AVIATION
USEFUL AVIATION LINKS
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 INFORMATION
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
AVIATION/AERONAUTICS NEWS
From AVweb
The NTSB has released a preliminary report of the crash of a Beech 95-B55 aircraft on October 8 that killed all five aboard. The aircraft took off from the Catalina Airport at Avalon, Santa Catalina Island, and crashed very shortly thereafter. The cause was pilot error. Catalina Airport has no runway lighting, and only operates from 0800 to 1700 local, with night operations prohibited. A flight instructor and two students had taken the rented Beech to Catalina without incident earlier that day. However, the aircraft developed a magneto problem and could not fly. They contacted the flight school, which sent a pilot with two young but qualified pilots out to Catalina with another aircraft to pick them up. The airport manager gave them permission to land after operating hours, with the warning that they had to depart before sundown, which that day was at 1831. The “rescue” aircraft had trouble restarting its engines, and it was after 1831 when they decided to depart anyway. The airport manager protested, but lacked the authority to stop them. They took off at 2004 in the dark, maintaining a low altitude as they cleared the end of the runway. The plane then descended slowly, turned right, and crashed in a ravine, killing all five aboard. The NTSB is still investigating the accident. For more info and the preliminary report, see: https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/pilot-ignored-warnings-in-fatal-catalina-airport-crash.
From Aviation Week
Podcast: Aerospace Eyes Trump 2.0: See what is being discussed at the Aviation Week Aerospace and Defense M&A Conference in one of AW’s Check 6 Podcasts here: https://aviationweek.com/podcasts/check-6/podcast-aerospace-eyes-trump-20.
The Boeing Strike is Over: A new contract between Boeing and the International Association of Machinist has been negotiated and approved by union membership. For more information, see: https://aviationweek.com/aerospace/manufacturing-supply-chain/machinists-accept-boeing-proposal-ending-strike.
But Now the Layoffs Begin: Boeing announced last week that it would begin issuing layoff notices to trim its global workforce by 10% (~17,000 jobs). “…we are adjusting our workforce levels to align with our financial reality and a more focused set of priorities," Boeing said in a statement. "We are committed to ensuring our employees have support during this challenging time." For more, see: https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/boeing-began-issuing-layoff-notices-to-trim-its-workforce.
A Bit of Good News for Boeing: The venerable McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle entered service in the Air Force in 1972. A lot has happened since then; the plane is still in some use by the USAF, but most of its 100+ aerial victories (against zero losses) has been by the Israeli Air Force. By 2010, however, its production line at Boeing (who had acquired MD) was about to shut down. Then Saudi Arabia ordered 85 F-15s with upgraded electronics. Soon thereafter, Qatar ordered 48 Eagles with upgrades. The USAF returned to Boeing for an Eagle version that had modern onboard electronic warfare system. Production still lagged somewhat in spite of those sale, until Israel came back for an order of 25 advanced F-151A version last week, which will keep the assembly lines at Boeing humming until 2035 at least. For more on this story, see: https://aviationweek.com/defense/aircraft-propulsion/israeli-order-confirms-f-15-production-through-mid-2030s.
More Osprey Woes: Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force operates a fleet of 17 V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. They grounded the fleet pending further investigation as the result of a hard-landing incident on 10/27. Fortunately, nobody aboard was hurt. For more on this incident, see: https://aviationweek.com/defense/aircraft-propulsion/japan-grounds-ospreys-after-hard-landing-exercise.
UPDATE: An investigation showed that pilot error was responsible for the 10/27 landing incident, and Japan has resumed V-22 Osprey operations. For more see: https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/japan-resumes-v22-osprey-flights-following-accident-investigation.
Safran’s New Turbine Blades Near Approval: Safran has come out with a new blade design for the Leap-1A engine now in wide use. The blades are as efficient as those presently in use, but their shape reduces hot-sections, especially in harsh environments, which will increase blade lifetime. For more on the new blades, see: https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/aircraft-propulsion/new-leap-1a-turbine-blade-nearing-certification. Safran is expanding is construction facilities, as ~4,000 aircraft now in service use the Leap engine; see: https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/aircraft-propulsion/safran-gears-surge-leap-parts-repair-demand.
NBBA-BACE: The annual National Business Aviation Association Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition was held recently in Las Vegas. The event was covered extensively by Aviation Week, including their posting of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s opening keynote address (https://aviationweek.com/shownews/nbaa/video-whole-attitudes-change-neil-degrasse-tyson) and a number of other stories (https://aviationweek.com/shownews/business-aviation-show-news).
Aviation Week: Gearing up for a New Era of Lunar Exploration: See here and the story in the Human Exploration section below.
SpaceX Fined: The FAA has levied $630,000 in fines against SpaceX for “alleged noncompliance with launch requirements.” FAA head Michael Whitaker stated that “SpaceX to prioritize safety by implementing a safety management system and a whistleblower program.” In response, Elon Musk has called for Whitaker to resign. For more information, see: https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/elon-musk-calls-for-faa-administrators-resignation. In a related story:
SpaceX Complains About Environmental Regulations: SpaceX has launched a public-relations campaign aimed at the FAA, which has not yet issued a license to fly for the fifth Starship-Super Heavy Integrated Flight Test. The FAA cites concerns over the Starship’s launch pad flame director, which is cooled by a considerable volume of water into the marshy area nearby without adequate environmental safeguards and potential damage to marine life from the SSH hot fire ring. SpaceX’s announcement cited their engineering prowess in developing SSH, but did not address the environmental concerns. For more on this issue, see: https://aviationweek.com/space/commercial-space/spacex-rebukes-faa-environmental-review-ahead-next-starship-flight.
Lifting the Veil on Area 51 Secret Flight-Test History: Peter Merlin has written a new history of flight test at Area 51, Dreamland: The Secret History of Area 51, and discusses it with AW’s editors at: https://aviationweek.com/podcasts/check-6/podcast-lifting-veil-area-51s-secret-flight-test-history.
NASA Has A First A: See: Ferguson, Robert G., 2013, NASA’s First A: Aeronautics from 1958 to 2008, from the NASA History Series, SP-2012-4412. ISBN 978-1-62683-010-3. It’s available as a free download at: http://www.nasa.gov/ebooks!
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.