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UK’S NEW CIVIL AEROSPACE R&D

WILD ABOUT THE CAT

NASA’S PATH TO MARS

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THE GREAT BRITISH TAKE-OFFLIGHTNING II HEADS FOR FARNBOROUGH DÉBUT

July 2014

The Royal Aeronautical Society is delighted to announce that His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales has accepted the Society’s invitation to act as its Honorary President for 2016, the 150th anniversary year of the establishment of the Society.

His Royal Highness’s Presidency will continue the Royal Family’s long association with the Royal Aeronautical Society. Her Majesty The Queen became the Society’s Patron in 1952, succeeding her father, King George VI, in this role. Both Their Royal Highnesses The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and The Prince of Wales are Honorary Fellows, the Society’s highest and most prestigious award. The Duke of Edinburgh was Honorary President during 1966, the Society’s centenary year.

The Chief Executive of the Royal Aeronautical Society, Simon Luxmoore said: “We are honoured that The Prince of Wales has graciously accepted our invitation to become our Honorary President during our 150th anniversary year. 2016 will be an occasion to celebrate innovation, not only through past achievements but, more importantly, through looking to the future. As such, we very much intend to support His Royal Highness’ continuing commitment to encouraging youth opportunity. The support of our Honorary President in this important area will inspire the next generation towards even greater innovations in science, engineering and technology in general, and to aerospace and aviation in particular.”

HRH The Prince of Wales accepts invitation to become Honorary President in 2016

His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales is presented with his Honorary Fellowship certifi cate in 1978 by the then-President Prof Lew Crabtree. RAeS (NAL).

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NEWS IN BRIEF

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Contents

Comment

Gulf bellwether

Regulars

Afterburner

Carrier countdownA look at the behind-the-scenes work integrating the F-35B with the UK’s new aircraft carriers.

NASA’s path to MarsDr Ellen Stofan, Chief Scientist of the US space agency, explains the Red Planet exploration roadmap.

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

10 Antenna Howard Wheeldon looks at how Italy is securing its defence aerospace industrial base with a F-35 fi nal assembly plant.

12 TransmissionYour letters, emails, tweets and feedback.

58 The Last WordKeith Hayward on the importance of the Farnborough Air Show to the UK aerospace industry.

42 Message from our President

43 Message from our Chief Executive

44 Book Reviews

47 Library Additions

48 Sir Henry Royce lecture

50 3D printing

51 ILA 2014

52 Diary

53 RAeS Council

54 Corporate Partners

55 Obituaries

56 RAeS Elections

41

Features

Preparing for tomorrowThe UK’s Aerospace Technology Institute reseach into future technology.

Technology horizonsAirbus Group’s Chief Technology Offi cer, Dr Jean Botti, on turning science fi ction into science fact.

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34

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

aerospace-insightIncluding: The Airbus A300, Heathrow vs

Gatwick, Video of RAeS lecture by Dr Ellen

Stofan, NASA Chief Scientist on Pathways

to Mars, CV-22 Osprey in the UK,

European MALE plan.

Volume 41 Number 7 July 2014

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

3

Wild about the catThe AW159 Wildcat helicopter enters UK miltary service.

More bangs for your buckRaytheon’s Paveway IV weapon is set to gain extra capabilities.

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Front cover: The F-35 JSF will be making its fi rst international public appearances this month at RIAT and the Farnborough Air Show. Lockheed Martin

14

This month the global aerospace industry will descend on Farnborough. This year the UK is riding high — with fresh R&D impetus on the agenda, the F-35 making its fi rst overseas visit and the Airbus A350 making its Farnborough début. However, for the A350, the recent decision by Emirates to cancel 70 widebody orders might be seen in some quarters as a worrying development for the civil aerospace market — and not just in Toulouse. Though Airbus is confi dent that there will be no fi nancial impact from these long-term production orders, any hint of Gulf carriers hitting capacity constraints, or revising growth estimates downwards, after driving so much of the commercial aeropace industy in the past 20 years, will be a concern in Seattle as well. However, it is worth remembering that only in November, Emirates confi rmed its commitment to the A380, by placing an order for 50 at the Dubai Air Show. A case of simply re-adjusting fl eet planning? That said, the regular drumbeat of orders from the Gulf mega-carriers has perhaps led to the entire aerospace community taking their relentless expansion for granted. It may not be an aircraft order bubble but an airliner cancellation from global carrier Emirates, the bellwether and poster-child for air traffi c growth may raise alarm bells — especially if other Gulf carriers decide to follow suit.

Tim Robinson

[email protected]

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

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

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

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

Editorial AssistantAlfonso Serrano Alcala

Book Review EditorBrian Riddle

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

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

Chief Executive Simon C Luxmoore

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

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

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

Printed by Buxton Press Limited, Palace Road, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 6AE, UK

Distributed by Royal Mail

AEROSPACE subscription rates: Non-members, £150

Please send your order to: Dovetail Services Ltd, 800 Guillat Avenue, Kent Science Park, Sittingbourne, Kent ME9 8GU, UK. +44 (0)1795 592939+44 (0)844 856 0650 (fax)[email protected]

Any member not requiring a print version of this magazine, please contact: [email protected]

USA: Periodical postage paid at Champlain New York and additional offi ces.

Postmaster: Send address changes to IMS of New York, PO Box 1518, Champlain NY 12919-1518, USA.

ISSN 2052-451X

40 Farnborough is coming What to look out for at this year’s air show.

16 Plane speaking — Paul Everitt, ADS On the record with the CEO of the UK’s aerospace, defence and security industry body.

36 Working together Report on 2014 RAeS Education and Skills seminar.

NEWS IN BRIEF

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Radome

AEROSPACE / JULY 2014

INTELLIGENCE / ANALYSIS / COMMENT

Drag reductionThe ovoid fuselage reduces the 'wetted area' per passenger by 4-14% compared to com-parable widebodies such as the Boeing 777, Ilyushin Il-96 and Airbus A340-300.

Belly cargoThe Frigate Ecojet's two lower freight compartments can accommodate up to 20 LD-3 containers or cargo on 95 ×125 pallets.Cross-section

RangeThe Frigate Ecojet is optimised for shorter routes than traditional widebody aircraft. Against single-aisle aircraft on fl ights of 1,500km the company estimates it is 15-25% more fuel effi cient than an A320.

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AIR TRANSPORT

Eco-effi cient ovalFrom Russia's Rosaviaconsortium is this ultra-widebody airliner concept optimised for medium-haul fl ights — the Frigate Ecojet. It uses a horizontally ovoid fuselage section to reduce the wetted area per passenger, allowing up to 11 abreast in economy seating — giving a maximum capacity of 352 seats. Calculations by Russia's Central Aerohydrodynamics Institute (TsAGI) has confi rmed the project's eco-effi cient credentials — estimating that the Ecojet's integrated effi ciency is 35% higher compared to modern airliners. Rosaviaconsortium estimates a market for about 600 Ecojets between 2020-2030.

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Specifi cationsRange 3,500kmCruising speed 442ktPassengers 280-400Runway length 2,400mMTOW 123,000kg

EnginesThe Frigate Ecojet project team is considering various engines, including PD-18R and PS-90A20 or the latest Rolls-Royce and Pratt & Whitney engines.

CabinThe triple-aisle cabin could seat 280-350 passengers in a three-cabin layout or 400 in a single-class economy confi guration. Seats would be a minimum of 20in wide and have a pitch of 32in.

Lower landing weightWith its shorter, compact confi guration, the 300-passenger Ecojet has the lowest maximum take-off weight of any passenger aircraft with a similar capacity. This translates, says the company, into 44%-56% lower airport landing fees.

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Radome


NEWS IN BRIEF

Investigators are looking into two 'unprecedented' airspace incidents over Austria in early June where 13 aircraft temporarily disappeared from ATC radar screens in a ‘blackout’.

Turkish Airlines has converted 15 options for Boeing 737 MAX 8s into fi rm orders, adding to a previous fi rm order for 40 of the type and ten of the larger 737 MAX 9 aircraft.

49 people onboard a Ukrainian AF Il-76 transport were killed when it was shot down on 14 June by pro-Russian rebels using MANPADS near Luhansk, Ukraine.

Virgin Galactic has announced an agreement with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) which will allow the space tourist company to operate through US airspace. The agreement

will enable the FAA air traffi c control centre at Albuquerque to ensure that there is safe airspace for suborbital space fl ights to be operated from Virgin Galactic’s base in New Mexico.

A Gulfstream IV business jet crashed in Hanscom Field, Massachusetts, on 31 May, killing all seven people onboard. The aircraft caught fi re during take-off, going off the end of the runway.

Russian Helicopters has confi rmed that it has abandoned plans to jointly develop a new 2·5t rotorcraft with AgustaWestland. However, the two companies will continue to co-operate to produce the AW139 helicopter for the Russian market.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is investigating an incident in which a Virgin Australia

ATR72-600 turboprop was allowed to fl y 13 times in scheduled service with a damaged tail.

Airbus Defence and Space has revealed an upgraded variant of its A330 MRTT — the Enhanced. This aligns the MRTT with the latest civil A330 and also includes avionics, mission systems and IFF upgrades.

A partnership to combine space activities has been agreed by UK, US,

Dubai-based carrier Emirates Airline has cancelled an order for 70 Airbus A350s following a fl eet requirement review. Airbus has said that this cancellation will not adversely affect the A350 programme, as the deliveries were not scheduled to start until the end of the decade. Airbus

In July NASA is to test its new Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD) at the US Navy's range in Hawaii. Designed to evaluate technologies which could be used for landing future human and

SPACEFLIGHT

Solar Impulse 2 maiden fl ight

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shares fell almost 4% while Rolls-Royce shares fell by 2%. As AEROSPACE goes to press, Airbus has begun early long fl ights (ELF) with the cabin-equipped MSN2 A350 prototype, with Airbus workers as passengers. MSN5, the second cabin-equipped A350 XWB is set to fl y imminently.

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Emirates axes A350 order, as Airbus begins early long fl ight tests

robotic Mars missions, the LDSD test over

the Pacifi c Ocean will simulate the entry, descent and landing speeds that a

spacecraft would be exposed to when

fl ying through the Martian atmosphere. (See NASA's path to Mars, p 34).

AEROSPACE

The Solar Impulse 2 solar-powered aircraft made its fi rst fl ight from Payerne in Switzerland on 2 June. A larger version of the earlier Solar Impulse 1, the new 72m wingspan aircraft is to attempt to fl y around the world without fuel in 2015.

AIR TRANSPORT

Insurgents strike airports in Pakistan and IraqAn attack by Islamic militants on Karachi Airport, Pakistan, left 39 dead, including the ten insurgents involved. The raid on 9 June, saw the airport closed as guerillas attacked the VIP and cargo terminal and a widebody hangar. The airport reopened after an overnight battle.Meanwhile, in Iraq, an uprising of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) insurgent group saw the militants take control of Mosul's civil airport and a military airbase with US-supplied equipment and helicopters, reportedly including Black Hawks and Bell 407s.

NASA set for ‘fl ying saucer' test

7i f JULY 2014

Australia and Canada. The UK will join the agreement, which has been previously signed by the other three nations. The agreement lays the groundwork for an international version of the US Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC), which acts as a central clearinghouse for the military’s tracking of space-based objects.

Cessna has rolled out the fi rst production example of its Citation CJ3+ at its

Wichita, Kansas, factory. The nine-passenger bizjet features a Garmin G3000 fl ight deck and is set to receive FAA certifi cation later this year.

The US FAA has cleared the Boeing 787 for extended ETOPS fl ights over water for 330 minutes, or fi ve and a half hours. This expands on the previous ETOPS limit for the 787 and opens up the longest trans-Pacifi c routes.

Bombardier has delivered the fi rst of 90 enhanced CRJ900 regional jets to American Airlines. The original orders for the aircraft, which will operate under the American Eagle brand, was fi rst announced in December 2013 and included an additional 40 options.

Spanish Air Force pilot Captain Fernando Llusa Carrascosa of Ala 11 was killed when his Eurofi ghter

crashed at the Moron Air Base, near Seville, on 9 June. The cause of the accident is under investigation, but the aircraft crashed into the ground less than a mile from the runway threshold.

NASA has conducted a key technology test at the Kennedy Space Center in preparation to land an unmanned spacecraft on a rugged planetary surface in the dark. The Autonomous Landing Hazard Avoidance

Technology (ALHAT) test involved descending an unmanned Morpheus lander from 800ft using on the ALHAT systems for guidance.

Swiss manufacturer Pilatus began taking orders for its new PC-24 utility/business jet at the Geneva EBACE show in May. The rollout of the fi rst of three PC-24 prototypes is scheduled for 1 August, with the maiden fl ight to follow in early 2015.

AIR TRANSPORT

AEROSPACE

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has warned that profi ts for the global airline industry in 2014 may be adversely affected by poor economic growth in China. IATA predicts that airlines may make $18bn of profi ts this year, down from a previously predicted $18·7bn earlier in March and $19·7bn estimated in

December. Total revenues would reach $746bn in 2014, the body said. With average net margins of 2·4% that equates to just $5·42 per passenger. As well as slower growth in China, IATA also pointed to taxes, fuel prices, regulation, infrastructure constraints and ATM ineffi ciencies eating into airline profi ts.

Australian authorities co-ordinating the international underwater search for the missing Malaysian 777 MH370 have said that despite scouring over 850km2 of the Indian Ocean fl oor in the vicinity of pings thought to be from the aircraft’s beacon, the ‘area can now be

discounted as the fi nal resting place of MH370’.Reports from the US Navy say that the acoustic ‘pings’ detected in April, may have been from the searching ships themselves or other man-made sources. The search will continue over a larger 60,000km2 arc in the Indian Ocean.

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IATA profi t warning for airlines

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The fi fth Sukhoi T-50 fi ghter prototype suffered damage on 10 June at the Zhukovsky test centre outside Moscow, when a fi re above the right inlet broke out on landing. The pilot was not injured and Sukhoi says the ‘incident will not affect the timing’ of the T-50 test programme.

GENERAL AVIATION

DEFENCE

Sukhoi T-50 suffers engine fi re

Aerion revamps SSBJ with larger trijet

Aerion has revamped its supersonic business jet (SSBJ) design — now with a larger cabin and extended range. The AS2 SSBJ features three engines versus two on the previous design. Aerion anticipates that the AS2 will still be certifi ed in 2021 with fi rst fl ight expected in late 2018 or early 2019, followed by a 24-month certifi cation

MH370 hunt setback


Rolls-Royce has run the fi rst Trent 1000-TEN engine which will eventually be used to power future models of the Boeing 787. The new 78,000lb thrust engine is scheduled for certifi cation at the end of 2015.

The new £2·5bn Terminal 2 at Heathrow Airport was opened on 4 June to passengers using 34 United Airlines' fl ights. A further 25 airlines will

transfer to T2 over the next few months.

On 23 May, an RAF RC-135W Rivet Joint made its fi rst training fl ight in UK airspace from RAF Waddington since delivery last November. The RC-135W has now been cleared to an ‘initial release to service’, according to the MoD.

On 28 May a multinational crew launched from Kazakhstan aboard a

Soyuz rocket to the International Space Station (ISS). The three-man crew consisted of Germany’s Alexander Gerst, Russia’s Max Surayev and NASA’s Reid Wiseman.

Gulfstream has introduced the 7,500nm range G650ER which the US manufacturer claims makes it the world’s longest-range business jet.

Airbus Defence and Space, Dassault and

Alenia Aermacchi have announced a joint proposal to develop a next generation (medium altitude long endurance) MALE UAV. The companies say, if approved by European governments, such a jet-powered MALE design could be ready by 2020.

Air New Zealand has ordered ten Airbus A320neos, one A320 and three A321s in a deal worth up to $1·5bn. The

aircraft will be delivered between 2017 and 2019.

A USAF Global Hawk has fl own in UK airspace for the fi rst time. The UAV, operating at 50,000ft in controlled airspace, was taking part in a NATO evaluation called Unifi ed Vision 2014.

United Launch Alliance (ULA) launched the USAF's sixth Block IIF GPS satellite atop a Delta IV rocket on 16 May.

NEWS IN BRIEF

RadomeDEFENCE

AEROSPACE

The fi rst Boeing 787 for Dutch charter carrier Arke got a VIP welcome when it was escorted by F-16s of the Royal Netherlands Air

Force Demo Team. Arke has three

787-8s on order, which will be used on services between

Amsterdam and the

Caribbean.

UK CAA relaxes fi xed-wing microlight rules

Brazil’s military have been deployed as part of the security measures surrounding the month-long FIFA World Cup tournament. A restricted zone above football

World Cup defenders

On 28 May, the UK CAA announced the de-regulation of all single-seat fi xed-wing microlights.This means, for airworthiness purposes,

stadiums will suspend landings at nearby airports while matches are underway. The effort involves 12,600 personnel from the Brazilian Air Force and 77 aircraft.

the aircraft no longer need a Permit to Fly to operate in the UK. The move, undertaken after consultation with stakeholders, expands the previous SSDR category from 2007.

Arke 787 arrives in style

CSeries uncontained engine failure

Bombardier temporarily suspended fl ight tests on its CSeries regional jet following an ‘uncontained’ low pressure turbine engine failure on 29 May. The incident occurred during a ground maintenance test of fl ight test aircraft FTV-1 at Mirabel, Quebec, and involved a Pratt & Whitney PW1500G engine. The company has since resumed engine ground tests.

GENERAL AVIATION

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Swiss vote no to Gripen The people of Switzerland have voted to abandon a proposed purchase of 22 Saab Gripens to replace the Swiss Air Force’s remaining Northrop F-5 fi ghters.

Held on 18 May, 52% of respondents voted ‘no’

to the proposals. The public vote could also threaten other proposed measures, including a pact between Saab and Pilatus to offer the PC-21 turboprop as a possible solution for Sweden's future pilot training requirements.

INFOGRAPHIC: Local heroes: the value of regional UK airports

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DEFENCE

ATR has appointed Patrick de Castelbajac as its new CEO.

Paul Watts is the new GM of Bell Helicopter’s Lafayette, LA assembly plant.

Bristow Group announced that John Briscoe has been appointed to the position of Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Offi cer.

ON THE MOVE

CorrectionIn last month’s AEROSPACE in the article on Eurofi ghter upgrades ‘In the Typhoon’s path’ the phrase ‘leading-edge route extensions’ was used. It should, of course, be ‘leading-edge root extensions’. We apologise for any confusion caused.

✎

SPACEFLIGHT


Rolls-Royce opens new facilityRolls-Royce has opened a new £100m advanced fan/turbine disc production facility, in Washington, UK. Once operational, it will produce some 2,500 discs per year.

SpaceX reveals Dragon V2 Commercial space company SpaceX has revealed the manned version of its cargo-carrying Dragon capsule, which will be able to carry seven astronauts to the

550mph jet powered fl ying car

AIR TRANSPORT

GENERAL AVIATION

ISS in low Earth orbit. The Dragon V2 is also reusable and is equipped with

landing-legs and retro-rockets to enable it to land vertically after re-entry.

Two US inventors, Greg Brown and Dave Fawcett have unveiled a concept for a four-seat jet-powered roadable aircraft, capable of taking off and achieving speeds of 550mph. The

GF7 would use a 3,500lb Williams FJ44-4 turbofan to power this ‘fl ying car’, with electric propulsion on the ground. The team are aiming for a fl ying prototype in four years.

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10 AEROSPACE / JULY 2014

antenna:

Just as British, French, Spanish and German governments have all been forced to take a long hard look at what they spend on defence, so too has the new Italian government been questioning future defence

capability needs with renewed vigour. In March, weeks after taking offi ce, newly appointed Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi suggested that the defence budget would be cut by €3·7bn in 2015/16 and that a White Paper overseen by a group of experts managed by the Italian Ministry of Defence would be published before the end of the year. The White Paper would apparently run in parallel with a separate defence commission review that is looking at future procurement.

That Parliament, as opposed to the Supreme Defense Council, is now required to provide the primary decision and infl uence, marks a huge change in attitude and approach to Italian defence procurement. It is one that is known to be opposed by Italy’s President, Giorgio Napolitano, but probably unlikely to be reversed. Desperate to cut public spending, Prime Minister Renzi has suggested that a further €3bn of defence cuts could emerge over the next three years, these being facilitated by closure of almost 400 military barracks plus additional cuts to planned numbers of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters. In the case of the latter, these had already been slashed from an original intention to acquire 131 aircraft down to 90. As if to back the intention to further cut F-35 procurement, on 19 March the Italian Parliament signed off a report that called for signifi cant cuts to the F-35 programme.

Italy had already been going through a process of previously agreed defence cuts that would see current numbers of military personnel reduced by 20% by 2022. The White Paper, when it emerges, is, however, more likely to highlight the need to speed up the process of scrapping legacy capability. Aware of the need to modernise, I take the view that, despite pressure to recommend further programme cuts, it will likely focus on important elements of future defence strategy and capability requirement. If correct, this would suggest that what eventually emerges as a result of the White Paper may not be quite as bad as it appears on the surface.

It is also worth remembering that Italy has a very different attitude and approach to its defence industrial base than countries such as Britain. To that end and despite being strongly supportive of EU membership, Italy places national interest, sovereignty and skills retention as a high priority. Translated in

Global Outlook and Analysis with HOWARD WHEELDON

The Italian JobTHE ITALIANS ARE TO BE COMMENDED FOR THE MANNER IN WHICH THEY HAVE AGAIN PLACED MAINTENANCE AND SUSTAINMENT OF SOVEREIGN MANUFACTURING CAPABILITY OVER AND ABOVE THE CHEAPER RISK AVERSE OPTION OF BUYING COMPLETED AIRCRAFT OFF- THE-SHELF

terms of further potential defence cuts could well mean that retention of sovereign capability and skills will continue to play a large part in dictating future policy toward defence equipment procurement. While critics would regard this as playing ‘politics’, as opposed to creating well thought out defence ‘strategy’ I suggest, despite the rhetoric and ambition to the contrary, that in a fractious and delicate parliamentary system such as the one that Italy has, when pressured Prime Minister Renzi will likely tread a far more cautious path on defence cuts than the one currently being targeted.

Notwithstanding the importance of Italy within NATO, it is also right to point out that, after several rounds of past defence cuts, Italy retains, when compared to fellow Northern European NATO members, a high level of air power capability. The Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare) fast combat jet inventory had, not so long ago, been as high as 253 aircraft. However, at the time of writing, the current fast jet inventory is believed to comprise 16 AV-8Bs, 55 still active Tornado aircraft in both IDS and IT-ECR form (another 44 aircraft are held as retired or stored), 52 AMX ground-attack aircraft plus a still expanding fl eet of 71 Eurofi ghters. When the remaining Eurofi ghters on order have been delivered the total will amount to 96 aircraft.

Although intended numbers of F-35s could still be cut, the Italian Government continues to have a stated intention to acquire 90 aircraft from Lockheed Martin. These are currently specifi ed as being 60 ‘A’s and 30 ‘B’ STOVL variants. Clearly, given the age of some legacy aircraft, modernisation of the fast jet fl eet is essential but, like other nations, including France, faced with the similar affordability utility issues, the Italian Government remains under considerable pressure from the ECB to balance its books and to start reducing debt.

Even so, having worked hard to support its NATO allies over the past 20 years and proven the potency and effi ciency of its air power capability, I suggest that, given the proximity of Italy to some of the more troubled regions of the world, it may be worth reminding that Italians have a tendency to be far more sensitive to the needs of maintaining strong defence than some of Europe’s other NATO members. Indeed, just as we are seeing defence chiefs in France placing their heads over the parapet objecting to further defence cuts and complaining that those already authorised have gone too far, I doubt that Italian service chiefs will take another proposed round of defence cuts on the chin.

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

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Lockheed Martin's F-35 Fort Worth facility. Italy has built its own assembly line at Cameri.

The issue of maintaining sovereignty, jobs and skills is also likely to play a role here. Just as Italian industry continues to build Eurofi ghter aircraft, so too has the nation decided to build in-country all the F-35 aircraft that it orders for the Aeronautica Militare. The superb built-for-purpose Alenia Aermacchi facility at Cameri will also build the 37 F-35s that have been ordered by the Royal Netherlands Air Force.

Retention and, more importantly, sustainment of sovereign manufacturing capability, is hugely important to Italy. While Britain, a Tier One partner in the F-35 programme producing approximately 15% of the aircraft, along with Australia, Norway, Denmark and Turkey will take all the F-35s they acquire directly from LM in Fort Worth, the Italians have chosen to continue the long tradition of manufacturing or, in the case of the F-35, assembling most of what it requires in terms of defence capability at home. Italy has secured considerable additional work on the F-35 programme and is a second source supplier of F-35 wing-sets for LM.

Having recently visited the Cameri production facility which is already well engaged in construction work on the complex F-35 wing-sets that are then exported to the US, the engineering prowess and programme expertise developed was very impressive. Starting from a green-fi eld site in 2011, the now complete complex contains no fewer than 22 different buildings that have been designed for a variety of purposes, including wing manufacture, aircraft assembly, fi nal fi nishing and acceptance testing. The hope is that, eventually, the plant will be the centre of excellence for all European F-35 MRO and future upgrade work.

With 6,000 Italian jobs reliant on the F-35, of which Cameri will eventually be responsible for around 1,500 both in wing manufacturing and full aircraft assembly, the success of Cameri is hugely important. The decision to invest in a full ‘Final Assembly and Check Out’ (FACO) facility was not taken lightly and there remains a high degree of potential risk. The Italians are to be commended for the manner in which they have again placed Lo

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in the maintenance and sustainment of sovereign manufacturing capability over and above the cheaper risk-averse option of buying completed aircraft off the shelf. What is equally impressive is that, given the requirement for common standards of design and build, meaning that the Italian method of wing production and fi nal aircraft assembly is not at variance with that of US production standards, it appears that, from an effi ciency and productivity point, the Cameri facility has already more than achieved its objectives.

With capacity to produce approximately 71 wing-sets per annum, the current plan is for production of 65 wing-sets a year in a programme that expects to deliver a total of 835 wing sets in the years ahead. In terms of aircraft assembly, the initial plan is to produce eight F-35s per year by 2018, increasing to two aircraft per month thereafter.

During my visit I was able to see the fi rst four Italian-assembled aircraft at various stages of production. The fi rst, AL-001, was due to be powered up in June with a fi rst fl ight anticipated in May/June 2015. Aircraft AL-002 and AL-003 were also in the preliminary stage of construction.

The Cameri facility is a reminder that Europe has not lost the art of investing in military aircraft manufacturing. But, in the great scheme of things, unless Europe decides to be bold and to look at investing in a new manned aircraft programme and gets its act better together on UAVs, we will continue to be beholden to the US. It is our choice to make but, once made, there can, in the highly sophisticated world of military aircraft technology, be no turning back.

Italy’s plan for F-35 production may appear to be a brave decision and one that others would consider to be full of potential risk but it is to be commended for the bold statement it sends. While the plan has great merit, in my view, achieving the wider long-term vision to be Europe’s F-35 MRO centre of excellence on the Cameri site will, at a time when Italy is striving to cut expenditure on defence, require a degree of stability to emerge fi rst.


TransmissionLETTERS AND ONLINE

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Typhoon tankage I have known since the fi rst fl ight of its precursor/quasi-prototype EFA 30 years ago that the Typhoon would need more tankage. Every small warplane, from the Spitfi re and before, has. It would have been far more economical, in performance degradation as well as money, to design this in, when it would have been virtually free! A thicker wing would have increased the internal volume and, because deeper, still have weighed less; while a little more sweepback held down the sonic drag. As did MoD, the RAF and BAE. The catch was that the saving was long-term and the expenditure immediate, inside the event horizon of politicians concerned to buy the coming election and, at best, the next. They pressured — is blackmailed too strong a word? — the defence community, with threats to vital projects and implicitly to the existence of individual Services, to accept the close-in-

resources in place for the future — just like any other business.

Kim Verbraeken All this does is take the focus away from a global problem. Pilot shortage combined with high cost of training not only is a UK issue, the entire world is facing the same problem. These problems should be tackled on a global scale, and industry plus govern-ments need to take action. An isolated BALPA pro-posal focused on the UK situation only will agravate the situation!

community and individuals already knew, she did give glimpses of direction and food for thought (and answered a heck of a lot of questions). It does seem there is some momentum toward Moon followed by Mars missions. There is no doubt that, on the face of it, the UK could cautiously get involved, especially as we’ve the talent. We just need to have strings attached to the substantial fi nancial backing.Following the RAeS presentation, she gave another talk at London University. She is a great ambassador for NASA and for the sciences and struck many chords for me (astronomy, aero/space, planetary physics, geophysics). I think, if we see much more of her in the future, it would be a delight and I’m very pleased to have spoken to her.

Michael T Systems Engineer [On Hybrid Air Vehicles Airlander airship(2)] I’m fascinated by these aircraft but doesn’t the world have a shortage of helium? Or is it OK to use hydrogen now?

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iAir-to-air refuelling from a Tornado to a Typhoon.

Derek Pake [On corporate partner briefi ng about man-aging the future pilot short-age] Here’s a better idea, have the airlines pay for the training and recoup it back through sliding scale

cheaper version. With the consequence of yet another debacle, different only in magnitude from the farce of the catapult/no-catapult/catapult decade-hence-maybe aircraftless carriers. Power in international affairs necessitates military muscle. Scrimping on defence incurs waste that renders our pretensions ridiculous, that destroys the important infl uence that Britain could exert.

Noel Falconer FRAeS

@lawlorpd [on Emirates A350 cancellation] as-tonishing — Farnborough and some better news can’t come quick enough for the Airbus press offi ce.

@McBaine146 vote of no confi dence in #Airbus and the A350? Not that Boeing and the 787 is much better.

Geoffrey W Chartered Senior Aircraft Structural Design and Development Engineering Professional[On RAeS lecture from Dr Ellen Stofan, Chief Scientist of NASA(1)] NASA can only achieve this aim if the US government and people are behind it like the days of Apollo but I do not think there is enough support in the US, a joint venture like the ISS would be the best way forward, possibly with China involved instead of Russia, However, this would be dependent on US politics so is unlikely.

Dee A Aircraft technician at American Airlines Dr Ellen’s talk was very enjoyable and well presented, considering she was originally supposed to have shared the stage with a colleague and had to conduct it alone. While most of the content was what we as an aerospace

bonds or by the money the pilots make for them over time. It’s not the taxpayers’ problem, it’s a problem the industry brought upon itself by creating a market where people have to self fund. It’s Catch 22. No sponsor-ship so people self fund, people self funding so no need to provide sponsor-ship

Tim Lee-Foster No. All that will do is cement this ridiculous tax into place. We should be campaigning to get rid of it entirely. But it’s not going to happen until the shortage really starts to bite — and right now it isn’t. There is still no shortage of newly qualifi ed pilots looking for that fi rst job — the problem lies with getting them some experience.

Llyr Jones No. Commercial airlines need pilots, and these airlines should invest to make sure they have the necessary suitably qualifi ed,

i f@aerosociety linkedin.com/raes facebook.com/raes www.aerosociety.com

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13JULY 2014

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

1. http://aerosociety.com/News/Insight-Blog/2257/VIDEO-Dr-Ellen-Stofan-NASA-Chief-Scientist-on-the-path-to-Mars2. http://aerosociety.com/News/Insight-Blog/2081/Airships-a-new-dawn

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

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A Concorde and prototype A300 in the new Aeroscopia Museum at Blagnac.

@AGM100UTC [On MH370 mystery disap-pearance] This whole event is alarming ... sh.

Lt Cdr Eric Brown piloting modifi ed de Havilland Mosquito FBVI, LR359, which made the fi rst twin-engined carrier-borne landing on to HMS Indefatigable on 25 March 1944.

@PauloNurra [On PAK-FA fi re accident] It could be for sure an expensive..trade off between repair or new built.

@martinmcnamara Oops ... ah well, most prototypes have one glitch or another...

@Josephaviation [on new Aeroscopia Museum] Yes, one very impressive new Airbus museum.

@DanVanderberg HSA did a fi ne job on the wing and kept British know how on A300 after Govt pulled out. Undaunted (relieved?) Airbus kept going.

@jvrermondon Hope you have enjoyed Aeroscopia and we’ll get back once it is full and ready for its fi rst visitors ;)

@AngusBatey [On news from RAeS RPAS confer-ence] ‘UK govt opposes EASA plans for single UAS regulation regardless of size’ says to industry: “if you think we’re wrong, tell us.” #RPASToday

@Rob_Coppinger [On aircargo drones decades away]. We hear this at Aerosociety event but an EU Commission study has identifi ed tech map, follow-on concepts study possible.

@jonititan Personal deliv-ery drones are technically feasible but the barriers are regulation and liability.

@pilotjobsuk Pilot Shortage? Tell that to the hundreds of currently unemployed pilots.

@PeterFarrowAST [On managing the pilot short-age] big question here, do we ‘manage’ it or take action to negate it?

@crichardson123 [On Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown BBC TV documentary] what an amazing pilot and amazing man — a truly national jewel!

@GlosAirport here he is opening @JetAgeMuseum a few weeks ago. Amazing man. pic.twitter.com/qdZx4MNOu8

@PaulMarks12 The reluctant German team he seconded to grab the Nazi planes was interesting too, and his US ops ...

@Baz577 Why has Captain Eric Brown never been awarded a knight-hood??? Oh yes, he’s not a 20-something sports ‘celebrity’ ...

@durtgeek [On a short-age of maintainance technicians] If there was more of a push towards focusing on maintenance instead of pilot careers for youth all the time.

@EdwardHawkins Truly impressive when we think of today’s talk about the ‘speed of change’, ‘transformational change’, etc.

@PhilipDjaferis [On fi re destroying an Il-96 on the ground in Moscow] The fi re apparently started in the cockpit. It was parked there for months and was up for sale but who wants an Il-96?

@fl yinggibbon [On the Embraer KC-390] Interesting, how does the turbofans’ reverse thrust compare to the range of say a C-27 to stop once down?

@Getintofl ying [On the new UK CAA GA draft regulations] What does the @AeroSociety make of the @UK_CAA draft GA policy? Our thoughts here: getintofl ying.co.uk/features/

@AlexdEsterre [On RAeS Bristol Branch lecture on electric fl ight] A thoroughly enjoyable event this evening, feel privileged to be around some of Britain’s most intelligent minds. #Aviation

This month on 4 July the first of the UK's new Queen Elizabeth-class (QEC)carriers is set to be launched by Her Majesty the Queen — an importantmilestone in restoring Britain's naval air power. TIM ROBINSON talks tosome of the engineers responsible for putting the 'air' in aircraft carrier.

“The thing to bear in mind with the QEC,” says David Atkinson, F-35 Integration Lead, BAE Systems, “is the sheer scale of the fl ight deck. It is just huge — three times bigger

than the Invincible-class deck.” Atkinson is part of the industry team that is working on this giant fl agship project. This BAE team, distinct from the company’s prime role in the Aircraft Carrier Alliance (ACA), is the interface between the aircraft (F-35) and naval teams working on this project — to ensure that the UK's new stealth fi ghter and its new carriers mesh as smoothly as possible. The team, reporting up to the F-35 Joint Programme Offi ce via Lockheed Martin, is the fi rst ‘port of call’ for ACA and the MoD for questions about F-35 integration. Says Atkinson: “Our role is to help the MoD and ACA ensure the F-35B is integrated as effi ciently and effectively as possible with the QE Class aircraft carrier.” This has involved extensive engineering, simulation and modelling — going back a number of years.

However, as defence observers will know, the CVF future carrier project hasn't always been smooth sailing. The UK Government's switch from STOVL F-35B to CV (cats and traps) variant and back again in 2012, not only looked like dithering and cost valuable resources, but also set project engineers racing to make up lost time. “That interruption has had an effect on the programme, however our simulator models have helped to ease

the transitions between aircraft variants” notes Atkinson.

Leveraging simulation

Integration of the F-35 with the QEC, in particular, has harnessed the growing power of simulation and synthetic modelling to de-risk the process. Inside a F-35 motion simulator at BAE Warton's facility, test pilots can assess the aircraft in the landing pattern, develop CONOPS (CONcepts of OPerationS) and take-off and land on a ‘virtual’ HMS Queen Elizabeth. The simulation is not bound to the F-35B and QEC either — it can also emulate F-35C and CVN characteristics. Additionally, to enhance realism and develop procedures for take-off and recovery, other multiple ‘virtual’ F-35s can be inserted into the simulations — to allow the pilot to assess how a formation of aircraft would recover to the ship. Says Atkinson: “There is a unique capability here in the UK at BAE Systems at Warton, which is to simulate operation of the F-35 with our, or anybody else’s, aircraft carrier who provides their model to us.” He observes: “It is the result of many years of [fl ight simulation] experience in the facilties at Warton which has resulted in the leading edge that we have and can bring to bear on these two hugely important programmes.”

Though the F-35B’s advanced fl y-by-wire fl ight control system has taken much of the hard work out of vertical landings — the simulation has already


THERE IS A UNIQUE CAPABILITY HERE IN THE UK AT BAESYSTEMS AT WARTON, WHICH IS TO SIMULATE OPERATION OF THE F-35 WITH OUR, OR ANYBODY ELSE’S, AIRCRAFT CARRIER

David AtkinsonF-35 Integration LeadBAE Systems

DEFENCEQueen Elizabeth carriers

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proved its worth in helping test the Shipborne Rolling Vertical Landing (SRVL) manoeuvre, which is a UK-specifi c landing technique that allows higher ‘bring-back’ (several thousand pounds additional weight) of weapons and fuel — especially in hot climates. SRVL sees the pilot land in hover mode but with forward speed — enabling the wings to generate useful lift. Unlike a traditional carrier approach at 130kts, where the pilot is prepared to ram the throttle open in case of a 'bolter' — the SRVL ends with the aircraft automatically moving the propulsion system to idle and the pilot applies the brakes. Input from test pilots in the simulator has also added SRVL-specific symbology — a ship-referenced velocity vector to the pilots HMDS (Helmet Mounted Display System), to better judge the approach path using this recovery technique.

Lights, camera, action

Indeed the SRVL concept has also made another change in the F-35/QE integration — that of a new stabilised lighting system or ‘Bedford Array'. Independent of the two glide path indicators (for both helicopters and fi xed-wing aircraft) in the port catwalk, this proprietary system, developed by QinetiQ and manufactured by AGI Ltd uses LED lights in the deck tramlines to provide a gyro-stabilised glidepath alignment cue and a forward and aft limit line to F-35B pilots carrying out SRVL approaches. The ‘Bedford Array’ approach lighting was trialed with QinetiQ's VAAC Harrier testbed in 2008. Indeed, work on the QEC visual landing aids goes back even further, to the very start of the CVF programme and these aids have been progressively developed using the Warton fl ight simulator.

The lighting on the QEC is innovative in other ways. Giant TV-style ‘departure boards' on the side of the islands allow information (and even video) to be viewed by fl ight deck personnel or aircrew sitting in readiness. It can also, if needed, project white light, acting as fl oodlights for maintenance or other operations at night.

Not your father's ski-jump

The QE-class's ski-jump, too, has been carefully designed and engineered from the beginning — drawing on BAE's Harrier heritage. Says Atkinson: “We had to go back into the archives and talk to people who had actually been involved with trials with the Sea Harrier and Harrier to make sure we understood the history of ski-jump ramp development. The aircraft carrier ski-jump is a UK innovation and something the UK is very proud of”. The QEC's ski-jump is longer (200ft) than the Invincible-class (150ft) and designed so that the

aircraft has all three (including the nose) wheels in contact right up until the point where the aircraft leaves the deck — giving positive nosewheel authority throughout. Additionally, the F-35Bs smart fl ight control system ‘knows’ when it is going up a ramp and will pre-position the control surfaces and effectors to launch at the optimum angle to avoid pitch-up or down.

Thermal challenges

However, the biggest engineering challenge in F-35 integration, says Atkinson, is the aero-thermal environment surrounding the hot-exhaust gas of the F-35B and its 40,000lb thrust F135 engine. This challenge is not novel to the F-35 but has been known about since the 1960s and the Hawker Siddeley P.1154, when it was realised that any supersonic P.1127/Harrier follow-on would need extra effort to tackle this problem. Indeed, a scale F-35 hot-gas test rig has been used at Warton for some years to explore the aircraft's external thermal environment.

For the QE-class this has been dealt with in the development of a thermal metal spray to protect the fl ight deck against high-exhaust temperatures. This says Atkinson, was a unique challenge — while thermal metal spray existed, for use on an aircraft carrier it had to combine heat-resistant properties with those needed by a fl ight deck — for example the friction characteristics needed to grip aircraft tyres in wet conditions. Thermal proofi ng measures such as higher temperature resistant paints and shields also extends to the catwalk and liferafts. Says Atkinson: “The historic STOVL knowledge and experience that was developed throughout the 60s to 80s has allowed UK understanding of ground erosion and hot gas to be brought to bear on this aircraft's ship interface.”

Conclusion

After the launch, the next milestone will see HMS Queen Elizabeth head for sea trials in 2016. This will most likely see the fi rst aircraft landings on the carrier, albeit with helicopters to support this activity. First rotary-wing ship operating limit tests are planned for 2017. First of class fi xed-wing deck trials with F-35Bs from the US are planned to begin by the end of 2018 and to be completed in 2019, leading to an Initial Operating Capability in 2020.

Thus, in 2020, the UK will possess a state-of-the-art warship and valuable fl oating piece of real estate — able to embark up to 36 stealth F-35s and/or helicopters (including Chinooks) to project power, presence or offer assistance anywhere in the world. This potent carrier strike force represents a massive jump in capability over the Invincible/Harrier era — and perhaps, in one way, sees the UK's CVA-01/P.1154 ambitions of the 1960s come full circle.

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28MILLION HOURS SPENT DEVELOPMENT & DESIGN

250,000LITRES OF

PAINT USED

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The F-35 motion simulator at BAE Warton has been crucial in developing QEC CONOPS.

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PLANE SPEAKINGPaul Everitt

Plane Speaking with:

Paul EverittOn the eve on this year’s FarnboroughAir Show, we catch up with PAUL EVERITT,CEO, ADS Group, to ask him about the currentstatus of the UK aerospace and defenceindustry, the concerns of his members andthe possible implications of Scottishindependence to UK plc.

AEROSPACE: How would you sum up the state of the UK aerospace industry today?

PE: It’s a really positive and optimistic time. There is a lot of genuine excitement across industry. I guess that the background context to that is a range of things. You’ve got exciting products, some of which we will see at Farnborough and others that are or are about to come onto the marketplace. We’ve also got growth in the civil market, which is continuing and looks very fi rm. We are seeing that increasing in terms of deliveries, alongside the strong orderbook. I think the other one, at least from a UK perspective, is linked to the broader context of industrial strategies. The Government gets the importance of industrial strategy. It is absolutely committed to a genuine partnership with industry, providing the support, certainty and continuity that gives us the confi dence to invest. Q: How signifi cant is the launch of the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI)? (see page 20-23). Can a new ‘virtual’ R&D centre really replace the RAE Farnborough of old?

PE: It’s a different world, I don’t think we are trying to recreate things. The ATI needs to be seen in the context of all the work by the Aerospace Growth Partnership (AGP) and again the link back from that into the broader commitment to industrial strategies. There is no doubt that the ATI is an

incredibly important development. The commitment of industry and government to a £2bn forward programme of R&D investment is very substantial, particularly since it takes us not just to the next election, but the election after that. So we go through both this Parliament and the life of the next Parliament. That really gives us a sense that this is a long-term arrangement. The role of the ATI is one of developing strategy and co-ordinating resources. We know what we are trying to do in terms of where the UK’s key strengths lie and the challenges of the customer requirements from airlines. Therefore, what we need to do is to deliver products that will satisfy that customer demand. The ATI’s role is to bring these things together in a coherent and co-ordinated way. In the past we tried to invest in everything and eke out as broad a coverage as possible from the limited resources available. Now, ATI is going to focus the investment that delivers the best return for the UK as a whole. That is a very signifi cant and important development.

Q: What is currently the biggest concern to your aerospace and defence members?

PE: The biggest concerns across civil aerospace, are challenges in the marketplace. We have customers that are very keen to buy more products (which is really good) but the economics of their businesses mean that to buy more products they need a more competitive offering. That has ramifi cations from the very top of the supply chain all the way down through it. The combination of increasing demand as well as the competitive

The UK’s space sector is becoming increasingly important.

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17JULY 2014

IF WE MAKE IT MORE COMPLEX TO OPERATE WITHIN THE LARGER UK FOOTPRINT, THEN THAT ISN’T GOING TO BE POSITIVE FOR US AS AN INDUSTRY. WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE IMPLICATIONS OF SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE

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

the excitement, but also career opportunities. This is to ensure that we win our fair share, if not more than our fair share of the people that are available. Hopefully this will also inspire more people to take the right kind of courses and get the right type of qualifi cations, so we increase that pipeline of talent. Q: There seems to be a tremendous amount of activity in STEM outreach – but the industry still seems to be struggling to attract talent. What are we doing wrong?

PE: This holds true for an awful lot of organisations, not just aerospace, but also across both manufacturing and engineering. We’ve got lots of activity, all of it generally very good and well meaning but it is fragmented. It can mean we confuse as many as we inform. It’s a really tough job to try and tell people that somebody else knows better. It would be nice if we could get a bit more coherence. From an ADS point of view this is typifi ed around the work we do on Futures Day. We collaborate and work with a range of key partners and stakeholders to maximise the value of the opportunity that Futures Day offers. As far as we can, we are adding value to the activity rather than seeing it as something that is competing with what other people are trying to do. For us, the themes at the show are AGP and DGP (Defence Growth Partnership). We’ve got some really good examples of a successful piece of activity around the MSc Bursary scheme. We want to use the show to demonstrate what the AGP has been able to help create, in getting young people who have qualifi ed, or passed their exams by the time of the show, as well as the next 200 who will be starting in September. There’s a real challenge out there but there are some good things that are happening. Our aim is to get people to focus on perhaps a more ‘limited’ range of activities and draw people into the successful activities that are being undertaken. Hopefully, we create a bigger impact through them.

pricing pressures, are challenging for individual businesses. The growth in demand is certainly challenging in terms of fi nding and identifying a pipeline of appropriately qualifi ed and skilled people. For some businesses, particularly those that are smaller scale and further down the supply chain, ensuring they can fi nance the opportunities that are available to them is high on their priority list. On the defence side, there are clearly concerns about the overall level of available spend. The obvious route when the domestic customer constrains expenditure, is to look to export markets. We are in a set of circumstances where all of the major markets are suffering similar levels of constraint, therefore, export markets are increasingly competitive. We’re all pitching in, and fi ghting for, business in a limited number of areas, which has its own challenges. Within the UK and with our own domestic customer, we are going through a signifi cant change in reform of defence acquisition. This includes the changes outlined in the Defence Reform Act, devolved responsibilities to frontline commands, and as we come to the end of this Parliament, what the future strategy is going to be and how that is going to be played out through the next SDSR.

Q: On skills — has the UK got enough engineers and scientists to meet its needs for the aerospace and defence industry going forward?

PE: I guess all the evidence suggests ‘not yet’. If you look at the work that has been done by a variety of different organisations, including many learned bodies, and work from Government, they all indicate that, across all manufacturing and engineering sectors, that we are not generating enough people with the right skills and qualifi cations. So that is a challenge for us all. If we look at Farnborough, the work we are doing around Futures Day is very much focused on engaging people at an early point about what the sector can offer, both in terms of

“Airbus is clearly an absolutely crucial part of the UK industry”

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PLANE SPEAKINGPaul Everitt

Q: Civil orders are booming, yet defence (even with worries about a new Cold War) is fl at or stagnant in Europe and the US. Is this imbalance dangerous?

PE: There’s always been a degree of cyclical nature. It’s never been a balanced kind of marketplace, there are always peaks and troughs both in civil and in the defence side of our business. That is a regular occurrence, so to that extent, it is manageable. The challenges around the defence sector are the ones that the DGP is really looking at. We will see what the future brings in terms of any longer-term impacts from the current tension on the Russian/Ukrainian border. But it looks like there is going to be fairly constrained expenditure for most of the major Western governments. Therefore that’s a fact of life we need to be able to deal with and look at how we adapt to meet those circumstances.

Q: How worried should we be that the civil orders boom may be an unsustainable bubble — with a lot of value concentrated in the Gulf and Asia-Pacifi c?

PE: Clearly there is growth in the sector in those markets. That is underpinned quite fi rmly by replacement demand from longer-term customers. The challenges being faced by the airlines we know and love in Europe are driving them to acquire new products. So, yes, while there is strong growth in SE Asia, Middle East and a number of other markets, it’s not on its own. There is demand coming from more traditional markets as well. So I understand there are people who have concerns and I’m not able to forecast what the next fi ve-to-ten years. As we’ve seen in the past, the growth in demand

for air travel and the economic and environmental constraints that regulators are increasingly requiring, mean that the demand for the new products that we are developing and putting into the marketplace will remain quite strong. Q: The Aerospace Growth Partnership is being followed by a Defence Growth Partnership (DGP). Yet this has inbuilt tensions from the desire to place work in the UK, against the message from MoD that any new equipment has to be, if not off the shelf, then require minimal changes to keep costs down. How do you see that being resolved?

PE: Fundamentally, our success in exporting products will rely on us being able to better satisfy our domestic customer. There are some challenges but also opportunities in that. If we are able, through the DGP process, to build a stronger and closer relationship with our customer, with a greater level of trust and confi dence and a greater understanding of future capability requirements, that will help us to ensure that we can deliver better to them and exploit opportunities elsewhere. Q: On the political front, there may be two key signifi cant changes to the UK in the future. What do you predict would be the effect on UK aerospace and defence in 1) Scottish independence, 2) the UK leaving the EU?

PE: Obviously independence is a matter for people voting in Scotland but we have been very clear. We are concerned about the potential impact of independence on UK industry. There are a range of uncertainties which are acknowledged in terms of the economics and also of international relationships. That uncertainty, or the uncertainty around those, is a cause for concern and I think weakens the UK, certainly from an industrial perspective. We are struggling to pitch the UK as an attractive location for investment. If we shrink the UK market and, if we make it more complex to operate within the larger UK footprint, then that isn’t going to be positive for us as an industry. We are concerned about the implications of Scottish Independence. I am not saying we won’t be able to adapt, but it will certainly make it more diffi cult. As for UK and Europe, again as an industry we are clear that the UK’s industrial and economic interests are best served by being part of Europe. In addition, we benefi t by being actively engaged in shaping and infl uencing what happens within those European institutions. Q: What do you think is key to keeping the UK near the top of the table of aerospace nations?

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AgustaWestland AW169. The commercial helicopter market is expected to be worth $165bn in 2030.

GKN Aerospace will be a supplier of the Advanced Winglet for the Boeing 737 MAX.

19JULY 2014

PE: It’s relatively straightforward stuff. You need to be encouraging R&D investment and the right things in R&D. You need to be ensuring the skills and training of your people to have the right knowledge, experience and capability. You need to be investing in your facilities, so that you have the best, most effi cient and effective manufacturing premises, plant and machinery. This is particularly true in sectors which see very signifi cant shifts in the materials we are using and how you will be manufacturing for the future. In addition there is the relationship with government, both as a promoter of the sector but also, where appropriate, as a supporter of the sector.

Q: Where do you see the biggest business opportunities for UK aerospace and defence in the coming decade?

PE: We have done lots of work on market opportunities. We have a strong relationship, certainly on the civil side with Airbus, clearly an absolutely crucial part of the UK industry. Its future success will drive a signifi cant benefi t for the UK industry. I think there are opportunities to strengthen our relationship with Boeing and, indeed, all of those major players that are emerging, whether it be with Embraer or in China. Our future opportunities are to reinforce the quality and innovation that we are able to deliver to those major players. On the defence side, we have the expertise and the fl exibility to meet the competitive pressures that are emerging in markets around the world. I think that the combination of more ‘systems-orientated’ developments alongside through-life support to those systems and future platforms are the areas where we can really exploit. Because of the work that we have done, contractors supporting frontline operations are a fl exible and cost-effective way for governments and purchasers around the world to deliver the defence and security requirements for their nations in an affordable way.

Austerity creates the circumstances where people are prepared to be more innovative, because they have fewer choices. This is a trend that the UK

has been well ahead, not just during the course of the fi nancial crisis. We’ve been providing this level of contractor support to operations over a long period of time and have a degree of experience, that allows us to deliver an innovative and quality service to a range of potential customers.

Q: What will be the highlights at Farnborough Air Show later this month?

PE: What’s hot at Farnborough? The F-35 will be great, from a civil point of view the A350 XWB will be very exciting. Our aim in ADS is to showcase that work being done by AGP and DGP. The Futures Day is set to be really exciting, we’ve got a lot of really interesting and exciting things that will be going on during the day. We are building a set of partnerships and collaborations in a way we haven’t done before. From a more narrow perspective, the fact that we have got Chalet Row A (the fi rst permanent buildings on site), provides us with a glimpse of the future, in terms of what we hope to be offering our exhibitors. We’ve also got a new GKN building and, alongside that, we have put down a lot of permanent hardstanding, like the Finmeccanica zone. These are all demonstrations of our commitment to create a world-class venue for this air show.

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BAE Hawk T2 trainer: ‘Systems-orientated’ developments and through-life support will be key in winning future defence deals.

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RESEARCHAerospace Technology Institute

BILL READ reports on the progress made by the newly-launched AerospaceTechnology Institute to research new technology that can be developed andutilised by UK industry for current and future aircraft designs.

Preparing for

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This year saw the launch of the new UK Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), which became fully operational in April. Based at Cranfi eld Technology Park, the ATI is part of an on-going initiative by

the British Government for the long-term support and strategic development of the UK aerospace industry, a process that began with the formation of the Aerospace Growth Partnership (AGP) in 2011 (see panel on next page). In addition to the opening of the ATI, other developments have included the establishment of the UK Aerodynamics Centre and UK Government funding for 500 MScs in aerospace engineering (see The UK aerospace renaissance, AEROSPACE, December 2013, p 26).

The function of the ATI is to act as a ‘virtual research and development (R&D) centre’, providing leadership and technical analysis, allocating funds

and guiding progress. In the words of the ATI’s Mission Statement: ‘The Aerospace Technology Institute exists to protect, exploit and position leading advanced UK capabilities, preserving design and manufacturing jobs in the UK.’

The ATI is run by academics and industry experts, supported by a small team of staff. Currently, ATI is a ‘virtual’ centre and does not yet host onsite research and development projects.

Its current tasks include:✈ Assessing the UK’s current aerospace

capabilities and key strategic facilities and identifying strengths, gaps and areas for development.

✈ Comparing the UK’s capabilities with other leading aerospace manufacturing nations

✈ Collecting predictions, recommendations

Protect(0-5 years): Look at capabilities the UK needs to have now, identifying what currently exists and what actions may be necessary to make these fi t for purpose to support the overall strategy.

Exploit(up to 2025): Working together to identify programmes for UK industry, primarily on upgrades to existing aircraft and systems.

Position(2025 and beyond): Taking action now to position the UK to be as competitive as possible for the all-new aircraft that will enter service in the mid-2020s.

AGP’s plan for UK aerospace growth:

tomorrow

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

and requirements of industry, academic and government stakeholders in a confi dential, non-competitive environment

✈ Create a comprehensive strategic vision for UK aerospace

✈ Recommending research and technology (R&T) funding allocation from the UK Government Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) to fortify strengths, plug gaps and promote the long-term development of the UK’s aerospace industry.

Medium term plans

In the medium term, ATI plans to develop ‘technology roadmaps’ for particular areas of research that impact on the requirements of the UK aerospace industry.

These technology areas comprise:

✈ Propulsion✈ Rotorcraft✈ Fixed-wing aircraft✈ Supersonics and hypersonics✈ Advanced systems✈ Aerostructures

The ATI will also launch an additional set of projects to support critical areas of development in key areas of capability. A strategy is currently being developed for the launch of future R&T programmes which will be updated over time, depending on the outcome of current and future research programmes.

Promoting the UK in the future

Longer-term objectives for the ATI include:

1. Working with European organisations to ensure that UK programmes of work align with European objectives set by the Advisory Council for Aviation Research and Innovation in Europe (ACARE) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR);

2. Showcasing the UK’s capabilities to the global market;

3. Seeking further funding from European organisations to supplement UK activities;

4. Facilitating UK businesses’ access to the EU and other consortia; and

5. Developing outreach programmes to raise the profi le of UK

aerospace to young people.

Another key objective of the ATI is to inspire and support future generations with the aim of

boosting the domestic talent pool to enable the UK to employ ‘home

grown’ experts to produce and support new aerospace projects in the years to

come.

Current projects

As part of the UK’s Aerospace Industrial Strategy — a long-term economic plan which sets out how

to keep the UK industry globally competitive — UK government and industry are to invest

a total of £2bn into new technology and manufacturing over the next seven years. ATI is presently overseeing an initial seven-year rolling programme of different research projects, some of which were already underway before

the founding of the Institute. Each project is worked on by a consortium of

manufacturers, universities and research organisations — one of which also leads the

project. Lasting typically from between two to three years, the projects are currently focusing on four main research areas — fi xed-wing, propulsion, supersonics and hypersonics and testing capabilities (see panels on pp 22-23). At the time of writing, there are 13 projects underway, although the total

Aerospace Growth Partnership (AGP)Established in 2010 the Aerospace Growth Partnership (AGP) is a collaboration between UK industry, government and academia, to maintain and enhance the position of the UK aerospace industry. The aims of the AGP are to map the UK’s path for developing technologies and capabilities, ensuring that investment goes to the right areas at the right time, to tackle barriers to growth, boost exports and increase the number of high-value jobs in the UK. One of the fi rst fruits of the AGP was to publish Lifting Off — a report into how it plans to implement its strategic vision for UK aerospace. The report identifi ed four sectors which the AGP considers UK aerospace industry is particularly strong, namely: wings, engines, aerostructures and advanced systems. The AGP has also implemented a PEP (protect, exploit and position) strategy to identify and prioritise the actions needed to capture opportunities for short, medium and long-term growth (see sidebar opposite).

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Industrial Strategy: government and industry in partnership

Lifting Off – Implementing the Strategic Vision for UK Aerospace

One of the aims of ATI is to research the technology that will be needed in the future by UK industry to help realise the aircraft designs of the 2030s — possibly including elements of the Airbus Concept Plane (below left) seen here in an artist’s impression fl ying over London.

A UK-made Airbus A350 wing arriving in France. One of the aims of the ATI is to promote UK industry in Europe. (Airbus)

A presentation to young people on the UK space industry at Futures Day at the 2012 Farnborough Air Show. Another key objective of the ATI is to inspire and support future generations.


RESEARCHAerospace Technology Institute

FIXED-WING RESEARCH PROJECTS:Structures Technology Maturity Projects (STeM) GKN with Spirit AeroSystems and GE Aviation SystemsThe aim of STeM is to support new concepts which will improve the aerodynamic performance of wing designs, in particular new automation and assembly technologies that will enable high rate, high value manufacturing capability for airframe structures.

Advanced Integrated Wing Optimisation (AIWO) Airbus with GKN, Goodrich, Ultra Electronics Precision and Tyco ElectronicsA £9,618,500 project to investigate higher-risk/higher potential innovative integrated wing technologies that could be used on future Airbus products coming into service around 2025.

Experimental Aerodynamics for the Delivery of Accurate and Rapid Wings Performance and Loads Data (ExpAERO)Airbus with the Aircraft Research Association (ARA)To develop technologies required to deliver aerodynamic loads and advanced aerodynamic design databases for the next all-new Airbus product.

Confi guration Optimisation of Next Generation Aircraft (CONGA) Airbus with ARA, Rolls-Royce, Eurostep, MSC Software and Cranfi eld UniversityAn £8·6m project to develop new multi-disciplinary design and integration processes to support the conceptual design and assessment of future aircraft confi gurations entering service beyond 2025, including novel aircraft and powerplant confi gurations that incorporate new technologies. One aim of the project will be to test the properties, capabilities and behaviour of potential new wing and aircraft confi gurations to see if they are practical and exclude those designs that prove not to be feasible.

Advanced Landing Gear Aero-loads and Aero-noise Prediction (ALGAAP) Airbus with University of SouthamptonThe objective of ALGAAP is to predict aero-loads and noise from aircraft landing gear and doors. One part of the project will use a 1/10th scale aircraft model fi tted with main and nose landing gears featuring movable doors, steering and bogies, to capture data using miniature load cells mounted on the model components, in addition to pressure tappings. The second activity will focus on the development of high-precision computational fl uid dynamics (CFD) landing-gear aero-loads and noise-prediction methods using non-steady CDF codes used previously for noise prediction. These models will be validated against a variety of wind-tunnel tests, including particle image velocimetry (PIV) testing.

ROTORCRAFT RESEARCH PROJECT: Innovative Aerodynamic Design Solutions for

High Performance Tiltrotor Aircraft (HiPerTilt)AgustaWestland with University of Liverpool

and University of BristolHiPerTilt will develop aerodynamic

models, processes, techniques and new designs integral

to the development of next generation tilt-rotorcraft. The technical

programme will focus on the development and validation of

aerodynamic numerical tools including panel methods and CFD accounting for full aircraft confi gurations with rotor interaction modelling and design, coupled fl ow interaction with structures, aero-acoustics modelling and design optimisation. The plan of work includes optimisation of both rotor and airframe, wind-tunnel testing, the integration of aero-acoustic prediction capability as well as study into semi-active and active control technologies.

is constantly changing, as longer-running projects reach the end of their terms and new ones begin.

On 5 June, three additional ATI projects were announced by Government Ministers Nick Clegg and Vince Cable at the opening of a new £100m Rolls-Royce factory. Led by Rolls-Royce, in conjunction with the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) in Sheffi eld, Advanced Forming Research Centre in Glasgow, Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry, and the Universities of Birmingham, Nottingham, Oxford and Sheffi eld, the new £45m projects will look at new technology for low-carbon aircraft engines, including lightweight composite materials and changing parts of the engine design to increase effi ciency and reduce manufacturing time.

Automated manufacture of a STeM winglet box structure

What to invest in?

“When considering new projects, we are looking at three timelines,” explains Rich Oldfi eld, Technical Director of GKN who is on the ATI Working Group. “Firstly, what technology can we exploit now? Secondly, what technology can we use in the medium term and, fi nally, the ‘blue sky’ thinking of what can we develop for the future.”

Companies can be involved in ATI research programmes in several ways. GKN, for example, is a leader in some research projects and works with other companies (such as Airbus) in others. Some programmes have ‘open calls’ in which anyone can participate which can be joined by SMEs while more major projects have a consortia of larger companies. When considering new projects, the role of ATI is to advise on the relevance and funding of projects in line with the overall strategy but it is up to the TSB to give the actual go-ahead.

The European connection

The new UK research programmes are operated in a similar fashion to the European Union’s recently concluded Framework Programme 7 (FP7) and current Horizon 2020 aerospace research programmes, in which many UK companies participate. However, some of the EU programmes are larger scale than those currently being administered by the ATI. “The European programmes are particularly good for large-scale demonstrators,” says Oldfi eld.

Another function of the ATI is to promote British aerospace in Europe. “Unlike many other European countries, the UK did not have a single voice in Europe,” says Oldfi eld. “Now, with the formation of ATI, we do.”

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Intellectual property

Who benefi ts from the research? “The participants,” says Oldfi eld. All the companies and other organisations involved in a project have the intellectual property (IP) rights to the research. The universities can publish the results of a project and manufacturers are free to develop or apply the new technology as they wish. There are no limits to where the research is used.”

Looking to the future

The ATI is currently in a state of fl ux as it replaces its initial Working Group with a new board. “The aim is to make the ATI more of an independent body,” explains Oldfi eld. “Participants in the ATI programmes will have the opportunity to apply for places on the new board which will have a set number of representatives from government, industry and academia. The most important part of the Aerospace Growth Partnership name is Growth. The international aerospace industry is a very competitive market place and we need to attract new UK players to grow our market share.”

23i f JULY 2014@aerosociety Find us on LinkedIn Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com

SUPERSONICS & HYPERSONICS RESEARCH PROJECT:Geometry Handling and Integration (GHandl)MBDA with Airbus, ARA, BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, Transcendata Europe and Altran UK.This project will look at the properties affecting the aerodynamic performance of novel airframe shapes, including both design and performance.

TESTING CAPABILITIES RESEARCH PROJECTS:ARA Research & Development Projects (ARA R&D) ARAA study into fundamental aerodynamic aspects and capability enhancements, including hybrid laminar-fl ow control, aircraft loads alleviation, power plant integration and cavity fl ows aerodynamics and aeroacoustics.

ARA Capital Equipment Projects (ARA CE)ARAInfrastructure upgrades including transonic wind tunnel main control system, drive system, acoustic measurement, computing system capacity upgrade and machinery for model manufacture.

PROPULSION RESEARCH PROJECTS:Whole Aircraft Multidisciplinary Noise Design System (HARMONY)Rolls-Royce with Airbus, Bombardier, University of Southampton and University of CambridgeAn aeroacoustic modelling project, HARMONY will use high-fi delity measured data to provide unsteady fl ow and aeroacoustic prediction capabilities for key airframe and propulsion noise sources associated with future concepts for entry into service in 2020 and beyond.

Turbo-Machinery Flow and Turbulence (TuFT)Rolls-Royce with University of CambridgeTuFT is focusing on more accurate modelling and understanding of turbo-machinery fl ow for the design of high performance, low emission future engines with larger, lower pressure ratio fans and smaller higher pressure ratio core components.

Novel Aerodynamic Design & Integration Technologies (NADIT) Rolls-Royce with University of Cambridge, Loughborough University, Imperial College and Cranfi eld UniversityThis programme develops several novel design concepts for fans, compressors and combustors which have the potential to provide signifi cant improvements in engine performance. The latest experimental and computational techniques will also be used to improve the way individual engine sub-systems are integrated, to

produce a system-optimised engine design.

The Integrated Turboprops Propulsion System Project (ITPS)Dowty Propellers with University of Liverpool and ARALed by large composite propeller manufacturer Dowty Propellers, ITPS will use advanced analysis tools and wind-tunnel tests to develop a number of aerodynamic and acoustic innovations designed to decrease noise and improve the effi ciency of turboprop aircraft.

GKN Aerospace OOA Composite Processing Phase II wing box structure 2.

Rolls-Royce Advance engine design cutaway.

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DEFENCEAW159 Wildcat

RICHARD GARDNER reports from Yeovil on the introduction of the latest helicopter to join the UK Services — the AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat.

Wild about the cat

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If it looks like a Lynx, it must be a Lynx — right? No, wrong. The Lynx has certainly been around for a long time, with a combat record that includes the Falklands War, two Gulf Wars and Afghanistan, plus many other confl icts

and operations. In fact, it is still the most widely used multi-role shipboard helicopter with around 500 built, in service with 15 nations, and the naval Super Lynx 300 remains in production. But the AW159 is far from just an upgraded Lynx — it is a new 21st century helicopter optimised to provide a highly fl exible rotary-wing capability for Army and Navy operators well into the future.

The AW159 is known in the UK Services as the Wildcat but there are differences between the helicopters in production for the British Army and Royal Navy and those destined for export customers. This is down to customer decisions, as the UK Wildcats incorporate some components, including the main rotor and main rotor gearbox, that utilise legacy designs to reduce costs, whereas export customers will receive all-new rotors and gearboxes and a fully digital fl ight control system and provision for dipping sonar, which the Royal Navy has not specifi ed, allocating such ASW capability to the larger Merlin HM2.

Customised cats

Originally, the MoD’s intention had been to have a completely common Army/Navy Wildcat fl eet with the ability to select different equipment fi ts as required, on an almost ‘plug and go’ basis. In reality, this aim has matured somewhat so that while there is a huge step-up in commonality compared to the very different versions of previous generations of Lynx operated by the Army and Royal Navy, the Wildcats now being delivered to these two Services are fi tted out to meet these customer requirements, though there is built-in provision to quickly adapt a navy helicopter for army use and vice versa. This will considerably enhance the potential availability of the whole fl eet as both share common cockpits, avionics, electro-optical and IR sensors, self-defence systems and communications.

Some single-service specifi c equipment, such as search radar and missile pylons, can be fi tted or deleted as required and the task of changing the confi guration can be achieved in hours or days rather than weeks or months. All the Wildcat helicopters are fully marinised and the blades can be ‘folded’ for stowage or transport, allowing

THE NEW WILDCAT WILL BE A FORMIDABLE PLATFORM WHEN IT FULLY ENTERS SERVICE


maximum deployment fl exibility (in C-17 aircraft or fl ying in route stages).

Engines and airframes

The Wildcat’s engines are LHTEC CTS800s which deliver a continuous 1,281shp and incorporate experience gained from use in the naval Super Lynx and army Lynx AH9a. High power and reliability in extreme conditions are hallmarks of these rugged powerplants, and aboard the AW159 Wildcat are fi tted with upward pointing low infra-red signature exhausts for added protection against surface launched missile attack. An all-new tail rotor is fi tted, along with its new gearbox, actuator and controls and offers an extended envelope.

The Wildcat airframe is manufactured at Yeovil by GKN Aerospace and incorporates advanced manufacturing techniques that include more monolithic machining, greatly reducing the number of riveted components, providing a stronger structure that is lighter while offering more protection against corrosion in a salt-laden operating environment. The low set tail-plane improves handling and performance and there is growth to 6,250kg embedded in the airframe design, with a 12,000 hours service life.

Much effort has gone into giving the new helicopter greater survivability through design measures that include larger crew doors to improve emergency egress, a strengthened undercarriage with optimised energy absorption, a strengthened under-fl oor structure with crashworthy crew and troop seats, and a new crashworthy fl oatation system. In terms of the threat environment, the UK Wildcat has the latest Selex radar/missile warner sensors offering all-round protection, localised armour, wire strike cutters, Selex chaff and fl are dispensers, a Darchem IR suppression system and a faceted tail structure to reduce the aircraft’s radar cross-section.

Mission equipment Versatility is the key regarding the Wildcat’s avionic and mission equipment (see panel on right). The core weapons fi t on the UK Wildcats comprises either a standard 7·62mm GPMG installation or a 12·7mm heavy machine gun (both types can be fi tted to be fi red from either side of the fuselage). The naval Wildcat will be able to carry the Stingray torpedo or a depth charge, the Sea Skua, which is today’s anti-ship missile of choice on the Royal Navy’s Lynx, is destined to be replaced on the Wildcat by the new future air-to-surface guided weapon (heavy) being developed by MBDA. A new lightweight guided weapon, FASGW (L), for use against small fast moving targets, including

pirate boats or even helicopters and UAVs, is being developed by Thales and will be carried in up to four missile-launch containers, each containing fi ve missiles. All these new weapons will be launched from multi-use weapons pylons fi tted below the main cabin doors on both sides of the UK naval Wildcat.

The development, integration and fl ight testing of these new weapons will require a new MoD programme and, in March this year, it was announced that the £500m investment in the two missiles will go ahead as part of a wider Anglo-French co-operative agreement. Export AW159s will be capable of carrying other customer-specifi ed weapons, such as the Israeli-built Spike air-to-surface missile, already selected by South Korea.

Delivery schedule

The UK Wildcat orders are now halfway through the delivery schedule, with 32 delivered (20 AH1s for the Army and 12 HMA2s for the Royal Navy). The Army is destined to receive 34 with 28 going to the Fleet Air Arm. There have been no major issues in the programme, which has gone extremely smoothly, thanks in no small measure to the fact that the

Glass cockpit Four primary GE 10x8in displaysTwo integrated standby instrument

system displaysGE health and usage monitoring system Integrated central warning system with

an audio generator Thales aircraft management system

GD tactical processor- generates the tactical picture from the

mission system data - management of mission sensors and

video distribution - a digital map - mission recording function

NavigationGarmin civil navigation aids Thales secure communicationsBAE Systems’ IFF identifi cation system

and automatic fl ight control system

Mission systemSelex defensive aids suite 360˚ active E-scan radarWescam MX-15 electro-optical sensorOptional laser target designator and

range fi nderGD weapons and stores management

systemMission planning system and

associated datalinksData modem

Wildcat avionic and mission equipment

32Deliveries

28Total Royal Navy orders

34Total British Army orders

8South Korea export orders

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DEFENCEAW159 Wildcat

design is fully digitised as a 3D product with no 2D drawings. Some 1,000 hours of fl ight testing has been undertaken using three trials aircraft, which will be modifi ed to bring them up to full delivery standard in due course.

The scope of the design and manufacturing contract between MoD and AgustaWestland included proof of compliance against 1,500 contracted specifi cation points and certifi cation underwriting the aircraft in terms of fl ight envelope, safety and airworthiness, with support enablers such as technical publications, support and test equipment and IP spares, together with training enablers (of which more later) and, in addition, to the production and delivery of 62 aircraft, the

company committed to providing Wildcat

In-Service Support and Training

(WIST). The WIST contract was awarded in December 2011 valued at £260m and around 24 full-time AW personnel are working at Yeovilton and will ramp up in numbers as aircraft deliveries progress. As part of the Training Capital Equipment investment at Yeovilton, Indra of Madrid, has supplied two full-motion simulators, and AW supplied one fi xed training device and one crew part trainer. The levels of realism achieved on the sims is widely praised and the maintenance training equipment has been supplied by Pennant of Cheltenham.

Key contract milestones to date have included the completion of the Critical Design Reviews in July 2009, fi rst fl ight of a fl ight trials aircraft in November 2009, production build start in July

2010, fi rst fl ight of the fi rst production aircraft in April 2011 with the initial Certifi cate of Design issued in December of 2011. The fi rst Army aircraft was delivered in April 2012 and fi rst Navy aircraft in January 2013. Navy training development started in February 2013. The handover of the new Training Centre building took place in March 2013. The training courses vary for the two Services but there is much common overlap. The AAC course prepares pilots, co-pilots, rearcrew, technicians and groundcrew. The RN course prepares pilots, observers, rearcrew and maintainers. In addition there is ab-initio, conversion, refresher and pre-deployment training.

The MoD has requested an accelerated helicopter delivery programme which AgustaWestland is endeavouring to achieve. A total of 13 Wildcats are due this year for the UK Services and 18, up from 15, should be delivered next year. The in-service date for the Army is August 2014 and

January 2015 for the Royal Navy. The fi nal UK aircraft is due to be

delivered in August 2016.

Testing

Traditionally, No 700 Naval Air Squadron

is the evaluation squadron within the Fleet Air Arm tasked with working up new aircraft types prior to entering full operational service. No 700W NAS was formed on 14 May 2009 at RN Air Station Yeovilton, alias HMS Heron, and subsequently has been busy working to optimise operating procedures and now tactical development of the new Wildcat. This follows from the testing phase carried out by the Combined Test Team of military and industry pilots at AgustaWestland who initially concentrated on proving the safety and compliance of the aircraft before delivery. No 700W NAS has been responsible for converting former Lynx aircrew on to the Wildcat and these will provide the core of personnel to set up the Operational Conversion Unit

1,000Hours of fl ight tests

1,500Proof of compliance specifi cation points

£260mValue of Wildcat In-Service Support and Training contract

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that will stand up at Yeovilton early next year. Underlining the commonality of the UK army

and navy Wildcats, and the benefi ts fl owing from the associated economies of scale in training for and supporting the type, the Army Air Corps (AAC) Wildcat fl eet will increase over the next three years as aircraft join No 1 Regiment AAC and No 652 (Wildcat Fielding) Squadron AAC. By the time this transition is complete, the AAC Aviation Reconnaissance Force will comprise 600 Army personnel at Yeovilton, living and working alongside the Royal Navy’s own Wildcat personnel. Some RN Wildcats will remain at their home base for training while other fl ights will be detached aboard RN ships replacing the current Lynx fl eet.

While the Wildcat will spend most of its time operating from frigates and destroyers, it will also be required to fl y from larger ships such as aircraft carriers, assault ships and auxiliary supply ships and helicopter carriers, so extensive evaluation trials have been undertaken on the aviation training ship RFA Argus, which also has a wartime role as a hospital ship and helicopter carrier. Maintainer teams as well as aircrew from No 700W Squadron, with participation from experts from MoD, industry and QinetiQ, were engaged over a fi ve-week period last year at sea to test how the new helicopter performs in different situations and weather conditions, addressing such issues as recovering the aircraft on to a rolling deck, lashing it and moving it, folding and spreading the rotors, stowing it in restricted hangar accommodation and refuelling it as well as maintaining it.

Operation

The collected data and performance records will greatly assist the future operation of the Wildcat in varied global climatic conditions and different sea states. As today, future deployments will also see Army helicopters fl ying from RN ships and RN helicopters operating from land bases, as has become routine in Afghanistan and in the Gulf, as well as during the Libya operations.

Les Cameron is the AW Head of Product Marketing, Specialised Aircraft, and pointed out that the new Wildcat will be a formidable platform when it fully enters service. It will be able to carry out more missions faster than before and will be highly suitable for littoral or blue water operations. The mission system is extremely sophisticated for such a compact helicopter and the tactical processor has a high degree of automation, for such needs as target identifi cation, with the option of using a very advanced but lightweight radar or a more covert high resolution electro-optical/forward-looking IR sensor. Combined with a stealthier airframe, the Wildcat can exploit its reduced radar profi le. The

tactical processor can overlay appropriate data, such as a radar picture over the digital map or a selected area for surveillance or underwater investigation as needed. In the export market, where there is a long- term requirement to replace hundreds of existing maritime helicopter assets, the AW159 offers a lot of capability in a small footprint, able to use small ship decks and hangars denied to larger helicopters with equivalent anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare systems.

Because of the Lynx small ship legacy overseas operators will be familiar with many AW159 features, and there are some shared components, such as the highly effective harpoon anchoring system and dipping sonar, but the aircraft is built differently and has incorporated many operator-requested improvements, such as the larger crew doors and a new avionics hatch that allows for easier stand-up equipment bay checking and access. The company listened to the maintainers as well as the aircrews, and it shows. The open systems architecture is very fl exible in coverage and enjoys great potential for future growth. The crew trackball makes over-laid sensor data easy to display as required and it can be recorded and replayed in fl ight as well as after a sortie. The sonics and sonar displays are also similar to those on much larger more complex helicopter platforms, keeping costs affordable while raising performance to new levels.

Despite all the advances in sensors, equipment and weapons carried, the new AW159 Wildcat has the same endurance and equivalent fuel consumption that made the earlier Lynx helicopters so attractive, and thanks to the more powerful but effi cient new engines, there is a wide margin for safety and tackling the unexpected in the worst conditions.

South Korea has decided to take an initial eight navy confi gured aircraft and AgustaWestland is now very active promoting its latest product against the backdrop of a very satisfi ed UK launch customer.

Royal Navy Wildcat on deck.

3mFuselage width

12·8mRotor blades turning diameter

13·5mFuselage length

15·24mLength including rotor blades

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Jean BottiChief Technical Offi cer, Airbus Group

HorizonsMaking science fiction into science fact: Airbus Group’s Chief Technical Officer, DR JEAN BOTTI, explains howAirbus Group Innovations is working towards deliveringtechnologies which bring meaningful benefits to society.

Our vision is to promote innovation and technologies that will change our industry, surpass our customers’ expectations and improve people’s lives.

The opportunity

At Airbus Group, we believe that, through innovation and out-of-the-box thinking, we have the opportunity to be a global leader in technological advances, driving new thinking and know-how which contributes to a better environment, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, ensure mobility for generations and strive to deliver benefi ts to society as a whole.

Our inspiration — science fi ction into science fact

The 20th and early 21st centuries have been a time of unparalleled technological progress, driven by the rapid increase in our understanding of scientifi c and manufacturing technologies. The innovations of

this period have been spectacular, with the idea of commercial fl ight as incredible to someone in the 1850s as the ideas of science fi ction are to many of us today.

For visionaries like Arthur C Clarke, Isaac Asimov and Robert A Heinlein, this rapid rate of progress demonstrated that there were plausible foundations for the technologies of the future imagined in their work. No wonder that, for those of us who grew up in this era of inventors and visionaries, and looked forward to a 21st century in which supersonic fl ights, that circumnavigate the globe in a few of hours, would deliver us to space elevators on our way to the Moon, today’s reality might look prosaic and the pace of scientifi c progress might seem to have ground to a halt.

And yet, while they seem fantastical to many, and indeed many are fantastical, the technologies imagined by Clarke, et al are an inspiration for us here at Airbus Group Innovations, as we strive to make what was thought technically impossible possible and to deliver products which have a meaningful impact for our customers and the world


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Airbus Group Innovations R&D locations worldwide

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Airbus Group is bringing zero-carbon electric fl ight to GA with the E-Fan.

WE BELIEVE THAT THE PRODUCTS OF OUR RESEARCH WILL BENEFIT SOCIETY, REDUCING DEPENDENCE ON FOSSIL FUELS AND HELPING TO LOWER CARBON EMISSIONS

at large. It is our commitment to making these innovations a reality which makes Airbus Group Innovations not just visionaries but also architects of future technological advancement.

While many of the concepts of science fi ction are still beyond modern technological and commercial limits, they have also prophesied a future where society is no longer so reliant on fossil fuels to meet its transport requirements. At Airbus Group our commitment to the possibility of electric fl ight is making this vision a reality.

The challenge

The reduction of carbon emissions and also the eventual shortage of gas and oil reserves are some of the key challenges facing modern society, and our ability to overcome these issues will be major determiners of our civilisation’s mobility in the future.

Imagine you are sitting in a laboratory at Airbus Group Innovations in 2012 tasked with building an aircraft that is 100% powered by electricity. While many people have dreamed of this, few have thought it practicable or commercial.

And yet, just 18 months later, in March 2014, the fi rst fully electric training aircraft constructed from composite materials, the E-Fan, completed its maiden fl ight; the result of hard work, persistence and intelligent innovation (see ‘It’s Electrifying’, AEROSPACE, June 2014). This aircraft is the foundation upon which our vision of silent, low-emission electric fl ight rests.

The present two-seater demonstrator is due to undergo further development until 2017, at which time it will go into production. Additionally, since 2012, we have been working with Rolls-Royce on a hybrid electric distributed propulsion system, the

E-Thrust project, one of the aims of which is to help us better understand electric propulsion.

Through projects such as the E-Fan and E-Thrust, we believe that Airbus Group will provide a long-term model for civil aviation which will reduce fossil fuel usage and carbon emissions, therefore securing mobility for future generations, at a time when these innovations are most needed.

Small improvements, big results

However, at Airbus Group Innovations we recognise that it is not only the development of major initiatives, like energy and propulsion technology, which have the potential to make a signifi cant impact. This is why our team of over 800 people, based at 15 sites worldwide, research both technologies that are completely new and those which improve on former processes and materials. Some of these improvements are small in themselves but, when combined with others, can deliver big results. As a commercial innovator we must recognise that not all developments can be as revolutionary as those foreseen by Clarke, Asimov and Heinlein, as we also look for the smaller advances which have the possibility to deliver meaningful progress.

Our research covers a broad range of disciplines and materials from composites, metal and surface technology to mechatronics and IT topics. It is the work on these projects which can bring more immediate advances to our production and development processes, our products and, potentially, our daily lives. An example is the development of our mixed reality application software, also known as ‘Factory of the Future’, which simplifi es manufacturing processes by

29i f JULY 2014 @aerosociety Find us on LinkedIn Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com

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Airbus Group’s DeltaN FS friction stir welding technology has been licensed to other users.

In May, Airbus Group conducted drop tests of a scaled spaceplane demonstrator from a helicopter over the South China Sea.


Jean BottiChief Technical Offi cer, Airbus Group

overlaying real imagery with the design plans and clearly and quickly identifi es any discrepancies and records them.

As Chief Technical Offi cer of Airbus Group, it is part of my role to balance our ambition for achieving huge transformational change in products and manufacturing effi ciency with the practicalities of challenging budgets and cost control. We, therefore, have a rigorous assessment process for vetting our research and development programmes for their potential costs and benefi ts in both the short and longer terms. This occasionally makes for diffi cult decisions but, ultimately, we are a commercial business. Even in the face of the fascinating world of aviation and space, where engineers’ imagination can truly fl y, it is my job, nevertheless, to keep our feet on the ground and help deliver value to our shareholders.

Co-operation

We recognise that we also have a duty to allow technologies which have been developed by Airbus Group Innovations to be applied to sectors and uses beyond our own needs, helping to deliver advances to broader industries and the wider community. We currently provide other companies with both support and expertise from our innovations in technologies, including friction stir welding and the network technology Avionics Full Duplex Switched Ethernet (AFDX), a communication protocol for aircraft.

These licencing agreements underline the idea that innovation and research are not just the result of bright minds and people with vision; they are also the result of co-operation and communication.

It is with this in mind, that Airbus Group is building the Ludwig Bölkow Campus, at the

Ottobrunn site near Munich, which will mark the launch of joint research projects and is the start of networked research in the fi elds of aerospace and security. Together with partners from the fi elds of science and industry, research is being carried out at the Ludwig Bölkow Campus on projects such as producing bio-kerosene from algae. For this project, Airbus Group, in co-operation with the federal state of Bavaria, is building an algae technical centre, a large-scale laboratory for growing algae, at a cost of over €10m. Furthermore, students will have the opportunity to pursue degrees in new aerospace courses at the campus.

Our belief

Based on an aspiration to make what was thought technologically impossible possible, we believe that the products of our research will benefi t society, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and helping to lower carbon emissions.

All of the developments that we at Airbus Group Innovations have worked on, and are still working on, are only possible thanks to people with curiosity and vision. It is the combination of technology and knowledge which enables us to provide others with an advantage and creates opportunities to learn from one another. Because of this, we believe, Airbus Group is working to deliver technological improvements which enhance society.

Our future

Now imagine that you are sitting in an aircraft, like the E-Fan, an aircraft on which you are not disturbed by engine noise, an aircraft which is fully electric and an aircraft which has a signifi cantly lower carbon footprint than even the most effi cient aircraft of today. We at Airbus Group are working to make what was once science fi ction, science fact.A

irbus

Gro

upCombining E-Thrust distributed propulsion technology with E-Fan electric fl ight could make for a zero-emission regional airliner.

Airb

us G

roup The ‘Factory of the Future’ uses

augmented reality to merge manufacturing and production with digital CAD blueprints.

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In the past 15 years or so, the demand for precision weapons from air forces around the world has intensifi ed. ‘Wars of choice’ in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya have driven development of highly accurate and extremely

versatile weapons — able to conduct single pinpoint strikes which previously might have required multiple bombs or even sorties to achieve the same result.

As well as versatility, there are now other drivers for air forces. High-value targets may be moving. The target may be buried deep underground in bunkers. The targets may be mixed with civilian populations and/or in urban areas — requiring weapons able to deliver low collateral ‘effects’ Another driver is the proliferation of low-cost GPS jamming devices — which attempt to ‘spoof’ these precision weapons away from their intended targets.

Finally there is a larger overriding driver — that of cost. With constrained budgets and costs of integrating a brand new weapon (including carriage tests, drop tests, live fi re tests, expanding the release envelope, and compatibility with the aircraft’s avionics) any weapon introduced into service must be designed with ‘future proofi ng’ in mind — to be able to incorporate new capabilities with the minimum of cost and effort.

38 AEROSPACE / JUNE 2014

WEAPON SYSTEMSPaveway IV evolution

The PIV is expected to achieve full clearance with the Eurofi ghter shortly.

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More bangS for your buck

Paveway IV and SPEAR

One weapon now on a spiral upgrade development path to do just this is Raytheon’s Paveway IV PGB. Introduced into service in 2008, the 500lb Paveway IV is now the RAF’s freefall precision weapon of choice, equipping the Tornado GR4. Full clearance for the weapon on all six hardpoints for the Eurofi ghter Typhoon is also expected shortly — with weapon certifi cation data submitted to BAE Systems. The PIV is also set to become one of the fi rst UK weapons to be integrated on the Lockheed Martin F-35. Additionally, only earlier this year, Raytheon UK secured the fi rst international customer for the PIV which, although the company declines to identify, is widely believed to be Saudi Arabia. Press reports too have indicated that the RAF’s Reaper UAV may be another potential platform.

The Paveway IV, used operationally in Libya and Afghanistan confl icts, features dual laser/GPS guidance, giving fl exibility in engaging targets, whatever the weather. This represents a major jump in UK capability since the Balkan confl icts of the 1990s, when clouds thwarted NATO laser-guided bombing. Over 4,000 PIVs have been delivered to the UK MoD to date.

The PIV digital link with the aircraft also allows

The RAF’s freefall weapon of choice, the RaytheonPaveway IV precision guided bomb is set to acquire newcapabilities in a spiral development plan. TIM ROBINSONreports.

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existing outer mould line and weight of the standard PIV – allowing minimal integration changes and thus keeping costs low. Says Terence (T J) Marsden, Raytheon UK’s Chief Engineer for Weapon Systems: “Our biggest design concerns are it has to be the same mass, centre-of-gravity and outer form factor as a current Paveway IV warhead, so that it has no aircraft integration implications”.

Furthermore, the modular nature of PIV will mean that the RAF will, in the future, be able to ‘mix and match’ stocks of these varied warheads (500lb standard/low collateral/penetrator) depending on the nature of targets in theatre, without duplicating tail/seeker/hardback kits — keeping inventories low and tailored to the confl ict situation and boosting interoperability. The anti-GPS jammer option, for example, might only be needed in the early days of any confl ict until enemy jamming is neutralised.

Further improvements?

Beyond SPEAR Cap 1, there may be other expansions in the Paveway IV's capability. An extended range variant might be one upgrade, or ‘alternative non-kinetic effect’ (directed energy) weapon another. Further developments in warheads may allow pilots to ‘dial-a-yield’ themselves in-fl ight, switching between variable levels of destructive warheads — to allow maximum fl exibility for dynamic targeting. Says T J Marsden: “All of those are potentials and are receiving Raytheon internal private venture funding but are currently at low TRLs (technology readiness levels).”

Summary

In conclusion, the SPEAR Cap 1 development of Paveway IV is on track to deliver ‘maximum bang for a buck’ for the UK MoD — by evolving multiple versions of the weapon, with minimal fresh integration work needed. The evolved weapon is set to become a mainstay air-to-surface weapon for UK Typhoon and F-35 — and may even, (because of the same form factor), see some service on Tornados in the twilight of their career.

These SPEAR developments may also prove attractive to export customers. While the fi rst ‘international customer’ could potentially be interested in these upgrades for its Typhoons, integration with the UK’s F-35B could also open up a new future market for Lightning II operators looking for the ultimate in free-fall weapon versatility.

Despite these leaps in this weapons roles, Raytheon UK’s chief engineer Marsden warns of gold-plated solutions: “We as engineers have to be cautious of trying to design too much capability and make things unaffordable. In today’s defence market affordability is as much a driver as capability.”


Below: Computer modelling of low-collateral warhead.

crews maximum fl exibility in programming the weapon in-fl ight for different ‘effects’ — allowing them to choose for example impact angles, fl ight directions and whether the bomb explodes on impact, airbursts, or buries itself in the ground before detonating.

Like others in the Paveway family, the weapon itself is modular, with the parts (warhead, nose/tail surfaces and ‘hardback’ interface section) held as ‘kits’ and only assembled the day before being used. However, ‘smart’ as the PIV is already, it is set to get new capabilities under the UK MoD’s guided weapon SPEAR (Selective Precision Effects At Range) Cap 1 spiral development path.

Block 1 of this SPEAR Cap 1 is a low-collateral damage weapon, for targets in urban and complex targeting environments. A new low-yield warhead, developed with input from QinetiQ, has already been live tested on the ground in a contained blast area after extensive computer modelling. This live warhead test will be used to validate and refi ne the mathematical hydrocode explosive fragment model.

Meanwhile, a Block 2 variant also under development will allow the PIV to defeat buried and hardened targets like underground bunkers, giving the 500lb weapon a similar punch to larger Paveway bombs. The deep penetrator version uses a hardened core with a discarding shroud, much like a tank’s sabot round, to keep the original outer mould shape of the weapon. Unlike a tank round, the shroud separates on impact with the target, allowing the steel core to penetrate deep into the structure or ground.

Thirdly, Raytheon UK is working on new digital seeker outside of the offi cial SPEAR categories, which will upgrade the Paveway IV ‘eyes’ with a wider off-boresight fi eld of view and proportional navigation — giving the weapon increased capabilities against targets moving as fast as 70mph. Today for a fast-moving target, the aircrew have to ‘lead’ the laser tracker on the moving vehicle to guide the bomb to hit. With the new digital seeker, this leading will be computed by the weapon itself, allowing the pilot to use the targeting pod to lock and track the moving target automatically to get a direct hit.

Finally, Raytheon is also looking to incorporate its active anti-GPS jamming technology into the PIV as an option for all variants. With satellite navigation jamming technology proliferating, this will keep the PIV relevant in any future contested battlespace. This will come as an installable ‘kit’ or module.

All these different options, says Raytheon UK, could be ready by “2018 or earlier” — depending on the MoD’s requirements and urgency.

One bomb — many missions

However, perhaps the most important factor in these new variants of the PIV is that they keep the

WE AS ENGINEERS HAVE TO BE CAUTIOUS OF TRYING TO DESIGN TOO MUCH CAPABILITY AND MAKE THINGS UNAFFORDABLE.T J MarsdenChief Engineer for Weapon Systems,Raytheon UK

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SPACEFLIGHTDr Ellen Stofan, NASA

NASA’s path to

MARSOn 14 May the Royal AeronauticalSociety Space Group hosted NASA’sChief Scientist, DR ELLEN STOFAN, togive a lecture on NASA’s path to Mars. Wesat down with her to ask about humanspacefl ight and exploration of the Solar System.

AEROSPACE: Your lecture was on the path to Mars. Why aren’t we there already after long-duration spacefl ight and the 1960’s Apollo missions?

ES: I think because, after the end of the Apollo programme, there was a huge focus on capabilities that would get us to the point of exploring low Earth orbit (LEO). So, for a long time that has been NASA’s focus — the development of the International Space Station (ISS) which was completed a few years ago and the development and then long-use of the Shuttle programme as part of the construction of the ISS. The ISS really has been this wonderful, amazing feat that’s really brought countries together, and enabled valuable research in the microgravity environment. That is critical for the path to Mars. It’s just been a bit slow, because of the resources we have and the technology steps we have to make. In the interim, we have been exploring Mars, understanding Mars’ atmosphere, learning more about the surface, focusing down on the science questions of what it is that we want to be able to do on Mars and where are the best places to go. So we’ve been building up this huge body of knowledge over the past 30 years on Mars as a place, while focusing on getting past some of these hurdles in LEO. Only now are we getting to a point where we can say ‘OK, let’s take that next step — let’s move humans beyond Earth orbit’.

Q: What do you think would be the biggest challenge for a manned Mars mission?

ES: The two big challenges we have right now are the radiation environment that astronauts will be subjected to between Earth and Mars once you get

outside the protective radiation belts produced by our magnetic fi eld that send high-energy particles away from Earth. We know they do damage to humans and we can take on some risk but, at what point do you say this risk is too high? Therefore, one of the things we have been doing over the past 10-15 years is an awful lot of research into the effects of that radiation; how much would the dose actually be and what would be the potential effects? So that is a huge challenge. The other challenge frankly is the entry, descent and landing on Mars. The very thin Martian atmosphere makes you go very quickly from the top of the atmosphere to the surface and you have to slow yourself down to basically near zero, because you want to gently drop on the surface, not smash into it. How you do that is a huge technological challenge that we have a lot of work to do. Again, this isn’t a US problem, it’s an international challenge. That’s exciting because, when you invest in technology and engineering, you’re investing in those skills on Earth that potentially have other applications.

Q: A manned Mars mission would be extremely complex and expensive. Do you see the fi rst mission being national, international or even a private expedition? And who would be your preferred partners to work with?

ES: The exciting thing about the path to Mars is that it is already a hugely international effort. Every Mars science mission we do is international, whether it is led by ESA or by NASA. There’s a booklet on the path to Mars that’s been produced called the ‘Global Exploration Roadmap’ that you can download as a pdf and contributions were made to it from nations from all over the world. So NASA is already working closely with our international partners in trying to

Dr Ellen Stofan, Chief Scientist, NASA.

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35JULY 2014

THAT’S WHAT THE HUMAN PROGRAMME GIVES US — IT GIVES US THAT BEST SIDE OF HUMAN NATURE, OUT THERE PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES, EXPLORING AND DISCOVERING


which we would not have if you are on a path to Mars. You can’t

change your mind and come back.

Q: You talked very passionately about putting geologists and

scientists on the surface of Mars. How do you see the balance between

manned and robotic exploration of space? Is it possible to inspire the next generation

just with rovers?

ES: I don’t think so. I think you need humans down on the surface. It’s not that the public isn’t interested in the scientifi c results from Curiosity but, frankly, I think the thing they found the most interesting was the entry, descent and landing. That was the part where people were involved and about were passionate and excited. I think that’s what gets people engaged and excited science technology and mathematics. That’s what engages kids – when they see you doing bold, exciting things. People like peril, people like excitement. That’s what the human programme gives us — it gives us that best side of human nature, out there pushing the boundaries, exploring and discovering. I think that inspirational side which is not the only reason we go to Mars but, I think, is one of the reasons we go and it’s an important part. So many people were inspired by Apollo to go into the science and engineering technology fi eld. I can’t tell you how many people of my age, to whom Apollo was truly an inspiration, an entire generation of people in the STEM fi elds right now. To me, every time we launch a rocket at NASA, every time we get a great event going on the ISS which gets some good press coverage, such as a dramatic fi x of some system, people pay attention. That kind of bold thing that we as humans are capable of doing is what inspires the next generation. That’s an important piece of what we do.

Q: On STEM education — are you worried that NASA may face a shortage of bright engineers — just at that critical point when we might be going beyond Earth orbit to Mars and further?

ES: I think the STEM pipeline and going into STEM fi elds is a worldwide issue. It is something that I am concerned about. In terms of girls, can we get girls more interested in participating in STEM fi elds? The problem is, with all the current challenges we face, from climate change on the severe end to the challenge of sending humans to Mars, we need diverse points of view from people of diverse backgrounds and countries. We really need to engage the full population. If we don’t, we’re not going to get the job done.

develop roles and

responsibilities. We are eager to

work with anybody who is interested in coming along. Certainly

the major space agencies will be players in that. What is really exciting is that you have nations like South Korea, India (which has a very vigorous space programme) and countries that have smaller space programmes, such as in South America, also interested. I think that is great because, the more you get people excited by getting involved in these projects, the more STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) investment we have in economies across the world, the better off we are all going to be in the long-run.

Q: If the goal is to get to Mars — why is the plan to go to the asteroids fi rst? Why not go directly?

ES: We really don’t have the capabilities to go direct and it would be incredibly risky. We’re going to take on risk to some extent — but to go direct to Mars — into that descent and landing, into that radiation environment, when it’s seven months to get there, and seven months back and you have to spend some amount of time there. We are not ready to subject any human to that risk. So, doing it in a logical step-wise fashion, where you can learn and adjust your plans as you go is clearly the next step in terms of risk mitigation. Let’s go operate in the lunar environment. Let’s have astronauts testing out skills they need for that Mars mission. The mission we’ve developed, the asteroid re-direct mission, where we bring asteroid materials close to the Moon and have astronauts work on them in that environment, tests out a lot of capabilities that we need but does it in an environment that is only a few days away from Earth. So, if things go wrong, as we are developing these capabilities, we have the ‘safety hatch’ of returning to Earth if we need to,

NA

SA

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NASA plans an asteroid re-direct mission before embarking on an expedition to Mars.


CAREERSEducation and skills

ROSALIND AZOUZI, RAeS Careers and Education Manager, reports on some of the issues raised at the recent RAeS Education and Skills seminar.

Working together

The RAeS Education and Skills Seminar on 30 April attracted a fantastic mix of guests including representatives from: aerospace and avionics manufacturers; higher education (HE) and further

education (FE) providers, Air Cadets, Department for Transport, Aerospace Growth Partnership, Military Aviation Authority, Civil Aviation Authority, International Federation of Airworthiness and not-for-profi t educational organisations, to name but a few, representing a cross-section of the aerospace, aviation and military industries.

The Education and Skills Committee Chairman, Simon Witts, chaired the seminar which kicked off with a keynote speech from then RAeS President, Jenny Body OBE FRAeS, who highlighted some of the key areas that were the focus of her presidency, including technology, skills, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths) and diversity — both in terms of gender, disability and socially disadvantaged so that all those with the right skills and knowledge can access the industry and

opportunities within it.Jenny also emphasised that, while aerospace

is one UK sector which has grown during the recession, when it comes to skills and STEM, there are many duplicating activities and a distinct lack of co-ordination and long-term view, the latter being essential for aerospace where many projects are long term.

Simon Witts highlighted similar issues for the aviation sector. While many believe that the two sectors of aerospace (OEMs, space, defence and SME manufacturers) and aviation (airlines, airports, and ATC), should work more closely together, for others the two should remain separate in their approach — an issue which remains unresolved and one which the Society’s Education and Skills Committee (ESC) aims to address given the Royal Aeronautical Society’s unique footprint across all areas of the aerospace and aviation community, which includes both employers, education providers and charitable organisations. He explained that one aspect of the ESC work plan was to help

WHEN IT COMES TO SKILLS AND STEM, THERE ARE MANY DUPLICATING ACTIVITIES AND A DISTINCT LACK OF CO-ORDINATION AND LONG-TERM VIEW.

RAeS Ballantyne 2014 event


pull together a list of the different networks and committees working on skills issues for aerospace and aviation in the UK, Europe and internationally, to help pinpoint people in the right direction and be able to share information and expertise.

The proposed break-down of the ESC workplan to cover this diversity has been divided into the following four areas which were fi rst proposed in the inaugural Education and Skills Conference of October 2013: Operators; Facilitators; Originators; and Enablers and the seminar audience seemed broadly supportive of this approach as a logical and inclusive way to reach key stakeholders.

Vocational training

However, the main focus of the seminar was to encourage discussion and there was a very lively debate which went to highlight the current concerns of employers and training providers and those working closely both with young people and professionals. For example, there was general agreement that in vocational training, which often takes place in FE colleges, more delivery of training by ex-industry professional engineers — particularly for manufacturing, maintenance and hand skills related courses — was essential. However, one former-industry, now FE lecturer present pointed out that FE lecturer salaries are much lower than other teaching professions, particularly compared to similar posts in HE, making it diffi cult to attract high calibre people from industry.

Defence concerns

There was also strong presence from the Military Aviation Authority which, one representative explained, “has identifi ed the pressures caused by the lack of skilled people as one of our top risks”.

There were also discussions about the diffi culties for military personnel to transfer into civilian aerospace and aviation roles when leaving the services, usually due to regulatory restrictions. However, the point was made that the retention of staff in military roles is also important. There is some work to address breaking down barriers, including the possibility of shared graduate schemes

with industry and building more transferable qualifi cations, however, this and other

discussions highlighted the need for a clearer Skills Roadmap. For

example, work on one was begun in the mid-2000s but

no clear outcome is visible to the wider industry. This is in contrast with technology for which the high-level roadmap completed at the same time was fundamental in creating

the funding support for the Aerospace

Technology Institute, which has over £2bn funding.

However, the industry appears to fi nds it more diffi cult to predict

future skills needs, than technology changes. A representative of the Aerospace

Growth Partnership mentioned that some of the skills issues should soon start to be addressed as UKCES Employer Ownership Pilot 2 funding has been agreed which will, in particular, support more apprenticeships in aerospace. Although, in terms of engagement with young people, AGP funding is not yet confi rmed and is proving more diffi cult to secure and perhaps where greater collaboration between aerospace, defence, aviation, space, etc may prove essential given the limited resources available for non-recruitment related outreach activities.

More candidates than vacancies

The RAeS Careers and Education Manager highlighted that it was important not to dismiss the current cohort of students in FE and HE courses related to aerospace and aviation, many of whom actually struggle to fi nd employment in the sector. Reasons can include: getting a 2:2 in their degree (does this really mean the end of their career?); poor A Level results (used even in graduate recruitment selection criteria); nationality restrictions; lack of

clear graduate path (e.g. hard-to-fi nd SMEs and lack of formal graduate schemes and/or other visible graduate entry roles in airports/airlines/SMEs); and lack of relevant work experience available during their studies. With events such as Careers in Aerospace LIVE (the Society’s annual recruitment fair), being over-subscribed it is important not to forget this audience who may have been encouraged to take these courses on

Graduates with the wrong qualifi cations, training or skills risk being left behind at the aerospace career departure gate.

The RAeS Careers and Education Department can help open doors to students, graduates and other people seeking employment in the aerospace and aviation community.


CAREERSEducation and skills

the promise of a skills shortage in the sector and where some creative solutions to help them transfer into useful roles may benefi t the industry and avoid future shortages.

Another issue highlighted was the lack of Department for Education (DfE) presence both on the ESC and many other external, skills-related committees, with attendees noting that while existing Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and Department for Transport support was welcomed, DfE presence is an essential link in the chain, given the need to ensure education in schools and colleges remains relevant to career pathways.

Pilot training, and specifi cally the costs, also came under the spotlight. While there are potential cost reductions for trainees and greater employer support being made available through the Higher Apprenticeship/BSc (Hons) degree model, the costs are, as one attendee said, “still seen as prohibitive for many”. There could even be a move towards higher training costs for participants in air traffi c control training and as the audience pointed out, many young people from socially disadvantaged areas are desperate for a career but perceive fi nancial barriers such as these as impossible to overcome and, are therefore dissuaded right from the outset.

Overall, the audience provided some valuable feedback and many offers of support to the ESC, and to support the Society’s existing work in outreach, careers awareness and employability, as well improving the Society’s responses to Government policy inquiries, etc.

Next steps

In summary, some of the key issues for further ESC consideration which were recommended by attendees include:

● Greater representation of education stakeholders (both at Government and provider level)

● More military focus with senior military representation

● Focus on supporting areas where there is less existing activity

● Encouraging and fostering dialogue between existing groups both within the Society (such as Specialist Groups) and externally, such as AGP

● Using the Society publications and relevant events to promote successful programmes and projects and encourage knowledge sharing.

Bookings are now open for exhibitors who wish to take part in the RAeS’s annual recruitment fair, Careers in Aerospace LIVE 2014, which will take place on Friday 7 November 2014 at No4 Hamilton Place in London and is the only UK fair dedicated to aerospace and aviation.

Our thanks to Raytheon UK for their sponsorship of this year’s Ballantyne event on 23 April. Named after aerospace lecturer and former RAeS Secretary Dr Archibald Morton Ballantyne, the Ballantyne is the RAeS’ annual careers awareness event designed to introduce 14-18 year-olds to careers in aerospace and aviation. This year’s event theme was ‘Diversity in Aerospace and Aviation’ and we had a fantastic programme of speakers, including Felicity Fashade, Head of Systems Engineering, Raytheon UK, Nicki Crane and Hayley Keeley of Raytheon UK, Emily Walsh and Jessica Gibbs of Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group and Gautam Lewis of Freedom in the Air.

The Honourable Company of Air Pilots also provided free pilot aptitude tests and prizes for the audi-ence, and we were also joined by Air Cdre Jayne Millington of the Royal Air Force, B777 Captain Rob Cawthorne and Felix Adedeji of MoD DESG for a lively panel session.

Freedom in the Air also made a short video of the event and fi lm of Gau-tam’s talk. You can see the videos and in-depth event report in the Society News pages of our website, via the following link:http://www.aeroso-ciety.com/News/Society-News/2216/Ballantyne-2014-aero-space-and-aviation-open-ing-up-to-all-sections-of-the-community

The next Ballantyne event will take place in April 2015 but look out for de-tails of our other schools events for young people taking place throughout the year, including our Cool Aeronautics events for primary schools.

There are four packages available, all offering special rates for RAeS Corporate Partners. The 2013 event attracted over 800 visitors from across the UK, Europe and even as far afi eld as South Africa.

2014 exhibitors confi rmed so far include:•BUSINESS CLASS: CTC Aviation and Rolls-Royce•PREMIUM ECONOMY: Hutchinson Stop-Choc, GKN Aerospace, Boeing UK, Royal Air Force,

Royal Navy and we are delighted to welcome back Thales.Visitor registration will open mid Summer 2014.For further details and the Exhibitor Brochure, please contact RAeS Careers and Education

Manager, Rosalind Azouzi (E [email protected], T +44 (0)20 7670 4325 | M +44 (0)7824 512941) or visit our website www.aerosociety.com/Careers-Education/careersinaerospacelive.

Ballantyne2014

Our Society’s membership is drawn from a diverse range of organisations and fields of expertise including aircrew, air traffic control, systems design, engineering, technicians, military and civilian MoD professionals along with professions that serve the aerospace and aviation industry, such as law, finance, marketing, medicine and recruitment.

We support our members in:► Promoting the highest possible standards in all aerospace

disciplines► Providing specialist information and acting as a forum for the

exchange of ideas► Playing a leading role in influencing opinion on aerospace matters

As a community we continue to add value through:Knowledge & ExpertiseOur National Aerospace Library is one of the world’s most extensive aerospace libraries and the online catalogue offers quick and easy access to over 100,000 items.

The Society’s 24 Specialist Groups generate a programme of around 25 conferences and 30 evening lectures each year providing you with the opportunity to meet, discuss and network to further your continuing professional development. We have international reach through our Aero Society Podcast, online conference proceedings and Discussion Papers.

The Society’s flagship magazine AEROSPACE aims to provide our community with expert insight and thought-provoking debate on the future of aerospace, aviation and spaceflight, through stimulating and relevant features; in addition to providing our members with in-depth analysis and industry news each month.

Networking & Influence With over 70 regional and international Branches, our members engage, contribute and participate in their local aerospace community through lectures, events and social activities.

Through our growing Corporate Partner scheme, we continue to highlight and encourage the industry’s commitment to best practice in the aerospace sector.

Future GenerationIn partnership with ADS Group, our dedicated Careers in Aerospace website helps thousands of young people to understand the exciting opportunities open to them within aerospace.

Last year, in the Schools Build-a-Plane Challenge, we saw the first two aircraft, built by secondary school students, take to the skies. In partnership with Boeing, the programme aims to motivate, encourage and inspire young people in STEM subjects and to help them develop invaluable skills such as project management, problem-solving and team work.

In 2013, the Society signed the Royal Academy of Engineering Concordat which commits us to work towards increasing diversity within the profession of engineering.

Enhance your careerWith the World’s Foremost Aerospace Community

Are you already a RAeS member and are considering upgrading your membership?To discuss upgrading your membership please contact us at: [email protected] or +44 (0)20 7670 4320/355.

Join Us!If you are working or interested in the aeronautical or aerospace sector, then there is a membership grade for you. Join us to become part of a global community of aerospace professionals and contribute directly to the impact the Society, through its members, makes on the aerospace and aviation industries.

Contact us at [email protected] or +44 (0)20 7670 4320/355 or visit http://aerosociety.com/Membership/which-membership to find out which membership grade would be most suitable for you.


AIR SHOWS2014 Farnborough Air Show preview

Farnborough is coming

In July, aerospace companies from around the world will showcase their latest products and services at the 49th biennual Farnborough International Air Show (FIA). Held from 14 to 20 July, the fi rst

fi ve days of the show will be devoted to the trade industry, followed by two public days. Friday 18 July is scheduled as Futures Day designed to give groups of young people aged 11-21 the opportunity to see the career opportunities on offer in the aerospace and defence industry. A highlight of Futures Day will be a fl ying display from the two aircraft completed as part of the RAeS Schools Build-a-Plane project.

The theme for the public airshow is 100 Years of Aviation and will feature aircraft from every decade of the past century. The public weekend will also commemorate the 100th anniversary of the start of WW1 with a display by the Great War Display team. The static display will feature a vintage aircraft collection tent, with examples of aircraft from the beginning of aviation up to WW1, including a replica Wright Flyer, Bleriot XI and a Sopwith Camel.

This year’s show will feature a wide variety of aircraft types, with over 70 confi rmed as part of the static line-up and a further 23 for the fl ying display. Making their fi rst appearance at Farnborough this year will be the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning, Textron Airland Scorpion and (on the public days) a Spanish Navy Harrier. Airbus will be displaying an A320, an A380 and a fl ight test A350. A Qatar Airways’ Boeing 787 will be on show while regional aircraft will be represented by an Embraer ERJ145 and E190, Sukhoi Superjet 100, Bombardier CRJ 900 jet and Q400 turboprop, as well as an ATR-72-600 turboprop. On the rotary wing side, there will be an AgustaWestland AW101, AW139, AW169, Bell 429EMS and 407GX. There will also be a number of business aircraft on display, in addition to a Viking Twin Otter, Britten Norman Islander, Pilatus PC-12, Grob

20bespoke buildings for individual exhibitors

98%self-build hall space sold

18international pavilions

56%international exhibitors

26new exhibitors

The RAeS will be exhibiting in the Innovation Zone in Hall 4 on stand D1. The AEROSPACE team will be reporting on the latest news from the show with tweets from Editor, Tim Robinson (twitter @raestimr) and regular online updates appearing in a series of daily blogs on http://aerosociety.com/News/Insight-Blog

FIA2014 will see the fi rst UK public appearances of the Lockheed Martin F-35 JSF and the Textron Airland Scorpion

G520T ‘Egrett’, HNH90 and G120TP-A, and a Trescal SA300: Tandem.

Exhibition space for the show is reported to be almost completely sold out. Several new

countries are exhibiting for the fi rst time, including Tunisia, Malaysia and Thailand, while over half of the exhibitors are from overseas. An innovation for this

year will be the new Row A Chalet development, featuring the fi rst permanent chalet buildings. The development is part of a longer-term plan

by the show organisers, to move away from the temporary structures that have been a feature of previous shows towards buildings that can also be used for other events. A permanent exhibition facility is due to be completed in time for FIA2016 to be held on 11-17 July 2016.

FAI 2014 will feature several specialised zones dedicated to particular aerospace sectors. The Innovation Zone will focus on research, technology and skills, bringing together engineering universities, research and technology organisations and supporting agencies.

This year sees a greater emphasis on the growing autonomous and robotic systems sector and will feature the latest developments across many areas, including surgery, space exploration, defence, manufacturing and energy production.There will be an opportunity to demonstrate unmanned aerial and ground systems in dedicated indoor and outdoor demonstration areas.

The show will also include a number of conferences, including a Space Day conference, a briefi ng on commercial manufacturing and a supply chain conference (SC21), featuring speakers from ADS and industry.

For more information on FIA2014, see http://www.Farnborough.com

41JULY 2014

Afterburner

42 Message from RAeS- President“I wish to congratulate the new Council Members and to thank all the candidates who put their names forward for election. It is good to know that there is strong competition among our members to serve on the Council.”

- Chief Executive“July brings the Farnborough International Air Show and, of course, the never-to-be-missed annual Royal International Air Tattoo. We wish our colleagues well in the ‘delivery’ of these wonderful events and look forward to hosting many friends at our Farnborough Summer Reception supported, once again, by our friends from Raytheon.”

44 Book ReviewsSpacesuit, Space Shuttle Legacy and Wheels Stop.

47 Library AdditionsBooks submitted to the National Aerospace Library.

48 Future Challenges of the Aerospace Business

The 50th Sir Henry Royce Lecture, organised by the RAeS Derby Branch, was presented by Dr Thomas Enders, Chief Executive Offi cer of Airbus Group.

50 Learning how 3D Printing is ‘Changing the Game’

The technology, which is now being used in a variety of applications, was the topic of discussion at the RAeS Washington DC Branch.

51 ILA 2014A show report from the RAeS Munich Branch.

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

53 RAeS Council 2014-201554 Corporate PartnersThree new members join the Society’s Corporate Partner Scheme.

55 ObituariesCharles Hughesdon, John Morton and Peter Berry.

56 ElectionsNew Society members elected in the past month.

www.aerosociety.com

A Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II (top) in formation with two Typhoons as part of a simulated mission scenario. Lockheed Martin.

Diary7 JulySopwith Lecture The Aerospace Technology Enterprise: Latent Growth or Losing Ground?Sir Brian Burridge KCB CBE FRAeS, VP Strategic Marketing, Finmeccanica

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

42

Message from RAeSOUR PRESIDENT

Bill Tyack

EVEN IF THE CHALLENGE OF CARBON-FREE FLIGHT IS NOT CHOSEN, THE FACT THAT IT WAS ON THE SHORTLIST UNDERSCORES THE IMPORTANCE OF AVIATION TO HUMAN SOCIETY


Afterburner

The results of the Council Election are shown elsewhere in this edition of AEROSPACE (p 53) and, by the time you read this, the ‘new’ Council will have held its fi rst meeting. I wish to congratulate the new Council Members and to thank all the candi-dates who put their names forward for election. It is good to know that there is strong competition among our members to serve on the Council.

Back in May I attended the Branches’ Conference, which was organised very successfully this year by the Derby Branch. The conference is a really important opportunity for face-to-face communication between Branch representatives and Society staff members; it also enables the Branches to share ideas. The programme included a visit to the Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust Museum, which provides a fascinating and comprehensive history of aero-engine development in Derby from the earliest days. Also in May I was delighted to be able to welcome Air Chief Marshal Sir Andrew Pulford, the UK Chief of the Air Staff, as Guest of Honour at the Society’s Annual Banquet. Over 500 people attended the Banquet, which was very well supported by many of our Corporate Partners.

Shortly before taking over as President I was privileged to attend the launch of the Longitude Prize 2014. You may have seen or heard publicity about this in the media. Three hundred years ago in 1714 the British Government offered a prize of £20,000 for a solution to the problem of fi nding the longitude of a position on the earth (and importantly on the deck of a ship) to within half a degree. This was a really diffi cult problem that had taxed

navigators, mathematicians and astronomers for hundreds of years. Dava Sobel’s book Longitude (Fourth Estate Ltd, London, 1996) describes well the trials and tribulations of clock maker John Harrison’s attempts to win the prize. He was eventually awarded a substantial proportion of the prize money for his H4 marine chronometer, the design of which changed how mariners navigated at sea. The idea of the Longitude Prize 2014 is to offer a prize of £10,000,000 for a solution to an equivalent challenge in today’s world. The public is being asked to vote to choose the challenge from a shortlist of six concerned with: food; water; dementia; antibiotics; paralysis; and carbon-free fl ight. (Full details are at www.longitudeprize.org.) By the time you read this we should know which challenge the public has chosen.

Even if the challenge of carbon-free fl ight is not chosen, the fact that it was on the shortlist underscores the importance of aviation to human society. To my mind, it also raises the question if we in the RAeS could and should do more to help fi nd solutions to mitigating the impact of aviation on the environment. Greener by Design has done great work over many years in this area to improve understanding of the issues and to recommend potential solutions. Nevertheless, as we approach the 150th anniversary of the Society, I wonder if we should take this as one of our key technical chal-lenges for the future. Is there more that we could do to help tackle an issue that is important to human society and that will become increasingly important to our industry? I would be interested in your views.

Help neededThe Royal Aeronautical Society’s General Aviation Specialist Group is currently looking for people to join its committee. The committee represents professionals working in the general aviation fi eld and meets three times a year to organise a range of events. The Group usually hold a one-day conference and two or three lectures a year. The main role of a committee member is to work with RAeS staff to provide technical and industry guidance for events. Committee members are expected to attend the majority of the General Aviation Specialist Group Committee meetings (either in person or remotely via conference call).

The Group is looking for anyone who is inter-ested in aviation and has a knowledge of the fi eld

to join the committee. It doesn’t matter whether you are a student studying at university or a senior fi gure in a large company, as long as you are enthusiastic and willing to be proactive we want to hear from you. If you wish to join the General Aviation Committee please contact the Chairman via the Conference and Events Department at the RAeS, E [email protected] or by calling +44 (0)20 7670 4345.

Future Events

‘Light Aircraft Design: Methods and Tools 2014’ conference on 17 November 2014. Visit www.aerosociety.com/events for more information.

GENERAL AVIATION GROUP

Pegasus Quantum 145-912 ultralight trike, G-BYFF.Adrian Pingstone.

Simon C Luxmoore

‘THOUGHT LEADERSHIP’ IS AN IMPORTANT AREA FOR THE SOCIETY AND WILL BECOME INCREASINGLY SO IN THE FUTURE

OUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE

JULY 2014 43

This month we’ll be at both RIAT and Farnborough Air Shows showcasing some of the innovative developments from our members, as well as the Society’s educational initiatives through the RAeS/Boeing Schools Build-a-Plane Challenge. We hope to see many of our members visiting our stand throughout the shows.

As in June, July will see a series of Cool Aeronautics events, in Farnborough, Bristol, Glasgow and Swansea, as well as our support to Futures Day (on 18 July) at the Farnborough Air Show. The Careers team are also planning for autumn and exhibitors can now book packages for our recruitment fair, Careers in Aerospace LIVE, taking place on 7 November.

Following an interesting seminar on 30 April, and discussed further in this issue, the Society’s second Education & Skills Conference will take place on 1 October at Hamilton Place, bringing together stakeholders from across the aerospace and aviation sectors, including recruiters, training providers, STEM and outreach specialists. With skills at the heart of many discussions across the industry, don’t miss this important event. Sponsorship packages are also available — again, contact the Careers team at No.4 Hamilton Place for full details of delegate and corporate packages.

I was pleased with the attendance at this year’s AGM, approaching 50 voting members in number, and certainly it was a relief compared with my antics of the previous year when I was ‘pacing corridors’ to ensure we were quorate! The AGM preceded an excellent Banquet at which the Chief of the Air Staff delivered, in some style it should be said, a memorable speech.

There has been a very positive response from members eligible to receive Howard Wheeldon’s daily commentary. Howard, who writes the ‘Antenna’ articles in AEROSPACE, is a Fellow of the Society, and recognised ‘globally’ as an independent analyst, commentator and writer, on aerospace and defence issues. ‘Thought Leadership’ is an important area for the Society and will become increasingly so in the future. Howard’s contributions are warmly welcomed.

Following the presentation of the Society’s Written Paper Prizes on 7 July, the Sopwith Lecture, sponsored by Finmeccanica, will be given by Sir Brian Burridge who will pose the question of sustainability of ‘growth partnerships’ on the long-term implications of intellectual property in the UK aerospace and defence industry. I expect the evening to be a thought-provoking and enjoyable occasion with plenty of networking afterwards on our wonderful roof terrace.

With Paul Bailey moving to the Engineering Council we have decided to ‘reorganise’ our staff structure bringing together all our ‘individual’ membership activities under one directorate. This new section, the Membership and Professional Standards Directorate, will be led by Lynn Beattie and will include membership recruitment, careers & education, membership services and our Schools Build-a-Plane team.

July brings the Farnborough International Air Show and, of course, the never-to-be-missed annual Royal International Air Tattoo. We wish our colleagues well in the ‘delivery’ of these wonderful events and look forward to hosting many friends at our Farnborough Summer Reception supported, once again, by our friends from Raytheon.


Cranfi eld Experience 2014Cranfi eld University and British Airways are offering students studying at UK/EU universities the chance to win the Cranfi eld Aerospace Experience 2014.

The prize is two days of exclusive airborne and simulator fl ight training at Cranfi eld University’s Campus Airport and British Airways Flight and Crew training facilities at Heathrow Airport.

Visit Cranfi eld University in the Innovation Zone (IZ/B2) at Farnborough Airshow 2014 to receive a unique code to enter.

Find out more about the prize.www.aeroexperience.co.uk

FAST awarded Queen’s Award for Voluntary ServiceFarnborough Air Sciences Trust (FAST) has been awarded the QAVS, the highest and most prestigious award in the country for voluntary group efforts. It is offi cially classifi ed as ‘The MBE for volunteer groups’ and the award was announced by Buckingham Palace on 2 June.

The citation reads: “Safeguarding, displaying and making available documentation and artefacts recording 100 years of continuous air science development at Farnborough, creating an engineering and history-themed education centre and community cultural facility.”

Book ReviewsSPACESUIT


Afterburner

A History through Fact and FictionBy B Gooden

Tattered Flag Press, PO Box 2240, Pulborough, West Sussex RH20 9AL, UK. 2012. 128pp. Illustrated. £16.99. ISBN 978-0-9543115-4-4.

At fi rst glance, from the cover of this excellent book, the casual reader would be forgiven for thinking they had strayed into pulp fi ction rather than solid science. However, more careful reading reveals a thoroughly researched and stimulating history of the technological development of a rather neglected, yet essential piece of space hardware — the spacesuit. While much has been written about the technology of space vehicles, that underlying the ability to protect astronauts from the space environment has been taken for granted. In his book, Brett Gooden reveals a fascinating and complex development history that overcame many technological challenges in ultimately allowing humans to walk on the Moon and perform complex tasks outside their spacecraft in-orbit.

The presentation has a strong historical thread, running from the very earliest problems of high altitude survival in balloon fl ights, through pressure suits required by aviators and into the space age. This material is linked to the manifestations of spacesuits in popular fi ction, which often ignore real science but sometimes refl ect the technology of

the day and occasionally provide insights of value to future developments.

If the book has a central theme, it is that of practicality and mobility. One of the best ways of protecting humans from the space environment is with a hard metal suit, similar to some deep-sea diving units used in marine recovery operations. This idea produced some quite bizarre designs, which gained the nickname ‘canned’ astronaut. However, large mass and restricted movement coupled with the diffi culty of donning the suit in cramped conditions with minimal help makes these impractical. Therefore, multi-layer soft suits have become the practical solution, with various levels of protection depending on the required use, within a spacecraft, in-orbit or on the surface of the Moon. Mobility remains an issue, particularly regarding joints, which stiffen under internal pressure. Early spacesuits had very limited movement as a result. For me, the development of technical solutions to this problem is one of the surprising highlights of the book.

Overall this is a nicely produced, well-illustrated book. There are a few minor irritations with layout, where the fi gures squeeze the text to no more than one or two lines on the page. This is certainly a book that deserves to be popular and widely read.

Professor Martin BarstowProfessor of Astrophysics and Space Science, University of Leicester

Above left: On 3 June 1965 Edward H White II became the fi rst American to step outside his spacecraft and let go. Above right: Anchored to a Canadarm2 mobile foot restraint, European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano, Expedition 36 fl ight engineer, participates in a session of extravehicular activity (EVA) as work continues on the International Space Station in July 2013. Right: On 9 April 1959, NASA introduced its fi rst astronaut class, the Mercury 7. Below right: ‘Buzz’ Aldrin on the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission. Bottom right: NASA invited the public to vote on three cover layer designs for the Z-2 prototype suit which will be used to test the technologies that NASA hopes astronauts will wear on a mission to Mars by 2030. All NASA.

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

SPACE SHUTTLE LEGACY

How We Did It and What We LearnedEdited by R D Launius et al

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Suite 500, Reston, VA 20191-4344, USA. 2013. Distributed by Transatlantic Publishers Group, 97 Greenham Road, London N10 1LN, UK (T +44 (0)20 8815 5994; E [email protected]). 489pp. Illustrated. £35 [20% discount available to RAeS members on request]. 375pp. Illustrated. $49.95. ISBN 978-1-62410-216-5.

WHEELS STOP

The Tragedies and Triumphs of the Space Shuttle Program, 1986-2011By R Houston

University of Nebraska Press, University of Nebraska Press, 1111 Lincoln Mall, Lincoln, NE 68588-0630, USA. 2013. Distributed by Combined Academic Publishers Ltd, Windsor House, Cornwall Road, Harrogate HG1 2PW, UK. 428pp. Illustrated. £24.99. [25% discount available to RAeS members via www.combinedacademic.co.uk using CS314FLIGHT promotion code]. ISBN 978-0-8032-3534-2.

For 30 years from the take-off of Columbia on 12 April 1981 until the touchdown of Atlantis on 21 July 2011, America’s Space Shuttle was the world’s most iconic launch vehicle. I gave an overview of the Space Shuttle story in Aerospace International (October 2010, pp 18-20) as it approached the end of its service life, and Space Shuttle Legacy looks at the subject in much greater depth. The main attraction of the book is the identifi cation of the Shuttle’s main management and engineering challenges, each reviewed by an expert — the three main engineering challenges are identifi ed as (a) the main engine, (b) thermal protection and (c) onboard software.

Robert Biggs helped develop the Shuttle main engine at Rocketdyne and provides powerful insights into its technical complexity. The engine development was always under time pressure. Sadly, it wasn’t until the explosion of Challenger in 1986 (with the death of its seven crew members) halted operations for nearly three years that there was a breathing space during which various upgrades

Space shuttle Atlantis and its four-member STS-135 crew head toward Earth orbit and rendezvous with the International Space Station at the beginning of the last shuttle fl ight on 8 July 2011.All NASA.

could be introduced. Among the 71 design changes made at this time a new turbopump, for example, was simplifi ed with rotating parts reduced from 50 to 28, and the number of welds from 300 to 4. Biggs explains the daunting complexity of the engine and thereby highlights the scale of the achievement in keeping the engines in working order throughout the 30-year period.

The main technology used for protection against the extreme temperatures of re-entry had been known since the 1950s — the 30,000 tiles (later reduced to 24,000) that the Shuttle pioneered in place of the ablative non-reusable shield used by other space (and missile) programmes. However, as former Shuttle engineer Dennis Jenkins explains, it was another technology that failed in the case of the 1 February 2003 re-entry break-up of Columbia (and the death of its seven crew members). The >2,300°F experienced by the wing leading edge was handled by a carbon composite panel coated with silicon carbide, not by the famous tiles. The panel material proved to be less robust than once thought and was penetrated by a piece of insulation from the giant external fuel tank, causing the wing to fail during re-entry. Jenkins points out, however, that it was one of the few materials that could withstand the re-entry environment and continued to be used albeit with more inspection and analysis.

The third critical technology, onboard software, was by and large a NASA success story. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Nancy Leveson shows the evolution of Shuttle software from the 1960s through the Skylab and Apollo-Soyuz programmes of the early 1970s. The most signifi cant decision was management rather than technical, when NASA decided to contract with IBM directly for the software, bypassing Rockwell’s main Shuttle Orbiter contract, despite IBM being the computer supplier in the Rockwell team. After the Shuttles were delivered and started their

46

Book ReviewsAfterburner


Space shuttle Discovery’s main gear touches down on Runway 15 at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at the end of its last fl ight on 9 March 2011. NASA.

service life, software became the main means for introducing changes to their performance and direct management of the software contract gave NASA fi rm control of that process. Leveson notes that the 30+ year continuity of the software work led to a culture in which creativity in coding was discouraged but creativity in modifying the management processes encouraged. She identifi es other lessons that are useful today including the relationship between software quality and team morale, and the inability of software diversity to protect against errors in requirements — this latter observation being relevant to many aviation programmes.

One curious and common thread in the analysis of these three engineering challenges is the failure of any of the authors to mention whether the various industrial contracts were fi xed price or cost-plus. In the UK we are used to strong pressure from Government to adopt the fi xed price approach with much discussion about when the challenges (requirements, technology, etc.) are suffi ciently well understood to allow that to happen. Perhaps the cost-plus regime is so endemic in NASA programmes that the authors never thought to question it.

Syracuse University Professor Henry Lambright and former NASA Chief Historian Roger Launius trace the evolution of NASA’s management approach to the Space Shuttle programme. The HQ-led approach that worked for the Apollo Moon landings was discarded early on in favour of leadership by one of the NASA Centres. The impact of the personality of the HQ and Centre top management was signifi cant but not widely recognised. Changes in approach were introduced after the Challenger disaster (1986), in the wake of budget cuts in the Clinton Administrations (1992-2000) and to a lesser extent after the Columbia disaster (2003). Throughout, alignment of responsibilities, competence and budgets was never achieved and the result was a programme in which hard decisions were avoided until disaster struck.

Chapters are included giving the perspective of the operations staff and the crew. Other chapters cover the symbiotic relationship of the Shuttle with the International Space Station, the accident analysis of the two failed missions, Europe’s role, the Shuttle as cultural icon and NASA’s attempts to build a replacement. All lack deep insight, perhaps none more so than the short chapter on Europe by former European Space Agency historian Professor John Krige. He discusses various forms of collaboration that were eventually rejected and omits two hugely signifi cant implications for Europe. The Spacelab element of the Shuttle gave

Europe its fi rst experience of human spacefl ight and led directly to Europe providing more than half of the habitable volume of the International Space Station today.

The US government mandated that all military

and civil government satellites would use the Shuttle and thus eliminated competition to Europe’s emerging Ariane rocket in the early 1980s. This enabled Ariane to become the market leader for the world’s commercial satellites — a position it still holds today.Space Shuttle Legacy has the great merit of

being unashamed about the weaknesses as well as the strengths of the Space Shuttle. The chapters on the three key engineering challenges and on NASA’s management approach are authoritative and very readable, and make this a must-read for anyone interested in a machine that in many ways represented the pinnacle of rocket science.

There is no similar rationale for reading Wheels Stop — Rick Houston’s homage to the astronauts who fl ew in the Space Shuttle. More than 300 people rode in the Shuttle during its 30 years in operation and most get a mention in the 400 or so pages of this refl ection on their experience. Starting with fl ight 26 in 1988, the fi rst after the destruction of the Challenger and its crew more than 2½ years earlier, the book follows each of 110 Shuttle fl ights in chronological order all the way to fl ight 135 (the last) in 2011. Each mission is described in terms of the emotions and opinions of the astronauts with almost no engineering or scientifi c explanations. The 300 or so astronauts who fl ew in the 110 missions are named in what becomes an eye-glazing list, and rose-tinted glasses are worn throughout — for example the costs of the missions are not discussed. The minutiae of astronaut life is the focus of the book, adding little to the already large canon of ‘astronaut as celebrity’ books — we learn for example that French astronaut Jean-François Clervoy’s nickname was Billy Bob. Wheels Stop will appeal to the astronaut groupie but not to many others.

Pat NorrisFRAeS

Space Shuttle Legacy has the great merit of being unashamed about the weaknesses as well as the strengths of the Space Shuttle. The chapters on the three key engineering challenges and on NASA’s management approach are authoritative and very readable...

JULY 2014 47

GENERAL

Innovation in Aeronautics. Edited by T M Young and M Hirst. Woodhead Publishing Limited, 80 High Street, Sawston, Cambridge CB22 3HJ, UK. 2012. 393pp. £147.50. ISBN 978-1-84569-550-7.

AERODYNAMICS

Flight Dynamics Principles: a Linear Systems Approach to Aircraft Stability and Control — Third edition. M V Cook. Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Oxford OX5 1GB, UK. 2013. 575pp. Illustrated. £49.99. ISBN 978-0-08-098242-7.

AGRICULTURAL AVIATION

Low and Slow: an Insider’s History of Agricultural Aviation. M I Anderson. California Farmer Publishing Company, San Francisco, CA. 1986. 151pp. Illustrated. ISBN 0-936815-00-0.

A well-illustrated history of the growth of agricultural aviation in the United States.

AIRWORTHINESS AND MAINTENANCE

Leveraging Information Technology for Optimal Aircraft Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO). A Sahay. Woodhead Publishing Limited, 80 High Street, Sawston, Cambridge CB22 3HJ, UK. 2012. 238pp. £125. ISBN 978-1-84569-982-6.

AVIONICS AND SYSTEMS

Stimson’s Introduction to Airborne Radar — Third edition. G W Stimson et al. SciTech Publishing (an imprint of the IET), Michael Faraday House, Six Hills Way, Stevenage, Herts SG1 2AY, UK. 2014. 744pp. Illustrated. £110. ISBN 978-1-61353-022-1.

HISTORICAL

From Lysander to Lightning: Teddy Petter, Aircraft Designer. G Davies. The History Press, The Mill, Brimscombe Port, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5 2QG, UK. 2014. 160pp. Illustrated. £14.99. ISBN 978-0-7524-9211-7.

Handley Page Proposals for a 70-Ton Bomber (1943): a Commentary. A H Fraser-Mitchell. Published by the author. 2014. 25pp. Illustrated.

Compares the project design with the evolution of the Convair B-36 Peacemaker.

The Handley Page HP115 Slender Delta Low Speed Research Aircraft — Fifth edition. A H Fraser-Mitchell. Published by the author. 2013. 61pp. Illustrated.

The origins, design, development and fl ight testing of the slender delta research aircraft is reviewed, the study concluding with a survey of the research work on slender wings undertaken by W E Gray.

Les Aeronefs de l’Aviation Maritime (1910-1942). L Morareau. Association pour la Recherche de Documentation sur l’Histoire de l’Aéronautique Navale (ARDHAN), Paris. 2002. 589pp. Illustrated. ISBN 2-913344-04-6.

L’Aviation Maritime Francaise Pendant La Grande Guerre (Hydroavions et Avions). L Morareau et al. Association pour la Recherche de Documentation sur l’Histoire de l’Aéronautique Navale (ARDHAN), Paris. 1999. 494pp. Illustrated. ISBN 2-913344-00-3.

Enzyklopadie Luftfahrzeugbau in Osterreich: von den Anfangen bis zur Gegenwart. R Keimel. Aviatic

Verlag Gmbh, Oberhaching. 2003. 408pp. Illustrated. ISBN 3-925505-78-4.

Published on behalf of the Technisches Museum in Vienna, a well-illustrated survey of the history of the development of aviation in Austria.

The Curtiss HS Flying Boats. K M Molson and A J Shortt. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD. 1995. 147pp. Illustrated. ISBN 1-55750-142-4.

A detailed well-illustrated history — including line arrangement diagrams — of the development of the HS series of fl ying boat designs (including the HS1L and HS2L) concluding with the restoration of the HS-2L G-CAAC ‘La Vigilance’ at the National Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida.

Messerschmitt Me262A Schwalbe — Second edition. R Peczkowski. Published by Stratus, Poland, on behalf of Mushroom Model Publications, 3 Gloucester Close, Petersfi eld, Hants GU32 3AX, UK (www.mmpbooks.biz). 2014. 112pp. Illustrated. £13.99. ISBN 978-83-63678-17-3.

Numerous colour photographs and other diagrams illustrate this detailed pictorial survey of the famous German jet fi ghter aircraft and its Junkers Jumo 004-B engine.

The Norman Thompson File: the History of the Norman Thompson Flight Company and White & Thompson Ltd. M H Goodall. Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd, Tunbridge Wells. 1995. 101pp. Illustrated. ISBN 0-85130-233-5.

Fokker Aircraft of World War One. P Leaman. The Crowood Press, Ramsbury. 2001. 192pp. Illustrated. ISBN 1-86126-353-8.

LIGHTER-THAN-AIR

The Man with his Head in the Clouds: James Sadler — the First Englishman to Fly. R O Smith. Signal Books Limited, 36 Minster Road, Oxford OX4 1LY, UK. 2014. 236pp. Illustrated. £14.99. ISBN 978-1-909930-01-8.

A biographical study of the pioneering late-18th/early 19th-century balloonist James Sadler — the fi rst Englishman to make an ascension by balloon — is interspersed with the author’s personal memoirs of his struggle to overcome his fear of heights and other phobias.

PILOTING

How to Fly a Battle of Britain Fighter: Spitfi re, Messerschmitt, Hurricane. Edited by C McCutcheon. Amberley Publishing, The Hill, Merrywalks, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5 4EP, UK. 2014. 128pp. Illustrated. £9.99. ISBN 978-1-4456-3665-8.

Extracts from the Pilot’s Notes for the Supermarine Spitfi re IX, XI and XVI (Air Publication A.P.1565J) and Hawker Hurricane II and IV (A.P.1564B & D) are combined with a fl ight test report on the Messerschmitt Bf109E/Me109.

SERVICE AVIATION

RAF Labuan Borneo. D Bale. Book Guild Publishing, The Book Guild Ltd, The Werks, 45 Church Road, Hove BN3 2BE, UK. 2014. 220pp. Illustrated. £8.99. ISBN 978-1-9097160-4-9.

Incorporating the recollections of personnel who were stationed there, a detailed history of the island airbase situated off the northern coast of mainland North Borneo (Sabah) which has been operated over the years by Australian, American and British air forces, the last RAF personnel departing from the airbase in June 1968.

Vulcan Boys: from the Cold War to the Falklands — True Tales of the Iconic Delta V Bomber. T Blackman. Grub Street, 4 Rainham Close, London SW11 6SS, UK. 2014. 238pp. Illustrated. £20. ISBN 978-1-909808-08-9.

Recollections of Blue Steel, Taceval, the Vulcan K2 Tanker and crew training are among the subjects discussed in this compilation of reminiscences from former pilots, personnel and ground crew associated with the famous bomber aircraft.

Hunter Boys: True Tales from Pilots of the Hawker Hunter. R Pike. Grub Street, 4 Rainham Close, London SW11 6SS, UK. 2014. 201pp. Illustrated. £20. ISBN 978-1-909808-03-4.

A compilation of 15 separate pilots’ recollections of fl ying and operating the transonic fi ghter aircraft design.

Sculthorpe — Secrecy and Stealth: a Norfolk Airfi eld in the Cold War. P Gunn. The History Press, The Mill, Brimscombe Port, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5 2QG, UK. 2014. 239pp. Illustrated. £14.99. ISBN 978-0-7524-7683-4.

A detailed well-illustrated history of the East Anglian airfi eld originally developed in 1943 for the RAF which was to evolve into a key operational base for the USAF Strategic Air Command (SAC).

BOOKS

Library Additions

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


Afterburner

Society News


Future Challenges of the Aerospace Business

The 50th Sir Henry Royce Lecture, organised by the Derby Branch of the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS), was presented on 7 May by Dr Thomas (Tom) Enders, Chief Executive Offi cer of Airbus Group, to a capacity audience at the Rolls-Royce Learning & Development Centre in Derby. Attendees at the lecture included then RAeS President Jenny Body OBE, RAeS Chief Executive Simon Luxmoore, from Rolls-Royce, Chief Executive John Rishton, Chairman Ian Davis and Director of Engineering & Technology Colin Smith CBE and fi nally from Airbus, Denis Ranque, Chairman of Airbus Group.

The theme of the lecture was ‘Future Challenges of the Aerospace Business’ and Dr Enders began the lecture by speaking of his commitment to the legacy of Rolls-Royce co-founder Sir Henry Royce stating: “For Sir Henry, it was not enough to develop aero engines. They were going to be the best engines. He was a perfectionist and he was a visionary. He was humble but hungry. His focus was on quality and craftsmanship. He strived for excellence in all he put his name to.” In particular Tom refl ected on one of Sir Henry Royce’s guiding principles: “Take the best that exists and make it better. If it doesn’t exist, create it.” With reference to this principle, Tom identifi ed three future challenges he sees for the aerospace industry in relation to innovation. Specifi cally, how we identify innovation opportunities and fi nd the balance between disruptive innovation and incremental innovation; how we endeavour to manage innovation when the boundaries of industry are fast disappearing; and, fi nally, how we fi nd and retain the talent necessary to support innovation.

Dr Enders considered the need for both disruptive and incremental innovation in technology and products: “Customers and investors love incremental innovation. It’s easy to understand and is seen as lower risk. But it doesn’t exactly fi re the motivation of engineers. It doesn’t stir the imagination of the young talent we need. Disruption does.” Tom continued: “But it can lead to a crazy game of chicken with the competition and leave nothing to pay the bills. Aircraft and engine manufacturers have gone through that experience time and again in their history: risking it all…or almost all.”

50th SIR HENRY ROYCE LECTURE

Above: The CTi fan system on Rolls-Royce’s Advanced Low Pressure System engine demonstrator.Below: The fi rst production Trent XWB ready for delivery.Both Rolls-Royce.

Afterburner

Both disruptive and incremental approaches are necessary, Dr Enders said, and getting the balance between the two is vital. At the dawn of aviation, using combustion engines for air power was considered a disruptive technology and we should never forget the benefi ts of taking that initial risk. Today, disruptive technologies such as 3D printing and applications from the digital world are on the verge of a new industrial revolution. Other examples such as electric-powered fl ight, illustrated by the recent E-Fan demonstration, and fully autonomous aircraft for commercial aviation, have huge potential. However, incremental innovation is not insignifi cant. There is no such thing as a small innovation and sometimes incremental innovation is a revolution in disguise. For example, the initial use of composites in secondary structures on the Airbus A310 in 1983 has led, incrementally, to today’s Airbus A350 which comprises more than 50% of composite airframe. The Rolls-Royce Trent family of engines is also a good example of game-changing, incremental improvements. The latest Trent XWB technology is 16% more effi cient than the fi rst Trent engine to enter service in 1995 and the Rolls-Royce R&D method of ‘Invent once; Use many times’ has delivered steady steps of progressive effi ciency improvement. Innovation needs funding through investors and they, in turn, need profi ts. Therefore innovation risk must be carefully balanced with corporate stability. Tom stated: “Airbus and Rolls-Royce is one of the few partnerships that can offer a win-win for such huge sums of investment. We can’t become risk averse: we need to manage risks but take them. And we need to do it together, in perfect step with the incremental improvements,

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

From left: Simon Luxmoore, CEO, RAeS; Brenda Crawford, Chairman, RAeS, Derby Branch; Dr Tom Enders, CEO, Airbus Group; Jenny Body OBE, then RAeS President; Colin Smith CBE, Director of Engineering and Technology, Rolls-Royce and Branch President, RAeS, Derby Branch.

doing each when it adds most value for customers and for the investors.”

In considering how innovation can be managed Tom stated that it not only applies to technology but also to our partnerships, business models and how we work. We must recognise that the blurring of traditional boundaries now makes it diffi cult to spot the growing competition. Rather than governments and large aerospace companies, today’s competitors are increasingly coming from non-aerospace private enterprise and leading entrepreneurs who are becoming captains of multiple industries. For example, the entrepreneur Elon Musk has moved from Tesla Electric Cars to SpaceX reusable launchers and has his sights on reaching Mars. In buying companies like Kiva Systems and Ascenta, Amazon and Facebook are switching from selling books and social media to building UAVs and impacting air traffi c legislation. Google Ventures has pumped money into Airware, a company developing off-the-shelf autopilots for UAVs and ZeeAero is fusing aerospace, energy, IT and automotive to develop a fully electric personal aircraft, with vertical take-off and forward thrust, i.e. a ‘fl ying car’. We should not underestimate ZeeAero, the company is led by ex-NASA engineer and noted Stanford Aeronautics Professor Ilan Kroo and is located at the edge of the main Google campus with, allegedly, signifi cant funding. Tom noted that the Wright brothers’ powered aircraft was the ‘fl ying car’ of its day and represented an industrial revolution. He continued: “Today, we can see the fourth industrial revolution bearing down us like a steam train, driven by a new generation of competition that has a completely different perspective of time and of limits. We should welcome that. Use that energy to shake up our own thinking.”

In addressing his fi nal point of the lecture Dr Enders stated that the aerospace industry must be open to new revolutionary ideas from other networks, such as IT, energy and biotechnology. The next generation is much more open and more prepared to cross networks and infl uence organisations. But why do today’s top young people strive to join Google etc. rather than the aerospace industry? Tom stated: “These guys [Google etc.] don’t have some of the best talent of their generation fi ghting for jobs because they want to make apps. They really want to change the world. Our industry — which everybody in this room knows is the coolest, exciting industry on earth — needs to do a much better job of closing this gap in perception. Talented young people looking to change the world need to see that opportunity with us. So we ignore this rift at our own peril. We have to recruit and retain. Encourage and inspire. Offer apprenticeships. And from a diverse cross-section of talent around the world.”

Dr Enders commented that Rolls-Royce and Airbus offer apprenticeships which recruit people from all over the world, as engineering and business talent is not exclusive to Europe and the US. Airbus recently implemented an Innovation Centre to predict trends and issues 30 years into the future. Strategically Airbus has located the centre in Bangalore and not in Europe. Aerospace in Asia will be continue to develop in the future, as the region demands more aircraft and support closer to home.

In conclusion, Dr Enders stated that the legacy of Sir Henry Royce, marking the 50th anniversary of this lecture, is a legacy we not only honour but to which we should all aspire. He told the audience: “For Sir Henry Royce and the company he founded, innovation wasn’t merely a hobby. He made it a habit. It is part of everything you do and why, my friends, you do it so well.”

Following the lecture Tom answered a number of questions from the audience relating to fi nancial risk, military confl ict as a driver for disruptive technology, the pace of the aerospace industry in China and Asia, industry regulation versus risk and Airbus recruitment of young talent.

Following the Q&A session Jenny Body OBE gave the vote of thanks to Tom for an insightful lecture and commented how electric fl ight has recently piqued media interest and how outreach programmes are an issue also close to the heart of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

Lara Small MRAeS and Dr Simon Hall MRAeSRAeS Derby Branch

... TODAY’S COMPETITORS ARE INCREASINGLY COMING FROM NON-AEROSPACE PRIVATE ENTERPRISE AND LEADING ENTREPRENEURS WHO ARE BECOMING CAPTAINS OF MULTIPLE INDUSTRIES

50

Society News


Afterburner

ALEX FIMA CONCLUDED THE DISCUSSION BY TALKING ABOUT THE REQUIREMENTS NEEDED TO MAINTAIN AND GROW AN ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING BUSINESS AND HOW THE TOOLS DIFFER

WASHINGTON DC BRANCH

Learning how 3D Printing is ‘Changing the Game’

Once the domain of small parts and one-off prototyping, 3D printing has come a long way since its inception. The technology, which is now being used in a variety of applications, was the topic of discussion at the Royal Aeronautical Society Washington DC Branch’s meeting on 22 April.

Hosted by the British Embassy, the event featured remarks from three pre-eminent experts in the fi eld: Dr Alan Epstein, Vice President, Technol-ogy & Environment at Pratt & Whitney; Alex Fima, General Manager of RTI Directed Manufacturing; and Dr Vivek Saxena, Vice Present, Operations & Supply Chain Practice Leader at ICF SH&E.

With more than 60 guests in attendance, the panel provided a deep look into the value of technologies like laser power deposition welding and their potential future application in light aircraft, larger structures, space, etc. They also provided cautions about the speed of adoption, offered insights into recent progress around advancing additive manufacturing standards and highlighted the potential to fi eld the technology so it could be used to repair aircraft and other vehicles.

A few highlights of the discussion include: Dr Saxena noted that, apart from being able

to produce complicated shapes, 3D powder deposition manufacturing eliminates coating problems, saves material and the need for stock-piling. He also explained that the method has come to a stage where it allows for the intricate production of landing gears, as well as high-temperature capabilities in turbine blades.

Dr Epstein discussed the fact that new technologies take time to develop and then get certifi ed. He also noted that one major advantage of powder deposition technology is in reducing the number of parts required to build things like turbine discs and blades. He concluded his remarks with a description of the powder itself and how it differs for different projects.

Alex Fima concluded the discussion by talking about the requirements needed to maintain and grow an additive manufacturing business and how the tools differ. He also talked about the need for certifi cation and validation of this technology as it continues to evolve. And he mentioned that the secret is to design parts with assembly in mind, so you can get the best and most economic result.The event, which was generously sponsored by

RTI Directed Manufacturing, was part of a series of panel discussions and keynote addresses put together by the RAeS Washington DC Branch.

Airship or balloon under infl ation in the HM Balloon Factory No.29 Building ‘Beta shed’ at Farnborough 18 May 1910. The fi rst true airship shed in Britain — a steel-frame building apsidally-ended and clad in corrugated iron — was erected alongside No.3 Building (Q3) which had been relocated to Farnborough when the Balloon Factory and the Balloon Section of the Royal Engineers moved from Aldershot there in 1905.

Did you know?

JULY 2014 51

Society News


ILA 2014Thanks to a high pressure area over northern Germany, the 2014 Internationale Luftfahrtauss-tellung (ILA) opened on 20 May for fi ve days of excellent weather conditions, celebrating 105 years since the opening of the fi rst ILA on 10 July 1909 in Frankfurt. The ILA, organised by the Berlin Messe GmbH and the BDLI (Association of German Aerospace Industries) at the Berlin ExpoCenter Airport, attracted 1,203 exhibitors from 40 countries displaying a full range of products and capabilities covering equipment, manufacturing processes and tools, as well as high-tech developments in systems and aircraft. The Space Pavilion and a special eco-effi cient fl ight exhibition were attractions which especially interested visitors.

The fair was opened punctually at 10:00 on Tuesday by the German Chancellor, Dr Angela Merkel, together with Lütfi Elvan, the Defence Minister of Turkey, this year’s partner nation. Germany’s Defence Minister, Dr Ursula von der Leyen, and Hr Sigmar Gabriel, Deputy Chancellor and Minister for Economics and Energy, were also present during the trade days which showcased the work of the DLR (national aeronautics and space research centre) and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (the leading organisation for applied research in Europe) which are the main German research think-tanks with their newest technology clusters and industry partners. Thursday saw the ILA being attended by Ambassadors and Diplomatic Corps members accredited in Germany.

The Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces) was the largest individual exhibitor and used the opportunity to mount an impressive display in front of their Defence Minister and the many industrial partners and suppliers who were present. The display represented a simulated mission to secure a landing area and utilised the full range of their capabilities with UAVs, Tornados, Eurofi ghters and helicopters.

Over 120,000 visitors attended the trade days and, from Friday to Sunday, the fl ying displays attracted crowds of public visitors. The Turkish Air Force F-16 displayed impressively in a high alpha routine, ejecting fl ares and smoke. Exciting formation displays were provided by the Patrouille Suisse and the French Breitling Jet Team. Heritage warbirds, such as an Me262 replica, and airborne giants like the A380, Boeing 747-8, An-124, A400M and A350 drew crowds to the static and fl ying displays. Altogether, more than 300 aircraft from every era were on display.

The organisers reported that over 30 hours of fl ying displays were staged to the delight of the visitors, aerospace specialists and aviation fanatics and that this year’s event had attracted the second highest number of exhibitors in its 105-year history. The excellently laid-out exhibition area and well-

organised public transportation system were very much appreciated by the visitors to an ILA which made an effective contribution to the 2014 air show calendar with its successful, exciting and incident-free event.

Gerhard HenselmannFRAeSChairman, Munich Branch

From left: Sigmar Gabriel, German Minister for Economics and Energy, in discussion with Gerhard Henselmann, MD, Elettronica GmbH and Chairman, RAeS Munich Branch.

THE SPACE PAVILION AND A SPECIAL ECO-EFFICIENT FLIGHT EXHIBITION WERE ATTRACTIONS WHICH ESPECIALLY INTERESTED VISITORS

Turkish Air Force Lockheed Martin F-16.ILA.

An Hispano HA-200 taxis past an Airbus A400M. ILA.

Afterburner


DiaryEVENTS LECTURES

2 JulyNew EU Framework for Consumer Complaints: Time for a New Air Ombudsman?Professor Christopher HodgesAir Law Lecture and Summer Reception

7 JulySopwith Lecture: The Aerospace Technology Enterprise: Latent Growth or Losing Ground?Sir Brian Burridge, VP Strategic Marketing, FinmeccanicaNamed Lecture

22-24 JulyAdvanced Aero Concepts, Design and OperationsAerodynamics Group ConferenceUniversity of Bristol, Bristol, UK

22 JulyLanchester LectureChris Lee, Aerodynamics Engineering Lead, Future Combat Air Systems, BAE Systems Military Air & InformationAerodynamics Group Named LectureUniversity of Bristol, Bristol, UK

2-5 September40th European Rotorcraft Forum 2014Rotorcraft Group ConferenceSouthampton, UK

15 SeptemberFlight CutawaysTim HallHistorical Group Lecture

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

23 SeptemberCapt Ray Jones LectureFlight Simulation Group Lecture

30 SeptemberDetect and AvoidUnmanned Air Systems Group Workshop

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

8-9 OctoberThe Strategic Choices for SpacePresident’s Conference

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

www.aerosociety/events www.aerosociety/events

E [email protected] August — Sydney Basin Aviation Plan. Dr Warren Mundy.9 September — Ian Fleming Lecture and Dinner. AVM Margaret Staib, CEO, Air Services. Great Hall, University House, ANU.

CRANWELLTedder Room, Whittle Hall, RAF Cranwell. 7 pm.7 July — Flying the Phantom F-4 with 892NAS/HMS Ark Royal. Andy Lister-Tomlinson.

HAMBURGAuditorium of the Airbus Conference Center (ACC), Airbus, Finkenwerder. 6.30 pm. If you do not hold an Airbus security pass, please email [email protected] or T +49 (0)40 743 72170 before 2 pm on Friday, 27 June to register.1 July — Inaugural annual Gerhard Sedlmayr Lecture. Pioneer aviator and his commitment to safety and rescue. Andreas Sedlmayr, Managing Director, Autofl ug GmbH.

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

OXFORDThe Magdalen Centre, Oxford Science Park, Oxford. 7 pm. Nigel Randell, [email protected] July — From talking to the Taliban to RAF Centenary solo circumnavigation. Gp Capt Mark Manwaring.16 September — A new light aircraft design and development project. Andrew Barber.

PRESTONPersonnel and Conference Centre, BAE Systems, Warton. 7.30 pm. Alan Matthews, T +44 (0)1995 61470.17 September — Hawker Siddeley P1154. Michael Price, Lecturer, Centre for Defence Acquisition, Defence Academy for the UK, Shrivenham.

QUEENSLANDPullman Brisbane Hotel, Roma Street, Brisbane. 6 pm. E [email protected] July — Hudson Fysh Dinner Lecture. Leadership in aviation — the role of government. David Forsyth AM.

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

YEOVILTONNuffi eld Bar, Little Yeovilton, RNAS Yeovilton. 6 pm.29 July — Inaugural Eric Brown Lecture. Capt Eric Brown.

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

BRISBANEStamford Plaza, Brisbane. E [email protected] July — Aerospace Futures. Three-day conference for university students organised by the Australian Youth Aerospace Association.

BRISTOLUWE Conference Centre. Alessandra Badino T +44 (0)751 529 7787.2 July — Barnwell Lecture. Lightning II and bringing it into service. Cdre Rick Thompson RN, IPT lead Lightning II.

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

CANBERRAMilitary Theatre ADFA. 6 pm. Jon Pike,

52

3-4 JulyTechnology: Friend or Foe? The Introduction of Automation to Offshore OperationsRotorcraft Group Conference

The second prototype de Havilland Vampire, LZ551/G, became the fi rst jet to land on an aircraft carrier on 3 December 1945 when Lt Cdr Eric Brown landed it on HMS Ocean. It is seen here during its fi rst take-off. Capt Eric Brown will deliver the inaugural Eric Brown Lecture at Yeovilton on 29 July. RAeS (NAL).

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Society News

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

RAeS COUNCIL 2014-2015Following the 2014 Council elections, the following were elected to serve for three years until May 2017:

Prof David Allerton CEng FRAeSProf Chris Atkin CEng FRAeSMarc Bailey MRAeSPhil Boyle CEng FRAeSDavid Chinn CEng FRAeSIan Middleton FRAeSAir Cdre Jayne Millington FRAeS

The Council for 2014-2015 is:

PresidentAir Cdre Bill Tyack CBE FRAeS RAF (Retired)

(ex offi cio)

President-ElectMr Martin Broadhurst OBE MA CDir FIoD FRAeS

(ex offi cio)

Past-PresidentMrs Jenny Body OBE FRAeS (ex offi cio)

Elected membersProf David Allerton BSc CEng FIEE FRAeS

(Audit & Compliance Board Chair)Prof Chris Atkin MA PhD CEng FRAeS

(Professional Standards Board Chair)Mr Marc Bailey MRAeSMr Lee R Balthazor BTech(Hons) MSc DMS CEng

FAPM FCMI FRAeSMr Phil Boyle BSc(Eng) MSc CEng MIEE FRAeS Mr David Chinn BSc(Hons) CEng FRAeS MIET AILProf Jonathan Cooper CEng FRAeSCapt Hugh Dibley MCILT FRIN FRAeSCapt Joachim Kramer FRAeSMrs Joanne Lindsay Eur Eng BSc CPhys MInstP

CEng MAPM MRAeSMr Ian Middleton BA(Hons) MBA FRAeSAir Cdre Jayne Millington FRAeS FCMI RAFDr Thurai Rahulan BSc(Hons) PhD AMIMechE

Affi liateDr Donald Richardson PhD Hon FAIAA FRAeSProf Graham Roe IEng FRAeS

(Learned Society Board Chair)Ms Lara Small MRAeSMrs Clare Walker MA CRAeSDr Alisdair Wood CEng FRAeS

(Membership Services Board Chair)

Division Presidents (all ex offi cio)Air Cdre Noel G Schmidt AM CSC (Retired) FRAeS

(Australian Division)Gp Capt Frank Sharp FRAeS (New Zealand Division)AM Salim Arshad FRAeS (Pakistan Division)Prof Laurent Dala FRAeS (South African Division)

BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2014-2015Mr Phil Boyle BSc(Eng) MSc CEng MIEE FRAeS (Chairman)Air Cdre Bill Tyack CBE FRAeS RAF (Retired) (President)Mr Martin Broadhurst OBE MA CDir FIoD FRAeS (President-Elect) Mrs Jenny Body OBE FRAeS (Past-President)Mrs Joanne Lindsay Eur Eng BSc CPhys MInstP CEng MAPM MRAeSDr Donald Richardson PhD Hon FAIAA FRAeSMs Jane Middleton FRAeSSir John O’Reilly FREng FRAeSMr Howard Wheeldon FRAeS

Branches Committee ChairMr Mike Goulette FRAeS (ex offi cio)

Specialist Groups Committee ChairMr Jerry Graham CEng MRAeS (ex offi cio)

In attendanceChief Executive: Mr Simon Luxmoore MBA FRAeSHonorary Solicitor: Mr Patrick Slomski

www.aerosociety.com/events

International Flight Crew Training Conference

THE INTERNATIONAL PILOT

TRAINING CONSORTIUM:

NEXT STEPS?

LONDON / 23 - 25 SEPTEMBER 2014

IPTC Partners

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

Sponsors

Register Before 11 July and Receive a £100 Early Bird Discount (Excludes Baseline Member Rate)

Corporate Partners


Afterburner

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

Tuesday 1 July 2014 / LondonThe New DE&S EntityCorporate Partner Briefi ng by Bernard Gray, Chief of Defence Materiel, Ministry of DefenceSponsored by Boeing UK

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

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

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

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

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

KWARA STATE UNIVERSITYPMB 1530, Malete, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria.T +234 803 191 5699E [email protected] www.kwasu.edu.ngContactProf Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive

Kwara State University, founded 2009, is the fi rst and only University in Nigeria with a degree programme in aeronautics and astronautics, which makes the programme stands out as one of the signature degree programmes of the university. With collaboration with the International Aviation College, Ilorin, KWASU has made the training of aeronautic engineers a national and African regional priority. KWASU’s other fl agships include tourism and hospitality management, performing arts, geology, linguistics and African languages, agriculture, special education and mass communication, among others where greater numbers of students consistently win the undergraduate research awards in higher proportion.

THE INTERNATIONAL AVIATION WOMENS ASSOCIATIONSuite 201, 2105 Laurel Bush Road, Bel Air, Maryland 21015, USAT +1 443 640 1056E [email protected] www.iawa.orgContactZoe Layden, Senior Broker Relationship/Key Account Manager

Founded in 1988, the International Aviation Womens Association (IAWA) brings together women of achievement in the aviation industry and promotes their advancement internationally through the establishment of a worldwide network of aviation professional contacts. IAWA is an international organisation for women who hold senior positions in the aviation and aerospace industry including airport management and consulting, commercial, general and business aviation, banking and leasing, economic and business consulting, education and research, engineering, fi nance, government, insurance, international relations, law, manufacturing, media and space. For more information visit www.iawa.org

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

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

EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY600 South Clyde Morris Blvd, Daytona Beach, Florida 32114, USAT +1 386 226 6970W www.erau.eduContactJohn Watret, Chancellor

As the world’s leader in aviation and aerospace education, our mission is to teach the science, practice and business of aviation and aerospace, preparing students for productive careers and leadership roles in service around the world. With more than 150 campuses worldwide and diverse modalities for learning, Embry-Riddle is committed to providing a climate that facilitates the highest standards of academic achievement and knowledge discovery, in an interpersonal environment that supports the unique needs of each individual.

55JULY 2014

Obituaries


CHARLES FREDERICK HUGHESDONAFC FRAeS1909–2014

Charles Frederick Hughesdon lived a very full life to the great age of 104. He obtained his fi rst pilot’s licence in 1932 and subsequently fl ew almost 10,000 hours on fi xed-wing aircraft and over 1,000 hours on helicopters. His enthusiasm for rotorcraft led Charles and his fi rst wife Dessie (the actress and entertainer Florence Desmond, the widow of aviator Tom Campbell Black) to hold the legendary annual RAeS Helicopter Garden Parties in the grounds of Dunsborough Park, their country house in Surrey. All the helicopters would land on the far side of the ha-ha, then the pilots and other guests came across the bridge to the lawn and the marquee.

Charles served the Society as Honorary Treas-

A full obituary for Charles may be found on the Society’s website at: www.aerosociety.com/News/Society-News/2258/Obituary-Charles-Frederick-Hughesdon

urer and Chairman of Aeronautical Trusts Limited from 1969 to 1985. His very readable autobiography Flying made it happen was published in 2003.

Apart from fl ying, his main career was in insurance and, due to his foresight and business acumen, he became a pioneer of aviation insurance, now a worldwide industry.

After Dessie died in 1993, he married Lady Carol Havers who survives him, along with his adopted son from his fi rst marriage Michael Hughesdon and two stepsons from his second marriage: Philip Havers QC and actor Nigel Havers.

Charles Hughesdon died on 11 April 2014. He was an exceptional pilot and a unique Fellow in every sense of the word. Truly a legend in his own long lifetime. David Lang MRAeS ACMA

LT CDR JOHN G P MORTONOBE RN Retired1925–2014

John Morton, Test Pilot with Fairey Aviation and later Westland Helicopters, has died in New Zealand at the age of 89.

John joined the Royal Navy in 1942, serving as a fi ghter pilot fl ying Corsairs with 1835 NAS in HMS Colossus and Theseus.

One of the fi rst RN pilots to convert to helicop-ters, John was seconded to Fairey in 1955, joining as a Helicopter Test Pilot shortly after, at the start of their tip jet activities.

Working closely with W R Gellatly, the two played a major part in the technical success of the Rotodyne and John was probably one of only two

pilots fully cleared to fl y that aircraft as P1 on a regular basis.

His spirited demonstrations fl ying the Fairey Ultra-light to and from the back of a lorry at the SBAC Shows in the late 1950s were spectacular

When Westland concentrated its Flight Test facilities at Yeovil, John worked on the Wasp programme and was Project Pilot for the Naval Lynx development, taking the Naval prototype (XX469) on its fi rst fl ight on 25 May 1972, and seeing the type through its development phase into service in 1977.

His distinguished fl ight test career was recognised by the award of the OBE and, in 1965, the RAeS Alan Marsh Medal.David Gibbings MBE CEng FRAeS

PETER BERRYMRAeS1927–2014

Peter Berry was born in New Zealand but he and his family returned to the UK in 1931. In 1941, he joined the Air Training Corps which gave him the chance to volunteer as an airfi eld controller with the Ministry of Aircraft Production. After Peter was de-mobbed from National Service in 1948 he applied to the Ministry of Supply and found himself working in the control tower at Farnborough. A particular low came on 6 September 1952, when the de Havilland DH110 broke up during that year’s air show, killing the two crew and 29 on the ground.

In 1955 Peter was posted on to RAE Bedford, to continue his involvement with test fl ying but, in

A full obituary for Peter may be found on the Society’s website at:www.aerosociety.com/News/Society-News/

1965, he gained his Area Control ratings and moved to the Scottish Airways and Oceanic Control Centres at Prestwick. Initially working as a sector controller in Scottish, Peter gravitated towards the Shanwick Oceanic operation where the early turbojet types were demanding a step change in the procedures and technology deployed. Peter retired in July 1987.

Soon after arriving at Prestwick, Peter became involved with the RAeS Prestwick Branch. After spells as Chairman and Secretary he spent 15 years as a very active President before standing down in 2006. Peter was instrumental in the establishment of the Prestwick Flying Group in 1973 and gained his private pilot’s licence soon after. He was a prolifi c aviation historian, with many books and articles to his credit.David Lacey CEng MRAeS

56

Elections

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

Ian Stuart Alexander MRAeS 92

Thomas Kenneth Garrett CEng MRAeS 94

Alfred Lewis Gilder CEng MRAeS 92

John Kevin Harte OBE FRAeS 70

James Thomas Dennis Holt CEng MRAeS 89

Gordon Frederick Osborne MBE CEng MRAeS

75

Peter Ward FRAeS 87


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

BOARD CHAIRMEN

Audit and Compliance Chairman: Prof David Allerton

Learned Society Chairman: Prof Graham RoeMembership Services Chairman:

Dr Alisdair WoodProfessional Standards Chairman:

Prof Chris Atkin

DIVISION PRESIDENTS

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

Afterburner

Lance AnnicelliLaurence BerrymanThorsten BrandtJustin ChapmanPatrick ClaytonRobert DickPeter EadieAndy EvansJohn FroelichKarl Griffi nRobert HemmingsBruce HolmesDesmond HowardPhilip HuntDimov IlcevLlyr JonesBrian MusselmanRichard NorrissBrian PenfoldMitch PrestonHelena ReidemarDavid SimpsonFraser SpenceRichard ThornePhilip Wadey

Jibumon Balan BabuFabian BauerMichael BenjaminRichard BennettJames BertieStephen BishopSteven BlundenGeorge BostockMartin BradleyAnthony BrownAlex ClarkeJames ClaytonAndrew ClementsAndrew CockerellDavid CowleyRachel CunliffeRobin EasthamMatthew EvansEloise FowlerCarl GarvieMelissa Griffi thsKurt GrosseStephen GuynanMichael HalesFaran HameedJames HanlonPaul HarrisJames HarrisonMark HarrisonMark HastedNicholas Hermansky

FELLOWS Jody HopkinsSajid IqbalRobert JamesPriyalal JayasunderaRobert JohnsonJulie LarkmanCraig LawsonChris LeavittAndrew MainwaringRory MartinCormac McFarlaneJacobus MeyerRakesh MistryWilliam MoffatChristopher MurphyGayan MuthumalaLilian MuwinaFolayosoreoluwa

OsekitaJames RobsonRakesh SinghWill SkinnerLara SmallAndrew SmithCameron StephenJonathan StephensDeborah SuartPhilip ThorneIan TurnerTracy VallanceJustin WaughJennifer Whitby

Folashade AjalaGiulio BanchiniRobert Beveridge

Joseph BickertonNicholas Butterfi eldSimone CapuzziThomas HeathcoteMurad KhaderMabruk KuwierLeonardo LupelliAbhishek NigamHadas PoratMartin RoyleNick ShawSimon Ware

Andrew ForsythEkin IncelemeAdam Rose

Nabeel AbdullaScott ChappellMichael CorbinKerissa KhanAbhinav KshitijMarian Zastawny

Lucia BissoliMartin Topping

Emwiramen AghimienZydrune BatvinyteLucia BissoliDavid FirstbrookFebin Varghese

MEMBERS

Recent elections to Engineering Council Registration

CHARTERED ENGINEERS

E-ASSOCIATES

AFFILIATES

STUDENT AFFILIATESASSOCIATE MEMBERS

ASSOCIATES

Mohammad Maaz SyedThomas BartonIan Michael BeresfordPhillip Keith BissettSteven Robert BowenPramesh ChandraJonathan CooperPhilip Lawrence

DennehyLeon James EdwardsRichard FriendBrett GilliesTimothy James GreenAndrew HewittGraham Andrew

HollandJeremy David HughesDavid Frank MarsdenAlexander David

MarshallGordon McBainPaul Robert McKernan

Andrew William PennSean Christopher

PerkinsGeoffrey John SimpsonDavid Thomas Williams

Simon Philip WareJoseph Bickerton

Ian Robert DeningtonKenneth David HughesMartin JewellEdward Russell

Spencer JonesSamuel Wilson

McDowellDavid John RackliffIrene Ruiz GabernetAkhil Viz

ENGINEERING TECHNICIANS

INCORPORATED ENGINEERS

57JULY 2014

Society News



Aerodynamics Conference

ADVANCED AERO

CONCEPTS, DESIGN AND

OPERATIONS

BRISTOL / 22- 24 JULY 2014

Sponsors

The 2014 Royal Aeronautical Society Applied Aerodynamics Research Conference will provide an opportunity to raise the profile of the challenges ahead and highlight the technologies required to ensure cost effective solutions in a global market, with awareness of increasingly demanding environmental considerations.

Publications Partner

aerody

composites

an micro air vehicles

roelasticity

air navis tiltrotors

air transport

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

The Aeronautical JournalLeading aerospace into the future

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THEAERONAUTICALJOURNALCovering all aspects of aerospace

Volume 118 Number 1203

May 2014

Non-membersNon-member subscriptions are available from:

Royal Aeronautical SocietyPublications Subscriptions Department

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

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

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

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

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

Subscriptions

Piecing together airline training for the region

halldale.com/apats

Asia Pacific Airline Training Symposium23-24 September 2014 Centara Grand Convention CentreBangkok, Thailand

e

2013 Event Statistics

And the point being?The role of foreign investment in British industry has once again become a highly political issue. The recent furore over the Pfi zer bid for Astra Zenica (itself a UK-Swedish company) centred on ownership and control and whether US ownership would be good or bad for wealth creation in Britain. Battle lines were drawn and insults were traded: heat was generated but not always light. More subtle points about whether either giant offered the best way forward in promoting national science or, for that matter, producing drugs that society might actually need (a new range of antibiotics comes to mind) at an affordable price were sometimes lost in the argument.

Ownership, control and wealth creation — the same litany has a salience for aerospace. So far, the balance of interest is about even: wholesale transfer of assets has not happened to any marked degree; UK companies benefi t from other nation’s investment in aerospace (US ITAR permitting of course); public investment in the sector helps to pin down the foreigners. In extremis a governmental ‘golden share’ protects three core UK aerospace assets from casual predation. Nevertheless, the potential loss of any one of this triad would be worth a struggle to oppose and would demand some political backbone to protect a national interest in a globalised environment.

A Farnborough show is always a good place to visit the global aerospace supply chain in a handily compact space (although on a hot trade day that may be a relative concept). The show also refl ects the history onset of aerospace globalisation: from the 1950s the show was limited to domestic products; then in the collaborative era opened to projects involving British fi rms, and fi nally embracing internationalism in the 1970s. The modern Farnborough is also a great opportunity to show UK politicians an impressive UK manufacturing presence that was unequivocally world-class (although one guest I took round a show proudly claimed British ownership of the wrong Airbus undercarriage).

The fact that few, if any, of the fl ying programme now feature a British-made aeroplane (outside of the weekend’s public demonstrations) is of little signifi cance. Superb Anglo-Welsh wings; Derby engines; West Country helicopters and avionics and much besides are reasonable compensation. Over the years, some of the corporate names changed and, more signifi cantly, migrated in terms of fl ag carrying. There were some tangible benefi ts — Italian food instead of Somerset bangers and mash — but to many observers, this has seemed a worrying trend. This was exacerbated when BAE Systems sold its stake in Airbus and Smiths was absorbed by General Electric.

Globalisation of an industry

In global business history terms, aerospace globalisation (measured by investment, not component supply or collaborative ventures) has been a long time coming. The close relationship between the industry and national security, as well in some cases, public ownership of major assets made anything else other than national ownership diffi cult to sustain. Moving rapidly to the last decade of the 20th century, UK companies were leaders in overseas investment (mainly in the US); the UK in turn has been the most open country to inward investment in the defence and aerospace sector.

The Last Word

British aerospace showcase

Professor Keith HaywardRAeS Head of Research

COMMENTARY FROM

SO FAR, THE BALANCE OF INTEREST IS ABOUT EVEN: WHOLESALE TRANSFER OF ASSETS HAS NOT HAPPENED TO ANY MARKED DEGREE


Business Minister Mark Prisk MP (right) at the 2012 Farnborough Air Show.


Structures & Materials Group Conference

4TH AIRCRAFT

STRUCTURAL DESIGN

CONFERENCE

QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY BELFAST / 7 - 9 OCTOBER 2014

Sponsors

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

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

Publications Partner

www.erf2014.com

Rotorcraft Conference

40TH EUROPEAN

ROTORCRAFT FORUM

SOUTHAMPTON / 2-5 SEPTEMBER 2014

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

Sponsors

Visit us in the Innovation Zone at Farnborough Airshow 2014 IZ/B2

GET THEIR CAREERS OFF TO A FLYING START IN AEROSPACE & DEFENCE

Futures Day18 July 2014Futures Day at Farnborough International Airshow 2014 has been designed to give groups of young people aged 11 – 21 a chance to see the exciting career opportunities available in the dynamic sectors of Aerospace and Defence.

Groups from schools, universities and youth associations can experience the exciting prospects available and be motivated in their study of STEM subjects.

The interactive, informative and engaging

variety, innovation and expertise that makes a career in these key sectors so rewarding.

NOT TO BE MISSED…Careers fair

Interactive area

Demonstrations

Lectures

Flight simulator

Awards presentations

RESERVE YOUR FREE TICKETS TODAY!Contact Claire Parsons on 020 7091 4507 or email [email protected]

www.adsfarnborough.co.uk/futures

THE GREAT BRITISH TAKE-OFF - Royal Aeronautical … · THE GREAT BRITISH TAKE-OFF ... SK17 6AE, UK...

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