AE January 2021 ROSPACE

DEFENCE SPACE

ONLINE COLLABORATION ’S HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT

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V olume 48 Number 1

Royal A DEFYING GRAVITY EVTOL SECTOR CONTINUES TO SOAR ABOVE CHALLENGES eronautical Society 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

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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 currently subscribe to The Aeronautical Journal, you will not have 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. From 1 January 2021, members will 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]

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EDITORIAL Contents The long haul to recovery? Regulars 4 Radome 12 Transmission Many people will be glad to have seen the back of 2020 and the worldwide The latest aviation and Your letters, emails, tweets aeronautical intelligence, and social media feedback. roll-out of vaccines for Covid-19 offers a glimpse of light at the end of analysis and comment. the tunnel for many. The road to recovery is likely to be a lengthy one. In 58 The Last Word December, the organisers of the Paris Air Show, set to be held in June, took 11 Pushing the Envelope Keith Hayward considers the the regrettable, but wise decision to cancel the 54th Le Bourget exhibition – Rob Coppinger analyses an technological benefits and Aeronautical Journal paper the potential value to the UK the first time it had been cancelled since WW2. The cancellation also raises on the fuel-saving potential economy of Project Tempest. questions for physical trade events that are scheduled to take place in the of morphing aerofoils. first half of 2021. However, the Covid crisis, as terrible as it seems now, may only temporarily pause the upward growth and expansion of civil air travel. Features

Already airlines and travel agents are looking forward to pent-up demand A2CAL driving a surge in holiday bookings as the vaccine gradually rolls out and 31 countries come out of lockdown. Even then, companies may find that the new 14 FIA Connect digital way of working (see Virtual Collaboration p 31) reshapes their business models leading to more at home and blended working. What will that mean for airlines and their business travellers on whom they traditionally rely? Yet all Travelling light Virtual collaboration – the the above, at least for the UK, may pale in comparison to the effects of Brexit, good the bad and the ugly which will ripple down the decades, reshaping Britain’s international trade A report on the RAeS Light Aircraft Design conference. The advantages and and global standing. As this is written, the UK is hurtling towards what was disadvantages of the move to once thought by some to be a million-to-one freak result – a no-deal Brexit. online collaboration, learning 18 A tryst with destiny and training.

Already the results of being caught between the trade behemoths of the EU Vanda D’Alonzo India prepares for human and the US are becoming visible – with the UK breaking ranks with spaceflight missions. partners and deciding to waive tariffs on US goods in the Airbus/Boeing WTO Reaction Engines subsidies spat. For its part, Airbus is reported to be ‘furious’ with the unilateral move and threatens future of its investment in civil aerospace in the UK. Will this be a foretaste of between a rock and a hard place decisions? 34 22 Call the air ambulance Tim Robinson FRAeS, Editor-in-Chief ICAO’s international project to create the Ambular eVTOL [email protected] flying ambulance. NASA Correspondence on all aerospace matters is welcome at: [email protected] Ad Astra Editor-in-Chief Editorial Office 2021 AEROSPACE subscription The UK’s ambition to become Tim Robinson, FRAeS Royal Aeronautical Society rates: Non-members, £190 38 a global space power. +44 (0)20 7670 4353 No.4 Hamilton Place Please send your order to: [email protected] London W1J 7BQ, UK Wayne J Davis, RAeS, No.4 Hamilton +44 (0)20 7670 4300 Deputy Editor Place, London W1J 7BQ, UK. [email protected] Bill Read, FRAeS +44 (0)20 7670 4354 26 Waiting for the eVTOL Simulating the urban air +44 (0)20 7670 4351 www.aerosociety.com [email protected] taxi rank mobility future [email protected] AEROSPACE is published by the Royal Any member not requiring a print David Learmount reports from There should be rich pickings Aeronautical Society (RAeS). version of this magazine should Production Manager the RAeS Urban Air Mobility for modelling and simulation contact: [email protected] Wayne J Davis Chief Executive Conference, held online in professionals in helping to +44 (0)20 7670 4354 Sir Brian Burridge CBE FRAeS USA: Periodical postage paid at November unlock urban air mobility. [email protected] Advertising Champlain New York and additional +44 (0)20 7670 4346 offices. Publications Executive [email protected] Chris Male, MRAeS Postmaster: Send address changes to IMS of New York, PO Box 1518, Afterburner +44 (0)20 7670 4352 Unless specifically attributed, no Champlain NY 12919-1518, USA. [email protected] material in AEROSPACE shall be taken 44 Message from our President Production Executive to represent the opinion of the RAeS. ISSN 2052-451X 45 Message from our Chief Executive Annabel Hallam Reproduction of material used in this 46 Book Reviews +44 (0)20 7670 4361 publication is not permitted without the [email protected] written consent of the Editor-in-Chief. 50 New Member Spotlight Book Review Editors Printed by Buxton Press Limited, 51 Obituary/Diary Tony Pilmer and Katrina Sudell Palace Road, Buxton, Derbyshire [email protected] SK17 6AE, UK 52 ISTAT Distributed by Royal Mail 56 RAeS Medals and Awards

Front cover: The six-seater Y65 Plus eVTOL from Autonomous Flight (Autonomous Flight) 56 Elections

Additional content is available to view online at: aerosociety.com/aerospaceinsight Read AEROSPACE magazine and the insight blog Including: Sustainable aviation fuel for the UK, In the December issue of AEROSPACE, UK sets on your smartphone, tablet or digital devices with the eyes on defending space, New Members Spotlight, Making the case for business aviation, AEROSPACE app Online Ground collision highlights evacuation safety, Future intelligent cabin systems. APP available on iTunes and Google Play

@aerosociety i Find us on LinkedIn f Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com JANUARY 2021 13 Blueprint

INTELLIGENCE / ANALYSIS / COMMENT

Specifications Passengers 6 Safety first Range 80mn Top Speed 125mph The Y6S Plus is set to be equipped with ballistic recovery parachute(s). The composite fuselage will also be equipped with a crashworthy cell to protect passengers.

Y-wing The Y configuration of six motors driving three pairs of rotors saves weight and reduces complexity, yet only has a miminal effect on redundancy. Autonomous Flight Autonomous

4 AEROSPACE GENERAL AVIATION EXCLUSIVE: Y6S Plus unveiled UK urban air mobility start-up Autonomous Flight has revealed a new, highly modified version of its Y6S eVTOL – the Y6S Plus. The Y6S Plus retains the Y-configuration of three pairs of rotors of the previous design but ditches the ducted fans of the forward pair. It is also larger and sized for six people, rather than two. The company is still in the investment phase and is tight-lipped about further details and project timescales, but has exclusively shared these renders (including the front cover) of the Y6S Plus with AEROSPACE.

Single pilot The Y6SPlus willl be operated by a sin- gle pilot to begin with, before being de- veloped into a fully-autonomous version to allow six passengers to be carried.

Multi-role eVTOL The Y6S Plus is being designed from the outset to be adaptable through its structure to other roles, apart from point-to-point air taxi services, such as a cargo drone and air ambulance.

JANUARY 2021 5 Radome COVID-19

AEROSPACE AIR TRANSPORT 54th Paris Air Show cancelled UK relaxes passenger Paris Air Show quarantine rules UK Transport Minister Meanwhile, UK airports Grant Shapps MP has are set to receive a cash announced a relaxation boost of up to £8m in rules for international per airport from the passengers arriving in Government in order the UK, with the 14-day to protect jobs during quarantine time cut to the Covid-19 crisis. On five days. The shortened 5 December, the UK self-isolation time, which also lifted the 14-day The organisers of the 2021 Paris Air Show, SIAE (Salon International de came into effect on 15 quarantine time for ‘elite l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace), has announced that the 54th edition of the Paris Air December, is dependent business travellers’ – Show has been cancelled. In an announcement made on 7 December, SIAE said on passing a negative which includes top sports that, as a result of the uncertainty linked to the Covid-19 health crisis, the show, due Covid-19 test at the end people, performing artists to be held on 21-27 June 2021, would now return in June 2023. of the five-day period. and journalists.

AEROSPACE AIR TRANSPORT Aviation industry to lose Qantas: Covid-19 vaccination will $118bn in total be mandatory for passengers The International Air that upwards to $100bn Transport Association for 2020 and 2021 (IATA) has said that later in June. Passenger the aviation industry numbers for 2020 are will suffer a net loss of expected to total 1.8bn $118.5bn in 2020 and for the year, compared to an additional $38.7bn in 4.5bn in 2019. IATA said 2021 due to effects of the roll-out of a vaccine the Covid-19 pandemic in the second half of on air travel. In February 2021 is expected to be Qantas 2020 IATA had predicted a ‘turning point’ for the Australian flag carrier Qantas says it will insist on proof of Covid-19 vaccinations from that the industry would air transport sector but passengers when it restarts international services in 2021. CEO Alan Joyce, speaking lose $29bn as its worst- cautioned the recovery to Australian TV’s Channel 9, said that terms and conditions would likely be changed for case estimate, revising will be gradual. international passengers, with proof of vaccination stored in a digital passport.

NEWS IN BRIEF

as its next shipborne to land near Woomera in CAE is to expand its civil New German OEM Israel’s El Al and UAE’s helicopter. The Sea Tiger, Australia on 5 December. training offerings with Deutsche Aircraft has Etihad Airways have an evolution of the land- the acquisition of TRU launched a new version of signed a MoU to explore based NH90 Sea Lion, EVTOL developer Joby Simulation and Training the Dornier 328 regional co-operation and closer already in service with the Aviation is to acquire Canada. The deal, worth to run on ties. The agreement could German Navy, will replace Uber’s loss-making air taxi $40m, will see CAE sustainable aviation fuel. include codesharing shipborne Sea Lynx division Uber Elevate. The expand its installed base To be built in Leipzig, the between the two airlines, Mk88s. deal will see Uber invest of commercial flight D328eco aircraft will have as well as co-operation on $75m into Joby as well simulation devices, as well a slightly longer fuselage MRO and cargo. Etihad Japan has completed as expand its partnership as increase its offering for than the original 328, seat is set to open a regular its six-year Hayabusa 2 with the Urban Air Mobility simulator support. 43 passengers and will be service from Abu Dhabi to space mission to collect company, which aims to powered by two Pratt & Tel Aviv in March 2020. rocks from the Ryugu start air taxi services in Manchester Airport Group Whitney PW127S engines. asteroid. A re-entry 2023. (MAG) has announced The introduction of the The German Bundeswehr capsule containing the a new contest to D328eco is scheduled for has placed an order for rock samples returned Canadian simulation promote the adoption of 2025. 31 NH90 Sea Tigers to Earth by a parachute and training specialists sustainable aviation. The

6 AEROSPACE SPACEFLIGHT DEFENCE China recovers Moon rock sample Britain bucks trend with A lunar lander from £16.5bn defence boost China’s Chang’e 5A unmanned spacecraft has The UK MoD is to get the for the effects of coronavirus. successfully redocked biggest budget boost in 30 The deal will see an inflation- with its orbiting spacecraft years to reverse an “era of busting £16.5bn boost to on 5 December prior to retreat” as Prime Minister the MoD over the next four returning to Earth in mid Boris Johnson backed more years, with investments in December. The lunar money for defence to invest cyber, drones and a new probe touched down on in new high-technology Space Command. The

CNSA the Moon’s surface on capabilities. The surprise budget boost now makes 1 December, eight days after taking off from the Wenchang space centre aboard a Long decision saw the PM back the UK the biggest defence March 5 rocket on 23 November. The lander descended near Mons Rümker in the Ocean Defence Secretary Ben spender in European NATO. of Storms in the northern hemisphere of the near side of the Moon where it recovered up to Wallace MP’s argument However, it has been 2kg of material from a depth of up to 2 metres below the surface, as well as planting a flag, for more cash for the MoD, reported that the MoD will before returning to the orbiting spacecraft. If successful, this will be the first lunar sample when the rest of Government still need to make £1bn return mission since the Soviet Union’s robotic Luna 24 in 1976. was facing deep cuts to pay worth of savings in 2021.

AEROSPACE

GENERAL AVIATION Avions Mauboussin First electric GA aircraft Vintage French aviation brand included in delivery figures reborn as hydrogen STOL pioneer Industry organisation, deliveries increased the General Aviation slightly by 1.4% to 889, Manufacturers Assocation driven by a rebound in (GAMA) has released its activity at flight training 2020 third quarter delivery schools. Meanwhile, and sales figures, with turbine aircraft and all deliveries of electric light helicopters were down an aircraft included for the average of 24%. The third first time. GAMA said that, quarter of 2020 also saw A French start-up has resurrected the name of a 1930s’ brand with two new projects while overall the industry the first for hydrogen-powered STOL aircraft. Belfort-based Avions Mauboussin is planning was still trailing (deliveries deliveries recorded, with to develop a two-seat and six-seat hydrogen-powered aircraft. Its tandem two-seater of fixed wing aircraft were Pipistrel shipping five design, the M1h, would initially be hybrid-electric, before switching to hydrogen down 20.1%) compared Velis Electros, the first power. A first flight is planned for 2022. Meanwhile, a larger six-seat (one pilot and five to the same period in certificated fully electric passengers) M3c (above) is designed to be a STOL regional aircraft, with a range of 2019, piston engine aircraft. 1,500km and a cruise speed of 370km/h. Entry into service is planned for 2026.

group is offering five-years turboprop engines and vehicle issues and the over 25,000 aircraft with up to 500lb of cargo over of free landing fees (worth two electric motors on coronavirus pandemic. 410m flight hours. distances over 200nm. approximately £1m) to the the wingtips. It would A previous mission to first airline to make a zero- carry 30 soldiers over launch the Falcon Eye Vertical take-off and Boeing has released a emission landing at one of 2,425km. 1 in July 2019 was landing (VTOL) aircraft new 20-year forecast its airports. unsuccessful after the developer XTI Aircraft for the global air cargo Arianespace has rocket failed. Company has partnered fleet. Dedicated freighter Embraer and the launched a UAE military with engine manufacturer operations are already Brazilian Air Force have observation satellite from Pratt & Whitney has VerdeGo Aero to work running at 120% of reveal a concept for the Guiana Space Center produced its 50,000th together on XTI’s TriFan normal levels due to a hybrid-electric light on 1 December. The PT6 turboprop engine for 200 programme. The Covid-19 demand, with military transporter. The launch of the French-built GA and business aircraft. project will involve using the company predicting product of a joint MoU Falcon Eye 2 aboard a Originally launched over VerdeGo Aero diesel 60% growth in the from December 2019, Soyuz rocket and Fregat 50 year ago, the engine hybrid powertrain to cargo fleet to 2039, the STOUT (Short Take- upper stage had been has gone through a series power the autonomous with 930 new freighters Off Utility Transport) delayed many times due of progressive upgrades TriFan 200 VTOL UAV needed, along with 1,500 would feature two to problems with launch and currently powers which is designed to carry conversions.

JANUARY 2021 7 Radome

AIR TRANSPORT SPACEFLIGHT Ryanair buys 75 737 MAXs as Rocket Lab makes airliner returns to flight reusable milestone Boeing New Zealand space while the second stage company Rocket Lab has took the payload into a successfully launched and 310mile-high orbit. The recovered a first stage satellites onboard included rocket which delivered two from Millennium 30 small satellites into Space Systems for a orbit. The Electron booster mission named DragRacer took-off from Rocket Lab’s to test a drag-inducing On 4 December Ryanair ordered 75 Boeing 737 MAX 8s, adding to its previous 135 private spaceport on the device which could assist orders. Prior to this, Boeing had only received five orders for the aircraft in 2020. Ryanair Mahia Peninsula on North natural orbital decay, two expects at least 50 MAXs to be delivered to it in 2021. Island, NewZealand on for French  Meanwhile, on 9 December Brazil’s Gol Linhas Aéreas made the first 737 MAX revenue 19 November and then company UnseenLabs and flight in over 20 months, with a flight from São Paulo to Porto Alegre. Boeing has also descended into the Pacific 24 SpaceBEE satellites resumed deliveries of the MAX, with United Airlines receiving an aircraft on 8 December. Ocean using parachutes from .

DEFENCE AEROSPACE European nations sign up Start-up unveils drone space to build medium helicopter launch system Aevum Five European NATO helicopter fleets, which nations, France, Germany, are expected to come Greece, Italy and the out of service in 2035- United Kingdom, have 40. The Next-Generation signed an agreement Rotorcraft Capability to launch a next- (NGRC) will now see generation medium a stated requirements rotorcraft programme. The agreed, followed by a A US start-up has revealed an innovative concept to launch small satellites using a large multinational agreement, multi-phase co-operation jet-powered autonomous UAV. Huntsville, Alabama-based Aevum’s 60ft wingspan Ravn signed on 19 November plan. The NGRC letter of X , seen in mock-up form with company founder and CEO Jay Skylus, by defence ministers, is intent is non-binding, with would be able to grant additional energy to a rocket on release, by not needing the same aimed at modernising the opportunity for other clearance as a crewed launch mothership before the motor ignites. Aevum has already a variety of European nations to join the effort, got its first customer, with the US Space Force set to launch the ASLON-45 small nations’ multi-role medium according to NATO. satellite in late 2021. NEWS IN BRIEF

leading to the US deciding from foreign regulators The US has officially to leave the agreement. The first flight of a racing On 18 November, the in Brazil, Canada and withdrawn from the aircraft designed to US Federal Aviation Europe is also expected international Open Skies NASA has revealed break the electric speed Administration (FAA) to follow within days, Treaty, which allows for the names of 18 record has been delayed announced that the according to the FAA. unarmed authorised aerial astronauts, nine men to 2021. Rolls-Royce, Boeing 737 MAX was spy flights to verify arms and nine women, who presenting at the RAeS now cleared to return On 26 November, cargo control agreements. First will travel to the Moon Light Aircraft Design to flight after being airline Volga-Dnepr signed in 1992, the US as part of the Agency’s Conference in November, grounded for 20 months grounded its entire fleet of used OC-135B fleet Artemis programme. The revealed that its ACCEL following the deaths Antonov An-124 outsize as its designated Open selection of the Artemis project will now fly in of 346 people in two freighters. The decision Skies aircraft, which are cadre splits 50/50 early 2021, rather than as separate accidents. to ground its eight An- equipped with cameras between experienced originally planned before Commercial 737 MAX 124s was taken after an and other sensors. astronauts and new the end of 2020. It had flights are set to begin in incident on 13 November However, in recent years, recruits that have yet to already been delayed from the US, with American at Novosibirsk, Russia, both the US and Russia fly into space. Artemis the summer, due to the Airlines expected to where an An-124 made have accused each other aims to land a human on effect of the Covid-19 be the first airline to an emergency landing and of violating the treaty, the Moon in 2024. pandemic. resume flights. Approval overran the runway after

8 AEROSPACE AEROSPACE GENERAL AVIATION Dassault Aviation UK unilaterally waives Dassault rolls out Falcon 6X WTO tariffs The UK government has illegal state aid to Boeing. announced that it will not The UK described the be imposing EU tariffs from decision as an attempt to 1 January on US aircraft ‘de-escalate’ the long- manufacturer Boeing in the running spat. However, hope of securing a rapid the UK has said it could post-Brexit trade deal with reimpose the aerospace President-elect Joe Biden’s tariffs if a deal was not new US administration. reached. The unilateral The EU is currently levying move provoked strong On 8 December, in a virtual ceremony broadcast from its Bordeaux-Mérignac factory, $4bn worth of tariffs on criticism (‘betrayal’) from Dassault Aviation rolled out its latest super-midsize business jet, the Falcon 6X. The US imports after the World some quarters, with sources aircraft, powered by Pratt & Whitney PurePower PW812D engines, has a range of Trade Organization (WTO) noting it would affect future 5,500nm and can carry up to 16 passengers in its ‘ultra widebody’, 102in width cabin. ruled that the US had given Airbus investment choices. First flight is set for early 2021, with certification and entry into service in 2022.

DEFENCE AIR TRANSPORT Avenger trials Norwegian Air files for AI for air-to-air mission

GA-ASI bankruptcy protection

Low-cost, long-haul airline for a supplementary Norwegian Air has filed reconstruction process in for bankruptcy protection Norway, which is aimed in Ireland as it struggles at enhancing the Irish with the impact of the process and re-sizing Covid-19 pandemic on air its balance sheet. The travel. The company said company is now hoping to on 18 November that it restructure and downsize had filed for ‘examinership’ its fleet. Earlier in General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) has announced it has conducted in Ireland, where its aircraft November, the Norwegian a flight test which saw one of its jet-powered Avenger UAVs, equpped with an AI are registered, which government refused to ‘automony engine’ developed as a DARPA project, fly an air-to-air search mission with gives it protection from allocate any more money five other simulated Avengers. The trial of the AI-enhanced drone took place in October creditors for 100 days. In to bail out the stricken at an undisclosed location. early December it applied carrier.

an uncontained engine failure. Satellite operator Inmarsat Correction ON THE MOVE has announced it has In the December edition of The UK Army Air Corps carried out the very first AEROSPACE, in the feature Oliver Walker-Jones Robert Carey is to become took delivery of its first GEO to LEO commercial ‘Pushing the Envelope’ has joined Joby Aviation the new President of on synthetic fuel it was two Boeing AH-64E satellite data transmission, as Marketing and European low-cost carrier incorrectly stated that Rob Apache attack helicopters linking one of its McGinnis was the Founder Communications Lead. Wizzair from June 2021, at its base in Wattisham communication satellites and CEO of Carbon while Michael Delehant on 26 November. The in GEO with a Capella Engineering. He is, in fact, Sophie Dekkers has takes over as EVP Group latest Block 6 variant Space SAR satellite in the founder and CEO of the become the new Chief Chief Operating Officer other company in the article, features Link 16 datalinks, lower orbit. This opens up Prometheus Fuels. Commercial Officer of from April 2021. extended range fire the potential of faster real- easyJet. control radar and manned- time transmission of data We apologise for any NASA Associate unmanned teaming. The and imagery from satellites confusion caused. American Airlines has Adminstrator Steve UK is set to receive 50 in LEO, without having announced that Meghan Jurczyk will become Acting AH-64Es, which will to wait to overfly ground Montana has been Administrator, taking over replace the current WAH- stations to transmit data promoted to VP and from Jim Bridenstine on 64 AH1 Apaches. to Earth. Treasurer. 20 January.

JANUARY 2021 9 By the Numbers Understanding the world of Aerospace through data SpaceX Starship makes one small (fiery) leap to Mars Tony Bela

10 AEROSPACE Pushing the Envelope Exploring advances on the leading edge of aerospace Robert Coppinger Morphing aerofoil promises 44% fuel savings

mproved aerodynamic performance of an the airflow, like a virtual wind tunnel. One software aircraft could be achieved with evolutionary is called XFOIL and is described as a subsonic algorithms to help design an aerofoil whose aerofoil development system. It is written in the geometry is mechanically manipulated in-flight, Fortran computer language and is free under the a system called direct control aerofoil geometry GNU General Public Licence. Muller describes I(DCAG). An analysis of a wing design for a Cessna XFOIL as fast to produce results but not as accurate 172 found that the fuel consumption of cruise as other software. Working with XFOIL, Muller was flight could be cut by as much as 44% with in-flight able to produce good results from his evolutionary geometry changes. optimisation. However, the CFD software he used, The research has been carried out by doctoral Ansys Fluent, which is a more sophisticated software student, Jan Muller, at Brno University of Technology programme, does not show the level of performance in the Czech Republic with a paper published in improvement that XFOIL does. Muller also admits the January 2021 special edition of the RAeS The that, at different angles-of-attack, the aerofoil’s Aeronautical Journal. As well as the fuel consumption effectiveness diminishes a lot. His DCAG is a reduction because of reduced drag, aerodynamic lift mechanical system combined with a stretchable wing is said by Muller to also reach values, ‘unreachable by skin allowing the curvature of the aerofoil to change present technologies’. He points to shorter runways in-flight. and lower landing speeds as benefits of this higher lift aerofoil design. Muller also sees increased Bending the leading edge manoeuvrability with an aerofoil whose shape differs significantly along its span. The DCAG mechanism is designed to bend the leading edge, from a central zero degrees axis Evolutionary approach position, down by 90º and be able to bend down or up the trailing edge by 90º, also around this central The evolutionary approach begins with a randomly axis. In his original design the movement is driven by generated ‘first parent’ population which represents a a curved shaft as part of a rotary mechanical device. HIS DIRECT configuration that can be optimised without the need The rotation drives the leading or trailing edge up or CONTROL for an existing aerofoil template, which has been the down. A guide slot system allows the stretched skin AEROFOIL case historically. The algorithms are used to alter the to be anchored in place at various points along the GEOMETRY camber, thickness and shape of aerofoil to find that rotation. Another application Muller proposes is using (DCAG) IS A fuel consumption improvement. The camber of a the mechanical stretching skin to act as a de-icing wing is the asymmetry between the aerofoil’s top and mechanism by moving it very slightly back and forth, MECHANICAL bottom surfaces. With the evolutionary approach the like a shaker. DCAG is based on the rotary principle, SYSTEM best of that population goes on to produce another which makes it possible to define the curvature of COMBINED WITH population, and so on. Each population is tested for aerofoil for every turn of the rod. However, Muller A STRETCHABLE its performance characteristics using computational explains, six months ago he found a better DCAG WING SKIN fluid dynamics (CFD) software. design. The original DCAG mechanism became too ALLOWING THE The evolutionary approach has been found to complicated to manufacture. As well as development CURVATURE OF produce optimal solutions faster. For cruise flight the of a better mechanical morphing mechanism, two key characteristics were aerofoil camber and future work Muller would like to undertake includes THE AEROFOIL thickness. Muller has used two software packages, producing a prototype of an optimised aerofoil and TO CHANGE IN- one for aerofoil design and the other for simulating testing it in a wind tunnel. FLIGHT

The research paper referenced above appears in January’s special issue of The Aeronautical Journal featuring research papers on ‘Smart Aircraft’ from a two-day international symposium held in October 2019 hosted by Xi’an Jiaotong University (XJTU), in China in partnership with the University of Manchester Aerospace Research Institute (UMARI). The Aeronautical Journal, January 2021, 125, (1283) JANUARY 2021 11 Transmission

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. The triumph of the middlemen

With reference to Richard Premshree Pillai Flickr Aboulafia’s article on national fighter aircraft in the November edition of AEROSPACE(1): The recurring dream prompts me to question our assumptions about the priority that the Tempestuous pilots wider society places on aerospace and defence. As @gregbagwell [On future part of a strategy to develop Tempest pilots will need to the Indian civil market for view their Loyal Wingman as its products, a western squadron members to train aerospace company that I India’s indigenous Tejas light combat aircraft built by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL). them] Friday night Happy am familiar with outsourced Hour will never be the same ... a lot of engineering work made in heaven, delivering the gains belonged to the engineering, aviation, defence to India. Over the years, in large numbers of low- middlemen. Unencumbered and human development. pursuit of company objectives, cost engineering hours. by a need to invest in Seen in this way, India’s @alisdairgilbert Brings a job quotas were imposed in However, supervision costs industry-specific skills or current shortage of effective new meaning to ‘he’s a bit of a several different ways. The and in-house rework were products, the middleman light fighters might be social hand grenade’. importance of the strategy persistently excessive, and market is treated by interpreted as the logical allowed signs of problems the professional development governments and companies outcome of numerous to be downplayed, in turn gained by many Indian alike as being of strategic economic and business @ryanramsey14 Why will allowing a ‘box-ticked = engineers cannot possibly importance. It is seemingly strategies, each of which will there be pilots in 2040? Won’t job-done’ culture to thrive. have met the needs of immune to the second law have been claimed to have it all be automated? Superficially, that union of two those individuals. Neither of thermodynamics, which been a success. authoritarian philosophies the lab coats nor the project deems that the world will appeared to be a marriage suits emerged victorious: eventually lose interest in Alan Jones CEng MRAeS @RailRunnerDan They’ll be no fighter pilots.

From the RAeS photo archives i RAeS/NAL

RAeS award winner

Robert Scott Congrats, Dr Dr Helen Webber, Lead Project Engineer at Reaction Engines Webber. and winner of the Sir Ralph Robins Medal for 2020 which is awarded to an individual aviation or aerospace engineer who has demonstrated excellence in engineering leadership. Daniel Rincon Sanz For a full list of this year’s winners of RAeS Medals & Awards, see Well deserved Helen! A real p 54 of this issue. Austrian-born gliding champion and sailplane designer pleasure working with you. Robert Kronfeld flying his glider Wien at the Rhön Greg Maldonado Domenico di Cugno Hi Dr Competition in August 1931. Among his many successes Congratulations Dr Webber. Helen Webber, many thanks was becoming the first pilot to fly a glider across the Martin Soltau Huge Well deserved ma’am. for sharing your experience at English Channel on 20 June 1931. During WW2 he congratulations, Helen! A very Reaction Engines. served in the RAF holding the rank of Squadron Leader. worthy winner, and the UK’s He was posted to the Airborne Forces Experimental most exciting engineering Geoffrey Wardle Well done Establishment on military glider development during which project. Dr Helen Webber. he was awarded the Air Force Cross. In 1948, as Chief Test Pilot for General Aircraft, he was killed in the crash of an experimental flying wing glider – the General Aircraft GAL 56, TS507 – during stalling trials.

12 AEROSPACE SpaceX Brexit and aerospace .Save the Blackburn Beverley First flight of the Starship Condor Projects @Cirrusblue20 [On UK Government provokes Airbus anger over Boeing WTO tariff waiver] Several sources said the move would reinforce studies by Airbus to re-examine where to build wings for future jets. ‘It is really damaging and means the UK can forget about further investment,’ the senior industry official said. Leavers knew @mikerturner [On SpaceX @Wait702 But a success on what they were voting for.... Starship test flight] Really so many levels. Good Job very low when it comes back @SpaceX. An aerial view of the Beverley at the Fort Paull site. to the vertical! Specialist aircraft modifications and structural engineering @IanPsDarkCorner @Billy_Chisholm Is it just contractor Condor Projects is appealing for funds for a project Considering that Shorts in me in thinking Buck Rogers to rehouse and restore the last surviving Blackburn Beverley NI is, I believe, still building @GuardedDon GBU-12 when I look at that? transport aircraft XB259 which served on humanitarian parts for Airbus under new came to mind during the missions in Africa and Asia with RAF Transport Command ownership (I may be wrong on descent, especially the very in the 1950s. Built in 1952 in Brough, East Yorkshire, the that – please correct me if so) last bit. Damn, I so enjoyed @AndrewJacklin Yep! XB259 is currently located at a museum at Fort Paull near then isn’t there another twist Thunderbirds. Fireball XL5 vibes. within the twist, regarding the Hull which closed in January 2020. The aircraft was purchased border that Ministers are still by Condor Projects which plans to dismantle and move the pretending won’t exist down airframe to a new base at Birchwood Lodge at Selby where the Irish Sea? RAeS Air Power Conference it will be reassembled and put on public display. Condor has issued a crowdfunding appeal for £100,000 (https://www. crowdfunder.co.uk/save-the-blackburn-beverley-aircraft#start). Electric flight More information on the project can also be found on www. blackburnbeverley.co.uk @ChrisMilrine Great articles from last month on the future of electric aircraft(2). Sir Donald Spiers retires Aviation through certification and testing can take a vast amount of use to implement but it was enjoyable to read that advancements are being made. Would a new ATA chapter(s) be required for @AndrewTurnerRAF Really @Kcourtneybis My key electric flight? great to talk at the takeaway from Day 1 is @AeroSociety Air Power that data analytics and 2040 Conference tonight. programming skills are Aerospace medicine Lots of ideas to exchange with crucial for future air power @ElianeRutland5 [On allies, industry and the Society competitiveness! We must RAeS Aerospace Medicine – FCAS, training changes, build our UK #STEM talent Conference] Honoured new people policies, more pipeline. Former RAeS President Sir Donald Spiers has announced that to present today and truly sponsored reserves, better he is to step down as chairman of the Farnborough Aerospace inspired by the other speakers’ infrastructure, synthetics and Consortium (FAC) UK aerospace and defence trade association presentations. Well done ladies! uncrewed combat air. @AlanIvinghoe I enjoyed after almost 20 years. this afternoon, and I learnt a @Bonposselt Good results lot. I wonder how many million (at work) aren’t an accident – @BonnetLuke Richard (billion?) lines of code will be Launch of D328eco @BehrPictures How often has a plan to renew the value & respect people, always. Franklin, Managing Director required to make it all work, Deutsche Aircraft @AirbusDefence in the UK and whether we actually DO-328 been on the table in was clear on the importance of have the capacity, among the the last 10/15 years? Once @TalkSpaceMed Thanks collaboration: “Aerospace has participants, to write them all. I every other year would be my @AeroSociety for the always needed collaboration hope many lessons have been guess! wonderful symposium. to deliver the capability it does”. learnt from F-35.

1. AEROSPACE, November 2020, p 28, National fighter aircraft – the recurrent dream 2. AEROSPACE, November 2020, p 32, Taking charge of electric aircraft

@aerosociety i linkedin.com/raes f facebook.com/raes www.aerosociety.com JANUARY 2021 13 GENERAL AVIATION RAeS Light Aircraft Design Conference

Travelling light A2CAL

Electric innovation in light aviation was on the agenda at last year’s RAeS GA Light Aircraft Design Conference, held online in November, which also saw the winner of the Light Aircraft Design Contest announced. CHRIS WRIGHT reports.

ast year’s annual RAeS General Aviation layout to create a six or eight seat touring vehicle, (GA) Design Conference continued electric powered intermittently, for passengers to last year’s theme: ‘Electrifying General waft gently along with a superb view to enhance Aviation’. The drivers for electrification a meal or drink together or distract them from a are if anything stronger than ever before: meeting. Lthe push towards greener aviation, and the pull of Richard also updated us on his electrification the continuing progress in electrical and electronic of a Cassutt Racer that he spoke about last year. Above: The APTOS BLUE winning submission to the technology. The GA sector is ideally positioned Progress has been steady but slower than intended 2020 RAeS international for electric aircraft development with its ability to due to the pandemic. Light Aircraft Design innovate cheaply. Also the energy density of lithium Competition took its batteries is already sufficient to provide reasonable Return of the ionBird design cues from Burt endurance with efficient airframes in air taxis and Rutan’s Voyager to design smaller regional transports. It is also ideal for short Also returning from last year, Matheu Parr updated a highly efficient eVTOL air ambulance duration activities, such as air racing, training, the conference on ACCEL progress. (ACCEL is Below: Richard Glassock’s parachute dropping, glider tugging, glider power the Rolls-Royce aircraft aimed at taking the world touring glider proposal. assist and more. electric aircraft speed record.) The pandemic has Battery power alone is likely to remain also affected the ACCEL programme to a limited impractical for medium and long-range GA and degree. The first flight has been delayed from late for all larger transport applications however, GA 2020 to early this year but progress has been good. size vehicles are ideal for hybrid power system Matheu described how extensive ionBird running development. This challenge now needs to be has been achieved and very useful in ironing addressed head-on. (ioning?) out issues and safely demonstrating the Richard Glassock returned to open proceedings demanding high current operation. The Nemesis with an outline of electrification projects that he has NXT aircraft has been modified to accommodate worked on, including skydiving aircraft and a range 6,000 specially packaged batteries and a triple extender, leading onto an account of his tourist motor power system which were described in

leisure glider. His glider dream enlarges a sailplane some detail. However the project has gone beyond Richard Glassock Richard

14 AEROSPACE 15 Faradair JANUARY 2021 JANUARY The Freedom 71 presentation led neatly Freedom The RAeSThe Design Competitions Light Aircraft of the cost of a helicopter or a fraction of the time of a helicopter or a fraction of the cost drone is of simple transport. The taken by ground and the on-board modular construction robust and flight, accurate navigation, electronics enable stable and even and identification of destinations search and return to base. Uses people, supply dropping delivery, way beyond aid into package extend mapping and rescue, crop journalism, search Systems is setting up a Aerial and more. ANTS can service all 64 districts network of hubs that has included a full of Bangladesh. Its programme wide-ranging STEMbusiness model and a outreach with an enthusiastic response, and meeting activity, success will be fully deserved. into the (GA) Light Aircraft Design Competition by GA Committee member Tony Session chaired a founder of FLIMAX and a key Bishop. Tony, the instigator of several aviation initiatives, including Barclay Eagle Labs at Cranfield and aeronautical driving companies, has been for several years the force behind the Design Competition. the are aimed at promoting major innovation in theme general aviation aircraft sector and this year’s aircraft for was to define a vertical take-off, electric winning submission a humanitarian mission. The and a fuller description of the is shown below, competition is in the box on p 17. The UKThe to see the light again? In the past the UK had a thriving light aircraft has In recent times this has declined to a small industry. number of active companies. Some of us have cast envious eyes at successes in light aviation elsewhere in the world and especially at the remarkable exist in 14 history of the German Akafliegs which have consistently designed universities. These and flown prototype and leading-edge aircraft for with the digital, electric and many decades. Now, battery revolution, RPVdevelopments and Go Green pressures, there is an unprecedented opportunity for start-ups and new industry in the UK.

Rolls-Royce Left: Freedom 71 – the Bangladesh Islamic University of Technology’s winning entry to the IMechE Humanitarian Drone competition 2020, a robust easy-to-assemble system. Top: The ACCEL The ionBird Top: propulsion system test frame. Faradair BEHABelow: The 18-seat or cargo regional feeder aircraft. The Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) Institute of Mechanical The The Freedom Drone Freedom The detailed the need for a rapid response Tausiful medical system to deliver urgent small package 71 Freedom aid anywhere in Bangladesh. The drone system has been developed to do just that, responding in an hour or less at a small fraction has held an annual unmanned aircraft system has held an annual unmanned aircraft system participants undertake competition since 2014. The with this a full design and build cycle of a UAS, rules and objectives including a maximum year’s take-off mass of 10kg to undertake specific mission objectives, including navigating, accurately and returning to base. The dropping an aid package flying competition includes design, development, demonstration and business case presentations. Although of smaller vehicle size, this year’s competition has synergy with our GA Design Competition and so the team from the Islamic (IUT), won three of which University of Technology the six prizes in the IMechE competition this year, was invited to take part in our design conference. Leader is the Team at IUT, Islam, a student Tausiful Aerial and Chief Operating Officer of ANTS Systems and he presented their impressive project. technology acquisition to be an exciting STEM acquisition to be an exciting technology scientists opportunity to engage with tomorrow’s the speed record look forward to and engineers. We attempt. GENERAL AVIATION RAeS Light Aircraft Design Conference Delft University of TechnologyDelft Delft University of Technology Delft University of Technology Delft University of Technology Delft University of Technology

David Chinn, a Council Member of the RAeS, has, Above: Delft University of Pioneering Pipistrel during the course of his career in the MoD, had the Technology: examples of opportunity to make contact with Akaflieg members highly effective D:DREAM For the final presentation, Dr Tine Tomazic, Team work. and operation. David shared his experience and Chief Technical Officer of Pipistrel and world outlined some of the remarkable work in Akafliegs authority on electric flight, described the history of and also at Delft University, and went on to share his Pipistrel, leading onto its extensive electric aircraft views on ‘DESIGN, BUILD, FLY – and his thoughts experience from 2007 to 2020 and beyond. on developing a UK ‘Akaflieg’. Encouraged by David, Initially, Pipistrel produced hang-gliders and trikes the GA Committee has put in place a Design, Build, designed by its founder Ivo Boscarol, the first in Fly (DBF) working group this year. The working group 1989. Pipistrel produced nearly 600 trikes until is a study group with a report due in May 2021 but the early 2000s. In the 1990s the company built we look for the RAeS DBF group to go way beyond on this experience, moving on to ultralight aircraft mere study, to encouraging and enabling real projects and making full use of composite materials. The to emerge in the UK in the near future. resulting Sinus and Virus 2 seater aircraft have been very successful, selling over 1,000 units and The triplane alternative leading onto the subsequent Alpha Electric Trainer which is now well established. Pipistrel has also Faradair has recently relocated to a prime position at created a two-seat electric-power assist glider – Duxford – a key centre for GA and Business Aviation the Taurus. Pipistrel is continuing into the drone activity. Neil Cloughley, Faradair’s MD, described how market with the cargo drone NUUVA V300 (and a Faradair is developing its BEHA – Bio Electric Hybrid smaller version) shown on the Design Conference Aircraft – to serve the need for regional flight aircraft. Flyer, and also is designing an eVTOL passenger The BEHA is a diesel-engine powered electric-hybrid carrier, the Pipistrel 801, for urban air mobility. concept to address three core problems for regional In conclusion: this and last year’s Light Aircraft aircraft: noise, operation costs and emissions, and Design Conferences, while themed on electrical achieve significant reductions in these areas. The BEHA flight, have barely scratched the surface of both is a forward staggered triplane with the enclosed ducted activity and possibilities – it is an exciting time to fan also acting as a tail unit. A multirole asset, BEHA be involved. Next year will see the output of the can convert from an 18-passenger configuration to DBF working group, some exciting lectures and cargo in just 15 minutes. Accommodating three LD3 events during the year and, at next year’s Design cargo containers and payloads of up to 5 tons, BEHA Conference, we could be looking at advanced is an environment-neutral workhorse, maximising and lightweight structures, design for safety, DBF revenue. The triplane layout aims to give a small field business models and manufacturing, design tools Below left: Pipistrel 801 performance, enabling operators the ability to offer UAM aircraft. – and more. We welcome all proposals for GA economical scheduled and charter flight services to Below right: Pipistrel design and technology subject areas to explore regional towns and city hubs. BEHA was also shown in NUUVA V300 Cargo for the next conference, and we look forward to a military guise, capable of operating on aircraft carriers. Drone. you joining us next year. Pipstrel Pipstrel

16 AEROSPACE RAeS International General Aviation Design Competition 2020

The RAeS design competitions are aimed at promoting major innovation in the general aviation aircraft sector and past winners have triggered several exciting projects. The results for the 2020 competition were announced at this year’s General Aviation Design Conference. The competition was again run in conjunction with the Light Aircraft Association. Its mission was to define a vertical take-off, battery-electric aircraft able to evacuate the injured from a storm swept island in the Caribbean. The scenario was the island of Dominica which was devastated in 2017 by Hurricane Maria. The mission was to fly a stretcher case, attendant and pilot to another island. The aim was to achieve maximum range with reserves. This had to be backed up by a comprehensive design report and flown in a simulator. Most powertrain parameters were defined at 2020 levels. This was the toughest design competition yet but has led to some excellent designs. Once again, winners came from around the world. A2CAL The A2CAL team from Berkeley US won first place with its APTOS BLUE design that used extensive laminar flow, high aspect ratio wing and composite structure to achieve an exceptional 463km range. The sliding front canopy allows the crew entrance and egress from both sides of the aircraft while allowing a laminar flow along 50% of the fuselage length. Eight rotors are used for VTOL, two of which rotate for forward flight. The remainder fold into booms. It cruises at 113kt on 38kW. Skunk Werkz

Skunk Werkz from Imperial College, UK, was second with its Vertical Takeoff Life Saver ( 1). This international team included several from China who watched the results at 2am! They used an even higher aspect ratio with a double-wing to provide adequate strength. Orca Werkz

The Orca eVTOL team from Pécs in Hungary won third place with this tri-wing design. It also used laminar flow wings and fuselage, with entry towards the rear and it produced a particularly good design report.

TONY BISHOP

The competition has been organised thus far around the calendar year. However, there is pressure to change to fit in with the academic year in future, with the competition announced around May, in time for supervisors to fit a project within their curriculum. So the next competition will be announced in May 2021 but not closed until after the end of the summer term in 2022. Readers are invited to submit ideas for the next competition which must be targeted at innovation in GA aircraft. Send ideas to [email protected].

JANUARY 2021 17 SPACE India’s human spaceflight programme A tryst with destiny

ATUL CHANDRA reports on how India is powering ahead with its human spaceflight mission.

ndia is powering ahead with its most ambitious scientific undertaking yet, one that will allow it to join ranks with Russia, the US and China, in a select club of nations to have launched a human spaceflight mission. IThe Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is significantly advanced in its preparations for ‘Gaganyaan’ – Sanskrit for ‘Sky Craft’ as the Indian human spaceflight mission is known. However, these launches will now be delayed by at least a year, if not more, because of restrictions imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Work on India’s human spaceflight mission has been underway for quite some time. ISRO initiated initial studies in 2004, however, it is only over the last decade that real progress was made. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the Gaganyaan mission during his 15 August Independence Day address in 2018, sparking off a nationwide effort, now spread across more than 650 companies and agencies. Two uncrewed space missions, Gaganyaan 1 and 2, were originally planned for December 2021 and July 2021, respectively. The first crewed space mission was planned for December 2021.

A giant leap for India

ISRO’s new Human space flight centre (HSFC), helmed by its Director, Dr S Unnikrishnan Nair and located in Bengaluru, is the hub for all human spaceflight-related activities. A future Indian space station is also planned. The spin-offs from the human space flight missions, such as development of the human rated Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV MkIII), orbital crew module, life support systems, etc will aid in the progress of the space station programme. Initial information provided by the space agency, suggests a modular space station designed for a crew of three. ISRO has been buoyed by government support

ISRO and funding for the Gaganyaan mission which

18 AEROSPACE has been plentiful, with a budgetary allocation of “To date, the Indian cosmonauts have passed approximately Rs100bn (or just over £1bn). A total a number of exams and tests, and have completed of three Indian astronauts are planned to be sent training on crew actions in the event of an abnormal into space with a duration of seven days set as descent module landing in various climatic and the maximum mission length. The crewed orbiter geographical zones. They also passed training in will be inserted into a 400km low Earth orbit, by short-term weightlessness mode and they were the GSLV MkIII, ISRO’s heaviest launcher yet. trained to lift aboard a helicopter while evacuating All launches for the Gaganyaan programme will from the descent module landing point,” Dmitry take place from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre Loskutov, Director General of Glavkosmos told the (SDSC), located at Sriharikota on India’s eastern author via email. seaboard. The training of crew actions in the event of an abnormal descent module landing, was completed A new challenge

ISRO’s unpiloted missions will test the launcher, crew module and other associated technologies destined for human spaceflight. In January 2020, the space agency unveiled a half-humanoid robot that would be part of both unmanned space missions. Named ‘Vyommitra’ – Sanskrit for ‘space friend’, the half humanoid will be capable of speaking two languages, performing environment control and life support systems (ECLSS) functions, operating switches aboard the spacecraft and recognising voice commands. ISRO has a depth of experience with regards to launch vehicles and spacecraft management with access to extensive infrastructure in terms of launch pads, ground tracking stations. It also has a nationwide space technology ecosystem for manufacture of launchers and satellites. However, crewed space flight represented an altogether new endeavour with aspects such as crew safety, Glavkosmos human rating of existing systems, crew training and recovery, all being areas, where ISRO lacked previous experience. Opposite page: An uprated in three distinct phases: abnormal descent module It is for this reason, that ISRO turned to version of ISRO’s GSLV landing in wooded and marshy areas in winter Glavkosmos (the foreign economic activities division MkIII launcher will be used (February 2020), on the water surface (June 2020) for Gaganyaan missions. of Russia’s Roscosmos State Space Corporation) and in the Steppe in summer (July 2020). Short- Above: Russia’s in June 2019, for assistance on selection support, Glavkosmos is training term weightlessness training for the Indian space medical examination and space training of the four Indian astronauts at the crew was completed over the course of ten flights selected astronauts (all air force pilots). ISRO and Gagarin Cosmonaut aboard an Ilyushin IL-76 MDK laboratory aircraft Glavkosmos share a longstanding relationship. Training Center. in June 2020. The astronauts are also receiving Glavkosmos, which was set up in 1985, completed training at GCTC for a sustained spaceflight successful launches of Indian remote sensing environment in a centrifuge and a hyperbaric satellites IRS-1A, IRS-1B, and IRS-1C from chamber to prepare themselves for G-loads, hypoxia Baikonur Cosmodrome by Soviet and Russian and pressure drops. Vostok launch vehicles (1988, 1991) and on the Russia is also supplying Soyuz spacecraft Molniya (Lightning) in 1995. systems and components to India, which ISRO will adapt and modify for further use on the Gaganyaan Crew preparation mission. The Soyuz MS made its first flight in 2016 and is substantially upgraded, with almost every The four Indian astronauts are now nearing the system of the crewed spacecraft being modernised. end of their 12-month training programme at the Glavkosmos is also supplying Sokol-KV-2 Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC), which spacesuits for the Indian human spaceflight mission. is slated for completion in the first quarter of 2021. The spacesuits are designed to protect spacecraft The training provided to Indian astronauts included crew members in case of descent module extensive training on the structure, configuration, depressurisation during the most dangerous phases and systems of the Soyuz MS crewed spacecraft, of the mission – ascent, docking, undocking and among other things. descent. The Sokol-KV-2 is a soft-type spacesuit,

JANUARY 2021 19 SPACE India’s human spaceflight programme

with multilayer coveralls, an integrated soft helmet, provide a relatively large thrust in a short space of soft bootees, and removable gloves. The spacesuit time to transport the crew module safely away from enclosure consists of an outer restraint layer and an the launcher in case of an accident. internal pressure bladder. The spacesuits (as well A successful CES demonstration took place as seat liners) are custom-made for each individual in July 2018, when a ‘Pad Abort Test’ was carried astronaut and provide the crew member with a out from SDSC, Sriharikota. ISRO successfully comfortable position when seated. The spacesuits undertook testing of the crew module configuration are not reusable. along with its re-entry and recovery characteristics during an experimental launch of the GSLV Mklll in At home in space December 2014. The crew module is manufactured by state-owned aerospace firm, Hindustan Development of the crew module for the Gaganyaan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which is also a major missions has been accorded the highest priority partner in the Gaganyaan programme. at ISRO. While its external configuration was finalised quite some time ago, work on its internal Launch ability configuration is slated for completion shortly. Critical technologies related to the crew module The launcher for Gaganyaan missions will be systems, Environmental Control & Life Support ISRO’s GSLV MkIII launcher. The GSLV MkIII is the System (ECLSS) and Crew Escape System (CES) effort of more than two decades of sweat and toil have now been mastered. The development of vital taken to develop an indigenous heavy-lift launcher. technologies, including the CES, was completed by Development of the GSLV MkIII was approved in ISRO at a cost of only Rs1.7bn. The CES makes use 2002 with the aim to provide an indigenous launcher, of specially designed, quick acting solid motors that that could deliver a 4,000kg class satellite to geo- synchronous orbit. The development programme resulted in three successful flights: LVM3-X

ISRO (December 2014), GSLV MkIII D1 (June 2017) ISRO’s C25 Cryogenic and GSLV MkIII D2 (November 2018). In its first upper stage configured with the fully indigenous operational launch in July 2019, a GSLV MkIII-M1 high thrust CE20 cryogenic placed the Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft into Earth engine made its first flight parking orbit. ISRO obtained Government approval to on the LVM3-X/CARE build ten more GSLV MkIII launchers in June 2018 Mission in December to be used for communication satellite launches untill 2014. 2023. Design verification for the human rating of the GSLV MkIII has been completed. ISRO’s most powerful launcher does have the requisite payload carrying capacity to deliver a crewed orbital module into the desired elliptical orbit. However, it will also receive more powerful engines to increase its payload capacity from 4,000kg to 6,500kg. The launcher for the Gaganyaan 1 uncrewed mission is currently under construction at HAL, which is also supplying riveted assemblies along with propellant tanks. India originally inked an agreement with Glavkosmos in 1991 for supply of a batch of cryogenic oxygen-hydrogen blocks ‘12 KRB’ along with technology transfer. The knowledge gained from Russia, was intended for use on the GSLV’s upper stage. However, transfer of this technology to India was halted due to US sanctions. A later, revised agreement allowed India to receive seven cryogenic oxygen-hydrogen blocks ready for flight. Glavkosmos would also assist ISRO in their preparation and launch. “Since last year, our co-operation with ISRO has received a new impetus due to the development of the Indian crewed space programme Gaganyaan, as well as in our work on some other projects,” Lustkov says. Russia has also supplied cryogenic test equipment for testing of Indian cryogenic rocket

20 AEROSPACE ISRO

stages, which take place at ISRO’s test center Important steps are now being taken within An image of ISRO’s crew located at Mahendragiri, in the southern state of the country to open the space sector, hitherto, an module following splash Tamil Nadu. almost exclusive preserve of government agencies. down near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in Tasks related to development and qualification of In June 2020, the Indian Government announced December 2014 as part an indigenous semi-cryogenic stage and an uprated the launch of the Indian Space Promotion and of the Crew module cryogenic engine and stage, have been underway Authorisation Centre (INSPACe). The new entity Atmospheric Re-entry for some time at ISRO and were originally slated will be the nodal agency to promote innovation and Experiment (CARE). for completion by 2021. HAL will manufacture encourage private investment in the space sector. these cryogenic and semi-cryogenic engines and is INSPACe will allow Indian private sector firms, establishing facilities for their productionisation. access to ISRO’s extensive infrastructure. Greater access and utilisation of such facilities, built at Escape velocity for the private sector great cost to the Indian taxpayer, is a step in the right direction. NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) Over the last two decades, ISRO has mastered the another new entity incorporated in March 2019, will design and development of a series of increasingly facilitate private sector firms to bid for manufacture complex launchers and satellites, not only for Indian of launch vehicles and satellites, provide launch customers but also for a growing list of export services and develop space-based services customers. Between 2014-2019, the Indian space and systems. NSIL will also manage transfer of agency launched satellites from 26 countries, space technologies developed by ISRO and other earning revenues of Rs10.2bn. ISRO’s workhorse government agencies to private sector entities launcher, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), Gaganyaan and follow-on Indian missions, has launched 319 foreign satellites belonging to could provide the critical mass for India’s space 33 countries into orbit since 1999 and the 100th industries to thrive and grow. These companies PSLV mission is planned for 2024, an impressive will also benefit from another revolution; availability achievement indeed. of high-end computing, high-speed broadband ISRO had targeted 36 launch missions in 2020- internet, and access to disruptive technologies such 21, including an uncrewed Gaganyaan 1 launch. Of as additive manufacturing which have lowered the course, the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted these traditional entry barriers into the space business. plans, however it has become increasingly evident, Systemic changes are essential if India is to unlock that for ISRO is to meet its ambitious future launch the true potential of its space economy, which today targets, greater participation from India’s private contributes an estimated 45,000 jobs across the sector and their growth would need priority. country, yet with the potential to employ many more.

JANUARY 2021 21 SPACE Defence Space Conference Report Reaction Engines

Ad Astra UK sets eyes on defence space

From a budget black hole to blast-off – UK ambition for its role as global space power rockets skywards. TIM ROBINSON FRAeS reports from the 2020 MoD Defence Space virtual conference. aking place on 17-18 of November, event, organised by the UK’s Air & Space Power the MoD Defence Space Conference Association saw a very strong international 2020 was, as might be expected, a presence – with presentations from the General virtual gathering, rather than a physical John ‘Jay’ Raymond, Chief of Space Operations, one. However, this allowed some 635 US Space Force, General Michel Friedling, Space Tdelegates from around the world to dial in, and this Commander French Air & Space Force and Mircea number was doubled during the International Space Geoanà, Deputy Secretary General, NATO. Pitch Day session, more of which below. Let’s take a look though at some of the Over the two days the sessions ranged from highlights. high level strategic doctrine, to discussions on orbital manufacturing, from space diplomacy, to The next war – won or lost in space? diversity and inclusion, with 45 speakers and panelists that ran the gamut from the Secretary Giving one of the keynote addresses was RAF of State for Defence, the Chief of Air Staff and Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Commander UK Strategic Command, to a RN Wigston, who laid out in stark terms the scale of the Sub Lieutenant and junior officers – as well as emerging threat that runs from cascading space industry executives and scientists. The virtual debris to cyber. All of these have the potential to

22 AEROSPACE Crown copyright/No 10 Crown copyright/No Near right: Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston laid out the challenges in space and what the UK intends to do about them. Far right: The day after the conference saw British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announce a significant boost to the defence budget – including the creation of Space Command.

damage, disrupt or create havoc with the space- ordered a new Skynet 6A communications satellite, based critical infrastructure that governs our it will bring operating Skynet in-house, rather than everyday lives and which the majority of us are contracting it out as before. Recruiting, training and oblivious to. In his address, Wigston pointed the growing this core of military space professionals is finger firmly at Russia and China in developing not only important for UK space operations, but also new anti-satellite capabilities, conducting suspect in being able to contribute personnel to coalition and proximity operations and generally putting other allied space initiatives, such as US-led Operation space users at risk through irresponsible behaviour Olympic Defender and Schriever space wargames. – a view repeated by SoS Defence, Ben Wallace MP At the conference, ACM Wigston also revealed who said: “our adversaries are increasingly seeking the existence of a new space domain awareness to weaponise space.” information system, Aurora, being jointly developed With words that no doubt reverberated with by the RAF and the UK Space Agency. Aurora previous RAF chiefs’ thoughts on air power, Wigston will “significantly enrich our space situational said: “a future conflict may not start in space. awareness,” said Wigston. However, I am in no doubt it will transition very quickly to space and it may even be won or lost in Take me to your leader, please? space.” The formation of a UK Space Command is thus a Defence gets a £16.5bn boost welcome step to making the lines of UK military space responsibility clearer should, for instance, The big breaking news during the conference ‘little green men’ touch down on Horsell Common. was that Defence Secretary Ben Wallace MP Previously, this was split between Strategic had succeeded in convincing the Prime Minister Command (exploitation of space) and the RAF Boris Johnson (against reportedly the Treasury’s (space awareness and surveillance) – and, wishes) of the need, not only to exclude the MoD although PM Johnson mentioned ‘RAF Space from planned cuts in the aftermath of Covid-19 but Command’, AEROSPACE understands that ‘Space A FUTURE also actually, to increase defence spending in the Command’ will be a ‘joint unit based at an RAF CONFLICT MAY biggest increase in 30 years, with £16.5bn over station’, rather than, say the French model, where the next four years. Announcing the increase later the Armée de l’Air is now officially an air and space NOT START in the week, the PM singled out space as one of force. IN SPACE. the beneficiaries of this funding increase, with a Also missing from the conference was the HOWEVER new Space Command and the goal of launching publication of the long-awaited UK Defence Space I AM IN NO a UK satellite from UK soil in Scotland in 2022. Strategy, which has been lost in a doctrine black In conjunction with the UK Space Agency, the UK hole in MoD since 2018. Instead, a UK National DOUBT IT WILL is also set to create a National Space Operations Space Strategy, which covers both military and TRANSITION Capability. civil space sectors, is set to be published first – VERY QUICKLY These moves have not come out of nowhere but with the MoD working with the Department for build on a growing ambition for the UK to adopt a Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and a TO SPACE AND more defence-orientated view, given the increased new National Space Council. IT MAY EVEN BE dependence on space, and the challenges from both There is also the matter of the delayed UK WON OR LOST the environment and rogue actors. Integrated Review (IR) itself, which is now set IN SPACE. While military and civil space concerns are to appear in early 2021. Despite assurances closely linked (space debris and space weather that this defence review would be strategy-led, RAF Chief of for example), the UK is now aiming to rebalance some observers have already noted that, by the the civil/defence mix and grow its own cadre of government announcing the funding boost now, it the Air Staff military space professionals – while still deepening is effectively putting the cart before the horse and Air Chief Marshal its co-operation with commercial space industry and makes this once again, a resource-led strategic Sir Mike Wigston international partners. For example, while the MoD review.

JANUARY 2021 23 SPACE Defence Space Conference Report

Crown copyright/RAF Recruiting the next generation of ‘Jedi Knights’

Another noticeable aspect from the conference, was how young and diverse many of the speakers were – whether they were military officers or ‘new space’ entrepreneurs excited by the seemingly limitless possibilities of space. This fast-moving sector, much like the pioneering dawn of aviation, is thus attracting some Top: If you do spot a Vogon of the brightest young minds – however there is Construction Fleet or an intense battle going on for talent where military rogue Russian Goldeneye space is just one player. Anita Bernie, Strategy & satellite – who do you call? Business Execution, KISPE Space and RAF Grp Lower: Dr Will Roper, Capt Reservist, noted that a useful question to tease Assistant Secretary of out the real problems of attracting a more diverse the US Air Force for workforce is not to ask candidates: ‘What attracts Acquisition, Technology you to this profession’ but ‘What makes you think and Logistics, introduced twice about a career in defence?’. the Dragon’s Den style pitches. To attract these new ‘Jedi Knights’ to work in defence-related space roles, the conference heard that the defence sector still needs to up its game on diversity and inclusion. Its competitors for global talent are not just other armed service branches but Dragon’s Den software and tech firms, as well as exciting ‘new space’ start-ups like SpaceX or Blue Origin that can Taking its cue from popular reality TV formats like exert an irresistible pull for talent. As Professor Anu Dragon’s Den/Shark Tank and the Silicon Valley Ojha, Director National Space Academy, argued tech culture of fast-moving pitches, the conference about D&I: “This is not about being woke or PC: this also featured a US/UK search for global space is about deepening the talent pool at a time of rapid innovation for military users – in the first-ever change and fierce competition.” International Space Pitch Day – a collaboration between DSTL, DASA, US Space Force, Starburst Taming the space ‘Wild West’ Accelerator and others. Introduced by USAF acquisition chief Dr Will The conference also saw much discussion and Roper this saw 15 teams with entries around debate on what sort of emerging space power the world from India to Canada compete for a the UK is. Costs and barriers to entry are falling slice of £800,000 in prize money. The teams rapidly – opening up new opportunities but also new pitched ideas that ranged from better predictions challenges. of space weather, to secure sharing of data, to The question is then, what sort of space slick graphical user interfaces and synthetic power does the UK aspire to be? One potential environments to train space operators. The format demonstration of the UK’s role was provided in saw the teams present their pitches in quick-fire the conference when Samatha Jobs, Director video format, with strict time limits and a couple of for Defence and International Security, Foreign, quick questions from the judges at the end. Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), What was noteworthy in these pitches is that gave an insight into the behind-the-scenes none of these space pitches involved hardware, diplomatic effort the UK had put into sponsoring a such as new rocket engines, satellites or heat- UN resolution to encourage responsible behaviour shield tiles. Instead, they were concerned with in space. This saw virtual meetings, lobbying and collating, verifying, sorting and speeding up the presentations, which resulted in the Resolution secure dissemination of vast amounts of data to being passed 150 to 12 on 6 November – a major those ‘warfighters’ and commanders that need to diplomatic triumph for the UK and one that has know, right now, whether a solar flare or satellite gone somewhat under the radar in terms of wider conjunction will affect their combat operations on recognition of the growing confidence of Britain in land, sea or in the air. international space circles. However, Jobs noted In the end, ten teams split the $1m prize that not all countries were in favour of this and a between them and the positive response from this minority (the usual suspects) rather liked the current years International Space Pitch Day means that it is ‘Wild West’ of orbital lawlessness. highly likely that it will return, bigger, better and even This was backed up by Director UK Space, more international in a future event. Air Vice Marshal Harvey Smyth who said: “We

24 AEROSPACE Reaction Engines

KISPE’s Anita Bernie, who are witnessing countries like Russia push the In another presentation, Carrie Lambert, Chief also pitched in the Pitch boundaries of acceptable norms and behaviours”. Project Engineer from Reaction Engines, revealed Day, is also a reservist RAF While the FCDO lobbied behind the scenes at the one intriguing area of Anglo-French co-operation in officer and an example UN, earlier this year Smyth and his US counterpart reusable spaceplanes, with its air-breathing SABRE of the diverse talent that space is now attracting. issued a rare public rebuke to Russia over rocket being studied by France’s CNES, ONERA The French space sector suspected anti-satellite testing. and Arianespace under the Hyperstar project which is now studying Reaction Using the UK’s still considerable diplomatic envisages a Two-Stage-to-Orbit (TSTO) spaceplane Engines’ air breathing muscle to advance shared concerns over space, being launched from Kourou Space Centre in rocket technology under was a strategic approach that was also echoed French Guiana, South America. With Arianespace the Hyperstar project. by Angus Lapsley, Director General, Strategy & falling behind Elon Musk’s SpaceX in reusable International, MoD, who said that, as a medium rockets, could a joint Anglo-French ‘ sized power, the UK’s strength are in ‘thought 2.0 on steroids’ allow Europe to leap ahead with leadership’. This new era, he said, represented affordable, reusable space access for commercial, an opportunity for the UK to define ‘Britain’s government and military customers? personality’ as a space power, adding that he Finally, Sir Martin Sweeting, Executive Chairman believed the UK could carve out a niche as a Founder and SSTL and Joseph D Anderson VP ‘nimble, fast and agile’ space power. Operations and BD Space Logistics, , considered the disruptive technology of The view from industry in-orbit resupply, repair and manufacturing – which pioneer Sweeting believes will be the In fact, as well as leading the way on new biggest orbital game changer in the next decade or diplomatic efforts in space, the UK Government is so. Freed from having to pack antennas and dishes already proving to be more agile that most people into rocket fairings, robotic in-orbit assembly of parts might expect – by investing in the OneWeb LEO (and 3D printing) will mean that giant apertures and broadband satellite mega-constellation. As well as antennas for science, communication and military internet access, OneWeb’s thousands of satellites, uses will be possible – leading to satellites with made by Airbus, could also have new military, even more impressive capabilities. scientific and climate roles, said Sarah Macken, Director UK Business Development Defence & Summary Space, Airbus. OneWeb, then, could potentially offer the UK a range of space capabilities including a This conference then, was a landmark event for LEO navigation alternative. The US Pentagon is UK military and international space professionals, already reported to be interested in the possibilities and highlights how Britain is now crafting its role of LEO mega-constellations for military roles, as the and identity as a global space power. It is worth sheer numbers make them highly resilient. noting that, as the event started, the prospects for Meanwhile, a presentation from Lockheed UK defence (let alone niches like military space) Martin UK’s Nik Smith, Team Athena Director, looked extremely grim with most people expecting highlighted a recently published study from Team post-Covid-19 savage cuts. Even modest space Athena (comprising Lockheed Martin, Inmarsat, capabilities thus seemed like science fiction at the Serco and CGI UK) which set out possible pathways start of the week. The news, then, that the UK would for the UK to expand as a space power. These get the biggest rise in defence spending in 30 include a National Space Academy, space-based years, with a special focus on areas like cyber and precision navigation, and UK satellites launched space, was thus extremely positive – even if some from UK spaceports. of the detail still remains to be worked out.

JANUARY 2021 25 AEROSPACE RAeS Urban Air Mobility conference report Vertical Aerospace

Waiting for the eVTOL-taxi rank

Considering how close to launch urban air mobility systems claim to be, it may appear strange how little public discussion about it there has been. DAVID LEARMOUNT looked at what steps are being taken to rectify this.

eveloping the enabling technologies for Plying the urban skies a new age of urban air mobility (UAM) is proceeding apace in many countries Whatever work helicopters have been doing in urban Vertical worldwide, yet debate in the public airspace for decades can now be carried out better Aerospace’s sphere about the change this will bring and far more extensively by an entirely new category Dto urban life is almost non-existent. of aircraft. That is the UAM vision. A multitude of VA-1X saw the The Royal Aeronautical Society held an online start-up companies are pitching for their eVTOL company shift to UAM conference in October 2020 to review progress machines to ply urban skies as air taxis and they a winged concept in this burgeoning new industry – which promises are attracting serious investment with promises, by imminent entry into service for the earliest of many some, of entry into commercial service by 2023. But with tilting rotors. competing electrically-powered vertical take-off and if UAM is to succeed where helicopters have simply landing (eVTOL) air vehicles. stalled at today’s level, the aircraft must be quiet Major cities worldwide have long exploited and cheap to buy and operate with smart systems underground metros to improve intra-urban travel but for making safe use of the urban sky’s maximum now the airspace above them is seen as a solution capacity must be available and approved by the to traffic congestion. James Sheppard, Head of authorities. Research and Technology at UK-based Vertical Speaking at the RAeS UAM conference, Aerospace told the UAM conference that eVTOL Robbie Bourke, Vice-President at management operations should complement public transport, consultancy Oliver Wyman, warned that nowhere in not compete with it, indicating a vision of ‘vertiports’ the world, at present, are there regulations permitting co-located with rail, metro and bus stations. UAM operations on the scale envisaged by these

26 AEROSPACE 27 Lilium JANUARY 2021 JANUARY Uber intends to provide the familiar ride-hailing Meanwhile, the airspace they operate in will Almost all the companies bidding for UAM advanced Although 2023 was, until recently, app, and was to operate its own air taxi service, JobyUber Elevate, but has just sold the latter to It has also sold its self-driving car company Aviation. to Aurora, Group Uber Advanced Technologies it will in which developer, an autonomous trucking own about 25% of its shares. Many believe that it UAM over the high-profile promotion of was Uber’s years that has led to the large number of last few companies competing for space in this promised at the RAeS the conference market. However, evenconsensus was that the size of the market, thegiven optimistic predictions, cannot support manufacturers, so number of wannabe eVTOL consolidation is expected.” extensive integrated air traffic inevitably be dependent on new, and expertise. digital technology management (ATM) environment using Uber predicts an airborne ATM flown by pilots a network of one-way ‘skylanes’, operating under visual flight rules (VFR) to begin and separation/ with but eventually automating ATM anti-collision, permitting freer routeing choices. marketplace success have already flown at least and are working machines prototype eVTOL with specialist infrastructure companies on plans Also, for urban landing site provision and ATM. they are having to consult national inevitably, aviation authorities (NAA) about regulation and airworthiness certification. Germany-based fly its obtained permits to for example, Volocopter, prototype air taxi in 2016 and successfully VoloCity ran manned demonstration flights over Marina Singapore in 2018, generating great interest Bay, is not a certificate of however, there. A permit to fly, airworthiness for public transport operations. by aircraft manufacturers as the date by which commercial operations could begin, it had always looked implausible to observers. Now the date seems to have slipped to 2025 but that still looks whose successful to Volocopter, optimistic – except Here are just two examples of how far advanced Here are just two examples some equipment is, thanks to investment. Germany- air taxi developer Lilium – has based eVTOL attracted nearly $400m investment while US-based by is backed which in Massachusetts, Terrafugia demonstrates that the interest is Chinese money, global. Airbus, Boeing, Bell and Embraer have their pie, as so do car manufacturers fingers in the eVTOL Meanwhile, the established Hyundai and Toyota. urban surface transport giant Uber not only published in 2017 presenting a global vision for Paper a White industry but since then has staged three the UAM enthusiastically-attended annual conventions to hype the prospects for this new industry. The eVTOL investment rush eVTOL The seems to be deterring None of this, however, – rush to invest in eVTOL The anybody now. right both vehicle manufacturers and the enabling the air given infrastructure providers – is not surprising, (UAM) that the market value of urban air mobility providers in the US alone is forecast by some of $300bn within 20 years. analysts to be in excess Berger, Indeed, management consultancy Roland FIA Connect virtual represented at Farnborough’s Global Urban Air Summit 2.0 in July 2020, predicted aircraft will be operating that 160,000 eVTOL worldwide by 2050, serving the intra-urban and near-urban short-haul air taxi marketplace. Duncan Managing Director of infrastructure provider Walker, that figure is a massive under- Skyports, reckons estimation. optimistic analysts and investors. Meanwhile, Munishoptimistic analysts and investors. Meanwhile, Senior Manager Business Khurama, Eurocontrol’s anDevelopment reported that, while conducting withurban airspace assessment over Riga, Latvia operations in mind, he discovered things future UAM many surprises,” found he had not anticipated: “We were, he revealed, There he told the conference. airlarge numbers of unauthorised unmanned regularly using the lower airspace, systems (UAS) and the authorities knew nothing about it. The Lilium all-electric air Lilium all-electric The taxi prototype. AEROSPACE RAeS Urban Air Mobility conference report Spielvogel

Singapore trials have given it the confidence to Airbus and Embraer which are familiar with the predict approval within two or three years. It is, painstaking business of dealing with NAAs. They The eVTOL Volocopter presumably, also buoyed by its work in co-operation favour 2030 as a plausible entry into service date 2X. Volocopter is set to with Parisian authorities to test an eVTOL shuttle and even then, according to the UK Civil Aviation begin air taxi services in Singapore in 2023 and is service for the city’s Olympic Games transport Authority (CAA) Innovation Services Lead Frederic already selling tickets for infrastructure in 2024. Laugere: “It cannot happen overnight”. 15minute flights. Speaking at the RAeS UAM conference, Laugere Certification – a painstaking predicted that the service introduction process will business be more of a progressive roll-out, “a journey carefully controlled”, as he puts it. In this emerging sector Some of these new eVTOL aircraft will be there is so much new stuff for the aviation authorities technically capable of carrying a commercial to test, approve and certify. The testing task is not payload by then but proof of the safety concept, only about the aircraft’s airworthiness: it has to winning public transport airworthiness certification include ATM procedure testing, because the eVTOL for the vehicles and air operator certificates for the operating environment will be different from any ATM air taxi companies, and creation and approval of environment that has preceded it and a great deal of the necessary supporting infrastructure, will take surveillance/separation automation and integration is longer. A litmus test is the difference between the going to be necessary for it to work. The CAA, which estimates of the enthusiastic start-ups – who are takes seriously its commitment to help beneficial eagerly pitching to their investors – and those of innovation, says it is looking for faster ways of doing the established aerospace players such as Boeing, its oversight duty in this entirely new arena but

The Limitations

There are physical factors that will limit what eVTOL can do in practice and others that will limit – or at least influence – the potential size of the UAM market in and around any given city. These limitations include: ● Aircraft range, and potential time airborne between battery charges. Ideally, aircraft would be able to tackle journeys of 50-150km, so they fly inter-city or airport-city journeys, not just intra-city hops. ● Battery charging downtime: this will affect maximum aircraft utilisation rates and parking space at vertiports. Vertical Aerospace, for example, hopes to facilitate quick battery swaps between flights to avoid aircraft downtime and warns that gradual battery degradation has to be taken into account in performance calculations. ● How many vertiports a city can offer, how well their disposition serves the total urban area and how well they interface with airports and rail/metro/bus stations all play into the system’s viability, as does the potential throughput rate of passengers or packages and whether the local environment can handle the increased traffic. ● The maximum density of airborne traffic the local populace will accept and that the ATM system can manage safely and, finally, weather conditions, will be limiting factors, as they are for non-urban air traffic.

28 AEROSPACE Uber The UAM vision

Uber set out an expansive UAM vision in its White Paper for the future of this completely new industry, both short- and long-term. Here is a quotation from it: “Ultimately, if can serve the on-demand urban transit case well – quiet, fast, clean, efficient, and safe – there is a path to high production volume manufacturing (at least thousands of a specific model type built per year) which will enable eVTOLs to achieve a dramatically lower per-vehicle cost.” “The economics of manufacturing eVTOLs will become more akin to automobiles than aircraft. Initially, of course, VTOL vehicles are likely to be very expensive but, because the ridesharing model amortizes the vehicle cost efficiently over paid trips, the high cost should not end up being prohibitive to getting started.” Uber is not alone among manufacturers and operators in accepting that the early eVTOL UAM flights will have a pilot on board and will be conducted under visual flight rules (VFR) only in visual meteorological conditions (VMC). Vertical Aerospace CEO Michael Cervenka says they will be pushing for IFR (instrument flight rules) clearance as soon as possible but,it will not be granted in the early days. The ultimate vision, Uber unashamedly concedes, is vehicle autonomy, possibly preceded by remote- piloting. None of the other operators argues with this objective. Speaking at the RAeS conference Robbie Bourke, Vice-President of management consultant Oliver Wyman, predicted autonomy would bring operating costs down by 30-40% and increase payload by giving the pilot space to a passenger. As Skyports Managing Director Duncan Walker has pointed out, making an aircraft autonomous is easier than doing the same for a car.

without sacrificing safety standards. new industry?” He also added that he sees “great Above: Hyundai’s proposed Laugere implies that, if an entire system gets products being developed” but not enough working air taxis for Uber. approved for operation within absolutely minimal together and liaising with infrastructure providers, testing times, caution is essential during its cities and NAAs. introduction. This would allow learning and additional The conviction that the new eVTOLs will testing on the job. The idea of starting with cargo be able to transform a transport marketplace operations – distributors like Amazon Prime might that helicopters have notably failed to develop be customers – was one of many proposals floated is based on wide differences between the two at the event. One of Volocopter’s products, dubbed types of vehicle. Commercial transport helicopters VoloDrone, will be pitching for that job. are mechanically complex single-rotor aircraft, expensive to maintain and operate, noisy and Getting the public onside carbon-fuelled – thus polluting. Finally, even if fatal helicopter accidents are rare, helicopter design The sheer volume of money, energy, enthusiasm and incorporates several highly-stressed single-point- hard work visibly being invested in the UAM sector of-failure components whose failure usually means is so impressive that even those at the conference disaster. who felt they should voice warnings about the Meanwhile, all the eVTOLs aimed at the UAM multitude of hurdles along the route to commercial marketplace are relatively mechanically simple, lighter, operation sounded rather apologetic about raining far quieter (but not noiseless), battery-powered (and on the eVTOL parade. Perhaps the most frequent thus clean in operation) and powered by distributed cautionary note voiced at the RAeS was not about electrical propulsion (DEP). DEP is a system of the aircraft technology – which everybody accepts multiple independent power units, each one driving is a matter of when, not if – but about how little its own fan or fans, designed such that, if one or attention this gestating industry is paying to the need more engines were to fail, the vehicle is able to land to prepare the public for the arrival of a disruptive safely. For example, Lilium’s Lilium Jet sports 36 small new technology. After all, if urban eVTOL operations ducted fans in a hybrid tilt-wing format that allows prove a commercial success, it will affect all city- it to transition to wing-borne flight in the cruise. dwellers, most of whom are unlikely to be able to The competing Volocopter VoloCity has 18 larger afford to use it – especially in its early days. Failure unducted fans but no fixed wing and UK-based to get the public onside – or ideally to fire them Vertical Aerospace’s VA-1X has eight fans and a up with enthusiasm – could be a massively costly fixed wing. omission. Vertical Aerospace has imported talent, Speaking at the RAeS conference, Professor Iain technology and ideas from Formula One. Explaining Gray, Director of Aerospace at Cranfield University part of the VA-1X design philosophy at the RAeS asked rhetorically: “who will be the Tesla of this UAM conference, Sheppard pointed out that the

JANUARY 2021 29 AEROSPACE RAeS Urban Air Mobility conference report Oliver Wyman The Hurdles Although he was not the only person at the RAeS conference to voice this consideration, speaker Robbie Bourke of management consultant Oliver Wyman, laid down a fundamental precondition for UAM success. “True public acceptance is essential,” he said, pointing out that the necessary city infrastructure like vertiports, not just the aircraft and their operations, will have to win government and city approval. Those with investment in the business tended to avoid mentioning the operating environment, instead focusing on the fact that this industry will be global and that the public in some cities is much more likely to welcome UAM than others. Richard Parker CEO of Altitude Angel Richard Parker told the conference of his vision for UTM (unified traffic management). A specialist in airspace usage and management for drones, Parker says the enabling technology for urban ATM must adapt to existing systems but be deployed highly locally. Ultimately, it must be automated, he says, and so must the systems for issuing clearances, slots, and vertiport parking gates, but he does not forecast a date for their approval. Hence the consensus that the operation will start slowly under visual flight rules. Also speaking at the conference, Flight Crowd founder and drone specialist Mariya Tarabanovska concedes eVTOL operations: “will not be autonomous or fully automated from day one,” and insists that companies: “need to be much more open to get the public on-side.”

control system is digital fly-by-wire. To control its eVTOL aircraft were to have a mishap. After all, Top: Robbie Bourke from eight independent rotor systems plus aerodynamic in 2013 a helicopter hit a construction crane in management consultant control surfaces, the pilot interfaces with an FADFC London (Vauxhall) and crashed, killing the pilot and Oliver Wyman. (full-authority digital flight control) system, basically two people on the ground. This has not resulted Above lower: Altitude a computer that takes account of the pilot’s control in a suspension of helicopter operations over Angel CEO, Richard Parker. inputs, and compensates for other factors like London but helicopters are a known technology wind gusts or power unit failure. Vertical is working and relatively few operations take place. The with Honeywell on this project, but – like all the eVTOL industry is aware, however, that if a start-up aspiring start-up manufacturers – they will still have technology were to experience fatal failures over to convince NAAs that the control system has the a city in the early days, it could put back public necessary integrity, reliability, and redundancy before acceptance by years, just as accidents involving they get it approved. autonomous cars have done in the surface transport Vertical Aerospace’s CEO Michael Cervenka sector. says the first market opportunity that eVTOL By contrast, Cervenka points to Bangalore, India. will take is to replace helicopters in the urban It is a large city buzzing with business and industrial environment. However, that will be just the start. activity but the transport infrastructure is awful and An argument employed by all the players to justify surface congestion leads to an appalling waste of the ultimate UAM vision is to cite the demographic business time and to high emissions. eVTOL could forecasts that a far higher proportion of the world’s make a positive difference in cities like it, he points population will soon live in cities than do now, out, and public acceptance is likely to be much higher. leading to urban sprawl and worsening transport Skyports’ Duncan Walker says he sees London congestion both on and beneath the ground. The as a sound UAM prospect in the longer term but recent Covid-19-driven practice of people working does not see it as a ‘first mover’. Asked which the first from home might – according to current forecasts movers are likely to be, he forecasts Singapore, Los – may temporarily slow this process, but it will not Angeles and Dubai. As for regions or countries which actually reverse the long-term migration of people to are already buying into the idea most enthusiastically, cities. Cervenka sees a large part of eVTOLs’ work he cites Florida, Japan and South Korea. Uber being ferrying people who work most days at their Elevate says ideal target cities have a population of rural or suburban home close to the city but need to more than a million, a large airport and good weather: commute in from time to time for business reasons. it favours Dallas, Los Angeles and Melbourne as examples. Which cities will be first? Paris, despite its well-developed surface and metro infrastructure and its relatively compact size Choosing top global cities like London or New York compared with the world’s sprawling mega-cities, as an example of cities where UAM can flourish seems likely to be a first-mover simply because it is is to downplay its ultimate potential, according hosting the 2024 Olympic Games. The city would to analysts. Both are cities with a well-developed love to have eVTOL shuttle services to boast at public transport system even if the roads are the event. Trials, involving Volocopter, Skyports, and congested, and are home to populations sensitive the Paris airports group ADP, are being set up at to aviation noise and to the threat to citizens if an Pontoise airfield near Paris.

30 AEROSPACE Virtual collaboration the good, the bad and the ugly

With the world still in varying degrees of lockdown, aerospace and aviation has accelerated its shift to online collaboration, learning and training. Aviation safety consultant FAHAD MASOOD, MRAeS, (Sqn Ldr(R), Air University Islamabad, Pakistan, explores the advantages and disadvantages of this new way of working.

ome call it a curse but this global Online programmes: Effective or pandemic is also an impetus for change. Ineffective? Covid-19 has hastened the inevitable, with people going online for almost every With cyber-everything being the ‘new normal’, a lot of task of daily life now and aviation is no the supporting functions of aviation and aerospace Sexception. From Zoom meetings to Skype training (apart from the actual flying itself) is now being workshops to Webex webinars to Google Hangouts, facilitated through the Internet, such as training and we have shifted from more intimate face-to-face development, briefings/meetings, webinars etc. This communiqués to an inevitable virtual existence. In July saw the first ever ‘virtual Farnborough’ trade my opinion, aerospace, as a high technology sector, show – with 14,000 visitors from 97 countries, 142 has adapted to this new tech relatively quicker than companies and 247 speakers in the FIA Connect others due to its built-in dynamism. week-long digital trade event. This ‘new normal’

JANUARY 2021 31 AEROSPACE Industry communications

and increased digitalisation was always being regulators could not meet in person. In an online contemplated by industry but never was the pace this training environment, a teacher may see a student brisk. Indeed, one speaker at FIAConnect remarked nod their head in a Zoom lecture but do they really that the UK has undergone a decades-worth of shift understand it? to virtual way of working in just two-three months. 2. T he speaker is the only one communicating, hence This shift to virtual collaboration has unquestionable less interaction with other participants and all may THE UK HAS benefits but along with it comes challenges galore. become passive attendees. Delegates or students UNDERGONE E-learning, for example, can enable aviation can not communicate with each other, resulting A DECADES- organisations to meet regulatory requirements, as in boredom at times and decreased efficiency. well as scale up learning and development of their This reduces the possibility of students informally WORTH OF staff while cutting training costs and increasing their assisting each other in tackling joint projects while SHIFT TO operational efficiencies (Webanywhere, 2012). But it in the same class. VIRTUAL WAY is important to bear in mind the disadvantages in this 3. P ossibility of delayed feedback due latency/slow brave new world. OF WORKING internet/disconnections from peers is a major What follows is a brief overview of the good, IN JUST TWO- hitch. Although this is a rarity nowadays, once it the bad and the bottom of the pile in the context of happens, tempers rise rather quickly, especially if THREE MONTHS. aviation and virtual working. there are high stakes involved, like that of a billion dollar deal. With everyone now online, there is The good added pressure on broadband links to keep up. 4. T he participant needs to own a device (laptop, There are many obvious advantages in using online tablet, cell phone) and have access to the internet collaboration: while specific software is a prerequisite. This is not 1. Anyone can easily access sessions anytime and a common issue in the developed world, however virtually from anywhere – highly desirable for a it is in the less fortunate areas, which can prove global industry like aerospace. a challenge. Internet connectivity can be found 2. No travel, hassle for parking spaces and minimum wanting at times to transfer both voice and video away time from residence. Formal project at times. The more remote the region (for example, meetings with international partners that happen an aircraft on the ground (AOG) requiring trouble- every six months, can be replaced with weekly shooting from the OEM) the more critical the Skype sessions – boosting communication and need. agility of the overall enterprise. 5. In a training scenario, a limitation of not having 3. Time management is easier and more efficient. full eye contact compels the trainers/facilitators 4. V irtually anyone can use it – reaching a much to alternately or randomly question participants to larger audience than traditional methods. ensure maximum learning value. 5. It generates increased inclusivity and flattening of 6. T he aviator, engineer, etc needs to be somewhat aviation organisations. Today a student can tweet a IT technology conversant and the ‘old-skool’ rocket company CEO and get a response or pose generation (and those ironically perhaps at the top a question to an Air Marshal via Zoom webinar. of companies, air arms and organisations) could A scene from the 6. Everything eco-friendly – everything electronic. conceivably have the most difficulties in going No paper use. Nevertheless, e-learning only saves digital. recent RAeS virtual resources if the training is effective (Kearns, 7. It gets even more challenging when using add- space conference. 2010). ons like screen-sharing, whiteboards etc. Use 7. T his results as an opportunity for some to ‘punch of styluses can be a huge enabler, as well as an above their weight’; for example, the RAeS inhibitor in contemporary times. Even the relatively has taken its lectures online, becoming more more experienced lecturers or trainers feel accessible to a wider global audience. hampered when they opt to use a Smart Board or digital whiteboards.

The bad The digitally ugly

There are two sides to every coin. With the pros, here Although online interaction does free up time are the cons: (sometimes!), it is often promoted as an easy way to 1. Decreased ‘mano a mano’ interaction between the learn and collaborate. Which it is, in the sense of not participants. This could lead to reduced non-verbal commuting and being more easy to fit into a schedule. cues available, leading to miscommunication or However, the fact is that a participant with a family increased confusion – especially where critical who works online is more than committed. Sometimes safety concepts are being discussed. For example, electronic interaction is thus conceived as a fix-all Boeing 737 MAX re-certification process solution to lockdown, smart lockdown or curfew but faced delays earlier this year since EU and FAA this is not always the case.

32 AEROSPACE objectives. As a result of exposure to poorly designed e-learning courses, many aviation professionals have already developed a negative opinion of e-learning as a whole (Kearns, 2010). 6. W hile online aerospace events can theoretically reach more people and attract a global audience – they may fall short in inspirational qualities. Lack of the ability to get ‘hands-on’ with technology, sit in an aircraft cockpit and smell aviation grade gasoline at an air show could result in a shortage of up and coming aviators or engineers. Events like the ‘Virtual Air Tattoo’, held in the summer are well-organised but might never replace the visceral experience of watching, hearing and feeling the power of a full afterburner take-off. 7. Information security is of paramount importance for going cyber, especially to aerospace designers and strategic business unit executives where there is now a greater opportunity for hackers to listen in on meetings or steal company secrets. Zoom, for example, has already faced criticism for its cyber security safety. Meanwhile, TikTok a Chinese video sharing app, that some might see as a fun social media tool to promote engagement with young people or perhaps for aviation careers, has been banned by the US military due to how much personal information it collects from the user. 8. V irtual collaboration also asks whether the negative effects of blurring work and home is as sustainable as we think. Are we working from home, or living at work? 9. In an exam scenario, it is can be difficult to stop 1. It is expensive and time-confusing to train less students from using unfair means during online tech-savvy ‘old skool’ aviation executives for quizzes or examinations. Hence, some form of AI online meetings, when they should be focusing on facial recognition or digital signatures to protect The RAeS’ leading or strategy. against this menace has to be instituted. forthcoming 2. V irtual events means that networking opportunities 10. Finally, the civil aviation industry depends on Aeroversity at aviation industry events are missed (coffee big-budget business travellers and its corporate platform aims to breaks in conferences, chalets at Farnborough clientele to generate revenue. If this cadre withers provide online etc), as well as ‘accidentally’ bumping into the due to increased online collaboration and ‘virtual right people at the right time, which cannot be meetings’, it spells longer-term trouble for both learned content replicated online. Will the aviation industry miss out airlines and manufacturers. This paradigm shift to and courses. on a whole year of potential start-ups, business video conferencing has, of course been predicted deals, partnerships, job offers, that were facilitated before, after 9/11, and never came to pass, by being in the ‘right place at the right time’. however the Covid-19 crisis is on a whole different level. Has technology now caught up? 3. It is difficult to motivate all students or delegates for extended periods of time and it can get boring Conclusion very quickly. The novelty of ‘Zoom Pub Quizzes’ has already worn off. Online webinars or Zoom video What is remarkable about this global paradigm shift meetings are also more tiring, as they require more is how all aviation functions have now absorbed it focus and effort to concentrate on what is being in their system of work. However, it is too early to said. say without credible research how effective these changes have been for aviation and aerospace 4. S ome students or delegates have a negative organisations. With my personal experience I can attitude toward online technology. This can vouch that ‘online’ is here to stay, no questions asked. perhaps be because they are temporarily removed However, past mistakes, including poorly designed from their comfort zone. e-training courses, that resulted in many pilots and 5. In some cases training/workshop facilitators will aviation professionals having a negative opinion of have to redesign a course to fit online learning online learning needs to be avoided at all costs.

JANUARY 2021 33 GENERAL AVIATION eVTOL air ambulances Call the eVTOL air ambulance A group of volunteers from ICAO, academia and industry is working to create an autonomous eVTOL flying ambulance from an imaginary concept design to an actual working platform. BILL READ FRAeS reports on the Ambular project.

n 2017, the International Civil Aviation emergency and fast evacuation of a patient to the Organization (ICAO) launched a project hospital. The potential of the Ambular design inspired to look at how aircraft and aviation might ICAO staff to wonder if the idea might not be worth develop in the future. A leading figure in developing in reality and so, in 2018, the Ambular the project was Canadian engineer and project was born. Iinnovator Charles Bombardier who has created over 360 futuristic concept designs through the Operation imaginactive non-profit think tank, including jet packs, airships, hypersonic airliners, flying cars and The basic idea of Ambular is to act as a flying sheep-herding drones. Bombardier’s ideas inspired ambulance. If an accident happens, people can a number of ICAO staff to contribute their own request an Ambular service. The call goes out to the suggestions and also lead to the realisation that nearest paramedic who boards the vehicle which then they should not just be thinking about new designs flies them to the scene of the accident. The aircraft but also how they could be used. will fly autonomously using an artificial intelligence One of Charles Bombardier’s concept designs (AI) system remotely monitored by a trained pilot was a flying ambulance. Called Ambular, the concept in a command centre. The AI systems aboard the consisted of an autonomous eVTOL aerial platform vehicle will guide it through ‘tight and difficult’ urban which could provide rapid response to a medical environments. Arriving at the accident scene, the Ambular/Martin Rico Ambular/Martin

34 AEROSPACE paramedic will stabilise the patient on site. The patient Partner projects can then be transported to a hospital far quicker than using conventional emergency response land vehicles. There are four main areas of study – technical, social, Currently, there are three variations of the legal and medical. In a presentation at GUAS 2.0 Ambular design. The first version, Ambular 1.0 (fitted at FIAConnect in August, three participants in the with six ducted fans), can carry a single patient while Ambular project explained the different elements Ambular 2.0 (four unducted fans at low level) can that they were currently working on. The Gina Cody carry a patient and a paramedic. A larger version, the School of Engineering and Computer Science at Ambular 3.0 (four unducted fans at high level) can Concordia University Institute for Aerospace Design carry one patient and two paramedics. There is also a and Innovation is working on designing optimal design for a small Ambular quadcopter drone which trajectories to transport patients from home to hospital, can carry medical supplies. while the Aerodynamics and Acoustics Facility at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology is Looking at the wider picture developing a scale wind tunnel model for aerodynamic testing. Meanwhile, CASR, which specialises in UAS As the volunteers from ICAO started to look at the traffic management systems, is simulating flights of Ambular concept, they realised that developing the the Ambular using its VR/Simulator. idea into the real world would involve more than just creating the flying platform but would also include Ethical philosophy factors such as international standards, safety and public acceptance. Another area where the Ambular project differs from Because there are so many different aspects to a commercial development is one of philosophy and consider, the volunteers from ICAO have enlisted the ethics. Because Ambular is a healthcare project, it has support of a number of other international project to be consistent with adherence to the Hippocratic partners. These currently include ICAO, Imaginactive, Oath for medical professionals (including doing no Concordia University in Canada, CASRI – The Second harm, respecting confidentiality and to share new Research Institute of the Civil Aviation Administration knowledge), as well as the Archimedean Oath for of China (CAAC), The Hong Kong University of engineers and scientists (including respecting human Science and Technology and Chinese eVTOL rights and the environment, recognising responsibility manufacturer EHang. for actions and sharing information of importance The Ambular team is keen to stress that to society). Participants in the Ambular project are Below left to right: The development of the flying ambulance involves a required to comply with four principles – environmental Ambular would be able to very different approach than the development of accountability, social responsibility, data stewardship fly autonomously through a commercial eVTOL platform. Ambular is not a and open sources. ‘tight and difficult’ urban commercial product, nor a corporation and it has no Before any decision is made during design, environments; Concept stakeholder or investors but is being worked on by a development and operation, its environmental impact video of an Ambular 2.0 about to receive a group of volunteers with a shared set of values and will be assessed and no action will be taken if a more stretcher; in autonomous design philosophy. Participants in the project can be environmentally-friendly option is available. Regarding flight; The Ambular 1.0, from anywhere in the world who will discuss and share data ownership and stewardship, team members are Ambular 2.0 and Ambular their knowledge. not to collect any information which could lead to the 3.0 designs. Ambular/Martin Rico Ambular/Martin Rico Ambular/Martin Rico Ambular/Martin Ambular

JANUARY 2021 35 GENERAL AVIATION eVTOL air ambulances Charles Bombardier.com CASRI Wikipedia/Alex Wikipedia/Alex Charles Bombardier.com Ambular

identification of a particular person – except where it is UAV). Is there a particular design which is being given Ambular precursor designs needed for medical purposes, in which case the data priority to develop? Far left upper: Track-ER will be collected and managed by the medical system Yuri: The priority is on the use case for carrying the motorised stretcher. Lower; and will not be accessible or transmittable outside of it. patient. The other concepts were developed when Babylon Project medivac Because project volunteers are all working some team members wanted to think about how the motorbike. towards a common objective, any intellectual property current pandemic situation could be addressed. As Main middle image: developed by any member of the team should be we are a project of volunteers (and perhaps even if we Ambular project partner shared for free by any other member of the team. were not), we do encourage team members to think CASRI is experienced in UAS air traffic about how some of what they have learnt might be management. applied to more pressing matters. That does introduce Keep it simple Above upper: EHang 184 some scope creep but allows for more creative and eVTOL. Lower: Design for As the Ambular is being designed to be as affordable motivational energy. But yes, the critical path is on the a smaller Ambular medical to as wide a community as possible, the design follows patient carrying use case. supplies drone. a number of principles: Our intention is to go through the experience as ● to be simple with the minimum number of parts, to any start-up would when trying to make its dream a be affordable and cost no more to operate than a reality. There are some key differences: for example, conventional ambulance we cannot bring the product to market. However, we ● to be supply chain-resilient and be made from off- hope that the pursuit of building the Ambular will serve the-shelf products not dependant on one producer as inspiration for our colleagues and the wider aviation ● to be locally maintainable anywhere in any city in the community as we engage in the process of figuring out world how to unleash the potential of eVTOLs on improving peoples’ quality of life. The Ambular is a project run ● to be open sourced so that others can easily design by volunteers – and we encourage those who are extensions to it interested to contact us so we can look into how they ● to be modular with interchangeable parts can be part of this. ● to have ‘dual use’ so that the Ambular can be used not only as a flying ambulance but also for use in Operation and maintenance disaster relief These principles will also take into account factors AEROSPACE: How will those people responsible for regarding safety, security and data protection. maintaining and operating the Ambular be trained? Yuri: The Ambular project will develop a training regime Design priorities for all those involved from the flight operator, to the To find out more about the project, AEROSPACE medical crew, to the urban planners. The idea is to talked to Yuri Fattah, Programme Manager apply a system-wide, competency-based, approach. Multidisciplinary Priorities at ICAO and also the This is helped by having 3D interactive simulations of Ambular Team Lead Guide. the Ambular from the early stages of the development. Currently the team is using Unreal Engine to do this AEROSPACE: There are current three Ambular but we also have partners who are putting digital twins designs being proposed to carry a patient with one or of the Ambular in their simulators that have realistic two paramedics (plus a medical supplies quadcopter physics engines.

36 AEROSPACE ICAO Valeria Chavez Certification AEROSPACE: If the Ambular is to be made from off-the-shelf products sourced from a variety of suppliers, how will the vehicle obtain flight certification from competent authorities which will require each part and combination of parts to be tested?

Yuri: This is indeed a key question. The current Imaginative status quo seems to imply that there will either be only a few suppliers or a very expensive certification process. So, parallel to the development of all other things, we will also work on a testing regime to assist with certification. The focus of the regulator then moves from the certification of the individual combination of parts to the certification of the testing system and regime. That is much harder to do the first time it is done and, initially, both processes will probably need to run in parallel. Now, having said that, the Ambular project is about getting the community to debate and discuss these issues and to provide proof Released for operation Clockwise from top left: of concepts through prototyping, simulation and Participants in the Ambular demonstration. AEROSPACE: If the Ambular is not being made for project next to the Ambular So we won’t have actual Ambulars in operation profit, would it be sold to operators or donated for 2.0 mock-up on display at and can only take this issue so far. free? ICAO headquarters on 7 Yuri: After we create the functioning prototype the December 2019. From left to right: Ruichun Lin (ICAO); AEROSPACE: If the designs are open sourced project ends and all knowledge that the contributors so that anyone can modify the design, at what Charles Bombardier; ICAO agreed to keep in the public domain will be left for Secretary General, Dr point will the design be finalised so that it can be others who might work on real concepts for the Fang Liu; Air Navigation flight certificated? market. Physical assets will be retained by those Bureau Director, Stephen Yuri: The aim is to provide a one-quarter scaled who had made the contributions but I would not be P. Creamer; Ambular Team operational prototype in the next four to five years. surprised if it all gets donated. Lead, Yuri Fattah; and Martin Rico (Conceptual Design This may be followed by a full-scale prototype after Assistant, Future Aviation, that but, for now, that is not decided. Become involved ICAO). The design undergoes iterative cycles of about six Ambular Team Lead Guide months with each new version being an attempt The Ambular project is inviting anyone interested Yuri Fattah. to improve on the previous version following a in becoming involved to join as individuals, Charles Bombardier, corporations or institutions. The team is looking testing regime. For others who want to download President of Imaginactive. the designs and make their own variations, to have as wide a range of disciplines as possible something known in the open source community working simultaneously on all the issues relating to as ‘branching’, that is OK – and it becomes their the Ambular. own project but with affiliation to the main project. However, branching in this type of concept is Partners can help in three ways: not as easy as it is in software development. So I suspect that, rather than branching, the volunteers 1. Do some of the work, choosing from a list of will want to participate in the development of the work packages or suggesting one of their own. main vehicle. These include design, technical, legal issues and business cases. AEROSPACE: Is there going to be one central 2. P rovide resources – including hardware, co-ordinating group who will check the design software and places to display the prototypes. for safety and balance the different requirements of the other partners (extra medical equipment 3. P rovide funding – this would not go to the vs payload, inexpensive materials vs crash Ambular project but directly to institutions or worthiness, etc) volunteers working on the project. Yuri: Yes and we are finalising the way we will do that co-ordination. This will then be explained in If you are interested in being part of the Ambular our project document and our prospectus which project, then go to Ambular.org or email: contact@ will shortly be published on our website. ambular.org

JANUARY 2021 37 AEROSPACE Modelling and simulation for urban air mobility Simulating the urban air mobility future

GORDON WOOLLEY FRAeS from the RAeS Flight Simulation Group considers what modelling and simulation is needed to de-risk the futuristic vision of ‘aerial taxis’ navigating the skyscrapers of tomorrow’s megacities.

ecent RAeS activities, including standards and compliances needed to get the conferences and articles in process off to a sound start. AEROSPACE, have examined many All acknowledge the potential, at some point aspects of the development of electric in the future, of a full range of platforms from air vehicles (EAVs), particularly for passenger-carrying air taxis at the top end and Rurban air mobility (UAM). The Flight Simulation large freight-carrying air vehicles to small drones Group, for its part, has begun to look at how weighing a couple of kilos. modelling and simulation can be used to support ● These will operate between large, well-resourced those developments. This has been given new heliports, or simpler bases from parcel distribution impetus by the release, within the past few months, centres, from hospitals and emergency services of important papers by EASA – Opinion 01/2020 bases and from ad hoc sites. High level framework for the U-space, – and the FAA – Concept of operations (Conops) v1.0 for UAM ● Their roles will include passenger carrying, the and Concept of operations v2.0 for Unmanned air delivery of freight and packages, survey work systems traffic management (UTM) and a proposal of various kinds, event and media coverage, by a major Chinese company, EHang – The Future recreational and sporting activities and some of Transportation: White Paper on Urban Air Mobility purposes likely to emerge which we cannnot yet Systems. imagine. These documents set the stage for the first ● They will be operated in close proximity to the ventures into bringing EAVs into service and sketch ground, in the most hazardous and sensitive blocks out the operating environments, constraints and of airspace. ● They will perform far more varied flight profiles between a far greater range of sites, at far higher tempo, than established aviation services. ● They will use technologies which have yet to be fully developed.

38 AEROSPACE 39

JANUARY 2021 JANUARY AM operations are supported AM operations are conducted using new Flight intent will be submitted and shared amongFlight intent will be submitted for UTM operators will ultimately be responsible Remote identification (RID)a will provide Stages of development are based upon three The mature state operations will be achieved at state operations will be achieved mature The  vehicle types that have been certified to fly within the current regulatory and operational environment. Higher tempo U through regulatory evolution and UAM corridors that leverage collaborative separation methodologies. New operational rules and infrastructure facilitate Initial U highly automated traffic management, enabling remotely piloted and autonomous vehicles to safely operate at increased operational tempos. This federated set of services enables co- set of services enables federated This between of operations operative management by third-party support operators, facilitated UAS networked informationproviders through exchanges. to allow the services provided are interoperable The to meet the needs of theUTM ecosystem to scale operator community. UAS  

operators for situation awareness in the form of anoperators for situation prior to the will be developed operation plan, which the four-dimensional (4D)operation and indicate the operation is which volume of airspace within locations of the key the times and to occur, expected launch, events associated with the operation, including deemed important. and any other information recovery, airspace, maintaining separation from other aircraft, terrain and hazards, and avoiding unsafe weather, conditions throughout an operation. means to address public concerns and protect vulnerabilities associated with low public safety operations, including privacy and altitude UAS in co-ordination with FAA, security threats. The industry and the greater UTM community, NASA, is implementing a spiral development of UTM, operations and starting with low-complexity operational building in modules, higher complexity concepts and requirements. and risk-oriented metrics: (1) the number of people number amount of property on the ground, (2) the to the UAS of manned aircraft in close proximity operations. operations, and (3) the density of UAS 2. 3. FAA Conops V1 urban air mobility FAA (UAM) be developed to and will is a subset of UAT UAM development be consistent with its principles. UAM focuses on the transition from the traditional management of air traffic operations to the future passenger or cargo-carrying air transportation services within an urban environment. wherein: scale through a crawl-walk-run approach, 1. ● ●

NASA The EASA document Opinion 01/2020 centres EASA The The objective of this opinion is to create and Therefore, the U-space regulatory framework, that the U-space regulation concludes EASA It is a community-based traffic management system, where the operators and entities providing operation support services are and responsible for the co-ordination, execution, management of operations, with rules of the road established by the FAA. Their operation will raise public concerns over Their with as noise, nuisance, interference issues such other everyday activities and, not least, privacy.

on the concept of a ‘U-Space’ and its Executive on the concept of a ‘U-Space’ and its Executive Summary includes the statements: and harmonise the necessary conditions for manned unmanned aircraft to operate safely in the U-space and to airspace, to prevent collisions between aircraft mitigate the air and ground risks. permit supported by clear and simple rules, should all types safe aircraft operations in all areas and for of unmanned operations. This Opinion proposes an effective and enforceable regulatory framework and to support and enable operational, technical to business developments, and provide fair access can drive the all airspace users, so that the market airspace delivery of the U-space services to cater for first needs. This Opinion is, therefore, a users’ regulatory step to allow immediate implementation of the U-space after the entry into force of the regulation and to let the unmanned aircraft systems and U-space technologies evolve. should be performance- and risk-based, while ensuring consistency and interoperability with other associated EU with a combination regulations, for member states or even local of flexibility implementation. FAA Conops V2 Unmanned aircraft FAA systems traffic management – (UTM) Summary defines UTM as the Executive The will support operations for the FAA manner in which operating in low altitude airspace. UAS ● ● The VoloCity Volocopter Volocopter VoloCity The personal air vehicle is hoping to be the future of urban travel. Volocopter CFD modelling but of an eVTOL aerodynamics simulation is just one part needed. AEROSPACE Modelling and simulation for urban air mobility

Aircraft automation level: UAM operations will ‘Safety would be the first priority, so any UAM evolve from a pilot-in-command (PIC) onboard the vehicle needs to be outfitted with power redundancy UAM aircraft to remote UAM PICs. The following provided by multiple motors and propellers and categories describe the evolution of aircraft backup systems.’ automation: ‘Smart’ UAM vehicles to us mean that they are piloted autonomously, which not only obviates the 1 Human-within-the-loop (HWTL) need for an in-vehicle pilot and the associated costs, ● Human is always in direct control of the automation but also enhances safety and makes the vehicle more (systems). controllable from the ground. ‘Finally, cluster management techniques 2 Human-on-the-loop (HOTL) centralised at a ground-based command-and-control ● Human has supervisory control of the automation centre would allow UAM operators to control a (systems). multitude of vehicles simultaneously in an orderly and safe manner. All flight routes could be pre-registered ● Human actively monitors the systems and can take and predetermined so that UAM vehicles can travel full control when required or desired. only between certified ‘base points’’. 3 Human-over-the-loop (HOVTL) However, the concept also includes some ● Human is informed, or engaged, by the automation statements which may not be acceptable in Western (systems) to take action. jurisdictions: Above: NASA’s vision of ● ● Human passively monitors the systems and is ‘It is difficult to imagine that the safety of an future crowded skies. autonomous UAM system can be guaranteed if informed by automation if, and what, action is Below: The EHang required. each vehicle is allowed to fly freely in cities’. Command Centre for its ● passenger eVTOLs. ● Human is engaged by the automation either for New technological advancements, especially the exceptions that are not reconcilable or as part of development of centralised command-and-control rule set escalation. platforms, have made UAM vehicle manufacturers natural UAM operators. Both EASA and the FAA take a prescriptive, cautious step-by-step but open-ended approach to ● A centralised command-and-control platform a very challenging set of issues. In setting out their ensures all air vehicles are registered and controlled ideas for this new and rapidly but unpredictably to fly on specific routes set by computers. growing, aerospace sector they recognise that: ● The elimination of unnecessary competitors will ● The documents are very much ‘foundational’. As lead to sufficient pricing power for the remaining developments proceed, technologies evolve and operator(s) to ensure reasonable investment returns. information and experience are gathered, major regulatory revisions will be needed. M&S research ● Initial operations of passenger-carrying craft will be There is clearly a significant difference between the piloted, with automation introduced incrementally. way the primary Western regulators see the evolving ● Developments in platforms, operating bases, UAS sector and that postulated by EHang. To bring technologies, systems, services and so on will be either, or some other form, into reality will require a market-led. great deal of study and research into the enormous ● Operations will depend on effective co-operation variety of issues and challenges the platforms, and communication between stakeholders. systems, activities, capabilities, limitations, and so on, ● Their documents raise many questions and will that the documents allude to. not satisfy many of those keen to get the market moving. ● Not least, the authors note that the complexity of flightpaths, mission profiles and the growing traffic density will raise issues which cannot yet be identified and pose problems which current technologies cannot yet resolve. By contrast, the EHang proposal proposes a ‘full on’ approach, under centralised control, with predetermined flight paths and aircraft under totally automated flight control. The White Paper states that: ‘Based on our experience with AAVs and our research, we believe UAM, as a revolutionary idea, can be implemented now, yet in a more innovative way.’

40 AEROSPACE NASA with regulatory plans, such as the Eurocontrol 4D TM projects in support of SESAR, and the real time simulation investigation supporting it? ● Is the complex multi-agency model envisaged by the FAA likely to be responsive and flexible enough to be scalable to the extent anticipated, or is EHang’s centralised command and control model more promising? ● Would the restriction posed by the centralised registered and approved flight model be acceptable to Western societies? ● How is deconfliction and avoidance to be achieved? ● Who allocates priorities for airspace use, such as emergency services, the movement of human organs or the media desire to cover emerging situations? ● What impact is acceptable to ongoing operations Testing and resolving these operational and of changing priorities? regulatory issues will be heavily dependent on ● How are ‘rogue’ operators to be identified and modelling and simulation-based research (M&S). The controlled? uses of simulator-based training for, for instance, ● How is resilience to be guaranteed? flight crews and maintenance personnel, are well understood and these will be expanded into training UAS operators and controllers. Less well known Example 2 UAS ‘Volumes’ are a wide variety of research areas, such as ship air-wake modelling for establishing helicopter power To assure safe procedural separation and the and manoeuvre margins, air traffic flow patterns manoeuvre room for avoiding action, UAVs will to optimise approach paths and separation and require volumes, or bubbles, of protected airspace human factors research into training transfer, crew around them. eHang communication and co-operation. These indicate the Smaller ‘bubbles’ would permit greater levels of breadth of M&S research and noted below are some activity, ie ‘tempo’, and M&S can help optimise the examples to illustrate where M&S can help resolve size and shape of any required ‘bubble’ by evaluating some of the problems and challenges. UAS platform and system parameters, such as:

M&S research project Example 1 ● Size of the UAS ● Speed Modelling the UTM architecture ● Take-off and climb-out, and descent and landing parameters One of the biggest challenges is putting together a control and co-ordination architecture which can ● Its agility and power and manoeuvre margins ensure the optimum use of the available airspace, ● Precision of navigation and path-following and be flexible and responsive enough to cope with capability changes in traffic demand and priority patterns, ● ‘See and avoid’ or ‘detect and avoid’ systems weather restrictions, sudden events and incidents, effectiveness aborted flights, and so on. The sorts of questions ● Its ‘decision/action’ cycle; how quickly and M&S can address include: effectively can the platform recognise and react to the need to respond to a potential hazard? ● Is the idea of a segregated U-space feasible? ● What should be its vertical extent, and its overlap with conventional ATM? Example 3 development of flight ● What would be the best traffic management control automation scheme – a combination of trajectory allocation Flight simulation is best known for flight crew and management, defined corridors, free flight training and much of this experience may be used operation area allocations, sanctuary levels and to inform the development of UAS flight control deconfliction heights, and so on. automation. At whatever level automation is used, ● Could it be co-ordinated into the trajectory-based from assistance to the pilot-in-the-loop, to the human operations (TBO) international model and linked oversight of multiple vehicles, it will be essential for

JANUARY 2021 41 AEROSPACE Modelling and simulation for urban air mobility Samad Aerospace the human operators to understand the principles of the automation, the decision-making processes and why, when, and how to intervene when necessary. Flight crew training principles and practices, such as competency-based training, and threat and error management, flight path selection and control strategies, and experience with a diversity of genders, cultures, and so on can be used to develop the programmes and algorithms used in UAS control systems.

Example 4 Privacy, nuisance and security

Privacy, the minimising of nuisance, and the assurance of safety and security, must be accurately assessed before UAVs are used. Many of the threats M&S can be used to research UAS power and sensitivities can be modelled and assessed by a and manoeuvre limitations, the parameters and combination of simulation and practical tests. How will eVTOLs frequency of local weather reports and the Privacy is a particular concern because many UAVs measuring systems needed to support them, will be equipped with ultra-high definition cameras, or hybrid-electric and guiding the operators who make Go/NoGo face recognition technology and the ability to interface designs like decisions. with personal smart devices. In busy areas, such as the Q-Starling proximity to parcel depots, there may be dozens of overcome fears Conclusion drones each day flying at very low level over homes and gardens, schools, parks, businesses, etc. about noise Regulators are grappling with a range of novel Public concern about increased annoyance, pollution by platforms, airspace requirements and safety discomfort, mental and emotional distress and the residents? challenges against the background of rapidly nuisance from aircraft noise and visual pollution expanding activities, the prospect of levels of activity must be addressed and allayed. far beyond conventional aviation operations and with Security is another major concern. UTM much more public exposure and immediacy than introduces new security challenges due to reliance traditional activities. on interconnectivity, integration and network The companies developing the platforms are complexity, which provide opportunities for cyber already investing considerable money and effort into incidents and attacks – including threats to system performance, reliability, operating sites, and market security and unintended or malicious degradation of viability, seeing the potential in this new sector. Many system performance. other stakeholders may be less well served unless Furthermore, UAS in the hands of malicious their needs are identified and addressed. actors pose a security threat to public spaces, Not the least are the public, who need not only critical infrastructure, sensitive sites (eg prisons, to be informed of the ‘Gee Whiz’ aspects of ‘flying police facilities, military installations) and both cars’ but the everyday practicalities, limitations, and high-profile and private persons. UAS operations in risks of UAS and be reassured that these have such environments must comply with strict security been considered and that everything possible is requirements. being done to address privacy, security and safety concerns. Example 5 Wind and turbulence Thus, there are many aspects of the vision modelling which need to be addressed if much of it is to be realised and there is a great deal that researchers, A great deal of research effort is devoted to ship modellers and those involved in simulation can do wake modelling to support effective simulation- to assist. based training for helicopter and fixed wing pilots. There is plenty for established aerospace Low mass UAS, especially those with low rotor professionals, from a number of disciplines, to loading, will be greatly affected by local wind velocity get their teeth into, plenty for researchers and and turbulence as well as individual and clusters academia to study, and plenty in this novel sector of large buildings and other structures, which of aerospace to attract and excite new and proliferate in UAM airspace which will generate their emerging generations. The M&S community should own air mass characteristics. Additionally, small UAS take an active interest in meeting these challenges will be vulnerable to weather effects, such as icing and providing this ‘frame of reference’, filling in the and heavy precipitation and performance affected by blanks and answering emerging questions, as it extremes of temperature. progresses.

42 AEROSPACE Afterburner www.aerosociety.com

Diary 21 January 2021 Inaugural Mary Jackson Lecture NASA’s Mars 2020 Mission Dr Moogega Cooper, Planetary Protection Lead for the Europa Lander concept, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

An artist’s impression of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover due to land on the Red Planet in February. NASA/JPL-Caltech.

44 Message from RAeS 46 Book Reviews 52 International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading (ISTAT) – President Management of Defense Acquisition Projects, Hot Spot of Invention, Taking Flight and Chastise. “Due to the impact of Covid-19 the Society has Richard Goodhead explains how aviation museums, been unable to celebrate our honours, medals and not-for-profit organisations and students can award winners in our usual annual ceremony. But as 50 New Member Spotlight tap into funding from the global aviation industry we wish to continue to recognise the achievements organisation ISTAT. and contributions of individuals and teams in 51 Obituary the aerospace and aviation industry, we recently 54 2020 RAeS Honours, Medals & Michael Richard Henry Jeffries CEng MRAeS. announced these awards virtually.” Awards 51 RAeS Diary The 2020 Awards were highly competitive and we – Chief Executive are very pleased to announce the winners. “As 2021 dawns, there are brighter signs on the Find out what online events are happening. horizon. Vaccination campaigns are underway which 56 Elections brings closer the prospect of increased airline passenger traffic as quarantine restrictions are eased.”

JANUARY 2021 43

Afterburner_January2021.indd 3 14/12/2020 10:36:49 Message from RAeS OUR PRESIDENT

Prof Jonathan Cooper I would like to wish all Society members a very Honorary Fellowship and Companionship. Honorary Happy New Year. Looking back at my column a year Fellowships mark the world’s highest distinction ago I note that I wrote: ‘… I hope that 2020 proves for aerospace achievement, awarded only for the to be a year where the aerospace and aviation most outstanding contributions to the aerospace sectors have a lot more certainty than in recent profession and those receiving this award are: times…’. I couldn’t have been more wrong! Can I Dr Meyer J Benzakein FRAeS, Professor Trevor thank all the Society’s staff and our volunteers for Birch FRAeS, Dr Ashwani Gupta FRAeS, Ing Fabio their sterling efforts in the past year to enable most Nannoni, Dr David Newman FRAeS, Dr Alexander of our activities to continue, delivered in a digital J Smits, for scientific leadership and Tom Williams manner. Although these are still very challenging FRAeS. Honorary Companionships are awarded times, I feel that we have turned a corner and there for rendering distinctive and notably meritorious is more optimism than six months ago, particularly service to the aerospace profession and this year with the roll-out of the first vaccinations for Covid the awardees were: The Honourable Jeffrey Shane just underway. However, it is still going to be a and Idris Ben-Tahir (see p 54). Congratulations to hard road to achieve a full recovery for all of us all. (and the ramifications of Brexit are still to become The President’s Award was created in 2008 to clear), be it as individuals, corporate partners or the ‘recognise outstanding skill and professionalism in Society itself. I am sure that you will continue to the field of aviation and aeronautics, especially in take advantage of everything that the Society has adverse circumstances’. It has been awarded only to offer. once, in 2009 to the crew of the British Airways I attended the recent Branches Brief which Boeing 777 that successfully landed at Heathrow had a large attendance, including Branches as far after experiencing loss of power due to ice in the away as Montreal and was pleased to hear about fuel. Given the difficult year that we have all been how many of them have moved to a digital delivery through, I am very pleased to be able to announce of their lecture programmes. There has been much that I have conferred the President’s Award to the sharing of experience and expertise and I am sure VentilatorChallenge UK Consortium in recognition that this interaction will continue. Many of the local of the Consortium’s achievement and, in particular, Branch members value the social aspect of the the contribution of the aerospace members of the regular meetings and if Branches can find ways of team to the fight against Covid-19. The Consortium keeping in touch with their membership that would developed the Penlon Prima ESO2 ventilator be much appreciated. and more than 10,000 of these were delivered I was also pleased to attend the inaugural in a very short time. This was an outstanding meeting of the RAeS Singapore Branch Student achievement that needs to be recognised. The Chapter who are based in the University of Glasgow VentilatorChallenge UK Consortium is led by the Singapore and the Singapore Institute of Technology High Value Manufacturing Catapult. As well as (SIT). They have organised an impressive series Penlon, it includes about 18 other companies I AM VERY of events in their first year and I wish them every and several UK-based FI teams. The aerospace PLEASED TO success. Thanks to Arturo Molina-Cristobal for companies involved are: Airbus, BAE Systems, GKN organising the event. The Society needs to continue Aerospace, Meggitt, Rolls-Royce, Smiths Group, BE ABLE TO to develop an increased presence in the key Thales and Ultra Electronics. ANNOUNCE geographic aerospace areas world-wide and, given Finally, it is the last month for you to submit THAT I HAVE the importance of Singapore to the aerospace your nomination for the Council as the deadline is CONFERRED industry in Asia, this activity is important to us. the 31 January 2021. This is a unique opportunity Due to the impact of Covid-19 the Society for you to contribute to the Society and represent THE has been unable to celebrate our honours, medals the views of the membership and the profession. To PRESIDENT’S and award winners in our usual annual ceremony. find out more about how to submit your nomination AWARD TO THE But as we wish to continue to recognise the visit our website on https://www.aerosociety. VENTILATOR achievements and contributions of individuals and com/council. We are seeking to increase the teams in the aerospace and aviation industry, we diversity of the Council and particularly welcome CHALLENGE UK recently announced these awards virtually. I was nominations from those groups who are currently CONSORTIUM delighted to announce our award recipients for underrepresented communities.

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Afterburner_January2021.indd 4 14/12/2020 10:36:52 OUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Sir Brian Burridge ● As 2021 dawns, there are brighter signs It was a great tribute to the hard work of the on the horizon. Vaccination campaigns are Air Power Specialist Group, chaired by Past- underway which brings closer the prospect of President Simon Henley. We are now working increased airline passenger traffic as quarantine on the creation of a ‘mixed economy’ delivery restrictions are eased. Also, Boeing’s 737 MAX of conferences and events for 2021. Corporate made its re-launch demo flight for journalists in Partners should note these forthcoming briefings early December and is anticipated to re-enter with Professor David Egerton on The Wider public service with American Airlines by the end Implications of Covid-19 on 18 January 2021 of the month while Ryanair confirmed its order and, on 22 February 2021, Chris Stark, the CEO for 75 aircraft. Nevertheless, IATA’s prognosis is of Committee on Climate on the aviation impact that, globally, airlines will lose more that £28bn of the sixth carbon budget. in 2021 and that there will be further failures to ● Another key event will be the inaugural Mary add to the 50 in 2020. Equally, aerospace is a Jackson (virtual) Named Lecture on 21 January long-term game and the prospects for wide- 2021, delivered by Dr Moogega Cooper who body orders are unlikely to improve for some leads NASA’s Planetary Protection for the Mars time. 2020 Mission. Mary Jackson became the first ● Yet 2020 has not been a year entirely devoid of black female aerospace engineer at NASA in progress. Driven by the climate challenge, there 1958 and was featured in the book and film have been significant advances in propulsion Hidden Figures. Initiated by the Diversity and and alternative fuels with firm resolve from Inclusion Working Group and driven by our airline and manufacturing CEOs (evidenced volunteers, this Named Lecture celebrates at our own conference) to invest in carbon the work of individuals from Ethnic Minority reduction. On that theme, the UK Committee communities in the aerospace sector. on Climate Change has just published the Sixth Continuing with exemplary volunteer service, I Carbon Budget required under the UK’s Climate ● would also recognise Air Cdre Bill Tyack FRAeS Change Act. It takes a scenario-based approach who recently relinquished the chair of the Medals which, even under the most optimistic case & Awards Committee (MAC), handing over to termed Widespread Innovation, would allow a Past-President Jenny Body FRAeS. Bill has given 50% growth in passenger demand against the so much of his time, passion and considerable business-as-usual prediction of 65%. Other scenarios see only a 25% growth or, in one case, experience to the Society for more than two a reduction from current levels of 15%. decades, serving in numerous capacities from Branch Chair at Farnborough, Chair of the LSB, With businesses of all types craving stability, ● a member of Council and the Board of Trustees, the uncertainty of Brexit coupled with the Pension Trustee, President in 2014, then as pandemic scarring to most economies will MAC Chair but remains as an Audit Committee provide continuing turbulence. In November, the member. This represents an exceptional UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer delivered his contribution for which the Society is very grateful Spending Review. The Society had submitted its indeed. representation to the review earlier in September, and while the review was reduced to a one-year ● Coming-up soon is our next flagship STEM outlook, there were some wins for our sectors. Challenge, Falcon2, where we invite pupils of You can read my full analysis at: all ages to enter Phase 1 of the competition to www.aerosociety.com/press. create exciting and innovative designs for a flight simulator which is fully accessible to people ● In recognition of the degree of irreversible change with physical and hidden disabilities. Secondary WE ARE NOW that the pandemic era represents, the Council WORKING ON and Board of Trustees have agreed to a revised schools can also take part in Phase 2, the ‘Big Build’. Watch the Careers website for details and THE CREATION Society Operating Model which places digital and hybrid delivery permanently at the heart of our our thanks go to Boeing for their support. Also OF A ‘MIXED activity. To that end, we have learned much of late on the Careers Website is our new ‘Aviation’ area ECONOMY’ on the delivery of virtual conferencing culminating including new content on sustainable aviation and DELIVERY OF in what I regard as a world-class Air Power ‘AeroStories’ featuring diverse role models. CONFERENCES Conference which contained all the ingredients of ● Finally, remember that nominations close at the success such as exciting and exclusive content, a end of the month for Council membership: details AND EVENTS global perspective and a stellar cast which, taken are on the website. With that, I wish you all a FOR 2021 together, generated some excellent discussion. Happy New Year and a less challenging 2021.

JANUARY 2021 45

Afterburner_January2021.indd 5 14/12/2020 10:36:53 Book Reviews MANAGEMENT OF DEFENSE ACQUISITION PROJECTS Edited by Rene G Rendon and developments in some of the chapters, it is mostly an explanation of what currently happens with Keith F Snider traditional defence acquisition. Some key points from the book are: the software American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, acquisition management chapter is especially valuable Reston, VA. xvi; 373pp. 2019. Illustrated. Distributed with a good analysis of key issues, and emphasis by Transatlantic Publishers Group, 97 Greenham that software maturity needs an understanding of Road London N10 1LN, UK. £73 [20% discount both technology and management readiness levels. available to RAeS members on request; E mark. Test and evaluation (T&E) has undergone significant [email protected] ]. ISBN 978-1-62410-509-8. changes in recent years with the application of digital simulation but this only receives the briefest of A valuable reference to current US defence mention, with no examples of the major improvements acquisition processes, covering all of the various in cost effectiveness of T&E using greater simulation disciplines involved to varying extents. This should of tests and trials. The risk management chapter be of use to students and practitioners in the DoD Lockheed Martin F-35B on does not mention how to understand causes of and contractors to help understand the complex board the USS America. Lockheed Martin. risk – for example the widely used Ishikawa diagram systems involved. It should also be useful foreign drawn from the quality management toolkit. Given procurement agencies and contractors wishing ongoing procurement problems of poor performance, to work with US defence contracting activities, delays and overspend, it can be argued that there although discussion about the effect of the ought to be much more emphasis on effective risk International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) A valuable management in procurement. The National Network would have been helpful. for Manufacturing Innovation, established some Each chapter has a learning objective, summary, reference years ago by the DoD, ought to have generated references, study questions, with examples to to current some improved processes to encourage innovative illustrate issues. There is up-to-date referencing, US defence procurement as well as technology but these are not as well as well-established references that are the acquisition cited in the book. basics of best practice. Given the obvious experience of the authors, How to effectively manage some of the latest processes, an exploration of why overspends and overruns challenging issues for defence acquisition is covering all continue to occur, with suggested improvements hardly touched upon. For example, digitalisation – of the various (indicated in some of the chapters) would be a where additive manufacturing (potentially design, disciplines valuable addition in each chapter of a third edition. development, manufacture, operation in weeks) is only briefly mentioned. While there are some involved to Lee R Balthazor attempts to look for new innovative and future varying extents FRAeS

NATIONAL AEROSPACE LIBRARY

The National Aerospace Library is open to member and non-member visitors on Wednesdays and Thursdays. To book a visit please go to the NAL website. Online services remain 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 Film Archive www.aerosociety.com/movies e-library www.aerosociety.com/elibrary 46 AEROSPACE

Afterburner_January2021.indd 6 14/12/2020 10:36:58 HOT SPOT OF INVENTION

Charles Stark Draper, MIT, and the Development of Inertial Guidance and Navigation By Thomas Wildenberg

Naval Institute Press, 291 Wood Road, Annapolis, Right: The display and keyboard (DSKY) interface MD 21402, USA. 2019. xviii; 301pp. Illustrated. of the Apollo Guidance $48. ISBN 978-1-68247-469-3. Computer (AGC) mounted on the control panel of the Hot Spot of Invention covers three main areas, Command Module, with the flight director attitude the story of Charles Stark Draper, the evolution indicator (FDAI) above. of MIT and the development of inertial guidance The AGC was designed and navigation. Contained within these three at the MIT Instrumentation stories are two major themes – the development Laboratory under Charles of one of the most hidden and possibly most Stark Draper. esoteric technologies of the Cold War and a story of the 20th century equivalent of John Harrison’s an inertial sensing system. In addition, the drift chronometer and the measurement of longitude. requirements of contemporaneous gyroscopes were The biography of Charles Stark Draper (‘Doc’ many orders of magnitude too large to provide the Draper) is one of a consummate engineer whose required accuracy. The celebrated physicist George life spanned a section of the industrial revolution Gamow was a powerful proponent of these points starting with the development of high power internal of view and very critical of any efforts to develop combustion engines and ending with the modern age inertial navigation. If the Earth was completely of electronics, computers and integrated circuits. As spherical and of uniform density there would a young man with an intense interest in how anything be no problem and it eventually transpired that worked, his early work covered the instrumentation irregularities in its shape and gravitational potential of early internal combustion engines, especially could be mapped and compensated for, to obtain those high-power versions used in aircraft. This work more than adequate accuracy. established him within the laboratories of MIT, an Although GPS (Global Positioning System) is association which would continue with the evolution perhaps the most widely known modern navigation of MIT, together with an increase in ‘Doc’s’ academic system, the development of inertial navigation qualifications. His understanding of the subtleties must rank alongside the solution of the longitude of the operation and function of instrumentation problem by John Harrison with his chronometers. sensors led him into the world of gyroscopes and gun If your journey across a featureless ocean takes sights which ultimately led into the early development many days, there are ample opportunities to take of inertial guidance and navigation. solar or stellar observations to get local time to Over the period of Draper’s association compare with chronometer (and hence home port) with MIT, the institution itself evolved from what time. For fast-travelling vehicles like aircraft and was equivalent to a technical college into a missiles such journeys could take only a few hours world-renowned seat of learning and university. with no opportunity to establish local time. Here Draper was not swamped by this progression and precision inertial guidance provides position with no he evolved to become a full professor and head requirement for external sighting. This was obviously of the aeronautical section of the university. This ... the a significant factor in its development to provide growth of MIT was driven by such luminaries as navigation systems for intercontinental ballistic Karl Compton and Vannevar Bush and it brought development missiles during the Cold War. out in Draper an inherent ability to inspire and teach of inertial This is a well-written and researched book and, students. Many of these students ended up in high navigation must while the text of 227 pages is primarily an historical positions in government and the armed forces and rank alongside narrative, the book contains a further 50 pages of they in turn would contract Draper’s MIT laboratories notes and references. This means the book can to do further development work. the solution of be used as a basis and source for both technical Einstein’s Principle of Equivalence provided a the longitude research and historical investigation. It is also an major stumbling block to the early development of problem by enthralling read and I recommend it to you on all inertial navigation and guidance. By establishing John Harrison these points. that it was not possible to distinguish between a gravitational field and an acceleration, it appeared with his John R Pearce impossible to obtain the necessary accuracy from chronometers CEng FIMechE MRAeS

JANUARY 2021 47

Afterburner_January2021.indd 7 14/12/2020 10:36:58 - Book Reviews TAKING FLIGHT

The Foundations of American Commercial Aviation, 1918-1938 By M Houston Johnson

Texas A&M University Press, College Station. 2019. x; 287pp. Illustrated. $45. ISBN 978-1-62349-721-7.

The history of commercial aviation in the United States between the wars has been recounted before and at many different levels, though few have covered it as elegantly and succinctly as the late Ron Davies in A History of the World’s Airlines (Oxford University Press 1964) (and which he later expanded upon in Airlines of the United States since 1914 [Putnam. 1983]), one of many sources cited Henry Ford loads the first and under the auspices of the Commerce by Professor Johnson. The subtitle of Taking Flight sack of air mail for Cleveland, Department created a whole administrative structure Ohio, from Detroit at the Ford needs interpretation; the narrative really starts in Airport, Dearborn, Michigan, which included the Aeronautics Branch and the 1921 when Herbert Hoover, future President but 29 January 1924. RAeS (NAL). Division of Air Regulation (aircraft registration, then Secretary of the US Commerce Department, airworthiness, licensing of pilots and air traffic began asking around for guidance and clarification rules). Curiously the organisation which framed of the government’s future role in the advancement policy and the subsequent structure of the airline of American aeronautics. industry, recognisable down to the present day, was Hoover’s conclusion was that industry leaders the US Post Office, an executive department quite were looking to the Commerce Department to exert independent of the Commerce Department. Much leadership in defining a programme of development of this was due to the appointment in 1929 of a that would establish a sound basis for commercial new Postmaster General – Walter Brown – by the growth. That seems a million air-miles away from recently elected President, Hoover, a Republican. Winston Churchill’s robust proposition in 1920: ‘Civil Brown, who possessed what the author calls ‘an aviation must fly by itself; the government cannot accomplished political resume’ was left to his possibly hold it up in the air’. own devices, even though he had no history of Hoover approached the issue differently, engagement with aeronautics. But he clearly had relying on what the author describes as a policy strong views about the desirability of corporate of associationalism: not a word I had ever come size and strength and was able to use Post Office across before. The author defines it as ‘voluntary airmail payments to encourage the development co-operation between government and business’, or of passenger services by persuading airlines to more vaguely, ‘liberal corporatism’. It did mean that consolidate into larger units. He then gave them the US Government involved itself in the process of preference in the award of lucrative contracts regulating air transport at a much earlier stage than for the airmail routes. In a very short time he had in Great Britain, a reflection of the more legalistic managed to reduce the number of players to just approach common in America. One consideration three groups controlling the four major airlines was the need for Federal action to forestall which received 90% of airmail revenues: American, state laws; better to have a common standard Eastern, United and Transcontinental and Western, than to allow each state to develop its own legal the latter more familiar in its later guise as TWA. requirements. As important was the role of the US Things began to go wrong for Postmaster Post Office in starting and expanding early air mail Brown after the election of Franklin D Roosevelt operations. The 1925 Contract Airmail Act, amended in 1932. Roosevelt, a Democrat, appointed a new in 1926 and again in 1930, guaranteed air mail The book is a Postmaster General, after which people began carriers would receive revenues from postal receipts asking questions about some of Brown’s processes, rather than from general tax revenues, which led to comprehensive especially the smaller airlines which had been left an informal subsidisation of the industry. account of the out of the magic circle; there was much talk of the The book is a comprehensive account of the formulation of ‘Spoils Conferences’ in 1930. In a somewhat hasty formulation of Federal policy during the interwar Federal policy move, Roosevelt cancelled all the commercial mail era; the author suggests that the subtitle might have contracts early in 1934, enlisting the Army Air been ‘an investigation of interwar aviation policy’. during the Corps to carry the mails. That was an idea that didn’t The impact of the 1926 amendment was substantial interwar era fly; military pilots had little experience of operating

48 AEROSPACE

Afterburner_January2021.indd 8 14/12/2020 10:37:05 -

in bad weather conditions, their aircraft were not begun using airmail contracts to help subsidise suitable and over the next few weeks, there were Imperial Airways and the other independents. A little many crashes and 12 pilots were killed. The military told aspect of the Roosevelt administration’s aviation flights were stopped and the new Postmaster policy is described in the final chapters, namely General hastily put together a scheme for airmail the deployment of the considerable resources of contracts which looked very similar to the old one. the ‘New Deal’ Works Progress Administration to The main beneficiaries were of course still the same developing and building airports; just under one big four airlines but with some slight name changes thousand airfields benefitted. to distance them from participants in the ‘Spoils Taking Flight approaches American pre-war Conferences’. American Airways changed its name aviation history along a different flight path. It to American Air Lines, for example. is densely written and well researched, with a Professor Johnson’s thesis is that for all comprehensive bibliography and 24 black-and-white the noise and smoke, there was little difference photographs. However, there are no details of the between the policies of Hoover and Roosevelt: airmail routes awarded, nor any maps. The book does the latter ‘maintained federal responsibility for not pretend to tell the whole story, just its legislative subsidising airlines through airmail contracts, a and policy aspects and their domestic impact. Airlines core aspect of Hoover and Brown’s programme. and the aircraft they used barely get a mention, Modifications represented changes of degree, not Pan American and the award of Foreign Air Mail kind.’ Roosevelt went on to create the independent Routes are ignored. However, there are many other Civil Aeronautics Authority in 1938, putting to sources that readers can go to if they want to learn an end to any possible turf wars between the US more about the thrills and spills of early American Post Office and the Commerce Department. In commercial aviation. an interesting parallel development, the British Government had just established its first Air Guy Halford-MacLeod Transport Licensing Authority and, belatedly, had FRAeS

CHASTISE

The Dambusters Story 1943 the operational plans. The author addresses head on By Max Hastings the conflict within the British government about the moral issues surrounding Sir Arthur Harris’ conduct William Collins, HarperCollins Publishers, 1 London of the bombing offensive and his initial dismissive Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF, UK. 2019. xxviii; attitude towards operation ‘Chastise’. 388pp. Illustrated. £25. ISBN 978-0-00-828052-9. This book is extensively researched, including calling on the author’s primary research for his Like many of my generation with an interest in 1979 book Bomber Command (Michael Joseph aviation and the history of WW2 I was captivated Limited) when he interviewed some of those directly by this amazing feat of 617 Squadron RAF. There involved in the raid including: Air Chief Marshal Sir have been numerous books about the Dambusters, Arthur Harris, Air Chief Marshal Sir Ralph Cochrane, most of which I have read, so another might Sir Barnes Wallis and Air Vice Marshal Sir Harold seem superfluous. Not so. This book is possibly ‘Micky’ Martin. It also references in some depth and the definitive publication on the ‘Dambusters’. detail numerous articles and papers about the raid A scene from the Associated It combines fascinating technical details of the British film The Dam Busters. and its aftermath. The supporting appendices, notes, equipment, preparation and execution of the Lancasters on their way to references, bibliography and index take up the last operation with insights into the people involved in bomb their target. RAeS (NAL). 56 pages of the book. the raid and those affected by it – on both sides. The author’s honest writing style makes this a With the benefit of 76 years of hindsight the compelling and easy to read book. The photographs author has taken great care to write a balanced and illustrations are superb, some may be familiar and objective account of the background and but many I suspect are published for the first time. lead up to the raid, the raid itself and subsequent This book is not revisionist and does not events. The author describes, warts and all, the This book seek to diminish the raid or its protagonists and primary characters involved in the operation, their is possibly acknowledges that decisions were made under the human flaws, strengths and weaknesses and, the definitive pressures of war that with the benefit of hindsight where appropriate, paying due respect to their publication may in later years have been made differently. resourcefulness, courage and bravery in wartime. It excoriates some of the myths surrounding the on the Cameron Macphee operation and exposes some fatal shortcomings in ‘Dambusters’ FRAeS

JANUARY 2021 49

Afterburner_January2021.indd 9 14/12/2020 10:37:09 -

NEW MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Emma Henderson, 47 What three items would you take with you Location: Kinloss, Morayshire, in the north of to the space station? My camera – I love taking Scotland, east of Inverness photos, and taking photos from space of the Earth would be awesome! Job Title: CEO, Project Wingman Foundation Ltd, however, until September 2020 I was a Captain My phone because it has some great music on it at easyJet, based at Gatwick. I took voluntary and I love listening to music. redundancy in September because my commute My Kindle with as many books fitted onto it as are was only possible due to the high number of flights possible – reading a book while listening to music a day to London from Inverness giving me plenty of and watching the Earth from space would be a bit flexibility to commute up and down. There used to of a triumph for me! be seven flights a day spread across easyJet and What’s your favourite aircraft and why? The BA, now there are three a week! My decision also A319, because it’s what I ‘grew up on’ when I first saved jobs at my airline, as leaving allowed two x worked for easyJet. It’s responsive, a pleasure to 50% captains to keep their jobs. fly and I have trusted it for 11 years! I also flew the What inspired you into aviation? I was always A320 but the A319 is different – I don’t care what fascinated by things that flew. I was and still anyone else tells you, they are different to fly! am a keen birdwatcher and became a Young Who is your biggest inspiration? I am inspired Ornithologist at Boat of Garten Osprey Centre by lots of people. I am not ashamed to say that aged nine. School projects were always about Margaret Thatcher was a huge inspiration to me flight and Biggles was my friend. In 1983, the growing up – whether or not you agree with her space shuttle Enterprise toured the world on the politics, there was something admirable about her back of a B747 and came to Stansted near where grit and determination. Jacinda Ahern – PM of I grew up. We went to see it and that was that. New Zealand is another really strong female leader I wanted to be an astronaut! I didn’t go on to do who I completely admire. Barack Obama for the this of course – my path meandered and I studied same reason. I think my biggest inspiration though history at university with a career as a lawyer in was always my Grandma. She was widowed in mind. In my second year I discovered the University the early 1950s with three small children and Air Squadron and the rest is pretty much history, she just worked hard to provide for them, never although I actually didn’t join the RAF – I married it complaining and accepting her lot in life. I loved instead and eight years passed between finishing her dearly and still miss her. university and re-starting my flying training. Piece of advice for someone looking to enter What is the best thing about your current your field? Have other skills up your sleeve. role? It gives me a focus when I otherwise would Airline pilots always used to think that it would have had none. I have been able to make recent be our medicals that would take our jobs away decisions because I know I have something else from us but it turns out that’s no longer the case. to turn my attention to. That, and the fact that Add strings to your bow so that if aviation isn’t I know that the good work we are doing is so somewhere you can hang your hat for a while, greatly appreciated by those who benefit from it. you can do something else instead. A year ago, What made you join the Royal Aeronautical I was an airline Captain who was still being Society? I have been considering it for years recognised as ‘that captain from the telly’. Now I but typically never got around to it. I am keen to am unemployed but CEO of a huge charity that encourage more women into all areas of aviation has massive traction. Believe in your own ability to and aerospace when the market picks up again change what you do! and I would like to see women more evenly represented across the board. The work of the RAeS can help with this. I am also a trustee of Project Wingman the Fresson Trust in Scotland which has been supported by the RAeS before and we can all Project Wingman (www.projectwingman. achieve more if we join together. co.uk) is a group of current and former aircrew from all corners of aviation, united by their What do you hope to get out of your profession and dedicated to serving NHS membership? I would like to be involved staff now and in the future. It provides space in projects which promote aviation and the to unwind, de-compress and de-stress before, aerospace industry to young people who may not during and after hospital shifts, in support of have even considered it, and get the message staff wellbeing. Its crowdfunding page can be out there that the jobs we do are not required to found at: be gender specific – breaking down stereotypes www.crowdfunder.co.uk/wingmanwheels would be a great place to start!

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Afterburner_January2021.indd 10 14/12/2020 10:37:12 - Obituary MICHAEL RICHARD HENRY JEFFRIES CEng MRAeS In 1966 Rolls-Royce purchased Siddeley 1932-2020 Engines. Mick became part of ’s team working on the three-shaft RB199. He moved to Born in Cambridge on 28 March 1932, Mick was Munich to be the Turbounion Marketing Manager educated firstly at Park Street Primary School in co-ordinating all RB199 marketing activities within Cambridge. In 1943 he gained a scholarship to Rolls-Royce, MTU and Fiat in 1976. During his time in Perse Boys School and it was there that he first that post he went on several overseas tours to try to became involved with aviation when he joined the sell the Tornado, including Canada and Australia. Both Air Training Corps. countries eventually purchasing the F-18 instead. He gained a place at Trinity College From in 1980 Mick went to Lockheed at Cambridge in 1951 studying Engineering under Burbank in California to be Rolls-Royce’s technical R S Hawthorne, graduating in 1954 with a BA in representative on the RB211 for the L1011 engineering, later upgraded to an MA. TriStar. Leaving Lockheed in 1983 he moved to His first post in aviation was with Bristol Pratt & Whitney at East Hartford and became a Siddeley Aero Engines in 1954 where he worked representative for MTU working on the PW2037 under Dr in a team led by Gordon and V2500 engines. Lewis. Retiring from MTU in 1996 to live in Hampton He worked on several projects during the next Court. Throughout his retirement he kept up his 12 years, including the Pegasus, BS100 and the avid interest in aviation, becoming a member of the two-shaft BS143, the engine that would have been RAeS Historical Group. used in the Tornado. He was also slated to lead Very much missed by his widow Gloria and four the project for the engine on the Hawker P1154 sons. supersonic VTOL aircraft. During his time in Bristol he became married to Tim Hall Gloria and had four sons Guy, Neil, Paul and John. FRAeS

Diary

12 January Aerobatic Display Flying – Worldwide, by Night & Day Chris Burkett, G-Force Aerobatics Farnborough Branch online lecture

13 January 55 Years of Projects for Land, Sea and Air Chris Burkett, G-Force George Seyfang, BAE Systems Ret’d Aerobatics, and Adrian Willis, Preston Branch online lecture British Aerobatic Academy, at the Bahrain International 19 January Airshow in January 2014. The Annual Air Law Networking Reception and Lecture G-Force Aerobatics. Online event

21 January 10 February Inaugural Mary Jackson Lecture: NASA’s Mars 2020 Mission Branch AGM and Typhoon EMH – Electro Magnetic Hardening Dr Moogega Cooper, Planetary Protection Lead for the Europa Stuart McCafferty, Typhoon EMH Lead Engineer, BAE Systems Lander concept, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory – Air Online Named Lecture Preston Branch online lecture

9 February 10 March Lecture from Reaction Engines Limited (REL) Sir Freddie Page Lecture: Future Technology Robin Davies, Reaction Engines Ian Muldowney, Engineering Director, BAE Systems – Air Stevenage Branch online lecture Preston Branch online Named lecture

For further information and booking: www.aerosociety.com/events-calendar/

JANUARY 2021 51

Afterburner_January2021.indd 11 14/12/2020 10:37:13 INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT TRADING Industry foundation throws lifeline with funding for aviation charities and student scholarships

RICHARD GOODHEAD CEng MRAeS, a Trustee of the ISTAT Foundation and Chair of its Promotions and Communications Committee, explains how aviation museums, not-for-profit organisations and students, can tap into funding from the global aviation industry organisation International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading (ISTAT).

With many aviation charities and museums struggling to survive this year due to the Covid-19 crisis, there is welcome news from the ISTAT Foundation, the charitable arm of ISTAT, which is now seeking to expand its generosity further internationally to support individuals and institutions that promote the advancement of commercial Royal Flying Doctor Service The five programmes foster interest in, create Beechcraft Super King Air opportunities for, and provide assistance to, the aviation and humanitarianism. B200C, VH-MSZ, at Wagga Wagga Airport. The Royal global aviation community through: Flying Doctor Service Victoria Scholarships to academically-qualified students What is the ISTAT Foundation? ● received a 2020 ISTAT pursuing an aviation-related degree at universities Foundation Humanitarian Aid worldwide; Grant. Bidgee. Founded in 1983, ISTAT is the premier international, ● Grants to global, not-for-profit organisations, not-for-profit organisation currently representing such as educational institutions and museums more than 5,000 members worldwide who are that promote the advancement of the commercial involved in operating, manufacturing, maintaining, aviation industry; selling, purchasing, financing, leasing, appraising, ● Humanitarian Aid to charities worldwide that use insuring, or other activities related to the commercial the power of aviation to help save lives, promote aviation sector. ISTAT is committed to providing human welfare and alleviate suffering; its members with the highest quality and best- value networking and education opportunities in ● ISTAT University, which offers qualified university commercial aviation, administering the industry’s students the opportunity to participate in a leading appraiser programme, and investing in the certificate programme focusing on aviation future through the ISTAT Foundation. finance and Founded in 1994, the ISTAT Foundation ● Internships offering opportunities at ISTAT fosters the future of aviation across the globe by member companies through the ISTAT Foundation supporting individuals and institutions that promote Internship Portal for students seeking careers in the advancement of commercial aviation and aviation. humanitarianism. Annual grants from ISTAT itself The ISTAT Foundation has made a significant and contributions from individuals and companies, impact in the British aviation community by providing support the ISTAT Foundation’s five programmes – scholarships to aviation-focused students at British Scholarships, Grants, Internships, ISTAT University universities and grant funding to aviation-focused and Humanitarian Aid. Over the past ten years, British educational institutions, museums and the ISTAT Foundation has provided over $7.5m in humanitarian organisations. Universities supported support to nearly 800 students and 75 not-for- by the Scholarship Programme include Cambridge profit organisations worldwide. Alone in 2020, this University, Cranfield University, Imperial College amounted to approx $1m, with the average grant London, University of Leeds, Loughborough size typically being in the region of $7,000. Despite University, University of Bath and more. The ISTAT the pandemic, the ISTAT Foundation is committed Foundation has also provided funding through the to remain relevant as a provider of educational and Grants and Humanitarian Aid Programmes to the grant financial support. Brooklands Museum, Aviation Without Borders

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Afterburner_January2021.indd 12 14/12/2020 10:37:13 UK, Aerobility, Mission Aviation Fellowship, London Air Ambulance, Lucy Air Ambulance, Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust and Wings Like Eagles.

Expanding ISTAT’s international reach and will close in May. An example of a successful candidate is 2019 recipient Aviation Without Borders In recent years, the ISTAT Foundation has prioritised UK which received $5,000 in grant funding to the expansion of its international reach outside of support its ‘On Track’ programme that took place at the US and I’d strongly encourage other UK-based Stansted Airport College in November 2019. The aviation museums and educational institutions programme was organised to promote a variety of to apply for grant funding in 2021. The Grants careers in aviation to participants between the ages Programme offers aviation-related funding to non- of 12 and 15. governmental, not-for-profit organisations around the globe that promote the commercial aviation industry through inspiration and education. The application For more information on the ISTAT Foundation’s to apply for grant funding will be available on the impact on the global aviation community and ways Grants Programme website (https://foundation. to support, please visit foundation.istat.org or istat.org/Programs/Grants) in early February email [email protected].

The Inaugural RAeS Mary Jackson Lecture 21 January 2021 17:00 gmt Dr Moogega Cooper discusses NASA’s M2020 Mission NASA’s M2020 Mission is designed to investigate key questions related to the habitability of Mars and will conduct assessments that will help plan for future human exploration of Mars. The project will also acquire and cache samples of rock, regolith, and witness samples for possible return to Earth by a future mission. The entire flight system was expected to meet Planetary Protection requirements, to include being subjected to microbial reduction, with additional specific emphasis on the sample acquisition and caching. Mars 2020 had a very unique biological contamination plan to both protect Mars as well as the scientific integrity of the collected sample. A mission overview and Planetary Protection activities will be discussed.

Dr Moogega Cooper Dr Moogega Cooper is currently the Planetary Protection Lead for the Europa Lander concept at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory having recently served as the Planetary Planetary Protection Lead for the Europa Lander concept Protection Lead of the Mars 2020 Mission. Moogega is a recipient of several awards at NASA’s Jet Propulsion including the NASA Early Career Public Achievement Medal, the Charles Elachi Award for Laboratory Exceptional Early Career Achievement, and JPL Voyager Awards for Technical Leadership. Book here: www.aerosociety.com/maryjacksonlecture

JANUARY 2021 53 Mary Jackson Lecture Advert HP.indd 1 11/12/2020 15:27

Afterburner_January2021.indd 13 14/12/2020 10:37:15 2020 HONOURS, MEDALS & AWARDS

HONORARY FELLOWSHIP SPECIALIST AWARDS Dr Meyer J Benzakein FRAeS Flt Lt Ian Brosch Professor Trevor Birch FRAeS Dr Jack Marlow Dr Ashwani Gupta FRAeS Dr Alan Nelson Ing Fabio Nannoni Mr Peter White Dr David Newman FRAeS UAVaid Team Dr Alexander J Smits Mr Tom Williams CBE FRAeS YOUNG PERSONS’ ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Mr Nick Goss HONORARY COMPANIONSHIP The Honourable Jeffrey Shane YOUNG PERSONS’ ACHIEVEMENT Mr Idris Ben-Tahir MRAeS COMMENDATION Mr Alexander Bowen-Rotsaert SILVER MEDALS Mr Hayden Jakes Dr Alice Bunn FRAeS Corporal Ben Massey ARAeS Dr Ashitey Trebi-Ollennu HERBERT LE SUEUR AWARD Captain John Cox with his BRONZE MEDALS Dr Mushfiqul Alam MRAeS 2020 Flight Operations Mr Edward Anderson MRAeS Medal. Mr Greg McDougall ALAN MARSH AWARD Mr Ian Walters Ms Zoe Garstang ARAeS

TEAM SILVER MEDALS 2019 WRITTEN PAPER PRIZES The Aircraft Fuel Tank Component Design Team Gold Award The HTX Team J M Luckring for his paper titled ‘The discovery and The Space Fence Delivery Team prediction of vortex flow aerodynamics’ Silver Awards TEAM BRONZE MEDALS A Stockford, C Lawson and Z Liu for their paper P-8A Delivery Team titled ‘The benefit and performance impact analysis Team Phoenix of using hydrogen fuel-cell powered e-taxi system on A320 class airliner’ SIR RALPH ROBINS MEDAL P Janhunen, P Tolvanen and K Ruosteenoja for Dr Helen Webber their paper titled ‘Steam balloon concept for lifting rockets to launch altitude’ CIVIL CADET PILOT AWARD Bronze Awards Mr Gianluca Vecchio S Zelinski and R Windhorst for their paper titled ‘Modelling and simulating airport surface operations PRESIDENT’S AWARD with gate conflicts’ VentilatorChallenge UK Consortium B Khandelwal, J Cronly, I S Ahmed, C J Wijesinghe and C Lewis for their paper titled ‘The effect of ROGER GREEN MEDAL FOR HUMAN alternative fuels on gaseous and particulate matter FACTORS emission performance in an auxiliary power unit’ Dr Peter Hancock FRAeS H Gesell, F Wolters and M Plohr for their paper titled ‘System analysis of turbo-electric and hybrid- FLIGHT OPERATIONS MEDAL electric propulsion systems on a regional aircraft’ Captain John Cox FRAeS Young Persons’ Written Paper Prizes H Gesell as the lead author of the paper titled R P ALSTON MEDAL ‘System analysis of turbo-electric and hybrid-electric Mr Ben Lewis propulsion systems on a regional aircraft’ G Dussart as the lead author of the paper titled GEOFFREY PARDOE SPACE AWARD ‘Impact of spanwise non-uniform discrete gusts on Dr Jonathan McDowell civil aircraft loads’ Journal of Aeronautical History Written TURNBUCKLE AWARD Paper Prize Mr Danny Wright J A D Ackroyd for his paper titled ‘Cayley’s 1804 Glider’

For further information and nomination forms for this year’s Awards please visit: https://www.aerosociety.com/get-involved/recognition/

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Afterburner_January2021.indd 14 14/12/2020 10:37:17 WORLDWIDE CONNECTIONS. WORLD‑CLASS EXPERTISE.

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Afterburner_January2021.indd 15 14/12/2020 10:37:18 Elections

HONORARY FELLOWS Edward White Lewis Johnston Tony Widdowson Ahsan Mansoor Khan WITH REGRET Meyer Benzakein Naved Khan The RAeS announces with regret the death of the Trevor Birch MEMBERS John Kinghorn Ashwani Gupta David Knight following member: Fabio Nannoni Chawki Abdessemed Patrick Koslowski AM Sir John Alexander Baird KBE CStJ FRAeS 83 David Newman Leah-Nani Alconcel Yuen Ho Lo Alexander Smits Bryce Allcorn Jerro Chung Ho Luk General Charles ‘Chuck’ Elwood Yeager Tom Williams Stuart Anderson Edward Mace HonFRAeS 97 Jason Ashworth Peter Macleod HONORARY Itimad Azzawi Sabuj Mallik Thomas Wood Jason D’souza COMPANIONS Tom Bacon Siva Marimuthu Thomas Wright Devon Jones Burak Baykus Michael Marsden Ashan Karunagaran Idris Ben-Tahir Pranav Bhatt Craig Minshull ASSOCIATE Richard Larkai-Doherty Jeffrey Shane Ross Bowie Nadeem Mir MEMBERS Jnr Jim Brown Saradendu Mishra Carole Liao FELLOWS Alex Burrell Kelly Moran Muhammad Afzal Leslie Liu Matthew Chambers Mike Morrison Ahmed Alkalbani Laura Nobre Martins Paul Aitchison Aaron Chattock Yorshan Naidoo Andrew Cave Owen Parnis Kenneth Allison Chin Fai Leo Cheng Nitin Narwade Alexander Cousins Joe Peaker Ryoichi Amano Jonathan Childs James Newberry Nicholas Davis Abdul Rashid Paul Antonik John Church Supun Nirmal Alex Evans Syamil Rosli Matt Ashworth Thomas Clare Manoj Patel Jack Harris Sacchin Shah Angela Bouckley Darren Conway Christopher Phyo Mohammad Ali Shakunt Tambe Sean Butler David Cook Rostyslav Pietukhov Hosseinipour Emily Terry Duncan Carruthers Con Cunningham Ali Pourzand Tomos Jones Josh Webb Ramsey Farraj Michael Davies David Purser Daniel Murphy Helen Gardiner Rose Davies Andrew Ratcliffe Raj Ranavaya AFFILIATES Stuart Gilmartin Raphael De Sousa Trent Raymond Matthew Ross Matthew Hall Mendes Mendonca Matthew Read Vishal Wijedasa Paul Allonby Amjad Hanif Kieran Dee David San Agustin Connor Yearley Christopher Borg Nikki Heath Sean Dickinson Kosuke Sendo Barthet Daniel Jones Christopher Eccleston Gautam Sharma ASSOCIATES Adam Coulthard Abuzar Khan Aleksandr Egorov Peter Shorthouse Mohd Harridon Michael Leschziner Nicole Farrell Matthew Skidmore Ihtisham Babar Corentin Mazurier Waqas Mahni Scott Ferry Alan Smith Lewis Campbell Samantha Moore Allan Marega David Fuelling Miguel Sobreira Patrick Croysdale Luke Waite Stephen Moore simon Gibbons Natalie Spencer Kurukulasuriya Zia Sattar Mughal Angel Gomariz Sancha Derrick Stanley Fernando STUDENT AFFILIATES John Murray David Gundry Bernard Taylor Muhammad Aiman Nathaniel Nagy Hamish Haridas Tom-Robin Teschner Jamil Jamlus Ahmed Alshobokshy David Nixon Hugh Harkins Michael Thatcher Deswin Lim Rami Bassam Mattias Pak Clifford Harvey Aaron Thorpe Dan Mirea Mohamed Ali Sajid Rashid Peter Robert Hayward Philip Todhunter Rebekka Price Belhafnaoui Sakhile Reiling Emma Henderson Brett Tricker Christopher Wood Kenneth Cheung Sharon Sadeh Neal Howlett Serafeim Tsiakalos Michael Woodward Monica Choi Richard Simpson Lawrence Idonije Barend Van Niekerk Syed Waqas Hussain Zak Finnie Joao Souza Dias Garcia Muawia Idrees Kavita Vanmari Zaidi Daniel Fuller Anthony Spouncer Scott James Siva Pragathesewaran Simon Lieu Stephen Stowe Zafar Iqbal Jami Veeriah E-ASSOCIATES Josh Murchie Anthony Taylor Sugandhi Jayaraman Benjamin Whitworth Atilla Olgun Raul Vazquez-Diaz Arbind Jha Amy Williams Ramin Afrasiabi Landing Samba Alessio Ventriglia Kieran John Luke Winfield Chun Yuen Cheung David Silva B

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Afterburner_January2021.indd 16 14/12/2020 10:37:19 COUNCIL ELECTIONS 2021 Would you like to help guide the Society?

The Society would like to hear from we need members of Council from every part of members who are interested in standing for the aeronautical community and this is where you the Council in the 2021 elections to be held come in. next spring. Only by having a good number Please give serious thought to whether you of candidates from all sectors of the aviation could serve the Society in this most important role. and space community can the Council If you are interested, or require further information, benefit from a variety of backgrounds and please visit our website at experience. www.aerosociety.com/councilelection or NOMINATIONS As members will be aware, the Council now contact Saadiya Ogeer, the Society’s Governance FOR THE 2021 concentrates on the outward facing aspects of the and Compliance Manager, on +44 (0)20 7670 RAeS COUNCIL Society’s global activities. Indeed, as the Society 4311 or [email protected] ELECTIONS becomes ever more global, it is critically important that our offerings to members, to Corporate Please note that all nominations must be ARE NOW Partners and especially to the public are of the submitted no later than OPEN highest quality. To lead output of the highest quality 31 January 2021 at 23.59 GMT.

2021 Membership & Registration Closing Dates

Applying for Membership and Professional Registration

If you are thinking about applying for membership, upgrading or applying for professional registration with the Engineering Council, these are this year's closing dates:

26 January 16 March 4 May 22 June 7 September 23 November

Login here to apply: www.aerosociety.com/login Contact us: [email protected] or +44 (0)20 7670 4384 or 4332

JANUARY 2021 57

Afterburner_January2021.indd 17 14/12/2020 10:37:19 The Last Word Commentary from Professor Keith Hayward FRAeS

Tempest and the economy

stimating the economic value of diffuse; pinning them down, let alone quantifying a specific defence or aerospace them has over the years been an illusive exercise. programme is difficult – the former In the 1970s, there was a strong case made for more so than the latter. In the case the negative effects of defence R&D spending, of a civil airliner, its ultimate success where the resources used to develop complex Eand, by inference, its value to the economy of the weapons might have been better used elsewhere nation (or nations) producing it, can be more readily in the economy. Again, as hard to prove a appreciated by the numbers it sells. Compare negative as a positive – and the problems then Concorde and the Airbus A320. Billions were spent were related to the over-institutionalisation of on development but 14 operational UK defence research – too much conducted ‘in hardly matches the 10,000 or so sales of the A320 house’ at the research establishments and not family. The latter repaid government investment and enough under contract to industry where the continues to benefit the UK economy. results would have been more directly available for The direct returns from both the original A300 commercial exploitation. The vertically integrated and the latest member, the A380, will not have conglomerates of Japan were particularly adept at been so good, although without the A300, the using the product of publicly funded defence and A320 would not have been built. Concorde may aerospace R&D in a range of other products. have generated a spillover effect and it will have had an ‘employment multiplier’, where for every job created by the programme, others would have been Turning tech to cash generated down the supply chain and beyond. It is also important to consider exactly how fundamental research percolates into the wider Multipliers matter economy. There was a view during the Blair- Brown years that government only had to fund The employment multiplier applicable in high the top end of the research pyramid. University ULTIMATELY, THE technology manufacturing, such as aerospace, is research would flow down into products – FUTURE OF THE about 1:7, which is what the recent PwC analysis ‘exogenous growth theory’. In the engineering TEMPEST WILL of the Tempest programme uses. Similar multipliers have been used to estimate the additional gross sector ideas and research findings tend to flow DEPEND UPON value added return from future investment in a fully in and out of distinct sectors over time – not ITS MILITARY developed Tempest. Ultimately, the future of the in a simply vertical flow over time. This is well VALUE AND Tempest will depend upon its military value and exemplified by the history of carbon composite materials. In short, research funding has to be HOW MUCH how much the UK will be able to spend generally on defence when full-scale development and applied at frequent points in the innovation cycle. THE UK WILL BE production decisions have to be made. A positive There is the complication of ‘spin-in’, such as ABLE TO SPEND assessment of wider economic benefits does not developments in artificial intelligence that will GENERALLY ON do any harm, but similar arguments have tracked form part of the Tempest programme. However, past programmes (dare I mention the TSR.2 and aerospace is a vital ‘first user’ and ‘a proving DEFENCE WHEN the Nimrod AEW?) to no avail when the money or ground’ for basic concepts and technologies FULL-SCALE political support runs out. developed elsewhere. DEVELOPMENT Deploying economic arguments to bolster a AND So do technological benefits – military programme seems odd where the needs of if they can be proven ‘warfighters’ should be paramount but necessary PRODUCTION where there are so many calls on national DECISIONS HAVE But what of the more diffuse benefits from resources. However, they cannot be taken at face TO BE MADE ‘spillover’? That’s precisely the problem, they are value; workings must be shown.

58 AEROSPACE Have you renewed your membership for 2021?

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