June 24, 2022 - No. 28 In This Issue : D-Orbit books Isar Aerospace launch for orbital transfer vehicle : Tata Aerospace is Boeing 'Supplier of the Year', picked out of 11,000 firms : TP Aerospace Joins Forces With Honeywell To Support The Orbis Flying Eye Hospital : New aircraft maintenance facility at Dayton International Airport to bring job opportunities : NATA Welcomes Ken Thompson, New Senior Advisor for Maintenance : Federal Aviation Administration grants $10 million to OHIO's Avionics Engineering Center : Independent Report Recommends Changes After FAA's Faulty 737 MAX Risk Assessment : ISASI 2022 - Brisbane D-Orbit books Isar Aerospace launch for orbital transfer vehicle TAMPA, Fla. — Germany’s Isar Aerospace announced plans June 22 to launch an orbital transfer vehicle no earlier than 2023 for Italian space logistics company D-Orbit. Isar Aerospace said D-Orbit is the primary customer for the mission to sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), which will use the German company’s Spectrum launch vehicle that it expects to debut this year or next. The announcement said the launch term for their mission starts in 2023 and will use Isar Aerospace’s launchpad in Andøya, Norway, but did not reveal further details. Spectrum is designed to launch 700 kilograms to SSO, and D-Orbit’s ION Satellite Carrier orbital transfer vehicle can host several cubesats and microsatellites per mission. Similar to other orbital transfer vehicles developed by companies including Spaceflight and Momentus, ION promises satellite operators operational efficiencies by dropping their payloads off at custom orbits post-launch. Isar Aerospace referred questions about the satellites planning to use the ION to fine-tune their orbits to D-Orbit, which was unable to comment before this article was published. Isar Aerospace chief commercial officer Stella Guillen said their agreement only covers one launch, ”but we are looking forward to strengthen our cooperation.” Guillen said Spectrum’s first and second flight will carry European payloads that are being selected as part of a competition run by German space agency DLR. The competition is part of an 11 million euro ($11.6 million) award Isar Aerospace received from DLR and the European Space Agency in April 2021. In return, Isar Aerospace is giving the German government up to 150 kilograms of payload space on each of its first two Spectrum flights. DLR started inviting applications June 20 for free flights on Isar Aerospace’s second mission, which is slated to fly in 2023. While the first mission targeted European institutions, Isar Aerospace said startups and small and medium-sized businesses can apply for the second flight. The application deadline is October 15. “D-Orbit will be on-board of one of the following flights,” Guillen said. D-Orbit announced plans Jan. 27 to go public through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company in a deal valuing it at $1.28 billion. The company expects to raise $185 million after closing the deal in the third quarter of this year. It plans to use proceeds to accelerate the development of products and services, which also include plans for active debris removal and space-based cloud computing. https://spacenews.com/d-orbit-books-isar-aerospace-launch-for-orbital-transfer-vehicle/ Tata Aerospace is Boeing 'Supplier of the Year', picked out of 11,000 firms Nine companies feted for 'proactively managing supply chain quality, advancing global sustainability' Tata Aerospace & Defence was recognised on Friday by The Boeing Company (Boeing) with the coveted award of “Supplier of the Year.” The Indian company was amongst nine suppliers that were awarded out of more than 11,000 suppliers worldwide. “The award is given to a supplier who contributes to Boeing’s success by sharing risk and through long-term relationships that support and advance our strategic objectives,” stated Boeing. In a press release on Friday, Boeing announced that, for the first time, it was also recognising firms for “proactively managing supply chain quality, readiness and health and delivering on Boeing’s commitment to advance global sustainability.” According to a press release by Boeing, the award categories are: Supplier Diversity, Outstanding Performance, Alliance, Pathfinder, Supply Chain Visibility, Collaboration, Sustainability, Risk Management and Support & Services. For the first time, a Sustainability Supplier of the Year was awarded to demonstrate the importance of collaboration to drive sustainability across the supply chain. “Each Boeing Supplier of the Year delivered impressive performance as our entire industry collaborated to drive stability through a challenging environment,” said William Ampofo of Boeing Global Services. “They did an outstanding job maintaining our high standards – a focus on operational excellence, quality and reliability – that allow Boeing to continue to earn the trust of our stakeholders, customers and the flying public.” Boeing stated that it works with nearly 11,000 active suppliers worldwide and spends approximately $37 billion in supplier payments every year. Another Indian firm, Rossell TechSys, has twice been nominated “Supplier of the Year” by Boeing in the last decade. https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/tata-aerospace-is-boeing-supplier-of-the-year-picked-out-of-11-000-firms-122062401142_1.html TP Aerospace Joins Forces With Honeywell To Support The Orbis Flying Eye Hospital The Orbis Flying Eye Hospital MD-10 will be supported with wheels and brakes from Honeywell and TP Aerospace for the next five years. Yesterday, non-profit NGO Orbis International announced that Honeywell and TP Aerospace will provide wheels and brake material for its MD-10 Flying Eye Hospital. The Flying Eye Hospital is a state-of-the-art ophthalmic teaching facility with an operating room, classroom and pre-and post-operative room. The five-year agreement means Honeywell and TP Aerospace will provide maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of Honeywell's wheels and brakes on the McDonnell Douglas MD-10. Honeywell is the sole source supplier for MD-10 wheels and brake material, so their support of Orbis will reduce cost and keep the aircraft operationally ready. Bruce Johnson is the director of aircraft operations and maintenance for Orbis. Today, he told Simple Flying the agreement had its genesis back in 2017 when TP Aerospace asked how it could support the Orbis program. The two agreed that TP Aerospace would supply Orbis with wheels, tires and brakes as needed. "In 2020, TP Aerospace joined Honeywell's Channel Partner network, where Honeywell provides TP Aerospace with the parts used in the overhaul of the wheels, tires and brakes used on the Orbis aircraft and, therefore, 2022 marked the first year of the TP Aerospace/Honeywell support." TP Aerospace is one of the world's leading wheel and brake MRO specialists and has ten locations spread globally. Its core focus and expertise is in wheels and brakes and supports global customers, such as Orbis, on a 24/7/365 basis, including aircraft-on-ground events. Something from Honeywell Aerospace can be found on virtually every commercial, defense and space aircraft operating today. Its products include engines, cockpit and cabin electronics, avionics, wireless connectivity, components and mechanical parts. Johnson told Simple Flying that Orbis immediately began seeing benefits from the original association with TP Aerospace. "In early 2018, we received our first order of wheels and tires from TP Aerospace, and we have continued to see those benefits every year since the support started. This year we received a complete set of wheels and tires, two nose and ten main, for the Flying Eye Hospital." "Overall the benefits are two-fold; it takes the guesswork out of finding a supplier and it saves Orbis the expense of having to purchase wheels, tires and brakes. As a non-profit, every dollar we save makes a big difference." The Mcdonnell Douglas MD-10, registration N330AU, was born a DC10 and first delivered to US carrier Trans International Airlines in April 1973. According to Planespotters.net, it also flew with Transamerica Airlines, Nigeria Airlines, Air Florida and FedEx before being retired in 2010. After its merger with McDonnell Douglas, Boeing upgraded many DC-10s with a new glass cockpit that eliminated the flight engineer position and gave it a common type rating with the MD-11, which FedEx also operated. So by the time it became the Flying Eye Hospital the aircraft was an MD-10. Founded in 1982, Orbis operates the Flying Eye Hospital and a telemedicine platform, Cybersight. Its mission is to prevent and treat avoidable blindness and it has delivered training to eye care teams in nearly 100 countries. The Flying Eye Hospital has a fully accredited ophthalmic teaching hospital onboard for training local doctors and nurses. According to Flightradar24.com, the MD-10's last overseas mission was in November 2019, in Accra, Ghana, for three weeks. After that, it was off to Victorville (VCV) in California, US, home to many stored aircraft riding out the pandemic, with its most recent flight from Memphis International Airport (MEM) to Fort Worth Alliance Airport (AFW) on October 14, 2021. https://simpleflying.com/tp-aerospace-honeywell-orbis-flying-eye-hospital-support/ New aircraft maintenance facility at Dayton International Airport to bring job opportunities DAYTON — The Dayton City Commission approved two pieces of legislation Wednesday worth $500,000 to move forward with the Sierra Nevada project at Dayton International Airport. >>New aircraft maintenance facilities at Dayton International Airport to create 150 new jobs Officials with the Sierra Nevada Corporation, an engineering firm with ties to national security, defense and space projects, announced back in January they will be bringing and creating 150 jobs. Keith Klein, senior development specialist for Dayton, told News Center 7′s Mike Campbell on Thursday the city is expecting construction to be completed by early 2023. The groundbreaking was in February and the company wants to hire Dayton residents first. “They have to create the jobs in order to receive the grant funds,” Klein said. “They will work with our partners like Sinclair Community College.” Clay Pittman, Aviation Technology Department chairman at Sinclair Community College, told Campbell he hopes this will help spark an increase in the number of mechanics in the region because of the worldwide demand. “The demand right here in the region for trained mechanics is great and growing,” Pittman said. “Sierra Nevada is bringing huge operations at the Dayton Airport.” He added that Sinclair’s education program offers a perfect fit for expanding the facility at the airport. “We are extremely fortunate that we have been able to partner with the city of Dayton and the Dayton airport,” Pittman said. “The new training facility there will expand our aviation maintenance program.” Klein said Dayton International Airport has been a driver in bringing jobs and growth to the area, particular to the logistics community. “This project is more maintenance oriented with aircraft,” he said. “There’s going to be a lot of opportunities for aircraft technicians.” The $500,000 in contracts approved by the city commission will keep the construction going and allow the commission to monitor the company to make sure they provide the jobs they promised. https://www.whio.com/news/local/new-aircraft-maintenance-facility-dayton-international-airport-bring-job-opportunities/FCPKKBQYGFD2JLPU4VOMFDOUII/ NATA Welcomes Ken Thompson, New Senior Advisor for Maintenance The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) announces that FAA and industry veteran Ken Thompson has joined NATA’s regulatory team as Senior Advisor, specializing in business aviation maintenance issues. “Ken brings over 48 years of aviation experience to the NATA regulatory team, including nearly three decades as an FAA Aviation Safety Inspector. His experience in key compliance and safety roles will enhance the association’s aviation maintenance expertise and representation of our members,” stated NATA Vice President of Regulatory Affairs John McGraw. “We look forward to Ken’s leadership on and participation in industry groups tasked with reviewing and providing feedback on laws and regulations related to certificating and overseeing all Part 145 repair stations,” added NATA COO Keith DeBerry. Thompson will also serve as staff liaison for NATA’s Aircraft Maintenance and Systems Technology (AMST) Committee and will act as recognized observer on the Part 145 Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC) Working Group. Thompson is currently President of TAPS LLC, an aviation industry consultancy that provides compliance and certification process support. He also serves as a Designated Airworthiness Representative (Maintenance) for the FAA, where he held key positions for more than 26 years. From 2016-2020, Thompson served as the FAA Senior Manager in the Civil Aviation Registry with responsibility for the Aircraft Registry. There he provided leadership and oversight for seven departments, ensuring proper interpretation of aviation regulations and consistency for individual and corporate aviation entities as they moved through the certification process. For seven years prior, he was responsible for development and delivery of the FAA Designee training curriculum, equipping individuals and corporate representatives to conduct airworthiness certification in accordance with Agency statutes, regulations, and policies. In 2006, Thompson was the FAA Compliance and Enforcement Course Manager, partnering with legal and management representatives from FAA’s nine regulatory offices to build a syllabus that provided comprehensive and more advanced training for FAA’s regulatory workforce. Thompson began his FAA career in 1994 as an Aviation Safety Inspector in both Manufacturing and Maintenance field offices. Thompson is a certificated Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic and has served as an Aircraft Mechanic/Inspector (A&P/IA), Quality Control Inspector, Quality Assurance Manager, Chief Inspector, Designated Manufacturing Inspection Representative (DMIR), and Senior Manager in manufacturing and maintenance facilities. Ken Thompson joins John McGraw, NATA’s Vice President of Regulatory Affairs; Megan Eisenstein, Managing Director of Industry & Regulatory Affairs; and fellow Senior Advisors Jacqueline Rosser (Air Charter) and Chris Baum (Security). https://www.aviationpros.com/aircraft/business-general-aviation/press-release/21270167/national-air-transportation-association-nata-nata-welcomes-ken-thompson-new-senior-advisor-for-maintenance Federal Aviation Administration grants $10 million to OHIO's Avionics Engineering Center Ohio University’s Avionics Engineering Center (Avionics) has been awarded a $10 million agreement from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to enable the FAA to obtain specialized technical support from Avionics personnel, as well as access to Avionics test facilities. This is a five-year agreement that, in part, recognizes Avionics as a unique research organization specializing in the research, development, evaluation, implementation and sustainability of electronic navigation. “In 1963, the founder of Avionics, Dr. Richard H. McFarland, was looking to create a center that would have a mix of theorists and practitioners to offer quick, practical solutions to problems for the FAA,” Mike DiBenedetto, Ph.D., senior research program engineer at the Avionics Engineering Center, said. The award of this agreement continues a collaborative partnership with the FAA that spans almost six decades, beginning with the first FAA equipment grant in 1963. The agreement has evolved since 1963, however. Today when the FAA needs support from OHIO, it issues a task order communicating its request. From there, the Avionics team responds with a plan detailing the technical approach, staffing plan and budget for the proposed solution. The $10 million agreement directly funds the support and execution of each task completed by Avionics. Through the decades, this partnership has remained strong largely because Avionics has been a hub for subject matter experts and testing equipment useful to the aviation industry. “Avionics focuses on every aspect of a product’s lifecycle and the FAA has a need for that capability. When they need a system or concept, we are an integral part of their team that crafts the paper design and then turns it into real hardware or software. We then take that product into the field and test it,” DiBenedetto said. Avionics is home to nationally recognized experts, as well as faculty and graduate students from the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, who lead investigative research advancing the technological mission of the FAA’s navigation programs. The expertise, research facilities and specialized flight test aircraft within Avionics will help to improve the safety and efficiency of the navigation and landing services in the U.S. National Airspace System. This partnership creates unique opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students, as well. Students have been able to take on various projects that allow them to apply their theoretical knowledge to practical problems — many of which become useful tools utilized in the civil airspace. “As engineers, it is our obligation to produce and implement ideas that are beneficial to society. We want to provide our students with the opportunities to do research that can be impactful, and the Center has that inherent capability,” DiBenedetto said. This partnership with the FAA has allowed Avionics to flourish at Ohio University, giving students, faculty and staff real-world challenges to address on a daily basis. The team at OHIO has tested, repaired and developed equipment and tools for the FAA, gaining the FAA’s confidence and trust over the course of a 60-year partnership. “We have test facilities that mimic real airport environments, and we have aircraft with airborne data collection systems that we can actually go and fly. This is fun work for us, but taken very seriously,” DiBenedetto said. The hope is that Avionics can continue this partnership for many years to come because it is mutually beneficial to both the FAA and Ohio University. “We want to continue to be a part of the emerging technology in this industry by embracing forward-looking ingenuity and creativity in our partnership,” DiBenedetto said. https://www.ohio.edu/news/2022/06/federal-aviation-administration-grants-10-million-ohios-avionics-engineering-center Independent Report Recommends Changes After FAA's Faulty 737 MAX Risk Assessment The way the FAA assesses the risk of a fatal airplane crash after a safety incident needs substantial overhaul, according to an evaluation mandated by Congress. Jun. 24—The way the FAA assesses the risk of a fatal airplane crash after a safety incident needs substantial overhaul, according to an evaluation mandated by Congress following the two Boeing 737 MAX crashes conducted by an expert panel for the National Academies of Sciences. The FAA declined to discuss with the expert committee the specific risk analysis that prompted the review: the safety regulator's December 2018 risk assessment after the first crash of a Boeing 737 MAX in Indonesia that led to the decision to allow the MAX to continue to fly. Nevertheless, the 74-page technical report, published Wednesday, offers 13 recommendations for substantial improvements in the process that produced that 2018 assessment. A month after the Indonesian MAX crash, the FAA formally assessed the risk of further crashes due to a malfunction of the same flight control system. It concluded that, without a fix, there would be about 15 crashes over the entire life of the MAX fleet — one crash every two or three years on average. With that analysis, the FAA decided to allow the MAX to continue flying while Boeing came up with what was expected to be a quick software fix — until the second crash occurred just over four months later. So while unable to comment specifically on that faulty 737 MAX risk analysis, "the committee was able to make recommendations that, if adopted, would significantly improve the ... process," the report states in the preface. The new report notes upfront that "FAA management declined to provide additional details or to discuss the [December 2018 risk] analysis of the 737 MAX with the committee." Tarek Milleron, whose niece Samya Rose Stumo died in the second MAX crash in Ethiopia, has called the FAA's 2018 risk assessment "stunningly incompetent." He pushed to have this independent review of the process included as a mandate in the Aircraft Certification Safety and Accountability Act that Congress passed in 2020 in response to the MAX crashes. Milleron welcomed the report's recommendations, but was angered by the FAA's unwillingness to share with the committee the specific data upon which it based its 2018 conclusions about the risk of another MAX crash. "The broad scope of improvements dryly suggested by the committee amounts to an absolutely humiliating assessment of the FAA's risk-analysis procedure," Milleron said. "But the FAA gave the double middle finger to families of victims of the MAX crashes, to Congress and the general public by refusing to discuss with the National Academies data inputs to the risk assessment it did for the MAX after the Lion Air crash" in Indonesia, he added. "I'm astonished at how the FAA continues to stonewall." In a statement, the FAA said "We appreciate the Academies members' time and expertise for this important work. We welcome outside scrutiny and are carefully reviewing the report." Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., chair of the U.S. House Transportation Committee who played a big role in the legislation requiring the report, urged the FAA to implement its recommendations "without delay." Subjective judgments in place of data The FAA's formal process for assessing the risk of an aircraft accident is known as the Transport Airplane Risk Assessment Methodology, or TARAM. As with the TARAM done on the MAX, the result is a very precise set of numbers that stipulates the mathematical probability of an accident happening and the predicted real-world outcome. The 2018 TARAM on the MAX, for example, projected that without a fix the flight control flaw would cause 15.4 crashes and kill 2,921 people in the 30- to 40-year life of the entire fleet. A bottom-line finding that the crash risk for an aircraft fleet is above .02 requires the FAA, at least, to issue an Airworthiness Directive. When the MAX figure came in at 15.4, the FAA did so, flagging the flight control issue for pilots and providing them instructions on how to handle a repeat incident — instructions that proved woefully inadequate. https://www.aviationpros.com/aircraft/commercial-airline/news/21272222/independent-report-recommends-changes-after-faas-faulty-737-max-risk-assessment Curt Lewis