www.aerosociety.

com

3D Printing
ready for take-off?

June 2015

Fighting a Cyber
battle of Britain
Resilience
Recovering pilots
skills
cleaning up space
junk
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Volume 42 Number 6

MoD
June 2015 3D printing ready Fighting a cyber
for take-off Battle of Britain
How additive As with 75 years ago,
manufacturing looks speed of response is
14 set to revolutionise
the aerospace
30 critical to stopping the
new cyber raids of the
industry. 21st century.

Contents
Correspondence on all aerospace matters is welcome at: The Editor, AEROSPACE, No.4 Hamilton Place, London W1J 7BQ, UK publications@aerosociety.com

Comment Regulars
4 Radome
The latest aviation and 12 Transmission
aeronautical intelligence, Your letters, emails, tweets
analysis and comment. and feedback.

Additive or disruptive? 10 Antenna

Howard Wheeldon looks
58 The Last Word
Keith Hayward on the
at the USAFs 48th Fighter business prospects for the
Like UAVs (or drones in the increasingly acceptable parlance) there seems no let- Wing at RAF Lakenheath. 2015 Paris Air Show.
up in the additive manufacturing (3D printing) revolution with new applications,
uses and ideas being found all the time for this fledging technology. Indeed, while
this year Rolls-Royce is set to fly the biggest-ever 3D printed metallic component
as part of a Trent engine test, additive manufactured parts are already being used
Features

SkyTeam
on production aircraft. Challenges still remain, such as certification for structural
and flight-critical parts, but it is interesting to ponder whether the trajectory of 3D
26
printed parts will mirror that of composites where, after 50 years of incremental
growth in their use, we now have seen the first composite airliners enter service.
Or, will the technology path follow that of smart phones and tablet computers
where explosive consumer demand has led to them becoming almost a standard Alliances of convenience
part of flight and cabin crews equipment? But beyond that there is a bigger The global airline alliance
question the 3D printed pachyderm in the hangar, if you will. Today, the OEMs market assessed who
make much of their money through aftermarket support, knowing that a customer 18 benefits the most?

will have to buy spares over the active life of the aircraft or face it being grounded.

Richard De Crespigny
Yet 3D printing may potentially upend all that. What happens if an airline could Plane speaking: Sir
(in theory) just 3D print out the parts it needs, there and then? Will every MRO Michael Marshall
On the record with the
station have banks of 3D printers? What happens to the sophisticated inventory Executive Chairman of the
management systems? And what happens to OEMs if the aftermarket spares Marshall Group.
market becomes a cottage industry? Will they still be able to make money as
effectively owners of digital 3D blueprint IPs? Will the original purchase price
21 Paris show time
A preview of the Paris Air
32
of aircraft have to increase to compensate? The music and video industry, for Show on 15-21 June.
example, has already seen its business model disrupted completely by digital file Resilience recovering
pilots lost flying skills
sharing. How long, then, before the first 3D printed part from a pirated CAD file In this hard-hitting piece
appears on an aircraft? Captain Richard De
Crespigny argues there
are no easy shortcuts to
Tim Robinson mastering an aircraft.

tim.robinson@aerosociety.com 22 38 Aerospace and

Defence: An attractive
NEWS IN BRIEF Cleaning up space
investment opportunity
Consolidation trends in the
Editor-in-Chief AEROSPACE is published by the Royal AEROSPACE subscription rates:
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Tim Robinson Aeronautical Society (RAeS). Non-members, 155 the space debris issue. sector.
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Royal Aeronautical Society ISSN 2052-451X 53 Washington DC Branch Including: Print your own spaceship,
No.4 Hamilton Place
London W1J 7BQ, UK 55 Corporate Partners All-seeing eye, Fighting a cyber Battle of
+44 (0)20 7670 4300 Britain, NASA Titan sub concept, In the
publications@aerosociety.com 56 RAeS Elections May issue of AEROSPACE,
www.aerosociety.com Illusions of safety.

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 Radome
INTELLIGENCE / ANALYSIS / COMMENT

Fuel savings
Analysis of fuel efficiency using the 'cruiser-
feeder' concept just to transfer fuel, shows
between 11-23% saving for every 250
passengers over distances beyond 6,000nm.

Feeder aircraft
Moving passengers into smaller aircraft in
flight would create an airborne 'hub and
spoke' system. Smaller aircraft at airports
would also cut noise and emissions near
airports. This illustration also shows
ducted fan quadrotors suggesting a
VTOL capability to deliver passengers
directly to city centres.

NEWS IN BRIEF
NLR

?????? ???? ???? ??? ???

????? ????? ??????
AEROSPACE

NLR studies Cruiser-feeder

?????? ???? ???? ??? ???
????? ????? ??????

?????? ???? ???? ??? ???

An EU
????? research
????? ?????? project, involving nine European universities and research institutes and headed by the
Dutch aerospace body NLR, has concluded a study into 'cruiser-feeder' operations for civil air transport. The
project
?????? RECREATE
???? ???? ??? ??? (Research for a CRuiser Enabled Air Transport Environment) found that using air-to-air
refuelling
????? techniques, as used by military aircraft, could save up to 20% in fuel for airliners. The concept
????? ??????
would see airliners take-off with enough fuel to reach a tanker at cruise altitude, before being topped up
for an????
?????? onward flight.
???? ??? ??? A reduced take-off weight would cut fuel in the take-off and climb phase. Further in
the future,
????? ????? the RECREATE project came up with a more radical concept using nuclear-powered 'cruiser'
motherships that would exchange passengers and luggage in flight making for an ultra-efficient air
'metro' transport system.

4 AEROSPACE / JUNE 2015

Tanker motherships
For long-haul flights, airborne tankers with enough fuel to refuel five
or six airliners would either orbit at designated areas at the start of
big airways (and away from population centres) or could
conceivably accompany aircraft in a 'trail'. Meanwhile, the more
radical future proposal would see nuclear-powered giant 'cruiser'
aircraft constantly shuttling between major hubs and swapping in and
out passenger pods with smaller feeder aircraft.

De-risking civil air-to-air refuelling

Passenger pods
The researchers admit that: For the nuclear
cruiser concept, it is concluded that neither
airworthiness nor acceptance of the idea by
the general public is within sight.
Certification of the airborne transfer of
passengers, cargo and waste would also be Researchers from Zurich University of Applied Sciences
a major challenge. (ZHAW), part of the RECREATE project used flight
simulators and pilots to test the feasibility of civil air-to-air
refuelling. The RECREATE project noted: From the initial
flight simulation experiment, safe refuelling operations
NLR

are judged as feasible by the pilots involved.

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 Radome
AEROSPACE GENERAL AVIATION
X-47B bows out with first UAV Falcon 5X on track for
air-to-air refuelling June roll-out
Dassault is set to roll-out Falcon 5X is set for the
its latest large-cabin second half of 2015, with
business jet, the Falcon certification planned for
5X, this month on the 2 2016 and first deliveries
June. First flight of the in 2017.

Progress resupply
Northrop Grummans X-47B UCAV demonstrator spacecraft lost
has now successfully completed the first-ever aerial On 8 May, an unmanned Progress ISS
refuelling between a UAV and a manned tanker supply ship burned up on re-entry over
aircraft receiving some 4,000lb of fuel. The X-47B the Pacific. Launched ten days previously,
rendezvoused with an Omega Air 707 tanker off the
mission control in Russia lost control of
coast of Maryland on 22 April, before using its sensors

US Navy
to contact the tankers drogue, using its retractable IFR the craft and it entered an irrecoverable
probe. The X-47B will now be retired to a museum. spin and slow descent.

DEFENCE AIR TRANSPORT

A400M on test flight
crashes in Seville
On 9 May an Airbus
Defence and Space
A400M transport
on flight test at the
manufacturer's facility in
Seville, Spain, crashed
shortly after take-
off, killing four crew
destined for delivery to
Turkey in June and the
crew was reported to have
declared an emergency
soon after take-off, before
it crashed north of the
airport. As a precaution,
Germany, Malaysia,
Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce wins record
Emirates
$92bn order
Rolls-Royce has won
its largest ever order to
provide Trent 900 engines
and TotalCare support for
Emirates airline. The order,
which is worth $92bn, will

members and seriously Turkey and the UK have power 50 Airbus A380s
injuring another two. temporarily suspended that will enter service from
The aircraft, MSN23, was A400M operations. 2016.

NEWS IN BRIEF
Europes MIDCAS (Mid Colombian airline Avianca
Air Collison Avoidance
System) consortium has
announced that it has
successfully completed
flight test and simulation
campaigns. The tests,
in conjunction with the
European Defence Agency
(EDA) saw a modified
Alenia Sky-Y UAV perform
detect and avoid tests with
manned aircraft targets,
using co-operative and
non-cooperative sensors
and systems.
has firmed up a $11bn
deal for 100 Airbus
A320neo family aircraft:
the largest single order
ever made in Latin
America's aviation history,
according to Airbus.
In the wake of the UK
General Election, the UKs
The Sun newspaper has
reported that the UK is
to acquire 12 Boeing P-8
Poseidon maritime patrol
aircraft in a $2bn order.
Space X has conducted
a launch pad abort test of
its Dragon human-rated
capsule at Cape Canaveral.
The test, on 6 May, saw the
unmanned capsule use six
thrusters to accelerate to
100mph in 12 seconds,
reaching 5,000ft before
parachutes deployed to
return it to earth.
A small UAV was
discovered on the roof of
an office building used
by the Japanese Prime
Minister on 22 April. Police
say that the UAV tested
positive for very small
traces of radiation.
It has been reported
that Airbus Group is to
take legal action over
allegations that the
German intelligence
service helped the US
NSA conduct industrial
espionage. German media
has reported that the
countrys secret service
BND assisted the NSA in
finding out whether any
European companies were
breaking trade embargos.
An as-yet-unnamed
joint Russian-Chinese
leasing company is to be
established and will acquire
a fleet of 100 Sukhoi
Superjet 100s.
The US State Department
has officially approved the
sale of 17 Bell/Boeing
V-22 Ospreys to Japan.
NASAs Messenger probe
has ended its Mercury

6 AEROSPACE / JUNE 2015

DEFENCE AIR TRANSPORT
Exodus from AEA over
Rafale locks protectionism
on to another Air Berlin and Italys
export win flag carrier Alitalia are
to join British Airways
Qatar is to acquire 24 Dassault Rafales in a deal worth and Iberia in leaving the
63bn. The win, signed on 4 May, following Rafale airline industry group
Etihad and Qatar Airways.
With these departures, the
AEA has 24 members left.
Gulf airlines are
significant investors in the

French Ministry of Defence

orders from Egypt and India earlier this year, also includes Association of European
training and support, as well as MBDA Exocet, Scalp and Airlines (AEA).
Meteor missiles. They cite the groups
Meanwhile, a French Air Force Dassault Rafale B has increasing alleged
carried out the first guided firing of the MBDA Meteor protectionist stance to
BVRAAM missile in a test on 28 April. competition from Gulf
airlines like Emirates,
airlines that have walked
out, with Qatar holding
10% of BA and Iberia
parent group IAG and
Etihad holding 292%
of Air Berlin and 49% of
Alitalia shares.

AEROSPACE SPACEFLIGHT
GAO warns of airliner Blue Origin breaks
cyber attack risk cover with sub-
A report from the US communication systems
orbital test
Government Accountability are connected to the Secretive private company, Blue Origin,
Office (GAO) same Wi-Fi routers headed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos,
claims that accessible by has conducted the first suborbital test
some modern passengers. The flight of its spacecraft, New Shephard.
commercial cockpit systems The test took place in Texas on 29 April
aircraft are protected by with the craft reaching 307,000ft, before
designs, firewalls but the the crew capsule separated and landed
such as the GAO interviewed back on Earth. Though the first stage
Boeing 787, four cybersecurity propulsion module (pictured at separation)
Airbus A350 and experts who say that was lost this time, it is intended to be
Blue Origin

A380, may be at risk from such safeguards could be reusable and to make controlled vertical
cyber attacks because hacked into for malicious landings.
the cockpit avionics and purposes.

mission by impacting the
planet in a planned crash.
Messenger was launched
in 2004 and had run out
of fuel.
The Airbus Group has
selected Pau, in south east
France, as the location for
production of its E-Fan
2.0/4.0 family of electric
GA aircraft.
Russias latest single-aisle
airliner, the Irkut MC-
21, will be the first civil
airliner fitted with active
sidestick technology when until the end of August. It is galaxies. NASA plans sight (BLOS) operations.
it enters service. The active joined by Belgium, Italy and to launch its successor, Its Pathfinder projects
sidesticks, which enhance the UK. the James Webb Space include CNN using
situational awareness for Telescope, in 2018. UAVs for newsgathering,
pilots, will be supplied by NASA is celebrating 25 PrecisionHawk trialling
UTC Aerospace. years of operation of the Aircraft management them for precision
Hubble Space Telescope. and charter specialist agriculture and BNSF
Bombardier has confirmed Launched in 1990, Hubble Jet Aviation is to add Railroad testing UAVs for
that Swiss will be the was upgraded and repaired two Gulfstream G650ER railway inspection.
launch customer for its several times in orbit by business jets to its fleet.
CSeries with the first astronauts. Hubble has The aircraft will be based in American Airlines was
delivery set for 2016. enabled scientists to Hong Kong. forced to cancel flights
determine the age of the on 28 April because of a
Norway has taken over the universe as 138bn years, The FAA has revealed new faulty iPad app used by
lead responsibility for the confirm the existance of plans to trial commercial flight crews to view flight
NATO Baltic Air Policing dark matter and of black UAVs including in urban plans. The airline went
mission rotation which lasts holes in the heart of most areas and beyond line of paperless in 2013.

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 Radome
GENERAL AVIATION DEFENCE
PC-24 flies Poland picks SAMs and
helicopters
The Polish Government
has pre-selected the
Airbus Helicopters
H225M Caracal for a
50-aircraft multirole
helicopter requirement,
worth some $3bn.
It was also announced
that Warsaw has also
chosen the Raytheon
Patriot SAM in a $5bn
deal for its next missile
defence system. It will
acquire eight Patriot

Pilatus Aircraft
The H225Ms will be batteries. Poland is also
assembled locally and are set to accelerate its
expected to enter service requirement for a new
in 2017. attack helicopter.
Pilatus Aircrafts new super versatile jet the PC-24 has
made its first flight from the manufacturers facility in
Buochs, Switzerland. The aircraft performed a 55-minute
AEROSPACE
flight and reached 10,000ft. Certification is set for 2017.
An-178 makes first flight
AIR TRANSPORT On 7 May, Ukrainian manufacturer Antonov conducted
the first flight of its An-178 transport with a one-hour test
Malaysia Airlines to sell flight. A development of the An-148 regional airliner, the
An-178 features a rear ramp and can carry up to 18t.
off widebody fleet?
Troubled Malaysia Airlines The carrier, which suffered
is reported to be the loss of two
set to sell off its 777s in 2014,
widebody fleet is said to be
including six selling or
Airbus A380s leasing some
as part of of its 13 777-
a $17bn 300ERs and
restructuring A330-200Fs,
Antonov

plan of its long-haul as well as its six

Airbus

network. A380s.

NEWS IN BRIEF
Russia is to restart
production of the Tupolev
Tu-160 Blackjack
supersonic strategic
bomber. Russia currently
has 13 Tu-160s in service,
which are currently being
modernised into Tu-160Ms
with updated avionics and
weapon systems
Saudi Arabian-based
Arabsat has awarded
a contract for two new
communications satellites
to Lockheed Martin. The
contract for launching the
HellasSat4/SaudiGeoSat
1 in 2018 has gone to
Arianespace while SpaceX
will launch the Arabsat 6A.
Prince Williams new
employer the East
Anglian Air Ambulance
(EAAA) has taken
delivery of its latest
helicopter an Airbus
Helicopters H145 T2. The
EMS-configured H145
T2 is the first of its type to
go into service in England,
says the air ambulance
charity which operates two Ash from the volcano, led inagurated a new zero-G
dedicated EMS helicopters. to three airports being aircraft a modified
closed nearby, while LAN Airbus A310. The new
CFM has begun flight Chile cancelled over 20 aircraft replaces the older
testing of the LEAP-1B flights due to the incident. A300.
engine for the Boeing
737 MAX, using GE's A ShinMaywa US-2 A crash of a Pakistani
747 engine testbed. The amphibious aircraft from Army Mi-17 helicopter on
first flight, from Victorville, the Japan Maritime Self 8 May in the north of the
California lasted 55hr Defence Force (JMSF) country killed four VIPs,
has been lost at sea including two ambassadors
Flights in South America following an accident. All from The Philippines and
were disrupted after 19 onboard were rescued Norway along with three
the Calbuco volcano in from the hull. crew. Though the Taliban
southern Chile, erupted . claimed responsibility,
in April spreading a large ESA, France's CNES and officials say it was a
cloud of ash into the sky. Germany's DLR have technical fault.

8 AEROSPACE / JUNE 2015

 SPACEFLIGHT
UAE reveals 2021
Mars probe mission
The United Arab Emirates
has revealed it is planning
to send a space probe to
reach Mars in 2021, the
50th anniversary of the
UAEs independence. The
spacecraft, named Hope,
would be the first ever
YouTube
DEFENCE
F-35 tests close air
support credentials
A British JTAC forward air controller has successfully
controlled an F-35 in a simulated close air support mission.
The trial at Edwards
AFB saw the current
JTAC digital targeting
system fielded by the
UK, Rockwell Collins
FireStorm, being used
to guide the F-35 onto a
target certificating the
system with the aircraft.
ON THE
MOVE
Rolls-Royce CEO John
Rishworth is to stand down
in July. He will be replaced
by microchip manufacturer
ex-ARM Holdings head
Warren East.
Supersonic business
jet developer Aerion,
has appointed former
President of Embraer
Executive Jets, Ernie
Edwards, as its new Chief
Commercial Officer.
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AIR TRANSPORT
This is the droid you are
looking for
Arab mission to the Red
Planet. The probe, which
is scheduled to launch in
2020, will aim to collect
atmospheric data on Mars,
All Nippon Airlines
and provide the most
comprehensive climate
model yet of the planet.
Japans All Nippon Airlines with a custom livery deal between ANA and
has revealed a special featuring Star Wars R2-D2 Disney and will start
paint scheme planned robot. The specially painted services in the third quarter
for a 787-9 with the aircraft is part of a five-year of this year, ahead of the
Dreamliner to be painted marketing and promotion new Star Wars VII film.
UK police to guard airports with UAVs
After an 18-month trial at Gatwick Airport by counter-terrorism
experts, UK police are set to introduce UAVs to help protect the
rest of Londons major airports. In addition, it has been revealed
that the police will now take over investigations of illegal or
improperly used UAVs from the CAA.
AEROSPACE
INFOGRAPHIC: Aviation brings relief to Nepal
NEPAL EARTHQUAKE: Foreign Military Deployed Assets (as of 04 May 2015)
OVERVIEW INDIA
13 military aircraft* large military transport aircraft C-17, Ilyushin Il-76 (IL-76), C-130
The Multi-National Military Coordination Centre
(MNMCC) is coordinating all foreign military
assets through daily meetings. The Nepalese
Army has appointed a dedicated liaison ofcer
from the MNMCC to the National Emergency
Operations Centre of the Ministry of Home
Affairs.
The Humanitarian-Military Operations
Coordination Centre (HuMOCC) was established
to provide the physical space dedicated to 12 military helicopters 8 x medium twin-turbine transport helicopter (MI17), 4 x advanced light hHelicopter (ALH)
facilitating the interface between humanitarian
and military actors.
*Data unavailable on number of aircraft types
CHINA PAKISTAN
3 x IL-76 aircraft 3 x MI17 helicopters 4 x Lockheed C-130 Hercules (C-130)
USA UNITED KINGDOM
1 x C-17 Globemaster III 4x V-22 Osprey multi-mission tiltrotor aircraft 1 x UH-1 helicopter 1 x C130 aircraft 3 x Boeing CH-47 Chinook (CH47)
RUSSIA CANADA SRI LANKA BANGLADESH
2 x Ilyushin IL-76 aircraft 3 x CH-46 Griffon 1 x C-130 aircraft 1 x C-130 aircraft
UN DAC
Creation date: 04 May 2015
Data source: UNDAC
helicopters
Feedback: cmcoordnepal@gmail.com
www.unocha.org www.reliefweb.int
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 antenna: Global Outlook and
Analysis with
HOWARD WHEELDON

RAF Lakenheath
mission focused
R
eminders, if they were still needed,
that sequestration and defence budget
constraint in the US is alive and well
came with the shock announcement
in January that the Pentagon intended
to close as many as 15 military bases in Europe
over the next few years. Given the extent of budget
pressure over the past three years, together with
the clear strategic redirection of US defence policy,
perhaps a move such as this should not really
have surprised. The plan will take several years to
implement and it will do little to alter the military
balance in terms of US capability in Europe. The
need to do more with less and to increase the
efficiency of operation is writ large through the
proposed changes. This is not the first time that the
US has cut the number of active bases in Europe
but it is the most significant list of closures that we
have seen over the past 20 years. It is also a timely
reminder for European members of NATO that need
to reconsider their diffident attitude to spending on
defence and their act together.
Defense Secretary, Chuck Hagels plan for
future US basing in Europe has clearly been driven
by political and military strategic considerations,
just as much as it has by cost considerations.
While it may be considered the reverse of the more
cautionary attitude that Congress has expressed
on base closures, I think that the Hagel policy does
need to be taken in context with earlier Pentagon
claims that 20% of the military real estate is
probably surplus to requirements.
From a UK perspective, positives outweigh any
negatives. While the Hagel announcement said
that RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk, would, along with
two small bases in Cambridgeshire, close, it also
confirmed there would be substantial investment
and expansion in air power capability at nearby RAF
Lakenheath, home of the 48th Fighter Wing of the
USAF.
each comprising 24 F-35A aircraft will eventually
be based there in addition to the three squadrons of
F-15 Eagles and Strike Eagles already there.
The decision to base the first two European
F-35 squadrons at RAF Lakenheath is also very
timely, particularly as it coincides with the work on
infrastructure planning required to accommodate the
UK fleet of F-35B STOVL variants that will be based
at RAF Marham from 2018/19. Moreover, I believe
that, given the close proximity of RAF Marham
and RAF Lakenheath, the decision to base F-35A
aircraft at Lakenheath presents a really valuable
one-off opportunity for USAF and the UK F-35
force to come together and leverage its capability.
The potential benefits could be enormous, ranging
from trimmed costs, co-ordinated infrastructure
planning and, importantly, the potential to save costs
by sharing the MRO support function requirement.
With no cuts planned in terms of the existing
number of 67,000 USAF and other US military
personnel based in Europe predominantly
in Germany, Italy and UK with smaller numbers
based in Turkey, The Netherlands and Belgium and
operational units serving on sovereign air bases
elsewhere no one should be left in any doubt that
the Pentagon, through its large scale involvement
within NATO, remains very firmly committed to
European defence.
Engine shop at RAF Lakenheath.

Future European F-35A base

It is at RAF Lakenheath that the Pentagon has
decided that the first two European squadrons of
F-35 aircraft will now be based toward the end
of the current decade. For the base this means a
considerable amount of investment will be required
to accommodate a significant increase in combat
aircraft. The plan envisages that two squadrons,

10 AEROSPACE / JUNE 2015


Many of the planned closures announced by the
Pentagon are of smaller bases mainly in Germany,
Belgium and The Netherlands. Here in the UK, the
major impact will be the eventual closure of RAF
Mildenhall in Suffolk, currently home to a fleet of
USAF air-to-air tanker refuelling aircraft that are
planned to be moved to Germany and AFSOC. Two
smaller bases, RAF Alconbury and RAF Molesworth,
both located in Cambridgeshire, will also close. My
understanding is that RAF Mildenhall will be handed
back to the MoD in 2022.
Clearly, the importance of a USAF base within
the local economy is hugely important. Indirect
jobs created by RAF Mildenhall are put at around
1,400 by USAF and at RAF Lakenheath close to
2,220 jobs. RAF Mildenhall supports employment
of around 4,400 serving officers and civilians of
which just under 700 are local nationals. At RAF
Lakenheath the figures are 6,500, of which 877
are local nationals. The two bases are, of course,
in close proximity to each other and the impact
of closure of RAF Mildenhall will be substantially
lessened by the planned investment and increase in
RAF Lakenheath employment.
While the Hagel plan envisages a very small net
reduction in active US military personnel numbers
in the UK, the cost of infrastructure investment
required to accommodate the two new squadrons
of F-35A aircraft is estimated to be around $240m.
Having recently visited the base and met with
48th Fighter Wing Commander, Colonel Robert
G Novotny, my understanding is that the plan
envisages no change to the existing number of
three squadrons of Boeing F-15 C and E variants
which have seen regularly active deployment in
war zones, or the small number of helicopters that
are held on the base. To effect what is a fairly large
infrastructure requirement, the plan is that a sizable
USAF
@aerosociety i Find us on LinkedIn f Find us on Facebook
USAF
area of RAF Lakenheath currently used for non-
military purposes will be developed and that F-35
operational capability is set to be achieved in 2020.
Engineering excellence
RAF Lakenheath is already highly invested in
terms of engineering facilities, with deep engine
maintenance and detailed aircraft inspection all
taking place on-base. The maintenance and support
facilities for Liberty Wings F-15C Eagles and F-15E
Strike Eagles, together with the course and various
training elements provided on base to support
the engineers, is extremely impressive. Providing
intermediate and organisational level maintenance for
the three F-15 squadrons, plus aircraft deployed, my
understanding is that each F-15 is stripped down for
inspection approximately every 400 flight hours.
Particular emphasis is placed on searching for
potential hydraulic and other leaks, corrosion and
airframe cracks. The 48th Aircraft Maintenance
Squadron is a worldwide deployable unit. Each
month, up to 30 of the two Pratt & Whitney F-15
engine variants will be inspected, repaired and
tested.
With more than 5,000 personnel and around
80 mission-ready fast-jet aircraft and helicopters
based at RAF Lakenheath, the 48th Fighter Wing
of USAF is a formidable force, justifiably proud of
its long heritage based in Europe. From 1952 until
the 48th moved to the former RAF bomber base at
Lakenheath in 1960, the 48th had been stationed
at Chaumont, France, from where it was to be given
the distinction of being the only wing of the USAF
to have a second designation as the Statue of
Liberty wing.
In the 55 years that the 48th Fighter Wing
has been based at RAF Lakenheath, its fast-jet
aircraft have been involved in a large number of
combat missions. These have included the largest
operations that US forces have engaged with allies, THE DECISION
including Operation Desert Shield and Desert TO BASE F-35A
Storm that liberated Kuwait following the invasion
AIRCRAFT AT
by Iraq, air strikes over Serbia including Operation
Allied Force, from bases in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia LAKENHEATH
Operation Southern Watch and Operation Enduring PRESENTS
Freedom in Afghanistan. In terms of NATO air A REALLY
policing, rescue and combat support roles the 48th
Fighter Wing has also engaged in Operation Deny
VALUABLE
Flight, New Dawn Odyssey Dawn and Unified ONE-OFF
Protector. OPPORTUNITY
With over 21% of capability currently deployed FOR USAF
the two squadrons of F-15E and C variants are
worked hard. The base is home to a total 55 of the AND THE UK
F-15E variants and 20 of the F-15C. There are no F-35 FORCE
plans for any reduction of the number of F-15s TO COME
operated by the 48th Fighter Wing and the overall
TOGETHER AND
forward air capability will, from 2020, be significantly
enhanced with the two squadrons of F-35A LEVERAGE ITS
Lightning IIs comprising 24 aircraft. CAPABILITY
www.aerosociety.com JUNE 2015 11
 Transmission
LETTERS AND ONLINE
The National Aerospace
Library
In recent years the UK has
had a National Aerospace
Library worthy of the name.
Its extensive and unique
collection has been built up
around the core of historical
material accumulated by
far-seeing members of
the Society in the past.
Today, this is a world-class
resource and, for the most
part, is readily accessible
at its fine and appropriate
situation at Farnborough.
So, as a regular user, I was
dismayed to learn from a
column in the April issue
of AEROSPACE(1) that
a proposal is likely to be
made to turn back the clock
and return the operation to
Hamilton Place. Through
lack of space there, most
of the collection would
then be accessible only
on advance notice from a
remote commercial storage
site. This is claimed to
allow the library services
to be developed for the
benefit of a greater number
of members, the same
reasons that were given
not long ago for removing
it to Farnborough in the
first place. It was correctly
recognised then that
although central London
might be easier to reach,
it was unrealistic to think
of setting up something
like the NAL there. It is
hard to see how returning
it now could do otherwise
than make the collection
less accessible. Certainly,
off-site storage would make
any sequential searching
for information impossible.
What is needed is surely not
to consign this resource to
obscurity, but to build on the
operation at Farnborough to
strengthen its claim to be a
national institution.
Perhaps ideally, it should
become an independent
foundation, but the Society
could not reasonably
pass over control of its
12 AEROSPACE / JUNE 2015
unique collection until that
was firmly established.
Meanwhile, the problem is
seemingly rising costs and
low visitor numbers. This
should now be opened
up to the membership for
suggestions on how it might
best be addressed. Just for
instance, formal links could
be made to the network of
UK national libraries that
already operates, which
might provide access to
grant-in-aid and other
sources of finance. For the
immediate future, help might
be forthcoming from The
Societys extensive range
of Corporate Partners.
Increasing visitor numbers
requires raising its profile by
promotion and marketing,
as notably used by other
foundations like the National
Archives and British Library.
The location at Farnborough
could be an attractive venue
for events with themes
connected to the interests
of the Society and so on.
Lets hear views from the
members!
Brian Brinkworth
@onelamportwo [On
Illusions of Safety blog(4)]
Excellent article @
RAeSTimR: Re-up! Do
modern airline safety
management systems
encourage a box-ticking
culture?
@leonugent An apposite
article. There are many
SMS that just satisfy the
PowerPoint in Board
Room not the front line
operation.
i
Bic Claudiu [On NASA
research paper on how
to land a robot submarine
to explore Saturns moon
Titan printed in April
issue of The Aeronautical
Journal (2,3)] From what I
understand it will be the
Junior Huygens probe (in
a shape of a submarine,
with wheels) but this
time you hope itll hit the
ocean, not the shoreline,
and maybe will be able
to travel, collect data
and send it to Cassini
(then to Earth), not just
to land and record it from
the same place. Well
... for descending and
landing, I think there will
be a lot of factors to take
into account according
@Lukafoto One of the
best articles on SMS
vulnerabilities I have read.
@OzMP What a great
article... A must read for
pilots who actually want
to become professional
aviators!
@thatjohn [On lithium-ion
battery fire regulations] I
find it very interesting that
so much work on this is
coming out of the UK. CAA
video, RAeS papers
@flyinggibbon I wonder
if the UK manufactured (inc
R&D) ICBMs whether all
political parties would be
pro nuke?
Artists concept of the Titan Mare Explorer floating in a lake on
Saturns moon Titan.
to Titans nitrogen (+
some methane and
hydrogen) atmosphere
which is twice as thick
as Earths, and somehow
the robot would have
to surpass the super
rotator atmosphere in
the upper levels to reach
its destination which I
suppose is the ocean. The
most important instrument
would be the accelerators
to measure the
displacements in all three
axes while descending
into the atmosphere and
also some fans to keep it
@trustaviation [On
CSeries at Paris Air Show]
I suspect CS100 FTV5
(interior installed) will be
static and CS300 will be
flying. That makes sense.
#cseries
@nrogersSF [On
Germanwings blog(5)]
Thoughtful piece by
@RAeSTimR on #4U9525
tragedy and challenges of
Human Factors + SMS to
adapt to the modern world.
@JoseM_SGP [On
control column stolen
from Vulcan To The Sky
Trust] In the Solent Sky
Museum somebody stole
a historic piece a couple
of months ago, no? Sad,
sad, sad...
NASA
steady (or to spin it in the
wanted direction this time,
not just expected, so it
will create a good mosaic
of pictures of the land) in
case of high winds and, of
course, a good parachute.
While approaching the
surface, the acoustic
sounder will do its job and
if the measurement will
determine that there is no
water below, maybe the
fans will help by changing
the descent trajectory a
litle bit, so it will hit the
ocean (if there exists one
nearby).
@SSYS_Toronto [On
Raytheon UKs Schools
Quadcopter challenge]
Great stuff! Love to see
all the amazing #STEM
initiatives. Especially as
STEM jobs are becoming
more & more prevalent,
right?!
@alanIrvinghoe [On
SpaceXs Dragon abort
test] I was surprised by
how close to shore it
landed; did I hear thrust
below nominal called?
@CardingtonSheds
[On the Skyship airship in
A View to a Kill] I was
traumatised when it blew
up, moral to the story?
Dont carry dynamite on
your airship.
@JulieAnderson2 [On

Gary Parsons
survey that says 52% of
Britons think airliners will
Battle of Britain VC Typhoon
be unpiloted by 2025]
Makes no sense at all. I
think the idea will be short
lived.

@_vonrichtofen I wonder
why we want to get rid of
pilots after 110 years of
aviation while we keep ship
captains after centuries of
sailing.

@McGphoto Interesting
findings. Both in regards
to where public think
technology is at and
how they feel about that
technology.
@gcater A merchant navy
friend of mine once said,
the captain is only there for
someone to blame if it all
goes wrong.
@lloydphoto I would
presume a pilot would still
need to be onboard as a
fail safe though? How can
they guarantee systems
wont crash/fail?
@TheParkerEACT [On
Ballantyne Event] Thanks
for an inspirational day at
#Ballantyne2015.
The RAeS Ballantyne lecture was held on 1 May on the theme of
Innovation Our Future, your Future?
As part of the commemorations of the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, a 29(R) Squadron Eurofighter Typhoon was painted in
the No 249 Squadron markings of the Hawker Hurricane flown by Wing Commander Eric James Brindley Nicolson VC DFC, RAF
Fighter Commands only Victoria Cross recipient, during the summer of 1940.
@floatdouble [On RAF @NedtheMerciless
camouflage Typhoon] Looks like a tribute to Nick
What a stunning aircraft! Nicolson, 249 Sqd , the
Love the markings. Looking only VC of the Battle of
forward to seeing it at Britain???
Duxford :)
@beaver_paul Cool
Boscombe Down VC too.
@AmyJohnson_HBay @dallascampbell
A wonderful day @ Thanks for having me @
AeroSociety inspiring AeroSociety Great fun &
speakers, @dallascampbell lovely to talk with such a
energy, young people distinguished panel!
following #dreams.
@trustaviation [On
unlimited structural life
of DC-8] That unlimited
structural life was probably
why it guzzled so much
fuel.
@ThinkDefence That is
fantastic, on a stick!
@TimmyC62 Nice
companion to the @
RCAF_ARCs BoB
commemorative CF-18!
@FDF [On first Schools
Build-a-Plane now for
sale] Get yourself a Rans
S-6ES for only 18K and
help these students build
more!
@gavinwishart [On
RAPS Airworthiness event]
Looking forward to RPAS
airworthiness conference
today.
@user47 The world
needs more delta winged
planes
@Boyinelaad Ooh I say.
Id rather like to see that
in LFA7 for my annual trip
tomorrow.
@laettalentfly [On
premiere of SBAP
documentary film on UK
sat TV] @AeroSociety
@Boeing screens May
11th, how exciting.
Thanks for giving us the
opportunity to make the
film #youhavecontrol.

1. AEROSPACE, April 2015, p 43.

2. http://aerosociety.com/News/Insight-Blog/3065/Exclusive-research-paper-gives-technical-insight-into-NASA-Titan-
sub-concept
3. The Aeronautical Journal, April 2015, p 409, Instrumented splashdown testing of a scale model Titan Mare Explorer
*TiME) capsule
4. http://aerosociety.com/News/Insight-Blog/3038/Illusions-of-safety
5. http://aerosociety.com/News/Insight-Blog/3013/Germanwings-the-final-frontier-of-aviation-safety

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

@aerosociety i linkedin.com/raes
Find us on LinkedIn f facebook.com/raes
Find us on Facebook. www.aerosociety.com
www.aerosociety.com JUNE 2015 13
 TECHNOLOGY
Additive manufacturing
3D printing
ready for take-off
BILL READ reports on the 3D printing revolution that has the potential to
transform not only aerospace manufacturing and aircraft design but also
the MRO and space industries.
U
ntil recently, most metal components
for aircraft and aerospace products
have been created by cutting large
billets down into the required shape
an expensive process that requires
both specialist tooling and generates a large
amount of waste. However, the past few years
have seen the development of new 3D printing
techniques which have enabled the creation of
high-quality, complex aircraft parts in less time and
at a lower cost. 3D printing, also known as additive
YOUR ONLY manufacturing (AM), creates three-dimensional
CONSTRAINT IS products by printing parts layer by layer from
BY WHAT YOU powdered plastics, aluminium, titanium or stainless
steel using computer-aided design (CAD) templates.
CAN IMAGINE The first application of AM techniques in the
OR YOU CAN aerospace industry was the rapid creation of
QUALIFY customised, one-off prototype parts. AM techniques
have also been adopted to produce tooling parts
Russ Dunn used in aircraft production such as templates
Senior VP Engineering or jigs and to produce surrogates which are
and Technology, GKN used as substitutes for high-value assemblies in
14 AEROSPACE / JUNE 2015
non-flight applications on the production floor or in
training.
However, AM production is now being
increasingly adopted by many of the major
aerospace OEMs to create parts for aircraft,
engines, rockets and satellites. Smaller
manufacturers and other organisations are also
utilising 3D printing to construct customised parts
for UAVs, while its potential is also being considered
for aircraft repairs and the supply of spare parts.
Printed parts
AM manufacturing is already being used in aircraft
manufacturing. Airbus has begun using 3D printed
parts for both new aircraft and for replacement
parts for out-of-production models. In May it was
announced that Airbus had used Stratasys FDM
3D production systems to create over 1,000 flight
parts for the first-of-type A350 which was delivered
in December 2014. Meanwhile, Bell Helicopter is
also working on plans to use AM components in its
commercial helicopters and has been working with
Harvest Technologies to gain experience through
the manufacture of parts for the environmental
control system (ECS) before moving on to
develop other AM components. Boeing is
also already making widespread use of 3D
printing for up to 300 parts for ten different
aircraft types, including 30 parts in the 787
Dreamliner.
Aero engines
Additive manufacturing has also proved particularly
adaptable for the production of aero engine parts
with complex geometries, such as fuel systems,
guide vanes and turbine blades, which would
be either impossible or very expensive using
conventional manufacturing.
MTU Aero Engines in Germany claims to be
one of the first companies to use AM techniques,
becoming interested in the technology around
11 years ago. From May 2013, the company
EOS
began using selective laser melting (SLM) to
create borescope bosses for the Pratt & Whitney
PurePower PW1100G-JM geared turbofan which
will power the Airbus A320neo. The heat-resistant
bosses form part of the turbine case and allow the
blading to be inspected at specified intervals for
wear and damage using a borescope. Production
of the borescope bosses was initially in small
quantities but is expected to ramp up this year once
production of the neo gets fully under way. MTU
now plans to use SLM to produce more lightweight
components and is currently developing a seal
carrier to go inside a high-pressure compressor as
part of the European Unions Clean Sky aeronautical
research programme.
Later this year Rolls-Royce is to flight-test what
it claims to be the largest 3D printed aerospace
component yet to power an aircraft. Incorporated
into its Trent XWB-97 engine, the titanium structure
measures 1.5m in diameter and 0.5m-thick. The
front bearing housing contains 48 aerofoils and was
manufactured using Arcams electron beam melting
technology, following research performed with the
University of Sheffield and the UKs Manufacturing
Technology Centre.
In 2012, GE Aviation demonstrated its
commitment to 3D printing when it acquired
metal additive manufacturer Morris Technologies.
At the Farnborough Air Show in July last year,
NPU
GE announced plans for a $50m investment to
begin high-volume additive manufacturing of pre-
assembled aero engine fuel nozzles at its facility
in Auburn, AL. By the end of 2015, the plant could
have as many as ten printing machines with the
potential to grow to more than 50 printers. The new
nozzles will be used in the new CFM LEAP engine
which will power the re-engined Airbus A320neo
@aerosociety i Find us on LinkedIn f Find us on Facebook
A 3D printed bracket for the
Airbus A350.
Bell Helicopter AM helicopter
parts.
injector made with a 3D printer.
parts, including flame-retardant vents and housings,
A 3 metre long titanium
aircraft component
printed by Northwestern
Polytechnical University in
China.
www.aerosociety.com
and Boeing 737 MAX, as well as COMACs C919.
GE has also incorporated an AM component for
the housing on the T25 sensor in its GE90
engine.
Airbus
Military applications
AM has also impacted the military sector.
Lockheed Martins F-35 Lightning II reportedly
has 900 parts made by AM while Boeing is
using around 150 parts produced by selective laser
sintering in the F/A-18 Super Hornet. In January,
BAE Systems conducted a test flight of a Tornado
GR4 fitted with printed metal parts, including a
protective cover for the radio, landing-gear guard
and air-intake door support struts. The aim of the
test was to demonstrate how maintenance crews
could make replacement parts for the Tornado
wherever it was based, including the front line. As
well as being produced quickly, the parts could
also be produced more cheaply.
Printing satellites
The space sector has also eagerly embraced the
potential of 3D printing. In January 2014, US
commercial space company SpaceX launched a
Falcon 9 rocket with a 3D-printed main oxidizer
valve (MOV) body in one of the nine Merlin 1D
engines. The launch escape system on SpaceXs
Dragon 2 spacecraft also includes a 3D printed
engine chamber which was created in-house in just
over three months. Rocket manufacturer ULA has
begun using AM to produce parts for its Atlas V
rocket while NASA has also tested a rocket engine
Airbus Defence and Space utilises AM titanium
retaining brackets on its satellites while Lockheed
Martin has started using 3D printed components for
its satellites, and plans to expand the process with
the ultimate aim of building a complete 3D printed
satellite. The two NASA Mars rovers currently
operating on the Red Planet included 70 3D-printed
camera mounts and large pod doors.
Practical tests have also begun on printing 3D
structures in space. In December 2014, NASA
emailed CAD drawings for a socket wrench to
astronauts aboard the ISS, who then printed the tool
using a 3D printer.
Chinese print out
Other countries are also busy developing the
potential of AM in aerospace. In China, the State
Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing at the
Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU) began
research in 1995 into laser additive manufacturing
(LAM) of titanium alloys, superalloys, and stainless
JUNE 2015 15
 TECHNOLOGY
Additive manufacturing 3D printed metal model aircraft. (NLR)

3D Printing steel. The lab is without the need for additional

Advantages equipped with two structural material. Lessons
LAM machines and, in learned during this study
2013, manufactured a 5m will be used for future
Easy to change long titanium central wing spar projects within the DPG
designs for Comacs C919 narrow body. and were used for the first
Reduced According to Chinese aircraft manufacturer UAV fixed wing prototype.
production AVIC, AM is also being used to produce
times load-bearing parts, including landing Print your own spare parts
gears, for several Chinese aircraft,
Reduced waste including the J-15 fighter. The development of AM techniques has also begun
Reduce number In March 2014, Airbus signed a to affect the aircraft maintenance and overhaul
of parts co-operation agreement with NPU to (MRO) industry. GKN is currently working on new
Lower cost of explore ways to further apply 3D printing technology in processes which will enable the company to use
production the commercial aviation sector. Under this agreement, AM techniques at its plants to repair damaged
NPU is manufacturing test specimens of titanium aircraft parts. Currently, MRO companies requiring
No extra costs alloy parts for Airbus using its laser solid forming a replacement part for an aircraft have had to
for one-off or technology. ship it over from a factory or a spares centre but
limited there is now the potential in the future to speed
production UAVs up the process by printing out parts where they
Can be printed are needed. Boeing is already looking at this and
on demand An aerospace sector in which AM has proved recently filed an patent application for a parts
particularly useful has been that of UAVs which, library for replacement aircraft parts which enable
where needed with their customised shapes, smaller sizes, local MRO centres to construct the parts they need
Can be used lower production runs and no passenger safety instead of having to them them shipped over from a
to produce regulations, are ideal for such production methods central hub.
complex hybrid Several companies lay claim to the distinction AM also has potential for producing complex
parts of being the first to produce a 3D printed UAV. US parts for low-volume production runs such as
replacement parts for vintage or out-of-production
legacy aircraft.
Southampton University

The Southampton University Laser Sintered Aircraft (SULSA)
3D Printing company SelectTech Geospatial claims to have
produced the first UAV made entirely from AM parts
Disadvantages to take-off and land on its gear. In 2012, Southampton
University designed a 3D printed UAV which was
Restrictions on developed and flown within a month. The University
size of parts of Sheffields Advanced Manufacturing Research
Certification Centre (AMRC) Design and Prototyping Group (DPG)
issues conducted a study of self-supporting printed structures
for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) wing design in
Structural which the designers used fractal mathematics to
properties not model an internal structure resembling that of an
yet fully known
insect wing. The aim was to develop a wing that could
Slow production be printed by the fused deposition modelling (FDM)
rates process, using acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)
Production research
Interest has also begun to focus on the AM
production process. In the UK, the newly formed
Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) government
and industry partnership and the Technology
Strategy Board economic innovation agency now
renamed as Innovate UK is also taking an interest
in AM. One of the programmes they are backing
is a three-year, 3.1m collaborative research
programme to develop titanium powder specifically
formulated and blended to meet the needs of
additive manufacturing. Launched in April and led
by GKN Aerospace, the TiPOW (Titanium Powder
for net-shape component manufacture) programme
will also look at developing the techniques and
equipment that will produce the titanium powder
consistently, in quantity and at a lower price,
together with its re-use and recycling. Meanwhile,
BAE Systems and Cranfield University have also
developed the wire arc additive manufacturing
(WAAM) method to produce customised titanium
parts, including a 1.2m spar section produced in 37
hours.
The certification challenge
A major issue now being addressed by aerospace
manufacturers is the problem of how to get 3D

16 AEROSPACE / JUNE 2015


Rolls-Royce
printed parts to meet the criteria required for
certification by the aviation safety regulators. To
achieve certification, regulators, such as the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) in the US and the
European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in Europe,
require that aircraft parts must (a) be established
on the basis of experience or tests; (b) conform
to approved specifications that ensure that they
have the strength and other properties assumed in
the design data; and (c) take into account variable
conditions in temperature, stress and humidity which
may be experienced in service.
Senior VP Engineering and Technology at
GKN, Russ Dunn, explains how his company has
dealt with the problem: Once youve made an AM
component, the next challenge is to certificate
the powder, the part and the process. Weve spent
a number of years working on both process and
part qualification. In part qualification, you are
constrained by the function of that part. In process
qualification we look at how we can control the
way parts are made, including the material they are
made from. At the moment were trying to remove
variables and concentrate on one thing. Were
currently focusing on replicating titanium parts. As
part of the qualification process, were testing how
the strength and capability of AM parts might vary
depending on how they are made. With a traditional
block material we test a billet and see how strong
it is in different directions, both in damage and in
static loading. But with a 3D printed part, created
from tiny particles of metal, its properties may differ
depending on its microstructure. To test these
properties, we are creating what we call hedgehogs
which are blocks with a series of structural rods
sticking out at different angles. By testing every
single one of these time and time again which
enables us to get data sets across the whole build
envelope.
An online blog focusing on how 3D printing is being adopted in the space and satellite industry can be found on:
http://aerosociety.com/News/Insight-Blog
@aerosociety i Find us on LinkedIn f Find us on Facebook
Steady progress
Russ Dunn explained how GKN sees AM evolving:
We dont want to rush ahead too fast. Our plan
is to proceed in steady stages, the first of which
is to replicate parts made by traditional methods
which look and operate exactly the same way.
Were concentrating on how to maximise the value
were getting from the material by making the most
efficient use of the space available. Powder bed
machines are getting larger and were now able
to print hundreds of components in one go. Today,
there are millions of titanium parts flying around the
world. If you can reduce the cost of that by 10%,
thats a significant saving. If you can reduce the
weight by 10%, thats a major saving for the airlines.
The next stage after this will be to optimise
parts with reduced weight and better performance.
However, you also have to consider the wider picture
GKN
of how it may affect the rest of the aircraft structure,
such as its loading, segregation, lightning strike, etc
an issue which the OEMs are always looking at.
The third stage will be the creation of larger,
more complex integrated structures. As far as
aerospace is concerned, the pace of development
of AM may develop at different rates in different
Top: Cutaway drawing of the
Trent XWB showing the front sectors. Engine manufacturers may adopt AM parts
bearing housing in blue which faster than say the airframe side, which tends to
Rolls-Royce has produced adopt a more progressive approach.
using 3D printing.
Above: An Arcam Q20 additive
manufacturing machine at The future is 3D
GKN Aerospace, Filton.
In addition to replacing traditional methods of
construction, many experts believe that AM
techniques offer game-changing opportunities
for both production and design techniques. The
manufacturing supply chain can be done away with
by manufacturing parts on site closer to where they
are needed. We intend eventually to be able to
BOEING deploy a blueprint to be manufactured in any part of
the world, says Dunn.
RECENTLY Another change is that designers can return to
FILED A PATENT first principles and radically rethink how products
APPLICATION can be designed with more complex geometries.
The really exciting capability of AM materials is
FOR A PARTS the ability to create integrated materials which fully
LIBRARY FOR optimise their strengths, says Dunn. Composite
REPLACEMENT parts have proved to be very good for simple load
AIRCRAFT paths while metal components are very capable for
more complicated load paths in different directions.
PARTS WHICH Currently, composite parts in aircraft still use
ENABLE LOCAL traditional fastenings to connect them to metal
MRO CENTRES structures. In the future we expect to see more
TO CONSTRUCT complex organic structures which are optimised
to provide the best load paths from both materials.
THE PARTS Your only constraint is by what you can imagine or
THEY NEED you can qualify.
www.aerosociety.com JUNE 2015 17
 PLANE SPEAKING
Sir Michael Marshall

Plane Speaking with:

Sir Michael Marshall Guest of honour at this years Annual Banquet
in May was Executive Chairman of Marshall Group,
SIR MICHAEL MARSHALL CBE DL FRAeS FIMI. We took
the opportunity to ask him about the future of the family-
owned group, the UK aerospace sector and the
importance of skills.

A
EROSPACE: Your life covers a fair quickly, such as agreeing in one day to design and
Marshall Group

Marshall agreed to design
and develop Concordes nose aluminium to advanced composite materials in many
visor in just a day.
RAeS/NAL
chunk of post-war aviation what
do you think have been the most
significant changes you have seen
over your career?
MM: My aviation career started with Tiger Moths
and Vampires. In the post-war years we worked
progressively with most of the UK aircraft
manufacturers, de Havilland, Bristol, Vickers, English
Electric, all of which came together in the early
1960s, followed by Hawker Siddeley in 1977, into
what is now BAE Systems.
Rapid development of new technology
spearheaded in the 1960s by Concorde with
which we were delighted to be involved, followed
by the growth of Airbus in Europe and Boeing and
Lockheed Martin in the United States. Air-to-air
refuelling has grown and is now an essential military
requirement.
Throughout this we have seen UK aerospace
companies consistently demonstrate strength in the
international market, including large companies like
BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce, as well as smaller
private companies, such as our own.
There has been the continued sustained
growth of commercial aerospace, an increasing
understanding of the value of intellectual property,
the importance of the environment and clean air
initiatives and the progressive move across from
applications.
Q: What difference do you think Marshall Group
being family-owned has made throughout its
history when many of its peers are public
plcs?
manufacture the Concorde nose and visor and the
design, manufacture and installation of in-flight
refuelling on the C-130 in just 14 days at the
beginning of the Falklands conflict. By remaining
independent, we can make decisions very quickly
and think longer-term. We have also been able to
hold true to our family company values and also to
maintain a constant programme of training which,
in the case of apprentices, stretches right back to
1920 in an unbroken line.
Q: Marshalls long association with aviation
dates back to pre-WW2 training services. What
other opportunities do you see for these sorts
of outsourced defence training services?
MM: We see this as a significant opportunity. With
the armed forces under serious and significant
pressure to achieve more with less, there is
a greater focus on through-life support; from
design, through manufacturing and production
into integrated operational support. This extends
to the Whole Force concept and the increased
reliance on the use of reservists and closer working
relationships with all the businesses who employ
those reservists in their day job. Companies like
Marshall are well placed to support the forces,
as they strive to meet their objectives aided by
appropriate Government funding to assist us in
expanding training to our local SME community and
to overcome the significant shortage of licensed
engineers during the coming years.
Q: Marshall now covers MRO, certification,
engineering, training and business aviation.
Where do you see it going in the future?
Marshall ADG

MM: Flexibility and speed of response so we can MM: We are a relatively unique company, being
help our customers get the solutions they need independent and offering a full spectrum of

18 AEROSPACE / JUNE 2015


Marshall ADG
Interior of a Embraer Phenom 300 bizjet the latest
aircraft to join Marshall Aviation Services managed
fleet.
capability from initial design through to flight test
and certification of any modification to upgrade a
military or civil registered aircraft. This platform-
independent capability is attractive to all sorts of
customers in the UK and elsewhere, including
overseas primes, particularly from the US, who
need our sort of capability in Europe and in other
parts of the world. We will focus on developing and
promoting our world-leading specialist capabilities
and we will also look to develop further our links
with Cambridge and other leading universities when
appropriate.
Q: What are your thoughts on the state of the
UK aerospace and defence sector today?
MM: I am optimistic about the future for the UK
aerospace and defence sector which is made up
of large and diverse collections of businesses and
many of them have world-class reputations for the
work they do. The support of the UK Government
through the Aerospace and Defence Growth
Partnerships (AGP and DGP) is helping our industry
to continue to be a significant contributor to the
UK economy, despite the substantial cuts in the
UK defence budget. The UK is the second largest
net exporter of products to the global aerospace
and defence sector (second only to the US). To
keep this position, we must continue to invest in
training and technology. I do, however, urge our
Marshall Aerospace and Defence
Group continues to be a global
centre of excellence for Lockheed
Martin C-130 support and
upgrades.
@aerosociety i Find us on LinkedIn f Find us on Facebook
In 2014 the company won the
Boeing Supplier of the Year award
for its performance supplying P-8
Boeing
Poseidon auxiliary fuel tanks.
new Government to make and stick to the NATO
commitment to spend at least 2% of our GDP on
defence, especially at a time when our national
security is under threat from so many different
quarters. We also badly need a fully proven and
comprehensive Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) for
maritime protection and rescue.
Q: Inspiring the next generation is important.
Do you think we are doing enough to
encourage future generations of engineers,
pilots and technicians?
MM: We can never do enough! However, it is good
that there is now a national focus on encouraging
young people to make subject choices which opens
up career opportunities for them but there is a
lot more which needs to be done and we cannot
afford to be complacent. Our role as an industry is
to inspire them to choose a career in the aviation,
aerospace or defence sectors. There are a huge
number of very exciting opportunities for them and
we must use all our channels to get the message
across, whether that is through the DGP and AGP,
or the excellent work of the Air League and their
extensive scholarship and bursary programme
and the work of the Royal Aeronautical Society in THERE IS A HUGE
conjunction with Boeing and other organisations SKILLS GAP IN
doing great work to inspire young people. In
Marshall, we continue to build on our 95-year THE UK AND THIS
commitment to apprentice training and we have WILL GET WIDER
recently launched our LaunchPad programme IF WE DONT ALL
which, through partnership with their schools, seeks
WORK
to encourage young people between the ages of
8 and 18, growing up in our part of the country, to TOGETHER TO
consider careers in engineering or engineering- ENCOURAGE
related businesses. MORE YOUNG
Q: In recent years weve seen the government
PEOPLE, GIRLS
and industry highlight apprenticeships as a way AND BOYS, TO
into aviation and aerospace are you pleased SIGN UP TO
to see these become more popular? APPRENTICESHIPS
www.aerosociety.com FEBRUARY 2015 19
 PLANE SPEAKING
Sir Michael Marshall

MM: It is great news that there has been a much

Marshall ADG

stronger drive to recruit more apprentices across

all industries but we mustnt forget that many

Marshall ADG
companies like Marshall have been offering full
apprenticeships for many years, in our case, now
for over 95 years. Apprenticeships are a great way
to bring new young talent into our industry and they
offer a great start to successful careers. After all,
A full spectrum of design and many of the senior posts, including at main board
engineering expertise is still level in our company and across the wider industry,
kept in-house to respond to
customers needs.
are held by former apprentices. There is a huge
skills gap in the UK and this will get wider if we
dont all work together to encourage more young
people, girls and boys, to sign up to apprenticeships.
Beyond that, I would also like to see a greater focus
on enabling apprentices to go on afterwards to
achieve valuable and relevant degrees, through the
many universities which offer courses which are
highly rated by the industry.
Q: As a defence contractor how optimistic
are you for the next UK SDSR?
MM: Clearly, balancing the books has to be a top
priority for any government and defence is just one
of many commitments, so we have to be realistic
but defence of the realm is the prime responsibility
of government. I do believe strongly that the UK
Government must make a commitment not to let our
annual investment in defence fall below the 2% of
Marshall has GDP threshold and it concerns me that there has
been so little debate about this during the pre-
offered election campaign. I am also concerned about the
apprenticeships lack of any effective maritime patrol capability and I
to young people would like to see that included in the SDSR, along
with a firm commitment to replace Trident.
for the past 95 Our armed forces are under huge pressure
years. trying to meet their obligations to
the UK and NATO at minimum cost
Marshall ADG
Earlier this year, Marshall ADG opened a new
paint facility able to accommodate aircraft up to
747/A330 size.
in preserving and allowing the industry to
flourish?
MM: I would want to remind them that our industry
has roots which go right back to the early days of
aviation. It is a net contributor to the UK economy,
to high tech employment and to our balance of
trade and it is recognised throughout the world
as being innovative and forward looking. They can
best help us by continuing long term investment in
skills (including STEM and apprenticeships) and
also in technology, while continuing to support our
export campaigns and trying to reduce red-tape and
bureaucracy which has become a significant burden
on all businesses in the UK.
Q: You have been a tremendous philanthropist
and supporter to the local area of Cambridge
and its institutions over many years. That must
have given you particular enjoyment?
MM: We have enjoyed being in Cambridge and
assisting in a small way with the growth of the
high-tech world leading Cambridge Phenomenon
through our training programmes. During the post-
war years, we were always concerned at the lack
of industry in Cambridge and its dependence on
us for employment and wealth creation. It has also

to the taxpayer. This gives us the
opportunity to work closely with
the MoD and the Armed Forces to
find innovative ways of addressing
the needs of the end users, being
prepared where appropriate to re-
write the rule book. The Integrated
Operational Support contracts
we developed with the MoD and
RAF for the C-130 and TriStar
fleets were a good example of this
but there is a lot more we could
achieve if we focus on the actual
requirements at the front line and
then find better ways to deliver the
equipment and support needed.
Q: As a pillar of the aerospace
sector what messages would
you give to politicians today
been very satisfying to have been able to assist
so many charities and major organisations, such
as Addenbrookes, Ely Cathedral, the East Anglian
Air Ambulance, the Service Benevolent funds etc.
and to encourage aviation through the ATC and the
Air League and the RAeS local Branch, as well as
nationally. We have been very fortunate.
Q: Finally on thoughts of succession what
would be the one word of advice you would
give your son, Robert, in taking over the reins?
MM: When I finally retire I would remind him to
continue to be true to the inspirational legacy of his
Great Grandfather, to the hard work and leadership
of his Grandfather, and to focus on the requirements
of our customers and the wellbeing of our wonderful
staff and to be mindful of our role in the local
community and our relationship with Cambridge
University and City.
 AIR SHOWS
2015 Paris Air Show preview
Paris show time
I
n June, all eyes will be on Le Bourget
as France hosts the 51st biennial
Paris Air Show from 15 to 21
June. The first four days of
the show will be trade days,
followed by three public days. This
year will see the return of the jobs
and training forum in the Concorde
Hall, together with the careers plane which
promotes aerospace production jobs with booths in
the shape of different aircraft sections (see below).
A number of events are also planned
for particular days. Tuesday 16 June
will see the Skytrax Awards ceremony
while a Commercial Aerospace
Manufacturing Briefing is scheduled
for Wednesday 17 June. Visitors to
the show will also be able to take
advantage of a special Geolocation
mobile app which will help visitors find
their way around using virtual maps of the show site.
Aircraft
At the time of writing, the full list of aircraft planned
to be on display at the show had not yet been
finalised but advance reports suggest that it will
include the first appearance of the flight test
versions of Bombardiers new regional jets, the
CS100 (which is aiming for certification later in
2015) and the larger CS300. Also expected is an
appearance from the JF-17 light fighter developed
by China and Pakistan with some reports
hinting that a two-seat version of the
aircraft may be announced at the
show. Dassault is hoping to have
its new Falcon 8X business jet
present and possibly the Falcon
5X. After its no-show at last years
Farnborough Air Show, the Lockheed
Martin F-35 will again not be coming to
Europe and it has been announced that no US military
aircraft will fly at Paris. Companies conspicuous by
their absence at this years show
will include US defence company
Northrop Grumman and the UKs
BAE Systems. However, the Textron
AirLand Scorpion is expected to
come over from the US to be on 2,215
Exhibitors
display. The shows organisers say
that Russian exhibitors have been
invited to participate in the show
but no Russian aircraft have asked to participate in
150
Aircraft
the flying display.
For more information on PAS2015,
see http://www.siae.fr/EN
350
Chalet units
The AEROSPACE team will be reporting on the
latest news from the 2015 Paris Air Show with
26
National pavilions
tweets from Editor, Tim Robinson (twitter
@raestimr) and regular online updates
appearing in a series of daily blogs on
http://aerosociety.com/News/Insight-Blog
26
new exhibitors
AEROSPACE / JUNE 2015 21
 SPACEFLIGHT
European space debris initiatives

Cleaning up
space SARAH CRUDDAS looks at European
initiatives to stem the build-up of
debris in orbit.

F
or over half a century humans have been
launching satellites and spacecraft into
space, often without considering what
happens to the remaining debris, or how
to remove disused satellites from orbit.
Today there are millions of tiny pieces of debris
orbiting our planet, with around 25,000 larger
pieces of debris such as rocket stages and dead
satellites all from just little more than 50 years
of space exploration. Added to the junk already
in orbit, the volume of active satellites above our
planet has increased rapidly. Space is becoming
crowded. When we first started exploring beyond
our atmosphere, it wasnt an issue, in the 50s, 60s
and 70s the race for supremacy in space was the
priority and a future full of manmade objects orbiting
our planet remained lost in the realms of science
fiction, and was never considered a priority at the
time. Today, space is all; from the heavyweights such
as the Russian Federal Space Agency, NASA and
ESA, to commercial companies, most nations on
Earth now have a satellite in orbit.
But, as we continue to reach for the stars,
the crowding of debris around Earth is becoming
problematic. This is something which has the
potential to become very serious, if appropriate
action isnt taken, explains Dr Patrick Harkness,
a space systems engineer at the University
of Glasgow, who worked on the AEOLDOS
(Aerodynamic End Of Life DeOrbit System)
CubeSat module with Clyde Space. While the
size of much of the space junk may seem small,
with satellites orbiting our planet at speeds
of 28,000km/hour, collisions with even small
fragments can be potentially catastrophic an
object larger than 1cm hitting a satellite will damage
or destroy sub-systems or instruments on board
and a collision with an object larger than 10cm
can destroy the whole satellite. There is also the
potential for the backlash for life here on Earth,
as we become increasingly reliant on satellites
for everything from communications to weather
forecasting. Those currently most at risk are ones in
higher orbits (800-1,000km) where there are more
satellites, with those in lower orbits likely to avoid SATELLITE
the same amount of debris as it burns up in the
atmosphere.
OPERATORS IN
EUROPE LOSE
Pushing up costs APPROXIMATELY
140M PER
There is also the risk of making missions more
expensive for those operating satellites. According YEAR DUE TO
to the European Commission, satellite operators in COLLISIONS

22 AEROSPACE / JUNE 2015

Europe lose approximately 140m per year due to
collisions, and that total is predicted to rise to about
210m within the next decade. Space junk is also
a problem for business, explains Dr Luca Rossettini,
CEO of Italian-based firm D-Orbit, satellites today
are crowded in orbit, so they need to do things
to avoid collisions but, every time you perform a
manoeuvre, you use up propellant. Although in the
grand scheme of things, one or two manoeuvres of
a satellite might not seem like a big deal, its still not
a decision taken lightly by those operating them. If
you have to keep doing manoeuvres, it does have
an impact, adds Chris Saunders from SSTL, which
NASA
makes and operates small satellites. There have
been times when we have had to move spacecraft
because of debris. As well as the costs, by doing
these manoeuvres; you are also losing valuable
spacecraft time.
It is not only the satellites we rely on for so
many aspects of life on Earth, there is also the risk
to space explorers present and future. A problem
glamorised for the big screen in the film Gravity, but
the International Space Station has already has to
change its orbit twice a year on average because
of debris. There is also the threat to deeper space
missions. Any mission to anywhere has to pass
through Earth orbit first so, if Earth becomes an
excessively dangerous place to linger, then our
access to deep space, for exploration purposes,
might be limited in the future too, says Harkness.
Reaching the tipping point?
So, although space junk is a serious problem, it is
not yet critical. If we dont do something, it will turn
critical, explains Saunders, the amount of material
is reaching tipping point. Saunders compares the
challenge to climate change: like reducing CO2
levels, we need to stop before we get to this point.
The nightmare scenario is that, you cant use space
anymore, because of the debris. The concern is that
once you meet a critical mass in orbit, everything
begins to collide. Its an exponential growth,
says Alasdair Gow, a Spacecraft Sales Engineer,
from Clyde Space. One collision between two
objects leads to more shrapnel. Known as Kessler
syndrome and first proposed by NASA scientist
Donald Kessler in 1978, the result is collisions
creating more debris, which in turn collides with
other objects to create even more debris, until,
eventually, like a domino effect, everything is debris
and low Earth orbit is too hazardous for humans or
satellites. Of course, we are not at that point yet but,
this is the situation nobody wants to get to.
So how do we stop space reaching this
nightmare scenario? The answer lies as much in
legislation as it does in science. In Europe, the
European Commission is committed to the funding
of research projects aimed at the monitoring,
mitigation and removal of space debris. A lot of
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work is being done by Europe into the issue of
space debris, says Saunders. With a number of The threat. A hole
leading technological institutions in the EU, as well caused by space
as the UN Department for Outer Space Affairs debris in the panel
being based in Austria, there is the potential for of NASA's Solar Max
Europe to take the lead in this area. Of course experiment.
thats not to do down other countries. There are
plenty of others investing too but the EU does fund
schemes and various national space agencies, adds
Harkness.
As well as funding schemes, there are also
several strands of work to help reduce the risk
from debris, not only to other spacecraft in orbit,
but also to the potential damage caused by an
uncontrolled re-entry of a large piece of debris.
The first of these initiatives is tracking. In 2013
the European Commission introduced a proposal
which was later adopted in April 2014 to help unite
member states space surveillance and tracking
(SST) technology, inspired by the fact that we have
become increasingly reliant on near space for our
everyday lives. The SST service will, in the future, be
accessible to the public, commercial, civil and military
operators and authorities. There are also plans for
a support programme which helps EU Member
States combine their capacities, including ground-
based radars and telescopes, and offer European
SST services. The idea is to make it possible to
protect satellites by monitoring and cataloguing their
positions; tracking and calculating debris trajectory;
and measure collision risk. It would also mean being
able to predict where a large piece of out-of-control
space debris could land back on Earth.
Is space debris reaching the
Code of practice tipping point?
Internationally, there is a code of good practice to
avoid the unnecessary creation of space debris.
The hope is to prevent a repeat of what happened
in 2007 when China destroyed its own weather
satellite, creating debris which is claimed later hit
a small Russian satellite in orbit. Finally there is a
longer term plan being investigated by the European
ESA
Space Agency to look at the issue of how to remove
www.aerosociety.com JUNE 2015 23
 SPACEFLIGHT
European space debris initiatives

space debris. All of this is very important for the

space community, explains Rossettini we are going
through the same steps as we go through with any
other industrial sector.
IF YOU WERE At the moment the key focus is not to increase
TO REMOVE the amount of junk in space and then try to handle
SOMEONE the existing large amount of debris which currently
orbits our planet. When we first began launching
ELSES objects into space, there were no standards for
SATELLITE AND space debris and, at the time, with so few satellites, Getting closer to de-orbit a satellite
SOMETHING it wasnt really an issue. But, in order to not increase will probably involve precision ranging

ESA
the amount of debris in space, the most important systems, such as LIDAR.
WAS TO GO
thing is to have standards. The ISO (International
WRONG, Standards Organisation) now has standards in place Earths magnetic field and creates a force that drags
CREATING to insure that satellites are disposed of, so that they down the spacecraft.
MORE DEBRIS, minimise the amount of debris.
WHERE WOULD For higher geostationary orbits there are so- Mitigation technology
called graveyard orbits satellites can be moved
LIABILITY LIE? into. For low Earth orbit, this means that, when Other European projects to minimise the creation
a space mission is finished, it needs to re-enter of space debris have a dual purpose. For example,
Earths orbit within 25 years. Aside from the AEOLDOS, developed between the University of
possibility of having left over propellant on board, Glasgow and Clyde Space, works not only to cause
satellite manufactures have developed systems the spacecraft orbit to decay but future systems are
to get dead satellites out of orbit within the time being developed to use the pressure of sunlight on
frame. We have a deployable drag foil on board the sails to boost the orbit of the spacecraft. This
the spacecraft, which releases at the end of its life, has particular use for CubeSats which are launched
explains Saunders. It works by increasing the cross by a robotic arm from the ISS in low Earth orbit. It
sectional area which causes the satellite to comes will mean they can be taken to a higher orbit but
down within 15-20 years. SSTLs first spacecraft still be able to drag down at the end of their life. The
to launch with this was TechDemoSat in 2014. In de-orbit system designed by Rossettini uses a solid
the future most spacecraft will carry one of these propellant one shot motor, which can be used not
deployable devices, he notes. There is also the only on new spacecraft before launch but has the
possibility of electro dynamic thermo tape, which potential to be put on decommissioned craft to take
would be released at the end of the spacecrafts them out of orbit.
life. The current flows down the tape, interacts with The other issue of minimising further debris,
is the debris created
by existing space junk
colliding. ISO standards
are also in place to
try and prevent this
happening. When a
spacecraft comes to the
end of its life, you need
to remove all sources
of energy, explains
Saunders. There has
been the recent case
of an old US military
weather satellite which
exploded, the most
likely cause of which
was the battery. This is
something we dont want
to risk. There are ways of
completely separating the
battery at the end of life.
you can also put on extra
vent and valves to empty
the tank so to speak.
JPL

24 AEROSPACE / JUNE 2015


Of course, these standards arent ingrained
in law for all satellite manufactures but Harkness
believes they are as good as. Its something you
have got to do. If you dont, you run the risk that a
space agency is unlikely to issue a launch licence
without it. Because of this, countries such as
France have made the 25-year rule part of their law.
While working to minimise the amount of
debris from new missions appears relatively
straightforward, as long as standards are followed,
the issue becomes more complicated when you try
to address existing debris. You cant just remove
satellites willy nilly, says Saunders. The problem
is that the satellites which exist in orbit, even if
they are no longer in use, are still owned by the
government or organisation that put them there.
This creates a complicated problem with respect to
liability. For example, if you were to remove someone
elses satellite and something was to go wrong,
creating more debris, where would liability lie?
The issue is further complicated with respect to
disused military satellites. Would Russia, for example
the worst offender for large space debris want
America removing one of its old spy satellites?
The answer, with good reason, is likely to be no.
And there is also a fine line between the potential
technology to remove debris from orbit, to using
ESA
@aerosociety i linkedin.com/raes f facebook.com/raes
Italy's D-Orbit
company has
developed bolt-
on end-of-life
de-orbit rocket
D-Orbit
packages to attach
to satellites.
that same technology to capture someone else
satellite. What you are left with is the perfect storm
of paranoia, risk, money and politics.
Maritime salvage a model?
So, it is by no means clear what the final solution will
look like, although Harkness believes the thinking
is likely to make it similar to maritime salvage law.
On top of that, there needs to be a compelling
business case for cleaning up space. From a purely
technical point of view, the best solution is to pay for
a company or organisation to get rid of debris from
orbit but, at the moment, nobody is offering money
to clean up space debris.
Yet despite all of these complications and
issues, there are a number of incredible projects
that people are coming up with to potentially
remove debris from space. There are projects
that seem like sci-fi today, explains Rossettini.
Among the ideas is a pan-European project called
CLEANSPACE which aims to remove small pieces
of debris (such as space gloves and screws) using
laser illuminations. Swiss Space Systems and EPFL
(cole Polytechnique Fdrale de Lausanne) are
developing the CleanSpace One nanosatallite
designed to remove debris from around the Earth.
There is also the ESA e.Deorbit mission, to capture
debris and remove it from orbit. Universities and
institutions are doing research into grabbing dead
satellites and removing them from orbit, adds
Rossettini. Everything from space tugboats to
harpoons are being developed.
But the key to resolving the issue of space
debris is about making sure that we dont get to
the point where Kessler syndrome develops. We
need to act now, says Rossettini. It might not be as
exciting or as sexy as other space missions but it
is critical for space exploration and the answer is in
legislation.
Another
ESA space
debris plan
would involve
netting old
satellites to
de-orbit them.
www.aerosociety.com JUNE 2015 25
 AIRLINES
Global alliances
Alliances of
convenience
JOHN WALTON argues that consistency is key for today's giant global
airline alliances as they enter their third decade.
T
he three global airline alliances
oneworld, Star Alliance and SkyTeam
dominate the landscape that frequent-
flyers and regular travellers alike.
encounter in the modern aviation world.
Ownership rules have long prevented airlines
from taking full control of other states flagged
carriers, and, even though these are being
increasingly relaxed, protectionism is still in vogue
for many airlines and governments.
Bilateral agreements, often sealed with a loving
cheque, are also on the rise. The industry is seeing a
notable resurgence of the opinion that shareholding
and director-level input is key to a bilateral alliance
particularly by carriers like Abu Dhabis Etihad,
even it has not yet forced its investee airlines to
divest themselves of prior alliances. For example,
even after Etihad investment, Virgin Australia,
created new links with Singapore Airlines and
Alitalia remains in SkyTeam.
Its clear that the three alliances are here to stay,
even in the context of market-significant
extra-alliance partnerships such
as Qantas-Emirates
and Delta-
AEROSPACE / NOVEMBER 2014
Virgin Atlantic. But, as they enter their third decade,
alliances need to rediscover their role in an
increasingly bilateral landscape.
A different world
Nearly two decades on from the launch of the first
global airline alliance Star Alliance, founded on
14 May 1997 by Air Canada, Lufthansa, SAS, Thai
and United the aviation world looks very different
than it did 18 years ago.
Consolidation among Western carriers in
particular has dominated the dynamic. Mergers
between Delta-Northwest, United-Continental
and American-US Airways have cut the number of
Are those cards international US players in half.
really worth the In Europe, Air France-KLM, the Lufthansa Group
loyalty? and IAG (International Airlines Group) have similarly
grown to market-cornering size. The LAN-TAM
merger in South America, the controlled growth of
the Chinese big four, and the demise of Ansett in
Australia, beg the question of whether airlines today
would start up airline alliances in the same way as in
the late 1990s or indeed at all.
The arrival of oneworld in 1999, then comprised
of American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian
Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and the 2000
creation of SkyTeam by Aeromxico, Air France,
Delta and Korean Air, set the scene for the next
decade.
The 2001 failure of Swissairs Hunter Strategy
of acquiring stakes in around a dozen international
airlines from SAA to THY to LOT to TAM to AOM to
LTU, the resulting liquidation of its Qualiflyer Group
alliance, and the absorption over the following few
years of the surviving airlines into other alliances
as the industry struggled to continue in the half-
decade after 9/11, only served to emphasise
the importance of the alliance strategy in lean
times.
Yet the 2010s are different still to the
2000s. The portmanteau frenemy would seem
particularly apt to describe the frosty relationship
between Qantas and Cathay Pacific, or Delta

and Korean Air let alone between American and
Qatar, which are currently on opposite sides of the
increasingly dirty Washington fight over Open Skies.
Imagine the next oneworld high-level meeting when
Doug Parker of American Airlines and Akbar al
Baker of Qatar Airways bump into each other over
the croissants.
Market domination
Investment-style alliances, now returning to favour
in the Middle East in particular, were the genesis
of closer international working. Delta, Swissair and
Singapore Airlines formed the Global Excellence
Program in 1989 as part of an investment into Delta
of nearly $400m (a figure that can be approximately
doubled to 2015 dollars).
Five years later, Delta, Austrian and Swissair
which then owned Austrian launched what
they called a trilateral code-share/blocked-space
agreement five times a week on a single Austrian
Airbus A310 flying Vienna-Geneva-Washington. The
addition of Sabena (also then owned by Swissair)
and the grant of US Department of Transportation
antitrust immunity from 1996 onwards created the
Atlantic Excellence venture.
Four months after the foundation of Star
Alliance in 1997, and three years before the
creation of SkyTeam (which both airlines would join),
Northwest and KLM joined forces in what would
become a hallmark of the international alliance:
a joint venture. The move built on a 1989 20%
investment in KLM and a 1993 strategic partnership
between the airlines, and resulted in the US DoT
granting antitrust immunity for the airlines entire
transatlantic network.
Today, antitrust-immune joint venture
partnerships cover more than three quarters of the
entire transatlantic market, and a weighty part of
US-Japan and Europe-Japan travel, as well as from
the US to Australasia.
In terms of Europe-US flights, the Air France-
KLM-Delta-Northwest JV from 2008, the Atlantic
Plus-Plus (A++) Air Canada-Austrian-Brussels-
Lufthansa-Swiss-United-Continental agreement
also from 2008, and the 2010 approval of the
American-British Airways-Iberia (and later US
Airways and Finnair) joint venture plus Delta's
2013 purchase of 49% of Virgin Atlantic have
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oneworld
After the big
splash of a
welcoming
ceremony, what
is the benefit of
alliances?
sewn up the transatlantic market. Around three
quarters of flights are split roughly equally between
the three US carriers JVs, with the few remaining
unaffiliated carriers picking up the rest.
The impact of this oligopoly is remarkable.
Barriers to entry for new airlines are not just
economic, theyre political: just see the three
US major carriers marked (and, in some ways,
hypocritical) objections in Washington to
transatlantic service by LCC Norwegian and the
three Gulf heavyweights.
It is difficult to argue that the oligopoly of the
joint ventures hasnt been to consumers detriment.
The great circle distance between New York and
Los Angeles is 28% less than that between New
York and London. Both routes see significant
demand and significant flight operations yet
pricing differences and fare requirements make
prices significantly more than 28% greater across
the Atlantic, even taking into account the increased
government compliance costs and challenges of
international operations.
Figuring out how to add LCCs
A wrinkle in the fabric of the patchwork quilt that
makes up any alliance is the passenger experience
and travel proposition of low-cost carriers,
particularly those owned by alliance members.
Since Aer Lingus left the oneworld alliance in
2007 to focus on a low-cost operating model
using its independent network over Dublin, airlines
such as airberlin and Jetstar have joined, either
as full members in airberlins case, or as affiliates,
in Jetstars. The value of these airlines for alliance
flyers is questionable, especially around lounge
access, frequent flyer earn/burn and participation in
marketing partnerships. IT IS DIFFICULT
The problem is not just on the alliance side, TO ARGUE
though. The social contract between passenger THAT THE
and airline is different if the airline is an LCC or a
full service carrier. If oneworld airlines are sending
OLIGOPOLY
passengers expecting a certain level of product OF THE JOINT
and service onto Jetstar and there are questions VENTURES
about the extent to which, say, international HASNT
consumers notice if their four-digit oneworld airline-
coded flight number is operated by Jetstar metal
BEEN TO
then the passenger expectations and Jetstar's CONSUMERS
passenger proposition are clearly bound to differ. DETRIMENT
www.aerosociety.com JUNE 2015 27
 AIRLINES
Global alliances
Star Alliance has a similar problem with,
among others, Thai Smile, Air Canada Rouge
and Germanwings. Why Thais, Air Canadas and
Lufthansas low-cost arms should be included but
Singapore Airlines Tigerair and Scoot shouldnt be
is unclear from a passenger experience perspective.
SkyTeam has less of an issue with affiliated
subsidiaries but arguably more of a consistency
Founded: 1999 issue between its members, which are in many ways
Members: 15 more disparate in passenger proposition than the
Fleet size: 3,324 airlines of oneworld and the Star Alliance.
Go your own way: the Gulf Three
options
No matter which way you count airline size, Dubai
supercarrier Emirates, unaffiliated with any of the
three alliances, is enormous. Some carriers and
regulators would argue that Emirates (and its
colossal fleet of widebodies) is the airline equivalent
of a great white shark, with Qatar Airways and
Etihad both in line for an equally loaded predatory
analogy.
Founded: 2000 Indeed, Emirates size and strength has meant
Members: 20 that it has developed bilateral relationships with
Fleet size: 4,467 airlines of all three alliances and none. The pilot fish
swimming around the great white include Korean
Air, South African Airways, Qantas (with which it
has an extensive alliance), jetBlue, easyJet, Alaska
and Virgin America, in a symbiotic relationship that
funnels connecting passengers both to and from
Emirates and its partners. No shark, no (or less
prosperous) pilot fish.
The fact that Emirates US partner airlines, which
are the smaller carriers within the region, have been
clear in their political support for Emirates after it
came under fire from American, Delta and United
Founded: 1997 all larger than Emirates is a further benefit of this
Members: 27 strategy.
Etihad Airways has taken a separate tack of
Fleet size: 4,338 investing heavily in international airlines, including
but certainly not limited to, over 20% of Virgin
Australia, 49% of Alitalia, and a recently approved
33% of Switzerlands Darwin Airline, which
rebranded to Etihad Regional in January 2014. Its
Etihad Airways Partners covers five of the airlines
How does one include low-cost
subsidiaries, such as Air Canada
Rouge, within an alliance?
Air Canada
16 AEROSPACE / JUNE 2015
airberlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Jet Airways,
Etihad Regional and Etihad itself with SAA
making noises about joining and Etihad CEO James
Hogan effusive about its prospects: a partner
proposition for like-minded airlines which will result
in synergies and efficiencies for participating airlines
on the one side, and enhanced network choice,
service and frequent flyer benefits for the consumer
on the other.
Qatar Airways, meanwhile, has taken a third
route, that of joining oneworld and purchasing an
equity share of IAG, owner of British Airways, Iberia
and Vueling. (The wheels-within-wheels irony of IAG
currently pursuing Aer Lingus, currently part-owned
by Etihad, is not lost on the industry, with Etihad
suggesting it would divest itself of its Aer Lingus
holding in the event of an IAG takeover.)
Neither Etihads bilateral agreement, nor Qatars
alliance membership with American Airlines,
however, has dissuaded the mammoth US carrier
from complaining vociferously about alleged
subsidies given to the Gulf carriers. Lufthansas
ongoing lobbying of the German government about
competitiveness hasnt stopped its Swiss subsidiary
from operating in what could appear to be a rather
predatory way in competition with Etihad Regional,
the former Darwin Airline.
Consistency is the answer
As alliances have developed over the last 20 years,
their offering to frequent flyers and occasional
travellers alike has revolved around the consistency
of passenger experience. Yet its arguable that the
alliances are now scraping the bottom of the barrel
when it comes to as-yet-unaffiliated airlines and
whether it makes sense to join together further
carriers as partners.
There are even questions about whether
existing partnerships make sense in terms of
product synchronisation consider the premium
passenger experience between Cathay Pacific and
airberlin, or Asiana and Eurowings, or Korean Air
and TAROM.

Airbus
The principal purpose for alliances, as far as
the airlines most valuable customers precious
metal gold, silver and platinum cardholders are
concerned, benefit reciprocity. In essence:
Earning and burning miles and points
Accruing status credits and tier points
Upgrades, complimentary, paid and paid-with-
points
Seat selection, including extra-legroom seats
Priority processing and fast track queues at the
airport
Lounge access
Fail at those, and the precious metal cardholders
start to feel that their loyalty has been tarnished. Of
course, as any frequent flyer knows, the amount and
consistency of benefits is inversely proportional to
the number of alliance partner travellers through an
airport.
Persuading Cindy in Cincinnati, Saki in Sapporo
or Birgitte in Bremen that an unfamiliar card is valid,
and that its cardholder is entitled to the advertised
benefits, is more spotty than it needs to be, even
among alliance partners.
Differing benefits on the home carrier and
alliance partners are a large part of this issue if
one receives two extra bags and lounge access
for plus-two when flying at home but only one bag
and a plus one when away, expectations need to
be clearly set, and usually arent. Education for
staff and information for passengers are key, as
are regular updates on both counts. Just ask any
Austrian or Australian how many times an airport
staffer has looked for the wrong country in a list,
or scrutinise the list of airlines outside a lounge for
merged, rebranded or defunct carriers.
Varying, unpredictable and penurious rates
of accruing both points and status credits
equally tarnish the experience of precious metal
cardholders. Delta frequent flyers travelling in
SkyTeam partner Korean Air first class receive only
Skyteam
miles, no status, and exactly the number of miles
flown. No less, no more, no bonuses. Those same
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Etihad has been
forging its own
path in creating
international
airline
partnerships.
lounge, mindbogglingly inferior to the SilverKris
lounge, is for some of the airlines most loyal
Access to lounge provisions
is a key tenet for the alliance
frequent flyer proposition.
www.aerosociety.com
travellers flying fellow SkyTeam member Air France
in La Premire earn 300% of the miles flown for
redeemable miles, 200% of the miles flown for
status qualification plus a further 120% bonus
for top-tier platinum cardholders.
Even calculating benefits and earn rates can be
complicated. Its possible to buy a ticket with an Air
India flight number on a Singapore Airlines aircraft
operating from Japan to the USA. Whose booking
class earn rates apply for a Lufthansa member on
this flight? Who is the arbiter of a decision that has
a significant impact on perceptions of an entire
alliance?
Singapore Airlines also offers a special lounge
separate from its business class offering for
frequent flyers at its Changi hub. The KrisFlyer Gold
passengers, yet has neither lavatories nor showers
for passengers departing the tropical citystate or
transiting on a long-haul flight.
This inconsistency is by no means unique to the
three global alliances. Its often worse in bilateral
agreements, especially in the event that the bilateral
carrier agreement offers more at-airport or travel
benefits than a similar status on an alliance carrier
would. But inconsistency is less excusable between
alliance members, since part of the rationale for
having an alliance is a system of synchronised
benefits.
Connecting the dots
Leaf through an airline magazine and youll find
a myriad dots and lines connecting the world,
although perhaps only the dot is shaded to denote
a destination served only by a partner. If airlines
maps covered only the destinations to which
customers could be assured of the service which
they purchased based on the airlines brand and
sales promises, there would be many fewer lines
and many fewer dots.
JUNE 2015 17
 CYBERSECURITY
Virtual command centre
S Fighting a
ome 75 years ago this year, the UK
faced what was the biggest aerial assault
in history, when the might of Hitlers
Luftwaffe was turned against the RAF.
Today, one of the threats to UK security
is not waves of Heinkels but waves of increasingly
sophisticated cyberwarriors. The UK armed
forces which, like other advanced militaries, are
now arguably dependent on IT networks to share
intelligence, co-ordinate operations and command
forces.
Scramble, scramble!
However, while in 1940 the Dowding System
saw information about enemy air raids from radar
stations and observers shared, disseminated and
filtered to allow Fighter Command to quickly and
efficiently direct RAF fighters to meet the threat,
today the situation is more fragmented.
Indeed, arguably there is not yet an equivalent
military cyber Bentley Priory or digital Fighter
Command HQ to detect attacks, inform others and
direct resources. Instead today, each penetration
or hack on separate networks or systems is usually
considered in isolation, which can deprive decision
makers of the big picture (is this a lone intruder or
part of a co-ordinated strike to take down certain
related systems?). It also makes responses to
intrusions or attacks slow. While physical individual
network security operations centres (SOC) do
exist, it is almost as if the RAF was trying to fight
the Battle of Britain using individual Sector Control
stations, rather than as a co-ordinated strategic
whole (indeed as aviation historians will know,
one of the key controversies of the Battle was the
co-ordination (or lack thereof) between 11 and 12
Group). While national cybersecurity co-ordination
centres do exist such as CERT-UK (formed in
2014) these are usually aimed at responding to
incidents involving commercial, government and
public networks rather than the specialised,
classified C4ISTAR networks that the MoD uses.
38 AEROSPACE / JUNE 2015
cyber
Battle of Britain
A new virtual cyber command centre
project promises to strengthen the UK
militarys network defences against
hackers, spies and cyber criminals.
TIM ROBINSON reports.
But today, as cyberthreats increase from
Stuxnet-type viruses, to non-state hacking (witness
ISIS hackers taking an entire French TV station
off air), as well as the growth of hybrid warfare
which merges deniable special forces operations,
propaganda and cyberwarfare as seen in Ukraine
getting a fast response to counter intrusions will
be critical. Far from the outdated image of lone 14-
year old hackers breaking into classified networks
for fun, there are now, as one expert noted:
significant time, money and investment going into
these advanced persistent threats.
Moreover, in the future, information itself held on
defence IT networks may not just be the target but
functions and assets themselves that rely on these
data networks, such as ISTAR, UAVs, satellites or
logistics. In tomorrows hybrid conflicts, it may be
that sophisticated enemies will not attempt to shoot
down UK F-35Bs or Typhoons in the air, or even
strike them on the ground with bombs and missiles,
but instead seek to cripple or degrade operations by
gaining access to automated logistics and support
networks, rerouting spares or inserting spurious
data.
Enter the VCCO
However, in a 14m contract awarded to Airbus
Group Innovation UK recently, the MoD Dstl
(Defence Science and Technology Laboratory )
research lab will study a new Virtual Cyber Centre
of Operations (VCCO) able to share and co-
ordinate cybersecurity threats. This VCCO trial will
last for 16 months and is part of an ongoing Dstl
project on cybersecurity.

At a briefing in London earlier this year, Airbus
and Dstl experts explained the challenges of these
new cyber threats and the need for enhanced
cyber situational awareness, according to Dr Kevin
Jones, Head of Airbus Group Innovations Cyber
Operations, based in South Wales. Says Jones of
the very difficult challenge of cyber situational
awareness: In the modern era we have very
complex digital systems that are interconnected. He
adds: Because they are interconnected, we have
to understand the whole domain and all of those
assets that are interconnected and the types of
attack people are going to put against those assets.
The VCCO is intended to provide a virtual
operations centre, allowing analysts from anywhere
on the globe to participate in real-time responses
to cyber threats or attacks. It also merges data
and information from different networks, allowing
specialists to spot patterns or small clues about the
origin or nature of the attack. It could be one tiny
little alert buried deep in a subsystem that is the key
to understanding what is going on, says Jones.
Hacking a UAV
A fictional but plausible scenario presented in the
briefing to journalists was a hacking intrusion into
a UAV C4ISTAR system. Using the information-
sharing tool, which combines chat, email, video and
network diagnostics all in secure links military
officers and subject matter experts were able to
collaborate from multiple locations or existing
security operations centres and quickly respond to
the hacking attempt, while also being able to say
exactly what the real-world limitations the cyber
attack would have on actual UAV operations.
As in 1940, where it took five minutes for
enemy aircraft to cross the English Channel,
speed is of the essence to combating a cyber raid
effectively. In this early trial, the collaborative VCCO
was able to track and resolve the issue in two hours
compared to days using traditional physical
SOCs and legacy communications, according to
Airbus DSs Jones. A quick cyber early warning
then makes it much more likely the intruders can
be stopped or the attack nullified before major
damage is done. Notes Jones: The earlier I can
detect what the attacker is trying to do, the better
chance I have of protecting those assets from cyber
attack.
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One interesting aspect of the VCCO is it is
designed to incorporate new and emerging virtual
reality technologies, such as VR goggles and
cutting-edge visual data analytic tools to help teams
to collaborate and understand the threats. We need
people with the right skills and right capabilities to WILL IT BE A
understand what they are seeing, explains Jones. CASE OF IF WE
In a complex cyber event, it will be highly unlikely LOSE THE WAR
that one single person will see all the pieces of the
jigsaw.
IN CYBERSPACE,
The centre will not just be a chat room or WE LOSE THE
online forum for tech geeks solving network IT WAR AND
issues but will be a 3D virtual space where WE LOSE IT
avatars can walk around to interact with other
officers or specialists, or watch large screens with QUICKLY?
data feeds, videos or other information. It, says
Airbus, could also be field-deployable potentially
allowing a theatre commander or their subordinates
to don headsets to immerse themselves in a cyber-
attack virtual meeting to understand how it might
affect their operations in the real world, and to
mitigate them.
The virtual ops centre, it is worth remembering,
must also cope with integrating data from different
existing networks and SOCs, which also may be
at different levels of classification. In that way,
information flows are one-way up the network
only and those dialling in are only seeing the data
on their screens, rather than having this fused
information shared widely.
Finally, this high-level VCCO may also have
applications in protecting networks beyond critical
MoD networks and could potentially also be
extended to the wider defence industry and supply
chain as well as other critical government and
commercial IT infrastructure, such as nuclear power,
water, electricity or banking.
Conclusion
This may be a small research grant but, like Great
Britains battle-winning radar and observer network
of 1940, this new VCCO, if successful, could be
critical in giving the UK MoD cyber early warning
of a hostile power or group attempting to cripple
the UKs military defences through a digital Pearl
Harbour style co-ordinated attack in the future.
Incidents such as Stuxnet, the Sony Pictures
hacking and Estonian cyberattacks in 2007 are
likely to be pointers towards the direction of a future The VCCO will be a
all-arms conflict where the cyber domain is as command centre in a 'virtual'
place in cyberspace.
important as the air, land and sea.
Spotting early signs of a sophisticated full-
scale co-ordinated cyberattack will thus be key
to resilience and to making sure the UKs armed
forces remain combat-effective. To paraphrase Field
Marshal Montgomerys comments about airpower
Airbus Group
in WW2, will it be a case of: If we lose the war in
cyberspace, we lose the war and we lose it quickly
for future commanders?
www.aerosociety.com JUNE 2015 31
 AIR TRANSPORT
Pilot skills
Resilience
Recovering pilots lost flying skills
A380 Captain RICHARD CHAMPION DE CRESPIGNY FRAeS* argues
that mastering an aircraft and its systems is the only way to avoid an
increase in commercial aviation accidents.
M
any travellers have an increasing
illogical dread of flying, despite the
statistics that prove flying has never
been safer1. The accident rates for
passenger airlines have declined
steadily since 19732 (see Figs 1 and 2).
2013 was arguably the safest year for aviation,
when there were 265 casualties in 29 accidents.
This compares well with survival on the worlds
roads where a person dies every 30 seconds. The
aviation safety record is an even more remarkable
achievement given that, since 1975, the aviation
industry has doubled in size every 15 years, and will
continue to grow at this rate.
Aviation safer because...
Aviation safety has improved due to a number of
factors including:
Safer aircraft: Certification standards continue
to evolve GPS, EGPWS (Enhanced Ground
Proximity Warning System) and TCAS (Traffic
Collision and Avoidance System) have made step
improvements to safety. The new generation of
highly-automated fly-by-wire aircraft are about ten
times safer than their non fly-by-wire alternatives.
Modern gas turbine engines fail about six times
less frequently than the certification requirements
14 AEROSPACE / JUNE 2015
for basic extended range aircraft.
Government and corporate safety management
systems have created effective safety cultures.
Human Factors such as Crew Resource
Management (CRM), leadership and management.
THE INDUSTRY There are three possibilities for the future rate
of hull losses. Linearly extrapolating the hull losses
HAS
graph suggests that we might achieve a zero hull
EXPERIENCED loss rate by 2025. Alternatively, the hull loss rate
A STEADY might decline to the incidence rate of Black Swan
DECLINE events. Perhaps an unexpected influence will cause
the hull loss rate to increase.
IN MANUAL
FLYING SKILLS ... or becoming less safe?
OVER THE PAST
20 YEARS The trend of declining hull losses might reverse
(increase) because:
Pilots with Multicrew Pilots Licence (MPL) are
able to join commercial airlines with just 240
hours of experience, less than double the hours
needed to qualify for a car drivers licence in
Australia. (The FAA requires first officers to
hold an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate,
requiring 1,500 hours flying time).
Pilots are not being trained sufficiently to operate
todays complex automated aircraft.
Pilots manual flying skills are declining due to
insufficient hands-on practice. Via author

Fatalities
10-year average
Figure 1 Ci
Fi Civilil airi transport
t t ffatalities
t liti (D(Data:
t FSF)
Air Traffic Control agencies are putting more
challenging and distracting constraints on
pilots as a result of the skies becoming more
congested. Airbus forecasts that the worlds
passenger aircraft fleet will double when 31,400
aircraft are introduced between 2014 and 2033.
China is expected to have the worlds largest
domestic aircraft market within a decade.
Captain Chesley (Sully) Sullenberger has
definite views about the first point:3
"Every safety protocol that we have in
commercial aviation is predicated on having two fully
qualified pilots in every airliner cockpit, not a captain
and an apprentice. A fully qualified pilot is required in
both pilot seats to be able to fulfill the roles of pilot
flying and of pilot monitoring. Everyone who occupies
a pilot seat in an airliner must be the absolute master
of that aircraft and its systems in every situation.
Air France flight 447 reminds us of the need for
pilots to possess the hands-on skills and situational
awareness to calmly and logically assess and
respond to all automation, mechanical, environmental
and situational threats they face, simultaneously and
continuously throughout the flight.
An MPL by definition is an apprentice license,
not a fully qualified pilots license. Not insisting on
the highest levels of safety is like playing a game of
Russian Roulette: the fact that one flight went safely
is little comfort for the next.
I have just returned from a week in Washington,
DC, where I testified before the Senate and the
House Aviation Subcommittees about the FAA
Reauthorization Bill, specifically not allowing
the regional airline industry to weaken the pilot
experience requirements put in place after the
Buffalo crash.
The aviation industry must honor the memory of
the victims of the Buffalo crash by finally achieving
One Level of Safety across all airlines, major and
regional, by acting on these important lessons that
we have learned at great cost, literally bought with
blood, and by ensuring that this preventable tragedy
is never repeated. There is no cockpit seat for
apprentice pilots in commercial passenger jets. The
grief-stricken families of the victims deserve the best.
The travelling public expect the best."
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Hull Losses
10-year average
Figure 2 Civil air transport hull losses (Data: FSF)
Declining legacy skills
Reports of accidents and near misses in aviation
indicate that pilots hands-on skills have deteriorated.
The pilots of legacy (B707 and early B747) jets
had excellent flying skills. They usually flew their NOT INSISTING
approaches and landings without using autopilots and ON THE
auto thrust because these systems were often too
inaccurate or unreliable. These pilots built a mental
HIGHEST
body model that included their aircraft they wore LEVELS OF
and manipulated their aircraft like it was a fitted glove. SAFETY IS
Practising manual flight proved beneficial during LIKE PLAYING
emergencies. These skilled pilots could recover their
aircraft whether it was stalled, inverted, spinning or A GAME OF
on fire. RUSSIAN
Legacy pilots unfortunately underrated their ROULETTE: THE
flying skills. They took their skills for granted and
did not appreciate how much manual flight honed
FACT THAT
their skills and confidence. When automation started ONE FLIGHT
appearing in the new jets, these old pilots assumed WENT SAFELY
that the automation should be used as much as IS LITTLE
possible at the expense of manual flight. This is
when the industrys skills started to spiral dive.
COMFORT FOR
The industry has experienced a steady decline in THE NEXT
manual flying skills over the past 20 years. Second
Officers are not permitted to fly big jets below
20,000ft. No pilots are permitted to manually fly in Captain Chesley
RVSM (reduced vertical separation minimum) airspace (Sully) Sullenberger
(FL290-FL410). Modern cockpit designs insidiously .
induce pilots to focus on just the green and magenta
targets (airspeed, attitude, altitude and track) at the
expense of awareness of the underlying raw data. Many
airlines either frown upon or refuse to let the pilots fly
manually when the autopilot and autothrust is available.
Many long-haul pilots, even on a 17-hour flight, only
manually fly their aircraft for 12 seconds during the
departure and 15 seconds during the approach when
the aircraft is between the ground level and 200ft!
It is not surprising that there are pilots who have
lost their skills, confidence and ability to handle the
aircraft when the automation is either incapable of
handling the crosswinds, turbulence, windshear or
when it fails. There are pilots in long-haul airlines that
have lost the ability to fly manual visual approaches.
Many pilots refuse to manually fly the simulator to
reduce the risk of failing their licence renewals.
www.aerosociety.com JUNE 2015 33
 AIR TRANSPORT
Pilot skills
Hidden danger of hands-off
So the hull loss graph might be deceptive. The
strong message of increasing safety might be
masking an emerging but significant threat.
What if the improvements in safety (due to
safer aircraft and automation) is greater than the
decrease in safety because of the loss of manual
piloting skills? If this is the case then we should
expect the hull loss rate to increase when the rate
that piloting skills degrade is greater than the rate
that the aircraft systems continue to improve.
The signatures of fatal aviation accidents have
changed over the past 25 years. Boeing4 reported
that, between 2003 and 2012, the trio of loss of
control inflight (24%), runway excursions (21%) and
controlled flight into terrain (23%) accounted for
more than two thirds of all fatal accidents (see Fig.
3 below. The first two categories might be markers
for declining pilot manual flying skills. All three
categories indicate that more training is required.
Automated systems can increase workload and
risk. The flight computers use many recipes of logic
that simplify the phases for climb, cruise, descent,
approach and landing. However, some recipes dont
help pilots in unusual circumstances. For example,
a Go Around and the ILS PRM Breakout hands-on time at the controls.
Manoeuvre are probably the two most critical, yet
poorly flown procedures when using automatics.
These procedures are instinctively easier to fly
manually.
Figure 3 Causes of fatal aviation accidents 2003-2012 (Boeing)
22 AEROSPACE / JUNE 2015
Pilots save lives
NTSB
The statistic that 70% of accidents are due to
human causes ignores the thousands of near
misses that pilots mitigate every day. Technology
cannot replace pilots yet. Pilots must expect the
unexpected, anticipate failures and have the
confidence and courage to recover their aircraft
when the unthinkable happens.
Corporate survival depends upon protecting
passengers trust in pilots. Passengers expect their
pilots to be resilient, credible, empathetic and honest.
Carolyn Jones, a passenger on QF32 writes:5
There is a public perception of the pilots who
routinely inhabit our skies as being in a sense
disembodied entities in which we entrust our lives
from time to time. We take for granted the expertise
and wisdom that the flight deck team are expected
to possess. Our long held perceptions changed
dramatically on that day .
Recent experiences prove that you breach your
passengers trust in you at your peril.
More hands-on flying?
What then are the solutions? One is obviously more
Jim Lovell, NASAs Commander of Apollo 13 has
been flying for over 60 years. Jim has been warning
of the long decline in hands-on flying skills:
I have made comments about the adverse
Boeing
PILOTS MUST
BE CONFIDENT
OPERATING
AUTOMATED
AIRCRAFT AND
CAPABLE TO
DEFER TO THEIR
HANDS-ON
FLYING SKILLS
Jim Lovell
Commander, Apollo 13

side effects that come with automation. The Apollo
astronauts and ground teams practiced every procedure
and every possible contingency, so that we felt
comfortable in our spacecraft, capable of flying them
when the automatics failed and confident of returning
home. This preparation paid dividends for Apollo 13.
Rich, I hope your message on the effects of too much
automation in aircraft controls will sink through. Pilots
must be confident operating automated aircraft and
capable to defer to their hands-on flying skills.
The FAA has already responded. They released
the Safety Alert for Operators #13002 (FAA) in
2013 which encourages operators to promote
manual flight operations when appropriate.
My airline has responded and we now have
procedures recommending manual flight in low-risk
environments. Other airlines should also respond.
Stress Proof Deliberate Practice
A second solution is to introduce new training. Pilot
training philosophies are out of date and should
change. The aviation industry should embrace the
concept of Stress Proof Deliberate Practice as a
means to achieve resilience.
Harry Nelson, a former Vice President of Airbus
flight test department has said that current training
programmes that airlines have relied on for decades
are too predictable and fail to improve pilots skills.6
Aviation training currently consists of developing
a broad range of skills to an acceptable level.
There is insufficient simulator time to employ
the military training methods to Demonstrate, then
Direct, then Monitor sequences. Aircraft conversion
courses now expose pilots just once to the very
critical but improbable emergencies. Pilots have the
symptoms and outcomes displayed to them and are
rarely given an opportunity to repeat the sequences
and to improve. This method produces adverse training
outcomes, often with the pilots finishing the sequence
with negative perspectives and little confidence.
Many pilots finish simulator exercises feeling
trepidation, under-confidence and hoping that they
never see that problem again. For example, pilots
receive infrequent and insufficient simulator training
to master the difficult scenarios, such as flight into
volcanic ash, engine fires and approaches using
minimal electrics.
Wouldnt it be great if we could research,
then train to become confident to handle these
emergencies? Wouldnt it be great to not just think
like Neil Armstrong when he said: Expect the
Unexpected but to be truly confident to handle it,
Via author
and courageous enough to think bring it on!?
Nelson called for fundamental changes to
@aerosociety i Find us on LinkedIn f Find us on Facebookk
Skill fade? In 2013 an Asiana Airlines
Boeing 777 crashed in San Francisco
during a visual approach in good
weather.
improve manual flying proficiency and other cockpit *Captain Richard Champion
skills that have been de-emphasised over the years. de Crespigny FRAeS was
He is critical of the current trainers that focus too the Pilot In Command of
much on complying with regulatory requirements Qantas QF32, an Airbus
instead of teaching pilots new safety approaches A380 flight from Singapore
and helping them to become resilient. to Sydney on 4 November,
The industry is partially responding to this 2010. The flight and its
request. ICAO7 and IATA now recommend that airlines uncontained engine failure
introduce evidence-based training (EBT) to provide is detailed in his book QF32
competency-based training to counter known threats and his website at QF32.
(see ACES high, AEROSPACE, January 2015). com. Richard presented
Something else is needed, however, because EBT and opened the The Future
does not provide additional simulator time to resolve of Flight Training Devices
the problem of declining hands-on skills. conference at the RAeS in
Nelson did not mention it but he was probably London in November 2014.
inferring that the aviation industry also needed Richard still flies the A380
to embrace Deliberate Practice (DP), a concept and is writing three more
about learning devised by Anders Ericsson8. DP books on resilience, aviation
provides the methods to become an expert, or and science.
how to reproduce excellence reliably on demand.
DP requires hard, effortful and repetitive practice
that focuses on tasks beyond your current level of
competence and comfort9.
There are no shortcuts with DP. It requires
years of struggle, sacrifice, feedback, honest often
Via author
painful self-assessment and debriefing. It involves
developing individual skills in a staged process of
iterative and increasing successes, with the skill
and confidence rising together until they peak at a
condition where excellence and confidence creates
courage and fearlessness. DP creates resilience by
attaining excellence in an atmosphere of confidence. Expecting the
unexpected
Achieving excellence In 2010 the
Achieving and measuring excellence is more author, crew
complicated than the paths detailed by authors and passengers
Malcolm Gladwell (The Outliers), Matthew Syed of QF32
(Bounce) and Geoff Colvin (Talent is Overrated).
experienced this
These authors espouse a simplified version of
Ericssons mantra that you need 10,000 hours of first hand with
effort to achieve an expert status in a field. an uncontained
It is the time spent doing DP that is important, engine failure.
not the time spent in the job. A normal one hour
flight experience repeated ten times is not much
www.aerosociety.com JUNE 2015 23
 AIR TRANSPORT
Pilot skills
of a learning experience. A normal one hour flight
Even fixed-base experience is not as good as one hour of DP in the
simulator.
flight training Stress Proof Deliberate Practice (SPDP) is the
devices can goal. It is to undertake DP until the task is stored in
be expensive our instinctive and rational mind. We should practice
limiting the hard stressful things until we can achieve
excellence with confidence and courage and with
opportunities for little or no effort and stress. Proxies for stress
pilots to master include the heart rate, sweat, iris and pupil behaviour.
the aircraft.
Experience is no defence!
Many doctors and pilots still make serious errors
well after having reached an expert level. It turns out
the experienced doctors and pilots make mistakes
when they become overconfident and either cease
to maintain their skills or cease to obey the rules
and boundaries that they expect others to follow.
Overconfidence leads to taking high risks with
diminished margins for recovery. Lets consider, for
example, the old military pilot instructor who decides
to let his student continue with an unstable approach
below minima, believing that he (the instructor) can
take over when/if required. It is no wonder that these
types of pilots eventually get into trouble.
There is one more caveat for resilience. While
it is commendable to achieve excellence (10,000
hours of DP), it is another subject to sustain it.
Having achieved excellence in the past is not a
vaccine that protects us during a future crisis.
I have a personal experience of this dilemma. I
was very busy after the QF32 incident. I let these
distractions interfere with my duties. I turned
up for a simulator training exercise having not
memorised two of the checklists word perfectly. I
was correctly scolded and I have vowed never to
WE ARE embarrass myself again this way. My story is not
RESILIENT uncommon; many management pilots have allowed
their management duties to distract them from their
WHEN WE requirement to maintain their flying skills. They too
PERIODICALLY became unstuck in the simulators.
REINFORCE Long-term resilience requires continual SPDP. We
are resilient when we periodically reinforce the elements
THE ELEMENTS that make us an expert. SPDP builds confidence;
THAT MAKE US confidence enables us to make courageous decisions,
AN EXPERT to become intrepid leaders of intrepid teams. SPDP
36 AEROSPACE / JUNE 2015
helps us feel bullet-proof, not gun shy, with the resilience
to survive a black swan event.
Exemplars in this category include musicians
like the Beatles and Mozart, sportsmen such as
Tiger Woods and Roger Federer, and pilots like Neil
Armstrong, Jim Lovell and Sully Sullenberger10.
Pilots need lots of simulator time to undertake
SPDP and to maintain resilience.
Time for global simulation 24/7/365?
But current flight training systems are not producing
or maintaining resilient pilots. Simulators have been
used to comply with outdated regulator checking
requirements instead of providing deliberate practice.
Simulator times have not increased to compensate
for the trending reduction in hands-on flying.
Airlines in the worlds flat and competitive
economies cannot fund additional simulator training.
Simulators are too expensive to be used for hand-on
flying and SPDP. The costs for these simulators will
not reduce substantially.
Aircraft manufacturers will probably be forced to
act. They face an increasing risk to their brand if the hull
loss rate rises because of declining pilot skills. There are
significant savings and benefits for manufacturers who
have the capability to solve these problems.
While existing flight simulators will continue
to be used to meet regulatory requirements, the
future points to aircraft manufacturers likely hosting
high-fidelity aircraft simulation services for pilots
personal use anywhere and at any time. The pilot
will only need personal electronic devices, virtual
reality goggles, and artificial throttles and sidestick.
Expensive full flight simulators
Airlines have insufficient simulator capacity to
provide pilots with SPDP. One simulator is generally
required for every 12 long-haul aircraft. Each
simulator operates 24/7/365 providing training
and checking functions for 336 pilots (12 aircraft
comprising seven crews of four pilots).
Could merging
low-cost
consumer
virtual reality
technology with
high-fidelity
cloud-based
simulation
provide the
perfect Stress
Proof Deliberate
Practice training
tool?

Full-motion aircraft flight simulators (FFS) are
expensive. An A380 FFS can cost up to $20m.
A static desktop-style simulator can cost $1m.
Between 30-40% of the cost of any aircraft
simulator is the cost to licence and maintain the
following data from the aircraft and OEM vendors:
Flight test data
Avionics
Engine (FADEC)
OEM parts & equipment
Interface control documents
Cockpit drawing
Flight controls
Auto flight control systems
Many flight simulators use imperfect hardware
and software. Flight simulator manufacturers save
licence fees by reverse-engineering hardware and
software. This is a very expensive initial process,
however, once the data is compiled, this method
saves 30-40% of the final cost for each simulator.
Vendors reverse-engineer the equipment generally
without prior consent and so may also face legal fees.
Reverse-engineering aircraft hardware and
software only makes commercial sense where
the simulator vendor has many customers. But
reverse-engineered software will never replicate the
complexity and features locked and protected inside
aircraft flight, navigation and performance computers:
Reverse-engineered components are only
designed to mimic observed functions (visible
outside the black box).
It is impossible to discover, reverse-engineer and
mimic ALL the logic and protections that reside
inside a black box.
Vendor updates require the entire and costly
reverse-engineering process to be repeated from
the start.
Simulation fidelity and low-cost are mutually
exclusive. High-fidelity simulators that use vendor
data could cost 66% more than reverse engineered
simulators. Simulator manufacturers will cease
to reverse-engineer aircraft as aircraft systems
become more complex.
YouTube
@aerosociety i linkedin.com/raes f facebook.com/raes
Via author
The goal of the The future: personal simulators?
professional pilot
Pilots need high-fidelity software simulators. Could
should not be the solution lie outside the domain of the third-party
merely to pass simulator vendors? What if we could simulate our
annual checks but aircraft flight from anywhere in the world at any time
to feel bullet-proof for little cost?
Imagine a pilot sitting in her hotel room in Dubai,
with the resilence preparing to fly to London during the freezing dark
to survive the winter:
extremely rare She puts on a set of stereo high definition virtual
reality goggles and headphones.
black swan event. She secures the thrust quadrant and sidestick to
the desk top.
She connects one or more personal computers
and electronic devices together (to augment the
processing power).
She connects to a cloud-based high-fidelity
simulation server.
She practices cold weather procedures,
Heathrows low-visibility approaches, and
emergencies.
Her simulation is 100% technically correct using
the aircraft vendor's data and 90% realistic using
sight and sound although no movement. The
stereo high definition video provides a better
outside view than what is displayed in current
$20m simulators.
Simulation costs are paid by the airline.
Todays imagination is tomorrows reality. It will be
a short time before pilots enjoy high-fidelity personal
simulation anywhere, anytime for little cost.
This disruptive technology will provide the
solution to declining hands-on flying skills and
attaining Stress Proof Deliberate Practice. It
provides the path for all pilots to achieve what we
have admired in Neil Armstrong, Jim Lovell and Sully
Sullenberger resilience.
References
1. Keep Calm, qf32.aero/2015/03/28/keep-calm. de Crespigny,
R. (2015).
2. Number of fatal airliner (14+ passengers) hull-loss accidents
and fatalities per year. http://aviation-safety.net/statistics/period/
stats.php?cat=A1: Flight Safety Foundation, FSA, (2014).
3. Technology cannot-replace-pilots. linkedin.com/pulse/
technology-cannot-replace-pilots-capt-sully-sullenberger,
Sullenberger, C. (2015).
4. Fatalities by CAST/ICAO Common Taxonomy Team Aviation
Occurrence Categories. http://www.boeing.com/news/
techissues/pdf/statsum.pdfhttp://www.boeing.com/news/
WHAT IF techissues/pdf/statsum.pdf. Boeing. (2012).
WE COULD 5. QF32, Sydney: Pan Macmillan. de Crespigny, R. (2012).
6. Airbus Official Urges Major Pilot Training Changes. http://
SIMULATE www.wsj.com/articles/airbus-official-urges-major-pilot-training-
OUR AIRCRAFT changes-1428853600: Wall Street Journal, Pasztor, A. (2015).
7. Evidence Based Training (EBT). EBT ICAO Manual Doc
FLIGHT FROM 9995.en.pdf: ICAO. ICAO. (n.d.).
8. The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of
ANYWHERE IN Expert Performance). http://projects.ict.usc.edu/itw/gel/
THE WORLD AT EricssonDeliberatePracticePR93.pdf. Ericsson, A K. (1993).
9. The Making of an Expert. Ericsson, A K. (2007).
ANY TIME FOR 10. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/technology-cannot-replace-
LITTLE COST? pilots-capt-sully-sullenberger
www.aerosociety.com JUNE 2015 37
 BUSINESS
Aerospace investment market
Aerospace and Defence:
An Attractive Investment Opportunity
DC ADVISORY looks at consolidation trends in the aerospace and defence
sectors.
S
trong underlying market dynamics, cash
rich strategic buyers and increased interest
from financial sponsors have fuelled
acquisition activity and raised valuations in
the commercial aerospace sector over the
past 18 months.
Valuations in the defence sector are also
recovering after a sharp decline caused by a
reduction in overall government spending and a lack
of visibility on defence budgets. Consolidation is likely
to be spurred further by greater clarity over budgets
enabling corporates to continue to reposition their
businesses towards high growth areas.
For investors in the sector, it is worth considering
how long the elevated deal volumes can continue
and whether valuations have already peaked. For
those looking to exit, understanding strategic
bidder motivations is critical to achieving a premium
valuation.
FAVOURABLE Commercial aerospace
DYNAMICS
Michelle Le Merre, Director of Aerospace and
ARE THE Defence at DC Advisory, believes commercial
FOUNDATION aerospace remains an attractive market for
UPON WHICH investment: Improving world economic conditions,
surging demand in emerging markets, low interest
INVESTMENT IN rates and fuel costs and readily available financing
THE SECTOR IS have led to record-high order books and growth in
LED expected annual commercial aerospace deliveries.
38 AEROSPACE / JUNE 2015
Boeing and Airbus currently have backlogs of 5,789
and 6,386 aircraft respectively, and will soon be
delivering two aircraft per day combined in order to
support the global traffic growth forecast of 6.1%
CAGR between 2015 and 2019. Le Merre also
points out that: the cyclicality of the industry has
decreased due to more responsible OEM production
and a reduction in aircraft cancellations. These
favourable dynamics are the foundation upon which
investment in the sector is built.
Strategics are pricing in synergies
The improvement in equity market valuations has led
to greater confidence and an increase in mergers
and acquisitions activity. In 2014, 93 transactions
were completed in the global aerospace sector, a
63% increase in transaction volumes on 2013 and a
ten-year high (see Fig. 1).
Over the past 12 months, businesses have
changed hands at an average last 12 month earnings
before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation
multiple (LTM EBITDA) of 11.8x, more than one turn
above the five-year average. US buyers have led the
consolidation, acquiring over 50% of businesses
sold, followed by buyers from the UK and France in
second and third, respectively.
Strategic purchasers are looking to use their
estimated $80bn of cash to acquire in areas of
increased growth such as IFE, titanium, composites
 EV / NTM EBITDA
Jan-05
and aftermarket servicing. They are 16
aggressively pursuing businesses
that have premium platform 2005
positions and are prepared to price
Source: Mergermarket, DC analysis
synergies into their valuations in Note: Aerospace subsector transactions from January 2005 to December 2014; EV / NTM EBITDA represents average aerospace sector
trading multiples
order to secure an acquisition.
Alcoas recent acquisition of RTI International Metals
for $1.5bn (13.1x EBITDA) is a good example.
RTI expands Alcoas midstream and downstream
titanium offering, builds out its value-added solutions
and provides access to machining, Ti-Aluminide
and additive manufacturing. The acquisition also
allows Alcoa to capture growth through its long-term
contracts (65% of RTIs revenues) and advanced
technologies. Combined with Alcoa, RTI has the
potential to increase its revenues by 50% in five
years driven by overall market growth and market
share gains. Estimated synergies could also be as
high as $100m, thus increasing EBITDA margins to
25% from their current level of 14.5%.
These attributes serve to justify the
premium valuation Alcoa placed upon
the business. 200
While premium valuations are 160
attainable, it is worth noting that the
120
increased competitive tension and
valuation expectations have deterred 80
some bidders, particularly in the mid- 40
market from participating in auction 0 Partners and American Industrial Partners.
processes.
Source: Preqin
Dont forget the Asian
angle
There is also the continued emergence of Asian
interest in the sector; both Chinese and Japanese
strategic acquirers are increasingly participating, and
being successful, in Western aerospace auctions.
Sumitomo Bakelites $260m acquisition of Vaupell
(aircraft interior composites), AVICs acquisition of
Align (component distribution) and HAECOs $390m
acquisition of TIMCO Aviation Services (MRO) are
just some of the recent deals in the sector involving
Asian acquirers. Tosh Kojima, Head of DC Advisorys
Asia Focus Group, notes that: Asian acquirers
have a wall of capital available for investing in key
technologies, with aerospace being a priority. In
particular, Chinese investors are keen to take the
technical know-how back home and produce from a
lower cost base. We spend a significant amount of
our time educating our clients on how to capture the
upside of Asian interest in their businesses.
Significant financial appetite
Financial sponsors are underpinning transaction
valuations and adding to the competitive tension
of auction processes in the sector, despite having
only acquired c.20% of aerospace businesses sold
@aerosociety i Find us on LinkedIn f Find us on Facebook
May-15
9.8x
9.7x 93
62 62
55 57
50 51
42
37
32
27
20 19
14 16 16 18 in 2014. They have significant
capital available to deploy and are
10
6
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 increasingly able to compete head-to-
PE Total
head with strategic buyers on pricing
as a result of increasingly attractive
financing markets.
Figure 1. Commercial
Ciara ONeill, Co-Head of DC Advisorys Debt Advisory
aerospace deal volumes
versus share price Group, comments that: although not enjoying the
performance. same depth of liquidity as the US financing markets,
European debt financing markets are very buoyant.
There is strong competition for performing issuers
among both bank and institutional investors, leading to
increasing leverage levels, tighter pricing and minimal
covenants.
Financial sponsors have earmarked a significant
amount of their deployable capital for investment in
Europe, with European sponsors estimated to have
$135bn of capital available (see Fig. 2). Several
European mid-market sponsors have particular
interest in the aerospace and defence
sector, such as Bridgepoint, LDC, Inflexion
Dry powder
($bn) and Better Capital. Their interest is
complemented by global serial aerospace
171 167
148 and defence investors such as Carlyle and
137 133 128 135
116 123 117 Warburg Pincus, as well as an increasing
89 number of mid-market US funds who have
51 50 successfully acquired European aerospace
businesses such as Arlington Capital
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 YTD
2015
Simon Tilley, Head of European Financial
Sponsor Coverage at DC Advisory, notes
that: as competition for US aerospace
Figure 2. Financial sponsor businesses has intensified, US sponsors have
dry powder to be invested.
increasingly been looking for European targets
in the sector, in the hope of achieving a better
deal. The consequence is that competition in the
European market is also hotting up. One recent
auction process had nine financial sponsors in
the second round all completing diligence and
preparing legal documentation. To incur such costs
despite the competitive nature of the process further
demonstrates their keenness and commitment to
acquisitions in the commercial aerospace market.
Greater defence budget clarity
The defence sector has benefited from short-term
US Department of Defense (DoD) budget clarity,
despite large funding increases being unlikely. The
2015 total DoD budget stands at $560bn, including
$64bn for overseas contingency operations,
representing a base discretionary budget in line with
2014 (a 1.7% real-term reduction).
Uncertainty around defence spending in the
UK remains with the 2015 Strategic Defence and
Security Review to be completed and the possibility
of the UK reducing its expenditure below its NATO
commitment of 2% of GDP. European defence
budgets remain similarly constrained, with France
www.aerosociety.com JUNE 2015 39
 BUSINESS
Aerospace investment market
being the only NATO member to maintain its 2%
commitment.
The stability provided by the US DoD has
offset the uncertainty in Europe to some extent.
This is evidenced by a rebound in trading multiples
US DEFENCE across the sector, now at a level above the long-
CORPORATES term average of 8.7 x NTM EBITDA. The rebound
HAVE in valuation is a contrast to the lack of growth in
UNDERTAKEN the sector and highlights the discount institutional
investors placed on defence businesses as a result of
A SIGNIFICANT the uncertainty around US defence spending.
AMOUNT OF
PORTFOLIO Another wave of consolidation?
RESHAPING
There has been little consolidation at the US prime
WITH A SERIES level throughout the recent defence sector downturn.
OF DISPOSALS This is in contrast to the radical transformation that
AND SPIN-OFFS followed the end of the Cold War and former US
Defense Secretary William Perrys infamous Last
ACROSS THE Supper where the US primes reportedly received
SECTOR clear supportive signals about potential consolidation
in the sector. As a result, the number of US primes
reduced from 16 in 1991 to the current level of six
and the top ten suppliers to the US DoD now have a
60% market share.
Chris Oliver, Co-Head of Aerospace and Defence
at Sagent Advisors, explains that: during the recent
downturn, the US DoD did not want to put their
supplier base at risk by further reducing the number
of US primes. They therefore discouraged any
consolidation. Instead, US defence corporates have
undertaken a significant amount of portfolio reshaping
with a series of disposals and spin-offs across the
sector. We expect more to come, including in Europe
where the portfolio reshaping has been taking place at
a slow pace.
The search for growth
Corporates in the defence sector have been turning
their focus towards shareholder dividends and share
buybacks due to their large cash balances and relatively
limited organic growth opportunities. More recently,
however, growth via M&A is back on the agenda.
40 AEROSPACE / JUNE 2015
A number of defence companies are looking
to expand operations in specific high-growth
areas such as cyber security, intelligence, big data,
cloud, unmanned systems, health IT and C4ISR.
Consolidation in defence services below the prime
level will also continue in order to achieve scale,
provide antiguous capabilities and enhance financial
efficiencies.
The European operations of US defence
companies and European defence companies, are
focusing on international expansion, particularly in
the Middle East and India. Ms Le Merre points out
that: US defence companies recognise that a one
product fits all approach does not necessarily work for
international growth. US corporates have encountered
difficulties when trying to sell ITAR controlled products
abroad. As a result, they are increasingly looking
to acquire European companies which have the
advantage of well-established international customer
relationships and complementary non-ITAR controlled
products.
A number of European defence companies have
also been rebalancing their portfolios to diversify into
complementary commercial end-markets such as
aerospace, energy, commercial cloud security, helicopter
services and civil communications. This has enabled
them to slightly reduce their reliance on the defence
sector and reposition in higher growth markets.
Looking forward
Both the aerospace and defence sectors offer
attractive investment opportunities and consolidation
prospects in the near term horizon. However,
purchasers remain focused on expanding into
specific niches where enhanced growth can be
achieved and selectively pursue opportunities where
they believe they can successfully compete. Broader
sector dynamics alone do not lead to high valuations;
such valuations are realised in areas considered to be
of strategic
priority.
Afterburner
www.aerosociety.com

Diary
8 June
Sir Sydney Camm Lecture: Air Power and the Defence
Aerospace Industry in the Whole Force Era
Air Marshal Sir Baz North KCB OBE MA FRAeS RAF,
Deputy Commander Capability and Air Member for Personnel & Capability, Royal Air Force

A Royal Air Force Reaper RPAS at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan.

Crown copyright/Sergeant Ross Tilly (RAF).

42 Message from RAeS 44 Book Reviews 50 IT FLIES USA

- President
It is a great honour to have been elected as your
President for the next year and I am looking forward
to a busy and exciting time. Firstly I must thank Bill
Tyack for his tireless efforts over the past year and
praise him for the leadership he has shown. I have a
hard act to follow.
Flying Fast Jets, Three Wings for the Red Baron,
Soyuz 1967 Onwards (all Models), The Next War
in the Air and The Coming of the Aerial War.
47 Library Additions
Books submitted to the National Aerospace Library.
A report of this years Merlin Flight Simulation
Groups IT FLIES USA Competition.
52 Diary
Find out when and where around the world the
latest aeronautical and aerospace lectures and
events are happening.

- Chief Executive 48 Cambridge Branch 55 Corporate Partners

Martin Broadhurst succeeds Bill as the Societys
President and I hope both he and his wife Lesley
have a most enjoyable and rewarding year in office.
Martin is a popular and very well-known industry
figure and I am sure his knowledge and experience
will be of great assistance during his period of
office.
Reports on the 15th Sir Arthur Marshall Lecture and
the Sir Michael Marshall Lecture Competition.
49 Astro Pi
Using space to encourage children into engineering.
Two new members joined the Societys Corporate
Partner Scheme.
56 Elections
New Society members elected in the past month.

Find us on Twitter i Find us on LinkedIn f Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com JUNE 2015 41

 Afterburner
Message from RAeS
OUR PRESIDENT
Martin Broadhurst It is a great honour to have been elected as your
President for the next year and I am looking forward
to a busy and exciting time. Firstly I must thank Bill
Tyack for his tireless efforts over the past year and
praise him for the leadership he has shown. I have a
hard act to follow.
I am pleased to say that my Presidency coincides
with a period that sees the Society in very good
heart. It is clear from the attendance at this years
banquet that we continue to enjoy support at the
highest levels of government, industry and
academia. It is also clear from the breadth and quality
of our output and events at national and branch level
that we are delivering strongly as a vibrant learned
society and I have taken it as one of the challenges
for my Presidential year to continue to improve our
use of digital media to ensure that the vast range of
content is made available even more widely.
Over the course of the past year, I have been
WE ARE NOT working with Council and staff colleagues to
PURELY A review our strategy and in writing my first piece for
SOCIETY OF AEROSPACE I wanted to reflect on one aspect of
ENGINEERS the Societys purpose as embodied in our strap line
which runs:
AND AVIATORS, We are the worlds only learned society dedicated
ALTHOUGH, OF to the entire aerospace community.
COURSE, BOTH This is important we are not purely a society
of engineers and aviators, although, of course, both
THOSE GROUPS those groups are immensely important. Our remit
ARE IMMENSELY runs across a huge range of activity as evidenced
IMPORTANT by our 24 Specialist Groups encompassing, among
NEW PRESIDENT
Martin Broadhurst
OBE MA CDIR FRAeS FIOD
Martin Broadhurst was educated at William Hulmes
School and Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. He
joined Marshall Aerospace as a Management
Trainee in 1975 and following a number of roles
with the company, including Production Director and
Director of Programmes, was appointed as Chief
Executive in February 1996. During his time as
Chief Executive he served on the Group Holdings
Board.
Following his retirement from his role as Chief
Executive of Marshall Aerospace, he was appointed,
during the early part of 2011, as Chairman of
the Centre for Engineering and Manufacturing
Excellence (CEME) and was elected to the
Governing Council of the Royal Aeronautical
Society and served as Chairman of the Membership
42 AEROSPACE / JUNE 2015
many others air law, air power, air medicine, air
traffic, space, unmanned systems and weapon
systems. In other words the whole of the wider com-
munity with a connection to aerospace and aviation.
Despite this broad appeal our recruitment of
younger members is not as successful as we would
like. We need to find new ways of connecting with
the under 30s. Not just the engineers seeking
chartered status but the buyers, the contract staff,
the facilities people and many other disciplines.
They are all equally part of our aerospace and
aviation community and should share in the peer
recognition that membership brings, but more
importantly be enjoined in the ethos of professionalism
so well promoted by the Society.
During my year the Society will major on
unmanned systems and this will be the subject of
the Presidents Conference in October this year.
Apart from the normal focus on platforms we will
seek to engage with partners in the tech sector to
develop a deeper understanding of applications and
will encourage debate around some of the ethical
and societal challenges along with the implications
for traditional professions and skills.
The Society and the disciplines it represents
may be 150 years old but here has never been a
more exciting or challenging time to play our part
in contributing to the security and prosperity of the
world in which we live.
I look forward to meeting as many of you as
possible during the next 12 months.
Services Board. Martin is also Vice President of the
Cambridge Branch of the Society.
Martin was appointed as a non-executive
director of Ultra Electronics Holdings plc in July
2012 where he serves on the audit, remuneration
and nomination committees of the board.
Martin has served as a member of the European
Aerospace and Defence (ADS) Customer Services
Commission and is a former treasurer of A|D|S. He
has also served as Chairman of the Cambridgeshire
Training and Enterprise Council and as Chairman of
Connexions.
Martin was awarded the OBE in the 2004
Queens Birthday Honours List for services to the
Aerospace Industry and is a Freeman of the City of
London. He qualified as a Chartered Director in 2006.
OUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE
Simon C Luxmoore As he entered the last two weeks of his year
as our President, Bill Tyack called me to ask if
there was anything else I could think of that he
needed to do or that he had left undone. This
call came the day after he had completed a
100-mile sponsored cycle ride for a prostate
cancer charity and five consecutive days of duty
at No.4 Hamilton Place. For those members who
know Bill as well as I do, this will come as no
surprise whatsoever but, for those who dont, it is
typical of how he has conducted his Presidency.
Together with his wonderfully supportive wife
Judy, Bill has, as they say, put in a tremendous
shift as our President, travelling extensively at
home and abroad seeking to advance the aims
and objectives of the Society. Undoubtedly Bill
will continue to work tirelessly for the benefit of
the Society but, on behalf of all the staff, I would
like to thank him for his energy and support
during his term of office.
Martin Broadhurst succeeds Bill as the Societys
President and I hope both he and his wife Lesley
have a most enjoyable and rewarding year in
office. Martin is a popular and very well-known
industry figure and I am sure his knowledge and
experience will be of great assistance during
his period of office. Martin will, of course, have
the additional duties associated with presiding
over the first months of the Societys 150-year
celebrations and, at the time of writing, I have
already received an invitation for Martin and
Lesley to attend celebrations planned by our
New Zealand Division.
It was a delight to attend the Gloucester and
Cheltenham Branchs Folland Lecture which,
this year, was delivered by Past-President
Tony Edwards in celebration of R J Mitchell.
The ensuing dinner was thoroughly enjoyable
UNDOUBTEDLY and, being somewhat parochial, I must thank
BILL WILL Messier-Dowty for supporting no fewer than
seven tables which included both the longest
CONTINUE serving and newest of Branch members. Gary
TO WORK Murden, the Branchs Chair and long-standing
TIRELESSLY FOR Society member reflected that, at one stage
THE BENEFIT OF or another, he had been employed by most of
the companies there present and, indeed, was
THE SOCIETY now on his second circuit. Thats what you call
BUT, ON BEHALF personal dedication to the corporate cause of
OF ALL THE your local Branch. Well done Gary Murden!
It has been interesting to play a small part in the
STAFF, I WOULD competition for selecting an external publishing
LIKE TO THANK partner for The Aeronautical Journal. Professors
HIM FOR HIS Peter Bearman, Mike Graham and Chris Atkin
ENERGY AND have clearly been to the fore in this process
supported by Paula Barratt and our internal
SUPPORT publications staff. The beauty parade has been
DURING HIS completed and I anticipate the Journals Editor-
TERM OF OFFICE in-Chief and Editorial Board will be making a
Find us on Twitter i Find us on LinkedIn f Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com
Paul Griffiths, CEO, Dubai Airports, following his Corporate
Partner Briefing on 27 April.
proposal to the Board of Trustees, hopefully for
their endorsement, during the month of June.
Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, delivered
an excellent Corporate Partner Briefing at No.4
Hamilton Place recently, describing not only the
vision for and development of their global hub
but also facilitating a wide-ranging discussion
on airport capacity. This was followed by an
informal dinner hosted by Bill Tyack, supported
by software provider MOHEKA and attended
by a number of our UK airport CEOs and senior
representatives from major airlines; a further
example of the Society providing neutral territory
for important debate.
The annual Ballantyne Day organised for
schools was once again most successful thanks
to the excellent organisation of Roz Azouzi
and her team, and the support for our friends
at Raytheon and in particular Nick West. One
personal frustration I have, especially when you
have a waiting list, is the tendency for schools to
cancel at very short notice which not only leaves
a gap in the audience but also denies others the
chance of being present. However, it is pleasing
to see the increase in quality and wider reach
of recent events and to receive outstanding
comments from teachers and students.
One of the pleasures of my particular role is
meeting with a wide range of organisations
to share experience and also, on occasion, to
provide help and advice. Two such meetings
were particularly interesting this last month, first
with Paul Fletcher, a former colleague of mine
at the Dowty Group and now CEO of the British
Computer Society the Chartered Institute
for Information Technology, and secondly with
Amy Littleton, the Development Manager for
The Military Wives Choir Foundation. In both
instances much useful information was shared
benchmarking I think they used to call it!
JUNE 2015 43
 Afterburner
Book Reviews
FLYING FAST JETS
Human Factors and
Performance Limitations
By D G Newman
Ashgate Publishing Limited, Wey Court East, Union
Road, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7PT, UK. 2014. 158pp.
Illustrated. 60. ISBN 978-1-4094-6793-9.
It is a select few who succeed as fast jet pilots
and still fewer who have combined this skill with a
medical training. In fulfilling both roles the author
has been able to give a first-hand account of the
operational demands placed on a fast jet pilot
together with the physiological problems and
limitations that are involved in flying fast jet aircraft.
The approach taken in the book to human
performance limitations is predominantly
physiological rather than psychological. There are
separate chapters devoted to the hazards associated
with hypoxia, the high G environment of manoeuvring
flight and the potential for of spatial disorientation
together with discussion of the countermeasures
designed to mitigate their effects. Throughout the
book there are multiple references to source material.
The chapter on situational awareness provides
an opportunity to describe the cockpit environment
of a modern fast jet and to show how, through multi-
derived from multiple sources is combined into a
Austrian Air Force Typhoons.
Eurofighter/Geoffrey Lee.
It is a select few
who succeed
as fast jet pilots
and still fewer
who have
combined this
skill with a
medical training
function screens, head-up and helmet-mounted
displays, aircraft performance, navigational and
tactical information is presented to the pilot. Its
complexity can impose perceptual and cognitive
demands that are potentially overwhelming. A
technological solution, though still in its infancy,
is that of sensor fusion whereby information
single display. However, the pilot still needs to be
able to select from the large amount of available
information what is currently relevant without losing
sight of what may soon become so.
There are chapters dealing with life support
systems and escape from aircraft and finally a
description of the selection and training programme
required for a pilot to meet the physical and
cognitive demands of the fast jet environment.
Given the complexity of fast jet operations, it is
unsurprising that it takes four years of training
before a pilot becomes even the most junior
member of a fast jet squadron.
As well as giving the general reader an insight
into the world of high performance military aircraft,
this book will be a useful handbook for those more
actively involved in whatever capacity on a fast jet
squadron.
Rollin Stott

THREE WINGS FOR THE RED BARON

Von Richtofen, Strategy,
Tactics and Airplanes
By L Bennett
Helion & Company Limited, 26 Willow Road, Solihull,
West Midlands B91 1UE, UK. 2014. 237pp.
Illustrated. 25. ISBN 978-1-907677-13-7.
This is the first of the authors Red Baron books
and the most interesting. Leon Bennett is an
aeronautical engineer and ballistics researcher and
so well qualified to write a book of this kind. The
book opens with an irrelevant and wrong in its
conclusions chapter on Richtofens death but
then moves on to discuss early triplane experiments
which culminated in the Sopwith Triplane. The
British decided not to continue with the Sopwith,
despite its successes. But, on the other side of the
lines, Richtofen had been impressed.
The poor performance of the latest in the
Albatros series, the Va, which is explained in detail,
formed the background to Richtofens campaign
for a triplane. As the author makes clear, the
triplanes performance had already been analysed
by the Germans as well as the British and had
been found to be of significantly inferior to that of a
biplane. Except, that is, in two areas. The Fokker DrI
triplane excelled in the climb and in manoeuvrability,
in particular 180 turn time and pursuit circle
Fokker DrI replica. performance. It was also able to hang on the
Matthias Kabel. propeller and shoot upwards, thus overcoming the
problem of bullet drop caused by gravity. Werner
Vosss last fight against SE5As of 56 Squadron
was a dramatic illustration of its qualities but also
showed its poor speed. The author discusses why
The British this appealed to Richtofen at the time, in terms
decided not to that are technical, yet understandable to the non-
continue with expert. Air combat tactics and ballistics, problems
the Sopwith, with rotary engines and structural safety are also
covered.
despite its The book is profusely illustrated with
successes .But photographs, drawings, graphs and diagrams, many
on the other by the author. This is not a book for the casual
reader but there is plenty to interest the WW1
side of the lines aviation aficionado.
Richtofen had
been impressed Christian Busby

44 AEROSPACE / JUNE 2015

SOYUZ 1967 ONWARDS (ALL MODELS)
An insight into Russias
flagship spacecraft, from Moon
missions to the International
Space Station. Owners
Workshop Manual series
By D Baker
Haynes Publishing, Sparkford, Yeovil, Somerset
BA22 7JJ, UK. 2014. 172pp. Illustrated. 21.99.
ISBN 978-0-85733-405-3.

If you were ever lucky enough to be selected for a

flight into space the least you would expect would
be a handy manual explaining how the vehicle
for the hazardous journey worked and how to
Above left: Soyuz spacecraft
operate the various systems and onboard devices. in Earth orbit, photographed
Unfortunately for Soyuz there has never been an from the US Apollo spacecraft
official manual or even a detailed press guide. The during the joint US-USSR
training has always relied on a repetitive learning Apollo-Soyuz Test Project
(ASTP) docking mission in
process for each system or procedures followed by
Earth orbit, 18 July 1975.
oral, written and practical exams, and all in Russian. Above right: The Soyuz
As Britains first space explorer Helen Sharman TMA-08M spacecraft departs
explains in her Foreword, she longed for something from the International Space
Stations Poisk Mini-Research
as detailed as this manual in preparations for her
Module 2 (MRM2) and
Soyuz T-12 flight to Mir in 1991. heads toward a landing in a
The Soyuz spacecraft, designed at the height of remote area near the town of
the Cold War, became the mainstay for transporting Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, on
Soviet cosmonauts into low Earth orbit during the 11 September 2013.
Both NASA.
last two decades of the Soviet Union and today Left: ESA astronaut Tim
continues to be at the forefront of human space Peake training in the Soyuz
transportation, nearly 50 years after it first flew. The simulator in Star City, Russia,
key to the continued success of Soyuz has been its in September 2010. ESA.
opening chapter recalling the early years of the
versatility. Originally devised for manned flights to Soviet space programme and pioneering flights
the Moon as well as Earth orbital missions, Soyuz in the Vostok and Voskhod spacecraft. Author
has survived by constantly adapting the same basic David Baker, a respected and well-qualified space
design to new goals. engineer, has crafted not only informative history Unfortunately for
Retaining the capability of rendezvous and but also a handy quick reference guide to each of Soyuz there has
docking and supporting up to a three-person crew the six main variants of Soyuz. These chapters are
has not changed since the early missions in the supported by four additional features detailing the
never been an
late 1960s. What has improved are the various basic design and main components and systems of official manual or
onboard systems and crew facilities enabling the the spacecraft, the techniques of rendezvous and even a detailed
spacecraft to survive the cancellation of the Soviet docking, 1975 Apollo Soyuz Test Project which press guide.
manned lunar landing programme, the expansion created the genesis for the current co-operation on
and extension of space station operations, inclusion ISS and the ingenuous design of the unmanned
The training has
of international crew members and the development Progress freighter. always relied
of unmanned applications, including a reliable The illustrations are especially useful in on a repetitive
and regular freighter service to the International revealing the onboard systems and procedures and,
Space Station (ISS). Originally a competitor to the
learning process
together with the photographs, offer a rare glimpse
American Gemini and Apollo Command and Service into the normally secret world of Soviet and Russian for each system
Modules, Soyuz has survived the Shuttle era, the manned spaceflight. or procedures
breakup of the Soviet Union and the challenge of followed by
co-operating with international partners on ISS. David J Shayler
This fascinating book reviews the twists and FBIS
oral, written and
turns in the chequered history of Soyuz. Its place Council Member, British Interplanetary Society practical exams,
in Russian spaceflight history is covered in the Chair, BIS Soviet/Chinese Technical Forum and all in Russian
Find us on Twitter i Find us on LinkedIn f Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com JUNE 2015 45
 Afterburner
Book Reviews
THE NEXT WAR IN THE AIR
Britains Fear of the Bomber,
1908-1941
By B Holman
Ashgate Publishing Limited, Wey Court East, Union
Road, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7PT, UK. 2014. 290pp.
75. ISBN 978-1-4094-4733-7.
THE COMING OF THE
AERIAL WAR
Culture and the Fear of
Airborne Attack in Inter-War
Britain
By M Haapamaki
I B Tauris & Co Ltd, 6 Salem Road, London W2
4BU, UK. 2014. 255pp. 58. ISBN 978-1-78076-
418-4.
The bombing of London during the First and Second
World Wars continues to inspire studies about its
influence on the concept of strategic bombing and
the defence measures required to preserve civilian
morale. They have been joined by two new books,
one by Australian historian Dr Brett Holman, the
other by Canadian academic Dr Michele Haapamaki.
While neither claim to have unearthed extensive
new material, both books represent significant
studies, supported by extensive notes and wide
bibliographies. With Haapamaki these make up 20%
of the book while there are frequent notes at the foot
of Holmans pages. Whatever the common impulse
both are distinctive in their approach and style.
Haapamaki is largely concerned with the range
of Londons civilian defence measures and she
acknowledges that her appreciation of the subject
was enhanced by being in London during the terrorist
attacks of 7 July 2005 that enabled her to better
understand the responses then and prior to WW2.
In her book she shows how in a democracy like
Britain people of opposing beliefs reacted differently
to the proposed arrangements for air raid shelters.
She selected two individuals, C G Grey, the strongly
right-wing and pro-Fascist editor of The Aeroplane
and the left wing scientific polymath J B Haldane,
with Grey supporting the ad hoc arrangements for
shelters in peoples homes compared with the vision
of the British Communist Party (shared by Haldane)
for massive shelters able to hold whole communities
like those drawn up by the London Borough of
Finsbury. This led her to conclude that, in Britain, the
provision of such shelters came down to questions
46 AEROSPACE / JUNE 2015
of patriotism,
morale and British
national identity,
rather than technical
feasibility. She also
draws attention to
the psychological
measures used
by the British
Government to boost
civilian morale by
circulating the image
of a Peoples War
that painted citizens
as active participants in the wartime state, rather Bomb damage in south
than the anxious individuals of the 1930s. In this London, 25 October 1940.
RAeS (NAL).
context, when British public confidence was severely
tested by the V-1 and V-2 attacks late in WW2, she
suggests that one of the main reasons British morale
held was that people believed they were taken into
the Governments confidence as never before.
Holman adopts a somewhat broader approach
and he is more concerned with offensive measures
affecting aviation policy, in particular how the
bombing during WW1 led to fears in the early 1930s The bombing of
about a knockout blow from the air due to the London during
ineffectiveness of defences because it had already
been seen how a relatively small force of bombers the First and
could do massive damage. Such apprehensions, Second World
combined with Germanys rising military ambitions, Wars continues
made bombardment from the air appear as a classic
strike weapon, although it was hoped that the RAFs
to inspire
possession of a bomber force could deter such studies about
would-be attacks. Holman dismissed the unreal its influence
hopes of defending Britain through a system of on the concept
collective security supported by an international
air force working for the League of Nations and
of strategic
concluded that belief in a knockout blow faded bombing and
because of the more extensive Civil Defence the defence
measures together with the expansion of the RAF, measures
despite its overemphasis on bombers until 1938. He
acknowledges that, even during the Blitz, Britain was
required to
never struck by a knockout blow and, in the end, it preserve
proved something of a myth. Conversely Allied hopes civilian morale
during WW2 for Bomber Command (aided by US
air forces) to end the war without a D-Day invasion
were never realised. Holman ends by observing that
the fears of pre-war air prophets for an all-out blow
could have been realised by nuclear war. But this has
not happened either and, with a plurality of nuclear
powers, it is virtually unthinkable.
In their different fashion both books, working in
a much visited area of study, illustrate the massive
influence played by London on Britains aerial
strategy, however much the reality of the attacks
upon it fell short, as did the fears and imaginings
during the interwar period. As such, they well Peter Reese
deserve to be read. AMRAeS
Library Additions
BOOKS
GENERAL
IHS Janes All the Worlds
Aircraft: Development &
Production 2015-2016.
Edited by P Jackson et al. IHS
Global Limited, Sentinel House,
163 Brighton Road, Coulsdon,
Surrey CR5 2YH, UK. 2015.
1012pp. Illustrated. 780 plus
10 postage/packing. ISBN
978-0-7106-3135-0.
Aerospace Engineering
Pocket Reference.
S Tavares. CRC Press, Taylor
& Francis Group, 6000
Broken Sound Parkway NW,
Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL,
33487-2742, USA. 2015.
Distributed by Taylor & Francis
Group, 2 Park Square, Milton
Park, Abingdon OX14 4RN,
UK. 434pp. Illustrated. 31.99.
[20% discount available to
RAeS members via www.
crcpress.com using AKP32
promotion code]. ISBN 978-1-
4987-0364-2.
So You Want To Be
An Engineer?
A Guide to a Wonderful, Mysterious Profession
With Sketches from an Aeronautical Engineers Album
Second Edition
So You Want To Be An
Engineer?: A Guide to a
Wonderful, Mysterious
Profession with Sketches
from an Aeronautical
Engineers Album Second
edition. G D Padfield. Published
by and available from the
author (E gareth.padfield@
liv.ac.uk), or via the American
Helicopter Society website
(https://vtol.org/store/
department/books-7.cfm).
2015. 260pp. Illustrated. 30.
ISBN 978-0-9929017-2-1.
AEROMODELLING
Model Planes: Aerofoils
and Wings. M Pressnell.
Robert Hale Limited,
Clerkenwell House,
Clerkenwell Green, London
EC1R 0HT, UK. 2015. 208pp.
Illustrated. 20. [Discounted
price of 15 inclusive of
free UK postage/packing
available to RAeS members via
http://halebooks.com using
wmodelplanes15 promotion
code] ISBN 978-0-7198-
1540-9.
AIRCRAFT DESIGN AND
CONSTRUCTION
Introduction to
Aeronautics: a Design
Perspective Third
edition. S A Brandt. American
Institute of Aeronautics
and Astronautics, Reston,
VA. 2015. Distributed by
Transatlantic Publishers Group,
97 Greenham Road London
N10 1LN, UK. xxiii; 634pp.
Illustrated. 88. [20% discount
available to RAeS members
on request; E mark.chaloner@
tpgltd.co.uk T+44 (0)20 8815
5994). ISBN 978-1-62410-
264-6.
AIRWORTHINESS AND
MAINTENANCE
Initial Airworthiness:
Determining the
Acceptability of New
Airborne Systems.
Gareth Davies Padfield G Gratton. Springer. 2015.
319pp. Illustrated. 134.50.
ISBN 9783-319-11408-8.
GAS DYNAMICS
High Enthalpy Gas
Dynamics. E Rathakrishnan.
John Wiley and Sons, The
Atrium, Southern Gate,
Chichester, West Sussex PO19
8SQ, UK. 2015. 330pp. 95.
ISBN 978-1-118-82189-3.
REMOTE SENSING
Microwave Radar and
Radiometric Remote
Sensing. F T Ulaby et al.
The University of Michigan
Press, Ann Arbor, MI. 2014.
Distributed by Artech House,
16 Sussex Street, London
SW1V 4RW, UK. 984pp.
139. [20% discount available
to RAeS members via www.
artechhouse.com using
RAES2014 promotion code].
ISBN 978-0-472-11935-6.
ROTORCRAFT
A Quiet Country Town: a
Celebration of 100 Years
of Westland at Yeovil. D
Gibbings. The History Press,
The Mill, Brimscombe Port,
Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5
2QG, UK. 2015. 192pp.
Illustrated. 16.99. ISBN 978-
0-7509-6242-1.
Incorporating the
recollections of Harold
Penrose, John Fay, Jim
Schofield and others, this
is an informative anthology
compilation of short articles
and extracts by a number
of people closely involved
with the evolution of the
Westland company family
(including Normalair Garrett
and AgustaWestland) which
provides revealing insights
into the development of
the Pterodactyl, Lysander,
Whirlwind, Wyvern, Lynx,
Wessex and the British
Experimental Rotor
Programme (BERP) among
other projects.
Gottinger Monograph
N: German Research
and Development on
Rotary-Wing Aircraft
(1939-1945). Edited by B van
der Wall. American Institute of
Aeronautics and Astronautics,
Reston, VA. 2015. Distributed
by Transatlantic Publishers
Group, 97 Greenham Road
London N10 1LN, UK. 226pp.
Illustrated. 40. [20% discount
available to RAeS members
on request; E mark.chaloner@
tpgltd.co.uk T +44 (0)20 8815
5994). ISBN 978-1-62410-
272-1.
SERVICE AVIATION
Airpower Reborn: the
Strategic Concepts of John
Warden and John Boyd.
Edited by J A Olsen. Naval
Institute Press, 291 Wood
Road, Annapolis, MD 21402,
USA. 2015. Distributed by
Eurospan Group, 3 Henrietta
Street, London WC2E 8LU,
UK. 239pp. 33.48. ISBN
978-1-61251-804-6.
Australia and the War in
the Air. M Molkentin. Oxford
University Press253 Normanby
Road, South Melbourne,
Victoria 3205, Australia. 2014.
284pp. Illustrated. 60. ISBN
978-0-19-557679-5.
The RNAS: and the Birth
of the Aircraft Carrier
1914-1918. I M Burns. Fonthill
Media Limited, Millview House,
Toadsmoor Road, Stroud
GL5 2TB, UK. 2014. 240pp.
Illustrated. 20. ISBN 978-1-
78155-365-7.
Fifty Years of Flying Fun:
from the Hunter to the
Spitfire and Back Again. R
Dean. Grub Street, 4 Rainham
Close, London SW11 6SS, UK.
2015. 236pp. Illustrated. 20.
ISBN 978-1-909808-27-0.
The author recalls in these
informal memoirs his RAF
career serving in 43/79/208
Squadrons/229 Operational
Conversion Unit (OCU) and his
later career as an air display
pilot. The Folland Gnat, Hawker
Hunter, SEPECAT Jaguar,
Hunting Jet Provost and the
DHC Chipmunk are among
the military aircraft types he
has flown.
SPACE
We Could Not Fail: the
First African Americans
in the Space Program. R
Paul and S Moss. University of
Texas Press, Austin, TX. 2015.
Distributed by Combined
Academic Publishers Ltd,
Windsor House, Cornwall
Road, Harrogate HG1 2PW,
UK. 236pp. Illustrated. 20.99.
[25% discount available to
RAeS members via www.
combinedacademic.co.uk using
CS314FLIGHT promotion
code]. ISBN 978-0-2927-
7249-6.
A detailed study of
how Clyde Foster, Morgan
Watson, George Bourda, Julius
Montgomery, Frank Crossley
and Ed Dwight among others
pioneered the employment of
African American scientists
and engineers at NASA
sites in Texas, Alabama and
Florida and the challenging
experiences they faced during
the 1950s and 1960s.
First Man: the Life of Neil
Armstrong. J R Hansen.
Simon & Schuster UK Ltd,
London. 2007. 768pp.
Illustrated. ISBN 0-7432-
5963-7.
Based on over
125 interviews with key
participants, flight logs and
NASA archives, a detailed
biography of the former NACA
test pilot working on the North
American X-15 programme
who became the world famous
Apollo astronaut.
The Moon Landings: an
Eyewitness Account. R
Turnill. Cambridge University
Press, Cambridge. 2003.
456pp. Illustrated. ISBN
0-89464-044-5. 0-521-
81595-9.
The authors revealing
recollections of his time
as the BBCs Aerospace
Correspondent of the
American-Soviet Space Race
focusing particularly on the
Apollo Moon landings.
Introduction to the Space
Environment Second
edition. T F Tascione. Krieger
Publishing Company, Malabar,
FL. 1994. 151pp. Illustrated.
ISBN 0-89464-044-5.
Describes the
magnetosphere, ionosphere,
solar wind, solar/plasma
physics, geomagnetism, radio
wave propagation and their
potential impact on spacecraft
operations.
Its Only Rocket Science:
an Introduction in Plain
English. L Rogers. Springer.
2008. 350pp. Illustrated. ISBN
978-0-387753-77-5.
A general introduction
to the world of astronautics,
including spacecraft
communications/navigation
systems/propulsion systems,
orbital mechanics, satellites
and space missions.
For further information
contact the National
Aerospace Library.
T +44 (0)1252 701038
or 701060
E hublibrary@aerosoci-
ety.com

Find us on Twitter i Find us on LinkedIn f Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com JUNE 2015 47

 Afterburner
Society News
CAMBRIDGE BRANCH
The Airbus A350 Flight Test Programme
The Wolfson Hall at Churchill College Cambridge
provided an excellent venue for the 15th Sir Arthur
Marshall Lecture, the Cambridge Branch annual
prestige event, held on Thursday 5 February 2015.
Then Society President, Air Cdre Bill Tyack, gave the
opening address and introduced the speaker, Peter
Chandler, who made an excellent presentation on
The Airbus A350 Flight Test Programme, supported
by comprehensive pictures and video clips.
As the Airbus Chief Test Pilot, Peter Chandler
was responsible for the team that prepared
meticulously for the first flight and every subsequent
test leading to successful certification in November Above: The A350 XWB the subsequent question period he explained that
2014. He explained the rationale behind the A350 makes its first visit to the UK this was a characteristic of the wing being optimised
series of new twin-engined airliners, with the in April 2014. Airbus. for the highest efficiency in cruising flight.
Above right: Dr Mike Gregory,
XWB-900 as the first version to be built. He had The closing address was given by Branch
Air Cdre Bill Tyack, then RAeS
captained the first flight in June 2013, spending President; David Whitehead, Vice-President Martin Broadhurst, who thanked the
four hours exploring a large portion of the flight Peter Chandler, Airbus Chief speaker and said that the late Sir Arthur Marshall
envelope. The stall was an important data point Test Pilot; Mike Hawkins, would definitely have enjoyed and appreciated the
for subsequent tests, and a video clip showing the Chairman, Cambridge Branch; talk and the videos.
Martin Broadhurst, Vice-
airflow visualised by means of miniature drogues President, Cambridge Branch
on the upper wing surface illustrated how it and now RAeS President and Dr Mike Gregory
became disturbed at the tip before the root; during Brian Phillipson. Phil Mynott. MRAeS

Sir Michael Marshall Lecture Competition

In recognition of Sir Michael Marshalls long and
continued support of the Young Persons Lecture
Competition, the Society has agreed to this
being named The Sir Michael Marshall Lecture
Competition for the Cambridge Branch. Thursday
12 March marked an important milestone as
Cambridge University Engineering Department
played host to the inaugural event, which we are
proud to include in our annual programme as a
named lecture.
In keeping with the prestige of the occasion,
the audience and Judges, Mark Johnston FRAeS Above: Lecture speakers with over 25s category, Michael Dales of Marshall
(Director of Engineering, Marshall Aerospace), the judges and Branch Com-
Aerospace, impressed the judges with his
mittee members. Phil Mynott.
Jin Yu MRAeS (Cambridge Branch committee Above right: Lecture speakers. presentation The New Centre of The World,
member) and John Hicks FREng were treated to Phil Mynott. focusing on the rapid growth of Gulf Carriers,
a series of enjoyable and well-researched lectures, providing a detailed discussion on the changing
enthusiastically delivered by very talented young landscape of the airline industry.
students and engineers. The Cambridge branch would like to thank all
Taking the honours in the under 25s category, participants for making this years competition such
Richard Stephens of Cambridge University delivered an interesting and closely contested event and we
a first rate lecture entitled Lorry Underbody eagerly anticipate next years competition. Additional
Aerodynamics. His lecture provided an excellent thanks to Cambridge Branch committee members,
insight into the difficulties associated with modelling Dr Mike Gregory and Mr Allan Brocklebank for
air flow beneath a moving vehicle and the efficiency helping with the organisation of the event.
savings that can be realised by use of some simple
modifications to chassis design. Jonathan Burnip
Overall competition winner, and winner in the ARAeS

48 AEROSPACE / JUNE 2015

ASTRO PI
Using space to encourage children
Students from Croydon and Esher Primary Schools
will soon be sending their own experiments
into space after winning the Astro Pi Big Idea
competition. Blasting to the top among hundreds
of entrants, their winning ideas will be coded
into a Raspberry Pi computer which will fly to the
International Space Station (ISS) in November
2015. Tim Peake has announced the winners in a
video message from Star City, where he is currently
training.
The idea behind a tiny and affordable computer
for kids dates back to 2006 when Eben Upton, Rob
Mullins, Jack Lang and Alan Mycroft, based at the
University of Cambridges Computer Laboratory,
became concerned about the year-on-year decline
in the numbers and skill levels of the A Level
students applying to read computer science. The
Raspberry Pi that resulted is a low-cost, credit-card
sized computer that plugs into a computer monitor
or TV and uses a standard keyboard and mouse.
Their goal is to see the Raspberry Pi being used
by kids all over the world to learn to program and
understand how computers work.
The Astro Pi hat is an attachment that contains
a suite of sensors and a dot matrix display allowing
a wide range of experiments and activities to be
undertaken.
Building on the widespread take-up of
Raspberry Pis in UK schools, the UK space
industry joined with the UK Space Agency and the
Raspberry Pi Foundation to take advantage of the
November 2015 mission of Britains first European
astronaut, Tim Peake FRAeS, to the International
Space Station (see astro-pi.org). A suite of Astro
Pi explanatory texts for teachers has been made
available on the website of the National STEM
Centre. The nationwide competition for kids was
launched in January and the resulting Primary
School ideas were evaluated in early April.
Hannah Belshaw from Cumnor House Girls
School in Croydon, Surrey, won top place in the
Primary School category with her idea to represent
data from the Astro Pi in the world of Minecraft.
The judges recognised that Hannahs idea is an
ingenious way to represent abstract sensor data
captured by the Astro-Pi computer in a format
that would allow children to gain an intuitive
understanding. A digital flyby incorporating terrain
and magnetometer visualisations can be recreated
in the Minecraft world from actual data downloaded
from the International Space Station and replicated
by anyone that owns a Raspberry Pi. Her idea will
now be coded up by the Raspberry Pi staff and
flown on the ISS. In addition she wins a set of 15
Find us on Twitter i Find us on LinkedIn f Find us on Facebook
Above: Hannah Belshaw of
Cumnor House Girls School
won in the Primary School
category. Cumnor House School.
Right: Tim Peak inspects the
Raspberry Pi and its Astro Pi
hat. Twitter.
Astro Pi computers for the school and an image
of the school premises taken from space by a
British satellite. Jonathan Bell, from Raspberry Pi
said: We anticipate that we will have as much fun
programming (and testing) this entry, as children
will have exploring a game world created from data
captured in space.
The Cranmere Code Club team from Cranmere
Primary School in Esher Surrey were also winners
with their idea to investigate whether the Astro
Pi can detect the presence of astronauts on
the ISS using the temperature and humidity
sensors. CGIs Pat Norris from the judging panel
said: The Cranmere entry was very clearly and
comprehensively presented. It included a statement
of the objective of what is effectively a scientific
experiment and of the approach proposed to
achieve that objective, and complemented this with
logic flowcharts and a diagram. Part of the activity
takes place on the ISS and part on the ground after
THEIR GOAL the data has been collected, giving the Cranmere
Code Club an opportunity to participate directly in
IS TO SEE THE
the experiment. Cranmere win 15 Astro Pi sets and
RASPBERRY PI their idea will be coded by the Raspberry Pi staff to
BEING USED BY go into space with Tim Peake.
Secondary schools have until 29 June 2015 to
KIDS ALL OVER submit their entries in the form of actual code. Six
THE WORLD schools won the interim prize of a set of 15 Astro Pi
TO LEARN TO computers which will, no doubt, help and encourage
them in their attempt to win the big prize of having
PROGRAM AND their code selected to fly in space. More details of
UNDERSTAND the competition results can be found in the news
HOW section of www.ukspace.org
COMPUTERS Pat Norris
WORK FRAeS CITP
www.aerosociety.com JUNE 2015 49
 Society News
STUDENT DESIGN CONTEST
IT FLIES USA


 
Starting from just a concept back in September 


2014, Ben Lewis and I, second year aerospace 



engineering students from The University of
Manchester, had a very challenging mission to
create something new and innovative to take to
Merlin Flight Simulation Groups IT FLIES USA
Competition held annually in Dayton, Ohio. After
much deliberation, Swift, a variable sweep
passenger transport capable of Mach 2 at 60,000ft 

and subsonic cruise at 40,000ft was born.

We spent numerous hours a week (including
some weekends!) completing various calculations
and flight testing alongside our university studies;
before finally flying out to Dayton, Ohio, was
extremely exciting.
Having arrived a few days early before the
competition, we took the time to explore Daytons
great aviation heritage. The first trip out was to the
National Museum of the USAF where we managed
to get to see the presidential and the R&D
galleries with some very interesting aircraft, including
the Boeing VC-137C, the only XB-70 Valkyrie left
in the world and the Lockheed YF-12A. When we
got back in the evenings, we were very focused on
practicing and perfecting our presentation and, as
competition day edged closer, the nerves began to
accumulate.
On the morning of the competition, we had
the opportunity to chat to a few of the test pilots.
We were introduced to our test pilot David Glade
who flew the F-111 variable-sweep fighter jet, and
thus the perfect person to test our design. Having
made our presentation, we fought off some tough
questions and then it was down to The University of
Daytons simulation laboratory where our test pilot
would put our aircraft through some rigorous tests
in their MP521 Engineering Flight Simulator. Being
able to speak with and gain feedback from all the
judges and test pilots was an invaluable experience.
About 30 minutes after our flight test, we were
delighted to be awarded with second place also
taking the prize for the Most Innovative Design. Not
50 AEROSPACE / JUNE 2015
Above: The University of
Manchesters design for a
variable-sweep, supersonic
transport.
Below: Vaz Gorasia watching
test pilot David Glade flying
the design in the UD lab.
Bottom: The National
Museum of the US Air Force.
6ZLIW9DULDEOH6ZHHS6678QLYHUVLW\RI0DQFKHVWHU8.
9D]*RUDVLDDQG%HQ/HZLV
only was the competition day fun and a fantastic
learning experience, it was also great to make new
friends with the other competitors. To end what had
been an amazing day, we all went out for a meal to
celebrate everybodys achievements.
On our last day in Dayton, with a few of the
students who we were staying with at The University
of Dayton, we also made a visit to the Wright
Brothers Museum and their bicycle shop which was
very fascinating.
The trip and the competition day was an
amazing experience for us. To end one years worth
of work with second place and the Innovation
Prize was brilliant and we have both gained huge
amounts of knowledge in aircraft preliminary design,
as well as improving our teamwork and communica-
tion skills. We cannot talk highly enough about being
part of something like this.
A huge thank you to everyone we met at The
University of Dayton, also to The University of
Manchester and to Merlin Flight Simulation Group
for organising the event!
Vaz Gorasia
ISLANDER MILESTONE
Bembridge pays tribute to the historic Britten-Norman Islander
June 13 2015 will see the 50th anniversary of
the first flight of the Britten-Norman Islander light
transport and utility aircraft. The Islander is the most
successful British civil aircraft ever and was created
by what could be considered as one of the last
British aircraft companies to come into existence,
the Britten-Norman Company, or B-N, based at
Bembridge Airport on the Isle of Wight. The first
flight 50th anniversary will be commemorated by the
Islander 50 event to be held at Bembridge Airport
in June, 2015.
The Britten-Norman Aircraft Preservation Society
Trust is preparing plans for the commemoration
event, alongside work currently well under way at its
Bembridge Harbour workshop to restore the oldest
B-N Islander in existence, G-AVCN, construction
number 003, as a high quality static exhibit. The
restored Islander will be a tribute to John Britten
and Desmond Norman and all who worked with
them and the B-N Company over the years to make
Britten-Norman BN-2A Islander, G-AVCN, over the Needles. RAeS (NAL).
the Islander an outstanding success for the British
aviation industry.

AEROSPACE
GOLF DAY
FOR INDIVIDUAL AND CORPORATE MEMBERS

FRILFORD HEATH GOLF COURSE, OXFORDSHIRE / WEDNESDAY 1 JULY 2015

18 hole Stableford Points Join us at our 2015 Golf Day for some
healthy competition with fellow golfers
competition
in the aviation community.

9 hole Texas Scramble This event is ideal for networking in a

competition relaxed and informal setting.

Enter a corporate 4-ball team or opt

Individual and corporate to be teamed up with other individual
team prizes players.

For further details please apply to:

Lunch, refreshments and Gail Ward
afternoon tea Events Manager Corporate and
Society
Royal Aeronautical Society
Optional Social Supper on T +44 (0)1491 629912
30 June 2015 E gail.ward@aerosociety.com
 Afterburner
Diary
EVENTS www.aerosociety/events LECTURES www.aerosociety/events

Dassault
2-3 June
Delivering Weapons System Effects: The Contrast Between A Breguet Br76 Deux Ponts being used to demonstrate the Dragonjack aircraft recovery equipment
Piloted and Remotely-Piloted Platforms at Orly Airport. The restoration of a Deux Ponts will be described at Toulouse on 26 June. RAeS (NAL).
Weapon Systems and Technology Group Conference
QinetiQ, Malvern
BIRMINGHAM, DERBY LOUGHBOROUGH
8 June WOLVERHAMPTON AND Rolls-Royce Learning and Room J104, Edward Herbert
Sir Sydney Camm Lecture: Air Power and the Defence COSFORD Career Development Centre, Building, Loughborough
Aerospace Industry in the Whole Force Era RAF Museum Cosford. 7 pm. Wilmore Road, Derby. 7 pm. University. 7 pm. Colin Moss,
Air Marshal Sir Baz North, Deputy Commander Capability and Chris Hughs, T +44 (0)1902 Chris Sheaf, T +44 (0)1509 239962.
Air Member for Personnel & Capability, Royal Air Force 844523. T +44 (0)1332 269368. 9 June Loughborough
18 June Dornier 17Z 11 June 51st Sir Henry University MEng Final Year
9-10 June recovery and conservation. Royce Lecture. Willie Walsh, Aircraft Design Projects four
Future Challenges in Flight Simulation Darren Priday, Manager, CEO, IAG. short lectures.
Flight Simulation Group Conference Conservation Centre, RAF
Museum Cosford. FARNBOROUGH OXFORD
9 June BAE Systems Park Centre, Magdalen Centre, Oxford
Edwin A Link Lecture: Investigation in Simulation BRISTOL Farnborough Aerospace Centre. Science Park, Oxford. 7 pm.
Nathalie de Ziegler, Investigating Officer, Bureau dEnqutes et Concorde Room, BAWA. 6.30 7.30 pm. Dr Mike Philpot, Nigel Randell, E oaktree.
dAnalyses (BEA) pm. E elizabeth.cole@airbus.com T +44 (0)1252 614618. cottage@btinternet.com
Flight Simulation Group Named Lecture 11 June A320neo flight 16 June The prone pilot 21 July Tales from a bush
testing. Sandra Bour-Schaeffer, position. Roger Cansdale, pilot. Paul Catanach.
11 June Flight Test Engineer, Airbus. RAE/DERA (Ret).
Civil Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: Societal Implications and Issues 22 June Barnwell Lecture. PRESTON
Unmanned Air Systems Group Workshop AgustaWestland Project HAMBURG Personnel and Conference
25 June Zero programme. Dr James Airbus Conference Center Centre, BAE Systems, Warton.
Sopwith Lecture Wang, Vice President of (ACC), Airbus Hamburg. 6 pm. 7.30 pm. Alan Matthews,
James Arbuthnot MP Research and Technology, Richard Sanderson, T +49 T +44 (0)1995 61470.
Named Lecture AgustaWestland. University of (0)4167 92012. 10 June US military space
West of England. 6 pm. 11 June Material tailoring programmes. Pat Norris, CGI.
30 June for lightweight and morphing
Airport Expansion in the South East Where and Why? CANBERRA structures the shapes of TOULOUSE
Capt Jock Lowe ADFA Military Theatre. 6 pm. things to come. Paul Weaver, Chteau de Larroque, Route
Air Law Group Lecture and Summer Reception Jon Pike, Professor in Lightweight de Toulouse, Gimont, 45km
E jonpike@grapevine.net.au Structures, Department of West of Toulouse airport. 7 pm.
1 July 9 June C-27J battlefield Aerospace Engineering, 26 June Annual Informal
Aerospace Golf Day airlifter. Sqn Ldr David Hood, University of Bristol. Joint Dinner. Josselin Bequet will
C-27J Certification Manager. lecture with DGLR, VDI describe his work in the
9 July and HAW. Hochschule fr restoration of a 50-year old
Amy Johnson Lecture CRANWELL Angewandte Wissenschaften Breguet 765 Deux-Ponts/
Carol Vorderman Whittle Hall Lecture Theatre, Hamburg, Berliner Tor 5 Sahara.
Women in Aerospace and Aviation Lecture Whittle Hall, RAF Cranwell. 7 (Neubau), Hrsaal 01.
pm. Prof Trevor Kerry, 1 July Second Gerhard YEOVILTON
14 July E tk.consultancy@ntlworld.com Sedlmayr Lecture. Facing the Nuffield Bar, Little Yeovilton,
Meteor A Story of Development 1 June Motion in flight unexpected in flight what RNAS Yeovilton, Ilchester,
Andy Bradford, MBDA simulation. Bob Young. must we do? Jean Pinet, Somerset. 6 pm.
Weapon Systems and Technology Group Lecture 6 July Sir Barnes Wallis. former head of Aeroformation/ 30 June 100 years of world
Prof Richard Morris. Airbus Training. class aircraft. David Hassard.
7 September
The Vickers Wellington
Dr Steve Bond Gloster Meteor F8, WK935, was used by the RAE Farnborough for prone-pilot trials. The prone
Historical Group Lecture pilot position will be discussed by Roger Cansdale at Farnborough on 16 June. RAeS (NAL).
16 September
Future Trends in Certification of Advanced Technology
Structures
Structures and Materials Group Conference
National Composites Centre, Bristol

All lectures start at 18.00hrs unless otherwise stated.

Conference proceedings are available at
www.aerosociety.com/news/proceedings

52 AEROSPACE / JUNE 2015

 5th CEAS Air & Space Conference
7-11 Sept 2015 Delft University of Technology (The Netherlands)
CEAS the Council of European
Aerospace Societies will host its 2015
Air & Space conference in Delft (NL).
CEAS 2015 will be a unique
opportunity for aerospace industries,
academia, organisations and associations
to communicate, share and debate
innovative concepts and technical
solutions in the aerospace domain.
CEAS 2015 will promote the
establishment of knowledge and
technical networks with the aim of
increasing European competitiveness in
the field of aerospace.
The EU-funded project AFLoNext 2nd
generation active wing will organise a
workshop as a partner in the CEAS
2015 conference on flow control
technologies for novel aircraft
configurations.
The 12th European Workshop on
Aircraft Design Education (EWADE) will
be held during the CEAS 2015
conference.
Register now @ www.ceas2015.org
Conference programme
Inspiring and influential speakers have chosen the CEAS conference to
share perspectives that are relevant to you and your organisation
during 7 plenary sessions:
Challenges for the European Aeronautical Industry
Jean Botti (CTO Airbus)
Hans Buethker (Chairman & CEO Fokker Technologies)
Challenges for European Access to Space
Franco Ongaro (Director TEC & head ESA-ESTEC)
Arnaud de Jong (CEO Airbus Defence and Space Netherlands)
Challenges to the European Airlines
Athar Husain Khan (CEO Association of European Airlines AEA)
Peter Hartman (Vice-chairman Board of AirFrance/KLM)
Challenges in realizing a Single European Sky
Florian Guillermet (Director SESAR JU)
Paul Riemens (CEO LVNL)
Challenges to the European Aerospace Research and Research
Infrastructure
Eric Dautriat (Executive Director CleanSky)
Rolf Henke (Member DLR Executive Board)
Michel Peters (CEO NLR)
Challenges to European Aerospace Education
Hester Bijl (Dean TU-Delft Aerospace Faculty)
Challenges to the European Air Power in Asymmetric Conflicts
CDRE Peter Round (Director Capability EDA)
Lt-Gen Sander Schnitger (Commander Royal Netherlands Air Force).
205 Technical papers have been selected for publication and
presentation by aerospace scientists and engineers from 26
different nations around the world to disseminate the latest
scientific knowledge and research.
Technical visits
Four alternative technical tours to places of interest like major R&D
centers (ESA-ESTEC and NLR), the TU Delft and aerospace industry
(Fokker Aerostructures) are offered.
 Afterburner
Society News
WASHINGTON DC BRANCH
Fourth Transatlantic
Leading Edge Award
Group Captain Bill Gibson FRAeS, as the host,
welcomed the assembled 90+ attendees to the
British Embassy. He mentioned this was his last
AGM, as he was returning to the UK. He proceeded
to introduce the British Ambassador, Sir Peter
Westmacott, who spoke extensively about the
aviation sector and industry and its importance to
the British economy. He outlined the importance of
investment in each others country and discussed
the value of the TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and
Investment Partnership) negotiations. After
concluding his remarks, the Ambassador handed
over to Ken Gazzola, the Chair of the Washington,
DC Branch Board. Mr Gazzola outlined the
successes and developments over the past year,
including approaching the goal of 200 Branch
members.
Mr Gazzola and Ambassador Westmacott James Guyette is presented with the 2015 Transatlantic Leading Edge Trophy. From left: Ken
presented the Transatlantic Leading Edge Trophy Gazzola, Chairman RAeS Washington DC Branch; James Guyette, and the British Ambassador,
Sir Peter Westmacott.
to James Guyette, President and CEO, Rolls-Royce
North America, saying Mr Guyette represents the relationship across the Atlantic and told stories on
true spirit of this award and that it was earned on collaboration and perseverance, with the best of
the merit of his accomplishments. cultures coming together to do things others didnt
In accepting the award Mr Guyette reflected on think was possible. He thanked the Royal
the great partnerships developed in the aerospace Aeronautical Society and said he felt honoured and
business over many decades and emphasised the grateful to receive the Leading Edge Award.
foundation of it being based on trust. He spoke
about how innovation, collaboration and Quentin Whiteree
competition have been an important part of the Washington DC Branch Secretary

Online publications survey

Many thanks to those who responded to our recent
request for feedback on both AEROSPACE and
The Aeronautical Journal. We appreciate all your
input and we will be guided by this as we
develop the publications. THE
AERONAUTICAL
Please do keep the feedback coming. JOURNAL
The survey will be open for a little while
Covering all aspects of aerospace

Volume 119 Number 1212 February 2015

in partnership with
Fantastic images from the National Aerospace
Library Collection of the Royal Aeronautical
Society are now available to purchase as
reproduction prints and giftware items.
View the complete collection at:
www.prints-online.com
longer, or you can contact the Publications
Team directly by email, phone or post.
We also encourage readers to contribute
to AEROSPACE, whether by submitting
articles, proposing topics or authors, or
simply by keeping us informed of their
local Branch/Division activities.
Publications Team
T +44 (0)20 7670 4352
E publications@aerosociety.com
Survey: http://aerosociety.com/publications2015

54 AEROSPACE / JUNE 2015

Corporate Partners
NEW PARTNERS
The Royal Aeronautical Society would like to
welcome the following as Corporate Partners.
TUI GROUP
TUI UK&I: Wigmore House, Wigmore Lane, Luton
LU2 9TN UK
T +44 (0)1582 644340
W www.tuigroup.com
Contact
Chris Browne, Chief Operating Officer
There are six proprietary airlines in the TUI Group
operating around 140 medium- and long-haul
aircraft, including the largest fleet of the latest
Boeing Dreamliners. The airlines are TUIfly,
Thomson, TUIfly Nordic, Jetairfly, Corsair and
ArkeFly, serving more than 180 destinations
around the world.
The TUI Group airlines carry 30 million
customers every year and employ 8,500 people.
AVEILLANT LTD
300 Science Park, Milton Road, Cambridge
CB4 0XL, UK
T +44 (0)1223 226290
E joseph.woolfolk@aveillant.com
W www.aveillant.com
Contact
Joseph Woolfolk, Office Manager/Exec Assistant
to CEO
Aveillant is a UK-based world leader in radar
technology. Its surveillance products provide a
uniquely detailed, comprehensive, and adaptable
picture of surroundings.
Aveillants approach differs fundamentally
from the technology path followed to date. Rather
than rotating a narrow beam, the companys
Holographic Radar constantly surveys all the
airspace, then uses algorithms to intelligently
interpret what it sees. This provides a real-time
3D picture, with unparalleled resolution and
update speed.
Because our solution is rooted in software,
and because we collect 10,000% more
information than conventional radars, our
capabilities are broad and flexible PSR, drone-
detection, wind-farm mitigation, etc all using
the same technology.
Find us on Twitter i Find us on LinkedIn
EVENTS
Please note: attendance at Corporate Partner Briefings is strictly
exclusive to staff of RAeS Corporate Partners. Both individual and
corporate members are welcome at the Aerospace Golf Day. Unless
otherwise advised, registration for Corporate Partner Briefings is at 16.30 hrs.
Wednesday 1 July 2015 / Frilford Heath, Oxfordshire
Aerospace Golf Day
Tuesday 15 September 2015 / London
An Update on US Aviation Strategic Goals and Transatlantic Partnerships
Corporate Partner Briefing by Michael P Huerta, Administrator, FAA
Monday 12 October 2015 / London
Corporate Partner Briefing by AM Sir Stephen Hillier, Deputy Chief of the
Defence Staff (Capability), Ministry of Defence
Sponsored by:
www.aerosociety.com/events
For further information, please contact Gail Ward
E gail.ward@aerosociety.com or T +44 (0)1491 629912
THE AIM OF THE
Hayward & Green
CORPORATE
PARTNER
SCHEME IS TO
BRING TOGETHER
ORGANISATIONS
TO PROMOTE Hayward & Green acquires BAe125s from
BEST PRACTICE Royal Flight
Three Royal Air Force BAe125 CC3s from 32
WITHIN THE Squadron, also known as the Royal Squadron,
INTERNATIONAL have been acquired from an MoD tender by
AEROSPACE the special projects division of West Sussex
aerospace engineering firm Hayward & Green
SECTOR Aviation Ltd.
The aircraft were retired from active service
in late March, marking the end of the RAFs
involvement with the 125. These aircraft have a
unique and intriguing history explains Director
of Operations, Jeremy Green. As well as active
military service in the Gulf and elsewhere, they
have also been used by Her Majesty the Queen
as well as other members of the Royal family
and many leading cabinet politicians including
the Prime Minister. The RAF really valued these
aircraft for their unflappable reliability.
Plans for the aircraft have yet to be finalised
Contact: but Green has confirmed that at least one will be
Simon Levy maintained as fully operational. The others may
Corporate Partner Manager be used as sources of spare parts for continuing
E simon.levy@aerosociety.com operations.
T +44 (0)20 7670 4346
f Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com JUNE 2015 55
 Afterburner
Elections
Gianmarco Mengaldo Sukhdeep Sandhu
FELLOWS
Susan Smith Asad Shahid
SOCIETY OFFICERS
Neil Barnett Simon Toogood Jessica Summersby
President: Martin Broadhurst
Joanna Caston
President-Elect: Prof Chris Atkin
Keith Conradi E-ASSOCIATES
ASSOCIATE
Richard Daniel MEMBERS
BOARD CHAIRMEN
Michael de La Chapelle Ayden Mitchell
Maureen Dougherty Liam Bosley
Learned Society Chairman: Prof Graham Roe
Simon Escott Eleri Cooling AFFILIATES
Membership Services Chairman:
Jens Goennemann Carmel Corr
Dr Alisdair Wood
Daniel Hinson James Fitzmaurice Emmanuel Abaya
Professional Standards Chairman:
Mark Hunt George Henderson Peter Antonenko
Prof Jonathan Cooper
John Illson Michael Hollings Greg Baker
David Lees Cameron McKay Nigel Balshaw
DIVISION PRESIDENTS
Andrew Martin Danny Moore Sarah Beswick
Lorraine Rienecker Gavin Scott Michael Close
Australia: John Vincent
Mark Skidmore Jonathan Sixsmith Anthony Cundill
New Zealand: Gp Capt Frank Sharp
Anthony Toner Jack Small John Lewthwaite
Pakistan: AM Salim Arshad
Edwin Tritschler Devon Sumner Rajeev Verma
South African: Dr Glen Snedden
Carol Williams Rhys Wainwright Lea Vesic
Stewart Wingate Mark Wallis Justin Wastnage
Correct at the time of going to press
MEMBERS ASSOCIATES STUDENT AFFILIATES

Vasily Akhrameev David Barry Cheryl Cattanach

Perry Hinneh Diana Rotariu

50 YEARS OF MEMBERSHIP
The Society would like to congratulate the followng members who have reached 50 years of membership during 2014 and 2015.

Barrie Abbott MRAeS Norman John Essex Christopher Lack John Brian Rodgers David Thompson
Frank Adams MRAeS MRAeS AMRAeS MRAeS MRAeS
John Ayers MRAeS Samuel Fisher MRAeS Roy Laverty MRAeS Colin Russell FRAeS Michael Usher MRAeS
Lee Balthazor FRAeS Colin Frazer AMRAeS John Levy FRAeS Christopher Ryland Thomas Watterson
John Bates MRAeS John Gilbert MRAeS Peter Liddell MRAeS AMRAeS FRAeS
Geoffrey Bennett Bernard Goodman Dennis Long MRAeS Michael Savage FRAeS Anthony George Alfred
MRAeS MRAeS Barrie Lord FRAeS Lionel Scovell MRAeS White MRAeS
Terence Billingham Michael Gordon-Smith Narinder Luthra MRAeS Michael Snelling Eddie Wild FRAeS
MRAeS AMRAeS Robert Ian Duncan MRAeS Geoffrey Wileman
Anthony Bishop Graham Goy FRAeS Macfarlane MRAeS Michael Stanberry MRAeS
MRAeS Philip Green FRAeS Colin Martin FRAeS MRAeS David Wilson FRAeS
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56 AEROSPACE / JUNE 2015

Society News
WITH REGRET
The RAeS announces with regret the deaths of the
following members:
Brian John Bolton Affiliate 93
Informing your simulation needs
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John Henry Sartain IEng AMRAeS 65 x Planning to introduce simulation to your
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pilot training programmes?
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 The Last Word
COMMENTARY FROM
Professor Keith Hayward
FRAeS
Le Bourget
a mixed forecast for European aerospace
I love Paris in the summer, when it sizzles well
maybe but a lot depends if you are trudging round
the concrete paths at Le Bourget or invited to
share a long cool drink with a hospitable aerospace
company. At least Farnborough has some accessible
grass. But, as the aerospace carnival arrives in
the City of Light, European aerospace has an
opportunity to take stock. Although exhibitors are up
on previous years, there are some missing names:
Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems to name but
two. And there will be no US military aircraft flying.
But still lots to see.
No change on the civil front
As ever, the civil side reflects general buoyancy.
Comme habitude Airbus and Boeing will announce
large orders and trade a few ritual insults. Falling oil
prices may have taken away some of the urgency
to replace older airliners but their aircraft are selling
well enough. Airbus faces some difficult choices
with the A380, with its primary customer pressing
for a bigger version while the original is still some
way off break-even. Rolls-Royce certainly should
have no complaints about Emirates! In passing, it
is worth noting that, while the UK will provide most
of the components for the A380 Trent, assembly
will be overseas with neutral impact on British
employment, for the moment?
In general, this Paris will pass without evidence
of a major challenge to the Boeing-Airbus duopoly.
Bombardier has still to convince that the CSeries
has made a market break through. The Chinese
challenge has yet to crystalise but watch out for
more news about a China-Russia link up on a new
THE EUROPEAN widebody.
AEROSPACE SUPPLY
CHAIN WOULD LIKE European space also in a happy place
SOME CERTAINTY The space sector is also in a reasonable state.
ABOUT FUTURE European satellite builders have plenty of work
DEMAND AND and headline customers, such as ESA, have had
PRODUCTION RATES a very good time with comet landers and the rest.
58 AEROSPACE / JUNE 2015
Commitment to a sixth version of Ariane has been
agreed but not without further squabbling over costs.
Meanwhile, Mr Musk and SpaceX are threatening
to take away a chunk of the rockets commercial
business. This will be a story to watch when the
cavalcade moves on to Hampshire next year.
Not so many smiley faces in the defence
sector
Harder faces will be found in the chalets and display
halls if one is trying to land or to confirm a military
deal. At least the Europeans will not be facing an
F-35 in the flesh. Again, European taxpayers who
are to help pay for the worlds most expensive
procurement wont be able to see what they are
getting for their money.
But what a struggle it is for Typhoon and Rafale?
And how we should now regret failure in the 1980s
to create a fast-jet Airbus grouping. Typhoon has the
belated boost in active scan radar that should vastly
improve its ground attack performance. Rafale has
the edge in new sales although, despite high level
Franco-Indian intervention, confirming the Indian
deal is a protracted exercise. The outcome might
not be over-lucrative but it will keep the line open.
Already, there is concern in both camps that the
future of some long lead-time items may be coming
up against some tough deadlines. More important,
perhaps, Rafale has landed some important
customers in the Middle East. Times look tough for
Typhoon.
Happy days then?
I suspect that, whatever the status of European
primes, the inhabitants of the European aerospace
supply chain would like some certainty about future
demand and production rates. Even firmer moves
to develop future European RPAS programmes, will
not fill many factories. However, one views the place
of the F-35 in European aerospace, it is still one of
the safer havens available.
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