Next-gen turbofans combine Advance3 program based on the Trent 1000-derived environmentally friendly engine (EFE) technology demonstrator efficiency with lower CO2 emissions BUSINESS AVIATION core. The goal is two- and three-shaft (Advance 2 and Advance 3) engines and by Kirby J. Harrison incorporating “lean-burn” combustion and technology from the advanced low- the The next-generation turbofan engine– by 2050 “emissions from aircraft could pressure system (ALPS) project. ENVIRONMENT more efficient, cleaner burning, quieter be responsible for 15 percent of total Among elements of the EFE tech- and weighing less–is arriving now on an global warming produced by human nology is active blade-tip clearance-con- airplane near you. activities.” Current data places avia- trol that increases efficiency by reducing It isn’t that engine manufacturers tion’s share of man-made greenhouse leakage around the blade tips, accord- haven’t been working toward building emissions at approximately 2 percent. The improved Trent 1000, branded the Trent 1000- ing to R-R strategic marketing v-p Rob- Ten, from Rolls-Royce will provide a modest but > Biofuel > Engines > Fractional vs airlines engines that burn less fuel, emit fewer The EPA points to a number of green- welcome one-percent increase in efficiency. ert Nuttall. > Aging fleet > Recycling effort greenhouse gases, weigh less and cre- house gases as primary offenders in Meanwhile, in July Rolls-Royce unveiled ate less noise. They have been doing just contributing to global warming: CO2, It should be noted there is not always the follow-on Trent 1000-Ten, which the that for more than 25 years, according methane, nitrous oxide (NOx) and flu- enough “real estate” in a small engine to company says leverages new technolo- to Pratt & Whitney Canada v-p of engi- orinated gases, of which CO2 and NOx scale down a new technology pioneered gies from the in-development XWB, an neering and productivity Walter Di Bar- make up the majority of jet engine emis- on a large engine. engine being developed for the Airbus tolomeo. He should know, because that’s sions. The EPA has designated CO2 as a A350 XWB. Rolls-Royce expects to see a about how long he has been working for dangerous pollutant. Rolls-Royce Pushing Beyond 2020 3-percent efficiency gain over the “pack- the engine manufacturer. Faced with such growing demand, At the Farnborough International age B” Trent 1000s now being delivered. Until the past decade, this effort was engine manufacturers are spending bil- airshow this summer, Rolls-Royce Saying the -Ten variant will “ensure the With the debate over Europe’s Technology proven driven primarily by the competitive lions on research and rapidly developing offered visitors a look into the coming lowest ‘real-life’ fuel burn for every model juices of market demand. More recently, new engines that will meet or exceed cur- decade with a composite fan blade, the of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner,” Rolls emissions trading scheme new regulations in the U.S. and abroad, rent and future emissions standards. For aforementioned Trent 1000 high-bypass adds that it will also provide “the lowest and fuel tested, along with pressure from public advo- the most part, explains Honeywell senior turbofan and a model of the Trent XWB net fuel cost and carbon emissions.” heating up faster than you can cacy groups, have spurred the industry to director of technical sales Mike Bevans, being developed for the Airbus ACJ350 A key element in the Rolls- why is biofuel still even greater efforts. most of the engine improvements have and A350 XWB. Rolls-Royce calls it “a Royce philosophy is its three-phase say “illegal carbon tax,” aviation In the U.S., the Environmental Pro- come as a result of new designs, such as the relentless pursuit of technology.” scarce for aviation? tection Agency (EPA) is adopting the company’s “rich, quench, lean” research Part of that pursuit includes the Continues on next page quietly continues the efficiency NOx (nitrogen oxide) emission stan- into a more advanced combustor. by Curt Epstein dards for aircraft turbine engines that The technology includes improved and emissions-reduction gains were approved by the United Nations’ fan, core and exhaust nozzle designs International Civil Aviation Organiza- and composite materials in engines NetJets Europe Is Greener than Airlines that have been under way for In the middle of July, as part of its tion (ICAO). Specifically, the EPA is from the 70,000-pound-thrust Rolls- with Carbon Neutrality for 2012 participation in Rimpac 2012, the world’s adopting two new tiers of more stringent Royce Trent 1000 on an executive decades. Engine manufacturers largest multinational naval training exer- emissions standards for NOx: the Tier variant of Boeing’s 787 to the FJ44- NetJets Europe is on track to achieve something this year that no European airline has yet cise, the U.S. Navy made a bold state- 6 (or CAEP/6) standards and the Tier 8 3AP that will produce 3,052 pounds managed: 100-percent carbon neutrality for its flying. The fractional ownership group expects to are turning their ingenuity to ment on the future potential of biofuels. (CAEP/8) standards. of thrust for the Nextant 400XT. have covered all its carbon emissions for this year either by offsetting them through approved With the exception of its nuclear-pow- At the same time, research contin- Some manufacturers produce programs or by buying sufficient carbon credits. building lighter engines that ered vessels, the other ships and aircraft ues into the European Commission’s engines primarily for larger busi- In 2007, NetJets launched its Real Difference program as an ambitious incremental in its “Great Green Fleet” demonstration seven-year, $29.82 billion Clean Sky ness and private jets, but they also get more out of every drop of campaign to reduce the carbon footprint of private aviation that attacked the problem from group were powered by biofuel blends. research program. The aim is develop- have models appropriate to the mar- multiple angles. As of late July, it had offset more than 62,000 flights amounting to 687,343 fuel and emit less greenhouse During the course of the exercise, Navy ment of technologies to meet the goals ket for smaller private and business metric tons of carbon. aircraft burned 100,000 gallons of hydro- the European aviation industry has set jets. Initially, new technology appears The most public aspect of Real Difference was the introduction of mandatory carbon processed renewable jet fuel derived from for itself: a 50-percent reduction in car- on larger engines meant for a much gas. If biofuel developers meet offsetting charges for NetJets Europe customers, even though this was optional for NetJets algae and animal fats blended with con- bon dioxide (CO ) emissions with the larger and more lucrative market in 2 clients in North America. According to NetJets Europe chairman and CEO Eric Connor, expectations, fossil fuel could ventional jet fuel in a 50-50 mix, while year 2000 as the baseline. Clean Sky 2 the airline industry. the non-nuclear ships consumed 700,000 has as its goal a 75-percent reduction One example is Rolls-Royce, with ­almost without exception, customers accepted the case for offset charges, which are itemized clearly on monthly bills. In fact, with the start of Europe’s cap-and-trade emissions go the way of the dinosaur, gallons of biofuel blend. The fuel order by 2050. a 45-percent share of the propulsion last year from producers Solazyme and U.S. government data shows the market for the Boeing 787, a program trading scheme (ETS) this past January, NetJets Europe has made offsetting voluntary to but nobody wants to be the Dynamic Fuels represented the U.S. gov- RESEARCH SERVICE ISBELL/USDA/AGRICULTURAL TERRY U.S. aviation industry has cut green- that offers the customer a choice take account of the extra carbon credit costs to which clients will be exposed. ernment’s single largest biofuel purchase house emissions by 13 percent since of engines. As of March this year, But NetJets has also been challenging its employees to be part of the carbon-neutral solution. While many of the feedstocks currently under In late 2008, the company established a “Fuel Team” through which a group of its pilots have trailblazer who risks stumbling in history. study can be used on a rotational basis, such 2000. But environmental watchdog twenty-six of the 787 customers had The demonstration was a success as as pennycress (above), there are other options. groups such as The Intergovernmen- not made an engine choice, prompt- focused on ways to drive down jet-A consumption. This has resulted in the following initiatives: . . and falling hard. Aviation’s green the equipment performed as safely and Lanzatech plans to convert carbon monoxide into tal Panel on Climate Change have only ing Rolls-Royce to expect orders for • A fuel handbook to promote awareness of fuel efficiency. effectively as if it were run on conven- ethanol at one of its factories, left. The result is increased their clamor, asserting that roughly another 300 Trent 1000s. • Great accuracy in calculating fuel needs for pre-flight APU use and taxiing, initiative extends to figuring tional fuels, but some congressional lead- the same...green energy to power aircraft, such as a recent Azul flight. as well as for the cruise phase of flight. ers lambasted the exercise as a waste of • Changing alternate flight plan profiles to more accurately reflect real-time operations. out what to do with aircraft money based on the price paid for the well as security-of-supply issues,” said

www.ainonline.com • Standardization to 30 minutes for how much “standard allocated extra fuel” www.ainonline.com fuel, which has not yet achieved large- Richard Altman, executive director of the to carry beyond the legal minimum requirement. at the end of their life, and for scale production. Some media reported Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuel Ini- • Ground recurrent training on a fuel awareness simulator has now been completed a price tag of more than $26 a gallon, tiative (CAAFI), an initiative sponsored by business aviation this task is and a total fuel outlay of approximately ire in the civil aviation community, a U.S. the FAA, along with trade organizations for 80 percent of flight crew. $12 million. Yet with the military’s nearly senate committee had voted just a month such as the Aerospace Industries Associa- • Reducing cruise speed for positioning flights. suddenly significant: in the next unslakable thirst making it the world’s earlier to prohibit the U.S. military from tion, Airlines for America and the Airports Over the past two years, this work has cut fuel consumption by an average of 4 percent and emissions by approximately 2 percent. This approach is set to continue, with smaller average 10 years, more business aircraft largest consumer of oil, the event seemed buying biofuels that cost more per gallon Council International-North America. In to underscore the U.S. government’s than hydrocarbon-derived jet fuel and to the face of increasing carbon emissions reg- incremental reductions anticipated for this year and next. will be chopped than were commitment to spurring commercial prohibit it from participating in biofuel ulations such as the embattled European Further fuel-burn reductions are expected to result from the approval NetJets has received development of biofuels to reduce its research and infrastructure development. emissions trading scheme (ETS), biofuels to operate extended-range operations under commercial rules. This applies for twin-engine decommissioned in the first dependence on foreign fuels. “Absolutely While the development of “home promise lower carbon dioxide emissions aircraft and will allow more direct routes that do not put the aircraft more than 180 minutes from an it was worthwhile to show that biofuels grown” alternative fuel supplies is one of than conventional fossil fuels, and the feed- airport, instead of the previous 120 minutes. 50 years of business aviation. can compete and can be used in every the driving forces behind the U.S. govern- stocks are renewable. To underscore this Waste management initiatives, such as the introduction of recyclable catering boxes, have single thing that we do in the Navy,” said ment’s interest, other factors take a front potential, in March, Airbus, Boeing and also contributed to a smaller carbon footprint for NetJets. These are made from sustainable Navy secretary Ray Mabus. seat for the airline industry. “Basically what Embraer signed an agreement to work CFM is using a new 3-D woven composites process for its aero-acoustic geometry fan blades, fan case bamboo with reusable porcelain inserts. –C.A. In stark contrast to this “green” we’re looking for is a biofuel that addresses and several other parts of its Leap engine. achievement, and provoking widespread environment concerns and economics as Continues on page 24 © 2012 AIN Publications. All Rights Reserved. For Reprints go to © 2012 AIN Publications. All Rights Reserved. For Reprints go to

20 Aviation International News • September 2012 • www.ainonline.com www.ainonline.com • September 2012 • Aviation International News 21 and BUSINESS AVIATION the ENVIRONMENT

available on Bombardier’s Challenger P&WC expects to further reduce emis- 300 and Honeywell claims that retrofit- sions, and eventually customers will be ting Saber to that airplane will cut its able to operate all its engines on either emissions by 25 percent. conventional jet fuel or biofuel. Gulfstream’s new G280, powered P&WC is also “investing significant Efficient next-gen turbofans by the HTF7250G. It is the second air- resources into reducing the amount of reduce greenhouse gases craft after the Challenger 300 to meet or noise produced by its engines and has a exceed requirements for more power and goal of reducing cumulative noise levels Continued from preceding page lower emissions using the HTF7250G. of its next-generation engines by 10 dB GE Aviation expects to have the Passport 20 Vision program. Vision 5 describes running on the ground next spring. Embraer selected the HTF7500E for over the next decade.” available off-the-shelf technologies that its new Legacy 500 and Legacy 450, and P&WC has also begun wind tun- could be incorporated into new prod- within the same fan outer diameter. preliminary tests demonstrate better fuel nel tests on the next-generation geared ucts or used to update existing engines. GE expects the engine to offer “at efficiency and lower emissions with the turbofan that will allow a 50-percent- Developments at the validation stage least eight percent improved specific new combustor. It also weighs less than higher bypass ratio. The first-genera- and due to be commercially available in fuel consumption compared to current earlier versions of the engine. tion geared turbofan has a 12:1 bypass the medium term (up to 10 years ahead) engines in the field.” Plans are to cer- ratio but the next is expected to be are dubbed Vision 10, while technolo- tify the Passport 20 to CAEP/8 envi- Silvercrest Is Over Here! somewhere between 15:1 and 18:1. The gies at the emerging (or unimproved) ronmental standards. As for noise, GE After a long development period, geared turbofan architecture allows the strategic research stage are aimed at believes it will meet ICAO Stage 4 limits. Snecma’s first business jet engine, the fan to spin more slowly, reducing the future generations up to two decades In addition, the one-piece flow structure Silvercrest, has found a home with noise footprint. hence classed as Vision 20. will further reduce vibration and result Cessna on the Wichita OEM’s Longi- The Rolls-Royce and Gulfstream in lower noise levels on the ground and tude super-midsize jet. The deal assures Leap X Challenges PurePower relationship is one of the longest in the inside the cabin. Cessna of a turbofan that will burn 14 The CFM line of engines is the prod- industry, dating back 54 years to the Also part of GE’s future is its part- percent less fuel, emit 50 percent less uct of a 50-50 collaboration between Gulfstream I and its Dart turboprop. nership with Honda Aircraft, branded NOx than the CAEP/6 standard, and cut GE and French engine-maker Snecma, Now, Gulfstream’s new G650 will be as GE Honda Aero Engines. The inte- the noise footprint by half “compared to and the company claims “there are delivered with twin BR725 engines each grated technologies have produced the existing engines in the 10,000- to 12,000- more CFM56 engines in service than producing 16,100 pounds of thrust. HF120 turbofan that will initially power pound class,” according to Snecma. any other commercial turbofan in the While producing 4.6-percent more take- the HondaJet. Flight testing of the engine will world.” Building on that legacy, the next off thrust than the BR710 from which it begin in next year’s first half, using a generation is the Leap series, already is derived, the engine generates 20 per- Gulfstream II testbed. Certification is selected by Airbus, Boeing and Comac cent lower NOx emissions, is 33 percent expected in 2015, well before the Longi- to power their respective new single-aisle quieter than and is 16 dB below Stage 4 tude’s 2017 expected entry into service. airliners, from which the Airbus Corpo- noise limits, according to Rolls-Royce.. The cold section of the Silvercrest rate Jet (ACJ) and the Boeing Business consists of a 42.5-inch fan, a four-stage Jet lines are derived. GE Engines ‘Cleanest, Quietest’ booster and a five-stage compressor, fol- CFM claims Leap is 10- to 12 percent GE Engines is a major competitor for lowed by a single-stage, high-pressure tur- more fuel efficient than the CFM56- the Trent 1000 in the Dreamliner market bine featuring single-crystal blades and a 7BE, 50 percent below the NOx emis- with its GEnx, an engine that GE claims four-stage low-pressure turbine. The high- sions limit set by CAEP/6, and 75 percent is the “cleanest, quietest, most passen- and low-pressure spools are contra-rotat- quieter for the aircraft’s noise footprint. ger-friendly engine ever produced.” ing “for better fuel efficiency.” CFM is already fielding orders for the The company claims a 15-percent Gulfstream’s new G280 is powered by Honeywell’s Snecma, part of Safran, describes Leap-1B variant. improvement in specific fuel consump- HTF7250G, which the engine manufacturer claims the Silvercrest as a “true on-condition tion over comparably sized engines, with will meet or exceed requirements for more power engine,” with no fixed overhaul inter- When Claire Means Clean and lower emissions. emissions “95 percent below current reg- val and no requirement for hot-section MTU Aero Engines in Germany ulatory standards.” In fact, the company It features an uncooled, single- inspection. recently announced as part of its first-half claims its twin-annular pre-swirl (Taps) stage high-pressure turbine, the lat- 2012 earnings that “new engines were the combustor will reduce NOx gases by as est blisk technologies, a low-emissions Seeing the Value of Biofuel and major revenue driver.” Among those new much as 56 percent below today’s regu- combustor and high-flow, wide-chord Engine Technology engines mentioned was the V2500 for the latory limits. fan blades. According to GE Aviation, Pratt & Whitney Canada is also Airbus ACJ320 and the BBJ. Its claim of “quietest” is based on the the engine is expected to offer reduced looking forward to the growing use of Claire (clean air engine) is MTU’s ratio of perceived decibels to pounds of fuel burn and a high thrust-to-weight biofuels and taking their use into con- “technology roadmap for the eco-effi- thrust for engines for medium-size, long- ratio. Lightweight at just 368 pounds, sideration as it develops the PW800, cient engines” and the company is look- range airliners. it will exceed Stage 4 noise require- a turbofan that had been intended for ing forward to a fuel-burn reduction of Thanks to a new scalloped engine ments but nevertheless provide 2,095 Cessna’s cancelled Citation Colum- 15 percent for its geared turbofan by . exhaust nozzle fairing, advanced engine pounds of thrust. bus large-cabin business jet. P&WC 2015, a 20-percent drop by 2025 and acoustic linings and new fans with larger, now envisions the PurePower PW800 as 30-percent reduction by 2035. The tech- slower-turning blades, GE claims the Biofuels and New Technology “part of a family of engines for the next nology is being developed in partnership 787 registers 85dB in the airport envi- Honeywell is hard at work on the generation of business jets.” with Pratt & Whitney.

ronment, a level that Boeing says repre- latest variants of its HTF7000 engine “Pratt & Whitney Canada [also] is MTU claims that any further increase www.ainonline.com sents a noise footprint 60 percent smaller series, including the HTF7500E and moving forward with its research into in propulsion efficiency of an engine than that of comparable airliners. HTF7250G. Incorporated in the newer alternative fuels, with the goal of mak- requires a higher bypass ratio, and the At this point, GE Engines and variants is Honeywell’s new “green ing all of its engines biofuel compatible, next step toward this is the second-genera- Rolls-Royce are preparing a future col- combustor” technology. According to including the PW800,” said a spokesman. tion geared turbofan MTU is developing. laboration on new technology for the Bevans, it is called the singular annu- The company continues to develop Crisp, or “counter-rotating, inte- ACJ320neo from Airbus and a BBJ vari- lar combustor for emissions reduction, its Talon low-emissions combustor tech- grated, shrouded propfan,” is one of the ant of Boeing’s 737 Max. GE has been or Saber for short, and is designed to nology and points to its energy efficiency alternatives being investigated. In this quiet on the subject, and Rolls too is reduce carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and low environmental impact as “a step derivative of the geared turbofan, two declining to comment. and other unburned hydrocarbon change.” For the PW800, the combustor contra-rotating fan rotors are arranged More focused on the business avi- emissions, while at the same time low- technology means a 50-percent reduc- one behind the other on coaxial shafts, ation market is GE Aviation’s new GE ering operating costs. tion in NOx emissions and a 35-per- allowing a boost in propulsive effi- Passport 20, a 16,500-pound-thrust tur- Saber, said Bevans, cuts emissions to cent reduction in CO2, both of which ciency with the fan diameter remaining bofan destined for Bombardier’s Global 25 percent below current requirements, put the engine well below ICAO lim- unchanged. This permits bypass ratios 7000 and Global 8000. A key feature and the combustor is retrofittable dur- its. Combined with its GARDN (Green as high as 20 to 25. is the 52-inch fan bladed disk (blisk), ing schedule maintenance intervals to Aviation Research & Development Net- Stage three of the Claire program is which eliminates leaks, reduces wear engines already in service. work) biofuels program with Bombar- and vibration and allows greater airflow The HTF7000 is the sole engine dier and the Canadian government, Continues on page 24 © 2012 AIN Publications. All Rights Reserved. For Reprints go to

22 Aviation International News • September 2012 • www.ainonline.com and BUSINESS AVIATION the ENVIRONMENT

a major fuel provider and was banking on licensing its technology to producers after Efficient next-gen turbofans proving its ability. Yet more than a year reduce greenhouse gases after the fuel was certified for use, UOP Continued from page 22 has not yet signed a single licensing deal. Aviation biofuels “This time last year I would have said the recuperated propfan engine, a long- Continued from page 20 we’d have [a deal] in the next six months,” term program. Elements include a high- said Jim Rekoske, vice president and gen- speed/low-pressure turbine with an together to promote the development of eral manager of UOP’s renewable energy intercooler between the compressors drop-in affordable biofuels. “The produc- and chemicals business unit. “All of the and a recuperator in the exhaust gas tion and use of sustainable quantities of people that I was talking to then, we’re stream. “Intercooling and recuperat- aviation biofuels is key to meeting our indus- still talking to and more.” ing energy from the exhaust gas stream try’s ambitious CO2 reduction targets,” said Rekoske sees several interconnected markedly increase the engine’s thermal then Airbus CEO Thomas Enders. hurdles that must be scaled before com- efficiency,” maintains MTU. In July last year the biofuel industry panies begin to seek technology licensing achieved certification of a new fuel pro- agreements and large-scale production Point of Diminishing Returns? cess when ASTM International approved of aviation biofuels becomes a reality. Williams International’s FJ44-3AP the use of a drop-in blend of jet fuel and One of the most prominent concerns is is now certified by the FAA and EASA. up to 50 percent of hydroprocessed esters the feedstock for biofuels. “Airlines are Compared with the FJ44-3, the -3AP and fatty acids (HEFA) that are identical among the pickiest customers when it has 8 percent more takeoff thrust and to the hydrocarbons found in jet fuel. The comes to sustainability of the feedstock 13 percent more cruise thrust, while process, also referred to as hydrotreated and there’s good reason for that,” he told weight was reduced 3 percent and cruise (or hydroprocessed) renewable jet fuel LanzaTech uses a microbe to convert carbon AIN. “They are going to take the brunt specific fuel consumption improved by monoxide into ethanol. (HRJ) or bio-derived synthetic paraffinic of any customer flak from environmental 1.5 percent. kerosene (Bio-SPK), uses naturally occur- Falcon 20 is being flown on a HEFA- groups if the feedstock that they choose Every jet engine manufacturer has ring oils from sources such as non-food process fuel blend produced by Hon- to source is not sustainable.” active programs to reduce fuel burn and crop seeds, algaes and even used cooking eywell’s UOP subsidiary. The fuel is Organizations such as the Sustainable oils and animal fats. derived from Brassica carinata, a type Aviation Fuel Users Group (SAFUG) The ASTM approval followed a nearly of hardy nonfood mustard plant that have created a list of criteria for optimal three-year certification program that produces an oil-rich seed. The NRC is feedstocks: minimal impact on biodiver- included demonstration flights by airlines flying with an even biofuel/conventional sity; sustainability with respect to land, testing the new fuel blend. More than 30 fuel ratio as well as with a nonstan- water and energy use; no displacement of carriers have now used the product, many dard 60/40 mix and sampling the biofuel or competition with food crops; positive on revenue-generating flights. Earlier this exhaust plume in flight using a specially socioeconomic impact; and no special fuel year, Lufthansa concluded a six-month outfitted T-33 chase airplane. Prelimi- handling equipment, distribution systems trial titled “burnFair” (Future Aircraft nary results of the tests have shown that or changes to engine design. The wish Research), partially funded by the Ger- “particulate emissions, including aero- list is there, but as yet there is no inter- man government’s Ministry of Economics sols of black carbon, sulphates and by- national consensus on what feedstocks products of the combustion of aromatic are considered sustainable. The inherent The GE/Snecma partnership’s Leap 1A and 1C are destined for the Airbus ACJ320 and the Chinese compounds, are significantly lower from international nature of aviation makes Comac C919. biofuels than from jet-A1.” international agreement crucial. There’s Engine maker Pratt & Whitney Can- been a big push to agree on a definition greenhouse emissions, as well as engine ada is partnering with Bombardier on of sustainability, Rekoske said. “No one noise and weight, some of them stretch- an alternative-fuel initiative designed to can really say with certainty what a sus- ing well into the next two decades. help reduce the aviation industry’s over- tainable feedstock is, and that’s created a Bevans of Honeywell notes that all environmental footprint. The first bio- bit of paralysis in the decision making.” the basic workings of a jet engine are fuel-powered (camelina blend) revenue Generally most of the current feed- relatively simple, based on the time- flight in Canada was flown in April on stocks under investigation are so-called honored explanation that “they suck, a Porter Airlines Q400 turboprop. The “energy crops” (such as jatropha and squeeze, bang and blow.” Even with project partners–including Green Avia- camelina) that thrive in areas unsuitable the most advanced jet engine, some- tion Research and Development Network for food-crop production or can be used thing is going to be burned in the Gevo, the company that provided ATJ for an Air Force (GARDN) and Sustainable Development as an interim or rotational crop on cur- middle, which means gas will come demonstration, commissioned a facility that can convert 10,000 gallons of isobutanol feedstock into Technology Canada (SDTC)–intend to rent farmland (pennycress, carinata and out the back. As Bevans puts it, you demonstrate the use of camelina oilseed sweet sorghum). Other feedstock options can run the engine cooler and get one

approximately 8,000 gallons of bio-jet fuel. . as a renewable jet fuel. include grasses, algae, municipal solid type of emission, or run it hotter and and Technology. The carrier earmarked waste or even sewage sludge. get another. But you are always going one of its new Airbus A321s to explore the Obstacles To Overcome to get something. use of biofuels in passenger service. The HEFA was the second of the alternative Money Makes the World Go Round Bevans believes the aviation industry aircraft, which made nearly 1,200 short aviation fuel processes to receive the ASTM Another weighty factor in the devel- is approaching asymptote, a mathemat- flights on the Hamburg-Frankfurt route, nod. In 2009 the organization, the govern- opment of large-scale production is ical term he uses to describe the peak www.ainonline.com operated with one of its engines powered ing body that signs off on the specifications cash. Estimates of how much financing of a curve, or a point of diminishing solely by a 50-50 biofuel blend. to which fuels must conform, approved the will be required to mass-produce alter- returns. “I don’t want to discredit the As a finale, Lufthansa flew one of its use of a 50/50 blend of jet fuel and syn- native aviation fuels vary by the billions work being done by some brilliant peo- 747-400s from Frankfurt to Washington, thetic paraffinic kerosene created using of dollars, but for Rekoske the hardest ple, but we’re reaching that point. D.C., in January, using 40 tonnes of a bio- the Fischer-Tropsch process, from gasified money for small companies to acquire is “That’s why we’re looking at bio- fuel blend. “Our burnFair project went coal, natural gas and/or biomass. the approximately $10 million needed to fuels, because that’s where the next off smoothly and to our fullest satisfac- Despite the buzz surrounding the establish an initial business plan. Known big gains are going to come,” he tion,” said Joachim Buse, the airline’s v-p approval of the HEFA process last year, in industry parlance as “walking-around explains. “There isn’t much in terms of aviation biofuel. “As expected, biofuel the aviation biofuels market still simmers money,” it covers many of the costs of combustor design, for exam- proved its worth in daily flight operations.” only slowly. Honeywell’s UOP subsid- required to convince potential inves- ple, that remains to be improved. So During the trial, the aircraft burned 1,556 iary was a driving force in the develop- tors of the company’s feasibility such as future gains in fuel burn and emis- tonnes of the blend, reducing CO2 emis- ment, testing and certification of the engineering studies, site planning, logis- sions reduction are not much more sions by more than 1,400 tonnes. HEFA production process and it supplied tics and distribution studies and con- than two to five percent, but we could In another test program currently much of the biofuel used in demonstra- struction bids. “It’s the hardest money realize a 20- to 30-percent reduction being conducted by Canada’s National tion flights by the airlines and the mili- through a combination of advanced Research Council (NRC) a Dassault tary. The company never intended to be Continues on page 26 biofuels and improved ATC.” o © 2012 AIN Publications. All Rights Reserved. For Reprints go to

24 Aviation International News • September 2012 • www.ainonline.com and Special Report continues on page 28 BUSINESS AVIATION the ENVIRONMENT

LanzaTech. “A couple of these technol- into the alcohol. As a co-product, it To achieve that would require approx- ogies need to get past the demonstration retains the protein content of the corn imately 5 percent of the fuel the indus- phase so that people would be willing to and distributes that as a livestock feed. try uses in 2020 to be derived from bio start building commercial units. Building The company is also exploring the use sources, Altman told AIN. Given today’s Aviation biofuels the first one is the hard one.” of cellulosic sugars derived from wood total industry fuel use of approximately Continued from page 24 “I suspect there are a lot of people out waste and energy grasses as it examines 70 billion gallons annually, that would there who are waiting to be first to be sec- potential geographically distributed require a supply of 3.5 billion gallons of to get these days because after the most ond,” said UOP’s Rekoske, who is antici- feedstock sources. a 50-50 biofuel blend to achieve CAAFI’s recent financial crisis, everybody ran pating the first commercial license for his Another company has an even more 2020 goals with a similar fuel use. away from risk,” said Rekoske. “That company’s production technology. “They esoteric idea for a feedstock. LanzaTech Aviation fuels currently account for money is the riskiest because you’ve got don’t want to be the trailblazer, but they has developed a microbe that can turn the approximately one percent of the total to spend that first $10 million to know if want to be right behind the trailblazer. toxic pollutant carbon monoxide (CO) worldwide production of finished bio- you even have a project.” That means we just have to find that one into ethanol. The company has estab- fuel, which stands at approximately 28 To assist biofuel startups, the Depart- trailblazing individual who wants to be lished a joint venture with Bao Steel to billion gallons a year. Biofuels Digest ment of Defense has issued a series of the first mover, and we’ll go from there.” produce a demonstration facility at its predicts six billion gallons more capac- grants through the Defense Production mill in Shanghai. “Steel mills and other ity will be added by 2017. Achieving Act, on the order of $4 million to $6 Waiting In the Wings industrial sites create quite a bit of car- CAAFI’s goal would certainly be tech- million to help companies put together Despite the slow start for production bon monoxide, but they usually flare it nically possible, according to Lane. “If credible project proposals that they can of alternative aviation fuel, other pro- and it goes right out the stack as CO2. We price were not an issue, 90 percent of all take to lenders as they attempt to secure cesses currently under development are capture that and convert it to ethanol,” aviation fuel [based on the ATJ specifica- said LanzaTech’s Holmgren. tion being approved] used worldwide by The facility, which began operation in 2015 could be in the form of a 50-50 fos- April, is anticipated to produce 100,000 sil-biofuel blend,” he said. gallons of ethanol feedstock a year. “It’s In fact, Lane noted, today’s entire just a drop in the bucket,” Holmgren told global biofuel capacity (28 billion gal- AIN, but once the demonstration unit has lons) could be upgraded using currently proved the technology, LanzaTech will available technologies to produce jet fuels build commercial-scale plants in Shang- that are either currently or soon to be hai and Beijing each capable of producing certified, if the price was right. “It really 30 million gallons of ethanol a year. The comes down to price,” said Lane. “These company hopes to use one of the locations are not capacity or technology issues; solely to synthesize up to 15 million gal- these are market issues.” lons of jet fuel a year. Virgin Atlantic plans The end-user per-gallon price fac- to use that fuel to make a demonstration tors heavily into the equation, and air- U.S. NAVY/SEAMAN CHRIS BROWN U.S. NAVY/SEAMAN flight using one of its Boeing 747s. line users are understandably reluctant to “Based on what we understand today, pay more than the current price of con- recent surveys show that if we could con- ventional jet fuel. Aviation biofuels are Above, a fuel distribution system operator vert all the waste gases coming off steel but one of the end products that can be secures a fueling hose during a biofuels mills worldwide, using current technology made from the intermediate products of transfer to the Military Sealift Command fleet we could make 30 billion gallons of alco- the various processes. The chemicals also replenishment oiler USNS Henry J. Kaiser. hol and approximately 15 billion gallons have other uses, many of which are con- The oiler took on 900,000 gallons of a 50-50 of jet fuel,” said Biofuels Digest’s Lane. sidered high value, and the basic laws of blend of advanced biofuels before delivering the upload to machinery participating in the “That’s just to illustrate that these sources supply and demand would dictate that Great Green Fleet demonstration, to fuel can produce a tremendous amount of those applications would have to be sat- aircraft such as the Hornet. fuel without the traditional perception urated with product before producers that you have to take land from people would make their intermediate supplies project financing. The grants must be awaiting their shot at spurring a growth in growing their vital food crops.” available for lower-margin products such matched by private investment. volume. Alcohol-to-jet (ATJ) does exactly Pyrolysis-to-jet is another process cur- as aviation fuel. As examples, Gevo pro- Many of the would-be players in the what its name implies, converting alcohol rently being explored. It breaks down vides its isobutanol for use in solvents and industry remain constrained by the lack into jet fuel. At the end of June, the U.S. biomass under extreme heat to pro- paints, while Solazyme, which provided of venture capital in an investor mar- Air Force flew an A-10C Thunderbolt II duce a low-quality oil that can be fur- feedstock for fuel in the recent U.S. Navy ket wary of deeper European debt woes on the first flight of an aircraft powered ther upgraded for processing into jet fuel. test, makes an algae-based skin cream and a lackluster U.S. economy. “Early- with an ATJ blend. The fuel, supplied by “Both of those hold significant promise, from byproducts of the same process. stage companies and new technologies Colorado-based Gevo, was derived from so there’s a hope that pyrolysis oil and Feedstock production costs will also are a tough sell right now, so that’s a fac- cornstarch and was part of an 11,000-gal- alcohol-to-jet will come in at sufficiently determine whether the price of biofuel is tor,” said Jim Lane, editor and publisher lon test order placed by the Department lower [cost] levels and really build up our palatable for users. “There’s energy inten- of industry observer Biofuels Digest. “As of Defense. Last December Gevo com- supply potential,” said CAAFI’s Altman. sity in the aggregation or growing of investor confidence returns to the mar- missioned a demonstration-scale facility In June Brazil’s Azul Airlines con- [crops such as] switchgrass,” said Lane. ket and investors start to take on more in Silsbee, Texas, that can convert 10,000 ducted a test flight of a fuel derived from “You need tractors planting seed and fer- risk, these are excellent projects lined up gallons of isobutanol feedstock into a process known as direct sugar-to-hydro- tilizing, and when oil prices swing up and for them; but it remains to be seen when approximately 8,000 gallons of bio-jet carbon (DSHC) or fermentation. Using down, as they do so violently these days, that’s going to happen.” fuel each month. The company has also a biofuel blend produced by California- that creates a lot of uncertainty.” Despite the financing logjams, there recently completed the world’s first com- based Amyris from Brazilian sugar cane, While some airlines have already have been many offtake agreements from mercial-scale isobutanol plant in Luverne, the airline flew an Embraer E195 over signed supply contracts or offtake airlines (including several from consortia Minn. That facility is undergoing testing Rio de Janeiro, which at the time was agreements guaranteeing the purchase of carriers) that could reassure lenders. The and the company is working on another hosting the U.N. Conference for Sustain- of a certain quantity of fuel, to help consortium contracts are especially valu- in Redfield, S.D. Both facilities were con- able Development (Rio+20). The process ease that uncertainty, some carriers able as they guarantee that a sizable group verted from corn ethanol plants. uses microorganisms that can directly have taken the first tentative steps into will purchase a specified amount of fuel. The track record from previous metabolize sugars into hydrocarbon fuels providing their own biofuels capac- Many in the industry believe that once processes suggests ASTM certifica- that can be used as jet fuel with little or no ity. British Airways has partnered with a solid company commits to using the tion for AJT by 2014, and by that time additional chemical processing. Solena on GreenSky London, a project technology to establish a successful biofuel Gevo expects to have scaled up to pro- According to CAAFI’s Altman, “The that uses the Fischer-Tropsch process production plant, the floodgates will open. duce more than 18 million gallons per real goal of the airline industry–and it’s to convert municipal solid waste into “I really think what the industry needs is year at Luverne and 38 million gal- universally accepted–is to achieve carbon up to 30 million gallons of renewable for a couple of these technologies to go lons per year at Redfield. The com- neutrality in terms of growth by 2020 jet fuel a year at a plant in London, through the Valley of Death,” said Jen- pany uses a strain of yeast to convert and then halve the fuel carbon footprint and Qantas and SAS are reportedly nifer Holmgren, CEO of Chicago-based starch from animal feed-grade corn by 2050. I think that is a realistic goal.” investigating similar deals. o

26 Aviation International News • September 2012 • www.ainonline.com and BUSINESS AVIATION the ENVIRONMENT

Growing fleet of aging bizjets sits idle by Matt Thurber

What one expert calls an “overhang of unsold aircraft” is afflicting the business jet ecosystem. “These old business jets are not going to sell,” says Rollie Vincent, president of Rolland Vincent Associates. “Take a Hawker 700 with mega hours… There appears to be no market for it and it’s time to say goodbye.” This overhang, he adds, “is like a freight train coming.” The glut of old jets is a problem for many reasons, according to Vincent. At Dodson International’s 120 acres in some point these jets have zero trade-in Rantoul, Kan., stores approximately 1,000 value. As jets age, the supply chain that airplane carcasses and five million parts. formed to manufacture all the parts, avi- onics and complex components is gone. Another factor is the jets’ engines: “If This Gulfstream GII (S/N 10) 783 the engines are getting close to overhaul, is virtually worthless and it 684 Retired Aircraft you’re looking at very little value,” says is headed for the scrap heap, by Year Delivered Vincent. “I’ve seen Falcon 20s with no unless a school or museum engines. Those aircraft will never fly again, could use it. and at some point they get scrapped.” It used to be that third-world coun- tries welcomed old business jets, but that 248 is no longer the case. Many countries now limit the age of imported used jets.

And, says Vincent, “emerging markets JetNet Source: 42 40 bring in new aircraft; they’ve been able to 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s One aircraft was retired in 1957 (not shown). afford it.” Financing is elusive for buyers *International aircraft accounted for 20 of the total. of older jets. “Most bankers won’t touch them anymore,” says Vincent. It’s also Westwind Other*** getting harder to find maintainers who Gulfstream 54 37 know how to troubleshoot and repair old 100 jets and who have the necessary equip- ment and parts. Vincent expects to see about 2,200 business jets taken out of ser- vice in the next 10 years. Sabreliner Bombardier* 178 514 Never Selling MATT THURBER MATT Retired JetNet pulled some statistics on older Jetstar business jets from its database for AIN. the aviation industry will see about 2,200 GII and GIII, so the types may yet have 164 aircraft by (See pie chart at right.) Some models, business jets retiring from the fleet, some life left. Conversely, GIVs selling make . Jet Cessna

stubbornly remaining unsold, are headed which is 400 more than the number that for around $5 million could swiftly kill Commander Citation

for the scrap heap. Lear 24s, for example, retired during the first five decades of off the GII/III market. t 135

e 190

N

t

e Hawker

J

have no pulse, languishing on the mar- business jet manufacturing. Two thou- Would it make sense for manufac- :

e Dassault c

r

u Beechcraft**

o ket for an average of 2,605 average days– sand two hundred is a lot of jets to dis- turers simply to buy old jets and recycle S Falcon

240

more than seven years. pose of, especially when compressed into them? Vincent doesn’t expect this to hap- 206 www.ainonline.com According to JetNet, 1,818 business a period of 10 years rather than 50. pen: “They have other fish to fry, includ- jets have been retired from service since ing active research and development * Includes Challenger, Global and Learjet Where Do They Go? **Includes Beechjet, Hawker and Premier 1957. (These numbers include some air- plans and new product development. ***Includes Adam, Astra, Eclipse, Embraer and Emivest craft that were likely registered with the The high number of soon-to-be- They’re going to wait for somebody else FAA as preproduction prototypes, such retired and already-retired jets poses a to do it.” airport and fuel pricing informa- as three Adam A700s–an airplane was challenge for manufacturers of new jets. As for what owners should do with tion and a proprietary system for air- never certified.) A Gulfstream III, for example, could jets that no longer have any value, Vin- craft brokers called BrokerNet. From Logically enough, the majority of be gold-plated with new avionics, paint, cent advises, “People need to know what his perspective, many older jets linger retired jets hail from earlier eras (see bar interior and a digital-age entertainment they’re looking at. They’re looking at on the market because the owner can’t chart at right). Many aircraft delivered system, for less than the cost of a used nothing. Just write it off.” afford to sell at today’s lower prices and in the 1960s have been retired, as well as GIV and far less than the cost of a new because there simply isn’t any demand. 1970s-delivered jets. Retirements of jets Gulfstream. The GIII is a perfectly good Broker Action He sees Citation IIs, Falcon 10s and delivered in the 1980s taper down, and airplane, other than the fact that it faces Jeff Carrithers used to be an air- Westwinds as examples of types that aircraft delivered in the 1990s have seen a Stage III noise ban beginning Dec. 31, craft broker, but in 1995 the brand- are dying in the marketplace. “A lot few retirements, according to JetNet. 2015. Two Stage III noise-reduction kits– new World Wide Web beckoned and of the problem for these owners is that The bottom line is that in the next 10 from Hubbard Aviation and Quiet Tech- he launched Globalair.com, an air- years, if Vincent’s prediction is correct, nology Aerospace–are available for the craft sales listing service that includes Continues on page 32 © 2012 AIN Publications. All Rights Reserved. For Reprints go to

28 Aviation International News • September 2012 • www.ainonline.com and BUSINESS AVIATION the ENVIRONMENT

Airframers consider end-of-life details as early as design phase

by Thierry Dubois

Like many other creations of man, a business aircraft makes its mark on the heavy metals such as chromium, cad- Gulfstream’s sustainability office is devising a process to eliminate more “materials of concern” in environment not only when it is func- mium and lead used in surface treatment manufacturing its aircraft, including the flagship G650. tioning (in this case, flying), but also and soldering. Some of these materials before and after its useful life. Manufac- were selected long ago to enhance the turing and dismantling/disposal have an properties of structural components and impact too, necessitating that companies they are indirectly essential to safety, a choose the right materials and processes spokesman pointed out. Under its own for each stage in the aircraft’s life cycle. initiative, Embraer has been studying Manufacturers are striving to address the alternatives and expects some solutions sometimes conflicting criteria of design to be ready for certification shortly. strength, performance, longevity and Gulfstream, Bombardier and Embraer recyclability. Their factories must become seem to agree that Europe’s Reach regu- greener, and the graveyards that dispose lation is the strictest and most influential of retired aircraft are tasked with recy- framework for the mandatory reduction cling more of their structure. of toxins in manufacturing. When it comes to the manufactur- Dassault is endeavoring to waste fewer ing phase, Gulfstream tries to do “more composite materials during Falcon man- than simply pick a particular material ufacturing, and it says offcuts in compos- for the application.” It looks at “materi- ite manufacturing now represent only 5 als of concern” (MOCs) but also factors to 15 percent of the fibers it buys. In the A composite winglet is being removed from its mould at Dassault’s Biarritz, France facility. Dassault is participating in a research project in energy consumption and its “lean Six- case of metal machining, approximately aimed at recycling carbon fibers from cured composite offcuts.

Sigma continuous improvement culture,” 90 percent of the metal becomes turnings. RANDÉ DASSAULT/S. according to a spokesman. Until last year, unused dry compos- The company aims to keep the broad ite fabrics (before curing) were just sent promote the development of “volun- For example, Gulfstream’s MOC pro- picture, or life-cycle analysis, in sight. “A to a landfill and pre-preg fibers were tary consensus standards” to address all gram aims to eliminate during the design component that has half the manufactur- burned. Both processes used energy. environmental concerns, such as chem- phases those components that inhibit or ing impact is not a good choice if it has Now, all these dry offcuts find a second ical use reporting. For Bombardier, the interfere with recycling processes. Those to be replaced four times as often,” the life: Dassault sells them to a company idea is to “standardize the response of MOCs that must remain can, at least, be spokesperson pointed out. that transforms them into fabric used in the supply chain.” identified and isolated to avoid contami- MOCs can be found in coating or car component manufacturing. nating end-of-life processes. painting processes. For example, the com- Offcuts left over from manufactur- End-of-Life Concerns Embraer is a member of the Aircraft pany is looking for ways to eliminate the ing after curing are not currently recy- Fast-forward to the aircraft’s end of Fleet Recycling Association (Afra), a use of hexavalent chromium, among oth- cled. However, “They will be recovered life. How much of a business aircraft is partnership of “OEMs, aircraft disas- ers. Gulfstream’s “sustainability office” as soon as resin-free carbon fibers can recyclable today? The answer is elusive, semblers and parts distributors, aircraft is now formalizing an MOC process for be extracted economically,” a Dassault with no official statistics or definition, insurers and appraisers, materials recy- both mandatory and voluntary efforts, expert explained. Dassault hopes to see according to Embraer. This is especially clers and technology developers.” They and expects to have it in place this summer. this fiber recovery process mature from true for aircraft manufactured at least 20 seek “an industry-developed solution to To improve energy consumption, research to production, and since 2007 years ago that are now nearing the end manage the world’s aging aircraft fleet.” Gulfstream wants to address employee it has been participating in a $3 million of their life. Afra suggests that manufacturers use behavior and factory infrastructure. “The project named Aerdeco (a French acro- “For in-production aircraft, some materials that are in demand for recycling

sustainability office has an annual bud- nym for aeronautical composite waste) aerospace companies have estimated and blend fewer different types of mate- . get to foster improvements,” the spokes- with universities and companies special- that about 90 percent of the aircraft rial. Here, however, there can be conflict person said. Employees partly own izing in composites. The players think could be recycled, but the difficulties between the quest for economical reuse the effort through their “green teams.” they might well have found the right pro- found in recycling operations already and the need for specific component A new painting process, for example, cess to recover carbon fibers. It involves carried out led our company to revise attributes such as strength, lightness,

promises to reduce consumption of dissolving resin in water at high tempera- that number to about 70 percent,” durability, resistance to temperature www.ainonline.com both energy and water. Gulfstream has ture (about 400 degrees C, 750 degrees F) Embraer said. The other 30 percent are extremes and so on. Embraer emphasizes taken it upon itself to use its “Lean Six- and high pressure (about 200 bar). The materials with “no commercially viable that labor costs pose a challenge to the Sigma” approach to adopt new defini- process is now at the small-scale demon- solution.” Bombardier agrees with the economic viability of the recycling pro- tions of “green wastes,” and employees strator stage, but Dassault and its part- 70-percent assessment. cess. Aircraft disassembly requires skilled are involved in adding them to the com- ners expect a production facility will be Gulfstream asserts that 75 to 85 per- labor and is a time-consuming process. pany definitions of “lean waste.” built in France at some unspecified time. cent, by weight, of its current production Despite the obstacles, many different Embraer does not see aircraft pro- Bombardier is concerned about the aircraft can be recycled into some other materials are being recycled already, even duction as having a heavy environmental inconsistency of environmental regula- aircraft component. The remaining mate- from the cabin, according to Gulfstream. impact. “The consumption of water and tions around the world that seek to ensure rials are foams, plastics and commingled For example, cabinets, made mostly energy in this phase of the lifecycle is rel- greener manufacturing. With that in materials that are difficult to separate, of aluminum honeycomb, can be fed atively discrete,” an Embraer spokesman mind, the Quebec-based manufacturer has difficult to recycle or have no market directly into a smelter. Carpets are recy- said, and waste materials have “a suitable helped establish the International Aero- demand. Finally, some retired aircraft clable: natural fibers such as silk or wool environmental destination that priori- space Environmental Group (IAEG), a find a second life on the ground as a train- can have second lives as jute, rags or feed- tizes reuse and recycle.” consortium of aerospace manufacturers, ing device for maintenance or fire safety. stock for paper mills; synthetics such as The Brazilian OEM’s environmen- to help the industry’s supply chain under- Progress made today in design and nylon and polyester are sought after by tal impact research focuses on reducing stand these complex and variable rules. manufacturing should bear fruit in the the use of hazardous materials, typically From there, the IAEG wants to dismantling process 25 years from now. Continues on page 32 © 2012 AIN Publications. All Rights Reserved. For Reprints go to

30 Aviation International News • September 2012 • www.ainonline.com and BUSINESS AVIATION the ENVIRONMENT

currently storing 50 EMB-135s, forty 727s, airplanes carefully, not with a chainsaw 20 MD-80s, eight DC-8s and 20 CRJ200s. but rivet by rivet when necessary, to pre- Some of these airplanes are headed for serve as many good components as pos- recycling, while others will fly again, and sible. “We’re stocking all those parts with Kingman Airline Services can handle traceability data all the way back to birth.” Fleet of aging either destiny. Airplanes that will fly again One factor that accelerates the deci- bizjets sits idle are kept on life support–the required stor- sion for owners to give up on their older age maintenance processes outlined by jets is the cost of upcoming heavy main- Continued from page 28 manufacturers. For airplanes that will tenance events. This includes older they bought aircraft in the 2007-2008 never again charge down a runway, some Gulfstreams that are due for a 72-month heyday, and we’ll never see that kind of parts are still worth salvaging, especially THURBER MATT inspection and a 5,000-landing event. Norm Hill Aviation specializes in dismantling old activity ever again. With the economic the engines. The remaining airframe is Gulfstream GIIs and GIIIs and reselling usable “That’s $500,000 to $600,000,” according conditions today, operators will just then dismantled by another company, parts and components. to Hill. Add to that the cost of overhaul- park the aircraft.” which hauls away the metal for recycling. ing the Rolls-Royce Spey engines, and Norm Hill Aviation at Califor- banning non-hushkitted GIIs and GIIIs that’s another $400,000 for the midlife Parked Airplanes nia City Airport in the Mojave Desert from flying in the U.S., Hill expects to see service and $800,000 for overhaul, for Most of the airports in the Southwest opened in 2008, and since then founder as many as 85 older Gulfstreams parted each engine. “This perfect storm is there U.S. that store unneeded and obsolete Norm Hill’s company has parted out out in the next few years. But there are and people are falling into it,” he said. airplanes are repositories for airliners. At 21 Gulfstreams. He thinks there is still also plenty of airframes with relatively Hill currently has eight GIIs and two Kingman Airport in Arizona, Kingman plenty of life left in old Gulfstream air- low hours and cycles that can keep flying, GIIIs in California and one GIII being Airline Services has just one business jet, a frames and thus a steady demand for if hushkitted. “What I’m doing is going dismantled in Opa-Locka, Fla. Hill says GII that will soon be dismantled, accord- parts that he can supply. to be good for quite a while,” says Hill, his company is providing a service to the ing to a spokesman. The company is With the upcoming Stage III deadline adding that his technicians dismantle the used airplane community, because, he says, an owner can get more from selling a decent jet to Hill than from dumping End-of-life considerations This may change, however. Alumi- it on the used market. And if Hill can num product developer Constellium is Recycling at the extract more value by selling good parts, begin at design stage endeavoring to increase the percentage Maintenance Stage he says he shares that with the seller. Continued from page 30 of recycled metal in its aerospace-grade Maintenance operations are part of an Companies like Dodson International production. “Last year, 77 percent of aircraft’s life cycle and therefore appear in Aircraft Parts have long specialized in what carpet mills to use as feedstock. the aluminum alloys we produced for its environmental big picture. East Alton, CEO JR Dodson calls “demanufacturing” Since the under-development Learjet aerospace applications came from recy- of obsolete aircraft. “The last three years Ill.-based repair and modification special- 85 makes extensive use of composite cling,” Bruno Chenal, Constellium’s we’ve been buying a lot of older business ist West Star Aviation is thus endeavor- materials, Bombardier has conducted director of technology and innovation, jets,” he said. Most of these are jets com- ing to recycle, just as other players do at a feasibility study for composites recy- said recently. This figure is targeted to ing up on major maintenance events or cling. So far, it does not envision using reach 80 percent by 2015. the production and dismantling phases. overhauls and some are bank reposses- any recycled composites in primary From an environmental standpoint, Among the company’s initiatives is recy- sions that can’t be sold. “There’s more structure because it says recycled fibers, said Chenal, “recycling one pound of cling all metals on site. All paint thinners supply than demand right now.” Dod- are recycled in on-site distiller towers. often shorter than the original ones, aluminum avoids 11.4 pounds of CO2 son International also carefully removes are not long enough for the required emissions.” Measured in energy con- West Star Aviation recently applied to ad- valuable parts, and the leftover carcass is strength. However, they could still be sumption, recycling one pound of alu- vance from bronze to silver rating in the either stored at the company’s 120 acres in useful in secondary structure such as a minum uses just 5 percent of the energy Environmental Leadership Program. –T.D. Rantoul, Kan., or sent to the smelter for bracket for an interior panel. needed to produce one pound of “new” recycling. The company has parted out Dassault is more optimistic. The metal. This is where the frequently con- ­most of the turnings stay at the alumi- more than 3,000 aircraft since opening in aforementioned research and devel- flicting logics of environmental concern num production facility. 1980. There are currently about 1,000 gut- opment to recover carbon fibers from and economics take up the same head- Factory logistics are the main imped- ted airframes at the facility, which parts cured composites will apply, too, at end ing. Energy accounts for one third of iment to more recycling, but another out about 100 aircraft every year, ranging of life, and Dassault suggested it expects the cost of producing new aluminum. limiting factor is the possible presence from turbine helicopters to business tur- that recovered fibers could be reused in To gather aluminum for recycling of lubricant in the offcuts, which pres- boprops and jets to Boeing 747s. aircraft primary structure. more efficiently, Constellium involves ents a risk of oxides in the recycled To help improve end-of-life aircraft customers in most of its efforts. They metal if the offcuts are not dried effec- Serial Number 10 dismantling, Bombardier has joined are encouraged to include every machin- tively. Some aircraft manufacturers, And then there are the hopeless cases, a project led by Quebec’s aerospace ing process in a “closed loop” that Con- such as Dassault at its factory in Seclin, such as a GII and Hawker 700 parked research and innovation consortium stellium can comb for offcuts. France, are implementing “dry” (lubri- on the Western Jet ramp at Van Nuys (CRIAQ). The company has given the In addition, more and more compo- cant free) machining processes. Airport in Southern California. The . project an old CRJ200 as a test platform nents are pre-machined at the alumi- Constellium’s latest technology has buyer of the GII thought he was get- for dismantling. The $1.4 million effort num supplier’s facilities, ensuring that been dubbed Airware. It is a collection ting a great deal when he purchased the was launched in November last year. of patented recipes for alloys, produc- airplane–S/N 10, one of the last GIIs The partners also believe that this work tion techniques and recycling processes. built at the Grumman facilities in Long

will allow them to create greener designs Even the turnings recycling methods Island, N.Y. He bought the airplane in www.ainonline.com and improve on today’s recyclability are proprietary. Panama, and the seller promised to send rate. The economics of recycling in the One key to the success of Airware’s the logbooks, but they never arrived. CRIAQ project are all the more impor- recycling is its recently acquired abil- Western Jet founder Jim Hansen finally tant as the cost of discarding materi- ity to preserve lithium–a highly reactive told the owner that to bring the GII up als in a landfill continues to climb. The metal that used to be lost in the recy- to safe and legal standards would take companies and universities involved in cling process. A recycled Airware alloy about $5 million, because all compo- the project want to make sure they will can be reused in an airframe, according nents would need overhauling, given find ways to reuse materials, perhaps to Constellium. Airware’s first applica- the lack of documentation. “I’ll have to in non-aerospace products such as cars tions are airliners, but Constellium reg- chop it up,” Hansen said sadly. “It’s not and razor blades. ular customer Dassault might be close worth the parts.” Asked about recycling aluminum, to following suit. A Hawker 700 parked next to the GII the Bombardier expert points out that Constellium also claims that its Air- is also in a sorry state. The owner, perhaps melting and cooling degrades the met- ware technology provides a weight unknowingly, let the jet sit at another al’s qualities, making recycling high- A machined wing component of a Falcon 7X. advantage of up to 25 percent, thanks maintenance facility for more than two grade aluminum alloys into aerospace At its Seclin, France factory, Dassault has begun to the combination of the alloy’s years without covers on the engines or using lubricant-free “dry” processes, thus applications an unlikely proposition making it easier to recycle aluminum turnings. reduced density and the new design application of any preservation processes.

for Bombardier. RANDÉ FALCON/S. DASSAULT possibilities it offers. o “There is no value,” Hansen said. o © 2012 AIN Publications. All Rights Reserved. For Reprints go to

32 Aviation International News • September 2012 • www.ainonline.com