AVIATION
AVIATION NEWS
Very Close Call at Midway: Southwest Flight 2504, on the verge of touching down at Chicago’s Midway Airport, had to apply emergency power for a last-second landing abort and go-around to avoid a business jet that taxied onto the runway before it. Flight 2504’s rear landing gear was within one wheel diameter from the runway when the landing abort was initiated, clearing the encroaching aircraft by a distance about equal to its wingspan. The incident, now under investigation, took place in the mid-morning of Tuesday, February 25. For more information and a video of the near-collision, see: https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/southwest-737-800-executes-emergency-go-around-to-avoid-runway-collision.
Other (Near) Crashes Raise Concern: In addition to SW 2504’s scare, several recent accidents are raising concerns about the safety of commercial air travel.
January 29: American Airlines Flight 5342 collided with a patrolling Blackhawk helicopter outside of Washington National Airport. All 63 aboard the AA plane and the four aboard the Blackhawk died.
January 31: A medical transport Lear Jet crashed in Philadelphia and burst into flame. All six aboard were killed, as was one person on the ground; 19 more were injured.
February 6: A Cessna Caravan operated by Bering Air crashed about 30 miles SE of Nome, Alaska; all 10 aboard were killed.
February 10: A Lear Jet owned by Mötley Crüe’s Vince Neil crashed on landing at Scottsdale Airport. Aboard were two pilots and two passengers; Neil was not there. The other three people aboard were hurt, as was one other, who was in the parked aircraft the Lear Jet hit. For more on this incident, see: https://www.abc15.com/news/region-northeast-valley/scottsdale/scottsdale-airport-runway-closed-after-plane-crash-injuries-unclear.
February 17: An Endeavor Air CRJ-900LR aircraft flipped over upon landing in Toronto. It had a total of 80 people on board, 17 of which were hurt. The aircraft had a wing torn off, but amazingly, nobody was killed.
February 19: A Cessna 172S and a Lancair 360 Mk II collided over Marana Regional Airport, between Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona. For more info, see: https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/cessna-and-lancair-collide-two-dead. The Cessna was able to land, but the Lancair crashed, killing both people aboard.
Turbulence is more than an annoyance: It can be downright dangerous, and it’s getting worse due to climate change. Fans of the Smithsonian Channel’s Air Disasters series can readily cite a number of examples where crashes due to wind shear, microbursts, and other atmospheric disturbances, and frequent flyers know the increasing unpleasantness of a bumpy flight. The source of this observation is not some fake news; it’s from Aviation Week; see: https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/safety-ops-regulation/climate-change-makes-turbulence-increasingly-pressing-issue.
The X-37B Spaceplane: It’s not a secret, but it’s not publicized much, either. It’s the X-37B Spaceplane, a derivative from a NASA concept years ago, taken over by the Air Force in 2006, and now operated by the U.S. Space Force. The X-37B is designed to operate in Low Earth Orbit as a testbed for future unmanned reusable vehicle technologies. It looks like the offspring of Global Hawk and the Space Shuttle with the following characteristics:
- Avionics designed to automate all de-orbit and landing functions.
- Flight controls and brakes using all electro-mechanical actuation; no hydraulics on board.
- Built using a lighter composite structure, rather than traditional aluminum.
- New generation of high-temperature wing leading-edge tiles and toughened uni-piece fibrous refractory oxidation-resistant ceramic (TUFROC) tiles.
- Advanced conformal reusable insulation (CRI) blankets.
- Toughened uni-piece fibrous insulation (TUFI) impregnated silica tiles.
Find out more about the X-37B at: https://www.boeing.com/defense/autonomous-systems/x37b#solution and https://aviationweek.com/podcasts/check-6/podcast-deep-dive-mysterious-x-37b-spaceplane.
Airbus and Tariffs: Airbus will divert deliveries of new aircraft if proposed tariffs are implemented, favoring “non-U.S. customers if the (U.S.) government imposes any of the wide-ranging tariffs that have been discussed.” While much of Airbus’ production is in Europe, a significant number of its A220 aircraft are made in Canada, and its manufacturing plant in Mobile, Alabama, would be adversely affected due to tariffs on important parts and components also being imported. For more, see: https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/airbus-says-non-u-s-orders-get-priority-if-tariffs-imposed.
AVIATION FYI
Why Aviation Museums Are Important: The Simple Flying website had an interesting post on December 31, about the importance of aviation museums are in their “sacred duty” of enshrining artifacts and aircraft of bygone eras. It makes for interesting reading! Check it out at: https://simpleflying.com/aviation-museums-critical-preserving-us-military-history!
Pratt & Whitney Unveils Hydrogen/Steam Hybrid Engine Design: “Pratt & Whitney thinks it may have taken the first steps along that path with the Hydrogen Steam-Injected, Intercooled Turbine Engine (HySIITE) concept—a novel hybrid engine configuration that combines the advantages of the fuel’s cryogenic properties with the thermodynamic benefits of steam injection. Pratt & Whitney has unveiled details of the concept, which has been studied under a two-year $3.8 million U.S. Energy Department Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) effort. While Pratt acknowledges the cycle is complex and requires more study, it is encouraged by the results, which show potential for as much as 35% lower energy use compared with current state-of-the-art engines.” For more information on this exciting development, see: https://aviationweek.com/aerospace/emerging-technologies/pratt-whitney-unveils-details-hydrogen-steam-hybrid-engine-cycle! But the picture isn’t all that rosy…
Aviation Pulls Back from Innovation: “Airbus's ambitious plan to develop a zero-emission, hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft by 2035, funded with gobs of European government money, has been pushed back at least five years, if not 10. That has raised further doubts about the aviation industry's pledge to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. And the cost of doing so just got a lot higher according to a new estimate by an industry alliance.” For the full AW podcast on this topic, see: https://aviationweek.com/podcasts/check-6/podcast-aviation-pulls-back-innovation.
Aviation Security Advisory Committee was “(e)stablished in 1989 after a terrorist attack on Pan Am flight 103, to provide advice to the TSA administrator on aviation security matters, including the development, refinement, and implementation of policies, programs, rulemaking, and security directives pertaining to aviation security. The committee is composed of individual members representing private sector organizations affected by aviation security requirements. The Aviation Security Stakeholder Participation Act of 2014, enacted on December 18, 2014, makes the committee permanent. The committee typically meets four times a year and holds a meeting open to the public once a year.” On Tuesday (1/21), Committee members received a memo stating that the DHS is eliminating all of its advisory committees. In addition, the TSA head and the top officer at the Coast Guard were fired. For more on this development, see here.
Recent Good News: FAA Funds Airport Modernization: Frequent fliers know that some U.S. airports need updating. Toward that end, “The U.S. FAA has allocated $332 million in funding for 171 airport infrastructure projects across 32 states, as part of its ongoing efforts to modernize U.S. airports and air traffic control systems. The funding, provided under the Airport Infrastructure Grants (AIG) program, stems from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which has dedicated $25 billion over five years to aviation improvements.” For more information, see: https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/airports-networks/faa-awards-332m-grants-airport-modernization.
Recent Good News: FAA Addresses ATC Shortage: As Thanksgiving approaches, you may have seen the news stories that air traffic, especially in the Northeast, might be delayed due to a shortage of air traffic controllers, a chronic condition. The FAA has selected Embry-Riddle, the Nation’s largest civilian flight training organization, as a partner in fast-tracking controller training, joining the University of Oklahoma and Tulsa Community College in the FAA Enhanced Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative program. E-R grads now can have a “direct path to FAA facility training.” For more about see: https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/embry-riddle-selected-for-faas-controller-fast-track-program. However, …
Recent FAA Firings: “The Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS) union is now reporting [2/19] that 132 FAA employees have been fired in the wake of action from the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).” Most were relatively new hires. For more on this reduction, see: https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/employees-cut-include-systems-specialists-safety-inspectors-maintenance-mechanics-and-administrative-staff.
2024 Flubs and Forecasts from Aviation Week: Eight editors of Aviation Week reviewed their predictions for 2024 and made some predictions for 2025. It makes for interesting reading! Check them out at: https://aviationweek.com/podcasts/check-6/podcast-flubs-forecasts.
The XB-70 Valkyrie Revisited: The Valkyrie supersonic aircraft was amazing piece of engineering. Its story, and tragic ending has been touched upon in two past Items of the Week, covering its development and first flight test (here) and the crash of one of the two ever built (here). Alas, it proved to be a technological dead-end. I’ve recently come across some additional information that may be of interest to you. It’s from the archives of the Air Force Material Command, a research facility at Wright-Patterson AFB, a piece called, “A Look Back… NAA B-70 Valkyrie Variants: A Future That Never Was,” edited by Tony R. Landis, a writer/archivist at the HQ AFMC History Office. See it here: https://media.defense.gov/2020/Nov/23/2002540204/-1/-1/1/B-70%20VARIANTS.PDF. Planners were thinking about using the Valkyrie as a reusable high-speed high-altitude launch vehicle for all sorts of lifting bodies, rockets, even manned orbital craft like the Dyna-Soar and the Manned Orbiting Laboratory (the subject of a future Item of the Week)!
Related Article: Podcast: Hypersonic Hopes – The Legacy of the X-30 “Orient Express” President Reagan’s 1986 State of the Union Address contained his vision for a Mach 25 (not a typo) airliner, the X-30 National Aero-Space Plane (NASP). Just as the Valkyrie was hoped/hyped as supersonic launch platform for direct LEO spacecraft, so, too, was the X-30. “DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, really talked them into this idea of this Copper Canyon project. This was a way of sort of delivering this hypersonic single stage to orbit type capability to the Air Force. They wouldn't have to worry about rockets and the shuttle. They could do it their own way. And so this Copper Canyon project really was the sort of the genesis of what became, dressed up as a civil project in some ways, the Orient Express.”
Let’s just say that the Oriental Express concept was a tad optimistic, but this was a very interesting discussion, especially since it comes on the 20th anniversary last month of the Mach 9.6 flight of NASA’s X-43. For the full Check 6 podcast, see: https://aviationweek.com/podcasts/check-6/check-6-revisits-hypersonic-hopes-legacy-x-30-orient-express.
What’s It Like to Fly to Telluride? Telluride, Colorado, located in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado, is a spectacular setting, home to celebrities famous, skiers, and festival goers. There are more private jets flying into its small airport, at over 9000’, than just about anywhere. AVWeb just posted a video of what landing there is like, in a propeller-driven plane. Imagine what it would look like flying a jet! Check it out at: https://www.avweb.com/multimedia/featured-video-flying-into-telluride-a-stunning-high-stakes-approach.
And if you think that’s wild, try jeeping into Telluride over the (in)famous Black Bear Pass (if you are not too late; it recently was closed due to damage by a rockfall). For example, see: https://www.cntraveler.com/video/watch/the-road-less-traveled-traversing-black-bear-pass.
Oh, and watch out for falling cars!
SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUEL (SAF) NEWS
Overview of Different Types of SAF:https://simpleflying.com/sustainable-aviation-fuel-types
NASA Awards Contracts to Develop Sustainable Concepts for 2050 Airliners: https://aviationweek.com/aerospace/advanced-air-mobility/nasa-awards-contracts-develop-sustainable-concepts-2050-airliners
IATA World Sustainability Symposium: Marie Owens Thomsen, the IATA senior VP for Sustainability, talks with Aviation Week about net-zero transition and SAF supply challenges here: https://aviationweek.com/podcasts/window-seat-podcast/podcast-key-points-iata-world-sustainability-symposium.
Is It Time For a U.S. Mandate on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)? The aviation industry is trying to be “greener,” but meeting goals set for 2050 will be difficult to do with traditional or near-traditional fuels. SAF “is arguably the only lever other than aircraft replacement that can make a dent in emissions over the next 10-15 years.” See more about AW’s latest thinking on SAF here: https://aviationweek.com/special-topics/sustainability/opinion-it-time-us-saf-mandate . A lot of other items about SAF are available in the A+StW website’s News: Aviation section.
From Used Tires to SAF: A recent podcast by Aviation Week has info about one company’s efforts to convert spent tires into sustainable airplane fuel. Find out more about it at: https://aviationweek.com/podcasts/bca-podcast/podcast-how-wastefront-aims-convert-used-tires-saf.
NEW: SAFs as a Lever for Clean Flight:https://aviationweek.com/aerospace/safs-lever-clean-flight
China to Boost SAF Production Through New HEFA Facility: https://aviationweek.com/special-topics/sustainability/china-boost-saf-production-through-new-hefa-facility
AW Opinion Piece:Opinion: It is Time to Move Boldly on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (1/17/2022): https://aviationweek.com/special-topics/sustainability/opinion-it-time-move-boldly-sustainable-aviation-fuel. AW advocates for a more aggressive reduction of the commercial airline carbon footprint than the present agreement for a 10% use of SAF by 2030.
AW Gallery: Aviation Sustainability Investments Taking Off: https://aviationweek.com/special-topics/sustainability/gallery-aviation-sustainability-investments-taking
Aviation’s Future Fuels:https://aviationweek.com/shownews/nbaa/podcast-aviations-future-fuels
Flight Made on 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel: The Royal Air Force conducted a ninety-minute test flight of one of their Voyager tanker aircraft flying totally on SAF recently. The Voyager is a militarized conversion of an Airbus 300. For more info, see here, and see also the other SAF links at the end of this section (website version).
Business Aviation Leaders issued a progress report on meeting 2050 Net-Zero emissions goals. Important milestones have been met, and new technologies are under development, but challenges remain. One brighter spot: Over the previous decade, business aviation sector fuel efficiency improved by 2% each year. One challenge: SAF production and demand. For more info, see: https://www.flyingmag.com/business-aviation-industry-emissions-report.
Pratt & Whitney and Embraer have signed an MOU to conduct studies of aircraft use of 100% SAF. Integrated ground and flight testing will use an Embraer E195-E2 aircraft with P&W GTF engines. For more info, see: https://www.avweb.com/ownership/fuel-news/embraer-pratt-whitney-partner-on-saf-demonstration-program.
Bell Textron 525 Helo Flies SAF:https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/bell-525-relentless-test-flights-now-running-on-sustainable-fuels
Phillips 66 SAF Plant: https://www.flyingmag.com/phillips-66-sustainable-fuel-commitment
The U.K.’s New “Net Zero” Strategy was released on October 19. It calls for a $247M investment in SAF technology in order to meet a net-zero carbon emission for commercial aviation by 2050; see here.
Plant-based Jet Fuel Could Reduce Emissions by up to 68%, using a type of mustard plant, according to research conducted at the University of Georgia. Kinda puts a new spin on the whole “Pardon me, do you have and Grey Poupon?” thing!”
President Biden’s SAF Grand Challenge: The president is calling for 3 billion gallons of cost-competitive SAF to be available to US commercial aircraft annually by 2030, and for the aviation sector to be carbon-free by 2050. This would significantly reduce both CO2 emissions (which contribute to human-caused global warming and the related environmental problems) and lead exposure. The move is backed by a variety of tax measures and other incentives, and is well-received by many of the sector’s key players. For more info on the Grand Challenge, see: https://www.flyingmag.com/story/news/biden-admin-saf-challenge-industry-reaction.
NASA is On Board with SAF: NASA Administrator Bill Nelson joined other federal government and industry leaders at a recent White House event highlighting sustainable aviation, pointing out NASA’s increasing role in helping develop the technologies needed to make aviation more sustainable in the near future. For the full statement, see: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-innovations-will-help-us-meet-sustainable-aviation-goals.
FAA and Sustainable Airports: The Federal Aviation Administration recently awarded $788M in grants to upgrade airports across the US. Their National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems looks to make airports safer, more energy efficient, and more accessible to passengers with special needs. For details, see: https://www.flyingmag.com/story/news/faa-766-million-sustainable-airport-grant.
Shell Plans Big SAF Plant: Shell will repurpose a fuel refinery in the Netherlands to create up to 0.5 million gallons of synthetic aviation fuel annually. Production is expected to begin in 2024. For more info, see: https://www.flyingmag.com/story/news/shell-saf.
AVIATION LINKS AND OTHER INFORMATION
Aviation Week: https://aviationweek.com
Commercial Aviation Info, Photos, and News: https://www.airliners.net/aviation-news
AVweb: https://www.avweb.com
General Aviation News: https://generalaviationnews.com
NASA Aeronautic Research: https://www.nasa.gov/aeroresearch/resources
NASA Next Gen STEM: Aeronaut-X: https://www.nasa.gov/stem/nextgenstem/aeronaut-x/index.html
NASA Aeronautics at Home: https://www.nasa.gov/aero-at-home
Aeronautics E-books: https://www.nasa.gov/connect/ebooks/aeronautics_ebooks_archive_1.html