October 11, 2021 - No. 79 In This Issue : Aerospace companies looking to fill 1,000 jobs in Singapore over next two years : Honda Aircraft Advances Paint Technology and Options : New LED technology improves flight safety : OEMs Focus on Pilot Workload Management, Reduced Crew Operations : Bombardier Rides Momentum into NBAA Airshow with Mock-up of New Challenger 3500 Business Jet, Launch Customer Announcement : How Far Can Aircraft Fly On One Engine? : How Los Angeles is preparing for the air taxi takeoff : X-59 QueSST: The quiet supersonic aeroplane that could revolutionise air travel : With NASA Partnership, Orlando Begins Planning for Air Taxis, Flying Cars : UK to trial hydrogen-fuelled zero emissions commercial jet in world first : Varda Space Industries will send its first space factory to orbit on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Aerospace companies looking to fill 1,000 jobs in Singapore over next two years SINGAPORE: Aerospace companies in Singapore are planning to hire 1,000 people over the next two years, as the pandemic-battered sector gears up for new growth opportunities in digital services, autonomous technology and sustainability. This was announced by Manpower Minister Tan See Leng at the Aerospace Day 2021 on Monday (Oct 11). One company that recently embarked on a recruitment drive is American aerospace manufacturer Pratt & Whitney, which plans to add 250 more employees to its maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) operations in Singapore by the end of this year. “Their cutting-edge aerospace technology capabilities will keep Singapore and our workers on the forefront of the global MRO industry,” said Dr Tan, who is also Second Minister for Trade and Industry. Business jet manufacturer Bombardier is looking to fill more than 90 positions as it aims to quadruple its existing footprint in Singapore, while engine-maker GE Aviation is also on the hunt for talent for 200 positions this year. Among local players, Singapore Technologies (ST) Engineering is looking to recruit up to 200 aviation professionals by next year, while Singapore Aero Engine Services is hiring for 170 vacancies to support the growth of its operations. JTC, which organised Aerospace Day, said in a separate press release that these job openings include data analysts, robotics and automation engineers, as well as aircraft technicians. “Despite the current challenges that the aviation sector is facing, its fundamentals and long-term prospects remain strong,” said ST Engineering’s commercial aerospace president Jeffrey Lam. The company continues to invest and review opportunities for the expansion of its capabilities and capacity, including the hiring of aviation professionals to "support in growth areas", he added. Managing director of GE Aviation Engine Services – Singapore Iain Rodger said the company is “seeing a strong recovery of the aviation sector” as international borders open up progressively and flights resume in “increasing numbers”. “As a leader in the aircraft engine industry, GE Aviation needs the right engineering talent and workforce to serve our customers’ needs for engines maintenance, repair and overhaul,” he added. Dr Tan said Singapore has over the years established itself as a “key node” in the global aerospace value chain. Now Asia’s leading aerospace MRO hub, the country accounts for 10 per cent of global MRO output. But with planes grounded and commercial flights drastically reduced since last year, Singapore’s aerospace industry, which employs more than 22,000 people and predominantly supports commercial aviation, has been reeling from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this, Singapore has continued to maintain “a strong base of aerospace activities” with companies exploring new avenues of growth, Dr Tan said in a speech at the event. He cited how ST Engineering has been repurposing under-utilised passenger aircraft for air cargo. Last year, the homegrown firm completed the world’s first freighter that was converted from an A321 passenger plane. It offers 55 per cent more capacity than its closest competitor, said Dr Tan. “As the demand for freighters remains strong, ST Engineering is ramping up its conversion capacity, and will be converting more than 55 aircraft next year,” he added. THREE GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES Dr Tan noted that the longer-term outlook of the aerospace sector is “positive” and there are three key opportunities for growth. One is the area of digital services where aerospace companies tap the power of big data to monitor aircraft health, predict maintenance schedules, optimise fuel consumption and minimise on-ground delays. This can help airlines and passengers save time and costs. The minister pointed to Airbus, which officially opened its Singapore Campus at the Seletar Aerospace Park in November last year. The campus serves as Airbus’ Asia-Pacific regional hub and houses a dedicated team for its digital solutions platform. The company intends to continue to explore collaborations with partners in the region to improve fleet performance, said Dr Tan. Aerospace original equipment manufacturers can also play a critical role in developing autonomous technologies and advanced communications. “Most ongoing efforts are concentrated in developing full-fledged autonomy for long-haul commercial flights. If successful, airlines will benefit through reduced operating costs, enhanced pilot decision-making, and safety,” the minister said, noting how local start-up H3 Dynamics partnered with Thales to test an autonomous drone flight monitoring system in Singapore last year. Sustainability is the third growth area, said Dr Tan, as aerospace companies explore solutions such as electric propulsion, sustainable aviation fuels and hydrogen-powered aircraft. For instance, Rolls-Royce is partnering Nanyang Technological University to develop electrification technologies to enable hybrid-electric aircraft. This will accelerate the adoption of alternative energy systems in the aerospace industry, the minister said. Dr Tan added that companies looking to seize these growth opportunities “have a strong talent pool here to tap on”. This includes certified technicians and engineers, as well as more than 2,000 graduates from various aerospace courses offered by the Institute of Technical Education, polytechnics and universities every year. A career conversion programme is also available to help mid-career professionals keen to enter the sector, he said. This year’s Aerospace Day was held virtually and attracted 1,800 students and job seekers, said JTC. As part of the event, aerospace firms set up interactive exhibition booths where participants can directly contact companies’ representatives via a live chat function. The virtual exhibitions will continue to be available for the next two weeks. In addition to the online programme, JTC is working with companies to host exclusive tours to company facilities in Seletar Aerospace Park at the end of the year. “The aerospace industry has remained resilient over the last two years and many bright sparks remain within the sector. At Seletar Aerospace Park, we are seeing companies invest in new capabilities and strong hiring interest to build their pipeline of talent,” said JTC’s director of aerospace and marine cluster Lim Ai Ting. “By bringing the aerospace companies together for Aerospace Day, we hope to showcase the exciting job opportunities available in the sector, and allow talents to better understand the exciting work that the sector offers.” https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/aerospace-companies-1000-jobs-singapore-two-years-2234531 Honda Aircraft Advances Paint Technology and Options Like a carefully choreographed dancer, the arms of a robotic paint sprayer pivot around a newly built HondaJet, applying layer after layer of paint in the colors selected by the buyer. But it isn’t just simple fill-in-the-blank colors. The robotic arms are guided by laser projection technology, which tells them exactly where to spray the various layers of paint. Two robots are attached to a gantry inside the paint booth, and the gantry can move forward and backward, while the robot arms dart in, out, and in every direction. “Our paint process combines modern robot application and laser projection technologies to display, paint, and measure internal schemes and the customer’s exclusive designs down to the smallest detail,” according to the company (Booth 3167, Static A502). “This technology allows us to produce intricate paint designs while remaining within FAA regulations on exterior paint thickness.” Honda Aircraft began painting with the robotic system in 2016 and is believed to be the only business aircraft manufacturer using this technology to paint the entire aircraft. The various applications of paint effects available on new Honda Jets have been on display with recent versions of the new HondaJet Elite S. These include subtle pearl, low-light glass reflectance, and deep-color effects as well as matte finishes. When the Elite S was introduced on May 26, it was painted in a high-tech camouflage-style scheme. Another example includes the distinctively adorned “AlphaTauri” HondaJet, the airplane purchased by Red Bull that is flown by Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri for Formula 1 events. The Elite S began deliveries in June and comes with a 200-pound increase in maximum takeoff weight, a nosewheel steering enhancement, and new paint color options. With a base price of $5.4 million, the GE Honda Aero HF120-powered HondaJet can fly 1,437 nm with four occupants and at a top speed of 422 ktas. The HondaJet can seat up to eight occupants, and its unique over-the-wing engine mount configuration creates a roomier cabin with a separate lavatory and spacious external baggage compartment. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2021-10-10/honda-aircraft-advances-paint-technology-and-options New LED technology improves flight safety Aviation technology company PWI has launched its new product, PWI LED Ice Light, designed for a variety of aircraft from piston planes and turboprops to business jets The PWI LED Ice Light is designed to be much more efficient and effective as well as a benefit to overall safety. It features many improvements over incandescent bulbs including enhanced visibility as well as eliminating the radiant heat that comes with incandescent bulbs; less heat means less lens cracking and distortion over the life of the light. “This is an LED that lasts much longer than the factory installed incandescent lights that burn out quickly,” said Robi Lorik, President and CEO of PWI. “The PWI Ice Light lasts 100,000 hours which means less time and money replacing bulbs.” Replacing incandescent bulbs PWI’s LED Ice Light is a direct drop-in replacement for several incandescent bulbs. Bulb #A7079B24 is compatible with Baron 55 and 58, King Air model 90 series, 100, 200 series, B200 series, 300, 300LW, B300, B300C and the 99. Part #MS25338-7079 is compatible in Cessna Centurion 210, P210, T210 and Conquest 441. Part #A7079B24 is compatible in Cessna Caravan 208 and 208B, Citation 550 Bravo, 560, 560XL and 650 CVII. Part #WA7079B24 is compatible in the Cessna 680 Pylon Flood Light. “We all know the Ice Light is valuable to pilots, not just for use in icy weather situations, but also for the overall safety of the aircraft,” added Lorik. “This LED Ice Light provides added visibility and more peace of mind for pilots.” LED lights are also being used for helipad lighting, which is proving to be an invaluable addition to air ambulances landing. https://www.airmedandrescue.com/latest/news/new-led-technology-improves-flight-safety OEMs Focus on Pilot Workload Management, Reduced Crew Operations Pilot workload management is recognized as an important subject in initial and recurrent training, as is crew resource management (CRM). Improvements in pilot workload management over the years have been supported by constantly upgraded automation solutions in flight decks. Aircraft OEMs are continuing this trend towards flight deck automation with the aim of improving the efficiency of flight operations and the level of business aviation safety. Gulfstream’s newest aircraft, the G700, will feature active control sidesticks on its Symmetry Flight Deck and also offer a runway overrun awareness and alerting system (ROAAS), as well as a predictive landing performance system (PLPS). Symmetry lessens the workload for pilots, thereby improving their ability to fly efficiently through an increasingly complex global airspace system. “The flight deck includes active-control sidesticks and an extensive amount of touchscreen technology, which make it easier and more intuitive for pilots to interface with the aircraft systems. Also standard to the Gulfstream G700 is the PLPS. This system gives pilots advanced warning of potential runway excursions so they can adjust approaches or go around,” said Gulfstream. From a pilot workload management point of view, Symmetry, which is based on the Honeywell Primus Epic avionics platform, allows aircraft start-up and taxi in less than 10 minutes on the G700. In addition to active control sidesticks (ACS) and 10 touchscreen interfaces, it features EVS III and synthetic vision, pedestal-mounted cursor control devices, dual wide-format and full-time standby displays, auto-brakes with multiple settings, RDR 4000 3-D weather radar, and new ergonomic crew seats, according to Gulfstream. “With the ACSs, active force feedback provides classic airplane control feel and cueing, and the simulation of mechanically linked sticks prevents simultaneous pilot input. The ACSs are back-driven by the autopilot to provide visual indication of control inputs and surface position, and they are ergonomically placed and oriented for natural pilot arm resting position,” said Gulfstream. Symmetry also streamlines the interface with the flight deck by significantly reducing the number of switches with 10 touchscreen interfaces. Touchscreen redundancy improves dispatch reliability, while intelligent input-recognition software filters out erroneous inputs with intuitive phase-of-flight capability, according to Gulfstream. AIRBUS EXPLORE AUTONOMOUS TECH Meanwhile, Airbus is engaged in studies on operational patterns for flight crew on long-range flights. These studies are ongoing and based on a minimum of two operating crew per flight, and they are being undertaken in conjunction with the regulatory authorities and airline partners. “With safety and social acceptance being top priorities, our mission is not to move ahead with autonomy but to explore autonomous technologies alongside technologies in materials, electrification, connectivity, and more,” an Airbus spokesperson said. “In doing so, we are able to analyze the potential of these innovations to enhance future operations, and at the same time, leverage these opportunities to further improve aircraft safety while ensuring today’s unprecedented levels are maintained.” According to Airbus, although fully autonomous aircraft are still many years away, urban air mobility vehicles are proving to be a valuable option to start the rollout of self-piloting aircraft operations. “New urban air mobility vehicles like Vahana have been designed to integrate self-piloting functionalities from the start. This is because flying taxi missions involve short, point-to-point flights along a restricted selection of routes using limited landing infrastructure, thus making urban air vehicles ideal for testing self-piloting operations in aircraft. Although the technology is still not mature enough to transport passengers, autonomy in aircraft operations will undoubtedly be shaped by self-piloting, flying taxi demonstrators like Vahana,” said Airbus. No precise calendar exists for these new technologies, which are not fully mature, according to Airbus. “Based on technology availability and maturity, the first potential application of autonomous technologies might be single-pilot operations and only during the cruise phase,” the Airbus spokesperson said. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2021-10-10/oems-focus-pilot-workload-management-reduced-crew-operations Bombardier Rides Momentum into NBAA Airshow with Mock-up of New Challenger 3500 Business Jet, Launch Customer Announcement LAS VEGAS, Oct. 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kicking off its first in-person attendance at a major airshow in two years, Bombardier is thrilled to present the stunning interior mock-up of the Challenger 3500 business jet, and honored to announce that the launch customer for this new aircraft is Les Goldberg, Chairman and CEO of Entertainment Technology Partners. Mr. Goldberg, a long-time Bombardier customer, will join the festivities as Bombardier celebrates its presence at the National Business Aviation Association Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE). “At Bombardier, we are excited to take part in this important industry event – and especially to be doing so in person, offering a truly special experience in which our guests can interact with our products and meet with us face to face,” said Eric Martel, President and Chief Executive Officer, Bombardier. “And what better way to celebrate our newest business jet than to showcase our beautiful interior mock-up and to be joined by Mr. Goldberg, our Challenger 3500 aircraft launch customer.” Entertainment Technology Partners is the parent company to a global collection of exceptional brands in the events and entertainment industry. “I’m overjoyed to be the launch customer for the Challenger 3500 aircraft,” said Mr. Goldberg, who currently owns a Challenger 350 jet. “Reliability is the most important thing to consider when buying an aircraft, and I know the new Challenger will allow me to travel the world to run my business. I’m looking forward to all the improvements that they’ve done to make the plane exceptional.” The Challenger 3500 aircraft, the newest chapter of the hugely successful Challenger platform, boasts a completely redesigned interior featuring patented Nuage seats, Bombardier’s signature smooth ride, as well as new technology from the cabin to the cockpit. The latest addition to Bombardier’s portfolio is off to a strong start, with a firm order for 20 Challenger 3500 business jets already on the books. Guests at Bombardier’s static display at Henderson Executive Airport will also have the chance to visit the spacious cabins of the company’s industry-leading business jets, including the flagship Global 7500 aircraft and the best-in-class Global 6500 aircraft. Meanwhile, Bombardier will showcase its innovative service offerings at the Las Vegas Convention Centre. The company is in the midst of a worldwide service center expansion, including the Miami Opa-Locka Executive Airport, to double its service footprint in Florida. Bombardier representatives will be on hand to discuss many exciting developments in its service offerings, including its new Certified Pre-Owned Aircraft Program, which is generating a high level of interest. One of the central themes at this year’s NBAA-BACE is sustainability, and Bombardier will once again demonstrate its central role as the industry strives to reduce its environmental footprint. “As the industry gathers to promote concrete action on sustainability, Bombardier is an important voice,” Mr. Martel said. “We continue to demonstrate our leadership, through initiatives including Environmental Product Declarations, sustainably minded innovations for our new Challenger 3500 aircraft, and a long-standing leadership role in the promotion of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).” During this exciting time for business aviation, Bombardier would like to highlight some of its key suppliers. Austria-based FACC manufactures the cabinets and other key cabin components for the Challenger 300-series aircraft such as the sidewalls, headliners, bulkheads and passenger service units. Collins Aerospace provides leading flight deck technology for Challenger and Global platforms. About Bombardier Bombardier is a global leader in aviation, creating innovative and game-changing planes. Our products and services provide world-class experiences that set new standards in passenger comfort, energy efficiency, reliability and safety. Headquartered in Montréal, Canada, Bombardier is present in more than 12 countries including its production/engineering sites and its customer support network. The Corporation supports a worldwide fleet of more than 4,900 aircraft in service with a wide variety of multinational corporations, charter and fractional ownership providers, governments and private individuals. News and information is available at bombardier.com or follow us on Twitter @Bombardier. For more information about our industry-leading business jets, visit the Bombardier Business Aircraft website. Bombardier, Challenger 350, Challenger 3500, Global 6500, Global 7500 and Nuage are registered or unregistered trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/10/11/2311924/0/en/Bombardier-Rides-Momentum-into-NBAA-Airshow-with-Mock-up-of-New-Challenger-3500-Business-Jet-Launch-Customer-Announcement.html How Far Can Aircraft Fly On One Engine? It’s the nightmare scenario that those who fear flying all dread. One of the engines on a jetliner completely malfunctions. This is definitely not a scenario that anyone would choose, but is there any need to worry unduly in this situation? The short answer to this question is… definitely not! Twin-engined aircraft can function perfectly adequately on one engine, both landing and taking off without difficulty. In fact, most airlines and pilots wouldn’t even view losing an engine during flight as a particularly serious problem, with all personnel onboard an aircraft trained extensively in order to deal with it. Aviation rules Pilots are taught to follow basic aviation rules, regardless of the severity of any particular incident. There are various protocols in place to ensure that pilots know how to react when an engine fails, depending on the engine’s state, which means that an engine outage should very rarely be considered a serious problem. It will even be possible to restart the engine in many cases, and passengers onboard may never even realize that there has been a problem. It should also be noted that the chances of engine failure in the first place are pretty slim. Safety statistics indicate that this is literally a one-in-a-million scenario, and most pilots will only ever experience an engine failure during the simulation phase of their training. But how far can an aircraft expect to fly with a single engine? ETOPS ratings All twin-engine aircraft are assigned what is known as an extended twin-engine operations rating, or ETOPS for short. This designates the amount of time that a particular aircraft is certified to fly while one engine is non-functional. The higher the ETOPS rating, the longer it can be expected to last. To deal with some of the most well-known aircraft out there, the highly-rated Boeing 787 Dreamliner has an ETOPS rating of 330 minutes, while the Airbus A350-900 has an even longer ETOPS rating of 370 minutes. With this latter rating being over six hours, Airbus states that this enables the A350 to clock up an impressive 4,630 kilometers on a single engine, meaning that it could fly from anywhere to anywhere, and never be more than that distance away from the nearest commercial airport. Four-engine aircraft are even safer. For example, a four-engine British Airways Boeing 747-400 lost an engine over the United States while traveling to the UK some years ago. But this posed no difficulties at all; the jetliner simply continued on its course and arrived in the UK without any difficulty. Outage consequences There are consequences of losing an engine, though. Losing 50% of an aircraft’s power will have an influence over altitude, meaning that aircraft will have to resort to an intermediate altitude for the duration of the remainder of the flight. It can also be slightly trickier to land the plane, although all pilots are extensively trained to deal with this. Overall, while an engine outage can be potentially alarming for those onboard, modern airline technology ensures that it should never cause anything other than a mild inconvenience. https://simpleflying.com/etops-single-engine-range/ How Los Angeles is preparing for the air taxi takeoff Ride-hailing and e-scooters caused chaos for cities across the United States, even as companies promised they would fix more problems than they created. The city of Los Angeles — eager to introduce zero-emission transportation — wants to ensure the launch of air taxis doesn’t repeat past mistakes. To help prepare Los Angeles for the new tech, a nonprofit organization spun out of LA Mayor Eric Garcetti’s office is working with air taxi developers and local residents to develop a policy toolkit in advance of commercial operations later this decade. There’s a lot to be hammered out before then. Foremost, the aircraft must be certified with the Federal Aviation Administration — a mammoth task in and of itself. But even beyond aircraft certification, companies will also need to plan for infrastructure, namely vertiports, or where the air taxis will take off and land. And these come with real issues like noise pollution and zoning laws that have the potential to affect not only city residents but other transportation networks, too. Urban Movement Labs was spun out of the mayor’s Office of Economic Development in 2020 to become a standalone 501c(3) nonprofit aimed at shaping the future of mobility in the city. This year, the organization commenced an urban air mobility (UAM) partnership with the Mayor’s Office and the Los Angeles Department of Transportation to drill down into how the city can integrate UAM into existing infrastructure and transportation networks in a way that maximizes equity and accessibility. The partnership is being funded, in part, by Archer Aviation and Hyundai’s Urban Air Mobility division. “We have a commitment from Hyundai and Archer to actually focus on assisting us in developing this policy toolkit,” Sam Morrissey, UML’s executive director, explained to TechCrunch in a recent interview. “That’s everything from the policies around where these vehicles will fly, the air routes, where these vehicles may land outside of commercial airports … and other related policies around planning for [vertiports].” Joby Aviation has coordinated with UML since the organization was formed, and German UAM developer Volocopter joined as UML’s newest partner earlier this month. “Our role is to really facilitate the new deployment of technology in Los Angeles,” Morrissey said. He added that the city wants to avoid the ex post facto scramble to regulate transportation technologies, like what happened after the launch of Uber, Lyft and scooter rental services. “Particularly in 2016, when Uber Elevate started talking about flying taxis in cities, the city of Los Angeles said, ‘We need to have a separate entity that can help focus this.’” The infrastructure challenge UML fashions itself as a three-way bridge between the city, private industry and, most importantly, Los Angelenos. The three perspectives may not always align. The launch of electric air taxis, in particular, presents unique challenges that need to be solved, everything from fire risk and zoning issues to noise pollution and issues that cause disagreement among stakeholders. Consider vertiports. While certifiying the aircraft is solely in the jurisdiction of the FAA, “if you want to build new infrastructure on the ground, this is obviously a municipal and a city question,” Greg Bowles, Joby’s head of government affairs, explained to TechCrunch. “The way you want to use that, the access to that, the permitting, those are all municipal [issues].” Morrissey said companies are primarily approaching route planning from a market standpoint – for example, looking at where people currently use Uber Black, the ride-sharing company’s premium service – while Urban Movement Labs wants to overlay that onto a regional-planning approach that accounts for how UAM would support existing transportation networks in the long term. Siting and zoning laws are another issue. Beyond the easy-to-imagine NIMBYism that may crop up once potential vertiport sites are located, operational tempo, or flights per hour, could affect how many air taxi operators can use a given site. While both Archer and Joby have announced private partnerships with REEF Technology to convert assets like parking garages into vertiport sites (and UML recognizes that these locations make a great deal of sense for a number of reasons), the city’s own regulations must still be accounted for before air taxis can start ferrying customers. “Converting the roof of a parking structure sounds good, but you ultimately still need Building and Safety to come in and say that this deck can support these aircraft, that the fire suppression needs are adequate enough,” Morrissey said. A major question mark is whether and how many vertiports will be exclusive-use versus shared among the companies. One can imagine air taxi takeoff and landing sites like airport gates (homogenous and shared among all airlines) or more like gas stations (branded, competitive and offering different amenities). This, too, could be another potential point of contention between the city, its residents and the air taxi companies. At least in the beginning, however, many companies may decide that working together — to set standards relating to noise and charging, for example — is the faster route to overall commercialization and adoption than working separately. “We don’t really look at this as a competitive space,” Bowles said of Joby’s work on vertiport standards. “This is something we have to build, so we’re working with a lot of the other OEMs and future operators.” The final question, of course, is the perennial one: Who’s going to pay for it? “When we think about vertiports in the future, it’s going to be really a combination of who provides the capital to build and operate that vertiport, and a conversation with the city as far as who can access those vertiports and what the pros and cons might be to a community, of having open-access vertiports versus not open-access,” Archer’s head of business development, Andrew Cummins, told TechCrunch in a recent interview. Echoing Cummins, UML’s urban air mobility fellow, Clint Harper, said that while the city of Los Angeles has been clear about its preference for an “OEM-ambiguous” infrastructure, much of the final network will depend on whether vertiports are completely private enterprises or built through public-private partnerships. “They’re different funding models to bring infrastructure into reality,” he said. “Depending on what that funding model looks like, I think will tell us whether or not it’s going to be a multi-operator type of facility or a single operator facility.” Volocopter’s chief commercial officer, Christian Bauer, told TechCrunch it was the company’s viewpoint that “we need an open system” for all OEMs. “We do not want to invest into real estate,” he added. Working with the city and beyond Many of these questions are big, and will likely take years to reconcile. In part, that’s because cities are still awaiting guidance from federal regulators. Harper told TechCrunch that UML is staying flexible as recommendations from the FAA, National Fire Protection Association and the International Code Council’s building code continue to evolve. For their part, air taxi OEMs are also working at the federal level to provide input into developing policies. Archer, Joby and Volocopter are all also working with federal regulators and city municipalities. Looking to the rest of the year and into next, UML said it’s reaching out to transportation advocacy groups, like pedestrian safety or cyclist organizations, as well as social issue groups that focus on things like homelessness, to understand how to plan for urban air mobility. Equity is particularly important in transportation planning in order to avoid repeating past mistakes: The Union of Concerned Scientists, for example, found that California’s people of color and low-income residents are disproportionately exposed to tailpipe emissions. Much of the work on the city side is simply ensuring that relevant city departments are up-to-date on the latest developments with vertiports. Some of that comes down to ensuring the building and safety and fire departments, among others, can assign full-time staff to prepare for vertiports and new infrastructure. Ultimately, Morrissey said UML is trying to be methodical. “I think the reality is that these vehicles are coming, and we really want to do everything we can to plan for it but stay out of the hype cycle.” https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/11/how-los-angeles-is-preparing-for-the-air-taxi-takeoff/ X-59 QueSST: The quiet supersonic aeroplane that could revolutionise air travel NASA, though best known for its spacecraft, also has a pretty sizeable fleet of aircraft under its belt. It has a venerable tradition of X-planes, where ‘X’ stands for experimental. It started back in 1946 with the X-1, which became the first aircraft to travel faster than sound. Three-quarters of a century on, its new plane, the X-59, also aims to break the sound barrier – but this time it’s going to do it quietly. The speed of sound has always caused headaches for aircraft designers. The reason lies in the nature of sound itself. When anything from a handclap to a rocket disturbs the air, it causes pressure changes that spread out like a wave. The speed of this wave depends on the properties of the air, but under normal conditions it’s around 1,200km/h (750mph). “All aircraft change the pressure in the air around them as they fly,” explains Peter Coen of NASA’s Langley Research Center. The consequences depend on whether the aircraft is flying slower or faster than the sound it produces. “In a typical subsonic aircraft, the pressure changes are gradual, [so] air molecules ahead of the aircraft sense the pressure change before the aircraft reaches them,” Coen continues. “But if an airplane flies faster than sound, the molecules upstream don’t know that it is coming.” From the point of view of those molecules, all the sound waves the aircraft has been pushing ahead of it arrive at once. “The pressure changes happen instantaneously in what is called a shock wave,” Coen says. “A shock wave, from the nose of the aircraft for example, travels outward in all directions and merges with other shocks, from the wings or cockpit window… The result of this is two large, distinct shock waves that we hear on the ground as the two booms of a sonic boom.” While we may only hear the sonic boom briefly, it’s actually produced continuously for as long as the aircraft is supersonic. People at different points under the flight path will hear it at different times – and when they do, they’ll all jump out of their skin in surprise. That’s why, back in the 1970s, the United States and many other countries imposed an almost complete ban on supersonic flight over their territories. This situation is unlikely to change unless the sonic boom is reduced to an acceptable level. This is where Coen and his team come in. He’s the mission integration manager for NASA’s Low-Boom Flight Demonstration project. Their aim is to produce a viable supersonic design that’s no more disruptive to people on the ground than an ordinary aircraft. That would’ve been unthinkable 50 years ago, but advances in computer-aided design mean it’s within our grasp today. The result, a collaborative effort with Lockheed Martin, is the X-59 – a proposed test vehicle dubbed QueSST (for Quiet Supersonic Technology). “The X-59 aircraft is equipped with unique shaping and supersonic technologies,” Coen explains. “A long slender nose, engine placement on the top of the aircraft and its External Vision System are all designed to control the strength and position of the shock waves to produce a softer sound to those on the ground.” The aim isn’t to eliminate shock waves altogether – which is impossible – but to design the aircraft in such a way that the shock waves are spaced roughly equally along its length. “Because of this, the shock waves do not merge into the double shock boom but are individually weakened and softened,” says Coen. Although it was designed with aerodynamic considerations first and foremost, the X-59 is a striking-looking aircraft by any standards. Almost a third of its 30-metre length is taken up by the sharply pointed nose, behind which the single-seat cockpit is so carefully moulded into the streamlined fuselage that it’s barely discernible. In fact, the pilot doesn’t even have a forward-facing windscreen – just an HD video display showing the view ahead (that’s the External Vision System that Coen referred to earlier). All this careful shaping should, according to the simulations, reduce the dreaded sonic boom to a more acceptable ‘sonic thump’. To quantify sudden, sharp sounds, NASA uses a measure called ‘perceived level decibels’, or PLdB. A conventional sonic boom is around 105PLdB, while a car door slamming six metres away is just 75PLdB. That’s the level the X-59 is aiming at. When it’s flying at 1,400km/h (925mph) – around 1.4 times the speed of sound – at a typical cruising altitude, all you should hear is a mild thump no worse than your neighbour slamming a car door. So far, however, it’s all theory. Only when NASA takes delivery of the X-59 from Lockheed Martin early in 2023 will they be able to see how reality measures up. The test schedule will fall into two phases – careful scientific measurements over NASA’s California test ranges to start with, followed by a community response study over a few selected US cities. The latter phase is crucial, because there are subtleties in the way people react to sounds that go beyond measurable quantities like PLdB. Coen and his team hope the X-59’s sonic thump will be acceptable to the public, but they can’t be sure. “Once we get into the community overflight test phase of the mission, we will collect this input from people who are actually on the ground and hear the sound the X-59 makes when it flies overhead,” Coen explains. Gauging public reaction is critical, because ultimately only this – as opposed to any number of scientific measurements and calculations – will carry weight with aviation regulators. The aim is to persuade them to modify the blanket ban on supersonic overflights, granting an exemption for any future aircraft that might pick up on the X-59’s low-boom design features. If everything goes the way NASA is hoping, the final years of this decade could see the start of a second great era of supersonic air travel, following the abortive first era that began and ended with Concorde. The Concorde was operated between 1976 and 2003 by just two airlines, British Airways and Air France. The stringent flight restrictions meant the iconic aircraft was only ever used on transatlantic routes. Concorde was notoriously expensive, of course, but that was largely because it was the first of its kind. And with such a limited range of available routes, aerospace companies simply didn’t have sufficient incentive to carry out the research that might have made it more economical in terms of fuel consumption and passenger capacity. In an alternative timeline in which the sonic boom problem never arose, the situation today might have been very different, with supersonic air travel being the norm on all the world’s long-haul routes. Now there’s a real possibility that this could happen in our world, if the X-59 lives up to expectations. https://www.sciencefocus.com/future-technology/x-59-quesst/ With NASA Partnership, Orlando Begins Planning for Air Taxis, Flying Cars ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando is preparing for when flying cars are an option for those who want to soar over congested highways or between nearby cities. And they may arrive far sooner than 2062, as "The Jetsons" predicted. The city has signed onto a partnership with NASA to develop strategies for welcoming electric oversized drones, which take off vertically from landing pads called vertiports. The city’s first vertiport, to be built by the German company Lillium, is planned for the Lake Nona area. Though officials suspect the mode of transportation could take off in coming years, so far the Federal Aviation Authority hasn’t approved any such vehicles for use. But a recent study found that a piece of a projected $2.5 billion market could be in play for early adopters of the technology. “We’ve heard from different operators that their hope is to be in operation with passengers sometime in the 2024-2025 time frame,” said Jacques Coulon, an Orlando transportation planning projects coordinator. “For us, that means they’ll want to have a vertiport in place and so we’ll need to have regulations set and full understanding of what those impacts are before then.” Nancy Mendonca, a NASA official working with Orlando and other governments in the partnership, said the agency has heard from the FAA that companies are already applying for certifications for potential air taxis. Local governments play a key role in charting the path for so-called “advanced air mobility” because city codes determine things like zoning rules for vertiports, economic development surrounding the stations and other important rules and infrastructure. Coulon said there could be several vertiports throughout Orlando soon, as the technology becomes more mainstream. Last year, Lillium reached a deal with the City of Orlando and Tavistock Group, Lake Nona’s developer, to build its vertiport, which could be the first in the United States. The city agreed to pitch in about $1 million over 10 years in the form of property tax rebates if the company complies with job creation and wage requirements. It’s estimated to cost about $25 million for the port with two landing pads and the ability to charge eight vehicles. Lillium’s planes are battery-powered and have 36 engines, officials said at the time. At first, trip costs would rival a luxury flight but could decline to rates similar to a car trip in about a decade, a Lillium official speculated. The city’s plan is expected to include a review of positive and negative economic, environmental and community impacts. Coulon also said it will focus on equity, in hopes of paving the way for vertiports to eventually be spread around the city so they’re accessible to people of all neighborhoods and income levels. The initiative, part of Mayor Buddy Dyer’s “Future-Ready City” priority, drew criticisms from some Central Floridians frustrated with the region’s lacking transportation infrastructure on the ground. Sam Gallaher, who advocates for transit upgrades and bicycle infrastructure, acknowledged it’s good for the city to have an eye toward the future. But he said Orlando has more pressing needs. “They haven’t really got a grasp of what is on the ground right now and that really needs to be a priority in general for the city,” he said, citing the need for bike lanes and complete streets. “We’re consistently ranked the most dangerous for people walking.” After a tweet from the city’s account promoted the NASA partnership last month, a few dozen accounts responded with criticisms of the city’s lack of downtown bike lanes and a train system that doesn’t run on the weekends. “I love you Orlando, but we haven’t even mastered pedestrian safety or public transportation and I highly doubt a working class mom who works at the airport would benefit from this,” State Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, tweeted. “Let’s be a present-ready city first.” Mendonca, NASA’s Deputy Advanced Air Mobility Mission Integration manager, said cities’ interest in planning reflects a lesson learned from scooters, which were criticized when they rolled out in many cities in recent years with limited regulation. In Orlando, the city learned after launching them it needed parking infrastructure and better instructions for where their use was allowed. “I think there have been some lessons learned there,” she said. “I think it’s great that the cities are starting to lean forward and look ahead.” Coulon said the work will be advantageous in the coming years when air taxis become more than science fiction. “We saw this coming to our backyard and we just didn’t want to wait and see what happened,” he said. “They’re going to come most likely whether we do anything or not, so for us, we want to plan for them.” https://www.aviationpros.com/aircraft/business-general-aviation/news/21241707/with-nasa-partnership-orlando-begins-planning-for-air-taxis-flying-cars UK to trial hydrogen-fuelled zero emissions commercial jet in world first British engineers are set to begin trialling a green commercial passenger jet in a global first. It comes as the aviation industry, which produces around 2 per cent of all human-induced carbon dioxide emissions, seeks solutions to decarbonise airlines. The Cop26 summit in Glasgow in November will also be pivotal for improving the sustainability of aviation. Cranfield Aerospace Solutions (CAeS) is hoping to make zero-emissions flights commercially available by 2025. The company has purchased and taken delivery of a Britten-Norman Islander light aircraft from the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group, and will retrofit it with hydrogen fuel cell technology. “We are excited to begin testing our hydrogen fuel cell power-train technology on a widely used commercial aircraft,” said Paul Hutton, chief executive of CAeS. “It is critical that the aviation industry delivers real zero-emissions aircraft solutions to reduce its impact on the environment. “We are now rapidly progressing to delivering the first certified emissions-free passenger carrying aircraft services anywhere in the world.” CAeS is leading the Project Fresson consortium. It is named after Scottish Highlands aviation pioneer Captain Ernest Edmund “Ted” Fresson, who established Highland Airways and introduced the first passenger air services between Inverness, Wick and Kirkwall in the 1930s. How it works The project will see conventional engines removed and replaced with an electric motor and a hydrogen fuel cell. “We are also installing hydrogen tanks for the gaseous hydrogen that feeds the fuel cells,” Jenny Kavanagh, chief strategy officer at CAeS, told The National. She explained the process: · The fuel cells take the hydrogen and split the molecules into negatively and positively charged ions. · The negatively charged molecules are forced through a circuit, thereby creating the electricity to drive the electric motor · The positively charged molecules travel through the fuel cell body and recombine with the negative ions and oxygen from the air to create water, which is exhausted into the atmosphere. She said the consortium is still seeking investment opportunities to help further the project. The arrival of the Islander in CAeS’s hangar marks a critical step towards the world’s first regulatory-certified, zero-emissions, commercial passenger carrying aircraft. It means the company can commence test flights on the existing engines to record their full performance before it starts installing and testing the revolutionary hydrogen systems. CAeS aims for the first test flight to take place in 2023, and for the zero emissions product to be in the market by 2025. The project, which has been supported by the UK government with a £10.3 million ($14m) grant, is the first phase of the hydrogen project, with CAeS aiming to produce a commercially-viable hydrogen 19-seat aircraft, followed by a 75-seat model. Stuart Reid, chief executive of the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group, which sold the craft to the engineers, praised the initiative. “We are pleased to have completed the sale of G-BUBP, one of our four BN Islander aircraft, to Cranfield Aerospace Solutions,” he said. “The Isles of Scilly Steamship Company are committed to working towards a zero-emission aviation industry and being an early adopter of this cutting-edge technology. “We are excited about Cranfield Aerospace’s Project Fresson and we look forward to the development of their new hydrogen fuel cell aircraft.” CAeS, which is based at Cranfield Airport in Bedford, has access to some of the UK’s most advanced aviation research facilities and has a client base including Boeing, Airbus, Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems. UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps visited the project earlier this year. https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/uk-news/2021/10/11/cop26-uk-to-trial-hydrogen-fuelled-zero-emissions-commercial-jet-in-world-first/ Varda Space Industries will send its first space factory to orbit on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Varda Space Industries, a startup that wants to build in-space manufacturing facilities, will be sending its first spacecraft to orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in 2023. The actual spacecraft — the startup’s first to go to orbit — will be made by SpaceX’s rival launch company, Rocket Lab, which will also make two subsequent space vehicles for Varda. The three vehicles will be outfitted with two Varda-made modules: a microgravity manufacturing module and a reentry capsule. The aim is for each spacecraft to spend approximately three months in orbit, with the reentry module bringing back around 40-60 kilograms of manufactured materials. Varda’s goal is to unlock the benefits of microgravity — which can only be found for sustained periods in space — for manufacturing novel materials, like bio-printed organs or specialized semiconductors. The startup’s bet is that the potential market for such materials is high enough to make the effort worth it. The Torrance, California-based startup has been moving fast since its founding by SpaceX veteran Will Bruey and Founders Fund principal Delian Asparouhov a little less than a year ago. Varda announced a $42 million Series A in July, and plans on following an aggressive launch schedule, with two launches in 2023 and a third in 2024. The spacecraft will be one of many objects aboard the Falcon 9 rideshare mission, a new and lucrative program that spreads the cost of going to space between customers by allowing them to essentially carpool to space. SpaceX promises to slash the cost of launch to as low as $1 million for an individual customer looking to send up to 200 kilograms of payload to sun synchronous orbit. https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/11/varda-space-industries-will-send-its-first-space-factory-to-orbit-on-a-spacex-falcon-9-rocket/ Curt Lewis