Winter 2007/Spring 2008

Claire, climate’s good friend

MTU Aero Engines Holding AG Dachauer Straße 665 80995 Munich • Germany MTU Global Products + Services Reports Tel. +49 89 1489-0 Fax +49 89 1489-5500 www.mtu.de Behemoth in the making Flying across the Boundless flying, almost open sea Contents Editorial

Cover Story Dear Readers: Claire, climate’s good friend 4 - 7 Climate change remains one of the dominant Ultimately, it is this integrated approach that issues in aviation: the multiplicity of propos- alone will be able to reconcile the various Technology + Science als to alleviate the environmental impact of ecological needs involved. But of course, the air traffic seems to be inexhaustible, and so fundamental tenet that the triple demands of Europe is focused on research 8 - 9 does the variety of contamination standards economy, ecology and technology should be High-tech from root to tip 10 - 11 being formulated. Some representa- in healthy balance also applies to Claire, as it tives and lawmakers even expect zero emis- does to all other engine programs. If this bal- Claire, climate’s good friend sions by 2050. ance is not achieved there can be no progress. MTU Global At MTU Aero Engines, climate protection visions have already taken on a concrete shape: Claire is the name of a technology program that bases on MTU, too, has for many years been working In closing, please let me say a word or two on Behemoth in the making 12 - 13 existing, previously validated components. on advanced climate-friendlier engine tech- my own behalf: I’ve been MTU Aero Engines’ Page 4 nologies and folded these into a concrete chief executive officer for three years. I was Customers + Partners program: the new Clean Air Engine (Claire) enthused to work in the fascinating world of project is key to a three-stage 30 percent re- aviation. I always tried to secure for MTU and Expansion the Malaysian way 14 - 15 Behemoth in the making duction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2035. its products their rightful place in the indus- The new test cell at MTU Maintenance Island hopping and beyond 16 - 17 try. The company’s IPO was a success and Hannover ranks among the world’s Claire bases on existing, proven components. the stock has fared well. At year-end, I will be most capable test facilities. Customers Its key constituent is a geared turbofan the able to pass on the helm of a healthy, viable Products + Services benefit from the expanded test capac- company develops in partnership with Pratt company to my successor Egon Behle. At this ities and shorter lead times. Flying across the open sea 18 - 21 & Whitney. That turbofan in itself will account juncture, let me say good-bye to you and thank Page 12 for an up to 15 percent reduction of carbon you for the good, trusting collaboration you Start with a bang 22 - 23 dioxides. In a second step, Claire envisions a extended to me; it is and will always be the counterrotating fan to yield another five per- cornerstone of the company’s viability. Reports cent and the use of a recuperator promises Please stand behind MTU as you always did. Flying across the open sea to achieve the remaining ten-percent reduc- Small is beautiful 24 - 27 MTU affiliate Vericor Power Systems tion. With my best wishes for the future, I remain Boundless flying, almost 28 - 31 has developed a control unit for marine gas turbines to hurl luxury- Claire will not only achieve a realistic, climate- yours sincerely class mega-yachts across the sea at friendly reduction of carbon dioxide emissions Anecdotes record speeds. but moreover reduce noise levels. Already, One of the last three extant 32 - 35 Page 18 airliners and their engines are subject to tough noise requirements, typically to night-time curfews imposed worldwide. And whether News 36 - 39 Boundless flying, almost present noise standards will prove sufficient Masthead 39 is still very much in question. This is where Udo Stark For today’s combat pilots, refueling in the air has long become a routine proce- CEO Claire comes in, halving the perceived noise dure. Aerial refueling can be done two ways, using either a boom and receptacle level associated with today’s advanced or a probe and drogue system. engines. And this, too, is exactly where our Page 28 Claire concept affords a big advantage: at issue here is not the alternative of reducing carbon dioxides or alleviating noise; Claire does both.

2 3 Claire, climate’s good friend

By Martina Vollmuth

Air traffic is growing incessantly. To prevent the air in the sky from deteriorating just as fast, aircraft too need to become cleaner. Some airline representatives even expect jetliners to emit zero carbon dioxide within the next 50 years. At MTU, climate protection visions have already taken on concrete shape: the carbon dioxide emission of engines will be drastically reduced in three stages. The technology program to do just that is dubbed Claire and is based on existing, proven components.

15, 20, 30 percent less carbon dioxide are efforts have culminated in a Clean Air Engine that all of the key components to be folded the staged targets Germany’s leading engine (Claire) technology project. “By 2025, we into the project already exist or that at least manufacturer has set for itself to achieve by expect to achieve 20 percent to begin with,” their feasibility has been demonstrated. They 2035. This is the timetable MTU’s engine announced executive vice president and have been tested successfully and proven to experts and the futurologists of Bauhaus COO Dr. Rainer Martens at a Munich press meet all energy efficiency and cost-effective- Luftfahrt have jointly formulated. Their briefing. A compelling advantage of Claire is ness expectations. According to Martens, “we’re not talking visions here but projects that we've launched internally and that we can bring to market at the scheduled dates.”

Geared turbofan: safe road to success MTU’s three-stage concept hinges on a geared turbofan, which in itself will already yield some 15 percent of the intended carbon dioxide reduction. Its key components are MTU’s high-speed low-pressure turbine, a high-pressure compressor being built jointly by MTU and Pratt & Whitney, and a gearbox especially developed for the purpose by Italy’s gearbox specialist Avio. The trick the geared turbofan does is that it uncouples the fan from the low-pressure turbine, the pair of them with conventional engines normally being seated on a common shaft. Uncou- pling them from one another lets the individ- ual components achieve their respective maximum performance to improve efficiency and lower noise levels. The better an engine’s efficiency, the less fuel it consumes and the less carbon dioxide it emits.

< The geared turbofan is the key technology underly- ing Claire. It reduces carbon dioxide emissions and noise.

> For the next generation of engines MTU and Pratt & Whitney have already tested a particularly efficient high-pressure compressor.

4 Cover Story 5 During the second stage of the Claire pro- ject, the geared turbofan is fitted with a Bavarian think tank counterrotating fan designed to increase the Bauhaus Luftfahrt bears a proud carbon dioxide reduction to 20 percent by name and lives up to it. Inspired by 2025. MTU had developed and for the first the tradition of the Bauhaus, in the time tested a fan of the type in the eighties. 1920s a school of design in Dessau, Under the Counter Rotating Integrated Germany, the Munich think tank Shrouded Propfan (Crisp) technology pro- focuses on the future of aviation. gram it demonstrated outstanding efficiency. Under the roof of the system manage- Acoustic measurements showed the shroud- ment company, engineers, designers ed fan to beat the competing open fan by far and economists collaborate in an and satisfy all noise standards. interdisciplinary effort, closely mesh- ing science and industry. MTU Aero Engines expects to obtain the last ten percent of the targeted carbon dioxide reduction through the use of a recuperator Crisp had been extensively tested back in the eighties. MTU’s high-speed low-pressure turbine is one of In the third Claire stage a recuperator will be used and other innovative technologies, such as a the key components of the geared turbofan and has that will permit another marked reduction in fuel already demonstrated its full functional efficiency consumption. smart compressor and cooling-air cooling. many times over.

The recuperated counterrotating geared tur- demonstrably unable to satisfy the noise bofan is then expected to yield the full 30 requirements. Noise protection already play- percent reduction in carbon dioxide burden ing an essential part in the ’ fleet by 2035. Unlike other concepts, however, planning, the MTU concept will quickly pay Claire is not content to just reduce carbon dividends. Martens is confident that quieter dioxide emission: “We’re taking an integrated aircraft will moreover permit more efficient multiple-track approach, so we’re making ad- utilization of the existing infrastructure. vances also on the noise front,” says execu- tive vice president and COO Martens. And Novel aircraft concepts Since its launch in November two these advances are not trifling: the optimized What’s more, MTU expects further improve- years ago as a joint venture of EADS, geared turbofan will halve the perceived ment in environmental performance to be MTU Aero Engines, Liebherr-Aero- noise level associated with present engines. derived from new aircraft concepts. This is a space and the Free State of Bavaria, focus primarily of the Bauhaus Luftfahrt e.V. the small blue-chip company is grow- According to Martens, the shrouded propfan research association launched by MTU Aero ing slowly but securely. “We keep is the only available option to meet the tight- Engines, Liebherr-Aerospace, EADS, and the expanding and have some intriguing ening noise standards expected in the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs. It is vacancies you will find on our Web future. Its open counterpart, says Martens, is headed by Prof. Dr. Klaus Broichhausen. The page,” explains Prof. Dr. Klaus Broich- Bauhaus chairman used to be responsible for hausen, who has been leading Bau- advanced technologies at MTU and so is no haus from day one. stranger to the subject. Says Broichhausen: “One of the key problems we’re looking into is how best to improve the integration of engines into aircraft platforms and so opti- mize aerodynamics. Overall, our concepts target a future air transportation system that makes short- and medium-haul routes very, very quiet and provides maximum economy of resources and space.”

Martens and Broichhausen concur that the commercial viability of future aircraft will not be determined solely by technological ex- pertise. Martens explains: “Success has always been a tradeoff between economy, ecology and technology. It is within this For additional information, contact magic triangle that a company must try to Odilo Mühling find the proper balance for each of their +49 89 1489-2698 products. The market will reject any excess For interesting multimedia services of technology or ecology at the expense of associated with this article, go to: price, and vice versa.” www.mtu.de/207ClaireE

6 Cover Story 7 Europe is focused on research

By Martina Vollmuth

Silencer, Clean, Vital – in Europe, industry and science have for years been developing innovative, clean engine technologies. A new initiative focuses on optimizing the core engine: Within the frame- work of Newac (New Aero Engine Core concepts), 40 partners from industry, science and research are developing new concepts and technologies centering on active systems, heat management and advanced combustors. The effort is headed by MTU.

The research program aims at reducing the and thriftier engines,” explains Dr. Günter trol for the aft stages and an active surge fuel consumption of engines by six percent— Wilfert. The MTU technology expert leads the control system for the forward stages of that and with it carbon dioxide emissions—and at research program, which proceeding under compressor. Other options include active The Clean demonstrator undergoing testing. slashing nitrogen oxide emissions by 16 per- the European Commission’s Sixth Frame- cooling-air cooling, which reduces the cent. Specifically, Newac investigates new work Program is designed to initially extend amount of cooling air needed and thus re- New technologies for optimum flow control (component validator for environmentally drastically reduce nitrogen oxide generation. technologies for four different core engine over four years. duces the engine’s fuel consumption. inside the high-pressure compressor, such friendly aero engine) concept. Tests had Wilfert announced that tests slated to begin architectures with active systems, heat man- as boundary layer suction, open up new pos- revealed that integration of the exhaust gas by the middle of next year “will show whether agement (intercooler, cooling-air cooling and MTU is pursuing the “active core engine” The concept developed by Rolls-Royce is sibilities for improving efficiency and surge recuperator could still be improved. Under we’re on the right track with our approach- heat exchanger), improved components and concept that provides engineers with new intended to benefit from the advantages margin. New abradable linings will be intro- the Newac program, therefore, universities es.” an exhaust gas recuperator. technological options: various systems are afforded by a very high overall pressure duced to decelerate the loss in compressor and research institutions are now investigat- intended to permit the core engine to be ratio. This concept uses an intercooler to performance that inevitably occurs over ing its optimization. The innovative engine elements will be de- optimally adapted to any prevailing flight avoid an increase in the turbine inlet temper- time. This concept, which is pursued by veloped and produced under the Newac pro- regime. That improves efficiency and ature. If the air between the low-pressure Snecma, is particularly suitable for highly Since the various core engine concepts are For additional information, contact gram and validated by model, rig and core reduces fuel consumption and harmful emis- compressor and the high-pressure compres- stressed core engines. based on different overall pressure ratios, Dr. Günter Wilfert engine testing. Assessment of the new core sions. It can be achieved, for instance, by sor is cooled less power is needed to drive special combustors will be needed. The +49 89 1489-4347 engines will be based on various missions actively controlling the high-pressure com- the compressors. Furthermore, the combus- The fourth concept focuses on an exhaust Newac engineers will look into three differ- For interesting multimedia services and aircraft sizes. “That automatically pro- pressor in the event of critical or deviating tion process is optimized and nitrogen oxide gas recuperator the basic principles of which ent versions, all of which involve lean pre- associated with this article, go to: duces different roadmaps leading to cleaner responses by means of active clearance con- emissions are reduced. had been developed by MTU under the Clean mixing. It is hoped that this concept will www.mtu.de/207NewacE

Concept of an “active core engine”. Core engine with optimized flow control. Concept featuring an intercooler. Concept featuring an exhaust gas recuperator.

8 Technology + Science 9 High-tech from root to tip

By Nicole Geffert

Throughout their lives, rotor blades are subject to frictional wear, especially in the high- pressure turbine, say, of a V2500 engine. To keep wear down under the rough service con- ditions prevailing there, their tips are hardfaced in manufacture. But repairing hardfaced blade tips is a laborious job. MTU’s experts now have succeeded in developing an innovative The extreme stresses occurring in flight leave their mark on a V2500 high-pres- A blade tip repaired using the MTUPlus Tip Protection process is as good as new. technique for rehardfacing worn blade tips. Called MTUPlus Tip Protection, it helps blades last sure turbine blade. longer and saves customers money on maintenance. Inside the V2500 high-pressure turbine, Maintenance Hannover is responsible for re- approach affords several advantages. “The blades must safely sustain searing tempera- pair development. So to have the hardfacing brazed layer,” according to Manier, “is appre- tures of over 1,150 degrees Centigrade tem- on the blade tips renewed, MTU needed to ciably less porous than the plating, which peratures, after first having carved out their ship the components to the OEM, which gives it better oxidation-inhibiting proper- tracks in the casing at a speed of 15,000 rev- involved a two-week trip and protracted the ties.” That makes the hardfacing more resist- olutions per minute. To keep the blades from entire repair process. ant and more effectively keeps the clearance immediately breaking down in the torturous from growing in service, which in turn has process, the casing is provided with a suit- Seidel and his team weren’t very happy with beneficial effects on efficiency and fuel con- able abradable lining that, too, needs fre- this situation. Casting about for a solution, sumption. Also, the new hardfacing mates quent replacement. Having the blade tips they eventually found help in-house, not un- optimally with the abradable lining of the accurately grind their tracks into the lining surprisingly since developing repair proces- casing, so that the entire system is keeps the clearance between blade and cas- ses, after all, is one of MTU’s specialties. The improved. Seidel adds: “Customers benefit ing to a minimum. Minimal tip clearance is company, as an independent provider of from the improved performance of the desirable because narrow clearances en- engine maintenance services, has continu- repaired blades, and from their extended hance efficiency and so reduce fuel con- ously been improving on these special prac- service life and hence lower maintenance sumption. tices. The maintenance experts in Hannover costs.” huddled with Karl-Heinz Manier from blisk The high loads involved will in time injure the and new production and repair technologies MTU Maintenance Hannover is going to blades; the protective hardfacing wears and at MTU Aero Engines’ Munich facility. Seidel adopt the new technique into its repair line needs replacing. “But the tips were the only said: “Luckily, we’re very good at technology before year-end. The facility required for the place on the V2500 high-pressure turbine development across all company locations; purpose is already in place. The process, for rotor blades our specialists couldn’t repair,” the colleagues from Munich bring their en- which MTU has filed a patent, has been explains Dr. Frank Seidel, who at MTU gine development expertise to the table, we dubbed MTUPlus Tip Protection. It is part of a our maintenance know-how”. Manier assem- number of innovative high-tech repair prac- bled a team of experts that within a year and tices developed by the company that satisfy a half of extensive research succeeded in demanding life, function and other criteria developing a high-tech repair technique for and are grouped under the tradename of worn blade tips, proceeding in close consul- MTUPlus Repair. “Now we can repair V2500 tation with their Hannover colleagues. high-pressure turbine rotor blades 100 per- cent in-house,” says Seidel, gratified. “For The crux of the problem is the hardfacing our customers, that means they get one-stop material: hard material particles of cubic service and can be certain they have a flaw- boron nitride (CBN) are imbedded in an oxi- less product that in terms of quality and reli- dation protection layer. “CBN is about as ability is as good as new.” hard as diamonds but holds up much better under heat,” explains development engineer For additional information, contact Maik Zeugner from MTU Maintenance Dr. Frank Seidel Hannover. But unlike the OEM, which +49 511 7806-4212 A special-purpose facility has been developed for the deposits the layer by electroplating, MTU This article is available online at: new MTUPlus Tip Protection process. brazes it in place. For its customers, that www.mtu.de/207CBNE

10 Technology + Science 11 cause short turnaround times will improve our competitiveness,” explained Dr. Uwe Blöcker, MTU Maintenance Hannover’s pres- ident and CEO, during the foundation laying ceremony for the new mammoth building. “We hope the new test cell will help us gen- erate additional growth and secure the long- term viability of the location,” Blöcker assured the blue-chip assembly of guests from politics, industry and science that had come in end-May to witness the ceremony, impressed with the project.

7,700 cubic meters of reinforced concrete will go into the new giant. Responsible for the construction work is U.S.-based Cenco. “The new test cell will be a double-shell con- struction to further reduce noise,” explains project manager Ralf Wiegmann. Going up alongside the test cell and its intake and exhaust stacks is an annex housing social and service rooms, the control center and a computer room. “The arrangement of the new test cell connects it with the old one, Foundation laying ceremony with executive vice president and COO Dr. Rainer Martens, president of the which is still running reliably and remains in Hannover region Hauke Jagau, Lower Saxony’s Minister President Christian Wulff, MTU Maintenance Hannover president and CEO Dr. Uwe Blöcker and foreman Andreas Kruschewski (from left). service,” adds the project manager. What’s new in this building is a monorail system, allowing the engine to be hauled suspended Throbbing behind the functionally styled instrumentation systems and greenlight the in a fixture overhead along a rail system. architecture of the new 100-by-15 meter proposed systems,” Wiegmann explains. That keeps the floor unobstructed and per- building is a complex array of sophisticated “That’s an enormous amount of work but mits the engine to be hung directly into the technology. “We regularly engage in techni- there’s no way around it,” he adds. “After all, test cell. With its 13-by-13 meter section, the cal discussions with our colleagues from these systems are the heart of the test cell new test cell is approximately twice the size MTU Aero Engines’ Munich location in which and they to a large extent determine the of the present one. we shape the technical test installations and cell’s capability.” And that capability is far from shabby: The airflow amounts to a max- imum of 3,300 cubic meters a second. That Behemoth in the making clears the way at MTU’s Hannover location to test high-thrust large-scale commercial By Nicole Geffert engines. “We’ll be operative in July 2008, as soon as EASA, the European Aviation Safety Agency, has given the nod,” Michaelis At its Langenhagen site, MTU Maintenance Hannover is erecting one of the world’s most capable announces. test cells. It is designed to accommodate large engines delivering up to 150,000 pounds of thrust. Starting in summer 2008, the company will be able to also handle such giant engines as the GE90, The new test cell primarily is a production Trent 800 and GP7000. MTU’s customers will profit from the expanded test capacities and shorter facility to comprehensively test repaired turnaround times offered to them. engines for proper function and performance before they are shipped back to customers. But according to Michaelis, “it is fully What Thomas Michaelis sees every day when Explains Michaelis: “The workload is growing. is designed for thrust categories of up to equipped for the testing of new engines as looking out his office window is progress. Our present test cell has been in operation 150,000 pounds. “In a little while,” he adds, well, such as the PW6000, the final assembly “Completion of the new test cell is in full for fully 26 years and can no longer handle “we’ll be able to test such engines here as of which is the exclusive responsibility of swing, the work is progressing smoothly,” that much work.” Revamping it would be too the GE90, GP7000 and CF6-80E1, and broad- MTU Maintenance Hannover.” says the head of testing operations at MTU expensive and involve a downtime of several en our portfolio accordingly.” Maintenance Hannover, pleased with what weeks. “Also, its capacity is narrowed by its For additional information, contact he sees. Going up directly adjacent to the limited airflow. The present test cell can MTU is investing as much as 21 million euros Ralf Wiegmann present test cell and rigging hall on MTU’s cope with maximally 62,000 pounds of in the highly advanced facility. In engine +49 511 7806-4544 premises in Langenhagen is a second test thrust. Whereas we want to provide our cus- maintenance, low rigging and processing For interesting multimedia services facility, made necessary by the shop’s tomers with more capacity and service,” he times are crucial to success. “We want to On a growth track: At its Langenhagen site MTU Maintenance Hannover is erecting one of the world’s most associated with this article, go to: tremendous growth. says. The new test cell has more power and further reduce our turnaround times, be- capable test cells. www.mtu.de/207testcell

12 MTU Global 13 come some 100 customers and business partners in the new factory. “At this cus- tomer event, we plan to parade our new tech- Expansion the nical capabilities and demonstrate how we in meet the challenges involved in a highly efficient production effort,” explained Dr. Stefan Weingartner, who is the new pres- Malaysian way ident and chief executive officer, commercial maintenance. He succeeded Bernd Kessler in early November. By Ute Schwing The new production site excels by its innova- The red carpet signals the presence of high-ranking visitors: in the Science Park industrial zone in Malaysia’s tive technical features. Its ARP (Advanced Selangor State, blue-ribbon representatives from politics and industry in summer inaugurated a gleaming new build- Recontouring Process) system is an excep- ing. Lion dance and firecrackers attended the opening of Airfoil Services Sdn. Bhd., a joint venture of MTU and tionally fast, fully automated repair tech- Festive inauguration at ASSB: The new building in the State of Selangor offers ample space for the planned Lufthansa Technik. Within 15 months, the production floor space had been quadrupled, the machine pool modern- nique that uses an automated grinding oper- expansion. ized and 250 new jobs have been added. ation to give the leading edges of blades an

Attending the ceremony in late June were office floor space of 2,500 square meters, Relocation of the old ASSB production activ- aerodynamically optimized contour. That port us in building the machine pool and Yang Amat Berhormat Dato’ Seri Haji Mo- the new ASSB facility has ample space to ities from Shah Alam, which is about half an contour will help reduce fuel consumption training operators on site. Naturally, that hamad Khir Bin Toyo, who is the current broaden its customer base. The sustained hour’s drive further east, to Kota Damansara and operating costs. Among the advanced equally applies to our joint-venture partner Chief Minister of the State of Selangor, His boom of the Asian aviation market had was achieved without disrupting production. repair techniques in use also is HVOF (High Lufthansa Technik.” Continuation training is Excellency the German Ambassador to prompted the two German parent companies MTU and Lufthansa Technik experts had Velocity Oxy Fuel) spraying, a thermal pro- a high priority and pursued not only on site: Malaysia Herbert Jess, and senior officials of to expand their joint venture. Presently, 350 meticulously orchestrated the move. It began cess for high-speed coating using kerosene so far, 50 operators have been trained also the two partner companies. “The new build- employees are working at ASSB, and that with the relocation of the first production or hydrogen as a fuel. It is typically applied to at MTU and Lufthansa Technik in Germany, ing has clearly strengthened our MRO net- number is expected to grow by another 150 area in June, and after fully four months, in CFM56 compressor blades to produce a and more are to follow. work and created a modern high-tech center jobs. The expansion will be sufficient to cope early September, the last machines for the highly compacted erosion-inhibiting coating. in Malaysia that enables us to make our cus- with an annual workload of 600,000 parts. repair of low-pressure turbine blades arrived tomers attractive offers,” declared Bernd The company, a center of excellence, spe- in Kota Damansara, reuniting all ASSB de- “In Malaysia, as elsewhere, our customers For additional information, contact Kessler, then president and chief executive cializes in the high-tech repair of engine partments under one roof. assuredly will enjoy MTU’s high level of qual- Dimitri Vasiliadis officer, commercial maintenance at MTU blades; currently being processed are low- ity service,” emphasized Dimitri Vasiliadis, +60 3 6145-3600 Aero Engines. pressure turbine and high-pressure com- After the ceremonial inauguration in summer Experts from the German joint venture partners project manager at MTU. “At Kota Daman- provide on-site support to their Malaysian colleagues: For interesting multimedia services pressor blades of V2500, CFM56, CF6 and 2007, there’s another big event on the agen- Shown here is Carsten Harder from MTU Maintenance sara, we’re being ably assisted by experts associated with this article, go to: With a shop area of 6,000 square meters and CF34 engines. da in end-November, when ASSB will wel- Hannover tutoring an inspection training course. from MTU Maintenance Hannover, who sup- www.mtu.de/207ASSBE

14 Customers + Partners 15 the country’s major airlines like Garuda, Air Batavia, , Air Asia , Mandala and are operating the trust- Island hopping ed CFM-powered 737-300 and -400 transports. “Overall, there’re about a hun- dred 737 Classics based in Indonesia,” van der Sluis reckons. Many of these are and beyond repaired and overhauled at the pre-eminent domestic maintenance facility, GMF AeroAsia in , a wholly-owned Garuda affiliate. By Andreas Spaeth According to van der Sluis, the company has 3,500 employees, but only 58 engine mechanics. Indonesia is the world’s fourth most populous country, comprising some 17,500 islands. Small wonder the aircraft is a vital means of transportation in the archipelago. Since 1949, Indonesia has a long aviation heritage, air state-owned airline has been connecting the islands with each other and traffic there beginning back in 1928. At that with other nations. Garuda Maintenance Facilities (GMF) AeroAsia keeps Garuda’s aircraft in time, the country was called the Dutch East good trim, and also those of other carriers, of late with a helping hand from MTU Maintenance. Indies, and flying was very much in the hands of the ’ KLM. In the early 1930s, KLM affiliate KNILM went into business and in 1934 served seven cities inside the coun- try and neighboring . Following the Second World War, KLM again took the for- mer affiliate in its fold, making it the KLM Island Division. The new carrier started oper- ations with 20 DC-3s and eight of the leg- endary Catalina flying boats. Before in The CFM56—shown here is the -3 version—is among the world’s bestselling commercial engine product lines August 1950 the independent Republic of of all times. Indonesia was declared, Garuda Indonesian Airways was launched. It was a joint venture nical support by KLM. Topping the list of the craft, so that in 1968 the DC-8-55 entered of the Dutch and Indonesian governments. It new airline’s priorities was fleet renewal: for service in Garuda’s fleet. Garuda again re- started operations with twin-engine Convair starters, three Lockheed Electra turboprops newed its close relationship with the former CV-240s in September 1950. were purchased, and next came the first jet- colonial power. Within a few years, the airline liners, three Convair CV-990s. The first four- became the world’s largest operator of the Growing its fleet to soon include 19 Convairs engine jetliners were added to the fleet in twin-jet Fokker F28, with 45 of them being and 14 De Havilland Herons, Garuda built a September 1963 to serve Asian cities, with deployed in domestic service. dense route network. In July 1954, the gov- the Netherlands’ being added to ernment nationalized the company, which in the list of destinations in March 1965. This For long-haul operations, Garuda soon added September 1956 pulled the plug out of tech- highly profitable route called for a larger air- widebody aircraft to its fleet, with its first DC-10 entering service in 1975 in the com- pany’s then red-and-white livery. Starting in 1980, Boeing 747s and MD-11s joined the fleet, as well as A300s and A330s. For domestic service, the Indonesian airline is increasingly deploying -300s and -400s, of which it is presently operating 37 in a total fleet of 48 aircraft. With these aircraft, Garuda in 2006 carried totally 9.3 million passengers. There is more to come: in March 2007, Garuda ordered 25 new Boeing In August 2007, MTU’s maintenance people “We’re figuring on two engines a month. new agreement marks a breakthrough into a 737-800s, and another 20 Airbus A320s are inked a strategic partnership agreement with Maintenance cycles in Zhuhai are 50 to 55 rapidly growing market,” enthuses van der on its wish list. GMF AeroAsia that provides for a three-year days,” explains Johan van der Sluis, who at Sluis. “In Indonesia, air traffic has soared cooperative effort, plus an option for another MTU Maintenance is responsible for market- some 27 percent over the last five years; the two years. The partners will jointly support, ing and sales activities in the Indonesian business potential here almost matches that For additional information, contact at MTU Maintenance Zhuhai and elsewhere, market. The MTU maintenance people pro- of .” Johan van der Sluis +49 511 7806-337 CFM56-3 engines flown by Indonesian air- vide technical assistance to GMF AeroAsia This article is available online at: lines. MTU’s Chinese facility is the largest personnel and help them shorten turnaround The CFM56-3, at over 200 copies, is the most GMF AeroAsia deputy chief executive officer Agus Sudarya (2nd from left) and Johan van der Sluis (far right) www.mtu.de/207GMFE engine maintenance shop in China. times in their own GMF shop. “For us, the widely flown engine type in Indonesia. All of from MTU Maintenance on the occasion of the contract signing ceremony.

16 Customers + Partners 17 Flying across the open sea

By Elisabeth Wagner

“When everything is getting more complicated by the minute, it helps to simplify things for a change.” And that’s exactly what MTU’s affiliate Vericor Power Systems did: it developed a control unit for marine gas turbines to hurl luxury-class yachts of many tons across the water at high speed. The new electronic black box facilitates work for captain, crew and engineers alike. The Vericor team once more impressed its mark of excellence on the marine propulsion market.

When Vericor’s marine sales manager Tony the 5,600-horsepower TF50 package could Upon his return to Vericor headquarters in Wilcoxson visited Diesel Center, a distribu- take a 120-foot yacht to speeds of over 50 Atlanta, Georgia, Wilcoxson huddled with tor of marine propulsion equipment and con- knots, the package needed to be attractive the company’s marine propulsion special- trol systems in La Spezia, Italy, in March to ship builders who were competing in an ists, and they quickly decided that a com- 2006, Diesel Center’s president Michele ever cost-conscious environment. “Just plete integration of the control functions of Maggi told him that he would love to offer a because these buyers spend 20 million the whole propulsion system would reduce TF50 gas turbine package as a boost system euros on a yacht doesn’t mean they don’t cost, installation, and space requirements for mega-yachts. But it wasn’t enough that shop for the best value,” explained Maggi. as well as improve maintainability.

18 Products + Services 19 Normally, a gas turbine has a dedicated unit to control all engine functions in a factory- sealed box with limited modification and serviceability in the field. Similarly, there are discrete control units for the reduction gear- box, exhaust cooling, water jet as well as other systems, all supplied by different man- ufacturers. All these discrete controls con- nect to an operating console in the engine room (called local operating panel or “LOP”) supplied by yet another vendor that dupli- cates many of the controls available to the ship’s captain. These boxes and panels claim valuable space in the engine room, and the related complexity of various soft- ware and system interfaces results in a real headache for yacht builders and marine out- fitters like Diesel Center.

A Vericor project team was assembled and tasked to find a way to make this concept a reality—and do it fast as Diesel Center had two projects on their list that could be given the go-ahead if the system was ready in time. The engineers quickly concluded that pro- Touchscreen control: All important data at a glance. The elegant Pershing 115 is the first high-speed yacht featuring the new ITCP panel. grammable logic control technology could be used to integrate all of the various propulsion engine builder, was the overall technical panel (ITCP). Lorenzo Previsani of Diesel The first test came in February 2007 when a systematically checked out in a simulation fines of the engine room to install the TF50, system control functions into a single unit. leader. Diesel Center had been working with Center, a veteran of many high-speed yacht prototype ITCP was connected to a TF50 for exercise in a quickly established test facility ZF reduction gear, ITCP and the rest of the Off-the-shelf equipment was available that reduction gear builder ZF Specialty Marine projects, said: “By designing one system that actual engine start and operations valida- at Diesel Center. propulsion system. Connections were made, would allow the team to not only integrate all Products on a new, lightweight gearbox, and does everything we eliminate a lot of redun- tion. The TF50 functioned perfectly, never checked and rechecked, and finally only the the functions, but to also make quick pro- Vericor identified T3 Automation, a yacht dancy and get rid of all these separate boxes realizing it had a new rider in the saddle. The The final gate was, of course, success at sea last test remained. gramming changes during its development. controls specialist, as a resource for graph- from different vendors that have to under- ITCP was then shipped to La Spezia to begin and the first project was a new 140-ton ics and hardware expertise. All agreed to the stand each other.” the crucial activity of programming and vali- Pershing 115. In parallel to the software With the 35-meter Pershing 115 cruising For the integrated control system to be a basic requirements and the new product was dating all of the other system functions. development, the two ITCPs were released along under diesel power at 33 knots, the success, it was critical that Vericor, as the designated the integrated turbine control In October 2006, Diesel Center ratcheted up Once all programming was complete, the for assembly and delivered to the yacht captain pressed the “Start” button; seconds the pressure by presenting Vericor with an ITCP prototype with the engine, gearbox, builder in May. When the panel was received, later the turbine was up and running. He then order for two TF50s with ITCPs requiring a bridge control and local control panel were the team worked long hours in the tight con- advanced the throttle to engage the clutch; June 2007 delivery—meaning Vericor had to ten seconds later the gas turbine was ready develop, test and deliver a completely new for serious business. “Hold on” was the call control system in less than eight months. to everyone on board and the captain gave the boat 100 percent throttle. Like a jet on Development then proceeded at urgent afterburner, the big yacht leapt forward speed. “By using standard, off-the-shelf reaching 53 knots in a matter of a few sec- hardware components and taking advantage onds. The ITCP was a success! of T3 Automation’s programming support, we were able to dramatically shorten the Yachting magazines claimed the Pershing development cycle,” explained Vericor’s con- 115 propulsion system was a new standard trols engineer Joe McMurry. The ITCP had to for speed and luxury. Commentaries like be ergonomically and aesthetically pleasing these are music to the ears of Vericor presi- while giving the technicians on board all dent and chief executive officer Tom Bray: essential information about the status of the “The team demonstrated how a small, various systems at a glance, and at an eco- focused company like Vericor provides inno- nomical cost. Another important criterion vative solutions quickly and efficiently.” was that the displays and graphics be con- sistent with a multi-million dollar mega- For additional information, contact yacht. “While the product we deliver must be Tom Bray +1 770 569-8803 cost effective, the yacht owner still wants to “Less is more”: Vericor’s new control panel integrates formerly separate control units into a see high technology and a lot of innovation,” This article is available online at: single one. said Wilcoxson. Aircraft power for marine applications: Vericor’s compact TF50 develops 5,600 hp. www.mtu.de/207ITCPE

20 Products + Services 21 Start with a bang

By Silke Hansen

MTU Aero Engines is renowned for quality and reliability. Germany’s leading engine manu- facturer is now offering its world-class products and services also individually. Customers from have already opted for MTU’s manufacturing expertise and contracted some of their component production out to MTU. These contracts helped the company’s new supply business segment get off to a promising start.

The Munich specialists will manufacture low- diate-pressure compressor disks for the MTU was able to score also with its excel- For the GEnx MTU manufactures turbine components pressure turbine rotor disks destined for Rolls-Royce Trent 700 and RB211 engines. lence in manufacturing technologies. “We’re under a subcontract. General Electric’s next-generation engine The numbers are far from shabby: taken leaders in the manufacture of large turbine (GEnx) to power Boeing’s new 787 jetliner. across both contracts, the deliverables and compressor disks. This is where we have more like it, normally,” says sales consultant For MTU’s fledgling supply business seg- amount to roughly 2,000 disks worth about a strong legacy of technical achievement,” Hans-Christian Melzer. Previously, MTU had ment, this contract marks the second Far 14 million euros in sales. There’s more to says Thomas Malbrich, director of opera- demonstrated how fast it could respond to East business it has won. From Ishikawajima- come, hopefully, the GEnx contract including tions, rotors. The turbine disks for the GEnx customer requirements: “We did a good job Harima Heavy Industries (IHI) it had earlier a renewal option. have a huge diameter that makes them more for IHI, successfully achieving production received a contract to manufacture interme- difficult to work on. And that’s exactly where launch in the shortest possible time. I’m sure experience is at a premium. “Despite large that is what cinched the second deal with a diameters of up to 1,160 millimeters, we’re Far East customer,” Melzer explains. The old- still facing very close positional tolerances of standing partnerships MTU has been main- 0.025 millimeters,” explains manufacturing taining with the OEMs in the industry also representative Jakob Holzapfel. But for MTU, proved a big help. On the GEnx job, too, valu- that isn’t an issue: be it the new GP7000 for able time was won because the need for a the A380 or the long-established high-thrust tedious certification procedure was obviat- PW4000 Growth to power the Boeing 777, ed; the manufacturing techniques used for the company knows how to cope with large- processing the turbine disks had already scale engine components. been certified by General Electric for other engines. High quality and delivery performance as well as effective and smooth cooperation After this successful start, the company’s with the customer are vital, for time is press- new segment is hopeful the list of supply ing considering the large quantities involved. business customers benefiting from the reli- “All we’ve got is a scant six months to build ability and quality of MTU products will grow. up the proper qualifications in the manufac- “We’ve more contracts from the aviation turing area. Seven or eight months would be industry in the pipeline,” enthuses Melzer. MTU’s supply business offerings include capable solutions in such areas as manufac- turing, parts repair, special processes (such as coating), engineering and testing, includ- ing test cell runs, and design. And Melzer adds: “In all of these applications we have solutions also for areas outside aviation. Surely the expertise accumulated by a suc- cessful engine manufacturer can be put to good use also in such industries as power generation and automotive.”

For additional information, contact Hans-Christian Melzer +49 89 1489-6599

For interesting multimedia services Highest precision is what MTU is renowned for. Shown here is a PW4090 low-pressure turbine A highly sensitive and flexible inspection tool: the associated with this article, go to: air seal undergoing dimensional inspection. human eye. www.mtu.de/107Start

22 Products + Services 23 Herman the German Before Gerhard Neumann became Small is beautiful known as the father of the military J79 engine, he learned to seal cooler hon- By Silke Hansen eycombs with horse manure and build ignition distributors from buffalo horn. Thirst for adventure drove him to It must not necessarily be the large ones: In Germany, the fascinating history of aviation can be experienced also in China during the Second World War, small private exhibitions, perhaps more so than in public technical museums. There, in the small places, collections where he worked for the U.S. Air Force. are lovingly being assembled as for instance in Bavaria’s Niederalteich or in Wernigerode in the Harz Mountains. MTU After the war, he got a job stateside Aero Engines in Munich, too, has a wide variety of exhibits on display, especially in historic flight engines. Its treasures with General Electric and made en- are shown in a museum on the company premises, presently under expansion. gine history: the German carrying a

U.S. passport, aliased “Herman the German”, rose to the position of vice president and developed the revolu- tionary J79 turbojet engine, the first to accelerate to mach 2. His trick was to make compressor vanes variable, a The Starfighter and its engine: insights into their inner workings at the Gerhard Neumann Museum. principle still alive to this day. It was the J79 that propelled Starfighters, grandfather, a former flight instructor. In his fighter bomber. To be seen also are numer- Phantoms and other airplanes along private collection, Aulich has assembled a ous models, engines and bric-a-brac such as their swift trajectories. notable number of airplanes and helicopters ejection seats, navigation instruments, main over the years. He has 17 planes and six heli- rotor blades, and wings. copters, mostly military, on display in two hangars. They include the Bell UH-1D heli- One of Europe’s most comprehensive engine Not stashed away behind armored glass, copter, nicknamed “Carpet Beater”, and the collections is on display in MTU’s company either, is the realm of Clemens Aulich some legendary Russian MiG-21 fighter. Aulich has museum in Munich. Its exhibits reflect the 500 kilometers to the northwest. The host of gotten hold of fully seven cockpit sections, history of powered aviation from its very the Museum for Aviation and Technology in among them that of the Breguet Atlantic beginnings, mirroring the presence and Wernigerode in the Harz Mountains is a sim- maritime reconnaissance and anti-subma- anticipating the future of modern aviation. ilarly enthusiastic aficionado as his Bavarian rine aircraft, the heavy-lift CH-53 helicopter Historic exhibits make up about half of the museum colleague. He blames it all on his and the former Soviet Union’s Suchoi Su-22 display, including such rarities as the F4A of

Bearing a big name is a small house near aircraft in three variations: as a complete air- and understand the inner workings of the Bavaria’s Deggendorf. The private Gerhard craft, as a skeleton version and as a cockpit engine. Voggenreiter is keen to teach visitors Neumann Museum in Niederalteich com- section. The next Starfighter exhibit, too, has the fascinating technology behind airplane memorates the life of the legendary aircraft already arrived: MTU made the small muse- and engine. The museum director personally propulsion engineer and father of the um a present of a complete test airframe. takes visitors on a tour of his 800-square- Starfighter engine J79. Apart from private “I’m going to polish this Starfighter to a high meter museum. “My philosophy is I shouldn’t items from Neumann’s personal legacy, it gloss, so it looks like the aircraft used in pilot leave people to their own devices, so I don’t has aircraft technology you can feel and training in the U.S. That works only if you want to stash everything behind armored touch. The main focus of the exhibition is the have unpainted planes,” enthuses the metal glass,” Voggenreiter explains. Instead, he Starfighter. Josef Voggenreiter, owner of the worker, looking forward to the chore ahead. makes visitors sit down in an Airbus A300 museum, himself is a passionate aircraft fan. fuselage segment and explains what’s hap- The Starfighter fever had gripped him during Arranged alongside the Starfighter is its rev- pening behind it all and what enormous his stint as an aircraft mechanic with Fighter olutionary engine, the J79. It is displayed in forces are acting on the aircraft, and that the Wing 74 at Neuburg on the Danube. At three different component assemblies, of outer skin is only an unbelievable two mil- Niederalteich, he is now displaying the strike which visitors can shove one apart to inspect limeters thick. In Wernigerode a MiG-23 from the former German Democratic Republic’s arsenal is on display. Likewise to be seen is a Bo105 helicopter.

24 Reports 25 Daimler-Benz and the early BMW003 jet en- exhibits, therefore, are loaned to other gine from the forties of last century. They are museums like Deutsche Museum in Schleiß- arranged next to advanced propulsion tech- heim. Before they leave, however, they are nology in the form of the EJ200 Eurofighter brought back to mint condition by Edi engine and the commercial PW6000 power- Strack, a former MTU employee who has ing the Airbus A318 narrowbody jetliner. been restoring old aircraft engines for many years. When they arrive at his shop, they’re “All exhibits relate directly to MTU,” explains not always in the best of shape. But the Odilo Mühling, who is responsible for the expert has a keen eye for hidden beauty and museum. On a tour of the museum, it has already salvaged many a true gem. becomes readily apparent that MTU has a When the engines reach him, the restorer long tradition. The company roots back to launches on his often tedious, itsy-bitsy the dawn of powered aviation, its legal pred- labor on sometimes horribly dilapidated ecessor being BMW Flugmotorenbau GmbH engines. The fruit of his work can be established at Allach, MTU’s present loca- One of the most famous exhibits in MTU’s museum The oldest exhibit of MTU’s collection is a admired in the MTU museum. As a thank tion, in 1934. Sooner or later anything ever is the BMW132, which powered the Ju52 and other Daimler DIII. you for his extraordinary commitment it now aircraft. developed by engineers in buildings just bears his name. around the corner finds its way into the Early in 2008, the small museum—open to the show. The exhibits will be arranged his- glass cases of the company museum, natu- the public only on special occasions—will be torically and be accompanied with multime- For additional information, contact rally including a low-pressure compressor in rebuilt and expanded. It will grow in size as dia legends.” Heidrun Moll In the new MTU museum the exhibits will be arranged in historic sequence. advanced blisk construction. This innovative well as number of exhibits. Mühling explains: +49 89 1489-2760 technique of manufacturing integrally blad- “There’ll be new additions mainly in the ver- But despite the envisioned expansion of the For interesting multimedia services ed disks is an MTU domain that has long tical takeoff area.” He continues to add: museum, Mühling is still unable by far to associated with this article, go to: taken hold in the market. “We’ll also revise the didactic structure of show all of his trove. Many of his historical www.mtu.de/207Museums

REPORT 27 26 Reports 27 26 REPORT “Filling her up in mid-air takes some sensi- tive flying,” says German Air Force First Lieutenant Jörg Podschun of the First Squadron of Fighter Bomber Wing 32 based Boundless flying, at Lagerlechfeld. The jet aircraft pilot knows what he’s talking about, having flown some 20 Tornado ECR refueling missions as pilot being equipped with both systems. U.S. Air in command. “When refueling, you fly manu- Force combat aircraft are refueled by the ally throughout,” he explains. boom method, where the tanker flies ahead almost and the receiver aircraft behind it in close Fuel transfer in the air serves to keep air- line astern formation. A long, rigid, hollow By Robert Wouters craft flying longer than normally permitted shaft (the “boom”) fitted to the rear of the by the amount of fuel carried on board and tanker can to some extent be maneuvered “Stand in line left, pay right.” That in pilot lingo describes the demanding flight maneuver performed in to increase payload. Aircraft taking off on horizontally and vertically and is “flown” by aerial refueling. Tactics and strategy of today’s aerial refueling, also known as air-to-air refueling (AAR), less fuel can carry more load. Their tanks the boom operator into the fuel receptacle go back to the years of the Cold War. At that time, the U.S. wanted to keep its bomber aircraft in posi- are replenished to all-up weight not until of the receiver aircraft. When contact is tion to reach and observe targets in the former Soviet Union. For today’s pilots of combat aircraft, the mission altitude is attained. made, a circuit is completed and pumps on refueling procedure in the sky has long become routine. board the tanker deliver fuel through the Aerial refueling can be done two ways: using boom and into the receiver’s receptacle. The the boom and receptacle or the probe and refueling done, the valves close automatical- drogue system. Some tankers can do both, ly and the telescoping boom retracts.

28 Reports 29 Flying jerry cans

Aerial refueling has its origins way back in the history of flying. In the early days already pilots wanted to extend the range of their aircraft, limited as it was by the amount of fuel they could carry. In first refu- eling attempts in 1912 gasoline containers were passed from one flying aircraft to another. The breakthrough came on June 27, 1923, when American pilots Lowell H. Smith and John P. Richter took off from San Diego, California, on a De Havilland D.H.4 and Virgil Hine and Frank Seifert on a De Havilland D.H.4B-1. The foursome scored the first documented aerial refueling attempt. Their procedure was much like today’s: an addi- tional tank having a bellmouth filler pipe was filled through a metal-reinforced hose flange-bolted to a quick-disconnect valve. A month after their first attempt, the team A B-50 Superfortress is being refueled by a B-29 bomber. managed to keep the receiver aircraft aloft for over 37 hours, with five refueling maneu- German pilot in 1943, when a Focke-Wulf Aerial refueling saw another golden age in vers performed. Fw 58 docked on a converted four-engine the Cold War days after World War II. For Junkers Ju 90 V-7 to draw fuel from it. tactical reasons, the U.S. Air Force invested As with many other technical achievements, in the procurement of Boeing KC-97 and KC- the military led the way also in aerial refuel- In the late thirties, commercial aviation, too, 135 tankers. The tanker fleet was to enable ing. A U.S. Army flying team kept busy work- took an interest in this form of extending B-47 and B-52 bomber aircraft to reach ing on the subject and achieved one aircraft flight range. A first experiment was made in remote targets in the former Soviet Union flying endurance record after another. In 1938 by the British Imperial Airways using and keep them aloft in the target area. The A two-seater F-15 of the U.S. Air Force is being refueled in mid-air by means of a boom. 1930, the benchmark stood at 553 hours. type S-30 Empire hydroplanes. It attempted bombers would circulate over their assigned On June 4, 1935, Algene and Fred Key took to fly the North Atlantic non-stop with full positions, with the tankers keeping them In probe and drogue (“basket”) refueling, the meters apart,” says the combat aircraft pilot. to the right, “for paying”, he jokes, because off on a Curtiss Robin to land fully 653 hours load. Owing to the prevailing extreme weath- filled up. This way, a squadron could stay tanker trails a hose with a drogue behind it, For both pilots, the maneuver demands full fuel-thirsty colleagues are already waiting and 33 minutes later. The first successful er conditions on this route, however, the aloft for 24 hours. the latter not being maneuverable. This is the concentration on the job; they are communi- below to his left. The German Air Force officer aerial refueling attempt using a maneuver- attempt was abandoned in the winter of principle First Lieutenant Jörg Podschun cating by radiotelephone. refuels his jet several times a month, de- able refueling harness was attributed to a 1939. uses to refuel his Tornado ECR in-flight. The pending on the type of mission. “Also nights, maneuver takes place at an airspeed of well It takes several minutes to transfer the nor- naturally,” he says. A sophisticated system of around 490 kilometers per hour (270 knots). mally allowable 1.5 tons of fuel. The refueling spot lights and light signals then provides the Podschun approaches the tanker from the complete, Podschun reduces his speed and necessary degree of safety during approach lower left, flying his probe directly into the his probe clears the drogue. The valves close and refueling. basket. “At that time, we’re flying some ten automatically and Podschun pulls his aircraft Before the pilot starts on a mission, he is comprehensively briefed in all detail, also about refueling. He gets the position, altitude and radio frequency information. This data assures Podschun he comes back from a flight, every time. Because most of the time, he and his colleagues need to refuel in the air when they are returning from a target or when the sortie is taking longer than allowed by the amount of fuel carried. Air-to-air refueling permits the B-52 to reach any point on the globe within 24 hours. For additional information, contact Heidrun Moll +49 89 1489-2760

For interesting multimedia services associated with this article, go to: As soon as a F-4 Phantom II has pulled off the The new multi-role tanker transport bases on the A330. www.mtu.de/207AARE KC-135’s refueling boom, the next one moves up.

30 Reports 31 “Look, there’s the Connie coming,” people ful at that.” He’s right: with its graceful dol- Today, only three airworthy Super Connies are crying at the Hamburg airport as they phin-shaped fuselage, the long-legged land- are still around. All three of them have gone see a four-engine propeller-driven aircraft ing gear and above all its distinctive triple through veritable odysseys on desert park- approaching from afar, swaying in the wind. tail the aircraft remains a design icon to this ing lots and years of restoration work by Granted, just a little while ago an A380 land- day, half a century after it went out of pro- untiring helpers and enthusiasts. Presently, One of the last ed at Fuhlsbüttel on Aviation Day, causing a duction. one each spick-and-span Super Connie has big stir. But for true aircraft aficionados, the its home in Kansas City, Missouri U.S., Super Connie is something else again. “You Between 1943, when the Lockheed , , and more recently also know,” says a man armed with binoculars Constellation’s ancestor hit the market, and Basel, Switzerland. Now called “Star of and telephoto lens at the ready, “by now the 1957, when the last Super Constellation ver- Switzerland” and sponsored by a watch Connie is much more of a rarity than the sion L.1049H premiered, 856 commercial manufacturer, the Swiss Super Connie’s road three extant Airbus mega-transport, and it’s more beauti- and military copies were built in California. has been long and tortuous.

By Andreas Spaeth

Lockheed’s four-engine Super Constellation from the fifties is praised to be the most beau- tiful piston-engined airliner ever built. It is this aircraft that airlines like Lufthansa, Air France and used to begin their intercontinental flights in the pre-jet era. Lovingly dubbed Super Connie, the beauty has become a rarity: of the 856 copies built, a mere three world- wide are in flying condition. One of them is based in Europe, the “Star of Switzerland” from Basel.

Four engines, a triple tail – the typical silhouette of a Connie.

32 Anecdotes 33 Pilot Al Malecha from Arizona. For the pilots and the flight engineer flying a Connie still means a lot of manual work.

The beauty was built in 1955 as a military to bring to Europe. In 2003, the Swiss and remains at the Lahr airport in the Black version of the Super Constellation L.1049F. Californians agreed on a lease and purchase Forest for overhaul. Designated C-121C, it flew 17 years as a deal and, on a 32-hour air journey the veter- troop transport, freighter and ambulance for an aircraft was finally transferred to Basel in Recently, the aircraft’s operators had good the U.S. Air Force. It then entered upon a May 2004. reason to celebrate when almost 52 years second career as a spraying aircraft fighting after its maiden flight the veteran aircraft budworms over the woods of Maine and Since then, the aircraft has been operated by was entered in the Swiss aircraft register, Quebec before being parked in 1976 at vari- the Super Constellation Flyers Association much to the joy of operations director Ernst The Super Constellation L.1049G was in revenue service with Lufthansa from 1956 until 1966. ous airports, luckily escaping scrapping. In (SCFA). For insurance reasons, members Frei, a former Swissair jumbo pilot. 1989, the Californian Constellation Historical only are allowed to fly in the showpiece with Registration was needed to keep the aircraft workers are volunteers, working without pay. The rear boarding door has been closed and propeller era. An unusually punchy forward Society began restoring it, and in 1994, the its 36 rather than the 106 originally intended flying, and a lot of work went into it: “We’ve Says Frei: “Their reward is in flying on the the passengers are curiously peeking through thrust, for piston-powered aircraft, pushes fully overhauled Super Connie could fly seats. Since 2004, the aircraft in its blue- put in 3,600 man hours’ worth of technical four-engine classic.” Someone enjoying that the square windows to see what’s happen- the passengers back into their seats as the again, becoming the star on American avia- white livery has been traveling mostly in work,” explains Frei. The SCFA is organized privilege with special gusto is chief pilot Al ing outside. Al Malecha in the left seat, co- Connie enters its starting run and gently tion days. Meanwhile, in Switzerland, a group Switzerland and adjacent countries in the on the pattern of an airline, even if pilots, Malecha from Arizona, who has logged 3,000 pilot Ernst Frei and flight engineer Jerry takes off. The sonorous boom of the engines of enthusiasts had been looking for a Connie summer months; during the winter, the plane flight attendants, mechanics and office flight hours overall on the Super Constel- Steele are starting the four Curtiss-Wright quickly fills the cabin, inspiring confidence. lation. Al is 75 years old. “So long as I pass Cyclone R-3350-91 18-cylinder double-row The Connie soon reaches cruise altitude, the medical I just keep flying,” he says, grin- radial engines one after the other. Clouds of deliberately kept low today at 1,500 meters, ning. He used to pilot large United Airlines heavy smoke escape as the 3,250-horse- and in no time at all is over the Baltic Sea, planes for decades. “Thanks to its hydrau- power engines are coming alive. Malecha reducing its cruise speed of normally 435 lics, the Connie is a much easier plane to fly pacifies some of the more timid souls on kilometers per hour to 330 kilometers per than, say, a DC-3 or DC-6, which need a lot board who never saw anything like it in their hour to give its passengers splendid views. A more manual input,” the veteran pilot recalls. modern jet experience. “Nothing unusual visit to the cockpit, which despite some mod- about it. When she’s sitting on the tarmac, ern navigation displays doesn’t look like any- oil seeps into the cylinders. That’s what’s thing you’d associate with the workplace of burning now.” And he goes on to assure pilots nowadays, never loses any of its fasci- them: “These are perfectly sound engines, nation. The same holds true for the station of except that their designers packed every the flight engineer, who is busily manipulat- possible ounce of power into them, and that ing levers and switches to control the sensi- makes them a bit more vulnerable than oth- tive propellers and engines and feed them ers.” Not so incidentally the Series C through the right fuel mix. H Super Constellation was nicknamed “the world’s finest three-engine airliner”: on long- Much too soon, the Connie adventure is over, haul flights, time and time again one of the and the plane touches down for a beautifully engines would die on the pilots. Lufthansa soft landing. Nowhere else will you be flying alone, which began operating the Super in greater beauty and style. Connie on transatlantic flights in 1955, re- corded an engine failure on just about every For additional information, contact third flight. Heidrun Moll +49 89 1489-2760 Malecha is taxiing to the runway. As he guns For interesting multimedia services up the engines, the smell of oil pervades the associated with this article, go to: The MATS Connie is now on display in a museum in Korea. Oil is burning when the piston engines are started. cabin: nothing to worry about, either, in the www.mtu.de/207SuperConnieE

34 Anecdotes 35 MTU improves earnings

In the first nine months of 2007, MTU Aero tive progress, increasing by 17 percent to Aero Engines Holding AG. “Overall, MTU is Engines Holding AG further improved its earn- 102.5 million euros. well positioned and reaffirms the improved ings, thus sustaining the positive trend: forecast for the full year as published in July NEWS Adjusted EBITDA increased by 22 percent to “Since the beginning of the year, our OEM 2007. Furthermore, the gratifying develop- 280.8 million euros. The company’s EBITDA business has been progressing better than ments in our cash-flow situation will enable margin increased to 14.9 percent, up two expected. Commercial MRO has remained MTU to buy back additional shares.” Egon Behle appointed new MTU CEO percentage points compared with 2006. slightly below the expected level in recent Underlying net income made similarly posi- months,” summed up Udo Stark, CEO of MTU Egon W. Behle (51) at the first of the year will become chief executive officer at MTU Aero Engines Holding AG. He succeeds Udo Stark MTU Aero Engines – (Figures quoted in million euros, calculated on a comparable basis, (59), who will retire upon completing his six- Key financial data for January through statements prepared in accordance with IFRS. Figures calculated tieth year. September 2007 on a comparable basis apply adjustments to the IFRS consolidat- ed results to exclude restructuring and transaction costs, capital- A degreed aerospace engineer, Behle has ized R&D costs, and the effects of IFRS purchase accounting.) been chief executive officer of ZF Lenksys- teme GmbH in Schwäbisch Gmünd since MTU Aero Engines End Sept. 2007 End Sept. 2006* Change 2002. “I’m very much looking forward to the new challenges at MTU, a highly respected Revenues 1,886.8 1,782.4 + 5.9% high-tech company indeed,” he commented. of which OEM business 1,153.8 1,061.9 + 8.7% “What I want to achieve, in a joint effort with of which commercial engine business 811.5 746.5 + 8.7% management and the employees, is to con- of which military engine business 342.3 315.4 + 8.5% tinue to generate profitable growth in the of which commercial MRO 753.2 735.5 + 2.4% future and win additional market shares.” EBITDA (calculated on a comparable basis) 280.8 230.4 + 21.9% of which OEM business 210.5 152.3 + 38.2% Concurrently, MTU’s supervisory board will of which commercial MRO 70.3 79.4 - 11.5% have a new chairman at the beginning of EBITDA margin (calculated on a comparable basis) 14.9% 12.9% 2008: Klaus Eberhardt, CEO of Rheinmetall in OEM business 18.2% 14.3% AG in Düsseldorf and member of MTU’s su- in commercial MRO 9.3% 10.8% pervisory board since April 2007, will suc- Net income (IFRS) 117.0 75.2 + 55.6% ceed Johannes P. Huth, member of Kohlberg Net income (underlying) 102.5 87.9 + 16.6% Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) in London. Earnings per share (adjusted) 1.94 1.61 + 20.5% Free cash flow 119.7 95.5 + 25.3% Research and development expenditure 121.1 117.5 + 3.1% of which company-funded R&D 55.1 42.9 + 28.4% Egon W. Behle of which outside-funded R&D 63.4 62.5 + 1.4% Capital expenditure 55.6 65.9 - 15.6% Dr. Stefan Weingartner heads MTU Maintenance Sept. 30, 2007 Dec. 31, 2006 Change Order backlog 3,032.9 3,342.3 - 9.3% Change of the guard at MTU Maintenance: try for 18 years. At former DaimlerChrysler of which OEM business 2,933.5 3,218.4 - 8.9% On November 1, 2007, Dr. Stefan Weingart- Aerospace, Weingartner for several years of which commercial MRO 99.8 124.1 - 19.6% ner (46) took over the helm of the commer- headed the company’s North-Asian opera- Employees 7,119 7.077 + 0.6% cial maintenance business. He succeeds tions, including the sales and marketing *adjusted to account for the 50 percent proportionate consolidation of MTU Maintenance Zhuhai Bernd Kessler, president and CEO commer- activities, before acceding to the position of cial maintenance, who after two and a half president of newly founded EADS Japan. years at MTU will become CEO of Swiss air- craft maintenance, repair and overhaul com- Succeeding Weingartner at MTU’s military Hosting the Minister of Defense pany SR Technics. activity is Dr. Roland Fischer (45). The new head of defense programs holds a doctorate During his summer tour, the German Minister State government was Erwin Huber, Minister Weingartner since 2002 had been heading in Aerospace Engineering and has been with of Defense Dr. Franz Josef Jung in end-August of State for Economic Affairs, Infrastructure, defense programs at MTU, being responsible MTU since 1990. In his last position he head- also visited MTU Aero Engines’ Munich facili- Transport and Technology of Bavaria. Hosting for MTU’s entire military business – program ed the engine overhaul, airfoil production, ty. There, the senior politician back-grounded the political brass was MTU CEO Udo Stark. management and maintenance. He holds a process engineering center, supervising himself on the industry-military cooperative Before coming to Munich, Jung had inspected doctorate degree in Engineering and an MBA some 1,200 employees. model of engine maintenance and on military also the MTU facility at the German Air Dr. Stefan Weingartner and has been working in the aerospace indus- engine programs. Representing the Bavarian Force’s Erding airbase. Udo Stark (left) and Dr. Franz Josef Jung

36 News 37 MTU and DLR launch “Engine 2020 Plus” initiative NAS relies on Masthead Editor: Stepping up their mutually cooperative MTU Maintenance MTU Aero Engines Holding AG efforts, MTU and DLR German Aerospace Eckhard Zanger Center in mid-October launched an initiative Senior Vice President Corporate Communications and Investor Relations dubbed “Engine 2020 Plus”. The initiative is to pool and develop the technological expert- Editor in chief: ise of the two partners to enhance the cost- Sabine Biesenberger, Heidrun Moll efficiency and environmental compatibility of future engine generations. Front and center Address: of these efforts are compressors and tur- MTU Aero Engines Holding AG bines, but also on the agenda are overall sys- Dachauer Straße 665 tem studies and studies into the effects of 80995 Munich • Germany engine integration into the airframe. Used as Tel. +49 89 1489-2760 a pilot concept is MTU’s technology program Fax +49 89 1489-4303 Claire, which among other improvements is E-mail: [email protected] targeted to reduce carbon dioxide emission Internet: www.mtu.de by as much as 30 percent in three stages A Boeing 737 from the NAS fleet. and halve the perceived noise level. Further Editorial staff: potential partners from science and research MTU Maintenance Zhuhai in fall 2007 landed Nicole Geffert, Silke Hansen, Odilo Mühling, Ute Schwing, Andreas Spaeth, have been invited to join. The agreement was its first major customer in Europe. The com- Martina Vollmuth, Elisabeth Wagner, Robert Wouters inked by Dr. Rainer Martens, MTU Aero pany will provide maintenance services for Engines executive vice president and COO, CFM56-3 engines operated by the Norwegian Graphics & Layout: and Prof. Joachim Szodruch, DLR executive Air Shuttle (NAS) airline. Under a five-year Manfred Deckert board member, aeronautics. contract worth 90 million euros, MTU Sollnerstraße 73 Dr. Rainer Martens, Prof. Joachim Szodruch, Dr. Jörg-Michael Henne and Prof. Dr. Reinhard Mönig (from left) Maintenance Zhuhai will support 44 engines 81479 Munich • Germany at the contract signing ceremony. of the Norwegian carrier’s Boeing 737-300 Tel. +49 89 30728287 fleet. Oslo-based Norwegian Air Shuttle is a low-cost carrier founded in 1993. The airline Photo credits: Nachweise: serves 82 routes in Norway, Europe and the Cover Page: Bauhaus Luftfahrt e.V. New MTU location in Poland V2500-powered Titelseite: CIS states. Last year, it carried more than Pages 2-3: Bauhaus Luftfahrt e.V., Pershing file photo, Eurofighter, Seite 2-3: VIP A319s five million passengers. MTU Aero Engines photo archive Seite 4-7: Pages 4-7: Bauhaus Luftfahrt e.V., Pratt & Whitney, MTU Aero Engines photo archive Seite 8-9: Swiss VIP charter operator VistaJet Pages 8-9: MTU Aero Engines photo archive Seite 10-13: has selected the V2500 SelectOne™ Pages 10-11: MTU Aero Engines photo archiv Seite 14-15: to power its three Airbus Corporate V2500 SelectOne Pages 12-13: MTU Aero Engines photo archiv Seite 16-19: Jetliners. Based on the A319, the 19- Pages 14-15: MTU Aero Engines photo archiv Seite 20-23: seat aircraft are scheduled for deliv- completes flight Pages 16-17: Andreas Spaeth, MTU Aero Engines photo archive Seite 24-25: ery in the first half of 2010. VistaJet Pages 18-21: Pershing file photo, MTU Aero Engines photo archive Seite 26-27: runs its operations from Austria and tests Pages 22-23: MTU Aero Engines photo archive Seite 28-29: Germany and hopes to expand into Logging 45 flight hours in seven flights, the GEnx is a trademark of General Electric Company; GP7000 is a Seite 30-31: Russia and Asia. V2500 SelectOne has proved its airworthi- trademark of GE-P&W Engine Alliance, LLC; PW4000 is a trademark Seite 32-35: ness. In mid-November 2007, all parameters of Pratt & Whitney. Seite 36-39: The V2500 is the fuel-thriftiest and were achieved with a comfortable margin. Pages 24-27: Elof Hauschild, MTU Aero Engines photo archive cleanest engine in its peer group. It Serving as a flying test bed was a Boeing Pages 28-31: EADS, U.S. Air Force, MTU Aero Engines photo archive also comes recommended for its out- 747. Pages 32-35: Andreas Spaeth, Lufthansa AG, U.S. Air Force standing reliability. The improved Pages 36-39: Airbus, Norwegian Air Shuttle, MTU Aero Engines photo archive SelectOne version will be fielded in Mounted in the left-hand inboard wing posi- 2008. tion of the four-jet aircraft, the engine satis- Printed by: MTU’s new facility in Poland will be erected on a seven-hectare site. fied all expectations: the new V2500 Graphische Betriebe Eberl GmbH SelectOne version burns less fuel and excels Kirchplatz 6 Germany’s leading engine manufacturer will MTU Aero Engines Polska. It will start opera- by lower maintenance costs and longer on- 87509 Immenstadt im Allgäu • Germany expand its network of locations, adding tions with some 100 employees, a number wing times. Tel. +49 8323 802-0 Rzeszów in the Southeast of Poland to the that is to grow to 400 by 2012. Their work MTU system of coordinates. This is where it will focus on the development and produc- Contributions credited to authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editors. will launch a new factory, to be up and run- tion of stator vanes and rotor blades of low- We will not be held responsible for unsolicited material. Reprinting of contributions is ning in early 2009. MTU will invest some 50 pressure turbines, on the assembly of low- subject to the editors’ approval. million euros into the new company, dubbed pressure turbines and on parts repair.

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