August 31, 2020 - No. 065 In This Issue Cirrus, Garmin Nab FAA Nod for Autoland on Vision Jet Ammonia Can Officially Work As Jet Fuel. FIRST 70-PLUS SEAT HYBRID ELECTRIC REGIONAL AIRCRAFT TO FLY BY 2028 JAL to Participate in Drone Logistics Business Development Project of Tokyo Turkey to start space trials of domestic rocket engines: president Zero-emission electric planes are the future of transatlantic air travel. Airbus H145/135 simulator joins Lufthansa Aviation Training's fleet. FAA Faults Chicago for Jet Skidding Off Runway Airbus and Boeing to issue joint paper on modernising air traffic management Amazon wins FAA approval for Prime Air drone delivery fleet Believe it or not, this electric plane is set to break 7 world records in one trip SpaceX launches first polar orbit mission from Florida in decades Cirrus, Garmin Nab FAA Nod for Autoland on Vision Jet Cirrus Aircraft has obtained U.S. FAA approval for the installation of the Garmin Autoland-based Safe Return system on the Vision Jet. This marks the first jet aircraft to receive the nod for the Garmin Autoland technology, which has previously been approved for turboprop models-the Piper M600 and Daher TBM 940. Designed as a layer of safety should the pilot become incapacitated, Safe Return will assume control of the single-jet aircraft at the push of a button, navigate to the nearest suitable airport, communicate with air traffic control, land, and bring the aircraft to a stop. The activation button is in the cabin for passenger access but pilots have the ability to disengage the system should a passenger inadvertently activate it. The system works via the Cirrus Perspective+ by Garmin flight deck, using aircraft data to calculate a flight plan, avoid terrain and weather, initiate an approach, and complete a fully autonomous landing. The flight deck further provides visual and aural updates to passengers on location, remaining fuel, arrival airport, and estimated time of arrival. "With Safe Return, we are making personal aviation more accessible, elevating the passenger experience and taking the next step towards autonomous flight," said Cirrus CEO Zean Nielsen. "Garmin and Cirrus share a passion for designing and engineering products without compromise," added Phil Straub, Garmin executive v-p and managing director of aviation. "[Safe Return is] a technology that will undoubtedly have lasting impacts on the safety of our aviation industry and the lives of our customers." In addition to Safe Return, the Vision Jet features the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System. Cirrus obtained certification for the Vision Jet in 2016 and delivered its 200th copy earlier this year. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2020-08-31/cirrus-garmin-nab-faa-nod-autoland-vision-jet Back to Top Ammonia Can Officially Work As Jet Fuel Could ammonia be the next great hope for carbon-neutral aircraft flight? Researchers have finished an early feasibility study of how the noxious chemical might be concentrated and used as propulsion fuel. The project is a collaboration between the startup Reaction Engines and U.K. Research and Innovation's Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). The prototype examined in the report uses a blend of hydrogen and ammonia that burns just like conventional jet fuel, the researchers say. Ammonia is one of the most plentiful chemicals that humans produce, because it's massively used as a fertilizer. And while ammonia requires considerable energy to make, the process is already at an enormous scale because of how much is required by farmers around the world. "It would have the potential to efficiently crack the ammonia fuel using heat harvested from the jet engine through Reaction Engines' ground-breaking heat exchangers to provide a zero-carbon fuel blend of ammonia and hydrogen that burns stably just like jet fuel," Reaction Engines explains in a press release. (Cracking is the chemical reaction that uses heat to blast complex hydrocarbons into simpler ones that are often more useful in chemistry applications.) The release continues: "The density of liquid ammonia allows for conventional aircraft configurations to be used and it may be possible to retrofit into an existing engine, resulting in a zero-carbon jet that could start serving the short haul market well before the 2050 target currently set by the industry." "As one of the nine bodies of U.K. Research and Innovation, STFC's research seeks to understand the Universe from the largest astronomical scales to the tiniest constituents of matter, yet creates impact on a very tangible, human scale," STFC says in its "Vision." In this case, that means investing in next generation experimental technology that revolves around physics but includes topics across dozens of disciplines. In its release, Reaction Engines explains an idea that many "far out" energy researchers are reiterating now. "Decarbonizing the aviation industry is one of the great challenges of our age," the company explains, but no single solution makes complete sense yet: "Battery technology does not currently have the power density required to give a standard narrow-body jet (such as the A320 or 737) sufficient range. Hydrogen would need to be used in its deeply cryogenic liquid state, requiring new infrastructures and major changes to aircraft configurations. Synthetic fuels and biofuels require novel processes or arable land for production and leave the issue of soot emissions unsolved." Is energy-costly ammonia the best way forward? Well, Reaction and others argue that we need more seed ideas, not less, and the ability to heat the ammonia blend to cracking without adding more energy does give the plan an edge. Making hydrogen requires hydrocarbons for practical applications and still isn't up to scale, for example, so using just some hydrogen, again, gives this plan an edge. For now, the feasibility report is just a key to open the next door. https://www.popularmechanics.com/flight/airlines/a33768744/ammonia-as-jet-fuel/ Back to Top FIRST 70-PLUS SEAT HYBRID ELECTRIC REGIONAL AIRCRAFT TO FLY BY 2028 Bristol-based Electric Aviation Group hopes to bring the first 70-plus seater Hybrid Electric Regional Aircraft (HERA) to the mass air transportation market by 2028. Erica Jamieson reports Engineers have been working on designing carbon-neutral electric planes for some years but the problem has always been developing a prototype that can seat more than a few people. The HERA could prove a step in the right direction. Electric Aviation Group's HERA was unveiled in July at the 2020 FIA Connect Farnborough Airshow, and has been designed to "solve the challenges of decarbonisation and mass transportation". With a range of 1,500km and a maximum speed of 275kts, HERA features "whisper-quiet' operations, reducing noise pollution along with carbon emissions. Meanwhile, a novel "Potential Energy Recovery System" (PERS) allows aircraft batteries to charge while airborne, minimising turnaround time after landing. Rapid acceleration, driven by a "Gear Assisted Take-Off Run" (GATOR) system, provides a quick lift off, creating a 20 per cent energy saving compared to commercial aircraft. Short take-off-and-landing (STOL) performance enables HERA to use small regional airports and warehouses for cargo-carrying capacity, while a "cabin-flex" version also permits passenger operation during the day and cargo operation at night. Electric Aviation Group has already developed and filed 25 patents on a range of other new technologies, and expects to commence demonstrator flights in 2024. According the Group, integration of these technologies could increase operating profit per aircraft by over 50 per cent compared to existing regional aircraft. To "future-proof" HERA, in case battery energy density or alternative fuel sources and technologies become significantly more developed and affordable in the coming decade, the hyrid design can be converted into all-electric or carbon neutral version. By developing a patent portfolio, HERA technology can also be scaled and retrofitted to existing airframes, making them more sustainable and (potentially) more profitable. Looking ahead, Electric Aviation Group sees the HERA as "a blueprint for larger, long-range aircraft concepts as the propulsion and energy storage technologies develop". To date, market investment in hybrid and electric aircraft design has been focused on smaller, sub-19 seat aircraft. With air traffic growth doubling every 15 years, company founder and CEO Kamran Iqbal hopes that HERA can provide a solution to consumer needs, while helping the UK government reach its green transportation targets. "Not only will the development of the HERA help the Department of Transport accelerate its 'Jet Zero' carbon reduction goals, it will also help to create much needed job opportunities in the aerospace, manufacturing, engineering and services industries post-Brexit," says Iqbal, who comes from an aerospace background, primarily with Airbus. "This represents the future of both passenger and cargo flights internationally and as an opportunity for investment, it could not be better timed." With emphasis on British-innovation and British-build, the organisation expects to initially create more than 25,000 jobs. Electric Aviation Group envisions shaping what it estimates to be a US$4.4 trillion market. The price tag to bring HERA into series production comes to US$5 billion. The company is seeking additional revenue streams, including through its "JetZero Consortium", which brings together UK-based engineers, manufacturers, academic advisors and suppliers in support of the project. Electric Aviation Group is also hoping for a "modest" grant from the UK government, which recently launched an initiative called the Jet Zero Council for emission-free flying, "to tackle aviation emissions in line with the government's ambition to achieve the first-ever zero-emission long haul passenger plane". The Council has made £350 million in funds available to businesses working towards decarbonising the heavy industry, construction, space and transport sectors. Funding is intended for projects that can help the UK reach its target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. https://globetrender.com/2020/08/31/electric-aviation-group-hybrid-electric-aircraft/ Back to Top JAL to Participate in Drone Logistics Business Development Project of Tokyo A consortium of companies, consisting of KDDI Corporation (KDDI), Japan Airlines (JAL), East Japan Railway (JRE), Weathernews Inc. (WNI), Terra Drone Corporation (Terra Drone), adopted a joint plan to demonstrate the ability to provide drone-led delivery services to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (contractor: Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc.). Looking ahead to the transformation of logistics post COVID-19, the consortium will study the feasibility of delivering pharmaceuticals to hospitals, as well as providing food and security services in FY2020. Further, the consortium will verify operational issues and review the ability to generate a profitable business through these demonstrations in FY2021. In recent years, the development of technology for drone-led services and changes in the environment has steadily progressed to a level to realize new business opportunities. The Japanese government has also set plans to establish a drone-led delivery business model within the next two years. Outline of the Project The consortium will study the business model of drone logistics services to deliver pharmaceuticals and conduct field demonstrations to verify the profitability of such businesses. Due to the lack of delivery personnel and the impact of the global pandemic, the necessity to respond to changes in the logistics industry has become real and the use of drones may help realize automatic, contactless delivery services. To build the foundation of a drone-led business, the consortium will utilize smart drone platforms (provided by KDDI) via mobile communications to realize safe and secure flight operations in urban areas. Due to the lack of delivery personnel and the impact of the global pandemic, the necessity to respond to changes in the logistics industry has become real and the use of drones may help realize automatic, contactless delivery services. To build the foundation of a drone-led business, the consortium will utilize smart drone platforms (provided by KDDI) via mobile communications to realize safe and secure flight operations in urban areas. 1) Pharmaceutical Drone Delivery Demonstrate the delivery of ethical pharmaceuticals from a distribution base at Mediceo Corporation, a prescription pharmaceutical wholesale company, to St. Luke's International Hospital during an emergency situation, providing an alternative option to existing delivery services. Contribute to improving medical technology and public health through instant and contactless transportation. 2) Food Delivery and Security Services Demonstrate delivery services from restaurants to offices in close proximity of the drone station. Demonstrate the use of drones to patrol facilities. Flight Area Bay Area and around stations in Metropolitan Tokyo Duration From August 2020 to March 2022(*) Support from Tokyo in FY2021 will be fixed when the budget for the year is approved by the Metropolitan assembly. External Supporters Mediceo Corporation: Support and advise pharmaceutical delivery and feasibility assessment. St. Luke International Hospital: Support pharmaceutical delivery and feasibility assessment. https://www.aviationpros.com/airlines/press-release/21152372/japan-airlines-co-ltd-jal-jal-to-participate-in-drone-logistics-business-development-project-of-tokyo Back to Top Turkey to start space trials of domestic rocket engines: president ANKARA, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Turkey will start the first space trials of its indigenous liquid-propellant rocket engines, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday. "I would like to announce the start of the first space trials of domestically developed liquid-propellant rocket engine technology," he said at the opening ceremony of local defense company Roketsan's Satellite Launch, Space Systems and Advanced Technologies Research Center and Explosive Raw Material Production Facility. The country tested its first rocket by using solid fuel, while efforts are continuing for the hybrid-fueled rockets, he said. Turkey aims to finalize the microsatellite launching project in 2025, he stated. "We are now at the 'aerospace league' thanks to our national technology and local equipment," the president said. Roketsan develops high-capacity hydrogen fuel cell technology, a clean energy source with applications for the space sector, as well as aviation and transportation, Erdogan said. Enditem http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-08/31/c_139329722.htm Back to Top Zero-emission electric planes are the future of transatlantic air travel By 2035 there will be zero-emission commercial flights across the Atlantic, with aeroplanes powered by electricity. This isn't some pipe dream but, according to Bedfordshire-based technology company ZeroAvia, a realistic proposition. Julian Renz, the man in charge of the company's special projects, explains how it will work... Zero-emission transatlantic flights? Isn't that the Holy Grail of aviation? Is it possible? ZeroAvia says its planes will be powered by electricity from hydrogen fuel cells. A chemical reaction in these cells combines hydrogen (stored in tanks aboard the aircraft) with oxygen from the air. This creates electricity, which is used to power the aircraft, and water as a waste product: no fossil fuels in sight. "This will probably be the most disruptive technology in aviation since the founding of the industry," Renz says. "People are talking about the third revolution in aviation. The first was the invention of heavier-than-air flight. The second was transatlantic flight. The third will be electric." So far, electricity has powered only very short flights. The target date of 2035 gives them just 15 years to create the technology. Is that realistic? Electricity from hydrogen fuel cells already exists in cars, buses, boats, submarines and motorcycles. Honda, Toyota and Hyundai are among the manufacturers to have released commercial vehicles. When it comes to aircraft, drones have been successfully tested, while Boeing has demonstrated manned flight using a hydrogen fuel cell and lithium-ion battery hybrid system. However, ZeroAvia has yet to demonstrate its hydrogen fuel cells in flight. So far, its test flights have seen manned Piper Malibu light aircraft flying from Cranfield Airport, in Bedfordshire, on lithium-ion batteries. The longest flight was for 30 minutes over a distance of 50 miles with a top speed of 230 knots. "The first hydrogen fuel cell-powered test flights will be taking place in September," Renz adds. Who is ZeroAvia's test pilot? His name is Andrew Dixon and it turns out he is also a stunt pilot in the movie industry. "He flew stunts in the James Bond films Spectre and Quantum Of Solace," Renz says. "Frankly we didn't know he had done James Bond movies when we started speaking to him. We only found out after the first day of flight testing, when we were having a beer." From a light aircraft to a transatlantic airliner? That's quite a leap of technology... and faith. ZeroAvia plans to reach its ultimate goal in increments. Soon after the light aircraft has successfully flown using hydrogen fuel cells, it will plan a test flight from the Orkney Islands to Edinburgh with a small aircraft. After that it plans to test ten- to 20-seat aircraft, aiming for legal certification by 2023. "You should be able to book a ticket on an airline by late 2023," Renz says. "The routes we will deliver will be under 500 nautical miles, which will include regional routes such as Exeter to Newcastle or Bristol to Belfast." ZeroAvia says it plans to target many of the world's most popular flight routes under 500 miles. But these will all feature aircraft with turboprop engines and propellers. For the much longer transatlantic routes it will need planes powered with turbofans. "There is absolutely no reason you couldn't power 200-seat aircraft over longer distances with hydrogen, since turbofans are fundamentally the same as the turboprops we're initially working on," says Renz. "We think a demonstrated flight in a large aircraft is definitely possible by 2035. Up to 2023 we will be retrofitting existing planes, but in the future planes will be built from scratch to run on hydrogen fuel cells, especially as we move to 200-seat and longer-range aircraft." Why has ZeroAvia chosen Cranfield Airport as its test bed? ZeroAvia used to be based in California but has largely relocated to the UK to benefit from government grants on decarbonising commercial flight. The company is also working with Cranfield University (which operates the airport) and local aerospace company Cranfield Aerospace Solutions. There are around 15 employees at ZeroAvia itself and it's growing. Who is behind the controls at ZeroAvia? The founder and CEO of the company is a Russian-born American called Valery Miftakhov. A trained pilot himself, he previously worked at Google and founded electric vehicle company eMotorWerks. Electric flight obviously avoids the pollution of jet fuel. But why are hydrogen fuel cells better than batteries? They are far lighter than lithium-ion batteries, giving them a much better energy-to-weight ratio and saving fuel over longer distances. The embedded carbon footprint of manufacturing them is much less than that of batteries. ZeroAvia also believes they are cheaper. "Our analysis shows the hydrogen system is cheaper than batteries because of the limited life span of the batteries," Renz says. "Batteries need to be replaced more often and that becomes very expensive and environmentally prohibitive." So how exactly do these hydrogen fuel cells work? Right, you asked for it: the technical name for the system that ZeroAvia will use is "proton exchange membrane fuel cells". Each cell consists of electrodes, separated by a polymer membrane electrolyte and coated with a platinum catalyst layer. Together this forms what's called a membrane electrode assembly. Once the hydrogen fuel is fed in, the catalyst at the negative electrode separates hydrogen molecules into protons and electrons. The latter pass through an external circuit, thereby creating a flow of electricity. The former pass through the membrane to the positive electrode, where they react with oxygen from the air to form water - the waste product. Individual fuel cells combine in a fuel-cell stack to produce enough electricity to power the aeroplane. Crucially, there is no combustion - just a direct conversion of fuel into electricity. But will the public be keen to adopt this entirely new technology? Isn't hydrogen highly flammable? Renz is convinced customers will embrace long-haul travel if they know the engines have zero emissions. However, he concedes there might be a few problems with public perception. "I grew up in Germany. When I speak about hydrogen aviation, people mention the [1937] Hindenburg disaster," he says. "At conferences, this is always the first question. But, in the industry, people understand that Hindenburg was 80 years ago. We now use hydrogen-powered cars; hydrogen is regularly transported around the globe. It's really not a dangerous substance because we have learnt how to handle it, just as we have learnt how to handle combustible jet fuel and petrol." Renz admits there will always be a certain risk with aeroplanes powered by flammable fuel. "Even with batteries, we have seen cars going up in flames. But in some ways, hydrogen is less dangerous than jet fuel. Jet fuel is so heavy that, if there is a leak, you get vapours assembling around the leak and any kind of spark could immediately cause combustion. But hydrogen is so light that, if you have a leak from the hydrogen tank, it would escape into the atmosphere. So unless you have a flame right next to the leak, it won't combust. "Nevertheless, I fully agree that the public perception is an important thing we need to tackle. That's why we're planning a lot of demonstration flights in the run-up to hydrogen fuel cells becoming commercially available." zeroavia.com https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/lifestyle/article/electric-plane Back to Top Airbus H145/135 simulator joins Lufthansa Aviation Training's fleet Lufthansa Aviation Training (LAT) puts its first helicopter simulator into service after receiving approval from the German Federal Aviation Authority. A new Level D full-flight simulator of the Airbus H145/135 type joined the existing training fleet at the Frankfurt training location on Aug. 27, 2020, and is available to customers for training. As a HEMS operator with decades of experience and the world's largest operator of the H145 in civil aviation, the DRF Luftrettung with its academy in wet training trains helicopter pilots. The full flight simulator (FFS) of the Airbus H145/135 is the most modern helicopter simulator on the market worldwide, which was manufactured by Reiser Simulation and Training. It is certified by the EASA as Level D. The FFS is capable of displaying numerous realistic landing scenarios with moving objects in the landing area or at different locations. These include, for example, scenarios at airports, hospitals, landings on ships or oil platforms or in confined terrain. Thanks to the high resolution of the visuals and the additional possibility to depict flight procedures at night with night vision equipment, the FFS is ideally suited for operator training in the HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Services) area. A third crew member station with virtual reality technology and virtual helicopter hoist operation will be added as a special feature in early 2021. The helicopter simulator also has the option of an interchangeable cockpit to be able to simulate both Airbus types H145/H135 accordingly. The innovative briefing station, which enables flight preparations and pre-configurations tailored to the customer's individual needs, offers further added value. The new helicopter FFS is the first of its kind in Lufthansa Aviation Training's (LAT) training fleet of over 55 FFS to date and will be put into operation at the centrally located training center near Frankfurt Airport. To date, there have only been four Airbus H145 full flight simulators on the market worldwide, which are used for training purposes. As a leading aviation training provider with years of experience in simulator training, human factors and expertise in the technical maintenance of training equipment, LAT offers its customers a comprehensive infrastructure at all training locations. With the new helicopter simulator, LAT is opening up to a new market that is becoming increasingly important, especially in times of the coronavirus pandemic. In previous cooperations LAT has already had good experiences in interdisciplinary collaboration, for example in the field of human factors, with medical institutions. "With its great experience in HEMS missions, the DRF Luftrettung is a strong partner in pilot training and further education. This is also beneficial for our customers: All procedures that had to be flown in real life in the helicopter so far can now be simulated in the full flight simulator due to the outstanding features of the new helicopter simulator and the great closeness to reality," said Tiziana Heilig, managing director and chief financial officer of LAT. As a leading HEMS operator, the DRF Luftrettung is very familiar with medical emergencies and the transport of intensive care patients between hospitals: Whether night flight, winch rescue over sea or alpine rescue - with more than 40,000 missions per year, it covers a wide range of mission profiles. Within its approved training organization (ATO), the DRF Luftrettung has a large number of highly qualified trainers (type rating instructor) and type examiners (type rating examiner) as well as specialists for instrument, NVG, winch and mountain flight training. "On request, our instructors and examiners can also be used for wet training. Thus, customers from the EASA area as well as internationally benefit from the great professional competence of the DRF Luftrettung," said Dr. Krystian Pracz, chairman of the board of the DRF Luftrettung. https://www.verticalmag.com/press-releases/airbus-h145135-simulator-joins-lufthansa-aviation-trainings-fleet/ Back to Top FAA Faults Chicago for Jet Skidding Off Runway WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal safety officials are proposing a civil penalty of nearly $1.6 million against the city of Chicago after a plane slid off any icy runway at O'Hare Airport last November. The Federal Aviation Administration said the Chicago Department of Aviation failed to maintain safe operations during snowy and wet runway conditions. City spokesman Matt McGrath said Friday that the aviation department disputes the FAA's findings and will submit additional information. The FAA said a city plan requires the airport to take certain safety measures if crews on two consecutive flights report poor braking conditions during landings. The FAA said that at least three times on Nov. 11 crews on consecutive flights reported problems with an O'Hare runway, but the city agency didn't limit operations or tell airlines about the situation. In all, 43 flights used the runway after the first complaints before an American Eagle flight operated by Envoy Airlines slid off the surface. American reported that none of the 38 passengers and three crew members were injured. The FAA said it warned the city airport agency about similar violations at O'Hare in 2015 and 2016. https://www.mbtmag.com/home/news/21173440/faa-faults-chicago-for-jet-skidding-off-runway Back to Top Airbus and Boeing to issue joint paper on modernising air traffic management Airbus has collaborated with Boeing to write a report warning that air traffic management (ATM) technology must be significantly modernised to manage countless new small aircraft that will occupy future airspace. The paper, to be released in the coming weeks, will describe how rapidly increasing numbers of drones, and possible future small air taxis, will require new ATC systems, says Mark Cousin, chief executive of Airbus's Silicon Valley-based innovation division Acubed. Acubed contributed to Airbus's work on the paper, but parent Airbus led the company's efforts. Airbus "will be issuing a joint paper with Boeing on the future air traffic management system", Cousin tells FlightGlobal. "It's a cooperative effort." The paper will be released in "a week or two", Cousin adds. It was distributed to ICAO in June 2020. Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment about its role in the effort. The companies are writing the report "to lay" the problem, with the goal of spurring action by regulators like the Federal Aviation Administration. The report will describe "what direction air traffic management needs to take in the coming years in order to cope with the vastly increasing complexity of air traffic management that is going to come with the integration of new vehicles", says Cousin. The exponential growth of the drone industry is partly driving the effort. The FAA's current number of drone registrations stands at 1.7 million, up from 1 million in January 2018, according to government figures. In addition to drones, future skies could be crowded with air taxis envisioned as part of the urban air mobility concept. Dozens of companies are now working on aspects of air-taxi development, foreseeing the small craft zipping above crowded cities, carrying several passengers on short trips. Acubed has been working on advanced air traffic management technology via a project called Airbus UTM, short for unmanned traffic management. It has developed air traffic simulations tools, and through a company called DroneDeploy offers its Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability. Airbus subsidiary Metron Aviation has also participated in NASA's Advanced Air Mobility National Campaign to help develop a vision for a future air-traffic management system. Future airspace management may need to be significantly different from today's systems, which the FAA has been working to upgrade through a delayed, multi-year programme called NextGen. Cousin envisions a future system in which aircraft have much more-advanced onboard technology that could largely handle traffic management. Such systems could potentially detect collision threats, with aircraft responding automatically, he says. That type of technology could possibly allow air traffic controllers to clear aircraft to operate "in a particular area", rather that continually directly each aircraft's movement, says Cousin. https://www.flightglobal.com/airframers/airbus-and-boeing-to-issue-joint-paper-on-modernising-air-traffic-control-acubed/139956.article Back to Top Amazon wins FAA approval for Prime Air drone delivery fleet Amazon received federal approval to operate its fleet of Prime Air delivery drones, the Federal Aviation Administration said Monday, a milestone that allows the company to expand unmanned package delivery. The approval will give Amazon broad privileges to "safely and efficiently deliver packages to customers," the agency said. The certification comes under Part 135 of FAA regulations, which gives Amazon the ability to carry property on small drones "beyond the visual line of sight" of the operator. Amazon said it will use the FAA's certification to begin testing customer deliveries. The company said it went through rigorous training and submitted detailed evidence that its drone delivery operations are safe, including demonstrating the technology for FAA inspectors. "This certification is an important step forward for Prime Air and indicates the FAA's confidence in Amazon's operating and safety procedures for an autonomous drone delivery service that will one day deliver packages to our customers around the world," David Carbon, vice president of Prime Air, said in a statement. "We will continue to develop and refine our technology to fully integrate delivery drones into the airspace, and work closely with the FAA and other regulators around the world to realize our vision of 30 minute delivery." Amazon added that while the Prime Air fleet isn't ready to immediately deploy package deliveries at scale, it's actively flying and testing the technology. The company has zeroed in on drone delivery as part of a push to get packages quicker to Prime members. Since last year, Amazon has also invested billions of dollars to transition from two to one-day delivery. Amazon began testing delivery drones in 2013, aiming to drop off packages at customers' doorsteps in 30 minutes or less. In August 2019, the company submitted a petition for FAA approval of those plans. In its petition, Amazon said deliveries would occur in areas with low population density and packages would weigh 5 pounds or less. The company debuted a new, electric delivery drone at its 2019 re:MARS conference that's capable of carrying packages under 5 pounds to customers within a half-hour and can fly up to 15 miles. Jeff Wilke, Amazon's CEO of worldwide consumer, said at the time that the drone could be used by the company "within months" to deliver packages. Amazon isn't the only company seeking to expand commercial drone delivery. Last April, Alphabet-owned Wing became the first drone delivery company to receive FAA approval for commercial deliveries in the U.S. UPS last October won approval from the FAA to operate a fleet of drones as an airline. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/31/amazon-prime-now-drone-delivery-fleet-gets-faa-approval.html Back to Top Believe it or not, this electric plane is set to break 7 world records in one trip Electric flight has progressed in leaps and bounds over the last few years as motors and batteries have become better optimized for flight. And now a team of five electric flight enthusiasts is setting out in the electric Pipistrel Velis Electro plane to show just how far the technology has come. Along the way they intend to scoop up a total of seven world records. The plan is to take off from Zurich, Switzerland in the Pipistrel Velis Electro and fly a 700 km (435 miles) route across Germany, taking them from the Alps to the North Sea island of Norderney. The Pipistrel Velis Electro is a certified all-electric trainer aircraft designed to replace traditionally-powered combustion-engine trainer aircraft, reduce operating costs and simplify the flight training process. It is an improvement over Pipistrel's previous Alpha Electro all-electric aircraft, featuring an upgraded motor, larger battery capacity, structural enhancements, and improved performance. The team has been in touch with Guinness World Records to arrange the feat. If the weather holds and the record attempt goes according to schedule, the team will depart tomorrow, August 30th, from Zurich Airport (LSZH) and ultimately land on September 1st at Norderney Airport (EDWY). Because the plane can only cover around 100 km (62 mi) per flight, the team will need to perform six stops along the way. A normal recharge of the batteries (from 35% to 95%) takes around 1 hour and 20 minutes. A full recharge (30-100%) takes up to 2 hours. The pair of 70 kg (154 lb) batteries are not quickly swappable because the plane was designed as a trainer aircraft. Multiple aircraft are expected to be used in a fleet, with some aircraft charging while others are in operation. During the trip from Zurich to Norderney, the team hopes to set or break the following seven records: Lowest energy consumption (kWh/100 km) over 700 km Highest average speed over 700 km (km/h) Highest altitude ever reached by an electric aircraft (metre above main sea level) Fastest climb performance from 0-1000m / 1000-2000m / 2000-3000m (m/s) Highest average speed over 100km (km/h) Lowest number of intermediate stops on 700km distance (number of stops) Longest electrically flown distance in 24 / 48 / 56 hours (km) The Pipistrel Velis Electro sports a 60 kW liquid-cooled electric motor running on a 345 VDC electrical system. The plane features two redundant parallel batteries providing a total of 24.8 kWh of energy. The plane features a maximum speed of 181 km/h (112 mph) and a service ceiling of 3,660 m (12,000 ft). Team member Marco Bulhozer explained the reason for attempting the flight and bringing awareness to improvements in electric flight: "Flying with kerosene is extremely harmful to the climate. Aviation currently accounts for around five percent of the global warming, and the trend is increasing. The emissions at high altitude are a particular problem that arise from air traffic. We want to show that there are alternatives, even if we don't manage the whole route in one go, CO2-neutral flying is already possible today! Most small planes fly distances shorter than 200 kilometers anyway, and you could do that electrically." And for those of you who are already saying. "...but what about the Solar Impulse?" - the team has an answer for you: "Von Betrand Picard flew much higher, further, etc. So how is a flight from the Alps to the sea a record? Quite simply - the Solar Impulse project was a great technology demonstration, with an airplane, because it was built especially for it (was registered as "Experimental") and only had a "permit to fly" for this mission. In fact, only two specially trained pilots were allowed and the entire undertaking was a multi-million dollar project. We, on the other hand, fly with the first EASA-certified Light Sports Aircraft, even with one passenger. Anyone can buy this aircraft, it is a series product, which we have not modified in any way to achieve the record. We want to prove that electric flying is suitable for everyday use and is available as a series product. Well, and of course having a lot of fun and meeting nice people from the e-mobility bubble." https://electrek.co/2020/08/29/believe-it-or-not-this-electric-plane-is-set-to-break-7-world-records-in-one-trip/ Back to Top SpaceX launches first polar orbit mission from Florida in decades Vaulting away from Cape Canaveral on an unusual southerly trajectory, a Falcon 9 rocket dodged stormy weather and successfully placed an Argentine radar observation satellite into an orbit over Earth's poles Sunday on SpaceX's 100th launch. Scattered thunderstorms across Central Florida threatened to prevent the launch from happening Sunday, but weather criteria were acceptable as the countdown ticked through the final minutes before liftoff of the 229-foot-tall (70-meter) Falcon 9 rocket at 7:18:56 p.m. EDT (2318:56 GMT). SpaceX aimed to launch two Falcon 9 rockets from Cape Canaveral Sunday - a feat unmatched since 1966 - but preparations for the other flight fell behind schedule due to poor weather. That rocket is loaded with 60 Starlink broadband satellites, and is now scheduled to take off at 9:29 a.m. EDT (1329 GMT) Tuesday from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. Nine Merlin engines flashed to life seconds before launch, and clamps opened to allow the 1.2-million-pound rocket and Argentina's SAOCOM 1B radar remote sensing satellite to climb away from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Instead of launching toward the northeast or east, the Falcon 9 darted through a cloudy sky and arced to the south-southeast from Florida's Space Coast, then made a right turn to fly along the east coast of Florida over Fort Lauderdale and Miami on the way to a polar orbit. The launch Sunday was the first from Cape Canaveral to fly on a southerly track since 1969. Since then, most U.S. launches into polar orbit have departed from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, which has an open range over the Pacific Ocean that does not require rockets to make an in-flight turn, or "dogleg" maneuver, to avoid flying over land. The nine Merlin engines on the Falcon 9's first stage shut down about two-and-a-half minutes after launch, then the booster - reused from three previous missions - separated and flipped around to begin thrusting back toward Cape Canaveral. After firing engines to slow down, the booster extended landing legs and returned to Landing Zone 1 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station about eight minutes into the mission, touching down as a powerful sonic boom rippled through an atmosphere thick with humidity. It was the 18th time SpaceX has landed a Falcon 9 booster at Cape Canaveral since 2015, and the 59th successful recovery of a Falcon 9 first stage overall, including landings on SpaceX's ocean-going drone ships. During the booster's descent, a single Merlin engine on the Falcon 9's upper stage injected the 6,724-pound (3,050-kilogram) SAOCOM 1B satellite into orbit roughly 380 miles (610 kilometers) above Earth. The Argentine-built satellite, equipped with a sophisticated radar imaging instrument, separated from the Falcon 9's upper stage about 14 minutes into the mission. Two smaller rideshare payloads - named GNOMES 1 and Tyvak 0172 - deployed from the Falcon 9 about 45 minutes later. The GNOMES 1 microsatellite is the first of a planned fleet of around 20 small spacecraft being developed by a Colorado-based company PlanetiQ to collect radio occultation data by measuring the effects of the atmosphere on signals broadcast by GPS, Glonass, Galileo and Beidou navigation satellites. The information can yield data on atmospheric conditions that are useful in weather forecasts. Tyvak 0172 is a small spacecraft built by Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems. Details about its mission have not been disclosed by SpaceX or Tyvak. SpaceX launches first polar orbit mission from Cape Canaveral since 1969 The rideshare payload separations wrapped up the first launch into polar orbit from Florida's Space Coast in more than 50 years. Before Sunday, the last polar orbit launch from Cape Canaveral was on Feb. 26, 1969, when a Delta rocket launched the ESSA 9 weather satellite. After skirting South Florida, the Falcon 9 rocket flew over Cuba and Central America, then soared over the Pacific Ocean west of South America. The bend in the rocket's track a few minutes after launch ensured the instantaneous impact point - where debris might fall of the launcher failed - did not cross over Florida after departing Cape Canaveral. By the time the rocket reached Cuba, it was flying too high to be a safety concern, according to officials from the U.S. Space Force's 45th Space Wing and the Federal Aviation Administration, which are charged with ensuring public safety during rocket launches from Cape Canaveral. Range safety officials studied whether the the southerly launch trajectory from Florida might be resurrected after wildfires at Vandenberg Air Force Base - the primary U.S. polar orbit launch site in California - threatened launch and payload processing facilities in 2016. It turned out SpaceX's ability to return first stage boosters to controlled landings - rather than having them plummet unguided back to Earth downrange - and the Falcon 9's use of autonomous flight safety system made the polar launch trajectory from Cape Canaveral feasible. "What we came up with after we analyzed is SpaceX should be able to do it because of two things," said Wayne Monteith, associate administrator of the FAA's office of commercial space transportation. "No. 1, booster flyback, and No. 2, even more important, is autonomous flight safety because going south, the way the architecture of the command destruct systems are set up terrestrially, you'd be looking right up the plume, and you get signal attenuation, and you may not be able to ... send command destruct. "So with autonomous flight safety and booster flyback, we were able to provide for them what appeared to be a notional safe corridor from a safety perspective," said Monteith, a former commander of the 45th Space Wing. The State Department is charged with notifying other countries of a rocket flight over their territories. Those notifications were made for the SAOCOM 1B mission, according to Brig. Gen. Doug Schiess, the current commander of the 45th Space Wing. A satellite launching from Cape Canaveral targeting a polar orbit in 1960 suffered an in-flight failure and spread debris over Cuba, reportedly killing a cow and prompting protests at the U.S. Embassy in Havana. SpaceX elected to use the southerly polar launch trajectory on the SAOCOM 1B mission to allow the company to reduce staffing levels at Vandenberg during a period with few launches there, Gwynne Shotwell, company's president and chief operating officer, told reporters last year. The company plans another launch from Vandenberg in November with the Sentinel 6 Michael Freilich oceanography satellite, a joint project between NASA, NOAA, the European Space Agency, and other European institutions. Another Falcon 9 launch into a polar sun-synchronous orbit is planned from Cape Canaveral in December on a rideshare mission with numerous small satellites. Scott Higginbotham, a mission manager from NASA's Launch Services Program, confirmed the mission - which SpaceX calls Transporter-1 - is slated to launch from Cape Canaveral. NASA has booked a small payload to fly on the Falcon 9 rideshare launch. SAOCOM 1B joins twin in orbit Developed by Argentina's space agency, CONAE, and the Argentine aerospace contractor INVAP, the SAOCOM 1B satellite joins a twin radar imaging spacecraft that launched on a previous Falcon 9 flight in October 2018. The SAOCOM 1B spacecraft will scan the Earth with an L-band steerable synthetic aperture radar, enabling all-weather imagery of the planet day and night. Radar imagers can see through clouds and are effective 24 hours a day, but optical cameras are hindered by clouds and darkness. Among other objectives, the SAOCOM satellites are designed to measure soil moisture and collect data for users in Argentina's agricultural and forestry sectors. The SAOCOM 1B satellite weighs around 6,724 pounds (3,050 kilograms) and is identical to SAOCOM 1A, according to Raúl Kulichevsky, executive and technical director of CONAE. Kulichevsky said the Falcon 9 will place SAOCOM 1B into a 385-mile-high (620-kilometer) orbit, where it will double the observing capacity of SAOCOM 1A. The SAOCOM satellites work in tandem with Italy's COSMO-SkyMed satellites to survey the same regions with L-band and X-band radar imagers. "One of the main targets of the SAOCOM satellites is to provide information for the agriculture sector because one of the things we develop is soil moisture maps, not only of the surface, but taking advantage of the L-band capabilities, we can measure the soil moisture 1 meter the surface of the land," Kulichevsky said. "This is very important information." The entire SAOCOM project cost about $600 million, including two satellites, two launches, a new ground tracking station, and industrial improvements, Kulichevsky told Spaceflight Now in an interview. SAOCOM 1B was previously scheduled for launch in March, but Argentine officials called off the mission due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. Engineers placed SAOCOM 1B in storage at Cape Canaveral until early July, when engineers returned to Florida from Argentina to finish readying the spacecraft for liftoff. The launch of SAOCOM 1B was again delayed from late July because the range was not available for the launch, according to SAOCOM 1B team members. Sources said the delay was caused by range safety and overflight concerns with the classified payload mounted on top of United Launch Alliance's Delta 4-Heavy rocket at a neighboring launch pad. The southerly trajectory required for the SAOCOM 1B mission took the Falcon 9 rocket on a track closer to the Delta 4 pad than for a typical launch toward the east. The overflight range safety concerns associated with the Delta 4's NRO payload appeared to suddenly evaporate without explanation Saturday, when range safety officials agreed to permit the SAOCOM 1B launch to go ahead. https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/08/31/spacex-launches-first-polar-orbit-mission-from-florida-in-decades/ Curt Lewis