July 23, 2018 - No. 058 In This Issue JCAB raps Nippon Cargo over maintenance lapses Lufthansa Announces Global Blockchain Challenge for the Aviation Industry. Trump's Visits Ground Business at Small New Jersey Airports Triumph Board supports $8.5M for Whiting Aviation Park Textron Aviation to Debut New Full-scale Cessna Denali Mockup at EAA AirVenture 2018 LaudaMotion, Lufthansa leasing contract dispute goes to British court First Ground Test of Safran's Hybrid Electric Propulsion System Boeing hypersonic aircraft: The planes of the future? Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 Gets Ticket to Fly As First Production Engines Arrive in Toulouse SpaceX is about to land a whole lot more rockets JCAB raps Nippon Cargo over maintenance lapses The Japan Civil Aviation Bureau has ordered Nippon Cargo Airlines (NCA) to improve a number of its maintenance and record keeping practices, after discovering discrepancies in its records in June that led to the grounding of its fleet. Parent company NYK Group says in a stock exchange disclosure that the "business improvement order" covers seven areas relating to its safety management systems, appropriate reporting for maintenance records, and appropriate maintenance to aircraft structures. The disclosure also acknowledged that the carrier had deliberately falsified maintenance records, and that "inappropriate operations of aircraft maintenance" had occurred. It also admitted that it had delayed reporting the discovery to the transport ministry. In a separate statement, NCA says that it has engaged a third-party company to evaluate the root causes of the failures and recommend measures to prevent it happening again. The results of that review will be reported to the transport ministry. Two aircraft - a Boeing 747-8F registered JA18KZ and 747-400F JA05KZ - have re-entered service, but two 747-400Fs and seven 747-8Fs remain grounded. "All aircraft currently operating have been confirmed to be airworthy and safe. The remainder of the fleet is undergoing the same inspection, and we will inform the schedule updates as soon as it is decided," NCA adds. https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/jcab-raps-nippon-cargo-over-maintenance-lapses- 450540/ Back to Top Lufthansa Announces Global Blockchain Challenge for the Aviation Industry Lufthansa Innovation Hub (LIH) and the SAP.iO Berlin Foundry have teamed up to launch the first ever Aviation Blockchain Challenge worldwide. Announced in a blog recently, the challenge seeks to explore potential opportunities and drive adoption of Blockchain technology in the airline industry. The Challenge According to the reveal announcement, application of blockchain technology in finance currently dwarfs what is obtainable in the Travel and Mobility Tech scene. In order to change this, the challenge aims to attract the most talented blockchain entrepreneurs from all over the world and give them an enabling environment to create ideas and experiment with new ways of doing things. Leveraging Lufthansa's sizable R&d ecosystem and industry experience alongside SAP's extensive blockchain development experience and mentorship, the challenge will place the world's most promising blockchain entrepreneurs in front of key decision makers and give their businesses great publicity. Explaining why the challenge was created, Thorsten Dirks, Eurowings CEO and Lufthansa Group board member said: "Blockchain is one of the game-changing technologies of our time, which we are systematically addressing as part of our digital strategy for the Lufthansa Group. We look forward to discussing innovative solutions and initiating experiments together with our partner SAP at the Aviation Blockchain Challenge. By combining our aviation industry expertise with the Blockchain technology of a world market leader, we are creating the ideal worldwide framework for addressing Blockchain entrepreneurs with an affinity for travel and mobility" On his part, Deepak Krishnamurthy, Chief Strategy Officer & Executive Vice President of SAP praised the partnership, describing it as a key part of "a new innovation ecosystem that can potentially transform the entire travel industry." Challenge Categories The Blockchain Aviation Challenge is divided into three categories namely the Airline Challenge, the Traveler Challenge and the Supplier Challenge. The Airline Challenge aims to promote solutions that eliminate errors and increase accuracy in airline operations, for example through enhanced ease of data-sharing across department and organisation lines. The Traveler Challenge is for solutions that improve the passenger experience by making it more efficient and comfortable. It aims to identify ideeas that provide added value for passengers and make the overall transit experience more enjoyable and less complicated. The Supplier Challenge seeks to promote ideas that enhance transparency of supply chains and maintenance, which are central to the safe and reliable operations of airlines.Such ideas have the capacity to positively revolutionize parts of an airline's maintenance and supply chain management. Challenge Timeline and Prizes The Blockchain Aviation Challenge kicks off with the ideas submission phase which ends on the 31st of August , 2018. The selection shortlist will be announced afterward, followed by mentoring and pitch preparation by SAP Blockchain specialists and LIH experts. The final pitch takes place at the Lufthansa Innovation Forum in front of senior management from Lufthansa Group and SAP. According to the announcement, prizes for the selected entries include: * A Global stage for your idea incl. international press coverage and media awareness * Potential pilot project with Lufthansa Group * Professional mentoring for all shortlisted teams * Possibility to pitch in front of senior management * Coverage of travel expenses (up to 2500€ per team) * Finalists can get access to Blockchain-as-a-Service from SAP in order to build or improve their MVP * Office space for up to 3 months in the Berlin ecosystem * LIH and SAP take zero equity Interested applicants can enter the aviation blockchain challenge here. https://www.ccn.com/lufthansa-announces-global-blockchain-challenge-for-the-aviation-industry/ Back to Top Trump's Visits Ground Business at Small New Jersey Airports HANOVER, N.J. - More than the sound of Cessnas and private jets at Morristown Municipal Airport this week was the buzz over the impending arrival of President Trump, who would be flying in for another weekend stay at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., where he spends time in the summer. Airport regulars - from flight instructors to mechanics to amateur pilots - said they expected the usual lockdown of the runway during the president's arrival and departure, and flying restrictions for the full duration of his stay. While it may not compare to the larger controversies of the Trump presidency, the president's visits to Bedminster have upset the aviation world in New Jersey, one of the busiest clusters of local airports in the country. Each time the president visits Bedminster, the federal authorities implement temporary flight restrictions, or T.F.R.s, which create a no-fly zone within a 10-mile radius of the golf course during his stay. The restrictions ground flights at the two privately owned Solberg and Somerset Airports closest to the golf course. Looser regulations restrict air traffic within a 30-mile radius, affecting nearly 20 more airports and the dozens of related businesses and aeronautical services from aircraft parking and rentals to flight training, fuel sales and maintenance. With the visits coming in the summertime - peak season for small airports - the restrictions have crippled aviation businesses and may force some to fold unless changes are made, airport owners said, adding that the federal authorities have been unwilling to work with them and ease some restrictions choking their businesses. "It's been devastating," said Bill Fritsche, who said he was facing tens of thousands of dollars in lost fuel sales and other business at the 100-plane Alexandria Field Airport that he co-owns in Pittstown, N.J., a roughly 13-mile flight from the golf club. His airport is one of about 20 within a 30-mile radius. Pilots may use the runways at the smaller airports, but they must employ an extra level of communication with air traffic controllers. They must also file a flight plan for each trip, proceed directly out of the restricted area without lingering, and may not conduct flight training there. "A lot of pilots won't go through the trouble to get clearance," Mr. Fritsche said. "I understand the need for security, but I wish someone at the Secret Service would take a look at this and see that we pose no threat to the president. There's no way any of this is a security risk." Chuck Owen, co-owner of Skydive Jersey, based at Alexandria Field, said his sky diving charters have been greatly reduced by the flight restrictions banning sky diving or balloon flights within the 30-mile radius. Going into last summer, he said, he was handling 140 customers per day during weekends with the help of a 14-seat plane. Since the presidential restrictions last summer, his company has defaulted on the plane's lease. "We lost more than $800,000 in revenue last year because of this," he said, citing sky diving and instructional flights canceled because of restrictions imposed on short notice. "We've had to reschedule entire weekends." Finding other sky diving locations is difficult, he said. "We're up in the air as to whether it's worth our trouble to keep going." He said he and Mr. Fritsche presented a lengthy report last year to the Secret Service, claiming the sky diving operation posed no security threat and offering various measures, including vetting pilots and instructors. Secret Service officials declined. "They haven't given us any chance," Mr. Fritsche said. "Their attitude is: Everyone must defer to us, that they own the sky and we're not entitled to use it at all." Mr. Fritsche, who was a politically active Republican and a Trump supporter, said, "I'm sure that if the president was aware of the impact, and that there was a solution, he'd negotiate a way we could all survive." A Federal Aviation Administration spokesman referred questions to the Secret Service. Shawn L. Holtzclaw, a spokesman for the Secret Service, said in a statement that, "In collaboration with the F.A.A. and other partners, the Secret Service structures temporary flight restrictions to provide a balance between commercial aviation, general aviation, public access and security. "The primary responsibility of the Secret Service is to provide a safe environment for the President," the statement said. "Regardless of location, establishing T.F.R.s will present the unique challenge of achieving our stated goal of balancing security with access." Flight restrictions at smaller airports involves no real partisan bickering, since flight restrictions have been implemented wherever presidents fly. "This is a nonpartisan issue, but the other presidents, they were flying into more remote places," said Frank Steinberg, vice chairman of the New Jersey Aviation Association. "This is smack in the middle of the most densely populated state in the country and the busiest airspace in the world. You have nearly two dozen airports directly affected by these T.F.R.s." Presidential visits affected restrictions for roughly 40 days last summer, Mr. Steinberg said. The president has spent several weekends already this summer in Bedminster and seems certain to spend more in July and August, but the F.A.A. usually only announces the flight restrictions a day or two in advance, he said. "Nobody wants to put this president or any president in danger - that's not what this is about. But I think the protocols could be more flexible without sacrificing security," said Mr. Steinberg, a pilot who keeps his plane at Somerset and has been inconvenienced by the restrictions. He said many of the local airports are family owned for generations on modest profit margins, "and now they're looking at a significant net loss" because of the flight restrictions. The summer months for Somerset and other small airports are as crucial as the winter holiday is for toy stores, said Steven Parker, a co-owner of Somerset Airport, the closest airport to Mr. Trump's golf club. Mr. Parker, a Republican, said he was reluctant to speak about the issue because he also serves as the mayor of Bedminster and would risk his comments on the flight restrictions being turned into political fodder. He did note that large commercial flights routinely fly routes over Bedminster because they have been screened and designated as not a threat. He said he would like to see local pilots undergo federal background checks and be vetted and prescreened to fly at small airports during the Bedminster flight restrictions, he said. This is already being done at several small airports in the D.C.-area that are subject to recurring presidential flight restrictions, he said. Representative Leonard J. Lance, a Republican whose district includes Bedminster, has helped sponsor two provisions in a pending bill that would require the F.A.A. to examine and mitigate the economic effects of the flight restrictions on airports and related businesses around Bedminster and around Mr. Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, and to make $3.5 million available in reimbursements. Suzanne Solberg Nagle, a co-owner of Solberg Airport near Bedminster, addressed the restrictions in a statement that called each restriction "a black cloud" that caused cumulative revenue losses that "will not be known for years to come." "Who wants to operate out of an airport if you never know when it will be open or closed?" Ms. Nagle wrote, regarding the short notice of restrictions. "What flight student will want to learn how to fly out of an airport if he or she can be grounded for several weekends during the prime-time weather season?" Thomas Gomez, operations manager of the Essex County Airport, which lies within the 30-mile radius, called the flight restrictions and the Secret Service easy to work with, "as long as you express what you want to do, and when you want to do it." "People are politicizing it into a negative issue, but this has been the case with every president - Obama, Clinton, Bush, everybody," said Mr. Gomez, a retired Air Force pilot. "If Congress wants to change the rules and let people fly wherever they want, that's different. But for now, the rules are there for a reason." https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/20/nyregion/trump-new-jersey-airports-pilots.html Back to Top Triumph Board supports $8.5M for Whiting Aviation Park MILTON - The Triumph Gulf Coast board of directors gave unanimous support of $8.5 million for infrastructure improvements to Whiting Aviation Park in Santa Rosa County on July 18. "The Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners and our citizens wish to thank the Triumph Gulf Coast board of directors for their support of our request to help fund the creation of the Whiting Aviation Park. This project will create hundreds of new aviation-related jobs not only for our citizens but for employment throughout the region. As important, Whiting Aviation Park provides for sustained compatible development on a 267-acre parcel on the fence line of NAS Whiting Field, enhances military value and improves the overall efficiency of operations as maintenance of the many aircraft can be performed adjacent to the base, meaning less downtime for the aircraft," said Commissioner Don Salter, District 3. "This has been one of our county's number one economic development projects for many years and it would not have been possible without the support of the Triumph Gulf Coast board of directors." The next step for the Whiting project is agreement on a term sheet that will be brought back to the Triumph board for approval. The site development at Whiting Aviation Park is expected to create over 200 high-paying jobs. This project is built on the investment Santa Rosa County made to purchase 267-acres adjacent to NAS Whiting Field and an understanding with the Navy for "through the fence" accesses for private companies. The total project cost is $17,704,975 with Triumph contributing 48 percent of those costs. Development of Whiting Aviation Park strengthens the region's aviation cluster with Pensacola International Airport to the west and Crestview's Bob Sikes Airport to the east. It enhances the region's growing aviation industry by providing additional industrial space adjacent to an existing airfield, and it supports the regional strategic initiative of expanding the aerospace and defense industry cluster - an industry with a strong outlook for growth. These targeted investments in the aviation and aerospace cluster are expected to drive supply chain companies to co-locate in the region. Florida is currently second in the nation for aviation and aerospace establishments and added more than any other state in the southeast in 2017. Under the terms of Florida's settlement with BP, the energy company has already deposited $300 million in Triumph Gulf Coast. Further payments of approximately $80 million per year will be made from 2019 through 2033, amounting to a total of $1.5 billion. Applications have been received and are under consideration to benefit all eight disproportionately affected counties. More information about Triumph Gulf Coast, Inc. is available at www.myfloridatriumph.com. http://www.srpressgazette.com/news/20180720/triumph-board-supports-85m-for-whiting- aviation-park Back to Top Textron Aviation to Debut New Full-scale Cessna Denali Mockup at EAA AirVenture 2018 WICHITA, Kan. (July 20, 2018) - Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, today announced it will unveil its new full-scale Cessna Denali mockup at EAA AirVenture 2018 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin July 23-29 at Wittman Regional Airport. The mockup features a complete cockpit with functioning avionics, fully updated interior and the McCauley 105-inch diameter composite, five-blade, constant speed propeller. "We have made great strides in the design and development of the Denali," said Rob Scholl, senior vice president, Sales and Marketing. "Since first introducing the aircraft at EAA AirVenture in 2015 - and unveiling the initial cabin concept in 2016 - we have fine-tuned the Denali's characteristics based upon feedback gathered from our customer base and look forward to delivering a best in class experience for pilots and passengers alike." The turboprop features the widest cabin cross-section in the segment, providing passengers with additional head and shoulder room - and more room for cargo and baggage. Taking cues from design elements found in Textron Aviation's large-cabin business jets, Denali delivers a new standard of luxury to turboprop passengers. Features such as larger seats and windows, as well as a modular refreshment center and an aft-located lavatory ensure passengers enjoy an enhanced level of comfort on board. During the show, demonstrations of the Denali's highly adaptable cabin will highlight its abundant space and transform the cabin from an executive configuration to a combi layout - configured for both passengers and cargo. "The mockup presents the first opportunity for customers to experience the full power of the Denali cockpit - one that revolutionizes the single engine turboprop segment," Scholl noted. "The Catalyst engine, developed by GE Aviation, is the segment's first powerplant with FADEC (Full Authority Digital Engine Control), equipping pilots with a digitally optimized single-lever engine and propeller control for ease of handling in flight. The Garmin G3000 flight deck modernizes turboprop avionics and significantly reduces pilot workload with dual touchscreen controllers and Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) technology, enabling pilots to easily perform common tasks and manage the flight deck. Not one detail has been overlooked and the new Denali mockup is a true representation of the aircraft we will deliver to customers." The Cessna Denali program continues to progress on schedule. The company anticipates achieving the first wing mate and completion of the prototype airframes as the program nears first flight in early 2019. About the Denali Engineered to achieve cruise speeds of 285 knots and full fuel payload of 1,100 pounds, the Denali will have a range of 1,600 nautical miles at high-speed cruise with one pilot and four passengers and will be able to fly nonstop from Los Angeles to Chicago, New York to Miami or London to Moscow. A first for aircraft in this class, the FADEC-equipped, 1,240 shaft horse-power GE Catalyst engine will ease pilot workload with its fully automated single-lever power and propeller control. Equipped with McCauley's new 105-inch diameter composite, 5-blade, constant speed propeller, Denali's engine features full feathering with reversible pitch and ice protection. Additionally, the engine design delivers an initial 4,000-hour time between overhaul and offers class-leading performance retention for an outstanding hot/high capability. The Denali features the Garmin G3000 intuitive touchscreen avionics suite and includes three large high-resolution displays with split-screen capability. The G3000 flight deck's solid-state weather radar, advanced Terrain Awareness Warning Systems (TAWS) and automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) capabilities ensure compliance with the FAA's NexGen air traffic control requirements. Featuring the largest flat floor cabin in its segment, Denali's design easily converts between passenger and cargo configurations. The executive seating configuration accommodates six individual reclining seats, club-configuration tables and a refreshment unit while the commuter seating layout enables nine individual forward facing seats. Additionally, the aircraft boasts a digital pressurization system maintaining a class-leading 6,130-foot cabin altitude at a service ceiling of 31,000 feet. First in this class of aircraft, the Denali equips customers with an optional, externally serviceable belted lavatory with pocket door enclosure located in the back of the cabin. Denali customers will also enjoy very large cabin windows, interior LED lighting, a forward refreshment cabinet and an in- flight accessible baggage compartment. Denali customers will have access to Textron Aviation's unmatched global support network. Dedicated to complete life-cycle support, the company staffs its factory-direct service centers with expert service engineers offering maintenance, inspections, parts, repairs, avionic upgrades, equipment installations, refurbishments and other specialized services. Textron Aviation also offers a mobile support program featuring more than 60 mobile service units, a fleet of rapid-response support aircraft, and on-site service technicians and support. http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12421458/textron-aviation-to-debut-new-full-scale- cessna-denali-mockup-at-eaa-airventure-2018 Back to Top LaudaMotion, Lufthansa leasing contract dispute goes to British court A London court said July 20 it will schedule proceedings Nov. 19 to hear a case between Austria- based LaudaMotionand Germany's Lufthansa over aircraft leasing contracts. Lufthansa wants to end a contract to lease aircraft to LaudaMotion, saying the Austrian carrier has failed to make payments. On July 20, the court terminated Lufthansa's contract with LaudaMotion for 11 aircraft, even though LaudaMotion will continue to operate nine wet-leased Airbus A320 family aircraft from Lufthansa during the summer season. Ireland's Ryanair-which has backed LaudaMotion-said July 13 it believed LaudaMotion was under threat by the German carrier and was attempting to remove the nine aircraft Lufthansa was obliged by the European Commission to provide to LaudaMotion to allow the new Austrian carrier to restart services. According to Ryanair, some of the aircraft Lufthansa had committed to deliver were being delayed until after the summer 2018 season, further reducing LaudaMotion's ability to take up slots and offer 2018 flights and services. A Lufthansa spokesperson told ATW July 20: "We welcome the fact that the court in London wants to quickly bring a clarification during main proceedings that will begin Nov. 19, 2018. Lufthansa is still firmly convinced the lease termination with LaudaMotion was lawful." If the court agrees, an immediate termination of the lease contracts would be then come into effect and the aircraft would return to Lufthansa. Ryanair said LaudaMotion has repeatedly honored both its aircraft lease payments and maintenance reserves to Lufthansa, which Lufthansa disputes. LaudaMotion operates a 19-aircraft fleet this summer by wet leasing 10 Boeing 737-800s from Ryanair. LaudaMotion owner Niki Lauda told ATW July 13 he expected the lease of these nine aircraft to continue as planned for a total period of three years. http://atwonline.com/airlines/laudamotion-lufthansa-leasing-contract-dispute-goes-british-court Back to Top First Ground Test of Safran's Hybrid Electric Propulsion System Safran has passed a major milestone in its hybrid electric propulsion roadmap with the first ground test of a distributed propulsion system. The test run took place at a Safran Helicopter Engines test facility near Pau-Pyrenees Airport, in France. In a distributed hybrid electric propulsion system for aircraft, a turbo-generator (a gas turbine driving an electrical generator) is coupled to a bank of batteries. This system powers multiple electric motors turning propellers to provide propulsion. The power is efficiently distributed by a new-generation power management system, and the motors are controlled by a fully-integrated smart power electronics assembly. Several operating modes were tested and validated during this first series of tests, with the electric motors powered only by batteries or by a combination of batteries and turbo-generator. The system generated 100 kW of electrical power. The demonstration was conducted by Safran Helicopter Engines, Safran Electrical & Power and Safran Power Units, in conjunction with Safran Tech, the Group's research & technology center. It was carried out according to Safran's roadmap for the development of hybrid propulsion solutions. "Following the recent announcement of our partnership with Bell concerning 'mobility on demand', this latest milestone clearly reflects Safran's determination to invest in the development of hybrid electric propulsion systems, which will be the foundation of future propulsion solutions," said Stéphane Cueille, Senior Executive Vice President for R&T and Innovation at Safran. Jean-Baptiste Jarin, Safran Helicopter Engines Vice President, Hybrid Propulsion System Program, added: "This test marks a major step forward in demonstrating our ability to offer hybrid propulsive solutions for tomorrow's aircraft. We are on track to meet our goal of testing a more powerful system in the near future." Hybrid propulsion systems should contribute to the emergence of new VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) and STOL (short takeoff and landing) aircraft, by enhancing their flight capabilities and expanding their range of missions. Safran's hybrid electric propulsion roadmap is focused on bringing these technologies to the market by 2025. http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12421283/first-ground-test-of-safrans-hybrid-electric- propulsion-system Back to Top Boeing hypersonic aircraft: The planes of the future? CHARLOTTE, NC: Commercial aviation took a bold step into the future in 1976 when it introduced Concorde, the first supersonic passenger airliner in history. For the next 27 years, Great Britain and France offered flights that cruised at 1,354 mph and had a maximum speed of more than twice the speed of sound. Flying at about 60,000 feet, Concorde soared at the edge of space, connecting New York with London in slightly over 3 hours. Now Boeing hypersonic aircraft are in development. Will they be the planes of the future? The Concord - supersonic flight The name "Concorde" was chosen because it meant "harmony" or "union" thus reflecting the co- operation between the United Kingdom and France to make the project a reality. Service stopped in the latter part of 2003 due to a low number of passengers, a slump in air travel resulting from the 9/11/2001 attacks and rising maintenance costs. There had also been a crash three years earlier, which had nothing to do with a plane malfunction but served as an impetus to cease operations. Flying Concorde was an expensive proposition with limited routes which, for the most part, put ticket prices out of reach except for the wealthiest clientele or for travelers who wished to fly it once in a lifetime as a novelty. Another factor that played a major role in the downfall was the lack of competition which would have produced new technologies that might have evolved into more efficient service and the number of routes. Capacity of Concorde planes was approximately 100 or slightly more, which also meant that fewer passengers were dividing the costs of bigger, slower more commercially viable jets. Boeing reveals plans for the first commercial hypersonic airline Now, just 15 years since the demise of Concorde, Boeing has unveiled plans for what could become the world's first commercial hypersonic airliner. In case you are wondering about the difference between supersonic and hypersonic, a hypersonic plane will fly at five times the speed of sound, or about 3,800 mile per hour while cruising at altitudes of 90,000 to 95,000 feet. At that height, passengers will see the curvature of the earth below their windows and the blackness of space above. In addition, because there is no atmospheric turbulence at those altitudes, flights will be extremely smooth without the bumps that often infringe upon jets flying between 30,000 and 40,000 feet. Hypersonic Flight - New York to Shanghai, China in a little over two hours. If true, a businessman could literally commute between the two destinations in a single day. The obvious question then becomes if supersonic aviation was economically prohibitive before, then how could hypersonic service alter the parameters to make it more palatable to the flying public in the future? Part of the reason for Boeing's optimism has arisen from the fact that it recently won a military contract to build a hypersonic spaceplane. Apparently, company officials have determined that if they are already in the process of developing technologies for a military venture, then why not create ideas for a plane that will accommodate commercial passengers while they are at it? Can Hypersonic air travel be convenient, comfortable and affordable? The critical factor, of course, is figuring out how to make hypersonic air travel convenient and affordable. Without multiple routes, relatively workable pricing and competition, hypersonic flights could simply be nothing more than an aviation pipedream for the masses. Estimates for when a hypersonic aircraft might be a reality are all over the time and space spectrum. Some say they could be ready by 2022. Others think they are still a decade. More cautious opinions say the service is still 20 or 30 years in the future. Given that Boeing is already working on the project, combined with the acceleration of global technology, a decade seems to be the most accurate estimate, at least for the introduction of the spaceplane. Can hypersonic flight overcome "spaceflight" issues Other considerations that must be dealt with are passenger comforts. The force of takeoff pushes passengers back into their seats on takeoff. Then forward on landing. On typical flights today, such feelings are minimal and only last a minute or so. However, on a hypersonic flight, that sensation may be more than ten minutes and the question is whether passengers will accept the temporary discomfort. Concordes would expand during flight, so aircraft design must focus upon reducing or eliminating stress on the skin of the plane. At Mach-5 such factors need to be worked out and overcome well in advance. Noise abatement is another problem. Not so much for people on the plane but for those on the ground, especially in the flight path. Something called the Quiet Supersonic Transport (QueSST) has been designed to produce significantly lower sonic booms. Meaning that in this case "lowering the boom" is a good thing. Presently, Aviation Week says NASA hopes to see first flight testing as soon as 2021. Who knows, perhaps Jules Verne should have written about hypersonic planes that are designed to look like gigantic hypodermic needles. The sequel to his novel could be titled Around the World in 80 Minutes. https://www.commdiginews.com/business-2/boeing-hypersonic-aircraft-planes-of-the-future- 104586/ Back to Top Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 Gets Ticket to Fly As First Production Engines Arrive in Toulouse The Rolls-Royce Trent 7000, which powers Airbus's latest aircraft, the A330neo, has today received its 'ticket to fly' from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), with the first production engines also delivered to the Airbus facility in Toulouse, France. The Trent 7000 is the fourth Rolls-Royce engine to receive formal certification in just 12 months, following in the footsteps of the Trent 1000 TEN, Trent XWB-97, and Pearl 15. The certificate was presented to Rolls-Royce by Trevor Woods, Certification Director, EASA, at Farnborough International Airshow. The Trent 7000, the latest member of the successful Rolls-Royce Trent engine family, is the exclusive powerplant for the A330neo which enters service later this year. The aircraft has been a star attraction at this year's Farnborough Airshow, where it is made its first appearance. Chris Cholerton, Rolls-Royce President - Civil Aerospace, said: "This is another great milestone in a period of unprecedented activity for us. Certifying and delivering the Trent 7000 engine further strengthens our position on the latest generation of aircraft and I would like to thank everyone at EASA and Airbus, as well as my own Rolls-Royce colleagues, who have worked so closely to get to this point. We now look forward to supporting Airbus and TAP Air Portugal as they prepare for the aircraft to enter into service later this year." The Trent 7000 brings together more than 50 million flying hours of experience from the Trent 700, which powers the original version of the A330. It combines architecture from the Trent 1000 TEN - the latest version of the Trent 1000 engine - and the latest technology from the Trent XWB. The 68-72,000lb thrust Trent 7000 will deliver a step change in performance and economics compared to the Trent 700. Benefitting from a bypass ratio double that of its predecessor, the Trent 7000 will improve specific fuel consumption by ten per cent, and will significantly reduce noise. http://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12421397/rolls-royce-trent-7000-gets-ticket-to-fly-as- first-production-engines-arrive-in-toulouse Back to Top SpaceX is about to land a whole lot more rockets Update July 22nd, 6:45AM ET: Sunday morning, SpaceX successfully launched and landed its Falcon 9 rocket, while putting the Telstar 19 VANTAGE satellite into a high orbit above Earth. The mission marks the 13th launch of the year for SpaceX and the 26th successful landing of a Falcon 9 rocket booster. Original story: Early Sunday morning, SpaceX is slated to launch its second Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket - the final and most powerful version of the vehicle the company plans to make. After launch, SpaceX will attempt to land the vehicle on one of its autonomous drone ships in the Atlantic. And landings should become fairly routine now, as all of SpaceX's missions will utilize the Block 5 from now on. The Falcon 9 Block 5 is optimized for rapid reusability, according to the company. It boasts a number of improvements that make the vehicle easier to land after launch, as well as upgrades that minimize the amount of refurbishment the rocket needs between flights. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk claims that the Block 5s won't need any major refurbishment for the first 10 flights or so, and could potentially fly up to 100 times before being retired. The company's ultimate goal is to turn these vehicles around in just 24 hours after landing. The fastest SpaceX has been able to manage so far is two and a half months. SpaceX launched the first Block 5 in May, using it to send a communications satellite into orbit for Bangladesh. Since then, it has mostly been launching the previous version of the rocket, the Block 4, and chose not to recover those vehicles after takeoff. They had all flown to space and been back once already. The Block 4s are only capable of being reused a couple of times, and SpaceX likely chose to discard them ahead of transitioning to the Block 5 full time. Though the Block 5 is SpaceX's final upgrade for the Falcon 9, there are some improvements that the company needs to make. Above all, SpaceX still needs to add some upgraded helium tanks to the vehicle, which are needed to pressurize the rocket during flight. And those must be added before SpaceX can launch people on this rocket for the first time. That's because the Block 5 is the vehicle that SpaceX will use to launch NASA astronauts to the International Space Station, as part of the space agency's Commercial Crew program. And NASA is requiring that SpaceX launch the Block 5 in its final "crew configuration" at least seven times before people can ride on board. But the first Block 5 flight didn't include those upgraded helium tanks, so it technically didn't count toward this seven-flight requirement. Once those tanks are added, though, the rocket will be in its crew layout. SpaceX says the first flight to include the tanks will be its uncrewed demonstration flight for Commercial Crew, when the company will send up an empty crew capsule to the International Space Station. In the meantime, SpaceX will continue to launch Block 5s for the foreseeable future without any major upgrades. Tomorrow's rocket will be taking off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, lofting a communications satellite, Telstar 19 VANTAGE, into a high orbit for Canadian company Telesat. There's a 60 percent chance that weather will be favorable for launch, according to the 45th Space Wing, which oversees launches from the Florida coast. Takeoff is scheduled for sometime between 1:50AM ET and 5:50AM ET, with SpaceX's coverage beginning about 15 minutes before takeoff. If you happen to be up around that time, be sure to tune in for another one of SpaceX's signature launch and landing combos. https://www.theverge.com/2018/7/21/17590448/spacex-falcon-9-launch-block-5-telstar-19- vantage-telesat Curt Lewis