April 29, 2019 - No. 034 In This Issue Ohio UAS Center, Air Force Research Laboratory to Test Groundbreaking Aviation Technology Airlines Are Losing Fewer Bags Thanks to Baggage Tracking Technology Heathrow Airport 'to introduce new facial recognition technology' Metro State University expands longtime aviation program to shoot for the stars - and aerospace jobs Germany's Lufthansa investigates maintenance of government plane Hutchinson Whampoa increasing stake in Gama Aviation SafeTech opening aircraft safety facility in Ridgeland Trenchard Offers On-Wing Repair Application Centennial College unveils new centre for aerospace and aviation at Downsview American, Southwest Await Max Return to Service SpaceX, NASA tight-lipped on cause of crew capsule incident This Drone 'Breathes' Air To Propel Itself and Has Unlimited Range Ohio UAS Center, Air Force Research Laboratory to Test Groundbreaking Aviation Technology SPRINGFIELD, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 26, 2019--Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Jon Husted, and Major General William Cooley, Commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, announced today that the Ohio Unmanned Aircraft Systems Center and AFRL will begin testing groundbreaking aviation technology at the Springfield- Beckley Municipal Airport. This month, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that new technology developed in collaboration between AFRL and the State of Ohio - called SkyVision - safely, accurately, and effectively allows unmanned aircraft systems (UAS or "drones") to detect and avoid other aircraft while in flight. Simply put, SkyVision can be described as an air traffic control system for drones. The validation of this aviation technology led the FAA to grant AFRL a certificate of authorization to test defense-related drone technology without reliance on a visual observer or chase aircraft. Typically, drones can only fly within the uninterrupted line of sight of the person operating the UAS, but this special waiver allows AFRL and the Ohio UAS Center, which is part of the Ohio Department of Transportation's DriveOhio Initiative, to use SkyVision to test drones beyond the visual line of sight within a 200 square-mile parcel of unrestricted airspace near the Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport. "As our country steps more and more into the unmanned age of flight, this technology is on the forefront of the aviation frontier, making Ohio a critical national asset for the research and development of UAS technology," said Governor DeWine. "This also opens the door for commercial companies to work with Ohio, AFRL, and the FAA to test their own UAS-related technology using our SkyVision detection system. This is a major step in revolutionizing the transportation industry, with Ohio leading the way in aerospace, defense, and aviation innovation." "This is an important development in the progression of unmanned aircraft," said Major General William Cooley, Commander of AFRL at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. "This waiver provides the latitude to test beyond-line-of-sight keeping AFRL on the leading edge of world-class research and accelerates the delivery of technology that makes a difference to the warfighter." "By enabling our lower-altitude airspace for advanced modes of transportation, we'll be able to facilitate new opportunities around advanced autonomous aircraft research and development," said Lt. Governor Husted. "This will bring investment to Ohio and solidifies Ohio's position as a world- recognized leader in aviation technology." Ohio's SkyVision detection system could potentially be used by the state to develop and test UAS technology to assist citizens in the event of a natural disaster or to significantly enhance the capability of search and rescue teams to find missing persons in time-critical situations. Commercial companies, such as those looking to use drones to survey damaged infrastructure or hoping to launch drone commerce operations, will also now have incentive to move to Ohio to test their own UAS technology. VyrtX, a company based out of Dayton, is among the first companies that has committed to expand into Springfield to work with AFRL and the Ohio UAS Center. VyrtX is currently developing technology for the potential transport of organ donations between hospitals for transplant surgeries. UAS test flights will take place at heights ranging from 1,000 feet above ground to 10,000 feet mean sea level. Air traffic control experts from the Ohio UAS Center will operate SkyVision during each flight. The SkyVision detection system is located within a mobile unit so that it can be flexibly placed in optimum positions for each flight. "Today's announcement comes after years of hard work and collaboration among an incredible group of partners," said Jeff Hoagland, President and CEO of the Dayton Development Coalition. "AFRL and Ohio had a bold vision to bring UAS into the national airspace for true beyond-visual- line-of-sight flight. The work done here will shape the industry for years to come." The State of Ohio and AFRL both invested a combined $5 million for the research and development of SkyVision. Supported by the Ohio Department of Transportation, DriveOhio works to ensure Ohio's regulatory environment and public policies are conducive to the development of the infrastructure and technologies needed for smart mobility. AFRL and a delegation of Ohio UAS industry experts will showcase the SkyVision system at AUVSI Xponential in Chicago April 30 to May 2 in booth 4226. https://www.apnews.com/Business%20Wire/48adfc2340f64685bd32e7891633074d Back to Top Airlines Are Losing Fewer Bags Thanks to Baggage Tracking Technology Airlines have adopted new technologies for baggage tracking and they seem to be paying off for passengers. A new report by aviation technology company SITA shows that we are now much more likely to find our bags waiting for us at the baggage claim, thanks to the adoption of new baggage tracking standards. Eight out of every 10 passengers check luggage, with most passengers checking one bag. Airlines around the world carried approximately 4.3 billion checked passenger bags last year. Those airlines which already had good baggage handling processes in place have seen better tracking systems boost their reliable baggage delivery by 38 percent, and airlines that only recently adopted new baggage tracking processes have seen their baggage handling improve by as much as 66 percent. The move to better baggage tracking systems was spurred by a resolution from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which required airlines to put systems in place to better track the location of bags throughout the journey. A number of airlines have adopted RFID baggage tracking systems that let them find any bag in a haystack of bags by using RFID sensors. Delta Air Lines was an early adopter of an RFID baggage tracking system that has served as an example for others. Airports have joined in the efforts by adopting new baggage handling systems, including laser or RFID luggage tag readers that can identify a bag more reliably as it goes from baggage check to the plane and from the plane to baggage claim. https://www.travelandleisure.com/airlines-airports/airlines-baggage-tracking-technology- improvements Back to Top Heathrow Airport 'to introduce new facial recognition technology' People travelling from Heathrow Airport will be able to use facial recognition technology from this summer, according to a report. The Times reported the airport, which has 80 million annual passengers, is introducing £50 million biometric technology to save queueing time. At the start of their journey, passengers will register for the service linking their passport to their facial biometric. On subsequent journeys, it would mean they can walk through by simply looking into the camera. However, the airport said people must still take their passports. Alex Macheras, an aviation consultant, told the paper: "From the point of view of convenience it undoubtedly works, although customers will have concerns about how their data is protected and airports must be transparent about this." The airport has said it will not ask passengers for data, and that they can choose not to use facial recognition. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/heathrow-airport-to-remove-need-for-passports-with- new-facial-recognition-technology-a4128051.html Back to Top Metro State University expands longtime aviation program to shoot for the stars - and aerospace jobs for students Francisco Hansen thought he wanted to be a pilot and was enrolled in Metropolitan State University of Denver's aviation program when he decided to aim even higher - space. In his sophomore year, Hansen realized he'd rather spend his time in math or physics class. That led him to the other side of the university's Aviation and Aerospace Science Department. "I knew nothing about space until I came here. I knew nothing of engineering. All I knew was I got good scores on my math (college placement) tests," Hansen said. "All I knew was, 'Hey, space seems kind of cool.' " After talking to Jeffrey Forrest, the department's chairman, Hansen embarked on a new path. It led to a degree in astrodynamics and aerospace operations, an internship with York Space Systems and then a job with the Denver-based company. Hansen describes his job at York as "various and assorted engineering tasks." Those tasks, said York CEO Dirk Wallinger, include helping plan missions for the company and flying spacecraft. York is among a growing number of Colorado-based companies developing and operating small satellites, seen as heralding an important transformation in the space industry. Hansen didn't have far to travel from class to his internship with the company. York located its office and manufacturing facility in the Aerospace and Engineering Sciences Building on the MSU campus, in lower downtown Denver. York was looking for a space, Wallinger said, and the department's new building was designed to accommodate manufacturing and partnerships with private companies. "I think we instantly recognized the benefits that were going to come for both parties in working together," Wallinger said. "It's an opportunity for students to get hands-on experience doing the type of work they would for an aerospace company like York." In turn, York has an opportunity to cultivate prospective employees in an industry that is expanding. York has hired five MSU Denver students. Colorado has long been a stronghold of the aerospace industry, and having homegrown recruits is attractive to companies, Wallinger said. More than 180 aerospace companies and more than 500 businesses that provide space-related products and services operate in Colorado, generating an annual payroll of $3.5 billion, according to a report by the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp. The state's aerospace industry is second only to California's and runs the gamut from some of the largest, most established companies - Lockheed Martin, Ball Aerospace, Raytheon, Northrup Grumman, United Launch Alliance - to startups helping spark the next generation of technologies. Colorado's aerospace industry grew 4.7 percent between 2016 and 2017, well above the national average, the economic development group said. It's essential to educate and inspire young people about the aerospace industry, said retired Maj. Gen. John Barry, president and CEO of the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum. "We have a lot people who've moved to Colorado" to work in the industry, Barry said. "What we need to be able to do is grow our own in Colorado, and I think that's what Metro State is trying to do." The University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado State University and the Colorado School of Mines are among the other schools helping build an in-state workforce, Barry added. "The workforce pipeline is critical, not just in Colorado but for the aerospace industry across the nation. The workforce piece continues to be a challenge for aerospace companies," said Vicky Lea, Metro Denver's director of aerospace and aviation. Lea said Colorado aerospace companies could use more software engineers. At MSU, students are getting the kind of hands-on, technical skills the industry needs, she said. York worked with the school to establish a missions operations control center on campus and is working with students on developing new types of batteries for satellites. EyasSat, which also develops satellites, offers internships to students and provides satellite simulators in labs in the Aerospace and Engineering Sciences Building, a $60 million facility that first opened in 2017. Another partner is Lockheed Martin Space Systems, which established a manufacturing lab on campus and an endowed directorship with a $1 million grant. "I think the big secret is finally out," department chairman Forrest said of the aerospace programs at Colorado schools. "Students, particularly the students from Colorado, are starting to realize they don't have to go all over the country to do some really cool stuff," Forrest said. "And you're right in the backyard of the aerospace industry." There are about 660 students in aviation and aerospace at Metro State. The program started in 1967, a couple of years after a group of United Airlines pilots approached the newly founded school about the need for more pilots. "It got started with a focus on pilot training, but we've diversified into a great many fields, including adding aerospace as a major emphasis," Forrest said. The degrees offered include aviation and aerospace science, aerospace operations, aviation and aerospace management and aerospace degrees with a physics or systems technology concentration. The primary degree is for aerospace systems engineering technology, which isn't like a traditional engineering program, Forrest said. Students get "a good smattering of traditional mechanical engineering," and can add civil and electrical engineering as they want. "And then the rest of it is all in our aerospace courses, systems integration on aerospace and flight operations and simulations," Forrest said. "The tool we use is our individualized degree program, so the student can actually get a degree designed to meet their particular interest." He doesn't have hard data on the job-placement rate, but Forrest estimates that "within a year and a half, 80 percent of the students are in the profession of their interest." The menu of possibilities the department can offer students helped Magens Orman make what might look like a cosmic leap from art to a career in aerospace. "I realized I'd have to be insanely lucky or insanely talented to make it as an artist," Orman said. Things started changing when she took a science course, one she said "sounded the least boring and least painful - intro to space." Orman had long liked shows about space. " 'Stargate' and 'The X-Files' were a staple of my existence." But it was the balloon satellite lab that opened up a whole new world. Students design data- gathering experiments and launch them on transponder-equipped weather balloons, which ascend to 100,000 feet. They plummet back to Earth with little pop-out parachutes. "I put a camera on it and called it optical data. The pictures it took were unbelievable. It was kind of my moment of epiphany," Orman said. "I shot looking over the Rocky Mountains. You could see all the way to the Sand Dunes (National Park). There was this tiny sliver of blue and it was just black with stars over it, a little sliver of atmosphere keeping us alive." Orman thinks it was that week when she changed her major. She recalls walking into the aerospace building and telling Forrest that she wanted to build spacecraft for a career. "Dr. Forrest said, 'Here's what you need to do.' " Math had never been her strength, but Orman said she "buckled down and looked at what math I needed to know." She earned an aerospace degree and is now an engineering technician at the Sierra Nevada Corp. in Louisville. "I like to tell people on absolutely the worst day, when everything's going wrong and everything's on fire and it's my fault, I can't imagine doing anything else." https://www.denverpost.com/2019/04/28/metro-state-aerospace-aviation-york/ Back to Top Germany's Lufthansa investigates maintenance of government plane FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German airline Lufthansa is investigating whether a possible maintenance error caused an emergency landing of a plane used by country's top lawmakers this month, Der Spiegel reported on Friday. A Bombardier Global 5000 aircraft used by the German Air Force was forced to make an unscheduled landing, causing significant damage to the plane. The aircraft had previously undergone work by Lufthansa Bombardier Aviation Services, 51 percent owned by Lufthansa Technik, the carrier's maintenance business. "We have carefully read the reports on the possible causes of the incident and take them very seriously," a spokesman for Lufthansa Technik said, adding that the work on the plane would be checked thoroughly. Der Spiegel said that the General Flight Safety Department is also investigating the incident, which caused severe delays at the Berlin-Schoenefeld airport. Aircraft used by the German government have been involved in a number of incidents in recent months. Among others, German foreign minister Heiko Maas arrived late to a meeting of the United Nations security council in March after a problem with his German Air Force plane. In November, a plane carrying Chancellor Angela Merkel to the G20 summit in Argentina was forced to make an unscheduled landing. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-lufthansa-maintenance/germanys-lufthansa-investigates- maintenance-of-government-plane-magazine-idUSKCN1S21YW Back to Top Hutchinson Whampoa increasing stake in Gama Aviation Gama Aviation has agreed to let Hutchison Whampoa China increase its stake in the business aviation company to 30%. Hutchinson, a division of Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings, took a 24.9% stake in Gama Aviation in 2018. "The main rationale is that Hutchinson think our stock is pretty cheap at the moment, have faith in the business and want to increase their stake," says Marwan Khalek, CEO and founder of Gama Aviation. Shares in Gama Aviation were trading at £208.50 at the end of April 2018. They were at £69.5 on Tuesday April 23 this year rising to £93.50 on Friday April 26 - possibly boosted by the Hutchinson announcement. "We have made some mistakes - including missing guidance, which is a cardinal sin, and we are paying the price for that - but we are still a profitable, cash generative business with a strong strategy," says Khalek. Hutchinson become an anchor investor in Gama in February 2018 when Gama raised £48 million ($67 million) in a share issue. The Hong Kong group bought 21% of the company. At the same time Gama used $19.8 million of the issue's proceeds to acquire Hutchison's Hong Kong aviation interests: its 50% stake in a joint venture with the business operator - Gama Aviation Hutchison Holdings - and Hutchinson's 20% stake in maintenance company China Aircraft Services Limited ("CASL"). At the start of April, Gama appointed Simon To as non-executive chairman. To is managing director of Hutchison Whampoa (China) Limited and chairman of Hutchison China Meditech a biopharmaceutical company listed on the AIM and Nasdaq with a market capitalisation of around £3 billion. He, was already a non-executive director of Gama, has also served on the boards of China Southern and Air China. He has been vice chairman of maintenance company GAMECO since 1989 and is chairman of China Aircraft Services Limited, in which Gama Aviation has a 20% shareholding. Michael Peagram, a non-executive director, has retired from the Gama board with Christopher Clarke and Michael Howell appointed as new independent non-executive directors. Clarke has more than 30 years' experience as a senior partner with leading international law firms in Asia and has been a non-executive director for Hong Kong, UK-listed and private companies. Howell worked at Cummins Engine Company and GE in the US. He was a non-executive director of UK rail company Railtrack Group during its privatisation. He also served as a non-executive director of Hutchison China Meditech. https://corporatejetinvestor.com/articles/hutchinson-whampoa-increasing-stake-in-gama-aviation- 087/ Back to Top SafeTech opening aircraft safety facility in Ridgeland SafeTech USA will open an aviation safety equipment repair facility in Ridgeland, a SouthernCarolina Alliance news release said. The facility, expected to be on Firefly Drive, will be designed for the "repair, overhaul and recertification" of safety equipment. "This new facility represents another step forward for SafeTech USA toward our vision of becoming the market leading company specializing in the maintenance of aircraft safety components for the commercial and general aviation aftermarket," said Jerry Baty, SafeTech USA's CEO. "The support from the Ridgeland and South Carolina communities and officials has been tremendous and we have been able to recruit top-quality talent to join our team." The facility is expected to be fully operational by the end of the second quarter of this year, the news release said. It is the company's sixth fully operational facility. According to its website, SafeTech also has facilities in Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Ind., and Seattle, Wash. "We are thrilled that SafeTech has chosen Ridgeland as home to their sixth location, and in particular, as the first aerospace company to locate in Ridgeland," said Ridgeland Town Administrator Dennis Averkin, who noted the appeal of the town's proximity to Gulfstream and Boeing and Ridgeland's industrial parks. SouthernCarolina Alliance Chairman Marty Sauls said SafeTech offers services that "require precision, quality and expertise in critical situations," and he's pleased the company has chosen to "invest in our region, creating new jobs." Said Ridgeland Mayor Joey Malphrus: "We are pleased that this aerospace supplier has chosen our town as a great location to service their customers in the aerospace sector, and we believe their decision demonstrates the great proximity Ridgeland provides to both markets and workforce." Hiring announcements are expected shortly, Averkin said. For more information, visit www.SafeTech-USA.com. https://www.blufftontoday.com/news/20190426/safetech-opening-aircraft-safety-facility-in- ridgeland Back to Top Trenchard Offers On-Wing Repair Application Many MROs wants to go more paperless and mobile these days, and software vendors are upgrading their products to advance these goals. Now an MRO has come up with its own digital system to help its customers. Trenchard Aviation Group both offers and repairs a comprehensive list of new and reconditioned equipment for aircraft cabins manufactured by all major galley and interior equipment OEMs. It has just launched a digital platform for on-wing maintenance of cabin equipment that will enable both mobile and paperless MRO for hundreds of cabin components. The new Atlas On-Wing software runs on Samsung Galaxies and includes functions such as paperless job generation for engineers, central control of tasks, detailed reporting, part requests, job initiation, task completion and control of digital maintenance documents. "We were looking for a more efficient ways of producing work packages, allocating them to mechanic teams and live monitoring what is going on," explains Trenchard Operations Director Lee Butterfield. Another aim was to get digitized component and aircraft manuals to mechanics on wing, not just in shops. "The mechanic checks in, synchs to the network and sees the work flow for the day, which tasks, which aircraft and how long he has," Butterfield explains. "There is a dashboard for supervisors to monitor progress." Part orders are also handled digitally, from mechanic to supervisor to procurement. The new tool now supports hundreds of cabin products at Virgin Atlantic, and the Trenchard director says it can be extended to other products and other airlines. All approved maintenance data is uploaded, including the latest revisions, and task cards are pre-authored. Mechanics' tablets will also have access to historical data, such as defects and fixes on individual seats. Atlas is now used for cabin parts, but Butterfield says there is no reason it cannot be extended to airframe and engine maintenance. It is not a planning system, he emphasizes, just a tool for very efficient execution of well-planned checks. Implementation for a carrier similar to Virgin's cabin- check functions would take about three months. The application does not replace, but interfaces with other maintenance management or ERP systems. https://www.mro-network.com/technology/trenchard-offers-wing-repair-application Back to Top Centennial College unveils new centre for aerospace and aviation at Downsview On April 25, 2019, the Centennial College Downsview Campus Centre for Aerospace and Aviation officially opened its doors with a ribbon cutting and public unveiling of the gleaming new $72 million facility. Housed within the redeveloped heritage buildings constructed by de Havilland of Canada, the new home of Centennial's expanded aviation and aerospace programs features a new glass façade that overlooks Runway 15-33 at Downsview. The college's new four-acre campus represents the first phase of the Downsview Aerospace Innovation and Research Hub (DAIR Hub) that will help train more people to fill the demand for aerospace workers; stimulate development of new technologies; and help fuel the Greater Toronto Area's manufacturing sector and Canadian aerospace leadership. DAIR will soon see a consortium of educational institutions such as Ryerson University and the University of Toronto establish training and research facilities in new or other renovated historical structures at Downsview. The official opening event featured speakers representing Centennial College, Bombardier, and government partners in the project for the ribbon cutting ceremony. Numerous students attended as well, many looking down from the mezzanine above. Tours of the sprawling facility included the two spacious hangars, as well as an overwhelming number of laboratories. On the aviation side, these include a sheet metal lab, airframe assembly lab, two electrical labs, a piston engine lab, a mechanical lab and an avionics lab. On the new technology and manufacturing side, brand new labs focus on computer assisted design (CAD), computer assisted manufacturing (CAM) linked to CNC lathe and milling, composites, non-destructive testing, robotics, an advanced MFC classroom, and of course the new unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) lab for drone studies and flying. Project support The federal government provided $18.4 million and Ontario chipped in $25.8 million to help build the facility. All three levels of government, including municipal representatives, were on hand to deliver speeches and support the event. Several donations of advanced aircraft were provided to the college to help populate the new hangar. Ornge, Ontario's provider of emergency aviation medical services, donated one of its retired Sikorsky S-76 helicopters. The Canadian Coast Guard donated a recently retired Messerschmitt Bo.105 helicopter. Fred Kromer, president of Bombardier Commercial Aircraft, spoke about Bombardier's reliance on Centennial to produce top notch aviation graduates, the company having employed them since 1970. Bombardier estimates that over 6,200 Centennial graduates have worked for de Havilland and Bombardier over the years. As a tangible show of appreciation, Bombardier donated a retired CRJ200 Regional Jet to the college for airliner training. It is the largest aircraft in the college's educational fleet. Kromer welcomed Bombardier's new neighbour to Downsview. He extolled the virtues of the school, saying, "Centennial's new facilities and aircraft will allow hands-on experience for students on airline type aircraft, helping to propel students to a higher level of expertise." Aviation Technician Program Centennial College's original aviation program, launched in 1967 when the college was created, is the two-year Aviation Technician program delivered by the School of Transportation. It produces graduates specializing in either Avionics Maintenance or Aircraft Maintenance. Although the original maintenance program was well equipped, things have improved with the move to a more spacious campus with updated equipment. While the new technology programs received entirely brand-new equipment, the move to Downsview benefited the Aviation Technician program with not only more space, but a huge influx of equipment, engines, parts, and entire aircraft to use as training airframes, many just retired. A number of these donated aircraft made their final flights to Downsview in the months preceding the official opening of the Centre, including a Cessna 525 Citation II, a twin-engine Cessna 425, two Piper Senecas and four Cessna 172s. Some of these were gifted to the school by H. Bruce MacRitchie, who along with the aircraft also donated aircraft engines, components, equipment and funding totalling over $1 million. To honour this incredible personal donation, a new boardroom overlooking the hangar was dedicated in his name. Aerospace Manufacturing Engineering Program The new Aerospace Manufacturing Engineering program will produce two-year technician graduates and three-year technologist graduates. The new programs at the Centennial Advanced Manufacturing & Automation Technology Centre demand the latest in training technology-and that's exactly what they got! The list of new equipment at the campus includes five new computer numerical control (CNC) lathes and five-axis CNC mills, a $130,000 3D carbon fibre printer to produce FAA approved grade parts, and a $320,000 dynamic test machine for fatigue testing, amongst many other pieces of equipment. Centennial's new composites lab is one of the few college facilities with its own autoclave. The UAV lab has been very well funded, and is equipped with brand new drone technology. It will soon have a large $50,000 Intel Falcon ground mapping drone added to its fleet. There are several companies lined up to partner with Centennial for UAV training. The Gene Haas Foundation donated US$250,000 to the school on opening day, for the establishment of the Gene Haas Advanced Manufacturing Lab at Centennial. The foundation supports several aviation technical schools across North America. Research and development Centennial College is the seventh-largest college in Canada in terms of applied research, and the new aviation campus will help it develop new research initiatives. Centennial is partnering with industry on two particular DAIR Hub projects: the electric landing gear program and an additive manufacturing program. The Hub represents additional growth for Centennial in another new facility across the street, where it and a consortium of other schools and companies are in the process of getting established. The building The renovated de Havilland Canada heritage buildings now occupied by Centennial College were built starting in 1929. Stones in the sidewalk on Carl Hall Road demark how far east the building evolved in phases from 1929 onwards, until the new facility's footprint was established in 2017. De Havilland of Canada started producing Tiger Moths in this plant, and Avro Ansons and DH98 Mosquitos for the Second World War effort. Fox Moths were built from the end of the war until 1949, and Grumman S2F Trackers were licence-built for the Royal Canadian Navy between 1956 and 1960. Of course, the de Havilland Canada series of aircraft was born with the DHC-1 Chipmunk in 1946, followed by the DHC-2 Beaver in 1947, and DHC-3 Otter in 1951. A new de Havilland Canada factory was built at the south end of Downsview in 1953 and would accommodate Caribou, Buffalo, Twin Otter, Dash 7 and Dash 8 production. Bombardier Aerospace took over de Havilland Canada in 1992, and it still makes Q400 turboprops and Global corporate jets in the newer plant. The new Centennial College Downsview Campus facility has 12,700 square metres (over 137,000 square feet) of floorspace, larger than the original building with the hangar expansion. All but parts of the façade and some interior walls of the building were torn down in the hangar area. A new glass wall above the hangar doors makes the hangar floor a bright working environment, while retaining some of the integrity of the original hangar. A new, much more efficient green roof has been built over the facility, eliminating the drafty old greenhouse style peaked roof. It will be covered with plants to contribute to the environment. The Centennial College logo on the roof can be read from the sky on approach to Toronto Pearson International Airport's Runway 24R. All told, the building maintains some of the feel of the original structure, with a vastly more efficient and improved layout and overhauled infrastructure. The new, bright and airy open hallways modernize the building, and keep its heritage alive with huge black and white historical murals. The Centre's spacious design provides an array of amenities for students, including open and spacious common areas, a cafeteria, a gym and study rooms. Growth Centennial's student population will soon rise meteorically. There are just over 300 full-time aviation students enrolled at Downsview now. This is the same number that was at the old Ashtonbee Campus in Scarborough-the college decided not to add more until the dust had settled from the move into the new facility. The initial intake of students for the new technology programs was 45 in September 2018 followed by 60 in January. Another 60 are expected in the fall. The new labs are built to accommodate up to 70 students. The new campus will eventually accommodate just over 1,000 students, approximately 500 each in the aviation and technology sections. Both sides of the Centre are ramping up enrolment for September. Centennial College's new aviation facilities are now larger and better equipped, which is appropriate for the best technical aviation school in Canada's largest city. The school trains students from around the world in a very high-demand field. It is now well positioned to produce up to 1,000 aviation technicians and technologists in a shiny new facility that remains steeped in aeronautical history. https://www.skiesmag.com/news/centennial-college-unveils-new-centre-for-aerospace-and- aviation-at-downsview/ Back to Top American, Southwest Await Max Return to Service American Airlines has confirmed it will resume flights with its 737 Max 8s as soon as the FAA gives the all-clear-whether or not other nations' regulators re-certify the 737 Max models and lift the commercial-flight ban at the same time as the FAA. "If the FAA re-certificates the Max, we absolutely will fly the airplane. That's our regulator," American Airlines CEO Doug Parker told reporters on April 26. "It certainly will be airworthy if the FAA re-certificates it." As yet, American operates the 737 Max only on its domestic network, so potential re-certification delays on the part of other regulators don't factor into the carrier's return- to-service decision. American has blocked all 737 Max flights out of its schedule until August 19, by which time the airline will have had to re-accommodate almost 700,000 passengers who would otherwise have flown on the one hundred fifteen 737 Max flights each day that American has canceled until then, according to Robert Isom, American Airlines' president. "We need 95 percent certainty that what we're going to be selling will actually be flown," in order to allow the resumption of 737 Max commercial flying, said Parker. "That's what we think about August 19. We think it's well outside the date" on which the FAA will re-certify the 737 Max models. Southwest Airlines has blocked all 34 of its 737 Max 8s out of its schedule until August 5. Southwest COO Mike Van de Ven told financial analysts Thursday that it would require about a month to unseal the aircraft, check their systems, perform the required MCAS software upgrade, and clean the cabins to prepare them to return to service. All but one of Southwest's Max 8s are in storage at Southern California Logistics Airport at Victorville, California. The other remains at Orlando International Airport, where it returned when its pilots were forced to shut down one of its CFM Leap-1B engines early in the aircraft's ferry flight to Victorville on March 26. Coked Fuel Nozzles After CFM joint-venture partner GE Aviation inspected the affected Leap-1B at Orlando and found "coking around the fuel nozzles [which] created hot spots around the engine and damaged the [high-pressure] turbine," Southwest changed the engine and inspected 12 other Leap-1Bs in its fleet. It found coking in several other Leap-1Bs and "we have done some replacements," said Van de Ven. "If we can do engine changes rather than inspections, we'd rather do that," because it requires less maintenance planning and program disruption. Van de Ven said that, despite the March 26 inflight shutdown, "the [Leap-1B] engine, for the most part, has performed in line with our expectations." Reminding analysts and reporters that the Leap engine is still very early in its production and service life and that its "phenomenal" predecessor the CFM56 had "a rocky start" with technical issues, Van de Ven said the Leap-1B "is a great engine we only expect to get better...I don't think the Leap maturity curve is much different from the CFM56 engine." https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2019-04-26/american-southwest-await- max-return-service Back to Top SpaceX, NASA tight-lipped on cause of crew capsule incident NASA and SpaceX remained tight-lipped Thursday about what caused a mysterious but apparently serious incident last weekend during engine tests on the Crew Dragon capsule designed to carry US astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) later this year. SpaceX said that an "anomaly" had occurred during Saturday's ground tests at Cape Canaveral in Florida. A photo on the Florida Today website showed large amounts of smoke pouring out of the test site, prompting speculation about a possible explosion. A video posted on Twitter showed an explosion. The video has not been authenticated, nor has SpaceX denied its veracity. SpaceX has not issued any more details since its statement on Saturday, and NASA has referred any questions back to Elon Musk's company. NASA's safety advisory panel did however mention the incident during a meeting on Thursday and confirmed it was the result of firing the space vehicle's SuperDraco engines. Patricia Sanders, the panel's head, said that the "firing of eight SuperDracos resulted in an anomaly." "The mishap did not result in an injury," she said during the meeting in Huntsville, Alabama. There were no personnel present at the ground test site when the incident occurred. "SpaceX is leading the investigation with active NASA participation," she added, noting that the initial focus was on collecting data and securing the site. "The investigation will take time before the root cause analysis is completed," Sanders said, without speculating as to what might be the impact of the incident on the eventual manned flight of the craft, which is set to take two astronauts into space before the end of 2019. Another member of the safety panel, Sandra Magnus, called for patience from the press and public. "We know that there's a lot of interest regarding the recent SpaceX mishap. We urge patience (to) allow the team to investigate," she said. The Dragon capsule was successfully launched, without any crew on board, by SpaceX in March. It docked with the ISS and returned to Earth without incident. In the coming months, the company is due to test the in-flight abort system. Dragon's engines are designed to fire up very quickly if there is a problem with the rocket to allow the capsule to separate and save the crew inside it. The capsule's return to Earth would be slowed down by parachutes before splashing down in the ocean. Boeing is also developing a capsule for NASA for return trips to the ISS, but its first unmanned trip is not scheduled until August. http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/SpaceX_NASA_tight- lipped_on_cause_of_crew_capsule_incident_999.html Back to Top This Drone 'Breathes' Air To Propel Itself and Has Unlimited Range With the rapid rate that drone technology is advancing, we shouldn't be surprised when increasingly complex UAVs hit the scene with fanfare. But the Phoenix, a new drone out of the United Kingdom, is a marvel-and could have major military implications. At 49 feet long and 34 feet wide, the Phoenix looks like a small flying bomb with (relatively) tiny wings covered by solar panels, which makes it plenty imposing on the outside. But it also uses a "variable-buoyancy propulsion system" to move through the air. Phoenix UAV - Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for Satellite Applications As the Phoenix sucks in air and stores it within an inflatable bag, it becomes heavier and uses its wings to steer forward and into an altitude-losing dive. This provides forward movement. The Phoenix then releases the air, rising to altitude again. It also has a supply of helium, or alternately hydrogen, to provide increased buoyancy. The drone essentially spends half of its airborne time as a lighter-than-air vehicle, and the other half as a heavier-than-air aircraft. Since it lacks an internal combustion motor and the need for fuel, theoretically the Phoenix could stay aloft indefinitely and act as a floating sensor or communications node for military forces. The aircraft's fuselage is constructed out of Vectran with wings made of carbon fiber, and it's so inexpensive that its designers-who come from several universities and small businesses in the U.K.- describe it as "near disposable." The Phoenix, which has been in development for three years, would have a broad array of military uses. It could be used as a satellite alternative to provide line-of-sight secure communications, passing along signals across thousands of miles. The aircraft could also serve as a persistent sensor platform, hovering over a trouble spot and using cameras or electronics to keep track of enemy movements and communications. And because it's so low-cost, armed services could keep plenty Phoenixes in reserve, deploying them in emergencies. https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a27287428/phoenix-drone-uav/ Curt Lewis