March 16, 2020 - No. 019 In This Issue ABARIS TRAINING Business Aviation Confronts Covid-19 Reality as Fallout Spreads GAMECO clinches FAA approval for Daxing line maintenance myairops Secures USD$2.5million Software Sale with One of the World's Largest Business Aviation Operators Sala Report Highlights Dangers of Illegal Charters TE Connectivity Acquires Majority Share of First Sensor AG Trump's Europe Travel Ban Delivers Another Blow to Airlines Race is on for antennas to deliver low-latency IFC via NGSO satellites Delta to ground 300 aircraft and cut all flights to mainland Europe Federal government wants more women in aviation as aerotropolis gains momentum SpaceX launch aborted in final second before liftoff. Aviation Maintenance Leaders' D.C. Tour Includes White House, DOT Stops Jaw-Dropping Video Shows F-22 Raptor Demo Jet Performing A Max Power Takeoff to High AOA Loop Maneuver Business Aviation Confronts Covid-19 Reality as Fallout Spreads If there's one thing for certain about the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on business aviation, it is that no two days will be the same and that the industry needs to stay braced for indefinite turbulence. For those still doubting that Covid-19 is a global crisis, the World Health Organization's official confirmation of its pandemic status on March 12 took public and industry concern to another level. And so too has the tightening of travel restrictions worldwide, with Italy now under complete lockdown and a ban on travelers entering the U.S. from 26 European countries (with a combined population of 400 million people) taking effect at midnight ET tonight. With the airline industry facing what some might consider an existential crisis, can business aviation maintain any sort of quarantine against the dire consequences of the dramatic dip in global travel? According to data analyst WingX, the European travel ban will prevent around 500 transatlantic flights from happening over the next month. The Germany-based company said it remains to be seen whether some flights will be able to go ahead by departing from UK airports, as the Trump Administration has yet to confirm how it will police the requirement for travelers not to have been in one of the excluded European states within the past 14 days. Just over 12 hours before the U.S. ban on European travelers was due to begin, WingX reported that business aviation flights out of London were more than 40 percent up on the same day in 2019. The UK is exempt from the ban and traffic in and out of its capital city were shown to be 5 percent up on a month-to-date basis versus last year. The most current forward-looking data on flight requests from charter marketplace Avinode appeared to give some grounds for believing the mantra that the outbreak presents an opportunity for business aviation. The data, tracking requests for trips over the seven days from March 11, also revealed how quickly, and somewhat unpredictably, the demand side of the equation can shift in a crisis like the one now gripping the world. "Globally, we are seeing an increase in demand for intercontinental travel," said Harry Clarke, Avinode's head of insights and analytics. "For trips of duration greater than three hours, demand is up over 100 percent for the next week, compared to the equivalent period last year." But that doesn't mean it will stay that way, or even that all of these flight requests will result in revenue trips. Avinode saw significant increases in requests for flights departing China up until the end of February, but now "this activity has largely returned to the same level as in 2019." Similarly, explained Clarke: "For Italy, the story has now changed. For the upcoming week, demand for trips from northern Italy is down 33 percent compared with the equivalent period last year. After an initial surge in demand, the country-wide lockdown is causing flight requests to fall." He added that demand for trips within, to, and from the Middle East is up 46 percent. Private jet membership program Magellan Jets said that despite President Trump's unilateral ban on most European travelers, they have seen fresh demand, including from travelers who previously depended entirely on commercial airline service. "Just today, we have arranged several complex trips from the UK to the northeast of the U.S., which speaks to the trust clients place in us during times of uncertainty," CEO Joshua Hebert told AIN. "We anticipate that transcontinental requests such as this will continue to rise. Additionally, since commercial airlines are suspending their routes and operations, we are inevitably going to see a spike in requests for Northeast to Southeast [U.S.] travel, which has historically been one of our most popular routes." Boston-based Magellan said it has established a "Covid-19 taskforce" to ensure the safety of passengers. It predicts further increases in demand for both domestic U.S. flights and trips to Latin America and the Caribbean over the next few months. However, after some initial anticipation that the epidemic might represent an uptick in opportunity for business aviation, many veterans seemed to be adopting a more cautious outlook by the end of the second week of March. "We anticipate that Covid-19 will, on net, have a negative impact on the demand for business aircraft travel in the near term," said Adam Cowburn, the Hong Kong-based managing director of international consultancy Alton Aviation. "As a result of public health authorities globally encouraging social distancing measures to reduce the virus spread, people are now avoiding exactly the types of activities that create the underlying demand for business aircraft travel in the first instance: face-to-face meetings, large-scale events, leisure travel, etcetera," he added. "The impact won't likely be reflected yet in January and February statistics, but we expect to see a meaningful impact starting in statistics from March." Cowburn commented that the once highly-anticipated explosion in demand for business aviation in China had already been diminishing before the coronavirus started spreading from the country's Hubei province in December. He cited factors such as slowing economic growth due in part to China's trade war with the U.S. and conflicted socio-political optics associated with private aviation. Globally, Cowburn remained sanguine about business aviation's longer-term prospects. "Demand will come back as economic life returns to normalcy," he told AIN. Overall business aviation traffic volumes during February showed a somewhat mixed picture, reflecting the shifting impact of Covid-19. The 57,227 flights recorded in WingX's monthly Business Aviation Monitor represented a year-on-year decline of just 0.8 percent. Decline for the month eroded earlier gains from January, but still left totals for the first two months of this year 1.7 percent ahead of 2019. However, adjusting comparisons to take account of the additional day in this Leap Year, meant that February's dip was actually more than 3 percent down. The first week of March saw a 6 percent dip in overall traffic volumes. During the first week of March, Italy experienced a 40 percent reduction in flights. In February, German flight activity dipped by 13 percent. "February trends were disappointing, coming off a strong January 2020 performance, but the effects of Covid-19 are already evident, with business jet arrivals from China down 30 percent year-on-year and Germany's market seeing the largest impact of the virus crisis in Asia," commented WingX managing director Richard Koe. "Overall the business jet charter market seems to have done quite well. But looking ahead, we can already see the escalating negative effect of virus containment measures in Europe, with the potential repercussions for a significant economic relapse in the region over the next few months, bound to depress business jet activity further." WingX's latest information, released on March 11 also shows significant geographic variations, including the following data points: 40 percent reduction in Italy during the first week of March German flight activity 13 percent down in February Large growth during February in flights from Russia, Spain and Italy February decline in both the UK and Germany mainly due to a 20 percent cut in flights by propeller aircraft February charter activity sees biggest increase in Russia (where 64 percent of flights were commercial) February charter flights also up in Switzerland and Spain, but down in Germany, the UK and Turkey Large jet activity for February down in Germany, but up in Switzerland, Italy and Austria (overall jet flights increase by 10 percent) London activity well down overall in February but due to propeller flight decline; large jet flights up at all London airports, and also at Geneva, Moscow and Zurich Small and midsized jet flights up 14 percent from Geneva and up 19 percent from Brussels Flights within Europe fell 1 percent in February (more than 4 percent, allowing for Leap Year) Flights from Europe to North America up 6 percent in February Flights to, from and within Africa, Asia and the Middle East "well down" Strong February growth in Geneva, Moscow Vnukovo and Chambery-Savoie (French Alps resort), but overall negative last-12-months trend for most top business aviation airports in Europe. Decline at German airports, including Munich, Berlin Schoenefeld and Stuttgart Charter/AOC flight growth up by more than 15 percent at Moscow Vnukovo, London Biggin Hill, Mallorca, Samaden (St Moritz); overall trends much weaker, but Farnborough Airport conserving strongest upward trend at 6 percent Strong flight growth for Pilatus PC24 aircraft and Embraer and Bombardier heavy jets; growth for Cessna midsized and light jets, and for Embraer light jets California-based charter operator Schubach Aviation reported reductions in bookings for international flights to Europe (down by around 40 percent) and Asia. Conversely, it said it had seen a "noticeable" increase in demand for domestic flights in late February, which was before the impact of the epidemic had been widely acknowledged in the U.S. Bookings for trips to Canada and Mexico were shown to be down by around 20 percent. Schubach Aviation president Kimberly Herrell told AIN that the biggest increases for personal trips to rural locations and ski destinations such as Montana and Wyoming. "Flying private to these destinations really reduces exposure to large groups of people," she commented. "We've experienced a growing number of cancellations and postponement for business travel, as more trade shows and conventions are being canceled." According to Herrell, concern over health risks has prompted some travelers to try private charter for the first time. She said that the company now has a policy for pilots not to shake hands with customers and to have plenty of hand sanitizer on board aircraft. In Europe, Austria-based GlobeAir reported that private jet companies have "registered a remarkable spike in bookings." CEO Bernhard Fragner reported a 27 percent year-on-year increase in bookings in the past three weeks. GlobeAir claimed that business aviation is significantly safer for travelers compared with airline flights. "Against the approximately 700 touchpoints that expose passengers to the risk of contagion on every single commercial flight, with only 20 touchpoints," said the company, without explaining how it defined the various touchpoints. Social media discussions of the fallout from Covid-19 have been very revealing about what business aircraft pilots are seeing in the industry's frontlines. And their experience and perception are far from uniform, with some expressing grave anxiety, while others acknowledge what they see as this cloud's silver lining. Some flight crew with Part 91 operations talked of trips being canceled by companies that have restricted business travel for executives or stopped flying for other reasons, such as concern over how the use of private jets might be perceived when companies are laying off other employees. But others said that their bosses now depend on this mode of transportation even more and that trip requests are increasing. One pilot said that his corporate flight department has been "busier than ever" because charter operators had declined trips on the grounds that they were restricted from flying to some locations. Another cautioned against indulging in the "corona blues" while advocating industrial-scale stockpiling of disinfectant wipes. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2020-03-13/business-aviation-confronts-covid-19-reality-fallout-spreads Back to Top GAMECO clinches FAA approval for Daxing line maintenance Chinese MRO GAMECO has received approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to provide line maintenance at Beijing Daxing airport. The company received FAA's approval of operations specifications D107 on 3 March, it states. It comes after it passed the FAA's series of audits in January. "This approval will bring GAMECO a lot more opportunities to explore the market and further promote the company's strategic role at Daxing airport," the MRO adds. The FAA approval comes after the Guangzhou-based MRO received authorisation from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to provide maintenance works at Beijing Daxing. https://www.flightglobal.com/aerospace/gameco-clinches-faa-approval-for-daxing-line-maintenance/137282.article Back to Top myairops Secures USD$2.5million Software Sale with One of the World's Largest Business Aviation Operators myairops is proud to announce their largest single deal yet, signed by one of the world's largest business operators. The three-year contract is a huge success for the company, following a substantial investment in the myairops products. myairops provided a seamless transition without any disruption to the company's operations, proving to be at the forefront of providing a world class SaaS (software as a service) cloud-based aviation software solution. The myairops flight system is currently live and provides comprehensive fleet management, crew rostering and maintenance planning capabilities in support of a large fleet operation. The versatility of the product suite allows the software to scale with the company's growth, in turn providing them with multi-site functionality allowing ease of access and complete oversight of their whole network. myairops flight is part of a suite of SaaS products that have been engineered to remove the complexity of business aviation operations. This includes specific products for FBO, CAM and Crew, all of which inherently optimize the productivity of teams by streamlining processes, avoiding poor data management and providing secure access to time critical information. Commenting on winning the contract, Tim Ford, President of myairops said: "This is an incredibly proud moment for myself and the whole of the myairops team. It is the perfect way for us to enter the US market and shows our focus and investment in the region. With our product portfolio spanning such a wide breadth of the aviation problem space we have a lot of knowledge and experience that we bring to bear across all our products. We also have been incredibly proactive in building out integrations and partnerships with other products and services and we are going to be announcing a number of exciting developments over the coming months." This comes after a successful six months for myairops in which they have announced the addition of several new businesses to their client portfolio, including the likes of ACE FBO and Acropolis Aviation. https://www.aviationpros.com/tools-equipment/maintenance-it/press-release/21129578/tag-farnborough-airport-myairops-secures-usd25million-software-sale-with-one-of-the-worlds-largest-business-aviation-operators Back to Top Sala Report Highlights Dangers of Illegal Charters The much-anticipated report into the accident that claimed the lives of footballer Emiliano Sala and pilot David Ibbotson has pointed to the pilot losing control of the aircraft in poor weather conditions, with lack of night flying qualifications and instrument flying experience, and "probable" carbon monoxide poisoning, all contributory factors. Published by the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) on March 13, the report said the Piper PA-46-310P Malibu, U.S. registration N264DB and piloted by Ibbotson, departed from Nantes Airport, France, at 1906 hrs on Jan. 21, 2019, after several delays during the day, carrying Sala "on a commercial basis" to Cardiff Airport in the UK. The last radio contact with the aircraft was with Jersey ATC at 2012 hours when the pilot asked for a further descent to remain in VMC. At 2016 hours, "probably while maneuvering to avoid poor weather," the aircraft was lost from radar and struck the sea 22 nm north-northwest of Guernsey. "The pilot made no distress call that was recorded by ATC," the report said. Significantly, the findings highlight the illegal nature of the flight: "Neither the pilot nor aircraft had the required licenses or permissions to operate commercially," said the AAIB, noting that it has already, since the accident, taken safety action to raise awareness of the risks associated with unlicensed charter flights, while improving guidance for maintenance personnel undertaking inspections of exhaust systems. Ibbotson, 59, held an EASA PPL and FAA PPL, and around 3,500 hours of flying experience. Around 30 of these hours were on the Piper Malibu, with about 20 hours in the previous 90 days. He held a valid CAA Instrument Rating (Restricted) but no night rating and no FAA instrument rating, and the investigation found no evidence of the pilot completing any night flying training, although he had flown several times at night during the previous 12 months. The AAIB does not acknowledge that in the U.S. night flying is part of the PPL, not a separate rating, although in any case Ibbotson needed a CPL for this flight. His EASA SEP (single-engine piston) rating was due to expire in November 2018 and "the investigation found no record of it being renewed," although he had completed a biennial flight review (BFR) for his FAA license. The AAIB noted the pilot "had been authorized in error to fly the PA-46 as pilot-in-command (PIC) during both the day and night. It was not established whether the pilot had undertaken the FAA's equivalent 'complex aircraft training' for the PA-46." The pilot had "little experience of flying in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) or operating under instrument flight rules (IFR)," the report said, as much of his experience was in parachute dropping operations. Regarding the commercial nature of the flight, the report said: "The pilot's records showed that he had been paid a fee for flights on numerous occasions. Other evidence showed that he was to be paid a fee for the accident flight." The pilot's body was not recovered but the AAIB said post-mortem tests on the passenger "showed a blood carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) level of 58 percent, and the pathologist considered that he would almost certainly have been 'deeply unconscious' at impact." According to the AAIB, there was "no CO detector with an active warning" in the aircraft, "which might have alerted the pilot to the presence of CO in time for him to take mitigating action." The report said N264DB should have been operated in accordance with Part 135 as it was being operated as a charter flight, and this would have required the pilot to have a CPL and for pressure testing of the exhaust system. In response to the report, the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA), the British Business and General Aviation Association (BBGA) and The Air Charter Association (ACA) called on governments worldwide to take the issue of illegal charter flights more seriously. "Authorities must make additional resources available to actively prosecute offenders who flout the law. There need to be far higher sentences, more substantial fines, the removal of pilots' licenses and seizure of aircraft for those people who, despite knowing the law, operate as if they weren't subject to any of it," they said in a joint statement. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2020-03-13/sala-report-highlights-dangers-illegal-charters Back to Top TE Connectivity Acquires Majority Share of First Sensor AG TE Connectivity Ltd. (NYSE: TEL), a global industrial technology company with leading positions in connectivity and sensing solutions, completed its public takeover of First Sensor AG (XTRA: SIS). TE now holds 71.87 percent shares of First Sensor. First Sensor, founded as a technology start-up in the early 1990s, is a global player in sensor technology. With its expertise in chip design and production, as well as microelectronic packaging, it develops and produces standard sensors and customer-specific sensor solutions in the fields of photonics, pressure and advanced electronics for applications within the industrial, medical and transportation markets. It has six German locations along with development, production and sales sites in the USA, Canada, China, the Netherlands, Great Britain, France, Sweden and Denmark, along with a worldwide partner network. In combining the First Sensor and TE portfolios, TE will be able to offer an even broader product base, including innovative, market-leading sensors, connectors and systems plus best-in-class capabilities, that supports the growth strategy of TE's sensors business and TE Connectivity as a whole. First Sensor provides market expansion opportunity with optical sensing applications for industrial, heavy truck and auto applications. "The business combination with First Sensor is yet another milestone in TE Connectivity's commitment to being a leader in the sensor space and continuing to provide customers with a high level of product innovation and service," said John Mitchell, senior vice president and general manager of TE's sensors business. "The First Sensor team's capabilities, as well as their products, strongly align with the markets we serve and create greater opportunity to serve our customers." https://www.aviationpros.com/tools-equipment/maintenance-it/press-release/21129576/te-connectivity-te-connectivity-acquires-majority-share-of-first-sensor-ag Back to Top Trump's Europe Travel Ban Delivers Another Blow to Airlines President Trump's announcement Wednesday night that he was banning "all travel from Europe" for 30 days set off something of a mad scramble on the other side of the Atlantic. Desperate to get home before the measure took effect, Americans-in the middle of the night-spent as much as $2,500 for one-way flights home, then flocked to airports like Charles de Gaulle in Paris, where throngs of people waited in hours-long lines for a chance at escape. The race to the tarmac may have been avoided had Trump not said the wrong thing during a national address-the ban does not apply to Americans or permanent residents of the US. But perhaps those who paid the sky-high fares can take solace in knowing that they've offered a small bit of relief to an airline industry that's been battered by the global spread of the novel coronavirus-a battering that's about to get much worse. At least until April 12, foreign citizens can't come to the US from the 26 European countries that make up the Schengen Zone, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Portugal, and Iceland. Travelers coming from the United Kingdom and Ireland are still welcome ashore. Legal permanent residents of the US are still allowed in, as are most of their close family members. All travelers coming from Europe must enter the US via one of one of 11 CDC-approved airports, which will screen passengers for illness and have quarantine facilities. Some 7,317 flights were originally scheduled to fly from the now-verboten countries to the US during the 30-day period, according to aviation analytics company Cirium. All told, they had room for more than 2 million people. Americans can still catch a ride, but nixing most foreigners opens up a lot of those seats. In March and April 2018, nearly 1.6 million residents of Western Europe, excluding the UK and Ireland, visited the US. "Airlines will quickly cut service significantly," says Ahmed Abdelghany, who researches operations management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Indeed, in the hours after the announcement, Delta and American Airlines announced they'll reroute passengers to the CDC's approved US airports and suspend flights heading elsewhere. Lufthansa, which was planning to cancel half its flight capacity before the new ban, says it will continue serving Chicago, Newark, and Washington, DC, but suspend other US flights. Finnair will cancel all US flights as of next Thursday. Norwegian Air is grounding 40 percent of its long-haul fleet, canceling more than 4,000 flights through the end of April, and laying off up to half its employees. It's too soon to tell how many flights will be canceled altogether, but Abdelghany estimates the figure could hit 90 percent. "It's not only the ban," he says. "People are not flying." Compared with March 2019, global air traffic is down 4.9 percent this month, according to FlightRadar24, and will continue to drop. "I think we'll see some big changes in less than a week," says Ian Petchenik, who runs media relations for the flight tracking website. Airlines can use the downtime to do maintenance and make repairs on their aircraft, but that will do little to mitigate the pain. Abdelghany says transatlantic flights generate roughly 17, 14, and 10 percent of revenue for United, Delta, and American, respectively. As of last week, the International Air Transport Association estimated that Covid-19 would cost the airline industry up to $113 billion. No wonder airline share prices have plunged nearly 25 percent since the start of the outbreak. So far, the drop in travel is minor compared to the impact of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. In the four to five months afterward, demand on US domestic flights fell 31 percent compared with the same months a year earlier, according to a 2005 report by researchers at Brown University and the LECG Corporation, a consulting firm. But, Abdelghany says, security measures implemented after the attacks did much to restore traveler confidence. It's not clear how to do that in the wake of a pandemic, or when it could happen. And in an industry that stays aloft on thin profit margins, that future is a dark one, Abdelghany says. "The numbers are against them." https://www.wired.com/story/trumps-europe-travel-ban-delivers-blow-airlines/ Back to Top Race is on for antennas to deliver low-latency IFC via NGSO satellites With a number of non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite constellations in the works, including but not limited to OneWeb, SES Networks' next generation O3b mPOWER, and Telesat LEO, the race is on for antenna-makers to deliver systems for civil aviation that can offer low-latency inflight broadband connectivity via LEO and MEO networks, in addition to connecting to current GEO satellites. Among the notable hardware test achievements thus far, ThinKom Solutions' Ka2517-branded mechanically steered, phased array VICTS-based antenna last year validated an interoperable GEO/MEO connectivity platform via airborne tests involving SES, Thales and Hughes. Now ThinKom's Ku3030-branded antenna, which was white labeled as 2Ku by Gogo, is poised to be used by the inflight connectivity provider to support transmissions over NGSOs as they come online, Gogo CEO Oakleigh Thorne revealed today during the company's fourth quarter and full-year earnings conference call. Noting that one of the most frustrating inflight connectivity problems for passengers can be traced to the high latency of GEO satellites, Thorne said NGSOs "are much closer to earth so packets from the teleport to the satellite to the aircraft travel much shorter distance, hence arrive much faster than GEO satellites". This type of responsiveness, he said, is not only important for web pages, gaming and chat, but Microsoft 365 services and other high-bandwidth applications, and is "very important" for driving passenger satisfaction in the future. He noted that quality IFC is the "number one" driver of customer satisfaction according to many airlines, so Gogo is working with potential NGSO providers and wants to demonstrate that 2Ku can work on a variety of constellations. It hopes to have an announcement regarding a demo shortly. Other antennas have shown themselves capable of supporting NGSO satellites. Even though traditional, gimbaled antennas are not ideal for supporting LEO and MEO satellites, Global Eagle in 2018 successfully trialed its Qest-made mechanically-steered Ka-band-antenna over the Telesat Phase 1 LEO satellite. But it's also true that electronically steered antennas (ESAs) are having a moment in aero, as these are seen as well positioned for NGSO environments. Gilat Satellite Networks recently demoed its electronically steered antenna (ESA) aboard the Honeywell 757 testbed aircraft, successfully switching between LEO and GEO satellites in the Ka-band frequency. Another player on the scene, Isotropic Systems says its ESA technology has the ability to track multiple independent satellite beams, connecting with satellites in different orbits simultaneously. But the London-headquartered firm does not plan to build the end terminal itself. It in talks with inflight connectivity providers and other IFC stakeholders to license the patented core components. This decision to deliver the hardware through partnerships with integrators "is not an experimental R&D journey", Isotropic Systems founder and CEO John Finney told Runway Girl Network in advance of this week's Satellite 2020 exhibition in Washington DC. Rather, it is the go-to-market strategy in aero chosen by the company for its optical digital beam-forming lens technologies. In short, Isotropic will supply the core components and integrators will supply the terminal to the end user, including airlines. "We're sharing the pie," said Finney. "We provide the component, they build it into their standard ARINC [792] platform, and then march that through." Isotropic is in talks with "most" of the usual suspects in inflight connectivity, he told RGN, but the company won't ink an exclusive arrangement with any one provider "and the reason for that is our technology itself creates one hundred different ways to differentiate at the service level" which is where the integrators, as value added service providers, excel. "At this stage, I think our interest is in having a strong channel, and exclusivity doesn't lead to having a strong distribution model," he suggested. Moreover, Isotropic is "open to talking to everyone" and does not have any restrictions on what business ties it makes, despite receiving an investment from Boeing HorizonX. Though Isotropic's technology has already performed well during ground tests, it still needs to be flight-tested to confirm its capabilities in the airborne environment. The firm has "some opportunities" to get its technology on aircraft, but Finney "can't say who". He said to expect an announcement over the next 12 months. "It's more likely than not that we'll have done some testing on board an aircraft before the end of this year," he said, though the timing may be colored by Isotropic's talks with integrators. In its official PR statement to the press, however, Isotropic said integrators that license Isotropic's antenna technologies "will be working toward the integration of patented lens modules and chipsets into their terminal platforms throughout 2020, with trials set for the first half of 2021." It believes the commercial launch timeframe aligns well with new high throughput LEO and MEO constellations expected to initiate services in 2022. In terms of competing ESA-makers, Finney suggested that Isotropic has an advantage: "I would say 95% of all aero terminals are limited to a single beam. Very few aero terminals are available in Ka-band, which we're leading with. And none are available in Ka with multi-beam," he claimed. He added that the technology can be conformed to the aircraft frame or the radome, and is extremely low power even at a high frequency such as Ka. Heat and power are the key issues that ESA-makers need to address. That's why Gilat and Carlisle Interconnect Technologies this week showcased a collaboration at Satellite 2020 involving Gilat's terminal with CIT's integrated Thermal Management Solution. "Gilat's proven and scalable technology easily integrates our Thermal Management Solution for both the small form factor business and general aviation market, as well as the commercial aviation market," said Kris Samuelson, director of sales, IFCE/Interiors at CIT. Gilat previously told RGN that its ESA technology is ready now and the Israeli firm can bring a fully certified product to market within 12 months. https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2020/03/13/race-is-on-for-antennas-to-deliver-low-latency-ifc-via-ngso-satellites/ Back to Top Delta to ground 300 aircraft and cut all flights to mainland Europe Delta Air Lines is grounding 300 aircraft, representing about 30% of its 900-strong fleet, and cutting all flights to mainland Europe as the coronavirus cripples travel and grips the world. The Atlanta-based airline says it will cut overall capacity 40% in the coming months, including all flights to mainland Europe. It is the largest reduction in Delta's history, including in the months following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks. "The speed of the demand fall-off is unlike anything we have ever seen," writes chief executive Ed Bastian in a 13 March note to employees. "We are moving quickly to preserve cash and protect our company." Bastian also says in the note that he is "foregoing 100% of [his] salary, effective immediately, for the next six months". He says the airline is deferring aircraft deliveries and cutting discretionary spending on information technology projects, consultants and contractors, as well as offering voluntary unpaid leave to employees. The industry is on a precipice of monumental proportion. Most major US airlines have suspended or reduced services to destinations in Asia, Europe and South America, and all have said they expect siginificant declines in revenue for the first half of the year. All major US carriers are allowing travelers to cancel and reschedule flights without penalty as a blanket ban on European visitors to the US begins at midnight on Friday. "The situation is fluid and likely to be getting worse," Bastian says. He adds the airline is in discussions with the government "regarding the support they can provide to help us through this period." Delta has 910 aircraft in revenue service according to Cirium fleets data. https://www.flightglobal.com/strategy/delta-to-ground-300-aircraft-and-cut-all-flights-to-mainland-europe/137261.article Back to Top Federal government wants more women in aviation as aerotropolis gains momentum Environment Minister Sussan Ley has always been "crazy about aviation" and was inspired to learn how to fly after a woman in Victoria fought for that right after being told her monthly cycle would get in the way. Minister Ley has joined her parliamentary colleague, Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne in encouraging young women to work in the aviation industry as development of the western Sydney aerotropolis gains momentum. The federal government Women in Aviation Initiative is a free three-month mentoring program. Western Sydney Women founding director Amanda Rose said industry experts would help young women get a better understanding of the range of career opportunities in the sector. "Careers in aviation aren't limited to being a pilot. There are multiple career opportunities including engineering, maintenance, administration, security, technology, teaching and more," she said. Ms Ley said she had a "fabulous career" as an aerial stock musterer in western NSW and Queensland after being told members of the public did not want to get into a charter plane with a woman in control. "I was focused on doing things and not getting angry about things so I just did the next thing which was an aerial mustering ... moving sheep and cattle from the air in a small plane," she said. After working three jobs to save up the $15,000 she needed to get her commercial flying licence in 1982, Ms Ley started learning how to fly at the age of 19. "I did experience barriers, but at the time I don't know that I saw them like that," she said. "When I was an air traffic control trainee one of my colleagues said you're not wanted here, how does that make you feel coming to work every day knowing you are not wanted? "I found that very upsetting. I went into the stores cupboard and burst into tears." Senator Payne said women needed to "take some stock of what we tell ourselves and other women" in pushing against conventional wisdom about career options. She said only three per cent of global airline bosses were women and the gender pay gap in the industry was 38 per cent compared to an average of 14 per cent across all industries in Australia. "Breaking the glass ceiling can be tough, but flying through it, even more so. We need a steady drum beat of role models and mentors," she said. Yasmin Zaman, 22, from Greenacre is studying aerospace engineering and neuroscience at the University of NSW and is in the first cohort of young women in the mentor program. "I'm not entirely sure what I want to do in my near future. But I want to become an astronaut," she said. Azahlia Stevenson, 16, year 11 at Caroline Chisholm College in Glenmore Park - applied for the program to build connections and get an idea of what it's like to be a pilot. "My focus is more around building and designing planes," she said. "I've wanted to be an aeronautical engineer since I was in year 8. I'm a very hands on person and like the idea of a constant challenge to innovate." https://www.smh.com.au/business/workplace/federal-government-wants-more-women-in-aviation-as-aerotropolis-gains-momentum-20200315-p54a5n.html Back to Top SpaceX launch aborted in final second before liftoff The countdown for a planned launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida automatically aborted in the last second before liftoff Sunday after an on-board computer detected unexpected data during an engine power check. The dramatic last-second abort occurred at 9:22 a.m. EDT (1322 GMT) Sunday, moments after the Falcon 9's main engines ignited on launch pad 39A. A member of launch team announced engine start and liftoff. A second later, she said: "Disregard. We have an abort." There was an instantaneous launch opportunity Sunday, so the abort meant SpaceX had to scrub the day's launch attempt. The 229-foot-tall (70-meter) Falcon 9 rocket was set to loft 60 more Starlink satellites for SpaceX's planned Internet service, joining 300 Starlink stations launched by five previous rockets since last May. SpaceX is launching the satellites 60 at a time, aiming to deploy more than 1,500 of the quarter-ton spacecraft to provide near-global service by late 2021 or 2022. SpaceX tweeted later Sunday morning that a "standard auto-abort triggered due to out of family data during engine power check." Last-second aborts after engine ignition during SpaceX countdowns are rare, but they have happened before on several occasions. On the Falcon 9's inaugural launch in June 2010, SpaceX aborted the countdown just before engine start and tried again the same afternoon, resulting in a successful mission that reached orbit. The company said it will announce a new target launch date once the schedule is confirmed with the U.S. Space Force's 45th Space Wing, which runs the Eastern Range that oversees all launch activity at Cape Canaveral. An updated launch weather forecast released by the 45th Space Wing on Sunday suggested the next launch opportunity for the Falcon 9 rocket might be Wednesday at 8:21 a.m. EDT (1221 GMT). The weather forecast shows an 80 percent chance of acceptable conditions for launch Wednesday morning with scattered clouds, light easterly winds, and a temperature of around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. The primary weather concern is with cumulus clouds. The upcoming launch will mark the 83rd flight of a Falcon 9 rocket since 2010, and the sixth SpaceX launch of 2020. The Falcon 9 is programmed to deploy its 60 Starlink payloads into an elliptical, or egg-shaped orbit ranging between 130 miles (210 kilometers) and 227 miles (366 kilometers) above Earth. The target orbit is inclined 53 degrees to the equator. The two-stage launcher will head northeast from Cape Canaveral to reach the intended orbit. The Falcon 9's reused first stage booster - flying for the fifth time on this mission - will attempt to land on SpaceX's drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/03/15/spacex-launch-aborted-in-final-second-before-liftoff/ Back to Top Jaw-Dropping Video Shows F-22 Raptor Demo Jet Performing A Max Power Takeoff to High AOA Loop Maneuver The F-22 Raptor Demo Team is the world's first 5th generation dedicated combat aircraft demonstration unit and remains the only twin-engine, vectored-thrust demonstration unit in the world. The team is based at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, and is commanded Maj. Joshua "Cabo" Gunderson, who has taken over the role of Demo Team leader from Maj. Paul "Loco" Lopez. He comes from a previous assignment at the 90th Fighter Squadron "Pair 'O Dice" based at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska and will lead between 19 and 22 members that perform functions ranging from media production, public affairs, logistics, maintenance support and flying operations. As display or demo teams, the F-22's Demo Team is preparing for the upcoming airshow season, although this will probably be affected by the cancellations caused by COVID-19 emergency. The video embedded below was indeed taken during a demo practice filmed by imagemaker Mark Fingar. It shows one of the trademark maneuvers of the Raptor: the F-22 Maximum Power Takeoff to High AOA Loop. Here's the official description of the maneuver as described in the ACC Heritage Maneuvers Package: we can't be sure "Cabo" performed it at those exact parameters, but they should not be too different from those approved by the FAA for the 2017 season. "Select full AB at brake release and check engine conditions on the roll. Rotate at tech order speed and begin climb. Confirm gear is retracted and the light is extinguished in the gear handle. Accelerate infull AB with a positive climb rate until approaching show center and on the 1,500' show line. At 250 KCAS begin an aggressive pull (soft to hard stop initially) up to 75 degrees nose-high. Hold 75 degrees nose-high (water mark) and allow airspeed to slow, AOA to decrease and altitude to increase. Passing 3,000 feet AGL, smoothly bring the nose to 90 degrees nose-high and wait for 3,500 feet AGL. At 3,500 feet AGL, execute a full aft stick high AOA loop to bring the nose to 90 degrees nose-low. Hold 90degrees nose-low and accelerate. At 100 KCAS, execute a 405-degree roll to set the lift vector on a 45-degree reposition line. If 100 KCAS is not obtained prior to 2,800 feet AGL, do not execute the 405-degree roll, but rather a 45-degree roll to set the reposition line and begin recovery within parameters. Regardless of orientation, execute a 36-degree AOA recovery NLT 2,000 feet AGL and reposition for the next maneuver." The F-22's maneuverability is impressive, isn't it? video here https://theaviationist.com/2020/03/15/jaw-dropping-video-shows-f-22-raptor-demo-jet-performing-a-max-power-takeoff-to-high-aoa-loop-maneuver/ Curt Lewis