‘X’ MARKS THE SPOT · civil uavs and the law syria’s air force honeywell at 100 years ...

CIVIL UAVs AND THE LAW

SYRIA’S AIR FORCE

HONEYWELL AT 100 YEARS

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‘X’ MARKS THE SPOTONBOARD THE A350 AS IT ENTERS FINAL TESTING

August 2014

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Contents

Comment

Strange bedfellows

Regulars

Afterburner

Honeywell at 100Future technology under development at Honeywell.

Green dreamsBoeing tests of new environmental performance technology on a series of different aircraft platforms.

4 RadomeThe latest aviation and aeronautical intelligence, analysis and comment.

10 Antenna Howard Wheeldon looks at potential threats to future airline profi tability.

12 TransmissionYour letters, emails, tweets and feedback.

58 The Last WordKeith Hayward on US-Russian space launcher dispute.

41

Features

The legal status of ‘drones’Legal issues posed by the proliferation of unmanned aircraft for civil applications.

Marshall planMarshall Aerospace targets business aviation at its new growth sector.

16

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28

OnlineAdditional features and content are available to view online on www.media.aerosociety.com/

aerospace-insightIncluding: Honeywell at 100,

The A350 ‘Xperience — fl ying on the

fi rst public demo fl ight,

Carrier Countdown.

Volume 41 Number 8 August 2014

Correspondence on all aerospace matters is welcome at: The Editor, AEROSPACE, No.4 Hamilton Place, London W1J 7BQ, UK [email protected]

3

Uncertain future for Syria’s air ForceAn assessment of the Syrian Air Force and its role in the current civil war.

August 1914The role played by the Royal Flying Corps in the fi rst days of WW1.

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Front cover: Engine and winglet of the Airbus A350. Tim Robinson

Who would have guessed that Iraqi, Iranian and US pilots would ever all be fl ying in the same airspace fi ghting against a common foe. The rapid gains of the Islamist ISIS movement in Iraq have seen Iraq’s fl edlging COIN air force of Mi-17s and Hellfi re-equipped Caravans, joined by US Apaches, fast jets and UAVs, as well as, most inexplicably Iranian Su-25 close air support aircraft from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (which came originally from the 1991 Iraqi Air Force). Additionally, such was the desperate need for attack aircraft to stem the speed of ISIS’s southerly march on Baghdad, that the Iraqi Government fast-tracked a buy of fi ve second-hand Su-25s from either Belarus or Russia — adding to the cosmopolitan (and extremely loose) unlikely air coalition. With the ongoing situation so fl uid, what does this say about air power? While the A-10 has been fi ghting for its life in the US, it is just the kind of hard-hitting platform needed on this occasion by the Iraqi Government. Secondly, ‘Wars of choice’ are often described as ‘come as you are’ — but this particular threat came out of nowhere — even to the extent that Iraq could not wait for its new F-16IQs it has on order to be delivered. Finally, the post-Afghanistan war-weariness of the US and the West and the change in focus towards the Far East, perhaps seduced decision-makers that the Middle East, though unstable, was capable of looking after itself. This new development, which threatens to become a 21st century Middle East version of Europe’s 30-Years War, is a wake-up call to the dangers of a power vacuum. The improbable ‘coalition’ fi ghting a common cause also raises an intriguing question. In the future, will air forces have to think about interoperability with not only their allies but also potentially their enemies?

Tim Robinson

[email protected]

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Editor-in-ChiefTim Robinson +44 (0)20 7670 4353 [email protected]

Deputy Editor Bill Read +44 (0)20 7670 4351 [email protected]

Publications Manager Chris Male +44 (0)20 7670 4352 [email protected]

Production Editor Wayne J Davis +44 (0)20 7670 4354 [email protected]

Editorial AssistantAlfonso Serrano Alcala

Book Review EditorBrian Riddle

Editorial Offi ceRoyal Aeronautical SocietyNo.4 Hamilton PlaceLondon W1J 7BQ, UK+44 (0)20 7670 4300 [email protected]

AEROSPACE is published by the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS).

Chief Executive Simon C Luxmoore

Advertising Emma Bossom+44 (0)20 7670 [email protected]

Unless specifi cally attributed, no material in AEROSPACE shall be taken to represent the opinion of the RAeS.

Reproduction of material used in this publication is not permitted without the written consent of the Editor-in-Chief.

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ISSN 2052-451X

40 IT FLIES USA2014 aircraft design and handling competition.

14 The A350 Xperience Tim Robinson fl ies on the new Airbus A350 XWB widebody airliner.

34 Time LordsPlans for time-based separation to reduce delays at Heathrow Airport.

42 Message from our President

43 Message from our Chief Executive

44 Book Reviews

47 Library Additions

48 NAL preserves Bristol drawings

49 NAL Gliding Collection

50 Branch prizewinners

52 Diary

53 RAeS Annual Banquet and Golf Day

54 Corporate Partners

55 2013 Written Paper Prizes

56 RAeS Elections

NEWS IN BRIEF

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AEROSPACE / AUGUST 2014

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DEFENCE

Futuretech in 2040

INTELLIGENCE / ANALYSIS / COMMENT

BAE Systems has released a number of future concepts for aerospace in the year 2040. Among them are the in-fl ight 3D printing of UAVs along with sub-aircaft that combine and join together to make one larger aircraft to save fuel and extend range. Two of the concepts, directed energy weapons and self-healing materials feature in this notional low-observable combat aircraft (dubbed The Survivor in self-healing example), which, although fi ctional, incorporates these advanced technologies that may be in service by the year 2040.

EnginesFor a stealth design, inlets would need to be S-shaped to prevent radar returns. Notably the two inlets here suggest perhaps any future fi ghter would be a twin-engined design.

Stealth The ‘extended diamond with wings’ low-observable planform echoes the Anglo-French FCAS UCAV concept as well as the as earlier Boeing X-45 demonstrator.

Self-healing BAE Systems evisages that by 2040 it may be feasible

to incorporate ‘self-healing’ materials into combat aircraft to nullify battle damage in-fl ight. Carbon nanotubes would contain an adhesive fl uid which would then ‘clot' to mend damage. Says BAE Systems Futurist and Engineering Manager Nick

Colosimo: “There is signifi cant global research into hollow-fi bre composite materials to enable The

Survivor.”

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5AUGUST 2014fi@aerosociety Find us on LinkedIn Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com

3-in-oneAnother BAE Systems’ concept for 2040, dubbed ‘Transformer’, would see single air vehicles combine to become a larger aircraft. This would save fuel, extend range and allow individual aircraft to split off to conduct their own tasks at the target. Says BAE Systems Futurist and Engineering Manager Nick Colosimo: “If the airframe confi guration of these aircraft is deliberately designed so that they can be optimally conjoined then we could assume that the resultant drag ‘approaches’ that of a single larger aircraft.”

CockpitThough this is only a notional concept — it is interesting that there appears to be a cockpit on this design— suggesting that BAE foresees a manned opyion for a 2040 fi ghter.

In-fl ight 3D printingIn another prediction for 2040, additive layer manufacturing (or 3D printing) could be done in-fl ight, according to BAE. A larger aircraft could ‘print’ customised mini-UAVs in-fl ight before deploying them — creating the ultimate in an ‘adaptable taskforce’. Notes Nick Colosimo: “It may not be the most revolutionary per se but the ability to

create tools on demand at the time and place of need from the air feels like it could be a useful capability for addressing future operational uncertainties.”

Energy weaponBy 2040, BAE predicts that it will be possible to pack a directed-energy weapon into a fi ghter-sized combat aircraft to engage targets at the speed of light. Their main functions, says BAE's Nick Colosimo

would be to augment existing weapons: “close-in self-protection is likely to be one of their main uses.”

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NEWS IN BRIEF

Airbus has reported that it delivered 303 aircraft in the fi rst six months of 2014. It booked 290 net orders and added 209 A320 commitments to June, though there were 225 order cancellations during fi rst half of the year. Meanwhile, Boeing delivered 342 aircraft and booked 499 net orders in the same period.

A Fokker 50 freighter crashed into a building

shortly after taking off on 2 July from Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, in Kenya. All four crew were killed.

As AEROSPACE went to press, Israel was continuing to conduct air strikes on ‘terror sites’ in the Gaza Strip following rocket attacks fi red by militants from Gaza into Israel.

Scientists have successfully reactivated

NASA’s International Sun-Earth Explorer 3 probe (ISEE-3), which was retired in 1997 after 19 years of service. It had not used its engines since 1987, and the campaign to save it required $150,000 to reactivate the probe.

Police have arrested two people for operating an UAV, which came within 800 feet of a police helicopter, over George Washington Bridge, New York on 7 July.

Three Boeing 737 fuselages tumbled into the Clark Fork River in Montana on 3 July, following a train derailment. The train was carrying six 737 fuselages and assemblies for the 777 and 747 on their way from Spirit Aerosystems in Wichita, Kansas, to Boeing’s fi nal assembly line in Renton, Washington.

Belarusian carrier Belavia Airlines has ordered

three B737-800NGs in a $272m deal at current list prices. This is the airline’s fi rst direct purchase from Boeing.

UK defence exports reached nearly £10bn in 2013 with AgustaWestland leading the effort, according to fi gures released by the government on 8 July. Exports of the AW159 Wildcat helicopter to South Korea and the AW101 to Norway were the main

AEROSPACE

DEFENCE New terror threat An unspecifi ed but credible threat to airlines has meant that travellers fl ying directly to the US are now having to turn on personal electronic devices (PED) to check they function at security before they board. Those unable to power up would not be allowed on board.

Britain’s aerospace industry has grown ten times faster than the wider UK economy over the past three years, according to a new report by the UK industry lobby group ADS. Last year the aerospace

In July NASA is to test its new Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD) at the US Navy's range in, Hawaii. Designed to evaluate technologies

HMS Queen Elizabeth named

Ces

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GENERAL AVIATION

sector achieved a growth rate of 9·4%. The sector now generates annual revenue of almost £28bn. ADS reports that more than two-thirds of its 900 ADS companies are anticipating continued growth of at least 10% over the next year.

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Aerion has revamped its supersonic business jet (SSBJ) design to feature a larger cabin and extended range. The AS2 SSBJ features three engines versus two on the previous design. Aerion

On 4 July, the Queen formally named the fi rst of two new Royal Navy aircraft carriers being built as HMS Queen Elizabeth during a ceremony at Rosyth near Edinburgh. The Red Arrows fl ew over the dockyard at a ceremony which also included Prime Minister David Cameron, First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond and former Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The new 65,000 tonnes warship — the largest ever to be built in the UK — can carry up 40 Lockheed Martin F-35Bs and/or helicopters including RAF Chinooks. It will have a permanent crew of almost 1,600 when it enters service in 2020.

Citation X+ certifi cated

The US FAA has certifi cated the new upgraded Cessna Citation X+ mid-size business jet — wrestling the title of world's fastest (Mach 0·935) civil aircaft back from the Gulfstream G650. Deliveries started immediately — the fi rst example going to a company from NY state.

7i f AUGUST 2014

successes, said the UK government’s sales arm.

On 23 June, Aerojet Rocketdyne completed a series of hot-fi re tests on a Bantam demonstration rocket engine built entirely by additive manufacturing. The space company was able to reduce the engine design and manufacturing time from over a year down to a couple of months and lower the cost by approximately 65%.

On 30 June, the fi rst production HondaJet made its maiden fl ight at the company’s headquarters in Greensboro, NC. Entry into service is planned for 2015.

The US FAA is unlikely to be to able integrate UAVs into the National Airspace System by the September 2015 deadline, according to the Transportation Department inspector general’s offi ce.

Bombardier Aerospace has received a fi rm order for 16 CRJ900 NextGen regional jets valued at approximately $727m at list prices. The same (unidentifi ed) customer has taken options for eight additional airliners of the same type, which could increase the value to $1·12bn.

As AEROSPACE went to press, the Pentagon has grounded the entire fl eet

of F-35 fi ghters until the completion of additional inspections of their Pratt & Whitney engines, following a fi re event on 23 June at Eglin AFB base in Florida. The grounding puts the type's international air show debut in the UK in doubt.

On 27 June DARPA awarded a $3m contract for the development of its XS-1 space plane to Masten Space Systems of Mojave, US. This project aims to develop a fully

reusable unmanned vehicle that would fl y to hypersonic speeds at a suborbital altitude where the upper stages would separate and deploy a satellite into low Earth orbit.

Quicksilver Aeronautics has received FAA certifi cation for its fi rst Special Light-Sport S2SE aircraft. Quicksilver is now ready to produce its S2SE model using three manufacturing locations in the US.

SPACEFLIGHT

AIR TRANSPORT

DEFENCE

Iraq has requested help to supply military aircraft to help it fi ght ISIS insurgents who have taken over parts of the country. The US has accelerated delivery of Hellfi re missiles to the Iraqi Air Force. Meanwhile Iraq has fast-tracked a buy of up to

12 dissembled Russian Su-25s while Iran has supplied

old Su-25s which defected from Iraq

to Iran during the 1991 Gulf War. Both Iran

and Syria have also conducted

their own air strikes on ISIS in Iraq.quates to just $5·42 per passenger.

Ryanair returns to UK domestic servicesEuropean low-cost carrier Ryanair has established a new Scottish base at Glasgow Airport after a three-year break from UK domestic services. From October, the carrier will fl y three daily fl ights from Glasgow and Edinburgh to London Stansted and a same frequency service between Glasgow and Dublin, replacing the daily connection between

Dublin and Prestwick. Five routes are transferring to Glasgow, the airline’s 69th base and include Bydgoszcz, Warsaw and Wroclaw in Poland, Derry in Ireland, as well as Riga, Latvia. During the fi rst year, the low-cost airline estimates to carry 850,000 passengers from Glasgow airport, including around 350,000 that will move from its other base at Prestwick.

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Airb

us

On 1 July Airbus rolled-out its fi rst A320neo, MSN6101, after painting the aircraft and mounting its Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-JM engines. It is expected the fl ight test campaign will start in September for entry into service in Q4 2015.

Hello neo!

AEROSPACE

Iraq acquires Su-25s to fi ght ISIS push

NASA has awarded a $2·8bn contract to Boeing to develop the core stage of the Space Launch System (SLS), including the avionics, as the most powerful rocket ever built designed for human exploration of deep space. The agreement comes as the Critical Design Review (CDR) on the core stage is completed. The initial test fl ight of the SLS is scheduled for 2017.

NA

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NASA places SLS contract


The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is proposing the adoption of new global standards intended to shield voluntarily collected safety data from criminal proceedings and civil cases resulting from an aviation accident or incident.

Ethiopian Airlines has become the largest African carrier by revenue and profi t, according to the latest airline ranking

from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA). With revenues of over $2·3bn in 2013, Ethiopian now ranks fi rst in Africa and 37th in the world in terms of revenue and 18th in the world in terms of operating profi t.

Japanese lawmakers have approved a constitutional reinterpretation, allowing Toyko a limited right of collective self-defence, overturning a 67-year ban on coming to assist close

allies, such as the US, if they came under attack.

NASA Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) has fi nally begun its ride to orbit on 2 July atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Bombardier received certifi cation from the FAA for its Challenger 350 business aircraft on 25 June. Transport Canada

certifi cation was granted on 12 June. Launch customer for the 350 is NetJets.

The search for missing Malaysian fl ight MH370 has moved hundreds of miles south of the previously suspected crash site following a new analysis of the aircraft’s fl ight path. The new zone is situated 1,100 miles west of Perth in Australia. Two ships, the Fugro Equator and Zhu Kezhen will survey

an area up to 6,000m deep and covering up to 60,000km2.

Emirates has fi nalised its $56bn 150-aircraft order for Boeing 777Xs it placed at the Dubai air show in November.

Airbus and Boeing are among three bidders for South Korea’s aerial tanker requirement. South Korea expects to close the $1·38bn deal for four aircraft by the end of 2014.

NEWS IN BRIEF

RadomeDEFENCE

Sweden fi rst with remote ATC tower

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y

ESA plots to harpoon space debris

ESA is considering using harpoons to remove large items, such as derelict satellites and rocket upper stages, which are located across crucial lower orbits. To capture more than 17,000 threatening objects, harpoons could make a high-energy impact into the target, piercing the structure and then

Saa

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reeling it in. ESA plans to build and test a prototype ‘breadboard’ version in the hope of adopting the harpoon and its ejection mechanism for the ESA’s Clean Space initiative on the e.DeOrbit mission for fl ight in 2021. The project will investigate all three stages of harpooning through computer models, analysis and experiments, leading to a full hardware demonstration.

Sikorsky wins combat rescue deal

After a successful six-week trial, Virgin Atlantic is to permanently implement the use of Google Glass for employees working at London Heathrow. Check-in staff wore the glasses during the trial which provided them with passenger information — including names, frequent-fl yer status, fl ight numbers and destinations — as travellers approached the terminal in chauffeur-driven cars.

AIR TRANSPORT

The eyes have it

The Swedish Transport Agency has given Swedish air navigation service provider LFV, clearance to operate Örnsköldsvik airport without ATC personnel being based in the control

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AEROSPACE

tower. Using systems installed by Saab in 2013,

take-offs and landings from

Örnsköldsvik will be operated from the autumn from

Sundsvall Remote Centre

100km away.

SPACEFLIGHT

On 26 June, the USAF awarded Sikorsky a $1·28bn contract for the initial engineering and manufacturing development phase for its new combat rescue helicopter. The helicopter, based on Sikorsky’s UH-60M, will replace the existing HH-60G in the USAF rescue mission.

i f AUGUST 2014 9

The US Army is to deploy tethered Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System (JLENS) airships over Aberdeen in Maryland in the US, in a three-year operational assessment. Developed by Raytheon, the 243ft long blimps will scan for threats from anti-ship cruise missiles, UAVs and swarming boats.

INFOGRAPHIC: Raytheon’s radar blimp on watch

Boe

ing

Adrian Hillcoat assumed the position of the new CEO at e-Go Aeroplanes on 1 July.

Jack Smith, currently Southwest Airlines' Vice President of Ground Operations, is being promoted to Senior Vice President of Operations, overseeing technical operations, ground operations and cargo and charters.

ON THE MOVE

Etihad to take 49% stake in Alitalia UAE airline Etihad Airways is to acquire a 49% shareholding in ailing Italian fl ag carrier Alitalia. The two airlines will announce the conditions of the sale at a future date.

SPACEFLIGHTIndia’s PSLV launches fi ve sats


On 30 June, India launched fi ve foreign satellites using its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C23 which lifted off from the

Indian Space Research Organisation's Satish Dhawan Space Centre. The main cargo was the Airbus Spot-7, AISAT from

Airbus Helicopters score deal from China

On 28 June, Boeing marked the milestone of the 1,500th 747, when it delivered a 747-8I to German fl ag carrier Lufthansa. The aircraft is the 14th 747-8 Intercontinental for Lufthansa’s long-haul fl eet which has 19 of the same type on order.

GENERAL AVIATION

Three Chinese operators have placed orders for up to 123 rotorcraft from Airbus Helicopters. To be delivered over the next fi ve years, the helicopters will be used for general aviation activities such as aerial tours, passenger transport, business aviation, or search and rescue. One operator, Fujian Xinmei GAC which placed an order for fi ve AS350 B3es to be delivered this year, has also committed to an additional 50 rotorcraft

in the coming six years made up of the light single-engine Ecureuil family and light twin-engine EC-135s. Meanwhile, Guangdong Baiyun GAC will be acquiring 50 units from the Ecureuil family and EC-135. One EC130 T2 will be delivered this year while the fi rst three EC135 T2es will arrive by April 2015, and the remaining aircraft are expected in the next fi ve years. Finally, Yunnan Fengxiang GAC has placed an order for 18 AS350 B3es. The fi rst four helicopters are scheduled to be delivered this year with the remaining 14 expected in the next two years.

AEROSPACE

DEFENCE

Boeing delivers 1,500th 747

German Aerospace Centre, the Canadian NLS7.1 and NLS7.2 and VELOX-1 from Nangyan Technological University, Singapore.

10 AEROSPACE / AUGUST 2014

antenna:

In the wake of Ukraine, Iraq and the rise in Middle East-based geopolitical tensions, it is perhaps of little surprise that oil prices have touched nine-month highs over the past month. Familiarity may breed contempt but it is a sad

fact that uncertainty breeds fear and speculation and that this most usually results in commodity prices rising.

For the global airline industry the prospect of a new round of fuel price uncertainty comes at a time when profi tability and margins are already low. True, some airlines are still doing well but, with mature western airlines facing increased regulatory and environmental taxes set against a background of increasing capacity and competition, a struggle with another round of rising fuel costs is the last thing that airlines need. Low airline profi tability may seem a far cry from how it appears to the outside world, as observers watch orders for new more fuel-effi cient aircraft appearing like confetti. The reality is that, if they don’t join in now, they will lose out on aircraft slot availability. Matched by unprecedented levels of competition, combined with signifi cant industry over-capacity and marred by increased regulation, environmental and airport landing costs, together with passenger taxes that can make passengers think twice, the current worsening geopolitical situation leaves airlines little choice but to brace themselves for another round of operating cost increases that are always diffi cult to pass on.

Rising fuel costs are nothing new for airlines. Back in 1974, when the two large, state-owned, UK airlines, BOAC and BEA, formally merged to form British Airways, management of the

Global Outlook and Analysis with HOWARD WHEELDON

Airline profi ts set for turbulence?

combined airline was very quick to point out that its greatest area of concern was rising fuel costs. Seriously impacted by the fi rst Arab oil crisis at a time when, even then, the combined airline could boast a network of 200 destinations in 84 countries, BA’s fuel costs had risen by over 50% in a single year. The legacy of 40 years, during which the price of crude oil (on a WTI basis) has risen from an average $3bbl to around $107bbl was a double-edged sword. But it did at least force aircraft manufacturers to begin the process of designing more fuel-effi cient aircraft and few today can be in any doubt that they rose to the challenge or that this challenge continues to the present day and beyond. The result is that the modern and more environmentally friendly and sophisticated aircraft technology that we fl y in today are at least 40% more fuel effi cient than those in commercial airline service back in 1974. The process of reducing operating costs through improvement in engine technology, aircraft design, better air traffi c management and wasted fuel burn at airports continues.

The future is one thing, the here and now is quite another. While commercial airlines may, over time, have enjoyed an amount of technology-led scope designed to mitigate the rise in fuel, combined with various degrees of fi nancial engineering that allowed them to gamble by buying fuel forward, there is little scope to adjust when fuel prices rise suddenly. Although not always the case, history generally shows that when oil prices rise sharply a side effect is often recession. It is certainly true that In the US ten out of the past 11 recessions can be blamed in

Fuel spike? Will airlines be hit by instability in the Middle East?

11AUGUST 2014@aerosociety Find us on LinkedIn Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.comi f

IF DE-STABILISATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST WORSENS ... EUROPEAN AIRLINES AND PERHAPS THOSE IN THE SOME OTHER MATURE GLOBAL ECONOMIES CAN AND WILL SUFFER

no small part on oil price spikes. Are events in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle

East likely to spark yet another recession? For Euro area airlines this must be an issue and, despite apparent near self-suffi ciency in oil and gas, this is still a fair question to ask in the US, given the ongoing level of uncertainty expressed by the FED in terms of US 2014 GDP growth expectation. The Eurozone economy remains depressed and, as we look at a slowing down of China’s GDP growth, all is not well there either. For China, Japan and other Far East nations, rising fuel prices could impact on measures to increase growth. Yet, the overriding answer is more probably that the latest oil price spike is unlikely to cause a recession repeat even if the impact on the airline industry will most likely require that ticket prices are pushed up. The more positive recession reasoning outlook in the US has more to do with a current over-supply of oil now that the US economy appears to have a withering requirement for imported fuel due mainly to the process of ‘fracking’ oil and gas supply directly from underground rock. But, even if the US appears to have found itself being close to self-suffi cient in most forms of energy the same is far from true for Europe and the Far East.

While an oil-induced recession in the US looks unlikely and, despite the fact that oil represents a mere 4% of global GDP should the current geopolitical situation of uncertainty remain and if destabilisation in the Middle East worsens as a result, European airlines and perhaps those in some other mature global economies can and will suffer as a result.

That said, the price of oil may not be as high as it sometimes seems. For instance, while the actual price of jet fuel today is approximately three times what it was ten years ago, it is still close to 25% less than it was at the peak of the 2008 global fi nancial market collapse. While the future direction of fuel prices remains unclear, no airline can afford to close its eyes to the prospect of a further round of operating cost damage, even if any rise is temporary as opposed to being sustainable.

Profi t forecasts

Note too that a couple of months ago, when revising previous 2014 airline profi tability forecasts, IATA predicted that global airline revenues would reach $746bn for 2014 and that industry profi ts would be just $18bn. That, according to IATA, would represent an average net margin of just 2·4%, or to put it another way, $6 per passenger. IATA placed the main level of blame for the anticipated deterioration in profi tability on China but, I would argue that, if true, this could be blamed on a much wider and more contentious number of areas impacting adversely on airline profi tability. Nevertheless,

whatever the reason for such low levels of profi tability, when mature western-based airlines are being forced at the same time to modernise and make large-scale investments in new aircraft at unprecedented levels in the hope of reducing operating costs to provide some kind of positive answer and relief to increased levels of competition from state backed Middle East airlines, then they are clearly unsustainable.

IATA, which represents 240 global airlines covering approximately 84% of total air traffi c momentum, has a very good record of forecasting performance and yet I doubt that it built-in another round of potential fuel cost rises that, depending on levels of fuel that airlines have already bought forward, create more havoc for the industry in the short-term. Running an airline is no easy business, as those that have struggled to survive in recent years are quick to tell you. And it isn’t only rising oil prices that worry the airline community right now. Add in the rising cost of landing charges, increased regulation and the seemingly ever-increased cost burden of meeting environmental issues. The range of fuel effi cient and quiet aircraft available from the big producers might be superb but they are hardly to be considered cheap or easy to fi nance. Moreover, there is another issue of concern and that is the inability to make the job of fl ying the aircraft attractive enough to get staff.

Time was when working for an airline, either as a pilot, co-pilot or cabin staff, was something that was done with pride and a head held high. Pay was well above average compared to other competing industries but that is certainly not the case now. While supply might currently just about match demand, in the years ahead, airlines are, as more of the present generation of pilots retire and the military reduce manpower capability across all levels becomes less of a player in terms of available supply, forecasting a massive shortage of pilots. To meet this very serious likely shortage and that could, if allowed to materialise, impact adversely on the economy require combined government and the airline industry effort to train more pilots and staff. It is no use believing that individuals can be expected to pick up the high cost and burden of training alone. As with most other walks of life, when demand exceeds supply the price usually goes up. Pilots are, by modern standards, poorly paid in relation to the job they do and the responsibilities that they carry. At some point, just as the price charged to those of us who regularly fl y on airlines will have to go up, so too will the pilots' salaries and perhaps those of cabin staff too. Note that just last month Aer Lingus gave due warning to investors, that due to the damaging impact of strikes by cabin staff, profi tability would likely be down by 20% in 2014.


TransmissionLETTERS AND ONLINE

Structure logicWhy on earth does such a learned journal publish such crazy nonsensical ideas? The July 2014 AEROSPACE, pp 4-5, shows an illustraiton of a presumably pressurised fuselage with an oval cross section. This will not work! It will need a massive internal structure to stop it going cylindrical (this is presumably what the lady in the centre aisle is trying

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An unlikely-looking design — Scaled Composites’ White Knight Two design for Virgin Galactic.

Laura Dowling VP Business Development Infotechs [On RAeS Women in Aviation and Aerospace Committee (WAAC) panel discussion at the Farnborough Air Show on 17 July(2)] am indeed excited to note with much enthusiasm and interest, the initiative taken by the RAeS, to organise such a debate at the Farnborough Air Show! Thanks for the heads up.

Ing Peter GC Marketing Manager PGCGull Marketing Thanks for the info Laura, I hope it’s a won-derful discussion and much comes out of it! Having grown up in London and been at School in Farnborough for some nine years, I really miss the Farnborough Air Show and, of course, the daily acrobat-ics of the old Tiger Moth ... as well as the Hunters and Canberras and Venoms and Lancasters and Lightnings, Victors, Valliants and Vulcans (the Cuban Crisis was scary!) that were part of my daily life for so long. Hope every one has a really wonderful time!

to do!) Read any structures book for the reasons). Page 20 illustrates a literally crazy proposal for a fuselage with transparent panels. How on earth is the crazy framework supposed to carry the pressure loads?Page 30 depicts a crazy planform, probably half the area of a football pitch. Explain how an overnight snowfall would be cleared away! The trouble with today’s industry is that

Flight of fancy for stress engineers? @Lloydhphoto [On a very low F-16 approach to Waddington air show crowds] Surely it’s common sense not to stand below the fl ight path on the threshold through?

@bwpa_chair [On the upcoming RAeS Women in Aviation & Aerospace Conference](2) Always inspirational.

@BnaaInfo [On HRH The Prince of Wales accepting invitation to be RAeS Honorary President in 2016](4) Congratulations AeroSociety!

@TheDashingChap [On time running out for the Red Arrows Hawk T1s] They’ll be replaced. No govt would dare axe the Red Arrows.

@LJ_Skipper [On BOI published for RAF Tornado mid-air collision] In 2005 MoD estimated nine Tornados and fi ve civilian aircraft would be lost by then OSD for GR4 of 2025. Utterly shocking.

@AERTECsolutions Great blog article by @RAeSTimR of @AeroSociety — Time running out for #European MALE plan: #aerospace #UAV(6).

@IM_Collingwood Great piece by @RAeSTimR about @Honeywell_Aero over the last 100 years(3).

@Craig73Webster [On Future for Maritime Air Power Discussion Paper](5) Merlin at moment, P-8 only suitable replacement but need own avionics.

many companies are run by people with no knowledge of structures, so they believe that these crazy ideas are feasible. It takes us stress types many hours trying to explain why they will not work. So, in future, please apply a bit of engineering logic before publishing artist’s crazy impressions (or is it crazy artist’s impressions?).

Peter Gambardella CEng MRAes

Is the Typhoon learning? It is not surprising that modifi cations to increase performance are being considered for the Typhoon, as they no doubt are for its competitors. The article in the June AEROSPACE (1)

admits that the Typhoon is expensive. Most of the intended changes are local and should not greatly prejudice production learning, and the concentration of operational options in a detachable enclosure is a good step. Why then is there little evidence of production learning? The recent announcement of 20% cost reduction is puny compared with the 80% cost reduction which normal production learning should have achieved by the hundredth aircraft.

David Farrar OBE FRAeS Hon FIED

Comparison of German and British production man hours from Aircraft Producuiton by JV Connolly which appeared in the 1968 reprint of the RAeS January 1966 Centenary edition of The Journal of the Royal Aeronautical Society, 70, (611), pp 214-220.

i f@aerosociety linkedin.com/raes facebook.com/raes www.aerosociety.com 13AUGUST 2014

OnlineAdditional features and content are available to view online at http://media.aerosociety.com/aerospace-insight

1. In the Typhoon’s path, AEROSPACE, June 2014, p 18.2. http://www.aerosociety.com/Events/Event-List/1526/2014-Amy-Johnson-Debate-What-Would-Amy-Think3. http://aerosociety.com/News/Insight-Blog/2282/Honeywell-at-1004. http://aerosociety.com/News/Society-News/2281/HRH-The-Prince-of-Wales-accepts-invitation-to-be-RAeS-Honorary-President-in-20165. http://aerosociety.com/News/Society-News/2315/Whats-the-future-for-Maritime-Air-Power-in-the-UK6. http://aerosociety.com/News/Insight-Blog/2280/Time-running-out-for-European-MALE-plan7. http://aerosociety.com/news/Podcast/2289/Rosetta-Europes-Comet-Chaser

@aerosociety Find us on LinkedIn Find us on Facebook. www.aerosociety.comi f

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@GarethJennings3 It had better make it, or else I’ve got some stories to rewrite!

@ABAviationWeek I wouldn’t write off #F-35 yet. #USMC is very resourceful! ; )

@macilree [on no-show of F-35 at QE carrier naming] So, if the F-35B is cancelled, are the Harrier jigs still around? Should have gone with cat and trap.

@NavyLookout [On Carrier Countdown blog] Good piece by @RAeSTimR on technical aspects of the QE carrier aviation development.

@gordon_gwalker [On BAESystems ‘Survivor’ concept from 2040] Wow! Is it personned? If not, it is a waste of time. Drones have no moral compass.

@sarabpal_singh [On the above topic]Reminds me of early design of #HAL #INDIA MCA FIGHTER bomber tailless plane.

@robotpig Rosetta: Europe’s Comet Chaser, excellent speech by Paolo Ferri for @ESA_Rosetta by @AeroSociety podcast(7).

@MahamudBille Boeing EX is an advanced surveillance A/C proposed in the 1990s by Boeing to replace the Grumman E-2C Hawkeye.

@ScienceBurp [On Cool Aeronautics event] Brilliant event today, so much fun #CoolAeronautics #MissionX @AeroSociety @trainastronaut

@MaxRotor At @AeroSociety event looking at the use of automation on offshore helicopter operations #RAeSEvents.

@Aero_Emma Did you know students and public have free access to the National Aerospace Library at Farnborough?

@Richard01653341 [On F-35 decision for transatlantic trip] A bit embarrassing for Lockheed if the F-35 can’t make trip but pilot safety has to come fi rst. Fingers crossed they sort issue.

@TheBaseLeg You can always save those stories and rewrite them for when it makes its international debut at Avalon next year!

A mock-up of an F-35 on the bow of the new HMS Queen Elizabeth carrier which was named by HM The Queen on 4 July.

Cockpit posters on display at the recent Technology: Friend or Foe? The Introduction of Automation to Offshore Operations conference organised by the RAeS Rotorcraft Group held at No.4 Hamilton Place on 3-4 July.

Spotted on display in the shop at the Boeing Future of Flight museum was this mystery aircraft.

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@beckykatewebb AgustaWestland, Airbus Helicopters & FlightSafety Int posters of different model cockpits at @AeroSociety conference through now!! See above.

In June, TIM ROBINSON, was among selected journalists to become one of the first to experience Airbus' new widebody airliner — the Airbus

A350 XWB — as a passenger. Does it live up to the hype?

It may be tempting fate but, as it stands today, Airbus’s new composite A350 XWB airliner now seems to be almost on the fi nal lap after an (for the aerospace industry) exemplary fl ight test and development programme. While

Airbus detailed its fl ight-test progress to aviation journalists at its annual Airbus Innovation Days media briefi ng event, it also decided to show off its latest airliner by taking journalists aloft on a special fl ight.

It was only in June last year that the A350 XWB took to the skies in Toulouse for its maiden flight, before appearing briefly at the Paris Air Show. Meanwhile, earlier in February 2014, Airbus made history when it flew two different A350 prototypes (MSN2 and MSN4) on the same day — a remarkable flight-test achievement. The last flying test prototype, MSN5, (the second cabin-equipped) recently made its first flight this month — completing the flight test fleet.

The test aircraft have been worked hard — and, by 20 June, had flown more than 2,000 flight-test hours (around 500 flights) or on average 80 flight test hours per aircraft a month. This is the highest flying rate yet for an Airbus test programme. With a planned flight test campaign of 2,500hrs — this leaves 500hrs still to complete.

To achieve this rapid pace has taken careful and detailed planning and preparation. Airbus itself has learnt tough lessons both from its own past (the A380) and from competitors (the Boeing 787). Even today, another civil airliner manufacturer, Bombardier is finding the going tough in testing its new CSeries. The key has been extensive and detailed de-risking of the programme. While some things (such as finding suitable weather for in-flight icing tests) are beyond the control

of any development flight-test schedule, the A350 has benefited from a new level of simulation, bench testing, test rigs — before it even flew. These range from not only the traditional testing, such as an engineering flight simulator, and an ‘iron bird’ rig, but also mock-ups such as ‘Cabin Zero’, to test IFE and galley features and even a full scale air conditioning, bleedair and APU system test bench — put together by Honeywell.

Thus, barring some unforeseen 'out-of-the-blue' event — the schedule of certification in the third quarter, and first delivery to launch customer Qatar Airways appears on track for the fourth quarter.

The biggest surprise in the A350 programme, so far, has been a non-technical matter — a cancellation of an order for 70 by Emirates. Though the Gulf carrier's fleet adjustment decision hit both Airbus' and Rolls-Royce's share prices immediately, the airframer was bullish that although unfortunate, the long-term production slots would soon be filled by other airlines eager to buy the aircraft.

Flight test demo

Such a setback though was temporarily forgotten when

Airbus revealed that this year’s Innovation Days

would include a


IN AN A321 ON THE FLIGHT HOME, COMPARED TO BEING IN THE ULTRA-QUIET A350, SOUNDED LIKE BEING IN A SATURN V ROCKET ON

LAUNCH

FLIGHT TESTOn board the A350 XWB

The A350 Xperience


fl ight for around 150 aviation journalists on MSN2, a A350 XWB prototype equipped with a representative business and economy cabin. “The aircraft woke up well this morning”, said Fernando Alonso, Head of Flight Test at Airbus, confi rming the decision to offer the media there an opportunity to be among the fi rst passengers to experience the aircraft. Indeed, this was only the third fl ight with ‘passengers’ — MSN2 having recently completed two Early Long Flights (ELFs) with Airbus employees.

The flight, flown by Airbus test pilots Peter Chandler and Frank Chapman, saw the aircraft depart Toulouse to fly near the stunning Pyrenees mountains. The A350 XWB reached 31,000ft during the demo flight which, at one point, was joined by a French Air Force Rafale fighter which formated with us.

So what is it like as a passenger?

If the aircraft is quiet on the outside, it is also unbelievably quiet on the inside — building on the A380's reputation. Even with a mid-wing seat (usually the most noisy place due to engine and fl ap noise, etc) it was easy to have conversations, even with people in different rows, without raising one’s voice. Indeed, throttle adjustments on landing, were almost imperceptible. The result should be an aircraft that will be not only a hit with passengers wanting sleep on overnight fl ights but, also, crucially residents around airports — an increasingly important factor in airline operations.

Some comparison for this journalist was that take-off on an A321 on the flight home, compared to being in the ultra-quiet A350, sounded like being in a Saturn V rocket on launch.

One system that the aviation press was unable to test was the inflight WiFi system. Airbus (probably correctly) decided that 150 journalists all uploading pictures and video simultaneously would be a test too far for the A350 — and wisely it was kept off.

Widebody Xperience?

So does the X in XWB really stand for 'Xtra'? In its latest marketing campaign — Airbus is pushing hard the ‘widebody’ angle vs its deadly rival Boeing and is highlighting the difference it claims an extra inch makes between the 18inch and 17inch width seats. With a generic but representative cabin interior and, without a similar 787 cabin to compare side-by-side, it is diffi cult to make direct comparisons. However, the light, spacious passenger cabin (even in

economy) gives the impression that you are in a larger aircraft, such as the main deck

of the A380. The side wall panels

too, are straighter and more vertical — important for tall passengers, such as this journalist when sat in the window seats.

Another feature set to be popular is the giant overhead luggage bin space. Like passengers, carry-on luggage today is getting bigger and bigger, and the A350’s huge overhead bins will help airlines accommodate ever-bigger bags.

However, while Airbus has certainly taken airlines’ needs into account, with the A350 it has steered a careful path between too much choice and too little. Part of the reason for the A350 staying on track is that, after the A380, Airbus has been much firmer and stringent with customisation options for airlines. Freeze decision points in the cabin design, and an ‘A350 XWB Configurator’ means that, this time round, Airbus has managed to rein in the temptations of airline marketeers who see the cabin as a ‘blank canvas’ — the undoing of the A380 when too much choice and creativity spilled over and contributed to the disrupted development of the airliner.

Finally, another factor in the A350's favour is, (like the 787) its lower cabin altitude (6,000ft) — which should make for more pleasant and comfortable flight, with less tiredness and dryness for passengers. The A350 can also be equipped with Swedish company CTT’s humidification technology as an option to further increase passenger comfort. Though this was only a short demo flight (and excitement levels among passengers were extremely high) the lower cabin altitude should make a notable difference on long-haul flights — getting passengers to their destination feeling more refreshed and less fatigued.

Also like its US rival, the A350 is equipped with coloured cabin ‘mood lighting’ which can be changed to customise the interior for different times of day or to match the airline’s brand identity.

Summary

Showing off its new A350 in this way, was a highly visible sign of Airbus's quiet confi dence in the type’s maturity — especially since the aircraft had only twice before carried passengers. Even though it was an actual, working fl ight-test aircraft (with an engineer's panel at the back and specifi c equipment installed), it had the feel of an operational, production aircraft. This is no accident. With the A350, Airbus decided to run its Flight Test Centre as ‘Airline 1’ — emulating a 'virtual airline' and the operational challenges that its launch customers will face. This means that, when the A350 enters service, any potential teething troubles that Qatar or other airlines encounter, will have already been seen previously by Airbus as ‘Airline 1’. Again, de-risking the programme as early as possible, is now paying off as the aircraft begins to enter the home straight.

15i f AUGUST 2014

As unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) proliferate for civil uses,HUMPHREY DAWSON, Air Law Consultant, ASB Law,*considers therapidly mounting legal issues of this new sector.

being under 20kg. It has been suggested in the US that, within fi ve years, domestic UAVs could make up a $13bn industry.

The potential seriousness of some of the issues now arising are highlighted by the news of (i) two near misses in March 2014 when aircraft were on their fi nal approaches into Perth Airport, Western Australia, and into Tallahassee Airport, Florida; and (ii) a partially broken UAV being found on the 30th fl oor balcony of a building in St Louis Missouri.

UAVs are, therefore, becoming of greater concern to aviation lawyers in a relatively new aspect of law — and one where the legislators across the world have to catch up with what is happening in the real commercial world. Just as the established aviation community must come to terms with the reality of ‘drone’ use, operators of UAVs must accept that they are aircraft and are thus subject to strict aviation controls to the same extent as manned aircraft.

After some years of international discussions, ICAO issued a report in 2011 that it was ‘working to understand, defi ne and ultimately to integrate’ UAVs

in a ‘safe, harmonised and seamless manner comparable to that of manned aircraft.’

At the same time, in the UK, the CAA reported that, in light of an envisaged upsurge

in UAV activity, it was essential to recognise an approach in terms of policy, regulation and safety

standards and thus to constantly review its UAV Guidance document.

Apart from necessary approvals formanufacturing standards and licensing, lawyers will also have to deal with issues of nuisance, trespass, damage, human rights, invasion of privacy, data protection and,

indeed, fatality.

Is a UAV an aircraft?

Perhaps one must fi rst consider what a UAV is. To me, there can

be little doubt that it is an aircraft,

AEROSPACE / JUNE 2014

UNMANNED SYSTEMS The legal questions

The legal status of ‘drones’

Now that there have been two reported UAV/airliner ‘near misses’ a UAV accident, as well as a fatality caused by a UAV and with the ever growing use and desired use of this technology

for commercial purposes, there is an increasingly urgent need to review the position of UAVs in the aviation legal world.

The use of UAVs is, however, much more extensive than generally realised with an ever increasing variety of commercial use — agriculture (including crop-spraying), inspection of public facilities, safety (including inspecting high, dangerous structures such as oil rigs), mapping, aerial photography, (including by the news media), fi lming and by police and security forces for, among other things, search and rescue operations, border patrols and general surveillance.

In 2013 it was said that there were 250 approved civil UAV operators in the UK and nearly 1,000 in Europe with the vast majority of UAVs

17i f AUGUST 2014@aerosociety Find us on LinkedIn Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com

the FAA had no jurisdiction at very low altitudes, in tunnels or below overpasses, as these are not navigable airspace and (iii) neither the commercial ban on drones nor the application of the FARs is legally enforceable, as the FAA had failed to undertake the requisite procedures under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA).

The FAA responded that it had authority to regulate all aircraft in all US airspace (not merely navigable airspace) and that UAVs are aircraft and that therefore to operate them in breach of Section 91.13 is an offence. On the 6 March 2014 the Judge found in favour of Pirker and dismissed the Enforcement Action on two grounds:

(i) that, the UAV involved was a ‘model aircraft’ (i.e. something for hobby or recreational use) and as such does not fi t in within the FAA defi nition of ‘aircraft’; and

(ii) that, although the FAA has issued a number of policy statements concerning UAVs, these were not binding law as not being issued in accordance with the requirements of the APA.

The FAA has appealed against the decision and is expected to fi ght hard to overturn it both through the appeal process and by regulating UAVs correctly. In its appeal, the FAA expressed its concern that; ‘this decision could impact on the safe operation of the national airspace system and the safety of people and property on the ground.’

In another US case, the Texas-based EquuSearch, is challenging an FAA order prohibiting it from using UAVs to fi nd missing people which it had been doing since 2005 with the UAV being fl own under 400ft by unpaid volunteers. It is said that the same UAV, if used for recreational purposes, would be considered a ‘model aircraft’ subject to only a few restrictions but, as it was being used for commercial purposes, the FAA requirements would be similar to those for manned aircraft. EquuSearch claims the FAA order was: ‘unlawful, arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion and not otherwise in accordance with the law’.

Prior to these cases, it is reported that the FAA had shut down numerous commercial users, including anyone using even model aircraft for commercial purposes. It is reported that there are many commercial vendors selling GPS-enabled UAVs capable of lifting cameras for 25 minutes before returning to their take-off point autonomously for relatively low prices.

In England the CAA has achieved a better

Sky

Fut

ures

although that is not a word which was defi ned in the Chicago Convention 1944. Certain Annexes to the Chicago Convention adopted the 1919 Paris Convention defi nition that an aircraft is ‘any machine that can derive support in the atmosphere from the reactions of the air’. It is submitted that this defi nition has become part of what is loosely known as ‘international customary law’ (although it is seemingly still an issue in the US where there is continuing debate as to whether a ‘model aircraft’ is an ‘aircraft’ over which the FAA may have control).

In the UK, size or purpose of use (commercial, pleasure, for profi t, hobby or recreational) is not relevant in deciding if a UAV is, or is not, an aircraft although different provisions apply depending on weight — less than 7kg, 7kg-20kg, 20kg-150kg, or 150kg and more — but these different provisions, which will be discussed later, do not affect the issue that, whatever their size, they are still ‘aircraft’:

In the UK, it is considered that a UAV must meet at least the same safety and operational standards as manned aircraft standards and that must surely be accepted worldwide so that:

(i) Operators are aware of all the facets of aviation law and practice by which aircraft operators live on a daily basis;

(ii) UAVs must be insured suffi ciently to meet their liabilities in the event of an accident including under s.76 of the Civil Aviation Act 1982; and

(iii) Operators must have an Operations Manual — helpfully, the CAA has published guidance on what should be covered in the Operations Manual of a proposed operator.

The American litigation

Although the legislative position in the USA is seemingly behind that in the UK, perhaps a good place to start to consider live issues is the case of Huerta (The FAA Administrator) v Raphael Pirker which raises a number of relevant issues.

Pirker, in October 2011, used a UAV to take pictures of the University of Virginia’s campus and was paid by a communications company. The UAV (said to be a 5lb radio controlled model aircraft) transmitted real-time pictures back to Pirker on the ground. Subsequently, the FAA imposed a $10,000 penalty against Pirker for operating a UAV contrary to Section 91.13(a) of the Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR), namely that ‘no person may operate an aircraft in a careless and reckless manner so as to endanger life or property of another.’

The FAA alleged that Pirker did not possess an FAA pilot certifi cate and that the recklessness involved operating the UAV in a tunnel containing moving traffi c, under a crane and unacceptably close to humans, buildings and a heliport. Pirker’s response was that (i) there is no existing FAR (ii)

Commercial UAVs are a growth business — but will all follow the rules like operators such as Sky Futures?

JUST AS THE ESTABLISHED AVIATION COMMUNITY MUST PERHAPS COME TO TERMS WITH THE REALITY OF ‘DRONE’ USE, OPERATORS OF UAVS MUST ACCEPT THAT THEY ARE AIRCRAFT AND THUS SUBJECT TO STRICT AVIATION CONTROLS


INDUSTRY Ontario's aerospace sector

result with the conviction of a person for the ‘dangerous and illegal’ fl ying of a UAV — closer than the minimum 50m (164ft) separation from a bridge and through restricted airspace around the BAE Systems submarine testing facility at Barrow, Cumberland.

Applicable UK law

Under EC Regulation 216/2008 the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is the appropriate Authority for implementing rules dealing with airworthiness certifi cation, continuing airworthiness, operations, pilot licensing, air traffi c management and aerodromes. UAVs with an operating mass of 150kg or more require full EASA airworthiness certifi cation and all other controls to the same extent as manned aircraft operation. These rules exempt UAVs with an operating mass of 150kg or less.

The Air Navigation Order 2009 (ANO) applies to all aircraft but has a defi nition of ‘small unmanned aircraft’ (SUA) which means any unmanned aircraft weighing not more than 20kg.

Having been previously exempt, SUA of less than 7kg are included and governed by the CAA to ensure public safety by applying appropriate operational and airworthiness constraints, dependent on the fl ying operation being conducted and the potential risks to third parties.

Under Article 253 of the ANO, only certain provisions of the ANO apply to SUA, including those which provide that the person in charge must maintain direct, unaided visual contact suffi cient to monitor its fl ight path in relation to other aircraft, property or people and to restrict it exceeding 400m and that the UAV is not to be used for ‘aerial work’ (i.e. commercial fl ights — if valuable consideration is given or promised). Under Article 167, which relates to SUA equipped to undertake any form of surveillance or data acquisition, there is a prohibition of fl ight within 150m of any congested area or organised gathering of 1,000 people, within 50m of any structure or within 50m of any person, except

during take-off and landing, without CAA consent. If the UAV is over 20kg in weight but less than

150kg it is not covered by EASA rules but will be governed by the CAA and all the provisions of the ANO apply — including as to ownership, nationality, registration, airworthiness and operation. If the aircraft is to be fl own within a 500m radius and below 400ft, the CAA may be prepared to grant an exemption from the requirement of a Certifi cate of Airworthiness if there is a level of airworthiness assurance appropriate to the UAV and the intended fl ights.

If the UAV is more than 150kg it will be subject to European Regulation EC No 216/2008 so that the design and manufacture of the aircraft must be in accordance with the relevant certifi cation specifi cations similar to manned aircraft and they must be issued with a Certifi cate of Airworthiness

and a Permit to Fly.Whatever the weight, ANO 2009

stipulates that any person operating an aircraft: ‘shall not recklessly or negligently cause or permit it to endanger any person or property including other aircraft’.

At the present time the requirements for the licensing and

training of remote pilots has not been fully developed. There are no recognised

pilot licences but it is essential that, before the CAA issues any operating permission, a potential operator can demonstrate that UAV ‘pilots’ or operators have at least a basic understanding of the applicable regulations to ensure that the UAV does not constitute a greater risk than commercial manned operation. It is, however, accepted that compliance with the same standards as required for manned operation may be too infl exible, onerous and inappropriate.

If using radio telephony, a Flight Radio Telephony Licence must be held.

Relevant US law

The FAA simply defi nes an aircraft as ‘a device that is used or intended to be used for fl ight in the air’ and, unless exemptions apply, the aircraft

An A380 and a Parrot AR Drone — both aircraft — but what rules apply to each?

PART OF THE DIFFICULTY IN FORMULATING REGULATIONS MAY BE THE HUGE VARIATION IN SIZE — VARYING FROM LARGE 30,000LB AIRCRAFT TO TINY AERIAL VEHICLES MEASURING ONLY A FEW INCHES

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19i f AUGUST 2014@aerosociety Find us on LinkedIn Find us on Facebook.com www.aerosociety.com

needs to be certifi ed by the FAA, the operator needs to satisfy FAA operational requirements and the aircraft needs to obey the ‘rules of the road’ applicable to aircraft in US airspace. Part of the diffi culty in formulating regulations may be the huge variation in size — varying from large 30,000lb aircraft to tiny aerial vehicles measuring only a few inches and weighing only a few ounces.

In 1981, the FAA had issued guidelines in conjunction with the Model Aircraft Hobbyists’ Association without defi ning the term ‘model aircraft’ but not regulating fl ights fl own under 400 feet and a suffi cient distance from populated areas. In 1997, the FAA published policy which prohibited fl ights by ‘commercial drones’ (pilotless aircraft fl own for compensation) unless granted a specifi c licence

In 2007, the FAA acknowledged the need for regulations but, to date, it has only cautiously issued authorisations on a case by case basis for public sector use whilst completely prohibiting commercial use. It has been granting Certifi cates of Authorisation or Waiver (COAs) since 2003 and subsequently experimental Special Airworthiness Certifi cates (SACs) to allow the applicant to utilise UAs for research and development and crew training, but not for profi t-making operations.

In 2013, it was reported that, since 2006, 1,400 COAs and 100 SACs had been granted for purposes such as university research, fi re-fi ghting, disaster relief, search and rescue, law enforcement, border control and military training.

Under the FAA Modernization and Reform Act 2012 (FMRA), the FAA was required to develop several widely applicable aviation rules to integrate UAVs into the National Aerospace System by 30 September 2015, with various intermediate milestones including: August 2012, establishing six test sites at which

UAVs could be operated and establishing a process for less restricted UAV use (two were established by May 2014)

November 2012, providing guidance to facilitate public use of UAVs and also developing a comprehensive plan to safely accelerate civil UAVs into national airspace

* Download the full 'The Legal Status of Drones' paper online.This article is an abridged version of the full paper. Read the full version at www.asb-law.com/aviation

August 2013, publishing a fi nal rule governing operations by ‘small UAS’ (weighing under 55lb)

August 2014, issuing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on all other civil UAVs.

The FAA is well behind on these target dates.Progress has been slow and not without

diffi culty. While the FAA has focused efforts on safety and effi cient use of National Air Space, the Department of Homeland Security is joined by civil liberty and privacy groups in expressing serious concerns over public safety and rights. In the meantime, eight US States have passed their own legislation restricting the use of UAVs and preserving privacy.

Congress is considering legislation which would amend the FMRA to bar the FAA from providing UAV permits unless the licence application includes statements which details who will operate the UAV, where it will be fl own, what kind of data will be collected and how it will be used.

The FAA indicated in May 2014 that it might allow limited commercial UAV operations before it fi nalises unmanned aircraft systems regulation, although the operator would still need a certifi ed pilot trained to fl y the UAV and a Certifi cate of Waiver or Authorisation which would permit actual operation.

Where now?

UAVs have many advantages over the ‘ordinary’ aircraft — they are light, cheap, environmentally-friendly and capable of fl ying for long periods.

There are, however, so many other competing interests — privacy, homeland security, cybersecurity, insurance and civil liability — and, perhaps, a lack of understanding by non-aviation specialists of the need for aviation control, apart from the purely aviation interests of manufacturers, operators, insurers and those wishing to promote commercial operations. With the news of two near-misses and a death being reported, the importance of adequate insurance is reinforced.

Regulation is clearly essential; both to promote air safety and to meet the needs of other interested parties but, in the same way a distinction must be made between model aircraft for recreational use and commercial UAVs.

There is thus an urgent need for the legal and practical issues to be resolved in the near future, so that UAV operations may be safely and legally conducted having regard to all the competing interests of aviation safety, the safety of people and property on the ground, human and privacy rights as well as commercial interests.

As the commercail UAV sector expands, so will the legal issues.

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The past 100 years of aviation has seen many technological advances — and many that Honeywell (or its legacy companies) has played a vital part in. From the fi rst autopilot, developed by

Lawrence Sperry in 1914, to the fi rst APU in 1948 and the fi rst 3D weather radar. Meanwhile, 18 years ago, the company’s EGPWS (Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System) was a critical safety advance in removing CFIT (Controlled Flight into Terrain) as the primary cause of fatal airliner hull losses. With legacy companies that include Sperry, Garrett, Bendix and Allied Signal among others, today Honeywell Aerospace’s product solutions range from bizjet engines such as the HTF7000, to ATM, from green taxi systems, to sensors for satellites, to infl ight connectivity. The company is also a key supplier to the Airbus A350 programme — providing the APU, ventilation system, FMS, cabin pressure control, air conditioning and bleed air system.

So far, so good. But in the next 100 years Honeywell is aiming for a subtle shift in its strategy — to incorporate an ‘Apple-like’ approach to its technology. This will see the company put what might be termed ‘human factors’ at the heart of its thinking. Its buzzword is the Honeywell User Experience (HUE). This can range from using a smaller, standard set of tools to maintain one of its biz-jet engines, to touch-screen FMS’s for the cockpit. Admits Carl Esposito, VP of Marketing and Product Management: “Previously we focused on the pilot. Now we need to consider all the ‘personas’ — the mechanic, installer and our employee.” The goal, says the company, is to introduce an ‘Apple-like’ intuitive relationship between its technology and products — and the user — whoever they may be. HUE, says Honeywell, is about all the people that ‘touch the product at all parts of the lifecycle’.

As well as its ‘HUE’, Honeywell is addressing the challenges of future aviation — such as ATM modernisation and environmental impact. It also goes without saying that it intends to continue to advance safety through innovation.


PREVIOUSLY WE FOCUSED ON THE PILOT. NOW WE NEED TO CONSIDER ALL THE ‘PERSONAS’ — THE MECHANIC, INSTALLER AND OUR EMPLOYEE

Carl EspositoVP Marketing and Product Management Honeywell Aerospace

INDUSTRYHoneywell at 100

From the very first autopilot to 3D printing— Honeywell Aerospace aims to put‘human factors’ at the heart of its secondcentury. TIM ROBINSON reports fromPhoenix, Arizona.

Honeywell at 100

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Where it all began — Sperry’s fi rst autopilot in 1914.

To explain this new approach, the company recently hosted its inaugural media event for international media at its Phoenix, Arizona HQ. The event included briefi ngs about its work on the Airbus A350 XWB, visits to its factory and R&D labs, a technology symposium and even a demonstration fl ight in one of its test aircraft — a 1950’s vintage Convair 580.

‘Disney-style’ design studio

As well as a fl ight in a vintage airliner, perhaps the most interesting part of the visit was a rare, unprecedented look behind the scenes at the company’s creative design process for avionics. Honeywell is, of course, well known for its avionics products, which include weather radar, FMSs, TCAS, EGPWS and the Dassault Falcon EASy glass cockpit. But how are these created? At Honeywell’s Flightdeck of the Future FD-X Laboratory at its Deer Valley avionics facility in Arizona, the company’s engineers work on very early concepts for glass-cockpit and human interfaces.

Inside this small room, the atmosphere is less like an aerospace company and more like a Disney or Pixar fi lm production or special effects offi ce, promoting creativity and free-thinking. This analogy is made stronger by the use of a movie-style storyboard around the walls of the lab. These storyboard sketches tell the story of a typical fl ight from ‘Once upon a time’ to ‘happily ever after’, breaking down the pilots and fl ight crew’s actions into key stages and asking the question ‘what if’ to solve challenges at each point. For example, in the fi rst stage, listening to the ATIS (Automatic Terminal Information Service) before take-off, the sketch shows the pilot raising a hand and a ‘shush’ caption. The challenge in this particular case is to ask the question, is there a way to allow the pilot to temporarally hush the radios (without using a switch) to listen to the ATIS?

Enter ‘gesture control’ — borrowed from the consumer video gaming market. In this lab, Honeywell engineers are looking and testing new and exciting human-machine interfaces (HMI) concepts like gesture control (hold your hand up to quiet the radios), eye-tracking, ‘tactile feedback’ for fl ap or throttle handles (which perhaps could warn the pilot of an incorrect landing confi guration). Combining these technologies, for example, voice recognition and eye-tracking, would allow a pilot to set autopilot speeds or altitude, by simply looking at the relevant number on the primary fl ight display (PFD) or even HUD and saying the new value.

Another line of development in the lab is a PFD external 3D view ‘above and behind’ the aircraft when taxiing around airports. This sees the PFD (with synthetic terrain) ‘swoop’ backwards to give an over-the shoulder view of the aircraft, similar to

a video game view of a vehicle. Why do this? This viewpoint gives better situational awareness — allowing the pilot to see taxiways off to their left and right and in the distance far better than the standard ‘straight ahead’ PFD view. The synthetic view of the airport and taxiways is also tweaked in other ways too. For example, the taxiway marking signs are made larger than real life, making airport navigation far easier. The external view display also automatically reverts to the standard PFD view when the aircraft lines up on the departure runway — in one smooth transition.

Finally, these solutions, mocked up using desktop PCs and consumer gaming motion trackers, are rated by key outsiders, stakeholders and customers. Each is given coloured Post-It notes to attach to the ‘storyboard’ and rate the ideas — from red (don’t bother), yellow (potential but caveats) to green (yes). Comments and extra feedback are actively encouraged.

The idea from all this ‘playful’ brainstorming is not that every single one of these concepts will reach the market but, by creatively playing with numerous ideas, this large ‘funnel’ can quickly sort and rate the best ideas for further study and testing, quickly discarding the ones that show the least promise.

iPads in the cockpit

Nearer term, Honeywell is also researching the effects of integrating today’s consumer technology — namely touchscreen tablets, such as iPads, into fl ightdecks. Though the take-up of these ubiquitous devices by pilots that range from GA, to airline and even military fl iers — has been overwhelming, Honeywell is keen to understand the human factors issues of these touchscreen devices as a permanent feature in next generation cockpits. In its research labs at Deer Valley, Arizona, it has a low-cost motion platform simulator to test just this. In this simulator different types of touchscreen technology can be trialled with varying levels of turbulence and motion, and with gloves on or off. The positioning


Voice and eye-tracking control testing in Honeywell’s FD-X lab. Note ‘storyboard’ and Post-It notes on wall.

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The company uses a Boeing 757 as a testbed for its business jet engines.

20 AEROSPACE / MAY 2014

INDUSTRYHoneywell at 100

different aircraft for its engines and avionics testing. This includes a King Air C90, AStar helicopter and Dassault Falcon 900EASy as well as a Boeing 757, which is used to fl ight test the company’s business jet engines. The company also has two ‘vintage’ aircraft in its stable — a 1952 Convair 580 and a Lockheed Sabreliner. The Convair, acquired in 1991 by Honeywell, was chosen because its nose could accommodate a 30in radar dish for testing 3D weather radar. Today, it is still active as an airborne testbed, with equipment racks and test benches. For a fl ight demonstration with journalists, the Convair was fl own from Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport in a local fl ight to show off the EGPWS and TCAS. The 62-year old Convair is also fi tted with Honeywell’s latest SmartLanding/SmartRunway technology (a development of the earlier Runway Awareness and Advisory System (RAAS)), which provides audio and visual awareness of unstabilised approaches to pilots or if they are about to land long and run out of runway. The system also compares the line-up and advises if the pilot is about to land on a taxiway or if there is insuffi cient runway length left. Says Honeywell’s Chief Test Pilot Markus Johnson of the system: “It puts a third pilot back in the cockpit.”

The Convair’s cockpit may be an incongruous mix of steam gauges and the latest runway and traffi c safety systems — but 62 years on, this aircraft is still performing a vital role in advancing the cause of aviation safety. With runway incursions and overruns, go-arounds and unstabilised landings a major concern for regulators, the hard-working Convair still has a crucial job here.

Electric taxiing

Honeywell is also active through a partnership with Safran in addressing the challenge of sustainable

This low-cost motion simulator is used to test HMI issues with touch-screen interfaces.

of the tablet device can also be shifted to examine where would be the best place to mount it. Finally, as well as measuring the accuracy of pilot inputs to the tablet on a typical task (for example when selecting an airport incline and tower frequency from an airport chart), the simulator set-up also features biosensors that can be attached to pilot’s arms — to measure tiredness in muscles when the tablet is mounted in different positions. All this human factors research is crucial to understanding the implications of touchscreen displays, as the technology continues to migrate from the home into the air. The company is putting safety fi rst by collecting large amounts of data on these new consumer-led tools, despite the ‘cool’ factor. Said one Honeywell researcher: “It has to earn its way into the cockpit.”

Honeywell’s avionics labs also include an ‘advanced cockpit simulation’ — the next phase of avionics design after the ‘blue sky’ Pixar ideas lab. Here the ideas are put into a generic (but representative) fi xed-based simulator to see how these avionics and control concepts combine into a workable cockpit. Compared to a currrent generation cockpit, this future glass cockpit is sleek and unclutttered, presenting the key information in a simplifi ed, but quick to digest form, with readouts that echo smart phone icons.

Testing, testing

Of course, a good idea in a lab has a long way to go before it can be developed, manufactured and, most importantly, for an industry that revolves around safety — certifi cated. To that end, Honeywell operates a surprisingly large aircraft fl eet of eight

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21i f MAY 2014@aerosociety Find us on LinkedIn Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com

aviation — on the ground with its Electric Green Taxiing System (EGTS). This uses motors in the main wheels, powered by the APU, to save fuel while taxiing, allowing the pilot to only run up the main engines when the aircraft is set to depart. Honeywell say that this system, optimised for single-aisle airliners like the A320, has around 30 airlines interested in EGTS which is aimed at entering service in 2017. For an airliner on high-cycle routes, Honeywell say the EGTS would pay for itself in a year.

Technology symposium

As noted earlier, this new HUE approach also extends to maintainers and technicians too — not just pilots. In an engineering symposium that also included 3D printing and wingtip collision awareness, media were also shown a voice-recognition system for Honeywell’s maintenance workers. This uses a microphone and attached device to allow workers to quickly catalogue and book in engines when they are returned for overhaul. Instead of clipboards and fi les, or even going back and forth typing on a laptop on a desk, this allows the MRO technician to speak serial numbers, catalogue parts, the damage and condition of the engine, while being verbally prompted using this interactive checklist. The result is quicker, more accurate induction of engines for overhaul, with the time to book-in engines shortened to 15-20 minutes instead of two hours plus.

Another innovation demonstrated at the symposium was a new ground collision wingtip system. This uses ADS-B surface positioning, coupled with the EGPWS database, aircraft wingspan and braking capability data and velocity algorithms to determine whether an aircraft could

collide with a building or structure when taxiing or pushing back. The technology was demonstrated earlier this year in February at Paine Field, Washington, using the company’s C90 testbed.

The symposium was thus a fascinating insight into the wide variety of Honeywell’s future products and solutions that are now in R&D from ATM middleware to deal with ‘more connected aircraft’ to 3D printing of ceramic casting cores for turbine blades — vastly speeding up the tooling process, while cutting costs. Elsewhere, wireless uploading of databases and fl ightplans for business and GA customers was another focus of R&D, as was next-generation prototype FMS systems that take cues from iPads and mobile phones.

Conclusion

This, then, is just a snapshot of some products and solutions from the diverse company that is Honeywell Aerospace. However, in all these areas, there is now a common theme. If the fi rst century of human powered fl ight was about mastering the external environment, with speed, altitude and size as the performance drivers — the second century’s aerospace challenges increasingly revolve on the internal environment of the ‘mind’ — whether it is the pilot, mechanic, factory worker or passenger — in enhancing safety, promoting effi ciency or delivering comfort — or even delivering a greener planet for our children. Honeywell’s ‘Disney-style’ blue-sky R&D fl ightdeck lab may be an indicator of how traditional aerospace companies will evolve in harnessing the creative power of engineers. Says Carl Esposito of the lure of aviation and aerospace to young minds: “We make things that last, that go around the globe and that makes people look up and wonder how it works.”

[SMARTLANDING/SMARTRUNWAY] PUTS A THIRD PILOT BACK IN THE COCKPIT

Markus JohnsonChief Test Pilot Honeywell Aerospace

Hand-fl ying the Convair 580 into Phoenix Sky Harbor — the testbed is equipped with the latest generation TCAS/EGPWS and SmartRunway/SmartLanding aids.

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Honeywell’s nextgen 3D taxi view uses simplicity and intuitive design to improve situational awareness around an airport.


INDUSTRYMarshall Aerospace

Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group specialises in the conversion, modifi cation, maintenance and support of military and commercial aircraft, especially the C-130. However, the company is currently broadening its activities with an expansion of its business aviation interests.BILL READ reports from Cambridge Airport.

Marshall plan

Founded in 1909, Marshall holds a special position in the international aerospace industry in that it is still a family-owned company. As well as operating Cambridge International Airport, the company has a variety of other business interests, including property and 70 car franchises representing 24 different manufacturers. Today Marshall has an annual turnover in excess of £1·3bn.

Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group, operates in a wide variety of markets. On the military side, this includes specialist aircraft upgrades and modifi cations, fuel tank design and manufacture and fuel systems. Its civil portfolio encompasses aircraft sales, service and modifi cation, as well as upgrades to aircraft structures, paint and interiors.

Marshall has a long association with the Lockheed C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft and does repair, upgrade and support work for a large number of Hercules operators around the world. The group was the fi rst to open an original equipment manufacturer (OEM)-approved service centre for C-130 B to H models and is currently one of a select few to operate a heavy maintenance centre for the C-130J.

Marshall supported the RAF TriStar fl eet for over 30 years until its withdrawal in March 2014 and is also the Engineering Authority for the Avro Vulcan XH558 now operated by Vulcan to the Skies.

Other areas of company expertise are the design, manufacture and installation of in-fl ight refuelling (IFR) probes for military aircraft, auxiliary

fuel tanks and fuel tank fl ammability protection systems for both military and civil aircraft. Marshall recently delivered its 200th auxiliary fuel tank to Boeing for the P-8 aircraft.

Upgrades and conversions

Another Marshall capability is in aircraft upgrades,

including structural and airframe refurbishment, avionics, electrical and other aircraft systems

upgrades, cabin interiors, in-fl ight entertainment (IFE) connectivity, painting, cargo

conversions and medical evacuation interiors.

A particular specialisation is in the conversion of civil and military aircraft into special platforms for missions

such as reconnaissance, intelligence gathering,

communication relays, maritime and border patrol, search and rescue, medical evacuation and command

and control. These can include systems and avionics

installation, integration with existing systems, structural modifi cations, training and ground stations.

Aviation services

Marshall Aviation Services is the part of the business that specialises in the sale, operation, management, maintenance and modifi cation of business aircraft, under the Jetability brand. Marshall is also the exclusive distributor for Beechcraft aircraft in the UK, Ireland and

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installatAn aerial view of Cambridge Airport (centre) with the Marshall facility on right. Marshall specialises in a number of specialised aerospace sectors — including military aircraft modifi cations and upgrades, aircraft cargo conversions, business jet sales, management, maintenance and upgrades. (All images Marshall)

i f AUGUST 2014@aerosociety Find us on LinkedIn Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com 25

Scandinavia, as well as being involved in pre-owned aircraft sales. Other services on offer include business jet pilot and engineer training, avionics, cabin and aircraft structure and interior modifi cations and upgrades. In addition, Marshall can also provide project and supply chain management, testing and certifi cation.

The labours of Hercules

One aircraft particularly associated with Marshall is the Lockheed C-130 military transport. “When the UK government fi rst acquired the Hercules back in the 1960s, they bought the rights to use the intellectual property as well,” explains Charles Hughes, VP of Business Development and Strategy at the Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group. “As a result, over the past 46 years we’ve gained an immense amount of knowledge about the C-130 and are now the sister design authority for the C-130K. Although the RAF has now retired its C-130K fl eet, we are still looking after the remaining 24 Js, as well as serving customers from overseas.”

“There’s a big market out there with around 1,500 C-130s in service around the world,” continues Hughes. “Of these, roughly 1,000 are in the Americas and that leaves 500 in ‘accessible’ parts of the world. We’ve just won the Norwegian and Danish contract for another seven years and today we support ten Air Forces around the world. We’re also negotiating with other C-130 operators and hope to make a further announcement on that soon. We specialise in upgrades, although we do some MRO. We prefer to do the whole package. We design and deliver C-130’s cockpit upgrades, defensive aids suite, night fl ying systems and special mission equipment to name just some of our customers’ requirements.”

“The C-130 is moving from being a utility aircraft just moving cargo to more specialised mission roles, such as signals intelligence, electronics intelligence, casualty and medical evacuation, maritime patrol and surveillance and Special Forces work. This trend towards multi-tasking is good news for us, as it means more work on installing specialised equipment.”

Resetting the balance

Military customers currently account for the majority of Marshall’s aviation business, an over dependence that the company is a little uncomfortable with. “There is currently an imbalance towards the military, a signifi cant part of which is with the C-130,” says Hughes. “In 2005 the mix between the civil and military business was around 50/50 but then we won the HIOS contract

(see panel above) which increased our military dependence in a great way. In retrospect, this actually proved to be a good move on our part, as the civil side of the business slumped in 2007-8 but currently we now have rather too many eggs in one basket. In addition, we recognise that some of our key long-standing military projects are winding down, such as the work we used to do on the RAF TriStar fl eet which has now ended.”

“As part of efforts to reduce the risk, we are beginning to focus more on the opportunities offered by the civil sector,” explains Hughes. “Our intent is not to reduce our military business but to expand the civil side where there are currently more opportunities for growth with the intention of getting the balance back to around 60% military and 40% civil.”

Business focus

Marshall has been involved in the business aviation sector for many years,” says James Dillon-Godfray, VP Business Development for Marshall Aviation Services. “However, recently, we have been focusing far more on this sector and building up our presence, particularly through acquisition.

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C-130 upgrades

Flight display systemsNavigation and fl ight management systemsRadio communication systemsSurveillance systemsDigital maps, Night vision imaging for fl ight deckCargo bays and external lightingAircraft self-protection systemsTactical systems Electronic fl ight bagsElectrical generation

HIOS In 2006, Marshall Aerospace won the Hercules Integrated Operational Support (HIOS) contract. A joint partnership between the Ministry of Defence (MoD), Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group, Rolls-Royce and Lockheed Martin, the HIOS contract will provide long-term support for the RAF C-130 fl eet. The contract covered a 24-year period extending to the whole C-130 fl eet. Marshall acts as the HIOS prime contractor along with Rolls-Royce and Lockheed Martin as sub-primes. The foundation of HIOS is a partnered approach between the MoD and industry to assure aircraft availability to the RAF. Each company is responsible for different aspects of C-130 support, namely:

● Marshall — aircraft maintenance and technical support ● Lockheed Martin — supply chain ● Rolls-Royce — Propulsion management

The majority of HIOS work is conducted at UK locations; RAF Brize Norton, where the operational C-130K and C-130J fl eets are based with HIOS industry technical, supply chain and simulator support; Cambridge, where HIOS partners perform depot maintenance, modifi cations and provide technical support and management.


INDUSTRYMarshall Aerospace

The business aviation lounge at Cambridge Airport. Marshall is looking into expanding its presence in the business and GA sector, whenever windows of opportunity occur.

“If you went back to 2012, then we just managed a couple of jets and a 40-man operation doing Citation support at Cambridge. Now, we’ve moved to become one of the top fi ve companies in the business aviation sector, growing to what should be a £60m turnover business in 2014, employing over 400 people. By 2018, we aspire to be a £100m business in the business aviation sector. Business aviation used to represent around 5% of total company business but we aim to increase that share to over 20% in the future.”

“Last year we took over the UK’s Hawker Beechcraft’s maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) business which employs around 230 people at a single base in Broughton which makes it one of the largest business aviation-focused MROs in the UK. Now that Textron has taken over Beechcraft, this business has expanded. We were already involved with Textron through our work on the Cessna Citation at Cambridge where we doubled our capacity to 60,000ft2 two years ago by refurbishing an older hangar.”

“When we bought the Hawker Beechcraft facility, there was an opportunity to become the Beechcraft dealer for a great chunk of Northern Europe which we thought would be an excellent addition to our portfolio. We have a degree of control on the Beechcraft market now — we’re selling brand new ones and we’re the biggest Beechcraft MRO provider in Northern Europe.”“In March 2013, we acquired Oxford-based aircraft charter and management company FlairJet (which was the fi rst company to bring the Embraer Phenom 100 and 300 light jets into Europe) and combined its activities with Marshall Executive Aviation which already had a couple of Citations belonging to the group and managed a number of others. Since then, we’ve cast our net far wider and we’re now looking at the management of all sorts of business aircraft types from smaller jets to mid-size and long-range transatlantic machines. We’ve kept the name of Flairjet but, as Marshall Aviation Services becomes a stronger brand, you’ll see that name being used more prominently in the future.”

“In addition, we also support NetJets’ fl eet of Citations, as well as those fl own by private operators. It’s still a big market — there’s about 120 Citations based in the UK today, plus a further 900 in mainland Europe. We also have a fi xed-based operation (FBO) at Cambridge but we are hoping to build up a portfolio of other FBOs both in the UK and abroad where the opportunities might arise.”

“We also established a corporate and business aviation aircraft sales and acquisitions company last year which sells new and pre-owned aircraft, not just including Hawker Beechcraft products but also all other business aircraft types and helicopters. This year we’ve already sold fi ve brand new King Air turboprops in six months to companies who have concluded that they need their own business aircraft. Despite being a 50-year old design, the King Air is a very good design, you can just fi ll it up with fuel and don’t worry about weight, in particular the 350i model. Business aircraft are no longer just used as the

Cambridge Airport is owned and operated by Marshall. The airport deals mostly with GA and business aircraft but recently CityJet began operating fl ights from Cambridge to Dublin and Amsterdam, using a fl eet of Fokker 50 regional turboprops.

Below: Swedish Air Force and other C-130s being upgraded in Marshall’s hangars. The company is currently heavily reliant on C-130 work from the RAF and nine other air forces.

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i f AUGUST 2014@aerosociety Find us on LinkedIn Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com

Marshall offers a full range of services for business jet operators, including aircraft and engine maintenance.

Here at Marshall, we can produce specialised designs for small numbers of aircraft, using our own composites manufacturer. We also have all the right approvals. Our fi rst task if we win a specialised contract is to sit down with the certifi cation authority and say: ‘How do we get this aircraft certifi ed?’ Once we’ve got that, then we’ll start work. Not all companies who modify aircraft do that and have certifi cation problems after they’re done the work.”

Special missions

Another niche sector that Marshall is developing is the conversion of airframes into special mission (SM) aircraft. “Special mission platforms used to be large aircraft,” explains Hughes. “However,

as the kit has got smaller, there is a trend towards smaller platforms performing

more functions. The present aircraft of choice are adaptations of the Boeing

737 at the top end, down through Bombardier Globals and Gulfstream biz-jets to the Q400 and King Air propeller aircraft. We have all the capabilities here to modify a civil or a military platform. One unusual project that we worked on recently was the

fi tting out of an SAS Boeing 737 for medical evacuation for the Swedish

Defence Force. The aircraft can now be converted from passenger transport to

military and disaster relief missions in a matter of hours — and converted back.

Future expansion

Marshall is continuing to develop with plans to upgrade more of its hangar facilities at Cambridge. As well as the new offi ces planned for Norway and Dubai, there may be further future expansions overseas. “We don’t want to overstretch our resources,” admits Hughes. “We are Marshall of Cambridge, not just Marshall in Cambridge.”

‘chairman’s chariot’; most companies now use them for ferrying other employees as well.”

“This year we’re going to set up a Marshall Aviation Services offi ce in Scandinavia, most likely in Norway,” states Dillon-Godfray. “This will focus primarily on aircraft sales but, if there is an interest in our MRO activities, it will market those as well. We’re also planning to open a new Marshall Aerospace and Defence offi ce in the UAE in the very near future.”

Avionics and interiors

Another area that Marshall is steadily expanding is that of aircraft upgrades, in particular, installing new ‘glass cockpit’ avionics into older airframes. “Upgrades are popular at the moment,” explains Dillon-Godfray. “It sometimes makes fi nancial sense to upgrade an older airframe rather than buying a new one as an upgrade costs a fraction of a new purchase and increases the aircraft’s resale value. The team at our Broughton facility are experts in doing Garmin avionics and there’s a lot of synergies between what they do and what we do in Cambridge. We are working with a number of OEMs to provide product enhancements for their legacy products. We’ve also recently completed Garmin 1000 glass cockpit upgrades for King Airs.”

In addition to cockpit upgrades, Marshall is also enhancing its capability for aircraft interior conversions. “We do specialist interiors for VIP jets and can fi t anything up to an A340,” says Hughes. “However, we are investing signifi cantly this year on refurbishing an old paint shop to enhance its capabilities, so that by the end of the year we’ll be able to do VIP airline modifi cations up to A330s.”

“OEM’s are experts at building aircraft but they’re less interested in modifying them,” concludes Hughes. If someone wants an aircraft painted blue or to have an extra toilet installed, then it’s not part of their drumbeat.

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ENVIRONMENTBoeing ecoDemonstrators

As part of its ongoing environmental programme, Boeing is fl ying a series of ecoDemonstrator aircraft platforms designed to test new ‘green’ technology. BILL READ reports.

Green dreams

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This year will see the fl ight testing of the second of Boeing’s ecoDemonstrator aircraft, in which the US manufacturer’s 787-8 fl ight test aircraft ZA004 will be specially confi gured with new technology,

methods and materials designed to improve environmental performance and sustainability. The fi rst ecoDemonstrator, an American Airlines 737-800, was tested in 2012 and this year’s 787 demonstration will be followed in 2015 by a ecoDemonstrator 757 from TUI. Further fl ights of additional aircraft may follow in the future.

“The ecoDemonstrator is just one facet of Boeing’s overall environmental programme, where Boeing is committed to improving the life cycle environmental performance of its operations, products and services,” explains Michael Sinnett, Vice President, Product Development at Boeing. “It is a multi-year programme with technologies installed on various airplane platforms that serve as fl ying testbeds. Using these demonstrator airplanes allows Boeing to test new technology as soon as it is ready, allowing us to accelerate the incorporation of key technology in future aircraft. This serves as a catalyst for engineering innovation and learning through active design, build and integration.”

A tale of three aircraft

The fi rst ecoDemonstrator was a new 737-800 NG loaned from American Airlines which conducted a month’s extensive fl ight testing in Glasgow,

Montana, designed to test and accelerate advanced technologies that increase fuel effi ciency and reduce aircraft noise. “Roughly 15 new technologies were tested on the 737,” says Sinnett. “Of these, the main technologies were an adaptive trailing-edge, variable area fan nozzle, active engine vibration control, fl ight trajectory optimisation, a regenerative hydrogen fuel cell, and a laminar fl ow winglet. The aircraft also fl ew on biofuel during testing. After the trials were completed, the test equipment and other technology was removed and the aircraft returned to standard confi guration before being delivered to American Airlines as a typical 737-800.”

“This year, with the 787, we’ve increased the number of technologies from 15 to approximately 30. The 787 will test an engine exhaust nozzle made of ceramic matrix composite (CMC) which is designed to make engines quieter, lighter and more effi cient. Additional technologies will cover fl ight test effi ciency, fl ight sciences (drag and noise reduction), fl ight deck, more sustainable materials for manufacturing, airplane health monitoring, atmospheric sensors and connectivity technology.”

In 2015, Boeing will be conducting a third series of trials on a 757 leased from TUI Travel. “Leasing the aircraft provides us with the long lead time required for some of the instrumentation and build for advanced testing,” explains Sinnett. The technology that will be tested includes an active fl ow vertical tail, advanced wing concepts, advanced fuel quantity indication system, dimmable window energy harvesting, cabin sidewall panels and other

USING THESE DEMONSTRATOR AIRPLANES ALLOWS BOEING TO TEST NEW TECHNOLOGY AS SOON AS IT IS READY, ALLOWING US TO ACCELERATE THE INCORPORATION OF KEY TECHNOLOGY IN FUTURE AIRCRAFT

i f AUGUST 2014@aerosociety Find us on LinkedIn Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com

Boeing 787 ecoDemonstrator No 2 (right) will fl y this year followed by TUI-liveried Boeing 757 ecoDemonstrator No 3 (left) in 2015.

29

technology yet to be decided. There are plans for the ecoDemonstrator 757 to tour Europe to showcase the new environmental technologies, after which the aircraft will be used to test new recycling methods for improving recovery and reuse of its materials.

Eco partners

Boeing is working on the ecoDemonstrator project in conjunction with a number of selected suppliers, airlines and government agency partners. Companies which supply equipment for an ecoDemonstrator are able to test their systems in fl ight and retain possession of their intellectual property rights after the tests are complete.

Boeing is one of fi ve industry contractors participating in the US Federal Aviation Administration’s fi ve-year Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions and Noise (CLEEN) programme which is

funded under the FAA’s Next Generation Air Transportation System

development effort.

Designed to speed up the development of new materials, technologies and methods, the CLEEN programme is using Boeing’s ecoDemonstrator fl ight test aicraft for several activities. “We partnered with the FAA CLEEN programme for the 737 ecoDemonstrator in 2012 and received funding for the development and testing of one particular technology: the adaptive trailing edge,” says Sinnett. “In 2014 Boeing is again partnering with FAA CLEEN for development and testing the ceramic matrix composite (CMC) nozzle on the 787 ecoDemonstrator. The FAA CLEEN programme will share some of the cost of testing that nozzle.”

Another partner on the 757 test bed is NASA who will be working specifi cally on the vertical tail and active fl ow control and nanotechnology surface coatings that resist the accumulation of residue from insects impacting the wing leading edge to reduce drag and improve fuel effi ciency. NASA conducted wind-tunnel tests of this technology,

which involved fi tting sweeping jet actuators that blow air across the rudder surfaces to a 757 vertical fi n, at the US Air Force’s Arnold Engineering

Development Center in Moffett Field, California, in 2013 and will share some of the testing costs of the fl ights next year.

Techno tests

Each ecoDemonstrator aircraft goes through a series of ground and fl ight tests. “The technologies are subject to lab testing prior to incorporation on the demonstrator airplane,” explains Sinnett. “The ground and air tests are intended to

ensure that the modifi cations have been done properly while others are designed to test

the individual technologies that are part of the ecoDemonstrator programme. The programme

also includes several technologies aimed at increasing operational effi ciency, such as direct routes, fl ight optimisation and advanced navigation capabilities.”

Using data gleaned from the fi rst 737 ecoDemonstrator fl ights in 2012, several of the

technologies have since been refi ned or have moved

on to the next phase of development. “One of the most signifi cant

developments was the testing done for natural

laminar fl ow that is being applied to the 737 MAX Advanced Technology

Winglet design,” states Sinnett. “Boeing is continuing to study the test results

from 2012 and may test future versions of these technologies, in particular technology that would improve fuel effi ciency or reduce emissions. The ecoDemonstrator programme includes a combination of technologies that could be applicable for both new aircraft and improving the performance of existing models.”

Maturing technology

“The goal of a demonstrator airplane is to accelerate the incorporation of technology in future airplanes,” concludes Michael Sinnett. “By testing the innovations on an actual

airplane, Boeing can gain valuable knowledge on how to design, build and integrate the

technology and gain data on how the innovations perform in a fl ight environment. This allows us to more quickly mature the technology for use on future airplane models, as well as incorporate into existing production models.”

Sweeping jet actuators being fi tted to the 757 vertical fi n (Boeing).

Ceramic matrix composite engine nozzle for the ecoDemonstrator 787 under test (Boeing).

The fi rst Boeing ecoDemonstrator used a 737-800 platform (Boeing).


DEFENCESyrian Air Force analysis

Uncertain future for Syria’s

Air ForceAs the civil war in Syria continues to rage,MIKE BRATBY assesses the state of the SyrianAir Force and its part in the confl ict.

Three years after its uprising started, Syria remains caught in the throes of an intractable civil war that has largely destroyed the country’s economy, infrastructure and society. The war has

pitted the ruling Alawite Shia1 regime against Sunni rebels and Al Qaeda-linked Jihadists. The death toll is believed to exceed 150,000, nine million Syrians are either internally displaced or have sought safety in refugee camps in neighbouring countries, 40% of buildings are destroyed or damaged and public services have collapsed in many areas. The

size of the economy is thought to have halved. Reconstruction will probably cost over $100bn.

Fuelled by a war economy, an infl ux of foreign funds and fi ghters, ready availability of light weapons and an international community that has, so far, failed to come up with any political solution, the war appears to have all the ingredients to last many more years. Regional competition is exacerbating the confl ict. Without external help, neither a weakened regime nor a fragmented rebellion with over 1,200 different groups and factions could have lasted so long. One surprise has

LACKING THE WHEREWITHAL FOR SURGICAL STRIKES, THE SYRIAN FORCES HAVE EMBARKED ON A CAMPAIGN OF INDISCRIMINATE BOMBING

Rocket attack fi lmed from a SryAF MiG-23 'Flogger' cockpit.

31AUGUST 2014

been the unexpected survival of the Assad regime which, thanks to outside support from Russia, Iran and Hezbollah and the lack of a coherent anti-government opposition, is now in a stronger position than any time since early 2012.

Combat has been principally on the ground, with government forces relying mainly on tanks and artillery as they fi ght to regain control of strategically important centres, such as Homs and Aleppo and enclaves around the capital, Damascus. Syria’s air force initially took little part in the confl ict. However, from spring 2012, there has been a steady increase in air strikes, as the government seeks to win in parts of the country deemed important to it by using its superior fi repower. Helicopters and jets have been employed, delivering aerial bombs, rockets and, in the case of transport helicopters, makeshift barrel bombs (some allegedly fi lled with chlorine gas) to infl ict destruction and casualties on both rebels and civilians and drive them out of the contested areas.

Air Force strength and tactics

Accurate estimates of the Air Force’s strength and capabilities are diffi cult, given the confused nature of the fi ghting and many different factions involved. However, both government forces and the rebels rely on outside help to sustain their military efforts. The International Insitute for Strategic Studies (IISS) credits the Syrian Air Force with around 295 combat capable aircraft2 but stresses this fi gure represents pre-war inventory; the level of readiness of much of the equipment is likely to be poor and numbers will have signifi cantly reduced during the civil war.

The Syrian Air Force currently suffers from an abundance of older and poorly-maintained aircraft, for example the MiG-21 Fishbed. Most of the air forces still operating this 1950’s designed fi ghter are phasing it out as quickly as they can. But because Syria is so poor, their 80 MiG-21s remain the mainstay of its combat aircraft strength. However, it is believed that only about half are fl yable. There are also about 40 MiG-23 Floggers, dating from the 1970s, ten MiG-25 Foxbats and 30 MiG-29s, its most modern fi ghters. There are also about 20 Su-24 Fencer and 40 Su-22 Fitter attack aircraft. The 20 or so L-39 Albatross jet trainers are also capable of carrying limited bomb and rocket loads and have been employed in ground attack. There is a fairly large rotary wing fl eet, including some 70 Mi-8 and Mi-17 Hip transport helicopters and 25 Mi-24 Hind gunships plus some elderly French Gazelles and Polish Mi-2 Hoplites.

Many of these aircraft have been pressed into action since early 2012 to assist government forces in their attempts to reclaim key territory, including transport helicopters being used to drop the makeshift barrel bombs, and armed trainers

employed in dive attacks delivering light bombs and rockets. By contrast, attack aircraft, such as Fitters and Fencers, have generally carried out level bombing passes, as have the MiG-29s, also seen dropping bombs on occasion.

A leading problem for the Air Force is the lack of fl ying time in recent years. Syria has been unable, even with Iranian subsidies, to let their pilots fl y suffi cient hours to be good at delivering attacks, while the Air Force also lacks modern precision weapons. For example, MiG-29 pilots were apparently given scratch training on the ground before being sent off on their fi rst operational missions to drop bombs on rebel-held areas3. This lack of fl ight time and aircrew competence has undoubtedly increased operational losses and has probably led to more damaged aircraft being lost in cases where a more current pilot may have skilfully brought home a damaged aircraft. A very recent loss, in June, was a Su-22 Fitter, one of the country’s more sophisticated attack aircraft. However, what brought it down is unclear. A shortage of spares has often made repairs impossible and this is now a major factor in aircraft becoming inoperable after heavy use through worn out components.

The Air Force has been forced to commit many of its aircraft, especially helicopters and transports, to resupply operations to keep besieged air bases and enclaves in government hands. The rebels have become adept at setting up fl ak traps with heavy machine guns to target these fl ights, infl icting losses, and have also regularly hit aircraft on the ground with rocket and mortar attacks. Few Syrian Air Force leaders can have anticipated this sort of confl ict, with lots of resupply fl ights and low- level bombing sorties, all potentially under fi re.

Lacking the wherewithal for surgical strikes, the Syrian forces have embarked on a campaign of indiscriminate bombing and shelling of rebel-held areas. The objective is to regain territory by making life unbearable for the opposition forces and civilian populace in areas the government has deemed essential to control. Either they agree to cease fi res brokered by the government, or are pounded with heavy weapons and air attacks, and cut off from humanitarian aid, until they are driven out. The regime has effectively given up on a ‘hearts and minds’ approach to win back civilian support, instead, recognising the limitations of its military capabilities, by focusing on a ruthless campaign of fi repower against rebel villages and city neighbourhoods.

MiG-29s have been seen undertaking unguided air-to-ground bombing missions.

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MiG-21 80MiG-29 30MiG-25 10MiG-23 40Su-22 40Su-24 20L-39 20Mi-24 25Mi-8/17 70


DEFENCESyrian Air Force analysis

A declining asset

The Syrian Air Force has certainly become a declining asset over the past two years. Although no more than an educated guess, one estimate claims about half the Air Force is now out of action and the heavy use of aircraft will be further reducing effectiveness, creating a real Catch-22 situation. Additionally, as already pointed out, some aircraft and crews will be performing missions they were not trained for.

Syria also still possesses a Soviet-style Integrated Air Defence System (IADS), with many radars and 150 mostly ageing surface-to-air missile batteries spread across the country. But the Syrian IADS is almost certainly suffering from a similar decline in operational effectiveness with a good proportion of its air defence sites probably non-operational through poor maintenance and lack of spares4. Evidence of this is the relative ease with which the Israeli Air Force penetrated Syrian airspace in 2007 to destroy a suspected nuclear reactor and, this year, to hit Syrian targets on at least three occasions to prevent what intelligence sources called attempts to move advanced weapons to Hezbollah.

However, Israel could be facing a new challenge with recent announcements of the supply of components for Russian S-300 mobile SAMs to Syria. These long-range missiles could threaten Israel’s use of its own airspace, as well as the relative freedom currently enjoyed fl ying over Lebanon and Syria. The exact status of the transfer remains unclear. President Putin suspended it last September but warned, that if the US and its allies intervened militarily in Syria, Moscow would ‘think how we should act in future’. Most specialists are confi dent that Israel could deal with the missiles, either degrading their performance with advanced electronic warfare techniques or destroying their sites with precision air strikes or a combination of

the two. However, the Israelis and others would undoubtedly rather see the matter resolved diplomatically.

Attrition

Estimates of personnel losses suffered by the Syrian Air Force are as high as 400 plus aircrew5. Up to 100 fi xed-wing aircraft plus a number of helicopters may have been shot down, or destroyed on the ground. On a number of occasions, bases have been overrun and captured and up to half the aircraft lost so far may in fact have been destroyed on the ground. Despite the international community’s reluctance to supply arms to the rebels for fear of them going to Islamist extremists, more arms, including shoulder-launched SAMs, are gradually reaching rebel factions. It is the opinion of many commentators that the CIA has been running a training programme for moderate rebel fi ghters in Jordan6. Further to this, President Obama has recently asked for $500m to train and equip Syrian rebels7. As already noted, more heavy machine guns are also now available to the rebels and these remain the principal anti-aircraft weapons of the opposition forces.

Lack of money is the other main enemy of the regime’s air force. This is seriously impacting the buying of spares and provision of training and maintenance. International sanctions against the regime are now making spares even more expensive and diffi cult to obtain. However, Russia and Iran are both still supporting the Syrian government with deliveries of spares and munitions. Although defections and desertions have been more of a problem for the Syrian army, the Air Force is also faced with an expanding number of defections by its offi cers and technical personnel, although the total is thought to be relatively small to date. Generally, Air Force commanders and personnel have remained loyal to the Assad government but

Syria still has an extensive Soviet-style air defence and SAM network.

Losses have begun to mount up. This SyrAF Su-22 was caught on video leaking

fuel from rebel ground fi re.

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@aerosociety Find us on LinkedIn Find us on Facebookk www.aerosociety.com 33AUGUST 2014

a handful of helicopter pilots are claimed to have defected and rebel factions are said to have up to a dozen fl yable helicopters.

What future?

The fate of the Syrian Air Force in its present form remains inextricably linked to the survival of the Assad regime. As the present government now looks likely to survive, at least in the medium term, we can expect the Air Force to follow suit. But that does not signify much. The Syrian Air Force has had a dismal record over many years and has never been able to compete seriously with its main rival, the Israeli Air Force, even when it was the recipient of fairly lavish Soviet military aid during the Cold War. The Syrians have suffered one defeat after another in aerial combat against the much better trained and equipped Israelis over the years. However, Israeli commanders have acknowledged the determination and bravery of Syrian pilots on occasion, for example in the Yom Kippur confl ict of October 1973, when Syrian MiG-17s and Su-7 Fitters pressed home many low-level attacks on Israeli defences along the Golan Heights.

The Assad regime has occasionally in the past used its air force against their own people, but with the escalation of the current confl ict into a full-blown civil war this has evolved into widespread and indiscriminate attacks. As the Government, in its attempts to reassert control over key parts of the country, throws its air force into the confl ict, so it exposes more of its dwindling force of combat aircraft, helicopters and transports to loss or damage.

There is no end in sight to the confl ict and little prospect for the re-equipment or rejuvenation of the Syrian Air Force, or of an easing of international sanctions against Syria. The government now appears to view its air force as an expendable asset in the ongoing battle for survival by the Assad regime.

Given the large number of factions involved in the civil war on both sides, and the spread of the fi ghting into an increasingly regional sectarian war8, especially with the recent advance of ISIS militants in Iraq, the ultimate outcome predicted by many Middle East specialists for countries such as Syria and Iraq is fragmentation. If this happens, the Syrian Air Force, once one of the largest in the region and

the recipient of much Soviet aid over many years, will likely become a mere shadow of its former self, or disappear altogether.

References

1. 87% of Syria’s population are Muslim: 74% Sunni and 13% Shia (mainly Alawite).2. IISS Military Balance 2014.3. Destruction of the Syrian Air Force://www.strategypage.com/dis/articles 7-1-2013.asp4. IISS Military Balance 2014.5. The Destruction of the Syrian Air Force://www.strategypage.com/dis/articles 7-1-2013.asp6. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/cia-ramping-up-covert-training-program-for-moderate-syrian-rebels/2013/10/027. http://www.washingtonpost.comworld/national-security/obama-backs-us-military-training-for-syrian-rebels/2014/06/268. The ISIS attack into Iraq is only the latest manifestation of the spreading confl ict. Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq, Libya and Saudi Arabia are all affected to a greater or lesser extent. In Tikrit, Iraq, ISIS fi ghters claim to have captured two weapons depots with 400,000 items. A quarter of the stockpile has already been sent to militants in Syria.

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AcknowledgementWith thanks for his valuable assistance to Air Marshal Iain McNicoll

Shootdown of a Mi-8/17 helicopter which had been used to drop improvised barrel bombs onto rebel held areas.

The regime has pressed L-39Z trainers into the light strike role in desperation.

Tail of shot-down MiG-21 found by rebel fi ghters.

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How do you squeezemore capacity out of

the world's busiestairport? ANDY SHAND,NATS General Manager

of Customer Affairs,explains how Time

Based Separation (TBS) at London's Heathrowwill pave the way for

fewer delays.

Heathrow is the busiest two-runway airport in the world, handling over 470,000 fl ights a year. It is also scheduled to c.99% of its capacity, meaning that anything that impacts

the number of aircraft that land per hour can result in delays and an increased chance of cancellations. When the landing rate is constrained by weather, air traffi c fl ow management (ATFM) regulations have to be applied to meter the fl ow of fl ights, resulting in delays to inbound shorthaul fl ights. Typically, weather results in about 400,000 minutes of ATFM delay at Heathrow every year, with the biggest cause being the impact of headwinds on approach, which accounts for c.180,000 minutes.

Aircraft are currently distance separated on final approach based on either RADAR or wake separation minima. For example, using today’s wake separation rules on final approach, a Boeing 777 (classified as a Heavy wake category aircraft) followed by an Airbus A320 (Medium wake category aircraft) requires a 5nm gap. Likewise a Heavy followed by a Heavy requires a 4nm gap and Medium wake category aircraft can be separated by 3nm or as little as 2·5nm under certain conditions.

As the aircraft are separated by a fixed distance, when there is a headwind on the final approach path, the groundspeed of the aircraft is reduced and the landing rate therefore falls. It is a bit like walking the wrong way along a moving walkway. As aircraft typically join final approach at between 10-14nm from the runway, it is the winds along the approach path up to 3,000ft that are the issue, not just surface wind. For example, on 11

October 2013, the headwind on final approach at 3,000ft was just over 40 knots. On that day flow regulations resulted in nearly 13,000 minutes of primary ATFM delay. Given that shorthaul aircraft operate a number of sectors each day, if they pick up a delay on the first sector, this tends to cause further delays on each of the subsequent sectors. Hence the total delay is often much greater than the primary ATFM delay figure might suggest.

Distance to time

In light headwind conditions of about 5-7 knots and with a fi nal approach speed of 160 knots at 4 miles from touchdown, the equivalent time interval for the required 4 mile separation between Heavy aircraft is 90 seconds, likewise 5nm takes about 113 seconds.

As the headwind at 3,000ft increases, so does the time interval. For example with a 30-35 knot headwind at 1,500ft, the time taken to cover 4nm increases from 90 to 107 seconds, effectively a loss of capacity of 17 seconds.

To recover this loss of capacity, ideally we would be able to keep the time interval the same in varying wind conditions. But to be able to prove that it would be safe to do that, we needed to have a significant set of data showing how the wake vortex behaves in varying wind conditions.

Wake vortex behaviour in headwinds

Over a period of nearly fi ve years NATS worked with Eurocontrol to collect over 150,000 samples


TBS WILL HALVE THE CURRENT HEADWIND DELAY FIGURE AT HEATHROW, WHILE ALMOST ERADICATING THE NEED FOR CANCELLATIONAndy ShandGeneral Manager of Customer AffairsNATS

AIRPORTSTime Based Seperation

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of wake vortex data under varying wind conditions using a Lockheed Martin Wind Tracer LIDAR (laser radar) system. The LIDAR system allows measurements to be taken for transport and decay of the wake vortex and covered all aircraft types operating to Heathrow and a wide range of weather conditions. The LIDAR was installed at two locations, one measured the wake vortex at an altitude of about 300ft where the wake vortex tends to interact with the ground so is ‘in ground effect’. The other was out of ground effect for aircraft at an altitude of about 1,000ft.

Analysis of wake behaviours provided us with an evidence base to then develop revised separation rules. Basically, the data showed that a wake vortex decays faster in stronger headwind conditions. This wasn’t a surprise but having such a large sample of data and supporting modelling allowed us to build a very robust safety analysis.

The data showed that we could safely reduce separations in headwind conditions in a way that kept the time interval effectively the same as it is in a 5-7 knot headwind. Interestingly, with a light tailwind the risk of wake vortex encounter actually increases, so the TBS rules will marginally increase separations under these conditions.

Benefi ts

The benefi t for all this is that TBS will halve the current headwind delay fi gure at Heathrow, while almost eradicating the need for cancellations, with conservative estimates pointing to savings of at least 80,000 minutes of delay per annum.

The benefits to airlines are therefore obvious, many of which have been directly involved as part of the project, as crews will need to be briefed on the new procedures and have been very supportive. Both the airport and airlines have expressed their desire to have the system up and running as soon as possible while, equally the UK Civil Aviation Authority has been working closely with us throughout the project, which features in both the UK Future Airspace Strategy and Airport Commission’s recommendations.

One of the challenges with moving from a fixed

distance to a time based separation standard has been the need for new visualisation tools for the controller. As part of the SESAR programme NATS took part in initial simulations of controller tools and NATS has since further developed the controller Human Machine Interface (HMI) to provide dynamic separation indicators that change in line with the prevailing wind conditions.

Uniquely, the NATS TBS tool will use Mode S Radar downlinked aircraft data to develop a highly accurate model of the actual wind conditions. This is the first time that this data has been used operationally in this way and overcomes the issues of uncertainty in meteorological predictions.

The tool filters the data such that errors in individual aircraft downlinked parameters are catered for and the error rate is exceedingly small (c.0·006% of samples have errors of >10 knots) so we are very confident that the separations will be based on accurate wind data. The TBS tool will also automatically capture the aircraft arrival sequence wake turbulence category, which will also be verified by ATC procedures before final approach.

Implementation

We adopted an agile approach with Lockheed Martin to TBS development, which has allowed air traffi c controllers to get early access to the tool in a simulated environment and enabled faster implementation. Feedback from controllers has been very positive and we will start formal validation training in January 2015 prior to the system going live in spring 2015.

The system has been designed to be portable so that it can be adapted for any airport and ATC equipment and there have already been a number of expressions of interest. TBS also features in the Single European Sky Pilot Common Projects, so can be expected to become the standard for the busier European airports.

NATS is really looking forward to seeing TBS enter operation in 2015 in what will be a world first implementation and we fully expect that in the future, Time Based Separation will become the standard for busy airports worldwide.

35i f AUGUST 2014

Equivalent distance and time spacing in strong headwinds — landing rate falls to 32-38 aircraft an hour.

Right: Headwinds account for 44% of arrival delays, Far right: TBS used data from Lockheed Martin's Wind Tracer LIDAR to measure wake vortices.

Equivalent distance & time spacing in light headwind.

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TBS enables time separation to be maintained in strong headwinds.

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HistoryThe RFC goes to war

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This month is, of course, the centenary of the start of the Great War. On 13 August, it is also exactly 100 years ago since the men of the Royal Flying Corps fl ew their fl imsy, unreliable, unarmed and

unforgiving machines from these shores for the fi rst time as part of an overseas frontline wartime deployment.

Getting ready for war

On the squadrons, as the plans for the mobilisation of the RFC were put into operation, armed guards ‘lived’ in the sheds (hangars), everyone was issued with fi eld pay-books and live ammunition and ground crew and pilots set about gathering together items of equipment to be carried in each of the aircraft; some were what might be described as ‘standard’ such as maps, goggles, etc, some perhaps less so including rifl es and ammunition and a small stove and soup-making material.

Brig-Gen Sir David Henderson, who had helped create and had then nurtured the Corps from the start was appointed to take command of the RFC in the fi eld, leaving behind Lt-Col (later MRAF Sir) Hugh Trenchard as offi cer commanding the Military

Wing of the RFC, effectively commander of the forces of the RFC back in the UK, and Major (later AVM Sir) William Sefton Brancker to look after things in his Department of Military Aeronautics at the War Offi ce.

Vive l’Angleterre

The Headquarters staff of the RFC in the fi eld left their Farnborough base on 11 August, embarking at Southampton and arriving in Amiens on the morning of the 13th. They had been preceded by a small advance party whose task was to prepare the airfi eld ahead of the arrival of the aircraft and the other elements of the RFC. This unit, led by Major Geoffrey Salmond, and including Capt Charles Longcroft and Lieutenant the Hon Maurice Baring (attached from the Intelligence Corps and a fl uent French speaker), embarked at Newhaven in the afternoon of 11 August and became the fi rst unit of the RFC to arrive in France when they stepped ashore at Boulogne the following morning where they were greeted with fl owers and shouts of “Vive l’Angleterre”.

Also arriving in Boulogne, but in the afternoon of Thursday 13 August, the day after the arrival

100 years ago this month, the Royal Flying Corps crossed over the Channel to France at the beginning of the Great War. Captain DAVID ROWLAND FRIN FRAeS describes what happened.

August 1914

BE2 (no 220) at Farnborough (c1914).

i f AUGUST 2014@aerosociety Find us on LinkedIn Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com 37

of the advance party, were the ground crew and personnel of 3 Sqdn. As with the other three squadrons, having ‘seen-off’ their aircraft from their home base for the fl ight to Dover, they had departed the aerodrome to embark with their stores, tools, equipment, spares, supplies, horses and vehicles. In the words of one young Air Mechanic, James McCudden: “There were many French people about, who all seemed very pleased to see us, all shouting out something which I could not understand, but it sounded to me like ‘Live long and tear’.” And whenever they stopped on their journey to Amiens they were also “ … piled up with fruit and fl owers and kissed by pretty French girls.”

The RFC that went to war that summer was a force of 63 aircraft, 105 offi cers and 755 other ranks, together with 95 motor vehicles and all of the other equipment necessary to support, maintain and repair this small ‘fi ghting’ force. This included the Aircraft Park, which was in effect the travelling base of the squadrons, providing reserves of equipment and aircraft, some of which would be transported in crates and the others fl own over to France by personnel of the Aircraft Park or by spare squadron pilots. The Aircraft Park embarked at Avonmouth on the morning of the 17th, arriving in Boulogne on the 18th and prompting a signal to be despatched by the port’s landing offi cer to GHQ: “An unnumbered unit without aeroplanes which calls itself an Aircraft Park has arrived. What are we to do with it?”

Getting all of the squadrons’ aircraft over the Channel, a not insignifi cant challenge in those early days of aviation, was the focus of attention back at Dover on the evening of the 12th and the morning of 13 August.

The squadrons

The fi rst three of the four squadrons that started to gather, in total or in part, on Swingate Down, a fi eld on top of the cliffs at Dover, on 12 August 1914 were No’s 2, 3 and 4 with 5 Sqdn following them a couple of days later.

Montrose in Scotland was the home base for 2 Sqdn and they started on their fl ight down to

the south coast (via Farnborough) on the day war was declared. There were some not too serious accidents and mechanical problems on the way but in the end they all reached Dover with a full complement of aeroplanes although not necessarily the ones with which they’d set out from Scotland. The squadron was equipped with BE2 aircraft and

was commanded by Major Charles J Burke of the Royal Irish Regiment; an experienced

and highly regarded offi cer who went on to command a wing in France and

was later Commandant of the Central Flying School. After the Battle of the Somme, he returned to his regiment and was later killed in action on 9 April 1917, the fi rst day of the Battle of Arras, commanding 1st Bn East Lancs. He had earlier received the DSO.

The departure of 3 Sqdn from its home base of Netheravon on Salisbury Plain started with a tragedy. On 12 August the sun rose on a beautiful summer day as the squadron’s Blériots and

Shorthorns were prepared and lined up before their departure for Dover.

‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ fl ights departed in that order, the last aeroplane away being a

Blériot XI, fl own by Second Lieutenant Robert Skene with Air Mechanic R K Barlow

as passenger. Something wasn’t right and he landed again for some

correction before taking off for a second time.

In the words of Keith Barlow’s friend

James McCudden, an air mechanic with ‘C’ fl ight of 3 Sqdn: “I started the engine, which the pilot ran all out,

and then waved the chocks away. They left

the ground and I noticed the machine fl ying very

tail low, until it was lost to view behind our shed up at about 80 feet.

We then heard the engine stop and following that the awful crash which once heard is never forgotten.” They were the fi rst fatal RFC casualties of the Great War.

The CO of 3 Sqdn from its formation on the day that the RFC was founded was Major Robert Brooke-Popham (later Air Chief Marshal Sir Robert Brooke-Popham) but he was transferred to the RFC HQ staff on the day war was declared and replaced by Major John M Salmond. The future Marshal of the Royal Air

Commander of the RFC, Brig Gen Sir David

Henderson.

The RFC in the summer of 1914

63 aircraft

95 motor vehicles

105 offi cers

755 other ranks

Avro 504 (No 789) at Farnborough in 1914.

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HistoryThe RFC goes to war

SHIPPING ON THE BOULOGNE ROUTE WAS ALERTED TO LOOK OUT FOR AIRCRAFT DITCHING IN THE CHANNEL AND THE AIRMEN WERE ISSUED WITH CAR INNER TUBES ... IN CASE THE UNLUCKY AVIATOR FOUND HIMSELF EXPERIENCING AN UNPLANNED SWIM

Force and Chief of the Air Staff, Sir John was one of the two famous Salmond brothers who both later became Chiefs of the Air Staff. His brother Geoffrey, a member of the RFC HQ staff in 1914, is referred to at the beginning of this article.

Netheravon was also the home of 4 Sqdn but most of the squadron’s aircraft had already moved from there to Eastchurch on the Isle of Sheppey on 31July in order to assist the Royal Navy with preparations for the defence of London and to carry out Zeppelin and coastal patrols. The squadron had two fl ights of BE2s, the third being equipped with MF Shorthorns and was commanded by Major George H Raleigh, an Australian who had served in the Essex Regiment. Major Raleigh died in January 1915 when he was leading a detachment of four aircraft from 4 Sqdn carrying out operations on the coast and returning to their temporary base, his aircraft was seen to descend in ‘uncontrolled spirals’, fi nally crashing into shallow water just off Dunkerque.

In June 1914, 5 Sqdn of the RFC had moved to its new home at Gosport, and the three Flights departed from there on 14 August, a couple of days later than the other three squadrons, fl ying via Shoreham to Dover and then on to France. They suffered a few accidents and mechanical failures along the way but Second Lt Wilson was the fi rst to land at Amiens on the 15th, the rest

arriving later that day or over the following few days after carrying out repairs or receiving replacement aircraft. Initially, the squadron was equipped with a mixture of MF Shorhorns (‘A’ Flight) and Avros (‘B’ and ‘C’ Flights). It was commanded by Major John F A Higgins DSO who had transferred to the RFC

from the Royal Artillery. ‘Josh’ Higgins went on to command an RFC

Brigade and to become a Major General in the

RAF, serving again and briefl y at the outbreak of WW2. He died in 1948.

21 miles of open sea

The 13th of August was another fi ne

summer’s day; just what was needed for going fl ying

in the aircraft of 100 years ago, although the odds that the engines of all the aircraft involved would keep going

over the open sea for the 20 minutes or so between Dover and Cap Gris Nez, let alone the rest of the fl ight to Amiens, were not good. Shipping on the Boulogne route was alerted to look out for aircraft ditching in the Channel and the airmen were issued with car inner tubes to be infl ated (by mouth of course) and worn around their middle in case the unlucky aviator found himself experiencing an unplanned swim. 3 Sqdn’s ‘C’ Flight commander, Capt Philip Joubert, recalls it: “. . . was certainly very diffi cult to wear in the tiny cockpits of the aircraft of that day. As he crossed the French coast one pilot found the Cap Gris Nez lighthouse so inviting an object that he spent a little time trying to drop his

Their Majesties King George V and Queen Mary visiting the aircraft Park, Farnborough, 1914. (Henderson on the extreme left with Queen Mary; O’Gorman in the centre talking to the King).

Maurice Farman S11 Shorthorn(No B4722).

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inner tube, like a quoit, on to the spiky top.”The planned route for all aircraft was to follow

the French coast south from Cap Gris Nez until they came to the Somme estuary and then to turn left until they reached Amiens.

The fi rst to leave at 06.25 was 2 Sqdn led by Major Burke who intended to lead the Corps’ senior squadron into history by being the fi rst ever to land on foreign soil on active service in war time. One of his more competitive and determined pilot offi cers had other ideas and soon after making landfall, set a direct course to Amiens, thus ‘cutting the corner’ created by the Somme estuary. As Major Burke approached the aerodrome at Amiens he realised that the pilot he thought had had to carry out a forced landing en-route was in fact about to land a couple of minutes or so ahead of him, at 08.20. This was Lieutenant Harvey-Kelly fl ying BE2a No 471. Hubert Harvey-Kelly, originally of the Royal Irish Regiment, went on to command 3 Sqdn later in the war and was shot down and killed when he was CO of 19 Sqdn in April 1917. Major Harvey-Kelly DSO is buried in Brown’s Copse Cemetery.

Next to leave between one and a half and two hours later was 3 Sqdn, arriving at Amiens about 11am and followed sometime later still by the two-thirds of 4 Sqdn that were to be part of the fi rst deployment, together with machines from the Aircraft Park and the Wireless Flight. By the end of Thursday 13 August, the fi ghting forces of the RFC that had set off that day had crossed the Channel without a casualty; some had had to force land and were carrying out ‘fi eld repairs’ and would catch up in a day or so. Very nearly 50 aircraft sat in the evening sun of France awaiting the rest of 4 Sqdn, the aircraft of 5 Sqdn and the stragglers who had not made it at the fi rst attempt.

Into the line

On Sunday 16th, in poor fl ying weather, the ‘lead’ squadrons set off for the fl ight to the aerodrome at Maubeuge, some 10 miles south of Mons, where the BEF was assembling. As these fi rst aircraft left Amiens, the Corps suffered its fi rst fatalities since crossing the Channel when 2nd Lieutenant Copeland Perry, a young offi cer of the RFC Special reserve, was killed along with his mechanic, AMII Herbert Parfi tt, after leaving Amiens in a BE8 ‘Bloater’ (a replacement aircraft from the Aircraft Park) that appeared to stall. Perry was the fi rst British Offi cer killed on active service in France during the Great War.

Over the next few days, as personnel and aircraft settled in, most of the remainder of the four squadrons arrived. The weather was fi ne again, the only ‘cloud’ being the reports of German

progress in Belgium and it was clear that the war would be coming to them before too

long. They were anxious to prove their worth, and the valuable

contribution that aviation could make to the effectiveness of the fi ghting forces on the ground.

They didn’t have long to wait.

Just the beginning

The Battle of Mons started on 23 August. The RFC, the four squadrons

still operating in the most part as one unit, played an increasingly signifi cant role in the fi ghting withdrawal of the BEF and the subsequent advance to the north-west. Finally, as the trenches were dug creating the Western Front and 6 Sqdn arrived, they were reorganised into Wings and dispersed to different airfi elds.

Over the next four years that nascent ‘effi cient aerial service’ grew into a force of nearly a third of a million offi cers and men, 378 squadrons and around 22,000 aircraft.

Second Lieutenant Robert Skene and Air Mechanic Keith Barlow were just the fi rst of some 6,000 RFC, RNAS and RAF airmen killed while fl ying in combat or otherwise over the same period; around 4,000 of those on, or over, the Western Front or other theatres of war.

Royal Aircraft Factory, Farnborough, from the air (c1914).

Royal Aircraft Factory BE8

(‘Bloater’) prototype in its

original condition.

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In April, ANDREW ALDRIDGE was one of the winning UKaerospace students who took part in the Merlin FlightSimulation's IT FLIES USA 2014 aircraft design andhandling competition, in Dayton, Ohio.

After a year of countless meetings, calculations, hard work and much testing of our aircraft design on our Merlin simulator at Manchester, we fi nally set foot in Dayton, Ohio, eager

and excited to explore and compete. Using the few days we had before the IT FLIES

competition, we immersed ourselves in everything aviation, visiting the Wright brothers museum and bicycle shop as well as the National Museum of the USAF.

Basking in the z-list celebrity status we had all acquired by being British, we found ourselves lost in conversation with inquisitive locals, explaining in detail the nature of our trip and the aircraft we had designed for the competition. However, once we returned to the house where we were staying in the evening, it was straight back to work, practicing our presentation. Despite the incredible hospitality given by Ted Lannert and the other Dayton University students, we simply could not relax and, for our speakers, Andrew Aldridge and Luke Wheadon, the nerves were beginning to build up. We had the chance to test fl y our aircraft design for the last time on The University of Dayton’s simulator — and handed in our entry of the fi nal aircraft/aerofoil fi les with fi ngers crossed!

The four USAF test pilots fl ew and assessed all the entries the day before the competition and on the morning of the Event we were pulled aside by Ed Conant, our test pilot fl ying judge

who was keen to learn more about the ambitious STOVL aircraft we had designed, also putting to rest some concerns about our aircraft’s handling capabilities. Having worked closely with fi ghter jets, Ed was able to answer any and all the questions we had, some about military aircraft and how certain parameters affect performance, but also generic questions about what it is like to fl y such a powerful machine. Being able to speak, not only to Ed, but the other test pilots, was an invaluable experience. Their combined knowledge of aviation and engineering was staggering and we found ourselves just smiling and nodding along to the incredible stories they were telling.

To top off the whole US experience we were named joint winners for 2014 with Michael Pratt from The University of Dayton. We were delighted to share the award with Michael since we were all amazed by what he had achieved. As a team we are so proud of what we achieved in Dayton — and received a very warm welcome back at Manchester!

To end what had been an already incredible few days, the Dayton students threw a party to celebrate, bringing together all the students from the different universities that had entered the competition. Meeting again on our last morning we shared a true American breakfast of an excess amount of waffl es and pancakes.

The trip was truly amazing and each of us had learnt so much that we cannot talk highly enough about being part of something like this.


SIMULATIONStudent design contest

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Andrew's team from Manchester University submitted this Z-14 STOVL design — which was then 'fl own' virtually in a simulator and its handling qualities assessed by test pilots.

IT FLIES

41AUGUST 2014

Afterburner

42 Message from RAeS- President“As I have said before, I get a real buzz from visiting our Branches. They are all different, with their own special features but what they have in common is energy, vitality and some very interesting people.”

- Chief Executive“I am pleased to say the Society has been actively contributing to a number of European research projects, government enquiries and sharing knowledge and information, most recently to the Davies Commission and the RAeS Air Power Group’s Discussion Paper on Maritime Air Power for the United Kingdom.”

44 Book ReviewsFirst World War in the Air, Air and Sea Power in World War I and A Century of Air Power.

47 Library AdditionsBooks submitted to the National Aerospace Library.

48 Additions to the NAL Collections

British and Colonial Aeroplane Company drawings preserved and additions to the gliding collection.

50 Branch PrizewinnersThe Cambridge and Canberra Branches have recently held Award ceremonies.

51 RAeS Air Power FellowA timely update on the RAeS Air Power Fellow.

52 DiaryFind out when and where around the world the latest aeronautical and aerospace lectures and events are happening.

53 Society EventsBoth the RAeS Annual Banquet and the Aerospace Golf Day proved to be hugely successful.

54 Corporate PartnersThree new members join the Society’s Corporate Partner Scheme.

55 2013 Written Paper PrizesThe 2013 Written Paper Prizes were presented prior to the 2014 Sopwith Lecture on 7 July.

56 ElectionsNew Society members elected in the past month.

www.aerosociety.com

Two Apache helicopters from 664 Squadron, Army Air Corps, carry out deck landing practice onboard HMS Illustrious. Crown copyright/POA(Phot) Ray Jones.

Diary30 SeptemberSheffi eld BranchUK Apaches, at home and abroadNeale Moss, Boeing

i fFind us on Twitter Find us on LinkedIn Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com

42

Message from RAeSOUR PRESIDENT

Bill Tyack

... WE NEED TO REMEMBER THAT THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF TODAY AND TOMORROW ARE BUILT ON THE SUCCESSES AND FAILURES OF THOSE WHO WENT BEFORE US


Afterburner

As I have said before, I get a real buzz from visiting our Branches. They are all different, with their own special features but what they have in common is energy, vitality and some very interesting people. On 1 July I was privileged to attend the inaugural Gerhard Sedlmayr Lecture organised by the Hamburg Branch. Gerhard Sedlmayr was an early pioneer aviator, fl ying instructor and test pilot in Germany. He established several national records, including a fl ight of over six hours on 14 March 1913 in a Wright A biplane. This fl ight involved an (unplanned) night landing that is believed to be the fi rst in Germany. In 1919 he founded the fi rm AUTOFLUG, specialising in aviation safety, that is now run by his grandson Andreas Sedlmayr. The company’s activities include: maintaining ejection seats for the Luftwaffe; making parachutes for the German Armed Forces; manufacturing troop seats for the A400M and safety seats for land vehicles and helicopters. Andreas gave an excellent lecture about his grandfather’s life and achievements. It was illustrated by archive fi lm and pictures, supplemented by clever animations. The Branch hopes to put a video of the lecture on the Society’s website. I then travelled to Bristol for the Barnwell Lecture. This was another splendid occasion when Commodore Rick Thompson and Wing Commander Jim Schofi eld (see interview in May 2014 AEROSPACE) gave a fascinating lecture on the Lockheed F-35 (Lightning II) programme, and

Dominic Welman ARAeSHon Secretary RAeS Boscombe Down Branch

answered a host of questions. This was very timely as it was only two days before HM The Queen named the UK’s new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth from which the F-35 will operate (as well as from land bases). As I write, I am eagerly looking forward to seeing the Lightning II at the Royal International Air Tattoo and at the Farnborough Air Show.

I think that one of the most fascinating and exciting things about our business is that today, when air travel is so commonplace as to be a consumer commodity, when companies like Airbus and Boeing are delivering more than 600 airliners each year and when a fi fth generation fi ghter like the F-35 is entering service, we are still only two generations away from men like the Barnwell brothers and Gerhard Sedlmayr who literally took their life in their hands to design, develop and test the aircraft that created the industry. As a Society we need to be looking and moving forward but we need to remember that the achievements of today and tomorrow are built on the successes and failures of those who went before us.

I was very pleased to see reports from the Munich Branch and the Washington, DC Branch in last month’s AEROSPACE. May I encourage other Branches around the world to write articles to let us know what is going on in their neck of the woods?

On 6 May, over 50 members from both the RAeS Farnborough and Swindon Branches descended upon Boscombe Down for a visit hosted by QinetiQ and RAeS Boscombe Down. As the centre of UK Test and Evaluation since 1939, Boscombe Down is currently in its 75th year in such a role.

Following an introduction from RAeS Boscombe Down Chairman Geoff Clarkson, the group convened for a photograph (right) in front of the iconic, and recently restored, English Electric Light-ning which serves as the gate guardian for the site.

The group toured two of the main hangars at Boscombe Down, containing some of the QinetiQ fl eet, such as Dassault Dornier Alpha Jets, Aérospatiale Gazelles and AgustaWestland 109s. The group also had visits to some of the ground test facilities at the site, such as the Anechoic Chamber and Radio-Frequency Environment Generator. The visit ended with a talk from Boscombe Down archivist and past employee Norman Parker, who gave a summary of the rich history and aircraft that Boscombe Down has seen.

The visit was extremely well received by members from all Branches and gave an exciting overview of just some of the facilities, activities and people that help to provide test and evaluation for the UK’s military aircraft!

If you have questions, or wish to know more about what the Branch has to offer, please contact the Boscombe Down Branch or visit the website at www.boscombedownraes.org.

BOSCOMBE DOWN VISIT

Simon C Luxmoore

WITH THE AGREEMENT OF THE TRUSTEES I AM DELIGHTED TO SAY THAT WE HAVE NOW SIGNED A CONTRACT TO PROCEED WITH THE ‘AIRBUS PROJECT’ AT NO.4 HAMILTON PLACE

OUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE

AUGUST 2014 43

RETIRING CARDIFF BRANCH CHAIRMAN HONOURED

Following the recent Council and Board of Trustee meetings, on behalf of the staff I would like to congratulate all those elected to the ‘new’ Council and, in particular, I would like to congratulate Past-President Phil Boyle and Dr Don Richardson on their re-election as Trustees of the Society. Phil was subsequently re-elected for a three-year term as Chair of the Board of Trustees.

My immediate thoughts over the past few weeks have been with Graham Roe and his family. Graham, known to all as a stalwart of the Society for very many years and currently Chair of the Learned Society Board, was taken ill some weeks ago but, hopefully, now is on the road back to a full recovery.

We have had two excellent Corporate Partner briefi ngs in the last month, the fi rst by Captain Mark Searle the Chair of the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) and the second by Bernard Gray, Chief of Defence Materiel for the Ministry of Defence. Both were very popular and provided the attendees with an excellent ‘Chatham House rules’ forum to discuss a range of topical issues. For 2015 we are planning to change our format by replacing our traditional half-day seminar with additional briefi ngs. So we anticipate scheduling nine or ten Briefi ngs next year, an increase from our normal seven or eight as in previous years.

With the agreement of the Trustees I am delighted to say that we have now signed a contract to proceed with the ‘Airbus project’ at No.4 Hamilton Place which, as previously mentioned, will include creating a new access point to the Airbus Business Suite, refurbishing the suite itself, and improving member and visitor facilities, in particular in the ground fl oor

and basement areas. The project will start at the end of July and is scheduled to be completed by the end of November. Every effort will be made to minimise the risk of inconvenience to members and other visitors while this work is undertaken and I am sure we can rely on your support and understanding during this period.

Looking ahead we are pleased to announce the programme for the President’s Conference which, in 2014, will consider the ‘Strategic Choices for Space’. Bill Tyack and the Organising Committee have pulled together an impressive programme that features a number of ‘seniors’ and other key representatives from across the global space community. We hope you will join us for the event, due to be held on 8 and 9 October. The Conference team can be contacted should you require further information.

Our Venue team have made good progress in obtaining increased bookings for our Terrace during the summer months. June was a particularly good month and, hopefully, improved weather, repeat clients and an increased awareness of our facilities will improve this particular income stream for the Society.

I am pleased to say the Society has been actively contributing to a number of European research projects, government enquiries and sharing knowledge and information, most recently to the Davies Commission and the RAeS Air Power Group’s Discussion Paper on Maritime Air Power for the United Kingdom.

Finally, the Society Golf Day was, once again, a great success, in large part due to Flight Safety International, a loyal sponsor and participant. A report of the day’s events appears elsewhere in this issue (p 53).

BRANCH NEWS


Cardiff Branch President Paul Lindsey (right), presenting Barry West with his thank you gift on handing over the Chairmanship of the Cardiff Branch.

Barry has been a member of the RAeS for many years and has been an active member of the Cardiff Branch Committee since April 1995. Barry initially joined the committee as Lecture Secretary and then, in 1997, took on the role of Membership Secretary. He continued in this role until appointed Cardiff Branch Chairman in 2000 — a role he performed with great skill and diligence for 14 years.

Book ReviewsFIRST WORLD WAR IN THE AIR


Afterburner

The price of that progress was extreme, as the war had been the fi rst to bring technology into the equation, for many there was no such thing as after the war

By P CarradiceAmberley Publishing, The Hill, Merrywalks, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5 4EP, UK. 2012. 192pp. Illustrated. £16.99. ISBN 978-1-4456-0512-8.

This is quite a small slim paperback and at fi rst glance gives the impression of being a potted history for the reader with little prior knowledge. This superfi cial impression does not do the book justice. The author has selected 12 major themes as chapters. In each of these chapters, of between six and 20 pages, the author presents a concise summary of the events, personalities, politics and technical aspects which are key to these themes. Wherever possible the author makes extensive use of diaries and other material to evoke the impressions of people who were actually swept up in the events.

The chapters are divided into sub-topics, this helps to prevent the chapters from becoming overly confused by discussion of topics whose time-lines may overlap. A possible weakness of this approach is that there is no unifying time-line. The reader must maintain an awareness of the events as the book is read. It would be diffi cult to approach the book as one to dip into, it needs to be read sequentially. This is where the book’s conciseness becomes a strength. The author has a fairly light style, and his writing is not encumbered by over analysis. In consequence the book is easy to read.

This book presents an overview of many strands but the text is well referenced and the book contains a useful bibliography of primary and secondary sources. This gives the reader the opportunity to pick out a topic and research it further.

It is easy for an author of this type of book to be drawn into repeating inaccuracies and misconceptions from other sources and earlier publications and, as far as possible, I believe that the author has avoided this. There is one instance of inaccuracy which is diffi cult to explain. Writing of the Fokker Triplane the author says,”Richthofen became devoted to the machine and persuaded Anthony Fokker to make him a specially strengthened and modifi ed version. However, despite the success of Richthofen and his Jasta the triplane did not quite manage to steal control of the air......”

What actually happened was a little different from this version and it bears repeating here to set the record straight. Undeniably Manfred von Richthofen was a triplane enthusiast. He did use one of the fi rst prototypes for a while but it was also fl own by other pilots. Early experience revealed a structural weakness which resulted in catastrophic structural failure of the top wing, leading to the deaths of several pilots. The German air service technical branch identifi ed a number of modifi cations to rectify design weaknesses and quality issues. Manfred von

Richthofen did not himself persuade Fokker to carry out this work, he was directed to, and after being temporarily withdrawn all triplanes were fi tted with modifi ed wings. The triplane did enjoy some success thereafter but this was shortlived. Manfred von Richthofen remained a triplane enthusiast, gaining several victories using several different triplanes before being shot down while fl ying one.

This version of events is somewhat longer than that contained in the book but it is important to avoid generating a new myth, or perpetuating an old one when the facts are known. Unfortunately, a little further on there is another inaccurate tale, again involving a Fokker Triplane. Voss’s triplane is described as “...easily identifi ed by the skull and crossbones he painted on the nose of the silver machine.” In truth the triplane carried a stylised face, probably in white, on the front face of the engine cowl. This aircraft, another of the prototypes, was probably painted with a thin olive green wash over a base colour of pale blue, this may well have given a silvery appearance.

In the later chapters the author presents mini biographies of many of the key individuals who were prominent in their nations fl ying services. Some of this material is drawn from biographies and other sources such as diaries, some of which may be anecdotal, but always useful in presenting a picture of the individual’s character. Toward the end of the book the diary and biographical extracts become quite poignant and begin to give an impression of what aerial warfare had come to mean. In several cases the diaries were written by men who knew that they had exceeded their life expectancy and that their future was limited.

A short conclusion draws discussion together neatly summarising the enormous technical and organisational progress which had been made in just four years of confl ict. The price of that progress was extreme, as the war had been the fi rst to bring technology into the equation, for many there was no such thing as after the war.

Ian WilsonFRAeS

Above: de Havilland DH2s.Below: Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron, wearing the Pour le Mérite, the ‘Blue Max’, Prussia’s highest military order in this offi cial portrait, c. 1917. RAeS (NAL).

AUGUST 2014 45i fFind us on Twitter Find us on LinkedIn Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com

AIR AND SEA POWER IN WORLD WAR I

Top: Seven Sopwith 2F1 Camels lined up on the deck of HMS Furious prior to the raid on the Tondern airship sheds on 19 July 1918. The raid resulted in the destruction of Zeppelins L54 and L60 in one shed and damage to a second shed. Only two of the Camels managed to return to the naval force.Below: A Sopwith Seaplane Type 807 on the seaplane carrier HMS Ark Royal in 1914.RAeS (NAL).

Combat and Experience in the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal NavyBy M Philpott

I B Tauris & Co Ltd, 6 Salem Road, London W2 4BU, UK. 2013. 288pp. £59.50. ISBN 978-1-78076-151-0.

This book was originally a doctoral thesis. The fi rst part of the title is redundant. The book is based on the idea that too much attention has been focused on the experiences of soldiers and aims to correct the balance by examining issues of morale and motivation in the RFC and the Royal Navy. It also covers training, technology, the home front and the aftermath of war. To the extent that the RFC was a new, minor corps of the army and the Navy was the oldest and largest service, it might have been more interesting to use the experience of the submarine service as an example.

Unfortunately there are a number of serious historical and research errors that suggest that this book was not edited (very likely) or that the author has only superfi cial knowledge of the subject. So, Richthofen was not a General, Marder was not an Offi cial Historian, ‘rounds’ is not a euphemism for ‘bullets’, Bishop’s Memoir was not written in 1975 and anyway should not be quoted by a serious historian and, by August 1918, far from being ‘untroubled by the enemy’ British pilots were about to suffer their worst losses of the war in Black September. Roland Garros did not invent the interrupter gear, nor did anyone else adopt his system. There were no fully armoured planes in 1915. Bombs were not fi rst used on the Western Front in 1917. The Royal Navy did not ‘scuttle’ U-boats. There is a quote from Arthur Robinson about lack of oxygen at height, which the author

speculates might have caused his death on a reconnaissance mission. Yet a quick check in a reference book from the bibliography reveals that he was probably killed by enemy action on a bombing raid. These mistakes, and others, cast a shadow of doubt over the book.

In addition, some statements are wrong or meaningless or both, such as ‘the only place where decisive victory had been achieved on the Western Front was in the air’ or ‘starved of resources and lacking initiative, the German Air Force was unable to respond to the overwhelming numbers and unpredictability of British planes’ and ‘combatants fl ourished in [both the RN and the RFC] and remained committed to winning the war.’

Maryam Philpott’s background as a researcher is in army history. This book attempts to combine the ideas of her mentors Richard Holmes and Joanna Bourke. It is an interesting concept but badly fl awed in execution.

Christian Busby

46

Book ReviewsAfterburner


The view from under the wing of a Supermarine Spitfi re FRXVIII at Kuala Lumpur Airport, Malaya, as an ammunition truck arrives during preparations for a strike by 60 Fighter Group against the guerillas, June 1950. RAeS (NAL).

A CENTURY OF AIR POWER

The Changing Face of Warfare 1912-2012By D Sloggett

Pen & Sword Aviation, Pen & Sword Books, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, S Yorkshire S70 2AS, UK. 2013. 198pp. Illustrated. £19.99. ISBN 978-1-78159-192-5.

This book covers the expanding roles and growing capabilities of air power over the last century. It details every major confl ict over that period. Air Power’s involvement and roles are examined for both World Wars, Mid-East Confl icts, Korea, Vietnam, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Falklands War and Afghanistan. Air Power’s performance in post-war Malaya, Oman, Kenya and Northern Ireland are also touched upon. The book deals with all the applications of Air Power, soft as well as hard, including the Berlin Airlift and humanitarian airlifts in the Balkans Confl icts of the 1990s, demonstrating the strategic effect these had.

I found this a diffi cult book to review. It does not deal with events chronologically but picks up on certain themes, such as the strategic impact of Air Power and the evolution of air-to-air combat, and tracks them through the different confl icts. I don’t agree with all the statements made, or the book’s historical accuracy at certain points. For example, on p 182 Dr Sloggett appears to list the bombing of Hanoi in 1972 — Linebacker 11 — with historical mass bombing campaigns such as Guernica, the Blitz and Hiroshima. I contend that this could be misleading for students unfamiliar with the history of Air Power. In reality, the B-52 strikes were selective and impressively accurate, with only two signifi cant collateral damage accidents(1), particularly given the blizzard of surface-to-air missiles they had to fl y through. The 11-day campaign, along with mining the ports, was highly successful, persuading the North Vietnamese to return to talks and destroying the North’s war making capabilities.

On pp 56/57: Dr Sloggett mentions Vulcan bombers at RAF Marham during the Cuban Missile Crisis, armed with Blue Danube nuclear bombs. In fact RAF Marham was the base for the Valiant Tactical Bomber Force, allocated to SACEUR and armed with American weapons, conventional bombs or the UK’s Red Beard tactical nuclear bomb. In any case the fi rst generation Blue Danube, which was huge, was withdrawn from service during 1962, replaced by versions of Yellow Sun. Another example: on p 76 the USAF did not acquire a MiG15 in Korea until after the ceasefi re so a captured aircraft did not infl uence US fi ghter tactics during the campaign(2). There is also the usual crop of proof reading errors. For instance, ‘Fokker Wolf 190’(3) turns up more than once.

That said, Dr Sloggett makes many telling and thoughtful observations about Air Power and overall this is a signifi cant addition to the study of the subject, including pointers as to where Air Power is going in future. The book makes a good primer for students of Air Power’s evolution and skilfully prods the reader into thinking analytically about the subject — recommended.

Mike BratbyMRAeSAir Power Group

(1) Collateral damage on night of 26/27 December to civilian housing in Kham Trien St, Hanoi, and a late bomb that hit Bach Mai Hospital, near a MiG base that was the target.(2) In September 1953 a defecting North Korean pilot fl ew a MiG to the South. He claimed never to have heard of the reward money being offered.(3) Focke Wulf 190.

An A-10 Thunderbolt II receives fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker above Afghanistan on 8 May 2011. USAF/Master Sgt William Greer.

AUGUST 2014 47

AERODYNAMICS

Flight Vehicle Aerodynamics. M Drela. The MIT Press, Suite 2, 1 Duchess Street, London W1W 6AN, UK. 2014. 279pp. Illustrated. £41.95. ISBN 978-0-262-52644-9.

AEROMODELLING

Scale Models by Wylam Book III: a collection of William Wylam’s latest Masterplans, including some famous World War I aircraft. W Wylam. Air Age Inc, New York. 1947. 65pp. Illustrated.

Produced for aeromodellers, a compilation of detailed arrangement diagrams (including aerofoil sections) of the Douglas A-26 Invader, Bell P-63A Kingcobra, Vultee XP-54 Swoose Goose, McDonnell XP-67, Douglas C-54 Skymaster, Boeing C-97 Stratocruiser, Piper PA-8 Skycycle, Bristol F2b Brisfi t, de Havilland DH4, Spad S.VII/S.XIA-2/S-XIII C.1/Albatros D-1 to D-6 and the Hispano-Suiza, Siemens-Schukert D-4 and Siemens Halske engines and the Vickers .30/11mm/Lewis .30 machine guns, the volume concluding with markings arrangements for the SE5.

HISTORICAL

Secrets of a German PoW: the Revelations of Hauptmann Herbert Cleff. B Brinkworth. Pen & Sword Aviation, Pen & Sword Books, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, S Yorkshire S70 2AS, UK. 2014. 198pp. Illustrated. £19.99. ISBN 978-1-78303-295-2.

A revealing history of how in 1943 British aeronautical engineers and scientists learned of major German advances in the fi eld (jet-powered aircraft, long-range offensive rockets, advanced fuels) through the interrogations of a captured German soldier — who later worked for the Ministry of Supply — and the infl uence

the revelations had on the later development of the Miles M52 and other projects.

Henschel Hs 123. R Panek. Published by Stratus, Poland, on behalf of Mushroom Model Publications, 3 Gloucester Close, Petersfi eld, Hants GU32 3AX, UK (www.mmpbooks.biz). 2014. 136pp. Illustrated. £17.99. ISBN 978-83-61421-48-1.

Numerous photographs, colour markings illustrations and other diagrams illustrate this history of the single-seat dive bomber and close-support aircraft which was operated during the Spanish Civil War and WW2.

Howard Pixton: Test Pilot and Pioneer Aviator: the Biography of the First British Schneider Trophy Winner. S Pixton. Pen & Sword Aviation, Pen & Sword Books, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, S Yorkshire S70 2AS, UK. 2014. 246pp. Illustrated. £19.99.

A fi ctional biography of the pioneering early aviator ‘ghostwritten’ in an autobiographical style by his daughter.

Supermarine Memories 1913-2013. M Rousel. Published by the author. 2013. 44pp. Illustrated.

Illustrated throughout with numerous contemporary photographs, a compilation of recollections of the designs produced by the famous aircraft company over the years and of the people it employed.

A Fly-Past: the Airplane Stories — a 50 Year Revue. J Merrick. Published by the author, Bellevue, WA, USA. 2014. 89pp. Illustrated.

The author recalls his long aviation career during which he worked for de Havilland Aircraft, Canadair, Bristol Aeroplane Company, Boeing and other companies, the Comet airliner, B-47, CL-41, Concorde and the B-1 bomber among the aircraft types discussed.

Sir Sydney Camm: From Carpenter to Chief Design (Unpublished typescript). J Chacksfi eld. c.2002. 118pp.

Kampf-und Lastensegler DFS230 - DFS331. Luftfahrt monographie LS1. K R Pawlas. Published by the author, Nuremburg. c.1974. 143pp. Illustrated.

Die Sturm-und Lastensegler Go242 -

G0244 - Go345 - P39 - Ka340. Luftfahrt monographie LS2. K R Pawlas. Published by the author, Nuremburg. c.1974. 176pp. Illustrated.

L’Aviazone da Caccia Italiana 1918-1939. R Gentilli. Aeronautica Italiana A.I.S.r.l., Firenze. c.1980. 143pp. Illustrated.

Encyclopedia of Japanese Aircraft 1900-1945 Vols 2, 3, 5, 7, 8. (Japanese text). Edited by T Nozawa et al. Shuppan-Kyodo, Tokyo. c.1966-1980. 191pp; 179pp; 240pp; 173pp; 198pp. Illustrated.

Exhibition of German Aircraft and Equipment October-November 1945. Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough. 1945.

Catalogue for an exhibition of captured German aircraft, rockets, missiles and fl ying bombs.

SAFETY

Air Safety Group: a Brief History — Second edition. J W Rickard. Air Safety Group (www.airsafetygroup.org). 2014. 56pp. ISBN 978-1-291-87055-8.

A history, compiled by one of the Group’s founder members, of the independent advisory body composed largely of aviation professionals which has, since its inception, lobbied continuously to achieve improvements in air safety and air accident prevention.

“We Freeze to Please”: a History of NASA’s Icing Research Tunnel and the Quest for Flight Safety. The NASA History Series. NASA SP-2002-4226. W M Leary. NASA History Offi ce, Washington, DC. 2002. 203pp. Illustrated. ISBN 0-16-067434-4.

A detailed history of the Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) at the Glenn Research Center at Cleveland which began operation in 1944, having been originally established by NACA in response to several high-profi le fatal crashes of US air mail carriers and airliners.

SERVICE AVIATION

‘128’: the Story of the Royal Air Force Club. H Probert and M Gilbert. The Royal Air Force Club, 128 Piccadilly, London W1J 7PY, UK. 2004. 144pp. Illustrated. ISBN 0-9547849-0-1.

A detailed history of

the Royal Air Force Club from its origins in the Royal Flying Corps Club, centred on its central London base in Piccadilly which was formally opened by the Duke of York (later King George V) on 24 February 1922.

Markings of German Aircraft in WW1 1914-1918. H J Nowarra. Verlag Dieter Hoffmann, Mainz. 1968. 159pp. Illustrated.

Letters from a War Bird: the World War 1 Correspondence of Elliott White Springs. Edited by D K Vaughan. University of South Carolina Press, Columbia, SC 29208, USA. 2012. Distributed by Eurospan Group, 3 Henrietta Street, London WC2E 8LU, UK. 358pp. Illustrated. £32.50. ISBN 978-1-61117-040-5.

Combining diary and fl ight log entries with correspondence with his family, this is a revealing insight of life during WW1 as experienced by one of America’s leading fi ghter pilots. Serving in France with the Royal Flying Corps 85 Squadron (commanded by the Canadian fi ghter ace William ‘Billy’ Bishop) and the US Army 148th Aero Squadron, the volume concludes with a useful appendix summarising the careers of American military personnel mentioned in the correspondence and a survey of Elliott Springs’ postwar career as a writer, War Birds: Dairy of an Unknown Aviator probably his most well-known book.

Air Aces of the Austro-Hungarian Empire 1914-1918. M O’Connor. Champlin Fighter Museum Press, Mesa, Arizona. 1986. 336pp. Illustrated. ISBN 0-912173-03-3.

A compilation of 46 biographical profi les of leading fi ghter aces of WW1, concluding with colour profi les of their aircraft by Ray Rimell.

Die k.u.k. Luftschiffer- und Fliegertruppe Osterreich-Ungrams. E Peter. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart. 1981. 300pp. Illustrated. ISBN 3-87943-743-2.

A history of the early development of military aviation in Austria and the Austro-Hungarian empire.

Die Konglich Bayerischen Fliegertruppen 1912-1919. P Pletschacher. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart. 1978. 176pp. Illustrated. ISBN 3-87943-576-6.

STRUCTURES AND MATERIALS

High Temperature Materials and Mechanisms. Edited by Y Bar-Cohen. CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, 6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL, 33487-2742, USA. 2014. Distributed by Taylor & Francis Group, 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon OX14 4RN, UK. 535pp. Illustrated. £121. [20% discount available to RAeS members via www.crcpress.com using AKN14 promotion code]. ISBN 978-1-4665-6645-3.

Riveted Lap Joints in Aircraft Fuselage: Design, Analysis and Properties. A Skorupa and M Skopura. Springer. 2012. 332pp. Illustrated. £108. ISBN 978-9-4007-4281-9.

Smart Composites: Mechanics and Design. Edited by R Elhajjar et al. CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, 6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL, 33487-2742, USA. 2014. Distributed by Taylor & Francis Group, 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon OX14 4RN, UK. 415pp. Illustrated. £108. [20% discount available to RAeS members via www.crcpress.com using AKN14 promotion code]. ISBN 978-1-4398-9591-7.

BOOKS

Library Additions

For further information contact the National Aerospace Library.T +44 (0)1252 701038 or 701060E [email protected]


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Society News


The National Aerospace Library at Farnborough holds a historically important archive of original material relating to the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company and its successor the Bristol Aeroplane Company.

Included in the Library’s archives is ‘The British and Colonial Aeroplane Company Minute Book No.1’ (which contains the hand-written accounts of monthly meetings of Directors from its formation in February 1910 through to December 1919), the company’s record book of fuselage construction and repair 1911-1917, numerous internal company reports and a large number of original notebooks containing the design calculations for a variety of Bristol types compiled by F S Barnwell, A J Newport, W T Reid, G A Stephens, and W G Morgan.

In August 1912 the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company entered two aircraft designated GE2 (having been originally designed by E C Gordon England) for the War Offi ce Military Aeroplane Competition held at Salisbury Plain — Military Trials No.12 being piloted by C Howard Pixton and No.13 by Gordon England.

The National Aerospace Library holds 45 large original sheets (c.40 x 27 inches), hand-drawn by Barnwell and others, recording the company’s detailed engineering design calculations for the GE2 two-bay non-staggered biplane and its component parts, 31 of which have recently been conserved and individually encapsulated in a polyester laminate (housed in a made-to-measure archival storage boxes) which means that they can be handled and studied without damaging the originals.

NATIONAL AEROSPACE LIBRARY

Above: Bristol Gordon England GE2 No103. RAeS (NAL).

Left: Brian Riddle, RAeS Chief Librarian, inspects one of the encapsulated drawings at the National Aerospace Library.Below: A drawing of the undercarriage of the GE2.

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The conservation of these historic drawings — which has been undertaken by the conservators Riley, Dunn and Wilson Ltd of Falkirk — has been funded from the sale of National Aerospace Library’s sales of donated aviation books at its annual Book Fairs.

The 2014 Aviation & Aerospace Book Fair will take place on Monday, 17 November (11 am-6 pm) at No.4 Hamilton Place, London W1J 7BQ, UK.

The National Aerospace Library will have available 100s of new/secondhand aviation books to sell on the day — a wide range of aviation history books, autobiographies, biographies, histories of individual aircraft/aircraft companies, old journals, ‘as new’ textbooks, etc. Most of the books will be sold between £1 and £5, the money raised from the Library’s stand to be used towards conserving further historic material held in the Library’s archives.

British and Colonial Aeroplane Company/Bristol Aeroplane Company

49AUGUST 2014i fFind us on Twitter Find us on LinkedIn Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com

Above: Guenther Groenhoff in the cockpit of his Lippisch Fafnir glider c.1931.Right: Robert Kronfeld, left, and Gordon England alongside Wien at Itford Hill in June 1930, prior to the fi rst glider fl ight of over 60 miles in England.Below: Robert Kronfeld in the 30m span Austria in 1932. All RAeS (NAL).

For any enquiries regarding this material, please contact the librarians at Farnborough: T +44 (0)1252 701038/701060E [email protected])

The National Aerospace Library at Farnborough holds a large number of references to the design of sailplanes and gliders over the years (books, journal articles etc.), including complete bound sets of the journal Gliding and its successor Sailplane and Glid-ing (from 1950 Vol 1 onwards to the present time) and other older titles such as Sailplane and Glider (1930 Vol 1 - 1933 Vol 4 No 4; 1938 Vol 9 Nos 1-10; 1945 Vol 13 No.2 - 1955 Vol 23 No 3) and the German journal Der Deutsche Sportfl ieger (Vol 1 No 11 – Vol 2 No 12 October 1934 - December 1935; 1936 Vol 3 Nos.1-7,9,11-12 - 1937 Vol 4 Nos 1-9).

The National Aerospace Library’s holdings have been enhanced by a notable collection of gliding books from the collection of Michael F Eacock (1928-2013) [presented by his sons Roger, Michael and Graham Eacock], the collection — as detailed below — includes a number of titles relating to the evolution of gliding in Germany which was a leading nation in the development of soaring fl ight:

Gliding Collection

Die Evolution der Segel-fl ugzeuge. Die deutsche Lufthart eries. G Brinkmann and H Zacher. Bernard & Graefe Verlag, Bonn. 1992. 286pp. Illustrated. ISBN 3-7637-6104-7.

Concludes with a number of tables summarising technical data (including aerofoil sections) of numerous German glider types produced over the years.

British Gliders: a Comprehensive Listing of Sailplane Registrations and Identities used in the UK. 1930-1980 — Third edition. Edited P H Butler. Merseyside Aviation Society Ltd, Liverpool. 1980. 102pp. Illustrated. ISBN 0-902420-35-6.

The Joy of Soaring: a Training Manual. C Conway. The Soaring Society of America, Inc, Los Angeles. 1969. 134pp. Illustrated.

Die Segelfl ugzeuge und Motorsegler in Deutschland. D E Geistmann. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart. 2007. 365pp. Illustrated. ISBN 978-3-613-02739-8.

Die Segelfl ugzeuge in Deutschland. D Geistmann. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart. 1979. 239pp. Illustrated. ISBN 3-87943-6180-5.

Die Entwicklung der Kunststoff-Segelfl ug-zeuge. D Geistmann. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart. 1976. 197pp. Illustrated. ISBN 3-87943-483-2.

Szybowce mistrzostw swiata. A Glass et al. Wydawnictwa Komunikacji i Lacznosci, Warsaw. 1970. 160pp. Illustrated.

Handbuch des Segelfl ie-gens. W Hirth. Franck’sche Verlagshandlung, Stuttgart. 1957. 386pp. Illustrated.

‘Take Up Slack’: a History of The London Gliding Club 1930-2000. E Hull. Woodfi eld Publishing, Bognor Regis. 2000. 120pp. Illustrated.

A Magyar Vitorlazorepules Keps Tortenete 1929-1999. Edited by M Imre. 3,14 L Kft, Budapest. 1999. 264pp. Illus-trated. ISBN 963-03-8971-1.

Over 440 photographs illustrate this pictorial history of the evolution of gliding in Hungary, the volume conclud-ing with a listing of Hungarian glider pilots who had qualifi ed since 1929.

Das Segelfl ugmodell: Vol 1 — Grundlagen — Theorie — Profi lsammlung. F Perseke. Published by the author, Karlstein-Dettingen. c.1976. 128pp. Illustrated.

Entsiklopediia Planery Rossii. A P Krasilshchikov. Polygon Press. 2005. 349pp. Illustrated. ISBN 1-932525-27-0.

Detailed well-illustrated history of the evolution of glid-ing in Russia.

Flugzeugtypen — Doku-mente Zum Bau Vorbildg-etreuer Flugzeugmodelle: Band 1 Segelfl ugzeuge; Sailplanes 2; Sailplanes 3. Modellsport Verlag GmbH, Baden-Baden. 1998-2001. 65pp per volume. llustrated. ISBN 3-923142-00-5

Illustrated throughout by a number of colour photographs, arrangement diagrams and concise descriptions of each glider design featured.

Segelfl ugmodelle: Prakti-kum fur Freunde des Flug-modellbaus. E Rabe. Richard Pfl aum Verlag KG, Munich. 1976. 148pp. Illustrated. ISBN 3-7905-0254-5.

Uber sonninge Weiten: Erlebte Rhongeschichte 1933-1939. P Riedel and G Shafer. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart. 1990. 271pp. Illus-trated. ISBN 3-613-01047-X.

Start in den Wind: Erlebte Rhongeschichte 1911-1926. P Riedel and J von Kalckreuth. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart. 1977. 281pp. Illus-trated. ISBN 3-87943-539-1.

Vom Hangwind zur Thermik: Erlebte Rhon-

geschichte 1927-1932. P Riedel. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart. 1988. 226pp. Illus-trated. ISBN 3-87943-981-8.

Segelfl ugzeuge: vom Wolf zum Mini-Ninbus. P F Selinger. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart. 1978. 254pp. Illustrated. ISBN 3-87943-5448-4.

Sailplanes by Schweizer: a History. P A Schweizer and M Simons. Airlife Publishing Ltd, Shrewsbury. 1988. 224pp. Illustrated. ISBN 1-84037-022-X.

Detailed history of the 22 glider types and their variants which have been produced over the years by Schweizer Aircraft Corporation.

Handbuch fur den Modellfl ug: Band 1 — Entwurf und Planung von RC-Segelfl ugmodellen mit

Berucksichigung schwan-zloser Segelfl ugmodelle; Band 2 — Konstruktion und Bau von RC-Segel-fl ugmodellen. W Thies and A Ledertheil. Verlag fur Technik und Handwerk, Baden-Baden. 1976-1977. 160pp; 192pp.Il-lustrated. ISBN 3-88180-000-X ; ISBN 3-88180-002-6.

Describes the aerodynam-ics, design and construction of radio-controlled model gliders.

History and Evolution of the Glider. Vol IV (1957-2000). G Zanrosso. La Serenissima, Vicenza. 2000. 302pp. Illustrated.

Includes discussion of the evolution of composite materi-als in glider design.

50

Society News


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CAMBRIDGE BRANCH LECTURE COMPETITIONThe 2014 Royal Aeronautical Society Cambridge Branch Young Persons’ Lecture competition was successfully held earlier this spring at the Cambridge University Engineering Department on 13 March. Employees from Marshall ADG and students from Cambridge University competed in two age groups (under 25 group and 25 — under 30 group), with four participants competing in each group. The winner of the under 25 age group was Cambridge University PhD student Richard Stephens, with a presentation on the subject of ‘Designing a revolutionary solar vehicle’. The winner of the 25 — under 30 age group was Cambridge University PhD student Dhiren Mistry, with a presentation on the subject of ‘Mixing in turbulent jets’.

The competition is supported by Marshall ADG with a £100 winners’ prize in each age group. This year the RAeS Cambridge Branch is also very honoured to be gifted with a named trophy from Sir Michael Marshall, Chairman of Marshall Group, to be awarded to the overall winner of the competition. The ‘Sir Michael Marshall Award’ Trophy was presented to the overall winner of the competition by Sir Michael in person at a presentation ceremony held on 2 June, where Sir Michael also congratulated each competitor in person and presented each with their certifi cates. The ceremony was also attended by several members of the RAeS Cambridge Branch committee.

The local annual competition has been held in Cambridge since 2011 and is planned to be held again in March 2015.

Group photo with overall winner Richard Stephens holding the Award Trophy next to Sir Michael Marshall in the front row. Robin Aveling.

Front Row (from left): Richard Stephens and Sir Michael Marshall.Second Row (from left): Dhiren Mistry, Ben Hewlett, Anna Davanzo and Jack Heslewood.Third Row (from left): Begonia Forcada, Jin Yu and Mike Gregory.Fourth Row (from left): Greg Nunn, David Whitehead and Brian Phillipson.

The Royal Aeronautical Society Canberra Branch sponsors two prizes at the Australian Defence Force Academy, which is part of the University of New South Wales. The Air Vice Marshal Noble award is made to an undergraduate, and the T F C Lawrence award is made to a post graduate.

The AVM Noble prize was awarded to Pilot Offi cer Ryan Keeble by Dr John Young who was the recipient of the T F C Lawrence prize in 2005.

In 2013 the T F C Lawrence prize was awarded to Dr Zhi Fang Zhang. Dr Zhang’s PhD thesis was titled ‘Assessment of Delaminations in Composite Laminates using Vibration Monitoring’. Dr Zhang employed three methods to estimate delamination parameters from measured frequency shifts. The proposed techniques were studied by analysing the effect of different levels of random noise on their

prediction accuracy. From her PhD work, Dr Zhang published six journal papers and eight conference papers.

Pilot Offi cer Keeble receiving The AVM Noble Prize from Dr John Young.

CANBERRA BRANCH PRIZE WINNERS

AUGUST 2014 51

Society News


RAeS AIR POWER FELLOW

The Air Power Group initiative

Seven years ago, the Society’s Air Power Group launched a campaign to raise money to support an Air Power Fellow and the academic study of air power generally. There was strong feeling that the UK, despite its long history and tradition of air power in action, was missing a trick in terms of the formal study of the theory, history and current application of the air arm in all its forms. The US had both — theory and practice, and the Air Power Group resolved to address the British defi ciency.

The Group attracted sponsorship from the RAF and a number of UK-based aerospace companies. The industrial sponsors saw that a solid academic analysis of air power was an essential element in arguing the case for air power when budgets were tight and as part of any campaign to justify its application to a sceptical public.

University of Birmingham chosen to host the Fellowship

Following an open competition involving several universities, in 2008 the University of Birmingham Department of Military History won the contract to host the Air Power Fellow. Subsequently other de-partments at the University have become associated with the Air Power Fellow in partnership that has more than fulfi lled the goals set for the Fellowship. The Air Power Fellow is now fully embedded in the University and is recognised as the focus for a wide range of advanced teaching and scholarship.

Former RAF offi cer appointed as fi rst Air Power Fellow

Much of the success is down to the fi rst incumbent — Air Commodore Dr Peter Gray. Dr Gray had a long career in the RAF as a fl yer and staff appointee. This background brought a powerful combination of experience and analysis to academia. His primary interests are in the ethics of air power and has published widely on WW2 bombing campaigns as well as on more recent developments in air power use, including work on RPAS operations. He has also helped to encourage younger scholars through MA and PhD programmes on air power related subjects.

In line with the general brief to promote UK air power interests to a wider public, Dr Gray has made several appearances on local and national media. He is also working with the BBC to cover the remembrance of military fl ying during WW1.

An international reputation

Air Power studies at the University of Birmingham now have an international reputation. The Fellow has spoken at international conferences in the US and Europe. A number of overseas students are now studying for advanced degrees under Dr Gray’s supervision. As the Department continues to expand, the Royal Aeronautical Society Air Power Fellow will continue to play a critical role in promoting the history and contemporary application of air power in the 21st century.

Top: Four Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4 aircraft went to Siauliai Air Base, Lithuania, to take part in the NATO Baltic Air Policing (BAP) mission. Crown copyright/

Cpl Neil Bryden RAF.

Above: Air Cdre Dr Peter Gray, RAeS Air Power Fellow.

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DiaryEVENTS LECTURES

15 SeptemberFlight CutawaysTim HallHistorical Group Lecture

23-25 SeptemberThe International Pilot Training Consortium: Next Steps?9th Annual International Flight Crew Training Conference

23 SeptemberCapt Ray Jones LectureSimon Wood, Senior Standards Captain, Pilot Development, Virgin Atlantic AirwaysFlight Simulation Group Lecture

30 SeptemberDetect and Avoid — Enabling Safe UAS Operations Beyond Visual Line of SightUnmanned Air Systems Group Workshop

7-9 October4th Aircraft Structural Design ConferenceStructures and Materials Group ConferenceQueen’s University, Belfast

8-9 OctoberThe Strategic Choices for SpacePresident’s Conference

13 OctoberAerospace Medicine Group Lecture

21 OctoberAlternative Fuels and Propulsion Systems — Reducing Aviation’s Impact on the EnvironmentGreener by Design Conference, held jointly with the RAeS Propulsion Group

29 OctoberYesterday’s Weapons for Tomorrow’s OperationsWeapon Systems & Technology Group ConferenceQinetiQ, Farnborough

30 OctoberAirworthiness & Maintenance Group Half-Day Workshop

3-5 NovemberResearch Aircraft OperationsFlight Operations Group Conference

6 NovemberYoung Persons Annual Conference 2014

7 NovemberCareers in Aerospace LIVE 2014

All lectures start at 18.00hrs unless otherwise stated. Conference proceedings are available at www.aerosociety.com/news/proceedings

www.aerosociety/events www.aerosociety/events

Edwin Galea, Director, Fire Safety Engineering Group, University of Greenwich.

LOUGHBOROUGHRoom U020, Brockington Building, Loughborough University. 7.30 pm. Colin Moss, T +44 (0)1509 239962.23 September — Flying the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird strategic reconnaissance aircraft. Col Richard Graham, USAF retired.

MUNICHEhrensaal, Deutsche Museum, Museumsinsel 1, 80538 München. 7 pm.29 October — Willy Messerschmitt Lecture. Flugsimulation — eine Säule der Sicherheit. Dr-Ing Holger Duda, Leiter Flight Dynamics and Simulation beim DLR in Braunschweig.

OXFORDThe Magdalen Centre, Oxford Science Park, Oxford. 7 pm. Nigel Randell, [email protected] September — A new light aircraft design and development project. Andrew Barber.

PRESTONPersonnel and Conference Centre, BAE Systems, Warton. 7.30 pm. Alan Matthews, T +44 (0)1995 61470.17 September — Hawker Siddeley P1154. Michael Price, Lecturer, Centre for Defence Acquisition, Defence Academy for the UK, Shrivenham.8 October — Additive layer manufacturing. Mike Murray, Head of Airframe integration, Air Platform, MAI, BAE Systems. Canberra Club, BAE

Systems, Samlesbury.22 October — Wind power. Edward Green, Head of Service Sales, EMEA North.

PRESTWICKThe Aviator Suite, 1st Floor, Terminal Building, Prestwick Airport. 7.30 pm. John Wragg, T +44 (0)1655 750270.8 September — Museum of Flight — East Fortune. David Bonar, Museum Guide.13 October — Strathaven Airfi eld. Colin McKinnon, Chairman, Scottish Flying Club LP.

QUEENSLANDAviation Australia, 16 Boronia Road, Brisbane Airport. 10 am. E [email protected] August — Aviation Careers Expo 2014.

SHEFFIELDKnowledge Transfer Centre, Advanced Manufacturing Park, Brunel Way, Catcliffe, Rotherham. 7 pm. 30 September — UK Apaches, at home and abroad. Neale Moss, Boeing.28 October — Airfi x — Scaling down reality. Simon Owen, Airfi x.

SYDNEYRupert Myers Theatre, The University of New South Wales, Barker Street, Kensington. 6.30 pm. E [email protected] August — F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

WASHINGTON DCBritish Embassy, 3100 Massachusettes Avenue, NW, Washington, DC. 6 pm.18 September — Unmanned aerial vehicles.

BEDFORDARA Social Club, Manton Lane, Bedford. 6.30 pm. Marylyn Wood, T +44 (0)1933 353517.10 September — Graphene — unexpected science in a pencil trace. Dr Aravind Vijayaraghavan, Lecturer in Nanomaterials, School of Materials, The University of Manchester.8 October — The evolution of fl ight training. Dan Norman, QFI.

CAMBRIDGELecture Theatre ‘O’ of the Cambridge University Engineering Department, Trumpington Street, Cambridge. 7.30 pm. Jin-Hyun Yu, T +44 (0)1223 373129.11 September — The Hybrid Air Vehicles Airlander project. David Stewart, Head of Flight Sciences, HAV. Joint lecture with IMechE.

CANBERRAMilitary Theatre ADFA. 6 pm. Jon Pike, E [email protected] August — Aviation capacity for Sydney — The Joint Study two years on ... and other musings. Prof Warren Mundy.9 September — Ian B Fleming Lecture and Dinner. AVM Margaret Staib, CEO, Air Services. Great Hall, University House, ANU.

HAMBURGHochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften Hamburg, Berliner Tor 5 (Neubau), Hörsaal 01.12. 6 pm. Richard sanderson, T +49 (0)4167 92012.16 October — Aircraft fi re and evacuation simulation. Prof

52

2-5 September40th European Rotorcraft Forum 2014Rotorcraft Group ConferenceGrand Harbour Hotel, Southampton, UK

Lockheed Martin SR-71s in 2010. Col Richard Graham will discuss fl ying this iconic aircraft at Loughborough on 23 September. Lockheed Martin.

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Society News

53AUGUST 2014i fFind us on Twitter Find us on LinkedIn Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com

RAeS EVENTS

The Society’s 2014 Banquet attracted over 500 guests representing 170 companies and organisa-tions from across the aerospace community. Hosted on Wednesday 21 May in the luxurious settings of the InterContinental London Park Lane, this event provided an excellent opportunity for relaxed networking at a prestigious social occasion.

In a compelling after-dinner speech, the Chief of the Air Staff, ACM Sir Andrew Pulford, neatly summed up the contemporary role of UK air power and the dilemmas faced in an uncertain future.

The Annual Banquet marks the start of the new presidential year and this year’s event was hosted by the Society’s incoming President, Air Cdre Bill Tyack. It is an established occasion in the aerospace calendar and has become a must-attend highlight for many in the industry.

Next year’s event will be held at the InterCon-tinental London Park Lane on Tuesday 19 May 2015 and further details will be posted on the RAeS website over the coming weeks.

The Royal Aeronautical Society is grateful to AlixPartners for supporting the Annual Banquet for the third year running.

AlixPartners is a leading global business advisory fi rm of results-oriented professionals who specialise in creating value and restoring performance at every stage of the business lifecycle. The company’s aerospace and defence team is deeply rooted in the industry and understands the unique strategic and operating challenges it faces.

The Cobham Antenna Systems Team won the Texas Scramble. From left: Chris Shaw, who also won the singles competition in the morning; Andrew Sanders and Fred Cahill.

Industry Gathers for RAeS Annual Banquet

Players on the Royal Aeronautical Society Aerospace Golf Day on 18 June enjoyed perfect weather conditions for 27 holes of challenging golf at Frilford Heath Golf Club in Oxfordshire. It was a successful event with players from companies representing a variety of sectors within the aerospace community.

The Singles Stableford competition was won by Chris Shaw from Cobham Antenna Systems, who received the trophy and an overnight stay for two at the InterContinental London Park Lane. Other winners were: Singles Stableford 2nd Prize, Simon Levy, RAeS; 3rd Prize, Paul Doble, Guest of FlightSafety International; 4th Prize, Dave Savage, Guest of Gama Aviation; Longest Drive, Kim Ward; Nearest the Pin, Matt Giggle, Attewell. The Cobham Antenna Systems team were the clear winners of the afternoon Texas Scramble competition, and Simon Luxmoore’s Royal Aeronautical Society team came second.

The Society would like to thank the InterContinental London Park Lane, Food by Dish and Frilford Heath Golf Club for their generosity in providing prizes for this event, and FlightSafety International for kindly providing top quality golf balls and tees, as well as other golfi ng merchandise.

By popular demand we will be returning to Fril-ford Heath Golf Club next year and we look forward to welcoming back our regular players as well as seeing some new faces. Please keep an eye on the events section of our website for further details.

Another Great Day for RAeS Golfers

If you have any queries about either of these events, please contact:Gail Ward, Events Manager — Corporate & SocietyT +44 (0)1491 629912E [email protected]

Above left: The top table with Bill Tyack, the new RAeS President front right.Above right: Guest of Honour, ACM Sir Andrew Pulford, Chief of the Air Staff, RAF.

Corporate Partners


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NEW PARTNERS EVENTSPlease note: attendance at Corporate Partner Briefi ngs is strictly exclusive to staff of RAeS Corporate Partners. Unless otherwise advised, registration for Corporate Partner Briefi ngs is at 16.30 hrs.

Tuesday 23 September 2014 / LondonDevelopments in UK military air safety and regulation (title tba)Corporate Partner Briefi ng by AM Richard Garwood, Director-General, Military Aviation AuthoritySponsored by Christy Aerospace & Technology

Monday 20 October 2014 / LondonIndustry and SDSR 2015Corporate Partner Briefi ng by Sir Peter Luff MPSponsored by UTC Aerospace Systems

Wednesday 26 November 2014 / LondonThe Outlook for the British EconomyCorporate Partner Briefi ng by Dame DeAnne Julius, Non-Executive Director, Deloitte UK, Roche and Jones Lang LaSalle

www.aerosociety.com/eventsFor further information, please contact Gail WardE [email protected] or T +44 (0)1491 629912

The Royal Aeronautical Society would like to welcome the following as Corporate Partners.

QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY OF LONDONSchool of Engineering & Material Science, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UKW www.sems.qmul.ac.ukContactProf Vassili Toropov CEng FRAeS Professor of Aerospace Engineering

Queen Mary is one of the world’s leading universities, with fi rst-class academic, inspirational teaching, and a distinguished 229-year history of preparing men and women for rewarding careers.

The School of Engineering and Materials Science (SEMS) has a long, successful history of education and research in aeronautical engineering. We pioneered the teaching and research in aeronautical engineering as early as 1907 by Albert Peter Thurston, meaning that we are the world’s oldest continuous provider of education and research in aeronautical engineering. We continue to have a thriving research community and to deliver high-quality teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.

UNIVERSITI KUALA LUMPURMalaysian Institute of Aviation Techonology (UniKL MIAT), Lot 2891, Jalan Jenderam Hulu, Jenderam Hulu 43800 Dengkil, Selangor Darul Ehsan, MalaysiaT +60 3 8768 8487W www.miat.unikl.edu.myContactAssoc Prof Dr Mohd Khir Harun, Dean

UniKL MIAT is the pioneer aviation institution in Malaysia and it is a wholly owned subsidiary of Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA). Also we are the fi rst Maintenance Training Organisation (MTO) approved by the Department of Civil Aviation Malaysia (DCA) to offer aircraft maintenance technology programmes. Certifi cation and Awards received: Approval from DCAM for Aviation Maintenance

Training Organization (AMTO) status. Frost & Sullivan’s Asia Pacifi c Aviation

Workforce Development Organization of The Year 2008 Award.

Second site AMTO approval by EASA in a partnership with AERO-Bildungs GmbH of Germany.

THE AIM OF THE CORPORATE PARTNER SCHEME IS TO BRING TOGETHER ORGANISATIONS TO PROMOTE BEST PRACTICE WITHIN THE INTERNATIONAL AEROSPACE SECTOR

Contact:Simon LevyCorporate Partner ManagerE [email protected] +44 (0)20 7670 4346

AMSTERDAM UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES (AUAS)/DEPARTMENT OF AVIATIONWeesperzijde 190, Amsterdam 1097 DZ, The NetherlandsT +3120 595 14 00W www.hva.nl/aviationContactGeert Boosten, Head of Aviation Department

The Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences offers Bachelor of Engineering degrees in Aviation in two variants:1. Aviation Engineering (the technical aspects of

the aeroplane)2. Aviation Operations (transporting people and

cargo from A to B)Aviation Engineering focuses on fl ight operations, maintenance and repair & overhaul. Aviation operations encompasses aviation logistics, air transport development and security & technology. We supplement coursework with guest lectures and internships, and students must complete a fi nal thesis project. Some choose to train as a pilot or air traffi c controller, and top students can apply for an Honours track in aviation engineering or aviation management.

55AUGUST 2014

Society News2013 RAeS WRITTEN PAPER PRIZES


The reading and publication of written papers advancing the art and science of aeronautics and astronautics is among the very oldest and most fi rmly established traditions of the Society. Meet-ings for the reading and discussion of papers were an annual feature of Society business from the very earliest days, as was their publication in annual reports.

The Aeronautical Journal, fi rst published at the initiative of Captain B F S Baden-Powell, a younger brother of the founder of the Boy Scout movement, in January 1897. It continues to be the source of eligible publications considered by the Medals and Awards Committee for recognition in the form of written paper prizes, subject to approval by the Council.

The Society’s annual Sopwith Lecture is the oc-casion on which each previous year’s Written Paper Prize winners are announced and celebrated. The prizes awarded are for the best papers appearing in the 12 issues of The Aeronautical Journal published during the previous year. The prizes, announced at this year’s Sopwith Lecture on 7 July, comprised two Silver and three Bronze awards. Seven winners were present and the Society’s President, Air Cdre Bill Tyack, made the presentations.

Silver awards were accepted by Captain Terry Lutz (on behalf of Paul Bolds-Moorehead, Captain Van Chaney, Terry himself and Stéphane Vaux), and by Mr Dennis Vechtel for papers entitled ‘Stalling Transport Aircraft’ (published in December 2013), ‘In-fl ight simulation of wake encounters using deformed vortices’ (published in October 2013), respectively.

Bronze awards went to Professor Steve Parkes, Drs Iain Martin, Martin Dunstan and Nick Rowell, Olivier Dubois-Matra and Thomas Voirin for their publication describing their work on ‘A virtual test

environment for validating spacecraft optical naviga-tion’ (which appeared in November 2013); Drs Chris Kääriä and James Forrest and Professor Ieuan Owen for their paper entitled ‘The virtual AirDyn: a simulation technique for evaluating the aerodynamic impact of ship superstructures on helicopter opera-tion’ (published in December 2013), and to Joël Renaux, Vincent Brunet, Drs Sébastien Esquieu and Mickael Meunier and Sylvain Mouton for their paper on ‘Recent achievements in numerical simulation for aircraft power-plant confi gurations’ (published in February 2013).

Steve Parkes, Olivier Dubois-Matra, Chris Kääriä, Ieuan Owen and Joël Renaux were all present to receive their awards in person.

Dr Mike Steeden CEng FRAeSChair, Medals and Awards Committee

Above left: Capt Terry Lutz, left, accepts a Silver award from Bill Tyack, RAeS President, on behalf of his fellow authors.Above: Olivier Dubois-Matra, left, and Prof Steve Parkes, right, accept their Bronze award on behalf of their fellow authors.Left: Dr Chris Kääriä, left, and Prof Ieuan Owen accept their Bronze award.

THE READING AND PUBLICATION OF WRITTEN PAPERS ADVANCING THE ART AND SCIENCE OF AERONAUTICS AND ASTRONAUTICS IS AMONG THE VERY OLDEST AND MOST FIRMLY ESTABLISHED TRADITIONS OF THE SOCIETY

56

Elections

WITH REGRETThe RAeS announces with regret the deaths of the following members:

Christopher (Mike) Malcolm Boyle MRAeS 79

Aubrey Charles Ericsson AMRAeS 93

Douglas Hubert Evans IEng FRAeS 95

Forbes George De Brie Perry CEng MRAeS 90

Guy Pilcher-Clayton IEng MRAeS 55

Avriol Elizabeth Luz Seelig Affi liate 101

Max Wingfi eld Wholey CEng MRAeS 92


SOCIETY OFFICERSPresident: Air Cdre Bill TyackPresident-Elect: Martin Broadhurst

BOARD CHAIRMEN

Audit and Compliance Chairman: Prof David Allerton

Learned Society Chairman: Prof Graham RoeMembership Services Chairman:

Dr Alisdair WoodProfessional Standards Chairman:

Prof Chris Atkin

DIVISION PRESIDENTS

Australia: Air Cdre Noel G SchmidtNew Zealand: Gp Capt Frank SharpPakistan: AM Salim ArshadSouth African: Prof Laurent Dala

Afterburner

Iain Rawlinson

Richard AgnewAndrew BoomerMathieu DuquesnoyJustin ElliottAlexis GrabarZoe LaydenAlan LevenstonPatrick MallonGordon McConnellChristopher Newbold

FELLOWS

COMPANIONS

ADVERTISINGTo advertise in any of the Royal Aeronautical Society’s publications, website or e-media please contact:Emma BossomT +44 (0)20 7670 4342E [email protected]

Co-opted to Council for 2014-2015

Peter RigbySian SmithJohn WatretStephen Young

Nicholas CaleDouglas NancarrowMark StubbsChrstopher Wilson

John Shirley

Tom CiescoEmma EnglandMartin McCarthyBartosz Wielinski

Peter Turner

Nikita BansalPatrick LorrigSimone Simeone

MEMBERS

E-ASSOCIATES

AFFILIATES

STUDENT AFFILIATES

MODELS ON DISPLAY IN YORK

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS

Visitors to York saw a replica WW2 Hawker Hurricane on a rather unusual landing ground — on the roof of the Theatre Royal. The aircraft was displayed in the city centre to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the arrival of French airmen into the city in 1944. It remained on display until the start of the Tour de France cycle race on Sunday 6 July, during which the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight performed a fl y-past. Bill Read.

Left inset: A large- and small-scale replica of a WW1 Port Victoria PV8, the Eastchurch Kitten fi ghter from the Yorkshire Air Museum were also on display in the Museum Gardens, York, as part of York Armed Forces Day on Sunday 29 June. Bill Read.

Right inset: The real thing, Port Victoria PV8, the Eastchurch Kitten, N540. RAeS (NAL).

Three new members were co-opted to Council for 2014-2015, namely:Richard CrowtherSimon HenleyRichard Taylor

57AUGUST 2014

Society News


ROYAL AERONAUTICAL SOCIETY

No.4 Hamilton PlaceLONDON W1

The Proprietors again beg to inform the Nobility, Gentry and Public of the

Aerospace &Aviation Book Fair

Monday, 17 November 2014 11.00-18.00A great opportunity to browse and buy from a range of

aviation booksellers and publishers.

Visit the National Aerospace Library stand selling a large range of new/secondhand books and journals.

Partake from the RAeS merchandise range.

FREE ADMISSIONPlease contact the Conference and Events Department to RSVP:

T +44 (0)20 7670 4345 E [email protected]

aerody

composites

an micro air vehicles

roelasticity

air navis tiltrotors

air transport

The world’s longest continuously-produced aeronautics journal International readership and contentPublished monthlyAll subscriptions include online access to all papers produced since 2003All RAeS members receive an 80% discountPapers peer-reviewed by an international team of respected Associate Editors and referees from the world of aerospace academia and industryReporting current research providing an invaluable source of knowledge for academics, engineers, scientists, technologists and enthusiasts involved in aerospace

The Aeronautical JournalLeading aerospace into the future

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AL

JOU

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ay 2014

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e 118 Nu

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THEAERONAUTICALJOURNALCovering all aspects of aerospace

Volume 118 Number 1203

May 2014

Non-membersNon-member subscriptions are available from:

Royal Aeronautical SocietyPublications Subscriptions Department

Dovetail Services Ltd, 800 Guillat Avenue, Kent Science Park, Sittingbourne, Kent ME9 8GU, UK.

Tel: +44 (0)844 848 8426 Fax: +44 (0)844 856 0650 email: [email protected]

RAeS members All RAeS member subscriptions receive an 80% discount from:The Membership Department

Royal Aeronautical Society, No.4 Hamilton Place, London W1J 7BQ, UK.

Tel: +44 (0)20 7670 4300 Fax: +44 (0)20 7670 4309 email: [email protected]

Subscriptions

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SpaceX and a new approachStep forward Mr Musk and SpaceX. Elon Musk was already taking legal action to challenge a long term deal with ILA to reduce the cost of launching USAF satellites — from an eye-watering $300m a go to nearer $100m — as anti-competitive: that is to say, closing out a key market for SpaceX. Even before President Putin’s retaliation, SpaceX had used the embargo to block the deal and was getting close to prising open the USAF market.

Moreover, SpaceX is offering commercial customers a $60m launch, which is putting foxes into Arianespace’s henhouse, undercutting the Europeans by some $40m. SpaceX claims to be the fi rst genuinely commercial rocket development. Certainly, most of the initial cash has come from Elon Musk. But, aiming at the biggest closed satellite launch market in the world — American government customers — does give SpaceX a bit of an edge. US embargos on Chinese launch vehicles also helps.

Launcher economicsThe satellite launch business has always been an economic Wonderland; there is little correlation between cost and price, as, for a range of reasons, usually associated with wanting autonomy in accessing space, governments have been prepared to underwrite launch costs. But the current farrago in the US has added further political overtones to a highly politicised business. And we have not even mentioned the European debate over the future of Ariane — yet.

On balance, the entry of SpaceX into the launcher market is a welcome addition to the business. Even if it has something of a domestic market advantage over some of its international competitors, it is shaking up longstanding business assumptions. It might certainly strengthen those in the European space industry that want to cut out some of the more egregious political factors in building and launching Ariane.

US space policy is rapidly becoming one of the more risible inspirations for this column. The story of how US technology controls managed to undermine the commercial interests of American companies was a classic example of the law of unintended consequences. Now, the actions of an ambitious space entrepreneur, combined with the affects of external events are providing another.

Cold War gives way to co-operationAs the old Soviet Union gave way to the Russian Federation, US policy-makers thought it might be a good idea to wrap up some potentially dangerous space technology in a duvet of collaboration. This led to the Boeing-Lockheed ILA launcher company taking up a Russian rocket engine for its workhorse heavy-lift Atlas 5. By default, this became a critical element in the US military space programme lifting US communications and spy satellites. Retirement of the Shuttle then left NASA dependent on Russia for manned access to the International Space Station (ISS).

The chill returnsAll very well, until the political climate turned chilly. Now, US-inspired sanctions on Russian support for Ukrainian separatists have led to retaliatory embargos on westward Russian rocket engines and a threat to end US access to the ISS by 2020. Given that ILA has several years’ worth of engines stockpiled and Space Station missions are still up and running for a few years, relations with Russia may yet improve and normal relations could resume.

But the dependency exposed by the current crisis has led the US to question how this has occurred in such an important arena and what quickly might be done to solve the problem. A new US-built engine for the Atlas 5 may have to be built at a cost of some $1bn and will not be readily available.

The Last Word

Unintended consequences

Professor Keith HaywardRAeS Head of Research

COMMENTARY FROM

THE SATELLITE LAUNCH BUSINESS HAS ALWAYS BEEN AN ECONOMIC WONDERLAND; THERE IS LITTLE CORRELATION BETWEEN COST AND PRICE


www.aerosociety.com/events

Structures & Materials Group Conference

4TH AIRCRAFT

STRUCTURAL DESIGN

CONFERENCE

QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY BELFAST / 7 - 9 OCTOBER 2014

Sponsors

Future aircraft will be complex, requiring multi-disciplinary design approaches and solutions in a distributed design environment. The Royal Aeronautical Society’s 4th Aircraft Structural Design Conference will address the challenges facing the designers of the next generation of aircraft.

For more information and to view the full programme please visit our website.

Publications Partner

www.erf2014.com

Rotorcraft Conference

40TH EUROPEAN

ROTORCRAFT FORUM

SOUTHAMPTON / 2-5 SEPTEMBER 2014

The European Rotorcraft Forum is one of the premier events in the rotorcraft community’s calendar, bringing together manufacturers, research centres, academia,operators and regulatory agencies to discuss advances in research, development, design,manufacturing, testing and operation of rotorcraft.

A programme is now available at www.erf2014.com

Sponsors


International Flight Crew Training Conference

THE INTERNATIONAL PILOT

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LONDON / 23 - 25 SEPTEMBER 2014

IPTC Partners

The Annual International Flight Crew Training Conference will examine the work undertaken by the IPTC and will address the issues facing the flight crew training community from the perspectives of aircraft operators; manufacturers; makers, users & providers of training systems; researchers and regulators.

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President’s Conference 2014

THE STRATEGIC

CHOICES FOR SPACE

LONDON / 8-9 OCTOBER 2014

The 2014 President’s Conference will take a global perspective, and will cover the strategic challenges; the economics of commercial spaceflight; the opportunities presented by partnerships; the strategies for innovation and growth; and the UK Government’s vision for the future.

Further sponsorship opportunities are available.

Supported by:Sponsors:

Meeting your event needs in the heart of LondonHome to the Royal Aeronautical Society, No. 4 Hamilton Place is a stunning venue, centrally located in Mayfair, with a choice of event spaces. The venue offers:

• Edwardian elegance• State of the art conference facilities for up to 300• Versatile meeting rooms• A beautiful west facing terrace• Catering by foodbydish, one of London’s leading contemporary caterers

Let our dedicated team take care of your event requirements.

For more information visit www.4hp.org.uk or contact the Venue Team on 020 7670 4314 or [email protected] | No. 4 Hamilton Place, London W1J 7BQ

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