December 27, 2018 - No. 102 In This Issue Textron Taps Technology for Bizjet Maintenance Modern Aviation Acquires FBO at Boeing Field in Seattle Russian MRO provider assists Tajik's airline with aircraft re-registration Torqued: Good News in the FAA's 2018 Reauthorization Act. Contamination led to Qeshm Fokker gear-up accident. Average age of plans used in Ukraine is 23 years, - State Aviation Administration The Future Is Now with Video-based Remote Inspection Castlelake Buys AirAsia Group's Merah Aviation for $768MM Polk State College to launch aircraft dispatcher certification program SpaceX's Starship goes sci-fi shiny with stainless steel skin 20 best aviation museums around the world Textron Taps Technology for Bizjet Maintenance Textron Aviation is leveraging technology to improve the maintenance process for modern Citation jets, while also working to keep its pipeline of technicians filled as the aviation industry faces a growing shortage of technicians. Optimizing the accessibility and accuracy of technical publications is vital for business aircraft maintenance, and for its newest jet, the Longitude, Textron Aviation is rolling out new 2D enhanced color graphics and interactive 3D content in the maintenance manuals. "These advancements empower customers with enhanced visualization of the detailed components on their aircraft and easy access to a broad spectrum of Textron Aviation customer service support services," said Chris Hearne, vice president of Textron Aviation product support. The new documents are part of Textron Aviation's 1View system, launched in August 2016. Since then, he said, "[subscribers] to 1View have yielded 73 million online page views. We continue to invest in improving our technical publications and are actively evaluating and leveraging emerging technology to deliver leading-edge capabilities for our customers worldwide." With more than 1,100 technicians working in the global network of Textron Aviation service centers, a valuable opportunity for recruiting and retaining technicians is the prospect for becoming an expert on the whole aircraft. "Working end-to-end on an entire aircraft," said Hearne, "Textron Aviation technicians gain exposure to the entirety of aviation and the opportunity to move throughout a vast product line up across training, business, and defense aircraft. To keep pace with the needs of the business, Textron Aviation's projected hiring need is approximately 150 technicians per year. Recruitment at more than 50 technical schools across the U.S. and a robust relationship with WSU Tech has enabled candidates to join the ranks, receive specialized technical training, and leverage shadowing and mentoring opportunities with experienced technicians. To invest in the future workforce, Textron Aviation, Wichita Public Schools, and WSU Tech have joined forces to develop Aviation Pathway, a new high school aviation curriculum that serves as the state's first aviation technical education pathway for high school students." Big data and connectivity are also helping improve business aircraft maintenance efficiency, which requires a consistent flow of information. Like many business jet manufacturers, Textron Aviation transmits maintenance data directly from the airplane to Textron's LinxUs network and directly to the customer, via onboard equipment such as Garmin Iridium satcoms and datalinks. "Personalizing transmission requirements to meet their changing needs, customers receive information such as engine trend data, CAS message logs, and engine service messages via a LinxUs data subscription or Wi-Fi to their provider of choice," Hearne said. "Aircraft maintenance providers can now chart trends for aircraft use and better predict customer needs. This connectivity via binary-encrypted data empowers maintenance professionals with accurate, up-to-date aircraft information in real time and delivers peace of mind to customers." https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2018-12-26/textron-taps-technology- bizjet-maintenance Back to Top Modern Aviation Acquires FBO at Boeing Field in Seattle NEW YORK, Dec. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Modern Aviation announced that it has acquired Gateway USA, LLC, which operates one of the two main FBOs at Boeing Field ("KBFI") in Seattle, WA. The Seattle facility, which will be rebranded as Modern Aviation in the first quarter of 2019, is the third FBO acquisition closed in less than 12 months for Modern Aviation, an FBO platform backed by Tiger Infrastructure Partners. The FBO offers more than 65,000 square feet of hangar space, 18,000 square feet of terminal and office space, and aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul services via its Part 145 Repair Station. Gateway is also the exclusive authorized dealer and service center for Quest Kodiak in the Pacific Northwest. Gateway provides high levels of customer service, safety and quality, and has received its IS-BAH stage II registration. Boeing Field is one of the top 20 busiest general aviation airports in the U.S. and is the principal business aviation airport in the greater Seattle, Washington area. Gateway's Seattle facility is consistently rated one of the top FBO service providers in the Northwest U.S. according to the AIN Annual FBO Survey and Pilot's Choice Awards. "Gateway is known for its outstanding customer service, commitment to safety, and its pool of talented employees, making it a perfect fit for the Modern Aviation platform," said Modern Aviation CEO, Mark Carmen. "Gateway will continue to be led by General Manager Chuck Kegley and his dedicated Seattle team who will continue to deliver the same level of service that customers experience today." Carmen added, "Seattle is a highly attractive, growing general aviation market, and we plan to develop Gateway's additional leasehold directly adjacent to its current facility in 2019 by building 48,000 square feet of additional hangar and office space to service growing demand in the region. Additionally, we look forward to providing industry best practices through Gateway's team of dedicated employees to benefit all stakeholders at Seattle's Boeing Field." "Gateway, which has been operating at Boeing Field since 2003, has delivered outstanding customer service through our exceptional team of employees," said Gateway co-founders Joe Clark and Clay Lacy. "Modern Aviation is well positioned to build on our success at Boeing Field and to further develop the business to reach its full potential. We are confident that Modern will provide a great home for the team and our loyal customer base." Modern Aviation's strategy is to acquire and develop FBO operations in growth markets and to focus on providing exceptional service, extraordinary quality and industry-leading safety. Modern Aviation has secured the backing of the growth-oriented infrastructure private equity fund, Tiger Infrastructure Partners. Modern Aviation is actively engaged in pursuing additional FBO acquisitions and development opportunities in North America and the Caribbean. Winston & Strawn acted as legal counsel for Modern Aviation. About Modern Aviation Modern Aviation is a growing company that is building a national network of premium FBO properties. The management team includes executives from Universal Weather and Aviation and Atlantic Aviation. The Company is backed by Tiger Infrastructure Partners. For more information visit: http://modern-aviation.com. About Tiger Infrastructure Tiger Infrastructure Partners is a middle-market private equity firm that invests in growing infrastructure platforms. The firm targets investments in communications, energy, transportation, and related sectors, primarily located in North America and Europe. For more information visit: www.tigerinfrastructure.com. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/modern-aviation-acquires-fbo-at-boeing-field-in- seattle-300770799.html Back to Top Russian MRO provider assists Tajik's airline with aircraft re-registration Tajikistan's leading airline Somon Air has transferred two of its Aruba-registered aircraft onto the aircraft registry of the Bermuda Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA). The S7 Technics' Engineering centre has assisted the private airline with the transference of the aircraft onto new registry. To complete the assignment, one of Somon's Boeing 737-900s made a maintenance shop visit to the Russian independent MRO provider's Domodedovo, Moscow site, while all of the necessary works required on the second aircraft were fulfilled by Russian company's field crew at Istanbul airport (Turkey). In both cases, the engineering centre's experts performed three tasks. The first was a general visual inspection of the aircraft, including comparisons of any acceptable structural damage and repairs on the actual aircraft against its logbook records, and also to ensure that all cabin and emergency equipment items are located in accordance with the appropriate diagrams. In the second stage, the engineering centre's experts checked and, where necessary, amended Somon Air's continued airworthiness documentation to ensure its compliance with BCAA's requirements. Finally, full aircraft airworthiness reviews were conducted in order to enrol Somon Air's Boeing 737- 900s on the Bermuda aircraft register. The reviews' subsequent reports provide summaries on the airworthiness documentation checks and visual inspection of the aircraft in compliance with BCAA's requirements. The engineering centre is able to provide such assistance to Somon Air because S7 Engineering (part of S7 Technics holding) holds BCAA's OTAR 39 Subpart F approval and already has extensive successful experience in carrying out such continued airworthiness checks in support of Russian and international airlines. "This was the first time that our group has provided support services for transferring aircraft between registries. All operations were made in close cooperation with Somon Air and with BCAA, and were supported by S7 Engineering's quality directorate, which allowed us to complete the mission within the required tight schedule," comments Leonid Shoshin, head of S7 Technics' Engineering centre. To complete the project, the new VQ-registration numbers for Somon Air's Boeing 737-900s were painted on their tails at Domodedovo, before both aircraft were returned to service with the Tajikistani carrier. Bermuda Civil Aviation Authority has long been the preferred registration jurisdiction for western- built jets operated by airlines in Russia and the CIS. Out of 743 western-built aircraft then being operated by Russian airlines last year, 582 were registered in Bermuda. http://www.rusaviainsider.com/russian-mro-provider-tajik-airline-aircraft-re-registration/ Back to Top Torqued: Good News in the FAA's 2018 Reauthorization Act Late last year Congress passed and the President signed into law one of the longest FAA funding bills in decades. The five-year funding bill covers a wide range of issues, some written about extensively and some that I have not seen addressed at all. I thought I would cover some of the provisions that have not been highlighted that I think are noteworthy and positive. Section 223 requires the FAA to establish a centralized regulatory guidance database. For those of you who struggle-as I have-to find what FAA guidance applies in a specific situation or how some entities get special permissions and others don't, I thought this was a very positive requirement. "Regulatory guidance documents" means all forms of written information issued by the FAA that an individual or entity may use to interpret or apply FAA regulations and requirements, including "information an individual or entity may use to determine acceptable means of compliance with such regulations and requirements, such as an order, manual, circular, policy statement, legal interpretation memorandum, or rulemaking document." While the FAA has many databases, some of this information-such as internal policy statements or legal opinions to specific individuals or entities-is not always easy to find or even publicly available. A centralized database will make it easier for everyone who needs to comply with Federal Aviation Regulations or who needs special authorizations or exemptions from the agency. And the law specifically requires the database to be available to the public, a requirement that could help level the playing field. Even if you can't afford to hire a white-shoe aviation firm, you may be able to finally see what those who can are able to get from the agency, although private information and trade secrets are specifically protected by the law. While the law is a positive step and implementation is supposed to begin within 14 months, how long it will take to actually implement is unclear, as it requires a consultation process within and outside the FAA. Along with greater transparency in finding regulatory guidance, the law requires a "regulatory consistency communications board" (Section 223). Many of you-again, like me-have at some point faced inconsistent opinions from FAA field personnel in different regions and even within different offices in FAA headquarters. It's maddening when you're running a business across regional lines and are being told different things by different inspectors, and you're afraid to antagonize one inspector with the opinion of another. This board would iron out differences in regulatory interpretations and make those decisions available internally and externally to the industry and the public. The law has very ambitious timelines, which I do not expect the FAA to meet. And, yet, if the agency at least begins the process of becoming more consistent and transparent, that's a good thing. SAFETY INFORMATION GATHERING Another positive benefit I see in the law is at Section 320. For those of us who believe that voluntary safety reports from frontline workers are critical to aviation safety-and form the crux of safety management systems-I was happy to see a presumption included in the Reauthorization Act (Section 320) that states: "There shall be a presumption that an individual's voluntary report of an operational or maintenance issue related to aviation safety under an aviation safety action program meets the criteria for acceptance as a valid report under such program." This presumption may make it more likely that workers will submit maintenance and operational safety issues through their company ASAP (aviation safety action program) and that they will qualify for the enforcement and disciplinary waivers that accepted reports have from both the FAA and the company they work for. In the past, concerns over whether a report was acceptable have led workers to hesitate to file them. The Reauthorization Act makes some changes to the so-called Pilot's Bill of Rights (Section 392), referring to the section as the "Fairness for Pilots Act" even though it applies to holders of all airman certificates. While the changes are positive, calling it a "pilot" section bothers me on so many levels, particularly because it seems that Congress is unaware that the aviation industry is composed of more than just pilots-important as they are-and that FAA enforcement actions also affect other certified airmen. Calling this section, as the law that preceded it, a law for pilots makes it much more likely that mechanics, dispatchers, air traffic controllers, remote pilots, and other certificate holders will not be aware of it. How fair is that? Among the changes required by the law, the FAA will now not only have to notify certificate holders of the nature of its investigation but also "the specific activity on which the investigation is based." If they know exactly what activity forms the basis for the FAA's investigation, certificate holders can better defend themselves. The section also requires that in cases involving emergency orders, the FAA "shall provide, upon request, to the individual holding the airman certificate the releasable portion of the investigative report at the time the Administrator issues the order. If the complete Report of Investigation is not available at the time of the request, the Administrator shall issue all portions of the report that are available at the time and shall provide the full report not later than five days after its completion." Failure to timely provide reports to certificate holders could result in dismissal of the case if the FAA can't demonstrate that it had a good excuse for not providing them. This same "Fairness to Pilots" section requires that requests for re-examination of airman certificates (not just pilot certificates) contain "a reasonable basis, described in detail, for requesting the re-examination." NTSBdecisions have always required a reasonable basis for re- examination, but usually, the information communicated to the potential examinee has been limited to a description of an incident or accident that the FAAclaimed raised questions of the person's qualifications. And the burden of proof has been very light in those cases where the FAA's decision was challenged. So certificate holders were left with the choice of either challenging the FAA's request for re-examination, most likely losing the challenge, and then paying the money for an aircraft to re-examine in; or just going ahead and agreeing to the re-examination to start with even if he or she did not believe the facts warranted it. This change will require the FAA to provide more information on why the re-examination is requested and hopefully provide greater opportunity to successfully challenge those requests believed to be unwarranted. The last sections I thought were positive have to do with the law's establishment of task forces and studies to focus on how we're going to encourage more of our workforce to seek jobs in aviation, Sections 601 (Youth in Aviation), 611 (Women in Aviation) and 621 (Future of Aviation Workforce). What is particularly promising is the requirement in Section 625 for the Secretary of Transportation to establish grant programs "to provide grants for eligible projects to support the education of future aircraft pilots and the development of the aircraft pilot workforce; and a program to provide grants for eligible projects to support the education and recruitment of aviation maintenance technical workers and the development of the aviation maintenance workforce." Congress has authorized $5 million a year each for pilot and mechanic projects for Fiscal Years 2019 to 2023. These are some positive highlights that I saw in the new reauthorization act. I would love to hear from you what sections caught your attention in the new law. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/blogs/torqued-good-news-faas-2018-reauthorization-act Back to Top Contamination led to Qeshm Fokker gear-up accident Iranian investigators have determined that poor maintenance procedures, allowing contamination of hydraulic lines, led to a gear-up landing by a Qeshm Air Fokker 100 earlier this year. The aircraft had departed Tehran Mehrabad for Mashhad on 16 February but, some 10nm from touchdown, its crew discovered problems with the left-hand main landing-gear. It executed a missed approach, says the Iranian Civil Aviation Organisation, and entered a holding pattern while the crew attempted to resolve the problem. Several attempts to recycle the undercarriage were not successful, says the inquiry, and neither was an effort to use the alternate landing-gear deployment procedure. A low pass over the airport allowed ground personnel to observe that the left-hand gear was only partly extended, and high-load manoeuvring failed to free it. The crew declared an emergency and, having remained in the hold to burn fuel, conducted an approach to Mashhad's runway 31R. As it landed the aircraft veered off the left side of 31R, coming to rest between the parallel runways, suffering left wing structure and flap damage from ground contact. The landing-gear was also damaged. Occupants were evacuated from the aircraft. None of the 97 passengers or seven crew members was injured, the inquiry says. Examination of the hydraulic system has concluded that "foreign pollution" entered while C-check maintenance was being carried out on a restrictor valve and hose from the left-hand landing-gear actuator. A filter near the valve was damaged, it says, and enabled contaminants to block a downstream nozzle, affecting the landing-gear mechanism. Investigators say that "insufficient surveillance" of the maintenance operation and a "lack" of experience from Qeshm Air maintenance personnel contributed to the situation. Qeshm Air had "recently" been authorised by the Iranian authorities to perform C-check work, which had previously been conducted by Iran Aseman Airlines at Mashhad. Qeshm carried out the C-check at the facility of maintenance firm Farsco. https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/contamination-led-to-qeshm-fokker-gear-up-accident- 454679/ Back to Top Average age of plans used in Ukraine is 23 years, - State Aviation Administration The average age of the planes in Ukraine used by the private air companies for the flights makes 23 years as UNN reportedciting the State Aviation Administration. According to the administrations, these aircrafts are put in the State register of the civilian aircraft of Ukraine. It is reported that all planes used by the Ukrainian air companies have the certificates of the airworthiness and review of the airworthiness. The data of the planes' certificates were received by the air companies after the check of the aircrafts. According to its results, the technical state of the planes of the civilian airline meets all the requirements of the Rules of maintenance of the airworthiness approved by the Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry. However, the State Aviation Administration pointed that its workers wrote 279 fines for different violations in the sphere of the civilian aviation in 2018. Earlier Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan stated about the plans to decrease the exploitation term of the civilian aircrafts up to 20 years in 2019. He also emphasized that the planes older than 20 years will be not allowed to fly in Ukraine. https://112.international/society/average-age-of-plans-used-in-ukraine-is-23-years-state-aviation- administration-35517.html Back to Top The Future Is Now with Video-based Remote Inspection A confluence of technology, curiosity on the part of a Gulfstream Aerospace quality director, and FAA open-mindedness has opened the door to a unique way to conduct inspections, remotely via live video. The implications of this capability are extraordinary, not only offering savings of huge amounts of travel time and expenses but also enabling more comprehensive inspections of parts and components. Gulfstream is the first to put this technology-called remote witnessing and remote inspection-to work, beginning with conformity inspections of supplier parts and moving on to maintenance- related inspections. Ron Witkowski, Gulfstream director of quality-regulatory compliance, came up with the idea and led the effort to prove that this works and to gain the FAA's blessing. In August, the FAA agreed to develop a draft advisory circular to provide "guidance for using remote connectivity technology and tools," and final publication of the circular is expected in October 2019. The idea for remote inspection came to Witkowski when he realized that medicine has been using live video for many years. "If the medical industry can do this," he wondered, "why can't we?" In addition to his job at Gulfstream, Witkowski is an independent designated airworthiness representative (DAR) specializing in the manufacturing and maintenance arenas. As a DAR, he represents the FAA's interests, so he has a deep understanding of inspection requirements for manufacturing and maintenance from both the FAA and OEM perspective. During development of Gulfstream's latest models, the G500 and G600, Witkowski and his team once again faced the ever-present challenge of conforming inspections of vendor-supplied parts and components. The problem isn't the actual inspection, but it is the time needed to send an inspector airworthiness representative (IAR) to the vendor's location to perform a detailed conformity inspection of the part. This ensures that the part conforms to the engineering drawings and specifications, that it is exactly what the OEM specified, and that it meets all the requirements for FAA certification. Sometimes conformity inspections can involve more than one inspection event for a particular item. And the inspections must be done at the point of manufacture, Witkowski explained. The costs and time involved in this process can be enormous. REMOTE INSPECTION TRIALS What if, Witkowski wondered, the conformity inspection could be done using live video at the vendor location, viewed by the IAR back at Gulfstream's headquarters in Savannah, Georgia? He set out to prove that this could be done safely and efficiently. The proof took the form of two double-blind tests, comparing a traditional live conformity inspection with what came to be known as a virtual presence conformity (VPC) inspection where the IAR did the work remotely. These tests, done in sterile environments, were run twice and the results compared to ensure that they delivered exactly the same results. Witkowski then wrote a white paper to describe the tests and the results. During the second test, FAA personnel observed the action. Gulfstream selected Onsight software developed by Librestream Technologies for transmission and management of the live video. The software works with any type of hardware and operating system, such as Apple and Android tablets and various types of computers. Gulfstream elected to use cellular networks for data transmission because this is far more secure than Wi-Fi networks. The video and audio from the VPC process is not stored because such a recording is not part of the normal conformity process. Conformity requires filling out certain FAA forms, such as the statement of conformity. "That's the record," Witkowski explained. "You don't record what you physically did." And that is why it isn't necessary to save the video from the VPC. The FAA clearly found that VPC works and approved the process in a remarkably short 90 days, in August 2017. Since then, Gulfstream has used VPS to conform 700 different parts. The next step was to prove that remote inspection works for maintenance inspections. Another set of tests was run and witnessed by FAA Flight Standards personnel during a window change on a Gulfstream airframe, along with some other activities. An interesting result of the window inspection was that the virtual inspection proved that this process could be better than an on-site inspection. When replacing a window, a step in the process is an "okay to proceed" inspection after the old window is removed. This step is important because the inspector and technician need to determine if there is any damage that needs to be repaired before installing the new window. There are other steps that a quality control inspector must sign off on before the work can proceed, for example, after the fasteners are torqued and marked with torque stripe paint. As anyone who has inspected aircraft knows, some areas are difficult if not impossible to see without radical contortions or the aid of special equipment such as borescopes. During the window virtual inspection, Witkowski said, they found that the inspector could do a much more comprehensive inspection using the video equipment than they could with normal inspection processes. "During a window change, you have a hard time getting your head in there," he said. "But you can get a phone in there [to shoot video]." COST-SAVINGS OPPORTUNITIES The FAA signed off on Gulfstream's maintenance virtual inspection process in December 2018. Next, Gulfstream is working on using the remote witnessing process for engineering test witnessing, for example, for burn testing interior materials, as well as to aid in troubleshooting problems where a supplier needs to be involved. Doing this all remotely offers big opportunities to save on costs. The cost savings aspect is interesting because it doesn't just mean saving on travel expenses. A quality inspector has to be available for multiple jobs, and even when performing inspections in one service center, could be far more efficient doing these inspections remotely via video. In many cases, an inspector isn't available, for example, when a technician is fixing an aircraft away from home base. A remotely based inspector could save the day and help get the airplane back in the air quickly. Witkowski acknowledged that a company like Gulfstream could save a lot of money using virtual inspection, and the company does track these savings but doesn't wish to reveal the precise amount. However, on travel costs for conformity inspections alone, Gulfstream has already saved $80,000. "That doesn't even begin to represent schedule savings," he said, referring to the time saved on conformity inspecting required in the development of a new jet. A real benefit of VPC is removing the risks involved with travel, that an inspector could be delayed due to weather or other problems. Designees such as DARs and IARs are also scarce, and sending them hither and yon is not the best use of their valuable time. Gulfstream is not keeping remote witnessing and virtual inspection to itself and is sharing the processes with industry. Gulfstream president Mark Burns, Witkowski said, "challenged employees to advocate for the industry." When Witkowski first started discussing this with the FAA, he suggested that industry partners could help draft a policy statement that companies could use until the advisory circular takes effect. He enlisted the help of the Aeronautical Repair Station Association's executive director Sarah MacLeod as well as 15 other associations and companies, including Boeing and Moog. "Sarah was helpful on developing this and bringing everyone together," he said. The FAA helped by sending a letter confirming the legality of remote witnessing and virtual inspection and supporting the development of the policy statement and ultimately the circular. There is no FAA regulation prohibiting these processes, but gaining FAA support via an advisory circular helps companies that want to implement the processes understand the best practices they can use when implementing new methods of doing their work. "Collectively we can get something together that benefits all of this industry," Witkowski said. "This has whet lot of peoples' appetites. [Especially] for maintenance purposes, small and big companies will have a benefit." https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2018-12-26/future-now-video-based- remote-inspection Back to Top Castlelake Buys AirAsia Group's Merah Aviation for $768MM AirAsia Group Berhad, Asia's low-cost carrier has, via Asia Aviation Capital Limited, its indirect wholly-owned subsidiary, entered into agreements to sell Merah Aviation Asset Holding, which will comprise 25 existing aircraft to be leased to AirAsia Berhad, to AS Air Lease Holdings 5T DAC, an entity indirectly controlled by Castlelake LP in a deal valued at $768 million. Castlelake is a U.S.- based global private investment firm and an experienced leader in aircraft ownership and servicing. In addition to the sale of shares of Merah Aviation, Castlelake will also purchase from AACL a total of four new aircraft to be delivered in 2019. The 25 existing aircraft (A320-200ceo and A320neo) under Merah Aviation, as well as the four new aircraft to be delivered (A320-200ceo), will be leased back to AirAsia Berhad and/or its affiliates. The transaction is subject to the approval of AAGB's shareholders and other relevant customary closing conditions, and is expected to be completed in Q2/19. Commenting on the transaction, AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes said, "This transaction is part of AirAsia's ongoing transformation into something more than an airline. As we move towards becoming a travel technology company, the disposal of these aircraft will not only unlock significant value but also bring us closer to our goal of being a truly digital company. Years ago, many analysts criticized us for having high gearing and owning assets. Now many understand why we did that. In a few years, our digital strategy will be understood as well." "Castlelake is pleased to support AirAsia as it pursues its strategic goals by offering full-service leasing and capital solutions," said Evan Carruthers, managing partner at Castlelake. Castlelake specializes in providing creative, flexible capital solutions for its airline partners. Since its inception in 2005, Castlelake has invested in and managed more than 500 aircraft on behalf of its funds. With the closing of this transaction, Castlelake's current fleet will comprise more than 250 aircraft. BNP Paribas is acting as financial advisor to AAGB while Stephenson Harwood LLP and Tay & Partners are acting as legal counsels to AAGB. Castlelake retained Vedder Price PC as legal counsel. https://www.monitordaily.com/news-posts/castlelake-buys-airasia-groups-merah-aviation-768mm/ Back to Top Polk State College to launch aircraft dispatcher certification program Polk State College is launching an aircraft dispatcher certification program in February 2019, directly responding to an industry need and offering an accelerated pathway for students to rewarding, high-wage careers. It will be the only aircraft dispatcher certification program in Florida west of I-95, serving as an attractive opportunity for those interested in the aviation industry due to the accessibility, affordability, flexibility, and quality of Polk State and its Aerospace Program. Students will be eligible for employment with an average starting salary of $47,982 upon completing the six-week, non-credit program, which will cost no more than $5,000. The certification will also articulate to 24 credit hours toward Polk State's Associate in Science in Aerospace Administration. "This is for people who love aviation but may not be able to commit the time or resources to flight training," said Eric Crump, Director of Polk State Aerospace. "Aircraft dispatchers are essentially nonflying pilots - every aircraft in the sky is managed by a dispatcher on the ground. Industry representatives on our advisory board expressed the need for aircraft dispatchers - a field that is experiencing a growing need, similar to that of pilots and airplane technicians - and we have worked diligently to develop this program to fulfill the need of the industry we serve." More than 30 employers nationally are actively seeking dispatcher candidates, and with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) projecting airline traffic to double in the next 20 years, employment opportunities will only continue to increase. For the 160,000 airline pilots nationwide in 2017, there were only 21,000 aircraft dispatchers. Polk State industry partners ExpressJet and JetBlue have both expressed interest in qualified, certified applicants, said Crump, who hopes to develop preferential hiring agreements that will lead to direct employment for students in the aircraft dispatcher field. Polk State Aerospace holds preferential hiring agreements with both airlines for pilots. The accelerated program will provide students with the 200 hours of required training as well as the first attempt on the FAA exam, which has a 95 percent national pass rate. Classes will take place Monday through Friday with day options from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and night options from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. The program will include five weeks of instruction and a week of exams. The College has partnered with the Aviation Institute of Technology, which will provide the curriculum at Polk State Airside Center West in Lakeland. Aviation Institute of Technology's Adam Aboueid realized the absence of an aircraft dispatcher certification program in southwest Florida when he moved from North Carolina, where he developed a program at a community college after five years as an aircraft dispatcher. "The FAA informed me that Polk State was interested in developing a program, and it took off from there," Aboueid said. "Polk State has the facilities to house the program, and I have the resources to develop the curriculum." The program will be intensive, he explained, but will open a door of opportunities for students interested in the aviation industry. "The industry is big and there are many places to take this certification," he said. "From commercial and public airlines to private operations, there are many avenues students can take." Polk State Aerospace graduate John Ford echoed a similar sentiment. He received his Polk State Associate in Science (AS) in Aerospace Administration in 2015 and his Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Administration on Dec. 13. Ford, who worked as a dispatcher after receiving his AS, said although the College did not offer an aircraft dispatcher certification program while he was a student, Polk State exposed him to a variety of airline jobs and gave him the skills he needed to be successful in the aviation industry. "Polk State Aerospace was a turning point for me in my career," he said. "The program shed light on the different opportunities the industry has to offer, and I was awed by the idea of becoming a dispatcher. As a dispatcher, you communicate flight paths, weather, and safety-related items with the pilots, providing a challenging yet rewarding experience." The aircraft dispatcher certification program is a collaborative effort between Polk State Aerospace and Polk State Corporate College, which facilitates most of Polk State's noncredit programs. "This program will position students for rewarding, high-wage careers that fill local workforce needs, aligning with the mission of Polk State Corporate College and the College as a whole," said Howard Drake, Director of Polk State Corporate College. The aircraft dispatcher certification program will accept up to 25 students for its first cohort, which is expected to start classes in late February 2019. Prospective students may contact Eric Crump, Director of Polk State Aerospace, at ecrump@polk.edu or 863.298.6858. https://www.polk.edu/news/polk-state-college-to-launch-aircraft-dispatcher-certification-program/ Back to Top SpaceX's Starship goes sci-fi shiny with stainless steel skin SpaceX's futuristic Starship interplanetary craft may embody the golden age of sci-fi in more ways than one: in addition to (theoretically) taking passengers from planet to planet, it may sport a shiny stainless steel skin that makes it look like the pulp covers of old. Founder and CEO Elon Musk teased the possibility in a picture posted to Twitter, captioned simply "Stainless Steel Starship." To be clear, this isn't a full-on spacecraft, just part of a test vehicle that the company plans to use during the short "hopper" flights in 2019 to evaluate various systems. As with most Musk tweets, this kicked off a storm of speculation and argument in the Twitterverse. The choice surprised many because for years, modern spaceflight has been dependent on advanced composite materials like carbon fiber, which combine desirable physical properties with low weight. When metal has been required, aluminum or titanium are much more common. While some launch components, like the upper stage of the Atlas 5 rocket, have liberally used steel, it's definitely not an obvious choice for a craft like the Starship, which will have to deal with both deep space and repeated reentry. As Musk pointed out in subsequent comments, however, stainless steel has some advantages versus other materials when at extremely hot or cold temperatures. This is a special full-hardness steel alloy mentioned as being among the 300 series of high- strength, heat-resistant alloys - not the plentiful, pliable stuff we all have in our kitchens and buildings. Musk also mentioned another "superalloy" called SX500 that SpaceX's metallurgists have developed for use in the Raptor engines that will power the vehicle. So why stainless? It's likely all about reentry. Many craft and reusable stages that have to face the heat of entering the atmosphere at high speed use "ablative" heat shielding that disintegrates or breaks away in a controlled fashion, carrying heat away from the vehicle. It's unlikely this is a possibility for Starship, however, as replacing and repairing this material would necessitate downtime and crews wherever and whenever it lands, and the craft is meant to be (eventually) a quick-turnaround ship with maximum reusability. Heat shielding that reflects and survives is a better bet for that - but an enormous engineering problem. Scott Manley put together a nice video illustrating some of these ideas and speculations in detail: SpaceX's Shiny Stainless Steel Starship Musk said before of the Starship (then still called BFR) that "almost the entire time it is reentering, it's just trying to brake, while distributing that force over the most area possible." Reentry will probably look more like a Space Shuttle-esque glide than a Falcon 9 first stage's ballistic descent and engine braking. The switch to stainless steel has the pleasant side effect of making the craft look really cool - more in line with sci-fi books and comics than their readers perhaps ever thought to hope. Paint jobs would burn right off, Musk said. You can't expect it to stay shiny for long, though; it may be stainless, but like a pan you left on the stove, stainless steel can still scorch and the bottom of the Starship will likely look pretty rough after a while. It's all right - spacecraft developing a patina is a charming evolution. Details are still few, and for all we know SpaceX could redesign the craft again based on how tests go. Next year will see the earliest hopper flights for Starship hardware and possibly the Super Heavy lower stage that will lift its great shiny bulk out of the lower atmosphere. The technical documentation promised by Musk should arrive in March or April, but whether it will pertain solely to the test vehicle or give a glimpse at the craft SpaceX intends to send around the moon is anyone's guess. At any rate you should expect more information to be spontaneously revealed before then at Musk's discretion - or lack thereof. https://techcrunch.com/2018/12/26/spacexs-starship-goes-sci-fi-shiny-with-stainless-steel-skin/ Back to Top 20 best aviation museums around the world (CNN) - It's easy to forget that barely more than a century has passed since Orville and Wilbur Wright flew the first successful airplane in Dayton, Ohio. The intervening 115 years has produced enough artifacts and knowledge to fill dedicated museums around the world. The greatest aviation museums capture the achievements and products of the pilots, designers and engineers who completed those rickety first flights then set their sights on space while we were just trying to ignore the guy clipping his toenails in seat 17B. Thankfully, there's no need to fasten your seat belt, shut off phones or worry about turbulence and legroom to enjoy the world's best aviation museums. Just enjoy the ride. Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum, Denver, Colorado With 182,000 square feet of exhibits on the grounds of the former Lowry Air Force base, Denver's Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum has enough to command more than a few hours of anyone's time. Among exhibits that span the history of aviation in the United States is one automotive surprise: The museum houses the "Spirit of America -- Sonic Arrow," adventurer Steve Fossett's jet engine- powered car, which reached a speed of 675 mph in 1996. A satellite museum, the Boeing Blue Sky Aviation Gallery, sits at Denver's Centennial Airport and allows visitors up-close inspections of historic aircraft, including a 1942 Douglas DC-3 and a 1936 Stearman biplane. "It's a fun museum and mostly caters to military aviation, but there's an excellent collection of commercial aircraft models and space exhibits," says aerospace blogger Isaac Alexander. "Pro tip: check the events calendar for special experiences, like cockpit demos and exclusive lectures," notes Jillian Smith, a Denver realtor. Wings Over the Rockies, 7711 East Academy Blvd., Denver, Colorado, 80230; +1 303 360 5260 Museo del Aire, Madrid, Spain Cuatro Vientos Airport outside Madrid is home to more than just Spain's oldest airport; it also hosts the Museo de Aeronáutica y Astronáutica, popularly called the Museo del Aire. Six galleries and an outdoor area contain nearly 200 aircraft that tell the story of Spain's aviation history and its own domestic aircraft production, ranging from the 1910-built Vilanova Acedo to modern Spanish Air Force fighter jets. Exhibits go beyond aircraft to showcase other military technology and weaponry developed alongside the aircraft industry, such as missiles and torpedoes. Museo del Aire, A-5, Km. 10,7, 28024 Madrid, Spain; +34 915 091690 Carolinas Aviation Museum, Charlotte, North Carolina January 2019 marks the 10th anniversary of the "Miracle on the Hudson," when US Airways Flight 1549 lost both engines following bird strikes and was forced to ditch into the Hudson River, with no loss of life. Following the retrieval and investigation, the Airbus A320 found a home at the Carolinas Aviation Museum as part of a permanent exhibit on the extraordinary event. Although the Carolinas Aviation Museum is relatively small compared to others in this list, with only around 50 aircraft on static display, its location on the grounds of Charlotte Douglas International Airport makes it convenient for travelers on lengthy layovers. Carolinas Aviation Museum, 4672 1st Flight Dr, Charlotte, NC 28208; +1 704 997 3770 Palm Springs Air Museum, Palm Springs, California Palm Springs Air Museum is small, but that's a good thing. It's one of the few where you can climb inside the exhibits, talk to a pilot or enjoy a biplane ride. "We love to bring in temporary exhibits -- our fleet of aircraft are not static, and there are no ropes to prevent visitors from getting up close," says managing director Fred Bell. "Our 8,700-volume library consists of first-person narratives, including an 800-volume collection of books devoted to the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations during World War II. "We are a living history museum, and it's not uncommon for visitors to speak to someone who flew one of our aircraft in either Korea or Vietnam." Palm Springs Air Museum, 745 N. Gene Autry Trail, Palm Springs, California; +1 760 778 6262 Central Air Force Museum, Monino, Russia A shrine to Cold War aviation, this museum 24 miles outside of Moscow is considered Russia's best. "The whole thing does have a unique charm that is rather difficult to quantify," says aviation author and researcher Andy Saunders. Outdoor exhibits at the once operational air base showcase Russian jets from the 1960s and '70s. There are military Mikoyans (MiGs), Tu-142 bombers, Tu-22 bombers and a Tu-144 supersonic passenger plane. The flight uniform Francis Gary Powers wore when his U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union during a reconnaissance mission is on display. Retired air force officers, who have stories and personal anecdotes to share, guide the museum tours. Central Museum of the Air Forces, Monino, Russia; +7 495 681-63-03 Royal Flying Doctor Service Museum, Alice Springs, Australia The Royal Flying Doctor Service museum is housed inside what was once the organization's radio house. Visitors can peer inside a Pilatus PC-12, the aircraft used by the service. There's also a display of historic radios and medical equipment. In the 70-seat theater, visitors hear amazing stories of survival from those who've been visited by the flying doctors. "The service was founded by a minister, Reverend John Flynn, in 1928," says museum manager Andrew Rutter. "Reverend Flynn envisaged a 'mantle of safety' that provided healthcare to Australians, wherever they lived. The story began with a de Havilland DH50 leased in 1928 from the then fledgling Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service, which later became Qantas." Royal Flying Doctor Service museum, Alice Springs, Australia; +61 (0)8 8958 8411 Red Bull Hangar-7, Salzburg, Austria Owned by Red Bull founder and billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz, Red Bull Hangar-7 is one of the world's most beautiful aviation museums. The main building -- made from 1,200 tons of steel and 380 tons of glass -- contains Red Bull's fleet of Flying Bull stunt planes, a rare Cessna C337, a Boeing PT-17 (known as the Harley Davidson of the sky) and three 1,000-kilometer-per-hour Alpha jets, which were purchased by Red Bull's stunt team from the German air force. It also has collections of F1 cars, motorbikes and plants. Between the speed machines, visitors can spot some of the world's rarest greenery, including swamp date palms from Indochina, mulberry weeping figs and Japanese Kusamaki trees. Red Bull Hangar-7, Wilhelm-Spazier-Straße 7a, 5020 Salzburg, Austria; +43 662 2197 Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Ottawa, Canada Home to more than 130 aircraft from around the world, highlights here include the nose section of an Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow (one of few remaining parts of the Canadian-built fighter jet) and a flight simulator. In summer, visitors can take short flights in a 1939 Waco UPF-7 biplane. "Our collection features original aircraft as opposed to reproduced versions," points out Stephen Quick, the museum's director general. "Only in Ottawa can you see Professor Junker's first all-metal aircraft from 1917, an HS2L flying boat resurrected from Canada's lakes and the prototype de Havilland Canada Beaver." Canada Aviation and Space Museum, 11 Aviation Parkway, Ottawa; +1 613 993 2010 China Aviation Museum, Beijing, China More than 200 aircraft are collected at China's flagship aviation museum, including Chinese fighter jets, a replica of the "Wright Flyer" and the plane that was once Chairman Mao Zedong's personal transport. The setting is spectacular -- part of the museum is housed within a cave that was originally part of the underground bunker system of China's Shahe airbase. "There are some truly extraordinary aircraft -- ones you just cannot and do not see in the West," says aviation expert Michael Blank. "My favorite exhibits are the 'prop liners' -- old propeller-driven airliners, like the Ilyushin 18s." China Aviation Museum, Changping, Beijing; +86 10 6178 4882 Oleg Antonov State Aviation Museum, Kiev, Ukraine This museum, operated by Ukraine's National Aviation University, houses one of the world's biggest displays of aviation technology. The majority of the aircraft are ones built by the Soviet Union and exhibits include supersonic bomber planes, transport planes and nuclear missile carriers. One of the most impressive exhibits is the Tupolev-104. "On September 15, 1956, a very important event for civil aviation occurred," explains Professor Felix Yanovsky, head of electronics at the National Aviation University. "The world's first jet airliner, the Tupolev-104, made its first passenger flight between Moscow and Irkutsk. This plane is now in the State Aviation Museum of Ukraine, and it's the oldest surviving aircraft of this type." Oleg Antonovo State Aviation Museum, Zhulyany Airport in Kiev, Ukraine; +380 451 83 24 Polish Aviation Museum, Krakow, Poland Communist-era aircraft dominate here. Everywhere you look outside the Krakow museum there's a string of Soviet-era, Cold War jets. Inside you'll find well-conserved displays of accompanying memorabilia. The museum has a huge collection of aircraft. "It houses a remarkable display of un-restored, pre-World War I aircraft still in the tattered state in which they were rediscovered in Poland at the end of World War II, having been spirited away from the great Deutsche Luftfahrtsammlung in Berlin to save them from Allied bombing," says Michael Oakey, managing editor at The Aviation Historian. The museum is located on Rakowice-Czyzny, one of the oldest military airfields in Europe; the airfield played a part in defending the Krakow Fortress during World War I. The base served as a pilot school during the 1920 Polish-Soviet War and by the late 1920s it had become the second largest air base in Poland. "It's one for the connoisseur, with a time-capsule of untouched pre-World War I aircraft, plus a rare example (from the 1970s) of the world's only production jet-powered biplane," says Oakey of the PZL M-15 Belphegor. Polish Aviation Museum, 31-864 Kraków, al. Jana Paw?a II 39 EAA Museum, Oshkosh, Wisconsin The EAA Museum is around 200 aircraft and more than 20,000 aviation artifacts in a collection of hangars on the grounds of the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) and Wittman Regional Airport in central Wisconsin. It's unique from other aviation museums in that large sections focus on home-built and experimental aircraft, as well as air racing and competition flying. In the summer, the EAA hosts a week-long mega-airshow, EAA AirVenture, that brings together some 10,000 aircraft and more than half a million visitors to celebrate aviation. "You might want to spend one or two full days taking it all in, as walking around the EAA Museum for just a few hours is barely scratching the surface of the available information and knowledge each exhibit has to offer," says Jessica Voruda, private pilot and Director of Marketing at Propellerhead Aviation. "My favorite exhibit right now is CAF [Commemorative Air Force] loan of a collection of original World War II nose art, as it's really powerful knowing that each of these aircraft were lucky enough to make it through the wars while many others were lost along with the lives of those who piloted them." EAA Museum, 3000 Poberezny Road, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, 54902; +1 920 426 4800 Aerospace Bristol, Bristol, UK Aerospace Bristol is the newest aviation museum outside the United States, having only opened in October 2017, but the history of the site on Filton Airfield stretches back to the founding of the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company here in 1910. The decades saw many aircraft types developed and manufactured here, including Bristol Fighters in World War I and the Bristol Blenheim, Beaufort, Beaufighter and Brigand during World War II. A Concorde was kept here by British Airways for maintenance use, and that history is celebrated by the museum today. Aerospace Bristol's collection includes more than 8,000 artifacts, but the most photographed is Alpha Foxtrot, the last Concorde to be built and the last to fly. "That brand new aviation museum smell still mixes with the perfume of propeller grease at Aerospace Bristol, intoxicating visitors already in thrall to the fascinating story of one of the UK's original aircraft production sites," says CNN Travel's Global Editor, Barry Neild. "The big reveal at the end -- the beautifully preserved last-ever Concorde to fly -- is made even more special by the fact there's a good chance of bumping into someone who actually built or flew in her, enjoying a day out to visit their old friend." Aerospace Bristol, Bristol UK; +44 01179 315 315 Delta Flight Museum, Atlanta, GA Visitors arrive to the Delta Flight Museum by driving between a Boeing 747 and a 757, two of the many full-size aircraft on display at the Delta Flight Museum. Those drove here, too; the museum is next to Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and is an ideal long layover diversion for travelers not content to pass the hours thumbing through magazines at a Hudson News. Reopening in 2014 after a $12 million renovation, the Delta Flight Museum is two World War II-era hangars chock full of exhibits on the airline's history as well as of those it's taken over through the years, including Pan Am, Continental, and Northwest. The centerpiece of the collection is "The Spirit of Delta," a 767-200 bought for Delta by its employees (yes, really), after they raised $30 million in the early 1980s to help keep the airline on its feet in tough times. The 767 is a museum within a museum, as its interior has been restored and arranged to showcase flight attendant uniforms and onboard service items through the decades. The museum also features the only full-motion simulator open to the public (a 737-200). "The museum focuses heavily on Delta history, but it is more than just Delta on display," says Seth Miller, aviation industry consultant at PaxEx.Aero. "Aircraft spanning decades of history and the evolution of the in-flight experience are also highlights." Delta Flight Museum, 1060 Delta Blvd., Building B, Atlanta, Georgia, 30354; +1 404 715 7886 Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson, AZ Pima Air & Space Museum is the largest non-government funded aviation museum in the United States. Exhibits include the SR-71 Blackbird (the world's fastest spy plane), a B-29 Superfortress and the world's smallest biplane. In one area, retired DC-3 aircraft double as canvases for Brazilian graffiti artist Nunca. One of the most popular attractions is the Boneyard, otherwise known as the place planes go to die. There's a boneyard on the grounds of the museum as well as a large military boneyard accessible via the museum-organized daily bus tours. The 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (to give the area its correct name) covers 2,600 acres (or 1,430 soccer pitches) and contains the rusting hulks of 4,000 retired aircraft. Pima Air & Space Museum, 6000 E. Valencia Road, Tucson, Arizona; +1 520 574 0462 Museum of Air and Space, Le Bourget, France It covers 1.6 million square feet and contains 19,595 exhibits -- some of which date to the 16th century, and includes rarities like the only known remaining piece of the L'Oiseau Blanc. This aircraft was used by Charles Nungesser and François Coli in their attempt to make the first transatlantic crossing from Paris to New York in 1927, two weeks before Charles Lindbergh's successful flight in the opposite direction. They took off from Paris, but were never seen again. This museum is the only place you can see two Concordes side by side. "The highlight is the Concordes," says Graham Braithwaite, an aviation professor at the UK's Cranfield University. "They're a reminder of the technical achievement that united the British and French. "It's poignant to see them so close to where the Air France Concorde crashed with the loss of all on board -- the beginning of the end for this remarkable aircraft." Museum of Air and Space, Le Bourget, Paris; +33 1 49 92 70 00 The Museum of Flight, Seattle, WA The Museum of Flight is the world's largest independent, non-profit air and space museum, conveniently situated on the grounds of King County International Airport, also known as Boeing Field. Specialized tours allow for in-depth experiences centered around individual aircraft, like the Lockheed M-21 Blackbird, or go behind the scenes at the active airport just outside the museum's doors. A new pavilion opened in 2016, showcasing some of the first of Boeing's most successful commercial jet aircraft, as well as the first jet Air Force One, the only Concorde on the West Coast, a B-17F Flying Fortress and B-29 Superfortress, the Cold War's B-47 Stratojet, and jet fighters spanning the wars from Korea to the Persian Gulf. "My favorite part of the Museum of Flight is the is air park, where you can tour the inside of a Concorde, the first 747 jumbo jet, a presidential 707, and one of the first 787 Dreamliners," says David Parker Brown, editor-in-chief of aviation website AirlineReporter.com. "There is nowhere else in the world that you can do that!" The Museum of Flight; 9404 E. Marginal Way, Seattle, Washington; +1 206 764 5700 National Museum of the US Air Force, Dayton, OH The world's oldest and largest military aviation museum, the display at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, is huge, but well ordered. "Its sheer scale is extraordinary -- it has about 17 acres of indoor display space, spread across several hangars and other buildings; and further outdoor display space for some of its larger aircraft," says Michael Oakey, managing editor at The Aviation Historian. "You need at least a couple of days to get around it all." The museum's lighting and exhibit presentation are extraordinary. Exhibit galleries are divided by era. In the early years, a SPAD XIII and Caproni CA 36 bomber are on display. In the World War II gallery, there's the B-17F "Memphis Belle," the first US Army heavy bomber to complete 25 missions over Europe and return stateside with its crew intact. It was the inspiration for the 1990 film of the same name. The keystone of the museum's presidential gallery is the Boeing VC-137C. Known as SAM (Special Air Mission) 26000, it was the aircraft serving as Air Force One the day president John F. Kennedy was shot. National Museum of the USAF, 1100 Spaatz St., Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio (near Dayton) Imperial War Museum Duxford, Duxford, UK Once a British Royal Air Force station, the museum at Duxford is particularly noteworthy for its world-leading collection of WWII planes. "The thing that makes this place is, firstly, atmosphere; an original WWI and WWII military airfield that is now a living museum," says aviation author and researcher Andy Saunders. "The fact that Spitfires, Me 109s, B-17s and P-51 aircraft can regularly be seen flying here (and not just during air display days) makes this place the ultimate museum of its genre." Duxford's aerodrome has played many roles. It was a site for training Royal Flying Corps in 1917. Later it became a base for squadron disbandment and then a fighter station in 1924. It's home to Spitfires, a Lancaster bomber and a Concorde and visitors can get a close look at how aircraft like these are restored through the Conservation in Action program. "You can watch as what are often ruined hulks are restored to apparently immaculate examples of aircraft -- some of which are the only ones in existence," says professor Graham Braithwaite of Cranfield University. The summer season air shows at Duxford are arguably the best in the world, with zippy, acrobatic displays from iconic aircraft. Imperial War Museum, Duxford, Cambridge; +44 1223 835000 Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and Udvar-Hazy Center, Washington, D.C. and Chantilly, VA It's the sheer number of aircraft and artifacts that make this Washington, D.C., museum beloved by both the aviation-obsessed and the marginally curious. "It's a museum that seems to have life and soul and I would challenge anyone with an inquiring mind, whether aviation enthusiast or not, not to find something here that engages and interests them," says aviation author and researcher Andy Saunders. Eight million people every year visit the 60,000 exhibits and a public archive of more than 1.75 million photographs and 14,000 videos detailing aviation and space. It has the world's first airplane, the "Wright Flyer" that made its debut flight at Kitty Hawk in 1903, front and center in an exhibit dedicated to the onset of the aerial age. Then there's the Apollo 11 Command Module, "Columbia," which brought Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins home after the world's first moon walk -- it was the only part of the spacecraft that made it back to Earth. The museum's companion facility, the Udvar-Hazy Center, contains the Space Shuttle Discovery and the Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber "Enola Gay," the aircraft that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima during World War II. The Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport is a "companion" to the main National Air and Space Museum, with two large hangars displaying thousands of aviation and space artifacts, including a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, a Concorde, and the Space Shuttle Discovery. "The Smithsonian collection is the world's best," says Tom D. Crouch, senior curator of aeronautics at the National Air and Space Museum. "Not to recognize that is simply not to be paying attention." National Air and Space Museum, Independence Ave at 6th St. SW, Washington, D.C. Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, 14390 Air and Space Museum Parkway, Chantilly, Virginia; +1 703 572 4118 https://www.abc17news.com/lifestyle/travel/20-best-aviation-museums-around-the- world/950339435 Curt Lewis