November 4, 2019 - No. 086 In This Issue Does unmanned civil aviation have a place in current international legislation? Manchester Airport to open aerozone to connect with local communities Chinese Bid for Ukraine's Aerospace 'Jewel' Could Knock Kyiv Out of NATO's Orbit Electric Aviation Company Scylax Forms Joint Venture With German Regional Airline South Africa Beefing Up Space Weather Expertise Powerful 3D printing of engine parts part of West Chester Twp. company's new deal GKN Aerospace to participate in Bristol Technology showcase FAA May Relax Diabetic Medical Restrictions IATA announces accessible air transport initiative SpaceX achieves key milestone in safety testing of Crew Dragon spacecraft Does unmanned civil aviation have a place in current international legislation? It is projected that in ten years time, ten percent of global civil aviation operations will be unmanned. Are the current international aviation laws and regulations up to these technological developments? Fernando Fiallos will defend his dissertation on 14 November 2019. The emergence of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) is radically shaping the future of international civil aviation, Fiallos says. "Will unmanned aircraft (UA) ever routinely perform international commercial flights carrying passengers, freight and mail routinely? Will UAS enable new markets and spur economic growth and job creation worldwide? What are the current developments in this area? What should we be paying attention to? What are the legal challenges? This research aims to explore the current legal and regulatory frameworks from the angle of how they can facilitate the routine and cross-border operations of UAS." Prompt determination of answers While the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is working to amend and create new Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) for the operation of UAS on cross-border flights, member States have already produced, and continue to produce, regulations that facilitate the integration and operation of these aircraft within their national airspace. This situation is undermining attempts to develop uniform and harmonized normative regulations for UAS for international flight operations. "A prompt response to answers to the questions is necessary since technology is advancing and continuing to outpace law, while the potential for incidents involving UAS is increasing." This research aims to explore the legal regimes of airspace, the notion of aircraft, the concept of international air navigation in relation to international air transport and the regulatory regime of safety. Fiallos concludes that the principles of air law as laid down in the Chicago Convention apply to the cross-border operations of UAS. So any unmanned aircraft (UA) shall obtain prior authorization to fly over foreign airspace or land in the territory of another State, UA are free to fly over the airspace above the high seas and because UA have the nationality of the State of Registry, that State is responsible for the safe operation of the UA. In addition, the researcher has noted that because the UA industry continues to expand, so will the numbers of aircraft operating simultaneously. This scenario presents a tremendous challenge to States, ICAO and airspace planners, which will require innovative approaches to the management of air traffic, safety and security of UAS. "More work is still to be done," says Fernando Fiallos. Fiallos believes that the Chicago Convention provides, for the time being, the necessary legal framework to facilitate integration with international civil aviation of UAS controlled by remote pilots, but its annexes do require amendments to incorporate new specific Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) to make their operations safe. The safe integration of UAS will require innovative and holistic thinking to better understand where new regulations could support the safety, security and international harmonization of unmanned aviation operations. The policy and rule-making process for UAS operations has been gradual and is expected to be a long-term activity. Efforts to produce regulations and harmonize the aviation legal regimes for the civil uses of UAS are moving forwards but remain in the early stages. More work is still to be done. These aspects justify more in-depth research in the field of air law-in areas such as UAS financing, civil liability for damage caused by civil UAS undertakings under international air law, economic regulations for international air transport using UA, aviation insurance for UAS and the emergence of autonomous aircraft with Artificial Intelligence (AI) in civil uses, among others. Fascinating and promising The author hopes to contribute to the legal thinking and continuing advancement of air law through the findings presented in this research. Air law has developed and grown along with the aviation industry and, over the years, it has kept pace with the evolution of aviation technology. Undoubtedly, air law will continue to evolve further as technological innovations emerge. Since UAS is an activity in which the regulatory development is at an early stage, there is still room for more debate and legal reflections. Therefore, the future of this fascinating and challenging new field in civil aviation requires continuous analyses and in-depth research, which will play a significant role in defining the course of the unmanned aviation industry. Fiallos says, "The topic of drones is the subject matter of numerous conferences and publications. Drones are frequently linked to military operations, but they can be used, and this is increasingly the case, for civil purposes." Fiallos has conducted an in-depth study into this latter dimension in which he considers a future where cross-border unmanned aircraft are used to carry out commercial flights. In the first place he envisages that cargo, but later also passengers, can be transported in this way. This perspective gives rise to all kinds of legal issues which are clearly set out in his study. In doing so, he has provided innovative insights into the existing regime in relation to commercial aviation. https://techxplore.com/news/2019-11-unmanned-civil-aviation-current-international.html Back to Top Manchester Airport to open aerozone to connect with local communities Manchester Airports Group (MAG) has announced plans to open 'aerozones' as part of an initiative to connect its airports with their local communities. First set to be introduced at Manchester Airport, aerozones are on-site facilities that offer opportunities for local children aged four to 18 to find out more about how an airport works. Aerozones are already operational at London Stansted and East Midlands Airports. A total of 6,500 children were welcomed across the two sites last year. With the new on-site education centre, local schoolchildren of all ages will be able to learn more about their local airport, including the career opportunities on offer in aviation. MAG CSR director Neil Robinson said: "We are more determined than ever to ensure that the benefits of MAG's success are shared and I am proud of the way that we play our part in providing 'opportunities for all,' particularly where there are areas of inequality and deprivation around our airports." Situated above The Station, the new aerozone at Manchester Airport is part of MAG's 'MAG Connect' initiative, which aims to connect local communities with jobs at airports. MAG's latest Corporate Social Responsibility Report revealed that the group's three airports contributed a combined £8.2bn to the UK economy in the last financial year, which represents a 5.8% increase year on year. Robinson added: "At MAG, we are collaborating with partners, such as Sustainable Aviation, to develop better technology and low-carbon alternatives. All of our airport operations are all carbon neutral and we will continue to use our influence and programmes to promote decarbonisation across the industry." https://www.airport-technology.com/news/manchester-airports-open-aerozone/ Back to Top Chinese Bid for Ukraine's Aerospace 'Jewel' Could Knock Kyiv Out of NATO's Orbit The fate of Motor Sich, one of the world's top makers of helicopter and airplane engines, hangs in the balance. And with it, the very future of Ukraine. A stalled Chinese bid to buy a privately-held but strategically important aerospace firm in Ukraine could, if green-lighted, boost Beijing's military capability and geopolitical aspirations, while throwing whatever hopes Ukraine has to join NATO and the European Union into a tailspin. Svetlana Kushnir, a Ukrainian political consultant and co-founder of the NGO ReputationLab, calls Motor Sich a "national jewel." She told The Epoch Times the company is a hot item, with China, Russia, and the United States-and Ukraine stuck in the middle-all in contention. The three rivals-the resurgent superpower, the rising superpower, and the established superpower- want to either import from Motor Sich, buy it, or keep a rival from buying it. China has offered to buy 50 percent of Motor Sich for a reported $100 million, using it as an opportunity to acquire top-tier technology, expand its footprint in Europe, and get a leg up in defense. Beijing Skyrizon Aviation, one of the bidding companies with links to the Chinese Communist Party, has already built a Motor Sich factory in China, according to a Motor Sich official cited by The Wall Street Journal. The facility, located in Chongqing, remains inactive. The United States, which is trying to block its sale to China, is considering Motor Sich for funding by a new investment vehicle designed to counter China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) push. Ukraine, meanwhile, wants to keep its aerospace jewel, and various authorities, including the anti- monopoly bureau and the courts, have blocked the sale. Bohdan Ben, a Ukrainian journalist and researcher, told The Epoch Times that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky-the final arbiter to the deal-has said that "our priority is that the enterprise remains in Ukraine." What makes Motor Sich particularly prized is that it is one of the few companies around that can build a world-class aircraft engine from scratch, and propulsion is a known bugbear of the Chinese airforce and missile systems. With the sale, Beijing could substantially boost its military capability. Rags to Riches Motor Sich CEO Vyacheslav Boguslayev, a Soviet Army assistant engine driver turned wealthy oligarch, acquired his stake in the company in 1991 as the Soviet Union was collapsing in what has been described as a messy privatization. "Another issue is whether this enterprise had to be privatized at all," Ben said. "Many strategic enterprises were unreasonably privatized at a time when oligarchy emerged in Ukraine and society did not yet understand the rules of capitalism." Perhaps Boguslayev sees the deal with the Chinese as a way to save the company he built now that times are tough and business with Russia is bad. Or, perhaps, at 80 he is ready to divest his stake in the company, cash out, and retire. "There are no international sanctions that would prohibit Ukrainian companies from such partnerships with China," he told The Wall Street Journal in a statement. Motor Sich, once the most-valued company on Ukraine's stock exchange, employs around 20,000 people. "You can blame Boguslayev-the owner-for wanting to sell his company to the Chinese," said Ben. "You can argue it's not patriotic," he told The Epoch Times. "I agree that he should not be praised. Yet, from a purely business perspective, the enterprise could not work as it used to work. It either needed foreign investments and new markets, like the Chinese, or state protection and intervention. Also orders from the Ukrainian government, as well as Western and American markets." Ben, who has written about Motor Sich in the publication Euromaidan, said it was in his country's best interest that "the state should not only ban the sale to the Chinese but, first of all, arrange enough orders for the enterprise to survive." Tough Times "Motor Sich is a strategically very important enterprise both for Ukraine and for the military- industrial complex of the Russian Federation, because the aircraft engines that are made at the Ukrainian company are in demand by the Russian military," Svetlana Kushnir said. Russia was the company's biggest client until Putin-who argues he's just protecting Russian minorities-invaded Crimea in 2014 and his troops ("little green men") secretly hopped the border into eastern Ukraine to help pro-Kremlin separatists fight a civil war. Kyiv imposed sanctions on Moscow as punishment, inadvertently cutting off half of Motor Sich's financial lifeblood. Output of the company, which supplies engines for both civil and defense aircraft, fell 40 percent as its Russian market shriveled. According to a state report cited by newspaper Ukrainska Pravda, over 80 percent of all Russian helicopters once packed Motor Sich engines. China, meanwhile, has had a business relationship with Motor Sich since the 1990s. It now sells around 40 percent of its products to China, according to Alexander Paraschiy, an industry analyst at Kyiv-based Concorde Capital, speaking to Radio Free Europe. Besides building BRI infrastructure and expanding its global economic footprint, China is also looking for opportunities to use acquisitions of key technologies to boost its military capabilities. Beijing is eager to get its hands on advanced aircraft propulsion technology, the lack of which is a well-known weakness of Chinese aeronautics. "For China, aircraft engines are the biggest problem in upgrading their air might," Vasily Kashin, a senior research fellow in the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told The Wall Street Journal. "Helicopter engines are a weak spot." Denys Kalachov, a board member of the Association of Ukrainian Defense Manufacturers, told Radio Free Europe that China's military may be more interested in using Motor Sich technology to give its fledgling missile propulsion arm a boost. Both prospects are ones the United States would prefer not materialize. "We would just as soon keep the Chinese from mastering that technology," a senior U.S. administration official told The Wall Street Journal. NATO Hopes Dashed? In August, former national security adviser John Bolton traveled to Ukraine, where he argued against the potential sale of Motor Sich to a "potential enemy" on grounds of security. Experts argue that if the firm goes to the Chinese, it will doom Ukraine's prospects of joining the European Union and the trans-Atlantic defense pact. "If this deal [to the Chinese] happens, we will never be in NATO," Denys Hurak, a former Ukroboronprom executive, told Radio Free Europe. "Ukraine would be strategically deprived of integrating itself into the Western defense context," Denys Gurak, a former deputy general director with Ukrainian defense conglomerate Ukroboronprom, told The Wall Street Journal. In 2018, concerns around the anticipated sale of a block of 50 percent of Motor Sich shares to Skyrizon sparked a raid of its Zaporizhzhia headquarters by Ukraine's Security Service on grounds of national security. Wang Jing, Skyrizon's chairman, is said to have close ties to the Chinese Communist Party and People's Liberation Army, Nikkei Asian Review reported. "Our security service was well aware that Motor Sich has unique technologies that are neither in China nor in Russia and possibly not even in the USA," said Kushnir. "And this is a national treasure." A Ukrainian court blocked the transaction and Ukraine's anti-monopoly authority also found reason to slow-roll the sale. "The shares were sold without coordination with and approval of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine, which must sign off on the concentration of a given block of shares," Svetlana Kushnir said. "This was not done, and from a legal point of view it is possible and necessary to challenge this sale." Bohdan Ben said that, as of an Oct. 19 statement from the head of the anti-monopoly committee, the sale of Motor Sich remained under review. "No decision has been announced yet," Ben said. The Wall Street Journal reported in August that Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council would be the final institution to adjudicate a sale by issuing a recommendation to Zelensky, who has ultimate authority to give it a thumbs up or down. "I do think a government operating in its own sovereign sphere has the right to protect its defense industries and to look out for the well-being of the Ukrainian people," Bolton told Radio Free Europe in Kyiv on Aug. 27. "I think President Zelensky's new government obviously has that as its highest priority, and he's going to make sure before some transaction is allowed to go through that it is really the Ukrainian people who benefit." The Way Forward? Bohdan Ben told The Epoch Times that by cutting off Motor Sich's market while doing little to find alternatives, the Ukrainian government is partly to blame. "Unpleasant to say, but the main guilt lies with the Ukrainian state," Ben said, explaining that Motor Sich thrived by exporting to Russia. "Naturally, since the war started, no such export to Russia was possible anymore, especially regarding military vehicles," he said. "The problem is that during the last 6 years, the Ukrainian state, particularly the Ministry of Defense and Ukroboronprom, didn't manage to arrange alternative markets for Motor Sich and they failed to stimulate internal consumption-they didn't order many vehicles for the Ukrainian army." Instead, Ben said, while Motor Sich was struggling, the Ukrainian government "successfully bought dozens of French helicopters." But while the sale of Motor Sich to China has perturbed U.S. officials, Washington has struggled to come up with an alternative. A consultant who wished to remain anonymous told Radio Free Europe that the corporate culture at Motor Sich-what he called "Soviet DNA"-would be a challenge for a U.S. company to integrate. "Regardless of what the U.S. government would like them [American companies] to do-if they have a couple hundred million dollars, I am not sure Motor Sich would be in the top 10 of their lists," he told the news outlet. An official told The Wall Street Journal that Motor Sich is being considered for funding by the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), an entity that seeks, in part, to counter China's geopolitical push. "This is an issue that I think is significant for Ukraine, but [also] significant for the U.S., for Europe, for Japan, for Australia, Canada, other countries," Bolton told Radio Free Europe in Kyiv on Aug. 27. Bolton said China is using its "trade surpluses to gain economic leverage in countries around the world, to profit from defense technologies that others have developed." China's Ukraine Bet China is furthering its expansionist agenda in Europe via the Belt and Road infrastructure scheme, an aspect of which is a grand shopping spree for resources and strategic industries. According to a $7 billion joint project announced at the end of 2017, China is building a port and highway in Ukraine as a speedway into Western Europe. "Ukraine is ready to offer cost-effective transport routes on the territory of Ukraine to connect China with the countries of Europe, and also to establish cooperation between the enterprises of Ukraine and China, with the further sale of products in the markets of the EU," said Ukraine's First Deputy Prime Minister Stepan Kubiv in April in Beijing, according to a statement. Kubiv, who spoke at the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, said the project lays "the basis for building a trade and industrial corridor China-Ukraine-EU." Ukraine is China's strategic partner in Europe, with trade between the two countries in 2018 amounting to $10.1 billion, according to the Ukrainian Embassy in Beijing. Kushnir said that, while Ukrainian dealmakers sign contracts with China worth billions, there's the livelihood of individuals employed at Motor Sich to bear in mind. "What else is Motor Sich?" Kushnir asked rhetorically. "It's a company that created the city of Zaporizhzhia." Over 800,000 people live in Zaporizhzhia. Many depend on Motor Sich, which directly employs around 20,000 people but contributes to many more livelihoods through a network of suppliers. It is also more than just engines and military technology. Motor Sich also makes industrial goods for agriculture and runs an airline. Apparently, the most reliable in Ukraine. "Motor Sich has, over the past month, turned out to be the best air carrier in Ukraine among domestic companies," Kushnir said, "with 98 percent of its flights on time." She worries that, if sold to the Chinese, Motor Sich's new owners might exfiltrate its valuable technology and move production to China, driving nails in the coffin of a key local industry. "This means that the city of Zaporizhzhia, the regional center, will simply die." "In other words," she says, "its fate is of huge concern." https://www.theepochtimes.com/chinese-bid-for-ukraines-aerospace-jewel-could-knock-kyiv-out- of-natos-orbit_3133261.html Back to Top Electric Aviation Company Scylax Forms Joint Venture With German Regional Airline The Munich, Germany aviation company Scylax GmbH has entered into a joint venture with the East Frisian FLN airline to provide electric aircraft. The airline provides service between Norden, Germany and the island of Juist, along with several other islands nearby. The region is North Sea coast and the islands are very close to the mainland. The idea is to someday replace the airline's current fleet of gas-powered BN-2 Norman Britten Islanders with the all-electric Scylax E10s. (The Britten Islanders were designed in the 1960s.) Current electric planes, designed from scratch, obviously have some practical advantages. Rosario de Luca, Scylax's CEO, answered some questions about the aircraft for CleanTechnica. Which of your planes will be for the East Frisian FLN airline? The SCYLAX E10. When will they begin to provide service for the airline? Our plan is to have in three years a demonstrator which will be in the first phase used by FLN Frisia for island freight, then complete full EASA CS23 certification in max. 8 years from now. What is the main difference between the E6 and E10, is it seating capacity? 6-seater and 10-seater. Do they have about the same range? With the existing battery technology, we can cover emission-free (CO2 and noise) a 300-km leg. In about 10 years more than 600 km. What are the battery sizes in your planes and what chemistry is being used? Lithium-ion, 220 kW/h. What size motors are you using? 260 kW each. What is the cruising speed for each plane? 300 km/h. How much quieter are your electric planes compared with the same size gas-powered conventional models? Electric aircraft are much quieter and the noise is mostly produced from the propellers. Does your company receive any outside support like government incentives to make commercial aviation more sustainable? No. https://cleantechnica.com/2019/11/03/electric-aviation-company-scylax-forms-joint-venture-with- german-regional-airline/ Back to Top South Africa Beefing Up Space Weather Expertise WASHINGTON - South Africa's space agency has existed for just eight years, but the country wants to tackle a crucial challenge in satellite technology: understanding space weather. Space weather is a suite of phenomena caused by highly charged plasma that's spewed out by the sun and flung across the solar system, interacting with Earth's atmosphere and magnetic field as it passes. Such events can interfere with satellites in orbit and even interfere with power grids on Earth's surface, and scientists are still developing techniques to monitor and predict space weather trends. South Africa wants to be sure it and its neighbors aren't left out of the process. "We could see that space weather was growing in the world and it was becoming a natural risk to technological systems," Lee-Anne McKinnell, managing director for space science at the South African National Space Agency (SANSA), told Space.com last week at the International Astronautical Congress held here. "In many ways, many African countries leapfrog into technology, so they miss all the little steps in between and they go straight there." So far, South Africa hasn't suffered too much from the impacts of space weather, she said. Two incidents, a satellite falling silent and a burnt-out power transformer, may have been caused by space weather. But right now, the sun is relatively quiet, at a low in its 11-year activity cycle. By the next peak in that activity, South Africa will be at higher risk than it was at the most recent peak. "We anticipate that by 2024, when the next solar maximum happens, that we're going to see a lot of impact from space weather, so we are preparing for that," McKinnell said. "In the last 10 years, the growth in technological systems and our uptake of technological systems has increased dramatically in Africa." Space weather projects often focus on orbiting instruments, but South Africa's key strength for the issue lies in its ground-based monitoring networks, including those that detect how satellite signals change as they travel through the atmosphere and those that measure changes in the geomagnetic field. "South Africa is very good at measuring space from the ground, through a distributed network of instruments, so we want to expand that through Africa," McKinnell said. "That's what we bring to the party." It's also important for South Africa and its neighbors to develop their own monitoring capacity, rather than rely on other countries' satellites, McKinnell said. "Space weather is a global phenomenon, but it really has regional impact," she said. "The space environment as you go across the globe is very different, so the impact that you're going to feel from space weather is very different." Local monitoring is particularly important for Africa, she said, because the magnetic equator dips through the continent, affecting its space weather. South Africa got its start in space weather work because of its previous expertise in magnetic observations, she said, but so far, the country has been stronger in space weather science than in applications. SANSA is now working to change that with a new facility to monitor space weather around the clock and process data faster. "When you do research, real-time data is not really your priority. When you do operations, real- time data is your priority," McKinnell said. "We will move from a research-and-development, limited-focus, working-hours-only center to a fully operational, 24/7 center in three years." That transition will put South Africa in charge of a regional center focused particularly on the ways space weather impacts aviation. The country hopes that, in turn, will make its continuing reliance on technology less vulnerable and of more benefit to its residents. "One of the things that we do in South Africa is we look at how do we utilize space for the benefit of mankind," McKinnell said. "We realized that space weather was one way of providing applications to the South African community." https://www.space.com/south-africa-tracking-space-weather.html Back to Top Powerful 3D printing of engine parts part of West Chester Twp. company's new deal West Chester Twp.-based GE Additive needs help designing the 3D printers that create engine parts so advanced that current technology cannot produce them. That's why the GE Aviation subsidiary on Monday signed a five-year cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) partnership agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a leader in additive manufacturing.The two partners will improve energy and material efficiency, utilize domestic energy resources, support production of clean energy and benefit the nation's economy, ORNL officials said. The agreement focuses on processes, materials and software to drive broader adoption of additive manufacturing technology. Daniel Simmons, assistant secretary of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the DOE, toured GE's West Chester facility Monday just before the agreement was signed. He said 3D printed parts have, for a long time, seemed to be "little toys," when that is not the case."These are real parts in the real world. They're made out of metal, like in some cases you can't make these parts in another way, and so that's where it is really exciting," Simmons said. "It is additive manufacturing made real. This is not toys, it's real manufacturing."GE invested in additive manufacturing, or "3D printing," more than a decade ago when the technology first came out and Oak Ridge began developing some of the methodology, according Christine Furstoss, GE Additive's chief technology officer. "We understood the power of additive to design parts that cannot be produced any other way, to be able to use materials that are very hard to process in any other method," Furstoss said. "We've advanced to really almost outpacing the ability of the process to make the parts. We can design parts that are so intricate, it's almost hard to image those. We now need machines that keep up with that." Since 2015, GE has manufactured 3D printed fuel nozzles for the Airbus A320's jet engine. The company is working on 60 other designs, using additive manufacturing in some of them to reduce the number of components from 855 to 12.What's created by the partnership will "knock down a lot of barriers." "We're really going to bring it to the masses, to small and medium enterprises, to be able to really differentiate themselves and be able to continue to invest in U.S. manufacturing," Furstoss said.Additive technology involves putting down a layer of metal powder, then using an energy source to finely write a very intricate shape, she said. "It's almost like Etch-A-Sketch, if you remember those days, where you draw it, but we're doing it layer by layer, and we're getting properties and shapes no one else could imagine," Furstoss said. "That takes a lot of technologies to come together." Scientists at Oak Ridge, which has Summit, the world's fastest computer, are using additive manufacturing to design a Transformational Challenge Reactor, a nuclear reactor that's approximately 3 feet high and about 4 feet in diameter, according to Moe Khaleel, associate laboratory director. "It's not about the fastest, it's about its ability to do things," Khaleel said. "We can take lots of data, lots of information, and generate very useful algorithms and methodologies to control additive manufacturing such that we can make the right part with the right structure inside the material. "The agreement supersedes an existing CRADA in place since 2012 between ORNL and GE Additive Arcam EBM. Furstoss said Oak Ridge National Lab understands the process deeper than any other team she knows and has abilities to characterize and test materials in very unique ways. "It's really just such a beautiful marriage," she said. https://www.journal-news.com/news/powerful-printing-engine-parts-part-west-chester-twp- company-new-deal/mhwCpLE7cxhJK9wVRuSG2O/ Back to Top GKN Aerospace to participate in Bristol Technology showcase GKN Aerospace's vice-president of technology and innovation, Paul Perera will deliver a keynote and moderating a debate on the 'Future of Flight' at the forthcoming Bristol Technology Showcase, due to be held on Friday 8th November at Aerospace Bristol. Perera will help customers understand how technology is driving differentiation, and looks as disruption in the future aerospace market. He has been working in GKN's four Global Technology Centres to generate a business aligned technology strategy that brings the best of open innovation together, building on a collaborative environment. The UK Global Technology Centre in Bristol, opening in 2020, exemplifies this co-creation model, working with industry across sectors, with supply chain partners and academia and supported by government. Its focus is on composites, additive manufacturing and automation using digital manufacturing (including artificial intelligence, robotics and mixed reality). Bristol Technology Showcase (BTS) will focus on emerging technologies and themes encompassed in the 4th industrial revolution and what they mean to businesses. The event has an impressive line-up of speakers and GKN Aerospace will host a discussion on how the future landscape of aviation is about to be disrupted with a focus on sustainable aviation and the future of electrification Perera will be joined many other industry leaders debating various issues on the day. Speaking about the event, BTS Founder Nick Rutherford said: "We're delighted to be bringing a new discussion to Bristol and locating it at the home of Concorde. The speed of technological change is so quick today and it's only going to get faster, exponential change is upon us. It's wonderful to be able to host an event with some amazing technology companies, speakers and wider businesses and allow delegates to experience some of these technologies first hand. Great Bristol businesses, amazing technology and the ability to showcase and demonstrate them, it's going to be a great day." GKN Aerospace's Perera added: "it is exciting to be delivering a vision for future flight in the home of Concorde for 50 years and consider how the pace of technology can deliver another iconic technology progress and protect the environment with the goal of net zero emissions before 2050." For further information, please visit https://bristoltechnologyshowcase.com or follow on Twitter via @Btechshowcase or via the Bristol Technology Showcase page on LinkedIn. https://www.gknaerospace.com https://www.aero-mag.com/gkn-aerospace-to-participate-in-bristol-technology-showcase/ Back to Top FAA May Relax Diabetic Medical Restrictions CNN is reporting that the FAA will allow some insulin-dependent diabetics to earn commercial pilot certificates thanks to the strides made in treatment and management of the disease. CNN's sources say the announcement could be made early this coming week that the agency will allow insulin- dependent diabetics to apply for first and second class medicals. "Recent advances in technology and diabetes medical science have allowed the FAA to develop an evidence-based protocol that can both identify a subset of low-risk applicants whose glycemic stability is sufficiently controlled and also ensure these pilots can safely maintain diabetic control for the duration of a commercial flight," wrote the Federal Air Surgeon, Michael Berry in a court filing in early October. The filing was in response to a suit by pilot Mitchel Mitchell, who petitioned the court to quash the FAA's ban on insulin-dependent diabetes patients getting a first class medical. The "evidence-based protocol" the FAA cites may be the fact that diabetic private pilots have been flying since 1996 with no impact on flight safety. Also, many other countries, including Canada and the U.K., have been allowing insulin-dependent diabetics in airliner cockpits for years on a case-by- case basis as long as there's a second pilot. The ban is based on the danger of a pilot being incapacitated but better treatment and equipment has all but eliminated that risk. "With medical advancements, such as continuous glucose monitoring along with proper protocols, the FAA's impending proposal should help many highly qualified pilots fly commercially," said Jim Coon, the group's senior vice president of government affairs. https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/faa-may-relax-diabetic-medical-restrictions/ Back to Top IATA announces accessible air transport initiative The aviation industry needs to work together to create a more disability-inclusive air transport system, and in a proactive effort to advance an open dialogue between airlines, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) is holding the inaugural Global Accessibility Symposium in Dubai from 5-6 November 2019, to be hosted by Emirates Airline. The symposium furthers the commitment of the resolution on passengers with disabilities which was made at the IATA Annual General Meeting in Seoul in June 2019. The Seoul resolution aims to improve the air travel experience for the estimated one billion people living with disabilities worldwide by encouraging governments, airlines, airports and stakeholders across the aviation industry to work together to ensure access to a safe, reliable and dignified travel experience. Such an initiative required collaboration between all stakeholders, so the symposium is part of an industry strategy to engage with policy-makers and operators, drawing on the knowledge of specialised advocacy groups and organisations, and working to better understand how technology can play a role in furthering accessibility. The event also aims to tap into the experiences of travellers with disabilities to understand their needs and how the aviation industry can best assist them. The invitation-only event will include keynotes, panel discussions and 'fireside chats' that will tackle a wide variety of accessibility topics. Alexandre de Juniac, director general and CEO of IATA said, "The unanimous resolution by our airline members in June was a clear indication that the industry is committed to improving the air travel experience for passengers with disabilities. Air transport provides unparalleled opportunities and all travellers, no matter what their disability, deserve access to this freedom. "Industry standards have made air transport accessible to passengers with disabilities for decades. But we recognise that more needs to be done to ensure the seamless journey that we owe our customers," he added. "The Global Accessibility Symposium marks a renewed and stronger dialogue between industry, advocacy groups, regulators and the travellers themselves. Together we will learn from one another and look to improve." Sir Tim Clark, president of Emirates Airline added, "We continue to listen to feedback from our customers, employees and advocates, and we are on our own journey in taking a joined-up approach across all of our touchpoints to develop improved services and solutions and provide the consistency that travellers with disabilities expect. "As an industry, we need to do more through championing a multifaceted approach to accessibility, and working with our industry partners to make bigger strides in responding to the diversity of disabilities, the multiplicity of access needs, and unique travel circumstances of an aging travel population. This is just the beginning of the journey. The end game is to remove barriers, build policy frameworks, and implement concrete actions to advance universal accessibility," said Clark. "It is apt for the first IATA symposium on this important issue to be held in Dubai, as it's the city's aim to become one of the world's most accessible cities for People of Determination and Emirates is proud to play a role to help advance this dialogue." Clark was referring to Dubai's mission to become one of the world's most accessible cities for people with disabilities, ahead of it hosting Expo Dubai 2020. Dubai has been implementing plans across the city to ensure that buildings, pavements, roads, all modes of public transport as well as public areas are barrier-free for people with different types of disabilities. https://www.aircraftinteriorsinternational.com/news/industry-news/iata-announces-accessible-air- transport-initiative.html Back to Top SpaceX achieves key milestone in safety testing of Crew Dragon spacecraft SpaceX has managed to run 13 successful parachute tests in a row of the third major revision of the parachute system it's planning to use for its Crew Dragon spacecraft. The most recent test, which SpaceX shared a shorted edited video clip of on Twitter, involved using the system with one of the parachutes intentionally not deploying, to prove that it can land the crew craft safely even in case of a partial failure. This is a big step for SpaceX's plan to launch NASA astronauts aboard Crew Dragon. Last month, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine visited SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California, where he and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk held a press conference to discuss their progress on the commercial crew program. At that event, Musk said that he felt SpaceX was aiming to do "at least" 10 successful tests of its revised 'Mark 3' parachute system in a row before any astronauts fly with the system in use. "We certainly want to get [...] at least on the order of 10 successful tests in a row before, before launching astronauts," Musk said at the time. "So that seems like where the the behavior of the parachutes is consistent, is across 10 successful tests." At the time, Musk added that they were anticipating get to at least 10 successful test prior to the end of the year, so managing 13 definitely fits with that schedule, and in fact seems to be a rare occasion where SpaceX is actually ahead of the often optimistic timelines that Musk sets as targets. This third generation of parachute being used for Crew Dragon uses Zylon in place of nylon, which is a polymer material originally developed by SRI and that provides the lines used in the parachute around three times the strength of nylon. SpaceX also updated the stitching pattern to optimize the load balance on the new parachutes. Next up for SpaceX is a launch aboard test that should happen as early as this coming week. SpaceX's test will be a ground-baed test filing of the Crew Dragon's abort engines, which is set to happen as early as Wednesday. After that, it's still hoping to get an in-flight abort test done before year' send, which will show how the Crew Dragon can jettison from a Falcon 9 rocket after lift-off in case of emergency. Both NASA and SpaceX have expressed optimism about getting an actual crewed flight off the ground early next year, provided everything else in terms of testing requirements goes smoothly between now and then. https://techcrunch.com/2019/11/03/spacex-achieves-key-milestone-in-safety-testing-of-crew- dragon-spacecraft/ Curt Lewis