July 2, 2018 - No. 052 In This Issue NYU: Applications Open for StartAD's Inaugural Artificial Intelligence Venture Launchpad. Nigerian students build airplanes at Mexico aviation factory Flying from New York to London in two hours is on the horizon, Boeing says Negri Sembilan plans to build aviation hub, says exco Boeing Developing Performance Analytics with Singapore Defense Agency GSC Aviation ICO (GSCP Token): Aeronautical Supply Chain Tracking? Air Wisconsin Adding Appleton Maintenance Base The Cutting Edge: Hand-in-Hand with the FAA at Avionica How to Watch SpaceX's Dragon Ship Deliver Coffee, Experiments, and a Smiling Robot to the International Space Station AirCorps Aviation Teams Up With M-14P Inc. to Produce High Quality Replacement Parts NYU: Applications Open for StartAD's Inaugural Artificial Intelligence Venture Launchpad startAD, the innovation and entrepreneurship platform anchored at NYU Abu Dhabi, has opened applications for its inaugural Artificial Intelligence (AI) Venture Launchpad. Open to seed stage AI and Internet of Things (IoT) startups from the UAE and around the globe, the AI Venture Launchpad is a 10-day sprint accelerator that helps participants develop a scalable, repeatable, and capital efficient venture. Teams disrupting industries in financial technology (FinTech), insurance technology (InsurTech), regulatory technology (RegTech), airport operations, predictive maintenance, fuel efficiency, and enterprise solutions through AI with Natural Language Processing (NLP), Machine Learning, Predictive Analytics, Search, and Data Analytics are encouraged to apply. This accelerator is an opportunity for global startups to enter the UAE market and attract potential investments from key players in the region. Teams can apply through startAD's website [vl.startad.ae]; applications close on August 30. Launching on September 30, the program is held in partnership with Etihad Aviation Group, a diversified global aviation and travel group comprising of five business divisions - Etihad Airways, Etihad Airways Engineering, Etihad Airport Services, Hala Group and Airline Equity Partners; UAE Exchange, the leading global Money Transfer, Foreign Exchange and payment solutions brand; and Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the International Financial Centre in Abu Dhabi. The Artificial Intelligence Venture Launchpad will comprise a series of training and mentorship sessions, investor roundtables, pitches, interviews, local customer discovery, and validation activities. Startups will also be trained to develop robust go-to-market strategies. Selected teams are required to attend the full duration of the accelerator. NYU Abu Dhabi Research Professor of Engineering, Vice Provost for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and startAD Managing Director Ramesh Jagannathan said: "The UAE, home to significant global industries such as aviation, energy, shipping, transportation, and finance, has a distinct opportunity to be at the forefront of AI growth. Disruptive Innovation creates products and services for which the market does not yet exist. AI and machine learning, in addition to disrupting the market, are disrupting the way our society would live with the onset of the second machine age. The appointment of a UAE Minister of AI is a testament to the government's commitment to lead this field. In line with the country's vision, startAD has created valuable partnerships with major corporate stakeholders in the region and are excited to provide market validation for global AI startups that get accepted into our Venture Launchpad sprint accelerator." Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways Peter Baumgartner said: "The aviation industry has relied on various forms of AI for decades, but with recent advancements in computing power, its potential to add value across the sector is unprecedented. Combined with big data and machine learning, AI could be used to increase flight path efficiency by reading wind forecasts, optimize aircraft maintenance, and enhance airport operations, to name just a few examples. This is our second time taking part in startAD's Venture Launchpad programme, and we look forward to working with startups to explore innovative applications of AI in the aviation and travel space." Executive Director for Capital Markets of the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of ADGM Wai Lum Kwok said: "As an International Financial Centre and FinTech eco-system builder, we are pleased to partner with NYU Abu Dhabi and fellow Abu Dhabi champions in incubating entrepreneurial ideas and supporting early-stage startups in Abu Dhabi and the wider UAE. The Venture Launchpad initiative dovetails well with ADGM's innovation platforms and ongoing efforts to support the needs of the business community through digital innovation, and to promote growth, inclusion and efficiency in the financial services industry." Executive Director of Finablr and Chief Executive Officer of UAE Exchange Group Promoth Manghat said: "As a startAD industry partner, we are glad to be a key collaborator for the Artificial Intelligence Venture Launchpad. It is fascinating to see how rapidly AI has evolved and matured, with its application and benefits now cutting across industries and functional domains. As an early adopter, we are already leveraging AI and Machine Learning Solutions to enhance customer experience and to automate back office operations. In line with our vision of fostering technology- driven innovative solutions, we believe this inaugural AI accelerator programme will take the lead in stimulating innovation in AI in the region." https://www.albawaba.com/business/pr/nyu-applications-open-startad%E2%80%99s-inaugural- artificial-intelligence-venture-launchpad-1152 Back to Top Nigerian students build airplanes at Mexico aviation factory MEXICO, Mo. - After flying half way around the world, five students from the International College of Aeronautics near Lagos, Nigeria, are in Mexico, Missouri, learning to build airplanes of their own. Solomon Adio worked in the U.S. for more than 35 years as a pilot and maintenance engineer before he decided to start a flight school in his native Nigeria. He said that when he returned to open the school, he realized one critical problem: there were no airplanes. Adio created a curriculum at the International College of Aeronautics (ICA) in Nigeria based around building aircraft and began enrolling students in his program, Aircraft Building Engineering Technology. The program works in collaboration with Lagos State Polytechnic - Ikorodu. He said it took a long time for people to believe the students -- and civilians in general -- could actually build their own airplanes. "The concept is, if you teach them how to build, they will fly what they build," said Adio. "And once they fly what they build, then they can fix what they've flown." The program aims to teach aviation and maintenance skills while also creating employment opportunities for young people in Nigeria. "We cannot continue to chase jobs that do not exist," said Adio. "We have to create new job opportunities." Adio decided to purchase an airplane kit from Zenith Aircraft Company in Mexico for his students to build. Rather than attempt to put it together in Nigeria, though, he decided the best learning opportunity would be for the students to travel to the U.S. Students were eligible to make the trip if they had completed the first two years of Adio's program at the ICA. Five students -- David Opateyibo, Fausat Idowu, Aliyyah Adio, Michael Fakuade and Abdul-Hafeez Onisarotu -- made the trip with Adio. They will live in Mexico until September while they work at the factory to fully construct their own two-seater airplane. They will then ship the finished plane back to Nigeria and put it into use as both a training tool and a functional airplane. "This is the first of its kind in the country and we're probably gonna be doing exhibition flights all over the country first, get more people interested in it," Adio said. "Now (the students) can start to get orders from other people to build airplanes for them. It will be exciting, something everybody's looking forward to." Sebastien Heintz, owner and president of Zenith Aircraft Company in Mexico, said discussion with Adio about bringing students to town began several years ago. Originally only a workshop was discussed. The workshop eventually grew into a four-month stay where the students would assemble their own plane using parts manufactured by Zenith Aircraft Company. "I think it's a fantastic learning opportunity for them and they've been doing a great job here at our factory," Heintz said. "They decided to come out here and learn as much as they possibly can while they're here about the tools and the skills and the processes involved in building their own airplane." Abdul-Hafeez Onisarotu, 20, grew up watching planes flying to and from the airport near his home in Nigeria. He still remembers watching the planes and thinking "I want to fly one day." Onisarotu recently graduated from the Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with a specialty in aircraft maintenance. He joined Adio and his team at Zenith Aircraft Company in May to put his skills to work. "I can maintain them, I'm learning how to build them right now, then in the future I'll learn how to fly," Onisarotu said. Though he has been in the U.S. for two years now, he said he enjoys how different Mexico is from the the other towns he has visited. "Everyone knows each other," Onisarotu said, "just like a small family." Aliyyah Adio, 18, chose to participate in the program after being inspired by her father, the director of the ICA. She said she particularly enjoys learning the mechanical side of aviation. "I never knew what was inside of the airplane so I was very excited to know the different parts and using different tools," Adio said. She has enjoyed it so much, in fact, that she will be attending Middle Georgia State University in Macon, Georgia, to study aviation science and management. Aliyyah Adio is also an avid dancer and knows exactly how she wants to combine the two activities in the future. "I see myself flying in an airline and doing my dancing in between," she said. "Just a dancer and a student pilot, that's all." Heintz is happy to have the students use Zenith Aircraft Company's tools, airplane kit and physical space as their classroom and is eager to see how the partnership could continue. "As a promoter of aviation, I love to work with folks like that because, again, I think the future of aviation will come a lot from outside the United States," he said. As for Solomon Adio, he said he is looking forward to providing more affordable options of aviation in Nigeria and hopefully aiding youth unemployment in the country. "Nigeria has a population of over 180 million people," he said. "If you can just get 10 percent of them to fly, that's 18 million people to fly airplanes. There's a future there." The group has a GoFundMe page at https://www.gofundme.com/aviationstudents to raise funds for their stay in Mexico and for the cost of shipping the completed airplane back to Nigeria. http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/20180630/nigerian-students-build-airplanes-at-mexico- aviation-factory Back to Top Flying from New York to London in two hours is on the horizon, Boeing says Earlier this year, a Norwegian Air flight said one of its crews set a record time for the fastest-ever trans-Atlantic flight by a subsonic passenger aircraft. The time: 5 hours and 13 minutes, besting the previous record, which was three minutes longer. Not bad, but imagine boarding a plane in New York and arriving in London two hours later, about a 1.5 hours faster than the time it took the legendary Concorde to complete the same journey on average. This week Boeing said it hopes to develop a passenger-carrying hypersonic airliner that would do exactly that, reaching speeds of Mach 5 - about 3,800 mph or roughly five times the speed of sound. Though still a preliminary design and without a name, Boeing said the aircraft could have military or civilian applications, but won't be in the sky for another 20 to 30 years. The company unveiled renderings of the proposed craft Tuesday at the annual American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics conference in Atlanta. "We're excited about the potential to connect the world faster than ever before," said Naveed Hussain, Boeing's vice president of aeromechanics. "Although technology and regulatory challenges are ahead, Boeing has been studying hypersonics for over six decades, which makes us the right company to bring this technology to market when the world is ready." Outside of the Concorde's run between 1976 and 2003, supersonic travel has remained a largely elusive dream for commercial aviation, according to NBC News. If achieved - and enough people were willing to pay for the pricey tickets - the rapid speeds could revolutionize world travel, experts say. "It's been a dream for a while now," Stuart Craig, an assistant professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering at the University of Arizona, told NBC. "We've been striving for this hypersonic technology for the better part of half a century, but in recent years, advances in computational technology and materials technology have made it much more in grasp." Supersonic air travel was a reality until 2003, when Concordes flying for British Airways and Air France were finally grounded, according to the BBC. British Airways said the plane was retired because of "commercial reasons, with passenger revenue falling steadily against a backdrop of rising maintenance costs for the aircraft," the BBC reported. Seven years earlier, a Concord made the trip between New York and London in two hours, 52 minutes and 59 seconds, setting a record that remains, according to Reuters' news archives. Boeing said the this is just one of several hypersonic vehicle concepts the company is studying and the company looks "decades ahead at what could be possible." Kevin Bowcutt - Boeing's senior technical fellow and chief scientist of hypersonics - told Wired the aircraft could be designed to travel at even faster rates of speed. "This aircraft would allow you to fly across the ocean and back in one day, which is all most people would want," Bowcutt said. "So why go past those boundaries and complicate it? https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XyczSH1ikdkLQp3XbDnP79wV36Szq94X-6nNFTRhhS0/edit# Back to Top Negri Sembilan plans to build aviation hub, says exco SEREMBAN, July 1 - The Negri Sembilan state government plans to develop an aviation hub in the state, saying it is confident the hub would benefit the economy of not just the state but also the country. State Investment, Industrialisation, Entrepreneurship, Education and Human Capital Committee chairman Mohamad Rafie Ab Malek said the state government has already obtained agreements from AirAsia and Sime Darby Property to collaborate in making the project a reality. "AirAsia is the largest purchaser of aircraft from Airbus, that is why I have proposed that Airbus open a finishing and assembly facility here. "AirAsia Group Chief Executive Officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes is very excited about the proposal, and he has promised me he would convey the state government's wish to Airbus," he told reporters here today. Mohamad Rafie said the hub is planned for Labu as it is near the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. "I also hope we can at the very least build a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility for commercial aircraft, engines and components at the hub. "Malaysia is one of Airbus' biggest customers and this is a good opportunity we need to fully benefit from," he said. - Bernama https://www.malaymail.com/s/1647473/negri-sembilan-plans-to-build-aviation-hub-says-exco Back to Top Boeing Developing Performance Analytics with Singapore Defense Agency Boeing and a Singaporean defense agency agreed Thursday on a joint research and development project on data analytics to better understand how well military aircraft are performing and predict future needs for operations and maintenance. The deal is between Boeing's nearly year-old Global Services segment and Singapore's Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA). Boeing Global Services stood up last July to capture business related to the operations and maintenance of defense and commercial aircraft. Boeing's goal is to grow its services business to around $50 billion within 10 years. In 2017, Global Services reported revenues of $14.6 billion. Data analytics for aircraft operations is one of the key focus areas of Boeing Global Services, and the company is looking to expand its expertise here in the commercial area to defense. "As we broaden our demonstrated commercial digital portfolio and apply them to defense systems operations, many will benefit from data-driven solutions that will increase the overall effectiveness of operations," Stan Deal, president and CEO of Boeing Global Services, said in a statement. Under the agreement that was signed at the Singapore Defense Technology Summit this week, Boeing and DSTA will develop analytics that will be applied to Singapore's Royal Air Force F-15 fighters and AH-64 attack helicopters, which are both built by Boeing. "Under this agreement, we will jointly develop an information management tool leveraging data analytics to identify trends and insights on aircraft performance," Tan Peng Yam, chief executive of DSTA, said in a statement. "This signifies our emphasis on tapping digital technologies and working closely with the industry to co-develop new capabilities." In an interview with Defense Daily earlier this month, Deal said that there's a "big opportunity" to provide data analytic tools to defense customers. "Things like aircraft health monitoring, data analytic-driven prognostics around maintenance practices that will allow the defense [customers] to benefit like the commercial environment has so we've got a pretty significant focus on availing those capabilities into the defense market in a way that satisfies their unique needs," Deal said in the interview. Boeing Global Services is working with the U.S. armed forces and some international defense customers to bring its commercial data analytics capabilities to bear on their systems, Deal said. Boeing did more than $1 billion in data analytics services business in 2017, providing customers with cost savings in their operations that amount to about 10 times the value of the investment, Deal said. Commercial customers have found this a "great value play," he said. Currently, roughly 90% of the digital analytics services business is for commercial customers and Deal believes that as the company broadens its focus to the defense market, the defense side of this business could grow to about 40% of the analytics sales. The digital analytics business can grow "exponentially," reaching about $10 billion, or around 20% of Global Services sales within 10 years, he said. http://www.aviationtoday.com/2018/06/29/boeing-developing-performance-analytics-singapore- defense-agency/ Back to Top GSC Aviation ICO (GSCP Token): Aeronautical Supply Chain Tracking? The aeronautical industry is a critical element of most economies, and it is vital to always keep it in tip-top shape by conducting regular check-ups by the relevant authorities. However, the information on the quality or maintenance of equipment is not readily available to ensure aircraft worthiness receives the adequate attention. Overall, this could jeopardize the safety of flights since the traceability of the aeronautical parts is not known and administration remains a cumbersome process. What Is GSC Aviation? GSC Aviation aims to eliminate this notion by offering a system that will help gather the relevant information on equipment by using blockchain technology. Apart from securing the information on the blockchain, the GSC platform will enable real-time alerts to MROs, Continuing Airworthiness Management Organizations and airlines on the different aeronautical parts of the aircraft concerned. GSC Aviation Aeronautical Supply Chain Tracking Features The GSC solution provides a reliable platform that will enable updating of information regarding relevant aeronautical parts. The platform will work under the following structures: GSC Aviation Marketplace With the Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) markets forming the core of aeronautics, GSC provides a marketplace of aviation parts controlled by regulatory bodies within the world of aviation. That ensures the existence of the safety element since each equipment can be traced back to its origin. GSC Aviation Database Although information is necessary for aviation the supply chain for equipment is still not decentralized to accommodate or integrate all participants. GSC platform seeks to eliminate this through the database based on the blockchain. This database will: * Provide equipment suppliers with identity cards as a means of access to information by the customers * Source for goods or services necessary for the respective aeronautical need * Rate buyers and sellers of the aviation parts through the suppliers and purchasers rating system. * Track and monitor suppliers to ensure transferability in a simple and straightforward manner * Securely and privately gather information on particular parts and tools within the GSC platform. GSC Aviation GSCP Token ICO Details * ICO Date: 24.07.2018 - 24.10.2018 Parameters Of The ICO * Token- GSCP * Type- ERC20 * Price in ICO- 1 GSCP = 0.02 EUR * Min. investment- 100 EUR * Accepting- ETH, BTC * Distributed in ICO- 60% * Soft cap- 4,000,000 EUR * Hard cap- 46,200,000 EUR Token Distribution * ICO Token sale- 60% * Crew- 25% * Advisory- 2% * Company reserve- 10% * Bounty- 3% Use Of Funds * IT and development- 70% * Marketing/Token Growth- 20% * Security Reserve- 5% * Legal- 5% GSC Aviation Conclusion The use of blockchain technology for aviation is by no means exhaustive, but the GSC platform is a great place to start the new technology in the most crucial stages of aviation, that is the equipment supply chain. The power to harness blockchain could make GSC Aviation a leading example of adopting blockchain technology. https://bitcoinexchangeguide.com/gsc-aviation-ico-gscp-token/ Back to Top Air Wisconsin Adding Appleton Maintenance Base Air Wisconsin Airlines is setting up a maintenance facility at Appleton International Airport (ATW) to support its expanding schedule in the eastern Wisconsin city. The United Airlines regional feeder plans to build a 30,000-sq-fit. hangar and 7,000 sq. ft, of office and support space on the north-west side of ATW. The $8 million project is slated for completion before the upcoming winter season. The new hangar will accommodate up to four Bombardier CRJ-200 regional jets--double what Air Wisconsin can currently put inside the ATW facility it uses. The expansion is needed in part to ensure the airline has adequate hangar space for overnight maintenance come winter, as its flight schedule to ATW has been expanding. The carrier, which saw its contract with American Airlines expire earlier this year, signed a new deal with United and returned to ATW last October after an 11-year absence, and has ramped up from a single round-trip to United's Chicago O'Hare hub to as many as five daily frequencies. Earlier this month, it added a daily round-trip to United's Denver hub. The ATW routes are part of United's aggressive growth strategy to drive more traffic through its mid-continent hubs. For ATW, it's contributed to a growth trend, as the airport now has nine nonstop destinations. Traffic at ATW was up 18% year-over-year (YoY) through May, handling 58,000 total passengers--the best May in its history. The airport, which is also served by Allegiant, American Air Lines, and Delta Air Lines, has posted 13 consecutive months of YoY growth. The new hangar will add about 80 jobs and is part of a broader effort to grow Air Wisconsin's maintenance operation. The airline recently expanded its Dayton, Ohio, and Milwaukee maintenance operations, and is advertising sign-on bonuses of up to $14,500 for certified mechanics at both locations. Air Wisconsin operates a fleet of 62 CRJ-200s with an average age of about 16 years, Aviation Week Fleet Discovery data show. http://www.mro-network.com/airlines/air-wisconsin-adding-appleton-maintenance-base Back to Top The Cutting Edge: Hand-in-Hand with the FAA at Avionica Aviation runs in the family for Simone Drakes. The Barbados-born Drakes' father was an air traffic controller. Her brother is a commercial pilot. As VP of engineering for Florida-based avionics company Avionica, Drakes serves as the company's designated engineering representative (DER) to the FAA. Drakes said that "most avionics firms focus on cookie-cutter designs driven by mandates," but Avionica can explore further and push the boundaries, which fits well for the outdoorsy mother of one who loves car racing and competitive biking. Drakes spoke to Avionics about designing STCs, working with the FAA and being at the forefront of the avionics industry. You got your degree specifically in Avionics. What drew you to the field? Luck and chance. I started out at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. I applied to aeronautical science. Within a week of starting my undergraduate program I switched to aerospace engineering for a greater academic challenge. I did that for a semester, was bored out of my mind, went back and asked for something engineering that was more hands-on, and they put me in avionics. How did you get from there to where you are today? What are some highlights or decisions you had to make along the way? I'm sort of an adrenaline junkie; I like fast-paced moving, so when things try to settle down, I move on, I hop on that next train. When I graduated Embry-Riddle in 2001 it was hard to find a job (in the aviation industry because of 9/11). I found a firm making plastic parts. I didn't like that because I did electronics engineering and I was just playing with plastic - I'm not messing with any electronics! So, I took the first opportunity I got to go to an STC design firm. I learned most of what I know about avionics engineering at Emteq. I took a junior engineering spot there, then a senior engineer who had worked there and left followed up with me and brought me to Avionica. I was mostly doing EGPWS upgrades, weather radar, ELTs, flight data recorders, large transport category aircraft ... I was bored. Avionica did not have an aircraft certification department when I joined. They just developed the product and then relied on outside help, but I could bring that in-house. I was the only engineer integrating products. I would outsource STC designs they had previously, but then I would do the new stuff, like flight deck integration. I was hired and they said you have two weeks to get something done. You've worked on many certifications or installations for a lot of big and smaller companies. What stands out as the most fun or interesting project you've worked on? When Avionica is releasing something, it's new, so you have to bring the FAA up to speed on the new technology. The FAA doesn't know how to certify it and what the compliance requirements should be, what use cases you have to consider. When I joined Avionica, we were one of two companies that were introducing Iridium SATCOM to aircraft - this new technology provided global voice and data communication for the flight crew with improved reliability and availability at a reduced cost as compared to similar pre-existing aircraft communications equipment. Being cutting-edge on the avionics Wi-Fi side, the whole cybersecurity piece, we're looking at things we can implement not only on the integration side but software. We're implementing a secure OS with Docker support to host operator defined applications that are secured to the point that you can control what accessibility that particular application may or may not have, and that's all new to the FAA so we're educating them on what functionality that may or may not have. The system offers over-the-air updates which has long been the desire and challenge for airline operators. Being that cutting edge and leading the way, to me, has been the most exciting. Walk me through your day-to-day at Avionica. We have basically three engineering teams that I oversee. One is aircraft integrators-my passion because that's my background. The second is an R&D group-those two teams work very closely together, which is beneficial to us getting things done a lot faster compared to another STC firm that doesn't have both teams working in concert - and the other team is flight services. That third team is flight data services, which specializes in taking the black box data and converting it to parameters, what we call engineering units, which helps us understand how the aircraft is flying through the air. Now, with our GE partner, we're moving toward aircraft health monitoring and analytics. We can say "Hey, you may want to look at this specific parameter of an engine, of an APU, of an AC unit," to aid in a customer's ability to predict when they're going to have to do an avionics upgrade, having malfunctions of a hydraulics upgrade, etc. It's exciting with GE because they're driving that analytics, and our products are installed on theirs. We want to not only give the pilots but also maintenance staff access to knowing what's going wrong with the aircraft before it even does, so they're ready to react to both emergency and predictive situations. When you operate an engine over time, the health degrades... the rate is typically established based on tests with a large safety margin. We're measuring and doing these analytics in real time and proving that the safety margins can be reduced, resulting in operational cost and aircraft downtime savings. What is working directly with the FAA like? As an FAA applicant and DER, you're given an advisor from the Aircraft Certification Office (ACO). We interact with him directly and facilitate and support review of our STC design data through him with other FAA groups such as the flight test group, aircraft evaluation group, structures, acoustics and MIDO (Manufacturing Inspection District Offices). The flight test group would take a look at how the pilots going to interact with the system. This is all through the ACO. With the structure group, it would be fatigue critical systems like, say, the installation of an external antenna. How do we certify that, how it can be continually maintained, how should it be maintained for continued airworthiness? Even though it's reviewed and approved by the DERs for compliance prior to FAA submission, that group is the group that approves the flight manual supplement. With the ACO, I probably talk to my advisor once a week. More so, it's we suggest and they accept. They might give us feedback, 'you might want to look at this.' However, when you're dealing with new and novel tech, the path to approval has not been defined. So, we might set up a meeting and invite additional parties, like the transport director, to join so we can educate them. You're basically getting their buy-in on your design practices, how you're meeting the design requirements and also showing compliance to regulations. It's a close-knit partnership-sometimes it can be challenging, and sometimes the FAA can be slow. Our ACO engineer is very much in tune with how industry works and how the avionics industry makes money, so if I have an emergency, he is very supportive. He would walk the ground test procedure through to get it reviewed by a specific person and put pressure on them to get either their feedback or get it approved quickly. And I know that's unusual. Our processing times are usually in the order of 4-6 months depending on what we're looking to get accomplished, which is quite fast. What do you project for the industry five years from now? More broadband; more data. Really and truly that's the only space you can guarantee connectivity for aircraft; you can't put cell towers out in the middle of the ocean. There will be analytics to improve the reliability of aircraft. Coming from Malaysia Air and Air France, there is a great focus on the ability to communicate with the aircraft autonomously, determine where is it, is it experiencing turbulence, the environment externally and having that data in real time. The ability to crowdsource this information can be used to enhance operational safety for all aircraft. If Flight 276 from Miami to New York experienced bad weather, that info can be gathered and sent not only to the local news but also any trailing aircraft; the operations department of the airline may choose to adjust altitude because of the weather. Today, we really don't have the capability to capture that weather information in real time and provide better routing to aircraft that are following the same traffic to enhance the passenger experience and reduce the possibility of failure. We're moving toward open architecture to allow different industries to influence and progress technology and progress the aviation space. You don't have to know how to certify a product on an aircraft to provide growth for the space. It will be more of a partnership space. Our goal is to provide a simplified path between the whiteboard and on-wing aviation, allowing non-aviation technology companies to influence how avionics will be innovative. http://www.aviationtoday.com/2018/07/01/cutting-edge-avionics-hand-hand-faa-avionica/ Back to Top How to Watch SpaceX's Dragon Ship Deliver Coffee, Experiments, and a Smiling Robot to the International Space Station Early Monday, a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft that launched Friday will reach the International Space Station. When it arrives, a spindly robotic arm, operated by astronauts on board the station, will snag it from space and attach it to a port before unloading a cargo that includes a smiling, spherical assistant droid, replacement parts, and scientific experiments. Perhaps most exciting for the astronauts on board, the load will also include 60 pouches of dehydrated gourmet coffee. Most of the process will be streamed live by NASA at nasa.gov/nasalive, starting at 5:30 a.m. ET on Monday, July 2. The attachment of Dragon to the space station is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Eastern. The docking will be a surprisingly analog process using the Canadarm 2 robotic arm-built, as the name implies, by the Canadian Space Agency. It can be operated from a windowed bubble on the ISS by an astronaut using an array of joysticks and switches, as shown in this tour by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield. The operator relies partly on direct visuals, with help from an array of cameras on the arm and detailed live telemetry on screens. After Canadarm 2 "grapples" the Dragon, another lengthy process will connect it to a hatch in the station's Harmony module. A Dragon first docked with the ISS back in 2012, and Monday's docking will mark the 15th resupply by the vehicle. It will remain docked at the ISS for at least several days while the crew unloads its cargo. The Dragon is also, according to SpaceX, the only currently operating vehicle that can return "significant amounts of cargo" to Earth. For instance, the CRS-14 mission in May returned to the surface carrying a previous experimental space robot, known as Robonaut 2. That device was launched in 2011 and, like the CIMON droid arriving Monday, was intended to help astronauts around the station. But Robonaut 2 faced an array of technical problems over the course of its service. The Dragon craft, known as CRS-15, was launched on what is expected to be the last flight of SpaceX's "Block 4" version of the Falcon 9 rocket. Both the craft and the rocket were re-used from previous missions, continuing to demonstrate the fulfillment of SpaceX's long-term goal of creating reusable spacecraft. The Block 4 Falcon 9 will be replaced by a Block 5 version, designed to increase that reusability further. http://fortune.com/2018/07/01/how-to-watch-spacex-dragon-dock-international-space-station/ Back to Top AirCorps Aviation Teams Up With M-14P Inc. to Produce High Quality Replacement Parts As WarbirdsNews readers will have gathered from numerous articles we have published this past year, AirCorps Aviation in Bemidji, Minnesota has fast established an enviable reputation as a one- stop- shop for world-class vintage aircraft restoration services. Building off their down-to-the-last- rivet warbird restoration facility, they also offer specialized Warbird Maintenance, and have added AirCorps Library as an incredible, affordable resource for original manufacturing drawings and manuals. Then there are their Reverse Engineering capabilities, not to mention AirCorps Art which can replicate virtually any artwork needed to recreate specialized placards, decals and designs to bring that extra authenticity to a warbird restoration. Now AirCorps Aviation has joined forces with the legacy aircraft service provider M-14P Inc. in an exclusive agreement to produce high quality replacement parts for aircraft powered by the famous Vedeneyev M14P 9-cylinder radial engine, such as many types built by the Yakovlev and Sukhoi design bureaus, and of course the PZL Wilga, Nanchang CJ-6 and a variety of homebuilt aircraft. M-14P, Inc. is headquartered in Kingman, Arizona and its team has been dedicated to servicing customers in the Yak, Wilga, CJ-6 and homebuilt market since 1992. As their recent press release proclaims... By incorporating AirCorps Aviation's experience and fabrication capabilities, M-14P, Inc. will soon begin providing brand new replacement components for now-obsolete parts in the above mentioned aircraft types at a level of quality that customers demand, but which had previously been too difficult to remanufacture economically. In October 2015, S.C. Aerostar - the manufacturer of the Yak 52, -52W and-52TW ceased production of the aircraft as well as airframe replacement parts. M-14P, Inc. is now stepping in to provide this lost OEM support, while remaining dedicated and passionate about keeping the Eastern Bloc fleet flying. After connecting with AirCorps Aviation, M-14P, Inc. owner Jill Gernetzke said, "I see a great potential for us to work together and become the aftermarket supplier for Yak and M-14P parts." While AirCorps Aviation has a specialization in formed sheet metal components, the first parts produced for M-14P, Inc., include CNC-machined landing gear actuator pistons and seal rings. These items have already passed inspection and are available for purchase. Several additional parts have been identified and are moving through the reverse engineering process. M-14P, Inc. thankfully had the foresight to maintain a selection of original, new old stock parts in their inventory, waiting for the day when it would be practical to replicate them consistently at high quality and in a cost-effective manner. As two companies that are well-versed in supporting the vintage aircraft industry, this union between AirCorps Aviation and M-14P Inc. seems like a natural fit, and should help keep these legacy Eastern Bloc aircraft flying for decades to come. http://warbirdsnews.com/warbirds-news/press-releases/%EF%BB%BFaircorps-aviation-teams-up- with-m-14p-inc-to-produce-high-quality-replacement-parts.html Curt Lewis