Aviation News
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
Senate Passes 5-Year FAA Reauthorization Bill last Thursday (5/9), on the eve of its expiration date. The Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act was approved 88-4. It included a one-week extension to allow the House to study and approve the bill before it goes to President Biden for signature. The $105B bill includes provisions to “set national priorities to strengthen aviation safety standards, grow air traffic controller & safety inspector workforce, and implement safety technology on runways & in cockpits.” For more information, see here and here.
More FFA: Report on National Airspace System Safety: A number of close-calls between aircraft aloft and on the ground has been in the news of late. The FAA just released a major study on “the structure, culture, processes, systems, and integration of safety efforts” across the Air Traffic Organization. The review team identify a number of problems and make a series of recommendations addressing “process integrity, staffing, equipment, and technology.” Everyone involved in aerospace education, and all air travelers, should take a look at the report. You can find it at: https://www.faa.gov/NAS_safety_review_team_report.pdf.
Follow-up: The FAA just announced it was establishing a three-person expert review panel to examine fatigue among air traffic controllers. The report already released, as described immediately above, recognizes staffing issues, including fatigue, but the issue is framed in a lot of “managementese.” For a more “down to Earth” take on the issue, see: https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/faa-launches-panel-to-study-air-traffic-controller-fatigue, including the comments section.
From Aviation Week:
Will Embraer Step Up to Challenge the Duopoly? - https://aviationweek.com/podcasts/check-6/podcast-will-embraer-step-challenge-duopoly
V-22 Osprey – Long-term Upgrades Amid Near-term Fixes:https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/aircraft-propulsion/v-22-office-looks-long-term-upgrades-amid-near-term-fixes
Shielding the Skies: Missile Defense in a Changing World: https://aviationweek.com/podcasts/check-6/podcast-shielding-skies-missile-defense-changing-world
Boeing Over a Barrel: https://aviationweek.com/podcasts/check-6/podcast-boeing-over-barrel
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.
R.I.P. Dick Rutan: Famed aviator Dick Rutan passed away last Friday from complications attendant to long COVID; he was 85. He’s best remembered as the pilot of the first around-the-world non-stop flight without refueling, along with Jenna Yeager in 1986. Their airplane, the Rutan Voyager, is in the collection of the National Air and Space Museum. For more information, see: https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/dick-rutan-dies-at-85.
It Had to Happen Sooner or Later… Major Shane Gentry was named the USMC’s Aviator of the Year for 2024 recently. He was also received the Marine Corps Aviation Association’s Alfred A. Cunningham Award (Cunningham was the very first Marine Corps pilot). What kind of aircraft does Major Gentry fly? He doesn’t fly; he’s a drone pilot! For more on this harbinger of the future, see: https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2024/04/17/meet-the-marine-aviator-of-the-year-an-unmanned-aerial-vehicle-pilot.
Boeing vs. Virgin Galactic: “Boeing, on behalf of its subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences, filed a lawsuit against Virgin Galactic for alleged unpaid bills and misappropriation of proprietary trade secrets.” The dispute is over Aurora’s contract to supply two mothership aircraft to Virgin to replace the aging Eve platform. Aurora alleges that Virgin stopped payment owed on development work and retained Aurora’s proprietary information that was inadvertently given to Virgin. For more on this issue, see: https://spacenews.com/boeing-sues-virgin-galactic-over-mothership-project.
Birth of the Blackbird: The existence of America’s newest spy plane prototype, the YF-12, which would ultimately become the SR-71 Blackbird, was revealed by President Johnson sixty years ago on March 5. Check out how experts analyze LBJ’s announcement and the effect it had at the time: https://aviationweek.com/podcasts/check-6/check-6-revisits-birth-blackbird-yf-12-reveal-what-may-be-next.
More on the Blackbird: The topic of the most interesting Docent training event I was involved with at NASM was the SR-71 Blackbird and its amazing engines. The genius of Kelly Johnson and his Skunk Works team and a LOT of other research was required to make that aircraft really go. Two NASA Centers, Lewis (now Glenn) and Dryden (now Armstrong), were deeply involved; find out more about that at: https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/glenn/nasa-center-boosted-yf-12-supersonic-engine-research. [Thinking of you, Buz!]
Reno Air Race Update: As reported recently, the 2023 Reno Air Racing Association was abandoning Reno as the site of their annual race. Six candidates (out of 38 places interested) had been selected to submit detailed bids. That field has now been narrowed down to three: Casper, Wyoming; Pueblo, Colorado; and Roswell, New Mexico. [GO, GO, PUEBLO!] There will be a large air show in lieu of a race this year, to be held in Reno; the venue finally selected will host the race in 2025. For more information on this development, see: https://www.avweb.com/air-shows-events/three-finalists-selected-as-potential-air-races-host.
Airport Infrastructure Funding: The White House announced recently (2/15) that it was allocating nearly $1 billion in federal funds for airport infrastructure improvements. The funds are part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which will provide a total of $24B to modernize airports and supporting facilities around the country, including upgrading baggage handling equipment and expanding security checkpoints. The $1B allotment will directly affect 114 airports, both large and small. Dulles, O’Hare, and LAX will each get much-needed upgrades. Read more about it at: https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/nearly-1-billion-allocated-for-airport-infrastructure-funding.
Amelia Earhart Mystery Solved? The fate of Amelia Earhart on her famous 1937 attempt to fly around the world is one of aviation’s most enduring open questions. Many claims have been made, but not one has been substantiated. Yet. Tony Romeo, a pilot and former USAF intelligence officer, made a pile of money in real estate after his service, and formed a company, Deep Sea Vision, in large part to search for Amelia’s missing Lockheed Vega.
DSV has been scanning 5,200 square miles of ocean floor near Howland Island last fall, the destination Amelia and Fred Noonan never made, using a high-tech underwater drone with side-looking radar, and a 16-member crew. They recorded a lot of data, and when it was processed, they found an Electra-shaped object on the ocean floor about 100 miles from Howland. DSV plans a follow-up return voyage some time this year.
There have been a LOT of false alarms and claims about Amelia’s fate; this could be another. But… Stay tuned! For more info on this development, see: https://www.npr.org/2024/01/29/1227574179/amelia-earharts-lost-plane-howland-island.
NASA Aeronautics Monthly STEM Newsletter: See the May newsletter on the A+StW website’s “Archive: Other Stuff” page here.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) News
Overview of Different Types of SAF:https://simpleflying.com/sustainable-aviation-fuel-types
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.