Flight International 18-24 November 20142014

IN-SERVICE REPORT DREAMLINER: THE VERDICT What 787-8 operators really think of it

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VOLUME 186 NUMBER 5465 18-24 NOVEMBER 2014 NEWS

ZHUHAI FLYERS UAV MOTHERSHIPS ROYAL QUARTET HIGHLIGHTS FROM DARPA concept envisages World’s number one CHINA’S BIGGEST small unmanned systems Boeing Business Jet AIR SHOW EVER THIS WEEK deployed from aircraft operator adds two BBJs, REPORT P28 carriers in the sky 26 two Global 5000s5000s 37 12 Philae set to tap comet’s secrets FLIGHTFLIGHT 13 INTERNATIONALINTERNAT IONAL Boeing delivers design for APU ‘bowing’ on 787-8. 18-2418-24 NOVEMBERNOVEMBER 20142014 Canada eases restrictions on lightweight UAVs. Service entry looms as FAA certificates A350-900

IN-SERVICE REPORT DREAMLINER: 14 THE VERDICT SpaceShipTwo pilot recalls moments before What 787-8 operators really think of it break-up. Obama seeks more funding for Inherent Resolve. Bell 505 passes first flight milestone 16 Morphing wings begin to take shape. New Mooney rises with Chinese-inspired designs

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9 770015 371266 AIR TRANSPORT AirTeamImages COVER IMAGE 18 Austrian looks set to swap Fokkers for CSeries. Crown Copyright RAF Tornados fly final mission in Afghanistan P25 All Nippon Airways’ 787-8 Reduced-thrust take-off cleared for Superjet 100. ATRs to replace ageing Q300s at Bahamasair JA805A is pictured visiting AIRSHOW CHINA REPORT 19 Prop pierced Q400 fuselage. Beijing in January 2012, 28 Comac bags new orders for twinjets. three months after the type Flag carrier hopeful for UK-Qatar open skies pact. Indian authority probes SpiceJet buffalo collision Surprise show debut for experimental J-31 fighter entered revenue service 20 IAG aims to standardise on its A320s 29 Y-20 makes grand entrance. with the carrier P38 22 ANZ to drop 1900Ds in regional network revamp CATIC courts export buyers for JF-17 32 23 Putin blames MH17 crash site obstruction on MA700 launch customers announced. Ukraine. Bombardier could build Chinese final assembly line SIA fuel usage down 3% after A340 retirement 33 Airbus touts regional A330 benefits. Reignwood to add more Bell 505s to tourist fleet DEFENCE 34 Air show in pictures 24 Pilatus waits on Indian PC-7 decision. Close air support enhancement hits flight testing. COVER STORY 25 Tornado leaves Afghanistan as RAF turns sights 38 Early adaptors on Iraq. The first operators of the Boeing 787-8 had entry into service delays and a battery BEHIND THE HEADLINES Canberra makes formal request for extra C-17s. Thunder fleet to receive upgrade crisis to contend with. What has their experience Our crack reporting team was 26 with the Dreamliner been so far? out in force at Airshow China UAV motherships ‘aircraft carriers in the sky’. Moscow tests powerplant for PAK DA bomber. in Zhuhai, where Beijing lifted REGULARS the veil on several of its new RAF Reaper makes first Hellfire strike inside Iraq 9 Comment military aircraft and advanced BUSINESS AVIATION domestic airliner projects 50 Straight & Level 37 Royal Jet boosts fleet with two BBJs and two (P28). Jetting in were Greg 52 Classified Globals. Waldron, Mavis Toh, Mark 55 Jobs Pilling and Aaron Chong New home for Piaggio as EVO gets ready to go. China certificates Nextant’s 400XTi 59 Working Week

NEXT WEEK MADE IN IRAN The licence-built IrAn-140 and the birth and death of Iran’s aerospace ambitions. Plus:

military simulators census Oliver Santa Rex Features, Successful soft landing on comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko P12. Al Fursan display team at Airshow China P35

flightglobal.com 18-24 November 2014 | Flight International | 5 CONTENTS

IMAGE OF THE WEEK Airbus has delivered a ﬁrst trio of CFM International CFM56-powered A320s to Indonesia’s Lion Group, for operation by Batik Air. Accepted at the company’s Toulouse site, the 156-seat aircraft are drawn from a major order totalling 60 current-model A320s, 109 A320neos and 65 A321neos

View more great aviation shots online and in our weekly tablet edition: ﬂightglobal.com/ ﬂight-international Airbus THE WEEK IN NUMBERS QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Last week, we asked: Will Virgin Galactic recover to take paying 255% passengers into space? You said: Elbit Systems 21% The increase in Elbit Systems’ third quarter interest bill, 28% from $6.6m to $23.4m, as the Israeli shekel lost strength No, Yes, within programme next two will be years scrapped TOTAL $10bn VOTES: Moody’s Investor service 1,569 Moody’s F-16 upgrade market valuation. BAE Systems 51% could fail to benefit after South Korean cancellation, it says Yes, but it will take much longer

25,000 This week, we ask: 787 entry-into-service problems Flightglobal dashboard ❑ All in the past ❑ More minor niggles likely The number of spare parts from 3,000 suppliers available ❑ Still some big concerns to ATR operators via a three-year deal with B/E Aerospace Vote at ﬂightglobal.com/poll

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In the Internet age, no shortcoming in an airliner’s development programme goes unnoticed. Boeing has tackled many early issues with the 787-8, but still must address other challenges

eveloping a new commercial aircraft is hard, and Dthe process of introducing it to commercial service can be humbling. Like all major aircraft manufacturers, Boeing seems to become reacquainted with this costly lesson once every decade or so. But there is something altogether different about the spectacle of Boeing’s entry into service for the 787-8. The introductions of the 747 and 777 are both fondly remembered by nostalgia buffs, but in reality were wrenching experiences for all involved. The difference between then and now is that the “teething” issues that bedevilled early operators of these previous types were

mostly hidden from public view. Rex Features The 787 is responsible for many aviation industry The 787’s every move has been scrutinised firsts, but one of the most under-appreciated debuts of the Dreamliner was its coming of age at the dawn of a Boeing can be blamed for having at first installed an revolution in social media. inherently unsafe battery design in the 787, which also slipped past the notice of a regulatory community still One of the Dreamliner’s firsts ill-informed on the hazards of lithium-ion power. But the company paid for this error – which was not some was its coming of age during diabolical plot – in spades. a revolution in social media Leaving battery issues aside, the fuel efficiency of the 787-8 is nearly universally appreciated by operators so far, while the reliability of certain systems continues to cause nearly universal dissatisfaction. It is clear that A modern commercial aircraft is a highly complex Boeing first misjudged how mature the flight control instrument operating in an extreme environment. The systems were at entry into service, and then how long it flight test phase is intended to prove that it is safe and would take to raise the aircraft’s advanced electrical airworthy – not to weed out every potential operational systems to acceptable reliability levels. glitch that has no bearing on safety at an aircraft level. Despite those misjudgments, the 787 has seen its As such, it is no surprise that some systems need more backlog increase since service entry, although Boeing’s time to mature than others. ability to make a profit on it is another story. For the 787, however, the level of public scrutiny A new Airbus widebody is poised to be delivered to drifted at times into the realm of the absurd. Some nor- its first customer in a few weeks. The A350 will no mally reliable mainstream media outlets even accused doubt also attract scrutiny over every cancelled flight. ■ Boeing of intentionally sacrificing safety to boost sales. See This Week P13, In-Service Report P38 Enter the Dragon uests at a Comac banquet during Airshow China in Engines remain a weakness, and China has struggled GZhuhai were treated to a video of Chinese premier in other areas such as flight control software and certifi- Li touring the C919 factory and exhorting the produc- cation. But although it has yet to produce a world-class tion team to greatness. airliner, China is already having a profound effect on The message is clear: China will only truly arrive on the industry. Nearly one-quarter of the aircraft deliv- the world stage when its aircraft equal, or surpass, ered every month go to the nation, which is also getting those produced in Europe and the USA. It is Beijing’s ever more workshare on Western types, and attracting patriotic mission to become a world-class aerospace joint ventures with European and US firms. power; nothing else will do. The ripples China is making will eventually become There were far more air force officers in evidence at a strong and irresistible current – and then, some future the show than in previous years, and additional halls day, a Western airline will place a large order for a To access the best coverage of Airshow China online, visit our had been added. Large banners of the Shenyang J-31 Chinese-produced airliner. The era of the duopoly will dedicated landing page at: fighter graced several buildings, and AVIC was able to be over, and the triumvirate will be born. ■ flightglobal.com/zhuhai announce first orders for its MA700 turboprop. See Show Report P28 flightglobal.com 18-24 November 2014 | Flight International | 9 www.rolls-royce.com

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Alan Newby, Chief Engineer Future Programmes and Technology – Aerospace THIS WEEK Read more news and analysis from the cutting edge of human space exploration: ﬂightglobal.com/spaceﬂight

The ESA lander BRIEFING came to rest after rebounding twice off the rocky surface FLIGHT-TEST 787 BECOMES MUSEUM PIECE HERITAGE Boeing on 8 November donated one of its original flight test 787-8s to the Museum of Flight in Seattle. Rolls-Royce Trent 1000-engined MSN ZA003 was used extensively during the Dreamliner’s interior certification programme, and circumnavigated the globe several times during the “Dream Tour” in 2011 and 2012. The airframer plans to donate two more 787s used in its flight test programme to other museums around the world. See In-service report, P38 Rex Features

IRANIAN RQ-170 GETS AIRBORNE EXPLORATION DAN THISDELL LONDON DEBUT Iran says it has conducted a successful first flight with a Philae set to tap stealthy unmanned air vehicle reverse-engineered from the US Air Force Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel it captured in December 2011. Tehran claims that an army electronic warfare unit downed the comet’s secrets US surveillance asset while it was being flown over Kashmar, roughly 120nm (222km) from its border with Afghanistan. Landing of probe on 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko latest BON0’S LEARJET LOSES REAR DOOR IN FLIGHT feat in Rosetta quest to study origins of the Solar System INCIDENT German investigators still have not found what they are looking for – an answer to how a Bombardier Learjet 60, owned by he European Space Agency history of our Solar System. What U2 frontman Bono, lost its rear door along with the luggage in the Tsays the first-ever soft landing were the conditions like at its in- cargo hold, as it was making its descent into Berlin Schönefeld air- on a comet was a success, despite fancy, and how did it evolve? port. The incident happened on 12 November, en route from Dublin. having seen its robotic lander What role did comets play in this The Irish rock star was on board the midsize business jet – registra- Philae come to rest on the steep evolution? How do comets tion D-CGEO – when the incident happened. Nobody was hurt. rim of a crater on the surface of work?” says Matt Taylor, ESA 67P/ Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Rosetta project scientist. DUTCH F-35 TEST SQUADRON ESTABLISHED Touchdown occurred on 12 Philae’s primary science mis- ORGANISATION The Royal Netherlands Air Force has re-established November, after a 7h, 22.5km sion includes recording a full its 323 Sqn at Eglin AFB in Florida, with the aim of supporting the unguided descent from Philae’s panoramic view of the landing initial operational test and evaluation of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 parent ship, Rosetta, which is site, including a section in 3D, Lightning II after relocating to Edwards AFB, California, late this year. orbiting the comet some 510 high-resolution images of the sur- Three Dutch pilots have qualified to fly the conventional take-off and million km from Earth. face immediately underneath it, landing F-35A, which will become operational with the nation in 2019. About the size of a domestic plus on-the-spot analysis of the washing machine and with three composition of the comet’s BOSNIA TAKES CONTROL OF ITS AIRSPACE legs, the lander rebounded twice surface materials, after deploying OPERATIONS Bosnia’s air navigation services authority BHANSA off the surface. The first contact a drill that will take samples from has started formally taking control of the airspace over the Balkan pushed it back up to 3,280ft, and a depth of 23cm and feed them to state. The authority has commenced air traffic control operations it was 2h before it touched down an onboard laboratory for within the Sarajevo flight information region initially up to 32,500ft. again. It then took another 38min analysis. Its detailed surface En route traffic above that level will be managed, for the time being, to come to rest. A harpoon-style measurements will complement by Serbian and Croatian centres in Belgrade and Zagreb. anchor mechanism did not fire and calibrate the extensive re- on touchdown as expected, the mote observations already made AVIANCA EYES ‘HUNDREDS’ OF NEW NARROWBODIES ESA team found. by the Rosetta orbiter. FLEETS Latin American airline group Avianca plans to place an order Philae quickly returned its first An extended science phase for “hundreds” of new narrowbodies and is studying the Boeing 737 images from the surface, but as of using the lander’s rechargeable Max and Airbus A320neo families. The airline wants to use the air- 13 November teams at mission secondary battery may also be craft for both growth and replacement, chief executive Fabio Villegas control in Darmstadt and at the possible, if the Sun’s illumination said at the ALTA Airline Leaders Forum in Nassau, the Bahamas. dedicated Rosetta mission lander conditions allow and dust settling Avianca operates 94 A320-family aircraft, and Villegas says it will control centre in Cologne had not on the solar panels does not require new deliveries from 2019 onwards. activated its mechanical systems prevent it. This activity could po- to begin scientific research, for tentially run until March 2015, SOUTH KOREA STEPS CLOSER TO MOON MISSION fear of upsetting its balance. after which time conditions inside SPACEFLIGHT A South Korean bid to send an unmanned mission Roughly 4km across and with the lander are expected to be too to the Moon in 2020 last week passed Seoul’s strategy and finance very little gravity, the comet has a hot for it to continue operating. ministry’s feasibility study, the last stage before budget setting. highly irregular shape and a sur- Rosetta was launched on 2 According to the newspaper Business Korea, the plan, first mooted in face strewn with boulders, craters March 2004 and travelled 6.4 2007 and calling for an orbiter, lander and launch by the Korea and other obstacles. billion km through the Solar Space Launch Vehicle, has been accelerated by the government. “Rosetta is trying to answer the System before arriving at the very big questions about the comet on 6 August 2014. ■

12 | Flight International | 18-24 November 2014 flightglobal.com SpaceShipTwo pilot THIS WEEK recalls moments before break-up THIS WEEK P14

RETROFITTING STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC REGULATION Boeing delivers design ﬁx Canada eases restrictions on for APU ‘bowing’ on 787-8 lightweight UAVs

“Nuisance” procedure scrapped as airframer rolls out modified Pratt & Whitney turbine anada has lifted most air- Cspace restrictions on un- oeing has rolled out a perma- manned air vehicles weighing Bnent fix for a design problem less than 2kg (4lb), and under in the 787-8’s auxiliary power unit many certain circumstances for (APU) that flight test crews identi- those totalling up to 25kg. fied more than three years ago. In Canada, UAV operators had A new APU design has recent- been required to file requests for a ly entered service that prevents special flight operations certifi- the shaft from “bowing” under cate (SFOC) at least 20 working certain conditions and requiring days before a flight. The process replacement, Boeing says. began to overwhelm Transport Some of the 787-8’s earliest op- Canada’s agents – on 30 October,

erators have started receiving the AirTeamImages the Canadian aircraft owners and new Pratt & Whitney APS5000 Japan Airlines updated its fleet’s power units in September pilots association noted that re- units, confirms Japan Airlines quests for UAV-based SFOCs had airplane performance group di- with the system. After the APU To prevent a bowed rotor inci- increased from 66 in 2010 to 914 rector Eisuke Hama. “In early is shut down, if the inlet door to dent, Boeing developed a proce- already this year. September, all the APUs were the tail-mounted APU is closed, dure that proved unpopular with As a result, Transport Canada changed or replaced with an im- hot air could be trapped inside 787 flightcrew. It required them has issued an exemption for vehi- proved one,” Hama says. the unit. to leave the APU door open for at cles of below 2kg, meaning oper- The APS5000 – a single-shaft, Over time, the extra heat could least 40min after it is shut down. ators will now only be required to variable speed gas turbine – cause a shaft imbalance, or “bow- Since the APU is usually turned notify the agency of a planned serves a crucial role in the 787’s ing”. The imbalance would later off as the 787 is leaving the gate, operation and stay below 300ft electrical system. On the ground, potentially prevent the APU from the 40min would often expire above ground level, within line of the APU is used to power the starting, leading to a condition during a high workload time of sight of the pilot and at least 5nm variable frequency starter genera- called a “bowed rotor hung start”. flight, as the aircraft ascends to (9km) away from an airport. Be- tors, which in turn start the en- “We caught the bowed rotor cruising altitude through multi- tween 2kg and 25kg, operators gines. In-flight, it can supply issue on our flight line because ple air traffic control systems. must comply with an expanded back-up power if the four engine- we were doing successive starts “This is a nuisance,” says Yo- set of 30 conditions or file a re- mounted electric generators fail that would not be typical in an hannes Hailemariam, Ethiopian quest for a SFOC. ■ at the same time. airline operation,” says Mike Airlines’ chief pilot. “Sometimes Read more analysis of the During a flight test, however, Fleming, Boeing’s vice-president we forget [to close the door].” ■ unmanned air system sector: Boeing detected a design flaw for 787 support and services. See In-service report P38 flightglobal.com/ UAV

DEVELOPMENT STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC Service entry looms as FAA certificates A350-900 irbus has received type Group’s Avianca in 2016. The A certification for its A350-900 two US carriers that have ordered from the US Federal Aviation Ad- versions of the aircraft – Ameri- ministration, as the new wide- can Airlines and United Airlines body moves closer to entry into – are not scheduled to receive service next month. Announced their first examples until 2017. on 12 November, the milestone Announcement of type certifi- follows type certification from cation by the FAA comes as Delta EASA on 30 September. Air Lines also evaluates the A first A350-900 is planned for A350-900. The Atlanta-based delivery to launch customer SkyTeam carrier is also consider- Qatar Airways between 8 and 10 ing the Boeing 787-9, with a December. decision expected by the end of Delta Air Lines is LATAM’s TAM Airlines is this year. weighing up the expecting to receive its first Airbus has amassed more type, alongside the A350-900 in 2015, followed by than 700 orders for the A350-900 competing 787-9 ■ the first delivery to Synergy so far. Airbus flightglobal.com 18-24 November 2014 | Flight International | 13 THIS WEEK For more in-depth coverage of the global rotorcraft sector, go online to flightglobal.com/helicopters

BUDGET DAN PARSONS INVESTIGATION STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC WASHINGTON DC Obama seeks SpaceShipTwo pilot recalls more funding for Inherent Resolve moments before break-up S President Barack Obama Tail feather rotation should have occurred only as Virgin Galactic aircraft passed Mach 1.4 Uhas requested an additional $5.6 billion from Congress to he surviving pilot of the support the fight against Islamic TSpaceShipTwo crash on 31 State insurgents in Iraq and October has told investigators he Syria, including $55 million to was unaware the co-pilot had un- acquire more small tactical unlocked a system that rotates the manned air vehicles. tail feathers of the vehicle mo- The 10 November request for ments before its in-flight break-up, amendments to Obama’s fiscal the US National Transportation year 2015 budget plan also lists Safety Board (NTSB) says. $544 million for “classified pur- NTSB investigators have fo-

poses” for the US Air Force. cused on video and telemetry Rex Features showing that co-pilot Mike Co-pilot Mike Alsbury died in the incident at 55,000ft The request also lists Alsbury prematurely unlocked $544 million for the tail feather rotation system the NTSB says. The agency has A group of NTSB investigators “classified purposes” as SpaceShipTwo accelerated completed on-scene investiga- will assemble this week at the through Mach 1. The test card on tions of the crash site in Califor- board’s recorders laboratory to for the US Air Force his knee stated that the tail feath- nia’s Mojave Desert, and the evaluate the video footage. ers should not be unlocked until recovered wreckage of Space- Meanwhile, Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo’s speed had ShipTwo is now stored in a has vowed to complete assembly reached at least M1.4. Alsbury secure location. and begin flight testing of the sec- The additional funding is was killed when the Virgin Galac- As SpaceShipTwo was per- ond SpaceShipTwo vehicle by aimed at “sustaining personnel tic aircraft broke apart at 55,000ft. forming a flight test, the break- April. The space tourism compa- forward-deployed to the Middle Pete Siebold told investigators up was observed by telemetry ny, which collaborated with East to provide training and assis- he survived when his seat was gathering more than 1,000 pa- Scaled Composites to develop tance to partner security forces” ejected by the in-flight break-up. rameters per second, and by the design, has acknowledged during Operation Inherent Re- He then “unbuckled from his cameras inside SpaceShipTwo, about 24 of more than 700 depos- solve, says Obama’s letter to Con- seat at some point before the par- its mothership WhiteKnightTwo it holders of suborbital launch gress. The funding will also pro- achute deployed automatically”, and on the ground. tickets have requested refunds. ■ vide “intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms and support”. ROTORCRAFT DOMINIC PERRY LONDON Potential candidates for the tactical UAV requirement could Bell 505 passes first flight milestone include the Boeing Insitu Scan Eagle and RQ-21 Blackjack. Their ell Helicopter has performed well as assessing low-speed been aided by the use of in-ser- limited range means that in Iraq Bthe first flight of its newest controllability. vice parts – principally the main and Syria, the aircraft could be model, the 505 Jet Ranger X, from Launched at the 2012 Paris air rotor and dynamic components operated by personnel at one of its facility in Mirabel, Canada. show, initially as the “short light from the 206L4. two staging bases the Obama ad- The aircraft was airborne for single”, the helicopter has made The new model also features a ministration has announced are around 30min with a top speed of rapid development progress, cul- FADEC-equipped 504shp to be built outside Baghdad and 60kt (111km/h) and made two minating in the maiden sortie. (371kW) Turbomeca Arrius 2R in Anbar province. laps in a local traffic pattern, as The pace of development has turboshaft engine and Garmin’s A combined $78 million has G1000H avionics suite. been requested to buy more Destined to take on the market Lockheed Martin AGM-114 currently dominated by the Hellfire and Raytheon AGM-65 Robinson Helicopter R66, the 505 Maverick air-to-surface missiles is priced at around $1 million. It and Boeing GBU-39 bombs, plus has so far accumulated more than Raytheon BGM-109 Tomahawk 240 letters of intent from custom- cruise missiles. ers, including a new agreement If approved, the additional sum with China’s Reignwood would boost spending for the year Investment. Certification and via Washington’s overseas contin- The Jet Ranger X was entry into service are anticipated ■ gency operations funding mecha- aloft for around 30min in late 2015. ■ See Show Report P33 nism to $63.6 billion. Bell Helicopter

14 | Flight International | 18-24 November 2014 flightglobal.com “ “Boeing has pushed the design envelope on this aircraft and it shows. It is widely accepted by airlines and investors alike.”

Martin Olson Head of OEM Relations ” AerCap

THE DREAMLINER EFFECT. AERCAP SUCCESS.

www.newairplane.com/787/dreamliner-effect THIS WEEK Keep up with the latest news and read in-depth analysis from the business aviation sector: ﬂightglobal.com/bizav MorphingAERODYNAMICS DAN THISDELL LONDON wings begin to take shape

NASA starts testing seamlessly bending assembly that can mimic bird movement with first flight of adapted Gulfstream III

ASA has kicked off a ﬂight Ntest campaign to evaluate wing surfaces that can change shape in-ﬂight. The Adaptive Compliant Trailing Edge (ACTE) joint effort between NASA and the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) hopes to bring about the day when rigid control surfaces The specially-designed flaps were locked can be replaced by smoothly at a specified setting to gather data

morphing surfaces, which would NASA more closely mimic bird flight and promise to make future airlin- twistable surfaces. Flight testing setting during the initial ACTE Thomas Rigney, ACTE project ers quieter and more fuel efficient. will determine whether flexible flight, but different flap settings manager at Armstrong, says the Researchers at the Armstrong trailing-edge wing flaps can im- will be employed on subsequent first flight went as planned. “We Flight Research Center in prove aerodynamic efficiency and flights to collect a variety of data validated many key elements of Edwards, California, replaced a reduce noise generated during demonstrating the capability of the experimental trailing edges,” Gulfstream III’s conventional alu- take-offs and landings. the flexible wings to withstand a he says. “We expect this technol- minium flaps with advanced, The flaps, designed and built real flight environment. ogy to make future aircraft lighter shape-changing assemblies that by FlexSys of Ann Arbor, Michi- AFRL programme manager and quieter. It also has the poten- form seamless bendable and gan, were locked at a specified Pete Flick says the flaps have the tial to save hundreds of millions potential to be retrofitted to exist- of dollars annually in fuel costs.” ing aircraft wings or integrated NASA says ACTE’s advanced into new airframes. “We have lightweight materials could matured the concept to a final reduce wing structural weight demonstration that should prove and give engineers the ability to to the aerospace industry that this aerodynamically tailor wings to technology is ready to dramati- promote improved fuel economy

NASA cally improve aircraft efﬁciency,” and efﬁciency, reducing environ- Flexible trailing-edge technology could offer greater efficiency he says. mental impact. ■

LAUNCH STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC New Mooney rises with Chinese-inspired designs ooney International is back es to do the same for the world,” tion and deliveries in 2017. M10J, meanwhile, will offer pri- Min the aircraft development says Mooney International chief Mooney has not identified the ini- vate owners an aircraft with a business, unveiling two new die- executive Jerry Chen. tial certification agency for the 170kt (315km/h) indicated air sel and jet fuel-powered models Mooney halted production at M10 series, but notes the US Fed- speed, 1,000nm (1,850km) range at Airshow China in Zhuhai. its factory in Kerrville, Texas, in eral Aviation Administration cur- and a “competitive price”. Focused on the slowly-emerg- 2009 after an 80-year run. After a rently certificates the M20 series. “These aircraft show great ing Chinese training and private- five-year hiatus, a Chinese invest- The M10T, with a Continental product innovation coupled with ly-owned aviation market, the ment group acquired the compa- CD-135 diesel engine, will serve Mooney’s long line of history- composite-skinned Mooney 10T ny and restarted production. As of as a trainer in the Mooney portfo- making aircraft,” says Chen. ■ and 10J models move the compa- July, a Florida-based distributor lio. The CD-155 diesel-powered See Show Report P28 ny’s recently restarted production had placed orders for three new line away from avgas-driven M20 models, while deals for an- The M10T is intended as a trainer engines and solely metallic struc- other 10 of the aircraft have been for the company’s portfolio tures. The new models also pro- secured with buyers in China. vide stepping stones to the larger Production of the M20 resumed M20 types – the Acclaim Type S with plans to ramp up to one de- and Ovation3, it says. livery per month by the end of this “The M20J helped change year, two per month next year and general aviation by making flying more as demand evolves. The practical for more people across next step is to bring the new air-

the USA. Now, the M10J promis- craft to the market, with certiﬁca- International Mooney

16 | Flight International | 18-24 November 2014 flightglobal.com “ “The 787 reafﬁrms our commitment to offer our clients high-quality service with one of the most modern ﬂeets in the industry.”

“It completely transformed Aeromexico, letting us be more innovative and

even more efﬁcient and productive.”

Andrés Conesa CEO ” Aeromexico

THE DREAMLINER EFFECT. AEROMEXICO SUCCESS.

www.newairplane.com/787/dreamliner-effect AIR TRANSPORT To access more coverage from the ALTA Airline Leaders Forum, visit online at: ﬂightglobal.com/alta

TESTS DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON The carrier is planning aircraft with a higher capacity than Reduced-thrust its Fokker 100 fleet take-off cleared for Superjet 100 ukhoi’s Superjet 100 has S secured approval from Russian authorities to conduct take-off at reduced thrust. The enhanced certiﬁcation allows the lower thrust to be used during departures from runways longer than 2,000m (6,560ft). Sukhoi has been extending the capabilities of the type since its

initial certification by the AirTeamImages Interstate Aviation Committee in FLEET MICHAEL GUBISCH LONDON January 2011. The airframer performed 22 Austrian looks set to swap flights at Moscow’s Zhukovsky test centre with one of the flight- test aircraft, number 95003, to its old Fokkers for CSeries explore various thrust settings for its PowerJet SaM146 engines. Using the reduced thrust Lufthansa subsidiary’s controversial new aircrew contract refers to Bombardier twinjet setting will lower engine load and turbine temperatures, says ustrian Airlines is being sentment among pilots. The carrier insists no Sukhoi’s civil aircraft division, Atipped to place an order for While the airline will maintain adding: “This, in turn, minimises Bombardier’s CSeries to replace two separate cockpit workforces decision has yet been aircraft maintenance cost.” ■ its ageing Fokker regional jet fleet for the mainline and regional air- made on the aircraft after it emerged its newly-inked craft under the new labour deal, it that is to replace the labour deal references the type. is planning to employ pilots from FLEET JON HEMMERDINGER Local media have reported both corps on the future type. existing Fokker fleet WASHINGTON DC that the wholly-owned The labour contract has been ATRs to replace Lufthansa subsidiary’s new la- agreed by management and staff bour agreement for pilots and representatives in October. But ker 100 and seven Fokker 70 re- ageing Q300s flight attendants covers terms for the airline’s works council and gional jets. The airline is planning the deployment of CSeries union have said that details of the to replace the twinjets by 2018. at Bahamasair aircraft. It does not mention framework need to be “further Sister Lufthansa Group carrier alternative models, such as developed and extended” in Swiss International Air Lines has ahamasair is seeking to Embraer’s E-Jet family. terms of its “social components” ordered 30 CSeries aircraft for its B acquire five new ATR turbo- Austrian says that the labour from 2015 onward. regional fleet, with deliveries props by the end of 2015, to agreement – which is to become Flightglobal’s Ascend Fleets da- scheduled to begin in the second replace its elderly fleet of effective in December – has been tabase shows Austrian has 15 Fok- half of 2015. ■ Bombardier Q300s. based on the CSeries as it repre- The new aircraft could com- sents a potential future scenario prise a mix of three 50-seat ATR for the carrier in terms of aircraft TECHNOLOGY MICHAEL GUBISCH LONDON 42s and two 70-seat ATR 72s, the and fleet size. Full e-cockpit revolution in 15 years airline’s managing director Henry However, the carrier insists Woods told Flight International in that no decision has yet been Austrian Airlines is introducing periods of turbulence, the airline Nassau, where Bahamasair is made about the aircraft type that tablet-based electronic flightbags. says. Pilots will be able to download based and the ALTA Airline will be acquired to replace the The Lufthansa Group subsidiary flight documents and update other Leaders Forum was held. existing Fokker fleet. has selected a Microsoft Windows- information on the ground, but the Although the deal has not been That decision is to be made by based system with Surface Pro 3 tablets will be offline in flight. finalised, Woods says the airline Austrian’s management and its tablet computers, which will be Austrian says that while it plans to divest all five of its Q300s parent group in 2015. employed across the airline’s fleet. became the first European airline to as it acquires the new ATRs. The Austrian is planning to intro- Equipment holders are to be grad- supply pilots with electronic flight Q300s were placed in service duce aircraft with higher capacity ually installed in the fleet’s cockpits. documents in 1999, it is only now between 1989 and 1992, and have than its 100-seat Fokker 100, and This will allow Austrian’s pilots for able to offer its cockpit crew mem- accumulated between 47,000 and to operate the new type as part of the first time to use their EFBs in all bers a full replacement of conven- 67,000 cycles, Flightglobal’s its mainline instead of regional flight phases, including critical stag- tional paper-based flight documents Ascend Fleets database shows. ■ fleet. But the plan has caused rees such as take-offs, landings and through the new system. ■

18 | Flight International | 18-24 November 2014 flightglobal.com AIR TRANSPORT IAG trimming fat from fleet of A320s AIR TRANSPORT P20

INCIDENT JON HEMMERDINGER WASHINGTON DC INVESTIGATION Prop pierced Q400 fuselage Indian authority probes SpiceJet Blade bursts through Air Canada Jazz turboprop’s hull on emergency landing at Edmonton buffalo-collision photograph released by the A Transportation Safety Board he Airports Authority of India (TSB) of Canada shows that a T(AAI) is conducting an inves- propeller blade pierced the fuse- tigation into an incident in which lage of an Air Canada Jazz aircraft a SpiceJet Boeing 737-800 hit a that made an emergency landing buffalo during its take-off roll on at Edmonton International air- 6 November.

port earlier this month. Rex Features The accident took place at The image, which shows that a There were “no severe injuries” to the passengers and crew 19:06 local time, as the aircraft blade punched through a passen- was operating ﬂight SG622 be- ger window adjacent to the Bom- 6 November from Calgary to ting one passenger in the head, tween Surat and New Delhi, says bardier Dash 8 Q400’s right side Grande Prairie. according to reports. Despite the India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation. turboprop, suggests that the acci- One of the aircraft’s tyres burst serious nature of the incident, “Timely action by the pilot of dent may have been more serious during take-off from Calgary, Jazz says there were “no severe the aircraft averted a mishap and than initially reported. which led the crew to make an injuries” to the 71 passengers and the aircraft was brought back to Images also show that all of the emergency landing in Edmonton four crew aboard the aircraft. the apron for checks,” the blades on the engine’s propeller at about 20:30 local time, accord- Bombardier says the incident ministry adds. broke free from the propeller hub. ing to reports and the airline. raises a “number of questions”, Images on social media show The aircraft, with the registration During landing, the Q400’s adding that it is “indeed unusu- that the left engine’s nacelle sus- C-GGBF, was being operated as gear collapsed and a propeller al” for a propeller to pierce the tained serious damage. However, Air Canada Express ﬂight 8481 on blade tore through the cabin, hit- passenger cabin. ■ no passengers were injured. ■

APPROVAL MAX KINGSLEY-JONES LONDON Flag carrier hopeful for UK-Qatar open skies pact atar Airways is optimistic that state-owned Qatar. “Now they are QQatar and the UK will soon convinced that Qatar is not subsi- reach an open skies agreement, dised – as is the perception that after filing documentation with has been created in the EU by in- the UK Civil Aviation Authority dividuals that have been signing for a financial audit of the airline. letters to the Commission – and “The British CAA in the last bi- Qatar will hopefully soon receive lateral [negotiations] demanded a open-skies access to the UK.” lot of information, clarifications The Oneworld member has been and documentation from us, exploring a commercial partnership

which we provided to them,” says with fellow member British Air- Rex Features Akbar Al Baker, chief executive of ways on Doha-London services. ■ Qatar Airways not subsidised, says CEO Al Baker

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flightglobal.com 18-24 November 2014 | Flight International | 19 AIR TRANSPORT Get the latest key information on fleet movements, purchases and retirements: ﬂightglobal.com/ascend IAGRATIONALISATION aims DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW to LONDONstandardise on its A320s

Group strategist details how three airlines will begin single-sourcing on suppliers across short-haul fleet to save costs

IAG has detailed its efforts to cut sourced cockpit windows from Iberia and its siblings will costs by harmonising aircraft three suppliers, pointing out that save fuel with lighter jets configurations across the short- there is a 30kg difference be- haul fleets of its three operators. tween the lightest and heaviest – British Airways, Iberia and representing a potential €2,800 Vueling have some 260 Airbus ($3,500) saving in annual fuel A320s between them, including burn per aircraft. the fleet of Iberia Express, spread Two operating companies had a across more than 25 bases. second cockpit jump-seat, weigh- But IAG head of group strategy ing 12kg. These have been re- Geoffrey Weston, speaking dur- moved, cutting the cost of the

ing an investor briefing, said a seats, as well as maintenance. Rex Features mix of specifications leads to Removed items cut 80-120kg higher expenditure. from the aircraft’s weight, while He puts the overall cost-saving account for the other 30%. Weston says Airbus offers another 100-380kg saving can be per aircraft from harmonisation at BA, Iberia and the low-cost op- around 400 choices across 250 achieved by switching to lighter €500,000 to €1 million, with 40% erators are also shifting to higher- categories for cabin configura- seats. Overall weight reduction sourced from avionics and sys- density seating arrangements. “In tion, avionics and emergency can reach 220-470kg, says Weston, tems changes and another 30% a world of dedicated aircraft it’s equipment. saving €20,000-45,000 in fuel from revised cabin definition. hard to move things around,” He says the three carriers have burned annually by each aircraft. Group joint-procurement savings says Weston. ■

FLEET DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON BA accelerates retirement of 767s to make way for arrivals

British Airways is to quicken the re- previously. 13 by the end of next year. ter of 2015, by which point it will tirement of its Boeing 767s and has Parent company IAG says that all BA is to start introducing 787-9s have 10 of the type with two advanced slightly the delivery sched- the long-haul 767s will be retired by in 2015 and will begin receiving outstanding. ule of its Airbus A380 and Boeing 2016. They will be replaced by 787s. A350s in 2018 and 787-10s the BA has a batch of 767s in its 787 fleets. In a fleet schedule disclosed dur- following year. short-haul operation which will be The airline aims to have only four ing an investor briefing, IAG shows The carrier has also brought for- retired by 2018, replaced with A320- 767s in its long-haul fleet by the that BA has slightly accelerated the ward an A380 delivery from the first family jets. The carrier will also re- end of 2015, compared with seven 787 delivery schedule and will have quarter of 2016 to the fourth quar- move its 737s by 2015. ■

20 | Flight International | 18-24 November 2014 flightglobal.com OUR VISION, REFLECTED

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The 1900D has the highest cost per seat to operate AirTeamImages

STRATEGY FIRDAUS HASHIM SINGAPORE ANZ to drop 1900Ds in regional network revamp ir New Zealand is to cut fleet, but has the highest cost per Asome of its regional routes seat to operate because the fixed and dispose of its 19-seat costs of operation are distributed Beechcraft 1900Ds while adding across fewer passengers,” says larger turboprops to its fleet, fol- the carrier’s chief executive lowing a comprehensive review Christopher Luxon. He adds that of its regional network. over the past two years, Eagle The carrier says it will progres- Airways has lost NZ$1 million sively restructure its network ($786,000) per month from oper- around 50-seat Bombardier Dash ating the 1900Ds. 8 Q300s and 68-seat ATR 72s op- The announcement has raised erated by subsidiaries Air Nelson doubt over Eagle’s future, and and Mount Cook Airline. Luxon says the airline will, with It will also take delivery of four the unit’s management, staff and more ATR 72-600s over the next unions, “begin a process of deter- four years, while the 17 1900Ds mining the future of the business”. operated by Eagle Airways are to Flightglobal’s Ascend Fleets da- be phased out by August 2016. tabase shows that Air New Zea- “The 19-seat aircraft is the land’s three regional carriers oper- smallest in the Air New Zealand ate a total of 56 turboprops. ■ Boeing

ORDER Lessor SMBC opts for 80 Max 8s SMBC Aviation Capital has ordered 80 Boeing 737 Max 8s – the largest single order for the re-engined variant from a leasing company. SMBC also becomes the 50th customer for the 737 Max, and takes the programme’s total orderbook to more than 2,400 aircraft. Flightglobal’s Ascend Fleets database shows that, prior to the latest order, six lessors had ordered a total of 371 737 Max twinjets. Ascend also shows that SMBC has a total of 389 aircraft in its portfolio and a further 140 on order, including 14 737-800s and 110 Airbus A320neos.

flightglobal.com Pilatus waits on AIR TRANSPORT Indian PC-7 decision DEFENCE P24

INVESTIGATION DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON EFFICIENCY GREG WALDRON SINGAPORE Putin blames MH17 crash SIA fuel usage down 3% after site obstruction on Ukraine A340 retirement Accusations of separatists denying access “absolutely ungrounded”, insists president ingapore Airlines Group con- Ssumed about 3% less fuel vol- ussian president Vladimir ume in its 2014-2015 fiscal first RPutin has rejected the sugges- half, mainly due to its termina- tion that access to the Malaysia tion of a Singapore-Newark direct Airlines flight MH17 crash site is routing in November 2013. being obstructed by separatists. In a results briefing, SIA exec- Putin made the remarks during utives say the vast majority of an Asia-Pacific summit in Bei- the reduced fuel volume came jing, as he met with Malaysian through the cessation of the prime minister Najib Razak. References to the territory SIA took delivery of around the Boeing 777 crash site its five A340s in late being controlled by pro-Russian separatists are “absolutely un- 2003 and early 2004 grounded”, he insists. Putin says the “opposing party” is “constantly bombard- ultra-long-haul route, which it ing” the area, preventing investi- had operated with Airbus A340-

gative work. Rex Features 500s equipped with just 100 He says both the Russian and The Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200ER crashed on 17 July business-class seats. Malaysian governments are de- Flightglobal’s Ascend Fleets manding a “complete” and “ob- questions than answers”, and the fuselage and other sections of database shows that SIA took de- jective” international investiga- additional work needs to be the 777. livery of its five A340s in late tion into the 17 July loss of MH17 carried out to determine the na- “We hope that both sides will 2003 and early 2004. over eastern Ukraine. ture of the objects involved and ensure free and full access to the The aircraft were returned to Razak notes that the prelimi- their source. crash site. Unfortunately this has Airbus after being retired from nary investigative assessment in- “To do this we need to obtain not happened,” he adds. SIA’s fleet. dicated the crash was “not a ran- full access to the site where the Putin says observance of a Ascend shows three of the air- dom incident”, but that the crash occurred, so that we can complete ceasefire is necessary craft remain parked, while one aircraft had been brought down analyse the wreckage,” says for the inquiry to proceed, and was sold to Las Vegas Sands and by multiple high-energy impacts. Razak, adding that traces of the also to stabilise the situation in the other to the Saudi Arabian He says the inquiry has “more objects were likely to remain in Ukraine. ■ government. ■

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Aviation Products L-3com.com DEFENCE To get more defence sector coverage, subscribe to our fortnightly newsletter: ﬂightglobal.com/defencenewsletter PilatusREQUIREMENT ATUL CHANDRA waits STANS on Indian PC-7 decision

Company ready to provide training in manufacture of turboprop if New Delhi places follow-on deal with domestic contractor

wiss airframer Pilatus has force is following to ﬁnalise its Squickly established itself as a BTA requirements.” trusted supplier to the Indian air In March, India’s defence min- force because of the smooth entry istry issued a request for informa- into service and performance of tion for the procurement of an its PC-7 MkII basic trainer aircraft additional 106 PC-7 MkII trainers (BTA). As of last month, its in- under its “Buy & Make (Indian)” service examples had exceeded procurement category. 22,000 ﬂying hours and accumu- “We have been contacted by a lated well over 42,000 landings. large range of Indian companies The last 15 PC-7 MkIIs current- who have approached us with rely under contract – aircraft num- gard to being the prime contractor

bers 61 to 75 – will be based at air should the decision be Buy and Atul Chandra force station Tambaram near the Make India, as in this situation All 75 aircraft currently on order will be delivered by August 2015 southern Indian city of Chennai. Pilatus cannot be the prime, ” says Tambaram will receive its first Roche. “Pilatus will provide de- One area that remains to be re- components in line with the trainers in June 2015, where they tailed training to the successful solved is the conclusion of the original equipment manufactur- will be used to prepare qualified Indian prime contractor on site maintenance transfer of technol- er’s agreed maintenance policy, flight instructors; a task conducted here at Stans for the manufactur- ogy contract with HAL. This will ranging from detailed repair and today on vintage Hindustan Aero- ing and airframe assembly ele- allow the Indian company to overhaul capability to the re- nautics Kiran MkII jet trainers. ment of the programme.” keep the PC-7 MkII’s systems and placement of components. ■ An accelerated delivery schedule has already seen Pilatus deliver 51 trainers under TESTING ATUL CHANDRA BENGALURU a contract signed with New Twin-seat Tejas trainer variant hits production standard Delhi in 2012. The remainder are due to be handed over by August A twin-seat trainer variant of India’s ment of series production, and functionality, was completed as next year. Meanwhile, an option Tejas Mk1 light combat aircraft has bears “all the major design modifica- planned. PV-6 is powered by a clause in the original contract for performed its first test flight from tions undertaken during the last General Electric F404-IN20 after- as many as 37 additional aircraft Bengaluru in a final series produc- 2,500-plus flights in the pro- burning engine, which will be com- on top of the original 75 will ex- tion configuration meant for the gramme,” says the Aeronautical mon to all series production Tejas pire in May, and is likely to be Indian air force. Development Agency (ADA). Mk1 single-seat fighters and twin- allowed to lapse. Prototype vehicle six (PV-6) is the The 35min sortie, with the aim of seat trainers for the Indian air force, “We want to execute our exist- final prototype before commence- checking the design’s twin cockpit as well as trainers for its navy. ing contract on time and to the Tejas Mk1 trainers will also have full satisfaction of the Indian air the capability to carry a wide range force,” says Jim Roche, vice- of air-to-air and air-to-ground ord- president of government nance, the ADA notes. aviation and deputy chief execu- The lead air force trainer, PV-5, tive of Pilatus, speaking at the was first flown in 2009, with an ini- company’s Stans site. tial operational clearance goal of “We hope that over the next December 2011. Seventeen Tejas few months there would be a aircraft have been flown since 2001,

ﬁnal clear guidance as to what Agency Aeronautical Development with the fleet having accumulated particular road the Indian air The type is powered by a General Electric F404-IN20 engine almost 2,800 flights to date.■

DEVELOPMENT Close air support enhancement hits flight testing aytheon has started ﬂight tests rate close air support by sharing mance and connectivity with Lead systems integrator Rof the persistent close air sup- real-time situational awareness ground-based joint terminal at- Raytheon is working with part- port (PCAS) system, as part of the and weapons systems data. tack controllers, Raytheon says. ners Rockwell Collins, General third phase of a US Defense PCAS will be installed on a The technology should “help re- Electric, BAE Systems and 5-D Advanced Research Projects Fairchild Republic A-10 duce close air support response Systems under the three-year Agency effort to provide ground Thunderbolt ground-attack air- times from as long as 1h to just PCAS programme, which is troops with faster and more accu- craft to test its airborne perfor- 6min”, it adds. worth a total of $82 million. ■

24 | Flight International | 18-24 November 2014 flightglobal.com UAV motherships DEFENCE would be ‘aircraft carriers in the sky’ DEFENCE P26

MILESTONE CRAIG HOYLE LONDON RETROFIT GREG WALDRON ZHUHAI Tornado leaves Afghanistan Thunder fleet to as RAF turns sights on Iraq receive upgrade akistan is in the process of Pretrofitting its 50 Chengdu/ Aircraft from 31 Sqn depart Kandahar, bringing to an end a decade of UK fast jet activity Pakistan Aeronautical Complex JF-17 Thunder fighters to an im- he UK has concluded a proved Block II configuration, T decade-long commitment of featuring improved avionics and fast jet combat aircraft to the software and a fixed air-to-air NATO-led International Security refuelling probe. Assistance Force in Afghanistan, The Pakistan air force will begin with its last Panavia Tornado taking delivery of its upgraded air- GR4s having left Kandahar aircraft in December, says Air Cdre field for the final time. Khalid Mahmood, chief executive Aircraft on detachment from of JF-17 sales and marketing. Be- the RAF’s 31 Sqn took off from yond this, the service has options Kandahar on 11 November, at the to strengthen its fleet of the type to

start of a return journey to their Crown Copyright 150 or 200 aircraft, with further home base at Marham, Norfolk, The type flew more than 5,000 pairs sorties during the campaign improvements foreseen in a via Akrotiri in Cyprus. planned Block III upgrade. Seven RAF squadrons operated missiles and Raytheon Systems The start of operations with the Mahmood spoke to Flight In- the Tornado in Afghanistan from Paveway IV precision-guided Tornado from Kandahar followed ternational at Airshow China in June 2009 until the withdrawal, bombs were released by Tornado an almost five-year deployment Zhuhai, where he was part of a which comes as the UK and other crews through the entire period, involving BAE Systems Harrier 20-strong delegation which ISAF contributing nations run with the RAF confirming a rough- GR9s from the RAF and Royal brought a single JF-17 to appear down their combat involvement ly 50:50 split in their use, which Navy, the first of which arrived in in the static display as part of an in the nation before year-end. also involved their Rafael Litening Afghanistan in September 2004. export sales drive. Pakistan re- The RAF’s deployed Tornados III targeting pods. The UK’s Tornados remain cently sent a squadron of 18 air- flew more than 5,000 pairs sorties More than 3,000 rounds were busy, with the type also currently craft to western China to partici- during the type’s contribution to also fired from the type’s 27mm providing part of the nation’s pate in an air combat exercise. the campaign, the Ministry of Mauser cannon during more than contribution to the fight against The air force is satisfied with Defence says, with over 33,500 70 other engagements, the service Islamic State militants. the fighter’s Klimov RD-93 en- flight hours logged. Some 600 so- says. They also employed UTC “Our operational focus and gine, says Mahmood. called “shows of force” were con- Aerospace Systems Raptor recon- that of the Tornado force must The powerplant can currently ducted using the aircraft through naissance pods to provide now turn to Iraq where, as in Af- be operated for up to 800 flight this time, to disrupt and deter ac- ground surveillance, for example ghanistan, we will continue to hours between overhauls, but tivities by Taliban forces. by spotting “potential hazards support our allies,” says chief of there is an effort under way to A combined total of around 140 such as roadside bombs”, the the air staff Air Chief Marshal improve this. ■ MBDA Brimstone air-to-surface MoD says. Andrew Pulford. ■ See Show Report P29

ACQUISITIONS ANDREW MCLAUGHLIN SYDNEY Canberra makes formal request for extra C-17s Australia has formally request- from Amberley air base in Six examples are in ed “up to four” more Boeing Queensland. Defence minister Australian service C-17 strategic transports from the David Johnston had on 3 October US government, according to a 12 revealed Canberra’s interest in ac- November notification from the quiring between two and four US Defense Security Cooperation more C-17s. Agency (DSCA). Production of the Globemaster Including associated equip- will end in early 2015, with ment, spare parts and logistics Boeing having been seeking buy- support, the proposed deal has ers for a final batch of 10 ‘white an estimated value of $1.6 bil- tail’ aircraft. lion, the DSCA says. Interest in the remaining stra- If all four aircraft are acquired, tegic transports is believed to it will take the Royal Australian exist with Canada, India, the UK Air Force’s fleet of the type to 10 and possibly new customers in ■ examples, operated by 36 Sqn the Middle East. of Australia Commonwealth flightglobal.com 18-24 November 2014 | Flight International | 25 DEFENCE For the latest news from the cutting edge of unmanned aviation, go online to flightglobal.com/UAV

DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT BETH STEVENSON LONDON Moscow tests UAV motherships would be powerplant for PAK DA bomber ‘aircraft carriers in the sky’

ussian engine designer US research agency wants to conduct full flight demonstrations within four-year period RKuznetsov has announced completing bench tests of a new he US Defense Advanced Re- propulsion system which is in Tsearch Projects Agency development for Moscow’s next- (DARPA) is seeking information generation PAK DA bomber. from industry on existing tech- The Samara-based company nologies that would facilitate the on 7 November said the early test deployment of small unmanned activity supports the Russian air vehicles from large manned government’s plan to complete aircraft. ﬁrst ﬂight of the bomber by 2019. DARPA says it envisages They also will validate research “aircraft carriers in the sky” that and development investments in would be able to launch and re- a production version, says cover small UAVs from existing Kuznetsov executive director types such as the Lockheed Mar- The US Air Force’s C-130J Nicholas Jakushin. tin C-130 Hercules. could host the technology

Russia’s air force launched the “DARPA is interested in US Air Force development programme in exploring the feasibility of small 2009, selecting Tuploev – maker UAS airborne launch and recov- suggest potential benefits in a launch and recovery concepts for of its in-service Tu-95, Tu-160 ery approaches for providing dis- blended approach – one in which new UAS designs that would cou- and supersonic Tu-22M – to de- tributed airborne capabilities larger aircraft would carry, ple with recent advances in small sign the new aircraft. In June, from existing air platforms,” a re- launch and recover multiple payload design and collaborative state-owned media outlets quot- quest for information released on small UAS,” it says. “Such an technologies,” says Dan Patt, ed Kuznetsov officials as saying 7 November states. “The agency approach could greatly extend DARPA programme manager. the company had won a competi- envisions a large aircraft that, the range of UAS operations, en- The agency is proposing to tion to develop the bomber’s new with minimal modification, hance overall safety and cost- work towards achieving full- engine. It also supplied the en- could launch and recover multi- effectively enable groundbreak- system flight demonstrations gines for the trio of bomber types ple small unmanned systems ing capabilities for intelligence, within four years. in current service. from a stand-off distance.” surveillance and reconnaissance “DARPA is interested not only Details of the new engine’s Military air operations tradi- and other missions.” in what system functionality architecture and performance tionally use large, manned air- Responses are sought by 26 such plans could reasonably have not been released, but craft, placing such assets and November, with technical, secu- achieve within that timeframe, pictures reveal proportions not their pilots at risk, while small rity and business insights to ad- but also how to best demonstrate unlike those of the Pratt & Whit- UAVs are limited by their range dress the feasibility and potential this functionality to potential ney F135 used with the USA’s and endurance, DARPA says. value of the proposal. users and transition partners,” it Lockheed Martin F-35. ■ “These complementary traits “We envision innovative says. ■

UNMANNED SYSTEMS BETH STEVENSON LONDON RAF Reaper makes first Hellfire strike inside Iraq Royal Air Force-controlled which the MoD says helped to missions. Additional assets are A General Atomics Aeronauti- facilitate further strikes. planned to be deployed over the cal Systems MQ-9 Reaper remote- The UK government in mid- coming months,” an MoD source ly piloted air system conducted its October announced that the RAF says, while declining to comment first offensive strike outside Af- was to redeploy an undisclosed on specific aircraft numbers. ghanistan early this month, engag- number – believed to be two – of Meanwhile, the UK govern- ing Islamic State insurgents with a its 10-strong Reaper fleet from ment has received approval to

Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hell- Crown Copyright Afghanistan to support a US-led begin flying surveillance-only fire air-to-surface missile. Insurgents are being targeted coalition in countering Islamic missions over Syria using the Confirming the development State activities in Iraq and Syria. Reaper in an unarmed configura- on 10 November, the UK Minis- Bayji, north of Baghdad. The “There has been an increase in tion. The RAF’s one Boeing try of Defence said the unmanned Reaper continued its mission by deployed Reaper aircraft num- RC-135W Rivet Joint signals in- air vehicle was used to target providing intelligence, surveil- bers, which will allow the RAF to telligence aircraft also is to be militants who were laying an im- lance and reconnaissance servic- fly double the amount of intelli- operated over the country, in provised explosive device near es for other coalition aircraft, gence and surveillance-gathering support of coalition activities. ■

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© 2014 Raytheon Company. All rights reserved. “Customer Success Is Our Mission” is a registered trademark of Raytheon Company. SHOW Missed Airshow China? Catch up with the latest news and analysis online: REPORT ﬂightglobal.com/Zhuhai AIRSHOW CHINA

China has serious ambitions to become a world leader in aerospace, and nowhere is this more evident than at the biennial Airshow China event in Zhuhai. Although the skies were grey with pollution, the flying displays were impressive, featuring the dramatic arrival of two

new Chinese military types on the world stage: the Rex Features Shenyang J-31 fighter and the Xian Y-20 transport. Commitments for the regional ARJ21 now stand at 278 aircraft Several of the nation’s domestic airliner projects also ORDERBOOK announced fresh sales. Show report by Aaron Chong, Mark Pilling, Mavis Toh and Greg Waldron Comac bags new orders for twinjets

Chinese lessors CMB and Comsys (Tianjin) to buy C919 and ARJ21 as airframer prepares for certification challenge

omac has announced two Aviation Leasing Company for 20 Cmajor commitments from of its ARJ21-700 regional jets, Chinese leasing companies for its which it says will be certificated ARJ21 and C919 programmes. this year. The Democratic Repub- At a press conference on the lic of Congo’s transport ministry first day of the show, CMB Finan- has also firmed an order for three

Rex Features cial Leasing signed a memoran- ARJ21s, comprising two baseline dum of understanding with the passenger aircraft and one busi- DEVELOPMENT Chinese airframer for 30 of its in- ness jet variant. The nation development C919 twinjet. This signed a memorandum of under- brings the total number of com- standing for the aircraft during Surprise show debut for mitments for the programme to the Farnborough air show in July. 430 aircraft. The announcements bring total experimental J-31 fighter CMB’s president Guo Guang commitments for the ARJ21 to says developing a narrowbody 278 aircraft. ithout question, the most likely due to a reluctance to push aircraft is a “Chinese dream”, and Wsignificant development at the type’s envelope too far this the firm has a duty to support the Comac appears to the show was the debut appear- early in development. The air- country’s civil aviation industry. be on the brink of ance of the Shenyang J-31 – craft on show carried the marking Comac chief financial officer China’s most recent experimental 31001, indicating that it is the Tian Min says the lessor’s commit- gaining certification fighter design. first flight test example, which ment represents a “vote of trust” from the Civil Aviation AVIC officials were tight-lipped took to the air for the first time in for the C919 programme, and that Administration of about the programme, with one October 2012. the manufacturer will strive to source noting “it will be hard to Dozens of large J-31 banners provide a safe, economical and China for the ARJ21 get anyone to discuss this aircraft were also on display around the comfortable commercial aircraft. publicly”. Regardless, it was tell- show site. This level of visibility Flightglobal’s Ascend Fleets ing that this aircraft, in addition to could suggest a desire for greater database shows that CMB has a the Xian Y-20 transport, appeared transparency on the part of China, fleet of 20 aircraft, the majority Meanwhile, Comac appears to at a Zhuhai show so early in the but also could indicate that Bei- of which are Airbus A320-family be on the brink of gaining certifi- development programme. jing wants to attract foreign buyers and Boeing 737 jets. The wholly- cation from the Civil Aviation The J-31’s flying display rou- to help cover the high develop- owned subsidiary of China Mer- Administration of China for the tine was fairly conservative, most ment cost of such a programme. ■ chants Bank started operations ARJ21, with its leaders pledging in 2008. that certification will come Comac started final assembly through before 2014 ends. of the first C919 prototype in Sep- The Chinese airframer brought tember, and is working towards aircraft 106, which is due to be an end-2015 first flight target for delivered to launch customer the aircraft. The type has so far Chengdu Airlines, to the show. been sold largely to Chinese air- Company chairman Jin Zhuan- lines and leasing companies. glong also took his first flight on In a boost for its other pro- the Chinese-made regional jet,

Rex Features gramme, Comac also won com- saying that it feels no different to AVIC officials remain tight-lipped about the programme mitments from Comsys (Tianjin) an Airbus or Boeing aircraft. ■

28 | Flight International | 18-24 November 2014 flightglobal.com MA700 launch customers AIRSHOW CHINA announced SHOW REPORT SHOW REPORT P32

SALES MANUFACTURING CATIC courts export buyers for JF-17 Leap-1C enters build for C919 ATIC has had discussions beyond the JF-17. “The develop- Cwith seven or eight countries ment of technology will see our flight test fleet about the Chengdu/Pakistan customers come to us with up- Aeronautical Complex JF-17 ﬁght- grade requests,” he says. “This ngine manufacturer CFM In- er, but political upheaval in the kind of high technology, ad- Eternational says it is “very Middle East has delayed a foreign vanced aircraft should meet some- pleased” with the performance of purchase of the aircraft. body’s request in the future.” its Leap-1C so far, and that it has

Speaking with Flight Interna- Oliver Santa Meanwhile, Zeng confirms started building engines to be de- tional, CATIC vice-president Pakistan operates the fighter that the Hongdu L-15 advanced livered for Comac’s C919 flight Zeng Wen says some countries jet/lead-in fighter trainer has test programme. could be getting close to signing a type did not perform in the fly- found an export customer. He de- Speaking to reporters, CFM contract. This positive attitude ing display. There were also no- clines to specify the country or International chief executive Jean- mirrors comments by the compa- tably fewer military delegations the number of aircraft involved, Paul Ebanga said development of ny and Pakistani officials over the from Middle Eastern countries at but Flightglobal’s MiliCAS data- the Leap-1C is “going well”, and last few years. the event. base records Zambia as having that the engine has garnered more One Pakistani source, howev- Zeng says CATIC and the Paki- placed a firm order for six. Work than 75 flight hours on a Boeing er, says political turmoil in the stan air force will continue to is currently being undertaken 747 testbed since its maiden flight Middle East following the Arab push for overseas sales, and will with the type to increase the on 6 October. Spring revolutions has delayed be present at other major air types of weapons it can carry. “We’re very pleased about take-up of the new type, which is shows. He could not say, howev- “I’m confident the L-15 com- where we stand today. We’re on designed to be a cost-effective er, if the JF-17 will appear at the pares favourably to other train- time and on specification. The fighter ideal for the air forces of Paris air show in June 2015. ers on the international market, programme will continue to do developing nations. Longer term, Zeng foresees po- such as the [Korea Aerospace well between now and the devel- The Pakistan air force sent a tential for China to sell advanced Industries] T-50 and the [Irkut] opment phase,” he says. JF-17 to this year’s show, but the fighters like the Shenyang J-31 Yak-130,” says Zeng. ■ Ebanga would not say when CFM is scheduled to deliver the first engines to Comac, but he The type conducted stresses the company will sup- its debut sortie in port the Chinese airframer’s time- January 2013 line and deliver on time. The engine is scheduled to be certificated in 2015, with Comac aiming to fly the C919 for the first time at the end of the same year. “We’re on time and on specification. The programme will continue to do well between now and the development phase” JEAN-PAUL EBANGA

Rex Features Chief executive, CFM International DISPLAY Y-20 makes grand entrance CFM is forecasting demand for more than 4,200 single-aisle aircraft in China over the next 20 Xian strategic transport wows with high angle of attack turns in flying routine over Zhuhai years, and says it is well-positioned, as the Leap engine will be ian’s new Y-20 transport angle of attack turns in its routine of China’s current transports, in- utilised on the Airbus A320neo, Xmade a major impression at – reminiscent to past displays including the Ilyushin Il-76. Boeing 737 Max and the C919. the show, displaying its handling volving the US Air Force’s Boeing In addition to the Y-20’s debut At the show, Zhejjiang Loong performance during the daily C-17, an example of which also appearance, the show also boast- Airlines picked the Leap-1A to flying display. appeared on the static line. ed a pair of Il-76s and a Chinese power the nine A320neos it has The strategic transport made a The Y-20, which conducted its air force KJ-2000 airborne early on order. The deal, which in- number of passes of the Zhuhai debut flight in January 2013, is warning and control system de- cludes spare engines, is valued at site, and performed several high likely to eventually replace some rivative. ■ $260 million at list prices. ■ flightglobal.com 18-24 November 2014 | Flight International | 29 Th cu am Welcome to our A380. Th stu It’s all in the detail. fin

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MANUFACTURING Bombardier could build Chinese final assembly line

uilding a ﬁnal assembly line will only happen if there are Bcould be “the next logical enough orders to justify such an step” for Bombardier in China, investment. according to Mike Arcamone, “Currently we can still supply president of the Canadian com- [the aircraft] from North America, pany’s Commercial Aircraft unit. but if there is a market that re- Speaking to Flight Internation- quires a certain amount on a year- al, Arcamone says a large propor- ly basis, we do the economics tion of manufacturing for the and if it makes sense, we put in a Dash 8 Q400 and CSeries aircraft ﬁnal line,” Arcamone says. He is already being undertaken in adds, however, that no discus- China. AVIC’s Shenyang Aircraft sions have been started with pos- Corporation makes the front, mid sible joint venture partners. and aft fuselage for the turbo- There are currently 35

prop, and the centre fuselage for Bombardier CRJs ﬂying in China. Bombardier the regional jet, he notes. The airframer has also experi- The CSeries’ centre fuselage is already made in the country “We have the supply base and enced further success in the na- manufacturing footprint already tion recently, comprising of orders letter of intent for 20 CSeries air- tively preventing foreign manu- in China, and maybe one day the for 25 CRJ900s from China Ex- craft, while CDB Leasing has a facturers from competing in the next logical step would be to put press Airlines and a letter of intent conditional purchase agreement market. There are no Bombardier all the parts together,” he says. for 30 Q400s from Nantong Tong- for 15 of the type, plus 15 options. or ATR turboprops in China, with Arcamone says while Bombar- zhou Bay Aviation Industry, to be China imposes an import tax of domestic types including the dier is “very keen” to develop a operated by start-up Sutong Air- up to 24% for aircraft with a ca- AVIC Xian Aircraft MA60 and ﬁnal assembly line in China, that lines. Loong Air has also inked a pacity of below 90 seats, effec- MA600. ■ MA700DEVELOPMENT launch customers announced

Domestic carriers Joy Air and Okay Airways sign up for 70-seat turboprop, as airframer AVIC targets Western certification

VIC has announced Joy Air and a maximum range of Aand Okay Airways as launch 1,460nm (2,700km), although it is customers for its in-development best positioned to serve markets MA700 turboprop programme. within a 430nm range. The air- The two Chinese carriers will craft can be conﬁgured for be- now be involved in the develop- tween 68 and 86 seats. ment of the 70-seat turboprop to For the ﬁrst time, AVIC show- ensure that the aircraft meets cased a large-scale mock-up of market demands, the pro- the MA700’s cockpit and fuse- gramme’s chief engineer Dong lage. Wang says the company is Jian Hong said during a signing forecasting demand for more ceremony at the show. than 2,000 regional turboprops in The airframer did not disclose the 60-99-seat range over the next

the number of MA700s the air- Oliver Santa 20 years, and that its target is to lines will order. A mock-up of the type’s fuselage and cockpit was at the show gain a one-third market share. Dong says the target is for the AVIC also stresses that the MA700 to make its first flight in MA60 turboprop, and AVIC be- Speaking to Flight Internation- MA700 is a brand-new aircraft, 2017, and to be certificated by the lieves their involvement will al, AVIC Xian Aircraft Industry with no “blood relations” to the Civil Aviation Administration of help push the MA700 pro- vice-president Wang Chengkuan MA600 and its predecessor, the China in 2019. Thereafter, the air- gramme forward. claims that the Chinese-made air- MA60. The existing models have framer will seek certification The MA700 will compete with craft will be the first turboprop in mostly been sold to airline cus- from the US Federal Aviation Ad- ATR and Bombardier in the large the world to adopt a fly-by-wire tomers in developing countries in ministration – making it the first turboprop market. AVIC says its flight control system. Asia and Africa. Flightglobal’s Chinese-made turboprop to design will have a speed just A product brochure for the Ascend Fleets database records a apply for Western approval. under that of the Bombardier MA700 shows that the aircraft combined 68 examples as being Joy Air and Okay Airways are Dash 8 Q400, and the operating will have a maximum take-off in operation, including with mili- existing operators of the older economics of the ATR 72. weight of 26,500kg (58,400lb) tary customers. ■

32 | Flight International | 18-24 November 2014 flightglobal.com AIRSHOW CHINA Powerful display SHOW REPORT SHOW REPORT P34 AirbusSTRATEGY touts regional A330 beneﬁts

Company reports receiving “positive feedback” about proposed reduced-weight variant, with Chinese market a key target

irbus believes its regional He adds, however, that there AA330 is the best short-term has also been “some confusion” solution to ease the key con- that the lower-weight variant straints in the Chinese market. means carriers will not be able to Speaking to Flight Internation- operate the aircraft long-haul. al, Airbus China president Eric A regional A330 would only Chen says he does not see how involve “paper changes” and China could “in a short while some adjustments to strengthen overcome” issues related to con- the aircraft’s landing gear, he gestion at its airports, plus air notes, while the cabin could also

traffic control constraints and a be reconfigured to remove some Airbus shortage of pilots. galleys and put in more seats. The type was launched at the 2013 Aviation Expo in Beijing “The regional A330 is not a mi- raculous solution, but it’s defi- Airlines could use it and navigation charges. Chen airline’s strategy. These are fun- nitely a solution to relieve the for mixed short-haul says the aircraft can be made damental questions, it’s nothing pressure,” he says. available in 2016, and counters a to do with [whether the product Airbus launched the regional or medium-haul Boeing claim that Airbus is effec- is] new or old.” A330 at the Aviation Expo in Bei- operations to tively pitching “old, obsolete Airbus featured the A330 jing last year, aiming the aircraft increase utilisation technology” to China with its re- prominently on banners and largely at the Chinese market. gional A330. posters at the show. The compa- Chen says he has since received “You’re not agreeing to buy a ny also brought A380 test aircraft “a lot of positive feedback” from product because it’s new,” he MSN001 to the show, where it discussions with customers The official stresses that the says. “What’s key is which prod- participated in the flying display about the variant, and believes aircraft will have “full flexibili- uct matches, more economically, and appeared in the static park. Chinese airlines will seriously ty”, and that airlines could use it the market requirements. Which The company has so far sold consider the type when they for mixed short-haul or medium- matches the airline’s strategic de- only five superjumbos in the order new aircraft under Bei- haul operations to increase utili- velopment plan. Which product country, with these aircraft now jing’s 13th five-year plan, cover- sation. The lower weight will is most popular to customers and in operation with China South- ing 2016-2020. also bring savings in landing fees which product better serves the ern Airlines. ■

ORDERBOOK

Oliver Santa Reignwood to add more Bell 505s to tourist fleet ell Helicopter has signed a meet our requirements,” says Bletter of intent with Chinese Reignwood director of aviation company Reignwood Investment Zheng Gang. for an order of 50 Bell 505 Jet Bell’s latest order was an- Ranger X helicopters, bringing its nounced two days after it con- total commitment for the new ducted the successful first flight model to 60 examples. of the 505 at its Mirabel manufac- The airframer, which dis- turing facility in Quebec, Canada. played full-size mock-ups of both The company says it has now se- the 505 and its in-development cured interest in 240 of the air- ROTORCRAFT 525 Relentless at the show, says craft, including letters of intent Avicopter promotes new light twin Reignwood will use the aircraft for 20 other examples in China. for travel and tourism purposes. The five-seat, single turbine- Chinese manufacturer Avicopter used the show to promote its The operator’s existing fleet also engined helicopter is powered by twin-engined AC3X2 light helicopter, exhibiting a large mock-up the includes Bell 206s, 407GXs and a Turbomeca Arius 2R and also rotorcraft, which is configured to carry seven passengers. Avicopter 429s, and it had previously features Garmin’s G1000H inte- sees a number of potential roles for the type, including search and signed for 10 of the new type. grated avionics suite. rescue, emergency medical services, law enforcement and VIP “We are pleased to work with Bell also announced the sale transport duties. The company first revealed the AC3X2 design at Bell Helicopter on this agree- of six more Bell 407GX aircraft the Heli-Expo convention in the USA in February. ment, and are confident the new to four Chinese operators during Bell 505 is the ideal solution to the show. ■ flightglobal.com 18-24 November 2014 | Flight International | 33 AIRSHOW CHINA SHOW REPORT

POWERFUL DISPLAY Visitors to this year’s event in Zhuhai were treated to a daily flying schedule including new military types, plus aerobatic specialists and commercial offerings aplenty. A tour of the exhibition halls also provided an insight into Beijing’s ambitious development activities Oliver Santa, Rex Features Oliver Santa,

34 | Flight International | 18-24 November 2014 (Clockwise from main) A pilot climb; the United Arab from the August 1st display Emirates’ Al Fursan team; team prepares to get airborne; KJ-2000; J-31 model shows ARJ21 nears delivery; Russian strong resemblance to F-35; Knights bring added ﬂare; Y-20 J-10s of the August 1st team; in model form; Su-35 on the Airbus A380 pays a visit

18-24 November 2014 | Flight International | 35 Inside the world of aviation & aerospace every week

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Visit: www.flightsubs.com/1684 Call: Overseas +44 1444 475682 UK 0330 333 9533 quoting 1684 Email: [email protected] BUSINESS AVIATION Early adaptors FEATURE P38

CHARTER KATE SARSFIELD LONDON MANUFACTURING KATE SARSFIELD LONDON Royal Jet boosts ﬂeet with New home for Piaggio as EVO two BBJs and two Globals gets ready to go Abu Dhabi-based operator hints at refurbishing rather than replacing existing Boeings iaggio Aerospace has opened Pits new global headquarters VIP charter company Royal at Villanova d’Albenga, 80km VJet has acquired four new (50 miles) southwest of Genoa. high-end business jets as part of a The 127,000m2 (1,370,000ft2) $700 million spending commit- facility houses a 49,000m2 plant ment on new aircraft over the dedicated to the development and next decade. manufacturing of the airframer’s The Abu Dhabi-based operator P180 Avanti-based twin-turboprop has ordered two Bombardier programmes, as well as its engine Global 5000s, which will replace component assembly business. its Gulfstream G300s when they This new base replaces the Ital- enter service this month and in ian airframer’s more than 90-year-

February next year. The super- Jet Royal old plant in Finale Ligure, which large business jets will be used The high end operator is acquiring a further two BBJs becomes a dedicated service cen- for charter and medical evacua- tre for the Avanti fleet. tion services, alongside Royal who was appointed Royal Jet’s As its business expanded, Piaggio – a subsidiary of Abu Jet’s midsize Learjet 60/XRs. chief executive last month fol- Royal Jet started to broaden its Dhabi’s state investment arm Royal Jet has also acquired two lowing the departure of Shane focus. Late last year it joined forc- Mubadala – is developing three Boeing Business Jets, which will O’Hare. Gordon is keen to retain es with Air Seychelles to estab- versions of the distinctive twin- be delivered “green” next year. some of the BBJs for Royal Jet’s lish the country’s first fixed-base pusher. The special missions vari- Negotiations are now under way thriving charter business. “If the operation. The facility – Royal with completions centres, the economy continues to grow and Jet’s only FBO outside its Abu The new base replaces privately-owned company says. demand increases, I would refur- Dhabi International airport base the airframer’s more The firm is the world’s largest bish the aircraft and keep them in – is a response to the growing operator of BBJs, with a fleet of the fleet. I hate to get rid of assets number of private aviation tour- than 90-year-old plant six aircraft. that could generate business,” he ists from the Middle East, Europe in Finale Ligure The company announced says. and the CIS visiting the island na- plans last year to replace the BBJ Royal Jet launched operations tion, Gordon says. fleet, and has been evaluating the a decade ago, and during that Royal Jet is looking to expand Airbus ACJ319 and Bombardier time the BBJs have undergone its FBO portfolio, but Gordon ant, known as the Multirole Patrol CSeries alongside the BBJ Max “soft” refurbishments every two will not disclose which destina- Aircraft, is earmarked for certifica- family as possible platforms. years and major refits every five. tions the company is evaluating. tion and service entry in 2016. Its “We are still evaluating other “We have been profitable every “It will be in one of the [145] unmanned air vehicle, the P1HH models. No decision has been year for the last eight years,” countries that we currently fly Hammerhead, is scheduled to made yet,” says Patrick Gordon, Gordon adds. to,” he says. ■ enter service next year, while its third-generation civil P180 – the EVO – is expected to receive Euro- APPROVAL KATE SARSFIELD LONDON pean validation this month. The $7.4 million EVO was China certificates Nextant’s 400XTi launched in May as an upgrade to the nine-year-old Avanti II, which extant Aerospace has the Cleveland, Ohio-based com- Nextant expects the global in- remains in production. The EVO Nclinched Chinese certifica- pany has also appointed Beijing- service fleet of XT/XTis to reach features a revamped and quieter tion for its 400XTi business jet, based STAECO Business Jet 50 aircraft before the end of the interior, enhanced safety features paving the way for the US air- Maintenance as its first author- year, across 10 countries. and increased performance, framer to deliver the first of the ised service centre. The G90XT is an upgraded thanks to winglets, redesigned remanufactured light twin-en- The seven-seat 400XTi was version of the Beechcraft King engine nacelles, a reshaped front gined type into the region early launched last year as a quieter Air C90 featuring General wing and five-blade composite next year. and roomier version of Nextant’s Electric H75-100 engines – the scimitar propellers. Flight testing Nextant has appointed AVIC 400XT – itself a remanufactured first twin-turboprop application of the EVO began in February, International Aero-Development and re-engined Beechjet/Hawker for the powerplant – and a and the test aircraft has so far as exclusive sales representative 400A/XP. Garmin G1000 flightdeck. clocked up around 100h, says Pi- for Greater China for both the XTi The type features Williams The G90XT is scheduled to aggio. “We hope to receive Euro- and its in-development G90XT International FJ44-3AP engines make its maiden flight before the pean approval this month and twin-engined turboprop. To sup- and a Rockwell Collins Pro Line end of the year, leading to first de- deliver up to four aircraft before port the region’s growing fleet, 21 integrated flightdeck. liveries in 2015. ■ the end of the year,” it adds. ■ flightglobal.com 18-24 November 2014 | Flight International | 37 COVER STORY

STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC, ADDIS ABABA, SEATTLE EARLY ll Nippon Airways introduces Masami Tsukamoto as the first air- Aline pilot outside Boeing who was allowed to take the controls of the 787-8. When the day finally came to fly the ADAPTORS first Dreamliner delivered to ANA from Seattle to Tokyo, Tsukamoto’s reading on the pre-flight fuel gauge still surprises him three The first operators of the Boeing 787-8 had entry into years later. service delays and a battery crisis to contend with. What As a career ANA captain, Tsukamoto had flown the Seattle-Tokyo leg many times in dif- has their experience with the Dreamliner been so far? ferent aircraft. He knows by memory that a

38 | Flight International | 18-24 November 2014 flightglobal.com BOEING 787-8 IN-SERVICE REPORT Boeing

747-400 needs at least 136,000kg (300,000lb) to pilot Yohannes Hailemariam says the fuel ability to connect secondary markets at ranges make that trip. The smaller, leaner 777-300ER load that pushes a 767-300ER to Rome can well beyond the reach of its predecessors – needs nearly 100,000kg. For the 787-8, the fuel propel a 787-8 to Frankfurt, nearly 20% fur- has sustained the 787 in the market despite gauge that drizzly September day in Seattle ther on a direct line. In Luton, UK, Thomson waves of technical glitches. read 63,500kg for the Pacific crossing. Airways managing director John Murphy says Three years after the 787 entered service, “When I looked at the [fuel] quantity, I the 787 is also demonstrating nearly 20% im- 24 airlines operated 193 of the aircraft as of couldn’t believe that these were good provement, a figure that is “good for us”. early November, according to Flightglobal’s enough,” Tsukamoto said in a recent inter- Ascend Fleets database. That represents 42% view at ANA’s headquarters in Tokyo. PERFORMANCE of a backlog of 456 aircraft. Including the com- Tsukamoto is not alone. In Warsaw, LOT Flight International has visited five early op- bined orderbook of the 787-8, -9 and -10, Polish Airlines chief executive Sebastian erators with a combined fleet of 71 787s now Boeing has delivered 18% of the backlog so Mikosz says the 787 is “like a glider”, describ- in service on three continents, and the theme far, including five 787-9s to three carriers ing an average fuel flow per hour of only 2t is that the aircraft has delivered on Boeing’s since July. (4,4100bs), compared with his fleet average of contractual fuel-efficiency guarantees. This To sustain the backlog, many things could ❯❯ 4.6t. In Addis Ababa, Ethiopian Airlines chief performance – combined with the aircraft’s go wrong after entry into service, but fuel flightglobal.com 18-24 November 2014 | Flight International | 39 COVER STORY

GROUNDING MIXED REACTIONS TO BOEING’S BATTERY FIX

EIGHTEEN MONTHS after Boeing redesigned the inter- says the redesigned installa- did the battery catch fire?” the short circuit. the US Federal Aviation nal layout of the battery but tion should prevent any So far, investigation After the second battery Administration lifted the retained the lithium-cobalt- flames in the first place. The teams in Japan and the USA failure, the FAA grounded the grounding order on the dioxide chemistry, with eight new installation, however, have not been able to an- six 787-8s United Airlines Boeing the 787-8 fleet, the cells storing 72Ah of power. does not prevent a cell from swer what caused the 787 had in service, and regula- two rechargeable lithium-ion “For me, the message “venting”, a thermal event batteries to malfunction. tors all over the world fol- batteries installed in the [from Boeing] is the battery that spews heat and vapour The US National lowed the US government’s aircraft produce mixed reac- will still catch fire probably,” from burning electrolyte out- Transportation Safety Board example. While the root tions among operators. says Yohannes Hailemariam, side the cell container. The plans to release a final re- cause is still a mystery, For some, Boeing’s rede- Ethiopean Airlines chief test new design is intended to port within weeks, but so far Boeing addressed the risk signed installation and im- pilot. “But when it catches keep the heat contained to it has not identified the root in two ways, making it hard- proved battery monitoring fire, the smoke will not come the venting cell, while the cause of the battery melt- er for the battery to overheat software that lifted the FAA’s to you. That is what they say heat and smoke are chan- down in a Japan Airlines with better monitoring soft- nearly four-month grounding to us, I think. That is what I nelled directly off-board. The 787-8 parked at Boston ware and preventing a bat- order in 2013 is enough. understood.” goal is not to guarantee that Logan International airport tery that does overheat from “As long as it’s reliable, Although Hailemariam a battery will never fail, but on 7 January 2013. damaging the aircraft or ex- we don’t have any issues used the word “fire”, Boeing to prevent a venting cell posing passengers and with [the battery],” says from causing further dam- MALFUNCTION crew to fumes and smoke. Michal Leman, LOT Polish “For me, the age to the aircraft or its crew The Japan Transport Safety “Overall, we’re satisfied Airlines director of product message [from and passengers. Board (JTSB) investigated that the fixes we’ve imple- development. “[The] FAA Hailemariam is well the 16 January 2013 bat- mented do prevent any air- approved it. All security insti- Boeing] is the briefed on the new battery tery failure on an All Nippon plane-level event,” says tutions approved it. We battery will system, but Boeing’s expla- Airways 787-8. The final re- Mike Fleming, Boeing’s di- don’t have any issues of still catch ﬁre nation does not satisfy him port identifies an internal rector of 787 services and [overcharging] or getting hot. completely. Asked if he short circuit in one of the support. Nothing such as that has probably” would prefer a different kind eight cells as the likely rea- The redesigned installa- happened.” YOHANNES HAILEMARIAM of battery, he replies, “Yes. son the battery overheated, tion received its first test a Other operators in the Chief test pilot, Number one, what caused but the investigators do not year after the battery fleet are less comfortable. Ethiopean Airlines that issue, you know? Why understand what caused groundings. Earlier this year,

❯❯ consumption is not one of them. Boeing 787 dispatch reliability is “getting better promised a 20% fuel-burn reduction slowly but surely”, says Japan Airlines compared with a 767-300 delivered in the early 2000s.

QUEUING UP Airlines might accept a long list of programmatic and operational errors that in another era may have seemed devastating. For the 787 programme, the setbacks seem almost unsurvivable in retrospect, including a 3.5-year delay of first delivery, supply chain breakdowns, repeated setbacks on the assembly line, three problems with lithium-ion battery cell venting, a four-month grounding, and “teething” issues that persist even as the 787 approaches airframe adolescence. After all that, the 787’s customers would not be so willing to queue for years to obtain the aircraft if Boeing also missed the mark on fuel performance. While some airlines complain that the 787-8 still falls short of the 20% mark listed in the 787 sales literature, they agree that the fleet average beats the contractual minimum. Each airline measures and prioritises fuel efficiency in different ways, so the publicly released performance figures on the 787 cover

a lot of ground. Boeing

40 | Flight International | 18-24 November 2014 flightglobal.com BOEING 787-8 IN-SERVICE REPORT

battery failures. The improvement.” battery supplier GS Yuasa], Japanese investigators So far, Boeing is not and ask them to review if were unable to confirm the promising any further chang- something is wrong. At this timing as a factor, but they es, but it certainly has not point, no negative report raised the possibility of a closed the door. has come from them.” cold-soak problem. “When you ask if we’re For now, Boeing’s options satisfied, we’re going to con- are limited as it waits for CONCERNS tinue to look for improve- the NTSB to release a final Not all of Boeing’s custom- ments in the battery system report on the first JAL bat- ers are satisfied that the and every system on our tery incident. redesigned battery installa- airplane,” Fleming says. Airbus adopted a com- tion is a sufficient answer. “From that standpoint, we’ll pletely different approach In addition to concerns continue to be participants when it decided to make about cell venting, some to the investigations into lithium-ion batteries stand- airlines are dissatisfied with why a cell vented.” ard on the A350-900. the functional reliability of Meanwhile, airlines con- Instead of using two large

NTSB the battery. tinue to keep a close eye on batteries containing eight Investigators are unsure what caused battery malfunction “The rate of failures and the battery system’s reliabil- cells, the A350-900 is frequency of failures is more ity and safety. “Every day, equipped with four smaller on 14 January, a single cell side, where it was spotted than what the design is in- real-time, we are monitoring batteries, each divided into of a lithium-ion battery on a by airport staff. There was tended to be,” says one sen- the voltage and the cur- 14 cells. parked JAL 787-8 vented. no damage besides the ior airline executive. “In that rent,” says Masaru “While our customers Boeing’s new system battery cell. sense, we are not satisfied. Nishiwaki, ANA’s deputy di- understand and are com- worked. The overheated cell The incident, however, So we are talking to Boeing rector of engineering and fortable with the changes did not propagate enough did not go unnoticed. The about the possibility of de- maintenance. “We some- we’ve made on the air- heat to cause adjoining JTSB noted in its final re- sign improvement. Also, in times sample [at intervals] plane,” Fleming says, “there cells to vent. Smoke gener- port that the cell overheat- terms of manufacturing proof three months, six months are some that would still ated by the malfunctioning ed in January – the same cess management, there and 12 months. We remove like to see a battery that cell was vented directly out- month as the two previous may be an opportunity for an the battery and send it [to doesn’t vent.” ■

“When every airline is flying different missions with different configurations, the fuel-savings advantage will be different for each one,” says Mike Fleming, Boeing’s vice- president for 787 support and services. At the bottom end of the scale, LATAM Airlines group, whose Chile-based subsidiary LAN Airlines operates nine of 26 Rolls-Royce Trent 1000-powered 787s currently on order, says in an email that its 787-8 fleet averages a 12% fuel cost reduction compared with its 767-300ERs. That seems low compared with Boeing’s 20% target, but there are different assumptions involved. LATAM wraps fleet acquisition and operating costs into the equation. The carrier also operates newer 767-300ERs equipped with winglets, neither of which Boeing factors in to the 20% fuel- burn reduction it promises. “LAN, as Americas launch customer, is getting some early production 787-8s which may not provide the best measure of the type’s performance,” says Richard Aboulafia, vice- president for analysis at Teal Group. On the other extreme are Air Canada’s expectations for the Dreamliner. After taking delivery of its first two General Electric GEnx-1B-powered 787-8s earlier this year, ❯❯ chief executive Calin Rovinescu told analysts flightglobal.com 18-24 November 2014 | Flight International | 41 COVER STORY

❯❯ that he expected the aircraft to yield 29% 787-8 DELIVERIES WITH ENGINE CHOICE lower unit-seat-mile cost than the 191-seat 767-300s that are being replaced. In a second- Operator Headquarters Engine Number quarter earnings call, Rovinescu cited the ex- Abu Dhabi Presidential Flight Abu Dhabi GEnx 1 ample of the Toronto-Tel Aviv route, on which Aeromexico Mexico City GEnx 5 a 251-seat 787-8 can carry 31% more passen- Air Canada Montreal Genx 5 gers and more than triple the cargo while Air India New Delhi Genx 16 burning 3% less fuel per trip than the 767. All Nippon Airways Tokyo Trent 1000 31 Arkefly Amsterdam GEnx 1 “We have not yet reached British Airways London Trent 1000 8 the 20% target, but we are China Southern Airlines Guangzhou GEnx 10 coming closer to 20%” Ethiopian Airlines Addis Ababa GEnx 10 Hainan Airlines Hainan GEnx 8 EISUKE HAMA Japan Airlines Aircraft performance group director, Japan Airlines Tokyo GEnx 15 Jetairfly Ostend GEnx 1 Jetstar Melbourne GEnx 7 More typical are the airlines we visited, Kenya Airways Nairobi GEnx 6 which occupy the vast middle ground LAN Airlines Santiago Trent 1000 9 between the LAN and Air Canada extremes. LOT Polish Airlines Warsaw Trent 1000 6 All Nippon Airways, the 787-8 launch Norwegian Oslo Trent 1000 7 customer, reported in May 2012 – after start- Qatar Airways Doha GEnx 18 ing revenue service the previous October – Royal Brunei Bandar Seri Begawan Trent 1000 4 that the Trent 1000-powered 787-8s in its fleet Royal Jordanian Amman GEnx 3 burned 17% less fuel on domestic routes and Thai Airways Bangkok Trent 1000 3 21% less fuel on long-haul routes on a Thomson Airways Luton GEnx 8 per-seat basis when compared with a virtual United Airlines Chicago GEnx 11 model of a comparable 767. Asked for an Xiamen Airlines update two years later, ANA deputy director Xiamen GEnx 2 for engineering Masaru Nishiwaki says fuel SOURCE: Ascend Fleets performance remains the same. In another Tokyo office, Japan Airlines calculates fuel burn by measuring the amount of fuel used per person on board an aircraft, says aircraft performance group director Eisuke Hama. “We have not yet reached the 20% target, but we are coming closer to 20%,” he says. Hama adds that the introduction of engine upgrades, such as the second performance improvement package (PIP2) for the GEnx-1B, means that “fuel efficiency is gradu- ally improving”.

RELEARNING Another key factor in reducing fuel consumption is learning how best to operate a new aircraft. “You can always make that 0.5-1% impact if you work collaboratively,” says Thomson’s Murphy, who operates eight GEnx-1B- powered 787-8s. “It’s about the design of the aircraft, the engines and how you fly it. Direct routing, at the planning stage, is very important. We want to maximise the optimum altitude, we want to have the pilots asking for shortcuts, and we want the perfect descent profile.” LOT’s pilots have been flying the 787 since the battery grounding ended in May 2013. (LOT’s inaugural 787 flight from Warsaw to Chicago on 16 January 2013 was famously cancelled due to a 787 grounding order caused by two cases of lithium-ion battery

ﬁres.) One quarter of LOT’s pilots are still Rolls-Royce becoming familiar, but the majority of the ❯❯ ANA says Trent 1000-powered 787-8s burn 21% less fuel per-seat than 767 on long-haul

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YOUR VISION TAKES FLIGHT. COVER STORY

❯❯ carrier’s 787 crews have learned how to goes down,” Mikosz says. “Here, [the pilot] Achieving optimal fuel economy maximise the fuel efficiency of the aircraft, said, ‘My glider doesn’t want to go down.’ So about how 787 is flown as well says LOT director of product development she air-braked, she [moved the engine throt- as its design, says Thomson Michal Leman. tles] to idle and pushed the aircraft down. “Pilots can go through numerous simulator And it was [still] gliding.” lessons, but they also have to learn,” Leman says. “You need to feel the aircraft when you AERODYNAMIC are landing – when to put the engine on, when Fuel efficiency is not only a function of the to stop using the engine and start gliding.” aerodynamic properties of an aircraft. Opera- The 787’s customers talk frequently about tional performance can make a substantial the 787’s “gliding” effect. Although the en- difference. In fact, a non-aerodynamic drag on gines remain powered, the shaping of the fuel efficiency has been the 787’s reliability wing – which flexes up to 3.66m (12ft) in 1G problems, especially in the early days. flight – and the use of flight controls to man- “In the beginning, it was difficult, because age structural loading on the wings means the if you enter a new aircraft into your fleet you aircraft often feels to the pilot that it is main- have all the time these small issues,” says taining altitude using aerodynamic lift alone. Leman. “So then you have 5min delay, 10min LOT’s Mikosz recalls sitting in the cockpit delay. From the perspective of the customer, on a 787-8 flight from Warsaw to Beijing, it doesn’t matter, because they are flying 8h which requires a relatively rapid descent after and will arrive on time. But to reach [the des- crossing the Gobi Desert. tination] on time you have to burn fuel “Normally with a 767 it was like a stone – because you have to go faster.” you idle down [the engines] and [the aircraft] Every new commercial airplane goes through teething issues as it goes from flight “You need to feel the aircraft test to revenue service. The 777 set Boeing’s when you are landing, when benchmark for despatch reliability, but even it drew a public rebuke from launch customer to put the engine on, when United Airlines. The carrier complained a to stop using the engine year after the aircraft’s 1995 entry into reve- t t nue service that Boeing was slow to resolve an and s ar gliding” assortment of technical snags. These ranged MICHAL LEMAN from gearbox reliability problems with the Director of product development, LOT General Electric GE90 to a leaky passenger Thomson exit door that froze shut. 787-8/777 COMPARISON At the depths of the battery crisis in early As a discount charter carrier, Thomson 2013, Boeing said the 787 was performing has a model that is unforgiving of delays First three years 200 better on reliability problems than the 777, Operators citing slightly higher despatch reliability and Deliveries slightly fewer technical error reports, called 150 EE-1s, submitted to the US Federal Aviation Administration. A year and a half later, the 787’s rate of pro- 100 gress has diverged from the standard set by the 777, as niggling technical issues continue to lower despatch reliability below Boeing’s

50 expectations for the aircraft’s design. “From a reliability standpoint, we’re a little behind where the 777 was at this stage,”

0 Fleming says. 787-8/9 777-200/200ER/300 As more time passes, however, compari- SOURCE: Ascend Fleets sons with the 777 begin to lose meaning. Thirty-six months after the ﬁrst 777-200 en- IN-SERVICE ENGINES SPLIT tered revenue service, Boeing had delivered 151 examples of the 777-200, 200ER and 300 GEnx Trent to 16 customers, according to Boeing’s online Thomson 125 68 delivery database. delay related to an onboard technical prob- Boeing delivered 198 787-8s and 9s to 25 lem. Although that carrier has never been operators over the last 36 months, while named, it is almost certainly Thomson. As a ramping up production to 10 aircraft per discount charter carrier, it has a business month.Not every airline has complained model that is unforgiving of delays that are about 787 despatch reliability. Earlier this solely the fault of the airline. More to the year, Boeing announced that one 787 custom- point, Thomson is virtually alone among 787 er had received an award for operating its ﬁrst customers with no complaint about the SOURCE: Ascend Fleets aircraft 100 days without recording a single aircraft’s reliability.

44 | Flight International | 18-24 November 2014 flightglobal.com BOEING 787-8 IN-SERVICE REPORT

this year, Boeing executives openly discussed a goal of reaching 99.5% fleet-wide despatch reliability by the second quarter of next year, matching the benchmark achieved by the 777-300ER. In real terms, the difference between 98.5% and 99.5% can be significant to a carrier’s bottom line. ANA, for example, currently Starter/generators have proved problematic operates about 100 787-8 and 787-9 flights combined each day, so that percentage point Other parts in the electrical system have been represents the difference between one and redesigned several times over the same peri- three flights delayed by technical faults every od, he says, so that the part numbers are aug- two days. mented with a “-2”, “-3” or even “-4”, but not As 2015 approaches, the target despatch re- the CACs. liability for the 787-8 discussed in public by Boeing is addressing some “reliability Boeing executives is no longer 99.5%, but issues that we have” on the CACs, a source at simply a rate over 99%. Three years after the company says. entry into service, the 787-8 is still running Ethiopian expects the CAC issue to contin- below Boeing’s design standard, which means ue, says Zemene Nega, managing director for the teething issues have still not gone away. maintenance, repair and overhaul. “It is just a “From our past experiences we understand fundamental design issue,” he says. “It’s not what it takes to get an airplane to consistently going to be fixed with software.” operate above our goal of 99% schedule reliability,” Fleming says. GENERATING TROUBLE Like fuel-efficiency targets, despatch relia- One of the universally problematic parts for bility is prioritised differently by each airline. airlines has been the variable-frequency start- ANA, for example, remains slightly dissatis- er/generators (VFSGs). There are two on each fied with the 787-8’s performance, even engine, and they represent one of the major though it says its 787-8s have achieved a innovations introduced by the 787. In all 99.5% despatch reliability average. other commercial aircraft, functions such as “Our target is 99.7,” Nishiwaki says. cabin pressurisation and wing de-icing are Japan Airlines, meanwhile, has a target des- powered by bleeding compressed air from the patch reliability rate for its 787 fleet of 99.3% engine. To improve fuel efficiency, Boeing but is now running at 98.6%, says Hama. converted those systems to electric power. “It’s getting better slowly but surely,” Hama That required significantly more powerful adds. “It’s still not there yet.” engine-mounted generators, so Boeing intro- Boeing has not released the average duced VFSGs on the 787 that each produce despatch reliability rate across all airlines, up to 250kVA of electricity. but one airline executive says it is hovering “We have experienced a lot of troubles with at 98.3%. the VFSG,” Hama says. As another early 787 customer, state- It is an issue that Boeing acknowledges owned Air India has an obligation to submit has been a long-term problem, and one that written replies to questions from members of may still not be completely solved. So far, parliament, some of whom have sent regular Boeing has rolled out three improved ver- queries about the 787’s reliability levels. On sions of the VFSG, with each upgrade requir- 14 July, Air India reported 318 service delays ing a reinstallation. on the 787 between first delivery in Septem- “We expect that the latest configuration of ber 2012 and June 2014. the VFSG is the one that we will have for The key issues driving delays also are a quite a while,” Fleming says. “While we moving target for each airline. know that further issues may arise, so far the In Addis Ababa, a critical problem for Ethi- data says that the VFSG reliability is opian Airlines is a persistent glitch with the improving.” 787’s four cabin air compressors (CACs). As each new version of the VFSG becomes “It’s still an issue where every time you fly, available, airlines face another headache. The there’s one compressor not working,” says VFSGs deliver significantly more power than Murphy boasts that Thomson has “the Hailemariam. integrated drive generators on bleed-air sys- most reliable 787s in the world”, despite Other carriers, however, had few com- tems, but they are also heavier. having one of the highest utilisation rates. plaints about the compressors. Hama says the “Each component is getting bigger and “But we work hard at it,” Murphy says. CACs on JAL’s 787s have had “little, minor bigger,” one 787 airline customer says. “The “We’re constantly reviewing our spares stock troubles”. At ANA, Nishiwaki says the relia- weight of the VFSG is 200lb. It is so difficult to and constantly reviewing our despatch bility of the CACs is “very, very good”. replace.” reliability. We have a fantastic relationship Indeed, the part number of the CACs in the Boeing provides tooling, such as slings, to with Boeing.” For most other airlines, des- ANA 787 fleet has remained the same since help airline maintenance workers remove ❯❯ patch reliability remains a sore point. Earlier entry into service more than three years ago. heavy equipment. Airlines also have taken flightglobal.com 18-24 November 2014 | Flight International | 45 COVER STORY

❯❯ more elaborate steps, such as pulling 787s out of service for 10 days to simultane- UNDER THE SKIN OF ously fix various r eliability issues, such as the VSFG. Air India reported to parliament that THE DREAMLINER each aircraft in its fleet was grounded sequen- tially for a 10-day period between December Our microcutaway, originally 2013 and March 2014. According to Fleming, more weight is one published in 2011, shows the of the trade-offs of the design process. The 787-8 in three-class configuration VFSG units may be heavier than previous kinds of generators, but they replace a much heavier pneumatic power system, which feeds into the aircraft’s overall fuel efficiency.

IMPROVEMENTS Other reliability problems have all but disappeared or are being addressed. Earlier this year, Boeing reported that electromechanical actuators for 787 spoilers were one of the two biggest reliability headaches, but the issue was resolved by a recent software update. “They have already issued a software fix, and we are now installing,” says ANA’s Nishiwaki. Ethiopian has already installed the new software, and it appears to work. “The spoiler was a problem. Nowadays, we don’t have any spoiler problem,” says chief pilot Hailemariam. Other problems that once bedevilled the 787 also have been virtually eradicated three years after entry into service. “As we get fixes out, new things come up as components age and the fleet grows” MIKE FLEMING Vice-president for 787 support and services, Boeing

Hailemariam recalls early days when his pilots would push back from the gate, only to have to return after a spurious message appeared, warning of an inoperative control surface. Most of the time, there was no real issue, only a software bug. “We changed the flight-control software so many times, maybe three or four times,” he recalls. “Right now I believe we don’t have any such kind of a problem.” ANA’s Nishiwaki remembers the software problem well. “It is easy to explain,” he said. “Just before the flight, the flightcrew saw some flight-control message in the cockpit, which was a despatch message. In that case, even though they blocked out from the gate, they returned to fix it. But the corrective action is just to apply a ground test for the flight-control systems and clear – no component replacement [was necessary].” A combination of hardware and software changes finally made the flight-control ❯❯

46 | Flight International | 18-24 November 2014 flightglobal.com BOEING 787-8 IN-SERVICE REPORT

flightglobal.com 18-24 November 2014 | Flight International | 47 COVER STORY

PROPULSION THE LAST BATTLE: R-R AND GE IN POWER STRUGGLE FOR ENGINE PERFECTION

“Convection forces can carry ice crystals the size of a grain of ﬂour to cruising altitudes above 30,000ft”

The GEnx-1B became the focus of the next engine crisis. A decision by GE Aviation to adopt a new lead-free coating on the fan mid-shaft backfired with explosive results. The coating caused the component to corrode faster in humid climates. In late July 2012,

Rolls-Royce a GEnx-1B on board a newly Rolls-Royce’s next move is to deliver the Trent 1000-TEN upgrade in mid-2016 assembled Air India 787-8 sustained a contained fail- IF ONE of today’s market the aircraft level. At the still continues. Both en- been so. In July 2012, All ure. GE reverted to a previ- fashions becomes perma- same time, it has so far gines boast despatch reli- Nippon Airways, a Trent ous lead-based coating, and nent, the Boeing 787 could failed to produce a turbofan ability levels above 99%, the 1000 customer, grounded the problem disappeared. be the last commercial engine designed by either benchmark Boeing is still five 787-8s after Boeing in- A longer-term problem for widebody aircraft that offers competitor that meets seeking to claim for the air- formed it of a potential prob- GE Aviation is a relatively buyers a choice of engines Boeing’s original promise of craft as a whole. lem in the gearbox. Crown new phenomenon called from competing suppliers a 10% reduction in specific gears had corroded faster ice-crystal icing. Liquid water – in this case the GE fuel consumption. FLAWLESSLY than expected in endurance is not present above about Aviation GEnx-1B or the Additionally, competitive “The engines are operating tests on the ground, causing 22,000ft, so airframe icing Rolls-Royce Trent 1000. pressures have not provid- flawlessly,” says Zemene damage to the engine. R-R is never a concern at cruise This increasingly rare ed airline customers with Nega, vice-president of traced the problem to a altitudes for a turbofan-pow- engine competition has de- immunity from brief opera- maintenance, repair and manufacturing process ered widebody aircraft. livered two propulsion sys- tional crises with both en- overhaul for Ethiopian change by gearbox supplier However, meteorologists tems with reliability levels gines – in one case an Airlines, a GEnx-1B cus- Hamilton Sundstrand. It was have recently discovered well above the average at operational restriction that tomer. It has not always corrected within weeks. the presence of ice crystals

❯❯ issues go away, Fleming says. But it also Ethiopian Airlines has had a persistent revealed what has become a familiar pattern. problem with the 787’s air compressors As soon as one major issue is retired, another glitch pops up that has been buried one level deeper in the system. “As we get fixes out, new things come up as components age and the fleet grows,” Fleming says. “There are systems that we’ve come out with a fix and experienced no further problems. There are other systems going through an iterative process to get them to mature.” The 787 was designed with a “moon-shot” approach to risk tolerance that is no longer welcome at corporate headquarters. It incorpo- rated Boeing’s first mostly composite commercial airframe, a bleedless systems architecture and a new generation of turbofan engine technology to save fuel. At the same time, Boeing

attempted to reinvent how it designed and Boeing

48 | Flight International | 18-24 November 2014 flightglobal.com BOEING 787-8 IN-SERVICE REPORT

at even higher altitudes, the order backlog still especially in tropic lati- unspecified. tudes. In massive storm R-R places a couple of concentrations stretching caveats on the GEnx-1B’s 100km (62 miles) across, strong start. First, not all convection forces can carry airline decisions have been ice crystals the size of a the result of a competition. grain of flour to cruising alti- When given the chance to tudes above 30,000ft. The compete, the Trent 1000 crystals bounce off an air- has claimed nearly half of craft’s skin, but can be in- the orders, Moore says. gested into an engine. It is Moreover, the Trent 1000 is believed that crystals land starting to gain some moon a warm blade and begin mentum. In the last 19 en- to melt, which attracts other gine selections, the Trent crystals to stick to the 1000 has won orders 11 blade. Eventually, enough times, he says. ice develops on the blade to cause damage downstream TARGET when it sheds. R-R’s next move is to deliver the Trent 1000-TEN upgrade

PHENOMENON GE Aviation in mid-2016. GE has ac- The phenomenon is particu- So far, customers have opted for the GEnx-1B by a nearly two-to-one margin knowledged that the GEnx- larly acute on the GEnx en- 1B misses Boeing’s original gine. On its predecessor, For some airlines, the “The engines rotates at a higher speed, specification for reducing the CF6, the ice build-up restriction is an annoyance making it more difficult for specific fuel consumption by would most often shed as but not a network issue. are operating dangerous quantities of ice 1-2%. The Trent 1000-TEN the aircraft descended. The Japan Air Lines, however, ﬂawlessly” to build up on the blades. – packed with technological GEnx experiences the ice has pulled the 787 off three “We don’t have this prob- improvements inherited from ZEMENE NEGA shedding problem at cruise routes originating in Tokyo: lem,” Moore says. “It is just the Trent XWB – is still aimed Vice-president of altitude, leading to in-flight Bangkok, Delhi and maintenance, repair a very clear difference in the at achieving the 787’s origi- engine shutdowns. As a Singapore. and overhaul, two engines.” nal fuel-burn target. result, the US Federal By contrast, the Trent Ethiopian Airlines Another clear difference “We’re targeting the origi- Aviation Administration is- 1000 engine faces no such between the engines is the nal spec that was put upon sued an airworthiness direc- operational restriction, says pens to be less prone to ice order split. So far, 787 cus- the airplane,” Moore says. tive last year requiring R-R project director Gary crystal build-up inside the tomers have chosen the “You don’t spend this level airlines to steer 787s at Moore. Fortuitously, the core. The intermediate com- GEnx-1B over the Trent of investment to think we’re least 50 miles wide of ma- three-spool architecture of pressor section, which is 1000 by a nearly two-to- not going to get there. We’re jor storm concentrations. the Trent engine family hap- absent in the GEnx design, one margin, with 17% of going to get there.” ■

built an aircraft, distributing design authority ciency of this aircraft,” says LOT’s Mikosz. As and production control on a global scale. The for Boeing, it still has to work through at least prolonged teething complaints and worse are next year to meet customer reliability targets part of the legacy of those decisions made years on the 787-8. Meanwhile, it has the 787-10, ago, but so is the aircraft’s proven fuel efﬁcien- three versions of the 737 Max and two ver- cy. Despite the continued reliability head- sions of the 777X already in development. aches and development setbacks, 787 custom- None employ the moon-shot level of risk that ers remain a remarkably loyal group. Asked if Boeing accepted with the 787-8, but that does he thinks Ethiopian would buy the 787-8 if it not mean there will not be challenges. had to make the decision again, Hailemariam “I do think we will get better,” says Flem- did not hesitate: “Yes, because you get the per- ing. “Is it ever going to be perfect? I’m a glass- formance, obviously. So it’s just a matter of half-empty guy. We shouldn’t plan on it. We working through those teething issues.” have to plan to be really busy and expect that The scale of the early challenges left its there will be issues but work really hard to mark, but yet not a bitter taste for some. make sure that we don’t.” ■ “We were very harmed by this as an airline, Additional reporting by Greg Waldron in but after more than one year of very successful Tokyo, David Kaminski-Morrow in Palma operations I can only say it was worth waiting de Mallorca, Oliver Clark in Warsaw and for, because the customer experienced the efﬁ- Firdaus Hashim in Singapore flightglobal.com 18-24 November 2014 | Flight International | 49 STRAIGHT&LEVEL

From yuckspeak to tales of yore, send your offcuts to murdo.morrison@ﬂightglobal.com

The camera that Steel the limelight went into orbit Rex Features Although at the present time Apollo enthusiasts have had a steel forms but a small chance to get their hands on an proportion of the exclusive piece of 1960s space- material used in race memorabilia. The an aeroplane, Hasselblad camera and Zeiss there is little lens taken into orbit by Wally doubt that in course of time it Schirra on Mercury-Atlas 8 will be much more extensively went up for auction last week. employed – perhaps as tubing A precursor to the Apollo in some parts and as cast missions, Schirra’s 1962 flight metal in others. saw him orbit the earth six times. A photography Gunning for a job enthusiast, he had bought the Applications are invited for camera in a Houston shop that duty as air-gunners. Applicants year, and NASA tweaked it to must be between install a 100-exposure film 28 and 35 years, container, an aiming device and have received a modifications to the camera good education surface. and be used to handling men. It was after Schirra’s MA-8 A knowledge of machine-guns mission that NASA’s and experience of flying is an “photographic identity began to The Korean People’s Air Force officers argued over who advantage, but not essential. take shape”, says Bobby would ask the Supreme Leader to breathe in and buckle up Livingston of RR Auction, Mystery Liberators which held the sale. When I was stationed at Leuchars in 1944, I saw a detachment of No kidding? Chris Scott Liberators. The Thanks to Chris Scott for this aircraft carried charming photo (right). few identification As Chris explains: “A four- marks, the rear turrets, bomb- year-old explaining the merits of bays and gun positions were deployable flight recorders to a removed and the American two-year-old. Either school is crews wore civilian clothes. Is harder these days or technology it possible to unearth some hasn’t advanced much!” A is for Airbus, B is for Boeing... background to these We are delighted to hear interesting operations? about anything that reduces the (minus wings) through a busy Flight reader demographic. town at two in the afternoon. Question time The accused had allegedly Kenneth Merrick’s book on Taking a taxi bought the aircraft from a Allied special duties operations private residence and was Launching NASA’s photo identity in the Second From the Only in Oz files: a taking it home to the other side World War shows 37-year-old man has been of Newman, but stopped at a Australia police, the engine was the Handley Page charged with taxiing a pub on the way. working by means of an exposed Halifax with normal Beechcraft two-seat aircraft According to the Western fuel line connected to a jerry can three-bladed propellers on its inside the cabin. The accused, inboard Merlins, but four- who does not have a pilot’s bladed props outboard – not licence, was due to appear in uncommon on 148 Sqn court on 18 November. Halifaxes, he says – but why?

Western Australia Police Western “On a scale from one to Answers on a postcard with the driving your plane to the pub, usual fiver clipped to it, please. how much did you want a cold one?” asks one poster on the 100-YEAR ARCHIVE police’s Facebook page, where Every issue of Flight the incident is reported. from 1909 onwards “Probably only wanted a Red can be viewed online at Bull,” says another. “Apparently ﬂightglobal.com/archive Does this thing run on throat oil? it gives you wings.”

50 | Flight International | 18-24 November 2014 flightglobal.com READER SERVICES

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58 | Flight International | 18-24 November 2014 ﬂightglobal.com WORKING WEEK

WORK EXPERIENCE DENNIS MARTIN Designs on the training market After six years as a “man of mystery” flying around the world selling rotorcraft for Enstrom Helicopter, Dennis Martin now works as lead designer for the new TH180 trainer at the Michigan-based manufacturer

What attracted you to aviation? What are the pros and cons of I grew up on an airport. My dad being a small manufacturer? had a small grass strip out in the The downside is the resources. country, and that's where I grew We don't have a department for up, working on aircraft, sweeping this or a department for that. I hangars and mowing runways. wear a lot of hats. The upside is Aircraft were always around. Avi- the flexibility and the responsive- ation was always my first love, ness. We can make decisions real- and I knew I wanted to work ly quickly. From an engineering around aircraft. Fortunately, En- standpoint it's exciting. I get to strom happened to be close by, dabble in all these things and I and I bugged them long enough don't get pigeonholed into one lit- and they happened to hire me. tle product. At last count we're at You started in sales? 235 employees. We just doubled For six years I did international the size of the factory and we've sales and marketing for added about 100 people in the Enstrom. So I flew around the last year. We're definitely a grow- world selling helicopters. How ing company right now. cool is that? I lived the “man of What's the most difficult part of mystery” lifestyle. I've been on the job?

six continents. Along the way Jeff Decker Dealing with all the regulations I've met the most incredible Martin calls on his experience talking to customers in his latest role and certifications. We have a very people and seen how aviation good relationship with the [US is done around the rest of the programme, and I have a strong safety records. This will be the Federal Aviation Administration] world and some of the challeng- engineering background and a safest aircraft on the market. It'll and that helps quite a bit. But the es they go through to fly. Most of strong programme management be less expensive to buy and less sheer volume of regulations and our sales have been internation- background. But really, they expensive to operate. Two seats; the challenge of certifying a new al. Our turbine helicopter is a said: "You've just spent six years 210hp [157kW] engine; three- product, all the steps you have to training aircraft. We've been talking to customers and hearing bladed, fully articulated rotary go through, it's quite imposing. selling a lot to foreign militaries. system; great tail rotor authority; And on top of that, most of our We sold 16 to the Royal Thai “Designing a new fully governed engine: all the fea- sales are international, so once Army. We sold 30 to the Japa- aircraft is just a tures you'd expect and more. we get FAA certification we need nese defence force, and we just The TH180 is your main project? to meet all of the foreign require- sold 16 to the Venezuelan air monumental Definitely. We're flying a proof of ments, too. It's a huge challenge force. On the military side, challenge” concept. We're prototyping a lot that is growing every day. Q we've been having great success of new parts. It's hard enough in- Search through a wide range with our turbine helicopters. stalling a new radio or a new fea- of aviation jobs online at They'll go from zero to a fully what they want. Go build it." I got ture on to an existing aircraft. De- flightglobal.com/jobs rated helicopter pilot in the to take all those wishes and put signing a new aircraft is just a Enstrom 480B. them together. With the TH180 monumental challenge. We're If you would like to feature in Training is still the focus? we're really going after the train- shooting to have certification Working Week, or you know About half a year ago, we ing market. Most of the aircraft next year, and we actually have someone who does, email your decided we wanted to invent a that are being used are old designs aircraft planned into the build pitch to kate.sarsfield@ new model. They were looking that are expensive to operate, and schedule for the second half of flightglobal.com for someone to head up the a lot of them don't have good next year.

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7U\)OLJKWJOREDO7UDLQLQJ¶VQHZVLWHIRUWKHIDVWHVW Training courses to take you there URXWHWREXLOGLQJ\RXUDHURVSDFHDQGDYLDWLRQFDUHHU ZZZÀLJKWJOREDOFRPWUDLQLQJ flightglobal.com 18-24 November 2014 | Flight International | 59 “When Cargolux thought about replacing the 747-400 Freighter, we wanted an airplane with signiﬁcantly more payload, considerably less fuel consumption and improved environmental performance. That is precisely what we got with the new Boeing 747-8 Freighter.” — Dirk Reich, President and CEO, Cargolux

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