these milestones, the aircraft exited the public airspace and returned to its base at Armstrong. "We are flying with a suite of sophisticated technology that greatly enhances the safety capabilities of pilots flying large unmanned aircraft in the National Airspace System," said Scott Howe, Armstrong test pilot. "We took the time to mitigate the risks and to ensure that we, as a program, were prepared for this flight." Tuesday's flight was the first remotely-piloted aircraft to use airborne detect and avoid technology to meet the intent of the FAA's "see and avoid" rules, with all test objectives successfully accomplished. http://spacecoastdaily.com/2018/06/nasa-ready-to-fly-large-unmanned-aircraft-in-public-airspace- without-safety-chase-aircraft/ Back to Top Boeing, Air India join hands to train AMEs Boeing and Air India Engineering Services Ltd (AIESL) on Thursday kicked off a first-of-its-kind, one-year accelerated aircraft maintenance engineer apprenticeship programme in India. The programme, part of the the government's skill development initiative, will be run as a finishing school and conducted at the Air India engineering facility in Kalina. It will also include working on an operational Boeing aircraft. Boeing has set up a smart classroom for the first batch of 25 students and come equipped with advanced training aids, along with a customised curriculum created by Boeing experts to skill aircraft maintenance engineers (AMEs). "Students will be instructed by qualified Air India instructors who have been trained by Boeing in the U.S. The AMEs will also get exposure on a Boeing aircraft, which will help them hone their maintenance skills and increase their employability," Pratyush Kumar, president, Boeing India, said. Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha, who inaugurated the programme, termed it a milestone for Boeing's skill India initiatives. "Hands-on experience on an aircraft, a state-of-the-art classroom with a world-class curriculum will help AMEs," he said. Boeing and AIESL came together after realising that a lack of practical training has resulted in low employability of AMEs, of which only 2% receive type-rated licences. "To fill this gap, we announced the programme in 2017. It has received over 1,300 applications for the entrance examination which was held online across 10 cities in India," Mr. Kumar said. Marc Allen, president, Boeing International, said the aircraft manufacturer is proud to be a partner in this initiative in one of the fastest growing civil aviation markets in the world. "We are committed to helping catalyse the growth of special skills needed for the Indian aerospace ecosystem, and create a capable workforce." H.R. Jagannath, CEO, AIESL, said the collaboration will create many opportunities. "This brings together a best-in-class curriculum and training aids to create a state-of-the-art smart class setting, which will create a stronger pool of skilled AMEs," he said. Classes for the first batch will begin in August. http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-mumbai/boeing-air-india-join-hands-to- train-ames/article24177269.ece Back to Top New York-area Airports Face Sea-rise Risk A recent report on the future of the metro-New York Airports by the Regional Plan Association paints a somewhat gloomy picture, particularly for New Jersey's Teterboro Airport (TEB). New York Harbor could see at least one foot of sea level rise by 2050, and possibly as soon as 2030, according to estimates from the New York City Panel on Climate Change. By the end of the century that total could be as high as three feet. As a result, the report stated, "TEB would be partly flooded at one foot, and could be fully inundated with three feet of sea level rise," leading the agency to suggest phasing out the airport over the coming decades and spreading its operations to other smaller general aviation airfields, as well as the larger commercial airports, in the New York City/Northern New Jersey area. While the report found that Newark Liberty International, La Guardia, and Kennedy International would be able to withstand a three-foot rise, they would need to be hardened against future storm surges. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2018-06-15/new-york-area-airports- face-sea-rise-risk Back to Top Sky taxi takes off in bid to create Uber-like flight-hailing A brash young entrepreneur has started operating a sky taxi in Los Angeles in a bid to create an Uber-like flight-hailing service - even though the firm hasn't quite cleared all the federal regulatory hurdles. Skyryde has begun using small planes and a federally licensed pilot to fly people on quick hops above L.A.'s notorious traffic jams on shorter notice and at lower prices than one generally finds for commuter air services using turboprops or small jets. Although the process for booking a flight and getting to one's destination is still a bit more complicated than it is for ride-hailing services on the ground, the aim of the beta launch is to work out the kinks and ultimately make it relatively easy to order a flight in the L.A. metropolis, the operators say. "It's on demand, so nothing is scheduled. It's simply: Somebody calls, they want a flight, we book the flight, and that's how we operate," said Mike Killian, a licensed commercial pilot who has flown several flights for Skyryde. Instead of Learjets and turboprops that one often associates with scheduled flights, Skyryde is using small planes, such as the Cessna Turbo 182. The aircraft has four to six seats and instrumentation that allows pilots to fly in everything but the most extreme weather. "Obviously, there's some planning involved, [but] we could literally be dispatched within less than hour - get on the flight and take care of the trip, " said Killian, 29, the founder of Corsair Aviation, a Van Nuys firm that's working closely with Skyryde. The idea for the sky taxi and the drive behind the young company came from Jerome Brenndon "JB" Adkins, a flight junkie who said he has cashed in almost everything except the camper where he and his young family now live to launch the venture. "Skyride is literally trying to solve the problem of traffic," said Adkins, who became mesmerized by powered flight as a child growing up in a military family in Georgia. He hung out at airports washing airplanes to make money, and obtained his pilot's license in high school before attending Embry- Riddle Aeronautical University. Adkins said he was in high school when he got the idea to use airplanes like limousines. Instead of driving six hours from his home in Georgia to the Florida beaches over spring break, he realized he could fly there in 45 minutes with friends who ponied up $50 each. "I did this before Uber - before Lyft - before the sharing economy ever existed," Adkins, 28, said in an interview. Unlike Uber or Lyft, however, there's not even a Skyryde smartphone app yet, though Adkins says one's on the way. For now, users go to GoSkyryde.com, where one of the pitches that shows up says: "Screw Traffic, Fly above it." Adkins said a typical Skyryde flight might take a passenger from UCLA to Long Beach, arriving there in a matter of minutes instead of the hours it would take to slog through L.A. traffic. The fare isn't cheap - $300 - but could approach affordability if people shared the flight. He hopes that the same concepts pioneered by Uber - dynamic pricing and a pool of available operators - will lower Skyryde's price from what might seem exorbitant now to something closer to $100. He has a way to go. So far, only about 16 people have flown with the Laguna Beach-based firm since it took to the skies April 20, Adkins said. He also acknowledged that the firm has been operating in a regulatory gray area surrounding scheduling flights. The Federal Aviation Administration is aware of Skyryde, an FAA spokesman said. He said the venture appears to have passed regulatory muster in several respects. Its partner, Corsair, is operating under a part of FAA regulations, known as Part 135 rules, which govern intrastate air taxis and commuter services, the necessary licensing and training of their pilots and crews, and the required maintenance for their aircraft. Corsair has the necessary operating certificate to transport intrastate commercial passengers under Part 135 and a clean operating record, the spokesman said. He said FAA inspectors have reviewed Corsair's aircraft and conducted a successful proficiency check ride to its pilot. Meanwhile, Skyryde appears to be essentially acting as a broker and does not need such a Part 135 certificate, the FAA spokesman said. He said, however, that it's not entirely clear that the fledgling business is fully complying with the murky and byzantine regulations in the Department of Transportation (DOT), not the FAA, that govern flight brokers and whether a flight is truly "on demand" or has become a scheduled route. Adkins acknowledges that there is some uncertainty regarding those regulations, but he said his firm is working with the FAA and DOT to clarify its role. He emphasized, however, that the venture is fully compliant with operational regulations that directly apply to safety, maintenance, and flight worthiness of the aircraft. He said it's the business model that, despite being made familiar to people on the ground, remains unusual in the sky. "There are so many regulatory hurdles involved with this," Adkins said. "We didn't want to wait for regulation to catch up. We wanted to get started with this now." https://www.dailyrepublic.com/all-dr-news/wires/business/sky-taxi-takes-off-in-bid-to-create-uber- like-flight-hailing/ Back to Top EU bans aviation bosses from talks to avert post-Brexit flight chaos The European Commission has refused point blank to discuss contingency plans before March next year when Britain officially severs ties with Brussels. One industry source said the commission was simply being bloody minded and putting politics ahead of common sense. He said: "This is purely about a negotiating strategy." Airlines, manufacturers and regulators will need at least nine months to draw up plans to minimise disruption if Brexit talks collapse with agreement. They have warned the commission tens of thousands of aircraft could be automatically grounded unless a deal is struck between the UK and the EU. A senior industry figure said: "We are the most heavily regulated industry in the world after nuclear. "It is not feasible to cobble together a last-minute deal even if there is a political need." British industry officials have raised the issues with chief EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier but the European Commission has dug its heels in and explicitly banned the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) from holding talks with its UK counterpart, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). In a letter to Mr Barnier the international General Aviation Manufacturers Association and the UK aerospace group ADS said the current approach risked harming not just Britain but the £190 billion EU-wide industry. The letter said: "Our risk analysis concludes that EASA and the CAA need to urgently begin technical and contingency planning discussions by the June European Council, separate to the political negotiations. "Without an agreed solution then supply chain disruption across Europe will occur, parts will be unable to be delivered, pilots and maintenance technicians will be unable to work, aerospace companies in the UK will lose foreign validations for their business, and aircraft will be grounded globally." Some EU diplomats have voiced their frustration at the hardline approach. One said: "If aircraft are grounded and there's chaos then people won't say, 'Oh, thanks for sticking to the letter of law'. "They'll blame us for allowing things to break down. They'd be right." https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/975745/brexit-news-eu-aviation-regulations-airlines-easa- caa-european-commission-no-deal-brexit Back to Top French air traffic control responsible for third of Europe aviation delays Hindered by strikes and outdated equipment, French air traffic control is responsible for a third of aviation delays in Europe, French daily newspaper Le Parisien said on Monday, citing a senate finance committee report. Between 2004 and 2016, French air traffic controllers were on strike for 254 days, while second- placed Greece only had 46 days of stoppages, Italy 37 and Germany four, according to the report seen by the daily. "Every day of a strike in France has a much bigger impact on European traffic than (strikes) in other European countries", the report's author, senator Vincent Capo-Canellas, noted after six months of work including numerous field visits. In addition to frequent industrial action, France is also the champion for delays, linked to obsolescent equipment, the report said. "Our country is responsible for 33 per cent of delays due to air traffic control in Europe," Capo- Canellas said, representing 300 million euros in annual losses for airlines. "In France, the control equipment is outdated and maintenance costs are high at 136 million euros a year, added Capo-Canellas. "We are way behind our neighbours," the senator complained, despite France having spent more than two billion euros to modernise air traffic control since 2011. The report also noted that the 4000 French air traffic controllers have to cope with a sharp increase in traffic each year. They controlled more than 3.1 million flights in 2017, up four per cent from 2016 and 8.6 per cent from 2015. http://en.rfi.fr/europe/20180618-French-air-traffic-control-responsible-third-Europe-aviation-delays Back to Top SpaceX BFR used for massive space development, orbital, lunar and Mars colonization Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield has stated that he does not think the SpaceX BFR rocket, the Blue Origin New Glenn Rockets or the NASA SLS rockets will take humans to Mars. Chris Hadfield does not think those rockets are a practical way to send people to Mars because they're dangerous and it takes too long. Chris now has a 28 online Masterclass lesson on Space Exploration with a 29th bonus chapter. Lesson 7 Rockets: Fuels and Propulsion Chris explains the pros and cons of different types of rocket fuels including liquid fuel, solid fuel, and ionized gas. Lesson 24 Mars: How to Get to Mars Chris explains the technical and societal challenges we face in traveling to Mars, including the ideal flight path required, the physics of slowing down and landing, and the risk of human life. Chris talked about the corrosion problem with water when he was on the Mir space station. The SpaceX BFR rocket could achieve 40-50 day trips to Mars by using faster Parabolic transfer orbits. A future 200MW powered Vasimr would only be able to have 10-20% faster trips to Mars than a SpaceX BFR. We do not have a 200 MW reactor. I am not sure how much Chris Hadfield has made an effort to scope out what is an acceptable Mars mission. An orbital refueling of the SpaceX BFR at a high orbit to maximize the speed of the BFR to send one that is fully fueled would shorten the trip down to as little as 40 days. Space Missions to Mars up to now have been small satellites where the entire mission was launched from Earth. The delta-V has been about 3.2 to 3.5 kilometers per second. By refueling the SpaceX BFR in orbit and assembling a few stages in high orbit, a large chemically powered space mission can get up around 9.0 kilometer per second delta-V. We will not need to wait decades for super-advanced space propulsion to be developed for less than 60-day trips to Mars. Elon Musk and SpaceX should have the BFR flying within 5 years. Short 45-60 day or even 30-day trip using large multi-stage chemical rockets launched from high orbits after refueling will make large fast missions easy. The shorter times mean far less radiation and health issues for astronauts and passengers. The far larger ships means water and other material for radiation shielding. Bigger and more powerful spaceship will be like cruise ship versus dingy The Mars missions we have sent have been less than 1000 kilograms but putting a few BFR payloads together could send 1000-ton Mars missions. SpaceX is bringing the next BIG future in space. In World War 2, after D-Day there was 8,500 tons per day of cargo being sent to the beaches. Fifty SpaceX BFR would be able to regularly shuttle that amount of material to orbit. We will be able to invade space (moon, orbits, lagrange points, Mars) the way Europe was invaded by the allies. Power starved up to now The low power and delta-V budgets have forced space mission planners to use slower hohmann transfers. Those are the most economical but are long circular orbits that look more like orbits around the sun than targeting a flight to Mars. Elliptical and parabolic orbits have less curve and are much shorter and much faster trips. NASA has calculated faster trips where a mission is assembled or refueled in high orbits. The SpaceX subreddit had analysis of the payloads and times to Mars using refueling. Earth-Moon Lagrange 2 or EML2 is one of 5 locations where earth's gravity, moon's gravity and centrifugal forces all cancel out. It lies beyond the far side of the moon at about 7/6 of a lunar distance from earth. EML2 would make a great transportation hub. Not only for travel to destinations throughout the solar system but also within our own earth moon neighborhood. The SpaceX BFR will be fully reusable and able to carry 150 tons for Earth to Low Earth Orbit but it could refly once to seven times per week. So a lot of refueling missions and taking large pieces of space stations and moving large payloads between low earth orbit, high orbits, moon and lagrange points will be easy. Place Multiple Bigelow Hercules resupply depots at each Lagrange point, various Earth orbits, lunar orbit and Mars Orbits Nextbigfuture has described how very large rotating space stations around the earths equator could be made to provide radiation safe living with full one gravity equivalent from rotation. This would be safe be part of a safer path to space development. * Build many SpaceX BFRs * Build massive orbiting space stations around the equator that provide radiation safety and one full gravity equivalent. With a few SpaceX BFRs able to launch many times per week, 150 tons per launch, a massive space station of tens of thousands of tons could be built in 1-2 years. A key would be a fast assembling system for connecting large 50-100 ton earth built modules in space * Make larger lunar bases Joseph Friedlander described part of using the BFR to make lunar bases here at Nextbigfuture Robert Zubrin has described better plans for lunar and Mars colonization. * SpaceX BFR could assemble Mars transportation where multiple SpaceX BFS are connected and set up to rotate to provide the equivalent of gravity during a mission to Mars. The larger loads and reusability of the BFR could be used to assemble larger systems for providing some radiation protection. * Going to the surface of Mars would require that colonist to live with lower gravity. Rotating one G equivalent stations could be placed in orbit around Mars and the Moon so that colonists of the Mars and Moon could go to one-G locations every so often to counter the lower gravity of the Moon and Mars. Mars ISRU is being developed SpaceX is already developing high-efficiency CO2 capture with H2O to form liquid CH4 (methane) & O2. After landing on Mars, Sabatier reactors would be used to gradually refuel each Big Fucking Spaceship. The Sabatier process follows the laws of thermodynamics and thus requires a power source to heat the inputs, as well as cool the outputted methane and oxygen into fuel-grade cryo- cooled liquids. NASA is working on KiloPower and Megapower nuclear reactors. SpaceX could also bring large amounts of solar panels. Solar would half as energy dense on Mars but we could bring a lot more panels in a BFR. https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2018/06/spacex-bfr-used-for-massive-space-development-orbital- lunar-and-mars-colonization.html Curt Lewis