sign in sign up
<<
Home , 2020 SO, Charles Rolls, Copernicus Programme, Dowty Group, FlightGlobal, Flight International

AE March 2021 ROSPACE

SPACEFLIGHT IN 2021

COVID-19 – AN AIRCREW MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS? MILITARY ROTORCRAFT REQUIREMENTS FOR 2040

www.aerosociety.com Marc h 2021

V olume 48 Number 3

TUNNEL VISION 150 YEARS OF THE WIND TUNNEL Royal A eronautical Society Find Success with AIAA Online Courses

AIAA online short courses help you stay sharp while improving your knowledge base. The 2021 spring catalog features 11 courses spanning an array of disciplines. We’re committed to assisting in your professional development and maximizing your success. Enroll in an upcoming course.

Hypersonics: Test and Evaluation 18 March–8 April | 4 Lectures | 8 Total Hours

Design of Space Launch Vehicles 6 April–13 May | 12 Lectures | 24 Total Hours

Missile Aerodynamics, Propulsion, and Guidance 14–30 April | 6 Lectures | 12 Total Hours

Electrochemical Energy Systems for Electrified Propulsion: Batteries and Fuel Cell Systems 5 May–28 May | 8 Lectures | 16 Total Hours

Optimal Control Techniques for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles On Demand | 20 Lectures | Approx. 9 Total Hours

Can’t attend the live online lectures? Courses will be available on demand.

BROWSE THE FULL COURSE CATALOG aiaa.org/SpringCourses Volume 48 Number 3 March 2021

EDITORIAL Contents A second lost summer? Regulars 4 Radome 12 Transmission The latest aviation and Your letters, emails, tweets The development and swift roll-out of Covid-19 vaccines in the UK had raised aeronautical intelligence, and social media feedback. hopes for the beleaguered airline, airport and travel sector that restrictions analysis and comment. would start to lift and international flights resume. However, this optimism 58 The Last Word 11 Pushing the Envelope Keith Hayward looks at had harsh reality applied when Transport Secretary Grant Shapps MP told Rob Coppinger considers investment in and BBC Breakfast that international holidays and business travel this year would the implications of artificial how much the UK should ‘depend on everybody having their vaccinations’, adding that people ‘would intelligence on the protect its strategic assets flightdeck. from foreign takeovers. have to wait for other countries to catch up’. estimates for the UK suggest that the adult population could all have the jab by autumn but it could Features take until 2023-24 to vaccinate the entire global population. Predictably, Wambampram these statements have drawn fury from the UK aerospace sector, who are 32 already hanging on by their fingernails and battling to survive. Indeed, as AEROSPACE goes to press, the UK has just introduced tighter restrictions 14 QinetiQ for those entering the country, with a ten-day mandatory quarantine from high- risk pandemic areas and up to ten years in prison for falsifying travel history. Digital testing Of course, there is likely to be a staggered easing of restrictions as individual QinetiQ is developing new nations complete vaccination programmes and countries get the all-clear as Winds of change digital systems and airborne holiday destinations. However, for the passenger, the uncertainty of new rules How the creation of the test platforms which will first wind tunnel by the accelerate the flight testing makes for a stark choice – either to take a risk booking flights with ever- Aeronautical Society in 1871 of new and modified aircraft. changing restrictions that may see holiday dreams dashed by the emergence led to their development around the world. of new strains or hot zones, or potentially wait at least another year before 36 Blade runners for contemplating foreign travel. For UK airlines, with idle aircraft and for airports 20 Son of the An-2 2040+ ’s latest project to Report on the RAeS Next- with empty runways, there may not be the option of a ‘second lost summer’ develop a utility aircraft Generation Military Rotorcraft without immediate and massive government sector-specific support. The UK successor to the legendary conference: Future Military aviation sector is already on the ropes – another grounded summer could An-2 biplane. Medium-Lift Helicopter for 2040+. knock it out. AAR Tim Robinson FRAeS, Editor-in-Chief 22 [email protected] @RAeSTimR 40 Correspondence on all aerospace matters is welcome at: [email protected] in 2021– Editor-in-Chief Editorial Office 2021 AEROSPACE subscription a look ahead Keeping it in-country Tim Robinson, FRAeS Royal Aeronautical Society rates: Non-members, £190 +44 (0)20 7670 4353 No.4 Hamilton Place An overview of international repositions its approach To place your order, contact: commercial and state-funded to the MRO industry post- [email protected] W1J 7BQ, UK Wayne J Davis +44 (0)20 7670 4300 crewed and uncrewed space Covid-19. Deputy Editor +44 (0)20 7670 4354 [email protected] missions in 2021. Bill Read, FRAeS [email protected] +44 (0)20 7670 4351 www.aerosociety.com Any member not requiring a print 28 Covid-19 – a hidden [email protected] AEROSPACE is published by the Royal version of this magazine should mental health crisis? As the 42 Logbooks under scrutiny Aeronautical Society (RAeS). contact: [email protected] Production Manager pandemic takes a mental toll on Alan Dron investigates the Wayne J Davis Chief Executive USA: Periodical postage paid at pilots and professionals is it time problem of false pilot licences +44 (0)20 7670 4354 Sir Brian Burridge CBE FRAeS Champlain New York and additional for airlines to up their game? and the implications for safety. [email protected] Advertising offices. +44 (0)20 7670 4346 Publications Executive Postmaster: Send address changes [email protected] Chris Male, MRAeS to IMS of New York, PO Box 1518, Afterburner Champlain NY 12919-1518, USA. +44 (0)20 7670 4352 Unless specifically attributed, no 46 Message from our President [email protected] material in AEROSPACE shall be taken ISSN 2052-451X 47 Message from our Chief Executive Production Executive to represent the opinion of the RAeS. Annabel Hallam Reproduction of material used in this 48 Book Reviews +44 (0)20 7670 4361 publication is not permitted without the 51 Library Additions [email protected] written consent of the Editor-in-Chief. 52 New Members Spotlight Book Review Editors Printed by Buxton Press Limited, Tony Pilmer and Katrina Sudell Palace Road, Buxton, Derbyshire 53 2021 Council Elections [email protected] SK17 6AE, UK 54 RAeS Diary Original artwork ©Wayne J Davis/RAeS Distributed by Royal Mail 56 Elections

Additional content is available to view online at: aerosociety.com/aerospaceinsight Read AEROSPACE and the insight blog on your Including: Reimagining the future of civil aviation, Morphing aircraft designs, The need for a European civil X-plane, New Member spotlight, In the February issue of AEROSPACE, Spaceflight in smartphone or tablet with the AEROSPACE app Online 2021 – A look ahead, How Cool Aeronautics went digital, Biomimicry in aerospace design. APP available from iTunes and Google Play

Front cover: A Boeing concept model being tested in the supersonic wind tunnel at NASA’s Glenn Research Center. (NASA) @aerosociety i Find us on LinkedIn f Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com MARCH 2021 13 Blueprint

INTELLIGENCE / ANALYSIS / COMMENT

Clean wing Removing the engines and pylons from the wings saves 8,000kg in and also allows for a highly efficient laminar-flow wing, reducing drag.

V-tail Without the need for a large vertical rudder for asymmetric handling, the tail and empennage can be lightened with a V-tail configuration, saving 3,000kg in weight.

Rear propulsor The IP2 would feature dual contra-rotating ducted fans, powered by brushless electric motors that would encircle the rear fuselage. Not having to protect or reinforce the fuselage against uncontained fan-blade separation from wing-mounted engines would also save weight. Conseil et Technique Conseil et Technique

4 AEROSPACE Specifications

Aeronautical fineness 17 MTOW 75,000kg Endurance (current technology) 78min Endurance (predicted) 5hr

Battery packs By reducing its structural weight and removing 20,000kg of fuel, this would allow heavy batteries to be installed, says the firm. Conseil et Technique envisages a ‘plug & play’ to quickly recharge or swap battery packs at airports, as well as being able to shift the packs internally before flight to account for different pay- loads and CoG.

AIR TRANSPORT Electric tailspin French engineering and design consultancy Conseil et Technique has revealed a concept for an electric-powered A320-sized , the Integrated Propeller Plane (IP2), that shifts the engines from the wings to an integrated propulsion fan around the tail driven by brushless motors. As well as zero-emissions, Conseil et Technique says that, by relocating the engines from the wing, this will reduce 8,000kg of structural weight, eliminate asymmetric handling problems on take-off, enable laminar-flow wings and also remove uncontained engine fan blade issues. Using today’s battery efficiency of 0.15kWh/kg, the firm says that the IP2 would be able to fly for 78 minutes, rising to 323 minutes with 0.4kWh/kg batteries, expected to be available in five years time. IP2, says the company, could also be adapted to use hydogen propulsion.

MARCH 2021 5 Radome COVID-19

AIR TRANSPORT AEROSPACE Matthias Ripp Over 50% of airline pilots currently Rolls-Royce mulls two- not flying week summer shutdown UK engine manufacturer business who would Rolls-Royce is reported have to take two weeks to be considering a unpaid leave through two-week temporary wage reductions spread shutdown of its out over the year. The commercial engine firm has been particularly business during the hard-hit by the collapse summer to assist in in long-haul flights flown stemming losses caused by widebody aircraft A survey carried out by Goose Recruitment and industry publication FlightGlobal by the pandemic. First powered by its engines. has revealed that over half the pilots surveyed are currently grounded. The Pilot reported by the Sunday The firm is already Survey 2021 received replies from 2,598 pilots around the world which showed that Telegraph, the decision undertaking a cost- 30% were currently unemployed, 17% were furloughed, 6% were employed in other would affect 19,000 reduction plan, aiming to aviation jobs and 4% were now working in other industries. staff in its civil aerospace save more than £1bn.

AIR TRANSPORT AEROSPACE IATA: ‘2020 worst ever Zhuhai Air Show to return in 2021, year for civil aviation’ while other air shows shuffled China’s Zhuhai Air Show, In its full-year data from International traffic was cancelled in 2020 due to the 2020, airline industry down 75.6% in revenue global pandemic, is now set group IATA says that passenger kilometres to return in 2021, say the the pandemic caused (RPK) while domestic organisers. The aerospace the worst-ever year in RPK also fell 48.8%. trade exhibition, China’s history for civil aviation, IATA is now forecasting, largest, is now due to take with passenger air despite the roll-out of place before November this traffic plunging 65.9% the Covid-19 vaccine, year. Meanwhile, other trade compared to 2019. RPKs to still be around Zhuhai Air Show exhibitions and air shows have Hopes of a recovery in 50% lower than 2019 either been cancelled or postponed. Both EBACE planned for May and ABACE the second half of the levels, due to more scheduled for April have been cancelled, while AERO Friedrichshafen, set for April year were dashed when severe lockdowns and a has been postponed to June. In the UK, Yeovilton Air Day and the Royal International countries implemented myriad of different travel Air Tattoo, set for July have been cancelled, while Cosford Air Show, planned for new restrictions. restrictions. June, has been postponed.

NEWS IN BRIEF

reached 8,150ft, causing equipped with a maritime services to begin in the A preliminary accident the aircraft to roll more UAV specialists General sensor fit, including a second half of 2023. report from Indonesia’s than 45° and plunge into Atomics-ASI has multi-mode maritime radar National Transportation the sea. announced that it is to and AIS system to identify Coventry in the UK is set Safety Committee (KNKT) bring a SkyGuardian shipping. to become one of the into the crash of a Sriwijaya US budget carrier MALE drone to the UK first cities to host eVTOL Air Boeing 737, that killed Southwest Airlines has to demonstrate in the ThalesAleniaSpace has services when a pop-up 62 onboard, has found an announced its first annual maritime patrol and ASW announced it has been hub from Urban Air Port imbalance in thrust that loss in 48 years as the role. The company’s selected by Telesat to launches later in 2021. The led the aircraft to dive into airline industry reels from MQ-9B, which forms build a 298- eVTOL and delivery drone the Java Sea after take-off the effects of the Covid-19 the basis of the RAF’s LEO broadband site, ‘Air One’ in partnership from Jakarta on 9 January. pandemic on travel. In its new Protector UAV, megaconstellation, with Hyundai and Coventry Safety investigators, annual results, the airline will be based at RAF Lightspeed. First City Council will be located working on ‘black box’ reported it had lost a Waddington during of the Ka-band by the Ricoh Arena, with data found that the left record $3.5bn in 2020, the the summer trials for constellation are expected the firm saying it expects engine throttle lever moved first time it has posted a NATO partners. The to be launched in two to have fully commercial back when the aircraft loss since 1972. SkyGuardian will be years, with commercial eVTOL pads in 2022/23.

6 AEROSPACE DEFENCE AIR TRANSPORT Spirit Aero and Northrop Grumman From rags to Jet A1 to work on UK LANCA prototype Japan Airlines (JAL) has technology developed by operated a commercial flight the Research Institute of using sustainable aviation Innovative Technology for the fuel (SAF) made from used (RITE). clothing. The two-hour flight  Boeing announced was operated on 4 February that it has committed to on a Boeing 787 from Tokyo delivering able to Haneda to Fukuoka. JAL has fly on 100% sustainable been involved in a project to aviation fuel by 2030.

MoD convert cotton clothing into In 2018 the company The UK MoD has awarded £30m to Spirit AeroSystems in Northern (formerly SAF since October 2018, made the world’s first Bombardier ) and Northrop Grumman UK to design and manufacture a ‘Loyal which involved 50 local 100% sustainable fuel Wingman’ prototype for the RAF’s Lightweight Affordable Novel Combat Aircraft (LANCA) companies collecting over flight using a 777 freighter project. The contract will see ‘Team Mosquito’ build a technology demonstrator UCAV with 250,000 pieces of clothing in its ecoDemonstrator the goal of a flight-test programme by the end of 2023. which were processed using programme.

SPACEFLIGHT AEROSPACE ESA opens call for new H2-powered Miniliner would offer cadre of 30-40% savings, says Pipistrel Pipistrel Aircraft

For the first time in 11 ESA is also set to launch years, the European a Parastronaut Feasibility Space Agency has Project, which will announced it is explore the possibility recruiting a new cadre of those with physical of astronauts. ESA disabilities going into says it is “strongly space. Applications encouraging women for ESA’s new cadre to apply, because we of astronauts are set are seeking to expand to open on 31 March gender diversity in our and to run until 28 May. Slovakian manufacturer Pipistrel has revealed more details of its Miniliner concept for a ranks”. Alongside the A six-stage selection 20-seat zero-carbon airliner for regional point-to-point travel. Conceptual design studies move to increase its process will take place, on the aircraft, which would feature hydrogen propulsion and have a range of up to diversity in age, ethnicity, which is expected to 1,000km, have found that direct operating costs on a per seat basis could be slashed background and gender, finish in October 2022. by up to 30-40%, says the company.

Limited (HAL) revealed concept for the Indian three passengers. On 17 February, Aircraft lessor Nordic a new concept for Air to have it ready Canada’s Aviation Capital (NAC) an indigenous ‘Loyal by 2024-25. Helicopters has Aircraft announced that has delivered the first of Wingman’ UCAV weapon announced it has won it would be suspending 15 Embraer ERJ-190s system. The CATS SpaceX has announced the first offshore order for production of its Dash 8 to US start-up carrier (Combat Air Teaming it will fly a commercial, its new H160 helicopter, Q400 regional , Breeze Airways. Breeze, System) comprises non-government piloted with PHI to operate four which it acquired from which hopes to start the CATS Warrior spaceflight which will H160s in the Gulf of Bombardier in 2018 operations later this stealth drone, the CATS spend several days on behalf of Shell. through its parent group, year, is to use a fleet of Hunter air-launched orbiting the Earth at Longview Aviation Capital. secondhand E190s on cruise missile and the the end of 2021. The Microsoft is to join The manufacturer will not point-to-point regional Alpha-S, swarming mini- Inspiration4 flight has with a UK start-up be producing any aircraft routes. munitions that would be been chartered by Satavia to investigate beyond already confirmed launched by the ‘Loyal businessman Jared whether AI can be used orders. Some 500 jobs at At the Aero-India air Wingman’ Warrior. HAL Isaacman who will fly the to predict and reduce its Downsview factory are show in February, is planning to accelerate four-seat SpaceX Crew the impact of contrails on expected to be affected. Hindustan Aeronautics development of this Dragon capsule with .

MARCH 2021 7 Radome

GENERAL AVIATION SPACEFLIGHT Bombardier to end Chinese, UAE and US production after 58 years probes arrive at Mars

China’s Tianwen-1 space months, before deploying probe has become the a lander and a rover to latest mission to reach the planet’s surface. If Mars, successfully successful, it will become inserting itself into Martian only the second-ever orbit on 10 February. country to land a lander The spacecraft joins the safely on Mars. Meanwhile, UAE Hope probe, which as AEROSPACE goes

Bombardier arrived in Mars orbit on to press in mid-February, After almost 60 years, Bombardier is to end production of its iconic Learjet business 9 February and became NASA’s jet in Wichita, Kansas, amid declining demand during the pandemic. Some 1,600 jobs the first Arab misson to rover (and Ingenuity are to go with Bombardier focusing on its larger cabin models, such as the Challenger reach Mars. Tianwen-1 mini-helicopter) is set to and Global series, to save cash. First flying in 1963, the original became a is now set to survey the attempt to land on 18 legendary business jet, ushering in the age of fast, private jet travel. planet for about two February.

AEROSPACE AIR TRANSPORT EASA approves 737 United Airlines places $1bn eVTOL MAX return to flight order Archer Aviation

On 27 January the requirements. EASA’s Aviation requirements are broadly Safety Agency (EASA) similar to those required granted its approval for by the US Federal Aviation the grounded Boeing Administration (FAA) with 737 MAX to be returned the exception of allowing to service in mainland flight crews to intervene . The EASA to stop a stick shaker from Airworthiness Directive continuing to vibrate once is subject to software it has been erroneously United Airlines has placed a provisional $1bn order for ‘up to 200’ of new start-up Archer upgrades, electrical wiring activated by the system Aviation’s eVTOL air taxis, with an option for a further $500m worth of the vehicles as a rework, maintenance and prohibiting certain ‘microfeeder’ service to get passengers to its hubs. Archer had previously been in stealth checks, types of high-precision mode with its four-person Maker eVTOL, which will fly up to 60miles at 150mph. Its cost updates and crew training landings. per passenger, says Archer, is expected to be 1/35th of that of a helicopter. NEWS IN BRIEF

variant, the F-15EX, which probe on the by Aerobility and Civic Air conduct autonomous Starting on 15 February, is destined for the USAF. 2023. The country is Transport Association beyond visual line of the UK has introduced The first flight took place also aiming to develop (CIVATAglobal). The sight (BVLOS) drone new travel restrictions from Boeing Defense’s its own with white paper urges eVTOL operations in the US for international arrivals facility in St Louis, with the international co-operation, manufacturers and urban National Airspace from 33 ‘red list’ countries F-15EX getting airborne as well as sending an air mobility developers to System (NAS). who must pay £1,750 to for 90 minutes. The USAF into space and ensure that air vehicles Massachusetts-based quarantine in a hotel for is expected to acquire 144 developing its satellite and the infrastructure are American Robotics is ten days. Those who fail F-15EXs, with the first two industry. ‘designed with disabled now authorised to fly to quarantine could be hit to be delivered later this access, user interfaces, remotely small (up to by fines of up to £10,000, quarter. Not enough attention and adaptations’ in 20lb) Scout UAVs in while those falsifying is being paid by the mind, with accessibility rural areas. travel history could face Turkish President Recep emerging ‘air taxi’ sector considered from the start. ten years in prison. Tayyip Erdogan has to accessibility issues Aeroflot has announced announced ambitious for wheelchairs and The US FAA has given a loss of RUB 96.5bn On 2 February Boeing plans for a national other users, according the go-ahead for the ($1.3bn) for 2020, conducted the first ever space programme, with to a new report from UK first US commercial compared to a profit flight of its latest F-15 the goal of landing a disabled flying charity drone operator to of Rb5.3bn in 2019.

8 AEROSPACE AEROSPACE DEFENCE DARPA opens call for DARPA airport hydrogen ideas awards French flag carrier, by the EU, to develop Air-France-KLM, zero-carbon passenger contracts airports group Groupe aircraft by 2035, by for missile ADP, Paris region and looking for ideas for the manufacturer Airbus have storage and distribution carrier drone issued an unprecedented of gaseous and liquid ‘worldwide call’ for hydrogen at main airports. expressions of interest to The partners hope to explore the opportunities hear from companies, The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has shortlisted three for creating a hydrogen large and small, start-ups, US companies to compete in its LongShot programme to develop a UAV capable of fuel infrastructure for universities and research employing multiple air-to-air weapons. The contracts have been awarded to General airports around Paris. labs. The deadline for Atomics, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman for preliminary Phase I design work The aim is to support applications of interest is on UAVs which offer significantly extended engagement ranges, increased mission French plans, backed 19 March. effectiveness and reduced risk to piloted aircraft.

SPACEFLIGHT AIR TRANSPORT Lockheed Martin picks rocket for first NATS to fast-track green vertical launch from Britain transatlantic routes Lockheed Martin NATS is set to trial new recently. Separately, a ‘free flight’ routing for the new study published in North Atlantic in March, Environmental Research allowing airlines to ignore has found that the current standard transatlantic organisation of routes tracks and save fuel across the North Atlantic and time by using the has the potential to be most efficient route. The 16% more fuel efficient. tests are set to begin The report found that Lockheed Martin has selected California-based start-up ABL Space Systems to provide in March, according to current flight tracks across the rocket and associated launch systems for the UK’s first-ever vertical space launch , with the North Atlantic are from British soil – known as UK Pathfinder Launch. ABL’s new RS1 rocket will launch the scheme enabled by typically several hundred from the Shetland Space Centre, Unst, Scotland in 2022. The first payload will be an the new satellite ADS-B kilometres longer than orbital manoeuvring vehicle, developed by MOOG UK, and able to deploy cubesats. that went into service fuel-optimised routes.

Revenues for the same Correction period were RUB In the February edition of ON THE MOVE 229,766m, a decrease AEROSPACE, in the list president nominates a directors – Janet Collyer, of 58.4% from 2019. of books received, it was Warwick Brady, CEO of permanent replacement. Paul Everitt and Ben stated that the author of I sell Passenger numbers fell by Southend Airport owner Stocks. aircraft: no ‘plane’ business 85% in Q2 but the carrier was Brian M Dixon. It should Stobart Group, is to Atlantic Aviation Group announced that cargo have been David M Dixon. become the new CE of has appointed Pfizer Jiten Chopra is the new revenues for Q4 increased Swissport. Ireland’s HR Director CFO of Indian carrier by 78% compared with We apologise for any Eileen O’Riordan as a IndiGo. confusion caused. Q4 2019. Air Commodore Paul non-executive director. Godfrey RAF is to be the Chairman of Aviation UK trainer jet developer Private Chinese launcher inaugural commander has Heritage UK is former Aeralis has been awarded start-up, iSpace failed of the newly formed UK announced Seth Zaslow Editor, a three-year contract on its second launch . as its VP of Investor Allan Winn, taking over from the RAF’s Rapid on 1 February, with its Relations. from Vulcan to the Sky Capabilities Office (RCO) Hyperbola-1 rocket losing John P Roth is to serve CEO Dr Robert Pleming to explore its concept for a control during its first as Acting Secretary of The UK ATI has appointed who sadly passed away in modular jet trainer. stage burn. the US Air Force until the three new non-executive early February.

MARCH 2021 9 By the Numbers Understanding the world of Aerospace through data Wind tunnels from around the world

RUSSIA FRANCE CSTB Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute: CHINA CSTB Jules Verne Climatic Wind T-101, Zhukovsky. FL-62, Shenyang. TsAGI Tunnel, Nantes. 24m x 14m x 24m Run by Aerodynamics Research 6m x 5m x 12m Institute and AVIC Used for testing structures and 17,000m3, Transonic. vehicles in extremes of Opened in May 2020.

and weather. Xin UK hua RW CANADA DI Aircraft Research Association Ltd RWDI Wind Tunnel, (ARA), Bedford. Airb Guelph, Ontario us 2.7m x 2.4m RUSSIA 7.32m long. Transonic Mach 1.4. Central Aerohydrodynamic ARA Institute: T-2, Zhukovsky. 6m x 14m

TsAGI Ontar io Te c h UK Airbus Filton, Filton, UK, 3.65m, subsonic.

CANADA ACE Climatic Wind Tunnel, Oshawa, Ontario.

MRI

JAPAN MRI Large Wind Tunnel, Meteorological Research Institute, Tsukuba. 18m x 3m x 2m Projects include studying turbulence caused by buildings USA and spread of volcanic gas. LENS-X hypersonic wind Boe tunnel, Buffalo, NY. ing

Mach 30 L EN Claimed to be world’s S fastest wind tunnel.

Ec on o m

ic

T

i

m e

USA s Boeing Subsonic

NA S Wind Tunnel,(BVWT) A Philadelphia, US, 6.1m, subsonic. INDIA

CSIR Hypersonic Wind Tunnel (HWT) Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Hyderabad. USA Opened in December 2020 Hypersonic – Mach 5-12. Ames Research Centre. IEAv U ni 24m x 37m ve rs it y Subsonic. o AUSTRALIA f

Largest wind tunnel in the world. A

SOUTH AFRICA d Adelaide Wind Tunnel,

e

l

a

i Thebarton.

Council for Scientific and Industrial d BRAZIL e T3 Hypersonic Shock Tunnel, Research (CSIR), Pretoria. Institute for Advanced Studies 7.5m x 6.5m x 13m (IEAv). Largest hypersonic wind tunnel in Latin America.

10 AEROSPACE Pushing the Envelope Exploring advances on the leading edge of aerospace Robert Coppinger Teaching AI airmanship

rtificial intelligence (AI) is the ubiquitous a pilot who is momentarily confused by what his gut technology buzzword and, in aviation, AI tells him and what the multi-functional displays say. is the solution for robot electric vertical With a spectrum of flight deck applications, from take-off and landing taxis and the decision support, advising a go-around, for example, military’s autonomous combat drones. all the way to emergency intervention, AI would However,A it also has a great deal of potential for the appear to be a worthy investment. airliner fight deck. The public face of AI development has been the grand masters of strategy games, HARVIS – AI support for reduced crew such as chess and China’s Go, being trounced by a computer. The state-of-the-art AI software today can Making the decision to go-around is one of the use be given the basic rules of a game and, after playing cases for AI that is being studied by a European Union for many hours, can develop strategies for defeating project, Human Aircraft Roadmap for Virtual Intelligent its opponent, human or machine. Flying an aircraft full System (HARVIS). The €826,000 three-year project of passengers is going to require more than just basic is looking out to the 2030s when AI might support rules and will need a level of reliability and integrity for reduced crew operations. -based human factors AI that has never been seen before in avionics. specialist Deepblue is a HARVIS consortium member and results dissemination manager. Deepblue’s The robot airliner Stefano Bonelli explained that the one of the larger obstacles to flight deck AI is not what people expect. The Boeing 737 MAX debacle demonstrates the Looking across at AI’s evolution for terrestrial purposes, importance of software testing. While the concept of robot co-pilot development would appear to be a case the robot airliner has been proposed in the past, it is of simply loading the software into the flight simulator not an option that is seriously being considered by and running every imaginable scenario ad nauseum. any aviation authority or researched. Where AI has However, HARVIS researchers have found that been investigated is for improving flight operations by it is not that easy. They discovered that the 20-odd THE BOEING 737 aiding pilot performance, for example, decision support. pilots that are normally considered sufficient for Socio-economic developments far beyond aviation MAX DEBACLE may also drive a greater change to the flight deck. aviation research are not enough. For training, existing DEMONSTRATES Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the airline industry AI requires 2,000 pilots and getting this amount of THE IMPORTANCE was talking about a pilot shortage. The US military, data is a challenge. The 2,000 pilots could have to sit OF SOFTWARE through many video examples of landings and give with a view to possible future pilot shortages, has TESTING. WHILE their judgement on whether a go-around was the been developing what it calls a ‘drop-in’ solution to THE CONCEPT make aircraft, designed for two pilots, operable by right decision or not. Even once AI is trained, there is one. A ‘drop-in’ AI co-pilot could certainly enable the another difficulty. Normally pilots collaborate in the OF THE ROBOT airline industry to entertain the prospect of reduced cockpit to make decisions and take actions but this AIRLINER HAS crew operations. The US military’s tests have involved way of working is not possible, for now, with AI. Instead, BEEN PROPOSED Sikorsky helicopters and flight tests are already AI would give short instructions without any conferring. IN THE PAST, beyond pilot support. Another use case HARVIS has looked at is IT IS NOT AN Fully autonomous test flights are expected this emergency landings where an engine has failed or OPTION THAT IS there is an on-board medical emergency. Here, simple year. The use of AI could go further – in emergency SERIOUSLY BEING situations. Crash investigations have discovered instructions about where to land would seem easier that pilots can rely more on their instincts than to achieve. However difficult the technical challenges, CONSIDERED BY what the instruments are telling them. Artificial the final obstacle may be public acceptance, come ANY AVIATION intelligence could therefore intervene and act on the the 2030s, that a computer is making life or death AUTHORITY OR instruments’ data rather than the aircraft waiting for decisions in the cockpit. RESEARCHED.

MARCH 2021 11 .

Transmission

LETTERS AND ONLINE @aerosociety i Find us on LinkedIn f Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com . Hybrid-Electric Trijet design analysed The Hybrid-Electric Trijet TU Braunschweig concept, as featured in the February issue of AEROSPACE(1), looks interesting at first sight but has the following points which i need consideration:

- Central entry door. This is in line with the wing leading Hardingham Sword edge, thus no clearance for winner Jenny Body the mobile air stairs and the escape slide would end up on Rolls-Royce top of the wing. - No over wing escape hatch. The Hybrid-Electric Trijet is a concept design from Germany for a laminar flow narrow-body aircraft. - Engines partly buried in the wing trailing edge. Uneven - Outer wing folding. The not possible due to the aft heavy structure and a disc airflow over the fan disc, inlet B777X only folds the wing tip; mounted centre engine. burst could remove the fin airflow shielded at high angles the concept appears to fold the - Centre engine. Replace ‘tail and tailplane. Apart from the of attack, ingestion of rain, aileron section which would be strike’ with ‘nacelle strike’; above, the forward section of snow and ice from wing and a major certification issue. a very tall undercarriage the concept looks quite good. it is not possible for the fan - No aft entry/service/ would be required to prevent blades to be inspected during escape door. This would this! Attaching the nacelle Peter Gambardella, the pre-flight walk around. be a requirement but is to the fin would require a MRAeS

Will Scotland defend the UK? Yvonne Elsorougi [On Jenny Body Sir Robert As reported in AEROSPACE, our Atlantic and North Sea in-depth reappraisal of our have to be dismissed out Hardingham Presidential the closing months of maritime and air defence strategic defence provision of hand. Perhaps the only Sword Award recipient Ms 2020 saw fascinating and region but help guard NATO’s and be vastly expensive to acceptable option would Jenny Body] It is fantastic thought-provoking virtual northern flank. re-deploy. be to ensure the key base to see Jenny winning this conferences that provided 4. The Scottish nationalists 10. An independent Scotland facilities are excluded from award. Very well deserved for insight into evolving UK demand the removal of all could upset the delicate any sovereignty transfer and all her years of dedication to defence requirements and military nuclear weapons and East-West balance of military perhaps the UK’s Cyprus the aerospace industry and policies, including important facilities, key assets in the power in Europe weakening bases could be the model. But the commitment she has developments in cyber and Atlantic . the West for no advantages. any such compromises would shown through her Royal space access resilience. 5. The SNP has no credible do nothing to avoid potentially Aeronautical Society activities However, there was one defence plan of its own, could No doubt an independent catastrophic harm to the for education, skills, diversity, subject that was completely not fund one and its strategic Scottish government would collective Western defence in inclusion and equality. Many passed by, even though it geographical value to the UK be extremely keen to maintain Europe at a time when Russia congratulations, Jenny! could become, later this year, cannot be replaced. the employment levels and is continuing almost weekly as divisive and gamechanging 6. The SNP would seek to economic gain that today air and sea manoeuvres right for Great Britain’s future be neutral and outside NATO, flows from so much UK up to UK national boundaries. Andrew Gray as Brexit. The prospect of like Ireland, but particularly defence spending north of The former Leader of the Congratulations Jenny – Scottish independence, and vulnerable to a Russian the border, especially warship SNP has his own TV show on I always remember your its consequences for UK incursion or anchorage. building, but also support the Russia Today channel and, leadership in A400M! defence, is the elephant in 7. The MoD continues to infrastructure for such major along with us all, favours good the room that it appears invest £billions into new, defence programmes as relations with Russia, but not nobody across the defence expanded, base facilities the new Dreadnought-Class all Scottish MPs are relaxed Roger Bourne Great establishment wants to and shipyards in Scotland Trident nuclear submarines, about ’s actions at news! Congratulations address, certainly not in public. on the Clyde and at RAF and new P-8 and Wedgetail home and abroad. Many Jenny. You have been a Yet: Lossiemouth. AWACS fleets. Why should realise that weakness wins tremendous contributor to, and 8. The new MoD Space Westminster pay rental you no favours when dealing ambassador for, the valued 1. The MoD is the largest Command plans to use new fees for freehold defence with The Bear. The defence work of the RAeS. single employer in Scotland. satellite launch and support sites it already owns, and consequences of the potential 2. Our bases in the Clyde and facilities, yet to be established, is rebuilding? Demands breakup of the UK are surely Highlands and Islands are in Scotland. for a say in how the assets worthy of debate. David Bailey essential to UK defence. 9. Any future constitutional are used (such as banning Congratulations Jenny, 3. They safeguard not only change would require an nuclear weapons) would Richard Gardner MRAeS thoroughly deserved!

12 AEROSPACE .

H175 – the new Puma? BA 777 Heathrow crash and ATC Airbus @AndyNetherwood Marc-Anthony Payne/Wikipedia [On BA38 777 Heathrow crash lecture] Absolutely fascinating behind the scenes look at Heathrow ATC during the BA38 crash Airbus H175 ordered by from @adamspink who China’s Rescue and Salvage was supervising. Well worth Widerøe flies higher Bureau for S&R missions. watching on the @AeroSociety YouTube @JonathanLandolt [On @Rotorfocus [On Airbus channel if you missed Norwegian regional carrier pitches H175 as RAF Puma it. In awe, as ever, at the Widerøe overtakes Lufthansa replacement in RAeS Future professionalism of air traffic in number of flights] Lufthansa Military Rotorcraft Conference, controllers. I was on the On 17 January 2008, a @jayjay23a3 During is in no obligation to fly, while see p 36] Given that H175 edge of my seat throughout. BA Boeing 777-200ER training, one of the criteria Widerøe has to provide was never to be militarised, as Absolutely fascinating, thank landed short of the runway we’re being assessed on flights as part of the PSO it’s half Chinese, this is quite a you. I think you nailed the at Heathrow Airport after ice is our temperament and agreements. It really does surprising proposal. lessons learned as well. crystals blocked fuel flow to communication. It’s all about prove the point. the engines. There were 47 hiding your inner ! injuries but no fatalities. Career uncertainty @Pilotsparky Not really a @AdamSpink Thanks sustainable answer. It would Andy, that means a great deal @Sea_SJJC The reassuring @RobbieKiwiMac Without @IMEcheE [On Tips on be easier to get an EC225 coming from you. calmness of the controller’s a doubt we are blessed dealing with career uncertainty approved. voice is astounding. Having with phenomenally capable as a young person] In our watched videos of myself and industry-leading ATC at content series with the @LisaDBond1 Aaah yes. under in Heathrow, just saying what @AeroSociety and @TheIET, @GbhvfRon Very interesting. The day I watched you as @RNGibSqn, I can attest to my 20+ years of international hear from @AeroSociety’s Key question would be ‘is supervisor. And as all the how necessary and difficult flying has shown me. Prof Jonathan Cooper and there money being set aside phones constantly rang – it is to remain calm, clear and Sir Brian Burridge as they in the Defence Budget for the swore that was one job I’d professional when things go discuss the issue of dealing procurement and support of a never ever do! wrong #BA38. with disappointment and Puma replacement?’ Second uncertainty as a young question would be ‘in what professional(2). timescale?’

Typhoon with attitude From the RAeS photo archives RAeS/NAL @thomas_embleton [On Eurofighter ‘Beast Mode’ fitted with dual racks for 14 x BVRAAMs] This is something I’ve wanted to see for a long time! Just wish they sorted out the conformal tanks.

@VirtualAvi8or Aerospace engineers: So how many missiles do you want? Eurofighter: Yes. Frank Hedges Butler’s Dolce Far Niente (45,000ft3) about to ascend from Gas Works on 16 April @Justin_Br0nk Cool, but @Bradninchfellow When @Mark_Ranger Pretty 1906 during an Easter House Party at , Lord prohibitively expensive to run you have to shoot down the much what the USA want the Llangattock’s seat (’ family home). Passengers in any real life situation. Even entire Belgian airforce in one F15EX for. included Frank Hedges Butler, Mr John Holder, Prof all out war, this is a no. go. Huntington and the Hon Charles Rolls. Descent was made at Hardwick Farm, Upton St Leonards, Gloucester.

1. AEROSPACE, February 2021, p 4, Blueprint 2. ow.ly/7nlA50DqXUn

@aerosociety i linkedin.com/raes f facebook.com/raes www.aerosociety.com MARCH 2021 13 Wambampram 14 AEROSPACE 150 yearsofwindtunnels HISTORY Winds ofchange Aeronautical Society. which began tunnelcommissionedby withanexperimental theRoyal Library, looksbackattheearly years ofthewindtunnel’s 150-year history BRIAN RIDDLE, ChiefLibrarian oftheRAeSNationalAerospace former RAeS/NAL “ …This is certainly enough to place it within the was reported in the RAeS’ Council minutes, dated very highest reaches of important scientific instruments 5 February 1872, that the Experimental Committee and tools developed over the entire length of human had conducted ‘the first series of their labours (tests) history,”(1) noted the leading aviation historian Richard … and were tabulating the results’, the first public P Hallion. exhibition of the ‘new machine … for measuring the relation between the velocity and pressure of the hat is being described is the wind’(2) occurring at the Society’s General Meeting of construction in 1871 – 150 Tuesday 18 April 1872 held at the Society of Arts. years ago – of the world’s first At the meeting, Wenham described “how it acted wind tunnel under the auspices as an ordinary anemometer, for ascertaining the of the Aeronautical Society of direct force of the wind on a plane, when in a vertical GreatW Britain. direction to its surface” by using a series of ‘planes’ The tunnel was designed by Francis Herbert mounted on a horizontal arm which could be set at Wenham (1824–1908), one of the most influential various inclinations and vibrate in response to blasts of figures in the pre-Wright era of aeronautics who air(3). Two years later, at the Society’s General Meeting conducted extensive studies of cambered wings and of Tuesday 15 May 1874, Thomas Moy reported aspect ratios, and had delivered the first lecture to that based on the “… valuable experiments …made the Society entitled ‘Aerial Locomotion’ on 27 June at Messrs. Penn’s factory, at Greenwich … those 1866. In the Society’s Council minutes, dated 13 experiments went far beyond his expectations in July 1870, it was reported that Wenham was among favour of aerial navigation, and gave upward those appointed to “… a Committee for experimental at small angles which were not expected from any purposes”. At the Council’s meeting of 3 July 1871, existing theory. From the data furnished by these the Experimental Committee reported that it: “… experiments, Mr. Moy had constructed a diagram of had determined upon an Instrument designed by Mr. curves for pressures at different angles, and at speeds Wenham for experimenting with a view of discovering varying from 10 to 40 miles an hour”(4). Above: Francis Herbert the relations existing between velocity and pressure at Prior to the work of Wenham, the single most Wenham. various angles”. important aeronautical theoretician of his era was Opposite page: The main Sir George Cayley (1773–1857) who adapted the wind turbine fan in building Beginnings as a fanblower whirling arm first designed in 1746 by Benjamin Q121, part of the long Robins (and constructed by John Ellicott) for retired wind tunnels in It was settled that the ‘Instrument’ which was to be measuring air resistance to determine the influence Farnborough, Hampshire, submitted to ‘the requisite test with a fanblower’ of the angle of incidence on aerofoils. Wenham’s UK. was to be constructed by an optical and physical invention of the wind tunnel – and its facility to allow Below: A Gloster SS19B, instrument maker, John Browning at John Penn and data to be gathered on wing shapes of varying J9125, suspended in the same Farnborough 24ft Sons marine engineering works at Greenwich (a thickness, length and aspect ratio – represented a wind tunnel when it was in manufacturer of industrial ventilation fans) at a cost step change opening up new avenues for the study of active use. of ‘about £25’ (around £3,000 in current values). It aerodynamic phenomena. RAeS/NAL UK wind tunnel history In Britain, aeronautical research – overseen by the Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (ACA), formed by Lord Haldane in April 1909 – in the early decades of the 20th Century was centred around two sites – the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) at Teddington and the Royal Aircraft Factory / Establishment at Farnborough: 1903: Thomas Stanton constructs first wind tunnel at NPL. 1907: Construction of the first wind tunnel at the Balloon Factory, Farnborough, modelled on NPL design (over 20ft in length and 5ft square). 1917: Two 7ft tunnels constructed at Farnborough. 1919: Duplex wind tunnel built at NPL. 1933: Compressed air tunnel brought into use at the NPL. 1935: 24ft diameter tunnel opened at Farnborough.

MARCH 2021 15 HISTORY 150 years of wind tunnels

European wind tunnel history

The early evolution of the wind tunnel was pioneered in Europe, and during the following decade a number of significant developments occurred using wind tunnels including: 1893: Ludwig Mach, son of the noted scientist Ernst Mach, built a 7in by 9¾in tunnel in Vienna specifically to photograph the motion of air, pioneering the use of photographic techniques to study airflow. 1894: A marine engineer Henrik Christian Vogt (1848–1928) studied pressure distribution around flat plates and various surfaces in a wind tunnel (40in long and 4½ x 9in in cross-section) constructed with the assistance of Johannes O. V. Irminger (1848–1938) at the Eastern Gas Works, Copenhagen. 1896: At the l’Éstablissement Central de l’Aérostation Militaire de Chalais-Meudon, Charles Growing wind Renard (1847–1905) its Director built a 13ft Also in 1871, in Russia, a wind tunnel and a three- 31˝ diameter wind tunnel to study the stability of component aerodynamic balance was designed . and constructed by V A Pashkevich at the Mikhailov 1896–1897: Two small-scale wind tunnels were Artillery Academy, St. Petersburg(5). used by Poul la Cour (1846–1908), of Askov, The studies in 1884 of Horatio Frederick Phillips Denmark, for windmill and wind turbine research. (1845–1926) to test the curvature and efficiency of (The Danish Aerodynamic and Acoustic Wind various aerofoil sections in a wind tunnel of his own Tunnel at DTU is named after him). design – 6ft long and 17in square – encompassed 1896–1897: Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky the next milestone. In ‘Experiments with Currents (1857–1935) – later to be known as the ‘Father of Air’, published in Engineering, 14 August 1885, of Soviet Rocketry’ – as part of his research into Phillips’ tunnel was described as ‘… A rectangular designing a large metallic 200-passenger trunk of wood … open at the front end, had attached built a small wind tunnel, similar to Wenham’s to it at the back end an expanding delivery tube design with a one-component balance to measure of sheet-iron’ through which air would be sucked drag coefficients at Borovsk near Moscow. (In total through the entrance into the tunnel using a steam from 1871 through 1915, 18 wind tunnels were injection system to generate the airflow, effectively constructed in Russia: eleven in Moscow, five in St incorporating a diffuser into a wind tunnel: “The Petersburg and two in Kaluga). results obtained … are, we believe, the best hitherto 1899: In France, Étienne-Jules Marey (1830– recorded, and agree substantially with the highest 1904) extended his studies of the flight of results reached during the experiments made at birds through rapid-sequence photographs to Greenwich …”. photographing the flow of air over various shaped As Octave Chanute (1832-1910) noted in his bodies by means of smoke in a wind tunnel. book Progress in Flying Machines – a key work in the development of early aviation – Phillips’ experiments led “… to the inference that much greater supporting power is to be obtained from concavo-convex surfaces than from the flat planes which hitherto have been chiefly proposed for aeroplanes” (6).

Blowing across the UK

Back in Britain, from 1891–1894, Hiram Maxim (1840–1916) constructed in the grounds of Baldwyns Park, Kent, a huge biplane machine which made a short uncontrolled powered ‘hop’ flight in July 1894, just raising itself from the rails on which it

16 AEROSPACE NASA

ran. Initially, Maxim used data gathered from a huge whirling arm to develop his design but its limitations US wind tunnel led him to a construct an ‘Apparatus for testing the lifting effect of aeroplanes and condensers in an air history blast’ – a wooden box ‘ …12ft long and exactly 3ft square inside … connected … to a shorter box 4ft The following decades witnessed a major square’ – which incorporated two propellers placed expansion of the development of wind tunnels in vertically and horizontally and was powered by a the United States, at both research establishments 100hp steam engine. Maxim pioneered the use of and the growing number of academic institutions wooden slats – placed in the tunnel horizontally, offering aeronautical courses, including: vertically, and diagonally – to straighten the air flow 1913: Jerome Hunsaker, assisted by Edward P. and thereby ‘ascertained the lifting effect … of various Warner and Donald Wills Douglas, constructs wind forms and at varying velocities of the wind, and, tunnel based on NPL design at MIT. also, the resistance offered by various bodies driven 1918: The US Army constructed its first ever wind through the air’(7). tunnel at McCook Field, Ohio, for high-speed testing of instruments and aerofoils. The blowing machine 1920: Operation began at Langley, VA, of the first Outside of Europe, in 1893, Professor William NACA Wind Tunnel No.1. Charles Kernot (1845-1909) constructed the 1923: Variable Density Tunnel at Langley, VA. first wind tunnel – ‘blowing machine’ – in Australia 1927: Propeller Research Tunnel (PRT) at Langley, at the University of Melbourne for the study of VA, becomes operational. The X-48B, a flying scale wind forces on buildings. In 1896, a mechanical 1929: 5ft Vertical Wind Tunnel at Langley, VA, for model of a full-size blended engineering student Alfred J. Wells constructed the investigations of the spinning characteristics of wing body aircraft, in first wind tunnel in the United States – 30in2 – at the aircraft. Langley's historic full-scale Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as part wind tunnel. of his thesis. 1930: 7ft by 10ft Atmospheric Wind Tunnel (AWT) On 17 December 1903, the at Langley, VA. – Wilbur (1867–1912) and Orville (1871–1948) 1931: The Langley Full-Scale Tunnel – 30ft by – achieved at the four hills of Kill Devil, near the 6ft test section housed in a nine-storey building – village of Kitty Hawk, NC – the world’s first piloted, was constructed by NACA for testing of full-scale sustained, controlled, powered flight in a heavier- aircraft. It was the largest wind tunnel in the world than-air machine, with Orville Wright at the controls of at the time and was to stay in operation until 4 the Wright Flyer. Their achievement was founded on September 2009. years of wind tunnel experiments on wing surfaces of 1936: 8ft High Speed Tunnel (HST) at Langley, VA. various configurations – and with their own kite and 1938: 19ft Pressure Tunnel at Langley, VA designs – and it was in their second tunnel (a (later adapted in the 1950s to become the 16ft Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT)). Bundesarchiv Bild Bundesarchiv 1938: Wright Brothers High Pressure Wind Tunnel – based on the original 1908 Ludwig Prandtl return flow design at Göttingen – inaugurated by the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aeronautics at MIT to simulate atmospheric conditions at various speeds/altitudes. Axda0002

Near right: German Replica of the Wright Brothers' wind tunnel at the Virginia aviation laboratory, 1935. Air & Space Museum in Hampton, USA.

MARCH 2021 17 HISTORY 150 years of wind tunnels Airbus RAeS/NAL NASA NASA Boeing RAeS/NAL

18 AEROSPACE Right: The hypersonic Montoya / Sandia National Laboratories Randy wind tunnel at the Sandia National Laboratories, US.

Opposite page, clockwise wooden box 6ft long and 16in square inside) that over the 1931 Douglas DC-1 airliner due to the extensive from top left: A 1/40 scale 200 model aerofoil configurations in more than one wind tunnel testing undertaken at the Guggenheim model of the airship Akron scale were tested, ‘a delicate instrument that would Aeronautical Laboratory at the California Institute of in the Full-Scale Wind help the Wrights unlock the secrets of a wing’(8). Technology (GALCIT) in its 1929 10ft tunnel. Tunnel; Airbus’ low-speed wind tunnel at Filton, Europeans continued to lead the world in wind Research into high-speed aerodynamics (including , here carrying out tunnel research through to the 1920s, the pioneering swept and delta wings) also led to faster, more efficient tests on models achievements of 19th Century individuals built designs. Jacob Ackeret (1898–1981) constructed in 1969; The triangular upon by the funding of national governments and during 1935–1936 the first wind tunnel capable of planform of the sub-scale private individuals (such as Gustave Eiffel and Henri operating at Mach 2 at the Institüt fur Aerodynamik, X-48B Blended Wing Deutsche de la Meurthe) to build major facilities. ZÜrich, Switzerland(9), much larger supersonic facilities Body prototype is evident as it awaits testing in the Modelled on the European experience, the being built at Peenemünde, Germany, related to the full-scale wind tunnel at National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) development of the A-4 / V-2 rockets. NASA Langley; Sir George was established by the US Congress in , In 1938 the first wind tunnel in China – the 15ft Cayley's Whirling Arm for and the nation’s lack of wind tunnels – only two such wind tunnel with interchangeable 18ft section for testing aerofoils, rotated facilities existed in the United States in 1910: the full-scale engine and airscrew tests of National Tsing by a weight; the Subsonic Wright Brothers’ tunnel in Dayton, OH, and Dr Albert Hua University in Peking – became operational. The Ultra Green Aircraft Francis Zahm’s 1901 tunnel (40ft long wind tunnel, Aeronautical Research Institute of Tokyo Imperial Research (SUGAR) Project being tested at the 6ft square in section, powered by a 12-horse-power University had already incorporated a wind tunnel Ames Research Center electric fan) at the Catholic University of America in among its facilities when it opened in 1921. wind tunnel; Full-scale Washington, DC – was a key concern. From Francis Wenham’s pioneering design, the Wind Tunnel, NASA, The 1930s witnessed the development of more evolution of wind tunnels – which had transformed the Centre: Étienne-Jules aerodynamically efficient aircraft designs – a reflection fundamental understanding of aerodynamics and fluid Marey. of wind tunnel evolution, the streamlined design of dynamics – had truly become worldwide.

(1) Taking Flight: Inventing the Aerial Age from Antiquity through the First World War, Richard P. Hallion, New York, US, Oxford University Press, 2003, p 116. (2) Seventh Annual Report of the Aeronautical Society of Great Britain, 1872, p 5. (3) Wenham’s tunnel was later described as “… a horizontal current was produced by a rotary fan, and the planes used were arranged so that they could be fixed at any required angle. The vertical force or lift, and the horizontal force or thrust, were ascertained by means of steelyards” Experiments‘ with Currents of Air’, Engineering, 14 August 1885, p 160. (4) Ninth Annual Report of the Aeronautical Society of Great Britain, 1874, p 6. (5) The First Aerodynamic Balances in Russia, Paper presented at the 9th International Symposium on Strain Gauge Balances, A. R. Gorbushin and Valery S. Volobuyev, Seattle, 19-22 May 2014 ‘The Origin of Wind Tunnels in Russia’: Paper presented at ICAS 2016 30th Congress of the International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences, DCC Daejeon, Korea, 25-30 September 2016. (6) Progress in Flying Machines,The American Engineer and Railroad Journal, Octave Chanute, New York, US, 1894, p 157. (7) Artificial and Natural Flight,Sir Hiram S. Maxim, Whitaker & Co, London, UK, 1908, pp 51-59. (8) The Bishop’s Boys: a Life of Wilbur and Orville Wright, Tom Crouch, New York, US, W. H. Norton and Company, 1989, p 222. Wilbur Wright summarised his initial theories about “… the angle at which aeroplane and wind actually meet” in his first published paper ‘Angle of Incidence’, The Aeronautical Journal, July 1901 pp 47-49. (9) The term ‘Mach number’ was introduced by Ackeret in his inaugural lecture at Federal Institute of Technology (ETH – Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule), Zurich, on 4 May 1929.

MARCH 2021 19 GENERAL AVIATION Russian utility aircraft Son of the An-2 Baikal Engineering Baikal

What replaces the ubiquitous Antonov An-2 biplane, first flown in 1947, as Russia’s 21st Century rugged utility aircraft? EUGENE GERDEN reports on the LMS-901 Baikal monoplane project. ussia is continuing the implementation which is part of the Russian Helicopters Holding) in of a project for the replacement of the the Republic of Buryatia. iconic An-2 aircraft – a Soviet single- It will have a length of 12.2m, a height of 3.7m engine biplane, which was produced in and a wingspan of 16.5m. Its maximum take- the USSR during the period of 1948- off weight will be 4.8t, while speed will be up to R1971 and became the most massively produced 300km/h. The range of the aircraft will be 4,000km, aircraft, designed for the needs of regional aviation, with carrying capacity of 3,000kg. It will be equipped in the history of the country. with a turboprop engine and will be designed for The new aircraft will be marketed as LMS- 9-12 passengers. 901 ‘Baikal’, being designed by the OOO Baikal- The new Baikal will be a monoplane and is Engineering design bureau, a subsidiary of the Ural designed on the basis of a modular scheme that Civil Aviation Plant. The prototype is planned for will enable it to convert into a cargo or passenger this year, while mass production of the aircraft is version. The new aircraft will have a special anti- scheduled to begin in 2024. icing system and will be capable of using short The new aircraft will increase transport unpaved runways in remote areas. accessibility of remote regions of Russia and Most of the details and components, that will contribute to the overall development of regional be used in its construction will be of domestic aviation in the country. origin although, according to recent statements by Vadim Demin, UZGA’s Chief Designer for Aircraft New and incoming Engineering (made in an interview with the Russian AviaPort aviation magazine), at the initial stage it According to Yuri Trutnev, Russia’s Deputy will be equipped with a H80-200 This page: An artist’s impression of the new Prime Minister, who is personally responsible engine and will later be replaced by the domestic LMS-901 Baikal. for implementation of the project in the Russian VK-800. The latter will be a joint development Opposite page: The government, the new Baikal will be produced at the of the UZGA and JSC Klimov – one of Russia’s legendary Antonov An-2. capacities of the Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant (U-UAZ, leading manufacturers of gas turbine engines,

20 AEROSPACE main gearboxes and accessory drive gearboxes for Baikal will create conditions for the renewal of a transport aircraft. regional aviation fleet in Russia, which has become One of the main advantages of the new aircraft almost completely outdated in recent years. will be its price, which will be almost two times lower The producers, from their side, hope for a stable than the cheapest Western competitors. This will be demand for the Baikal in the domestic market. THE RUSSIAN also due to a high share of domestic components According to their predictions, most orders for the CIVIL AVIATION in its design, that will have a positive effect on new aircraft may be placed by domestic aviation SECTOR HAS operations and technical maintenance. companies, particularly those which operate in the The new Baikal will be a technologically Far Eastern and Siberian regions and which can BEEN WAITING advanced aircraft and will be characterised by purchase new aircraft for their needs. FOR THE higher fuel efficiency. In the meantime, the Ural Civil Aviation Plant REPLACEMENT (UZGA) estimates the overall demand for such OF THE AN-2 Bye to bi, hello to mono aircraft at 230 units within the next ten years and 500 units for the global market. FOR ALMOST 30 Being a monoplane (unlike the An-2), Baikal will be YEARS able to fly faster and will have a longer flight range. Exporting hopes At the same time, it will retain all the advantages of the An-2, which was one of the world’s best aircraft Most of the future aircraft will be supplied to the in its class for several decades. The An-2 was the domestic market. However, there is a possibility that most massively-built aircraft in the USSR, with more some of them will be exported abroad, particularly than 18,000 units being produced over more than to China, where the demand for Soviet An-2s 23 years. has always been high and where some potential As Oleg Smirnov, the former Deputy Minister of customers have already expressed an interest in Civil Aviation of the USSR and a Chairman of the purchase of the new aircraft. Civil Aviation Commission of the Russian Federal With regard to its use, in addition to short- Transportation Inspection Service (Rostransnadzor), distance air transportation and the needs of stated in an interview with the Russian Vzglyad agricultural aviation, the new Baikal aircraft will also business paper, the Russian civil aviation sector has be used for monitoring pipelines and power lines, been waiting for the replacement of the An-2 for aviation forestry, fire protection, border patrolling etc. almost 30 years. It will also be suitable for use in extreme weather According to Smirnov and other analysts, during conditions. the Soviet times, the USSR had a well-developed In the meantime, the launch of commercial air communications network, when all the small production of Baikals is just the beginning. According settlements of the country were connected with to recent statements by Vladimir Putin, there is a regional centres by regular flights. At the same time, need to develop the entire aircraft engineering chain prices for such transportations were comparable to in Russia, starting with the smallest aircraft. those for public automobile transport. The collapse As Putin stated, during one of the latest of the USSR had resulted in the destruction of the governmental meetings dedicated, to the needs of system, while of the 1,300 small aircraft airfields, aviation: “the next one in the line is the L-410, which which were used by regional aviation, only 200 is designed for 19 passengers, as well as the L-610 remain in operation. for 44 passengers, with serial production planned Analysts also consider the new project as for 2024 and which will be based in the city of important, as the beginning of the wide use of the Yekaterinburg”. Julian Herzog

MARCH 2021 21 SPACEFLIGHT A preview of 2021 missions Spaceflight in 2021 a look ahead

The RAeS SPACE SPECIALIST GROUP looks ahead to the most significant crewed and uncrewed missions and spaceflight news for 2021. t has been building for some time – but 2021 very deep pockets – but the trend is clear and the feels like a turning point for commercially- results will be lasting. delivered space exploration. Private, risk-bearing It is also a significant year for China, eager to companies now have capabilities previously consolidate its position as a first tier space nation only within reach of rich nation states. This for both a domestic and international audience. Iyear will see reusable launchers, crewed orbital and In the year of the Ox – a symbol of strength and suborbital flights and lunar landings – all delivered on determination – the first Chinese Mars rover will a pay-for-what-you-use basis. In truth, many of these touch down and a new will go up. capabilities have only been possible as a result of European nations will need to up their game (and customers (often the US their spending) if they wish to hold a place at the top government) table. with The UK is a nation awakening to the role of space in the 21st Century – and not a moment too soon. Secure communications, resilient position and time services, access to space, surveillance and

Boeing will be hoping to make up for lost time with its CST-100 Starliner.

22 AEROSPACE CMS 23 MARCH 2021 If the Chinese think they will capture the crewed of the first piloted test launch delayed The Interplanetary pinball continues for a number ofInterplanetary pinball Earth is set to get a second space station in orbit this year Tianhe-1. with China’s Crewed space missions A second space station will join the International Space Station (ISS) in space this year with the (Celestial before Easter of the 24t Tianhe-1 launch Harmony) central module of three (to which arrays will be connected) of the Chinese Space are crewed visits to Tianhe Station (CSS). Two along with several robotic during the year, expected supply missions, as the CSS is gradually assembled. complete, the space station will be comparable When in size to the earlier Russian station. spaceflight headlines with this demonstration of their space capability they are likely to be disappointed. of Tom to up its game with the launch US plans The Cruise and two other amateur astronauts to the ISS that is guaranteed to monopolise media channels. and his buddies will be one of three or perhaps Tom four flights of the SpaceX Crew Dragon in 2021. of these flights will carry European astronauts, Two and Matthias Maurer (French) Pesquet Thomas (German), alongside four Americans to start their six-month visits to the ISS, while the possible fourth mission will be a five-day flight for four tourists to an altitude twice that of the ISS. Starliner capsule will be little more Boeing CST-100 than a footnote by comparison with all this. Starliner will have to successfully complete its second uncrewed test flight before carrying astronauts into orbit. Software issues were encountered in the first have taken longer than orbital test (late 2019) which instruments that need to operate at –220ºC clearly that need to operate instruments be 2022 before we difficulties! It might pose some for 31 October is scheduled but launch see ‘first light’ on an ECA. their way around the solarother missions, swinging their way slowly closer to thesystem. All are working planetary encounter. with each , shedding energy NASA’s then Mercury), Bepicolombo (Venus, ESA’s Solar and ESA’s twice) SolarParker probe (Venus, then Earth). Orbiter (Venus, It will also be a year of change for the UK for change It will also be a year of Space the early far away, A long time ago, in a galaxy far, Space science and exploration tracking (of and from space) – these are must-have (of and from tracking and robustself-determining, influential tools for a considering world stage. Thankfully, player on the and brought by Brexit the economic uncertainty that are increasinglyCovid-19, they are capabilities is affordable for the UKaffordable… but what is a very capable country has for others as well. The build to which base from – but fragile – technical global market. The in a notoriously protectionist UK and government has shown increasing vision year will be a recent years. This ambition for space in test of commitment. unannounced) CEO;Agency – a new (as yet a of programmes (away fromshift towards delivery Spaceits policy-based comfort zone); the National feet (and voice?); working out Council finding its what it means to own a major stake in OneWeb; winning back clearing the way for domestic launch; ; and lost ground in the EU’s choices around sovereign satellite navigation difficult butcapabilities. Hard work ahead? Certainly – fortune favours the brave. magazine will also recall Readers of AEROSPACE missionthat 2020 was a significant year for Mars , December 2020). Happily, (AEROSPACE launches for Marsthat means that 2021 is a significant year mission missed the mission arrivals. Although ESA’s (‘Hope’), US (‘) the UAE window, launch all had successful lift-offs. and China (‘Tianwen-1’) Chinese and American missions bothThe carry lander even includes landers with rovers. Mars 2020’s a demonstration. For a helicopter as a technology roverswhile, at least, there may be three operational – at the same time (recalling on Mars – and a chopper that the earlier Curiosity rover is eight years old and nature of planetary alignments and still going…). The means that all three missions arrived orbits transfer other last month. days of each within a few This formation of the Universe put on a light show. a mission that has also been a long time coming year, Webb Space The James will finally let us watch. and supported by led by NASA (JWST), Telescope started its ESA and the , in the mid-90s. Its mission is to open up a back life widely new window on the very early universe. JWST, carries a mirror successor, regarded as Hubble’s and is nearly three times the diameter of Hubble’s sensitive to light mainly in the infrared range. That makes it very well suited to observing faint, strongly ‘red-shifted’ events from the distant early Universe. almost 15 years ago, Originally slated for launch and costing almost five times more than its original budget, it has travelled a long and demanding A challenges. road, surmounting major technical 6.5m diameter segmented, deployable mirror and

NASA SPACEFLIGHT A preview of 2021 missions

anticipated to resolve. Though originally aiming for with the Covid-19 pandemic or a public that is harder a crewed second flight, Boeing took the decision to to impress. Either way, the US will seek to take back go again uncrewed before a first crewed flight to the initiative later this year via its commercial lunar the ISS later in the year. The ‘service’ nature of the payload services. Reflecting a growing theme in US contract means that this second flight is at Boeing’s space exploration, lunar landing ‘as-a-service’ is now (shareholders’) expense. Noting software problems the favoured approach. Three companies have been with tragic consequences elsewhere in the Boeing separately contracted, with two of them aiming to empire (737 MAX), the company will doubtless be deliver their first payloads to the lunar surface this strongly focused on ensuring a safe and successful year. mission. After many years of delays, ESA’s European While Boeing plays catch-up with SpaceX in Robotic Arm (ERA) will finally reach the ISS this year. outer space, two other actors – Virgin Galactic and Originally set for launch back in 2001, delays and the – are lined up to compete for suborbital demise of the Shuttle programme left it stranded on (straight up and down to ~100km) tourism. Virgin the ground for many years. The ISS took delivery of Galactic made its first ‘test passenger’ launch of spare parts for it back in 2010! SpaceShipTwo in 2019. This year should finally see The ERA, similar in nature to the famous paying customers gliding back to a runway-landing, Canadian arm (‘Canadarm(-2)’), brings some valuable including Sir Richard Branson himself. Blue Origin’s new features for the ISS. It will be the first arm able , with its more ‘old school’ capsule and to operate from the Russian modules and is able to parachutes approach should also enter service. 2021 ‘walk’ itself in an automated way along the structure looks like being the year that finally of the ISS by grasping with one end and then comes of age. releasing the other.

Lunar exploration Military space in 2021

At the end of 2020, China successfully brought back Surveillance, communications and positioning the first samples of lunar material for more than 40 services using space assets are critical to the years. The last time that happened was in 1976, modern military. The US continues to rely mainly on by the Soviet Union’s Luna 24 mission. The sample large and expensive spacecraft for these functions is less than 2kg – but represents an impressive – the most recent example being the launch into technical achievement and a significant scientific a high orbit on 11 December 2020 of a classified prize. The core samples come from up to 1m below spacecraft with the code name USA 311 for the the surface, in an area with some of the youngest National Reconnaissance Office. Experienced lava flows (less than two billion years…!) – a treasure space commentators have identified it as an trove for lunar scientists. Astrobotic’s Peregrine signals intelligence (SIGINT) spacecraft placed Mission One is one of For such a feat of engineering, the Chang’e-5 NASA’s new breed of in geosynchronous orbit – an earlier example was mission won relatively little press coverage in the UK. commercial lunar lander called the ‘world’s largest satellite’ by the then It is hard to say if that is a result of fighting for airtime companies. Director of the NRO. Future launches in this class

24 AEROSPACE Astrobotic Xinhua/Liang Xu Xinhua/Liang

Above: A full-size model of are not expected until 2022-23 but several smaller be launched in 2021. Progress in deploying user the core module of China’s satellites with classified missions are due to be equipment on the ground and the much delayed space station, Tianhe. launched during 2021 as in previous years. and over-budget OCX ground control system will Below right: ESA’s robotic Meanwhile, United Launch Alliance (ULA) has continue but will be less visible. arm will allow astronauts only four more of the Delta 4 Heavy rockets used Small spacecraft are increasingly used to explore and cosmonauts on the to launch USA 311 left in its inventory. The second new technologies and techniques for the US security ISS to grip on to things. half of 2021 should see the first launch of ULA’s community and we can expect three or four launches new Vulcan rocket that is intended to take over from in 2021, some carrying multiple payloads. One of the ULA’s Delta and Atlas families of rockets. This will US military’s iconic X-37B was placed also be the first use in a launch into orbit of the BE-4 rocket engine developed by Blue Origin (Jeff Bezos’ rocket company) which powers the first stage of the Vulcan. Vulcan and SpaceX’s and rockets were selected in 2020 as the Department of Defense’s launchers for the next few years, ensuring that the big, heavy military satellites will continue to be deployed. In addition to geosynchronous SIGINT and missile warning satellites, the US also deploys surveillance (optical and imaging radar) and SIGINT systems in . Communications satellites make up another major part of US military space systems. The three main constellations are fully operational in geostationary orbits and no launches are expected until 2024: six AEHF satellites for strategic communications (augmented by payloads on lower orbit spacecraft to serve polar regions), five MUOS for communications on the move, and ten WGS for broadband services. The latest generation of US positioning and timing satellites, GPS-III, is slowly being deployed

in orbit and we can expect one or two more to ESA

MARCH 2021 25 SPACEFLIGHT A preview of 2021 missions

in orbit in May 2020, so it is unlikely that we will see surveillance satellite, Noor, into a low Earth orbit. its return to Earth in 2021 since previous X-37B Although Noor is a six unit cubesat and thus probably missions have typically lasted two years.(1) weighs less than 15kg, it triggered intense political reactions in the US and elsewhere. Will there be Russian and Chinese military space anything similar in 2021, for example from North Korea? Russian military space activities are much less comprehensive than during the Cold War. Placing a Launchers satellite in close proximity to that of another country is one way of punching above its weight – the SpaceX’s two-stage-to-orbit, fully reusable Starship stationing of Cosmos 2542 relatively close to a US launcher continues its test flight programme. The spy satellite in Feb/March 2020 being the most vehicle is intended to serve both as a heavy cargo recent example. More Russian inspections of US lifter and for crewed missions, including to the Moon and other satellites may well take place in 2021 and beyond. A private circum-lunar tourism flight as President Putin takes the measure of the Biden is already planned. Ten years ago, that might have administration. seemed like ambitious marketing. Today, it feels like Three or four launches a year of the Chinese Gene Roddenberry’s ‘Wagon Train to the stars’(2) is military surveillance satellites under the ‘’ code getting ready to head out. name has been the recent norm and that is likely to The initial uncrewed launch of NASA’s new continue. These low orbit satellites are thought to super-heavy (SLS) was cover a variety of services, including optical and radar scheduled for November 2021 but failure to imaging, and SIGINT (especially maritime). The dual complete the full-up ground test of the SLS core use Gaofen series of high-resolution optical imaging stage on 16 January makes a 2022 date more satellites and HaiYang ocean observation satellites likely. The first flight – for the 1 mission – is will probably also involve one or two launches each in intended to demonstrate a launch capability for a 2021, as in recent years. human US return to the Moon. Artemis-1 will carry China also completed its 35-satellite Beidou the US Orion capsule which incorporates a Service navigation constellation in 2020, eliminating Module supplied by the . dependence on the US and Russia for these The Service Module is Europe’s ticket to get an services. Launch of replacement Beidou satellites astronaut to the Moon – certainly in orbit around can be expected in 2021. the Moon and perhaps to the surface – as part of The final launch of 2020 was a French CSO NASA’s return to the Moon initiative. The schedule reconnaissance spacecraft, the second of a planned for later Artemis flights is, however, shrouded in Below left: The Chinese three-spacecraft constellation. In late 2021, Italy will uncertainty as we await the impact on NASA’s Moon HaiYang-2A ocean emulate this with the launch of the second of four return budget of the Biden presidency accentuated observation satellite. COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation imaging radar by the fiscal drain of the Covid pandemic. Below right: Testing for satellites, while France is expected to launch the first Other launcher programmes abound, large and the core stage of the new Space Launch System but of its Ceres operational SIGINT satellites. small – from Blue Origin’s through to will Artemis and SLS stay Perhaps the most politically sensitive launch ’s and the UK’s Orbex Prime. According on track under President in 2020 was Iran’s 22 April launch of a military to some sources, up to 23 different launch systems Biden? NSOAS

26 AEROSPACE NASA

The James Webb Space may see their first flights in 2021(3). Doubtless, not in March of OneWeb. It was then rescued in the Telescope, as imagined all of these will go the distance – but the 2020s summer via a joint $1bn investment from the UK in the main image and in appear set to see an ‘explosion’ of launch systems. government and India’s Bharti Global mobile network. production (inset), is set to be as significant as Hubble. Actual launch numbers in 2020 were double December saw 36 new OneWeb satellites join the 74 those seen during a low in the mid-2000s – already in orbit. Similar launches are planned roughly regaining levels routinely seen through the 1970s every month starting in February 2021. OneWeb and 1980s. There is now greater reason to believe claims that it will be able to offer a Beta version of its that the growth will continue. Cheaper, more 400Mbps downlink megabits per second downlink widespread and perhaps less controlled, launch and 100Mbps uplink service above 50° latitude technology is now an investment decision, as much (including the UK) by October 2021, although the as a strategic one. full 640 satellite constellation operating at an altitude of 1,200km will not be in place until a year after Communications satellites that. Jeff Bezos’ Amazon is also planning to deploy a 3,000+ broadband satellite constellation called Fourteen times in 2020 the night skies blazed with the Kuiper at about 600km altitude but the date for the twinkling of 50 to 60 satellites being deployed first launch has not yet been announced. from a single SpaceX Falcon 9 launch. As a result, The small number of launches of geostationary 955 were in their operational 550km high orbit communications satellites foreseen for orbit at the end of 2020, single-handedly increasing 2021 reflects the 2016-2019 trough in orders the number of active satellites in orbit by about a of such spacecraft. Among the dozen or so to be

NASA third. There may be as many as 25 more launches in launched this year are four for Paris-based Eutelsat, 2021 (one every two weeks), each carrying about 60 including the innovative Quantum spacecraft Starlinks – the first took place on 20 January. Beta (designed in Guildford and by Airbus) testing of the 50-150Mbps of low latency broadband with its software-based design that gives it in-orbit service is already under way in the US and a few other reprogrammable features so that it can address countries (including the UK) and operational service markets that are highly changeable and mobile. should begin in the summer of 2021. Eutelsat’s first very high throughput satellite, Another amazing story in 2020 concerning KONNECT VHTS, will also be launched this year as low orbit (as opposed to geostationary orbit) will two satellites, HotBird 13F and 13G, to replace communications satellites was the bankruptcy three that have been in orbit for more than a decade.

1. For more on US military space systems, see Norris P. (2020) Satellite Programs in the USA. In: Schrogl KU. (Eds) Handbook of Space Security. Springer, Cham, Switzerland. 2. A phrase Roddenberry used to describe his creation, Star Trek, invoking themes of the pioneer spirit and manifest destiny on the ‘final’ frontier. 3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_orbital_launch_systems Inaugural RAeS Mary Jackson Named Lecture – 25 January 2020, by Dr Moogega Cooper, the Lead for the concept at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. www.youtube.com/Aerosociety/videos

MARCH 2021 27 AIR TRANSPORT Mental health and wellbeing Covid-19 – a hidden mental health crisis? MARC ATHERTON MRAeS, Chair: RAeS Human Factors Wellbeing Group, looks towards a approach for mental wellbeing in civil aviation – which the pandemic has given new importance. he Germanwings tragedy in 2015 The challenges faced during the Covid pandemic, raised the risk posed to civil aviation and the positive response of regulators, aircraft resulting from the mental health status operating companies (AOC), staff bodies, professional of safety-critical personnel from an bodies and third sector organisations to them, has under-discussed, under-assessed and demonstrated the ability of the civil aviation community Tunder-managed element in safety management to a to respond in a positive and broad-based way. What high-profile issue both within the profession and in the is lacking in this is a co-ordinating set of principles for media. It is in this area that this paper focuses as an supporting the mental health and wellbeing (MH&WB) element of a broad concept of wellbeing. of our people for the entire industry going forward. In the period since Germanwings, there has been The fostering, support, and development of mental a shift towards addressing the issue of mental health health and wellbeing is seen to be an aspirational goal and wellbeing as a safety risk factor that extends for people the world over. High levels of individual beyond pilots. There is also a growing consideration of mental health and wellbeing are associated with poor mental health and wellbeing in any safety-critical reduced illness, higher performance, and higher group posing a risk to the safe operational capability of levels of engagement. There is a close link between the entire sector. workforce wellbeing and organisational resilience and Viewed as an identified risk factor, an argument productivity. can be made that the mental health and wellbeing of The European Union Aviation Safety Authority safety-critical staff should be incorporated into the (EASA), via the Together4Safety Initiative, has safety management systems approach that has given recognised that the positive mental health and the aviation sector the enviable safety record that it has. wellbeing of all safety-critical professional aviation staff is a crucial element in the safe and efficient operation of the civil aviation sector. EASA has determined that the provision of a curated Wellbeing Resource Hub, hosted on an EASA website, that would allow individuals and organisations to offer and/or locate resources to support and enhance wellbeing would be a valuable service to the sector during the Covid crisis and going forward into the post-crisis recovery. The importance of addressing this challenge is also highlighted by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in its preamble to the implementation of Peer Support Programmes in response to EASA Ruling Covid-19 and mental health 2018/1042 ‘The psychological wellbeing and positive mental The Covid-19 pandemic has had a major impact on health of commercial pilots is of fundamental civil aviation, adversely affecting the mental health and importance to safe Commercial Air Transport wellbeing of individuals and groups, whether having (CAT) operations.’ been continuously in work, on furlough or returning to work in a ‘new reality’. Civil Aviation Authority This situation mirrors that of the population as a Guidance Material, September 2018 Page 1 of 4, whole, where levels of stress, anxiety and depression paragraph 1.1 have risen dramatically because of the Covid Pilot Support Programme – Guidance for pandemic and the societal responses to it. The actual Commercial Air Transport (CAT) Operators levels of adverse impact are almost a moot point – the widespread rise in levels of common mental health The aviation insurance industry, typified by Aon issues is a major challenge faced by civil aviation and Aviation Insurance, in response to the Germanwings the society of which it is a part. tragedy, took the view that:

28 AEROSPACE ‘The primary risk factor is now seen to be the At the individual level human factor’. ‘… a state in which the individual is able, through Aon Insurance (London) , Aviation Practice, the self-awareness and self-management of the 2016 Annual Report physical, psychological, social, and practical aspects of their life, to work positively and One key point here is that we must look beyond THE COVID-19 productively coping with the stresses they only pilots and consider the MH&WB of all safety- PANDEMIC HAS face while achieving their personal goals and critical stakeholder groups as risk factors. We also HAD A MAJOR contributing in a meaningful way.’ cannot get away from the simple statistic that, across IMPACT ON World Health Organization, 2020, UK NICE, the UK and the EU general population, one in six 2020 people will be managing mild to moderate levels of CIVIL AVIATION, stress, depression, or anxiety at any one time. ADVERSELY At the organisational level AFFECTING ‘… a state in which the organisation, through Researching mental health THE MENTAL its culture, policies, procedures and resources mitigate the physical and psychosocial risks (e.g. Research in the civil aviation sector conducted during HEALTH AND high levels of stressors) to an individual, and 2020 by the Centre for Innovative Human Systems WELLBEING OF the individual is able to work and develop in an (CIHS), Trinity College Dublin (TCD) shows that the atmosphere of respect, fairness, honesty and prevalence and levels of stress, depression and anxiety INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS, open communication without fear of sanction or being experienced across individuals from multiple discrimination.’ safety-critical stakeholder groups during the Covid WHETHER EU-OSHA Wellbeing at Work (2020), UK pandemic are concerning. The research collated data HAVING BEEN HSE SMS (2010), CCOHS Psychological Health from over 2,000 respondents to an online survey. The Safety Management Systems (2020), WHO Healthy graph below shows a snapshot from the TCD research CONTINUOUSLY Workplace (2010), Just Culture Initiative (2017) relating to respondents’ self-reported mental health IN WORK, ON status. The research data points towards addressing FURLOUGH OR The TCD research cited above has also shown that, the MH&WB of the people who make the sector RETURNING across key stakeholder group respondents in the function as a key capability both during and post- TO WORK IN A research, there is a strongly expressed view that Covid as the industry reopens into a new reality. One organisations are not seen as being supportive of their approach to this challenge could be by the creation of ‘NEW REALITY’ wellbeing by a large percentage of individuals. an industry approach to wellbeing risk management The following chart from the CIHS, TCD research around mental health. highlights the situation regarding respondents’ views The overarching aim of a wellbeing risk towards organisational wellbeing support across the management (WRM) approach would be to support different stakeholder groups included in the study. the safe and efficient operation of the civil aviation The TCD research currently provides the most sector while meeting the two primary definitions comprehensive data known to the author to allow (used with permission) below adopted to underpin the insight into the scale of incidence and severity of the development of the EASA Wellbeing Resource Hub. mental health challenges being experienced ‘across Mental Health and Wellbeing has been characterised the board’ by safety-critical stakeholder groups. as: The precise relationship between levels of incidence and severity of mental ill health and operational safety is, as yet, unquantified. The actual level of risk posed by the identified levels of mental ill health on safety related incidents, and accidents, is currently incognito due to a lack of evidence-based research. This lack of data into an acknowledged risk factor is one area that the industry should look to address. The adage ‘absence of evidence is not evidence of absence’ applies and, in a post-Germanwings Covid world, is an area for consideration. What is known is that even low levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout can have significant adverse performance impacts on even highly trained people. Germanwings has shown that, without insight into the potential risk prevalence, tragic outcomes are possible and, in the operational world of the Covid-19 pandemic, they are potentially more likely. ©Graph provided by: Lived Experience Project, CIHS, Trinity College Dublin, 2020. Used This leads to the concept of wellbeing risk with permission. management being focused primarily on monitoring

MARCH 2021 29 AIR TRANSPORT Mental health and wellbeing

safe workplace. Failure to achieve this can lead to legal liability issues. The safety/performance argument: A workforce that is operating in a psychologically safe work environment is more engaged and performs at a higher level. This contributes to enhanced safety performance at the individual and organisational level. The financial argument: Civil aviation is a business, and any changes to operations or capability have financial implications. There is, however, a body of evidence that shows that investing in mental health and wellbeing programmes – in effect moving towards a wellbeing risk management concept- can and supporting the mental health and wellbeing of show a positive return on investment (ROI) with data staff from professional groups across the industry, and from non-aviation sectors globally. Published figures avoiding the Germanwings tragedy causing a focus © Graph provided by: from other sectors show return on investment (ROI) only on pilots. From this perspective, the current EASA Lived Experience Project, figures for investment in mental health and wellbeing 2018/1042 Regulation represents a direct response CIHS, Trinity College programmes to be in the range 2.5-5.0 to 1.0(1). to Germanwings, and the argument made in this Dublin, 2020, used with permission. (Full details of article points the way towards an approach to create The benefits identified as contributing to these the research and copies of ROI figures are primarily reduced absenteeism, a proactive wellbeing risk management initiative, available published papers increased productivity and performance, reduced grounded within a safety management system (SMS) can be obtained from Dr framework, to mental health and wellbeing in civil Joan Cahill, CIHS, Trinity compensation claims and reduced presenteeism. aviation. College Dublin, [email protected]) Wellbeing as a risk management initiative: Summary justifying principles. Civil aviation operates with If we accept these four lines of arguments as being a an evidence-based paradigm at its core. It is also a high-level justification for the creation of a ‘wellbeing business that operates within strict regulatory and risk management’ concept in civil aviation, it raises financial boundaries. The different stakeholder groups the question of what are the key elements that would have differing professional, organisational, regulatory need to be implemented to bring it to life in a way that and legal status and it is unlikely that any one solution is both operational and sustainable. Evidence from would be relevant to all stakeholder groups. A flexible other industries can inform civil aviation, but the global approach following a strategic framework may be a nature of the industry and the unique challenges it way forward. faces, both operationally and financially, will inevitably There are several factors that support the concept require a solution approach grounded in the realities of irrespective of which stakeholder group is being the post-Covid world. looked at: Evidence from other sectors and industries has The moral argument: The moral argument for shown the benefits: operationally, financially, and creating a work environment that supports the mental reputationally, of positively and proactively creating health and wellbeing of staff is founded on the simple a psychologically safe workplace with high levels principle of it being the right thing to do. Work plays of staff mental health and wellbeing. Civil aviation, a significant role in the lives of staff, and employers as it reopens to the world, could well benefit in should look to create a work environment that respects kind from taking a similar strategy, building on the the dignity of individuals and treats them with a degree current regulatory requirements of EASA Regulation of care and compassion to ensure that their lived 2018/1042 as a signpost towards creating a experience of work contributes to their overall quality ‘wellbeing risk management’ solution. This is both the WHO Healthy Workplace report of life. ( , 2010) challenge and the opportunity facing the sector. The legal argument: Employers in most of the The RAeS HF Wellbeing Group is co-ordinating world’s economies have a legal to provide a conference on 27-28 April 2021 to address the a safe working environment for their staff. Typically, topics raised in this paper, as well as examining the this has referred to the physical environment but implementation status of EASA Rule 2018/1042 in recent changes in legislation and best practice have the industry. Details for the conference can be found expanded this to include providing a psychologically on the RAeS website.

(1) Aldana (USA, 2001), in an analysis of multiple mental health corporate initiatives, found a positive return on investment (ROI) of approximately 2.5 to 1 for every dollar spent. Deloitte (Canada, 2018) showed an ROI of between 1.6 and 2.2 to 1. The Mental Health Alliance/PwC (Aus., 2019) found a positive ROI of 2.3 to 1. The Farmer Review (UK Govt, 2017) found a positive ROI with a median value of 2.3 to 1. An October 2019 update to the Farmer Review (MIND/Deloitte, UK Govt 2019) showed a median ROI for Mental Health initiatives of 5.2 to 1. Mental Wellbeing and Human Performance: Moving beyond Regulatory Compliance, Virtual Conference, London, 27-28 April 2021, Maintaining Wellbeing: Opening up in the Maintenance Environment, Virtual Conference, London, 17-18 May 2021. 30 AEROSPACE Guided Weapon Systems MSc/PgDip/PgCert Part-time/Full-time

This fl agship course has an outstanding reputation within the Guided Weapons community. The course meets the requirements of all three UK armed services and is also open to students from NATO countries, Commonwealth forces, selected non-NATO countries, the scientifi c civil service and industry.

The course brings together aspects of aerodynamics, propulsion, guidance and control, explosives, materials, electronic warfare and other key disciplines, you will form an understanding of the principles of guided weapon systems technology and all inter-related and multi-disciplinary facets involved with the complete systems design process. Graduates will have enhanced knowledge that will allow you to progress within career areas such as weapon design, intelligence, procurement, requirements specifi cation and systems integration.

For further information please contact: Accredited by: E: cdsadmissionsoffi ce@cranfi eld.ac.uk www.cranfi eld.ac.uk/gws

Our internationally recognized expertise and excellence push your business forward.

At Bauer Aviation Advisory, our main priority is to deliver long-term sustainable value for the aviation industry.

After what has been a turbulent year for the global aviation sector, the industry needs a trusted partner now more than ever to help it confront its challenges.

OurO committed team of internationally recognized experts are ready to help our clients soar to recovery.

www.baueraviation.aero Contact us today for further information about our services: [email protected] AEROSPACE 21st Century flight testing Pilatus Aircraft Digital testing

QinetiQ is developing new digital systems and airborne test platforms which will accelerate the flight testing and evaluation of new and modified aircraft designs. BILL READ FRAeS reports.

ntil relatively recently, the only way to platforms so the aircraft will face threats that they test a new or modified aircraft design to weren’t designed for,” he said. see how it would perform before it was In recent years, the complexity of designing built and to achieve regulatory approval and testing a new defence platform has resulted in was to test models in a wind tunnel and longer and longer development times. The process Uto fly a prototype or experimental aircraft especially of evaluating a new platform is a complex one, built just for testing. However, the development integrating both live and virtual testing. These include: of new digital technology now makes it possible test beds for integration, upgrades and systems for much of this air test & evaluation (T&E) work testing; calibration to confirm performance; operational to be done either virtually or by using an airborne evaluation; and digital experimentation of systems. technology demonstrator. At a virtual conference However, advances in digital engineering now held at FIAConnect, QinetiQ explained how it was make it possible to reduce both costs and time by combining synthetic and simulation techniques detecting and rectifying faults before any physical with physical flight testing to enable aircraft elements of the platform are created. “The cost of manufacturers to develop new and modified aircraft addressing problems increases dramatically if they are much faster than before. found at the later stages of programme development,” explained Harvey. “The majority of faults originate in A question of complexity the early stages of design but most are not detected until the systems and integration tests where they cost QinetiQ Senior Engineer Chris Harvey explained ten times as much to fix. If a fault is not detected until how the development of T&E in the military domain the platform is in service, then it could cost between a was being driven by the increasing complexity of hundred times and a thousand times as much to fix.” military threats (drones, missiles and cyber-warfare) Harvey went on to explain how, in order for and also of networked systems. To keep up with the digital engineering to enable rapid design evolution, pace of change, new platforms had to be developed a ‘portal’ needs to be created containing all the quickly and be capable of being upgraded during necessary information which is both contributed their operational lifetimes. “Threats evolve faster than from and accessible to all partners and supply chain

32 AEROSPACE 33 QinetiQ MARCH 2021 Traditionally, she explained, she explained, Traditionally, and weather – they are not all modelled in digital form.” T&E was a job for a prototype or perform in extremes of temperature perform in extremes experimental aircraft which would be aircraft which experimental necessary to test how an aircraft will uerin, Fix et-G ed W

t specially built just for testing. However,

to different pilot techniques. It is also pilot techniques. to different n o ing M e Tu t D o ’ r y , as budgets shrink and aircraft become

control systems must be able to respond z E z ‘I T P e l l S

e ( b E

a T

P

s

I

S ) Still a need for live testing It was then the turn of Isabelle ‘Izzy’ De Montet- Pilot at the Empire Test Tutor Guerin, Fixed-Wing (ETPS) to talk aboutSchool physical aircraft testing not beand how live flight and test evaluation need will always be a need for a thing of the past. “There an aircraftlive flight testing to ensure the success of development programme,” she declared. While airborne it remains essential is expensive, testing refinement efficiency and operational for the safety, can provide real-time of a product. “A and propose modifications for immediate feedback improvement,” said De Montet-Guerin. “Human pilots ways; modern flight respond to situations in different has not proved viable this approach more complex, and manufacturers began using flying test beds new aircraft, FTBs have the advantage (FTBs). For that they enable the advance testing of sub-systems and components in a representable environment. In upgrade programmes, FTBs meant that an in-service aircraft did not have to be taken out for the early and customer to access and control data, store dataand customer to access and control data, store data and connect analyse and manipulate securely, will include the ability to enable This other. with each simulated training to be used to develop competency. Andy Cunningham, LTPA Capability Development Andy Cunningham, LTPA Global Cathy O’Carroll, QinetiQ’s In May 2019, QinetiQ signed a 25-year long- companies involved in the project but which also companies involved in the project but which Combining their intellectual property. safeguards from and processing this networked information ‘digital twin’ would enable different the platform’s before organisations to test systems and concepts information would they are implemented. This could be include an evaluation digital thread which developed for platform certification and through- a thread could reduce upgrades. Using such life product development times by tailoring physical certification evidence needs and testing to match have already enable the reuse of outputs which been generated. at QinetiQ, described how using digital Lead the traditional balance of evaluation would change where evidence is created from ‘models supporting physical testing’ to ‘physical testing supporting the would move from a serial process “We digital twin’. where development has to be carried out in a series of stages over time, to live evolution where different stages are worked on at the same time,“ he said. mean a blurring of the boundaries would “This between development T&E, operational T&E, training and operations.” & Evaluation, Test Campaign Director, added how a future digitally-enabled test and platforms would evaluation system for defence improve and accelerate warfighting capability by speeding up system development, certification, upgrades and tactics development. operational ability, term partnership agreement with the MoD to provide involved creating a This new ways of delivering R&T. ‘digital strategy’ with four main principles – secure, scalable, integrated and supportable. Once the system has been set up, it will be possible for both operators In 2020, QinetiQ announced that it had conducted first the UK’s manned- unmanned teaming (MUM-T) demonstration, with a H125 helicopter crew directing a semi- autonomous drone. AEROSPACE 21st Century flight testing

QinetiQ Aircraft technology demonstrator

To assist aircraft developers who can not afford to test-fly their own platforms to reduce their lead times and costs, QinetiQ operates a reconfigurable technology demonstrator based on an RJ 100 . Learning from experience, customer feedback and LTPA support, the aircraft includes a laboratory test facility with connectors, data, consoles, equipment racks, external sensor points, standard attachment points and typical hardware. “The aircraft can be quickly configured to support a multitude of tests, using a variety of test apparatus and sensors,” said De Montet-Guerin. “Our aim is to provide a multirole reconfigurable technology demonstrator to provide a ‘nearly there’ solution for our customers.” Using this aircraft will also enable not only military but commercial aircraft developers to test and record their designs and systems in a variety of different environments. “We can simulate different environments digitally,” De Montet-Guerin explained. “One of the biggest challenges in T&E is the quality of tests that have to be performed. These are almost always done individually and then the results have to be analysed and merged to ensure no odd characteristics emerge. It is now possible with digital technology to blend this information together to enable highly complex and ultra-realistic ‘edge cases’ to be assessed unlike stages of development and were usually cheaper to Top: QinetiQ is adapting ever before. modify. However, FTBs also have the disadvantage an RJ 100 to become a A system can be tested in almost every that they are expensive to operate with long lead reconfigurable technology conceivable manner. Flying from Boscombe, you demonstrator. times to install equipment or systems. They are also could test a system under a synthetic Saharan sun Above: QinetiQ now very expensive for smaller companies to utilise and operates in a digital space. or an arctic freeze while loading it with common lack flexibility. interference signals in air with maximum fidelity. This can deliver huge savings in time on a T&E programme Testing times which drives significant cost savings.” Recent years have also seen the introduction of Reconfiguring the blend increasingly complex aircraft and systems which require more intricate test programmes. There are also new The session was concluded by Cathy O’Carroll, Global types of aircraft and systems being developed, including Campaign Director, Test & Evaluation at QinetiQ: new types of electric or hydrogen-powered engines, “We are at a cusp of a generational shift where autonomous UAVs and UAMs and manned-unmanned every element of T&E could be blended into a single teaming. Aircraft platforms also now have more cohesive trial, thanks to enabling digital technologies. components which all interact with each other, so that We need a rebalance from live to virtual testing to changes to one will have a knock-on effect on others. create a cohesive digital T&E based on a combination The European Union Aviation Safety Agency of ground, simulated and airborne components.” (EASA) has developed extensive requirements for Chris Harvey agreed, saying: “There should be Part 21-J Design Organisations to ensure that flight less live testing and more virtual. However, changing test approaches are standardised under a single, the mix of live and virtual will be progressive, not consistent regime, including the introduction of flight instant.” test ratings for pilots and engineers. O’Carroll added that, to achieve this, it was A new approach was needed to testing and necessary to increase understanding of what such evaluation to make it more widely available to emerging technology can do. Personnel also needed companies which cannot afford their own capability. to be trained in new skills, such as model-based De Montet-Guerin explained how, by using modern systems engineering, simulation and synthetics. and flexible airborne technology demonstrators, it was “Investment in the future needs data skills,” she said. possible to use synthetic and simulation techniques to “We need training now in new skills, not the evolution get capability into service in a much more agile way. of existing skills.”

34 AEROSPACE Bought the wrong sort of plane?

So the specifications look good on paper but unless your expensive new aircraft or autonomous system has been thoroughly tested beforehand you won’t have complete confidence in it. Nova Systems have been providing independent test and evaluation, along with many other specialist engineering services for over 20 years. We have a worldwide team of flight test professionals engaged in aircraft programmes of all sizes. With a passion for aviation and aerospace we’re committed to developing and delivering innovative and tailored , on time and on budget. So put Nova Systems to the test.

Fixed Wing, Rotary Wing Systems Trials Integrated Test Evaluation and UAS Flight Test Operational Test and Acceptance Capability Management and Evaluation Certification and novasystems.com Requirements Synthetic Training Qualification Management Device T&E Systems Engineering

Membership & Professional Registration Webinars

We are running online webinars where you can learn about the Society’s membership and how to become a professionally registered engineer with the Engineering Council UK.

Find out more and register here: www.aerosociety.com/support

[email protected]

Submit your application for the next closing date on 16 March 2021 DEFENCE Future military rotorcraft conference report Leonardo

Blade runners for 2040+ On 20-21 January, 2021 the RAeS held a landmark virtual conference exploring the future of military rotorcraft – and provided an insight into the evolution and revolution in programmes on both sides of the Atlantic. TIM ROBINSON, FRAeS reports.

peed and range? Or maintainability and In the US, the need for a replacement for the interoperability? These were some of the now ageing and worn-out Black Hawk and scout requirements and drivers being discussed helicopters has additionally given a shot in the arm for new military rotorcraft that, once in for the US helicopter industry, which has slowly been service, may serve out the rest of the 21st losing ground in the global commercial helicopter SCentury. Taking part in the ‘RAeS Next-Generation market. The recent procurements of the Airbus UK- Military Rotorcraft Conference: Future Military 72 Lakota, (US Army) Boeing/Leonardo MH-149 Medium-Lift Helicopter for 2040+’ virtual event Gray Wolf (USAF) and the Leonardo TH-119A (US were high-level speakers from the armed forces, Navy) show how Europe’s militarised civil models have industry and defence labs, making for a wide-ranging managed to penetrate the previously impregnable US international agenda. defence market by offering modern, affordable, off- the-shelf solutions. Ageing fleets driving replacement The requirement for US Future Vertical Lift (FVL) and one of its components, Future Long-Range The combined market and need for military medium Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) also builds on experience rotorcraft in the US (and NATO) is huge, seeking to from the V-22 tiltrotor, seeking to push the speed and replace the ubiquitous Black Hawk family (first flight performance of rotorcraft to new levels to meet 21st in 1974 and of which 4,000 of all versions have been Century threats. The US, with its eye on the expanses produced). The Washington-led ‘Forever Wars’ of the of the Pacific, has needs that differ in emphasising post-9/11 global ‘war on terror’, which have seen speed (280kt) and reach for its next rotorcraft – extended deployments, have also accelerated the along with increased survivability to face demanding wear and tear on these platforms. near-peer threats.

36 AEROSPACE Meanwhile, in Europe, which has started its search These, he said, would provide a “truly gamechanging” later than the US, the situation is similar with ageing capability for the Army and would be front-line ready fleets of multirole helicopters that range from the in a year with an IOC of April 2022. Puma (first flight 1965) to the AW101 (first flight Moving to transport helicopters, Morris also 1987). Even the newest European rotorcraft, the outlined plans for a two-phase Chinook Capability NH90, first flew in 1995 – a quarter of a century ago. Sustainment Programme (CSP), which would see the Despite its global success in commercial and the oldest and most tired airframes of the RAF’s 60 parapublic rotorcraft markets, Europe cannot rest on CH-47 fleet replaced with new-build examples – with its laurels either. It faces increasing competition in the majority of airframes in the Chinook fleet expected military rotorcraft, not only from the US, pursuing its to have flown more than 10,000hr by 2034. A second own high-speed solutions, but also from new entrants, CSP tranche would seek to ‘address issues with the such as South Korea, , India and China who are remaining fleet’. now developing their own helicopters with a view to capturing a slice of the global defence market. The NATO NGRC These big programmes in Europe and the US are thus helping shape the future of military rotorcraft. Meanwhile, Lt Cdr Andrew White RN, Secretary With military aerospace programmes now taking to NATO’s Next-Generation Rotorcraft Capability roughly 20 years to enter service, the clock is now (NGRC) gave more details into the thinking behind ticking on defining and firming up requirements this pan-European helicopter project. Coming at the to allow industry to respond and decide on which end of 2020, a key agreement was signed in October technology trades to include. by the defence ministers of five nations (UK, Italy, Opposite page: Leonardo’s Let’s take a look at some of the highlights from France, Germany and ). This aims to replace medium AW149 helicopter. the conference. approximately 1,000 medium multirole helicopters Below: In late January across European NATO fleets, with entry into service Boeing and Sikorsky The UK perspective on future set for 2035+. This excludes France’s Joint Light revealed their proposal rotorcraft Helicopter (HIL) programme (which is replacing for the US Army’s Future multiple types, such as Panthers and Gazelles) with Long-Range Assault Giving the UK perspective was Col Paul Morris, the H160M. Aircraft (FLRAA) rotorcraft Assistant Head of Plans, Capability Air Manoeuvre, White noted that, with military aircraft taking requirement, the Defiant X. The Defiant X is based on British Army, who said that, even in 2040, “Lift, find roughly 20 years to develop, the time was right to the teams’ earlier SB>1 and attack will be truisms of tomorrow, as well as push ahead with this programme in order to meet Defiant co-axial technology today” for the future rotary-wing platforms. Morris the rapidly approaching out-of-service dates of the demonstrator but features noted that, for the 2040s, joint rotorcraft would medium fleets that currently make up NATO’s medium a different outer-mould line, be participating in ‘prototype warfare’ where there helicopters and which range from Mi-8/17s to Pumas, tricyle- and would be no ‘simply training’ sorties or deployments. as well as from UH-60s to AW101s. shrouded exhaust system. Additionally, future helicopters would need to be White explained that, while technology drivers for integrated and on the network to take full advantage this timeframe could include: fly-by-wire, advanced of multi-domain information superiority. manned/unmanned teaming, augmented reality To meet these challenges of the future and even directed energy weapons, a key finding battlespace, Morris highlighted that the British Army of the 2018 NGRC ToE (Team of Experts) was that had already received two examples of 50 Boeing next-generation rotorcraft should be designed to be AH-64E Apache Guardians in November of last year. modular. This would reduce life-cycle costs, enhance Boeing Defense Boeing

MARCH 2021 37 DEFENCE Future military rotorcraft conference Airbus Helicopters Bell

interoperability and sustainment. Affordability and The conference thus saw a surprise pitch from Airbus commonality is thus set to be a main focus, rather Helicopter’s Jerome Coombe, Head of Product Policy than pure performance. “We don’t necessarily see The need for and Strategy, who proposed its super-medium H175 that it has to be superfast,” said White, adding that speed? Two as a possible interim replacement for the RAF’s requirements will be relatively broad. White noted that 23-strong Puma fleet – along with the potential for NGRC should be seen as ‘complementary’ to US FVL, approaches from the UK to export military versions of this 8t helicopter rather than “necessarily a rival”. different sides with local production. He said this would offer a “huge The UK is now leading the pre-concept phase of the Atlantic – opportunity for UK content to design this platform, on this project, with an industry read-ahead pack set the Bell V-280 but also to export from the UK”. The proposal came to go out in Q1 of 2021, followed by an interactive as a surprise, as the H175’s origins as a joint Chinese industry day this year. First aircraft deliveries are set Valor tiltrotor (top project with Aviacopter has previously precluded for 2035, with a planned production run of 20 years. left) and Airbus military versions of this helicopter being developed. Helicopters’ Meanwhile, Leonardo has proposed its 9t AW149 Yugo, Malibu or Cadillac? RACER medium helicopter as an interim Puma replacement for the RAF. Meanwhile, another presentation from Dan Newman, compound While Airbus and Leonardo could fight over any Senior Technical Fellow, Chief Engineer, Advanced helicopter(top (currently unfunded) Puma replacement deal, Airbus Vertical Lift, Boeing, gave the view from the NATO right), developed Coombe put forward a plea that NGRC needed Industries Advisory Group (NIAG) which has supported Europe’s helicopter industry to collaborate, saying pre-NGRC studies into defining the requirements from its X3 there is a “real chance and opportunity for Europe to and concept of operations. In this, he said, speed, demonstrator. align on what should be a European next-generation endurance, range and specific missions were ruled rotorcraft, with European needs and European know- out. Instead, there was a focus on cost and timeline, how,” highlighting the immense US investment in FVL sustainment, interoperability and regulatory approval. that represented a resurgent industrial threat to the One theme, outlined by Newman, was the NGRC European helicopter sector. should have multiple levels of modular capability at the outset, characterised by ‘basic’, ‘improved’ and The view from the US ‘robust’. Comparing them to cars, he said this would be like Yugo, Malibu and Cadillacs, enabling nations The conference also heard the view from across the to acquire larger numbers of the base model (Yugo) Atlantic, where the US FVL (Future Vertical Lift) is or smaller numbers of the most capable version seeking to replace scout and medium-lift helicopters (Cadillac) and thus being able to mix and match with its next-generation high-speed rotorcraft under to meet their specific defence requirements and its FARA (Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft) defence budgets. This might also allow sub-models and FLRAA (Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft). with different equipment fits (such as secure comms Colonel David Phillips, Project Manager, FLRAA, or defensive aids) to be allocated to specific missions, gave an update on this effort, which is now seeing yet retain the same basic commonality. the Bell V-280 Valor tiltrotor pitted against the Boeing-Sikorsky Defiant X compound helicopter. Airbus pitches H175 as Puma The US Army’s FLRAA, he said, will allow for replacement ‘multi-domain operations, flying further and faster in a contested and ever-changing environment’. With the RAF’s ageing medium transport Puma fleet Through its modernisation strategy, “army aviation now 50 years old and set to go out of service in intends to maintain its freedom of manoeuvre” with 2025, there is concern that neither the US FLRAA next-generation rotorcraft. While the US is looking nor NGRC will meet the timescale for a replacement. to long-ranges in Asia-Pacific, Phillips noted that a

38 AEROSPACE foundational factor was the US Army’s experience in perspective for future rotorcraft from Captain Jo the 1991 Gulf War, which saw air assault helicopters Deakin, RN, Chief Air Engineer, Naval Command. fly hundreds of miles to seize objectives. Phillips also highlighted that FLRAA was not Summary just being approached from the direction of ‘pure performance’ in speed and range above all else. The conference then was a landmark event in Modularity, open systems and interoperability were understanding the decisions and requirements also key requirements to make these platforms as that are shaping the development of future military affordable and sustainable as possible – as well as tie rotorcraft in Europe and the US. On one side of the into the larger FVL network that will include scout/ Atlantic, there is a bigger push for high-speed and attack helicopters and UAVs. “Cycle affordability is performance, building on the needs of the US military paramount”, said Phillips. The conference learnt the with the aim of reinvigorating the US rotorcraft scope and pace of work had been expanded and industry. In Europe, there is a slightly different focus, accelerated in the second phase of development, with with an emphasis on affordability, maintainability and top-down engineering design input, interoperability between different as well as US Army test pilots and nations – although at this early stage maintainers providing feedback on the the requirements of NGRC are still two contractors designs. A contract nebulous. award is set for 2022, with the first These are not necessarily aircraft set to be fielded to 2030. conflicting goals, and Europe’s THE CONFERENCE experience in high-speed rotorcraft Technology of the future THEN WAS A (X3 and AW609) may yet tilt the solution to high-speed platforms. While high-speed tiltrotors and LANDMARK Leonardo’s Steve Allen, Head of compound helicopters might be the EVENT IN Strategy, for example, noted that the most visible sign of next-generation UNDERSTANDING company was “slightly hedging its rotorcraft, the conference also heard bets” on whether high-speed would about other advances in technology THE DECISIONS become more important for NRGC. He that may (or may not) be incorporated AND REQUIRE- also pointed out that “standardisation into these platforms by 2040, such as MENTS THAT ARE of open architectures will be key” if the augmented reality (AR), digital twins, SHAPING THE goal of interoperability and modularity fuel cells, or electric power systems, is to be realised. leveraging the massive investment DEVELOPMENT OF NGRC started after the US Army’s and work going on in the civil eVTOL FUTURE MILITARY effort to replace its helicopters and is sector. ROTORCRAFT IN also being informed and influenced Particularly interesting were EUROPE AND THE by US progress. Some nations, then, thoughts on piloted or unpiloted might conceivably end up fielding operations and the rise of US both, mixing a smaller number of autonomous systems in the multi- high-speed rotorcraft for specific domain, connected battlespace of 2040. While tasks, with a larger number of more affordable utility some speakers noted the advances in AI and UAVs multi-mission helicopters. that now allow drones to be controlled and tasked However, suggestions that NGRC and FVL from piloted helicopters, many remained sceptical could go further than dovetailed requirements and that medium helicopters would lose the human potentially merge into one joint European-US future pilot completely. Col Morris noted that, despite the rotorcraft programme, perhaps ignores geopolitical technical feasibility, for high-risk, low-level troop and industrial realities. Already there are, behind the insertion missions, the ethical and moral dimension scenes, some concerns that some NGRC nations means that humans would still be in the pilot’s seat. (namely the UK and Italy) could be seduced away However, for rear resupply and routine transport to join the larger US programme, which enjoys tasks, there is every chance that these could move to full backing and funding. The UK itself, with an optionally piloted or fully autonomous systems – with agreement with the US to look into the feasibility of a lower human density for future battlefields. FVL that was signed in 2020, is thus keeping a foot Other technology discussed included directed in both camps. energy weapons and there were also questions put The main challenge, as pointed out in the to presenters on the environmental aspect of future summary Q&A session, might be industrial, rotorcraft – a growing focus for military planners conceptual and political, rather than pure to consider. There was also a presentation on the technological in developing the next generation of often-overlooked maintainers and operational support future battlefield and naval helicopters.

RAeS 47th European Rotorcraft Forum 7-10 September 2021, Conference, , Scotland, UK.

MARCH 2021 39 AEROSPACE MRO in India Keeping it in-country

Despite the pandemic, India’s MRO sector is looking to a bright future with more commercial work undertaken locally and a military with an increasing appetite for outsourcing to the private sector. NEELAM MATHEWS reports on the changes.

ntagonistic policies in India in the and develop our capabilities. The challenge lies past towards the maintenance in choosing a partner capable of sustaining the repair and overhaul (MRO) industry business,” said a India official. have now given way to a benign environment following a substantial Looking for a partner reductionA in taxes from 18% to 5% and a favourable policy since March 2020 when the Faced with ageing and crash-prone twin-engine pandemic struck. Unlike in past decades, when Antonov An-32 ‘Cline’ transporters, the IAF has around 90% of commercial aircraft were sent been looking to partner with industry for their to neighbouring countries, including , refurbishment and re-equipment. Eleven work Jordan, and Malaysia for repair, once the ‘old packages selected include: repainting, wing- normal’ of flying returns, Indian MROs are ramping structure modification, and ultrasonic inspection. up to serve the domestic market and neighbouring A request for information (RFI) aimed at collecting countries. information about the capabilities of various Indian Local MROs are also looking to innovate and to suppliers has been released. establish and strengthen foreign partnerships that Air India Engineering Services Ltd (AIESL), a bring with them experience, expertise in processes subsidiary of government-owned Air India, has an and international certifications. As budgets get inherent advantage for getting military business as constrained for the military, there is a move to clearances are given easily with both being state outsource MRO to civil third party MRO providers, bodies, an engineer told AEROSPACE. providing additional opportunities in rough times. AIESL has made a start, with the model type Areas in which the Indian Air Force (IAF) is looking having completed a successful trial on air coolers to the private industry include: airframe and aero of the An-32 for the IAF. “We are convinced we engines, mechanical rotables, electronic rotables, can do it,” HR Jagannath, the recently retired CEO test equipment, ground support equipment, and who turned AIESL around to a profit centre, told airfield safety systems, according to an Indian MoD AEROSPACE. A second trial run is to be done, to report. be followed by a contract, he added. The IAF also “India is a significant market. Offsets provide an subcontracted for three years two Boeing 777s opportunity for OEMs to partner with local MROs VIP aircraft for the prime minister and president to Boeing Defense Boeing

Air Works India, with Boeing, has carried out the first heavy maintenance check on the Indian Navy’s Boeing P-8I sub-hunters.

40 AEROSPACE AIESL in October 2020. AIESL did modifications The pandemic has resulted in tough times. on the aircraft and is competent to carry out heavy The company has in the past decade looked at maintenance D checks on the 777s where the expanding its business in the West. For instance, aircraft is stripped for inspection and overhaul. it acquired a majority stake in the UK’s Air Livery. In mid-2020, Pratt & Whitney and AIESL With the MRO industry ailing, Bhaskar said: “Our announced a partnership to provide MRO services review of our erstwhile investments has been to support P&W’s geared turbofan (GTF) engines. part of a carefully calibrated strategy to capitalise AIESL will service PW1100G-JM engines, which upon the emergence of the Asia-Pacific region power the Airbus A320neo, at its facility in as the future hub for aviation. This includes the Mumbai in a phased approach, starting with engine growth in the domestic Indian civil aviation market.” upgrades and module exchange capabilities. The The company is presently focused on starting facility has already received its first GTF engine, operations at its new base maintenance facility in Jagannath said. Kochi, South India. “The pandemic notwithstanding, Other companies too are at the forefront of the new facility will augment Air Works base MRO. Air Works India, which claims to be the maintenance hangar capacity by 50%,” explained largest MRO in India, in partnership with Boeing, Bhaskar. It is AAR-Indamer Technics Pvt Ltd, a joint venture between -based AAR Corp and India’s Indamer, that is likely to turn India’s MRO AAR misfortunes around. “This is AAR’s seventh facility worldwide,” said Rajeev Gupta, CEO. Ready for launch early in 2021, the facility is based at Nagpur in the state of Maharashtra, of which Mumbai is the capital. The launch customer of the JV is India’s largest budget carrier IndiGo which has a fleet of 240 A320 family aircraft. The new MRO facility will initially be comprised of six narrow-body bays, including one bay for paint. A training school under Indamer’s CAR 147 certification and the government of India’s Skill Development Programme will allow many students to gain skill sets. Additional phases of construction completed the first heavy maintenance check include eight new bays. for the Indian Navy’s first multimission P-8I, a 737platform, in 2019. India Increasing quality, saving costs Chicago-based awarded Boeing a three-year contract to continue AAR Corp and supporting the Indian Navy’s P-8I fleet, not only Gupta is adamant that the company will not fight India’s Indamer through ‘field and logistics service representatives’ competition on price but on quality: “AAR is the have joined but also ‘engineering’, ‘planning’ and ‘robust ideal partner for us and brings the knowledge and material support.’ Of twelve ordered aircraft, India processes needed to help establish in-country together and has received nine. capability and jobs in aircraft heavy maintenance.” may turn India’s He adds that, with the facility based in a special MRO misfortunes Finding the right service economic zone, a duty-free enclave and deemed around. to be foreign territory for the purposes of trade The Indian Navy has not lost time tapping into operations and duties and tariffs, it will prove a private support. “We found the P-8I tyres were boon for airlines that ferry their aircraft abroad by wearing out fast because of hard landings. Now saving them time and fuel costs. they don Indian tyres,” said Retd. Rear Admiral DM Gupta is also confident that more military Sudan, also a naval aviator. He added the IN went business will come his way. With Boeing to the private sector for training and has tied up having delivered all 22 AH-64E Apache attack with CFM in Hyderabad for its CFM56-7 engines. helicopters and 15 Chinook helicopters in July Even as the Indian military looks at leasing 2020 to the IAF, Gupta says the company will aircraft, lessors will start to look at MROs with start talks with Boeing by the end of 2021 for experience and certifications. “Air Works has their maintenance. He adds: “AAR provides presence in the asset management business depot airframe maintenance and depot field through its subsidiary Acumen that works closely team support of the P-8I fleet for the navy, the with global lessors,” said Anand Bhaskar, Managing government of Australia, and foreign military sales Director and Chief CEO, Air Works India. “We are (FMS) customers, as well as in the US for the quite keen and following this development,” he Apaches and Chinooks.” This experience, he says, adds. could prove beneficial.

MARCH 2021 41 AIR TRANSPORT Pilot qualifications and licensing Adobe Stock

Logbooks under scrutiny

The crash of a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Airbus A320 in June 2020, after an apparent catalogue of flight deck errors, has thrown a spotlight on pilots’ credentials and licences. How widespread is the problem? ALAN DRON investigates.

he demise of PIA Flight PK8303 from or had cheated in various exams to gain their pilots’ Lahore to Karachi on 22 May 2020 qualifications. this year was shocking, with tales A PIA spokesman then confirmed to news rapidly circulating that the aircraft agency AFP that 150 were flying with PIA – more had apparently tried to land at Jinnah than one-third of the flag-carrier’s flight deck TInternational Airport without having lowered its workforce. (The total number of pilots named by the undercarriage. government was subsequently significantly reduced.) Far more shocking was the preliminary report The revelations led to many Pakistani pilots into the accident a month later by Pakistan’s working overseas being suspended by their Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB). It respective airlines. It also led to the US Federal laid out a jaw-dropping catalogue of actions by the Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European aircraft’s pilots, who not only persisted with a highly Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) revoking permission unstable approach but disregarded both advisory for PIA to fly into both the US and the European messages from air traffic control and automated Union. cockpit warnings on overspeed, ground proximity and failure to lower the landing gear. The pilots Unqualified? also spent time on the flight deck discussing the coronavirus pandemic and the effect it had had on The Karachi crash, which killed 97 of the 99 on their respective families – an obvious distraction to board, together with one person on the ground, also their work. cast a spotlight on the more general problem of Within 24 hours, the country’s Aviation Minister ensuring effective scrutiny of pilots’ qualifications. Ghulam Sarwar Khan, revealed that a previous Just how many people behind the controls of an investigation into pilot licensing had been ongoing airliner do not have the qualifications to be there? since another crash in 2018. Following that earlier How widespread might the problem of fake licences crash, it was discovered that the test date on the be? pilot’s licence was a public holiday, suggesting that “I think many of the facts on this matter are testing could not have taken place on that day. yet to present themselves,” said Kieran Byrne of He went on to say that the enquiry had the RAeS Flight Operations Group, who has a determined that more than 260 of the country’s particular interest in safety management systems 860 active pilots had fake or suspicious licences and oversight.

42 AEROSPACE “From my own experience, flight crew changing applications for pilots’ roles from graduates of a from operator to operator experience rigorous Philippines flight school. documentation checks to ensure compliance A sharp-eyed airline recruitment official with qualification requirements set by national noticed striking similarities between many of the authorities. Usually this is done by suitably applications and started to dig deeper. Eventually, it qualified members of the recruitment teams, was calculated that if all the pilots who had claimed normally flight crew assessors and training pilots to have graduated from the flight school had done so at various stages of the new entrant process. This at the time they claimed, the school’s training aircraft is dependent on the operator, based on ensuring would have been in the skies for 28 hours a day. That compliance with regulatory requirements of that led to much more careful scrutiny of all applications recruit. We have a pilot at my employer look from the Philippines. through a prospective employee’s logbook and see Licensing problems are not, of course, limited to if it seems legitimate – whether their experience certain regions of the world. In March 2010, Swedish matches their logbook.” pilot, Thomas Salme, was arrested in the cockpit of a Corendon Airlines Boeing 737 minutes before he Standardisation was due to take off from Amsterdam Schiphol. Salme, it was discovered, had flown 10,000 hours “EASA has over the last few years standardised as an airline pilot without the necessary commercial licensing and qualification requirements across pilot’s licence, having initially learned the necessary national boundaries, partly to create a level skills on an airline’s simulator to which a friend had foundation of compliance, improving safety and given him access at night-time. easily transferable licences for larger numbers of A maintenance engineer by training, he had been qualified crew members.” able to gain initial employment with a small Italian “However”, said Byrne: “There are differences airline with forged Swedish documents that were around the world in regulations and oversight requirements where some national authorities, and therefore operators, implement more advanced compliance monitoring and safety management systems (SMS) compared to others, all the while complying with ICAO standards.” Byrne looked at the preliminary report of the PK8303 incident to try to determine what the initial observations are suggesting as a probable cause. “From reading the (AAIB) series of events involved in the incident and the AAIB’s recommended actions for further investigation, all suggest that this wasn’t just something that distraction by coronavirus (discussion) would cause.” That leads to the question of whether there were failings in oversight monitoring of operations for adherence to procedures, which would be a systemic Shadman Samee problem. “If there is a lack of procedural activity and no amending or improving of procedures through an The Airbus A320-214 AP- unfamiliar to the Italian carrier. He flew with them effective SMS, then it could be an indicator of other BLD, the aircraft involved in for seven years, becoming a captain, then with a UK systemic monitoring failings, perhaps on licences. the accident, seen in 2016. company and the Turkish-Dutch Corendon before a The AAIB recommended further investigation into tip-off from the Swedish authorities ended his career. these aspects in their report.” He was fined €2,000 and banned from flying by a Byrne said his focus was not specifically on the Dutch court and, as far as is known, has never sat licences while looking at the PK8303 incident but behind the controls of a commercial aircraft again. the overall tenor of the circumstances of the incident It is naturally difficult to know just how suggested that issues were more systemic: “It is not widespread the problem of false licences and often that an investigation report raises points on qualifications is. “Of course, I do not have all the authority oversight and an operator’s SMS; this may information globally, but it is definitely not my point to a larger issue.” impression that this is a great problem,” said Captain Jack Netskar, President of the International Slipping through the net Federation of Airline Pilots’ Association (IFALPA). “The airline industry is pretty much based on trust. The Pakistani incident is not the first one to emanate I wouldn’t say that I perceive this as a problem. from Asia. Around ten years ago, the fast-expanding But when you do get stories like Pakistan, you ask Gulf carriers began to receive a large number of yourself the question: ‘What is happening here?’

MARCH 2021 43 AIR TRANSPORT Pilot qualifications and licensing

Of course, we can not have it like that – most FAA stock image/Instagram definitely not. We do know that some of the less-resourceful CAAs around the world are not necessarily where they should be at a systematic behaviour of fraud(?).” Netskar said that he had been attempting to contact the appropriate ministries and airline officials in Pakistan but, at the time of writing, was still awaiting their responses. “It’s kind of a culture that’s less transparent than we’re used to in the Western world. There were very different stories coming out from the Pakistani pilot community, which said that fake qualifications had never happened, which contrasted with the statement issued by the aviation ministry citing several hundred unqualified pilots,” he said. He noted that the number of pilots named in the initial statement had subsequently been significantly ‘Fake licences’ in the US reduced. “The quality of that list of names was really, really poor. It included people who are not even alive In July 2020, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that it would be requiring several hundred pilots and instructors, who were passed by a Cincinnati-based examiner, anymore”. Michael Puehler, over a period of a decade from 2008 to 2019, to be re-examined and “The timing of this was very surprising. It was in tested, as the FAA: “has reason to believe that Mr. Puehler issued certificates and/or connection with the temporary report of the crash ratings to airmen when the airmen did not demonstrate the qualifications to hold the and why would you announce that information certificate and/or rating for which they were tested.” and why would the Minister of Aviation do this? I immediately said: ‘This is going to have great consequences for the entire country’s airline business’ and that happened to be correct. They IFALPA had permanent representation at ICAO, couldn’t fly to Europe or the US. The Minister of he added, and took part in much of its work, notably Aviation must have had some very bad advisors.” on the technical side. “Licensing is one very important “I share some of IFALPA’s views,” said Byrne. part (of that work) that we’ve been part of for decades. “When Pakistan’s aviation minister announced that One of our main focuses these days is licensing and there was this list of pilots with fake accreditation, qualification, because the job of a pilot in the future is it certainly raised questions, for many reasons.” It going to look very different.” appeared that focus was being placed on individuals. “It was possible,” he said, “that the changing “It seemed a very bold statement to make before any nature of aircraft meant that in future there would be evidence could be obtained independently. I would less focus on how a pilot performed in a simulator repeat Captain Netskar’s quoted statements that this but more on what sort of education they had: ‘It’s could be an oversight issue.” not about getting a licence, it’s about getting an He believes that there is much more to come out education.’” of the aftermath and final report of the crash. In terms “Being able to take off and land an aircraft is one of the overall problem of fake licences, “We still don’t thing. Being able to interpret different operational fully understand the extent or gravity of a licensing situations is a different thing. So, what kind of issue, if there is one.” skill sets do you need? What kind of academic background do you need to make the future of the Striving for safety airline industry the safest? We’re trying to look at this in a more holistic way.” The Pakistan Air Line Pilots’ Association has Byrne has no illusions as to the difficulties challenged the authenticity of the list and asked the involved in discovering whether pilots are fraudulently judiciary to look into the matter. Four months after claiming licences or qualification credentials. “In the crash, five Pakistan CAA officials were reportedly the short term, it may be beneficial for authorities, fired, with two of them being senior personnel, operators and approved training organisations to handling licensing matters. focus further on licensing and to become the useful Like Byrne, Netskar said the problem of false eyes and ears, as they are, on this issue. documentation was not specifically an Asian one. The larger training schools would probably have Individual countries where the overall flight safety adequate resourcing and facilities for this, many with culture did not meet the highest standards could direct links to the licensing arm of national authorities be found anywhere. When it came to individual However, smaller schools and ATOs and the self- pilots cheating their way through the system, “I don’t improvers may not be appropriately set up for these think that’s very easy but not all systems are totally functions, especially with difficult situations around waterproof.” the coronavirus pandemic.”

44 AEROSPACE Afterburner www.aerosociety.com

Diary 15-16 March 2021 Aviation Recovery Post-Covid-19, a pragmatic near-term perspective RAeS online conference

Delta passenger temperature testing. Delta.

46 Message from RAeS 48 Book Reviews 53 2021 Council Elections – President The , and Engaging the Voting for the 2021 Council Elections is now live to Next Generation of Aviation Professionals. all voting members. “Following on from the two Academic Forums held in 2020, and to further support and facilitate discussions among those Higher Education 51 Library Additions 54 RAeS Diary Institutions which hold Engineering Council Books recently supplied to the National Aerospace Find out what online events are happening. accreditation through the Society, I am delighted to Library. announce that the Society is launching an informal 56 Elections ‘RAeS Academic Discussion Forum’ site.” 52 New Member Spotlight – Chief Executive “As ever, our concern is for young people on the threshold of their careers, finding their ambition thwarted, and for those for whom has already had the same effect.”

MARCH 2021 45

Afterburner_March2021.indd 3 18/02/2021 16:00:12 Message from RAeS OUR PRESIDENT

Prof Jonathan Cooper Following on from the two Academic Forums possible for me to attend the Singapore Air Show held in 2020, and to further support and facilitate the following week given the outbreak of Covid-19 discussions among those Higher Education there. Little did we know how much all of our lives Institutions which hold Engineering Council would soon be affected and for how long. A further accreditation through the Society, I am delighted to highlight for me this month was the webinar ‘From announce that the Society is launching an informal the Drawing Board to the Sky’ organised by the ‘RAeS Academic Discussion Forum’ site. Academics, General Aviation Specialist Group, in which Sophie or other support staff from RAeS accredited HEIs, Robinson and Tim Williams from Vertical Aerospace will be invited to join this site which will provide a gave a fascinating presentation reviewing the all- forum for staff to discuss informally any matters electric and zero-emission concepts that Vertical relating to the assessment and delivery of their has developed and tested over the past few years. engineering programmes. Such an initiative is very Well done to the GA Group for organising such an welcome, not only for the ongoing challenges of interesting and informative event. providing an excellent accredited experience for all Society members should take advantage of SOCIETY students but also in the future. It is hoped that the the podcasts that are available for them to listen MEMBERS forum will be an excellent opportunity for HEI staff to; there are also many recent and older gems SHOULD TAKE to seek advice from other academics and share to be found in the NAL Video and Audio Archive best practice, as well as creating a channel for the (https://www.aerosociety.com/movies and ADVANTAGE OF RAeS to share any resources and guidance relating https://www.aerosociety.com/podcast). Also, THE PODCASTS to accreditation. Further details about the Forum will as part of the recent 14th National Apprenticeship THAT ARE be communicated to our accredited HEIs. Thanks week, Zoe Garstang from BAE Systems recorded AVAILABLE FOR to the RAeS Accreditation HQ team in putting this an excellent podcast describing her apprenticeship resource together. journey, biggest highlights and her future career THEM TO LISTEN During the past month I have taken the aspirations. TO; THERE ARE chance to attend several Society events and have Finally, I am pleased to note that the annual ALSO MANY continued to be impressed as to how many of the AeroChallenge, organised by the Young Persons local Branches and Specialist Groups have taken Committee, will be held on 10 March. Having RECENT AND advantage of the move to digital delivery to provide organised, for many years (I confess to being OLDER GEMS excellent lecture programmes. I particularly enjoyed old enough to remember TV presenters from the TO BE FOUND IN the Cambridge Branch’s Sir Arthur Marshall Named BBC’s Tomorrow’s World programme acting as THE NAL VIDEO Lecture on the BelugaXL, but was somewhat quiz master), student teams to participate in this disquieted to realise that I attended this very lecture competition, it is fantastic to see that it is still AND AUDIO in person 12 months ago and remember discussing running. I hope that many of you will have taken the ARCHIVE with some of the attendees whether it would still be opportunity to register in this enjoyable event.

NATIONAL AEROSPACE LIBRARY

The NAL remains closed to visitors, however, online services are available so you can continue to browse the catalogue and download e-books and e-journals as well as contact our expert Librarian for advice and enquiries. E [email protected] NAL www.aerosociety.com/nal Catalogue www.aerosociety.com/catalogue Sound Archive www.aerosociety.com/podcast Film Archive www.aerosociety.com/movies 46 e-library www.aerosociety.com/elibrary OUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Sir Brian Burridge ● As ever with Covid-19, there is good news and registered engineers. In line with new government bad news. It is reassuring to see vaccination requirements on external quality assurance, we programmes proceeding at pace in the UK and are now applying to Ofqual for recognition which elsewhere in the world. Also, after significant will cement our credibility in years to come. economic shrinkage during 2020, European ● February also saw a very successful Next- economies are showing clear signs of positive, if Generation Rotorcraft conference which focused unspectacular, growth for 2021. But the downside on the Future Military Medium-Lift Helicopter for of travel restrictions, quarantining and border 2040+. Hosted by the RAeS Rotorcraft Specialist closures continues to place the entire aviation Group, it was reassuring to see the potential ecosystem under pressure at a time when cash vitality in the defence helicopter sector now that reserves are dwindling. As ever, our concern is for Europe is preparing for the exit from service young people on the threshold of their careers, by 2040 of a range of medium-weight military finding their ambition thwarted, and for those helicopters. You can read more in our conference for whom redundancy has already had the same article on page 36. In addition, from 7-10 effect. With this in mind, the Careers team has September, we are hosting the 47th European been working on more digital tools to provide Rotorcraft Forum which brings together a global support and in mid-March will announce a new gathering of key players to discuss advances in online support platform – Career Flightpath – research, development, design, manufacturing, building on our popular magazine brand to provide testing and operation of rotorcraft. Of interest, too, members with online tools and training for job is that we have just selected a commercial partner search and employment applications. Personalised to allow us to run hybrid conferences in the future support will continue to be available, but we are where the platform includes a ‘back-office’ live very excited to be using the latest AI technology to streaming capability. ensure our services reach an even wider audience ● Turning the clock back, Volume 10 of the Journal at this important time. of Aeronautical History has been published with ● It is reassuring that the Society’s membership eight papers covering a broad range of historical numbers have held steady throughout 2020 and research topics from autogyros through gas into 2021, with the Membership Team continuing turbine propulsion to 100 years of Royal Aircraft to work closely with companies and volunteers Establishment innovation. The content is freely through delivery of online briefings, workshops available on our website and papers on historical and mentor training. We also value the continued themes are always welcome (www.aerosociety. support from Society members through the com/JAH). A plethora of interesting historical nomination process, encouraging Members and podcasts are also now available (www. Fellows to nominate colleagues for membership aerosociety.com/podcasts), not least one on through a streamlined application route. Our the contribution made by Sir Frederick Handley thanks are due to all those who have renewed Page and his company as they produced a series their membership and, if you have yet to do so, you of innovative aircraft designs over six decades. are still able to make payment by logging into your Stay in touch with new releases by updating your online profile or by calling our Subscriptions Team. preferences in your online member profile or visit ● Meanwhile, the UK government has just launched www.aerosociety.com/NAL to subscribe to the Aviation Skills Retention Platform, covering the e-newsletter. all the roles across aviation in concert with the ● Finally, some important notices: for Corporate Talent Retention Solution which will be familiar to Partners, the next two briefings are The Space IT IS many in the defence sector. Companies, including Economy and the Satellite Market by Carissa REASSURING SMEs, are urged to register on the platform at Christensen, CEO Bryce , THAT THE www.aviationtalent.co.uk to contribute to on 8 March and Defence Industrial Strategy SOCIETY’S what is essentially a clearing house by which to by Alex Creswell, CEO Thales UK, on 19 April. share both vacancies and opportunities so as to We also welcome Andrew Allen FRAeS as an MEMBERSHIP avoid an exodus of highly talented people from the Independent Trustee plus Pauline Richards and NUMBERS HAVE sector. Similarly, last month saw the celebration Philip Nicol-Gent as Audit Committee members. HELD STEADY of National Apprenticeship Week. The Society In addition, the Council Elections are open (see THROUGHOUT has now been working closely with engineering p 53), and we are fortunate that we have a employers and training providers for two years strong field of candidates: I urge all members to 2020 AND INTO delivering over 200 end point assessments, read the candidate statements and give careful 2021 supported by our network of professionally consideration before casting your vote.

MARCH 2021 47

Afterburner_March2021.indd 5 18/02/2021 16:00:14 Book Reviews THE AVRO VULCAN Revised edition By Tim McLelland

Crécy Publishing, 1a Ringway Trading Estate, Shawdowmoss Road, M22 5LH, UK. 2019. 304pp. Illustrated. £27.95. ISBN 978-1-91080-927-3.

Tim McLelland is acknowledged to have written one of the most authoritative histories of the Avro Vulcan, first asThe Vulcan Story (Arms and Armour Press.1993 and revised in 2002) under his pen name of Tim Laming – and also as The Avro Vulcan: A Complete History (Crécy Publishing. 2007) and later Vulcan – God of Fire (The History Press. 2012). The latest version The Avro Vulcan – Revised Edition – published in 2019 – is a further valuable revision, undertaken by Martin Derry, following Tim’s untimely death at the relatively young age of 53 in November

2015. Above: Avro Vulcan XH558 What is immediately striking about this new during its last flight over edition is the inclusion of so very many more Farnborough on 11 October colour photographs. The text is largely unchanged. 2015. Alastair Barbour. However, the larger format has permitted an Right: The first prototype Avro Vulcan, VX770. RAeS (NAL). increased font size, making it an even more attractive read. The structure of the book has been expanded slightly: the first chapter covers the inception of the atomic bomb – including a somewhat historical version of the physics behind fission. I noted the mention of the famous Peierls- Frisch memorandum; I must be one of the few people left alive who met Professor Sir Rudolf Peierls, while I was a graduate at the Department of Falkland Islands in 1982, just prior to when the last Nuclear Physics at Oxford. Vulcan squadrons were stood down. The The second chapter explains how the Avro last Vulcan tanker squadrons were disbanded in Vulcan with its famous delta planform came into 1984, eventually leaving just one Vulcan, XH558, being. Given the innovative nature of the design, flying in the display role. three scaled versions were ordered prior to the Sadly, the story of how XH558 was returned to construction of two full-sized prototypes – these are flight contains many inaccuracies, ones that will be the subject of Chapter 3. corrected once I have written the definitive history Apart from a short introduction, Chapter 4 of that project! I am glad though, that Tim McLelland is made up of Peter River’s recollections as an lived long enough to witness the Vulcan’s return to Avro employee of the design and development of flight for a further eight years. the Vulcan. The fifth chapter covers the Vulcan’s A number of appendices detail the entire Vulcan introduction into RAF service, with the sixth production list, including key dates for each aircraft describing the development of British nuclear and photographs of most; the Vulcan squadrons and bombs and how the Vulcan discharged its role as (new) associated units; the Vulcan Wings, Bases the main UK contribution to the NATO strategic Tim and Dispersal Airfields; the 18 Vulcan airframe nuclear deterrent from 1957 to 1969, after which McLelland is losses, and the Aircrew Manual. the Royal Navy’s Polaris fleet took over. All-in-all, a comprehensive record of the life and Chapter 7 covers the Vulcan’s adventures in acknowledged times of a famous and much-loved aircraft type. the Far East, Australia and , part of to have written its service life which is not well known. The eighth one of the most Dr Robert Pleming chapter explains what the Vulcan was like to fly and authoritative FRAeS display, from the aircrew’s perspective. The ninth Sadly, this review was submitted before the untimely chapter describes the only time that the Vulcan was histories of the death of Dr Pleming on 2 February. Our thoughts are used in anger, during the campaign to liberate the Avro Vulcan with his family and friends.

48 AEROSPACE

Afterburner_March2021.indd 6 18/02/2021 16:00:15 SHORT BROTHERS The Rochester Years By Philip MacDougall

Fonthill Media Limited, Millview House, Toadsmoor Road, Stroud GL5 2TB, UK. 2019.192pp. Illustrated. £20. ISBN 978-1-78155-730-3.

Philip MacDougall has written a lively contribution to the literature on Short Brothers which shows that following the expansion of work at Shorts’ factory at , , in 1913 Oswald Short established a branch factory where the offered better facilities for the operation of . After the Armistice at the end of WW1 in 1918 the business at Rochester was held together by diversification, building and overhauling Felixstowe flying boats and DH9 landplanes. The narrative then shows that Oswald staked all that the future lay in metal construction and traces the evolution of metal The Short-Mayo composite ● in 1917 Rochester became Shorts’ sole aircraft aircraft at Rochester (referencing National Archives aircraft, S21 Maia, G-ADHK, design and manufacturing centre when the and S20 Mercury, G-ADHJ, files) culminating in the Empire, Sunderland, G-Class Admiralty evicted the company from Eastchurch. and Shetland flying boats (the Stirling bomber was was an attempt to fly mail over long distances. RAeS (NAL). ● in May 1919 the Short family incorporated a less successful because the impaired the private company Short Brothers (Rochester & design at the specification stage). Bedford) Limited (Company No. 155564) and Material in the National Archives on the formation bought the original partnership. The success of of Short & Harland Limited in in Short Brothers (Rochester & Bedford) Limited 1936, on the Rochester company’s tribulations was such that, in 1935, the company converted to leading to nationalisation under the Defence public status to be quoted on the Stock Exchange. Regulations in 1943 and the government’s decision The corporate history given in Short Brothers: in 1946 to transfer Rochester’s production lines to the Rochester Years requires revision. would have consolidated the closing chapters. Brothers (Rochester & Bedford) Limited emerged Among other errors, the figure for the number from the transfer to Belfast with a new name – of Stirlings built at Rochester has been inflated S. B. (Realisations) Limited – a new role as the three-fold by the inclusion of production at the government-owned holding company for the shares dispersed factories around Swindon (187 Rochester, in the Northern Ireland company which, in 1947, was 352 Swindon, 539 total). renamed Short Brothers & Harland Ltd and, after The illustrations in Short Brothers: the Rochester two cosmetic changes of name, emerged in 1984 as Years are above the usual standard in books on Short Brothers plc. Ownership was transferred from Shorts and refreshing use is made of first-hand Westminster to the Northern Ireland Department of statements and press reports. However, the Commerce in 1978 and the company was wound up introductory chapters are unduly long and take up The illustrations in October 1993 following sale of Short Brothers Plc pages better employed for the Rochester years. in Short to the Canadian company Bombardier. Although the Unfortunately, the book repeats the myths that Shorts Brothers: the Belfast business traded as Bombardier, it retained were the world’s first aircraft manufacturers and held its Companies Act name and registration as Short a licence for the Wright Model A. The French aircraft Rochester Years Brothers Plc and it was under that historic name that industry was already flourishing (including serial are above the returns were made to the Registrar of Companies production manufacture of Voisins and preparation usual standard throughout the Bombardier years. by contractors to CGNA for the serial manufacture of in books on Although not without error or omission, Short Wrights) when Oswald made the first entry in Shorts’ Brothers: the Rochester Years is an engaging Order Book in January 1909. Shorts and account of the Short company’s genius in producing The promised Appendix on Shorts’ design team is refreshing memorable aircraft from what, in 1945, a Ministry of missing from the review copy but surely would have use is made Aircraft Production report called ‘one of the worst spelled C P T Lipscomb’s name correctly. Important of first-hand collections of aircraft buildings in the country’. events in the evolution of the business at Rochester not reported in Short Brothers: the Rochester Years statements and Gordon Bruce include: press reports Short Brothers 1959-1979

MARCH 2021 49

Afterburner_March2021.indd 7 18/02/2021 16:00:16 - Book Reviews ENGAGING THE NEXT GENERATION OF AVIATION PROFESSIONALS Edited by Suzanne K Kearns et al

Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon OX14 4RN, UK. 2020. xix; 302pp. £45 [20% discount available to RAeS members via www.crcpress.com using AKQ07 promotion code]. ISBN 978-0-367-25427-8. RAeS members can access an e-book edition of this title online via the National Aerospace Library’s e-book service at www.aerosociety.com/ebooks

Engaging the Next Generation of Aviation Professionals is an edited volume that aims to bring together diverse views from both academia and industry. It has three main themes of attracting, educating and retaining the aviation professional with a section dedicated to each theme. Each section contains a mix of case studies, scholarly Above: Astronaut chapters and professional reflections, although the captivates children at a Royal majority are academic works. Aeronautical Society Cool Aeronautics event at Hamilton Section 1 is all about attracting young people Place on 9 November 2017. into aviation and provides several insights to industry Right: operations and outreach programmes implemented engaging children at Inspiring in different parts of the world. Attraction is the first girls at KidZania in 2019. step on the path to, what can be, a very rewarding British Airways/Stuart Bailey. career. Section 2 concentrates on educating future professionals and highlights the difference between the modern-day student and the student of years gone by. Technology plays a big part in the learning process for today’s student and this is explored in Chapter 2.5 ‘Ensuring Success by Using the four A’s of Learning’ with a follow-on in Chapter 2.6 ‘Engaging Practices for Training the New Generation of Aircraft Maintenance Technicians’. The different learning processes adopted for those who grew up with, and those without, technology contributor seemed to refer immediately to the is explored with suggested methods to getting the Boeing Pilot & Technician Outlook. If you were not best out of the Gen Z. aware of a shortage before opening the book, you The focus of Section 3 is on retaining certainly were by the time you had read it. In saying professionals. How does an industry retain its talent that, proposed solutions to the highlighted problem when there is a gap between the education and the are perfectly valid. regulatory recognition, whether that be maintenance Overall, the book presents a welcome overview experience for the engineer, hours building for of a long-known multi-discipline and international the pilot or any other stipulation in the myriad of, issue. Alas the ‘one size fits all’ solution still evades necessary, legislation? This section details the Overall, the us. However, the book does provide information on historical issue of trained personnel diverting into book presents a variety of methods that may be utilised to engage other careers, whether computing or automotive, a welcome the young person, each with a certain degree of due to the lack of opportunity to hone the aviation success. skills learned. It suggests that, should an individual overview I found it to be a good source of inspiration, to be unsuccessful in their chosen path, then a route of a long- think outside the box, in terms of training delivery to another career in aviation should be mapped, known multi- to provide safe and competent professionals for the thereby retaining the resource in the air transport discipline and future. world. The most irritating aspect about reading through international Robert Sutherland the book sequentially was that virtually every issue CMgr FRAeS

50 AEROSPACE

Afterburner_March2021.indd 8 18/02/2021 16:00:18 - Library Additions BOOKS

BIOGRAPHY & on WW2 Royal Canadian Air to introduce the nuclear Bomber Command’s war became the Hawker Harrier AUTOBIOGRAPHY Force pilot, Roger Cole. intercontinental ballistic missile against Germany: planning and Sea Harrier. The book then into the USAF. These plans the RAF’s bombing goes on to explore the key part In his own words: The HISTORY were rapidly altered after the offensive in WWII and its that the aircraft and those who autobiography of Sir Cuban Missile Crisis. This book contribution to the allied operated it played during the by G H Dowty, examines the development of victory by Noble Frankland, Falklands Conflict. The flying mathematicians the bomb, the plan to introduce Air World, 2020, 228pp. Hobnob Press, 2000, 160pp. of by Tony the missile into USAF service Taken from an official Sir George Dowty, Royle, McGill-Queen’s SPACE and its swift demise, together history of the Command found founder of the , University Press, 2020, 269pp. with the detrimental effect that in National Archives ref AIR was a noted inventor and Space Architecture: the An exploration of the the process had on the USAF 41/57 and accompanied by a businessman, who pioneered New Frontier for Design work of the engineers and and the wider missile community. selection of other letters, this many components used in the Research, edited by N Leach, scientists of the UK who is the internal RAF analysis of aviation industry before, during, developed aeronautics in the 2014, 134pp. and after WW2. AIRLINE HISTORY the different phases of the air early years of the 20th century. war and what lessons could be An architect’s view of Sir George’s typescript Centred on those who worked learnt from those campaigns. cutting edge for outer space. autobiography, dictated shortly at the Royal Aircraft Factory/ Includes articles on NASA’s before his death, was later Royal Aircraft Establishment, Astrotecture project and the rediscovered by his son and it included the work of Poles in the Battle of design of space stations, Britain: A photographic published. It offers a unique Edward Busk, Geoffrey Taylor, Earth-based space centres and album of the Polish ‘few’ insight into the development David Keith Lucas, Frederick Moon bases. of Dowty’s companies and the Lindemann and William Farren, by P Sikora, Air World, 2020, part he played in the interwar together with lesser known 250pp. and post-war aircraft industry. A photographic record Wally Funk’s race for space: figures, such as David Pinsent The extraordinary story of a and Roderick Hill. of the Polish Air Force who flew alongside the RAF pilots female aviation pioneer by during WW2. Sue Nelson, Westbourne Press, Report on a visit to 2019, 258pp. Cardross to identify the The story of the youngest The territorial air force: first Pilcher flying sites by female pilot in NASA’s 1960s The RAF’s voluntary Eric Littledike, 2005, 20pp. Women in Space programme, squadrons, 1926-1957 by A report on an Royal Vikings: The Saga the cancellation of the Louise Wilkinson, Air World, investigation into the sites of Scandinavian Airlines programme and, approaching 2020, 319pp. where lived and and Predecessors by Günter her 80th birthday, Wally’s experimented with his gliders. Endres, European Airlines, A history of the three renewed quest to get into 261pp. territorial parts of the UK’s space. A very nicely illustrated reserve in the period: Auxiliary CargoLifter: A Air Force, the Special Reserve new dimension in history of the firms that AIRCRAFT HISTORIES came together to become and the transportation by CargoLifter, Volunteer Reserve. It explores September 1998, 38pp. Scandinavian Airline System (SAS), including Det Danske the creation and reforms that A marketing brochure for Luftfartselskab A/S (DDL), Det were undertaken during the Southampton: The flying the cargo-lifting airship. Norske Luftfartselskap A/S period, service during WW2, boat that made R J Safety is no accident: as well as an examination Mitchell by Jo Hillman and C From ‘V’ to (DNL) and AB Aerotransport Hawker’s Secret Cold War of the men and women who Higgs, Air World, 2020, 229pp. Concorde, a flight test (ABA). The book also looks Airfield: Dunsfold, home joined the service. The book A nicely illustrated engineer’s story by John at the role played by those of the Hunter & Harrier by airlines during WW2. also includes an abridged list photographic record of the R W Smith, Air World, 2020, Christopher Budgen, Air World, of those who served in the interwar . The 278pp. 2020, 303pp. force, together with some volume also includes a A biography from a career Britannia Airways: The Taken over by Hawker in biographical details. production list. flight test engineer for both story of the United 1951 to test jet aircraft that Avro in the 1960s and early Kingdom’s largest holiday were no longer able to be 1970s and the Civil Aviation airline by G M Simons, Air Boeing B-17: The fifteen tested at Langley, Dunsfold Authority certification process World, 2020, 288pp. ton flying fortress by G M in the 1970s and early 1980s. became the test ground for A nicely illustrated history Simons and Harry Friedman, Includes accounts of working the Hunter, Harrier, Hawk, of the airline, which started as Air World, 2011, 256pp. on the Avro 748, Shackleton, Sea Fury and other aircraft, Euravia in 1961 and was later A history of the origins, Nimrod and including the Sabre. to become the world’s largest development and variants of Victor tanker. He also worked This book explores the rise charter airline, taking Thomson the used by the on a wide range of passenger and fall of the airfield and the Group’s customers and others USAAF and RAF during WW2. aircraft, including Concorde, aircraft that were tested in to the Mediterranean and that part of . It includes further afield. Lockheed TriStar and DC-10, Boeing 737: The world’s together with light aircraft a breakdown of movement at the airfield for the Supermarine most controversial from Cessna, Piper, Rockwell SERVICE AVIATION commercial jetliner by and Embraer. There are also Attacker, Canadair Sabre and Sea Fury. G M Simons, Air World, 2020, accounts of working with test RAF WWII operational and 288pp. pilots, such as D P Davies, flying accident casualty After looking at the John Carrodus and Nick MISSILE HISTORY files in the National original concept and the Warner. Archives: Exploring their different series of aircraft, Assured destruction: contents by Mary Hudson, Air Harrier 809: Britain’s -100, -200, -300, -400/800, High flight: The life and Building the ballistic World, 2020, 302pp. legendary jump jet and -500/600 and -900, the poetry of Pilot Officer John missile culture of the US Packed with examples, the untold story of the book then investigates the Gillespie Magee by Roger Air Force by David W Bath, this is an in-depth guide to Falklands War by Rowland accidents surround the ‘rudder Cole, Flight High Ltd, 2013, Naval Institute Press, 2020, the information to be found White, Bantam Press, 2020, mysteries’ in the 1990s and 175pp. 238pp. in the key accident series of 481pp. the grounding of the 737 A half-biography, half- In the mid-1950s reports housed at the National An account of the MAX, before asking whether poetry anthology, centring plans were being developed Archives. development of the aircraft that the company can survive.

To borrow these and thousands of other titles contact the National Aerospace Library. E [email protected] W www.aerosociety.com/catalogue

MARCH 2021 51

Afterburner_March2021.indd 9 18/02/2021 16:00:18 NEW MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Glenn Johnson FRAeS, 57 What do you hope to get out of your Location: North Carolina, USA. membership? Collaboration, professional involvement and information, keeping up Job Title: Fellow of Industrial Design, Collins with what’s going on and alternative industry Aerospace (part of RTX Technologies). perspectives – with a more European aspect. What inspired you into aviation? Watching the What three items would you take with you to lunar landing live on a black and white , the space station? ‘Yorkshire’ tea bags, digestive building and flying my own gliders and kites. biscuits and a Kindle tablet loaded with books. Later on, discovering the visual functional beauty of aircraft, such as the and What’s your favourite aircraft and why? North North American XB-70. American XB-70 Valkyrie, as very little comes close – if you truly love aircraft you have to go and What is the best thing about your current see the XB-70 in Dayton, Ohio. role? Developing the creative discipline of industrial design; focusing on the overall Who is your biggest inspiration? Two people customer experiences. Using this to improve our – Herr Werner Gronow (MBB/Airbus) and Derek aerospace products across different businesses. Bartlett, de Havilland/BAe – I really can’t thank Bringing new aircraft interior products to them enough. market. Piece of advice for someone looking to enter What made you join the Royal Aeronautical your field? Dream hard enough that it ‘starts to Society? This has been in my mind since I started happen’; start anywhere, and never be too proud, work in 1986 as a technical illustrator at BAe work hard – read, learn, travel and try to develop Brough (think Buccaneer). some humility. Lastly, try to be kind.

BAE SYSTEMS BROUGH

Brough ceases manufacturing after 104 years

BAE Systems has ended manufacturing at its in 1960/61. Production at Brough Brough factory in East Yorkshire. Robert Blackburn ended recently after the final delivery of Hawk aircraft set up a factory at Brough in 1916, two years to Qatar. Many of the factory buildings have now after he started the Blackburn Aeroplane & Motor been repurposed as the Humberside Enterprise Park. Above left: Blackburn Company. Blackburn produced a long line of mainly BAE Systems said 650 people will work on Beverley, XB287, in 1964. Adrian Pingstone. military aircraft including the Iris, Perth, Shark, Skua, engineering projects, including Tempest next- Above right: Hawker Siddeley Roc, Firebrand, Beverley and culminating with the generation combat aircraft and the Dreadnought Buccaneer S2 of the Royal Buccaneer. Aircraft production was absorbed into class of ballistic submarines. Navy. RAeS (NAL).

52 AEROSPACE

Afterburner_March2021.indd 10 18/02/2021 16:00:21 2021 RAeS COUNCIL ELECTIONS RAeS Council Elections are now open!

The Society’s Elections are being conducted members with Society activities and actively electronically, hosted by mi-voice. All voting supporting the D&I strategy. For the Council to members who have an email address registered successfully carry out this objective, it is vital that it with the Society should have received an email is made up of the most suitable individuals – which which contains your unique voting number and is why your vote is so important. instruction on how to cast your votes. If you have As well as its ex officio members, there are not received an email or you do not have a valid 18 elected members on the Council. As a voting email address registered with the Society, please member, you really do have the opportunity to call mi-voice on +44 (0)845 241 4148 or email: influence the way the Society is run through your [email protected]. voting options. Voting will close at 9:00am BST on Please note that any member who has not paid 6 May 2021. their membership subscription by 31 March 2021 If you have any queries or have not received the will be taken off the membership register and will voting email, please call mi-voice on +44 (0)845 therefore be unable to vote. The Society encourages 241 4148 or email: [email protected]. To you to update your membership to enable you to access further information about the candidates participate in the voting process and have your say standing for the Council elections please visit on who is elected to Council. https://www.aerosociety.com/council- The Society’s Council represents the views of elections the membership and the professions in addressing relevant and timely issues across the aerospace, 2021 Candidates aviation and space sectors, providing advice to the Trustees and Executive on such matters. The Mr Daniel OlufisanIEng MRAeS Council shall support the Society in meeting its key Lt Cdr Richard M Gearing CEng FRAeS strategic aims by providing: thought leadership to Mr Paul David Calver FRAeS the Society’s national and international profile on Mr David Gordon Chinn CEng FRAeS Thank you for the full range of compelling and complex issues Mrs Lalitya Dhavala MRAeS taking the time in the sectors; enhancing the influence, respect Captain Hermione Irwin Munns FRAeS to vote in the and reputation of the Society globally; extending Mr Christopher Patrick Gibbs FRAeS and providing stewardship of the Society’s body Mrs Janet Sims Mitchell CEng FRAeS 2021 Council of knowledge and learned output; connecting Mrs Rachna Sharma Reiter Affiliate Elections

NEW CORPORATE PARTNER

As a newly-established consulting firm exclusively working for the airline industry, Bauer Aviation Advisory offers a strong focus on commercial Find out more activities, spanning corporate strategy and business about RAeS model innovation, to network and fleet planning; Corporate overseen with a combination of technical, analytical membership and and creative know-how. With offices based out advertising: of Germany, Switzerland and the United Arab E partners@ Emirates, as well as maintaining 20 international aerosociety.com BAUER AVIATION ADVISORY partnerships with external experts and consultants, T +44 (0)20 7670 Baumschulallee 29, Bonn 53 115 BAA affords its clients with a contemporary, 4346 Germany dynamic and global perspective, capable of tackling www.aerosociety. baueraviation.aero the sector’s most pressing challenges. com/corporate

MARCH 2021 53

Afterburner_March2021.indd 11 18/02/2021 16:00:22 Diary

EVENTS www.aerosociety/events-calendar/

3 March Flight Crew Competence; Assessing what and how? Online RAeS webinar

4 March 65th R J Mitchell Lecture Dr Paolo Ferri, Former Head of Mission Operations Department, European Space Agency Solent Branch online Named lecture

4 March Trenchard Lecture: Pioneering Female Aviators in the Regular RAF Dr Kathleen Sherit Online Named lecture

4 March Skynet and beyond, the UK’s satellite communications system and Branch AGM Patrick Wood, Chief Technology Officer and Engineering An image taken by the Mars Director, Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group Express probe in 2018, 25 March Cambridge Branch online lecture showing an oblique view Aviation’s Future, known unknowns, black swans and their cygnets focusing on one of the 5 March fractures making up the Sir Brian Burridge, CEO, Royal Aeronautical Society 2021 How to Gain Professional Registration Cerberus Fossae system. Cambridge Branch online lecture Online RAeS webinar In 2006 Dr Paolo Ferri was made head of the newly 14 April 10 March created Solar and Planetary Small Modular Reactors AeroChallenge 2021 Mission Operations Division Matthew Blake, Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactors Chief Young Persons’ online event at ESA, in charge of ground Engineer Medals & Awards segment management, Online lecture 10 March mission operations Sir Freddie Page Lecture: Future Technology preparation and execution for 14 April Ian Muldowney, Engineering Director, BAE Systems – Air all ESA solar and planetary Lightning Cold War Warrior Preston Branch online Named lecture science missions. He will Captain Ian Hollingworth be delivering the 65th R J Preston Branch online lecture 15-16 March Mitchell Lecture for the Solent Branch on 4 March. Aviation Recovery Post-Covid-19, a pragmatic near-term 14 April perspective ESA/DLR/FU Berlin. 66th Sir George Cayley Lecture: Air Power, Technology and Online RAeS conference Maintaining the Competitive Edge David Short, Technology Director, Chief Technology Office, BAE Systems 16 March Brough Branch online Named lecture The most prestigious and Rolls-Royce ACCEL: The world speed record for electric powered aircraft Phill O’Dell, Rolls-Royce Pilot, and Matheu Parr, Project 20 April long-standing awards in Manager Advanced Air Mobility – A New Hope or New Hype? Online lecture Clive Lewis, Managing Partner, Achieving the Difference LLP Gloucester and Cheltenham Branch online lecture global aerospace honouring 16 March Landing Gear Systems 21 April achievements, innovation Mick White, Chief Engineer New Product Development, Lion Air Flight JT610/Boeing B737-8 MAX: A Loss of Control In Flight Accident Case Study Gloucester and Cheltenham Branch online lecture Dr Mike Bromfield and Captain Nils Jamieson and excellence. Coventry Branch online lecture 17 March Cranfield University – The Digital Aviation Research and 22 April Technology Centre Hypersonic Vehicle Development, Past, Present and Future Professor Graham Braithwaite, Cranfield University David Hayes, Principle Mechanical Engineer The Society’s Medals and Awards are open to everyone in the global aerospace Hatfield Branch online lecture Cambridge Branch online lecture community – from senior professionals to students and graduates. 23-24 March 27-28 April

Mitigating the climate impact of non-CO2 Mental Wellbeing and Human Performance: Moving beyond – Aviation’s low-hanging fruit Regulatory Compliance Do you know an individual or team that has made an outstanding contribution to Online RAeS conference Online RAeS conference aerospace and merit recognition? Nominate them today. The nomination form can be found on our website www.aerosociety.com/medalsandawards. The closing date For further information and booking: is 31 March 2021. www.aerosociety.com/events-calendar/

For further information call email [email protected] 54 AEROSPACE

Afterburner_March2021.indd 12 18/02/2021 16:00:22 HMA 2021 advert.indd 1 15/01/2021 11:22 2021 Medals & Awards

The most prestigious and long-standing awards in global aerospace honouring achievements, innovation and excellence.

The Society’s Medals and Awards are open to everyone in the global aerospace community – from senior professionals to students and graduates.

Do you know an individual or team that has made an outstanding contribution to aerospace and merit recognition? Nominate them today. The nomination form can be found on our website www.aerosociety.com/medalsandawards. The closing date is 31 March 2021.

For further information call email [email protected]

Afterburner_March2021.indd 13 18/02/2021 16:00:22 HMA 2021 advert.indd 1 15/01/2021 11:22 Elections

FELLOWS Kevin Connolly Andy Watson Matthew Dank Roy Watson WITH REGRET Richard Aboulafia Lalitya Dhavala Richard Whitehouse Allen Antrobus Andrew Eady Justin Witten The RAeS announces, with regret, the death of the Richard Baker Stephen Fenech On Lit Vincent Wong following members: David Bartlett Justine Forrest Ashley Wright Kenneth Frank Currey CEng MRAeS 100 Adam Bone Stephen Fox Reginald Royston Ferris CEng FRAeS 93 Ruxandra Botez Antonio Garcia ASSOCIATE Peter Bradbury Argyrios Georgiou MEMBERS John Antony Holt CEng FRAeS 82 Leslie Carey Netsanet Geressu Peter Johnston IEng AMRAeS 79 Clark Childers Katerina Giannini Sam Brass Paul Crawford Adrian Griffiths Syed Bukhari Ronald Sidney King CEng MRAeS 86 Darren Earl Adam Grindley Jake Kolliari Carl Edward Mann AMRAeS 83 Anthony Eccles David Gundry Vidyasagar Kotha Dr Robert William Pleming FRAeS 69 Michael Eldred Nicola Hammond Peter Leighton John Gadzinski Matthew Harrison Wajih Memon Christopher Gauci Adrian Hillcoat Patrick Metcalfe Nicholas Green Andrew Holt Jacob Morewood James Gregory Fadl Isa Casey Neale Jon Gregory Jordan Knapp Leon Plouviez E-ASSOCIATES Hannes Griebel Rebecca Langton Dale Smith Twechedynne Candido David Hansell Nicholas Leppard Ashley Westbrook Ajandan Cillian Carpenter Andreas Hardeman Jackson Cheuk Hang David Williams Ananthapuvirajah James Kanagwa Andrew Harris Leung Stephen Carter David Karr Toby Harris Larry Li ASSOCIATES Guillem Duarri Albacete Robert Kennedy Serhat Hosder Julian Liddiard Owen Hewit Andrew Lane Martin Keeping Cheuk Wai Lo Tobias Apletree Adam Hoehne Ronan O’Donoghue James Kenyon Chiranjeevi Madala Rehan Aziz Rania Khbais Timothy Robinson Rao Mannepalli Alexander Makonnen Finlay Britnell Craven Swapnil Kumar Paul Ryder Shaun Mayhew John Manegas Timothy King Fares Wali Emma Truswell Stephen Padgett Yi Mao Matthew Lazenby Edgar Woodhead Pascal Paper Matthew Marsh Isobel Linsell Wootton STUDENT AFFILIATES Steve Powell Neil Martin Jordan Lowrey Paul Reuter Philip McArdle Fadzai Mashungu AFFILIATES Zakary Dainty George Wesley Ryan III Margaret McCann Patrick Mullan Muhammed Ghansar Thomas Schmid Christopher McInnes Joan Queralto Torras Michael Attah Koji Kido James Slevin Kyle McMillan Matt Stanley Michael Baird Sudip Kundu Robert Stubbs Paul Millns Ian Sudlow Nishant Mishra Dean Taylor Arturo Molina-Cristobal New RAeS China Representative Office Ben Thornber Katharine Morten Brian Wardle Dorian Notman Helen Webber Alfonso Noutso Quentin Whiteree Matthew Owen Janet Wrightson Daniel Peat Jinglei Yang Nicholas Petty David Yu William Pickering Andrew Pound MEMBERS Aneel Quraishy Neil Richardson Suzannah Adams Michael Rowlands Ajith Ahamed Sayed Pearl Sau Nigel Allan Christopher Schenk Andrea Amodeo Nathan Schubert Stuart Anderson Karthick Dimitris Arzoglou Sengunthapuram RAeS President Jonathan Cooper recorded a video for the formal launch Marco Battaglia Kandasamy ceremony of the RAeS China Representative Office that took place on Matthew Beard Svend Sicker Wednesday,18 November 2020, in Shanghai. Guests included the HM Consul- Lawrence Ben Tarif Nicholas Sills General Shanghai, Chris Wood; Deputy Commissioner, Science and Technology Albert Beusmans Selvan Thamizhirai Christopher Borg Isabel Thompson Commission of Shanghai Municipality; Deputy Governor of Changning District, Barthet Andrew Tiffany Shanghai; representatives of several universities in Shanghai; and local Alexander Bucknell Espen Tjetland corporate representatives, including from Boeing, GE Aviation and Pratt & Shaojie Chen Edmond Tobin Whitney Canada. Sincere congratulations to all involved and we hope this will Diana Coniglio Alexander Wallace facilitate much greater collaboration and involvement across China for the Royal Karl Conlon Michael Warham Aeronautical Society.

56 AEROSPACE

Afterburner_March2021.indd 14 18/02/2021 16:00:23 Have you renewed your membership for 2021?

There is still time to renew your membership for 2021 and maintain access to your exclusive range of membership benefits. All unpaid memberships will lapse on 31 March 2021 and will be suspended where a payment for an individual subscription has not been received before this date. You can renew your membership by logging into your online account. Visit the link below and pay online using a debit or credit card. www.aerosociety.com/login

Payment can also be made via BACS transfer to the Society’s bank account, quoting your membership number. Bank details are as follows: Bank: HSBC plc BIC/Swift: HBUKGB4B Sort Code: 40-05-22 IBAN: GB89HBUK40052201564641 Account No: 01564641

If you would like to discuss your membership renewal please get in touch with our Subscriptions Team by calling +44 (0)20 7670 4304/4315 or by emailing [email protected]

Thank you for renewing your membership!

With your support, the Royal Aeronautical Society remains the world’s foremost professional institution dedicated to the entire aerospace and aviation industry.

Afterburner_March2021.indd 15 18/02/2021 16:00:24 The Last Word Commentary from Professor Keith Hayward FRAeS

Inward investment and strategic industries ccording to the 2020 The Dragon (and Brexit) lurks PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) survey of attractive aerospace and In the past, British governments have been relaxed investment targets, the UK has about seeing aerospace and defence companies slipped from fourth to seventh place. pass into foreign ownership. This has been driven in Unsurprisingly,A the US is top of the list across part by historical commitment to free markets and a range of seven variables. In European terms, the role of UK outward investment; curbs at home Germany and Holland are just below the UK might make it harder for our capital to find profitable but, significantly, France is 21st in the PwC list, homes abroad. The UK has also welcomed the flush which perhaps confirms a historical pattern from of money to revitalise companies, especially in ailing a country that once defined yoghurt as a strategic sectors, such as the automobile industry. However, good. The EU Commission has acted to reduce inward investment has also helped maintain vibrancy blanket domestic controls on intra-European trade in the defence and aerospace sector where the in defence and aerospace but old traditions and interests are hard to kill. size and openness of the UK defence market were attractive. Links into Europe through research and The American market is the lure large collaborative programmes were also positives. The whole arena of strategic industries and Interestingly enough, the size of the American market fears of foreign takeover and control has become is only one of the factors in PwC’s assessment, and even more heated with the rise of China as a global one, which I have always supposed to be the main economy and a rising military presence with rapidly attraction for investing in the US. This is despite modernising and innovative military technology. The the onerous controls and restrictions that the US huge song and dance over Huawei’s penetration of government insists on imposing on foreign-owned but the 5G sector in the UK and sensitive companies. I once had a Rolls-Royce CEO American moves to force sanctions on others could tell me how he had to give notice when visiting Allison. mark the start of another technological trade war. This was but one of the controls on US strategic assets. Being ranked in terms of attractiveness Stable doors are to be bolted therefore does not mean that doing business is easy, THE WHOLE nor buying effective stakes in a domestic industry, There are signs that the China issue may especially at the top end of the business. ARENA OF be leading to tighter UK controls on foreign The UK has held a strong place inside the US STRATEGIC takeovers in a wide range of strategic sectors. defence market, although some of the most prized New legislation will give ministers greater power INDUSTRIES elements, such as Smiths, have been ‘reacquired’ to block takeovers. This will complicate the AND FEARS by buying the UK parent. The UK’s place inside the post-Brexit environment when the UK wants to OF FOREIGN US defence market has been helped by a close working relationship on major projects, including show itself to be ‘open for business’. Problematic TAKEOVER AND nuclear weapons and cryptography and a reputation relations with China will not help to boost trade CONTROL HAS for security and political congruence. The UK has in the few manufacturing sectors where the BECOME EVEN also benefited from softening of the ITAR regime UK remains world-class. Accessing EU-funded MORE HEATED following the 2014 Defence Technology Trade research programmes is still uncertain and threats Agreement. BAE Systems is by far and away the here to cut off links will reduce our attractiveness WITH THE RISE most successful foreign investor in the US and the to inward investment – the same for increased OF CHINA tenth placed DoD supplier. overheads in UK-EU supply chains.

58 AEROSPACE THE AERONAUTICAL NOW FREE JOURNAL TO ALL RAeS Covering all aspects of aerospace MEMBERS!

Editor-in-Chief Professor Holger Babinsky FRAeS University of Cambridge, UK

Chair of the Editorial Board Professor Mike Graham FREng FRAeS Imperial College London, UK

Deputy Chair of the Editorial Board Professor Chris Atkin CEng FRAeS University of East Anglia, UK

We have exciting news for readers of The Aeronautical Journal. The Royal Aeronautical Society, in partnership with its co-publishers, Cambridge University Press, has taken the decision to make The Aeronautical Journal available, free of charge, to all members of The RAeS from January 2021. As part of these changes, the RAeS will no longer offer the journal in printed form. If you had subscribed to The Aeronautical Journal, you will not have had your subscription renewed, instead you are invited to view the Journal and its 124 year old back catalogue for free with the rest of the membership. Members now have free access to the Journal’s dedicated website via a link at: aerosociety.com/aerojournal If you have any questions, or require further support, contact: [email protected]

Get free access to RAeS 150th anniversary issue collection at: cambridge.org/aer/sc

WJD Aero Journal FP Advert 2_2021.indd 2 08/02/2021 16:11 Your parts have a destination We know the way

GLOBAL NETWORK OF SPECIALISTS IN AEROSPACE TRANSPORTATION

Do you have an urgent transportation challenge? We’re here for you 24 hours a day 365 days a year

Contact us now on 24/7/365 AOG Hotline: 00 8000 264 8326

www.aln.aero