AE August 2019 ROSPACE PARIS AIR SHOW NEWS BOEING T-X – BREAKING THE MOULD? AI AND LEGAL LIABILITY www.aerosociety.com A ugust 2019 SWOOPS TO CONQUER V olume 46 Number 8 AIRBUS UK IMAGINES THE FUTURE OF AIRLINERS WITH ITS HYBRID BIRD OF PREY Royal A eronautical Society EXPERT FORUM MODERATOR: DR. RAFAEL RAMIREZ, DIRECTOR, OXFORD SCENARIOS PROGRAM On 14-15 November 2019, the world’s aviation industry leaders will gather at the London home of the Royal Aeronautical Society for a forum on the global megatrends and their importance to our industry. WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND? The objective of the forum is to develop a plausible investigation of these potentially disruptive trends and to co-create a shared vision of the future. Senior Aviation Executives with a strategic perspective will want their voices to be heard in this important dialogue. 14 –15 NOVEMBER 2019 NO.4 HAMILTON PLACE, LONDON Registration Non-member £1450.00 + VAT RAeS Corporate Partner or Member £1200.00 + VAT www.aerosociety.com/megatrends Please contact [email protected] to register your interest to attend the forum UK Govt Volume 46 Number 8 Airbus Inspiration nation Plane speaking August 2019 Airbus reveals the An interview with revolutionary Bird of the UK’s new 14 Prey hybrid-electric Minister of Aviation. passenger aircraft 36 Baroness Vere of concept designed in Norbiton. the UK. Contents Correspondence on all aerospace matters is welcome at: The Editor, AEROSPACE, No.4 Hamilton Place, London W1J 7BQ, UK [email protected] Comment Regulars 4 Radome 12 Transmission The latest aviation and Your letters, emails, tweets aeronautical intelligence, and feedback. analysis and comment. 62 The Last Word The green challenge for aviation 10 Antenna Keith Hayward looks at Howard Wheeldon reviews the development of the The past half century or so has been a triumph for the democratisation of nations currently seeking to European guided weapon upgrade their air forces with sector. air travel – opening up foreign countries and experiences and stimulating the latest generation jets. trade and tourism. Yet, there is an underlying sense that, at least in the Western hemisphere, the tide may be beginning to turn against unrestricted growth in air travel – much of it connected to the growing sense of Features environmental crisis. But what might have been dismissed in previous decades as just ‘typical students’ or the ‘usual green protesters’ now seems to be gathering momentum in other parts of society. The ‘flight- 20 28 shaming’ eco-movement is spreading from Sweden’s middle classes to other countries – encouraging people to take other forms of transport or not travel at all. Another aspect, perhaps underappreciated, is that, while Boeing electric cars, e-bikes, recharging stations and zero-emission vehicles have proliferated in cities – aviation’s reliance on kerosene has become more Breaking the mould? and more visible. This is despite the fact that aviation has developed more Is Boeing’s new T-X military Paris electrifies trainer revolutionary or A report on the sales fuel-efficient and quieter aeroplanes which are a far cry from the polluting, evolutionary? announcements, aerospace noisy aircraft of 50 years ago. Indeed, aviation has been long aware of news, latest aircraft and new technology on display at the these challenges and is already signed up to tough sustainable aviation 2019 Paris Air Show. targets such as ACARE 2050. Yet there is a sense that this message is not getting through and that incremental improvements are too slow for today’s 24 environmentally conscious consumers. It is no longer business as usual. 40 Radical ideas, such as Airbus UK’s Bird of Prey (see p 14) – which could offer up to a staggering 50% cut in fuel burn – are thus likely to be the RAeS/NAL only way in which aviation can square passengers’ growing concern for the environment with guilt-free freedom to travel by air. Tim Robinson, Editor-in-Chief The birth of air travel When the first international It’s the Robot’s Fault! passenger flight took off from [email protected] How the rise of artificial London to Paris August 1919, intelligence may affect there was still debate over liability and risk in the whether the future of flight lay NEWS IN BRIEF aerospace sector. with aircraft or airships. Editor-in-Chief Editorial Office Printed by Buxton Press Limited, Tim Robinson Royal Aeronautical Society Palace Road, Buxton, Derbyshire +44 (0)20 7670 4353 No.4 Hamilton Place SK17 6AE, UK [email protected] London W1J 7BQ, UK Distributed by Royal Mail 45 Afterburner +44 (0)20 7670 4300 Deputy Editor [email protected] 2019 AEROSPACE subscription Bill Read www.aerosociety.com rates: Non-members, £170 46 Message from our President +44 (0)20 7670 4351 Please send your order to: [email protected] AEROSPACE is published by the Royal 47 Message from our Chief Executive Aeronautical Society (RAeS). Wayne J Davis, RAeS, No.4 Hamilton Production Manager Place, London W1J 7BQ, UK. Chief Executive 48 Book Reviews Wayne J Davis +44 (0)20 7670 4354 +44 (0)20 7670 4354 Sir Brian Burridge CBE FRAeS [email protected] 51 Library Additions [email protected] Advertising Any member not requiring a print Obituaries +44 (0)20 7670 4346 52 Online Publications Co-ordinator version of this magazine, please [email protected] Chris Male contact: [email protected] 54 HSA1011 project Additional features and content are +44 (0)20 7670 4352 Unless specifically attributed, no USA: Periodical postage paid at 55 Women and aviation available to view online on [email protected] material in AEROSPACE shall be taken Champlain New York and additional in Pakistan www.aerosociety.com/aerospaceinsight to represent the opinion of the RAeS. offices. Publications Executive 56 Diary Including: Annabel Hallam Reproduction of material used in this Postmaster: Send address changes Walking on the Moon again, Getting the balance +44 (0)20 7670 4361 publication is not permitted without the to IMS of New York, PO Box 1518, 57 Sir Michael Marshall right, Shapeshifting supersonic airliner, Apollo 11 [email protected] written consent of the Editor-in-Chief. Champlain NY 12919-1518, USA. Lecture competition on the big screen, RAeS flies the flag for diversity, 58 Blue Streak and other In the July issue of AEROSPACE, Flight to Book Review Editor ISSN 2052-451X Brian Riddle launch vehicles aftermarket profits, Five blogs on [email protected] 60 Elections news from the 2019 Paris Air Show. Front cover: Airbus’ Bird of Prey hybrid-electric airline concept. (Airbus) @aerosociety i Find us on LinkedIn f Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com AUGUST 2019 13 Radome INTELLIGENCE / ANALYSIS / COMMENT Safety fast As well as the F1-style carbon monocoque chassis to provide crash protection for the pilot, the Airspeeder Mk4 also features advanced safety features, including an augmented reality (AR) display for the pilot and LIDAR-based anti-collision sensors. Prop power The Airspeeder Mk4 is powered by eight 50Kw electric motors which drive eight 60in two- bladed propellers. Battery swaps The Airspeeder Mk4 features 500Kw swappable battery packs, which provide enough charge for 15mins of flying time. The creators envisage races of 30mins with a ‘pitstop’ to swap batteries. W 4 AEROSPACE / AUGUST 2019 August 2019 news pages.indd 2 06/08/2019 09:07 Race days The Airspeeder Grand Prix, set to begin in 2020, will see five teams of ten pilots racing four metres above the ground at motorsport circuits and global landmarks. Airspeeder Mk4 specifications Pilot 1 Top speed 200km/h Weight 250kg Racing altitude 4m W GENERAL AVIATION Flying car air racing Launched at the UK's Goodwood Festival of Speed in July was Airspeeder − an aerial racing championship for piloted electric quadcopters, able to fly up to 200km/h and with a greater power to weight ratio than a F1 car or jet fighter. The new air sport for ‘flying car’ eVTOLs is the creation of Australian start-up Alauda Racing, which has already been testing an unpiloted three quarter scale version of the Airspeeder. The Airspeeder Mk4 (pictured above) is planned to fly in the Airspeeder Grand Prix series, set to begin in 2020. Flight testing of the piloted version is set to begin in Mojave later this year. Airspeeder @aerosociety i Find us on LinkedIn f Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com AUGUST 2019 5 August 2019 news pages.indd 3 06/08/2019 09:07 Radome GENERAL AVIATION AIR TRANSPORT Gulfstream G600 BA fined £183m in data breach receives certification On 28 June the US control sidesticks. The Federal Aviation Pratt & Whitney Canada Administration (FAA) PW800-powered aircraft awarded both type racked up some and production G 3,200hr of u lf s certificates to t airborne flight r e a Gulfstream's m testing and newest 100,000hr of Airbus product, the ground based British Airways has been hit with a record £183m fine after criminal hackers managed to G600 business simulation, breach its IT systems and steal 500,000 customers’ personal data that was revealed in jet. Launched in says Gulfstream. September 2018. The fine, imposed by the UK Information Commissioners Office (ICO), 2014, the 6,500nm First deliveries to is the largest to be handed out and the first to be publicly announced under new rules range G600 features the customers are expected following the introduction of GDPR. The fine, 1.5% of BA’s 2017 turnover, is still less touchscreen Symmetry to commence later this than the 4% maximum punishment that could be imposed. BA has 28 days to appeal the Flight Deck and active year. fine. DEFENCE AEROSPACE As AEROSPACE goes to press, Sweden and the UK have signed a memorandum of China to develop understanding to strengthen and deepen co-operation on future combat air systems.