April 8, 2021 - No. 27 In This Issue : Wisk Aero accuses rival flying taxi firm Archer Aviation of ‘brazen theft’ in a new lawsuit : Qatar’s Al Baker Challenges GE on Future Engine : Honeywell technology chosen for Paraguay biofuels project : Waltzing Matilda to launch new airline, Connect Airlines, to serve Toronto Billy Bishop City Airport : ZeroAvia Secures Funding for Commercial Aircraft Engine Development : Singapore to accept Covid-19 PCR test results on IATA Travel Pass from 1 May : Choctaw Nation goes BEYOND in drone research in rural SE Oklahoma : Airbus and TNO to Develop Aircraft Laser Communication Terminal : A Look At Embraer’s Remotely Piloted Modular “FLEXCRAFT : John Calcagno Takes Reins at Piper Aircraft : Elon Musk wants to create new city in Lone Star state | SpaceX home would be called Starbase, Texas Wisk Aero accuses rival flying taxi firm Archer Aviation of ‘brazen theft’ in a new lawsuit Wisk Aero, a joint venture between Boeing and Kitty Hawk, is suing rival air taxi firm Archer Aviation for allegedly stealing its trade secrets and infringing on its patents. Wisk is seeking unspecified monetary damages and an injunction against Archer to prevent it from using the allegedly stolen technology. In response, Archer says it has “no reason to believe” that it possesses any of Wisk’s intellectual property. In a complaint filed in the US District Court of Northern California, Wisk said it is suing Archer “to stop a brazen theft of its intellectual property and confidential information, and protect the substantial investment of resources and years of hard work and effort of its employees and their vision of the future in urban air transportation.” Santa Clara-based Archer came out of stealth in the spring of 2020 after having poached key talent from Wisk, a joint venture of Boeing and Kitty Hawk, the flying taxi company bankrolled by Google co-founder Larry Page. The company also hired engineers away from Airbus’ Vahana project. According to Avionics International, Archer was able to lure these engineers by offering higher salaries. Archer was founded by Adam Goldstein and Brett Adcock, co-founders of Vettery, a marketing software-as-a-service company, which the two sold to Switzerland-based staffing firm Adecco Group in 2018 for $100 million. But Wisk argues that Archer didn’t just steal talent — it also stole trade secrets. Wisk accuses Archer of misappropriating “thousands of highly confidential files containing very valuable trade secrets, as well as the use of significant innovations Wisk has patented.” Archer’s emergence “surprised the industry,” Wisk claims, based on its shortened time frame for going to market with its electric aircraft with just a fraction of the staff of other, more established urban air mobility firms. According to Wisk: Archer’s stated timeline for releasing an aircraft was a fraction of the time taken by its serious competitors, using a fraction of the number of employees of those competitors. The development of an entirely new kind of passenger aircraft requires years of engineering and significant expertise to get right, as demonstrated by Wisk and the other leading players in this space. For example, after 10 years of hard engineering and testing, Wisk is currently developing its sixth-generation aircraft, which it plans to certify with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). We believe it is virtually impossible for Archer to have produced an originally-designed aircraft in this timeframe that has gone through the necessary testing and is ready for certification with the FAA. Most surprising to Wisk was the design of Archer’s prototype aircraft — mainly because it closely resembled Wisk’s own prototype. Both aircraft feature six front rotors, each with five blades, that can tilt either horizontally or vertically, as well as six rear rotors that each consist of two blades and remain fixed in a vertical position. Archer’s aircraft also includes an “unconventional” V-shaped tail, similar to Wisk’s patented design. “The striking similarity in these designs could not have been a coincidence,” Wisk says. The month that Wisk filed its patent application was the same month that Archer hired away 10 of Wisk’s engineers, the company says. With its suspicions raised, Wisk said it hired a forensic investigator, who returned with some “troubling” information: We discovered that one of those engineers downloaded thousands of Wisk files near midnight, shortly before he announced his resignation and immediately departed to Archer. Those files contain our valuable trade secrets and confidential information about Wisk’s aircraft development spanning the history of the company, accumulated over countless hours of incremental progress by scores of engineers. Another engineer downloaded numerous files containing test data just before departing for Archer. Yet another wiped any trace of his computer activities shortly before leaving for Archer. Wisk also points out that among its competitors, no two prototypes look the same, which makes Archer’s alleged theft of its trade secrets stand out even more. Archer has recently made news by raising $1.1 billion by going public through a reverse merger with a special acquisition company, or SPAC. The merger, which is valued at $3.8 billion, is also backed by Stellantis, the parent company of Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot, and United Airlines. United has placed a $1 billion order for 200 Archer electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, with an option to purchase 100 more for $500 million. In an interview with The Verge last month, the startup’s co-founders gave a lot of credit to Page’s Kitty Hawk and Wisk for helping launch the eVTOL industry, while also acknowledging having poached many of the key players from Wisk to help start Archer. “We started the business three or four years ago. And our team here is a team that basically kind of started the space,” Adcock told The Verge. “So Larry Page basically invented the space in a large way. In 2010, he started a company that’s now called Wisk. It used to be called Kitty Hawk, and then Zero, but it’s called Wisk now. That was like the big, big group in the space.” Adcock continued to heap praise on Page, saying, “You know, Larry’s spent a considerable amount of money and time over 10 years basically maturing the technologies, like motors, batteries, flight control, software, aircraft design, these type of things.” But that didn’t prevent him from hiring away many of the key players at Wisk and Airbus’ Vahana, including Tom Muniz, who ran engineering at Wisk and is now chief operating officer at Archer; and Geoffrey Bower, who was chief engineer at Vahana and now holds that same title at Archer. “We’ve basically been bringing over kind of the best folks in the world here to kind of tackle this problem last several years,” he added. A spokesperson for Archer called the lawsuit “regrettable” and denied the allegations that the company had stolen Wisk’s intellectual property. “It’s regrettable that Wisk would engage in litigation in an attempt to deflect from the business issues that have caused several of its employees to depart,” the spokesperson said. “The plaintiff raised these matters over a year ago, and after looking into them thoroughly, we have no reason to believe any proprietary Wisk technology ever made its way to Archer. We intend to defend ourselves vigorously.” Archer confirmed that one of its employees was placed on administrative leave “in connection with a government investigation and a search warrant issued to the employee,” which the company believes is focused on conduct prior to the employee joining Archer. Three other employees, as well as the company itself have received subpoenas relating to this investigating, the spokesperson said. Archer is “fully cooperating with the authorities.” A spokesperson for Wisk said the company was aware of Archer’s disclosure of a “criminal investigation” but had no further comment on the matter. Air taxis, sometimes misidentified as “flying cars, “are essentially helicopters without the noisy, polluting gas motors. A number of startups have emerged in recent years with prototype aircraft that are electric-powered, able to carry a handful of passengers, and intended for short flights within a city or regionally. Analysts predict that the flying taxi market could grow to $150 billion in revenue by 2035. https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/6/22369921/wisk-sues-archer-trade-secrets-theft-flying-taxi Qatar’s Al Baker Challenges GE on Future Engine Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker has challenged GE Aviation to accelerate efforts on a new engine that would address carbon-neutrality goals set by the European Union and other governments. Delivering opening remarks during a recent U.S. Chamber of Commerce online panel discussion dedicated to Qatar-U.S. business relations, Al Baker called for a concerted effort by airlines and their suppliers to ensure the industry meets 2050 targets for net-zero carbon emissions. “We always are looking for improvements, and I would also recommend GE get into a future-technology engine sooner [rather] than later, because we all through IATA have committed [to] carbon-neutral growth in 2050,” said Al Baker. “When you look at how long things take to develop, 2050 is not very far away. So I recommend that…GE takes this message really seriously. People tend to blame airlines for emissions, but we depend on aircraft manufacturers and engine manufacturers and fuel producers to deliver the technology to us so that we then can invest in those new technologies and fly our airplanes more efficiently and with the least effect on our environment.” GE and other engine makers have emphasized an incremental approach beginning with improvements to existing engines combined with the use of sustainable aviation fuels, for example. Speaking during a recent investors’ presentation, GE Aviation president and CEO John Slattery outlined the company’s strategy for meeting sustainability goals. “GE has been heavily involved in SAF testing for many years, including powering the industry's very first 100 percent SAF flight in 2018,” said Slattery. “By the way, that was on a commercial widebody aircraft.” The company plans to spend $1.8 billion on research and development efforts this year, a level consistent with last year’s spending, he added. “Partnering with GE Research, we plan to also demonstrate our hybrid electric capabilities on a regional airliner by the middle of this decade,” Slattery noted. “And as for the next narrowbody aircraft, we will develop and mature technologies to deliver greater than 20 percent fuel efficiency compared to the [CFM] Leap. And looking even farther into the future, where we're positioning ourselves to lead the technology revolution, with innovations like liquid hydrogen where we can draw today from our experiences and the learnings from our colleagues over at GE Power.” Al Baker, who also said Boeing airplanes account for 51 percent of Qatar Airways’ fleet, added that he would accept delivery of GE9X-powered 777Xs “as soon as it’s ready.” Boeing has notified the airline to expect a delay in first delivery until 2023, at which point Qatar now plans to place three of the airplanes into service. Al Baker also acknowledged an interest in further hot-weather performance on the engines. For its part, GE noted that it introduced in the 9X an enhanced thermal barrier coating on the turbine blades for improved durability in hot environments and certification for full-rated takeoff in hot weather. The 9X team continues dust testing on the engine to validate various improvements designed into the engine to reduce the effect of sand and dust blocking cooling passages. Further advances under study include new technologies to manage under-cowl temperatures that can peak after engine shutdown in hot environments. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2021-04-07/qatars-al-baker-challenges-ge-future-engine Honeywell technology chosen for Paraguay biofuels project Honeywell has announced that Brazil-based ECB Group will use the UOP Ecofining™ process to convert vegetable oils and inedible animal fats into renewable diesel and jet fuel at the Omega Green production facility in Villeta, near Asuncion, Paraguay, South America. This marks the first advanced biofuels project in Paraguay. Honeywell UOP was selected to provide technology and engineering services for the project, which will produce fuels that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including renewable diesel and aviation jet fuel. Honeywell UOP was selected to provide technology and engineering services for the project, which will produce fuels that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including renewable diesel and aviation jet fuel. Honeywell UOP has designed the Omega Green project to minimise fossil CO2 emissions at the site by using the renewable LPG and naphtha produced in the UOP Ecofining unit to self-sustain the process in energy and hydrogen. In partnership with Wood, a global consulting and engineering company, Honeywell UOP will integrate Wood’s hydrogen plant technology with the Ecofining unit design to produce hydrogen from renewable feedstocks. This will further reduce the overall carbon intensity of the Honeywell Green Diesel™ and Honeywell Green Jet Fuel™. When it enters operation, Omega Green will produce up to 20 000 bpd of renewable diesel and jet fuel. The complex is expected to create more than 3000 jobs during construction and 2400 direct and indirect jobs when fully operational. ECB estimates that more than 20 000 family farms will benefit from social certification programs to produce feedstocks for the plant. “As demand for diesel and jet fuel continues to grow globally, it is a major milestone to have the first biorefinery in South America which can help meet this demand with renewable domestic resources,” said Ben Owens, vice president and general manager, Honeywell Sustainable Technology Solutions. “Our renewable fuels technologies are a proven solution to that, helping Paraguay become a leading supplier of biofuels.” “The Omega Green project will have the latest and most advanced technology for the industrial process of renewable diesel and the aero renewable kerosene, in addition to green naphtha,” said Erasmo Carlos Battistella, ECB Group CEO. “The success of this initiative in Paraguay is based on strong collaborations like the one we have with Honeywell.” The Honeywell Ecofining process, developed in conjunction with Eni SpA, converts non-edible natural oils, animals fats and other waste feedstocks to Honeywell Green Diesel and Honeywell Green Jet Fuel, which is chemically identical to petroleum-based counterparts. Both products offer improved performance over commercial petroleum-based diesel and jet fuel, and can be used as a drop-in replacement in vehicles and aircraft with no equipment modifications. Honeywell Green Diesel also features an 80% life cycle reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to diesel from petroleum, and features a higher-cetane diesel value to provide better engine performance with fewer emissions. Honeywell Green Jet Fuel can be blended seamlessly with petroleum-based fuel. When used in up to a 50-% blend with petroleum-based jet fuel, Honeywell Green Jet Fuel requires no changes to aircraft technology and meets all critical specifications for flight. The UOP Ecofining process is used in most 100%-biofeed units producing renewable diesel – and all of the licensed renewable jet fuel production – in the world today. UOP currently has licensed 20 Ecofining units in nine countries around the world, processing 12 different types of renewable feedstocks. https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/clean-fuels/06042021/honeywell-technology-chosen-for-paraguay-biofuels-project/ Waltzing Matilda to launch new airline, Connect Airlines, to serve Toronto Billy Bishop City Airport BEDFORD, Mass., April 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Waltzing Matilda Aviation (WMA) will be launching Connect Airlines, a new airline starting operations in October 2021, connecting Toronto Billy Bishop City Airport with airports in the Northeast and Midwest United States. Using the Canadian built Q400 turboprop aircraft, Connect Airlines will offer a premium service for day-tripping business travelers direct into Toronto's downtown island Billy Bishop airport. Subject to regulatory approvals, the airline will provide a valuable alternative to business travelers as they start to fly between the United States and Canada again. John Thomas, Chief Executive Officer of WMA, comments: "We are passionate about how aviation brings people, cultures and business together. Especially in these challenging times, we are committed to delivering the world's most rewarding premium travel experience with safety, service, convenience and reliability." WMA chose IBS Software, a leading SaaS solutions provider to the travel industry globally, as its strategic launch partner. IBS Software's SaaS model fully supports the needs of the start-up airline minimizing fixed costs. Thomas continues: "The last year has shown that airlines need to be lean, agile and digital-first. Not only is this important as the industry recovers but passengers are demanding it. Travelers want a seamless digital experience which is why we partnered with IBS Software. We can manage the airline on a single integrated platform, meaning we can spend more time focusing on our customers, rather than IT headaches." Connect Airlines will be the launch airline for IBS Software's "Airline-in-a-box" set of solutions, enabling them to manage the airline on a single integrated platform, with a simultaneous and seamless implementation and integrated sources of data. The solution includes: iFly Res, a next generation, customer-centric passenger service solution; the first NDC natively compliant solution in the market, with advanced ancillary management capabilities, iFlight Lite, an integrated end-to-end fleet and crew operations platform to enable the airline to run efficiently from the beginning, iFlight MRO, a maintenance and engineering software solution that provides the foundation to implement best-in-class business process to control overall maintenance costs. IBS Software will also build and host Connect's website and mobile app, using the latest technology to support personalization and serve the needs of the connected business traveler Jitendra Sindhwani, IBS Software, ‎President & Head, Aviation Business at IBS Software, comments: "Connect Airlines is bucking an industry-wide trend. This bold statement is testament to the growing confidence in the aviation industry recovery. Our integrated set of solutions will support Connect Airline's commercial and operational business. This includes reservations, fleet and crew operations, maintenance, and their website and mobile application. We are able to provide all the technology to enable the airline to start flying. We are thrilled to welcome Connect Airlines to the IBS Software family and look forward to our long-term partnership with Waltzing Matilda Aviation." About Waltzing Matilda WMA is a Boston based FAA Part 135 jet charter operator (Certificate number 6WZA614N) that has started the process to add FAA Part 121 scheduled and non-scheduled services to its Air Operators Certificate. WMA began private (Part 91) operations in June 2008 and has operated thousands of hours of safe and reliable flying with a focus on delivering superior customer service. WMA owns and operates both its own aircraft as well as managed aircraft. WMA brings together a group of aviation professionals, many of whom have been involved in jet charter operations in the Boston area for over 20 years. WMA is passionate about flying and dedicated to providing a high quality of service. WMA was co-founded by John Thomas. John has been actively involved in the aviation industry for the past 35 years, both as a senior operating executive as Group Executive at Virgin Australia Airlines and as a strategic advisor to the global aviation industry. He advised major airlines around the world as well as OEMs, Business & General Aviation, FBOs, airports, and ANSPs. In addition to actively managing WMA, John sits on the Board of Skyservice, the largest Corporate aviation service provider in Canada, as well as the Board of Icelandair Group, and continues to provide advisory services to the broader aviation industry including as Senior Advisor to Spike Aerospace Inc., ATM Consultants Group, and CAPA Centre for Aviation. About IBS Software IBS Software is a leading SaaS solutions provider to the travel industry globally, managing mission-critical operations for customers in the aviation, tour & cruise and hospitality industries. IBS Software's solutions for the aviation industry cover fleet & crew operations, aircraft maintenance, passenger services, loyalty programs, staff travel and air-cargo management. IBS Software also runs a real time B2B and B2C distribution platform providing hotel room inventory, rates and availability to a global network of hospitality companies and channels. For the tour and cruise industry, IBS provides a comprehensive, customer-centric, digital platform that covers onshore, online and on-board solutions. IBS Software is a Blackstone portfolio company and operates from 15 offices across the world. Further information can be found at https://www.ibsplc.com/ https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/waltzing-matilda-to-launch-new-airline-connect-airlines-to-serve-toronto-billy-bishop-city-airport-301264847.html ZeroAvia Secures Funding for Commercial Aircraft Engine Development The ongoing research and development by ZeroAvia to produce zero-emission hydrogen-electric powertrains for planned commercial aircraft models has been accelerated by a new round of private equity funding of $24.3 million. The new amount raised brings the company’s total private investment to over $53 million, and the total funding raised since inception to nearly $74 million. The new investments are led by Horizons Ventures, joined by a new investor, British Airways. Existing investors that participated in the new round of financing include Breakthrough Energy Ventures, which was established in 2015 by Bill Gates and a coalition of private investors, Ecosystem Integrity Fund, Summa Equity, Shell Ventures, and SYSTEMIQ. With the new funding, ZeroAvia is launching the development program for a 2 megawatt hydrogen-electric powertrain for full-size regional aircraft, with a target of 2026 for a 50-plus-seat regional airliner, and 2030 for a 100-seat single-aisle model. ZeroAvia said they expect to achieve commercialization for its hydrogen-electric powertrain as early as 2024 by initially targeting a 500-mile range in 10- to 20-seat aircraft used for commercial passenger transport, package delivery, and agriculture. “It is evident that the world is moving closer to zero-emission flying, and this new funding round is another indicator that people are ready to make the jump to sustainable aviation,” said Val Miftakhov, CEO and founder of ZeroAvia. “Scaling our powertrain design towards 50-plus-seat aircraft is where the rubber hits the road in carbon intensity impact, and we’re excited to lead in this new era of hydrogen-powered innovation.” ZeroAvia’s achievements to date are the first steps in realizing the near-term transition from fossil fuels to zero-emission hydrogen as an alternative source for commercial aviation. The progress has now drawn the attention of British Airways, which has a goal of 2050 to reach true zero emissions. “Innovative zero-emissions technology is advancing fast, and we support the development of hydrogen as an alternative fuel source,” said Sean Doyle, British Airways’ CEO. “There is a huge amount of energy and excitement building around the possibilities of a zero-emissions future for aviation, and while there is no single solution to this challenge, we acknowledge the need for urgent action to tackle the impact flying currently has on our planet and are making progress on our journey to net zero.” As the company continues to scale its global operations, ZeroAvia also announced the addition of three new members to its senior team. Christine Ourmières-Widener is a former vice president and general manager, USA, for Air France-KLM, and previously served on the Board of Governors for the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Mike Friend is a retired Boeing senior technology director and consultant for Mitsubishi Aircraft and led a Boeing Phantom Works project in Spain in the early 2000s that resulted in the world’s first manned hydrogen-electric airplane flight. And Mark Blair—a retired FedEx VP of air operations and a former director of fleet and government sales for Cessna Aircraft Company—brings his extensive knowledge in package delivery applications of various sizes of aircraft to ZeroAvia. The private equity investments in ZeroAvia’s mission are coming from firms all with a long history of funding innovative, disruptive companies. Horizons Ventures, the private investment arm of Li Ka-shing, is a leading investor in some of the world’s most innovative companies and disruptive technologies, including Facebook, Spotify, and Zoom. Breakthrough Energy Ventures invests in cutting-edge companies that will help lead the world to net-zero emissions, with more than $2 billion in committed capital. Ecosystem Integrity Fund invests in early growth-stage companies contributing to environmental sustainability across multiple sectors, while Summa Equity focuses on companies with the “potential for long-term sustainable outperformance.” Shell Ventures was one of the first corporate venture funds in the oil and gas industry, working with innovative companies to commercialize solutions that can accelerate energy and mobility transformation. Finally, SYSTEMIQ is a leading consulting and investment firm working to prevent the worst effects of climate change with investments in early-venture technologies that can accelerate the transition to cleaner energies. https://www.flyingmag.com/story/aircraft/zeroavia-engine-development-funding/ Singapore to accept Covid-19 PCR test results on IATA Travel Pass from 1 May Singapore has decided to accept the pre-departure Covid-19 PCR test results on the IATA Travel Pass from next month. This move comes after Singapore Airlines successfully implemented the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Travel Pass mobile application pilot on its flight to London, UK, last month. Starting 1 May, passengers travelling to Singapore can share pre-departure Covid-19 PCR test results through IATA Travel Pass during check-in, and on arrival at the immigration checkpoints at Changi Airport. The initiative is part of the ongoing collaboration between the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and IATA to offer enhanced travel experience amid the pandemic through digital certificates of Covid-19 tests. The information presented on the IATA Travel Pass should fulfil Singapore’s Covid-19 pre-departure test requirements for entry into Singapore. CAAS director-general Kevin Shum said: “We have built upon our long-standing and deep partnership with IATA to develop solutions to facilitate travel. This latest collaboration with IATA demonstrates our shared commitment to drive the adoption of digital health certificates and restore international air travel. “As we look to safely rebuild the Changi air hub, we will continue to explore other solutions that can provide similarly secure and verifiable means of sharing health certificates for safe international travel.” Welcoming Singapore’s decision, IATA director-general Willie Walsh said: “Having the confidence of an aviation leader like Singapore accept IATA Travel Pass is hugely significant. Ongoing trials put us on track for IATA Travel Pass to be a critical tool for the industry’s restart by delivering verified travel health credentials to governments.” Besides Singapore Airlines, more than 20 airlines have announced trials of the IATA Travel Pass. https://www.aerospace-technology.com/news/singapore-iata-travel-pass-covid-19/ Choctaw Nation goes BEYOND in drone research in rural SE Oklahoma Drones are flying above and BEYOND on a 44,000-acre ranch deep in the heart of the counties in southeastern Oklahoma that comprise the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. It’s all part of an unmanned aircraft research and development program conducted by the Choctaw Nation in partnership with the FAA. Called BEYOND, the program was launched in October 2020 and is directed by the Choctaw’s Advanced Technologies Initiatives group. Veteran Oklahoma unmanned aerial vehicle researcher James Grimsley leads the Choctaw Nation’s Advanced Technologies Initiatives group as its executive director. Previously, Grimsley was associate vice president for research at the University of Oklahoma and founder of multiple aerospace-related ventures. “The BEYOND program is focused on helping to build the foundation for safe and responsible beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) drone operations and also package delivery by drone,” Grimsley said. “We will focus on those types of advanced operations that have a strong benefit to our communities, both economically and in terms of enhanced safety.” The BEYOND program’s mission includes researching: The steps necessary to facilitate scalable, repeatable and economically feasible beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations; Collection, measurement and response efforts for community feedback related to UAS operations; and,  The quantification and measurement of societal and economic impact of various UAS operations. “We’re the first tribal government to be recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration as a public aircraft operator,” Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Chief Gary Batton said. “We’re also the only tribal government to be selected as the lead participant in the FAA’s unmanned aircraft systems unmanned pilot program.” Partners with the Choctaw Nation in the BEYOND project include Bell Flight, GE/AIRXOS, Intel Corp., uAvionix, Iris Automation, American Electric Power and Public Service of Oklahoma, along with the Noble Research Institute, Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma. The Choctaw Advanced Technology Initiatives group conducts its test flights on a Choctaw Nation-owned ranch in rural southeastern Oklahoma that spans 25 miles from end-to-end. The secluded area and distance from large commercial airports lend itself to safely testing unmanned aircraft in beyond-visual-line-of-sight flights, Grimsley said. “We use multiple technology solutions such as ground-based radar and redundant techniques to ensure that we safely manage the risk,” he said. “Safe and robust command and control communications links are also critical. There is an incredible amount of planning, design and oversight involved in safety management and oversight.” The Choctaw Nation Advanced Technologies Initiatives group conducted town hall meetings, as well as provided camps for area youths, to gauge community interest in the unmanned flight research and development that would be ongoing in the region. “It’s been an overwhelmingly positive reaction to the technology,” Grimsley said. “We didn’t expect to have the positive feedback that we’ve had.” Among the most important research the BEYOND project is conducting has to do with weather research operations, along with public safety operations in which drones potentially could be used to quickly deliver life-saving equipment and medications to rural areas during emergencies. “I’m immensely proud of the Choctaw Nation for becoming an internationally recognized leader in promoting advanced emerging aviation technologies,” Grimsley said. “The Choctaw Nation accomplished this in less than five years, and really started from scratch.” While the unmanned aircraft program started with few tribal employees, Grimsley sees a future in which drones emerge as an important industry to the Choctaw Nation. “Our goal is to create a significant number of jobs in manufacturing and related areas within the Choctaw Nation’s boundaries,” he said. “These jobs will be for both tribal members and our neighbors in the communities. Our primary focus in this initiative is economic development.” https://www.oklahoman.com/story/special/2021/04/08/choctaw-nation-goes-beyond-drone-research-in-se-oklahoma/4693612001/ Airbus and TNO to Develop Aircraft Laser Communication Terminal Airbus and the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) have launched a program to develop a laser communication terminal demonstrator for aircraft, known as UltraAir. The project, which is co-financed by Airbus, TNO and the Netherlands Space Office (NSO), is part of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) ScyLight (Secure and Laser communication technology) program. It covers the design, construction and testing of the technology demonstrator. Laser communication technologies are the next revolution in satellite communications (satcom), bringing unprecedented transmission rates, data security and resilience to meet commercial needs in the next decade. The UltraAir terminal will be capable of laser connections between an aircraft and a satellite in geostationary orbit 36,000 km above the Earth, with unparalleled technology including a highly stable and precise optical mechatronic system. The technology demonstrator will pave the way for a future UltraAir product with which data transmission rates could reach several gigabits-per-second while providing anti-jamming and low probability of interception. In this way UltraAir will not only enable military aircraft and UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) to connect within a combat cloud, but also in the longer term allow airline passengers to establish high-speed data connections thanks to the Airbus’ SpaceDataHighway constellation. From their position in geostationary orbit, the SpaceDataHighway (EDRS) satellites relay data collected by observation satellites to Earth in near-real-time, a process that would normally take several hours. Airbus is leading the project and brings its unique expertise in laser satellite communications, developed with the SpaceDataHighway program. It will coordinate the development of the terminal and testing on the ground and in the air. As key partner of the project, TNO provides its experience in high-precision opto-mechatronics, supported by the Dutch high-tech and space industry. Airbus Defense and Space in the Netherlands will be responsible for the industrial production of the terminals. Airbus’ subsidiary Tesat brings its technical expertise in laser communication systems and will be involved in all testing activities. The first tests will take place at the end of 2021 in laboratory conditions at Tesat. In a second phase, ground tests will start early 2022 in Tenerife (Spain), where connectivity will be established between an UltraAir demonstrator and the laser terminal embarked on the Alphasat satellite using the ESA Optical Ground Station. For the final verification, the UltraAir demonstrator will be integrated on an aircraft for flight testing by mid-2022. As satellite services demand is growing, the traditional satcom radio-frequency bands are experiencing bottlenecks. Laser links also have the benefit of avoiding interference and detection, as in comparison to the already-crowded radio frequencies, laser communication is extremely difficult to intercept due to a much narrower beam. Thus, laser terminals can be lighter, consume less power and offer even better security than radio. This new program is a key milestone in the roadmap of Airbus’ overall strategy to drive laser communications further, which will bring forward the benefits of this technology as a key differentiator for providing Multi-Domain collaboration for Government and defense customers. https://www.aviationpros.com/engines-components/aircraft-airframe-accessories/cabin-communications/press-release/21217781/airbus-airbus-and-tno-to-develop-aircraft-laser-communication-terminal A Look At Embraer’s Remotely Piloted Modular “FLEXCRAFT Brazilian manufacture Embraer has revealed that its proposed FLEXCRAFT has won an International Design Award (IDA). The modular aircraft, which won the Transport Design category, will have short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities. Perhaps its most impressive feature is its ability for its cabin to be reconfigured for different missions, allowing incredible versatility. Let’s take a closer look at the FLEXCRAFT. Multi-purpose design The FLEXCRAFT’s modular design consists of a main body comprising wings and a twin-boom tail, underneath which one of several pods can be attached. This will allow the aircraft to undergo faster reconfiguration when switching between different missions. It will also allow operators greater flexibility as they will not need to fly different aircraft for different purposes. Embraer confirmed in a statement that: “Among the possibilities studied for usage are the transportation of passengers and cargo, support for civil protection activities, surveillance, aeromedical evacuation, and agriculture, among others.” Embraer added that the development process for the award-winning design featured several different integrated aspects. These included “configuration, flexibility solutions, and production and material processes.” Environmental considerations Companies across the aviation industry are often factoring in environmental considerations when developing future technology. This is a particularly pressing point for aircraft manufacturers, who are placing an increasing emphasis on making their products as environmentally friendly as possible. “With the ability to land and take off on short lanes and use alternative energy sources, the concept seeks to foster ideas for transforming the future of air mobility, combining the human, technological, social, and economic perspectives in a sustainable manner.“ Portugal’s growing aeronautics industry Although Embraer is a Brazilian company, the FLEXCRAFT is, in fact, the product of a Portuguese consortium. This group, which comprises various Portuguese technology companies, also features one of Embraer’s principal non-Brazilian facilities, known as Embraer Portugal. Of course, the two countries have strong historical connections. With Embraer having a presence in Portugal, and the country being responsible for the consortium behind the FLEXCRAFT, the future looks bright for its aviation industry. Embraer’s Head of Research & Technology Development, Maurílio Albanese Novaes Júnior, added: “We are also grateful for the initiative of the Government of Portugal, which, under the Incentive System for Research and Technological Development (SI I&DT) of the Portugal 2020 Program, promotes scientific research and trusts Embraer as a catalyst for the local chain and the development of the Portuguese aeronautics industry.“ While the FLEXCRAFT is only a design at the moment, it represents a fascinating concept that would increase operational versatility in the future. It will be interesting to see whether other manufacturers follow suit and produce similar designs in years to come. https://simpleflying.com/embraer-remotely-piloted-flexcraft/ John Calcagno Takes Reins at Piper Aircraft Long-time Piper CFO John Calcagno has stepped in as acting president and CEO of the Vero Beach, Florida-based general aviation aircraft manufacturer, succeeding Simon Caldecott, Piper announced this week. Caldecott retired on April 2 after leading Piper for more than 10 years and spending 47 years in the aviation industry. Calcagno brings a background in finance, operations, distribution, and sales to his new role at the helm of Piper. He served with Piper for 11 years, steering all financial reporting, treasury, and company cash management functions, as well as information technology and enterprise resource planning. He also has held roles with The Acerra Consortium, Alltel (Supply) Communications Products, Coca-Cola, and C.R. Bard. Calcagno began his career with PriceWaterhouseCoopers. “I know that I speak for everyone at Piper Aircraft in thanking Simon for his leadership and tireless dedication to the company,” said Calcagno, adding he was “incredibly excited” about the future of the company. “We have an exceptionally talented team at Piper Aircraft that is focused on taking decisive actions to transform the business, continuing to innovate our products in new and diverse ways, and unlocking future growth opportunities,” he said. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2021-04-08/john-calcagno-takes-reins-piper-aircraft Elon Musk wants to create new city in Lone Star state | SpaceX home would be called Starbase, Texas The secluded Texas beachside community of Boca Chica Village was once a haven for retirees, snowbirds and outdoorsy people who enjoyed dirt biking, fishing or lounging near the water. Today, traffic backs up the lone highway out of the unincorporated area that's now home to only about half a dozen residents — and SpaceX's Starship facility. During the day, selfie-seeking tourists line the road for photos with the stainless steel spaceship under development. At night, excavators plow the earth at the busy construction site. Before test launches, residents receive a notice suggesting they temporarily evacuate for safety. Even more change could be in the Texas neighborhood's future. In March, SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk tweeted that he wanted to create a city encompassing Boca Chica Village and the surrounding area. Its name? Starbase. "Please consider moving to Starbase or greater Brownsville/South Padre area in Texas & encourage friends to do so!" Musk tweeted this week. "SpaceX's hiring needs for engineers, technicians, builders & essential support personnel of all kinds are growing rapidly." Creating a city could have several benefits for SpaceX. In theory, it might help the private spaceflight company attract future employees, foster a political climate friendly to a business that's bound to be a noisy neighbor and even pave the way for the development of the kinds of amenities that might crop up near a would-be transportation hub. Musk is hardly the first entrepreneur to think about forming a city. The late 19th and early 20th centuries are rife with examples of company towns, chocolate-centric Hershey, Pennsylvania, among them. The idea is now gaining new life as tech entrepreneurs voice dissatisfaction with government restrictions and limitations. In Nevada, the governor wants to allow tech companies to essentially create their own local governments. "This initiative in Nevada to me reads as a new way of doing business, a new way of trying to avoid some of the common challenges that some of these companies have been running into the last couple of years," said Jared Mondschein, associate physical scientist at Rand Corp. who has studied the digital transformation of cities. "The wild card in all these conversations is always: How will people who live there react?" The company town of old was typically formed to attract workers to new job sites. Industries such as mining and smelting often set up sites far away from population centers — inconveniently far for daily commutes. A company town was almost a necessary overhead expense, said Tracy Hadden Loh, a fellow at Brookings, a D.C.-based think tank. That was the case with Smeltertown, a company town established in Texas in the late 1800s by American Smelting and Refining Co. to focus on copper and lead extraction. Located outside El Paso, the town was segregated: White engineers and plant managers lived in wood-frame homes with indoor plumbing, while workers of Mexican descent resided in smaller, cinderblock homes. El Paso County governed Smeltertown, but American Smelting and Refining operated a company store that was deeply intertwined with workers' finances, offering credit and deducting the costs of purchases from employee paychecks. The company also provided Smeltertown residents with some resources. It had a hand in distributing water, subsidized vocational training and paid for the construction of a road to the town's Catholic church. "Often these amenities and relationships that were cultivated between the company and the community could work to everybody's advantage, but in some ways [they were] a form of control," said Monica Perales, associate professor of history at the University of Houston and author of the book "Smeltertown: Making and Remembering a Southwest Border Community." "I've heard it referred to as the iron fist in the velvet glove." Such arrangements have given company towns a reputation for exploiting workers. Many employers paid not in cash but rather in scrip that could be redeemed for goods at the company store. In some cases, the employer owned the workers' homes as well and deducted rent from their pay. With the company holding the power to set prices and extend credit, workers could find themselves mired in debt. Smeltertown is no more. Nearly a century after it sprang up, it was demolished in 1973 amid an air pollution lawsuit against the company and concerns about lead contamination and poisoning in the town's children. A modern iteration of the company-town idea can be found in Silicon Valley. There are tech-firm campuses with laundry amenities, free food and Wi-Fi-enabled buses. Providing such services can erode the boundary between employees' work time and personal time and removes reasons to leave the campus bubble, which can lead employees to stay at work and labor longer. Another iteration: start-up societies, which are small locales that try new policies and forms of governance. They have the potential to make regulatory changes that can accelerate technological progress, but none have moved beyond the planning phase in the U.S. There are questions about whom these start-up societies will help, said Isabelle Simpson, a doctoral candidate in geography at McGill University. The societies are billed as communities of like-minded people. While they're typically presented as a way to help the poor by creating jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities, it's too early to tell whether that will happen. And then there's the concept of innovation zones. Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak's proposed plan would allow a company owning at least 50,000 acres of undeveloped and uninhabited land to create its own government with the same kind of authority as a county government. That means the company-created zone could impose and collect taxes, create a school district and court system and provide services, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The state already has one interested party: Blockchains LLC, which owns 67,000 acres in Storey County near Reno and has said it would be interested in setting up a community that would rely heavily on blockchain technology. The so-called smart city would have a research and development center focused on housing, transportation and energy technologies that could help residents and others, Blockchains Chief Executive Jeffrey Berns wrote in an op-ed in the Reno Gazette-Journal. "For too long our state has watched as many of our neighbors reap the benefits advanced technology industries bring," he wrote. "Now is Nevada's time to take a leading role in developing the technology solutions the entire world will use." Berns and Sisolak have insisted the project would not be a company town. In his op-ed, Berns noted that the innovation zone would be run by an elected board of citizens who would answer to the state just as Nevada cities and counties already do. But a draft of the proposal obtained by the Review-Journal states that at least initially, the company interested in creating the innovation zone would get to select the candidates for at least two of the initial three members of the zone's board. Regardless of government structure, in areas where there is a single major employer, that company holds power over elected officials — and by extension, over its employees, said Zoe Willingham, research associate for the economic policy team at the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank. They said that in such situations, the big employers also can "suppress wages and working conditions without workers quitting because of the lack of other employment options." Sisolak told the Review-Journal that the goal of the innovation zones was "a massive economic development investment in Nevada, and a chance to set down a marker that Nevada is the blockchain technology center of the world." Blockchains LLC, Sisolak and Berns did not respond to questions from The Times. Musk's plans for the city of Starbase are unclear. SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment, and Musk himself has given just a few clues on Twitter. This week, he said that he expects Starbase to grow by "several thousand people" in the next year or two, and that he plans to donate $20 million to Cameron County schools and $10 million to the nearby city of Brownsville for "downtown revitalization." At best, planning appears to be in the early stages. SpaceX officials mentioned an interest in incorporation during a conversation with the legal department of Cameron County — of which Boca Chica Village is a part — but neither Musk nor the company has turned in the necessary paperwork to start the process, Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevio Jr. said last month. "There's a lot associated with incorporating, other than just wanting to," he said. For starters, Texas state law requires a potential municipality to have at least 201 inhabitants to incorporate. A Texas Supreme Court ruling also states that there must be a nucleus around which a town can develop, and that the area must be capable of receiving municipal services on a regular basis, said Alan Bojorquez, a municipal lawyer who serves as city attorney for several Texas cities. Inhabitants would then have to vote on whether they want to incorporate the city. "The law is very straightforward," said Bojorquez, who is not affiliated with Boca Chica Village or SpaceX's plans. "The difficult part of the incorporation process is truly the public relations and the politics of convincing people who live out in the country to become a city." Successful incorporations happen usually because of "strong support among neighbors to either oppose something or achieve something they can't do on their own," he said. As SpaceX's ambitions grew in Boca Chica Village, the company began offering buyouts to residents. As of March, SpaceX — through an affiliated LLC — owns 110 parcels in Cameron County. The company envisions the site as a future spaceport to the stars, where Starship spacecraft would take off on regular flights. As part of that plan, SpaceX is trying to drill for natural gas — the rocket's fuel — on nearby land and is feuding with an oil company over the issue. Incorporating Starbase could give SpaceX more control over local ordinances, such as zoning, which could enable the company to conduct more test flights and launches without having to evacuate the nearby area for safety. It could also set up the area to be more attractive for potential workers to relocate. Workers could get in on the ground floor of a thriving city — but they also could be vulnerable. "The place's own viability is tied to the survival of the company," said Loh of Brookings. "That's not necessarily ideal, and it produces really tough outcomes if the place doesn't make it." South Padre Island resident Louis Balderas has filmed SpaceX's progress at Boca Chica Village for two years for his widely watched YouTube channel, LabPadre. He lives about 45 minutes away and said he would be interested in moving to the city of Starbase, if it were to be incorporated. The city would need more public utilities — the cell reception out there is horrible, he says, and water has to be trucked in each month — but he relishes the idea of having a front-row seat to the action. "I would hope that it would be more than just SpaceX employees," he said. "It would be cool to live in Starbase, Texas." https://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/texas/story/2021/apr/06/elon-musk-wants-create-new-city-lone-star-state-spacex-home-would-be-called-starbase-texas/866299/ Curt Lewis