JULY 15, 2019 - No. 056 In This Issue Duncan Aviation's Provo, Utah, FBO Facility Receives IS-BAH Stage I Accreditation Las Vegas Gateway To Receive New Hangar Complex Yingling Aviation Announces New Garmin G5000 Integrated Flight Deck Installation Program for Citation Excel and XLS New technology requirement may ground more than 1 in 10 private jets in 2020 West Star Aviation Makes Extensive List of STCs Available DGCA to conduct inquiry, take action in death of Spicejet technician at Kolkata airport Thailand Moves To Streamline Regs for Aviation Companies Boeing 737 MAX to remain off United Airlines' schedule until November 3 Boeing: Nearly 800,000 New Mechanics Needed by 2039 Grumman X-29: The impossible fighter jet with inverted wings SpaceX targets Tuesday for Starhopper demo rocket hover test Duncan Aviation's Provo, Utah, FBO Facility Receives IS-BAH Stage I Accreditation Duncan Aviation announces that its MRO (Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul) facility in Provo, Utah, has received Stage I accreditation from the International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH). The Duncan Aviation facility in Provo is only the second MRO in the United States to have earned this accreditation, and the first was the full-service Duncan Aviation facility in Lincoln, Nebraska. "Duncan Aviation in Provo is one of the very few large MROs to achieve IS-BAH accreditation. It's challenging to achieve this level of quality for an Fixed Base Operator (FBO) that is only a few months old," says Provo FBO Manager Bob Cornett. "We have a tremendous group here who has faced hurdles every day since we opened in January. In spite of the many challenges, the team stepped up and agreed that it was tremendously important to take on the extra work necessary to secure this accreditation." IS-BAH, developed by the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) and the National Air Transportation Association (NATA), is a set of global industry best practices for business aviation ground handlers that features a safety management system (SMS) as its core. This international accreditation certifies that the Duncan Aviation Safety Management System followed by the facility in Provo has been recognized and certified as meeting all international standards to promote and provide safe environments for customers and workers. "The reason we as an organization want to have an SMS is that it coordiates all safety-related activities to help us better manage hazards and continually improve the safety of our products," says Manager of Audit Programs Mike Brown. "We work in a highly visible industry where you can never completely eliminate hazards. An SMS lets us as a company develop plans and methods to learn from history, mitigate these risks and hazards, and make informed decisions." Having recently opened three new, state-of-the-art hangars to fully support business aircraft on the West Coast, the Duncan Aviation facility in Provo includes airframe and engine maintenance, exterior paint, interior refurbishment, avionics installations, component repair and parts services and also provides aircraft fueling, ground handling, and storage. Duncan Aviation's line service amenities include office space, conference rooms, pilot lounge, advanced weather planning, and café service. Customers can also receive De-ice/Pre-heat, GPU starts with fuel, baggage handling, on-site rental cars/courtesy cars, on-site fitness facilities, corporate hotel rates, Quick Turn service, and NATA Safety 1st Certified Representatives. Duncan Aviation also offers line services at its facilities in Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, Michigan. IS-BAH accreditation at those locations has begun and is expected by the end of the year. https://www.aviationpros.com/aircraft/maintenance-providers/mro/press-release/21088243/duncan-aviation-duncan-aviations-provo-utah-fbo-facility-receives-isbah-stage-i-accreditation Back to Top Las Vegas Gateway To Receive New Hangar Complex Las Vegas-area Henderson Executive Airport will receive a new hangar complex next year. According to aviation services provider All In Aviation, which is building it in cooperation with Part 145 maintenance provider Lone Mountain Aviation, the 25-hangar facility, which will open in spring 2020, is already 90 percent pre-leased. The first purpose-built, multi-use aviation facility of its kind at the airport, it will include 9,000 sq ft of office space, five training rooms, a classroom, library, conference room, avionics workshop, pilot shop, parts department, and a 22,000-sq-ft maintenance hangar. According to the developers, all 16 of the small T-hangars are reserved, while three of the nine box hangars, capable of sheltering aircraft up to a midsize business jet, are still available. All In Aviation, a Cirrus Aircraft training partner, offers flight training, pilot certification and aircraft sales, rentals, management, and storage, while Lone Mountain Aviation claims to be the largest general aviation repair station in the state, servicing Cessna, Piper, Beechcraft, Daher, and Pilatus aircraft, among others. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2019-07-12/las-vegas-gateway-receive-new-hangar-complex Back to Top Yingling Aviation Announces New Garmin G5000 Integrated Flight Deck Installation Program for Citation Excel and XLS Yingling Aviation, which has installed over 250 Garmin glass panels in Textron-produced turbine aircraft, has announced the launch of a new program to install the Garmin G5000 integrated glass flight deck (IFD) on Citation Excel and XLS aircraft. An authorized Garmin IFD facility, Yingling can leverage its extensive experience retrofitting Textron turbine powered aircraft Garmin avionics. "This new STC from Garmin is what the market has been asking for," noted Stuart Ashenden, Yingling's Avionics Department Manager. "It obviously meets the needs and desires of NextGen operators. We are already taking firm reservations and scheduling installations three months in advance," he added. Yingling also recently expanded its maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities with the addition of four more service hangars adjacent to its existing site. Included are an upgraded paint hangar, paint prep and curing area, and more space to address its growing interior and avionics departments. "We've just completed the construction of an all-new jet/turbine aircraft maintenance hangar north of our original complex. Our operations now include a total of nine service hangars and over 120 employees. These additions have not only allowed us to provide MRO services to the growing base of Citation and King Air customers we have acquired since adding this segment a few years ago, they also give us plenty of capacity to provide rapid and efficient response to Excel and XLS operators who desire to upgrade to Garmin G5000 avionics," said Jerry Pickett VP of Business Development. "We knew there was a vacancy in the market for a MRO with significant customer-centric practices, and the response has been beyond our expectations. We are extremely fortunate to have an exceptional base of talented professionals in all areas of our operation-especially when it comes to working on Textron aircraft. The expertise of our Wichita-based staff when it comes to Cessna and Beechcraft products is arguably the best and most-experienced in the industry," he pointed out. The Garmin G5000 avionics suite offers operators of the Cessna Citation Excel and Citation XLS series aircraft a great option for making their favorite jets even more productive - with the very latest in satellite-based navigation capabilities, digital flight management tools, NextGen/SESAR/EUROCONTROL operational support for ADS-B and Data Comm/Link 2000+, as well as graphical display technologies for enhanced safety and crew coordination. "The new G5000 glass upgrade suite not only features the most intuitive, fully integrated pilot interface ever seen in this class of avionics equipment, but, typically, it also replaces enough outdated wiring and hardware in the aircraft to provide an estimated weight savings of 200 pounds or more. That translates into significant extra payload and fuel planning flexibility. This upgrade reduces the cost required to maintain older avionics and addresses obsolescence. It really breathes new life and capability into the airframe," Pickett concluded. Combining three landscape-oriented 14" flight displays with two digital touchscreen display/controllers that serve as the primary crew interface for the system, the Garmin G5000 flight deck puts a wealth of capability at the pilot's fingertips. The wide-format flight displays can function in multi-pane mode, allowing multiple pages (or reversionary PFD/MFD) to be viewed side-by-side on the same screen. With this capability, pilots can simultaneously view maps, charts, checklists, TAWS-A, TCAS II, flight plans, weather, video input and more - without cluttering or compromising the clean visual layout. Plus, all engine indications and crew alerting messages are integrated into the flight deck, providing crews with better awareness to critical operating parameters. In addition, the G5000 system for the Citation Excel/XLS also features a digital, dual-channel automatic flight control system (AFCS), which supports capabilities like fully coupled go-arounds, emergency descent mode and other sophisticated autopilot features. For added situational awareness, optional Garmin SVTTM synthetic vision technology is available on the flight displays. Other G5000 package options include advanced weather radar capabilities such as turbulence detection, ground clutter suppression, as well as windshear and traffic alerting with available TCAS/ACAS II functionality. Garmin ConnextTM global datalink services, including worldwide satellite weather coverage, voice calling, email and text messaging, SiriusXM® satellite weather and audio entertainment links are also available. https://www.aviationpros.com/engines-components/aircraft-airframe-accessories/avionics/press-release/21088277/yingling-aviation-yingling-aviation-announces-new-garmin-g5000-integrated-flight-deck-installation-program-for-citation-excel-and-xls Back to Top New technology requirement may ground more than 1 in 10 private jets in 2020 The tycoons of the world could see their private jets grounded beginning next year due to costly new technology and concerns over refinancing. From 2020, private aircraft must be fitted with ADS-B Out surveillance technology, which, depending on the plane, could cost up to $200,000. Aviation finance specialist Shearwater Aero Capital has also warned that mainstream lenders are shying away from older aircraft in favor of shiny new private jets. Private jets are typically financed through loans or leases, with owners renting out their plans to generate revenue. The lending expert said up to 3,500 older private jets could struggle to secure new financing when their existing loans and leases expire, leaving a $10 billion funding gap. According to aircraft broker Colibri, private-jet owners face a "dilemma" as the cost of installing the technology and subsequent maintenance inspections and overhauls could come close to an aircraft's total market value. The aircraft broker predicted that 11% of Europe's private-jet fleet would be permanently grounded once the new regulations begin in June 2020 - the deadline in the U.S. is Jan. 1. Managing director Oliver Stone told MarketWatch the new rules, enabling air-traffic controllers to monitor jets, would particularly harm the value of aircraft older than 10 years. In a separate note, the broker said: "Aircraft valued under one million dollars will have an interesting dilemma with the cost of ADS-B Out and any cost of upcoming maintenance inspections or overhauls resulting in a bill higher than or almost as high as the aircraft's market value once they are completed. "The combined costs of these events could push owners to decide that the cost of these upgrades when combined with due maintenance is beyond economic reason and write off their aircraft all together." It added that the prices of individual parts were declining, making it harder to recoup value. Shearwater Aero Capital's survey of business-aviation professionals revealed that 67% found it difficult to secure financing for private jets over 10 years old. Shearwater managing partner Chris Miller said companies could end up paying more to use new corporate jets for executives. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/new-technology-requirement-may-ground-more-than-1-in-10-private-jets-in-2020-2019-07-13 Back to Top West Star Aviation Makes Extensive List of STCs Available West Star Aviation will be making several of their existing STCs available for a limited time to third party installation centers. These STCs are offered for most airframes including Citation, Challenger, Learjet, Embraer, Falcon, Gulfstream and Hawker. "This is a unique opportunity we are offering for a limited time," said Dave Feuerhak, Technical Sales Manager, Avionics. "Access to our extensive library of STCs will allow other MROs to complete installations and upgrades that were previously uneconomical due to the high cost and time required to develop their own," Feuerhak continued. Each STC will be issued as a one-time use with a Letter of Authorization (LOA) and be specific to each aircraft and associated serial number. For a complete listing of all of the STCs available, please visit the company's website. West Star is proud to have been voted the #1 Preferred MRO for six consecutive years from 2014-2019 in Professional Pilot Magazine's annual PRASE Survey. The survey first included the 'Most Preferred MRO' category in 2014 and West Star has won the #1 slot each year since its inception. West Star Aviation specializes in the repair and maintenance of airframes, engines and APUs, avionics installations and repair, major modifications, interior refurbishment, exterior paint, surplus avionics sales, accessory services and parts. In addition to its primary facilities in East Alton, IL; Grand Junction, CO; Chattanooga, TN; and Perryville, MO, West Star Aviation also maintains satellite facilities at Aspen-Pitkin County Airport in Aspen, CO; Chicago Executive Airport in Chicago, IL; Centennial Airport in Denver, CO; Conroe-North Houston Regional Airport in Houston, TX; Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport in Minneapolis, MN and Scottsdale Airport in Scottsdale, AZ. The company also provides complete FBO services for transient aircraft at its East Alton and Grand Junction facilities. West Star Aviation is an industry leader in technical experience and expertise while providing world-class customer services in all the organization's divisions. For more information visit www.weststaraviation.com or call 800-922-2421. https://www.aviationpros.com/aircraft/maintenance-providers/mro/press-release/21088293/west-star-aviation-west-star-aviation-makes-extensive-list-of-stcs-available Back to Top DGCA to conduct inquiry, take action in death of Spicejet technician at Kolkata airport The Civil Aviation Ministry Thursday said the DGCA will conduct a detailed inquiry and take appropriate action in the death of Spicejet technician during maintenance at the Kolkata airport. The SpiceJet technician died after his head was stuck between the hydraulic door flaps of the main landing gear of an aircraft during maintenance at airport on early Wednesday. A complaint of "unnatural death" was filed at the Airport police station, while aviation regulator Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) launched a probe into the incident. "We are anguished by the tragic incident at Kolkata airport where one Spicejet Technician died while carrying out maintenance work. The DGCA will conduct a detailed inquiry and take appropriate action," the Civil Aviation Ministry said in a statement. The hydraulic doors "inadvertently" got closed, leaving 22-year-old Rohit Pandey trapped there, SpiceJet said in a statement. The landing-gear doors of the Bombardier Q400 aircraft had to be broken to rescue Pandey but he was declared dead, it said. The accident happened at 1.45 am, according to an airport official. Pandey was doing maintenance work in right hand main landing gear wheel well area of a Q400 aircraft which was parked in Bay No 32 at Kolkata airport on July 10. "Inadvertently, the main landing gear hydraulic door closed and he got stuck in between the hydraulic door flaps," SpiceJet said. According to a source, the SpiceJet Bombardier Q400 regional jet was recalled Tuesday when it was taxiing for take-off to Silchar from Kolkata due to some technical snag. https://indianexpress.com/article/business/aviation/dgca-to-conduct-inquiry-take-action-in-death-of-spicejet-technician-at-kolkata-airport-5826682/ Back to Top Thailand Moves To Streamline Regs for Aviation Companies Thai authorities have started moving toward adopting a more streamlined and standardized regulatory process, including setting clear terms and conditions for foreign and local businesses as more aviation and aerospace companies look to base their operations in the Southeast Asian nation. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), an upcoming royal decree will outline a number of conditions for foreign enterprises seeking to conduct MRO operations in the country, including terms that address micro-investment and the transfer and import of technology. The decree comes as Thai Airways and Airbus continue to negotiate investment terms over a joint MRO center at U-Tapao Airport, near the country's eastern seaboard. The two parties signed agreements in 2017; however, plans stalled after Airbus raised concerns about whether the ownership structure of the project satisfies criteria under a public-private partnership scheme. In a separate development, the CAAT has approved a draft regulation under its Air Navigation Act that seeks to streamline licensing provisions for civil and business operators. The new regulation divides licenses into two categories: business licenses for commercial airlines and private charters, and business licenses for non-passenger aerial work that involves small aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles. Pending approval from Thailand's Ministry of Transport, authorities hope the new regulation will spur aviation business activities such as crop dusting, sightseeing tours, and aerial photography. Thailand's push to streamline regulations comes amid a flurry of activity from foreign aviation firms vying to expand their portfolios in Southeast Asia. In an effort to establish the nation as one of the region's leading MRO hubs, the government is steadily developing a large and diverse ecosystem at U-Tapao to support its investment scheme for the Eastern Economic Corridor. According to the Board of Investment, Thailand's present MRO focus centers on engines, airframes, components, and line maintenance. Wheels and brakes, auxiliary power units, inflight entertainment components, engine-fuel and controls, and landing gear rank as the five components expected to bring in the most capital. Government forecasts call for Thailand's MRO expenditure from 2015-2024 to reach a total of $10.6 billion. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2019-07-12/thailand-moves-streamline-regs-aviation-companies Back to Top Boeing 737 MAX to remain off United Airlines' schedule until November 3 (Reuters) - United Airlines Holdings said on Friday the Boeing 737 MAX would stay off its flight schedule until Nov. 3, a fresh extension leading to about 2,100 cancellations in September and 2,900 in October as the jets remain grounded worldwide. The decision had been expected after Boeing said on June 27 it would likely take until at least September to fix a fresh flaw in the grounded 737 MAX discovered by the Federal Aviation Administration last month. United had previously left its 14 737 MAX jets off its flight schedule through early September. The new potential risk must be addressed before the aircraft can return to service since two deadly crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia led to its worldwide grounding in March. Once regulators approve the MAX for flight, each aircraft will likely require between 100 and 150 hours of maintenance preparation before flying, in addition to new pilot training, airline officials have said. Among other U.S. MAX operators, Southwest Airlines Co so far has canceled flights through Oct. 1 and American Airlines Group through Sept. 3, though those timelines are also likely to be extended. While the three U.S. airlines' MAX jets account for only a fraction of their entire fleet, the grounding has forced about 150 daily flight cancellations for Southwest and 115 for American. United is due on Tuesday to publish second-quarter results, which investors are hoping will provide details on the financial impact of the grounding. Unit revenues, based on per available seat mile, could benefit as planes fly with more passengers. But the longer the grounding lasts, the more strain on airlines counting on fresh deliveries of the fuel-efficient MAX this year to renew and expand their fleets. United, for example, was expecting a total of 30 MAX jets by year-end, meaning that its daily flight cancellations are increasing for every month that the aircraft is grounded. Deliveries remain frozen until regulators approve the MAX's return to service. Some analysts do not expect the jet to fly commercially before the end of the year. "We'll continue to monitor the regulatory process and nimbly make the necessary adjustments to our operation and our schedule," United said in a statement. The 737 MAX was grounded worldwide in March after an Ethiopian Airlines plane plunged to the ground soon after take-off, five months after a similar Lion Air fatal crash off the coast of Indonesia. Boeing hopes a software upgrade and new pilot training will add layers of protection to prevent erroneous data from triggering a system called MCAS, which was activated in both the planes before they crashed. https://wkzo.com/news/articles/2019/jul/12/boeing-737-max-to-remain-off-united-airlines-schedule-until-november-3/917439/ Back to Top Boeing: Nearly 800,000 New Mechanics Needed by 2039 The 2019 Boeing Pilot & Technician Outlook predicts that 769,000 new maintenance technicians will be needed to maintain the world fleet over the next 20 years. The forecast includes the needs of commercial aviation, business aviation and civil helicopters. Demand is driven by a mix of fleet growth, retirements and attrition. As several hundred thousand technicians reach retirement age over the next decade, educational outreach and career pathway programs will be essential to recruiting the next generation of mechanics, the forecasters say. The pattern of new mechanic needs varies by region, according to each region's current traffic and the economic growth expected in the future. North America, whose economy is forecast to grow at 1.9% annually, will need 193,000 new mechanics. Latin America will need 52,000 to support 2.9% annual growth, Boeing forecasters estimate. Asia-Pacific, growing 3.9% a year, will need 266,000 new mechanics. Europe, growing at a slower 1.6% rate will need 137,000. The Middle East must recruit 69,000 new mechanics to support 3.2% annual growth. Russia and Central Asia will need 25,000 for 2.0% growth. And Africa will need even more, 27,000 for its predicted 3.4% annual economic growth. To meet these needs, Boeing argues aviation must adopt innovative training to optimize learning and knowledge retention. Immersive technologies, adaptive learning, schedule flexibility and new teaching methods will be needed. Instructors will also need cross-cultural, cross-generational and multilingual skills to engage tomorrow's workforce. As new-generation airplanes become more prominent, advances in airplane technology will drive demand for new skills, such as digital troubleshooting and composite repair. Mechanics will need training for both new and legacy aircraft. Mobile and distance learning will supplement traditional classroom instruction and allow students to continue studies outside classes. New technologies, such as augmented and mixed reality, are also being tested, Boeing notes. And competency-based maintenance training will evolve to focus on individual needs and knowledge gaps. https://www.mro-network.com/maintenance-repair-overhaul/boeing-nearly-800000-new-mechanics-needed-2039 Back to Top Grumman X-29: The impossible fighter jet with inverted wings There's no airplane quite like the Grumman X-29. Its astonishing forward-swept wings were just one of its many bold innovations. Created at the height of the Cold War by a conglomerate of giants -- NASA, the US Air Force, the "men in black" at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and aerospace behemoth Grumman -- it first flew in 1984 as part of a quest to build the ultimate fighter jet. But its highly experimental design made it the most aerodynamically unstable aircraft ever built. "It was unflyable -- literally -- without a digital flight computer on board, which made corrections to the flight path 40 times a second," said Christian Gelzer, chief historian at the NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center in southern California (where the plane was tested) in a phone interview. "The engineers concluded that if all three flight computers had failed together, the airplane would have broken up around the pilot before the pilot had a chance to eject." Extreme maneuvers Planes with forward-swept wings, which are angled in the opposite direction of conventional wings, are rare, but the X-29 wasn't the first to employ them. The German Bomber Junkers Ju 287, a successful prototype with such design, first flew in 1944. The man who designed it, Hans Wocke, later applied what he learned to the Hansa HBF 320, a small business jet which took to the skies in 1964. A few dozen were built and some still fly -- the only commercial aircraft with forward-swept wings. In the Hansa Jet, however, the wings are swept forward to make the most of the small fuselage and create more space for passengers in an otherwise cramped aircraft, since this position allows the wings to be mounted further back along the plane's body. The Hansa Jet wings are also swept forward by just a few degrees, compared to 33 degrees in the X-29. Such a radical adjustment meant trading stability for maneuverability, because to maneuver quicker, a plane must be inherently unstable to start with. "An F-18 fighter jet has an instability factor of only 5%. The X-29, on the other hand, was 35% unstable," said Gelzer. But mounting the wings backwards has another immediate effect. Small appendages called ailerons (meaning "little wings" in French), a crucial component to control the plane, are mounted close to the wingtips. When a normal plane stalls -- a loss of lift that can lead to a crash -- ailerons are usually the first thing to stop working, because stalls tend to start at the wingtip due to the way the air flows over the wing. That means loss of control in an already dangerous situation. Forward-swept wings, however, force air to flow the opposite way, moving inboard from the wingtips. Therefore, stalls tend to start closer to the fuselage, leaving the ailerons functional for longer and giving pilots much needed control. "After a stall, some military fighter jets can keep flying when they should no longer be flying, through the gargantuan amount of thrust their engines provide. The problem is, can you control the airplane? Not until the X-29. It is the only aircraft that had forward-swept wings and explored this 'post stall' environment," said Gelzer. "At the time, this maneuverability was believed to be absolutely essential to fighter superiority. If your airplane is going to stall before mine, I can shoot you out of the sky in a heartbeat." When stealth came along The unusual shape of the wings created another problem for the X-29's engineers: weight. Inverted wings are subject to an extreme twisting force that can break them, so they need to be reinforced. But the X-29's wings would have weighed 3,500 pounds if they were made of metal. Instead, the weight was kept down to just 335 pounds by using advance composite materials, which are now the standard across commercial and military aircraft. The plane also had a futuristic, digital fly-by-wire system, which used an electronic interface to fly the aircraft instead of traditional manual controls -- another innovative feature that's now commonplace in aviation. Two X-29s were built by Grumman, the defense contractor behind the successful F-14 Tomcat and the historic Apollo Lunar Module. Grumman won the contract, worth $87 million (around $245 million in today's money) thanks to cost-cutting measures such as using parts from existing fighter jets, including the F-5A and the F-16 Falcon. The project was commissioned by DARPA, the American Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and the USAF Flight Dynamics Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. NASA handled the test flights. The X-29s were flown in 422 research missions between 1984 and 1992. But in the end, its most radical features remain confined to history. "The benefits did not outweigh the disadvantages. But also, stealth came along and became the must-have feature of a jet fighter," said Gelzer. Stealth allows planes to be invisible to radar, and it offers such advantages that many modern fighters are not even optimized for aerial battles, or dogfights, which have become rare. Forward-swept wings have also been made obsolete by thrust vectoring, or the ability to physically move an engine to control the direction of its thrust, ensuring maneuverability even in case of stall. "You can accomplish almost everything the X-29 was able to do in an F-22 with modern aerodynamics and thrust vectoring," said Gelzer. Nevertheless, the plane is fondly remembered. "Those who participated in the program speak very highly of it. People are really enamored with this strange looking airplane. And NASA was critical to the program: it contributed pilots, engineers, maintenance and housing for the aircraft. It was integral right from the start." A Russian clone? The X-29 wasn't the last of its kind, however. On Sept. 25, 1997 -- five years after the X-29's final mission -- the Russian Air Force flew the Sukhoi Su-47, its own version of a fighter jet with forward-swept wings. Nicknamed "Berkut" (Russian for "golden eagle"), it was the result of a project that was launched in 1983, but was delayed due to the dissolution of the USSR. Similarities in the design and timing of the plane suggest that it may have been directly inspired by the X-29. "It's hard not to draw that conclusion, that they saw this and they decided, 'We'd better find out if it works as well,'" said Gelzer. However, the Su-47 was almost twice as big as the X-29 and was built more like a full-fledged fighter than an experimental testbed. Despite this, the aircraft never entered production and only one was built. In 2015, a Russian firm started testing the SR-10, a small inverted wing fighter jet, with the intention of offering it to the Russian Air Force, signaling that the design might still be somewhat viable. But will we ever see another fighter jet with forward-swept wings from NASA or the Air Force? Don't hold your breath, said Gelzer. "I can see that happening from smaller firms, but not from the big military builders and designers. I think it would take something extraordinary for them to return to this concept." https://www.cnn.com/style/article/grumman-x-29-nasa-darpa-fighter-plane/index.html Back to Top SpaceX targets Tuesday for Starhopper demo rocket hover test SpaceX is preparing for a key test in the development of its next-generation Starship spacecraft, with a target of performing a "hover" demo of its "Starhopper" prototype rocket on Tuesday next week. The test will be the first time the rocket attempts liftoff with the new Raptor engine SpaceX is designing to succeed the Merlins used in its current Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets. The hover test will involve getting the Starhopper off the ground to a height of about 20 meters, which is nowhere near high enough to prove its ability to launch things into space, but which is a key step in the development of both the Raptor engine and the reusable Starship spacecraft, which is the cornerstone of SpaceX's ambitious plans to develop human presence in space, and eventually establish a colony on Mars. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk noted that this first untethered test flight will also involve moving the Starhopper sideways, and that the company will hopefully also be able to launch the first version of its Starship spacecraft in just "a few months," with a target altitude of around 20 km (around 65,600 feet). Note that Musk's timelines tend to be highly optimistic, so adjust your expectations accordingly. In April, Starhopper performed a tethered test, which took place near its Texas development facility, lasted all of two seconds, and followed quickly on the heels of an earlier quick ignition test of the Raptor engine firing on Starhopper for them first time. Musk also previously said that the company is planning a more formal presentation of Starship, and that we could see this as early as later this month. This would be a chance for SpaceX (and presumably its CEO) to more fully articulate its plans for getting Starship operational, and what it hopes to accomplish once it does. https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/12/spacex-targets-tuesday-for-starhopper-demo-rocket-hover-test/ Curt Lewis