January 13, 2020 - No. 003 In This Issue The Promise of Sustainable Aviation Fuel Isn't for Today JetBlue will offset emissions for domestic flights from July 2020 Is Electric Flight Aviation's Next Era Of Innovation? Daedalean, Honeywell Develop Vision-based Flight Control for General Aviation and eVTOL FAA Approves Southern Utah University's Aviation Maintenance Technician Program Turkey invites Malaysia to produce aircraft. Pilots with PhDs: From The Cockpit To The Classroom Collins Aerospace to Provide FAA with Cost-Effective, Highly Realistic Training Device for Scientific Research on Pilot Use of Head-Up Display Systems Spirit AeroSystems will lay off 2,800 workers after Boeing 737 Max halt SpaceX tests rocket for critical Crew Dragon in-flight abort launch on Jan. 18 The Promise of Sustainable Aviation Fuel Isn't for Today Since electric and hybrid planes won't work at scale for decades, the aviation industry's journey toward a greener future will need to be powered by sustainable fuels. But those with the most promise today might not be good long-term bets. Aviation only accounts for 2.4% of global carbon-dioxide emissions, but this number is growing quickly because demand for air travel is rising faster than Boeing and Airbus can improve the fuel efficiency of their planes. A further problem for the industry's image is that much of the recent growth has been in short-haul routes, which could be traveled at much lower environmental cost by train. Faced with the risk of heavier taxes and maybe even caps to air travel, airlines are trying to reduce their net emissions by financing green projects that reabsorb carbon dioxide. Such carbon offsets are also coming under fire, though, because research finds that they would have happened anyway. But don't panic, say airlines, because there is an alternative: Aviation fuels from sustainable sources can be mixed together with conventional varieties to reduce a flight's carbon footprint. This week, New York-based carrier JetBlue announced that later this year, its flights out of San Francisco will start using waste-based biofuel made by Finnish energy producer Neste. Airlines like Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and All Nippon Airways are also betting on such fuels, which, unlike their equivalents in the car industry, can be distributed relatively easily. Currently, sustainable fuels make up less than 0.1% of the total consumed, but this number is expected to rise sharply. If they replaced 100% of conventional jet fuels, emissions from international flights would fall 63% from their expected baseline in 2050, projections by the International Civil Aviation Organization suggest. However, figures collated by Nikita Pavlenko at the International Council on Clean Transportation showing the estimated cost of each type of sustainable fuel once producers have hypothetically ramped up production, suggest that a full transition might well be unfeasibly expensive. Take Hydroprocessed Esters & Fatty Acids or HEFA, made by hydroprocessing vegetable oils or waste fats. These are the cheapest kinds of sustainable aviation fuel, and the ones closest to commercialization. Yet they still cost roughly twice as much as conventional jet fuel. And this gap isn't likely to close much, since the costs are variable, mostly stemming from the price of commodity inputs. Worse, Mr. Pavlenko's modeling suggests that many types of HEFA may be even less environmentally friendly than conventional fuel, once the net emission cost of repurposing land to grow the necessary plants is taken into account. Other analysts seem to agree with him. There are greener sources of sustainable fuel, like the gasification of waste, but they have the opposite problem: They are currently many times more expensive than conventional fuel. Encouragingly, though, their costs are mainly fixed, depending on capital expenditures. That suggests there is a lot more scope for technology to reduce prices over time than is the case with plant-based fuels. Fuel makes up a quarter of total costs for legacy carriers and a third for budget ones. Doubling that bill would be a lethal blow for many of them-particularly low-cost airlines, which have extremely price-sensitive customers. That isn't to say that the promise of sustainable fuels is empty. But it depends on capital investment helping emerging technologies scale up and improve their efficiency-something that governments can facilitate through grants and public investment-much more than on subsidies or taxes boosting the adoption of the kinds of biofuel that are already mature. Although not as distant as electric planes, aviation fuels that are both affordable and sustainable still belong more to the future than the present. https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-promise-of-sustainable-aviation-fuel-isnt-for-today-11578655172 Back to Top JetBlue will offset emissions for domestic flights from July 2020 JetBlue announced this week that it will offset emissions from jet fuel for all domestic flights from July 2020. It is the first major US airline to go carbon neutral on domestic flights. The airline also announced that it will use sustainable aviation fuel from mid-2020 on flights from San Francisco. The sustainable aviation fuel is already compatible with existing jet engine technology. JetBlue gave no indication of a plan for offsetting international flights. This is a positive step for the airline, who was ranked last by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) in a white paper from September 2019 titled, "U.S. domestic airline fuel-efficiency ranking 2017-2018." In a press release, JetBlue explains: JetBlue will continue to partner with Carbonfund.org - a leading US based nonprofit carbon reduction and climate solutions organization. JetBlue's new carbon offsetting partners now also include established experts in the space - EcoAct and South Pole. This expansion is expected to offset an additional 15-17 billion pounds (7 to 8 million metric tons) of emissions per year - the annual equivalent of removing more than 1.5 million passenger vehicles from the road. JetBlue will offer ways for the airline's customers and communities to connect with the carbon offsetting projects JetBlue is engaging with. JetBlue will support carbon offset projects focused on forestry, landfill gas capture, and solar and wind. Tim Johnson, executive director of the Aviation Environment Federation, said to Electrek of JetBlue's announcement: It's good to see airlines increasingly recognizing the climate challenge and committing in various ways to net zero emissions by 2050. But these are currently the exceptions, and we need industry-wide targets set by governments. There's an urgent need to set a long-term 2050 goal, but at present the UN only has a goal to keep international aviation emissions at 2020 levels. Environmental groups remain skeptical that carbon offsets alone are enough to mitigate aviation emissions, which rose by nearly a third between 2013 and 2018, and 70% faster than predicted. The International Air Transport Association predicts that 7.8 billion passengers will be flying by 2036, a near doubling of the 4 billion who flew in 2017. Beginning in 2020, British Airways is offsetting all emissions from its UK flights through verified carbon-reduction projects. Last year, EasyJet pledged to offset carbon emissions from the fuel used on all of its flights, making it the first major airline to pledge carbon neutrality across its network. KLM is aiming to reduce its carbon emissions 15% over 2005 levels by 2030, and SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) wants to reduce emissions by 25% over 2005 levels by 2030. These airlines, along with JetBlue, collectively flew roughly 237 million passengers last year. https://electrek.co/2020/01/10/jetblue-offset-emissions-domestic-flights-july-2020/ Back to Top Is Electric Flight Aviation's Next Era Of Innovation? When Greta Thunberg, the youngest TIME Person of the Year, traversed the Atlantic on a sailboat, she once again exposed a serious and growing sustainability problem in transportation. Unfortunately, the majority of us can't spend weeks sailing back and forth across the ocean. One of the only things we can do today is purchase carbon offsets and hope that those donations reduce our impact. However, I don't believe carbon offsets are sustainable long term. In 2018, the commercial aviation industry reportedly accounted for 918 million tons or about 2.4% of global CO2 emissions from fossil fuel use. While 2.4% may not seem like much, the International Council On Clean Transportation reported that CO2 emissions from commercial aviation increased by 32% between 2013 and 2018. If this trajectory continues, some say aviation could account for over 25% of the worldwide carbon budget by 2050. While bio and synthetic fuels are the other industry standard responses, efforts I've seen have been small and advancement slow. In addition to these fuels being more expensive by many estimates, their scalability may be limited. Moreover, they may not address particulate and nitrogen oxide (NOX) emissions adequately, less-publicized serious pollution problems in aviation that one study identified. At the same time, the U.N. warns that human sourced CO2 emissions must be reduced by 45% of 2010 levels by 2030. Therefore, we have only 10 years to make a significant change or face catastrophic environmental and economic consequences. Considering that aircraft can stay in service for 20 to 30 years, it's obvious to me that our normal incremental improvements are not going to work. Instead, we should make some immediate and fundamental changes in how we power aviation. If the industry ignores this, it faces the risk of regulatory pressure or severe growth headwinds from cultural and social changes. The Electric Era To solve these problems, we should work to create new, truly zero emission fuels. Building on years of great decarbonization momentum in other industries, such as the increase in U.S. electric vehicle sales, electrification is the logical next frontier to me. The U.S. is gradually reducing emissions from electricity, and according to IEA, the electric vehicle industry is growing gradually in several regions. It's time for aviation to follow suit. When history looks back, it might view 2019 as the year we got serious about electrified air travel. Startups tackling the commercial aviation challenge are pursuing a variety of novel propulsion systems. Three of them flew real, commercially relevant zero-emission aircraft in 2019. My company, a hydrogen electric powertrain company, recently flew a modified Piper airplane. In June 2019, Ampaire had a maiden flight of its electric hybrid Cessna. Finally, Harbour Air and MagniX flew a six-passenger, battery-electric seaplane on a short test flight in December 2019. With several other startups and some of the aviation majors, like Airbus and Scandinavian Airlines, announcing their future electrified aircraft plans, the industry is beginning to move. Yet serious challenges remain. Aircraft are extremely weight sensitive, which is a challenge for battery development. And if the multi-decade history of battery development is any indication, we can truly rely only on modest, 3-5% annual improvements like those of the lithium ion battery. Therefore, realistically, I don't believe that battery-powered aircraft will have any appreciable share of aviation anytime soon, and not by 2030. Extending battery range using fossil fuel generators is likely possible but challenging to scale, and according to NASA research, turbo- and hybrid-electric aircraft are promising but challenging due to weight and complexity issues. They may also create significant emissions for any but the shortest routes. What the industry needs is a practical approach to deliver longer zero-emission range in the near term, which can reliably scale to 1,000 miles or more in larger aircraft. This leads to the next logical fuel option for zero-emission power: hydrogen. Hydrogen-Powered Flight Advancements Hydrogen has been considered as aviation fuel before, from the CL-400 to the Soviet Tu 155 and the hydrogen-electric-powered Boeing in 2008. However, more recent technology and safety improvements, combined with growing real-world experience with ground vehicles such as trains, are finally making a practical hydrogen-electric commercial aircraft possible. Hydrogen-electric safety and operational reliability are now more established in numerous ground mobility applications, from fuel-cell-powered cars to an estimated 20,000 hydrogen fuel-cell forklifts in warehouses across the U.S. There are already several hydrogen-electric aviation programs underway. My company is working to launch a 500-mile, 19-passenger aircraft by 2023. HES has announced a four-passenger concept that could travel between 500 and 5,000 kilometers (311 to 3,107 miles) and expects to have a prototype in 2025. Another four-seat effort, although more academic, is the Pipistrel, Hydrogenics, University of Ulm and German Aerospace Center airplane called HY4, which has been flying since 2016. Of course, there are some challenges of hydrogen to overcome. Any new fuel requires new infrastructure. A new supply and delivery chain would have to be built across all airports. But we could do it profitably by effectively paying for it through the savings from fuel and maintenance costs that hydrogen-electric powertrains could bring. Note that battery-electric aircraft would require an infrastructure build-up as well. Access to renewable power near the airports may be limited, so on-site production would be more difficult and affect local economies. The solution could be a new delivery method, such as ammonia, or building hydrogen pipelines. As 2020 begins, I believe the aviation industry is entering an exciting Electric Age. For the first time since turbines emerged 80 years ago, we are witnessing a fundamentally new propulsion technology take hold. We could see more electrified aircraft take flight and many records break as entrepreneurs and pioneers push the boundaries of what we think is possible. It will be up to manufacturers, operators and regulators to pursue zero-emission aircraft or risk playing a part in humanity's inability to reach its CO2 reduction goals. As Miss Thunberg would say, "The rules have to change. Everything needs to change. And it has to start today." https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2020/01/10/is-electric-flight-aviations-next-era-of-innovation/#567701a07b7e Back to Top Daedalean, Honeywell Develop Vision-based Flight Control for General Aviation and eVTOL Swiss startup Daedalean, a developer of software for autonomous flight control, vision-based navigation, terrain guidance and landing, and Honeywell, a Fortune 100 technology company, have entered into a technological and financial partnership. They will cooperate towards the development of a fully autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) pilot for General Aviation (GA) and Urban Air Mobility (UAM). The two companies will engage in joint testing and technological partnership to develop solutions for autonomous takeoff, landing and GPS-independent navigation and collision avoidance for GA aircraft and electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles (eVTOL). Additionally, Honeywell Ventures has joined the Swiss startup's pool of investors, the amount and conditions undisclosed. Air traffic congestions, especially over urban areas, will soon become a pressing problem, as more than 100 companies are bringing small, mostly electric VTOL aircraft ("flying cars") through certification and to market. Replacing the human in the loop with modern robotic systems will become a crucial enabler for whole new markets in aviation and urban transport. Honeywell has already designed a new . It is about the size of a paperback book. Daedalean has expertise in robotics, computer vision and machine learning. The company believes its innovations will bring benefits well before full autonomy in the cockpit becomes a reality, with the potential to enhance classical flight deck instruments including collision avoidance systems, flight directors and autopilots. The systems able to process visual images, similar to human-like situational awareness, can simplify pilot operations greatly and thereby free up the pilot's attention for safety-critical oversight. "Developing flight control software requires lots of flight data," noted Luuk van Dijk, founder and CEO of Daedalean. "That's why the collaboration with prominent industry partners such as Honeywell is critical for us to speed up the development of our technology. We are preparing for the joint flights testing our solutions for various types of aircraft, and excited to carry out trials on the planes we haven't tried before." https://insideunmannedsystems.com/daedalean-honeywell-develop-vision-based-flight-ontrol-for-general-aviation-and-evtol/ Back to Top FAA Approves Southern Utah University's Aviation Maintenance Technician Program The federal government has given final approval to Southern Utah University's expansion of its aviation program. On December 31, 2019, the Federal Aviation Administration granted final approval for a Part 147 certificate allowing SUU to offer Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) licenses to students upon successful completion of the academic program requirements and independent testing by a Designated Maintenance Examiner (DME). "Historic changes are now underway," said Michael Mower, executive director of SUU Aviation. "For the first time ever, an Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) training program to include helicopters is launching at SUU this semester. We worked with our partners in the industry, Washington, DC, and the Federal Aviation Administration to make this happen." A national leader in aviation education, SUU currently trains 10 percent of the nation's helicopter pilots and a significant number of fixed-wing pilots. With this approval, SUU Aviation is expanding its offerings and will begin training maintenance technicians through the Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) Program in spring 2020. SUU's AMT Program is the most up-to-date in the nation, with the curriculum stemming from the Promoting Aviation Regulations for Technical Training (PARTT) 147 Act (S.3043/H.R.5427) that was introduced to the House of Representatives and Senate in December 2019. It's also the only A&P program with helicopter maintenance used as the curriculum focus while still covering airplane maintenance. The program is designed to be completed in five consecutive semesters, resulting in an associate degree and A&P license. "This AAS degree program is one of a kind, and I am excited to finally have it certified by the FAA and accepting students," said Jared Britt, director of global aviation maintenance training at SUU. "It has taken a lot of hard work by the entire aviation team, and we expect to become one of the largest AMT programs over the next few years." Through the AMT Program, SUU hopes to contribute to the growing demand for aviation mechanics across the country. In the 2016 Boeing Pilot and Technician Outlook, it was estimated there will be a need for 180,000 new A&P Mechanics in North America by 2035. With the shortage of maintenance technicians, regional employers are eager to support and hire graduates of the program and have been crucial to the program's approval. With the current demand, and an average starting wage of $52,000, these graduates can look forward to a greater and faster return than most on their educational investment. The first cohort of students will begin the AMT program in spring 2020. Currently, the building capacity is 250 students, but an additional building and training equipment to accommodate 1000 students are part of future plans. More than 600 students from around the world study at the SUU Aviation program, which includes a fleet of 16 airplanes, 16 helicopters and state of the art facilities. With the recent creation of the College of Aerospace Science and Technology, SUU continues to place emphasis on aviation. https://www.aviationpros.com/education-training/a&p-ia-training/press-release/21120798/southern-utah-university-suu-faa-approves-southern-utah-universitys-aviation-maintenance-technician-program Back to Top Turkey invites Malaysia to produce aircraft Turkey has invited Malaysia for the joint production of Turkey's unique jet trainer and light attack aircraft named "Hurjet", the CEO of the aviation giant Turkish Aerospace said. Malaysia may contribute to the technology of the aircraft with its plane part production ability, Temel Kotil told Anadolu Agency correspondent. Kotil said: "We need to find an international partner. It's a big project, not only for Turkey." The offer engaged attraction of Malaysia, and we expect a positive approach, he added. Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Kazakhstan are important for Turkish Aerospace, he said. Kotil also reminded that Turkey and Malaysia signed a cooperation agreement for making production in the composite field. Malaysia has great composite producing plants but it is not good at aviation field, he stressed. Referring to Turkey's multirole utility helicopter "Gokbey", he said Gokbey is a perfect project, and the helicopter can be used globally. Kotil also said the company can share its technology over its other projects such as unmanned aerial vehicles Anka and Aksungur. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/science-technology/turkey-invites-malaysia-to-produce-aircraft/1698720 Back to Top Pilots with PhDs: From The Cockpit To The Classroom Society likes to romanticize the life of a pilot, but it is difficult in many ways. Commercial pilots face life on the road, where they are frequently away from home. They may find it difficult to eat properly and exercise. Boredom is a constant battle while waiting at airports and sitting in the cockpit for many hours, often while the autopilot manages the tasks that pilots used to do manually. Pilots are frequently tempted to take a break from piloting or even quit altogether. It is not always voluntary. If a pilot fails a medical exam, they are grounded-sometimes permanently. Many pilots look to their future long before departing the cockpit. Some of them already possess a Bachelor's degree, but it might not be in a field that promises the financial success they are used to. They must still pay those pesky mortgages and living costs. A few of them decide to seek out higher degrees, and some sign up for a terminal degree. A terminal degree is the pinnacle of academic success-the highest degree one can get in a particular field. Four Pilots' Stories Dr. Becky Lutte is a former airline pilot for a small commuter airline in the Midwest. She planned to continue on that path and fly for United Airlines. At that time, the major airlines froze their hiring, so she picked up a part-time teaching job. "What I didn't expect was how much I enjoyed teaching. I quickly realized where I could contribute in new ways to the field. The path led to a fully funded Master's degree and PhD. Those degrees allowed me to further pursue research in aviation." A crash at her airlines caused the death of two of her colleagues. Becky wanted to be a part of the solution, so she turned to research on FAA responses to crisis events. Her research has expanded into recruitment and retention of women in aviation. Dr. Lutte currently serves as an Associate Professor in Aviation at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, and is a strong advocate for aviation safety. Dr. Jason Herkimer flies for Spirit Airlines and operates an Airbus A320. He received his PhD in Aviation Sciences from Florida Institute of Technology in 2017, and spent some time teaching in the classroom. He continues to fly. "Not only was earning a PhD a practical insurance policy if I ever lost my ability to fly, it also expanded my knowledge base and my perspective on all matters of aviation. A professional pilot has a duty to continue to hone his craft, to mentor new pilots, and to contribute to the overall knowledge of the field." Many pilots like Dr. Herkimer love flying, but understand that there is a life after the cockpit and they want to be ready for it. Dr. David Cross currently flies a B-787 Dreamliner for United Airlines and possesses two doctorates. He earned his EdD in 1993 and added a PhD in 2012. He started his piloting career at a different airline. "When I was furloughed, I learned quickly that a lot of employers were not interested in you. Pilots have a wealth of practical knowledge, but without the degree, it is very difficult to teach. Fortunately, I had been taking classes toward my doctorate, so I took six months off and finished my dissertation." Dr. Cross teaches online for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, but has plans to teach in residence after his flying career. Dr. Victoria Dunbar started flying in 1999. She found it tough to find a job after 9/11, and turned to flight instruction and teaching at Indiana State University. She finished up her Master's Degree and began taking doctoral credits. In 2010, she moved to the Florida Institute of Technology, where she eventually became the Associate Dean of the College of Aviation while raising two boys. "To move up in the academic world, one needs a PhD. I took evening classes for several years, and did homework on weekends or early mornings while my family slept. It was a tremendous amount of work, but I was determined to complete it." The desire to fly never left, and the more time she spent in the classroom, the more she missed flying. So in 2019, Dr. Dunbar decided to return to flying full-time for Air Wisconsin Airlines, where she pilots a CRJ-200 regional jet. Where to Get Started Only 2% of Americans hold a doctorate. Getting a doctorate is an incredibly challenging task. Drs. Lutte, Herkimer, Cross and Dunbar had different reasons for their pursuit of this degree, but they all share one thing in common. They are dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. In the past, pilots would be forced to furlough or leave the airlines to attend a residence program. Current pilots have more options-numerous online universities offer programs in almost any field. Military pilots can take advantage of these programs while they are on deployment. Many traditional brick-and-mortar universities conduct online doctoral programs that provide a convenient way to finish school from the comfort of your living room-or flight deck. Aviation offers several types of doctorates. The PhD is the traditional doctorate that many fields award after the successful completion of 2-4 years of schooling beyond a Master's degree. It can be in Aviation Sciences, Aviation Business Administration, or Aviation Human Factors, among others. Expect a rigorous course load, combined with several years of research. Many universities also offer PhDs in non-aviation fields. The Doctorate of Education (EdD) is a terminal degree designed for educators or working professionals. This path focuses on developing practical skills. The Doctorate of Aviation (AvD), is designed to prepare working professionals who want to make scholarly contributions to the profession while taking on higher leadership positions in their organization. Pilots looking for a career beyond the cockpit should consider graduate school. You can take classes after flying, while flying, or even while building up the flight hours needed to land that first piloting job. https://www.forbes.com/sites/stephenrice1/2020/01/10/pilots-with-phds-from-the-cockpit-to-the-classroom/#117643c5326d Back to Top Collins Aerospace to Provide FAA with Cost-Effective, Highly Realistic Training Device for Scientific Research on Pilot Use of Head-Up Display Systems The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered a Head-Up Display (HUD) Virtual-Reality (VR) training device from Collins Aerospace Systems, a unit of United Technologies Corp., to be used in scientific research in areas such as pilot-HUD interface, pilot performance and crew workload. The HUD VR trainer provides a unique out-of-the-window view of what a pilot would actually see when flying with a HUD that uses Collins Aerospace's Head-up Guidance System (HGS) and Enhanced Vision System (EVS). The design of this VR device provides the FAA scientists a great deal of flexibility, efficiency and effectiveness in conducting research in the domain of advanced vision systems on HUDs. "The HUD VR system provides increased access to training, helping pilots get as much time as they need using a HUD on approaches and landing in difficult conditions," said Nick Gibbs, vice president and general manager, Simulation and Training Solutions for Collins Aerospace. "Our trainer can significantly reduce the length of time it takes for a pilot to become familiar with this technology, making them more productive once they enter the full-flight simulator or live flight." Collins Aerospace is an industry-leader in providing HGS and EVS technologies to a variety of business, commercial and military aircraft operators. The technologies add an improved level of safety and confidence when flying at night, low visibility or adverse weather conditions. HGS and EVS can also help improve military mission success with aircraft such as the C-130J, helping aircrews more accurately see drop zones, runways or other targets regardless of the conditions. About Collins Aerospace Collins Aerospace Systems, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX), is a leader in technologically advanced and intelligent solutions for the global aerospace and defense industry. Created in 2018 by bringing together UTC Aerospace Systems and Rockwell Collins, Collins Aerospace has the capabilities, comprehensive portfolio and expertise to solve customers' toughest challenges and to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving global market. For more information, visit CollinsAerospace.com. About United Technologies Corporation United Technologies Corp., based in Farmington, Connecticut, provides high-technology systems and services to the building and aerospace industries. By combining a passion for science with precision engineering, the company is creating smart, sustainable solutions the world needs. For more information about the company, visit our website at www.utc.com or follow us on Twitter: @UTC. https://www.displaydaily.com/article/press-releases/collins-aerospace-to-provide-faa-with-cost-effective-highly-realistic-training-device-for-scientific-research-on-pilot-use-of-head-up-display-systems Back to Top Spirit AeroSystems will lay off 2,800 workers after Boeing 737 Max halt Wichita's largest employer, Spirit AeroSystems, announced Friday that it will lay off 2,800 workers due to uncertainty about production of the Boeing 737 Max. All 2,800 employees work in Wichita. The layoffs will be followed by further cuts later this month at the company's Tulsa and McAlester, Oklahoma, locations, according to a news release sent out by the company. Spirit may shed more jobs in the future, the news release said. The 2,800 workers represent more than a fifth of the company's Wichita work force, according to the Greater Wichita Area Partnership's most recent numbers. Hourly workers will start leaving the company Jan. 22 followed by salaried employees, who start leaving the company Feb. 7. All employees will receive compensation for the full 60-day notice period, according to a letter Spirit's CEO sent to employees Friday. The Boeing 737 Max has been grounded since March after two crashes killed 346 people in Indonesia and Ethiopia. Boeing has been working to get the jet back in the air and make it safer, but the timeline has been pushed back multiple times as more technical problems have been discovered. Boeing posted a $3.38 billion quarterly loss last year and stopped production on the planes in December. Spirit, which makes over 70 percent of the Max, halted production at the start of the year. "Reducing employment is a necessary step given the uncertainty of when production of the MAX will resume and the expected lower production levels when it does resume," Spirit President and CEO Tom Gentile wrote. "This is not the news I wanted to share, and I know it's not the news you wanted to hear," Gentile said. Earlier this week, Gentile gave qualified employees the option to take a voluntary buyout, adding that it was "a first step" in cost-cutting measures the company is taking. "It is an extremely difficult time for the workers at Spirit AeroSystems who have dedicated their lives to making this company a leader in aerospace," said Cornell Beard, president of International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District Lodge 70 in Wichita. "Machinists members and their families in this community have some tough decisions ahead of them," Beard said in a written statement about the layoffs. BLAMING BOEING The Spirit announcement came the day after hundreds of pages of internal messages between Boeing employees was delivered to congressional investigators Thursday. The messages show Boeing employees mocked federal rules, talked about deceiving regulators and joked about potential flaws in the 737 Max as it was being developed, according to a New York Times report. U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., the chairman of the House Transportation Committee said that the internal messages "paint a deeply disturbing picture of the lengths Boeing was apparently willing to go to in order to evade scrutiny from regulators, flight crews and the flying public, even as its own employees were sounding alarms internally." U.S. Rep Sharice Davids, a Johnson County Democrat who is vice chair of the Aviation Subcommittee of the Transportation Committee, said in a written statement Friday that the messages show "a coordinated effort" by Boeing to "deceive the American public and federal regulators." "It's unacceptable that it has taken 10 months of investigations for Boeing to turn over these messages, which are essential to understanding what happened with the MAX," Davids wrote. "We will continue to push forward with our investigation so we can ensure accountability and most importantly the safety of the flying public." "In addition to the public safety concerns these messages raise, Boeing's callousness has now cost thousands of Kansans their livelihood and endangered the economy of our state, which is dependent on aerospace. Kansas will continue to be an aerospace and technology leader, despite the harmful impacts of Boeing leadership's reckless decision making." Boeing apologized to the FAA, Congress and airline customers for the "completely unacceptable" messages Thursday. "The language used in these communications, and some of the sentiments they express, are inconsistent with Boeing values, and that company is taking appropriate action in response," Boeing said in its apology letter, which was posted to the company's website on Thursday. RIPPLE EFFECT Rep. John Carmichael, a Wichita Democrat, said the effects of the layoffs would extend well beyond Spirit employees to the machine shops, vendors and contractors that assist the company. "This trickles down and-or has a multiplier throughout the city's economy," Carmichael said. "So it is a very serious circumstance when the largest employer in the city announces layoffs." On the other hand, Carmichael said the layoffs shouldn't come as a surprise. Spirit shouldn't be faulted for the situation, he said. "The bad judgments that were made appear to be Boeing management decisions, so far as I know, that don't implicate ether Spirit or the hardworking folks who work at Spirit," Carmichael said. Wichita City Council member James Clendenin, who represents the area around the sprawling Spirit plant, said the situation could deteriorate further. "I'm hearing there's going to be really a phase one and phase two of layoffs," he said. "Phase two depends on whether the (737 Max) program can get back up and going." Clendenin faced a similar situation himself in 2009, when he was laid off by Beechcraft, where he worked in process improvement. "I was able to find work, but it was scary," he said. "You don't know where your next meal is coming from and you don't know how you're going to pay your mortgage." He vows that the city will use all its resources to get Spirit workers retrained for jobs in related or other industries. While aircraft training is the specialty of Wichita State Tech, the vocational wing of Wichita State University, the school also trains workers in other fields such as information technology and computer programming that aren't as aviation-specific. "I'm confident that with all of our resources, we're going to be able to find people jobs," he said. "We've had to weather worse storms than this. People in Wichita are resilient." The city is in the midst of several costly improvement projects totaling hundreds of millions of dollars, including a $500 million-plus water treatment plant and a $75 million-plus baseball stadium. Plans are also in the works for city-subsidized private development of hotels, offices and apartments - some of which was approved this week - that are expected to generate new property and sales tax revenue to help pay for the stadium. A shrinking Spirit workforce could mean a reduction in the amount of money those new projects generate. In addition, the council will be called on next month to approve or shelve a $1 billion to $1.5 billion improvement project to replace the Century II building with a new convention center and a separate performing arts center. City Manager Robert Layton said the city does not expect the downturn at Spirit to head off any of the projects currently under construction. The probability of a general recession was baked into the city's financial analyses. "We were really conservative in our (revenue) estimates," Layton said. UNCERTAIN FUTURE Spirit said that it still has not received notice from Boeing on how long the production suspension will last. Gentile said Spirit plans to "facilitate job fairs with other aerospace companies to help laid-off employees transition to new jobs." "Our goal is to support Boeing and a safe return to service of the Max," Gentile said in the Friday news release. "We continue to work with Boeing to develop a new production schedule for 2020 with an eye toward minimizing disruption, maintaining the stability of our production capabilities, and best positioning Spirit for the future. "When production levels increase sufficiently in the future, we look forward to recalling employees impacted by today's announcement," he added. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly's office said the state will work closely with local and federal agencies as part of its response to the layoffs. "I have directed an all-hands-on-deck approach across state government to help workers, Spirit and other Kansas businesses that will be negatively impacted connect with every available resource, and with an emphasis on long-term support," Kelly said in a written statement. U.S. Rep. Ron Estes, R-Wichita, said that he's had discussions with Kelly, the White House, Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing about the effects the groundings would have on employees at Spirit and other industry suppliers throughout south-central Kansas. "I will continue to work with the FAA to ensure grounded aircraft causing these furloughs can safely return to the skies without any unnecessary delays," Estes said. "In the meantime, my office in Wichita is available to help connect furloughed employees with the Department of Labor and other resources. I am fully confident that thanks to our skilled workforce and industry partners, our region will remain the Air Capital of the World." A newly formed Aviation Task Force, made up of industry stakeholders, business leaders, government officials, the United Way and the Wichita Community Foundation, is working to mitigate the impacts of the Spirit layoffs, according to Estes. Senate President Susan Wagle said she is hoping for a swift resolution so workers can get back to work. "I am once again calling on the FAA to swiftly and thoroughly investigate the issues with the Boeing 737 MAX in order to ensure Kansans can get back to work as quickly as possible," she said in a written statement. "I remain committed to working with Spirit AeroSystems and other Kansas employers impacted by these layoffs with job retraining and support. The lives and livelihoods of Kansans hang in the balance while we wait for a solution to this problem." SPIRIT'S SUCCESS TIED TO THE 737 Spirit's economic success has been tied to that of Boeing - and the 737 - since the company formed as a spin-off of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. More than half of Spirit's revenue comes from the production of 737 aircraft components. The 737 Max was grounded worldwide in March after a pair of deadly crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed 346 people. Before the 737 Max was grounded, Spirit was in the midst of an economic boom. In the past two years, the company has announced plans to add thousands of jobs and invest $1 billion in its Wichita factory. In return, Wichita and Sedgwick County agreed to pay $14.5 million for a building at Spirit's factory on South Oliver. The state of Kansas pitched in $23.5 million and agreed to allow the company to keep 95 percent of its new workers' state income taxes for up to 10 years. To fill those jobs, area organizations and universities have placed an increased focus on jobs training and scholarships. The company planned to increase monthly production of the jets from 52 to 57 as early as June of this year. But that plan was taken off course by the 737 Max crashes. After the crashes, Boeing reduced its production to 42 of the jets a month. But Spirit continued building 52 fuselages a month in anticipation of a quick fix. That fix hasn't happened. Boeing has continued to push back its target date for returning the 737 Max to the sky. The commercial and defense aviation giant faces re-certification obstacles and a change in leadership after former CEO Dennis Muilenburg was ousted last month. Earlier in December, Boeing announced it would suspend production of the 737 Max. Before it can return, it must gain approval from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. The Spirit layoffs have dealt "a harsh blow" not only to that company but also to local suppliers and subcontractors who were completing work related to the 737 Max, Sen. Jerry Moran said. Moran was in Wichita Thursday to tour one of those suppliers, Cox Machine. It's immediately unclear if some of Wichita's smaller companies will lay off employees in response. "This week, I had conversations with both the incoming CEO at Boeing and the FAA Administrator to encourage them to work together and do everything necessary to get the 737 MAX safely back in the air. I will work with business leaders and Administration officials to do everything possible to see that this is a short-term impact to the aviation and aerospace industry in Wichita," Moran said in a prepared statement Friday. Spirit has taken several measures to cut costs while the company waits, including shortened work weeks, hiring freezes, reducing overtime and decreasing its use of contractors. Rep. Elizabeth Bishop, a Wichita Democrat whose district sits near Spirit, hadn't yet heard of the layoffs when reached by phone Friday morning. "I knew it was coming. We just did. But I didn't think it was going to be quite that heavy," Bishop said. Bishop said her family is a "Spirit family" and noted her husband was an engineer until retirement. "This is a real blow," she said, adding that the Wichita community will have to scramble to help those affected. South-central Kansas lawmakers met at Wichita State University on Thursday and the ongoing situation at Spirit was discussed, she said. "These are skilled folks and we need to keep skilled workforce in our community," Bishop said. The news follows an announcement in early December from Textron - the parent company of Textron Aviation which makes Cessna and Beechcraft planes in Wichita - that it would eliminate up to 875 positions. Textron has not said how many of those employees worked in Wichita. https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article239157033.html Back to Top SpaceX tests rocket for critical Crew Dragon in-flight abort launch on Jan. 18 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - SpaceX has fired up the booster that will fly the company's upcoming in-flight abort test of its Crew Dragon spacecraft. The uncrewed mission will test a vital safety system designed to protect astronauts during flight. SpaceX plans to use its Crew Dragon capsule to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station, but before that can happen, the company needs to prove that the spacecraft has what it takes to keep those astronauts safe in the event of a catastrophic rocket failure. To do that, SpaceX aims to launch the in-flight abort test on Jan. 18 to demonstrate Crew Dragon's launch abort system designed to pull the capsule free of its rocket during an emergency. A hot fire test of a Falcon 9 rocket occurred on Saturday (Jan. 11) at NASA's historic Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, SpaceX confirmed on Twitter. That booster will be attached to SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule before its upcoming launch. But before the Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon can launch, SpaceX engineers had to put the rocket through a practice launch countdown. The nine Merlin engines on the Falcon 9's first stage ignited on Saturday morning at 10:10 a.m. EST (1510 GMT) as white smoke billowed around the rocket. Hold down clamps kept the rocket attached firmly to the ground at Launch Pad 39A - the same launch site that once hosted both the mighty Saturn V as well as NASA's fleet of space shuttles. The brief test, known as a static-fire test is a standard part of prelaunch procedures and one of the last major milestones before liftoff. During the test, teams loaded the Falcon's super-chilled propellants - kerosene and liquid oxygen - into the rocket before igniting the first stage's nine Merlin 1D engines. The Merlin engines throttled up to produce 1.7 million pounds of thrust before powering down. Shortly after the test, SpaceX tweeted it was a success. "Static fire of Falcon 9 complete - targeting Jan. 18 for an in-flight demonstration of Crew Dragon's launch escape system, which will verify the spacecraft's ability to carry astronauts to safety in the unlikely event of an emergency during orbit." The Falcon 9 rocket rolled out of its hangar on Thursday (Jan. 9) and went vertical on the launch pad in advance of the planned test-firing of its nine first stage engines on Saturday. The two-stage rocket is expected to liftoff next Saturday, Jan. 18 at 8:00 a.m. EST (1300 GMT) marking the second launch of the year and the second for SpaceX in just two weeks. (SpaceX's first launch of the year lofted the company's third batch of Starlink satellites.) SpaceX's next flight, called an In-Flight Abort test flight (IFA for short) will feature a Crew Dragon spacecraft launched atop a veteran Falcon 9 rocket. Shortly after liftoff, onboard software will intentionally trigger the spacecraft's launch abort system in mid-flight. That system - comprised of eight SuperDraco abort engines built into the craft's hull - will pull the Crew Dragon free of its launcher before gliding back to Earth under parachute. The abort system is a key safety feature designed to safeguard astronauts during launch. In October 2018, a similar abort system on a Russian Soyuz rocket carried NASA astronaut Nick Hague and cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin to safety when their booster failed during flight. "The demonstration of Crew Dragon's launch escape system is part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program and is one of the final major tests for the company before NASA astronauts will fly aboard the spacecraft," NASA officials wrote in a commercial crew program update. SpaceX is one of two commercial companies (Boeing is the other) NASA contracted to build private space taxis to fly its astronauts to and from the space station. Crew Dragon has already visited the orbiting outpost once - last March, on a historic uncrewed test flight called Demo-1. Saturday's high-altitude abort demonstration will be the final major test flight of the Crew Dragon spacecraft before it is cleared to fly astronauts. If all goes well with the abort test, the California-based company can start prepping for its first crewed flight, called Demo-2, which will carry NASA's Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to and from the International Space Station. https://www.space.com/spacex-tests-rocket-crew-dragon-in-flight-abort-launch.html Curt Lewis