Flight International - January 20, 2015

FLIGHTINTERNATIONAL

FUEL FOR THOUGHTWhat impact will low oil price have on the aviation orderbook? Our experts share their insights 25

DISTANCE RUNNERAir Lease to debut the long-haul narrowbody Airbus thinks can replace transatlantic 757s 9

SUPERJUMBO JOB HOW TO GIVE THE A380 ITS FIRST HEAVY OVERHAUL MRO FEATURE P34

20-26 JANUARY 2015

SIMULATOR EVALUATION

GETTING IN THE SWINGAs RAF Typhoons head for Red Flag, we check out fighter’s combat versatility

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20-26 January 2015 | Flight International | 5flightglobal.com

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20-26 JANUARY 2015

THE WIDTH OF THIS IMAGE MUST REMAIN THE SAME

BUT THE HEIGHT CAN CHANGE IF NEEDED

VOLUME 187 NUMBER 5472

FLIGHTINTERNATIONAL

FUEL FOR THOUGHTWhat impact will low oil price have on the aviation orderbook? Our experts share their insights 25

DISTANCE RUNNERAir Lease to debut the long-haul narrowbody Airbus thinks can replace transatlantic 757s 9

SUPERJUMBO JOB HOW TO GIVE THE A380 ITS FIRST HEAVY OVERHAUL MRO FEATURE P34

20-26 JANUARY 2015

SIMULATOR EVALUATION

GETTING IN THE SWINGAs RAF Typhoons head for Red Flag, we check out fighter’s combat versatility

9 7 7 0 0 1 5 3 7 1 2 7 3

0 4£3.50

BAE

Syst

ems

COVER IMAGEBAE Systems supplied this picture of a Eurofighter Typhoon at its Warton site. We check out the type’s new P1Eb standard in one of its simulators P28

BEHIND THE HEADLINES Air Transport Editor David Kaminski-Morrow (left) and Editor Murdo Morrison are flanked by an Airbus A350 at the airframer’s start-of-year press conference in Toulouse, where the company updated its sales and pro-gramme activities (P14)

NEXT WEEK SPACEFLIGHT We ask what the future holds for two pioneering projects – the International Space Station and Virgin Galactic U

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USAF to review requirements for T-X P10. Department of Defense puts European reshuffle on the cards P21

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Divers set to recover AirAsia QZ8501 fuselage P10

COVER STORY28 Testing Typhoon We put the Eurofighter’s Phase

1 Enhancements package to the simulator test, revealing a nimble, swing-role combat asset

FEATURES34 MRO Heavy duty Airbus A380s are going through

major overhaul, or 3C checks, for the first time. How are MRO providers such as Emirates’ engineering unit coping with the task?

REGULARS7 Comment 37 Straight & Level38 Letters40 Classified 43 Jobs 47 Working Week

NEWS THIS WEEK 8 Learjet 85 halted in $1.4bn write-off9 Boeing spurns longer-range A321neo.

Inaugural A350 revenue service touches down10 Virgin Galactic seeks ‘year of rebirth’.

Subsea mission begins lifting AirAsia wreckage12 Aeroflot banks on Superjet.

CNN makes news with UAV research pact

AIR TRANSPORT 14 Big two soar to record production15 Airbus mulls further ramp-up for A320.

A380neo not a priority as focus stays on sales16 Mitsubishi’s MRJ powers up as full-scale testing

begins. Haitec to convert A320s at Hahn. Embraer hits delivery goal despite strike

18 Airliner sales chief quits Bombardier. BA 787 engine shutdown first for R-R’s Trent 1000

DEFENCE 19 USAF to review requirements for T-X.

Tokyo approves record defence spend.20 Scorpion developers bank on success21 US forces set for European reshuffle.

RAF Typhoons to face ‘swing-role’ test at Red Flag

BUSINESS AVIATION 22 Sky Limo collects first client.

Flight-ready G90XT proving popular, says Nextant. Citation M2 gets European owner as Atlas delivers

NEWS FOCUS 23 IAI’s commercial challenge 25 Falling crude prices fuel uncertainty

GENERAL AVIATION 24 MVP Aero firms ‘triphibian’ design ahead of first

flight. Terrafugia seeks flying car exemption. Mooney delivers first China-built Acclaim single

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flightglobal.com6 | Flight International | 20-26 January 2015

CONTENTS

QUESTION OF THE WEEKTHE WEEK IN NUMBERS

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Flightglobal’s premium news and data service delivers breaking air transport stories with profiles, schedules, and fleet, financial and traffic information flightglobal.com/dashboard

This week, we ask: Should long-range A321neo worry Boeing? ❑ Yes, perfect replacement for hundreds of 757s

❑ No, the market is tiny ❑ Boeing will launch own 757 replacement

DM

Par

ody

Last week, we asked: Will 2014 be high-water mark for airliner orders? You said:

Flightglobal

Number of years World Airways had been in business when it filed for bankruptcy protection at the end of 2014

66

Boeing

Number of new and retread tyres required for global C-17 fleet under eight-year deal with UK’s Dunlop Aircraft Tyres

80,000

Airbus

New published list price in millions for A350-800, even though Airbus has as good as axed the programme

$270

IMAGE OF THE WEEK Photojournalist David Parody captured this stunning image of the Royal Air Force’s first A400M Atlas as the tactical transport visited Gibraltar earlier this year. Airbus has orders in place to produce 174 of the type, including 22 for the UK service. The RAF took delivery of lead example ZM400 last December

View more great aviation shots online and in our weekly tablet edition:

24% 38%

38%

Yes, bubble will burst soon

No sign of demand slackening

Next few years will be up and down

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COMMENT


See News Analysis P25

When Airbus and Boeing opted to launch re-en-gined versions of their A320 and 737 families

rather than develop all-new narrowbodies, their logic was that – while the industry was happy with the de-sign, reliability and capacity of their current single-aisle offerings – long-term high oil prices would spur a rush by airlines to replace their aircraft with less-thirsty alternatives. From their viewpoint, upward pressure on Brent Crude was a good thing, in that it forced air-lines to invest in more efficient equipment.

Now, with the price of oil continuing to drop, both airframers are dismissing expert warnings that carriers will start to hold on to their gas-guzzlers a bit longer and impact the backlog. Instead, they argue that a low

oil price boosts demand for air travel by driving down fares and fuelling the global economy.

Both arguments cannot be right – or can they? It is inevitable that cheaper fuel will eventually impact the replacement market. Why would an airline invest in new aircraft when the savings offered on fuel con-sumption are marginal? But what if for every delayed replacement there was a need for one or more aircraft to meet capacity growth? This is the dynamic Airbus and Boeing are betting on. And as consumers and busi-nesses – including airlines themselves – feel the benefit of falling oil prices in their pocket, the airframers might be right to be unconcerned. ■

Oil’s well for the airframers

See This Week P9Re

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Transatlantic market up for grabs

The future of the long-haul narrowbody market is now slightly clearer. Airbus has officially launched

a 4,000nm (7,400km)-range version of the A321neo that can match or exceed the Boeing 757-200, includ-ing the niche role of flying from the US East Coast to secondary cities in western Europe.

At the moment Boeing prefers to laugh at the Airbus forecast of up to 1,000 aircraft orders in this segment, but its rivals in Toulouse may enjoy the last guffaw. Airbus’s numbers were hardly plucked out of thin air: Boeing sold more than 1,000 757s with essentially the same seat count and range as the newly launched long-range A321neo.

Of course, the 757 entered service 12 years ahead of the current version of the A321, and 19 years before the first 737-900. The cross-country routes once dominated by 757s are routinely flown by the latest versions of 737 and A321 derivatives today.

The long-range A321neo will seek to assume the 757’s niche role on transatlantic routes. There are about 50 757s currently flying such services – a fraction of the 500-aircraft replacement market suggested by Airbus chief salesman John Leahy. This also offers little prec-edent for Leahy’s prediction of a further market for an-other 500 orders for growth. Is it any wonder Boeing vice-president for marketing Randy Tinseth writes off Leahy’s forecast as “laughable”?

But Airbus may be on to something. Only two dec-ades ago it was common to see widebodies flying most

coast-to-coast routes in the USA, but those roles have since dwindled to a few highly specialised routes. The North Atlantic crossing may go the same way over the next 10 years, with the 767 and A330 ceding more terri-tory to their narrowbody sisters.

If Boeing seems dismissive of the long-range A321neo today, it is only because analysts in Seattle have likely decided how they will beat it. Boeing is considering launching a new clean-sheet aircraft that will be larger – and, dare we suggest, a twin-aisle? – with longer-range than an A321neo can possibly offer. It would not only be feasible to connect the US north-east to the westward fringe of Europe, but open routes deep into the interior of both markets.

On the chess board of air transport product strategy, it is too early to know which side is approaching check or checkmate. By moving first, however, Airbus earns the chance to collect hundreds of orders, while leaving its options open to counter Boeing’s response a decade later. ■

By moving first, Airbus has the chance to collect hundreds of orders before Boeing reacts

Airbus believes there is a big market for a long-range version of its A321neo, particularly on thin transatlantic routes. Boeing is sceptical, but its rival may have first-mover advantage

In it for the long haul

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THIS WEEK


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OIL PRICE WILL HIT ORDERS, WARNS AGENCYOUTLOOK Credit-rating specialist Moody’s says the continuing fall in oil prices will spark more cancellations or deferrals of aircraft orders. The price of Brent crude has steadily declined since mid-2014 to below $49. Moody’s argues that the price “significantly reduces” the operating cost benefits carriers will gain from using new, more fuel-efficient aircraft. But Airbus rejects the concerns. Chief operating officer for customers John Leahy, speaking in Toulouse last week, said lower oil prices would benefit airlines’ financial positions.See News Analysis P25

AIR EUROPA SEALS DEAL FOR 14 787-9 AIRCRAFTORDER Spanish carrier Air Europa has confirmed an order for 14 Boeing 787-9s, having signed the deal last December. Boeing had listed the order as placed by an unidentified customer. The deal raises Air Europa’s orderbook with Boeing to 22 787s, including eight -8s. The aircraft will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 1000s.

SAUDI ARABIA CANCELS ORDER FOR VIP A380BUSINESS JETS Saudi Arabian officials have formally cancelled the only order for the VIP version of the Airbus A380. The order has been removed from Airbus’s backlog, its order figures for 2014 indicate.Airbus had disclosed in 2007 that it was planning to provide a VIP-configured A380 to a customer subsequently identified as Kingdom Holding Company. Kingdom Holding is associated with Saudi Arabian magnate Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud.

BOEING NAMES NEW HEADS FOR KEY PLANTSAPPOINTMENTS Boeing is making management changes in its commercial aircraft division. Beverly Wyse becomes vice-president of the South Carolina plant after five-years as president and general manager of the 737 programme and Boeing’s Renton, Washington site. She succeeds Jack Jones, who is retiring in May after a long Boeing career. Scott Campbell, who has been vice-president and general manager of the 767 programme, will succeed Wyse.

INVESTORS MAKE BIDS FOR MALAYSIA AIRLINESRESTRUCTURING The sovereign wealth fund that owns troubled Malaysia Airlines is “seriously looking at a few” of the 34 proposals it has received from suitors keen to be involved in the carrier’s restructuring. Khazanah says it is open to proposals from the private sector, but stresses MAS will not be broken up into different divi-sions, Malaysia’s official state news agency Bernama reports.

LUXAVIATION BUYS PORTUGAL’S MASTERJET ACQUISITION Luxaviation Group has snapped up Lisbon-based operator Masterjet – its fifth acquisition of a business aviation com-pany in three years. Luxaviation is now the second largest business aircraft operator in Europe, with a fleet of just under 100 aircraft. Masterjet operates eight business jets including two long-range Dassault Falcon 7Xs and a refurbished VIP-configured Airbus A320.

BLUEBIRD SOARS WITH GREEK SUCCESSPURCHASE The Greek police force has built on a 2013 order for SpyLite unmanned air vehicles by purchasing an additional number of systems from Israeli company BlueBird. Greek sources say the government-to-government deal includes more of the approximately 9.5kg (21lb), 4h-endurance type, and also the 24kg ThunderB, with deliveries to start in February. BlueBird declines to comment.

BRIEFING

Bombardier has taken a $1.4 billion impairment charge

after deciding to “pause” its Learjet 85 programme due to continued weak demand in the light jet sector.

The write-off will be recorded as a pre-tax special charge in fourth-quarter results scheduled for release by the Canadian air-framer on 12 February.

Bombardier also has confirmed that it will further reduce its work-force by 1,000 employees, with the job cuts focused on Learjet 85 manufacturing sites in Queretaro, Mexico, and Wichita, Kansas.

The all-composite Learjet 85 was launched in 2008 with plans for service entry by the end of 2013. Bombardier blamed sched-ule delays initially on problems with certificating the design and manufacturing of the business jet’s all-composite structure.

The first Learjet 85 test aircraft completed a maiden flight last April, but Bombardier executives declined to provide an updated schedule for entry into service. The entire project was placed into a broader review of the com-pany’s development priorities instead, with the CSeries and Global 7000 and 8000 business jets given higher preference.

“Given the weakness of the market, we made the difficult de-

cision to pause the Learjet 85 pro-gramme at this time,” says Bombardier president and chief executive Pierre Beaudoin. “We will focus our resources on our two other clean-sheet aircraft pro-grammes under development.”

Despite the charges and the Learjet 85 pause, Bombardier has reported 2014 aircraft deliveries that beat its expectations.

It delivered 290 aircraft last year, comprising 204 business jets, 84 commercial aircraft and two amphibious aircraft. The company had forecast deliveries of 280 aircraft, including 80 com-mercial aircraft.

The Learjet 85 pause comes after the first test aircraft – dubbed FTV-1 – completed more than 75 flights over eight months.

Despite the latest decision, Bombardier still believes there is a future for the mid-sized busi-ness jet when demand in the seg-ment improves, says Beaudoin.

“When we say pause we mean pause. We have a great aircraft,” says Beaudoin. “When I look at the installed base and the people that will trade into this category, it’s a great market. It’s just that as far as we are concerned we prefer to take a pause, observe the mar-ket, and when the market shows real signs of picking up I think we’ll have a fantastic airplane.” ■

PROGRAMME STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC

Learjet 85 halted in $1.4bn write-offAirframer takes hit as poor market forces all-composite midsize business aircraft to be ‘paused’ indefinitely

Billy

Pix

The type had been originally scheduled to enter service in 2013

THIS WEEK


Virgin Galactic seeks ‘year of rebirth’THIS WEEK P10

VITAL STATISTICS: A321NEO VS BOEING COMPETITORS

Type MTOW (metric tons) Seating (two-class) Range (nm)

757-200 116 200 3,900A321neo (LR) 97 206 4,000737 Max 9 88.3 180 3,600SOURCE: Boeing, Airbus

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The 283-seat Qatar twinjet arrived in Frankfurt on 15 January

The first Airbus A350 revenue service, operated by launch

customer Qatar Airways, arrived on 15 January at Frankfurt airport after a flight from Doha.

The 283-seat A350-900 operated Qatar Airways flight QR67, with its return flight scheduled for later the same day as flight QR68.

Qatar Airways took delivery of its first -900 – one of 80 A350s it has on order – on 22 December. It will initially deploy the aircraft on a daily service between Doha and Frankfurt. Speaking at the delivery ceremony late last year, Qatar Airways group chief execu-tive Akbar Al Baker said the One-world carrier expects to take

delivery of eight more of the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-powered aircraft in 2015. It will gradually deploy the twinjet across its net-work to other European destina-

tions, as well as to points in “the Far East, the Indian subcontinent and ultra-long-haul flights to the eastern seaboard of the USA”, Al Baker adds. ■

MILESTONE MAX KINGSLEY-JONES LONDON

Inaugural A350 revenue service touches down

PROGRAMME DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW TOULOUSE STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC

Boeing spurns longer-range A321neoTinseth describes rival’s market forecast as “laughable” after Airbus launches type with 30-strong Air Lease commitment

Boeing has dismissed Airbus’s market forecast for a long-

haul narrowbody as “laughable”, after its rival formally launched its longer-range A321neo last week with a tentative deal for 30 from US lessor Air Lease Corporation.

Airbus believes the variant, which has an increased maxi-mum take-off weight of 97t and was unveiled in 2014, is a perfect replacement for Boeing 757-200s, particularly on thinner transat-lantic routes.

The airframer, which intends to introduce the type in early 2019, has put the seat-count at 206 – up from earlier indications of a capacity of 164. There will also be “minor improvements” to the wings and fuselage.

Speaking at a briefing in Tou-louse, chief operating officer for customers John Leahy said the aircraft will have up to three aux-iliary fuel tanks, giving it a poten-tial range of 4,000nm (7,410km).

Air Lease chief Steve Udvar-Hazy suggests the aircraft could become a replacement for the 757-200, he adds. Over 300 757s are operating transatlantic servic-

es, says Leahy, but some 160 oth-ers are plying different routes – in-cluding around 100 serving European-Asian links. “The long-er-haul single-aisle market is a lu-crative one that the A321neo will now dominate,” claims Leahy.

Air Lease ordered 60 A321neo jets during the Farnborough air show last year. The longer-range A321neo agreement, which takes the form of a memorandum of understanding, is supplemental to this agreement.

Boeing says it plans no imme-diate response to the launch,

with vice-president for marketing Randy Tinseth claiming only 50 to 60 757-200s are flying transat-lantic routes that require the list-ed 4,000nm range.

“The thought of a thousand-airplane market for a market of that size frankly is a little laugha-ble,” Tinseth says.

Airbus’s Leahy described a potential market for 1,000 long-range A321neo orders, with 500 coming from the 757-200 re-placement market and 500 for fleet growth.

However, despite Tinseth’s scepticism, Boeing continues studies for a 757 replacement, having visited 30 airlines in the past year to receive feedback on aircraft requirements.

“It’s a market space we’re cur-rently looking at,” says Boeing senior vice-president of global

sales and marketing John Wojick. Although that may seem contra-dictory with his colleague’s deri-sive dismissal of the Airbus mar-ket forecast, Tinseth draws a careful distinction.

Airbus has launched a new version of the A321neo to “catch up” to the range already offered by Boeing’s largest versions of the 737 – the 737-900ER now in ser-vice and the 737 Max 9 still to come, Tinseth says.

Although the long-range A321neo beats the listed range of the 737 Max 9 by 400nm, the Boeing Business Jet version of the aircraft includes range-extending belly fuel tanks that could be ap-plied to the airline market if the company chooses, Wojick says. ■

Airb

us

Lessor chief Steve Udvar-Hazy suggests the aircraft could become a replacement for the 757-200

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Divers were being deployed late last week as the process

began to recover the fuselage of crashed Indonesia AirAsia flight QZ8501 from the floor of the Java Sea.

A 30m (98ft) long, 10m wide aircraft section was located by the Singapore navy vessel MV Swift Rescue on 14 January, with Indonesia’s Barsanas national search and rescue agency saying the right wing of the crashed Airbus A320 is still attached to the fuselage.

The wreckage was found about 1.6nm (3km) from where the aircraft’s tail was recovered, and about 800m from the loca-tion of its salvaged flight data re-corder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder.

Both have been handed over to Indonesia’s National Transport Safety Committee, and media re-ports indicate data from the FDR has been successfully download-ed in Jakarta.

By 14 January search teams had also recovered fragments of the wings and engines, and the bodies of 50 of the 155 passengers and seven crew members on board when the aircraft crashed en route from Surabaya to Singa-pore on 28 December.

Meanwhile, Indonesia’s trans-port ministry moved to suspend dozens of route permits held by five other carriers over alleged permit violations identified fol-lowing audits conducted in the wake of the Indonesia AirAsia crash. The ministry says its in-

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The aircraft’s tail was raised from the sea bed on 10 January

Virgin Galactic is focusing on the development of its sec-

ond sub-orbital tourist spacecraft, following the fatal crash of the previous model late last year.

The Scaled Composites-built SpaceShipTwo crashed on 31 Oc-tober, killing one of its two test pilots. A US National Transporta-tion Safety Board investigation is expected to be complete 12 months after the incident.

In the meantime, George White-sides, chief executive of Virgin Ga-lactic, says the second spacecraft – which was two years into devel-opment at the point of the crash – is 90% structurally complete and two-thirds along in terms of sys-tems. Testing is expected to begin in 2015, ahead of planned com-mercial operations in 2016.

“Accidents like the one we had are tragic, but they are actu-ally the way that you advance aerospace technology,” White-sides says. “We had a bad day

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SpaceShipTwo broke up on 31 October, killing one test pilot

[and] Scaled [Composites] had a bad day; nobody should be under any illusion that the early flights of commercial space will be as safe as, say, the flight of a [Boeing] 747.”

A process of “informed con-sent” will be used when commer-cial operations begin, with the risks of the technology disclosed to potential customers before they fly.

“I think that is the right pos-ture for this moment in time for

the industry,” Whitesides adds. “Without risk you take away the chance for big leaps forward.

“If all you do is incremental [changes] you aren’t going to start new industries and make new explorations.”

The first vehicle was to be handed over to Virgin Galactic a few months after the October test flight for work to tailor the type for commercial operations.

The results of the NTSB inves-tigation will be incorporated with the second spacecraft.

“The NTSB has already come out and discussed what they think was the initial cause, so we don’t anticipate big changes, but to the extent that we need to do anything – like related to human factors and control systems – then we will do that,” Whitesides told Flight Interna-tional in London.

Virgin Galactic does not expect to have to repeat all the test

points carried out on the previ-ous craft because it is “roughly the same vehicle from a design perspective”, Whitesides says. “We’ll be able to make efficien-cies in certain places, but we’ll also probably want to test a little more in other areas.”

Meanwhile, the company also hopes to make advances with its LauncherOne orbital launch ve-hicle this year. The system is also deployed from the WhiteKnight mothership aircraft, but once re-leased will launch small satellites into orbit. LauncherOne is ex-pected to enter testing in 2016, with commercial operations be-ginning in 2017.

“I think 2015 will be a year of rebirth for Virgin Galactic,” Whi-tesides says. “We have made it through one of the toughest pos-sible events and we’re still stand-ing and absolutely committed to opening up space for all.” ■See Feature next week

OUTLOOK BETH STEVENSON LONDON

Virgin Galactic seeks ‘year of rebirth’Three months after tragedy, chief executive vows testing will restart this year with first commercial operations in 2016

spectorate found 35 violations of “predefined permission” associ-ated with budget carrier Lion Air and another 18 with its subsidi-ary Wings Air, plus three by Susi Air. All will be invited to reapply for the permits. The ministry later

backed away from seven other similar claims made against Garuda Indonesia and TransNusa Air Services, following protests from both carriers. ■Additional reporting by David Kaminski-Morrow in London

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Russian flag-carrier Aeroflot has agreed to take another 20

Sukhoi Superjet 100s, under a tentative agreement with the air-framer. Aeroflot chief Vitaly Saveliev signed the memoran-dum of intent with Sukhoi, the airline states.

The aircraft will be supple-mental to the 30 already ordered by the SkyTeam carrier, which has received 16 of the type – and if introduced will give Aeroflot a fleet of 50 Superjets by 2017.

Saveliev describes the agree-ment as a “breakthrough event” in Russian civil aviation, but acknowledges the “challenges” facing the Russian economy.

“We are not just providing support for the Russian aircraft industry,” he says, adding that the carrier is investing in the “fu-ture of the country”. Its decision will “allow Russians to fly on Russian aircraft”, he adds.

Aeroflot says the Superjets will primarily be configured with an 87-seat layout, including 12 in the business-class cabin.

Sukhoi civil aircraft chairman Mikhail Pogosyan says the deci-sion to increase the fleet is a “sign

The US Federal Aviation Ad-ministration has teamed up

with CNN to explore the integra-tion of sophisticated unmanned air vehicles into newsgathering.

The organisations have signed a co- operative research and development agreement, which the news network says will also utilise some of its experience from an existing partnership with Georgia Tech Research Institute.

Data already collected from the latter initiative will help the FAA to formulate a framework for vari-ous types of UAVs so they can be safely integrated into newsgather-ing activities. CNN says it hopes to be able to use a variety of un-manned aircraft and payloads ca-pable of producing high-quality video in the future.

“Unmanned aircraft offer news organisations significant oppor-tunities,” says FAA administrator Michael Huerta. “We hope this agreement will help safely integrate unmanned newsgather-ing technology and operating procedures into the national air-space system.” ■

AGREEMENT DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC

Aeroflot banks on Superjet Carrier signals intention to acquire 20 more regional jets, as United Aircraft changes leader

UNMANNED SYSTEMS BETH STEVENSON LONDON

CNN makes news with UAV research pact

of trust” and shows “evidence of the operational efficiency” of the type. However, a plan to deliver 60 Superjets by the end of 2014 has slipped to a target of 2016.

The potential orders boost comes as Pogosyan appears set to leave his post at the head of Rus-sia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) after an eight-year tenure.

Industry and trade minister Denis Manturov said on 13 Janu-ary that officials have decided to split the positions of chief execu-tive and general designer. Pogosyan will continue working in the latter role, while Man-

turov’s deputy Yuri Slusar will take the top job, according to state-owned newswire ITAR-TASS.

An executive biography of Po-gosyan has been removed from UAC’s Russian-language website.

The conglomorate delivered 161 aircraft worth Rb285 billion ($4.37 billion) in 2014, including 37 civilian aircraft.

“Despite the difficult econom-ic situation, in 2014 the corpora-tion was able to achieve the best performance since its inception – both in terms of revenue and the number of aircraft deliveries,” Pogosyan said on 12 January. ■

Russia’s flag-carrier already has 16 of the type in use

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AIR TRANSPORT



A double-digit increase in Boeing’s output drove a 6%

rise in global mainline airliner production last year to a record 1,352 aircraft, with its widebody shipments significantly outstrip-ping Airbus’s. The US manufac-turer looks set to retain this mar-ket-share lead in deliveries for at least the next two years.

Meanwhile the two rivals’ combined net orders of 2,888 aircraft also marks a new industry record.

ADVANTAGEAirbus delivered 629 aircraft in 2014 – just three more than it shipped the previous year. This puts it some 94 units shy of its rival’s total of 723 deliveries – with Boeing’s advantage driven by its significantly greater wide-body output.

Boeing’s deliveries rose 10% during 2014 with its growing output advantage the result of increasing 787 production rates. Dreamliner production almost doubled last year to 114 units, helping propel the US manufac-turer to 238 widebody deliveries in 2014. This is 99 deliveries

AIRBUS/BOEING DELIVERIES, NET ORDERS AND BACKLOG

2014 2013Deliveries Net orders Backlog Deliveries Net orders

Airbus

A320ceo 490 310 1,508 493 286A320neo 0 1,011 3,621 0 876A330ceo 108 34 193 108 69A330neo 0 120 120 0 0A350 1 -32 779 0 230A380 30 13 165 25 42Total 629 1,456 6,386 626 1,503Boeing

737 NG 485 204 1,636 440 347737 Max 0 900 2,663 0 699747 19 0 36 24 12767 6 4 47 21 2777 99 63 278 98 47777X 0 220 286 0 66787 114 41 843 65 182Total 723 1,432 5,789 648 1,355Grand total 1,352 2,888 12,175 1,274 2,858NOTE: Data includes corporate versions. SOURCE: Manufacturers

PRODUCTION MAX KINGSLEY-JONES LONDON

Big two soar to record productionBoeing’s widebody shipments help keep it ahead of Airbus in 2014 output, but European airframer nudges it in sales

“Boeing’s delivery lead last year was the result of significant-ly more widebody shipments than Airbus, which drives a greater overall market share in value terms,” says Rob Morris, head of consultancy at Flight-global’s Ascend advisory arm.

Ascend estimates that Boeing’s 53% market share in unit terms extends to 59% when output is measured in value terms. This is using Ascend’s full-life base values rather than sticker prices for the estimation.

“As Airbus ramps up A350 production, the unit market share is expected to tend back towards 50/50, although our current understanding of planned production suggests this won’t be achieved before 2017,” says Morris.

“However, with Airbus signalling potential increases in A320 production next year, this could be achieved a little earlier – although balancing that further cuts are likely in A330 volume, which could offset the A320 production increases.

“So overall we expect Boeing to retain a delivery market share

lead for another couple of years at least.”

Airbus became the lead airlin-er producer for the first time in 2003 and sustained its advantage for the next eight years. Produc-tion levels were fairly evenly matched in 2012 and 2013 – with Boeing holding the slight advantage – until the US manu-facturer powered ahead to its almost three-digit lead in 2014.

SHAREThe European manufacturer’s tally of 1,456 net orders takes the industry’s combined total to 2,888 aircraft. The Airbus tally – which is 47 fewer than its 2013 total – gives it a slight advantage over its rival. Boeing secured 1,432 net orders.

The two manufacturers’ com-bined 2014 sales total breaks the net order record of 2,858 orders set in 2013. This has driven the combined year-end order backlog up by over 14% to 12,175 aircraft, compared with the total 12 months earlier.

Airbus has its nose ahead with its 6,386 orders represent-ing a 52.5% market share. ■

Seattle gained the advantage as it increased production of the Dreamliner to 114 units in 2014

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more than Airbus in the wide-body category, which is only just beginning shipments of its rival A350 XWB.

Airbus just had the edge in single-aisle production, ship-ping 490 A320 family aircraft against 485 Boeing 737s.

AIR TRANSPORT


MRJ powers up as systems verified by engine run testAIR TRANSPORT P16

Airbus is expecting to decide in the first half of this year on a

possible further production in-crease for the A320 family.

The airframer has already com-mitted to increasing the monthly rate from 42 to 46 in 2016, even though it had originally intended to keep output stable at 42 during transition to the A320neo.

Airbus chief executive Fabrice Brégier, speaking in Toulouse last week, pointed out that the base-line A320 took net orders for 310 aircraft last year. “The challenge will be to deliver more [current-version A320s],” he says.

HIKEHe says the airframer is studying the ramifications of a rate hike be-yond 46 which, if implemented, would take place after the first quarter of 2016.

“Compared with a year ago…we have a much more robust backlog of [A320s],” he says. “We believe this is the time, now, to work out a solution to offer addi-tional aircraft to the market.”

Brégier states that any decision on a new production plan would be disclosed in the first half of this year. Chief operating officer for customers John Leahy said during

Senior Airbus executives con-tinue to hint that a re-engined

A380 is being considered, but in-sist the “priority” remains secur-ing orders for the current version of the superjumbo – something chief executive Fabrice Brégier sees as achievable this year, after Airbus finished 2014 with just 13 net orders for its biggest airliner.

“Long-term improvements to the A380 are certain,” said Brégi-er at a briefing in Toulouse last week, but he adds that the sales focus is very much on the exist-ing programme.

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PRODUCTION DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW TOULOUSE

Airbus mulls further ramp-up for A320Backlog for Ceo remains robust despite Neo transition, with airframer considering increasing monthly rate to 46 in 2016

a briefing: “I want to see a rate above 50 as soon as possible.”

At the new rate of 46 aircraft, the company’s Hamburg plant will build 24 per month, up from 22. The Toulouse and Tianjin plants will stay at 16 and four re-spectively, while the future US line in Mobile will produce two.

Orders for the current A320 have remained strong despite the A320neo launch in late 2010. The re-engined aircraft is due to enter service in the fourth quarter of this year. The backlog for the baseline A320 family has only fallen by around 10% each year since the launch, despite a hike in the monthly production rate from 36 to the present 42. Chief operating

officer Tom Williams says that there is potential to increase rates in Mobile and Tianjin if necessary, but points out there is “still capac-ity in Hamburg and Toulouse”.

CLARITYHe says that the primary focus is ensuring that suppliers have suffi-cient resources, such as forging capacity and the ability to pro-duce crucial engine and landing-gear components. Airbus’s studies ought to yield “more clarity” on these aspects by around February-March, he states.

“We didn’t think we’d sell [current A320s] terribly well through the [A320neo] transi-tion,” says Williams.

Meanwhile, Airbus took eight orders for the current A330 vari-ants during the last month of 2014, but has yet to secure a strong bridging deal ahead of transition to the A330neo.

As well as three A330s for Lion Air, the airframer recorded an order for five A330-200s for a cus-tomer identified as International Airfinance. But the cancellation of 15 A330s as part of AirAsia’s order for the A330neo left net or-ders for 34 of the baseline type over the year – just half of the fig-ure achieved in 2013.

While the manufacturer has been pushing its high-density version of the A330, aimed at the regional markets in Asia, it has not yet managed to land a solid order – potentially from China, where Airbus has provisionally agreed to establish an A330 com-pletion centre.

Williams says the company has not decided whether to cut the A330 production rate further, fol-lowing its decision to take month-ly output down to nine this year.

Airbus has a backlog of 193 A330s – not counting the re-en-gined A330neo for which it sealed firm orders totalling 120 aircraft last year. ■

A380neo not a priority as focus stays on salesULTRA-LARGE AIRCRAFT MURDO MORRISON TOULOUSE

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The Hamburg plant will have to build two more – or 24 per month

While Airbus won an order for 20 A380s from lessor Amedeo in 2014, the year also brought can-cellations of six for Japanese car-rier Skymark and one VIP version for Saudi Arabia. The Skymark cancellation has left Airbus,

which delivered 30 superjumbos last year, with two A380 “white-tails” at the end of production.

Brégier admits that the A380 “went through difficult times” – a reference to reliability issues in its early years in service – “but

these are now firmly behind us”. He repeats his earlier insistence that the programme is “on track to deliver breakeven” by 2015, adding: “We are convinced its best days lie ahead.”

His colleague John Leahy, chief operating officer for customers, says a revamped A380 would not just have replacement engines: “If we ever do an A380neo, there could be sharklets and an aerody-namic clean-up... a list of things. We have always said we would not do it unless we could achieve a 10% lower fuel burn.” ■

There were 20 new orders in 2014, but also seven cancellations

AIR TRANSPORT



Mitsubishi Aircraft has started full-scale tests on its MRJ re-

gional jet, as it gears towards the programme’s scheduled first flight in the second quarter of the year.

The Japanese airframer per-formed, for the first time, an engine run on the right engine of its first flight test aircraft (MSN10001) on 13 January at Nagoya airport.

“The first engine run verified the total operations of the aircraft’s systems, including fuel, air condi-tioning, electric systems and power systems,” says Mitsubishi.

Last month, the manufacturer also performed a wing up-bend-ing test on its static strength test aircraft at Mitsubishi Heavy In-dustries’ Komaki South plant. The test, at maximum load calcu-lated from simulation of flight conditions, was applied to the wings of the aircraft.

Embraer delivered 92 commer-cial jets in 2014, meeting the

low-end of its guidance estimate.Deliveries included 62 E175s,

19 E190s, 10 E195s and one E170, Embraer says.

Last February, Embraer predict-ed that it could deliver 92 to 97 commercial aircraft in 2014.

The firm met its full-year guid-ance despite facing a brief labour strike at its factory in São José dos Campos at the beginning of the last quarter. Fourth quarter deliveries totaled 30 jets, including 22 E175s, five E190s and three E195s. ■

German MRO provider Haitec is preparing to conduct pas-

senger-to-freighter conversions of Airbus A320s.

The maintenance specialist, based at Hahn airport, is targeting modification of up to 12 A320s a year in the course of a “pilot pro-ject” formally launched in the autumn of 2014, it says.

Airbus Group’s freighter con-version subsidiary EFW, located in the German city of Dresden, is planning an A321 P2F pro-gramme, sources said last year.

In 2008, Airbus launched a P2F programme for A320s and A321s, to be modified through a joint ven-ture with Russian aerospace firms, but this was scrapped in 2011. ■

MILESTONE

Heavier A330 takes to skyAirbus has flown its higher-weight, 242t A330 for the first time. A 3.5h sortie was conducted from the manu-facturer’s Toulouse plant on 12 January to check how the aircraft performed in the air and validate its flight envelope, Airbus says. The aircraft’s maximum take-off weight has been raised by 7t over the standard 235t-version to increase the range by 500nm (925km). Airbus is initially pursuing the performance enhance-ment on the A330-300, and the higher-weight version is to enter service with Delta Air Lines later this year.

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PRODUCTION

Embraer hits delivery goal despite strike

MRO

Haitec to convert A320s at Hahn

MSN10001’s right powerplant was activated on 13 January

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DEVELOPMENT MAVIS TOH SINGAPORE

Mitsubishi’s MRJ powers up as full-scale testing beginsFirst engine run verified series of systems ahead of maiden flight set for second quarter

Mitsubishi says the test pro-duced “anticipated results”.

“Mitsubishi Aircraft remains committed to the success of the first flight with an on-track progress of the upcoming tests,” it adds.

Mitsubishi is using a fleet of

seven test aircraft – five for flight tests and two for ground tests – for the MRJ programme.

The MRJ orderbook stands at 375 aircraft: 191 firm, 160 options and 24 purchase rights. Japan Airlines has also signed a letter of intent for 32 of the regional jets. ■

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AIR TRANSPORT


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MILESTONE

Air China picks Big Apple for jumboAir China has deployed a Boeing 747-8I internationally for the first time. The carrier’s first overseas service with the type was on the Beijing-New York John F Kennedy route on 7 January. The quadjet will replace Boeing 777-300ERs on seven of the airline’s 12 weekly frequencies. FlightMaps Analytics shows that Air China also deploys the aircraft on the Beijing-Guangzhou route.

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G-ZBJE turned back some 25min into the flight to Calgary

Rolls-Royce has confirmed an in-flight engine shutdown on

a British Airways Boeing 787 is the first such event since its Trent 1000 powerplant entered service.

The aircraft (G-ZBJE) departed London Heathrow on 8 January for Calgary, Canada but turned back over the northern UK some 25min into the flight.

The flight landed back at Heath-row without further incident. BA says the twinjet returned as a precaution after a “suspected technical fault”. R-R says the 787 underwent an in-flight shutdown of one engine. The shutdown was the first to occur with the

powerplant since the first Trent-powered 787 was delivered to All Nippon Airways in October 2011.

Japan Airlines became the first carrier to receive 787s fitted with the rival General Electric GEnx en-gine about five months later. The GEnx has experienced a small number of shutdown events.

Rolls-Royce says the Trent has “demonstrated class-leading reliability” on the 787 since its introduction. The BA 787 in-volved in the Heathrow incident was delivered in May last year, according to Flightglobal’s Ascend Fleets database. ■

Bombardier’s top salesman for commercial airliners has

left the company after a year-long tenure.

Ray Jones became chief sales-man in December 2013, after spending a decade in sales at Bombardier’s business jet divi-sion. Jones inherited an order backlog of 182 aircraft 12 months ago, and signed four deals over the past year that added 61 additional orders to the total.

Bombardier also bagged orders for 46 CRJ900 regional jets and 46 Dash 8 Q400 turboprops during Jones’ tenure.

China Aircraft Leasing Com-pany (CALC) has firmed its

order for 100 Airbus A320-family aircraft, originally announced in November last year.

The order includes 74 A320neos, 16 A320ceos and 10 A321ceos, and takes CALC’s back-log with Airbus to 140 aircraft.

No engine selection for the air-craft has been announced. CALC’s existing A320s operate with both International Aero

Engines V2500 and CFM International CFM56 engines.

Flightglobal’s Ascend Fleets database shows that CALC has a portfolio of 47 aircraft, compris-ing 42 A320-family aircraft and five Boeing 737-800s.

Prior to the latest order, the les-sor held orders for 17 A320s, five A321s and 20 Comac C919s. ■

MANAGEMENT STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC

Airliner sales chief quits BombardierJones’s exit follows the departure of several senior marketing and sales executives and major corporate reorganisation

PROPULSION DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON

BA 787 engine shutdown first for R-R’s Trent 1000

ORDER ELLIS TAYLOR SINGAPORE

CALC firms A320-family jet buy

The company’s sales campaign faced several challenges through-out the year, including the missed debut of a CS100 test air-craft at the Farnborough air show in July 2014. An engine malfunc-tion about six weeks before the air show kept the test fleet grounded until 16 September.

Jones’ departure follows in the footsteps of a number of market-ing and sales executives over the past 12 months, beginning with his predecessor, Chet Fuller.

Bombardier also announced a sweeping reorganisation of its commercial aircraft business last August. The changes abolished the aerospace division led by then-president Guy Hachey. The unit was split into three stan-dalone segments for commercial aircraft, business aircraft and aer-ostructures and engineering ser-vices. Within the commercial air-craft division, president Mike

Arcamone restructured the sales organisation, replacing former marketing executive Philippe Poutissou with Ross Miller.

Since Jones’ departure, Miller has become the chief salesman for the CSeries programme. He has taken over a consolidated sales operation, combining personnel for communications, public rela-tions, marketing, sales, deal man-agement and strategy. More re-cently Mitchell also added asset management to his portfolio, which allows him to leverage trade-ins and used aircraft directly in sales campaigns. ■

The company’s salescampaign faced several challenges throughout the year

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DEFENCEScorpion developers bank on successDEFENCE P20

The US Air Force is targeting four development pro-

grammes – including its T-X replacement for the Northrop T-38 trainer – for capability downgrades, in an effort to re-duce cost and speed up its slow-moving acquisition system.

USAF secretary Deborah Lee James on 14 January identified T-X as included within a cost- capability analysis programme, along with efforts to acquire a new long-range standoff weapon, a follow-on to the service’s space-based infrared system and the multi-domain adaptable processing system. The latter is envisioned as a pod to enable communication be-tween stealth fighters.

“By gathering data from a range of sources it should be pos-sible to identify instances where small changes in capability could have a major effect on cost,”

Japan’s parliament has approved a Y4.98 trillion ($42

billion) defence budget for fiscal year 2015, with a strong empha-sis on airpower capabilities.

Containing funds for several major aircraft programmes, in-cluding for 20 Kawasaki P-1 maritime patrol aircraft, the budget is 2.8% higher than in FY2014, and sets a new record for Japanese defence spending.

Funding is provided for a first five Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotors, which will be part of a new amphibious capability, and also included to support the eventual procurement of the Northrop Grumman MQ-4 Global Hawk. Tokyo has yet to specify how many of the unmanned air vehicles it plans to obtain.

The air force’s fighter inventory will be boosted by funding for six Lockheed Martin

A Hindustan Aeronautics Tejas Mk1 light combat aircraft has

been flown for the first time with an electronic warfare (EW) suite and radar warning receiver developed by India’s Defence Avionics Research Establishment (DARE) installed.

“Over the coming few months, [the Aeronautical Development Agency] and DARE will be scheduling further sorties to evaluate the system in various signal scenarios,” the defence ministry says.

The activity will be performed using the programme’s prototype vehicle 1 airframe. India’s baseline Tejas configuration is currently equipped with an EW suite produced by Elbit Systems subsidiary Elisra. ■

Tokyo approves record defence spendBUDGET GREG WALDRON SINGAPORE

Funding is included for 20 Kawasaki P-1 maritime patrol aircraft

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EVALUATION

Tejas DAREs to be different with EW suite

ACQUISITIONS DAN PARSONS WASHINGTON DC

USAF to review requirements for T-XCapability downgrades will be considered for trainer specification, if they can be translated into significant cost savings

The Talon’s replacement may be simplified,but not a new bomber

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James told the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC.

The four identified pro-grammes will be the first to un-dergo a “specific industry engage-ment process” to identify capability reductions that the USAF could accept if they are off-set with significant cost savings.

“Say we have a requirement for a new jet [trainer] to fly 500mph [435kt], but discovered

we could achieve significant cost savings if we amended the requirement to 450mph,” James offers as a hypothetical scenario. “Maybe we might choose to mod-ify that requirement.”

James says the USAF is about two years away from issuing a re-quest for proposals on T-X, and that the service will consider the alteration of both “higher level” and “bare bones” requirements.

The air force suffers from sys-temic acquisition sluggishness, James says. Even in cases where there is a single known supplier it takes an average of 17 months to award a contract, she notes, adding that several initiatives are aimed at bringing that down to a single-digit figure.

Meanwhile, James says the air force will not water down the requirements for its top three modernisation programmes: the Lockheed Martin F-35, Boeing KC-46 tanker and a new long-range strike bomber.

Referring to the latter, she says: “There have been no changes to speak of in the parameters. When we roll out the FY16 [fiscal year 2016] budget, it will similar to what was projected in the FY15 budget.”

The Obama administration is expected to publish its budget re-quest in early February. ■

F-35As, plus the modernisation of eight Boeing F-15s and nine Mitsubishi F-2 fighters.

Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance spending will also cover improvements to one Boeing 767 airborne early warn-ing and control system aircraft and the acquisition of an addi-tional Northrop E-2D Hawkeye, plus radar and sensor upgrades for the nation’s Lockheed P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft.

To enhance its rotary-wing ca-pabilities, Tokyo will develop an indigenous anti-submarine war-fare helicopter and obtain two Mitsubishi SH-60Ks and one UH-60J for search and rescue tasks.

Defence minister Gen Nakatni says the increased allocation de-notes the “changing situation” in the region. “The spending reflects the amount necessary to protect Japan’s air, sea and land, and guard the lives of our citizens.” ■

DEFENCE


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Textron AirLand’s Scorpion programme is facing a busy

2015, with design enhancements and customer demonstrations set to dominate its activities amid optimism that a first sale will be announced.

“There are a lot of countries in-terested, and a lot of demonstra-tions to come this year,” says Dale Tutt, chief engineer and pro-gramme manager. Interest in the Scorpion has grown since its debut flight in December 2013, and in particular since the com-pany brought the twin-engined type to the Royal International Air Tattoo and Farnborough air show in the UK last July.

Speaking at the Royal Aero-nautical Society in London on 14 January, Tutt and Textron Air-Land chief test pilot Dan Hinson revealed previously undisclosed details about the programme’s achievements to date, and the changes being incorporated for a production-standard version.

Textron AirLand was formed with the goal of rapidly designing and flying an aircraft capable of meeting tasks ranging from close air support to aerospace control, maritime security and training. With a target acquisition price lower than $20 million, it was also to offer a per-hour operating cost of below $3,000 and be ready to enter production in 2016.

AUDACIOUS GOALS“We set some really audacious goals,” says Tutt, who also de-scribes the project as “an incuba-tor, to learn some lessons for the rest of Textron”. This includes the use of an all-composite, one-piece wing with a span of almost 14.6m (48ft). Where possible, the design team sourced parts such as valves and actuators from products such as Cessna’s Cita-tion business jets, and avionics flight testing was performed using a 208 Caravan.

Achieved within 23 months of project launch, the time needed to reach first flight compares with

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A debut visit to the UK in 2014 led to heightened interest in the type

PROGRAMME CRAIG HOYLE LONDON

Scorpion developers bank on successCustomer demonstrations to be performed, while Textron AirLand team makes changes for production-standard version

an average of around five years for a new Cessna product, Tutt says, and with just 60% of the personnel. However, he stresses: “Going fast doesn’t mean taking short cuts.”

Since its debut, the company’s one prototype Scorpion has made 140 flights totalling a combined 275h, says Tutt. The design met its $3,000/h operating cost target in its first year, and demonstrated a 95% availability rate, he says, adding: “We’ve learned a lot from the current airplane.”

The next version of the Scorpi-on will have a new main landing gear. Tutt describes the current system as having been one of the programme’s biggest constraints. An early issue with the gear not fully locking until contact was made with the runway was not permanently resolved until flight 43, the company reveals. The new trailing gear design will also free up an additional 81kg (179lb) in payload capacity for the platform.

“Externally the aircraft is going to look a lot like it does today,” says Tutt, with the evolution retaining the type’s innovative 4.3 x 0.9m internal payload bay for sensors and other equipment.

Other changes will include the integration of a trimmable hori-zontal stabiliser on the tail that was excluded from the prototype to reduce complexity. Another enhancement will be to move

from the use of a current four multifunction displays in the rear cockpit to a single large screen, which test pilot Hinson says will support the type’s role in having a mission manager on board.

An icing issue encountered on departing Iceland for the UK last year has been addressed, with a wing and tail anti-icing system en-hancement having entered flight testing on 9 January. The inlets for the type’s Honeywell TFE731 en-gines already had the feature.

With the Scorpion having been flown to a maximum of 455kt

(843km/h), 45,000ft and demon-strated an endurance of 4.2h on internal fuel, Hinson adds: “We have completed our preliminary performance data. Everything is translating into the next airplane.”

Due to a busy schedule, Tutt says the team is hoping to tailor weapons testing planned to occur this year with the needs of possi-ble buyers.

“Right now we’re actively working towards getting a cus-tomer. It’s not a matter of if – it’s when,” says Tutt. “We’re posi-tioned to deliver aircraft two years after a contract signature,” he notes, but adds that a first transfer before the end of 2016 could still be possible if an order were to be secured soon. The company is also looking towards the certification process for the type, which will be performed to Federal Aviation Administration-approved US Air Force stand-ards. “Our target customer is a military customer,” Tutt adds.

To support its sales objective, the Scorpion team is also planning to return to Europe in mid-year in order to exhibit the type at June’s Paris air show, he confirms. ■

“We’re activelyworking towards getting a customer.It’s not a matter of if – it’s when”DALE TUTT Programme manager, Textron AirLand

DEFENCE


Now rebadged as 12 Sqn, the Marham-based Tornado unit was in late 2014 given a year’s opera-tional extension until March 2016. It is one of three frontline RAF squadrons still flying the GR4. ■See Cover Story P28

Sky Limo collects first clientBUSINESS AVIATION P22

The US Department of Defense has detailed plans to rational-

ise its permanent presence in Europe, and confirmed that its first two squadrons of Lockheed Martin F-35s to be based in the region will be located at RAF Lakenheath in the UK.

The conventional take-off and landing A-model aircraft are ex-pected to be on-station around 2020. Now located at the Suffolk base, the US Air Force’s 48th Op-erations Group has five squad-rons of Boeing F-15C/D/Es and Sikorsky HH-60G helicopters.

The DoD’s most significant ra-tionalisation decision is to return nearby RAF Mildenhall to the UK, and relocate units based there to other areas in Europe.

Boeing KC-135 tankers and the

A squadron-strength detach-ment of Royal Air Force

Eurofighter Typhoons has arrived at Nellis AFB in Nevada, ahead of their participation in a three-week Red Flag-series exercise to be conducted from late this month.

Ten Typhoons made the jour-ney from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, supported by Airbus A330 Voyager tanker/transports.

Pilots from the service’s 1 Sqn will prepare for the exercise by “familiarising themselves with local air traffic control proce-dures and flying with US Air Force units over the Nellis train-ing range”, the RAF says.

A key part of the UK’s involve-

ment in Red Flag 15-1 from 26 January will be to assess a new package of enhancements for the Typhoon incorporated in the P1Eb operating standard. This will include performing so-called “swing-role” operations, where individual aircraft will conduct air-to-air and air-to-surface tasks during a single sortie.

The RAF plans for its deployed aircraft to release 20 Raytheon Systems Paveway IV precision-guided bombs during the course of the exercise. Up to six of the 226kg (500lb)-class weapons can be carried by the Typhoon.

Meanwhile, the RAF has estab-lished its latest unit to fly the mul-

tirole type, on 9 January transfer-ring the 2 Sqn badge from one operating the Panavia Tornado GR4. To also be based at Lossie-mouth, the reformed 2 Sqn is the fifth frontline squadron to receive the Typhoon.

352nd Special Operations Group – which includes a detachment of Bell Boeing CV-22 Osprey tiltrotors – are expected to move to Germany. Meanwhile, its RC-135 Rivet Joint signals intelli-gence aircraft will be relocated elsewhere in the UK.

US facilities at Alconbury and Molesworth in Cambridgeshire will also be divested, and their operations largely transferred to Croughton in Northamptonshire.

The 606th Air Control Squad-ron is expected to be relocated to Italy from Spangdahlem, Germa-

ny, while the US military’s pres-ence at Lajes Field in Portugal will also decline in size.

The changes are the result of a European Infrastructure Consoli-dation review. Launched two years ago, this aimed to stream-line basing to reduce obsoles-cence and provide cost savings. DoD estimates suggest that the reorganisation will save $500 million per year, but will cost some $1.4 billion to fully imple-ment by between 2018 and 2021.

“European and transatlantic security is more important than ever,” said US assistant secretary of defense for international secu-rity affairs Derek Chollet on 8 January, while adding: “We must pursue these goals in a way that is as efficient as possible.” ■

The combat aircraft will take part in manoeuvres from Nellis AFB

CV-22 tiltrotors look set to relocate from Mildenhall to Germany

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RAF Typhoons to face ‘swing-role’ test at Red FlagDEPLOYMENT CRAIG HOYLE LONDON

REVIEW BETH STEVENSON LONDON

US forces set for European reshuffleInfrastructure consolidation will mean end for one air base in UK, but bring an initial two F-35 squadrons to Lakenheath

Download the 2015 Wor ld A i r Forces Repor twww.f l ightg loba l .com/waf

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Al Jaber Aviation’s (AJA) high-end branded air taxi service,

Sky Limo, launched operations on 15 January when its sole air-craft – a Hawker 800XP – made its first commercial flight.

The Abu Dhabi-headquartered VIP charter company now plans to expand Sky Limo’s fleet with other midsize business jets, as well as superlight types, with a view to creating the Middle East’s first point-to-point charter service within a few years.

A separate operation using a fleet of entry-level business jets is also envisioned within the same timeframe. This will be launched under the brand name Sky Taxi.

“Our immediate plan is to add a second managed 800XP to the Sky Limo fleet within the next four months, and a third aircraft before the end of the year,” says AJA chief operating officer Mark Pierotti.

“The 800XP is an ideal aircraft for this service, with its big cabin, large luggage space and 2,400nm [4,440km] range, which connects Abu Dhabi and Dubai with key destinations in the Middle East and Africa such as Istanbul and Beirut,” he adds.

Nextant Aerospace is readying its G90XT twin-engined tur-

boprop for first flight before the end of January, and says it hopes to secure US certification for the remanufactured Beechcraft King Air C90 in the first half of the year.

First flight was originally slat-ed for last month, but bad weath-er hampered efforts to get the seven-seat type into the sky.

“The aircraft is ready to fly,” says Nextant president Sean McGeough. “We are just waiting for the right conditions.”

The Cleveland, Ohio-based firm says it has received “phe-nomenal interest” in the type since the programme was

launched in October 2013 in partnership with GE Aviation.

The G90XT replaces the C90’s Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 tur-boprop engines with GE H75-100 engines – the first twin- engined turboprop application for the powerplant.

Other upgrades include the ad-dition of a Garmin G1000 flight-deck, a new interior and a refresh of all life-limited components.

“We have received a number of letters of intent which we plan to convert into full contracts once we have validated the aircraft’s per-formance parameters,” McGeough says. These include a projected cruise speed of up to 280kt

(519km/h), a range of a 1,240nm (2,220km) and a maximum take-off weight of 4,770kg (10,500lb).

“We want to be transparent about the G90XT’s ability before we ask our customers to commit to firm orders,” he adds.

Nextant is offering the G90XT for around $2.6 million. Alterna-tively it will retrofit existing C90s with the new engines, avionics and interior for around $2 million. This price also includes a two-year warranty, McGeough says.

Nextant hopes to emulate the success of its Hawker 400/XP business jet remanufacturing pro-gramme – the 400XTi – but on a vastly larger scale.

“We are targeting around 1,700 C90s globally [compared with around 600 Hawker 400s], which is a huge market for us,” he adds. “Our aim is to get US certification first, followed by European ap-proval in the third quarter.”

Nextant plans to announce its third remanufactured aircraft pro-gramme once the G90XT is certifi-cated and enters into service. While McGeough will not be drawn on the aircraft type, he hints that the new model has a larger cabin than the current line-up.

Meanwhile, Nextant delivered a record 16 400XTis in 2014 and says the market for light business jets has started to rebound. ■

German business aviation ser-vices provider and Cessna

dealership Atlas Air Service has delivered the first Europe-based Citation M2 to a company in Forchtenberg, southwest Germany.

The handover comes six months after the light business jet received EASA validation, and a year after entering service in the USA.

The seven-seat twin was launched in 2011 as a step-up model between the entry-level Mustang and light-cabin CJ2+.

It was designed to replace the struggling CJ1+ and revitalise Cessna’s light jet sales through its host of exterior and interior en-hancements – notably a Garmin G3000 avionics suite, a revamped cabin with Cessna’s Clarity cabin management system, winglets and more powerful Williams In-ternational FJ44 engines.

The $4.65 million M2 has a range of 1,300nm (2,400km) – which could connect Frankfurt with Moscow and Hamburg with Lisbon nonstop – a maximum cruise speed of 400kt (740km/h) and a useful load of more than 1,730kg (3,810lb). ■

CHARTER KATE SARSFIELD LONDON

Sky Limo collects first clientHigh-end air taxi service begins operations as Al Jaber Aviation surveys fleet growth options

SHIPMENT

Citation M2 gets European owner as Atlas delivers

Flight-ready G90XT proving popular, says NextantTURBOPROPS KATE SARSFIELD LONDON

However, AJA is not limiting its vision to this out-of-produc-tion type. “We are also looking at other midsize jets such as the [Cessna Citation] Sovereign and light twins with sizeable cabins, such as the [Embraer] Phenom 300,” says Pierotti. “We just need to find willing aircraft owners who are prepared to let us use them in the Sky Limo fleet. We will do a marketing push at the Abu Dhabi [Air Expo] show in February to attract owners as well as potential customers for both Sky Limo and Sky Taxi.”

Both operations are targeted at travellers looking to do short, re-gional hops without the expense of the large-cabin, long-range jets synonymous with operators in

the Middle East – including AJA, which has a growing fleet of owned and managed Airbus Cor-porate Jets and Embraer Lineage 1000s. “Many senior executives are looking to make day trips around the region for business. They want to be in and out quick-ly and efficiently,” Pierotti says.

Sky Limo offers a high level of bespoke customer service not commonly associated with tradi-tional air taxi operations. How-ever, AJA’s Sky Taxi service will provide a lower level of comfort on its entry-level jets. “This will be a less superior product,” says Pierotti. “It will be catering for small groups or individuals who want to travel short hops of no more than 2h.” ■

A managed Hawker 800XP is the first aircraft in the Sky Limo fleet

AJA

NEWS FOCUS


MVP Aero firms ‘triphibian’ design ahead of first flightGENERAL AVIATION P24

“In recent years, [civilaviation] has not brought the expectedfinancial results. Our aim is to change that”GAD COHEN VP for commercial activities, IAI

Assembly of the G280 could be accompanied by a new light jet project

Israel Aerospace Industries may be the mainstay of the country’s

defence sector, but the state-owned firm is still very much fo-cused on civil aviation, which represents between 25% and 30% of its turnover.

However, after a challenging period for the business, IAI’s new executive vice-president for com-mercial activities, Gad Cohen, is determined to improve its perfor-mance. “In recent years, this ac-tivity has not brought the expect-ed financial results, and our aim is to change that,” he says.

As a first step, IAI has brought together its two main commercial units under Cohen’s leadership: maintenance and conversion house Bedek and the former Gal-axy Aerospace, which assembles smaller Gulfstream models on behalf of the US-based brand.

Both divisions were hit badly by the global downturn. While neither has fully recovered, Bedek has been affected more by the long-term fall in demand for dedicated freighters.

After completing 60 Boeing 767-200s and 12 of the -300 vari-ant, as well as 30 747-200s, Bedek saw demand for its passenger-to-

freighter conversions almost come to a stop, and Cohen admits “we are now evaluating what to do with our conversion capabili-ties”. One option is a 777 pro-gramme, after a feasibility study showed there is strong potential for such a conversion. IAI’s board will decide shortly whether to approve the plan.

CONFIDENTIf it gets the go-ahead, first deliv-eries of 777 freighters would be expected in 2017 or 2018. Cohen is confident the programme can give impetus to the struggling op-eration: “We are sure that the conversion business will pick up again and that we will be again a bustling conversion centre.”

Bedek is also courting Airbus for a freighter programme. While talks have been held with the Eu-ropean firm in the past, nothing came of it and so far Bedek has converted only Boeing aircraft.

Airbus has had a difficult time in Israel. Formerly state-run air-line El Al has repeatedly turned down Airbus offers to add its air-craft to its fleet, with the US gov-ernment adding to the pressure to buy Boeing only.

Although El Al was privatised in 2009, it has remained loyal to Boeing. However, Cohen believes that as part of the effort to build back Bedek’s revenues, the time could now be right to try again to bring Airbus on board.

IAI has established an overseas manufacturing footprint with its defence business, most notably in the shape of US subsidiary Stark Aerospace. Cohen is keen to stress that – on the commercial side – “we are looking at different types of overseas operations”.

“It could be a fully owned sub-sidiary, or a joint venture with a local company,” he says. When its conversion business was at its peak, Bedek worked with foreign partners, and the company re-tains relationships from that pe-riod. “We have sites where work is being performed under our su-pervision, but I don’t want to be more specific,” he says.

The other main target for Cohen is to manufacture more business jets. IAI has an agree-ment to assemble Gulfstream’s midsize and super-midsize types, the G150 and the G280, derived from the original IAI Galaxy models acquired by Gulfstream in 2001. Although Cohen will not reveal current production rates for the two aircraft, it has shipped 120 G150s and over 50 G280s.

The slump in the small and medium segments has badly af-fected the Israeli company, and although things are improving slightly, the factory is still far from busy.

One option for IAI might be to go back to developing its own air-craft. In the late 1990s, it co-oper-ated with US company Avocet on

a very light jet concept. However, the programme was scrapped. This time around, it has been working on a project – with an unnamed partner – to develop a six-seat, no-frills jet, with a range of up to 1,500nm (2,770km).

Cohen is cautious about re-vealing details, but confirms an initial design has been complet-ed. He says: “We are looking now for more opportunities in that market which are not included in our agreement with Gulfstream.”

PARTNERSHIPSIAI’s other commercial activity is as an aerostructures subcontrac-tor for the 777 and 787 pro-grammes. While Cohen is keen to increase its work with the US air-framer, he would also like to break into Airbus’s supplier base. “We would be happy to take part in any new programme of Airbus where the subcontractors list is still open,” he says.

Another small but innovative and potentially lucrative devel-opment for IAI in the commercial sector is the TaxiBot, a semi-ro-botic tug designed to pull airlin-ers to and from gates without the need for engine power. The prod-uct has received supplemental type approval from EASA and the Israeli civil aviation authority for dispatch towing on the 737, and has begun a service evalua-tion on Lufthansa flights depart-ing from Frankfurt.

The technology has been devel-oped with Lufthansa Engineering and Operational Services and has the support of Airbus and Boeing. IAI says other airlines, ground-handling companies, airports and leasing companies have shown considerable interest.

TaxiBot may be just what IAI needs to give its commercial business a push. ■

State-owned Israeli firm works to rejuvenate its civil aviation and conversion activities after years of sluggish returns

STRATEGY ARIE EGOZI TEL AVIV

IAI’s commercial challenge

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For more on Israeli aerospace topics, visit the Ariel View blog:flightglobal.com/ariel-view

GENERAL AVIATION


Keep up with the latest news and read in-depth analysis from the business aviation sector: flightglobal.com/bizav

Mooney International has de-livered the first Chinese-

built “B” registered aircraft to an unnamed customer, opening up a new and potentially huge market for the light aircraft manufacturer.

The handover of the M20TN Acclaim Type S in early January, comes less than a month after the four-seat single and its Ovation 3 stablemate secured validation from the country’s civil aviation authority, and 14 months after the US company was snapped up by China’s Meijing Group.

The aircraft was manufactured, flight tested and then disassem-bled at Mooney’s Kerrville, Texas headquarters, then shipped to Meijing’s facility in Zhengzhou, Hainan province for reassembly.

Mooney’s line-up currently con-sists of four aircraft: the in-produc-tion Acclaim and Ovation 3 and the smaller M10T and M10J, which are in development.

The new composite-skinned, diesel-engined duo are targeted mainly at the Chinese training and private aviation market, and move Mooney’s production line away from avgas-driven engines and solely metallic structures for the first time. “We are hoping to certif-icate and deliver the aircraft in 2017,” says Mooney. “We are looking to set up a sales and main-tenance network throughout Asia to support the growing fleet.”

The M10T, equipped with a Continental CD-135 jet A/diesel engine, will serve as a trainer in the Mooney portfolio. The CD-155-powered M10J will offer pri-vate owners an aircraft with a 1,000nm (1,850km) range and a top speed of 170kt (315km/h). ■

MILESTONE KATE SARSFIELD LONDON

Mooney delivers first China-built Acclaim single

Terrafugia seeks flying car exemptionREGULATORY KATE SARSFIELD LONDON

DEVELOPMENT KATE SARSFIELD LONDON

MVP Aero firms ‘triphibian’ design ahead of first flightCompany to fly ‘most versatile plane’ within 18 months following worldwide demo tour

MVP Aero has frozen the de-sign of its “triphibian” light

sport aircraft, and says it plans to fly the first prototype – dubbed the most versatile plane (MVP) because of its capacity to land on water, land and snow/ice – with-in 18 months.

A full-scale mock-up of the two-seat MVP was unveiled at the AirVenture show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, last July. The compa-ny has since taken the aircraft on a worldwide demonstration tour to garner customer feedback on the design, build up its orderbook and attract investment to help bring the high-wing, single-en-gined type to market.

“We have been in Asia since November and have just returned from China,” says MVP Aero president Darrell Lynds. “The re-sponse to the aircraft has been overwhelming. We are getting so many ideas on how the model can be adapted for different roles, so it has widespread appeal.”

The privately owned Ameri-can company is now establishing a dedicated engineering depart-ment to implement many of these ideas into the aircraft’s design.

The MVP will be powered by a Rotax 912/914 series piston en-gine, although provision has been made for larger engines to be in-corporated into the initial design, should the company wish to

US start-up Terrafugia has asked the US Federal Aviation Ad-

ministration for an exemption from the light sport aircraft regula-tions for gross weight and stall speed for its Transition flying car.

The Woburn, Massachusetts-based company argues that the roadable vehicle’s safety is in-creased by its automotive crash-

worthiness features – including a safety cage, crumple zone, side-impact protection, load-limiting seat belts and airbags – as well as its ability to land and drive through inclement weather.

Terrafugia is asking for a gross weight of 815kg (1,800lb), which is 220kg over the regulatory LSA requirements, and a stall speed of

54kt (100km/h) – 9kt above the statutory limit. Terrafugia success-fully petitioned the FAA in 2010 to certificate the two-seat Transi-tion with a gross weight of 645kg.

So far the company has se-cured around 100 commitments for the Rotax 912iS-powered Transition, which is priced at around $280,000. ■

grow the aircraft. Built from car-bon and glassfibre, the MVP has a targeted useful load of around 205kg (450lb). It will feature fold-able wings, sliding windows that can be opened during flight, an emergency airframe parachute system and a deck-like platform that pilots can use to cast for fish, pitch a tent or erect a hammock – for example.

The aircraft will be manufac-tured in the USA by Washington-based Glasair Aviation – which is also building the prototype – and Fibercraft of Florida. MVP Aero has also signed an agreement with Zhuhai-based Hanxing Gen-eral Aviation to produce the air-craft for the Chinese market, when demand is strong enough.

MVP Aero is keen to stress that it will not be overzealous about future production rates. “We don’t want to become overextended,” says Lynds. “Our plan is to deliver only a few aircraft a month, [in-creasing] to dozens a month when the market requires.”

The aircraft is targeted at exist-ing pilots and also at customers who have not flown before. “We want to open up a whole new mar-ket with this aircraft,” Lynds says.

He appreciates the MVP’s $189,000 price tag could prove prohibitive for some buyers, so the company is planning to establish shared ownership programmes to lower the barrier to entry. “We are setting up that part of the business plan now,” says Lynds. ■

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The type features a platform that pilots can use to cast for fish

“We are looking toset up a sales andmaintenance networkthroughout Asia”MOONEY INTERNATIONAL

NEWS ANALYSIS


Testing TyphoonFEATURE P28

Read more in-depth aerospace market analysis from Ascend: flightglobal.com/ascend

OUTLOOK ROB MORRIS LONDON

Falling crude prices fuel uncertaintyFlightglobal consultancy Ascend analyses the impact of declining oil costs on commercial airliner demand and values

As crude oil prices continue their slide, the question on

every aviation professional’s lips must be: “What does this mean for commercial aircraft demand and values?”

Equally, with the Airbus A350, A320neo and Bombardier CSeries all set to enter service this year, how might the current trend im-pact demand for the aircraft, which have been designed for sig-nificantly enhanced fuel efficien-cy over current-generation types?

Next-generation economics will always be more attractive on a variable operating cost basis when compared with current models, and our Ascend Flight-global Consultancy believes de-mand is set to remain robust – for the time being at least.

Ascend expects jet aircraft order levels to decline in 2015 over 2011-2014 annual volumes, but this will be a function of con-gested order backlogs in the near term, rather than of lower oil prices driving reduced demand.

With aircraft such as the A320neo and Boeing 737 Max sold on fuel efficiency, their val-ues and lease rates can be expect-ed to come under pressure if lower fuel prices are sustained. However, this situation could also stimulate global economic growth and increase demand for new and used aircraft, mitigating risk of an evolving capacity sur-plus as production rates increase.

Backlog risk – and potentially asset values and lease rates – in-crease marginally as some econo-mies feel heightened pressure.

Of course, the long-term trend in oil and fuel prices is uncertain. Our colleagues at petrochemical market information provider ICIS

suggest that the drop in crude prices since July 2014 has been “well overdue”, and that “on paper, there is nothing to prevent oil prices from settling at around $70 per barrel (or lower) for a pe-riod of several years”.

By contrast, just six months ago the futures market was confi-dent on prices holding above $90 until 2020.

Amid this uncertainty there is one clear fact: next-generation aircraft are typically 15% or more fuel efficient than the models they are replacing. Focusing on the A320ceo and Neo – which have virtually identical payload-range potential – Ascend’s analy-sis suggests that the block-hour direct operating costs would be equal at a jet fuel cost of around $1.90 per US gallon, assuming that the latter carries a lease pre-mium of around $50,000 per month. The Ceo is in a more fa-vourable light at a rate of $1.55 for US Gulf Coast jet kerosene, but reducing the premium by $10,000 per month would cut the fuel price crossover point to $1.50 per US gallon: around the current value.

Next-generation economics can remain attractive even at to-day’s lower fuel prices, and it is simply the ownership premium – values or lease rates – that can be expected to undergo some pressure. High order volumes in 2014 also provide evidence of the

continued attraction. Of the at least 2,600 net orders last year, an estimated 40% were contracted after 1 August, including for at least 800 next-generation aircraft.

Airlines have in the large part now committed to their near- and medium-term fleet plans, so can afford to take some time to wait and see how the oil price scenar-io plays out before committing in significant volume to longer-term fleet decisions.

Another factor supporting next-generation types is their more environmentally efficient fuel burn. IATA has a goal of achieving carbon-neutral growth by 2020 and, with traffic growth to average at least 5% per annum over that period, the continued application of more fuel-efficient aircraft – regardless of the fuel price – will be a key enabler to-wards achieving that goal.

GROWTH POTENTIALEconomists use a rule of thumb that each 10% fall in oil price can be expected to contribute around a 0.1% rise in global GDP. Avia-tion’s growth potential is further enhanced by fare reductions linked to fuel prices, as competi-tion will encourage airlines to re-duce ticket prices to reflect their lower costs.

IATA is projecting global pas-senger capacity to exceed traffic growth in 2015, but it now seems that these latest developments re-

duce the risk of a capacity surplus developing. That can only have positive implications for aircraft demand and consequent values and lease rates.

Although growth globally is set to be higher, there is potential risk in countries that are highly oil dependent. Key among these is Russia, where the combined impact of oil-price reductions and exchange-rate fluctuations are set to drive a significant drop in the nation’s demand for inter-national air traffic. With 42 new commercial aircraft deliveries worth almost $3 billion sched-uled in 2015, and close to 500 commercial jets on lease with Russian airlines, there is poten-tial risk for default on deliveries and unscheduled returns.

Indeed, 31 commercial jets went into storage with Russian operators in the final quarter of 2014 – including new A321s and 737-800s at UTair – and AerCap, Aircastle, AWAS and GECAS have all recently accepted aircraft back from lease, in some cases unscheduled. Although the num-bers are small, there is potential for some short-term supply dislo-cations, which could have small-scale value and lease-rate impli-cations. ■Rob Morris is head of Ascend, a Flightglobal advisory service

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Next-generation types like the A320neo are typically 15% more efficient than the models they replace

Next-generationeconomics can remainattractive even attoday’s fuel prices

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COVER STORY


PETER COLLINS WARTON

We put the Eurofighter’s Phase 1 Enhancements package to the simulator test, revealing a nimble, swing-role combat asset

TESTING TYPHOON

In mid-November 2014, Flight Internation-al was given the opportunity to visit BAE Systems’ facility at Warton in Lancashire, to be briefed by its Eurofighter Typhoon

chief test pilot Mark Bowman and project manager Luke Dickson about the successful introduction and first deliveries to the Royal Air Force under the Phase 1 Enhancements (P1E) programme.

Describing the Eurofighter’s Phase 1 to 4 enhancements (P1E-P4E) process in absolute detail can be complex, as they overlay the Tranche 1, 2 and 3 production standards de-livered to the four core partner nations: Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. They are then divided into phased sub-parts, and have various additional “Block”, “Drop” and other further minor upgrade designations within these. Therefore, only the description of P1E-P4E will be used as a reference in this review.

While the focus for our visit was on the P1E activity, we also covered BAE’s ongoing P2E programme – for which flight-testing is to be carried out throughout this year – and its plans with regard to the future P3E and P4E phases. Contract signatures regarding the last two of these phases are expected to be secured in the first quarters of 2015 and 2016, respectively.

The UK Strategic Defence and Security Re-view (SDSR) of 2010 laid down various capa-bility milestones, including for its Interim Force 2015 and Future Force 2020 require-ments. In essence, the Royal Air Force’s Tranche 2 (T2) Typhoons upgraded via P1E will meet the earlier objective, set for 1 April,

and T2/T3 aircraft with P2E and P3E en-hancements installed will satisfy the latter.

A subsequent P4E standard will take the Typhoon beyond 2020, and towards its out-of-service date. The latter is broadly planned for 2030, but with aircraft deliveries still continu-ing, the type’s useful life could easily be extended significantly beyond that point.

NEW STANDARDThe RAF’s T1 fleet will start to decline in num-ber from 2016, as the service’s earliest Ty-phoons head towards an out-of-service date in 2019. This will leave the UK with a planned combined total of 107 T2/T3-standard aircraft from that point onwards. The nation’s Panavia

RAF examples are to progressively assume ground-attack duties from the Tornado GR4

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multifunctional information distribution sys-tem (MIDS) and its wing pod-mounted defen-sive aids sub-system (DASS). For other users also to receive the P1E enhancement, it pro-vides full functionality with the Diehl BGT De-fence IRIS-T short-range air-to-air missile, too.

INTEGRATIONNow an active programme, the P2E phase will integrate MBDA’s Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile and the same compa-ny’s Storm Shadow cruise missile. The subse-quent P3E activity will integrate its Brimstone system, with Spear 3 to follow – which is also slated for use with the UK’s F-35Bs.

If contracted as expected, a P3E-standard Typhoon delivered to the RAF in 2018 could be configured with a weapons mix drawn from two short-range ASRAAM air-to-air missiles, four Meteors, two Storm Shadows, six Brimstones (on a pair of triple-round launchers), four Paveway IVs (on two double-store launchers), two external fuel tanks and a targeting pod. This will represent a very pow-erful multirole combination.

“A subsequent retrofit of the Euroradar Captor E active electronically scanned array [AESA] will further strengthen Typhoon’s po-tency,” says BAE. To replace the mechanically

scanned Captor M on T3 aircraft, the AESA sensor will also be offered as a modernisation option for T2 examples. Operational flight-test-ing is expected to start in 2016.

Further ahead, P4E would look to give the Typhoon further capabilities, such as a full stand-off-range reconnaissance capability in extension to that presently provided by the Tornado-carried UTC Raptor pod.

“I am very positive about where we’re going with the aircraft, and the development plan,” says Dickson.

The UK’s next SDSR will take place this year, along with a general election in May. Tension over events in Ukraine and the ongo-ing chaos in the Middle East mean that there should be a real focus within the review on the capabilities of its Joint Expeditionary Force concept. Under that construct, the Typhoon must play an essential and pivotal

Tornado GR4 force also has its out-of-service date set for 2019, so its T2 P1E Eurofighters will at this point start to become the deploya-ble standard. Approximately 26 aircraft up-graded to the new standard had been delivered to the RAF by late last year.

P1E firmly anchors the start of the Typhoon’s upgrade path for the next 15-20 years for the UK, and also defines its planned overlap with the introduction of the RAF’s and Royal Navy’s Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and an unmanned Future Combat Aircraft System now being jointly developed with France.

“The platform you have now is the spring-board for the future,” says Bowman.

The UK Ministry of Defence is committed to developing Typhoon through the P3E and P4E programmes. Some of these upgrades are for the UK only; however, in agreement and co-operation with the other three partner na-tions, those retain the future option to buy in to those parts of the work that might suit their individual needs.

One of the main aspects of the P1E project is the full integration of Raytheon Systems’ Paveway IV 226kg (500lb)-class precision-guided bomb onto the Typhoon. Providing pilots with selectable guidance modes be-tween laser, global positioning system and an inertial measurement unit, plus new elec-tronics for fusing options and anti-jam modes for the weapon, this allows the air-craft to engage at least four ground targets simultaneously with up to six bombs. The new standard also completes the full inte-gration of Rafael’s Litening III laser-designa-tion pod, as well as upgrades to the aircraft’s

To undergo flight testing this year, the P2E phase will add the Storm Shadow

and Meteor missiles to Eurofighter

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“I am positive about where we’re going with the aircraft and the development plan”LUKE DICKSON Project manager, BAE Systems

Our evaluation was conducted using BAE’s active cockpit rig for the multirole type

An AESA retrofit is also being prepared

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COVER STORY


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THIS COULD be a pivotal year for the four-nation Eurofighter pro-gramme, as partner companies Airbus Defence & Space, Alenia Aermacchi and BAE Systems push to secure fresh export deals on the back of a range of capability en-hancements now starting to ap-proach operational readiness.

With more than two years having passed since the signature of a last international order for the Typhoon – a UK-brokered deal to supply 12 examples to Oman – and its domes-tic backlog decreasing, pressure is mounting on the Eurofighter consor-tium to add to its sales tally.

PRIORITY This need has been clear to Eurofighter chief executive Alberto Gutierrez since he took the helm in June 2013, and outlined his pursuit of “competitiveness, campaigns and capabilities” as priorities.

“We will intensify our export cam-paigns on the global markets with

clear strategic goals: sign new con-tracts and win new customers,” Gutierrez says in a letter recently distributed with Eurofighter’s 2015 calendar. “While the international competition is getting tougher every year, we need to focus our sales activities primarily on markets with a significant growth potential. The foremost of these are the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region.”

With Oman on contract and Saudi Arabia already operating 42 of the 72 Typhoons being acquired

via its Project Salam deal with the UK – and a potential follow-on deal having previously been spoken of – opportunities also exist in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. The United Arab Emirates appeared to be leaning towards the type ahead of the Dubai air show in November 2013, but instead opted to buy another batch of Lockheed Martin F-16E/Fs – and end discussions with the UK.

In Asia, Malaysia is nearing a decision in its multirole combat air-craft competition, with Eurofighter facing rival bids involving the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and Saab Gripen. The consortium is also pro-moting the Typhoon to meet the combat needs of Indonesia, and in Europe, Denmark.

“We will also need to ensure that production continuity can be guaran-teed and that we will deliver eco-nomic returns, jobs and technologies to the customer na-tions,” Gutierrez continues. Expected programme highlights in

2015 should include approval “to launch the Phase 3 Enhancement [P3E] programme, as well as the signature for the production con-tract of the new [Euroradar consor-tium] E-Scan radar”, he adds.

WEAPONS APPEALThe full integration of weapons like MBDA’s Brimstone air-to-surface mis-sile and stand-off-range Storm Shadow, plus the availability of the active electronically scanned array radar from late this decade could be the capabilities that sway new cus-tomers, Eurofighter hopes. Alenia Aermacchi in November 2014 per-formed the first test release of the roughly 1,300kg (2,870lb) Storm

PRODUCTION CRAIG HOYLE LONDON

ENHANCEMENTS MUST ALSO HIT EXPORT TARGETS FOR EUROFIGHTER

panel, and below that, the indications for the aircraft’s two Eurojet EJ200 turbofan engines. The three principal head-down display screens are all 6 x 6in in size and each has sets of large, multi-mode push buttons along the screen base and sides. To the left-hand side of the glareshield is the main data-entry panel, and below that, the weapons control panel.

are easy to manipulate, and group 12 switches on the throttle – primarily for weapons and sensor control – and 10 on the stick, mainly for aircraft control and weapons release. The head-up display (HUD) has a field of view of over 40˚, and is the widest HUD I have ever evaluated. Directly below it is the eye-level MIDS datalink message display and control

EUROFIGHTER IN-SERVICE FLEET

Nation Active

Austria 15Germany 97Italy 71Saudi Arabia 42Spain 45UK 107Total 377SOURCE: Flightglobal’s MiliCAS database

Current sales effortsare primarily beingfocused on nations inthe Middle East andAsia-Pacific regions

role in providing any allied force com-mander with the multirole attack options needed against any potential threat armed with sophisticated and modern weapons.

My evaluation of the P1E standard took place using BAE’s active cockpit rig (ACR) for the Eurofighter, and was overseen by Steve Nuttall, one of the company’s senior Typhoon cockpit engineers.

EVALUATIONThe ACR is BAE’s simulator tool for develop-ment of the Typhoon mission system cockpit, software and display. The fixed-base device sits within a semi-hemispherical dome visual system and its indicated performance repli-cates the real aircraft. Flight control system development work takes place inside another engineering simulator at Warton.

Because of International Traffic in Arms Regulations restrictions, I was only able to evaluate an unclassified version of P1E. However, the simulator evaluation would still grant me the opportunity to answer realisti-cally two test objectives: how effectively can the Typhoon, with a P1E baseline, fight with-in a simultaneous air-to-air and air-to-ground scenario; and how easily can it swing be-tween these roles?

Replicated in the simulator, the Typhoon’s cockpit is wide, roomy and uncluttered. The hands-on throttle and stick (HOTAS) controls

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A central aspect of the P1E project is full integration of Raytheon Systems’ Paveway IV

EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON


In the air-to-air mode, the left-hand side screen is typically used as a B-scope, showing a fused sensor picture, including radar, MIDS and infrared search and track (IRST) informa-tion in azimuth. The right-hand screen shows the air picture in elevation, while the central display acts as a tactical (real-world) map.

I was highly impressed by the ease and rapid-ity with which targets could be identified indi-vidually after each had been broken out from within a group of eight or more threats, and then assessed in terms of range and altitude and sort-ed in terms of hostile/unknown/friendly classi-fication, placed in descending threat priority and then engaged in sequence. A stick-mounted mode button allows for instant toggling between radar-homing medium-range and infrared-hom-ing short-range air-to-air missiles and gun.

SEAMLESSThe HUD symbology (fast-jet format) was very well mechanised, easy to scan and also easy to interpret, with the aircraft’s own flight and energy indications grouped primarily to the left and information on targets primarily grouped to the right. The display shows the relevant symbology when the target is within missile capability range (aided by a “growl” for infrared missile lock) and is accompanied by HUD indications of “SHOOT”.

The Eurofighter’s IRST system is also seamlessly coupled to the radar to increase

detection capability, and displayed against the target symbols for situational awareness as to which sensor (or both) registered the detec-tion. I found the direct voice input function to be another superb man/machine interface. It takes some getting used to initially in terms of the spoken format, but once mastered it is a very real combat aid for a pilot.

My only regret in the air-to-air mode was that the aircraft does not have an integral nose-mounted electro-optical sensor to com-plement the IRST for stealthy long-range visu-al target identification. BAE notes, however, that the system can be used in this context when a laser designation pod is fitted. Engag-ing up to eight target aircraft was as simple as

pulling the air-to-air trigger as many times. The Typhoon made the complex geometry of high/low/widely split air-to-air missile com-bat and the engagement of multiple, simulta-neous targets seem a very simple task indeed.

During the air-to-air scenarios, another of the Eurofighter’s advantages was constantly evident: the aircraft has simply staggering lev-els of performance in terms of excess energy. For example, at around 5,000ft, at mid fuel weight, carrying external combat fuel tanks and eight missiles, in full reheat at 530kt (980km/h) indicated air speed, with full back stick sustaining 9g in a level turn, the aircraft was still accelerating at approximately 2-3kt/s.

In the air-to-ground mode, the left-hand screen is retained as an air-to-air picture, the middle screen as a tactical ground situational display with planned route and planned target map, and the right-hand screen as the targeting and laser designation pod image, or swapped to/from the DASS display if required. The principal weapon type was the Paveway IV,

Shadow from the type, which will be capable of carrying two of the cruise missiles via the P2E process.

Meanwhile, the ground-attack weapons will be critical additions for the UK Royal Air Force as it moves towards the scheduled retirement of its remaining Panavia Tornado GR4s by 2019. Typhoons upgraded to the P1Eb standard are now capable of using Raytheon Systems’ Paveway IV precision-guided bomb – a capability that will be tested during a Red Flag-series exercise from Nellis AFB, Nevada in the coming weeks. Ten Typhoons arrived at the site earlier this month.

For the first time at a Red Flag event, the RAF’s Typhoon force – led by personnel from its Lossiemouth-based 1 Sqn – will conduct “swing-role” operations, involving the simultaneous provision of air-to-air and air-to-surface strike capabilities. Preparatory work performed in the UK late last year included 1 Sqn’s participation in a “Tartan Flag” exer-

cise, which pitted its pilots against simulated threat aircraft. The com-plex conditions created at the US Air Force-run air warfare exercise from 26 January will provide the sternest test yet for the P1Eb stand-ard, and determine whether it is ready for combat deployment.

A total of 20 226kg-class Paveway IVs are scheduled to be released during the exercise, ac-cording to the RAF.

Plans established under the UK’s Interim Force 2015 concept call for the RAF to have a total of 35 P1Eb Typhoons available by 1 April.

Eurofighter says its partner com-panies have delivered a total of 420 aircraft to Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, plus export operators Austria and Saudi Arabia. Flightglobal’s MiliCAS database records 377 of this total as being in current active service. ■

I was highly impressed by the ease and rapidity with which targets could be identified individually

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Aircraft deployed to the USA are to undergo a test of their “swing-role” operating credentials

The type can use precision-guided bombs to simultaneously engage multiple targets

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EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON


with a typical ballistic launch envelope of the aircraft at around 20,000ft and 500kt. The Litening pod was also easy to manipulate to change the designation of the precise impact point at the target, and the display had superb image resolution. The pod was normally cou-pled to the radar, but could be decoupled to operate independently.

LETHAL THREATThe HUD showed a rectangular “kill box” when the selected weapon had the required probability of kill and a visual indication of “PICKLE”. I found the presentation of weapon combinations on the multiple mode keys – for target number, sequence, guidance modes, bombs per target, etc – and the selection chang-es that needed to be made in case the target pri-orities changed prior to a planned attack on the left-hand glareshield was not immediately in-tuitive, as I had never sat in a Typhoon cockpit before. However, once programmed it was then shown to be simple to engage up to four ground targets with up to six bombs using vari-ous guidance methods and effect options for each individual weapon.

Whenever required, given the air situation, with one push of a stick-mounted HOTAS key, the Typhoon was instantly reconfigured back into the air-to-air mode, and ready to engage airborne threats. This shows that the aircraft processes extreme lethality in either role. The final part of the evaluation involved wearing the Striker 1 helmet-mounted

display (HMD) system, which the enhanced Striker 2 is planned to supersede. The combat advantages and increase in situational awareness that this level of advanced HMD bring to a pilot are truly revolutionary – so much so that it is hard to express the combat potential that it represents for the future of air-craft like the Typhoon.

By wearing an HMD, a pilot is completely freed from using the cockpit displays, both head-up and head-down, and the system puts air and ground targets into their real spatial orientation, along with all the information linked to them. The technology also brings the ability to cue air-to-air and air-to-surface weapons off-boresight, simply by looking at a target. At the same time, it also allows an op-erator to retain full flight awareness.

Add to this mix future developments to the HMD such as colour symbology, 3D helmet

audio, eye-scan technology and improve-ments in direct voice input, and this display technology will be one of the key elements in not only the Typhoon’s future combat effec-tiveness, but also situations when the aircraft is being flown within – and controlling – fu-ture mixed fleets of manned and unmanned combat aircraft.

My simulator sessions easily answered my two set objectives. Anchored by P1E, the Eu-rofighter’s pending AESA radar, the Striker 2 HMD and the aircraft’s massive inherent ener-gy performance, the Typhoon is now focused properly on its planned upgrade path to marry unmatched lethality in both the air-to-ground and air-to-air roles.

Additionally, the Tranche 2 and 3 models can now swing between either combat role and back again with the push of one HOTAS but-ton, and be ready to fight instantly in that ad-vanced configuration.

The P1E package properly baselines the Ty-phoon to fully realise its undoubted combat potential. The RAF is now fielding a true mul-tirole aircraft that can face any threat out to 2030 or beyond. ■

The combat advantages and increase in situational awareness with the HMD are truly revolutionary

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Peter Collins in the simulator hot seat

The Typhoon retains impressive handling performance, even when configured for swing-role tasks

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FEATURES


MICHAEL GUBISCH LONDON

Airbus A380s are going through major overhaul, or 3C checks, for the first time. How are MRO providers such as Emirates’ engineering unit coping with the task?

HEAVY DUTYThe superjumbo’s large components mean some maintenance tasks usually completed on the ramp need a hangar and appropriate support equipment

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When Emirates last summer towed one of its Airbus A380s into its Dubai maintenance fa-cility for the first 3C-check on

the type – an overhaul scheduled after six years of operation – it was not the first such event for the double-deck aircraft. However, it marked the beginning of a heavy maintenance cycle for what is by a wide margin the largest fleet among all A380 operators.

The aircraft (MSN011, registration A6-EDA) was Emirates’ first superjumbo; manu-factured in 2007 and delivered the following year. The Gulf carrier became the second A380 operator after the type had been intro-duced at Singapore Airlines in 2007.

The overhaul took nearly eight weeks, with technicians working on the aircraft around the clock. About 1,600 interior items – includ-ing seats, galleys, bars, shower rooms and

parts of the cockpit – were removed over a 12-day period. After the equipment was inspect-ed and repaired or replaced where necessary, the re-installation required two weeks. Mean-while, technicians inspected the airframe and conducted repairs and modifications. Two engine pylons of the Engine Alliance GP7200-powered aircraft were also removed.

Future A380 3C-checks may require more than the 55-day ground time needed for the initial overhaul, as they will include heavy structural modifications such as work on flap tracks and leading edges, according to Iain La-chlan, senior vice-president for Emirates’ en-gineering division. Maintaining the A380 is “very labour-extensive” due to the aircraft’s size, requiring a large team of technicians and significant investment in special equipment, he adds.

This is underlined by Air France’s director for Airbus fleet engineering and maintenance Stéphane Trigona, who says servicing the

double-deck cabin is a challenge in its own right. “We have to correct more issues some-times in the same transient check time as for other aircraft like the [Airbus] A330 and [Boe-ing] 777, because we don’t have twice as much time. [The A380] requires dedicated re-sources.”

BESPOKEMaintenance tasks that can be completed on the ramp for smaller aircraft – such as replac-ing a rudder servo-control actuator – need to be conducted in a hangar with appropriate support equipment to handle the superjum-bo’s large components, says Air France A380 fleet manager Pascal Menegat. This makes the aircraft’s support more dependent on dedi-cated facilities than other, smaller types. Given the limited fleet size and number of op-erators, this may be further aggravated as ap-propriate maintenance capabilities and facili-ties are less widespread.

As much of the A380’s systems and compo-nents are controlled by software via an inte-grated computer network, maintaining that infrastructure is a critical task. “The A380 was a real step [change] in technology compared to other aircraft we maintain,” says Trigona. Operators had to develop new IT capabilities and processes to keep the software up-to-date and in good working order.

“You have more than 700 software [mod-ules] on the A380, but they can be fitted on nearly 1,500 positions on the aircraft. So you just cannot manage that on an Excel table; you


MRO

through external MRO providers. Half of Air France’s 10-strong fleet has been modified, with three more aircraft due to be finished in the first quarter of 2015, says Trigona.

Lufthansa completed the work – conducted in-house – last September, while Qantas em-ployed its maintenance provider, LTP. Luf-thansa Technik’s Meyer says the technical team faced a learning curve for the extensive programme, which involves de-installation of fuel system components throughout the wing. “But by the third or fourth aircraft we were able to under-match significantly the time-frame predetermined by the OEM,” he says.

The next large modification programme will aim to fix an issue with passenger doors. The vibrations of an exterior Kevlar-made cover plate at the top of the door – caused by the air stream across the fuselage – has led to cracks in the door structure. The fault resulted in a cabin decompression event on board a Singapore Airlines A380 a year ago, with the aircraft diverting to Azerbaijan’s capital Baku.

Meyer expects a “very large” work volume for the programme, which is likely to start as part of Lufthansa’s first 3C-check – scheduled for winter 2015/2016. The fix involves reinforcement of the door structure, but Meyer says “modifying 16 doors is not quite so easy”.

Two of Emirates’ aircraft have completed the programme. Lachlan says two external MRO providers are doing the work, which is taking about 16 days per aircraft, through a pro-gramme managed by Airbus. “Now we have got another 51 to do,” he says, laughing. ■

2% of Lufthansa’s A380 flights are delayed more than 5min, and the flight cancellation rate due to technical issues is “significantly below 1%” today, says Meyer.

The German Star Alliance carrier benefited from other airlines’ experiences when it be-came the fifth A380 operator in 2010. But Meyer says Lufthansa’s comparatively “high” reliability rates were partly a result of main-taining the A380 with a 120-strong team ex-clusively working on the type, as the aircraft has a “different philosophy” to other models in the fleet.

REASONABLEAside from Airbus’s ongoing wing-rib modifi-cation programme, the extent of modifica-tions on the A380 has been on a “normal level” compared to other new aircraft, says Meyer. Also, Emirates’s Lachlan says that while implementation of a “significant num-ber” of service bulletins has led to a “step in-crease” in reliability, “the A380 is no different to other aircraft”.

Air France expects its dispatch reliability to improve and maintenance operations to be more settled after the implementation of several modifications during its first round of heavy checks. The initial 3C-check is sched-uled to begin by year-end, but Trigona says it is not yet clear where the work will be completed. The airline’s maintenance, repair and overhaul arm has conducted A- and C-checks at its facility at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, but 2C-checks on at least two Air France A380s have been completed at Lufthansa Technik’s site in the Philippine capital Manila (LTP). Trigona concedes that “we may not be as competitive as other opera-tors [for labour-intensive airframe MRO] out-side Europe where the cost of human resource is much lower”.

Air France and Emirates have successively handed their A380s over to Airbus to manage the wing-rib modification programme Lufthansa Technik uses a dedicated A380 team

Emirates is starting to meet Airbus’s technical dispatch reliability target

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“The A380 was a real step [up]in technology compared to other aircraft we maintain”STÉPHANE TRIGONA Durector, Airbus fleet engineering and maintenance, Air France

need a robust tool,” adds Menegat.“Even simple components require soft-

ware on the A380,” says Dirk Meyer, duty manager for A380 maintenance at Lufthansa Technik in Frankfurt. Aside from learning to handle the software and load it onto the air-craft, he says secure transfer channels be-tween Airbus and A380 operators also had to be established.

Especially during the early operational phase, spurious fault messages from the air-craft’s condition monitoring system led to flight delays and lower dispatch reliability than planned. Many issues have since been resolved, but handling fault messages and troubleshooting the cause behind them is a challenge, says Ma Xiao, engineer at Chinese maintenance provider Ameco Beijing. The high integration level of the aircraft’s network architecture provides a wide range of func-tionality and convenience, but can lead to “slight unsteadiness and sensitivity”, he says. “One wrong step [in a task] sequence or one failure can cause unpredictable messages.”

Further complicating A380 maintenance are repairs to the Glare airframe structure in the upper fuselage area. While repairs of the aluminium-fibreglass composite material re-quire curing periods unnecessary for metal repairs, the damage limits are “much smaller” than for conventional airframe structures, says Meyer.

Furthermore, if the airframe has been dam-aged by birdstrikes or impact by airport ser-vice vehicles, for example, the fix will involve bolting a reinforcement of the area on top of the existing structure. Some such solutions could be replaced by finer repairs that are flush with the fuselage skin during subse-quent base maintenance events. However, Meyer says accomplishing such structural re-pairs is much more intensive on the A380 than on older aircraft.

Emirates is “starting to see” Airbus’s tech-nical dispatch reliability target of 98.5% on a regular basis, says Lachlan, while less than

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From yuckspeak to tales of yore, send your offcuts to [email protected]

100-YEAR ARCHIVEEvery issue of Flight from 1909 onwards

can be viewed online at flightglobal.com/archive

20-26 January 2015 | Flight International | 37

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“Once, I was the future of European aviation, you know”

Chap

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Leahy happy to laugh at himselfTo Toulouse for the Airbus annual press briefing, where supersalesman John Leahy had more than enough reason to look smug after an impressive year for the airframer.

He was content to be the butt of some good-natured ribbing – from his boss and himself. After introducing two colleagues who had recently been promoted in an executive reshuffle, Fabrice Brégier turned to the American.

“John remains in his role because he’s only good at selling aircraft,” he noted.

Leahy – a 4,000h private pilot who in a previous life sold Piper aircraft – was struggling to read a screen projection during his presentation. He explained that his impaired vision has forced him to retire from flying.

“I would set the throttles at the end of the runway and when the co-pilot said ‘Oh my god!’, I would pull back on the stick…”

Toulouse titansStill in France’s aerospace capital, the world’s newest aviation museum – Aeroscopia – opened its doors to the public on 14 January, and as aircraft collections go it is pretty impressive.

Established with support from Airbus, whose complex neighbours Aeroscopia, landmark types from the airframer and its predecessors unsurprisingly feature prominently. They include Concordes 201 – the first production aircraft and equipped with a VIP cabin – and

English as well as French. If you are in the city, it is certainly worth a visit.

Fold favourites The next best thing to seeing Conc in the flesh might be a paper plane version of the supersonic transport. Charter firm Chapman Freeborn has created a step-by-step template to building the perfect Concorde and Boeing 747 using origami.

It is giving away an iPad Air 2 to whoever takes the best photo of their creation. Deadline is 25 January. Full details are at chapman-freeborn.com/blog

Rolls reversalThe type may be out of production, but Airbus must be delighted with the fact that GE Aviation’s website (left) features two A340-600s side by side.

The only trouble is that the quadjet is powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 500s.

209, which performed the final supersonic Air France flight, as well as a 1970s-era A300B and a Caravelle, the first French commercial jet, from the 1950s. There is also a Boeing 377 Super Guppy SGT, used by Airbus to ferry large aircraft sections for 20 years, and a selection of business jets, including the Dassault Falcon 10. Military aircraft include two Cold War rivals: the Republic F-84 and Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15B.

For fans of an even earlier vintage, there are plenty of pre-war types, too, as well as a wall display charting the development of aviation and Toulouse’s part in it.

Most of the exhibits are housed in the main hangar, which is architecturally impressive – a curved oblong-like tube covered in a grey zinc skin – but there is also a similar-sized outdoor exhibit area, and information and signage are in

Hovering Germans“The commander of the trench considered the German

aeroplane service beyond praise. He repeatedly affirmed that

German aeroplanes are able to halt or hover in the air above one spot, slowly sinking the while, and then rising again and flying on. This manoeuvre serves admirably to guide the fire of their guns.”

Going swimminglyA German raider fell into the hands of Royal Air Force pilots

near the Firth of Forth. The enemy was a Heinkel which dived to sea

level but was followed by our Spitfires. After the German had partaken of some six cups of tea he was able say he was attempting to swim to the coast – only about 20 miles in flying kit in January!

How supersonic?The pros and cons of whether to build a passenger-carrying

supersonic aircraft have been discussed many times – with the

result that it is not a question of whether to build the transport, but how big, how fast and how supersonic. The resultant BAC-Sud Concorde is an extremely neat package as a flying machine.

SkyrocketingThe aftermath of the Challenger disaster and the

decision to commercialise the US launch vehicle industry have

resulted in a renaissance for expendable launch vehicles.

LETTERS


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INVESTIGATION

Dangers of poor system designFurther comment may be inadvisable while an investigation is in progress, but some significant issues are revealed by the article “Pilot slip-ups preceded A320 crash” (Flight International, 6-12 January). The headline looks justified, but then one reads the interactions between the aircraft and the crew. Although pilots are highly trained, there’s still a need to present information to them in a clear way rather than geek-speak.

We’re all used to software that gives little, if any, clue as to what’s happening, and this leads to a cultural acceptance of poor human-machine interfaces. Aerospace should be different.

In the present case, “Set TOGA” was clear enough, but its impact was lessened by preceding it with an explanation. Unfortunately the co-pilot read out the explanation and not the instruction.

But we’re not told whether the system gave any indication of the developing problem at the earliest opportunity – that is, when the runway was corrected from 27R to 27L. Surely there should have been a simple message like “Re-enter runway data” or “No V-speeds”? Then came the audible “retard” warning. The significance was lost on both pilots – and as a non-pilot, I’d think words like “stop” or “abort take-off” would grab the attention better.

This incident can’t compare with the AF447 disaster, but it derives from the same inability of the machine to tell the humans what’s going on. Don’t blame the computers, computerisation, or the programmers. It’s a system design issue, compounded by inadequate regulation.

A development programme flown by skilled test pilots won’t expose the un-intuitive interface issues encountered once thousands of aircraft enter service. If the failure mode analysis didn’t foresee this problem, it needs a fundamental re-think. And let’s use simple language.Richard LloydCoventry

We welcome your letters on any aspect of the aerospace industry. Please write to: The Editor, Flight International, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS, UK. Or email [email protected]

The opinions on this page do not necessarily represent those of the editor. Flight International cannot publish letters without name and address. Letters must be no more than 250 words in length.

FLIGHTINTERNATIONAL

We welcome your letters on any aspect of the aerospace industry. Please write to: The Editor, Flight International, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS, UK. Or email [email protected]

The opinions on this page do not necessarily represent those of the editor. Letters without a full postal address sup-plied may not be published. Letters may also be published on flightglobal.com and must be no longer than 250 words.

FLIGHTINTERNATIONAL

MH17 was not just a war loss

modern flight decks, where auto-mation management is perhaps the primary task, there are still many pilots who regularly fly “raw data VOR and ADF ap-proaches” on a daily basis on 4 plus sector days. Thus his state-ment “modern pilots do not have the background experience to fall back on when it all goes pear shaped” is an exaggeration.

I would encourage those who are in position to help by chang-ing recruitment policies away from cadet pilots fresh from a fancy flight school.Scottish active pilotName and address withheld

Keep it proactiveWhen I was converting experi-enced single-engine pilots to Sikorsky’s first twin, the S61, I would give them an engine fail-ure. Initially they would drop the lever and enter autorotation until I pointed out that there was an-other engine to stay airborne.

It reminds me of an accident some years ago in a twin-engined airliner. After an engine problem, both pilots went head down to try to resolve it, not noticing that the autopilot had tripped and the aircraft was going down, at night. It crashed. Lessons have been learned at the expense of acci-dents. It’s called reactive. I pro-mote proactive. Peter GrayRedhill, UK

Old schoolMy letter recalling my Beverley incident was not meant to offend maintenance engineers (Flight International, 13-19 January). Bill was a character but did take exception to pilots who dared to snag his cherished aircraft. Tom SheppardOffley, Hitchin, UK

I disagree with you when you say in your annual survey of airline safety that MH17 should be counted as a war loss (Flight In-ternational, 13-19 January). Even though it was shot down, greed is the root reason of this tragedy.

It was greed from the Ukraini-an authorities who kept their air-space open above a zone where they knew aircraft were being shot at with missiles, because they needed the revenue, and greed from the airlines (and not MAS alone) that kept their airlin-ers flying in that airspace know-ing very well what was happen-ing there (that other aircraft had been shot down had been widely

reported), to save on their fuel bills and make their shareholders happier.

Clearly, saying so does not remove the slightest ounce of

responsibility from the shoulders of the assassins who fired the missile. But if we don’t want such an accident to happen again, the aviation industry must not hide its head in the sand and should make its mea culpa. The victims of MH17 deserve that.Michel JobéGrez-Doiceau, Belgium

Flying rawIn response to Dave Baker’s letter (Flight International, 13-19 Janu-ary), it is worth mentioning that although a very large portion of new pilots do go straight into

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PUBLISHING MANAGEMENT Head of Flightglobal Melanie Robson Executive Director, Content Mark Pilling

20-26 January 2015 | Flight International | 39

For a full list of events see flightglobal.com/events

EVENTS1-3 FebruaryRoutes AmericasDenver, Coloradoroutesonline.com

8-10 FebruaryAbu Dhabi Air ExpoAl Bateen Executive airport, UAEabudhabiairexpo.com

16-18 FebruaryLoyalty conferenceIstanbul, Turkeyflightglobalevents.com/Loyalty2015

18-22 FebruaryAero IndiaAir Force Station Yelahanka, Bengaluruaeroindia.in

24 February - 1 MarchAvalon AirshowGeelong, Australiaairshow.com.au

17-20 MarchAsian Ground Handling International ConferenceConrad Hotel, Macaogroundhandling.com

23-24 MarchOperating Lease MasterclassPark Plaza County Hall Hotel, Londoneverestevents.co.uk/events

25 MarchEuropean Corporate Aviation SummitThe Broadgate Tower, Londonaeropodium.com

20-23 AprilAeroDef ManufacturingHilton Anatole, Dallasaerodefevent.com

29-30 AprilLoyalty@Freddie AwardsAtlanta, USAflightglobalevents.com/loyaltyfreddies2015

4-7 MayAUVSI’s Unmanned SystemsAtlanta, USAauvsishow.org

10-11 MayAviation AfricaDubai, UAEaviationafrica.aero

19-21 MayEBACEGeneva, Switzerlandebace.aero/2015

26-28 MayAP&M EuropeOlympia London, UKapmexpo.com

31 May - 3 June1st International Symposium on Sustainable Aviation (ISSA)Istanbul, Turkeyissasci.org

4-6 JuneFrance Air ExpoLyon-Bron airport, Francefranceairexpo.com

15-21 JuneParis Air ShowLe Bourget, Paris siae.fr

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40 | Flight International | 20-26 January 2015 flightglobal.com

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flightglobal.com 20-26 January 2015 | Flight International | 41

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Getting careers off the ground

flightglobal.com 20-26 January 2015 | Flight International | 43

IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUMS Head of Airfield Salary range:£44,537-£50,397 per annum

With over 600 staff, two million visitors a year and major attractions at fivebranches (IWM London, IWM North, IWM Duxford, Churchill War Roomsand HMS Belfast). IWM is proud of its reputation as a forward thinking groupof museums. IWM Duxford is Britain’s best preserved wartime fighter stationand a working airfield from which historic aircraft still fly.

Duxford Airfield holds a derogated ordinary licence, operating two runwayswith approximately 20,000 movements a year, including GA, military,training, pleasure flights (AOC/Public Transport Operation), extensive warbird activity, air shows, flying events and ad hoc display practice. DuxfordAirfield is an Air Navigation Service Provider and has a team of FlightInformation Service Officers and a Fire Team.

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IWM is committed to a policy of Equal Opportunities

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Charles Taylor Adjusting – Aviation provides a wide range of claims, technicaland consultancy expertise to aviation insurers and their clients worldwide.Due to continued growth and demand for our services, we invite applicantswith either previous adjusting experience and/or comprehensive Aerospaceengineering experience to apply for the following positions:

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WORKING WEEK


Johnson joined the Civil Air Patrol at 14, and later served in the US Navy

Moving on up with the customerVeteran flying salesman Larry Johnson travels all over northern Texas for Piper Aircraft’s regional US dealership Cutter Texas Piper, using a mix of client know-how and years of experience to close the deal

WORK EXPERIENCE LARRY JOHNSON

take three times, minimum, of asking and delving before you get to what’s important. It’s a job of passion. It’s highly specialised; the people we deal with are very sophisticated and smart. They have the Internet out there – what you might want to sell new, they can find used. It can be a tough job, but if you’re doing it right and understand their needs, it’s a relationship industry. We might be able to move them through two or three models – especially if they’re newer, younger pilots, we can move them to the next higher level of performance. They might pur-chase an Archer, then maybe a Matrix or a Mirage.How have the ownership transitions affected your job?There have been two or three dif-ferent owners. We made it through all of those transitions and we’re better off. Piper is a company with a lot of history; people who are investing want to invest in a resilient company. We’re better off financially, and probably more swift of foot. The people who make up Piper have a lot of character as a result – they’re real people who care about what they do. ■

What first got you interested in aviation?John Glenn’s spaceflight sent me over the edge. I was an inner city kid without any real access to aviation, but when that hap-pened and I knew what I wanted to do. I called an Air Force base and they said I was too young, but I should look into Civil Air Patrol. I did, and I started at 14. At 16 I got inducted into a solo camp and at 17 I got my wings through a summer encampment for a private pilot’s licence. Oth-erwise, I would have had no op-portunity. I joined the Navy as an electronics technician. I got out and went to work in the corpo-rate sector servicing copy ma-chines. I got into a sales job, real-ised I loved it, and amassed about 350 hours flying time fly-ing around and selling.Was selling aircraft your next career move?I didn’t want to be a corporate pilot or an airline pilot, so I won-dered if I could sell aircraft, be-cause I really like to sell. I started banging on doors, and one day in 1977 the Piper dealer in Houston opened the door and said, “come on in”. I was 25. I’m 61 now, so I’ve been at it for a while. It was exactly what I needed. I didn’t know the things I wasn’t sup-posed to do, so I did them and launched myself into a full, life-long career.What’s your showroom like?We might have two or three air-craft on display at any given time. We provide sales and ser-vice at our Dallas-Addison facili-

ty. The time I spend there is sup-porting customers and prospecting, but all the other times I’m out in the field. Basi-cally, I’m the sales guy that I manage. In Cutter there are six sales guys and we all have a dif-ferent sales area. Our company has two guys in Southern Califor-nia as well.Is the nature of the job the same as when you started?No. In the 1970s it was demo, demo, demo. The more you throw against the wall the more is bound to stick. It was a differ-ent time. In the late 1970s, Piper – out of three locations – might deliver 5,000 aircraft to feed the world. The Piper of today might deliver a couple of hundred air-craft, and all the manufacturers might deliver 3,000 per year.

They were all built speculatively back then. Today, everything is managed. We don’t build what we can’t sell.What’s the trick behind a strong sales pitch?You have to be a little bit of a psy-chologist to understand the buy-ing habits of a client. When the customer tells you what they want, they probably haven’t told you exactly what they want. It’ll

“I didn’t want to be acorporate pilot or anairline pilot, so Iwondered if I couldsell aircraft, becauseI really like to sell”

Jeffr

ey D

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If you would like to feature in Working Week, or you know someone who does, email your pitch to kate.sarsfield@ flightglobal.com

Looking for a job in aviation? Check out our job listings at flightglobal.com/jobs

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Flight International - January 20, 2015

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