AAcover909-fin.qxd:AA Template 8/12/09 12:42 PM Page 1 8 AEROSPACE AMERICA September 2009 SEPTEMBER 2009 FLYING greener skies EASA: Moving toward proactive regulation A conversation with Edward Weiler APUBLICATIONOFTHEAMERICANINSTITUTEOFAERONAUTICSANDASTRONAUTICS toc.SEP2009.qxd:AA Template 8/14/09 12:45 PM Page 1 September 2009 DEPARTMENTS EDITORIAL 3 The promise of thinking green. INTERNATIONAL BEAT 4 Page 4 A blueprint for defense cooperation. WASHINGTON WATCH 8 Waiting for new directions. CONVERSATIONS 12 With Edward J. Weiler. Page 20 AIRCRAFT UPDATE 16 Jetliners wait for hard times. EYE ON ELECTRONICS 20 JSF sensors: Dominant and delayed. OUT OF THE PAST 44 CAREER OPPORTUNITIES 46 Page 24 FEATURES MILITARY AVIATION GOES GREEN 24 The combination of alternative fuels,even more efficient engines, and airframe changes should result in greater fuel efficiency. by Mark J.Lewis FUELING THE GREEN AIRPLANE 32 Efforts to develop environmentally friendly fuels are yielding results, with more and more airlines making successful flights using new biofuel blends. by Frank Sietzen Jr. Page 32 EASA:MOVING TOWARD PROACTIVE REGULATION 38 Working hand in hand with both manufacturers and airlines, EASA’a goal is to make flying Europe’s skies as safe as possible. by Philip Butterworth-Hayes BULLETIN AIAA Meeting Schedule B2 AIAA Courses and Training Program B4 AIAA News B5 Meeting Program B14 COVER More efficient airframes and engines and fuels derived from plants like jatropha and camelina may help lessen our Page 38 dependence on fossil fuels and allow the planet to breathe a bit more easily.Cover design by Fitzgerald Art & Design. Aerospace America (ISSN 0740-722X) is published monthly by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. at 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Reston, Va. 20191-4344 [703/264-7577]. Subscription rate is 50% of dues for AIAA members (and is not deductible therefrom). Nonmember subscription price: U.S. and Canada, $163, foreign, $200. Single copies $20 each. Postmaster: Send address changes and subscription orders to address above, attention AIAA Customer Service, 703/264-7500. Periodical postage paid at Herndon, VA, and at additional mailing offices. Copyright © 2009 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc., all rights reserved. The name Aerospace America is registered by the AIAA in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. 40,000 copies of this issue printed. This is Volume 47, No. 8. sept09.edit.qxd:AA Template 8/17/09 11:55 AM Page 1 ® is a publication of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Elaine J. Camhi Editor-in-Chief Patricia Jefferson Associate Editor Greg Wilson Production Editor The promise of thinking green Jerry Grey, Editor-at-Large Christine Williams, Editor AIAA Bulletin In 1992, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change treaty was generated at the U.N. Conference on Environment and Development, held Correspondents in Rio de Janeiro. Five years later, the more commonly known follow-up Kyoto Robert F. Dorr, Washington Philip Butterworth-Hayes, Europe Accord was adopted, and as of January 2009, ratified by 183 parties. The treaty Michael Westlake, Hong Kong and follow-up protocol committed most of the signatories to greenhouse gas emis- sion reductions, most notably carbon dioxide, of varying degrees over the course Contributing Writers of time. Richard Aboulafia, John Binder, James W. Canan, Marco Cáceres, Edward Flinn, Today, more than 10 years later, debate continues as to the causes and Tom Jones, Théo Pirard, David Rockwell, effects of climate change, especially with regard to anthropogenic contribu- Frank Sietzen, J.R. Wilson tions. Critics say the science is faulty; proponents point to the receding polar icecaps as a bellwether of a planet in increasing peril. The debate will continue, Fitzgerald Art & Design Art Direction and Design as we develop more and more efficient measurement tools and a deeper under- standing of the Earth as an ecosystem. Craig Byl, Manufacturing and Distribution In all of the studies of greenhouse gas emissions and their impact on cli- David W. Thompson, President mate change, aviation has always been considered to be a minor contributor. Robert S. Dickman, Publisher But the sheer numbers of aircraft, both civil and military, filling the skies, and STEERING COMMITTEE the altitudes at which they fly, mean that they have significant impact. Aircraft Michael B Bragg, University of Illinois; burn fossil fuels; those fuels emit carbon dioxide directly into the atmosphere. Philip Hattis, Draper Laboratory; Mark S Those fuels are also expensive, nonrenewable, and, to a great extent, hold Maurice, AFOSR; Laura McGill, Raytheon; us hostage to foreign interests. So the growing research into the development George Muellner, Boeing; Merri Sanchez, of alternative fuels is of great value in its own right, leaving aside the increas- National Aeronautics and Space Administra- ingly heated climate change debate. Bio-derived fuels, particularly those derived tion; Mary Snitch, Lockheed Martin from non-food stocks; methanol; ethanol; liquid hydrogen; and synthetics may EDITORIAL BOARD provide the means for escaping the current chokehold oil has on the industry Ned Allen, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics; and our economy. Not one is the silver bullet; they all require further study and, Jean-Michel Contant, EADS; Eugene frankly, more money—at least for now. Covert, Massachusetts Institute of Technol- But as we develop new fuels, particularly ones that require little or no mod- ogy; L.S. “Skip” Fletcher, Texas A&M Uni- ifications to existing engines, the potential for savings both monetary and envi- versity; Michael Francis, United Technologies; ronmental is great. Another economic plus is the development of a new indus- Christian Mari, Teuchos; Cam Martin, try—farms for these stocks, for example, and refineries for processing them. NASA Dryden; Don Richardson, Donrich Research; Douglas Yazell, Honeywell And while developing new fuels that are engine-friendly is a plus, develop- ing new, even more fuel-efficient engines may yield even greater gains. This ADVERTISING effort presents great challenges—today’s engines are incredibly efficient ma- National Display and Classified: chines. But several manufacturers, along with the Air Force Research Labora- Robert Silverstein, 240.498.9674 tory, are attempting to do just that. [email protected] Modifying airframes for maximum aerodynamic efficiency will also con- West Coast Display: Greg Cruse, tribute to the reduction in fuel consumption. Even minor changes, such as the 949.361.1870 / [email protected] addition of winglets to an aircraft’s wing, result in fuel savings, as might lighter Send materials to Craig Byl, AIAA, 1801 weight materials. And the Air Force, in particular, is also looking at more dra- Alexander Bell Drive, Suite 500, Reston, VA matic modifications, such as the blended wing, down the line. 20191-4344. Changes of address should be Each of these efforts, individually, is a plus for the future of aviation and sent to Customer Service at the same address, our economy. Taken together, they are also a plus for our planet. by e-mail at [email protected], or by fax at Elaine Camhi 703/264-7606. Editor-in-Chief Send Letters to the Editor to Elaine Camhi at the same address or [email protected] September 2009, Vol. 47, No. 8 BEATlayout909.qxd:AA Template 8/11/09 3:00 PM Page 2 Ablueprintfordefensecooperation THERE IS ONE SURE WAYTO DEFINE A COUNTRY’S nated Arrangement for Military Peace follows a report on improving coopera- position in the world, in terms of its Support (NORDCAPS), and the 2008 tion between the countries drawn up by technical capabilities, political affiliations Nordic Supportive Defense Structures former Norwegian foreign minister and military intent—look at the type of (NORDSUP). Thorvald Stoltenberg earlier this year, front-line fighter it chooses. NORDAC was formed when Den- and generally regarded as the blueprint In June, Denmark’s Defense Minister mark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden for closer cooperation. (For more infor- Søren Gade announced that he was agreed to a closer cooperation on arma- mation see: http://www.regjerigenno/ postponing a decision on whether to re- ments development and procurement— en/dep/ud/press/News/2009/nord place the country’s fleet of 48 Lockheed the countries have cooperated on pro- icreport.html?id=545325.) Martin F-16s with either Saab JAS-39 curing helicopters, armored infantry According to a joint ministerial state- Gripens or Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint combat vehicles, artillery-locating radars, ment following the Kotka meeting, “the Strike Fighters. and armored wheeled vehicles as part of Ministers decided to merge the previ- The choice will have major implica- the agreement. NORDCAPS was organ- ously separate arrangements into one tions not just for Denmark and the com- ized to coordinate Nordic capabilities comprehensive structure that comprises panies involved but for the entire north- within U.N. and other peacekeeping op- defense policy, capability development, ern European area. The Nordic countries erations. NORDSUP encompasses more and crisis management operations. The (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, wide-ranging cooperation in defense re- goal since the last ministerial in Novem- and Iceland) have for decades offered the lated areas, such as procurement of de- ber 2008 has been to create one stream- blueprint for how neighboring countries fense materiel, armed forces education, lined, effectively working, and yet clear with different political affiliations can co- and defense research. and simple structure.” operate in a wide range of aerospace, Under the May 2009 agreement, a According to Stoltenberg, the large aviation, and defense issues. The institu- new cooperative structure will be in and steadily increasing costs associated tional arrangements for cooperation place starting January 2010, integrating with the procurement of modern de- among the Nordic states have formed these different areas. The new structure fense technology may mean “…the size the basis, in many areas, for the way the European Union has evolved.