AEROSPACE Oct Cover.Indd
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
www.aerosociety.com WE HAVE LIFT-OFF A BOOST FOR SPACEPORT BRITAIN? October 2014 INNOVATION IN WALES THAI AEROSPACE INDUSTRY HELICOPTER FLIGHTDECK AUTOMATION DON’T MISS! CAREERS IN AEROSPACE.COM CAREERS IN T h e AEROSPACE o n l y FR EE U LIVE 2014 EN K TR all Y! vis c itors mu a RAeS, No.4 Hamilton Place, London W1J 7BQ regist st r er onl e Friday 7 November 2014 ine e r AM Session: 10:00 – 12:45 PM Session: 13:00 – 15:45 s a n d r e c r u i t m e n t f a i r d W e NE d MAT! i OR c F online to a ok bo rning or t se a mo e hoo n c on sesso d afterno t o Business Class exhibitors: a e r o s p a Premium Economy exhibitors include: c e a n d a v i a t i o n Contact: E: [email protected] T: 020 7670 4325 for exhibitor and visitor information Register at: www.aerosociety.com/Careers-Education/careersinaerospacelive For GROUP BOOKINGS please email [email protected] Volume 41 Number 10 October 2014 Spaceport UK Growing Thais The UK Government Virgin Galactic Virgin Thailand’s plans to unveils plans to Andrew Drweiga 14 expand through the create a national 28 aviation services sector. spaceport. Contents Correspondence on all aerospace matters is welcome at: The Editor, AEROSPACE, No.4 Hamilton Place, London W1J 7BQ, UK [email protected] Comment Regulars 4 Radome 12 Transmission The latest aviation and Your letters, emails, tweets aeronautical intelligence, and feedback. analysis and comment. 58 The Last Word 10 Antenna Keith Hayward on the Getting back on track Howard Wheeldon looks at commercial and technical looks at the ups and downs value of aircraft projects Arguably lost in the breathless headlines from Farnborough concerning the non- of the air cargo market. from the1950s. appearance of the Lockheed Martin F-35B, was the grounding of another new type with engine troubles — Bombardier’s CSeries. After an uncontained engine failure of its P&W Pure Power PW1500G engine in late May this year, the aircraft fi nally returned to the air on 7 September after being grounded for over three Features months. However, a reorganisation of the company in the summer and movement Embraer of senior executives point to a programme that, although it has a superb product, Tecnatom is still navigating very stormy seas. The intention still to deliver in the second half of 2015 looks highly ambitious unless the fl ight test programme can be accelerated. But, more worryingly, there is the unspoken notion that the extended grounding of the CSeries may have wider implications beyond Bombardier. P&W’s highly 18 32 effi cient geared turbofan (GTF) technology is set to equip other new airliners now in development, such as the Mitsubishi MRJ, Irkut MC-21 and Embraer E-Jets What lies beneath Viva Brazil New advances in non- 2 — as well as the fast-selling Airbus A320neo. Press reports of a schedule Embraer’s growing military destructive testing of slippage (which may or may not be engine-related) for the A320neo’s fi rst fl ight and civil aircraft capabilities. composites. (with the PW1100G option) could be causing some anxious thoughts in airliner 34 Future projects design offi ces in Japan, Russian and Brazil. Have the manufacturers, in a rush to Radical aerospace concepts envisioned by students from re-engine and satisfy airline customers’ insatiable demand, made a huge gamble Raytheon Loughborough University. in their engine choice? If the neo’s maiden fl ight does slip substantially to an 36 Training the next engine-related hitch, P&W will need to react fast to reassure GTF customers of generation the soundness of the technology. Reassurance is critical now for Bombardier with Facing the future skills a need for either an admission that the certifi cation and delivery schedule is off, or 22 shortage challenge. how exactly the CSeries will achieve the deadline. Ignoring this could lead to not only few new sales but even nervous customers bailing out from what promises to Hot chips BCB How silicon carbide be an outstanding aircraft. technology is set to enable the more electric aircraft. Tim Robinson 24 Technology ― friend [email protected] or foe? What can the offshore 38 NEWS IN BRIEF helicopter sector learn from fi xed-wing pilots about Dragons’ den Editor-in-Chief AEROSPACE is published by the Royal AEROSPACE subscription rates: advanced automation on the Aerospace innovation set to Tim Robinson Aeronautical Society (RAeS). Non-members, £150 fl ightdeck? put Wales on the global map. +44 (0)20 7670 4353 Chief Executive Please send your order to: [email protected] Simon C Luxmoore Dovetail Services Ltd, 800 Guillat Deputy Editor Advertising Avenue, Kent Science Park, 41 Afterburner Bill Read Emma Bossom Sittingbourne, Kent ME9 8GU, UK. +44 (0)20 7670 4351 +44 (0)20 7670 4342 +44 (0)1795 592939 [email protected] [email protected] +44 (0)844 856 0650 (fax) [email protected] 42 Message from our President Publications Manager Unless specifi cally attributed, no Chris Male material in AEROSPACE shall be taken Any member not requiring a print 43 Message from our Chief Executive +44 (0)20 7670 4352 to represent the opinion of the RAeS. version of this magazine, please [email protected] contact: [email protected] 44 Book Reviews Reproduction of material used in this Production Editor publication is not permitted without the USA: Periodical postage paid at 47 Library Additions Wayne J Davis written consent of the Editor-in-Chief. Champlain New York and additional 48 Cody Lecture +44 (0)20 7670 4354 offi ces. Online [email protected] Printed by Buxton Press Limited, Palace Road, Buxton, Derbyshire Postmaster: Send address changes 49 Photo treasure hunt to IMS of New York, PO Box 1518, Additional features and content Book Review Editor SK17 6AE, UK 50 Sir Roger Bone retires are available to view online on Brian Riddle Champlain NY 12919-1518, USA. 52 Diary www.media.aerosociety.com/ Editorial Offi ce Distributed by Royal Mail aerospace-insight Royal Aeronautical Society ISSN 2052-451X 55 Corporate Partners Including: Contemporary press reports from the No.4 Hamilton Place London W1J 7BQ, UK 56 RAeS Elections National Aerospace Library of the outbreak of +44 (0)20 7670 4300 WW1, the aircraft insurance market, RIP [email protected] Boris Island, Taranis UCAV ― the Front cover: Artist’s concept of conventional take-off Skylon orbital www.aerosociety.com aerodynamics challenge. spaceplane. Reaction Engines @aerosociety i Find us on LinkedIn f Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com OCTOBER 2014 13 Radome INTELLIGENCE / ANALYSIS / COMMENT Cockpit No crew size is given but the design does seen to indicate a two-pilot fl ight deck. It also features crew rest areas. Given the BWB Hybrid propulsion fl ying-wing confi guration, it also may be This future cargo aircraft uses a radical hybrid propulsion inferred that fl ight controls would need to be system, with one central-mounted turbofan and two large fl y-by-wire (FBW). ducted electric fans fed by fuselage intakes. Komarov's blue- prints show a large space for batteries on the top fuselage — indicating that perhaps the intention is that the conventional engines recharge the batteries in-fl ight. Though no thrust ratings are given, the design goal is a 4,000km range with a payload of 80t. NEWS IN BRIEF ?????? ???? ???? ??? ??? ????? ????? ?????? Landing gear Maximum take-off weight is 270t. The aircraft ?????? ???? ???? ??? ??? features an 18-wheel landing gear with Thrust????? ????? ?????? vectoring eight-wheel double main undercarriage. Designer Komarov has also included thrust vectoring?????? ???? ????in the ??? concept ??? for enhanced short- ????? ????? ?????? fi eld capabilities. The chevron-style engine nozzles?????? ???? from ???? the ??? ???electric ducted-fan engines are????? able ????? to ?????? direct the exhaust/air fl ow to provide additional lift. Furthermore, the top turbofan?????? ???? position ???? ??? ??? between the V-tail would also????? shield????? jet noise to the ground. Alexey Komarov Alexey Komarov 4 AEROSPACE / OCTOBER 2014 Payload The cargo bay profi le is 7m x 4m square and features a rear loading ramp. Maximum payload would be 90t. Alexey Komarov Military One illustration shows the unnamed BWB in splinter camofl auge, sug- gesting this could be developed as military airlifter too. Alexey Komarov Wing Fitted with winglets the, wingspan of this aircraft is 80m, giving a wing area of 766m2. W AIR TRANSPORT Future hybrid cargo BWB A runner-up in a recent design contest from Russia's Volga-Dnepr air cargo group was this concept for a V-tailed blended-wing body (BWB) freighter aircraft from Alexey Komarov, a graduate of Stroganov Moscow State University of Arts and Industry. As well as the BWB confi guration, the concept for the airlifter incorporates a unique three- engine electric-hybrid propulsion concept — with two large electrically-driven fans and a third conventional turbofan. As well as its hybrid-electric green credentials, the design also promises to be ultra-quiet, thanks to chevron-style exhaust nozzles, buried engines and a shielded turbofan. @aerosociety i Find us on LinkedIn f Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com OCTOBER 2014 5 Radome DEFENCE TBM 900 Anti-IS coalition begins to coalesce pressure on IS fi ghters in Iraq but based in Cyprus carrying Turkey has only agreed out reconnaissance fl ights loss to allow humanitarian and while the deployment of On 5 September, logistical operations from Chinooks is also under a Socata TBM 900 its NATO air base. The US consideration. crashed into the has assembled a coalition Meanwhile, France has sea off the coast which includes Egypt, Iraq, also begun reconnaissance of Jamaica after Jordan, Lebanon, Bahrain, fl ights with French Air the pilot became Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Force Rafales while incapacitated.