REDRESSING THE BALANCE · to IMS of New York, PO Box 1518, ... low-cost reusable hypersonic space launch system. ... four scramjet module, powered by liquid

NEWSPACE START-UPS AIM FOR ORBIT

BREXIT – TAILWIND OR TURBULENCE?

VIRTUAL HELICOPTER DESIGN

JANUARY 2017

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REDRESSING THE BALANCERECRUITING MORE FEMALE PILOTS

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NEWS IN BRIEF

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Contents

Comment

Perils of protectionism

Regulars

Afterburner

Redressing the balanceHow can airlines recruit more female pilots?

Where no commerce has gone beforeHow low-cost start-up companies are revolutionising the utilisation of space.

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

10 Antenna Howard Wheeldon considers the implications of President-elect Trump.

12 TransmissionYour letters, emails, tweets and feedback.

58 The Last WordKeith Hayward on the pros and cons of satellite imagery.

41

Features

Virtual helicoptersThe potential of virtual engineering to model rotorcraft at different stages of their life cycles.

Raising the UK’s aerospace ambitionsGary Elliott, CE of the Aerospace Technology Institute, talks about the work of the ATI toboost aerospace R&T.

18 26

28

Volume 44 Number 1 January 2017

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

3

Tailwind or turbulence?Brexit and its effects on UK aerospace.

Sentinel reloadedUpgrading the RAF’s Sentinel surveillance aircraft.

22

Front cover: Rachel Barrett, First Offi cer for Thomson Airways. Thomson

14

As we enter 2017 it is clear that the world is entering a new phase of uncertainty and change – and something that for many is without precedent in living memory. For civil aerospace this is particularly unsettling. Over the past 20 years it has shaken off 9/11, SARS, wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria, high oil prices, fi nancial crashes (1998 and 2008) and rare but high-profi le aviation accidents such as MH17 and MH370 to keep growing exponentially as the expanding global middle class gets a taste for air travel. This, in turn, has powered airliner production lines in Toulouse, Seattle, Canada, Brazil and elsewhere – along with a vast interconnected global supply chain that touches almost every nation on Earth. Despite social media, videoconferencing and now even virtual reality – there still is no substitute for being there in person. Yet aviation now, perhaps, faces its stiffest test of all, as protectionism looms and states retreat to national borders – following the political shift we saw in 2016 on both sides of the Atlantic. The slowing (or even reversal) of globalisation then has deep implications for commercial aviation – from lower GDP growth hitting discretionary spending and tourism, to punitive tariffs or trade war, or even supranational projects such as the EU’s Single European Sky. However, it is important to remember that, even before the latest phase of ‘globalisation’ – aerospace and aviation has always been a global industry – with the most skilled pilots, designers and engineers fi nding work outside their place of birth. Connecting people and far-away places and bringing them closer is simply what aircraft do. As the most visible symbol of our global, interconnected modern society, mass air travel has helped power globalisation but it also means that commercial aviation arguably now has the most to lose.

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]

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 Simon Levy+44 (0)20 7670 [email protected]

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

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

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ISSN 2052-451X

36

32 Plane SpeakingInterview with Sir Michael Arthur, President of Boeing Europe.

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42 Message from our President

43 Message from our Chief Executive

44 Book Reviews

47 Library Additions

48 Wilbur & Orville Wright Lecture

49 150th retrospective

50 Washington DC Branch

51 NAL aircraft factory site plans

52 Diary

55 Corporate Partners

56 RAeS Elections

57 Tribute to John Glenn

OnlineAdditional features and content are available to view online on www.aerosociety.com/news-expertise/aerospace-insight/

Including: Visions of the future, Ten beyond

awesome VR fl ight fl ight experiences, Tailwind

or turbulence – the effect of Brexit on Britain’s

aviation, aerospace and space sectors, Clint

Eastwood speaks about the making of

the Sully movie, In the December

issue of AEROSPACE

Airb

us

4

Radome

AEROSPACE / JANUARY 2017

SPACEFLIGHT

This is SPARTAN

INTELLIGENCE / ANALYSIS / COMMENT

Researchers at the University of Queensland’s (UQ) Centre for Hypersonics are working on plans for a three-stage low-cost reusable hypersonic space launch system. The concept started as an academic research project to identify design drivers to reduce the cost of reusable launch vehicles. These were identifi ed as modularity, fl exibility and simplicity. The launch system is comprised of three stages, the Austral Launch Vehicle (ALV) reusable rocket booster, and the uncrewed SPARTAN hypersonic scramjet powered spaceplane (pictured) and a small conventional rocket. With this system, there is 95% reusability of hardware, says the University. The project team envisages a phased development with sub-scale demonstrators, with the eventual aim to scale-up the system with a launch site on the north coast of Queensland.

Three stages to space1. The 39m tall Austral Launch Vehicle (ALV) reusable rocket booster blasts off from the launchpad.2. Once it reaches hypersonic speed of over Mach 5, the ALV will drop away and deploy wings and a propeller to enable it to fl y back to base.3. The 20m long SPARTAN scramjet will fl y up into the upper atmosphere at Mach 10. When it runs out of air, the SPARTAN will separate and a small conventional rocket provide the fnal kick to put the satellite into space.

Spin-off applicationsAs well as reducing the cost of sending satellites into orbit, the Spartan scramjet launch system could also be used for space tourism and fast point-to-point travel. As part of the project, UQ has already developed a range of low-cost ground stations which can be used for all types of aerospace vehicles, from launch vehicles and sounding rockets to CubeSats and UAVs.

5JANUARY 2017fi@aerosociety Find us on LinkedIn Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com

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Mach 10 monsterThe SPARTAN would be powered by four scramjet module, powered by liquid hydrogen. Construction of the spaceplane would be from Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC) which ,says Profes-sor Michael Smart, at the University of Queensland, "are much lighter than any high temperature metallic and can with-stand much higher temperatures. CMCs are critical to making the SPARTAN a reality.”

Technology demonstratorsThe ALV project plans to develop four progressively more complex and expensive vehicles. Starting with low-cost scale models, each vehicle will include the lessons learned from the previous one. The initial focus is on the development of the ALV boosters, as the development of SPARTAN prototypes will not begin until the ALV-2 test vehicle is available.

PayloadUsing the three-stage launch system as shown, with reusable fl y-back boosters and hypersonic spaceplane, it would be able to to put satellites of between 50-550kg into orbit.

6

Radome


NEWS IN BRIEF

BAE Systems has opened a new £15.6m Academy for Skills & Knowledge (ASK) in Samlesbury, Lancashire – the largest ever single aerospace skills investment in the UK. The facility will train BAE apprentices and graduates, as well as acting as a skills-hub and STEM outreach centre for the north-west aerospace sector.

All 42 crew and passengers onboard a

Pakistan International Airlines ATR 42-500 were killed when it crashed into the mountains near Havelian on 7 December. The aircraft was on a fl ight from Chitral to Islamabad.

Norway has revealed plans to acquire fi ve Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft in its defence spending plan. The P-8s, to be delivered from 2021, will replace Lockheed Martin P-3 Orions and Dassault DA-20 Falcons.

Tim Peake's Soyuz TMA-M capsule is to go on public display in London at the Science Musuem in 2017.

On 21 November, Stratos Aircraft conducted the fi rst fl ight of its single-engined four-seat Stratos 714 very light jet in Redmond, Oregon.

In the latest ruling in the long-running EU-US airliner subsidies trade dispute, the WTO has

concluded that Washington state tax breaks for Boeing's 777X were prohibited under its rules. The EU claimed that this meant that $5.7bn of subsidies were illegal. While Airbus said this was a ‘knockout blow’ in the dispute, Boeing also claimed victory, as the WTO had rejected the majority of the EU's complaints.

The Etihad Group board has approved plans to create a new low-cost

leisure airline with TUI. The joint venture will merge the TUIfl y airline with the leisure operations of Air Berlin, which is part-owned by Etihad part-owned carrier. The new airline will be based in Vienna and will commence fl ying in April 2017.

The UK MoD has committed £100m in development funding to the General Atomics Protector UAV. The Protector, a variant of

SPACEFLIGHT

A ministerial meeting of ESA member states has agreed to provide extra funding for the 2020 ExoMars rover mission. The £370m funding boost comes despite the loss of the ExoMars Schiaparelli lander in October, which was

AEROSPACE

ESA Ministerial approves ExoMars

intended to help de-risk technology for a successful

rover landing. Meanwhile,

the meeting also saw the UK commit €1.4bn to

ESA over the next fi ve years,

becoming the lead nation for the fi rst time in Earth observation.

Solar power to the edge of spaceS

olar

Stra

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than $4 billion. Cancel order!” he tweeted. Boeing shares fell by 0.9% after the announcement.Then on 12 December he tweeted: “F-35 program and cost is out of control. Billions of dollars can and will be saved on military (and other) purchases after January 20”, causing Lockheed Martin’s share price to fall 4.2%.

Qan

tas

ESA

Qantas has annouced that in 2018 it will launch the fi rst-ever non stop fl ights between Australia and the UK in 2018. Using Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, the direct fl ights, from London to Perth, Western Australia, will cover 9,000m and take around 17hrs. Taking delivery of its fi rst 787-9 in late 2017, Qantas will confi gure it for 236 passengers.

Trump blasts Air Force One, F-35 costs

Direct UK-Australia fl ights in 2018

US President-elect Donald Trump fl ew into controversy on 6 December when he said that a planned order for two new customised Boeing 747-8s to replace the Air Force One aircraft was too expensive and should be cancelled. “Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents but costs are out of control, more

AIR TRANSPORT

DEFENCE

Swiss start-up SolarStratos has revealed a project to fl y a manned aircraft to 75,000ft using just solar power. The lightweight (992lb), two-seat

aircraft, built by PC Aero would take two-hours to climb to 75,000ft using a 72kW engine powered by 22sqm of solar cells on the wings. As well as breaking the record, SolarStratos plans to offer commercial ‘edge of space’ fl ights to private passengers

or scientists.

7i f JANUARY 2017

the Certifi able Predator B (CPB) for the RAF, will integrate UK weapons (Paveway IV and Brimstone 2 missiles). SpaceX has delayed the fi rst fl ight of its human-rated Dragon capsule, which will transport astronauts to the ISS for NASA, from April 2017 to the spring of 2018.

Gulfstream has reported its fi rst G600 prototype has completed ground vibration

testing, ahead of its fi rst fl ight from the company’s fl ight test centre in Savannah, Georgia.

A new UK industry coalition, Sky’s the Limit comprising AOA, BAR UK, BATA (now Airlines UK), IATA and NATS has come together to warn that airline fl ight delays are set to rise from 90,000 minutes a year to 4 million by 2030 unless Britain modernises its ATM and outdated airspace.

Air Tanzania is to acquire two Bombardier CS300s, as well as a Q400 turboprop, via a leasing agreement with the government fl ight agency. It has also been revealed as a previously undisclosed customer for a single Boeing 787-8.

The fi rst Airbus Helicopters H135 Juno and H145 Jupiter for the UK rotary wing MFTS requirement have been delivered to

the company's Oxford facility. To be equipped with mission equipment in Oxford, the H135 and H145 (of which 29 and three are on order in total) will be handed over to Ascent. They will replace AS350 Squirrels and Bell 412s in the training role. .After 17 years in the making, Europe’s Galileo satellite navigation network went live on 15 December with initial services. The

constellation now has 18 satellites in orbit, with 24 once it is fully operational in 2020.

French light aircraft manufacturer Elixir Aircraft has fi rmed up the design of its composite, single-engine piston Elixir, with the goal of fl ying it in the fi rst half of 2017. The two-seat Elixir is powered by Rotax 912iS and features a ballistic parachute as standard equipment, as well as a Garmin glass cockpit.

SPACEFLIGHT

The Indian Navy has revealed it will not deploy the naval variant of the HAL Tejas LCA from its ski-jump-equipped aircraft carriers and will look for a replacement aircraft. The decision is down to the aircraft's poor thrust to

India ditches naval Tejas, looks for alternative

@aerosociety Find us on LinkedIn Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com

weight performance which does not allow

STOBAR operations with an adequate

weapons load. The Indian Navy, which already operates MiG-29Ks, is now

looking for an alternate carrier-

borne fi ghter to be acquired in the next fi ve-to- six years.

On 25 November in Toulouse, France, Airbus conducted the fi rst fl ight of its newest A350 variant, the A350-1000. The aircraft, MSN9, was aloft for four hours and 18 minutes on its fi rst fl ight. Three aircraft will take part in the fl ight test campaign with entry into service scheduled for the second half of 2017.

A350-1000 makes fi rst fl ight

VSS Unity performs fi rst glide test

Embraer announced on 2 December it has achieved the milestone of its 1,300th E-Jet regional airliner delivery. The aircraft, a E195, was handed over to Chinese carrier Tianjin Airlines at a ceremony at the

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AEROSPACE

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Embraer delivers 1,300th E-Jet

airframer's factory in São José dos Campos, Brazil.

Tianjin Airlines is now the largest

Embraer operator in Asia, with 45 E195s and 20

ERJ145s. It also has 20

E190-E2s on order from 2014.

DEFENCE

Embraer

On 3 December, Virgin Galactic’s second SpaceShipTwo, VSS Unity, made its fi rst

unpowered landing following three months

captive testing slung below the WhiteKnightTwo launch

aircraft. The company’s original SpaceShipTwo crashed in October

2014. No timetable has yet been announced for the fi rst powered fl ights.


Immarsat has announced that the European Aviation Network, the world’s fi rst integrated satellite and air-to-ground broadband network, has completed a series of test fl ights, ahead of roll-out in mid-2017.

After a three-year battle, the US Department of Transportation has approved Norwegian Air International's permit as a foreign air carrier – opening up its planned expansion

of low-cost transatlantic fl ights.

The EU is to boost defence R&D at the European level with a €90m pilot programme to be launched this year. To be run by the European Defence Agency, the funding pool would suopport defence R&D into electronics, metamaterials, encrypted software, robots and UAVs.

NASA has issued a 'request for information'

to industry for ways to cut the costs of its space exploration programmes, such as SLS and Orion and potential commericial alternatives for “competing exploration services in the mid-2020s.”

Canadian airship manufacturer Solar Ship has challenged Lockheed Martin to an intercontinental airship race, competing between Solar’s Ship’s solar-powered Wolverine against

Lockheed’s LMH-1 hybrid airship.

Following the Germanwings crash in 2015, EASA has unveilled proposals for a new set of aircrew mental health rules, to ‘better support pilot mental fi tness.’ The proposed rules include a mandatory psychological assessment before enmployment, drug and alocohol testing as well as providing access for pilots to a support programme.

A new Airbus forecast predicts that China will require nearly 6,000 new passenger and cargo aircraft from 2016 to 2035 (equivalent to 18% of total world demand). The Airbus 2016-2035 Global Market Forecast estimates new Chinese deliveries of 5,970 over the next 20 years, including 4,230 single-aisle and 1,740 wide-body aircraft. Passenger traffi c, says Airbus, will grow at 6.8%.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Radome

AIR TRANSPORT

Arrests after fatal RJ85 crash in Colombia

Boeing seals $16.6bn Iran Air deal

SPACEFLIGHT

Boeing has concluded an almost $17bn (at list price) deal of 80 airliners for Iran's fl ag carrier Iran Air, as the country modernises its civil airline fl eet after international sanctions have now been removed. First announced in June 2016, the purchase breaks down into 15 777-300ERs, 15 777-9Xs A

irbus

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DEFENCE

Civil aviation authorities in Brazil have arrested the CE and suspended the operating certifi cate of LaMia airlines following the crash of an Avro RJ85 on 28 November in which 71 out of 77 passengers and crew were killed. The chartered aircraft, which was carrying members of the Chapecoense Real Brazilian football team, was on a 1,800 mile fl ight from Santa

AEROSPACE

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Cruz in Bolivia to Medellin when it came down near Rionegro, Colombia, around 18 miles from its destination. According to reports, the aircraft is believed to have run out of fuel, after having skipped a planned fuel stop on the way. Questions are now being asked whether the authorities who approved the airline’s fl ight plan should have questioned its margin of safety.

Canada selects C295 for fi xed-wing SAR

Private Moon mission aims to visit Apollo 17 site

German Google Lunar XPrize team PT Scientists, in conjunction with Audi, has revealed that the target location for its private lunar mission is Apollo 17's landing site. The company has now negotiated a launch contract with Space Industries which will deliver its ALINA lander and pair of Quattro lunar rovers to the Moon.

and 50 737 MAXs.The Boeing deal, given US Government approval last September, follows on from a 115-aircraft Airbus order by Iran Air in Janaury 2016. First deliveries of Boeing airliners to the carrier are scheduled in 2018, with the full total to be delivered over the next ten years.

After 14 years, Canada has chosen the Airbus Defence and Space C295 for the RCAF's Fixed-Wing Search and Rescue (FWSAR) requirement in a $2.4bn deal. The RCAF will acquire 16 C295s to provide SAR and these will replace six aging de Havilland CC-155 Buffalos and 13 CC-130Hs currently in service. First deliveries will begin in 2019.

i f JANUARY 2017 9

AIR TRANSPORT

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The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has appointed Commissioner Hajime Yoshimura to a one-year term as President of the ICAO Air Navigation Commission (ANC).

Catherine Buchanan is the new Chief Commercial Offi cer for Vertis Aviation in Dubai.

ON THE MOVE

GENERAL AVIATION

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Bombardier delivers fi rst CS300 to Air Baltic

INFOGRAPHIC: BAE continues UAV tech tests with surrogate Jetstream

AEROSPACE

On 28 November at its plant in Montreal, Quebec, Canada's Bombardier handed over the fi rst CS300 airliner to launch customer, Latvia's AirBaltic. The larger (130-150 seat) variant of the CSeries. AirBaltic began commercial services with the CS300 on 14 December with a fl ight between Riga and Amsterdam. AirBaltic

Jetstream 31 Flying Testbed

BAE Systems has converted one of its Jetstream 31 aircraft to act as a flying

‘testbed’. The testbed is trialling a range of autonomous technologies that in

time could be applied to commercial and military aircraft as well as proving the

safe operation of autonomous aircraft in UK airspace. These technologies include

sensing, weather avoidance, and satellite-based communication systems.

Pilot and co-pilot use for take-off and landing only –

once in controlled airspace.

Antennae for ground-based and .

Cockpit-mounted camera acts as ‘ ’, with an infra-red camera and seven optical cameras in the Jetstream’s undercarriage for autonomous emergency landing system and sense and avoid technology for other aircraft and adverse weather conditions.

(ADS-B=Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast).

3

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Central passenger cabin developed as a test lab with powerful computers. Manned by a and to test different scenarios.

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How it works

In 2016, BAE Systems will trial the Jetstream ‘Flying Test

– each lasting 1.5 hours. The aircraft will host a team

experts on the ground who, together continually assess the performance of the system on the Test Bed.

Latest Test Series

Jetstream 31 (Flying Testbed)A twin-turboprop airliner with pressurised fuselage – originally designed to carry 16 passengers.AIR CREW: 2 plus 3 Test personnel

2 (Unmanned Air Vehicle Commander + Flight Test Observer)

52 feet 47 feet 2 inches

17 feet 5 inches 282 mph

269 mph 25,000 feet

1,380 miles

New Communications System

• This latest series of tests will trial a new, more direct method of communication with the Jetstream 31

• A commercial phone will be routed via a cellular provider and secure VPN to the Jetstream

• Cutting down communication time between operator and aircraft by almost 50%

has 20 CS300s on order and Bombardier now has 247 fi rm orders for the CS300. The type has

already received EASA certifi cation with

FAA approval expected as AEROSPACE goes to press. Meanwhile,

after entering service in

the summer with launch operator Swiss International airlines, three CS100s are now in service.

German aerobatic aircraft designer Walter Extra has set a new FAI time-to-climb record in an electrically-powered Extra 330LE. On 25 November he fl ew the battery-powered Extra to 9,842ft in 4minutes and 22 seconds – a new record for an aircraft in the 1,100-2,200lb category. The record was made possible by a new lightweight (110lb), high-performance electric motor from Siemens which delivers 260kW or 348hp of power.

Boeing has appointed Kevin McAllister as CE of its Commercial Planes division.

Lufthansa has appointed Thorsten Dirks to the Executive Board to develop and expand its Eurowings low-cost subsidiary.

Warwick Brady, formerly COO at easyJet, is to become deputy group chief executive offi cer of Stobart Group in June.

Bombardier

Extra voltage sets record

DEFENCEIsrael receives fi rst two F-35sOn 13 December, the fi rst two Lockheed Martin F-35As were delivered to the Israeli Air Force at a ceremony at Nevatim Airbase, Isreal. The two stealth fi ghters, called ‘Adir’ (Mighty) in IAF service, are

the fi rst international F-35s delivered to a foreign operator’s base. The pair are the fi rst of 50 F-35s for the IAF, which will be modifi ed in country with Israel-only weapons and systems.

Russian ISS cargo ship burns upOn 1 December an uncrewed Russian Progress supply spacecraft for the ISS burned up in the atmosphere after it failed to reach the correct orbit. The loss was blamed on the third stage of the Soyuz rocket shutting down earlier than expected. Meanwhile on 14 December, a Japanese resupply spacecraft, Kounotori 6, docked successfully with the ISS after being launched by a H-11B rocket on 9 December.

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antenna:

Ahead of the November 2016 Presidential Election the consensus view was that a Donald Trump victory would be good for US defence contractors, while a Hillary

Clinton win might do little more than lead to the continuation of the status quo.

During the height of the Cold War, defence spending in the US peaked at 10% of GDP but, apart from one small surge in the early part of this decade, it has declined to between 3% and 5% of GDP. It has fallen further since 2010 and, when US budget sequestration came into effect four years ago, defence spending is estimated to have declined by around 15%. Putting this another way it means that, while spending on defence national security had accounted for 20.1% of the Federal budget in 2010, by 2015 this had declined to less than 16%, while defence as a percentage of GDP had fallen to 3.3%.

America isn’t alone in cutting back spending on defence, of course. The UK, Germany, France and many other Western nations have cut spending too. In the election campaign Trump made it plain that America needed to strengthen its defence and, importantly, that other NATO members would in future need to better share the burden of the overall cost of the defence alliance. In detail, Trump has said that America needed to strengthen its resolve and, in the process, reverse years of defence cuts that had seen US Army personnel numbers cut by around 120,000 and the number of active ships in the US Navy cut back to 245, a fi gure which is reportedly the lowest number of active USN ships since 1917.

Of course, in relation to ships, the above argument is to some extent ‘relative’ due to advanced technology and modern complex weapons being much more effi cient than those that they replace. The same argument applies to military aircraft as well. The plain fact is that the US military just doesn’t need as many soldiers, airmen, aircraft and ship capability as it did during the Cold War. So, could Trump's message about spending more on defence and expanding US armed forces end up being a hollow one or will he really be the fi rst President since George W Bush to increase spending and deliver a programme of expansion in US defence and security capability?

Global Outlook and Analysis with HOWARD WHEELDON

US defence under President Trump

Markets clearly think the answer to that question is that Trump will spend a lot more on defence. Almost without exception, share prices of US defence fi rms have risen sharply in recent months and they have done so as well across most of Europe on the back of a belief that the 26 non-North American members of NATO will somehow all have to increase spending on defence.

Shots across NATO's bows

By being critical of NATO and fi ring a number of warning shots across its bows, Trump rattled more than a few feathers in Europe and, in the process, spurred on some EU members to consider what they might see as eventually being an alternative to NATO. My own view on this is that, while the rhetoric for a EU Army is there and there may well be some form of strengthening of European resolve on this, to think of the EU building an alternative to NATO is as unthinkable as it is unaffordable.

It is, of course, too early to more than conjecture at this stage what the Trump administration will actually do but I envisage that they will at least attempt to skirt sequestration law and increase the defence budget as early as next year. Republicans hold sway on Capitol Hill and they have, by nature, been more favourably disposed to spending on defence than Democrats. Even so, while Republicans will remain in charge of the Senate for at least the next two years, deals will need to be struck between Congress and the White House if the DoD is to be funded above current budget caps that, for the time being at least, remain in force for the years 2018-21.

Sequestration may have slowed US defence equipment procurement but it certainly hasn’t brought it to a complete halt. Major new programmes, such as building 12 new ballistic missile submarines together with procurement of F-35s, have continued. True, actual planned numbers of aircraft procurement may have slipped but the requirement has not. Other large defence procurement programmes have also emerged too such as the Air Force award of contracts for the B-21 bomber earlier this year, are just one, (albeit that this is also being contested).

When he submitted the FY17 Defense Department Budget Request back in April 2016,

JANUARY 2017@aerosociety Find us on LinkedIn Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com 11i f

NEITHER SHOULD THOSE THAT CLAIM THAT THEY ARE ALREADY SPENDING 2% OF GDP ON DEFENCE BE ALLOWED TO INCLUDE COSTS THAT HAVE NO PLACE IN A DEFENCE BUDGET

Defense Secretary, Ash Carter, told the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee that a long view was needed and that the defence budget request was looking at what would be required 10, 20 and 30 years down the road. Carter emphasised then that the budget was focused on fi ve threats – Russia, China, Iran, North Korea and what he termed as violent extremism. The latter is what Trump will inherit.

Carter’s FY17 defence budget provided for a total of $583bn in discretionary and Overseas Contingency Operations funding but, as in the previous eight years, it would appear that another ‘continuing resolution’ on the budget request is likely and that, if so, Congress will want to take into consideration defence spending plans of the Trump administration before it agrees the plan. Although potentially damaging from the perspective of delay, this in my view is likely to be positive and it may well lead to a larger ‘request’ being submitted to Congress and that will be hopefully agreed.

As mentioned, Trump had previously called for 90,000 additional soldiers, 70 more ships for the navy and for a longer term plan that would take the total number of deployable warships up from a current 272 vessels to 350. He has also called for an additional 100 USAF aircraft and 13 new Marine battalions. In doing so he made plain a view that see budget caps – known as sequesters – cancelled that he said, had “constrained defense spending over the past fi ve years.” In another remark the President-Elect had said that he intended to boost defence funding by $500bn over the next decade and that this would be paid for by cutting the civilian workforce across government and various other ill-defi ned measures.

Of course, the reality may well be very different and my sense is that not until after the inauguration of President Trump will we even begin to get a proper sense of real intentions. Even so and not withstanding problems over rising federal debt, together with other demands and the unknown quantity of what happens to the economy under Trump, confi dence among the investment community remains high in relation to defence stocks on both sides of the pond and on the expectation of more money being spent by the US on defence.

The other factor behind any future view of defence is the clear warning that Trump sounded that Europe must pay a larger share of NATO

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cost. I share the frustration that, America has on this issue and I view it as a wake-up call to the 26 non-North American NATO member states that America is no longer prepared to pay for 70% of NATO’s costs.

It is worth recalling here that, in the NATO Wales Summit of 2014, member states all agreed to ‘work toward spending 2% of GDP on defence’. What they did not do is agree, however, to allow fi gures that relate to how the 2% of GDP is made up to be fudged. NATO rules on this need to be seriously revised in my view and without doubt, the need of the majority of members of the Alliance to revisit what they really spend on defence and to raise it overall in response to the worsening of political tensions is a no-brainer. Neither should those that claim that they are already spending 2% of GDP on defence be allowed to include costs that have no place in a defence budget.

There are caveats to all expectations and hopes though and, with the possibility of further shocks emerging in elections in France, Germany and Italy over the coming year, it isn’t only pressure to increase NATO funding that will test member states – one may well be the long-term existence of the EU itself. Brexit negotiations will play a part in the process as well and how the EU responds to the UK will to an extent be a test of future resolve on defence as well.

Back in the US, how Trump executes a wider defence strategy in respect of geo-political concerns will, of necessity, need to play into defence spending plans. The immediate defence focus on Islamic terror will be little different from the Obama strategy but the Trump administration attitude to Iran couldn’t be more opposite. Whether or not there is any seriousness in respect of attempting to improve relations between the US and both Russia and China is at this stage unknown.

And to the ‘special relationship’ between Britain and the US – will that be tested under a Trump presidency? I doubt that it will and, with the Prime Minister heading to Washington DC shortly after the inauguration, I rather suspect that under Donald Trump the relationship between both nations will actually grow as opposed to wither.

One last thing that I consider will tighten under Donald Trump is that, with a more protectionist stance emerging, national and international defence consolidation will be discouraged.

Trump has already made waves by slamming the cost of the Air Force One VC-25 replacement.


TransmissionLETTERS AND ONLINE

fEur Ing Bishnujee Singh [On Sully movie(1)] Captain Sully real life hero.

Philip Mccague Excellent interview.

i Main pic: The AeroFly FS2 sim takes you over the whole of the South western USA. Insert: Oculus Rift Red Bull Air Race helmets.

Geoffrey Wardle [On new Dronecode] Now these guidelines are in place, let’s hope people will actually follow them. With Christmas coming there will be a lot more users in the New Year.

Senthil Kumar Thiruvengadam [On RAeS President’s Conference Technology in Aerospace]Yes, aerospace has been a front runner in technology in innovation but I’m inclined to comment that, in recent past, aerospace has got more to catch-up with automotive in terms of alternative fuel, hybrid fuel, fl y-by-wire, all electric etc, Furthermore, it’s the same cylindrical fuselage for the past 70-80 years. Where is the BWB?

Gary Ayris [On management predictions(2)]Gotta give it to these aerospace guys – most of it is pretty close – but then again, so was Di Vinci. Must be in the aeronautical blood – but then again, as a trained aircraft engineer I would say that, wouldn’t I?

Virtual reality fl ight sims: the next frontier?

@c_mperman [On The Sun describing a homebuilt light propeller aircraft as a ‘jet’] Ignorance of anything remotely technical is the norm in the media. I suspect a position @TheSun would just not care about.

@Munro169 Rubbish headline but still a great achievement by builder.

@sempir This was written by someone who really knows about aircraft … especially WW2 Spitfi re jets!

@GranulityMonkey [On idea of air-dropping relief aid to Aleppo] What about a remotely (VR headset) piloted cargo glider? Release at altitude over Turkey, low signature, so low risk.

@Thomas_embleton Best bet if we do air drops is a large number of transports with very heavy escort. Very high risk though.

@ThinkDefence Plus, you have 1kg bundles falling onto a densely populated city from medium altitude. Imagine the propaganda value if one hits a child.

@TheDashingChap Don’t think I can’t handle losing Winkle Brown and John Glenn in the same year...

@Justin_Br0nk [On VR as the Holy Grail of PC fl ight sims(3)] It really is! I love my Oculus and the training benefi ts while having fun in, eg DCS, are huge. Visual target ID remains a problem.

@Solent_RAeS Great article from @RAeSTimR on VR fl ight Sims #WantOne!#avgeek.

@Adski42 That looks incredible!

@RAF_Simmer Can’t wait to do Cad in VR with the new Typhoon. Will have a bucket on standby! ;-)

@jjcoop36 Thanks. That is the only drawback I see especially if fl ying something more complex. Otherwise seems like it would be amazing.

@AscendingNode And those kids will grow up to pilot aircraft with mostly AR cockpits.

@NavyLookout [On UK Ambassador in Washington hinting that CVF will back up UK Pacifi c freedom of navigation ops] Are we in danger of completely over-reaching ourselves getting involved in the Pacifi c?

@Of_Mice__And_Ben Possibly but it will remind Government of desperate need for extra £ for such global reach – can only be a good thing.

@gregabgwell Oh goody, let’s stretch the MoD a bit more!

@chodpollard Hmm. There’s always the slight possibility that we might not have enough ships and aircraft to achieve anything meaningful! Not that I would want reality to get in the way of some dearly beloved ‘punching about our weight’ rhetoric!

@Jazifer [On ‘What will be top Trumps in aerospace, defence and space(4)] Read your Trump piece. Good luck with tracking that over the next four years. My policy area is going to be hellish busy I fear.

@davidbentstudio [On the 2016 Wilbur & Orville Wright Lecture and awards] A great evening. Thanks to all + Congratulations on 150 years @AeroSociety @iain_gray @RAeSTimR @astro_timpeake C&D.

@astro_timpeake [On receiving Hon Fellow award] @AeroSociety @ProfAtkin A huge honour and I too look forward to getting back to @4HamiltonPlace next year!

@phil_di_grange We’ve been waiting since Falcon 3.0 for a VR headset.

@DenisStr We are doing this at Stow Maries Great War Aerodrome with a WW1 sim and #Oculus.

@GrantTurnbull_ Now this is a cool use of VR.

@VRWorldsWeb Wanna fl y? Let #VR take you there.

i f@aerosociety linkedin.com/raes facebook.com/raes www.aerosociety.com 13JANUARY 2017

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

1. AEROSPACE, December 2016, p 26, Making of a hero2. https://www.aerosociety.com/news/management-predictions-from-1966-did-they-get-them-right/3. https://www.aerosociety.com/news/ten-beyond-awesome-vr-fl ight-experiences/4. https://www.aerosociety.com/news/what-will-be-top-trumps-in-aerospace-defence-and-space/5. https://www.aerosociety.com/news/tailwind-or-turbulence-brexit-and-uk-aerospace/6. https://www.aerosociety.com/news/visions-of-the-future/

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

Matt Smith as Prince Philip reads a 1956 copy of the Society’s The Aeronautical Journal in Episode 6 of Netfl ix’s The Crown.

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websiteCrown Journal

@campUP_Maths Here’s HRH Prince Philip busy reading The Aeronautical Journal in Episode 6 of #TheCrown.

@ProfAtkin Scoop: HRH The Prince Philip caught red-handed with a copy of The Aeronautical Journal in Episode 6 of The Crown!

@JezBrowing Dear @NASA and @AeroSociety request your help with a defi nition. I think Canard and Foreplane can be used interchangeably to describe any aerofoil, fi xed or variable incidence, ahead of main wing. Colleague thinks Canards are fi xed while foreplanes move Are either of us right?

@Aerosociety According to our librarians, Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary says canard is a foreplane (can be fi xed or retractable).

Canard or foreplane?In December the RAeS launched a new revamped website. Check it out on www.aerosociety.com

Canards on the front of the Eurofi ghter Typhoon.

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@Defencyclopedia [On suggestion of RAAF integrating PGMs with P-8] The Indian and Russian Navy Tu-142 can carry and drop bombs already. Also, integrating P-8 with PGM and LACM is an easy task.

@Adrian_Wainer After what happened with the Nimrod MRA 4 there is no way that people should have trust in either the UK Government or BBC on defence.

@carey_bill [On the hype vs reality of drone delivery] If it ever happens, widespread drone package delivery will need low-altitude UTM traffi c management system and airspace licensing. @simon_rp84 [On

‘Tailwinds or turbulence – Brexit and UK aerospace(5)] Disagree re space; UK heavily involved in many space activities, including Copernicus.

@ianmac67_SE Impact of leaving EASA will be interesting. Will we have Associate status? But industry needs to step up to meet the challenge.

@Bobski1984 [On Indian Navy’s search for a new carrier fi ghter] Amazing that Indian military are looking now at yet another new type. Surely more Rafales would save support costs?

@SaurabhiJoshi Don’t think more Rafales can ever be the answer to cost savings??

@mcjwalsh Surely as they are already buying the Rafale – the maritime version would make sense.

@neelammethews [On Antonov offering to supply AF1 to Trump via Twitter] Ha ha that’ll be the day! Given his new found love for Russia.

@7exo7 Or his best mate Vladimir. How about an Ilyushin Air Force One? Someone needs to photoshop an IL-96.

@AsiaJetWatch Perhaps @realDonaldTrump can set up an assembly line for two bespoke A380s in Ohio?

@LossComm It won’t be cost of the airframe which is pushing the bill up – that’s for sure.

@Rob_Coppinger [On a rocket start-up offering hypersonic fl ight by 2019] By 2019? I have some magic beans I can sell you too.

@AttreeJane [On Making of a Hero(1)] This is one of the greatest ever feats in civil aviation. God Bless Sully and that fabulous little Bus.

@pcjonnygould Really looking forward to this being released on DVD.

@StephenEThomas Not seen Sully yet but only way the story could be told is via calm realism, anything else may as well be Con Air/Snakes on a Plane.

@BritishOffi cer [On RAeS SDSR Conference] Militarised @virgingalactic SS2 to do sub-orbital ISR and bombing!? @AeroSociety #SDSRyear1

@TotherChris Any who thought LAPCAT was going to be the UK’s next atmospheric payload delivery system?

@MarkJonesJr Is anyone actively researching using sUAS or microUAS as a weapon, using the drone itself for kinetic effect after ISR mission is complete?

@rupaharia [On Visions of the future(6)] Great read! Still waiting for a rotorbus.

@iain_thomson [On Daily Mail using a BA Landor livery picture to illustrate current news] You say that but is it not about time that @British_Airways followed other major airlines and brought out a retro scheme?

14 AEROSPACE / JANUARY 2017

AIR TRANSPORTRecruiting female pilots

Redressing the balance

On 27-28 September, the RAeS held its annual International Flight Crew Training conference which, this year, debated the challenge facing airlines of future pilot shortages and how more

pilots could be trained and recruited. The conference covered a wide variety of topics relating to pilot recruitment but one of the key issues discussed was the lack of diversity in the cockpit and how training organisations and airlines could attract more women to become pilots.

The problem – demand

In the future, the demand for pilots will be greater than the supply. Andy Bray, Global Head of Training at CAE Oxford Aviation Academy, showed a prediction that forecast a demand over the next ten years for over 250,000 new pilots – 85,000 for the Americas, 50,000 pilots for Europe, 30,000 in the Middle East and Africa and 85,000 in the Asia Pacifi c region. These fi gures included both new demand and replacements for pilots who had retired. “The future growth of airlines will be limited by a lack of pilots,” said Capt Dieter Harms FRAeS from Harms Aviation. “The longer we wait to react, the bigger the problem.”

The problem – supply

While demand for pilots increases, the supply may be decreasing. Capt John Illson, FRAeS from SVP Certifi cation Services explained that a report from the US Government Accountability Offi ce (GAO) had identifi ed a decline in interest in a career as a pilot from students as they become interested in other career opportunities “Only 38% of students enrolled in university aviation programmes now aspire to be airline pilots,” he explained. “The military used to account for 70% in 2001 compared to 30% today while applications to the USAF academy have also declined by 21%.”

Expanding the pool

Getting new pilots is not an easy task and takes time to achieve. “The bean counters think they can turn on a tap to get more pilots,” complained EasyJet’s Head of Crew Training, Eddie Sproul. “However, in reality, you need time to recruit and train them.” Many airlines recruit pilots who are already trained. “Our pilots come from other airlines, forces, corporate operators and commercial training schools,” said Capt Graham Stokes, Head of Flight Operations Training and Standards at Virgin Atlantic.

Why do so few women decide to become pilots? BILL READ FRAES reports on a recent RAeS flight crew training conference which looked atthis issue and how it could be resolved.

HOW CAN WE COMPLAIN ABOUT A PILOT SHORTAGE WHEN WE’RE MISSING A WHOLE CHUNK OF SOCIETY?

Capt Graham Stokes, Head of Flight Operations Training and Standards, Virgin Atlantic

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Rachel Barrett, pilot for Thomson Airways.

However, as the demand for new pilots increases, just recruiting existing pilots is not going to be enough and airlines will need to expand the pool of potential recruits. “The challenge is how many people do we reach out to?” stated Colin Rydon, Director of Flight Operations at Flybe. “Have we explored everyone who wants to be a pilot? We tend to focus on young people coming in very early to the aviation game and I wonder if we don’t miss a trick there. Maybe there’s also a very strong market around people who are around 30 who have had a fi rst career and want to do something different. We’ve got quite a few of these pilots at Flybe and they’re the happiest and most content.”

Another potential source of pilots is from elsewhere from within the organisation. “We should look more and more at people from inside our own airlines,” said Capt Stokes. “They’re already working for us. We just need to fi nd them.” Capt Kevin Hiatt, FRAeS, Director of Flight Safety at JetBlue explained how his airline had already done that: “We’ve had several candidates in JetBlue who have come up from being infl ight crew and indeed technical operators.”

However, recruiting new pilots from elsewhere within an airline may not be as easy as it sounds. Another speaker was Stephen Pollard, a former cabin crew member with Aer Lingus now training as a pilot. “There is no natural progression between cabin and cockpit and no advantage in being cabin crew fi rst,” he said. “You have to resign, take a step back and then apply again. Cabin crew have aptitude, ability and motivation but airlines don’t recognise that.”

New pilots can also come from outside the aviation industry. The conference heard from Natalie Woods, a First Offi cer for Flybe, who had joined the university air squadron but had worked fi rst as a nurse. “It was a very tough job,” she said. “But many of the skills were also applicable to fl ying and I decided I wanted to be a pilot. I now fl y Dash 8s from Belfast four times per day.”

A lack of diversity

However, there is one potential pool of pilot recruits that has up to now been neglected – women. Figures from the International Society of Women Airline Pilots claim that around 4,000 out of a total of 130,000 pilots globally are female, equivalent to 3%. Of these, 450 women are captains. Figures from the FAA Airman Database say that women currently account for around 5.44% of commercial airline pilots.

“The numbers are very low in Middle East airlines,” added Karen Bath, Head of Customer Experience and Communication at training organisation CTC Aviation, which currently has a 30% female work force and 17% female

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15i f JANUARY 2017@aerosociety Find us on LinkedIn Find us on Facebook.com www.aerosociety.com

British Airways employs around 200 female pilots – around 6% of total crew numbers.

It is predicted that there will be a need for 250,000 new pilots within the next ten years.

Figures from Virgin Atlantic showing the relative numbers of male and female pilots.

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management. The female pilot percentages were higher in the two airlines represented at the conference, with around 7.5% of Flybe pilots being female while 12% of EasyJet’s pilots are women. “How can we complain about a pilot shortage when we’re missing a whole chunk of society?” asked Capt Stokes from Virgin Atlantic. “The industry is traditionally white, male and middle class dominated. Nor are pilots ethnically diverse. Cabin crew and engineers are more diverse but pilots aren’t. Technology has moved on but people haven’t. If roughly 50% of people in the UK are female, why have we got so few fl ying aeroplanes? This is not representative of society. We want our fl ight crews in Virgin to be more representative of society and of our other divisions.”

Other speakers agreed that something needed to be done to redress the balance. “We need to widen the demographics and get more people,” stated Rod Wren, Director of Bristol GS and CEO of Wings Alliance. “We’re looking at a pilot shortage and women are a pool of very qualifi ed people to fi ll that need,” assented Capt Illson. “It is down to the airlines to drive change,” said Capt Stokes “We’ve got to recruit differently.”

Flying for love

The speakers all agreed that being a pilot was not an easy job. “A pilot’s job has changed and is now a more demanding level of work.” Colin Rydon at Flybe concurred: “We do work pilots harder and expect more from them than we used to.” “It is a tough job – I only get to see my family every six months,” agreed Flybe pilot Natalie Woods.

But despite this, one of the most important factors infl uencing people who became pilots was because they love fl ying. “What motivates me to become a commercial airline pilot?” asked Stephen Pollard. “A love of fl ying.”

AIR TRANSPORTRecruiting female pilots

Obstacles to recruitment

So what are the factors which discourage women (and also men) from become pilots? One factor is cost. “It costs £100,000 to train as a pilot and who can afford it?” asked Capt Stokes. “If you can’t self-fund, then you’re stuck.” “There are a lot of aspiring pilots who cannot afford the training,” agreed Colin Rydon, to which Stephen Pollard added: “Costs are a signifi cant burden which can deter some people. Many people have aptitude but can’t afford it.” “There are also a lot of extra costs, such as paying for uniforms or parking spaces,” said Capt Tanya Harter, Human Performance Committee Chairwoman, International Federation of Airline Pilots’ Association (IFALPA).

However, the main factor restricting more widespread pilot recruitment is not the fi nance but the long and unsocial working hours combined with living away from home. “It’s not the cost of training that is the problem,” asserted Julie Westhrope, chair, British Women Pilots Association. “Pilots often have no choice of the base they will be operating from and employers can change this base at any time,” said Capt Harter. “Pilots also have no infl uence over their days off – you only get the roster two days in advance.”

Other speakers agreed that infl exible working conditions did make it more diffi cult to recruit and retain pilots, particularly when airlines were competing with other industries which have a better work-life balance. “People also like to spend time with their family,” said Capt Paul Ryder, Resource Coordinator, ALPA US Airline Pilots Association. “People want a career not a job.” “We’ve found that scheduling and basing are more important factors than salary that infl uence why pilots move onto other jobs,” stated Capt Stokes. “Women don’t want to apply as training captains because airlines want these positions to be full time and they want part time,” said Eddie Sproul of EasyJet:

“The airline culture for pilots resembles the military in style,” commented David Learmount. “You wear uniforms and the ethos is very ordered and disciplined. The attitude is – if you don’t like the lifestyle then leave.”

Discrimination

Sadly, another reason for the lack of female pilots is discrimination. “It is a problem that certain areas of society don’t consider women as suitable for pilots,” said Capt Harter. “There was discrimination. People talked to my boyfriend rather than me,” added Natalie Woods. Even in situations where is no obvious discrimination, some women pilots still feel conspicuous. “As a female you can’t hide in a group,” said Woods. “When I was trained, I was one out of 24.” “If you are female, you are remembered more,” said Tanya Harter. “Any mistake you make is more conspicuous.”

Top: Airlines are being asked to consider cabin crew as future pilots.

Bottom: In October Air New Zealand celebrated the 80th anniversary of Jean Batten’s solo fl ight from England to New Zealand with an all-female fl ight crew fl ying from London to Auckland.

The cost of training to be a pilot was not considered to be the main factor discouraging women to become pilots but the infl exible working hours associated with the job.

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Solutions

So why is there a gender imbalance on the fl ight deck and what can be done to encourage more young women (and indeed more men) to become pilots? One problem to be overcome is the public perception of pilots and the lack of female pilot role models. “Few pupils think of being a pilot as a career,” said Julie Westhrope. “People need to be more exposed to fl ying.” “A pilot’s job is not as glamorous as it was,” admitted Gerda Pardatscher, Rulemaking Offi cer Flight Crew Licensing, EASA. “We need to reignite a passion for aviation.”

To address this problem, recruiters are looking at ways to raise awareness of aviation among young people. “There’s a lot more that airlines can do with schools in terms of reaching out,” said Colin Rydon. One organisation that is leading the way is the British Women Pilots Association (BWPA), a voluntary organisation formed in 1955 which has launched several initiatives to encourage women to become pilots, as well as providing a support network. One of the BWPA’s initiatives is the Aviatrix project which provides female pilots to talk to children in schools and raise awareness. “Our aim is to provide positive role models,” explained Julie Westhrope. The BWPA is also partnering with EasyJet in the Amy Johnson fl ying initiative which aims to increase the percentage of female pilots from 6% to 12%. Even airports are getting in on the act – the Aerozone at Stansted Airport provides learning experience for children into the jobs of all types of airport workers.

As far as the problem of fi nancing the cost of training is concerned, there appears to be no immediate solution, as airlines are reluctant to pay when they can recruit already trained pilots or run the risk of their trained pilots going elsewhere. However, this attitude may have to change “Full airline funding is commonplace in the Far East and China (where there is the greatest increase in pilot demand) but not in the west,” added Capt Andy Bray, from CAE. “If the market dries up then there’s only one way we can go and that’s sponsorships” said Colin Rydon. “However, fi nancing is not just an airline problem. We need help from training schools, universities and associations.”

As for the problem of working conditions, it was agreed that airlines may have to change the way they work to attract new pilots. “We need to make sure that we can offer more fl exible working conditions for people that make the job interesting,” said Colin Rydon. “We need to fi t work-life balance to individuals,” added Jacqui Suren, Chief Theoretical Knowledge Instructor, Ab Initio (EASA). “Women shouldn’t have to stop having families because it will affect their careers,” said Natalie Woods.

The gender debate

Having stated that airlines needed to recruit more women, there was a lively debate over what should

be the criteria for such a decision. Should there be ‘positive discrimination’ in favour of female over male pilots or should the selection be purely based on competency?

“There is still a mindset problem which thinks that we are lowering our standards by recruiting women pilots or giving them preferential treatment,” said Eddie Sproul of EasyJet. “But we select on ability and we select the best. What we need to do is to change the culture and get the lifestyle right so that women want to become pilots.” “We need people with an ability to do this job and a passion to do it,” said Capt Stokes. “It is about competency and not about positive discrimination,” agreed Capt Stokes from Virgin Atlantic. “We want the best – it doesn’t matter who they are. But we need to ask – why are women not applying? Why are we not retaining them?”

“I’ve experienced a lot of negativity,” said Jacquie from CTC. “Forget prejudices and support ability. Women don’t want to be valued because they’re female or a certain religion but for their expertise. We urge airlines not to look at people for being different but to look at our skills.” There is still much to be done to change established views. “We need to change society’s view of women,” said Gerda Pardatscher from EASA. “Nothing would please me more than to close the BWPA because it wasn’t needed,” said Julia. “How can we increase the pool of candidates?” asked Capt Harter. “We need affordable training, decent working conditions, reasonable pay schemes and more part time/fl exible working opportunities.”

“Flying is a career which needs long term support,” concluded Jacqui Suren, Chief Theoretical Knowledge Instructor, Ab Initio (EASA). “More diversity is a strength. We want to encourage more people to apply, so we get more to choose from.”

Trainees at Oxford Aviaiton Academ

y (CAE)

Top: Tanya Harter, Julie Westhrope and Natalie Woods at the RAeS fl ight crew training conference.

Above left: The Aerozone at Stansted Airport.

Above right: In September 26-year old Kate McWilliams became easyJet’s youngest commercial pilot.

Professor GARETH PADFIELD reports on the recent RAeS Rotorcraft Virtual Engineering Conference which examined the potential of VE tomodel and simulate rotorcraft at different stages of their life-cycles.

the conference on behalf of the partner Societies, handing over to the Conference Chair, myself, to give the Introductory talk. I suggested that the rotorcraft industry needs VE fi rst to ensure decisions made early in the life cycle, at the requirements capture and preliminary design phases, are reliably informed. Then later, in design, development and qualifi cation, virtual prototypes can become centres of attention for critical reviews and, ultimately, certifi cation itself. A signifi cant challenge is to ensure that model fi delity is good enough, not only for supporting design decisions but also in establishing requirements based on suffi ciently mature technologies.

Figure 1 illustrates the general form of the cumulative % of life-cycle costs, both expended and committed. 75% of a product’s cost can be committed


ROTORCRAFTVirtual engineering

Virtual helicopters

The disparate topics shown in the panel on the top right of the next page were all featured in the Rotorcraft Virtual Engineering (RVE) Conference held in The University of Liverpool’s Foresight Centre, and contained

a common language – modelling and simulation in support of a rotorcraft’s life-cycle. Virtual engineering (VE) was defi ned as the creation and use of virtual prototypes to support decision-making throughout the life-cycle, which may be 50+ years for a rotorcraft.

The conference comprised 24 papers, including six keynotes, spread over six serial sessions in two and a half days, with a technical tour of the University’s simulation facilities and three panel discussions.

Mike Hirschberg, Executive Director of the American Helicopter Society International, opened

Rotorcraft Conference

ROTORCRAFT VIRTUAL ENGINEERING CONFERENCESUPPORTING LIFE-CYCLE ENGINEERING THROUGH DESIGN AND

DEVELOPMENT, TEST AND CERTIFICATION AND OPERATIONS LIVERPOOL, UK 8-10 NOVEMBER 2016

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through the decisions made and actions taken in the fi rst 10% of the life-cycle. If we consider the cost to fi x problems in this fi rst 10% as one unit, then the cost to fi x grows by several orders of magnitude as the project advances. There are enough examples of such ‘failures’ across the aerospace industry that the case for investment in VE tools and capabilities is compelling.

Community crossover

The conference delegation quickly became a community, drawing out more and more detail and read-across from one area to another. The keynote presentations by Airbus Helicopters and Leonardo Helicopters were particularly important contributions to the conference, as they provided a glimpse of the status and practice of VE application in the rotorcraft manufacturing industries. There is a constant trade-off between the use of fast and simple (lower fi delity) and slow and complex (higher fi delity) modelling in design and development, particularly for fl ight test support when schedules are challenging. Coupled CFD (computational fl uid dynamics) and fl ight mechanics (FM) codes are commonly used to examine interactional aerodynamic issues. The Airbus Helicopters’ perspective is summarised in Fig. 2, showing a matrix of the different types of prediction methods, with simulation speeds, accuracies and application areas categorised.

In the Leonardo keynote, Riccardo Bianco-Mengotti, Head of Flight Mechanics, introduced the triangle of advantages – safety, effectiveness and economy – that VE offers helicopter manufacturers. A success story for the safety advantage was described relating to tail rotor failure, considered in the design of the AW169 helicopter, to ensure recovery was possible and to provide guidance on the recovery technique for pilots. A second example was cited in the companion paper (Bianco-Mengotti, Ragazzi) addressing the ‘AW189 Engine-off Landing Certifi cation by Simulation’. Piloted simulation results were used to enable the design to meet the relevant CS-29 certifi cation requirements. Validation against fl ight data was critically important in both these examples (Fig. 3).

Turning to the cost advantage, Bianco-Mengotti stated that the use of engineering simulators can

1. Certifi cation of a helicopter engine-off landing capability2. Evolution of an innovative rotor system from concept to production3. Design of a warship to be helicopter-friendly4. Design of a helicopter empennage to minimise pitch-up5. Optimise rotorcraft performance and handling qualities during the concept phase6. Understand how ground particles drawn up by the rotor downwash damage the

fuselage7. Predict the failure characteristics of non-conventional laminates8. Optimise motion drive laws for training fl ight simulators9. Quantify uncertainty during the analysis of alternatives early in the acquisition cycle10. Train engineers in advanced modelling and simulation skills using problem-based

learning techniques

Figure 1. Committed and expended costs during the life cycle of a product. (Padfi eld, So You Want To Be An Engineer, based on INCOSE’s Systems Engineering Handbook).

A virtual Airbus Helicopter H135 helicopter, as envisioned in The University of Liverpool’s £5.3m Virtual Engineering Centre (VEC) at its Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus. Designed to use advanced 3D visualisation, full immersive tracking and real-time user interaction through virtual touch, the VE facilities were developed in partnership with advanced visualisation technology specialists Virtalis, the Northwest Aerospace Alliance, the Science and Technology Facilities Council (Daresbury Laboratory), BAE Systems, Morson Projects and Airbus.

Figure 2. Capabilities of different simulation methods – an Airbus Helicopters’ perspective. (Ries and Schimke, Industrial Prediction of Helicopters in Flight).

The ten main themes of the conference


reduce costs to below 10% of those incurred in fl ight test. The third advantage, effectiveness, was described in terms of the fl exibility offered by simulation, compared with real fl ight, in terms of exploration of the design space and ‘what-if’ scenarios. The simulation can also ‘measure’ parameters not always available in fl ight, offering specialists a greater understanding of the relationships between causes and effects.

Session 1 contained four papers from research centres on VE in conceptual design, with a recurring theme being the required model fi delity. Jeff Sinsay, Aerospace Engineer, US Army, re-imagined design in terms of reducing uncertainties in outcomes, categorising fi delity in different levels for different disciplines and emphasising the need for an integrated design environment that enhances creativity, and presenting a comprehensive picture of the VE tools deployed in conceptual design (Fig. 4) categorised in three fi delity levels.

Conceptual design

In his paper on conceptual design, Alex Van der Velden, (Technology Director, R&D SIMULIA) described an approach where user requirements and system attributes are quantifi ed as probability density functions, with a desired value and uncertainty. He argued that “there is a serious question of whether an analysis of alternatives fairly compares different concepts when different technologies simulated by different analysis models are used”, because of the low VE fi delity used at the conceptual design stage. Also, activities that occur later in the life-cycle, such as system development, airworthiness qualifi cation and safety assessment, are often left out here but could be brought in as part of the virtual prototyping.

The application of VE in requirements capture and conceptual design enables acquisition agencies and their research centres to develop better understandings of, for example, the mission effectiveness benefi ts and risks associated with stretched requirements and new technologies. In his keynote paper ‘A Model-Based Engineering Approach for Value-Based Acquisition (VBA)’, Dr Daniel Schrage, (Professor and Director, VLCOE &School of Aeronautical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology) emphasised that VBA was about “capturing essential life-cycle engineering elements as a ratio of system effectiveness to life cycle cost.” From

ROTORCRAFTVirtual engineering

the established need, would then follow two major activities:

1. “Use integrated model-based engineering (MBE) and model based systems engineering (MBSE) to develop baseline deterministic virtual prototypes for conducting trade-offs using cost capability analysis (CCA) for decision-making at progressive milestones of the acquisition process,

2. Transform a deterministic virtual prototyping to a stochastic virtual prototyping process to measure the level of modelling uncertainty and risk that exists and what confi dence is required at the next major milestone.”

Schrage’s presentation focused on how RVE might aid the acquisition and design processes for the US Army’s Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program, and described how VE can support and strengthen the participation of all stakeholders in the system acquisition process.

The future of CFD tools

Session 2 mainly addressed how CFD featured as a VE tool. In the keynote presentation, Philippe Beaumier, (Adjoint au Directeur, ONERA) and co-author Schwarz described the DLR-ONERA vision for the future of CFD tools. Beaumier stated that: “current state-of-the-art software solves the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations with the adjunction of more or less sophisticated turbulence models and are capable of simulating the aerodynamics of complete helicopters with good accuracy.” This capability has resulted from close collaboration between the two laboratories, gradually refi ning tools (eg Fig. 5). The authors presented their roadmaps for CFD development targeting massive parallel HPC platforms, higher order accuracy, increased reliability, improved physical modelling and open architecture software for coupling with other disciplines; adding that “one of the challenges is to incorporate the engineering knowledge of a human into numerical algorithms in terms of goal functions and constraints.”

Meanwhile, Prof Ieuan Owen, Visiting Professor, University of Liverpool presented highlights from a decade of research at Liverpool using CFD and piloted simulation to create a virtual helicopter-ship dynamic interface to explore such aspects as fl ight control design, pilot workload in the turbulent ship’s airwake and the design of ships to enhance their

Figure 3. The AW189 with correlation of fl ight test and

simulation for rate of climb in the mid-speed range showing

good model fi delity.

Figure 4. Analysis breadth and fi delity. (Sinsay, Re-imagining Rotorcraft Advanced Design)

Figure 5. elsA calculation of a tilt-rotor full confi guration. (Beaumier and Schwarz)

Figure 6. Assessment of future frigate superstructure aerodynamics. (Owen)


helicopter-friendliness. Fig. 6 illustrates features on the superstructure that give rise to particular problems for the pilot in starboard winds. In this case, the FLIGHTLAB helicopter model was fl own along the approach and landing fl ight path to establish the areas where loadings, both steady and unsteady, would become diffi cult for a pilot to overcome.

Virtual design and certifi cation

Several papers addressed VE in design and certifi cation. Beaumier described a 24-year long joint ONERA/DLR/Airbus programme, supported by numerical tools of varying complexity, to develop a new rotor system, achieving optimisation of aeroacoustic signature, structural dynamics and fl ight performance.

The fi rst phase of the Blue Edge project examined variations of the rotorblade design using CFD. It became apparent that aeroelastic tailoring would be essential for rotor stability and structural integrity. Phase 4 included a fl ight demonstration of the new rotor on a EC155 demonstrator. The success of the research and technology demonstration underpinned the maturity of the concept and a commitment was made to the fi rst prototype of the Airbus H160 helicopter (Fig. 7).

Michael Van Tooren, University of South Carolina, gave his keynote on the theme of VE applied to ‘improving the performance of the fully composite aircraft’, including the certifi cation of non-conventional composite structures (eg when fi bre layup angles change, or are steered, within a ply). Gaining insight into mechanisms that control the various interfaces in a composite structure requires modelling the molecular dynamics to predict the positions of atoms versus time, derived from the forces exerted on an atom by the neighbouring atoms.

The technique of curving fi bre paths allows the tuning of load paths and strength from point to point in the structure, offering more design freedom than with isotropic-material-based design concepts. However, the increased design freedom comes with an increase in complexity of the material characterisation in a design environment. The current CAD/CAE generation is not yet able to support this amount of freedom. Fibre steering can be used to ‘create constant failure index structures with simultaneous stiffness and strength design to match load distribution and material system strength.’ (eg Fig. 8).

Van Tooren states that the adoption of new multi-scale VE is strongly reinforcing. “Coupling of VE-based modelling applied to different length scales will help to understand the effects of changes on a microscopic scale on technology on a macroscale. VE-supported application of the presented technologies on a macroscopic scale will help manufacturing engineers to apply the novelties in a controlled manner.”

Two VE product-oriented papers featured in the conference, giving delegates an opportunity to see advances in commercially available VE tools. Dr Ronald Du Val, President, Advanced Rotorcraft Technology’s presentation (FLIGHTLAB; A Suite of Rotorcraft VE Tools) appeared in Session 3 and Van der Veldon’s (Multi-Scale, Multi-Physics Systems Engineering) in Session 6. Du Val also gave a more extensive description of Advanced Rotorcraft Technology’s FLIGHTLAB tools during the technical tour and the range of Dassault Systemes/SIMULIA VE tools, supporting the whole life-cycle, was also on display in the conference networking space.

The preparatory work of the lead engineers representing the various organisations, and subsequently as Session Chairs and Panel Discussion Moderators, was critical to the success of the Conference and these people deserve a special thanks.

HE USE OF ENGINEERING SIMULATORS CAN REDUCE COSTS TO BELOW 10% OF THOSE INCURRED IN FLIGHT TEST. T

A vision for virtual engineeringConference chair, Gareth Padfi eld, concluded his introductory talk with his vision for VE in the rotorcraft life cycle, saying that VE offers opportunities for discovery and insight, spurs to innovation, and rapid-prototyping of ideas for ‘true’ optimisation.

Let the Virtual Prototype become the centre of attention for synthesis, analysis and decision making throughout the rotorcraft life-cycle

Use common VPs and data throughout rotorcraft life-cycle phases Undertake VP verifi cation and validation in regulatory-style throughout the life-

cycle Create a VE approach to failure analysis, from the fractured pipe and the broken

wire to the confused pilot Industry and academia, working in partnership, focus on developing engineers with

advanced VE skills and competencies for dealing with very complex systems Restore grace, imagination and artistry to the design process

The RAeS Rotorcraft Virtual Engineering conference was held on 8-10 November at the University of Liverpool. For more details of the event and to request copies of the presentations, see:

https://www.aerosociety.com/events-calendar/rotorcraft-virtual-engineering-conference/

Figure 7. Flight testing trials of an Airbus Helicopters H160 prototype. (Beaumier)

Figure 8. Example of a fi bre angle fi eld resulting from the optimisation within TopSteer. (Van Tooren).

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TIM ROBINSON reports from a landmark RAeS Conference on the effectof the UK leaving the European Union on Britain’s aviation, aerospaceand space sectors.

possible access” to the EU single market for UK companies and industry. However, he added that this would have to be balanced with a change in free movement rules.

Jones also said that the Government was looking to the UK’s aerospace sector to be the economic and trade spearhead in forging new links with the rest of the world. This sector, he said, is “six times” more productive than the rest of the economy and will be “at the heart” of post-Brexit opportunities. “Your industry is crucial for building a new outward-looking Britain”, commented Jones of the UK aerospace sector.

Economic impact

The next session of the day saw a high-level look at the economic impact of Brexit on aerospace and aviation. Opening this part, Professor Keith Hayward gave an overview of the ‘known unknowns’ for the UK and aviation. Dividing the issues into three he assessed ‘low risk’ as the UK’s continued


AEROSPACEBrexit implications

Tailwind or turbulence? Brexit and UK aerospace

On 27 October, the Royal Aeronautical Society held a conference entitled ‘The Brexit Question’ to look at the fall-out of the UK’s momentous decision last summer to leave the

European Union. While some opponents of ‘Leave’ campaign believe Brexit can be reversed or stalled, the practical debate has now shifted to how to unpick almost 40 years of regulations – and the potential effects on UK plc after Article 50 is triggered.

The conference, was especially signifi cant, not only its topicality but also in bringing together a wide range of speakers and viewpoints to address the extremely complex questions raised by Brexit – and its impact (economic, regulatory, research, education and skills) across the UK’s varied sub-sectors.

Opening the conference was the Rt Hon David Jones MP, Minister of State for Exiting the EU. He noted that the EU Referendum was “arguably the most signifi cant political event of our lifetimes.” The Government’s goal, he said, was “to secure best

MP, Neil Carmichael speaking at the Society’s ‘The Brexit Question’ conference last year.

Near right: An easyJet Airbus A320.

Far right: Galileo FOC payload under test.


Turbulence for airlines

Giving a presentation on the air transport industry outlook, aviation analyst Chris Tarry, CTAIRA had a bleak outlook for airlines due to the uncertainties of Brexit. There is, he said, already “insuffi cient demand” for airlines, “despite rising aircraft production” making for a “diffi cult environment” for British carriers. The direct effect of Brexit with GDP growth slowing would also curtail discretionary spending by UK consumers – on which airlines depend. In particular, he noted that a boost in inbound traffi c of foreign tourists attracted by a low pound, would not balance out a drop in outbound UK holidaymakers due to slow GDP growth hurting discretionary spending. It would, be a tough time for airlines in the short term.

As well as slowing demand for air travel from consumers, in the medium term airlines would have to adjust to the ‘new environment’ and face the challenge of potential regulatory change and its impacts on market access. Those consumers with money, however, said Tarry, can expect to fi nd bargains as airlines reduced fares to fi ll seats.

The importance of positivity

Alan Walker, Head of Policy at The Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng), explained that, while Brexit had produced uncertainty, it was important to be positive too – which requires communication. Walker welcomed the Government’s proposed Industrial Strategy – announced as a priority earlier in the summer. “Most opportunity for positivity, we think, is from the Industrial Strategy” he said. He also called for the aerospace sector to make its voice known; “We need a proactive response from the aerospace sector”. However, Walker warned that, on the UK’s engineering and STEM skllls gap, it was “hard to see how it [Brexit] would not have an initial negative effect”. The key questions, he said, for the aerospace sector are “What can’t we replace when we leave the EU?” and “What needs to be in place on Day 1 of Brexit?”

membership of ESA, EASA and SES among others. High risk, in Hayward’s view, especially in the event of a ‘hard Brexit’ were the UK’s participation in EU-funded civil R&D and exclusion from EU military aviation initiatives. However, the biggest set of ‘unknowns’ lay in the medium risk category. These included the ability to infl uence future EU aerospace/aviation policy, access to precision Galileo satellite navigation signals, participation in the ATM SESAR initiative, along with involvement in military R&D programmes and aviation market access.

Meanwhile, Jeegar Kakkad, Chief Economist, ADS Group, gave his thoughts on the key challenges. Kakkad was bullish on the effect of Brexit on the UK’s defence budget, saying it was secure even if there was a government spending squeeze. As well as the strategic context, Kakkad said, Whitehall would use defence spending as a signal of its commitment to NATO.

While defence was secure, Kakkad revealed that the UK needed to be prepared for a “40% increase” in civil aircraft production by the end of the decade – as manufacturers continue to ramp-up rates. Beyond this, he said, the UK needed to invest now “not wait until 2019” (the expected exit deadline) in aerospace and aviation technology, such as R&D in future wings, next-generation airliners and the AGP (Aerospace Growth Partnership) to “Brexit-proof” the economy.

Dr Simon Weeks, Chief Technology Offi cer at the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) also echoed Kakkad’s comments on the importance of R&D to the post-Brexit UK aerospace sector. With the ATI overseeing a £13.9bn aerospace R&D spend out to 2026, he said: “You can’t undervalue collaboration” in international R&T projects. He added: “the UK ranks higher than any other EU country in co-ordinating projects” with one of the highest levels of activity in European-level aerospace and aviation R&D. Despite the uncertainty, stressed Weeks,, “The ATI will continue to facilitate collaboration and funding opportunities between EU and UK partners.

THIS SECTOR, (AEROSPACE) ... IS ‘SIX TIMES’ MORE PRODUCTIVE THAN THE REST OF THE ECONOMY AND WILL BE ‘AT THE HEART’ OF POST-BREXIT OPPORTUNITIES. YOUR INDUSTRY IS CRUCIAL FOR BUILDING A NEW OUTWARD-LOOKING BRITAIN

Rt Hon David JonesMinister of State for Exiting the EU

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Escape velocity for UK space?

Giving an overview of the impact of Brexit on the UK’s fast-growing space sector was Pat Norris, CGI and former RAeS Space Group Chairman. He stated that the UK space sector now employs 30,000 people and has enjoyed 8-10% growth per year. Norris observed that, while the European Space Agency (ESA) was not an EU body, the decision to withdraw could have commercial and scientifi c repercussions. Specifi cally, the only infrastructure that the EU actually owns is space-related. It currently operates 15 satellites and this will double in the next 5-6 years. “The EU is a big customer” for UK space, said Norris, and “that business is at risk as the consequences of Brexit.”

This might mean that, in the future, UK companies may fi nd it more diffi cult to win further work on two of its biggest satellite projects (Galileo – navigation and Copernicus – Earth Observation). Anecdotal evidence suggests that foreign competitors are already hinting that UK cannot be trusted in bidding for work on long-term programmes. The UK has invested over €800m in Galileo and received about an equal amount of contracts. There are therefore fears that some 3,000 jobs in the UK could be at risk if the UK is cut out of this work.

Can the UK UAV sector fl y free?

If Brexit is a challenge for the UK airline and space sector, freeing Britain’s UAV sector could lead to a world of opportunity, noted Dewar Donnithorne-Tait, Director, Veitch Moir. The UAV (or RPAS) sector is an “innovation paradise”, he said, with 600+ commercial

AEROSPACEBrexit implications

UAV operators in the UK and 2,500+ in Europe as a whole. He argued that, freed from EU rules and regulations, the UK RPAS industry would have more freedom to innovate and develop new service models. In particular, he pointed out that the UK and the rest of Europe diverge on many issues such as privacy and human rights – which have implications on the use and exploitation of civil UAVs. Sweden, for example, has banned all cameras on consumer drones unless a special license is acquired. Freeing the UK from any Brussels-inspired overbearing regulation of this fast-moving dynamic sector, could mean that British UAV service providers (especially in EASA’s ‘specifi c’ category for UAVs in ‘middle ground’ that lies between full-up certifi ed airframes and low-end consumer toys) may fl ourish without too much hardship.

STEM and skills fears

“Whatever else, Brexit is a wake-up call to our education system” said Neil Carmichael MP for Stroud and Chairman of the House of Commons Education Committee. Giving a presentation focused on skills and education, he warned that, despite its high-fl ying aerospace sector, UK industrial productivity is “28% behind Germany and 19% behind France.” The failings of the UK educational system, he said, “had been recognised 40-50 years ago” – hence why the UK aerospace sector imports foreign engineers and skilled workers. For example, he noted that the UK was the only European country that doesn’t insist on maths or language in its post-16 education.

What, then, does this mean for the UK aerospace’s demand for skilled workers, if post-Brexit the freedom of movement is curtailed, restricted or simply perceived to be more diffi cult? “We’ve already seen a 9% drop in EU students applying to UK universities this year,” he said – a comment echoed by RAeS Past-President Jenny Body, who observed that the Society’s own careers service had “already noticed a lot of anxiety from young people in the previous couple of months,” over Brexit affecting their career options.

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Sky Futures

Top: UK astronaut, Tim Peake, within the InternationalSpace Station

Middle: An apprentice at BAE Systems new skills academy.

Bottom: Sky Futures operating from an oil rig.

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Untangling the red tape

With reportedly over 100 laws, directives and regulations involving the travel and aviation industry that need to be examined, it was no surprise that the conference included a hefty session on aviation standards and regulations.

Giles Kavanagh, Partner, Holman Fenwick Willan, succinctly asked what many were thinking: “What will the law be on the day of Brexit” regarding air safety regulations? He explained that EASA rules are “not directly incorporated into UK law but are applicable as a function of EU membership.” Kavanagh wryly observed that given the CAA’s role in setting up and providing expertise for EASA, “There is an irony in UK stepping away from a framework that has been created by Brits.” ”On Brexit, he asked, “will the UK leave EASA and repatriate expertise back to EASA?”

Meanwhile, Simon Phippard, of Counsel, Bird & Bird, outlined the potential legal consequences of Brexit on UK airlines. What, for example, happens to internal market traffi c rights for UK airlines? This is a key concern given that how liberalisation has powered Europe’s low-cost airline growth over the past two decades. Transatlantic traffi c agreements, too, are also an unknown out of the EU-US Open Skies agreement. Will this revert to the previous Bermuda II agreement? He warned that those expecting a bonfi re of red tape after Brexit could be disappointed – as a “Great Repeal Bill of EU regulation may involve a lot of law-making” – especially if the UK decided to recreate EASA rules with the CAA. “My own view” said Phippard is “anything other than continued [UK] participation in EASA would be completely bonkers.”

This view was echoed by a representative from the UK CAA, Policy Director Tim Johnson, who stated: “There is a strong case for UK to remain as close to EASA as it is today.” Post-Brexit the CAA would like to see “traffi c rights, at a minimum, that are equivalent today – along with passenger rights.” There also could be opportunities for the UK to revamp aviation regulation for example, foreign ownership of airlines and airport slot allocation. However, while these were the body’s preferred views, he stressed that the CAA was reliant on policy direction (for example Single European Sky and airspace modernisation) from Government.

‘Brexit – an opportunity’ says Airbus

Finally, the end of the day saw a keynote from Paul Kahn, President of Airbus UK. While in the run-up to the referendum, the pan-European giant had warned of the dangers of Brexit, at the RAeS Kahn gave an upbeat presentation. Airbus, he said, had been against leave but now: “we need to ensure that Brexit becomes an opportunity.”

However, while he was positive about opportunities, Kahn was consistent in his message as to the company’s chief concerns about withdrawal

from the EU. It is against tariffs with Khan saying: “Tariffs would simply be a nightmare.”

Kahn also stressed the need to remain part of EASA: “As an industry we have done huge amounts of work to get to where we have a concurrent FAA and EASA certifi cation process. Currently certifi cation from one agency gives a clear path to certifi cation with the other. To add a third new process would make no sense at all.”

He also said that he would like some guarantee of UK space sector opportunities: “Brexit could have signifi cant implications for the UK space sector. Kahn said: “We must now work to ensure that British companies are evaluated fairly when assessing current and future contracts.” The fi nal point for Airbus, said Kahn, was: “what we need from Brexit is the ability to freely move our people around our sites with an absolute minimum of red-tape.” On support to the sector, Kahn noted that aerospace was an industry where product cycles were measured “in decades” and which required huge R&T

A350XWB wings in production at Broughton.

investment which “rapidly runs into billions”. “Without Government support we cannot rely on the market to provide this sort of long-term R&D investment” He also called for the ‘brilliant’ AGP to be “be scaled up to spread the benefi ts further and lift our industry to fresh heights.”

Concluding, Kahn said: “There is uncertainty but, if Brexit is managed correctly with an industrial policy to match, I truly believe this can be an exciting time of opportunity for British industry.”

Summary

In short, while there remain signifi cant challenges ahead, the UKl has a fi rm foundation in a strong aerospace sector that is still number two in the world. The effect of Brexit in many cases - whether it is airline fundamentals, engineering skills gap, or the need for long-term R&D might be said not to have caused these issues, but to have amplifi ed and exacerbated existing challenges that the UK aerospace sector already faces. Despite the uncharted territory ahead, the focus must now turn to making Brexit into a real opportunity.

AEROSPACE talks to GARY ELLIOTT, Chief Executive of the AerospaceTechnology Institute (ATI) on R&T funding and its goal to keep the UK atthe leading edge of aerospace research and technology.

vote for the UK to leave the European Union and ever increasing competition from other countries, is this important industrial sector at risk of losing its competitive edge? AEROSPACE talked to Gary Elliott, ATI’s Chief Executive, about the work that ATI is doing to encourage innovation and investment in the UK to maintain and grow the country’s competitive position.

Technology strategy

A principal focus for the ATI since it was created has been the preparation of a UK aerospace technology strategy which looks at three different timelines: fi ve years, 10 years and 15 years plus. “We look at the portfolio with a fi nancial set of eyes and try to ensure that it’s spread out evenly over the different terms,” explained Elliott. “We then invite the sector to come and get 50% of the funding they might need to invest in technologies that are relevant to that strategy.”

Requesting funding

How do companies obtain ATI funding? “The way we work is that a company comes along with its fi rst version of a proposal, we call it a light touch proposal,


AEROSPACEUK civil aerospace R&D

Raising the UK’s aerospace ambitions

An independent collaboration between the UK Government and industry, the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) was created in 2013 with the aim of both maintaining and expanding the UK’s

aerospace design and manufacturing capability. Under the ATI R&T programme, the Government provides grant funding for research projects up to 50% of the total project value and for capital investment projects up to 100% of the total investment value. The programme is jointly managed by the ATI, Innovate UK and the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

Through the ATI, the Government has already invested £1.3bn of funding for164 new projects, involving 196 different companies and organisations including more than 100 small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). At the 2016 Farnborough Air Show in July it was announced that UK Government and industry had committed to providing £365m of funding for new aerospace technologies, targeting different aspects of aircraft manufacturing and performance.

Currently the UK has the world’s second largest aerospace sector with an annual turnover of over £31bn. However, with the recent Brexit referendum

IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT JOBS BUT ALSO ABOUT ECONOMIC SPILLOVER EFFECTS

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Left: Rolls-Royce power gearbox.Centre: A350 wings manufactured at Airbus UK.Right: A robotic countersinking cell for producing machine holes in composite aircraft components for BAE Systems designed by AMRC.

In November ATI and Fathom Consulting published a new report highlighting the benefi ts of innovation in the UK’s industrial strategy, highlighting four key areas: investment in R&D, boosting competitiveness support for mid-sized companies and enhancing infrastructure, clusters and skills. Two tables from the report for the UK’s internal and external productivity are shown below.


if we’re really smart and, therefore, I would see it as a sign of success if we were doing more positional stuff and trying to leverage that capability across different areas where people wouldn’t necessarily have worked as closely in the past. You know, structures with the systems experts, etc. As aircraft become more modular and integrated, then the challenge for us is - how do we bring those different groups together in a room to talk about common solutions where they wouldn’t necessarily have done that in the past?”

Measure of success

Elliott is confi dent that ATI has already made a difference. “Since our inception we’ve helped about 160 projects, including a number of new entrants,” he says. “To begin with, some of the larger and medium-sized companies were slightly afraid of or unaware of the process, whereas now, with the ATI, they’re becoming more ambitious and are coming forward with quite ambitious projects and ideas for the UK. Indeed we’ve seen some companies which were contemplating moving or offshoring some of their capability are now saying that they would like to keep it onshore because of the opportunities around ATI.”

“Our ultimate measure of success is our economic impact. It’s not just about jobs but also about economic spillover effects. We’ve got a team here who are focused on market impact and economics and who look at the investments in projects and track our performance. That’s a challenge, because often these projects may be 10 or 15 years away from actually being on an aircraft.”

Post Brexit opportunities

Following the Brexit vote, there has been concern that UK aerospace is going to be shut out of EU-funded projects. “Academia has had a lot of funding in the past from the EU, so we’re trying to understand the implications of having a hard exit from that,” comments Elliott. “However, there are new opportunities for UK aerospace innovation out of Brexit. There a couple of US aerospace companies who are now interested in doing work as an ATI project. They’re not signed and sealed but there’s defi nitely some conversations going on.”

consisting of one or two pages with an idea and asking what we think of it,” says Elliott. “We’ll review that and then, if it’s successful, it goes into what we call Strategic Review Committee Two which is a much more thorough set of documentation. Currently, around 60% of applications have been successful. As we’ve got better known, the pipeline has grown substantially, so the success rate is not always driven by the standard of the proposal but is dependent on the availability of funding at that moment. We could spend double what we already have if it was available.”

All shapes and sizes

ATI has provided assistance to all sizes of companies, both big and small, over a wide breadth of projects. “We look at different technologies, new architectures, tools and methods, covering both individual projects and collaborative arrangements with different companies,” explains Elliott. “For example, we’re working with Rolls-Royce on the next generation of ultra high bypass engines, as well as looking at structures, helicopter blades with Airbus Helicopters, Thales on consolidating communications and connectivity technology and Airbus on its next generation of wings.

ATI also works very closely with the Government. “They ask us for opinions and we give them in relation to aerospace” says Elliott. “Our message to the Government is to keep being supportive of what we’re doing.”

Speed dating for aerospace R&D

As well as helping companies fi nancially, ATI has also been instrumental in getting companies to help each other by working together. “We put teams of companies together, trying to push them to work with other companies that they may not have done in the past,” Elliott explains. “For example, we did a lot of work around software certifi cation, coding, design, and certifi cation and created a project around that. When companies become part of a collaborative project, their association drives the capability of the UK to be stronger. It’s a bit like matchmaking – if we put X and Y together and oh, next year they’re getting married!”

Thinking smarter

When asked where else there might be opportunities for the UK to maximise its R&D spend, Elliott’s response was: “I think there are things that we could do to outperform the market

BEIS

Professor KEITH HAYWARD FRAeS looks at howlow cost start-up companies are revolutionising theutilisation of space.


SPACEPrivate enterprise

Where no commerce

has gone before

There is a lunar experiment still working long after the last Apollo mission returned to Earth – a simple set of mirrors that refl ect a laser emission from Earth designed to study the dynamics

of the Earth-Moon relationship. The scientist who conceived this simple idea designed and built a prototype for $5,000 including labour. NASA, however, demanded that it contracted for the fi nal product at a cost of $3m – a classic example of gold plating by a government customer that brought you the $300 spanner! To Freeman Dyson, writing in the October 2016 edition of the New York Review of Books, this is a fi ne example of ‘Big Space’ – the heavily bureaucratic, large-scale space mission that still dominates not only the US but also other institutional space programmes.

Size might not matter in NewSpace

The advent of ‘Little Space’ or ‘NewSpace’, on the other hand, is characterised by small start-up companies using off-the-shelf components and other low-cost procedures rapidly to design, build and orbit small satellites and devices – an

The challenge of NewSpace

i f

Laser ranging retro refl ector deployed on the Moon by the Apollo 14 astronauts.

than a fi ve-tonne geostationary communications satellite. It is no coincidence that NewSpace has emerged alongside the disruptive force of SpaceX and the other cheap launchers under development. NewSpace applications depend on low cost, regular and adaptable launchers, with shorter lead times for a slot. Although conventional launchers could, and will, deliver some aspects of NewSpace’s requirements, the full transformation will depend on proving the reliability and effectiveness of the new rockets and ‘space planes’, such as Virgin Galactic.

In reality, the new launcher enterprises, SpaceX and Blue Origin lie mid-way between Big and Small Space. Their approach to design and construction is energetically Small Space, eschewing the complex and bureaucratic procurement of NASA and the US Department of Defense (DoD) (or the European Space Agency (ESA) for that matter). However, these bold new players are also keen to take the taxpayers’ dollars through the DoD and NASA contracted (and protected) business and to team with Big Space companies to build a new generation of rocket engines. SpaceX is also becoming an established presence in the government and commercial satellite launch business, challenging ULA and Arianespace for a share of the Big Space market.

Smallsats at the heart of NewSpace

The centrepiece of NewSpace is the small satellite, in many cases launched as a low-Earth orbit (LEO) constellation. Typically, they weigh in at about 5kg or less. The smallest are around 10cm × 11.5cm and, packaged together, can be launched as a subsidiary payload. By early 2013, some 200 ‘cubesats’ had already been fl own. With a ‘shelf life’ of less than a

year, they are designed to be expendable and replaceable. LEO positioning

also reduces the time lag in transmitting

broadband data and a constellation formation allows

approach heavily infl uenced by the information and communications technology (ICT) industry, with its two to three year product cycle and intense competitive environment driving innovation. Indeed, many of the NewSpace entrepreneurs made their money in ICT applications, or inhabit the world of small-scale university spin-offs.

A common feature of their business model is the exploitation of innovation on the interface of hardware and service applications. The emphasis is on using where possible off-the-shelf components, taking advantage of the falling cost and rising capability of smartphone technology, perhaps with customised critical elements built in-house. There is also a clear commitment to ‘open source’ ideas and concepts to develop a unique end-product, or at least something that offers a distinct competitive edge. In this world, unusually for the space industry, volume also counts, sometimes as a way of insuring against launch failures.

Corporate failure is not unexpected but, viewed as a valuable learning process, and with lower up-front cash requirements, a rapid return to the fray is possible.

The US has seen a whole bunch of Small Space entrepreneurs, such as Planet Labs’ Dove satellites and other space entrepreneurs. The UK is also represented by Surrey Satellites (even if SSTL is now an Airbus subsidiary, the parent wants to retain the innovative, small company approach pioneered by SSTL). Although the US still dominates the arena, many others are seeking to climb aboard the NewSpace bandwagon.

And further out

On the extreme edge of NewSpace entrepreneurialism, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have ambitions to launch manned fl ights to Mars and establish colonies. Indeed, reaching out to the planets appears to be their primary motive for engaging in space at all. There are also a number of imaginative ‘commercial’ applications that belong on the fringe of NewSpace, such as space mining and direct solar energy generation. There may be just a hint of science fi ction here – especially where advocates begin to conceive of ‘eco missions’, creating a space-based biosphere to save planetary fl ora (shades of the classic movie Silent Running).

Nevertheless, if the cost of accessing space does fall radically, many more options will open up for NewSpace-based applications, although most will have a strictly terrestrial application in mind.

Low-cost access a crucial factor

NewSpace applications tend to require different launch systems other

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A set of NanoRacks CubeSats are deployed from the International Space Station in February 2014.

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The potential expansion of NewSpace is being enabled by lower cost access to space and the development of reusable space hardware, such as SpaceX’s Falcon 7 rocket which can land again after launch.

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increased coverage. Set against these advantages is the need for continual replenishment (offset again by low cost, readily available launch systems) and space debris issues.

These satellites have the potential for diverse commercial applications, particularly in Earth observation, broadband connectively and as a platform for the ‘Internet of things’, a development of the Internet in which everyday objects have network connectivity, allowing them to send and receive data. Cheap Earth observation using constellations is also a growing commercial offering. Planet and Google Terra Bella are orbiting, or have plans to orbit constellations offering images at less than 0.5m resolution. Non-visual data is next up; HawkEye 360 plans to offer means of monitoring various types of radio frequency sources, selling information to cellular and satellite networks. Crucially, these companies regard themselves an information service delivery operation, not as satellite operators per se.

NewSpace – new money

A key feature of the NewSpace business model is the role of private funding, with investors prepared to take the risk of a space start-up – so long as there is promise of a high return. This depends upon an established set of players accustomed to high-risk investment, and better still if closely located to the space entrepreneurs. However, the space entrepreneur community will also take advantage of public funding, R&D grants, and tax reliefs if offered. A favourable legal framework, such as the US, which rapidly accepted commercialisation of satellite communication and Earth observation, and has recently authorised the commercial extraction of raw materials in space, is also helpful. Less draconian bankruptcy rules is a further stimulus to risk taking.

In the fi rst few years of this century, private venture investment in space totalled just $186m. In 2011-

SPACEPrivate enterprise

15, this grew to $2-3bn, half of which coming from Californian investors. Still only a small fraction of total world space funding, but vital to NewSpace companies.

Europe looks to commercialise space

The challenge for governments is setting the right balance between the freewheeling mentality of the NewSpace entrepreneurs and the large-scale programmes they usually fi nance. UK space, with access to the City and hedge funds that have some appetite for speculative investment, would seem to be well placed to benefi t from the new approach to space. This is certainly one of the key assumptions behind the networking brief of the Satellite Applications Catapult established in 2013 as a non-profi t making organisation to foster growth in the economy through the exploitation of space. It brings together multidisciplinary teams to generate new ideas and concepts. It does not fund programmes but links space start-ups with the UK’s business angels, venture capital community and banks. It may also help that the UK has historically chosen to focus on the more commercial aspects of space, with private funding already well established in the UK-located satellite operating community. In November the UK Government announced that the fi rst venture capital fund dedicated to commercialising space – Seraphim – won its backing with a £50m investment pledge from the British business bank.

France and Germany, as leading European proponents of Big Space and key players in the Ariane programme, have begun directly to feel the hot breath of SpaceX competition. However, both are looking at the wider phenomenon of NewSpace. In Germany, the prospects of NewSpace are the subject of a report commissioned by the German Ministry of Economy and Energy published last year from Space-tech, a German consultancy. The report, NewSpace: Business Models at the Interface of the Space Industry and Digital Economy, follows a

[NEWSPACE] ... IS GROWING COMPLEMENT TO INSTITUTION-ALLY FUNDED SPACE AND IS A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF INNOVATION FOR THE LARGER SPACE COMPANIES

One of many start-up space companies assisted by Starburst Accelerator is Deep Space Industries (DSI) which plans to mine minerals from asteroids or even, as illustrated, to build its own space habitats.

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2010 German space policy statement establishing priorities for future investment, which recognised even then the potential importance of NewSpace, the growth of privately funded space initiatives, primarily in the US. The report is intended to shape future German approaches to space, and will form the basis for an action plan for German space.

Space-tech singled out the lack of an entrepreneurial approach to space in Germany (and in Europe generally perhaps). But this will be essential if the German space industry is successfully to attack the NewSpace markets. This will require a ‘dialogue with the entrepreneurs in the IT and Internet industry’. Above all, it will need a new and more dynamic approach to funding space activities: German banks view space generally as fraught with risk and too exotic for their taste.

Similarly the French space agency CNES is aware of the challenges posed by NewSpace and the need to adapt accordingly – it certainly believes that the French space industry can evolve and accommodate the new business environment. There are signs that some French entrepreneurs are willing to take the plunge; the Starburst Accelerator was established in France in 2012 to bolster innovation in the aerospace sector and now has offi ces worldwide. Its primary function is to make introductions between NewSpace companies and fi nanciers. Signifi cantly, larger companies, such as Boeing Networks and Space Systems, are increasingly involved in Starburst Accelerator’s activities, looking for new ideas and concepts. Airbus and Thales are making similar moves in this direction in Europe and, in the US, in some cases offering seedcorn funding.

The latest version of the European Union Space Strategy, published last October, also recognised the need to ‘stay ahead of fast-moving disruptive innovation, the emergence of new business models and growing global competition’. It promises to gear funding ‘more strongly’ towards space entrepreneurs starting and scaling up across the Single Market. This will include the promotion of more private investment and support for industrial space hubs and clusters in European regions.

The limits of private funding

Institutional space still carries the bulk of funding for the space industry and there seems to be little scope for NewSpace in Russia and China. There is still an irreplaceable role for Big Space; no one else yet could absorb the cost and risk of running a long-term deep space scientifi c mission, building and paying for the standard GSO telecommunications satellite, let alone sustaining a manned space extravaganza. This is still the province of ‘Political Space’, with missions to demonstrate national prestige or to defend national security. Conventional

commercial satellite operators are also risk averse, preferring the reassurance of the proven large (and costly) platform that stands a high chance of reaching orbit and working for a decade or more.

There is also a risk that private funding might be brittle, less able to cope with too much technological and commercial uncertainty, which could prove fi ckle in the face of too many failures. Even one of the biggest players in the NewSpace arena, Elon Musk, is facing some questions about the fi nancial structure that underpins his three linked innovative companies, SpaceX, Tesla and SolarCity. They have a high valuation, growing revenues, but some debt and little hard cash in reserve. Musk also has a widespread ‘fan club’ in Wall Street and beyond who are confi dent that revenues are set to soar across the gamut of his companies.

However, The Economist has considered the possibility that fi nancial stress could yet undermine Musk’s personal control over his ventures; and any reduction in the current high stock valuation might tempt Lockheed Martin or another defence/aerospace contractor into a take-over bid. As The Economist concluded: ‘Mr Musk’s most extraordinary creation may not be cars or a spacecraft, but a business structure that works only if risky companies perform perfectly on ambitious plans. Mr Musk is like an astronaut orbiting the earth with no easy way down’.

Commercial space is here to stay

These qualifi cations aside, as in the ICT industry, individual NewSpace start-ups will rise and fall with the rapidity of the proverbial shooting star. However, some will stick and prosper. As a vibrant part generally of the

space industry, it will not go away. It is a growing complement to institutionally funded space and is a potential source of innovation for the larger space companies. Governments neglect its potential at their peril – not just because of the risk of losing out economically but also for neglecting the security value of responsive and fl exible space-based assets to supplement the more sophisticated platforms. For some states this will be a cheap means of creating a capability hitherto denied by cost and complexity.

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In November the Vice Premier of China, Ma Kai, visited SSTL as part of a tour to explore closer strategic and economic partnerships with the UK.

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PLANE SPEAKINGSir Michael Arthur

Plane speaking withSir Michael Arthur

AEROSPACE: You are now President of Boeing Europe. What responsibilities and challenges does that bring and why did Boeing choose the UK to be the centre of its European HQ?

MA: I continue to head Boeing in the UK and Ireland from London, while now also leading the company’s European strategy and operations.The objective is to streamline our corporate presence and drive business growth across the region. The new structure brings Boeing corporate leaders across Europe into a unifi ed team and integrates the company’s strategy development and government affairs initiatives at a regional level. Ultimately this will sharpen Boeing’s strategic focus on a critical region, make our operations more effi cient and emphasise localised decision-making on a pan-European basis. To be clear, this is not our European HQ. There is no European Boeing HQ anywhere. We operate across Europe with various leaders and corporate functions positioned in the most appropriate place to support our customers, both external and internal

AEROSPACE: Since Dennis Muilenburg took over as CEO last year, what changes have you see in leadership style and Boeing’s top level strategy? What is his focus?

MA: Dennis and his leadership team are having a big impact. They have set global ambitions for us at the start of our second century. They have set a very fast pace from the top of the company. There is a contagious enthusiasm and excitement about our future which I fi nd exciting and motivating. Overall, the direction of the company remains the same, our commitment to innovation and harnessing the unrivalled capabilities of our people to meet the needs of our customers worldwide, while the change has come in some of the methods. There’s an enhanced push to streamline operations to remain competitive, to work seamlessly across the many varied parts of the business and around the world, as well as build on our strengths to meet the needs of our customers.

AEROSPACE: Boeing had an extremely successful Farnborough on the defence side, with commitments for P-8A Poseidon and AH-64E agreed. How will these programmes now move forward? What opportunities do you see with the £100m P-8 training base, and will the AH-64Es be manufactured or rebuilt in the UK or in Mesa, Arizona?

MA: These are government-to-government agreements, so we are supporting both the US

AEROSPACE talks to SIR MICHAEL ARTHUR, President of Boeing Europeabout the company’s centennial, recruitment strategies and plans for theUK in the future.

WE ARE BUILDING OUR OWN CAPABILITIES HERE IN THE UK AND AT THE SAME TIME WE ARE SUPPORTING THE ADDITIONAL GROWTH OF OUR SUPPLIERS IN THIS COUNTRY TOO

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Left: Sir Michael Arthur.

and the UK, ensuring deliveries take place when our customers require and working with the UK to determine how to support the programmes fully here in this country. It is worth restating that the purchase of the equipment is only a minority of the overall value of the life of the programme. As we have shown with the Chinook for the RAF, we deliver services and support for the UK’s Armed Forces here and on the frontline, partnering with our customer and the UK supply chain to deliver high-value jobs here in this country, as well as the best possible value and capability for the MoD. Over the last fi ve year period of the Chinook contract we delivered increased availability and the Government told us we saved £150m over the same time. We want to continue in that vein.

AEROSPACE: While P-8 and AH-64E will undoubtably boost UK military capabilities, what do you say to people who might be concerned about the impact on the UK’s defence industrial capabilities?

MA: Our industry is a global one. You’ll struggle to fi nd any aircraft made entirely in one country. We constantly remind people of two things. Firstly, we are committed to the UK supply chain. We spent more than twice as much with UK suppliers in 2015 as we did in 2011. We committed with the UK Government at Farnborough to support additional enhancement initiatives for UK suppliers to help improve their competitiveness still further. That will deliver benefi ts on Boeing programmes but also on other projects. Secondly, we can meet the requirements of our customers here in the UK. That applies in defence, such as with the Chinook, or with the MoD on information services, and in the commercial aircraft fi eld with the UK being the base for Boeing Commercial Aviation Services (Europe) Ltd. So we are building our own capabilities here in the UK and at the same time we are supporting the additional growth of our suppliers in this country too. With both the Apache and P-8A agreements there will no doubt be more decisions to follow from the Government on how they are supported here in the UK. We want to be a major part of that.

AEROSPACE: The company also strengthened its ties with the UK with a pledge to double jobs and offer more opportunities for UK suppliers on Boeing programmes. Can you explain these in more detail? For instance, wouldn’t UK companies already be winning work if they were competitive enough?

MA: That’s precisely the point. As we seek to maintain our competitive edge it is vital that we take that journey together with our suppliers. The UK is the third largest source of supply for Boeing after the US and Japan. So already the industry here is doing a lot right. Together our aim is to continue to improve and share the success throughout

the supply chain. Part

of our commitment to

the UK is to share our vision of how we plan to maintain momentum in effi ciency, in safety, in innovation. When suppliers understand that they can better meet specifi c requirements. We want to share that drive with our partners here in the UK. That way we ensure our long-term partnership with the UK continues to fl ourish, delivering enhanced prosperity to this country.

AEROSPACE: Boeing has doubled its UK workforce in the past fi ve years, How does the UK fi gure in Boeing’s future strategy? Services, support, R&D or even manufacturing?

Right: British Airways’ 787-9 on the Boeing production line in Seattle.

At the Farnborough Air Show in July, the UK placed an order for 50 Boeing AH-64E Apache attack helicopters (above) and nine P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft (below).

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MA: Another part of our announcement with the Government at Farnborough was to double our employment in the UK again in the coming years. This will be across the business, both commercial and defence, and includes our subsidiaries here too. We’ll be making further announcements to fl esh out the details, some of which will be with customers or partners. As you’d expect, most of this will be growing our existing industry leadership in services and support but I’d not rule out additional developments with research partners too.

AEROSPACE: Boeing has forecast a global need for 617,000 new pilots, 679,000 maintenance technicians and 814,000 cabin crew between now and 2035. What is Boeing doing to address this shortage?

MA: Our 2016 Pilot and Technician Outlook does indeed make those predictions and we’re working globally with airline customers to train people to meet these requirements, including here in the UK where we have our Gatwick Training Campus providing pilot and technician training to customers from all over the world. No one organisation will be able to do this alone but we’re playing a leading role in delivering the skills and updating capabilities to support the global demand for fl ying and the professionals that make that possible.

AEROSPACE: Are there opportunities for the smaller MROs to work with Boeing as you seek to somplete through Boeing Gold Care?

MA: Of course. As we grow our commercial aviation services business, particularly here in the UK, we grow our partnerships with customers and suppliers. As the OEM we bring our design knowledge, manufacturing experience, engineering expertise and fl eet data to every service we provide. No one else has it. But we often work with partners to deliver our services and this area of our business is no different.

AEROSPACE: We are going through a tumultuous time in British politics this year. Do you see any negative effects from Brexit on Boeing’s business in the UK (exchange rates, certifi cation, moving staff around) or do you think it could be positive for a US company increasing its global presence?

MA: We see the UK’s future relationship with the EU as a matter for the British people and the UK Government. We will continue to grow our business wherever our customers are and to deliver whatever they want. Don’t forget that Boeing has a long-standing relationship with the UK, with its Armed Forces and its air transport industry, dating back to the 1930s. We have doubled our direct employment in the UK since 2011 and hired, on average, a

PLANE SPEAKINGSir Michael Arthur

new employee per day in 2015. Boeing intends to continue this growth in the UK during 2016 and beyond. The UK remains critically important for Boeing, as a base for operations supporting airline and defense customers as well as a source of innovative suppliers and technology partners alongside sales opportunities. For example, in 2015 alone Boeing spent £1.8bn with UK suppliers, more than twice the level of 2012. This supports 12,700 jobs in the tier one supply chain.

AEROSPACE: As the second strongest aerospace industry in the world, will the recent EU referendum effect threaten the UK’S global position?

MA: This is a signifi cant moment, of that there is no question. But success or failure doesn’t depend on the decision that’s now been taken. Instead it’s how we now work to make the best of the decision. As a global business we’re conditioned to take the long-term view and to deal with changing political circumstances and we’ll continue to do that. For the UK industry to succeed, it needs to do the same. The Government will have many discussions with the aerospace industry and a clear overall picture is already emerging over issues that need to be addressed, such as the single market, EASA and environmental initiatives, not to mention aerospace research and defence and security co-operation. So could it threaten the UK’s global position? Yes it could. But, however the UK’s relationship with the EU turns out, I see an opening up of our sector, of global trade, global supply chains and cross-border

Boeing’s Gatwick Training Campus provides training for the 737-700/-800, 757-200, 767-300ER, 777-200ER/-300ER and the 787.

First fl ight in April 2013 of the G-SBAP two-seater RANS S6ES Coyote II built by students from Marling School, Stroud High School and Maidenhill School as part of the Boeing/RAeS Build-a-Plane Challenge.

Concept CGI of Boeing’s Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 Starliner seven crew reusable space capsule.

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In November, Boeing and Gatwick Airport announced plans to build a new maintenance hangar at the airport to support Boeing’s European GoldCare MRO customers.

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research co-operation. Life’s what you make of it and this is no different. As an industry we seek solutions to the hardest questions and challenges, so let’s get to work on this one.

AEROSPACE: Boeing has been committed to boosting STEM and to inspiring young people into careers in aerospace and aviation by supporting initiatives such as the RAeS Schools Build-a-Plane Challenge and Falcon initiative. What more, do you think, needs to be done?

MA: We’re very proud of our UK community partnerships. Worldwide we are committed to playing an active role in the communities in which we operate and in which our employees live. Our industry offers such outstanding opportunities and our aim with our partners, such as the RAeS, is to widen the pool of people able to access these opportunities for their own personal success as well as that of the industry. The main challenge now, as far as I can see, is to tackle the infl uencers around young people. Parents, teachers and peers can have such a profound infl uence on school-age children. It is our role to show them the nature of modern manufacturing, particularly young women who are statistically much less likely to consider our sector. We’re potentially missing out on so many talented people by our industry not appealing to girls enough. It’s not dull or dirty or dangerous. It’s high-tech, safe, exciting and rewarding. The industry has a role to play in showing this to people fi rst hand, either through site visits or engaging videos on social media channels where our intended audience gets its information. We need to go to them, wherever they are, our future depends on it, as does theirs. At Boeing in the UK we put this high up on our agenda.

AEROSPACE: Last year Boeing has celebrated its 100th anniversary. What has been your personal highlight this year and, looking back on its history, what product stands out most for you?

MA: Our centennial has been such an incredible opportunity to celebrate the achievements of Boeing’s people worldwide since 1916, engage our partners, customers and suppliers in that success

and inspire young people to join us for the challenges of the next 100 years. It’s tough to pick out one highlight but, if I could be allowed a few, then Farnborough and our centennial pavilion would be one. Hosting ‘Above and Beyond’ in Greenwich this summer was great as another way to inspire young people on an aerospace journey too. To celebrate our fi rst 100 years we produced a terrifi c fi ve-part documentary series. I’d recommend taking a look at that, then people can pick their own! Looking back on this century I also pay tribute to Joe Sutter, who passed away at the age of 95. Starting from scratch Joe and his team designed and built the world-beating 747 ‘Jumbo’ jet in less than three years. That’s an incredible inspiration for us going forward.

AEROSPACE: What is your opinion of the aviation, aerospace and defence challenges that the Prime Minister and her team should be focusing on?

MA: For quite a while now Governments of all hues have understood the value that the aerospace industry provides to the UK economy. The continuity of approach at BEIS in partnership with other Government departments and the industry is very positive. Providing that constructive conversation – focusing on investment in new technologies and skills development – and the recognition of the value that we bring to this country continue then we have a framework for us to deliver on the nation’s priorities. Continuing as part of the wider family of European aerospace – such as EASA – is also vital.

AEROSPACE: What do you envisage will be the next major advancement in aerospace/space in the next 100 years?

MA: I think it’s too tough to narrow down to just one. Right now we’re focused on delivering effi ciency in our products for our customers but also in how we make them and develop them. But projects are already underway on hypersonic fl ight, autonomous fl ight, hybrid aircraft, the mission to Mars and many more. It’s a very exciting time to be involved in the industry and provides us with ample opportunities to inspire the next generation to choose our sector.

Infographic showing Boeing’s involvement in the UK military and civil market.

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UK

The UK Government recently awarded a £131.5m contract to Raytheon UK to upgrade the RAF’s Sentinel surveillance aircraft. BILL READ FRAeS reports from Broughton to learn more about theupgrade and its implications for the future of the Sentinel fleet.

Guarding the skies

The Sentinel is based on a modifi ed Bombardier Global Express business jet powered by two Rolls-Royce BR700s with the fi rst prototype fl ying in August 2001. The fi rst production Sentinel R1 made its maiden fl ight in May 2004, after which the aircraft entered operational service with RAF V (Army Co-operation) Squadron based at RAF Waddington and fl ew its fi rst operational sortie in Afghanistan in February 2009. There are currently fi ve Sentinels in operation – the fi rst of which was modifi ed in Greenville, Texas and other four at Broughton.


SENTINEL R1

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Sentinel reloaded

At the end of October, it was announced that the RAF had awarded Raytheon a £131.5m contract to continue support services for the Sentinel battlefi eld and ground surveillance aircraft programme.

Under the new Integrated Sentinel Support Solution contract, Raytheon will continue to manage the design, confi guration management, modifi cation and support aspects of the Sentinel at its facility in Broughton in Wales. AEROSPACE visited Raytheon UK Airbourne Solutions in Broughton, where the second Sentinel was in the middle of a heavy overhaul, to ask what this contract might mean for the longer-term future of the Sentinel fl eet.

MoD

An RAF Sentinel R1


The aircraft operates at altitudes of 40,000ft or above to conduct strategic reconnaissance and provide military commanders with a high-resolution view of a large battlefi eld area. Crew comprises a pilot, a co-pilot, an Airborne Mission Commander (AMC) and two image analysts. Missions can last up to nine hours.

The Sentinel uses AESA (active electronically scanned array) technology and is equipped with a Raytheon Systems/BAE Systems dual-mode synthetic aperture radar / moving target indication (SAR/MTI) radar known as Sentinel Dual Mode Radar Sensor (DMRS). The cockpit has a centrally housed, pull-down screen capable of displaying a moving map, Link 16 datalink information. The aircraft is also equipped with a defensive aids subsystem (DASS) comprising a towed radar decoy, missile approach warning system and chaff and fl are dispensers which can be operated in automatic, semi-automatic or manual mode.

Sentinels have been used in campaigns in Afghanistan, Libya and Mali and are currently operating in Syria and Iraq. In addition to military applications, the aircraft’s capability has also been used for humanitarian and disaster relief missions, including mapping and surveying the fl oods that hit Southern England in 2014.

Heavy maintenance

Because the Sentinels have now been in RAF service for over ten years, the aircraft are in need of an upgrade. The contract to refurbish the aircraft has been awarded to Raytheon UK which has been supporting the Sentinel since 2007. Raytheon is currently working on the second airframe up to the end of this year and will move onto the third in January. “We currently have a contract up to the fourth aircraft with an option for the fi fth,” said Roland Howell, Raytheon’s UK Head of Airborne Solutions.

When seen in October the second Sentinel was little more than a basic airframe with no engines, undercarriage or interior fi ttings. “What we’re doing here is a ten-year ‘HC’ check,” explained Roger Shone, GM of Raytheon Broughton. “HC is basically an airframe inspection but, to get to the airframe, you need to strip everything out. There are a number of other Global Express 5000 business jets currently going through HCs as well but, because the Sentinel has been missionised, it’s no longer a basic model and there’s a lot more work to it. A corporate Global Express needs around three to four months to be refurbished but we need more time than that. We’ve got to take out all the mission equipment, the racks and the panelling, after which we go in there and inspect areas of the aircraft that haven’t been looked at since it was built. If we fi nd issues, whether they’re electrical, connective or a bit of corrosion, then we go in and fi x them.”

Raytheon is currently working refurbishing Sentinel 691, the second aircraft in the fl eet.

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Radar SAR image from a Royal Air Force Sentinel R1 from RAF Waddington showing fl oods surrounding a railway line in Oxford in February 2014.

The Sentinel includes a number of missionised modifi cations not found on the original Global Express 5000.


“Because we don’t always know what we might fi nd, it’s quite a dynamic programme,” he adds. “We have an integrated master schedule to make sure that we can manage and fi x them any problems that might arise. On top of that, the aircraft comes in with a tech log listing additional issues which need to be sorted. We work closely with the project team (PT) on what we do, including timescales and costs. If it’s a basic green aircraft issue, we go straight to Bombardier, if it’s an area that we’ve modifi ed, we bring in the original equipment manufacturer (OEM). We may ask the PT whether to replace parts and buy new ones or we can defer issues until later if it will affect delivery times. We have our own design authority for Sentinel but we work closely with Bombardier and have agreements in place to make sure what we do is airworthy. In the past, if there was a particular issue, Bombardier has supplied us with engineers for one or two weeks. We also talk to engineers at RAF Waddington to come up with solutions which we then discuss with the customer to give it the go ahead.”

The aircraft’s radar system is also being refurbished. “The main work on refurbishing the radar is being done here on site,” said Roger Shone. “Sometimes we also bring in our radar-trained fi eld service representative (FSR) engineers from RAF

DEFENCERAF Sentinel MRO

Waddington who have a better skill set. The radar has some maintenance checks that we do some here and some can be done at Waddington.”

“We’re now completed what we call the virgin work and were about go into refi t where we start to build the aircraft back up. The aircraft is now essentially like a new green airframe and what we’ll do now is to start putting all the pieces back together. When we’ve done that, we’ll link in the mission systems and test them, after which we’ll fl y it to RAF Waddington where they’ll do some more tests over two more weeks. RAF Waddington will add some more capability equipment and then the aircraft is fl ight mission capable.”

Learning by experience

Raytheon’s experience with refurbishing the fi rst Sentinel has enabled it to accelerate the schedule for the second aircraft and will complete the programme ever faster for the third and fourth. “We’ve taken advantage of the learning we’ve achieved over past few years and doing things more effi ciently in terms of structure and manning,” explained Roland Howell. “Roger’s team have applied a great deal of effort working with the customer in terms of Six Sigma working techniques.”

“The fi rst Sentinel was here for 12 months,” said Roger Shone. “This second one will be with us for eight months and, for the third, we’ve come up with six month schedule, which is likely to become the base line for the remaining two. There are still some challenges working with MoD, the project team and the airworthiness authorities but we think we can achieve it. When we took the fi rst Sentinel to bits, we didn’t fi nd anything unusual or unexpected. We learned a lot from the process and we’ve now got a good idea of the type of parts we need to order which helps reduce the schedule. When we did the fi rst HC, we learned what materials and components we needed to replace and in what order. So, when we came to the second aircraft, we were able to reduce lead times by ordering the components in advance, so when we took a panel off we’d have to so we already have the parts available. This has often been a challenge, as third party suppliers all have different delivery times and like to have as much notice as possible.

Shone admitted that one problem had been that of obsolescence. “Everything goes obsolete eventually,” he admitted. “Vendors go out of business or cease to supply or support components, sub-assemblies or cards within line-replaceable units (LRUs). We have to look at new ways to ensure that redesign is achieved which may include solutions that might not have previously been economic.”

On-going process

At present, the second Sentinel is on schedule to be delivered on 30 January 2017. Work on upgrading the

Raytheon has used its experience from the fi rst Sentinel refurbishment to reduce the time needed for subsequent overhauls.


third aircraft will begin immediately afterwards but in a refurbished hangar located across the Broughton airfi eld within the Airbus UK site. “Raytheon is looking to further invest in this region and, with the support of the Welsh government, have invested in a new hangar at our Broughton facility to ensure that we can continue to deliver design-to-fl ight-trials capability for improved operational availability,” said Raytheon UK’s Business Development Executive, John Craib, “With this investment, the company will be able to manage export work and optimise Sentinel support, reducing the time and costs involved in HC deep maintenance checks.”

Radar upgrades

Raytheon is hoping that it may be awarded an additional MoD contract to upgrade the Sentinel’s ASTOR (Airborne StandOff Radar) and has prepared plans in case this contract be forthcoming. “Part of the programme includes radar redesign, obsolescence redesign and satcom activity,” said Roland Howell. “We’ve done a range of minor modifi cations on an ongoing basis and we anticipate some further upgrade activity which will be planned taking into account maintenance, modifi cation and fl ight test activities.”

According to Raytheon UK’s Airborne Solutions Design Support Services (DSS), the radar upgrades would involve replacing the earlier core mission system servers, workstations and mission software with new hardware. The upgrade will reduce the size, weight and power consumption of the system while enhancing image processing power and throughput. The ASTOR mission software would also be upgraded so that it is compatible with new MMS hardware.

Uncertain future

The long-term future of the Sentinel fl eet has been uncertain since the UK Government’s 2010 SDSR (Strategic Defence and Security Review) called for the Sentinel fl eet to be retired in 2015 after British forces had pulled out of Iraq. This deadline has been granted a number of extensions. The 2016 SDSR extended the service time of Sentinel to 2021 as part of a wider intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) plan, which plans to keep the Shadow intelligence platform in operation up to 2030 and the Sentry AEW and

Rivet Joint

signals intelligence aircraft to 2035.Last year’s Farnborough

Air Show saw an impassioned plea from RAF’s ISTAR Force

commander, Air Commodore Dean Andrew, encouraging the Government not to reduce the size of the Sentinel fl eet which were in high demand for different missions. Four of the aircraft are now expected to remain in service until at least 2021.

The fi fth Sentinel R1 was due to be retired last October but a decision on whether to reduce the fl eet has now been put back until March.

Government plans?

So, given that the UK government has now contracted Raytheon to upgrade at least four out of the fi ve Sentinels for further service, what are its plans for the long-term future of the fl eet? This question was put to Harriet Baldwin MP, Minister for Defence Procurement, who came to Broughton to announce the awarding of the £131.5m contract. Unfortunately, when asked whether the fi fth aircraft would remain in the fl eet beyond March or if the Sentinel fl eet would remain in service after 2021, her answers were far from clear. “We are always in the process of evaluating our choices and opportunities across our whole portfolio of ISTAR and C4I (command, control, communications, computers and intelligence) assets”, she said. Beyond that, she refused to be drawn, saying only that: “SDSR sets out very clearly the strategic framework. Today is a strong announcement announcing the extension of the platform.”

While admitting that there was no decision as to the future of Sentinel beyond 2021, Roger Shone was

still hopeful about its future. “However,” he added. “Because of the performance of the platform and the capability it provides, we fully expect that it will survive beyond that date.”

WE ARE ALWAYS IN THE PROCESS OF EVALUATING OUR CHOICES AND OPPORTUNITIES ACROSS OUR WHOLE PORTFOLIO OF ISTAR AND C4I ASSETSHarriet Baldwin MPMinister for Defence Procurement

Will the Sentinel start to fade away from 2017 onwards?

Established as a key event in the social calendar of the aviation and aerospace community, the Royal Aeronautical Society Annual Banquet attracts high level industry attendance and offers the ideal opportunity for networking and corporate entertainment.

Individual tickets and corporate tables are available with discounted rates for RAeS Members and Corporate Partners.

Venue

The InterContinental London Park Lane,One Hamilton Place, London W1J 7QY, UK

Programme

Reception: 7.15pmDinner: 8.00pm

What’s included?

This black tie event includes a pre-dinner networking reception followed by an exquisite four-course dinner with fine wines and coffee.

Enquiries to:Gail Ward, Events Manager – Corporate & SocietyRoyal Aeronautical SocietyT: +44 (0)1491 629 912 / E: [email protected]

www.aerosociety.com/banquet

Thursday 11 May 2017 / London

Supported by

2017ANNUAL BANQUET

41JANUARY 2017

Afterburner

42 Message from RAeS- President“What are the essential environmental factors for successful innovation? Investment in R&D attracted the most hits (hooray); support from an infl uential sponsor (someone, other than you, who believes in your idea); for larger organisations, appropriate corporate governance, meaning the right balance between control and freedom (for both employees and suppliers).”

- Chief Executive“Looking back over 2016, the Society has enjoyed an incredibly busy year with an extensive and varied programme of events and other activities to celebrate our 150th anniversary. You’ll find a more detailed summary on p 49 of how we have achieved our goals to celebrate the formation of the Society with a theme of innovative firsts in aerospace and inspire the next generation towards even greater innovations in science, engineering and technology.”

44 Book ReviewsEyeing the Red Storm, The Three Musketeers of the Army Air Forces and Sonic to Stand Off.

47 Library AdditionsBooks submitted to the National Aerospace Library.

48 2016 Wilbur and Orville Wright Lecture

ACM Sir Stephen Hillier, CAS, RAF, delivered the 105th Wilbur and Orville Wright Lecture discussing ‘Growing the RAF’ following the awarding of the Society’s 2016 Honours.

49 150th AnniversaryThe RAeS 150th Anniversary Celebrations in 2016 have been an outstanding success on many fronts, not just globally but extra-terrestrially.

50 Washington DC BranchRAeS Washington DC Branch held a panel discussion entitled Emerging Global Approaches in the Regulation of Commercial UAS on 22 September at the British American School.

51 NAL Aircraft Factory site plans

A unique collection of 185 site plans of aircraft manufacturing sites and factories around Britain which was compiled for the Ministry of Supply in 1946-1947.

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

www.aerosociety.com

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

Space Shuttle Atlantis takes fl ight on its STS-27 mission, 2 December 1988. NASA.

Diary24 JanuaryToulouse Branch25th Gordon Corps LectureSafety aspects of the space shuttleProf Claude Nicollier, ESA astronaut

42

Message from RAeSOUR PRESIDENT

Prof Chris Atkin

‘HIGH ACHIEVERS’ IS A GOOD WAY OF DESCRIBING THE SPEAKERS AT OUR INNOVATION CONFERENCES AT THE END OF NOVEMBER


Afterburner

A Happy New Year to all; interesting times lie ahead in 2017; strap yourself in! May I start by proposing a New Year’s resolution for your membership of the Society? This is to participate in the Society’s Honours, Medals and Awards scheme. Nominations close in March but it takes time to put together a strong case. It is an important function of a learned Society to offer recognition to high achievers, and identifying these individuals and teams is a key role for our member network. I’ll also add a reminder that nominations for the 2017 Council elections close at the end of January.

‘High achievers’ is a good way of describing the speakers at our innovation conferences at the end of November. In September I questioned whether the modern risk environment had adversely affected our industry’s aspiration and ability to innovate. The succinct answer, perhaps the expected one, is that evidence of ongoing innovation is clear if one looks in the right places. Nonetheless, those who wonder why all modern transport aircraft look the same were given some thought-provoking answers regarding barriers to ‘disruptive’ change.

What are the essential environmental factors for successful innovation? Investment in R&D attracted the most hits (hooray); support from an infl uential sponsor (someone, other than you, who believes in your idea); for larger organisations, appropriate corporate governance, meaning the right balance between control and freedom (for both employees and suppliers). Much of the discussion highlighted that innovations in process, product strategy and business model have delivered as much, if not greater, impact as technological innovation. Related themes were the need to match capability and level of maturity to customer needs, balancing the ‘right’ answer against the ‘quick answer’ and the optimised solution against the versatile solution. A key message was that ‘innovation is not linear’, in the sense that there is not always a simple chronology linking technology development and its adoption.

The point was made more than once that ownership of IP is not a pre-requisite to its exploitation. Today’s collaborative environment means that OEMs can exploit new ideas from the supply chain very rapidly, while the (generally) shortening time to market means that it is vital for OEMs to capture innovations offered by the supply chain, or else lose them to a competitor. This is surely good news for those entering the industry today, that the ‘not invented here’ sentiment is on the way out, and that collaboration

has increased the opportunities for innovation to be delivered throughout the supply chain. Of course we aren’t quite ready yet to dispense with the IP lawyers!

Unsurprisingly the management of information and use of intelligent systems were key areas of discussion. There is no doubt that this is where the most tangible transformations are taking place but with a subtly different emphasis from the fully-autonomous systems being touted in other areas of transportation. We instead heard about developments and further opportunities, aimed at improving situational awareness and supporting correct decision-making by the human-in-the-loop.

I mentioned lead times just now: although these are reducing with technology-driven advances in design and manufacture processes, aerospace innovations still require a greater level of maturity, prior to entry into service than in many other sectors. Weekly bug-fi x releases might be work for the consumer software industry but not for safety-critical systems. Indeed the ‘good old days’ of innovation in aerospace, with which the modern pace of development is often unfavourably compared, were marred by fatalities and near-misses which could not be countenanced today. Nevertheless, today’s regulatory regime was cited as unnecessarily (and unintentionally) hindering process innovations, such as additive manufacturing, or indeed emerging platforms, such as UAS and the hybrid air vehicle. Encouragingly, the FAA was able to report that it is already responding to this challenge by adopting a risk-based, rather than prescriptive, approach to regulation.

The conference discussed the role of demonstrators in increasing technology readiness and to reduce risk. These, in the words of NASA’s Hugh Dryden, “separate the real from the imagined”. Another very important aspect of these programmes is, of course, their ability to inspire the next generation.

Finally, a less-anticipated point which we can all ponder: the barrier to innovation presented by conservative thinking in the marketplace, whether scepticism of radical new transport confi gurations, or the negative perceptions of commercial UAS being encouraged by much of the media, or simply resistance to change. Unsubstantiated opposition to new ideas is something I have found hugely frustrating in my career in R&D; this is something which we, as members of a learned society, should certainly challenge in our industry.

Simon C Luxmoore

I AM PLEASED TO REPORT THAT, AT THE TIME OF WRITING, THE SOCIETY’S 2016 MEMBERSHIP GROWTH AND FINANCIAL TARGETS ARE ON COURSE TO BEING ACHIEVED

OUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE

JANUARY 2017 43

The annual Wilbur and Orville Wright Lecture was once again a great success with our Guest of Honour ACM Sir Stephen Hillier FRAeS delivering an excellent lecture, right, which was followed by the annual dinner. The lecture itself was preceded by a most welcome message of congratulation from our Honorary President for 2016, HRH The Prince of Wales, and this was followed by the presentation of awards to the Society’s 2016 new Honorary Fellows and Companion (see p 48).

Looking back over 2016, the Society has enjoyed an incredibly busy year with an extensive and varied programme of events and other activities to celebrate our 150th anniversary. You’ll find a more detailed summary on p 49 of how we have achieved our goals to celebrate the formation of the Society with a theme of innovative firsts in aerospace and inspire the next generation towards even greater innovations in science, engineering and technology.

My particular thanks go to our many Corporate Partners who have supported our activities throughout the year, our Branches and Divisions for hosting an extensive programme of activities across the globe, our members for supporting these activities and, finally, to our 2016 Working Group, headed up by Lee Balthazor FRAeS, who have worked hard to oversee and co-ordinate a vast range of projects to celebrate this milestone in our history. I would also like to thank HRH The Prince of Wales for acting as our Honorary President for the Society’s 150th anniversary.

Last but by no means least I would like to thank the Executive and staff who have put in the additional time and effort to deliver much of the 2016 programme of events while continuing to deliver the regular underlying operational

programme and budget. There has been no additional resource granted to enable them to do this and I would like to congratulate and thank them for their additional hard work and achievement while maintaining, for the most part, a sense of humour. You know who you are!

I am pleased to report that, at the time of writing, the Society’s 2016 membership growth and financial targets are on course to being achieved and more details will be reported in our Annual Review.

As we look ahead to 2017, January marks two years since the National Aerospace Library Conservation project started and, so far, thanks to the hard work of many of our Library volunteers, we have repaired and repackaged over 250 boxes of aero brochures, manuals, pamphlets, reports and articles. Funded by the RAeS Foundation, this work has helped to make the material available to future researchers and it would not have been possible without the enthusiasm of our volunteers – a huge thank you to all of those who support us.

On that happy note and on behalf of all the staff at the Society I would like to take this opportunity to wish you good health and good fortune in 2017 and beyond.


Nominations for Council closes on 31 January 2017– Your opportunity to help guide the Society?The Society would like to hear from members who are interested in standing for the Council in the 2017 elections to be held in the spring. Only by having a good number of candidates from all sectors of the aviation and aerospace community can the Council benefit from a variety of backgrounds and experience.

We would like to remind members that nominations for Council closes at the end of this month. This is an opportunity to impart your expertise in leading the Society to ensure it delivers the highest quality to its members and to contribute to key initiatives within the sector on a global scale.

Please give serious thought to whether you could serve the Society in this most important role. If you are interested, or require further information, please visit our website at http://aerosociety.com/councilelection or contact Saadiya Ogeer, the Society’s Governance and Compliance Manager, on +44 (0)20 7670 4311 or [email protected]

Please note that all nominations must be submitted no later than 31 January 2017.

COUNCIL NOMINATIONS 2017

Book Reviews


Afterburner

EYEING THE RED STORM

Above: On 19 August 1960, a Fairchild C-119J Flying Boxcar made the world’s fi rst midair recovery of a capsule returning from orbit when it ‘snagged’ the parachute lowering the Discoverer XIV satellite at 8,000ft altitude, 360 miles southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii. The aircraft recovered a CORONA capsule returning from space.Below: Thor Agena B with Discoverer 37 on the launch pad on 13 January 1962. Both USAF.

Eisenhower and the First Attempt to Build a Spy SatelliteBy R M DieneschUniversity of Nebraska Press, 1111 Lincoln Mall, Lincoln NE 68588-0630, USA. 2016. Distributed by Combined Academic Publishers, Windsor House, Cornwall Road, Harrogate HG1 2PW, UK. 296pp. £25.99. [25% discount available to RAeS members via www.combinedacademic.co.uk using CS314FLIGHT promotion code]. ISBN 978-0-8032-5572-2.

Canadian historian Robert M Dienesch throws new and interesting light on the space programmes that helped to avert World War 3 – the military surveillance satellites of the 1960s and 1970s. He focuses on recently declassifi ed information about the American WS-117L satellite system that was initiated more than two years before the October 1957 launch of the fi rst satellite Sputnik.

In explaining this surprisingly early start to America’s space programme, Dienesch points to the US paranoia about Soviet military capabilities and intentions brought about by the closed nature of the Communist superpower. The paranoia was fuelled by the trauma of the unexpected Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, strengthened by the surprise invasion of South Korea by its northern neighbour in 1950 and brought to fever pitch by the unexpectedly early Soviet development of the atomic and hydrogen bombs. This is ground well-covered by previous space historians but where Dienesch differs is in emphasising inter-service rivalry between the US Air Force, Army and Navy as a second major reason for President Eisenhower supporting the risky and expensive space programme.

Throughout his two terms as President Eisenhower gave priority to defence against the Soviet Union and a stable and growing US economy (which underpinned the ability to fund defence). Dienesch adds to those a third priority that emerged during the Presidency, namely the tendency of the military to exaggerate the threat in order to increase their funding. Eisenhower worried that unrestrained escalation of military spending would damage the whole US economy and even the American way of life (creating a garrison state, for example). He confi ded to Treasury Secretary George Humphrey that he spent two thirds of his time in 1957 fi ghting pressure to increase spending by competing services.

Dienesch is not the fi rst to recognise the importance of inter-service rivalry in US military

policy. For example, Richard Rhodes, who chronicled the development of nuclear weapons, saw it as the root cause of the US-Soviet nuclear escalation that made the Cold War so inherently frightening. What Dienesch does is to show that Eisenhower understood that only accurate intelligence on Soviet military deployments could undercut the arguments of the US services and this led him to agree to the development of the WS-117L satellite long before such a system had even been demonstrated.

Dienesch describes how the performance required to address Eisenhower’s concerns was soon shown to be beyond the capability of the available technology. This led to many changes of direction and of management before a viable surveillance satellite was developed. The WS-117L turned out to be something of a dead end, since the design that eventually proved successful was intrinsically different: WS-117L aimed to relay imagery to Earth by radio whereas the eventually successful CORONA system returned undeveloped fi lm in a capsule. However, he identifi es many areas of technology developed for WS-117L that helped make CORONA a success. He also points to the emergence of the successful missile warning satellite, MIDAS, as a legacy of WS-117L. If anything, he undersells the importance of WS-117L, failing for example to mention the link to the technology in NASA’s interplanetary probes of the 1960s.

The management issues that emerged in the WS-117L project and how they were resolved have been described before but Dienesch throws new light on them without drowning the reader in detail. I particularly liked his explanation of how the

JANUARY 2017 45i fFind us on Twitter Find us on LinkedIn Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com

recognised his own professional qualities in Van Kirk and Ferebee and the three remained together during their European operational tour.

As a frequent ferry pilot for General Eisenhower and occasionally General Dolittle, it was perhaps not surprising that Tibbets was selected for a ‘special task’ despite a brief and unhappy interregnum as a staff offi cer. As the commander of 509th Bombardment Group in Utah, Van Kirk and Ferebee were selected by Tibbets to be the Group navigator and bombardier, respectively. This ‘special’ group was then joined by 393rd Bomb Squadron.

The author describes in fascinating detail how the squadron trained for the nuclear missions over Japan and how the three characters were central to the success of the fi rst mission and how close the second mission, captained by Major Charles Sweeney, came to disaster. The reader must decide whether Tibbets could have done more to oversee the planning for the ‘near catastrophic Nagasaki mission’, although by this stage the political and senior offi cer involvement was almost overpowering.

A well-written and engaging book that comes highly recommended.

Trevor Nash MA MRAeS

A well-written and engaging book that comes highly recommended

Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay which dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on display at the National Air & Space Museum, Steven F Udvar-Hazy Center. Elliott Wolf.

THE THREE MUSKETEERS OF THE ARMY AIR FORCES

From Hitler’s Fortress Europa to Hiroshima and NagasakiBy R O HarderNaval Institute Press, 291 Wood Road, Annapolis, MD 21402, USA. 2015. Distributed by Eurospan Group, 3 Henrietta Street, London WC2E 8LU, UK. 288pp. Illustrated. £32.50. ISBN 978-1-61251-902-9.

There have been many books written on the topic of the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki with nuclear weapons in August 1945 but this book puts those missions into the context of the relationship between three of the men involved on the fi rst mission to Hiroshima. In doing so, the author, a former B-52D navigator with 145 combat missions during the Vietnam War, creates a fascinating narrative that opens many doors on the US Army Air Forces’ successes and failures associated with strategic bombing.

Paul Tibbets, the aircraft commander of the Hiroshima mission, had fi rst met Theodore ‘Ted’ Van Kirk, the navigator and Thomas Ferebee, the bombardier, when all three were posted to 340th Bomb Squadron in Florida prior to deploying to RAF Polebrook, UK in July 1942. Tibbets, a focused disciplinarian and frequently irascible character,

For those who have a ‘Space and the Cold War’ shelf in their library, this book deserves a place on it

creation of the US Air Force in 1947 made that third service especially aggressive in protecting its remit and funding. Persistent leaks by the USAF to its friends in Congress persuaded Eisenhower to move development of the CORONA system from the USAF to the CIA – another reason was the danger of having the USAF in control of the intelligence system which underpinned its own funding requests.

Many of the details of the WS-117L design and development (before its 1961 cancellation) are new and will be of interest to the space history

buff. The analysis of how US inter-service rivalry infl uenced management and policy decisions by the Eisenhower Administration will be of interest to students of Cold War military history. Therefore, for those who have a ‘Space and the Cold War’ shelf in their library, this book deserves a place on it.

Pat NorrisFRAeSAuthor of Spies in the Sky: Surveillance Satellites in War and Peace [Springer. 2007]

46

Book ReviewsAfterburner


SONIC TO STAND OFF

Its success began to soften the US refusal to co-operate and the fi rst drop from a Valiant at Maralinga in 1956 continued the improvement.

Further work, with nuclear fusion components, ‘Grapple’ tests, was done at Christmas Island in the Pacifi c. These are described as ‘400 megaton range’ which must be an error, probably for ‘400 kiloton’. A 400MT bomb would be destroying houses at more than 30 miles range and causing serious burns at 100 miles. The description of the bomb structure design and manufacture by Percival Aircraft and Hudswell Clarke is correct but not mentioned is that they were working for RAE, who were responsible for the design, manufacture and testing of everything outside the nuclear components, high explosive and detonators. The author would not have known this because it does not appear in the offi cial histories.

Then our standoff nuclear bomb Blue Steel is described and the intended replacement by Skybolt, the US (much longer distance) standoff weapon, which was cancelled by President Kennedy late in its development. The cancellation was, however, the occasion for the UK being allowed to buy the Polaris submarine-based missile and its successors.

A plethora of US standoff weapons are listed and briefl y described. It is clear why President Gorbachev had to call a halt to the Arms Race.

I found it quite an interesting read with the mix of history, technicalities, and politics. None of the items are covered in great depth. There are some appendices but no index. There are numerous photographs but they are uncomfortably small; it is true they couldn’t be included in such numbers if they were larger.

Reg MilneCEng MRAeS

The Evolution of the British Nuclear DeterrentBy A Morrison

Distributed by A MacKay, 87 Knightscliffe Avenue, Netherton, Glasgow G13 2RX, UK (E [email protected]). 2016. 207pp. Illustrated. £14.99. ISBN 978-0-9573443-4-1.

The book’s subtitle is ‘The Evolution of the British Nuclear Deterrent’ and this is the main theme. The title and subtitle have some relevance but, for instance, the fi rst chapter is about the Treaty of Versailles and its efforts to prevent Germany acquiring an air force and how they evaded it. The story behind the book is that it is based on some notebooks with the title ‘Missile Work’.

The next chapters are on rocket development, mainly in Germany, up to the V2 and the Me163. Junkers, working in an underground factory dug out by slave labour, made a supersonic rocket-powered glider spyplane. This was to be taken to 36,000ft on the back of a Dornier 217 and, when released, it would go up to 76,000ft using its rocket and then glide 465 miles, down to 40,000ft, doing its reconnaissance. At the end of WW2 the factory was cleared and the plane was brought to the UK and the trail went cold, so there is no record of further work or tests. What a shame! Germany worked on liquid fuel rockets for anti-aircraft missiles. Schmetterling and Enzian were two results which suffered from political decision diffi culties.

British supersonic work started with RAE, Vickers and the Miles M52 with models dropped from over the Scilly Isles to get supersonic data which could not be got from our existing wind tunnels. Just as trials were starting the project was cancelled.

Nuclear fi ssion bomb work started in March 1940 with the paper by Otto Frisch and Rudolf Peierls. The Maud Committee passed on the information to the USA. Roosevelt and Churchill agreed to work together but, when Roosevelt died, politics intervened with the McMahon Act in 1946 so the UK had to start on its own. The only UK-US co-operation on armament work was a trial dropping bombs on concrete targets. These targets had been built for us by the Germans during WW2. The British aim was checking design methods for free-dropping bombs and rocket-assisted bombs to penetrate thick concrete targets.

Since we had started on a nuclear bomb we needed jet bombers, fi rst the Canberra and then the V-Bombers. Their history is outlined with quite a lot of information about squadrons and where they were based. In 1952 the fi rst UK bomb was exploded in the Monte Bello Islands in Australia.

Avro Vulcan B2 V-Bomber armed with an Avro Blue Steel ‘stand-off’ bomb. RAeS (NAL).

A Polaris missile lifts off after being fi red from the submerged nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine HMS Revenge (S27) on 9 June 1983. USN.

JANUARY 2017 47

Library Additions


GENERAL

The Art of Flight. J Watkinson. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Reston, VA. 2016. Distributed by Transatlantic Publishers Group, 97 Greenham Road, London N10 1LN, UK. 437pp. Illustrated. £87. [20% discount available to RAeS members on request; E [email protected] T +44 (0)20 8815 5994]. ISBN 978-1-62410-372-8.

AERODYNAMICS

Advanced Computational Fluid and Aerodynamics. P G Tucker. Cambridge University Press, The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK. 2016. 567pp. Illustrated. £44.99. ISBN 978-1-107-42883-6.

AVIATION ART

Painted Wings. R Smith. Published by the author, Westcott House, Mill Lane, Grimoldby, Lincs LN11 8TB, UK (E [email protected]). 123pp. Illustrated. £25 (plus £3.50 postage/packing). ISBN 978-1-5262-0170-6.

A compilation of over 50 colour reproductions of paintings by the aviation artist Robin Smith, accompanied by his commentary on the background to the paintings and of the aircraft depicted.

GAS DYNAMICS

The Gas Dynamics of Explosions. J H S Lee. Cambridge University Press, The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK. 2016. 205pp. Illustrated. £89.99. ISBN 978-1-107-10630-7.

HISTORICAL

Miles M.52: Britain’s Top Secret Supersonic Research Aircraft. T Buttler. Crecy Publishing, 1a Ringway

Trading Estate, Shawdowmoss Road, Manchester M22 5LH, UK. 2016. 156pp. Illustrated. £24.95. ISBN 978-1-91080-904-4.

The US Navy – Curtiss Flying Boat NC-4: an Account of the First Transatlantic Flight. R V Simpson. Fonthill Media Limited, Millview House, Toadsmoor Road, Stroud GL5 2TB, UK. 2016. 125pp. Illustrated. £18.99. ISBN 978-62545-009-8.

A well-illustrated history of the historic fl ight of the Curtiss NC-4 fl ying boat, a design collaboration between the US Navy and Curtiss. Powered by six-cylinder double-row 400hp Liberty 12A engines, the NC-4 – commanded by Lieutenant-Commander A C Read, USN – accomplished the fi rst aerial crossing of the Atlantic ocean (by stages via the Azores). Departing from Trepassy Bay, Newfoundland, on 16 May 1919, the fl ying boat arrived at Lisbon, via Ponta Delgada, on 27 May, and then made a symbolic fl ight to Plymouth where it arrived on 31 May 1919 from where the original Pilgrim Fathers departed for America in the ‘Mayfl ower’ on 6 September 1620.

De Havilland Mosquito: the Original Multirole Combat Aircraft. P Birtles. Fonthill Media Limited, Millview House, Toadsmoor Road, Stroud GL5 2TB, UK. 2015. 272pp. Illustrated. £30. ISBN 978-1-78155-494-4.

Vickers/BAC VC10 1962 to 2013 (all marks and models): an insight into the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the VC10 in civil and military service. Owner’s Workshop Manual series. K Wilson. Haynes Publishing, Sparkford, Yeovil, Somerset BA22 7JJ, UK. 2016. 196pp. Illustrated. £22.99. ISBN 978-0-85733-799-3.

Illustrated by over 300 photographs and other diagrams, a history of the evolution of the VC10 from its origins in the cancelled Vickers Type 716 V1000 through to its many successful civil and military variants, supplemented by the author’s personal insights of his experiences fl ying the aircraft and a technical overview of its design, structure and systems, the book concluding with a summary listing of individual aircraft histories and the type’s survivors.

Spitfi re Postscript. C R Russell. Published by the Author, Alderholt. 1994. 204pp. Illustrated. ISBN 0-9524858-0-X.

Complementing the author’s earlier published memoirs Spitfi re Odyssey (Kingfi sher Railway Publications. 1985), a revealing insight into life during WW2 at the Vickers-Supermarine works at Woolston, Southampton – a centre for Spitfi re production – including discussion and analysis of the ‘Shadow Factory’ at Castle Bromwich.

LIGHTER-THAN-AIR

Coastal Patrol: Royal Naval Airship Operations during the Great War 1914-1918. B Turpin. Fonthill Media Limited, Millview House, Toadsmoor Road, Stroud GL5 2TB, UK. 2016. 287pp. Illustrated. £30. ISBN 978-1-78155-527-9.

SERVICE AVIATION

Wings of Empire: the Forgotten Wars of the Royal Air Force, 1919-1939. B Renfrew. The History Press, The Mill, Brimscombe Port, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5 2QG, UK. 2015. 320pp. Illustrated. £25. ISBN 978-0-7509-6507-1.

The Rise of the Bomber: RAF – Army Planning 1919 to Munich 1938. G Baughen. Fonthill Media Limited, Millview House, Toadsmoor Road, Stroud GL5 2TB, UK. 2016. 304pp. Illustrated. £25. ISBN 978-1-78155-493-7.

Russia’s Warplanes Vol 2: Russian-made Military Aircraft and Helicopters Today. P Butowski. Harpia Publishing LLC, Houston, TX. 2016. Distributed by Casemate UK, 10 Hythe Bridge Street, Oxford, OX1 2EW. 2016. 251pp. Illustrated. £34.99. ISBN 978-0-9973092-0-1.

A detailed well-illustrated summary of the long-range bombers (Tupolev Tu-22M/Tu-95MS/Tu-160), maritime (Beriev Be-12/Be-200, Ilyushin Il-38/Il-114, Kamov Ka-27, Mil Mi-15, Tupolev Tu-142, Kamov Ka-65 Okovka), transport and tanker aircraft (Antonov AN-12/An-22/An-26/An-72/An-124/An-148, Ilyushin Il-18/Il-62M/Il-76/Il-78/Il-96-400TZ/Il-106/Il-112V/IL-214, Tupolev Tu-134A Balkany/Tu-154) and trainers (Aircraft Industries L-410UVP, Antonov An-2, Kamov Ka-226, Kazan Helicopters Ansat-U, KB SAT SR-10, Mil/PZL Swidnik Mi-2, Tupolev Tu-134/UTK DA, Yakovlev Yak-52/Yak-130/Yak-52) currently operated by the Russian Air Force.

MiG-29: ‘Kosciuszko Squadron’ Commemorative Scheme. R Gretzyngier and W Matusiak. Published by Stratus, Poland, on behalf of Mushroom Model Publications, 3 Gloucester Close, Petersfi eld, Hants GU32 3AX, UK (www.mmpbooks.biz). 2016. 80pp. Illustrated. £15. ISBN 978-83-63678-64-7.

A detailed pictorial study of the commemorative markings used on MiG-29s operated by the Polish Air Force in honour of an American-manned unit which formed part of the Polish Air Force in 1919 whose emblem was later adopted by the Polish No 303 Squadron which fought under the Royal Air Force during WW2.

Survival of a Bomber Command Pilot: Bill McFadden DFM, Légion d’Honneur, RAAF (rtd). D M McFadden. Aubrey Warsash Publishing, 2 Charles Court, South Croydon, Surrey CR2 6PZ, UK. 2016. 139pp. Illustrated. £7.99. ISBN 978-0-9549582-6-8.

Based around contemporary family letters, the WW2 experiences of an airman who, in June 1940, volunteered to join the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and, following an Empire Air Training Scheme course at Saskatoon in Canada, was to serve in Bomber Command with No 458 and No 69 Squadrons operating in Europe, Malta and the Middle East.

Dutch Military Aviation 1945-1978. P A Jackson. Midland Counties Publications (Aerophile) Limited, Earl Shilton. 1978. 134pp. Illustrated. ISBN 0-9524858-0-X. 0-904597-11-3.

A detailed history of the development of military aviation in The Netherlands, in particular that of the organisation of the Koninklijke Luchtmacht, its units (including Dutch squadrons of the Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm), markings and details of all aircraft types operated.

Behind the Hangar Doors. P Congdon. Sonik Books, Woodhall Spa. 1985. 160pp. Illustrated. ISBN 0-9510139-04.

A well-illustrated guide to the history of the badges, brevets, heraldry, insignia, decorations and social etiquette (including saluting and the evolution of the Offi cers’ Mess) used by RAF squadrons and regimental fl ying units over the years.

SPACE

British Secret Projects 5: Britain’s Space Shuttle. D Sharp. Crecy Publishing, 1a Ringway Trading Estate, Shawdowmoss Road, Manchester M22 5LH, UK. 2016. 261pp. Illustrated. £27.50. ISBN 978-1-91080-902-0.

Illustrated throughout with numerous line arrangement diagrams and artist impressions, a detailed history of the evolution of the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) Mustard (Multi-Unit Space Transport and Recovery Device) space transporter progamme and the preceding English Electric P42 hypersonic spaceplane vehicle. The volume concludes with a survey of the contemporary space vehicle project designs of Hawker Siddeley, Armstrong Whitworth, Avro, Junkers (Raumtransporter), Entwicklungsring Nord (ERNO) and Dassault.

The Gas Dynamics of ExplosionsJohn H. S. Lee

BOOKS

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

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Society News


105th WILBUR AND ORVILLE WRIGHT LECTURE

. . . . . .26

2016 Honours, Medals & Awards. . . . . .

2017Honours, Medals & Awards

The Society’s Honours, Medals and Awards are open to everyone in and supporting the global aerospace community – from senior professionals to students and graduates.

Do you know an individual or team that has made an outstanding contribution to aerospace and merit recognition? Nominate them today. The nomination form can be found on our website www.aerosociety.com/medalsandawards. The closing date for the 2017 round is 31 March 2017.

For further information call Scott Phillips on +44 (0)20 7670 4303 or email [email protected]

The most prestigious and long-standing awards in global aerospace honouring achievements, innovation and excellence.

Above: Some of the Award winners prior to the lecture. From left: Simon Luxmoore, RAeS CEO; Michael Ryan CBE HonFRAeS; Sir Michael Marshall CBE HonFRAeS; Prof Chris Atkin, RAeS President; Prof Elizabeth Hughes HonCRAeS; Dr Donald Richardson HonFRAeS; and Dr Mike Steeden, Chairman, RAeS Medals and Awards Committee.Left: ACM Sir Stephen Hillier, Chief of the Air Staff, RAF, delivers the 105th Wilbur and Orville Wright Lecture.

The 105th Wilbur and Orville Wright Lecture concluded a busy year of 150th anniversary celebrations for the Royal Aeronautical Society. Fittingly, the evening opened with a video message from His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, Honorary President of the Royal Aeronautical Society for 2016. In this message His Royal Highness wishes the Society, its members and supporters every possible success in the future. He also comments that aeronautics has played a signifi cant role in changing our world and that the Society has been at the heart of this story since its formation in 1866, advancing the science of aviation at every exciting step of it development. The video may be seen at: www.aerosociety.com/150

The new Chief of the Air Staff, ACM Sir Stephen Hillier FRAeS, then took to the stage to deliver the 105th Wilbur and Orville Wright Lecture. Sir Stephen spoke compellingly about the risks and opportunities which he faces in growing the front-line capability of the RAF as a result of the SDSR in 2015, while managing operations which are busier than ever around the world. He called for co-operation in working together, without fear or favour, to grow the RAF as effectively as we can ensure our collective security and defence going forward.

Prior to the lecture, a presentation of RAeS Honours was made to a distinguished list of individuals in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the aerospace profession. Following the Lecture and Awards the Society hosted a black tie dinner in the elegant Argyll Room where guests from all sectors of the aerospace community toasted the evening’s lecturer, ACM Sir Stephen Hillier, and the memory of Wilbur and Orville Wright.

This event was supported by Boeing UK, who celebrated their centenary in 2016 alongside the Society’s 150th anniversary.

49JANUARY 2017i fFind us on Twitter Find us on LinkedIn Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com

RAeS 150th ANNIVERSARY www.aerosociety.com/150

A KEY OBJECTIVE WAS TO INSPIRE YOUNG PEOPLE AND THIS WAS A MAJOR SUCCESS, WITH EVENTS BY AND FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, INCLUDING THE COOL AERONAUTICS PROGRAMME SUPPORTED BY AIRBUS

There is no doubt that the RAeS 150th Anniversary Celebrations in 2016 have been an outstanding success on many fronts, not just globally, but extra-terrestrially with the fi rst day anniversary stamp covers signed by Major Tim Peake CMG HonFRAeS on board the International Space Station (ISS) on 12 January 2016, the day of the 150th anniversary, as well as the fi rst extra-terrestrial RAeS conference presentation by Tim from the ISS to the Spaceport UK Conference at No.4 Hamilton Place.

The aim of stimulating aerospace innovation was taken up for many events, ranging from young people presenting the innovative work they are involved in, the Go For Gold Competition which showcased the wealth of ideas that might be developed in the future, through to the Innovation Conference and President’s Conference on Future Technology.

A key objective was to inspire young people and this was a major success, with events by and for young people, including the Cool Aeronautics programme supported by Airbus for primary school children that reached over 2,000 pupils in 28 locations worldwide. A wind tunnel assembled by early career professionals and secondary school pupils featured at Shuttleworth, RIAT and Farnborough fl ying displays and has since been operating in schools across the Bedford area demonstrating the value of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). In Scotland, ‘PrestAero’ was launched to provide an online resource that assists teachers in South Ayrshire by providing aeronautically themed materials for use in teaching STEM subjects. The Young Persons Conference encouraged young professionals to ‘Step Up To Management’, and the growth of the Young Persons Network has demonstrated the value the Society can offer to those developing their careers.

Celebrating the contribution aerospace makes to our lives today was another underlying theme, delivered in a series of articles in AEROSPACE magazine, and well conveyed by presentations to the Branches on the History of the Society, mostly by Past President Bill Tyack FRAeS. You can watch a video of this presentation on our YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/AeroSociety.

Our regional Branches took on the challenge of raising the profi le of the Society by inviting more local people and organisations to participate in our anniversary activities with signifi cant increases in normal attendances. It is hoped that this enthusiasm will continue to bring in new members to the Society. High profi le events which attracted much senior attention included a Garden Party held at the British Embassy in Washington DC, with Sesquicentennial receptions and dinners in Australia, New Zealand and Pakistan.

The fi nal aim of leaving a legacy that will be valued afterwards is more diffi cult to establish at this point in time. However, the fact that so many young people have been exposed to the tremendous exciting and innovation challenges in aerospace and aviation has provided an important boost to the work already being done by the Education and Skills team at HQ. The 150th Anniversary publication Delivering the Dream, the schools publication Reach for the Sky and the January 2016 special issue of The Aeronautical Journal will continue to convey the legacy for some time to come.

We would like to particularly thank our members, Corporate Partners and supporters across our Regional network who have supported activities throughout the anniversary. It has been an exciting year during which I believe we have achieved our goals to celebrate the formation of the Society with a theme of innovative fi rsts in aerospace and inspire the next generation towards even greater innovations in science, engineering and technology.

Lee Balthazor CEng FRAeSChair, 2016 Working Group

Above: Tim Peake signs Isle of Man Stamps & Coins Royal Aeronautical Society 150th anniversary stamp issue covers aboard the International Space Station on the day of the Society’s 150th anniversary, 12 January 2016. ESA.

Right: Some 580 guests attended the Society’s Gala Banquet held at Guildhall London on 18 May.

50

Society News


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Emerging Global Approaches in the Regulation of Commercial UASThe RAeS Washington DC Branch held a panel discussion entitled Emerging Global Approaches in the Regulation of Commercial UAS on 22 September at the British American School. The meeting opened with a presentation of the Build-a-Plane programme, where students are working on a Cessna 172 as part of a STEM programme. The instructors and students then answered questions.

Ken Gazzola, President, RAeS Washington DC Branch, opened the meeting by thanking the British American School and providing an overview of the RAeS. He also thanked the sponsors for the evening, including Airbus, Boeing, Embraer, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce and the Small UAV Coalition.

Kenneth Quinn, Pillsbury, moderated the panel discussion. The panel included Marke ‘Hoot’ Gibson, FAA senior advisor on UAS Integration, Brian Wynne, President and CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), and Brendan Schulman, Vice President of Policy & Legal Affairs at DJI, a leading UAS manufacturer.

Hoot Gibson opened with a short presentation on the status of UAV regulations recently issued by the FAA. “UAS are the most fundamental aviation development of our lifetime,” Gibson contends, “and UAS are causing signifi cant disruption in FAA’s culture.”

FAA received 10,000 UAS pilot applications under the new Small Unmanned Aircraft Regulations (Part 107). More than 88% have passed the exam. More than 550,000 UAS have been registered under new regulations, which is double the number of registered commercial aircraft.

Brian Wynne noted that AUVSI has more than 7,000 members worldwide and stated that his organisation focuses on safe operations. He explained that globally regulations are in the early stages. FAA has taken the lead by establishing the Part 107 regulations which sets a framework for UAS operations. New Zealand seems to be in the lead as far as recognition of the economic development impacts of UAS operations.

Brendan Schulman also focused on safety and explained how DJI has incorporated numerous safety features into their products, including geofencing and altitude limitations. DJI operators have been operating with an outstanding safety record. Additional research is being conducted into the impact of ingestion of a UAS by an aircraft.

Each of the panellists provided an outlook for the future. Hoot Gibson explained the roadmap for the FAA to progress to allowing autonomous regulations, Brian Wynne looks forward to larger UAS operating at higher altitudes and Brendan Schulman discussed some of the new technologies being developed by DJI.

WASHINGTON DC BRANCH

Above left, from left: Brian Wynne, Marke ‘Hoot’ Gibson, Ken Quinn, Brendan Schulman and Ken Gazzola.Above: A student speaks about the Build-a-Plane programme at the British International School.

Tulinda LarsenBoard Member

IAN FLEMING LECTUREOn 13 September the Chief of Air Force, AM Leo Davies AO CSC, joined the RAeS Canberra Branch in celebrating its 150 years of service to the aeronautical community, including 89 years in Australia. The event was held at Great Hall of University House, Australian National University. The event also commemorated Ian Bowman Fleming OBE, a notable Australian who had a long aviation engineering career, across a range of aircraft, including Boomerang, Jindivik, Mirage, Macchi, Kiowa and Nomad aircraft; and the Ikara and Turana missiles.

AM Davies said it was important to recognise how far aviation had come in a short time, and the role that both Air Force and industry personnel played in creating those achievements through innovation. He spoke about his vision and priorities for the RAAF’s future, particularly with reference to fundamental importance of its quantum leap in ability to communicate, connect and fuse data with its sister services, the Government, its allies and industry. For the audience of 100 members and guests it was an inspiring evening in a majestic setting worthy of the occasion.

JANUARY 2017 51i fFind us on Twitter Find us on LinkedIn Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com

A UNIQUE COLLECTION OF 185 SITE PLANS OF AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURING SITES/FACTORIES AROUND BRITAIN WHICH WAS COMPILED FOR THE MINISTRY OF SUPPLY C.1946-1947 HAS BEEN PRESERVED BY THE NATIONAL AEROSPACE LIBRARY

A unique collection of 185 site plans of aircraft manufacturing sites/factories around Britain which was compiled for the Ministry of Supply c.1946-1947 has been preserved by the National Aerospace Library.

This compilation of detailed site plans (including details of buildings, hangars, fl oor areas and building dimensions) is a revealing insight into the extent of the British aircraft manufacturing capability in the immediate post-war years and will be of interest not only to aviation historians but also to industrial archaeologists and local historians.

Included in the collection are the factory site plans of Air Dispatch Ltd (Cardiff), Airwork General Trading Ltd (Gatwick), Air Service Training Ltd (Hamble), Airspeed Ltd (Portsmouth, Christchurch, Drayton, Farlington, Langstone), Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth Ltd (Babington, Whitley, Coventry, Bitteswell, Sywell), Auster Aircraft Ltd (Rearsby, Syston, Thurmaston), Blackburn Aircraft Ltd (Brough), Boulton Paul Aircraft Ltd (Wolverhampton), Bristol Aeroplane Company Ltd (Filton – Rodney, West Works, East Works, Gipsy Patch), Brooklands Aviation Ltd (Moulton, Sywell, Weybridge), de Havilland Aircraft Co Ltd (Hatfi eld, Welwyn Garden City), Dowty Equipment Ltd (Cheltenham, Bath Road, Ashchurch, Windrush), Electro-Hydraulics (Messier) Ltd (Warrington), English Electric Co Ltd (Preston, Samlesbury), Fairey Aviation Co Ltd (Hamble, Hayes, Ringway, Stockport, Heston), Field Aircraft Services Ltd (Croydon, Hanworth), Folland Aircraft Ltd (Hamble), General Aircraft Ltd (Feltham, Lasham), Gloster Aircraft Co Ltd (Hucclecote, Witcombe, Uckington, Bentham, Moreton Valence), Handley Page Ltd (Cricklewood,

Aircraft Factory Site Plans

NATIONAL AEROSPACE LIBRARY

Two of the site plans for Saunders-Roe. RAeS (NAL).

Radlett), Hawker Aircraft Ltd (Langley), Martin Hearn Ltd (Hooton Park), Helliwells Ltd (Walsall), Heston Aircraft Ltd, Lockheed Hydraulic Brake Co Ltd (Leamington Spa), R Malcolm Ltd (White Waltham), Marshall’s Flying School Ltd (Cambridge), Marston Excelsior Limited (Wolverhampton), Miles Aircraft Limited (Newtownards, Reading), Percival Aircraft Ltd (Luton), Portsmouth Aviation Ltd (Portsmouth, Christchurch, Rochester), Reid & Sigrist Ltd (Desford), A V Roe & Co Ltd (Middleton, Bracebridge Heath, Langar, Woodford), Saunders-Roe (Eastleigh, Cowes, Osborne), Scottish Aviation Limited (Prestwick), Short Brothers Ltd. (Rochester), Short & Harland (Altona, Belfast, Glen, Lindsay & Dawnay, Hawlmark), Slingsby Sailplanes Ltd (Kirbymoorside), Southern Aircraft (Gatwick) Ltd (Crawley), Turner Manufacturing Co, Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd (Weybridge – Tumbling Bay, Brooklands House, Members Hill, Foxwarren, Pyrford, Wisley, Shawbury, Hursley Park, Swindon), Vickers Aircraft Ltd (Chilbolton, Eastleigh, Newbury, Trowbridge), Western Airways Ltd (Weston-Super-Mare) and Westland Aircraft Ltd (Ilchester, Yeovil).

The individual encapsulation of each plan has been undertaken by the conservators Riley, Dunn and Wilson based in Falkirk, funded from a bequest left specifi cally to the Library in the estate of Peter Kenneth Brack.

The plans were included as part of the papers of James Valentine Connolly FRAeS (1907-1996) who served during WW2 as Assistant Director of Aircraft Production at the Ministry of Aircraft Production [MAP] 1941-1946 (later to be amalgamated into the Ministry of Supply). The J V Connolly papers (as described in The Aerospace Professional, December 2011) are of key historical importance, recording in detail the wartime production capacity of the British aircraft industry and how it compared with America, Germany and Japan.

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

Afterburner


DiaryEVENTS

26 JanuaryBrexit: The Legal and Operational ImplicationsAir Law Group half-day Seminar

30 JanuaryRAF Harrier in the Cold WarGp Capt John ‘Jock’ HeronHistorical Group Lecture

7 FebruaryRPAS Operations in the Coastal and Maritime EnvironmentUAS Group Conference

15 FebruaryAeroChallenge 2017Young Persons’ Committee aeronautical quiz

16 FebruaryHumanitarian Aerospace – A New Civil-Military InterfaceConference

16 FebruaryUAVs for Humanitarian AidDaniel Ronen, Co-Founder, UAVAidUAS Group/IMechE Lecture

27 February40 years on from the fi rst Kremer Prize Human Powered Flight Group Lecture

5 AprilNew Materials, Structures and Manufacturing Methods for Aerospace UseStructures and Materials Group ConferenceSheffi eld Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre

24-25 AprilThe Architecture of Air Travel – Designing for Human BehaviourAir Transport Group Conference

9 MayStaying Alert: Managing Fatigue in MaintenanceHuman Factors Group ConferenceCranfi eld University

11 MayRAeS AGM and Annual Banquet

13-14 JuneBenchmarking for Improving Flight SimulationFlight Simulation Group 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

52

9 FebruaryFlight Testing the AW159 Wildcat Helicopter at SeaMark Burnand, Deputy Chief Test Pilot, Leonardo Helicopters UKFlight Test Group Lecture

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LECTURESfl ight test activities at 41 Squadron.7 March — Lancaster bail out! Clive Smith.21 March — The Joe Morrall Award Lectures. Young Persons’ competition.

CAMBRIDGELecture Theatre ‘0’, Cambridge University Engineering Department, Trumpington Street, Cambridge. 7.30pm. Jin-Hyun Yu, T +44 (0)1223 373129.Trumpington Street, Cambridge.12 January — Martin-Baker ejector seats. James Pearse.2 February — Sir Arthur Marshall Lecture. The fl ying exploits of Sir Arthur Marshall. Terry Holloway.

CANBERRA14 February — Site visit to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau at 62 Northbourne Avenue and discussion of the search for MH370.9 March — Eminent Speaker Lecture. Dr Sivaguru S Sritharan, Provost and Vice Chancellor, USAF Institute of Technology.27 March — Lecture and dinner. Barnes Wallis Foundation. Peter Rix. Kangara Waters Retirement Village. 6.30pm.

CARDIFF7pm. E [email protected] January — Battle for Malta. Ron Powell.15 February — Engine power – where will it come from in the future? Conrad Banks. Swansea University.15 March — Mission Aviation Fellowship. Capt Bryan Pill.

CHESTERRoom 011 Binks Building, University of Chester, Parkgate Road, Chester. 7.30pm. Keith

BEDFORDARA Social Club, Manton Lane, Bedford. 7pm. Marylyn Wood, T +44 (0)1933 353517.11 January — Automated vehicles in shared spaces. Rebecca Advani, Transport Systems Catapult. Joint lecture with ICE.8 February — Lockheed Martin Ampthill: Space Rider. Alex Godfrey, Lockheed Martin UK.8 March — Sir John Charnley Lecture. E-fan – the new way to fl y. Nicholas Fouquet, Airbus Group Innovations.

BIRMINGHAM, WOLVERHAMPTON AND COSFORDNational Cold War Museum, RAF Museum Cosford, Shifnal, Shropshire. 7pm. Chris Hughes, T +44 (0)1902 844523.19 January — The Spitfi re and Seafi re. Rod Dean.16 February — Flight testing the Bristol 188 stainless steel research aircraft. John Thorpe.16 March — J D North Lecture. Lightning II (F-35). Rear-Admiral Rick Thompson. Moog Aircraft Group, Valiant Way, (i54) Wolverhampton.

BOSCOMBE DOWNLecture Theatre, MoD Boscombe Down. Refreshments from 5pm. Lecture 5.15pm. Visitors please register at least four days in advance (name and car registration required) E [email protected] January — A new lease of life for the Gazelle AH Mk1. Flt Lt Stu Walker, Andrew Duffy and Phillip Loughlin.7 February — The Queen Elizabeth carriers: the future fl agships of the UK. Chris Coles.21 February — Current

Housely, T +44 (0)151 348 4480.11 January — Vernon Clarkson Lecture. The Story of aviation at Broughton/Hawarden. Aldon Ferguson. Room 017 Beswick Building, University of Chester, Parkgate Road, Chester.8 February — Recent developments in Martin-Baker ejection seats. Philip Rowles, Chief Engineer, Martin-Baker Aircraft.8 March — The activities of Airbus Group Innovations in an increasingly digital world. Ian Risk, Head of Airbus Group Innovations UK.

CHRISTCHURCHCobham Lecture Theatre, Bournemouth University. 7.30pm. Roger Starling, E [email protected] January — British test pilots – from the FAST archives. Ashley Morgan, FAST Archivist.23 February — The role of a Rolls-Royce test pilot. Phill O’Dell, Chief Test Pilot, Rolls-Royce.23 March — The V-Bomber force and the Cold War. David Head.

COVENTRYLecture Theatre ECG26, Engineering & Computing Building, Coventry University, Coventry. 7.30pm. Janet Owen, T +44 (0)2476 464079.18 January — Airship development – the Airlander project. Chris Daniel, Head of Partnership and Communications, Hybrid Air Vehicles.16 February — Meggitt Lecture and Dinner. Holiday Inn Coventry South, London Road, Ryton on Dunsmore.15 March — Lanchester Lecture. The Lanchester interactive project.

Supermarine Seafi re F17, SX336, of Kennet Aviation at Flying Legends. The Spitfi re and Seafi re will be discussed by Rod Dean at Cosford on 19 January. Mike Freer, Touchdown Aviation.


Westland Whirlwind HAR10, XP398, off the coast of Cyprus in 1974. RAF search and rescue helicopters will be discussed by Wg Cdr Peter Chadwick at Cheltenham on 17 January. RAeS (NAL).

CRANFIELDVincent Auditorium, Vincent Building 52a, Cranfi eld University. 6pm.9 February — ExoMars Rover: Engineering for the Red Planet. Abbie Hutty, Senior Spacecraft Structures Engineer, Airbus Defence and Space.

DERBYNightingale Hall, Moor Lane, Derby. 5.30pm. Chris Sheaf, T +44 (0)1332 269368.18 January — Bush fl ying. Paul Catanach, bush pilot.February — The development and potential of the Skylon spaceplane and its Sabre engines. Mark Thomas, CEO, Reaction Engines.22 March — The TP400. Stuart Ellis and Jerry Goodwin, Chief Design Engineer and Chief Engineer, Rolls-Royce TP400.

FARNBOROUGHBAE Systems Park Centre, Farnborough Aerospace Centre. 7.30pm. Dr Mike Philpot, T +44 (0)1252 614618.17 January — VC10 military operations. Paul Morris, Military Air and Information, BAE Systems.14 February — Templer Lecture. Drone technology: the next revolution in civil aviation? Lambert Dopping-Hepenstal, formerly ASTRAEA Programme Director, BAE Systems. 7pm.14 March — The Rolls-Royce 7000 Trent engine for the Airbus A330neo. Jon Windlass, Chief Engineer Trent 7000, Rolls-Royce. Joint lecture with IMechE and IET.

GATWICKCAA, Aviation House, Gatwick Airport South. 6.30pm. Don Bates, T +44 (0)20 8654 1150.11 January — Sir Peter Masefi eld Lecture. The art of communication and the role of Airbus connecting society. James Hinds, Director, Strategy Development, Space Systems, Airbus Defence and Space.8 February — The development of sailplane design and performance to the present day and beyond. Afandi Darlington and Howard Torode, British Gliding Association.

GLOUCESTER AND CHELTENHAMSafran Landing Systems, Restaurant Conference Room, off Down Hatherley Lane. 7.30pm. Peter Smith, T +44 (0)1452 857205.17 January — RAF search

and rescue helicopters. Wg Cdr Peter Chadwick.21 February — A pilot’s life in the bush. Capt Bryan Pill, Mission Aviation Fellowship.21 March — Rise of the Drones. Dr Tom Scott, Executive Co-Director of Bristol-Oxford Nuclear Research Centre. Joint lecture with the IMechE. EDF Energy Lecture Theatre, Barnett Way, Barnwood, Gloucester.

HAMBURGHochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften (HAW), Hörsaal 01.12, Berliner Tor 5 (Neubau), 20099 Hamburg. 6pm. Richard Sanderson, T +49 (0)4167 92012.26 January — Flugerprobung A350. Martin Scheuermann, Experimental Test Pilot, Airbus.Joint lecture with DGLR, VDI and HAW. 16 March — Remembering the TSR2. Brian Mann.

HATFIELDLindop Building, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfi eld. 7pm. Contact Maurice James, T +44 (0)7958 775 441.18 January — Single-engined Atlantic crossing. Dr Peter Orton.

15 March — Flight testing the Bristol 188 stainless steel research aircraft. John Thorpe.

OXFORDMagdalen Centre, Oxford Science Park, Oxford. 7pm. Nigel Randall, E [email protected] January — The Sabre and Skylon projects. Dr Helen Webber, Reaction Engines’ Project Lead for the Advanced Nozzle Programme.21 March — Fast helicopters. Dr Gary Clark, Head, Civil Business, Airbus Helicopters UK.

PRESTONPersonnel and Conference Centre, BAE Systems, Warton. 7.30pm. Alan Matthews, T +44 (0)1995 61470.11 January — Taranis aerodynamics. Chris Lee, BAE Systems.8 February — Branch AGM followed by Nimrod operations. Richie Fennel, BAE Systems.8 March — Sir Freddie Page Lecture. VSTOL and LO – a case study. Mick Mansell, ex- Future Studies Director, British Aerospace. Canberra Club, Samlesbury Aerodrome.

PRESTWICKThe Aviator Suite, 1st Floor, Terminal Building, Prestwick Airport. 7.30pm. John Wragg, T +44 (0)1655 750270.16 January — RJ146 water bomber. Mike West.13 February — Boeing E-3 AWACS.13 March — David Fowler McIntyre Lecture. Supply chain issues with ever-increasing production rates. Tom Williams.

SEATTLEMuseum of Flight, 9404 East Marginal Way South, Seattle, Washington. 6pm.21 February — Improved aerodynamics of the Callaway XR-16 Driver. Dr Jeffery Crouch, Senior Technical Fellow for Flight Sciences, The Boeing Company.

SOLENTMurray Lecture Theatre, University of Southampton. 7pm. Chris Taylor, T +44 (0)1489 445627.6 February — Formula 1 aerodynamics: modelling for performance. Dr Stephen Liddle, Principal Aerodynamicist, Renault F1.21 February — R J Mitchell Lecture. Dr Paolo Ferri, Head of Operations, European Space Operations Centre. Turner Sims Concert Hall, University of Southampton. Ticketed event – please book via E [email protected]

HEATHROWCommunity Learning Centre, British Airways Waterside, Harmondsworth. 6.15pm. For security passes please contact Dr Ana Pedraz, E [email protected] or T +44 (0)7936 392799.12 January — RAeS Schools Build-a-Plane Project. Oliver Vass.9 February — Airspace sovereignty. Prof Keith Hayward.9 March — Sir Richard Fairey Lecture. Advances in airport technology. Pierre Carpentier, Product Line Manager, Thales Avionics.

LOUGHBOROUGHRoom U020, Brockington Building, Loughborough University. 7.30pm. Colin Moss, T +44 (0)1509 239962.17 January — Transatlantic adventure. Eddie McCallum, Microlight Pilot.7 February — The challenges of maintaining Highland and Island Airport Services (HIAL). Andrew Rackham. Joint lecture with Loughborough University Velocity Society.21 February — 3D printing and digital technology. Kevin Smith, Global Applications Director, Voxeljet and Steve

Ashworth, Technical Director, Aeromet International PLC. Joint lecture with IMechE.14 March — Elfyn Richards Lecture. Trent XWB Airbus A350 (84K). Mark Wainwright, Chief Engineer, Trent XWB-84, Rolls-Royce.

MANCHESTER7pm. Bryan Cowin, T +44 (0)161 799 8979.16 January — Consolidation of the UK aircraft industry. Paul Hodgson, Chief Designer (Retd), BAE Systems. Joint lecture with TAS. Concorde Hangar, Aircraft Viewing area, Manchester Airport. 8pm.15 February — The day the skies went black. Peter Hampson, Airport Solutions. Room B2 Newton Building, Salford University.15 March — Roy Chadwick Lecture. Nimrod, (The Mighty Hunter). Dr Thurai Rahulan, University of Salford. Deanwater Hotel, Wilmslow Road, Woodford.

MEDWAYStaff Restaurant, BAE Systems, Marconi Way, Rochester. 7pm. Robin Heaps, T +44 (0)1634 377973.18 January — Kent Air Ambulance. Lucy Waterson.

Diary


Afterburner

SOUTHENDThe Royal Naval Association, 79 East Street, Southend-on-Sea. 8pm. Sean Corr, T +44 (0)20 7929 3400.14 January — 60th anniversary lunch. La Romantica, 9 High Street, Rayleigh.14 February — The BAe146/RJ – Britain’s last airliner. Stephen Skinner, aviation author and historian.14 March — Aircraft and aircraft propulsion evolution. Rob Duivis, GE90 Programme Manager, KLM Engineering and Maintenance. Joint lecture

Young Persons Network Re-Ignited

with IMechE. The Forum, Elmer Square, Southend-on-Sea.

STEVENAGEFusion Restaurant, Airbus Defence and Space, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage. 5.30pm. RSVP Matt Cappell, E [email protected] January — Flying the A380. Kevin Briggs.

SWINDONThe Montgomery Theatre, The Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, Joint Services Command Staff College, Shrivenham. 7.30pm. New

attendees must provide details of the vehicle they will be using not later than fi ve days before the event. Photo ID will be required at the gate (Driving Licence/Passport). Advise attendance preferably via email to [email protected] or Branch Secretary Colin Irvin, T +44 (0)7740 136609.4 January — 100 years of air accident investigation. Peter Coombs, AAIB.1 February — Reminiscence of a Concorde test pilot. Alan Smith.1 March — The Red Arrows. Wg Cdr Martin Higgins, Offi cer

Ask yourself three questions

Is your application software suffering from poor performance today?

Do you know if your application software is running at full potential on your current computing systems?

Is your application software ready to exploit future computing technology?

ag.com/softwareanswers

In 2016 the Young Persons Committee (YPC) focused on improving the Young Persons Network (YPN), a trend that will be continuing in 2017.

The YPN is a group of members within the Society who are in the earlier stages of their careers in the aerospace industry and want to be active within the community. The representatives of this network have as their primary aims; to improve the consistency and level of service to all young members across the Society and increase awareness of the Society among young people everywhere.

The YPC’s aim is to establish the YPN as a Society-wide network of young people improving local engagement of young people and members. One third of Branches now have a YPN member as part of their committee, with Derby and Hatfi eld being the most recent additions. The aim is for every Branch to have a YPN representative in the near future.

If you want to get involved or for more information, the YPC have an informative animation on YouTube, here’s the link: https://youtu.be/8OML2Kqq6qE

One of the most crucial aspects of maintaining this network is communication. The YPC recognises this and for this reason has established a new role on the committee, that of the YPN administrator. Robin Saaristo, a third-year Aeronautical Engineering student at Imperial College London, has taken up the crucial new role. Robin has recently joined the Young Persons Committee, after also serving on the 2016 celebrations committee, and is dedicated to expanding and establishing the network.

In 2017 look out for coverage of our activity in AEROSPACE.

Daniel McKennaYoung Persons Committee

Join on groups on social media for regular updates and discussion:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1676510299263430/Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/4228043

YOUNG PERSONS COMMITTEE

18 January — Title TBC.1 February — Manoeuvrable spacecraft. John Gough, former aerodynamicist, Hawker Siddeley Kingston.22 February — The history and development of sailplanes. Afandi Darlington, AAIB, and Howard Torode, British Gliding Association.15 March — Aero engine technology – a glimpse into the future. Phil Curnock, Chief Engineer, Civil Large Engines, Rolls-Royce.

YEOVILDallas Conference Room 1A, Leonardo Helicopters, Yeovil. 6pm. David Mccallum, E [email protected] January — The Westland Future Projects Group – a personal recollection. Dr Ron Smith.16 February — The Reggie Brie Awards. Young members’ lecture competition.16 March — Robotic cars. Tony Pipe.

Commanding Red Arrows.

TOULOUSESymposium Room, B01, Airbus HQ/SAS, 1 rond point Maurice Bellonte, 31707 Blagnac. 6pm. Contact: [email protected] for a security pass.24 January — 25th Gordon Corps Lecture. Safety aspects of the space shuttle. Prof Claude Nicollier, ESA astronaut.14 February — Rolls-Royce Mini-Lecture Competition followed by Aero-engines at Rolls-Royce: a proud history and exciting future. Prof Ric Parker.14 March — Progress of Reaction Engines towards space and hypersonic fl ight. Mark Thomas, CEO and MD Reaction Engines.

WEYBRIDGEBrooklands Museum, Weybridge. 6.45pm. Ken Davies, T +44 (0)1483 531529.

55

NEW PARTNERS EVENTSPlease note: attendance at Corporate Partner Briefi ngs is strictly exclusive to staff of RAeS Corporate Partners.

Thursday 19 January 2017 / LondonThe Defence Safety Authority – A new model for multi-domain safety in the MoDCorporate Partner Briefi ng by AM Richard Garwood CB CBE DFC MA RAF, Director General, Defence Safety AuthoritySponsor:

Wednesday 8 February 2017 / LondonDelivering ISR Capabilities and Services Worldwide Corporate Partner Briefi ng by Matt Avison, ISR Sales Director, Thales UKSponsor:

Wednesday 22 March 2017 / LondonCorporate Partner Briefi ngColin Smith CBE HonFRAeS, Chair, Aerospace Growth Partnership (AGP)Sponsor:

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 Corporate Partners.

CITY, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON10 Northampton Square, London EC1V 0HB, UKT +44 (0)20 7040 5060E [email protected] www.city.ac.ukContact Prof Chris Atkin, Professor of Aeronautical Engineering

City, University of London, was the fi rst institution in the United Kingdom to be approved to offer ‘courses of instruction in aeronautics’, in September 1909. City still offers Aeronautical Engineering programmes to BEng and MEng degree level, as well as world-renowned Masters programmes in Aviation Management. Aeronautical research, particularly in the areas of aerodynamics and fl ow control (for both airframe and gas turbine applications), and air safety management is a major activity at City and is supported by our world-class experimental and computational facilities and expertise.

MARTECSt Augustine’s Business Park, Swalecliffe, Whitstable, Kent CT5 2QJ, UKE [email protected] www.martec.solutionsContact David Marsden, Engineering Manager

Martec is a leading manufacturer of harsh environment interconnects for aerospace, defence, sub sea & motorsport. Since 1987 Martec has provided innovative design, development support and manufacturing capability to aerospace projects, particularly in the fi elds of high temperature and pressure hermetic sensor and systems packaging. We provide support to all stages of the project lifecycle, from concept through to qualifi cation, acceptance and obsolescence management. Located in Whitstable, Kent, we have been a member of the Amphenol Group since March 2016.

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

JANUARY 2017

Corporate Partners


Contact:Simon LevyHead of Business DevelopmentE [email protected] +44 (0)20 7670 4346

GULFSTREAM AEROSPACE15 Sackville Street, London W1S 3DJ, UKT +44 (0)20 7292 0000W www.gulfstream.comContact Trevor Esling FRAeS Regional Senior VP, International Sales

Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics, designs, develops, manufactures, markets, services and supports the world’s most technologically advanced business-jet aircraft. Gulfstream has produced more than 2,500 aircraft for customers around the world since 1958. To meet the diverse transportation needs of the future, Gulfstream offers a comprehensive fl eet of aircraft, comprising the Gulfstream G280, the Gulfstream G550, the Gulfstream G500, the Gulfstream G600, the Gulfstream G650 and the Gulfstream G650ER. Gulfstream also offers aircraft ownership services via Gulfstream Pre-Owned Aircraft Sales. We invite you to visit our website for more information and photos at www.gulfstreamnews.com

p

56

Elections


SOCIETY OFFICERSPresident: Prof Chris AtkinPresident-Elect: ACM Sir Stephen Dalton

BOARD CHAIRMEN

Learned Society Chairman: Ian MiddletonMembership Services Chairman:

Dr Alisdair WoodProfessional Standards Chairman:

Prof Jonathan Cooper

DIVISION PRESIDENTS

Australia: John VincentNew Zealand: John MaciIreePakistan: AM Salim ArshadSouth African: Dr Glen Snedden

Afterburner

Abdulnasser SaymaAlan EpsteinAlessandro PasseriniAllen DickinsonAndrew WhiteArthur RobertsCatherine BurtonChristopher PriceDavid HillGlenn PascoeGraham StokesIan StothersJohn FoxtonJustin BowmanLatheef AhmedNeale LangdonPaul D’EliaPaul DorahyPaul HalpinPaul TraubRajib GhoshRobert WindsorRussell CummingsSarah MinettStephen GreenStephen RolstonStephen RowleyStephen WettonWilliam Henry

Alan BarnesAllison MarkeyAndrew BattyAndrew FawkesCal LoweyChristopher GeigerDaniel-Patrick HeatleyDarwansjah ToligiDavid MorganDung Nguyen

FELLOWS Edward BlundellIan BeckettIan SimpsonJames AmorJames CowellJim McPartlinJonathan IrvingJoseph PalmerKa HoKristian FarrugiaMark GoodwinMichelangelo MonaldiMichelle RobinsonMuhammad AnjumNashat Al-AniNeil WalkerNicholas BojdoOyedele OyekoyaPaul LodgePaulo Teixeira LagePeter LucasRene LandersRichard GortRichard GraingerRichard LineveldtRoss HobsonRupa HariaShien Wei OoiSriram BellamkondaStuart DuncanThomas AxeZoe Gell

Callum McBrydeMichael McIntoshBaran Sahan

Alejandro Garcia TueroAndrew Newton

Andrew WenmanBhavik BhattDarcy BeltonDavid BarryDavide CandelaElliott FawcettHope MillarPeter RichardsPiers MansonSian Yuan CheangStephen CarterThuvahrakan

SusendralingamUnez Merchant

Aled WileChad HughesHenry MayneIsmail SaqibKieran WoodPhilip ParrTom NewsteadWilliam Pape

Alexander NabatchianAlexander WalkerAngelo GrubisicJoseph ParkerKarl MillsKevin BriggsMark CairnsRuvarashe NyaruwataSimon EddingsSambulo MatemaZhongyuan Wang

Daniel BallSukhraj Takhar

ASSOCIATES

MEMBERS

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS

WITH REGRET

David Geoffrey Ainley CEng FRAeS 92

Eric Aubrey CEng FRAeS 92

Kirill Andrew Bolonkin CEng MRAeS 87

Martin Gregson Lambourne MRAeS 62

Dr Eric Harold Mansfi eld FREng FRAeS 93

Sarel Jacobus Stephanus Marais MRAeS 70

John Henry Roy Sadler FRAeS 77

George Robin Sleight MBE CEng FRAeS 79

Colin Torkington CEng FRAeS 80

Murry Pearce White CEng FRAeS 100

The RAeS announces with regret the deaths of the following members:

FIRST FLIGHT MARKER UNVEILED IN FARNBOROUGH

E-ASSOCIATES

AFFILIATES

STUDENT AFFILIATES

As part of its contribution to the 150th Anniversary celebrations the Farnborough Branch, in a joint project with the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust (FAST), has set in place a public memorial to mark the approximate take off point of the fi rst powered, heavier-than-air, controlled and sustained fl ight in UK, achieved by Samuel Cody in British Army Aeroplane No.1 on 16 October 1908. The memorial is in the form of a plaque, right, on a granite monolith. It was unveiled on 29 July 2016 by Tracey Curtis-Taylor, known for her global outreach fl ight in October 2015 in an open-cockpit biplane following the course of the Gipsy Moth fl own by Amy Johnson in 1930. The unveiling was attended by several members of the Cody family, as well as numerous local dignitaries and a large crowd of members of FAST and the RAeS Farnborough Branch.


John Herschel Glenn Jr1921-2016Distinguished fi ghter pilot, the fi rst American to orbit the Earth and former US Senator, John Glenn passed away on 8 December 2016.

Henry Ben BowdenSam Liam Parker

Stephen John Ashfi eldStuart David BarnesAndrea ChiarandaAdam George DaviesChristopher Wayne

EcclestonJon-Christophe FlintLewis GribbleKarl James HaycockHussein HijaziDaniel HollandJordan Alexander LeeNeil Loftus

David McDermottAlexander James

McEwenChristopher James

PerkinsPanagiotis

TheodoropoulosGareth ThomasPeter James TurnerMatthew WeighDaniel WilliamsRobert WilliamsMathew William

WilliamsMark Wood

Elizabeth Rose BartlettAlasdhair James

Beaton

David BestKan Ming ChuMichael Stephen CoxMartyn DonoghueAndrew James FielderNicholas Christopher

Mark FoxLaura Kate FrowenRichard Bryden GoldieAlastair Richard

GoodwinLuke Anthony HamnettSimon John HarrisFrank HaselbachGeoffrey Thomas Henry

HoltJoseph Peter HudsonJacqueline Louise

HuishAdam JacobRichard D James

Mark Christopher Keeble

Bhupendra KhandelwalIlias LappasWing Ho Horace LeungBenjamin Thomas

LittleyAndrew MainwaringOliver Mark MerrillMahamud Bille

MohamedBright MusuloAdrian Patrick NeveEdward Henry James

NicholsonKiranjit Kaur Nijindar

SinghPeter David NormanAdemola OlogunroPatricia Patilla SanchezLisa J Peacocke

Richard David PontingAlexandra Samantha

Claire PriceKiran Richard

RamsaroopOliver RhodesJohn RickardAndrew Joseph RooneyJoao Miguel SantosSiddhartha Silverio

Santos SanchoMarco SchiavoneMark Thomas StockwellEszter SzigetiNicholas David

ThorntonGavin WainwrightScott L WallisLihui WangFiona Louise Whitby

Recent elections to Engineering Council RegistrationENGINEERING

TECHNICIANS

CHARTERED ENGINEERS

INCORPORATED ENGINEERS

Anti-clockwise from left: John Glenn enters the Mercury ‘Friendship 7’ capsule during prelaunch preparations. John Glenn in his Mercury spacesuit. Mercury-Atlas 6 lifts off on 20 February 1962 for the historic fl ight to put the fi rst American in orbit. Glenn returned to space aboard the space shuttle Discovery mission STS-95 in October 1998, seen here with mission Commander Curtis Brown, left, becoming the oldest man in space at the age of 77. John Glenn, left, and Apollo 11 lunar module pilot, Buzz Aldrin, shake hands before a memorial service celebrating the life of Neil Armstrong on 13 September 2012, at the Washington National Cathedral. All NASA.

up more weapons in the SALT agreements of the 1970s. HUMINT was no longer needed to check compliance: ‘trust, but verify’ by ‘national means’ (ie satellites) was a slogan that worked. Imagery might not tell you how many individual warheads each missile carried, but there was enough information to make agreements stick. It was also safer and more reliable than a U-2 spyplane.

As satellite imagery moved into the open arena, journalists were quick to note that they too had another very useful source on which to pin stories, especially about confl ict and other closed zones. An academic colleague was also able to use this low-resolution imagery to track nuclear proliferation suspects. It was at least good enough to point a fi nger in the right direction.

High-resolution photos add even more detail Since then, we now have readily and relatively cheaply available 1970’s ‘espionage-level’, commercially-derived pictures to monitor and illustrate world events and to reveal secret sites. Satellite imagery has exposed war crimes and, more innocently, long-lost ancient cities. Google Earth provides shots of our backyards – not yet in real time, thankfully heading off cries of “but you promised to cut the lawn?” These are all too taken for granted examples of aerospace-enabled services which would soon be missed if they were blocked by Solar storms or other shocks.

It is the ubiquity of the material that is now taken for granted; just as we are no longer thrilled by the subtitle ‘live from New York by satellite’, recalling the awe of the fi rst Telstar transmissions. Today we also have the increasingly clichéd drone videos – and graphic they can be of a devastated city or accident. But there is still something compelling about the wide scope, high-resolution satellite view of Earth-bound targets.

In any good investigatory trajectory, we should have a clear idea of what happened, how it happened and perhaps who did it. The Dutch Safety Board last year reached stage two of their investigation of the downing of Malaysian Airlines MH17. The forensic details of the missile attack make for harrowing reading. The report is also very clear that the missile was launched from rebel occupied Ukraine, and satellite tracking shows that the launch vehicle came from, and returned to, Russian territory.

The fact that the satellite data came from US sources, presumably a relatively high-resolution military asset, has led the Russian government to question the report’s credibility. While the Russian’s are becoming masters of muddying waters to avoid responsibility for the ruthlessness of their allies or their own mistakes, MH17 is much harder to explain away. Exactly who launched the Buk remains to be seen: the Dutch feel that they may be able to point an accurate fi nger at individuals in their next report.

The process of discovery underlines the importance of satellite imagery and the powerful tool it represents for even non-governmental investigatory journalism and the general seeking after truth. There is a caveat, if the data cannot be verifi ed – I am mindful here of potential manipulation of materials to infl uence allied behaviour and the US does have some history in this respect – there is still some room for abuse. However, this has tended to be the dissemination of other satellite-generated intelligence; the wider availability of high-resolution commercially available imagery has enabled more objective sourcing and testing of assertions.

‘Trust, but verify’

From the start of the satellite age, photos from space were vital in shaping the fi rst steps towards arms control – curbing the headlong rush to pile

The Last Word

Satellite imagery – the truth will out?

Professor Keith HaywardFRAeS

COMMENTARY FROM

THE PROCESS OF DISCOVERY UNDERLINES THE IMPORTANCE OF SATELLITE IMAGERY AND THE POWERFUL TOOL IT REPRESENTS


www.aerosociety.com/HumanitarianAero

HUMANITARIAN AEROSPACE

LONDON / 16 FEBRUARY 2017

Sponsorship There are sponsor and exhibitor opportunities available for this event. For more information email [email protected] or call +44 (0) 20 7670 4345.

This conference will explore the potential for the development of military and civil interoperability in humanitarian operations.

From the initial detection and monitoring of developing events to the establishment of long term airlifts, this event will focus on the ways civilian and military air operations can work together in dealing with humanitarian relief missions, from start to finish.

7 February is the next closing date

for membership and registration

applications

If you are currently a member and have been working in industry or gained a qualification you may be eligible to upgrade your membership.

Why Upgrade?

Demonstrate your Dedication and SkillUpgrading will give you access to a new post-nominal which is instantly recognisable in industry.

Professional Registration Support for engineers working towards professional registration, an internationally recognised qualification and essential requirement for commercially aware engineers showing dedication, skill and competence.

We support our members in the advancement and professionalism of aeronautical art, science and

engineering.

Apply online now: www.aerosociety.com/create-account

or find out more: [email protected]

+44 (0)20 7670 4384/4400

www.aerosociety.com/RPASMaritime

UAS Conference

RPAS OPERATIONS IN THE

COASTAL AND MARITIME

ENVIRONMENT

LONDON / 7 FEBRUARY 2017

This one day workshop will discuss the application of Unmanned Air Systems in the maritime environment including the latest developments in commercial, government and military operations.

Please visit our website to view the programme and to register.

Sponsorship

There are sponsorship and exhibition opportunities available for this event. For more information email [email protected] or call +44 (0)20 7670 4345

Documents

REDRESSING THE BALANCE · to IMS of New York, PO Box 1518, ... low-cost reusable hypersonic space launch system. ... four scramjet module, powered by liquid