September 27, 2018 - No. 076 In This Issue Delta Computer Glitches Force Flight Halts Third Year in a Row NEC to Highlight Biometric Solutions at Aviation Industry Events India-Based Satellite Technology to Aid Nepal Aviation Air Travelers May Soon be Allowed to Carry Liquids Over 100ml Pentastar Named Dealer for Innov8 CabinFlex Products Bell Unveils V-247 Vigilant Tilt-Rotor Combat Drone Mock-Up at USMC Tech Expo House passes aviation safety bill prompted by SFO close calls Nolinor Aviation Modernizes 10 B737-200 with UA Glass Cockpit Embry-Riddle's UAS Lab Expands to Provide Advanced Training Duncan Aviation Engine Test Cell Is In Full Operation 8 things Elon Musk wants you to know about SpaceX's monster BFR spaceship Delta Computer Glitches Force Flight Halts Third Year in a Row Delta Air Lines Inc.'s computer breakdowns are turning into an unwelcome, annual affair. The U.S. airline grounded all domestic flights Tuesday to deal with a technology issue that affected some of its systems. About an hour later, Delta said it had restored all its systems, allowing the services to resume. While the carrier said there were no disruptions or safety issues with any flight, the systems failure was the third in as many years that forced Delta to shut its operations. In January last year, a 2 1/2-hour computer breakdown grounded domestic flights. Delta's worldwide computer systems failed in August 2016, causing massive cancellations. "There are currently no Delta flight cancellations following a brief technology issue that prompted an hour-long groundstop for U.S. mainline Delta flights this evening," the carrier said in an updated statement on its website. Delta said additional flight delays and the impact on the Wednesday morning schedule were "expected to be minimal." This time, international flights weren't affected, and the grounding was relatively short. Still, with limited updates on flight schedules, irate customers took to social media. Ground stops, as the Federal Aviation Administration calls them, are relatively common reactions to thunderstorms and other disruptions in the U.S. aviation system. They are typically short-lived and narrowly drawn, such as halting departures to a congested airport for an hour or two. Stormy Disruption A severe storm disrupted operations at Delta's Atlanta hub in April last year, with delays being made worse by a breakdown in the airline's crew location and assignment systems. About 4,000 flights were canceled in the wake of the storm, and Delta offered hundreds of thousands of customers $200 flight vouchers or 20,000 bonus frequent-flier miles as part of an apology for the flight cancellations. The January 2017 computer breakdown caused Delta to cancel more than 200 flights that left passengers stranded across the U.S., prompting an apology from Chief Executive Officer Ed Bastian. This came after a fire at the company's computer center in August 2016, when the carrier scrapped about 2,000 flights and highlighted the vulnerability of airlines' complex networks that have expanded through the decades and are in need of overhauls. Still, Delta isn't the only U.S. carrier to have suffered from technical glitches. In December 2017, a fire at Atlanta's airport, the world's busiest hub, caused a major electrical disruption, crippling services and stranding thousands of passengers of Delta as well as rivals including Southwest Airlines Co. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-09-26/delta-air-halts-services-to-address- systems-technology-issue Back to Top NEC to Highlight Biometric Solutions at Aviation Industry Events NEC is getting ready to extend a helping hand to the air travel industry as it continues to embrace biometric technology, with plans to attend next week's AVSEC World Day 2018 event and the Global Airport and Passenger Symposium (GAPS) in Athens. Both events are sponsored by the International Air Transport Association, an industry advocacy association that has been increasingly vocal in its support for biometric passenger identity technologies. So NEC will likely find a receptive audience for its biometric solutions, which are already being used prominently in the US Customs and Border Protection agency's efforts to implement biometric passenger screening at airports in the US. NEC will get an elevated platform at AVSEC World Day in particular, with the company being a Bronze Sponsor of the event. NEC Europe executive advisor Michael O'Connell will be one of the speakers in AVSEC World Day's Aviation Security 2030 Session, affording an opportunity to really delve into how biometric technology - and NEC's in particular - can be used to improve security in air travel. At GAPS, meanwhile, NEC says it will showcase its Mobile Authenticator solution, which is based on the company's renowned facial recognition technology and features a liveness detection capability. This, and similar biometric solutions, are likely to be hot topics at AVSEC World Day and GAPS as a range of stakeholders increasingly look to technological solutions to issues of security, passengers flows, efficiency, and more. https://findbiometrics.com/nec-biometric-aviation-industry-events-50929/ Back to Top India-Based Satellite Technology to Aid Nepal Aviation Aiming to make a new breakthrough in satellite technology, India has been persuading South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) member countries including Nepal to become a member of its advanced satellite program. GPS-Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) developed using Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS) receivers is important to the Indian subcontinent for better management of air traffic. GAGAN is a brainchild of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The system is being developed to aid SAARC countries with accurate and concrete satellite-based navigational services crucial to civilian and aviation applications in SAARC and Southeast Asian countries. India Briefs Nepal on GAGAN A team from AAI visited Kathmandu to give a detailed presentation including benefits for Nepal on the GAGAN system to the country's officials. "We are yet to reach a decision regarding India's proposal," informed Rajan Pokharel, Deputy Director General, Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) Adding further, Pokhrel said CAAN will analyze the cost and other factors before making going ahead with anything. Since the system will be used for both domestic and international airlines, it will demand extra expenditures on behalf of CAAN including the installation of SBAS receivers. About India-developed GAGAN: The Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has mandated that all GAGAN-related equipment should be installed on Indian-registered aircraft starting January 1, 2019. According to AAI, India is one of the only four nations across the globe to create and launch this innovative technology after US, the European Union (EU) and Japan. The smart system eliminates any signal errors from Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and provisions accurate navigation for users. Additionally, it provisions direct light-paths and reduces minimum aircraft separation, further reducing pilots & controller burdens; significantly minimizing air traffic, especially in busy airspaces. India, Nepal Collaborate to Explore Satellite Imagery In another update, Nepal and India have decided to explore the feasibility of using high resolution satellite images in boundary survey work, revealed officials. In the Fifth Nepal-India Boundary Work Group's (BWG) meeting both the nations agreed to continue mapping no-man's land encroachment and cross-border occupation alongside maintaining the status quo on the cultivation of the aforementioned land. The three-day meeting also reviewed the progress of the Fourth BWG meet and made sure that the guidelines issued earlier have been properly implemented. BWG was formed by India and Nepal in 2014 to develop construction, restoration & repair of boundary pillars, including clearance of no-man's land and others. Well, let's wait and watch whether Nepal will opt for the GAGAN system despite the cost aspect. It is well-known that the country is having issues with airspace and managing air traffic. https://www.nepalisansar.com/technology/india-based-satellite-technology-to-aid-nepal-aviation/ Back to Top Air Travelers May Soon be Allowed to Carry Liquids Over 100ml Sept. 25--Air travellers in India might be able to carry water and other liquids such as shampoo (in excess of the current 100 ml limit) in their hand baggage, with the ministry of civil aviation considering installing testing liquid explosive detectors, according to officials familiar with the development. While the process is still in the initial stage, and there's no telling how long it will be before it will be instituted, the ministry recently reviewed presentations by some European firms on the latest technologies they use to scan liquids at airports. Once a technology/company has been shortlisted, the ministry plans to conduct a trial at a metro airport, a civil aviation ministry official said on the condition of anonymity. The ministry will then issue a list of liquids allowed in hand baggage. However, liquor that could be potential threats will not be allowed, this person added. "The passenger will have to put the container in the detector and, within five seconds, it will tell the percentage of explosive in it. It gives 4-5 level of threat scenario, and based on that items can be allowed," said a civil aviation ministry official. The concept is not new. For years now, some airports, including those in the US and Europe, have been testing bottled liquid scanners, although they still restrict the quantity of liquid that can be carried (100ml of each at the most). Now, some of them are even experimenting with scanners that can check liquids in bottles inside the carry-on baggage, so as to save time. Once the ministry decides to opt for this technology, the Bureau for Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) will have to frame the guidelines . The restriction on liquids dates back to 2006, following an instance in the UK where liquid gel explosives were involved in an airport terror plot. "We have been demanding liquid explosive detectors for a long time because many passengers argue to be allowed to carry liquids (in excess of 100 ml). The ministry has recently started meetings in this regard and trials will be conducted soon," said an official of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) who asked not to be identified. The CISF is the agency that provides security to airports. "If we have the technology that can detect liquid explosive, then we can move ahead and allow liquid in the hand baggage straight away," said Mark Martin, founder and CEO of Dubai-based Martin Consulting. In India, much like anywhere else in the world, liquid, gel and paste are allowed separately, in small quantities in one clear transparent resealable plastic bag. Items allowed will include water, paste, shampoo, cosmetic gels, and medicine. Items that will remain prohibited are liquor, perfume, and other inflammable items. https://www.aviationpros.com/news/12431285/air-travellers-may-soon-be-allowed-to-carry- liquids-over-100ml Back to Top Pentastar Named Dealer for Innov8 CabinFlex Products Pentastar Aviation is now an authorized dealer and installer for Innov8 Cabin Solutions, which offers the CabinFlex suite of "affordable upgrade solutions" for aircraft cabins. The companies have also contracted their first joint project for installation of the entire suite of CabinFlex products in a Bombardier Global Express. CabinFlex encompasses three product lines: CFLEX Simplicity, which is adaptable to the latest consumer electronic technologies; CFLEX Cast, enabling products for current entertainment sources that provide a cost-effective path to a wireless cabin; and CFLEX Command, which are affordable cabin control solutions that provide the latest technology features while minimizing downtime. "As cabin technology becomes outdated or obsolete, we wanted to be able to offer our customers an affordable solution to upgrade their current cabin technology with minimal downtime and the flexibility to enhance their aircraft with technological advancements, which is what Innov8 provides," said Pentastar Aviation director of engineering and inside sales Jesse Beard. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2018-09-25/pentastar-named-dealer- innov8-cabinflex-products Back to Top Bell Unveils V-247 Vigilant Tilt-Rotor Combat Drone Mock-Up at USMC Tech Expo As the U.S. Marine Corps looks to move ahead with its multi-role, vertical landing and takeoff- capable drone program, known as MUX, Bell has unveiled a new, full-scale mock-up of its V-247 Vigilant unmanned tilt-rotor at a technology exposition at one of the service's own bases. The company has been actively pitching the design as an option for MUX project, but it has a modular design that could make it appealing to other U.S. and foreign military services, as well. Bell showed the full-size model to the public for the first time at the 2018 Modern Day Marine Expo at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia on Sept. 25, 2018. The firm first announced it was working on the V-247 design at all in 2016, around the same time that the Marines first revealed the MUX concept, which officially stands for Marine Air Ground Task Force Unmanned Aircraft System Expeditionary. "The Bell V-247 Vigilant is leveraging combat-proven technology making the future of aviation a reality today," Todd Worden, Bell's Senior Manager for Global Military Business Development speaks, told attendees at the Modern Day Marine Expo while standing in front of the model. "It's a testament to the power and versatility of tilt-rotor flight." The V-247 uses technology derived from both the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor, which the Marines already fly, as well as the still-in-development V-280 Valor, which the company has pitched to the U.S. Army as part of the Future Vertical Lift(FVL) program. The unmanned Vigilant will be capable of autonomous flight and will have the necessary data links to support teaming up with manned aircraft, according to Bell. The company also says the drone can turn its wings and fold its rotors in order to fit within the same physical footprint as a Marine UH-1Y Venom utility and light attack helicopter, which is a key MUX requirement. The company has long pitched the design as a multi-purpose platform, with multiple internal payload bays for weapons, radars and other sensors, and other specialized mission equipment. The new model is in a light attack configuration with four underwing pylons and sensor turret under the fuselage that could carry various electro-optical and infrared cameras, as well as a laser designator. Bell's mock-up at the Modern Day Marine Expo was carrying four dummy AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and a dozen inert Fury multi-mode precision-guided miniature munitions. Textron, Bell's parent company, produces Fury, which is a small glide bomb that can use either laser or GPS/INS guidance options to attack stationary or moving targets in various weather and environmental conditions. What the Marines refer to as "Offensive Air Support" is relatively low on their priority list for the MUX drone, ranked fifth out of seven total potential missions for the system, according to documents the service publicly released in June 2018. An airborne early warning platform is the Corps' most pressing demand as it is a capability the Marines presently rely on other services to provide. You can read about the MUX's possible mission profiles in greater detail in a past War Zone feature on this system. The modular nature of the V-247 could give it the capacity necessary to carry the powerful air search radar necessary for the airborne early warning mission. The Vigilant in this configuration would also need significant communications systems and data links necessary to send out critical information to other Marine assets and command centers. The V-247 model at the Modern Day Marine Expo also notably features an in-flight refueling probe, which was not present on earlier models and in previous concept art of the design. This feature, combined with the Marines' plans to adopt an aerial refueling tanker kit for the Osprey, would help extend the overall range of the drones or allow them to loiter over a particular area of the battlefield for extended periods of time. This could be especially useful for examples of the drone operating in the airborne early warning role, but would also be valuable for versions flying other MUX missions, such as persistent surveillance, armed over-watch, and communications relay missions. Unfortunately, Congress has not been as enthused about the Marine Corps' plans for MUX, regardless of what design they might use in the end, raising concerns that the service has not properly outlined its need for the system or now they plan to integrate it into their overall force structure. Legislators cut nearly the service's proposed budget for the program by nearly half, from around $25 million to approximately $14 million, when they passed the defense policy bill for the 2019 fiscal year in August 2018. The Marines are moving forward with the project, regardless, but they're also unlikely to be the only element of the U.S. military that might be interested in using the Vigilant to fill many of the same missions. One of the driving factors in the V-247's design was also the desire to make it able to fit inside the hangar on board an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, which could make it appealing to the U.S. Navy. Bell has previously shown a model of a version in an anti-submarine warfare configuration with a side-mounted sonobouy launcher. The Navy is also working separately with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and Northrop Grumman on another vertical take-off and landing capable maritime strike and reconnaissance drone project called the Tactically Exploited Reconnaissance Node (TERN). The Army is also exploring the possibility of fielding some form of multi-role, pilot optional, vertical take-off and landing capable aircraft, which could be either a helicopter or a tilt-rotor. The V-247 can't carry a pilot and is probably too small to meet this and other requirements for this Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft Competitive Prototype (FARA CP), but the design could serve as the basis of future Bell offering for the program. The Vigilant also could be of interest to foreign military operators, as well. With Bell's emphasis on the drone's shipboard capabilities, the company might be inclined to pitch it to Japan or South Korea, both of which are looking to significantly expanding the amphibious warfare capabilities. Both countriescould soon be interested in operating the vertical take-off and landing capable F-35B Joint Strike Fighter from new and existing amphibious assault ships and light carriers. The Marines see their future MUX operating together with these stealthy fighters on some missions, as well. Japan is also the first, and still only, V-22 export customer and could eventually fly them from the country's Izumo-class "helicopter destroyers," which Japanese authorities have now conceded were originally designed as light aircraft carriers. One of the missions the Marines first envisioned for MUX was escorting Ospreys as they flew ashore. Whatever happens to MUX in the end, as well as another U.S. military or foreign drone program that considers the V-247 design, Vigilant appears to have a lot of potential and it's likely that we'll see more notional configurations for various missions as Bell gets the aircraft ready for its inaugural flight. This could come in the next few years if the company hopes to stick to its plan of having the unmanned tilt-rotor ready for production by 2023. http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/23835/bell-unveils-v-247-vigilant-tilt-rotor-combat-drone- mock-up-at-usmc-tech-expo Back to Top House passes aviation safety bill prompted by SFO close calls WASHINGTON, D.C. - A day after an unprecedented National Transportation Safety Board hearing led to a slew of air safety recommendations, the House passed an aviation bill that included four amendments geared toward preventing runway accidents following a series of close calls at San Francisco International Airport last year. Congressman Mark DeSaulnier, sparked by a series of reports by the Bay Area News Group, included four amendments to the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, which passed the House by a vote of 398 to 23. "Each of our amendments began with one goal in mind: to make our aviation system safer," DeSaulnier said in a statement. "With such an alarming number of close calls recently due to human errors, we should learn all we can from recent incidents and take action to protect the public now rather than waiting for a catastrophic accident." His four amendments are: * Requiring the Federal Aviation Administration to review ways to improve technology that can alert air traffic controllers when an airplane is improperly aligned before landing. * Assessing the benefits of equipping aircraft with systems that provide an audible alert to pilots on approach, notifying them if they are aligned to somewhere other than their approved runway. * Protecting key airport systems from disruption caused by power outages or other unforeseen circumstances. * Improving the use of data for identifying safety issues and recommending action before accidents occur. Between 2011 and 2017, the U.S. has seen an 83 percent increase in runway incursions, including a series of close calls at SFO. Following a July 2017 near-miss involving an Air Canada plane that nearly landed on four fully-loaded airliners lined up on a taxiway, DeSaulnier began looking at safety issues, including the fact the cockpit voice recorder often gets overwritten following such incidents, deleting critical evidence. This week, the Government Accountability Office agreed to review data on safety incidents and the FAA's framework for responding to such incidents as requested by DeSaulnier. Preliminary work has begun and a report is expected next spring. https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/09/26/house-passes-aviation-safety-bill-prompted-by-sfo- close-calls/ Back to Top Nolinor Aviation Modernizes 10 B737-200 with UA Glass Cockpit LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA - September 25, 2018 - Universal Avionics (UA) announces that 10 Nolinor Aviation Boeing 737-200 aircraft are undergoing a modernization program for state-of-the- art avionics and glass displays. The aircraft upgrade includes 4 UA EFI-890R Advanced Flight Displays and the addition of a second UA UNS-1Lw Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS)- Flight Management System (FMS). The first upgrade is complete and the aircraft has re-entered service, and the second aircraft installation is in process with UA Authorized Dealer, Mid-Canada Mod Center. The upgrade addresses equipment obsolescence and increasing difficulty in supporting older electromechanical instruments, greatly improving reliability and safety. The EFI-890R Advanced Flight Displays also allow Nolinor to focus on increasing dispatch reliability and mission completion - meeting the needs of mining companies, and transporting more than a hundred passengers to extremely remote villages only accessible by air. "We have been highly satisfied with the recent installation of the EFI-890R and UNS-1Lw SBAS-FMS in our B737-200," said Yves Bergeron, Director of Operations for Nolinor Aviation. "With seamless integration in our cockpit, we've benefited from increased accuracy in our flight operations as well as enhanced situational awareness for our pilots," he added. "We are now benefiting from this system's reliability, which greatly reduces aircraft downtime." An SBAS-capable FMS has become a must for commercial aircraft operating in Canada's north where weather can be challenging and the ability to fly RNAV (GNSS) LPV LOS approach procedures are often necessary to complete flight operations. The UA UNS-1Lw SBAS-FMS's combination of analog and digital inputs/outputs makes it an ideal fit for the B737-200 aircraft. In addition, gravel runways included in the FMS Navigation Database, as well as True North course approaches, and FMS Temperature Compensation (TEMP COMP) were all sought-after features offered with the UA SBAS-FMS. "We're very fortunate at Universal Avionics to be playing a part in Nolinor's relentless focus on providing their clients with the safest, most reliable air transport possible," said Norm Matheis, Universal Avionics Canada Senior Regional Sales Manager. "The B737-200 is the main heavy lift transport for Canada's north with its gravel and ice runway capability and this is a stunning transformation of the flight deck by MC2, that future-proofs flight operations," he added. "We have a unique track record when bringing new technology to older cockpits," said Bill Arsenault, Vice President of MC2. "MC2 have become champions in the process of extending the life of classic aircraft like these," he added. "Improved efficiency and operational flexibility - especially in aircraft working the North in such varied operational situations - have become industry trendsetters for MC2. The opportunity to once again help out an operator in this manner brings us pride and satisfaction regarding the advanced level of avionics support and engineering we offer all our clients." With only 77 Boeing 737-200 aircraft remaining in service today, Nolinor Aviation's fleet is the largest in the world. To learn more, visit UA Booth #229 during the 2018 RAA Annual Convention. https://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12431345/nolinor-aviation-modernizes-10-b737-200- with-ua-glass-cockpit Back to Top Embry-Riddle's UAS Lab Expands to Provide Advanced Training DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Inside Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Training Laboratory at the Daytona Beach Campus, new, cutting-edge flight simulation technology and software is being installed, assuring that the lab remains one of the most advanced unmanned aircraft simulation facilities in the country. Using much of the same simulation technology provided in U.S. military training, students will soon train with more detailed virtual environments and with the same unmanned aircraft used in the industry. The new simulation stations are also being equipped with an autonomous autopilot system for the aircraft to fly more independently within the virtual environment. "We will have realistic geographical data that will represent as close to the real world that we can provide," said Billy Rose, UAS Simulation and Flight Instructor for Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach Campus. "The technology is more representative of what is currently used in the industry of UAS. The students will have more advanced and automated features than what are used on actual unmanned aircraft." The simulators in the lab will use software developed by the Next-Generation Advanced Research (NEAR) Lab at Embry-Riddle; a Microsoft DirectX-based render engine; and Piccolo Command Center Interface Software, an autonomous autopilot system for flying UAS before the students train in the field with the program's advanced unmanned aircraft. In the UAS lab, geographically accurate real-time virtual environments with game quality graphics will be rendered with MetaVR's Virtual Reality Scene Generator™ (VRSG). VRSG's features include a simulated UAS camera view, physics-based simulated sensor modes, environmental settings, high-resolution geospecific 3D terrain, and ocean simulation. MetaVR VRSG also includes substantial libraries of 3D content with more than 7,000 models. The geospecific terrain virtual environments will contain replicas of areas of interest, such as several local airports with detailed models of runways, buildings, and other airport structures. MetaVR visuals are used in the U.S. Army's UAS training simulators. The high-resolution VRSG systems are also used by other branches including the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force, making MetaVR one of the largest suppliers of commercial licensed 3D visualization software for UAS simulation training in the U.S. military. W. Garth Smith, CEO and co-founder of MetaVR, Inc. with Richard Rybacki, said the installation at Embry-Riddle is their largest to date for any educational institution. Smith said students will train on the most current military and commercial applications. Daytona Beach Campus students will also receive live flight training using new, state-of-the-ar tPenguin C UAS from UAV Factory, used by UAS professionals around the world. The Penguin C aircraft, which are being integrated into the UAS program and new curriculum next year, are long-endurance, long-range professional unmanned aircraft systems, considered one of the most capable surveillance and inspection UAS flying today. The runway-independent, fixed-wing aircraft are capable of flight times in excess of 20 hours and able to operate at distances up to 60 miles (100 kilometers) beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) from a two-person ground control station. "We are excited about offering this real-world UAS flight training as part of our regular curriculum," said Michael E. Wiggins, professor and Aeronautical Science department chair. "Operating these aircraft utilizing industry standards of practice will allow us to educate our students using the highest levels of safety and professionalism expected by the industry. By blending advanced UAS simulation training with actual UAS flight operations, we are sending the best prepared graduates we can to enter the workforce with the skillset necessary to meet tomorrow's needs." ABOUT EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is the world's largest, oldest and most comprehensive institution specializing in aviation, aerospace, engineering and related degree programs. A fully accredited university, Embry-Riddle is also a major research center, seeking solutions to real-world problems in partnership with the aerospace industry, other universities and government agencies. A nonprofit, independent institution, Embry-Riddle offers more than 100 associate's, baccalaureate, master's and Ph.D. degree programs in its colleges of Arts & Sciences, Aviation, Business, Engineering and Security & Intelligence. The university educates students at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., through its Worldwide Campus with more than 135 locations in the United States, Europe and Asia, and through online programs. For more information, visit www.embryriddle.edu, follow us on Twitter (@EmbryRiddle) and facebook.com/EmbryRiddleUniversity, and find expert videos at YouTube.com/EmbryRiddleUniv. https://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12431530/embry-riddles-uas-lab-expands-to- provide-advanced-training Back to Top Duncan Aviation Engine Test Cell Is In Full Operation LINCOLN, NEB - After months of planning, construction, and rennovation, Duncan Aviation is pleased to announce that its new turbofan engine test cell, affectionately named 'The Raptor,' has completed all of the necessary correlation runs certified by Honeywell and is fully operational with many Honeywell TFE731 engines scheduled for CZI inspections throughout the end of the year. Mike Bernholtz, Turbine Engine Service Sales Rep, says there is no shortage of operators anxious to come to Duncan Aviation for their engine's CZIs (Core Zone Inspections). "I am not surprised by the increased demand for Duncan Aviation TFE731 services. Our shop has been over capacity for several months. It just goes to show that operators who choose to come to Duncan Aviation continue to choose us again and again because no other engine service center has the quality of people or the depth of TFE731 experience in the industry," Bernholtz says. The new 20,000 lb.-thrust-class test cell is one of the most capable in the engine MRO industry, able to provide customers with intermediate-level, depot-level, production-level and development- level engine testing capability. From computer hardware, displays, and touchscreens to the data acquisition and PLC control hardware, all run on the latest technology. A formal dedication of the new cell is being held today. Click to view a video on the test cell expansion. For more information, visit Duncan Aviation at booth #3896 during this year's NBAA convention from October 16-18, at the Orange County Convention Center at the Orlando Executive Airport in Orlando, Florida, or watch for announcements at www.DuncanAviation.aero/nbaa. About Duncan Aviation Duncan Aviation is an aircraft service provider supporting the aviation needs of government and business operators and other service providers. Services include major and minor airframe inspections, engine maintenance, major retrofits for cabin and cockpit systems, full paint and interior services and preowned aircraft sales and acquisitions. Duncan Aviation also has international aircraft components solutions experts available 24/7/365 at +1 402.475.4125 who can handle any aircraft system problem with immediate exchanges, rotables, loaners or avionics/instrument/accessory repairs and overhauls. Complete service facilities are located in Lincoln, Neb., and Battle Creek, Mich. Additional locations include Provo, Utah, and more than 20 other facilities strategically located throughout the United States to provide customers with local support and the quickest response to avionics, engine and airframe Aircraft On Ground (AOG) situations. For more information about any of Duncan Aviation's services, call +1 402.475.2611 or visit www.DuncanAviation.aero. https://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12431566/duncan-aviation-engine-test-cell-is-in-full- operation Back to Top 8 things Elon Musk wants you to know about SpaceX's monster BFR spaceship LOS ANGELES, Calif. --Perhaps the biggest surprise when Elon Musk unveiled SpaceX's plans for a new giant rocket to the moon last week wasn't how futuristic it appears. Rather, it was how much it looks like spaceships of our imaginations. Landing vertically with three big fins, the BFR, as the rocket has been dubbed, looks somewhat like so many of those finned spaceships landing on distant planets in old science-fiction movies -- not like the more ungainly craft seen in films like in "2001: A Space Odyssey" or even in real life, like the lunar lander that delivered Neil Armstrong to the moon in 1969. As turns out, Musk, the billionaire who is CEO of the rocket maker as well as Tesla, the electric car maker, said looks played a role, not just functionality, in the design. "There's more than one way to solve this problem," he said. He said the new design's three fins act both to control the rocket and as its landing gear. The design is "slightly riskier" than the previous one, which had six legs. In both cases, two of the three fins can direct the rocket. The basic look of the rocket was just one surprise. Here are others: *It's big. At 387.1 feet, it will be taller than the Saturn V rocket that powered the Apollo missions to the moon. It will also be 82 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty. It is being designed to take more than 220 tons to Mars. *It's expensive. But so far, the costs don't appear unmanageable. Musk said development of the BFR is taking about 5 percent of the rocket maker's resources at the moment, but the program will become more costly as it goes on. He said the BFR should cost about $5 billion to develop -- not less than $2 billion, but not more than $10 billion. The Japanese billionaire who expects to be the first paying passenger for a flight around the moon in 2023, Yusaku Maezawa, has already made a down payment. He hasn't said how much. "Funding BFR is a key question. We need to seek every possible means of funding," Musk said. *BFR can go anywhere. Musk said he envisions the BFR as not just for going to the Moon, or even to Mars. Once at Mars, with refueling, he said it can go anywhere in the solar system. Indeed, Musk said the purpose of SpaceX is "to help advance rocket technology to a point where we can potentially become a multi-planet species," which could possibly become a necessity because of the threat of nuclear war, disease or other disasters that would otherwise wipe out humans on earth. With "refueling depots" on distant planets or their moons, BFR can roam the solar system, he said. *It's versatile. The rocket is designed to be able to land on planets with atmospheres or none at all. To land in planets where there is atmosphere, it uses "its entire body to brake, then falls like a skydiver," Musk said. Then, it straightens up and lands vertically on its three legs, same as SpaceX has been doing in returning its booster rockets to earth on Falcon 9 missions. *It's spacious. At as much as 1,100 square feet inside the spaceship portion, Musk said he can envision it having both private rooms and group areas on a weeks- or months-long flight. Musk said it was designed to hold up to 100 Mars emigrants. But the round-the-moon flight, it will be carrying about a dozen people, including a group of artists and writers that Maezawa said he plans to bring along. *It's happening sooner than you'd think. Plans call for a series of tests, followed by unnamed missions, followed by an unnamed mission around the world. The target date to send it around the moon with people aboard is 2023, but Musk said it's a date that could slip. *Different launch sites are planned. The spaceship portion will be tested at a launch facility nearly Brownsville along the Texas coast. In other tests, the ship could be launched from a barge. It won't land on the moon initially. Rather the trip that Maezawa is taking will go around. Musk said the route hasn't been decided. It could zoom close to the moon's surface then pull out farther in an elliptical route. *Oy, that name. BFR supposedly stands for Big Falcon Rocket, a nod to the workhorse of the SpaceX fleet, the Falcon 9 that boosts satellites into orbit. But the BFR designation may not stick. "We should probably think of a different name," Musk said. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/09/27/spacexs-bfr-spaceship-rocket-elon-musk- space-travel/1430175002/ Curt Lewis